This garden centre label is colourful and was surprisingly close in colour to the plant it was selling.

Beware of faded and cracked labels as this is a sign of UV deterioration and the plant will have been with the label for far too long.

Labels should be Informative

• Labels should show the name of the plant in botanic terms (in this case Rhododendron)  and the variety in this case ‘Golden Eagle’. It often has the common name crucially missing in this case as it is a Knapp Hill Azalea.
• Planting Instructions are usually fairly generic, in this case it mentions acid or ericaceous soil.
• Cultural instructions include positioning, watering, feeding and where necessary pruning guidelines should be helpful.
• A plant description giving height and spread in inches or cm, time of flowering, habit etc. Missing in this case as unlike most rhododendrons this is deciduous not evergreen.
• It is a growing trend to include the growers details particularly where they want to impose some rights like Plant Beeders Rights

Keeping Labels

• As far as I know there is no hobby of collecting plant labels like match boxes.
• I keep my labels to remind me what I planted but do not put labels in the garden. May be I should reconsider as I forget more than I remember except where the Rosemary is planted!
• Labels sometimes include the price and that amazes me years later when I think what I spent. The pre printed white tags are good for this.
• Cut off the white tyvek tags and any bits of elastic without damaging the plant.

See more pictures of Golden Eagle

Read more about Labels Markers and Tags

Phlomis are small shrubs for a warm sunny border. The unusual flower stems and Mediterranean style silver leaves make this a feature plant.

Varieties of Phlomis with Growing Tips

• Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’ is one of the readily available shrubby varieties. The square stems and whorls of yellow flowers are quite striking. It  probably originated from a seed from Phlomis russeliana.
• Jerusalem Sage or Phlomis fruticosa may be damaged by late frosts but wait until the end of May to trim off affected shoots. Trim annually to avoid a leggy base.
• Phlomis tuberosa flowers from May with pink too purple flowers in whorls.
• Grow from cuttings taken between June and August. Remove flower buds and trim below a node.
• Other Phlomis that may survive our winters include, Phlomis samia, Phlomis orientalis, Phlomis longifolium and Phlomis italica,

Other pictures from Phlomis flower gallery

I grew my Phlomis from seed collected from a public garden in Shrewsbury but you can buy from Thompson Morgan

Top Gardening Links
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
Alpine Garden Society (AGS)
BBC Gardening

A colourful carpet of ground cover plants may be a creative, low maintenance alternative to a lawn. Alternatively a pattern of coloured stone or chippings with feature plants in containers may be your preference.

Collection of Low Growing Plants

• A mix of flowers and shrubs can include conifers like Golden Juniper Juniperus x media ‘Golden Sovereign’, Juniperus horizontalis, Juniper squamata ‘Holger’ and Picea pungens ‘Glauca Prostrata’ all around one foot tall with varying spreads.
• For colour in summer you can’t beat some Petunia multiflora and vibrant Busy Lizzie Impatiens. Try the ‘accent’ series from Thompson Morgan
• Bulbs of Dutch Iris, Cyclamen, Crocus and Muscari can provide spring and autumn colour.
• Fillers and good doers include Bugle Ajuga reopens, Pinks Dianthus Indian hybrids, Geranium, Sedum and Vinca.

Design Features

• Wide flat rocks can break up the verdant space and give the gardener a place to stand and weed.
• Think in terms of 8-12″ as the average height with accent plants if required.
• Create a backing or edging with taller uniform plants. Roses box or taller Conifers may suit.
• Plant in bold blocks of colour with annuals close together for maximum effect.

Patterns of Gravel

• Ground cover of pebbles, chippings or gravel can add colour. I like plum coloured slate chippings.
• The covering can be used to stand elegant containers perhaps containing trailing plants like lobelia or geraniums.
• Make sure you have a weed barrier under the gravel.
• Gravel should be comparatively low maintenance but keep it spruce and moss free.

Similar rule apply when planting ground cover that grows taller. Select a height 18-24″ in this case and plant appropriate plants in the designated area. Tree ferns have been used as accent plants in this design.

If you are looking for a show stopping display of spring flowers then why not try planting   primary colours of Red, Blue and Yellow in the same bed.

A sweeping display of blocks of colour contrasting with the other primary colours can have a stunning effect. Over planting with primary-coloured annuals will help the design continue through summer. This list starts off with bulbs in the primary colours but you can use whatever takes your fancy,  as you will see, I like Polyanthus.

Reds mainly Tulips

• Small early red Tulips are Daylight and Show-winner.
• For elegant Tulip shapes try Fosteriana Red Emperor, Charles or the more muted Rosy Dream.
• Abba and Carlton are doubles to sing about.
• Appledorn, Hollands Glory and Red Impressions remind you where most tulips come from but Barbados is a stunning fringed red to add to your selection.

Blues avoiding Purples

• Muscari Azureum or other Grape Hyacinths are some of the best blues. I like Blue Spike, Super Star and Valerie Finnis.
• Hyacinths, Crystal Palace, Blue Star, Delft Blue, Ostara and Kronos are just some of the blue varieties to try. Personally I would not bother with the yellow Hyacinths such as City of Harlem
• Camassia, Chinodoxa and Anemone ‘Lord Lieutenant’  are varied bulbs flowering blue.
• Dutch Iris are some of the finest blue flowers, Hildegard and Sapphire Blue. Iris reticulata, Joyce and Cantab are also well worth growing.

Yellow Aconites to Zantedeschia

• For something a bit different try yellow Iris Danfordiae, Fritilliaria Raddena or Ixia Yellow Emperor.
• Crocus species Chrysanthus Dorothy, Fuscotinclus and Romance are small yellow crocus whilst Golden Mammoth is just what it says, Golden and Mammoth.
• Jonquilla Daffodills grow to about one foot and bloom freely. Baby Moon, Trevithian and the double Pencrebar are worth trying.
• King Alfred did more than burn the cakes he had ‘the’ yellow Daffodil named after him.
• Tamara, Carlton and Fortune are worthy substitutes

Are you a windswept gardener who suffers from prevailing and random wind (in the garden I mean). Well here are some tips and plant selections to help make the most of your conditions. Your other suggestions would be welcome.

Initial Thoughts of the Windswept (move home)

• Screen a windy site with Trees and Shrubs then fill in with sturdy perennials.
• Think of wind breaks when locating garden furniture or planning a new hedge.
• Seaside gardens hint at some of the great garden features that you can incorporate into your windy garden.
• Drought or water shortage often goes with a windswept garden so select plants that are also drought tolerant.
• After planting give new additions some protection until they are established and water regularly until the roots grow. I put large pots, fleece barriers and even temporary trellis near new plants.

Selection of Trees

• Mountain Ash or Rowan trees grow in some inhospitable places. Read the rest of this entry »

Kale or borecole has returned to popularity as a vegetable. Kale is a form of cabbage Brassica oleracea Acephala and has green or purple leaves.

Growing Curly Kale

• The leaves do not form a cabbage head but remain open.
• Some varieties have flat leaves but the flavour and texture is not as refined. These leaves are often used as animal feed.
• Baby leaves can be used in a salad and have a peppery taste.
• Black Tuscany Kale has attractive dark green, deeply savoyed, strap-like leaves.
• The traditional winter hardiness makes this a useful winter to spring vegetable at a time when fresh garden produce is scarce.
• F1 Kale Reflex has more intensely curled, succulent and nutritious, dark green leaves which stand well without yellowing.
• Grow Kale from seeds planted in February or March. Some varieties supplied by Thompson Morgan can be grown inside for salads.

Eat the Seasons says ‘Kale is a very handy ingredient for seasonal eaters as it is one of the few green vegetables that is more abundant and flavourful during the coldest months of the year.’

Harvesting Kale

• Choose a good variety and pick the greenstuff when it is young and tender .
• Pick from the crown of the plant from November onwards.
• Remove a few young leaves each time you pick.
• Use a sharp knife or a sharp downwards tug.
• Do not gather mature or yellowing leaves for kitchen use as they will be bitter.
• Stripping of the crown will stimulate the development of succulent side shoots.

For more information on Ornamental Kale read

The summer Raspberries are now finished and I am eagerly awaiting a crop from my Autumn Raspberries planted 2 season ago.
In the meantime the old Raspberries are getting a bit of friendly treatment.

Cultivation of Early Raspberries.

• The plants throw up canes 3-5 feet high from a stool at ground level.
• In Summer and Autumn new canes are produced that will carry the flowers and fruit next spring.
• Canes will only fruit once so old canes should be cut down at ground level after you have harvested the fruit
• I shred the old canes on to my compost heap.
• New canes need support. I string wire across the row from stout posts at each end.
• Raspberries are a hungry and thirsty fruit.
• Feed with general purpose granular fertiliser like Growmore in spring and mulch with well-rotted farmyard manure.

Varieties

• Grow Raspberries from bare-root plants in the autumn. Here are some of the varieties available from Thompson Morgan.
• Glen Moy – spine free canes, heavy crops in early summer
• Glen Prosen – firm fruit in mid-summer
• Autumn fruiting types include All Gold and Autumn Bliss
• Read also Spring Summer and Autumn on Gardeners Tips.

Common Golden Thistle or Spanish Salsify has golden yellow flowers that look like other members of the Compositeas.

Growing Spanish Salsify

• The plants prefer light well-drained soil. Occasionally it will be found growing wild but as its name suggests it grows well in Spain where it is also known as Spanish Oyster.
• Spanish Salsify is a biennial or perennial plant, which grows 2-3′ tall and is very spiny. The stems are branched at the top, with discontinuous spiny branchlets.
• Cultivation has reduced since Victorian times when it was more popular

Growing for Eating and Cooking

• All parts of the plant are edible but the roots were originally thought  to have a slight diuretic effect.
• Root eaten raw or cooked have a sweet flavour that makes an excellent vegetable though it is rather low yielding.
• The roasted root has been used as a coffee substitute
• Young leaves and leafstalks can be blanched and used in salads
• The flowers are used to adulterate saffron as a food colouring
• In Spain the main uses are in salads or with scrambled eggs .

Read more on the UN Agricultural web site

Ordinary Salsify

• Grown from seed the roots can be stored for winter use.
• Salsify Scorzobianca produces slender, parsnip-like white skinned roots. They can be left in the ground and lifted as required. In the spring the tender shoots of Salsify Scorzobianca make an appetising green vegetable.
• Seeds available from Thompson Morgan
• The roots have a delicious, delicate flavour likened to Oysters or Asparagus.
• Salsify is a good source of Vitamin C and potassium.

Sweetcorn is one of my favourite vegetables. Even when it comes out of a tin it is OK but fresh Sweetcorn boiled then smothered in butter is a treat that makes these plants well worth growing.

Planting Sweetcorn.

• Each seed is the shape and colour of a pip from a sweetcorn cob. They germinate quickly in warm conditions.
• Sow seeds in mid spring 4 weeks before the last frost in your area.
• Plant out 18in apart in blocks rather than rows when all danger of frost has passed,
• Sweetcorn seed is available in many varieties from Thompson Morgan.
• If you try F1 hybrids don’t grow next to standard varieties or the cross pollination may cause the cobs to lose some of its sweetness.

Pollination and Growing On

• Pollen from the male flowers, above, falls or is blown onto the female flowers or tassels, below, which when fertilised will form the cob.
• To get good pollen distribution it is worth growing plants in square or rectangular blocks not long rows.
• Hand pollination can be tried, dust female tassels with an open male flower or run your hand down the male flower and transfer the pollen onto the female tassels.
• Once the silks or tassels start to form on the cobs regular watering is helpful.
• To check that the cobs are ready to be picked pull back part of leaves covering them and squeeze one of the grains, if the liquid is thin and creamy, not watery, the cob is ready.

Sweetcorn Mini Vegetables

• Miniature sweetcorn Minor produces tiny corn cobs for Chinese cooking and casseroles and crops in 64 days
• The baby corn of Sweetcorn Minor are harvested before pollination just as the ‘silk tassels’ begin to show.
• Sow seeds in mid spring 4 weeks before last expected frost in your area, singly ½in deep in 3in pots of compost.
• Plant out 4-5in apart in rows 8in apart when all danger of frost has passed in blocks of short rows rather than one long row.
• A warm sheltered position in fertile, moist yet free draining soil is best.
• Plants will still grow tall, the only thing miniature is the cobs.
• Keep free of weeds and water regularly.
• Harvest the tiny cobs when the silks first show above the husks. What you are harvesting is the immature corn on the cob.
• Under ideal conditions each plant should bear 4-6 cobs. If you forget to harvest on time a normal sweet corn will be produced.

Eating Sweetcorn

• Miniature cobs are ideal raw, steamed, stir fried or with dips.
• Also very tasty cooked, then tossed in parsley butter or served with a cream sauce.
• Maincrop Sweetcorn are good when barbecued or grilled.
• Sweetcorn adds starch to chicken or fish soup.

The design of the Chesea Physic Garden dates back to 1673 when it replaced market gardens and orchards on the same spot alongside the Thames. Intended to be a physic garden ‘pertaining to things natural as distinct to metaphysical’ it is exceptionally practical rather than being design led.

Design Features With Appeal

• Many excellent descriptions of plants with their practical or medicinal uses, in my view put it ahead of the RHS show gardens.
• Rectilinear beds are arranged and labeled in botanic classification.
• Old walls and old trees give shelter and help create a micro climate but there are also hot houses for exotic tropical plants.
• Because the garden is not about gardening in a modern sense there are many features that need to be studied to take in the benefit from a visit to the garden. I liked the slate beds for pot plants, the variety of berries and seedheads (see below) and the statuary.

Incorporate Helpful Plants

• Plan your garden with a good herbal or read up on plants before you select your range of subjects.
• A few of the plants that profit from being grown together include:
  • Marigolds and roses, aphids are lured naturally by roses, and these feed on the flowers and leaves. By planting marigolds around the roses, they will keep at bay insects.
  • Garlic, when grown in annual and perennial gardens, aids in warding off insects that feed on leaves.
  • Monarda or Bee Balm is not only an herb but also a striking flower, and this plant draws bees, and butterflies to the flower garden to assist with pollination.
  • Dahlias hold off insects and enrich the soil with nitrogen but otherwise are big drinkers and feeders. Read the rest of this entry »