Welcome!
Welcome to my brand new platform on Substack.
As many of you already know I have been planning this move for a while, so now I’m really pleased to welcome you to the very first publication on Substack.
On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month you will receive articles including my Pollinator Plant of the Month, as well as gardening topics and jobs, news, a piece about wildlife, occasionally a quiz, the odd recipe, and what garden-related books, poems, art, or music I can recommend – and anything else that takes my fancy!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you can contact me with any garden- or article-related questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
I’m really excited to be bringing you this publication which features:
my Pollinator Plant of the Month
a Topic that takes my fancy
some Jobs to be getting on with this month – or not!
my monthly Just-for-Fun-Quiz
a focus on wildlife in Nature Notes
my News Section, which keeps track on any new developments (particularly with regard to insect pollinators) and any topic or event of interest coming up this month.
For more information about The Bee Garden and what I get up to, have a look at my website www.thebeegarden.co.uk which also features my online shop. And as a thankyou for signing up to receive these articles you can get a 10% discount on all items in the shop: simply enter SUB10 at the checkout and the discount is automatically activated.
So without further ado, let’s get going!
First up is my POLLINATOR PLANT OF THE MONTH.
We kick off the new year with a hardy shrub, Viburnum tinus.
You may wonder why, when many insect pollinators aren’t active during the winter months, I’m even bothering with a Pollinator Plant of the Month in the depths of winter. Well, some insects are still flying, especially if the temperature is on the rise: a few warm-ish days will certainly see flies on the wing, looking for some sustenance in the form of nectar. And Viburnum tinus is one of a few flowering shrubs that blossom at this time of year.
My favourite variety is V. tinus ‘Eve Price’ (above). It’s evergreen, so will give year-round interest, even when it’s not in flower, and speaking of flowers it has the most attractive clusters of deep pink buds opening to small, starry white flowers. Deep blue berries will appear in the autumn – a good sign that pollinating insects have visited.
Grown as a bush it will eventually reach a height of about 2.5m with the same sort of spread. However, it makes a good ‘half-standard’ subject, where the single straight main trunk has been cleared of lower branches for the first 1.2m to 1.5m so it looks a bit like a lollipop. I have two in containers that stand on either side of our patio doors – a perfect framing device.
V. tinus ‘Eve Price’ prefer full sun or part shade and will thrive in any fertile, moist, free-draining soil. As for pruning, they can be left alone other than to shape them, which should be done in early summer well after they have finished flowering.
To increase your stock, you can take semi-ripe cuttings in the summer.
A note about pests and diseases. All Viburnum can suffer from aphids, Viburnum whitefly, and leaf spot.
Also look out for the dreaded Viburnum beetle which will strip the foliage. Most of the damage is caused by the stripey, beige-coloured larvae in spring but defoliation can be added to by the adult beetles in late summer. For the most part the plant will recover, even though it may look unattractive. If possible, remove the larvae by hand, wearing gloves, of course. Also encourage birds and predatory beetles which will eat the larvae.
A final word of warning: the fruits of all Viburnum may cause a stomach upset if ingested.
Now a problem that faces many of us:
What to do with your OLD CHRISTMAS TREE?
All the mince pies have been eaten, you’ve had enough leftover turkey curries to last a lifetime – or at least until next Christmas – and you’re wondering what to do with your Christmas tree. Easy-peasy if it’s an artificial one. And if it has roots, then you can just plant it in the garden. But if it’s a cut one there are a number of options.
First you can cut it up and stack it neatly in a corner of the garden – if your garden is big enough to allow such a space, that is. The pieces will rot down over time and while that happens, they will provide shelter for insects and other wildlife. Eventually the rotted material will improve the soil.
Second, why not create a ‘dead hedge’. Held in place with posts, woody prunings – and your old Christmas tree – are stacked and layered to provide a ‘hedge’. And I bet neighbours would be only too glad to add to it with their old trees. It’s another wonderful wildlife-friendly option.
Third, you can help combat coastal erosion by giving your old Christmas tree to organisations such as the Wildlife Trust and National Trust. Or, local to me, there is the Fylde Sand Dunes project. The trees are ‘planted’ to help stabilise and build up dunes – the trees get buried by the windblown sand which encourages the establishment of marram grass, vital for the regeneration of dunes.
Fourth, Christmas trees make a nutritious meal for livestock such as goats, donkeys and alpacas. If there is a farm, sanctuary or rescue centre near you, ask if they will accept it. Be absolutely sure that the tree is free of any stray decorations and that it hasn’t been treated with anything, such as spray-on snow, before you hand it over.
Fifth, if all else fails, many local councils will accept the tree in the green waste bin for recycling as compost.
Let’s look at some JOBS FOR JANUARY now.
As long as the ground isn’t waterlogged or frozen you can plant bare-root roses, other deciduous shrubs, hedging and trees. They are in their dormant state and can be planted until late winter. The RHS has lots of information. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/planting-trees-shrubs. The main advantage of buying bare-root plants is that they are inevitably cheaper – the nurseryman doesn’t have the expense of compost and pots, and they are easier to send through the post/by courier.
Also, because they too are in a dormant state, you can winter prune apples and pears. Choose a dry, frost-free day for pruning your apples and pears. Pruning at this time of year encourages strong growth in the spring, and, without a canopy of leaves you can see the structure and shape of the tree better. For more information have a look at https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/apples/winter-pruning. Don’t be tempted to prune your stone fruit at this time of year – they should only be pruned later in the year between May and September.
As well as pruning apples and pears, you can also prune deciduous shrubs and trees. This is the ideal time for keeping them in shape, removing any crossing branches and cutting out any dead or diseased wood.
If you have a conservatory, heated greenhouse, or sunny window sill, you can sow some winter salads. Experiment with any hardy leaves, such as corn salad (aka lamb’s lettuce), salad rocket, or green mizuna. You can even buy mixed packets of seeds which cuts down the cost. Sow them as you would any salad leaves and you will be able to harvest them in as little as six weeks.
If you have a frost-free greenhouse you can start sowing sweet peas. Sow them in deep pots, or old toilet roll tubes and keep them moist. You will steal a march on those sown later in the season and have sweet peas flowering in early summer.
You can start forcing rhubarb by placing a rhubarb forcer or upturned bucket over crowns of rhubarb to encourage the new growth and you will have a crop within a matter of weeks. Only do this with crowns that are at least three years old, though – it will weaken younger plants.
Time for a QUIZ!
Complete the words using the clues below
(Example: … … B … … Clue: A bird with a red breast Answer: R O B I N )
This type of artichoke isn’t an artichoke at all
A bird which is in the title of a painting by Claude Monet, often seen on Christmas cards
This is the common name for Galanthus
The first part of Christmas rose’s Latin name
This type of fruit from Seville is in season now
January’s Pollinator Plant of the Month
A hardy cabbage
Back to something serious now.
Each month I’ll feature an animal, bird or insect that you might see in your garden or the countryside – NATURE NOTES, if you like.
This month it’s the Redwing (Turdus iliacus). As you can see from the picture it resembles a thrush, and it is indeed a member of the Thrush family.
It has a greyish-brown back and head with a creamy-white streak above its eye, a creamy-white chest covered in dark brown streaks, and a distinctive red-orange underwing – hence its name.
Redwings are not resident in the UK. They migrate from the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Scandinavia to spend the winter here, usually from October to April. Our winters are obviously more to their liking: despite the cold and rain, the conditions here are still more clement than spending the winter further north.
Unlike some other migratory birds, which tend to return to the same place each year, Redwings are more nomadic, rarely returning to the same place to spend the winter. The chances of seeing some are pretty high, though: it’s estimated that about 690,000 make their way to our shores each year.
As well as better weather, the birds are attracted by the berries, mainly hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) that are usually plentiful, even during the colder season (thanks to our insect pollinator friends!). You will also see them in flocks in fields, particularly pastureland, looking for worms and bugs: I remember one winter seeing at least twenty of them feeding together in a field close to where I take my daily walk.
However, if food becomes scarce, they will venture into gardens particularly if there are fruit trees with windfalls. And they will return time and time again if you leave apples and mealworms at a feeding station for them.
Next time you’re out for a winter walk in the countryside, see if you can spot one – or a flock of them.
NEWS
Talking of birds, one of my news items this month is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.
The end of January – between the 24th and 26th to be precise – sees the annual Garden Birdwatch run by the RSPB. All you have to do is spend an hour watching the birds in your patch and record those that land – even if it’s none!
These annual counts give a really useful insight into how birds that visit our gardens are faring. The top three spotted last year were: 1. House sparrow, 2. Blue tit, and 3. Starling. I wonder if they’ll hold their positions this year?
All the information you need to take part can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch
Some good news concerning bees and other insect pollinators to begin the New Year now.
There were a couple of articles in the New Year’s Eve edition of the I Newspaper which gives us reasons to be optimistic.
The first was about the reintroduction of the chequered skipper butterfly which had been extinct in England since 1976. Donor butterflies were brought from Belgium in 2018 and have since doubled in numbers. There is a word of warning, however. The chief scientist of the charity Butterfly Conservation is quoted as saying: “This project shows us that restoring wildlife is possible, but only if we put in sustained effort to tackle the reasons the species went extinct in the first place.”
The second article is about bees. It seems that the numbers of some species of bees is increasing. The article, written by James Ball, indicates that:
“The prevalence of wild bees in the UK appears to be improving slowly but steadily…. There’s still plenty of reason to be cautious, but as a result of a combination of efforts by beekeepers, better farming practices and reduced pesticide use, it appears Britain may be having something of a bee renaissance.”
Dr Claire Carvell, an expert on pollinator ecology at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is quoted as saying: “Overall, we need to ensure there are a wide range of flowers, nesting and larval feeding habitats to support our pollinators and other insects in both urban and rural areas.”
End of newspaper extract.
We gardeners can also do our bit by providing food and shelter for our insect pollinators.
There are a number of books which give information about how we can help, including my own (unashamed plug coming up!): The Little Book of Plants for Pollinators: A Gardener’s Guide. For more information about my book please have a look at my website, www.thebeegarden.co.uk/book.
And copies are available from my website shop, www.thebeegarden.co.uk/shop. If you enter SUB10 at checkout you get a 10% discount.
That’s it for now folks!
My next set of articles will be published on 18th January.
Please get in touch with any garden- or article-related questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Photo credits:
Chequered skipper, Redwing: Pixabay
All other photos, my own