JOBS for the week
A green foliage scheme can be very pleasing. Experiment with different shades of green such as lime green Heuchera ‘Marmalade’, yellowish green Acorus ‘Ogon’ grass and Carex ‘Evergold’.
Baby tree ferns (Dicksonia australis) look beautiful in pots and are a more affordable way of acquiring this statuesque fern. You could also use baby Astelia with its wonderful silvery leaves as part of a temporary display and then plant it out in the garden for permanent pleasure.
■ If your garden is still covered in snow, try to keep off lawns and soil to prevent damage. Gently brush snow from shrubs if you see they are being weighed down too much.
■ If the weather improves during the week, there’s lots of weeding to be done – it’s great to get annuals removed before they set seed and to remove perennial weeds permanently.
■ Protect emerging apricot and peach blossom from frosts by covering with horticultural fleece. It’s also a good time to plant fruit trees – if you don’t have lots of space, remember there are plenty of dwarf varieties and fruit bushes available.
■ Delphinium cuttings can be taken if you have sufficient growth – longer cuttings tend to flop over, so now’s a good time.
■ Plant out sweet pea seedlings. They will need supports to climb up – you can make your own from birch twigs or with willow cuttings.
■ Deadhead daffodils as they fade and keep winter bedding such as primulas, cyclamens and pansies looking good by regular deadheading.
■ And it’s time to start feeding the fish again!