Gardeners' Diary

Featured in Northern Life April/May 2010

I hope that, by the time you read these notes, Spring will have at long last arrived. This winter has most certainly been the coldest and also the longest of the decade and it takes me back to the 80s when I was exhibiting at Harrogate Spring Show. The show was then one week earlier than it is now and it was always a nightmare in not knowing what was going to be ready in time for the display stand due to the late season, and then you could suffer a frost in Valley Gardens just as you had staged your exhibit. Oh, the joys of being a nurseryman! Further down, I will tell you about some of the expected exhibits at the show.
We have certainly had one of the best displays of snowdrops in the garden for many years and, if you are wishing to increase your stock of this lovely flower, then - once flowering is finished - carefully lift the clumps with a fork. Gently shake out some of the soil and divide up into generous divisions of several bulbs and replant immediately in their new site. If you can incorporate some leaf mould or garden compost this will help them to re-establish, then from next year you should have a larger display. Of course, feeding of all bulbs whilst in flower not only improves the quality of flower for next year but also increases the number of blooms. Many people do not realise that, whilst a bulb is flowering, it is also forming the buds for next year’s display, because after flowering is finished the bulb starts to shut down and goes into dormancy; therefore a lot of work goes on inside the bulb in a short period of time. The best fertiliser is one based on a phosphate content or a specific bulb or potato fertilizer. Apply at around 4oz/sq.yd. and water in if the weather is dry so that it gets working straight away.
The severity of weather this winter has certainly done a lot of damage to garden plants and now, as the sap should start to rise in shrubs, you will notice those that have succumbed to the cold. The foliage of evergreens starts to drop or deciduous shrubs start to wither on the stem and dormant buds do not swell. Those particularly affected in our garden are Ceanothus, which have blackened leaves. These may re-shoot if growing against a wall or fence, so do not be too impatient by saying that they are dead quite yet. Others to suffer include Cistus, Rosemary, Hebe and Myrtle, which appear completely dead, but the Hebe and Myrtle may shoot from lower down if cut back. Several climbers have also been burnt badly, including evergreen Clematis, whilst other Clematis have suffered die-back of top growth and will re-shoot lower down. It is all a question of patience and not being too hasty because, sometimes, plants can come away again as late as early Summer. Incidentally, if Berberis or Mahonia have been burnt by the frost, just cut down the damaged foliage and they will shoot again from sound stems lower down, even if the stems are really old and woody and they can still bloom next season.
As always, a visit to Harrogate Spring Flower Show is inspiring and this year may herald a few surprises with the late season. But one good piece of news is that HRH The Prince of Wales has accepted the invitation to become patron of The North of England Horticultural Society (the show’s parent body) for the next five years. He is well known for his avid interest in gardening and all aspects of horticulture and practises many organic principles in his own garden at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. So he should be a good ambassador for the society in its task of hosting two of the country’s most prestigious flower shows.
A good number of Northern nurseries exhibit at Harrogate and, this year, Jeff Hutchins of Laneside Nurseries, Garstang, will be showing a number of rare orchids including Cypripediums, many originally bred by Peter Corkhill in North Lancashire. Also some rare British native orchids - Anacamptis and Ophrys - will be displayed. Mary and Ken Green from Hornby, near Lancaster, specialise in woodland, shade-loving plants and hope to display several colour forms of Wood Anemone which are ideal for naturalizing beneath trees and shrubs in your garden. One of the bleakest and certainly highest altitude nurseries in Britain is Hartside Nursery near Alston in Cumbria. I have known Neil and Sue Huntley for many years and they have learned to cope with the adverse climate. They will have some nicely-flowered plants of ericaceous plants such as Cassiope and Phyllodoce on display, along with small-flowered primroses and, hopefully, some woodland Trillium and Erythronium (Dog’s Tooth Violets) if they have survived the freeze.
One group of plants that normally is unaffected by cold winters are those sensible enough to spend winter dormant below ground level – herbaceous perennials. In our two large island beds at Waddow, we have already planted the shrubs but, around the margin, we are placing groups of perennials to give long term colour and interest. If your bed is large enough then plant in groups of threes or fives, which give better impact and soon link together to form one plant. Many of these can be divided after a few years at this time of year and give a lot of pleasure. Pulmonaria, Geranium, Astrantia, Nepeta, dwarf Aster, and Coreopsis are all good candidates. The perennials that we planted in late 2008 and last Spring have all grown well and already are starting to show signs of new growth despite the continued cold weather as I write this in early March.
In order to keep your borders looking colourful, then annually give a dressing with a good general fertilizer, one that is well balanced, such as Blood, Fish and Bone or proprietary equivalents. Many people still just use Bone Meal and this is no good at all for top growth. It is only phosphate-based and encourages root growth in Autumn-planted trees and shrubs, but for Spring application you need a fertilizer that contains Nitrogen and Potash as well. At this time of year you can also top-dress with well-rotted garden compost from your own bins or heap, and this can also be worked in at the bottom of the planting hole for newly-planted perennials. If we do experience a dry summer then this will act as a reserve for moisture. Also, please plant firmly because this also helps the plant to grow strongly and, again, helps it draw moisture in dry weather. So much of what you see of the planting on TV programmes shows such light planting, behaving as if the plants were made of cut glass or bone china! Either firm in with your finger tips or, on larger plants and shrubs, use the heel of your foot. My size 14 boots are excellent for this purpose! When Carol Klein is on TV, she always sets a good example and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.
Now of course, last but by no means least, Liz and I are opening our garden at Waddow Lodge for the first time on 23rd May for the Marie Curie Cancer Care. Full details are in the ‘Diary of Events’ but we hope that you will able to join us and we look forward to a pleasant Spring day with the Rhododendrons and Azaleas in full bloom and all the borders showing their new growth for the coming season. Please come along and have a browse, together with a cup of tea and some homemade cakes and scones to finish off the afternoon.

Peter Foley of Waddow Lodge Garden can be contacted on 01200 429145 or at peterfoleyhcn@hotmail.co.uk. A full list of Peter’s talks, which are available to garden clubs, social groups, etc. can be viewed at www.gardentalks.co.uk

Article from issue 31 April/May 2010. To order this issue go to the Northern Life online store.