UNITE Leisure Gardenwise
Spring – the busy season
Spring is here once again. Days are longer, skies are brightening and plants are growing so don't wait to get outside.
A busy season of gardening ahead means we have to prioritise work efforts. Make a list of tasks to be done and items to buy. Seed sowing, planting, weeding, plant division and purchase would be my priorities but add your own to the list. Less urgent but to do in a spare moment is to clean, repair and sharpen tools and service machines.
Box blight and caterpillar infestations have done severe damage to existing box hedging. If you are planning replacing an existing feature here are a few alternatives to Box. English
Yew, Lonicera nitida varieties and Ilex crenata are good choices. Yew has a reputation as a slow grower but I have found it to be vigorous so don't hesitate using it for evergreen hedging or other topiary styles.
Grass cutting begins soon. Do not make the first cut very low instead gradually shorten the height of cut each week for the first month. Lawns can also be treated as meadow encouraging wildlife, wild flowers and insects. You can do this to only a part of the lawn leaving other areas as close-cut grass. The meadow approach means it’s hard to go back to fine lawn afterwards .You may need to re-seed. It’s easy for this kind of maintenance to look unkempt but mowing paths and edges brings order and sharpness to these wild havens.
Some plant recommendations. Perovskia atriplicifolia for borders and for containers use the variety ‘Little Spire’. Geranium ‘Roxanne’ is a very good blue to purple flowered ground cover. The golden hop Humulus lupulus aureus another beautiful addition. All these suggestions attract wildlife.
Renew compost in containers before planting if it’s two or more seasons old. If this is not possible then add a good general fertiliser and mix well into the medium.
The early appearance of weeds needs to be dealt with rapidly. The earlier you can remove the easier it will be later on. As a preventive to weed infestations then mulching is useful. If the weeds are still small then mulching will cure the problem as long as you mulch deeply enough.
Sometimes this busy time of year can be overwhelming. If this happens employ someone competent. A day or even half a day of professional help can work wonders and needn't be too expensive.
37 uniteLANDWORKER Spring 2024
n By Phil Saunders
Clifford Harper
Getty Images
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