SPECIAL GIFTS
HIGHGROVE GARDEN: THE GARDEN NOW
JANUARY
Both the joy and frustration of being a gardener is working with the prevailing weather conditions and trying to gauge what is “around the corner”. After the previous two years of harsh winter conditions, most gardeners in Britain have re-evaluated what they are growing and have ensured they are prepared for the worst case scenario.
At Highgrove the tree ferns, bay laurels and tender southern hemisphere plantings were worst affected, even with protection. This winter these are all cosily wrapped up again, and hopefully not sweltering in the very mild conditions we’ve had recently. The olive trees in particular will have benefitted from protection as the extreme winds we’ve had can desiccate and damage the foliage; we will remove all the coverings as soon as we feel that winter has past.
These first few weeks back after the Christmas period are always a “catch up” on all those jobs that couldn’t quite be finished in December; the autumn leaves are finally all now on the ground and a final clearance is important prior to the bulbs emerging.
A small number of leaves on lawns are not a concern as worms will draw down most of these into the soil layer; it is the accumulation and drifts of leaves which lay too heavy on lawns which will see grass swards deteriorate if not removed. There is no one way that we remove all the leaves; it is a combination of raking, blowing, collecting and mowing that helps us create the wonderfully large leaf mould piles we have; we return this material back to the garden as mulch, potting compost and for planting certain shrubs and plants.
The Brussels sprouts have enjoyed the winter and at this time of year their lower leaves are removed and the ground cleared around them; both purple and green sprouts are grown with harvesting starting as early as August and carrying on until March. The F1 variety ‘Brilliant’ has good disease tolerance, holds well on the stem and most importantly is a tasty variety.
Either in December or January we aim to remove the old leaves from most of the Hellebore plants in the Garden; this helps to prevent leaf spot disease and removes wonderful hiding places for voles which eat the emerging flower stems. It also makes spring mulching much easier with the flowering stems then the focal point with their fresh emerging leaves.
Hints of spring are showing in the emergence of the first snowdrops and crocus. We will soon recognise the lengthening days and feel the urge to start the seed sowing process again!
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