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Home and Garden Love your garden

by Greenfingers

The battle against slugs and snails has taken a backward step and the priority now is just trying to keep plants alive in the garden! With the lack of rain and the ban on the use of hose-pipes, the ground is arid and dusty and all the lovely green living plants are looking nearer and nearer to death. All the water in the recuperateurs has gone, even though I used it sparingly and only on the roots of everything, I have resorted to using a large bucket full of water which I ration out between the most beloved of what is left with any sign of life. At least the snails have all sealed their shells and are far less in evidence than before! This afternoon I have spent time cutting the hostas back hard in an effort to keep the roots alive at least, and I’m sure when the autumn rains come, they will produce a new flush of beautiful foliage. My farmer neighbour is only watering livestock and not his fields, so we’re all suffering equally. sugars and carbohydrates, which they produced in their most active growing season, to keep them alive but in a state of ‘inactivity’. This ensures that each plant survives the winter and the return of warmer temperatures in the spring triggers new green growth.

Bulb catalogues are appearing, filled with mouth-watering delights to enhance our window boxes, pots and flower beds. The difficulty is what to buy…….old reliable favourites……new varieties……. something completely different? I enjoy bulb planting, and love the thought of all the colour and interest that bulbs bring to the spring garden. Clumps of daffodils and narcissi, the various blues, whites and lilacs of the grape hyacinths, and later, the sophistication of the tulips and the camassia. When planting bulbs, plant them three times their height in depth of soil, so that the roots can get a firm hold and make the most of the nutrients in the soil or compost. Don’t forget to collect fallen leaves and store them in bin bags. Once filled, water each bag and tie up securely. Leave at the bottom of the garden or in some other shady spot and forget about them. It takes about 18 months to two years for the leaves to become usable leaf mold. Leaf mold is actually an organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. It is produced mainly by the action of fungi on the leaves, gradually breaking them down into a crumbly, dry mixture which can be added to pots and borders. Leaf mold adds valuable organic matter to the soil, helps with retention of water and improves the general structure of the soil itself. All for free!

Now is the time to:

Greenfingers

A lot is being said about climate change at the moment and various meetings between the great and the good are taking place where hopefully, some positive answers and solutions will be reached, suggested or made obligatory. Certainly, in the years that we have been here, the changes just in the weather have been really noticeable. We used to have a ‘proper’ winter with snow falls……. so much sometimes that it was impossible to get to the main road to go to the town…….and the frosts!! There are quite steep hills all around us and the road surfaces were very icy and too dangerous to drive on. Spring always arrived at the beginning of April, after a wet and windy March and the temperatures were moderate and the showers not too heavy. The climate changes locally were much more noticeable this year. A very, very wet spring with not much warmth, winds strong enough to bring trees down, temperatures in the thirties in April and frosts in May which resulted in the trees in the garden being turned into ‘living icicles’. I have a desk diary where I keep a daily record of the weather and it will be interesting to look back year on year to see an overall picture of what is happening. Meanwhile we just have to do our bit, however small, to help limit the climate changes and ensure that we leave something positive behind when we leave this mortal coil for ‘the gardens in the skies’. A period of cold temperatures allow plants to become truly dormant, a ‘resting’ phase, when each plant prepares to ‘shut down’ in order to prepare for a lack of rainfall, and shortage of nutrients, usually during the winter months. Each species of plant reacts a little differently, but generally, they use stored • Give the greenhouse a good clean out, if you haven’t done so already. Recycle or reuse pots, disinfect shelving and clean the glass or plastic windows to ensure a good light level for any plants that are going to be overwintered; at the same time it will reduce the number of pests that may lurk in nooks and crannies just waiting to feast on anything readily available. • Dig up and compost summer bedding and dig over the borders to aerate the soil and remove perennial weeds. Replant with spring bedding or bulbs. Prepare spring pots and containers by planting daffodils and narcissi in layers deeply inside, topping off with a good depth of planting compost.

Bringing Autumn In

Grandma’s paring apples, sign that’s full of cheer; Summer’s really over, autumn’s already here. Cosy evening’s coming, mornings brisk and cool; Long vacation over, busy times at school. Grandma’s paring apples, some of them she dries, Some make sauce and puddings, some make spicy pies. Pantry smells delicious, pockets bulge out wide, Children with their baskets, roam the orchard side. Grandma’s paring apples, nicest time of year; Firelight and lamplight fill the house with cheer. Odours sweet in cellar, rosy fruit in bin, Grandma paring apples, brings the autumn in!

Annie Willis McCullough 1889-1916

• Plant crocus bulbs by casually throwing handfuls on to the grass or under trees and planting them where they fall. They look more natural when they flower if planted in this way. • Dahlia tubers should be lifted when flowering has finished and be stored in a cool, dry, dark place until needed for planting out again next year. Make sure that any diseased or ‘soggy’ feeling tubers are discarded. If they are still flowering strongly, just deadhead to encourage more flowers. • If canna and ginger lilies are ‘living’ in flower beds, they are probably hardened off enough to stay outside without being lifted. Adding a good thick layer of mulch on top of the crowns in the ground or around the base of any plants in pots, does help to protect them from severe frosts. Don’t overwater them, as the roots may rot or fungus may ‘set in’. • Move containers and pots into more sheltered positions…….up against walls for example, and remove saucers from underneath them, then lift pots off the ground and place onto bricks, or anything solid which will take their weight, to help protect them from waterlogging. • If new shrub or bush roses have been planted, prune them back by a third to prevent damage from root rock. Tall shrubs, including buddleia and lavatera can be pruned back by half now too.

• Sow sweet pea seeds now using deep pots or root trainers, and once germinated, keep the young plants in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse over winter.

• Spring bedding such as wallflowers, primulas, and forget-menots can be planted out now into beds or pots.

• Herbaceous perennials that have finished flowering, can be cut back hard to ground level now. If there are some with decorative seedheads, leave these in place to lend interest to the winter garden and to provide habitats for wildlife. • Established evergreen shrubs can be moved now, replanting quickly into well prepared soil or pots. • Plant new deciduous and evergreen hedges whilst the soil is still warm and easy to dig.

• Carry on harvesting root crops such as beetroot, but the flavour of parsnips and swedes can be improved after a slight frost; carrots should be left in the ground, but covered with a mulch of straw or cardboard.

• Continue to harvest apples and pears, storing in a cool, dark, dry place in trays so that the fruits are not touching. • Clear away any unused stakes or support structures so that they do not provide homes for pests. • If garlic was planted late, then the bulbs will receive the chilling period that they need to develop properly. Some soft necked varieties may need covering to protect from the worst frosts. • Large clumps of lily of the valley can be dug up, divided and replanted now. Be careful, Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant, so use gloves!

“Amaryllis Cluster” by nekoroom

Continued .....

• Alchemilla can be divided now too.

• Take hardwood cuttings of philadelphus, buddleia and weigela, once the leaves have fallen. Plant in a sheltered spot in the garden and they will have produced roots by the spring. These can then be potted up and moved into a more permanent position later in the year. • If you are using a propagator to raise seedlings or cuttings, lift the lid off once a week to allow fresh air to circulate around the plants. This will discourage the development of mould. At the same time, check for any dead leaves or flower buds and remove them.

• Buy amaryllis bulbs and plant up in pots for a colourful Christmas display. It normally takes about eight weeks for the flowers to appear and when they do, place the pot in a cool position and the flowers will last longer. • Cut down all asparagus stems when they have turned yellow or brown. Cut right down to ground level, thus preventing the

asparagus beetle from overwintering there. Mulch the bed afterwards. • Sow broad beans in drills of about 5cm depth. Each seed should be about 15-20 cms apart. The plants are usually hardy, but keep a bit of fleece handy in case a severe frost is forecast. The beans will be ready to harvest early next summer.

Whether you are planning your spring displays, harvesting crops from the potager or just digging and cutting back, enjoy the fresh air, relish in the fact that you are doing something good for your health and the planet, and soak up that positive emotion which comes from ‘creating’ that haven, paradise, place of calm and thought, potager, allotment or whatever you want to call ‘your garden’. Keep safe

Greenfingers

DONNA IN HER POTAGER

October : Fauna

by Donna Palframan

The chap in the photo inspired me to talk briefly about the range of wee beasties I’ve found living in my potager over the last few years, both welcome and the not so welcome. Some have been identified by what they have left behind, and I think you’ll be pleased not to have to look at a photo of hedgehog poo! Some by seeing them – my mobile phone is used as a camera far more than it is a phone so I capture as many of these visitors and residents as I can. Before I trained as a healthcare professional, I took a degree in Biological Sciences as I have been interested and awed by nature ever since I was a child.

Every potager should have at least one resident hedgehog especially when the gardener refuses point blank to kill any living creature, to use pesticides or herbicides. While I am not completely organic yet, as some of my seeds are not organically produced, I strive to be as close as I possibly can be. Why use chemicals in the garden when nature will help? Take slug pellets, for example. I think they should be banned as they don’t only kill slugs and snails but the predators of slugs and snails – frogs, toads, birds and yes, hedgehogs. I live with nature and don’t try to fight it by encouraging it. I know I have at least one hedgehog in the potager by what has been left behind…

There are a number of frogs and toads living in the potager that I have discovered while weeding. They are very welcome as they prey on various less wanted visitors. Toads will eat just about anything they can swallow including slugs, snails, caterpillars, beetles, woodlice, ants… and even small mice, newts and young frogs! They have a voracious appetite. Very helpful. Frogs will also eat slugs and snails and insects such as flies and moths with their long sticky tongues. One of my tasks over Winter will be to improve the habitat for these two helpers and try to attract more! I’d like to know where they spawn as there isn’t a pond in our garden and there was a water hole in a nearby field which was a pasture but the farmer has now ploughed it all up to grow maize for animal feed. Hmm. Monoculture doesn’t help nature and I’m fairly sure the field was a haven for wildlife before.

Butterflies. I adore butterflies, even after my Brassicas have been ravaged by the caterpillars. Two years ago, I didn’t think I’d have any broccoli after the army of Cabbage White caterpillars stripped the leaves but the leaves grew back after the caterpillars had pupated and I harvested some lovely broccoli. Perhaps not as much as I hoped for, but never mind! I’m now trying to grow green vegetables that aren’t quite so enticing to caterpillars – curly kale, for example and luckily Brussels sprouts don’t seem to be attacked quite so much. I also

plant sacrificial plants – I can afford to lose a cabbage - and plants for specific species. Swallowtail butterflies are one of the most beautiful European butterflies and I have discovered the strikingly beautiful caterpillars on Bronze fennel, Florence fennel and Verbascum, more commonly known as Mullein. If Verbascum self seeds in my potager, I let it stay and just work around it.

I have seen so many different types of beetle in the potager that I’ve given up trying to work out if they are beneficial or harmful! Some are ground beetles, like the beautiful iridescent green one which is actually a Golden Ground Beetle, which eat insects, snails and worms. I’d rather they didn’t eat the worms though! The lesser Stag Beetle was also a lovely discovery and while it eats decaying wood and not unwanted guests, it is very welcome! Everyone knows that ladybirds are beneficial and I do like to see them on the globe artichokes which every year plays host to aphids.

Everybody likes a bee – whether it is a big colourful bumblebee or a plainer carder bee. One of my favourite species of bee is the large carpenter bee seen on the nasturtium. These are solitary bees that make their nests in old logs, dead trees and branches and have the most amazing buzz. Like most bees, they won’t sting you unless attacked, or they perceive they are being attacked. I could watch bees for hours – the thyme, when in flower, actually seems to hum from the myriad of bees collecting nectar.

I could wax lyrical for hours about the diversity of fauna in my potager but will share more pictures than words with you! The chap in the photo – I watched him (or her) land in the broccoli then climb up the plant, onto the post until he could sit on the cross member and peer down at me – is not a grasshopper as many would think, but a Great Green Bush-cricket and eats insect larvae, flies and caterpillars. He can move his family in.

I apologise to all of the wildlife not covered – the hoverflies that not only are considered to be the second most important pollinator next to bees but some species help control aphids and scale insects; the worms that aerate the soil and breakdown organic matter that my crops can use; the ants that also aerate the soil and speed the decomposition of organic matter. I’ve seen a number of different species of ant but have to admit, I don’t like them! I hate the feeling when they run over my skin and when red ants bite me, I get a very nasty reaction but I still won’t kill them.

My message? Don’t kill anything in your garden – learn to live with it.

Keep Calm and Carry On Beekeeping

by Kevin and Amanda Baughen

There are many reasons people decide to keep bees including the following: keen gardeners appreciate the help in pollination, we want to safeguard biodiversity and help the planet, and we enjoy eating honey. One of the other benefits is the ‘zen’ aspect of the pastime as, in order to get the most out of having hives and colonies of bees, it’s best to adopt a calm, measured approach to the whole business. A gentle hobby such as beekeeping can work wonders in lowering blood pressure. Being patient but decisive is key – you can’t rush anything as, in doing so, you may make mistakes or forget something important, nor can you dither about when inspecting a hive. Make a plan and stick to it. Don’t underestimate how long it takes to do something either; forget about checking your bees when you have a spare five minutes! All well and good so far, but you know what they say about plans – no plan survives contact with the enemy…! Unfortunately our bees steadfastly refuse to read the beekeeping manuals and so hardly ever do they do what we expect or want them to do. We set off optimistically to inspect our hives and all goes well until we attempt to remove the first frame. Of course the bees will have stuck propolis at each end of the top bar, we expect that, and so we prise it free and lift it. Except they have also built brace comb, extra wax, between the first and the second frame, so then we have to gently prise that free too. At this point we may sigh a little, but carry on with the job of checking that the bees are healthy, are building comb, and that there is evidence of the queen laying eggs and the foragers bringing in pollen and nectar. Hygiene is an important factor in maintaining the health of our colonies, and so we encourage the bees to build new wax comb (no, this doesn’t include an inspirational lecture!) by giving them frames with small strips of foundation wax for them to build on. In this way they won’t have to re-use dirty wax. Are

BEES Propolis on a breezeblock colony BEES Uneven bridge-comb - copyright Joe DeLuca BEES Comb built on top of the frames instead of underneath - copyright 2019 LOCAL HONEY MAN

they grateful, or do they just carry on using the dirty wax? Or do they build comb underneath the frames and attach it to the bottom of the hive? What the…? More sighing and maybe the odd mild curse. We then find a supersedure queen cell, and wonder what on earth the bees are playing at as they have a young strong queen and it’s far too late in the year to be replacing her. A bit of harrumphing ensues. Then we realise that it’s just a practice queen cell, it’s empty, the bees are having us on. Yet more sighs. Then they decide they’ve had quite enough of being bothered and try hurling themselves at us. It’s a good game and we are once again grateful for our thick mesh suits which may be extremely warm but are practically sting-proof. But one bee finds the weak spot of an old gauntlet and spikes our flesh. Definitely a spot of swearing this time. So this is supposed to be good for lowering blood pressure, is it?! Of course it’s rarely this frustrating, but is all part of the joy of keeping bees. To find out more about this hobby please visit our website www.13bees.co.uk or call us on 05 45 71 22 90.

Amanda and Kevin Baughen, 13 Bees, Confolens