Sleet, hail, four consecutive dawns of glittering frost – winter has come early to Bertie’s Cottage. With the last of the tulips and Anenome blanda corms still to plant, I’m hoping that the sun, now climbing a cloudless blue sky, will thaw the soil before it too swiftly dips back over the horizon.
It is late for planting bulbs, but whilst narcissi should be buried before the end of October, tulips still thrive stored well into December, so long as they are kept in a cool, dark place, and are regularly checked for mould. If blue patches do start to form, dust the bulbs with powdered sulphur, an effective, natural and user-friendly fungicide.
The ornamental garden may be at its lowest ebb, but Viburnum farreri ‘Candidissimum’, is covered in clusters of white buds, that open a few at a time when temperatures allow. Happy in a north-facing position, next to a path, the tubular flowers generate a cloud of spicy scent that catches passers-by with surprise and delight. Well, generally delight – one nasally challenged friend complains at being mugged!
It is late for planting bulbs, but whilst narcissi should be buried before the end of October, tulips still thrive stored well into December, so long as they are kept in a cool, dark place, and are regularly checked for mould. If blue patches do start to form, dust the bulbs with powdered sulphur, an effective, natural and user-friendly fungicide.
The ornamental garden may be at its lowest ebb, but Viburnum farreri ‘Candidissimum’, is covered in clusters of white buds, that open a few at a time when temperatures allow. Happy in a north-facing position, next to a path, the tubular flowers generate a cloud of spicy scent that catches passers-by with surprise and delight. Well, generally delight – one nasally challenged friend complains at being mugged!
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