By Tara Lissner, Swiss Gardening School
With another year coming to a close it is time to thing about wrapping things up in the garden.
Tender plants need to be moved to sheltered spots if possible, covered in horticultural fleece whether they be in the ground or in pots. Pots should be raised a couple of cms from the ground to allow for free drainage, pots left to sit on the terrace may freeze and eventually crack, this is particularly the case with terracotta which over time disintegrates into shards. While the weather remains mild why not take a closer look at your flower beds and borders, neaten them up by trimming back the old growth and add a 5cm mulch of leaf mould, garden compost or bagged mulch compost from the garden centre. Mulching at this time of year provides a number of benefits; it acts as a slow release fertilizer, as it is dragged down by worms it also helps improve the structure of the soil and finally this dressing neatens up the overall look of the bed a plus at this time of the year when the garden can look a little bedraggled.
Other jobs to keep busy with include spending some time looking over garden implements and tools perhaps stashed hurriedly away on that final mild Saturday in November. Wipe them off, oil if necessary with WD-40, and identify the machines that may need servicing in the new year. New gardening tools make a super gift so dropping hints about damaged implements may pay off. As always pull perennial weeds when you see them, they will continue to grow albeit slowly all winter and with the arrival of spring be ready to take over all over again.
Enjoy your Christmas time break wherever you happen to be, in the sunshine or in the fog, read some gardening books for inspiration this holiday and contemplate the potential of a new gardening year in 2016.
We look forward to welcoming you on a course in 2016, our new schedule will appear towards the end of January with courses starting after the snow in April.
Author's bio
An enthusiastic, self-taught gardener, Tara Lissner is passionate about gardening and eager to share her zeal and knowledge with other gardening fans.
In 2012, she joined forces with Hester Macdonald, a British-trained landscape designer, to launch the Swiss Gardening School.
(Photo by Jean-Luc Pasquier)
Swiss Gardening School
www.swissgardeningschool.com
