Aroundtown Magazine March/April 2022 edition

GARDENING
Out
garden
in the
with Garden Designer Sally Cunis
As mad as March hares
After the heavy battering of the endless storms in
February, the big garden clear up can begin. We
have lost several trees to high winds and have had
to hard prune a wild rose which has been ripped
off a wall. No doubt many gardens in our region
will have suffered damage to fences and sheds or
lost trees and large shrubs.
Iris reticulata
Bergenia
Looking on the positive side,
the losses may have opened up
a new view, felled a dangerous,
rotten tree and perhaps created the
opportunity to plan a further planting
area previously overshadowed by
a large tree. Some of the logs from
our fallen trees will be piled up
against a wall to create homes for
insects and invertebrates.
We have started to construct
a natural pond for wildlife in our
garden, one end of which will be a
bog garden planted with yellow flag
iris from a friend and sedges which
grow naturally in the garden. Even
in its incomplete state, a family of
hares, a fox and a buzzard have
already been spotted exploring
the margins of the pond by a trail
cam newly installed on a nearby
tree! The hares are regular visitors
and are well named “as mad as
March hares” as they have been
chasing each other round the field
in big circles. They are a delight to
watch although they do prune newly
Potatoes chitting
planted dogwood (Cornus) and
roses slightly shorter than I would
prefer!
March is the last opportunity
to prune roses and to plant bare
rooted material such as mixed
native hedging, shrubs, roses and
soft fruit. Pop down to your local
nursery to see what is available and
fill a few gaps. If they cannot be
planted out immediately on arrival,
heel into a trench until they can
be planted in their final position;
container grown plants can be
planted throughout the year.
Spring is a delightful time of the
year. Snowdrops still nod merrily
whilst dainty miniature iris, pale
primroses nestling in banks, cheery
yellow daffodils and luscious
helleborus orientalis all combine
to lift the spirits. As soon as they
finish flowering, move snowdrops
“in the green” to spread around
the garden. Over the last two years
my mother and my friend Caroline
have given me snowdrops for my
Rainbow chard and
Enorma runner beans
Hellebore
birthday to add to the snowdrop
walk I am creating along a wiggly
path. It is a good time to lift and
move hellebore seedlings, to
split, lift and replant Bergenias,
perennials and grasses. Now is the
last chance to sow sweet peas if not
already done so.
In the vegetable garden, prepare
raised beds by digging over if
necessary, removing perennial
weeds and improving the soil by
adding a thick layer of compost as
a mulch. Existing soft fruit and the
emerging stems of rhubarb will also
benefit from a good layer of mulch.
At this time of year, first early
potatoes can be chitting on a
window sill in a frost-free building
ready to plant out at the end of
March. There is a large choice of
seed potatoes available. If space is
limited, share a couple of varieties
with a friend and try growing them
in a large container, “earthing up”
by topping up with soil as the
new growth emerges. Check your
seed packets and decide what
to sow this year. Swiss chard,
Primula vulgaris
Hellebore and snowdrops
Enorma runner beans, curly kale,
leeks, parsley (flat and curly) and
salad leaves are favourites in my
household; in addition to sweetpeas
I grow Nigella and Amni major to fill
any gaps in the border. This year I
am experimenting with wildflower
seeds encased in little clay balls
laced with chilli to deter predators.
The list of tasks is endless at this
time of the year from pruning,
planting and the first cut of the
grass but don’t forget to make time
to enjoy the dawn chorus and the
spring bulbs before summer is
upon us.
Happy Gardening
66 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk