50 things to do this month from the Gardeners’ World team
PLUS Growing pea shoots indoors ◼ Starting off strawberries in pots ◼ Taking salvia cuttings ◼ Planting daffodils and alliums
STEP BY STEP Save pennisetum seed
Sacrifce a few seedheads of pennisetum grasses as they begin to come into their own for winter interest in the garden. You only need one or two heads of each variety to collect enough seed to store for sowing later. Some pennisetums are only borderline hardy, particularly on heavy soils, so it is good insurance to do this so that you can replace plants lost to a very cold or wet winter.
1 PICK one to two seedheads and pull off some seed to check whether it is dried enough to collect and store. The seed should come away easily and feel full if you roll it between thumb and finger.
2 COLLECT stems on a dry day and take all the heads inside where you have dry, still conditions so that you can clean them without losing any. If you have more than one variety make sure you have labels ready as the seeds will look similar once off the seedheads. 3 PULL the seed off onto a piece of paper that has been folded in half, then laid out flat again. Pick through the seeds, discarding any unnecessary debris that has come away with the seed.
4 LABEL the envelop with the plant name, date and any other information you might find useful at a later date. Pour the seed into it, seal and store in a tin in a cool place indoors away from damp, light and extremes of temperature.
Start a new compost heap
Now is a good time to start a new compost heap or bin, with plenty of garden material to add to it as crops are harvested, plants are cut back and lawns are cut.
Choose a shady corner for your compost and place some thin, woody prunings at the base of the heap, or compost bin, to keep air flowing well. At least half of the material on the heap should be brown material such as prunings and cardboard; the rest should be green material such as veg peelings and grass clippings.
LOOK OUT FOR Leaf-cutter bees
Tolerate a few holes in the leaves of roses if you see these distinctive notches. They are made by the leaf-cutter bee, which uses pieces of leaf to line a little tunnel nest in old wood and debris.
Apa
