Gardening

Edition eight - November 2006  

I have been asked if there are any benefits to waiting until the Spring before pruning and tidying the flower borders, as advocated by some gardening experts. Well there are benefits, for even though the vegetation has died back and has blackened foliage, it will create a micro-climate and stop the worst of the frosts from penetrating the plants. Wild life too will be afforded a little protection from the cold. I suppose it is the natural way of doing things but personally I don’t like to see lots of dead vegetation overwintering in my garden, even if it does look nice with a sprinkling of frost. It makes the garden look neglected and I prefer to see neat borders.

That doesn`t mean to say I chop everything that needs pruning to the ground in the Autumn. I am selective, leaving dogwoods and hardy fuschias in particular until the Spring to be pruned. Frost tender plants such as the giant Gunnera can be covered with it`s own dead leaves for protection. Tender perennials can have cuttings taken from them in case the frost destroys them…

So, Autumn or Spring, it`s really just a personal choice...

It is a good "maintenance" time of year and there are still many jobs that need to be done before beginning a spell of "armchair gardening."

Fallen leaves

Sweep the leaves up or use a garden vac for the job, then put them in black bin liners tucked away in a utility corner of your garden.. You'll find after a year or so they will have rotted down to make wonderful leafmould for the garden.

Paths and drives

Keep paths and drives free of piles of wet soggy leaves and slippery moss, not just for your own sake, visitors will appreciate you being considerate of their safety too..

Trees

Have a look at the trees on your property... Are they safe? Is strong wind or heavy snow likely to topple any of them over or break a branch off.. If in any doubt get a professional in to check them out or make a repair... Have you checked the stakes and ties of newly planted trees lately? Trees put on girth so rapidly that they can soon become strangled by tight ties that dig into their bark.

Borders

This is a great time of year for moving plants and shrubs.. Make a list of what you want to move and work your way through it... First, dig up and discard plants you no longer want, then move the ones that have become cramped into the cleared spaces... Try to include the complete root system when you dig them up and don't forget to water them in if there is a dry spell.. If they are fairly large shrubs, stake them for one season to prevent strong winds blowing them over...

Other borders should be tidied up by pruning the dead wood off shrubs, cutting down perennials and throwing away remaining summer bedding, which seems to be flowering forever this year.. It's a matter of choice whether you cut down plants in the autumn or leave them until the spring.. As a general rule, I cut down hardy  plants and leave the tender perennials until the spring because they will form a micro-climate which will protect them from the worst of the frosts..

Give the borders a hoe to freshen them up and get rid of any lingering weeds.

Ponds

Don't feed your fish any more this season and ensure that any ice is cleared to allow your fish to get the oxygen they require.. Want your pond professionally cleaned?  Or  made safe for young visiting children?

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Some ideas for useful Christmas presents for your garden-loving relatives or friends:

• A years subscription to a gardening magazine
• A gardening book from www.amazon.co.uk
• Secateurs or other garden hand tools
• Gardening gloves
• Gift voucher for a garden centre
• Terracotta pots
• Decorative house name or number: www.englandsigns.co.uk
• Japanese wind chimes
• Garden ornaments
• A beautiful Amarylis is always welcome
• Orchids, which flower for months on end are very popular just now..