Pseudo clearance for pseudoscorpions

Autumn is the time we put the garden to bed for the winter and it can be the last time we tidy certain areas and enjoy a change of schedule for a few months, writes Tim Hoskins.

For professionals, it’s hard to resist the urge to start as soon as the leaves start turning to save work in the coming months.

In formal gardens things are generally cut back close to ground level, leaves are picked off the beds and mulch is applied.

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The invertebrates you’ll find are some of the most interesting you’ll see. I think pseudoscorpions rank alongside hawk moths as the most surprising creatures our country plays host to.A fun and lazy approach to bed tidying is to use shears or a hedge trimmer to chop everything back and into small pieces, before applying mulch to cover it all up. Easy.

I’ve even been known to use a hedge trimmer for the autumn cut on roses. This eliminates dithering and gets a nice even height across the bed, which I then tidy up using secateurs to remove dead stems and cut back to nodes. The fussy pruning can wait until spring shows the new buds.

This isn’t an absolute rule, however, because time and whims will come into play. Some beds do need that formal attention, particularly if the planting scheme is very structured and crisp or if the rotting foliage forms a big mound that will affect next years growth or ruin formal bulb displays. However, there is nearly always somewhere in the garden that you can get away with a less tidy approach, even if it’s just by blowing all the leaves and other detritus back out of sight.

I like to leave as much matter as I can get away with because otherwise you’re robbing the plants of their own recycled nutrition and some useful mulch. If you can, its worth getting a lens and looking closely at leaf litter – the terrestrial equivalent of pond dip-

WARM AND WELCOME SPACESWarm and welcome spaces in Tewkesbury library provides somewhere warm to relax and free hot drinks (where possible), as well as the usual offer of free wi-fi, access to computers and free fun activities such as homework help and knit and natter.

Guideposts

CONNECT AT TEWKESBURYMeet for a cuppa and conversation - For making friends, for those with long term health conditions and/ or for carers. Make new friends, discover hobbies, learn skills. Get information and advice. Receive support if you’re a carer. Free sessions every other Wednesday from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Wheatpieces Community Centre, GL20 7SP. For further information, including volunteering opportunities, call 01452 529697 or email gloucestershire@guideposts.org.uk Tewkesbury Repair Café Next session due 10th December. Please double check before travelling. Held in Tewkesbury Baptist Church, 2-5 pm.

TEWKESBURY NATURE RESERVEIf you have ever been interested in volunteering with the reserve, we have a range of opportunities including, being involved with the reserve’s practical management, taking part in our citizen science monitoring, helping with our arts and craft events, or helping to deliver our Nature Guardians Forest school sessions. For more information visit our website at https://tewkesburynaturereserve.org.uk or look at our Facebook page (Tewkesbury Nature Reserve).

PRIOR’S PARK

NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECT (PPNP)Creative sheds drop in every Tuesday and Friday 10am - 2pm. Just turn up and use existing skills or learn some new ones, all welcome including beginners.

BNATURAL REFILL SHOP - Save unnecessary plastic packaging whilst supporting local, independent traders. Barton Street, Tewkes bnaturaloil.co.uk/refill

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH - The next F.O.E meeting is Wednesday 14th December at 7.30pm upstairs in the Roses Theatre Bar (there is a lift).

TEWKESBURY REPAIR CAFÉNext session due 19th November. Please double check before travelling. Held in Tewkesbury Baptist Church, 2-5 pm.

STONEHILLS

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