May Gardening News
Wow! What an exhausting month and what a difference in the weather compared with last spring, when the sun shone every day from the end of March for ten solid weeks. Like last year the ground remains dry, but the big difference has been with the daily chill. The night frosts through April were very destructive and rapier sharp. One lapse in concentration and there was damage. As we move forward into May there is a growing sense of calm ahead and a confidence that will allow us to put out bedding and vegetable plants of our choice, though do leave tender things like begonias, dahlias and busy lizzies until the back end of the month. Apply the same timetable to tender vegetables, the marrow and cucumber range particularly should be held back until late May. Just be watchful, I have lost plants in the first week of June, but most things toughen up and recover eventually. The month of May will be flagged up by all in the gardening industry as being the busiest in the horticultural calendar. It is the month when you can do anything. With care you can still transplant those things that do not work where you planted them and set out new trees and shrubs. The lawn can be remade, re-sown or turfed and if you are happy with what is there already then it will certainly need cutting. The garden will enjoy a feed at this time (and a bit of liquid feed, is easy to apply and will pep up everything). You can still do a bit of pruning too (especially of winter flowering items) and plant to your hearts content. Potentially a joyous month and the foundation block for a bountiful summer. Of course, plans and good intentions are great but everything is subject to COVID influences. The gardening industry like all others is experiencing product shortages across the board. Compost continues to be a nightmare with suppliers offering 4–6-week lead times on orders. Tools are difficult to find and the tree and shrub market is shot to pieces. I have spent weeks trying to replenish fruit trees and have been advised that new stock will not be available before September. Roses are gold dust. And finally, the guidance is, if you see what you want, you probably need to buy it. Or wait until the autumn when we will all catch up a bit. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
March Gardening News
The spiteful wind, that has been a feature of this month has dented the enthusiasm of the keenest of gardeners. It has scythed through every fibre, whilst nature has chosen to just bash on. Encouraged by the stubborn defiance of the dormant world to get back to business, I did sow seed in February and it has germinated. The first lettuce and cabbage are pricked out to trays. The days will race now, with the light extending and in just three weeks we will have our evenings released by the change of clocks. I am back to at the seed sowing and have set out a few early annuals in trays. Some subjects like Poppies, Californian Poppies and Nigella can be sown straight into the ground. Pansies, Sweet William, Calendula and Antirrhinums (which I’ve started) will cope with minimal protection, but subjects like Impatiens, Begonias and even Petunias will require a bit of warmth to get them going. Germination can be slow, so be patient and keep your compost damp. The vegetables are a bit more straight forward, even root vegetables can be started in pots or trays and most will grow in cool conditions. Don’t allow your enthusiasm to draw you in to planting Runner Beans, Marrows or Cucumbers though, all of these will perish quickly once chilled. Late April is soon enough to sow these subjects or you can wait until mid May for the plants which will be offered in most nurseries. Whilst I have potted a few early seed potatoes, I am going to set a few more and as the month draws on (probably in the third week), will look to get some into the ground. It won’t matter if (for your convenience) they all go in, as the varieties all tend to grow at different speeds, with second early and maincrop potatoes taking longer to mature. On the flower front you can also be planting summer bulbs, Liles and Dahlias will all benefit from a late March start and can be put straight into the ground or raised in patio pots. More broadly, finish pruning in the coming days and you can be quite brutal with some vigorous subjects like willow, hazel and cornus. And finally, Celeriac has become a very popular vegetable in recent years. It is easy from seed, but has a long growing season and needs sowing soon for best results. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
May Gardening News
What a difference a month makes? That said there has been a scent of it for weeks. Against the backdrop of the crisis, nature has put on an extraordinary show. The cherries have been magnificent, the forsythia glowed, and the tulips have brought real joy. I have a sentimental connection with them and try to plant more each year as a teasing salute to my late Dad. My Mum had tulips in her wedding bouquet and each anniversary my Dad would send her a bunch, but he never got the colour right, travelling through every shade of pink and of course Mum always had to tell him of his failure. I suspect as the shades grew ever darker, he was just making mischief. With time on our hands there will be a high expectation of glorious displays as more folk take to the garden. With some shortage of resources, we have the chance to play and to savour the detail, to be more meticulous. I take great joy from turning ground and then working it with my fingers to see off rogue weeds and the roots of bindweed and of couch. The reconnection at the basic level brings immense pleasure. Humour me, cultivate a two foot square and work it with your fingers to remove everything that you don’t want to be there. Then plant something in the space and monitor its celebration of your commitment. If you have seed then sow them, no matter how old the packet, you’ll get something and if you have access to plants then as the month moves forward plant with confidence. Hold back the most tender, cucumbers and marrows will not enjoy cold nights and hold on to runner beans plants until the middle of the month, but all the leaf vegetables can go out. On the flower front the same rules apply, so hold onto busy lizzies, begonias and marigolds for as long as you can. Pop into the garden in the evening and smell the air as gardeners have done for decades, you’ll soon get a feel for change. If you don’t have access to seed or new plants, then play with what you have. Prune to create shape, harvest your pruning to create structures. Willow, cornus, hazel and beech can all be used as plant supports (gardeners have not always had access to canes). And finally, enjoy rediscovering the still and bird song at all hours. Look to a sky free from the streak of jet trails. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
June Gardening News
May rolls away, a muddled month, disrupted by Bank holidays and frost. Gardening confidence stayed high and lively throughout though, whilst on a daily basis, we (growers) tripped in and out covering and protecting as the teatime news indicated another after dark crash of temperature. It was all very wearing, the tease of nature changing it’s mind. As we move on into June we can proceed almost without caution, planting out the tenderer vegetables and bedding with the confidence that it will perform. So Marrows, Squash and cucumbers as well as beans can all be put out. Begonias and Busy Lizzies too. I had amazing results from tomatoes outdoors last year, with a harvest that carried through to the end of September. Find a warm sheltered corner and providing you keep up the watering you will reap the harvest. If you are modest with feeding you will even end up with something that tastes like a tomato. Do try and pop in a few herbs this year to compliment your veg, Basil is easy from seed and brings something special to chopped tomatoes and Coriander is great for adding an exotic tang to stews and curries. To keep your herbs rolling, pick off any flowers that might appear. These two plants surrender quickly to the call of the afterlife once they have flowered. Once the borders are planted its all about maintenance, grubbing out weeds which are spurred by your watering, feeding and tidying contained plants and regularly running the mower around. Remember to support tall plants, many grow quickly this month and without help will tumble and break. Tread the ground around taller items, especially winter vegetables which have a long journey ahead. Your efforts now will ensure a robust future. Sprouts in particular get very top heavy. Whilst it always seems silly to be talking about sprouts, there are other plans to be put in place for the seasons ahead. Wall flower seed can be sown now to get robust plants for the autumn as indeed can winter pansy and viola seed. Just find a bit of light shade to give seedlings a chance and you will be set when the summer closes. And finally continue to sow salad bits, they will all come quickly and give a succession that will supplement the summer Barbeque. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
May Gardening News
And the craziness continues… What a frustrating season, with gardens and gardeners all out of step. In mid-April the consensus was that we were three weeks behind with our planting and before much could be planted there was still the preparatory stuff. Every hole filled with water, so many of us have only just put out potatoes and onions. Garden Centres and Supermarkets alike have been offering all sorts (some of it far too early for consideration) for weeks and stocks are backing up. Anyway, we have said it before, nature knows how to do it and will quickly catch up, but it has been a little trying. May is the month, when we should get away with planting everything as long as we show a little caution with the most tender items like Beans, Marrow and Cucumbers as well as Begonias and Busy Lizzies which are worth holding up for a fortnight. Our tubs and baskets can be planted too and there will be plenty of good plants everywhere over the next month. If you are making up, then its worth using a decent compost ( as contained plants are greedy), so pass on the very cheap. Of course you can still be sowing seed too, with all of the salad stuff responding quickly and having mentioned caution with tender vegetables, Courgettes, Squash, Melons, Runner Beans and all of their near relatives can be sown now in pots or in situ, without too much weather risk. It will be worth popping down a few slug pellets to deter visitors, but not much else is going to bring you grief. That said, if you have set out any greens, do consider a bit of net. The pigeons seem to be very switched on these days. I have talked about the production, but repair may also be on your list. The lawns have had a bashing and if you can find the time prodding the lawn with a fork is going to improve the aeration. There is moss and weed on every lawn and there are plenty of chemicals to bring to the rescue, but the prodding may help and it costs less. There is also some worth in nipping around with the secateurs, just to tidy up. The rough weather has battered and broken trees and shrubs and clean repair will ensure healthy recovery. And finally, every year we joke about the premature promotion of everything, Easter eggs in January and Christmas Party bookings in June. I saw Runner Bean plants for sale in the first week of April. Can that be bettered? Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
Hooray, the clocks have changed and we can garden in the evening (if it stops raining). It’s actually good to see the back of March, what a month that was. The snow was totally disarming and the cold nights have been a test. Of course the thaw and the heavy rain has made the ground very difficult too, many of last months tasks are still to do. Nature knows how to catch up and hopefully things will improve now. So in theory its all systems go, with all of the spuds going in and seed sowing proceeding at a pace. I am always amazed by the speed with which seedlings grow once the light returns, with two leaves becoming four in no time. If you are thinking of sowing Runner Beans, Marrows or Cucumbers give them until the third week, but almost everything else can be sown as soon as you like. Remember these highlighted subjects are frost sensitive, so if you are considering buying plants then hold on until May. Tomato plants are equally vulnerable unless planted under cover. We can also start work on the flowers, with hardy annuals and perennials, as well as bulbs all wanting to get going. Snapdragons, Dianthus, Carnations as well as violas and pansies are all about as are delphiniums, lupins and hollyhocks. Keep an eye open too for Rhodanthemums. This stunning plant has risen to popularity in the last two years and is quite a special plant. It is tough, with grey cut foliage and single chrysanth like flowers. Find it and you will not regret it. If you want to run in some seed then try broadcasting (that’s waving your arms randomly) Godetia, Nigella, Larkspur, Candytuft and Cornflower all of which will grow where ever you throw them, bringing drifts of gentle colour to summer borders. If you are still looking for jobs and have space then visit summer bulbs and once again all subjects can go into the ground now. And finally, in recent years various growers have promoted Sweet Potatoes as capable of delivering a viable crop in a single season in the UK . Gardening Which said not and I have tried and failed. This year I will try again. There are new varieties around and plants are likely to be available from many centres in a few weeks. The reports suggest something has improved. 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
May Gardening News
Nature wrong foots us once more and demonstrates it’s extraordinary ability to improvise. At the start of the year, I expressed concern at the way that the daffodils had all decided to rush to flower early. The Cheltenham Festival was two months off and gardens and verges shone with banks of yellow trumpets. Now here we are three and a half months later, with that show just coming to a close. It has been a great year for them has brought cheer to the darkest of days. April has been an odd month and whilst there have been some warm, the breeze has stayed cold and every third day the rain would arrive to just top up the levels. Work on the garden has been snatched and if you have turned ground that firm breeze has allowed us to rake a tilth. Planting needs to continue at a pace now and most hardy vegetables can be in the ground. Runner bean seed can be sown outside directly or in to pots and Marrows, Tomatoes and Cucumbers can be all be on standby for planting in the third week of the month, so look out for plants or start a few seeds on the window sill or underglass. If you have already managed any tomatoes under glass, they will need to get support and do pinch side shoots whilst they are young. If the plan is to pop some outside once again hold off for a couple of weeks. Then pick a light sheltered spot to get the best of them. Of course May traditionally is the month for bedding plants and everyday more will appear on garden centre shelves. Many can be planted in the early days of the month, but take great care before rushing with Begonias and Impatiens which will melt away on a cold night. You can make up baskets and planters now but settle them in a sheltered spot. Do spend some time shopping around too, there are some delightful modern varieties to see in all categories, with Petunias once being showcased by many, with some of the mini flowering varieties being very special. And finally, I have been amused by the interest this year in Flower Sprout, offered as a new? Vegetable. It’s basically a sprout that has refused to turn in. The stalks normally festooned with tight green balls supports mini open cabbages and these you pick and cook. I recall the grumbles of many gardener over the years reporting that their sprouts weren’t blowing. Now it’s in vogue. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
April Gardening News
Hooray, the clocks have changed and everywhere life is returning. The weather has continued to confuse and confound, but spring is now a reality. We have come through the winter wetter than we might have wished and there have been one or two casualties. For me, most notable was the single night of minus six, that totally wrecked the perfectly poised Magnolia buds, condemning them to blackness. The tree was covered in buds and all were wiped out. Still it wasn’t all gloom, Witch Hazel (Hammamaelis) has been beautiful. The plant has clusters of yellow, tubular flowers and performs out of winter and into early spring. The flowers are borne on naked wood and the plant can grow up to about eight feet, though they can be managed. Other colours are available, but the yellow is lovely. Enough though, no time for daydreams, there is much to do, the season is upon us. The spuds can all be in, as can all of those onions and their relatives. There are plenty of vegetable plants worthy of a space now and sowing can continue quite freely, though hold off with marrows and cucumbers and unless you have access to heat. If you have cover try your luck with tomatoes, it is too early for outside, but they will stand in cold glass and taking an early punt on a couple of plants will bring some fruit by the start of July. They will stand still if we have a block of severe cold, but nine times out of ten you will get early fruit. If you have plans for an outdoor crop and have no heat, get a pinch of seed going on the windowsill. Some early bedding is starting to appear, but do tread lightly, as always some very tender plants are available. Leave Begonias, Marigolds and Busy Lizzies well alone until May unless you plan to use them in baskets and start them undercover. If you are wanting colour, then violas and pansies are about and you can also be setting out long stay bedding like antirrhinums and dianthus. There are also some good perennials around. And finally, it’s the last call on hard pruning, so if you have anything scruffy that needs tidying get it pruned within the next week or so,new growth is coming in a hurry. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
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