BLEAK FOR PEACHES AND GLUM FOR PLUMS

By Richard Wright - Friday, April 11, 2008

Baby oak leaves peeping through their temporary cocoons of snow. Picture by Roseanna Wright.

GARDENING DIARY
THE brilliance and bothersomeness of the weather never ceases to amaze.
I was pleased the contents of a bag of daffs, bought late and cheap, had emerged as little rays of sunshine, lighting up my bit of the road.
They had succeeded, despite the odds, coming up in just five weeks, standing up up for themselves in the gales, only to be beaten into submission by Sunday’s snow. Only next year will they be as good as they were before Sunday.
How pleased I was, too, my miniature Avalon peach was a mass of gaudy pink bloom and had attracted early bees for it to be covered in embryonic peaches.
I was delighted my bit of maverick planting at the top of the road, my mini-orchard of Pond’s plums, popped in years ago on a forgotten verge, was a mass of bloom.
Then came the snow.
Only time will tell but my guess is it will be a peachless summer and the opportunity to have a plum in mouth in Seaview will be limited, at least in my neck of the woods.
Although plum blossom is hardier than that of the tender peach, cold air limits pollination by insects.
Because of the lack of warning — only hoots from my daughters told me the snow was falling — there was no time to protect the tender specimens.
The only precaution I had taken was a leftover from the recent frosts.
My dwarf impatiens, safely covered over in its supermarket bag, will probably survive through another winter but the cell structure of its bigger, fleshy parrot plant relative will probably have been destroyed by the cold.
I was given it two Christmases ago by Pat Bowyer, from Whitwell, because she had nowhere to over-winter it and it flourished ... until Sunday.
Niamniamensis is native to east Africa and will grow 3ft tall. I’d moved it out to create a bit of space.
After the disaster of last year, when pests ate my multi-headed sunflower seedlings, grown from seeds kindly given to me by Phyl Fender, my daughters are giving it another go and we popped those seeds in as the snow fell outside.
One job snowed off was the planting of mistletoe. It was not the best time to open up a gash in my apple tree to smear in the seeds.
We treat snowfall as a momentous happening nowadays and it is increasingly unusual, although March and April are now the most likely times.
My nine-year-old can only just remember the white stuff once before in her short span but how refreshing it can still creep up on us.
For the most part, the sort of snow we had on Sunday did not hang about long enough to damage most plants, including the pale yellow-green leaf of oak breaking through the white coverlet.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS
A QUICK and satisfying job to do right now as daffodils and tulips fade is to pick off the heads before the plants’ energies are diverted into producing seed.
It’s also a good idea to then feed them up while the foliage is still green, so the bulb can bulk up to ensure fine flowering next spring.
A chemical feed is the easiest but an organic top dressing will also prepare the bed for planting of the next flush of colour to follow the bulbs.
Now is a great time to look out for late, boxed, plant bargains in the shops.
Look out for those with signs of life because, if they are alive, they should be sprouting.
I picked up a rosa rugosa to fill in the gap left by the sudden deaths of a blueberry and a gooseberry.
All small but all half price and hale and hearty.

EX-STRAW-DINARY EXHIBIT DUE AT ROBIN HILL
WOULD you like to try your hand at the ancient craft of building a house with straw bales?
Dave Simon, of Aldermoor Earthworks, is looking for a team to help him build an eco-exhibit for the Robin Hill Spring Garden Show 2008, on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27.
“Straw-bale buildings are strong enough for functional buildings and the natural materials look great as structural pieces in a garden,” said Dave.
The exhibit, with the straw-bale structure as its centrepiece, will give visitors ideas of how to make their homes and gardens more eco-friendly.
Dave and his wife, Vav, host weekend workshops on rural and ecological themes at Aldermoor Farm, Ryde.
Discounted early-bird tickets for the Robin Hill show are available from the park or The County Press Shop in Newport, until next Friday, April 18, on production of the discount coupon.
The show, now in its third year, has attracted a number of award-winning mainland nurseries. There is an exciting programme planned for the arena, including falconry, Wight Wizards dog agility and Adams Axemen, who will demonstrate axe racing.
There will also be arts and crafts marquees, plus the popular Tastes Of The Island marquee.
A chainsaw carving competition will see four sculptors competing to produce carvings that will be auctioned by TV actor Geoff Hughes. Geoff will also be demonstrating his woodland machinery.

BLEAK FOR PEACHES AND GLUM FOR PLUMS

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