Surrey Homes | SH17 | March 2016 | Fashion supplement inside

FOR ALL YOUR TREE
SURGERY NEEDS
Crown reduction, lifting
and thinning
Stump grinding
Deadwooding of tree canopies
Hedge trimming and reduction
Supply, planting and aftercare of new trees
& hedges
Removal and responsible recycling of
green waste
Tree Protection Order (TPO) research,
application for planning consents with local
authorities and conservation area trees
completed free of charge
Makes Garden
Spray Visible
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www.SprayDye.co.uk
T: 0871 234 3480
Hellebore heaven
Native to woodland in Greece and Turkey, hellebores will grow
where many plants would give up, lighting up a gloomy corner
in the garden. They naturalise well and mix beautifully with other
early spring flowering plants and bulbs. Hellebores like moist,
woodland conditions, but can spend many a dry, shady summer
lurking between shrubs and trees without coming to harm. Called
the Lenten Rose – but not related to roses at all – Helleborus
orientalis flowers later (during Lent) than H. niger (helpfully
named the Christmas Rose, so that we can tell the difference).
Hellebores hybridise easily; in fact you will probably find baby
hellebores at the feet of mature plants – the problem is waiting
until they flower to see if they’re worth keeping, as some can be –
like the children of film stars – less dramatic than their parents.
Bring spring inside
When the weather outside is frightful, the garden is not always
an inviting place, but there is a neat trick you can do with early
flowering shrubs. They don’t have to be any of the ones I’ve
mentioned, but they should have buds on; try forsythia, pussy
willow or even blackthorn. Bring in a few twigs or small branches,
place in a vase of water and the tight buds will burst into bloom,
fooled into blossoming by the false spring in your living room.
Early veg
If you’re keen to get cracking growing vegetables, buy your seed
potatoes, but don’t plant them yet; leave them in a light and
frost-free place to start sprouting (a process called ‘chitting’)
which is supposed to give them a head start. Broad beans are
very hardy (try ‘Aquadulce Claudia’) and can be sown directly
outside now. Seeds of annuals and crops that need a long growing
season – leeks, peppers and tomatoes should be sown under
cover – remember that tender plants will need extra warmth
and can’t be planted outside until the warmer weather arrives.
Sting in the tail
We know what they say about the dawn – that the darkest hours
come just before it; spring’s the same, just insert ‘coldest’ in place of
darkest, and don’t rush out as I’ve been known to do and buy lots
of tiny bedding plants, then watch them die from frostbite. We
can have frost up until the end of May, so look after your babies in
a heated greenhouse, or on a warm (but not scorching) windowsill.
Winter may still have us in its grip, but the light has come back
and the garden is beginning to wake up. We are almost there. So
coats and boots at the ready, it’s nearly time to get out there.
For gardening ideas, border designs and planting plans
contact Jo on 01233 861149 www.hornbrookmanor.co.uk
www.wealdentimes.co.uk
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