Terry Walton has well-fed birds and confused chrysanths!
The new year rolls in with plenty to still keep me busy on the plot
It’s fateful as a gardener to wish these winter months away and want to see the spring warmth and sowing season back in full swing. There’s always something to be done on the plot or in the greenhouse so I like to stop, take a breath and enjoy the season we’re in! I’m preparing for the new sowing season and I have my broad bean, lettuce and cabbage seeds at the ready to join my onions. It’s difficult with the strange weather we’re experiencing at present to be patient, as we’re yet to really feel the real sting of winter. The weekend just passed and the jobs I’ve been unable to carry out are at last dutifully completed. Some of the pots that held my summer bedding plants hadn’t been emptied due to incessant rainfall, but finally these are empty. So, another set of material to join my large compost heap and a couple of happy hours were spent in my favourite pastime.
The availability of plenty of food in the hedgerows and countryside has made my garden a lonelier place as there’s not the winter bird activity that normally graces my multitude of feeders. There are a few of the regulars such as blue tits and bullfinches and, of course, my cheeky resident robin. This doesn’t mean I don’t constantly top the feeders up when required, but the rate at which they’re used is much slower than normal. Still, it’s more natural for the birds.
The allotment, on the other hand, has inhabitants that aren’t normally around on the surface at this time of year. I’m talking about the gardener’s top pests, the slug and snail! They’re enjoying the greenery of my
sprouts and the fresh, delicate leaves of my spring cabbage. They’ve not gone on a long winter sabbatical or disappeared into the lower reaches of my soil, unfortunately. They do, however, provide fresh meat for the thrushes and blackbirds, and some of the tiny ones make a meal for the robin. Gardeners hate these nibbling pests, but they play a significant role in the food chain.
The lack of a prolonged cold spell has made my chrysanthemum stools confused and some of them have a lot of new growth, with cuttings ready to be taken. I’ve already filled 10cm (4in) pots with my compost mix so it’s time to make new plants for this year’s flowers. Selecting a strong shoot cut off cleanly at the base, I then remove the lower leaves before cutting the stem just below a leaf node. I dip the bare end in a rooting compound before making a hole in the compost and firming the new cutting in place. These new cuttings are put under my bubble wrap tent, and if it turns cold my lamp can be lit under the bench to encourage them to grow.