THE MAKE OVER WINDOW.

Now is the time for all those big ideas you’ve been having about your outdoor space . Popular television may give the impression that a total make over can be transformed when and ever we wish. This is miss-guided , the months of the growing season are exactly that and the time for whole sale changes is now , whilst nature is sleeping . Why is this?

The answer is simple , plants. By moving plants in dormancy , you allow a period when they are not under any pressure to photosynthesise , create food stores or take up large quantities of water. Without these pressures a plant can concentrate on establishing its root system and when the spring comes , a head start will have been achieved. Further to this , if any hard landscaping is to be undertaken , ground disturbance around established plants will not cause any immediate stress and allow a period of recovery. Any small trees and shrubs that are considered to be in the wrong place , November is an excellent time to move them.

The golden rule is to take as much root ball as possible . To achieve this , dig a trench around the plant , the position of this trench is dictated by the foliage . In other words , the trench should always sit outside the area that is shaded by leaves. The depth of the trench becomes apparent once any sign of roots has disappeared , it is then a gentle rocking of the plant can be done. You will find that eventually the plant will come loose , at this point slide Hessian under the root ball and wrap around. The plant is now ready for transplanting to its new location . When replanting , fertilise , make sure the backfilled soil is firmed and then water in.

Now your transplant has the rest of the winter to get itself comfortable. As for non-woody plants (i.e. Herbaceous plants) , the onset of winter provides an excellent opportunity for doubling your money . They can be dug up and using two garden forks back to back , can be split in half or even quarters! Then replant some sections and give the rest away . As all gardeners will tell you , if you want to keep a plant , give some of it away! This means you’ll always be able to ask for some of it back. Practising this treatment of herbaceous plants also has the benefit of preventing overcrowding , and inducing vigour.

Lets mention the fickle subject of lawns , if I had a penny for every time some one asked me how can I improve my lawn , I’d have £8.50 by now . Only joking , but for those of you trying to grow decent grass , now is good time to give it a boost. Firstly , use a lawn rake to remove all the thatch , thatch is a layer of dead grass underneath the green surface , drag the rake over the lawn and you’ll be stunned to see the amount of straw like material that will appear. Now , use a garden fork to spike the entire area , by spike I mean push the fork tines all the way in and do this every ten centimetres , length and breadth. Now apply an autumn / winter feed , commonly found in garden centres and containing Phosphorus , which is beneficial for root growth.

For you real enthusiasts , brush round washed (not crushed) sand into the lawn surface , this will aid drainage , an essential factor in lawn health. As always the end of my word allocation cometh , so here’s some rapid fire tips. Allotment holders , double dig your plot and add a good organic fertiliser. Those of you wanting spring colour , this is your last chance to plant bulbs , just! This is a good tip for people with container gardens , also why not plant winter Pansies and Wallflowers over the top of the bulbs , you’ll be happy you did come the spring.

Finally , if you are planning a do-it-yourself make over this winter , you can always seek advice from books , good luck though , there’s hundreds of them and for once I don’t have the bottle to make a commitment. 

Express yourself - English Cottage Gardening.

Gardening really is about self expression and there is no greater group of gardeners that love to do this than the ones that occupy this land. The methods come in many forms but the greatest is that that can be described as ‘cottage gardening’ Some purists may disagree and see this type of gardening as being governed by a set of rules , like , for instance , the way colours are blended or how shapes and forms are fused together.

For those of you that are free from such restraints , cottage gardening is for you. Let yourself be the maker of the rules , its your space so experiment , do what takes your fancy and create something that people will notice , comment on and even gasp at. One major advantage that a hap hazard approach to gardening has , is it is not confined by space. Even if you have no garden at all , a collection of hanging baskets on an outside wall , brimming with spring or summer bedding plants , entwined with herbs and even a climbing summer Jasmine can bring your small area of the outside world to life. Bedding plants , available at this time of year , are a fast track way to providing an array of colour and foliage.

They are greedy plants as far as water is concerned , so some footwork is required , but look out for the many new drought tolerant bedding plants that the horticultural industry has been busy producing. For those of us with more space , the plants for me that encapsulate a feeling of British summer gardening are both the Herbaceous perennials and the Hardy annuals. Herbaceous plants such as Delphiniums and Rudbeckias are majestic in appearance and can mingle with the rest of the garden occupants with ease. However , for me the production of a Hardy annual border , from seed is an incredible way to create a sunny colourful cottage style garden. Even if you have no borders , try sowing these seed in large containers.

To identify the type of seed you are looking for , when visiting the garden centre , look for the initials HA on the packets. You will see there is an array of seed packets with these markings and the front of them will be embossed with colourful pictures enabling you to get an idea of the type of plant you are getting. These seeds are then sown straight into the ground , usually covered with a light sprinkling of soil and then watered in.

Sow different varieties in lines and in different directions as this will help you tell them apart from each other and weeds upon germination. Once they are away keep an eye on irrigation , weeding and staking and watch the magic happen! 

BEST MATES.

Companion planting seems to be much used and trendy word in the world of gardening , but what does the term actually mean? The term is used to describe the growing of different plants together for the benefit of one or both. The technique is often , perhaps misguidedly , thought of as a method for pest and control. Yes , companion planting can be used for this end , but the concept of blending plants can mean far much more.

Lets , look first at how the term got its name. You are growing vegetables and are being given grief by legions of Aphids and Cabbage White Butterflies . One method of control is to interplant. Aphids may be deterred by the planting of French Marigolds and the good old Nasturtium will act as a decoy for the hungry Cabbage white Caterpillar , thus leaving your Brassicas in peace. Mixed planting in back gardens and even container gardens has major benefits and makes excellent use of any space . My much touted love of pottage gardening , is an excellent example of companion planting. With herbs , vegetables , fruit and ornamental flowers being grown in unison. Note also , if growing food is your goal , remember to interplant with some flowering plants , as these will encourage pollination . Plus , looks pretty good too! It is in natural world though that the true nature of community planting comes to life and there are some vital lessons to be learnt in our own application of plant husbandry.

Plants are communal beings , and their survival is often dependent on the other plants around them . Forests are the best example of this. Here , plants operate in tiers , with the larger trees forming the top story , smaller trees forming the second story , shrubby plants creating a third story and then herbaceous and ground cover plants filling the forest floor.

All these plants will be protecting each other in some way , either by protection from bright sunlight or entrapping the run off of rain. This is inspiration for are own companion garden , that can be achieved in a back garden or even an indoor container garden. Choose a small tree , a Mountain Ash (Sorbus) can be are over story , under plant this with a Japanese Maple (Acer) , its delicate leaves will need protecting from strong sunlight , then fill in the space around them with Hosta , Berginia , and Lamium. All of which are ground hugging herbaceous plants found commonly in garden centres.

This ground layer has extra benefits for the gardener , it will keep the weeds suppressed , saving a lot of hard work! Also try doing the same style of planting indoors , use a big terracotta pot , and plant up with a large centre piece , such as a Rubber plant , under plant it with Ferns and Begonias , and plant Pipers or Ivy around the edge. Whether inside or out , using plants together as companions will make your gardening an easier task , but most importantly plants look better and look happier when allowed to socialise.