Gardening: Work to be done before winter arrives
Cold, finger-numbing mornings are the stuff of gardening outdoors from now onward but that does not mean the situation is unmanageable.
Wrap up warmly, don your woolly hat and gloves. There’s still much to do out there.
Priority in this garden is to protect or rescue those plants in danger of succumbing to strong winds or severe frost.
Summer flowering shrubs such as buddleja, lavatera and roses that develop a rush of tall, soft stems within weeks of a new growing season, have little wind resistance, so they rock back and forth and run the risk of losing anchorage in the soil. I reduce their growth by half and minimise the risk at a stroke, then follow up with their definitive pruning at the point of new spring growth.
Freestanding, tall growing roses in a bed are also prone to wind rock but there is an option other than autumn pruning – festooning! This is a technique used by gardeners of yore to encourage apple and pear trees to crop.
A long branch or, tall stem in the case of a rose, is bent over in an arc and tied to its own base or a post according to its flexibility. The result is a chemical reaction within the restrained branch which reduces leaf and shoot production whilst encouraging fruit/flower buds. Successful festooning results in an arc of blooms next year.
This is a reasonable time to prune any soft fruits in the garden or containers. The currant bushes could have been done immediately after the summer crops were picked but I prefer to leave them until leaf fall when a good skeletal view of the plant is possible. Try to remove one or two older stems from the base of currant bushes each year to encourage rejuvenation.
Remember, black, red and white currants, gooseberries too, will readily root from hardwood stem cuttings taken now from this year’s growth, 20 cms long, and pushed upright into the soil leaving only one third showing. Leave the rest to nature and you will have young plants by next autumn.
Bush roses and various flowering shrubs e.g. weigela, buddleja, spiraea, escallonia, cornus, are easily encouraged to root via the same method. This is an annual October/November activity so it’s time for action. Look at the price of these plants on display and you realise what a money saver this can be!