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FEBRUARY
GARDEN GROW? How does your Anna Taylor, owner of Anna’s Flower Farm in Audley End, shares what’s going on in the garden this month A s a gardener, I see glimmers of hope in the gardens this month. Hellebores in bloom, iris reticulata and bulbs in pots
on tables. Winter blossoms are coming to an end, but buds are swelling on trees and shrubs. Snowdrop carpets are jewel-like on emerald lawns and mossy banks. A visit to gardens specialising in winter planting can be joyous on a grotty day. Try out Anglesey Abbey for the pretty winter walk, Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Benington Lordship for their snowdrops. This month’s commercial calendar event is Valentine’s Day. I am perennially frustrated that it is down to the consumer to make the right choice, not the producer. How romantic is a shop-bought bunch of imported, chemically ridden and ethically questionable roses anyway? Flower Project on Mill Road will sort you out with the best seasonal flowers, and dried locally grown ones if you must. But if the apple of your eye is a gardener, I bet you they’d prefer a bare-root rose for their garden. That, dear reader, is true romance. In fact, I’d suggest writing out a wish list of bare-root shrubs and trees, leaving it out for your lover to notice. Locally, Simpson’s Nursery in Fordham grows all its trees in fields and lifts in winter months to plant. These are cheaper than container- grown and will transfer far more easily. It will also post via its Mail Order Trees site. For larger ‘instant’ trees, Deepdale Trees and Barcham Trees are great. We are lucky to have these so close. Winter shrubs make a great backdrop for summer perennials and bulbs, giving star performance as the garden retreats. Usually, they have great fragrance too. Plant them where you will pass often; the front door or out to the bins. Summer colour is easily achieved – there are few summer shrubs that are real must-haves. No, I’d recommend daphne bholua (Jacqueline
STEM AND GLORY As winter comes to an end, the classic signs of early spring are rearing their heads
Postill), chimonanthus praecox, hamamelis and viburnums for autumn and winter, giving real dynamism and colour. All are fragrant and good, solid doers. Cornus, or dogwoods, are great for a larger garden together with willow for bright stems. Reliability and strong presence all year when the living is easy, with good winter performance, makes for a great Valentine’s. I’m planning on planting some trees this February to create an enclosure of espalier pears in the walled garden. Around the polytunnel, I need some shade. Making my shortlist for trees are amelanchier and prunus autumnalis, along with other fruit trees like Cambridge gage and damson. All these have great blossoms from late autumn all the way through to May. I’ll prepare the holes by lifting the turf or clearing weeds
and digging a square pit, a little larger than the root ball. Square, so the roots are encouraged to break out of the circular growth of a pot. Then I plant, add a stake, backfill and heel in (literally firm the soil with the heel of my foot around the base of the plant). Add a thick layer of mulch on top of ideally composted bark or leaf mould. Failing that, a barrow of homemade compost or well-rotted manure. Keep the tree weed-free and water well in the first year. Keep mulching once a year for a few years until the tree is established. Planting a tree is a great task of hope. I’ve planted trees in gardens that I know have, sadly, later been removed. Keep on planting, keep on hoping and spring, with it, will come. Anna Taylor grows cut flowers and vegetables on Anna’s Flower Farm, Audley End, Saffron Walden. You will find her teaching, designing gardens and planting schemes from the studio in the centre of the plots
A visit to gardens specialising in winter planting can be joyous
82 FEBRUARY 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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