GARDEN NOTES

garden notes News, products and advice for the new season

SEASONAL SENSATION RUDBECKIA

With their masses of bright, starry flowers, rudbeckias are perfect for adding vibrant colour to your borders from midsummer through into autumn. The new double and semi-double varieties are especially attractive. Braithwaites in Leeming Bar (braithwaitesnursery.co.uk) currently have an excellent selection in stock. Plant in full sun or light shade, keep well watered, and deadhead regularly.

KNOW YOUR

ONIONS

It’s time to harvest your onions when the tops turn brown and flop over. On a sunny morning, gently lift the bulbs, ensuring the stems stay intact. Lay them in the sun to dry out, then move them into a garage or shed to cure. When the skin turns papery and the roots become brittle, they’re done.

DIVIDE AND RULE

Once they’ve flowered, it’s good practice to divide congested clumps of iris to reinvigorate your plants and increase your stock. Carefully lift each clump and cut into sections, discarding the older, woodier parts. Shorten the leaves by half to prevent wind rock and replant in a sunny spot.

Softly does it

Gardening can be tough on the knees, so it’s well worth investing in a top quality water-resistant memory foam kneeler. This colourful ‘British Bloom’ design example from the RHS shop (shop.rhs.org.uk) is smart and practical, and will make planting and weeding a lot more comfortable.

It’s a snip!

This is the prime time of year for gathering cut flowers to beautify your home. These super-sharp specialist flower scissors from Niwaki (niwaki.com) come in two sizes and a choice of five colours – perfect for creating floral displays from the bounty now blooming in your borders.

TAKE A SEAT

Sunny days are here again, and you’ll want to take every possible opportunity to sit outside enjoying them! Fall Timber at Leeming Bar Industrial Estate (falltimber.co.uk) has a splendid new range of outdoor furniture to help you do just that. Made in the firm’s inhouse joinery department, this is heavy duty kit that will stand the test of time. Perfect for gardens, pubs, hotels or campsites.

Yes butt…

Rainwater is best for watering plants, especially if you’re growing acid-loving species in a hard-water area where tap water won’t suit them. Store it in style with this lovely Georgian-inspired steel water butt, available in two sizes from Harrod Horticultural (harrodhorticultural.com)

PLANT IT NOW

HEBE ‘GAUNTLETTII’

A bushy, metre-high evergreen shrub with lovely pink flower spikes, Hebe ‘Gauntlettii’ – also known as Hebe ‘Eveline’ – is a splendid, low-maintenance plant that will thrive on well-drained soil in a sheltered spot in full sun. Protect with horticultural fleece if winter temperatures dip below minus 10°C.

HANGING OUT

Smart wall planters like this one from Garden Trading (gardentrading.co.uk) can be used either indoors or outdoors, and are a great way to feature trailing plants. Good choices for outdoor planting include Hedera helix ‘Goldchild’, Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata’ and Vinca minor f. alba ‘Gertrude Jekyll’.

Less is more

It’s better to have dozens of big apples and pears than hundreds of miniature ones. Fruit trees naturally drop a proportion of their immature fruit in June; as soon as this happens it’s time to thin them further. Aim for just one apple or two pears per cluster, and no more than two fruits every 15cm.

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