What to do in the garden this month

• Plant tulips this month.
• Improve soil by digging over bare ground and forking in well-rotted manure.
• Move plants to correct planting mistakes (take as much soil as you can, stake, mulch and water well).
• Collect fallen leaves from lawns to give grass more light.
• Plant new fruit trees.
• Plant evergreen shrubs, including new hedges while the soil is still warm.
• Take hardwood cuttings from cornus, ribes, salix and roses as well as shrubby herbs, such as rosemary, lemon verbena and thyme.
• Improve the drainage on your lawn by spiking and brushing sharp sand or grit into the holes.
• Clean out the greenhouse.
• Wash pots before re-using or putting away.
• Clean garden tools.

Did you know?

Colchicum

Colchicum is a genus of perennial flowering plants containing around 160 species which grow from bulb-like corms. It is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae, and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coast, down the East African coast to South Africa and the Western Cape. In this genus, the ovary of the flower is underground. As a consequence, the styles are extremely long in proportion, often more than 10 cm (4 in). All species in the genus are toxic.

The name of the genus derives from Κολχίς (Colchis), the Ancient Greek name for the region of Kolkhida in modern Georgia (Caucasus). Colchis features in Greek mythology as the land to which the Argonauts journeyed in quest of the golden fleece and where Jason encountered Medea. The Greek toponym Colchis is thought by scholars to derive from the Urartian Qulḫa, pronounced “Kolcha” (guttural “ch” – as in Scots loch).

Plants in this genus contain toxic amounts of the alkaloid colchicine which is used pharmaceutically to treat gout and Familial Mediterranean fever. The use of the roots and seeds in traditional medicine is thought to have arisen due to the presence of this drug.

Its leaves, corm and seeds are poisonous. Murderer Catherine Wilson is thought to have used it to poison a number of victims in the 19th Century. The species known to contain the most lethal amount of colchicine is C. autumnale.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicum

Leaf Facts
Think you know everything there is to know about leaves? You may be surprised to learn the following facts:

• Leaves require sunlight, water, chlorophyll and carbon dioxide to make food for themselves.
• As winter approaches, leaves make a coating for themselves which blocks their water source; in the absence of water, the leaves no longer produce chlorophyll (chlorophyll is what makes leaves green).
• When the leaves turn colours in the autumn, they actually are returning to their normal colours. During the summer months, the chlorophyll present in the leaves causes the leaves to turn green, blocking the leaves’ actual colours.
• Along with chlorophyll, leaves contain two other chemicals that cause colouring. The first is called xanthophyll, which is yellow in colour. The other is carotene, which is orange in colour.
• Red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap that is trapped inside of the leaves.
• Once the leaves have turned brown, they are dead and no longer receive any nutrients. Where is the best place in Kilmington to see autumn leaves? Let us know! info@kvpa.co.uk