by Justine Hutchinson
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Gardeners All, much to the joy of some and the chagrin of others!Â
As the nights continue to draw in, the gardens have – after a particularly mild autumn here in the south – finally begun to fall to sleep. However, there are still things to be getting on with (hooray for a handy reason to escape the escalating madness indoors!), so let’s get a wriggle on…
Sowing & GrowingÂ
It’s not too late to plant out that last minute clutch of tulip bulbs provided the soil’s not frozen or water-logged. In fact, if push comes to shove you can even plant tulip bulbs up to the middle of January.
Once January rolls around, a second batch of sweet peas can be sown. Sow them under cover to get them on their way – setting them on a cool windowsill so they have enough light to prevent legginess – then chuck them out into a cold frame as soon as they’re a few inches high. Sweet peas don’t mind the cold and actually relish being grown hard, so keep the cold frame ajar unless very low temps are predicted. If things look they’re heading south of roughly -2C, pop some wadding into or around the cold frame (fleece, newspaper, or bubblewrap) and close the flaps until it warms up again.
Mid-January is also the time to get your cutting patch started if you didn’t do so in late summer / early autumn. Some ‘annuals’ are actually tender perennials grown as annuals in northern climes, and take time to germinate – antirrhinum, for instance – so get those underway now. Calendula, dianthus and Californian poppies can also be sown in winter, to name but a few.
Boxing Day is the traditional day to sow onions seeds. Opt for seeds rather than sets, starting them off undercover, and planting out the young plants in spring a few centimetres apart. Onion sets will become available in mid-January and can be direct planted then.
If it’s mild out, direct sow in December some broad beans for early-as-May cropping. In colder areas, sow undercover ready to transplant later.
Mustard greens and lamb’s lettuce can also be sown now and throughout winter in an unheated greenhouse or on a cool windowsill.
December and January are good times to plant outdoors evergreen shrubs, bare root fruits, roses and hedging provided the soil’s not frozen or water-logged. Ornamental trees such as acers can also be planted now.
PruningÂ
Hard pruning of deciduous, overgrown shrubs and hedging can take place now while they’re dormant.
Later in January is also a good time to prune established, freestanding apple and pear trees – but not pleached trees. ‘Established’ means when your tree has been in the ground for 4 years or so.
Outdoor grapevines should be cut back in winter before their sap starts flowing again (the resultant ‘bleeding’ may weaken the plant). If you suffer from late, harsh frosts however, consider delaying pruning until March or early April. Selecting a sharp, clean pair of secateurs, you’re aiming to remove 80 – 90% of the previous year’s growth, cutting back side branches to a pair of buds from the main stem. Remove completely anything dead or diseased, or stems which are contributing to over congestion. Limiting the number of shoots is important to promote healthy fruit and root balance.
Climbing roses can be pruned from now until February.
Other Jobs
Use dull, damp days to rejig or redesign completely the coming year’s flower beds and veg plots. Start making a list of new seeds you’d like to order, and sign up to any mailing lists if you wish to be alerted to new stock.
If we’re due a cold snap, place a protective layer of straw or dry leaf mulch around the base of tender shrubs and climbers. Some shrubs, such as newly planted pittosporums, may benefit from fleecing if they’re in exposed locations.
Check stored bulbs and corms regularly for signs of rot.
Remove yellowing leaves on your brassicas, so grey mould and mildew don’t develop. Make sure your Brussels are staked if they’re in a windy location.
Finally, don’t forget the birds! If temperatures have plummeted, do check they can get through any ice in the bird bath and consider hanging up some bird feeders, especially if the ground’s frozen.
Have fun in the garden – and a very merry Christmas and fabulous new year to you all!
