
Lift and divide herbaceous plants.
Plant alpine and herbaceous plants.
Lightly mow over the lawn.
Prepare sites for new lawns.
Prune rose bushes soon if not already done.
Plant onion, garlic and shallot sets.
Start Begonia and Gloxinia tubers into growth indoors.
Buy seedlings or baby bedding plants to grow on at home.



Support all tall growing herbaceous plants from early in the season. Try growing some ornamental vegetables in the flower garden, e.g. red leafed
lettuce and runner beans.
Prune Blueberries.
Sow hardy annual flowers like Eschscholzia, Godetia, Clary, Mignonette etc. direct in the garden borders.
Treat moss, scarify and aerate lawns as well as feeding the grass, you can now get moss killers that digest dead moss, so no raking or use traditional Lawn Sand.
Prune late summer flowering shrubs, like Buddleia and Caryopteris, as well as
Hydrangea paniculate varieties and Hydrangea arborescensc Annabelle.
Prune down hard shrubs with coloured stems like Cornus, as well as hardy Fuchsias.
Trim over winter flowering heathers cutting to the base of the flower clusters.
Buy and plant pots of herbs.
Sow seeds of hardy herbs in the garden, like parsley.
Plant seed potatoes – but beware of frost once the shoots emerge from the soil.
Vegetable seeds to sow now include: broad beans, lettuce, leeks, parsnips, peas, radish, salad onions, spinach, Swiss chard and spinach beet.
Sow summer bedding under glass: dahlias, impatiens, petunias, phlox drummondii, salvias, asters, tagetes, mesembryanthemums, alyssum,
nicotiana, marigolds and zinnias.
Plant lilies outdoors in borders and tubs.
Lay out growing bags in the greenhouse to warm up the compost before planting.
Sow fruit and vegetable plants for growing on in a heated greenhouse, e.g. tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, etc. or you could decide to buy
plants later.



Plant less robust hardy evergreen shrubs e.g. Hebe and Ceanothus.
Lay turf or sow lawn seed.
Start feeding pond fish more frequently as the water temperature rises.
Vegetables to sow now include: Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, summer cabbage and summer cauliflower.
Dwarf French beans can be sown under cloches.
Watch out for the build up of pests and diseases.
Treat pots against vine weevil attacks using Bug Clear Vine Weevil Killer. It protects your plants for three months.
An organic answer is a half inch deep layer of horticultural grit over the compost surface to deter egg laying.
Marginal plants in ponds can be divided if overcrowded, but watch out for frog spawn.



You can’t race the seasons and seeds do not have to be sown exactly when the packet tells you. My advice with outdoor sowings is watch the weather
not the calendar, as seed sown later when conditions are right usually catches up and surpasses crops put in earlier that had to suffer during bad weather.



Kempsey Times

Pershore Times

Powick Times

Upton Times

March gardening tips - Reg moule


Colour of the Year – Peach Fuzz
Every year Pantone creates a ‘Colour of the Year’ and this year it’s “Peach Fuzz”.
This shade has been chosen as it captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose
all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.
This can be easily incorporated into our flower borders and pots, and here’s my suggestions on plants to use and also what to coordinate with them.
Peach-coloured flowers are a great way to add a pop of colour to your garden. They are soft, warm, and inviting, and can create a beautiful contrast against purple foliage. Here are three of the best peach-coloured
flowering plants that are available here in the UK:
Salvia ‘Peach Parfait’
Salvias are one of my favourite perennials to include in any border due to the variety of
colours available and they are just so reliable (in my opinion!) as they’re semi-evergreen, bushy and are loved by pollinators. This particular variety has a
gorgeous purple stem, grows to around 90cm tall, and will continually flower from June until first frosts. Ideal for any sunny border or container. Using the colour of the purple stem, it will go well with a purple leaved plant such as the evergreen Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’ and a dark purple flowering Verbena (which is also
long flowering). Plant them individually in containers of different sizes and group them
together to make a colourful display on your patio.
The Salvia is available from
Hayloft Plants- Salvia Peach Parfait
Digitalis Dalmatian Peach
Foxgloves are one of my favourite flowers, especially when they’re planted in swathes
under a white-stemmed silver birch tree such as the Jacqmontii. Foxgloves come in many colours but this ‘Peach’ variety
is semi-evergreen and biennial which means they bloom during their second year before setting seed. It grows to around 90cm tall.
Rosa Dannahue
With so many beautiful pastel roses to choose from, this new variety called Dannahue is an apricot beauty! Named after
Danny Clarke, aka ‘The Black Gardener’. It’s a repeat flowering English Shrub rose which grows to around 110cm tall, so its gorgeous for a border or container. Obviously it’s
scented and adored by bees!
What’s not to love about this beauty?
This would look gorgeous with Verbena bonariensis as it grows to around 1.5m tall and then underplant it with Geranium
‘Rozanne’ which flowers from June to October. All loved by pollinators and the
sunshine!
These are just a few of the many peach-coloured flowering plants that are available in the UK.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, there’s a peach-coloured plant out there that’s perfect for you.



colour of the year

Continue planting trees, shrubs and perennial plants if conditions are suitable.

Plant shallot sets (in colder areas start them off in pots of compost in a cold frame)

If you do not have a cold frame just buy a large clear plastic storage box, drill some holes in the bottom put in a layer of grit, pop on the lid and there is a cold frame.

Look after garden birds by providing food and water- try to tailor the food to the birds you have around.

In heated greenhouses sow Antirrhinums, Begonia semperflorens, Verbenas and Pansies for summer bedding.

Otherwise buy seedlings or baby bedding plants later to grow on.

Sow sweet pea seeds, growing them on in a cold greenhouse or frame.

Buy seed potatoes and stand them on end in trays or egg boxes to chit (begin to shoot)

Potatoes are easy to grow in pots above 30cm (12in) in diameter. To this end store some first early seed potatoes in the fridge bringing some ouT to chit every ten days. The previously chitted ones are then planted in pots and kept in a frost free place to grow. You will then have a succession of

new potatoes to harvest every fourteen days or so.

Complete the pruning of apples, pears and soft fruits.

Prune Clematis that have their main flowering period from July onwards back hard to about 30cm (1ft) above the soil.

Cut back dead stems of herbaceous perennials to ground level.

Stock up on pots, labels, twine and other quickly consumed sundries before the season gets into full swing.

Prune back old, woody Mahonia stems to keep the plants bushy.

Buy Begonia and Dahlia tubers as well as other summer flowering bulbs such as

Cover strawberry rows with cloches for an earlier crop.

Prune Buddlejas and the Spiraeas with colourful foliage, like Spiraea Goldflame, back hard.

Check wall trained plants to see if they require watering as it can get very dry at the base of a wall.

In heated greenhouses sow Dianthus, Lobelia, Ageratum, and multi-bloom Geraniums for summer bedding.

Dig up, divide and re-plant overcrowded clumps of snowdrops.

Prune winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) by trimming back by two thirds shoots that have flowered.

Sow summer cauliflower in trays under glass.

February gardening tips by Reg Moule

Protect vulnerable plants from frost damage and scorching due to cold winds.

Warm up the soil for early sowings by covering an area with a polythene sheet, or

cloches. If weed seedlings germinate under this all well and good, just hoe them off.

Seed potatoes are around now, buy them soon while there is still a good choice of

varieties available. Stand them in trays with the end with the most buds uppermost

in a light, frost-free place to begin to sprout or “chit”. Plant them outdoors in late

January is the best month for winter washing fruit trees and rose bushes, using Vitax

Keep off frosted or wet grass. If dry give the lawn a trim over before getting the

Check over Hellebores and remove any foliage showing the characteristic black

blotches of leaf spot disease. Even if this means removing most of the leaves there is

Remember to feed your garden birds and make sure that water is also available for

them. Try to tailor the feeds given to the bird species that visit your garden.

Continue to prepare the vegetable garden for the new season, unless it is too wet to

dig. If you get desperate you could always spread your weight by working off a

Apples and pears, but not plums, cherries or any stone fruits, as well as currants,

gooseberries, and summer fruiting raspberries can all be pruned now.

If you have a heated greenhouse, plant up some sprouted seed potatoes in 12 inch

pots of John Innes compost No 3. The crop should be ready in April.

Seeds are uppermost in gardeners’ minds at the moment. Make sure that you buy

yours soon as some varieties may be in short supply.

Check over your trees and shrubs, as this is a good time to prune off any dead,

diseased or misplaced branches except on plums and cherries which are pruned in

If your greenhouse is empty, clean and disinfect it ready for the new season. In an

unheated greenhouse, or cold frame, sow some early salads. Try winter lettuce,

forcing radishes, spring onions and stump-rooted carrots.

Avoid overwatering foliage plants, while plants in flower are likely to need more

frequent watering. Keep an eye open for pests and diseases.

Cut back climbing plants, like Virginia creeper, ivy, climbing hydrangea etc. grown on

house walls by at least 45cm (18in) from all window and door frames. The plants can

continue growth in spring without obstructing them.

The ready germinated seedlings and young plug plants should be available now

ready for growing on in a heated greenhouse. This method removes some of the risk

of growing your own plants from seed, as well as offering young plants that can only

Privet hedges that have been allowed to get out of control can be cut back hard at

this time of year. This will encourage strong new growth from the base.

Hedges are often ignored when it comes to feeding, so give them a dressing of

pelleted chicken manure now. It will provide a gentle boost through the growing

This is a good time to apply garden lime, especially in the vegetable plot. Lime and

manure should never be applied at the same time, so where manure was dug in

January Gardening Tips by Reg Moule

Overgrown deciduous hedges can be cut back hard while they are still dormant.

Put netting over winter greens to keep pigeons off. Alternatively sitting a realistic

model of a large owl on a post adjacent to your crop also deters them.

New deciduous hedges can be planted now. Cut the new plants back hard after planting.

Avoid getting greenhouse plants too wet; they are much better kept on the dry side over the winter.

Feed flowering houseplants weekly using a liquid fertiliser.

Avoid walking on frozen lawns, as this damages the grass leaving brown footprints

Float a rubber ball, or a chunk of polystyrene, in your pool to prevent it from freezing over completely, or buy a pool heater.

Put your sawn off Christmas tree in a stand which holds water, as this aids needle retention.

Feed garden birds and make sure that water is also readily available.

Frost and wind can loosen newly planted shrubs and trees. Check and re-firm them.

Alpines and other seeds needing a cool period in order to germinate can be sown now.

Whitloof chicory roots can be dug up, potted and brought into the warmth and darkness in order to produce “chicons”.

Geranium seeds can be sown now- if you have suitable conditions to grow them in.

Go through the greenhouse every week and dispose of dead leaves and flowers.

Repair fences while climbing plants are still dormant.

Plant new trees and shrubs when weather conditions are favourable.

Try to hoe off weeds whenever you see them, as this will pay dividends later.

Grow some sprouting seeds in jam jars for an easy, nutritious addition to meals.

Cut some berried holly for house decoration and keep it in a bucket in a cold greenhouse to prevent birds from taking the berries.

Take root cuttings from herbaceous plants like phlox, oriental poppies, and Japanese anemones.

Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days to reduce the risk of fungal infections.

Winter is a good time to plan next year’s crops and ornamental displays.

Prune free- standing apple and pear trees.

Prune greenhouse grapes, when all the leaves have fallen, cutting back the side shoots to one bud along. Christmas pot plants – remember Cyclamen and Azaleas like it cool, Poinsettias need more warmth.

Clean pots, seed trays and service tools ready for the new season’s work.

Cover a sheltered area of veg. garden with clear polythene to warm it up for early spring sowings.

Sow onions suitable for exhibition, like Robinson’s Mammoth or Kelsae in a heated greenhouse.

Winter wash dormant fruit trees, using Vitax Winter Tree Wash, or Growing Success Winter Tree Wash, for a clean start next spring.

Start winter digging on the veg. garden but keep off very wet soil – it ruins the structure.

If snow is expected encircle vulnerable conifers with hoops of wire to hold branches in place that could, otherwise, be bent outwards by heavy falls.

December Gardening Tips by Reg Moule

New lawns can still be seeded (soon) or turfed this month.

This is a good time to plant trees, shrubs, roses, fruit trees and soft fruit plants.

Clear summer bedding from tubs and borders and replace it with plants which give colour through to spring. Garden Centres will have an extensive range of suitable species in their planterias including Winter Pansies, Violas, Wallflowers, Ornamental Cabbage etc. Don’t forget to add some colourful evergreen plants and spring flowering bulbs to your planting scheme.

Osteospermums, Arctotis, Argyranthemums and other tender perennials should be lifted from the borders, potted and brought inside for the winter.

Spray peaches and nectarines with Vitax Copper Mixture against peach leaf curl.

Spring flowering bulbs of all kinds can be planted outdoors this month.

Rake up fallen leaves both for general hygiene and to use to make leaf mould – a valuable soil conditioner. Continue planting spring flowering bedding like Wallflowers, Brompton Stocks, Forget-Me- Nots and Sweet Williams.

Allow the first frosts to blacken off Dahlia foliage before lifting and drying the tubers ready for winter storage. Treating the tubers with sulphur dust before storage helps to prevent rotting. If you have light soil consider leaving the tubers in the soil over winter, perhaps with a protective mulch of garden compost or bark over the root area.

Gladioli corms should be lifted, dried and stored in a frost-free place until spring.

Clean up dead foliage from the centres of Pampas Grass clumps, but wear strong gloves to avoid being cut by the razor sharp leaves. Lift and divide large clumps of early flowering perennials. Late flowers can be left until spring.

Mow lawns less frequently and treat them with an autumn lawn fertiliser. Lawns also benefit from a good wire raking to clear “thatch” and spiking with a hollow tined aerator. 

Hardwood cuttings can be taken from now onwards but the sooner the better.

Tidy up pond plants, removing the foliage from water lilies before they decompose in the water. Feed your fish less often as they begin to slow down for the winter. Remember to use a wheatgerm based food as these are much easier for the fish to digest.

Prune blackcurrants, blackberries and hybrid berries e.g. loganberries, tayberries.

Watering and ventilation need careful attention in greenhouses in order to avoid fungal diseases.

Sow winter lettuce under cloches and frames.

Plant lily bulbs in pots in a cold greenhouse to get early flowers.

Sow sweet peas in pots in a cold frame. Protect against damage by mice.

Pick apples and pears. Remember to remove any mummified fruits as these harbour brown rot disease.

As houseplants slow down for the winter they will require less watering and feeding.

If you wish to move any deciduous shrubs do the job now. Lift the plants with a good rootball intact and re-plant firmly.

Tall deciduous shrubs – e.g. roses, Lavatera and Buddleia can be cut back by one third in order to prevent wind rock.

Dead foliage on any herbaceous plants can be removed between now and next Spring.

Sow broad bean Aquadulce Claudia in mild areas to crop next June.

Plant Paperwhite Narcissi now for flowering in mid-December. Keep the planted containers in a light warm place.

October Gardening Tips by Reg Moule

This is a good time to move established evergreen shrubs, and the traditional time to start planting new trees and shrubs of all kinds. Use some mychorrizal fungi when planting to aid rapid establishment in the new situation.

As the summer bedding plants begin to fade replace them with cheerful autumn bedding varieties to brighten up the dull winter days ahead. Make-up winter hanging baskets using pansies, bright evergreens and winter flowering heathers. Prepared hyacinths should be planted and put in a cool, dark place by the end of this month if you want them in bloom by Christmas. 

Watch out for aphid attacks on winter flowering pansies. The colonies live deep among the central rosette of leaves, causing the plants to wilt. Also there are three types of leaf spot fungal diseases that can attack pansies, so check the foliage for them too.

Sow some hardy annuals outdoors in flowering positions in sheltered spots. Now is the time to get busy with planting spring flowering bulbs and we have a comprehensive range on display. If you like to prioritize your buying, the things to go for now are autumn flowering crocus, Madonna lilies, Colchicums, Fritillarias and prepared hyacinths. It is a good plan to plant Daffs. and Narcissi early too. Scarify the lawn to remove “thatch” and feed with Autumn lawn dressing. This is a good time to sow or turf a new lawn and repair bare patches. You could also over-seed all or part of the lawn to thicken the sward.

Grease band the trunks of fruit trees to trap the wingless female Winter moths as they climb them to lay eggs. Strawberries should be planted by the end of this month for cropping next year. Plant garlic now in a sunny free draining spot. They like a long growing season in order to make the best cloves.

Sow some autumn lettuce under cloches or for planting in a cold greenhouse. Plant out spring cabbage plants 15cm (6in) apart in rows 30cm (1ft) apart.

If your lawn is infested with leatherjackets or chafer grubs control them using natural biological pest control nematodes available from specialist suppliers and through some garden centres.

Sow green manure crops on vacant areas of the veg. garden for digging in next spring.

Plant Japanese onion sets to get a lovely crop of flavoursome onions ready from June.

Spray Michaelmas daisies with a fungicide or plant invigorator to prevent mildew.

Lift beetroot, carrots, turnips and potatoes for winter use. Leave parsnips and swedes in the ground to develop more flavour. Sow some compact hardy annuals in a cold greenhouse to grow into winter flowering pot plants. Pick green tomatoes for chutney or ripening in a brown paper bag in a drawer indoors. Reduce watering and ventilation in the greenhouse as temperatures drop. Lift, divide and re-plant early spring flowering herbaceous perennials. Bring in any tender shrubby plants taken outside for summer displays e.g. Brugmansia.

Cut back marginal plants and net your pond to keep out autumn leaves. Bring in tender floating pond plants, like water chestnut and water hyacinth before frost. The floating plant water soldier can remain in the pond.

Dry some herb foliage for winter use, or chop and freeze them in ice cubes. Prune summer fruiting raspberries by removing old, fruited canes. Take cuttings from roses, preferably using shoots that have flowered. Trim them to 23cm (9in) long.

Increase ventilation for indoor grapes to reduce fungal attack.

Treat sheds, fences etc. with a good wood preserver.

Bring in any houseplants that have been outside “on holiday” for the summer.

September gardening tips

Keep all newly planted items well watered. This includes ones planted last autumn.

Sow or turf new lawns and keep mowing established ones – but not too low.

Treat difficult lawn weeds e.g. clovers, black medic with Weedol Lawn Weedkiller, it has the right ingredients for these weeds.

Hang up a codling moth trap in your apple tree, or a plum moth one in your plum

tree, to reduce the number of maggoty fruit. There is also now a trap readily available for catching box tree moths which are now quite widespread in our area.

Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and other brassicas but take precautions against root fly.

Keep on top of pest and disease outbreaks, as well as controlling weeds.

Don’t forget your houseplants, feed and water them regularly.

Sow suitable varieties of pansies to flower from autumn throughout the winter.

Sow biennials for flowering next spring onwards e.g. wallflowers, myosotis, sweet

Plant out chrysanthemums for flowering in borders or for cutting.

Plant out summer bedding plants when frost risk is minimal.

Tie in wallshrubs and climbers to their supports try to train them at 45 degrees or

Trim over aubretia and arabis after flowering to keep them neat.

Prune wall trained pyracantha and chaenomeles after flowering.

Keep strawberry fruits off the soil using straw or mats.

Cut down spring flowering perennials – e.g. pulmonarias and doronicums after

flowering to produce a neat mound of new foliage. Untrimmed plants often become mildewed.

Sow swedes, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, French and runner beans outdoors.

Plant out sweet corn in blocks, rather than a long row, as they are wind pollinated.

Take cuttings from dahlias and chrysanthemums for flowering later in summer.

Plant tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers etc in a cold greenhouse or outdoors if in sheltered site.

Make up summer flowering hanging baskets and containers.

Brighten up your patio with some spectacular frost tender container plants, like brugmansia.

Prune clematis montana straight after flowering, if they are getting out of bounds.

Plant out leeks, marrows, courgettes and melon plants.

Enjoy more herbs by sowing Basil, Corriander and Parsley every fortnight.

Spinach often runs to seed if sown after mid May – so sow leaf beet instead.

Sow some half-hardy annuals for use as winter pot plants e.g. calceolarias, schizanthus and cinnerarias.

Sow ornamental cabbage and kale for winter colour in tubs and borders. Beware of houseplants getting scorched on sunny windowsills.

Listen to the weather forecast in case of any nasty late frosts.

May gardening tips

Sow annual climbers e.g. Asarina, Eccremocarpus, Cobaea, Ipomoea, Tropaeolum and Rhodochiton. Dead head daffodils and narcissi – feed them but DO NOT cut off the foliage. Keep an eye out for slugs and take steps to control them. Prune out any frost damaged shoots on less hardy shrubs such as Pittosporum. Plant summer flowering bulbs outdoors e.g. Gladioli and Nerine bowdenii, if you already have overcrowded clumps of Nerines in your garden lift and divide them now. For trouble free roses, spray with one of the safer rose combined pest and disease treatments or Uncle Tom’s Plant Tonic for an organic solution to rose diseases. Prune Forsythias and winter Jasmine after flowering. Finish dividing overcrowded herbaceous perennial plants. Plant summer flowering bulbs eg. Gladioli, Dahlias etc. Straggly silver foliage plants can be cut back now e.g. Saintolina. (but not down into old wood - that is risky). Lift and divide pond plants. This is also a good time to introduce new plants too. Plant Asparagus crowns and Jerusalem artichokes. Divide overcrowded clumps of Nerines and Siberian Iris. Treat potted ornamental plants with Bug Clear Vine Weevil Killer, as it acts as both a control measure and an insurance policy .One treatment lasts three months. Organically, place a half inch layer of horticultural grit on top of the compost to prevent successful egg laying. Cover some established strawberry plants with cloches to get an early crop. Plant new conifer hedges and trim established ones. 

Tackle pernicious weeds, like bindweed, with a systemic weed killer containing glyphosate, it is best to use an “extra strong” version. Hardy annuals can still be sown in situ outdoors. Plant dormant dahlia tubers 10cm (4in) deep outdoors at the foot of support stakes. Undertake lawn renovations by repairing damaged edges and removing bumps and hollows. Watch out for whitefly appearing in your greenhouse, hang up some yellow sticky traps to monitor them. Plant some French marigolds or Coleus cannina near your tomatoes to deter the pests. Take conifer cuttings. Pull off 7.5 – 10 cm (3-4in) side shoots. Trim up the base. Dip in hormone and insert in free draining compost. Watch out for attacks of gooseberry mildew and gooseberry sawfly, these devastate bushes. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprout and celery plants. Finish planting sprouted maincrop potatoes. Sow tomato seeds now for outdoor planting in June. Begin planting up hanging baskets, keep them inside until frost risk is minimal. Check your greenhouse regularly, as watering, shading and ventilation are important. Sow Basil indoors, but do not plant outside until there is no risk of frost. Start successional sowings of salad crops eg. Lettuce, carrots and radishes. 

Sow tender veg. indoors for planting out next month e.g. courgettes, French and Runner beans. Sow marrow, courgette and squash seed on its side and soak Sweet Corn seed in water for 4 hours before sowing. Prune early flowered Clematis after blooming e.g. C. alpina and C. macropetala. This is only necessary where space is limited. This is a good time to re-pot any houseplants that are pot bound Store unused seeds left in open packets in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Treat your lawn to an application of lawn food. Miracle Gro Thick and Green is my favourite as its food is release according to the weather conditions.  

Early in the month, middle of the month and end of the month. What will you do during this month?

Gardening