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Start planning summer displays Set aside some time to start thinking about what you would like to try out this summer. It is satisfying to browse through gardening books whilst the rain is hammering against the window. If there’s an area of your garden that you’re not happy with, decide on a plan of action…
This is a good month for pruning woody plants. Hardy shrubs that flower on new wood later in the summer, for example the Butterfly bush, Buddlejia davidii, can be cut right down hard to the base. It’s amazing just how well shrubs respond to this, putting on rapid growth over the spring and summer months…
Now that there’s an appreciable difference in the daylight hours, February seems like a month of anticipation. It’s a lovely time of year to take a moment and wander around a garden admiring the young green shoots as they begin to ready themselves for blooming later in the year. There’s a general feeling in the…
Hedges If you are planning a new hedge, you will find that nurseries are full of bewildering varieties of bare-rooted hedging stock at the moment. A little bit of research into the best type of hedge for your garden will pay dividends in the long run. If you’re not sure which would be good in…
The comforting thing about the march of the seasons in a garden is the inevitability of the cycles. It won’t be long before snowdrops make their first welcome appearance heralding spring and the whole show can start again – January is an optimistic month. Although the days are cold and the nights long, there is…
Protect plants vulnerable to frost, for example, Cordylines and Evergreen Jasmine, by wrapping some fleece (which you can buy in a garden centre) around them. Once they have died back, some perennial plants, such as Penstemons and Verbena Bonariensis, can benefit from an extra mulch to help their roots from freezing. Wrap insulation around outside…
Any sunshine this month will be weak, but if you feel like venturing into the garden, wrap up well and there are always jobs to be getting on with! Now’s your chance to catch up with any repairs or maintenance jobs that have been piling up over the year and you can make the most…
