gardening blog
I usually tidy up my garden before Christmas, but last year I used up my time and weather slots on other people’s gardens and didn’t get round to doing my own. Consequently, over the winter, my garden has had a rather abandoned look. And then we’ve had a mild winter. So perennials are starting to grow again and, in the case of this Aquilegia in the photograph, growing pretty quickly! Today, in mid-February, I thought it was high time to get rid of last year’s growth and have a bit of a tidy. So, why bother? Some people like their gardens to be pristine, and prefer there to be no trace of dead and decaying plants and leaves. Some people never tidy and let the new growth push its way through the old year after year. But what is best? The old stalks and leaves of perennials do need removing, preferable in the autumn, for 3 reasons:
There may be a bit of a compromise. Yes, it’s best to specifically tidy your perennials in order to look after your plants, but leave some leaf litter that will benefit your garden environment. Maybe even leave a few grassy strands or small stalks for birds to use for their nesting materials! Be tidy by all means, but not too tidy.
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AuthorHi, I'm Jo. This is where I'll be posting my observations about my gardening life and gardening advice. Please enyoy! And if there's anything you would like to ask me about gardening I will try to answer your questions. Archives
March 2021
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