Oh no! December Gardening tips !!

[Gardenman]

I know, I know, just when you thought it was ok to shut the doors on your garden & forget about it until next spring, this annoying man pops up & reminds us there?s always more to do in our gardens lest we forget there are gardeners out here who can sort your garden out & deliver a gorgeous spring garden, rather than finding we?re all busy & your garden needs to catch up, because it?s not ready! I would hate to say, ?I told you so?

So stick with me, try to stay awake & find out what?s to be done

1. Great time to prune your fruit trees & bushes. All fruit trees like air to flow through them & for the sun to get to the fruit to ripen it, so cut any crossover branches & thin out central branches. When cutting back keep the cut downward facing to prevent disease getting in & paint large cuts with a tree paint. Prune back Quinces, late Raspberries & red & white Currants

If you haven?t pruned your Roses, you obviously weren?t paying attention to my September tips!!! ))so cut back Bush roses hard with an angular clean cut back to a bud. Cut climbers back too & tie in any loose branches to avoid damage.

Cut back faded herbaceous perennials & also lift & divide any large clumps to give you more plants.

Prune Acers lightly & Birches. Cut back vines now, it will be too late in January & they will start to bleed!

2. As last summer was so hot & dry it would be a good idea to install some water butts to supply your gardens in case of drought! On the subject of water, make sure all outside pipes are well lagged & insulated. Please take your WATER TIMERS indoors to avoid them splitting from freezing.

3. Lawns. Regular readers ( are there any???)will know how I moan on about clearing leaves & debris off your lawn to keep it healthy & free from bald spots. A bit like my hair))). Give it a potassium feed to protect it & keep it in good condition. It should not be necessary to cut it, but if you do, make sure it?s dry (almost impossible!)& only cut a little off the top. Remember to keep off the lawns if there is frost or snow on it.

4. Service your lawnmowers & other garden equipment now, as the service guys aren?t very busy now & you won?t miss them at this time of year.

5. Great time for planting new trees, bushes, shrubs & especially hedges. Rootball hedges are in stock in the nurseries now & they get a great start in spring.

There are also some summer flowering bulbs in the shops to add colour later in the year. Do not plant in frost & snow.

If you are looking for some colour in your garden now, then Christmas roses are a beautiful addition as are one of my favourites, evergreen Skimmias, with a lovely red berry turning into a white flower in a few months, beautiful )

6. Just a few tips if you are sensible enough to be buying a real Christmas tree. I think we?ve got the message about plastic, haven?t we? The now well known Nordman fir is probably the best tree to get, they come in different grades according their thickness, they should smell great & look a deep shiny green if they are fresh, try to establish if they are ethically grown, ie, an established grower/supplier, who can give you good advice & knows where they come from. Many are sadly stolen from farms & this makes it difficult for the grower to replace them.

You can buy pot grown trees, the prettiest & most practical are the Norwegian Spruce, Picea Abies. The other being the Nordman fir which is beautiful, but will give you a problem if you plant it out in the garden. It may grow to around 90ft or so!!

Nice if you get on with your neighbours, a bit of a problem if you don?t!

At this point, I have to declare a vested interest. I am selling & free delivering Christmas trees in the area from one of my lovely nurseries again this year, with a donation to the charity Mind.Ive put a post on here with prices & tree care. Other suppliers & for that matter gardeners are available in the area, but please use this amazing forum to check them out. Please use the well recommended gardeners,who know what they?re doing, they need the work at this time of year. I will be off to my beloved Kefalonia to set up some lovely retreats to help us balance our lives, find purpose & learn to rid ourselves of anxiety, fear & depression with some great practitioners of yoga, meditation, nutrition, exercise, philosophy, Pilates & lying on the beach. I?m good at that bit)))

To all my customers, thankyou for the work you have given. And to all East Dulwich Forum readers, may I wish you all a very Happy, Peaceful & Loving Christmas & a Great New Year where your Resolutions are for your growth & happiness.

Nigel

Exterior Design Gardens

[bli]

Thank you, love these posts and find your tips very helpful.

Can I ask where these service guys are? Anywhere local we can get lawnmowers serviced or anyone who would collect?

[edcam]

You?re really better off pruning roses late Jan/early Feb.

[Gardenman]

Hi Bli. Beckenham mowers are where I go to on the right on the road between Penge & beckenham. He does a good job at a reasonable price. Someone said he was a bit rude, but I have never found him to be.

Tel no. 02087785765

Happy Christmas

[hazelnunhead]

Thank you for all your tips, would you mind if I asked your advice on something. I would like to plant a fruit tree in our garden, but am mindful of roots etc (in relation to subsidence and surrounding houses, and big trees taking too much water). Would an apple tree be suitable?

Many thanks