Home and Garden

Home and Garden Love Your garden

by Greenfingers

Now is the time to: • Prune Birch (Betula) trees, Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), Lime(tilia), Laburnum, and grape vines this month, making sure the pruning is finished by Christmas.

A short time after Christmas, the sap begins to rise in these plants, in preparation for Spring. If pruning is left until the

New Year, they are likely to ‘bleed’ sap, which weakens them and leaves them open to attract pests and infections.

The first time I pruned my Grape vine (being ‘unschooled’ in how to do it), it was a bit late and the sap dripped quite quickly everywhere and I rushed around in my naivety trying to block the wounds with plaster!! A lesson quickly learnt! The bleeding does stop naturally and will seal itself.

Plasters don’t work, but pruning at the correct time does!

When pruning at any time, look out for signs of disease and cut off any affected growth.

• Once again, make sure all plant supports and tree ties are secure or strengthened, to protect plants from wind damage. The ties should not be too tight otherwise

‘wounds’ could result on the stems and again lead to damage and infection. Whilst doing this activity, tidy up any straggly long stems and just neaten the plants appearance overall. Don’t do too much trimming back on climbers that flower on last years’ growth otherwise there will be no flowers next season. • If there has been a frost, sometimes the earth around the root-balls can be lifted and expose the lower stems and roots of plants……especially those newly planted. Just gently push the soil back into place and firm down well. • Hardwood cuttings from shrubs, climbers and deciduous trees can still be taken and new additions can be added to the garden. Transplanting can also be carried out as long as the soil is not waterlogged or frozen. • Trim back the foliage on hellebore specimens so that the new flowers will be able to be seen. This action also helps to prevent hellebore leaf spot disease. New hellebore plants can also be added to the borders at this time or planted out into pots. If the plants have been bought in trays or just individual seed pots, water them thoroughly before planting them out, preferably at the front of borders where their foliage can be enjoyed fully. • If you have bought a poinsettia plant, place it in a well-lit spot that is not draughty and don’t over water them. Allow the compost to dry out completely before watering again. • It’s useful to have a garden thermometer handy, so that you can keep an eye on the outside temperatures, especially if you are growing citrus plants in pots outdoors. Lemons need a minimum temperature at night of 10°C. Feed with a winter citrus fruit fertiliser. • Beech and hornbeam hedges can be cut and reshaped during the next two months.

• If you have some favourite terracotta or ceramic pots in the garden, wrap them in fleece or bubble wrap to avoid damage by frost. Remove the saucers from underneath to prevent plant roots from waterlogging. I have a lot of pots and before winter sets in, I invert all the saucers so that they become small ‘platforms’ under each pot…..this ensures that all excess water drains away. Turning the saucers over raises each pot by a few centimetres off the ground and allows a bit of protection against frost damage. • If you would like to sow some seeds of alpines, remember that the seeds need a period of chilling before germination will take place. Use free draining compost, or use potting compost adding vermiculite, perlite or fine grit/gravel to aid with the drainage. After the seeds have been sown, top dress with fine grit. Water the seeds in and leave in the pots or seed trays in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse or just place a pane of glass over the seed trays and leave them in the garden.

• Tulips can still be planted, making sure that the bulbs are buried deeply in pots or put into holes in the ground that are at least three times the depth of the bulb. Back fill the hole and cover the planting area with fine grit to remind you where each bulb has been sown and this stops them being damaged if other bulbs are planted nearby.

Continued .....

• Climbing roses can be pruned between now and the end of

February.

• Continue to harvest parsnips, leeks, sprouts and winter cabbage.

• Prune established blackcurrant bushes removing up to a third of the old stems right down to the ground leaving the younger wood intact as these younger stems will bear the fruit next year. The cut off stems can be used as hardwood cuttings, by trimming them to about 20cms lengths and pushing them into pots of compost or directly into a bit of spare ground.

• Check the greenhouse regularly for whitefly, scale insects and mealy bugs and treat accordingly. These insects will carry on living and growing, damaging plants and reproducing themselves, so treat promptly and add that layer of fine grit to discourage them. • Remove any yellowing or diseased leaves from brassica plants and stake them well to avoid wind damage. If bird netting is being used, make sure it is secure so that birds don’t become trapped in it. • Examine peach and nectarine trees for signs of peach leaf curl ... the look of this disease exactly suits its appearance!

Affected leaves are reddish in colour, distorted and wrinkled. Rough patches develop on the skin of the fruit which soon cracks open. If left untreated, the infection can build up in the tree eventually causing its death. Treat and control by applying sulphur or copper based fungicides.

Spray the entire tree after the autumn leaf fall is complete and spray again in early spring before any buds open. • Bare root fruit trees can planted now. • Avoid walking on frosted lawn areas as this can cause compaction in the soil. • Make sure that pond surfaces are kept clear of debris, fallen leaves, algae and anything that may have blown onto the water after strong winds. • Seeds of hardy trees and shrubs can be sown now so that the lower temperatures will help to break the seeds dormancy. Sow the seeds in pots of good quality seed compost, cover the surface with grit and leave in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse where they will germinate in spring.

• If there is large, mature clump of rhubarb growing in the garden, rejuvenate it by lifting the clump from the earth, including as much of the foliage as possible. Cut the clump into sections, ensuring that each new clump has some good-sized shoot buds and good roots. Replant each new clump adding some good organic matter to the soil (well- rotted manure is ideal) making sure that the shoot buds are at soil level. Water well.

• Collect any remaining fallen leaves and store them in large plastic rubbish bags with the ties tied. Puncture the bags in several places to allow air to get in and leave them at the bottom of the garden and forget about them. After a couple of years you will have sacks full of lovely leaf mold goodness to add to your flower beds, veg patch or pots. • If any of the brassica vegetables developed club root this year, rake lime into the soil to deter the disease from coming back next year. Adding lime raises the acidity of the soil and it deters the disease. Wear gloves when using lime as it is quite corrosive on the skin. Wear a mask too to prevent you from inhaling the lime dust.

• This month is an ideal time to take root cuttings. Primulas and verbascums are good to try this out. Cut some sections of root from the established plant and divide these into lengths of about 5 cms. Fill a seed tray with damp compost and lay each root section onto the compost and cover with a further layer of compost. Leave in a frost free place during winter.

• Look through your seed stock and check whether some seeds are well past their ‘best before’ date. Those that are really out of date should be discarded. I always find

this difficult to do as we have all heard tales of seeds germinating years after the given dates. I found several packets of seeds in my greenhouse and I took a decision to sow them all….some around the base of trees and some in spare soil patches. I was lucky because our summer remained so warm (hot more like) that a lot of them germinated. With the watering restrictions I couldn’t water them as much as I would normally have done, so there were some casualties! Whether the stalwart few survivors will stand a cold winter, I’ll have to wait and see! Never say die ... ! • It’s a good time to clean, repair and service tools. I re-use plant labels by soaking them in a bucket in clothes washing detergent. They come up a treat and I feel that they have been disinfected too. I scrub secateurs to remove debris and try to re-sharpen the blades, but I’ve decided to take them to the sharpeners to have them ‘done’ professionally. I try to make sure I bring everything in after a spell in the garden, but as sure as eggs, my husband will always find a pair of secateurs on a wall or in a flower bed, so I get the ‘look’!

Greenfingers

So now is come our joyful feast, let every man be jolly; Each room with ivy leaves is dressed, and every post with holly. Though some churls at our mirth repine, around your foreheads garlands twine, Drown sorrow in a cup of wine, and let us all be merry. Now all our neighbours’ chimnies smoke, their ovens they with baked meats choke, And all their spits are turning. Without the door let sorrow lie, and if for cold it hap to die, We’ll bury it in a Christmas pie and evermore be merry. Now every lad is wondrous trim, and no man minds his labour; Our lasses have provided them a bagpipe and a tabor. Young men and maids, and girls and boys, Give life to one another’s joys and you anon shall by their noise Perceive that they are merry. Then wherefore in these merry days should we, I pray, be duller? No, let us sing some roundelays to make the mirth the fuller. And whilst we thus inspired sing, let all the streets with echoes ring; Woods and hills, and everything bear witness we ARE merry! George Wither 1558-1667

George Wither, was a poet, hymn writer and satirist. He was born on the 11th June 1588 at Bentworth in England. Educated at Magdalene College Oxford, he wrote many hymns, poems, and satirical verses. He lived through some of the most interesting and tumultuous periods of English history, including several changes of monarch, Elizabeth 1st, James 1st, Charles 1st; the Civil War, the Parliamentary period and the Restoration. He lived in London during the time of the Great Plague after which he wrote an epic poem/account called ‘Britain’s Remembrancer’, a description of life in England at that time. He served on the side of the Parliamentarians during the Civil War and spent several periods in prison for his satirical works and for criticising the House of Commons. George Wither died on May 2nd 1667 after an unusually long and productive life.

DONNA IN HER POTAGER

December 2022

One of the most satisfying jobs in the garden, for me, whether it’s the potager or the ‘other bit’, is brambling. The gentle art of trying to remove the most vicious, tenacious plant without being ripped to pieces. If you have spent time pulling up brambles, you’ll know what I mean; if you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing! Even with good gloves, thorns manage to get through and as for wearing long sleeves for protection, don’t bother as you’ll be grabbed and find it difficult to get free without ripping the fabric. There is a masochistic pleasure in clearing brambles. Working with brambles always reminds me of Jack Hargreaves, remember him? For those of you who have never heard of him, I shall tell you a little about him. He presented a programme on British television called ‘Out of Town’ which started in the 1960s and ended in the early ‘80s in which countryside ways of life were illustrated. One episode that comes to mind is when an old man was filmed who made bee skeps from straw and brambles and it showed how the brambles were stripped and used to bind the straw. They were also used in basket making and still might be. If you are interested in the old rural ways of life and traditions, it is a wonderful series – I have a boxed set! At one end of the potager grow three plum trees which haven’t produced very well for a couple of years, a cherry tree and an enormous bay. The brambles took over – literally. They had climbed up, through and over the plum trees and I finally decided the time had come to free the poor strangled plums. Sécateurs, loppers and fork at the ready, I donned my sturdy gloves and went on the attack! Cutting them back gave me access to the roots and oh joy, the soil was happy to give the roots up often without too much of a fight. The thorny bits though (do they have a proper name?) were feisty at times and I was fascinated to see how far my skin would stretch when in the grip of brambles. The blood did flow at times and at the end of each session – it took a few days – my arms were a mass of scratches and piercings and thorns were, on occasion, picked out of my scalp.

by Donna Palframan

But.

I did it.

Four days of cutting, digging and pulling and I have reclaimed part of the potager that has been a thorn in my side for a couple of years. One of those jobs that was dreaded but once started, was actually quite enjoyable and the end result a tremendous reward. The amazing thing was, I didn’t bend, or break the fork and only fell over once when a bramble unexpectedly relinquished its hold! Not only has it opened the potager up, it has given me a nice place to sit and ponder…

As you can imagine, not a lot of sowing or planting has been happening. Not only did the brambles take over my life but there isn’t a lot of sowing to be done at the moment. I sowed some spinach, mâche, radish and lettuce seeds in the polytunnel and the spinach and radish have germinated but are slow but it is my first foray into Autumn sowing so I’m not too disheartened. I have plenty of radis noir in the potager to keep us going until the others grow properly. I also discovered that roasted radis noir taste just like roasted turnips and I intend to pickle some too. If the spinach doesn’t take off, then I will just replace it with rocket, which has self seeded and growing very well outside mixed with coriander. Once upon a time, I had this vision of neat, orderly rows of vegetables but now my vision is of a productive, less regimented potager, making the most of vegetables that self seed but controlling them. I have learnt my lesson well from the nasturtium mistake! Another lesson learnt the hard way is that some plants need a bit of support and it is better to provide it sooner rather than later. Broad beans and Brussels sprouts, in fact, anything with a single main stem and height need staking. The broad beans were bashed about by the wind and most of the Brussels are growing at a jaunty angle at the moment so my next job is to give them a bit of support. We have a lot of bamboo so I have the means on site. It’s just a shame I took a big bundle to the déchèterie in a fit of over zealous tidying up. The potager is feeding us well, better now than during the canicule especially with regular harvests of all types of leafy greens and there are some lovely fat leeks just ready to be dug up. Some are being used for supper this evening in a creamy leek and mushroom on a base of wilted young rainbow chard and topped with mozzarella and emmental. A few chopped sage leaves and garlic will be added to the leeks and mushrooms. The galette is my new favourite pastry dish for times when I feel lazy. I usually have a roll of ready made pâte feuilleté in the fridge so I just open it, unroll it and put the filling in the middle then fold up the sides. It is transferred to the pizza stone on its baking paper wrapper et voilà! I think a leek and potato soup needs to be on the menu soon too! The self seeded Russian Chard which was transplanted is thriving and this encouraged me to pot the tomato plants that had self seeded in the same area. Apart from a couple of weedy ones, the others are growing well and there are self seeded tomatoes growing in the no dig bed in the polytunnel so these are going to be nurtured over the winter, hopefully giving me a head start on the tomato season. They will be given extra protection during the cold months along with the chilies, some of which are still producing fruits and the ones already on the plant are ripening like this orange habaneros.

A little jewel on a gloomy day!

As well as the potager, Donna operates Gîtes St Vigor & St Martin in Basse Normandie http://www.gite-stvigor.com/

SANTA BABY .....

If you know of a budding beekeeper and they have been extremely well-behaved this year (or just not too naughty) then perhaps you’ll consider buying them something beerelated for Christmas. You could also treat yourself instead of waiting for someone else to get the hints you have been dropping for the past few weeks….! Here are some gift ideas: A starter kit, consisting of a hive plus frames, a beesuit, gloves, a smoker, a hive tool, a brush and a queen clip. New beekeepers will welcome starter kits which contain all they will need (minus the bees) to set up an apiary, along with the protective clothing that is a must-have. There is a school of thought that advocates ‘bare-handed beekeeping’ but this is espoused by people who have dealt almost exclusively with stingless bees and who are lucky enough not to react badly to bee venom. We would always advocate that you protect yourselves as well as you can, which means wearing a veil and gloves as a minimum. So, if a full starter kit is not within budget, then first on the list could be a pair of supple leather gloves with canvas sleeves. The other low-cost item in the beginner’s kit is a smoker and you can easily while away the winter learning how to light one, well ahead of acquiring a colony of bees. These items can all be bought online from the UK or France, or at beekeeping supply shops such as Naturapi in Limoges, 3MMM in Ruffec, or Materiel Apicole du Poitou near Chatellerault. The Gamm Vert stores also offer a limited basic range of beekeeping supplies.

by Amanda Baughen

Perhaps you’re not quite sure, just yet, whether beekeeping is for you? How about reading up on the subject? If you are already a beekeeper, a spot of revision may also come in handy. Books that we have found useful, and which are still referred to, include: The Collins Beekeeper’s Bible, and Haynes’ Bee Manual, both of which are easy and interesting reads. At 13 Bees we run beekeeping courses throughout the spring and summer, as well as ‘taster sessions’ where you can spend an afternoon finding out about honeybees, trying some honey, and spending time at one of our hives. Gift vouchers (with the option to be personalised) are available on our website for these sessions, and can be bought lastminute for Christmas if required. Over winter we also hold ‘wax workshops’ where attendees can learn how to make rolled candles from our own pure beeswax, along with tree decorations, wax food wraps, and tea-lights. All the details are available on our website, and gift vouchers for these sessions are also available. We hope that all of your beekeeping adventures bring you joy, and we wish our readers all the very best for the coming festive season. All information about the courses and workshops on offer can be found on our website www.13bees.co.uk, or email us on info@13bees.co.uk or telephone us on 05 45 71 22 90.

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