2015 is a very special year for us!
This month, the Garden Centre is celebrating its 15th birthday and my book, Mediterranean Garden Plants, also has its 10th birthday. And because this year is so very special, a double celebration, we’d like to share it with you so we are making big plans.
We are scheduling four Open Days through the year at the Garden Centre and, on those days, there will be lots of special offers and discounts. At the Open Days, either myself or an invited guest speaker will be giving a talk on gardening or a related subject, followed by free tea/coffee/soft drinks with home-made cake and, of course, I will be there with my team to answer all your queries.
The dates of these Open Days – to give you plenty of warning – have been scheduled for 1st April, 3rd June, 7th October and 9th December. All talks will start at 11am.
We want to make this a memorable year, so our first Open Day is Bee Day. We are going to set up a bee hive at the Garden Centre and we hope the bees will flourish and grow with us. We think that many of you are fascinated by the world of bees, as we are, so Mick the Bee Man, a professional bee-keeper, will show us the entire set-up, explain how to look after the hive and bees and answer all our questions. We are having placid, well-mannered bees for our tranquil setting, so come along – bee wise! There’ll be honey to buy on the day and, hopefully, we’ll soon be producing our very own Florena honey. You may even go home with a hive!
We’ll keep you posted on special events for the other Open Days and all that will be happening in 2015.
On top of all that, my book, Mediterranean Garden Plants, has now been around for 10 years – unbelievably! Many of you have already bought it and love it – thank you all. From 1st March, it will be at a special birthday price of €20 – a lovely gift for a birthday, house-warming or just because!
And, even in March, we aren’t sitting back; we are refreshing the patio area to make it an even more delightful area to enjoy a coffee and our range of plants is greater than ever. We’ll be potting up the bare-root roses that remain – so last chance for bare-roots is the very beginning of March, please!
Gardening Jobs for March: One of my favourite months in the garden. There’s just a whisper of spring, a freshness and a burgeoning and it’s so exciting to see seeds emerging, buds bursting and shoots thrusting – get out there and enjoy!
Planting: As I write this, we’ve still had relatively little rain. Don’t despair, March and April – and especially around Easter! – can often be very wet. Rain and early spring temperatures are a fantastic combination for plants as they settle in really quickly. Get trees, both fruiting and ornamental, shrubs and climbers planted now. It’s also the season to start planting semi-tropicals such as palms and bougainvilleas. Smaller plantings can be squeezed in later.
Pots: Traditionally now is the time to freshen up pots for Easter and visiting friends/family. Permanent plantings such as palms and yuccas are great for their structural presence but if you want colour, small bedding plants need changing frequently. They’re cheap and cheerful and will give you several months of flower power.
Fertilise: This is the month when you need to give your plants a banquet. They’ve had their winter rest and are now coming out of hibernation like hungry bears! To thrust powerfully into new strong growth, they need some help. The warmer conditions and fertiliser will green things up that are looking palid – especially citrus and lawns. Scarify the lawn first to remove any winter moss and old thatch.
Fungicide: Apply copper fungicide to the entire peach family – peach, nectarine, donut peach, almond, cherry and plum – just before the leaf buds start to unfurl to prevent peach leaf curl, that disfiguring red blistering on leaves.
Insects: look out for the first attacks as the weather warms and counter-attack before numbers multiply. Look out for slugs and snails – damp warm conditions and fresh young garden sh are bliss to them.
Vegetable Plot: Sow leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and chard, leeks, beetroot, radish, celery, peas and beans. Crops such as basil, tomatoes, peppers, chillies and courgettes should be sown too, though protect from cold spells.
And don’t forget to step back and enjoy the fabulous flowering of all our fruit trees – peach, quince, plum, apricot and cherry quickly follow the snow of almond blossom.
Lorraine Cavanagh owns the specialist garden centre Viveros Florena, Competa, Malaga (garden centre, designers & landscapers) and is author of the best-selling Mediterranean Garden Plants and Citrus, The Zest of Life.
Keep checking our web page for latest news and exciting new stock arriving at the garden centre. Join our mailing list to keep in constant touch.
NEW: Shop on-line with us for unusual plants, plug plants, scented roses, coloured iris, bulbs, organic products and my books.
Winter Hours,
October – May: 10 – 4,
closed Sundays and Mondays.
Summer Hours,
June, July & September: 9 – 2, closed Sundays & Mondays
(cCosed for the month of August)
Tel: 689928201 Web: www.viverosflorena.com Email: florenaspain@hotmail.com
Also see us on Facebook – Lorraine Cavanagh’s Garden Centre
We will be open 28
