News - Page 88
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Lift and divide clumps of spring bulbs to keep them vigorous and full of flower – and to spread them around your garden to boost next year’s display!
Spring bulbs
You can lift and divide all clump-forming bulbs, from bluebells and daffodils to snowdrops. Most bulbs need lifting and dividing every three to four years: if your largest clumps put on a lacklustre display this spring, overcrowding is probably the cause.
Water the c...
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If you ever made a daisy chain as a child, you’ll already be familiar with the charms of our favourite wildflower, Bellis perennis. Daisies are the ultimate low-maintenance plant, easy to grow from seed and often treated as weeds – especially when they pop up in the middle of your lawn. But they are invaluable in any wildlife-friendly garden as they’re great favourites with pollinating insects like bees, butterflies and hoverflies which love their nectar-rich, open...
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Plant up an edible hanging basket for a summer full of delicious flavour, picked just outside your back door.
Hanging baskets
You’ll find all you need at the garden centre here in London, from baskets and liners to ready-grown young plants to fill them with. Tumbling tomatoes are a great place to start, cascading happily from baskets and covered in jewel-like cherry toms from later in summer. Add herbs, such as basil or marjoram, and...
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This year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival has a definite sparkle: it’s taking its inspiration from Malvern Spa’s Victorian heydey as a fashionable health resort.
RHS Malvern Spring Festival
The second major show of the year, Malvern boasts a brand new category of show gardens for 2017. Spa Gardens showcases the work of up and coming designers, mentored by Chelsea Gold Medal winning designer Jo Thompson. And of course, there will be the usual impressive...
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“When in doubt – plant a geranium!” declared plantswoman and gardener Margery Fish, and her advice remains as true today as ever. Hardy geraniums are as reliable as they come, blooming for weeks in summer (and often come back for a second flush if you cut them back after flowering). They cope with all kinds of soil, sun or part shade, and smother the ground with masses of flowers in pink, white, blue or mauve. If you’re stuck for the right plant to fill a gap, a ger...
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Train grapevines as they grow to keep them from taking over your greenhouse or house wall, and to make sure they stay productive and healthy. It’s a little late in the season to be planting a new grapevine now, but if you’ve missed out, make a note to pop into the garden centre here in London and select a vine to plant this autumn. You can choose from dessert or wine varieties, red or white: feel free to ask our knowledgeable staff for advice on the...
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Repair damaged lawns as bare patches become more visible – often the legacy of a punishing, soggy winter. Lawn seed sown now germinates quickly as the weather warms, so it’s a great time to put things right.
Damaged lawn
Skim off the damaged patches of turf, then fork over the area to a depth of about 8cm. Break up and clods with the back of a fork until the soil has a fine, even texture. Improve the soil by adding some compost, then...
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If you ever made a daisy chain as a child, you’ll already be familiar with the charms of our favourite wildflower, Bellis perennis. Daisies are the ultimate low-maintenance plant, easy to grow from seed and often treated as weeds – especially when they pop up in the middle of your lawn. But they are invaluable in any wildlife-friendly garden as they’re great favourites with pollinating insects like bees, butterflies and hoverflies which love their nectar-rich, open...
Read more...
There are few better months to be in the garden than May, when blossoms are bursting, bees are buzzing and it’s good to be alive. Here are a few of the jobs to get on with this month:
General tasks:
Mow the lawn regularly removing clippings and adding them to the compost bin. In dry weather let short clippings stay on the lawn to reduce drought damage.
Install water butts to make the most of r...
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The Flower of the Year for 2017 is the zinnia, a glowingly colourful Mexican beauty that lights up your garden right through the summer. Sow from seed, or just drop by the garden centre here in London and pick up young plants to grow on and plant out in your garden.
Zinnia flowers
Zinnias are real head-turners, in shades from cream to magenta, scarlet and gold. Butterflies adore them, so they’re ideal for adding a splash of colour to...
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Create a plant ‘theatre’ to show off your collections of choice seasonal treasures at their best.
Creating a plant theatre
Plant theatres became popular in Victorian times, often to show off the spectacular markings of dainty auricula primulas, but you can create a plant theatre out of any special plant from alpine bulbs and herbs to pelargoniums, violas and bonsai trees.
Raise your plant collection on shelves and you can bett...
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Wallflowers (Erysimum) usher in the early summer with a flourish of brilliant colour and, often, rich, spicy scent. They are often treated as spring bedding and make a perfect partner for tulips – choose contrasting colours to add zing and excitement, or match the colours more closely for a more harmonious combination..
They’ll keep flowering long after the tulips are gone, though, and even into a second year if you give them a haircut after flowering. Or you...
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