Amateur Gardening 22-Dec-2018

THE week before Christmas, not to mention the days between December 25 and New Year, are strange times indeed. There’s the mad rush to get everything ready, followed by a unique annual slump where everyone lets their belt out a notch and fights over the last purple-wrapped Quality Street. Getting out into the garden during this time is an excellent way of escaping the hullabaloo, getting some exercise and keeping on top of outdoor tasks. I will be starting the week by tidying up the drive before any guests arrive. It is fringed with shrubs that need cutting back into shape and now is the time to prune and shape the deciduous ones, particularly a couple of long-established potentillas that have grown outside their allotted space. It’s a quick and easy job –…

1 Check the weather forecast and if sub-zero conditions are on their way, lift festive veggies such as leeks, parsnips and carrots a few days early before the soil freezes. Parsnips need a freeze to taste their best, but if it’s mild they will still taste better than shop-bought equivalents! 2 Christmas is traditionally the cut-off point for planting autumn garlic, so look smart! Plant cloves 1in (2½cm) deep in fertile, free-draining soil where they will get plenty of sunlight. If you don’t have much room, grow them in deep, 8in (20cm) containers with added fertiliser.…

WHILE most of us grind to a halt over the Christmas period, it is just another week for the outside world. Weeds still grow, birds need feeding, and winter storms won’t let festive goodwill prevent them from causing damage and flooding. So there is still plenty to be getting on with out there. You may even need to give the lawn a trim if the weather is mild and dry enough. I cut back an overgrown deciduous honeysuckle, which was starting to break into the roof space of our summer house. It’s a little late in the day, but I’m happy to sacrifice a few flowers for a more robust plant. 1 Prune deciduous trees while they are dormant. Remove dead, damaged and diseased branches, plus those that are crossing or rubbing. Also check…

Bob Flowerdew is a world expert in all things organic and as well as writing for AG, he has written many gardening books. Some of the more accessible and popular are his Bob’s Basics series and we have two sets of three books, all signed by Bob, to give away in this Christmas edition competition. The books are Companion Planting, Weeding Without Chemicals and Pruning, Training & Tidying. Priced at £9.99 each, they are packed with tips and information to keep your garden flourishing without the need for chemicals. To enter the competition, read the question below and find the answer in Bob’s Christmas edition article on p14. Question: What does Bob smear on his cabbage leaves to attract slugs? Write your answer on a postcard or sealed envelope to arrive no later than…

Create a colourful welcome by planting up a hanging basket for your front door. Use bedding plants and spring bulbs set in container compost. If you want to add trailing plants, cut holes in the side of the lining and slide them through with clingfilm wrapped around their roots to protect them. (Remove it after positioning the plants.) Water your basket when needed and if storms are forecast, store it in a greenhouse or well-lit porch for the duration.…

ONE thing that united the British gardening world this year was the extreme weather. ‘The Beast from the East’ in early March was followed by a washout Easter. Spring lasted about 48 hours and turned into the hottest summer for 40 years. The bizarre weather patterns are likely to have repercussions, with suppliers warning of a spring bulb shortage over the next couple of years, though they hope bulbs that flower later in the year should fare better. Adam Taylor of Taylors Bulbs said it was the worst season he can remember. “It has been the perfect storm for the British bulb industry, because the stock is in the ground for two years and we have had two difficult years,” said Mr Taylor. “People remember this year, but last spring was also warm…