Planting Clematis
Plant clematis now to make the most of the warmth still lingering in the air and the soil. This means they have plenty of time to get their roots down before winter ready for a really good performance next year. There are loads of clematis to choose from – it’s said you can have a clematis in flower every day of [...]
How to protect non-hardy plants?
Start moving non-hardy plants under glass now long before they can be hit by frosts. You can keep half-hardy exotic lovelies going from year to year as long as you can keep them reasonably dry over winter: the long list includes fuchsias and geraniums, plus Mexican salvias, diascias and tender herbs like lemon verbena. None survive hard frosts, but will come [...]
Help saving trees!
Leading gardener Alan Titchmarsh is urging gardeners to join a campaign to save trees at RHS Garden Wisleyin Surrey, under threat because of a road-widening scheme. Dubbed ‘the ultimate garden grab’, the £214 million project to widen the A3, which runs alongside the Grade II* registered garden, would gobble up 2.5 acres of the garden including a 100ft stretch of [...]
Some bulb advice
Plant bulbs to naturalise in grass for a long-lasting, natural looking display that just gets better and better each year. A smattering of colour in the lawn is a welcome sight in spring, and many bulbs are quite happy to grow among the grass, seeding themselves freely into quite extensive colonies in time. Good choices include Crocus tommasinianus, which opens its [...]
Indoor hanging basket
Plant up an indoor hanging basket to add a new dimension to your houseplant display. You’ll find dozens of small foliage plants and flowering houseplants in the garden centre here in %locations% which will love life in a hanging basket community. You could also try low-maintenance succulents like houseleeks (plant through the outside of the hanging basket and you can make [...]
Plant of the Week: Hemerocallis
When you’re looking for a splash of summer colour, reach for a Hemerocallis,better known as the daylily as its exotic, trumpet-like blooms last just one day, though borne in such profusion day after day for weeks on end that the overall effect is as spectacular as any perennial. There’s such a wide variety, with flowers in all shades from white [...]