Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts… There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

Rachel Carson

Winter

Hello, and welcome back. I haven’t kept up the blog this winter, so it is good to be writing about the garden again, specially now, as we bid winter goodbye and prepare to welcome the coming of spring. I offer no excuse for myself, I had wrote bits here and there all winter long, with the intent of turning musings and journal entries into a monthly newsletter, but I never did, and the days did not stand still with me. But, we turn to what is ahead, with bits of blue sky peeking through a mostly overcast sky, seedlings in the greenhouse and the snow drops dotted along the hedge, the crisp days of January do seem a long gone time.

Here in Essex, winter was relatively mild, we had a bit of snow, and a good deal of rain, some very cold spells and some balmy ones. January was typical I suppose, cold, rain and a bit of snow, a bit warmer than some Januaries, but not excessively so. February had quite a few lovely warm days, good for getting out in the garden, doing a bit of work, pruning, cutting back, even some mulching. So I did my best to use all the warm weather to do a bit of garden work, but by in large, I would say I have spent a more time thinking about the garden. Looking at pictures of gardens, reading about gardens, picturing my own garden and dreaming up ideas for changes for this season and the years to come.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

Charles Dickens (Great Expectations)

March

Truly March is a fickle month, we can have warm sunshine, gentle breezes on mild days side by side with days hovering around freezing, occulting with snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain and some high winds thrown in. Truly we see it all in March. But despite all that, including the sodden snow that fell yesterday, there is an undeniable energy at work in March. The day are stretching out, and with switching the clock, it is now light out until nearly 7pm. The birds song is swelling, there is a greater bustle to and fro form the feeders, and when I walk in the woods near the marsh, red wing black birds repeat their familiar refrain in the lingering evening light. There is a swelling, an unfurling at work, it begins deep down, but we feel it all the same.

One of the things I love and look forward to with great anticipation each spring are the hours I spend working in the greenhouse, starting seeds, potting up seedlings, propagating cuttings and just basking in the warmth of the little structure. I love the rituals of the greenhouse, going out in the early morning, checking on everything, perhaps even doing a bit of work before the the rest of the house is up, listening to the birds and working as the light slowly spreads and the first rays catch in the panes. I love going out mid day, to open doors and vents, the heat so intense despite the air outside, a trapped summer day in midst of winter. Then there are the evening, stepping back out in that little world. If it will be cold, there is the blanketing of everything for the night, or getting a few more thing done, again, listening to the birds, and working, but time watching the fading light move to a misty twilight.

Each winter’s end, when I begin sowing seeds more steadily, I can not help but feel a lift of my spirit. The wonder it is to see life coming back into the world, slowly at first, but then it comes on in a rush. The sight of seeds sprouting, knowing the little secrets they keep, the ones whose newly emerged leaves will turn into trailing sweet peas, so deeply fragrant in early summer with their twirling tendrils clinging to the trellis. Or the seed that will be 8’ tall sunflowers, towering over the garden while nodding to each other in an August breeze. Perhaps if I were a poet I could do these treasures better justice, but for myself, words fail me when I seek to put the ethereal wonder I feel down into solid words.

March Jobs

Starting SEEDS

There are so many seeds to be sowing now. I choose a conservative last frost date, because I have found it is always better to be a little late than early with regard to the last frost. So given the range of dates predicted for Essex, I choose to go off of May 17, which puts us now at 9 weeks until last front!

There is simply so much that I will be sowing over the next several weeks, to join all that I have already sown! I will be sowing most things in trays in a greenhouse, but if you haven’t got a greenhouse, then a table with some grow lights will work well. You could do a very sunny south facing window sill, but just make sure you are getting full sun in the window, and if not supplement with a grow light to give them an extra few hours. Aim for 8+ hours of direct sun light. And the other thing to pay attention to is the heat the seeds need to germinate, it can very a lot. In the greenhouse I utilized grow mats to keep the soil temperature more consistent. And even indoors I will use smaller heat mats under the seedlings.

The seed packets will likely give you what you need, but you might have to dig a bit more to get all the information, but in general, the things you should pay special attention too…

1-When it is recommended to sow

2-How deep does the seed wish to be sown

3-Does the seed germinate as a response to heat or to light?

4-Ideal temperature of the soil for germination

5-If the seedling has vigorous root growth and thus need larger planting pots as well as, if the seed resents being transplanted.

Of course this isn’t exhaustive, but these are all things helpful to keep in mind when planning your sowing calendar.

CUTTING BACK PERENNIALS

My considerations for when to cut back perennials…As spring comes and days are longer and warmer, many plants are starting to respond and send out growth. In general, I like to wait until I see new growth emerging before cutting back perennials. The other thing I like to time is, if a bed has lots of bulbs, I like to cut back before the bulbs are up (if I can get to it) because then there is less risk that I will accidentally step on the new emerging tips.

PRUNING LATE FLOWERING CLEMATIS

If you grow clematis and it flowers in late summer and into autumn, then you have late flowering clematis. Late flowering Clematis produces all its flowers on the new growth from the spring. Prune your clematis down to about two feet, make sure you leave at least 2 healthily buds. If you have early flowering clematis, do not prune, though you won’t hurt it by bringing it down, you will dramatically reduce your flowers. Again, I look for buds that show sign of swelling before I prune, so this is not exact date, more of a paying attention to the plant, and time your pruning accordingly.

PRUNING ROSE

I think people are a little afraid of roses, I have been told many times that roses are tricky or difficult. And while I have only been growing rose for the last five years or so, I have not found that to not be the case. In general I have found roses to be reasonably tough and to respond well to pruning, even if you don’t get it all right.

One thing I would like to note, is I did an experiment a few years back, I decided to prune some of my rose back in November instead of waiting until March/April, and I would say I wouldn’t recommend it, they have much more dieback and in general don’t looks as great as when I have pruned them in the spring in previous years. So if you live somewhere with cold winters, waiting to prune until spring, and specifically wait until you see signs that the buds are swelling and you are out of the danger of very cold temps.

Now to the pruning…

First determine what type of rose you have, Hybrid Roses, Shrub Rose, Climbing Rose (true climber and then ramblers), etc.

Hybrid Roses flower on new growth. So they can be pruned more vigorously. Start with dead, disease, damaged, crossing and weak growth. The ultimate form is an open bowl shape.

Shrub Roses need very little pruning, you are looking to maintain shape / form and to prune out dead, diseased or damaged branches, as well as any that are crossing / rubbing. You can safely remove about 1/3 of the plant with a pruning, but I wouldn’t do more.

True Climbing Roses typically have single, larger flowers over a longer bloom time. The goal is to have a framework of long stems, trained laterally with side branches. The side branches will contain the new growth of the spring and then the flowers that bloom in summer into autumn. You can remove about 1/3 of the plant each year, starting with the woodiest growth, so that the plant is constantly renewing itself.

Ramblers typically have clusters of smaller, simpler blooms that bloom once and then it is done for the season. These roses are very robust and need little pruning. It is best to wait to prune these until after they flower, and then pruning them to train them to ramble on what you will have them.

CUT BACK ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

We leave the deciduous grasses (miscanthus, calamagrostis, deschampsia, sedges, etc.) up all winter, if they produce seed heads, those are utilized by the birds, and it is nice to have their vertical presence for as long as it last. But now is the time, you want to cut them back hard to the ground now, before new green shoots grow too long. Once you finish, give them a good mulch and they will be very happy. If you are thinking of dividing them, wait, grasses don’t particularly love cold wet soil, so wait until later, May or June to dig up and divide.

We do grow some evergreen ornamental grasses and those should not be cut back, with a glove, I run my hands through them, removing any dead, but mostly leaving them as they are.

FEEDING THE BIRDS

Don’t forget about our winged friends, they are starting their nest building and mating, so leaving out bird seed now can help them through the early spring when their food sources are more scarce. If it is above freeze, I like to set out water for them to drink / splash in. Plus, it is just lovely to have bids in the garden.

Let me just say one caveat with all the garden jobs…there is the ideal for everything when it should happen and how it should happen(which actually take a bit of trial and error to figure out what is the best time for your garden given the specifics of its own micro climate) , but you know, part of the fun is the process, so don’t fret if you don’t prune this year or start your tomatoes two weeks later, of course the tomatoes might be a little late to the game, but really it’s fine, you will still have tomatoes. Enjoy the process and happy coming of Spring!

Winter / March 2023