Category: The Village Gardener

Replacement for Trevor’s Garden

Preparing For Winter

 

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What an autumn it’s been, so mild with some days warmer and sunnier than many summer days. As I write this piece in mid November, the trees have yet to shed half their leaves and throughout the land the autumn colours have been spectacular, notably the maples of which there are several in the village.

I have only just emptied our containers and dug over the garden beds and really the geraniums and bedding begonias were in such good condition, they could have gone on until the end of the month. However the time is right for bringing my wallflowers down from my allotment for planting out in the garden and the winter bedding is ready and waiting in the greenhouse, to fill pots and containers. If you plan to fill your containers with bulbs, shrubs and other permanent plants, make sure water can pass through easily as good drainage is doubly important in winter. Clear any blockages in the pots and water should drain through readily. Ants and worms nesting under container bases can block holes but pots can be raised on broken pieces of tile or even half bricks.

I’ve been spending some time on my allotment in this fine weather, pacing myself with my digging – just a half hour at a time and not going mad as I used to do. I like to dig. I get the same satisfaction from the job as my dad used to do. I’ve got a rotavator but I still like to dig.

I was asked how long leeks, carrots and parsnips could be left in the ground. Leeks are winter-proof and can be left in the ground and lifted as required as can carrots and parsnips but these will begin to deteriorate after January if the tops begin to grow again.

Do you really want a poinsettia in mid- October which is when they’ve appeared in supermarkets this year? It wouldn’t do for us. We’re lucky if this plant lasts through December and rarely into the New Year, so we’ve admitted defeat and we now enjoy them in other folks’ homes.

So to all readers of What’s On I hope you have 

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Plan for Autumn

autumn01Autumn is well and truly here with trees and shrubs showing full autumn colour. What a good year it’s been for garden bedding plants of all varieties, but especially geraniums, and the various kinds of begonias. I grow both bedding varieties and the big showy ones and the latter have been huge this year, so much so that the weight of the flowers have often caused the patio pats to keel over in a bit of wind.

If you have a greenhouse now is the time to pot up plants you want to overwinter. They will survive quite low temperatures providing the compost is kept fairly dry.

Clear out greenhouses of tomatoes etc and wash down glass and glazing bars with ordinary household disinfectant.

Pot up spring bulbs to provide early flowers for next year.

On the allotment, take down bean sticks to store away for next year. Rough dig over bare ground and bury weeds, but remove perennial weeds such as docks, thistles and bindweed.

Sow autumn varieties of broad beans at least 3-4ins deep and protect rows to keep pigeons away. Thin out branches on blackcurrant bushes, taking out the dead wood. Remove blackberry canes that have fruited and tie in the long new shoots which will bear next year’s crop. Gooseberry bushes need very little pruning. Just remove some of the old wood.

Finally autumn is here and the leaves are falling. Don’t waste them! Leaf mould made from decomposed leaves is a great potting compost, soil improver and mulch Collect and store them in bin bags and leave to rot down. Chop them down and water first to speed things up.

 

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Winter Bedding Plants etc

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In mid September I did my usual browse through the winter catalogues to decide on winter bedding plants. Not that there was much of a decision to make because I always send for the same plants anyway-pansies, viola, primula, polyanthus However I remembered that last spring I realised that I have been negligent in re-stocking with spring bulbs. When you plant your bulbs you think they go on for ever. Not so and crocus, snowdrop and even daffodils have all but vanished. I grow the latter in patio pots but there’s nothing as pleasing as the sight of a full bed of golden yellow flowers cheering up the dark winter days. So now that the summer bedding is almost cleared away, my priority will be to get in a selection of spring bulbs.

Now a question for readers of this column. Are your favourite flowers fashionable or uncool?dahlia01

Recently I read an article on the increasing popularity of flowers which for some time have been considered to be unfashionable and the following is a breakdown of twelve flowers that are “in” or “out”.

These are the IN flowers – Gladioli, Dahlias, Roses, Gypsophila, Chrysanthemums, Peonies and Wild spring flowers.

OUT are Lilies, Orchids, Begonias, Carnations and Sunflowers.

sunflower01So what do you make of that?

Most flowers have their charms but some are preferred above others. After all, like most things in life it’s down to personal choice. There are only four varieties on the combined list of twelve that would be top of my list, two of which are OUT, so I’ve concluded I must be UNCOOL!!

 

 

 

Planning for Winter

Summer is now almost over and gardeners are beginning to plan for winter planting in borders and containers. You can’t go wrong with the familiar plants like winter pansies, viola, primula, polyanthus, to name but a few, and pretty soon garden centres will be full of bulbs and there are many available in the catalogues that keep appearing through the post.

If you want to raise your own plants next year, late August/early September is the time for gathering seed. Home – grown plants will cost you nothing and seed sown fresh usually germinates more readily than long – stored options..

Early summer varieties will have already shed seed but many more will mature over the coming weeks. Be ready to collect seed when pods and capsules are dry or on the point of splitting. Gather seed in large envelopes ( not plastic bags) and keep them open in a dry place, to enable dehydration to continue. They will be ready for cleaning and packaging when they are completely dry.

Hippeastrum, more familiar to us as Amaryllis. If you have been watering and feeding these plants they should be carrying plenty of long leaves, but now they need rest. Stop watering and allow the leaves to completely wither. Remove the dead ones only when they have dried and don’t water until early to mid October. Re-pot only if the plant has become badly root-bound. Begin watering in autumn, sparingly until the first buds appear, then water more freely. Feed regularly with high nitrogen plant food when the first buds have appeared and continue until next summer.

August in the Garden

 

Well, we’re already more than halfway through the year and what a rotten summer it’s been so far. It seems to me that the few sunny days we’ve had have lacked warmth due to the continuous wind, and I mean wind and not gentle breezes. Already the winter seed catalogues are being delivered – I’ve had a few, almost before I’d planted out my summer bedding and I don’t really want to be thinking about winter pansies and primulas in July.

Recently my attention has been drawn to a couple of gardening questions in the newspaper that are appropriate to this dismal summer season.

First of all advice was sought as to what trees, if any can be planted in very wet ground. The answer is that very few trees like to be permanently waterlogged although the Swamp Cypress is a deciduous tree that thrives in the wet. The Alder and Aspen grow well in boggy ground, as do Willows, particularly the Weeping Willow.

The second questioner wanted a rescue plan for lawns that have been soaked repeatedly by heavy rain. The advice is as follows – Assist drainage by pushing a heavy garden fork into the earth, therefore breaking up the subsoil to allow the water to drain away more freely. If the grass has grown a lot longer than usual, raise your mower’s blades before the next cut. A few days later, when the grass has recovered, mow a second time with your blades at their usual height. Don’t be tempted to feed grass damaged by too much heavy rain as the roots won’t be able to take the nitrogen

Wallflowers

Sow wallflower seeds in the next few weeks ready for a display next spring. Wallflowers germinate readily if sown thinly into shallow drills in a wellprepared seed bed. Make sure the soil is moist just below the surface. You can expect the seedlings to show in a few weeks. If necessary irrigate the ground afterwards, taking care not to disturb the seedlings which you want to grow into stocky, wellbranched plants.

In October the young wallflowers will be ready to plant out where they are to flower. The “Persian Carpet” variety which I’ve grown several times is a mixture of warm shades and has full perfume. Recently a stunning photo of Bodnant Garden’s enormous laburnum tunnel appeared in some newspapers. Years ago most gardens boasted a laburnum but they’re not so popular these days. It may well be that we have become more aware that laburnum seeds are poisonous, although the best variety – Laburnum x watereri Vossii is almost sterile, so seeds are not produced.

Tomato Care.

Greenhouse tomato plants should be growing fast by now. If raised as single-stem cordons they will need supporting canes or twine. Tie the delicate young plants to their supports using soft jute string. When you pinch out any side shoots, take care not to bruise the stems. Feed with a general fertiliser such as Miracle Gro All Purpose until the first trusses begin to flower, then switch to a high potash feed such as Tomorite. Bush varieties are better for growing outside but don’t put out protected plants unless the weather is warm. Tomatoes can be killed by the lightest frost. 

Planting Out

All tender plants are at risk from frost until the end of April/ May and need to have protection in a greenhouse or conservatory so if you buy plants over the next few weeks, make sure they are fully hardy before risking them outside.

Long-term, hardy shrubs or trees should be fine for planting outdoors now, even if they are carrying blossom. If you took late autumn or winter cuttings of pelargoniums, fuchsias or other tender plants they will need re-potting now.

If you grow courgettes, marrows or squash, now is the time to sow seeds and these will also need early protection in the greenhouse. Use 9cm plastic or degradable fibre pots. Fill each with potting compost and insert one seed up to 2cm below the surface.

Move your plants to a coldframe during this month and harden them off in May before planting out. Although it gets a little more difficult each year that passes the dry, sunny spell in the middle of March encouraged me and other allotment holders to make a start on rotovating or digging the ground. For me there’s nothing as satisfying as the sight of freshly turned-over soil, ready to be planted with whatever I want to grow throughout the summer.

My Dad was the same and was devoted to his allotment and he was fortunate that his patch was just across the road from our house.

March 2016

Recently I was attracted by a bay tree in a large container outside the entrance of a hotel. From a distance it seemed in very good condition but on closer examination there were signs that it was becoming pot bound.

There was a pool of rainwater standing on the surface, a sure sign of inadequate drainage. Bay needs good drainage and I think that this tree should be re-potted into a larger container making sure that there is plenty of drainage in the form of crocks plus a free-draining compost mix, (50:50 potting compost and grit.)

Over the years I’ve planted a variety of trees and shrubs in containers. At one time if I came across a seedling, I couldn’t resist growing it on – from horse chestnut to rowan, from conifers to hazel and I have learned to make sure that I have kept re-potting into larger containers and that the vital drainage is a priority. I must admit that I’ve had to chop up a plastic pot to release a shrub that had become completely pot-bound and at one time I remember having to smash up a ceramic pot. That mistake cost me dearly- some of the most attractive ceramics are quite expensive. Now I make sure to only use plastic.

I have a 10 year old Acer palmatum which I would like to keep in a pot for as long as I can and it’s already been re-potted several times. Obviously some of my trees and shrubs have reached the stage where keeping them in pots is no longer viable. These are planted here and there around the village and have thrived – notably in upper Walston Road around the Pound Lane area. Footnote: You may remember my mentioning the squirrel and the coconut. Well I did get another coconut and it didn’t take long for the squirrel or one of his mates to spirit both halves away- this time within 24 hours! There was no sign of it on the ground so how he manages to cart it away is something of a mystery!

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