MORE WINTER JOBS

Nerine

Take hardwood cutting. Most shrubs will take if you cut a twig about a foot long from mature wood. Plant in the garden by making a slit with the spade and simply leave until next summer. Dig up and transplant into the final position where it is to grow.

Wallflowers can be planted now. They can be pruned back every year. Even though they are classed as biennials, they will give years of blooms if they are cut back after they flower.

Nerine bulbs are still looking good at this time of the year. If you want to dig some of these up from your friends garden then ensure that you don’t disturb the roots when you dig up a clump, as they don’t like being moved. Wait until the foliage has died down before you attempt this.

If you have a no dig policy in your vegetable garden then cover any bare soil with carpet or mulch such as straw. This will stop any nutrients being washed away in adverse weather and will give you a weed free bed to sow the spring crops.

Get the lawnmower serviced. If you are handy with the spanner then get cracking and get the mower ready for winter. Empty the petrol out, as it can get slimy if it’s left for too long. Check the spark plug and filters and change if necessary. The blades might need sharpening as well. If you are in any doubt then take it to a repair shop. It will be better to do this now than having to join the queue in spring.

Plant and seed catalogues should be coming through the letterboxes if you are on companies mailing lists and now would be a great time to look through them and plan what you want to order next year. You could always see if there is anything in the catalogues for your friends and family that would make useful presents at Christmas. I like to look through the Chase organic catalogue, as there are a lot of gadgets that you can use in the garden, the industrial flamethrower springs to mind, which would be very useful for keeping the weeds down! If you are buying products though, make sure the items are a good quality and will last the rigours of the outdoor world.

MICE AND RATS
The pesky rodents are back in the houses now the cold weather is with us. Let me know if you have any effective methods of driving them outside. We saw a white and grey one running around our estate last week. It stood up to two dogs and wasn’t scared of me. It is probably a pet that has escaped so if you have lost a fearless rodent please come and get it!

Horticultural.

JOBS TO DO IN WINTER

There was a great turn out for the Swilly Gardening Club last week. The fact that we were competing with a flower arranging evening didn’t seem to affect the numbers too much. Patrick McCartney entertained us with lighthearted banter with a few songs thrown in. Even though we are entering the depths of winter there are still plenty of projects to be getting on with. Here are a few of the topics covered on the evening.

Sow ripened seeds of hawthorns, cotoneaster, mountain ash and pyracantha. Squash the berries to extract the seeds, which should be cleaned of pulp before sowing. Sow in small pots filled with gritty compost and cover with a layer of grit. Water gently and stand pots outdoors, or in a well-ventilated cold frame.

If there is a sudden drop in the temperature, provide extra protection for your more tender flowering plants like Rhododendrons, Camellias, Azaleas and Daphne. You can provide temporary, emergency protection by driving in three of four stakes around the plant, and then simply covering the plant with some fleece or a sheet or an old blanket. Don't let this material come into direct contact with the leaves of the plant. Remove the cover completely, as soon as the weather improves a bit.

Sow seeds of alpine plants that require cold winter temperatures to germinate. Sow into shallow pots or trays filled with sharply draining gritty compost, and place outdoors.

Plant rhubarb in well manured ground, and cover established plants intended for forcing with a rhubarb pot or light-proof bucket. The best place to get rhubarb is from a friend who has some in their garden. Get your spade and dig out a healthy clump. Plant in an area that has plenty of well-rotted manure in it.

Horticultural.

REPAIR FENCES

Repairs
Repair fences, trellises and wooden features. Once annual climbers have died away and perennial ones have lost their leaves, treat timber with natural wood colour or preservative. Replace loose posts and those rotting at the base before they collapse and cause greater damage.

Horticultural.

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR DOORWAY

Bring some colour and warmth to the doorway of your house by carefully picking some hot pots and plants

HOT REDS
Perfect for: a cool corner that needs brightening up. Choose bold Mediterranean blue pots. They are usually associated with summer sun, but they also look great planted up with warm winter plants. A single colour scheme always creates instant impact - try a combination of cyclamen and Gaultheria procumbens.

OLIVES
Perfect for: an alternative look. Choose an olive tree! Although olive trees may be associated with sunnier climes, they are surprisingly hardy. Dress up your olive tree by placing it in a terracotta pot and under planting it with variegated ivy. It should be kept sheltered from cold winter winds, but makes a great alternative to the traditional Christmas tree.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE
Perfect for: a warm welcome to a door or driveway. Choose large red planters and plant them up in rich tones of red, orange and chocolate brown. It's a warm and inviting look that's easy to replicate. Plant a chocolate-brown cordyline in the centre of the pot and alternate orange flaming katy (Kalanchoë blossfeldiana) and red Gaultheria procumbens around the base of the cordyline. Place in a bright but sheltered spot and water sparingly.

POINSETTIAS
As we are looking at brightening up the doorstep let's look indoors too. There were some interesting houseplants on sale before Christmas to cash in on the buying frenzy. Some of the choices will last longer than others. Don't be too disappointed if the beautiful plant you bought looks like a pile of twigs, they will have done their job. Some plants are for Christmas, not for life!

A favourite is the Poinsettia. These attractive foliage plants prefer cooler rooms otherwise they wilt. To keep the humidity up, stand them on a layer of pebbles in a water-filled tray. Put the plants near a window with lots of light but out of draughts, let them dry out between watering, and feed occasionally. They could last for months but don't bet money on it though! Most of the problems you will get with this plant are because of the poor conditions they were displayed in at the shops. They were grown in hot glasshouses so a cold draughty doorway of a shop is the last thing they need. Pick ones from shops that keep them watered and out of the cold air. If you do want to over winter the plant so that they produce the coloured bracts ( kind of flower petals), it is possible but tricky. They'll need 14 hours of total darkness followed by 10 hours of daylight every day for 8 weeks. Leave it to the professionals!

Horticultural.

PLANNING FOR WILDLIFE

Australian bush turkey (doesn't really need help but I thought it looked cute)

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE BIRDS WHEN PLANNING YOUR GARDEN

Birds are on the decline in the garden and one of the reasons could be blamed on lost lawns. Decking, patios and gravel gardens may be contributing to a decline in song thrushes, house sparrows and starlings. Conservationists said their numbers have plummeted over the last 30 years as a trend to replace lawns with a low maintenance alternative has taken off. Without a habitat for insects, there is less for the birds to feed on. The RSPB over in England said studies suggested this was threatening some species' survival rate and urged people to leave lawns. It said that gardening makeover shows and a lack of time to spend tending a garden had led people to pave over their gardens or lay decking. Richard Bashford, of the RSPB, said: "We are losing more and more of the natural environment around our homes, particularly our front gardens." He said research had shown that even tiny front gardens or green verges are vital for urban wildlife and can house more than 700 different species of insect. "The RSPB is still investigating the causes of declines and why bird populations aren't recovering. Currently there is no one factor this can be attributed to. "However supplementing natural food with seeds and nuts and planting natural food sources for next spring can only help." The RSPB is also urging gardeners to plant native shrubs, leave patches of long grass and introduce bird feeders and tables.

RSPB ADVICE

Plant a native shrub or climber
Leave patches of long grass
Do not cut back old stems of herbaceous plants and annuals until spring
Fill a shallow dish with fresh water every day.

Put nuts, seeds and household scraps in feeders or on bird tables

Environmental.

ME AND MY MOTOR-GARETH GAMBLE

Name: Gareth Gamble.

Address: Burnfoot.

Car: 1987 Ford Capri 1.6


Gareth is presently living on the outskirts of Burnfoot. He has reluctantly had to put the car up for sale as he is emigrating to Australia very soon. Gareth is moving over to Newcastle in New South Wales with his fiancée Natasha Phillips. Natasha hails from Newcastle but her roots are in Ireland, (her mother’s maiden name is Gallagher) with numerous relations in Cork and Letterkenny.


How long have you had the car?
3 years

Any plans to change?
Yes! I don’t think I could get the car into my suitcase! I have the car up for sale at the moment for €1,200 euro. If anyone is interested they can call me on 074 936 8832

Is it reliable?
I paid for a lot of mechanical work to be done when I got it and it has been reliable ever since.

Best thing about the car?
The bonnet. The bump is very prominent when you are sat in the driving seat.

How often do you wash it?
Up until now I worked away so it only got a wash about once a week.

Any modifications?
There is a full body kit, skirts front and back.


If you were the Minister for Finance what would you do to help motorists?
I was at my stag do recently at a rally in Portadown. We all thought that a designated track for training and improving awareness on the roads would be a terrific idea.



What would you really like to be driving around in?
It would have to be a Ford Mustang!