Advice

Snowdrops

Lift and divide snowdrops still 'in the green' if you want to move them or create more plants.

Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting.

Sweet peas

Soak sweet pea seeds in tepid water overnight before planting them to speed up germination.

Cut the tips of summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have grown beyond the top of their supports; cut just above a bud.

 If you'd like to grow early peas, place a cloche over the soil to let it warm up for a few weeks prior to sowing.

How to prune a Clematis

Clematis plants are often classified in groups according to their pruning requirements. The correct time for pruning clematis depends upon the type of flowering wood that the plant produces. Some will flower on the previous year's growth while others bloom on young shoots produced in the same year.

Knowing when to prune clematis will ensure you get the best flowering possible. If you are not sure which species you are growing, but you know when the clematis is in flower, then you can normally determine what type of pruning it will require according to these clematis pruning groups.

Clematis Pruning Group 1 - Early flowering clematis

Group 1 includes clematis that flower in winter and spring on the previous year's growth. These include Clematis alpina, Clematis macropetala, Clematis montana and their cultivars. This group also includes evergreen Clematis.

Start pruning clematis from group 1 immediately after flowering. Remove any damaged or dead stems and reduce the remaining growth to fit the available space.

Clematis Pruning Group 2 - Large flowered clematis

The large flowered cultivars in group 2 bear flowers on new shoots that emanate from the previous year's stems in late spring and summer. Some cultivars will produce a second flush at the tips of the current year's growth in late summer and autumn.

Prune clematis from group 2 in spring before they start into active growth. Remove any damaged or dead stems and reduce the remaining growth back to a set of strong healthy buds. New flowering stems will be produced from this framework of previous growth.

Clematis Pruning Group 3 - Late flowering clematis

Group 3 contains the late flowering species and their cultivars that bloom from summer to late autumn on the current years stems. This group also contains the herbaceous species of clematis.

Clematis in group 3 are arguably the easiest to prune. These plants can simply be cut back to a pair of strong buds about 20cm (8”) above ground level, removing all of the previous year's growth. Prune group 3 clematis in spring before they start into active growth.

Help, my gladioli aren't doing anything 

Question:  Dear Parkstone Gardeners, 

Can anyone tell me why my Wig's Sensation gladioli aren't doing anything except grow leaves? They are in a trough in j'innes no3, getting lots of attention, why no lovely flowers for the Poole show.

Denny

Answer:  I do not know the variety Wig's Sensation but early gladioli flower 60/70 days after planting, mid-season ones flower 80-90 days after planting and late season ones are 100 days plus after planting.   The size of the corm also affects flowering and maybe they were too small to flower this year.  Another reason for non-flowering could be the plants are in too much shade.

Hope this helps. 

David