Grass Clippings
Around the grounds
‘In like a lion, out like a lamb’ has always been a straightforward enough proverb. March starts when it’s still winter, and by the end of the month spring has begun. This is usually the case with our climate but who knows if this will ring true in the future too? This week certainly feels like the lion was roaring, bright sunny days but the wind was as cold with the icy blast from the Arctic.
Soil temperatures are still well down with no real movement and what happens in the soil really matters in the turf world, the growth of the plant, whether that be grass, shrubs, or trees is dominated by soil warmth that initiates movement of nutrients and moisture in the root system.
Air temperature is what we, as mammals, associate with how the weather feels to us and on a sunny spring day that can be deceptive. One fine day doesn’t mean that spring has come early. The soil is like a large heat storage unit. As day length opens up after winter, the radiated heat of the sun will start to warm the soil and gradually the soil temperature will start to rise. Air temperature will fluctuate more often and will be affected by where the wind is blowing from. Grasses, from our perspective tend to inhabit the top profile of the soil down to around twelve inches. Therefore, this is the zone of influence which will govern when grass-growth starts to take off. Throwing fertilizer or more water at it doesn’t necessarily promote growth and may sit within the soil until a time when there is a temperature shift. Many trees at the moment have started to form buds, which is an indication that there is movement below our feet. Hopefully, the lamb is kind to us this year and bounces in with good growing weather soon.
We have had a positive start to the month with weather kind enough to allow the turfing of the 10th tee to be carried out last week. We can now continue with the formation of the mounding that Ken Moodie has planned for the left-hand side of the 10th fairway and next week will see the installation of the new hedge alongside the new tee. The turf will take a while to knit into the soil, and, as mentioned above, we now need soil temperatures to lift to initiate the growth process.
Sam and the gardens team are doing a grand job of pruning and tidying up the golf landscaping beds and getting them in shape for spring. Almost all the new tree planting is completed out on the course, with replacements also planted on the 12th for losses during the recent storm. David and his team are getting the last of the fairways completed with sand top dressing. We are planning to get ahead of the curve by over-seeding some areas which need strengthening up for the season and once we see some signs of growth in the plant, we shall be encouraging the grass to grow with some welcome feed in the next few weeks’ time.
Chris Hughes is on the home straight of his croquet-lawns turfing marathon and croquet renovations will play a part in the works on the lawns next week. If Members see a group of workers peering down a manhole, do not be alarmed, we have a company doing a survey of our drains around the estate. This is due to the need to regularly assess their condition and maintenance requirements plus investigate how we can distribute storm water more effectively.
New Director General at RHS
Clare Matterson CBE will be the next director general of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s largest gardening charity. Matterson is currently executive director at the Natural History Museum will join the RHS on Monday 9th May 2022. In her current role at the museum, Matterson led the development of the new strategy to create ‘advocates for the planet’ and drove forward initiatives including the Urban Nature Project, Our Broken Planet and Dippy on Tour. She also led the transformation of its digital activities, which has resulted in a large increase across all online platforms now reaching over 15 million people globally. A significant part of Matterson’s career has been at Wellcome Trust, where as director of strategy she produced the charitable foundation’s 2015 strategy that set its first priorities in mental health, planetary health, and antibiotic resistance. Here she also co-founded Wellcome Collection as a major new art and science cultural venue in London, established the National STEM Learning Centre to transform UK science education, and initiated The Great Plant Hunt to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. A keen gardener and member of the RHS for nearly 30 years, Matterson believes gardening has the power to foster an important connection to the natural world, giving everyone the chance to learn from nature whether from their own plot, a community garden or a simple window box. A firm believer that the ‘H’ for horticultural in the RHS is core to the charity, she recognises how the joy of growing plants and gardening can have a positive impact on people and society.
Around your garden
Sam Cumber our Head Gardener has some timely advice on pruning for spring this week:-
Now is the time to undertake the early spring pruning. These plants generally flower in summer on this season’s growth so pruning in early spring maximises the amount of growth and therefore the number of flowers is increased. Plants like Hydrangea, Cornus, Perovskia and Miscanthus will benefit from a prune now.
Hydrangea – the buds on last year’s growth should now be starting to swell. Prune the stems back by around half their length.
Cornus – the colourful stems should now be producing flower buds and foliage. Hard prune these stems back to around 20cm from the ground which will encourage large amount of new growth. This new growth produces the strongest colour for next winter.
Perovskia – this silver-foliaged plant will benefit from a hard prune back to around 30cm from the ground. This encourages strong purple flowers in summer.
Miscanthus – Around this time of year the plant will start to produce basal growth. The plant can be cut back as close to the ground as possible which will encourage strong summer growth and keep the plant tidy.
Plants to look out for this month;
– Clematis armandii – White flowering, slightly scented, evergreen climber
– Forsythia x intermedia – Yellow flowering deciduous shrub
– Narcissus ‘Tete-A-Tete’ – Yellow flowering small Daffodil
– Helleborus spp. – Pale red or white evergreen perennial
Peter Bradburn, Course and Grounds Manager – peter.bradburn@roehamptonclub.co.uk