Jan 17th 2005 - Winter maintenance
I spent most of Sunday outside, tidying up, cutting back perennials, pulling up weeds and hoeing the beds. A lot of moss has grown over the winter, in the beds and on the lawn, especially in the shady areas. I found last year that passing the flame of a weed burner over the moss helped so as soon as we get a good dry day I’ll do that again.
"...Once they’d finished flowering every puff of wind sent clouds of seeds drifting over the wall and into the garden."
"A gardener’s nightmare."
The weed situation isn’t too bad, all things considered; I noticed very few dandelions, which is good, though I did pull up quite a lot of hairy bitter cress. Last year the road verges were a mass of dandelions so I don’t suppose we’ll be free of them for long. Once they’d finished flowering every puff of wind sent clouds of seeds drifting over the wall and into the garden. A gardener’s nightmare.
It was good to see the first green shoots of bulbs and perennials starting to show – under the old growth of the Pulsatilla vulgaris there are fat fluffy leaf buds forming and at the base of last year’s Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ seed heads there are slightly glaucus buds showing, looking like tiny cabbages. The first pointy crocus shoots, and the daffodil bulbs I put in last autumn, are starting to poke out of the ground.
"...I put a lot of new bulbs into pots rather than in the ground so that I can sink them into the soil and then take them out again when they’re finished.."
I put a lot of new bulbs into pots rather than in the ground so that I can sink them into the soil and then take them out again when they’re finished. I did this partly because I know I want to make changes in the garden and didn’t want to have the bother of the bulbs being in the way and getting damaged when I start digging. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the flowers of Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’. I put some in last year and their bright purple petals were a real pleasure when so little else was flowering.
Another new bulb is Ipheion uniflorum; I haven’t grown them before but saw a photo by chance and fell in love with the simple, six-petalled, star shaped flower in a wonderful shade of blue. The tips of the petals are slightly darker, fading to very pale blue at the centre, which leads to a funnel where bright yellow stamens show. They flower in late winter and early spring and are scented but I’ve no idea what the scent is like.
Thinking more about this unity issue – I’ve been trying to decide what my favourite plants are and which ones can be used to form a planting theme that will hold the garden together and around which other plants will thrive. I do like ornamental grasses and Euphorbias, and already have several of each, and I think they will form part of the basis.
Both are fairly undemanding, grow in many different situations and tend to be evergreen, or at least last over the winter. The grasses, in particular, come in many different heights and colours.
"...Every week brings new knowledge about plants, techniques, botany, design, pests, diseases, you name it."
I’ve always liked grasses, their graceful plumes provide movement and colour and their height gives support to shorter plants. The seeds are also food for birds and shelter for small insects such as ladybirds, who hibernate amongst the stems.
My favourite grasses here include Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens (a short Miscanthus, only 1m tall); Stipa calamagrostis, with its tall, buff coloured feathery plumes and upright Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra', the rich red leaves of which look so well next to the hair-like Stipa tenuissima. S. tenuissima seeds itself all over the place but is kept in check here by the sparrows who take it for nesting material. The first year I grew it, I had to put sections of plastic pipe round the plants to stop them being completely ravaged. Even so, we had what looked a bit like green hedgehogs until they recovered.
Stipa tenuissima
I was very taken with a Molinea caerulea variegata, which I saw last autumn, planted with Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' – the golden petalled, dark centred daisy flowers of the Rudbeckia and the compact green and cream striped leaves of the Molinea blend beautifully. Those two are definitely on my list for this year. I’m also tempted by the shorter Pennisetums, with their bottle brush flowers. There is a variety called ‘Little Bunny’, only 30cm tall, that I think I’ll try.
"...Roman road runs north-south and channels the wind very effectively."
Euphorbias are wonderful for their architecture and some open glorious bracts and flowers in the darkest days of winter. There is a Euphorbia for every situation so they can go all round the garden. My current favourite is E. amygdaloides 'Purpurea’, which has rich wine red stems topped with lime green bracts. Its full glory is revealed in the light of the low winter sun when the bracts seem almost luminous.
Another must-have Euphorbia I only discovered last week at college: E. characias ‘Portuguese Velvet’. The leaves are greyish-green, soft and velvety, they catch the morning dew and the tiny hairs show up like burnished silver, outlining the leaf in light.
So, there’s a start to my unity project – Euphorbias and grasses. With a backdrop of shrubs and mixed with bulbs and hardy perennials I think we could do worse. Now to work out which hardy perennials.
"...They’re such dainty little birds and it’s always a pleasure to see them hopping about with their tails sticking up."
There’s a wren spending a lot of time around the log pile and in the undergrowth. Not sure if it’s one wren getting about a lot or if there is more than one. They’re such dainty little birds and it’s always a pleasure to see them hopping about with their tails sticking up. They’re so small that, when you see their quick movements on the ground under shrubs, it’s easy to mistake them for mice.
"The robin has been occupied with chasing off intruding robins and I haven’t yet noticed that it has decided on a mate."
The robin has been occupied with chasing off intruding robins and I haven’t yet noticed that it has decided on a mate. When it does, the mate will be allowed to share the food we put out but so far all other robins have been promptly ejected. I put up a robin box about two years ago; it’s on a south facing wall, hidden behind thick Ceanothus growth.
I’d put some dried grass in there for winter roosting and have noticed that the grass has been rearranged into a more nest-like shape. I’ve no idea if a robin or some other bird has been sleeping in there but will try and catch sight of who goes in.
© Copyright Miranda Hodgson 2005