UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE GARDEN

UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE GARDEN

If you have a large garden plus an allotment and you grow a wide range of plants you can learn a lot about gardening if time is on your side and you can compare one years growing with numerous others. To get the best out of plants you need to consider the soil, growing techniques and local climate. After many years of gardening it is very pleasing to be able to pass on your experience to others interested in gardens, plants and growing crops. However advice is always based both on past experience and the current weather regime. The problem arises in that as I right this column today looking out my window wondering if our cold frosty start to April will still be there when you read this a week later on Saturday 14^th April.

After a really mild winter it was very pleasant when summer arrived in early March and continued till the end of the month. It was hardly surprising when winter returned in April, but it did give us all a shock, and where will it go from here?

The Gamble

Plants do not gamble with the weather. They are controlled by growth hormones that react to a range of stimuli including gravity, water, temperature and day length. Most plants will germinate and grow if they have sufficient moisture and warm weather. Last month was so warm that you could not hold any plant back, and it lasted so long that we gardeners began to wonder if it was possible that maybe it could last a few more weeks. So there was always a wee temptation to gamble and take advantage of the early summer.

The Winners

Recently planted broad beans, sweet peas, young saskatoons, onion sets (my onion seed Hytech gave a miserable germination this year) and leek seeds are all well established and not affected by the return of cold weather.

Swiss chard from last year has started to grow again and provide us with fresh spring greens, and spring cabbage is putting on excellent growth.

First cutting of rhubarb is earlier than previous years but remember to remove those flowering shoots.

Zygocactus, the Christmas cactus flowered normally last December, then after drying off returned to flower a second time a month later. It then got dried off again, but now it is back into flower for a third time. It must be as bewildered as me, but great to see it in full flower again.

Cuttings of grape vines just love the early summer and have all burst into growth, but when winter returned in April I removed them from my cold greenhouse to our living room windowsill for a few days till we get back to a bit of normality.

The Losers

Early strawberries under tunnels are now in flower, but recent frosts have blackened a few flowers.

Peaches enjoyed the warmth with a lot of pink flowers that I hand pollinated with my sable paint brush. Even with the summer weather there is still very few pollinating insects around. I had to protect the flowers with fleece sheets while frost threatens. Time will tell if it worked.

Tulips were very early but many got flattened with the weight of snow on them, though there is still a great display.

My pear tree grafted with extra varieties last year, have all started to grow very early this year. Beurre Hardy, Conference and Christie are all perfect but young Comice foliage has shrivelled up in the cold spell.

One loser I am happy to live with is the greenfly colony trying to take over my climbing rose Dublin Bay. The frosty weather sorted a lot of them out so no need to get the sprayer out just yet.

Plant of the week

Polyanthus was to be my plant of the week for the first week in May, but they have been flowering from early February and are at there best now.  They are perfect for beds, borders, tubs and hanging baskets. Grow them from seed sown in May to June in seed trays kept moist, shaded and cool. Prick out into cellular trays when big enough to handle, grow on for a few more weeks then line out in prepared soil and grow on till autumn when they can be transplanted into their permanent places.

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SPRING COLOUR

SPRING COLOUR

Summer arrived in the middle of March and the garden just loved it, bursting into flower way ahead of it’s time. England may have a very serious drought problem, but Scottish gardens are glad to get a rest from two years of dull wet weather. The rains stopped at the end of last autumn allowing land cultivations to proceed in the very pleasant winter. Allotment digging was completed by the end of the year and has weathered beautifully over winter. It is very easy to break down and prepare it for sowing and planting. However it is still hard work in our early summer at the end of March, but we get our rewards with a wee break, sitting in the sunshine and admiring the wealth of colour from our flower and shrub borders.

Spring bulbs and shrubs

Daffodils are at their peak, tulips are well ahead, Anemone blanda is smothering the ground in a carpet of blue, and hyacinths and wallflower provides the scent as well as dazzling colour.

Flower tubs planted with polyanthus are a mass of colour, but my winter hanging baskets filled with pansies have not joined in the fun with hardly a flower to be seen.

My two favourite Camelias, the red Adolphe Audusson and the very reliable pink Donation are a mass of flowers. They like a partially shaded spot with good drainage, but always retaining moisture, and make sure they don’t get early morning sunshine as it can blacken the flowers after a frost. Give them an annual light mulch of compost or well rotted leaf mould.

Kerria japonica is also stealing the show in the coloured stem border as it is the only one that does not get pruned down to ground level, so it has no competition. This border has been mass planted with bulbs, so there is quite a show with tulips taking over from the crocus, now past their flowering period.

The quince, Chaenomeles japonica Crimson and Gold is covered in red flowers. They respond to neglect, so do not feed them or give them any special treatment. They just like to be left alone to flower profusely. I only prune any straggly shoots after flowering to keep the bush tidy.

Vegetables

Swiss chard is looking great with bright red and white leaves, and is one of the few remaining winter vegetables. Still plenty of leeks, but only a few Swedes left. Sprouts, kale and cabbage are all finished. Stored onions are still perfect and plentiful, and there is still one stored pumpkin left.

Fruit

Figs have started to grow and there seems to be a huge crop of young figs waiting to swell up. Usually after a normal winter a lot of these fall off, but the winter was very kind to them so maybe it will be a good year for the figs. I must look out a good wine recipe in case we get a glut.

Greenhouse grape vines were all lowered to even out bud growth over the whole length of each rod, but can now be tied back onto the framework to keep them secure as bud growth has been excellent.

My new cherry tree has a mass of flower buds waiting to open up, and the peach continues to produce more flowers needing my attention with the sable brush to assist pollination.

The year has started off better than we could ever hope for, let’s hope nothing spoils it.

Propagation

Geraniums are growing strongly so needed potting up into larger pots. I always remove all the young flowers as I want a strong bushy plant that can put on some decent growth before it gets down to flowering. Busy lizzies also got potted up, as well as newly rooted fuchsia cuttings.

Grape vine eyes (a two inch stem with one bud) dibbled into cellular trays are now all beginning to throw up shoots, but I will wait a bit longer to let them grow a good root system before potting up.

Cabbage and sprouts sown two weeks ago have now germinated and are next to get pricked out and potted up. They are quite happy in the cold greenhouse.

Plant of the week

Kerria japonica has a bright splash of golden yellow flowers in spring. It is very easy to grow as it is not fussy about soils, and propagation is simple as it suckers freely and these can be dug up and replanted in winter. It is quite popular for planting against a north facing wall as it does not need a sunny position. Good companion plants are Pulmonaria and Anemone blanda which are ground cover and flower at the same time but with blue flowers. This shrub grows about six foot tall and although it is deciduous its bright green stems are very attractive all winter.

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SPRING PLANTING AND SOWING

SPRING PLANTING AND SOWING

The mild winter has given way to an early warm spring, but do we forge ahead with the sowing and planting to take advantage of the unusual mild spell, or to we tread carefully knowing that a late frost or cold snap is just as likely to happen and set back all the early promise. I have no answer to this unpredictable weather pattern. It just depends on how much your personality allows you to gamble. However there are huge rewards if the gamble pays off, so I will continue to test global warming.

I got caught out last year when my advanced plants were enjoying the mild spring then along came some very severe gales and shredded the young leaves off plants all over the garden. Every year is different so I have hope that this year may not be the year with severe gales. Fingers crossed.

Begin the planting

Broad beans were raised in the living room under a table then after a good germination, put into my cold greenhouse and are now ready to plant out on my allotment. We still have some of last years bean crop in the freezer and is used for a superb soup, so a good crop in 2012 is essential. Beans are gross feeders so appreciate well composted soil prepared in the autumn. I plant mine out in a double row spaced out at nine inches apart with the rows also nine inches apart.

Sweet peas were also germinated in the living room then transferred to a sunny windowsill for a month before going out to the cold greenhouse. They were tipped at two leaves, then branched out to form quite sturdy plants which are now ready for planting. Sweet peas need very fertile soil so I always double dig a trench for them with compost added to both the lower spit and the upper spit.

I grow mine up a wire mesh fence six foot high for visual impact but still take many bunches of cut flower.

If you really want exhibition quality blooms then you must remove all weaker sideshoots from the branched plant just leaving the strongest shoot. This is then trained up a six foot cane as a single cordon with all sideshoots and tendrils removed.  The growing point is continually secured against the cane with a sweet pea ring. Weekly feeding will ensure strong blooms.

Start the sowing

Early salad crops can now be sown with lettuce, radish, spring onion and beetroot if you have a sheltered spot. It is still a bit early for beetroot, but if the mild weather continues you could get lucky and get some nice early baby beet. I will try some early carrots under fleece tunnels to bring them on early and hope to avoid the attentions of the carrot fly.

Pottering around

It is very pleasant to wander around the garden enjoying the warm spring weather which brings out the best of the spring flowering bulbs. You can always relax on a chair on the patio, but then you see a wee job needing attention, and you are back in casual work mode. Just as I was enjoying the flowers of the Kerria japonica I realised the rest of the coloured stem border (cornus and salix) needed cutting back to ground level to encourage fresh young shoots with the brightest colour.

Mild weather has brought out the flowers of my peach tree which need hand pollinating as there is not too many bees around at present. They are looking very good this year, so if I am lucky maybe both me and Anna will each get a peach this year.

I saw my first rose buds on my climbing roses, but then on closer inspection I noticed they had a fair covering of greenfly, so I need to get the sprayer out and give the aphids a wee fright.

Greenfly are also fond of winter pansies so always check them and add them to the spray programme.

Fruit tree grafting

I will be doing an apple tree grafting demonstration on the City Road allotment site on Sunday 1^st April from 11am. Anyone interested in seeing how to graft fruit trees is very welcome to come along. It is not difficult and the success rate is quite high and very rewarding.

Plant of the week

Forsythia is one of the earliest deciduous shrubs to flower putting on a dazzling display of golden blossom in late March. It is very easy to grow and mixes well with Fosteriana tulip Red Emperor. Plant explorers found it in the Far East a couple of hundred years ago.

Lynwood is one of the best varieties.

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Colourful Annuals are Easy

COLOURFUL ANNUALS ARE EASY

Most gardens at some time always have some bare areas needing something to brighten them up. Although this winter was very mild, the previous two winters really sorted out a lot of not too hardy plants leaving bare patches which need replanting or continual weeding. Annuals can be used to add some summer colour and interest to these areas. They are also invaluable in the new garden as freshly planted permanent planting may yet be a few years away from filling up their space leaving a lot of bare ground.

Annuals do not need rich soil and may flower better if the ground is quite poor, though to get good germination and establishment it is worthwhile ensuring the soil surface is well prepared adding some well rotted compost or old used growbags into the top few inches. Do not use any fertiliser otherwise you may get lush growth at the expense of flowers.

Some annuals are so colourful that it is well worth setting aside a special border to grow them in every year. They will flower best in full sun on well drained soil even if it is a bit dry so long as they have enough moisture to get them established.

Sowing and planting

Seed sowing can be started at the end of March to mid April direct onto the ground where they are to grow. If you only have a small patch of ground then just broadcast the seeds lightly and rake them in. However if your border is a fair size and you are growing a range of annuals it may be better to mark out drifts with builders sand then sow each type in rows in its own patch. When these grow to a few inches they can be thinned and transplanted to where ever they are needed. This method also makes weeding a lot easier. It gives a more natural appearance when planting up drifts if the different plant types overlap. Some types such as Livingston daisies and Osteospermums can be sown in plug trays and grown on for a few weeks before planting out. They will need to be kept well watered until they get growing.

My favourite selection

Many half hardy bedding plants such as petunias, marigolds and geraniums are treated as annuals, but these are best for traditional beds, tubs and hanging baskets, so I am concentrating on the hardy annuals usually sown direct onto the ground or raised for a few weeks in plug trays.

You can also buy a wide selection cheaply from your garden centre as plug plants to try out something new.

Top of my list has always been the Shirley poppies as they are very easy to grow, very colourful and often find themselves the subject of a painting. Californian poppies and poppy Ladybird are also firm favourites. The best fully double pink poppy is varieties of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum which arrived as a stray weed in my garden but put on such a fantastic show that I saved seed for future years.

Godetia, Livingston daisies, osteospermums and candytuft are very showy at the front of borders and clarkia, cosmos, cornflower, larkspur and amaranthus better at the back.

If you have young kids around grow some statice or helichrysum (everlasting flowers) at the front as they love to feel the rustling flower petals.

Calendula and nasturtiums are easy and give a great show, but keep them dead headed as if left unattended they can become very invasive in the following years as the seed remains viable for years and germinates readily.

Nigella (Love in a mist) is another favourite with soft blue flowers.

Plant of the week

Daffodils are the largest and boldest members of the narcissus family flowering from February to April as the traditional herald of spring. Golden Harvest and King Alfred are the two most popular trumpet varieties, but Mount Hood is a brilliant white with a great perfume. The range also includes doubles, the highly scented Jonquils, paperwhites, miniatures and numerous others.

They naturalise very easily so are often mass planted in drifts in grassed areas, deciduous woodlands and shrub borders and will fit in perfectly in herbaceous borders. Once planted they will flower reliably every year. They make excellent cut flower and their scent can be heavenly. Grow them in tubs and pots to flower early then planted in the garden once the foliage has died down.

Painting of the Month

Chinese Beauty is a large acrylic painting on canvas showing a close friend Hongmei Li dressed in a Tang dynasty gown. Hongmei spent some time with us in Scotland while studying for her PHD trying to identify an unknown nematode devastating the Chinese pine forests. She was also a very keen photographer and brought with her a small portfolio of fantastic photos of herself in traditional costume taken in a studio in China. Several paintings of Hongmei followed, so she had memories of her wonderful time spent at her Scottish home in Dundee to take back to China.

She was my only Chinese model and a great friend.

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