Saltburn in Bloom

Happy New Year! Yes, indeed, it is 2023. We have had a really cold snap over December and maybe into January which, although we have to wrap up warm, is good for our gardens and plants, and bad for the pests and diseases. Plants that live for over a year, particularly the shrubs, bushes and trees, need a cold spell in order to have a proper rest, otherwise they just keep growing through the winter and grow buds, new leaves and flowers (if they flower) all, seemingly, at the wrong time of year and, eventually, this really weakens the plant. Already in planters and in the gardens Saltburn in Bloom tends I saw bulbs coming up in November as autumn was so mild, not right at all!

A really cold spell kills a lot of the things that damage plants. For example, the fungus that causes black spot on rose leaves, tends to overwinter on the ground on the fallen leaves but, if it‘s proper, wintery cold, it kills the fungus and breaks the cycle.

If you have an open fire of a wood/multifuel burner, this can be another advantage of a cold winter, which also benefits your plants, particularly, again, shrubs, bushes and trees. If you have a garden that‘s large enough for such plants, you can save the better sized prunings from one year, to dry out to use as kindling or logs for burning the following year. Once burned, provided you haven‘t added any type of coal or coke, you can use the ash to put back round your plants. It‘s high in potash which is the chemical that encourages flowering and fruiting, win... win.

I was mentioning bulbs earlier. If you have somewhere to plant them, and, planters or window boxes are as good as anything, did you remember to plant bulbs in late autumn? If you didn‘t and if you can still get hold of any, don‘t worry, there‘s still time.

One year, just before Covid, I think, Sainsbury‘s kindly donated us daffodil and tulip bulbs. We got them late and didn‘t manage to plant them until late January. Most of them flowered for us in spring, a little late, granted, but that meant we had flowers when others had finished which is good.

Last but not least, did you make any New Year‘s resolutions? If not, here are a few you might want to think about. Leave a log pile somewhere in your garden, under a hedge or fence is good. It makes a great home for wildlife.

Leaves constantly falling on your lovely lawn? Rake them up and use them as mulch on your flower beds. It will feed the flowers and suppress the weeds. Or, bag them up and leave them to rot for a couple of years. They will then make a lovely soil improver.

Got some spare time and always wanted to learn to garden? Join Saltburn in Bloom gardening team (when the weather‘s a bit better). Go to our facebook page and express an interest. We‘ll be in touch. Sue

Suzy Graham-Adriani

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