The breaking news from Damson Cottage is that horse chestnut leaf miner damage is clearly visible this year! This pesky pest is a moth that lays its eggs on the foliage; the hatched caterpillars enter the leaves and begin chomping their way through the internal tissues of the leaves.

By September the leaves on the tree are brown and dropping earlier than they would do normally. Holding a leaf up to the light the caterpillar is clearly visible. Three generations of the leaf miner can go about their business in one season.

Tree Trouble

I have one horse chestnut and it is a mature tree, around eight – 10 metres tall and about 20 -25 years old. Last year the tree was mildly infected and this year the moth has taken a stronger hold.

Thankfully the leaf miner is unlikely to kill the tree, but I now need to take some determined action to try to minimise the damage being done.

That action — according to the RHS — with an isolated tree, is collecting and burning the leaves. The alternative to burning is composting the infected leaves in sealed plastic bags until July next year. This will ensure that the adult moths emerge and die. The horse chestnut leaf miner is a relatively new pest in Britain it was first recorded in 2002, it has worked its way north since that time. If you notice horse chestnut trees around you looking as though they are going through their autumn leaf change a bit too early, take a closer look. National Tree Week (27th November – 5th December) celebrates the start of the tree planting season. Why not get out and visit some gardens for inspiration?

If you have the space available to consider growing a tree in your garden, container grown trees can be planted all year and bare rooted trees are best planted in late Nov, early Dec. There is a tree for every garden, fruit trees can be grown in attractive containers on the patio. Acers come in all shapes and sizes, they produce amazing autumn/winter colours if you are short on winter interest, and an Acer could make a very welcome addition to the garden!

What a Hoot!

A Tawny Owl has been making his presence known here in recent days. As I was putting the ‘chooks to bed a few nights ago, I could clearly hear him just a few metres away from me. I was not close enough to see him, but he was in the nearby treetop. I’m not sure where the winter roost is; I suspect the tumbledown building on the unused land alongside us may be it.

Somehow, this experience with wildlife here feels as though we are in touch with our little site especially as it seems to have something to offer such an iconic symbol of the countryside. No pesticides or herbicides and a naturalistic approach to the garden are contributing to the diversity of the wildlife here. That in turn makes food available to these amazing birds of prey.

A Wealth of Wildlife

Gardens have been recognised as important spaces in the welfare of wildlife. As gardeners we have a part to play in supporting the wildlife that visits. Leaving grasses and perennials to overwinter and cutting them back as late as March creates shelter and food for bumblebees, birds and other insects. Bird feeders, areas in the garden for hedgehogs and other beneficial insects are some of the ways we can help.

Sloe, Sloe, Quick Quick, Sloe

This year I have made some damson gin and sloe vodka... It’s my first attempt and I’m looking forward to sampling the results. Sloes and damsons that have been frozen are especially good for this purpose as freezing softens the skins. The 2010 sloe vodka was made using sloes picked and frozen last year.

The fruit is added to sugar and a bottle of gin or vodka, the sugar dissolves and the fruit flavours the alcohol. Approximately three months later a dark fruity liqueur magically appears. As soon as it’s strained into a sterilised bottle, you have a wonderful, homemade Christmas tipple at your disposal.

Planning for 2011

December 21st is the winter solstice, after that date, the days will begin to lengthen and gardeners will begin to think about the year ahead.

I look forward to contemplating the coming season and the longer days. Armed with seed catalogues and plans December is a time to let your imagination run riot. Of course looking forward is usually accompanied with a reflective look at the year that has passed.

I can see that my greatest achievements in the garden have been during the main growing season and I have a lot more work to do if I can be satisfied with my winter achievements. The loss of cabbages and broccoli to cabbage white butterflies has been the greatest loss to the production cycle this year... it won’t happen again next year.

Going Greenhouse

One of the jobs that come around at this time of the year is the preparation of the greenhouse. In 2010 I had my first experience of using my own propagator and greenhouse. Sowing seeds, preparing each tray, labelling... these are slow steady contemplative jobs that make a greenhouse a lovely place to be.

The calm quiet surroundings, sheltered from the weather turn propagating into a meditation. I have collected lots of seeds from plants around the garden; they are in paper bags filling the propagator and before too long I will be amongst the pots and seeds again. Of course this year, I must remember not to grow quite so many tomatoes; every available space was overwhelmed by them! I certainly enjoyed the glut I hoped for – perhaps a little too much.

Who knows what the winter will have in store for us this year. Another cold snowy spell, or a warm and wet start to the New Year, whatever the weather, have a warm cosy Christmas and look forward to a productive ‘dig for victory’ year ahead. I wish you a Merry Christmas!