July: stoppin’ n sniffin’!

There are some things that are nothing like anything else on earth.

Sciatica is one of them: I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Unfortunately, in my world, it is a professional hazard and everyone I know at the mucky end of gardening, landscaping and horticulture has suffered from it at one time or another.

There are some advantages to being laid up with an ice pack under your back and unable to do any heavy lifting: my herbs in pots are getting a new lease of life, I am lightly watering regularly and have had time to reorganize my routines. Light pruning is a huge adventure after staring at the ceiling and pill popping: soon I’ll be on to cutting back the herbaceous plants that are beginning to go over so they can produce a new flush of flowers in late summer. I can scribble out sketches as part of my designing gardens in Hampshire!

If you want to get into “stopping and staring” mode, then join in The Big Butterfly Count from 14th July to 6th August. The initiative from Butterfly Conservation aims to assemble data to aid conservation efforts and details can be found at www.bigbutterflycount.org

For those of you who are up and running, there is plenty to do at this time of year:

• Water your containers and newly planted trees and shrubs: it is surprising how quickly they will dry out.

• Deadhead roses and keep an eye out for signs of powdery mildew, blackspot or rust. Prevention is always better than cure so water, feed and pick off rust or blackspot affected leaves.

• Cut back delphiniums and hardy geraniums and other herbaceous plants with a similar habit after the first flush of flowers: this will encourage a second flowering period. Feed after cutting them back.

• Prune June-flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus and Weigela after flowering. Prune deciduous magnolias if necessary.

• Prune Wisteria in cooler areas, waiting until next month in warmer counties to prevent the plant producing too much new growth after pruning. Cut back to 5 or 6 leaves.

• Fast-growing hedges such as Leyland cypress should be clipped as necessary throughout the growing season. Clip topiary to the desired shapes.

• Box plants and hedges have been increasingly susceptible to damage by moths/caterpillars in recent years. If you find any, pick them off or spray them but be aware that warm, wet weather can cause leaf drop due to box blight fungal infection.

• If your floral displays need perking up give them a weekly shot of high-potassium liquid fertiliser. Deadhead the flowers when they are over.

• Lawn growth begins to slow this month and by mowing as little as possible, lawn “weeds” can flower providing food for pollinating insects.

• The bird population will appreciate keeping the bird bath topped up but by keeping them clean, you prevent the spread of diseases such as bird pox.

• Ponds are never maintenance-free! Thin out vigorous oxygenating plants leaving the prunings on the side of the pond to allow the aquatic creatures back into the water. Try to keep about 30% of the water clear of plants.

• Use grey water where you can, harvested from baths, sinks and showers. For hygiene purposes, use within 24 hours and not on edible crops as pathogens and bacterial growth may cause harm.

• Baby hedgehogs will be looking for sustenance this month: leaving the slugs for them to eat and ensuring ponds gently sloped access points will help.

• Move your house plants outside to somewhere sheltered and shady for the hottest months of the year. This will strengthen them against pest and diseases such as Red Spider Mite.

Some of the nicest comments I have had this year have been about dark red and deep violet Buddlejas that I have planted (commonly known as Buddleas, or butterfly bushes). The commonest varieties are prolific along railway lines, chalky motorway cuttings and any place where the alkaline landscape has been scarred by industrial activity.

They are colourful, tough, fantastically scented and reliably floriferous every year: no wonder butterflies like hanging out on them! And a good plant to convalesce next to too.

June: high and dry...

I have taken to having baths recently. This isn’t because I have developed OCD or just because there is something delicious about sitting in a chilling bath with a glass of wine in my hand: it is because I can use the water on my pot plants.

By making a small hole with a sharp knife in the bottle cap of your average large plastic bottle (cutting and twisting about one centimetre by half a centimetre) and turning the bottle upside down to leave on a pot, the water will slowly percolate out. The trouble with using a hose and a watering can is that it can be so wasteful: a great deal of water goes straight through the container and comes streaming out the base.

Over time the finer parts of compost can get washed through and out of pots leaving a gritty mix that has very little ability to retain moisture. That is why adding compost each year is important. Which I must do as I forgot to do it in the spring! Fitting a “saucer” base also helps but care must be taken not to damage plants through lack of drainage.

Other jobs this month include:

• Putting out summer bedding hanging baskets and bedding now the frosts are over.

• Cut back early flowering perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and oriental poppies after their first flowering. This will give them a chance to flower again on the new growth.

• Cutting down the stems of the spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils.

• Cutting and clipping Privet, box and evergreen honeysuckle hedges (Lonicera nitida)

• Philadelphus, Kolkwitzia, Weigela and Deutzia can all be pruned after they have flowered. In doing so the new growth will have time to develop in order that they may flower the following year.

• Give Clematis montana a good hacking if needed when they are over (they can take it!) and tie in other climbers.

• Remove stems of any variegated plants that are reverting to their original colour or the whole plant will ‘revert’.

• Divide Hosta as they come into growth and fill out any gaps in the borders with bedding.

• Give ailing plants a shot of liquid feed as that is the best way to give them a lift.

• Keep a close eye on the soil moisture levels as newly established plants can easily suffer.

• Evergreens such as Viburnum tinus and Choisya can also be cut and shaped once they have flowered.

• Roses can be deadheaded to encourage repeat flowering when they fade. Do this by cutting just above the first leaf below the faded bloom.

We may well be in for a long dry spell: the more water saving habits that become second nature, the better off everyone will be – in every sense of the word!

April / May: upwardly mobile

I have a complaint: nature does not stand still, the world does not stop spinning and the seasons do not stop changing. Which is why I seem to be permanently behind on my chores, my garden maintenance and this blog! The grass is now too long, the weeds and beginning to laugh at me and the plans I had for borders are woefully behind.

There are however some interesting observations that can be made when planning out gardens and borders: it has struck my how limited the range of plants are on offer in garden centres and on-line. I get it – people have to make a living and to do that often means playing safe, but what is easily available is only a fraction of what is out there. Designing gardens in Hampshire allows me to explore all sorts of possibilities.

Take the Azara for example: an evergreen shrub or small tree originally from the mountain ranges of Chile and Argentina with the most fantastic winter scent and an interesting shape. It is also highly drought resistant.

If you stray off the beaten track both virtually and physically to visit some of the less commercial nurseries and garden centres, your efforts will be rewarded. Smaller nurseries are often family run businesses and will offer the care, attention and information that larger ones will not.

For your information - an Azara can be picked up at Furzey Gardens in Minstead, New Forest for an incredibly good price: not only that, but you will be contributing to a charitable cause, have a glorious garden to explore and round it off with home made cake if you so choose!

So when I am not dreaming of cake, I have the following jobs to focus on this Spring:

• Pruning those plants that have been affected by cold winds and the winter such as the Acer or Choisya. Cut back the stems to the healthy growth.

• Cutting back to 10 centimetres from the ground those tender plants that are shrub-like in habit but that are actually herbaceous plants. These include Caryopteris, Fuchsia and Penstemon.

• Putting in plant supports where needed and canes to mark where vulnerable plants are emerging: by doing this they will not be overlooked when watering and weeding.

• Lowering the blade of your lawn mower as the grass becomes more lush and more able to take a finer cut.

• Feeding your lawn with a nitrogen rich fertiliser - preferably an organic one.

• Tying in roses and other climbing plants. Be as brutal as you like when cutting back Clematis montana after it has flowered (short of hacking it down to the ground!).

• Adding compost or manure to the base of shrub and standard roses.

• Dividing and replanting herbaceous plants that have flowered including Brunnera, Pulmonaria and Primula.

• Lifting and dividing daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs.

• Make sure your pond has ledges and access points for wildlife (such as tadpoles) to get in and out of the water. Clear off any excess pond weed.

· Tie in climbing and rambling roses as they take off in the warmer weather.

My only last tip about broadening your plant pallette is to keep your eyes peeled for church fetes and community days - always source of hidden gems! And….cake.

March: mulching and more

This may sound a bit odd but we have been on the brink of a drought: water levels are down and, at the all-important beginning of the growing season, a lack of water could damage newly planted trees and shrubs forever. My advice is to keep an eye on the forecasts and get watering if the rains are few and far between in the next few months.

It is not surprising that I have clients who are installing water harvesters and ponds that collect water from downpipes: I know I bang on about this, but it is only going to get more of a pressing issue! When I started designing gardens in Hampshire 35 years ago, I never thought I would specifying rain harvesting!

Getting down off my soapbox for a minute, there is plenty to savour at the moment. The exquisite scent of Daphne is filling the air in gardens lucky enough to grow: the reds, oranges and yellows of Cornus have never looked so good. Of course, most Cornus will need ruthlessly cutting back soon – but check that this applies to the variety you have in your garden.

The hard work of planting bulbs in the autumn should be paying off too: bold colours heralding the coming of spring. If you are quick, you can snap up tree bargains including fruit tree offers that come up at the end of the planting season. You will however, need to be quick: traditionally bare root planting was safe to do until the end of March. Now however, with the cold seasons getting more and more unpredictable and slowly shorter, it is better to have this done by the second or third week of March, if not before.

Tasks this month include:

• Keep planting bare-root trees and shrubs but wait until the end of the month before you plant or move evergreens.

• Cut back dogwood and willow shrubs with the vibrant stems if you want them to produce strong colours next winter. Taking them down as far as 100mm (4 inches) from the ground is fine. (The ‘Winter Flame’ varieties should be left for a few years until they are established). You can leave this till late in the month or even next month if you are enjoying the stem colours.

• When the worst of the frosts are over, divide and replant clumps of herbaceous plants that have become too dense for their own good.

• In heavy soil and cold areas, march is the best month for planting roses. Prune bush roses by about a third of their height.

• In preparation for the new growth and flowering in the summer, prune Buddleja, Caryopteris, Ceratostigma, Hydrangea paniculata, Leycesteria, Lavatera, Perovskia and hardy Fuchsia. Look up how far back they should be pruned: this will vary according to what you are trying to achieve and the location of the plant. A general rule of thumb is 80% of their existing foilage.

• Deadhead daffodils when they are over, but leave the foliage on order that the bulbs can be fed.

• Plant and divide snowdrops and winter aconites.

• Plant summer flowering bulbs and sow some seeds such as sweet peas.

• Cut back ornamental grasses, even if they do not look unruly, as this will make way for new growth.

• If the dry weather persists, be prepared to do some unseasonal watering of newly installed plants.

I am not a big fan of working in cold, wet rain but now is a good time to spread mulch – the more organic the better. I’ll tell you why: if it is really organic it will be warm! Nothing like sitting on a tonne bag of it with your morning coffee and letting it reach the parts that the coffee can’t!

Jan / Feb: blowin' in the wind

I’m probably going to irritate a few people now, but I cannot understand why commercial gardeners see the need for treating borders covered with winter leaves as if they were messy playrooms needing a good clean!

An organic layer such as a few centimetres of decaying leaf mould gives:

- Natural protection to the plants in heavy frosts

- Enriches the humus levels in the soil that encourage nutrient retention

- A microclimate for overwintering bugs and their larvae

Sure, tidy the leaves off the lawn to avoid that white mould building up and inhibiting healthy drainage, but if you leave the leaves until spring proper and you will be doing the eco system of your garden the world of good.

I wouldn’t recommend a topsoil that a farmer once commended to me either: “Concrete m’boy, that’s the best topsoil there is!”. Ever practical.

There are a number of tasks to do at this time of year that will get you out and enjoying the lengthening days and warmer spells:

• Between now and mid-March and after the heaviest of the frosts, many summer-flowering species can be cut back hard to encourage vigorous spring growth. This category includes Buddleja, Hydrangea, Ceratostigma, Leycesteria, Perovskia, hardy Fuchsias and deciduous Ceonothus. A rule of thumb as to how far to cut is: prune down to approximately one tenth of the existing height of the plant.

• Avoid pruning the deciduous Prunus species (almonds, ornamental cherries and plums) as they can be susceptible to silver leaf if pruned before the summer.

• Snowdrops can be lifted and divided after they have flowered and whilst the shoots are still green and vigorous.

• Trim winter-flowering heathers (Ericas) after flowering.

• Climbers such as Virginia creeper and ivy can be chopped back to keep them in order.

• Winter flowering jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) can have their new shoots tied into the main framework and their lateral growth shortened to about 5cms from the main stems.

• Clematis are a bit more complex. They can be cut back to the lowest, most vigorous pair of buds the variety belongs to Group 3 (check the label).

• Nesting boxes for birds put up now will enable them to check out their potential homes before calling the removal men and starting a family.

• Wait until mid-spring before turning your compost heaps as hibernating frogs, small mammals and possibly some small gardeners may still be over-wintering there.

If you want a really tidy garden, then employ teams of gardeners. However, the truth is that if you maintain your lawn and border edges, sweep up debris from the hard surfaces and prune as advised, you will have a perfectly well-ordered garden that looks like it is in business. And you won’t annoy everyone with your leaf blower either!

December: earth as hard as iron...

The music in the shops may not have been getting me into a festive mood, but the frosts certainly have.

For many, the sparkling white mornings bring a dread of slipping, worrying bills and mucked up work schedules: set against this however, are the magical shapes, the transformed landscapes and the hush that accompanies a slower world. Frosts are the cloak that give berries, leaves, bark and even the mundane soil, a glorious dressing. They are nature’s moment to shine on stage.

They are also good news for the natural world: the cold will help with what horticulturists call stratification. This is where the lower temperatures help break down the outer layer of seeds so they can germinate when the warm weather arrives. A seed lying on the floor of a woodland will have the wet, the cold and the winter months to make this happen: frosts accelerate and improve this process.

On that note, spare a moment or two for the wildlife in your neck of the woods. A simple suet-rich fat ball hanging from a tree, or a birdfeeder filled with peanuts takes a moment to set up: for winter birdlife this could be a matter of survival. It is great to get away from my laptop and designing gardens in Hampshire to watch the local birdlife at work.

So, to warm up outside, bear in mind the following:

• Birches, vines and Japanese maples are best pruned at this time of year. Vines are less likely to bleed sap.

• Renovation of climbing roses is best done between now and February by thinning and reducing stems by approximately one third and taking out dead and diseased stems. Look up the RHS site for more details.

• Bare root trees and shrubs can be planted now. This is a very economical way of establishing hedges, especially as wildlife boundaries.

• With the chances of high winds growing more likely, it is sensible to ensure that all trees are properly tethered and climbers and cut back and tied in.

• Protect your outdoor taps from frost by covering them with hessian or bubble wrap: it is the expansion of the water when it turns to ice that bursts a pipe.

• A log or a football in a pond will prevent the total coverage of ice during a frozen spell. Ensure the log or football can be reached and removed!

• Be careful when you are tidying up a shed or having a bonfire: all sorts of creatures may be making their homes for the winter there.

• A stack of logs building materials (especially clay tiles and pipes) offer overwintering bugs a hotel for the cold months!

At the end of the day, you and the wildlife have a lot in common: a desire for food, water, shelter and a place in this world. Not too much to ask for Christmas, is it? I think there may be a bit of a story there…

A very, very happy, warm, and comforting Christmas to you all!

November: sloe to turn

It is very hard to write a “top-tips” list for November when the weather is, well…what you expect for October. We have had the fireworks, the onset of heavy rains, got the bulbs in: a fair number of trees are still glistening in the autumn sun and buds are swelling and flowering in scented shrubs such a Viburnum fragrans and Mahonia japonica. Only unlike my Christmas shopping, they are early.

It is all very pleasant and wonderful for country walks and exploring but a tad unsettling! I don’t like big heating bills, but I do like walking on crunchy, frosty paths!

Still, there are plenty of jobs to do to keep everyone busy this month:

• Now is the time of year to prune Japanese maples. Make sure you cut right back to the branch or stem so as not to leave a “clothes peg”!

• Raking leaves can seem to be an endless task, but it is worth it. Firstly, it allows the lawn to breathe and reduces the chance of mould developing in your lawn. Secondly, the leaves are good news in a compost heap when a layer of soil is added every 30 cm or so.

• Burning leaves is another way of processing them: the ash is good for the soil as it is high on potassium - the element that encourages fruit and flowers. Add any diseased plant material to the fire too including rose leaves that have black spot.

• Put rabbit guards on new trees to stop them gnawing at the bark if food is scarce in a harsh winter. Check tree ties too: loosen one that are too tight as this restriction can inhibit the flow of sap and therefore nutrients, around the tree.

• Prune shrub and standard roses by about a third in order that the wind does not move them around and damage the root system.

• Lift pots and containers off the ground by a few centimetres and give them “feet” of tiles or stone to avoid water logging. Pots that are fragile should have their winter wrap to prevent frost damage: bubble wrap is effective.

• Continue to mow lawns until the frosts come in, raising your blade to the maximum height as the month goes on.

• Put out bird feed such as fat balls or hanging peanut feeders.

• If you are into gin (I’m sure not!), now is a good time to go foraging for sloes – those wonderful bluish berries that adorn hedgerows at this time of year.

• When the frosts really do kick in, be prepared by protecting tender perennials with mulch, straw or bark chippings. Salvias and Penstemons are particularly vulnerable.

Maybe I’m getting sentimental, but I miss warming up by raking leaves and creating huge rotting piles that are a godsend to undernourished borders: please don’t get me onto the subject of noisy leaf blowers used by people who pay to go to work out in a gym that they drive to.

I’ll need to take a swig of that sloe gin…

October: colours and comfort

I admit it: I have to watch David Attenborough’s new Frozen Planet series between my fingers as my hands are clasped over my face.

Doe-eyed seals being dragged to their end, bleating baby oxen being mauled by predators and polar bears searching for safe havens on ice is all too much at times. My reflex has been to pour myself a large stiff one…with plenty of ice.

The most surprising part of the series has been the claim that spooky bumps on the seabed under the pack ice are likely to be identical to the first signs of life on earth: it seems we owe a lot to cold slime. It is not sophisticated technology that are our building blocks but micro-organisms chomping away at debris. Kind of puts us, and particularly a few people, in their place really.

Which reminds me that all those leaves that are about to come down are actually good news if I use them properly:

• Give your compost heap a good turning over. If the compost has rotted down well enough and has a high enough level of humus (the dark, nutrient rich essence that retains moisture and attracts trace elements), then autumn is a good time to spread it on the borders as a mulch.

• Rake the leaves off ornamental lawns to allow light and air to circulate and prevent patches of mildew developing.

• Lifting and dividing overgrown perennials that have lost their vigorous core.

• With the colder weather arriving, it is coming into the time when it is safe to lift and move trees and shrubs. Be careful not to allow the roots to dry out.

• Check tree ties and stakes in preparation for windy weather to come.

• Aerating the lawn either with a dedicated tool or the good old method of jumping on a fork will improve drainage and so the health of the grass.

• Burn dead and diseased leaves and debris (if the neighbours are happy with this!). This basic garden hygiene will keep down the levels of blackspot and scab. Wait until November 5th if you need to!

• Keep as many leaves as possible off the pond and watch out for hungry herons who can puncture your pond liner when fishing: fake herons can be effective if you move them every month.

• Tulips can be planted out this and the next month: sometimes they are best displayed in pots and are certainly easier to weed, lift and protect like this.

There are so many glorious colours to be enjoyed at this time of year and the bright, clear skies of October will set them off: grab ‘em whilst you can!

September: it never just rains...

How things can change in a matter of weeks. Not so long ago we couldn’t work outside for long because of the heat, hosepipe bans came along, and we were savouring the sense of a renewed normality in our common life after the worse of the pandemic.

Now, much of the nation is in mourning, the rains have come down good and proper and we live with a sense of uncertainty over costs that we thought we had shaken off.

It was ever thus, I guess. Change is the only constant.

There will certainly be a sense of loss at the big shows that HRH visited, RHS Chelsea being the big one. I remember the thrill and excitement that friends experienced when they met Her Majesty. Somehow, knowing they would be presented to her gave that extra impetus to do everything the best they could: they were going to be met by a PERSON, not an institution. We will miss her terribly.

Once again, there is so much solace to be found in nature and so much joy to had from marvelling at creation: I plucked and ate a few wild blackberries this week – THAT woke me up! Seeing the colours and the contrasts of ornamental grasses next to the plump, glaucous Sedums and spindly Anemones are a real joy. Noticing how the eating habits of small birds are changing as Autumn approached is fascinating. I try to incorporate into my Hampshire garden designs the use of plants that attract wildlife

I dare not stare for too long as I know I have too much to do!

• Plan, buy and plant spring flowering bulbs such as daffodil, crocus and iris over the next couple of months. Leave the Tulips until November – unless we get another drought or Indian summer. In which case, delay them all by several weeks!

• Beech and hornbeam can be given a light trim to keep them neat throughout the winter. As semi-evergreens they provide useful screening

• Deadheading will still produce results, especially with Dahlias that can look good until the first frosts.

• Be selective when cutting back your herbaceous plants: many of them will provide seeds for wildlife as well as being attractive in the winter frosts and sunlight

• Raking out the thatch from your lawn (scarifying) and using a fork or an aerator to spike your lawn will improve drainage and the quality of your lawn. Where there are bare patches, sowing seed over spread topsoil and feeding the lawn in spring will give a fresh, green appearance.

• Divide herbaceous perennials that have become too big for their spot: it is remarkable how many plants can be teased out of one large clump. Be generous and give some of it away: you are very likely to have the compliment returned.

• If you have a pond near a tree, it is worth placing a net over the water to catch the leaves when they descend in autumn

• Eke out the last colour in your pots and hanging baskets by trimming off the dead growth and feeding with liquid fertiliser.

A client has a gorgeous Mulberry tree laden with berries and I was encouraged to try some of them. It may have made my hands look like I was a mad axe murderer with all that red juice, but it was worth it. The taste was out of this world.

So many good things coming into season now. Go on, never mind the mess…go for it!

August: pipin' hot!

Time for a bath!

Well, not literally right now at 9 in the morning, but with the hosepipe ban in place and plants going brown or curling up – it is not a bad idea. I’m keeping a bucket and a watering can handy so I can scoop out my tub and use the water for my potted plants. (A plug stopper when you have a shower does the job too). Newly planted trees and shrubs are particularly vulnerable at the moment, so they are a priority.

The trouble taken by those who have put in extra water butts will be paying off but perhaps the biggest dividend will go to those who have been planting drought tolerant species. These are often identified as being plants coming from the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Alpine regions. Plants with pale, glaucous leaves are usually drought tolerant and can thrive with virtually no water.

Drought resistant species include Abelia, Achillea, Ceonothus, Iris, Euphorbia, Lavender, Rosemary, Sages, Sedums, Semperviven. A quick hunt on the internet for the RHS list will give you a good deal of helpful information on these plants.

There are plenty of satisfying jobs to do this month to work up a sweat - so you can take that bath!

• Dead head herbaceous plants, not forgetting dahlias and roses: these will all usually give you repeat flowering later in the year.

• Wisteria will need their summer prune. This gives a chance for light and air to ripen sturdier growth and produce better flowers. The technique is to cut back the whippier new tendrils to about 5 x buds, to just above the bud. Do not forget that Wisterias need another chop in late winter.

• Keep ponds topped up with water, preferably “grey” water from waste water that comes from anywhere but the toilet (showers, washing up etc). Try to avoid using a tap when everyone in the neighbourhood is having a shower or washing up: they won’t thank you when the water pressure drops!

• Cut back rambling roses when they have finished flowering. Be brutal -they are!

• Hedges can be given a final trim before their growth begins to slow down in September.

• Black spot on roses is very common at this time of year: clear fallen leaves and burn them to prevent spread.

Plants have an amazing capacity to revive after a drought – just look at how lawns come back. If there are plants that were put in this year then it is worth heaping mulch up around their base (e.g., bark, manure, straw) then give them a good soak with a watering can or bucket.

Don’t just splurge the entire bucket on in one go: if you can do the rounds by slowly giving them a bit at a time, the hydrating will be far more effective.

After all that trouble I would have thought it would be very acceptable to go and find something to splash around in yourself! A wonderful client of mine has suggested recomending sharing baths.

Now that’s real commitment!