Things to do in the garden over the cooler months

Sat 5 Nov 2011

Things to do in the garden over the cooler months

1. Check your winter protection such as fleece is still securely in place
2. If snow is likely wrap Palms and Dracaenas in fleece to prevent the crown from rotting.
3. Check that greenhouse heaters are working OK and the insulation is secure.
4. Prevent ponds from freezing and insulate stand pipes and taps.
5. Harvest root crops such as leeks and parsnips and don’t forget winter cabbage and sprouts
6. Container grown trees, shrubs and roses can still be planted and transplanted if the ground is not frozen. Make sure they are tied securely with a tree stake and tree tie if needed.
7. Take hardwood cuttings of shrubs and trees and use a hormone rooting powder to encourage root growth
8. Sweep away any leaves from paths and lawns to prevent any disease, but be careful not to disturb and hibernators.

Everything is coming up roses at Eden Park

Now is the ideal time to design select and plant a new rose garden or just fill a gap in the border with a fragrant floribunda, hybrid tea or old fashioned rose. Why not pop into Eden Park, and look at our range of over 70 varieties from David Austin, including a wide selection of their new and exclusive varieties.

Some ancient facts about roses you might not know.....

• Roman high society women used petals much like currency believing that they could banish wrinkles if used in poultices.
• Rose petals were often dropped in wine because it was thought that the essence of rose would stave off drunkenness
• Victorious armies would return to be showered with rose petals from the civilians that crowded the balconies above the streets.
• The Romans outdid the Greeks when Nero, the hedonistic emperor, 1st century AD, dumped tons of rose petals on his dinner guests.
• Cleopatra had her living quarters filled with the petals of roses so that when Marc Antony met her, he would long remember her for such opulence and be reminded of her every time he smelt a rose. Her scheme worked for him. Such is the power of roses.
• The Romans cultivated this great beauty and named it Rosa Gallica.
• Newly married couples were often crowned with roses.