Garden Notes for December 2023.

If you have root crops in the ground (such as carrots or parsnips), put some straw down before the frosts take too strong a hold. This will help stop the ground freezing and allow them to be lifted whatever the weather.

Keep up good hygiene. Clear crops that are past their best and start digging the ground, so long as it is workable.

It does help to know the soil pH in your garden. There are simple test kits available from garden centres. If the patch you are testing proves to be acidic (a pH that is lower than 7.0), then use lime where you intend to plant any of the brassica crops such as cabbages, cauliflower, or Brussel sprouts, this will reduce the chance of infection from club-root. It is recommended that you should take an average of three readings.

Onion seed should be sown as soon after Christmas is over. Ideally they should be sown in seed boxes under cover in the greenhouse, but failing this they can be sown direct in cold frames, so long as they are kept frost-free. Shallots can be planted even earlier, just after December 21st, direct into the soil – so long as the conditions are suitable (i.e. frost-free and not into sodden ground).

If you order your seeds and onion sets, potatoes and flower seed before the end of December, many of the seeds companies offer a discount for early ordering. Also it helps you get the pick of the seeds as many of the most popular items, or rarer types may be sold out if you leave it too late

Some of the earliest bulbs can be brought into the greenhouse. Bring in a few at a time so that a succession is maintained as far into the spring as possible.

Apply sulphate of potash around fruit trees at a rate of 1 oz per square yard. Keep an eye out for slug and snail attacks on plants if the weather turns mild. It is worth putting cinders or some sharp sand round the crown of delphiniums to stop these pests making their damaging attacks.

I have discovered that squares of weldmesh are a very useful additional tool since they can be used in a variety of ways to protect plants from bird attacks, or for temporary storage, keeping animals off areas growing delicate plants and so on. They can also be used to protect delicate plants that have to be left outside in the more severe weather, by making a square and filling in with straw or other insulating material to protect against damaging frosts – especially when the frost and/or snow goes on for a long time.

Finally after all your hard work, have a very happy and peaceful Christmastide.

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Garden Notes for November 2023

Prepare for the spring by digging and manuring the vegetable patch in November. Remember to keep a 3-year rotation so that potatoes (for example) are not planted in the same area two years running.

Remember to get your tulips planted before the end of the month. Try layer planting of tulips in containers. Do this by planting the later flowering varieties first, cover them with about an inch to 2″ of compost and then plant earlier varieties. A typical 12″ diameter container can take up to 40 bulbs in order to get a good display that lasts several weeks if this technique is used.

Watch out for slugs even as the autumn starts to turn to winter. We usually look out for them in the spring, but they can still do considerable damage shoots of delphiniums and campanulas at this time before the hard frosts start.

If you are planting a new tree, put a mulch mat around it or mulch with garden compost. The tree will root much better.

We have had quite good growing weather, and many of the evergreens and hardy trees will have made lush growth. Where possible prune the excess growth back before the winter storms set in, otherwise they will be vulnerable. The main pruning will still need to be done in the spring.

November is the best month for planting bare root roses.

After the first frost has blackened dahlias, cut the tops back to about 4 – 6” and lay the stems over the plants for about a week. This allows the tubers to ripen and harden. When the weather is fine, dig them up and turn the plants upside down to allow any moisture to drain off from the hollow stems and crowns. Store them in a frost-free place where it is cool and dry.

If you have a sheltered and well drained plot, now is the time to sow winter broad beans such as Aquadulce. Early broad beans often escape the blackfly attacks on the growth tips of the plant in spring.

Provided the weather is suitable keep digging the ground for good crops next year. Where possible double dig in farm yard manure, or well rotted compost from your own compost bin.

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Garden Notes for October 2023.

October is the month to start clearing away summer growth and preparing for the next growing season. This will generate a lot of material. By far the best use is to compost it.
Composting is very important, no matter how large or small your garden is. Shredding woody material and large items like cabbage stalks is important.

Dahlias are the most likely to show when there has been an early morning frost. The leaves will turn black and all growth will stop. When this happens, cut the top growth down. Standard advice is to lift the tubers and let them dry out thoroughly before storing in a frost-free place through the winter. I find that the tubers get so large that they take up a lot of space, so I experimented last year and left them in the ground covered by a thick insulating layer of straw. I had much greater success this way than I ever did trying to store them in the conventional way.

Carnations and pinks should be planted in prepared beds. Clear leaves and rubbish around stems. In mild spells firm the soil around plants if they have been lifted by frost.

Before it gets too cold, give the greenhouse a thorough clean and clear out. Remove tomatoes. Night temperatures are dropping considerably now with the result that the skin on the fruit gets pretty tough. Other plants in the green house can be given temporary B&B elsewhere and then the glass should be washed down to remove as many of the ‘nasties’ as possible.

Plant out wallflowers, polyanthus, sweet williams, foxgloves and other similar biennials for a good display in the spring. Spring cabbage should be planted out while the ground is still workable, keep up a succession of winter lettuce like ‘Winter Density’. Cut remaining marrows, squashes and pumpkins. Put them away in a dry, frost-proof place. Clear away all the pea and bean haulm, then dig over the vacated ground.

Once the ground has been cleared it is a good idea to break it up. If you have heavy clay (as most of us do round here) the best way is to use a spade and to leave it with large clods that will break down over the winter with weathering. If you break the soil down too much at this time of year, it will just become a ‘pudding’ and you will have to start all over again in the spring.

If you want early sweet peas, now is the time to start them off. For best result sow one or two seeds in rooting pots as sweet peas have an exceptionally long tap-root. Germinate the seeds in the greenhouse with gentle, consistent warmth. Once they have emerged sweet peas can be kept outside in a cold frame, only needing protection from the worst frosts by having a cover over them

All are welcome to come to the Annual General Meeting of the Horticultural Society which will be held in the Capel Parish Hall on Thursday 9th November starting at 8pm.

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Garden Notes for September 2023.

As John Keats so famously wrote about autumn being the “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness/ close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”, September sees the time when crops are harvested and stored for the winter months that are to come. Carrots should be lifted and stored before the roots start to split, which they will do very quickly once the heavy autumn rains begin. For the same reason, beetroot are better lifted and stored this month. Looking forward to next year, spring cabbage should be planted now. Remember to firm the soil around each plant after planting. Lettuce can also be sown now in a cold frame, or greenhouse. Varieties to choose include ‘Winter Density’, ‘All the Year Round’ and ‘May Queen’.

Watering plants is always a good topic of discussion. It is either too dry, or it’s too wet. The essential thing is to try to get the right balance. When it is dry the closable leaf pores on plants (technically called ‘stomata’) shut down and slow down the process of photosynthesis. When there is enough water the stomata open, transpiration takes place, allowing the air containing carbon dioxide to go into the plant, which, together with sunlight, powers the reaction of water and carbon dioxide to make the sugars that are the plant’s energy source and building blocks. Watering keeps the stomata open in dry spells. As a rule of thumb one square metre of vegetation draws the equivalent of an inch of rainfall every day. Growth of plants in the summer normally requires additional irrigation. There are now numerous automatic systems that can be put in – especially for containers and hanging baskets.

The start of autumn means that many plants are producing seed heads, which we normally ‘dead head’ to keep the succession of flowers going. With the cost of seed increasing year on year it might be worthwhile considering saving some seed head for sowing. Flowers like Sweet William, Love-in-Mist (Nigella), Cosmos, or vegetables like Runner Beans, can be harvested just before the seed-pod has fully dried. Use brown paper bags to hang the seed head upside down and store in a dry place. Remember to label the variety, and then when it is all nice and brown shake out the seed and you have saved yourself pounds for a few minutes work. Unfortunately the lovely hybrids that abound now will not breed true and you will have to rely on the expertise of the professional for that, but if you don’t mind a variety of colour in your Sweet William and so on it is fine.
The growth of rampant climbers like some of the clematis (remember to check) wisteria and climbing roses can be cut back in the middle of September. September is a good time to establish a new lawn and for transplanting evergreens. Remember to divide your irises and to sow hardy annuals for the spring. Towards the end of the month make space to move your tender plants under cover to protect them from the cold nights.

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Laurel is a very useful plant but it is very vigorous and August is the month to keep it neat by trimming your laurel hedge. Some gardeners say that the laurel hedge should be trimmed using secaturs only. This does give a much improved finish, if you have the time. Using shears is much quicker and does not substantially make much difference. If you can allow your compost more than 2 years to compost, then put your laurel trimmings on to it. If, like me, you can only keep the compost heap for a matter of months, it is better to get rid of the laurel leaves since they take a long time to decompose due to their waxy surface.

Plant Madonna lilies now, with not more than 2” of soil above each bulb. Order lilies for autumn delivery. Tiger lilies and some hybrids produce bulbils between the leaves and the stem. Gather the bulbils when they fall at a touch and plant them in a deep seed box, about 2” apart.

Keep shrubs tidy by dead heading. Especially roses, but do not apply rose fertiliser after the end of July, this avoids late soft growth which will not mature before winter.

Cut gladioli for indoor use when the first floret has opened. For exhibition plants the timing of cutting is dependent on the variety. The idea is to have as many florets open as possible. Remember to leave 4 –5 leaves when cutting a spike.

Keep cutting sweet pea blooms. Never allow the blooms to fade or droop otherwise the flowering period will be shortened.

Early in the month sow spring cabbage. Recommended varieties include ‘Early Market’, ‘Harbinger’, ‘Flower of Spring’ and ‘Wheeler’s Imperial’.

Provide you have a place where the seed can germinate at temperatures below 20 C sow some lettuce for cutting in the winter. Try ‘Winter Density’ or ‘Artic King’.

Keep a careful watch for potato blight. Cut off affected haulm and destroy it, don’t compost it.

Planting up strawberry runners in the later part of August will help provide a good crop next year. If you are buying plants in, make sure that they are certified virus-free stock, as strawberries are very prone to virus disease.

Towards the end of the month, rambler roses that have finished flowering should be pruned. Disentangle the growth from the trellis (use gloves for this!) and cut out all the stems that have carried flowers. It is much easier to do this if you untie all the stems before you start the pruning. All the new stems made this year should be retained and tied back into place. You will really appreciate all the work you have done when they flower next year.

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Garden Notes for July 2023.

In order to keep the wonderful flowers going it is worth the trouble to go round and ‘dead-heading’ by taking out the flowers that have gone over. This will encourage new growth and keep a continuation of colour in your garden

July should be the time when everything starts catching up and roses will need feeding early on in the month, after they have finished their first flush. Outdoor chrysanthemums will also benefit from a feed, preferably one with a high potash level.

Multiply your strawberry plants by pegging down the runners, but only one plantlet per plant and remove the rest of the runner, if you want good new plants.

Fuchsias need a lot of water, don’t let them dry out too much. They will also benefit from a regular feed of a balanced fertiliser. Camellias need to be watered regularly and fed so that the emerging buds are sustained through autumn and winter.

Towards the middle of the month watch out for blight on your main crop potatoes. It used to be that you would spray them with a good fungicide designed for the job nowadays the principle is not to spray so if you can catch it early enough remove affected leaves as soon as possible. Early crops of new potatoes should be cleared away and the haulm disposed of to prevent spreading disease.

Any flower heads that appear on spring-sown parsley should be removed as soon as possible as they will prevent leaf production which is what you want.

Dahlias need to be disbudded if you want top quality blooms. Keep an eye on them and feed with a fertiliser, as they are very hungry feeders.

The best time for propagating many shrubs is at the back end of July. Cuttings of half ripened wood of shrubs like forsythia, ribes, escallonia and weigela can all be taken. Pull off the shoots with a heel of older wood, trim it neatly with a sharp knife and insert them into a box with sandy soil. Shade from bright sunshine, and next year you will have a whole lot more shrubs.

Do keep going with all your Show Day plants. Remember to look in your free Schedule to know what is required for the Judges to examine, and come along on Saturday 19th August for the best day of the year. Also do not forget that you have to register your entries by Wednesday 16 August.

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Garden Notes for June 2023.

There is so much to do in June. Keep lawns mowed, but do not set the blades too low as this allows the plants to survive if there is a lack of moisture. Lawns always look so much more tidy if the edges are kept cut as well as the centre.

In the vegetable plot, make sure potatoes are kept ridged up, otherwise the tubers get exposed and ruined. Late Savoy cabbage can be sown now – use a variety like ‘Ormskirk’. Winter cabbage like January King should be planted out now. Leeks should be planted out using a dibber to make a hole about 6 to 8” deep, and then water it in well.

Frost susceptible, fast growing plants like dahlias, courgettes and so on should be put into their final homes assuming that there is no ground frost forecast. If it has been very dry, make sure that they have a good drink before and after planting them out. But don’t water them all the time. Give the roots time to settle down and then water (if necessary, and allowed) about once a week with a thorough soaking, preferably in the evening or early morning before the sun has got its full power switch on.

Continue to make successional sowings of lettuce. Ones like ‘Tom Thumb’ ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Mini Green’ are fast growing, and the right size for many people. Webbs Wonderful is superb but rather large.

Early tomatoes should be ripening fast and the fruits should be picked regularly.

Roses are at their best towards the end of the month. It helps to keep them cut regularly and feed with a potash feed to keep them blooming longer. If you want to have specimen blooms it is advised to carefully take out the side shoots and smaller buds, leaving just one strong one at the end of the stem. Keep an eye out for pests and disease. Keep mildew at bay by regular spraying.

Suckers that sprout up from the base of damson and plum trees can become troublesome unless dealt with early on, so dig them out and burn the resulting twigs.

As alpine plants finish flowering, trim them back to keep the plants neat and compact. It will also encourage them to make good growth for next spring. Any gaps or vacant spots in the rock garden can be planted with summer flowering annuals or bedding plants to maintain the overall colour. Towards the end of the month cuttings can be taken from the alpine stock to increase the number of plants. Root the cuttings in a sandy compost.

Don’t forget to keep all your prize exhibits growing well for the Capel Horticultural Society
Summer Show which will be held on Saturday 19 th August.

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A New Year’s resolution for gardeners might be to plan ahead. But it is not easy when the best laid plans can be thwarted by inappropriate weather patterns. Why is it always so unexpected? That is one of Life’s many mysteries. Anyway, here goes.

Clear away stems and roots of green crops like cabbages once they have finished and try to get ahead with winter cultivation whenever the weather gives you a chance. Cloches put out to protect seed beds will allow the soil to dry and allow sowing to be started just a bit earlier than usual.

Have a good look at the structure of your garden and decide where to put the plants that give height and substance to the overall shape of the garden.

Remember to get your mower and power tools serviced and ready for the spring. Don’t leave it to the last minute when everyone else will be trying to do the same thing.

Keep a check on all trees and shrubs, especially if they have been planted in the previous 12 months, to make sure that their roots are firmly in the soil. Wind and frost can easily lift them and do a lot of damage if they are not heeled in and kept firm. Finish any pruning of fruit trees. Give them a winter wash of tar oil to help keep down insect damage in the summer months. Fruiting bushes like currants and gooseberries should also be pruned during their dormant period.

January is a good time to order gladioli corms from reputable suppliers. Sweet peas can be germinated under glass with some heat. Plan spring planting programme for flowers. Complete digging beds and borders to be used for annuals.

If the weather is suitable, shallots can be planted on well drained soil, or plant them individually in 3 inch pots.

This is the time of year when houseplants are most appreciated. Azaleas, cineraria and cyclamen will all help to cheer things up. Do not over water, and most of these plants like cool conditions.

Towards the middle of the month start to make preparations for taking chrysanthemum cuttings. If you have a cold frame make sure it is ready and make up the necessary soil. A good mixture is two parts loam, one part peat-free compost and one part sand to ensure good drainage. Any pots or boxes should be cleaned and the chrysanthemum stools brought in to start them growing sturdy cuttings.

Regards
Chris

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