Things have quietened down here now after such a busy spring, summer and autumn and with winter approaching it is time to now do some SERIOUS GARDENING!
This is the last month to lightly trim hedges but cutting back is still on the go here, it takes only a couple of hours to create havoc and the whole of the next day to clean up, and when that was finished it was back to the leaf raking to fill the compost bins.
The last rain will have dampened compost heaps which should be holding heat now to keep them working through the cold months. Keep layering leaves along with animal manure,( especially hen manure this helps to heat up a winter compost), soft garden weeds, un-sprayed grass clippings and left over compost from your last lot. Give the heaps a good watering if dry to keep things going.
Peony roses resent being disturbed at this time of the year, just cut back the dead tops and lay on top of the clump to protect the new growth during winter. If a clump needs divided or shifted wait until Spring.
Cut old leaves from hellebore's then fortnightly feedings of blood and bone will give them what they need to bud up as the first flowers of the new season. In colder areas it is best to leave some top growth on to protect buds.
Only feed bulbs and plants that are due to flower soon, all other plants will be slowing their growth right down to sleep through the winter so don't waste good fertiliser on plants that won't use it.
There are still great bulb choices on offer in garden centers, think spring and get them in, they are such a good investment for a garden.
Move all spring flowering potted plants into a sunny spot now, plants like camellia, azaleas and rhododendrons that have been tucked away in a shady spot over the hot months. If you fed them with acid fertiliser when they finished flowering they should be fine, if not then give them a little and water in well to give a boost, shrubs get very hungry in pots. I shifted all my potted seedlings to a sunny spot where they should be fine through the winter months, seedlings need as much sun as they can get over winter, they may not look as if they are growing on top but they will be making lots of feeder roots.
Lawns:
Lawns here are soft and soggy, best to keep traffic off them and raise the blades on the lawn mower when next mowing. Still time for sowing a new lawn and spraying clover and flat weeds on a dry day.
Fruit:
If you have laden apple trees still to ripen, pick most of them and store in a cool dry place for later. But leave as many as you intend to eat on the tree to ripen naturally, nothing nicer than ripe fruit straight from the tree if you can beat the birds!
I am determined not to wast the quince weighing down the branches here, quince paste and quince added to apple jelly and is a wonderful taste from the past.
This is the best season for walnuts here that I can remember, while raking the leaves there is a continuous plop of nuts falling which entertains Scuff the dog no end as he rushes from one drop to the next.
Vegetables: The broad beans, carrots and peas I planted a couple of weeks ago are well up this week, helped along I am sure by the warm rains and warm ground, perfect for getting seeds and seedlings well on their way before the frosts cool things down.
Plant food, nothing tastes so good veg picked straight from the garden. Cheers, Linda
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