December Newsletter

In association with Gareth Austin from Horkan's garden Centre A big hello and howdy-doo-dey to our special Winter newsletter! In this months packed edition we look into the glorious range of fruit trees & bushes which are ready for planting now, OUR FABULOUS CHRISTMAS SELECTION IS UNVEILED, we have another section of our invaluable A-Z of pruning and lots more tips and advice.... I would like to start off by thanking everyone for keeping us busy with all there gardening queries, we take great delight in listening and sharing tips with everyone - so keep them coming, it's great to hear from you all. Remember we would love to hear your gardening tips and ideas (No matter how strange!!!), and we will try to publish these in next months issue. You can contact Horky on our Email address info@gardencentre.ie, or on our GARDENING HELPLINE on 071 38870 or even why not check us out on our web site at www.gardencentre.ie Well, winter is certainly getting closer, evenings are getting longer, nights are getting colder and the clean crisp days make the bright sunny days of May just a memory. Autumn is an important time for the garden with hanging baskets and window boxes needing some work, leaves begin to fall from deciduous shrubs and evergreen shrubs start to 'shine' in the bright autumnal mornings. SCOTTISH HEATHERS for great winter colour Heathers are ideal for adding colour in shrub borders, flowerbeds and containers. Choose Erica varieties as these have a good tolerance of all soil types, so are ideal for shallow alkaline soils as well as fertile peat beds. These Erica varieties, which are in good colour now, will flower continuously - no matter how the wind decides to punish us, right up until April-May. And remember...White Heather is lucky so plant plenty of it! Horky's tip: Plant Erica Heathers in groups of 3 or 5 of the same varieties to give a super carpet of colour. While in containers plant 3 mixed heathers together to give a startling foliage contrast between the dark green and golden foliage varieties. Horky Says: Erica Heathers are relatively fool proof once planted they will flower from November through to late Spring however, to ensure a good display in following seasons, trim Erica heathers annually and feed in Spring and Summer with Miracid to promote strong healthy growth. ITS YOUR DUTY TO BE FRUITY! Hi, Its Brendan here in the plant centre in Sligo. Why not give someone a living gift this Christmas? - Indeed one of the most popular gift we offer is a fabulous apple tree planted into a decorative pot - ready for fruiting next year! Ever since Adam bit into the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, apples have been the stuff of myth and legend. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed them to be aphrodisiacs, and for the Celts crab apples were a symbol of fertility. In the middle ages, the cult of the apple continued in such customs as apple bobbing at Halloween. The most popular of all fruits, apples are also convenient, perfect for eating raw as a nutritious snack and ideal for making into a multitude of hot and cold puddings and deserts. There are thousands of named varieties worldwide, but the choice of those available to buy is, sadly, decreasing year by year. However, because apples can now be grown in every temperate country in the world, some varieties can be found in the shops all year round. Delicious as they may be, no shop bought apples can ever beat the flavour and crisp texture of home grown apples that have been freshly picked. Apples come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny cherry-sized crab apples Red Sentinel to huge cooking varieties like Howgate Wonder. Colours range from bright, shiny red through vivid greens, yellows and pale creamy-white to golden russet, while the skins may be ultra-thin or unpalatably thick. As for taste and texture there is an almost infinite variety- something to suit every palate, from crisp and sour to soft and sweet. And indeed growing apples in your garden is no longer the strict avail of skilled gardeners or orchard owners, with the Coronet range of apple trees every gardener can get pleasure from the enormous satisfaction of growing and eating your own apples. Tell me more about these 'Cornet' apple trees Coronet apple trees are dwarf growing apples trees, reaching a height of around 5½ feet tall with a 3ft canopy and are ideal for growing in pots and containers on the patio or in nice groups of 3 or 5 in the lawn. Coronet apple trees are better than larger types as they require almost no pruning and with then being small you can even pick the fruit from the very top of the tree so that none are wasted. HAPPY DAYS! I like a nice eating apple, what varieties can I plant now? Now is an ideal time to plant Coronet apple trees, some of the best eating apples available now include: Beauty of Bath A beautiful small flattish green apple extensively flushed with red, with sharp, sweet juicy flesh. Beauty of Bath apples are best eaten straight from the tree, as they rot almost as soon as they are picked. A variety rarely sold in shops. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Horky's tip: Spray your fruit trees each December with Armillatox to kill any over wintering pests and diseases and ensure a fresh, clean start to each growing season. This is essential to prevent serious problems such as canker developing. Discovery Bred from Worcester Pearmain, Discovery was the first apple to be commercially grown in Britain. It is particularly attractive for its highly coloured bright red skin and contrasting hard, crisp white flesh. Best-eaten straight form the tree. Egremont Russet Russet apples have rough, porous skins which all the water to evaporate out, giving a denser flesh and intensifying the nutty flavour. Egremont Russet is the most readily available. It is golden russet I n colour, sometimes with a bright orange flush, and has a crisp texture and very sweet taste. It can be used for eating or cooking and goes superbly with cheese. Egremount Russet will keep until December and seems to resist most pests and diseases. Horky's tip: When plating Coronet Apple trees into containers, plant Karan strawberry plants around the base to give added colour and fruit-giving interest. The two plants will grow happily in partnership with each other and benefit from the same feeding. Horky's tip: Free advice from Qualified Horticulturists! Remember you can contact myself, Brendan Farrell on 071 38870 for all your gardening queries, and also you can e-mail me on sligo@gardencentre.ie I look forward to hearing from you. And what good cooking apple trees can I plant now? Unfortunately, cooking apples are not grown on the Coronet root stock yet. But, the most popular way of growing them is on a semi-dwarfing root stock, which means they will grow to around 9ft. Some of my favourites include: Bramleys Seedling The nonpareil of cookers, this large, flattish green apple (sometimes faintly flushed with red) has coarse, white juicy, acid flesh, which cooks into a frothy puree. Bramleys are perfect fro baking or as the basis for apple sauce. Horky's tip: Newly planted trees should not be allowed to bear fruit in their first season and you should nip out the fruitlets that have formed. The trees must be allowed to make a good root system before they take on the strains of bearing fruit. Next year only allow a light crop to form. The aim should be to allow the trees to make good growth before allowing them to carry fruit. Howgate Wonder The 'big boy' of the apple world!. This apple can grow to an enormous size - in 1997, the world record was achieved with a specimen weighing 3lb 14oz (1.6kg)! Certainly a apple to grow for some fun. Horky Says:: Remember good planting is one of the keys to success with fruit trees. When planting incorporate Nursery Stock compost into the planting hole, around 20l is ideal and always stake young trees well. Nursery stock compost contains a 12 month slow release Osmocote fertiliser, this ensures that in its first year your tree never misses its dinner. Apply Sulphate of Potash around the base of each tree in early Spring and Autumn for a super show of blossom and fruit each year. Good solid, Irish grown plants ready for planting now. So don't delay get in there when the selection is best. Horkans Garden Centres Sligo and Castlebar are open 7 days a week Mon-Sat till 6.30pm, Sun 12-6. Christmas is Coming..... Hi its Lisa here in the indoor gift area of Horkans and I'm delighted to inform you that Christmas is well under way in both our Sligo and Castlebar centres with new and exciting Christmas decoration to tempt all those Christmas lovers. New in stock this Year Remember This year I have great delight in introducing our wonderful kiddies range of decorations, to bring out the child in all of us......why not decorate your front door with our new range of HO HO HO santy door wreaths or let our musical and dancing reindeer entertain you. How many days till Christmas? No need to worry, count the days away with our new range of advent ornaments. Drift away to the land of never never land with our exciting kiddies tree trims. Bring back the swinging sixties with our range of indoor and outdoor fiber optic trees These artificial trees are made from the finest quality product and many part have been made by hand. No need to decorate just plug in and go.....available in a wide range of sizes. Noma the Name of Quality Horky prides himself on bring you the finest in quality and yet again this year we have introduced our range of high quality lights. Noma Christmas lighting one of the best in the world bring a super range of indoor and out door lights. Call in and talk to our team in Sligo or castlebar. Trees Trees and more Trees Call in and see our wonderful range of artificial trees now on display in both centres. These trees are 'Good Enough To Fool Even Santa', are available in a wide range of sizes and are made to the highest standard Helpful Hints Why not call in and talk to our team for hints to decorate your home this Christmas. We are always keen to help our call us on Sligo 071 38870 and Castlebar 094 26997 Print- out and keep- A-Z Guide to pruning This month due to popular demand, I'm happy to publish the parts C-D of our monthly A-Z guide to pruning CALLICARPA Thin thoroughly in February, retaining as much young wood as possible. CALLUNA Cut back long straggling growths with a knife and trim loose ends with shears in March. CAMELIA No regular pruning, but long shoots may be shortened in April to maintain shape. Old specimens produce new growths surprisingly well from the old stems if severely pruned to one half or one third their height in April. CARYOPTERIS Cut back the flowering shoots of the previous year in February or early March. Strong growths may be left from 9 to 12 inches long, when not damaged by frosts shorten weal wood to within a bud or 2 of the base. CEANOTHUS When grown as border shrubs the Spring-flowering species should have the long shoots shortened after blooming. Plants grown against a wall should have side shoots cut back within an inch or 2 of the main branches annually after flowering. CERATOSTIGMA If the shoots are not killed to the ground by frosts, cut back the old flowering shoots to firm ripened wood early in March CHAENOMELIS (CYDONIA) Against a wall spur prune to within 2 or 3 buds of the main branches after flowering in April or early in May. Trim hedges when the blooms fade. Little pruning of border shrubs is required apart from occasionally thinning crowded branches. CHIMONANTHUS praecox (fragrans) When growing against a wall the secondary shoots should be spurred back to within one or 2 eyes of the base in spring as soon as possible as the flowers fade. Border shrubs only require thinning when they become crowded. Endeavour to retain as much young wood in plants as possible by removing only weak or dead twigs. CHOISYA No regular pruning. Old bushes with bare stems may be cut back in the old wood in April . Shorten long secondary branches on wall plants after flowering. CISTUS Pinch shoots to form bushy shrubs when the plants are young. Mature shrubs resent being cut into old hard wood. It is usually found preferable to scarp old bushes which have become leggy or shabby and replace with young plants. CLEMATIS Prune the early flowering C.Montana, C.alpina and varieties of C.patens and C.florida in early summer after flowering. The summer and autumn flowering Lanuginosa family are best lightly pruned in February. The varieties of C.jackmanii should be cut back to within a few small buds of the old wood in February. CORNUS (DOGWOOD) No regular pruning. From time to time shrubs should be cut back in February to keep the bushes within their allotted space. The kinds with coloured bark grown for winter effect may be cut down to within a few inches of the base annually the first week in April. CARYLOPSIS Thin crowded bushes by removing old worn out branches if any and weak wood after flowering in late April or early May. CORYLUS Prune back vigorous shoots of the purple and golden-leaved nuts in February or early March each year to secure plenty of strong new shoots. COTONEASTER No regular pruning. Thinning and shortening of long growths of the deciduous species when necessary may be done in February, and the evergreen species in April. CYDONIA vulgaris (Quince) Thin branches when required and spur prune secondary shoots in late autumn or winter. CYTISUS (Broom) Trim off the growing points of the plants several times during the summer when the plants are young. Cut back long growths on mature bushes after flowering. Old plants seldom break satisfactorily when cut back into old hard wood. It is usually preferable to replace them but C.nigricans is an exception. As this species flowers on current growth, it should be pruned hard back each year in February. DABOECIA Cut off with a knife old flower heads and loose ends of shoots in late autumn after flowering or in the case of large numbers of plants, trim with shears in February. DAPHNE No pruning is necessary apart from shaping the plant. This is best done in March. DESFONTANEA spinosa Little if any pruning is necessary or desirable unless it is outgrown its position. DEUTZIA Encourage mature bushes to produce young wood from the base by removing one or 2 of the Oldest branches each year in summer after flowering . Next Month.....Part E-F Happy pruning from Gareth - Sligo Centre. Dear Horky.... The North West's only Gardening Agony uncle! Dear Horky, I have a shrub border which has become infested with convolvulus or bindweed, the type with large, white flowers. How can I get rid of it? - Mrs a Crackej, Ballyshannon. Dear bind-weed sufferer, The best weedkiller to use to kill the bindweed is glysophate (Rambo, Tumbleweed, Roundup). It is absorbed into the whole of the plant and has a systemic action. It may take three weeks after application before results are seen. Because the weed has long white roots, which penetrate large areas, new growth is likely to occur and it will be necessary to repeat the treatment. Great care must be taken to avoid getting the weedkiller on adjacent plants as these can be harmed. Where the weed is growing amongst ornamental plants it is necessary to paint the weedkiller on the young growths of the weed. It is a laborious business but, if you are persistent, you will gradually eliminate the weed. Horky Send any gardening queries to Dear Horky, Horkans Garden Centre, Spencer Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo and if you're letter is printed you will win a hamper pack of goodies for the garden. Or alternatively send them to us on info@gardencentre.ie Horkans Gardening Helpline is 071 38870 or 094 26997. Remember for all your gardening questions we are only a click of the mouse away on www.gardencentre.ie and you can E-mail us on info@gardencentre.ie We look forward to hearing from you. October 2001 Newsletter June 2001 Newsletter January 2001 Newsletter November's Newsletter Back to Top October's Newsletter June's Newsletter Visit the Castlebar Website May's Newsletter