- GARDEN - HOUSEPLANTS - FRUIT & VEG - GREENHOUSE -
Planning and anticipation are top of mind as we look forward to another gardening year. If we don't learn from the experiences of the previous year then we can't possibly hope to reduce work and maintain a satisfying garden. The hot summer was a welcome distraction at holiday time, although the extra watering required throughout the garden was a chore after the first couple of weeks.
 THE GARDEN
What a great year that was for spring flowers and summer bedding. What a disastrous one for most of the lawns in the south east of England. OK it was dry and hot in August and September - but who would have thought that October would be parched too. Is this just a fluke dry spell or are areas in the UK turning into the new Kalahari desert ? Perhaps we need to change our planting plans for the future. In my case I'm determined to read the labels and plant in the most suitable spot and not try to fight against nature. The south-facing beds at the front of the house will be planted with drought-loving geraniums dotted with silver-leaved cineraria instead of busy lizzies. I don't mind watering pots, tubs and hanging baskets on a daily basis, but continuous watering of Busy Lizzies in the soil, just to keep them alive is no joke. Busy Lizzies will, in future, go in semi-shade where the plant breeders tell us they are happiest. Salvias too loved the sun and because they got watered regularly and fed with Miracle-Gro fortnightly they bloomed from May to October.Mulching obviously makes sense as summers become warmer and drier. This layer of organic matter not only helps to reduce evaporation from the soil surface, but also deters weeds and provides a tidy appearance that just needs an occasional rake to return to pristine condition. Get a mulch layer of bark chippings down as soon as the soil is soaked, sometime in January or February. This year I see that the Levington brand has added Cocoa Shells to its range of organic mulches. The Levington Mini Chipped Forest Bark and Levington Decorative Chipped Forest Bark both work extremely well, but they don't have the added advantage of an attractive smell and the reputation from many users for helping to deter slugs and snails. Well worth a try.
 FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
vegetables
Pick sprouts and dig parsnips and leeks as required. In some areas of the south east the dry summer and autumn will mean that crops that mature in winter didn't have the natural moisture to grow to a reasonable size. Expect to pay more than average in the supermarket for vegetables this winter and plan to grow even more of your own for next winter.
Don't be tempted to sow vegetable seeds outdoors in January, not even parsnips. The soil is likely to be too cold to encourage germination and even if you have cloches to keep out the winter's worst, wait until the end of February. Instead, spend the time digging the area to improve soil structure. Add organic matter as you dig to all areas other than those that are to grow root crops such as carrots or parsnips that tend to fork if their roots find fresh manure.
topical tip
The stems of sprout plants tend to rock in the wind and loosen their hold at root level. This encourages blown sprouts that are useless for cooking. To encourage good buttons heel around the stems to fill in any gap that may develop.
fruitApples and pears should be sprayed while they are completely dormant with a tar oil winter wash to kill over-wintering eggs of insects such as greenfly, blackfly, apple suckers and scale insects.
Spray with Murphy Mortegg to help give the trees a clean start to the new year, and when you've finished, clear away all fallen fruit and leaves to minimise the carry over of diseases too. Murphy Mortegg remains approved for use by amateur gardeners until the end of December 2004.
Inspect the branches of apple, cherry and plum trees for bacterial canker. This disease is more prevalent in areas where the soil is poorly drained, but we should all be vigilant. Patches of cracked and sunken bark that ooze gum are the culprits that kill the branch if it is girdled. Cut off affected twigs or smaller branches. Where it appears on larger branches that are vital, cut out the affected area to healthy wood and paint with a sealant.
Peaches are often affected by a crippling disease called peach leaf curl. It shows as large red blisters on the leaf which turns white, then brown, and falls prematurely. The disease survives in the bark and between the bud scales so you need to spray very early to stand a hope of controlling it. For good results spray with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide at the end of January or the beginning of February and repeat the treatment in the autumn at leaf fall. A couple of sprays every year should keep your peach trees clean.
 IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY
Insulation and heating are keys to success in the greenhouse. Keeping plants alive and protected from frost won't take a lot of heating as our winters seem to get milder and a stretch of several days below freezing point are getting rarer.
To save on heating group your plants in a small area of the greenhouse and then build around them another plastic shelter. You can also help to store the heat generated by the sun if you install a black water butt inside the greenhouse and fill with water. This will absorb and store a certain amount of heat during the day that is gradually released at night.
If you want to germinate seeds in the greenhouse then you need a heated propagator that will maintain the correct temperature. Remember the earlier you start the more your heating bill will be.
HOUSEPLANTS
At this time of the year fresh green foliage and bright sunny flowers are what every garden lover needs to see. For most of us that means attending to our long-term houseplant collection and the temporary visitors that brighten our homes in winter. Mixed bowls of houseplants that have been received as presents should be watered whenever the surface of the compost dries out. As most of these bowls will have been planted in containers without drainage holes, there is always a danger of waterlogging the compost and drowning the roots. Some people find maintaining these decorative bowls very difficult over the long term and prefer to re-pot the plants individually into traditional pots using Miracle-Gro Plant & Gro Compost. Grouping the plants together can give almost as good a display as the original bowl.
Many people will have decorated their homes with Poinsettias for the festive season and would like to keep them going for a few more weeks. The trick here is to keep the plants at room temperature, watering occasionally and feeding with Miracle-Gro Houseplant Food every week to encourage the plant to continue its spectacular display for months instead of weeks.
Azaleas are more difficult to keep going. They need a cool spot in the house in good light and need soft rain water rather than hard tap water. Because these plants are ericaceous they are grown in a peat based acid compost that unless watered regularly will soon dry out. When first purchased you should find that the stem of the plant is wet for about 2cm above the level of the compost. If you can maintain this level and feed every couple of weeks with Miracle-Gro Ericaceous Plant Food then your plant should continue to flower for several more weeks.
 ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
BugClear™ and BugClear Gun!™ contain bifenthrin. FungusClear™ and FungusClear Gun!™ contain penconazole. RoundupGC, Roundup Ultra 3000, Roundup Tough Weedkiller Ready to Use and Tumbleweed Original Extra Strong Gel contain glyphosate. Roseclear® 2 contains bupirimate, pirimicarb and triforine. RoseClear® Gun!™ contains bifenthrin and flutriafol. SlugClear™ Mini Pellets contain metaldehyde. Spotless® contains carbendazim. Verdone® Extra contains fluroxypyr, clopyralid and MCPA. Weedol® contains diquat and paraquat. Weedol® Gun!™ contains diquat.
®, ™, Miracle-Gro, and Scotts are trade marks of The Scotts Company or its affiliates. Roundup is the registered Trade Mark of Monsanto Company.
GARDENING INFORMATION FROM The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
WRITTEN BY JOHN CLOWES MAIN INDEX - GO SHOPPING
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