GARDENER'S WORD - IDEAS AND TIPS

This year I bought the variety of geranium called 'Rozanne.  It doesn't stay where it is, be warned, but likes to ramble and spread its 'wings' up to 80cm which is great for ground cover, and reaches a height of about 50cm. It is a winner of the RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit).  I had to have it but where to put it, that is the thing. Its flowers are modestly spectacular! An added bonus is that it flowers from spring right through autumn.   Geranium 'Rozanne' It is unfussy about aspect, tolerating full sun or partial shade, and is fully hardy down to H7 (-20C).  As well as several other perennials I bought this year, Rozanne is temporarily homeless and lives in a good size pot on a bistro table. It will be planted in a garden border in autumn. 

I went a bit mad this year and bought quite a few perennials for my garden borders at the back of my home, only to find I did not have room for them all. I will have room for them later in the year but for now many of them are stuck on the small bistro table that I have outside my kitchen door.  One of these plants is Campanula Glomerata Caroline which has been repotted in a pot where it can continue to grow unheeded. Below is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago. Sorry that it is not quite as sharp an image as it should have been.  Campanula glomerata Caroline RHS AGM Campanula 'Caroline' can tolerate all aspects, full sun or partial shade, has a spreading habit with low foliage and the flowers on 30cm tall stems - ideal for the front of borders. It is fully hardy, down to H7 (down to -20C).   I think the perennials-in-waiting look rather nice on the bistro table. There are a few geraniums (not pelargoniums) including the award winning 'Rozanne' and Geranium sanguin...

Now don't be taking what I am about to say as the right way to grow sweet peas, ignoring all the expert advice.  It is just to show how I grew them this year and that they have been surprisingly successful.  So often I have grown sweet peas in the past in what I thought was the right way and the results have varied.  Too often though they were an abject failure.  So this year, in March, I planted the Suttons 'Supersonic' variety of sweet peas in compost in seed trays.  As soon as they germinated I very carefully transferred them into several 7in plastic pots , about five to a pot, on an inside window bottom facing east.  When they had reached a few inches, I put the pots outside near the house wall. Sweet Peas are seriously hardy!   Suttons 'Supersonic' cut flowers for indoor display - so very fragrant When they got to about six or seven inches tall, I planted some around an obelisk in a border. I did not separate the plants but left the roots tot...

Years ago I used to plant up hanging baskets for my east-facing wall with the usual annuals and fuchsias like we normally see but I got tired of the continual dead-heading, and petals falling, and so on. If you want a trouble-free hanging basket an easy option is hostas.  Not all hostas are ideal but Gold Edger is as it is extremely compact.  I have had one Gold Edger in each of four hanging baskets for three years now on my east facing wall (they also tolerate facing north and west according to the RHS, and I have left them untouched right through winter when they have died back. Although I will have to divide them next spring, for now they are looking pretty good. They need watering often and occasional feeding but otherwise that is it. Think about it.  No slugs eating the hosta and they tolerate partial shade so well.  Hosta 'Gold Edger' in east-facing hanging basket I never cut off hosta flowers . I know some gardeners recommend it for a better foliage display th...