Garden Checklist & Merry Christmas!

Good Morning!
Even though it's the Festive season there are still little things you can be doing in the garden.
Oh and I know this post is a day late ... let's blame it on the festivities lol

1. Planting - The ground is still warm due to the unseasonal weather so you still have chance to plant or relocate any shrubs, roses, trees and hedges. This is also a good chance to check any plants that are currently needing support if you are experiencing windy weather too!

2. Winter Pruning - If your looking for a few jobs to do this side of Christmas then giving your Acers, Birches and Vines a prune is a good thing to do! Pruning will allow you to to create shape and get rid of any dead bits.

3. Summer Flowering Bulbs  - I know that Summer is the last thing on everyone's minds with Christmas in just a few days, but why not start deciding which Summer flowering bulbs
(such as Dahlia's and Gladioli) that you'd like next year whilst the widest choice is available. 

Also if you haven't done so already, order next years seeds!
The sowing season will soon be upon us!

Dahlia 'Cafe Au Lait' from my garden in 2014

4. Lawns - Keep off your lawns in frost and wet weather as walking over the grass can damage the grass and result in unsightly patches.

5. Greenhouse - With the extremely mild weather, Botrytis (Grey Mould) can be more of a problem undercover in GH's that have insulation as ventilation isn't as good as when your GH isn't insulated. Make sure you check your plants daily, I have been finding newly affected plant material each time I take a look and remove any of the diseased material straight away. When watering make sure you do it sparingly and try not to catch any of the plants foliage to limit infection.

6. Climbing Plants - Plants such as Ivy, Virginia Creeper and other climbers that are growing on houses can have a little trim if they are approaching windows and guttering. Also check that Climbers elsewhere in the garden are tied into their supports.

7. Autumn / Winter Bedding - Check over any bedding that you have for signs that it is past it's best. Most of my Viola's were looking tired and had caught Black Spot this week so it was time to transfer them to the compost bin! Replace any tired plants with fresh bedding or winter flowering shrubs ... a perfect excuse for a trip to the garden centre! 

As mentioned in my last checklist Primroses can be instantly cheered up by removing fading / discoloured leaves and dead - heading. 

8. Clean Up - Finally if you don't have any of these jobs above to do, keep up with clearing any fallen leaves on lawns and ponds to reduce the spread of disease and give any dirty pots and trays a good clean, it's not the most exciting job but when it comes to sowing seeds and potting on next year good plant hygiene is a must for successful growing!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
For as long as you keep reading I shall be back with the Checklist & Problem Area posts next year along with some more snaps of my Garden, Plants and other Gardening topics next year ... 

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Along with the few things I mentioned over the past couple of weeks, there are a couple of other bits and bobs you can be getting on with in the garden too.

1. Primroses - If like me, you have Primroses in your garden you may have noticed that in the past week or so the leaves are looking a little worse for wear. Give your Primroses a tidy up by removing any yellowing / damaged leaves along with faded flower heads. You can also divide Primroses if they are becoming congested. This job will only take half an hour or so and the finished look is much more appealing to look at!
The same can also be done to Hellebores if any of the leaves are showing signs of Black spot.

2. Winter Bedding - If you have any pots of Winter Bedding and the temperatures are set to get really cold, move the pots to a sheltered position until the temperatures improve.
We've had lows down to 1c at the start of last week and highs of 11c last weekend!
You can also use Cloches to protect any Winter Veg that you may be growing.

3. Asparagus  - If you are growing Asparagus in your garden now is the time to cut down the plants, the same can be done for the tops of Jerusalem Artichokes.

4. Greenhouse - Over in the Greenhouse along with the usual checking over of plants for signs of pests & diseases, you can bring pots of bulbs under cover to force them to produce early blooms, resulting in some Winter colour for your GH or inside your home. 

5. Houseplants - Finally if you have any Houseplants on your windowsills and temperatures are set to get low over night, move them out of the window in the evening to help keep them at a more suitable temperature.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Here's a few things you can be doing in your garden over the coming days.

1. Lawns - Autumn is the time to give your lawn a little bit of maintenance! One of the things you can do after mowing is give it a good rake through to remove any moss that has built up, trust me there will be soon! This will improve the health of the lawn. You can also aerate it with a fork and remove any weeds you see growing through.

2. Planting - Autumn is a good time to get plants in the ground before winter. The ground is still warm over the next couple of weeks so if you have any evergreens, hedging or shrubs sitting around waiting to be planted, now is the time to do it.

On the flip side of this now is the time to dig up and move any tender perennials that need protection of winter before the frosts come! We've already had a couple of light frosts this week.
You can also lift and divide any congested Perennials and re-plant in various areas of the garden!

3. Healthy Plants - To keep your plants healthy keep checking them over for anything that can prevent them happening. For example as you can see below there are some faded flower stems that need pulling out and a sneaky snail that has climbed into one of the flowers!

Alstroemeria - Inca Ice 'Koice'

4. Harvest - Plants such as Chilli's are still ripening and ready to harvest, snip them all off once they are ready and store in a freezer if you won't be using them right away.

5. Over Wintering - If like me you are over wintering various plants, I like to reduce them in size around about now, such as with my Pelargoniums. In my personal experience I find by reducing the amount of foliage it helps prevent the chances of grey mould, which in a bubble-wrapped greenhouse can occur quickly. It also reduces the amount of water the plant needs to take in and the energy it uses. You can also re - pot into smaller pots if you are tight on space.

6. Roses - Keep collecting fallen rose leaves from around the plants base, especially if they are affected with blackspot. If they are left the spores can lay in the ground and raise the chances of the plant getting blackspot next year. 

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
As promised at the start of the week I am back today with my Checklist!
Here's some bits and bobs you can be getting on with in your garden ...

1. Roses - Now is a good time to take cuttings of your favourite Roses!
First off you need to make sure that you select a fresh healthy stem from this years growth to use as your cutting material. Make your cutting approx 25cm long, cutting with your secateurs above a bud at the top (removing the shoot tip) and just below a bud at the bottom. You can insert 3 or 4 cuttings into the same pot filled with gritty compost, leaving in a shady spot for about a year until the cuttings have rooted.

2. Leaf Mould - Leaf mould is fantastic for mulching plants, Hellebores love it, and it's also great to include when making your own Compost mixes. However it's not that easy to come by and the best way of getting some is by making it yourself! All you need to do is to collect fallen leaves and place them into a tied black bin bag, with some holes pierced through by a garden fork. Store somewhere out of view, e.g. behind a shed or Greenhouse and in about a year all of the leaves will have rotted down. If you want to collect pine needles it's a good idea to keep them in a separate bag as these will adjust the acidity level. Making them great for plants that need Ericacious conditions!

3. Winter Baskets - Yes it's time to start planning your Winter Baskets! You will have noticed that Summer baskets are starting to look a little tired now so it's time to make your mind up about what to put in them next! I always like to plant up a variety of Bedding and small Shrubs to provide varied interest. This year I am thinking of using some small Conifers, Broze Carex, Skimmia, large Cyclamen, Primroses and Violas ... to name just a few!

Winter baskets can also be used as "Evergreen Baskets" where they provide interest all year, only needing a tidy up every so often and the compost replacing each year to two, depending on what you use. I have some myself containing Ivy, Box and Primroses, with some Dwarf Daffs thrown in to. However I am tempted to replace the box with small conifers sometime soon.
This is what they looked like in February this year when I planted them up.

4. Under Cover - Now that the temperate is dropping it's time to bring tender plants under cover, such as citrus and potted Agapanthus. Check the plants over for any signs of pests before bringing in. If storing in an un-heated greenhouse it's always a good idea to insulate it with bubblewrap to help keep heat in. Before you do this however it's wise to give the GH a good clean to help get rid of any pests that want to over winter in there too!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's time again for my Weekly Garden Checklist,
Okay, let's get started!

1.Plant Out Bedding - Fingers crossed all the risk of frost has passed and you have been hardening off your bedding plants in preparation to be planted out! Well now you can do so along with any other new additions. As you can see here I have planted out some Salvia's which were cuttings that I took last year, I have added the Copper Ring just to give them a little helping hand.

2. Lift Bulbs - If like me you need the space where Spring Bulbs have been you can lift them. Make sure you remove the soil from the roots and leave them somewhere dry where the foliage can continue to die back. Once it has give them a final clean and you should be able to store them in a paper bag until planting out once again. 

3. Trim Topiary - If you have some Box plants in your garden they will be needing a haircut. You might not think it at first seeing as the growth can creep up but as you can see from the following pictures it makes a difference! 

4. Deadhead - Over in the Greenhouse my Pelargoniums are producing some lovely blooms, however you do need to check daily for faded flowers and remove them. This will help the plant focus all it's energy on new blooms. Once these plants flower you can also start giving them a weekly liquid feed.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1. Pruning - Now is the time to get on with pruning certain shrubs, such as Buddleja. Prune these hard down to the base to encourage fresh new growth this year. You can also prune Hardy Fuschia's and Bush Roses at this time.

2. Old Flower Stems - Along with pruning you can also remove the old flower stems from Sedum plants. Not only will it make the plant look much tidier but you'll also be able to see the fresh growth coming through.

3. Summer Bedding - I know it may seem early to think about it, but Garden Centre's are selling Summer Bedding Plug Plants now which not only are they cheaper to buy, but also you will be able to take cuttings from them to create even more by Summertime. This is what I did last year and it helps save the pennies!

4. Deadhead - Keep on with the deadheading, just removing a few discoloured petals can make a whole lot of difference and why not prolong Spring flowers as long as you can.

5. Temperatures - Finally just a tip that it's always good to keep an eye on temperatures and ventilation, my Greenhouse has been heating up during the day, regularly to 20-30c what with all the sunshine we've been having, so it's good to make sure that you as much ventilation available that you can. Even if it's just for an hour a day due to work, it's better than nothing. 

Don't forget to close it all up properly on a night though as we've also had plummeting temperatures too!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

Well I bet you didn't expect to see a Garden Checklist post so early in the year, truth be told neither did myself lol However I had a few things to do around the garden these past few days so thought I might aswell list them for all of you, incase you needed to do them too.

1. Cut back Hellebores - It isn't essential and not every one does this,
but I like to.
January is a good time to cut old Hellebore leaves down to the ground when the new flower buds are showing. This helps the new growth get as much light as possible and also lessens the risk of disease. Here is a photo of the tidy up half way through, you can see it looks much more visually pleasing too.

2. Cyclamen - If you have been keeping Cyclamen in an un-heated conservatory like me recently, you might want to consider moving them into the Greenhouse. Due to the lower temps we've been having and heavy frosts it's been a bit too cool for mine in a north facing conservatory, but a day after moving them into the GH they perked up.
Also don't forget to remove any yellow leaves or signs of mould on the plants, it can soon take over!

3. Greenhouse Plants - Sticking with the Greenhouse theme it's also a good idea to look out for yellowing leaves on other plants such as Pelargoniums and Auriculas. Removing them as soon as you see them will benefit the plant and it's a good idea to check them as often as you can.

4. Feathered Friends - If your feeling the cold then you can bet that our feathered friends will be too. If possible why not set up a bird table or simply hang up a feeder with some feed in for them?
Bread is okay but other food stuffs such as Winter bird seed, Apples that are past their best and Chopped up Raisins, Currants & Sultanas are better for them, Robin's even like small piece of mild cheese! You can also buy specialised suet blocks with added extra's such as mealworms as you can see here.
Also don't forget to keep an eye on small ponds & bird tables, water can soon freeze over limiting their water supply.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

I know it's a little late this week ,so i'l get on with the Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Remove Yellow Leaves - If like me you are over - wintering some Pelargoniums, make sure you remove any leaves that are starting to turn yellow or have fallen off.

2. Ventilation  -Even though the days are cooler it's always good to keep your Greenhouse door open throughout the day to provide good ventilation for your plants. Failure to do so can cause grey mould which will spread very quickly. Just don't forget to close it back up again on a night!

3. Leaves - Keep collecting fallen leaves for Leaf Mould. Even if it is just once a week you'll be glad you did it come next year.

4. Slugs - With all the wet weather recently it seems the slugs are starting to make more of an appearance! Keep checking your Outdoor Pots and Greenhouse's, I've had a few sneaky slugs finding there way into my GH recently! 

5. Enjoy - Even though there aren't our usual summer displays at this time of year it does give you the ability to look at your garden and enjoy the Evergreen Plants & Grasses, along with seeing which areas could benefit from even more permanent planting structures.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Auriculas ... Lot's Of Auriculas!

Good Morning!

Today's post is a little job that I managed to do a few days ago, yes even though it is November there are still some things you can do.

A few weeks ago my Grandad gave me some Auricula plug plants and it was time to pot them on last weekend. Ideally you should do this in early Autumn but you can still do it now if needed. Auricula's start putting new growth on in the Autumn so it's good to get small plants potted then. 

You can pot them on in either Teracotta or Teracotta coloured plastic pots. 

I like to use a mix of John Innes no.2 mixed with Horticultural Grit for the compost finishing off with a top layer of Grit.

TIP - When watering you only need about a teaspoons worth at a time and try to make sure you do not splash the leaves.

As you can see my collection spreads right across the top shelves of my staging. If I have counted correctly I have 40 plants and don't forget you can indeed split plants to create even more. It should certainly be a good display when they're flowering ... fingers crossed!

These can be kept outside during the winter but they do need protection from the rain as the leaves don't like getting wet. So until I manage to persuade my Dad to build me an Auricula Theatre (*hint hint* I hope you are reading this ... ) they will have to make do in the Greenhouse for now.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Clearing The Greenhouse ...

Good Morning!

Last week I decided it was time to give the GH a good clean after disposing of this year's Tomato Plants. This should hopefully get rid of any pests that were wanting to stay over winter!

I cleaned the outside and inside panels which would also help let more light in on winter days.

As you can see I have started putting my bubble insulation back up, I kept last years but gave it a good hose down before putting into place. I shall be adding the rest of the insulation soon.

At the far end you can see my collection of trays and pots, along with a few plants!

The Orchid on the left has since been moved into my conservatory but the Fuschia 'Black Prince' and White Cyclamen will hopefully be staying put over winter.

I have brought my Agapanthus under cover as it's not the hardiest of plants. You may get away with leaving it outside in a southern, sheltered garden but certainly not in mine!

TIP - When bringing plants in make sure you inspect each leaf and the container for any hitch-hiking pests!

I also brought in my Alstromeria which I re-potted and rid of old growth beforehand.

Over on the other side you can see the Staging which has my Pelargoniums on top as mentioned in my previous post, various cuttings, seedlings and a range of Alpines.

There are still some more plants to come in, such as my Abutilon & Chocolate Cosmos before the temperature drops so I may end up having to have another re-shuffle to fit things in! lol

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Botrytis - Check for Botyrytis or Grey Mould as you may know it by on your plants. With the warm yet damp weather this will spread easily amongst plants if not checked. Simply remove affected leaves as soon as you spot them.

2. Divide  - Now is the time to divide your perennials, not only does it help stop the plant become congested but you also get free extra plants! Tease the roots apart with two garden forks (pushed in the opposite direction) for large clusters.

3. Rose Cuttings - Take cuttings of your favourite roses now. You need a healthy shoot about 20-25cm long and cut it on a diagonal just above a bud. Place the cutting into the ground and leave for about 18 months, which by then the cutting should have developed a root system.

4. Clean the GH - If your GH is looking a bit empty and your ready to start bringing tender plants back in, make sure you give the GH a good wash, inside and out. This will help rid of any pests that have made themselves comfy during the summer months. Also don't forget to check the plants when bringing under cover so that you don't bring anything in!

5. Onions & Garlic - Now is the time to get Autumn planting Garlic & Onions planted! Just make sure you don't plant your Garlic in the same place as Leeks if you have grown them recently. 

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Greenhouse Catch Up ...

Good Morning!

It's been ages since I had something to share with you other than the Weekly Checklist, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to show you how things are looking in the Greenhouse now that we are in September!

The first thing that literally hits you as you walk in are the Tomatoes! 

The tomatoes on the left are a mix of Sungold, Alicante & Golden Sunrise. As you can see from my earlier remark one of the Sungold plants has some fruit hanging from the top of the pant which tap you on the head each time you walk in and out.

Admittedly they aren't looking their best and are on a serious tilt due to me having to move them up trying to fit some staging back in, but they still fruit wonderfully and at the end of the day that's all that matters!

These are the 'Golden Sunrise' Tomatoes which are a lovely bright yellow and the only variety I grew from seed myself this year. I have to say they are also my favourites!

 Over on the right are my three TomTato plants and I am rather impressed with the size and taste of the fruits. Considering the plant is grafted with a Potato plant I wasn't expecting the fruits to be too impressive but they reach a good size and have a lovely sweet taste. It'l be interesting to see if the Potato's fair as well when it comes to tasting them!

My Pepper plant seems to still be going strong and the peppers are full of flavour so I'l definitely be growing these next year along with my Cucamelon Plant which finished last week.

As I'd mentioned in my Checklists the Winter Bedding has arrived and been pricked out, here you can see the bottom shelf and on the left of the top is full of Primrose 'Rosebud' plants along with 5 Polyanthus plugs I saved from work. On the right of the top shelf are Bellis 'Pomponette'.

Not forgetting the trailing Viola 'Teardrops' which finally arrived last week.

Alongside the Viola's are Pelargonium cuttings which I took a few weeks ago and seem to be doing quite well.

Lastly if you turn the corner outside the Greenhouse you will see on the staging I have there that the Dianthus Plugs which arrived a few weeks ago seem to be doing well too.

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Pull Out Tired Annuals - Now that were reaching the end of Summer and experiencing rough weather some Summer Annuals will be looking past their best. Pull out tired bedding to give your garden and pots a tidier look. You can replace them with Wallflowers that are ready for planting out.

2. Prick Out Winter Bedding - You will have seen from my last post the Mail Order Winter Bedding is starting to arrive. If yours does make sure you prick it out straight away to give it the best chance.

3. Sow Herbs - Sow herbs such as Parsley now to keep you going through Winter.

4. Close the Greenhouse - Temperatures are starting to drop on a night now so keep an eye on the temperature where you are, and remember to close Vents / Windows on a night if it gets cold.

5. Apply Lawn Feed - Prepare the grass for Winter with a feed which will also help promote strong root growth.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Take Pelargonium Cuttings - Now is the perfect time to start taking cuttings from your Pelargoniums for next years plants or just to make sure you have a back up! To do this all you need to do is take some cuttings from new non-flowering shoots and put them into some pots of compost & vermiculite. Place somewhere light but not in direct light and within a few weeks they should have rooted!

2. Keep Sowing Vegetables - Although we are getting into Summer don't stop sowing! There are plenty of vegetables you can be sowing now for your salads such as Lettuce, Spring Onions, Radishes, Chard and plenty more. Sow direct  in 2 / 3 weekly batches to ensure a constant supply.

Here you can see some Lettuce seedlings next to my Leeks along with a patch above the Lettuce where I have sown some S.Onions & Radishes.

3. Sow Next Years Flowers - Carrying on the subject of sowing, now is the perfect time to get sowing for next year. Plants such as Foxgloves, Delphiniums & Lupins need to be sown now for flowers next year.

4. Keep Pinching Out Cordon Tomatoes - Ensure that you keep on pinching out tomato side-shoots, keep checking everyday as if left alone they can soon grow and take up the plants energy. Also tomatoes are ripening now so make sure you pick them and enjoy!

5. Maintain your Greenhouse - With all this hot weather it is important to make sure that you keep on top of GH. Damp down the floor on hot days by spreading water floor in the morning and leaving the vents / windows fully open. You can also keep the door open on warm nights.

Also to help fight again GH pests hang yellow sticky traps for whitefly & Aphids.

I hope you have found this Checklist helpful!
Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX