GARDENING
Cultivating with Clive
December 2025
Christmas is nearly upon us. Many of you will be looking at purchasing a Poinsettia for a little festive cheer. Here a few tips on buying and caring for your plant.
Poinsettias come in many varieties of colours, the traditional red, pink and, my wife’s favourite, white; they can also have speckled leaves.
Once you have chosen your poinsettia it is important you keep it warm as this plant originates from Mexico.
Once you get the poinsettia home make sure you place it in a place where there are no drafts, not above a radiator or in direct sunlight. These plants like dappled shade in the wild. Also, another cause of losing poinsettias is to over-water them. I place my finger in the pot to about an inch deep (or 25mm in new money) and if it is dry I take it to the kitchen, place it on a saucer and water it until water drains out of the bottom onto the saucer.
Poinsettias like humidity and you can create this by placing the pot that the plant is in, into a decorative pot with some stones or grit at the bottom. Water this so that the water does not go above the stones and this will create a mini spar for the plant.
It will thank you for this but make sure the main plant pot does not sit in water as this will kill off the plant. Don’t forget to remove any discoloured leaves from the plant. Try to keep the plant in a temperature zone between 18 and 24 degrees centigrade.
If you want to be adventurous you could try to keep the plant for next Christmas, though this does mean a lot of faffing around.
In the Spring prune the plant back quite hard to about 4 inches/ 100mm. Feed with a general house plant fertilizer once a month. Keep in a draft free area still in the temperature zone of 18 to 24 degrees Centigrade.
When the summer arrives you can place it outside in a semi shaded spot but the temperature at night should not go below 12 degrees.
Come September bring it indoors and place the plant in a cupboard or put a cardboard box over the plant for a minimum of 14 hours a day. Do this for 8 to 10 weeks and this will make the leaves turn the required colour for Christmas.
Good luck
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
Plant rhubarb and add some well-rotted manure to existing plants.
Cut back raspberries.
Dead head winter bedding plants such as violas, pansy and cyclamen. This will encourage new blooms.
Cut off Hellebore leaves that have black spot this will encourage flowers to form.
Plant bare root shrubs and roses as long as the ground is not frozen.
Keep off the lawn if it is sodden or frozen.
Keep your pond frost free; I use a tennis ball or a half-filled plastic milk bottle when there is ice on the pond and just lift out. DON’T crack the ice with a broom of any other device.
If it snows brush off the snow from shrubs and trees with a broom. It is surprising how heavy snow is and it can damage your plants.
Don’t forget to feed the birds and make sure they have a place to drink if we get heavy frosts.
Happy Gardening!
November 2025
I make my own winter flowering pots and hanging baskets. I plant different bulbs in each container or basket with some winter flowering violas, a little ivy to hang over the edge this will give you something to admire over the winter months well into the late spring when it will be time to change the for summer bedding.
A lot of people don’t bother with this. I find this difficult to comprehend as you can have an extra 6 months or so to add some colour until it is time to change them over to summer bedding in mid to late May.
I leave my perennials in situ and don’t prune them until the spring. This gives the small insects like ladybirds somewhere to keep warm and sheltered in the cold wet winter months.
I prune my roses now – this saves a job in the Spring and prevents wind rock which will make the rose bush unstable. However, if you are happy to do this in the Spring you may get some blooms right up to Christmas. It’s entirely up to you. I will also cut off all the leaves of my roses that have got black spot and rake up the fallen leaves. As this will help disperse this fungal disease. Incidentally now is a good time to plant bare root roses.
Tie in climbers as the Autumn and Winter storms will damage them. Prune apple and pear trees once the leaves have all fallen off the tree allowing the air to circulate to prevent diseases.
I will also keep an eye on the weather forecast and when a frost is due, I will fleece my tender plants that I don’t have room for in my greenhouse.
I will also rake off the fallen leaves and place in my compost bin or you can put them on a plastic bag (a hessian bag is better) as long as you pierce some holes in them to keep the air circulating within the bag then place them in a corner where they can rot down to use in the Spring or next Autumn. If you are planning to have a bonfire on Guy Fawkes’ night, make sure there are no hedgehogs hiding with in the pile, as hedgehogs are becoming increasingly rare in this county now and they are a friend to the gardener as they feast on mainly slugs in the growing season.
I will also make a small amphibians’ shelter for frogs. This will consist of a pile of logs, and I will fill in the gaps with wood chip of bark and some soils to protect them.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
Harvest Parsnips.
Sow broad beans (although I leave sowing mine until the spring).
Plant Garlic if you haven’t already.
Keep bird feeders topped up.
Keep off the lawn if waterlogged.
If we get a mild spell, I cut my lawn with the blades at a winter setting this will also save you from raking up the leaves as they all end up in the grass box.
Fish out the leaves from the fishpond as they will rot down in the pond discharging chemicals that are harmful to fish.
Happy Gardening!
october 2025
We are now officially into Autumn. The cooler temperatures and less daylight will diminish our plants veg, and shrubs. Growth will now slow and they will gradually die down after the first frosts, probably by the end of this month or next. This month is a good time to start clearing the garden, or as my old grandad used to say, “putting the garden to bed”.
I have picked my pumpkins (grown for the grandchildren), dried and cleaned them and placed them in the green house to harden off the skins.
All ready for the grandkids to make their Halloween display at the end of this month.
I have cleared a few beds up at the allotment and composted the remnants of; pumpkin; cauliflower (very disappointing this year); sweet corn; broccoli; runner beans. Make sure you take all the runner beans off the plant when you compost them, or you will have runner bean seedlings grown everywhere when you spread your compost next spring. I like to collect my excess runner beans and keep them in a frost-free dark place and use them as seeds for next year.
This time of year is a good time to take cuttings of Salvia. Here is a step-by-step guide on how I take mine:
- Pick a non-flowering stem and cut with a pair of sharp scissors or a knife just below a leaf node.
- Pop them into a plastic bag to stop them drying out.
- Fill a small pot with very gritty compost or as I do use vermiculite or pearlite.
- Take off most of the leaves as you want all the energy to go into producing roots.
- Water your soil/vermiculite and make a small hole with say a pencil.
- Dip the cut end into hormone rooting powder and place in the pot.
- Now put a plastic bag over the pot making sure it is big enough so that the leaves of the cutting don’t touch the plastic as this will rot the leaf. Place a rubber band around the pot and this will create a humid environment for the cutting to root.
- Or you could use a propagator if you have one.
I have removed my sunflowers, chopped up the stems and placed them in the compost heap. This will help them rot down quicker but I do save the seeds for next year’s planting. Any seeds I have left I keep to feed the birds.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Move your house plants closer to the natural light, preferably not draughty or above a radiator.
- Reduce mowing the lawn and raise the blades on the mower.
- Compost summer hanging baskets and plant winter ones with bulbs and winter pansies.
- Clean bird boxes for next spring.
- Tidy up ponds. Remove any blanket weed and dead or browning water lilies. Prune any plants if they have grown too large.
- Clean and tidy the green house or cold frames. I clean all the windows with a diluted mixture of white vinegar and use a diluted solution of Jeyes Fluid to wash all the benches and floor down. This will kill off any pests that could cause a problem next spring.
- Divide established rhubarb to make more plants.
- Plant garlic and spring cabbage.
- Cut down asparagus foliage to the ground.
Happy Gardening!
September 2025
Well, what a hot dry one last month was! I hope all your plants and Veg survived. I am writing this article in the middle of August so it is very difficult to predict what the weather will hold for us in September. If we don’t get much rain why not think about using grey water? What is grey water I hear you ask? It is discarded used water, say dish water or even bathwater. A couple of years ago I rigged up an old pond pump and put it in the bath when I had finished bathing and pumped all the used water in to a water butt. It worked, however after a week my long-suffering wife put her foot down and rightly banned the array of extension leads, hose pipes and the pump from the house!!
September and October are traditionally harvest months. I will be picking some of my apples and pears. I just hold them with one hand and make a half a turn twist of the fruit, if it comes of easily its ready, if not leave it for another week or so. PIC 1 I wrap them up in old news paper and store them in a cardboard box somewhere cool and dry.
I wrap them up in old news paper and store them in a cardboard box somewhere cool and dry.
If you already grow strawberries, you will notice they send out runners this time of year. I fill a small pot with compost and peg the runner into the pot. Make sure it doesn’t dry out and within a month you can cut off the runner and you have a new plant.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Keep dead heading to encourage new flowers.
- Cut back long grass and meadow grass remove the grass and put in the compost heap.
- Trim evergreen hedges.
- Water your green house or cold frames in the morning to prevent fungal problems this time of the year.
- Tidy up ponds.
- Prune raspberry and blackberries.
- Re seed or re turf lawns.
- Plant onion sets and sow spring cabbage.
- Plant Christmas Hyacinths.
- Stake plants and bushes as it can get very windy this and next month.
- Walk around your garden with a notebook and take notes on what has worked and what hasn’t. I also take photos to refer to when planning what to plant next year.
Happy Gardening!
August 2025
As the children’s summer holiday are upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to concentrate on the children in this issue.
I am passionate about encouraging children to garden. Not only is it good for them to be outside in the fresh air, it also great for inquisitive minds. When I take my grandchildren to my allotment, they now have learned that vegetables don’t come from the supermarket but that they are grown from seed in the soil. They can also identify what vegetables look like above the ground. I love to see their faces when they pull a carrot or dig up some potatoes then take them home for Nanny to cook.
You don’t need a big garden to encourage children to get involved with gardening. If you live in a flat, you can plant a pot on the windowsill or a container on your balcony to get them interested. Or you could take a trip to a local park for a picnic and make daisy chains or pick some flowers and press them.
I have an insect hotel at home and at the allotment also a hedgehog house. Which unfortunately is still vacant.
If you have room, why not give a small area to your little ones or even a larger plot to your teenagers. They can grow all sorts of interesting plants and vegetables. The children of a good friend of mine planted sunflowers only 3 weeks ago and I was amazed how quickly they have grown.
He has encouraged his four-and-a-half-year-old Archie to plant some carrots from seed and Archie is responsible for watering them giving him an insight into how thing grow and taste.
If you have small children and you want some quick results why not grow some of the following as they will be ready to harvest in no time: radishes, cress or mung beans. If you were to plant maincrop potatoes now you could be eating them by October. Plant them in a container no shorter than 60cm (or 2 feet in old money). Half fill the container with peat free compost and plant the potato or more if you have the room. Cover with about 10 cm of soil keep well-watered. When the shoots appear above the soil keep placing more soil on top of the shoots until you get near to the top of the container not forgetting to leave about 5cm of space at the top of the container for watering. When the flowers finish, they should be ready for harvesting.
If you don’t feel like growing vegetables why not try sunflowers, Bunnies ears grass or perhaps an avocado stone. Here is a picture of mine which is now 3 years old but I do overwinter it in my green house to stop the frost killing it.
I have planted some Pitcher plants in an old container. Although a little macabre, the grandchildren like to watch the plant digest any unfortunate insects that land inside. These are easy to grow and will survive outside all year round, just make sure they don’t dry out as they live in bogland in the wild.
Another idea is to put fruit into an ice cube. I grow strawberries and blue berries which is a nice way of flavouring your drinks when it is hot. The grandchildren love helping me make these. Or make a smoothie from your picked fruit and veg. A friend of mine told me she used one of my raw beetroots, some of my carrots, and added an orange to it to make a nutritious juice.
He has encouraged his four-and-a-half-year-old Archie to plant some carrots from seed and Archie is responsible for watering them giving him an insight into how thing grow and taste.
Or to keep the children entertained in the summer holidays go on a wildlife expedition – probably the best place locally is Bunkers Park. I would take pictures on your phone or get the children take the pictures and identify the insects later at home. Just Google British insects and let the children identify what you have seen. Not only will it entertain them for a few hours, it’s free and gets them outside in the fresh air.
I have made a log pile in my garden the grandchildren love rummaging through the pile seeing what insects they can find.
We are working on the next issue of the Village Voice due out in October. If you want to email in any photographs of your exploits on any of the above, I will try to incorporate it into the next edition of the magazine. Just send the pictures and a short description to Lesley on lgvaoffice@gmail.com
Have a great summer outside and enjoy some quality time with the children.
Happy Gardening!
July 2025
July and August are generally the hottest months of the year, so we should garden accordingly. Keep watering especially pots. I have bought some pot saucers which will help keep any excess water within the pot area and the plant can then draw up the water later in the day when it needs another drink.
I have also installed a watering system.
This is run by a battery operated timer that can be programmed to come on at various times of the day 1 to 7 days a week. This is invaluable when you go on holiday as you don’t have to ask any neighbours to tend your plants. If you are not great at programming why not try a manual timer and just manually turn it on once a day say early morning or early evening then it is just one trip a day for a friendly neighbour.
DEADHEADING
Keep on top of deadheading your flowers as if you leave them this will encourage the plant to make seed and not produce so many flowers. This is particularly important with roses and sweets peas.
Talking of roses, the Hill family have a new grandchild Alicia Rose Hill. I have found a website that you can name a rose after a loved one or something special. www.worldofroses.com
I would recommend feeding your plants particularly plants in pots once a week this time of year. I use liquid seaweed but there are plenty of alternatives about. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and don’t add too much fertiliser, it could burn your plants. Or you could go back to my article last month where I wrote about the benefits of making your own fertiliser with comfrey.
If you have a greenhouse, it’s a good idea to shade some of the panels as at this time of year it could get up to 50 degrees centigrade which is no good at all for your plants fruit or veg. I use netting.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Keep sowing lettuce, carrots and other veg. for a constant supply throughout the summer and autumn.
- Harvest garlic, early potatoes and onions.
- Prune stone fruit trees/bushes.
- Water well in dry spells.
- Lift the lawnmower blades when it gets very hot. This will help retain the moisture in your lawn.
- Keep bird baths full of water and leave some easily accessible water for other wildlife to drink in the hot weather.
- Keep deadheading.
- Feed and watch house plants don’t get scorched on a hot windowsill. Why not give them a holiday and move some of them outside to a suitable position?
Happy Gardening!
June 2025
Summer officially starts on Saturday the 21st of June according to the astronomical calendar. This is the longest day of the year called the Summer Solstice. So, daylight will last approximately 16.5 hours on this day.
So, things in the garden are now growing vigorously and you will need to get watering if we get a dry spell. You will also have to keep on top of weeding as the weeds will be competing for moisture with your plants. This is also the time of year when pests are at their height. PLEASE DON’T USE PESTICIDES as sprays don’t just kill the greenfly, blackfly and other pests, they will also kill the friendly insects like butterflies, moths, bees, and ladybirds.
You can mix a small amount of washing up liquid with water and spray on affected plants. However, what I do is to mix my own organic insecticide.
HOMEMADE ORGANIC PESTICIDE
Spray on the affected plants or veg, then keep the unused solution for future use. If it becomes lumpy and congealed pop the mixture in the microwave for a couple of minutes to heat up before putting through a sieve again.
Feeding your plants and produce is important at this time of the year. You can buy fertilisers like tomato feed which is high in potassium which helps the flower and fruit development. Seaweed fertilisers provide a broad range of nutrients and trace elements acting as a general soil improver and promotes plant vigour. I use both, but at the allotment we have comfrey growing. I cut this at the bottom of the stems and place the plants in my water butts. After a couple of weeks, I have free fertiliser.
I sow my sweet corn in blocks not in rows as sweet corn is pollinated by the wind so planting your plants this way will increase your crop.
As soon as your perennials – lupins, delphiniums and ornamental poppies have finished flowering – cut them back to their base and hopefully a new flush of flowers will appear later in the season.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Keep deadheading and feeding to encourage growth and new flowers.
- Stake floppy flowers so they don’t fall over and snap in the wind.
- Keep mulching to keep the moisture in the soil.
- Water well in dry spells.
- Raise the lawnmower blades in drought to help keep the lawn moist.
- Shade your greenhouse with netting or fleece.
- Don’t cut hedges or bushes as the birds are still nesting.
- Sow or plant courgettes, pumpkins, marrows and sweetcorn.
- Keep sowing small amounts of salad for a continued supply over the summer.
- Harvest first early potatoes.
Happy Gardening!
May 2025
May is my favourite month, not only is it my birthday month but the flower shows open all over the country. The garden is really waking up now, the soil is getting warmer and the days are getting longer, so there is plenty to do this month.
I buy my bedding plants around the middle of May. I also make up my hanging baskets. I buy a good peat free compost from a reputable garden centre. My favourite is John Innes Multi-Purpose Compost.
I mix this with some water saving crystals which when watered turn into a gel. Don’t use to much as it does expand quite a lot. One year I made this mistake and when I watered the finished baskets all the plants fell out of the top as the gel expanded. I also add Osmocote slow release feed pellets, one to each basket.
I will clear all the remaining spring bedding and put on the compost heap. Also dead-head all the spring bulbs once they have finished flowering, as you want all the energy from the foliage to go back into the bulb for next year’s display.
I will plant out my tomato seedlings at the end of the month. I tend to plant them quite deep as I cut off the first set of leaves on the stem and use that as my depth guide. This will create a better root system and ensure the plants fruit prolifically.
Now is a good time to empty your compost bin and spread it over your garden or veg patch. This helps retain moisture in the soil throughout the summer months. It will also enrich the soil over time when the worms do their job of dragging down the compost into the soil.
I will be sowing my sweetcorn, courgettes and squash in the greenhouse this month. However if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame you could use a window sill. I use coir based pots which make it easier to transplant as you just pop the plant and pot into the ground without damaging the root system. Keep your greenhouse or cold frame well ventilated but close it in the evening as it can still get quite chilly at night this time of year.
I will plant my main crop potatoes now by digging a trench and keep them well watered and harden off all seedlings ready to plant them out by the end of the month. I will also net my strawberry plants to stop the birds from eating the fruits.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Lower blades on your lawn mower to summer levels.
- Treat and feed the lawn.
- Sow tender veg.
- Harvest asparagus when the spears are at a good height, cutting them just below the surface of the soil.
- Keep on top of weeds and pests – please DON’T use pesticides. I make my own organic mix using garlic and black pepper boiled, liquidised then sieved. I then spray it on my plants and veg.
- Plant bedding plants and hanging baskets towards the end of the month.
- Keep cold frames and greenhouses well ventilated.
Happy Gardening!
April 2025
If we get a frost the leaves on the plant or shrub will eventually turn brown so just cut off the offending damaged part of the shrub and it will recover in no time. I still try to keep a fleece on my tender plants until May just to be sure they don’t get frosted.
I always feed my spring bulbs with a tomato feed once they have finished flowering as this will help fertilise the bulb for next year’s display. Don’t forget to nip off the spent flowering heads – if you don’t this will encourage the bulb to make seeds and not concentrate in building up energy for next year.
It is also a good time to get out and prune Winter flowering heathers, forsythia, hardy fuchsias and evergreen hedges. However I tend to leave my hedges until June/July when I know all the birds have finished nesting.
If you have young children why not make a bug hotel with them? You can use some old tin cans tied together or cram them in a box, then just fill them with old sticks of bamboo for the insects to make their home for the summer.
Or just make a pile of old logs and wood somewhere out of the way and keep an eye on what happens through the rest of the year.
THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
- Prune early flowering shrubs.
- Repot house plants that have become pot bound.
- Keep on top of the dead heading of bulbs.
- Start to feed plants – I use a home grown comfrey mix – more next month on this.
- Sow hardy veg outdoors.
- Sow under cover or indoors courgette, tomatoes and squash.