Shrubs are integral members of the garden and many can be planted over these cool, winter months.

Except for those being grown in suitable containers, shrubs are expected to occupy the same patch of ground for many years, and their planting holes should be prepared with this in mind.

The width and depth of planting holes varies depending on the size and species of shrub being planted but, basically, each hole should be large enough to easily accommodate the roots when these are carefully spread out.

Mix the extracted soil with fully rotted down manure, compost and river sand, a ratio of 50 percent soil, 20 percent manure, 20 percent compost and 10 percent river sand being the perfect mix for shrubs in general. Use this mix to line the planting hole and then, very carefully, fill in around and over the roots, lightly watering it in at intervals to help it settle, as you go. Any leftover mix should be kept on one side and used to top up and level off in a few days’ time and when, inevitably, the soil mix will have settled, put some more.

Mulching around and in between shrubs before the high temperatures of summer arrive, helps to keep their roots cool.

Autumn is generally considered the best time to plant shrubs and there is a wide range of them to choose from

Shrubs may be flowering, have ornamental leaves, be evergreen or deciduous and there is a wide range to make your selection from.

Remember to keep the shrubs’ height and spread at maturity in mind when making your choices.

Winter/spring flowering shrubs include: Barelia with pale blue, bright blue- or rose-coloured flowers, Cassia, Goldfussia, Buddleia, Clerodendron, Gardenia, jasmines, roses and Lagerstroemia.

Summer/autumn flowering shrubs include: Allamanda, Crossandra, Eranthemum, Hibiscus, Ixora and Jatropha.

Shrubs with ornamental leaves include: Acalypha, Poinsettia, Aralia, Crotons, Panix and Phyllanthus.

When making your purchases, please select only visibly healthy and undamaged plants. Meticulously check them over, remembering to look underneath leaves, as this is where bugs tend to hide themselves and their eggs. Do not buy a plant whose health is in doubt, no matter how much the nursery person sings its praises. They are only interested in making a sale, not in plant or general garden health.

This month’s seed sowing guide:

The flower garden: Last call for sowing sweet peas, and do this in the next few days if you possibly can. In Karachi, the same goes for cosmos, Queen Anne’s lace (Ammi), cornflowers, larkspur, linaria, ageratum, phacelia and the full range of spring flowering poppies.

You can also sow more antirrhinums, arcotis, candytuft, petunias, pansies, violas, stocks, alyssum, brachycome, nemophila, bidens, sweet sultan, sweet Williams, coreopsis, nigella and corncockle.

Elsewhere, in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta or in the chilly mountainous north, unless you have a greenhouse or poly-tunnel, wait until spring to sow the aforementioned seeds, except for sweet peas and annual poppies which, weather permitting, can still be sown if you do it in the next few days.

The vegetable garden: In plains and coastal areas, sow peas, beans, broad beans, Swiss chard/leaf beet, spring cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard varieties, calabrese and winter radish. Onions, spring onions, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, radicchio, bok choy, spinach, turnips, rutabaga, chopsuey greens, chicory, endive, winter varieties of lettuce and, providing that protection from cold can be given, tomatoes too.

The herb garden: Borage, comfrey, parsley, chervil, nasturtiums, calendulas, watercress, lemon balm, mints, lavender species, chamomile, chives, garlic chives, rosemary, sage, thyme, lovage, dill, aniseed, coriander, marjoram and oregano.

The orchard: After the middle of the month, through until early March, increase your fruit tree range. For best results, stick with species that are known to perform well in your locality. Depending on where you live, chose from the following, all of which should be available in your local nurseries from around now until the winter planting season is over: dates, banana, star fruit, chikoo, guava, jamun, custard apple, loquat, figs, olives, oranges, kumquat, loquat, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, mango, peaches, nectarines, cherries, apples, pears, plums, persimmons, quince and pomegranates and, in coastal locations only, coconuts. Nuts, such as walnuts, pecan nuts, almonds and hazelnuts are worth growing, in climatically suitable areas, as well as are olives.

Fruiting vines and fruiting shrubs: Depending on your location, choose from grape vines, passion fruit vines and Kiwi fruit vines. Fruiting shrubs to consider are falsa, red and black currants, gooseberries, raspberries, logan berries, blueberries, elderberries and barberries. Other perennial fruits: there is just enough time to plant strawberry runners, but the sooner the better and, with protection from cold, pineapples can be started off all year round.

The winter into early spring planting season is also the perfect time to add new roses to your collection and to plant other ornamental shrubs, creepers and climbers wherever you have sufficient space for them to flourish.

Shrub of the month: Azalea japonica (Japanese azaleas) tends to turn up, in nurseries and in some flower stores, around this time of the year. Usually in full bloom in their smallish pots. They are a brilliant splash of colour — pink, cerise, white, salmon, bi-coloured — throughout winter into early spring and can be enjoyed indoors or out. On the expensive side, they make wonderful gifts and, when they have finished flowering, from Lahore northwards, it is worth giving them a try in the garden, although you must ensure that the selected, partially shady, spot is prepared with well-draining, acidic soil.

Azaleas are very fussy about soil conditions and dislike being over-watered, shedding all of their flowers, sometimes in a matter of a few hours, if their soil is overly wet. These relatively small, evergreen shrubs are propagated by seed — sown in late autumn to very early spring — or by cuttings taken immediately after flowering has finished.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 6th, 2020