Christmas

Biking Gardener

It is now safe to say the magic word dare i say it. Christmas !!!

After working in the garden all year I round I would like to turn this gardening article to the home with some festive cheer.

My top 3 plants for Christmas are:

Forced hyacinths:

Hyacinths: Spring bulbs are placed in a dark room for around 10 weeks. This forces them to flower. The scent from these bulbs are divine and the colors are beautiful.

You can buy these at any local florist or garden centre. Hyacinths will be a great addition to the Christmas table.

Poinsettia:

The deep dark red of a Poinsettia plant is perfect for Christmas. The Poinsettia is forced with 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of sunlight. So if you want to keep the plant for next year that is what you have to do from November onwards. Water when the soil starts to feel dry.

Poinsettias are on sale locally.

Mistletoe:

Great for parties and to get that kiss you have always wanted.

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. It will land on a tree via a bird and will suck water and nutrients from the tree in order to grow. so if you're out in the countryside keep you heads up you might just see some growing on the trees.

With some knowledge of how these plants are grown you can share a bit of wisdom for Christmas

Wreaths:

There is nothing more pleasing than making your own wreaths to hang on your door. In Brighton there are many workshops where you can make a wreath for your home and drink some mulled cider in the process. I would recommend the Garden House in Brighton. To book a place please go to www.gardenhousebrighton.co.uk

wish you all a merry Christmas

Biking Gardener

@bikinggardener

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Biking Gardeners Gardening column

This month is all about bulbs.

November is the last  month to put some bulbs in the ground. There are 2 ways to plant bulbs one way to plant bulbs is to throw the bulbs down and bury them where they land. The other way is to plant in groups. Planting like this will give a more natural look to the planting. The depth of the bulb as a rule is three times the size of the bulb.

Winter bulbs:

Winter is never dull with these bulbs

Snowdrops (Galanthus) have wonderful white flowers with lime green foliage and look great in clumps.

Winter Aconite (Eranthis) have green tudor like collars and yellow flowers that will give your border some colour.

Cyclamen are great little flowers ranging from pinks to whites.

No winter border should go without Helleborus. These plants come in many different colour forms and they fill in the gaps with their foliage.

My favorite winter bulb has to be Reticulata irises and it grows to 6 inches. They come in a range of colours ranging from light blue to dark rich purple which lighten up any border or pot.

Spring bulbs:

Everyone knows spring is the time for daffodils (Narcissus).

I loved to grow the white ones with yellow centres Narcissus Paperwhite has an amazing scent. There are so many scented varieties to choose from so best to take your time when choosing your bulbs.

Black and white tulips look great and give height to the planting

Hyacinths are the bulbs that just hit you with their scent and a must have spring bulb.

Fritillaries go well with Narcissus i grow the snakehead variety.

Summer bulbs:

Hotter days need bigger boulder plants.

Alliums come in a big range of colours and sizes. My favorite Allium is purple sensation. This bulb grows to 90cm and has a pompom dark purple head on a single stem. these give height and style to any border and a must have.

Liliums come into their own in summer. My favorite has to be the tiger lily. The colour of the flower is deep orange with black speckles and just looks stunning.

foxtail lily (Eremurus) just lights up the border with its tall stem and bright coloured flowers

Jobs to do.

Rake up leaves and make leaf mould. This can be done by filling up black bin bags and leaving to rot down for 2 years. leaf mould can be added to borders or used to bulk up compost

Clear borders of weeds and dig over for the winter months.

Cut back herbaceous perennials

Add a layer or organic matter to beds and a layer of mulch

Plant winter flowers in baskets and borders. More on this next month

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