CHOOSING THE SUMMER FLOWERS

CHOOSING THE SUMMER FLOWERS

This is a great time to look ahead to the summer months and plan which flowers we will grow in our tubs, beds and hanging baskets. It is very easy to leave it a lot later, then pop down to our local garden centre and see what mature plants are available and buy in as needed. That is a more expensive option, and where is the challenge of trying to grow your own plants with your own selection of seeds. I have a fair few tubs, hanging baskets and annual flower beds as well as always finding plenty of bare patches needing brightened up with a few annuals, so I start with a flower seed order of annuals at the beginning of the year.

I also retain a large collection of mixed bedding tuberous begonias, purchased about fifteen years ago with new colours added to each year. They dry off easily in autumn and get stored in the garage over winter. Growth buds start to swell up at the end of February, when I then box them up into compost and get them started into growth. They are quite slow, so I can keep them under a table in a warm room for a few weeks before they need light, as it is still too cold in my unheated greenhouse.

I also retain a collection of geraniums purchased about the same time and overwintered as small cutting on a sunny windowsill. Geraniums are quite hardy, so do not need too much heat and can get hardened off and put into my greenhouse at the end of March. A small greenhouse heater is available just in case a late frost threatens.

For many years I also kept a good range of Busy Lizzies flowering in summer, then growing them over the winter as a flowering house plant.  In spring I take cuttings to bulk up the numbers for the summer plantings. However difficulty arose from the attentions of red spider mites and greenfly which were difficult to control without a chemical insecticide available, so they now get purchased as small plug plants from garden centres in spring.

Beds and tubs

Geraniums and begonias are my favourites for colour and impact, but supplemented with African marigolds and Canna and Brugmansia dot plants to add the exotic look. I also use petunias, nemesia, Impatiens (Busy Lizzies) and trailing lobelias in my tubs to spill over the edges.

Hanging baskets

Red or white geraniums are brilliant as central plants in baskets and are very reliable. They are kept company with Nemesias, petunias, trailing lobelia and Impatiens. A hanging basket with one colour of Impatiens planted in the sides as well as in the top is a magnificent site when in full flower and totally covering the basket as a round coloured ball.

Gaps in borders

This is where I play around with a few annual seeds such as Cosmos, Star of the Veldt, Livingston daisies and a whole range of poppies including, Ladybird, Shirleys and opium poppies. Some of these (poppies) can be broadcast over prepared soil and raked in, though others (Cosmos and Livingston daisies) are better sown in small cellular trays then transplanted once they are a decent size.

Seed sowing

Start sowing now with Lobelia, African marigolds in March, then in early April most others can be sown. I sow most half hardy and some hardy plant seeds in seed trays then prick out into cellular trays once they are big enough.

Use proper seed compost rather than general purpose compost, as most composts are now very low in peat with a range of other organic matter replacing it. Not all plants grow well in these new mediums. I have been getting very poor germination with peat free or reduced peat composts so experiment to find your own best brand or add extra grit to improve surface drainage. Some plants are very vulnerable to damping off, especially impatiens, petunias and lobelia, so give a watering of Cheshunt compound to young but mature seedlings if you feel they could be attacked. Liability to botrytis increases in cool low light damp spells of weather, like all of last year.

Plant of the week

Pulmonaria commonly known as lungwort, but has over another dozen common names as it can be very variable in appearance. The blue to pink flowers bloom very early in spring on a low growing herbaceous plant that will associate very well with yellow doronicums and snowdrops and crocus all flowering about the same time. It is very easy to grow as long as it never dries out as it likes a moist, but not wet soil and will be happy in shade and partial shade. It does not have deep roots so propagates easily from dividing up the clump. The spotted leaves go dormant in late summer or earlier if a dry spell goes on too long.

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LOOKING AFTER THE FRUIT BUSHES

LOOKING AFTER THE FRUIT BUSHES

The dormant season is nearly over so tackle any outstanding fruit garden jobs before the bushes start growing. There is still time to finish off any winter pruning, planting new bushes, spraying the peach tree, taking a few cuttings and erecting the low polythene tunnels over the early strawberries.

Top Fruit trees

This is the last chance to complete any winter pruning of apples and pears. I tend to prune to manage tree growth to balance vigour with fruiting and keep the centres open for good air circulation. This keeps the bushes strong and lets in sunshine to ripen up developing fruit. I also cut out any over vigorous shoots which like to put on growth at the expense of fruiting. After last years wet season there is a lot of upright growth needing cutting out or bent over and tying down to induce fruit bud formation.

Pears tend to put on plenty fruit spurs, so pruning is aimed at creating a well spaced framework of branches. It is two years since I inserted grafts to add two new pear varieties and the new branches look very strong with good fruit buds developing so I am confident I may sample some Beurre Hardy and The Christie pears this autumn.

Peach trees are getting their second Bordeaux spray against peach leaf curl before growth and flowering commences. We are in a dry but cold weather spell, so sprays won’t get washed off.

Currants and gooseberries

Pruning needs to be completed on these bushes. Blackcurrants were pruned after fruit harvesting, but red currants get spur pruned in winter. I create an open centred bush with about eight main shoots which carry the crop. Side shoots from these get cut back by half in summer then spur pruned to a few buds in winter. The main shoots get replaced from time to time from other young shoots growing from the base. Prunings make excellent cuttings to give away or grow on into new bushes. I will be planting up a new blackcurrant Big Ben which has been bred locally at the James Hutton Institute for large fruit size and enhanced sweetness to encourage eating the fruit fresh from the bush. The Royal Horticultural Society was so impressed they gave it an Award of Garden Merit.

Gooseberries get some spur pruning, though I am more concerned to open up the centres for ease of picking as Invicta has vicious thorns, but is a brilliant variety. I also cut out any branches too close to the ground otherwise the fruit gets muddy.

Strawberries

Early strawberries Mae are now protected by a low polythene tunnel to bring on early growth and protect it from wet weather and birds.

I am planting some perpetual strawberries Flamenco to extend my season well into autumn. This variety is very reliable and fruits on runners produced all summer.

Grapes

Indoor and outdoor grapes were spur pruned in January cutting all growths back to one or two buds. In the greenhouse the spur pruned upright vine rods have been lowered from the support wires to allow even breaking of growth along the stems, otherwise you will get a top heavy plant with bare patches at the bottom. Once growth has commenced evenly up the stem the rods will be tied back into an upright position.

I continue to try out new varieties to see if one can be found that will ripen successfully outdoors in Scotland assuming that the much quoted global warming is just round the corner. I am looking at Rondo, Siegerrebe and Phoenix. I already have Solaris, but need a better year to judge its progress.

Plant of the week

Winter flowering pansies are one of the best winter bedding plants for beds, tubs and hanging baskets. Every time we get two or three days of sunshine a few flowers will come into bloom from February onwards. They will have a peak flowering in spring but continue to flower into mid summer. They are very easy to grow from seed sown in mid summer then grown on to build up a strong plant for autumn planting.

Painting of the month

Forfar Loch is one of my favourite landscapes for summer, autumn and winter scenes with excellent views all round this small loch. This acrylic painting of Forfar Loch in autumn is on a box canvas and will be exhibited at the Angus Open Studio event at the end of May.

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EXOTIC FLOWERS

EXOTIC FLOWERS

Every gardener loves a challenge. Growing normal flowers, fruit and vegetables can be challenging enough with our unpredictable weather, but with so much talk about global warming it does tempt you to go beyond the normal and see what we can do with a few exotics. A wide range of exotic plants can now be found in most garden centres, so push the boat out and give some a try.

Way back in my apprenticeship days we only had a very limited range and most of them were under glass at Camperdown, such as bananas, bougainvilleas, canna, gardenias, clivias, passion fruit and some small fruited oranges. Outdoors we grew eucalyptus, caster oil plants and cordylines as summer dot plants for flower beds.

Today the range is extended to include Angel trumpets, the Tuberose, Spider lilies, and the white ginger lily. Some plants such as the Pineapple broom Cytisus battandieri, the New Zealand tea tree Leptospermum and the African Lily Agapanthus will grow fine outdoors all year round, but will die out if the winters get too cold.

There are very many more and most will either need a glasshouse for protection, a warm south facing wall, and others are quite hardy in the summer months but require to be brought indoors for the winter.

Several years ago mild winters were becoming normal for about ten years in a row, snow was a rarity unless you went up north and we all started to try a few less hardy plants. Eucalyptus, Cordyline australis palms, the date palm Phoenix dactylifera, Blue African lilies, the Pineapple broom and Leptospermum Red Damask all got planted in my garden and put on fantastic growth and a great show of flowers on some.

A passion fruit climber was planted beside my climbing rose Dublin Bay not really expecting it to grow. It just loved it and within two years it was in flower, growing wildly and threatening to take over my climbing rose.

Then in 2010, winter returned, temperatures plunged and stayed low for ages. In spring after the snows melted the damage was severe. Everything died out except the Eucalyptus, though it did lose a few leaves. Now we are in a mild wet cycle and know one knows how long this will last.

Exotics are now either kept in the greenhouse, at home in a light warm room or grown outdoors in the summer only.

Indoor exotics

Three plants worth trying are the tuberose known as Polianthes tuberose, the white ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium and the Peruvian daffodil or spider lily, Ismene festalis and sometimes called Hymenocallis festalis. All of these tender plants have highly scented white flowers.

They all need to be potted into a rich free draining compost and grown in a warm light room or heated glasshouse. Keep watered and feed fortnightly and in late summer you should be enjoying their powerful white scented flowers. The tuberose is difficult to flower in its second year unless you can get several weeks of good growth after flowering to build up the bulb for overwintering.

The lilies are easier and should be dried off for overwintering in their pots.

Outdoor exotics

Angel Trumpets, known as Brugmansias and Indian Shot known as Canna can both be planted outdoors to flower in the summer months. Grow similarly as the indoor exotics but harden off and plant out in May in beds or tubs. Angel Trumpets flowers give off their fantastic scent in late evenings to attract night flying moths for pollination. They are perfect on a patio on a warm summers evening. Canna can be grown for its exotic foliage and flowers in a flower bed or tub. Both should be dug up in autumn, and kept fairly dry, but not too dry and keep in a frost free place.

I have had Canna overwinter perfectly fine in a dryish border, after I forgot to lift them in autumn, but the next year they grew and flowered quite happily. However that winter was mild.

Plant of the week

Crocus species are distinctly different from the large flowered hybrids in that they usually flower about two weeks earlier. The flowers may be smaller but they naturalise so easily that they readily create large bold drifts of colour. They are perfect amongst deciduous shrubs flowering in late February to early March before the shrubs have any leaves. There are numerous species, but my favourites all belong to just three main types. Crocus chrysanthus gives us the pastel coloured Cream Beauty and Blue Pearl, the pure white Snowbunting and the deep yellow Zwanenburg Bronze. The best Crocus sieberi are the lilac Firefly and the white Bowles White. Crocus tommasinianus is itself a very attractive lavender, and Ruby Giant is a very bold reddish purple.

They are always better planted in full sun otherwise the flowers may not open up fully.

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FEBRUARY FLOWERS

FEBRUARY FLOWERS

There is always some kind of flower to be found in the garden in every month of the year even throughout winter. When it is cold, sunless and wet the winter flowers just lie dormant, but as soon as we get a couple of sunny days they take their chance and out comes the flowers. Yellow flowered jasmine carries on like that from late autumn till the end of winter. This is also the time for winter flowering viburnums, mahonias, some daphnes, chimonanthus and hammamelis.

However it is the early flowering bulbs, such as snowdrops and aconites that give us the biggest mass displays of colour, and the hellebores at this time of year are also many people’s favourites. All of these plants are very winter hardy and are often seen rising into flower above a carpet of snow. They signal the end to winter weather with the promise that spring is not too far away. It is always a good idea to plan the garden design so that these early flowers can be seen from the comfort of a warm room.

Snowdrops

Every garden, no matter how small should have a drift of snowdrops. They are very easy to grow, multiply quickly and very accommodating as they are quite happy to grow under large deciduous shrubs. They enjoy a deciduous woodland setting with dappled sunlight or shade and if the soil dries out in summer it will help to ripen off the dormant bulbs. They will spread by seed scattered by birds but also by dividing up mature clumps and replanting them while still growing but just after flowering, so we don’t spoil the display. Snowdrops are perennials, so although they die down at the end of spring, they will emerge again every year.

There are many large gardens noted for their Snowdrop Festivals where you can find them in massive drifts. Cambo Estate near Kingsbarns in Fife is always well worth a visit with over 300 different Galanthus species and holding National Collection status.

Winter Aconites

This is the plant to use if you want to establish a golden yellow carpet of flowers in February and March. Winter aconites are known botanically as Eranthis hyemalis. They are very similar to snowdrops in their use and growing conditions, but are better in the sun or dappled sunlight to open up the flowers fully. They spread by seed or dividing up established clumps immediately after flowering. They also like a rich moist woodland soil that is free draining and are quite happy on an alkaline soil. To help establish a good drift collect the seed after flowering before it disperses and just scatter it onto the soil surface and rake it in. The following February it will produce one seed leaf then the following year it will produce a larger mature leaf. It is in its third year before the flowers appear. Be careful when handling this plant and seeds as it is poisonous.

Hellebores

These are also known as the Christmas rose and the Lenten rose and are always very popular. The flowers appear in late winter and spring and come in pinks, mauves, white and spotted colours.

Although the hellebore is a herbaceous perennial, it often remains evergreen, but it is better to remove the older leaves after flowering otherwise the foliage clump can grow too tall and hide the flowers the following year.

Hellebores like a rich moist, but free draining, woodland soil in shade or partial shade with some shelter from strong winds.

They can be propagated by digging up and dividing mature clumps after flowering or in the autumn.

You can also propagate by seed, but germination can be quite slow, so patience is required as you might have to wait more than one year. Home saved seed will not come true to type, but you may well get the next best variety.

Plant of the week

Daphne odora is not a tall shrub, only reaching about three feet after many years, but the flowers produced in late winter to early spring are so scented that you will enjoy and always remember this plant. The scented flowers are pale pink to white with carmine buds. This Daphne is evergreen and prefers a rich moist limey soil in a sheltered woodland garden. It will grow in sun or partial shade, but in Scotland it would be better with a sunny aspect. The plant has a stringy root system that does not transplant easily and hates disturbance, so it can present quite a challenge.

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