PLANT OF THE WEEK
VERBENA SCENTSATION
overgrown, the foliage may provide some protection to the crown in this very cold weather and it can be clipped back in a couple of weeks.
And finally, I got round to pruning some of the shrub roses. This can often be a job that people are somewhat unsure about but it need not be too complicated.
Basically you don’t want your rose to grow weak and spindly with just a few flowers on top, so you cut back the stems to a half or a third of their height, making the snip just above a bud which will keep the bush more compact and encourage new growth.
Remove any dead wood and aim to keep the centre of the shrub open.
It was great to spend a day outdoors before retreating back inside again – it may be that the recent snow curtails our enthusiasm for garden tasks but the wonderful thing about gardening is that nature will eventually sort itself out and if these jobs aren’t appropriate to carry out just yet, they will be later on in the month. Here’s a lovely new annual verbena which you can grow from seed this month or next, and produce some scented blooms for your pots and vases this summer.
The flowers are white, pale lavender and pink. As it’s half hardy, sow indoors now or next month and only plant out when fear of frost is past in late May.
■ Available from Mr Fothergills, £2.69 for 50 seeds. mr-fothergills.co.uk