Cut Direction

With frequent publicity on the diminishing habitats and loss of our native insect species, particularly pollinators such as bees and butterflies, gardeners everywhere can actually help to redress this imbalance by creating their own wild area in the garden to provide a haven for these threatened species.  With 15 million gardens in the UK covering an approximate area of 270,000 hectares, if everyone planted a few additional plants or created suitable breeding grounds to attract more species it could make a big difference.

Bee and Butterfly Friendly Plants

There are many garden plants and shrubs which attract bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects to help increase numbers.  Herbaceous perennials such as Buddleia, heather, flowering cherry, allium, yarrow, hebe, foxgloves, pulmonaria, scabious and sedum are just a few great pollinators. Or if you have space, why not create an area in the garden for wild native plants to flourish amongst nettles and brambles.  Wildflower seeds are available at garden centres to create this type of mini-habitat.  This link to the RHS website will give a full list of polinating plants.

Bug Hotel

You can also increase the population of insects by providing them with a simple ‘bug hotel’.  Collect some hollow stems and place them inside a plastic bottle with the end cut off.  Make several of these and place them in different positions around the garden: on the ground in the undergrowth, near a fence, inside a hedge or under the bird table.  Or for something larger, stack logs and small branches together in a pile –the insects love small dark spaces and you’ll be able to attract a range of beneficial insects such as mayflies, hoverflies, lacewings, honeybees and solitary bees, beetles and butterflies.

Ponds

Ponds are another wonderful habitat for native insects and creatures to hang out.  Frogs and toads live on slugs and snails, which is a fantastically eco-friendly way of minimising slug damage to your plants in spring.  Hoverflies, newts, water beetles, pond skaters, mayflies and dragonflies are just a few of the native species which will be attracted to a garden pond.

In general, try and avoid using too many chemicals around the garden – the more beneficial insects you can attract into the garden the less chemical sprays and pellets you’ll need to use, all of which is better for the garden and for the environment.

I guess tomatoes are the first thing that springs to mind as they are nearly always grown in growbags, or for the smaller varieties in hanging baskets.  But have you considered growing carrots, dwarf French beans, salad leaves, beetroot, or potatoes in containers?  No reason why not!

Getting Started

The right type and size of container needs to be considered depending on the crop you wish to grow.  Things like carrots and potatoes need deep soil so a taller container should be used.  Salads, beans and beetroot need less depth.  Pick the right spot for the container before you fill it with compost and plants as it may be too heavy to move.  Choose a sunny sheltered position as ripening vegetables don’t like to be in shade.

Make sure you have plenty of drainage material at the bottom of the container before adding any compost or soil.  This will ensure good drainage and prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged which will rot the roots.  Once you’ve planted up your container with young vegetable plants, spread a layer of mulch on the surface of the soil to help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

Care

Container grown vegetables will need a little more attention than garden grown, so make sure you monitor the watering and feeding regularly.  Stake the plants where necessary to give support and be vigilant with pests and disease.  Watering will need to be done daily, particularly in warmer weather to ensure the compost or soil doesn’t dry out.  Vegetables need to have a frequent supply of water and nutrients for optimum growth.

Pest Control

There will be several unwelcome visitors after your young vegetable plants so pest protection is paramount.  Before resorting to slug pellets, try copper tape around the containers as slugs won’t cross this material.  Or use sharp grit or crushed eggshells around the base of the plants or the containers themselves to deter slugs.

Check regularly for caterpillars which may appear on the underside of the leaves and remove them.

Plant a few marigolds among your tomato plants to deter whitefly.

Try planting several different vegetables in the same container as this seems to confuse pests.  For instance, plant spring onions alongside lettuce and carrots.

Eco-friendly

Growing your own vegetables is becoming a big trend for many reasons: the cost of food in general, the concern with long distance supply and freshness of vegetables, the use of commercial pesticides and of course the taste.  With a little effort you will literally reap many rewards!

Bon Appetite!

Win a Amalfi Oval patio set from Hartman worth up to £1000.00.

One of Hartman’s most popular cast aluminium sets. This spacious six seat dining set is ideal for dining and relaxing. Ergonomically designed for comfort the Amalfi 215x107cm oval set is made in cast aluminium, is lightweight, strong, virtually maintenance free and will not rust.

Visit the Hartman website for more details.

The chairs are fully assembled and stack for easy storage and the table is flat packed with all fixtures and fittings for easy home assembly, the luxury reversible cushions are hardwearing and easy to clean. The 3m parasol has both a crank handle and a tilt operation for easy use and comes with a sturdy 15kg base.  I’ve teamed up with Hartman and looking forward to the launch of my new garden furniture ranges, coming soon.

or Columbine is a delightful cottage garden perennial which is easy to grow and care for, thrives in light shade but will tolerate full sun.  The pretty flowers have spurred petals and are available in a lots of colours.  Aquilegias grow in most soil conditions and once established, they are drought tolerant and will survive a dry summer.

Bergenia

Bergenia cordifolia is a tough perennial with dark green leathery leaves and pretty flower spikes which appear in April and May.  These plants provide useful ground cover when grown in groups, will tolerate most soil conditions and are equally happy in full sun, partial or full shade.  The shiny green summer foliage becomes tinged with purple during winter.

Weigela

A beautiful flowering shrub for spring is Weigela ‘Bristol Ruby’.  This hardy, medium sized shrub grows vigorously, producing deep red funnel shaped flowers from April to June, can be grown in most soil types and prefers a sunny position.  Prune after flowering by cutting back shoots to a strong pair of buds.

Bedding

This is the month to plan your summer bedding plants for pots, containers and baskets.  Pot up containers in the greenhouse and keep sheltered until the risk of frost is passed then they can be brought out into position or planted in the borders towards the end of the month.  When planting up your containers it’s a good idea to incorporate some moisture retaining crystals into the compost which can help reduce the amount of watering needed.

Pruning

Prune forsythia and flowering currants (ribes) after they’ve finished flowering.  Remove any dead and damaged stems and then remove about a third of the oldest flowering stems to rejuvenate the plant for a good display next year.  Most evergreen shrubs can be pruned this month before growth starts and the risk of frost is over.  Remove any damaged or dead shoots and then thin out any overcrowded branches to improve the look of the plant.

Tomatoes & Courgettes

Plant out young tomato plants in grow-bags from mid-May in a sunny, sheltered site.  Provide stakes for support as they grow and remember to feed weekly with tomato feed.  Young courgettes can be planted out this month too, again in a sunny position and add plenty of compost to the soil before planting.

David Domoney launchs the first RHS Young School Gardener of the Year, at RHS Show Cardiff (20-22 April), on Friday 20 April, part of the first National Gardening Week.

Pupils fromSt John’sCollege,Cardiff, will get the chance to meet David on Friday 20 April at 10.30PM, and go on a tour of the Show. As well as meeting David, the children will be given gardening books and the school will receive £50 of gardening vouchers.  

I wonder if the kids got into trouble for dirty hands!

David has recently been a gardening expert on shows such as Daybreak and The Tonight Show, and presented his own programme, called Garden ER. He is also currently working on an exciting new gardening project for ITV1.

Jacky Chave, RHS Strategic Schools Manager, says: ‘We’re delighted David will be launching the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year competition with us. His success in the gardening world is inspirational: he’s a fantastic role-model for any young person who is interested in gardening so a very apt person to be launching the competition.’

Aimed at gardeners up to the age of 16, the annual competition is a key initiative in the first National Gardening Week (16–22 April). Each day is themed and the quest to find the nation’s most skilled and enthusiastic young gardener, will be launched on Friday 20 April, ‘Get Kids Growing Day’.

Divided into four age groups and aimed at RHS Campaign for School Gardening schools, A winner of each age group will receive gardening tools and £500 in garden gift vouchers for their schools. The overall winner, crowned Young School Gardener of the Year 2012, will spend a day at anRHSGardenof their choice, working with an RHS gardener and receive family tickets to either RHS Tatton Park Flower Show or RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2013, some garden tools and £500 in garden gift vouchers for their school.

RHS Show Cardiff takes place at the end of National Gardening Week, and is the perfect venue to launch a competition celebrating the green-fingered champions of tomorrow. The show is already a big hit with the youngsters, through its Schools Wheelbarrow Competition, which exhibits the imaginative planting of pupils from some 70 schools inSouth Wales.

With a massive range of sizes and styles to be found from slip-on clogs, calf height and knee length wellingtons, protective work boots and waterproof lightweight shoes, you will always have the right pair of shoes or boots for your gardening work.

Slip-on clogs or gardening shoes are ideal to just pop on your feet as you go outside.  Keep a pair by the back door for a quick change and save your regular shoes from getting wet or muddy.  Available in a huge range of funky patterns, colours and styles and long lasting waterproof materials you’ll wonder what you did without them!

But when it comes to doing heavy duty jobs using spades or large forks it makes sense to invest in a pair of hard wearing steel toecap boots.  Available for men and women, this type of sturdy work boots will last for years – an absolute must for the heavier garden jobs.

When the weather is wet or the soil hasn’t had a chance to dry out, keep warm and dry with a pair of wellington boots.  Hard wearing rubber boots, either knee or calf length will protect feet and trousers from the worst of the weather and thorny shrubs and undergrowth. Wellingtonboots are also available with steel toecaps for heavy duty gardening.

Feet can get very cold for prolonged gardening stints so don’t forget a pair of warm woolen or thermal socks for added warmth inside your wellies or work boots in colder, wet weather.

If you are going to treat yourself to a new pair of wellies, make sure you recycle your old ones.  Drill some holes in the sole for drainage, they make great planters!

Leather, waterproof, gauntlet, flexible, hi-tech fabrics – they’re all readily available to help you get the job done.

For heavy duty jobs which require the maximum protection from thorns and nettles a good pair of well fitting leather gloves with long gauntlet cuffs will enable you to really get amongst the over grown parts of the garden that need taming.  Leather can sometimes become inflexible as it ages and you can lose dexterity, but there are many hard wearing synthetic fabrics on the market which will offer the same level of protection.

Waterproof gloves are essential for many jobs or whilst working in inclement weather to help you get to grips with the task in hand.  Many waterproof gloves have a cotton or soft fabric interior for maximum comfort and practicality and are available in a huge range of colours and styles to suit different requirements.

For ponds, there are special waterproof gloves available with a long sleeve which reaches the shoulder for total waterproof protection whilst working on your pond or aquarium.

More delicate jobs when working with seedlings or young plants require a pair of lightweight, flexible soft gloves which will protect hands and nails.  The modern fabrics still give dexterity for these essential and yet sometimes fiddly jobs and light duty gloves are often waterproof too for added protection.

Insulated fabric gardening gloves will keep hands warm in colder weather whilst still giving flexibility for the smaller jobs.  There are even heat resistant gauntlet gloves available which can double up as a barbecue glove for handling hot grills!  Ideal for the coming barbecue season!

PROTECT YOUR HANDS IN THE GARDEN WITH THE RIGHT GLOVES!

 

We are offering 3 pairs of tickets to the BBC Gardeners World Live show, 13th – 17th June, NEC, Birmingham.

BBC GWL offers so many new ideas, experts and flower varieties; this year promises to be the most vibrant BBC Gardeners’ World Live ever.

I will be applying my expert knowledge in the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Theatre, your imagination is sure to bloom like marigolds in summer.

Let your imagination grow wild Marvel at inspirational exhibits at the RHS Show Features. Wander through imaginative outdoor spaces created by award-winning and budding new designers in theShowGardens. Get the best advice on how to nurture your plants at the RHS Floral Marquee. With so much inspiration here, you’ll find everything you need to create a show garden of your very own.

Enjoy our most fruitful shopping experience Discover a mass of flourishing plants, handy gadgets and gifts to take home with you. From browsingPlant Avenuefull of floral arrangements and rare species in the RHS Floral Marquee, to collecting a bunch of advice from our knowledgeable nurserymen and women, we’re sure our shopping experience is every gardener’s dream.

Thrive on an abundance of expert knowledge Let the professional’s plant seeds of inspiration in your mind. See your favourite gardening experts, it could be me! or Alan Titchmarsh, I will be in the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Theatre. Listen to the editor behind your favourite magazine, Adam Pasco. Have all your problems solved by the best in the business at the Ask the Experts Stage. Then pick up useful hints and tips on the Grow Your Own Garden.

Plus, free entry into the BBC Good Food Show Summer Complete your day by going from seed to plate. With free entry into the BBC Good Food Show Summer, you can see top chefs including James Martin and feast on all the tips, inspiration and ingredients you need to produce sensational summer treats. I look forward to seeing you there.

Support Climbers

Climbing plants will start to grow rapidly now, so make sure they have enough support for the new growth. Extend trellis or add more wire to arches or tripods if necessary. As they grow gently encourage new shoots sideways, as this sends hormones along the length of the shoot, rather than just to the tips and will encourage flowering all over the plant, not just at the top.

Deadhead finished bulbs

The early spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils and hyacinths and will have finished now so remove the dead heads but don’t cut down the foliage as this needs to keep growing for a few weeks to provide the bulb with food in order for it to flower next year. Tulips will be coming through now, so make sure they have plenty of water if there is no rain – this will ensure they develop straighter stems and produce larger flowers giving you a fabulous display for the flowering period.

Lawn Care

The lawn will need regular mowing from now until autumn, so ensure the blades on your mower are sharpened and ready for regular use. Keep the edges of the lawn tidy after mowing with a sharp pair of shears or lawn edger. Give the lawn a feed to give it a good start for the year. If there is moss in the lawn, use a spring lawn fertilizer with a moss killer included.