Paul Gargan
Green Fingers
In March, as the weather slowly improves and the soil warms up, it seems as if nature herself is stirred into action.
If snowdrops have not flowered due to overcrowding or if you just want to increase your stock, now is the time to lift and divide them. Snowdrops have a very short summer rest period, unlike most spring bulbs. They resent disturbance or drying out. That’s why they are divided ‘in the green’. This is when the flowers are over but the leaves are still green.
Prune floribundas and hybrid teas (modern shrub roses) now. The finished bush should be wine glass shaped, with 4-5 healthy stems. Start by taking out any dead, diseased or damaged shoots. Take out any weak stems or any crossing the centre of the bush. On the stems to be kept, select an outward facing bud between 30-50cm above ground level and using a backward sloping cut, cut 1cm above the bud. The slope is to take any moisture away from the bud. Surround the newly pruned roses with a thick layer of homemade garden compost, as a mulch, making sure it does not touch the stem.
Lift and divide any herbaceous perennials that have become too large or have started to die out in the middle.
As perennials grow they spread out from the centre, leaving a dead patch.
Some spread faster than others but expect to do this every 3-5 years. Lift and divide into sections depending on the size. Replant one section in the hole that has been filled with homemade compost – enriched soil.
Borders
Plant the other sections elsewhere or pot up and give away. Weed the whole of the herbaceous border now when it is easier to see them. Cut and remove any dead stems still left in and give it a general clean up. Mulch with a thick layer of garden compost or last year’s rotted leaf mulch. Mulching benefits both you and your garden in many ways. It covers annual weed seeds, preventing germination while keeping the heat and the moisture in the soil. This saves on watering in the summer and adds goodness to your soil without you having to dig it in. The worms do the job for you.
Loose soil
Mulch newly planted trees and shrubs. Check bare root plantings and firm in the loose soil. Pollard or hard prune trees and shrubs such as willow and dogwood grown for their winter coloured stems. Strong new growth results in maximum colour effect. This method can also be used deliberately to restrict the size of these trees or shrubs to fit a particular position in a smaller garden.
Prepare large deciduous shrubs for moving next year by sinking a spade to its full depth around the shrub. This forces it to grow a new fibrous root system improving their chances when moved next year.