December 2014 News from the Nursery

Yesterday the last day of November, I had a wander around the garden and jotted down all the plants in flower. I finished my list on a grand total of 43. These included hardy Fuchsias which go on flowering until the weather goes wintry, for example F. glazioviana and F.hatschbachii. The same goes with Salvias, shrubby and herbaceous. Lavender stoechas Papillon was a surprise, but I suspect the four flowers just coming out will get damaged by the cold weather forecast later this week. Several Rosemarys were looking good like Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus and in flower, as were the Vincas (good for winter tubs) and Coronilla valentina glauca.The lemon in a pot will have to go into a tunnel now and be fleeced when the cold snap arrives - no doubt some of the flowers it has now will be lost.
When fleecing plants like the evergreen citrus don't forget to remove it in the daytime if it warms up, to stop any mildew forming. This also saves the plant being starved of light and so weakening it. Do not over water.

The weekend weather here was amazingly mild 15ºc on both days and no wind. I did some tidying and dug out a couple of plants, because it was so mild. I was surprised to find many active ladybirds which I found a new sheltered home for. It just goes to show that the tangley plant which we think is unsightly is just the job for beneficial insects.
We have a large Myrtus communis (Myrtle) in the garden and it is heavily laden with its wonderful black berries. I have cut some for the house. I am not the only one who likes them – the Blackbirds and a shyer Song Thrush are also enthusiastic! Nearby a large red leaved Berberis has been stripped of its berries in the last week by the birds, including our Blackcaps.
We thank you for your custom in 2014 and wish you a good Christmas, New Year and 2015. Do not forget our Gift Vouchers for gardening friends – something to spend in the new year when things start to look up again.