May Gardening News
What a crazy month that was, no sooner here than gone. I think that the Easter punctuation allowed extra days to pass by. It has been a fairly kind month and things have wanted to grow. The new leaf appeared across the landscape and suddenly we were into the growing season. As we move forward into May, the gloves come off and the workload becomes as big as the energy permits. We could be out there all day every day and still find work. This is the gardening month and in commercial horticulture the one when we do our business. Even those that would not normally bother are persuaded. The activity of our neighbours serves as the spur. Pots and borders can be planted, baskets fixed and displayed and we can still sow seeds. The new warmth encourages germination and clearer light accelerates the growth. We need to keep half an eye on the overnight temperatures, but careful policing and gentle hardening off of new plants will see most things safely through. I will hold back with Marrows, Cucumbers and runner beans for a day or two, but will hope to have the lion’s share of the work done by the end of the month. As always, I will be playing with a few new bits and pieces, definitely trying out some of the latest petunia varieties. Petunias have lost their way in recent years, but some of the new forms are a delight and hold much promise. There are black, lime and a couple of dirty bicolors as well as some delightful fringed forms, all of which are much more weather resilient that of old. There is also good interest in old fashioned snapdragons. I grew up with this plant and it is lovely to see it back in vogue. It is a tough old plant and great value for money. The history of our site runs back in my family to 1947 and the Antirrhinum was the first item on our first ever list. In the vegetable garden, everything looks good, although the nets have had to go on to keep off the pigeons again. The green stuff generally looks great and I am already onto my third sowing of salad stuff. Salad crops are great fillers and can just be run between rows of the long stay crops without disturbing them. And finally, on the subject of long stay vegetables, in two weeks, I will be planting Brussel Sprouts out. Happy Christmas…………………..sorry Gardening. Enjoy. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
So, the bleakness rolled on with an occasional punctuation of teasing sunshine that suggested momentarily that Spring was coming. The races passed almost unscarred with rain at the last, but there was spite in the wind and today it has moved once more to the east. The clocks have changed though and we have more light space. There is much to do and we must proceed with optimism. The seed potatoes can all go in now, no worth in staggering the planting, they will set their own pace (chatted or not). All of the hardy vegetables can be set out (though still not Runner Beans or Marrows, nor any other cucurbit). Salad stuff will also stand out and successions of salad roots can be sown. Sprinkle Radish, beetroot and spring onion between rows of heavier veg, they are not demanding and will all harvest ahead of their bigger neighbours. Tomatoes can be played with. They will be best undercover, but if you are feeling brave try something tough and old fashioned against a fence or wall. We used to put out a variety called ‘First in the Field’ which grew like a weed everywhere and which we always started early. Red Alert is also worth a try (it is always a gamble, but not high risk). Whilst you don’t want to be putting Runner Beans out, you can get the seed started and you can prepare the site for planting. Taking a trench out and back filling with well rotted manure or garden compost is worth the trouble, especially if as last year the season is dry. Organic matter retains moisture and will reduce the early dropping of flowers. On the preparation front, consider the protection of leeks and carrots either by getting organised with a mesh cover or by planting like the salad bits between taller veg. Both of these plants have suffered maggot attack in recent years so diverting or discouraging the fly will help. It’s also coming up to flower time too. I have just finished planting some new roses and have set out a few hardy bedding plants in the border. Things like Antirrhinums are very hardy and will benefit from an extended growing season. And finally. The first bedding heralds the changing season and prompts me to pull out my hanging basket for replanting. This is a job that can be tackled early even without constant protection. You just need to watch night temperatures and keep the frost off. If there is a sudden dip bring the thing into the kitchen overnight. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
March Gardening News
What a teasing month we have been through, there were one or two days when you really did feel that spring was knocking. The T shirt drawer was opened and I skipped excitedly about the garden (yes, even at my age). Only to be knocked back to reality by a biting wind, that had me loading the coal scuttle and retreating indoors. There hasn’t been that much frost, but there has been a persistent and penetrating cold. Fear not though we are on the cusp of change. In just three weeks the clocks will roll forward and the days will extend. We will be able to garden after tea, there is much to be done. This is the month for new plantings and replanting, for moving and starting the production of our seasonal needs. Vegetable seed can all be started (apart from the bean and Marrow families which must wait a month), but many others can be direct sown or started in pots and trays on window sills or in the shed or greenhouse. The first potatoes can also be put out in the coming weeks. Flower seed too can be explored, with many hardier subjects getting sown. You will need shelter for some and warmth for others, so do read the packets. Where applicable a months grace will see the weather improve still further and tender subjects will fare better. Of course if you have just a little warmth in a greenhouse or conservatory you can really go for it. New seasons shrubs, trees and roses are all starting to appear in garden centres and March is a perfect month for them. The real rush of spring is imminent and newly planted they will settle quickly as the sap moves. The first bedding is around too, with Violas and Pansies once again leading the way. In the coming days I will push around the last of my manure as a top dressing (allowing the weather to quietly deliver goodness to new growth), I will check out the lawn mower and weather permitting may give the grass a light skim and I will throw down a bit of grass seed to repair some fox damage. And finally, I am not to dispirited by the fox, quite the contrary he appears to have mopped up our rabbit problem. I am fairly confident of this as we are seeing less rabbit damage and he has moved on to ripping through our compost and manure heap in search of rodents and worms. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
February Gardening News
So, the New Year got off to an interesting start, nothing too heavy, some cold nights and a fair amount of water. There has been surface water sitting in all of the fields close to us for several weeks, I guess as we put down more hard areas the water has to run somewhere. I am pleased to have finished the digging. I am still attempting to throw out some manure across newly turned ground, resisting stamping around too much. Every depression will cradle a puddle. Even the lawn is soggy.I am going to have to clean the patio up too. There is so much algal growth and the surface is very slick. I no longer have a pressure hose,so will probably slap on some patio cleaner. I have managed to get a few more bits of seed started on a window ledge. All leaf vegetables will germinate now and with a bit of domestic heat or (should you have a conservatory or greenhouse) a small greenhouse heater. Things like Antirrhinums, Carnations, Pansies and Sweet William will all start with token heat. As indeed will Larkspur, which I mention as it was flagged up by Gardeners World recently. It is a lovely old fashioned bedding plant and one that was on our production list in 1947. It has spires of Delphinium like flowers, shows similar colours and grows to about 18”. It is very easy to grow, but does look a bit scruffy through the seedling stages. It is also cheap. In recent years there has been some promotion of the practise of broadcasting seeds (that just means mixing a few seeds, chucking them onto cultivated ground and leaving them to it). It is very cottage and demonstrates wonderfully how nature knows how to do it. Godetia, Nigella, Cornflower, Clarkia and Stocks can all be thrown together. They will cover a big area for about a tenner. If you fancy this do your research now and sow them directly in mid March. In mentioning March, I must also draw attention that that is when the sap starts shifting, so if you have any hedging or heavy transplanting to do, get the job done in the next six weeks. There is plenty of bare root material still available, including some fruit, but none of it will enjoy the shock of transplant after mid March. And finally if you have ground that is accessible, Onion sets, Shallots, Garlic and Spring Peas and Beans can all be sown. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
January Gardening News
Here we are again. Another year older……but what the heck. Every year we reflect, on the highs and lows, it all started too wet and finished too dry, but overall not a bad season. So, the next one begins. It is all rather exciting actually. I have spent the last few evenings in front of the fire with my head buried in seed catalogues. There are just so many re-shaped, and new varieties on offer this year. I have never seen so many petunia varieties in all of my life. One catalogue alone is offering me six pages of them. There are climbing, crawling, trailing and upright forms, with both single and double flowers of every size in a big range of colours, including black, lime and orange. You won’t miss them. Fight your way through that and there are some rather special bits,and plenty that will come from seed. There are some good new salvias and do check out the gazanias and zinnias. Zinnias have had a troubled history and were notorious for disease, but they are so good these days. The other thing that you are going to see a good deal of are “plant recipes”, a very prescriptive range of planting schemes, illustrated to show that plants go together and that red, white and blue really can work. I am not totally sold into all of this, as it takes gardening a step closer to decorating and two steps away from the adventure of artistic expression, clearly some will find it useful. In the vegetable section too there are plenty of new introductions and I am particularly keen to try the seed raised shallots. I am hearing many good things about them and, like onions they are very straightforward. That’s just for starters, I have yet to open my 2015 CN Vegetable Seed catalogue. If seeds don’t float your boat, then how about potatoes (I must be great company in a pub don’t you think?). It is potato time all over again and with 7,500 varieties globally, I am always chasing new. The onion sets, garlic and shallots are all in, the rhubarb is pipping and the darkest winter night has passed. I am getting a bit of sowing compost in and will play about with sowing something, probably a pinch of lettuce and summer cabbage. Germination will be slow, they will come though and anticipation is the messenger of hope and the herald of a new season. And finally, if you need another herald, 2015 is officially The Year of the Sunflower, now there is a challenge for January! Happy New Year and Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
December Gardening News
It’s December. The unseasonal weather continued across November, the rodent numbers kept increasing and when it rained it did so with a vengeance. The method of delivery is very varied, there is the misty rain that we barely notice, that sneaks through clothing and drenches, and about which we become aware at the moment that our teeth start to chatter. There is the driving rain that makes the face tingle and then there was last month’s offering, the bed pan rain. That rapid soak, that has me thinking of an upstairs window pushed up to allow for a bucket or pan to be thrown out, damaging, drowning and very cold. Our recently dry landscape once more has become very soggy. But, tis the season to be jolly, as we deck the halls with all sorts in the name of Christmas. So, here are a few bits to ponder. Year on year none of the rules change, but as a brief reminder, keep all watering of plants, especially seasonal ones, tepid and very modest. Keep house plants especially Poinsettias free from direct draught and with the exception of Poinsettias keep them at modest temperatures. The Poinsettia is a little tender and so will enjoy the living room heat, the rest will last longer without. Allow Hyacinths to get there in their own time, look for bowls that are planted with the same coloured bulbs for best effect and again lay off on the heat. When selecting your Christmas tree, check its freshness by rubbing the lower needles and seeing how easily they come free. Do have it in mind that the traditional Norway Spruce loses needles quite quickly, so don’t rush to get into the house. After two weeks it is a ticking bomb that will shatter at a touch. There are many thoughts about water and cutting the stem afresh before taking the tree in. I cut mine and stand the tree in a bucket of water in the garage to rehydrate the plant. It does make a difference. Trees like the Nordman are much less likely to spill needles, but they don’t smell the same and they do cost much more. And finally let’s call a truce over Christmas. Yesterday I was in London and it rained. I took shelter beneath the arched gateway that is Marble Arch and as I stood, I detected a movement on the pavement at my feet. Looking down I realised that I had been joined by a mouse. He too looking for shelter and had no intention of being moved on by me. We actually looked at each other and then looked once more at the rain and awaited its passing. It was surreal. Happy Christmas to you all, man and beast. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
November Gardening News
Well, that was a curious month wasn’t it ? Wet, blustery and all in all rather too mild. The wet brought a few leaves down, but the mildness has created a hiatus in the planting calendar, with so much revived bedding continuing to dominate borders and tubs, thereby delaying much of the planting. So get the Pansies in quickly or don’t bother. The month did allow caterpillar mauled greens to put on a bit of repair and a few cabbage that I had all but given up on, do look as though they will eventually be fit for the table after all. I also look to have managed to settle some late Spinach, which is a real bonus. This week I will be getting my broad beans in and I may put in a few Meteor Peas. The turn of October into November is perfect timing. I also plan to put out some garlic and a row of hardy spring onions. The onions are a bit late, but cost pence to do and they have good flavour even if chopped like chives. I have also cleaned up a space for a few more Raspberry canes. They have been brilliant this year, I just could have used a few more (and soft fruit plants are about now). I have just about finished with my flower borders. I have a few sumptuous tulips to pop in and then I will get on to the the big clean up. Hopefully it will be the last cut of the lawn before winter, I have some clipping and trimming to do and I want to be sure to lift the last of my dahlia tubers. The dahlias have been quite magnificent this year and after last winters’ wet run, I want save them from rotting. I will chop the tops off to within four or five inches of the tuber and dig them up. They will go straight in undercover and I will clean off the dirt as they dry. As long as they stay dry and frost free until the spring they will come back. I just put them into a tray of damp compost in late March and they will revive. Cleaning also means tidying and this year I will be looking to reduce the hideout opportunities for rodents. Last winter was a nightmare and there does seem to be a good deal of activity already. And finally a message to all who missed out this year on the amazing climbing Spinach (Basella Rubra)……..make sure you get hold of some next year. What a winner! Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
October Gardening News
So, September moves out and the Autumn settles in, the colour coming quickly to the leaves and fallen heads bow to spill tomorrows new beginnings. There is just so much hope in the closing of a season and celebration too. The chance to reflect once more on the cleverness, to ponder over the successes and failures. To throw down the gauntlet, challenging nature to ‘bring it on’. It has been a great summer and one of huge relief for those reliant on their crops. A bumper harvest with just a few casualties. The spuds are a bit unstable and the beans had mixed fortunes, but overall there was plenty. We now move into the time for repair and replacement of patching and of planning. There is a last chance to spill a little grass seed, soft fruit bushes are available, there is still time to drop in some over wintering onion sets and garlic. The Broad bean seeds are available too, though I still think late October sowing is soon enough. There are still a few bits of over wintering vegetable plants around, like winter lettuce and chicory and if you have a cold frame or greenhouse, you will still find it worth sprinkling in a late bit of Spinach to stand protected through the winter. Drop a bit of polythene over the seed for two or three days to spur the germination. Of course it is all change in the flower beds too. Winter Pansies are still in plentiful supply everywhere (but do get cracking) and there are some good Wallflowers about. The bulbs need to go in and again there are plenty about. I have spotted some very fair prices this year and suppliers are offering some pretty colour themed mixes. The big interest is in shorter subjects these days, with smaller gardens and much destined for container growing, so do check packets for heights. (It sounds obvious but people don’t). As the month draws on check around the garden for soft and vulnerable plants that may need winter protection. The cold will come in swiftly and it is worth reminding yourself of the things that need help and those that need lifting. Many subjects will just benefit from a generous mulch, last years Dahlias and Fuchsias all came through untroubled in the ground. And finally, there is a good deal of rodent activity. Shut up your seeds in a tin, clear up rubbish and the clutter that will offer a hideaway and move things from harms way. Rodents don’t enjoy open space. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org