The Potting Shed
October 2019
The Worplesdon Garden Club 2020 Calendar is now available!
Twelve months of fantastic photos and available in Wall and Desk formats
Available at the October and November Club meetings and from the Post Office, Fairlands, Guildford. See more on the Calendar 2020 page
Working
Jobs to Do in the Garden this Month
Taken from this month's Newsletter - A busy month getting the garden ready for winter...
Protect half-hardy plants with fleece or bring them into a frost-free greenhouse
Lift and divide any overcrowded herbaceous perennials whilst the soil is still warm
Lift Dahlia tubers, Begonia tubers and Gladioli corms to store dry over the winter months
Finish harvesting beans and peas and cut back but leave roots in the ground until spring to release fixed nitrogen
Hang any tomato or pepper plants with green fruits upside down indoors to ripen
Divide congested clumps of rhubarb and re-plant the healthiest looking pieces
Remove the netting from fruit cages to allow birds to catch and eat any pests that are lurking there
Clear up fallen rose leaves to prevent diseases such as black spot from over-wintering
Tidy borders and mulch with bark chips, well-rotted manure, leaf mould or spent mushroom compost to insulate plant roots for the winter
Wrap grease bands around the trunks of apple trees to trap winter moth females whose caterpillars shred spring flowers
Set up your greenhouse heater in case of early frosts. If your greenhouse is fairly empty, now's a good time to clean and disinfect it. This lets in more light, and prevents pests and diseases over-wintering
Order spring flowering bulbs such as Narcissi and Tulips
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to suggest your own Tips and Dos and Don'ts...
Regenerative pruning - Never be afraid to “treat ‘em rough”! - Chris S.
This is wonderful display of fresh healthy growth on this Hibiscus syriacus is the result of some drastic pruning of a very large, old, and ugly plant down to just 12" main stems. It's certainly transformed it and injected some new life. For plants like Hibiscus, Buddleja and many other summer-autumn flowering deciduous shrubs, the best time to do this is in Spring. The roots will store all the food reserves over the winter and should quickly sprout new growth on the shortened stems once growth restarts. So if you have a tired old shrub, don't dig it out just yet - wait until Spring, give it a hard prune, and see what a transformation you can achieve.
Relaxing
What's Looking Good in the Garden
Miscanthus
Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'
Anemone 'Pamina'
Cherry Tomatoes
Dahlia
Rose 'Roald Dahl'
Squash
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Merveille Sanguine'
Cosmos
Dahlia
Echinacea 'Magnus'
Caster Oil Plant
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to let us know your recommended plants to grow...
Thinking
This Month's Wordsearch
Visiting
Places to Go and Things to Do
See what's happening at other local clubs via the Surrey Horticultural Federation web site
WGC October Club Meeting - 'Ferns & their Companions', George Lockwood, Tuesday 8th October, 8pm
WGC November Club Meeting - 'Wild Britain - Channel Islands to Scotland', Nigel Choat, Tuesday 12th November, 8pm
SHF AGM and Quiz. Normandy Village Hall, Sunday 17th November, 2:30pm - 5pm
WGC December Club Meeting - Christmas Social, Tuesday 10th December, 8pm
Further ahead: The SHF Spring Talk: Adam Frost, 26th March 2020, Normandy Village Hall, 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to suggest places to visit or local events...
