Gardens

Plants&Gardens Gardens

MAKE A SPLASH THIS SPRING

As gardens across the Shire patch open their gates for the 2022 season, we know many of you will be heading out to explore. For inspiration, here’s an inside peek at two of our favourite water gardens.

Spring has sprung and local landscapes are bursting with new life and colour. Keen gardeners will be excited to get out and about and see what our open spaces have to offer – especially as many gardens were unable to welcome the public in the usual way last year or the year before. There’s a wealth of opportunities on the doorstep, everything from world-class designer gardens to National Trust treasures and beautifully tended hidden gems. We always like to recommend places you may not have come across yet, so here’s two ideas to dip into…

Conwy Water Gardens, Glyn Isa

“A fountain bubbles from the cairn at the centre”

Set within Snowdonia National Park in the picturesque Conwy Valley, Conwy Water Gardens offer the most tranquil of surroundings, with ponds, waterfalls and woodlands to

discover. A new Nature Trail meanders through the valley, and visitors will enjoy spotting pheasants and maybe even an otter or two. At the new feeding station you can watch and listen to countless species of birds. Dogs are welcome as long as they’re on a lead. When it comes to refreshments, the Dutch Pancake House and Restaurant is fully licensed. Anglers will be delighted to discover three well-stocked coarse fishing lakes, and for younger visitors there’s a play area and some adorable capybaras to visit, as well as the ubiquitous ducks and chickens to feed. There is also a dedicated tortoise and turtle area. The aquatic centre has over 100 species of fish, and an impressive array of fish and pond supplies.

Admission is free, so whether you just want to browse the retail opportunities, feed the animals or spend a whole day walking and relaxing, come and visit this beautiful part of North Wales. Satnav: LL32 8TP www.conwywatergardens.co.uk

Conwy’s lakes are a perfect spot for fi shing. Left: a curious capybara

What is a water garden?

According to the National Trust, it’s “any garden that makes use of water for ornamental effect, be that a series of cascades or a decorative canal”.

Westonbury Mill Water Gardens, Pembridge, Leominster

This beautiful garden has new owners, who are working hard to reflect the decades of love and care that have gone into its stunning grounds while also looking forward to the future. Visitors will enjoy exploring its distinct areas: you enter by a bridge over the Curl Brook to find a stone tower, home to a flight of white doves. Water raised from the stream by an antique waterwheel spouts from the gargoyles overhead. Next is the Bog Garden, rich in water-loving plants – you get a good view of them from the paths that criss-cross the bog.

From the Bog Garden you may wander in several directions. Behind the giant cornus hedge at the back is the Big Pond, flanked by groups of moisture-loving plants both tall and small: giant irises and rushes on one side, on the other colourful primulas, hemerocallis, ligularia and other water-lovers. Rose ‘Rambling Rector’ A blaze of colour at the Big Pond and wisteria festoon a pergola that separates the pond from the Cairn Garden. Here, boardwalks take you over a maze of small channels through luxuriant growth. A fountain bubbles from the cairn at the centre. Bridges cross the new planting of the Cut and reach the canal at the edge of the Wild Flower Meadow. Follow a streamside walk bordered by young trees and shrubs and cross the meadow to climb the Spiral Mound. You’ll feel like the king of your own castle! Satnav: HR6 9HZ. www.westonburymillwatergardens.com

TIME TO PRUNE, DIG AND MULCH!

Spring has fully arrived by mid-March and the extra daylight hours provide the perfect opportunity for completing essential gardening tasks. So, gloves on and let’s get busy digging, feeding, mulching, pruning and generally tidying up

Now is an ideal time to prune shrubs such as roses, buddleia, cornus and hydrangea, and to tidy perennials such as sedum and ornamental grasses,” advises Lis Morris, lecturer in Horticulture and Sustainable Technologies at Univrsity Centre Reaseheath, in Cheshire. “Removing winter foliage and cutting out old stems is best done while plants are still dormant as it avoids damaging new growth. Also, a plant stores energy in its roots while it’s dormant. Later the resources move to the leaves, so if you prune these away regrowth will be weaker.”

Pointers for pruning

TOP TIP Cuts must be clean, so keep your secateurs sharp. For larger stems, use loppers or a pruning saw

• Revitalise established roses by aiming for an open-centred shape with well-spaced stems.

Remove any stems that are dead, spindly or cross other branches and remove suckers. Prune remaining branches to an outwardfacing bud, sloping your cut down to prevent water collecting on it. • Prune newly planted roses hard, with the exception of climbing and shrub roses, to encourage vigorous shoots. • Prune vigorous cornus (dogwood) and salix (willow) back to 7.5cm above ground so they produce new, colourful stems for next winter. Leave new plants for a year or two before hard pruning. Less vigorous Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ can be pruned every couple of years. Mulch well and apply general-purpose fertiliser at 70g psqm after pruning to support stem and flower growth.

Cut away from the bud so water drains

Other jobs

Plant summer bulbs such as dahlia and lily, and prepare seed beds in the vegetable plot. Plant onion sets, early potatoes and broad beans, but warm up the ground before sowing early peas or carrots by placing a cloche over the soil.

Lift and divide clumps of perennials. Top-dress containers with fresh compost, sow new lawns or repair bare patches. Sow hardy seeds and half-hardy annuals under glass – sunflowers, cosmos and Echinacea will feed bees and butterflies and make your borders attractive. For information on horticulture courses see reaseheath.ac.uk/horticulture (diplomas, RHS), ucreaseheath.ac.uk/courses (degrees) and www.

reaseheath.ac.uk/horticulture-courses-adult-learners

Planting begins

TROPICAL PARADISE

No need to travel far to create your own exotic corner – these jungle-style plants are happy to call the UK home

Bamboo

Bamboos are the perfect plant for a tropical look: they’re reliably hardy, evergreen and have a small footprint so they don’t take up much room – as long as you avoid the spreading varieties and go for a clump-growing type like Phyllostachys nigra.

Fatsia

Big, glossy evergreen leaves give a perfect tropical backdrop, and fatsia is also shade-tolerant. It’s stunning in a coastal garden or against a sheltered wall inland. Hard frost can injure the leaves but plants will recover if the roots are protected.

Hedychium

Hedychium (ginger lily) has it all – architectural, banana-like leaves and big showy flowers. With a narrow footing, these impressively tall plants make a huge impact without taking up too much space.

Canna

A must for any exotic planting scheme, these fastgrowing plants produce a strong stem packed with broad leaves, and flower in a variety of dramatic colours. Some varieties can grow up to 2.5m tall, but you can also get dwarf forms for the patio.

Eucomis

Eucomis, or pineapple lilies, produce beautiful flower spikes from mid to late summer. They’re ideal for the understory, and can be grown outdoors all year in milder locations, with a protective mulch over winter.