Garden Gems Ruth Crighton-Ward

Abundance

Ruth Crighton-Ward

We are now at the height of summer; the days are warm, there is colour everywhere you look, and everything seems to be in bloom. The harvesting of fruit, flowers, herbs, and vegetables is in full swing. Take time to enjoy nature at its finest…

Schools are on holiday and many of us like to entertain. There is something deeply satisfying about cooking for friends using produce from one’s own garden. Courgettes should be picked quickly before they turn to marrows. Keep an eye on the leaves of the Garlic we planted last year. When they start to turn yellow and die back, it is ready to be harvested. Remove the bulbs from the soil by digging them up, but don’t cut the leaves off yet. Instead, leave the Garlic in a cool dry place for a further two to three weeks, until the leaves have completely dried, and a papery husk has formed over the bulb. Then trim off the dead leaves and brush off any loose dirt. Your bulbs can now be stored for many months as they are, but do remember to set a few aside, to be grown on for next year’s crop. Whilst Onions and Garlic will store for several months without anything being added, you may find you have to consider alternative ways to store other produce. What can be frozen, what can be dried? Consider pickling, storing in oil, or turning into jams. Back outdoors, one of the challenges at this time of year is overheating. During really sunny days, shading should be used in greenhouses to avoid your plants being scorched. Remember to open greenhouse windows and doors, and cold frame lids to allow some air circulation. Remember to keep bird baths and feeders topped up in hot weather, and monitor and clear ponds and water features regularly— algae and blanket weed will develop more quickly at this time of year.

Long, hot, dry spells really make us aware of how much water we use and help us rethink what we waste. Continue with the watering, as we have discussed in previous issues, remembering that soil or compost in pots and containers dries out more quickly than soil in the ground. However, do be aware of any hosepipe bans that may be brought in. When this is the case, we need to get a bit more creative: empty the dishwater basin onto your plants instead of down the sink; use buckets or a water butt to collect as much rainwater as possible.

Some plants will have already finished flowering for the first time this season. However, cutting back these early flowering perennials now can help them grow quickly enough to produce a second flush of flowers before the season is over. This second flush, usually around September, can sometimes produce a more vibrant display than the first. If some of your plants have already turned to seed and you don’t want them to spread, then remove the seed heads. Some plants— such as Aquilegia, and Poppies (Papaver sp.) — are prolific self-seeders. If you don’t want more of these in the garden, then look at donating your seeds to community or school gardens. Allotments often grow flowers alongside the vegetables to attract pollinators. You may find a local seed swapping group on social media, where you can get rid of your unwanted seeds and pick up new ones at the same time. It’s still not too late to do some seed sowing. Dwarf beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), Spinach (Spinacea oleracea), and salad leaves can be sown now for an autumn harvest.

Another way of prolonging the flowering of a plant is to regularly deadhead. Your Roses and Sweet Peas will benefit from frequent deadheading, as will any annual and bedding plants. However, some plants— such as Peony, Agapanthus and Iris —will only produce one batch of flowers and no amount of deadheading or pruning will change that. Then there are the plants which continue to flower from summer through to the first frosts. Geranium sp. ‘Rozanne’ and Erigeron karvinskianus provide colourful displays all the way from late June through to November or December.

Crops which are prone to caterpillar attacks should be protected with netting. This will prevent butterflies laying their eggs on them. One option is to plant some extra and leave them without netting, for the butterflies and caterpillars to enjoy for themselves. This is known as sacrificial planting. Cut the runners off the Strawberries. It’s great to propagate new Strawberry plants from runners, but that can be done later in the season, and we’ll have a look at that next month. For now, the priority is to allow the plant to develop the fruit. Cutting off the runners helps the plant concentrate its energy on flower and fruit production, rather than on the runners. Use a pair of secateurs and snip off the runner as close to the plant as possible without damaging the main plant.

Weeds will be quick to grow at this time, so stay on top of them by hoeing and weeding regularly. Little and often is the key to conquering weeds.

Next month I’ll write about the concept of gardening and our relationship with nature and growing, as well as offering a few of the usual horticultural tips, in what will be my final column for Herbology News.