Search Results for 'Anne McKeon'

Though plants should form the backbone of our gardens, including features and decorative objects can add the finishing touches and give an insight to the personality of the gardener.

The winter garden can be a very peaceful garden offering a break from the routine gardening chores of summer lawn mowing, hedge cutting, weeding, etc.

As the growing season slows down and prepares to rest for the winter months ahead, gardening takes a change of direction. Foliage is beginning to change coats, putting on its rust and red shades of autumn; annual bedding plants are dying off while perennials on the other hand are storing up food supplies for the dormant season ahead. All things considered autumn enters and leaves in a blaze of colour.

Buy flower bulbs as early in the season as possible as it is then that the best quality is available. Bulbs that remain in shops unsold for a while tend to get handled frequently by undecided customers and by young little hands. Reject bulbs of poor quality as these tend to produce poor quality plants. A good quality bulb has a firm neck, a clean firm surface with the base also firm, and is free from rot.

I know that many of you dread this time of year, raking lawns and rockeries, clearing pipes, and sweeping driveways, all in an effort to remove the falling leaves that have lodged there. Falling leaves are, as you know, all part of life’s cycle though. Plants, as with people, slow down at this time of year and shed excess baggage. This is all in preparation for winter, when it is the time to rest. Sound familiar?

Well here we are again with another week’s gardening over and a busy week in prospect. I hope that you have been taking advantage of the intermittent spells of good weather because I feel that so much useful gardening work can be done in the autumn winter period. If you get it right at this time of year you can save yourself a lot of hardship in the spring.