As the days get longer, the cold gets stronger! But as the garden plants are
mostly dormant now this is a wonderful time for reflection and planning. On
those long winter evenings or rainy days when we are not clearing out the shed,
there is often a list of things that one has just not got round to doing. If you
have not yet thought about your seed for the new year, get cracking now for it
will not be long before the first sowings will need to begin.
But January is a great month to think about the structure of the garden, and if
you have thought about a feature, or a path now is the time to plan and prepare.
When the weather permits old paths and walls can be repaired and restored,
Overgrown walls, paths, trellis etc can be cleared of ivy and dead wood and
repaired. Winter pruning can be done for most trees and shrubs. Lawns can be
repaired and top dressed.
The ash from winter bonfires can be spread over herbaceous beds and the compost
can be cleared and spread as a mulch on the borders too, and also of course on
the vegetable garden. Digging can now be done if the weather allows, and deep
digging with some well rotted farmyard manure will benefit many of the
vegetables. It is important that you make a plan for the vegetable garden now to
avoid digging in fresh manure where you are going to plant your carrots and
parsnips for example.
Seed potatoes will soon be in the shops so if you are not to be disappointed,
think about which varieties you would like to grow and buy them early. Put them
in a frost free place where there is plenty of light and let them chit. Prepare
your pea beds- they like a lot of well rotted manure and can be sown early when
the ground is still quite cool. (think about the mice and catch them now!) Same
for parsnips and onion sets and broad beans. If you have a heated greenhouse you
can think about sowing tomatoes and leeks in January but a windowsill in a
heated house will do. Remember though that once the tomatoes are up they will
not tolerate frost!
If the weather is bad and there is snow, go round the garden and shake it off
the shrubs so that it does not break the branches. After it has rained wash the
outside of the greenhouse to allow maximum light in. This is a good time to
start pruning your fruit bushes and trees and canes if not done already. Tie in
your raspberry canes and loganberry canes, There is still time to plant new
fruit trees and bushes. If the weather is mild you can lift and divide
herbaceous plants and perennials too. Cover some rhubarb crowns with an old
bucket or barrel to force some.
The spring bulbs will soon be showing their heads. Inspect your dahlia tubers
and begonias and discard any that are rotten. Tend to any cuttings which you
took in the autumn, and start thinking about any flower seeds you might want to
sow this year. Bedding plants are getting so expensive these days you can grow
quite a lot quite easily if you have the space. For example I always sow some
alyssum in my non heated greenhouse, and I cover them with a cloche inside the
greenhouse. (Well the cloches are not being used for anything else at this time
of the year.)
As you can see there is lots to be doing – so get cracking! Happy gardening in
the New Year!
The Gardening Year
FEBRUARY IN MY GARDEN
Most of us have had a mild January and our garden plants are refusing to wait for a period of prolonged frost and snow. Already the snowdrops are appearing and aconites too are heralding the early beginnings of spring. There is still time to get on with the winter jobs though, and time spent in the garden now will pay off big dividends later in the year.
Continue with the winter pruning of shrubs, roses and trees. Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year to develop a good structure to promote flowering spurs; as the buds start to swell you can see the difference between the vegetative leaf buds and the fatter, slightly blunter flowering buds. When pruning your soft fruit remember red and white currants fruit on older wood but the black currants fruit on last year’s growth. Buddleia and hardy fuschias can benefit from quite a severe pruning now, and will respond with vigorous growth in the spring.
You can still benefit from the dormancy of most plants to finish off those structural jobs like paths and maintenance of walls and fences. Now is also a good time to make and plant a rock garden and also to prepare ground for sowing new lawns in March or April.
Old and dead shrubs can be removed and replaced. Think about servicing your garden machinery before the grass starts to grow and service your tools- shears need sharpening- and the wooden handles of all your tools will benefit from some linseed oil thinned with a little white spirit.
Preparation in the vegetable garden should be well underway. Continue with the deep digging and let the frosts break up the soil. Every year your soil will improve if you add humus – well-rotted leaf mould is a good source- and nitrogen (well rotted farm yard manure is best). But also the vegetable garden will benefit from a top dressing of lime (hydrated lime) which will sweeten the soil. However, don’t put the lime on ground you plan to plant potatoes as this encourages scab. My earlies are chitting nicely now and it won’t be long before I seize a window of opportunity in the weather to put them in. My farmer neighbour once told me to get the potatoes in early and this is good advice. But of course they will need protection from frost. Onions, early leeks, cabbage, peas and lettuce can be sown under cover and broad beans, if not sowed last autumn, can be sown outdoors in light soils when the ground allows.
As growth is soon to begin now is a good time to feed fruit trees that are growing in grass- they get starved of nitrogen. Feed herbaceous plants too, clean and feed the asparagus beds, winter cabbages and sprouting broccoli. Herbs can be cleared around and some, like chives, can be divided.
Divide too herbaceous perennials such as Astilbe, Iris and Hemerocallis. Pelargoniums can be re-potted and Dahlias can now be boxed up. This is the time to be thinking about what you are to be sowing in the greenhouse, and prepare your seed trays and pots. More people are buying plug plants these days, so make sure (if you have ordered some) you have some compost and plenty of pots or trays ready for when they arrive.
Finally, Happy Valentine’s Day! Remember that the birds will soon be thinking of nesting, so now is the time to clean out and put up those nesting boxes. Happy gardening!
MARCH IN MY GARDEN
The cold weather and snow finally came to most of our gardens. But that didn’t stop the blooming of one of the earliest and most welcome of spring flowers - the snowdrop. As these flowers fade the clumps can be now lifted and divided to produce an even better show next year.
The plans made in the cold winter months can now be implemented for now is a good time to plant herbaceous perennials, evergreen shrubs, trees and hedging. Hardy cyclamen, can be planted too and they are so useful because they like cool shady places and will grow well under beech and oak trees. Where there are gaps in the beds, herbaceous perennials- Geum, Geraniums, Persicaria and Phlox- can be lifted and divided. Cuttings can be taken from Dahlias and outdoor Chrysanthemums. Gladioli can be planted and Begonia and Gloxinia tubers can be started. Turf can now be laid on prepared lawn areas.
Time is running out to finish your winter pruning, but this is a good time to prune Clematis and Hydranga, cutting off last years flower heads. Cornus and Salix will benefit from coppicing to stimulate the new growth, which will provide the colourful stems for next winter. March is the best month in my mind to prune the roses. I remember being told to get your worst friend to prune your roses! Certainly hard pruning of tea roses will produce strong shoots and blooms, but floribunda roses should be pruned more lightly, and for climbing roses the side branches should be pruned to two buds from the main stem.
As the days lengthen and temperatures rise plants are soon to burst into growth. Anticipate their requirements and feed the lawns, the raspberries, loganberries, blackberries and strawberries. The sap will be rising in the fruit trees so now is the time to top graft and rejuvenate old trees. It is great fun grafting different varieties and we have some delicious blue plums, which I grafted on to some wild plums, that are abundant in our garden. There is still time to plant fruit trees but remember to prepare the ground well, and make sure that the young tree’s roots do not dry out. Established apple and pear trees should be mulched and then sprayed against scab.
The sowing of vegetables can now begin in earnest. But the ground must be well prepared and ready. Wait until the weather allows and the soil conditions are right then seize the opportunity. Onion sets can go in quite early, then seed of onions, parsnips, broad beans, leeks, cabbage and carrots. Early potatoes can be sown, but they will need protection if there are late frosts and tomatoes can be sown indoors. Jerusalem artichokes can go in now – they are easy to grow and are very useful in the kitchen - but have to be watched as they can be invasive. Hardy annuals too- like nasturtiums and sweet peas- can also be sown.
Remember as growth begins there are predators around. Protect young shoots from slugs and snails and any brassicas left uncovered will provide tasty breakfasts for hungry pigeons! Most importantly relish the awakening of spring in our gardens! It is truly a wonderful time of year. Finally as the sun gets stronger remember to open the greenhouse ventilators on those sunny days- but also remember to close them at night!
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