From a cold spell in February here we are in the middle of a prolonged heat wave at the end of March!

Many of colleagues are voicing cheerful comments such as “We will pay for it in the end” and even more optimistically “The end is nigh!” I, along with the majority, are busy enjoying the weather as this will probably turn out to be “summer” for 2012.

So far, many ornamental plants are also enjoying the unseasonably high temperatures and tremendous displays are being put on by many cherries and magnolias. The drought is, however, beginning to bite and I am sure we all agree we must have plenty of prolonged rain soon, only please let the majority fall at night!

The Pershore Campus is becoming a blaze of seasonal colour so I suggest you visit soon to avoid what will be a vivid, bur short lived display for many plants.

Ornamental quinces are having a field day and Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’ is full of flower. The cherry season is well away and the magnificent Prunus sargentii is in full flower and the bees are in ecstasy working as only bees can! Be quick or you will miss it!

Viburnum carlesii can be clearly smelt from the cherry just mentioned, the rounded heads of flower producing the most gorgeous scent. If you cannot visit Pershore within the next week do not despair, since although this viburnum will be finished very close by is the equally fragrant, but slightly later flowering Viburnum juddii.

The tulips are rushing to flower and amongst my favourites is Tulipa ‘Prises Irene’ in full glorious bloom in the Hardy Perennial Garden.

Enjoy your visit!

Here we go Blog number 2!

The weather never fails to surprise us gardeners! What a cold snap!

Pat Edwards held her annual winter opening at the end February and it was great to see Pat and her National Collection of Hamamelis.

The weather was cold, but bright and the Witch Hazels sparkled as only they can! I spotted a new cultivar, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Harry’. This has large rusty red flowers, with unfortunately little scent, born on a vigorous upright growing plant. The young plant, well positioned with a dark green background and the sun falling on the flowers looked magnificent in her garden. Those who know me well will be surprised by this, but I bought a plant and yes the moths did fly!

Hamamelis as a genus appear to be performing a little oddly this season with some such as Hamamelis mollis starting to flower just after Christmas, others such as Hamamelis x intermedia  ‘Jelena’ flowering as I write on Tuesday 7th February and other such as Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ still not in flower. Is this abnormal or have I just noticed this?

I went up to John Massey’s garden at Kingswinford on Saturday 4th February and got rather cold! Hats off to John who opened despite the weather and I hope the charity for whom he opened did well. Despite the cold there was always something good to see, the grasses border still looked fine textured and beautiful despite the previous very windy weather and there was abundant winter stem colour.

There’s a salutary lesson here, despite the weather, stem colour always pulls through!

The season.

The autumn and early winter has been remarkably mild and dry. Autumn colour that started by looking dissappointing turned out to be a kaleidoscopic display. Many people perhaps think that the recent rain has replenished the soil, but this week I was digging out a dead plum tree in my own garden and below 30cm the ground was hard and dry!

As the old year gradually fades away and 2012 begins to appear over the horizon Mother Nature gives us a little glimpse of spring. On the college campus look underneath the old weeping ash near the juicing plant and be prepared for a pleasant surprise.

Plants looking good.

Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus Hiemalis Group is out in flower. Always starting to flower before Christmas this precocious snowdrop gives us hope as the shortest day comes and we move into a new gardening year. This hardy plant flowers often before the worst of the winter weather, but always happily survives to produce its leaves along with its more sensible relatives in early spring.

My tulips were planted in mid November and nothing is yet to be seen. This is good news as this means there is less chance of the weather and slugs combining their activities to foil my plans for a display in spring.

Alongside the patch reserved for the tulips there lies a particularly untidy clump of the Algerian Iris (Iris unguicularis). No buds or flowers were visible whilst planting the tulips, but casual inspection last weekend revealed the first flowers. Why does this plant choose to produce these large delicate looking flowers beginning in the depth of winter?

Back at the college, Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus praecox ‘Grandiflorus’) scents the air. Not visibly exciting this Chinaman announces its flowering with the most beautiful and strong scent carrying across the Quad.  Such a shame that this plant is at its best whilst college life is very quiet! This plant is not very common and I always associate with old gardens or experienced gardeners, a case in point being the Cotswold garden of that famous, but now sadly deceased garden designer Rosemary Very.

Gardening.

This Christmas / New Year break sees me hard at work in the garden. Would I admit to anything else?

Boxing Day sees the start of the Lily repotting season. Can you imagine the scene? There I am, dressed for the part, Radio Four softly playing and active in the green house. Seasonal bliss! Mind you it’s a lot warmer this year than last and not having to thaw out the compost prior to use is a definite improvement!

Now is the time to repot any pot grown lilies you may have. Currently they should be dry under cold glass or even in the garage. Repotting now gives you the opportunity to look at the condition of the bulbs, check for the presence of the dreaded vine weevil larvae and place the bulbs into new compost complete with a fresh charge of nutrients for the coming season. Keep the bulbs on the dry side until growth commences in early spring.

My I feel virtuous! Nearly all the fallen leaves have been picked up and placed in punctured polythene bags. This I will leave for at least a full year to allow them to decay into that wonderful stuff gardeners call leaf mould. Call me old fashioned if you like, but yes I do like to see the garden “tidy” in the winter.

The task had been before me for months, but perhaps the extra calories consumed over the Christmas festivities gave the necessary energy and impetus to start removing the old plum tree. The head had been cut off by the previous owner, six years before or more, but the trunk and roots still awaited extraction.

After much grunting, sweating and numerous cups of tea the task was done. Now I look at the cleared length of border replete with added garden compost. I wonder would a Hamamelis or Magnolia be best place there? Now is a very good time to undertake tasks such as these. Nature is moving only very slowly and time is on the gardeners side to catch up, take up this rare chance to make real progress.

Well I feel I must close now. Other tasks and events are happening in our gardens, but my daughter, who is much better versed in things IT, has said. “Not too long or else people will not read it” Perish the thought!

Was it too long or too short, were important points missed out? Please let me know your thoughts below!

A very happy gardening New Year to you all.

Written by Duncan Coombs

This blog is intended to be;

1.  A weekly series of gardening observations over the year including:

• What plants are currently looking at their best.
• Current garden tasks.
• What I am currently doing in my own garden

2.  A discussion forum

Gardening is often a solitary occupation, some of us prefer it that way, and others would welcome the opportunity to chat over their gardening ideas or problems with like-minded gardeners. I really hope gardeners, young or old, novices or experienced will enter into what will become a lively and hopefully amusing discussion forum.  Any point, question or observation can be sent in “over the ether” for others to remark upon. I wonder what will develop? Remember, together we probably have a colossal accumulation of gardening experience!

3.  Part of the Horticultural Advisory service I maintain on behalf of the RHS and the College.

This is intended to be a weekly summary of what I observe over the gardening year, developing I hope in to an active discursive forum of what is current, but this also depends on you. Is anybody out there?

Written by Duncan Coombs