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Gardening Matters - 2009
'December', by Nicola Bush of the Roseland Nursery
 It has been a hairy few weeks of wind, rain and then a bit more of both but more forceful!! I do find strong wind very tiring to work in and frankly doing too much work in or on the soil can do more harm than good in very wet periods as all we are doing is compacting the soil. So stay off it, go indoors and indulge your thoughts in the seed catalogues, or give the shed the clear out it has been waiting for!
A recent trip to Trebah reminded me however of the beauty of a well planted garden. Whilst some of the show gardens choose to close at this time of year I always think you can tell a well planted one because they choose to stay open to the glorious varieties of autumn and winter plants with which we are blessed. If you have time during the festive break, a trip to Trelissick or Trebah will open your eyes to the wonders of a well planted garden that gives interest all year.
The camellias have huge fat buds and are about to spring into copious flower. A couple of years ago I planted some japonica varieties which are much more tolerant of sunshine and they have put on tremendous growth in a short space of time.
A shady wall can be covered in pyracantha with brilliant orange or red berries that last for weeks and jack and jill walls are calmed by the prostrate cotoneasters. Whilst a sunnier wall supports the long leafless stems of jasminium nudiflorum, bright yellow little flowers for a dark winter day.
 Mahonias are not a favourite of mine as I seem to spend all summer getting hooked up on them whilst weeding the borders but when the vivid yellow candle-like flower of Mahonia x media ’Charity’ emerges I forgive it all its attempts to impale me.
But I do have two stars of the winter show. The first has to be my huge evergreen shrub Genista ‘Porlock’ which like its broom cousins should flower in spring and then again in autumn. However for the past two years mine has not been without a flower on and off all year and is currently covered in vibrant fragrant yellow flowers. It is not long lived and will get leggy but it is well worth its good five or so years. Mine stands elegantly next to Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’. Garryas are hardy and evergreen and at this time of year are covered in very conspicuous grey tassel catkins that shine like silk. On this variety, as a mature shrub, the catkins can be 9” long – it is a real joy.
The nature of our business generally is that we supply plants but inevitably we end up doing some design and planting and this last month, as the best time for planting, has been very busy. Now I mention this only because we have arranged a fair acreage of new lawn in a new development, which has knitted beautifully with the generous rainfall; we have lifted and planted espalier fruit trees, mature shrubs and the more exotic trachycarpus, cordyline and acers. The soil is warm and wet and I anticipate everything getting off to a grand start.
Many of the specimen plants are real bargains as nurseries feel the pinch and want to off load as much stock as they can now. The hedging plants, particularly the native hawthorns, oaks and hollies are very cheap being bare rooted and a one hundred foot hedge can be done for around £100.00 compared with over £400.00 with potted plants. So if you are planning a new shrubbery or hedge get buying the bare root plants now – there are fantastic bargains from nurseries via the internet so do your comparisons carefully and watch out for the delivery price which can add a huge excess if you are not vigilant.
Now there are jobs to do this month (apart from the Christmas shopping, which I promised myself I would do in November!) although it is slightly less hectic at this time of year:
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Sow pelargonium seeds now and certainly no later than mid February. They will need at least 18 deg c to get going. If you don’t want to chance seed then look for the plugs in mail order catalogues. If you leave mail order too late you will not get the choice because nurseries are planting now and will not take a chance on selling plants that are not specifically ordered bearing in mind the cost of heat, light and staff. To be sure of any commercial bedding we require my order has to be in the Nurseries by mid November, always a difficult time to be envisaging your summer displays!
Finally, I wish everybody a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. By the time I write again the nights will have started drawing out, can’t wait!!
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'November', by Nicola Bush of the Roseland Nursery
 We have enjoyed a few beautiful days of sunshine during October and I believe almost record temperatures for this time of year. It does not make up for the dreadful summer but many days of sunshine at this time of year certainly make clearing the borders more comfortable, if not enticing.
We have decided that one of our main borders, planted with very small shrubs five years ago is now in need of drastic attention and we have had some beautiful days to get stuck in.
It is also the correct time of year to be moving shrubs. Imagine my joy at finding what I can only describe as a small plantation of cordyline indivisa (large heads and much wider leaves than the usual variety), all emerging and ready for moving to pots and all from the seed of their parent above.
Some of the shrubs should have been attended to much more regularly and are huge and bushy and crowding out others. Those that I don’t want to lose or cannot move I have improved by raising the canopy, taking off the bottom branches, to encourage them to grow taller and to let light in below.
November is the month for acquiring and planting bare root trees and shrubs. Bare root stock can only be purchased between November and early March as they are lifted straight from the ground. Because they are not supporting top growth the roots get away well at this time of year.
I went during the summer to look at a rose bed that had been planted last autumn and the owner was bitterly disappointed that bare root roses planted had, in the main, died. Those that hadn’t turned up their toes were definitely about to do so. We went through the usual detective work to discover why and it was very soon clear that she had dug up all her old roses and replanted in the same bed with new ones. This is a phenomenon known as rose replant disorder which is not fully understood scientifically, but the fact remains that if you replant a rose where another has previously been it is unlikely to survive.
The only way to achieve success is to remove as much of the soil from the bed as possible and exchange it with soil from another part of the garden. For just a few bushes you might get away with it if you add plenty of manure and garden compost but they are not cheap and it isn’t worth the risk.
 you ignored my advice to summer prune fruit trees then at this time of year you can do some remedial work to apples, pears and soft fruit like red currants. The work you do now largely consists of removing large branches that are too low or long and your aim is to open up the centre of the tree to create a bowl or goblet shape and reduce the overcrowding of new young branches that may be crossing and rubbing against each other. Also remember to remove any branches that are dead, diseased or dying.
Despite the fact that it is November there are still loads of jobs to do in the garden and one or two undercover!
All your spring bulbs should be planted by now except tulips which stand a better chance of resisting disease if planted in the first couple of weeks of November. Find a sunny spot and if the soil is heavy add some grit for them to sit on. Tulips tend to die because they are covered by other foliage in the summer and can’t bake. So planted with other mixed spring bedding or with flag irises.
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If you are planning a new lawn lay turf now unless the ground is very cold (unlikely) and water if we get a dry spell.
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 Protect alpine plans from excessive wet. In their natural habitat they would be covered with a blanket of snow which is dry, so if you can keep off some of the rain with a cover of plastic or glass over the top but with the sides open for ventilation, they will appreciate it.
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If it’s too wet or too cold to get outside, then consider cleaning the shed out and cleaning and tidying the pots. Turn the lawn mower upside down and just look at all the stuff you haven’t cleaned off, and get the mower in for a service during the winter, the price goes up in the spring!
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'October', by Nicola Bush of the Roseland Nursery
 The good folk of Veryan never fail to come up with the goods for Veryan Show. I dashed down to the village hall on the Friday evening with my few entries as I was off early the next morning delivering my daughter to her University, her first year. Now, as a Mum with an only daughter that event is a magazine article in itself!! But, back to the Friday night before the Show. The hall was busy with early entrants setting themselves up and taking real pride in their exhibits. There was a great atmosphere and a bit of a laugh as one naughty boy entered the smallest onions I have ever seen in the globe section – yes, with his friend’s name on them! My tomatoes refused to stand up, lolling on the plate as if they were completely unaware of the importance of the occasion, serves them right, they only got third.
My pride and joy of course was my pumpkin. He wasn’t as large as las t year but he managed to sneak first prize, so yah boo to my friend Ian who was dismissive and disparaging in the early part of the season. But now I have something to live up to and if we do get a good summer (we are due one I think) the race will be on for next year. Because of my enforced absence on the day I was unable to see all the final entries but if the Friday night was anything to go by everybody should be very proud of that Show and long may it survive and prosper and grateful thanks to all the hard work of the committee.
 The weather for the show was great, yet again, but over this summer is not worthy of mention or taking space in this column. However, one thing I have noticed is that although crops have survived the rain, especially those in raised beds with better drainage, they do not have the flavour that I have come to expect. I can only put that down to lack of sunshine, particularly for the corn, beans and strawberries. The corn however has improved with the late onset of September sunshine.
All the questions I have received recently have nearly all been dominated by people looking for advice for deterring slugs and snails. There are so many so called remedies on the market and even my highly recommended organic control has had to be replenished regularly as it washed away. But the hostas I sprayed with a garlic mix have survived well. The mix was finally five fat cloves of garlic boiled in roughly two pints of water and then diluted again with twice as much water as solution. I sprayed once a week and have had very little damage. I wouldn’t recommend it for edible crops I am sure they would be taste tainted.
The other major problem mentioned has been outdoor citrus. I have looked after  an orangery in St Mawes for over five years. The owner has four 5ft citrus trees, three lemons and one orange. When I first arrived they were covered in black sticky goo from the invasion of scale insect. I spent a long time cleaning them with a dilution of methylated spirit which cleaned off the sticky stuff and killed the scale. They were then put out in spring for the gentle rain which seems to deal with scale insect better than anything. We used to bring them inside in the winter from about October to February but the scale always returned despite careful care and ventilation. The care included the use of winter and summer specially formulated citrus food.
We tried all sorts of remedies but now have the situation fully under control and the trees stay outdoors all year round, protected from harsh winds in the winter and fed on Epsom salt solution in the summer. Although our growing season is short for citrus we have managed to bear fruit. If you cannot give good outdoor protection in the winter then the next best alternative is a fully ventilated greenhouse with the doors and windows open as much as possible.
 I was recently asked what was wrong with a poor little box tree which was presented to me with its root ball dry and silvery transparent leaves. It had been planted last spring watered well and sat out with all its friends to make a new hedge in what one would have thought were perfect conditions this wet summer and in semi shade which box prefer. But I think this was a great example of how we can see it is wet outside but still this box had clearly died of drought (silvery leaves the clue here). The soil in which it was planted is fairly thin, on almost cliff face ground and exceptionally well drained.
Therefore even with the summer deluges the ground was not holding water and the newly planted box, trying to get a foothold couldn’t get enough water quickly enough. I often mention watering hedges and there is an example of why. Similarly I removed a huge hebe from my garden, about 12ft circumference and it was bone dry beneath, the water just couldn’t get in through the foliage canopy. As if that was not enough, remember that the rains that can get into the soil will have leached substantial goodness from well drained soils and so will need to be replenished with good garden compost and green manures.
There is plenty to be doing again this month:
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Plant up winter and spring containers
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Plant new trees and shrubs, the soil is still warm and they will put their energies into root not top growth. Bare root trees will be available from early November and are much cheaper.
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Move large shrubs now and keep watered in
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Take hardwood cuttings of trees and shrubs such as roses, olearia, weigela, forsythia. Take a shoot which has grown this year from as near the bottom of the stem as possible (good for root growth), trim the shoot to 6-18” long depending on the type of plant and the distance between leaf joints, bury all but the top third in the ground and this time next year you will have a brand new plant. Leave all the buds on the stem as those buds buried below ground will get the hint that they should be roots not shoots.
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Prune blackcurrants now by removing some of the older stems down to ground level or low down where you can see a side shoot develo ping. Use the stems as cuttings if they are healthy.
Lets hope for more glorious autumn sunshine so that we feel enthused to tidy up the borders, enjoy the berries and colourful leaves and prepare to make what I suspect may be gallons of pumpkin soup!
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'September' by Nicola Bush of The Roseland Nursery
 I always feel that September is a time for reflection. To consider what has been successful with the spring and summer season and what has gone wrong. Also to consider what was attributable to my mistakes and what I can genuinely put down to external factors over which I had no control.
Now you might think I am going to blame the weather for any disasters and to an extent you would be correct because my biggest problem has been slugs and snails, I use a very effective organic control but their numbers this year have been beyond belief and they have munched their way through everything from dwarf beans to dahlias.
This has been a good year for listing everything they haven’t touched. The silver lining so far has been the notable lack of cabbage white butterflies and so the autumn and winter brassicas are looking good, so too the leeks which have enjoyed the ground water and rain. All the summer root vegetables have also been successful. The runner beans were late but ok. The slugs got them too and so did Henry the labrador who takes the ones he can reach!
In the flower garden much has been knocked over or spoilt by the rain and it has been very sad to see so many hanging baskets looking so sorry for themselves, especially those exposed to the weather.
However, take heart!! With last year’s hot spell and this year’s wet we have monitored the success or otherwise of summer bedding and the only plants that have really been totally unaffected by both are the begonias (all varieties) and the white bacopa. So guess what I am recommending next year! My
 begonia baskets have stood on the top of the hill at Trewartha and taken everything coming to them and still look fab and the bacopa is a carpet of white everywhere. When the begonias are over I cut off the stems and leave them in their pots in the tunnel on their side to dry out.
It is worth taking rose cuttings now. Look for a strong healthy stem. Cut it off low down on the bush to about 9” long. Dig a narrow trench about a spade’s depth and put some sharp sand in the bottom and bury the cuttings to about 6”, leaving 3” above the soil. I have a very good success rate with my roses. Many species of rose come true from seed. Split open a rose hip and sow straight into a pot of compost and cover with grit. Keep cool and protected from mice.
Jobs for September:
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Collect and sow ripe seeds
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Remove lawn thatch with a rake or scarifier and dig out perennial weeds and re-sow the patches
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Plant bulbs for next spring and summer; plant at least twice the depth of the bulb size
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Buy prepared bulbs like hyacinths for forcing for Christmas, it’s only 16 weeks away…….
'August' by Nicola Bush of The Roseland Nursery
 Many of the gardening books will recommend that you take a break in August to enjoy your garden and appreciate all the hard work you have put in. I reckon that depends entirely on the weather (about which I am not saying another word) and what there is in your garden to appreciate.
So many Cornish gardens are understandably planted for spring and can look pretty tired by mid August. To my mind that is when the dahlias that have been constantly dead headed come into their own together with the cannas and late clematis. It’s also the time to consider putting pots in the bare spaces.
But don’t forget the spring wisteria. The book says August is the time to reduce side shoots to 3-5 leaves. Well that’s all very well if it’s a young wisteria, but with a mature specimen covering the whole house it is entirely impractical and will take forever, especially when the expert advice is to do it again in January or February.
Personally, I prune back big climbers when they need it and where they are growing out of place and now is when you notice it. If a wisteria isn’t flowering it is rarely to do with the pruning more likely it is the aspect or youth of the plant.
A couple of years ago I was offered a 12ft eucalyptus gunnii by my neighbour who was defeated in its support by the easterly wind. It was a sad specimen destined more appropriately to the shredder and in any event the best advice is always to plant eucalyptus when they are very young and small. I planted it in July (wrong), didn’t give it enough water (wrong) and frankly watched it struggle for survival until at mid August I chopped off its head to 4ft (wrong) and left the dwindling stick.
 Uttering my favourite phrase, ’it has two chances’, I have been rewarded by its 50/50 choice with the most beautiful shrub of juvenile foliage. Moral, if it looks as if it needs attention, put the book down and apply common sense.
When you are weeding (yes, weeding still needs doing in August) keep a look out for small self set seedlings of perennial plants such as aquilegia, poppies, escholztia and hellebores.
Together with semi ripe cuttings taken now of hebe, box, fuchsia, lavender, to name a few for a little effort there are plants for free. The self set seedlings will often not come true to the parent plant but I find it very exciting to see what emerges and every year I assume I will find a new variety that will become commercially viable and make my fortune.
Whilst I am waiting, I will endeavour to complete the following tasks this month:
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Plant Madonna lilies, colchicum (autumn crocus) and nerines now. They are best sourced by mail order
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Dead head roses, baskets and tubs to stimulate more flowers.
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Feed all annual plantings to prolong the flowering.
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Prepare ground for new turf or seed and seed now if not too hot.
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Make new strawberry beds and propagate runners from old plants
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Cut down the spent raspberry canes from this year and tie in the new ones
Look out for plant of the month feature around the middle of each month on this site.I will be featuring some well known and some lesser known plants that look good at the appropriate time of year and some hints on planting and growing.
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'July' by Nicola Bush of The Roseland Nursery
It’s July already, the nights are drawing in and so far it’s shaping up to be a better summer than the last two. You see it depends on whether you are a holiday maker needing hours of endless sunshine or a gardener who needs the rain but we gardeners are quite happy for it to rain at night and be dry by day!
There is still lots to do out there in July and apart from the weeding and mowing here are a few tasks you might like to tackle which are a little less obvious.
Try harvesting flowers for drying. Obvious choices such as papery flowers like stachys and helichrysum are relatively easy. Pick them at their best, just before they are fully open. Hang them upside down in a cool place with plenty of circulating air. They will shrivel in a kitchen or greenhouse. Less obvious but worth a try are achillea, amaranthus delphiniums, golden rod, zinnias and of course lavender. I don’t like decimating my lavender hedge so I pick it a bit later before it goes over and dry it flat on newspaper and use the stripped heads for lavender bags. A powerful reminder of summer on a cold winter day.
It’s worth dividing flag irises now as the centres become bare after three or four years. Cut off the old flower spike, lift the clump and shake off the soil and cut the rhizome where you can see a good shoot at its end. Replant several segments together to make a new clump and leave the rhizome visible on the surface. They don’t like to be too deep but prfer to bake in the sunshine.
"There is still lots to do out there
in July and apart from the
weeding and mowing ...
a few tasks to tackle which
are a little less obvious. Try harvesting
flowers for drying".
I am not a fan of pinks and carnations, mine always straggle and look untidy and they prefer a chalkier soil than I can provide. But if you are keen then take stem cuttings now just by pulling away the top 3” of stem, remove a few lower leaves and place in a pot of soil-less compost with a plastic bag covering to hold in moisture.
Many shorter lived shrubs can be propagated now while temperatures are higher, I shall be doing lavender and euryops this month from stem cuttings and clematis which are a wee bit more tricky from internodal cuttings. Just cut between leaf joints on the stem to leave a long stem and push into a pot of soil-less compost. All cuttings should be kept moist and in a cooler place out of the sunshine in some good shade.
Keep feeding and side shooting the cucumbers and tomatoes. It’s worth establishing and sticking to a regular watering regime to prevent blossom end rot, dark mouldy patches on the bottom and to keep water off the fruits to prevent halo blight, the little light coloured circles that appear on the skin.
A local commercial grower had apoplexy when he saw me side shooting at lunch time. Since his lecture last year I have always done this job first thing in the morning before the ‘sap’ starts rising. He also suggested that you remove the lower leaves starting just below the first truss and working up as they develop. Tomatoes and cucumbers do not need as many leaves as they produce so removing them methodically as the trusses develop leaves the goodness for the fruit rather than diverting it to too any leaves.
Early flowering herbaceous plants are now looking a bit tired and prolifically producing seed – no family planning involved here! Short lived perennials like lupins are best with the dead flower spikes cut off. All their energy goes into producing seed and the less they produce the longer the plant will last.
Early flowering perennial geraniums can be sheared off and if done early enough may flower again, particularly with a bit of water and feed.
If you are not sure which plants will benefit from a haircut and which may not like it then just part the leaves, look into the plant and those that are showing new ground shoots will enjoy the snip.
If you can still see where the clumps of daffodils were, you can lift congested ones now, leave to dry in a shed ready for replanting in September.
And finally, whilst talking about haircuts take a look at the herbs in your garden. Any that are straggling now will benefit from a good haircut and produce new tasty young shoots for the summer salads! Marjoram, mint, tarragon and sorrel will produce new shoots which are much tastier than the old leaves.
So no time to sit back yet, plenty to do but the evenings are still long enough to sit down with a cold one at the end of a hard days work!
'June' by Nicola Bush of The Roseland Nursery
Congratulations to the founders of Roseland-Online. Whether you like technology or not it is here to stay. I see the use of a computer as another means of communicating and spreading knowledge, although not the only one. But now to gardening!
My Dad bears the responsibility for my interest in gardening and all things natural. I spent hours as a little girl learning with him, growing our own fruit and veg and I grew more flowers latterly as he didn’t see the point of anything you couldn’t eat. One of his rules though was, ’If it flowers before June prune immediately after it has flowered.’ So here we are in June and you should be setting about pruning all those shrubs which have given spring colour. If you leave it too late then you will cut off next year’s flower buds that are beginning to form now and through the summer.
Those we should therefore be pruning include forsythia, weigela, philadelphus (mock orange), deutzia and there are many more including late flowering camellias and also azaleas and rhododendrons.
Look for the old wood that has flowered and prune to the next bud or right to the bottom of the stem. Always remembering another old adage that the harder you prune the harder it comes back.
The purpose is to let in light and air and as a general rule, taking out about a third of the branches will open up the shrub and encourage new shoots.
Lilac trees and shrubs can be treated the same way by pruning to the two new shoots below this year’s flowers.
There are exceptions to every rule and be careful with broom (cytisus) and genista which will not shoot from old wood so cut new growth to about one third of its current length.
 "Forsythia and several other
shrubs including
philidelphus, weigela, deutzia, and
late flowering camellias, and
rhododendrons may need pruning
sooner than you think".
I become very concerned in early and mid May, when the sun comes out and everyone rushes out to buy bedding plants. The retailers and supermarkets are very much at fault for putting tender bedding on display so early. We are fortunate here that whilst we are unlikely to suffer frost in May we are still vulnerable to wind and rain and cool evenings. Bedding raised in heated tunnels and not properly hardened off may die; become stunted and loose vigour quickly. For the sake of waiting three weeks to end May many could have avoided the worst of the problems.
Most of our bedding plants are sun lovers and, if you like bedding plants, we can enjoy hanging baskets and tubs on patios for the next three or four months. That is of course as long as you feed regularly (even if you have used slow release fertiliser which in my experience is pretty much exhausted after a month or so.) Proprietary brands such as phostrogen and miracle gro really do work and make a significant difference but tomato food also does the job for all summer flowering plants.
I use very dilute liquid seaweed to avoid the use of chemicals. But remember that fuchsias and busy lizzies prefer at least partial shade and both will thrive in full shade. If your busys go yellow they are either too hot or too wet. The endless dead heading is essential too to prolong the flowering period. Once a plant has flowered and set seed it has done its job to produce its next generation. Take off the dead flower heads, stop it setting seed and it has no choice but to react to the stress and produce more flowers.
Other jobs for this month include:
Sow biennials such as polyanthus and winter pansies
Sow ripe hellebore seed
Plant anemones for autumn flowers
Train climbing roses
Plant cauliflowers
Tackle weeds, especially perennials
I had an interesting conversation recently with a local chap who last year was plagued by cabbage root fly. Unfortunately when you realise you have got it it’s usually too late. The tell tale sign is a transplant keeling over and if you pull it up small white grubs will be evident in what is left of the roots. The adult fly will lay her eggs in the soil as near to the root as she can. You can buy little collars especially made to put round the stem of the young plant onto the ground or you make your own with a bit of old carpet. If she cannot lay eggs on the ground next to the stem of your cabbages she will go to your neighbour instead!
Another beast which turns up now is the codling moth. They fly around on warm evenings now looking for apple trees where the female will lay one egg on a single leaf or immature fruit. These become the maggots that you find in your prize apples. It is difficult to trap the females but a pheromone trap will attract the males and if you trap them it restricts the mating.
The tortrix moth is prevalent again this year. It is not easily identified but lays its eggs and sticks them between two leaves on a plant. If you see leaves apparently stuck together and uncurl them there will be a small green caterpillar or a brown chrysalis formed. I squish them but you can buy a nematode liquid which destroys the caterpillars and last year we erected a small blue insect attracting light which we put on in the tunnels at night night and we have trapped many more tortrix moth than I thought we had and so far this month there is no evidence of any damage from their caterpillars. Like the yellow sticky traps though there is the dilemma of catching beneficial insects too.
And finally, my tulips in their third and fourth year now have been admired this season. Now all the foliage has died down I will lift them and replant down to about eight inches to get yet another display next year from the same bulbs.
Now a quick advert for the Veryan Show - always an attraction in September, and open to everyone for visiting or competing. Last year’s largest pumpkin competition was great fun. Gilbert’s exploded on the steps of Veryan Hall, Mike’s was not as large as he’d led us to believe and Trevor beat us all, with mine a creditable second and third. I will post show details in full in due course but get growing and give us some healthy competition.
Geoff Hamilton said gardening is half achievement and half optimism. In our pumpkin plants we have both!
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