What a difference a snip makes

Despite the unsettled weather there are still lots of jobs that I've been able to do.  In addition to the ongoing pruning of certain shrubs and cutting back those perennials that have finished their winter seed head display, cutting back your ferns is another useful task worth undertaking.

Many people leave their ferns year-on-year without cutting back the fronds, resulting in a messy specimen.

By simply removing the fronds, right to the woolly fists, it enlivens the plant and new growth will emerge in next to no time - uninterrupted from the previous years growth. 

In just a few simple snips the fern is finished!

Once complete, the surrounding area has been enriched with some organic matter (lightly forked in). This space creates an opportunity to introduce some snowdrops (in the green); the 2 plants would then work in tandem.  When the fern is dormant the snowdrops strut their stuff and when the snowdrops finish their display the fern is beginning to takeover the show and fills up the area whilst its partner is dormant. Simple eh!

The snowdrops will arrive around mid February, so I'm looking forward to introducing them; not only around the fern but to most deciduous shrubs that need some added colour around their base at this time of year.  

Here, I already have a small group at the base of my Hydrangea petiolaris.  This particular one is Galanthus 'S Arnott' which Fergus kindly gave when I was at Dixter. It's slow to bulk up but it's an absolute gem.

If you want something a little different to partner a deciduous shrub, you could use Arum italicum 'Marmoratum'.

A glorious day

You would have thought it was a spring day.  Sunshine and warmth is certainly tricking the plants into early growth but as we all know, mother nature can have a nasty sting in her tail; I only hope we don't get a sustained cold spell.

In a sheltered area of this garden, Melianthus major is already 2 foot high and looks as luscious as it can be with new growth surging ahead. Although it's only half hardy, on the south coast of the UK we seem to be able to get away with keeping it outside with a little protection. Having said that, this plant hasn't had any protective layer this year and I'm amazed how well it's done.

A plant that is synonymous with winter flower and scent is the Chimonanthus praecox.  Common name: wintersweet.  It needs space to grow and doesn't take too kindly to human intervention so be very cautious when using those secateurs.  Go in too heavy and you may wonder why your plant isn't flowering.

I was hoping to get some roses planted which have been heeled in for the last 5 - 6 weeks but although the rain has eased a little over the past few days, the ground continues to be saturated. This particular garden has a very high water table and at times you may be as well making mud pies.  In this instance, I'm hoping patience really does pay off.

Time to reveal some hidden treasures

Another mild week but with that came lots of rain, falling on already saturated ground.Thankfully, the start of the week was spent at Great Dixter where Fergus gave a lecture on seeds; what to choose, why it is advantageous to stagger your sowings and the practicalities of dealing with limited space. A fab day and some interesting flowers to try.  Back home, a few jobs such as pruning wisterias and spireas has enabled me to work from paved areas, also cutting back certain perennials which include epimediums before they start to smother those bulbs that are searching for light. Epimedums are an ideal plant for dry shade and they soon bulk up to form good ground cover. At this time of year the leaves look a little tired so now is the time to cut them back (stalks as well) which will enable the yellow delicate flowers to be displayed on naked stems.

Epimedium pinnatum colchicum

When all the vegetative growth has been removed, hidden treasures are soon revealed.  Here, Galanthus 'Atkinsii' are slowly establishing in this shady part of the garden alongside Arum italicum Marmoratum.

New leaves emerge with lovely fresh coppery markings.  Sadly I was too late to take a picture of the delicate yellow flowers which preceded this display. Damn!

The weather next week seems to be a little more settled and pruning continues to be a primary task. Another job waiting to be done is planting some bare root roses (around 20 ) that were heeled in just before Christmas. Their buds are swelling far too quickly. Damn!

Pruning, cutting back and a bit more

Despite the whimsical weather it's been a fairly productive week and pruning has taken care of most of my workload but before the tulips emerge from the soil any further, it's also been necessary to get into the borders (wherever possible) to cut back those perennials that are needing some human intervention; always working from boards to avoid compacting your soil.

Sedum is a typical plant that is best left over winter before it undergoes its annual hair cut. However, don't leave short stubs (which look rather messy) but ensure the stems are cut right back to ground level.

Towards the end of autumn I did some scaling of Lily 'Regale.'

They've now formed bulbils which have subsequently been planted in pots.

I also did this technique to some Lily martagon 'Alba' but they are still yet to develop. Back in the fridge for them for a while.

Off to Great Dixter tomorrow for a study day on Choosing and Using Seeds. Hoping to get some inspiration from Fergus. He won't disappoint that's for sure.

Time for the holster!

Whilst the soil was relatively dry and workable up to mid December, I understandably focussed my attention on border work; however, the weather caught up with me and certain jobs such as planting, had to be put on-hold until the soil becomes workable again.  As Fergus, at Great Dixter, told me time and time again, '...always have something up your sleeve for bad weather.' What great advice this has proved to be!

As a result of Fergus' wise words, my attention this week has turned to pruning fruit trees, deciduous shrubs, such as weigela, spirea, philadelphus and wisteria to name but a few.  I've got quite a few gardens that will keep me busy with this kind of work for at least the next couple of weeks or so.

Tools getting a good clean and sharpen before the onslaught begins.

Despite the wet weather, it's been mild and bulbs are beginning to sprout.

Seed catalogues are hitting the door mat so I'm looking forward to selecting my seeds for numerous summer displays.  What will you choose for a riot of summer colour?

Welcome to my blog.

My name is Bob and I started my own gardening business, Suburban Oasis, just under 7 years a go. Although I've got other social media platforms I wanted to provide a more relaxed inventory of what I've been doing relating to all things green on a week-to-week basis.

This won't be a literacy genius piece of writing; for that you need to go and seek out other blog sites. This is just about me, plants and what I'm currently undertaking in various private gardens around Bosham in West Sussex. Not to mention, jobs in my own garden.  Just click here to see a few gardens and projects that I've done to date.

It's New Years day so I'm in need of a coffee and cake. That's it for now.