91Èȱ¬

By now most of us will have cleared away all the debris from the vegetable patch and harvested the last dregs of the summer vegetables and fruit although some late varieties of Apple will still be on the tree and will need harvesting fairly soon now.l

Once the ground has been cleared this is an ideal opportunity to get the digging done incorporating some organic matter in the form　 of farmyard manure, especially if its well rotted and compost from the compost heap which has been breaking down all summer. Once dug, the ground can be left to settle letting the air and moisture do the job of breaking it down ready for sowing some winter vegetables or salads such as winter lettuce and late Potatoes.

The days are shorter which means time spent in the garden is limited but none the less, it is great to get a bit of fresh air and exercise on dry days as there is always something to be tidied up or trimmed back.

Now is also a good time to plant garden trees and on my Gardening programme recently I recommended some　species worth consideration which will grow well in most gardens.

Maple is one of my favourites and Acer "Brilliantissimum" has the most beuitiful leaves of pinky gold in the summer and bronze in the winter months.

Dogwoods are favoured around boggy areas but tree type varieties are avaliable. Why not try Cornus Kousa or "Chinensis Tree" which will flower all through the summer right through to the early frosts. White, yellow or pink flowered varieties make a great addition to any garden design.

The Mock Accacia "Robinia Psedoaccacia" with either pink or white flowers will make a great stand alone specimen and if you want evergreens then you can do no better than to plant Holm Oak "Quercus Ilex or for that　exitic look then go for Italian Cypress "Cuppessus Sempervirons".

Happy Gardening.