December 2006
For a few days in November I actually thought winter had finally arrived, a few cold nights with a dusting of white frost on the grass in the morning. Alas we still appear to be in autumn with relatively warm days, what seems like constant wind and plenty of rain.
The recent wind has generally removed the last of the leaves from the trees so now gardens are covered in a thick layer of soggy brown leaves. Keep collecting them up from the lawn on a dry day and stacking them to rot down into leaf mould.
The lawn is very wet at the moment so it is not a good idea to trample about on it too much. However if like us you need work doing on mature trees then it is not always possible to adhere to this ideal. We have recently had to have a couple of our trees felled due to disease setting in and also some crown lifting work done. If you need this sort of work doing it is best left to the professionals as it can be very difficult not to mention dangerous. A reputable company can be identified by their membership of a professional organisation such as the International Society of Arboriculturalists or the Aboricultural Association. Their staff will be professionally trained and be able to offer advice on what needs to be done to your trees.
The lawn although not looking great as a result of this recent activity will actually recover. Autumn is traditionally the time to scarify you lawn, in other words raking out all the dead grass and moss that has accumulated during the year. If you are fortunate to have well drained lawn, which I don't, then it is fine to carry this activity out on a dry day. You may also still need to give your lawn a cut as the higher temperature means that it may still be growing. This can have the added advantage of collecting and chopping up many of the fallen leaves and the resulting grass box full can be added straight to the compost heap.
Thoughts now are inevitably turning to Christmas and many people don't venture out into the garden much at this time of the year. You can still bring a bit of the garden into your home though; why not make your own Christmas wreath with foliage from your garden, berries and brightly coloured stems? Or consider buying a containerised Christmas tree which you can then plant out in the garden next year? If you are going to do this just make sure it is a tree with a proper root system which has been grown in the container and not one which has been dug up and put in a pot to sell. That way it has a much better chance of surviving in the ground. If you have a friend or relative who is interested in gardening why not buy them a plant or planted up container or basket for Christmas?
For fresh decoration ideas see my Christmas page or if you haven't got the time or inclination to make your own come down to Otley market on Fridays or give me a ring!
Happy Christmas and here's to a good gardening year in 2007.
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