Shows and Gardens

I visited Shrewsbury Garden Show last weekend, I enjoyed three counties best but the show had plenty to offer and to look at. The show is more country fair than any show I visited before but it offered a good selection of plants to buy and it was easier to get planting advice than at three counties.

I was this weekend a visitor to Chatsworth House, home to the duke and duchess of dybershire with several hundred years of growing new and exciting plants. It showcases an amazing boulder filled rock garden, a giant step based water fall (both of these were built in the 17,00's)and amazing 100 foot water fountain. In more recent times its added a sensory garden and kitchen garden. The sensory garden I enjoyed for its wide range of planting, textures and smells. Herbs planted at hand height allow you to rub the leaves as you walked past enjoying the amazing smells of fennal, mint, sage and lemon balm amongst others. The kitchen garden show cased the estates one prior need for a large kitchen with an amazing range of fruit and veg. I would have liked to have seen a few gardeners from the estate around the garden so folks could ask questions about how they grow and cycle the crops (I noticed an array of rubarb pots I wanted to ask questions about). A plant sale is planned next month so I'll be returning to chatsworth for that.

Last of your summer jobs

Now in the last few weeks of summer (Frost risk in the northen UK begins in mid september, around 3 weeks time) I have a couple of jobs left to do.

• Make sure the greenhouse is ready for Autum, replace any broken glass (of which I have plenty), clean it out ready for winter storage and buy in a roll of bubble wrap so I can start insulating plants from frost risk.
• Clean up the strawberry bed (I have already done this) and towards the end of this month mulch it with manure or compost.
• Plants past their best can now be cut back and any summer bulbs that have finished flowering can be dug up. Remember to compost all suitable matter.
• Keep turning your compost and water it if it dries out.

While the weather is still warm keep watering during dry spells and feeding every week. Remember also to keep deadheading your displays as many flowers are in contintous flowering season at the moment.

Planting cranberries

The newest addition to the fold is 6 cranberry plants, these like acid sold that is very damp/boggy. Creating these conditions is important when you plant cranberries using either the side of a pond or as I will show here using lined holes. The first stage is to dig the hole you will plant the cranberry into (I am using plug plants).

Make sure the hole is of a good enough size to fit the plug and has enough room for the plant to grow and for the roots to spread, too narrow a hole and you will loose the bog effect you are looking to create. Next line the hole with plastic, to cut down on costs you can (as I have here) use thick refuse sack plastic.

Make sure the plastic lines the hole completely. Next refill the hole, this is an important stage. If you have sandy soil then you will lack the acid levels that Cranberry enjoys. You may have clay soil which is suitable for Cranberries, however rather than taking acid tests its easier to refill with a acid compost. As I have clay soil I have halfed the amount taken out and mixed with acid compost.

With the hole refilled make sure you tuck the plastic edges under and with your fingers create a hole in the center, into this hole add the plug and firm in.

Complete the job by covering the area with a mulch (bark chips in this case).

August, turn of the lillies

August is now here and late summer has begun, next month is classed in the gardening calender as the start of early autum so for the time being we can enjoy the last of summer. This month sees lillies come into flower and from the pic above you can see a collection of lillies coming into flower.

As bulb plants these are one of the easiest to grow. Planted in late April to May (deep or high winds will blow them over) with manure dug into the soil they will start to appear in mid June. When the appear start feeding them to give them a boost and you will see flowers around this time. They will flower through August and will start to die down after that, when the foliage dies back you can then either leave in place or if you suspect garden nasties might go to work on them then lift and store for next year. Make sure the bulbs are dry when you store or them (and stored in a dry place) or mould may be set in and damage or destroy them.