Monthly Garden Diary - January 2006

Introduction

Long nights and cold days mean that gardening is not top of mind for most people. So it’s time to snuggle up warm and study seed catalogues or even plan purchases of tiny plug plants on the web. Looking forward to the future is what the New Year is all about, and every new year holds out promise of beautiful scented flowers, tasty fruit and vegetables and heart-warming satisfaction in making a difference in the biggest room of the house.

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New Year Resolutions

1. Feed bulbs each Spring

A few years ago I was given a mixed bag of tulip bulbs by the head gardener at Pashley Manor in Sussex. They had been grown in the grounds during that Spring and were being discarded. If only ordinary gardeners could ensure a top quality display every Spring by planting fresh top-sized bulbs from Bloom’s every Autumn! Dream on. Anyway, I planted the bulbs under a fir tree and they flowered for about two years until I noticed this Spring that almost all of them have disappeared. I now realise that neglect is the cause. The ground is obviously too dry and I admit they have never been fed. This year I resolve to feed my bulbs when they are in leaf and water them if the soil is at all dry. In this way they will reward me with regular flowering and eventually extra offsets that can be grown on to flowering size if given enough space.

2. Dig out ivy whenever it’s seen

This Autumn I spent several weekends trying to rid a neglected privet hedge of ivy. The hedge of at least 30 years age had obviously been sheltering ivy for the same period as the roots had developed from fine spaghetti sized strings to deep roots as thick as my wrist.

Some roots had to be sawn off as they went down vertical to unknown depths. If they shoot again then the new leaves will be treated with Roundup GC or TumbleWeed.

3. Plant gladioli in Spring

I forgot to plant out my gladioli corms this Spring and only discovered them under the staging of the greenhouse in July. Oh well, I thought, better late than never! So out they went mid-Summer to provide magnificent spikes of flowers in October and early November. Unfortunately the corms did not have enough time to form normal-sized replacements by the time November frosts kill off the foliage so they will need replacing with top-sized corm this year and to plant them out in April and feed them as soon as the new leaves emerge in May.

4. Try more vegetables in pots

Last Summer my 7 year old granddaughter grew carrots from seed for the first time in a large pot. With the help of a few feeds from trusty Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food the crop was rewarding in many ways. She ended up with 3lb of good quality vegetables and tasted and enjoyed the flavour of raw carrots for the first time. She is already eating many different types of cooked vegetables, her favourite being French beans, but it’s interesting to see that when grown by themselves, children usually find the crop is well worth a taste.

Indoor Gardening

Houseplants appreciate the good light they get when placed close to a window during Winter days. However that gap behind the curtain is really cold at night, so remove the plants each evening as you draw the curtains.

Watering indoor pot plants is necessary in Winter, although not as a regular routine. Instead feel the compost with your finger and only water if it feels dry under the surface and the pot feels lighter than usual. A thorough watering, leaving any excess water that drains into the saucer below will ensure the compost is completely wet. Tip away any excess water from the saucer after about 15 minutes.

Many of us will have received amaryllis (Hippeastrum) bulbs as festive gifts and they need planting up immediately. If you want to buy a variety yourself think about ‘Christmas Carol’. Just one giant bulb sends up many stems that are topped with up to 30 blooms of fiery red. Make sure you use a pot with adequate drainage holes as the roots of these plants hate standing in water. Add a layer of grit or pebbles to the base of the pot and add a free-draining growing medium such as Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost. Position the bulb so the top half of the bulb is above the compost and then water well. Place in a warm position above a radiator to get the root system buzzing.

Perhaps the easiest plant to keep looking good in Winter is the poinsettia. Find it a warm, draught-free spot and give the compost the Finger Test to find out when it wants watering. Push your finger into the compost and if it feels moist leave it alone. When the compost is ready for watering it is becoming dry, the surface is crumbly and the pot feels light for its size. Now give it a jolly good soaking, drain away any surplus and don’t water again until the Finger Test tells you its time.

If you have received a decorative bowl of houseplants as a present, water carefully. The container is unlikely to have drainage holes and over-watering is easily done without knowing it. Use the Finger Test to decide when to water and after ten minutes tip the bowl to one side over the kitchen sink so that any excess water drains away. When the flowers in the mixed bowl have faded it is a good idea to break up the arrangement and repot the individual plants before the roots become hopelessly intertwined. Use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix or Miracle-Gro Compact Compost to ensure the plants grow away quickly in their new pots.

Ornamental Gardening

According to a long term forecast from the head of Britain’s Meteorological Office we are expected to have icy winds coming in from the east this Winter that will provide us with a severe cold snap. If it occurs this will be a shock to our garden plants that have enjoyed particularly mild Winters for the last decade.

Be prepared for hard frosts and bone chilling winds is the advice. Many shrubs that have fooled us into thinking they are hardy will surely die back without extra protection. Trapping air under horticultural fleece should help some of the shrubs that border on the edge of hardiness such as Ceanothus, Fuchsias and Myrtle. Newly planted evergreens are especially vulnerable as they lose water from their leaves all Winter. If the ground is frozen then their roots can’t take up moisture and leaves turn brown.

In November I pushed straw in between the branches of my fig tree that grows against a south facing wall. The whole plant was then shielded with fleece to protect the small figs already formed and the stems of the plant itself.

On the patio wrap the pots of permanently planted material with bubble wrap and move to a sheltered spot beside a south facing wall. Protecting the roots of plants such as bay grown in pots is vital if they are to survive a really cold Winter.

In beds and borders protect the roots of dormant perennials such as Penstemons, Agapanthus, Kniphofia and Phygelius with an extra layer of well rotted compost or leaf mould. Above all be prepared for dormant material not to survive. Save your pennies to replace plants with hardier specimens.

Roses, Trees and Shrubs

The Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) is rarely in bloom before the end of January, although you can help things along by providing some overhead protection from driving rains. A sheet of clear plastic fixed 30 - 40 cm above the crown will provide enough protection to encourage early flowering.

Watch for the emergence of Spring bulbs, with snowdrops usually showing the way followed closely by crocus species. Clear the area of any fallen leaves to display the flowers better and to eradicate the hiding places of slugs that could otherwise feed off the fresh new foliage.

Check the stem of tall roses where it enters the soil to see if movement caused by winds has created an air gap around the stem.

If there is a hole developing at soil level caused by wind rock then fill this in with more soil and stake the plant at around 60cm above ground level to give it more stability. The danger with these holes is that in Winter they can easily fill with rain water that freezes easily and damages the plant stem and roots. After filling the hole with more soil add a mulch layer of Levington Farmyard Manure to provide extra insulation and an early organic feed.

Fruit and Vegetables

Think seriously about growing a few potatoes this year, selecting a variety that is either unusual or very early. For a wide selection of old, new and tasty varieties look no further than www.thompsonandmorgan.com There you will find old varieties for individual purchase or exciting collections that are designed for beginners, connoisseurs and allotment holders.

Of particular interest to people with small gardens or just a balcony or patio space is the Baby New Potato Collection of six early varieties called Accent, Lady Christl, Mimi, Orla, Rocket and Swift. Ten tubers of these 6 varieties will cost you £12.99 and they can be grown in growing bags, large pots or giant Vegetable Planters. You can even buy a special Potato barrel that can be filled with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost and planted up with four or five tubers of an early variety. Kept well watered and fed occasionally these huge containers will produce a great crop of very tasty spuds.

Buy your chosen variety of seed potatoes as early as they are available - Thompson & Morgan will deliver in January. To produce a very early crop place the tubers into egg boxes with rose end showing most growing eyes uppermost. Start them into growth in a light, frost-free place.

The whole point of encouraging potatoes to sprout into green growth like this is to increase the number of shoots and therefore the total crop. If a seed potato is planted without sprouting it quickly produces one or two shoots that have only a few points that will produce potatoes. The tubers that are sprouted in daylight have many more shoots and each has double the number of points that produce the potato crop.