Pretty bloomers
The height of summer, but there’s plenty to be planted and propagated. Now’s the time to take rock rose cuttings and check clematis, says Mary Lovell-Smith.
ORNAMENTALS
• Take cuttings of rock rose by choosing a strong side shoot off a non-flowering stem, up to 10cm long. Remove lower leaves and insert into a pot filled with a mix of soil, river sand and leaf mould. Place in plastic bag and keep moist.
• Keep an eye out for clematis wilt, a fungal disease that can kill the plant. Signs include wilting leaves with blackening stalks, and/or blackening stems. Cut back all stems to healthy tissue and destroy the affected matter. New, healthy shoots will often sprout up from the base.
• Clematis likes its roots in the shade and vines in the sun – planting with this in mind will help combat wilt.
• To lessen the likelihood of black spot, give roses a dressing of potash.
• Sow violas and pansies directly where they are to grow.
• Remember in hot dry weather container-grown plants may need watering twice a day.
• Seeds may be saved from both annual and perennial flowers and are best gathered once they harden. To be really sure of a successful gathering of favourites, tie a small paper bag loosely around some of the flowers as they start to age, brown or wilt. Remember too, that while you may think you have enough self-seeded lupins, honeywort, hollyhocks or whatever, you are sure to know a gardener who will be only too happy to obtain seeds for free. EDIBLES
• Plant broccoli, cabbages and cauliflowers in rich soil – where potatoes have been growing is good. Add a generous dose of lime to the soil to help prevent club root, and as these vegetables’ ancestors were seaside dwellers, a sprinkling of sea salt is thought to be beneficial. Or even some seaweed draped alongside. Make some compost tea by soaking seaweed in water (other material may also be brewed with it, such as nettles, horse manure or comfrey) and watering it on the plants throughout their life.
• When planting seedlings in the hotter months, water in well and ensure they never dry out until they are well established.
• Keep an eye on courgettes – oh-so quickly they turn into the way-less-desirable marrows. Keep tying up tomatoes as they grow, and remove all laterals. As the fruit matures and starts to ripen, remove the lower leaves. Traditional Italian tomato growers continue removing leaves right up to the first frosts, often ending up with a vine almost bereft of them.
Any pipfruit or plum trees planted last season may need a light prune to keep shape, removing overly strong shoots. • •