The Gay UK November 2015 Issue 16 | Page 96

At the time of writing we are
enjoying a wonderful Indian
Summer here in Mid-Wales.
The sun is shining and the
skies are clear. Where was this
weather in June and July?!
Everything took a bit of a
bashing this year as high winds
and lots and lots of rain kept
our gardening days to a
minimum. But here and now in
the sunshine, it’s lovely to be
able to stop for a second and
take in how far some of last
year’s planting has come on. A
lot of our alpines are now really
established and ready for lots
of growth next year.
There are still a few containers
with some flowers on display,
thanks to some last minute
deadheading. So now I’m going
to move our pots around to
bring the blooms to the front
and put the rest out of sight
until the Spring. (I’ll take the
opportunity to weed them too!)
However Autumn is here and
there’s jobs to do. So let’s get
going.

until they’re no longer a
problem.
Leaves left on lawns can block
sunlight and turn patches of
grass yellow. They can also pile
up around your plants,
blocking water flows and
creating boggy conditions. Not
good for the plants that prefer
drier roots.
Pile all your leaves together in a
basic frame and let them rot
down for next year.
Decomposing leaves are just
one of the many organic
materials that can be used to
rejuvenate your soil. Every
gardener should have a
compost heap (in fact lots of
compost heaps are best). Chuck
in almost anything you can get
your hands on. Vegetable bits,
bedding plants, herbaceous
leftovers, cuttings from the
lawn, hedge clippings, and even
tea bags!
If you’ve already been making
your own compost then now is
the time to start digging it in to
your soil.

Leaves, compost and soil.
Get your rake out! Leaves are
beginning to fall and in a few
weeks they’ll be everywhere! If
you have the time rake and
clear them every couple of days

Stick some stuff in the
ground.
If you want to move or plant
trees, shrubs and climbers
now’s the time. At this time of
year the colder weather makes
these types of plants slow down

96 THEGAYUK | ISSUE 16 | NOV 2015

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