My yard in the winter snow showing the benefit of growing evergreens that give shape and shadow to the winter garden. The round shape of clipped box contrast with the spiky sword shaped leaves of phormium and cordyline.
YARDZPLANT
03/02/2009
SNOWDROPS
Snowdrops living up to their name in the garden centre in rare snow in Devon today.
Snowdrops are really worth planting especially under shrubs where they can be seen nestling in the snow. Always buy snowdrops growing in pots or as dug up plants 'in the green' as the dried bulbs you buy in packets in the autumn never grow as well. There are a wide range of varieties including double flowered snowdrops.
26/01/2009
A TREE WITH WOW FACTOR
Planting trees in small spaces frightens people.Will it grow too large and block out the light? Will it's roots undermine my house foundations? etc., etc..
My choice for a small tree with wow factor is Crataegus Paul's Scarlet. This is a decorative hawthorn with mid green leaves and double dark pink flowers in late spring. It's as 'tough as old boots' and stand up to city pollution. Can grow up to 8m tall but with regular pruning you can keep it to the size you want.
www.crocus.com £34.25 10ltr Pot
23/01/2009
BLUEBERRIES
On the BBC's 'One Show' this week there was a report on the benefit of eating blueberries to improve memory especially in old age.
Blueberries have been used for centuries as a treatment for a wide range of ailments from bladder stones to mouth ulcers. In WW2 it was reported that pilots nighttime vision was improved after eating blueberry jam!
Blueberries can be easily grown in 30-40cm containers using an ericaceous compost that contains no lime. Plants are available in pots now ready to plant and should cost about £12.00.
The berries are produced in two crops and one bush should produce 2-5kg of fruit. For the best crops it is advised to grow more than one plant to improve pollination.
There are compact varieties of blueberry that are perfect for growing in small spaces - Toro and Bluetta are possibly the ones to look out for.
21/01/2009
WINTER WARMERS FOR PERENNIALS
Growing perennials in containers is great in a small space. They give long periods of foliage interest from spring through to the frosts of late autumn and offer a great range of flower and colour. In these hard times they are also very cost effective especially if you buy the low price pre-packs available in shops and garden centres over the next few weeks.
The only problem with growing perennials in containers is that they don't like their roots being frozen for long periods in the winter and cooked in the heat of summer.
The Lindesburg Pot from www.madebyfragerdala.comhas in built insulation that makes them frostproof as well as being light and virtually unbreakable. The design insulates the roots from cold and heat, yet lets them breath. The pot comes in three styles and a selection of colours. Cost around £60
11/01/2009
A SPRING GARNET
Yesterdays Telegraph gardening section had an interesting feature on growing Euphorbia Whistleberry Garnet. This is a stunning evergreen Euphorbia that produces a low mound of foliage that is tinged red. By late spring the red centred acid-yellow flowers are produced in abundance to brighten dull days.
Clump forming euphorbias are generally easy to grow and can make good container plants. The acid-yellow flower colouring is a great foil to spring flowering bulbs and the mounded foliage not only gives year round easy maintenance foliage but also looks amazing when frosted.
www.crocus.co.uk £6.84 2ltr
10/01/2009
MAKING THE MOST OF FROST
The beauty of frost on foliage shows the importance in small spaces to plant for all year round interest. Ground cover plants such as heuchera and liriope, which tend to hold their foliage through the generally mild winters that we now have, give us a bonus when decorated by hard frosts.
Look around at gardens and pick out the best plants that show off in this weather and try to use them in your ground cover planting or winter containers.
Some of the best plants are Heuchera esecially the dark leaved varieties, Liriope muscari, Euphorbia griffithii, Euphorbia martinii, and Buxus.
02/01/2009
POTATOES IN CONTAINERS JUST HAVING FUN
Now is the time to decide to grow your own potatoes in containers. Llets be clear you are never going to be self sufficient in potatoes by growing them in containers in your yard. You will though have the enjoyment of seeing them grow and tasting the freshest tastiest spuds you could imagine and above all its great FUN!
There are a wide variety of specific containers for potato growing on the market from cheap and cheerful woven plastic bags to proper potato barrels - any will do but some are more stylish than others. If none suit you, choose a large container that fits with your yard style but make sure it is large and has good drainage.
It is easy to be put off by not knowing what variety to plant - garden centres can have upward of 50 different varieties and they can be confusing separated into earlies, mids and lates - what does that mean? It refers to the time of planting and harvesting. With container growing you should look for early potato varieties that grow and mature in a short space of time.
Three varieties I would recommend are:
Annabelle - A compact potato that produces long oval tubers that are yellow skinned with pale yellow flesh.
Charlotte - This is a great salad potato with pear shaped yellow skinned tubers with creamy yellow flesh. It has pale purple flowers. Great hot or cold.
Swift - Fast maturing with a short bushy growth. Holds a heavy crop of round smooth white fleshed tubers.
I'm not going to go into how you plant and care for them there are plenty of sites that give great information and instructions but just give it a go.
17/12/2008
JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON
Garden centres are jumping on the 'Mama Mia' film bandwagon with the arrival in centres in time for Christmas of the Rose Mama Mia.
The rose has large double orange-red flowers that are fragrant and repeat flowering.
About £7.99 for a 3ltr potted plant.
15/12/2008
THE PERFECT BLUE CHRISTMAS TREE
Picea pungens Hoopsii Colorado Spruce
The Colorado Spruce makes a great conifer for containers. It likes full sun and protected from cold winds so is ideal for an enclosed sheltered yard.
It is a small to medium sized conifer that grows slowly to create a conical shape. Plant in an ample container using ericaceous compost as it prefers an acid soil.
The blue is stunning at any time of the year but especially in the cold sunny days of winter.
Treat yourself to one this winter, www.wyevale.co.ukhave plants in 3ltr pots starting at £6.25.
http://www.wyevale.co.uk/Picea-pungens-Hoopsii/0850024581,default,pd.html
