Weather permitting, this should be a busy month preparing the ground for the season ahead. After a near record wet year surely we can look forward to something better this year? I am hoping that past history does not repeat itself and we have a year like 1976, when we had a record drought! Remember the golden rule for Tatsfield soil: don’t work it if it is still wet, wait until it is ready and avoid turning the topsoil under too deep or you will have to start again with a sticky layer. There is a lot to be said for a ‘top down’ approach, gradually working from the surface deeper each year to develop a more workable ‘topsoil’. Using sharp sand and plenty of composted organic matter will make a very big difference within a season or so. I read articles in the press about monster slugs and slug invasions; I was also asked recently how on earth can we control these monsters. Yes it was a record year for slugs; they love the wet conditions and your soil is now holding many thousands of eggs just waiting for the right conditions to hatch and start devouring your young plants. The best way of killing slugs is to use products based on metaldehyde but this is a chemical that can also kill hedgehogs and other mammals, so it must only be used where you have control over what other vulnerable species might have access to the treated area. There are plenty of other less persistent, but less toxic, alternatives that will need using more often. Keeping the soil surface clear of old leaves and other debris that slugs use as hiding places will also help. I hope that after an early battle with these pests, the warmer drier weather in late spring will push them into hiding, but don’t be complacent, any wet cool weather will bring them back again! This month’s plant guaranteed to bring winter cheer, and one of my all time favourites, is Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Posthill’; superb fragrance and a handsome medium sized semi evergreen plant throughout the year. If you are passing ‘Seaton’ have a look at it in full bloom right now trained flat against the east facing wall of my garage. Even in cool weather the fragrance is good but when the sun comes out it chases you all the way to the gate! A bit of summer pruning shortening back the annual growths will encourage the development of flower buds in late summer. Finally, please be aware that if the milder weather comes along our ponds should be full of mating newts, frogs and toads, so be careful not to disturb them – this is not the time of the year for clearing out the pond!
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Tatsfield gardeners have certainly had their fair share of challenges over the past few years and I have no doubt that 2013 will have a few more for us! We can be certain that there will be wind, rain and plenty of it mixed with periods ofwarm and dry, maybe even hot weather too; but it is impossible to say how much of it and when. The trick is to assume that the weather patterns will continue to be unpredictable and be ready to take advantage of the good weather whenever it arrives! The one thing we know for certain is that our soil being heavy clay does not respond well to cultivation of any kind when it is wet, so patience is the answer. If you are growing vegetables you can cover the surface in compost or manure ready to be dug in as soon as the ground is ready. The earlier you dig the better so that you can take advantage of any frost we might get later this month and in February. The action of freezing the moisture in the soil breaks it down into finer particles, so get digging! Remember the more organic material you put into the soil will make it easier to cultivate, it will be better drained and it will warm up more quickly in the spring. I was asked recently whether it is better to leave planting of shrubs, trees and hedging plants until the spring. I have always preferred to do my planting as early in the winter as possible so that the roots will settle and perhaps grow a little, giving them a much better chance of surviving dry conditions in the next year. Leaving it until the spring might be better if the soil dries out in time and you are able to mulch the surface and then water the plants regularly in dry conditions. This year I will be featuring a special plant for every month and over the next few months I will be featuring a plant that gives flower and fragrance in a border or a con- tainer to cheer you up. My plant for this month is one of the large Viburnum family of shrubs. Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'is a handsome shrub that can grow into a large plant if left to grow freely in a border. It produces clusters of fragrant pale pink flowers over a long period start- ing as early as November and continuing into early spring. It can also be grown in a large container, and if pruned in the spring after flowering it can be kept to a modest size. Place it in a sunny spot to get the best of the fragrance, perhaps near the house or by a path. Cut the blooms and include them in a flower arrangement to bring the sweet scent indoors. Jon Allbutt (Tel:577100 Email: [email protected]) |
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