Gardening - Preparing for Growing

Jackwood House Wildlife Garden

Friday 10th April

On Friday afternoon, a small but dedicated group of five — later joined by a sixth volunteer — gathered in Jackwood House Wildlife Garden to continue the work started in March on the flower beds and terrace. Despite the cool conditions, it was a dry and productive session focused on preparing the garden for the busy growing season ahead.

The main task was to continue clearing the beds, removing obvious weeds to give emerging plants the space and resources they need to thrive. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be much to do, but appearances can be deceptive — a surprisingly large amount of material was cleared and added to the compost area by the end of the session.

Recent warmth and sunshine, following a particularly wet winter, have encouraged strong grass growth across the garden. In places, this had begun to creep into the beds themselves. Volunteers carefully edged all the beds and cut back the encroaching grass, instantly improving the appearance of the area and helping to clearly define the planting spaces. As with the weeding, the volume of cut grass soon added up.

Attention then turned to the terrace, where newer plants were given a much-needed watering after the recent dry spell. Encouraging deep root growth at this stage is important for building resilience later in the season, and we were greatly helped by the nearby water butts installed last year. While there, volunteers also continued the ongoing task of removing persistent weeds such as thistles.

It was particularly pleasing to see the roses transplanted from the old, abandoned bed looking healthy and well established in their new location. With improved soil and more attentive care, they are showing strong signs of recovery and should provide a fine display when they come into flower in June.

Watering the new plants on the terrace, with the old roses visible behind.

Looking ahead, our second April session will continue this essential preparation work — weeding, thinning out self-seeded plants, and creating the space needed for the beds to fill out as the weather warms and the garden moves into full growth.

Above from top left to bottom right: geranium, bergenia (elephants ears), yellow tulip, epimedium (barrenwort), red and yellow tulips and a native fern unfolding.