Pat Duke
In the garden
Even though spring is within touching distance, February is often the chilliest month of the year but by the end of the month it can often be a pleasant temperature.
It also offers the last opportunity for completion of the winter jobs.
By the time February ends we will have 11 hours of daylight so we can start planting as long as the weather allows. Just remember that too cold and too damp will not germinate anything at all.
To get round this you can use cloches to warm and dry out the soil ready for planting in March. Preparing the ground for hardy annuals will make sowing a relaxing task where you can take your time and get things right without rushing. Just clear the ground and rake over on a sunny day leaving a fine tilth.
With this in mind sow some under glass either in the greenhouse or indoors. Some good and unusual varieties include Candytuft ‘Crown Mixed’, Centaurea Cynus Cornflower ‘Black Ball’ and ‘Classic Magic’. Chrysanthemums, California Poppy and Larkspurs are more popular but equally charming. Try planting Night scented stock by the back door for a lovely waft of scent in the evening to lift the spirits to a different level.
It’s also time to be planting lilies in pots, which is minimum effort for maximum enjoyment. They can also be highly perfumed with such strength the neighbours think Auntie Melinda has turned up unexpectedly for Sunday lunch and is inspecting the grounds.
Lilium ‘regale’gives plety of flowers and therefore extra scent drifting from its trumpets like music notes.
Lilium ‘Muscadet’ is tried and tested in dappled shade and keeps coming year after year if you top up the pots a few times a year with fresh compost. Lilium ‘Aubade is a white lily with a single yellow streak along the centre of each of its six heaving tongue like petals. These are striking against the centre stamens being a rusty crimson.
You ll be wanting a large pot due to their size and plant them quite deep in well drained compost. If you have a small pot try dwarf varieties like ‘Tiny crystal’ or Tiny bee’. Every garden should have lilies in it, even if they are Arum lilies or Day lilies that are left over from a previous gardener.
On the plot
I admit to showing off picking Cavalo Nero in full view of the neighbours this week from the flower patch.
I planted some for dark green, almost black context and will do so again this year. They sit happily in the ground all winter and recover well from even the most brutal stripping of leaves from ravenous Cabbage Whites.
Start them off in seed trays and try and get an early crop along with summer cabbages and cauliflowers. They are a superfood as well as looking stylish too so there’s no excuse not to grow them.
I'm not usually one for testing soil obsessively as you should be attuned to the soil over a number of years and know what will grow there after everything you ve put into it.
Having said that, brassicas will need a pH of between 6 to 7 so test the soil and add lime if it's lower. It can then have February to settle in and create ideal conditions for broccoli, cauliflowers and brussels.
Dig in some well rotted manure where the potatoes are going to grow this year on a bright sunny day.This will certainly lift your spirits and make you think you can almost touch spring.
It’s exciting to think that we are now back in seed sowing and nurturing territory where you can take your time over it and watch the steam rise from a mug of tea in the greenhouse or precariously balanced on the compost bin if you’re digging.
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