In Japan the flowering cherry has been revered for centuries. In 1594 cherry-flower viewing parties were held by the Japanese Emperor and holiday tour operators do similar trips today. Prunus is the family name for cherries and P. Serrulata the ‘mountain cherry ‘ is the Japanese favourite. Its pure white blossom is a symbol of chivalry, purity and honour.

Single and double varieties vie for our attention and shapes and sizes vary by variety so some guidance is given below.I prefer the single white but the double pink varieties. I am grateful for some comments on shape, form and examples by Geoffrey Chadbund in his book ‘Flowering Cherries’ ISBN 00211271X.

  Cherry Trees Shapes and Styles

1. Upright or narrowly fastigiated – slender habit useful for restricted spaces or junctions of paths. P. Yedoensis Erecta
2. Tulip or wine glass shaped – OK for narrow borders. P.Umineko
3. Inverted funnel shape – a rather stiff but common habit of cherries in street planting P. Kanzan
4. Upright Spreading- Familiar tree shape and habit of growth P. Spontanea
5. Flat topped or tabular – with branches spreading out horizontally this can be used in landscaping P. Shirofugen
6. Weeping or Pendulous – The opposite of fastigiated, all the branches hang or arch down in a pendulous fashion. Useful near streams or on the top of mounds. P.Kinku-Shirade
7. Bushy shrubs – as the description implies P.Incisa group

Tips on Selecting Flowering Cherry trees.

With so many varieties to chose from here are a few tips that may be of assistance in choosing your variety from a list of over 200.·<!–[if !supportLists]–>

• Some trees have attractive bark with rings (lenticles), shine and colour. Select one of these for winter interest.
• Fit the shape of tree to the surroundings. Consider if it will block a view as it grows or how it will look in say 10-20 years. Some grow quite robustly.
• Consider Autumn colouring which can be quite a feature and cherries although many bred varieties are sterile.
• Seek out a grafted ‘Standard tree’ if you want a small tree.
• Hillier or Nocutts nurseries usually have a good selection or use the RHS plant finder.
• There are two native species: the wild cherry P.Avium and the bird cherry P.Padus.

Thompson & Morgan have a good choice of seeds, targeted for young children available.

See selection of seeds for kids

Some of the varieties good for growing with kids include:

• Kit for growing Cress – Cress is perhaps the easiest plant to grow, you don’t even need soil; just a small tray and a bit of light
• Nasturtium – Jeepers Creepers – another fast growing colourful variety – needs little care.
• Antirhinnum. (and give a prize if they can learn how to spell it correctly.)

• Giant Sunflowers - Giant sunflowers offer a great quick growing plant. Kids love to see plants grow taller than themselves. See also tips on growing sunflowers
• Growing sunflowers with children
• Be ware of poisonous plants in garden

I was passing through Ilkley in Yorkshire when I was impressed by a small ‘Old Bridge Nursery’ by the side of the river Wharfe. There was negligible growing space but the crammed site was owned by an operation near Filey on the Yorkshire coast. It struck me as a good idea to have extra growing and growing-on capacity in such an auxiliary location.

60 Pence per perennial pot (or per part of per pot perhaps) seemed to be reasonable value for a three and a half inch pot . The roots were strong and just beginning to grow through the bottom of the pot and in most cases nicely filled the pot. Less than an inch of plant was showing but I bought 3 plants of which 2 were AGM varieties.

The Aster was so well developed I split it into 3 plants so they only cost 20 pence each. As they are late to flower there is time for each plant to catch up and grow away strongly.

The red leaved Penstemon variety just caught my eye. If it grows and flowers well and is different from the red flowered, yellow leaved variety I have then I will take cuttings to increase the stock again for no cost.

I also got a Rudbeckia to fill a hole where another plant had been. I got to select the best plant from 50 but there were many other perennials that still had to show the first sign of growth – it is still April. At any rate I had parted with £1.80 so I didn’t want to go mad.

Tips for Good Value Perennials

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This is not to be confused with your own garden compost made from decomposed plant matter. Commercial compost is the range of products sold in plastic wrapping in garden centres, DIY shops and sundry retailers. The contents of these types of compost vary and can affect the growing result considerably. All have a base which has no or negligible nutritional value plus additives that make it useful for a specific purpose.

Typical Compost Constituents – Base

• Peat base of small fibers of bog peat is excellent for many purposes but now seen as none ecofriendly due to the over extraction of peat and lack of replenishment of the resource which isn’t sustainable.
• Coir as a peat substitute for the base. Coir is made from the hairs & fibers of coconuts and such compost are widely available. There are special compost products approved by the vegan society from http://www.fertilefibre.com/vegan-approved.html
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1. Begonia tubers for super flower heads and potted plants

These plants can have massive blooms and or large numbers of blooms on the same plant. They can be used in pots and containers or used for bedding.

There are new varieties being launched regularly. This year Thompson Morgan are selling a scented variety in pastel shade

Morgan Thomas

2. Begonias fibrous roots for annual display

I like the red, white and pink flowers that grow on bedding begonias grown from seed. They have strong coloured leaves either dark red of lime green. They grow well in some shade and last until the first frost.

New varieties in the area include ‘Apricot Shades’ a trailing variety that I am trying for the first time this year.

3. Begonia Rex varieties with coloured or odd Shaped Leaves.

These display plants are grown for the leaf shape, texture and colour. They are used for Houseplants in the conservatory, greenhouse or home. There is often a number of colours mixed in swirls to create an individual looking plant that is very distinctive.

online begonias

• Begonia – ‘non stop flowering’ Seeds at Unwins

Tips on what can be turned into Compost

• Add a thin layer of garden soil to your heap to help activation.
• You can add a proprietary activator like Garrotta if you wish.
• Have more nitrogen base items than carbon to help rotting
• Use the following table as a guide

Hot compost heaps are just that, hot, they can be so hot you can’t keep your hand in (though why you should want to put your hand in the middle of a compost heap I am not sure). The heat is generated by the decomposition process helped by all the biological activity. Microbes, worms and insects need food, air and water to generate this activity. They feed on the plant matter or one another so that takes care of food. Much garden refuse contains enough water but if the compost is dry or the weather dries the compost out then some extra water can be added.

Turning The Heap

• To get air into the compost as it rots down the heap needs to be turned after an initial decomposition period say 8-10 weeks
• Special ‘Tumbler compost makers’ and spinners are now available so that compost can be turned within a plastic drum. You turn the drum daily or weekly to aerate the rotting compost. This speeds up the composting process significantly.
• Turning the compost stops the top forming a crust that fails to rot
• The compost should be turned so that any compost at the sides or back is brought into the middle so decomposition is even and homogenious
• Turning the compost gives a chance for excess water to be redistributed so the heap doesn’t smell
• If the heap is large turning the top two thirds on to a separate pile may leave one third compost ready to use.
• Compost compacts and reduces in size by at least a third as it rots. Without turning it can be more compacted than your own soil.

I am fond of the double peonies that flower so extravagantly in June. Over the years the plants give a great deal of pleasure lots of colour and a light and welcome spring perfume. That is not to say the single and specie Peonies are not also worth a place in the garden.

• As plants mature they bulk up well and produce ever larger numbers of stalks and flowers.
• Peonies dislike root disturbance and take a while to settle down
• Provide a rich deeply dug soil well manured before planting and you will be rewarded for years
• Water in dry summers and top dress in Autumn this well rotted compost

Peony Lactiflora ‘Pecher’

• The single varieties include a yellow type Peony Mlokosewitchii
• 6″ White flowers with yellow stamen P. Lactiflora varieties are readily available
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Acclimatised to Global Warming?
Easter snow flurries and April frosts have hampered planting so far this year, but gardeners will be hoping that the May bank holiday weekend offers some respite from the unseasonable cold and rain. Gardens will catch up from the colder than average start to spring. In fact we have been getting ahead of ourselves in recent years with earlier and earlier starts to the year and warmer than average spells in May and June.

To coin or corrupt an old phrase ‘Ne’re plant out till May is out’. Or if in doubt protect young seedlings from cold and frosty weather. I am referring to the month of May not May blossom the flower of the Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna) which is often used to celebrate May Day.

Temporary Greenhouse Capacity

Greenhouses will be full to bursting before it is safe to plant out so consider other temporary protection. First though make sure you use staging and shelves to optimise your main greenhouse. Don’t forget to water plants left under staging. You can hang some plants from the roof of many greenhouses.

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Percy Thrower 1913-1988

One of the first iconic gardeners Percy was involved with most forms of media. Best remembered for his BBC appearances he was one of the first ‘personality gardeners’. He started on radio ‘Gardening Club’ in 1956 then TV’s ‘Gardening World’ through the 1970’s. As a regular contributor to the magazine ‘Amateur Gardening’ in the 1970’s and the Daily Mail he gave tips and information to a new generation of hobby gardeners. These gardeners were less interested in self sufficiency but had started to consider style colour and the aesthetics of gardening.

Percy started one of the first garden centres which was in Shrewsbury and is still open today. In addition to a range of plants he sold garden furniture, plastic pond liners and the like. At the time he said ‘You come in for a packet of seeds and something else catches your eye’. The centre was one of the first to develop container grown roses that could be sold out of season. Orthodox planting was November to March but growing roses in large tin cans enabled the roses to be offered through early summer for immediate planting and effect. His tips live on in his garden centre web site an example of which is given below

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