Gardening

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Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR

www.thegardensgroup.co.uk thegardensgroup

Planting for colour

With spring in full swing, it’s time to get the garden bursting with colour. Summer bedding plants, such as Begonias, Sweet Peas and Petunias, can add scent and colour to your flower beds and borders, while hanging baskets can bring a whole new level of interest to your garden, however large or small. You can pick up your seeds, plants and hanging baskets any day of the week: Monday to Saturday: 9am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 4:30pm

01935 814633

www.thegardensgroup.co.uk

MAJESTIC BASKETS

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

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The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations take place in early June and it will be an opportunity to get out the good old red, white and blue in bedding plant colours without feeling that it’s all a bit of a cliché! Red, white and blue were the classic colours of bedding displays in the sixties and seventies. Usually, it was long straight rows of red geraniums or salvias, white alyssum and then blue lobelia Crystal Palace. Those varieties are of course still available, but there are many more to choose from now to create a big splash.

Some bedding plants are still found in borders but usually now its pots and hanging baskets that are used to create the summer splash of colour.

In my opinion, the larger the basket or pot the better (and come on, Her Majesty deserves an impressive display, doesn’t she?) but it’s important to select one that fits the position. The larger the basket, the greater the volume of compost which in turn means a larger number of plants can be supported and successfully grown.

The compost needs to be a good quality potting compost. We also add in slow-release fertiliser which gives a season-long background feed.

The top of the basket or middle of a tub needs a centrepiece, and this could be a compact Century Geranium in the basket or a larger pelargonium in the pot. These are repeat-flowering types and whereas they are available in a range of colours, the reds can be particularly spectacular. To keep them performing just pull off the old flowers’ stalks as they fade. An alternative to the geranium or pelargonium could be the non-stop begonias which come in a wonderful array of colours including powerful reds. There are also trailing varieties which could go on the edges.

The edges can be planted with more trailers, such as trailing (ivy-leaved) geraniums, trailing begonias and trailing fuchsias. The former is available in red and white with fuchsias lacking a true red. Between these select a number of smaller trailers including white bacopa, lobelia and trailing petunias. Trailing blue lobelia would also be good here.

We must remember that it’s a Platinum Jubilee so the silver of helichrysum petiolaris or the smaller leaved microphylla should do the trick as will lotus bertholotii, although, when it flowers later in the season the spectacular orange may spoil your theme! For more flower, look out for the semi-trailing verbena of which there are red, white and blue flowered varieties. A spectacular blue is the Anagallis skylover which has an extraordinary quantity of flower.

This collection of plants will cascade down the side of the basket or pot eventually hiding it almost completely.

To finish off it’s worth planting the space between the centrepiece and the edgers and this could be with bedding begonias in reds and whites, upright lobelia in blue and white, upright verbena and maybe even some violas.

If you have a greenhouse or conservatory, grow the basket or pot inside during May and then, whilst keeping an eye on the forecast, come the end of the month, and definitely in time for the first week of June, it can head out to its final position.

Water every day and really keep the basket or pot soaked, feed weekly with a high potash fertiliser such as Tomorite or seaweed tomato fertiliser and keep nipping off those faded blooms.

God save the Queen!

Garden Care and Landscaping Services

Why choose us? If you’re thinking about how to improve your garden and give it and yourself a boost, we can help. No job is too small. We do it all. We can maintain your garden so that it looks great throughout the year. We listen to you and work with you to bring your ideas to life. We offer excellent support, advice and always happy to help. Please call Paul to get the conversation started. M: 07739 121430 E: paul@castletown.uk www.castletown.uk