Get your lawn in order
If it is mild, you can fix bumps and hollows in your lawn or even lay some new turf.
Repair the edges of the lawn using turf that has been cut from other parts of the garden. If the lawn suffers from dieback when it’s wet and muddy, it might be worth laying some stepping stones so that you can still walk across it to your shed, greenhouse or washing line. Waterlogging can be a problem for lawns – spiking the grass with an aerator or garden fork can help. Fill the resulting holes with loam mixed with sharp sand, then brush in with a stiff broom.
Pest and disease watch
Five ways to protect your garden plants again pests and diseases:
- Newly planted shrubs and trees may need protecting from rabbits – you can put rabbit guards around them.
- If holly or box trees look sickly, check they aren’t suffering from blight
- Mature shrubs and trees that suffer from dieback may be afflicted by Phytophthora root rot. Badly drained soil and wet weather are likely to cause this.
- Look out on trees for bracket fungus. If your tree does not seem in good health it’s worth asking a professional tree surgeon for their opinion.
- This is a good time to check for canker or damage on deciduous trees. Cut out any damaged or torn branches to reduce the risk of disease.
Butterfly photography morning at Wisley
Come and get close up with the beautiful butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey in this special morning workshop. As well as expert instruction on capturing these beautiful creatures on camera, you will get exclusive access to the exhibit before it opens to the public. The morning workshop takes place on 29 January from 8am to 12noon and costs £52 for members, £65 for non-members. To book call 020 31765830 quoting ref: 11725
Plants for winter interest at Rosemoor
Do you struggle to get your garden looking good at this time of year? Come along to this workshop at Devon’s RHS Garden Rosemoor and discover how you can introduce fragrant, colourful flowers, fascinating stems and barks, and all kinds of evergreen plants to create winter interest. Taking place on 30 January from 10am to 12.30pm, this event costs £12 for members, £22 for non-members. To book call 020 31765830 and quote ref: 11476.
Get listening
Listen to our latest podcast, featuring news and expert tips from the RHS at http://www.rhs.org.uk/podcast
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