Winter jasmine is an old workhorse that provides bright spots of colour at a dull time of year, finds GINA PARKINSON.

THE wall we see from the back of the house has been heavy with burgundy-coloured leaves and stems from an ornamental vine, tangled with a couple of clematis and the felted leaves of actinidia.

Now these are dying back that old workhorse winter jasmine is once again revealed.

Jasminum nudiflorum isn’t strictly a climber, although its long, lax stems can be allowed to trail through other shrubs or woven into trellis or along wires.

Ours is slowly becoming a hedge that will eventually cover the wall it is growing against, to provide winter interest once the summer climbers die back. It has been a fiddly job to get some order imposed on these plants, which are rampant from July onwards, usually the time I give up and allow them to do their thing.

Once we get to November, everything but the jasmine is cut back to reveal the lovely yellow flowers that will open on and off until March.

Winter jasmine is an unfussy plant that will grow in most soils in most situations, even a north-facing wall, although an east-facing wall may see frost damage on the flowers in very cold weather.

The long stems can reach three metres or more in length, and an established plant will send many more during the growing season.

Pruning is done after flowering in March by trimming back old flowering stems. On established plants more than three years old, around a third of the old stems can be cut back to the ground annually if necessary. This will keep growth in check and encourage the production of new shoots.


In the veg patch

WE PLANTED an apple tree last weekend. The Ribston Pippin arrived on Friday while we were at work, a long polythene-wrapped parcel lying in the yard looking much larger than expected.

Saturday was frosty and we had already made other plans, so it was a couple of days after delivery before we could attend to the new arrival. Sunday was slightly warmer in that there was no frost, so the tree was taken out of confinement and put into its new spot.

Since the apple tree was a birthday present from my parents to my husband, he was designated digger and planter, with helpful comments from the sidelines from me. Despite this all went smoothly.

The chosen area had had the potatoes in this year, so the soil was already well dug over and free of weeds. The new tree was bare-rooted, which is a common way of planting trees and shrubs in November. The specimens are grown in open fields and lifted when dormant, parcelled up and sent out.

As the roots are not in any soil, they can dry out very quickly. So the new plants need to be put into their growing position as soon as possible after delivery.

A good supplier will make sure the tree is well protected and the roots covered to allow a couple of days grace before planting. Our tree was attached to a long, strong stake to prevent it snapping during transport and placed in a deep bed of straw before being wrapped in thick, black polythene.

It came from a local specialist nursery, RV Rogers of Pickering, so we know it has been well grown and will cope with North Yorkshire weather.

The planting hole for the tree was made wide enough to allow plenty of room to accommodate the spreading roots and deep enough for the graft on the trunk to be just above ground level. We also hammered in a stake to fasten the tree to and sprinkled a handful of mycorrhizal fungi around the roots to help with nutrient uptake, before filling the hole with a mix of soil and rotted garden compost.

A can of water completed the job and now we just have to wait to see what the spring will bring.


Weekend catch-up

CHECK on autumn-fruiting raspberries. This mild November has meant these plants are still producing fruit. We harvested a good-sized bowlful last Sunday and mixed them with home-grown gooseberries from the freezer. Stewed with plenty of sugar, sieved and mixed with thick yoghurt, it was a delicious taste of summer.


Gardening TV and radio

Sunday

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

9am, BBC Radio York, Julia Lewis.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tm Crowther and Joe Maiden.

9.30am, BBC2, Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein. Carol advises on winter pruning and seed sowing.

2pm, BBC2, Gardeners’ Question Time. Panellists Matt Biggs, Christine Walkden and Matthew Wilson are in Wiltshire with gardeners from Bradford-on–Avon. With chairman Eric Robson.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Chairman Eric Robson and his team answer questions from gardeners in Skegness, Lincolnshire. With Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood and Bunny Guinness.