Grow wiser
THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS ON GARDENERS’ LIPS AS WE ALL GET READY FOR SPRING
AS the exciting prospect of a new gardening season approaches, I’m getting asked lots of questions by anxious gardeners, many of whom are new to this hobby/passion. They want to get going but just need a few pointers in the right direction.
So here are some of the more frequently asked queries I think will be applicable to loads of gardeners across the UK.
How can you tell what should be cut back and is it too late now?
There are a couple of reasons to cut back. Perennials and ornamental grasses when they die off at the end of the summer look messy so we chop them back to tidy up.
Shrubs might be outgrowing their space and need chopping back. We also prune the likes of roses to encourage new growth and flowers.
The general rule of thumb is to leave spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia to flower and then cut them back. If you do them now you will chop off all the flower buds.
Shrubs that flower later in the summer such as buddleja can be cut back hard now as they flower on the new wood they produce from spring onwards.
Sometimes, however, the only good time to cut something is when you remember or have the time to do it.
Can you recommend some easy beginner plants for the garden?
Spring bulbs – just plant in autumn and they will do the rest of the work and need little onward maintenance.
Herbaceous plants such as nepeta, penstemon, hardy geraniums – they will bulk out and fill spaces easily.
From seed – nasturtium are so simple, with big seeds that are easy to handle and that germinate well, giving lots of foliage and bright orange, yellow and red flowers.
Low-maintenance shrubs – Pittosporum ‘Silver Queen’, which has evergreen leaves with a cream edge; Choisya ternata, hebe, and viburnum all offer a lot and give little trouble.
A tree – once it’s planted, it will only get better and better each year. Some of my favourites are Acer griseum, Magnolia ‘Leonard Messel’ and Betula jacquemontii.
Any help with balcony gardening for veg?
Where space is limited, use hanging baskets. They are perfect for trailing tomatoes such as Hundreds and Thousands as well as sweet peppers, which look ornamental and taste great. Strawberry pots allow vertical planting with their side pockets, with plantlets that will give juicy fruits later in the summer. Guttering strips will host shallow growing plants such as lettuce. Potatoes can be successfully cultivated using grow bags. You just keep adding compost as the plants grow. If you are very restricted in space, stick to smaller and useful crops such as herbs, salad leaves, spring onions, radishes or very compact tomatoes such as Red Robin.
What’s the best cut flower to grow?
Definitely sweet pea! You can’t beat it for fragrance and the flowers come in really delicate pastels.
Grow from seed now and train up a trellis as seedlings. The great thing is the more you cut, the more it produces flowers.
Is it too late to plant my tulips?
Yes! These need to go in the ground in November. However you will be able to buy pots of tulips about to flower now so it’s not too late to enjoy them.
Why does my clematis never bloom?
Clematis do take a while to feel at home but after a few years you definitely should be seeing flowers. If you’re seeing lots of green foliage and no flowers, avoid nitrogen feeds and give a high potash feed in early spring and keep doing so once a week until flowering. It depends on varieties but unless they are supposed to flower from late June onwards, don’t prune them at all in winter or early spring otherwise you will be chopping off the flowering buds.
What do you recommend for screening plants with shallow roots for a roof terrace?
How about the evergreen star jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides? This is a climber that has the most delicious scented white flowers and attractive evergreen leaves that will create a green tapestry. Or try a row of tall Miscanthus. These flower beautifully and can remain standing over winter as a screen before chopping them back around now.
Please keep writing in with your queries – I love trying to identify mystery species, helping out with those pesky pests and annoying diseases and making plant and design suggestions!