Marsh Marigold - Excellent Marginal Plant for Smaller Ponds

The Marsh Marigold (Caltha) is a hardy herbaceous perennial suitable for growing in marshy ground, around pool margins or in shallow water. It is an easy to grow marginal plant which is non invasive and therefore suitable for the smaller pond. It grows in water up to 6 inches deep and produces an abundance of lovely yellow/white flowers in April/May. If you remove the dead flowers as soon as they have faded, it will often produce a second flush of flowers in the autumn.
The variety I grow as a marginal plant in my pond is Caltha palustris which is native to Britain and Europe. It has flowered early this year due to the unusually warm March weather. It grows to about 12-15 inches in height with a spread of around 12 inches, and if grown in water as a marginal plant will require a container of at least 6 inches in depth.
The plants can be propagated by lifting and dividing the roots in May or June after flowering has finished.

Planting New Potatoes

The last of the winter veg has now been harvested and the veg patch has been dug over ready for the new season's planting. Today I planted the first of this year's vegetables - new potatoes. In previous years I have grown mainly Arran Pilot, a first early potato which stores well. This year I have decided to plant fewer potatoes but of different varieties, so today I planted Swift, a first early ideal for salads, which should be ready for harvesting in early summer. I also planted Pixie, a heavy cropping second early, which should be ready to harvest in mid summer.
New potatoes should be planted about 4 inches deep and about 9 inches apart in rows which are set 24 inches apart. The potatoes should be chitted (allowed to sprout) in a light cool frost free place prior to planting. This will get them off to a good start when you plant them and hopefully increase the crop. When the shoots are about an inch long they are ready for planting. Carefully plant with the shoots facing upwards.
Once your potato plants have grown to a height of about 8 inches you need to start earthing them up by erecting a ridge of soil around them. This has a dual purpose. It gives the potatoes more room to grow and prevents the light from reaching them and turning them green which makes them inedible.
Continue to earth up as the plants grow. When you think the potatoes are ready to harvest remove some soil from around a plant by hand and check the size of the potatoes. If they are ready use a garden fork to lift them, taking care to push the fork in well back from the plant to avoid spearing the potatoes. When the tops of the plants have turned yellow and started to wilt it is best to lift any remaining potatoes for storage. Lay them on top of the soil for about an hour then place in bags (hessian sacks or brown paper sacks are ideal) and store them in a cool frost free place.

Iris Reticulata

I planted a number of these beautiful little Irises last autumn and they have just come into flower during the recent spell of mild weather. Unlike the larger Irises which are grown from rhizomes, these small Irises are grown from bulbs. They have narrow pointed green leaves which grow to about 6 inches high and bear scented flowers 2-3 inches across in various shades of blue and purple with markings of yellow, orange and red.

The flowers are produced in February and March and are suitable for growing in the front of the border, in rockeries or greenhouse pot culture. Bulbs should be planted 3 inches deep and 4 inches apart in September or October. You can increase your stock by lifting and dividing established clumps but this should not be carried out in the first 4 to 5 years after planting.

Plants flowering this week in my garden include Iris reticulata, Hellebores, miniature Daffodils, Primulas, Pulmonaria and Camellia.



Pulmonaria - a favourite spring flower

. Pulmonarias, commonly known as lungwort, are reliably hardy, easy to grow plants for shady areas such as under trees or a shaded border. The most commonly grown variety is Pulmonaria officinalis, also called spotted dog due to its white spotted leaves. This is the one I grow in my garden.

I was given this as a gift a few years ago and it has been a lovely addition to the spring flowering plants in the woodland border. It is a low growing plant with an abundance of pink/mauve flowers appearing in March, or even earlier if the weather is mild. I have a few solitary bees nesting in the dry stone wall at the bottom of the garden and when they first emerge they find these flowers a good source of nectar.
Pulmonarias will cope with some sun but they prefer a shadier spot. They also prefer moist soil so keep them well watered when they are first planted and during any subsequent dry spells. The roots of established plants can be divided and replanted during October or March to increase your stock. This method of propagation produces better results than growing new plants from seed. I divided my plants last year and replanted some in different areas of the garden. I'm hoping these new plants will have rooted well and produce some lovely flowers this year.

Feed the Birds





The weather forecast suggests an end to the mild weather we have been enjoying and some cold frosty days ahead. This time of year we need to think about our garden birds and ensure that they have sufficient food and fresh water to see them through the winter. Hanging feeders from trees will attract certain birds but others need ground feeding areas or bird tables. Sparrows, finches, blue tits and great tits will happily feed from suspended feeders but robins, thrushes and blackbirds prefer tables. Think carefully about where you are going to hang your feeders and site your bird table, avoiding low level feeding tables if cats visit your garden. If you do not have trees from which to hang your feeders buy a pole fitted with hooks which can be pushed into the ground or mounted in a stand and placed on a hard surface. Place it no further than 6ft from cover such as a hedge or shrubs so the birds have shelter from predators. do not hang feeders above dense shrubbery where cats might hide.

Try to give your garden birds a varied diet. A range of feeders is available designed to hold peanuts or seeds and most garden centres and pet stores sell fat balls. If you are going to hang fat balls always remove the netting and put them into a hanging container designed for the purpose, as the birds can tangle their feet in the plastic netting. Grated cheese (not the blue vein cheeses), apples and porridge oats can be added to the bird table. Robins are especially fond of mealworms. Don't put out any food which is salty, spicy or has started to go mouldy. Avoid putting too much food on the ground as this could encourage vermin.

Water is very important too. You can buy small water dishes to attach to the bird feeder poles but a bird bath is a much better option and makes an attractive feature for the garden.

The best website for advice on caring for your garden birds is the RSPB website at http://www.rspb.org.uk .

It's well worth encouraging birds to your garden. Not only are they a delight to watch, they also feed on many garden pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, greenfly and caterpillars.

Evergreen Plants

It's a good idea to incorporate a few evergreen plants into the garden to give a bit of winter greenery. There are plenty of evergreens to choose from and one of the best for green and gold colour is the Euonymus Fortunei 'Emerald and Gold'. This is easily grown in ordinary garden soil in sun or partial shade. I planted mine as a tiny shrub over 15 years ago and it has grown into a handsome 5ft tall specimen. It is a good choice for evergreen hedges as it withstands regular pruning to maintain shape. It may need some protection from extreme winter weather but will tolerate the average British winter.

Choisya Ternata (Mexican orange blossom) has glossy dark green leaves which are aromatic when crushed and produces sweetly scented white flowers in spring. I grow the golden leaved variety called 'Sundance' which brings a welcome bright splash of colour to the garden on dark winter days. Choisya has a wide spreading and rounded bushy habit and will grow to about 6ft tall and 6 - 8ft wide. It is pollution tolerant and therefore suitable for town gardens. Grow in any well drained garden soil in a sunny position. It will tolerate partial shade but the leaf colour is better in full sun. In very cold gardens it is best grown against a south facing wall as the foliage is prone to frost damage.

.A smaller pollution tolerant evergreen shrub which can be grown in containers or in the border is the Skimmia. These shrubs have oval green leaves and produce creamy white flowers in 2 inch long conical spikes which are followed by bright red berries which persist throughout the winter. As with holly bushes, you will need to plant male and female cultivars of this shrub close to each other in order for the female cultivar to produce berries. But a single shrub will produce flowers regardless. There is a red flowered male variety called 'Rubella' which is particularly attractive and this would be my choice. I am currently growing a variegated form of this shrub in a pot on the patio. The pot has been placed against the patio wall for protection as I am not sure if this variegated Skimmia will be as hardy as the other varieties, but it has a very pretty leaf edged in cream.

Winter Flowering Viburnum

Viburnum bodnantense is one of the best frost resistant winter flowering shrubs. I have two of these, one in front of the house and the other at the bottom of the garden.

It is a deciduous shrub of upright habit which grows to about 8ft tall. The leaves are green oval shaped, the young leaves being tinged with bronze. Flowers are borne in 1 to 2 inch long clusters on the bare branches from December through to February. These open from rose red buds and gradually fade to pink, and then to white. As a bonus the flowers are also fragrant. When the sun catches them they look like little fairy lights adorning the branches.

This shrub grows well in any fertile moist garden soil and is best planted in full sun. It requires very little pruning. Just thin out overgrown shrubs by cutting the oldest stems back to the base after flowering (about April/May), and at the same time cut out any damaged or dead wood.