{"id":5232,"date":"2018-12-22T17:45:24","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T16:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5232"},"modified":"2018-12-22T17:46:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-22T16:46:08","slug":"winter-preparations-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5232","title":{"rendered":"Winter Preparations"},"content":{"rendered":"

RHS December tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Check that your winter protection is still securely in place.<\/span>
\n2. Make sure your greenhouse heaters are working properly.<\/span>
\n3. Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds from freezing.<\/span>
\n4. Prune open grown apple and pear trees, not those grown against a wall.<\/span>
\n5. Still take hardwood cuttings.<\/span>
\n6. Keep mice away from stored produce.<\/span>
\n7. Reduce watering of house plants.<\/span>
\n8. Prune acers birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding at stems.<\/span>
\n9. Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and any remaining root vegetables.<\/span>
\n10.Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grass will continue to grow at temperatures above 5 degrees so if conditions allow, you may need to cut using a higher setting. Sharpen up the edges of lawns and carry out repair work as turves are available most of the year. Keep lawns clear of leaves. All this will help to make life easier next year.<\/span>
\nThis time of year there will still be quite a bit of work to be done on some trees. Don’t touch ornamental cherries, plums and almonds as these are prone to silver leaf disease if pruned now. Other deciduous trees will be easier to shape now that most of the leaves have fallen. Bay and laurel can be cut back as much as you wish; it will always come back. Small and medium sized conifers need to be tied up during winter months to prevent damage by high winds and snow settling on them, otherwise they lose their shape and branches break.<\/span>
\nChristmas trees – the choice of tree seems to increase every year. To prevent needle drop choose any of the newer types but remember to cut a couple of inches off the bottom of the stem so that the tree can take up water. Make sure you keep the tree away from radiators. To be honest my choice would be the Norway spruce; yes, it drops needles which stick in your socks and jam the vacuum up when it\u2019s time to get it out of the house but it smells fantastic.<\/span>
\nIf you’re lucky enough to have a holly with berries, cover a couple of the branches with netting to use as decorations in the home.<\/span>
\nMake sure you write your present list or Father Christmas will bring you socks or things to take up space on a shelf, which won’t be a lot of use in the garden. If you feel the need to tell the main man of your wish list for Christmas, I have been reliably informed that he is at our local garden centre from 25th November. There is no age limit, you just have to believe.<\/span>
\nTo all the people I’ve met who have shared their love of gardening with me, thank you. Have an enjoyable Christmas and a happy new year.<\/span>
\nI would just like to thank the What’s on team for the effort they put in to make this magazine the success it is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take care – Happy gardening.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RHS December tips 1. Check that your winter protection is still securely in place. 2. Make sure your greenhouse heaters are working properly. 3. Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds from freezing. 4. Prune open grown apple and pear trees, not those grown against a wall. 5. Still take hardwood cuttings. 6. Keep mice away from stored produce. 7. Reduce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1mo","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12877,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12877","url_meta":{"origin":5232,"position":0},"title":"Rita and Elizabeth’s Advice","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER This month Rita Edwards and Elizabeth Jones give us the benefit of their gardening knowledge. Rita Separate clumps of snowdrops while in the green as they will naturalise better. Prune hedges before the birds start nesting. Check fences for broken posts and loose panels. Prune wisteria back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10611,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10611","url_meta":{"origin":5232,"position":1},"title":"Gardening Tips for November","author":"Alan Williams","date":"19th November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for November What golf and gardening star Leslie Sherard will prioritise this month Newly potted Japanese maple must be kept in a sheltered spot over winter. Do not allow fallen rose leaves to stay on the soil, or blackspot will spread. 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Cut back elder and buddleia Give Winter flowering\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15040,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15040","url_meta":{"origin":5232,"position":4},"title":"Happy New Year Everyone","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th January 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Happy New Year everyone This time of year, I love to look through seed catalogues, wondering if the plants will ever be as good as they look in the pamphlet. They never are. 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