Spring is such a beautiful time but as always so unpredictable, very difficult gardening weather with one day warm and the next really cold with frosts arriving out of the blue to remind us not to plant those tender plants too soon .
Seed sowing and planting to take us right through late spring and summer, happens now there is so much on offer, tubas, bulbs, bedding plants, shrubs and trees. When buying punnets of plants get them accustomed to cold nights and changeable weather before planting.
I absolutely love sweet peas so I planted some into punnets in late July and kept under the protection of frost cloth, they are well up and starting to climb for an early flowering. Today I planted more to keep sweet peas scramble and flowering right through until the end of summer. Sweet peas are heavy feeders so a trench filled with well rotted animal manure deep down for roots to reach when in need.
Fuchsias: Here on the coast fuchsias can be cut back now that they are pushing out leaves, they flower on new growth so take them as far back as you need for the height you would like them to be flowering. Fuchsias prefer afternoon shade, moist ground and food keep up to them during the growing season for best results.
Dahlias : I have just replanted dahlia tubas I had removed and stored over winter because the garden they were in remains wet and cold. Dahlia tubas will rot during winter if left in those conditions.
I checked my begonia corms this week and found they are beginning to show tiny shoots, early enough yet but pots and baskets can be planted to get them going but warm, well lit protection is a must until the weather is warm enough for them.
Rose leaf tips may be targeted by greenfly during mild days, keep an eye out for hatchlings, usually right at the tip of new growth and squish them with a finger and thumb, I keep this up to eliminate the need to spray. Roses start looking for food well before leaves arrive, old stable manure or the pig and sawdust mix around the drip line (not up against branches) will keep them happy.
Worms: I am often told by gardeners their gardens are lacking in worms, especially those newly created gardens like mine. I came across a way to encourage worms a few years ago that really works. Half fill a fertiliser bag with fresh cow / horse manure and leave it sitting on top of grass or soil for a number of weeks, long enough for manure moisture to leach out into the ground. When the bag is lifted there should be a mass of garden worms there.
Tiger worms from worm farms do not last long in gardens, they remain too close to the top of soil so are taken by birds.
Lawns: Winter damage will be noticed in lawns now that grass is growing again, rake out damaged patches, rough up the soil then spread generous amounts of clean, sifted topsoil to sow grass seed on. If birds are a problem each patch can be covered with green shade cloth until seed germinates.
Vegetables: Here on the coast plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in seed potatoes. I am now dealing with clay soil in my new raised gardens. During winter I planted a green crop which has since been dug in plus layered manure enriched compost and managed to grow a few veg in amongst it. The soil is still heavy but I know that layering compost on top for worms to take down, which will improve the top planting layer.
Fruit: Strawberry plants are on the move towards flowering, they are heavy feeders as well so will be looking for compost mulch now. Straw or pine needles around strawberry plants will keep weeds down and fruit clean. Bees are about to pollinate blossoms, too late now for any spraying, just let the bees do their work and look forward to bumper crops.
Cheers, Linda.
If worms love your soil you will have a happy garden.
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