February Hints and Tips

Welcome to the start of the growing year, when seeds can be sown, potatoes prepared by chitting, and the first flowers: daffodils, snowdrops, primroses, winter aconites and pulmonarias show some colour.

February involves pruning many late flowering shrubs to encourage new flowering shoots, for example:

A useful tip for Wisteria – 7 & 2.  In the 7^th month prune back new growth to 7 buds and in the 2^nd month (now) prune these shoots back to 2 buds; you can also cut out some tangled old wood.

Winter jasmine can be cut back after flowers have faded to 5cm/2” from a main stem.

Late-flowering clematis can be cut down to a strong pair of buds about 30cm/12” from the ground. This will stimulate the new growth that bears the flowers.

Hydrangeas: leave mophead hydrangeas until March before dead-heading; they flower on last year’s growth, but prune Hydrangea paniculata to an open framework now because they flower on current season’s growth.

Bush roses can be encouraged by pruning back to outward facing buds late in the month.

Fuchsias should be cut hard back to 15cm/6” and Santolina and Lavatera to low, well-placed branches.

Buddleia can be cut back to a low framework at the end of the month (too early, and the new growth, thus encouraged,

will be damaged by frost).

After pruning, a top-dressing of compost or general fertiliser should be applied.

Sowing seeds

Under cover, sow tomatoes, lettuce, sweet-peas, chillies and peppers.

Under cloches, broad beans, cabbages, parsnips, beetroot.

Plant shallot sets and garlic cloves, if you did not do so in the Autumn.

(more…)

January 2022 Gardening Tips

Liz Kirton writes :

On the last day of December 2021, on a quick stroll round my garden, I found that even in the ‘deep mid-winter’ there are flowers to appreciate:- witch hazels, both red and yellow unfurling their petals, Iris unguicularis adding their beautiful blue flowers, winter jasmine giving a lovely yellow sheen to the wall outside the front door, and, surprisingly, some left overs from Autumn – a honeysuckle and a rose!

Crocus and daffodil leaves are pushing through the soil and snowdrops are nearly in flower. All indications of life after apparent death!

Here are things to do this month…

• Start pruning Wisteria: cut back the last season’s growth to 2-3 buds of the older wood
• Hard prune bush roses since flowers are produced on the new season’s growth. Cut them back to a strong outward facing bud and remove dead and crossing branches.
• Shake snow off evergreen shrubs to prevent damage to branches and ‘scorching’ of foliage.
• Feed apple trees in late winter with ‘growmore’ or other suitable fertiliser, compost or manure by sprinkling over the area just beyond the branch canopy. Dessert apples need more potassium, cookers more nitrogen, I am told.
• Once your Christmas hippeastrum/amaryllis has finished flowering, feed it fortnightly to build up the bulb. Cyclamen benefit from the same treatment.
• Start chitting early potatoes in trays in a cool, light, frost-free location.
• Sow begonia, lobelia, salvia and pelargonium in a heated propagator.
• Enjoy witch-hazels, snowdrops, winter aconites, hellebores, and Iris unguicularis (stilosa) (pictured below). It is worth cutting back the foliage of the last two to see the flowers better.

 

Wishing you a happy and productive 2022.