Spring Fever

With the first of the year's snow melting into memory thoughts are turning to spring. February is here and spring is just around the corner. In every gardening magazine and book available there are long lists telling gardeners of all the things which need to be done this month and all other months. There is no time to sit around reading about it there is work to do!

Ready for action

Where to start? Retail therapy!

Time for an outing to the garden centre to spend spend spend (much more fun than clinically shopping on the internet). The shopping list is seed potatoes; summer flowering bulbs; flower and vegetable seeds and seed compost. It is guaranteed that however good your intentions not to overdo it you will come back with far more than you intended, well perhaps the secateurs need replacing, and there's canes, twine, more fleece, netting, polythene for cloches, how about more plant labels? Oh and look at those........ Your get my drift!

Where will I put the seeds?!

Once back home and the car is unloaded it is time to get a move on but before you start sowing all those seeds is the greenhouse clean and tidy (you really should have done it at the end of autumn!) are the windows cleaned? Have you washed all the pots and seed trays? Look out for hibernating wasps and toads in the pots. Once all that cleaning and tidying is done its time to get messy (or is that just me who makes a mess?). Get all those empty egg boxes you've stored and put the early seed potatoes in to start them chitting. Now open the sack of saved toilet roll tubes (doesn't everyone save them?) to start the broad beans off, and peas and sweet peas if you haven't already got them sown. In cells or seed trays sow early carrots, parsnips, radish, spinach, turnips, leeks, onions, and brassicas to name but a few. Once all the early veg are sown move on to summer bedding seeds, I am not going to start listing them all because you will have already chosen your favourites. I do hope there's plenty of shelf space in the greenhouse amongst all the overwintering plants. If there is room owners of heated propagators can sow some tomato seeds too.

A lot of work needed here

Outside the borders need lightly digging over for the summer bulbs to be put in; the dormant shrubs and trees need pruning; shrubs in the wrong place need moving; the spring flowering plants you bought need putting in (you thought I hadn't noticed them at the garden centre!); overgrown perennials need splitting and there's plenty of tidying to be done. I've probably missed out loads of things but as I said there are lists everywhere so you can double check what else needs to be done. Or just look round the garden.

 

Cloched for business

Trainee Pruning Inspector

Once you are satisfied that the decorative garden is sorted out it is time to move on to the vegetable plot (or allotment), plenty to do here. The soil needs digging over and organic matter dug in; cloches need to be put over the soil to warm it up, assuming we get some sunshine; fruit trees and bushes will need feeding and mulching and spraying; cover the gooseberry bushes with netting so the bullfinches can't eat the buds and while you've got the netting out cover the overwintering brassicas so the pigeons can't get fat on your crop. Next grab some fleece to wrap up the cauliflowers against frost (maybe another job which should have been done last year) it's probably worth putting some over the fruit trees too so the flower buds don't get caught by early frosts. If you succumbed to new fruit trees and bushes this is the time to plant them. Then dig some drills for sowing garlic, shallot sets and Jerusalem artichokes. Fancy some wine? Well get some grapevines planted too. Lastly for now, you have turned the compost heap and tidied the shed haven't you?! 

February Last Year!

Oh all right – perhaps now it is dark its time for a hot bath to soak all the aching muscles after all that work.

All this can only be achieved if the weather is kind, no more freezing temperatures, snow, driving rain or howling gales. We'll be lucky!

There's only four weeks until March, then it gets busier, and even busier in April, and May......

That Sinking Feeling

Edelweiss

Back in the 1960's &1970's when I was growing up rockeries were popular garden features. I remember them looking like burial mounds with chunks of stone sticking out and inexpertly filled with Aubretia and Alyssum. I thought they were awful then and still do today. They had smaller cousins caused by the modernising of kitchens; sink gardens. Beautiful old Butler of Belfast sinks were wrenched out of kithcens and left in gardens where enterprising gardeners would cover them with a mix of cement and compost to give a 'natural look' and then they were filled with an assortment of Sempervivums and Sedums and maybe a couple of rocks for good measure. The combination of these two ways of planting alpines put me off them for many years. However, spending time in the garden centre at work I have seen some very pretty and interesting plants labelled as Alpines. This has stirred my curiosity and opened my mind to a previously ignored area of the garden.

Sad Sink before I removed the  marigolds

When I wrote about containers I mentioned the old sink by the front door which hasn't  been very successful with traditional annuals. I have decided to empty it out and start again once any bulbs have finished flowering, assuming some have survived. It was this decision which made me think about trying out a few alpines. So off I went to the internet and Dr Hessayan's books to find out more. I needed to find out what planting medium they like, do they all like the blazing hot afternoon sun, can I have a set colour scheme or is it dictated by size and location. I have set myself quite a challenge.

My Friend Lithodora!

Once the sink has been emptied and cleaned out (at this stage it can be covered with a mix of cement and compost to make it look natural!!) I need to cover the plughole with fine mesh to stop slugs getting in, I shall also block the overflow which has been home to many small snails in the winter. I then need to add a layer of drainage material, gravel or stones. On top of that some people add a layer of rotted turf, some a mixture of charcoal and grit,  or leafmold  to act as a filter. Then comes the main growing mix of grit, peat, top soil, sharp sand – it seems every alpine grower has their own special formula. Some recommend using John Innes No2 instead of topsoil as it feeds the plants gradually. On top of this a layer of gravel is added, along with one or two rocks to break it up and house some crevice living plants.

Aquilegia flabellata

Iberis Little Gem

Plants need to be chosen carefully, many alpines spread from 12 to 18 inches which would soon swamp my little sink. I have found that in general Alpines are a very difficult bunch to keep happy; some like shade while others need full sun, some like to hide in crevices, some love acid soil, others love chalky soil, some are hardy whilst others are very tender. I found a website which listed dwarf varieties suited to sinks, I then needed to sort out which ones liked full sun and agreed with others about soil type.

Dianthus Evening Star

I have given up considering a colour theme, I shall just be glad if they all get on well together!

Erysimum Orange Flame

Despite this there still seems to be a wide variety to choose from; Aquilegia, Dianthus, Phlox and Saxifrage have an assortment of colours to choose from. Then there are Leontopdium (Edelweiss, not very imaginative I know but I am a beginner!); Iberis (Candytuft) Little Gem; Androsace (Rock Jasmine) Lanuginosa; Campanula Garganica;and Lithodora Olefolium. There is still a lot of research to be done here I think but ultimately what it will boil down to is what is available in the local garden centres. I shall keep you posted.......

Ooops! How did those three frozen fuchsias get into my luggage boot?! #PlantRescue!

Snow Fuchsia In It

Whatever the Weather

I know I said I was going to write about Fuchsias this time but I got distracted by white fluffy things falling from the sky. Once we've all overcome our excitement about snow and the ensuing traffic chaos and learned to cope in freezing temperatures life will get back to normal just in time for a thaw to set in. As it took me three hours to get home yesterday I decided to take an ice day & stay safely at home today (Wednesday). The lane outside is like glass, as were the main roads yesterday afternoon. Temperatures dropped to -9 last night so I knew the roads were not going to be any better at the time I set off for work, even in Norfolk we have hills for people to get stuck on.

The ex-fruit cage

As it turned out to be a lovely sunny morning I took the camera out for a walk and called in down at the allotment. The snow was about 4”-6” deep and full of animal tracks. The onions I'd put in a couple of weeks ago were safe inside their cloche but the fruit cage has collapsed. I know I intended to replace the netting but now it will be tangled up with whatever plants are left inside. The reason for my visit was to fetch the wheelbarrow back for himself to use gritting the sliproad by the house. Mission accomplished.

Now, Back to the Fuchsias....

I cannot remember exactly when my passion for fuchsias began. As I have little recollection of lots of Fuchsias in gardens in Norwich I think it may have been when we moved from Norwich to the North Norfolk coast. Whenever it was once I was hooked there was no turning back. Fuchsias area a bit like Marmite – its either love or hate. As a fan of both Marmite and Fuchsia I cant see how you could possibly hate such versatile things! Fuchsias have everything to offer; a vast array of colours (with the exception of a true yellow variety); single, double or semi double flowers; sizes and growth habits to suit every garden, container or windowbox; can be grown as hedging, standards, trained up a trellis; come in tender, half hardy or fully hardy varieties available and to finish off they are exceedingly good value for money not only because garden centres usually sell them on multi buy offers but many of them have a very long flowering period.

In the UK there are 2000 varieties available (12000 worldwide). Unfortunately in most garden centres there are barely a dozen to choose from. Familiar names being Display, Dollar Princess, Swingtime, Genii, Beacon and Winston Churchill. Great excitement ensues when I come across something different in a local nursery. To find a wider variety a trip to a specialist nursery is needed, or a visit to an online supplier. Either of these places will open up a bewildering world of choices. Careful consideration needs to be given to where the fuchsias will be planted before visiting such a place otherwise you could end up buying far more than you have room for, and not the type you wanted. Even then strict boundaries will need to be observed – “I cannot spend more than £30 and I cannot buy more than 20 plants!”

In the greenhouse I have a tall fuchsia, a modern development created by people too lazy to train it into a proper standard! The top had been broken off so I rescued it with thoughts of turning it into a proper standard, training begins in the spring. Another popular trend is the 'climbing' fuchsia Lady Boothby (single flowered) or Lady in Black (double flowered). Some detractors say these are not proper climbers because they have no means to support themselves either with tendrils or stem roots, nor do they twine themselves around anything. Give them enough support and they will vigorously go skywards with the best true climbers. Perhaps one will be a candidate for the coal shed wall I mentioned last time.

I would very much like to grow a fuchsia hedge, maybe I can sneak it in the front garden by the fence, I have been wanting to break up the expanse of wood with some greenery. Having had a rummage on the internet I have decided to try and get several different Magellanica if I can hunt them down. There is already a rather sorry looking Molinae (Maiden's Blush) lurking near the corner of the decking which I shall try to rescue (attempting to propagate cuttings again). I would like to have M.Gracillis Variegata – with small, cream-edged leaves, long-narrow crimson and purple flowers; M.Aurea Golden Fuchsia has gold leaves on red stems, crimson and purple flowers; M.Versicolour is also variegated with small, grey-green leaves edged in cream, red and purple flowers. There is a lot of colour here so I think adding in a Molinae and a Hawkshead with their pale pink and white flowers will tone it down. That sounds like a lot of plants but it is a long garden – we have had three cars comfortably parked side by side in the past.

As well as the hedge I shall try out some different ones somewhere in the border. I have spotted Greyrigg a small hardy bush with delicate single flowers palest pink sepals, corolla palest blue. I also cant resist the rather odd looking Fuchsia Procumbens with its tube yellowish green, red at base and very short, sepals chocolate brown, no corolla, hardy.

Well with all this talk of Fuchsias I have left no room for my new venture. That will have to wait until next time

Difficult Areas

Every garden has at least one difficult area. Whether it is too wet, shady, dry, sloping, odd shape it poses a problem as to what can be done with it. Eventually some resilient plants are found to fill the area and magically the problem area becomes a beautiful corner. It is finding the right plants to do the magic that stumps so many people, costing time, money and patience.

Ceanothus, Euonymous, Buddliea & Fuchsia

Large Escallonia Macrantha

In my garden there is a shady bank where mainly weeds grew and the soil was washed down by the rain all over the path, where more weeds then grew. The bank faces north but despite being overshadowed by bushes and buildings it catches the afternoon sun because it is open to the west. To start tackling this area weeds were repeatedly removed and various plants were put in with little success. Last autumn spare deck boards were used to shore up the edge and stop the soil erosion. This has created a good solid edge which I have put some fuchsias into, well they were homeless (honest!). This area already contains a very large Escallonia Macrantha and the stump of the White Cloud Buddleia which needed severely bringing into line because it tends to block the path (pruned by a chainsaw wielding friend). Last year I added some young foxgloves here and on the bank round the corner between the shed and steps. I also added a low growing Ceanothus (probably Thyrsiflorus Repens but it had no label) which I hope will get enough sun. I've also put in a Vinca Minor Aureovariegata and a Fuchsia Dollar Princess which was rescued from the compost at work in a very poor state. Already planted there, hidden among the weeds, I found a small Euonymus Japonicus Ovatus Aureus which I may well move to a sunnier spot because its variegated leaves are turning green, or I may just prune surrounding shrubs to let more light in. Hiding under the Escallonia is a very sad looking Weigela Florida Variegata, another candidate for moving to a better position. Moving these will leave a lot of exposed soil again so I've been looking at what may do well here. So far I am considering a border Saxifrage Umbrosa London Pride, which likes the shade, is evergreen and covers well. Another candidate is Tiarella Cardifolia (Foam Flower) it is evergreen and spreads well but only flowers in May and June. Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum) and Hostas are other options although they are not evergreen and very prone to slug attack. First I have to see how many bulbs I planted there last year (yes more compost refugees) I have rather lost track of where I planted them all! I also need to ask a certain tall person with a long reach hedge cutter to give the Escallonia and surrounding Privet a haircut soon.

By the Shed

Another difficult area, although not so large is the small bed between the shed and steps. Again I have put a load of rescued daffodils in here, there is also another Ceanothus and some foxgloves. They have ground elder, lesser bindweed, grass and elder to contend with. This patch is divided from the big bank by a large privet hedge, so access is needed to keep that down to a reasonable size too.

Three Fuchsias

Lastly there is the tiny bed by the coal shed wall. It's about a foot wide and seven feet long, faces due south but get overshadowed by the house in the afternoon. It gets a blast of morning sun until about lunchtime then its in deep shadow. It was once home to a large unwanted elder bush, which has been eradicated. Since then it has played host to various climbers and summer bedding plants, the Busy Lizzies particularly liked it a couple of summers ago. Last year I failed to grow canary creeper and violas but succeeded with three small pink Fuchsias (Fuchsia Hybrida Pink White) which kept flowering right up until December. If they survive and come back in the spring I will be pleased but like the ones in the Escallonia bed they were sold as annuals so I don’t hold out much hope. I need to fill in between them with some other annuals and find a suitable climber to cover the wall. I have tried clematis but it wasn’t shady enough for their roots, there isn’t a lot of soil to dig into. I may have a go with a Pyracantha instead, I'll get a small one and let it grow to fill the space.

Winter Fuchsia

 

Next time Fuchsia passion & trying something new!

New Year

Having started planning the allotment, greenhouse and containers my thoughts are moving on to the rest of the garden. When I moved in the garden was rather neglected, the lawn was regularly mowed but weeds were rampant around the edges and fast encroaching on the lawn & paths. Where the two greenhouses now stand was once a thicket of nettles, wild hops and Alexanders with a couple of choked trees. Nettles and Alexanders were everywhere (OK my youngest is called Alexander so its become a joke in the garden!). After a lot of weeding I'm starting to create flowerbeds but I still have a long way to go.

 

I brought three special plants with me from my last home, one is a lemon balm which was given to me by a close friend many years ago, whenever I have moved I have taken about  half of the plant with me, leaving a patch of lemon balm behind but always having some to take to my new home along with the memory of my friend. I also have two Buddleias which took some tracking down. One is the very pretty Buddleia Alternifolia with its arching branches of small leaves which are covered in tiny pale lilac flowers in early summer. It is not as fast growing as Davidii so I had to dig it up to bring it to my new home. The other is Buddleia Davidii Harlequin with its variegated leaves and magenta flowers, so far this does not seem to be as fast growing as usual Davidii but now it is settled it may take off. There is already a well established Buddleia White Cloud near the back of the house but it tends to get in the way of the path so I hope to strike some cuttings and establish a new shrub up with the others in the border. To finish off my collection I would like a Buddleia Black Knight with its exquisite deep purple blooms.

To make room for these Buddleias I shall have to severely reduce a very invasive Spirea Billardii which has been growing unchecked for some years. It puts out lots of underground suckers, some of which have been coming up in the lawn. I shall take it down to about half of its current size and try to contain it by lining its hole with wooden planks. I do not want to get rid of it completely as it attracts insects.

The border is south facing and I plan to try and keep it to shades of blue/purple and yellow, so the pink Fuchsia may have to move (it wont like that much) and I will have to resist re-homing the poorly plants from work. As much as possible I want to use plants for wildlife, particularly bees & butterflies but also for moths. Having had a look through my rather old Garden Expert books I have drawn up a shortlist of possible contenders. In the perennials section the nominees are Delphiniums, Echinops, Liatris, Evening Primrose (Oenothera), Penstemon, Phlox, Scabious and Veronica. These all range from one to five feet tall and are coloured from white through to deep purple. I also have a hankering to try and grow a Foxtail Lilly (Eremurus) but I'm not sure how well it will do because although it is south facing it has its back to the north, we are about a mile from the sea and there is nothing between us and the north pole so the winds can be decidedly chilly to say the least, which Eremurus wouldn't like. To fill in lower down and add in some brighter yellows I have nominated a few annuals ranging from four to thirty inches tall. The nominees are Calendula, Bartonia (Blazing Star), Ageratum (Floss Flower), Mesybryanthemum, Schizanthus and Scabiosa Paper Moon. What I end up with depends on what is available in the local garden centres, although I think some of the annuals will need to be grown from seed.

Next I shall turn my thoughts to the 'difficult areas' of the garden......