librarian2003 (librarian2003) wrote in weagardening, @ 2012-01-23 23:23:00 |
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Current mood: | jubilant |
Spring Term - Week 1
Here we are, a new year, a new term, and a new venue for the Tuesday Group.
I hope everyone finds the new venue comfortable. There is the disadvantage of not easily being able to photocopy, but I'm sure we'll deal with that. I'd be interested to hear what you think about the Centre.
Here's the Course Programme for this term:
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE
Course Programme : Spring Term 2011/12
1 The Garden in January + Winter survival
2 Orchids – types and care
3 The Garden in February
4 Pruning
5 Seed sowing – a practical experiment sowing seeds of easy perennials
6 Flowers, plants and seeds for wildlife
7 The Garden in March
8 Water plants for small ponds and container ponds
9 Plants for the conservatory and cold greenhouse
10 Trees for containers
Plant of the week - A shrub and a bulb for each month from January to July
Internet sites of the week
Our Internet Sites of the Week are here:
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE
Spring Term 2011/12
Sites of the week : Week 1
1 For information on edible and otherwise useful plants suitable for growing outdoors in a temperate climate.
Plants For A Future
http://pfaf.org/user/default.aspx
2 For gardens to visit:
Great British Gardens
http://greatbritishgardens.co.uk/
3 For a comprehensive selection of herbs
Jekka’s Herb Farm
http://jekkasherbfarm.co.uk/
4 For a dazzling array of Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus) varieties
The ultimate Schlumbergera site
http://www.schlumbergera.org
5 For articles from the magazine The Kitchen Garden. They also have a selection of interesting blogs
The Kitchen Garden
http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/
Jo Hanslip
January 2012
And our main topic was the Garden in January. The handout is here:
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE
THE GARDEN IN JANUARY
This month you can do much of your planning for the coming year, reviewing how the garden performed last year and deciding what to do differently. If you have any neglected ground, now is the time to start planning to clear it.
If there is heavy snow, this should be removed from buildings, and from shrubs that may be damaged. Most at risk are conifers and hedges, where shape may be lost if branches are broken off.
If you have found serious drainage problems in a part of your garden, you might want to consider digging some additional drains.
Fallen leaves should be raked up, if this hasn’t been done before, especially on paths where they can rot down and become slippery, and on lawns where they will deprive grass of light. On beds and borders, and under hedges and shrubs, they may provide shelter for slugs and snails, but they also provide shelter for beneficial insects, and provide a mulch for the soil.
1 Shrubs and trees
Check that tree ties are secure, with enough room for growth.
Check new plantings for frost heave – frost can lift the ground around roots, and wind can rock the stems, allowing water to lie on the crown of the roots and causing rotting.
Plant deciduous trees and shrubs where ground conditions permit. They can also be moved now, while they are dormant. Aim to lift established plants with as large a rootball as possible. Prepare the soil in the new planting hole well, digging compost deeply into it. Firm the soil around the transplanted shrub, and provide a stake for support if required. Water in well and mulch with bark or compost. It may be necessary to substantially prune very large transplanted shrubs, as the damaged root system may not be able to support them.
Mulch rhododendrons and slightly tender shrubs to protect from frost.
Protect pot grown shrubs in severe weather. Put the containers close together, preferably against a wall. Then wrap a protective material such as bubble film around the pots.
Prune young wisteria shoots, except for main leaders, to within 3 inches of last year’s growth. If you don’t have a wall or framework on which to train your wisteria, you can grow it as a freestanding tree, in the garden or in a pot. These should be pruned hard in midwinter to keep them in shape and again in July, removing about half the growth in the crown.
Check foliage on camellia and bay shrubs for scale insect. A systemic insecticide gives best control.
Continue taking hardwood cuttings.
2 Hedges and fences
Cut back any overgrown deciduous hedges. Cut 1-2 feet lower than the desired height, and shape for stability – narrower at the top than the bottom.
Repair fences and other structures while climbing plants are dormant.
Clean up hedge bottoms.
3 Beds and borders
Sow alpines and other perennials that need a period of cold.
If garden is workable start removing weeds from beds and borders. Remember that groundsel and chickweed continue seeding even in winter. Warm spells will often allow seedlings to germinate, and disturbing the soil with a hoe is usually enough to kill them before they become a nuisance.
Remove smothering autumn leaves from the crowns of alpines.
Prune by half any roses not done earlier, to prevent windrock.
For weed-free borders, a 2-inch thick layer of mulch can be applied now, provided ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Whilst mulching, check whether any slightly tender plants that have a layer of straw or bracken to protect them need a top-up.
Potted bulbs that have finished flowering can be planted outside. First, move them to a cool, light location, remove the faded flower heads and allow the leaves to die back naturally. Feed and water as required during this process to build up the bulbs, then plant out. Potted bulbs stored in the dark for forcing should be checked regularly.
Bulbs stored for later planting should be checked regularly. Check bulbs, corms and tubers in store for signs of rot or deterioration. Remove diseased ones and sprinkle others with sulphur powder to prevent disease attack.
If you have any labelled plants, the name is likely to be weathering off. Use a pencil or indelible pen to re-label where necessary, before the name fades completely.
Check your garden thoroughly now that the leaves have died down for pernicious weeds previously hidden by other growth. It’s much easier to spot seedling deciduous trees and brambles, and especially important to remove them as soon as possible. Once these become established with deep roots, they are much more difficult to eradicate, and often grow back.
Many perennials can be cut back hard now, removing old growth to make room for new shoots that grow up in spring.
4 Kitchen garden
Plan your plantings for the coming season. Order seeds, plants, onion sets and potatoes as soon as possible to get the best choice.
Apples and pears can be pruned, and new fruit trees planted. On trained forms of apple tree, such as espaliers and cordons, sideshoots shortened in summer can be reduced in length now to about three buds. Any new shoots that have grown to extend the framework can be tied in to their supports.
Fruit bushes may need to be netted to protect buds from hungry birds, as will brassicas, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale.
Dig bare areas of heavy ground if conditions permit, incorporating compost or manure as you go. Annual weeds can be buried in the ground during digging, but the roots and leaves of perennial weeds should be removed and destroyed. If conditions are very wet, cover an area with polythene sheet to keep the rain off, and dig once the soil has dried out.
Test soil pH and lime if necessary.
Towards the end of the month, start early vegetables in modules in the greenhouse. Try early lettuce varieties, spinach, summer cauliflower and summer cabbage, radishes, salad onions, onions, round carrots, turnips, beetroot and oriental greens. Put two or three seeds in each cell, and plant out without thinning – the young plants will push apart from each other. Alternatively, continue to grow on in an unheated greenhouse for an earlier crop.
Chit potatoes in a light, airy, cool place.
Use a copper fungicide spray on peaches and nectarines to prevent peach leaf curl.
Sow tomatoes and aubergines in a heated greenhouse.
Sow onions if growing large varieties.
Prepare ground for spring sowing - warm up by laying a sheet of clear polythene over it 4-6 weeks before you want to start sowing. This also makes the ground more workable, and encourages the first flush of weed seeds to come up early, so that they can be hoed off before sowing starts. Alternatively, place cloches over areas to be planted.
Check stored fruit regularly – fruit just starting to rot can be put out for the birds.
Bring potted strawberries inside for forcing.
You can start forcing rhubarb for tender young shoots. Place buckets or forcing jars over dormant clumps of rhubarb to encourage stems to force for a delicious early harvest. Similarly, clumps of seakale can be also be forced. Harvest the white shoots as they appear.
Light will discolour cauliflower curds – to keep them white, bend the leaves over and gently tie them in place if necessary.
Shorten sideshoots on red and white currants to just one bud. Also remove any old stems crowding the centre of the bush.
Prepare a bean trench on the site where your runner beans will be grown next summer. Take out a deep trench and fill with the rotted contents of your compost bin. Continue adding kitchen waste during the winter. Cover with soil in late spring, then sow or plant out your beans on top.
5 Lawns, paths and patios
Clean moss from paths and patios – use a pressure washer, a stiff brush and a paving cleaner, or hot water and bleach. On compacted gravel paths, raking and loosening the gravel can disperse moss and algae.
Aerate lawns suffering from poor drainage – push in a garden fork about 6 inches deep and rock backwards and forwards to enlarge the hole. Brush in sharp sand.
6 Greenhouse and windowsill
Check the greenhouse at least once per week and tidy up plants as necessary. Fungal diseases are more likely to appear during winter months. Good hygiene will help to avoid them, so remove dead or damaged leaves and flowers, and ensure good air circulation between plants. Do not overwater. Where botrytis appears, spray with a copper fungicide after removing the affected parts.
Wash the greenhouse glass if it’s going green or is grimy.
Ventilate the greenhouse on mild days, but close up again by mid-afternoon as the temperature starts to drop. Check for gaps in bubble film insulation.
Give a weak liquid feed to flowering houseplants and any in active growth. Water other plants very sparingly. Tidy up house plants – remove yellowing leaves that can harbour disease, and check for pests.
Keep winter-flowering houseplants in a cool position in good light to extend their flowering season, avoiding draughts or any dry hot spots, such as on a table by a fire or radiator. Move the tenderest plants from cold windowsills at night and bring them into the centre of the room.
In a heated greenhouse, start off geraniums from seed.
Prune grapevines in the greenhouse. Take one-third off last year’s growth on the leader and prune sideshoots back to one good bud. Vine eye cuttings can be taken now. Use sections of shoots with at least one dormant bud, or eye, make a shallow sloping cut on the side of the stem opposite the eye, dip into hormone rooting compound, secure on the surface of the compost, covering lightly and keep in a propagator or warm place until roots form.
Pot up a few lily-of-the-valley for flowering indoors.
Force some stems of winter flowering shrubs, such as Viburnum or winter jasmine, if they aren’t flowering already, by bringing some cut stems, with buds just showing colour, into the house and place them in a jar of water in a warm spot until the buds open.
Autumn-sown sweet peas should be pricked out if this has not already been done. Keep them on a cold frame or cold greenhouse, or in a sheltered spot outside, but protect from rodents. Pinch out the tips of seedlings raised from autumn sowings to encourage sideshoots to form and make bushy plants.
7 Shed, tools and equipment
Clean pots and seed trays using hot water and household bleach. Dirty seed trays can harbour pests and diseases.
Clean and service tools.
Get the lawn mower serviced – if you leave it until spring, the shops will be overwhelmed.
Check the cables on electrical equipment – look for worn or split sections.
In freezing weather, make sure that any liquid chemicals stored in your shed do not freeze. In water-based chemicals this can lead to separation, which can then prevent them from working properly when you need to use them.
Remove fallen leaves, etc. from the gutters of your house, shed or greenhouse to prevent them causing blockages or providing somewhere for weeds to seed. You can do this by disconnecting the downspout and flushing out any debris with the jet on your hosepipe.
In freezing weather, store your hose reel in the garage or shed, if it is normally kept outside, to prevent the hose from splitting. If you have an outdoor tap, turn off the stopcock and drain the tap. If you need to keep using it, lag it to prevent ice damage.
While rainfall is plentiful, drain water butts and scrub them out. This will give plenty of time to refill them before they are needed in spring and summer.
If possible, keep garden furniture under cover. Now is the best time to repaint, or coat with preservative, after letting them dry out for a few weeks. For unpainted wood, you can lightly sand it down, then apply a couple of coats of equal parts of turpentine and raw linseed oil.
8 Pools and ponds
Ice forming a solid layer for more than a couple of days causes toxic gases to build up underneath. Keep an ice hole free in fishponds – never smash the ice – stand a pan of boiling water on it to gradually melt the ice, or keep a rubber ball in the pond to keep a small ice-free area.
9 Containers
Even in winter, containers may need watering in dry spells. Without water, plants can become stressed and more susceptible to pests and diseases – an outbreak of aphids can devastate winter pansies. Frozen soil has the same result, since plants cannot absorb water, and flag as if they were in a drought.
If you can’t insulate your containers properly, and have a spare piece of kitchen garden, bury the pots there. This will stop them from freezing and you’ll have them out again before you need the ground.
If containers are waterlogged, drainage is insufficient, or blocked. Use a knife to clear the hole (if it’s blocked with roots, the plant will need re-potting in spring) and stand the pot on bricks or pot feet to help the water drain away. Leaving it waterlogged will kill the plants.
Lily bulbs can be planted up now, using a good quality compost such as JI No 3.
10 Armchair
Seed and bulb catalogues are a great source of inspiration and information, and are mainly free. Order some and enjoy.
Order seeds, summer flowering bulbs and young plants from mail order suppliers before they sell out of the best varieties.
Place your order for seed potatoes now. These will be delivered later in the winter, when they can be set to form shoots before planting out.
11 Places to go
Hodsock Priory, Blyth, Notts – snowdrop and winter garden. Open Saturday 4th February 2011 to Sunday 4th March 2012, with special 21st anniversary events. Tel: (01909) 591204 http://www.snowdrops.co.uk/
12 Wildlife
Feed the birds, and give them clean water if normal sources are frozen.
When planning changes to your garden for the coming year, consider planting something to provide food for the birds (for example, holly, cotoneaster, pyracantha and mountain ash for their berries, sunflowers, poppies, and teasels for seeds).
The days are short and the nights can be very cold. For wildlife, this means it makes sense to keep on the move, eat well and keep warm. The need to feed means even the most timid birds and mammals are active and those which are normally nocturnal may be forced out into the daylight if the weather gets really tough. Hibernating wildlife, such as hedgehogs, will rarely be roused during January, although changing weather patterns are beginning to throw up some hazardously balmy interludes. If the temperature rises too much, sleeping creatures may be stirred into action, use up precious reserves of energy, fail to find any food and be left even more vulnerable for the rest of their hibernation period.
At this time of year, all amphibians are hidden away in cold, dark, damp places, under logs, wedged into the gaps in stone walls and in the nooks and crannies of suitable cellars. If you happen to uncover a toad, frog or newt, try to replace their cover gently so that they have the best chances of survival.
Encourage birds like blue tits by providing nest boxes. When choosing and siting, remember that nestlings are easy prey for predators. Boxes should be at least 6 feet off the ground, without access for squirrels and cats. Surrounding the nest box with 2” wire mesh will allow small birds through, but keep out larger nest robbers such as magpies. Provide lots of prickly shrubs for nest sites.
13 Garden diaries
Some people can plan ahead, but if you think of things, then forget them and don’t take action until it’s too late, then write them down. Ideally, there should be two diaries, or one with pages split in half – one to record what has happened, what’s looking good, how the weather has been, what you’ve been doing, what you’ve planted, and anything you need to remember about new plantings. On the other side, list tasks that will need attention at a particular time. These could include notes to buy particular bulbs, when to sow seeds, when there are plant sales or open gardens to visit.
14 Winter plant protection
If you still have your cut Christmas tree around, don’t throw it away. You can cut off the branches and use them to cover tender or early flowering plants. Cut boughs from evergreens, like the cut Christmas tree, are natural coverings for plants during cold weather. Then when you are finished with the evergreen boughs they can be recycled through the compost pile or shredded and used for mulching.
Jo Hanslip
January 2000
Revised January 2012
And here is something seasonal to enjoy - images of Schlumbergera:
Schlumbergera, Christmas Cactus
Don't forget that next session, those of you who are doing a Plant of the Week are going to tell us which ones you're planning to do. Presentations for the coming week are going to be from Robert and Judy on Tuesday, and from Margaret and Tracy on Friday.
Jo