Boosting the borders!

Things must be stirring now, even in the coldest gardens!  Shoots popping up all over the place, birds starting to sing like they really mean it, some genuine warmth in the sunshine – lovely!  But we must get BUSY now – reinvigorating the borders, controlling the mint and getting the cannas going for starters…

Prepping your summer stars

Gorgeous flower borders start with lots of prep beforehand to make sure that each and every plant is performing at their best.  And in most cases the time for that prep is NOW! The soil is starting to warm up, and the sap is rising in previously dormant herbaceous plants, making them ripe for renovation.

The way I see it, this is a 4-stage process: weeding, dividing, staking, mulching. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it! It isn’t particularly, but it’s hugely satisfying when you’ve done it. So, here we go:

1. Weeding. Taking each area, bed etc, in turn, work through the soil, hoeing off any annual weeds (I can’t TELL you how useful a razor-hoe is for this – do check them out in our online shop if you haven’t already got one of these fabulous garden tools). You need to dig out the perennial weeds or they will grow again from even tiny bits of root.  If you must stand on the soil to reach the weeds, try to find a plank to stand on so that you are not impacting the soil too much and squishing the air out of it. Annual weeds can go on the compost, perennial weeds can go in a bucket of water, and when the water is stinking (sorry about this!), the rotted weeds can also go on the compost heap.  You can even use that rotten-smelling liquid as free fertiliser for container plants 👍

2. Dividing.The most vigorous bits of a herbaceous perennial plant are at the outsides of the clump because they are the youngest.  It therefore stands to reason that every few years, it is really worth digging up the clumps and chucking away the oldest middle bits of it.  Pull the clumps apart using forks, or even chop the roots through with a spade or a little saw if they’re too woody. Try to improve the soil with some garden compost or rotted manure, before re-planting the youngest roots and shoots of the plant in question.  One quick thing – don’t leave the clump out of the ground very long, because they dry out rapidly.

3. Supporting. Good, we’re getting there.  Now it’s time to consider how tall your plants will grow and how floppy they will be.  If they are going to need support to look their glamorous best (and most of us do!!!), it’s much better to put those supports (stakes, netting, pea sticks, whatever you’ve chosen) in early – in fact, now.  You won’t harm any of the new growth, and the plants can grow through them, effectively hiding the support.  Yes, I know the borders might look a little errr..industrial for a while, but you’ll be so glad you did when in high summer, your garden plants are standing high and proud and your neighbour’s are lolling about all over the place.

4. Mulching.  Putting a layer of material over the soil is thought by many gardeners these days as the very BEST THING you can do for your garden. A mulch suppresses the weeds, keeps the moisture in, stabilises the soil temperature and looks decorative and neat.  Even better, the biodegradable ones (bark chippings, leafmould, compost etc.) will gradually get incorporated into the soil improving its texture and health by increasing its ability to support beneficial soil organisms. Don’t pile your chosen mulch against the stems of shrubs or trees as it can cause a bit of rot to set in.  Otherwise, spread it over at least 3” (7-8cm) thick. 

Finally stand back and feel great that you’ve given your flower-bed the best possible chance of being stupendous this coming summer! For some tips on beautifying a border specifically designed for spring, do have a look at Laura’s short video – the link is below.

Pots for spring

Just because it’s too early in the year for the main container-plant season, it doesn’t mean that you can’t easily make a lovely cheerful pot to go by your front door or on your balcony.

Pair up small potted daffodils, hyacinths and other small spring bulbs with violas or primulas.  Use some little evergreens to bulk up the display, or even a small camellia.  Heucheras have prettily-coloured foliage, and ferns are really good at adding texture and interest.

Really pack your plants into a large pot, or have lots of pots of different things piled up – what you’re after is a lush, generous effect.

Water and deadhead the plants regularly and give the pots some liquid fertiliser once a week.  That way, they should tide you over very well until the mayhem of early summer starts and you’ll replace your delicate spring beauties with your big summer divas. 

Gardening shorts

• If you haven’t already done it, cut back mid- to late-flowering shrubs like Buddleia, Lavatera, Euonymus, or Cotoneaster.  Tidy up Hebe and Artemisia. You should also cut back winter-flowering shrubs now, such as Viburnum,Garrya elliptica and winter jasmine (as in the lovely feature pic this week).

• You may have first-hand knowledge of how some useful herbs such mint and marjoram are rather fond of taking over!  I’ve found that the best way to deal with this is to plant them in a pot which is then sunk into the ground.  Some adventurous stems may escape the pot, but they can easily be cut back.  If you do grow them like this, then re-pot the plants annually into fresh compost at this time of year so that they’ll have plenty of goodness to feed new leafy growth.

• Most of us have got some shade in the garden.  Have a look at your shady area and see if you can perk it up a bit.  In dry, rooty areas, add some water-retentive compost so that plants have got a reasonable depth of soil to root into.  Go for plants such as pulmonarias, bergenias, lamiums, ferns, epimediums and brunneras (especially ‘Jack Frost’ or ‘Alexander’s Great’) – they all look great for a long time and thrive in shade.

• Lots of veg seeds can be sown indoors now such as sprouts, celeriac, lettuce and peas, but don’t be in too much of a hurry to sow seeds of parsnips, beetroots and brassicas outside yet – they are much more likely to germinate if the soil is at least 7 degrees C. You can warm up the area with sheets of black plastic or landscape fabric though.

• You can get cannas going now by potting up their rhizomes into rich compost, with the shoots uppermost and poking out of the soil. Water them and keep the pots in a frost-free bright place like a cold greenhouse until May.

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Do you fancy seeing some frothy pinky purple flowers to go with your other shade-lovers flowering in March? Louise has just the thing for you! Find out what it is here:

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Laura has been tidying her lovely spring border, and in this short video she shows you just how to do it in three easy steps.

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