In the Garden: A time for Christmas plants... and tidying up in the garden

THERE is plenty of tidying and pruning to be done in the garden right now and the more that gets ticked off of the list at this side of Christmas the better as the springtime can be a hectic one in the garden. That said I am inclined for leaving the garden in a much untidier state for longer than I used to with a view to providing shelter and habitat for beneficial insects and microorganisms in the garden.

The windy winter weather can damage long stems of climbers so best to tidy these up early on to minimise damage caused over the winter months. As growth stops and plants melt back into the soil for the dormant season the robin is never far away when we are out in the garden as they forage for insects in disturbed soil.

TIME TO COVER UP

Covering the soil is an important job at this time of the year. If you start to observe the garden, nature tends to mulch naturally itself with layers of leaves and decaying herbaceous material building up on the surface of the soil where there are deciduous trees.

It is best to compost leaves before applying them as a mulch as they need to absorb nitrogen from the soil to break down and we want the nitrogen to be used by the plants that we are growing. This is why we make leaf mould and it can take up to two years for the leaves to rot down and return nutrients back to the soil.

Leaves can be left on the beds but just keep in mind that it will take some time to return nutrients to the soil if they are composted in situ.

Mulching serves many functions, suppressing weed growth, preserving moisture in the soil, keeping the leeching of valuable water soluble nutrients to a minimum and nourishing the soil.

DIFFERENT OPTIONS

There are many ways of covering the soil, using an organic mulch like bark, garden compost, manure or seaweed or black plastic or cardboard. Now is a great time to collect seaweed that has been washed up on the shore for use in the garden.

When applied at this time of year there is plenty of time for the seaweed to breakdown and integrate into the top layer of the soil making the many trace elements it is rich in, available for plants to fuel growth once spring arrives.

Leaving the soil bare over the winter months makes it vulnerable to loss of nutrients particularly when we get so much rain in Ireland. It can also damage the structure of the soil and the precious top few inches of the soil can become eroded away.

If the soil is left bare then natures way of resolving this is for weeds to become established and this is better than having the soil left bare over winter as the roots of the weeds will protect the soil, holding it together and the foliage will cover the surface.

It will however mean that some work will need to be undertaken in spring when plants come back into active growth and the weeds are established!

CHRISTMAS PLANTS

There are many plants associated with Christmas that make a lovely gift like the Christmas Cactus, Poinsettia, Cyclamen and Amaryllis.

Herbs also make a lovely gift and are very useful for use over the festive season in giving fresh flavour to the stuffing and other dishes. Rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage and chives are all top of the list and would make great gifts that could be planted out into the garden in the spring for continued use throughout the year.

Scent is an important consideration in the garden over winter. Mahonia provide a heavy perfume in the winter garden as well as their cheery yellow flower colour and architectural foliage.

Daphnes are full of buds about to burst with scent and colour, always a great plant for flowering at Christmas time.

Coronilla ‘Citrina’ is an evergreen shrub which is a member of the pea family and produces fragrant yellow flowers during winter, it can be a little temperamental and will flower best when planted in a sheltered spot.

Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima produces highly scented small white flowers during winter and while it does not have the most elegant growth habit, for the scent alone it is deserving of a place in the garden, perhaps against a wall of fence where it will have some support as it is a little straggly!

Viburnum bodnatense’ Dawn’ produces masses of pink clusters of sweetly scented flowers throughout winter and has an upright columnar habit making it good for compact spaces.

Hyacinth bulbs produce a powerful scent and it is not too late to plant some to stimulate the senses this spring.

It is a good time to check out hardware stores now for bargains in bulbs as stock is reduced to make room for seasonal displays, just remember to plant the bulbs as soon as possible!

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, pictured above, is native to Brazil where home is the tropical rain forest so this plants prefers humid conditions.

They have upright stems initially that eventually become trailing as they produce trumpet shaped flowers at the tips in hues of pink, red and purple. They are stimulated to produce flower buds when there is 13 -15 hours of continuous darkness in a similar way to Poinsettias. This plant will do best in a good light but not direct sunlight, a free draining soil and kept at a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.

They make a great low maintenance houseplant providing cheery Christmas colour and are easy to propagate from cuttings.