February 23

February 23

Here at Craigrothie, the Eranthus (winter Aconites) are beginning to open out, and Galanthus (Snowdrops) are following suit. Some of the Polyanthus are also beginning to flower. Wallflower (Erysimum) is starting to emit its lovely scent. In one part of the garden, we are getting wafts of the fragrant scent from the yellow bell-shaped flowers of Mahonia. 

Apart from the weather, it is a lovely time of year to observe a garden. Even at this time, there can be lots of colour and scent. I’ve already mentioned Mahonia, but equally, the colours and scent from Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Mollis) are excellent, and of course, the sweet scent of the Daphne flowers is a must in the garden now. You can almost see everything starting to straighten up and emerge from its winter sleep. It truly is amazing.

This year there have been excessive amounts of leaves and other debris that just constantly blow into the gardens, and we need to keep on top of that and tidy up. Unfortunately, the weeds have also begun to wake up. They are growing away, so now is the best time to get rid of them, especially Shiny Cranesbill, Herb Robert and perennials such as Bindweed, Vetch, Dandelions and Ground Elder. Make sure that you get all of the roots with the perennials, which is not easy.

This is the month to start taking care of your lawns. We begin with Coring, which helps to release any compaction and also helps to aerate the lawn, which strengthens the roots. Then, with an application to kill the moss, we scarify the lawns, which removes the moss and removes the build-up of thatch, which helps strengthen the roots. This is really worth doing, especially with regular application of lawn fertilisers, if you want to have a great-looking lawn throughout the summer.

Obviously, changes to garden layouts etc. can be made at any time, but February into March is a great time to do these, as plants and shrubs are still mainly dormant and can be moved easily. If you decide to create a new seating area, any turf that is uplifted can be re-used elsewhere in the garden. In planning a new patio area, we will consider the best focal points in the garden and look for the best area to get the most benefit from the sun throughout the day. Depending on the type of materials chosen, we can be creative with the size and shape of the seating area and can, if desired, incorporate raised beds using either brick or sleepers and even install a fire pit. The most popular material that we are using at the moment is Indian sandstone, which is a natural product with varying colours and, irrespective of the size of the seating area, is most attractive all year round.

If you want a low-maintenance garden, there are many ways to be creative, using various types of gravel and rocks and even creating dry river beds that are a speciality of ours.

Hopefully, you may get some ideas from the above to enhance your garden.

Remember Tidy Gardens.’All your garden needs.’

Ewen

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