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| AUTUMN/WINTER 2011 Crysanthemums- remove the growing tips( less on spray and pompom varieties) to encourage bushy growth, plants can be left in the garden over winter. Dahlia stems should be staked and plants fed. The tubers should be lifted once foliage is blackened by the first frosts, left to dry and stored in newspaper in a cool shed for the winter. Brompton Stocks- can be bedded out now for your spring display. Hanging Baskets should still be kept well watered!. Weed.- perennial borders and rose beds on a regular basis. Stake tall plants such as Delphiniums, cut dead heads to encourage second showing. Flowers-Sow Cyclamen seeds in a heated greenhouse. Cosmos, Sunflowers and Rudbeckias should be deadheaded. Gladioli bulbs should be lifted as soon as possible for drying, before any soil is cleaned away or old foliage and flower spikes are cut back, then store until late spring ready for replanting. To prolong displays of late flowering plants, when frost is forecast in colder areas, cover with fleece. Use garden compost to mulch borders. Plant up winter hanging baskets and containers using Pansy, Polyanthus, Primrose, Dwarf Wallflowers, Myosotis and spring flowering bulbs. Sweet Peas can be sown in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse to overwinter for planting outdoors next March or April. Once Dahlia foliage has gone black from the first frosts the hollow stems can be cut down to approximately 10cm (4") above the tuber, allow any water to drain by standing tubers upside down and store under frost-free conditions. Divide primroses and irises (only if the latter has been undisturbed some years) Roses-. Spray regularly with a systemic insecticide and with a fungicide to protect against mildew and black spot. Apply rose fertilizer. Remove any suckers and dead heads. Burn any fallen leaves infected by blackspot. Prepare new beds, digging in manure. Cuttings- can be taken of rose and lavender. About nine inches, with heel of old wood, remove lower leaves and place in a trench of shallow sand. Also fuchsias, petunia and geranium, to name a few, can be cut across the stem, below a leaf joint removing lower leaves. Place pots in the greenhouse, in a loam and silver sand mixture. Clematis between joints. Insert three inches into good quality loam and leave undisturbed for 6/9 months. Dip all cuttings in Hormone Rooting Powder to speed up the process. Slugs, slugs, slugs. are very partial to new shoots on any plant, especially Hostas and Dahlias. Scatter slug pellets around any susceptible plants. In the Greenhouse Tuberous rooted Begonias should have been dried off and stored in a frost-free greenhouse over the winter. Muscari, Daffodils, Crocus, Snowdrops along with unprepared Hyacinths should have been potted up for colour later in the winter and early spring. If possible tender perennials such as Fuchsias that are in containers should be moved into the greenhouse for the winter giving protection from low temperatures which occur at night in some parts of the country. Vegetables-Lift and store Potatoes, Carrots and Beetroot. Winter salads should be protected with a covering of fleece. Bean poles and supports should be cleaned and stored. Cut down Asparagus to near ground level. Early in the month Spring Cabbages can be transplanted, spacing them 30cm (12") apart. Tomato plants- Pick side shoots out regularly. Feed regularly with a good liquid fertilizer to encourage ripening. Continue sowing some lettuce for cold frame propagation. Any marrow, cucumber or courgettes still hanging should be cut and stored. Plant winter lettuces and spring cabbages. Pruning-Clematis differ according to variety. In general those flowering before June only need a general tidy up. For those after, cut right back 12 inches. For an excellent container clematis choose 'Josephine' which will flower May- September and each bloom can last for five weeks. Fruit.- New trees should be planted now in well prepared and manured soil. Choose cordon for the small garden, or bush for the medium garden. Prune soft fruit trees, blackcurrants cut away old wood only, gooseberries cut the short new spurs back to 1 inch and new leader side shoots back by a third. Bulbs.- Can be planted now, twice as deep as their height. Sweet Pea -seeds should be soaked in water for 24 hours prior to sow outside in a well drained trench. Plants should withstand the winter to produce excellent flowers early next year. Hedges- can be trimmed now that growth has slowed down. Use secateurs for large leaved hedges such as holly, laurel and bay. Electric/Petrol trimmers for small-leaved, such as privet. Plant new hedging now. Lawns- should be raked, aerated and dressed with a selective weedkiller/mosskiller prior to rain. Mow every week if possible. Lay turf, but keep well watered. Ponds-Level should be checked in case of leaks. Before icy conditions set in an electric pond heater can be fitted. Fish will require somewhere to shelter once floating plants have died down, such as lengths of plastic downpipe guttering on the bottom of the pond. Once the water temperature drops below 5ºC (41ºF) stop feeding fish Edges of the pond should also be checked to make sure it hasn’t dropped below the water line. Any repairs should be carried out promptly. Any dirty or neglected ponds should be cleaned out. Stretching a net across the water surface will stop leaves falling in the pond which causes pollution. Now and again lift the net so the leaves can be removed. If you do not wish to cover with a net, a fishing net could be used regularly to scoop out leaves and debris. Pumps should be removed, cleaned and stored for the winter in a frost-free place. Fish should be fed regularly now as live food decreases and winter is around the corner. Thin out overgrown plants. Promptly scoop off any algae/blanket weed that appears on the surface, and add appropriate chemical preparation to the water, to avoid the pea soup effect (available from most Garden Centres). Aquatics and marginal plants should be planted by now, deep-water plants until mid October. | SPRING 2011 Flowers Sweet Peas can be planted in sunny borders remembering to tie stems onto supports which will encourage quicker climbing and flowering. Bulbs including lilies and gladioli can be planted out. Pruning of roses should be completed as soon as possible, remembering to remove any dead, diseased or damaged stems. Clematis should be pruned back to just above the lowest shoots. Fuchsias that have survived the winter can be revived keeping the compost slightly moist along with conditions beginning to warm up, then any dead stems should be pruned back. When they begin to grow strongly, watering can be increased along with weekly feeds being started, and, they could also be potted up. Vegetables Onion sets should be planted 10-15cm (4-6") apart, with the tips just showing above soil level. To prevent onion fly cover with fleece. Shallots can also be planted out now, spacing at 15cm (6") intervals in rows 30cm (12") apart. Fork over light soils, and incorporating organic matter, preparation will be ready for plantings and sowings. Sow celery seed in pots during March/April placing them in the greenhouse which will produce plants for planting out from May to June.Once conditions are suitable crops such as leek, pea, lettuce, radish, broad bean, parsnip and early carrot can be sown. Tomato varieties can be sown now in a heated greenhouse. To encourage quick germination sow in a heated propagator, or on a windowsill. Prick out seedlings. Fruit Planting of raspberry canes should be completed by the beginning of this month. Rhubarb can be forced by covering the crowns with either large pots or buckets. Strawberries can be grown in pots giving a bumper crop, and so that the picking season lasts longer why not grow two or three different varieties. Branches damaged by birds on apple and cherry trees should be pruned. Lawns Mower blades should be set so that just 13mm (½") of grass is cut the first time. Control perennial weeds by digging out the roots or using a weedkiller containing Glyphosate. Should moss be a problem on the lawn Moss Killers can be applied at this time. Trees & Shrubs Replanting of trees and shrubs should be carried out before they come into full growth. Container trees should be repotted or top-dressed. Lavatera and hardy fuchsias should be pruned back to live wood. Hedges can be planted at this time by spacing the plants evenly, planting holes should be more than large enough for plant roots, then add some planting mixture to the soil before filling in. Ponds As milder spells arrive fish can be given some food. Now is the time to remove pond heaters so that they can be cleaned and put away until next winter. Plant debris should be cleared away from around the pond. Use a net to scoop out leaves that have fallen into the pond. SUMMER 2011 Hanging Baskets should have now been be made up. Line your basket with moss ( or a substitute liner), putting a circle of polythene on the bottom, to help water retention. Part fill with. a mixture of peat and vermiculite and place three or four trailing lobelia or ivyleafed geraniums through the sides. Continue filling with peat and place a zonal pelargonium or bush Fuchsia in the centre, surrounding with petunia surfina, bizzy liz, trailing Fuchsia or any number of plants from the'hanging basket' section in your garden centre. Keep well watered!. Plant your container-grown fruit trees now, but keep well watered. Prune Spring flowering trees. Your bedding plants and outdoor Chrysanthemums can be put out mid month removing growing tip to encourage bushy growth. Dahlia tubers should planted 6in deep, dahlia plants can be put out if frost free. Weed. perennial borders and rose beds on a regular basis. Stake tall plants such as Delphiniums. Sow. Biennials such as waIlflowers, forget-me-nots and sweet williams for next Spring. Divide primroses. Roses. Spray regularly with a systemic insecticide and with a fungicide to protect against rnildew and black spot. Apply rose fertilizer. Remove any suckers. Burn any fallen leaves infected by blackspot. Slugs, slugs, slugs. are very partial to new shoots on any plant, especially Hostas and Dahlias. Scatter slug pellets around any susceptible plants. Vegetables. Tomato plants can be put out after hardening off in a cool greenhouse. Pick side shoots out regularly soon as they get l in. in length. Feed with a good liquid fertilizers soon as the first truss has set. Continue sowing some lettuces, carrots, peas, cabbages, spinach and runner beans every three weeks to ensure a continuous crop. Any marrow, cucumber or courgette plants can now be put outside and given liquid manure after two weeks. Earth up potatoes to the neck of plants to ensure tubers do not turn green. Pruning clematis differ according to variety. In general those flowering before June only need a general tidy up. For those after, cut right back to 12 inches. For an excellent container clematis choose'Josephine'which will flower May- September and each bloom can last for five weeks. Fruit. Protect strawberry plants and soft fruit bushes against birds by covering with netting. Bulbs. Can be lifted, if space is needed, after flowering. Deadhead others. Do not cut leaves until dead. Lawns should be raked, aerated and dressed with a selective weedkiller/mosskiller prior to rain. Mow every week if possible. Lay turf, but keep well watered. Ponds. Fish should be fed regularly now that it is warmer. Promptly scoop off any algae/blanket weed that appears on the surface, and add appropriate chemical preparation to the water, to avoid the pea soup effect (available from most Garden Centres). Plant aquatics and marginal plants now until July, deep-water plants until September. | |||||
| Derek Parkhouse Email:gardeners@aol.com Copyright © Derek Parkhouse 2012 | ||||||
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