Everything you need to grow...

Gardens to gander

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We are coming into the best time to see snowdrops in all their glory.

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From now until February they are a promise that spring is just around the corner. West Dean Gardens is now open from January 2nd, right the way through the year.

They are open in January and February Mon-Fri 10.30am-4pm and Sat, Sun and Bank Holidays 9am-4pm.

Entry is £6.25 but if you have an RHS Card then the entry is free for the cardholder during Jan-Feb and Oct-Dec.

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See www.westdean.org.uk for further details.

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Insector Clueso! 

An invasion of Asian hornets could hit English shores, after the number of nests found on Jersey rose by almost a third this year.

Since 2018 the Jersey Asian Hornet group have been training beekeepers who are nervous about the fact that, inevitably, the UK are going to get Asian hornets. Asian hornets eat native honey bees.

Asian hornets are distinguished by being up to 2.5cm in length, have a dark brown or black body, bordered with a fine yellow band. If you think you see an Asian hornet, take a photo and share it with the Non-Native Species Secretariat.

Email address is

Weeders Digest

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National Trust’s Book ‘Inspirational Gardens Through the Seasons by Helene Gammick.

This glorious book capture the best of British gardens through the seasons. From carpets of bluebells and voluptuous summer roses to golden autumnal landscapes and spectacular snowdusted walks, this beautiful guide is filled with evocative photography that will offer inspiration to gardeners throughout the year. 

IBSN / Item number: 978-1-909881-20-4

Top gardening jobs for January

Here are the RHS's top monthly garden tips. You can read more on this article on their website, here. 

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Often the coldest month, January might be the middle of winter but as the days lengthen the garden starts to grow. Now is a great time to plan for the coming gardening year and to order seeds and plants. Enjoy the fresh air on dry sunny days and check your winter protection, stakes, ties and supports are still working after any severe weather. Also leave some garden areas uncut a little longer, to provide shelter for wildlife in your garden.

1.  Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch

2. Clean pots and greenhouses ready for spring

3. Dig over any vacant area that has not been dug already

4. Disperse worm cats in lawns

5. Inspect stored tubers of dahlia, begonia and canna for rot or drying out

6. Prune apple and pear trees

7. Start forcing rhubarb

8. Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season

9. Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds

10. Make a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches etc to protect against leaf curl

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Musings

‘Beneath the crisp and wintry carpet hid A millions buds but stay their blossoming And trustful birds have built their nest amid The shuddering boughs, and only wait to sing’

Robert Seymour Bridges ‘The Growth of Love’

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‘Come, ye cold winds, at January’s call, On whistling wings, and with white flakes bestrew the earth’

John Ruskin ‘The Months’

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‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant’

Robert Louis Stevenson

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‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold’

William Shakespeare ‘Sonnet 73’