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Gifts for Green FingersIn winter Stoke Newington gardens offer a favourable micro climate for plants as the small sized compartments created by walls, fences and buildings act as windbreaks and offer more protection against weather extremes. The canopy of overhanging trees or shrubs, branches, even bare, often prevent frost reaching ground level, a factor sometimes disregarded when pruning is carried out in the winter months. With some exceptions and depending on each plant’s specific requirements, most pruning jobs are best postponed to the end of the season, after the coldest period is over. In view of the festive season and the usual ‘presents dilemma’, here are some useful gardening gifts available locally. A specific pruning manual listing the individual requirements of each species and with clearly illustrated instructions (such as Pruning & Training by the Royal Horticultural Society, Dorling Kindersley, £19.99) would be invaluable for any gardener wishing to carry out their own maintenance pruning and understand the art of plant shaping. The companion book Pests & Diseases (D.K. £19.99) also by the RHS is another essential for the best care of plants. Good photographs allow for accurate diagnosis and treatment. The RHS Gardening Manual (D.K. £25.00) is a well illustrated and comprehensive book covering the making of a garden, including simple building projects and structures, types of materials, plants choice and maintenance, sowing and planting, tools and equipment; there is also a useful section on ‘what to do and when’ in the gardening seasons. While more succinct, Stefan Buczachi’s Beginners Guide to Gardening (Conran Octopus £14.99) is more suitable for complete beginners, with clearly explained and easily absorbed information. For specific plants, The Experts series by Dr OG. Hessayon is still a popular and affordable choice for comprehensive information. Each book is devoted to a specific subject i.e. bedding plants, bulbs, trees and shrubs, house plants etc. at £5.99 each). Finally, for those who are looking for inspiration for small gardens, Small Garden Solutions by Richard Bird (Hamlyn, £14.99) offers many interesting ideas. When considering gardening tools as practical gifts, it is worth remembering that well-made tools make the job easier. When pruning, good quality secateurs or loppers make all the difference. They are expensive but much easier and less tiring to use than the cheap versions and cut cleanly rather than snag the branches. They also last a long time. (Felco secateurs range from £21. 95 to £49.95. Good loppers start at about £37.00 to approximately £65.00, and a folding pruning saw- i.e. Sandvik - costs around £22.00) Bird’s nest boxes (around £4.99) and feeders to hang in the garden, complete with peanuts, seed blocks or suet cakes will bring life into the garden in winter. Willow obelisks (1.2m approximately £11.99; 90cm £9.99) are instant features, on their own or on top of pots, while willow wigwams (2m £13.99) are larger and more suitable in the ground. Glazed terracotta pots in blue, green and maroon are highly decorative in small gardens (various sizes and shapes available). Small glazed terracotta spheres (around £14.99) provide a simple and stylish alternative. Luisa Ferrari is a garden designer and consultant. She is the London corespondent of the Italian gardening magazine Giardini and can be contacted on 020 7249 676
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