The Informer
17
Garden Growing
Preparing for the winter Some good advice for managing you garden over the colder months As I mentioned in my last article, the garden never really shuts down though we all tend to think it does. November is a great time to enjoy shrubs with berries as they come into their own at this time of year. Holly is an obvious one and this year, for some reason looks like a great year for holly. Pyracantha is another favourite, though like most gardeners, I dislike anything with thorns as they will always get you no matter how careful you are! My favourite shrubs at this time of year are the Skimmias. Skimmia Japonica for example is stunning now and will continue to be for many months to come. Chinese Lanterns 'Physalis' are also really lovely and are often used in flower arrangements. A single Chinese lantern stem in a vase can look ultra stunning! Nerines are also in full flower as are Asters or Michaelmas daisies.
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Gerry Norton decreasing feeding your fish as they will not need food in the winter. Pressies for Christmas Now is a good time to think about Christmas presents. Plants make great gifts, but I personally love to get a new book. The book shops are crammed with books on every subject to do with gardening. The best in my opinion are the Garden Expert series by Dr. DG Hessayon. They cost about e12 and there must be over 20 different books in the series. As money is tight for us all right now, I have often bought second hand books in the scout’s hall in Howth. The building is at the start of the East Pier and is usually great for old books for about e4.
Tidying up I also mentioned starting to tidy the garden as autumn turns into winter. Fallen leaves must be tidied up. Sodden leaves on a lawn will do no good and leaves on paths can result in injury. Bag them for next year’s leaf mould. Watching the weather November can be quite warm, assuming we escape any nasty Atlantic depressions. Some northern parts of the country can get very cold winds at this time of the year, while the midlands have already seen the first of the winter frost, so don’t forget to cover delicate plants as I mentioned last time. If you have bird boxes, tidy these up now as our feathered friends will use the boxes to shelter in when the weather gets nasty. Put food out for them also as insects etc. are getting scarce. Late planting November is a great time to plant bare-rooted trees, shrubs and roses. Don’t be afraid to plant trees if you have a small garden as there are a lot of varieties available that will remain small. My own favourite is a flowering Crab Apple, 'Malus x robusta' or ‘Red Sentinel’, which is widely available in garden centres. It has lovely small red apples that look like large berries. If you are reluctant to plant trees in the ground, put them in containers. Irish Yew is another tree which will do fine in
l The outlook is chilly: Don't let your pond freeze over as it will kill the fish. A ball floating on the surface can stop the ice. a container and is slow to grow. Mary Proctor in Lissenhall Nurseries, just north of Swords on the old N1, always has great trees at this time of year and is very helpful. A great shrub to think about is Viburnum. They produce lovely flowers for the next few months which have a beautiful scent. If you aren’t sure what you would like to plant, have a wander around your neighbourhood and you will get some good ideas from other peoples’ gardens. Don’t be afraid to ask the plants' name if you are not sure as gardeners usually enjoy giving advice. One last mow The lawn may need one more final cut before the lawnmower is put away for the winter. I was given some advice recently by a
farmer in Co Meath about cutting grass, in particular the final cut if there is moss in the garden, and most of us have moss. The advice was to leave the grass a wee bit high as this will keep light away from the moss. If you cut too low, the grass stops in winter but the moss will keep growing. Final pruning
Now is a good time to winter prune fruit trees and bushes but be careful as unnecessary pruning may do damage to woody growth. Take more hardwood cuttings from plants you like or maybe your friends have plants and could give you some cuttings, a great way to procure free plants. Continue to lift and divide herbaceous perennials, once again, free plants. Climbers can get damaged by winter winds if this years shoots are not tied. If
tying is a problem, cut the shoots back to five or six buds. If you haven’t planted spring bulbs, you need to get a move on as most garden centres will no longer stock bulbs once November is over. Pondering your pond If you have a pond November is a good time to get it ready for the winter. Remove the pump to clean the filter and store it until next spring. Never let a pond freeze over as the fish will be deprived of oxygen. Low voltage pond heaters are a great idea to keep the frost away by warming the water, but I really would only use one if the pond contained valuable fish like Koi carp. My own pond has only a few humble goldfish! If you put a small ball in the pond, this will help keep the frost away as the ball will move around in the wind and therefore stop it freezing over. Start
Back to the veg plot Finally now that you have already considered what worked and what didn’t in your veg plot this year, its time to start getting it ready for next year. Dig in your leaf mould gathered in October 2008 plus any compost you have. If you live near the sea, get a bag or two of seaweed as it’s a great fertilizer. As I said before, you must cut the weed from the rocks as this weed is living. Don’t take the dead stuff that been washed up on the beach as its long past its usefulness. Always remember, the more digging you do, the better your veg crop. Take care until the next time. Gerry Norton, Living Landescapes, 97 Church Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 Tel: 087-2462724 or email livinglandescapes@eircom.net