I was sitting down to write my garden piece for December and for whatever reason it came into my head to try and find 12 plants that represent the song Twelve days of Christmas…..So hear goes.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me……
First Day – a partridge in a pear tree – Pyrus communis (pear tree) I know an easy first one!
[Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for December 2024
Prune roses to prevent wind-rock and this is also the time to prune most deciduous trees, but a lot of deciduous ornamental grasses can be left until the spring. Prune grapevines after leaf fall, but before the end of December to avoid ‘bleeding’ of sap. Prune Acer (maple) species now as well to avoid them bleeding from the cut stems once the sap rises in the spring.
Now is the ideal time to plant bare rooted plants.
[Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for November 2024
The temperatures are now dropping and the nights are drawing in, so it is important to get as many jobs done in the garden before it gets too cold. Wallflowers can be planted now. Continue planting spring flowering bulbs. Cut back herbaceous perennials that have died down.
Split and divide older clumps of overgrown perennials. Prune [Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for October 2024
Lawns: sow new lawns or repair damaged patches. If sowing small areas, net to protect the seed from birds. Apply an Autumn weed and feed.
Fruit and Vegetables: Harvest apples now when they easily come off the tree when gently twisted. Sow winter salads such as lamb’s lettuce. Plant hardy onions eg Senshyu Yellow. Double your strawberry patch by pegging runners from the plants into pots filled with compost and keep them watered until they are rooted then cut them away from parent plant.
Dead head faded blooms, but leave some to turn into seedheads for the birds. Trim lavender plants by removing flower stalks and about 2.5cm of the current year’s growth. Hoe to keep on top of any weeds. Prune the wispy growth on wisterias, back to 5-7 leaves.
Prune climbing and rambling roses after they have flowered, unless they are repeat flowering. Prune summer flowering shrubs after they have flowered. Cut down wildflower meadows. Ensure Camellias and Rhododendrons are well-watered to encourage good flower bud formation next spring.
Prune early-summer flowering shrubs, such as Philadelphus, once they have finished flowering. Cut back flowered growth to a strong lower shoot and thin out up to a fifth of old, woody stems. Cut back hardy geraniums to ground level after they have had their first flush of flowers to encourage new foliage and more flowers later in the year.
Divide congested clumps of bearded iris after flowering. Dead head bedding plants, roses and herbaceous plants to encourage more flowers. Make sure fruit trees and bushes are well watered to support the developing fruits. Stone fruit trees such as plums and cherries can be pruned this month.
Pinch out tips of new growth on figs at the end of month, when the shoots have 5 leaves. Stop cutting asparagus now and topdress with a general purpose fertilizer. Regularly pinch out side shoots of cordon tomatoes. Summer prune gooseberries.
Sow salad crops at 2 week intervals. Plant out pumpkins and squashes, put straw around strawberries. [Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for June
Hoe borders to remove weed seedlings. Mow lawns regularly now, apply a weed, feed and moss treatment if not already done. Sow lawns or lay turf. Spray paths for weeds. Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as Choisya and Ribes after flowering. Check for nesting birds before trimming any hedges. Tie in climbing and rambling roses as near to horizontal as possible. Tie in shoots of clematis and sweet peas as they climb.
Trim back Alyssum, winter flowering heathers and Aubrieta after flowering to encourage fresh growth. Plant out summer bedding towards the end of the month, after all risk of frost have gone. Watch out for slug and snail damage. [Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for May
Sow hardy annuals and wild flower seeds in pots to provide colour in the garden. Sweet peas can be sown outside now. Prune penstemons and other slightly tender plants, divide herbaceous perennials. Put supports in place for perennials before they get too big. Protect fruit blossom from late frosts, tie in climbing and rambling roses. Feed shrubs and roses. Keep weeds under control.
Dead head daffodil bulbs, but leave the foliage to die back naturally. Plant lilies and other summer bulbs in pots or borders. Feed ericaceous shrubs such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris with an ericaceous fertiliser.
Finish pruning roses early in the month. Cut dogwoods, willows and cotinus to promote vigorous new growth. Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines indoors. Plant onions and shallot sets. Plant first early potatoes, sow parsnips when the soil starts to warm up. [Read more…] about Wellie’s Gardening Tips for March
An autogyro is a strange flying machine resembling a helicopter but has no engine power to the rotor. Forward thrust is provided by a conventional propellor, usually mounted at the back. There are no wings; lift is provided by the rotor blades. Power for rotation comes from the wind moving through the rotor, like a child’s windmill. I set out to fly in one.
To get the autogiro into the air, its propellor pushes the machine forward, and the slipstream flows through the backwards tilted rotor. When the rotor is up to speed, it is tilted slightly forward to provide upward lift. Because the rotor blades are long and heavy, it takes a while to get them going. Modern machines have a flexidrive from the engine to start them off. The drive is disconnected when the rotor is up to speed, about 200 rpm. [Read more…] about Flying an Autogyro
Bring in houseplants that were moved outside for the summer, before temperatures start to drop. Lift and divide congested clumps of perennials, once they have finished flowering. Plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths and snake’s-head fritillaries. Take cuttings of fuchsias, pelargoniums and salvias.
Raise the cutting height on your mower so that lawns can cope better in the hot dry weather. Feed your lawn with a high phosphate feed which will strengthen the roots for the winter. Mow meadows now to help scatter established wildflower seeds. Water containers, new plants, rhododendrons and camellias. Continue deadheading faded blooms but consider leaving some seedheads for the birds to eat.
Cut back herbs now to encourage new growth which you can then harvest before any frosts. Trim lavender plants now. Keep harvesting vegetables as the are ready which will then encourage the plants to put energy into new vegetables. Pinch out the tips of climbing runner and French beans when they have reached the top of the frame they are growing on. [Read more…] about August Gardening Tips by Wellie
July is the month to really enjoy your garden, and to make a note of what might need splitting or moving in the Autumn. It can be very dry this month so prioritising this job should be top of your agenda followed by dead heading to keep your display of flowering plants looking great for longer.
If tall perennials are flopping a bit, put some stakes around them to help them and tie in and train any new growth on climbing plants. Give your beds, pots and baskets a feed which will help them to stay looking lush and healthy for longer. Prune early-summer flowering shrubs, such as Philadelphus, once they have finished flowering. Cut back flowered growth to a strong lower shoot and thin out up to a fifth of old, woody stems. [Read more…] about July Gardening Tips by Wellie
Harvest early peas, and prepare for a late sowing to get an autumn crop. Thin fruit, especially apples and plums for bigger fruit,less biennial bearing and fewer broken branches. Sow lettuces and radishes to fill in any gaps between slower maturing vegetables such as brassicas. Net soft fruit bushes to stop the birds taking the fruit. Sow overwintering carrots, such as Autumn King’. Plant out leeks when they are pencil thick. Make a deep hole with a dibber and drop the leek into the hole, if the roots are very long they can be trimmed to roughly 2cm, do not push the soil around the plant, just pour water into the hole and let the earth fall around the plant.
After the extremely dry summer last year and the very cold temperatures we experienced back in December many plants are looking a little (perhaps an understatement for some plants!) dead. Plants I have noticed that have suffered are Pittosporum, hebes, Penstamon,Salvias, Rosemary, Bay and Choisya.
The weather can be very changeable, it can be warm and sunny during the day, but the temperatures can still really drop over night.
Plant out second early potatoes in the first two weeks and main crops in last two weeks of April. Carry on sowing vegetables directly into prepared soil including carrots, turnip, peas, broadbeans, spinach and lettuce. Sow tender courgettes, cucumbers and pumpkins indoors. [Read more…] about April Gardening Tips by Wellie
March can be a busy time in the garden, as Spring begins you will notice the busy activity of bird in your garden building their nests. To help them out tie up bunches of tiny twigs, moss and stringy plant material around your garden.
Hedgehogs and frogs begin to come out of hibernation this month, make sure there is availability of water and food for them.
Lift and divide overgrown clumps of herbaceous perennials that were not split in the Autumn. [Read more…] about March Gardening Tips by Wellie
Wellie’s gardening tips are written a month in advance and the weather outside at the moment is extremely wet and windy, but also very mild. It will be interesting to see which plants, especially the more temperate plants that will survive after the minus temperatures we had in December. In the 20 odd years that I have been working as a gardener, 2022 was the first year that the leaves (especially some of the oaks) had not all fallen by Christmas. The suggestions below are just that – suggestions, and are all dependent on the weather.
Plant bare-root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Remove and bin hellebore foliage marked with black blotches, to limit the spread of leaf spot disease. Deadhead winter pansies and other bedding regularly, and remove any foliage affected by downy mildew. Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven’t totally dried out. Continue pruning climbing roses, while they are dormant.
