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Settle down with some mulled wine or hot chocolate or whatever warms the cockles of your heart at this time of year, then we shall begin.Imagine that it’s Christmas Eve over a hundred years ago and that you’re a member of the Chit Chat Club at Cambridge. You’ve just come out of the cold, moonlight, dim lamplight, and shadows of the evening and into a room with several candles dotted around it that are slowly dripping wax. There is a fire in the hearth and you sit on a chair near it and warm your hands by its flames. It begins to rain heavily outside. The raindrops colliding with the windows sound like someone drumming their fingers on a table.&nbsp;There is an air of expectation in the room. Various cliques within the club huddle together absorbed in their own private conversations. Then the man of the hour M.R. James appears and all is quiet. He takes a sheaf of paper out of his bag, sits down in a chair at the centre of the room and begins to read one of his tales of terror. For the next half an hour you listen, transfixed, chilled to the core by what James has dreamt up.&nbsp;Born fifty years after that other innovator of the ghost story Dickens, James revolutionised the genre. Common features of his stories are protagonists that are too curious for their own good, cursed objects, and flawed authority figures. However, the keen gardener may be most interested in how elements of the natural world and gardens are used in his plots.&nbsp;Yew, which has long had an association with the supernatural, crops up in A School Story, and Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance. In A School Story the narrator speaks of a horrifying discovery made in a yew thicket predicted by a school friend’s strange bit of Latin composition, and a maze made from a yew hedge dominates the grounds of the house that is the setting of Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance, driving the narrative.&nbsp;In The Ash Tree the tree of the title harbours something terrible. Like Yews, Ash trees in the past were thought to have magical qualities. And what’s more a gardener brings the story to its conclusion.&nbsp;A woman’s desire for a rose garden in The Rose Garden is thwarted by an unnatural presence, and a mysterious glass tablet found in a garden reveals events that took place there in the past in The Residence at Whitminster.Drawing on how nature, in all its vastness, can sometimes confuse the senses is a valuable strategy for writers of ghost stories. And James with his brief but intense descriptions of outdoor spaces, and his clever way of weaving folklore into his stories uses this tool brilliantly.&nbsp;This quote from his epistolary yarn The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance illustrates, with a dash of humour, the odd things that can cross a person’s mind in an unfamiliar environment: “I was not in trim for wandering about unknown pastures, especially on an evening when bushes looked like men, and a cow lowing in the distance might have been the last trump.”&nbsp;Now, if you haven’t already, and this whetted your appetite, you may want to explore the work of James this Christmas. And if you happen to see something lurking by the greenhouse, or something rushes past you on a chilly morning in the garden, I wouldn’t worry. It’s probably just a trick of the light.&nbsp; Happy Christmas All!&nbsp;

A Warning to the Curious Gardener

Oak leaves with water drops. Late autumn concept. Natural background of the fallen oak leaves. Autumn mood. Flat lay, selective focus

If you’re a gardening enthusiast, you will likely have heard much about mulching. But have you ever wondered why it is important to mulch? Well, we can answer that question.Whether you’re using mulch that breaks down in the soil, like compost, wood chippings or leaf mould, or a non-biodegradable mulch like shale or pebbles, both types contribute to controlling the temperature of soil, thereby protecting the roots of your plants. Both types of mulch also keep weeds at bay and keep moisture in your soil which makes watering more efficient.The major difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable mulch is that biodegradable mulch can add nutrients to your soil as it breaks down. If you want something decorative go for non-biodegradable mulch.&nbsp;

Why Mulch?

A simple, by-product of coconut production can really spruce your garden up. Coconut coir, the fuzzy bit on the outside of the coconut, can help with keeping your soil aerated and nutrient rich. It also helps with water absorption, which means that your plants will better benefit from the water you give them while being less likely to suffer from root rot. In this era of peat-free gardening, coconut coir is essential for healthy plants.&nbsp; If you want to purchase some separately, coconut coir is available at most garden centres and in various forms. Sometimes it's sold in blocks that can be soaked, fluffed up and added to soil, or as loose fibres in a bag. However, it is often present in decent peat free composts so you don’t have to buy it separately if you don't want to.&nbsp; So don't be (coconut) shy, get in on the coconut coir revolution.&nbsp;

At the Coir of Things

When your mower oil has seen better days you will need an oil change, but when is the best time to change your oil? You only usually need to change it or have it changed once a year if you're just using your mower for your garden, though heavier use of your mower can necessitate more oil changes.&nbsp;Another thing you need to watch out for is the colour of your oil, you want it to be a nice golden colour like the oil in the image for this post. If it's black and sludgy or a chalky colour, change it immediately as it can adversely affect your machine.&nbsp;If you follow our tips about assessing oil colour, you'll be sure to have a well oiled machine.&nbsp;

A Well Oiled Machine

A dependable and attractive addition to any garden, you can never really go wrong if you get a cordyline or two so here's short guide to them.&nbsp;First, know thy cordylines. There are a great many types of cordyline, but we’ll stick to the ones you’re most likely to encounter; cordyline australis, and cordyline fruticosa. Your standard cordyline australis is an evergreen tree that can look a little like a palm tree when it’s established, but there are other varieties of cordyline australis that you may be familiar with like the ‘Torbay Red’ and ‘Torbay Dazzler’ that don’t become as big but have a fantastic colour. Other varieties under the cordyline australis umbrella that may interest you are the intensely coloured, ‘Southern Splendour’ and the ‘Red Star’ variety.&nbsp;Let’s move on to cordyline fruticosa. While you can plant them outside, cordyline fruticosa serve well as houseplants. Some stunning varieties of cordyline fruticosa include ‘Black Magic’ and the fascinatingly coloured ‘Candy Cane’.&nbsp; When it comes to the conditions cordylines like, cordyline australis can survive sub-zero temperatures of minus 5 degrees Celsius. Frost, however, can affect the plant and cause things like cordyline slime flux where the plant excretes a foul-smelling sap like substance because of frost damage. You can usually cut the affected area away to keep the plant healthy. To avoid slime flux when overwintering, wrap your plant when the weather is dry to avoid rot, and mulch cordylines in flower beds before winter strikes. With cordyline fruticosa, pick the hardiest variety you can if you want to have them outside, and keep them in containers so they can be moved inside over winter. For both types, never waterlog your soil and make sure that they have access to enough sun, but not too much direct sunlight.&nbsp;Happy cordyline planting!

Sweet Cordylines

If you haven't read them all here are the posts we've posted about plants and their care.&nbsp;1. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/the-right-hedge" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/the-right-hedge">The Right Hedge</a>2. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/black-spot" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/black-spot">Black Spot</a>3. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/slug-resistant-hostas" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/slug-resistant-hostas">Slug Resistant Hostas</a>4. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/the-wonder-of-hydrangeas" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/the-wonder-of-hydrangeas">The Wonder of Hydrangeas</a>5. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/embroidering-a-mead" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/embroidering-a-mead" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">Embroidering a Mead﻿</a>6. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/paradise-in-a-tray" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/paradise-in-a-tray">Paradise in a Tray</a>7. <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/a-sweet-scent" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/a-sweet-scent">A Sweet Scent</a>

Plants, Plants, Plants

Gardens and Mowers by Clive