WINTER CLEANING
Many of us were caught off guard by this week’s cold snap and may not have had time to prepare the garden before the snow and ice arrived.
Once temperatures rise again, check for damage among your plants. If you grow semi-hardy crops, such as celery, they may have fallen victim to the cold.
But if they have survived, protect them with a layer of straw before more freezing temperatures arrive.
If you are growing tender plants like bananas (Musa basjoo) or tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica), hopefully they have withstood the brief cold blast. Now is the time to wrap them in horticultural fleece or straw-filled burlap.
If you haven’t dug up your dahlias yet, you may have lost some. But if you’re in more temperate areas, you can get away with leaving them in the ground over the winter with a thick layer of organic mulch on top.
Check tubers you have already lifted for signs of rot or decay. Shake off the soil and cut the stems back to a couple of inches, then store them in a cool, dry, frost-free environment until next spring.
Turnips and parsnips benefit from frost to convert starches to sugars, but lift some now in case the ground freezes too much to dig them up.
After the cold snap, check your plants for damage. If you grow semi-hardy crops, such as celery, they may have fallen victim to the cold.
RECYCLE PRUNING
Turn tree and shrub pruning into a dead hedge (pictured)
A good way to reuse tree and shrub prunings is to turn them into a dead hedge.
Make some stakes from straight branches by cutting a tip at one end and stick them into the ground in two rows about 45cm to 60cm apart. Fill the gap with pruning.
It is a habitat for wildlife and can be used to support climbers such as honeysuckle.
A CHRISTMAS GIFT
If planted now, hyacinth bulbs will bloom in the new year.
Hyacinth bulbs in a pot make a nice Christmas gift. If planted now, they will bloom in the new year.
Place three to five in a pot filled with compost, with the “nose” facing up and sticking out of the soil. Leave 5 cm between bulbs.
Fill the spaces between the bulbs with moss and decorate with pine cones. Water lightly and then store in a dark place until the big day.
PLANT OF THE WEEK
CYCLAMEN HEDERIFOLIUM ‘ALBUM’
For an elegant display, fill a terracotta planter or pot with Cyclamen hederifolium ‘album’ (pictured)
For an elegant display, fill a terracotta window box or pot with this white-flowered, ivy-leaved cyclamen which has an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
In autumn, this tuberous perennial produces attractive foliage, veined with silver-green and pure white flowers that grow to about 10cm tall.
It also does well in a rock or gravel garden and will tolerate dry shade under trees, although it prefers moderately fertile soil rich in humus.
READER QUESTION
What trees can I plant in my garden for their ornamental bark?
Lynn Rogers, Peterborough.
Paperbark maple (Acer griseum)
The paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is a small, deciduous tree with copper-red peeling bark that peels off to reveal a lighter color underneath.
The Himalayan silver birch (Betula utilis) has luminous white bark that stands out in winter. You can clean it with a damp cloth and soap to make it look even brighter.
‘Fascination’ is a lovely variety. The multi-stemmed Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula) is ribbed with dark red satiny bark.