January journal

Tips & tricks

• New Year’s Day is a good trigger to remind you to prune your French lavender.
• Keep an empty milk bottle handy at the kitchen sink, so that when you’re waiting for your hot water to come through the tap, you can catch the cold water that comes through first and would otherwise be wasted.
• Always prune your plants after they flower, unless they’re fruit trees. In this case, prune after fruiting. Stone fruit should be pruned late summer.

Jobs to do

• In summer, garden pests proliferate. A soap spray kills most pests by suffocation. You can make your own or buy Yates Natrasoap.
• Feed vegetables with a liquid fertiliser such as Harvest or Thrive Flower And Fruit, to keep them growing well.
• Prune daisies, fuchsia, geranium and lavender as they become woody. Make soft tip cuttings of the prunings and pot up. Cuttings should strike in four weeks. Once the new plant is established, you can replace the old one

In the flower garden:

Feed hibiscus

Hibiscus will produce a fabulous number of flowers if you feed them. These gross feeders (plants that are always hungry) will require blood and bone, cow manure and pelletised manure to be applied monthly (in sequence, not together). Your reward will be masses of huge flowers for at least six months each year. Remember to prune heavily in early spring as they flower on the new season’s growth.

Take cuttings

Time to take semi-hardwood cuttings of azalea, camellia, daphne, geranium and fuchsia, any shrub with stem changing in colour, from green to brown. Take short cuttings (with a heel) in early morning, strip bottom leaves, dip into hormone powder and plant immediately around the edge of a small pot of moist potting mix. Keep shaded.

Dig and divide iris

Tall bearded iris can be dug and divided now. Discard the old centre, trim leaves and replant with the surface of the rhizome showing at soil level. Water well and secure with bent wire until roots are secure.

Plant impatiens

For full-colour impact, plant impatiens in shady gardens. New Guinea impatiens provide colour all year round, not just from their vibrant flowers in shades of pink, orange, cerise, red, maroon, magenta, pure white and bi-colour, but also from the exotic foliage that some varieties produce. They look great either mixed and matched, or grown in a mass display of single colours.

Grow climbers

Climbers add ‘softness’ to any garden. Grow them over paling fences, up pergolas, over ugly garden sheds. Deciduous climbers such as wisteria and ornamental grape, Vitis coignetiae, give welcome shade in summer and drop their leaves in winter to allow sun through. Wisteria has glorious spring flowers and vitis leaves turn crimson in the autumn before they fall.

In the vegetable patch:

Prune stone fruit

You should prune stone fruit in summer after they have fruited. Prune to an open vase shape to give good airflow. Spray regularly with Eco-naturalure for fruit fly. Be vigilant in removing rotting fruit and dead branches. Plant dwarf varieties in pots and small gardens.

Water fruiting figs

Fruiting figs need plenty of water through the warm months. Most fig tree roots are close to the soil surface and can easily dry out. Water stress frequently causes premature fruit drop. Watch out for fruit fly and spray regularly with organic Eco-naturalure. Fruit are ready for picking when flesh softens.

Plant loose-leaf lettuce

Loose-leaf, butterhead and cos lettuce are easier to grow than ‘hearted’ varieties, such as Iceberg, where you must wait until the heart forms before harvesting or it tastes bitter. Loose-leaf varieties are heat resistant and can be eaten young - just tear off leaves as you need them. They’re great for salad mixes. Sow them any time and allow some to self-seed.

Use wetting agents

Lawns can dry out to such an extent that the soil repels water. Use hose-on wetting agents such as Eco-Hydrate or Maxicrop’s Lawn Rejuvenator, to improve water penetration, reduce stress on roots and encourage lush green grass. These two are enriched with added seaweed and other nutrients.

Tackle fruit fly

White fly (which is actually not a fly but related to aphid) is a major pest of tomatoes and beans. It breeds quickly and prolifically, causing stunting and wilt. The white fly also secrete honeydew, which attracts sooty mould. Control them with insecticidal soap sprays such as Natrasoap, as soon as you see them. Spray underneath the leaves every 2-3 days for two weeks. Pest oil or Eco-oil are also good, safe preventative sprays.