October Gardening News
And there it was gone, the summer just upped and left, making way for autumn. By early September many plants looked close to surrender as the dry weather thumped them and there was a fair amount of early leaf fall. The gardens have been reasonably productive, even without the rain. The beans have been ok, the French in particular have been amazing, but everything has needed to be kept tightly picked. My real joy this year has been with Aubergines, which have been fantastic and tomatoes which have been so flavoursome. I don’t do too much feeding, so the plants really have to work on finding what’s there. I really believe that taste can be compromised by too much feed. Most mornings I have had tomatoes on toast for breakfast. If you are chasing bigger crops then feeding is important, but I am talking about my domestic needs and I need flavour. This month, we will be pulling out the stops to get the bulbs in and pad the borders and containers with the next offering of bedding plants. Pansies and violas to bring some winter colour and wallflowers and biennials as an investment for the spring. There are plenty of bulbs about and with careful management of the flowering times, very extended shows can be achieved, with selected varieties offering colour from early February into May. There are bulbs for every setting, statuesque sentinels for open space, with a little protection and dwarf forms for the breezy spots. In the vegetable area, you can be planting out onions, garlic and shallots as well as spring cabbage plants and by the end of the month broad bean seed for over wintering. As always there is some tidying up to do, a good final cut of the lawn and a repairing prune of overgrown trees and shrubs to lessen the risk of winter damage through rough weather. This is also a month for new planting or relocation of trees and shrubs as they move into dormancy. The disruption will be minimal, many items not even noticing they’ve moved. You can also consider propagation by division, putting the spade through perennial favourites to expand stock, a clean slice through a clump will make you to extend displays. Such division can also be used on rhubarb crowns to increase the crop. And finally, lift and shift dahlia tubers and other tender plants moving them into some shelter, early frosts can be brutal. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
The darkness shrank and the light swept back across the land. A new spring has arrived and nature unperturbed by the turbulence of an interesting year, just moves forward. Buds have filled and are poised for the new start. Hazel catkins flicked lazily in the breeze above daffodils, snowdrops and crocus which all performed well, leaving the stage to the imminent tulip and bluebell festival. The weather continued to test delivering a challenging mix of hot and cold, the spiteful wind testing the fashion choice on an hourly basis. Meanwhile the early cherries perform, naked stems festooned in droplets of colour. It has been cold but so uplifting. The early sowing has germinated, more seed is sown and the first round of transplanting is done. Things are wanting to grow, I have lettuce and cabbage ready to go out and sweet peas standing proud in the ground already. Broad beans are surging ahead and I will plant more together with some peas in the coming days. This is a good month for seed sowing and germinated this month you will have good plants ready for May. You can get all of your potatoes in the ground now if you haven’t already done so and there is still time for Onions, garlic and shallots. April is also a good month for summer bulbs, so Dahlias, Gladioli and Lilies can be popped straight in, they do come in a range of sizes, so don’t allow limited space to deny you the chance to play. Be aware that there some very interesting, lesser known bulbs that are worth a space too. Freesia, Montbretia and ranunculus are available and if you fancy something different then take a look at Tigridia and Eucomis, both of which bring a sense of the exotic. I have already earmarked some for my own garden. Tigridia brings a carnival of colour to the border, whilst Eucomis, more muted in its colour is very regal. Do check them out. And finally, if nothing else consider the lawn. Most have had a very tough journey and the wet and warm has large swathes colonised by carpeting moss. I am not a big chemical treatment person, but there are products available to slow the moss if you want them. For my part I will be aerating (pronging) the ground with a fork to allow air in and then will deliver some feed later in the month. If nothing else get cutting. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
November Gardening News
The month of October offered prelude to the changing season and now autumn is upon us. Already the air carries the scent of aging decline, tumbled leaves litter the garden and there is a dampness to everything. I have already spent a good amount of time cleaning up. I think that the warmth and wet of the early season made for some luxuriant growth as I can’t really see where the leaves have come from. The month ahead is going to be busy. Apart from the cleaning up, November is a good planting month, especially if you need bare root items. There will hedging about shortly and in a state of near dormancy it will transplant smoothly. Formal and informal stock is about, with everything from native field plants, like hawthorn and maple to beech, and laurel. Soft fruit is about too, with I suspect many looking for raspberries, which generally have performed well again this year. And blueberries, which seem to have had big television exposure. Modern varieties do very well actually and can be grown in containers. Blueberries will prefer a slightly acidic condition, so consider using some ericaceous compost or in season a suitable feed. Roses too are about now and for many centres, offered for the first time since the lockdown. In the vegetable garden you can still be planting onions, garlic and shallots as well as rhubarb crowns. The shallots enjoy the cold, which encourages early division, delivering good clumps of bulbs in the spring. If you have not put in some overwintering broad beans, your hesitation has delivered you to the perfect moment. For the purposes of overwintering broad beans are best sown between the last week of October and the second week of November. Sown earlier you can end up with stalky plants before Christmas which will not enjoy cold weather. If you can offer some shelter then winter lettuce and oriental vegetables are also worth a go. On the flower front, get cracking and lift any bedding that you may wish to over winter, Pelargoniums, Begonias and Dahlias are salvageable ahead of the frost. They can be allowed to dry and then will need storing in a shed, garage or greenhouse. Or can be potted to bring late colour inside. And finally there is still time to pop in some over wintering bedding and bulbs, but you need to get a move on. Buy big plants in pots or 6 packs to ensure winter resilience. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
October Gardening News
That was the summer then and whilst the heat still lingers lightly, there is a real smell of autumn now. The night is sweeping in early and every day there is rubbish to clean up in the garden. The summer has been great for the gardener, with strong performances from so many things. The bedding has been stunning, and most vegetables have performed. Nature has of course repeatedly demonstrated it’s might, and we have had to wrestle with blackfly, caterpillars and a good raft of fungal issues, but on balance I thought things were good. The winter vegetables look promising too, with Sprouts and Purple Sprouting well on and Kale already being harvested. Where spaces appear in the vegetable plot we can be popping in over wintering onions and shallots, as well as garlic. Then towards the end of the month Aquadulce broad beans can be direct sown. They are worth the trouble and will bring an early crop to the table. If you have potted any potatoes for Christmas, bring them in against the side of the house. They will enjoy the shelter and the longer they grow the better the result. In the coming days there will be plenty of green waste, so tidy up your compost heap and if you feel particularly energetic strip it down to harvest this year’s compost and start again. Any recent garden waste can be introduced to the restart. The raking out of freshly made compost is very special and the material is perfect for digging into borders to give them a lift. The clearing and cleaning will also be happening in your flower borders too. Perennials want cutting back, tired bedding wants removing and overgrown plants can tied or tidied. Then you can commit to replanting. The winter bedding can all go in, so pansies, violas, wallflowers as well as sweet Williams, forget-me-nots and bellis daisies can all be planted. Make sure of some bulbs as well. There are some good bulbs to be found and as well as the usual daffodils and tulips, take a look at things like Alliums. The ornamental representatives of the onion family are very showy, offering border displays punctuated by bright drumstick heads of flower. And finally, as part of the big clean up, check fruit trees and consider greasing their stems to deter over wintering pests. Top fruit (apples, pears and plums) have all attracted the attention of pests this year and grease is the first step towards managing the 2021 visitor. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
April and the extended day makes the prospect of gardening more appealing. It has been a long and soggy journey and the ground is still wet, but somehow the extra light and the arrival of leaf lifts us and there is a desire to get on. The sudden lime green flash in hedgerows, almost overnight was like the flicking of a switch. Those with gardening in their veins have prepared and behind the scenes nurseries have plants ready to go. We need to get going and there is plenty to do. I will finish setting out potatoes in the coming days and know that onion sets and shallots will catch up quickly. There are Brassica plants about, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Summer sprouting can all be put out. As indeed can lettuce. If you can find a bit of light ground, then salad roots and carrots can all be run in from seed. If there isn’t a drier space anywhere than try growing your roots in deep pots. Radish, spring onion, beetroot and carrots can all perform well in pots and with a bit of planning you can create succession by sowing more in a fortnight. You can bring your vegetables right up to the back door. If the mood takes you can be sowing annuals now and some straight into the ground. Old fashioned cottage garden annuals like Candytuft, Nigella and cornflowers are a doddle. Scratch the ground with a rake and sprinkle the seed. Then just press the soil back. I am going to try broadcasting Cosmos in the same way. It is also time to be thinking of summer bulbs and tubers. I have a space prepared for Dahlias and the tubers can go into the ground towards the middle of the month. They are easy and prolific, though they will need some slug protection through the early weeks. Once you have them up they are a joy, delivering a bunch of cheer every day throughout the summer, up to the first frost. Every year I try to pop in one of the less used summer bulbs, last year setting out Tigridia (which were stunning), this year it’s the turn of Sparaxis. Known as the Harlequin flower, it shoots up quickly and delivers a palette of strong colours. Best of all it seems to cope with the wet. And finally, the green jungle that is your lawn, bays for your attention. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
March Gardening News
Wet, wet and a bit more for luck. My goodness we have had some rain. The ground is saturated, tough enough for gardeners, it must be a nightmare for farmers. It is very frustrating; you’ve really had to seize your moments to get out. Thankfully I did. I shifted a couple of shrubs, did some serious pruning and managed to sow a bit of seed. In the days ahead I will hope to finish pruning an apple tree and then I will hang out a Codling Moth trap. I had quite a bit of moth trouble last year, so a trap hung for two or three months will help to knock out adults ahead of mating. The beast is impossible to spray for and once the eggs are laid, trouble will follow, with emerging grubs diving into the bottom of young fruit and then eating their way out. I have some pricking out to do too, with cabbage and lettuce needing space. I will transfer them into a couple of seed trays for a few weeks and will hopefully have something fit for the ground around Easter. March is a really good month for sowing seed if you have space, you’ll need to be selective according to the space and protection that you can offer, but many things will grow now without extra heat. You can be sowing grass seed too, establishing new space or patching up old. It will germinate quite quickly and will be spurred by the changing of the clock to bring more light. You can continue to plant out onions, garlic, asparagus and rhubarb this month and they will be quick to show life. Towards the end of the month you can also get your potatoes into the ground and direct sow some salad vegetables. If you have any soft fruit or newly pruned roses, then a bit of top dressing with a general feed or even chicken pellets will be beneficial at the turn of the month. As the daffodils and winter pansies fade, you may want to bring some early colour back and many centres will have aubretia, pansies, anemones and violas to brighten the run up to Easter. And finally, consider growing the vegetable that you never have. Supermarkets do get plenty of bad press and certainly have a negative effect on the High Street, but they have created interest in a huge range of vegetables and many of them can be grown from seed at home. Try Celeriac or Kohl Rabi and sow it now. Re-join the adventure. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
October Gardening News
What a joy September proved to be, with some delightful days and a real awareness of autumn knocking. I do love the low, chill watery sunrises and the smell of the changing season that sneaks across the land after dawn. The weather though hasn’t knocked out the summer crops and many things have just kept on. The runner beans have been fantastic and all the leaf vegetables look strong, with the winter crops looking very robust indeed. Soft fruit has been terrific too, with raspberries in particular being really prolific. If you have enjoyed yours this year, do try to prune out the old fruiting growth this autumn to ensure good new fruiting stems for next year. With temperatures cooling it is worth taking stock and deciding if you want to preserve tender subjects by storing them away for the spring. Watch dahlias and geraniums in particular. As space appears in the borders, there’s plenty to be picked up to bring new colour. Winter pansies and violas are everywhere as are wallflowers, sweet William, chrysanthemums and many more over wintering bits. Bulbs are in plentiful supply and all can safely be set out in the coming days. There’s a chance to refresh tubs and baskets for winter colour too. This is also a good month to implement changes, to reshape borders, create patios and introduce new shrubs and trees. Cast a glance around and see what nature is doing for the autumn, spotting berries, the turn of foliage and even flowers as you ponder on the what to plant next. A good garden should hold your attention across every season and the idea of having colour at the turn of the year is worthwhile. Look at Viburnums, Mahonias, Winter honeysuckle, Sarcococca, Jasmine as starters. In the vegetable border, you can still pop in winter onions, shallots and garlic and at the end of the month over wintering Broad Beans. If you can find a bit of shelter then winter lettuce and Mizuna are useful for pepping up the salad. As always at this time there is plenty of maintenance work to consider too. Focus on keeping this safe and secure. Cut out heavy branches, thin crowded space and tie and strap plants to avoid breakage and uprooting. And finally, if you were teased by the talk of raspberries and want to try your luck next season, then pick up canes from garden centres next month. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
September Gardening News
So, that was summer then? What a strange month August proved to be, a real mish mash of unpredictable weather, that knocked over and knocked out. It tucked into everything above three feet, pushing over canes and cages and tumbling immature fruit. Not that the fruit issue worried me too much as pests have been active and every apple seems to have been visited by Codling moth grubs (the holes in the fruit announcing the departure of the overfed). Most things can be repaired though and the season of summer vegetables and flowers extended, with a prune, a bit of feed and the repair of support arrangements. Clip off the broken and damaged, even take out the tops of peas and beans and they will bounce back. Put your heel around winter veg to see it into the autumn. Sprouts and sprouting in particular will not deliver if they don’t have a firm hold. Have some net on hand too as the pigeons are already watching the domestic crop. Many gardeners are ready to move on and as we move into September, winter pansies and violas are back, as are many over wintering bedding items.Planting them now will set them up for a good performance through the darker months. There are some great autumn chrysanthemums and cyclamen around too and these will bring colour up to Christmas. Shelves are full of bulbs and it is worth buying this month whilst there is plenty of choice. Check out the labels when you buy, it is possible to create successions as varieties of many bulbs flower at different times. You can for example buy Daffodils and Tulips which are early, mid season and late flowering. So you can have colour from February to late April. If you like your bulbs it is worth the time. On the vegetable front, we are back in to the bulb season too, with Japanese onions, as well as shallots and garlic all appearing. You may still find a few greens about and it is worth trying your luck with Spinach, Chard and spring cabbage all of which can bring something else to the winter plate. And finally if you have space and nothing to do with it, then have a go with green manures. This is a range of vigorous plants, raised from seed which will quickly cover and smother the ground. The plants can be turned into the ground in the spring and as the name suggests improve it’s fertility. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
Another interesting month passes through, with days of extremes, biting wind, torrential rain, blistering sunshine and hail that lay like snow. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence and the gardeners twitched, hesitated and then did what they do and battled on, it being after all the start of another season. Certainly, you have had to have your wits about you and then the clocks changed. New light just makes so much difference and the extended day allows us to play. As always there is plenty of squaring up to do and the lawns need to be pulled back to order. I have just set out a bit of grass seed too. It will get going fairly quickly at this time of the year. I have only run in a bit of hardwearing seed, it’s cheap and it goes a long way, I always think that grass illustrates the magic of growing really well, with a bright green sheen sweeping out within a few to transform space. I do sometimes use turf (and that too will take easily now), but the magic is different. I am trying to liven up a few pots at the moment and garden centre seem to have plentiful supplies of good hardy plants around, especially those that are perennial or biennial (and so will do more than one season). This year in particular Anemones seem to be in plentiful supply and for all the implied tenderness of the foliage, this is a wonderfully robust family, offering a mix of very jolly, strong colours. I have made the space. In all of the excitement of that colour, I need to remind you, that the garden gate is open and there is much to do. You can be sowing seeds for all sorts and often in the open, just check the packets for confirmation and there are plenty of plants around too. A good range of leaf vegetable plants, so cabbage, cauli and lettuce are all safe as are broad beans and peas. If you haven’t already done it, then your potatoes can go in any day and there is still time to catch up with onions. Before we know it there will be bedding plants everywhere. And finally, please don’t buy Marrow or Runner Bean plants, it is far too early unless you are going to grow them on for a month in a greenhouse, which I will not be. Astonishingly I have already seen some on sale. May is early enough. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
November Gardening News
Isn’t it great when seasons actually deliver more or less what is expected? I felt that October worked and that the season had turned. There were a few cold nights, some beautiful misty dawns, the occasional bright watery days of sunshine and some very soggy rough moments. Things just got beaten up and then the colour started to tease through. The growth having been so luxuriant, I suspect we may be on for a long shutdown and a never ending clean up. I have been sweeping and clearing debris for a couple of weeks already. I am just glad that last month I managed to tidy and harvest from the compost bins. Luxuriant growth creates a bigger compost heap and composting is well worth the trouble. Just don’t make it too complicated. I tend to commit all green debris to the heap. Sorting and grading at this stage can be really tiresome. So, a few of the wrong bits make it through, well you soon spot them when you access the compost. I sieve mine and then reintroduce the lumpy bits to the heap even the brambles surrender eventually, and the exertion is great for body and soul. Oh yes, now where was I? Cleaning, tidying, clipping, anchoring, tying, disinfecting, and pressure washing are all on the agenda. Try to resist cutting the lawn, but if you are in the mood spike it with your fork. If you are up for gardening, then consider bigger planting now. Fruit trees, ornamentals, roses and soft fruit as well as hedging are all moving to dormancy and settle very quickly at this time of the year. In the case of trees it will be worth staking. You can still be titivating borders too and there are plenty of bulbs around as well as autumn bedding. The pansies have been great this year and are showing real promise for winter flower, many being laden with buds. In the vegetable space, you can consider Garlic, shallots and rhubarb as well as overwintering onions. If you can find some Perpetual spinach plants and kale are certain survivors for late planting. They are good fillers and a really useful fall back when other veg is scarce. Try some by the door in a pot, it saves marching off down the garden on a grotty day. And finally take a look at Tithonia, an old fashioned, little used bedding plant that belongs to the Sunflower group. It’s very jolly and I will be giving it a go next year for sure. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org