Tips From Two Lady Gardeners
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
Tips From Two Lady Gardeners
This month’s tips are from two lady gardeners
Firstly Angela from Larchwood.
- If we can expect summers to be dry in future, then pelargoniums and bedding begonias are going to give good displays as they have thrived during 2022.
- A lot of shrubs have fared badly this past year, but pyracantha has survived the drought, plus it’s good for protection against intruders and it provides good cover for small birds.
- If you have camellias in pots, try to give them some shelter from easterly winds.
- Get your Tulips in the ground this month.
- A tea light placed between two bricks topped with an upturned terracotta pot will keep your greenhouse free from frost.
Betty on Walston Road
- If you need to keep plants like pelargoniums but have no cover for them, bring them close to the house on the South side if possible.
- Tie up tall conifers to prevent them spreading in high winds and possibly snow.
- Try to cover any bare soil with mulch or any permeable material to prevent erosion.
- Lift pots off ground to prevent water logging.
- Be extra careful when around the garden in wet weather, because if you haven’t got nosey neighbours, you could be out there for hours if you fall.
The growing season seems to have been long this year with the summer bedding lasting well into October especially the pelargoniums which only really stopped when heavy rain flattened them. Dahlias are still flowering in sheltered spots and the roses don’t know what season they are in. We would normally have cut back everything by now. Some gardeners leave their perennials to die back naturally, saying that this protects the crown of the plants from frost, while others clear away the dying stems which exposes hidden weeds and pests and then mulch the area. The one thing you have to do at this time of year is keep raking the leaves off the lawn, a thankless task but one that needs to be done regularly to prevent dead areas forming. Ponds should be covered by now or leaves will sink and if there is a lot of them and you have fish the bacteria won’t be able to break them down fast enough and will reduce oxygen levels and a build-up of ammonia, which is toxic to fish. If netting is difficult to put in place, then a floating pond skimmer may be the answer.
November is prime tulip planting time according to those who know. They also say you should plant the bulbs three times their own depth and if not sure plant deeper which should guarantee that they flower for more than one year.
Ivy is one of those plants that divides opinion as it can get out of control and is very difficult to get rid of once established. It’s main saving grace is the fact that it flowers late providing the bees with a late harvest and the berries keep the birds fed well into winter. Blackbirds, especially, are very fond of them. If you can hold back before pruning the wildlife would appreciate it.
Work on the allotments is slowing down. With Autumn planting done the ground is being readied for Spring by weeding and covering with manure. Then in late Winter the ground will be covered to warm up the soil and an attempt to stop weeds germinating. You will see some of the allotmenteers in parks collecting leaves to make compost and leaf mould which will take a year before it’s ready to use. Leaf mould is the ideal growing medium for bulbs and when you see what garden centres sell bulb compost for it makes good sense to produce your own for free.
There is a chance that the village will have an open garden event next year, so if you would be interested look out for information in What’s On and on the Wenvoe community support group.
Take care and happy gardening