The grounds for optimism
We may still be in the depths of winter but new growth from perennials and bulbs is already evident, says LOUISE MIDGLEY
HAVE a quick meander around your garden when the odd mild day presents itself and you may be surprised by the activity in the ground. Fat, red peony buds are beginning to poke through the soil, several summer perennials are showing tentative signs of life and some gardens even have a few daffodils in flower.
On days when the sun is shining, bumblebees are roused from their hibernation and will look for a nearby source of food. Winter flowering heathers and clumps of native primroses (primula vulgaris) are a favourite, so you may want to include a patch in your garden.
If you are up for doing a spot of gardening, any clearing of weeds tackled now will lessen their number in the spring. Little and often keeps them under control.
February is the traditional month to give wisteria its last prune before flowering. The long whippy growths formed last summer should have been pruned in August but if overlooked it’s not too late to get the plant back into good shape. At some point this month cut back the summer side shoots to two or three buds from the main stem.
Not removing the multitude of long growths results in a mass of untidy spiralling branches and diverts the plant’s energy away from forming flowers into producing masses of foliage.
When snowdrops have finished flowering, dig up any large clumps and divide them into several smaller groups and replant.
If you find pruning clematis confusing then simply add a label to your plant when it flowers, stating the month.
This will remind you next year of which group it’s in.
Winter and early spring flowering clematis, Group 1, require very little pruning, no more than a tidy up unless they have outgrown their space.
Clematis that flower in May and June, Group 2, are comprised of the large cultivars and will often flower again later in the year. They need a light tidy up and minimal prune as they flower on growth made the previous year.
Clematis in Group 3 flower from mid to late summer and should be cut back to about a foot from the ground in February, any lower and slugs will eat new shoots.