Exciting, enlightening, but the winter’s still biting
It is also a month, more so than any other, that brims with excitement and anticipation as any keen gardener would know.
The weather can determine the nuances of the borders to a fine tune, for example a treacherous snowfall paints an arctic image whereas mild sunshine brings up a riotous medley of early spring bulbs.
Crocus are the most apt example as their shining lips burst into cups in the strengthening sunshine. Snowdrops, at this time, are indispensable, invincible and impeccable as their delicate nodding snow white inflorescence paint a picture of both winter and spring together.
Scented shrubs such as Viburnums and Skimmias sneak out a few early blooms and one or two Camellias unfurl their exuberant waxy saucers in a sheltered corner.
Indoors, enjoy forced scented Narcissi and exotics like Stephanotis and Gardenia.
Now is the time for double-digging new vegetable plots and planning the position of crops along with the rotation plan for subsequent years.
Give yourself a healthy grow
GROW your own for 2005 - this is our ethos for a modern productive garden this year.
And, after making your pledges to eat more healthier at new year, this is the ideal time to sow and grow your own lifestyle ideas and then do the same outside as the soil warms up in early spring.
If we are going to be honest, nothing tastes better than the food grown in your own soil from your own efforts.
For now, while it is probably cold outside, wrap up warm and prepare your plot by double-digging to twice a spade’s depth and incorporate plenty of compost or manure.
Then it is time to buy your seeds from the garden centre or from seed catalogues. Make sure to order seed potatoes and onion sets early to avoid disappointment.
If you don’t have space for a vegetable plot, try planting seed potatoes in a bag of multi-purpose compost that you can buy from your local garden centre. Just stand the bag upright, slit both sides, pop the potatoes in and then open the top which is where most of the shoots will grow up through without the need of earthing up (to protect from spring frosts).
The bag will also reduce the need for copious watering that these thirsty crops need. You will still need to water and feed regularly but without having to do it four times-a-day.
DWARF Narcissi are exploding into bloom already, or at least some of the varieties are.
Here are some to bring your garden a smile....
February Gold is an all-yellow sturdy variety which flowers late in the month and, ironically, during March.
Jet-fire has golden blooms with orange trumpets displayed very early in mild winters.
Tête-à-tête is a perennial favourite with gorgeous clusters of mini daffodils. All of these can be planted now or in the green during spring or in a dry state in early autumn.
They grow well in any reasonably well-drained soil in sun or light shade. It doesn’t matter if the soil gets dry during summer as long as the foliage is allowed to die down naturally and completely in late spring.
The advantage of growing dwarf daffodils is that the foliage does not make as much of a mess as their taller counterparts in May and June.
During this dying down stage, it is a good idea to give them a weekly weak liquid feed of Phostrogen.
Tovey’s Tips
There are some tough jobs this month before the garden awakes...
• WHILST the opportunity is with us, dig up those invasive Spanish bluebells that are well and truly showing through the soil. This will prevent the excessive self-seeding and invasive nature of this plant for at least this year and provide you with more room for something more exciting such as Cosmos or night-scented stocks.
• NOW is a good time to prune roses, except for the ramblers which can be done straight after flowering in the first half of summer. Also give them a generous mulch and, at the end of the month, a general purpose rose feed.
• WILD ivy can strangle deciduous trees so cut it off at ground level before the garden springs into action.
These shrubs are heaven scent
THERE are a good number of late winter flowering shrubs around at this time of year, some of which will fill the air with delicious scent.....
Skimmia ‘Rubella’ has gorgeously scented clusters of white blossom over ovular glossy green leaves. If male and female varieties are grown, then the latter will produce berries.
Vinurnum ‘ Tinus’ has very sweetly scented clusters of white or pale pink bloom that are produced from November onwards in mild winters. Small deep blue berries are sometimes produced in late spring and summer, extending the feasting season for birds until the seed-heads of late summer ripen.
Daphne ‘Mezeureum’ blossom usually appears in March, but mild spells can bring it out earlier and it’s heady scent is enough to drag one out of their indoor winter slumber.
Camellia ‘St. Ewe’ opens its large clear, single rose-pink flowers to provide a stunning display on the patio in a nice exuberant pot, filled with ericaceous compost. Place it in a semi-shaded spot in summer and keep it well watered and fed.
Clematis Cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ is a vigorous evergreen climber which opens its cups of white, freckled pink blooms throughout the late autumn, winter and early spring - and occasionally in summer. What a plant!
Don’t get caught in a Crocus crisis
SPECIES Crocus are amongst the earliest to flower and are easily naturalised in grass to produce a mass display.
They come into bloom a couple of weeks before their more exuberant hybrid cousins do.
They will readily self-seed, providing they are allowed to die down and dry out naturally, without succumbing to the mower for instance.
A second month of no snow?
FEBRUARY should continue the mild and fairly dry theme of this winter with little or no snowfall at all.
A colder spell during the fourth week should bring night time frosts, but plenty of bright sunshine.
March will be simply spectrum-tacular
NEXT month, the naked soil is bursting with promise as new shoots thrust their way into the early spring sunshine.
The borders are awash with bulbs bringing sheer vibrancy and all the colours of the rainbow.
See you next month!
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