BRHS - Burton Rossett Horticultural Society Gardening News

By EssentialsMAG gardening contributor CAROL EDWARDS

As I write this, the weather has been pretty bad with heavy snow, rain and today very strong winds. All this makes it difficult to think of gardening, although after a very enjoyable visit to the garden centre, I did manage to plant some polyanthus just before it all began! Luckily they have survived the conditions and are doing well. I also went to the talk by Chris Beardshaw which was very enjoyable, many thanks for all the hard work done by the members of the BRHS.

Now is the time to keep the weeds down and plant summer flowering bulbs, such as anemones, calla lilies and crocosmia. If you have any citrus plants, such as lemons and oranges, it is time to give them a feed - use a suitable one and read the instructions before using. Shrubs and roses will benefit from a feed too.

Lawns can be fed with a special lawn feed, and if you had planned to re-sow any bare patches, or even a new lawn, now is the time to do it. You can also spike the lawn with your garden fork to help with drainage. It is a good idea to re-cut the edges, as they will have become shaggy during the bad weather, as mine have.

Daffodils can be deadheaded now. Next year they will thank-you for it, with new flowers. But leave the foliage to die back naturally. If you have decided to move any evergreen trees or shrubs, you can do this now, provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.

Forsythia can be pruned as soon as flowering is finished, cutting back to young strong shoots. If you have any penstemons, now is the time to prune them. Cut back all the old shoots to the base. If there are no new ones then cut just above the lowest set of leaves. I find that they are very useful plants, as slugs do not seem to eat them.

Apply a layer of mulch around your perennials and shrubs. Use organic matter such as well rotted manure as this will benefit them when the hot weather starts. I know this is hard to do when the weather is so bad, but well worth it.

Raspberry canes and fruit bushes need feeding now with a slow release fertiliser around the base. And lastly, top-dress your containers, and start off your gladioli corms in pots in a frost-free place.