For me a garden needs a series of themes and contrasts. Showy annuals, intense herbaceous borders, seasonal planting and elegant shrubs are important features. When planning a ‘restricted colour garden‘ as in the white garden you are really planning for subtle contrasts and breathtaking clarity that is both calm and soothing. Grey foliage and variegated leaves will take their place amongst some of the purest or showiest flowers. To make a point and emphasise neutral colours a pure self colour may be introduced but there are shades of white and don’t forget buds, sepals and stamen bring shades of colour.

Why White is important

• White helps to display other colours to their best advantage.
• It brightens and relieves other shades
• White flowers alongside grey or variegated foliage brighten dark corners
• It can give a feeling of coolness to sun drenched patios
• White is elegant and often seen as pure, chaste, fresh and unsullied
• White is fashionably aesthetic and invokes atmospheric images.

White by Design

• Select an area with an appropriate dark background to set off the flowers
• Choose an area of isolation that avoids creating competition - a walled area is ideal
• Location, location, location, avoid too much sun and allow it to glow even in poor weather
• Texture and form are important in a garden and can be picked out by choice white plants and flowers
• When designing think about the whites required for all the seasons
• Focal points can be sharp and varied choose good specimen plants
• White foliage can provide a framework for other plants
• White reflects well in a still pool
• Scent of white flowers can be intense and used to highlight other senses
• White flowers repay close examination and draw and retain attention

For White versions of common plants, white stars and foliage

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Reasons to consider ground cover for your garden

• Ground cover can be designed to be low maintenance
• Good cover will soften edges and sides of paths
• Soil on slopes or banking can be held in place
• Difficult areas with access problems can be covered in style
• Bare soil can be unsightly unless covered
• Good plant selection can make a feature of ground cover
• Ground cover can add balance and harmony within the garden

Plants for Ground Cover Situations

• Auga reptans blue flower spikes aka Bugle ‘burgundy glow’
• Vinca major and minor - both evergreen periwinkles
• Pachysandra terminalis - whirling evergreen leaves
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Dahlia Types

• Cactus or semi-cactus like this Dana, Super (red) or Morley Lass a pale yellow
• Single flowered dahlias are open centred flowers up to 4 inches in diameter with a single ring of florets around a central disc. There are self colours or some bicolours.
• Collarette similar to singles with a extra ring of shorter florets around the middle
• Ball dahlias or the smaller pompon have tight spherical flowerheads
• Decorative dahlias are classified for shows in large (over 10 inch blooms), medium, small and miniature sizes
• Other miscellaneous dahlias that don’t fall into another category often linked to the flower formations of other plants like Chrysanthemeum, Anemone, Paeony, Orchid or Water-Lily forms.
• Annual bedding dahlias from seed

Cultivation tips for Dahlias

• Start tubers into growth in March in a frost free environment
• Thin to 3 shoots and stop them if they get to 6 inches. Spare shoots can be rooted as cuttings.
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The Daily Telegraph report that a new range of Organic Seeds are to be available from Duchy Originals. This announcement coincides with Prince Charles visit to Ryton the Garden Organic establishment (HDRA).

It amuses me to see amongst the range of tools on sale at Duchy Originals a Dutch Hoe but may be I am confused somewhere with the Prince of Orange.

From July to September you may see some giant sunflowers and they may be from the variety ‘Titan’ which is advertised as up to 12 foot tall. Other large varieties include Giant Yellow, Paul Bunyon and variations on Russian Giant sunflowers.

Guinness Book of Records categories for giant sunflowers

• Biggest flower measured from the petal tip to the opposite side petal tip - 32 inches
  
• Tallest Sunflower measured from the ground to the highest petal on the flower - 25 feet unless you grow better
  
• Most flowers counting all flower heads on the sunflower - 837 on one plant in America

Tips for growing Giants

• Avoid planting in a windy site or too near a wall. A north facing area may help the plant grow tall. Plant in sun for branching and lots of flower.
• Stake the plants for support. Put in a thicker stake as needed.
• Mound up soil around the base of the plant
• Water regularly
• Feed at least weekly with balanced feed and more frequently with a high potash feed when the flower develops.
• Watch out for insects, wind damage and other problems that need quick treatment.

Not everything in the garden is lovely. Consider this hosta with snail damage that has ravaged the leaves so that they are just a mass of ribbons and holes. Slugs and snails are a pest at the best of times but this plant was in a wet spot and has suffered accordingly. See our slug and snail tips for help to prevent this in your garden (if you can trust someone who has a plant like this)

This is a picture of a Holyhock with an early stage of rust. Rust is yellow spots and grains starting on the reverse of the leaf that stop leaves functioning. This is a regular problem with most Holyhocks in our area and is exacerbated by wet conditions. By later on in the season leaves will be falling off and the plant will be in a sorry state. Even plants that are said to be resistant have shown signs of rust the progress of which can be slowed by fungicides.

This isn’t frost damage on the Hydrangea so I assume it is wind burn on some of the early opening flower heads. Normally my hydrangeas don’t suffer from pests and problems but very young plants need some protection from slugs.

Most of the infected leaves have already denuded this rose tree. The last few spotted leaves will be cut off and burnt. It isn’t safe to compost such infected leaves as the spores will persist and return via the compost when it is spread. The rose will be pruned heavily and given a fungicide treatment now and again in spring in the hope that the problem wont recur. the roses next to this tree are fit and healthy so it is worth looking for resilient varieties when you buy new ones. The cost is normally low enough that I should oust the spotted plant right now.

This variegated hydrangea had white and pale pink flowers. It was on display from a garden centre and I didn’t buy one because they looked a bit over bred, over the top and the flowers were weak stemmed.

For larger leaved Hydrangeas some shade is essential. Variegated plants often like shade but without sun they can loose colouring.

However my neigbours variegated Holly (Ilex aquifolium) catches the late evening sun and the yellow is quite strong. The glossy leaves and the three foot of growth make this a grand evergreen to have in the garden. If you get green shoots on a variegated shrub cut it at the branch. Young Holly bushes do not have as  many spikes to the leaves until they mature

I am also a fan of the Euonymus and the japonicus varieties. They have many colour schemes for their leaves and brighten a shady area at the back of my house. Silver Queen and Harlequin have whit and green foliage. Emerald ‘n’ Gold speaks for itself when it comes to colour schemes.

Layering a wide range of shrubs trees and climbers can get you lots more plants cheaply. This method encourages new root growth whilst a stem is still attached to the parent plant.

Some plants send runners that can be rooted.

Other plants send out suckers that can be used for new plants

How to Layer to get new plants

• Find a supple stem of the chosen plant in spring for evergreens
  • Bend the stem down to soil level creating a U shape or 45 degrees to the parent and vertical for the stem.
  • Remove leaves and side shoots except the top 12 inches or so.
  • Cut the stem about half way through or take out a sliver at the point where it meets the soil
  • Form a shallow hole 5 inch deep and peg the stem down with a wire hoop to the soil and mound over with soil and compost.
  • When there is evidence of strong new growth sever from the parent plant and grow on. Probably 12 months to be on the safe side
  • Try Acers, Roses, Rhododendron, Forsythia, Lilac and Azaleas by this methods

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Cutting the grass is hard work, (you could just leave it like this natural meadow)

Gardening is a beautiful pastime, working with plants is one of the most rewarding activities. But, there are sill some jobs that never seem particularly attractive. These are some of the jobs I try to avoid doing, or at least get someone else to do. (It’s about time to invite my Mother to cut my edges)

1. Dealing With Slugs

There is no easy way to deal with slugs. Using pellets leaves a slight feeling of guilt. Any other method is either gruesome or hardwork.

2. Cleaning equipment after use.

When you’ve spent along time clipping a hedge, putting the clippings away, the last thing you wont to do is to clean all the tools you’ve used. But, it is an effective way to extend the length of tools.

3. Cutting the edges and picking up the clippings.

Mowing the lawn isn’t too bad, but, going round all the edges and cutting them is hard work with little reward.

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The garden is a place of both leisure and work. We create a garden to enjoy, but sometimes we find it difficult to sit back and relax; instead we find numerous small jobs to do. We may go out in the garden to do one thing, but get sidetracked and start doing several things at once. If we are not careful we can spend a long time working in the garden but not change very much. These are some tips to increase your productivity in the garden.

1. Be Focused.

Decide on the most important task and then stick to that exclusively. If you want to weed a border; just concentrate on weeding. Don’t start splitting up plants or trimming bushes.

2. Economies of Scale.

Think how long it takes to get out the equipment and then put it back. It can easily be 10 minutes to get started and 10 minutes to pack up. Therefore, it is better to spend 1-2 hours working rather than several 15 minute sessions. Set aside an hour and then work really hard on that task; don’t waste time always getting started and putting things away.

3. Right Tools.

The right jobs can make a big difference. If you are pruning with a blunt pair of secateurs, everything will be harder work. Make sure you look after tools and if blades become blunt replace them, it will save time and make gardening more enjoyable in long run.

4. Choose Most Important Task

In any garden there are always a 100 different things that we can do. It is therefore important to prioritise. Start off with the most prominent border or place you want to look good; don’t worry about the odd weed behind the compost heap.

5. Create Time

Some jobs may be labour intensive meaning you don’t have time for more important tasks. For example, if you cut the grass every 4 days, you could cut it every 8 days and create an extra hour a week for weeding and planting.

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