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A happy gardening year to everyone! Let us hope that the weather
is kinder this year to compensate for 2011.
 January
is a good month to sit back and take stock of last year’s triumphs
and disasters and get inspired for the new season.
Appraise your beds and borders and decide what to move, throw out or
keep and increase; it is also time to think about any new projects,
maybe raised beds, a pond, new borders, or invest in a new
greenhouse, and it gives us time to make a start on the basic work
before the busy spring days.
Take advantage of any fine January days to complete any jobs which
the wet autumn prevented. On a still day spray dormant fruit trees
and bushes, preferably with an organic spray to kill off any
over-wintering pests. It is also time to give the greenhouse a
thoroughly good clean. Wash the glass inside and out with a mix of
vinegar and water to help prevent the growth of mildew and ensure
maximum light in the spring and get rid of all the pests enjoying
winter indoors.
At the same time have a blitz in the garden shed and get rid of all
the clutter. Make a resolution not to keep anything “that might be
useful at a later date” and you will feel that you have achieved
something worthwhile.
Don’t forget to drain and lag outdoor taps and exposed pipes to
prevent expensive bursts and a lot of very cold water to clean up,
and put the hosepipe inside at the same time.
After all the strong winds of late, check the ties on trees and
bushes, especially late planted ones; retie as necessary and firm in
the roots.
If you like forced rhubarb, now is the time to mulch it with well
rotted manure or compost and cover some of the best crowns, ideally
with new shoots, with large pots or a leaky plastic barrel for a
succulent early crop. Before you go indoors after all the cleaning,
take a gentle stroll around your garden, and your neighbours’ if
possible, and count bushes and potted plants. You will be surprised
after the wet dark but relatively mild November how many you find. I
counted 14 on December 4th – surely Spring is near. You might even
find some brave very early snowdrops in a sheltered corner.
When you walked around flower counting - don’t dare say that you
couldn’t be bothered - did your garden look very wintry and
uninteresting? Why not drop a few hints for some late Christmas
presents and pay a visit to the garden centre for some winter
flowering plants.
Hellebores last longest and are worth a place in any garden. Most of
them flower from late January to April.
Helleborus Niger, better known as the Christmas Rose, isn’t usually
in flower at Christmas in the north of England but generally flowers
between January and March.
The taller growing varieties, about 18 inches, flower at various
times through the winter months; they are very tough and require
very little attention. If possible plant in a part of the garden
where they will be in clear view throughout the winter. My favourite
is the Corsican Green Hellebore, Hellebore Argutifolius. It is
evergreen with cup-shaped lime green flowers about 2 inches across.
All varieties of Hellebores have lovely bright yellow stamens, a
bonus when the winter sun shines on them. They are in a wide range
of colours from deep plum purple to white, and some have cream and
red freckled flowers, others purple outer petals/ green inside. If
you leave the flowers and let them seed in situ, they will grow
readily for young plants to replant.
Happy gardening in 2012, and may all the weeds be little ones!
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