Newsletter

January 2021

As of this week we are of course all in lockdown again but just to advise you, we will be open as long as we are allowed to do so. We ask that, in consideration for other customers and our staff, that masks or face coverings are worn both inside our shop and houseplant shed and in the outside areas. Please also respect everyone else’s space in the garden centre.

Just a reminder that we will be making deliveries in our local area for a £10 charge (minimum spend £75). Please do call us if you have any questions about this.

Let’s hope that we can eventually all look forward to the gardening season in 2021 and build on the enthusiasm in which people took up gardening last year which leads us to …

GROW YOUR OWN

One job you can get on with now is deciding what you will be growing in the weeks and months ahead and we now have vegetable, herb and flower seeds as well as very easy-to-grow packets of seeds for children. We have all the equipment you will need to get started; come and ask us if you need any advice.

WILDLIFE

Keep feeding the birds – they are an absolute joy to watch but apart from that, they will be your best friend and pick off those pests you don’t want such as snails, slugs and caterpillars; an environmentally-friendly way of getting rid of them. With Spring not too far off (yes really) it might be worth looking at a site for a nesting box – you may attract a new family within a few months.

FIREWOOD

Hopefully we will be able to get together soon with friends and family in our gardens and outdoor spaces. We have Kadai firebowls for the days when we can’t meet up inside. We also have a good stock of hardwood, olive wood, kindling and firelighters to help your fire get going.

HOUSEPLANTS

We have an extensive selection of indoor pots in all shapes and sizes coming soon which will slowly and surely be filling up again with houseplants as the weather warms up.

BULBS AND PLANTS

Don’t worry if you didn’t get round to planting bulbs last year. We have a great choice of bulbs growing in pots that you can sink straight into containers or directly into the soil. Just a few examples are Snowdrops, Aconites, Chionodoxa, Fritillaria, Iris and many more. They will sit nicely beneath little pots of primroses and Hellebores, for instance, giving you a longer season of interest.

We still have a range of mostly evergreen shrubs and smaller pots such as ferns, Heuchera and Euphorbia to fill the gaps in your borders. Over the next few months we will be filling up with the new season’s stock of Magnolia, Camellia and many others and we can’t wait to get them in to show you.

POTS

Now is a great time to plan your containers for next Spring. Do any need replacing as they have cracked or are damaged? Large pots and containers look really good in small gardens – don’t think small garden, small pot, small plant. Large looks amazing and spectacular!

With warm wishes

The team at APGC

Garden jobs

We have a few months before the weather hopefully gets a little better but here are some jobs that you can get on with before then.

General garden maintenance

We have a few months before the weather hopefully gets a little better but here are some jobs that you can get on with before then.

• A couple of things to remember
• -- Walking on lawns when they are frosted or wet will damage the grass. If you need to access beds and borders to work, lay planks to walk on.
• -- Frosts improve the structure of previously dug soil, but take care not to walk on or work the soil when it is waterlogged - you will do more damage than good.
• On the subject of lawns, if yours is looking tired and in need of a boost, use a winter lawn product.
• Weeds start growing before almost anything else - knock them out as soon as you spot them, as it’s much easier to get rid of them before they have a chance to establish. Perennial weeds should be dug out with as much of their roots as possible, or treated with a systemic weed killer as soon new leaves appear.
• Check protective fleeces and wrappings around plants and pots; ensure stakes, fences and gutters are secure, and that the garden is tidy, with nothing lying around which could be picked up by strong winds and cause damage.
• Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins, clipping them to within a few centimetres of the ground, but leaving a protective ‘mound’ at the core if it is a large specimen.
• If snow is forecast, tie up Cordylines, conifers and other plants which may be damaged by the weight of snow.
• Protect the developing core of tree ferns with old fronds or straw.
• Remove old leaves from Hellebores to make the new blooms more visible as they emerge.
• Spread organic matter - well-rotted manure or organic compost, as a surface layer over beds. If you lay it on top as a mulch, the rain and worms will gradually pull the nutrients down into the soil.
• Clear out the shed or storage cupboard, checking over tools and equipment to make sure they are all clean and in working order. Get rid of any chemicals and fertilisers which have been lying around for a long time. These materials should be taken to your local authority waste site for safe disposal.
• Deadhead winter bedding plants such as cyclamen and pansies, remove any diseased leaves and remember to water them; lack of watering can cause mildew.

Container gardening

• Wash empty pots by scrubbing them with hot water and a mild detergent. Rinse them well afterwards.
• Wrap non-frostproof pots in bubble wrap or hessian to help prevent cracking. Group pots together in a sheltered south facing spot.
• Protect tender plants by bringing them into the greenhouse or conservatory when a cold snap is forecast or by wrapping them in horticultural fleece.
• Plant up pots with spring bulbs and bedding to brighten the view from indoors.
• When pots of bulbs have finished flowering, deadhead, feed with a foliar feed and plant them out in the garden to enjoy again next year and free up the pot for summer displays.
• Remember to water planted containers, it’s easy to forget in cold weather.

Pruning

• Finish pruning deciduous trees, if needed, to keep them in shape. Be prepared to seal the wood with an appropriate sealant.
• Give Wisteria its winter prune by cutting back the current season’s growth to within two or three buds of the older wood. See our notes on Wisteria Pruning .
• Finish pruning apple and pear trees, gooseberries, red and blackcurrants. Prune autumn fruiting raspberries, cutting each cane right down to the ground.
• Cut back Group 3 Clematis – the late flowering ones which flower on the current year’s growth e.g. Etoile Violette, Jackmanii, Gravetye Beauty – to the lowest pair of strong buds, at about knee height, 30cm above the ground.
• Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Buddleja, Caryopteris, hardy fuchsias, Santolina and others. These can generally be pruned very hard, almost to the ground leaving a few buds or shoots on each stem. If you want to increase the size of the shrubs, leave a few stems on and prune these lightly.
• Hydrangea paniculata can be pruned hard now. Other types of Hydrangea, including common mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla) should only be pruned lightly in spring to avoid removing the new flower buds.
• Prune roses to encourage healthy new flowering stems. Cut back to just above a bud and remove any dead or crossing branches. When you have finished pruning, give plants a feed with an organic fertiliser and/or mulch with good organic compost or manure.

Planting

• If you missed planting bulbs in the autumn, or find gaps which could do with some colour, pop in a few pots of spring bulbs. Dwarf Iris, snowdrops and crocus will flower first, then narcissi , followed by tulips and alliums. Get them in the ground while they’re small and they will provide months of colour.
• If your garden looks a bit bare and uninteresting, plant a winter flowering shrub such as Hamamelis, Daphne, Sarcococca, Camellia…
• Continue planting deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
• Introduce evergreen shrubs if your winter garden is lacking structure, or bright coloured winter stems, such as Cornus and Salix.

Seed sowing

• Sweet Pea seeds can be sown indoors in a propagator on a sunny windowsill, and planted out later on. Those sown in Autumn can be potted on and kept on a windowsill in a cold frame or greenhouse.
• If the weather improves and the soil gets warm, you can start to sow broad beans, peas, cabbage, beetroot and spinach under cloches.

Pests and diseases

• Keep an eye out for the first signs of herbaceous growth and protect the new leaves from slug attack. An early application of slug pellets will reduce the population later in the year.

Wildlife

• It’s important to keep bird feeders topped up with a variety of food to support our feathered friends in cold weather. Always supply fresh water for them too.

Finally

• It’s important to keep bird feeders topped up with a variety of food to support our feathered friends in cold weather. Always supply fresh water for them too.

If it's too cold to go out, spend time planning that new border, or choosing your seeds. It’s often a good idea to take black and white photos of your garden now so that you can see where you need more structure.

Keep moving!