December in the Garden
Welcome to the December edition of Fiveways Gardens.
The heavy frosts of those few days in mid November made me think about getting some fleece for those tender plants that won't like a period of extended cold. I recently came across some fleece jackets - sounds cosy - for plants. As the sales blurb says, it looks easier than grappling with sheets of horticultural fleece on a windy afternoon. You can find them at http://www.haxnicks.co.uk - I think Wyevale garden centre might stock some of their products too. Along the same lines it's worth r aising patio containers onto feet or bricks for the winter. This prevents your pot plants dying because the roots are sitting in water all winter and it also makes your pots less susceptible to frost damage.
As the leaves continue to fall, you can begin to see where you need to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches from shrubs and small trees. Branches that are crossing and rubbing together should also be dealt with in winter before wounds open and disease gets in. It's worth remembering that a few species are prone to bleeding and therefore are best dealt with way before sap starts to rise in the spring. Species prone to bleeding include: Japanese maples, birch , hornbeam , walnut , Laburnum and grape vines.
Now's a good time to get making some free plants, by taking hardwood cuttings of various shrubs. 25cm cuttings of dogwoods, box griselinia, jasmin, philadelphus, weigela and willows should all do well. Take off the lowest leaves so they're not in contact with the compost and place in pots mixed with vermiculite or sharp sand. Put your cuttings in the cold frame or on a window sill in a cool room in the house. They should root within a few months and can be planted out next autumn. This is a great way to create a free small hedge - perhaps for your veg patch or an allotment - and you get the extra satisfaction of knowing that it's all down to your gardening skills.
If you've got a gardening friend and are at a loss about what to get them for Christmas, how about a subscription to Which? gardening magazine or the Royal Horticultural Society magazine, The Garden, or any other of the gardening magazines that are out there? In my humble view, a much better bet than some gimmicky bit of tat that will be forgotten by the time those spectacular Christmas light displays come down.
Glad tidings to you all over the festive season.
Best wishes,
Lisa
For an initial consultation call Lisa on 01273 500407 or 07957 751218 or email her at info@lilybud.co.uk
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