Gardeners Tips

At the beginning of June gardeners tips showed five photographs of flowers from my garden. For July I have chosen five spherically shaped flowers (actually they were snapped 30th June but they are still around in July).
You may expect plants to only flower in the months recommended by retailers but nature is not like that. The Alliums should be flowering earlier and be over by July. The Hydrangea and Gazinia are still to give their best.

Allium Christophii look like a firework display and I am told make good cut flowers. (Mine will stay in the garden for the time being.)

Despite very poor ‘Peony weather’ my exemplars have survived and not suffered too much damage. It is the flowers I have brought indoors that have quickly shed their petals this year.

It is a bit early for Hydrangeas to show full colour but I liked the theme of big round flowers on these photographs.
I have fed this Hydrangea with colourant last back-end and spring so am hoping the blue gets stronger as the flowers open more fully.

Where would an English garden be without it’s roses?

The orange Gazinia is included for the strength and variety of colour. It is a bit of a cheat as it is still under glass when the picture was taken as the rain could have damaged the petals.

I have taken a slight liberty calling English Lavender (Lavendula augustifolia) British, which it surely must be.
Other Lavenders will grow and thrive in the UK including French and Spanish Lavender but they will last only a few years whilst English Lavender can live for 20+ years.

English Lavender (Lavendula augustifolia)

• Varieties to look for include Imperial Gem, Hidcote and Munstead which have a compact habit and Melissa Lilac.
• These British Lavender flowers in early summer on short flower spikes a few inches above narrow, grey-green leaves.
• In August the flowers will be virtually over and the plant can be trimmed back hard so they regenerate before winter
• Cut flowers for drying in late June and early July

You can acquire or just admire plants as part of a collection

Spanish Lavender

Growing Tips for Lavender

• Water in the first season so the Lavender can develop deep roots then in future years they can survive on very little water.
• The silvery aromatic leaves indicate that Lavender prefers full sun and good drainage like similar plants.
• The tufted French and Spanish lavenders are variable in habit and flowering colour.
• Buy plants from a good nursery who will have a stock of varieties.
• Grow Lavender from cuttings from May to August

Commercially Grown English Lavender

Lavandins are Lavandula X intermedia and they can be clipped to produce roundels or cloud shaped plants.
Lavender is a top plant for nectar and Butterflies love British Lavender

Photo credits
Lavender by Mrs Magic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Lavender by Zombie Normal CC BY-NC 2.0
Lavender by amandabhslater CC BY-SA 2.0

New varieties, aggressive marketing or clever breeding are encouraging UK gardeners to grow Gerberas outdoors. The two photographs below are of plants on sale at a local garden centre.
Beware these outdoor Gerberas do not produce flowers as big or robust as the charming florists varieties of Gerbera. Global warming may help but a sheltered sunny spot will have to do for the time being.

This is a nice red Gerbera but the flowers are only about an inch across. I think these plants are being marketed as Gerbera Garvinea or ‘Forever Daisies’. As regular readers will know I think any plant that needs ‘marketing’ is very suspect.

The golden coloured flower was bigger than its red cousin but still looked smaller than traditional Gerbera flowers. Traditionally these would be Gerbera jamesonii and Gerbera viridifolia or a cross between.

If you still wish to try your green fingers with outdoor Gerbera Thompson & Morgan supply plants

Bold and brash blooms are a beautiful feature of Peonies but being successful is not a real big secret.
Peonies are easy to grow, herbaceous perennials that should be long lived if you follow these five simple tips.

Five Secrets of Success With Peonies

• 1. Peonies need deep, fertile, moisture retentive soil and summer rain or watering.
• 2. Do not bury the crown too deeply when planting or in later years with over-enthusiastic mulching. 2 inches below the soils surface is adequate
• 3. Cut down foliage to ground level in Autumn. Top dress with a handful of bone meal or growmore and then again in spring. An occasional top dressing of lime can be beneficial if the soil is prone to acidity.
• 4. Deadhead plants after flowering to put energy into new growth. Be patient if new plants do not flower in the first year, so long as they are not planted too deep your peonies will eventually flower.
• 5. Stake with a ring of metal hoops to support the heavy blooms. They get particularly heavy when wet.

Tree Peonies like the one pictured above do not need to be cut down. I avoid pruning Tree Peonies and you can get more tips here.

Aphids and other pests are deterred by toxic chemicals in Peony leaves.

Plant in October or during frost free periods.

Aim to grow Peonia lactifolia whose flowers are longer lasting than Peony officinalis the cottage garden variety of Peony.

See more Peony photographs.