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  1. planting broad beans

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    growing broad beans by the sunday gardeneryoung broad beans by the sunday gardenerToday I have been planting out Broad beans, the hardiest of the bean family and even in this poor spring very safe to plant out now.  I grow them in toilet roll  holders and they seem to do just fine and develop good roots. Broad beans are different;  they don't cling or climb like other beans, and need support. The best way to support them is by making columns out of bamboo canes (or other upright supports) and string along them to make colums of support. Confused, check out the photo which explains all. Create a corridor of string to support the beans as they grow and stop them flopping over. Also beans have quite brittle stems, which if bashed, will easily break so the string keeps them more or less upright and in the right place.

    Plant out within the string cordons and add at least one more layer of string support as the plants grow. It need not be as elaborate as this criss cross, simply running the string around will do just fine.

    I have also been doing lots of weeding but that's not very interesting just hard work and necessary unless you decide to beat the weeds!

     

  2. lucky lucky

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    At last a weekend of decent weather, a real pleasure to be out in the garden digging around. I am in the process of creating a wildflower strip, meadow would be far too grand. Definitely hard work preparing the ground since it covered an area already dedicated to wildlife by the nettles and brambles. Hours spent clearing off the brambles whose roots seem to journey to the centre of the earth. All cleared and looking good, hard work done. Photos to follow with detailed on advice on how and what was used if it turns out to be worth the effort..... see what develops.

  3. When can I plant out bedding plants

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    pelargonium

    Sweet pea beautiful pink

    The short answer is not yet!

    With only a few exceptions, bedding plants are frost tender. (What does  hardy mean ?) This group of plants do not tolerate frost, which can blacken the foliage and flowers and if severe enough, kill the plant. You can, be ever vigilant and when frost threatens  cover the plants with a fleece and cloche  to protect from frost.

    It's not always easy to remember to do this, and it's not practical. If the plants are in a bed, the fleece has to cover the whole bed and be secured. The difficulty is that it is just too easy to fail to notice a frost and then the plants are damaged, if not killed.

     For  more information visit the page "When to plant out summer bedding plants"

    Many bedding plants originate from warmer areas of the world where they can  grow as perennials. For example, Geraniums, Latin name Pelargoniums, are found mostly in South Africa as are Petunias, Lobelia and Verbena from South America and tropics.  These plants are annuals in the UK because of the autumn and winter conditions. Some can be overwintered in the right conditions (see link) but essentially they are plants that like it warm. In the UK frost cannot ruled out until the end of May and even so our weather is unpredictable. 

    It's not  just the frost but poor weather is not good for  bedding plants. Place a young, tender, warmth loving plant outside in spell of poor weather, even absent frost, and the chill can set it back, stop or slow growth and the plant may sulk for weeks. Whilst it is tempting to get the bedding out for better results in the long run hang on until the later in the month, and then only if the weather is improving and soil warming up.

    To improve the summer display of bedding plant up pots and hanging baskets now and grow them on under glass, in the greenhouse or conservatory so they get well established in a controlled environment. When ready to plant out harden off first if the weather is still cool.

    More advice on planting out bedding plants and in May calendar.

    A question often asked can I plant out sweet peas now?

    Sweet peas are half hardy annuals and so can be planted out now; but "can" and is it a good idea are not the same. It depends, as always on the weather and unless your garden lies in a sheltered spot in a mild area, I would plant during a mild spell to get them off to a good start. Harden plants off before planting out.  For all about growing sweet peas  and hints to how to get the best blooms follow the link 

    Great Offers on Garden Ready Bedding Plants

     

    Offer Thompson and Morgan Garden Ready plants

    There are some great offers on quality Garden Ready Plants from Thompson & Morgan - Garden Ready plants for summer colour, a large range, tough super-sized plants, despatched at the perfect time for planting out, enjoy a longer, stronger display of flowers, plant out in to the garden, containers or hanging baskets. Special Offer - Buy any 2 or more packs of 15 or 30 Garden Ready plants and take off £2.50 per pack! Includes varieties such as Begonia 'Non-Stop Mixed', Geranium 'Jackpot Mixed' F1 Hybrid and Petunia 'Easy Wave Ultimate Mixed'.

    Just check that you plant out after the risk of frost has passed until when baskets and containers will be happy temporarily in porch, greenhouse, conservatory or lean to as long as there is frost protection. 

     

     

     

     

  4. Rare butterflies blown away

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    The last Blog looked at the welcomed increase in rare butterflies but seems they will have been blown away this week as heavy wind and rain  has swept across the country causing a good degree of damage to the garden. I covered  many plants with cloches,  and not just those which are frost tender. The low temperatures wind and rain are very inhospitable for new plants and a cloche will protect against the heavy down pours which can damage the tender growth. The wind has whipped it's way around some of thetalker perennials, such as the Delphiniums  which have taken a real battering with some broken stalks which is disappointing.  Earlier staking would have helped, but we have to contend with soggy gardens, floods and a drought; hard to imagine but so typical of the conditions gardeners battle with. Part of the fascination of gardening is that seasons are so varied and unpredictable, testing the gardeners skill and patience. 

    During this chilly spell bring tender plants back under cover, and protect new growth. The only good news is the chill also puts the slugs off. They will be back- for lots of tips on how to deal with slugs follow the link