Gardening section.qxp_Layout 1 18/02/2021 13:44 Page 47
GARDENING
MARCH GARDEN TIPS
• Cut dogwoods (Cornus alba types) and willows (salix) that are grown for brightly coloured winter stems down to almost ground level now. This encourages young new shoots that always have the best colour. • Protect newly emerging clematis shoots from attack from snails, especially those growing low down. • Prune most roses now, (climbing, rambling and shrub roses are best pruned in summer after the main flush of flower). • start spraying roses for blackspot, rust and aphids as soon as the leaves appear. Early spraying is essential! • There is still time to transplant evergreen shrubs before it is too late but remember to disturb the roots as little as possible and keep as much soil attached to them as you can. • If you haven’t done it already, prune buddlejas back to about waist height and trim lavateras (tree mallows) back to healthy new shoots. • Prune hardy fuchsias back to strong new shoots. Tidy up straggly penstemons. Give them all a feed with Vitax Q4. • Prune late flowering shrubs back hard now. Caryopteris, Ceratostigma, Perovskia, hardy fuchsia, deciduous Ceanothus, Hydrangea paniculata types and lavatera. • If you grow Eucalyptus for its ‘blue foliage’, you should cut it back hard now. The golden Catalpa and purple Cotinus too. leaves are more dramatic after a hard prune. • Prune side shoots on winter flowering Jasmine back hard. ‘Japonicas’ (Chaenomeles) can be cut back when they finish flowering too. This gives time for next year’s buds to form.
A helping hand in Pensford
EMIlY Carboni has taken charge of Pensford’s planters while liz Jones is on maternity leave and has had her young daughter, Izzy, “helping” her. The first two planters were set up at the entrance to Pensford last March, filled with bulbs and flowers, and three others have now been installed around the village, with two in front of the village lockup. There are plans for more on Pensford Bridge.
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