Gardening

Practical tips for your garden, as well as some advice on how evergreens are valuable for wildlife. Gerry Daly also discovers which small trees grow well in winter.

Try This Growing Beacon
There are so few good trees and shrubs that flower in winter, it is amazing that this one has remained a secret for so long, and it is still largely a secret although clued-in gardeners know it well. The Cootamundra wattle, Acacia baileyana, is native to New South Wales in Australia but it does very well in this less favourable climate. It has the remarkable ability to flower in the first two weeks of the new year, when almost nothing else is in flower and certainly nothing as large as this small tree.

For many years, it was considered much too tender to be grown successfully in Irish gardens, except those very close to the coast where severe frost would not kill it. The larger species, the silver wattle, Acacia dealbata, is widely grown within a few kilometres of the coast where there is some shelter. It appears that the Cootamundra wattle may be hardier and has been grown successfully further inland. Even so, it might be wise to choose a site with some protection from a house wall.

The show of flowers is tremendous, masses of tiny golden powder puff flowers with a reasonable honey scent, set against the ferny bluish evergreen foliage. It is capable of making up to about six metres in really good conditions, though generally somewhat less. It is well worth a try as it will light up the whole garden like a beacon. Choose a sunny spot in well-drained soil.

This Month in your Garden...

• sow sweet pea seeds in pots for early flower in summer
• complete any remaining apple and pear tree pruning
• complete any remaining digging in the vegetable area
• bring in branches of early shrubs such as forsythia for forcing
• prune late-summer shrubs before new growth begins
• finish planting bare-rooted deciduous trees and shrubs
• sow bedding annuals in a propagator for summer colour

Evergreens valuable for wildlife

Broadleaved evergreen trees and shrubs have an important role in providing winter shelter for birds, insects and other small animals. Gardens are better provisioned with evergreens than the surrounding countryside and a remarkable range of creature benefits.

It is common to find ladybirds, for instance, tucked away in a light slumber, as well as spiders, earwigs, snails and all manner of living things. In really cold weather they get deep into the bush and emerge only when the temperature rises.

Using Garden Tools

Spade
The spade is the most important and most versatile garden tool. It can be used for digging, loading materials, making trenches, chopping out weeds and cutting the edges of flower beds. Its principal use is for digging. While a digging fork is easier to use in stony soil, a spade is easier to use otherwise, because it can be used to cut a 'sod' that is easier to lift and to turn over. If weedy ground is being dug, it is much easier to bury weeds when digging with a spade. Buy a good quality spade that feels comfortable to hold, and do not buy one with an outsize blade!

Energy Saving Safety Tips

When buying equipment or tools for use outdoor, choose 'all-insulated' or 'doubleinsulated' equipment. This will provide a greater degree of protection than equipment which requires 'earthing'. Double insulated appliances are indicated by a special symbol.