Green Fingers: Winding down while celebrating the autumn
In the autumn months, there is less of a rush to get things done.
Gardening in the spring has a sense of urgency about it, which can take the edge off totally enjoying the activity. In the autumn months, however, there is no rush to get things done as there is less to do and plenty of time in which to complete tasks.
The wild animals are busy preparing for winter by harvesting food for later use or feeding themselves to build up reserves. We did that once but we went a few steps further and now we have different roles to play in the advancement of our race. Collectively, we cater for our future needs in our own way ant that gives us time to have other activities and hobbies.
Interesting that we are heading for the situation where we work less and have more leisure time available and a large part of that has now been taken up with sports, to make up for the lack of physical activity at work.
Just by walking about outside on a fine, dry day you will see things in a different light. There will be the obvious pleasure of the autumn colours changing as the weeks go by but you will also see things that need to be done - sometime. I know that during the busy spring growing season there were some jobs that were not quite finished, including leaving the surplus materials lying around to be tidied another day. For me the “another day” did not arrive and now six months later I am beginning to sort out these loose ends, and once done the satisfaction is immense with the thoughts of why I did not do it earlier.
Growth of plants was again very strong and once trees, shrubs, fruit and hedging become established they need pruning to keep in the allotted shape. It always seems a shame to prune those lush growths but a failure to do so will mean the plants will outgrow and shade other plants and the weaker ones will eventually die due to competition and a lack of light.
We, among many other nations, were never wine drinkers with ‘Blue Nun’ being one of few types widely available, and the same could be said of coffee. Fast forward a few decades and we can see the transformation that has occurred but we behave as if it has always been that way. I should like to share with you similar pleasures to what wine and coffee offer, such as those we enjoy with our home-grown fruit. Fruit freshly picked and eaten from a tree is a unique experience and the taste changes according to the time it is picked and even with the same variety, it changes as it matures, according to the amount of sunshine and moisture it receives.
It is getting late to plant some of those welcome spring flowering bulbs but if you want some then head out to a few of the garden shops where there might be some stock left. It is always nice to plant a few more unusual ones, such as the bi-coloured or fragrant ones.
We usually wait until the first frost before we save the half-hardy plants for the winter and this includes dahlias, geraniums, begonias, trailing petunias etc. Any bedding and patio plants that we wish to save will now be lifted, removing excessive compost, pruning back to a tidy shape and placing them together in boxes covering the roots with 2.5cm (1”) of compost - and placing in a cool, light and frost-free place covered with fleece.
If you have any queries or comments you are welcome to share them with me on 051 284273 or orchardstowngardencentre@hotmail.com and if of general interest I will include it in a future article.
