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
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
October Gardening News
The tide has turned and how very quickly, Autumn rushed in, the brutal heat of summer bringing the early surrender from an exhausted landscape. The trees tell of a desire to shed their leaves and rest. All across the garden there is a sense of shutdown. The harvest has been mixed, the runner beans cropping strongly but over quite a short season, the tomatoes outdoors have been amazing but are being messed up by the arrival of the wet, which is making fruit split. The cabbage, cauli and sproutings have also been tested as word of their availability passed to caterpillars, pigeons and aphids. I suspect these pests took in turns to hold up the net, for even when covered they were ripped and gnawed. But, we’re on to the next bit and we can be clearing away and clearing the way for over wintering crops. Salvage the last of your tomatoes to stand on a window sill to ripen and gather in leftover marrows, squashes and courgettes (cool and frost free they will store for some weeks).In the retrieved space Peas, Broad beans, Onions and Garlic can be set out and there are still some late greens and spinach to be found. Of course, if you have some shelter then you will still get away with a bit of sowing and certainly lettuce and salad leaves are worth a go. We need to be on frost watch now, so consider all tender subjects that you might wish to preserve. Frost is callous and treacherous, coming from nowhere and wreaking havoc. Geraniums and Begonias need shifting and may even be potted to continue showing off on the kitchen shelf, in fact many subjects can be transferred to give an extended show. As space is freed up bulbs and autumn and winter plants can be introduced, with pansies, violas, sweet William, forget me nots and many others being available in quantity. Take time to stop by a stand of bulbs and soak it up, then treat yourself to something. I just marvel at natures pallet and the carnival that heralds spring as the bulbs pop up. And finally get that compost heap topped up and if you haven’t got one, make one. It is hugely rewarding. Nature rips through the piled debris and turns into compost like nothing that you ever buy. Don’t make the job too sophisticated or complicated or you put yourself off…………just pile it all on. 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
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