The sun is now beginning to have some
strength and quickly warms up greenhouses and tunnels. To stop plants
undercover getting soft and drawn up, make sure to have plenty of
ventilation during the day. The newly emerging growth will be
susceptible to frost damage, so keep some fleece handy if a frost is
forecast.
Some plants seem to have come through
all that the winter weather can throw at them without turning a leaf.
One such plant that always catches my eye in the winter garden is
Euphorbia
mellifera. This large Euphorbia needs a protected
position out of cold winds, except in mild areas. The leaves are
unscathed and lustrous green. In May the reddish brown flowers smell
deliciously of honey.
Another shrub that tolerates
everything, including gardens by the sea is the double flowering
gorse (Ulex
europaeus Flore-Pleno) they have are just coming into
flower and will soon be scenting the air with their coconut
fragrance.
Many evergreen plants in our area are
showing signs of wind burn and salt damage. The large Luma
apiculata Glanleam Gold in the garden is looking very
scorched on the west facing branches. This is damage which we get
when the wind is fierce off the sea, it looks pretty terrible until
the damaged leaves fall off and new ones come through. Don't think
you have to remove branches or shoots as it is unlikely to have
killed anything into the mature wood – just be patient and look the
other way for a few weeks!
