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

House Plants

Poinsettia's. You can't beat poinsettia's to provide plenty of colour and festive cheer to your home over winter. They are available in a range of colours, just look at what's on offer in our houseplant section. All of our plants have been grown locally to give you the best quality plant. When you get them home place them in a light warm position, well away from draughts and extreme heat. Keep the soil moist and feed every two weeks with poinsettia feed.

Chemicals and Fertilisers

Remember to spray your fruit trees with a winter wash for the control of insects and place a grease band around fruit trees to catch the creepy crawlies that will damage your fruit. Don't forget to mulch your crops with farmyard manure or bark to ensure bumper crops next summer.

Cleaning

Remember to spray your paths and drives with a suitable algicide to clean areas and stop the surface from being too slippery. Patio Magic is only £9.99 and this great product is applied by watering can, no brushing required. Also use Jeyes Fluid to clean in your greenhouse and potting shed.

Gifts

If you're struggling with gift ideas we have a great range to tempt you. We have a great range of artificial plants and flowers, jewellery, collectables, art, pictures, vases, gift boxes ect. In fact, Pennells has Christmas all wrapped up.

Autumn Shrubs

Now's the time to plant! Plants establish far better when planted in the autumn. Try Skimmia Rubella, this evergreen shrub has pink flower buds through the winter which open to give white flowers in the spring. Ideal for tubs or pots. Or try Mahonia Winter Sun with fragrant yellow flowers in late summer and early winter.

Feed the Birds

Remember to feed the birds this autumn and winter! We have 50 Fat Snax for only £8.99. We have an excellent range of bird tables and feeders - everything to keep the birds flocking to your garden this autumn and winter.

Autumn Bedding

Don't miss out on our autumn bedding plants from our own nurseries. Mini cyclamen in a range of colours for only £1.99 each, Pansy or Viola's in a pack of 6 plants - buy 5 packs for £11.00 - that's only £2.20 a pack.

As we approach the colder autumn days the leaves on the trees change colour and soon start to fall. Collect the fallen leaves to make compost for next season. Its important to remove them from lawns as they will soon damage the grass, but in the borders unless they are unsightly they can be left as the worm population will soon pull them below the surface.

There is still time to be planting bulbs for next spring, and we continue to have a good range for sales.

This is an excellent time of year to be planting shrubs and perennials as the soil is still warm. This will encourage the plants to make new roots which will get them firmly established so that come next spring they will grow away well.

In the vegetable garden nows a good time to be lifting and dividing rhubarb. Try sowing herbs such as parsley, dill and coriander into small pots to harvest from the windowsill during the winter.

Nows the time to change over the summer bedding in your pots and containers to autumn and winter bedding. We have a large range of pansies and other winter flowering bedding plants which will keep your patio looking beautiful through the winter.

Buy your bulbs from the garden centre early in the season so you have the pick of the bunch when it comes to variety and colour. Some bulbs such as daffodils, chionodoxa, snowdrop, winter aconite, crocus and anemone blanda appreciate being planted in September. Early planting in pots of Bulb Planting Compost is a great way to encourage these bulbs to develop a huge root system before the onset of winter.  This ensures the plant can take up plenty of energy next spring so the bulb and its offsets produce flowers for many years to come.

When planting in pots or in soil borders try to get the spacing right allowing at least the width of a bulb between each one. Cover the bulbs to the recommended depth and enrich the surface with a slow release fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro Slow Release Feriliser. This will release nutrients while the soil is warm enough and plants are growing yet will stop completely during cold weather so nutrients are not wasted. Best of all, a slow release plant food like this will hold on to enough nutrients so that it is able to feed emerging bulbs in the spring when they need all the energy to form new flower buds for the subsequent year's blooms.

For winter display you can't rely on flowering plants to produce colour or interest throughout the year. That's why you need to introduce evergreen plants and variegated leaf forms to mix with your chosen flowers. There are several very useful herbs that are evergreen for most of the year, including Thyme and Sage. The common thyme is a hardy perennial with small yellowish leaves and small purple flowers whilst the variegated sage has cream and green splashed leaves with new foliage carrying attractive pink edges. Both herbs can be pinched out regularly to provide useful fresh flavourings to soups and casseroles.

The introduction of a silver leafed perennial such as Cineraria maritima ‘Silverdust' will supply attractive intricate leaves that will decorate your pot during all but the harshest winters.

Top off your pot with violas in an interesting colour. The small pansy-like plants are generally self-coloured although varieties with ‘faces' and ‘whiskers' are available. These will flower on and off throughout the year depending on temperature and sunshine. To break the sharp edges of the pot place a couple of variegated ivies or other trailing bedding plants so that the leaves trail over the pot. When put together the collection will provide interest and colour year round. Just remember to water when it is dry, even in winter.

Do visit your garden centre to see the wide variety of plants that they have available for winter containers. If you need ideas look for shrubs such as euonymus, viburnum, senecio and hebe. For winter flowers think about Universal pansies, polyanthus and Daisies (Bellis). Small bulbs such as crocus, anemone and dwarf narcissi such as ‘Minnow' and ‘Tete a Tete' can also be pushed below the surface of the compost to provide interesting flowers in spring.