Winter doesn’t appeal to me, short days, cold and wet, nothing growing. One constructive thing you can do is to sit down with a seed catalogue, and decide on something new to grow.
Have you put the lawnmower away? It’s always worth getting it out half way through winter and starting it up for 10 minutes. It dries everything out and if it doesn’t start, take it for a service.
On days when frost isn’t forecast pruning can continue. Our November talk by Martyn Cracknell will have given many pointers. But always remember, if pruning old trees, never take more than a third out; always take the old out or the crossing branches; or take the middle out first.
Another job you can do if it isn’t frosty is to spread manure or compost on the garden. If this is for the flower garden, just leave it as a mulch, but don’t cover the crown of any plants. It’s okay to go close to rose stems. When putting manure on the vegetable garden, it’s best to dig it in or put in specific trenches for runner beans.
I will put my exhibition onion seed in over Christmas – it will be in a heated propagator in a frost-free greenhouse. It is best to use a variety that is known to grown a decent size. The Kelsae or Robinson’s Mammoth are both popular.
However pretty they look, don’t buy poinsettias that have been stored in the cold – they don’t like it and you’ll find they’ll shed very quickly. The RHS advise that the plants need bright but filtered light away from both strong sun and draughts with a minimum temperature of 13-15 degrees Centigrade. Not only that but overwatering can also have a detrimental effect so wait until the compost as begun to dry out. However their life can be extended by humidity so mist them regularly and feed monthly with a low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer. If you are lucky enough to get them to last, you can prune them back hard in April to try to keep them for a second year.
November’s the month to get your tulips in and by now all your bulbs should be in. There are so many new varieties which keep being added that it’s really like an Aladdin’s cave choosing from the bulb catalogue. Although most people don’t tend to regard tulips as perennial, certain varieties can come back including Tulipa sprengeri, and Tulipa saxatilis. It’s also a good idea to do some companion planting for contrast e.g. phlox, geranium, and euphorbia while being conscious that larger leafed types can overshadow some plants. A general rule is that the fatter the bulb, the bigger the leaves but if it’s a new one you’re trying out probably potting up is the best idea. In April and May this year, at RHS Garden Wisley, 370 tulip cultivars were displayed and 2,000 people voted their favourites as: Tulipa ‘Timeless’, Tulipa ‘Tender Whisper’ and Tulipa ‘Apricot Perfection’.
Martyn’s talk was the last of the year and our Christmas dinner tickets are now on sale – don’t delay as they do sell quickly.
At the dinner we will be handing out next year’s programme (starting in February), as well as a copy of the Spring Show schedule so that you can have a good read over the festive season, save dates in your diary and plan what you’re going to enter.
Happy Christmas to you all.
Have you put the lawnmower away? It’s always worth getting it out half way through winter and starting it up for 10 minutes. It dries everything out and if it doesn’t start, take it for a service.
On days when frost isn’t forecast pruning can continue. Our November talk by Martyn Cracknell will have given many pointers. But always remember, if pruning old trees, never take more than a third out; always take the old out or the crossing branches; or take the middle out first.
Another job you can do if it isn’t frosty is to spread manure or compost on the garden. If this is for the flower garden, just leave it as a mulch, but don’t cover the crown of any plants. It’s okay to go close to rose stems. When putting manure on the vegetable garden, it’s best to dig it in or put in specific trenches for runner beans.
I will put my exhibition onion seed in over Christmas – it will be in a heated propagator in a frost-free greenhouse. It is best to use a variety that is known to grown a decent size. The Kelsae or Robinson’s Mammoth are both popular.
However pretty they look, don’t buy poinsettias that have been stored in the cold – they don’t like it and you’ll find they’ll shed very quickly. The RHS advise that the plants need bright but filtered light away from both strong sun and draughts with a minimum temperature of 13-15 degrees Centigrade. Not only that but overwatering can also have a detrimental effect so wait until the compost as begun to dry out. However their life can be extended by humidity so mist them regularly and feed monthly with a low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer. If you are lucky enough to get them to last, you can prune them back hard in April to try to keep them for a second year.
November’s the month to get your tulips in and by now all your bulbs should be in. There are so many new varieties which keep being added that it’s really like an Aladdin’s cave choosing from the bulb catalogue. Although most people don’t tend to regard tulips as perennial, certain varieties can come back including Tulipa sprengeri, and Tulipa saxatilis. It’s also a good idea to do some companion planting for contrast e.g. phlox, geranium, and euphorbia while being conscious that larger leafed types can overshadow some plants. A general rule is that the fatter the bulb, the bigger the leaves but if it’s a new one you’re trying out probably potting up is the best idea. In April and May this year, at RHS Garden Wisley, 370 tulip cultivars were displayed and 2,000 people voted their favourites as: Tulipa ‘Timeless’, Tulipa ‘Tender Whisper’ and Tulipa ‘Apricot Perfection’.
Martyn’s talk was the last of the year and our Christmas dinner tickets are now on sale – don’t delay as they do sell quickly.
At the dinner we will be handing out next year’s programme (starting in February), as well as a copy of the Spring Show schedule so that you can have a good read over the festive season, save dates in your diary and plan what you’re going to enter.
Happy Christmas to you all.