The garden in February
Kari-Astri Davies is considering an opportunity for ivy and warming to the cheery heads of crocus
FeBruary starts off slowly: bit by bit, the lengthening days bring about subtle changes. As the month progresses, the browns of the branches in the hedgerows start to alter. Willows colour up as sap begins to move. Lit by low sun, they provide dramatic orange and gold traceries against stormy skies. Even if we do not feel it, the birds do, and Valentine’s Day ushers in a quickening of activity.
Native climber
We have rather too much ivy, Hedera helix, in the garden. I am aware of the benefits of ivy for sheltering and nesting birds. Yes, the green domes of flowers are a honeypot for many insects in early autumn. In winter, the berries are gorged on by plump pigeons. Greedily reaching for the furthest fruit, they often fall out of the tuffets of mature ivy with an undignified salvo of wing flapping. We cut down a failing pear tree. Underneath the cloaking ivy, the slender trunk belied the hulking presence the ivy had given it. In a Beth Chatto catalogue, which must date from the 1990s, I can see that my younger self marked a promising-looking Hedera helix ‘Melanie’, described as ‘crimpled leaf, very unusual’. I tried hard then to warm to the delights of the many ivies available, but failed. But there is an ivy opportunity on the side of one of the workshops in the garden, before the marauding ‘normal’ ivy gets a hold again. Perusing the wide selection of ivies I am given to choose from, I find I am not keen on a lot of variegation or those with overly scrunched leaves that, to my mind, make them look almost diseased. In retrospect, ‘Melanie’ looks a bit worse for wear. Leaf shape rather than bold colouration is guiding my decision. I am currently wavering between fine-fingered ‘Ritterkreuz’ and lightly wavy-edged ‘Lalla Rookh’.
Changing tastes
It must be age, but having said I do not have much time for the galumphing Dutch crocus, Crocus vernus, I now find myself increasingly drawn to them. A few years ago, I planted a silky, dark purple Dutch crocus, probably ‘Remembrance’, in one of the stream bank beds. It is later flowering than C. chrysanthus and C. tommasinianus, my usual choice. Dutch crocus provide a final cheery hurrah before
“‘Tis but as ivy-leaves around the ruin’d turret wreathe All green and wildly fresh without but worn and grey beneath” Lord Byron, ‘Youth and Age’
we cross firmly into daffodil time. Being taller, they hold their own better in a border and are popular for planting into grass. Last year, the bank bed was augmented with pale lilac ‘Vanguard’, similar in colour to the species, which is native to mountain ranges from the Pyrenees to Russia. I can admire the open cupped flowers in the sunshine while I am pegging out the washing.
Sowing for spring
At the moment, I am thinking about windowsill seed sowing towards the end of the month as light levels increase. Ideally, I would want to move any seedlings into the conservatory, where the temperature falls to 6°C at night, so nothing too tender. I will be mulching towards the end of the month and into March, when hopefully any of our short-lived water ingresses have finished with the garden. It is also time to start a bit of early pruning, cutting out deadwood and too many tangled branches. Rosa rugosa will be cut hard back, as it makes a lot of growth in one season.