Expert Gardening Advice

Pruning

Don’t prune roses until next month, as it will encourage growth and frost can burn new cuts. However, now is an ideal time for planting. If you are planting roses where they have been growing before and want to avoid replant disease, the addition of mycorrhizal fungi is said to avoid the problem by increasing the uptake of nutrients – see www.rootgrow.co.uk, who stock the product. The granules contain fungi that coat the roots, helping them absorb minerals and water.

DEADHEAD AND PRUNE If you haven’t pruned the grapevines, do so immediately, as they will bleed if left too late. Once you have a framework of primary limbs, prune laterals back to one or two buds. The same principle applies to wisteria, which should be pruned this month. Buddleia and summer-flowering clematis should also be pruned, reducing last summer’s growth to within a couple of buds of the old wood. Prune hard to about knee height and retrain clematis on to their support, as the buds will be away as soon as weather warms. Hydrangea paniculata and H “Annabelle” can be pruned in the same manner as buddleia, but the mop-headed hydrangeas flower on the previous year’s wood and should be thinned by a third to encourage new wood. Hydrangeas can also be deadheaded now by taking the flowering heads back to a strong pair of shoots.

Clearing debris From The Garden

DEAL WITH THE DEBRIS Waste material from the beds is gathered up and put on the compost heap rather than burned, as many of the stems are still home to insects that will crawl from the heap when they hatch. The beds are raked clean in readiness for spring mulching and to make way for the bulbs.

ROOT OUT THE WEEDS Weeds become visible with the clear-up, so take your time to winkle out buttercup, nettle and couch. Bindweed might be more of an issue, as it delves deep when established. Where it is getting a hold, dig out plants that might be affected, carefully fork out and burn the white roots, and replant anything displaced by the upheaval. There is plenty of time for plants to get their feet back in again before spring, but work in some goodness now to improve their opportunities for the year ahead.

GET MULCHING I like to leave mulching until the ground is a little warmer, but where bulbs are coming through it is timely to work in a 5cm layer of weed-free organic matter before they grow any more. Never mulch on weed-infested ground, as you will simply be creating a better environment for the weeds.

Chitting Potatoes

Chitting Potatoes

vegetable garden

There has been talk about whether it is necessary to chit potatoes but it is too early to plant them and if left in their bags, seed potatoes will produce long sprouts that will break off at planting time anyway.

Chitting is simply placing the potatoes in a frost free place with indirect light and will produce short strong shoots, getting them away to a faster start. You can use egg cartons or seed trays to keep them in. Don’t forget to label them so you don’t get confused as to variety come planting time.

I read that spraying with seaweed solution at fortnightly intervals while chitting will improve the crop but I didn’t notice any benefit myself.

With main crop potatoes, I reduce the number of shoots to three, or four on larger seed potatoes, so that they produce larger potatoes rather than masses of smaller ones.

Greenhouse Preparation

february garden

General Jobs in the Garden

If you have finished all the major tasks, such as digging over, creating leafmould heaps etc you will not have a lot to do in February but if like most of us you are scrambling to keep up, this is your last chance before spring.

Double check the greenhouse, ensure the glass is firmly secured and replace any cracked panes etc. If you’ve not managed to give it a thorough clean, now is the time before it is pressed into service.

Check last year’s potato bed for any volunteers (left over small potatoes) and remove them to avoid passing on disease problems and blight.

You’re going to be using your pots and seed trays next, so this is a good opportunity to wash out and sterilise them so you seedlings will get off to the best possible start. If you havent got any then dont worry. They are very cheap. An unheated propogator will certainly help and for an extra £2 is worth every penny

This years potato bed will benefit from a good application of compost or rotted manure that can be forked in or rotovated in to get them away.

You can cover soil with dark plastic sheeting, fleece or cloches to warm it up for a couple of weeks before you start to sow and plant.

Gardening in February

unheated propogator

It may be getting cold in the air, but the soil is still retaining some warmth. So it’s a good time to plant that hedge you have always wanted or shrubs and trees. Get rid of your old roses and replace with new. The warmth in the soil means good strong root growth , so get them in now before heavy snow comes along and the soil freezes.
You can plant out now, camellias, azaleas, conifers, shrubs, roses, rhododendrons, trees, plants and trees on display outside at garden centres are usually ones you can plant now, but its always best to check a member of staff.

By now you should also be dying to get sowing seeds, and getting stuck into the greenhouse and the garden. Well, patience is a virtue! It won’t be long before you are starting off your sweet peas, and broad beans, but for now, preparation, rather than seed planting in February is the key!!! Get your seed trays ready in the greenhouse, get your seed bags ordered and get ready for planting those seeds later this month. If you have compost from last year, use it for potting on, or mulching. For seed sowing, get fresh compost. Whether you like to use special seed compost, or good old multi-purpose, get it fresh. Old compost will have had time to harbour all sorts of bugs and fungus! One thing very handy is to have an old plastic swing top kitchen bin in a corner of the greenhouse for compost. Not out in the rain and cold, and as it is dry, easier to sieve out lumps for seed sowing. Great for propogating and growing seeds are the electric propogators. They are quite expensive though and a cheap, but effective alternative is this, an unheated propogator which will take much of the risk element out of your seed growing. In my opinion it is worth every penny in February.

Wet Weather Gardening

Wet weather is part and parcel of gardening in the UK, but changes to the climate in recent years suggest that heavier and prolonged bouts of rainfall will become a common occurrence. There are numerous problems that wet weather can cause in the garden.

Waterlogged soil

When soil is waterlogged, plants literally drown. Water fills all the air spaces between the soil particles and this prevents oxygen from reaching the roots. In turn, this causes the soil to stagnate and prevents root growth.

Symptoms:

• plants may look like they need water because symptoms include yellowing leaves that wither and drop off. Wilting of the plant may also occur
• the surface of the soil is soaking wet with puddles on it
• when lifted, the plant roots are black, soft and soggy, and the soil smells of rotten eggs
• plant growth is stunted or plants fail to sprout and shoots die back

Whatever the weather, it is vitally important to have the right basic tools to garden with.

You can find more information on wet weather gardening here

January Gardening

garden centre

In the gardening world, “spring fever” is that time of the year when gardeners flock to nurseries to buy flowers, shrubs, trees and more by the truckload, and launch into a planting frenzy.

In our area, spring fever generally shows up in late March, accelerates through April and finally begins to diminish as the heat of summer moves in around mid- to late May.

The question is, do you have to follow the masses and wait until March to purchase and plant your trees, shrubs and flowers? And the answer is: No.

A great deal of planting can be done in January and February. Hardy trees, shrubs and flowers are not bothered by winter cold, and, in fact, there are good reasons not to wait. If you are thinking about planting a shade tree or small flowering tree (notice the spring-flowering trees beginning to brighten our landscapes now), there is absolutely no reason to wait until April. You can even select spring-flowering trees in bloom at the nursery and plant them. If you shop now, the staff at your local nursery will have time to answer questions about trees you are considering. At the minimum, never plant a tree without knowing how tall and wide it will be when mature.

One of the frustrations of the spring fever season comes when gardeners see incredibly beautiful beds of pansies, petunias, snapdragons, dianthus, alyssum and other cool-season bedding plants blooming lavishly. Wanting to duplicate the riot of color in their own gardens, many head out to the nurseries and purchase large numbers of these plants.

If you intend to have blooming delphiniums, hollyhocks or foxgloves in your spring garden, it is especially critical to plant them plant soon. Young, blooming plants planted in April or May are pathetic compared to those planted in late winter and especially January and February..

So, head out over the next few weeks to the nurseries in your area and purchase and plant hardy trees, shrubs, ground covers and cool-season bedding plants. When spring fever hits and the nurseries are swamped with customers, you can sit back, sip a glass of iced tea and admire all the planting you already have accomplished.

Autumn Raspberries

autumn raspberries

Raspberries are best grown from bare-root plants in the autumn. I have found that seed varieties are also extremely delicious. There are lots of different varieties available, which bear fruit at different times. The majority of raspberries are harvested between early and late summer, while others are grown for their autumn berries.

There are alternatives to autumn raspberries:
If growing summer varieties, drill holes into the posts and stretch three rows of galvanised wires (12 gauge) between them – these should be 76cm (36in), 106cm (42in) and 167cm (66in) above the ground and held in place by straining bolts, which can be tightened with a spanner. If you have an autumn variety, there’s no need to add the top wire.

Prune canes that held fruit in summer during the autumn, cutting them right back to the ground. Tie in about eight of the strongest new canes from each plant to fruit next year, and remove the rest. Prune autumn fruiting varieties in mid-winter, cutting the old canes back to ground level. Tie in new stems to the supporting wires as they grow, using garden twine

I will let you know how this years crop of autumn raspberries taste later in the year if anyone is interested.

Annual Flowers

Definition: A true annual is a plant that completes its life cycle in one year. This means it goes from seed to seed and then dies off, during the course of one growing season. The whole mission of an annual is to produce seed and propagate. That’s why deadheading or removing spent flowers before the seed matures, produces more flowers and therefore more potential seed.
Some tender perennials are grown as annuals in colder climates. For a perennial to be worth growing as an annual, it must flower profusely in its first year of growth. Pansies, lantana and alyssum are all actually tender perennials.

There are also plants considered to be hardy annuals. This just means that they are able to withstand a little frost without being killed off and will continue to bloom and set seed into the next year, but they will eventually expire. Bachelor Buttons and Salvia Victoria are examples.

Annuals can be further divided into cool season and warm season. Pansies will fade as the summer heats up. Zinnias won’t even get moving until the nights stay warm.

Examples:
Annual flowers give you the opportunity to have a totally different garden every year.

Gardman Gardening Products News

gardman

The company’s Reusable Growbag, which holds a generous 90 litres of compost, is a totally new idea which allows vegetables or flowers to be grown virtually anywhere. It is made from strong, heavy duty, green polypropylene and is environmentally friendly as it produces no end-of-season plastic waste. The Reusable Growbag has a recommended retail price of £4.99.

Also new from Gardman is a Raised Bed kit which gives a growing area of 1m x 1m x 15cm. The green, pressure treated FSC timber from which it is made is sourced from renewable resources. Many gardeners now appreciate the benefits of growing crops in raised beds, one of the foremost being the ability to produce heavy yields from a small area. The Raised Bed has a rrp of £29.99.

A new pop-up Herb Planter joins the Strawberry Planter and Potato Tubs, which Gardman launched last season. The robust planter has four planting pockets, can accommodate five to seven plants and would make an ideal feature next to the barbecue, allowing guests to pick their own home grown herbs. The Herb Planter has a rrp of £7.99.

The Grow It range also includes other essentials for the ‘grow your own’ revival including seed trays, plug trays, windowsill propagators and lids, plus fibre pots and expandable peat pockets. All are perfect add-on buys for anyone purchasing one of Gardman’s keenly priced greenhouses, as is the newly introduced Greenhouse Tube Heater, priced at £49.99. Its 180watt power is economical, but capable of providing a frost-free winter environment and warmth for spring growth. It is IP55 rated, which means it is unaffected by sprinklers and sprays.