October 2020 Newsletter
Welcome to the October 2020 Newsletter.
It’s been a busy month here at P2G, the changing of the seasons has meant its bulb and autumn bedding fever. Sean and Cat have been busy working with the teams despatching your pre ordered autumn bedding and bulbs. We are now using home compostable liners for our cardboard boxes instead of plastic. Made from sustainable paper with a plant based greaseproof coating to stop water from the plant damaging the carrier box.
Ken and Louise, Gilly and myself have been finalising Christmas - and ticking through Spring 2021- yes -2021 spring! Our Christmas range will be live soon so keep looking at our site for new products. Talking of Christmas one of our seasonal helpers Cameron has just jetted off to Lapland for his winter season helping Father Christmas and spending spare time snowboarding. We wish him well and look forward to his return next spring.
Jobs for the Month
Out in my garden, my summer containers have started to look sad and tired, particularly, now the weather has really turned cool and wet. I’m replacing the summer bedding with Autumn planting pansy, viola and primroses to give colour from now until spring next year. Whilst planting I’m adding bulbs such as Iris Hollandica, dwarf Narcissus Tete Boucle multi pettaled lions mane like flower heads, and a few Tulip Negrita underneath the bedding for an extra hit of colour contrast and height.
Check out the planting demonstration video for some tips.
Apples and Pear Fruit harvest
Its apple and pear harvest time. They are ripe when the fruit pulls away from the tree easily by gently cupping and lifting up. However, now is the perfect time to harvest everything especially before it gets too blustery and the fruit falls to the floor. In my garden I’ve got Apple Bramley and Pear Conference.
My Bramley tree has only been planted a year so am really pleased its fruited and given us 8 apples! All through the hot weather I regularly watered the tree in the hope it would keep hold of its fruit. We’ll stew and use with roast pork or on top of cereal.
Sadly our annual ritual of a -whole family- walk around nearby Sandringham Forest and buying cooking apples for a big ‘stew up’ and freeze in portions won’t happen this year due to the corona lockdown so need to make the most of the 8 apples we have!
My dwarf Pear Conference which is only 8 feet in height, produced a whopping 90 pears and we have been harvesting since early August, again by cupping and lifting those fruits that pull away from the tree easily.
I’ll bring the last of the fruits into work and share out rather than go to waste as I find they ripen and go too soft for my liking in storage. You can find our fruit options for grow your own here and we will be adding to this as the weeks progress.
Roses
October is good time to tip prune Roses. This is to reduce the height and avoid wind rock in winter storms which can make plants unstable.
Simply reduce height on long stems by a 3rd. Remove any dead growth and any stems which cross over each other. Always trim with a sharp pair of secateurs just above a bud which faces outwards. The stem will regrow from this point and facing outwards means it won’t cross the centre of the plant. Roses prefer an open frame which allows plenty of airflow, which helps reduce disease.
If the plant had any disease (leaf spot or grey mildew on leaves) pick up and pick off any remaining leaves and destroy – do not compost- as the disease can live on and reinfect next season. Spray Sulphur Rose now and at intervals during the winter to the plant and surrounding soil for the prevention of reinfection next season.
Also if you fancy a new rose, or to replace an old one have a look here
Enjoy October, hopefully the weather will be kind, especially at weekends, so we can get out in the garden now that the days are shortening.