Gardening with Pat Duke: What you need to plant this spring

In the garden  

The time is ebbing away so quickly this spring that I’ve found myself cutting down spent daffodils recently adorning the grassy areas. In the past, some gardeners tied them in a knot for some bizarre reason I could never work out. It’s best to cut them right down so they can store energy for next year.

Whilst doing this task every year it leads me to think of peonies. Throughout the year one task will trigger another if you’ve been gardening long enough. We’ve been conditioned over years of repetition of one plant giving way to another.

As daffodils wane, it’s the best time to add peonies to the garden. A mature peony shrub will enhance any garden. A much more economical way of owning one is to grow it from a bare root plant at this time of year in a loamy soil where they get plenty of sun.

Peonies were introduced to this country in 1548 so it’s fair to say they’ve stood the test of time. As long as you plant them with some decent manure, and by this I mean well rotted, they can sit undisturbed for around 20 years, which isn’t bad and certainly fits into the low maintenance category.

There are two issues with them, though. One is that they have an intense dislike of being moved so give some serious thought to their position. The other point is that they never thrive if they dry out so will need somewhere moist or at least where they are easy to water. Plant them facing south or west as they will usually benefit from some shade in the morning as this can burn their shiny green foliage when covered in frost in late winter.

This is such a revered shrub that it even has societies that share information globally about varieties and the care to offer plants.

‘Kelway’s Glorious’ , is a world favourite with ruffled white petals and a scent that will open up unexplored neuro pathways in your brain. ‘Eden’s Perfume’ is the most heavily scented peony that will attract bees from distant corners of their flying range.

On the plot

On a dry but cold day, reserve that to have a good tidy up and only keep things you deem essential.

You can only need so many broken bamboo canes that you’ll never use for anything other than stabbing your shin by accident. Broken pots can go too, alongside any wood you’ve not used for a year.

Most of us should have seedlings in trays somewhere on the plot by now. Whenever I go past them on my way to another task, I always brush them or blow on them to simulate wind. This gives them firmer roots and prepares them for their new life outdoors when the time comes. Any winter salads that were growing indoors can be shifted outside now to free up space inside and also to grow on again independently.

Get on with sowing celeriac now. ‘Giant Prague’ and ‘Alabaster’ are hardy varieties that will grow a decent sized root. Celeriac are lazy germinators, with little or no motivation to push through the surface, so just sprinkle a dusting of compost on top. Keep them moist and above 15C. Once they are up then it’s half the battle. They will then need to be kept moist and weed free until their slow growing lifetime comes to an end around mid September.

The main thing at this time of year is to make some time for reflection in the garden, usually with a cup of tea, the gardener’s drink of choice, and a biscuit if you’re feeling extravagant. Nothing stills the body or mind more effectively than a good sit whilst taking note of the changes around you. The birds, the sounds and sights that make the joys of spring.