Guildford Round and About Magazine
01 January 2016
January is an exciting time in the garden – an opportunity to leaf through the seed and plant catalogues and choose which plants to grow for the new season. I have been inspired this year to make a small ‘cutting garden’; an area of the garden devoted to growing flowers to take into the house. I have always been a little reluctant to remove flowers from the garden that I have lovingly tended outside, but this year I am determined to have some flowers that I can bring into the house to enjoy. I especially want flowers with fragrance and beauty, but also those that ‘cut well’ so will last in a vase. Of course, it is not just annuals that make great cut flowers; there are many shrubs, herbs and perennials already in the garden that provide foliage and leafy material and also great flowers. A mix of all these plants will make a stunning vase display. Good annuals to try are; deliciously fragrant Sweet Peas, Snapdragons, easy to grow Cosmos, Cornflowers, Scabious, beautiful Orlaya, Nigella and Poppies.
Of course choosing your seeds is not the only job to do in the winter months; it’s the perfect time to plant a deciduous hedge. Deciduous hedges are so much more beautiful and cheaper than a lap panel fence and they provide us with a tapestry of stems, foliage, flowers and fragrance that changes throughout the year. Choose from wild roses, hazel, hawthorn, spindle and viburnum to create a year round stunning boundary display. Hedges also provide a haven for a wide range of wildlife from mammals to birds, to insects. Taking hardwood cuttings now offers the opportunity of plants for free! Many deciduous trees, shrubs, soft fruit and climbers can be propagated from hardwood cuttings. Although it takes a season before the cuttings can be lifted, it is an easy and reliable method of raising many new plants. Examples include: Forsythia, Cornus, Roses, Viburnum, red, black and white Currants, Willow and Clematis. If you have a favourite rose, why not take some hardwood cuttings now?
Look out for bare-root plants too in winter. These can be planted now and are a fraction of the cost of buying containerised plants later in the year. Bare-root plants are grown in the field, with no artificial heat or light, and are generally lifted to order when you buy them from mail order specialists. This means the plants reach you fresh from the ground, without the stress of sitting in pots for months. Popular bare-root plants include; roses, hedging material, trees and deciduous shrubs.
© 2016
17 November 2015
The winter season offers a range of scented plants with an array of perfumes to enrich our gardens. Scent is often omitted from plant selection, or at best remains an optional extra, but come the winter months when the colour and vibrancy of the summer shrubs and herbaceous perennials has gone, scent can be a powerful lure in the garden. Some of the best fragrant shrubs are winter flowering and they are powerfully scented to entice the few pollinating insects around at this time of year. Autumn is the perfect time to incorporate these plants into a pre-existing or new border, and below are my Top 5 must have scented shrubs. These plants not only have knock-out scent, they are also invaluable for providing structure, form and colour in the garden.
Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ An upright, evergreen shrub with strikingly sweet scent. I first came across this plant at the RHS Garden at Wisley where two mature Daphne’s straddle a path and fill the air with sensational fragrance. It was then, 8 years ago, that I bought my first Daphne!
The winter Viburnums (V. x bodnantense/V. x burkwoodii/ V. carlesii) are amongst the most valuable deciduous shrubs producing their honey and almond scented pink and white flowers.
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ (Witch hazel) is a beautiful shrub or small tree with fiery coppery/orange, small spidery flowers radiating a strong spicy scent.
Mahonia x media ‘Charity’. An impressive architectural evergreen shrub with deeply cut foliage and long-lasting bright yellow flowers spikes in winter, scented of Lily of the Valley.
Sarcococca confusa – my favourite evergreen shrub! Neat, mid-green, glossy leaves with tufts of white flowers in late winter. Although the flowers are small they release a powerful rich honey scent into the air. Plant with Hellebores and Mahonia which flower simultaneously for an instantaneous winter border display!
All scented plants should be located close by for us to enjoy; perhaps by a door, along a path, or in a pot, so that it is easy to appreciate their fragrance. It is also lovely to bring a sprig or two into the house to better enjoy the scent. Winter gardens can be wonderful spaces through the use of topiary, colourful stems, berries, fragrance and the occasional flower. Join us on 5th November to learn how to design a winter border. With the accent on scent, colour, form and texture we will select a mixture of trees, evergreen shrubs, perennials and bulbs to create structure in the winter garden and later act as a foil for spring and summer flowers.
© 2015
15 June 2015
Choosing Plants that will thrive in your Garden
Do you have an area of your garden that you struggle to find plants that grow, a sizzling, dry hot border perhaps, or a shady corner where nothing you plant seems to thrive? These are some of the commonest problems experienced by gardeners. Follow our advice and you will transform your ‘difficult’ area into a beautiful one. We have chosen plants that are reliable, easy to grow and tried and tested performers. We will also examine the properties of different soils from acid to alkali, light sand to heavy clay, and how this affects plant selection. So make the most of, and enjoy the different characteristics, your plot has to offer.
The concept behind right plant, right place is that if you choose plants that are well suited to the environment in which they are planted, they will thrive with limited additional input. Plants that are well-suited to their site establish quickly, have a healthy root system and are less likely to succumb to pests and diseases.
So how do you evaluate your site? Firstly, think about the local conditions in your garden. Is it a sun trap or are you gardening in shade? Is the soil heavy and difficult to work (clay) or are you in a sandy area? You may also find that there are different environmental conditions within your garden (microclimates). Paying attention to, and learning about these microclimates will help you identify the plants that will thrive for each location in your garden. Also look to see which plants grow locally in your area; this will give you clues as to the nature of the soil. If there are a lot of rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas growing locally, you will be on acid soil.
The two key benefits to planting the Right Plant in the Right Place are that the plants will thrive and there is no need for additional watering, feeding or spraying. Planting the right plant in the right place will produce healthier plants which are less likely to become diseased. You will have plants that are well suited to their environment and as a result will flourish. Plants like Lavender and Thyme are drought tolerant and suit a dry, sunny border whilst plants like Hosta and Pulmonaria (lungwort) prefer shade. Most nurseries and garden centres provide good cultivation advice, but it is also worthwhile doing a little research before you buy to ensure your plant selection is suitable for the area you are planting.
So in fact planting an area that is dry and shady couldn’t be simpler. It is a challenging environment but with careful plant selection and cultivation tips, success is guaranteed. It often occurs at the base of a wall or side of a building that faces away from the direction of the prevailing wind and is therefore sheltered from rain. It also occurs beneath large, shallow rooted trees which create a rain shadow beneath their leaf canopies.
The most important step is to improve the moisture retention of the soil by adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter. Another trick is to excavate a wide planting hole and line it with perforated polythene. Mix the excavated soil with copious quantities of loam-based potting compost and back-fill with the improved soil. Establishing a carpet of drought resistant ground-cover with plants like Pachysandra terminalis or Tellima grandiflora also helps to retain soil moisture by reducing surface evaporation. When planting ground-cover plants, start at the outer edge of the planting area where it is not so dry to give the plants a fighting chance. Once they are rooted encourage them to grow into the drier areas.
There are a variety of plants that tolerate this environment, including one of my favourite evergreen shrubs; Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box). Remember that even the toughest plants may not achieve their expected height or spread in such difficult environments, so you may need to plant more closely. It is also vital that new plantings are kept watered during the most vulnerable period before they develop a well-established root system. Geranium phaeum and Liriope muscari also tolerate these conditions, as do Epimedium x versicolor, Euonymus fortunei and Brunnera macrophylla.
© 2015
01 November 2014
Some of my favourite plants are at their best in winter. They have a subtle charm that is lost later in the year when the colours and textures in the garden are more vibrant. There are also an increasing number of winter gardens to visit demonstrating the wide range of plants available at this time of year e.g. the Winter Garden at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Mottisfont in Hampshire.
What makes a winter garden successful? Certainly, it is difficult to create interest throughout the garden but we can plan to have pockets of interest through topiary, colourful stems, berries, fragrance and the occasional flower.
Old stalwarts like holly, the coloured stems of the dogwoods, vivid acers and highly scented sweet box are great but there are many more offering winter structure, colour and scent. My favourites include the scented Daphne’s, Witch-hazel’s and Viburnum’s. There is also the deliciously fragrant Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ which I planted last year against a sunny wall, which when in flower fills the garden with scent.
Topiary is incredibly valuable in a winter garden too. Simply clipped shapes planted in pots on a patio or as a low hedge to edge a border creates a permanent structure for frost and snow to decorate. Evergreens, like Viburnum tinus and Skimmia offer year round interest with flowers and berries as do the wide range of Camellia’s. Bright magenta flowers of the tiny Cyclamen coum add a splash of colour; happy in shade, they are ideal for drifts under deciduous trees. Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ are much valued for their year-round variegated foliage; they are excellent evergreens for brightening a dull corner.
Useful too are the long-flowering Hellebores with colour variations from deep red to sparkling white flowers as are the popular winter aconites and delicate snowdrops. Winter too offers the opportunity to appreciate the structure of deciduous trees and the colour and texture of the bark often over-looked when the trees are in leaf. The snake bark maples are striped green and white whilst the peeling bark of Acer griseum glows coppery red in the winter light.
Autumn is the perfect time to incorporate winter interest into a pre-existing or new border. The soil is still warm and the rain more frequent so plants can establish easily. Plant close to the house; by a door for example or along a path or in a pot so that it is easy to appreciate the flowers, fragrance or leaf form. And when choosing plants, select from a mixture of evergreen shrubs and perennials as these plants will add interest all year round, helping to create structure and as a later foil for spring and summer flowers. Want to know more? Join us for a morning workshop on the 16th October at Cathie’s Gardening School to learn which plants and features can be used to add fantastic winter colour, scent, textures and forms to your own garden.
© 2014
01 September 2014
September brings the spring bulb catalogues to our doors! It’s a great opportunity to buy some of our favourite bulbs and maybe even try some new ones. Bulbs are such easy plants to grow providing floral impact and if carefully selected will come back year after year. They brighten our gardens all year round; from the first cheerful snowdrops in January to the strident alliums in summer through to vibrant nerines in September/October. They can thrive in sun and shade and range from the daintiest anemone to the boldest of tulips. They can be grown in pots or the open ground and look beautiful naturalised in grass. Many of us are familiar with growing crocus, hyacinth, tulips and daffodils but there are many other bulbs as easy to grow to complement or extend the growing season. Even the smallest plots can have Puschkinia, Erythronium and hardy cyclamens amongst the crocuses and narcissi in the spring garden. Summer offers even more opportunities to try something different with alliums and lillies and for autumn there are the autumn crocuses and spectacular nerines.
Most bulbs are agreeably low maintenance, requiring little more than a dressing of fertiliser as their shoots appear, and the cutting back of old foliage at the end of their season. They can become crowded after a few seasons, their flowering deteriorating as a result, so new bulbs may have to be purchased or lifting and dividing existing bulbs to keep them flowering is a less expensive option. This method also keeps the vigorous growers such as Crocosmia within their allotted space.
The word ‘bulb’ has no botanical significance; it is used to cover all the bulbous plants – those species of the plant world that produce fleshy storage organs. In fact the bulbs we grow are a mixture of corms (Crocus and Gladiolus), true bulbs (Tulip, Narcissus), tubers (Cyclamen) and rhizomes (bearded iris).
So remember to check when purchasing your bulbs that they are firm to the touch, not in active growth and not diseased. Buying early too ensures you have the best choice and the bulbs will not have been damaged by constant handling.
© 2014
01 May 2014
Achieving year round interest is every gardener’s dream; a dream that can be fulfilled with a little careful planning. Judicious use of bulbs, annuals, herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees allows the creation of a garden with interest all year round. Maybe you have succeeded in creating a beautiful, colourful space in May and June but the trick is to create an impression all year round. It is possible to have a garden that has something of interest every day of the year.
Creating the backbone of your garden is the place to start. This includes the shrubs, hedges, trees and hard landscaping features. These all provide the permanent structure to your garden. Then, plan to plant some key plants for each season. Remember, it is not just flowers that provide interest but coloured stems, bark, seed heads, evergreen foliage and autumn berries. A planting plan may help to ensure that you have covered all the seasons. Once the key plants are in place add deciduous shrubs and perennials and finally bulbs which add seasonal highlights.
Look for plants that have more than one season of interest; there are many trees with flowers, berries and vibrant autumn colour or roses that have interesting foliage, flowers and orange hips. Use variegated foliage to brighten shady corners and add a splash of silver or gold. Plant evergreen’s that give texture, form and shape. Introduce the reds’, oranges’ and yellows’ of the winter coloured stems. Use bulbs to add height and accent to a border and annuals to give that splash of colour.
© 2014
01 March 2014
A familiar phrase for most gardeners – but what does it mean?
The concept behind right plant, right place is that if you choose plants that are well suited to the environment in which they are planted, they will thrive with limited additional input. Plants that are well-suited to their site establish quickly, have a healthy root system and are less likely to succumb to pests and diseases.
So how do you evaluate your site? Firstly, think about the local conditions in your garden. Is it a sun trap or are you gardening in shade? Is the soil heavy and difficult to work or are you in a sandy area? You may also find that there are different environmental conditions within your garden (microclimates). Paying attention to and learning about these microclimates will help you identify the plants that will thrive for each location in your garden. Also look to see which plants grow locally in your area; this will give you clues as to the nature of the soil. If there are a lot of rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas, you will be on acid soil.
There are 2 key benefits to planting the Right Plant in the Right Place:
Planting the right plant in the right place will produce healthier plants which are less likely to become diseased. You will have plants that are suited to their environment, for example there are plants like Kniphofia (Red Hot poker) and Sedums that are drought tolerant or those that prefer shade like Hosta and Hellebores.
© 2014