December Newsletter 2017

Last call to any slow coaches out there! ….

You only have a couple of days left to pre-order your Christmas tree and get 10% off the price and free local delivery. This offer ends on 30^th November … it’s no use turning up on 1^st December and saying you forgot!!

From 1^st December, trees will be charged at the full price and the usual delivery charges will also apply.

This Saturday is the ‘Love West Dulwich’ Christmas Fair . Events will be taking place both at the Croxted/Park Hall Road end and the Rosendale Road end of West Dulwich, including a range of stalls selling street food, craft stalls, and many businesses offering one-day-only promotions. It will be well worth visiting – get in the Christmas mood and find some lovely items to buy as well. If you time it right, you’ll even be offered a warming cup of mulled wine and a mince pie!

Here at the garden centre we’re well into the Christmas spirit and the place is looking and smelling very festive. Our first delivery of trees has arrived, so we’re enveloped in that delicious pine forest scent again. Tamsin returns as our in-house florist for the season, so part of the vintage shed has once again been transformed into the most wonderful sight … vibrant berried stems, glorious cut flowers, sparkly stems, holly and ivy, hand-made wreaths holding cinnamon sticks, orange and lime slices and cones. The perfect way to transform your home; come and talk to us about bespoke cut-flower table or mantle decorations, or just choose a small hand-tied bunch for the hall table. You can pre-order and specify exactly what you want, ready for collection on your chosen day - yet another example of why buying local makes sense: you can have what you want, when you want it.

If you haven’t already seen our fantastic decorations, come in soon as they are disappearing fast … extraordinary, colourful hand-made tree decorations by Felt-So-Good; gorgeous smoked glass baubles from one of our favourite suppliers, nkuku; fun and vibrant peacock and colourful decorations by Sass and Belle, and more besides. With prices starting at just 95p, there is something for every budget. We’ve gone to town with twinkling lights this year, including some made by local craftswoman Melanie Porter.

Most of you know that we have lots of things that make ideal gifts and stocking fillers, ranging from hand carved pencils, to fabulous Felco secateurs (for the serious gardener); from luscious hand creams to exquisite candles – be seduced by the scent of cinnamon and clove, fig, sandalwood and stem ginger. Made in the UK are our Burgon and Ball tools, watering cans and pet food tins. If you’re still not sure what to get that gardener friend for Christmas, what about a voucher, so they can choose for themselves?

Of course, we are still very much a garden centre, so there are plenty of fabulous plants and shrubs to be had … naked winter stems on the silver birches that almost glow at dusk, berried Pyracantha, Skimmia, gloriously flowering and scented Mahonia, delicate Cyclamen, winter pansies and violas, and formal looking bay standards and box balls.

If you want something growing inside your house, we have Amaryllis bulbs ready to plant now, in shades from palest cream, through vibrant red, to deepest black. There are also pots of Hyacinths and Narcissi Paperwhites, to bring their delicious scent into your home.

And to keep you warm in this chilly weather, we have stocks of olive wood, kiln dried wood and hardwood for the fire. We’ll have a Kadai firepit lit here on colder days … do you have one at home yet? If not, we still have a few available.

All in all, you’ll be spoilt for choice if you visit us this festive season!

We very much hope to see you soon, but in case I miss you, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Before Sally left our shores to go and relax and explore the other side of the world, she very kindly wrote up her usual ‘Garden Tasks’ for me to share with you. They follow below.

With warm wishes to you and your family

Karen and the team

PS December opening hours are:

9.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm Sundays.

We will close at lunchtime on Christmas Eve, and reopen at 10am on Friday 5^th January.

Garden jobs

Your December to do list probably doesn't include much time in the garden, but here are a few things to think about when the mood takes you.

My top 2 jobs for December, and the winter ahead

1. Protect tender plants from cold temperatures, either by moving them to a sheltered spot or into a greenhouse, or by mulching and fleecing plants which can't be moved.

2. Write a Christmas wish list for the garden!

General garden maintenance

• Check fences and trellis and repair as necessary.
• Put away outside furniture, pots, tools etc which you won't be using during the winter months. The recent wild wind will have reminded you that things can get blown around and damaged.
• Make sure climbers are tied in and trees are stable to protect against wind damage.
• Have a look for pretty seed heads and cones to bring into the house, and holly and ivy for festive decorations. Stand holly in a bucket of water until you're ready to use it.

Frost and snow

• If snow is forecast, tie up cordylines, conifers and other plants which may be damaged by the weight of snow.
• When freezing temperatures are forecast, a ball left floating on the pond will leave an air hole. This is especially important if there are fish in the pond.
• Frosts will improve the structure of previously dug soil, but take care not to walk on or work the soil when it is waterlogged as this will do more damage than good.
• Frosts and freezing temperatures will help to kill off pests and disease, so enjoy the cold weather knowing it's doing good work outside.

Container gardening

• There is still plenty of opportunity to plant containers for winter interest. Use Skimmia, cyclamen, viola, pansies, and trailing ivy to brighten up the view from inside, or to welcome visitors to the front door.
• Reduce watering of container plants, but don’t let them dry out completely - remember that the rain won’t penetrate densely planted pots.
• Move containers to a sheltered, dry spot, grouped together for mutual protection. Stand pots on feet or bricks to prevent water logging. Pots and plants are vulnerable to prolonged freezing temperatures. Wrap pots with bubble wrap, hessian or fleece to protect roots and prevent the pots cracking.

Pruning

• Start to winter prune wisteria, cutting summer side shoots back to 2 or 3 buds. See our Wisteria-Pruning guide here
• Prune acers and vines where needed, if left longer into the winter months, they will bleed.
• If ferns are looking a bit tatty, give them a Christmas haircut, close to the crown, just as the new growth is coming through. A drop of liquid fertiliser will give them a boost too.
• Prune open grown apple and pear trees during the winter months, but not those trained against walls, which should be pruned in summer.
• Remove large unripened figs from trees, they won’t ripen now. Leave the tiny new fruits to develop next spring.
• Prune tall bush roses, to reduce wind rock - tall branches catch the wind and can loosen the plant.

Planting

• Plant deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Think about some winter interest shrubs and plants to brighten up the coming months - the scent of Sarcococca - Christmas Box - is hard to beat, planted near a path or door. Hellebores planted now will soon start producing buds and flowers. Camellias, full of bud, will brighten any garden; brightly coloured dogwoods - Cornus - and other plants with attractive stems make a good addition to the winter garden.
• Keep an eye on recently planted trees and shrubs to make sure they haven’t moved in the wind. Heel them in again if necessary
• Finish planting tulips for colour in the spring.
• Sow broad beans, directly into the ground, but not if it's frozen or waterlogged.

Indoors

• Indoor bulbs such as hyacinths, narcissi and amaryllis will last longer if kept in cooler conditions of 13-15C. The same applies to indoor plants such as cyclamen, azalea and poinsettia - they don't appreciate central heating.
• Once the heating is on, houseplants may suffer. Spray foliage plants with a fine mister, and think about grouping plants together to create their own microclimate, perhaps sitting them on a tray of gravel which be watered to increase the humidity.

Lawns

• Throughout the winter months, avoid walking on waterlogged or frozen grass.

Wildlife

• Birds need regular supplies of food and water through the winter months, so keep the feeders topped up with high calorie offerings. In cold weather, keep the water supply fresh.

Gift lists

• Write yourself a Christmas wish list. A new pair of secateurs or gloves, a special pot, a set of new tools…
• Plants make lovely gifts - a Camellia, large or small, a deliciously scented Daphne, an Olive tree or shrub, a pot of scented narcissi, or an elegant amaryllis to grow. A planted container with cheery plants for the coming months - there are many options.
• For new gardeners, a trug or flower pot filled with useful bits and pieces such as string, plant labels, a trowel and hand fork. There are lots of garden oriented ideas, which make really useful presents.

I wish you a peaceful Christmas season, and look forward to keeping you busy in 2018!

Sally