(Compiled by Lyn McCallum)
Remember to adjust your automatic sprinkler systems running off your wellpoint or borehole, taking into account the increased (hopefully!) rainfall.
Traditionally, winter is the month for pruning most shrubs and trees, but not the spring and summer flowering deciduous shrubs like spireas, mock orange and snowball bushes. Pruning these shrubs in winter will remove the wood where next season’s flower buds are growing. Check that your pruning equipment is in good working order. You can cause damage to trees and shrubs if you use blunt equipment. Take your clippers, loppers and pruning saw to your hardware store or garden centre to have them oiled and sharpened.
When pruning, remove any dead wood, thin out and shape the shrub. Remove any plain green branches on variegated shrubs. Summer and autumn climbers that are overgrown and unruly should be tidied up with judicious pruning. On wisterias cut out any long canes, leaving short spurs with 2-3 buds each. For large trees it is perhaps a good idea to employ the services of a reputable, professional tree feller or arborist. He will be able to advise you on matters such as removing any potentially dangerous branches and lifting tree canopies to allow in more light and sun.
Hydrangeas can be pruned this month. Keep some of the prunings to take hardwood cuttings. Put the rest of the cuttings through a chipper and place on the compost heap.
To enhance the blue of hydrangeas, dust the soil around the bushes with sulphur 50 – 75g for each established plant (or use aluminium sulphate – 1tsp dissolved in 5l water, apply around base of plant). To enrich pink coloured bushes, sprinkle a small handful of dolomitic lime around each bush at the root zone. Then you can either wait for the winter rains to wash these applications into the soil, or give the ground a good soaking with your hose.
Make sure that your spring bulbs are kept moist, especially if our expected rainfall does not materialise. Feed with a foliar feed such as Nitrosol, Organiksol, Seagro, , or Hadeco Bulb Food, about once every 2-3 weeks.
Pinch out the first flowers from annual bedding plants such as pansies, violas, primulas, stocks, calendulas etc. This will encourage branching and bushy growth, and will also help the plants to produce more blooms. Once the plants are flowering freely, remember to deadhead, which will prolong their flowering period. Feed every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer – Nitrosol, Organiksol, Seagro etc. Winter flowering perennials such as Hellebores and Bergenias should also be fed every 3-4 weeks with a liquid food. Deadhead regularly and keep the beds free from weeds. Slugs and snails abound at this time of the year. Go out at night and check your plants with a torch and hand-pick these nasties and dispose of them. The alternative is to use a “safe” snail bait, such as Ferramol – natural slug and snail bait. According to the information on the packet, the snails eat the bait, which causes them to stop feeding, and they eventually die.
Sweet peas should have germinated by now! As the climbing varieties get taller, help their tendrils up the stakes by tying gently with soft string at intervals. Feed with Organiksol, Bounce Back, or Rapid Raiser.
During winter your lawn will not need to be mowed more than once every 2 – 3 weeks, depending on weather conditions. Take this opportunity to have your lawnmower serviced. Check the blades and either have them sharpened or replaced. Check the spark plug on motor mowers and, on electric mowers, ensure that the electric cord is still in safe working order. Waterlogged lawns should be spiked to a depth of 5 – 8 cm, using a large garden fork, to help improve drainage. If the blades of grass start to show signs of fungus growth – usually brown spots on the blades, water with a solution of condies crystals 1 teaspoon dissolved in 5litres of water. Rake up fallen leaves on the lawn and use to make leaf mould.
Winter is a good time to move roses. Cut the bush back hard and dig up carefully, keeping as much soil around the root ball as possible. If you are going to replant in a place where another rose bush was growing, it is a good idea to remove the old soil and replace it with some soil from a Garden Centre – Rose and Shrub Mix is suitable. Do not prune your roses until late July or early August.
Before we are hit by more winter gales, it would be a good idea to check your plants and tie up any that may be damaged by wind. Use old pantyhose, hessian webbing or any other material that will not damage the soft stems or bark of the plant. If you use rope or wire, put these in a length of old hosepipe to protect the stem of the plant. After strong winds, check your garden and cut down any broken branches, before they tear the plant, or fall on anything growing under it, causing more damage.
In winter, indoor plants do not need watering as often as in summer. Most indoor plants do not like cold water, so use slightly warm water when watering. Remember, overwatering will damage your plants, so make sure that the pots are not standing in saucers full of water. Feed your winter flowering indoor plants such as calceolarias and cyclamen with a suitable indoor plant food. Cyclamen will benefit from being put outside at night – they like the cold!
Feed your vegetable plants at regular intervals – about every 3 – 4 weeks, with Nitrosol, Organiksol, Bounce Back, or Rapid Raiser. You could also use a “tea” made from Bounce Back or Rapid Raiser: Measure 500ml of Bounce Back and put in a 10 –15 litre bucket. Top up with water and mix well. Cover tightly and let it stand for a few days, stirring occasionally. Keep the lid on, otherwise the smell will attract flies! Dilute the resultant liquid until it is the colour of weak tea, and water your vegetables. Carrots will benefit from an application of epsom salts – 1 teaspoon dissolved in 5 litres of water. This will improve their growth and make them taste sweeter. Keep weed growth down and check for slugs and snails regularly.
Now is a good time to lift and divide rhubarb plants. Using a sharp spade, cut the plant into sections and replant. Water in well with Kelpac, which will help the plants recover from the shock!
During rainy periods, when it is too wet to garden, take the opportunity to tidy your garden shed and greenhouse; or you could stay indoors, light a fire, snuggle up in a comfortable armchair and read a good book!
