October Gardening News
And there it was gone, the summer just upped and left, making way for autumn. By early September many plants looked close to surrender as the dry weather thumped them and there was a fair amount of early leaf fall. The gardens have been reasonably productive, even without the rain. The beans have been ok, the French in particular have been amazing, but everything has needed to be kept tightly picked. My real joy this year has been with Aubergines, which have been fantastic and tomatoes which have been so flavoursome. I don’t do too much feeding, so the plants really have to work on finding what’s there. I really believe that taste can be compromised by too much feed. Most mornings I have had tomatoes on toast for breakfast. If you are chasing bigger crops then feeding is important, but I am talking about my domestic needs and I need flavour. This month, we will be pulling out the stops to get the bulbs in and pad the borders and containers with the next offering of bedding plants. Pansies and violas to bring some winter colour and wallflowers and biennials as an investment for the spring. There are plenty of bulbs about and with careful management of the flowering times, very extended shows can be achieved, with selected varieties offering colour from early February into May. There are bulbs for every setting, statuesque sentinels for open space, with a little protection and dwarf forms for the breezy spots. In the vegetable area, you can be planting out onions, garlic and shallots as well as spring cabbage plants and by the end of the month broad bean seed for over wintering. As always there is some tidying up to do, a good final cut of the lawn and a repairing prune of overgrown trees and shrubs to lessen the risk of winter damage through rough weather. This is also a month for new planting or relocation of trees and shrubs as they move into dormancy. The disruption will be minimal, many items not even noticing they’ve moved. You can also consider propagation by division, putting the spade through perennial favourites to expand stock, a clean slice through a clump will make you to extend displays. Such division can also be used on rhubarb crowns to increase the crop. And finally, lift and shift dahlia tubers and other tender plants moving them into some shelter, early frosts can be brutal. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
June Gardening News
April rolled into May and the treacherous weather continued with frost across 18 consecutive days eventually easing around the 10th. It was all very testing and damage was varied and widespread. I was really saddened by the demolition of the Magnolia blossom which had only just shown itself. I had Antirrhinums knocked back to two inch stumps by one particularly spiteful temperature drop. Most things do recover, though anybody with early beans or tomatoes will be replanting. It is always very chancy to have them in the ground before late May. But as we turn into June things change and we hope the weather will be more consistent or at very least less cold. It’s festival time, a jamboree, something of a free for all, when you can plant more or less what you like. Borders can be planted out with summer bedding, which with little extra work will bring joyous colour until October. There will be plenty to choose from too, with most centres still having a comprehensive selection and there are plenty of new introductions to look out for. Following in the wake of the success of Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ ( a gloriously tantalising red and white bow of a flower) the family has extended, the series running to include blue, purple, pink and salmon. Plants are all robust and prolific. Look out too for the new hardy border Gerbera’s which will are also offered in a wide range of colours and try your luck with Gaura. My favourite of last year, this graceful, arching plant is a joy, it’s branches dripping with pink shell like flowers. There are also some very good herbaceous plants around this year and I have been really sold on Irises, which I think are set to put on quite a show. Of course no sooner are we underway with one seasonal show, than we are considering the next. You can be sowing seed this month to raise your own winter pansies, wallflowers and biennials like sweet William. On the vegetable front there is also plenty to plant, all the usual summer vegetables can go out and if you fancy something different then chillies and aubergines are great to try. So, the door is open get playing. And finally. My big experiment this year is with soya. There has been much interest in this crop, it’s certainly popular with vegans. It seems straightforward and there are plenty of recipes about. I will keep you posted. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
December Gardening News
November was a classic autumnal month, a mish mash of crazy, ever changing conditions. Covid aside (and that certainly brought some turbulence) we had still, calm, warm days, torrential rain, gales and enough frost to knock the Dahlias and beans for six. In truth it has been great. I so enjoy boisterous weather, the rough and tumble when you are just trying to get on. I was out there today, raking leaves, continuing to cut back herbaceous plants, I’ve repaired a fence, trimmed the lawn and planted a few bits of bedding, all in all a satisfying day. I may even get to paint the shed in the coming days. It’s a snap shot of my day and a gentle reminder that it is a great time to be cleaning and tidying. It is also a time for making ready for winter, for protecting the bits that we want to keep. So lift the dahlias tubers, take up the least hardy geraniums and fuchsias and salvage any remaining summer vegetables for storing. It is even worth running a fork back through the potato patch (you will have left some). Make storage space clean and dry, watch our for rodents too. You can still be planting peas and beans, together with sweet peas, but here too keep an eye for rodents. The squirrel has been busy in our garden nicking tulip bulbs and the mice just love the peas. If you want to play then just do a few pots and if you use something of a decent size peas and beans can both grow right through to harvest in containers. This month you will see bare root plants on offer, most notably hedging and raspberries. They are fine to plant now and most centres will be offering a good range of informal and formal hedging as well raspberries for all seasons. The raspberry is a great fruit and by careful selection, it is possible to be cropping from June to October. And finally, December is the month for reflection and planning. The time to consider, what worked and what didn’t. The 2021 seed lists are out, teeming with new ideas, I will be trying the Green Knight Aubergine for certain and there are new Zinnias to consider. My real dilemma will be with tomatoes though. If Boxing day offers you a quiet moment then join me as I journey to https://www.worldtomatosociety.com/. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
May Gardening News
The sting was certainly in the tail of last month, my goodness there was some treachery, particularly around the middle of the month, when a watery sun offered thin disguise to a cruel wind, that cut through everything. Every other person drawn by the deception nursed a cold. The pollen was lively too, with Hazel and Birch catkins encouraged by the wind, throwing pollen in the direction of all. There was some conciliation though with cherries looking wonderful. Huge clusters of blossom hung from every branch and in support, the bold stands of tulips have been a delight. In fact bulbs generally have all performed well, but I am going to have to reduce the Grape Hyacinths. The tide of blue continues to sweep across every unplanted space. But, enough reflection, it’s May the planting season for everything. All the bedding and all of the veg, will in the weeks ahead get into the ground. We need to tiptoe in the early days, avoiding the most frost sensitive items like begonias and Busy Lizzies as well as our beans and marrows, but steadily it can be done, with those tender things hanging on until the tail. In sheltered corners we can make up baskets and containers, bringing these to the fore as they become established. There are some great plants about and the continued development of the petunia family continues to impress me. Modern varieties that deliver every colour from terracotta to magenta, with flowers that can be anything from an inch to four inches across and may be speckled, dappled, crossed and striped. Nature’s paint box is something quite special. Enjoy the feast. On the vegetable front, this selection continues to expand, fuelled by fancy eating and continental holidays, the public continues to search for more. Every garden centre now offers Chillis, Aubergines, round courgettes, baby cucumbers, oriental leaves, gourds and squashes and so much more. This year our adventure continues as we explore yet more tomatoes. We are playing with forty different varieties this year, exploring new shapes and colours. I have a long historical connection with tomato growing and in my early years cropped about 6,000 plants under glass every summer. My tip for growing a good tomato is to make the plant work, water away from the base of the plant to encourage good root spread and only feed the plant lightly. Lazy plants make lousy crops. And finally, know that when you have found the plant that you like best, another is waiting. In the case of tomatoes more than 10,000 other cultivars. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
Hooray, the clocks have changed and April is upon us. The last month seems to have flown and a few balmy days really brought life swiftly to the hedgerows. Catkins came from nowhere and the land was suddenly alive. The trees were full of bantering birds, of males showing off and jostling for attention and Collar Doves returned to coo into the cowl on our chimney. There is much promise in the ponds too, with frogs, toads and newts all very busy. The garden is very much in need of our attention now. The lawn grows vigorously and so does the moss. The edges will benefit from redefining. The grass is a great place to start actually, newly mown and edged it delivers a positive statement (it’s a real feel good exercise). This one commitment sets the scene and all of the other tasks seem less of a labour. From the new edge, we can start to weed and tidy borders, conquering patches and planting as the mood takes. Very quickly the spirit is lifted and the task becomes less daunting. The spaces can be plugged with early bedding and with young herbaceous and alpine plants and as we move back summer bulbs can be offered space. Lillies, Gladioli and Dahlia tubers introduced as a back drop. If we have shelter a start can be made on tubs and baskets. In a protected position they will swell and grow and be made suitable for May and full exposure. We can still sow seed too and if open space is available broadcast mixes of cottage flowers to deliver colourful drifts in July. On the window sill or in the greenhouse we can sow tomatoes and peppers, aubergines and courgettes. Started under a slip of polythene for a few days they will germinate and make growth and they too will be ready for May planting out. Out on the vegetable plot,we can finish planting potatoes and can plant more peas and broad beans. As the month advances, we can set out runner and French bean seeds. They will take two to three weeks to appear in open ground, but with kind conditions can be cropping in July. In saying kind conditions, have an eye for May frosts and just run fleece or even paper across plants if cold threatens. And finally enjoy the month, the month of April is one of dramatic change. Overnight things are revived and reborn. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
June Gardening News
Well, it did calm down eventually, even if we did spend many nights on frost alert and had to deal with a couple of real corkers. I had minus four in a greenhouse one clear night. As a kid, I would walk the site after dark with my Dad, checking doors and windows were shut, tweaking boilers and sniffing the air. He would make a judgement on the weather and irrespective of the Met Office prediction would tailor the site protection as he thought appropriate and he was usually right. I still follow his ritual. Anyway, in theory we are clear of the cold and the gate is open for us to get on and plant what we will, so if you haven’t then get cracking. The World is your oyster and there are plenty of goodies everywhere. You can safely put tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as squash, aubergines and peppers outside. Whilst there is no getting away from the fact that these things do better under glass, pick a good bright spot and you will still be rewarded. You can still set out sweet corn and push in a few French beans. Compact varieties like The Prince will come through quickly and will produce late into the summer. You can also be repeat planting all of the salad stuff too. Obviously there is plenty of bedding about and this year there is a big range of new material. It is worth shopping about and whilst our friends at the supermarket continue to ply bread and butter, many garden centres have some interesting choices. Have a look at Bidens for example, once a buttercup yellow, vigorous basket plant, it is now offered in a range of colours and more compact form. Mini petunias are another show stopper with colours that couldn’t be mixed on any other palette than natures own. Then there are delightful double begonia semperflorens, but enough, there is a lot to see, so if you need there’s great stuff to be had. On around the garden, the roses are budding well, but there is some early evidence of Black Spot , strike now if you see it and pick off infected leaves and bin them before the condition takes a hold. If mildew arrives in the garden and the humidity suggests it might then spray quickly if you want leaves to look good. Mildew will appear on many plants, but Honeysuckle and Roses are very prone. And finally, take a tip from my old man, walk the site, sniff the air, smile and enjoy. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org