Gaillardia aristata (Gaillardia grandiflora)

 

Gaillardia aristata, also called Gaillardia grandiflora is a beautiful red and yellow daisy like flower which is excellent for cutting. It is a hardy perennial growing to about 24-30 inches high and makes a bright addition to the herbaceous border. Flowers are up to 3 inches across and borne from June to October. Also known as the blanket flower, this pretty plant was introduced into Britain in 1812. It is native to Western Canada, Western USA and New Mexico.

Gaillardia aristata is the parent plant to a number of striking garden hybrids which range in colour from orange-yellow through shades of red to burgundy. There is a dwarf variety called 'Goblin' which only grows to 9 inches high and is suitable for the smaller garden or the front of the border.

Gaillardias thrive in a light, well drained soil and prefer a sunny position, although they will grow reasonably well in any soil and will tolerate light shade. Taller plants with large flower heads will need some support and removing dead flower heads will prolong the flowering period.

There is an annual species called Gaillardia pulchella which grows to a slightly lesser height of 18 inches.

Both annual and perennial species can be grown from seed. Sow in pots or trays of seed compost in February and March under glass at a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. Harden off in a cold frame before planting out in May when all risk of frost has passed. Alternatively, sow annual seeds outside directly into the flowering site in April and thin out the seedlings to the required planting distance. 



White Flowered Plants

  

Cool colours are often used in the English garden as they are well suited to the light and climate. White flowers are especially beautiful and there are many lovely plants to choose from. I try to include a good mix of plants in the garden that flower at different times of the year.
For spring flowers I have planted the lovely white Narcissus 'Thalia' which is an easily grown daffodil of medium height. It has pendant flowers with palest cream back swept petals and a white cup. Each stem carries up to three blooms. This is a prolific plant and will flower regularly without being lifted. It is a welcome addition to the spring garden, suitable for growing in the border or in containers.
In summer the annual Marguerite is a popular plant for patio containers but can be just as easily grown in the garden. It has lovely white daisy like flowers and feathery grey green foliage. I love this plant as it will flower prolifically and continuously through the summer months and into autumn. Dead head the flowers regularly to ensure an abundant supply of blooms. If you want a perennial plant with white daisy like flowers I would strongly recommend Chrysanthemum maximum, also known as the Shasta Daisy. I grow this in the herbaceous border where it flowers abundantly and is a really stunning plant.
Another favourite of mine is the very popular white floribunda rose 'Iceberg'. It grows to around 4 -5 feet in height with glossy mid green foliage and slightly fragrant medium sized blooms. A vigorous and free branching shrub, it makes a lovely specimen bush but is also a good choice for hedging. I moved my two floribunda Iceberg roses last autumn from the front garden to a larger border in the rear garden in order to give them more space to grow. Despite the dreadful summer weather we have suffered this year, both roses rewarded me with some beautiful blooms.   
 

Violas and Pansies

Viola tricolor, also known as heartsease, is an easy to grow little plant for containers or planting under shrubs in the border. It is only a few inches high but spreads to about 12 inches. Pretty little flowers, varying in colour from cream and yellow through to dark blue and red/purple, are produced in profusion from May to September.
The larger garden pansy is a hybrid derived from Viola tricolor and is basically similar but with larger flowers and more robust growth. These plants are a valuable addition to any garden as in addition to the summer flowering varieties, there are winter flowering types which start flowering in autumn and will continue to flower in mild weather throughout the winter season. They come in a wide variety of attractive colours and are perfect for filling in gaps in the border and in containers once the summer bedding plants have finished.
I planted some lovely purple/blue pansies in pots last autumn which flowered well during the winter months. I then moved them into the border in spring where they continued to flower well into summer. I have just planted some more winter flowering pansies in pots and hope they will perform as well as last year's plants.
Violas and pansies can be planted in September and October or in March and April. They like fertile, moist but well drained soil in sun or partial shade. Seeds of Viola tricolor can be sown in their flowing site in March or April, thinning out the seedlings as required. Or propagate existing plants by taking 1-2 inch long cuttings of non flowerings basal shoots in July and insert them in equal parts of peat and sand in a cold frame. Pot them on into 3 inch pots when well rooted. They can then be planted out into the garden between September and March.

Getting Rid of Slugs and Snails

It's official - we've just had the wettest summer for one hundred years and the slugs in my garden are loving it. Both flowering plants and vegetables have suffered this year so I am looking at ways of dealing with the slimy menace.
I don't like using slug pellets, even those which are supposed to be harmless to wildlife, so I am trying other methods. Slugs hide during the day and emerge at night to munch on my favourite plants. The first line of defence is to keep the garden tidy and limit their hiding places. Putting copper bands round pots deter slugs and snails as crawling over copper gives molluscs an electric shock. Copper rings are also available to protect plants in the borders.
I have had some success with garlic wash. Just steep some garlic cloves in water for a few hours and then spray on plants - this method also deters aphids and vampires! Slug traps filled with beer also work well and at least the slugs die happy.
A surefire method is to go out at night armed with a torch, rubber gloves and a bucket of salt water to drown the little blighters in. This doesn't really appeal to me so I have decided to try biological control with nematodes. Packs of powder can be purchased which contain millions of microscopic nematodes (parasites) that kill slugs both above and below ground. The powder is mixed with water and applied to the soil with a watering can. If done correctly the nematodes should remain active for about 6 weeks, even during really wet weather when the slugs are at their most rampant. The only drawback is that they don't kill snails.
Hopefully by using some of the above tactics and encouraging natural predators such as birds and hedgehogs I can control the slug and snail population and limit the plant damage next year. 

Growing Peas for the First Time

This year has been a poor year for vegetable growing. The prolonged cold wet weather resulted in a very poor salad potato crop and the runner beans and dwarf beans have struggled to grow. Even the tomatoes in the greenhouse have been slow to grow and set fruit. Thankfully the weather has now warmed up, the sun has finally put in an appearance and the vegetable plants are growing strongly.
The one crop which has been a success despite the cold wet weather is the pea crop. This is the first time I have tried my hand at growing peas and I am pleased with the results. I planted 'Early Onward', a second early variety, in two rows about eighteen inches apart. The seeds were sown in v-shaped drills about 2-3 inches deep.
There were a lot of hard prunings from trees and shrubs at the bottom of the garden and some of these branches were used to support the peas. The branches were pushed into the soil at an angle creating a pleasing rustic effect, much nicer (and cheaper) than using the usual bamboo canes.
The pea seeds were sown directly into the ground in May. Usually second early varieties would be sown in April but due to the unusually cold weather it was mid May before they went into the ground. However, the pods are starting to fill out nicely now and I expect to be harvesting a decent crop over the next few weeks.

Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

There have been quite a few articles in the media this year detailing the decline in butterfly numbers. The adverse weather conditions we have experienced this year can only have made life more difficult for these beautiful insects, so perhaps it's time to think about planting with butterflies in mind.
Butterflies are a lovely sight in the garden, evocative of lazy summer days, plus they help to pollinate flowers for fruit and seed so it is in the gardener's interest to encourage them. Adult butterflies require nectar, so suitable nectar rich plants chosen for their flowering season will provide food from early spring to late autumn.
Good plants for attracting butterflies include Aubrieta, Arabis, Primroses, Sweet William and Wallflowers which are spring flowering; Phlox, Lavender, Buddleia, Red Valerian and Salvia which are summer flowering; Sedum spectabile, Asters, Helenium, Hebe and Verbena bonariensis which flower in autumn. Butterflies, like most insects, love warmth, shelter and sunshine so try and plant your nectar rich flowers in a sheltered suntrap.
Butterfly larvae need different food sources such as stinging nettles, thistles and grasses - not so popular with the average gardener. But if you can find a corner to let some of these grow without invading the rest of the garden it could be beneficial to the local butterfly population. Even better would be an area of wild flower meadow but most people just don't have the space to do this.
Two good books for anyone wanting to create a butterfly garden are 'Garden Plants for Butterflies' by Matthew Oates and 'The Butterfly Gardener' by M. Rothschild and C. Farrell.

Bacterial Canker on Ornamental Cherry Tree

My weeping cherry tree has suffered a bacterial canker infection and was looking a sorry sight with shrivelled brown leaves and a horrible jelly like substance oozing from the affected branches. This is a very serious disease which can affect plums, peaches and cherries, including the ornamental varieties. If left untreated it can kill the tree. The only treatment is to cut out all infected wood right back to clean wood and burn all infected material. The cut ends of the branches should then be painted with a proprietary tree wound sealant to prevent re-infection.

I have done all this but I now need to make sure the tree does not become infected again. My reference books recommend spraying the foliage thoroughly with a copper based fungicide in mid-August, mid-September and mid-October. Hopefully once this is done the tree should be free of infection but I will be checking it regularly from now on.

We have had unusually cold and wet weather since April this year and late frosts in May which resulted in some frost damage to the tree. It is possible that these conditions have made the tree more susceptible to disease.

Welsh Poppies (Meconopsis cambrica)

Today I spotted the first flowers of the Welsh Poppy in my garden. This is a self seeding, short lived perennial which will grow in practically any type of soil and any position, unlike other Menocopsis species which require moist soil and light shade. It grows to approximately 12 inches in height and spread, having deeply dissected mid green leaves and producing yellow or orange flowers between June and September.
I planted the Welsh poppy in my garden a couple of years ago but the original plant did not survive for long due to a particularly cold winter. However, it has self seeded and I now have a healthy looking clump of deep amber flowers in the border. While dead heading will prolong the flowering season, it is worth leaving one or two seed heads in place in order to collect the seed and sow it as soon as it ripens in August or September. Sow the seeds under glass and overwinter the seedlings in a well ventilated greenhouse or cold frame ready to plant out in spring. Seeds can be sown in spring but germination is slower. These vibrantly coloured flowers look stunning when planted alongside bluebells.

Saxifraga urbium (London Pride)

Saxifraga urbium (commonly called London Pride) is a rock plant originating from the Pyrenees. It was a popular plant a few years ago, being found in many town gardens. In recent years it seems to have fallen from favour but I think it is a useful and attractive plant.
Rosettes of evergreen leaves make excellent ground cover, the variegated form having leaves with attractive splashes of yellow. In late spring stems up to 12 inches tall carry clouds of delicate pink and white flowers. This is a plant which likes shade and will tolerate poor soil provided it is not too dry. Damp shade is its preferred habitat. Plant it near paths so you can see the rosettes. These rosettes of evergreen leaves can spread quite rapidly once established forming an evergreen carpet.
New rosettes can be gently pulled off and replanted in late summer, preferably in wet weather. I have planted the variegated form, with its beautiful green and gold leaves, at the front of the border next to the seating area. 

Dicentra Spectabilis (Bleeding Heart)

This attractive plant was introduced into Britain in 1816 from Siberia and Japan. It is a graceful hardy perennial with arching sprays of heart shaped flowers and pretty fern-like foliage. It grows to about 30 inches in height, the rose red flowers with protruding white inner petals being borne between April and June.
This is a beautiful plant for a shady border or a woodland garden. It prefers a moist, fertile, humus rich soil in partial shade but will tolerate full sun. There is a white flowered version called 'Alba' which flowers at the same time and requires the same planting conditions.
Plants can be propagated by dividing and replanting the roots between October and March.
I have a large red flowered specimen which I planted many years ago. It dies back to ground level every autumn and reappears every spring. It has survived some really severe winters (although it is planted in a fairly sheltered spot) and the flowers are as spectacular now as they were when the plant was young. Another good thing about this plant is that it does not seem to be attractive to slugs. It is one of my favourite plants, I just wish the flowers lasted longer.

Shrubs with Golden Foliage

Berberis thunbergii 'Aurea'

Choisya ternata 'Sundance'

Spirea 'Anthony Waterer - Goldflame'

Foliage is just as important in the garden as flowers. It provides a backdrop to the flowering plants and the shape and colour of the foliage itself can compliment most planting schemes, providing interest when flowers have faded. Shrubs can be used to provide height and structure to the garden and there is a huge choice out there. Golden leaved varieties will brighten up any garden. If you are looking through the plant catalogues, cultivars called 'Aurea' or 'Aureum' are a good indication that the foliage is golden.

Choisya ternata 'Sundance' is a golden leaved variety of the evergreen mexican orange blossom shrub. This is a lovely shrub, its leaves providing a welcome splash of colour in the winter months. Exposure to cold winds and frosts can brown the leaves somewhat, so a sheltered position is preferred. It has a rather sprawling habit but can be pruned lightly to keep in check. The beautifully scented flowers which appear in May are a bonus and are one reason I am careful not to prune back too hard in case I lose them.
A much smaller shrub grown mainly for its leaf colour is Spirea Anthony Waterer 'Goldflame'. The leaves are a lovely coppery yellow colour when young but turn green with age. This shrub only grows to about 3 feet in height and is perfect for the front of the border as it can be pruned back hard in early spring. it will then throw up young shoots, each crowned with a broad flat panicle of crimson flowers. The red/gold colour of the leaves will last for most of the season.
Another good golden leaved shrub for a small garden is Berberis thunbergii 'Aurea'. A rounded deciduous shrub with brilliant yellow foliage, most pronounced in Spring, it is slow growing and should not exceed 5 feet in height and spread. I planted mine as a very small shrub about 7 years ago and it is still only 3 feet height and spread.

Marsh Marigold - Excellent Marginal Plant for Smaller Ponds

The Marsh Marigold (Caltha) is a hardy herbaceous perennial suitable for growing in marshy ground, around pool margins or in shallow water. It is an easy to grow marginal plant which is non invasive and therefore suitable for the smaller pond. It grows in water up to 6 inches deep and produces an abundance of lovely yellow/white flowers in April/May. If you remove the dead flowers as soon as they have faded, it will often produce a second flush of flowers in the autumn.
The variety I grow as a marginal plant in my pond is Caltha palustris which is native to Britain and Europe. It has flowered early this year due to the unusually warm March weather. It grows to about 12-15 inches in height with a spread of around 12 inches, and if grown in water as a marginal plant will require a container of at least 6 inches in depth.
The plants can be propagated by lifting and dividing the roots in May or June after flowering has finished.

Planting New Potatoes

The last of the winter veg has now been harvested and the veg patch has been dug over ready for the new season's planting. Today I planted the first of this year's vegetables - new potatoes. In previous years I have grown mainly Arran Pilot, a first early potato which stores well. This year I have decided to plant fewer potatoes but of different varieties, so today I planted Swift, a first early ideal for salads, which should be ready for harvesting in early summer. I also planted Pixie, a heavy cropping second early, which should be ready to harvest in mid summer.
New potatoes should be planted about 4 inches deep and about 9 inches apart in rows which are set 24 inches apart. The potatoes should be chitted (allowed to sprout) in a light cool frost free place prior to planting. This will get them off to a good start when you plant them and hopefully increase the crop. When the shoots are about an inch long they are ready for planting. Carefully plant with the shoots facing upwards.
Once your potato plants have grown to a height of about 8 inches you need to start earthing them up by erecting a ridge of soil around them. This has a dual purpose. It gives the potatoes more room to grow and prevents the light from reaching them and turning them green which makes them inedible.
Continue to earth up as the plants grow. When you think the potatoes are ready to harvest remove some soil from around a plant by hand and check the size of the potatoes. If they are ready use a garden fork to lift them, taking care to push the fork in well back from the plant to avoid spearing the potatoes. When the tops of the plants have turned yellow and started to wilt it is best to lift any remaining potatoes for storage. Lay them on top of the soil for about an hour then place in bags (hessian sacks or brown paper sacks are ideal) and store them in a cool frost free place.

Iris Reticulata

I planted a number of these beautiful little Irises last autumn and they have just come into flower during the recent spell of mild weather. Unlike the larger Irises which are grown from rhizomes, these small Irises are grown from bulbs. They have narrow pointed green leaves which grow to about 6 inches high and bear scented flowers 2-3 inches across in various shades of blue and purple with markings of yellow, orange and red.

The flowers are produced in February and March and are suitable for growing in the front of the border, in rockeries or greenhouse pot culture. Bulbs should be planted 3 inches deep and 4 inches apart in September or October. You can increase your stock by lifting and dividing established clumps but this should not be carried out in the first 4 to 5 years after planting.

Plants flowering this week in my garden include Iris reticulata, Hellebores, miniature Daffodils, Primulas, Pulmonaria and Camellia.



Pulmonaria - a favourite spring flower

. Pulmonarias, commonly known as lungwort, are reliably hardy, easy to grow plants for shady areas such as under trees or a shaded border. The most commonly grown variety is Pulmonaria officinalis, also called spotted dog due to its white spotted leaves. This is the one I grow in my garden.

I was given this as a gift a few years ago and it has been a lovely addition to the spring flowering plants in the woodland border. It is a low growing plant with an abundance of pink/mauve flowers appearing in March, or even earlier if the weather is mild. I have a few solitary bees nesting in the dry stone wall at the bottom of the garden and when they first emerge they find these flowers a good source of nectar.
Pulmonarias will cope with some sun but they prefer a shadier spot. They also prefer moist soil so keep them well watered when they are first planted and during any subsequent dry spells. The roots of established plants can be divided and replanted during October or March to increase your stock. This method of propagation produces better results than growing new plants from seed. I divided my plants last year and replanted some in different areas of the garden. I'm hoping these new plants will have rooted well and produce some lovely flowers this year.

Feed the Birds





The weather forecast suggests an end to the mild weather we have been enjoying and some cold frosty days ahead. This time of year we need to think about our garden birds and ensure that they have sufficient food and fresh water to see them through the winter. Hanging feeders from trees will attract certain birds but others need ground feeding areas or bird tables. Sparrows, finches, blue tits and great tits will happily feed from suspended feeders but robins, thrushes and blackbirds prefer tables. Think carefully about where you are going to hang your feeders and site your bird table, avoiding low level feeding tables if cats visit your garden. If you do not have trees from which to hang your feeders buy a pole fitted with hooks which can be pushed into the ground or mounted in a stand and placed on a hard surface. Place it no further than 6ft from cover such as a hedge or shrubs so the birds have shelter from predators. do not hang feeders above dense shrubbery where cats might hide.

Try to give your garden birds a varied diet. A range of feeders is available designed to hold peanuts or seeds and most garden centres and pet stores sell fat balls. If you are going to hang fat balls always remove the netting and put them into a hanging container designed for the purpose, as the birds can tangle their feet in the plastic netting. Grated cheese (not the blue vein cheeses), apples and porridge oats can be added to the bird table. Robins are especially fond of mealworms. Don't put out any food which is salty, spicy or has started to go mouldy. Avoid putting too much food on the ground as this could encourage vermin.

Water is very important too. You can buy small water dishes to attach to the bird feeder poles but a bird bath is a much better option and makes an attractive feature for the garden.

The best website for advice on caring for your garden birds is the RSPB website at http://www.rspb.org.uk .

It's well worth encouraging birds to your garden. Not only are they a delight to watch, they also feed on many garden pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, greenfly and caterpillars.