News&Views 236 | November-December 2020 And finally Make your garden even more enjoyeable for you and your feath- ered friends. A few well-placed bird-feed- ers can bring so much enjoyment for us, whilst providing much-needed food for them. A choice of different feeds will attract different species and increase the variety of birds visiting your garden. Try Niger to attract gold-finches, peanuts for tit-varieties and woodpeckers, and mixed seed for finches and sparrows. Make sure any feeders are out of the reach of cats and don’t forget to put out water which can be as essential as food. A garden rich in bird-life is not only a pleasure to observe, but also bene- fits from them reducing garden pests. Remember! L ike with the vegetable garden, things are really slowing down. The last of the summer flowering peren - nials have come to an end and the garden is full of amazing seedpods and stems. Harvest - ing some of the seeds to sow for next year is a great way to get more flowers for free, but leaving the heads of Teasels, Fennel and similar plants adds a majestic structure to the winter garden, especially when tipped with ice or snow. A last mow of the lawn before Winter, if the weather allows, helps to keep it looking sharp D epending on the size of your garden your patch may have over-wintering vegetables like Sprouts, Brocco - li, Kale and Leeks or it may be that your patch is coming to a gentle end, winding down for the long winter’s sleep. The last of the Runner Beans, Squash and and other frost-sensitive crops are coming to an end and it is time to consign much to the compost heap. It’s a hard bal - ance to get the plot tidy enough to reduce pest and disease, but to also not be too tidy, remem - and collects the leaves, all of which can be added to the com- post heap, whilst a final weed will help to reduce the work - load in Spring. Then it really is time to step back and enjoy the new ambience that the winter garden takes on, rejoice in the structures revealed after leaf fall and enjoy the different colour palette! It isn’t too late to plant a few last minute allium bulbs if you missed last month! bering that Hedgehogs, other small mammals and numerous invertebrates are dependent on us leaving enough cover for them during these colder times. Try to ensure that your soil isn’t left bare. Once everything has died off make sure any bare soil is covered over either with a mulch (dried leaves, late grass clippings, well-rooted manure) or a sheet of cardboard this will help to stop the nutrients wash - ing from the soil when it rains. Think about it....wise mother-na- ture never leaves bare soil! 48 49 You would be excused for not wanting to venture out into the garden so much now the weather is so much colder, wetter and windier. With plant growth slowing down now after the frenzy of summer growth, the garden takes on a wild and unkempt feel, full of golden stems and browning leaves, but there are still jobs to be done. November-December in the vegetable garden November-December in the flower garden Did you start a square foot garden? The three D’s! Cae Rhug Holistic Farm is a local Social Enterprise bringing wellbeing through nature, horticulture and permaculture. (More details, see advert on page 29 ) GARDENER’S DIARY Rachel and Simon Farr from Cae Rhug Holistic Farm guide us gently through the seasons in our gardens with tips for attracting wildlife, growing food and making the most of the flowers in your garden... If you filled a square foot garden with any of the suggestions in last edition you will be hopefully harvesting lovely salad or waiting for your turnips to fill out. If the salad is coming to an end or you didn’t get round to planting your square foot, you can now pop in 9 garlic sets! When it comes to win- ter-pruning apple and pear trees many of us shy away from what feels like a daunting job. It can be made simple. The first step is the 3 D’s - look to remove Dead, Damaged or Diseased material from the trees. Once you have done that, step 2 is to remove any branches that are crossing over or rubbing on each other whilst trying to reduce congestion at the heart of the tree. Finally, remove any growth that feels like it isn’t where you want it to be. If in doubt there are excellent books and tuto- rials on-line that can help explain further, but don’t be put off, it isn’t as hard as it seems! Want some colour? If the new Winter colour scheme isn’t for you, now is the time to add a bit of colour with some winter bedding plants. Replace those summer baskets and pots with a selection of winter flowering pansies, primula, daisies, herbs and heathers. Or they can be dotted amongst the borders for little splashes of colour to lift the garden on even the darkest days.