We regularly post gardening tips on the Primrose Facebook page. Here is a selection of the best ones from last month.
- What not to put in your compost and why – for example don’t put egg shells in your compost as they will attract vermin.
- Want beautiful smelling plants? Try honeysuckle to add colour and fragrance to your garden.
- How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin!
- If you have a pond consider covering it in extreme weather so that it stays free of ice. This will be particularly helpful if you have fish in keeping them warm.
- Grow your own shiitake mushrooms on a log.
- Short on space? With a bit of creative thinking you can still make a spectacular garden even on a tiny balcony!
- How to can tomatoes.
- It’s coming up to the winter season. Have you prepared your greenhouse yet?
- Have a shady spot in the garden where plants don’t seem to grow? Why not plant ferns to fill the space with thick green foliage – they thrive in shaded conditions.
- If you have a compost bin be sure to add any leaves that have fallen over autumn which can degrade and later be used in your borders.
- Autumn is a great time to plant bulbs, for example daffodils and hyacinths. Remember, gardening doesn’t have to stop as soon as autumn comes.
- Be careful with pruning spring flowering shrubs (for example Rhododendrons) in autumn as some of their buds may have already started to grow at this time and you may lose next year’s flowers if you cut the plants back.
- Autumn is a good time to seed your lawn so now is the time to start work on it.
- Frost can be a plant killer so if you suspect a frost be sure to protect your plants. If DIY is your thing you can use old sheets to provide coverage for your plants.
- If you get hedgehogs in your area and enjoy having wildlife in your garden be sure to get a hedgehog box and place it in a sheltered corner of your garden. Fill with dry leaves to help the hedgehog stay warm during hibernation and don’t disturb them if possible.
- If you occasionally keep any house-plants outside it is around now that you should bring them in for the winter to ensure they aren’t exposed to the cold weather.
- If you have pet animals that shed hair – don’t throw it in the bin – instead leave it in your garden so that birds can use the fur to line their nests and keep warm.
- Mulching (a protective cover of organic matter around plants eg. Fallen leaves) can help protect plants over winter. If done too soon mulching can cause disease and more pests so wait until the cold weather has started.
- If you have a pond make sure that you clean the leaves out when they fall in autumn otherwise they can start to decay and will cause a build up at the bottom.
- Why not be romantic and try growing your own mistletoe? In several years times you’ll be receiving many kisses under the garden mistletoe.
- As well as placing bird boxes far away from the reach of cats and other predators be sure to clean them out each autumn to prevent the build up of pests and bacteria that could cause harm to the birds that choose to nest there next spring.
- If you want your garden to look remotely green during the harsh winter periods, plant evergreens such as holly or pyracantha to add some colour
- If you have a pond consider covering it in extreme weather so that it stays free of ice. This will be particularly helpful if you have fish in keeping them warm.
Cat works in the marketing team and is responsible for online marketing, social media and the newsletter.
She spends most of her time reading about a variety of interesting facts, such as oddly named Canadian towns, obscure holidays and unusual gardening.
She mostly writes about Primrose news and current events.