It’s time to make a few plant decisions! Caroline Broome
On sunny days I pruned the climbing roses, akebia, ivy and Virginia creeper, so trellis and fences look neat. Although I cleared the last of autumn’s debris from the borders, frosts prevented me applying the rest of the mulch to frozen ground. The frost has polished off most of the remaining perennial top growth in the flower beds. Forthcoming ‘tweaks’ include relocating rose ‘Eye of the Tiger’; it’s never looked right in its initial position and should be easy to move as it’s only a year old. I’ve got some new small, dark-leaved varieties of bergenia to replace the existing ones that have become woody and unproductive lately, and I’ve got to decide whether to remove
a very healthy but overgrown erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’
that’s sprawling all over its companions.
David is gearing himself up for a spring clean: the overflowing rill needs pumping out and cleaning prior to frog spawning. The patio, brick pavers and pathways need pressure washing, rotting wood balustrades replacing, nesting boxes cleaning out and next door’s cup and saucer vine peeling off the entire length of our pergola. On rainy days he can be found in his workshop creating all things weird and wonderful.
Due to inclement weather, activity has mostly been limited to the greenhouse. Propagators, staging and floor have been vacuumed, cobwebs swept away. I’ve been repurposing plastic tubs, they make ideal storage for everything from seed packets to broken crocks. Cuttings are surviving in propagators, some ready for potting on. I’ve removed downy mildew from heucheras and lightly trimmed semi-hardy salvias and fuchsias. The strawberry runners I potted up last autumn are coming out of their dormancy, but there’s no sign of life from the begonia tubers yet. There’s little or no room for forthcoming seed sowing!
Our first snowfall of winter created a spectacular white-out,
which lasted all week, followed by persistent heavy rains, so rain has left our clay-based soil saturated, and venturing onto it would do it no good at all. At least we’d managed to get all the shrub moving and planting completed, so everything has been well watered in!
It's quite amazing that this early in the year so many bulbs are up. Daffodils are in bud, snowdrops are everywhere and beneath the colourful stems of the dogwoods, aconites are flowering. Iris reticulata are shooting and a ground cover rose we grow in a pot, appropriately named ‘Norfolk’, is still in flower, having produced blooms throughout last year. Even some of the roses growing in open ground are still producing blooms.
I’ve had to replace my cold frame. The old wooden one had seen better days and with polycarbonate sheeting beginning to crack and discolour, I decided to consequently the garden is looking very bedraggled. However, even in the depths of winter there’s evidence of the onset of spring as new shoots and buds emerge. The first bulbs to bloom were aconites and snowdrops, with crocus and Iris reticulata emerging strongly. Early daffodils are starting to flower in containers, buy a slightly larger, aluminium model fitted with safety glass. Now that it’s in place, I'm ready for the new growing season.
Work has begun on the building plot next door and, although it can be rather intimidating to have very large lorries and excavation equipment rumbling back and forth just on the other side of the boundary fence, the garden birds don’t seem bothered and are emptying feeders nearby on a daily basis. Our resident robin has also survived the disturbance. He first with cyclamen providing vibrant colour. Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’ and red-stemmed contorted willow are prominent. Corsican hellebores are in full flower, hellebore hybrids bursting with buds. Although unassuming in appearance, the scent from the sarcoccoca can knock your socks off!
My kitten and I spent the most peaceful hour counting the birds for the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch. A goldfinch turned up in the last five minutes but no sign of the parakeets. I swear they know they’re on the hit list! began feeding from our hands last spring and has become so tame that he’ll come to us when called, even though he now has a mate and is singing to establish his territory. It’s such a joy to have this wonderful little bird trust us and it makes our day when he visits us for a titbit!