Page 60 - Phonebox Magazine March 2012

A Month in the Garden
Trusted since 1989
GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING
Your local, independent landscape
and design company. Everything is beautifully designed and constructed to fit your space, perfectly.
Visit our website
www.reeveshomeandgarden.co.uk
Call for a free estimate, without obligation, on
01234 213769
Design & Construction for your Home and Garden
Emberton & District flower Club
Tuesday 6th March: AGM followed by a talk with slides “Shared memories of the Chicheley Experience” (the floral event 5-7 August 2011) by Bill Hallett, builder turned florist. Visitors £4.
Notice of meeting on 30th April. NAFAS demonstration - Pat Dibben - “A talk with flowers”.
SUMMER MEADOW LANDSCAPES
Quality materials & craftsmanship you can rely on
G Fencing, Decking & pergolas
G patios & Brickwork
G pruning,tree surgery & Forestry
G garden Maintenance & turfing
G groundwork, Demolition & Drainage
For a reliable friendly service contact Mark smith 01908 516387 / 07801 434042 Established 10 years
Gardening can be a frustrating pastime as well as an immensely satisfying one. Waiting for the first glimmer of spring, when the sun starts to warm the earth and buds swell on branches can seem to last forever, yet it is just around the corner.
Its time to prune late summer flowering shrubs such as buddleias, fuchsias and hydrangeas now the worst of the winter frosts are over. Lawns would benefit from a little attention this month. Lightly scarify the lawn with a wire rake to remove any thatch and
winter debris before mowing.
After you dig out the lawnmower from the back of the shed, check that the blades are sharp and replace if necessary. Oil and lubricate before use and then check that the mower is cutting correctly. If your mower has height adjustment, set to the highest cut and gradually reduce over the coming weeks
Time To Tidy
Early spring is when we really feel the garden coming to life again, it’s a wonderful time for gardeners the first day of the year you are outside digging in a t-shirt again! But to dig over a veggy plot or where you are planning to put your bedding, it needs to be cleared first. There’s little point digging in winter debris that has collected.
At the Manor we always have two main tidy-up times of the year, the first in late autumn, cutting down herbaceous plants and early spring before the growth of plants and bulbs really gets in the way. Remove any weeds you find, Autumn
leaves which have blown into the corners and behind pots, push a long rake under hedges to clear fallen leaves and any lurking snails. Cut down any old herbaceous plants that were missed in the Autumn – the new growth will soon start emerging again. While you clear bear in mind it’s a great time of year to move any plants that have outgrown their allotted space or would do better in another part of your garden. Remember to tread carefully where bulbs are planted, as they will be hiding just under the surface, and its always a good idea to take as few steps as possible on your beds so as not to destroy the soil structure – if the soil is still wet
try using a wooden plank to stand on as this spreads your weight rather than on just two welly boots! Once you have tidied the soil, it will benefit from
a mulch of your choice, this can either be dug in or left on the top as weed suppressant.
Plant of the Month – Clematis
tangutica
Its not just flowers that hold our interest in the garden – wonderful seed heads such as those of Clematis tangutica catch the low sun and provide movement and structure. The large, silky seed heads provide interest into the winter months and stand up the
weather well. An exuberant deciduous climber, it reaches up to 5 metres high. The deeply cut, fresh green leaves create a fine backdrop to the flowers. It is a particularly accommodating plant, coping equally well with
sun or shade but does prefer some shade for the roots. Displaying masses of rich yellow, bell-shaped flowers from July to September and finely divided, mid-green leaves, it is easy to see why the common name 'orange peel flower' originated.
As it flowers from mid-summer on current growth, if not pruned it tends to create a tangled mass of growth above bare stems. Prune back some of the stronger stems to within a couple of inches from the ground, or reduce all stems to about 1 metre (3 feet) to renovate an old unkempt plant. There are a few similar clematis with yellow flowers, c. orientalis has smaller, paler flowers, c. rehderiana has hanging, curvy, bell-shaped flowers with a primrose scent, and c. tangutica ‘Bill Mac Kenzie’ with contrasting maroon anthers.
Hackleton and District WI Plant Sale
The fifth annual Hackleton and District WI Plant Sale will be held on Sunday 20th May 2012 in Hackleton Village Hall from 10am to 1pm. Come along for all your good quality summer bedding, perennials, shrubs and climbers.
Also our famous WI teas and cakes and tombola. (We are raising funds for community projects for the village).
60 Phonebox Magazine