garden notes

News, products and advice for the new season

SEASONAL SENSATION Passionflower

Few climbing plants capable of surviving the British weather can boast flowers as exotic as those of the passionflower, Passiflora caerulea. Grow this tropical beauty against a wall or fence in a sheltered spot. Feed every few weeks and it will flower profusely from July through until September. Now in stock at Braithwaites, Leeming Bar

Shear delight

For tip-top topiary you’ll need a decent pair of clippers, and these Sophie Conran hedge and lawn shears from Burgon & Ball (burgonandball.com) are ideal for stress-free snipping. Their long ashwood handles give a welcome bit of extra reach and the high-carbon steel blades will make short work of those annoying straggly stems.

Store Thing

Once the top growth turns yellow it’s time to harvest your garlic. Gently ease bulbs out with a fork, brush away the dirt and lay them out in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place to cure. After two weeks you can braid the stems and hang them up to continue curing. Alternatively, cure for another fortnight then cut off the stems.

Benchmark

A good garden bench gives you somewhere to sit and admire the results of your horticultural handiwork – and, of course, prettifies the spot you choose for it. This handsome oak bench from Fall Timber at Leeming Bar (falltimber.co.uk) is just the thing for adding a touch of elegance to a cosy corner.

Roots From Shoots

This is the perfect time to take cuttings from shrubby herbs like rosemary, sage and bay. Snip off healthy, non-flowering shoots. Trim them to 10–15cm long, cutting just below a leaf node. Remove all bar the top few leaves and insert into pots of gritty compost. Water well, then keep your cuttings somewhere sheltered and shady until roots develop.

Cool for cats

Catmint (Nepeta) is easy to grow in a sunny spot, and will delight you with a haze of purple-blue flowers all summer long. It may well delight your cat too. Whilst some moggies are immune to its charms, many will nibble it or enthusiastically roll in it. Fortunately it’s non-toxic, and tough enough to bounce back from the attentions of the occasional furry fan.