The Garden in November

Oh the weather outside is frightful..... This isn't the time of year when you feel inspired to get out into the garden, yet it's one of the bettter times to get some work done, especially planting of trees and shrubs and, most of all, roses, as this is the time of year when the best selection is available. It's also the time of year when some plants actually come into their own, producing berries which fatten up our birds for the winter. (See our list of winter-highlight plants...) Planting now means that trees and shrubs have a full six months or so where they don't need watering, and it gives roots time to develop.

Bare root plants When trees loose their leaves they are considered 'dormant'. Of course, they are still alive, but they are not transpiring or pulling water up through their roots and breathing it out through their leaves. At this stage, they are more open to being disturbed than when in active growth. Young trees can be pulled out of the ground and sold 'bare-root': in other words, they have no soil attached to their roots. This makes them lighter, easier to handle and much cheaper to buy. These young plants are called 'whips', and are normally one or two years old. Studies have proven that trees planted at this size, and as bare-root specimens, grow faster than trees planted at a larger size, and using this method makes complete sense when planting hedges or areas of forestry. You just need to keep an eye on you local stretch of new road to see how fast these bare-root trees grow. When planting bare-root plants, keep the following points in mind:

• never let bare-root plants dry out; their roots should not be exposed to wind or frost, and they should be planted as soon as they are taken out of their bag, or stored by 'heeling' them into moist soil or sand
• evergreen plants such as Pine, Holly and Olearia do not do as well as bare-root plants, and are more successful when planted as container-grown plants
• firm bare-root plants in very well, and ensure that they are straight and there are no air pockets. The best method for planting them is to make a T-shaped cut in the soil and insert the roots into the soil down the vertical length of the T. Firm them in with your heel.
• trees and shrubs should not be planted too deep. Many trees are mistakenly planted too deep, which prevents them from maturing into healthy plants.

Dyg supplies a selection of bare-root trees - the most economical way of planting hedges such as Beech and Hornbeam, as well as native hedgrows comprising Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Field maple and so on. Use the search box on the right, and also see our excellent value Native Hedgerow scheme in our planting schemes, also on the right.

Great value hedges for boundaries and by the seaside: This is an excellent and appropriate time to plant trees and shrubs, and also the best time to establish a new hedge. The plants can establish over the winter and have some new roots to get them through the spring and into the summer, by which time they will be slightly established and need less in the way of watering. We have added some excellent value hedging plants for sale on our site, including: Olearia traversii, Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price', two Escallonia varieties and Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). These are plants which often need to be planted in large quantities, so we have put them on a sliding scale - the more you buy the better value they become. These plants are sold in smaller 9 cms pots or in 1 litre pots - perfectly adequate to establish a hedge, and much more economical than buying them at three times the price in a larger pot. All our plants are Irish grown, and smaller plants have the benefit of establishing faster than more mature ones. Just remember to keep them weed-free around the base for the first couple of years. See our Special Offers on the right...

Pruning As trees loose their leaves you are better able to see their shape or form. It therefore makes sense to prune them now. Many plants in Ireland are routinely savaged by inexpert 'gardeners', quite often irreperably destroying the plant. Unless a plant is deliberately a piece of topiary, such as a box ball or a clipped bay cone, plants should be allowed to have a natural shape. Branches should never be foreshortened. If a branch is too long, or taking too much light, or in the way, it should be removed in its entirety at the joint from where it grows. The cut should be made with a secateurs, loppers or pruning saw. In the vast majority of cases, chainsaws and hedge trimmers have no place whatsoever in pruning, and a good pruning saw, such as the Berger one, which we sell, is adequate for all but the largest plants. And, by the way, 'crown-thinning', or 'raising' and the vast majority of tree surgery is a junket which has destroyed many a fine tree. Of course trees need dead or dying limbs to be removed if they are dangerous, but if corrective, minimal pruning is done when a trees is young it should not require any later in life. If pruning is done on mature trees, they will require it on an annual basis. Gererally, when pruning young trees and shrubs, you should follow the following guidelines:

• Look for the 'Three Ds': Dead, Diseased and Damaged, and prune them out where they meet the next healthy branch, and not half way along the branch.
• Prune for shape: many plants sch as Magnolia and Maples have wonderful form, which is most evident during the winter, so sometimes just a subtle 'thinning' out in the centre, and the removal of the 'Three Ds' is the most they require.
• Most trees should have only one 'leader' (main vertical-growing branch). If a tree has two leaders, such as a young oak, ash or chestnut, prune off the weaker leader where it branches off the main stem. Though this may make the tree temporarily unbalanced, it will quickly rectify this.
• Multi-stemmed trees such as Hazel or Amelanchier are often improved by removing lower branches and smaller, straggly branches which cross through and into the centre of the plant. Removing these small branches makes the tree much more graceful and gives it an elegant form.
• Stone fruit trees such as Cherry and Plum should NOT be pruned during the winter: they should be pruned when in leaf.

Want to stay indoors? If you can't face tackling your garden, dyg can make the indoors a much nicer place. There are all sorts of nasty interior plants out there, which will make your home feel just like the office. On the other hand, there are some really wonderful plants which grow indoors. We sell beautiful Mandevilla (Dipladenia) plants: though they may survive outdoors in a very sheltered spot where there is no frost, they are best indoors. The several that we have in our house have flourished and prospered, and provided us with week after week of gorgeous flowers. Seen in other garden centres for three or four times the price we sell them at, we think these are wonderful plants for a sunny room. We also highly recommend growing a banana indoors, though be prepared: you need a big pot, a ceiling at least 2 m high and a very sunny spot. One in our living room has given it a wonderful atmosphere...... and when it gets too big, you just chop it down! Use the search option on the right to browse 'Indoor Plants'.

And, if you want to snuggle up by the best fire you have ever had..... dyg is delighted to supply Hotlogs: kiln-dried Irish-grown firewood logs. When we moved into our new house last winter, we were given a load of these amazing logs by a friend - the best house-warming present ever. Our friend, Paddy Purser, who is a forester, had started this business. The logs are sourced from natural forest thinning, from well-managed irish forests. These logs are then kiln-dried to 'cook' the moisture out of them. This means that they burn with a greater heat than most logs, with a moisture content of between 15% and 20% - less even than logs which have been dried under cover for a year or more. These logs come in two sizes: a bulk load for anyone with storage space; and in handy 11 kg bags for anyone with less space who wants a blazing fire on an occasional basis. Bulk loads are delivered (free) nationwide; 11 kg bags are delivered free of charge in Counties Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

• Garden in October: http://www.dyg.ie/garden-october
• Garden in September: http://www.dyg.ie/garden-september