Winter Tips

Trouble free shrubs

We have lots of evergreen shrubs in the garden. They do need pruning back occasionally to stop them merging together and taking over but generally they are trouble free. One thing I like about them is their resilience to adverse weather conditions. When we move out of the recent ice age the shrubs can bounce back and the garden resumes its green state. There are some people that suggest that we should brush or knock the snow off the branches or they will snap, but we generally never get snowfall that badly. Anyway it wasn’t snow in our garden; it was compacted hail which stuck to the shrubs like superglue, so there would be no flicking the stems clean. Best to just leave them as they are I say.

Mountain madness

Just like Christmas last year, we find ourselves snowed in. We are not exactly in the middle of nowhere but we are on the top of a hill with an uphill driveway. Getting the car out was impossible so it was a case of getting the backpacks out and walking through the fields to get to the shops. What usually takes just minutes turns out to be a morning’s jaunt. Not only do we experience the beauty of the Inishowen coastline walking into town but we also get to meet all the other folk in the shops that are also succumbing to mountain madness. We can exchange stories of how we can see the oil and coal levels falling fast as we attempt to heat our houses. All except one friend of mine I bumped into in the vegetable section of Aldi’s. He was insightful enough to build a nearly passive eco house, so even the winter sun is enough to warm enough to heat the rooms and water. Envious isn’t the word.

The snow and frost has been a bit of a shock to the plants and trees. Walking through Swan Park we notice that there are still leaves falling onto the snow. Autumn hadn’t finished. We still have lettuce popping its leaves out from under the ice as well. We probably won’t be eating it now but it will come in useful for feeding the guinea pigs. I’m still wanting to fatten them up for Christmas (I’m outnumbered though with my cost saving idea for a Christmas dinner ) Our broccoli and kale are still looking fabulous in the garden, they can withstand anything that’s thrown at them. I like to eat the small florets when they appear in late winter. Looking around the garden there’s very little else that we can eat in the next couple of months (hence the reason for being at the veg section of Aldi)

I cleared most of the vegetable beds before the weather closed in and I will be building them up in spring with some of the 25 tonnes of topsoil that I got last month. This way I can start the growing year off with weed free surfaces. A first for me.

Winter tips

It’s probably a bit late for me to be suggesting that you put any delicate plants into a sheltered spot or even in the garage. It might be a bit late also to move any delicate pots inside too, hopefully there should still be some intact so you could have a walk around and give the containers a bit of a tap, you can tell by the tone if they are cracked.

Talking of taps, if you have any outdoor ones cover them up with an old sack or some bubble plastic or insulation foam.

You could also use some of the bubble wrap insulation to put under the birdbath if you have one. The water might need replacing often too. If you have bird feeders keep an eye on those and keep them topped up too.
Empty the petrol out of your mower if it’s parked up for the winter.

Keep an eye out for Christmas plants to brighten up your rooms over the festive period. Choose from an ever growing range of plants which include.
• Winter cherry (solanum)
• Poinsettia
• Christmas cactus
• Norfolk pine
• Orchids
• Kalenchoe
• Amaryllis bulbs
• Begonia
• Cyclamen
• Hyacinth
• Topiary balls
• And even indoor Christmas roses

Overheard in the aisles of the local supermarket

“Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know… the birth of Santa. “
“The one thing women don't want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.”