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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jane Perrone

Gardening tips: plant pasqueflowers

Common pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
Pasqueflowers bring colour to gravel gardens. Photograph: DEA/C. GALASSO/De Agostini via Getty Images

Plant this The purple goblets of the pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) start emerging now, bringing colour to gravel gardens and food for hungry pollinators. This British native with ferny foliage prefers chalky soil, sharp drainage and full sun. Height and spread: 20cm x 20cm.

Buy this Whether weeding, planting bulbs or transplanting perennials, I wouldn’t be without my hori-hori – a Japanese gardening tool that has become popular around the world. Its heavy-duty blade is serrated on one side for slicing through roots and soil, and is definitely not child-friendly. Available from niwaki.com.

Prune this As winter shrubs such as winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) and wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) finish blooming, it’s time to prune out dead, diseased, crossing and damaged stems: if necessary, cut back a third of stems close to base.

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