Plant of the month for March

 Camellia

One of the more glamorous stars of the garden, these (normally) evergreen shrubs have fabulous flowers in shades of white, red and pink, and can be singles or showy doubles.  They can be upright or spreading and smaller specimens are suitable for containers.  Although we think of most camellias as flowering in the spring, there are some that have been bred for autumn and winter flowering as well – usually those labelled Camellia Sasanqua, one of the most obtainable being the red Yuletide.  These used to be quite rare and less hardy than the spring flowerers (Camellia Japonica and xWilliamsii), but recent varieties are much more robust.  However, all camellias hate alkaline soil (the leaves will go yellow), so grow in ericaceous compost in a container if you don’t have acid soil. They like dappled shade (but will go leggy in full shade), although Sasanqua will thrive in full sun, but they should not be planted on the east facing side of the garden as the early morning sun can destroy flower buds if they have been frosted the night before.  Oh, and keep them well watered in summer as this is when the flower buds set – too dry and they will all fall off…

Things to do this month - March

·        Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished their display

·        Prune Cornus and other winter coloured stem plants

·        Tidy up herbaceous plants and cut back (but not Penstemons – eave them for a few more weeks until the weather has warmed a bit)

·        Once we have had a dry spell and the ground has dried a bit, make an early start on weeding – it will pay dividends later

·        Sow chillis and tomatoes  now, to give them as long a growing time as possible

·        Start off onion, garlic and shallot sets

·        Start general seed sowing

·        Chit potato tubers

·        Although you may already have started to mow occasionally, now is the time to start removing weeds from lawns and thinking about preparing them for the Summer ahead.

·        Pot up your Dahlias undercover (not outside!) and start them into growth before putting them out in May.  Think of our show!

Plant of the month for February

Daphne

In January and February, if you go to Wakehurst and walk towards the Himalayan Glade (where you can feed the birds) from the Iris Garden, or walk through the Winter Garden, you will be hit by the magnificent scent of their Daphnes.  Although these are probably the reliable Daphne bholua  Jaqueline Postill with pink flowers, other varieties such as Perfume Princess (a little shorter) and the darker purple bholua Limpsfield are available.  Typically growing to 5ft (1.5m), these are ideal for a semi-shaded sheltered spot and will remain in flower and scent for about a month, if not longer, and are wonderful near to a window or door in winter.  Smaller, more compact varieties are also available such as Daphne x transatlantica Eternal Fragrance, flowering later in spring and even repeating through the summer. These can even be grown in a container although we have found that they do perform better in the ground.  Garden centres tend to stock Daphne odora Aureomarginata which has gold edged leaves, but this can be rather temperamental especially in our clay soil – we recommend trying  to track down one of the other varieties if you can. 

Things to do this month - February

 ·        Prune apples and pears

·        Prune roses

·        Prune wisterias

·        Sow peppers and chillis

·        Sow sweet peas

·        Buy Dahlias at the Garden Centre to prepare for September’s show

·        Feed established daffodil bulbs, especially in containers

·        On a fine day, empty your greenhouse and clean it out.  Wash all the glass, inside and out

·        Sort out the shed!