about gardens
Spring splendour May is a wonderful month in the garden. The days are getting longer and warmer and all the promises of April come true as carefully planned borders start to burst into bloom. Delphinium, hardy geraniums and aquilegias take centre stage, with the verdant spikes of euphorbia and acid green Alchemilla mollis acting as the perfect backdrop. Late flowering tulips are also putting on a magnificent show but for many gardeners, the ravishing beauty of the peony will undoubtably be the leading light. With huge blousy blooms swaying over dark green foliage and a delightfully intense fragrance, who could fail to fall in love at first sight! June offers up more delights and all the cottage garden favourites now fight for attention. Lupins, with their stately spires, are a worthy contender, as are elegant antirrhinum and salvia, whilst perfumed
Tales from the potting shed 60
May Plant dahlia tubers Tie in climbers Sow runner beans
phlox, iberis and osteospermum are the perfect front runners of any summer bed. Plant gaps with colourful annuals such as cosmos, marigold and nicotiana, whose gorgeous scent fills the garden at dusk, just as you decide it’s time to put down the hoe and sit back to enjoy your hard work in all its glory. As we move into July things hot up. Bold and beautiful echinaceas, rudbeckias and crocosmia contrast well with drifts of bronze grasses and the fluttery flowers of Gaura, known as ‘whirling butterflies’, that dance on the warm summer’s breeze. Keep your borders tidy and remember to deadhead so that you can enjoy the pick of the crop, bringing the outside in and filling vases with gorgeous, scented stems that will brighten the kitchen table whatever the weather.
June Stake tall perennials Lift and divide bluebells & snowdrops Net ripening fruit
July Deadhead bedding plants Cutback hardy geranium Pinch out tomatoes