Pruning

Don’t prune roses until next month, as it will encourage growth and frost can burn new cuts. However, now is an ideal time for planting. If you are planting roses where they have been growing before and want to avoid replant disease, the addition of mycorrhizal fungi is said to avoid the problem by increasing the uptake of nutrients – see www.rootgrow.co.uk, who stock the product. The granules contain fungi that coat the roots, helping them absorb minerals and water.

DEADHEAD AND PRUNE If you haven’t pruned the grapevines, do so immediately, as they will bleed if left too late. Once you have a framework of primary limbs, prune laterals back to one or two buds. The same principle applies to wisteria, which should be pruned this month. Buddleia and summer-flowering clematis should also be pruned, reducing last summer’s growth to within a couple of buds of the old wood. Prune hard to about knee height and retrain clematis on to their support, as the buds will be away as soon as weather warms. Hydrangea paniculata and H “Annabelle” can be pruned in the same manner as buddleia, but the mop-headed hydrangeas flower on the previous year’s wood and should be thinned by a third to encourage new wood. Hydrangeas can also be deadheaded now by taking the flowering heads back to a strong pair of shoots.

Clearing debris From The Garden

DEAL WITH THE DEBRIS Waste material from the beds is gathered up and put on the compost heap rather than burned, as many of the stems are still home to insects that will crawl from the heap when they hatch. The beds are raked clean in readiness for spring mulching and to make way for the bulbs.

ROOT OUT THE WEEDS Weeds become visible with the clear-up, so take your time to winkle out buttercup, nettle and couch. Bindweed might be more of an issue, as it delves deep when established. Where it is getting a hold, dig out plants that might be affected, carefully fork out and burn the white roots, and replant anything displaced by the upheaval. There is plenty of time for plants to get their feet back in again before spring, but work in some goodness now to improve their opportunities for the year ahead.

GET MULCHING I like to leave mulching until the ground is a little warmer, but where bulbs are coming through it is timely to work in a 5cm layer of weed-free organic matter before they grow any more. Never mulch on weed-infested ground, as you will simply be creating a better environment for the weeds.

Wet Weather Gardening

Wet weather is part and parcel of gardening in the UK, but changes to the climate in recent years suggest that heavier and prolonged bouts of rainfall will become a common occurrence. There are numerous problems that wet weather can cause in the garden.

Waterlogged soil

When soil is waterlogged, plants literally drown. Water fills all the air spaces between the soil particles and this prevents oxygen from reaching the roots. In turn, this causes the soil to stagnate and prevents root growth.

Symptoms:

• plants may look like they need water because symptoms include yellowing leaves that wither and drop off. Wilting of the plant may also occur
• the surface of the soil is soaking wet with puddles on it
• when lifted, the plant roots are black, soft and soggy, and the soil smells of rotten eggs
• plant growth is stunted or plants fail to sprout and shoots die back

Whatever the weather, it is vitally important to have the right basic tools to garden with.

You can find more information on wet weather gardening here

January Gardening

garden centre

In the gardening world, “spring fever” is that time of the year when gardeners flock to nurseries to buy flowers, shrubs, trees and more by the truckload, and launch into a planting frenzy.

In our area, spring fever generally shows up in late March, accelerates through April and finally begins to diminish as the heat of summer moves in around mid- to late May.

The question is, do you have to follow the masses and wait until March to purchase and plant your trees, shrubs and flowers? And the answer is: No.

A great deal of planting can be done in January and February. Hardy trees, shrubs and flowers are not bothered by winter cold, and, in fact, there are good reasons not to wait. If you are thinking about planting a shade tree or small flowering tree (notice the spring-flowering trees beginning to brighten our landscapes now), there is absolutely no reason to wait until April. You can even select spring-flowering trees in bloom at the nursery and plant them. If you shop now, the staff at your local nursery will have time to answer questions about trees you are considering. At the minimum, never plant a tree without knowing how tall and wide it will be when mature.

One of the frustrations of the spring fever season comes when gardeners see incredibly beautiful beds of pansies, petunias, snapdragons, dianthus, alyssum and other cool-season bedding plants blooming lavishly. Wanting to duplicate the riot of color in their own gardens, many head out to the nurseries and purchase large numbers of these plants.

If you intend to have blooming delphiniums, hollyhocks or foxgloves in your spring garden, it is especially critical to plant them plant soon. Young, blooming plants planted in April or May are pathetic compared to those planted in late winter and especially January and February..

So, head out over the next few weeks to the nurseries in your area and purchase and plant hardy trees, shrubs, ground covers and cool-season bedding plants. When spring fever hits and the nurseries are swamped with customers, you can sit back, sip a glass of iced tea and admire all the planting you already have accomplished.