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February is coming around and it is time to look to the garden again. It has been a mild winter so far with a recent bit of wintry weather and the spring bulbs are well on the way. Hopefully you managed to tidy your beds and borders in Autumn, if not it is worth removing the dead leaves and debris and giving the soil a gentle turnover with a hand fork to show the bulbs at their best as they come into flower. The 10th February is the earliest I have seen a crocus flower in my garden but this year the first one appeared on 25th January. Let’s hope that winter does not have a sting in the tail like last year
Make sure your Wisteria is pruned by now, cutting back summer side shoots to 2 or 3 buds. Prune back winter flowering shrubs and Cornus and prune summer flowering clematis by the end of the month. Ornamental grasses should be clipped back almost to ground level. Pansies and heathers should be dead headed and trimmed. Snowdrops can be transplanted “in the green” and Lily bulbs can go into containers.
Back in December I talked about Spray and Charm Chrysanthemums which could be overwintered in compost and left dormant. These can be watered and fed with a liquid fertiliser and later in the month take 3” basal cuttings from the base of the stems. These can be put in 3” pots with compost and sharp sand and the old stems placed on the compost.
Hopefully you have done well with your winter vegetables and personally I have had a good year for parsnips, which totally failed last year with no seed germination. If you did not get your broad beans in last November then February is the next best option. These should be ready for picking by July. Aguadulce Claudia is the best winter variety although I notice that DT Brown have a Super Agaudulce Claudia. Not too sure what is “super” about it, probably the extra cost, but will give it a go this year. Also it’s time to start chitting potatoes so collect a number of egg boxes and place the potatoes in a bright, cool, frost free place. Place well rotted compost or manure over your rhubarb and force them with a large pot if you wish. Leek and onion seed should be under way by now and if you intend to exhibit then remember the maxim “40 weeks from sow to show”. Serious exhibition growers start with “grass” where new growth has already occurred in the head and can be taken as cuttings, which provides an extra few weeks head start.
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Normal leek seed on the left, “grass” on the right. |
Next month is the start of it and we have the big push through to June to get the garden ready for the summer. The very thought of it is giving me a thirst.
We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk
Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society
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