Monthly Garden Diary - February 2008

Introduction

Whatever the weather, it’s the perfect time to Winter prune shrubs and roses to keep them in shape and to encourage strong flowering. Don’t get fooled by westerly winds that provide short spells of mild weather. Remember that February will usually be the coldest month of the year, and hard frosts will return. As a sign that Spring is round the corner the flowers of snowdrops and the leaves of daffodil bulbs will be popping through soil and sunny spells will give encouragement for new activity in the garden.

  Download Complete Diary Text (MS Word)
  Download Complete Diary Text (PDF)
  Read previous editions of our garden diary in the archives

Indoor Gardening

In the depths of Winter when it is cold and dark plants growing indoors are a blessed delight, especially ones such as coleus, orchids and cyclamen that provide a splash of colour in these dull days.

There are some interesting new coleus varieties coming through that will provide some fascinating leaf markings in various colours for dressing your living room or conservatory. Perhaps best of all your existing plants will provide cutting material in the Spring so you can produce new plants for use in Summer patio pots and containers. A new multi-coloured Coleus called Indian Summer looks good in full leaf and the bright crimson colours edged with mint green of Velvet Red is a particular favourite.

Houseplants are great when they are growing strongly, but all too often they are subject to some nasty pests that are difficult to control. Spraying the plants is an option, but it is a messy process that fills the air with pesticides. We used to have plant pins that did the bug killing job without fuss or spraying. They were pushed into the growing compost and the insecticide was released into the compost and taken up by plant roots. Unfortunately these were withdrawn some years ago. So it’s with a sense of relief that Scotts Miracle-Gro have developed a new plant feeding spike that is impregnated with a new systemic insecticide that will kill most of the normal houseplant pests using the same systemic method of release. It is called BugClear Ultra For Pots and contains a new active ingredient that we will be hearing a lot about this year. Simply push these spikes below the surface of the growing compost of your ornamental potted plants and the job is done. They release balanced plant foods to nourish the plant and at the same time release an insecticide that is drawn up by plant roots to give internal protection from sap sucking pests. As a result these wonder spikes will protect plants for 2 to 3 months against existing and future attacks from whitefly, greenfly, blackfly, scale insects, mealy bugs and give some useful control of thrips.

This is great news for houseplant lovers because spraying scale insects and mealy bugs with ordinary contact insecticides is not a sure way of controlling them because they are covered with impregnable coverings that give them good protection. But all is not lost. The insecticide in these new spikes, called acetamiprid for the scientists among you, gets into the plant’s sap stream and is taken up by scale insects and mealy bugs through their mouth parts. It’s all dead clever and just what’s needed for indoor pest control. BugClear Ultra for Pots is simple to use and invisible to you, your children or any visitors.

Ornamental Gardening

When the soil is not frozen hard, spread a mulch layer of home-made compost or bags of Miracle-Gro Eco Sense Soil Improver or Levington Organic Blend Soil Conditioner over borders and between shrubs and fruit trees. Left on the soil it will act as an insulating layer protecting roots from cold and reducing the loss of moisture from the surface. Worked into the top few inches of soil with a fork this organic material will gradually open up the soil structure so that it is less compacted, holds more beneficial micro-organisms and nutrients to benefit all the plants in the area. Regular applications of any organic matter will turn heavy clay soils and light sandy ones into a rich loam that will grow beautiful plants without a lot of extra effort.

Some Spring bulbs will now be through and those people who have planted wisely will have a display of crocus, snowdrops, yellow and purple iris and Glory of the Snow (chionodoxa). Dwarf iris are not very long-lived, especially in heavy soils, so you will need to replant every few years. Snowdrops, on the other hand, are all too hardy and after a few years will produce a dense clump that pushes itself to the surface. At this stage they need dividing so that each bulb has a chance to develop into flowering size. Once the flowers have faded dig up the clump and replant each bulb 8cm (3in) apart. They move far better when they are in leaf so don’t leave it too long.

Foliage of bulbs that are to flower later will be showing their new leaves above the soil surface and will be tempting food for the slugs and snails that have over-wintered rather easily in the wet, relatively mild conditions. Scattering SlugClear Advanced Pellets around vulnerable plants such as these will keep them clean, although some people prefer not to have pellets around if there are children or animals playing in the garden. For these people there is a liquid form of slug control that soaks into the soil, killing slugs living below the surface. Simply called SlugClear it can be watered onto bare soil, around decorative plants both under glass and those in the open garden where it is invisible to pets. Simply add 15ml SlugClear concentrate to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) of water, stir well and then water evenly over plants and soil. Best results will be achieved in mild damp weather when slugs are active.

Sowing seeds of flowers and vegetables is one job that is both exciting and rewarding. For optimum results use clean trays and fresh Levington Seed & Cutting compost. Good hygiene is vital to avoid the spread of fungal diseases that can attack seedlings and ruin perfectly good germination. Before you start, sterilise previously used trays and pots with a solution of Jeyes Fluid and protect seedlings by spraying with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide to prevent damping off of seedlings.

Patio Gardening

In February most of us pass the area by the front door more often than venture onto the patio. That’s why I move attractive potted shrubs from back patio to beside the front door at this time of the year.

I have a pot of evergreen conifer with a couple of trailing ivies that lives there throughout the Winter and I supplement this with other plants when they are interesting.

My favourite is Sweet Box (Sarcococca confusa) which carries insignificant creamy white flowers in January and February. They may be small flowers but they are highly perfumed and should be placed in a prominent position when in bloom.

Garden centres will have a good display of lilies which need planting up in pots and in the garden ready for Summer display. They appreciate good drainage directly under the bulbs so plant carefully. Put a layer of Levington Container & Hanging Basket Compost in the bottom of the container and then a layer of gravel or sharp grit. Place the bulbs on top of this gravel and fill the container with more compost. Keep dead-heading Winter pansies and feed occasionally with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food when the weather is mild.

Fruit and Vegetables

Peas freshly picked from the garden are full of flavour never obtained from tinned, dried or frozen versions. For an early picking that will blow your taste buds away, sow a round-seeded variety such as Feltham First or Meteor that is hardy and quick to mature. Choose a site that has been improved in the autumn with well-rotted garden compost or manure and dress the surface with Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food. If the weather is particularly cold, cover with a cloche to warm up the soil and dry out the surface. After a couple of weeks, sow the peas in a shallow drill about 5cm (2in) deep and 15cm (6in) wide. Space the peas about 8cm (3in) apart in three rows so that you have a good thick row of plants. By covering the row with the cloches again you will help to protect the peas from inquisitive birds and mice that could otherwise dig up and eat the precious seeds.

Buy some first early seed potatoes now from your local supplier choosing a variety for flavour such as Accent, Swift or Lady Christl. Place each tuber with rose end uppermost in egg boxes or a wooden tray. Keep them in a light and frost-free room so they develop sturdy green shoots. Plant out the tubers at the end of March or beginning of April and potatoes will be ready for harvesting from the end of June. Alternatively if you have no garden space then Haxnick’s Patio Potato Planters or similar planter will offer a neat solution for balcony or patio growing. Just fill one of these bags with fresh compost such as Levington Multi-Purpose Compost which will absorb 25% more water than ordinary composts and plant your tubers at the end of March.

Towards the end of the month find a sunny site and plant out shallot bulbs. Add Osmocote or Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food along the row and work into the surface. Take out a narrow trench and space the shallot bulbs between 15 cm and 20cm (6-8in) apart. Half a kilo of bulbs will provide around 30 shallots that should multiply by a factor of 6 or 8, come harvest time in July or August.

Start to prepare a bare patch of soil that is to become a seed bed for brassicas. Select an area about 1m x 2m (3ft x 6ft) and fork over to half the depth of the fork tines. Rake the surface to a fine tilth if that is at all possible and leave to settle. After a few weeks you will see annual weed seeds germinating. Kill these off with either a hoe or Weedol 2 or Weedol Gun!. Allowing the weed seeds to germinate and be controlled without bringing fresh weed seeds to the surface will provide a fine surface for vegetable seed germination that won’t have too many weeds to fight for the available moisture nutrients and space.

Peaches and nectarines grown in pots against a south facing wall should produce some succulent fruits if they are well fed and watered throughout the Summer. A high potash tomato fertiliser such as Tomorite is the plant food to choose.

Unfortunately peaches are susceptible to the fungal disease called peach leaf curl that causes red blisters on the leaves which lead to early leaf fall and weakening of the tree. To prevent the disease entering the tree, spray the tree thoroughly with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide in February when the buds start to swell.

Feed fruit trees now so that they can draw nutrients from the soil as soon as they start flowering. Most of the available plant foods will have been washed away by Winter rains and melting snow so give them a treat this year with a good dressing of Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food. This plant food contains 100% organic ingredients that will encourage strong growth and good flowering.

Some people simply never feed their fruit trees and are surprised that they produce very little edible crop. Before suggesting that unproductive trees are cut down, it is worth giving the plant a final chance. To stimulate the buds to form and flower, give your tree a good dose of Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Bloom Booster Plant Food. It contains a naturally sourced sulphate of potash that will provide a welcome boost to flowering potential and could well kick-start your unfruitful tree into productivity.