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Forty fourth edition -
December 2004
December, and the end of another
gardening season.. Everything in the garden is tidy, the lawn mower has gone
in for it`s winter service, the leaves are all swept up and Christmas will
be upon us before very long...
My garden really comes into it`s own at this time of year
with lots of flowering and evergreen shrubs, late chrysanthemums, bright red
barks and the hellebores foetidus and corsicus that are about to burst into
flower.... The brilliant white bark of the Silver Birch Jacqmondii is always
a talking point and my family are convinced that I paint it...
During summertime there is colour everywhere in the
garden but in the winter months the rare sight of a flower is a joy to
behold to many people. I always try to buy Azaeleas, Cyclamens, winter
flowering Hyacinths, or a pot of Narcissi, just to keep in the kitchen to
cheer me up in the deepest winter. They can be planted in the garden after
flowering, to enjoy in future years. It is very important for me to see
colour and flowers in the winter garden....
Make original Christmas arrangements.
 Christmas
is almost here and those creative gardeners among you could make your
own stunning original arrangements, which are both satisfying and fun to
do...
First get hold of some florists` oasis, green plastic coated garden
wire, gold and silver decorative Christmas spray in aerosols, some glitter,
spray on snow and some vases or other waterproof containers. Then collect
small pieces of holly, ivy, delicate and interesting looking twigs, dried chinese lanterns, a variety of evergreen shrubs and cones.
Set aside some of
these on a newspaper and spray them with the different colours and the snow.
This is best done outside. Practice with different colours and
textures. Before they dry sprinkle a little of the glitter sparingly onto a
few of them. When they have completely dried you can go ahead and be really
creative, making wreaths for the front door, table decorations and
arrangements in vases.
Oasis can be cut to different shapes and then hidden
by the greenery. Use the wire to keep the stems in position. Finally, add
ribbons and other Christmas baubles for a professional touch. Add candles
for the table decorations and add water to the finished items to keep the
greenery fresh, providing you haven`t put Christmas electric lights in
them.
Last minute stocking fillers suitable for
your gardening friends and family
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A years subscription to a gardening magazine
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A gardening book from
www.amazon.co.uk
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Secateurs or other garden hand tools
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Gardening gloves
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Gift voucher for a garden centre
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Terracotta pots
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Decorative house name or number:
www.englandsigns.co.uk
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Japanese wind chimes
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Garden ornaments
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Bulbs ready planted in decorative containers, from the
supermarket.
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Gardening Calendar or diary
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An azalea or cyclamen from the supermarket
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House plant watering can
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Decorative plant labels
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A packet of their favourite seeds
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Bird feeder
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Bag of Spring flowering bulbs
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Heated propagator
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Garden thermometer
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Bonsai tree kit
Thompson & Morgan have opened a
Living Gifts for Christmas online catalogue, seen here:
http://xmas.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en Just think, all gifts
are supplied with a greetings card and a choice of message, delivered in
peak condition direct to the recipient in good time for Christmas. No boxes,
no gift-wrapping, no trips to the post office. This is my kind of Christmas shopping...
You
may obtain their free New 2005 Seed Catalogue by telephoning 01473 695224
and their website address is
www.thompson-morgan.com
where full information is available on their product varieties and orders
can be taken on-line.
I often hear the concerns and doubts of some older people
who are thinking of building a garden pond now they have more time on their
hands, so I have decided to do a mini series which will hopefully be quite
useful for those hoping to plan a pond for next year....
The subject is a huge one, enough to fill a book, and I
will obviously only scratch the surface. But hopefully it will help you
decide whether to go ahead and have a garden pond, or settle for something
less adventurous.
Garden Ponds - Part one - covering garden ponds and pond safety
Garden Ponds - Part 2
- garden ponds
I sometimes
get asked to recommend a website, and this is one of them, well three in one
actually! A young but thriving business that I can
thoroughly recommend..
Some great ideas for Christmas presents
perhaps..
www.waterfeatures2u.com
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Gardener's Diary is a regular feature of
laterlife.com run by Rosemary Martin.
The National Botanic Garden of Wales
