February Garden Update
Apricity - n.
First recorded in 1623, now considered obsolete: to feel the warmth of the sun in winter
On a very cold day around three weeks ago, when the ground was once again frozen solid, we began to remove a lot of errant brambles from a big herbaceous border. Back when I was starting out as a gardener I was tasked with clearing, by hand, a large bank of brambles to make a new area for planting. The more experienced gardener working alongside me told me that brambles don’t regenerate from sections of root and so removing only the ‘knuckle’ would be sufficient, so this is what I did, is what I've always done, and what I confidently repeated to my colleague. Confused, she looked online and sure enough the RHS, and most sources actually, say that they do in fact regenerate from any small pieces of root left behind. Asking the question in an online gardening group revealed a 70/30 split in favour of removing every piece, with strongly held beliefs on both sides. So who is correct? A quick look at Wikipedia would suggest that, happily, on this occasion, everybody is probably right - the species most often referred to as a bramble (Rubus fruticosus) is actually what’s termed an aggregate species, and contains as many as 289 microspecies. This means that brambles will display an extraordinary amount of variation in form and habit, with some much more likely to regenerate from root sections than others. I am thrilled by the realisation that such an everyday plant contains such multitudes, though I wonder which of the many I’ve removed are now happily sprouting away again, to reward me for my stupidity.
A peculiarly mild spell in the following weeks was curtailed by Éowyn who left the garden with mercilessly little damage, which means we can get on with the rest of our winter work. We have begun cutting back in earnest, and have been mulching the beds with a thick layer of our own garden compost and woodchip. We have ordered wood to install a hard wooden edge on our new herbaceous border which makes such a difference to the appearance of the garden, particularly in winter. In February we will tentatively sow the first seeds of hardy annuals and some vegetable crops, with plans for a new potager-style vegetable garden underway (more on this next month). We are working hard to have the garden looking good for our Snowdrop Weekend on the 15th and 16th of February, with all proceeds once again going to our chosen charity, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation. This was hugely popular last year and we are hoping for a perfect, crisp, sunny weekend to show off the snowdrops at their finest. In the garden, there will be tea and coffee from Rosemains residents Common Coffee, as well as walks through the wider estate. In the meantime, I hope you have a chance to get outdoors and enjoy the fleeting warmth of the beautiful winter sun.
Kate
