GARDENING TIPS

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The weather this winter has been delightful and not as frightful as the song suggests so while we’ve been enjoying a wonderful winter it’s important to be prepared should the much talked about cold snap arrive.

In order to prevent any disasters with debris falling from your greenhouse or shed roof onto your car or from loose branches smashing into your greenhouse window, take a walk around your garden and search for any potential hazards that could easily be avoided. Check your fascia, guttering and drains to ensure they’re not blocked with leaves and put away, or store in a sheltered area, any garden furniture or BBQS that have been left outside.

Check fence posts and trees stakes for any potential damage and replace were required. If your fence is looking tired, although you may be tempted to paint it with all the dry weather we’ve been enjoying, it’s probably best to wait until spring before undertaking any major decorative work in your garden.

If you notice any broken branches on trees or shrubs, trim them off now to allow the plant to recover. Tidy your borders, cut back and clear dead foliage. Add winter bedding and spring bulbs to any tired looking pots. Snowdrops planted last year are probably flowering in your garden and they are also now available in garden centres to buy as a flowering plant. Primroses, cyclamen and heathers also look good in gardens at this time of year so you could plant some and give your garden some wonderful winter colour.

If you’re looking for a new indoor plant to brighten up your home as the evenings lengthen, treat yourself to an orchid. They are not as delicate as you would think and they should be kept in a cool room at this time of year and watered once a week. To water an orchid, plunge the pot into a bucket of water and out again, then the next week repeat the process of plunging the pot in and out of a bucket but with orchid fertiliser and repeat this alternate treatment with water and orchid fertiliser until the flowers have nearly finished. When there is one head left, prune down to the next bud as, if you let it all die, it will go down to the pot and you will need to wait a long time for the next flowers.