Action plan: CIAR BYRNE’S important jobs to your backyard this week
TEND TO INDOOR TERRARIUMS
I was given a terrarium kit for Christmas some years ago – ideal for a gardener in a season when we spend so much time indoors.
Since then, I have left it to its own devices, but it’s time to give it a refresh. For inspiration, I turned to Ben Newell’s book, Hello Tiny World, in which he describes how terrariums are an opportunity to create a self-contained ecosystem.
You can use any clear glass container, from a fishbowl to an old wine demijohn or spirit bottle.
Choose between leaving a partial opening for aeration, or a completely closed system.
The idea is to create a humid environment with its own water cycle.
Use a suitable substrate made from a mix of materials such as clay, compost and coir, then carefully insert your plants using long-handled tools, adding features such as cork bark and sphagnum moss.
Water sparingly and only when needed, as there is nowhere for excess water to go.
Good plants include peperomias and pileas as well as smaller ferns such as Nephrolepis. Continue to care for your terrarium by monitoring and removing decaying material when needed.
You can use any clear glass container, from a fishbowl to an old wine demijohn or spirit bottle. Choose between leaving a partial opening for aeration, or a completely closed system (Stock Image)
BUY BARGAIN BULBS
Buy bulbs at garden centres now as they try to get rid of end-of-year stock.
There’s still time to get them in the ground or put them in pots for a spring display.
Varieties that can be pricey early in the season are now a bargain.
I’ve planted mini golden Narcissus Tete-a-Tete, as well as alliums, and Angelique and Black Parrot tulips all at just £2 a bag.
Buy bulbs at garden centres now as they try to get rid of end-of-year stock (Stock Image)
DIY COLD FRAME
A DIY cold frame is a great alternative to a greenhouse.
Screw pieces of timber into a box and set straight onto the earth, preferably with a slope to allow rainwater to run off.
Use an old window, or clear plastic sheeting across a frame then attach with recycled hinges to allow for access and ventilation.
Perfect for overwintering tender plants.
A DIY cold frame is a great alternative to a greenhouse. Screw pieces of timber into a box and set straight onto the earth, preferably with a slope to allow rainwater to run off (Stock Image)
PLANT OF THE WEEK
CLEMATIS CIRRHOSA
The award-winning vigorous evergreen Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ bears large, white, bell-like flowers from November to February.
If you look inside, these are heavily speckled with an attractive reddish pink, giving the plant its name.
This clematis can look glorious in a garden border, where it is best planted in sun or partial shade and in fertile, moist, but well-drained soil.
It’s also suitable for growing up a support in patio containers.
When mature it can reach as high as 3.5m and as wide as 1.5m.
The award-winning vigorous evergreen Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ bears large, white, bell-like flowers from November to February (Stock Image)
READER’S QUESTION
The important thing is not to let the roots dry out (Stock Image)
I’ve been given a bare root rose for Christmas. What shall I do until I’m ready to plant it?
Mr J. Davy, Worcester.
The important thing is not to let the roots dry out, so until you have decided where to plant it permanently, you should ‘heel it in’.
Find a spare corner of a flower bed or a large container, dig a trench in the soil and lay your rose in it at a 45-degree angle.
Loosely cover the roots with soil or compost, water if very dry and leave it there until you are ready to plant it in spring.
