What to plant
Plant out Sweet Williams, Forget-me-Nots and Wallflowers for the
spring. Next month the Forget-me-Nots can be under-planted with pink
tulips which are a classically beautiful combination.
Buy bags of mixed narcissus for naturalising. To achieve a natural
look take double handfuls of bulbs, throw them in the air and plant them
where they fall.
Plant lily bulbs in beds and borders in holes two and a half times
the depth of the bulb. A few species like the North American yellow lily,
Lilium canadense, and the panther lily, L. pardalinum, like damp
conditions, but the majority must be in a well-drained, open, sunny spot,
although our rare in the wild native lily, L. martagon, is happy with light
shade.
Choose a warm, sunny spot to plant the large bulbs of the Crown
Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis). Once planted it should be left
undisturbed.
Plant up new strawberry beds. Take hard wood cuttings of
gooseberries and currants. Cut out the old fruiting canes of summer
raspberries and tie in the strongest of the new shoots.
This is the time of year to sow a new lawn. The site needs to be
well cultivated. To avoid the hard labour of digging it over, hire a
cultivator for the weekend. Once it has been thoroughly turned over, roll
it and rake it until there is a firm, level seed bed. Be generous with the
seed.
Pot up some mint roots and grow them in the greenhouse.
