THE last of my gardening missives from Madeira is truly nutty. We went to the warm isle with the prime excuse of experiencing the delights of the Chestnut Festival.

Everything chestnutty was there – salt roasted (of course), delicious cakes and liqueurs made from this glorious nut – the latter tasting like Baileys.

Scroll through the gallery of pictures above to see more photos ...

Traditional local food was also served including the biggest kebabs in the world – the meat sliced-up on the bar – skewered with aromatic bay branches and cooked over open fires.

Isle of Wight County Press: Chestnuts growing on the tree.Chestnuts growing on the tree. (Image: Pixabay)

Unfortunately, Nun’s Valley was cloaked in pea-souper fog and it was impossible to enjoy the rolling forest of Castanae sativa, the elegant bearer of one of my favourite harvests of autumn.

But chestnut trees are easy to grow on the Isle of Wight too and they are usually remarkably drought tolerant, although I must admit that I lost my newly-planted sweet chestnut hedge to rabbits ring-barking the lot.

Not every spreading chestnut tree needs to be like the Isle of Wight's huge, most ancient, specimen in a private garden in Newport – they respond very well to pruning and, as long as you avoid clipping the early, oddly odorous, summer catkin flowers - they will produce juicy fruits that can be chomped raw - if the old teeth allow.

The large, attractive, leaves quickly form a very effective deciduous privacy screen.

  • I have been told by a reader about a pesky Mind-your-own-business problem.

The low growing, small-leaved plant with the Latin name Soleirolia soleirolii, is supplied by garden centres but in the wrong place it’s a very small, but big trouble, perennial lawn weed if allowed to spread.

There is only one practical solution for badly affected lawns; manual removal down to every last fragment of root and re-seeding or turfing.

Isle of Wight County Press: Mind-your-own-business in a festive pot.Mind-your-own-business in a festive pot. (Image: Thompson & Morgan)

But, should you wish to buy a festive one – and I know one reader who does not - Thompson & Morgan do a pot of it, complete with a Father Christmas planted in it...

RICHARD'S TOP TIPS:

  • Protect roses from wind-rock – especially in exposed gardens - by pruning them by between one-third and half their height. This will stop them swaying in strong wind, prevent roots coming loose in the soil, and encourage new bushy spring growth.
  • A succession of mild winters has made us lazy. But it is worth insulating outdoor containers from frosts. Use hessian or bubble wrap held in place with garden twine and group containers together for extra protection.
  • If the ground is dry enough, cut back yellowing foliage of herbaceous perennials, and lift and divide overcrowded clumps to maintain their vigour.
  • Again, if the soil allows, keep planting onion sets, shallots and garlic to give them a good start for early maturing next summer.
  • Aerate your lawn now before winter sets in.
  • Continue to clear fallen leaves off the lawn too to let it get light and air.

Are you an Isle of Wight gardener with a question to Richard?

If so, you can email him on richrydegardener@gmail.com