Garden notes for December 2022

If you are given a flowering bulb such as hyacinths, daffodils or tulips at Christmas, they will probably have been forced to flower early. They will last well if they are kept in a room that is not too hot, and the soil is kept moist. Plant the bulbs out in the garden when the flowers have died. I have done this with hyacinths and get a lovely spring display, although it can take a couple of seasons for the bulbs to adjust to their new location and may not flower again until the following year, so be patient.

The garden becomes much quieter in December, giving you a chance to tackle some of those jobs that get overlooked in busier times. So, trees and shrubs that obstruct pathways can be pruned back into shape, and make it easier to get access. Ditches, gulleys and drains should be cleaned out and kept clear thus preventing a build up of surface water during periods of heavy rainfall.

When cutting evergreens for Christmas decoration use a sharp pair of secateurs and regard it as a pruning exercise as much as getting it for the house. Cut the pieces here and there where they will not be missed, or go the whole hog and cut the plant to shape for the spring. Remember the advice given by Jean Tanner at her talk before the 2022 AGM and clean the secateurs before putting them away after use. This will stop the bacterial and fungal diseases from pruned trees and shrubs being transferred when you use them again – probably on your rose bushes.

If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse vine, they should be pruned towards the end of the month. All side-growths should be cut back to two buds. The spurs carrying these shortened growths should be well spaced apart, at least 40 to 50 cm apart on the main rod so that overcrowding in summer is minimised.

Look out for new varieties and novelties that might be interesting. Kings Seeds have introduced a new sweet pea variety named after the garden writer and broadcaster Peter Seabrook. It is deep maroon large flowered Spencer type called ‘Seabrook’s Fantasia’. DT Brown are selling a new carrot called ‘Carrot Topweight’ which is a maincrop carrot, extremely reliable and resistant to bolting.

In order to have some early shoots of mint, now is the time to lift a few roots and put them in a fairly deep seed box and cover with potting soil. Put it in a frame or the greenhouse, and you will have nice shoots in a few weeks, when everything else is still asleep in the garden.

In the last week of the month give some time to plan for the year ahead.

May you all have a peaceful and very happy Christmas.

Regards
Chris

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Shorter days are here along with some misty mornings and the risk of frosts. A busy time still in the garden clearing leaves, planting bare root roses and pruning fruit trees are just a few of the jobs needing our attention. For more do read Chris’s Tips for November.

Our autumn events are now in full swing. We are holding the Society’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday 10th November in Capel Parish Hall, 7.30 pm. Jean Griffin will be presenting a talk “Tales from the Potting Shed”. Everybody is welcome.

Please help keep our village tidy and join our Litter Pick on Saturday 12 November, Capel Village Memorial Hall Car Park, meet at 10.00 am, finish by noon (or sooner if loads of you turn up). Dress for the weather with sensible footwear and gloves. Bags, litter pickers all provided. It would be great to see some new faces and you will be rewarded with coffee and home-made cake!

Willow Stars Workshop, Thursday 22 November, Capel Village Memorial Hall, 7 – 9.30 pm. Nicki Rowlings from Willow & Yoga returns to show us how to make stunning willow stars as lasting Christmas decorations. £25 to include all tuition, materials, mulled wine and mince pies. Booking essential, please contact Miranda Ashwood mirandaashwood1@gmail.com

Seaslonal Table Decoration – Wednesday 14 December, Capel Parish Hall, 7.30 pm £22.50. An evening, including refreshments, with Chloe Dorling who will guide us through making a beautiful fresh flower and foliage table decoration to take home with us. All materials included, although feel free to bring greenery from your garden if you wish. Christmas themed raffle adds to the fun. To book you place contact Jane Major oldjoinery@gmail.com

Our events are open to everybody, not just members, so do please consider supporting one of these activiities.

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What a terrific evening our Pumpkin Pageant proved to be this year. On Friday (28 October) we were delighted to welcome families from around the village to bring their children, along with carved pumpkins, to the Memorial Hall where our resident witch welcomed them. Babies, children and adults turned out in fantastic fancy dress costumes to take part in the fun and games provided by members of the Society. Spooky cakes were devoured and the inevitable mountain of sweets consumed. Over 40 beautifully carved and decorated pumpkins were on display and children took pumpkin seeds, flower pots and instructions home to grow their own for next year. Many thanks to John Dale for providing an enormous pumpkin for one of the games and slices for everybody to take away with them. Fair to say our Pumpkin Pageant looks like becoming a permanent fixture in the Capel Horticultural Society calendar. Do take a look at our gallery for some pictures of the event.

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Garden Notes for November 2022

I have enjoyed the return to ‘normal’ weather in September. Having the lawn return to being green and the dahlias flowering away has been a joy. Following the wonderful open weather we have had at the start of October (writing this in the second week) the long range weather forecast for November looks like being a normal month with average rainfall and temperatures.

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.

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 this autumn, 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.

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.

November is the best month for planting bare root roses.

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.

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.

Regards
Chris

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At long last our gardens enjoyed a good soaking and our lawns seemed to turn green again overnight. Hedges suddenly started growing again along with a multitude of weeds. Let’s hope October brings an ‘Indian Summer’ and we can carry on gardening comfortably for some weeks yet. We are busy planning various activities for members of the community – young and not so young alike – to enjoy between now and Christmas. Do read on and please book early for the Willow Workshop and Table Decorations evening. Spaces are limited, first come, first served.

Firstly, a free fun family event our Pumpkin Pageant – Friday 28 October, Capel Village Memorial Hall. Carve your pumpkin and come along. There will be treats, activities and a fancy-dress competition with prizes. All aimed at primary school aged children (under l2 years). All children must of course be accompanied by an adult.

Pumpkins will be arranged outside and lit to show their full splendour.
Approximate timings:

17.30 Bring your pumpkins to the Memorial Hall

18.00 Judging fancy dress and awarding prizes

18.15 Pumpkin lighting (outdoors)

Calling all members. The Society’s Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday 10 November, Capel Parish Hall, 7.30 pm. In addition, Jean Griffin has kindly agreed to present a talk “Tales from the Potting Shed” which should be fun and informative. Do try to come along.

Join us for a Litter Pick and help keep the village tidy – Saturday 12 November, Capel Village Memorial Hall Car Park, meet at 10 am finish by noon. Dress for the weather with sensible footwear and gloves. Bags, litter pickers all provided. It would be great to see some new faces and you will be rewarded with coffee and home-made cake!

Willow Stars Workshop – now Tuesday 22 November, Capel Village Memorial Hall, 7 – 9.30 pm £25 to include all tuition, materials, mulled wine and mince pies. Nicki Rowlings from Willow & Yoga returns to show us how to make stunning willow stars as lasting Christmas decorations. To book your place contact Miranda Ashwood mirandaashwood1@gmail.com

Seasonal Table Decorations – Wednesday 14 December, Capel Parish Hall, 7.30 pm

£22.50 An evening, including refreshments, with Chloe Dorling who will guide us through making a beautiful fresh flower and foliage table decoration to take home with us. All materials included, although feel free to bring greenery from your garden if you wish. Christmas themed raffle adds to the fun. To book your place contact Jane Major oldjoinery@gmail.com

Our events are open to everybody, not just members, so do please consider supporting one of our activities.

Finally, Jean Griffin, who will be speaking at our AGM has sent us a list of speakers at Leigh, which may interest some of you:

October to December 2022

All talks are in the Village Hall starting at 7.30

Oct. 24th A talk about Winkworth Arboreum

Nov.7th Leigh Cottage Garden Society, AGM

Nov. 21st 17 Years of Purgatory with the National Trust and the move to Virgin Territory ! Hosted by Chris Spree from the National Vegetable Society

Dec. 12th Members Social Evening A fun evening with ‘Leigh Guru Gardeners ‘
Nibbles, wine and a bit of fun for the Festive Season

2023

Friday February 10thA Kinder ,Greener way to Garden by David Hide, Biological control specialist

Friday March 10th British Alstoemerias and UK Cut Flowers Industry Ben Cross, Crosslands Nursery West Sussex £150

Monday April 17th Hever Castle Gardens Neil Miller the Head Gardener

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Garden notes for October 2022

After the drought of the summer in September we have been having a lot of rain, nearly 3” in the first 10 days of September. It has made the Discovery apples that have not been attacked by bird strike and wasps split their skin. It just shows how Nature repairs itself but makes us gardeners work to get thing growing.

Most houseplants will be slowing down their growth. Water and feed less frequently. Cacti, in particular, should be kept dry and frost-free during the winter, that includes yucca.

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.

After the first frosts have browned off the tops of dahlias, cut them down to within 12 cm (9”) of ground level. Mark the variety with a label, and lift the tubers so that they can be dried under cover and then stored in a frost-free place for the winter. I have tried this over the years and never have much success. It might be worthwhile just leaving them in the ground and covering the spot with chipped bark or ash, remembering to mark the spot with the name of the variety. Be warned though, if we do have a prolonged cold period in the winter you could lose the tubers in the ground as well, so you pays your money and takes your choice.

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.

Regards
Chris

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Garden Notes for September 2022.

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 usually harvested and stored for the winter months that are to come. As I write this in August when it is heartbreakingly dry and far too hot I can only hope that the rain will come again. Under normal circumstances 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’.

The exceptional heat and lack of any rain this summer will mean that the idea of watering plants is always a going to be discussed. It is either too dry like now, or it’s too wet as in past summers. 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 (the average cost is now over £3 per packet, and can be a lot more) 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. One tip is to look out for Garden Centres having a seed sale, there are bargains to be had, with cuts up to 75%, when they are sufficiently desperate to make room for the new stock.

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.

Regards
Chris

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Photos from this year’s Summer Show are now available to view in the Gallery and a list of results can be viewed here

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