ACTIONPLAN
NIGEL’S ESSENTIAL JOBS FOR YOUR GARDEN THIS WEEK
THIS has been a bad year for the three big rose diseases — black spot, mildew and rust. Residues of those fungal infections are dormant but will still remain on leaves, bark, old flower remnants and any other rose debris.
To prevent these diseases carrying over to next year, clear every scrap of dead plant material from around your rose bushes. Rake up fallen leaves, remove any foliage that has not yet fallen and cut off mummified flowers or old rose hips.
If you’re happy to prune your roses now, be sure to clear and dispose of all the prunings — every scrap. If you prefer to prune in late winter, get it done by March. Next spring, consider a preventative spray of general purpose rose fungicide as soon as the new leaves begin to show.
BRING IN HYACINTHS
IF YOU planted hyacinth bulbs in autumn, they should be ready to come into the warm for flowering. If your bulbs were kept under a mulch, or in a cold, dark place, introduce them gradually to light and warmth.
A few days in your coldest room will help them acclimatise and green-up before moving into a warmer, lighter spot. As the flower spikes begin to extend, water pots regularly.
Turn daily if on a windowsill to ensure even growth. And as the flower stems reach full height and become t op - heavy, be ready to support them.
I use branched twigs, selected from shrub prunings, to do this.
PRUNE TRAILING FRUIT
PRUNE loganberries, tayberries and cultivated blackberries by removing all stems that bore fruit last summer at ground level without damaging the other stems. Select the best shoots that grew in the summer but have not yet flowered. Train these along the wall, fence or horizontal wires, tying them in place securely. Don’t make ties too tight.
Arrange long stems as horizontally as possible — when stems are bent from the vertical, the plant responds by producing more flowers and bigger yields will result.
READER’S QUESTION
WE CHOSE a small Nordmann Fir as our Christmas tree. It has good roots so we’ve potted it up and will plant it in our front garden after Christmas. How big do these trees grow?
David Baxter, West Midlands. A NORDMANN fir can reach 130ft with a 20ft spread and is not a slow-grower.
As part of the forest, it looks wonderful. In a small front garden it will just look big.
By all means enjoy your tree for a few years. But when the time comes, harden your heart and remove that fir before it becomes a nuisance.