I suspect your current focus is on Christmas and I do hope Santa and his troupe of busy elves meet your requests.
But I want to look further ahead. New Year cometh and it can be cold and gloomy indoors as well as out, especially if like us you are trying to do your bit for the climate and keep the heating bills down. But all the same, there are many things you can do to prepare the garden for the coming year and avoid the unseemly rush to do things as the weather improves.
So, here is a rallying call to get on and do what you can in the next couple of months to prepare for Spring – a time of expectation and hope for good things to come:
- Take Stock Look back at what succeeded or failed in the last year and adjust your approach. The effects of climate warming are with us. Now is an ideal time to think about what has changed, and what plants can do better in the increasingly turbulent weather that seems to be our lot.
- Act Make the changes you think necessary. In particular, prepare beds for planting and sowing when the weather allows.
- Order What You Need If you have not already done so, order seeds and any shrubs or trees you need. It is usually cheaper to order shrubs and trees bare rooted so that they can establish well. If they arrive before you are ready, or the weather is too bad, heel them in on a spare spot and plant them later. It is important not to let the bare roots dry out.
- Do Your Winter Clean I know – who likes cleaning? Pests and diseases can persist in greenhouses, pots and containers and on your tools. Give them a good clean it will help to combat future problems.
- Divide herbaceous perennials Probably best to do this as the weather warms, or in a mild spell. My view is that plants are pretty tough, so do it when you can.
- Prune shrubs and fruit trees I usually wait too long to do this, and it gets overtaken by spring tasks so, do it in any mild spell. Cut down autumn fruiting raspberries. Do a general tidy up.
Happy Gardening!