The mild weather has tempted me out into the garden on several occasions over the Christmas break. Sitting by the fire, eating and drinking is all well and good but I like to get some fresh air every so often and walking and gardening give me this and a chance to gather my thoughts for the coming year.
I have to admit to beginning my spring tidy up early. The perennials in the garden that included Day Lilies and the fiery red Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (which I love for late summer color and the russet leaves and seed heads in autumn) were a sludgy mass of collapsed foliage. I gently removed the leaves to reveal bright green shoots - the promise of this season’s growth – and will cover them again with homemade compost mulch once I have turned the heaps. Many Daffodils are beginning to shoot through the soil and the early variety ‘Rinjveld’s Early Sensation’ is in flower although a little later this year; the first blooms did not appear until a few days after Christmas.
The Clematis are already full of new growth but it is better to wait until the beginning of February before these are pruned back to a few centimetres. However, my ornamental grape vine can be pruned now to a basic frame work, by removing all of last year’s growth back to a few buds and tying the main branches into the trellis support. Pruning this plant hard worked really well last year and we were rewarded with vigorous growth covered with bronze green, heart shaped leaves that turned to beautiful scarlet shades through autumn.
A drive past my local Notcutts the other day was a sharp reminder that the allotment must be dug as soon as the soil dries up enough. Seed potatoes are already for sale and the best varieties always sell out fast so I need to buy mine soon and leave them in a cool, dark place until they are set in egg boxes for ‘chitting’ at the end of February.
Another job that I like to get done in January is the allotment cropping plan. Having this on a piece of paper saves a lot of hassle later in the season – I can just pick up the seed packets that I need on a set week and get on with it without wondering what I put in the previous week. The other advantage is that I can buy all of my seeds, onion sets and potatoes early and before the chosen varieties sell out! I always keep the previous year’s plan and amend it through the season if bad weather, or a cold spell, mean that some of the sowings do not go in on time. It’s better to hold off until the soil is warm than sow too early – whatever the seed packets say!
As soon as I have another dry day spare, I will take everything out of my garden shed and assess what is required for the season – buying fertilizers, composts and new tools at the last minute often coincides with good weather when I would rather be spending time in the garden than the car!
Perhaps I should take a leaf out of Mrs McGregor’s book and start to shop online for essential supplies!
