Gardener’s Corner

What a lovely month April is, as real autumn begins. The air is crisp, and the sun’s rays are gentler.

Although you have had to pull out many flowering friends, there are always exciting things to do like divide perennials, cutting back shrubs to create more space and share with friends.

Perennials are a great garden blessing, how gratifying to divide and spread their beauty around the garden. Having a variety of plants, the happier and healthier they will be and there is less room for weeds.

In the wild plants grow where they are best suited. Hybridised plants need special treatment and stimulants, but organic plants are mostly trouble free and water wise, and more likely to be happy and healthy.

Examples of these as follows: alyssum, ageratum, arctotis, calendula’s, candytuft, cornflowers, cosmos, dianthus, myosotis, foxglove, linaria, lupin, nasturtium, nigella, scabious, Namaqualand daisies and eschscholzia, (California poppy). Most of these can be grown from seed and most will self-seed which is even more delightful.

If you plant a packet of eschscholzia right now you will get masses of blooms in Spring and for years to come if you let them self-seed.

Few of us are not affected by fragrance in our gardens, it is one of the delightful and blessed gifts which nature provides. Honeysuckle, roses, jasmine, gardenias, murraya and brunfelsia, (Yesterday Today and Tomorrow), to name a few.

I have a luculia shrub in my garden, and I love to gift bunches away when it flowers as it is very fragrant.

Veggies: Most winter veg can be planted now, seedlings of lettuce, leeks, carrots, turnips, parsnips, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach.

Happy gardening.