Garden  Writing

JANUARY 2025

The long winter seems behind us and, in so many ways, there is something positive on the horizon. In the garden, tiny hardy bulbs are starting to appear and the days are visibly longer. Looking ahead, February is short. Its 28 days herald the approaching spring and, unsurprisingly, after the long winter slumber there’s much which can be done.

 

You will be pleased to know much of the work takes place indoors. Don’t be fooled, February still has a sting in its tail and can be cold.

 

If you intend to get a head start with growing vegetables either in the garden, a raised bed on a terrace, or roof, or even in large containers, then this month you can start off a number of varieties indoors in seed trays and individual pots. I like to use the pots made from bio-degradable materials for this, as the sturdy little plant I will end up with in March can be planted out without disturbing the roots. It also cuts down on the plastic.

 

Broad beans are an easy and simple must-have. Sow the seeds in little pots and within a few days signs of life will emerge. The great thing about broad beans is that if it’s your first year growing in newly made vegetable beds, then being a legume, the roots will fix nitrogen. Once the crop is complete, cut the stalks off and leave the roots in the soil to release their goodness back.

 

If you haven’t sown sweet peas, these can also be done now without any detriment to flowering later on. Soak the seed in water for 12 hours beforehand as this improves germination.

 

If you are planning to grow salad potatoes in the garden, or containers, now is the time to order your seed potatoes in and chit them! Chitting seems to be a mysterious business, but essentially in a cool, dark space lay out the potatoes to develop the green shoots, which will make stems for the new crop. Later on, if you want to, you can cut the seedling potatoes in half to double your crop as long as both halves have a green shoot. Plant out 20cm deep in the ground, or in containers, towards the end of March, avoiding the last serious frosts.

 

The other main indoor sowing to be done this month is tomatoes. On a cold window ledge, conservatory, or any well-lit space sow in seed trays now to be able to pot and grow on in March, before planting out in April. There are a few good cropping varieties for the UK, which can be grown without heat or a greenhouse. I like to use the older heritage types such as ‘Brandywine’, which is slightly golden and ‘Black Krim’ which is an old Russian variety. There are also smaller ‘tumbling’ style varieties, which can be grown in containers and are ideal for ledges, balconies and even window boxes!

 

If flowers are more your thing, then you can start off indoors this month. There are a good number of hardy annuals, the ‘Neon’ series of English marigolds is a must of mine, and I also sow annual poppies and rudbeckia now to make sure I have good sturdy plants to plant out in late March.

 

The garden centres and nurseries will be filling up with lots of lovely, tempting plants now and it’s a good month to select any fruit bushes from new stock to plant. Fruits such as gooseberry, all currants and blueberries can be grown in containers on the terrace and on balconies very easily and will repeat fruit. Raspberries will do better in the open ground, so if you have a corner in the garden or a handy raised bed these can be planted now alongside asparagus crowns to get their roots well-established before the summer’s heat comes.

 

February is a month of planning, or perhaps starting new projects in the garden; often these projects are embryonic ideas and asking an expert to help is in the long run a good, money-saving idea. Their skill base is to understand three-dimensional outside space and they are as integral to the best build and renovation projects as an architect. It’s a skill which often goes overlooked, but one which pays for itself when considered as an investment for the future. So, if you are planning larger redesigns or projects, here are some thoughts from me about getting the best outcomes for your ideas.

 

Most estate agents will tell you well-designed and built outside space can add up to 20 per cent to the value of your property, so it’s a cost well worth investigating. The first question many may ask is where you find a good landscape designer and what they bring to the project. Many of the best recommendations come via word of mouth; there is nothing better than a friend who has completed a project you admire giving you the details of the professionals involved. Recommendations aside, the best way to ensure you get the right designer involved is to meet a few, check their credentials and if possible, look at completed work locally. Other things to consider would be any professional memberships or awards won at events such as Royal Horticultural Society shows. If you are planning a long-term project, visiting trade events could also be an option, or simply visit shows such as RHS Chelsea or Hampton Court to look at real life spaces which are inspirational. This will give you a unique opportunity to speak to landscape designers and get a feel for the range of work they undertake.

 

Landscape designers work in many ways; some will want to oversee, and project manage the whole project, they may have their own team, or they may use subcontractors to complete the job. Other designers may be slightly more hands-off and do as much, or as little as you would like.

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A good landscape designer will be able to give you realistic timings and take you to view large specimens such as trees and larger shrubs at growers, allowing you to be involved in the selection process and managing everyone’s expectations. Importantly, a good landscape designer will be equipped with the knowledge to assess existing trees or large shrubs, which you may wish to retain or remove. They will also be able to liaise with professionals to carry out any remedial tree surgery or assess on-going care of trees that have preservation orders on them, ensuring you stay within the confines of relevant legal frameworks.

 

Once you have found the right person and know their costs, it’s time to really consider what they bring to your project. They should be appointed early on because by spending time with you they will be able to understand what types of plant suit you and the maintenance obligations they bring. They will also, through the use of colour design, be able to create planting schemes which alter people’s behaviour. This may sound odd, but you would be surprised how many people plant greens and whites in busy areas as they see this as a place of little ‘value,’ only to find these colours are exactly those we are drawn to when wanting solace and relaxation. 

 

Perhaps the biggest and often most complex range of understanding a landscape designer brings is horticultural knowledge. Often, we have friends who offer a bit of this, or choose some plants for us; well-meaning intentions can leave you with plants, which either die or become monstrous menaces taking over entire gardens. A landscape designer will assess your soil, aspect and topographical location, whilst assessing the suitability of a range of plants which will bring year-round interest through texture, leaf shape, flowers, fruits and bark. It’s a broad range of skills which often go unconsidered. Do not forget also that the best landscape designers are aware of serious pest and disease problems both nationally and more locally, helping you to avoid costly mistakes. This will include things like the devastating Buxus caterpillar around London, Buxus blight in the Cotswolds, Oak processionary moth, and insects, which affect certain tropical plants on the south coast. This knowledge will also come into play with plants imported into the UK and the potential pest and disease risk.

 

Many landscape designers do have a ‘style;’ be it a particular use of hard landscaping materials, a design approach being firmly traditional or contemporary, or underpinning ecological values. Rather than being off-putting, these should form part of your selection criteria; shared values or design aspirations make for a better working partnership and mean you will get the best from the landscape designer as they challenge themselves to create the most dynamic space for you. 

 

If you feel unsure, or unconfident about having that type of dialogue as the starting point, then take inspiration from the property you are renovating, or design clues from the space you are building; this will at least bring the best out in the designer and give you a head start.

 

It’s a lot to consider, but no more than when we renovate an old house, or plan new kitchens, and other works.

 

Lastly, if the next few weeks turns out to be very wet, or indeed if you are not planning new largescale projects, you can content yourself with observing your compost heaps. If you notice it gets very soggy and stops breaking down properly, then my tip is to save and store dry cardboard torn up into plate-sized pieces, which can be added to absorb water and dry out the compost to aid breaking down. You can also use straw if you have it.