Winter warmers for warmer winters
Buttercup yellow winter Aconites pop out of the ground in any mild spell and are soon joined by a delicate white carpet of snowdrops. Even some of the early Crocus throw out their satiny goblets which shimmer against a carpet of snow. Non-bulbous Pulmonarias are famed for flowering in the snow with their dainty pink or blue bloomss and some have white spotted leaves, adding interest to the winter border.
With warmer winters nowadays, its not unusual to see Schizostylis and even hardy Fuchsias in bloom when traditionally they would finish in late autumn. It seems that autumn is joining up with spring, squeezing winter out. If we are lucky enough to have a copious snowfall, there is no better sight this month than deciduous trees and conifers laced in white tracery.
If the weather should confine you indoors, now is a good time to start seeds of Pelargoniums, Delphiniums and other plants which need a good head start to flower this summer. Snapdragons are another good example.
These tiny trees are a bon-ny sight to behold
THE FIRST month of the year is an ideal month to create a bonsai from scratch. Any young tree, whether purchased as a seedling or grown from seed, can be used.
The best bonsai are generally grown from small leaved trees such as pines, oak, Acers and willows. Larger leaved trees, such as horse chestnut, will need their leaves trimmed away in June allowing the stalks to fall. This gives the tree a false autumn, and then new much smaller leaves will grow in their place during the summer.
To start a bonsai you will need a seedling of your choice, a bonsai dish, bonsai compost, and some bonsai training wire. The first step is to trim around one third to a half of the roots, and about a third of the top growth. Then set the plant into the dish, gently filling around the roots with compost. The stem should ideally sit proud of the dish, with the soil sloping upwards from the edge of the container. Water well. Wiring is used to train the top growth into shape.
In many cases a rugged, somewhat windswept appearance seems to produce the best effect. This applies particularly to pines and Japanese maples. Bonsai are fairly easy to care for, but daily watering will be required in summer, along with weekly feeding. They do prefer to be kept out doors as much as possible in a fairly sunny position.
In the long run, they need not be kept to just a few inches high some specimens in Japan are over six feet tall, and hundreds of years old! Many bonsai grown from seed will easily outlive their woodland cousins, and starting one today will be a real investment for many generations to come.
NOW IS a good time to prune apples and pears by shortening the laterals (the straight growths produced last season) to around two to four buds. Some of the older branches may need shortening, particularly if they rub.
Take care to leave as many fat and furry flowering buds as possible to ensure a good crop later in the year. Rejuvenating old trees should always be done gradually and, if drastic measures are needed, this should be in the order of several years. Figs, on the other hand, can be pruned pretty drastically if needs be. This plant fruits twice a year, once in summer and once in winter. The summer fruiting will never ripen before the cold weather and the fruits should be removed before pruning.
When cutting, you need to look out for the very young pea-sized fruits which you need to keep in order to ripen for harvesting later on. Stems which very sparingly produce these can be cut back close to ground level.
New Year a time to cut back
REJUVENATE old hedges that have become leggy, straggly or sparse by cutting back healthy stems fairly severely by staggering the heights of where you prune. This works particularly well with Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Privet and Rosa rugosa. It helps to give the hedge a dressing of general fertiliser in the early spring.
Snap these magic dragons they live on the sill
SOW SEEDS of Antirrhinums (snapdragons) in pots or trays on a warm windowsill. Use fresh seed compost and well disinfected containers, as the seedlings are prone to damping off.
For this reason, it is also imperative to sow the seeds as thinly as possible. Once the seeds have germinated place them in a well-ventilated and cool room and do not over water.
Time to do a few root-ine jobs
TAKE ROOT cuttings of Acanthus, Phlox and Macleaya by lifting the crowns and severing small pieces of root, which can be inserted horizontally an inch deep into pots of gritty compost and left outdoors. When replanting the parents, they can be divided if desired to further increase your stock.
Looking after your Christmas presents is not just pot luck
MANY of you, no doubt, may have received a flowering pot plant for Christmas. Whilst African violets and Poinsettias like a warm draught-free environment, most others such as Cyclamen and Azaleas prefer a cool room.
Bulbs, which have been forced for Christmas must remain indoors with regular watering and weekly feeding. Planting these out now would subject them to icy confusion as their dormancy relies on warm dry weather. They should be planted out in April when their sisters (unforced types) are lighting up your borders.
Are we in for a snow start?
JANUARY is expected to be very mixed in the first half, with alternating mild and cold spells.
Some snowfall may be expected during the third week, then it should turn quieter and mostly dry with some sunshine and patchy frost / fog.
Just the job! for January
THIS MONTH tidying up tasks begin to become more obvious as most of the autumn leaves are out of the way.
Most often it is simply a case of inching your way through the borders, cutting back tatty old growth of herbaceous plants, removing debris and weeding. If spring bulbs, now showing, are in the wrong place, then they can be moved.
With Christmas over, the excitement is geared back towards the garden without even going out there. Go mad, looking through well-illustrated gardening books and seed catalogues to whet the appetite and stimulate the mind with what new to try this season.
Next month will be simply Feb-ulous
IN FEBRUARY we see the first dwarf daffodils, as well as species crocus. Several scented shrubs also burst into action.
See you next month!
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