As the garden winds down now is a good time to think about next year. Taking photographs of the garden can help to remind you in the winter months what was floweringwhen, and  where, and next  to which plant, to decide if a plant is in the wrong place or needs another companion. It isn't the case that plants get planted only once; in the Sunday Garden some plants get move several times trying to get the balance right, which is not easy.

Enthusiasm runs away and plants get put into the border, sometimes forgetting what may surround them. If its in the wrong place move it. There are some plants that dislike being moved, such as Paeony, and well established shrubs may resent it but many plants can be easily moved before they become too mature. Now is a good time to move plants before the winter or in the early spring if the ground is  not frozen.  You can re design your garden and don't be afraid to move things around.  If a much loved plant has become overgrown, or leggy or lost its vigour, you can consider pruning to rejuvenate but its going to take time; maybe now is the time to compost it and get another.

Some plants are quite short lived and can become leggy and less attractive, Lavender is just such a plant lasting up to 10 years in the best growing conditions but it can look woody, get extensive winter die back in a bad winter and often its best to replace. Obviously buying new plants is one option, but as the garden matures, taking from cuttings is a good ideas as lavender root really well and these plants can be grow on as replacements .

As the annual plant catalogues arrive now is  a good time to sit back and reflect;  and plan next years changes, and challenges.

Its great to see wildlife in the garden and there's no doubt a pond is the main attraction. Over the years as the pond matures more and more wildlife are drawn to it and soon its full of frogs, pond skaters,  dragonflies, damselflies,  birds drinking and washing in the shallows.

The elegant Heron trying to get a look in and most beatiful and rare of all, a Kingfisher. Perched on the very poles designed to keep the Heron at bay eyeing up the gold fish and then swooping down for its catch, fantastic!

for ideas on which plants and shrubs to grow to attract wildlife into our garden follow this link

 For more about growing onions

and garlic

A recent enquiry to the help page was about moving an established  Magnolia, unfortunately on this occasion technology refuses to allow the Sunday Gardener to connect with the senders e mail address so instead the advise is posted below and hopefully the information will be found.

The first piece of advice is not to move it if at all possible.  Moving a large established shrub is difficult and very often the shrub will not survive, or subsequently thrive,  and Magnolias are not keen on being transplanted. They  have an usual root system which makes it more difficult to re establish the shrub.  With a mature shrub the root ball will be large and the whole plant will be very heavy and may need professional assistance with lifting gear to help/do the job.Even with great care, there is  more than a chance it will not survive.  If you have time to plan the move, its better 6 months/ a year before to cut down into the roots in a large circle around the plant. This encourages it to throw out new roots  to develop a better root system which  will help  establish the plant when you move it later.  That said, most of us just don't have that much time and planning in life.  Timing wise,  the best time to ove  a Magnolia  is anytime from late Autumn,  to the very early spring February , as it needs to be done whilst the plant is dormant. If moved during the winter months pick a mild spell so that ground can be dug and its not frozen or waterlogged.

Prepare the spot where the Magnolia is being moved to in advance and it will need to be a large hole in which the roots can spread, and if the soil is poor ensure that organic material is dug in. Dig the hole at least a foot larger in diameter/up to twice the size of the root ball of the Magnolia. If you can lift and replant together, this reduces the water loss from the roots and gives the best chance of survival.
Next,  determined the extent of the roots on the Magnolia and aim to lift the plant with as much of the root ball intact as is possible.  A good starting point is to dig in a straight line down from the branches so the you dig down in a circle around the fullest extent of the shrub. Roots are shallow rather than deep so its likely to be large circle. The least you disturb the roots, the better the chances.

Once  it's levered it out, lift it onto a large piece of damp Hessian, if not, a  tarpaulin  so as to wrap up the roots and then transplant to the prepared spot. Place in the prepared hole and plant so its at the same soil level as before, do not plant too deep. Fill in around the shrub with good soil and organic material and water in well. Tread in well to make sure the soil is packed down with no air pockets and the Magnolia  firmly planted. If its very large and the re planted spot is exposed, consider staking. In any event water well for the first month after transplanting especially if its dry. The shrub is at risk of loosing moisture so a mulch would help to retain moisture and feed in the spring.

The Sunday Gardener