WHAT TO DO THIS Month
It may be cold, but spring is coming – and with the right maintenance and sowing, you’ll be ready for all the best of the new growth and colours that will soon be arriving!
PLANT UP AN ALPINE TROUGH
Plant an alpine container this month to appreciate the delicate flowers and foliage. You can often find old stone troughs at reclamation yards for £100-£500. Cheaper alternatives are made from hypertufa, reconstituted stone or even fibreglass.
1 Alpines need well-drained soil, so fill the trough with equal parts John Innes No.2 and coarse grit.
2 To create the look of a rocky slope, add larger stones and fill between them with your gritty compost mix to create planting pockets for smaller alpines.
3 Use a trowel to make holes in the compost. Tip plants carefully from their pots and gently tease out the roots. Pop them in the holes and then firm them in.
4 Water them, then cover the surface with grit to help water drain away from plant crowns to prevent rotting.
Repair and maintain your garden fences
Now’s a good time to check the condition of fences before plants start to grow again and make it difficult to access parts of the garden.
If winter storms have taken their toll, secure loose panels and replace any that have been damaged.
Once you’ve carried out the repairs, give the wood a lick of paint to protect it from rot. Choose a neighbour-friendly shade, such as a sage or mid-green that will disappear into the background, or go for bold black or slate grey, which will provide a striking contrast for foliage and flowers.
Sow a salad box
It might still be too cold to sow salads outdoors, but you can raise a crop of crisp young leaves now if you sow salad on your windowsill.
Fill your container three-quarters full with multipurpose compost and press it down firmly. Sprinkle pea shoots, kale, beetroot, rocket, lamb’s lettuce or Italian lettuce seeds over the surface quite closely. Cover the seeds with a light dusting of compost and water gently.
Plant lilies
Lily bulbs are hardy enough to be planted out towards the end of this month, in pots and in the ground. It’s not too late to plant alliums
