February is the month to…
As warmer weather approaches it is time to take a look at your garden and prepare it for the coming gardening year. Spring is just around the corner, and before all your plants begin to grow again it’s the ideal time to take a fresh look at your beds, tidy up the winter debris and move around or plant new specimens according to your planting plan.
Begin tidying old leaves left on herbaceous plants by cutting with shears, and rake out rubbish and leaves that have collected under shrubs. This helps prevent pests and disease harbouring in piles of rotting vegetation. Do bear in mind that weeds will still grow this time of year, especially if this month stays frost free and damp.
It’s an ideal time to plant any new bare-rooted specimens, such as deciduous trees and shrubs along with roses. These will benefit from the addition of slow-release fertiliser to the surrounding soil, which in turn should be applied to all your beds.
it is also time prune late-flowering clematis. These flower on the current year’s growth, so cutting the stems hard now will prevent plants becoming tangled and untidy. Cut back to the hard woody stems, removing any green growth from last year.
Since we have many frosty days this month, it’s a great time to find a comfy sea, a steaming cup of coffee and cake – and look through the seed, plant and landscaping catalogues to let your imagination run wild and decide how you can improve your garden this coming year.
Roll on Spring!
January is the month to…..
Forget about joining an expensive gym, a few hours of energetic tidying in the garden at this time of year will help you shed those excess pounds. Remember the colder it is the more calories you will burn just trying to stay warm!
Tidying also helps you discover hiding places for slugs and snails during the winter – a surefire way of reducing their numbers come the summer.
If soil is frosty or wet, try to avoid walking over beds as this can easily destroy the soil structure.
Continue planting dormant trees and shrubs in January and check that any newly planted shrubs have not been lifted up by the winter frosts. If so, use your heel to firm them back into the soil again.
In the event of heavy snowfall, carefully brush snow off conifers and evergreen plants to prevent the weight breaking any branches.
Happy new year to all gardeners from the team at eazitools!
Christmas tree survival guide
Fed up with needles on the floor? Read our guide to stop the drop, so your tree will make it to the 12th Night fully-clothed!
We buy eight million Christmas trees every year in this country – enough to fill a forest the size of 800 football pitches. But these days there is a wide range of varieties available to satisfy demand. The non-drop tree is worth the extra money but you can’t beat the smell of the traditional Norway Spruce.
You can make your tree what ever the variety last longer by looking after it’s two key needs: cool temperatures and plenty of water. Bringing it into the house early means it’s more likely to shed needles than if you stay with tradition and only bring it in on the 24th. And while it’s easy to forget to water the tree with all the excitement, if you don’t your pressies will be adorned with more than just wrapping paper on Christmas morning.
Top Tips to Stop the Drop:
1. Buy from a ‘choose-and cut’ plantation. Walk the rows of live trees, choose your tree and it’s felled for you. The British Christmas Tree Growers Association website lists sites near you – christmastree.org.uk
2. Try a pot-grown tree. Ideal if you only bring your tree in for the 12 days of Christmas, and you have somewhere cool to keep it. In January move it to a sheltered area outdoors and water well.
3. Inspect your tree before buying. Gently inspect the needles at the tip of the branches. If they fall off when you brush past them choose another tree.
4. Treat your tree like a cut flower. Saw off the bottom 2cm from the trunk and scar the bark on the lower part of the stem. This removes the sticky sap, which blocks up the stem, letting the tree absorb more water.
5. Thin out crowded branches. Before bringing the tree inside, cut off congested branches. This gives it a more graceful shape and slows the rate of water loss from leaves.
6. Plunge the base in water. Stand your tree in a bucket filled with pebbles and water, or select a stand that holds water. Top up every few days throughout the season.
7. Shake the tree outside. This will knock off loose or dead needles, before the tree comes into the house, which is especially important with the Norway Spruce.
8. Keep it cool. The best spot to put your tree is in a cool room, away from drafts and heat sources. Also turn off your fairy lights at night, as the heat they produce dries out the needles.
December is the month to…
Make a clean sweep for the New Year by clearing away the last remnants of autumn. Move patio pots aside and collect remaining leaves, before thoroughly cleaning the paving. Dirty surfaces can be slippery when wet, so blast away grime using a pressure washer. Repeated use can damage worn surfaces, so use your washer with care. Treating fences, sheds and other timber structures with stains and preservatives will give them the protection they need, to see them through the harsh winter.
Remember to feed & water your garden birds this winter
Other garden jobs to do this month include:
- Protect pots from frost by wrapping them in bubble wrap & moving them to more sheltered areas
- Improve bare border soil by mixing in compost to prevent moss growing and improve drainage
- If snow falls, knock it off conifers and evergreen shrubs to prevent bending and breaking branches
- Store hosepipes inside over winter to prevent them freezing and getting damaged
- Provide water and food for birds this winter and they’ll repay you by controlling plant pests
