yardz

BUMBLE BEE SUMMER

The Beepol Garden Hive from www.dragonfli.co.uk houses a live colony of bumble bees in a maintenance free hive. These native disease free bees will help polinate your flowers fruit and veg including tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. Though they only last till winter new queen eggs laid will help build the native bumble bee population. 
 

TWO TONE GRAPE HYACINTHS

Grape Hyacinths, Muscari, are great bulbs for containers and hanging baskets. These are Muscari latifolium, the two-colour Muscari, that flower in March and April. Growing to about 20cm high they are perfect to mix with bedding plants though being non-invasive they are great for borders. 

MARMALADE'S NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST

Primrose Marmalade just shines in the Spring sunshine. Great for containers with their dark coloured leaves and flowers that last from late winter into early Spring. Prefers a moist soil or compost but is happy in sun or shade. 

SNOW WHITE BEDDING

 
The Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger, is rarely in flower at Christmas when planted in open ground but does tend to flower earlier if planted in containers. The stunningly white flowers contrast well against their deeply cut dark green foliage. They do make great container plants when planted as young flowering plants which you can pick up from good garden centres for about £3.99. Underplant them with dwarf spring flowering bulbs such as the blue Grape Hyacinth, Muscari armeniacum or the deep blue Iris reticulata. These are now also available in pots ready to flower.

THE EASY WAY TO SWITCH ON BULBS IN YOUR YARD

Spring in any garden is all about bulbs. They are the original convenience plant. They come ready packaged, containing all the food they need to sustain them until they finish flowering.

If you missed out planting your containers with spring flowering bulbs in the autumn, pots of pre-grown bulbs are now available in DIY stores and garden centres. They are a great no-risk item - sprouted ready to flower in a few weeks time.
 

MORE THAN JUST A HERB

Once winter bites most of the herbs I grow retreat for the winter but this year my Garlic Chives, having flowered late, are fighting the frost! Unlike the ordinary chives that have rounded foliage and purple ball shaped flowers, Garlic Chives have flat leaves and umbels of white flowers held high on slender stems. The flowers now dry, are covered in frost in the mornings creating a super architectual feature.

Garlic Chives are a great substitute for garlic in cooking as the leaves have a sweet garlic flavour. You can I believe, lift clumps in the autumn, pot them up and keep them growing on the kitchen windowsill to use throughout the winter. You can grow them from seed but its easier to buy plants in the spring.
 

JUST LOVE THIS HEDGE

Photo Philippe Perdereau

I just love this hedge! It may be a bit over the top for my small yard but it is a great image.

The garden was designed by the landscape architect Piet Blanckaert for a client in Belgium. The grass used for these amazing feathery hedges is Pennisetum alopecuroides Hamelm. Maintenance is easy, the plants are just cut down in spring with shears and then they will grow to acheive their full potention by the end of summer. Wow.
 

CONIFERS BACK IN STYLE?

 
Conifers have been out of fashion for the last thirty years with the increase in popularity first of shrubs and mixed borders and then perennials and grasses. But now they are making a come back with more being seen at the Chelsea Flower Show this year.

Conifers can be great for small spaces as they provide not only evergreen colour but also an architectual feature throughout the year. Try planting in formal blocks of the same variety separated by evergreen shrubs or grasses.

 
 

STUNNING CALLICARPA BERRIES

 
Callicarpa, the Beauty Berry, is looking at its best now. The brilliant violet berries stand out from the bare stems of this deciduous shrub. Though it can reach up to two metres high it can be pruned to a framework in spring to allow it to be container grown. The berries generally last through the winter as birds tend to go for other berries first - may be the colour is not so easily detected by birds. The foliage starts a bronze-purple in spring turning dark green in summer and then tinged violet in autumn.

The violet purple berries look amazing set above an underplanting of deep pink Miracle Cyclamen. 
www.crocus.co.uk  £8.99

RICE BAG PLANTERS

A new offering from one of my favourite sites www.gardenbeet.com are these colourful Rice bag Planters. They are a Fair Trade product being made in Cambodia from recycled bags. They can be planted directly into the bags or used as a decorative pot holder.
 

http://www.gardenbeet.com/rice-bag-planters.html   £7.99