Don’t be a slave to all those gardening magazine that are telling you to sow seeds outdoors now if the conditions are not ideal Often these magazine are written 3 months ago and cannot predict the weather now! My garden is extremly wet so although the grass looks like it needs cutting I will not venture out with th lawn mower until it drys out a bit!
The Flower Garden
* Prune out old stems of elder (Sambucus) to promote new growth from the base
* Cut back last year’s buddleia stems to ground level
* Hard prune trees that respond to pollarding, such as willows, the foxglove tree (Paulownia) and Eucalyptus gunnii, to promote new growth
* Lift and divide large clumps of hosta
* Trim winter-flowering jasmine and tie in new shoots to supports
* Sprinkle granular fertiliser around clumps of spring bulbs
* Finish pruning roses as soon as possible
* Cut down all previous year’s growth on Clematis tangutica. New shoots will develop from the base, which will flower later in summer
Fruit and Vegetables
* Plant onion sets in modular trays of compost, raising plants under cover to plant out later
* Repair netting on fruit cages
* Continue forcing sea kale and chicory
* Buy herbs to plant up in containers that you can position near the house
* Plant out shallots
* Sow a green manure crop, such as crimson clover, fenugreek or field lupins, which can be dug into the soil later in the season to improve it
* Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard
Greenhouse
* Plant onion sets in modular trays of compost, raising plants under cover to plant out later
* Repair netting on fruit cages
* Continue forcing sea kale and chicory
* Buy herbs to plant up in containers that you can position near the house
* Plant out shallots
* Sow a green manure crop, such as crimson clover, fenugreek or field lupins, which can be dug into the soil later in the season to improve it
* Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard
Around The Garden
* Mow lawns then trim new edges with a half-moon edging tool
* Dig compost into borders to improve water retention
* Add copper rings to pots to protect plants from slugs and snails
* Hoe bare areas of soil on dry days to remove weed seedlings
* Replenish gravel and stone mulches on alpine gardens and scree beds
* Buy summer-flowering bulbs to plant in spring, such as gladioli, tigridia, galtonia, eucomis, anemone, lily and acidanthera
For more gardening information join me on my website at www.babicz.com
Andrew
