The June Gap

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Have you got a bald patch in your garden border? Waiting for your buds to reach, full floral potential? Here are ten plants to fill the gaps.
  1. Astrantia always flower profusely in June. They come in many shades of cream, pink and burgundy.
  2. Hardy Geraniums are an all time favourite: there are ones suitable for shade ( G. macrorrhizum ) and those that flower all Summer long ( G. ‘Rozanne’).
  3. Violas come into their own during May and June from the meadow and woodland sweet violets to the plethora of cultivars and colours in nurseries.
  4. Aquilegias (Granny’s Bonnets) are stunning garden perennials that seed freely and grow in most soils.
  5. Iris sibirica come in beautiful shades of blue at this time of year. Often found beside ponds.
  6. Many Silene can be seen in full bloom now and are also known as campions.
  7. Alliums are a delightful onion relative giving architectural structure in the flower garden. ‘Purple Sensation’ and ‘Schubertii’ to name but two.
  8. Nigella are hardy annuals that seed freely and can be grown among perennials or in an annual border.
  9. Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle) has beautiful acid green flowers and is happy in sun or shade.
  10. Peonies are the pinnacle of cottage perennials and a delight to the senses!
Cathie’s Gardening School Services is a horticultural consultancy that can visit your garden for bespoke advice, or help to transform your garden. Professional pruning is also offered. Cathie’s Gardening School Services is now booking for September. If you are interested to learn more, RHS courses are on offer. For more details, email [email protected] Follow on Facebook and Twitter

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Lilacs in May

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Syringa vulgaris is is the most common lilac available in this country to grow in gardens. The common name ‘lilac’ refers to the colour but there are many available.

Ten lilac tips:

  1. One point worth noting is that if you are particular about the colour it’s a good idea to buy it in flower!
  2. Container-grown plants can be planted at any time of the year but ensure they are well watered before and after planting for several months.
  3. Lilacs can be grown in most well-drained soils and thrive in alkaline, chalky ones which is good to know.
  4. They prefer a sunny site but can be grown alone or in a mixed border.
  5. It’s a true English cottage garden plant that can be combined with other shrubs and under-planted with spring bulbs or cottage perennials.
  6. Prune immediately after flowering, removing the spent blooms and cutting to a strong pair of buds.
  7. Remove suckers when young.
  8. Syringa vulgaris can grow very large so give it room; there are smaller varieties such as Syringa microphylla which can form a compact shrub for smaller gardens.
  9. Feed with blood, fish and bone or a slow release fertilizer.
  10. Don’t forget to pick and enjoy some of the flowers inside!
Cathie’s Gardening School Services include a horticultural consultancy visiting your garden for bespoke advice, Cathie’s Garden Army to transform your garden after a consultancy or professional pruning as well as RHS courses. [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

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Organic lawn care

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Why organic?

Many products available focus on quick fixes and chemicals. Lawns are for walking on and enjoying so why poison them to people, pets and wildlife? The solution? It just means thinking about it a bit differently.

Ten points for lawn success

  1. Remove large broad-leaved weeds with a daisy grubber.
  2. Rake out the moss with a scarifier or metal rake.
  3. Aerate to improve drainage using a hollow-tine aerator or garden fork.
  4. Top dress with a proprietary product or mix your own with sieved garden compost and sandy loam.
  5. Sweep away fungi and worm casts regularly.
  6. If you want stripes use a rotary mower with a large roller on the back and mow regularly.
  7. Always remove lawn clippings.
  8. Reseed any bare patches and keep watered.
  9. Feed with blood, fish and bone.
  10. Do not water established lawns.

Cathie’s Gardening school services

  1. Horticultural consultancy visiting your garden for bespoke advice.
  2. Cathie’s Garden Army to transform your garden following a consultancy
  3. Professional pruning following a consultanc
  4. RHS courses. Please ask for details.
[email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

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Mulch in March

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

A mulch is a soil covering of thick organic matter, such as bark or inorganic membrane, which helps to control weeds, keeps in moisture and retains soil structure.

Why mulch now!?

It looks nice and is better to walk on than bare soil. It also keeps annual weeds at bay (by smothering them) and helps reduce evaporation, keeping valuable moisture in the soil and protecting it from summer sun. Mulching also keeps plants clean (preventing soil from splashing on them in the rain), provides an excellent habitat for soil fauna and can feed the soil (depending upon material). It’s also a great way of recycling and composting and essential for reducing maintenance!

Choice of materials

Think carefully before using weed membrane; it’s an excellent solution for under gravel; large areas awaiting planting like an allotment. But don’t cover your whole garden in it because weed seeds germinate through it and you end up with a bigger problem! Fresh bark and wood chips can rob the soil of nitrogen; it is better to choose products already been composted. Fresh manure can be too strong and burn young stems, so ensure it’s well rotted. Spent mushroom compost contains lime so beware of this around acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons and camellias. Garden compost can spread weed seeds and slugs but we should all be composting kitchen and garden waste and returning to the soil (vis. my November article). All gardens benefit from the addition of organic mulch like manure or garden compost every year, ideally twice a year.

Cathie’s garden army and consultancy

Cathie can spend half a day in your garden identifying plants, advising on planting and design as well as helping you with tasks such as pruning. Lost control? Cathie’s qualified garden army can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. New for this year, ask Cathie about small and exclusive RHS groups for dedicated students! Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Irises in February?

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Winter and spring

The iris in flower during the winter months is iris unguicularis. It’s low-growing, pale mauve and even scented! During February and March the delightful Iris reticulata and Iris danfordiae come into their own in an array of mauves, blues, creams and yellows. It’s a miniature bulb so perfect for the rock garden or containers. There are many new hybrids available on the market.

Summer into autumn

Iris germanica or the bearded iris is probably the most widely recognised but often in the wrong place. They grow from rhizomes which they enjoy being baked in the sun on poor sandy soil. The range of colours is infinite! Cultivars like Cruise to Autumn, Autumn Princess and Autumn Circus as their name suggests can flower much later in the year so look out for them to extend the season.

Irises in the wet?

The yellow flag iris I. pseudacorus is a familiar sight grown as a marginal in ponds. I. sibirica can be grown in the bog garden. Both make large clumps and can be divided readily.

Surely not shade too?

Yes a few irises will grow wild in woodlands and hedgerows, notably I. foetidissima with its pale flowers followed by bright orange berries. Often called the stinking iris as when you cut it back the leaves are somewhat pungent!

Consultancy & Cathie’s Garden Army

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them. I can advise also on planting projects and design as well as helping you with tasks such as pruning. If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy.

RHS courses

New for February small and exclusive groups for dedicated students! Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Delightful Daphnes

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Daphnes vary greatly in size, colour and cultivation requirements. Every garden should have one, although they are not really happy in containers. Most prefer a sheltered situation in dappled shade and do not like hot sun. They do best on well-drained moisture retentive soil with plenty of organic matter incorporated. They do not tolerate drought or waterlogging but are well worth the effort!

Daphne mezereum

This is upright and deciduous growing up to a metre high and wide if it’s in the right place. It has fragrant pink flowers in the winter followed by red berries. It prefers a sheltered position in partial shade but can be grown in the sun if the roots are shaded.

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’

An evergreen bushy specimen with creamy margins to the leaves. It tends to flower in late winter or early Spring with dark pink flowers that have a scent living up to it’s name. It’s not keen on drastic pruning and can get to about 1.5m in dappled shade.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postil’

I first saw this at Wisley and was completely knocked over by the scent. It really is the queen of Daphnes growing up to 2m in a sheltered shady situation.  As with all Daphnes established plants should not be moved. It flowers in the depths of winter and the scent is intoxicating.

Horticultural consultancy 

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them. I can advise also on planting projects and design as well as helping you with tasks such as pruning.

Cathie’s garden army

If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of horticulturists can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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The Christmas rose

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Christmas rose is not a rose but in fact a hellebore and is in the buttercup family.

The Christmas Rose legend

According to legend a little shepherd girl from Bethlehem followed the other shepherds to the manger where Christ was born, but unlike them she had no gift to offer the baby Jesus. She searched but became upset because she couldn’t find anything suitable. Suddenly she was dazzled by a shaft of light which fell on a clump of pure white flowers. She picked some and laid them carefully at the manger. These were the very first ‘Christmas Roses’ to bloom on earth.

Use in the garden

Hellebores are naturally winter flowering or spring flowering depending on the type and are extremely hardy. They grow well in shade and the white flowered ones appear to glow and brighten up a dull winter border. Helleborus niger is often sold as a Christmas rose but is in fact one of the most temperamental. Helleborus orientalis is far more reliable in our climate and can also seed freely, cross breeding with it’s neighbours. There are a wide range of colours and flower types with several specialist nurseries selling them.

Black Death

Another interesting point is that Hellebores were used as a defence against the Plague! They suffer from a leaf spot which horticulturists call Hellebore black death… It is good practise to cut off the old leaves to allow the flowers and new leaves to develop.

Horticultural consultancy

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them.

Cathie’s garden army

If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of horticulturists can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Hydrangea heaven

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

There are many types and some interesting facts about them. They can look good all year round but need a moist, well-drained soil. Pruning varies depending on type.

Hydrangea macrophylla

These are often referred to as indicator plants because their colour can determine soil pH. This refers to the mop head hydrangea macrophylla only; the bluer the flower the more acid your soil. In alkaline soil the flower will be pink but you can water on sequestered iron regularly or grow in a pot with ericaceous compost for more blue. They can be pruned to new shoots in late spring allowing the old flower heads to protect from frost during the winter.

Hydrangea paniculata

These are a lot larger and usually white and pale pink and my all-time favourite. The flowers are more pointed in shape and literally glow in a shady border. These are pruned to a woody framework in spring and will flower on the current growth. ‘Limelight’ and ‘Little Lime’ are lovely cultivars and ‘Vanilla Fraise’ is illustrated.

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

These huge white heads look amazing in a mixed border, under trees and anywhere you want a great summer show. Prune hard in spring support to tame heavy heads!

Hydrangea petiolaris

This climbing hydrangea will stick to a wall or fence, ideal for a northern aspect. Flowers are flatter and prolific. The only pruning needed is tidying and deadheading.

Horticultural consultancy

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them. The four hydrangeas discussed all have very different pruning requirements and correct pruning of all plants is essential for healthy growth, fruit, flowers and foliage.

Cathie’s garden army

If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of horticulturists can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. Please ask for details. Find out more by emailing [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk, call 07931 925 382 and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Garden composting

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

What is garden composting?

Recycling unwanted garden and kitchen waste into a free, nutrient-rich soil improver and mulch. There are some basic rules to follow that will unravel the mystery.

Choose your area and container

The wooden slatted, made-to-measure compost bins are my recommendation and they look nice too. Make up a group of three somewhere accessible and in a shady corner of the garden. Plastic bins can be obtained free from the council but are a little trickier to negotiate and don’t look so attractive. Many other systems are available.

The ‘recipe’

  1. Too many grass cuttings are the downfall of most compost systems. They become a squidgy, stinky mess.
  2. Layer grass cuttings with leaves, cardboard, non-perennial weeds, cut up perennials and green prunings, kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings, pet bedding etc.
  3. Try to avoid cooked foods such as meat, fish and bread products as these can attract vermin.
  4. Add a nitrogen compost activator such as chicken or horse manure or a compost activator available in all garden centres.
  5. Ensure it is not too wet or too dry as this will halt the process. Water in dry weather and add dry product like shredded paper or straw to absorb wetness.
  6. Air is needed so all the micro-organisms and worms can get to work, so layer grass clippings with dry material or move the heap from one bay to another.

The result

Compost that is suitable to use everywhere as a soil improver, mulch and even potting. I plant my full bins with courgettes so no square inch of garden is wasted!

Horticultural consultancy

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them. I can even help you set up a composting area.

Cathie’s garden army

If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of horticulturists can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Pruning raspberries

Cherry Butler

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Gardening

Raspberries fall into two main categories; those that fruit in the summer and those that fruit later on into autumn. They are treated very differently with regards to pruning.

Summer raspberries

These will have finished fruiting now and it should be easy to distinguish the old canes from the new ones. All the fruited canes will start to die and can be pruned right down to the ground. The new ones will have been getting in your way while picking the fruit and can now be tied in to their support. I usually cut the tops off to a sensible height but you can bend them over if space allows. Any that are weak, overcrowding or just coming up in a silly place should be removed.

Autumn raspberries

If you get it right, the autumn type should begin to fruit as the summer ones finish! They continue until the frosts set in which can be up to Christmas. They do not generally need tying in to a support as they are not as tall as the summer ones but it may be helpful for ease of picking. Pruning involves cutting all the fruited canes to the ground in February after which time new canes will emerge from the ground for fruiting later on that season and off we go again…

Potash

Raspberries need their potash in the same way as tomatoes to encourage fruiting. Ash from the wood burning stove is an excellent source and can be applied directly or put into the compost bin for later use.

Horticultural consultancy

I can spend half a day in your garden identifying your plants and teaching you how to look after them. Pruning is a skill that takes years to learn as each plant has a different requirement.

Cathie’s garden army

If you have lost control of your garden completely we are here to help! A qualified team of horticulturists can transform your garden in a day following a consultancy. Please ask for details. . Email [email protected], visit www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk and follow Cathie’s Gardening School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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