The grip of February is easing and the push of life is evident. Catkins hang creamily from the hazel in the nuttery. Catch them at the right moment and you can see the pollen blown in creamy puffs from branch to branch. Tucked up by the fire inside, we have only just finished last year’s nuts. It’s good to see this year’s cycle begin.
Though we have a way to go yet before growth is properly on our side, these signs are sure and clear. Looking down to the bare ground in the rain-beaten vegetable garden, I can see that the opium poppies are already germinating. Alongside them are the Californian poppies and the calendula on their mission to get a tap root established before the weather warms.
Pushing through last year’s debris, the spear of new bulbs is the trigger for my gathering impatience to start the big clear-up. Though I have made space for early Galanthus, I have left last year’s wreckage until now for its structure and cover. But where bulbs and perennials mingle it is best to give the bulbs the room to come up unhindered for they are easily damaged once they rise up and swell to flower. Getting in early will save you time later.
I have a Turkish knife that Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter gave me which in Turkey is used for gathering herbs. A 6in serrated blade with a curve makes a swift job of cutting back any perennials that resist a gentle tug –though a gentle tug is still the best way to make the first sweep through the borders. Day lilies and many of the perennials will come away easily, but it is a mistake to pull anything that doesn’t yield for fear of damaging new shoots. Where the Turkish knife isn’t enough, use an old pair of secateurs to take last year’s growth close to the base. After the big clear-up I send the secateurs away to be sharpened and put in a drawer marked specifically for precision pruning.
All cuttings are piled on to a tarp and taken to the compost heap. I am the proud owner of two heaps, one that was begun this time last year, and one that is kept free to allow me a year to make the rotation. It is a lazy man’s way, as I could make the same compost in half the time if I was turning the heap a couple of times in the year. At the beginning of the winter, heap one will be cracked open for digging into the vegetable garden and where I need to improve soil prior to planting. The top, unrotted layer will be flipped into the empty bin, with a good number of worms and some semi-decomposed material to start the new heap off.
Back in the garden, the newly cleared ground is ready to be inspected for weeds and for perennials that may need division. Do not be tempted to cut corners here: this is your opportunity for an easier life later in the growing season, when everything is racing and demanding your attention. Mulching bare soil will help protect you from invaders.
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