Gearing up for spring lift-off in the garden
Encouraging signs that winter is losing its grip are increasing as we step into March. Day length is noticeably extending, plant buds are swelling, and small birds are inspecting sites for nesting. Nature is preparing for spring lift-off so, in this garden we’re clearing winter debris and gearing up for go.
We’d have made first lawn cut of the year by late February but constant wet weather ruled it out until now.
Last week the opportunity arose.
With the blades set three notches above summer mowing level, the effect was immediate lifting the general appearance of the garden.
There is surface plant debris to rake off our borders and small patches of annual weeds, that will thankfully yield to the hoe and hand-picking.
A few remaining plants need to be divided then a mulch of organic material applied before we’re set up for summer.
The opportunity for barerooted planting which began last autumn, can extend well into March, but is dependent on our changing weather patterns.
So, although there’s still time to buy and introduce shrubs or hedging plants in that state, I’d do it with a sense of urgency.
Incidentally, some outlets may have fruit trees in containers for sale at a price well below the norm because they have been dug up from the nursery recently and planted into pots.
Treat these as bare rooted when planting.
They differ from their more expensive counterparts which are pot grown and have a solid root ball which makes year-round planting a possibility.
Winter vegetables, mainly brassicas and leeks, continue to supply the kitchen but as March progresses the land they occupy will be cleared for new plantings.
Meanwhile, beds currently standing empty will benefit from a light surface forking and dressing of mature organic matter.
One raised bed serves as a nursery for hardwood shrub cuttings or the sowing of herbaceous perennials.
Stem cuttings are taken in autumn and herbaceous seed sown in July.
Both remain there for a year before they’re potted up or planted elsewhere.
Stems of escallonia, lavatera, buddleja, osmanthus and ‘Cecile Brunner’ rose were planted in autumn 2022 and are now young plants ready to grow on.