• Plant up hanging baskets, and leave them in a sheltered spot before hanging fully outside
• Plant out potted alliums in groups to add interest to flower beds
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering, such as forsythia, ribes, chaenomeles, pyracantha and kerria
• Regularly water newly planted trees, roses, shrubs and hedging
• Finish planting out gladioli corms in groups or drifts in borders
• Spread shredded bark mulches around established shrubs and trees to conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds
• Water clumps of tulips and spring bulbs with liquid feed

In the Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Tie in new shoots of blackberries and cane fruits to support wires
• Sow sweetcorn in deep pots, raising strong young plants to transplant into the garden in June
• Pinch off strawberry runners as soon as they develop, to stop them competing with developing fruit for nutrients
• Earth up soil around emerging potato shoots, which encourages higher yields
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside this week: radish, spring onions, coriander, parsley and chives

In The Greenhouse

• Put up shading to reflect scorching sunlight and keep temperatures down
• Open all vents on warm days, but close again in the evening
• Order plug plants and seedlings by post, and pot up as soon as they arrive
• Take leaf cuttings from houseplants, including African violets, begonias and Cape primrose
• Hang yellow sticky traps over plants to catch whitefly and flying pests
• Sow seeds of herbs, such as parsley, chives, coriander, garlic, basil, dill, fennel, mint, thyme, sage and lovage

And The Rest……

• Plant tender crops outside, covering them with cloches when night temperatures fall
• Dig out perennial weeds, such as couch grass and bindweed, from borders as soon as you spot them
• Wash dust off the foliage of houseplants, and apply leaf shine product to leafy plants
• Take cuttings from hydrangeas, fuchsias and penstemons, using the soft shoot tips
• Feed houseplants weekly from now until autumn

Looking back to last years blog we had 28 degress and cracks in my lawn that I could put my hand into…………………….  well what a difference this year!  The wettest April for over 200 years and we are in a drought!

In the Flower Garden

• Plant out container-grown roses and shrubs
• Fork compost into flower beds to prepare soil for summer bedding but only if you can get onto the soild without making it into a mud bath!
• Tie in new growth on climbing  plants, such as clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle, to supports
• Pick off faded flowers from  camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, taking care not to damage developing new  leaves
• Sow seeds of fast-growing  hardy annuals, such as escholzia or poached-egg plant, to fill gaps

In the Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Sow seeds of beans, marrows, courgettes and squashes, two per pot, and thin out the weakest seedling to  leave the strongest plant
• Spray peaches and nectarines with fungicide to prevent an attack of peach leaf curl
• Pick rhubarb stems as they develop, and water clumps with a generous helping of liquid feed
• Prepare to cover fruit tree blossom with horticultural fleece to protect flowers if frost is forecast
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside this week: beetroot, lettuce, salad leaves, watercress and rocket

In the Greenhouse

• Fit automatic openers to greenhouse vents to encourage good air circulation
• Plant tomatoes in growing bags or large pots, training them on to canes or wires for support
• Bring pots of strawberries into the greenhouse to produce early flowers and fruit
• Sow cyclamen and schizanthus for indoor flowers
• Buy scented-leaf pelargoniums,  such as ‘Chocolate Peppermint’ and ‘Lady Plymouth’
• Plant pots with heat-treated freesia corms to produce fragrant flowers this summer
• Watch out for pests, checking under leaves and on shoot tips for signs of whitefly or red spider mite. Treat immediately, or introduce biological pest controls

Some of you will know that I have two allotments! Keep up to date what I am doing on the allotments by following this link………

Happy gardening……………………….

Andrew

www.babicz.com

• Plant out perennials in groups of three, five or seven for maximum effect
• Sprinkle fertiliser around clumps of tulips to boost flowering, or use a foliar feed
• Sow hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you’d like them to bloom
• Prune Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa)
• Pick off dead flower heads from spring bulbs
• Protect emerging shoots of delphiniums and lupins from slugs and snails using a barrier such as copper tape for pots, copper rings or garlic granules

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Sow sweetcorn in deep modular seed trays under cover to plant out in early June
• Feed fruit trees and bushes
• Plant out onion sets grown in pots under glass
• Order vegetable plug plants from mail-order suppliers
• Warm soil with cloches or sheets of polythene for early sowings
• Plant out maincrop potatoes
• Plant asparagus crowns
• Sow the following crops this week if conditions are suitable: beetroot, parsnips, turnips, onions, peas and mangetout, broad beans, lettuce and salad leaves, spinach, radish, rocket, mizuna, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts

In The Greenhouse

• Buy plug plants and young bedding plants to grow on for baskets, pots and bedding displays
• Thin out heavy fruit sets on peaches and nectarines, leaving fruits about 10cm apart
• Sow annual climbers, such as cup-and-saucer vine (Cobaea), nasturtium, Rhodochiton and morning glory (Ipomoea)
• Grow an early crop of dwarf French beans in a large pot
• Repot any top-heavy or pot-bound houseplants
• Start feeding young plants about 3-4 weeks after potting up in fresh compost
• Pot up rooted cuttings and seedlings

Around The Garden

• Remove winter grime from patios and terraces with a pressure washer
• Sow new lawns, choosing a grass mix that suits the type of lawn you want
• Snip plain green shoots off variegated shrubs
• Mow lawns on dry days if grass is growing strongly
• Dig out couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and other problem weeds
• Place plant supports over clumps of tall-growing perennials such as lupins and delphiniums

Well in four days it is the first day of Spring and last Thursday you would have thought it was summer with temperatures up to 18 degrees and so sunny! Today tho we were reminded of the normal temperatures for this time of year at just 8 degrees and cloudy. I was so cold all day!

The horticultural shows have started in earnest and on Friday I was at the RHS Orchid show up in London. What a magnificent sight, big showy blooms, tiny wee flowers on delicate stems of the specie orchids and all these collectors paying out a fortune in some cases for their love of the plant. Every time I go to one of these shows I end up buying something and today I bought myself a Pleione. A semi hardy orchid that stands temperatures down to 1 degree! Indeed you cannot grow this in the house unless of course you have a “cold “ room but who has a cold room these days! I asked for a variety of Pleione that was suitable for the absolute beginner and the nursery women looked right down her nose at me to say that none were suitable for the beginner but that the cheaper plants tended to be the ones easiest to propagate so therefore easiest to grow!  That reminded me that there is a snobbery to collecting any type of plant. I suppose people do not want to have lots of collectors out there with the same plant as them!

If you just wanted a showy orchid go to your local florist/nursery or supermarket and buy one there but if you are looking for something special get to a specialist nursery, but make sure you don’t own up to being a “beginner”!

Books…………..  there were so many for sale and again like the plants, choose for your need………….. You could buy your coffee table book full of lovely photos, your reference book with lots of words and not much photos or buy a more practical book, and you cannot beat Dr Hessayon!  Or how about Orchids for Dummies. After my experience buying the Pleione I did not dare pick that one up!

There is still time for you to visit the show as it is on all day Saturday. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk

Another show to visit the Edible Garden Show in Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. See my blog from last year and you will see that there is everything for anyone want to produce things to eat from their garden, even if that is chickens or pigs! On tomorrow.

Tune in to me on www.phoenixfm.com on Sunday morning to hear my views on the show this year as well as what to do in the garden next week.

Happy gardening until then.

Andrew

• Sprinkle granular fertiliser round roses, shrubs and along the base of hedges
• Sow sweet peas into deep pots
• Transplant evergreen shrubs and conifers to new sites
• Place grow-through plant supports over tall-growing perennials, like delphiniums
• Divide spreading clumps of perennials, such as phlox and campanula, by cutting off rooted outer sections and transplanting them elsewhere

In The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Sow peas in lengths of guttering under cover, so you can plant out seedlings in an instant row
• Plant out onion sets in rows, spacing them about 10-15cm apart
• Carefully dig away grass or plants growing close to the stems of fruit trees to reduce competition
• Feed cabbages and other brassicas with pelleted chicken manure or another nitrogen-rich fertiliser
• Spray new leaves of peaches and nectarines with copper fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

• Plant canna lilies in pots, and leave in a warm position
• Sow strawberry seeds, including alpine varieties
• Visit garden centres to buy young bedding plants that can be grown on to a larger size under glass
• Cut off dead hippeastrum flowers, but allow the green stalk to die down naturally
• Raise tender climbers from seed, such as morning glory, black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia), Chilean glory flower (Eccremocarpus) and rhodochiton
• Clean the leaves of evergreen houseplants by wiping them with a damp cloth
• Sow seeds of greenhouse crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillis, aubergines and okra

Generally Around The Garden

• Replenish gravel and grit mulches around alpine plants
• Put slug barrier products around the tender new shoots of hostas and perennials
• Dig plenty of compost into heavy clay soils
• Cut down marginal plants around ponds, and mulch with compost or bark
• Once house bulb displays have finished flowering, plant them outside and water in well with a liquid feed
• Mow paths through areas of long grass and meadows to avoid walking on bulbs and wildflowers

• Plant lily bulbs in pots for colourful summer displays
• Prune shrub roses to low new shoots
• Cut back overgrown honeysuckle stems close to their base, just above new shoots
• Trim back old shoots of perennials left for winter interest, taking care not to damage emerging new growth
• Prune tall, leggy mahonia by cutting off the leafy rosette at the top of stems to encourage branches to develop below

In The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Grow early-maturing potatoes in a bag of compost
• Fork compost into beds to prepare soil for planting
• Chit potatoes by standing them in trays in a warm bright position until they develop small shoots
• Dig out problem weeds and emerging annual weeds
• Plant Jerusalem artichokes
• Cover rhubarb with forcing jars to encourage long, delicious pale stems
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard

In The Greenhouse

• Sow seeds of cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers to raise summer crops
• Water compost with a suitable pesticide where vine weevils have been discovered
• Sow summer bedding plants, such as petunias, geranium, verbena and busy Lizzie
• Take cuttings from chrysanthemums
• Pick faded or yellowing leaves from plants to prevent grey mould infections
• Raise crops in modular trays to transplant into the garden later, such as celery, celeriac, lettuce, parsley and other herbs

Round The Garden

• Plan your seed-sowing year by organising packets in sowing order in a shoe box or tray
• Trim lawn edges to keep the area neat and tidy
• Apply residual path weedkillers to paved and gravel areas
• Lay sheets of black polythene on lawns overnight to bring leather jackets to the surface where they can be collected
• Build new compost bins to recycle garden waste

• Prune out old stems of elder (Sambucus) to promote new growth from the base
• Cut back last year’s Buddleia stems to ground level
• Hard prune trees that respond to pollarding, such as willows, the foxglove tree (Paulownia) and Eucalyptus gunnii, to promote new growth
• Lift and divide large clumps of hosta
• Trim winter-flowering jasmine and tie in new shoots to supports
• Sprinkle granular fertiliser around clumps of spring bulbs
• Finish pruning roses as soon as possible
• Cut down all previous year’s growth on Clematis tangutica. New shoots will develop from the base, which will flower later in summer
• Cut back old leaves of Epimedium

In The Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Repair netting on fruit cages
• Continue forcing sea kale and chicory
• Buy herbs to plant up in containers that you can position near the house
• Plant out shallots
• Sow a green manure crop, such as crimson clover, fenugreek or field lupins, which can be dug into the soil later in the season to improve it
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard
• Plant onion sets in modular trays under cover for planting out later

In The Greenhouse

• Order seedlings and bedding plants from mail-order suppliers
• Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot for an early crop in June
• Plant lily bulbs in pots either to use in the border or to add elegance to a patio display
• Repot established agapanthus into slightly larger containers using a loam-based compost
• Plant begonia and gloxinia tubers in pots
• Take cuttings from dahlias planted last month to raise new plants

Generally Around The Garden

• Mow lawns then trim new edges with a half-moon edging tool
• Dig compost into borders to improve water retention
• Add copper rings to pots to protect plants from slugs and snails
• Hoe bare areas of soil on dry days to remove weed seedlings
• Replenish gravel and stone mulches on alpine gardens and scree beds
• Buy summer-flowering bulbs to plant in spring, such as gladioli, tigridia, galtonia, eucomis, anemone, lily and acidanthera

• Sow sweet peas in deep pots and pinch out once two pairs of leaves have developed
• Cut back old stems of mallow (Lavatera) to ground level. Take care not to harm roots
• Plant hedging plants
• Prune stems of dogwoods, willows, cotinus and paulownias
• Fork and rake over area for hardy annual bedding

The Fruit and Veg Garden

• Cover rhubarb with a forcing jar or an old bucket to exclude light and encourage early shoots for early pickings of rhubarb
• Prune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre of the bush to improve air circulation
• Chit seed potatoes in trays in bright frost free place
• Plant bare root fruit trees before they begin to shoot. When the arrive soak the roots and heel in some soil until you are ready to plant.
• Sow seeds of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil warmed by cloches

Greenhouse

• Plant dahlia tubers in pots or trays and place in a heated propagator if you want to take cuttings
• Star raising crops from seed, including tomatoes, chilli peppers, aubergines and cucumbers
• Water with a copper fungicide solution to prevent damping off of seedlings
• Sow seeds of cyclamen keeping in total darkness until seeds have germinated

Generally Around The Garden

• Take care not to walk over emerging spring bulbs in the border or in the lawn
• Order young plants from mail order companies
• Sort out and clean up canes and support ready for use in the spring
• Use a pressure washer to clean paths

Worlds most expensive snowdrop!

WORLD RECORD BEATING PRICE FOR SNOWDROP

On Thursday 16 February at 14:40 after a bidding frenzy of over 30 bidderson eBay, Thompson & Morgan, the Ipswich based mail order plant and seed company, acquired the world’s most expensive snowdrop Galanthus woronowii ‘Elizabeth Harrison’ for £725.  This is a unique striking variety with a golden yellow ovary and yellow petal markings.

The price is almost double the previous world record price for a single rare bulb of Galanthus ‘Green Tear’ sold for £360 last year.

Over the last few years the amount paid for unique Galanthus bulbs has been steadily rising as they have created more interest and in 2008 a single rare bulb fetched £226.

Thompson & Morgan hopes to be able to produce this variety and bring pleasure to as many gardeners as possible.  These unique Galanthus are notorious for their slow rates of multiplication but we hope to be able to look into commercial production via tissue culture, which will be the most time consuming and expensive part of the venture – buying the bulb was the easy part!

When Thompson & Morgan purchased the world’s first Black Hyacinth ‘Midnight Mystique’ in 1998 for £50,000 a bulb, it took 15 years before it was available to the general public and demand has always outstripped stock.