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May I be one of the first to wish you a very happy and prosperous new year!

It’s hard to believe that 2012 is actually here, with all the excitement it potentially holds.

During December we asked you to make a donation to Dulwich Helpline if you took off-cuts of pine from our Christmas trees. We’re really pleased to let you know that your generosity raised  £105, which will pay for two sessions of a singing teacher for the singing group at Lew Evans House. The staff at Dulwich Helpline offered a huge ‘Thank you’, and were thrilled with the amount raised by you.

We’d also like to extend a warm thank you for all the sympathy and support we had from customers last month after the break-in and theft of so many Christmas trees. Whilst it was a horrible shock to fall foul of such a crime, it was really lovely to receive such heart-felt care and concern from so many of you. Thank you!

I wanted to remind you early in the month of our amended opening hours:

In January we will ONLY be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (from 10am to 4pm each day).

After 7 years of being open each and every day (except for the break between Christmas and New Year) we now feel it makes sense to try these new hours in January. I will be checking our work email remotely on the other days, so you can always contact me that way if you need to (info@alleynpark.co.uk) or, of course, you can leave a message on the answer-phone (020 8670 7788) which will get picked up as soon as one of us gets in. In February, we’ll be open every day of the week from 10am to 4pm.

On the subject of technology, we’re all delighted with our new look website www.alleynpark.co.uk. Check it out and let us know what you think.

If you come to the garden centre during the coming weeks you’ll find some real bargains, as we have put all our fruity wreaths and garlands, children’s items and our wooden Christmas decorations into a mega sale ... some are reduced by 75%, so canny shoppers will prepare for Christmas 2012 now and save a packet!

Sally’s “Garden Tasks” below mentions that now is the time to contemplate the gaps in your garden, and how to best fill them. We get two large deliveries towards the end of February - fruit trees, from our wonderful UK supplier, and our regular delivery from Italy of large shrubs and ornamental trees. If there are items you’ve identified as wanting in either of these categories, it would be well worth your while to let us know NOW so we can ensure they are added to our orders and held for you once they arrive. Please just email us with your request, and make sure you let us have full contact details for you.

A final note before I sign off …please remember to feed the birds during the next couple of months. They find it very hard to find food now, and need lots of extra calories to combat the cold, so ensure you put out fat or suet blocks as well as nuts and seeds. We have plenty in stock, as well as feeders and nesting boxes.

Also, try to leave some water available for them. Putting a plastic ball in it will stop the surface totally freezing. My son gets very confused because all through the year I ask him NOT to kick balls into our pond, and then go and put one in it myself as soon as the temperatures drop to freezing!

With best wishes

Karen

PS In case you’re wondering why this is a combined January/February newsletter, it’s because I’m going to be away for a bit during February. I’m escaping the cold and returning to where I grew up, namely Uganda in East Africa. See you at the end of February.

PS   

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk

(The email address used to unsubscribe is alleynpark@realrewards.co.uk, www.realrewards.co.uk is the Web Site of Real Rewards Ltd
Real Rewards manage our combined Reward Card and News Letter)

Garden jobs for January/February

As I was doing my research and reading in preparation for writing this, I settled down and thoroughly enjoyed looking through various books and magazines.

And really, that’s what the winter months of January and February are for – relaxing with a book or looking at notes and pictures you may have taken through the past year. Did you see plant combinations you liked visiting an open garden or in the pages of a magazine? Is there anywhere you could emulate this in your own garden? So, curl up by the fire with a cuppa or glass of something warming, and dream of the spring and summer to come, and plan what changes you’re going to make.

It’s also a good time to think about vegetables and fruit trees/shrubs which you might like to grow, and to plan the layout in the vegetable patch.

There aren’t too many things to do outside, but watch the weather forecast and make sure that vulnerable plants are wrapped in fleece and their roots protected with a dry mulch of bark chippings or similar. As deciduous trees are dormant in January, it is the perfect month to prune them if needed.

Raise pots from the ground using pot feet to help drainage and prevent water logging.

Try not to walk on lawns when they are frosted or wet – it can cause damage.

If you missed the opportunity to plant spring bulbs in the autumn, they can still be planted now – snowdrops, crocus, iris, narcissi and tulips will all be available in pots, ready to go into the ground.

Deadhead winter bedding plants such as cyclamen and pansies, and remove any diseased leaves – a lack of watering can cause mildew.

As Karen has said, keep the bird feeders clean and topped up, and ensure a water supply for them.

I’m looking forward to the gardening year ahead, and hope you are too.

Best wishes

Sally

In January we will ONLY be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (from 10am to 4pm each day)

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk