October 2016 Newsletter

Apart from a couple of cooler days, we’ve really been enjoying an Indian Summer this year, and as we now move into the Autumn I’m looking forward to watching the leaves change colour, and preparing for the colder months ahead.

The display of rich autumn hues now prominent at the garden centre is just lovely. The front tables sing with colour, showing off the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of the season. Echinachea, Helenium, Rudbeckia, Heuchera, Pyracantha – all these are vying for our attention, and justifiably so. There are some lovely shrubs available for winter and spring interest, including beautifully scented Daphne and Sarcococca. Then there is Skimmia ‘Pabella’, with masses of berries, and rich dark leaves … ideal for brightening up a shady spot over the winter. This is a really strong contender if you want a shade tolerant evergreen with year round interest.

If you’re yearning for a tree with autumn colour to grace your garden, it’s not too late to plant one. If you’re at all nervous about what to choose, remember we are here to help and advise you, and can explain how to plant and stake your new tree to ensure it thrives.

Even if you don’t have room to plant a tree, perennial or shrub, you will definitely find space for some Wallflowers, which are now in stock as bare-rooted plants at £3.95 for a pack of 10. Each week we get different colours in. This week there are dwarf mixed coloured packs, purple and cream. Next week you might find pink, scarlet and orange …. Whatever colours you go for, these are the most fantastically easy flowers to just pop into the ground and forget about until they burst into gloriously scented flower in early spring. There is only a short window of opportunity in which we can sell them, so come and grab some soon. There’s a sheet near the till explaining how to plant them.

Cyclamen and winter bedding are now available, along with spring bulbs. We have pansies, violas, cyclamen (including Hederifolium, for naturalising), all of which create bright spots of colour in your tubs and planters, as well as in your borders. There is a bulb that can be planted almost anywhere … under trees, in your lawn, in flower beds, pots, window boxes – even indoors. Sadly, there are some lines that sell out with our suppliers quickly, so to avoid disappointment get yours soon.

If you want a fantastic spring bulb display, why not create a ‘bulb lasagne’? Sally is running a day of workshops on how to do this, on Saturday 8^th October… one at 11am and one at 2pm. If you’d like to attend, please let us know by emailing us HERE – just give us your name, phone number and which time you’d like to attend. You’ll need to bring your own gloves, but we can supply everything else, unless you want to bring your own pot.

If you don’t have a garden but love to be surrounded by greenery, you’re bound to find a houseplant to suit you. Sourced by Alex and housed in the Vintage Shed, the range changes all the time. You can pick up a massive high impact plant, or a tiny little succulent … as well as lots in between the two. You’ll also find pots, composts and fertilisers to suit your new purchase.

In September I attended a couple of trade shows, and was delighted to discover a few new suppliers. The first of the stock is now in, and the thing I’m most excited about is the Solmate Sock range. Yes, I know, that makes me sound a bit sad, but come and see them and you’ll understand why – honestly! Their strap line is ‘Life is too short for matching socks’. The socks (and mittens) are made from recycled soft cotton, in wonderful vibrant colourways, and – best of all – if you buy a ‘pair’ of children’s socks, you actually get three. (Let’s face it, we all know how children’s socks ALWAYS disappear. )

In the shop, we’ve had a delivery of Hug Rugs. They suck up mud and water in a flash, are machine washable, and 100% UK manufactured in a small factory in Yorkshire. We’re bound to get wet weather again soon, so be prepared.

With cooler weather on the way, we have Olive firewood back in stock, so you can light your fire or wood burner again and enjoy the extended warmth and glorious aroma these logs produce.

Gosh! I think I’ve burbled on for quite long enough, so will hand you over to Sally, with her usual wonderful ‘Garden Tasks’ for you below.

But, just before I go, I want to give you a head’s up. We are trying to ensure that we have the correct email address for all our reward card customers, so you may get asked for it at the till. This is because we are moving over to e- vouchers next year (saving on paper and postage). However if you’d prefer to continue to get yours in the post, that’s fine. Just let us know.

Hope to see you at the garden centre very soon.

Karen

Garden jobs

October is a lovely month, with warming sights and smells, as leaves change colour on trees and shrubs. Light levels are reducing and the days shortening, but there are still plenty of hours when you can get outside to enjoy the garden this month.

My top two jobs

1. Critically assess your outside space. Autumn is a good time to think about what is and isn't working in your outside space, before the memory of the past season fades.

2. Get your lawn ready for the winter.

General garden maintenance

As leaves begin to fall, keep up with clearing them. Leaves sitting on the lawn deprive the grass of light and should be raked up regularly, but leave some on beds and borders to rot down into the soil. The simplest way to clear leaves off the lawn is to run over them with a lawn mower. The cutting action of the mower blades will help to shred the leaves and make them quicker to rot down.
Leaves are a good addition to the compost heap, but remember that leaves can take longer to break down than other garden matter. Dispose of any diseased leaves in garden waste.
Tidy up fallen leaves regularly: to discourage overwintering pests and disease; to protect the lawn; and to keep terraces and balconies clean and tidy.
Alternatively, you can make leaf mould, to use to improve soil or as a compost when planting. If you don’t have a separate area to compost leaves in this way, special hessian leaf sacks are available. Make sure you moisten the leaves sporadically, and in two years’ time you’ll have rich dark compost.
Cover ponds with net to prevent leaves falling in, but leave access for wildlife.
Clean and tidy around the garden, fixing, mending and storing away.
Check fences and trellis and repair as necessary.
Cut back and compost summer bedding and annuals once they finish flowering.
Cut back perennials which are past their best, but leave those with attractive seed heads for winter interest and silhouette such as Sedum, Echinacea and grasses. As well as looking good, many seed heads are a food source for birds.
Summer flowering perennials, which have finished flowering can be lifted and divided. Discard congested stems from the centre and replant the outer divisions. Later flowering perennials which are still looking good should be left until the spring.
October is an ideal month to move trees and shrubs, and plant hedges.
Move plants which aren't doing well or aren't growing as you expected them to.

Preparing for cooler temperatures

A good layer of compost or horse manure around established trees and shrubs, including fruit trees, roses and wisteria will be of benefit, and help to produce stronger growth and more flowers in the spring.
Mulch around more tender plants to keep their roots warmer. Bark or other materials can be used to help trap the summer warmth in the soil.
Check your stock of fleece to protect delicate plants and bubble wrap to protect pots.
Make space in greenhouses and conservatories to bring tender potted plants inside.
Stand pots on feet or bricks to prevent water logging.
Drain and put away hoses and irrigation equipment to avoid freezing.
Clean paths, decking and patio areas.

Container gardening

Plant containers with winter pansies, violas, cyclamen or heathers; evergreen perennials such as Heuchera and evergreen ferns do well in containers too. Small evergreen shrubs such as box or euonymus will give height and structure, and can be planted out in the garden when they outgrow the container.
Underplant winter containers, window boxes and baskets with bulbs such as dwarf narcissi, crocus, iris reticulata, chionodoxa or something else which takes your fancy. They will find their way up through winter bedding displays.

Pruning

Prune climbing roses and tie in the stems of these and other climbers to prevent wind damage.
Prune late summer-flowering shrubs once their show is over. Lavender can be pruned to keep it neat and tidy, cutting within the green stems.

Planting

Many trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials are better planted in the autumn, into warm soil with roots active enough to establish before the winter. Deciduous trees and shrubs, and flowering perennials will all perform better in their first summer if planted now.
Plant a shrub for winter flower and scent, such as Camellia, Sarcococca, Hamamelis, Skimmia, Viburnum…there are lots to choose from.
When planting in new or recently cleared ground, dig in good compost or horse manure. London clay soil needs to be improved the to allow drainage so that plants don’t sit in wet soil in the winter, and bake in dried out soil in the summer. Breaking down clay with good organic compost and digging in grit will help.

Planting for Spring colour

Karen has mentioned wallflowers and bulbs – they really are worth a bit of effort in the next month or two, to give wonderful displays in the spring.
Plant bare root wallflowers as soon as possible after buying them. They may look at bit floppy, but will soon pick up.
When planting any bulbs, think about the drainage, and if necessary add a handful of grit in the planting hole. If bulbs sit in wet soil, they will rot. As a general rule of thumb, plant the bulbs at two to three times their own depth.
If you can’t work out where to plant snowdrops, they can be planted in pots, with a 50:50 compost and sharp sand or grit mix, and put out in the winter months when you see a gap.
Tulips can be planted towards the end of this month. They are more prone to disease than other bulbs hence planting them later.
Bulbs in borders should be in groups of six or more for a good display. In containers, plant them close together for more impact.
To get real value from a container try a bulb lasagne, a method of layering bulbs to flower at different times which looks great and extends the season. You will need a good size pot, or window box. Try a bottom layer of tulips, 6-8 inches deep, cover with bulb fibre, then a layer of Narcissi at 3-4 inches deep, then a layer of Muscari and Anemone blanda 2 inches deep. You could go for blues and whites, pinks and purples or another colour combination. Two pots planted identically either side of a door will bring huge pleasure. When they have finished flowering all except the tulips can be planted out in the garden next year, or potted up again in autumn.
Indoors: bowls of Hyacinth and indoor Narcissi are easy to do and will fill rooms with scent later in the winter. A general rule of thumb with indoor bulbs is to plant them 4-6 weeks before you want the flowers.

Fruit and vegetables

Clear away any remaining debris from vegetable gardens and containers.
Pick any fruit left on apple, pear and other fruit trees.
Remove fallen fruit from around trees and shrubs before it rots.
If you are storing fruit, choose only ‘perfect’ fruit, with no sign of damage or disease. Pack dry fruits in a single layer in crates, not touching, and with good air circulation.
Put grease bands around the trunks of fruit trees to deter winter moth damage.

Watering and feeding

Keep watering anything which has been planted recently. Until we have considerable rain, the ground remains dry and roots may not have reached down far enough yet. Think in terms of buckets of water a couple of times a week rather than a sprinkle of water every day.

Lawns

Prepare the lawn for the winter - aerate, scarify, repair dead patches, improve bumps and dips.
Lawn dressing is highly beneficial, improving drainage. Apply it after aerating and scarifying, and before seeding. Mow the lawn, and apply dry dressing on a dry day. Distribute the dressing over the lawn by placing piles at regular intervals, then spread it into place with the back of a rake and then a stiff brush to get it into holes and hollows. If it doesn’t rain in the next few days, water it in.
Renovate tatty lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf.
Use an autumn lawn fertiliser.
Mow the lawn for probably the last time this year.
Renovate bare patches with grass seed appropriate to the situation - shady, play area or general all purpose.

Pests and disease

Generally clean and tidy up: a clean garden is a healthier garden.
Make sure you remove weeds which can act as a host for pests and diseases over winter.
Squirrels are a number one enemy in south east London gardens! Unfortunately it's a case of living with them but making their lives as difficult as possible. At this time of year they dig up and eat corms and bulbs, especially crocus and tulip, and perform amazing feats to get at bird food. You can deter them from newly buried bulbs with a wire mesh and use a bird feeder with a robust outer wire cage.
Foxes are an urban pest too. There are some good products available which help to deter them.

Wildlife

Clean out nesting boxes for birds, and put up some new ones.
When tidying and cleaning in the garden, leave somewhere for wildlife such as hedgehogs and toads to hibernate as we head into winter.
Birds will keep coming to your garden if you keep the feeders topped up, and leave some water out for them too. They begin to need more calories as the temperature drops, which can be provided by fat balls and suet blocks.

Enjoy the month, and remember to reward yourself with a big slice of cake after a busy day in the garden.

Sally