Preparing for spring

The first major job of the year, getting ready for the start of spring which is only a few weeks away.

Dead-heading the plants is something I do in January / February, and I am a bit behind with it this year. This is done because in our very humid winter climate in Scotland, the dead flower heads provide an ideal site for fungus to start growing. While this is not usually a problem for healthy plants, the fungus can spread to plants which are a bit unwell and that can spell trouble.

Some people prefer to dead-head in the autumn, especially if they are collecting and selling seed, but I prefer to wait until late winter as the dead heads are much easier to come off the plant and there is less risk of injury.

The first photo shows the “Aylostera” subgenus, all dead-headed, cleaned and inspected, and the second photo shows the “Mediolobivia” subgenus, still waiting to be dead-headed.

There are around 4000 or so still do be done, so if there are any volunteers available locally, you would be very welcome!