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Edition Twenty two - January 2008
A very Happy New Year to everyone..
There is talk of a bad winter to come because the squirrels began gathering nuts in September and the birds ate up all the berries early, and I can't help feeling that these primitive methods of forecasting are more accurate than expensive hi-tech weather forecasting, which is invariably wrong..
So I shall continue to listen to what my aching bones and the animals' behaviour tells me before setting foot in the great outdoors, always with the added precaution of a shovel and wellies in the car, and a mobile phone too, of course..
If you are starting a garden from scratch, here's some advice
Jobs for fine winter days
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Cut Perennials right back now, to make room for new shoots in the spring.
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Keep ponds covered with netting to prevent fallen leaves blowing in and ensure pumps and any outside taps are turned off.
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Keep winter-flowering houseplants in good light and in a cool position to extend their flowering time. Move plants from cold windowsills at night and bring them into the centre of the room.
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If the ground is not frozen, move any shrubs or perennials that are growing in the wrong place or have outgrown their space. First prune them short and cut any dead wood out, then prepare the soil in the new space, mixing in fresh compost. Lift plants with as much rootball as possible. Firm the soil around the transplanted shrub, and insert a stake for support until it is established. Water well.
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Dig or hoe your flower borders if the soil is not frozen. Not only is it great exercise on a mild January day, it freshens up the borders and digs in all those fallen, rotting leaves that look so unsightly, but do the soil so much good..
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Finish raking or sweeping up the remaining fallen leaves and either compost them or put them in a plastic bag to rot down for leafmould. Clear gutters and down pipes of leaves.
Jobs for bad winter days
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Brush any substantial snow from evergreen shrubs and conifers, because the weight of it can break their branches. A yard brush is a good tool for this job.
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Put salt down on icy paths to prevent yourself and others slipping.
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Tidy the shed and greenhouse and get rid of some of those plastic flowerpots in the recycling bin, or ask your garden centre if they would like them.
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Give the garden furniture a freshen up with paint, varnish or teak oil.
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And the best job of all; pour through those seed catalogues that have been dropping through your letterbox and *place some orders.
* When you are ordering from your flower seed catalogues, do check out germination times and conditions. I once bought some seeds that took two years to germinate! I'm afraid they went straight in the bin..
Happy gardening till next month....
Index to previous editions of Age-Net gardening column here
Some web sites of interest to gardeners:
The living theatre of plants
and people
The Eden Project is a gateway into the world of plants and people.
A meeting place for all to discover how we depend on plants and how we
can help to manage and conserve them for our mutual survival.
Gardening
is an important part of many people's lives. You don't have to give up
gardening because of accident or illness, the onset of disability or the
problems associated with growing older. The information on their website
is designed to provide you with the information to Carry on Gardening.
Carry on Gardening was initiated by the horticultural charity Thrive
and is funded by the National
Lottery Charities Board. It brings together information
on easy ways of gardening gathered over 23 years by Thrive and research
carried out since the early 1970s by Mary Marlborough Centre, Oxford,
on tools and equipment for disabled and older people.
www.alantitchmarsh.com Alan Titchmarsh MBE, TV gardener, writer, broadcaster and
thoroughly nice person. Just a few choice words to describe the peoples`
favourite TV gardener. See his website....
Thompson
and Morgan
A growing resource for gardeners worldwide. The site includes
the international online seed catalogues, the young plants catalogue (UK
only), the wholesale seeds catalogue, together with the award winning
Germination Times and a host of other useful information.
********************
And some reading material:-
"The Yellow Book 2006" contains information of all Gardens of England
and Wales open for charity, from National Gardens Scheme and is available
from all good bookstores throughout the UK priced £7.99. http://www.ngs.org.uk/yellow_book.htm
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