GARDENING: What you need to do when winter arrives

November bowed out with a dusting of snow on Cheviot, clearly visible from afar.
Spring cabbages after frost.Spring cabbages after frost.
Spring cabbages after frost.

Whilst on the home patch, early morning has seen the pond frozen over and lawns covered with frost. Clear signs that the gardening year has entered another phase.

First response to this wakeup call was a quick tour of the ornamental beds to check for casualties. Blackened dahlia tops were anticipated, even welcomed, because now I could lift some of the tubers as planned and prepare them for stem cutting production at the turn of the year. First comes the removal of soil and drying-off, then eventually they go into deep trays of spent potting compost that stand on the unheated greenhouse bench until mid-March. The remainder of our dahlias having proved themselves reliably hardy over time, are left in the ground permanently. I marvel at the way two of our key, long-flowering summer choices fail to be shaken by the first frost. Cosmos and rudbeckia are classed as half hardy annuals and as such are germinated under glass in modest warmth. When started in cell trays, they are easily transferred to pots and planted outdoors in May. Constant flowering follows, sometimes well into December as at present. We expect any early spray chrysanthemums remaining outdoors to stand tall in bloom, even when the temperature dips into negative Celsius level overnight. But rather than run the gauntlet of heavier frost we`ve cut the remaining flowers for vases. Meanwhile, buds on those in the greenhouse border are opening nicely as we approach Christmas. Come January, a selection of their perennial root systems will go into the greenhouse to encourage growth for propagation.

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There is no need for anxiety when frost visits the vegetable beds.

Brussels sprouts seem to thrive in its presence and spring cabbages, although initially appearing to buckle under the burden, do regain equilibrium. Nature has blessed them with a strategy for survival. The trigger is a rapidly falling temperature, taken as a signal to transfer cellular water from outer extremes deep into the interior. As frost recedes the water is returned and normal service resumes.

Coniferous trees benefit from the last word in refinement with modified leaves in the form of needles. They see the plants safely through extremes of temperature.

An estimated six to eight million cut Christmas trees appear on the market each year. Raised as a commercial crop from seed, it takes years rather than months to grow them, and this is reflected in the price, which is ostensibly for a specimen with limited survival time left.

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So, how best to prolong its display over the festive period? Simply treat it as you would a summer flower, freshly cut from the border and destined for a vase. Make a fresh cut at the stem base to activate cellular absorption and get it into water a.s.a.p. after buying.

I use a saw to remove up to five centimetres from the trunk but note that some retailers push the base into a grinding mechanism momentarily to expose cells as part of the service. Both options will work. The tree then needs water and upright support, which for me is a heavy, tailor-made container with a built-in reservoir and clamp that is tightened to the trunk via a ratchet action. Needles will fall, even from the famed Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) if you fail to keep the water level topped up. Despite the absence of roots your tree continues absorbing water, translocating it up to the leaves and losing it via transpiration into the air. Some water is also lost through evaporation, the amount increasing according to room temperature.

In a warm environment the tree will process half a litre plus per day.

So, the coolest room is best for the tree but not necessarily for you!

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Small pot-grown trees are increasingly popular. To ensure they`re around for Christmases yet to come, plant them in the open garden after the event, with the pot out of sight just below soil level. When you dig it up next December trim off surplus roots, clean the pot and welcome it back in your home!

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