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News - Page 105
The warm, sometimes damp weather at this time of year is a slug’s paradise – so now is the time to get your slug defences well and truly up. The slimy molluscs top the list of gardeners’ most-hated pests nearly every year as they munch their way through tender, just-planted seedlings and turn young dahlias and sunflowers into lace doilies.
Tackle Slugs
Keep particularly vulnerable plants, like seedlings, up on shelves in pots where you can inspect th...
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Plant yourself some productive pots! A roomy container or three can produce a surprising range of fruit, vegetables and herbs. Veg you can grow in pots include chilli peppers, sweet peppers, salads and green beans. Bush varieties of tomato do brilliantly, too, cascading over the sides laden with scarlet fruits by autumn. Look out for seeds marked ‘container veg’ on the seed racks at our garden centre here in Pickering - these are bred specially for growing in pots a...
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The first garden to be entirely designed around hedgehogs has opened at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Yorkshire. Wildlife charity the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) joined forces with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to create the Hedgehog Street Garden, designed by award- winning landscaper Tracy Foster.
RHS Harlow Carr
Among hedgehog-friendly features in the garden are nesting sites, “Hedgehog Highways” providing access to neighb...
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Lift and divide clumps of spring bulbs to keep them vigorous and full of flower – and to spread them around your garden to boost next year’s display!
Spring bulbs
You can lift and divide all clump-forming bulbs, from bluebells and daffodils to snowdrops. Most bulbs need lifting and dividing every three to four years: if your largest clumps put on a lacklustre display this spring, overcrowding is probably the cause.
Water the c...
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If you ever made a daisy chain as a child, you’ll already be familiar with the charms of our favourite wildflower, Bellis perennis. Daisies are the ultimate low-maintenance plant, easy to grow from seed and often treated as weeds – especially when they pop up in the middle of your lawn. But they are invaluable in any wildlife-friendly garden as they’re great favourites with pollinating insects like bees, butterflies and hoverflies which love their nectar-rich, open...
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Plant up an edible hanging basket for a summer full of delicious flavour, picked just outside your back door.
Hanging baskets
You’ll find all you need at the garden centre here in Pickering, from baskets and liners to ready-grown young plants to fill them with. Tumbling tomatoes are a great place to start, cascading happily from baskets and covered in jewel-like cherry toms from later in summer. Add herbs, such as basil or marjoram...
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This year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival has a definite sparkle: it’s taking its inspiration from Malvern Spa’s Victorian heydey as a fashionable health resort.
RHS Malvern Spring Festival
The second major show of the year, Malvern boasts a brand new category of show gardens for 2017. Spa Gardens showcases the work of up and coming designers, mentored by Chelsea Gold Medal winning designer Jo Thompson. And of course, there will be the usual impressive...
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“When in doubt – plant a geranium!” declared plantswoman and gardener Margery Fish, and her advice remains as true today as ever. Hardy geraniums are as reliable as they come, blooming for weeks in summer (and often come back for a second flush if you cut them back after flowering). They cope with all kinds of soil, sun or part shade, and smother the ground with masses of flowers in pink, white, blue or mauve. If you’re stuck for the right plant to fill a gap, a ger...
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Train grapevines as they grow to keep them from taking over your greenhouse or house wall, and to make sure they stay productive and healthy. It’s a little late in the season to be planting a new grapevine now, but if you’ve missed out, make a note to pop into the garden centre here in Pickering and select a vine to plant this autumn. You can choose from dessert or wine varieties, red or white: feel free to ask our knowledgeable staff for advice on...
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Repair damaged lawns as bare patches become more visible – often the legacy of a punishing, soggy winter. Lawn seed sown now germinates quickly as the weather warms, so it’s a great time to put things right.
Damaged lawn
Skim off the damaged patches of turf, then fork over the area to a depth of about 8cm. Break up and clods with the back of a fork until the soil has a fine, even texture. Improve the soil by adding some compost, then...
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