by Fen Ryan gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces
Early signs of spring and what’s in bloom now
February is well on its way and the signs of early spring are already appearing day after day all around us, with the appearance of snowdrops, daffodils and the sprouting of muscari bulbs. Now is the time to give the neglected garden some love.
For a border that performs all year round, alongside spring flowering bulbs, you can also plant winter flowering shrubs like viburnum, skimmia, helebores and corms such as cyclamen. Now is a good time to get these in if you want to develop a garden to attract pollinators and one that is full of life and interest throughout the year.
A well planned garden will result in a continuous succession of blooming plants that will perform year upon year attracting pollinator and insects.
What you choose to plant and where you plant it contributes to creating a garden with great bio diversity and a pleasing aesthetic that is resilient and sustainable.
What to Plant now
It is not too late to get some instant spring interest into your garden as this can be done with the addition of seasonal planters and window boxes filled with frost hardy plants. As the season moves the bulbs and plants can be moved to the borders and with thoughtful positioning will continue to perform year upon year. There is also some time left to plant trees, winter shrubs and move mature specimens
Seasonal jobs for now
The birds are about in abundance, singing their hearts out to attract a mate to settle and nest with in Spring. Now is the best time to get larger shrubs, trees and mature climbers cut back so as not to disturb the nesting once it begins. Add a bird box and bath alongside some feeders to the garden to attract the birds in.
- cut back mature shrubs, trees and climbing plants
- plant root ball hedging and trees
- plant winter shrubs
- plant flowering spring bulbs
- cut back ornamental grasses
- add in a bird box, bath and feeder
What to plan now
If you are thinking of planning or developing your garden this year, or wish to simply enjoy it during warmer days, planning ahead is important. Getting the right jobs get done during dormancy ensures the least disruption and offers maximum potential for developing a garden to enjoy all year. Starting now means you can
- Develop a functional layout with minimum disruption
- Plant up the evergreen structure for all year round interest
- Develop layered planting schemes to develop bio diversity in the garden
- Plant already in bloom winter and spring plants to add seasonal interest
Now is a good time for planning space and adding structural evergreen planting
It all begins with a seed
Fen Ryan Plant|Design|Maintain 