Winter Update from the Gardens 2024
By Andrew Humphris, Head Gardener
Once our cut flower Dahlias have been frosted in the autumn we carefully lift the tubers. These are then dried off and any soil and fibrous root removed to stop any rot during storage. We then cover the tubers with wood shavings and store in a dark frost free place over winter.
These tubers are then started into growth in March by potting them up and moving them into a lighter place. As soon as we think the frosts are over they are planted out and this will bring them into flower much earlier than if left in the ground. This will give us those stunning vibrant flowers for cutting over a much longer period.
Throughout the autumn and early winter we have been propagating our tender plants to use in the borders next year. We use a hydroponic propagator which produces quick results with a great root system. These are potted on into small pots for the winter before potting up into bigger pots in the spring ready for planting out. You can pot up the existing plants out the border, these would have to go into larger pots that take up a huge amount of space inside.
The young healthy plantings are more vigorous and produce better flowering over a longer period. This is why we love them, things like Helichrysum, Cuphea, Heliotrope and many Salvias.
Mulching plays a vital role in the garden, retaining moisture, suppressing weeds and enriching the ground. We use composted green waste which is heated up through the decaying process which kills all weed seeds and is then graded to get rid of any undesirables.
We have been using it in the vegetable garden and on the annual cut flower bed.
Pruning of our climbing roses is a job we like to get done before Christmas. The side shoots are pruned back and all growth is tied in to pruduce a good framework. All leaves are then removed to stop any transfer of black spot and rust onto new growth the following year. This greatly reduces any disease problems. This will give us a stunning display of roses in a variety of colours many of which have a lovely scent as well.
Our final bulbs have been planted over the last four weeks. All of our cut flower tulips are now in and we have enhanced the spring display in the blue borders with Tulips, Alliums and Camassias.
Each year we try to enhance the garden by making new plantings and tweaking the existing plants to produce as good a display as we can. Our winter work is vital to get the garden in a strong position for next year’s growing season when we are hoping for a little more sun.
