Work now for a spring garden

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 478, 23 March 1993, Page 16

Work now for a spring garden

by

Bea

Barnes

It's that time of the year again, a time to cut down all the perennials where the growth has died off and can now be cut down to base, a time to pull out all the finished annuals, a time to throw away but also a time for planting.r As summer annuals are removed along with the weeds that have crept into every available space during the summer holidays and dying summer growth is cut out, empty spaces appear waiting to be filled with new seedling plants to grow on through the winter to flower in the spring. Pansy, poppy, stock, primula, polyanthus, sweet william and the real heralds of spring, the bulbs now becoming available can be planted any time from now until about Easter. Remember that the ground, which all summer has given of itself to nourish the plants to maturity giving our gardens such a wonderful display of colour, now itself needs nourishment in order that it may nurture the plants which will flower in the spring. After all the dead and dying growth has been cleared away, fork over the ground to open it up to the sun and air and dig in a generous helping of well-rotted compost or animal manure to provide humus and to improve the structure of the soil. The addition of a layer of peat will be helpful but make sure it is well soaked first. Where you intend to plant spring bulbs prepared bulb food added at the time of planting will make sure that your bulbs will have the food they need to give the best results. Crocus and anemone

are among the first to flower in the spring and what a delight it is to see the first tiny crocus pushing its way up through the ground quite oblivious to wind and weather. Anemones make such a brilliant show of riotous colour and, left in the ground, will flower year after year, the clumps inCreasing in size as new corms are formed. Plant anemones 'claws' down about three or four inches apart. These are followed by the lovely daffodils and narcissus which really means that spring has at last arrived, together with the sweetly scented hyacinth and of course the freesia. There is a very wide colour range of freesia now and they seem to last in flower for quite a long time, each tiny bud opening to maturity. There are both single and double varieties but the doubles are more expensive. Remember freesias cannot tolerate frost and must be planted in a sunny, completely frost free position. If this is difficult in the garden they will grow equally well in pots placed in a frost free position. I like to tuck a few babiana in between ornamental rocks. They make a brilliant little patch of bright blue here and there and I used to love the broad swathe of blue muscarie which we had planted under the old and rather decrepit lawsiniana trees at the cottage. We had stored a heap of horse manure there and the residue washed into the ground just suited them. We planted only a few there but by the time we left they had increased to a broad swathe of large

brilliant blue flowers every spring. Hyacinths like a well nourished soil which must be free draining and in a position where they can take full advantage of the morning sun. If you like to plant a bowl of sweetly fragrant hyacinth to flower indoors start them off outside so that they can develop sturdy plants and bring them in just as the buds begin to burst. If the bowl has no drainage holes protect it from rain and water by hand. There are some lovely varieties of narcissus which are really worth growing and if some are a little more expensive they are more than worth the extra cost. To name a few narcisus: 'Green Gables' - . with a soft white perianth and soft yellow crown developing a gold band and centred green; 'Greenland' - a beautiful flower of purest white tinted green with a good length crown; 'White Owl' - a fairly new variety polyanthus flowered with creamy bells three or four to a stem. 'Actaea' - the real old fashioned 'pheasant eye' narcissus with a green, yellow and red eye.