Page 60 - January Phonebox Magazine 2012

A Month in the Garden
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The start of the gardening year doesn’t really kick in
until springtime, you may think, but venture into your
garden during January and signs of growth are all
around you. Most of the winter berries have disappeared as birds enjoy their tasty treats, but these are replaced by catkins dangling from garryas and hazels, the first signs of bulbs pushing their way through the cold soil, and buds swelling on bare stems.
If the soil is frosty or wet, try to keep off the beds as walking over them can easily destroy the soil structure. Continue planting dormant shrubs and trees when the weather allows, and check that any newly planted shrubs have not been lifted up by the winter frosts. If so, use your heel to firm them back into the soil again. If we have heavy snowfall, carefully brush it off conifers and evergreen plants to prevent the weight breaking any branches. And continTue looking forward to longer, warmer days!
Pruning Apple Trees
The annual task of pruning our apple trees in the wildflower meadow will come around again soon and it is usually a case of girl power for the job - three of us all atop the step ladders snipping away. All our apples were planted in the same year, and they all are old varieties with some lovely names like 'Peasgood Nonsuch' and 'Irish Peach'. They were bought from Bernwode nursery near Aylesbury about 1998. Follow some easy rules and it becomes quite simple to prune established apples.
1. Remove any dead or damaged branches
2. Remove any crossing branches
3. Remove any spindly laterals (side-shoots)
4. Reduce last year’s growth (identified by the shiny new wood instead of old grey wood) by at least half, preferably two thirds. Cut to an outward facing bud. Most of our trees are spur bearing, (the apples grow on 'spurs' along the branches), but some are tip bearing. We treat them pretty much the same, but they are pruned less hard. The fruit buds (pictured) are quite clear this time of year, they are much fatter than the leaf
buds. You can see the spurs quite clearly too, definitely do not remove these or you won't have any apples this summer!
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Greenacres
Landscape, Paddock & Garden Maintenance
Services include:
P all tyPeS of fencinG
P Patio & driveWay conStruction
& cleaninG Service
P HedGe cuttinG
P tree WorkS
P Wood cHiPPer Hire available
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07827 328960
01908 671167
www.greenacreslandscapemanagement.co.uk Locally based, covering Beds, Herts & Bucks
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Paddock and Woodland Maintenance Services include Hedge cutting, Spraying, Grass cutting, Muck Spreading
t: 07760 254027 or 01234 881055 for free quotes
e: willem_van_beele@hotmail.co.uk
Oakham Garden Services
Garden clearance and general tidying up Hedge trimming and shaping Over-grown gardens restored Cutting back and pruning
Lawn seeding and turfing Border restoration Grass cutting
Patio cleaning
Regular garden maintenance and much more...
~ All carried out professionally ~ No job too small
MOB: 07745 428322
TEL: 01933 663247 Based one mile from Olney
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A Crouch Tree Services are a family run company that are based locally and operate throughout Bucks, Beds and northants.
We offer all aspects of Tree Care which includes:-
• HEDgE CUTTIng
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Our web site is: www.acrouchtreeservices.co.uk
Please call our office on
01234 391834
or email denise@acrouchtreeservices.co.uk.
for emergency response please call our mobile number 07712 018 383
60 Phonebox Magazine
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