Jobs of the Month,
With Senior Gardener Steve Candy from Kingston Lacy
- Continue with the endless leaf clearing. We like to leave circles of leaves in the short term around prominent Acers or other specimen trees. Only removing once they leaf litter may cause damage to the grass or moss underneath.
- Clear gutters on Teahouses or other buildings, allowing rain to drain more freely and avoid damage to the buildings structure.
- Continue to collect bamboo culms and store somewhere dry. These can be used next year to create fences, handrails and to support plants like paeonies. This also thins the bamboo making it look more authentic and allowing moisture and light to penetrate the ground.
- Plant trees. This time of year, is perfect to add to your collection. Ensure that you only plant prior to heavy frosts and when the soil is easily pliable. Stake and guard your tree to protect from pests if you suffer from them.
- Acer Pruning. As the trees go into a state of dormancy now is the time to carry out the all-important winter prune of acers within your collections. Acers can tolerate a heavy prune and most pruning is subjective. Thin any damaged, diseased or dying branches first and then select certain limbs depending on your preference. We over emphasise certain limbs and thin to allow an open spreading habit and tip back limbs by an inch or two to promote growth. Kingston lacy will be carrying out an Acer pruning workshop next year if you would like to learn more.
- Carry out a thorough tidy of those delicate garden areas. Remove dead needles from pines and rake up fallen needles. Lightly rake moss areas to remove debris and weed out gravel to allow a tidy start to the following year.