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Gardening
Winter gardening
Winter pruning
Pruning is much easier and more
effective if you have the right tools
for the job. If you are using secateurs
and find you have to twist, rather
than make a clean cut, you should be
using loppers. When you have to twist
your loppers, it’s time to reach for the
pruning saw.
Make sure you cut cleanly, rather
than allowing the branch to break,
to minimise the danger of disease
entering and remove the branch in
stages if necessary. Make the first cut
from below with larger branches, then
cut from above to meet the first cut.
Take cuttings
Winter is the time to take hardwood
cuttings, an excellent way to increase
your plants. Take cuttings 15 – 30 cm
long from recent growth, making the
cut just below a bud or pair of buds.
Remove soft growth from the top of
the cutting, using a sloping cut to
remind you which end goes upwards
and trimming to just above a bud.
Remove any leaves and bury the
bottom third of the cutting in a trench
that has been enriched with compost.
Make sure the trench doesn’t dry out
and be patient, as it can take a year
for a new plant to grow to a size you
can transfer to its final position.
Cuttings can be started in pots of
compost and kept in a cold frame,
to be moved to a trench in spring.
Buddleia, dogwood, cotoneaster,
forsythia, honeysuckle, weigela and
vibernum can all be propagated
successfully in this way.
Water
Outdoor pots and containers will
need much less water throughout the
winter but as our houses tend to be
warmer don’t forget indoor plants and
anything overwintering in under glass.
Take care not to overwater, as mould
can be a problem when it’s too cold to
ventilate the greenhouse.
If you have a pond with fish, don’t
hit any ice to break it as this will stun
the fish; instead leave a ball floating
on the surface, as breezes blowing it
around will stop ice forming.
Birds will need water in freezing
conditions – keep their bath topped
up with left-over warm water from the
kettle.
Time to get ready for spring
Clearing out the greenhouse is an
excellent chore for a cold, clear day.
Clean pots and seed trays and collect
seed labels. Sharpen your hoe with a
flat file in readiness for weeds to start
springing up. Make an early sowing of
leeks to give them as long a growing
season as possible. Keep fleece handy
for nights when a sharp frost is forecast
and add a thick covering of mulch
around the crowns of more tender
plants. Pour a nice cup of tea or coffee
and reach for those catalogues!
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