If you want to give your flower beds a real treat this year, if you want polyanthers as big as footballs (well, perhaps not quite), well-rotted horse manure is the stuff. Although many would disagree, I have found it to be absolutely wonderful.
I used to (I can't get it at the moment) apply it towards the end of January so that its goodness had time to soak in before growth commenced in earnest in February. It doesn't seem to burn the roots at this time, because they are still dormant or partly dormant, or because there is more moisture in the soil, or perhaps even because there is less free ammonia - anyway, whatever the reason, it's good stuff.
Just scatter it around the plants without actually touching them, so that the ground is just covered. The easiest manure to use is that based on wood shavings rather than straw. This is both easier to spread and more attractive to the eye. You don't need to dig it in, although you can do. If left on the surface, it will gradually become accommodated. The lignin in the shavings is good for soil structure since it helps build humus. Now, if only I could find another supply . . ..
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