yardz

UNDER THE BOARDWALK

 

In most gardens space can be a problem but in very small gardens it can be critical. Raised or cantilevered decks can give the bonus of planting space beneath them.

Plants should be chosen that will be happy in dry shade. I have used evergreen ferns and a selection of hostas, including the 'white' Hosta White Feather. I have watered them to settle them in but should now survive with little help other than an annual feed of chicken pellets.

The next step is to get some under deck spotlights to create a bit of theatre at night.

TOMATILLO A CHANGE FROM TOMATOES

 

Why not grow Tomatillo as a change from tomatoes this year.

They produce golf ball sized green fruits encased in a papery husk. The fruits can be used unripe in salso or ripe eaten raw or used in pies and jams.Grow in pots or growbags and treat as tomatoes.

Tomatillo Large Green from Thompson and Morgan  £1.69 40 seeds

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/608/1.html

BLACK TULIP TREE

  

Magnolias are looking amazing this year with few late frosts the flowers have kept there perfect colours and shape.

Though normally too big for the yard growing to the size of a medium sized tree*, they do make an amazing feature in spring.

Of all the magnolias Magnolia Black Tulip is possibly the most stunning. It is well named with its perfect tulip shaped flowers of the deepest purple that is almost black. It would be suitable to grow in a large container using a loam based compost but would need watering well throughout the growing season.

* The best smaller magnolia to grow is without doubt Magnolia stellata which has small brilliant white flowers.

 

GRASS OR DECKING.......OR BOTH?

On sunny days it can be difficult to decide whether to relax on the deck or stretchch out on the lawn. You can now do both with this very clever product from www.sunnyaspects.co.uk.

GrasseDeck is a simple idea -
take a deck board, make a recess in the surface, get the strongest exterior quality water curing glue and bond a strip of sports quality artificial grass into it.


The result is a board which can be cut easily with a saw for making any kind of deck shape. It comes in various lengths, including 3.6, 3, and 2.4 metres. The deckboards can be screwed down to sub-frames in the conventional way.

 

They also supply Grassescreen and Grassefencemade to order for those who want to be enclosed with soft green hedging but do not want the hassle of cutting it!

Grassedeck, I notice, is also stocked by B&Q in their outdoor living catalogue. 

SHACKUP A NEW LOOK AT SHEDS

 

Wayne and Gerardine Hemmingway have designed affordable homes for the last 8 years and have now turned their attention to the British institution of the shed. Trading as www.shackup.co.uk they have produced sheds that are both stylish and fun. they are available in various sizes including a bike shed called 'bikeinabox'.

 

SALAD DAYS WITH HUMAX BAGS

 

Yardz discovered Humax growing bags last spring. They are small grow bags that contain an organic compost that is suitable for specific vegetables. There are a selection of bags including potato, tomato and pepper, strawberry, leek and onion, cucumber and salads.

Each bag is designed to grow one crop up to harvest. You simply open the bag, plant your veg and water. Nothing else to do until harvest except water as required. Nothing could be simpler.

Perfect for the smaller garden, balcony or roof garden they are well worth searching out. About £4.99 a bag.

www.humax.co.uk

A TOUCH OF LIME

   

Heucheras are wonderful groundcover and container plants. Most of the older varieties are either green or burgundy but breeders have in the last decade presented us with an amazing range of bright colours from yellow through peach to almost black.

One of the best though is Heuchera Key Lime Pie. It forms mounds of lime greenfoliage that curls up at the edges.If planted in full sun a silver marbling appears on the leaves and attractive pinky red flowers are produced in early summer.

To bring out this bright lime foliage try planting with burgundy foliage companion plants such as Berberis Bagatelle,Berberis Hellmonds Pillar or one of the dark leaved phormiums such as Phormium tenax 'All Black'.

Other lime coloured heucheras include Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' and Heuchera 'Citronelle'.

www.westcountrylupins.co.uk

MANUAL FOR A GREEN YARD

 

Plot, Pots or Growbags by Steve Ott, Emma rawlings & Roxanne Warwick is a great manual for growing your own fruit and veg.

 Although it includes a lot of information relating to growing fruit and veg in traditional beds the main wow factor is that it gives clear information on how to grow a full range of veg in pots and growbags and also veg that aren't suitable.

The layout is excellentwith suggested best varieties, which composts to use, but best of all, it gives an indication of the size of container required to grow your veg and get a reasonable crop.

The book is published by Foulsham at £9.99 and is available in bookshops and some garden centres. It is also available at a reduced price direct from www.growveggies.net

MICROGREENS

 

Microgreens are all the rage with celebrity chefs as a decorative topping for their creations.

They have more flavour than mature greens, are packed with nutrients and are ready to harvest in days.

'Microgreens or micro leaves are vegetable seedlings harvested between 6 and 21 days old for their intense taste.  Microgreens can be grown all year round, all you need is a windowsill. Obviously during the winter months when there is not as much light as in the summer months, growing times may be little longer, but not much longer.'

Microgreens can be grown is the same manner as growing leafgreens but the are harvested at a much younger stage. You can buy seeds for this but the easiest way is to buy a prepared kit from sites such as www.themasterherbalist.co.uk.

   

Varieties include amaranth, red basil, celery, tatsoi, mizuma and purple broccoli and are all £2.92 a pot. 

 

POTATOES IN CONTAINERS JUST HAVING FUN 2

 

The seed potatoes have finally been put to bed in their bags, having been 'chitted' (allowed to sprout from the 'eyes') on a convenient bedroom windowsill.

I have planted them in Westland Organic Vegetable Compost (www.gardenhealth.com)  which I've not used before but this year has been selling well in garden centres due to the massive interest in growing vegetables in containers. The potatoes have been set in 4"/10cm of compost, more will be added as the potatoes grow until the bags are full.

The potato varieties I am growing this year are:

Charlotte - A very popular salad variety producing pear shaped yellow skinned waxy tubers Great flavour hot or cold.

Red Duke of York - A great general purpose potato with moist yellow flesh and a great flavour.

Vivaldi - No. 1 for taste. Great all rounder that produces high yields of baby potatoes as an early crop.