April Newsletter 2017

Gosh, what mixed weather we’ve had in March … I was so hot one day a couple of weeks ago, that I wished I’d brought shorts to work, and then the following week I was wishing I’d brought in a woolly hat and scarf! It would be nice to think that we might soon settle into consistent sunshine, blue skies and warmth, and as I write this my wish is being granted, but whatever the weather, it’s lovely to see all the signs of spring around us, isn’t it? The frogs in my pond at home were in a mating frenzy a fortnight ago, and I always think of that as one of the key heralders of spring.

I noticed this frog fiesta when I finally managed to give my little patch a very belated once-over … weeding, hoeing, tying in climbers, pruning roses, and mulching all the beds with a good layer of farmyard manure. Not only was the end result truly satisfying, but getting right into all the beds made me aware of just how much was starting to push through the soil, which really lifted my spirits – alchemilla mollis, perennial geraniums, epimediums and peonies to name but a few. Now, two weeks on, the growth has escalated and soon the bare areas will be covered with greenery. It prompted me to put in some more of the lovely rusty iron support spirals we stock, which have worked so well in supporting my hydrangeas and peonies. Doing so now, before the plants get too tall, means that they will naturally grow through the supports without the inevitable disturbance if you try to add support systems too late.

If, like me, you’re on the hunt for inspiration for things to fill gaps, or if you want to replant an area of garden, please swing by soon, as the garden centre is filling up nicely – not only outside, but inside too. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Magnolias – We still have some of these gorgeous ornamental specimens left, and they’re looking wonderful. They clearly like the conditions we can offer them here in Dulwich, as there are some magnificent examples around .
• David Austin roses – We have climbers and ramblers as well as shrub roses in stock, and all are looking good, with a range to cover all requirements. Although they aren’t showing a lot of growth yet, they will romp off as soon as the temperatures rise, and it’s best to plant them as early in the season as possible. Dig in lots of well-rotted manure or organic matter to ensure they get off to a good start.
• Herbaceous perennials - There’s an amazing range perennials in stock right now, including statuesque alliums. These architectural beauties add punch to almost any border, rising on their slender, straight stems, with a star burst of flower above. Other stars at the moment include heucheras, in a wealth of leaf colours, digitalis (Foxgloves - great for shadier spots), lupins, hollyhocks, verbena bonariensis, and lots more. And we still have some beautiful Helebores too, which have been so striking this year.
• Summer bedding – Pansies, Violas, Aubretia and Bellis are in now, with Petunias, Geraniums, Million Bells, Lobelia and much more due in any day. Plant up your window boxes this month for a whole summer of colour. Adding water retaining crystals and slow release fertiliser will reduce the maintenance they require, so all you’ll need to do is water and occasionally dead-head flowers that have gone over.
• Herbs – With the range increasing each week, you’re bound to find something you like. We have little ones in 9cm pots, priced at only £1.95, a range in 1ltr pots too, along with a few items in much larger sizes. This year, once again, we can offer you a mixed 6 pack of herbs in 9cm pots. At just £9.95 a pack, it’s a great way to get your herb garden going, and £2 cheaper than buying the same things individually.
• Fabulous six packs! – We think these are brilliant, and are so glad to have found them. Get a mix of 6 different plants in a handy carry pack – we have alpines, perennials, wild flowers, herbs and sedums - for just £11.95. This is a remarkably easy way for you to plant up a rockery, border, herb bed, or even green roof. Let us know what you think of them.
• Fruit trees and soft fruit – As always, we’ve stocked a range of fruit to suit any garden, no matter how small. Trees grafted onto dwarf or semi-dwarf root-stock will never outgrow the space you have available, and every gardener should be able to find room for some delicious soft fruit – be it rhubarb, gooseberries, blackcurrants or even just a couple of humble strawberry plants.

David and Martyna, our newbies, are certainly settling in well and are wonderful additions to our team. Martyna is developing the houseplant area, so there are some new lines in stock, which are well worth coming and looking at if you want to green up your inside space. David’s knowledge and understanding of garden plants, combined with his great creative design eye, is already apparent. Make time to have a chat with them when you’re next in.

In the shop, tool area and brick sheds, you’ll find all you need to help you through this busy time in the gardening calendar. Of course, it’s seed planting time, and whether it’s vegetables or flowers you’re growing, we have propagators, seed trays, pots, labels, perlite and vermiculite, and – of course – seed compost to start them off. Alongside our usual range of tools, we have some extra small trowels and forks, as well as some copper tools – a welcome nod to the old way of gardening – to help you when working with tiny seedlings.

We still have our special offer on seed compost –50ltrs for the price of 30ltrs. We also have our full range of composts and mulch in stock, including Wool compost, as recently featured on the BBC programme ‘Back to the Land’ with Kate Humble.

Last, but not least, a reminder that the birds are nesting, and will soon need all the help they can get to keep their energy levels up, so please remember to keep your feeders topped up. We are absolutely THRILLED that our nesting box at the centre is being used again this year by the blue tits.

Warm regards

Karen

PS So far, you seem to like the new paperless reward card system, and it’s working well. If you have an old reward card that no longer ‘swipes’, or if you’ve checked at home and really can’t find your card anywhere, please let us know and we’ll issue you with a new one …. Just remember to bring it with you each time you visit!

Garden jobs

The gardening year is said by some to start as the clocks spring forward. Longer evenings are a lovely benefit, giving many of us more time to relax and unwind outside, so let’s get the garden into shape!

2 key jobs for the month

1. Plant a tree! You’ll find something suitable for every garden, balcony, and terrace.

2. Beware of late frosts which could damage young plants.

General garden maintenance

• Tidy up beds and borders. As a minimum, get rid of weeds which take moisture and nutrients needed by your plants. Dig out perennial weeds, and hoe away young annual weeds before they have a chance to get going.
• Tie in climbing and rambling roses and other climbers with ties or wire that won’t damage the growing stems. With climbing roses, tie the long stems as horizontally as possible, which will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.
• Feed roses and other shrubs with proprietary or general fertiliser. Start treating against blackspot and mildew with an appropriate spray.
• If you haven’t done already, apply a good layer of organic mulch such as horse manure or organic compost. This will help to retain moisture around plants, and the nutrients will gradually be pulled down to the roots. You can also use a straw or bark chipping mulch which will help to deter slugs and snails. Remove weeds and make sure the soil isn’t dry before applying mulch.
• Place plant supports over and around tall perennials before they need them.
• Deadhead daffodils when the flowers have gone over, but leave the leaves to die down naturally. This will replenish the bulb with energy to form next year’s flower. To help further, give the leaves a dousing of liquid fertilizer.
• Large clumps of Agapanthus can be divided in spring. If container grown plants failed to flower last year, they may benefit from repotting in John Innes 2 or 3. Give them a feed and water regularly. Remember that they like to have their roots restrained.
• Divide Hostas before they come into leaf - dig up and divide large clumps, replanting sections with a spike of new growth showing.

Container gardening

• Keep containers watered - wind and sun can dry composts very quickly.
• Scrape the top layer of compost off containers and replace with fresh compost. If necessary, repot container plants, pruning roots and introducing fresh compost.
• Be imaginative with what you grow in containers and window boxes. Use the right compost, drainage and size of container for the plant you choose.

Pruning

• Prune early flowering Forsythia and Chaenomeles once they have finished flowering.
• Prune late flowering deciduous shrubs such as Hydrangeas and Buddleia if you haven’t done so already – prune hard back to a leaf shoot or stem.
• Clip evergreen shrubs and hedges of Photinia, Prunus lusitanica, Hebes, Fatsia, Choisya and Mahonia, always to a point of well-placed lower growth.
• Cut perennials such as Penstemons, Verbena bonariensis, Gaura and other summer flowerers to new shoots on last year's growth.
• Trim lavender, especially if you didn’t in the autumn, cutting out old flower shoots, and shorten new shoots by 2cm.

Planting

• ’Right plant, right place’ is a well know garden mantra, with books and magazine articles advising on what will grow where. In general, this refers to light levels, soil type and moisture levels. There are a few plants which will perform in permanent shade, and some which tolerate dry soil and sun all day, but many more are happy in sun or part-shade. Always read the label on a plant to check whether it will be happy in the space you plan to plant it.
• Now is a good time to plant Mediterranean type plants such as Hebe, Ceanothus, Cistus, olive, lavender and more, as the soil begins to warm up.
• Plant out autumn sown sweet pea plants, or direct sow seeds outside.
• Plant your new plants well - have a look at our Planting guide

Growing from seed

• April is normally the month to begin seed sowing outside, but only once the temperatures have begun to rise. Carrots, beetroot, peas, broad beans, lettuce and spinach can all be sown directly into prepared drills. Always read the instructions on the seed packet.
• With tender vegetables, the smaller the seed, the earlier it needs to be sown, so start off aubergines, chilli peppers and tomatoes, as soon as you can, in seed trays in a greenhouse or on a windowsill.
• Towards the end of the month, and into May, larger seeds such as sweet corn, courgettes, squash and pumpkins, and runner beans can be sown directly outside.
• All tender vegetable seedlings should be hardened off before planting out, and not put outside until the risk of frost has passed. A cold frame is invaluable for hardening off, if you have space.
• Direct sow sunflowers, poppies, pot marigolds and other annual flowers.
• Seeds will germinate more easily in a warm soil so it may be worth warming the soil before sowing or planting, with cloches, sheets of plastic or old carpet.

Fruit & Vegetables

• Sow quick maturing leaf crops at two week intervals to have a steady supply of cut and come again salad. Try lettuce, rocket, coriander, chard, beetroot, spinach, and any other favourites. Rows of seeds can be a centimetre apart, in a seed bed or in a grow bag or container.
• When tomato seedlings have their first pair of true leaves, pot them on into individual pots.
• Thin carrot seedlings in the evening when there are fewer carrot flies around.
• Feed soft fruit bushes and strawberries with a general fertilizer to encourage bumper crops.
• Fruit bushes and trees can be planted, but pinch out flowers and small developing fruit in the first year, so that the plant’s energy goes into building a strong root system.
• Protect young brassicas and carrots from pests by covering crops with horticultural fleece.

Lawns

• Work on the lawn now, to get it ready for the summer months. Spike compacted areas with an aerator, or a garden fork, and apply a fertiliser or top dressing.
• Mow the lawn with the blades set high for the first few cuts.
• Repair bumps and hollows in lawns by peeling back turf and adding or removing soil.
• Spring lawn feed products contain moss killer, weed killer and fertiliser.
• After applying moss killer, rake out blackened moss and thatch 2 weeks later.
• Sow lawn seed on bare patches, and water during dry spells.

Pests and diseases

• Watch out for early insect attacks. Small infestation of aphids can be squashed by hand if you aren’t too squeamish. Watch out too for Lily beetle, vine weevils and other infestations; remove and dispose of any you see, and treat with an appropriate insecticide.
• If using an insecticide, use it wisely to avoid killing beneficial insects. Don’t use sprays if there is even a whisper of a breeze, because the insecticide will be carried. Ideally spray early morning or late evening when fewer flying insects are around.
• Look out for blackspot on rose leaves and pick off affected leaves – early removal and control may eliminate the need for fungicide treatment.
• Slugs dislike strong smelling plants, so try planting a selection of mint, chives, garlic, geraniums, foxgloves, lavender and fennel around the edge of your garden.

Wildlife

• Ensure birds are not nesting before pruning evergreen shrubs and hedges.
• Sow or plant a wildflower area to encourage beneficial insects to the garden.
• Keep bird feeders topped up.
• Water is important for birds and other wildlife in the garden, so provide a saucer or bird bath which you top up daily, or think about a small pond.

Plant focus - Clematis

Clematis are hugely popular garden plants, not surprisingly as it’s possible to have one flowering every month of the year. It can be grown up walls, fences, pergolas, allowed to scramble over shrubs, into trees, along the ground, and can be grown in containers.

In general, Clematis like their feet to be cool in the shade, so you should position other plants carefully to shield the roots, or use a layer of pebbles or flat stones.

Plant large-flowered cultivars (for example C.The President, C.Nelly Moser and C. Comtesse de Bouchard) that bloom in early summer with the tops of their root balls 5-8cm (2-3in) below the soil surface. This will encourage shoots to grow from below soil level and also helps the plant to recover if affected by clematis wilt. Herbaceous and evergreen species such as C. armandii and C. cirrhosa should be planted with the crown at soil level.

Clematis climb by wrapping their leaf stalks around supports, so it is necessary to provide wires or trellis against fences or walls. Some Clematis need to be tied in to their supports with a soft string or wire.

Water Clematis well for the first few seasons after planting, giving them a good soaking with a few buckets of water every week during dry weather. Feed with a potassium rich fertiliser in early spring, and then monthly through the spring and summer with a liquid seaweed fertiliser.

Containers should be at least 45cm wide and deep, filled with a loam based compost such as John Innes No 2. They can be trained up an obelisk or small trellis. Try smaller growing varieties such as C. Bees Jubilee, C. Miss Bateman in containers. I’ve seen a C. Early Sensation doing really well in a medium sized trough.

Pruning Clematis can be confusing - but all you need to know is which group it belongs to, and follow our Pruning Clematis guide.

Finally

I’ve decided that spring is one of my favourite times of year - aren’t we lucky to have such varied seasons? The colour and freshness at this time of year is a joy.

Sally