Garden Notes July 2012

It has been a very disappointing summer but this last burst of heat has restored our optimism and rejuvenated our enthusiasm for gardening.

Getting the Best from Your Plants

I have been very busy cutting plants back as many of my evergreens and perennials have made an alarming amount of foliage. My lonicera hedge has made a monstrous amount of growth and I am finding perennials like my favourite yellow daisies, Anthemis tinctoria ‘E.C.Buxton’ are about a foot taller than I would expect them to be normally and they are very late coming into flower. Rather than cut them back I have concealed a metal plant support in the border so they are not flopping over. I have used quite a few plant supports this year to prop up leggy growth. They are supporting lilac malvias and tall blue cranesbill geraniums ('Brookside') and my outstanding rose pink Silene docica ‘Firefly’that floods my border with colour for a good six weeks. It's very tempting to cut them back and let them reshoot and flower on stronger stems a little later but it's a difficult decision as I have found many plants have come into flower late due to lack of sunshine and I want to enjoy their colour. The second the flowers end I will be out there with my snippers, then I will cross my fingers and hope we have enough warm weather and the plants have enough vigour to flower again before summer finishes.

Off with their heads! If you can’t snap finished flowers off with your fingers walk around your garden with a pair of scissors. If a flower looks scruffy and has finished remove it. You will slow down its natural progression to go to seed and extend the flowering period.

Despite the damp there are plants that have performed beyond the call of duty. I still have spring flowering Dicentra formosa (Bacchannal and Alba) in bloom and my cranesbill phaeums, particularly my hybrid variety x monacense ‘Muldoon’ in dark red, have just kept going.

Enjoying Summer Flowers in Your Garden and Your Home

There are some stunning flowers opening now. This is possibly the easiest time of year to have an amazingly colourful garden. Anyone with a dull garden is probably guilty of buying plants in flower at the first spell of sunshine in early spring and walking past anything with green leaves. It’s a great time of year to include plants that you can a cut and bring into the house. If you plant perennials in clumps they are not going to miss a few flowers.

Echinacea have opened this week. Most of the new hybrids that are appearing fast and furiously into the plant world are doing well and we have some great colours now. Last year I remember praising the orange 'Tomato Soup' and this year I am enjoying the vividly bright and ironically named 'Hot Summer' and the wonderful 'Tangerine Dream'. I have planted them close to graceful fronds of Stipia grasses and Moorheim beauty heleniums and they look great. There is something very elegant about echinacea and I feel they bring a bit of catwalk sophistication to a border, like alliums, peonies, hydrangeas and roses. It’s a flower we wait for in anticipation of excellence but before I leave echinacea I must mention how good the compact or shorter stemmed pow wow varieties are performing. This year in addition to pow wow 'Berry' I have spotted a white 'Alba' variety with a big flower as lovely as the larger 'White Swan'. If I was planting these in a cold clay soil I would add a bit of organic matter (a spade full of compost) and perhaps a handful of gravel to the hole before popping the plant in the ground. The last few years our plants have had to tolerate a lot of cold winter wet so let’s make it a little easier where we can.

Achillea are great plants to plant anywhere you want a bit of height and the colours are good. We are no longer restricted to filipendulina varieties in yellow and I love Paprika in a spicy hot red that fades to a rust. 'Terracotta' is a good shade and 'Red Velvet' is very rich. The colours last for ages and they fade brilliantly into softer tones.

Achillea do very well in a vase, they flower profusely and you will not miss a few stems for the house. If you are reluctant to take flowers from the borders why not dedicate a small patch of your vegetable bed for flowers to cut. I’ve popped a few annuals in mine including cosmos and heliotrope, dahlias and sweet peas and some of my most useful cottage garden perennials like veronica lonifolia ‘Eveline’ with attractive blue spikes. I have recently added alliums and shall be including delphiniums and foxgloves for next year.

If you are collecting flowers from the garden for the house do gather up foliage which is abundant. Small delicate leaves tend to look more appropriate, unless you are making a colossal display. I like Pittosporum, Nadine (Heavenly Bamboo) purple sage, euphorbia, euonymus (particularly silver ‘Harlequin’). I find my lonicera nitida hedge handy and it lasts well. I would also use ferns and grasses as flowers look far more interesting when mixed with foliage.

Roses, peonies and hydrangeas will make your vase look expensive and alchemilla mollis is great for a finishing touch. If you are going to go to the trouble of arranging your flowers in a florist green oasis it might be worth planning ahead a little and soaking the flowers in tepid water for a few hours. Plants that flop quiet easily benefit from searing in boiling water for 30 seconds.

I advocate bringing a little of what we enjoy outside inside and fresh flowers lift up our spirits. There is always something free to gather and bring in to fill a vase whatever the time of year but late summer we have the most abundant harvest of flowers and foliage.

This weekend at Preston Bissett we will be admiring summer colour and looking at new varieties. 'Looking At Summer Colour' is a free talk and will involve walking around the plants. Arrive early for refreshments. Please call 01280 848038 or email info@thenurseries.com to book.

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Telephone: 01280 848038
Preston Bissett Nurseries and Country Shop
Bushey Lane
Preston Bissett
Buckingham
MK18 4ND

I feel I must mention rhubarb as I was born the the very famous Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle.
Its the idea time to get going with rhubarb. The Crowns are just starting to shoot. Mulch around them (not over the crown) to warm and protect them ideally with farm yard manure but some like to use other mulching products like straw, leaves or composts and if you want an early crop pop a rhubarb forcer on top and mulch around the outside of the pot. The crown don't want to be over wet or they will rot and the usual fungal problems will occur.A good mulch around the pot will keep the rhubarb warm and it will leach goodness into the roots.

Rhubarb Forcers block out the light and encourage long shoots more quickly than when growing conventionally.

Don't try and force the same crown each year. Have a few and alternate. They get tired.

Old plants do need lifting and splitting every few years. If there is a really long old rhizome tap root in your crown its best cropped off just replant the younger shoots and roots.

Varieties
Online:
Champagne Rhubarb
Victoria Rhubarb

Other varieties also available from Preston Bissett Nurseries
Raspberry Red
Sutton seedling
Timperley Early

One more tip. Rhubarb is sometime planted with brassicas successfully never with legumes. Strawberries and rhubarb will grow also happily together and I think make a good combination and use of space.

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Why have a hedge?

Without doubt there are huge benefits in having a hedge for a boundary rather than a fence or a wall.

· They act as wind and sound breaks. Sheltering the garden from winds, filtering us from noise.

· Hedges support many species of wild life.

· They are economical as their durability to the elements and life span exceeds fences and wall.

· They can be beautiful, reflecting the seasons and providing a canvas to enhance other plants

How to choose the right hedge for your garden.

Do you want the hedge to be purely ornamental
All one variety or mixture of species.
Formal or informal
Dwarf or Tall
Evergreen
Edible fruits
Colourful
Is it to be a strong boundary to hold live stock at bay.
Is the site exposed? Consider the growing conditions.

These are the sort of considerations which will help you determine which variety or varieties of hedge to plant.

Selecting Varieties

The choice of suitable hedge species is vast and the appearance equally varied. Here are some suggested native varieties :

Crataegus Hawthorn (Hedge Thorn, Quick Thorn, May Tree)
This is the most common form of hedge in the UK. It grows quickly. Its tough and it produces red berries(Haws). The prickles make it a strong barrier. This is deciduous hedge that mixes well with other species.

Prunus spinosea Blackthorn
It is slower growing than Hawthorn but it benefits from being extremely strong and impenetrable. The stems traditionally make perfect walking sticks. A deciduous thorny plant, related to the plum. Black sloes are excellent for making Gin.

Corylus avellana Hazel
This is deciduous. It grows very dense. Strong flexible stems make it idea wood for building hurdles. It is noted for lovely catkins and cobs(hazel nuts)

Fagus sylvatica Common Beach
A golden brown hedge. Easy to maintain as a formal boundary with regular clipping. The leaves persist quite well through the autumn and into the winter. Slow to establish and does not establish well in wet heavy ground but it is great in all other situations. It certainly makes one of the beast hedges around.

Carpinus Hornbeam.
This can create a good robust screen. Ideal where a fairly wide hedge is required. It copes well in clay or chalk soils. Autumn leaves usually remain attached until spring. Catkins appear in late spring followed by clusters of winged nutlets.

Acer Campestre Maple
Hardy and attractive. The wood is has tough ribbed bark often used for carving. The foliage is a rich golden colour in the Autumn. Small yellowy green flowers open with the leaves in late spring later producing winged fruits we call helicopters! It grows well in limestone areas.

Viburnum opulus sterile (Guelda Rose,Snow ball tree)
This makes a strong hedge. Plants producing globular white flowers in June, followed by bunches of red berries(which the birds absolutely love.) Rich Autumn leaf colour.

Euonymus europa Spindle
A quick growing deciduous variety. White flowers are produced in summer. This has very attractive Autumn foliage and rather dainty unusual red pink fruits with orange seeds. It will thrive in most soils.

Rosa canina Dog Rose
A wild rose. This is very fast growing native plant. Very hardy with a strong growing habit .It has a single pink or white flowers, followed by hips in the Autumn.

Cornus Dog wood
A deciduous shrub that has very attractive red, yellow or lime green stems to admire in winter. Leaves can be green, silver and variegated some turning red in Autumn..

A Saxon Hedge
In recent year we have seen a revival in the original Saxon hedge. This is a mixture of native plants which in the right blend provide a good balance between a strong boundary and an attractive wild life habitat. Ideally it should contain 50% Hawthorn,20% Blackthorn,10% Field Maple, 5 % Hazel, 5% Dog Rose (Rosa Canina) 5% Viburnum Opulus (Guelda Rose) and 5% Spindle( Euonymus europa) Recommended planting instructions 4 plants per meter (3.25ft), in a double row at staggered spacing of 45cm apart (1.5ft) This rule applies to most bare rooted hedging. Encourage root growth and establishment by planting with fish blood and bone meal and where the structure needs improving enhance it with soil conditioner.

Evergreen Hedging

Lonicera nitidia
Chinese honeysuckleA very popular hedge. It has small glossy dark green leaves. Establishing quickly. The growth is soft, making this an easy hedge to penetrate if you push against it for this reason it is often grown in front of a fence. It makes a good screen rather than strong boundary.

Aucuba japonica
This has large laurel like spotted yellow leaves or green leaves. Both male and female plants to get berries but the female plants tends to produce most fruit. It grows very successfully in sun and dense shade and in any soil. Plant every.9m (3ft) It grows to 2.5m (8ft)

Ceanothus Californian Lilac
Beautiful blue flower and small rich glossy green leaves. Most varieties flower in May and June. Suits a more sheltered position. Plant every 9m (3ft) Eventual height is 3m (9ft).

Escalonia
Dense glossy green Leaves work well as a wind break. This flowers very freely in the summer with pink red or white flowers. It thrives in any soil. Plant every.9m (3ft) grows to 2.5m (8ft). Ilex aquifolium Holly
This is a slow growing but makes an impenetrable evergreen hedge. Usually the female plants bear the berries. It can produce good garden interest in dark green variegated, silver and yellow varieties. Plant every .8m (2.5ft)

Elaegnus
Medium to large foliage shrubs available in evergreen and deciduous varieties. Silver, yellow and variegated foliage varieties. Grows to 3m (9ft) planted at.9m (3ft) spacing

Photinias
Noted for there rich red new growth. Leathery shiny leaves similar to a Rhododendron.A tough large growing shrub. Very attractive red new leaves in spring. Grows 3m(9ft) at 9m(3ft) spacing.

Prunus Lustanicia Portuguese Laurel .
These frequently make good tall thick foliage hedges. Excellent for privacy. Upright in habit with small dark green leaves and red stems. They will grow to 3m(9ft)at 9m(3ft)spacing.

Laurocerasus Common Laurel. Glossy oval pointed leaves producing white flowers in spring. Very bushy and hardy and will grow in all soils except waterlogged sites.They will grow to 4m(13ft) planted at 9m(3ft)

Marbled White. A very pretty variety with white markings on the leaves.Bushy and tough .Growing to 2.5m(8ft) planted at 8m(2.5ft)spacing.

Viburnum Tinus
A reliable old favourite found in most Church yards. Medium sized dark green leaves. White or pink blossom in early spring. It’s grows around .45m(1.5ft) a year. Grows in sunny or part shade conditions and likes moist soil. Plant 80cm 2.5 ft apart.

Ligustrum ovafoluim Privet
Semi evergreen ,deep green leaves ideal formal hedge. Suits almost all soils. Golden Privet is a good alternative with its bright foliage. Plant every
45m(1.5ft) apart. It grows to 2.5m(8ft).

Taxus Baccata (common yew)
The English yews commonly seen in churchyards make one of the best long-lived dividing hedge. It provides a dark background for flower beds and borders.Plant 75cm (2.5 ft0

Cotoneaster.
A large family of deciduous and evergreen varieties grown for their remarkable display of berries in the autumn. Small white flowers in June. Plant every 9m(3ft).

Buxus sempervirens common box
Grow up to 6ft and requires regular trimming. Plant 30 cm (1 ft )apart.

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Garden Notes July 2012

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