May Meeting | 'Dahlias' - Richard Ramsey | Tuesday 13th May, 8pm
Okay, so it's not Spring for a while yet, and it's not impossible to still get snow all the way to April, but the mornings are noticeably lighter and the evenings not so dark, and when the skies are clear you can really feel that Spring is on the way. The snowdrops and winter flowers really help too.
It's also a chance to enjoy the new February Newsletter!
January and early February is a good time for the winter pruning of apples and pears (non-stone fruit) and for making sure that any fallen leaves or old stems of herbaceous perennials don’t smother emerging bulbs or winter bedding
Now is the time for winter pruning of Wisteria where stems are cut back stems to two or three buds
Also prune other climbers such as Virginia creeper, ivy, Campsis, winter-flowering jasmine, and the late-flowering Clematis – ones that flower on the new season’s growth
As a reminder, any shrubs that flower very early in the season such as Forsythia, Deutzia or Weigela will be flowering on ‘old-wood’ so pruning should only be done after flowering or you will lose the show for this year
Bush roses also will need pruning in February or early March. The best method will differ slightly for floribunda/hybrid tea roses as compared to shrub roses but will usually require the removal of one-third to one-half of the length of the stems. As always, the RHS have some useful guidance on the different approaches used for shrub versus hybrid tea.
Bare rooted roses, shrubs, hedging, and some trees can also be planted now through to end of February and are a very cost-effective way to buy new plants
Seeds of plants that need a long growing season or when you want the earliest possible flowers (or salad leaves!) should be started under cover
Hardy annuals and many vegetable seeds, garlic, and onion sets can also be started under cover now
Start the chitting of seed potatoes - Stand the potatoes end-up in a tray and leave indoors in bright light to allow short stumps of shoots to form.
Dahlia tubers and Lily and Dutch Iris bulbs can also be started back into life under cover but do be careful of more cold weather
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Frosty Morning (Puttenham Common)
Garrya elliptica, Silk Tassel Bush
Bronze fennel, Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum'
Skimmia japonica (female)
Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis
Kale 'Scarlet' (Borecole)
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane', Witch Hazel
Hellebore
Sarcococca confusa, Sweet box
Daphne, Daphne odora aureomarginata
Cyclamen coum
Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis
Frost on Hylotelephium (Sedum) 'Indian Chief'
Amaryllis, Hippeastrum 'Grand Diva'
Crocus 'Orange Monarch'
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Part Anagram; Part Crossword. The answers to all the short clues are shorter-word anagrams of the long starter word, and there's even some clues to help you complete it! The answers are at the bottom of the page.
The Alpine Garden Society will hold its Spring Show at RHS Wisley on the 8th February.
Further afield, the Shaftesbury Snowdrop Festival (Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8LY) runs from the 9th-23rd February and has a whole range of snowdrop-related events.
The Surrey Horticultural Federation Spring Talk by Garden Designer Ann-Marie Powell and will be on Tuesday 18th March from 7.30pm at Normandy Village Hall. Tickets £10 to WGC Members
The Friends of Guildford Cathedral are organising a coach trip to Salisbury Cathedral and the Spirit of Water Flower Festival on Friday 16th May. Cost is £38. For more information, please see their flyer.
The Therapy Garden in Glaziers Lane, Normandy are looking for horticultural and general volunteers to help people with challenges in their lives. Please see their website for more information.
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