ONE vital aspect of winter gardening is not to neglect watering.

When the ground is covered in frost or a thick fog it is natural to think that watering is not necessary. Nothing is further from the truth.

Frost can draw moisture from the soil and, unless we receive regular winter rain, plants will suffer. The exceptions, to a certain extent, are the deciduous trees and shrubs that are dormant in winter with no rising sap needing moisture.

The first indication of lack of soil moisture is when leaf tips start to brown, indicating insufficient moisture is getting to the extremities of the plant. This is equally applicable in summer. If sufficient moisture is not quickly applied, the whole leaf will turn brown and by that time it is too late.

IT is often mentioned in the gardening media that it is okay to place tulip bulbs in the crisper of the fridge until the ground temperatures are low, usually about May. Please ignore this advice.

According to one of Australia’s principal Dutch bulb growers (and if anyone knows about bulb culture, it is the Dutch), tulips – or for that matter any bulbs stored in the crisper – can be affected by ethylene gas put out by fruit, especially bananas, near them.

This can result in poor flowering or even no flowers at all. Then, possibly, the poor, old garden centre cops the blame for selling inferior bulbs! Simply store the bulbs in a cool spot until the ground has a couple of frosts.

 

DURING frosty mornings, due to arrive at any time, I suggest you apply a fine spray of water to camellias and other late autumn and winter-flowering shrubs in the early morning.

Do this early in the morning before the sun hits the frost-covered flowers and they get sun scorched. Of course, you will not be able to do this if you forget to put the hose away overnight or the outdoor tap and water pipe does not have any insulation round them to stop them freezing!

 

APPLY the last feeding of plants for autumn now. I specifically recommend the organic liquid Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Food. Firstly, this will penetrate the soil and get to the roots quicker than chemical granular fertilisers. The latter relies on regular rainfall to dissolve them – though often, of late, storm rain washes the granules away from the plant.

Secondly, seaweed plant food reduces the effect of frost on plants. No further feeding will be necessary until spring with the exception of newly planted trees or shrubs. Water these in with a seaweed solution to encourage new, strong root growth and eliminate any air pockets around the root zone.

OF special mention this week is Iris unguicularis (syn. Iris stylosa), the winter flowering iris. Usually this iris is not grown to its full potential as the flowers and buds are hidden in a mass of thick, grass-like foliage. Or they are attacked by snails or slugs.

This is a real toughie with its home ranging from Algeria to Greece. As such, it is happy in full sun, although equally happy in dappled shade. The best way to get the benefit of the flowers is to cut back all foliage to ground level at this time. This is before the buds and flowers start to appear and snails will have little protection. The lavender-mauve blooms have a unique fragrance and are an excellent cut flower, lasting for quite some time. When picking, pull the flowers from their base rather than cutting.

As the mornings chill…

• Plant berry and currant plants. Plant blackcurrants lower in the soil than the level in the pot in which they are grown. This produces more vigorous fruitful stems.
• Prune autumn raspberries, cutting all canes to ground level.
• Cut back summer-flowering clematis which flower on current year’s growth. Cut to the lowest pair of buds about 30cm above ground level.