A damp dull week so far which I am sure does not inspire anyone to work outside, cloud cover means no frost for a bit allowing plants to hydrate before the next big freeze.
At long last we have come to the end of leaves on trees and letting trees rest for a couple of months while there is plenty going on beneath them. Bulbs are pushing through with early snowdrops almost in flower, shrubs are budding up along with hellebores, ericas, wallflowers and all the polyanthus and primulas planted last month, it's time once again to notice all the special little things happening from now on in our gardens.
Tidying up and dividing perennials is what can be done along with pruning the large climbing old fashioned roses and ramblers that have become entangled and may need a hedge trimmer to reduce the height and width.
Early planting: Make early plantings of gladioli for November flowering and sweet-pea planted now will flower in early spring.
Roses: Clean up dead leaves under rose bushes to prevent the spread of pest and disease that intensifies during damp weather. A lime sulphur spray can be done now being a few weeks before pruning then after pruning a spray of Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil to eliminate powdery mildew, lichen and moss. There is a good selection of bare rooted roses on sale now and this is the best time to plant them.
wisterias have lost all their leaves now, prune off all long and unruly canes, if you don't they will entwine themselves around established branches and some keep growing thicker each year.
New seasons trees will be available locally now: Prunus, Flowering cherries and Malus, crab apple trees are ballerinas in the garden but when choosing trees the important factors are Height and width when fully grown. Some grow vase shaped which will allow light to gardens beneath. The spreading /weeping varieties branch wide spilling to the ground from the top. All are grafted onto standard 1.2m/ 1.5m/ 1.8m root stock which allows height when first planted, each label will tell you the expected height and width. Very few are suitable for small gardens.
Some very pretty varieties to consider:
Yedoensis -med/large,spreading mass of mid season single white or pale pink blossom, Shirotae (Mount Fuji) large spreading, early season double white blossom. Shimidsu sakura late season, low spreading double pale pink blossom. Pink perfection med/large, upright spreading, mid season double pink blossom. Autumnalis rosea: smaller branched pale pink small blossom 3 times a year, flowering now. Weeping type: falling snow, white blossom pendula rosa pink blossom and Kiku shidare double pink blossom. They all start at a manageable size but within 5 years they become a sizable tree.
Veg: On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing other than garlic can be planted this month but tunnel and glass houses can be cleared, sterilized and re-soiled if needed ready for protected veg planting in late winter.
Fruit: This week I will go through the pruning required for pear trees, it is not recommended to heavily prune pear trees but if this is required the best time to do major pruning is during winter. If only a light trim is required this can be done in late summer, .the more you prune Fire blight the greater the chance fire blight will develop. Fire blight is obvious on leaves and branches when they appear as if they have been burned by fire, this disease delays fruit production. There are many new varieties of both pear and apple trees that have been cultivated to be very resistant to fire blight, this is one disease that can severely damage or kill fruit tree's. Leaves and twigs of the trees get the disease from insects who enter the flowers during spring, insects get it by gathering pollen from nearby cedar trees. Choose a resistant variety and keep trees moist, especially when in blossom and when fruit is ripening. If your tree has already been hit by fire blight, you will need to prune out the affected shoots at least several inches below the damaged area. Be sure to sterilize your clippers between cuts and burn cuttings. . Pear trees bloom and bear fruit on the sharp, short spurs that grow between its branches, older spurs should be removed occasionally to be replaced by more vigorous young ones. Too many spurs will result in small fruit, thinning will let the remaining fruit grow larger. Think about how you want your pear trees to look and set a three-year plan to get them into that shape and size.
First year: remove damaged, crossing or crowded limbs, suckers need to be removed as soon as you notice them.
Second year: Thin out the tree some more and bring down some of the height.
Third year: thin out branches some more and cut down to the desired height. (Burn all trimmings)
-- Fire blight on apples and pear trees
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