Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

All good advice so far, so I won’t repeat. But will add my 2 cents about planting. When planting perennials, it’s best to do them in groups of at least 3.

It’s nice to have perennials as a backbone of your garden, and to supplement with annuals, until they get established.

I always underplant my perennials with spring flowering bulbs, so as to extend the season of bloom in my garden.

As the perennials begin to come back to life in the spring, their foliage will camouflage the yellowing foliage of the spent bulbs.

When planting annuals, I generally dig a good sized hole, and put 3 plants in together. It’s showier that way.

Then I neaten everything up with a nice dark mulch—something like Cyprus is nice. Cocoa Shells are terrific too, if you can find them

A mulched garden is good for many reasons.
1) aesthetics. Especially in a new garden, there will be a lot of empty space and the mulch allows you to get away with fewer plants.
2) mulch helps the soil retain moisture, so you don’t have to irrigate as frequently.
3) mulch inhibits weed seeds from germinating and sprouting.

***Don’t forget Miracle Grow!!!

GardenersCardiff answers:

My gardening tips are to create an easy to maintain garden with seasonal interest, rather than just a summer splash.

The plants that I use are:

Phormiums – come in range of leaf colours, variegated, green, reds to purple. Grows from 2′ to 5′ with large flower spikes, when established and in a good sunny spot. Spear shaped leaves.

Buddleia – the butterfly bush – showy flowers, attracted butterflies, from around June. Only need pruning hard, around Feb, then just let them riot. There’s also a variegated form, with purple flowers, otherwise flower colours from white, pinks to purple.

Lavenders:there are alot of different types:
Hidcote is around 18” tall, lovely dark blue flowers.
Old English: ‘lavender’ blue flowers, around 2-3′ tall.
French: these have coloured ‘wings’ ontop of their flowers.
All are best with a fairly harsh spring pruning, stops them getting leggy.

Heuchera’s: good for semi shaded areas, fantastic choice of leaf colours and textures, plus flowers too.

Sedum Spectabile is 1 of the easiest plants to grow: roots easily too, if he takes cuttings next year onwards. Attracts butterflies.

I’d add some grasses, for leaf texture variation. Festuca Glauca is a short very blue grass. Otherwise, there are tons of colours from red, to variegated green/white or golden.

A Peony will flourish in the same spot for 50years +, so is really easy and showy. Some come with scented flowers.

Daylilies are lovely summer flowering herbaceous plants, yellow, reds etc. (Hemerocalis is the botanical name)

Phlox paniculata are herbaceous summer flowering plants, whites to pink. Very easy.

Foxgloves are easy, but the typically grown types grow from seed one year, flower and die the next. Good in partial shade, especially for back of borders, as they can reach 6′ tall. Maybe you could start some from seed yourself, and post or take them to him?

Roses could be ok, either climbers or freestanding. Require an annual prune. Good long season colour.

Hardy Geraniums are easy showy plants, with long flowering periods – don’t confuse with the summer bedding geraniums, which aren’t hardy and thus not perennial in UK gardens.

I love Oriental Poppies, Papaver Orientalis – mine are just about to flower now. From white to pink, red, orange. Many with contrasting colours in the centre of the flower. Herbaceous.

Gaillardia have a broad colour range, for long summer periods of flowers.

Add some Hellebores for late winter, early spring colour:
Heeleborus Niger (Christmas ‘Rose’), white flowers or Helleborus Orientalis – late spring, whtie,pinks, reds. Herbaceous, but usually carry leaves through the year.

Lupins are also showy flowering herbaceous plants, in a wide colour range. Easy.

I’d add some bulbs, for flowering next spring:usually purchased/planted from around August. Daffodills/Narcissus, Bluebells, Scilla Siberica, Crocus, large flowered and species types, for easly spring flowers.

Tulips are lovely, but can be prone to rot, as you’re not sure of his soil type, might want to avoid. Best planted late autumn, even upto December.

Ref. Ordering: I’d shop around, as you’ll find variations in pricing. It’s also a really good idea to select the plants yourself, as you can pick the healthiest – I know he’s some way from you, but perhaps you could find some garden centres that are on your way, or local to him.

Hope these ideas help. I’ve chosen from what I grow and know are reasonably easy but showy plants.

Good luck! Rob

GardenersCardiff answers:

Gardening requires proper planning first and vegetable gardening needs proper timing as well. Immediately after the germination you need to plant them in containers at least.You may decide planting them outside later as well.You must have good containers or pots with sufficient drainage so that each plant grows healthily.Prepare the soil mix properly and fill the container with this soil mix. Leave the upper 15% part empty for all containers.Better if you prepare your soil mix yourself with perlite.You may also buy the appropriate soil mix from a garden store as well.