8 minute read
Gardens
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Get comfortable outdoors with this fabulous array of garden furniture Sit in style
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1. Tenby wooden arbour £419.99, Jacksons Boutique Garden Centre, Trelawynd, Flintshire; jacksonsgardencentre.com 2. Outdoor waterproof cushion £34.95, LouSurfacePattern at notonthehighstreet.com 3. Kettler Palma single cocoon chair in Whitewash £499, Snowdonia Nurseries, Glan Conwy, Conwy; snowdonianurseries.co.uk 4. Tofi no armchair (frame only) £340, Mobek, Llysfaen, Conwy; mobek.co.uk 5. Alexander Rose Grand 2.3m casual dining patio heater set (bespoke), £2,199, Shawbury Garden Centre, Shawbury,
Shropshire; shawburygardencentre.co.uk 6. Coalbrookdale cast aluminium antique white three-seater bench £570.78, The British Ironwork Centre, Oswestry,
Shropshire; britishironworkcentre.co.uk 7. Green Palm patio rug 160x230cm, £119.95, Cousins Furniture, Shrewsbury; cousinsfurniture.co.uk 8. Easy Up 2.7m cantilever parasol £99.99, Charlie’s Home and Garden, Shrewsbury; charlies.co.uk 9. Alexander Rose pine farmer’s rocking chair £479, Hafren Furnishers, Llanidloes, Powys; hafrenfurnishers.co.uk 10. SoleiStorm™ Ultra 2000 h+ large square pou e £79.90, Big Bertha Original; bigberthaoriginal.com 11. Forest refectory table and sleeper bench set 1.8m, £599, Bents Garden & Home, Warrington; bents.co.uk
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Plants&Gardens
OPEN SESAME
Pennys Lane
It’s that magical time of year when glorious gardens large and small open their gates to visitors as part of the National Garden Scheme
The NGS not only allows us to admire gardens usually closed to the public, it also raises a huge sum for charity. Even more owners have signed up to make 2022 a bumper year, and one that NGS chief executive George Plumptre is looking forward to. He said: “Every year our new gardens refresh our portfolio and expand our interest, and “Our new for 2022 there are more than 600. They gardens include some real stars. Similarly, we love welcoming back gardens that have taken a break, which this year total 475. A number are returning after the pandemic, while other include some real stars” special places have not opened for years. They illustrate the range and diversity that’s such a hallmark of the scheme.”
NEW FOR 2022
Alongside our many favourites across the patch are these newcomers to the scheme. Do give them your support! For details, visit ngs.org.uk views of Titterstone Clee Hill and the Teme valley. A series of paths and steps lead you up the garden, passing four ponds, a ruined bothy and Japanese stream garden. A wildflower meadow greets you at the top.
Neen View: a delight
Pennys Lane, Lach Dennis, Northwich, Cheshire
An English cottage garden with an eclectic mix of plants. Set over one-third of an acre, its individual rooms include a fern Hidden treasures: Pennys Lane garden, ‘hot bed’, stumpery and borders filled with perennials, roses and azaleas. There is an allotment, and even a Secret Garden!
Bryngwyn Hall, Llanfyllin, Powys
Stunning, grade II*-listed nine-acre garden, inspired by William Emes. Look out for: Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’, varieties of hamamelis, mahonia, daphnes, corylopsis and chimonanthus. A show of camassias and fritillaries leads down to the serpentine lake, and there are unusual trees and a unique Poison Garden.
Mysevin, Denbigh
The essence of serenity, with rare plants and a shell house by Blott Kerr-Wilson. Situated on a wooded hillside, lawned gardens, a rose garden and herbaceous borders run down to the river Ystrad. Behind the house is a white garden and ornamental wood.
Bryngwyn Hall
Neen View, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire
PLANT A JUBILEE TREE
The NGS and Woodland Trust are urging us all to plant a tree for the Queen’s Green Canopy. Whatever your goals – to attract garden birds, give autumn colour or create shade – trees benefit us all. They do more than just capture carbon; they can help: • Prevent flooding • Reduce city temperatures • Reduce pollution • Keep soil nutrient-rich • Provide homes for animals
What type of tree?
from your tree: • Goat willow, hazel, rowan, crab apple and wild cherry are bee-friendly • Rowan, field maple, wild cherry and hazel is a good garden mix • Wildlife will thank you for hawthorn, hazel, silver birch, rowan, English oak and blackthorn • For year-round colour try silver birch, hazel, rowan, wild cherry or dogwood.
Invite wildlife to join the summer celebrations
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and plenty of other family and community events on the horizon, it’s time to take stock of your garden and make sure it’s ready to put on a good show
The forthcoming royal anniversary is also a time for reflection – and the growing realisation that we all need to do our bit to help Planet Earth. Lis Morris, lecturer in Horticulture and Sustainable Technologies at University Centre Reaseheath in Cheshire, shares her ideas on how to ensure your garden welcomes people and wildlife alike. Lis says: “Enhancing your garden’s wildlife appeal doesn’t spell untidy. By making small changes you can make big differences to the lives of insects, mammals and birds and still have a stylish outdoor space. “For instance, bees love the colours blue and purple, so planting lavender or Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’ alongside a sunny path or adding a dwarf buddleia or ornamental foxgloves to a border can look stunning while also being a good source of nectar and pollen.
“To be really patriotic, scatter seeds of red, white and blue cornflowers onto a well-weeded patch of ground, or plant a container of lobelia and geraniums in red, white and blue. Both will take you right through the season, provide a good talking point and are a favourite of bees.”
Dahlias are a great addition
Do more…
• While planting out half-hardy annuals and summer bedding, include singleflowered dahlias, which are a good source of nectar and pollen.
TOP TIP
Soapy water works wonders as a pesticide-free bug spray – add 1 teaspoon of washing-up liquid to every 3 litres Blackfl y are lunch for some
• Regularly dead-head bedding plants to keep them flowering – and available to insects – all summer long.
• Deal with aphids on rose buds by gently hosing them onto the soil to be eaten by beneficial insects.
• Mow lawns and trim edges weekly, but consider leaving an area uncut to allow wildflowers to grow.
Red clover, yellow birds-foot trefoil and dog violet can soon appear, and look and sound spectacular when covered with buzzing insects.
Why not leave a patch wild?
LOOKING MAJESTIC
Adorn your owerbeds with a patriotic display of red, white and blue for the big occasion
Geranium
Geraniums look spectacular when they are planted in swathes in seasonal bedding schemes, and because of this they are one of the best-loved summer plants. They can cope with dry conditions better than most and will thrive in any well-drained soil in a sunny spot. If dead-headed regularly they will carry on flowering right up to the first frosts. The ‘Bright Red’ and ‘Best Red’ varieties will give a bold, vibrant colour.
Delphinium
Delphinium provides a beautiful summery burst of colour and the right selection, such as ‘Centurian White’, will produce pure white flowers that crowd around the upright flower spikes and look luminous in the border. This is an elegant perennial, which will often produce a second flush of flowers later in the summer if the spent flowers are removed promptly. Magnificent in the garden, it also makes a wonderful cut flower.
Hydrangea
Blue is a tricky colour for gardens, with many shades being more of a purple, but you can get a good tone with a hydrangea if you put the effort in. Shrubby hydrangeas brighten borders in mid to late summer with their showy but delicate blooms in shades of pink, white or blue. The colour of the flowers is affected by the chemical make-up of the soil – you can buy a small kit to test this for yourself – and to encourage a true blue you will need acidic soil, with a pH level of 5.2 to 5.5. If your soil is more alkaline, you can lower the pH by applying soil acidifier at the rate specified on the packet.
