Gardening Month-by-Month [antikvár]

INTRODUCTIONAlthough the calendar year starts in January, that, in fact, is one of the slackest times in the garden. Nine years out of ten the ground is too wet and cold to do any gardening outdoors, while in the greenhouse there just is not enough light for plants to grow properly. However, starting a gardening calendar in January does give you time to build up slowly to a fever of activity in the spring.But first, a few words of explanation about the organization of this book. By concentrating in one chapter all the information on activities that have to be carried out during a single month there's no danger that you'll neglect any task. This arrangement also has the advantage of letting you see in advance exactly what needs to be done. You can therefore plan ahead at leisure, purchasing seeds and equipment in good time.Each month features a selection of decorative plants that will be at their best. Although there is only space to list a few of the many possibilities, a range of de-ciduous and evergreen shrubs, small trees and climbers that have particular interest by way of their flowers, fruit, foliage or coloured stems are listed, together with some flowering bulbs and herbaceous perennials also appropriate to the month.Many of these are illusfrated as, after all, it is the ornamental plants that give the seasonal feel to a garden. By choosing a few from each section for each month you will be able to have decorative interest throughout the year - even in midwinter. Local climatic conditions and the weather will have their effect on flowering times and you may find that in your garden the Plants for May are in fact in flower in April or even in June!The different climates experienced in the British Isles are always a problem when drawing up a calendar of garden plants and routine jobs. For example, Scotland is frequently a month behind the south coast of England in the spring whereas autumn can come anything up to a month earlier. Also, anyone planningwhat to do will have to remember that there are early years and late years. Tie this in with the state of the weather and the soil on the day that you would like to garden and you will soon realize that gardening possibly demands a greater flexibility of mind than any other pastime.A word also must be said about varieties of plants, espraally vegetables. Most varieties are notoriously fickle; what may be in vogue or considered the best when a book is written, may not be so even a year later. New and better varieties are always coming along to displace existing ones. For that reason, few varietal names are given but those that are have the merit of having stood the test of time. In the case of the vegetables, most will be found in the list of garden varieties recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) at Cambridge.Local knowledge as regards climate and soil, as well as local preferences as to varieties, can be a great help but do make sure that the information is reliable.Right: Roses in high summer. 'Cerise Bouquet' is one of the modern shrub roses that needs little in the way of regular pruning and flourishes in most soils. Bush roses, on the other hand, are greedy feeders.Opposite: In frosty weather little can be done in the garden. The ground is too hard to dig or plant and the lawn should not be walked on.