My gardening diary
MONDAY
We grow nearly all our dahlias in containers and if we put them on the scales, they’d probably weigh more than a ton. Rather than take them all out of their pots for winter storage, we leave them as they are, under cover in the tunnel. Just about all their foliage has fizzled now so we’re chopping off their stems, leaving an inch or so. We invert them when their compost is still a bit damp to get rid of any moisture. TUESDAY
Hundreds of primulas, grown from Barnhaven seeds, have stood on the path outside the greenhouse all year. We’ll be doing a mass planting when we know we’ve got a spell of clement weather. Each variety will have its own area – we don’t want it to look like a bedding display. Our soil is so heavy and fertile, they’ll be happy almost anywhere and, in summer, perennials or the canopy of trees will give them shade. WEDNESDAY
There are very few flowers to cut to bring indoors, but young clumps of
Iris unguicularis have yielded a few blooms for weeks now and will continue to do so until the end of February. Their flowers are hardly discernible until the sun shines. If they’re cut when their buds are scrolled, they’ll open fully inside after just a few minutes. Perfume too! THURSDAY
The last few weeks seem to have been filled with endless leaf-clearing – I’m seeing leaves when I close my eyes to go to sleep. Still, most of it’s done now and once we’ve spread our lovely black two-year-old leaf mould, we can build the new heap. Stout corner posts and pig wire in between. FRIDAY
One of the problems when you’re raking is bumping into hellebore foliage. It would have been a shame to cut them back earlier when they looked so healthy, but we must steel ourselves. Removing foliage helps prevent spreading disease and helps new leaves to push through more easily. SATURDAY
Having your own supply of twiggy pea sticks is a boon. We’re lucky enough to have a run of hedge whose main constituent is hazel. We share it with a farmer who cuts his side with a flail. Even though he comes more than halfway across, there are still loads of sticks for us. They’re invaluable, not just for peas but for staking perennials in all our beds and borders. SUNDAY
Neil will make sure the birds have a great Christmas dinner. He’ll keep the feeders topped up and make sure there’s a varied menu from which to choose from: fat balls to peanuts, to home-grown sunflower hearts, niger seed and plenty of fresh water. The port and brandy is for human consumption only!