Wealden Times | WT225 | Jan & Feb 2021| Education supplement inside

Garden
Pruning clematis. Clematis are in different groups
depending on flowering time. Group 2 includes the large
flowered clematis which often have two flushes of flower.
One being in early summer and one later in the season. To
get the best out of this type, prune in February before any
new growth appears. Keep a framework of old wood and
tidy up other stems to above a healthy bud. You can also
prolong their flowering period by pruning in two stages.
The easiest clematis group is the one I prefer; clematis like
the viticellas with their gorgeous and profuse bell shaped
nodding flowers should be pruned hard as they flower on
new growth. As soon as you see any signs of new growth,
cut all the foliage right back to just above a healthy looking
bud about nine inches above ground level. If we’ve had
or are having a hard winter any stems that are badly frost
damaged can be cut down to ground level at this stage
too. Clematis are hungry feeders so start thinking about
adding lots of nourishing organic matter around their bases.
Avoid doing this if the weather is still particularly cold as
you don’t want to lock the cold in around their roots.
Wisteria. If it is mild enough, prune side shoots
to two or three buds from the base.
Hellebores. These are just beautiful and are gems of the
winter garden. There are just so many of them to choose
from and of course they are prolific seeders (although
their offspring rarely resemble the parent) but that’s what
makes it fun. You never know what you are going to get.
Hellebores come into their own in rich soil, preferably
neutral to alkaline, and in partial shade. Avoid dry
conditions and again, add a good mulch whenever you
can. Cutting their leaves back in early winter is an idea as
by now as the plants flower, you can see them properly
and new, fresh young leaves will soon begin to appear.
like Wettable Sulphur. If you start using it in the autumn,
winter, and the spring you can continue with it in the
summer at a reduced rate if you see any remaining signs
of disease. But use it now as a preventative exercise rather
than wait until the rose is flowering When you are pruning
rose bushes, cut out dead wood first and any crossing
branches as well as suckers. Cut these below ground. Aim
for an open centred plant using your newly sharpened, clean
secateurs cutting at an angle so that moisture will drain away
from the outward facing bud that you have cut above.
Hardy perennials. You can start even splitting large
clumps of hardy perennials in February. Many plants like
day lilies and aconites will be showing signs of life and
this is a good time to tackle them. And finally, if you
have been tree planting through the winter, keep their
bases free of turf and competing weeds and add a good
top dressing of garden compost. Oh, and the base of
hedges need weeding through now too and then mulching
with compost and a handful or two of a slow release
fertilizer like Osmacote. Yew hedges particularly benefit
from being weed free so yes, there is plenty of admin to
attend to in February. The list could go on and on...
Metal ‘road pins’ are very inexpensive
and can be found online. Use black
netting round three or four of these and
any large plant will be standing up
pretty straight for you by the summer
Autumn fruiting raspberries. These need to be cut back in
the winter and if you haven’t already done so, prune them
before they start sprouting away. They don’t last forever so
every ten years or so, grub them up and start again. When
you are cutting them back, don’t leave a stump. The other
thing you can do is to ‘tip back’ some of the canes. That
is prune back just the top half of the cane that produced
fruit the previous year. That should ensure that you’ll get
raspberries in mid summer and then some later. If you are
going to plant new canes, they prefer a sandy soil so plant
them on a slight ridge which will help with drainage. The
addition of some sharp sand is a good idea too. We seem to
have them growing up through a flower bed at the moment
which is fine until they decide to rampage any further.
Roses. By now you might have reduced the length of any
whippy growth from your roses so that the winds haven’t
caught the plant by uprooting any of its roots. So this
month make sure that you have removed all dead leaves
from the ground underneath your plants and if you can
remember which roses suffered from black spot, mildew
etc. last season, this is a perfect time to spray both the
plant and the soil underneath with an organic product
Sue Whigham can be contacted on 07810 457948
for gardening advice and help in the sourcing
and supply of interesting garden plants.
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