GRAFTING APPLE AND PEAR TREES

GRAFTING APPLE AND PEAR TREES

As the world moves on into an age of high technology, change and progress are happening at all levels. There is no excuse now not to buy an apple tree as I don’t have a big garden. Breeders and scientists have produced trees to suit both commercial orchards as well as the enthusiastic gardener with small gardens. The step over apple tree grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock grows only a few feet tall but is kept small with summer pruning. Another dwarf tree is the single stemmed Starline apple (Firedance is a great variety) kept narrow and columnar also by summer pruning all side shoots to a couple of buds. Other apples for small gardens come as cordons, espaliers, fans or dwarf bushes all grown on dwarfing rootstocks.

John picks Red Devil apples

However you still have to sort out a good variety that is disease resistant, easy to grow and has good flavour, but to complicate matters you want an early variety to start picking ripe fruit at the end of August, continue for a few more months on the tree then in store for a few more months.

Cutting a scion for grafting

Over the years I have grown many varieties so now I can pick from end of August with those in storage taking me through winter. My first apple of the season started with the heritage variety the Oslin also known as the Arbroath Pippin, then my early Discovery takes over for a few more weeks. Maincrop Red Devil, and Red Falstaff keep me in apples into winter then finally it was the end of February before my last Fiesta reached the plate though the cooker Bramley lasted till March.

My garden my be bigger than your average, and I have four trees, but to get my wide range of varieties one large tree is a family

Scion inserted into prepared branch

tree with at least six different varieties grown on it, and every time some-one shows me a must have variety, I get some young shoots and graft it onto my tree.

My pear tree has undergone the same treatment and now has Comice, Conference, The Christie, Beurre Hardy and soon Concorde will be added to it.

In my early youth I was shown how to graft while working at the Scottish Crop Research Institute which had a museum collection of apples from all over the world to try and find varieties suited to Scottish conditions so grafting was a common practise. It sounded very technical and difficult, but is surprisingly easy and it is a wonderful feeling when you check up in early summer and find all the grafts

Grafted shoot tied and sealed with grafting wax

have taken and are pushing up strong growth.

Today the technique is shown on many Youtube videos, and you do not need many tools other than a very sharp knife, a pair of loppers or a saw and a wee tub of wound sealer or grafting wax which can be applied cold.
In winter I collect strong one year old shoots of a good variety which I want to add onto my tree and heel them into a shaded cool spot in the garden. In spring once trees begin to grow the sap starts rising and acts like a lubricant helping the bark to separate from the stem to allow our graft to be easily inserted and the sap will bring the two together. The tree is prepared by selecting a branch to be grafted and cutting it down to allow space for a new shoot to grow. If this branch cut is about one inch across it will take one graft, but if you are doing a larger branch say four inches across it will take three grafts. Take the graftwood (also known as scions) and clean any soil from it. Now make a two inch long cut going right through the stem near the bottom of the shoot

Grafts begin to grow

between two dormant buds with one bud opposite the sloping cut. Trim this scion to about three or four buds. It is now ready. Make a downward cut about two inches long at the top of the prepared branch and gently flick open the bark slightly. This will allow the short scion to be inserted with the flat cut against the inside. Commercially this is now tied tight with grafting tape, but I don’t have any so I cut up strips from some polythene bags and they do the same job just fine. Now seal up any exposed cut surfaces with some wound sealant or grafting wax. If you are doing a few varieties tie a label on them so you know what they are, then await warmer weather for the new shoots to grow.

Paul Barnett from Sussex has grafted over 250 varieties on one tree over the last 24 years.

Wee jobs to do this week

Mixed pansies

Check over pots, tubs and hanging baskets planted last autumn with spring flowering pansies and primroses and replace any that have died in winter. There are now plenty in flower available now in most garden centres.

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TIME FOR TOMATOES

TIME FOR TOMATOES

Tomato growing has always been one of the gardening challenges with great rewards when you pick that first fruit fully ripened on the bush, and then followed by loads more as the season progresses. Summer salads would never be complete without some home grown tomatoes.

Beefsteak tomato

At this time of year they are available in the supermarkets, but you struggle very hard to find a ripe one with some flavour, though we did find a small red cherry one on the vine, to go with our salads with lettuce leaves and spring onions fresh from the greenhouse. They had been sown last autumn to utilise the greenhouse borders over the winter months.

Early March is soon enough to sow the seed as I germinate mine at home on a warm windowsill growing them on a few weeks before they go into my cold greenhouse. If any frost or cold nights threaten them I have an electric heater to keep them protected over night.

Alicante tomato

Sow them thinly in shallow trays in seed compost and keep them warm for germination. They are generally very easy to grow so germination is usually good. Prick them out into individual small pots once they have made strong seed leaves and only handle them by the leaves, (not the stem)

As my windowsill space is limited I keep them as long as possible in small pots, but soon they will need a bigger pot and transferred to the greenhouse. Keep them growing in the pots until the first trusses show, then they are ready for their permanent position.

Tomato Ilde

There are several options to consider. Do you use large pots, ring culture, grow bags, straw bales (very popular fifty years ago) or border soil. I have tried all methods and while grow bags make life simple, it is growing in fertile border soil that has given my tomatoes the greatest flavour. This used to be the traditional method (many years ago) but commercially the soil was sterilised every winter with steam injection or chemically with chloropicrin. My fertile border soil has been composted and dug every year and I got three years of great crops, but as I have no means of sterilising the soil, last year my crop  Anyway I will try the border again this year, but then go back to growbags in 2018. The border will have some fertiliser added then the tomatoes planted about 18 inches apart. Once they get established and the first trusses start to flower begin to feed the plants with a tomato feed every week.

Ring culture tomatoes

suffered from verticillium wilt. So this year I take no risk, so the whole border got dug out a foot deep and replaced with healthy fertile garden soil with added compost. Who needs to go to the gym for exercise when you can grow a tomato crop.

Tomatoes grow on a single stemmed cordon that needs a strong support especially when full of ripening fruit. I use six foot lengths of polypropylene binder twine hung from roof wire supports and tied to the bottom of the tomato plants which are then twisted around the twine as they grow.

Remove all sideshoots so the plant can use its energy for fruiting. Remove the growing point after six to eight trusses or more if you get a glorious summer as tomatoes love the heat.

There are plenty of varieties and different types to try out from normal fruits such as Shirley or Alicante, cherry types such as Sweet Million and Sungold, beef stake types, plum types and a good one for hanging baskets or tubs is Tumbler.

Let the fruit fully ripen before picking and if you get more tomatoes than you can handle they will make an excellent soup, or they can be frozen for future use.

Wee jobs to do this week

Sampling first strawberry in May

There is nothing to beat picking that first strawberry in early summer. Our target date was first week in June in my youth when Red Gauntlet was favourite down in Sussex. Today we have so many new varieties to choose from that you can try a few and see which ones suit your location and conditions best. However, to bring on them on a fortnight earlier cover a row with a low polythene tunnel held up with metal hoops. Last year I picked my first berries on 22 May, but with the mild winter we are running ahead so could be even earlier this year. Fingers crossed!!!

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ORCHIDS

ORCHIDS

Orchids once held the reputation of being expensive to buy and difficult to grow as these exotics were not native to our climate. Plant collectors and breeders have now introduced us to a massive array of orchids that most folk can try out with varying degrees of success. I have grown these both for the impact of large beautiful flowers, but also as a subject for numerous orchid paintings. Many of my art class students also like to paint these exotic flowers from their own plants. John has many orchid paintings available for sale from his studio with details on his website www.johnstoa.com

Cattleya orchid

Habitat

There are many types of orchid native to Scotland, though these grow in the ground preferring damp areas and banks just above boggy ground so the roots are not in standing water. These types are known as terrestrial but the common ones we see flowering in garden centres are mostly epiphytic in origin coming from rain forests in tropical environments.

Pink phalaenopsis

These cling to tree trunks and branches where there is high humidity. They roots hold the plant in place and aerial roots which hang below the plant and absorb moisture from the air. They do not draw on their host plant for nutrients but rain with atmospheric nitrogen washes nutrients down in bird droppings, and small amounts of leafmould produced by natural falling leaves.

Culture

Phalaenopsis are usually quite reliable and very rewarding with repeat flowering every year from autumn through winter. They will come in pots with ample holes for drainage and planted in special orchid compost. This is often a mixture of bark chips, coarse graded peat, charcoal to keep the mixture sweet, nutrients and trace elements. Repot in spring after two to four years as growth commences. Once flowering is over allow the plant some dormancy. Keep it in a cooler spot with good light but not in full sun, and water less often, but do not let it dry out. Do not feed at this stage or repot. Never leave the plant in standing water as they all require free draining compost.

Phalaenopsis orchid

Orchids are not heavy feeders so just give them an orchid feed once every two to four weeks.

Propagation

Orchids sometimes produce basal offshoots that can be separated for growing on once they have produced their own roots. Others can produce many pseudobulbs, or swollen stems which can be split up and repotted. Before potting up, remove any broken, diseased or dead roots, and make sure there is plenty of drainage in the bottom of the pot before adding orchid compost. Repot into the nearest size for the plant as they prefer to be rootbound before they settle down to flower. Do not put the aerial roots into the pot when potting.

Phalaenopsis are now a very popular pot plant and one of the easiest orchids to grow with long racemes of large flowers lasting for many months. They are fine on a sunny windowsill in Scotland from autumn till spring, but then give them a more shady position for summer.

Cymbidium Ormoulu

Cymbidiums  flower in autumn to spring producing many spikes with up to twenty flowers each lasting for months. The plants can grow quite large and are happy in a cool room.

Paphiopedilums grow from rhizomes just below ground level and produce medium sized flower stems with just one or a few flowers. They like to be kept lightly shaded. Propagate by division in spring and repot every second year in the smallest pot available.

Cattleyas are very flamboyant with large colourful flowers which are often highly perfumed.

Wee jobs to do this week

John carving the pumpkin in March

Pumpkins in storage need checking, but can keep till end of March in a good year. We still have three left so this one getting cut up for the pot is still in a perfect condition at the end of February.

Anna will roast some of these slices with nutmeg, honey and butter for tonight’s supper. The rest will get roasted, and then skin removed before bagging up for the freezer. Later on they will be used for soup, risotto, pumpkin pie and as a vegetable with a bit of seasoning. Even with young grandchildren visiting there’s just no chance these will end up as lanterns.

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CROP ROTATION

CROP ROTATION

As daylight begins to lengthen and the sun’s warmth begins to get noticed we look for some excuse to make a start to our gardening year. We have had plenty time to look at catalogues and visit garden centres and choose which crops to grow for 2017, so with seeds in hand and potatoes getting chitted we can relax on an evening and plan where everything is going. We have heard of crop rotation, but for some it is still a bit of a mystery.

Anna picks runner bean Enorma

We do it to grow crops on fresh soil away from last year’s crops that may have been infected by disease so hopefully we might just avoid reinfection. The main fungal diseases to avoid include clubroot on brassicas, white rot on onions and blackleg on potatoes. However other factors crop up as some crops such as pumpkins, are gross feeders so need to go on land that was heavily manured during the winter digging. Other crops such as parsnips, carrots and turnips prefer fertile soil that got no compost in winter otherwise you end up with forked roots. Salads like fertile soil so they can grow fast as they are often used as a catch crop or an intercrop, (more later). Then of course, different crops like varying degrees of acidity or alkalinity. Potatoes prefer an acidic soil otherwise scab could be a problem. All the brassicas prefer an alkaline soil with a high pH as this reflects their natural

Pumpkin just planted

environment as many grew wild on chalk soils. This also discourages clubroot disease which can be a real problem. It may all sound complicated, but it is really good garden practice.

It is a good idea to draw up a plan of your garden to scale and include paths, sheds and compost heap. You can then work out where crops are to go well in advance of sowing.

My rotation plans show where last years potatoes were grown, and this is where I start, as this area gets limed for the next crop of cabbages, sprouts, Swedes, kale and cauliflower. The land that grew these brassicas last year will now get the gross feeders such as peas, beans, pumpkins, courgettes and sweet corn. Last years land that grew the gross feeders will now become the root crop area plus salads. On a four year

Turnip Purple Top Milan

rotation the potatoes can follow the salads and roots, but they need a good feed. To get maximum yield the potato patch gets composted during the winter digging, then at planting time I like to take out a furrow and line the bottom with more compost into which I plant my chatted seed potatoes.

If you grow strawberries on the same site and replace these every three years bring this area into the rotation and replant fresh strawberries as part of the rotation. They won’t be affected by clubroot or white rot.

Intercrops

Salads are short term fast growing crops so are very adaptable to use as an intercrop between other slower growing crops with wide spaced rows such as Brussels sprouts or sweet corn, or even on the sides of your celery trench before they need earthing up. Lettuce as pick and come again, rocket, radish and baby beet can all be used as an intercrop to get the maximum value off the land.

Salad catch crop

Catch Crops

The same salads can also be used as catch crops where less hardy vegetables such as courgettes, pumpkins and sweet corn don’t get planted till early summer leaving the land free for a quick maturing catch crop from an early sowing. Similarly catch crops can be used after an early harvested crop such as early potatoes, onions or first early peas. There is usually time to get in another crop before winter, and if you grow winter hardy lettuce, spring onion and rocket they can continue to crop well into winter especially while winters continue to be mild.

If you have enough salads any spare land can be sown with a green manure crop in early spring and autumn to help improve the soil fertility.

Wee jobs to do this week

Tying in shoots of climbing Rose Gertrude Jekyll

Tie in climbing roses after pruning or any affected by recent gales, otherwise wind rock can damage next year’s flowering stems.

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West End Gallery Dundee exhibition

 Original Scottish paintings on exhibition

New Scottish paintings now on exhibition at West End Gallery on the Perth Road in Dundee include two snow scene winter landscapes in oil painting, one acrylic pink orchid on a stretched box canvas, a summer landscape watercolour painting of Rait Village in Perthshire, then over to Islay for a view of the Paps of Jura and one dramatic figure painting of Warm Glow.

Summer Sunshine in Rait Village

Warm Glow

Sunset at Tullibaccart Oil painting

Winter Has Arrived oil painting

Deep Pink Phalaenopsis orchid

Paps of Jura

SOME WINTER JOBS

SOME WINTER JOBS

As winter progresses there has been quite a few decent days to crack on with a few gardening tasks so many of us are up to date with seasonal activities, and the spring rush is still a few weeks away.

The strawberries are still dormant, so now is a good time to replace any fruiting rows that have cropped for two or three years. It was the practise to allow three fruit crops before replacing strawberries, but now there are so many

Young strawberry runner ready for planting

new varieties to try that we tend to just go for two crops then see if we can get an improvement with something new. Another problem seems to be that many new varieties stop producing runners after a couple of years, so there are no replacement fresh runners if you delay it too long. If you are using your own plants make sure you use one year old strong runners. Plant these about 10 to 12 inches apart in rows three feet apart on well prepared fertile soil that is weed free. If you are buying in new strawberry plants they will most likely be cold stored runners delivered in March which is perfect to get them off to a flying start.

Continue with planting bare root plants

If you have ordered any bare root trees, shrubs, roses or fruit bushes or have any of your own grown from cuttings now is the time to plant them while the dormant season continues. As most of these will be permanent for quite a few years make sure the ground is well prepared, composted and weed free before planting. Although it may be very hard work, I always double dig soil, going two feet deep and adding plenty of compost to planting positions for permanent planting of roses, raspberries and other fruit bushes and all trees.

Harvesting

Lifting some spring onions from greenhouse border to use

Harvest cabbage, leeks, kale, Swedes, parsnips, rocket and sprouts as required for roots and fresh green produce in winter. There will still be some carrots and beetroot in store if you had a good crop last autumn. Keep a check on other stored fruit and vegetables and remove any going off.

Taking tops out of geraniums to make them bush

Apples can get some brown rot which will spread if left, and pumpkins need to be checked in case they begin to go soft in the middle. Potatoes can get soft if the eyes begin to sprout so remove any shoots as they appear. Some varieties are more prone than others so these should be used first.

Indoor tasks

Harvest spring onions, rocket and lettuce from greenhouse borders grown under grape vines or where tomatoes have been removed. Growbags that had a tomato crop are still useful for another short term salad crop sown in autumn and which will mature late winter and be used and cleared before the soil is needed for the next crop of grapes and tomatoes. Mind you greenhouse space in early spring is at a premium with young plants and seedling, so salads need to be used by March.

Bramley apples in store in February

As soon as you get your seed potatoes you can start to chit them in trays in a cool but light place so they can sprout short sturdy shoots. This should give them a good start after planting out in March and early April. Place them rose end up as that is where most of the shoot initials are.

Mulching the saskatoons

Take tops off geranium shoots that are now beginning to grow from cuttings taken last autumn. This will help them to remain sturdy and encourage branching. The tops can be used as cuttings to increase stock and provide smaller plants in spring just perfect for hanging baskets and tubs.

Wee jobs to do this week

Give roses, fruit trees and bushes some fertiliser towards the end of February to give them a spring boost of growth. Growmore is a good general fertiliser to promote healthy strong growth, but to enhance fruiting use a rose fertiliser which is higher in potassium. Similarly if you have access to ashes from bonfires, this is an excellent source of potash, but is very soluble so collect it before any rain washes its nutrients away. Use sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potassium and a wee sprinkling of sulphate of iron on blueberries as these all help to keep the soil acidic.

Then give all the trees and bushes a good mulch of compost to retain moisture and add feeding.

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START SEED SOWING

START SEED SOWING

Sowing tomato seed

The month of February has always been my starting point to begin some seed sowing. I grow vegetables for the kitchen and flowers to enjoy, but never got into exhibiting, otherwise my seed sowing schedule would have started in autumn. I begin in mid February with sweet peas and onions both of which like a long growing season, then at the end of the month the broad beans and tomatoes get sown. At this time of year they all need some warmth to germinate, so either use a heated greenhouse, or at least heat up a section to use and line the greenhouse with bubble polythene to

Pricking out tomato seedlings

retain heat. A small electric propagator is
a great help to get seed started and then once seedlings appear they can be transferred to a light warm windowsill or other area with heat and plenty of good light. Seedlings need to grow sturdy, and short jointed, so only give enough heat to keep them happy, but do not force growth as it is still early and if grown on a windowsill they can soon demand more space.

Sweet peas are usually soaked overnight and sown in cellular trays at two or three seeds per cell, or if the cells are small sow at one seed per cell. They are usually pretty fool proof so germination should be nearly 100% as there are very few pests or diseases around indoors at this time of year. Watch out for slugs and snails in the greenhouse as they have

Tomato Alicante

survived well in the mild winter.

Once the plants have a couple of leaves try and get them hardened off to go in a cold greenhouse or frame, then pinch out the growing point to encourage branching.

Onions can be sown thinly in a shallow seed tray then pricked out after germination or in a cellular tray of about 80 to 100 cells for one packet of seed. Seed quantity per packet depends on variety as

Onion Hytech ripening up

well as supplier. Treat onions the same as sweet peas for warmth and light. Once they have settled down and become established in cells keep them fairly cool, but frost free. They can be hardened off and ready to plant out in April. Onions can also be grown as sets without all this work, and now there are some really good varieties available as heat treated sets for planting on well prepared fertile soil on a good day in March. Hytech, Globo and Sturon are all good varieties.

Broad beans have large seeds so they are easily sown individually in cellular trays where they can

Broad Beans ready to plant

remain for a few weeks after germination. Frequently there are more seeds per packet than what you really need, so either make the packet last two years (a good Scottish trick) or keep a batch for a later sowing. These plants can go on land cleared from some overwintered Swedes, spring cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard or kale. A good variety of broad bean is Giant Exhibition Long Pod.

Tomato seeds germinate in warm conditions then need continual warmth and good light to grow on into strong sturdy plants. They are not difficult to grow so sow thinly in shallow trays then prick out into individual small pots to grow on. They are perfect on a sunny windowsill for a short spell, but soon outgrow the space so need transferring into the greenhouse. They will be fine in an unheated greenhouse lined with bubble polythene, but if cold weather threatens then bring in a heater to keep them warm over night. This year I will be growing Alicante as my main crop plus my two very sweet cherries, the yellow Sungold and the red Sweet Million.

Festive Poinsettias and orchids keep flowering

Wee jobs to do this week

Plants brought in to the house to brighten up the festive season often have a long flowering period so do not be too quick to discard them once all the decorations are packed away. Indoor azaleas can be kept to flower next year, but need cooler temperatures in an unheated greenhouse, but keep them moist. Poinsettias retain their red bracts for a good couple of months so keep them moist but not wet and warm and away from draughts. Phalaenopsis orchids are very popular and come in all sizes and colours. These will last for several months, but do not overwater them. They hate standing in water, and in Scotland are fine in a sunny windowsill. I water mine about once a week and feed once a month, then after flowering they get transferred to a bright shower room.

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A FEW WINTER JOBS

A FEW WINTER JOBS

Even in the midst of winter there is always a wee job to do in the garden or involved in forward plans. So far the winter has been almost non existent and with temperatures frequently in double figures, and dry weather becoming the norm, there is no excuse for not tackling those outstanding gardening chores. Digging, shifting compost, pruning and repairs to paths, sheds and fences have given us the excuse to get out into the warm winter sunshine.

Give the glasshouse a thorough cleaning

Winter cleanup for the greenhouse

A warm dry sunny day is just perfect to give the greenhouse glass its winter clean up, removing dirt, algae, moss and bird droppings. Inside it helps to clear out all those spiders and any overwintering pests eggs. Check and fix door and window openings as sometimes dirt can build up causing difficulty. Clear out gutters as usually there is a fair build up of old fallen leaves and growth of moss.

Rhubarb crowns are now quite prominent so where they have been growing in the same spot for over three years, now is a good time to lift up the roots and replant the strongest of the crowns.

Lift Timperley Early Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a heavy feeder that also likes plenty of moisture so dig over the area deeply and add in as much compost or manure as you can as this will feed them for the next three years. Space the new crowns about three feet apart as they need room to grow, and do not take any stems from them in the first year to let them build up strength. Where you have spare crowns left over these can be forced to give an early crop. If you have a greenhouse with a bench in it, the space underneath the staging is a perfect place to plant the crowns. Space them close together then cover the sides with black polythene to exclude all light. The rhubarb will soon grow with the greenhouse added protection and natural warmth. They will be even better if the glass has been lined with bubble polythene of you have started the gardening seed sowing year early and put in a greenhouse heater.

Spread lime

Add lime to areas intended for planting the cabbages, turnips, Swedes, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts. In the planned four year rotation this area is usually the one that had a potato crop on it last

Spreading garden lime

year. Lime raises the alkalinity making the soil less acid which suits the brassicas and discourages the clubroot disease. However as a further precaution some of us that have soil badly infected with clubroot have to resort to using only clubroot resistant bred varieties. So I will be growing cabbage Kilaton or Kilazol, cauliflower Clapton, Brussels Sprout Crispus and swede Invitation, Gowrie or Lomond.

Choose a windless day for lime spreading if possible as it is very light and can blow everwhere.

Chit potatoes

Chitting potatoes

We have had plenty of time to analyse last year’s crops, and check with other gardening friends to sort out the best spuds for 2017. Seed potatoes are now available in the garden centres, so as soon as you buy in your chosen varieties it is a good idea to start the process of chitting. Place the tubers in a shallow container such as an egg box with the rose end upmost and keep them in a light frost free room or shed. They do not need heat as we want to see short jointed wee shoots that are green and ready to grow after a couple of months.

Pruning climbing roses

Wee jobs to do this week

Finish off any pruning of fruit trees and bushes, roses and other shrubs, while they are still dormant.  Climbing roses often start to grow early February if they are on a sheltered wall, so they are always a priority. All plants differ on type of wood to flower and fruit so check out each ones needs before getting out the secateurs and loppers.

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SPRING BULBS AWAKEN A NEW SEASON

SPRING BULBS AWAKEN A NEW SEASON

Aconites

The winter in recent times never seems so long as it was in childhood days when the first snows came in November and skating on Dundee’s ponds started in December. The roads were busy with kids on sledges all January and February as there were not many cars on the road. These were the winters we thought were normal. Now come forward sixty or so years we did get a few snow flurries in January this year, but with temperatures in double figures over many days, our dormant bulbs think spring has arrived and they just won’t stop growing.

The race is on to see who can push up into the daylight first. Even tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and lilies are all visible, and the smaller bulbs such as chionodoxa, scilla, anemone blanda and grape bluebells are all in leaf. The grape hyacinths however usually start in late autumn to come into leaf and no amount of snow or frost seems to bother them.

Primroses bloom early

I have a drift of snowdrops growing in the shelter of a south facing wall which were in flower in December and continue throughout January and hopefully into February.

Aconites are not far behind, as the first flowers opened up in late January. I thought they would be later this year as my large drift got a fright when I decided to replant twenty cyclamen hederifolium amongst them as they both grow and flower at different times so should be happy with each others company. The cyclamen are still in leaf, but these should die down soon to leave the aconites free to flower and grow. Aconites have a short season and begin to die down by mid summer. This leaves the space free for the cyclamen to flower in early autumn before the leaves emerge and then they can grow in autumn and winter. Time will tell if they are happy companions.

Crocus in February

Crocus hybrids may be the bigger and more dramatic types but the crocus species flower about two to three weeks earlier. Although the individual flowers may be smaller than the hybrids, when growing in massed drifts the overall effect is quite stunning. There are many different types of crocus species but I always go for my favourites, Blue Pearl, Cream Beauty and Snow Bunting.

Crocus are perfect planted amongst deciduous trees and shrubs provided they get plenty of sunlight to open up the flowers fully. All my drifts of snowdrops and crocus increase every year as it is hard to resist buying a few more bulbs in autumn. Once drifts or clumps have been established for several years they can be lifted and split up immediately after flowering, to replant them in other spots where they will soon grow and multiply. Retain and scatter any seed that forms as these will all germinate and grow. The aconites are germinating now, taking advantage of this mild winter, so do not confuse them with weeds, (Sticky Willie and Ivy leaved speedwell are germinating now) and remove them.

Snowdrops in January

However be careful with grape hyacinths and bluebells as they are so efficient at growing from seed that if left alone they can be very invasive and will try to take over the whole garden.

Polyanthus and primroses in borders, tubs and pots are also confused by the mild winter so they are giving us an early bonus as they have come into flower in the mild winter. They are quite tough so provided a severe winter remains on the back burner they will hopefully continue to flower for a few more months.

Anna picking Kale

Wee jobs to do this week

Kale leaves can be picked throughout winter as they continue to grow. Take a few leaves from the tops of several plants so the plant is not weakened. After washing and a rough chop they only need steamed in a pot for a few minutes adding in some seasoning, garlic and ginger, then just before serving drizzle some olive oil over the top. It makes a delicious green vegetable that even kids love it. Surplus kale can be frozen for future use. Kale is high in fibre, packed with antioxidants, contains vitamins A, K and C and the minerals iron, calcium and magnesium and is now considered one of the top fresh health foods.

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GROW SOMETHING BIG

GROW SOMETHING BIG

Gardeners have always loved to rise to the challenge of getting the biggest plant possible. Once you have mastered the techniques of getting good crops many like to take it a wee bit further and then size does matter. Once it gets under your skin and results come in, the dedicated gardeners like to take their produce to the shows in open competition. However for most of us we are happy to grow a huge pumpkin or a very tall sunflower.

Pumpkin Hundredweight

These are the simple pleasures we use to get our young kids involved in a bit of gardening. With most plants it is simply a matter of dedication and attention to detail so each type can grow in a lavish world where everything it wants is laid on.

Dahlia Karma Gold

Start with well prepared soil, with good drainage and plenty well rotted compost added, adding extra fertiliser depending on plant then give irrigation as necessary and weekly feeding for the roots. Pests and diseases and weeds are not allowed so keep an eye on them and take action immediately.

Pumpkins and courgettes respond to maximum feeding, watering and pruning of excessive young shoots. You also need to start with a variety that likes to grow huge like Hundredweight or Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. Start them early in a greenhouse to give them a long growing season then allow plenty of space to grow but do not take too many fruits from each plant.

Onions are another favourite that need rich soil, feeding plenty of room and a long growing season, starting off with a good variety like Kelsae. Most gardeners would be very happy with outdoor grown large onions, but if you compete at shows then most likely the onions will be grown in pots or special beds in a greenhouse or tunnel. Avoid over watering as onions are very prone to white rot.

Onion Globo

To grow giant leeks is not easy as the techniques are kept closely guarded secrets, especially feeding and strains of exhibition varieties are often handed down from father to son. Germination is usually from an autumn sowing and plants potted up gradually in ever richer soil. They can grow outdoors but many prefer glasshouse or tunnel protection for better results.

Cabbage, cauliflower, Swedes and other vegetables all follow similar growing styles.

Potatoes are another favourite when going for size and the variety Amour will get you off to a good start. It has huge tubers for the show bench as well as a cracking baked potato.

Flowers are a different story when seeking a large head as some respond to rich soil with feeding such as sunflowers and dahlias, but others such as carnations, iris and lilies do not need rich soil, but good soil structure and free drainage is essential.

Lily Chelsea

Chrysanthemums and dahlias for exhibition or just for large heads require selecting the best varieties, growing them strongly and only growing one or two heads per plant so all the plants energy is concentrated in growing a large flower.

Sweet Peas grown for size are usually grown as single stem cordons. Ground preparation is essential, so select a site with very fertile soil and enhance this by taking out a trench in autumn and forking in compost or well rotted manure into the bottom. Leave this over winter but back fill with good soil ahead of planting in early spring. Seeds are sown in the greenhouse in autumn and grown on. Young plants are tipped after a few leaves then the strongest shoot is retained. Use six foot tall canes to support the cordons removing all side shoots and tendrils. Liquid feed weekly.

Spur pruning grape vine

Wee jobs to do this week

Grape vines grown both indoors and outdoors are best pruned between December and the end of January otherwise they are liable to bleed as the sap rises quite early in the season. Under glass they are grown as upright rods spaced about 18 inches apart and 6 feet tall. All sideshoots are cut back to one or two buds. This system is also fine outdoors, or grown with a fan shaped permanent framework as long branches are given ample space. Again all shoots are cut back to a couple of buds. Commercially vines are grown on the Guyot system of pruning where fruiting laterals are only kept for one year then replaced. There are some excellent You Tube videos on this technique.

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