Gardening Calendar
Gardening Calendar
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
OCTOBER
October’s weather is usually very unpredictable. We could experience the first severe frost, or it may remain mild – we may even be blessed with an Indian Summer! Strong and cold winds can be expected in some regions – so it may be time to batten down the hatches! Keep an eye on the weather and treat your plants and garden accordingly.
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Lift fuchsias, pelargoniums and all the other half-hardy bedding perennials for overwintering frost free.
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Lift tender summer-flowering bulbs, such as gladioli, and keep them in a cool shed or similar until planting out again next year.
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Tidy up beds and borders, clearing away dead and dying leaves.
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Cut down the old and dead flower stems of herbaceous perennials to ground level.
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Don’t panic if you didn’t plant your spring-flowering bulbs last month – October is an excellent month to plant them.
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Plant up containers with winter-interest plants to give you some cheery winter colour.
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Raise all patio containers on to bricks or pot feet to avoid them sitting in water in autumn and winter.
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Move citrus trees and other houseplants into a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory for the winter.
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If bush roses have finished flowering, prune back their stems by up to half to help prevent wind rock.
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Layering is a good way to propagate many climbers and lax-stemmed shrubs, such as magnolias and rhododendrons.
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Take hardwood cuttings of various shrubs, such as dogwoods, philadelphus, flowering currant and forsythia.
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Lift and divide large clumps of herbaceous perennials that didn't flower well. This will improve flowering and produce more plants.
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Check tree ties and stakes are secure, especially on newly planted trees.
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Cut sunflower seed heads and leave them out for garden birds to feed on.
Vegetable Garden:
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Sow a hardy overwintering variety of broad beans for an early crop next year.
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Plant autumn or Japanese onion sets for a crop in early to mid-summer next year.
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Plant garlic cloves, but make sure it is a variety suitable for autumn planting.
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Start digging over the soil in the vegetable patch if you garden on heavy clay soil.
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Lift and divide old, unproductive crowns of rhubarb and replant in well-prepared soil.
Lawn care:
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Kill moss with a suitable mosskiller – only rake out dead moss.
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Rake and scarify the grass to remove dead grass, thatch and other debris.
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Aerate compacted soil – especially clay soil – with a garden fork or a hollow-tine aerator.
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Feed the lawn with an autumn lawn food to build up its strength and harden it for the onset of colder weather.
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This is a great time to start new lawns from seed or turf.
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Repair bare areas or those with a thin grass covering using grass seed or a lawn patching kit.
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