THE GARDEN

Colour should still be available in the garden if you have planted cushion chrysanths, asters (Michaelmas daisies) or late varieties of Sedum such as Autumn Joy. Powdery mildew may well be attacking asters and chrysanths making the foliage unsightly and reducing the plant's flowering capacity. Spray with a suitable fungicide. If you have any stock of Nimrod-T or Roseclear 2 in the shed or garage use this up first. These products are only approved for use by gardeners up until the end of the year, so get spraying. If you need to buy a fungicide, buy FungusClear or FungusClear Gun! and apply whenever the white powdery deposits appear. Regular sprays will keep your plants clean and thriving.

Finish planting spring bulbs, especially tulips. You may not be able to find stocks of all the varieties in garden centres as they have had their bulbs on display since August, but you should be able to pick up some last minute bargains. For real staying power the species tulip such as T. praestans (early red), T. prengeri (late May scarlet) or T. sylvestris (yellow mid season) take some beating. Planting now is ideal. Check the label on the packet to find the recommended planting depth. For a great garden display improve the drainage of heavy clay soils or enrich light sandy soils with Levington Soil Improver and Mulch or Levington Top Soil.

The biggest pest problem of tulips is the underground slugs that eat their way through the newly planted bulbs and the emerging leaves. To give them protection from slugs, water the planted area with SlugClear, a liquid concentrate that kills the slugs and snails that are hiding underground. Trim the stems of roses back by about a third to minimise rocking in the wind that occurs now. Collect up these trimmings and any rose leaves that show symptoms of blackspot disease and burn them. They carry the spores of the disease overwinter and should not be composted or left lying around. To minimise carry-over from one season to another spray with any remaining stock of Murphy Mortegg or other tar oil winter wash. This is the last month when consumers can legally use these pesticides. So get spraying your roses and fruit trees now.

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ON THE PATIO

Replant patio pots for winter interest. Empty all old compost and add a gritty layer of stones to the base to ensure good drainage. Half fill the container with fresh Levington Multi-Purpose Compost and plant a layer of spring daffodils. Cover with compost and add a layer of tulips and more compost to within a few inches from the top of the container. Plant the surface with autumn and spring flowering plants such as winter pansies, polyanthus, wallflowers, bellis daisies and winter heather.

For permanent planting try evergreen shrubs such as euonymus, hebe, dwarf conifers, variegated sage, ivies and small leaved thyme. In most winters Cineraria 'Silverdust' will survive to add a cut-leaved contrast of dusty white leaves.

To prevent waterlogging of patio pots stand containers on bricks or pot feet. To protect roots of permanently potted plants such as bay trees from frost, wrap the pot in insulating plastic sheet and cover with a black polythene bag. Horticultural fleece can be placed over the top of standard bay trees to protect the head in severe weather.

LAWNS

Mowing will only be necessary in mild spells when there is no frost forecast. A trim every two or three weeks should be sufficient. At the end of the month when the final cut of the year will have been made, arrange for the mower to be serviced during the December to January period.

Take the time to produce clean edges to the lawn using a half moon cutter or spade. To minimise regular edge trimming consider installing a brick or plastic edge to the lawn. Set just below the level of the grass it helps to reduce the sideward spread of the grass and minimises trimming when your time is limited in spring and summer. An edge of bricks also helps to keep the mower level as you cut the outer strip of grass which can otherwise get scalped.

Check the lawn for bare patches and well worn paths that may be growing thin with wear. Dig over the area and either re-seed early in the month or wait until March next year to ensure good germination. For best results choose EverGreen Multi-Purpose Grass Seed - a hard-wearing mix of tough grasses that should withstand heavy footfall.

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FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

vegetables

Brussels sprouts that are showing a tendency to be late and are not producing their buttons well can be encouraged into growth with a feed of Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food, applied when it is mild over the foliage and around the roots. Winter cabbages such as January King and Celtic will also benefit from a feed now.

Lift a few roots of parsnip so that the frost can work its wonders on the flavour. After a couple of frosts the starch in the roots turns to sugar and they are much sweeter.

Get as much of the winter digging done before the ground becomes too wet and sticky. Move all the compost material you want to incorporate onto the area while the soil is firm using planks to create runways for the wheelbarrow. If you do not have enough well-rotted garden compost, buy a few bags of Levington Farmyard Manure to incorporate. Farmyard Manure is the traditional way to improve soil fertility and structure. It acts as natures own soil conditioner; adding humus, plant foods and vital micro-organisms to transform ordinary soil into something special. Some crops benefit more from Farmyard Manure at their feet than others and if supplies are limited reserve this material for the bottom of trenches for runner beans and deep below sweet peas and dahlias.

fruit

Cut back gooseberry and currant bushes, by removing branches that bend low to the ground and make picking clean fruit difficult. When these are removed start pruning back the top branches. With blackcurrants take out complete branches that are at least 3 years old that show dark brown bark. Aim to take out a quarter of all branches each year so that you gradually replace the old growth with fresh branches that continue to carry the maximum crop. With gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants the pruning technique is slightly different. Here you need to encourage spurs or side shoots along the main branches. This is where the flowers and fruits develop. Prune back the new growth by two thirds, so the branch is lengthened slightly. All the other side shoots are shortened so they are no longer than 5cm (2in) long.

If you have several crowns of rhubarb dig one up and leave on the soil surface so that it gets the frost. After a month or so of cold weather pot up the root in moist compost and move to a warm, dark shed or garage. Keep well watered and when new shoots appear cover with a box and black polythene. After four or five weeks you will have forced into growth delicious pink stems for winter fruit pies.

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IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY

Clean all empty pots and seed trays with a brush and soapy water, finishing off with a soak in a disinfectant such as Jeyes Fluid or similar. Store in sealed plastic bags to minimise overwintering homes for unwanted pests.

While you have the disinfectant handy wipe down benches and the inside of the glass getting into all the nooks and crannies of the support bars where overwintering pests could be hiding. Repair any broken glass and fit plastic bubble sheeting inside to provide "double-glazing" insulation.

To ensure maximum light inside the greenhouse, use a plastic plant label or something similar to remove moss, algae and other debris from between overlapping panes of glass.

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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

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