Pennells Garden Centres

Gardening in January and February does rather depend on what the weather is doing. Hopefully after all the cold and snowy weather we had before Christmas it will be a mild start to the year.

If the ground isn't frozen outside then it's a good time to start your winter digging on the vegetable patch, taking care to remove any perennial weeds such as couch grass you may find. Before you start to dig spread a layer of compost such as farmyard over the surface. As you dig the area the manure will get worked into the soil enhancing its nutrition.

Indoors prepare seed potato for planting later in the spring. Place the seed potato's in old egg cartons with the rose end (where you can see tiny buds) upwards. The trays should be kept in a cool but light place for four to six weeks prior to planting. This will encourage the buds to start to grow but they should remain short and dark green. If they turn white and become elongated they aren't  getting enough light. 

Other things to do:

• Prune Apple and Pear trees
• Keep an eye out for weeds in the vegetable garden
• Start to sow seeds under frost protection such as a greenhouse.
• Check that the snow and frost hasn't loosened newly planted shrubs.
• Prune back overgrown shrubs
• Plant summer flowering bulbs
• Plan for the spring
• Winter pruning of Wisteria - for more advice see below

Plants to add colour to you garden in January and February:

• Dogwoods
• Gaultheria
• Snowdrops (these can be divided soon after flowering)
• Helleborus varieties
• Hardy Cyclamens

With the hot weather we have been having recently you will need to be watering your hanging baskets and containers, as well as any new plants that you have planted this spring. Don't be tempted to water your plants in the heat of the day as you will find most of the water soon evaporates. The ideal time is in the evening just as its getting dusk.

In order to keep your tubs and baskets growing well its necessary to keep feeding them as the initial nutrients in the compost will soon get used up at this time of year.  Use Miracle Gro or All Purpose Soluble Plant Food.
Another beneficial action is to spread a mulch layer of organic matter such as decorative bark chips or soil conditioner over the soil surface. For best results use Westland Decorative Mini Bark. These long-lasting chips will help soil to retain moisture six times longer than ordinary garden soil.

Sweet peas will be producing new flowers every day and will need to be cut regularly to fill your home with delicious scents of summer. If you leave plants for a few days to set seed then they usually stop producing new buds and flowers. So keep those scissors handy and feed these plants over the foliage and around the roots with Miracle-Gro Liquafeed.

Watch for pests attacking new plant growth and treat them as soon as the first culprits are noticed. Red lily beetle adults and their grubs will be a summer nuisance. As soon as you see the first adult spray with BugClear Ultra Gun! - just one treatment will protect your lilies for up to three weeks. You can use the same spray on all your decorative flowers including roses, philadelphus, lupins and other plants that are susceptible to aphid (greenfly and blackfly) attack.
Roses may be showing the first signs of powdery mildew on new buds and leaves. If that's the case spray them with a systemic fungicide such as FungusClear Ultra or FungusClear 2 Gun!

If you allow weeds to take over the gaps between flowers, shrubs and annual bedding you will be encouraging competition that will rob these wanted plants of soil moisture, soil nutrients, space and light. To see off the weeds without back-breaking hard work spray them with Weedol Max Gun! or Weedol Rootkill Plus. Weedol Rootkill Plus is best for weeds that have deep or wandering roots such as bindweed, couch grass, dandelions and nettles. But if you've only got small annual weeds such as chickweed, groundsel and meadow grass then Weedol Max Gun! will give a fast-acting kill. In fact on a warm day you will see the weeds begin to wilt and die in just one hour.

June has the longest days and the chance of frosts at night have now passed so now you can plant outside your tender bedding plants and your vegetable plants such as tomatoes, sweet corn and runner beans. Plant up containers using West+ Multi-Purpose Compost. Mix in Water Saving Gel and Feed All Slow Release Tablets for the best results.

However don't forget that as the weather gets hotter and drier you need to be watering and feeding your containers, hanging baskets, vegetables. Miracle Gro liquid feed is ideal to bring out the best in your plants.

For great results with tomatoes find a sunny spot against a wall to place one or two Tomorite Giant Planters. Plant three tomatoes per bag, leaving a well around each stem so that subsequent watering is easier. You should still be able to find seedling tomato plants of reliable varieties such as Alicante, Gardener's Delight and Golden Sunrise in your local garden centre. If you want to grow trailing forms of tomato such as Tumbler or Garden Pearl in patio pots or hanging baskets use West+ Container and basket Compost to get your salad fruits off to a flying start. Start feeding tomatoes with Tomorite as soon as the first truss has set fruit.

Your first crops will now be ready, but don't forget to keep sowing lettuces and other crops to ensure you have more to come.

Keep mowing and feeding the lawn to make sure it's looking its best. However if you do have problems with weeds such as dandelions in your lawn then you can still treat them with a selective weedkiller such as Verdone extra. Apply the chemical in between mowings for best effect.

Inevitably the weeds and bugs come out in force at this time of year. If your fruit and vegetables are being attacked with green or black fly, use Bugclear for fruit and veg at the first sign of the pest appearing, then repeat again in two weeks.
Westland Resolva 24H gives fast and effective control of both annual and deep-rooted perennial weeds.  Resolva 24H kills most weeds with a single application, but some tough weeds may require a second treatment.  If your drive or paths have weeds in them, then use Pathclear Season Long Weed killer  - one application kills and prevents weeds for up to three months.  Ideal for gravel paths, gravel drives and waste ground.

Of course don't forget to enjoy your garden! To do this just sit down, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour!