Lockdown Newsletter 10: Gardening Advice and Walking/Cycling Club
January offers a bit of slack in the gardening year but it’s a good time to tidy up the shed and garden. By the end of February, aim to have pruned your roses (to an outward facing bud) and removed last year’s top growth from perennials. Ahead of birds nesting in the spring, prune hedges to keep their shape. Make sure you cover your outdoor tap to protect from frost and try to keep off the lawn on icy days, so you don’t damage the grass. If you have a wisteria, to keep it manageable give it a winter prune to 2/3 buds per stem. If you planted any winter pots keep an eye on them and pick off faded flowers to encourage more. You can buy pots of flowering bulbs that you can sink in the garden or bring indoors in a bright but cool spot. We defy anyone not to be cheered by a pot of daffodils. If you have a pond and it freezes you should make a hole so wildlife can survive but don’t whack the ice, try standing a pan of hot water on it until it melts through and remember to feed the bird
