LIFESTYLE: WINTER GARDENING THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK
15 - 21 February 2013
A plan for all seasons BY TOBY MUSGRAVE
Put a spring in your step sharpish!
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T MAY STILL be dark in the mornings, but spring is not too far off, and its herald marks the beginning of the gardening year. It’s a busy period, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead, and since there are many maintenance and preparative tasks that can be carried out in February and March, that will take the pressure off in the coming months. And if you put the work in now, you can also get yourself an earlier harvest of vegetables.
Toby Musgrave is one of Britain’s most celebrated gardeners - both as an author, historian and design consultant - but yet he has lived in Denmark this past decade, so who better to turn to, to find out everything you need to know about preparing for and enjoying the different seasons. Find out more at www.tobymusgrave.com.
half-hardy bedding plants, and tender/exotic vegetables − but remember they will need a minimum temperature of 10-18 Celsius, so make space on a warm window ledge (move them away from the glass if a cold night is forecast) or put them in a heated greenhouse or frame.
have seen places in the garden where water is standing, improve the drainage by digging in a mix of
Have a bulb moment before it’s too late IT IS ALSO the season of bulbs, and it is so cheering to see the first erantis (winter aconite) and vintergæk (snowdrop) open their flowers. One tip for the latter: unlike other springflowering bulbs that are planted in the autumn, snowdrops should be planted ‘green’ − that is to say, with their leaves still attached in the weeks after they have finished flowering. And for all spring-flowering bulbs, give them a good feed of organic fertiliser once they have flowered, and don’t cut off the leaves. Do this and they will both multiply and put on a great show again next year. Also, once the soil has warmed up a bit, it will be time to plant summerflowering bulbs such as lillies, alliums, nectaroscordum and crocosmia − but be warned that gladiolus will not survive the Danish winter outdoors
PHOTOGRAPH © TOBY MUSGRAVE.
Neglected lawns can leave you forlorn come May IF YOU HAVE used that wonderful and wholly appropriate double-whammy excuse of not cutting back the perennials and ornamental grasses so that birds can feed on the seeds, and so you get a winter show – now is the time to do so, so that they get a good start this spring. But do not forget to continue to feed the birds, and put water out for them if it is freezing. With the proviso the soil is not frozen or waterlogged, it’s still okay to lift and move dormant plants around the garden – but make sure you get as big a root ball as possible. And if you
well-rotted horse manure and sharp sand – half a barrow and quarter of a barrow of each respectively per square metre. You can use coarse grit as an alternative to sand, but it’s much more expensive. Get the lawnmower serviced if you didn’t in the autumn. Before the spa begins to rise and after the Reap the rewards worst of the of early planning cold weather, prune the roses and trim the top rosette of leaves IF YOU HAVE a heated greenhouse or from mahonias to get good bushy conservatory, from the middle of Febgrowth this summer – but only once ruary onwards, you can sow the seeds of indoor tomatoes and cucumbers, but the flowering has finished. remember to keep them warm but not Towards the end of Halmtorvet March,19 •itThewill Bosch building • DK-1700 Copenhagen V +45 33 31 20and 00 • hej@biomio.dk • www.biomio.dk over-watered. be time to sow the seed ofTlf:tender
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To get an early crop, sow bulb onions, early beetroot, carrots and parsnips into the ground come March and keep them warm by covering with cloches or a horticultural fleece. Once you’ve bought your seed potatoes, ‘chit’ them by standing them in an egg box with the ‘rose end’ – the one with the most shoots, upright. Let the shoots grow to about 2.5cm long before planting outside In terms of what to sow, I am making a plea that you consider heritage (heirloom) varieties. Not only do they taste great and have good stories to tell, but by growing them you are also helping to preserve our gardening heritage. One great website from which to purchase is www.thomasetty.co.uk. He has a great range of seeds, a fun website (take a look to see what I mean) and also produces a very useful monthly newsletter. Also, get ahead of yourself and have a spring clean of pots and seed trays ready for the main seed sowing period (you can sterilise them with a wash of Rodalon) and get in a stock of seed compost (peat free, please) before the rush. Finally, before the sap rises, prune the apple and pear trees. Feed the birds, don’t shoot them THE DAPHNES are a group of smallto-medium sized shrubs that are grown primarily for their deliciously scented flowers. The mezereon (daphne mezereum) is one of the first to flower in the spring and has been grown in Danish gardens for centuries. It is a most striking shrub, boasting purple-red and very sweet-smelling flowers that cover the bare twigs of last year’s growth, turning this upright shrub (height 1.2m, spread 1.2m) into a riot of colour and scent. But keep an eye out, as hungry birds will eat the buds. If you see this happening, feed the birds and cover the shrub in mesh net. Flowering a little later in spring is the star magnolia (magnolia stellata) This lovely shrub bears white flowers, with petals which, as its name suggests, are arranged like a star. Not only are the flowers very delicate, but they are also sweetly scented and open from attractive silky buds. It is relatively slow growing, but will eventually reach a height of 3m and a spread of 4m. It has quite a delicate form, and the narrow, deep green leaves that appear after the flowers are very attractive.
For four weeks at a time, four times a year, our aim is to give you all the seasonal lifestyle advice you need to thrive in the areas of gardening, health, food and sport. When should you plant your petunias, when does the birch pollen season normally start, which week do the homegrown strawberries take over the supermarket, and which outdoor sports can you play in the snow? All the answers are here in ‘A plan for all seasons’.
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