A HUNDRED WEE JOBS

A HUNDRED WEE JOBS

At long last the cold weather has been replaced with a very late but welcome spring sunshine and some warmth. Gardeners can now catch up on numerous jobs building up while we wait on some planting and sowing weather.

The greenhouse

The greenhouse has been overflowing with plants, as the frosty nights stopped me from hardening off my broad beans, sweet peas and some large pots of Barca Red chrysanthemums now over a foot tall. The frost has gone so now they are all outdoors.

Chrysanthemum stools have been stripped for cuttings and the old plants shredded and added to the compost heap. Cuttings are rooted in cutting compost in a propagator with some bottom heat.

Last years old grow bags were opened up and I added some top soil before sowing a crop of winter salad leaves in autumn. These have been very prolific giving us fresh young salad leaves all winter, but they have now been put outdoors as they are quite hardy and greenhouse space is at a premium.

Tomatoes, Jalapeno chilli peppers and my tuberous begonias have now being transferred from the warmth of my house windowsills to the greenhouse. I had to resort to putting on my electric heater for a few weeks as frosty nights would have done damage to many plants.

Other seedlings including lettuce, radish, spring onion and beetroot have also moved from windowsills to the greenhouse. They will only get about two weeks under glass then they are due for planting on the allotment under low polythene tunnels for an early crop.

Tomatoes saved as cuttings from last year have put on fantastic growth, though I kept cutting them back and using the tips as more cuttings, so I have plenty of excellent plants for my grow bags. I will also plant up Alicante and Gardeners Delight tomatoes into grow bags now the spring weather has arrived.

Dormant fuchsias have now started into growth so they have been potted up, watered and spaced out in the greenhouse.

A batch of sweet corn has been sown individually in cellular trays and placed on my windowsills to germinate as there is no space left in the greenhouse. Cape gooseberries are also on windowsills awaiting space in the greenhouse once something else can be moved out. I think that will be my fifty geranium plants.

Allotment

There were just enough dry days to allow all the soil to be roughly dug in late winter. The dry weather with frosty nights has helped to break down the clods to give me perfect seedbeds.  All fruit bush pruning has been completed and prunings shredded and added to the new compost heap. Raspberry canes are now tied in along the top wire with a string running knot which is a lot faster than tying them separately, and the canes do not move in the wind.

New fruit bushes including Aronia Viking, white currant White Versailles, Raspberry Glen Fyne and my three new outdoor grapes, Phoenix, Rondo, and Regent have all been planted on south facing fences. This could be a very interesting year.

Land set aside for sweet corn, pumpkins, cape gooseberries and courgettes wont be needed for a couple of months so it has been prepared as a seed bed, fertilised and sown with a green manure crop of red clover. Hopefully this will grow away strongly and get dug in prior to the land being needed for planting in June.

Spring cabbage planted last summer has hardly grown at all, though there is still time. Last years cold weather never did the young plants any favour and the prolonged winter has really held back any spring growth. They got full protection from pigeons, slugs, clubroot, caterpillers and rootfly maggots, plus ample compost and Perlka fertiliser, but we cannot control the weather.

Plant of the week

Tulip Scarlet Baby is always very welcome as this Tulip kaufmanniana species is the earliest one to appear. This year may be running weeks late but this tulip started to flower in the first week in April. It is a fiery red with yellow centre and once planted comes up every year with the group slowly increasing in size. As this is a species it naturalises very easily without the need to lift in late spring, drying off the bulbs in summer and replanting in autumn as with most other tulips. My group is planted alongside a drift of yellow saxifrage which flowers at the same time making quite a nice splash of early colour.

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FLOWERING SHRUBS

FLOWERING SHRUBS

Almost every garden needs some flowering shrubs. They give the garden depth, structure, shelter, privacy, and ground cover to smother weeds and save on maintenance. Some are evergreen, some have variegation and many flower, often with fantastic scent. Most are very easy to grow and types can be found to suit full sun, shade, dry soils, moist soils, acid soils, alkaline soils and some such as Escallonia, Rosemary, Broom, Choisya and Senecio can tolerate exposure to maritime conditions.

However when choosing garden shrubs we tend to buy in plants we really like then hope we can create conditions that they are happy to thrive in.

I have always had my “must have” list and over the years gradually acquired many of them.

Rhododendrons and camellias were very high on my list, with R. praecox and Elizabeth essential plus camellias Donation (pink) and Adolphe Audusson (red) but remember these need acidic moist peaty soils that is free draining and do not mind some shade. Coming down in size the dwarf evergreen Japanese Azaleas come in a wide range of colours and are great for ground cover. Deciduous Azaleas will grow a lot taller but can be brilliantly coloured and scented.

Other shrubs like moist, but not waterlogged soil include Amelanchier, Viburnums, Spiraea and for really shaded spots try the Hypericums and Mahonia.

Dry sandy soils are not a problem with the right selection so include Cytisus brooms, Genista gorses, Senecio, Cistus, Ceanothus and Kerria.

Shrubs with scented flowers are numerous but some of the best would include Philadelphus, Viburnums, Choisya, Daphne, Osmanthus, Lilacs and many shrub roses.

Sometimes we like to try out the more tender plants just in case climate change works in our favour. This has worked well over the last ten years or so till we got hit by the one off serious winter two years ago. That was when hardiness got put to the test and most of us lost prize specimens. My beautiful Leptospermum Red Damask never survived as well as my six year old mature date palm, but my mature Eucalyptus was unaffected. The Australian palm, Cordyline and all my outdoor hardy fuchsias got cut back to ground level, but all came back again by mid summer.

Gardeners have plenty patience, but sometimes this gets put to the test. Way back in the late sixties when I was sitting my Diploma practical exams at the RHS gardens in Wisley I came across this gorgeous Cornus kousa chinensis. I never forgot its name and put it on my must have list for the future. I bought one eight years ago, but am still waiting to see the first flowers. The nursery had grown them from seed rather than grafting them. I am now informed that it can take fifteen years for this plant to reach a mature enough condition before it starts to flower. I have pruned the stems, root pruned it, threaten it frequently, but no amount of bad language seems to be working. It just loves to grow with great vigour, but if no flowers appear this spring it is in serious trouble.

Planting

Shrubs are likely to last a long time so make sure the soil is in good shape suited to the type of shrub to be planted. Prior to planting make sure there are no perennial weeds and dig over borders incorporating compost to improve the soil. The best time for planting is in the dormant season, but late spring is ok as long as the bushes can get watered if dry weather prevails. Water plants before and after planting and most shrubs will benefit from a dressing of fertiliser, except rhododendrons and azaleas which may get scorched leaves. All shrubs benefit from a compost mulch to help retain moisture and prevent weeds growing. Give plants enough space according to how big they are likely to grow and any resultant bare soil in the early years can be sown down to annual flowers.

Plant of the week

Saxifrages come in many forms and flower colours. London Pride is one of the more common, but well known types. Most are cushion forming hugging the ground in solid clumps that slowly enlarge. The foliage forms clusters of tight rosettes and flowers form in early spring to mid summer. They prefer well drained gritty soil on the alkaline side, in rock gardens or beside stone walls and path edges. They are very hardy and snow and frost will not harm the plants or flowers.

Painting of the month

Lemon Narcissi is one of my spring flower images painted boldly in acrylic on large box canvases. This project also included tulips, Iceland poppies and flag iris. All of the flowers were grown in my garden and allotment in City Road which gives me plenty of ideas for flower paintings. The allotments and my garden will feature in my outdoor art workshop running the first week in July but painting is also planned at Broughty Ferry, Rait village and Magdalen Green beside the bandstand with views of the Tay Bridge.

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STRAWBERRIES

STRAWBERRIES

Strawberries must be one of the best fruits to grow and eat. They are easy to grow, a perfect size to eat, have great colour and taste and are an excellent health product high in vitamins C and K, minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iodine and potassium, antioxidants and fibre. They can be cropped over a long period by bringing the season forward with early varieties under tunnels, then after the summer crops have finished the season can be extended with late varieties and perpetuals which will fruit till the frosts come. The UK climate is perfect for them as it doesn’t get too hot in summer, but imports out of season supplied from warmer countries abroad are no substitute. They may look delicious, but they lack flavour, softness, sweetness and taste like a Swede turnip.

Their popularity has now extended to growing them in barrels, hanging baskets, tubs, large layered strawberry pots and growbags at ten plants per bag. These are usually placed at tabletop height above soil level so no need for straw or slug pellets. Plants can be purchased as fresh runners in autumn, potted plants in winter and spring and cold stored runners in spring and summer.

Strawberries require a period of cold weather so the crowns can initiate flower buds, so plants lifted for cold storage need a few frosty winter months so the runners can fruit the first year after planting in spring or early summer.

Cultivation of main crops

Strawberries are happy on most soils as long as drainage is good, and the land has been well manured or composted as they will be on the same ground for two to three fruiting years. Once fruit size falls away and you are ready to plant up a fresh strawberry patch with new runners choose another area of land to rotate crops. New beds can be planted in autumn to fruit the following year or in early spring with cold stored runners. As long as the new plants can grow for a couple of months before fruiting you can crop in the first year. Traditionally rows are spaced at three feet apart to allow access for cultivations and picking and the plants spaced at one foot apart along the row, but if you have your own plants and plenty of runners you can plant at six inches apart up the row to gain a heavier crop in the first year.

After planting give a dressing of a high potassium fertiliser. Strawberries do not respond to nitrogen or phosphorus. Keep the rows weeded and once runners start growing keep just enough to thicken up the row, then remove others so the strength of the crowns is not weakened. At the end of flowering when the first fruits begin to swell lay some fresh clean straw up the rows under the fruit trusses to prevent soil splashing onto the developing berries. As soon as the first fruits begin to show colour net the crop from birds which enjoy the fruit just as much as us.

Pick the fruit with a small piece of stalk to avoid damage to the fruit.

Once the crop is harvested cut off the old foliage and remove it and the bedding straw. New leaves will soon appear. Towards the end of the strawberry patch (usually third year) keep all the runners so you can select the strongest for the next strawberry bed.

There are many varieties to choose from including Elsanta, a popular commercial variety, Honeoye, Hapil and Cambridge Favourite.

Early crops

My earliest crops are grown under low polythene tunnels using the early variety Mae which I start to pick at the end of May. Open the tunnels in dry sunny weather to encourage insect pollination and water if necessary.

Extend the season

Late summer varieties such as Florence and Symphony (bred in Dundee) will crop into August then Perpetual varieties such as Flamenco crop over a long period right till the end of November, but edible berries need sun and warmth to keep them sweet and soft so cropping ends by mid October. These are grown just the same as summer varieties.

Plant of the week

Glory of the Snow known botanically as Chionodoxa luciliae is a low growing bulbous plant with sky blue starry shaped flowers appearing in early spring and not affected by our cold winters, so it often appears through the snow as it melts. It is very easy to grow, perfect for path edges, front of cottage garden borders, the rock garden and as an underplant amongst deciduous shrubs. It is not fussy about soil as long as it drains freely and can thrive in sun or partial shade. Plant bulbs in autumn, split clumps after flowering or collect and scatter seed after flowering. They grow readily and small clumps soon form impressive drifts.

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THE GARDEN COMES TO LIFE

THE GARDEN COMES TO LIFE

I am hoping that although it is blowing a blizzard outside as I write this page, there is a strong possibility that spring will have arrived when it appears in print a week later. In between snow showers as the sun emerges, the snow melts and the garden leaps into life for a brief spell.

This March has been the opposite of March 2012 when it was positively sun bathing weather for most of the month. Now if March weather can completely turn around from last year it could be reasonable to hope that the rest of the year will also be the opposite from last year, i.e. 2013 might just be a very dry year. No comments, please, as these are just my thoughts as I plan how to manage my garden for the coming year, but I think I will get the hosepipes ready just in case.

The snowdrops and crocus are now past their best, but the daffodils are now coming out, the first early tulips are showing colour and my wallflower Golden Monarch has started to bloom. Polyanthus grown from seed sown last year has been flowering from the end of February with a lot of promise for more to come as we get into some warmer weather.

Golden flowering saxifrages are totally unaffected by the cold and snow. They spread slowly but quite thickly and are brilliant at smothering out all weeds. They only grow a few inches tall and seem to love scrambling over rocks, walls and path edges. They are a good companion plant with the blue flowering Chionodoxa as well as Anemone blanda, also blue.

The fruit garden

I keep expecting my peach tree to start flowering, as it is usually very early, but not this year, so hopefully when it does flower in April danger of frosts is less likely and pollinating insects will be more abundant. Apple tree flower buds are beginning to swell, with the Oslin coming out first, so the future looks good. No sign of life in pears or plums yet, but saskatoons, blueberries, aronias and blackcurrants are all on the move.

I have purchased and planted three new grape vines outdoors to see what they think of Scotland. They have all been given a south facing fence or shed to keep them warm and sheltered. So my original grape Solaris will get some company with Phoenix, Rondo and Regent. I also wanted to try Siegerrebe but could not find a supplier anywhere, unless I needed a bundle of twenty five vines.

Glasshouse plants

At this time of year the glasshouse is fully occupied with plants in various stages of growth and finding room for everything can be quite a challenge. My glasshouse is unheated, which this year has been tested to the limit. Plants sown in early March in the warmth of a windowsill in a warm room such as onions, broad beans and lobelia soon germinated and want to grow. Normally they go into the glasshouse within a few weeks as they need good light and cooler conditions to keep them sturdy, but frosty nights and day temperatures just above freezing does them no favours. So my sturdy young rooted geranium cuttings got transferred to the cold greenhouse to allow more tender seedlings a few more days of warmth on a windowsill.

Tomato seedlings have now been pricked out into smaller cellular trays to grow on for a couple of weeks before potting up into larger pots. They are on the windowsill with grape vine cuttings, Christmas cactus cuttings and lobelia seedlings soon to be pricked out.

Seed sowing continues with Cape gooseberries, and chilli pepper Jalapeno which I will try this year.

Salads such as lettuce, spring onion, radish and beetroot are due for sowing to give early crops under the protection of low polythene tunnels, but with the season being so cold I am not in a hurry as windowsill space is very limited and the greenhouse is still a bit too cold.

Young buds of tuberous begonias in store are now showing colour, though they have been held back by cold temperatures. The tubers have now been boxed up, watered and I will keep them under a table in a warm room on waterproof trays for a few weeks till they start to grow.

Plant of the week

Rhubarb Timperley Early is my plant of the week as it is the earliest rhubarb variety to emerge in spring making a very welcome sight with the promise of fresh sticks to eat. Results from studies on the health benefits of rhubarb are just about elevating it to superfood status as it has so many favourable attributes. It is high in vitamins C, K and B6, high in dietary fibre, and contains the mineral calcium. The bright red colour of the stems comes from its beneficial range of antioxidants. When cooked it releases polyphenols which help in the fight to destroy some cancer cells.

Other natural compounds found in rhubarb help as a laxative, and others help to lower cholesterol. However the leaves are quite poisonous so always cut the stems about an inch below the leaf. Rhubarb likes good soil, so give it plenty manure or compost as a mulch, some fertiliser, and if you get a glut during the summer it freezes brilliantly and can then be used all year round.

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