Have Your Say with our Blogs and letters from St Albans Review

One time Watford Observer columnist Ann Janes returns to the newspaper fold with her gardening blog in which she shares some personal views and tips on how to prepare, plany and maintain your garden. Ann has a life long love of beautiful gardens, both great and small, and is particularly interested in the history of garden design. She will also aim to address your gardening problems if you post them at the end of her column.

PASQUE FLOWERS AREN'T JUST FOR EASTER

What glorious Easter weather we have just had and what a time to begin getting the garden ready for summer. Over the centuries some plants have come to have special meanings for us at certain times of the year, just mention holly and we think of Christmas. But pasque flowers aren’t just for Easter any more than holly, ivy and mistletoe miraculously appear only in December. Their common name comes from the old French word pascal which in this case has come to mean ‘flowers around Easter’. But with a little extra care in giving these beautiful flowers the right growing conditions they can give that little bit of magic to your garden right through the summer months. Once a common sight on England’s southern chalk downs they are now unfortunately very rare in the wild. On the plus side cultivated forms can be readily found in our local garden centres.

USING WINDOWSILLS

It is in the early months of the year that I most miss my pretty little greenhouse. When I moved my daughter asked if she could have it and the whole thing was successfully dismantled and moved to Kent where it is being put to good use – I do still have visiting rights but its too far for me to use. So I have returned to using my kitchen windowsill to give tender plants a good start in life. Currently it is home to five tomato seedlings, which now go out during the day, five seed potatoes chitting, some cut and come again leaves and a small pot of sprouting leaves which I am trying for the first time. For gardeners like me without a greenhouse a sunny windowsill provides a convenient place to get things started.

ONE OF NATURE'S LITTLE MIRACLES - GOJI BERRIES

It doesn’t seem so long ago that I hadn’t heard of Goji Berries (Lycium) and now I am all set to plant some in my garden! These berries, which are reputed to have health giving properties nothing short of miraculous, originate from China. They are also known as the Wolfberry. The plants have pretty lilac flowers followed by bright scarlet berries in August to October, or even up to the first frosts. They are so attractive it’s more than likely you will have competition for the fruit from the local bird population. These plants were first grown in the UK as far back as the 1780s by the Duke of Argyll and are sometimes still known as the Duke of Argyll’s Tea Tree.

GETTING READY!

The clocks have gone forward giving us an extra hour of precious light in the evening. It really is a wake-up call to catch up on all those things we have been putting off so that we are ready to make the most of the fine weather we are all hoping for.

IT'S NEARLY SPRING!

At last spring is nearly here. We might expect March to come roaring in like a lion and go out like a lamb or vice versa but whatever the weather nothing can stop the burst of energy that gardeners get at this time of the year. The daylight hours are lengthening and the soil is beginning to warm up and, despite the bouts of really cold weather, the worst of winter is behind us. I took the advantage of a sunny spell during the week to look over the pots near my house. Unfortunately I have lost the French lavender and a young agapanthus, both on the tender side, but miraculously most other plants seem to be fine and are showing lots of leaf ready to open. A few buds on my two camellias have turned brown but by far the majority are beginning to show colour and seem to be getting ready to give their usual gorgeous display.

LEMON TREE IS SO PRETTY!

If you heard of plant with highly scented pretty white flowers combined with glossy, evergreen aromatic leaves could you resist it? If you were then told that this plant produced fruit that is both edible and ornamental surely that would set you off seeking it out, whatever the cost. The good news is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money and you don’t have to look too far to find it, you just have to look into the world of citrus fruits. If you are tempted there are a few rules to follow.

GETTING READY FOR SPRING!

Rain, rain and more rain! What else do we expect of February? But not all days are bad, last Monday I went to Wisley Gardens for the day and the sun was shining. Until the end of this month part of the large glass house is home to a selection of tropical butterflies. They are stunning and it’s a real experience to watch them living amongst the plants that would be growing in their natural habitat. Outside in the gardens the snowdrops were a picture and before too long the daffodils will be taking over with a vivid display of yellow flowers, a sure sign that spring is here at last.

FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN

What is there to say about February weather? It has never been known as one of the better months and the recent rain has done a lot to prove that the old name of ‘February fill dyke’ is all too fitting. At least, up to now, we haven’t had snow. On the plus side the days are getting longer and gardeners everywhere are beginning to get a lift in spirits in the certain knowledge that spring is just around the corner. Unfortunately this is often when we get the worst of the winter weather so it is probably still a time to dream of things yet to come.

SNOWDROPS - A PROMISE OF SPRING

Now that we are aware of the longer daylight hours we look forward eagerly to seeing the first sure sign that spring is on its way as snowdrops, with their exquisite white flowers tipped with bright green, enchant us in our gardens. Several friends have told me that they have had snowdrops in flower for a couple of weeks, whilst others are still waiting for those precious flowers to appear. Despite their fragile and delicate appearance they always seem to survive whatever dreadful weather we experience during the winter months.

MARVELLOUS MAGNOLIAS

What sight can compete with a magnolia tree in full bloom? With their beautiful, exotic, waxy flowers they are unique and make a spectacular beginning to spring. Sometime between April and May the flowers open before the leaves appear on the tree. One of the sad things about moving was leaving behind the Magnolia x soulangiana which friends had bought for me. Over the years I had watched it grow into quite a large tree densely covered in flowers every spring. Now I enjoy magnolias growing in local gardens and never tire of the sight.