Our Gardening Group met on Wednesday 25 October 2023 to discuss ideas that will help gardens get ready for winter. Last year saw the weather take its toll on many plants, especially cordylines and phormiums (New Zealand Flax).

There were tips on how to tidy up, saving additional work whilst at the same time preventing garden diseases spreading. There was detailed advice on which plants to prune in the autumn, which to prune in the spring, and which need to be pruned at both times to insure a wealth of blooms next year.

There are plants that flower in the winter, and advice was forthcoming on which to use in boxes and planters, as well as maintaining an evergreen structure to the garden. Herbs can be grown throughout the year if there is window sill space indoors. For the plants that are susceptible to frost damage, we were shown the best way to use fleece and fleece bags, complete with garden staples to anchor them.

We finished the session with a quick quiz on the uses and tastes of herbs.