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With December knocking on the door my enthusiasm for the garden has waned a bit, although for those who are not just fair weather gardeners there is still lots to keep you occupied. For recommended tips visit www.thompson-morgan.com/in-the-garden-this-month I will make the effort to rake leaves off the lawn as it needs all the help it can get and look after the winter vegetables, but other than that the garden has now been tidied up and put to bed for the winter.
The seed order for vegetables will be placed this month having waited to allow for old seed stocks to be used up that may not be fully viable. This may be cynical but I have become suspicious of seed suppliers following poor germination in recent years. The rhubarb has been transplanted to a wetter part of the garden as even this was affected by the dry summer. I have about 450L of rain water storage in the garden that collects run-off water from the guttering. In very dry weather this enables continued watering with a can for about 10 days. This is not fully adequate for most summers especially this one so an outside tap is also essential. However temporary water storage is useful to have and there are a lot of fascinating types of water butts available on line that can provide decorative options for water storage so take a look at www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk who presently have Christmas Offers.
There is actually one last job I must do in the garden before retiring for the winter and that is to lift the spray and charm chrysanthemums. This is normally completed by this time of year but the unusually mild weather has kept them flowering. Chrysanthemum growing is an art in itself and is normally done for competitive exhibition and many expert gardeners specialise in these plants. However, there is always room for spray and charm chrysanthemums in any garden and charms make excellent pot plants. Once lifted the stems are cut back to about 6” and any basal growth removed. The tubers can then be stored in slightly moist compost in a dry shed or greenhouse and left dormant until January when gentle watering and feeding will produce basal shoots in February. These can be taken as basal cuttings in 3” pots to produce fresh colour later in the year. The old plant goes on the compost heap. Charm chrysanthemums produce a mass of small flowers in a variety of vivid colours that provide an amazing show in the Autumn. The plant maintains a natural ball shape and some varieties can easily reach a size of 3’ in diameter in 7 months. They can be grown as perennials, but are at their best grown from cuttings each year with a 12 month life cycle.
That’s it for 2018, it’s been a challenging year but here’s to next year and a Happy Christmas, and on that note I will toast your good health.
We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk
Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society
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