LADY PENELOPE’S GARDENING TIPS FOR FEBRUARY

Before I was a gardener, winter seemed to go on for ever, it always seemed to be raining, and the dark days went on and on. As a professional gardener and a keen home gardener, I can honestly say that actual winter does not last long enough… because I anticipate a lengthy rest from the physical demands of gardening and it just doesn’t happen! I had barely made the decision to leave my herbaceous plants uncut for wildlife, before the new growth was bursting through the dead stuff. I had barely looked at my seed catalogue before it was time to sow in earnest. The last cut of the lawn was so late in the year that it now needs mowing to begin again!!! Where’s the rest?? As regards the rain, there is probably only a handful of days’ work lost due to rain. It actually doesn’t rain that much. The daylight is already noticeably lengthening, and it is still only February. So, no rest for gardeners.
With that in mind, here are some timely reminders. Finish pruning wisterias back to 2/3 buds; prune winter flowering shrubs as soon as they have finished e.g. Ribes, Forsythia; move and replant deciduous trees and shrubs to a better position; renovate overgrown hedges (very satisfying!); cut back deciduous grasses as the new growth is already coming through and remove dead grass from clumps of evergreen grasses; remove leaves from Hellebores to show off the wonderful flowers; sow sweet peas outside in pots, hardy annuals and some early vegetables (I always start my tomatoes off indoors about now). A handy tip I read and retained was to always cut back Clematis on Valentines Day (Clematis that flower from June onwards only, not the spring flowering ones or you will lose all your flowers!).
Pest of the month: It’s slugs and snails time again. Be vigilant around seedlings and emerging herbaceous such as delphiniums. You can do night searches with a torch to find them, or lay traps such as citrus fruit skins upturned or cups of beer, or else use a Ferric Phosphate based slug control that is approved by organic growers (e.g. Bayer Garden Slug Killer).
Design tip of the month: It may have become apparent through my previous writings that I am an avid recycler (see broken cups, mosaics, sea shells etc). I am very keen to find a home for our used plastic plant pots from the Lady P premises so please, if you or someone you know can use them, please call me (01403 820321). Similarly, can anyone use shredded paper for animal bedding? Again, please call me. On the theme of recycling, look around your garden and home and see what novel apparatus can be used to plant up, to add variety to your gardens. Old sinks are a popular idea, as are baths or holey wheelbarrows, but also consider chamber pots, wash stands, umbrella stands etc. These would all fit nicely with the current trend for anything vintage.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LADY PENELOPE’S GARDENING TIPS FOR MAY

I love May (and not just because it is my birthday). It is really the first month that the weather is noticeably warmer, the days are noticeably longer, the dawn chorus is earlier and louder, and the garden is burgeoning. I always wash my face in the morning dew on May Day, I can’t remember why now… May sees the last of the frosts until autumn, making it safe to plant tender plants into the garden, after about the 20th of May. The increased daylight really helps give us energy and we are more likely to potter in the garden longer, until the light fades. It is worth making the most of this, because it is only next month that we have the longest day and it starts to decline again, so make the most of it! Jobs to do this month include lifting and dividing overcrowded clumps of spring bulbs such as daffodils and snowdrops and replanting them. This should also be done for primroses as they can get so overcrowded that they actually divide on top of each other creating a tall mound. Not th
Read more

LADY PENELOPE’S GARDENING TIPS FOR APRIL

The kaleidoscope of colour to be seen in every area of soil around us at the moment is breathtaking; yellow daffodils and primroses, camellias, magnolias, wild flowers, celandine…. So beautiful. Just as prolific though are weeds rushing to establish and set seed before we have even noticed them. You must be vigilant with your hoe if you are not to spend the rest of the season groaning at the success of these early seeders. Other tasks to tackle this month are feeding containers; planting out chitted potatoes; sowing carrots and salad leaves; pruning penstemons; potting up shooting dahlia’s; planting lily bulbs; and planting up hanging baskets although these should be kept in a greenhouse until the danger of frost has passed. Planting them now will give the plants time to root and settle in before active growth begins in earnest. No doubt your grass is declaring the need to be cut, if you haven’t already begun this. According to new research, the mowing season now lasts for eight mon
Read more

LADY PENELOPE’S GARDENING TIPS FOR MARCH

Spring is divine! So much emerging life and energy around the garden from plants and wildlife. It is impossible not to be drawn in and find that the faint rays of sun energise and mobilise us to be outside and doing (reminding me of that wonderful line about how we should take time in our lives to do some human  being  rather than human  doing …but not in Spring!). The wondrous scents from spring flowering shrubs such as Daphne odora, Hamamelis mollis (Chinese Witch hazel) and Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box) are mesmerising. If your garden is lacking in this area, put some scented shrubs on your wish list for this year and look forward to the heady scents next spring. We have had many storms during this winter causing trees to come down, and no doubt fence panels. If you have suffered, it is a good idea to think about planting windbreak hedges, trees or plants. This has many benefits, not only providing a permeable filter layer from the wind, but also contributing to a micro-climate
Read more