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 Hedging
with the celebrities
As you may know I get to do a fair amount of radio for BBC Three
Counties Radio (Saturday’s between 9am-12noon), so when they
asked me to report on the show as well as hob knob with celebrities
on Press Day of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show I couldn’t
resist the challenge, says Chris Day.
 Chris
Beardshaw
Popular presenter and garden designer, he created a taste of paradise
with his recycled Chelsea garden this year.
CD: "Your favourite hedging plant and flower?"
CB: "I would think it has to be the straight green Fagus
sylvatica (beech). I would mix that with Ilex aquifolium (common
holly). If you mix the two you get a wonderful tapestry with good
foliage and, of course, it is semi evergreen. I really don’t
think we see enough tapestry hedges grown in this country.
As far as favourite plant, I’m easy tempted, but we have
a 90-year old cloud-trained Pinus sylvestris on the garden here
and pruned by the same man for the past 40 years. The buds are tipped
out every spring and it is absolutely exquisite. That’s my
favourite, but ask me in 5 minutes time and it could well be something
different!"
Diamuid Gavin
The TV gardener who made shark fins, decking and coloured balls
popular in garden design exhibited at Chelsea for a second time
and gained a well-deserved Silver Guilt Flora with his contemporary
communal garden, complete with Hobbit-like work and relaxation spaces
underground. Box and lavender were used to great effect in his garden.
CD: "Your favourite plant and best loved hedging plant?"
DG: "I’m a great lavender fan – I just love
the scent of it and the form they can bring into any garden is unique.
As for hedging, I spotted a really dark holly hedge in the Australian
garden. Hollies are just great, although slow growing they can bring
so much into a garden space. I do think they have to be well-clipped
for best effect."
Alan Titchmarsh
 As
well as presenting the Chelsea Flower Show coverage for the BBC,
Alan also was honoured by having a rose named after him, courtesy
of top rose grower, David Austin. Buckingham Garden Centre will
be stocking the ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ rose in 2006.
In his Avant Gardening book, this is what Alan has to say, quite
controversially (and tongue placed firmly in cheek) about some of
the more popular hedging plants…
Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus): "The Victorians loved
it. The Elizabethans hate it; all except those in the know. It’s
vigorous, fresh and shiny, and it will stand hardy pruning. Good
in town and country."
Forsythia: "Far too colourful to be classy!"
Leylandii: "Has made an excellent job of turning tiny suntrap
gardens into dim grottoes in five years flat. For impatient troglodytes
only."
Box (Buxus sempervirens): Superb for edging asparagus
beds and herb gardens (for which you should use the dwarf variety
‘Suffruticosa’). Better at making balls than peacocks.
Beech(Fagus sylvatica): A stalwart of town gardens. A
little overdone but still acceptable."
Terry Wogan
CD: "Are you a keen gardener?"
TW: "No, no I don’t. No, I pay people to do it for
me but the present Mrs Wogan is the gardener of the family."
CD: "Is there anything interesting you have seen at the show
today?"
TW: "Alan Titchmarsh and Diamuid Gavin! They’ve brought
me in to Chelsea, as I’m the only person who’ll speak
to Diamuid!"
CD: "Did you like Diamuid’s garden?"
TW: "I think its lovely and a great idea and I love lavender
anyway, but I don’t think it bloomed quite in time for the
show and it perhaps needed another week to look its best."
CD: "Do you have a favourite hedging plant?"
TW: "It has to be Yew. We use a lot of it at Wogan Towers!"
CD: "Thanks for your time and enjoy the rest of the show."
TW: "Yes, I will and I’m off to look at Lupinus ‘Pauly’…"
Note: That’s the lupin named after Paul Walters, Terry’s
radio producer of his hugely popular Wake Up To Wogan breakfast
show, but if you are Radio 2 fan you’ll know all about it.
 Chenies
Manor
We are pleased to be exhibiting again at this year’s Chenies
Manor Plant and Garden Fair, which is on Sunday, 17 July. This annual
horticultural jamboree is perfect for those of you searching out
the rare and exceptional plants, topiary and trees from a wide range
of specialist nurseries.Best of all, admission includes entrance
to the wonderful Manor Gardens, which are always a treat to view
and walk around.
The event is open from 10am to 5pm at The Manor House, Chenies,
Rick-mansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 6ER. Directions: From M25 Exit
18 follow A404 to Chenies (situated between Chorleywood and Little
Chalfont). Lunch and refreshments available. Free car parking.
As far as our display this year, we have been influenced by the
Manor Gardens amazing white garden, so we’ll be paying tribute
to this as well as a whole host of unusual perennials you are likely
to see in this stunning garden. If you have a spare few hours, do
come along and say ‘Hello’!
Kid’s get growin’
 Just
to let you know we have launched our annual Sunflower/squash competition
with local schools in the Buckingham area. We have contacted the
schools directly this season, and we’ve had some excellent
response so far! We are hoping for even more entries, including
new this season our largest squash category, which is bound to bring
in some real heavyweights this autumn.
If you want further information on the schools competition, please
speak to the Plant Information Office on 01280 827909.
That tropical touch
Global warming seems to be the new buzz term us gardeners have
to deal with. Milder winters, drier spring and summers, coupled
with increased average day and night time temperatures means, in
effect, we are able to grow far more diverse plant material in our
plots.
Olive trees are a great example of this with many of our customers
reporting how well their plants have survived the winter and have
continued to grow late into the season.
This is a good time to establish a host of so-called tender plants
into the garden or perhaps pots – consider palms (Phoenix
canariensis and Trachycarpus), cannas, tree ferns as well as green
and purple cordlylines. Make sure if you are planting directly into
the garden that the soil is well improved with horticultural grit
(to ensure rapid drainage). If pots are to be used, again make sure
good drainage is available in the pot and a gritty compost mixture
is used.
Summer
Offers
 Most
seeds are currently at half price – so make the most
of this and stock up on seeds for next season!
We have 20% off all in-stock Alexander Rose Teak furniture.
We’ve plenty of fuchsias, including basket,
bush and hardy varieties still available for that splash of late
summer colour. The deal is any three 10cm potted fuchsia for just
a fiver!
We have also some asparagus plants to move to
make space for our autumn batch. The 2 litre plants were £3.99,
they are now half-price at £1.99, plus the more you buy, the
more you save!
Competition
Winners
CONGRATULATIONS to the following five lucky winners of our Houseplant
Expert Book Two competition we ran in our last newsletter.
Thank you for all your entries but well done to our five winners,
Gillian Dickinson from Maids Moreton; Terry Middle, Tingewick; Mrs
P Gorman from Hethe near Bicester; Mrs B. North, Waddesdon, near
Aylesbury and Mr R Underhill from Quainton. A copy of the latest
Expert Book will be with you shortly and the answer to the competition
was (C) Swiss Cheese Plant is the common name for Monstera deliciosa.
And
finally - JOBS FOR JULY and AUGUST
TIME to enjoy your garden! Time to sit back and
reap the benefits of all your hard work. Use your garden for outdoor
entertaining – don’t forget the all-important BBQ and
extend your evenings outdoors with low-voltage lighting and supplementary
heating when the sun has gone down and it gets a bit nippy!
CONTINUE to watch for insect or disease damage
throughout the garden, and take the necessary steps to control any
problems.
KEEP the weeds pulled, before they have a chance
to flower and go to seed. Otherwise you will be fighting newly germinated
weed seeds for several years.
HOUSE PLANTS can be moved outside to a shady,
protected spot until September.
Warmer and drier weather means it will be necessary to water and
mist your houseplants more often.
RAISE the cutting height of the mower. Taller
grass cools the roots and helps to keep the moisture in the soil
longer. Continue to protect your fruit from the birds with netting.
SUMMER blooming shrubs should be pruned for shape
after they have finished flowering. Remove any dead or diseased
branches.
Verbenas, euonymus, pachysandra, ivy, and climbing roses are some
of plants that will root fairly quickly by layering them into the
warm soil. Fasten a section of the stem containing one or more ‘eyes’
down onto cultivated soil with a horseshoe shaped piece of wire
and cover it with additional soil. By summer’s end, the stem
should be rooted sufficiently to sever it from the parent plant
and replant into another area of the garden.
CONTINUE to dead head (remove dead flowers) your
annuals to encourage continued blooming. If your annuals have died
off, pull them out and add them to the compost heap. Replant that
spot with hardy annuals or perennials, such as pansies, calendulas,
or armeria. Get a second bloom from faded annuals by cutting them
back by one half their height, then fertilise them with liquid Tomorite
fertiliser.
EFFICIENT WATERING The primary rule of summer
watering is to water thoroughly and deeply each time and to allow
the soil dry out between waterings. Deep watering will allow the
plant's roots to grow deeper, where they are less likely to dry
out, as well as the added benefit of anchoring the plant into the
ground better. Light, surface watering actually wastes water, because
the water never actually reaches the root zone of the plant, and
the moisture rapidly evaporates from the top inch of soil. The best
way to tell if your plants are receiving enough water is to take
a trowel or shovel and dig down a few inches. The soil should be
moist at least 3 or 4 inches deep to ensure that the water is reaching
the root zone of the plants. Of course, if you planted drought resistant
plants in your garden, you won't have to water as often, but the
principal of deep watering still applies. Try to do your watering
during the morning hours so that the leaves can dry off a bit before
the hot sun hits them. Evening watering is sometimes acceptable
if the temperatures are warm enough to ensure that foliage dries
before the temperature drops at night. (Wet foliage makes plants
more susceptible to fungus and disease.)
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