In the garden: How to plant spuds ahead of March 17

A new month has arrived, and the end of February was particularly challenging for gardeners, with a lot of wet weather making the soil difficult to work with and easily damaged.

It’s best to leave the digging till later, when conditions improve. There are still some herbaceous perennials to be dug up and divided before they awaken from their slumber this spring, all in time!

Spring flowering bulbs are beginning to appear at a pace now, with crocus twinkling at ground level, alerting us the impending activity that lies ahead this spring.

The daffodils are lilting above the grass now, braving the elements as they bob in the wind. This is always a time of great hope and promise in the garden.

It is also a time of preparation, with long lists of jobs to get done. St Patricks Day is always a big milestone in the gardening calendar, acting as s deadline by which time a lot of seasonal jobs need to be completed to get the best results.

The weather can vary a lot in March, it can be almost summery and there has also been frost and snow other years, so it is best not to get too complacent at present.

A few jobs that are good to get completed this side of St Patrick’s Day include pruning of roses, apple trees, soft fruit, shrubs and any other winter pruning jobs that got put on the long finger.

The trick with pruning is to know if a plant flowers on the current year’s new growth or if flowering happens on more mature wood.

Plants flowering on the current year’s growth can be pruned at this time of the year, and they will still go onto flower this year - buddleja and fuchsia are two examples.

Plants that flower on mature wood, like forsythia, weigela and viburnum, will not flower this year if pruned now, so identify your plant and do some research before going too crazy with the secateurs.

I like to use some of the prunings as kindling once they have dried out, but they can also be added to a long term compost heap to slowly break down over a number of years.

The woody prunings can also be useful to use at the base of the new compost heap, as they allow for some air movement at the bottom of the heap, which is useful to speed up breakdown of the material in the compost heap.

Woody material is slower to break down, but this can be accelerated by chopping up the branches and twigs, or putting them through a shredder before going on the compost heap.

It is almost time to consider pruning hydrangeas now also, with hopefully the worst of the winter weather behind us. Remove any dead wood from the centre of the plant and take the dead flowers back one or two buds to keep the shrub in check size wise.

There are two types of hydrangea commonly grown in gardens, the mop head and lace caps which flower on older wood and which should just be trimmed back by one or two buds, and the paniculate types which flower on the new growth and so can be pruned right back down and they will still flower this year.

Buddleja can be pruned pretty severely to promote fresh new growth this spring as they flower on the current year’s wood. It can be very beneficial for plants as hard pruning stimulates new growth, rejuvenating the plant and resulting in plenty of flowers this summer provided they flower on the current year’s growth.

If mistakes are make, then it will usually result in a rejuvenated plant and a year with no flower.

Another job prominent in the calendar with March 17 in mind is planting potatoes. It can be risky planting them outside as we will still get some frosts which may damage emerging foliage in April and May.

Planting in protected growing environments such as a polytunnel or glasshouse will provide a good harvest of early potatoes in late May into June, and this is when we all crave a new potato the most, I think - and also when there is a price attached to this welcome crop.

The seed potatoes can be chitting for the next week or two to let them start growth before going into the soil. This will give them a head start.

Plant the seeds about 30cm apart in rows about 45cm apart and earth them up once they start to push foliage through the soil.

Potatoes are hungry feeders, so plenty of manure and homemade compost will result in better yields, and a top dressing with some seaweed is also great for providing a boost of trace elements to the crop, improving flavour and quality.

The best aspect of growing first earlies is that they are out of the ground and on the plate before blight becomes a problem.

What more incentive do you need to get planting the spuds in anticipation of St Patricks day this year?

Plant of the Week

A visit to DJ Murphy’s garden, Bride Park Cottage in Killumney, Ovens, last week to observe the collection of snowdrops and other spring flowering plants on display, was a real treat.

Even in winter, visiting another garden can give some hope and inspiration.

This garden offers an excellent collection of spring-flowering bulbs and choice shrubs and trees. Amongst the display was this Photinia serratifolia ‘Pink Crispy’, which was providing some interest with its brightly coloured new growth and splashy white pigmented leaves.

I am not usually a fan of variegation, but this shrub gives some light in the garden during the dark winter months and caught my eye. It is best grown in full sun or partial shade on a free draining fertile soil, eventually reaching a height of 1.8 metres with a 1 metre spread.

A shrub to light up the borders in winter and spring.