News from Caro Garden Design, London

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 17 Feb 2009

Well 2008 came and went in a flash here at Caro Garden Design. We were so busy we welcomed two new members of staff – Erica our assistant designer and Jane our new admin assistant. David continues to work with us too. So we’re all set up to work wonders in 2009!

As always, we love looking after gardens we have created, and each year it’s even more of a treat to visit and see how things are coming along from their infant stage. Some people like the idea of looking after their own gardens but are not quite sure where to start, and so we offer “open learning” sessions where you are invited to work with us, and we can explain what we are doing as we go along. Alternatively we offer the “wave a magic wand” approach for people who would really rather not know about the nitty gritty, but just want to enjoy a beautiful garden.

IN THE GARDEN

Assuming you like to get out there yourself, here are a few things you might like to be thinking about on the garden front:

Firstly – all that snow! how to cope with it if we get yet more, and what will it do and/or have done to your existing plants?

Snow is heavy, cold and wet and acts like a big blanket for the ground. For trees and shrubs it can break branches through sheer weight, so it’s a good idea to knock or shake snow off favourite specimens before the snow damages them. If branches do get damaged, cut them off as cleanly as possible. However, aside from the brutal snapping of branches, the snow doesn’t do as much lasting damage as frost, so although the garden might be looking a bit of a mess right now, hopefully a good percentage of it will revive with warmer spring weather. Don’t give up on apparently dead plants till all risk of frost has gone, April at least and possibly even May.

However some bulbs and tubers that don’t like wet will probably pay you back by keeling over – Dahlias in particular, possibly the more tender plants such as Hedychiums (gingers) and Cannas and so on. Traditional garden advice would be to lift and store these bulbs/tubers over the winter anyway, but we’re so used to mild winters we’ve all got a bit lazy about it. The only thing to do with a slimy mess of bulb is to throw it away and start again.

Now is definitely the time for pruning fruit trees, before they start into leaf again. It’s also a good time to lift and divide ornamental grasses that have outgrown their space, and to cut back all deciduous grasses before the new growth gets too tall. Don’t touch the evergreen grasses yet though – they need to be actively growing before they are pruned. (Deciduous ones are those that have turned brown by now, in case you were wondering.) Late flowering clematis can be pruned back to just above a strong pair of buds, and Wisteria should have its first prune of the year too.

If your roses weren’t pruned in the late autumn, they’ll need pruning now instead – don’t panic about this process, I think it brings more people out in a cold sweat than any other gardening activity. Years ago the RHS ran a trial on rose pruning and found that those bushes chopped horizontally with a hedge trimmer bloomed just as well as those cut lovingly by trained horticulturalists. The bushes themselves wouldn’t look so great, so I’m not recommending the savage slashing method, but just reassuring you that whatever you do you’re unlikely to cause lasting damage. Ideally, cut back the stem diagonally to just above a strong bud facing out from the bush. Keep the bush a nice sturdy open shape. That’s it. Climbers and ramblers don’t need much pruning unless they’re blooming out of sight, in which case prune them back to something more manageable.

OUT AND ABOUT

A few ideas for the forthcoming month:

22 Feb - Seed Swap Sunday, 2-4pm, Bruce Castle, Haringey, London N17. Open to all who are interested in gardening and growing, it aims to encourage seed-saving and growing from seed.

21, 22 and 28 Feb + 1 Mar - Hellebore Tours at Hadlow - Tours at 11am and 2pm to see the famous National Collection of Hellebores. Hellebores for sale at Broadview Garden Centre. Admission charge £3 per person. Hadlow College , Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 OAL : Phone free: 0500 551434. www.hadlow.ac.uk

1 Mar - Gatton Park Gardens and Grounds Open - hidden gardens in historic ‘Capability’ Brown designed grounds. Lakeside trail with bird hide opposite ‘Heron’ Island . St Andrew’s ancient church open. Adults £3.50 Children free. 1 - 5pm
Gatton Park , Reigate Surrey RH2 0TW www.gattonpark.com

4 Mar - Ham House & Garden - Complimentary guided tours of Ham’s 17th century formal gardens. 1pm - 1.45pm. National Trust. Meet by the reception kiosk. Tel 0844 561 1921
Ham Street Ham Richmond-upon-Thames Surrey TW10 7RS

7 Mar - Grow Your Own Open Day. - Grow Your Own Open Day between 10am & 4pm at RHS Hyde Hall - this FREE open day aims to offer advice, inspiration and know-how to the seasoned vegetable grower or novice alike. Children–friendly with a range of vegetable themed art & craft activities. Booking not required
RHS Garden Hyde Hall CM3 8ET

13 Mar - Garden Walks: Nymans Gardens - Join the Head Gardener for a tour of the spring highlights, including the extensive Camellia, Magnolia and Rhododendron collection. 11am-2pm, tickets £5. National Trust. Nymans Garden Handcross nr Haywards Heath RH17 6EB 01444 405250

14 + 15 Mar - Woodland Family Workshops at Nymans: Spring Bird Box Making - a fun workshop making a bird box to take home for Spring. Adults with children go free. 11am - 12.30pm. Child £10; details for Nymans Gardens as above

14 + 15 Mar - Capel Manor Gardens - Open Garden - 30 acres of historical and modern theme gardens, Japanese garden, large Italian style maze, rock and water features. Walled garden with rose collection and woodland walks. Also trial gardens run by ’Gardening Which?’ together with small model gardens. Capel Manor Gardens , Enfield , Middlesex EN1 4RQ Admission £6, Children £3, concessions £5 Open for charity.

Have a great month!