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
September Gardening News
A whole season swallowed up by COVID and time to think about the what to do next in the garden. The Spring in the main was pretty good and the interest in gardening lifted hugely as people, locked down sought occupation. There were many new to the task and most I suspect will be pleased with their endeavours. The blackfly has been testing and the caterpillars fairly voracious, but with regular watering things have grown and flourished. Anyone who has planted French beans will be particularly pleased. Demand for colour has gone on and on, with big demand for late bedding. As the summer runs towards the autumn we wrestle with the start of the next bit. Autumn onion sets are arriving in garden centres and gaps are appearing on the vegetable plot in readiness. Spring Cabbage plants and Spinach (together with Chard) are all available. There is still time to sow a few seeds too, leaf lettuce, radish, rocket and spring onions will all still deliver. Winter Lettuce (like Arctic King or Density) as well as perpetual spinach will also come through. Keep on top of September harvesting, many vegetables will perform with encouragement and the worst thing is to leave things to get too big. So keep on top of beans, courgettes and tomatoes. I have been sowing one or two less common salad supplements and now have Claytonia, Celtuce and Corn salad on the go. The celtuce is particularly interesting, offering a salad leaf and a crunchy stem which can be steamed, stir fried or grated for salad. The stem is exposed as the leaves are plucked for use. I will keep you posted. As the month rolls on, we will consider flower borders, the pansies and violas are back, together with all the old favourites. So you can be planting Wallflowers, Sweet William, bellis daises and other biennial items and then there are the bulbs. Centres are full of them and the range continues to extend, as more new varieties reach the shelf. As usual I am hooked once more on tulips. If you have had enough of it all, or you just fancy a bit more lawn, then September is a great month for grass seed sowing. The days are shorter and the ground remains warm, so seed germinates quickly. And finally, Keep tidying up too, commitment wanes once the weather turns. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
August Gardening News
Well, that was a little testing, was it not? Days and days of blistering heat and hardly a cloud in the sky, quite extraordinary, nature does know how to play with the mind. Of course it’s been wonderful if you had nothing to do and didn’t have a garden to watch over. The transition from winter to summer was actually rather special, with barely room for spring. The winter dragged and was wet and when the turn came all energy was devoted to leaf growth and as the heat increased this dense canopy of foliage generously passed all moisture back to the sky and widespread desiccation began. It will be very interesting to see how the harvest comes out. Some things have fared better than others, particularly early plantings were roots established well and were properly watered from day one. The business of watering in a radius away from the plant does extend root growth, lazy plants used to water just delivered at their bases have not done well. Anyway a corner has been turned and at least for a day or two there is some moisture. There have been casualties, but what did we expect? Now is the time to play, to pop in random seeds on the off chance. Things will grow and if we get a kind autumn we will see results. French Beans come quickly from seed as will the marrow family, most salad stuff will produce within weeks and the time is still good for spinach and spring cabbage. Be bold, be defiant and don’t be too distracted by the diseases and insect infestations brought on by the humidity. There are moulds and mildews on all sorts as well a multitude of chomping beasts. Whilst you can go on the attack with sprays, try spatial disruption……..a term that I made up. Basically pests and disease do well in cramped conditions, they breed and spread in overcrowded spaces. So thin out leaves, remove the most infected or damaged and create air movement through the crop. In a greenhouse water only at the end of the day and create maximum ventilation to lower humidity. Even consider removing some lower panels of glass. This will not necessarily totally cure but will ease the problem. And finally if you fancy trying new potatoes for Christmas then get planting soon and be warned we are back around to winter pansies and bulbs again. 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