December Gardening News Letter From Jane Folis
IT seems a bit ridiculous to wish you all a very Happy Christmas when it?s still November ? but here goes. I do hope you all have a wonderful time and it doesn?t all get too stressful. Jim is coming home for a few days so it will be lovely to relax and catch up with not a turkey in sight.
It has been an incredibly busy month. I think I had six projects confirmed within four days of each other and all with a deadline of 1st December. I am still quietly working my way through them whilst fitting in five planting jobs, plus on-going builds. It is all a bit crazy, but I love it.
The developer has taken me on, so I am now working on what can only be likened to cliff faces. Perhaps there was no one else daft enough to take on the challenge!! As a lot of you know I actually enjoy working with levels, but these are the worst I have encountered. I am off to Perpignan next week to look at a site ? 8 acres in total – and this one is on the top of a mountain!
The bulbs finally arrived and I have now distributed most of them and they should all be planted by the end of this month. Thank you all for your patience.
Is there anyone out there who knows someone who could help me build a database? I had a meeting recently with three very lovely girls from Lord Bills in Thame and they have encouraged me to get my plant database underway. This would mean I could produce individual Plant Schedules for each and every client, personalised to their garden with details and photographs of each plant and instructions for maintenance. It will probably take me a year to put together?
NOTE: We have been experiencing technical difficulties with my website. If anyone has tried to reach me via the ?Contact? page, do please try again, or give me a call. We think it has been out of order since May!
RECIPE
Jane?s Crostini
1 baguette or ciabatta Red onions
butter anchovies
garlic black olives
sun dried tomato paste Gruyere cheese
dried oregano
Cut the bread into thin slices. Mix together the butter and
crushed garlic and spread on to the bread. Bake in the oven
until crisp and lightly browned.
Cut the onion into thin slices and let them sotter away in a good
lump of melted butter until they become caramelised. Whilst they are cooking and the bread has cooled, spread a thin layer of sun dried tomato paste on to each crostini. Allow the onions to cool and then spread a teaspoonful, or so, on top of the tomato paste.
Finely chop the anchovies and black peppers and sprinkle over the onion. Thinly slice the Gruyere cheese and put slices on top.
You can freeze them at this stage. Finally, sprinkle over the oregano and cook in the oven until the cheese melts.
These do take ages to prepare, but I guarantee your guests will love them.
SEASONAL TIPS
December is the month when we can relax in the garden.
However, this year autumn has come so late, I am still doing jobs
I might normally have undertaken in October/November.
It sounds as though we might be in for a cold winter, so it would be a good time to protect the more tender plants (see November newsletter). I would also suggest you move terracotta pots to more sheltered positions. If you have delicate plants in the borders, mulch around the stem to give extra protection.
This is a good time to make leaf mould. Rake up leaves from the lawn, preferably after it has rained so they are nice and damp. Pop them into a black plastic bag, tie at the top and store. The leaves will take about a year to break down and can then be used as a great conditioner to the flower borders.
Burn any leaves or diseased plant material you might find when you are tidying up the borders. Once the leaves are fallen look carefully at deciduous climbers. Cut out any tangled stems and re-train if necessary.
Clear leaves from ponds. If they are left to decompose they can affect the natural balance of the pond. Put a small ball in the water to act as a float. This helps to stop if freezing over.
I think (?) we have probably come to the end of the mowing season so this is a good time to clean the mower and all your other tools, including pots.
Continue to provide food and water for the birds. Make sure you clean off the tables and bird feeders from time to time to avoid a build up of bacteria.
Check on any stored fruit to make sure it isn?t rotting.
Continue to check stakes and ties after gales.
Start looking through seed catalogues, particularly if you are a vegetable gardener.
VEGETABLE & FRUIT GARDEN
A lot of the tips mentioned in last month?s newsletter still apply.
If you have mint in the garden you can take a small handful of roots and pot them up in a multi-purpose compost. Bring them inside for a winter supply.
It is not too late to prune soft fruit. Apples and pears can also be cut back. Remove any diseased or weak branches.
Protect rhubarb to encourage early growth. Get some straw from the pet shop and pack it around the base of the plant, then cover with a bucket or pot (with a brick on top) to avoid it being blown over.
GREENHOUSE
If you haven?t already done so, clean out the greenhouse and remove algae and leaves from the gutters.
Remember to remove snow from the roof. It blocks out the light.
PLACES TO VISIT
National Tree Week ? 22nd November ? 3rd December
For details of walks, plantings, woodcrafts and storytelling
contact : www.treecouncil.org.uk
EVENTS
Stowe Landscape Gardens
3rd December 2006
Festive workshop using materials collected from the
gardens
01280 822850
