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This month spells W-O-R-K but before I get into that, let's take a look at some of the 'happenings in the garden. The Daffodils are in bloom.

The same goes for the violets which form an effective ground cover under my shrub border. 

The Acacia dealbata is in full bloom now as you can see.  This is the florist's mimosa.  It will have an eventual spread and height of 10 meters and is both drought resistant and frost tolerant.

  Another lovely plant in bloom is Bergenia crassifolia.  This plant boasts evergreen rounded leaves which rise from a perennial rootstock.  It benefits from a light watering in the summer and thrives under light shade.  Here I have planted it under an olive tree and am looking forward to the day it completely covers all the soil beneath the tree. It is propagated by root division.

The second half of January had been unusually cold with temperatures dipping below freezing causing much damage to the garden this year.  The jasmine and Correa pulchella have been particularly hard hit and, in the hope of encouraging new growth, they will be severely cut back.   Luckily the climbing roses have not been bothered at all and  will be pruned, according to schedule. by the end of the month.  All flowering  branches will be cut back close to the main stem above an outward facing bud.   New growth from the ground growing away from the wall will be removed.  If a long, pliable, vertically growing, replacement stem is found it will be gently bent down to lie horizontally and tied in two or three places along its length.  This will encourage new vertical shoots to sprout along the stem which will then flower later in the season. 

Once the vines are tamed, then the ground covers below must be tackled.  Here are found Periwinkle, Dimorpheca, and self seeded ivy.  The former produces large purple-star like flowers all spring. The second produces white daisy-like flowers  with a purple center, or purple daisy-like flowers with a dark center most of the year except during the hottest months. The ivy has proved to be a nuisance choking out the other growth and needs to be systematically removed.  After the ground covers have been tended to, the vines will be fertilized; the jasmine once, and the climbing roses three times throughout the spring and summer.

Since I have made the mistake of using sheep manure in the past, my garden is overrun by nettles. I have weeded them out of my vegetable garden and put them in the compost  in. I then laid down a thick layer of last year's  compost.

All the perennials and shrubs  which have not yet been pruned will be cut back this month and then fertilized. When the home made compost runs out I supplement in with an organic fertilizer made from worm castings.  It acts as a slow release fertilizer as well as a soil conditioner and, unlike the manure, it carries no weed seeds.

The greenhouse:

Since I have installed a  heated tray is the greenhouse I have almost 100% success with seed germination.  What a difference it makes!  I recommend the type which has the heating coils encased in a watertight stainless steel flat box.  I had tried making my own propagation box when I first purchased the green house.  It was beautifully made of varnished wood with electric coils placed within a thick layer of peat moss.  It worked well for one year, but the second year the thermostat failed and the whole box burned down.  The heat must have been great because it caused glass panes to break and the aluminum bench to buckle.  If you choose to have such a propagation box you should have a backup thermostat. 

The greenhouse is now home to the following seedlings purchased from Chiltern seeds  which had been sowed in early January.   As they increase in size they will be transplanted into their own pots and slowly moved into the garden:

Tagetes Patula, 'Safari Tangerine--award winning French Marigold. 8 inches.  to be used as a bedding plant.

Aubrieta, 'Cascade' Mixed--old  variety, 4 inches high go be planted in gaps in the pavement.

Pelargonium Peltatum F1 Hybrid--spreading, pendulous plants with blooms in scarlet, pink, violet, and white.  To be planted in a window box.

Berlandiera Lyrata--aromatic plant with French Marigold like flowers in early summer. 10 inches. To be used as a bedding plant.