My little peony Weekend gardener
Ornamentals
Prepare a spot for planting peonies. Give them full sun (though some tolerate light shade) and deep, free-draining soil enriched with well-rotted animal manure.
The top of the crown should be no more than 5cm below the soil. Water regularly during their first season.
Autumn-flowering perennials may be divided now. Dig up, discard central pieces of root and replant the vigorous outer ones.
Repot pot plants that might be getting root bound – that is, too big for the pots, and identifiable by the crowded roots. Give any potted plants looking a little lacklustre a top-up of proprietal potting mix. This should be done now before plants leave dormancy and new spring growth begins.
Edibles
Sow leeks under cover for planting out later.
In all but the coldest areas, peas may be sown in the open.
Parsnips require a long growing season so are best sown from now until the beginning of October. Top tip is to line the bottom of the seed drills with about 1cm of river sand (and a sprinkling of lime), then sow the seeds and cover with more sand. Do not grow in recently manured soil.
Broad beans will need support as they grow tall. Stakes and string should do the trick. These beans may still be sown (or planted) now but hurry as they germinate best while temperatures are low. Also, those sown in late winter tend not to be as resistant to rust as those sown in autumn.
Chit (that is, sprout the eyes) potatoes, then plant, preferably somewhere that gets morning sun. And in rows running north and south.
Fruit
Plant citrus in a warm sunny spot (preferably frost-free) in a lighter and free-draining soil.
Feed all citrus.
Spray copper on stonefruit trees for bladder plum and for leaf curl just before bud burst – identifiable by green swellings along the branches. Spray again after the blossom petals fall.
A healthy tree will often outgrow leaf curl (and other diseases) each season – with uninfected leaves soon outnumbering the affected.
To keep trees healthy, feed and water well, and remove long grass and weeds growing close to the trunk. Good air circulation is also important, so keep trees open with pruning, and don’t have others growing too close.
Prune apple trees, opening them up to allow sun and air in. Prune to outward-facing buds.
– Mary Lovell-smith