What to do in the garden January week 2

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN JANUARY
JANUARY 8th to 14th

Great All-Round Climber

Campsis radicans (Trumpet Creeeper or Trumpet Bloom) is a great climber, large flowers, lovely foliage and easy to grow once it has germinated. If you want an all-rounder climbing plant, this is for you!

The "Trumpet" part of the name of this plant comes from the trumpet-like flowers which look really spectacular. Make sure you get the correct type of this plant, it must be the hardy type of Campsis (i.e. Campsis radicans). Thompson and Morgan stock them and their page for this plant is:
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/2848/1

Fill a small pot (7.5cm / 3in) with potting compost, sow three seeds per pot and cover very lightly with potting compost. Don't cover the pot with anything.

Now the stratification part which will help it germinate. Place the pots outside somewhere where it's not too windy and leave them there for 4 weeks. Then bring them inside the house, conservatory or into the greenhouse at a temperature of about 21�C (70�F) for another month.

When the last frost has passed, the pots can be kept in a protected semi-shade position. In August, plant them in their final positions making sure they are kept watered.

Campsis are hardy in many parts of the UK but can be killed if a very hard frost gets to them. They do well in open ground but also do well in largish (25cm plus) pots. In the first year, remove all flower buds as they appear to help the plant concentrate on creating a good root system.

Pruning Fruit Trees
Apples, pears and quince can be safely pruned at this time of year. See the appropriate fruit pages for more details.

Vegetable Plot Rotation
It's important not to grow some vegetables on the same ground year in and year out. This will cause the build up of disease. At this time of year it's good to design a crop rotation plan. Click here for our pages which will help you plan a crop rotation system.

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