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October/November 2007 >>>
November is usually a cold and wet month, and it may be difficult to find enough good weather periods to get out in the garden. At the very least try to complete the planting of spring bulbs, especially tulips, and tidying up the garden before the end of the year.
THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN
Tulips are usually not long lived in the average garden because most people tend to forget to feed them during the spring when they are in full leaf. If you see a beautiful flowering display you can usually make a good guess that the bulbs were bought from a reliable source and planted fresh the autumn before.
At this time of the year displays of different varieties will not be huge, for the widest choice you do need to shop in September before the bulb planting rush. However you should still be able to find some of the more popular varieties that guarantee a reliable show next year. The most popular tulips of all are the May flowering Darwin hybrids such as Apeldoorn (orange-red), Clara Butt (pink) and Golden Apeldoorn (a clear, clean yellow). They are relatively tall at 60-75cm, so do best in a position that is sheltered from winds or planted closely between tallish bedding such as wallflowers.
For shorter stems look to the Greigii family that has attractive striped leaves that add interest to the display. Try Red Riding Hood (scarlet), Toronto (pink) or bi-coloured Cape Cod (red and yellow) or Plaisir (carmine and yellow). Check that the bulbs that you are buying are firm, clean and without any obvious mouldy patches and plant them in well drained soil in a sunny position. If slugs are a problem in your garden you could water on a liquid slug killer such as SlugClear. This will penetrate the soil to kill off the underground slugs that eat their way through newly planted tulip bulbs and the emerging leaves.
While tulips are universally popular, the growing of huge purple heads of alliums in garden displays seems to be very fashionable as they are a great feature of Flower Show gardens at Chelsea, Hampton Court and all around the country. If you want to follow the fashion then look out for packs of Allium Purple Sensation or Giganteum to add the elegance and colour to summer displays that add interest for the rest of the year with their attractive seed heads.
Feeding bulbs when they are eventually in leaf is vital if they are to continue to bloom year after year. The easiest way to ensure they are fed slowly and steadily throughout their life cycle is to sprinkle in March Bulb Booster Plant Food around the areas where bulbs are planted. This will release balanced plant foods and trace elements to the soil for up to 3 months, so the roots of the bulbs can take in nutrients until the end of June when the foliage is tending to die off.
TOPICAL TIP
In mild spells of weather feed winter flowering pansies with diluted Miracle-Gro Plant Food, applied over leaves and around the roots of plants. This will encourage them to burst into bloom whenever the weather is suitable.
ROSES, SHRUBS AND TREES
Autumn is not only the best time to put in new plants, but it is also the best time to move most hardy shrubs, roses and herbaceous plants. If you are contemplating moving an established plant it is best to cut back longer shoots and to remove old and weak stems. This will reduce the risk of dehydration due to the inevitable root damage caused by the move.
Before digging out the plant prepare the planting hole, so that the plant is out of the soil for the shortest time possible. The planting hole should be deeper and wider than the expected root ball so that you can fill in with improved soil. Improving the existing soil with at least 25% volume of Levington Rose, Shrub and Tree Compost will add nutrients and encourage the quick development of new roots.
Dig out the plant with a large root ball that contains as much soil and roots as possible. You will find it easier to move to its new home with the help of a thick plastic sheet or blanket and another pair of hands. When in position firm the enriched soil around the root ball and support the stems if they could easily rock in the ground. Water the root ball thoroughly and ensure it is kept moist for the next year, so that it grows away without check.
THE LAWN
Milder winters experienced by most areas, especially this side of the New Year, mean that lawn grasses never stop growing completely, but just slow down. This does mean that for most of us a monthly trim of the grass will be necessary during November and December to keep the lawn looking its best. Pick a mild, breezy day when the grass is not frosty or soaking wet and don't cut it too short. The idea is a slight trim not a No.1 haircut.
This is a good time to see how flat and even the lawn is and to take out bumps and hollows. Bumps are a nuisance as the mower tends to scalp the top of them and they are continuously bare. Hollows collect all the rain and the grass is always soggy as it drains away more slowly.
The easiest way to deal with both is to cut an H shape into the grass directly over the blemish so that you can peal back the top 5cm of turf to reveal the underlying soil. It's then a simple job of adding improved soil where a hollow is present or scraping away and removing soil where you've got a bump. Then just roll back the turf and you will have an invisible repair and a flatter lawn.
TOPCAL TIP
There is still time to repair bare patches of grass with the EverGreen Lawn Repair Kit. Grass seed sown now may take a little longer to germinate, but growth will be steady throughout the winter.
FRUIT & VEGETABLES
If you have a separate area for growing vegetables, now is the time to start winter digging to improve soil structure and drainage. All soils will benefit from the addition of well-rotted organic matter at digging time. Your own home-made garden compost or bags of Levington Soil Conditioner or Miracle-Gro Soil Improver will work wonders to break up heavy clay soils and to fortify the moisture holding capacity of light sandy or stony soils.
Anyone without their own compost bin is not a real gardener, as we all need to recycle for our own garden's benefit the grass cuttings, vegetable peelings and annual weed waste that is produced by every household with a garden.
Home composting is not difficult - nor, if it's done properly, does it attract rats or flies. In fact it is fun and beneficial for all the family and you will be doing your bit for the environment by tying up carbon into the soil of your own back yard.
All you need is a container to trap moisture and the natural warmth generated by millions of micro-organisms and to remember that the material you add should be a mixture of green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon). If you just add grass cuttings to your heap then it will turn into a rank slimy mess, but if mixed with hedge trimmings, potato peelings and old newspapers then it makes a beautiful soil conditioner that is sweet smelling and a gardening godsend. It doesn't take a large garden or loads of kitchen waste to be effective. Just place all vegetable waste from the kitchen including spent tea leaves or tea bags, uncooked vegetable peelings mixed together with scrunched up newspaper or cardboard. Your compost bin would be a fantastically secure place to dispose of your shredded bank statements or confidential documents- another recycling idea that really helps protect you from fraudsters.
Nature will then get on with the job of recycling. You can help things along by scattering some garden soil and a compost activator occasionally to the layers plus topping off with something like an old wool rug or piece of carpet to keep in the heat and keep out the rain.
If you do nothing else this winter start composting and encouraging the saving of kitchen vegetable waste by placing a small bin beside the kitchen door, so that it doesn't go straight in the dustbin, but add value to your garden.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL: USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
Information supplied by the Scotts Miracle Gro Company UK Ltd
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