yardz

CONES WITH AN ACCENT ON COLOUR

 

The planting of my cone hanging baskets this year is a little more minimalist than it has been in the previous years. Last year was a very 'baroque' theme with a mixture of pinks, purples, blues and lime green.

I've used just Impatiens (bizzie lizzie) Accent salmon on its own which should give a massed effect of bright salmon pink flowers. Impatiens Accent flowers very early with really large flowers. It is available in a wide range of colours and will flower all summer in baskets, window boxes and containers.

CHELSEA PITCHER PLANTS

 

Sarracenias, Pitcher Plants, are all the rage at Chelsea this year being used in several of the show gardens.

All sarracenias can be grown outside in most areas of Britain. They are carniverous pitcher plants that catch insects and will feed themselves when growing outside.

 

http://www.easycarnivores.co.uk/site/content/view/17/31/

BLACK IS BLACK

 

Finding plants that are a true black is always dificult. Ophiopogon Black Beard is very close to a true black. It is a new introduction that is faster growing with foliage up to 55cm long. Perfect for containers as it is evergreen and is a great contrast against lighter coloured flowers.

UNDER THE BOARDWALK 2

 

With the hostas now in full leaf the deck seems to float above foliage. Simple but effective.

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.

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.

 

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

SEEDBED ROLLS

 

I noticed this advertised in the Times yesterday and thought what a great idea to have been brought from the commercial horticulture field to enable it to be used in our own gardens.

Grow your own fresh salads and vegetables with minimum fuss and fantastic results (almost without getting your hands dirty) using an all-in-one biodegradable grow mat, seed and polytunnel. Originally developed for commercial growers and recently made available for the kitchen gardener. Grow perfect salad leaves quickly with no pests, no disease, no weeding, no chemicals, no transplanting, and with less water. Each box contains 4 x 12ft rows. Simply prepare the seed bed, spread the roll, weigh down the edges with a little soil, stones or a length of wood, water and wait for the plants to grow. You’ll be amazed by the results. Green and Red Batavia Lettuce, Tango Lettuce and Cos.

There are currently four varieties:-

Tender Vegetables: Carrots, Ruby Chard and Beetroot

Meditteranean Salad: Chicory Italico Rosso, Rocket Dentellata, Lettuce Catalogna Cerbiatta & Amaranth

English Summer Salad: Lettuce Red Batavia, Green Batavia, Tango Lettuce & Cos Lettuce

Oriental Leaves: Mustard Red Frills, Mustard Green Frills, Mizuna, Tatsoi & Pak Choi

They are available from www.themasterherbalist.co.uk @£14.95 each

http://www.themasterherbalist.co.uk/products.php?cat=42

LUPINS ARE MORE THAN FLOWERING SPIRES

 

Lupins are great easy to grow perennials. Their bright colourful spires of flowers are hard to beat for summer colour. The dwarf varieties such as Gallery are easy to grow from seed and if you get sowing now you may get a good show this year. They are great for containers giving a good balance of flower height to foliage volume.

There is though more to lupins than flowers. The early fresh spring foliage traps beads of water in the centre of the leaves which sparkle in the morning sun.

PLUGGING INTO FUCHSIAS

   

The hard winter has killed off many of the less hardy plants in my yard. Among them has been three pots of large fuchsias which I knew were not fully hardy but like most gardeners in the south west of England I have always overwintered them in situ.

I'm going to replace them with more fuchsias though and no doubt will let them take their chance next winter. I was intending buying fully grown plants later in spring but whilst doing the weekly shop in Morrisons I spotted these plugs for only £1.75. They are a bush variety called Patio Princess which should provide me with ample flowers of carmine and white.

They are sold in their own little greenhouse in a little tray of plug cells. The clever bit though is that the plug tray sits on a bed of gel, the same sort of gel that you put in containers and hanging baskets to improve water retention, this has kept the plants in perfect condition throughout its journey from the nursery, to the store and now is allowing me to let them look after themselves until I can pot them on.