Readers’ gardens
A suburban garden in Surrey where not an inch of space is wasted, with year-round colour and interest.
All my seeds and plants have been ordered and I’ve started the seed sowing – aubergines, peppers, chillies, some ‘Ailsa Craig’ onions and ‘Zebrune’ and ‘Figaro’ shallots. I’m trying a few varieties I haven’t grown before, starting with free GN seeds of marigold ‘Moon’, which will fit into my bedding scheme of bright colours for the front garden. Cosmos ‘Lemonade’ caught my eye, as did the look of white pattypan squash ‘Delikates’. As I haven‘t grown physalis for a couple of years I’ll also be growing a variety called ‘Golden Berry Pineapple’.
This year I’m putting trailing fuchsia ‘Coachman’ in the basket tree instead of my usual ‘Put’s Folly’, of which I’ll take cuttings to use around the garden.
The back garden smells absolutely wonderful with the Chimonanthus praecox and Sarcococca confusa in full flower, but I’m getting a bit impatient for the front garden to burst fully into bloom.
Some really serious pruning has been done in the back garden – even my Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ didn’t escape the loppers! I must admit I hate it when plants have to be pruned hard, even though I know it needs to be done. I am, though, very pleased to report that the council has pollarded all the lime trees in our road. Hopefully we won’t have a problem with black sooty mould covering all the plants in the front border as we did last year.
I’m really excited about choosing some new plants for the border – I’ve ordered some penstemons and, in a couple of weeks’ time, will go to the nursery to choose some more perennial plants. There should still be plenty of room for cosmos and marguerites in summer.