Garden Doctor: Solutions to common problems in the winter months

Looking after a healthy garden can be time consuming so it is no wonder that when the garden is less than healthy it is easy to despair! At Alfresia we want to alleviate any sense of despair when it comes to your gardens (and that doesn't just mean making our products easy and reliable). So allow us to share some information about three common garden problems which occur especially frequently in November, December and January.

Grey Mould (left) is a fuzzy grey fungal growth topped with vast quantities of dust-like spores that develops on dead or dying plant parts. It is encouraged by damp conditions and so often thrives at this time of the year. An infected plant may show browning, softening and/or dieback.

To cure Grey Mould cut off or pick off affected areas promptly and ensure better general hygiene: never leave dead bits of plant lying around and if possible keep the atmosphere a bit drier too. Try to avoid overhead watering as the spores are readily spread by rain or water splash as well as on air currents.

Apple Canker is formed when loose areas of bark develop in concentric rings, forming cankers, which can be sunken or swollen. If the canker rings the branch, it causes dieback. In extreme cases whole limbs may be killed. In the summer, tiny raised white fungal pustules develop on the cankered area and in winter tiny red raised fruiting bodies develop. The casual fungus Nectria galligena commonly attacks pears and apples but may also attack other trees such as willows, poplar and sorbus. To get rid of Apple Canker, prune out infected areas completely, cutting back to healthy growth, and bin or burn the prunings.

Coral Spot Fungus are bright orange raised spots on woody stems. They are the fruiting bodies of coral spot fungus. During damp weather the spores of this fungus spread rapidly and can colonise dead or damaged wood. Once coral spot is in a stem on some plants it may show more aggressive tendencies and cause dieback. This is a common problem, seen especially frequently on acers, figs, magnolias and elaeagnus. To cure Coral Spot Fungus you must prune out infected stems as soon as you notice them, cutting right back to completely healthy wood. Bin or burn the prunings. Try to remove dead stems regularly even before the fungus appears.

What to do in your garden in December

What should I do in the garden in December? By now, your space will have taken on a definite winter look. The wind has definitely been keen recently, and soon the frost will be sharp. Thus, now is the time to consider how to protect your garden from the excesses of the weather. It is important to alleviate the wind and protect the plants from frosts. When the soil and weather conditions are good, keep on top of your chores.

In our previous article on this subject, "Garden Maintenance in November", we talked about the importance of composting and shredding old herbaceous material. These are ongoing jobs that still need doing! It is equally important to drain down or lag exterior water pipes, again see the previous article.

Frost can be both good and bad for the gardern: it helps to break down the soil, but severe frost can kill or damage plants. The most dangerous areas are in 'frost hollows', an area of ground where frost collects. These tend to be in valleys or dips, but they can also occur when air is blocked by hedges or walls. When it is practical, leave a gap in said structure so the air can filter through.

Now is also the time to lay new turf in your garden. Preparing it from seed is cheaper, but laying from existing turf is far quicker and means you don't run the risk of having birds or pets disturbing it before it has chance to establish. It will only take a few months for new turfs to let their roots down into the soil and from then on they can be in use. To lay the turf, once you have prepared the ground, use string stretched between pegs to mark the boundaries of the area to be turfed. Lay out the turves against a straight edge and butt the second row tight up against the first. Use additional compost to eliminate any irregularities in the turves or to fill any depressions you missed when you prepared the soil. When you have laid all the turves, mix a lawn top dressing and sprinkle it over the surface. use a rake or besom to work the top dressing into the joins between the turves.

As far as planting and sowing goes, now is a good time to put sweet pea seeds down for example.

Alfresia is an online supplier of garden furniture.

Designing a Japanese Garden

The beauty of Japanese gardens is clear and it is equally clear why someone should want to design a Japanese garden for their home. However, if done incorrectly, 'Japanese' gardens can be easily ruined. Here we present some useful advice.

It should be obvious to even the casual eye that Japanese garderns are vastly different from Western ones. Traditionally, our gardens have been celebrated for their formal beauty; their careful geometrjes celebrating the rational precision of their makers. Conversley, the rhythms and patterns of Japanese gardens reproduce and symbolise the landscape of Japan and are established in a way to hide the human hand behind them.  

To achieve this effect, garden stones and trees are laid out asymmetrically to suggest the rugged wildness of nature. Permament greens, grays, and browns predominate, but they are counterpointed by scattered flowers and fruits that mark time's passage with cycles of change. Empty space, wind, periods of dormancy, shadows, and viewing angles are subtler but full-function design elements that deepen the garden's relationship to it's site. Abstract renderings of moving water in solid stone and gravel provoke the mind with their union of seeming opposites. Such dense interplays produce the effect of seeing nature whole, even though the garden may take up no more than a corner of a yard and consist only of bamboo, a shrub, and a stone.

 These two images (above and right) show a Japanese Tea Garden. The stones, particularly the central one linking the paths, are weighty in feeling but low plantings provide needed balance to make the garden comfortable to view. The yukimi-gata lantern is framed by Japanese cypress, little leaf box, and camellia. The bench by the entryway is where guests would wait, prior to a tea ceremony.

Trees and water as seen as letting the garden open vertically and horizontally with growth and activity. The gardener lets evergreens predominate because they suggest the constancy and endurance of nature and keep the garden green all year round. But he will add a flowering tree or one whose leaves turn brilliantly in autumn to mark seasonal change and suggest the cyclic process of all life.  When he shapes trees and shrubs he does so to expose their natural character and habit, not to bend them to his will. Water is a free element, always in motion, captured only by the shape it adopts. The gardener uses it for sound. He counts its reflecting properties as a part of his design. He lets it fall, run, or gather in a pond. So important in fact is the idea of water to a garden that it will sometimes be represented by stone, gravel or sand, in a waterless version called kare sansui. Water will always be represented.

In the image to the right, running from the gate to the entryway in the rear, the L-shaped path is the main focus of this garden, and it is given plenty of room. In the rear is a little-leaf box. Note the almost mirror-like use of stone in front that brings the outside directly into the property.

Japanese gardens are great for creating a relaxing space for you to inhabit. They are calming and also assisst your creativity. Don't be afraid to chance on this interesting style: the individuality of the garden is always a benefit.






Alfresia is an online supplier of garden furniture.

Gardening Golddust: The Benefits of Organic Composting Material

One of the most important ingredients at the disposal of the gardener is well-rotted organic material. This covers a wide range of materials, from farmyard manure and garden compost to spent hop waste and old mushroom compost. Whatever material you have, it should be capable of breaking down into a rich, fibrous substance that will not only help feed plants but also improve the structure of the soil. Most organic materials are rich in nitrogen and usually in other nutrients as well. The fibrous material helps to break up the soil as well as holding a certain amount of moisture. It frequently also has the effect of darkening the soil, which, in turn, helps to warm up the ground more quickly in spring.

One source of organic material that is available to all gardeners is garden compost. This consists of the remains of all vegetation that is not required. Grass cuttings and the remains of plants are the main source. weeds can also be used as long as they are not in seed and not perennial variteies that will continue growing. In theory, the compost heap should get hot enough to kill both the weed seeds and the perennial weeds, but in practice a lot always escapes and becomes a nuisance on the ground on which compost is used. Non-cooked, vegetative kitchen waste, such as peeling and discarded leaves, are another good source of compost.

Tougher stems and hedge-cutting should be avoided unless you have a shredder. This machine is invaluable if you have a lot of such material because it will chop it up into fine pieces and it can then be composted and returned to the garden as mulch or soil conditioner. It can be either kept in its own bin or mixed with other compost.

Cottage gardeners used to throw everything in heap for a year, but although this works, it is not the most efficient way. A properly constructed compost bin, either purchased or homemade, is ideal. This keeps the compost together, allows air in at the sides and keeps the heat in. Make or buy at least three bins - the first is the one to which you are currently adding material, the second is rotting down, and the third is the one from which you are taking compost to use on the garden.

Material is added to the compost bin as it becomes available, but try not to put too much of one type of material into a thick layer, especially grass cuttings. the process can be speeded up by the addition of a chemical activator, which can be purchased at a garden centre. Alternatively and preferably, you can add a layer of farmyard manure. Add water to the heap if it is dry, but cover it with a sheet of polythene so that the pile does not get too wet. some bins have lids to help keep the heat in. As the compost breaks down it is likely to get very warm - this is a natural part of the composting process and is, in fact, to be encouraged.

There a number of other sources organic material if they can be found. Farmyard manure is one of the best, but it must be well-rotted, because if it is left to decompose in the ground it will extract nitrogen from the soil to aid its progress and thus deplete, rather than supplement the nutrients. Bear in mind that some farmyard manure will contain a lot of weed seeds from the hay that was given to the animals.

Waste from various processes is also useful, but some kins will have involved chemicals, which will still be present in the waste. Hop waste, which is available from breweries, is excellent, as is spent mushroom compost. However, you should be aware that the mushroom compost incorporates horse manure, and to counter the acidity, mushroom growers add chalk - do not use this near lime-hating plants. Waste from the forest industry is becoming widely available in the form of chipped and composted bark. Chipped bark has not broken down far enough to be used in the soil but it makes a good top dressing. Composted leaves are an invaluable material in the garden, but make your own and do not raid the woods.

 Alfresia is an online supplier of garden furniture.

Garden Maintenance in November

Late autumn and winter are the most vital times of year in the garden: true spring is the busiest time, but your actions in November and December will set the agenda for the rest of the year and if you do manage to get a lot done, then your garden will be better for it.


Whilst there are many jobs that need doing this month, today we shall focus on the less glamorous, yet essential maintenace jobs that you need to do this month to ensure your garden's success in the spring/summer.


You should only really get on with jobs when the weather allows you too: it is not always suitable. Never try to get onto the soil when it is wet - you will do more damage than good to the garden. Don't use this as an excuse though: if you are able to work steadily through November and December you will make life much easier later on.


The first maintenance task is to clear up leaves and use them for composting. You should endeavour to collect leaves as soon as they fall. This is because the longer they lie on the ground, the more difficult they are to clear up. Not only do they smother plants, they create perfect conditions for fungal diseases and slugs to thrive, both of which will damage your garden. Leaves can be used to make leaf-mould, and thus should always be composted as this is a valuable commodity. Never burn them or throw them away, instead put them into a leaf pen. Knock four posts into the ground and stretch mesh wire around and over the top. Fill the pen up with the leaves. They should rot quickly giving you space. What remains of them can be used to make the soil moisture retentive, make the perfect mulch or as potting compost.



You should also look at draining down or lagging all outside water pipes. Frozen pipes can cause major disruption to you and your home. You could find yourself without water, being forced to brave the cold because your central heating stops working or having to deal with an expensive clean up operation if your water pipe bursts. Use appropriate lagging to insulate your pipework. Lagging can be purchased from most DIY stores but simple household items such as towels can also be used to wrap up pipes and keep frost at bay. If you are wanting to lag outdoor pipes you need to make sure that the lagging you are using is waterproof or your pipes will not be adequately protected.




Now is also the time to shred wooden material  like hedge trimmings and the remains of herbaceous plants. By shredding them into small pieces, they can be composted for three months and then spread back on the garden as weed-free mulch.


Also, think about your vegetable crop for next year: most of it won't need to be planted yet, but planning in advance is always a good idea!




Alfresia is an online retailer of garden furniture.

Why own a patio cover?

Purchasing some outdoor patio furniture is a great way to turn your patio into a comfy and welcoming space for you and your family. If you have bought some furniture, you will know it isn't necessarily cheap. This means that you'll want to protect your investment. The easiest way to do this is by also buying some furniture covers. These give your furniture crucial protection against a number of threats.

 

#1 – Protection from the elements – Bad weather is extremely damaging to patio furniture, and keeping it in a decent condition despite this threat is a priority. If your area tends to experience snowfall and frost, then you definietly need to keep the furniture protected. Indeed with snowfall becoming ever more unpredictable, you need to be sure this winter that your furniture will be kept safe. Equally, if you live in a more tropical region that snow never affects, you will want to have covers because they protect against rain too!

 

#2 – Prevent Fading – Another important task that patio furniture covers perform is to protect your furniture from the sun. It might seem strange that, after extolling how important it is to protect against rain and snow, we suggest protection against the sun but following prolonged exposure to the sun, your furniture may begin to fade and look old. This is a natural process but it is not unavoidable. Patio furniture covers are actually designed to protect your furniture from the sun, as well as wetter weather, and they will ensure that your furniture will not fade in the summer.

 

#3 – No Animals – Animals can easily damage your patio furniture. If the furniture is not covered, you may have stray cats on your furniture tearing at it with their claws, or if you have a lot of birds your furniture may get covered in bird excrement. Patio Furniture Covers prevent this.

#4 – Prolong Life – Having spent already on your furniture, you probably don’t want to have to purchase it all again the next year. After spending so much money, you must ensure that you get as much use as possible out of the patio furniture. Thus purchasing patio furniture covers can help to prolong the life of your patio furniture. Even though the covers will cost a bit of money, the price is no where near the amount you'd pay for a new set of furniture!

So if saving money seems a sensible idea to you, take a look at our range of patio furniture covers on Alfresia.

Alfresia is an online retailer of garden furniture.

FSC Timber & Pressure Treatment

FSC Timber

Whilst you have been looking at garden furniture on Alfresia, you might have spotted that many of our wood products are manufactured from FSC Certified Timber. This is all very well and good, but what does it actually mean? FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. Across the world, destructive deforestation occurs every day, resulting in habitat destruction, pollution of the water and air, the displacement of inidenous peoples and violence against both people and animals in the forest.

A growing number of companies reject the idea that this is the only way to source timber, and instead believe that forests can be both managed and protected simultaneously. The FSC certification means that timber has been taken from the forest in an ethical manner. If all logging was forced to apply for FSC certification, through pressure from consumers like yourself, then we would be able to preserve enormous areas of the vital resource that is the forests: still supplying ourselves with timber, but doing so in a safe and sustainable way.

The FSC has a list of 10 principles that must be met by companies who want this certification:

1. That the forest management in question complies with all local, national and international laws to which the country with the forest has signed up to.
2. Long term rights and tenure to land must be well documented and legally obtained.
3. The legal rights of indigenous peoples to the lands for living or gathering resources must be respected and given precedence.
4. Operations shall endeavour to maintain or enhance the long term social and economic wellbeing of both workers and forest dwellers.
5. Operations shall encourage the efficient use of the forest’s multiple products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits.
6. Management must maintain the biodiversity of the forest and protect and respect its associated resources.
7. A management plan — appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations — shall be written, implemented, and kept up to date.
8. Appropriate to the scale and intensity of forest management, monitoring to assess all aspects listed above and any further effects to the forest.
9. Management activities in high conservation value forests shall maintain or enhance the attributes which define such forests.
10. Plantations shall be planned and managed in accordance with Principles and Criteria 1 – 9, and they should complement the management of, reduce pressures on, and promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests.

If all this seems reasonable to you, then why not start ensuring that the products you buy are made from FSC timber?
What is pressure treatment?
Pressure treating is a process by which chemical preservatives are forced deep into the timber. As an aside to its preservative benefits, this process makes the wood unappealing to vermin, insects and fungus, accounting for its 20+ year lifespan under even the harshest conditions. A preservative coating should be applied, however, to prevent slight weathering.
When working with pressure treated wood, remember that it does have a chemical inside and exercise these cautions:

• Wear a mask when cutting – the sawdust can be an irritant to nose/eyes/mouth.
• Try to collect sawdust for disposal – put a tarp down over the whole area.
• Do not burn this wood. Give it to professionals.
• Under no circumstance use this wood for surfaces that will come into contact with food.
• Only use outdoors.

Alfresia is a supplier of garden furniture.