Winter Newsletter - January 2023

After the record temperatures and drought of the Summer just past, December saw the coldest spell of pre-Christmas weather I can remember, complete with heavy snowfall which stayed with us for a week.  Snow People appeared all over as the gardens were transformed into a now rare Winter scene.

For a gardener Winter is a time to reflect on the year past and look forward to the new year ahead.  In light of the drought, we have now increased rainwater capture from 400 litres to 1200 litres. Hopefully this will help us to prevent losing plants like our much loved Photinia fraseri (Red Robin).  This large shrub opposite the entrance to flats 9-14 was a notable victim of the drought.  Looking forward, it won't be long before we see the first Spring flowering bulbs.  I expect to see Crocus by early February, soon followed by daffodils and tulips by mid-April.  Please let me know if there are any plants you would like to see at Highland Court in the next year or so.  I would request that they are not known to be invasive and that they are known to be beneficial to wildlife.

There's also much to be enjoyed now in January.  We have several Viburnums (pictured below) in flower around the site, including a large shrub at the front and one in a pot by the potting shed.  They are a useful source of nectar for Winter flying pollinators and make good cover for birds and other wildlife too.

January is also a great time to watch birds as they are more visible in bare trees and tend to come closer to people as wild food becomes scarce.  The last weekend of January sees the RSPB's big garden birdwatch, a long running wildlife survey that we can all join in with.  Please feel welcome to join me from 9.30 to 11.30 on Saturday 28th January 2023, meeting at the potting shed, as we survey the birds at Highland Court and have a conversation about wildlife.  This will be a family friendly activity with no experience necessary.  Please bring binoculars if you have them, but don't worry if you don't.

Here are some of the tasks I plan to carry out in the gardens this Winter:

- Pruning the roses

- More lawn weeding and seeding

- Weeding the paths and car park

- Completing the tidying up and mulching of the flower beds

- Winter pruning shrubs and some of the smaller trees

- Gutter cleaning/repairs

- Edging the lawns

- Painting the potting shed

- Meadow maintenance

- Sowing and growing plants for this year.

- Mowing the lawns according to weather conditions

- Installing bird boxes

Gary