THE TATSFIELD GARDENER IN JUNE
 
There are many inaccurate stories around about the Hornet, especially the ‘invasion’ of the Asian Hornet. There is no invasion of the Asian Hornet, its sting is not fatal unless you are highly susceptible to insect stings. It is true that the Asian Hornet is known to prey on honey bees but not exclusively so. Hornets do not attack humans in swarms – unless of course you decide to use their huge nests as a football! Hornets are large wasps and live their life cycles fairly peacefully and do not prey on humans.
Why am I mentioning this? Well in early May I spotted my first Hornet (a Queen) in Tatsfield; it was looking for a nesting site around my wood store and in my garage. It was a common European Hornet that looks like a large noisy wasp. It sounds a bit like a noisy Bumble Bee and flies much slower than the common wasp. Just in case you should see one and think it is the Asian Hornet just remember this chap is much darker than the typical yellow and wasp stripes and it has yellow ‘socks’ on its legs – they common European Hornet has dark coloured legs.
Hornets are difficult to kill so if you have a large grey football shaped nest you should get in touch with a professional pest controller who has the right stuff but it may not work in one single treatment, better still why not leave it alone. However we are being encouraged to report sightings of Asian Hornets so if you think you have an Asian Hornet nest you should report it to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
 
My weather station recorded nearly 80mm of rain (including wet snow) in April which is towards the top end of the long-term average and May is already looking to be average or below. There were a few frosty mornings but they soon dispersed; however many plants are now showing the effects of the earlier very cold weather.
 
Please remember that hedges must not be cut until after the end of the month at the very earliest as there are many bird species still nesting, many with second broods. If you must have your hedge cut please make sure that you have – very carefully -  examined it to be sure there are no active nests.
 
I have been hearing tales of woe from gardeners with failed germinations with beans, peas and other vegetables. Seeds will not germinate in cold wet ground! After record winter rainfalls our Tatsfield clay is holding a large amount of water and clay is a soil that is slow to drain and warm up so be patient! Work the soil as soon as it starts to dry, add a little sharp sand to help it along and make a tilth ready for sowing.
 
I enjoy the debate about whether the Ash is before the Oak (there will be a soak e.g. lots of rain this summer) to form a full leaf canopy; I am happy to report that the Oak is well before the Ash so according to country folklore it will only be a ‘splash’ – we will see!
 
​


THE TATSFIELD GARDENER IN JUNE        17th May 2018 
 
There are many inaccurate stories around about the Hornet, especially the ‘invasion’ of the Asian Hornet. There is no invasion of the Asian Hornet, its sting is not fatal unless you are highly susceptible to insect stings. It is true that the Asian Hornet is known to prey on honey bees but not exclusively so. Hornets do not attack humans in swarms – unless of course you decide to use their huge nests as a football! Hornets are large wasps and live their life cycles fairly peacefully and do not prey on humans.
Why am I mentioning this? Well in early May I spotted my first Hornet (a Queen) in Tatsfield; it was looking for a nesting site around my wood store and in my garage. It was a common European Hornet that looks like a large noisy wasp. It sounds a bit like a noisy Bumble Bee and flies much slower than the common wasp. Just in case you should see one and think it is the Asian Hornet just remember this chap is much darker than the typical yellow and wasp stripes and it has yellow ‘socks’ on its legs – they common European Hornet has dark coloured legs.
Hornets are difficult to kill so if you have a large grey football shaped nest you should get in touch with a professional pest controller who has the right stuff but it may not work in one single treatment, better still why not leave it alone. However we are being encouraged to report sightings of Asian Hornets so if you think you have an Asian Hornet nest you should report it to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
 
My weather station recorded nearly 80mm of rain (including wet snow) in April which is towards the top end of the long-term average and May is already looking to be average or below. There were a few frosty mornings but they soon dispersed; however many plants are now showing the effects of the earlier very cold weather.
 
Please remember that hedges must not be cut until after the end of the month at the very earliest as there are many bird species still nesting, many with second broods. If you must have your hedge cut please make sure that you have – very carefully -  examined it to be sure there are no active nests.
 
I have been hearing tales of woe from gardeners with failed germinations with beans, peas and other vegetables. Seeds will not germinate in cold wet ground! After record winter rainfalls our Tatsfield clay is holding a large amount of water and clay is a soil that is slow to drain and warm up so be patient! Work the soil as soon as it starts to dry, add a little sharp sand to help it along and make a tilth ready for sowing.
 
I enjoy the debate about whether the Ash is before the Oak (there will be a soak e.g. lots of rain this summer) to form a full leaf canopy; I am happy to report that the Oak is well before the Ash so according to country folklore it will only be a ‘splash’ – we will see!
 

THE TATSFIELD GARDENER IN MARCH​                    22.02.2018
 
A popular topic in gardening is the question of plants growing over the boundaries of properties into adjacent gardens; what can, and can’t a neighbour do about it? In law there is no doubt, the property owner must ensure that he keeps his plants (including trees and hedges) within the boundaries of his property and not cause a nuisance or risk to his neighbours, footpaths or the highway. Where there are risks to highway users, and/or obstructions caused, a local authority can serve a notice on the landowner/occupier to cut back or make safe the offending growth; failure to comply can result in the work being done by the local authority and charged to the landowner/occupier – this can be very expensive!!
But what if overgrowing plants are preventing a neighbour from enjoying his/her garden because of the bulk of the growth, the shade or risk of falling branches? In this situation, the overhanging growth can be cut back to the boundary and the prunings returned to the owner. BUT before any action is taken it is vital to discuss the problem with the neighbouring landowner/occupier and reach an amicable agreement! It is very likely that the neighbour was just not aware that a nuisance was being caused and may readily agree to do the work, or agree that the work is completed by the neighbour, and the questions of cost and dealing with the waste are agreed.  If the landowner is unknown, unhelpful, uncooperative or is unreasonable then the neighbour can ask the local authority to help – in this case it would be Tatsfield Parish or Tandridge District Councils. Try to avoid a confrontation or a dispute; do everything possible to reach agreement, have a look at the leaflet “Over the Garden Hedge” available on www.gov.uk
 
Rhubarb! Is Rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable? It is a vegetable that is often cooked with fruit and served as a dessert! It is delicious, nutritious and very easy to grow needing a sunny position and a nutrient rich soil. Our Tatsfield clay is not a favourite soil for Rhubarb but a bit of cultivation and mixing in plenty of good quality garden compost will do the trick. You can buy Rhubarb as bare root crowns or in pots to plant now, there is plenty of choice to provide a supply of early, mid or late varieties giving a good supply throughout the year. A few tips – don’t plant too deep or the crowns could rot – keep a good layer of mulch around the plant – leave the crowns uncovered over the winter to stimulate early growth – plant several crowns and cover one of them with a big clay pot or black bin in December to force the stems into early growth ready for early picking.
 
The weather for Tatsfield in January continued with rainfall above the average of around 70mm at just over 100mm recorded; however, our local reservoirs are still well below their winter levels. Temperatures were at or a bit above the average with minimums of around -3 (only a few of these) and maximums just in double figures. It was windy at times (gusts of over 40mph were recorded) with some minor damage.
 


​THE TATSFIELD GARDENER IN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 
 
For this edition, I want to talk about trees, especially the mature trees that might be growing in your garden. Judging by some of the awful examples of ‘tree pruning’ (I call it vandalism) around the village in recent years it seems that trees are being regarded as a nuisance, dropping leaves, casting shade, fears about branches falling down and causing damage and injury. How can I change your mind in the hope that you will come to regard your trees as an asset, a positive benefit to the local environment supporting many hundreds of species of insect, birds, moss and lichen? Unfortunately, there are no laws preventing you from doing anything you like to a tree, unless of course it is subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). If you are not sure whether your tree is preserved check with the Parish Council or Tandridge District Council Tree Officer. If, like me, you really value a mature tree in your garden why not enquire about having a TPO for it? That will make it more likely that it will be protected for the future – advice on this is available from the above.
 
I have been asked for my opinion of whether Ivy growing in trees is a good, or a bad, thing. This is a subject that generates heated debate amongst professionals and amateurs, this is what I think. If ivy grows right up into the crown of a mature tree it increases weight, reduces light and the free passage of air through the branches; this greatly increases resistance to wind and the risk of damage in a gale. Whilst I accept that it also provides good nesting for birds, I would not allow excess growth of ivy that puts the health of the tree at risk. Ivy can be controlled by carefully cutting through all the vines at the base, over a number of weeks the top growth will go brown and then the dead vines can easily be pulled down. However, if the tree is large and the ivy growth is high up, and heavy, you may need professional help.
 
There are some excellent tree surgeons offering their services in our local area, there are also some cowboys about! If you are considering having some tree work done please check that they are qualified, insured and have good references from local folk – do not be afraid to check the paperwork! Trees are a vital part of our environment, our visual landscape in Tatsfield would look very different without them.
 
My new weather station is working very well; in December, we had 135mm of rain (around 5”), that is more than our local average and much needed to top up our local reservoirs. Temperatures in Tatsfield in December varied from -5C to nearly plus 10C, about what we expect given our height above sea level and exposed position on top of the North Downs.
 
The rain has now encouraged the Daffodils to push through the soil and the growing points will be vulnerable where they have bee naturalised in grass; please be careful when walking around the edges of Westmore Green.
 
​THE TATSFIELD GARDENER IN DECEMBER 2017 
 This year I planted some wallflowers at the edge of the lawn near the busy bird table and discovered that the wood pigeons are very partial – wallflowers are in the cabbage family! They are now protected by a barrier of black cotton thread fixed to canes around the outside, this should work as they usually land at the side and waddle in for the attack – we will see! Wallflowers will give you a variety of colours and fragrance in the Spring and will do well in Tatsfield if you can give them a sheltered sunny spot.
 
Cold weather is on the way but exactly how much and for how long is hard to guess. I see many Tatsfield gardeners are leaving in the ground and in containers geraniums and begonias still in flower – a risky strategy - take are of those tender plants now! Lift tender perennial bedding plants, put them in boxes, dust with Sulphur and store in a frost-free place. Check them regularly and remove any dead leaves use more Sulphur if necessary and avoid watering them unless they have become very dry.
 
Still looking for a Christmas present for a keen gardening relative? Why not give them some winter cheer with a bowl of bulbs already in bud to provide some colour, and maybe scent, on a cold dark winters day. If their garden has a dark shady spot why not buy them some ferns, hostas, bergenias or hellebores (Christmas Rose).
Our local garden centres have very good selections of small conifers that are ideal to mix with heathers to give height and shape to a planting scheme – but – be very careful to read the label and make sure it is a dwarf or medium sized plant; most labels should tell you how tall they will grow over 10 years. Also make sure to choose heathers that are suitable for our alkaline soil (lime tolerant), choose colours of Erica carnea or Erica darleyensis or Erica erigena. How about getting a young child interested in gardening and growing, give them some packets of flower or vegetable seeds, a container and some compost to get them started.
 
Two of the most popular pot plants to have over Christmas are cyclamen and poinsettias; when buying cyclamen try to choose a plant with plenty of unopened buds for a longer display; avoid buying a poinsettia with yellow or dropping leaves. Both plants prefer to be in a cool room and not near a fire or hot radiators, they also don’t like standing in water, overwatering is a killer!

September 2014
As the growing season starts to draw to a close we can look back with a great deal of satisfaction and what everyone seems to agree was a very good growing year. Particularly satisfying are the Ivy Leaved Geraniums in the baskets and mangers in the village centre; in previous years they just didn’t make enough growth and flower, not so this year! Top and bush fruit have done very well, I have solved the mystery of why I never have a crop of Redcurrants but have tons of Whitecurrants on a bush nearby. They flowered very well with lovely long trusses of fruitlets that developed nicely, but as they filled out and started to change colour they just disappeared in a matter of a few days. The answer is – Blackbirds! They clearly have an eye for colour and can’t resist them! I don’t like putting netting over the bushes as this can trap the birds making it very difficult to untangle them without cutting up the netting. The old CDs flashing as they twirl only work for a short while so it may be that I have to make a rigid cage if I want to enjoy Redcurrants next year!

Another mystery is why my Garlic failed to make decent sized bulbs and speaking to other allotment holders it seems that I am not alone – no idea why – any ideas? My onion sets grew very well except for my redskins that started to grow and then they died leaving me with just a few. If you have any space left after harvesting crops it is not too late to sow leafy vegetables like Pak Choi and late Lettuce varieties, with good growing weather this month you should have some early winter pickings until they succumb to the first frosts.

Growth in our ponds has also been very strong this year leaving some with no surface water to be seen at all. While this provides important shade and oxygen a complete cover of the surface is not ideal so now is a good time to carefully cut back some of the growth. Make sure to leave the cut material at the edge of the pond for a day to let the pond life return to the water before bagging it up for disposal. 

Despite some very heavy rain at times the ground has become very dry especially amongst permanent plantings such as shrubs and perennials. I have noticed that the late summer flowering Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederaefolium) is very slow and just a few days after a good soaking with rainwater I now have that lovely carpet of pink/white flowers. If you decide to water where the ground is very dry remember to soak the soil, not the plant! It will take several sessions before you can be sure of penetrating our heavy soil.

With more than a twist of humour I was asked the other day when we would receive warnings of hosepipe bans now the dry warm weather has finally arrived! With record levels of rainfall over the winter and early spring, our chalk aquifers regained their long term deficit and we should have plenty of water for our needs. But that does not mean we can splash it around with gay abandon! Our clay soil will hold on to huge quantities of water and not that far down either, so please be careful and check before you water! Use a stick or cane and push it a few inches into the soil and you should see a damp mark indicating there is plenty of moisture down there. With good preparation your summer flowers and vegetable roots should grow down to the moisture; this will also ensure that in very dry and hot conditions they will be better able to resist drying out.

I know it doesn’t look very pretty but if you take a large plastic drinks bottle and make some slits – not holes – at the top, fill it with water, screw the top on tight and push it into the soil upside down near your plants it will be a reservoir and release the water slowly as the plant needs it. If it is too slow, increase the number and length of the slits; you can also connect these large bottles to a seep hose and run it along a row of plants, or vegetables. Use rainwater wherever you can; it is much better for the plants – tap water contains chemicals to keep it ‘pure’, rainwater contains Nitrogen, a vital element for plant growth! 

Should we ban slug pellets? Yes, this is one of the topics under discussion at the ‘other’ Parliament in Brussels! It is true that we are using far too many slug pellets; it is being detected in our drinking water and has to be removed chemically before entering the mains water system. Early opinion was that it was the farmers who were the culprits but now that we have very sophisticated water detection systems we know that gardeners are also responsible for putting significant amounts of slug killer chemicals such as metaldehyde in our water systems. If the levels of these chemicals in our drinking water are not brought down – by reducing use - then it is inevitable that approval for these chemicals will be withdrawn. There are alternatives to using slug killing chemicals, and they are unnecessary in dry weather; I think slugs get the blame for damage by other means! Be sure to check for the tell-tale slime trail and please use them sparingly or not at all!

Take a tip from our hard working volunteers and remove old flower heads, nip off the tips of those fast growing basket plants for good growth and continuous flowering throughout the summer.

This has been an exceptional spring for early growth and flower; have you noticed how long the flowers have lasted on all plants from bulbs to spring bedding plants, shrubs and trees? As I write there are Wisterias still in full bloom, with some honeysuckles (early types) matching them for a show – unusual to see them both flowering together. These will now charge ahead and make a lot of growth over the next four weeks or so and the trick with Wisterias to get consistent flowering is to shorten all this soft growth back by two thirds by the end of July. This will stimulate flower buds at the base and it will also tidy them up! 

Last month I was asked to give advice on cutting back a Laurel hedge that had grown too high and too wide. I replied “If I needed to hard prune a Laurel hedge I wouldn’t do it now”, not the most helpful of replies you might think! A hard cut back at this time of year will leave the hedge looking unsightly for most of the summer as it struggles to recover; there is also a good chance that it could destroy or disturb a lot of birds’ nests. If you are in this position I suggest you wait until the end of this month and give it a light trim and plan to cut it hard in late January or early February; at that time of the year you should be ahead of bird nesting and you will also catch the spring growth response. Remember to aim to have the sides of the hedge gently sloping in towards the top to avoid that ‘top heavy’ appearance and ensure there is minimum shading of the base of the hedge. You will find that it may be necessary to cut the early shoots back in June/July to keep it in shape. 

The early start to the season has tempted many to plant out runner beans and climbing French beans and where these have not been given protection from cold wind and some chilly nights they look a very sad sight now! There is still time to sow beans and harvest a crop; they might even overtake the recovering early plants so sow a seed near your struggling plants and see how they grow much better - and make a note for next season!

In late May I finally got round to rotovating the last quarter plot on my allotment and noticed just how damp it was beneath a dry surface. The surface soil can look very dry and this fools many who then start to apply lots of
water thinking the plants are going to suffer – not so! Please be careful how you use water in the garden, especially if you are still using mains water. With well prepared ground and initial watering to settle in your plants or seeds, it should not be necessary to continually apply water. Use a probe to gauge what water might be needed; a thin cane, or your finger, will do the trick and you will be surprised to discover that just a few inches down there is an adequate supply of moisture. A mulch of compost (there is still plenty of ‘Black Gold’ available from the Community Compost Scheme at the allotment site on Saturday mornings 10.00 – 12.00) around your plants will slow down the drying effect of any hot weather this month.

April turned out to be an average sort of month, some warm days, a bit of rain and a few frosts; its my guess that May will also be similar but with a few days warmer than average. Growth is early, as we expected, with plenty of moisture in the ground, and with good light and reasonable temperatures it is a classic good growing spring!

I am expecting that with all this early growth we are likely to be hedge cutting sooner, and a bit later on it may well be the case that summer pruning of fruit trees will also be a week or so early. The problem with this is that many birds will be having second broods, so be sure to carefully examine plants to be pruned for active nests and if you find one it won’t hurt to wait a week or two. So please be patient!

The early spring weather is happening on the other side of the Channel as well. Whilst in France in April I planted out bedding and hanging baskets, and sowed haricot beans in the third week of April. Now that is early!

With warm days expected this month be sure to move young plants and seedlings out into a sunny spot otherwise they will make a lot weak growth that will need pinching back and be vulnerable to attack by aphids and other pests. Be ready with a light sheet to cover the plants if the evening is likely to be chilly and remember those soft shoots are much in demand by mice and birds so choose the site carefully and use some strips of foil or old CDs. 

A recent report on the use of netting in the garden and with commercial crops has indicated a higher number of deaths by birds that become tangled and left to struggle for days. This is a very distressing sight and they will need very gentle handling while the netting is cut away to set them free again. Some years ago I was involved with releasing rescued hedgehogs with a lady in the village who worked as a volunteer at an animal rescue centre. I don’t remember how many were released over the years but I enjoyed seeing them around our gardens at my end of the village. Alas I have to say that in recent years I have not seen a single hedgehog. Where have they gone? I would love to hear reports from around the village to reassure me please!

As if by turning a tap the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the sun came out! By mid-March the soil surface was workable and our Tatsfield clay threatens to bake hard for those foolish enough to leave it undisturbed! By the end of March early seeds were sown, onion sets and first early potatoes were in; now we watch out for those late frosts that can nip to tops of early growth! 

The early growth of the pond plants received a shock in early March when we had a rare and fleeting air frost that turned all the tips black but by now they are recovered and growing away as if nothing had happened – spring is a funny time of the year! We will be watching the large patches of frog spawn in the village pond very carefully as unfortunately the frogs were very busy when the level of the water was at its highest for many years; now the level is falling and leaving the spawn very exposed around the edges. 

Trying to forecast the weather over the next month or so is going to be quite a challenge but I wouldn’t be surprised if Easter turns out to be very enjoyable. Even though we can expect soil temperatures to be up, I would sound a word of caution about sowing crops like beans too early in the month – just in case! By now you should have started off your over-wintering perennials such as Fuchsias, Dahlias and Begonias with some fresh soil and some gentle watering. Put them out in the mild weather but be ready to cover them over on chilly nights. Keep your early container-grown vegetable seedlings outside as much as possible to get that sturdy growth but don’t over-water and keep a sharp eye out for early greenfly attack.

Did you know that a lot of our lawns in Tatsfield are full of Cowslips, Primroses, Fritillaries and other lovely wild flowers but that they are never seen because the grass is mown too often and they remain hidden in the grass and every time they try to flower they get their heads chopped off! Why not leave a section of your lawn
uncut until late July and see what flowers? It might take a couple of seasons for them to fully recover but you just might get a big surprise. A meadow is not just a great habitat for wild flowers, it is vital for bees and other pollinating insects and it provides shelter for our tiny vertebrates like voles and shrews. If you see something
that looks interesting, and you can’t name it, take a picture of it and email it to me.

Will it ever stop raining? 
Oh yes it will and in no time at all we will be busy catching up, even if this very  strange winter runs into early summer, maybe forgetting that we are supposed to have spring in between! In a recent conversation with another ‘old weather watcher’, he told me of a saying by his grandfather - “In a wet mild winter, when the rain stops there is going to be a drought because all the rain has fallen and there is no more left up there”. It is interesting to also note that the long term average rainfall rarely changes significantly, so, with over two thirds of our average rainfall already on the ground maybe he is right? One thing for sure: I think, with all the aquifers overflowing surely we can’t have a hosepipe ban!

A very obvious casualty of the winter storms are our fences and hedges. Some will need replacing and any late plantings will need regular watering. Those hedges that were badly damaged should respond with a hard pruning to stimulate strong re-growth. Some of these hedges are also overgrowing adjacent pavements and now is a great opportunity to cut them back and keep them within their boundaries!

We will have some frost this month, we always do, and maybe we will have a wintry shower or two possibly into April that could cause damage to spring bulbs and early soft growth. Even though we are going to be late
sowing and planting, we need to take care and be ready to protect our vulnerable plants. We are not yet able to assess the damage to our wildlife but we can be sure that many species will have suffered. We need to take extra care not to disturb nesting sites and do our best to help to give them the best chance to recover.

As soon as the ground is workable sow parsnips, early carrots, early lettuce varieties, spring onions, plant onion sets, shallots, start chitting potatoes, but wait until the ground is warmer before sowing peas and

I read a comment by a very well known gardening journalist a couple of weeks ago that now was a very good time to plant shallots and onion sets. She clearly lives in that special place where it never rains and the soil falls into a ready tilth at the touch of a fork! Please do not try this in Tatsfield until the end of the month at the earliest! Our heavy clay should be dry enough by the end of the month for light cultivation; trying to ‘hurry it up’ won’t work and will result in a real mess, so please be patient!

When conditions improve you can start pruning some shrubs such as roses, Buddleia, Spiraea, Caryopteris and Hypericum. How many fragrant flowers do you have in your garden right now? What a lovely thing to be able to enjoy flower and fragrance in late winter – Mahonia, Hamamellis, Daphne, Lonicera fragrantissima, Sarcococca and many more – buy them now in flower and enjoy them for many years to come! When pruning and tidying up, make sure to check your larger shrubs to see if they have been moved by the high winds. Re-firming them by treading around before applying a mulch can make a big difference to their recovery after a tough winter.

Trying to find out how much rain we have had and comparing that against the so called average rainfall is a bit of a tricky business. Sadly my own weather station is no longer working so I would be very interested to hear if anyone has captured our monthly totals from October to January. The Environment Agency tells us that
a total of 14” of rain fell from October to December with 4” of rain falling so far this January already – these figures compare with an average of 9" for this period but this is not a reliable figure especially for our particular area – more on this anon!

The series of winter storms combined with the heavy rain took its toll of our trees, fences and roof tiles. It is possible that evergreen trees and shrubs have yet to show symptoms of damage in the form of the characteristic ‘scorching’ effect. The wind was mainly from a southerly direction so the damage should be minimal. It is when it blows strongly from the east to north east that the damage can occur. If February is not a drier month and we have more wind, I fear that more trees and fences will come down as the ground is very wet around roots and foundations.

Jon Allbutt (Tel: 577100 Email: jon@jonallbutt.co.uk)

A new year and a new gardening season starts right here! Here are some top tips for your gardening year:

• Identify specific areas of your garden dedicated to wildlife – not as difficult as you might think. Leave perennial flower heads on the plant as long a possible to be a food source for seed-eating garden birds. Don’t be too tidy under hedges and at the back of shrub borders. Think about planting shrubs, perennials and bedding plants that are good for pollinating insects – have a look on the RHS website ww.rhs.org.uk for lists of plants that will encourage bees and hoverflies and many other valuable wildlife species.

• Plan for your vegetables now and order seed – avoid F1 Hybrids as they are very expensive, you get fewer seeds in the packet and all the plants produce crops at the same time; OK if you have a large hungry family!

• Have a look around the garden now and count how many winter and early fragrant spring flowering plants you have. Now is the time to buy and plant these super plants. I have Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter
Honeysuckle), Hamamellis pallida (Witch Hazel) and Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Posthill' in flower, all hardy plants that will give me much pleasure for weeks to come.

• Prune apples and pears and remember to prune again to shorten back the annual shoots in late July to help form fruit buds. Prune Wisteria now, and again in the late summer to remove those long straggly annual shoots and get more flower.

• Join the Tatsfield Horticultural Society, come to our Shows and the Gardening Club – we also have vacancies on the Committee just waiting for you!

The mild dry start to the winter was spoilt by the rain in the week before Christmas. This means that we may have lost the chance to dig over our vegetable plots and leave the clay in lumps ready for the frost, if we have any this winter! Be patient with our heavy soil; it will dry and be ready for digging – eventually!

I was asked recently why gardening books say that Roses should not be pruned until February/March. Well, pruning them at that time of the year ensures the minimum of time to have raw cut stems before the plant starts to grow. In fact you can prune roses any time during the winter BUT you may get some die back, and you might stimulate a bit too much early growth if the winter is mild and then the new shoots get ‘burnt’ by the late frosts. This will not kill the plant; it just delays growth for a short time while the plant recovers.

The early winter weather so far has been more traditional, with our first frost coming in the first week of November, but we have had rather more than our fair share of rain! If you have any root vegetables in the ground it is best to get them out as soon as you can although it is nice to leave the parsnips in until we have had a good frost or two, as it improves the flavour. With the ground so wet but still
fairly warm we can expect an attack of slugs and also an increase in rotting diseases.
We are likely to get some frost this month (and probably more rain!), so be ready to protect any non-hardy species. If you are going to wrap up a garden shrub or pot plant, make sure the foliage and stems are dry to reduce the risks of rotting. Be careful to avoid using anything heavy as this might make the plant more vulnerable to damage in windy conditions; plastic sheets or ‘bubble wrap’ will do the job.

We will see the grass continue to grow for a few more weeks yet so keep up with the mowing but only a light cut now; this will help with picking up the leaves. If you are a keen composter don’t forget that a mixture of fresh mown grass, green vegetable waste and wet leaves will be a big help with the composting process.

Don’t be too keen to rake the leaves out of the bottom of hedges or dense shrubs as these form an important winter habitat providing shelter for many species including frogs, slow-worms and hedgehogs.

Winter pot plants are now in the shops and I have seen some excellent Cyclamen and Poinsettias on offer in our local garden centres. I recommend that you buy your winter flowers from a garden centre as it is more likely that they have been kept cool in a well-lit environment and probably watered properly – remember that too 
much watering will lead to the leaves falling off. The best way to keep these winter flowering pot plants going for as long as you can is to continue to keep them cool and in a bright place with watering kept to a minimum, but of course don’t let them dry out!

Now is the time to plan for growing your vegetables next year. Aim for a simple crop rotation to avoid planting the same plant in the same place, thereby making it much more vulnerable to root pests and diseases and to balance the nutrients they are taking from the soil. If the soil dries out then dig over your plot, making sure to only use old rotted manure or compost where you will be growing beans, peas, potatoes and salads. Our Tatsfield clay is much more workable in the spring if it has been dug, left rough and had some good penetrating frost to break it down naturally.

Here’s hoping for a good growing year in 2014!
 
Jon Allbutt (Tel: 577100 Email: jon@jonallbutt.co.uk)

I have received a couple of calls from local folk asking me to come and identify a new monster plant that has appeared in their gardens this year. It turns out to be an old friend, a plant that was very popular borders in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a vigorous annual called Nicandra physalodes (The Shoo Fly Plant) that can easily reach a height of over 4’ in a growing season. It has lovely clear blue flowers with white centres in an open bell; it also has ‘chinese lantern’ like seed capsules that can be dried and used in flower arrangements. It is a member of the Solanaceae family (potatoes and tomatoes) originating from South America and although it is not known to be poisonous, small children should be discouraged from playing with it! The common name is given because it is believed to be effective as a fly repellent but I am not sure if it is really effective. This plant has a habit of appearing suddenly in garden soils and once established you are likely to have it for years due to the many seeds produced by the round capsules that readily split open when ripe. It is often found near bird tables, probably because it may be found in
bird seed mixtures.

This autumn looks like being a more traditional start to the winter season with milder weather – last year we
had some ground frost in September! I cannot remember ever having experienced three hard winters in a row. If climate change is not going to make a big difference to the rhythm of our weather, we should expect a more ‘normal’ winter with less early cold weather. If you have an outside tap now is the time to turn it off inside and leave the tap on to drain any residual water in the pipe to avoid a burst if it does get cold. If you have no means of switching off the water supply inside, then make sure you cover the outside tap in thick layers of insulation. If you have any irrigation equipment or outside hosepipes you should drain them down now. Remember that using lots of salt on hard surfaces can wash off and burn grass and soft plants; it is also very irritating to the paws of
cats and dogs!

If you have root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips, remember that a little frost can release the stored sugars and they will have a sweeter taste but be careful with carrots - heavy frost can cause a lot of damage. If your winter greens (Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli) are tall and developing nicely you might want to stake them firmly to avoid the risk of them being damaged in a strong wind.

Jon Allbutt (Tel:577100 Email:
jon@jonallbutt.co.uk)