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Frog Blog...

December 2010/January 2011

December was a quite extraordinary month, with deep snow falling as early as late November, in inner London, and snow cover remaining of returning through December, and making the month more or less a white-off for gardening.

During the freeze up, I'm pleased to say that 60% of gardeners put out food for wild birds, probably the single most useful thing you can do in a garden during snowy conditions.

January so far has been a bit milder, and we are now able to get out and about, doing useful winter tasks. We were so held up by the snow, that we even have some bulbs still to plant! It's still ok to plant most bulbs in early January, but hurry! February really is too late!

One job reserved for January is the second pruning of wisteria. In July, you should have cut back the long whippy new growth. These appear after flowering, and grow amazingly fast, inches every day, twining round every thing they can reach. These must be cut back to within a foot or less of the main stem. In July, count out 5 or 6 buds from where the shoot leaves the main stem, and cut just above the 5th or 6th bud.

Now for the January bit! In January, you must return to each of these pruned growths, and cut off another 2 buds.

If the plant is old enough (6-7 years) and growing well, this treatment will produce beautiful flowers from each remaining bud. Do not be tempted to feed the plant. It's normal to feed trees, shrubs and climbers after pruning, to give them the materials to make new growth. Wisteria is different. Wisteria likes to be starved. The poorer and stonier the soil the better, so no fertilisers please.

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Archive...

November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
December 2010 /January 2011 Small Birds vs Bigger Bird
Fruit and Veg
Obsessive Tidiness
Irrigation
Foxes and Pets
Knotweed Control
Tree Surgery Advise
Horse Chestnut
Mycorrhizal Root Treatment
Water Conservation
The Vine Weevil
Water - The Garden Lifeblood
Climate Change & Bug Life
Busy Lizzie