Not a hugely cheery subject but one beekeepers need to be aware of: Asian hornets.
I’ve got a monitoring trap out at the moment and keep checking it regularly to see what’s in it.

The BBKA Asian Hornet map is updated each time a new sighting is confirmed by Defra.

There’s a video for the monitoring trap instructions here. Well worth making one. If you’re in a beekeeping group then you might already have discussed having an Asian hornet action team, and perhaps have had a day of making traps to ensure everyone has one.

The BBKA have a leaflet that has the identification information on. This can be given away to anyone who might spend time outside and might observe insects!

GARDEN-LOVERS GIFT GUIDE: Quintessentially British Christmas gifts for garden-lovers from the National Garden Scheme

Treat your garden-loving friends or family members to horticulture-inspired gifts and Christmas cards from the National Garden Scheme – and all proceeds will help support nursing and health charities such as Marie Curie, Hospice UK and Carers Trust.

Visit www.ngs.org.uk/shop to order.

• The Garden Visitors Handbook 2019

Inspire a year of garden visiting with the Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2019 – the essential guide to over 3,500 gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme next year. With detailed descriptions of every garden, stunning photos, and handy maps and calendars, all of the information you could possibly need to visit a beautiful garden is right at your fingertips!

Pre-order the handbook as a Christmas gift and you’ll receive a printable gift voucher to give to your loved one, letting them know they’ll receive the Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2019 hot off the press in February 2019.

£13.99

• Christmas cards

Send festive cheer to your friends and family with the National Garden Scheme’s range of three Christmas cards, all featuring beautiful National Garden Scheme gardens in winter.

Pack of 10 cards £4.25

• Apron, tea towel, notebook, tote bag

Whether you’d like to inject some colour into someone’s kitchen with the National Garden Scheme apron and tea towel, add to their stationery collection with a beautifully illustrated notebook or help them transport plants home from a garden visit with a canvas tote bag – your loved one will be sure to treasure one of the National Garden Scheme’s quintessentially British gifts.

Prices range from £6 – £14

Please note, last order date to receive items in time for Christmas is Monday 17^th December at midday.

More than half of Brits abandon their garden every winter

• 40% of homeowners fail to prepare their garden for the harsh British winters

• 52% don’t manage the upkeep of their outdoor space throughout the colder months

• Experts offer their tips on how to look after your garden in winter with minimal effort

Who doesn’t love spending time in their garden when the summer sun is shining? But for many, the temptation to make the most of your garden furniture and the motivation to spend time preening your plants to perfection dramatically drops as the colder weather rolls in.

Outdoor building manufacturer, Tiger Sheds, surveyed the nation to unveil their garden habits, revealing that a massive two in five (40%) of Brits don’t take precautions to prepare their garden or garden buildings for the cooler weather.

What’s more, 52% completely abandon their gardens and fail to do any gardening throughout winter. Almost one in ten (9%) said that they don’t care for their garden in winter because they think that their plants will die regardless, and 8% said they would just replace anything that that is damaged by the winter weather – but at what cost?

As a nation we are keen to retreat indoors as soon as the chilly weather hits, with only 4% of Brits saying winter is the season they spend the most time caring for their garden. It seems the frosty weather is quick to discourage even the most avid gardeners from pottering around their outdoor space, with the cold temperature coming out as the number one reason to avoid gardening in the winter (67%).

The top four reasons people don’t garden in the winter are:

1)    It’s too cold to be outside gardening (67%)

2)    The flowers and leaves don’t come through until spring so there is little payoff (31%)

3)    Not spending enough time outdoors in the winter for it to be worth it (25%)

4)    Slippery surfaces (20%)

Abandoning our gardens while we spend less time in them may seem inevitable, however, experts from Tiger Sheds offer four top tips for homeowners to ensure their garden and garden buildings survive the frosty weather and all the money and time spent perfecting green spaces in the summer months does not go to waste.

Protect your garden buildings

Make sure to weatherproof your building before the cold weather hits to reduce the risk of rot in the damp environment. You can also help protect your outdoor building with a simple lick of paint! As well as giving your garden a new lease of life, applying a fresh coat of paint gives your building some extra protection for the winter.

Another tip is to check that the windows and doors of your garden building are well-sealed to ensure that water can’t get in and cause further unwanted damage.

Don’t abandon your plants

There’s still life in them yet! Keeping your plants warm and dry is key for their survival. If you can, move plants indoors to keep them out of the cold and rain. If this isn’t possible, try to keep your plants near fences and other sheltered areas. To shield your plants from frost, use a protective cover overnight.

Grouping your potted plants together and/or wrapping them in bubble wrap will also help to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing or getting blown over in the bleak conditions. It’s also good to keep your plants in pots with drainage holes so excess moisture from heavy rainfall can drain out.

Store away garden furniture

Garden furniture can easily get damaged in the winter weather so it’s a good idea to store it away, ideally in a garden shed, where it can be sheltered from the snow and rain. Despite being designed to be outside, the wet weather makes furniture susceptible to damage so it’s good practice to pack it away before winter kicks in.

Don’t forget to maintain!

Maintenance matters – more than half of the nation (52%) tend to forget to look after their gardens during the colder seasons. Gardening in the winter doesn’t have to be strenuous but taking some time to look after your green space will make all the difference. One key tip is to keep trimming away problematic branches to reduce the risk of damage that could be caused in harsher weather.

Although it may not be the first area you think of when it comes to looking after your garden, the winter can have harsh effects on your lawn, so it’s important to stay on top of maintenance. Make sure you clear up any dead leaves as these prevent the grass from getting sunlight and water. It’s also a good idea to fertilize your lawn to restore any nutrients lost as a result of the frosty weather.

Commenting on the findings, Jack Sutcliffe from Tiger Sheds said, “Understandably, it can be easy to ignore your garden in the winter, but it’s important to look after it throughout the colder months to ensure your green space bounces right back once spring comes along.

“These tips are easy to follow yet can go a long way in protecting your garden from the cold British winter and ensure all the time, effort and money spent taking care of your garden in spring/summer wasn’t in vain.”

For more information on how you can look after your garden and garden buildings in winter, visit: https://www.tigersheds.com/thehiphorticulturist/winter-garden-care/

Autumn Seating from Sadolin

Rose is a budding talent at Arundel Castle

A bright young volunteer in the Gardens team at Arundel Castle has been recognised with a Certificate of Commendation at The South & South East in Bloom Awards 2018.

Rose Philpott, 19, was presented with the commendation at Arundel Castle by gardening guru Jean Griffin, a President of the Kew Guild and BBC Radio personality. The judges examined nearly 300 entries before selecting this year’s winners.

Rose first joined Arundel Castle’s Gardens team on a work experience placement and quickly became a regular volunteer. She spent the summer holidays employed by the Castle, caring for its eclectic mix of gardener’s favourites and more unusual plants, from tulips to tamarillo and, of course, plenty of roses.

Now, Rose studies horticulture at Plumpton College near Lewes and spends one day a week gardening at the Castle as part of the practical work experience for her course.

Head Gardener Martin Duncan commented: “Rose is a fantastic asset to the Castle Garden team and thoroughly deserves this recognition. It is so exciting to see a promising young person so engaged with horticulture and eager to learn. Passing on the tips and tricks of the trade to the next generation of professional gardeners is truly a pleasure.” 

Arundel Castle is open from 10am until 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday until 28 October 2018 and will reopen to visitors on 02 April 2019. For more information on the Castle and its events calendar, please visit: www.arundelcastle.org.

I’ve got lots of photos of bees, but I really need to practice taking some photos to get a really good shot for this competition. It doesn’t have to be a Bee you send a photo in of, but I’d like to think it would be!