MISTLETOE

Giz a kiss

It will not be long now before the real festivities begin. Not that they have just begun though. A friend of mine went to a Christmas bash with Santa coming down the chimney and all of the trimmings way back at the beginning of November. You have to feel a bit sorry for the employees of these establishments. One Christmas bash is not too bad, but when you have to attend about forty of them I would imagine they would get a bit tiring. It’s a bit like the film Groundhog Day. One tradition that is usually kept until the last minute though is kissing under the mistletoe. Mistletoe used to be a symbol of fertility and good luck, which would ward off evil spirits. It is easy to see why the plant appears to have magical powers, as it grows off a branch in a host tree, seemingly in mid air. In Ireland the mistletoe is usually grown on apple or poplar trees, but other countries can see oak pine and larch being the hosts. The seeds are wrapped in sticky mucus to hold them onto the branches and are often put onto the tree by birds having to wipe their beak to get the seeds off. The mistletoe that we see here for sale mainly comes from France where they grow on poplar trees. If you fancy having a go at growing some after the snogging has finished then push a seed or two into the cracks in a large branch of an apple or poplar tree and see what happens

HOUSEPLANT CARE IN DECEMBER

As we start the last month of the year, I suspect that only a few hardy people would be out in their gardens. Either those tidying up jobs have been done or they can wait until the New Year. One area that doesn’t get neglected this time of year will be the inside of the house. There’s something very satisfying getting the house all nice and fresh and cosy for when any visitors come knocking over the festive season. So during your preparations it might be worth putting in a bit of time to make those house plants look their best.

LOOKING AFTER HOUSE PLANTS
Houseplants are a very attractive addition to the home. They can make your living space an extension of the great outdoors. Another important functions of indoor houseplants is their ability to absorb pollutants out of the air and purify them, the common spider plant is one of the most effective plants to filter these. I have mentioned before that I now grow very few houseplants. Only the strong survive… (The ones that only require watering twice a year is what I really mean). This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t really feel as though I need to have plants indoors. I only have to look out of the windows to see lush vegetation in the garden, hedgerows and hills. It wasn’t always like that. When I lived in a city on a heavily populated housing estate, the only green I saw, especially in winter was my next door neighbours ten year old Ford Cortina. Because of this my house was full of indoor colour. I had forty-seven different types of plant and they probably took more looking after than a full sized garden.

PLANT CARE
Most plants need to be pampered to survive in a modern house; central heating is one condition that plants don’t generally like. The air around the plants can get very dry and shrivel the plant up. One method I found quite successful if you’re not prepared to spray them with water everyday, or indeed you cant because the pots are near plug sockets, is to put water on the radiator. Now before you run over and pour on a kettle full of water over the front room rad. I mean you can get ceramic containers that can be clipped onto the front of the radiator and the heat gently evaporates the water put in it and makes the room more humid which is the condition the plants will prefer, (You may even find it more pleasant too). It is important to make sure that the leaves of all the plants are clean. The leaves are the breathing apparatus of the plant and they have pores that will block up if not cared for. There are certain plant such as the large leaved rubber plant of cheese plant that can have shining leaves by using water mixed with milk, the fat stays on the leaf after the water has gone, but for most plants just use tepid water applied with some cotton wool is preferred.

Water plants more sparingly at this time of year and cut off any leaves that have died or gone yellow. These will be targets for fungal growth such as botrytis.

CHRISTMAS PLANTS
If you don’t have plants in the house but do intend on buying a few, here is a list of the most popular Christmas plants that will probably be on sale. I’ve mentioned a few details so you can get the best value from them once you bring them home.

Azalea: Water carefully –keep the compost moist at all times, keep cool, a hall or porch is ideal as long as the temperature is constant. Keep in bright, indirect sunlight. Can be put outside when the threat of frost has gone
Christmas cactus: Water sparingly-don’t let the compost dry out. They don’t like it too hot. The plants should flower for about six weeks. Don’t move the plant once the buds have formed as they could drop off with the shock of it all. Will get bigger and better for next year with a bit or care.
Cyclamen: These plants do best if kept cool and kept in porches and conservatories. They tend to wilt in central heating, if they do dry out, stand the pot in tepid water and leave to soak. After the compost has soaked up the water shake off the excess water, hopefully the plant will recover. After flowering allow the corm, (the bulb bit in the middle) to dry out then store until late summer. Repot again in fresh compost and start watering.

Poinsettia: Again don’t overwater; keep at a cool room temperature out of draughts. They should flower for twelve weeks and even more if the leaves are sprayed with water and the pots are put on a pebble tray to increase humidity. Put the plants in bright light to keep the plant colour. The plant can be over wintered by following a strict regime of light and dark for an eight-week period (14 hour darkness then ten hours of daylight) starting next September. The time this will take it would pay you to buy a new one!

MAKING A CHRISTMAS WREATH

To make an original Christmas wreath start with either a moss ring or an Oasis ring. You can buy these from most florists. If you don’t want to spend any money, get some thin willow or hazels sticks and curl them around into a circle. These can then be tied to form the base of the wreath. Next have a look around for some strong evergreen plants, including those with variegated foliage and of course plants with berries. The favourites of course are holly and ivy; try not to take any out of the wild though as the supplies of holly especially are dwindling. There are many other plants that can be included though. Plants with good foliage include conifers, bay laurel, rosemary, box and yew. You can also use the bottom branches from the Christmas tree: - cut them up to fill any spaces. For variegated leaves euonymus and spotted laurel will liven up the arrangement. Other plants with berries include cotoneaster, pyracantha, skimmia japonica and the hips of wild roses.

Completely soak all the branches overnight in a bucket, before arranging. This fills the plants with water and keeps them looking fresh over Christmas. Also steep the Oasis or moss for a couple of minutes to soak through, and then arrange the cut stems in clumps around the ring. Using wire, fill the inside with fir cones, apples, walnuts, dried fruit or artificial flowers.

TRELLIS CHECK

REPAIRS
I was out in the vegetable patch the other day clearing the hazel sticks out of the pea beds. The hazel probably won’t last for another year as it was quite rotted. It might be an idea if you went around your gardens and checked that the woodwork is in order. Fence posts need checking, especially near the ground where the worst of the rot usually occurs. Check fence panels for damage too, if they are rotted they could do with being replaced along with the posts- if strong winds come the damage could be made a lot worse.

Treat timber that is in good condition with a wood preservative. You can get environmentally sound products that aren’t harmful to wildlife or the soil- ask the staff at the hardware shops. Check trellis too, if you have climbers growing up the walls. Cut back the climbers so you can get to the trellis if it needs any maintenance. If the trellis is in good repair you might still consider trimming back the climber, this will ease the stress on the trellis and promote healthy new growth for the climber in spring.

ICY WIND

COLD COLD COLD!
The first reason I mention the cold is that just as that icy weather came in on the east winds last week our central heating decided to stop working. (I was going to bed with a hat on to keep my ears warm!) We have also been trying to keep the rabbit a bit warmer too. I don’t know if all rabbits are as daft as ours but he never seems to go into his hutch. If it’s raining, snowing or a gale force wind he just sits there open to the elements. Because of this we decided to bring him indoors for a while to allow him to thaw out. Bad idea, with three cats about and a jealous dog he was soon back outside in his run (he was a bit smelly too). I’ve done my best to insulate the run with cardboard and a tarpaulin sheet and so far he is still wet and with us.

The cold has got into the polythene tunnel too over the last few days. I have obviously had a frost in there because of a few tell tale signs. The money plants, which are succulents, have gone mushy, and the tops of all the potato plants have wilted and died. These plants were supposed to give me some tasty new spuds on Christmas day. It’s very strange because I have borage and marigolds still in flower in the garden. I would have thought they would be the first to go. Whilst we’re on the subject of frost, don’t forget to put the frost sensitive pots in a sheltered place to prevent them from cracking.

WOOD BURNING

When I go out walking the dog I often pick up wood that has either dropped off the trees with the wind or been washed in with the tide. I usually bring this home, dry it out and chop it up to use on the fire. This is a real luxury for me as I was brought up in an area that could only use smokeless fuel. That made little difference to us as we didn’t have an open fire anyway. We relied solely on central heating, (how deprived I was).

Some wood I have to drag half a mile across the beach but if the wood is good for burning it is well worth the effort. I find the fast burning wood great for getting the water hot in the tank. Some wood is better than others at keeping the fire going. I remember once a next-door neighbour of mine, who was a gunsmith, gave me a box of old stocks for burning. These were made out of cherry and they didn’t half warm you up on a cold winters day. There are certain woods that need a safety warning attached to them as they have a tendency to spit the fire out onto the living room floor. I have found pine is a main culprit as is the wood from pallets; I don’t bother burning them anymore. Other wood that spits badly are poplar and sweet chestnut, so avoid those unless you have an enclosed fire or wood burning stove.

All wood burns differently, Poplar, for example gives out just half the amount of heat for the same weight of Oak. There are quite a few rhymes around to help us remember which wood to choose. Funnily enough none of them seem to mention old pallets or Christmas trees.

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year.
Oaken logs burn steadily
If the wood is old and dry.

Birch and fir logs burn too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
Chestnut’s only good they say,
If for long is laid away.
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for a Queen with a crown of gold.

It is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your room and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense-like perfume.
But ash wet or ash dry
For a King to warm his slippers by.

The biggest hazard that I am faced with when I salvage any old wood is if there are any nails or old barbed wire sticking out from them. I carry a pair of gloves around with me just in case I see a choice piece that looks as though it could be chopped into fire sized pieces. Sometimes the wood is of a good enough quality to be spared the fire and goes into the garden to add to the raised beds that are slowly being built. I found a six-foot section of the base of a telegraph pole one week; I’ll tell you it took a bit of effort to get it into my car. When I got it home I didn’t fancy the prospect of cutting the wood up so I buried the bottom two feet into the lawn and it now stands pride of place in the front garden and is used every day as a very sturdy bird feeder.

NOELINE IN GHANA

Receiving shipped goods from Ireland.

Goods arriving in Ho to help leprosy sufferers. The ambulances were also shipped over

Noeline Haylett with Dr Grace

This was the condition of the drinking water before the wells were put in