May: green for "go"

In a recent video link conversation with friends, there was a common theme: the spring, the greenery, the birdsong and the jobs in the garden are all helping to keep our spirits up.

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by greenery and I count my blessings every day. The government guidelines that allow for folk to get out and take huge gulps of fresh air are fantastic, especially as it is considerably cleaner than it was a few months ago.

So, if you are lucky enough to be able to get out into the garden (and why not drop some flowers round to someone who can’t get out?), there is plenty to do as nature bursts into life:

• Spring flowering shrubs can be pruned once the flowers are over. These shrubs include Choisya, Ribes and Chaenomoles.

• Spirea ‘Arguta’ and Kerria can have one stem in three removed and the other stems shortened to a suitable side shoot.

• Viburnum tinus, Senecio, Ligustrum and other similar evergreens can be trimmed this month.

• Clematis montana is a vigorous climber that often needs to be kept in check: you can be pretty brutal with this climber.

• Cut back Pyracantha to the desired size but remember that you may have to wait a couple of years for the berries to appear in winter if you cut them too hard.

• Climbing and rambling roses will produce more flowers if you are able to tie the side shoots as close to the horizontal plane as possible: this restricts the flow of sap.

• Lawns can be fed, and it is not too late to add fertiliser to plants, especially new or struggling ones that may need additional strength.

• Try to stay on top of the weeds by using a hoe or laying matting and mulch.

• Be careful not to over-water new plants in gardens with heavy, clayey soils: they will wilt and die as air cannot get to the roots.

• Herbaceous plants can still be divided and re-allocated to different areas of the garden.

• “Cometh the Spring, cometh the slug”: I have my cheap cider and shallow glass yogurt pots at the ready to drown the critters. You may want to try eggshells, grit, copper bands or organic pellets. Avoid pellets that introduce poisons into the food chain.

As in every year, late hedge cutting will disturb any nesting wildlife. The birds around here are certainly more in evidence than previous years: now is a great time to allow them to establish themselves again.

It is, however, hard to write too lovingly about all of nature’s creatures when you have sown a lawn only for it to be decimated by pigeons(!). I have now devised a method of keeping them off by using netting, foil and a kite and no longer resort to charging around after pigeons like a madman. In truth, I quite miss the exercise, shouting at something and the chance to get away from my desk.

We all need a little project in these strangest of times: there is always the garage and shed to clear out…

April: natural goodness

In these strange and unsettling times, I have a simple suggestion. It will take about a minute and I would be very surprised if it didn’t change your perspective. Just a teeny bit anyway.

Find a leaf, a blossom or some cut flowers and then stop. Yes, that is it. Stop and stare. Try to stop and stare for about a minute. This will probably be harder than you think, but give it a go.

What patterns do you notice? What colours stand out more than others? What emotions are evoked? Try not to react to the monkeys in your head as they chatter away, telling you of your pressing schedule for the day.

The more one looks at the natural world, the more it becomes evident just how diverse, extraordinary and beautiful it really is. That is partly why I became a Garden Designer in Hampshire. The truth is, we rarely make enough time to experience this. Sir David Attenborough once said at a house of commons select committee: “We depend on our connection to nature for our very sanity”.

Write down your thoughts, and, as an astronaut advised on his return from outer space (a place not to be confused with the end of the queues at supermarkets), why not keep a diary of your observations and your responses over the next months? Just an idea.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to get out into a garden this month, there are a number of jobs to be getting on with: it is the ideal time to finish those tasks that you have been meaning to complete for years:

• Lawn repairs: now the frosts are receding, seed can be bought online and sown on patches that have become worn. Remember to prepare the ground by scraping off any unwanted weeds or worn grass and giving the area a good rake over. Add a sprinkling of compost. Keep hungry birds away by hanging up old CD’s, tinfoil or playing Die Hard movies very loudly.

• Pond plants: whilst ponds can be Heaven, they also be Hell to look after. Now is the time to get at the water lilies and marginal plants, to divide them into smaller clumps in order to them choking the life out of a pond.

• Wildlife: if you are in the mood for clearing, cutting and composting, please be aware that this is the time of year when much of the local wildlife will be making their nesting homes. Avoid hedge cutting and be attentive when you are tidying up shelter spots. You can help hedgehogs move around from garden to garden by making small gaps at the base of fences.

• Compost: add compost or well-rotted manure to borders and around the bases of trees and shrubs: this will help keep the moisture in, the weeds off and give a slow release of nutrients.

• Plant autumn flowering bulbs and corms: why not invest in a bit of summer joy? Order and plant Gladiolus (Gladioli), Eucomis (pineapple flower), and Galtonia canadensis ( summer hyacinth). They will really add some dramatic colour and shape to your borders.

I have a long list of DIY jobs to finish over the coming months. As sure as eggs is eggs, unless I get my ‘inspiration time’, there is no way I am going to get any of them started, let alone finished.

I guess that means some more staring and dream time. Remind me; what was it that I was complaining about a few moments ago?

March: bursting!

Everything is swelling at the moment: rivers, streams, buds, bulbs and, of course, the dawn chorus. Nature is pregnant with life, so it is a good idea to get ahead of the game for when everything comes out.

Get your garden mojo working by repairing and cleaning your compost heaps and boxes. If you are active in the garden or the kitchen, you are bound to produce organic waste. Accelerate the decomposition of green matter by adding 50 mm layers of soil per 300mm and as many worms as you can find. The rewards will be plentiful, including the rich smell of humus: enough to encourage you out from in front of the telly I am sure!

Tasks this month include:

• Prune and thin winter jasmine so it doesn’t become too leggy in the coming year.

• Cut back Cornus (dogwood) shrubs to about 75 mm from the ground, unless it is a slow growing variety such as Midwinter fire. For these, cut hard half of the oldest stems.

• Salix (willow) grown for colourful stems can now be cut back hard too.

• Clumps of perennials that have become choked or oversized can be divided: use two forks back to back, pulling the handles together to pull the plant apart.

• Add fertiliser or well-rotted compost to hungry plants such as roses and clematis as well as containers that have been depleted over the years, of nutrients.

• Prune shrub roses by about one third and cut back climbing roses by about the same, tying in any loose ends.

• Keep a close eye on borders where you know weeds will be a problem: try to stay on top of them (I know, I know, easier said than done), by regular hoeing. It knocks them back and makes even the worst perennial weeds more manageable.

• The pest we love to detest - the slug, will begin to make its presence felt. Beer traps, a copper band on pots and grit on the soil will all help to deter them. Failing that, build a pond to encourage frogs!

• When turning compost, be wary of damaging any overwintered wildlife.

• Bundles of hollow stems placed in quiet corners of the garden, will encourage the laying of eggs by insects, including bees.

• Any sort of nesting material left outside, such as wool or hair, is likely to be snapped up by industrious garden birds making their nests for the coming season.

With the extraordinarily large amount of rainfall we have experienced, it is easy to be downcast at the prospect of working in the garden. Pretty soon it will all change… as it always does.

I will put money on the fact that we will be complaining about a drought in 6 months’ time!

February: signs and wonders

With the appearance of some warmer weather and some sunny spells, the local wildlife seems to have been out in force as they look for food to see them through the rest of the winter. Kites, buzzards and sparrow hawks have all been circling, swooping and sweeping the fields nearby in search of prey.

The dawn chorus has been more vigorous and the sight of green shoots poking through the grass are all signs of things to come. Which is all good as I, for one, need plenty of encouragement to get out there with the garden tools on the grey days. It is all very well working as a Romsey Garden Designer, but nothing beats getting out there.

Once underway, the tasks ahead are highly satisfying:

• Wisteria can be pruned back to two or three buds and the older, woody growth can be cut to reduce the size of the plant

• In milder areas, or when the warmer weather starts appearing, most hardy shrubs with hollow stems, such as Buddleja davidii and Perovskia can be pruned this month.

• Whilst the tawny coloured stems of ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus and Calamagrostis are a joy to behold in the winter months, especially in the winter sunlight, early spring is the time to cut them back to ground level. Wait until new growth can be seen before applying the chop.

• Clean up bamboo where stems have died back or collapsed over winter.

• Trim heathers after they have flowered in order to keep them compact and vigorous.

• Divide snowdrops to distribute them over a wider area.

• Cut back shrub roses by about one third, pruning to just above an outward pointing bud, trying to create an open, “bowl” shape to the rose. Cut off any suckers emerging from the root stock.

• Bird life will be looking to nest in spring so ensure all hedge trimming and renovation is completed by the end of the month.

• Nesting boxes will be sought out by birds but try to either build them or buy them from a sustainable source.

  Don’t miss out on the late winter scents. Cut yourself a sprig or two of Sarcoccocca, Mahonia and Viburnum fragrans or buy a Hyacinth to grow on an indoor shelf.

  Oh, the sweet smells of good things to come!

January: New Year Revolutions

I am haunted by an image: every time I put rubbish in the wrong bin or leave a light on, Greta Thunberg is standing there with a furrowed expression, saying: “If you let us down, we will not forgive you. We are watching you!”.

Righto Greta - I will do my best, I promise. Long Live the Revolution!

Actually, there is quite a lot we can do (other than cycling, rather than driving to the gym). Cutting up your Christmas tree and shredding it for mulch, buying plants that encourage bees and other insect life and putting out suitable bird feeders are all small but good steps. Why not plan to cut down on senseless mowing where the grass can happily grow longer and provide habitats of a range of wildlife? It all adds up.

When it is not frosty, it is a good month for undertaking repairs to your lawn, as well as other simple tasks:

• Brush and spread worm casts that appear on the lawn.

• Cut new edges to the lawn where needed: the soil will be damp and therefore easier to slice.

• Keep your lawn as free from old leaves and debris as possible: these can inhibit light and cause mould.

• Mole activity is most obvious in January and February due to mating and nest making. Without wishing to spoil their fun, remove the earth mounds and sow grass seed in spring.

• Spike areas of the lawn that are prone to water logging using a fork

• Be careful not to tread on areas where bulb shoots are emerging.

• Check tree ties and stakes. The cold winter winds can knock newly established plants all over the place. Give plants added protection if necessary.

• Tidy up any unruly plants, especially climbers, that may have been dislodged in high winds.

• Make the most of the lack of vegetation on most plants to get into shrubberies to remove brambles and self-seeded saplings.

It is good to know that the days are now getting longer, and the temperature will slowly be rising: rather mysteriously, plants are now beginning to grow.

2020? Bring it on! What is there to worry about with a friend like Greta?

December: shine a light?

So, this shopping Black Friday turned out to be sunny celebration Friday: three cheers!

I have to be honest: I secretly celebrated by merrily sniffing my freshly dug leeks and kicking some gloriously coloured leaves into the air. I also reflected on the admirable initiative some friends of mine are embarking on: they are making their own Christmas decorations by using solely natural materials. Evergreen leaves, colourful stems, berries and fir cones are all being used to great effect.

If you ever get tired of dragging last century’s decorations out of the attic, there is very likely to be a course near you at a garden centre or a farm shop. It will initiate you into this very wholesome and satisfying world. If you need a further incentive, they usually serve mulled wine too.

December can be a very mild month but as the shortest day of the year approaches and the calendar fills up, so enthusiasm for anything strenuous in the garden can dip. However, getting the essential tasks done can be time well spent:

• Make sure outdoor taps are insulated against the frost, either by wrapping them in that pesky bubble wrap we get with our parcels, or by draining them and turning off their water supply

• Prune acers, birches and vines now as they are less likely to “bleed” sap at this time of year

• Secure plants that may get blown around by the wind, especially climbers and newly planted trees

• Deciduous hedges such as beech and hornbeam can be renovated now. If drastic reduction is needed, then this task is best done over several winters

• Keep raking the leaves off the lawn as grass that does not get oxygen and light will soon become mouldy and start to deteriorate

• In order to improve drainage, use a fork to spike areas of the lawn that usually get flooded

• Hellebores that have very small flowers can be greatly improved by cutting off the leaves that obscure the flowers

• Prune open grown apples: refer to books or the net for more advice on this as the extent of pruning depends on the age and type of plant

• If you ever wondered why you hadn’t thrown away those old footballs, now is the time to remind you that they can be used in ponds to prevent total coverage by ice. This helps the fish and wildlife by maintaining more even oxygen levels in the water

• Try to keep off the lawns in frost as footprints will leave their mark

If you are wondering about a Christmas present, then maybe consider one of the many “green” options some of which includes sponsoring sustainable agricultural projects in developing countries. I have to say, I find them utterly inspiring and a very bright light in a rather murky season!

November: worm friendly

Last Sunday I had a close encounter with worms.

As a child, I was fascinated by them: I used to watch them wriggle uncomfortably on my palm whilst I plotted surprises to inflict on my classmates. The song, ”Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m going down the garden path to eat worms…”, still drifts through my head when I see boys sulking. Oh happy days!

What I didn’t appreciate then was that they are really good news and I must now confess to dispensing contradictory advice on this matter. On the one hand I recommended raising a compost heap off the ground to discourage vermin. On the other hand, I recently advised all you keen gardeners that having the base on the soil will accelerate the decomposition process. And boy - it really does too!

Now, I know in the scheme of things such as world cup rugby finals, this is a small matter, but when I tipped my compost out to let predators finish off the woodlice that had infested my compost bin, I was amazed at the results. I would say that the worms that had come up from the soil had accelerated the composting process by about tenfold. I didn’t have to go down the garden path to eat worms: they were coming up to meet me.

So, unless you have a serious local vermin problem, I would go for the “compost-on-the-soil” option. If you don’t add any cooked foods or proteins to the heap, you will reduce the chances of a nasty, furry surprise. Alternatively, you can go to your garden centre and pay a fortune for a bag of compost that has hundreds of road miles. Readers - no pressure there at all.

• If you want to plan some spring cheer, there is still time to plant out tulip bulbs, including the autumn flowering variety.

• Raking leaves can seem to be an endless task, but it is worth it. Firstly, it allows the lawn to breathe and reduces the chance of mould developing in your lawn. Secondly, the leaves are good news in a compost heap when a layer of soil is added every 30 cm or so.

• Burning leaves is another way of processing them: the ash is good for the soil as it is high on potassium - the element that encourages fruit and flowers. Add any diseased plant material to the fire too including rose leaves that have black spot.

• Put rabbit guards on new trees to stop them gnawing at the bark if food is scarce in a harsh winter. Check tree ties too: loosen one that are too tight as this restriction can inhibit the flow of sap and therefore nutrients, around the tree.

• Prune shrub and standard roses by about a third in order that the wind does not move them around and damage the root system.

• Lift pots and containers off the ground by a few centimeters and give them “feet” of tiles or stone to avoid water logging. Pots that are fragile should have their winter wrap to prevent frost damage: bubble wrap is effective.

• Mary Poppins fans may agree that now is the time to feed the birds. (Tuppence a bag may, however, be asking for too much.)

Finally, don’t think the coming autumn and winter is all gloom: when I worked as a gardener, I was amazed at how much solar light there was in the winter months.

Don’t take my word for it - go out there and enjoy the shapes, the shades and the shadows.

October: chopping and changing

With autumn here, I can’t wait to get out into the garden to start moving plants around. All year long I have looked at my patch and visited the gardens I have put together, and thought: “Hmmm: that plants needs moving, that plant needs dividing, that plant needs pruning!”. It is a never ending creative task and maybe that is why it is so appealing.

Now is the time to get your bulbs in too: it is still relatively mild, so getting daffodils, snowdrops, aconites and crocus into the ground will pay dividends next year. It doesn’t feel like a hardship either: with the crisp mornings and a bite in the air, seeing the changing colours is a joy. There is immense satisfaction to be gained from working as a Romsey Garden Designer but there seems to be never ending procession of hues to enjoy that vary always vary from year to year.

When you are not admiring the trees and gulping in the fresh air, jobs to do this month include:

• Pruning roses to prevent damage during the windy, winter months. As a rough rule of thumb, prune shrub and bush roses back by about a third. Climbers and ramblers can be thinned by about a third too.

• Get your compost area primed and ready for the autumn: make sure you have a waterproof cover as this will help retain the heat. Old carpet or sheets are ideal. If you can have your compost heap on soil rather than a hard surface, you will give access to those all-important worms.

• Harvest your fruit, but bear in mind that if you don’t remove all the protecting netting, you will allow birds to feed off those pesky pests.

• Cut back the perennials that have died down, but again, think about leaving plants that have seeds for the winter birdlife.

• This is the best time of year for lawn repairs as the soil is still warm and the amount of rainfall is increasing. For the best results, undertake the three main jobs of scarifying, aerating and applying topsoil.

• Pots and containers can easily become waterlogged in winter. By taking them off their saucers and by giving them “feet” to keep them off the ground, you will ensure good drainage.

Last week I saw a four year old carefully collecting the brightest coloured leaves that had fallen on a path: she was not the least bit bothered as to how long it would take. Her parents eventually starting joining in.

Now that is what I call adult learning.

September: a slippery slope

A few days ago I returned from France: I was looking at a garden with a number of challenges.

Approximately 30m x 30m and on a steep slope, the garden nestled on the edge of a small valley in a village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The topsoil was alkaline with poor nutrition: in the rainy months it was in danger of being washed away by heavy downpours.

Tricky to negotiate, the garden slope was proving to be a challenge to maintain. The retaining walls at the bottom of the slope were badly deteriorating. At the top, and adjacent to the house, a large water tank had been buried under the stone terrace.

Let me ask you: what would YOU do if you were only there in the warm months, the strimming of the grass took forever and your appetite for hillside pruning of shrubby gardening was diminishing every year? (Yes, this IS a test to see how much attention you have been paying in recent months!).

Well, I can tell you what I came up with anyway.

The clue for me was understanding how the locals managed their land. Where there was unwanted scrub and grass, livestock was fenced in and left to clear the vegetation. The direction of rainwater was clearly managed too: this not only reduced the chances of damage being done to structures but allowed for a layer of decent soil to become established and enriched by animal manure.

For the garden in question, by establishing a drainage flow, the rainwater could be safely channelled to the least destructive outflow point. By planting fruit trees in a regular pattern and close to the water flow, they could be irrigated and the roots would help bind the soil. Instead of just scrubby grass, a wildflower meadow could provide colour and insect attracting perennials in the warmer months when the house was occupied. In order to alleviate the need for hours of expensive strimming when the meadow needed to be mown, a goat or one of the small, local grazing ponies could quickly clear the garden of the meadow growth.

When it came to irrigation, you guessed it: the large buried water tank would be able to feed a smaller holding tank that could drip feed the fruit trees on the slope, especially in the crucial early years and early months of spring.

What excited me wasn’t just the sheer beauty of the area with its expansive views of the vineyards and distant blue mountains. It was the fact that, once again, by looking at how generations of smallholders have managed their precious land and by going back to first principles, more recent developments can be used: the latest seed mixes, new irrigation technology and newly bred fruit cultivars can be introduced to this garden.

If you think about it, these first principles of water management, of allowing nature to show us what works best and of harnessing the power of waste, are equally applicable to the local garden as they are to the country field.

So when you are not dreaming of owning a vineyard, there are a few tasks to be attended to this month:

• Beech and hornbeam can be given a light trim to keep them neat throughout the winter. As semi-evergreens they provide useful screening

• Deadheading will still produce results, especially with Dahlias that can look good until the first frosts

• Be selective when cutting back your herbaceous plants: many of them will provide seeds for wildlife as well as being attractive in the winter frosts and sunlight

• Raking out the thatch from your lawn (scarifying) and using a fork or an aerator to spike your lawn will improve drainage and the quality of your lawn. Where there are bare patches, sowing seed over spread topsoil and feeding the lawn in spring will give a fresh, green appearance.

• Divide herbaceous perennials that have become too big for their spot: it is remarkable how many plants can be teased out of one large clump. Be generous and give some of it away: you are very likely to have the compliment returned.

• If you have a pond near a tree, it is worth placing a net over the water to catch the leaves when they descend in autumn

• Order and plant spring-flowering bulbs

One tip I would like to pass on when exploring sustainable gardens: maybe you should ask your family first before you bring home a goat from the market to mow the lawn. Maybe just settle for some long grass, a some wildflower seed and a high setting on the mower?

Happy gardening!

August: downpipe time

They say that necessity is the mother of invention: looking at the emerging garden philosophies of using drought tolerant, low maintenance planting schemes, that certainly seems the case.

Instead of putting more of a burden on our water supply and in an effort to reduce labour costs, landscape schemes are incorporating more grasses and other drought resistant plants.

Fewer formal rows of bright annuals being planted out, and, in their place, we are seeing carefully selected wildflower mixes that climax at a time of year when they are likely to be appreciated. A perfect example of this philosophy in action is the Queen Elizabeth Park in the former Olympic park. Seed mixes are constantly being experimented with in order that they can provide interest throughout the year. Dr Nigel Dunnett of Sheffield University is the man to look out for with this: as a Hampshire Garden Designer he has been a great inspiriation.

The domestic gardener can learn a lot from these new approaches. August is traditionally the time when additional watering is needed to help sustain newly established plants and to keep hanging baskets and containers healthy. We all know the virtues of water butts but a few brave folk are imitating the initiatives taken on large landscape schemes by diverting the water from downpipes straight into borders and grass. This creates the possibility of having a semi-wetland ecosystem whereby a greatly more diverse planting scheme and the subsequent wildlife it will attract, can be sustained.

So whilst you are thinking of how to become more “green”, here are some of the jobs to do in August:

• Prune Wisteria by cutting back current year’s side growth to about 150mm

• Trim Lavender after it has finished flowering being careful not to cut back into the leaves if it is an older plant

• Continue dead heading container plants, roses and herbaceous plants such as Geraniums, that repeat flower

• Cut back rambling roses once they have finished flowering

• Trim hedges before the colder weather slows down their growth

• Give lawns a light trim rather than a heavy mow. Leave the collection box off as that will help keep the moisture in the lawn in drier weather

• Keep ponds topped up and remove any blanket weed that might be blooming. The topping up of the pond is best done when the demand for water is not at its peak.

• Water any newly established plants, especially if there are signs that the plant is stressed.

  Ornamental grasses have become very popular and there is a good reason for this: many of them can cope with both wetland and drought conditions. They can also look fabulous in the dormant months, especially in the morning sunlight after a frost. You also don’t have to worry about watering them when you are away on holiday, so you can think about a different sort of watering...