July Gardening News
Mmmmmmm…so we waited for the rain and then it came, the perfect fillip for new plantings. The beans romped and everything puffed up and grew masses of leaves. The turn around was amazing, at the start of June, the message was that rainfall was at an all time low and then within days the news is announcing three months rain in a day. It has resulted in a huge demand for canes and stakes and I just about managed to save our delphiniums. Anything not supported has taken quite a thumping. The days ahead will be full of restoration and maintenance. Baskets and containers will need to be clipped and tidied and then fed to rejuvenate them. So much water is very leeching, so much of the original nutrient is on your patio. Keep on top of dead heading too, diverting plants from devoting time and energy to seed production, which will encourage new flower bud. Many things are advanced and so it is equally important to keep ahead of the harvesting. Don’t allow things to get tough, everything will be made more prolific by your attentions. Courgettes do not have to be marrows ! Do feel able to continue with your sowing. Salad crops in particular will come through quickly, so lettuce, radish and spring onions, even beetroot will come up with the goods from seed and none of them need masses of space. Whilst you are in the mood for seed sowing, why not pop in some chard or perpetual spinach. They are amazingly resilient and sown now will offer quality edible leaf right through until Easter next year. I f you have space in the vegetable plot then be on the look out for some Spring Cabbage, which a really useful early season green. Then of course there is the lawn, it too has taken a bashing and whilst the temptation is to drop the blade and rip it off, be gentle. Skim it, leave it a couple of days and do it again. I understand the frustration at seeing the emergence of a million daisies, but hold back. And finally, as you pull up your first early potatoes, give a thought to Christmas. Just for fun select a few tubers, pop them on the window sill for a week or so to ripen and then replant them in a pot. With a bit of luck they may just deliver a taste of new spuds for Christmas. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
November Gardening News
Good gracious me, it’s suddenly got dark. Well perhaps not suddenly the night seemed to be closing in from the 1st of October and the close of day cloud encouraged it and now the clocks have changed. October was a funny month with some pleasant days and some fairly cold nights, with the frost never more than a whisker away. The gardens held up quite well and anyone with dahlias or chrysanthemums will have been very pleased as the profusion of new flower carried across much of the month. The beans took a bit of a thumping as the wind freshened in the early days of the month, but many things did well overall. It was startling to see the vigilance of the Cabbage White butterfly, which mounted an aggressive assault on any exposed greens and certainly set back the purple sprouting, but all of that is behind us. The bedding planting is as good as done, there’s a last push with bulbs and as usual some bargains around if you are quick and then there’s the veg. You will still get away with late onions and if you have a frame or a spot in a cold greenhouse then it’s fun to try spring onions. Winter lettuce is also worth a go, with Arctic King and Winter Density both being good performers across the colder months. The real deal though is the Broad Bean. That most magical of plants, will come good from seed when planted in the late autumn and will deliver a special feast in the new year. Even if you only find space in a flower pot you will find joy, but get cracking. This is a great month for tree and shrub planting and soft fruit too will be duped by your deception. Planting on the cusp of dormancy plants don’t realise that they have moved house. Look for Raspberries (if you missed them last month), which will still be offered as bare rooted plants. it’s the time for hedging too and if there is a gap to fill, then bare root plants will also be in good supply and are cheap. Of course this is also the month for rescue. Check your borders, seek the tender, consider the things that you want to save and move them. And finally, if you are looking for something different, find a space for Aronia, the American Chokeberry. This plant is being flagged up as one of the new super foods. It’s a berry not unlike Blueberry, but easier. I am going to try it. Happy Gardening. 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