Colour for your July Garden

Sep 17, 2022 | 0 comments

Typically, we think of July as Summertime in Britain.  Hampton Court Flower Show, Wimbledon and The Proms all feature this month and are markers of a British Summer.  Then picture the quintessentially British Summer Garden and I bet you see beds of jumbled up Cottage Garden favourites, jostling with each other for space and competing with their colour!

Actually, July in the garden can be somewhat different!  It’s a bit of a green month; sometimes providing a bit of a lull between the fresh greens and colours of Spring and the more intense colours that come with those plants flowering in late Summer.  So, if you’re feeling a bit jaded in this heat and your garden is too here are some ideas for planting to pick you up in this July gap!

Lavender – the colour seems more intense than usual this month and I wonder if the dry weather is helping to lock in the colour and scent!  It typically likes dry conditions, not liking heavy clay soils and the potential for soggy roots!  Shear off the flowers after they have flowered and then shear again in the Spring to keep the bushes compact as they are prone to getting leggy and woody.
Hibiscus – the flowers on Hibiscus look so tropical but love the conditions in Britain.  It’s just getting going in July and will last into the Autumn.  Prefers a well-drained soil too and a hard prune in Spring.
Roses – Is it just me or have they been spectacular this year?  Whatever your favourite colour or scent you will find a Rose for you.  Just keep deadheading or picking them and they will flower for you all Summer long, if not year long!  Prune them over the Winter, removing anything that is dead, damaged or diseased and a 3rd of stems and they will thrive and flower for you.
Allium Sphaerocephalon – is the later flowering Allium and was all over the Flower Shows this year.  It’s a dark purple and tear dropped shaped and looks great planted through a border.  Remember to plant in groups of odd numbers for bigger visual impact but a great plant that even when the flowers have faded will leave a striking seedhead for you to enjoy for the rest of the year.
Yarrow (Achillea) can be spotted at this time if year with it’s flat topped umbels and feathery light green foliage.  It comes in a variety of colours, prefers well-drained soils but again gives you striking seedheads when the flowers have faded.  All you need to do is cut them down when they look too scruffy and wait for the flowers again next year.
The Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is tough as old boots!  But produces the most beautiful flowers and (as its name suggests) the bees and the butterflies love it!  Cut it down every Spring so it doesn’t get out of hand and it will reward with you flowers and scent!

Just a few ideas to bring some colour to July.  Let me know what your favourites are.

Renée x

7 reasons to go to a local Plant Sale

Mar 25, 2019 | 0 comments

The season of the Plant Sale is upon us!

Local Gardeners and Groups will be sharing details of these sales about now and I urge you to go!  Not only will you pick up plants that have been lovingly grown in your local area you’ll probably meet some of the nicest people there are!

Here’s my seven top reasons to go to a Plant Sale:

  • You will pick up locally grown plants that like the conditions of the soil in your local area – if it liked it in your neighbour’s garden I’m 80% sure it will like it in your garden!
  • You’ll meet gardeners and gardeners love to talk plants and gardens and are usually super helpful and lovely!
  • Plants bought this way are blooming good value for money and are usually being sold in aid of a good cause
  • Questions are actively encouraged so if you’re new to gardening and aren’t sure what things are or what to do with them … always ask!  There’s never a stupid question!
  • Plants you buy this way haven’t travelled hundreds of miles to get to their destination and are usually in a recycled pot!  Gardeners are great ‘make do and menders’ and if you get to see inside anyone’s shed or greenhouse you will find highly creative ‘Heath Robinson’ solutions for all sorts of occasions!
  • Sharing of ideas.  Your new idea for your garden has probably been road-tested by someone else so this is a great place to share your ideas and get gardening tips from those who have been doing it for a while.
  • There is usually also cake on offer at a Plant Sale and for me there’s no better way to spend a Saturday morning than talking plants over tea and cake!

I have also been making new friends and sharing ideas online this year.  It definitely feels like the year of collaboration and although social media gets a lot of criticism the folk I have met online continues to astound me.

Most recently I joined an online Group that supports Mums who run their own businesses – its been invaluable and Laura that runs Power of Mum has created a virtual place where it feels like you’re sharing ideas over tea and cake.  I’m hoping to get to one of her events soon to eat cake in person but in the meantime you can read a bit more about me as she kindly featured me in her ‘A day in the life …’ Blog

 

Keep your eyes open for new of Plant Sales in your local area and let me know what treasures you find in the comments below.

Renée

x

 

 

Colour for your July Garden

Jul 19, 2018 | 0 comments

Typically, we think of July as Summertime in Britain.  Hampton Court Flower Show, Wimbledon and The Proms all feature this month and are markers of a British Summer.  Then picture the quintessentially British Summer Garden and I bet you see beds of jumbled up Cottage Garden favourites, jostling with each other for space and competing with their colour!

Actually, July in the garden can be somewhat different!  It’s a bit of a green month; sometimes providing a bit of a lull between the fresh greens and colours of Spring and the more intense colours that come with those plants flowering in late Summer.  So, if you’re feeling a bit jaded in this heat and your garden is too here are some ideas for planting to pick you up in this July gap!

Lavender – the colour seems more intense than usual this month and I wonder if the dry weather is helping to lock in the colour and scent!  It typically likes dry conditions, not liking heavy clay soils and the potential for soggy roots!  Shear off the flowers after they have flowered and then shear again in the Spring to keep the bushes compact as they are prone to getting leggy and woody.

Hibiscus – the flowers on Hibiscus look so tropical but love the conditions in Britain.  It’s just getting going in July and will last into the Autumn.  Prefers a well-drained soil too and a hard prune in Spring.

Roses – Is it just me or have they been spectacular this year?  Whatever your favourite colour or scent you will find a Rose for you.  Just keep deadheading or picking them and they will flower for you all Summer long, if not year long!  Prune them over the Winter, removing anything that is dead, damaged or diseased and a 3rd of stems and they will thrive and flower for you.

Allium Sphaerocephalon – is the later flowering Allium and was all over the Flower Shows this year.  It’s a dark purple and tear dropped shaped and looks great planted through a border.  Remember to plant in groups of odd numbers for bigger visual impact but a great plant that even when the flowers have faded will leave a striking seedhead for you to enjoy for the rest of the year.

Yarrow (Achillea) can be spotted at this time if year with it’s flat topped umbels and feathery light green foliage.  It comes in a variety of colours, prefers well-drained soils but again gives you striking seedheads when the flowers have faded.  All you need to do is cut them down when they look too scruffy and wait for the flowers again next year.

The Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is tough as old boots!  But produces the most beautiful flowers and (as its name suggests) the bees and the butterflies love it!  Cut it down every Spring so it doesn’t get out of hand and it will reward with you flowers and scent!

Just a few ideas to bring some colour to July.  Let me know what your favourites are.

Renée x

Maintaining your Garden

Jul 6, 2018 | 0 comments

I’ve just read this article about a community in London crowdfunding for a Community Gardener.  The appeal builds on the 10xGreener project, which has seen a BBC TV crew following the local community’s attempts to make a single street, Daubeney Road, ten times greener.

They have realised to keep the impetus going they need some consistent help and expertise and so are looking for a gardener 1 day a week to maintain some of the projects that have been created, offer advice to residents and continue making and planting.

There is so much about this project that makes me glow: community and connection through gardening and planting.

But what it highlights though is that when you start something you often have to maintain it, and gardens and gardening is no different.  I know that I get so excited by planting new plants, sowing seeds, making a hanging basket but that the nurturing of them, the care of them and the maintenance of them can sometimes feel overwhelming in the busy rush of life! And that the joy and excitement of starting the thing can quickly swing the other way when I’m disappointed in myself for not looking after something and seeing it literally shrivel up and die!

Don’t beat yourself up!  Do what you can and most importantly enjoy what you can!  Here’s some top tips to make gardening a bit easier:

  • Approach your space in chunks and do a chunk at a time. If your pots need watering and weeding do the watering today and the weeding tomorrow.
  • Weeding can feel overwhelming – use a hoe on a hot day to sever the small weeds from their roots – they will die in the warm weather on the top of the soil and you don’t have to collect them up – easier on the back and quicker to complete
  • Watering – water less often but for longer. Only new plants, seeds and pots and containers should need watering.  Established plants in the ground should look after themselves unless we have a severe drought.  Water your pots 2-3 times a week but make sure they get a good drink rather than just a splash every day
  • Leave you watering can outside so it can fill with rainwater and is close to hand to use
  • Don’t beat yourself up – it’s only you that knows what you haven’t done, or got round to!

Gardening can feel like a chore, but hopefully these tips can ensure you spend some time in your outdoor space enjoying it!

Renée x

Making your own Secret Garden

Jun 6, 2018 | 0 comments

I’m very excited!  They are remaking ‘The Secret Garden’ which is 1 of my very favourite books.  Its not to be mixed up with ‘Secret Garden‘ which is being released this year and which is about an entirely different topic!!  Its going to star Colin Firth and Julie Waters and I can’t wait to find out where they are filming it!

It got me thinking about our own gardens and how sometimes we want some secret space from the family but also private space from our neighbours.  So what makes up a Secret Garden:

  • Paths – that twist or turn or that has planting either side to create a path that runs through greenery.  What you don’t want is to see where the path goes.  You want it to draw you in to find out where it goes.
  • A destination – the path needs to take you somewhere – it could be to a seating area, a focal point or to the shed!  But the point is you can’t see the destination when you start out!
  • A canopy to cover and create a ‘room’.  This could be created with trees providing a natural canopy of leaves or it could be made by an arbour or pergola covered in climbers.
  • A garden gate – nothing more secret than to have to open a gate to go through to the next space.  It could be a wrought iron gate you can see through, or a panelled wooden one you have to open to see through!
  • Exuberant planting – that gives you a glimpse through to what is beyond.  Think of height and movement; to screen the background and colour and scent to stop you on your way.
  • Light and dark – there might be distinct areas so that you pass from shady paths into a sunny courtyard, but the light and temperature change ensures that all your senses feel the change as you explore further.
  • Organised chaos – for me a secret garden is a bit unkempt!  A bit overgrown and mossy at the edges!
  • Lights – the fabulous fairy lights that are available now are just the thing to be strung up in the trees, shrubs and canopy to let you use your secret garden in the evening when the fairies come out to play!!!

I’ve collated some images of Secret Gardens on Pinterest for inspiration!

Share your secret garden with me in the comments!

Renée

x

 

 

 

 

Ideas we can take from RHS Chelsea 2018

May 30, 2018 | 0 comments

So having caught up with all the coverage from Chelsea here are my thoughts on what we can take away from the Show to use in our gardens:

Yellow seems to have been a really popular accent colour with yellow Globeflowers (Troillus), Ladies Bonnets (Aquilegia), Woad, Hot Pokers (Kniphofia) and Lupins appearing in lots of the show gardens. And we’re not talking pastel Yellow here we’re talking bold and dramatic hues of Yellow bringing sparks of brightness to the foliage. All of these plants can be used in our gardens and I would add Sneezeweed (Helenium) and Aunt May (Sisyrinchium striatum) (pictured) to the Yellow Hit List!

Plants with vertical spires of flowers also seemed to crop up all over the place with Foxgloves (Digitalis), Mullein (Verbascum), Foxtail Lilies (Eremurus robustus) and especially Lupins making bold statements throughout the show gardens. We can definitely use these in our gardens, I would clump then together in odd numbers to make more impact and add Turkish Sage (Phlomis russeliana) and Bears Breeches (Acanthus mollis) to a list of high performing Flower Spires!

Corten Steel – we seem to have fallen in love with the coppery tones of corten steel and its been used in lots of differentways: planters, pots, water bowls, edging and pergolas. It’s definitely a modern material that we can use our gardens that melds with other materials and styles, whether traditional or more modern and is easy on the eye in its simplicity and sleekness. I especially like these Light Fittings by Nordlux at Wayfair.

So yes they are Show Gardens that sometimes cost more than my house is worth but I very much see them as the Couture Shows in fashion; they’re exciting and innovative and always provide inspiration for even the smallest of spaces!

Renée
x