P573 CEEFAX 2 573 Thu 25 Dec 23:06/04 1/4 Stefan Buczacki writes: Ornamental garden hint: After the snow has gone try to complete the planting of any trees and shrubs that have been heeled in. It's satisfying to do it before Christmas, although you can always use it to work off the effects of the turkey afterwards. Be sure to dig in plenty of compost in and around the planting hole, togjthjr with a handful of bonjmeal. Evergreen shrubs will benefit from a protective screen of hessian to keep out the coldest wind. Free time 570 House plant hint >>> Switched On 540 Cookery 580 TV 600 Garden Cookbook Main menu WMidsTVP573 CEEFAX 2 573 Thu 25 Dec 23:24/20 2/4 Stefan Buczacki writes: House Plant Hint To prolong the life of hyacinths and othjt Christmas bulbs I find it's a good idea to give them a little liquid feed with their watering. Use a proprietary house plant feed or even lift-over tomato feed and give the plants a weak solution every couple of weeks. And don't forget to use thin green split canes tied with lightweight twine to give discrete support to hyacinth stems and stop them from flopping. Free time 570 Kitchen garden >>> Switched On 540 Cookery 580 TV 600 Garden Cookbook Main menu WMidsTVP573 CEEFAX 2 573 Thu 25 Dec 23:03/42 3/4 Stefan Buczacki writes: Kitchen Garden Hint Make regular checks on potatoes stored in bags, whethjt they are home grown or bought. If you find any sprouts, pull thjsj off as they act as a wick and draw moisture from the tubers and so shorten thjit storage life. It's not a good idea to use these sprouted potatoes for planting next spring as they won't produce strong plants. Buy new, selected 'seed' tubers in a few weeks' time. Free time 570 Plant of Week >>> Switched On 540 Cookery 580 TV 600 Garden Cookbook Main menu WMidsTVP573 CEEFAX 2 573 Thu 25 Dec 23:11/36 4/4 Stefan Buczacki writes: Plant of Week: Mistletoe Growing your own mistletoe can bj done but ism't easy as it's a parasitic plant growing on old trees, especially apples. Keep the berries for a couple of months after Christmas to ripen. Then push them into a slit on the undjrsidj of an old apple tree branch and seal them in with clay. The best chance of success comes from using English mistletoe berries that have also conj from apple trees. Free time 570 Ornamental tips >>> Switched On 540 Cookery 580 TV 600 Garden Cookbook Main menu WMidsTV