Garden Talk

One of the comments I hear often is that plants fail to grow when planted out in particular gardens. Often this is due to either unsuitable species being used or poor aftercare. If you have a spot where nothing but weeds seem to grow check out the weeds, what types are they? If they are doing well, look for a cultivated member of the same family and try that. For example, if you have nettles growing, there are numerous cultivated varieties of Lamium (Lamiaceae) family, from those similar to ‘dead nettles’ through to Rosemary. Elder is another family that has some fantastic cultivars. When it comes to aftercare the main problems are: 1)lack of water – make sure the plants are given a good water before they are planted. 2) Unsuitable soil – not correct pH (too acid or too alkaline), or just too rich or too poor in nutrients. Yes it can be too rich, some plants flower more freely in poor soil. If there is no information on the plant label ask at the place of purchase or try the RHS website, www.rhs.org.uk which can be helpful.

The Chelsea Flower Show gardens this year had biodiversity as a leading underlying theme, with looser planting styles and wildlife friendly designs. Hopefully this is a new direction away from the over manicured designs of the past, to a more eco-friendly future. This in some way is being driven by the RHS who insist on a breakdown of all plants and materials used in the gardens, type and source and just as importantly, what will happen to them after the show. Last year 95% of materials were recycled, hopefully it will be even better this year. Andy Sturgeon’s design, which won ‘best in show’ was also my personal favourite. It was possible to see elements that could be used in even a modest size garden. Growers have welcomed the new award for the ‘best plant introduction’ which went to Dibley’s Nursery for Streptocarpus ‘Harequin Blue’, selected from a shortlist of twenty plants. The hope is that this will direct attention back to the plants and away from personalities, who have tended to grab the focus. Two other plants on the shortlist, which will no doubt become popular, are Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ from Warburton’s Nurseries, this sterile variety will keep flowering all summer, and from Harkness Roses, Rosa ‘Claire Marshall’ a beautiful pale purple colour with a delicate scent.

After the cold winter we may have lost a few tender plants, but the low temperature has broken the dormancy of many seeds that have been lying dormant, some for several years. That’s why tree seedlings seem to be springing up everywhere. It has also prompted many of our fruit trees to be laden with blossom, if all the fruit develop we will have a bumper crop, but will need to thin out some of the fruitlets to improve the size of individual fruits and help prevent branches snapping under the weight.

The dry spell we have had recently has not been helpful for our vegetable garden, necessitating regular watering. Fortunately we have invested in a number of water butts which are a great asset. They can be expensive so it is worth looking for ex-commercial containers which haven’t been used for anything toxic. Our last bargain purchase was a 1,000 litre container for £15.

The results of the latest Wisley trials, this time on all female cucumbers, have been released with nine cultivars receiving awards of garden merit. Categorised by fruit size, they include Standard (30cm) ‘Carmen’ which is widely available and ‘Naomi’ from Medwyns (01248 714851), who incidentally won best nursery exhibit and ‘President’s Award’ at Chelsea. Intermediate (20-22cm) ‘Byblos’ from Suttons , and ‘Emilie’ from Johnsons Seeds. Mini (14-18cm) – ‘Socrates’ from Johnsons. Super-Mini (12cm or less) or lunchbox –‘Mini-Munch’ from Unwins. They were all trialled in an unheated plastic tunnel in peat free growing bags.

They originate from India so perform better under protection but will grow outside in a sheltered spot. They are well worth trying because they can easily be grown in containers. Seed should be sown in 9cm pots about 1cm deep, a fine -textured compost is best. They like a temperature between 24-25C to germinate, give them good light and keep the compost moist when they emerge. Water early in the morning since later in the day can lead to wet plants being susceptible to damping off disease. Use a dilute liquid feed at each watering until they are planted out and if using grow bags plant no more than 2 per bag, since they like plenty of root room. Be sure to give them reasonably robust supports to train them on (they can become quite heavy). There are cucumbers bred especially for outside, these are the ridge or gherkin types and the ones which previously gained AGMs include ‘Marketmore’, ‘Prima Top’ and ‘Masterpiece’. These types are better harvested young as they have male and female flowers and are pollinated by insects, the fruits produced contain seeds which harden with age. Harvesting them young also improves yields, if fruit gets too large they inhibit flower production. They are worth having a try, just check out the price of cucumbers in the shops.

“Now summer is in flower and natures hum
Is never silent round her sultry bloom
Insects as small as dust are never done
Wie glittering dance and reeling in the sun”

‘ The Shepherd’s Calendar’ John Clare

Enjoy your garden
Jim Dowdy