Now’s the time to train for spring by doing jobs you’ve been putting off
Winter protection is still needed
AFEW days of bright sunshine this week inspired a thorough examination of my garden because, once the growing season gets underway around April, everything becomes manic. In my head a list of jobs starts to accumulate, some of which I never get round to. My garden is over 10 years old, so when the sun was out I decided to tackle the projects that had been on the long finger.
One boundary had become very overgrown and was encroaching on valuable planting space as well as blocking out the light.
In the autumn I had taken the decision to remove a large willow which had opened up a substantial area.
Reluctantly, this week I also made the decision to remove two Sorbus aria trees which didn’t have enough room to flourish. Sorbus are great trees for wildlife with lots of nectar producing flowers in summer and tonnes of berries for birds in winter.
A good replacement might be our native Euonymus which has such beautiful pink and orange fruit in winter, as well as great autumnal foliage.
I’ve also being doing a reassessment of the ‘ordinary’ shrubs left behind by the original landscaper. I’ve cut back and removed a lot of forsythia and ribes, as well as a light-blocking thuja.
However, there are some plants worth keeping such as the Griselinia
Pot up amaryllis now for spring colour
■ IF your houseplants are outgrowing their pots, now is a good time to pot them on. Choose a pot one size bigger and use fresh potting compost. If you can’t re-pot, topdress by scraping off the top inch of soil and replacing with fresh compost.
■ PLANT amaryllis bulbs (Hippeastrum) indoors in pots for spring flowers.
■ WITH epimediums, cut old leaves back carefully now to show the delicate flowers emerging, taking care not to cut the flower stems. You can also do this with hellebores, removing dead leaves. littoralis, a New Zealand native which has fresh lime green leaves.
Stripping the stems of branches and just leaving the top layer revealed an elegant, small, multi-stemmed tree. Stripping also works well for overgrown photinia, Prunus laurocerasus and Viburnum tinus.
Winter is a good time to do these jobs because the deciduous shrubs aren’t in leaf so it’s easier to see what you’re doing.
The garden is at its barest with all the herbaceous material asleep. It also means you will have less material to get rid of.
■ WINDY weather may have caused wind rock in your plants – roses are particularly vulnerable so check they have not been lifted out of the soil. If they have, just firm them back in gently.
Fences and trellises may also need checking and repair.
■ CUT back old leaves on deciduous ferns to make room for fresh new growth in spring. You can also start cutting back ornamental grasses.
As a lot of this is twiggy stuff, I’m hiring a shredder for the day. This will then break down more quickly in the compost heap and produce a finer, more useful product.
And so to my long awaited project – building proper compost bins. For years I’ve just had a growing heap but it’s hard to manage and turn over.
With two or more bins, it will be easier to control. As one lot of garden material becomes well decayed, it can be moved to the next bin, allowing fresh material to go in the first bin. With smaller gardens, one plastic