Gardening: Shortest day has been and gone - here comes spring - Brian Kidd

However, all the unreliable weather we’ve been having has been a bit of a pain.

We have had sub-zero temperatures for several days and as a result you are asking me whether to dig out geraniums and fuchsias from the garden?

If you live in Portsmouth and you have geraniums and fuchsias growing in borders right up against the house, they may pull through the winter.

But if you live ‘over the hill’ it might be best to dig out all geraniums and fuchsias which are not hardy varieties.

Trouble is that the greenhouse will be full of dead-looking plants all through the winter and over-wintering plants will be taking up a lot of valuable space. In a few weeks’ time we will need all the space we can find to sow seeds, especially in February.

Can we over-winter plants without taking up too much space?

Oh dear, this week’s article is beginning to look a bit uninteresting. However, two readers have asked me about this very thing in the past few days.

The best plan is to dig out the tender fuchsias or knock them out of their pots once the frost has gone and shake off all the soil.

Fuchsias are now cut back hard reducing the length of every side shoot to two or three leaf joints. This might seem a bit drastic but it will ensure they survive.

Each plant should now be labelled clearly, put into deep boxes and the roots covered in dry potting compost or the compost in the growing bags used to grow tomatoes last summer.

Do not bury the stems because little green shoots will appear on them in a few weeks’ time.

The compost is kept almost dry all winter in a frost-free greenhouse.

Don’t forget that by using bubbled polythene sheeting inside the greenhouse fixed to the glazing bars, warmth can be conserved. And by using the same material to form a vertical screen it is possible to heat just this part of the greenhouse.

Geraniums of the variety which are called pelargonium zonale are stored in exactly the same way.

By cutting them back hard and removing every leaf, space is saved and you will not be looking at a greenhouse full of dead, mouldy and wilting leaves all winter.

It’s a good idea to seal off the cuts made on the stems by dusting them with sulphur powder. This is available at all garden centres and prevents stem rot.

To finish on a brighter note, the mahonia japonica in our garden is in full bloom.

What a beautiful sight, but boy, those leaves are really prickly!

May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a very happy, peaceful and healthy new year.

Please keep on reading in 2020.

THIS WEEK’S TOP TIP

Feel the compost on newly-bought potted plants such as azaleas, poinsettias ,cyclamen and Christmas cacti and only water once the compost feels dry. Try to ensure all plants are kept at a fairly even temperature.