HGandG Blog - Wet winter, early Spring?

Wet winter, early Spring?
Tue, Mar 11, 2014
After a very wet and mild winter, it seems that Spring is set to arrive far earlier than last year.

It was an odd one wasn't it! The forecast was for a cold hard winter, and it turned into a wet and mild one. I can count on one hand the number of frosts we've had. And so it seems that Spring is with us - the blossom is out, the bulbs are up, the magnolia buds are getting ready to burst.

And with all that, comes the start of our gardening season proper. We've mown lawns last week! Yes! A whole month earlier than last year. This is a great time to mulch the borders to maintain the moisture around your plant roots and help them through the summer if we go through a drought phase. But, the ground is still very heavy with moisture and it is best not to work it too much as you can damage the structure. So, spread your mulch but keep off the soil.

We've started all our veg seeds off in trays so far - the ground is too wet for seeds to be sown directly, they will rot before germination. If you hold off for a few weeks until the top layers dry off a little in the warmth then you will get a much better germination rate. Our over-wintered onions, broad beans, peas and garlic are all in great shape, but we are very vigilant for slugs - this could be another bumper year for them due to the mild wet conditions. Early slug activity is not good news for your freshly germinated veg seeds - another good reason to start off your precious plants indoors to give them a fighting chance against slugs and snails.

Elsewhere we are working on planting plans for 2 new garden schemes. I love it! Creating from scratch a whole new garden is great fun, it gets the artistic juices flowing and gives me chance to indulge in my passion for new plants. The photos will be showcased here next month when we are complete on the first one.

Here's to Spring!

Teresa
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Hellebore in full bloom

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