MAY YOUR BLOOMS BE WITH YOU!
Wallflowers provide fragrance and their warm tones look superb against the cool, hazy blues of Forget-Me-Nots. The overhead canopes look at their very best with soft new foliage, additionally Lilacs provide wonderful pale blues rapidly succeeded by golden yellow chains of Laburnums. The massive flowers of Peonies add an indulgent touch to the herbaceous borders.
Woodland sites become dusted by snowflakes of wild Garlic globes. Late in the month, blue chains of Wisteria become an unforgettable sight.
Your shady parts have never been so bright
1. ‘George Reynolds’ - Funnel shaped yellow flowers, flushed pink in bud.
2. ‘Gloria Mundi’ - Fragrant honeysuckle-like, yellow-flared orange blooms.
3. ‘Norma’ - Rose-red hose-in-hose flowers with a salmon glow to them.
4. ‘Corneille’ - Fragrant honeysuckle-like cream flowers, flushed pink outside.
5. ‘Hydon Hunter' - Masses of large, bell-shaped red rimmed flowers, which are paler towards the centre. Truly a star variety and well worth growing.
Hoe-ly days ahead
HOE over borders on a weekly basis during dry weather to keep weeds in check.
Harden the garden
HARDEN off your bedding plants by placing them outside during the day and covering them with fleece or bringing them indoors at night.
Give peas a chance
Pots of Sweet Peas can be purchased and planted at the base of trellis or obelisks.
Time for veg-ing out
PLANT young courgettes and marrows out of doors towards the end of the month wherever there is space in your garden.
Ideal Phlox-tuation
PINCH out the tips of Phlox to ensure a better display of blooms.
Must prune soon
PRUNE Clematis ‘Montana’ fairly hard as soon as they finish flowering.
PEONIES are expensive but well worth purchasing for your garden. I have selected a few varieties that I think will entice you at the garden centre as perfect herbaceous plants for a sunny sheltered border. ‘Sarah Bernhardt (double pale pink), Magic Orb (double deep pink), Souvenirde Maxime (peachy orange), Knighthood (double rich red).
WITH summer just around the corner, it is now time to plan and plant your patio displays. There are so many different types of containers to choose from and plants which will compliment these - it’s just a case of finding the perfect match! A lot of people get bored with the same old displays year after year, so we’ve come up with a few themes to make a difference as you wallow in the summer sun. Why not try.....
Moody Blues - A glazed blue square container could be planted with Fuchsia ‘Carmel Blue’, Helichrysum’Silver’, Scaveolas, Lobelia ‘Sapphire’, Hosta ‘Undulata’, white Petunias and Surfinia ‘Blue Vein’.
A Shimmering Silver - White Pelargoniums, purple Verbena and pink Impatiens look superb in a shiny metal bucket with drainage holes.
Summer Warmth - For a terracotta urn, plant Gazanias, Rudbeckias, Lemon African Marigolds and red Salvia ‘ Blaze of Fire’. Heart warming!!!
Au Naturel - A stone trough would look splendid planted with herbs. For height choose Lavender ‘Stoechas’, Rosemary and Fennel. For trailing effect, go for various Thymes, Chives and trailing Rosemary.
Basket in the Sunlight - Old-style pointed wicker baskets are all the rage at the moment and look superb with dainty flowered plants, such as Bacopa ‘Snowflake’, trailing Lobellias and Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums.
Willow away in the peas and quiet - Sweet Peas would look excellent climbing up a willow obelisk set in a wooden barrel.
All the above containers will need regular watering and feeding with phostrogen throughout the summer months.
Make sure you box clever
ADD a finishing touch to your rose beds or cottage garden borders by planting an edging of Buxus Sempervirens, commonly known as ‘Box’. This makes a superb low hedge and is not as slow-growing as is commonly thought. It is easy to care for, providing attention to watering is paid for the first few months.
You can bet it will be wet...
MAY will start off more showery than we have been used to, but the fine warm weather should return during the second week. The third week may bring some thundery weather followed by rather unsettled wet conditions, good for the plants!
THIS Bloomin’ Great and previous editions are available to read on-line at https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/bloomingreat/. Why not put your ideas forward for future features by E-mailing us at: Email: bloomingreat@postmaster.co.uk
I HAVE discovered or rediscovered even a herbaceous plant which will perform beautifully wherever it is planted. This plant is rarely out of flower between April and Christmas. And micro-propagation has made it readily available, very recently, on the market. This plant will attract bees and butterflies in droves and once the display is finally over the seed heads look very attractive during the winter.
This plant has undeservedly been given the name of Scabious, an inappropriate sounding name for such a beautiful plant that will add a soft touch to your borders. My favourite varieties are ‘Butterfly Blue’ and ‘Pink Mist’.
(Paul Tovey)
See you next month!
Go back
