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...

Remembering

The Old 'The Potting Shed' Pages

If you have any comments or suggestions about the web site please use the Feedback Page. You can also add gardening advice, plants to grow, and places to visit.