086 GARDENING
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SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
Give wildlife a hand as you prepare for spring in the garden, news of a new
garden at Nymans within the ruined Great Hall, plus jobs to do this month
Caroline Knight I
t’s February, and this is a very special month. You might be gloomy about the weather and the slow approach of spring, but the birds know it’s time to chirp. Valentine’s Day – 14th
February, as if you need reminding! – is traditionally the time for birds to find a mate and to start planning their brood. Give wildlife a helping hand by cleaning out your nest boxes at the beginning of the
month to make sure everything is ready for them. Why? Because nest boxes can house parasites such as fleas, lice and ticks. Also, some of last year’s eggs might not have hatched and some boxes could even contain unsuccessful chicks from last year. Clearing away the old nests also means that birds won’t have to build a new nest on top, thereby raising the height. The higher the nest, the more accessible to predators it becomes.
4 things to do IN THE GARDEN this month
1. Look out for snowdrops – you don’t want to miss their cheery little white faces!
2. It’s time to chit seed potatoes – i.e. put them into a light, cool but frost-free place so they will start to sprout.
Creating a new garden at Nymans
Launching this year is a project at National Trust, Nymans, where a partnership with Alzheimer’s Society will see the creation of a brand-new garden. Taking health and wellbeing as its focus, the garden will see the Nymans team working alongside several community groups and organisations. The new garden will be created within
the ruined Great Hall, which was lost in a catastrophic fire in 1947. The space left behind provides an exciting opportunity to design a new garden within its enclosed walls. Gardeners at the well-known Sussex garden have creatively reimagined the space and aim to fill it with enormous pots and containers, troughs and supports. They hope to do this with the help and partnership of community groups – and Alzheimer’s Society is the first in a series of planned collaborations. People living well with
dementia, together with several local groups, were recently
3. Cut down last year’s growth on perennials and ornamental deciduous grasses. It will neaten up your borders and give you some zest for the season ahead.
4. Prune grapevines and wisteria, also prune off the old flowerhead from hydrangeas.
invited to the garden to meet staff and discuss plans and ideas for the garden. Zara Luxford, Nymans General Manager, said: “It was wonderful to welcome the group to Nymans for a brainstorming session. We all know someone who’s been affected by dementia and we’ll be working alongside Alzheimer’s Society to make the garden as a whole more dementia-friendly as well as creating a special new space in the garden in the ruins.’’
Image licensed by Ingram Image
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