Page 56 - Phonebox Magazine April 2011

A Month in the Garden
Longer, warmer days, and stronger sunshine means that the garden is awakening. Hedgerows are greening up and the view from the window is different each day as plants unfurl and push through the soil. This all means more work for the gardener, not that it seems a chore in such a wonderful atmosphere.
If you have large clumps of herbaceous perennials it’s a good time to divide and replant them, as this will increase their vigour and provide spare plants for your garden. Use two forks back to back to split the clumps and water generously after replanting.
Hardy annuals are great for instant colour this year, choose a dry day when the soil can be raked to a fine tilth suitable for sowing. Mow the grass often enough to keep it under control and use sharp edging shears to tidy up the edges.
Climbers will grow quickly now, so ensure they have enough support, trellis, vine eyes and wire attached to walls, or individual ornamental obelisks or tripods. As they cover the support, gently try to encourage new shoots sideways, as this will send their hormones all along the length of the shoot, rather than just rushing to the tips – doing this will give you flowers all over the plant, not just at the top!
Spring Lawns
Spring is the ideal time to carry out repairs to your lawn. Start
with scarifying and aerating your lawn. Use a wire garden
rake to remove thatch (plant debris) in the grass. This
collects around the base of the grass which gives a spongy
feel to the lawn and encourages moss and disease. Aerating
is easily done using a fork. Push the fork into the soil to a
depth of 10cm - this allows air and moisture to the rootzone. Moss can be a persistent problem on wet and shady lawns. Always collect grass cuttings and aerate the lawn. Use either a rake to clear moss from your lawn, or a chemical moss-killer. After the moss has died, you will still need to rake this dead moss from the lawn
You can easily repair damaged edges too, just cut out a square around the damaged section using half moon edger. Undercut using a spade, then lift carefully and turn the turf around so the outside edge is now undamaged and lines up with the existing edge. Backfill the damaged area if necessary with loam and sow with grass seed at a rate of 25-35kg per square metre and remember to water well.
Overseeding can be used to improve existing weak turf, or after scarification to prevent moss and weeds returning. Ideally, sow the seed after the ground has been moistened by a rainfall. This will give your seed adequate moisture to start with. Scatter the mixture evenly over the existing lawn and ensure all areas receive an equal amount. Rake the area so that seed comes in to contact with soil. This will improve germination then lightly roll if possible.
Plant of the Month – Frittilaria Imperialis
Daffodils brightly herald the start of spring, but the bright bold blooms of the Crown Imperial tower above them. This is a fine stately bulb with nodding yellow (lutea) or orange bells-shaped flowers held at the top of erect stems up to 1.5m tall. Flowering during late spring and early summer these are followed by sculptural pale green seed- pods in autumn if not deadheaded. These imposing and long-lasting bulbs look fabulous emerging from a sunny, well-drained herbaceous border. Plant the large bulbs 20cm deep with a little added grit to improve drainage.
A fascinating fact is that these flowers can be pollinated by blue tits, the only known European flower pollinated this way! Bees can also do the job, but if you look into the flower you will see large tear-drops of nectar hanging – it is this that attracts the birds and tastes very sweet.
I have left the unpleasant part until last – the bulbs and plant do have a strong odour when bruised – which is not to everyone’s liking so they are probably best tucked away at the back of a border – but as they are held on tall stems this is perfect for them.
56 Phonebox Magazine
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