大象传媒

At last this week I got around to cutting the lawns because the build up of the leaves after the first signs of autumn on the grassed areas was looking very untidy. You see, I like the garden to look good all through the year and if you just cut the top off the lawn and trim the edges the whole garden looks a good deal better. Although the ground was wet, the mower, set a little higher did a good job. I also cut down the old Tomato plants and Sweet Peas and removed the last few remaining old flower heads in the herbaceous borders. The reward for all my hard work was two large bright purple figs I have been watching ripen during the last three weeks, and very delicious they were too.

PLANT OF THE WEEK: OSMANTHUS heterophyllus has rich dark holly like evergreen leaves and fragrant white flowers in both September and October. The sweetly scented flowers hang in little clusters on the ends of the stems. If you want something a little different then the variegated variety O.
TOPICAL TIPS:

1: Feed winter flowering shrubs such as Viburnum 'bodnantense' and Lonicera purpusii with a slow release granular fertilizer for better flowers later in the season. If you have a chance then cover the ground underneath the shrubs with compost or last years leaf mould to protect the roots from hard winter frosts.

2: Cut back hedges especially evergreens such as Conifer types especially if a lot of growth was made this year. Failing to trimm hedges back will only make matters worse next year when trimming will need to be carried with a danger of cutting back into brown wood. Doing the job now will have benefits for next seasons growth and make make for a more compact hedge.

3: Once the leaves have completely fallen, spray Peach trees with a Bordeaux mixture to combat Peach leaf curl and make sure all debries is cleared up from under the plants to prevent early infection next year.