June Newsletter 2017

What an utterly amazing spring we’ve had. Yes, there have been cold snaps (none of us appreciated that late frost, least of all our poor plant growers) but overall it really has been glorious, right from the start of March.

Now summer is approaching, Chelsea Flower Show is over, and we can look forward to long lazy days, light evenings, and full, lush gardens and green spaces. I mentioned last year that my local park, Burgess, which was replanted a few years ago, really came into its own last summer, and I’ve been watching with real pleasure as it’s emerged from its slumbers again this year. The early swathe of hellebores gave way to perky little Pulsatilla, which finished flowering long ago now, but their fluffy seed heads are still very apparent, amongst the last of the bright Euphorbia and naturalised geraniums and poppies. The high banks promise a wealth of swaying grasses with bright pops of Helenium, Salvia and Aster.

Whilst we don’t all have acres to play with to recreate this eye catching ‘prairie’ planting, we can certainly learn from clever planting plans seen elsewhere, be it at Chelsea , in other people’s gardens, or local parks and open spaces. Why not try this year to add to or change an area in your garden to emulate an inspiring spot you’ve seen elsewhere? In my shady little plot, I’ve planted up a new fernery (a rather grand name for a tiny area which now boasts about 7 ferns!) and I’m really enjoying seeing the fronds unfurl almost before my eyes. There’s a wealth of texture and form to be enjoyed, if not actual flower colour.

Elsewhere, the roses are the show stoppers. June is most definitely THE month for them, and I’m so glad I decided to put in a new James Galway rose 2 years ago, close to a seating area. It’s been flowering for a couple of weeks now, and the old rose fragrance in the evening is an absolute joy. Valerie has lots of roses in stock, from neat shrub roses that will grow to just 1m, to stonking great ramblers, if you need to cover a fence, wall or pergola. They are on the top site, with some of the more shade tolerant varieties clearly marked, so do make sure you have a look at them the next time you visit, as they are really lovely. If you have room, why not under-plant your rose with lavender? It’s such a classic combination, for good reason, and we have some glorious specimens in stock right now.

The centre is full to the brim, but we manage to squeeze just a little bit more in each week. Lining the driveway are trolleys of bright summer bedding on one side of the gates, and herbs and vegetables on the other. On the top site are the shrubs, roses, ornamental trees, and fruit trees (including a magnificent standard fig I’ve just got in from Italy). Acers, hydrangeas and bamboo fill the shady corner of the top site, along with a couple of wonderful tree ferns. Sadly some little hands have already snapped off two of the magnificent fronds …

In fact, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind those of you with young children to please keep an eye on them when visiting us. We understand that it can be quite an exciting place for them to visit, with hidden, shady spaces, and ramps to run up and down, but we have found that more and more of our precious plants are getting damaged of late (the tree fern in question is probably 60 or 70 years old, so it really was heart-breaking that on two separate occasions children snapped off the young emerging fronds).

On the lower site you’ll find swathes of glorious herbaceous perennials, including Chelsea favourites such as Campanula and Geum; Argyranthemum, perennial Geraniums and Primula are bursting with colours almost electric in their intensity; silvery Stachys, Artemesia and Nepeta; sun loving shrubs such as Choisya, Perovskia and Cistus, and an absolute host of geraniums, Felicia, Cosmos and Begonias. It really is a treat to come to work every day!

The loveliness continues in the shop and shed. Martyna is doing an amazing job of keeping the shed filled with fabulous house plants, funky indoor pots, terrariums and all the associated sundries, including specialist feeds and composts.

In the shop the latest new arrival is a botanical range of skin washes and salves to clean and soothe not only hard working gardeners’ hands, but bodies and faces too. Simple, organic, containing no nasties, and deliciously scented … what’s not to love?

Of course the warmer weather means more time spent outside in the evenings, with barbeque season truly upon us; stock up on charcoal so you’re ready for any impromptu gathering. We’ve also got natural firelighters (no nasty smell), kindling and olive wood.

I’ll pass over to Sally now, and her ‘tasks’ for the month section, but I very much hope to see you at the garden centre soon.

With warm wishes

Karen

PS I almost forgot to tell you that the hard working blue tit parents managed to raise their chicks successfully, and they fledged a couple of weeks ago. We still catch sight of them every now and again as they come to feed from the fat block we’ve put in the tree near their nesting box.

Garden jobs

We’ve had some gloriously sunny days and, as summer starts, let’s hope to have long warm evenings as we head towards the longest day. Make the most of being outside working on your plot but make sure you take time to enjoy your efforts, sitting out with a cool drink.

2 key jobs this month

1. Regular attention to the basic jobs will help things to look their best through the summer, so remember to feed, weed, stake and water.

2. The soil is warm, enabling us to sow and plant annual crops and flowers which will romp away in no time.

General garden maintenance

• It's not too late to stake tall herbaceous plants - do it now before delphiniums, lilies, and peonies lean too far with the weight of their blooms, especially after heavy rainfall. If you can't fit a specific support in place, bamboo canes, cut to size, and string will do the job well.
• Keep on top of weeds. Pulling out or hoeing annual weeds while they are small is worth the effort. On a hot day you can leave them and they will wither on top of the soil. Perennial weeds are more tenacious, and must be removed completely, with nothing left of the root. Alternatively use a glyphosate gel or spray to treat invasive weeds such as bindweed and ground elder, being careful to avoid drift onto garden plants.
• Cut back early flowering perennials such as Geranium phaem, Brunnera, Tellima, Pulmonaria and others hard to the ground once the flowers have gone over, and you will soon have fresh new leaves. Water well afterwards.
• Deadheading - most plants will continue to flower if you regularly remove faded flowers, thereby preserving the plant’s energy by preventing it from setting seed. Take flowers off as soon as they start to droop and fade, either to a pair of buds, or back to the main stem, depending on the plant in question.
• Carry on tying in climbing plants as new shoots grow - plants such as honeysuckle and clematis to their supports. Use Soft-Tie or string onto trellis or wires.
• As soon as your sweet peas start to flower, keep picking them to encourage more blooms.
• Remove blanket weed from ponds to allow plants and fish to breathe. Leave the debris on the side of the pond to allow wildlife to return to the water before putting it on the compost heap.

Container gardening

• Plant up some lovely containers to bring wild hot colour or cool sophistication to your balcony, terrace or patio. There are lots of annuals to choose from: geraniums, verbena, isotoma, ageratum, lobelia, the list of summer bedding plants which will flower until the first frosts goes on and on.
• Alternatively, put some more thought and planning into a group of perennial plants for a big container which will come up year after year. Choose from plants which will thrive in shade for a tricky corner, or maybe sunlovers for a pot in a hot spot.
• There are lots of edibles which can be grown in containers - fruit trees, soft fruit, herbs and vegetables. You’ll need to keep them watered, but it’s worth some effort to enjoy freshly harvested produce.

Pruning

• Trim topiary, to keep it looking smart and to maintain the shape. Choose a cloudy day so that the leaves don't go brown with leaf scorch, and remember to feed and water afterwards.
• Now is the time to prune late winter and spring flowering shrubs such as flowering currants and forsythia. Cut a few stems down to ground level, and the remaining to a healthy new shoot. Next year's flowers will develop on the new growth.
• Cut out stems of variegated plants such as Euonymus and Elaeagnus which have reverted.
• Prune out overcrowded or dead stems of evergreen Clematis such as Clematis armandii after it has finished flowering to maintain a good shape.

Planting

• There is fantastic choice of summer bedding plants, to go into beds and borders, containers and window boxes.
• Many shrubs and herbaceous perennials can be planted now too, for immediate impact and to look forward to later in the year. Fill gaps in the border with something new. Planted well, they will establish happily.
• There are lots of seeds which can still be sown - sunflowers, nigella, nasturtiums, calendula - why not have a go! Read the instructions on the pack, and see what comes up.

Watering and feeding

• Watering - be aware of the plants which need more water, including those recently planted, young vegetables and plants in containers. If we experience drought conditions, remember that it's better to really soak plants a couple of times a week than to spray a little water everywhere each day. Small amounts of water encourage roots to come to the surface, making plants even more vulnerable in dry conditions. Ensure water soaks right down to the deeper roots.
• All new compost has sufficient nutrients to feed plants for up to 6 weeks, but thereafter you should get into a routine of feeding when you water. This is especially important for plants in containers, which can't send their roots further into the soil. Treat the garden to a good fertiliser and your plants will perform much better - very old bottles of fertiliser may not have the necessary ‘oomph’.

Fruit and vegetables

• Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, so that you only have one main growing stem. A few varieties, such as 'Totem', don't need this treatment. Once the first truss of tomatoes has formed, start feeding with Tomorite or similar high potash feed.
• Harvest salad leaves and resow every 2 weeks for a constant supply.
• Avoid using insecticides on crops when they are in flower.
• Water potatoes well if the weather is dry. Early potatoes should be ready to harvest soon. Look out for the first flowers, and once they have opened, there should be a crop ready under the soil.
• Runner beans and climbing French beans can be sown or planted outside, as well as squash, courgettes and sweet corn. Leeks should be planted out when they are pencil thick. Radish, Swiss chard, salad crops, peas, beans, courgettes - now’s the time to sow lots directly outside.
• If space and time don’t allow seed sowing, plant ready grown vegetables - the range available is good.
• If planting sweetcorn, sow/plant in a block, setting sweetcorn plants 35cm apart with 60cm between rows. Sweetcorn is wind pollinated, so this arrangement will help that process.
• Blueberries and cranberries growing in pots need to be kept moist at all times, preferably with collected rainwater.
• Tie in raspberry and blackberry canes.
• Start to prune plum and cherry trees.
• Watch out for the June drop which is the process of fruit trees naturally shedding surplus amounts of fruit. You should remove any damaged or misshapen fruit, and if there is a lot of fruit remaining after the natural fall, remove some more by hand. What's left will be better quality and the tree will have more energy to put into the remaining fruit.

Herbs

• Herbs remain a popular group of plants, not surprisingly as they look fabulous and add so much to cooking and cocktails!
• Try to give herbs the conditions they require: sunny spots for Mediterranean type herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage and lavender; green leafy herbs such as mint, parsley, and coriander will be happy in semi shade.
• When harvesting herbs, the general rule is to cut a sprig or stem and then strip the leaves off to use. The plant will reshoot from where it's been cut, and keep producing fresh growth. If you simply strip leaves off the plant, the stems will go brown and die off, resulting in an unsightly plant.
• Some herbs such as coriander, basil, rocket and parsley can be grown from seed in successive sowings, ensuring that as one crop goes to seed, the next is supplying fresh green foliage.
• Cutting some herbs such as mint, rocket, coriander to the ground will prompt fresh growth to extend the harvesting season.
• Remember too that herb flowers encourage beneficial insects into the garden. The flowers are normally edible, and can add lovely colour and flavour to salads etc.

Lawns

• It's best to mow the lawn at least once, preferably twice a week at this time of year. The less grass removed at each cut, the healthier the grass will be. If we hit a dry spell, reduce the frequency of cutting and raise the mowing height.
• Recently laid or sown lawns should be watered regularly in dry periods.

Pests and diseases

• Mildew affects many ornamental and edible plants. It is identified as white powdery spreading patches of fungus on both sides of the leaf, flowers and fruit. There are different species of mildew which have quite narrow host ranges, thus the species which affects apples is different to the one affecting peas. Remove and dispose of all affected leaves and stems as soon as possible. Mulching and watering will reduce water stress and make plants less susceptible to infection, as will improving air circulation around the plant. If necessary, treat with an appropriate fungicide.
• Protect vulnerable plants from slugs and snails. Dawn and dusk outings wearing gloves and carrying a bucket, and then dousing the collected molluscs with salt, can reduce the populations dramatically. Slug pellets or bait, should be used sparingly - follow the instructions on the pack. Surrounding vulnerable plants with a straw mulch such as Strulch, or with fine grit, will deter slugs and snails. Beer traps can be very effective too, but you need to empty them daily.
• Keep an eye out for aphid infestations, often on the underside of leaves - it's much easier to control if caught early. Squish them, or use an insecticide. Always use sprays carefully, in the evening when fewer beneficial insects are active, and choose a time when there isn't a breeze. Be particularly careful to protect bees - they are essential to our survival as a planet.
• Bright red lily beetle and bronze/green striped rosemary beetle can do a lot of damage in a short space of time, so keep an eye out for them. Provado is the only pesticide recommended by the RHS as effective against these bugs. Read the instructions before using on edible crops.

Wildlife

• Birds need constant supplies of food and water as they raise their young, so keep feeders and bird baths topped up.
• Give birdbaths a regular scrub to prevent the spread of disease.
• Don't trim hedges or prune shrubs unless you are sure any bird nests within are empty.
• Vary the length of grass around the garden to encourage different groups of wildlife: birds will find insects if the grass is short, longer grass may allow bee friendly lawn weeds such as clover to flower.

Plant focus - Lavender

A quintessential summer plant, lavender is an easy to grow evergreen shrub, which produces masses of scented flowers over green or silvery-grey foliage. Lavandula is a genus of 47 known species flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, and is found across large areas from Europe to south west Asia and south east India. It is grown commercially for the extraction of oils, as a culinary herb and as an ornamental plant in gardens.

In gardens, Lavender is glorious as a specimen plant, as a low hedge or an excellent container plant. Lavender should be planted in full sun, in well-drained soil. It does well on chalky or alkaline soil; typical London clay soil should be improved with organic matter and gravel to improve drainage. Plant on a slight mound, or if planting as a hedge, make a slight ridge, so that the bases of the plants are free from wet soil. Plants should be well spaced, so be aware of the expected spread as well as height.

In a container, don’t go too much bigger than the original pot, and put a layer of loose gravel and crocks at the bottom to ensure good drainage. When watering, water the soil, not the leaves, once a week should be enough, although this depends on temperatures and drying wind.

The hardiest cultivar is Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender), which is probably the most popular. Examples with lovely purple-blue flowers areL. × angustifolia Hidcote, L.× angustifolia Munstead and L. × angustifolia Vera.

Dwarf varieties such as L. × angustifolia 'Nana Alba’ are suitable for the front of a border or for a low hedge.

Hybrid English lavenders such as L X intermedia cultivars are slightly less hardy. Examples include L. x intermedia Walburton's Silver Edge (with a variegated leaf) and L. × intermedia ‘Edelweiss’, which has a white flower.

Lavandula stoechas (French lavender) is also less hardy and may suffer in very severe winters. L. stoechas is easily recognised by the colourful bracts or ear-like tufts topping the flower heads. It has a long summer flowering period and is ideal for container cultivation. Some examples are L. Willow Vale, L. Blue Star and L. Fathead

For advice on pruning, take a look at our notes Looking after Lavender . The general rule is to cut after flowering in late summer, although some people favour cutting as well in spring. Whenever you do it, remove the flower spike and about 2.5cm of the current years growth, ensuring that some green growth remains.

Use flower spikes as a dried flower arrangement, or use the flowers and buds in pot pourris. In lavender bags, it will scent airing cupboards and drawers, and help to deter moths. It can also be used in cooking.

Finally

Suncream and sun hats are part of our summer uniform here at the garden centre. I hope we need to use them through the month!

Sally