Moe's Summer Newsletter
“Lazing on a sunny afternoon, in the summertime……” Ray Davies (Kinks)
Hello fellow gardeners.
Before I started writing this newsletter, I looked over those that I have written in the past to remind myself of the topics I’d covered. In 2019 I wrote about the problems of gardening in the unusually warm weather we had that spring, coupled with very low rainfall. It seems we have experienced exactly the same conditions again this year. I don’t know about you but if you are anywhere near my age (getting on a bit) you have probably found this much harder to cope with this year. As well as being six years older, it makes it much harder trying to do all the tasks that need doing during spring in unusually hot weather but also frustrating to discover that one cannot actually do the important ones such as raising seedlings effectively, clearing borders, planting perennials and cutting grass. High temperatures and lack of moisture inhibits the growth of young plants. One is constantly worrying about establishing them well. I have deferred clearing away all the dead and dying foliage of the spring bulbs and other withered perennials to ensure bare soil was not exposed to the elements to dry out and this year I have taken part in the RHS “No Mow May” campaign - not out of allegiance you understand, but necessity! I couldn’t face looking at a brown dried out lawn. No rain for long periods has meant that I didn’t plant any new perennials or late flowering annuals when it was traditionally time to do so. We Brits moan about the rain but moan even more when we don’t get it when we want it. Now summer has arrived I am making up for lost time. There is one consolation and I did mention it in the newsletter back in 2019 – plants can’t read and will catch up under normal conditions even if we plant them a tad late. The irony of it all is that if we get ’proper’ summer weather I will still be watering all new planting in the borders to get it established and healthy which means I probably won’t be doing any ‘Lazing on a sunny afternoon”! If the crowds I encountered on my trips to the garden centres are anything to go by we aren’t put off by the need to do a bit of extra watering because we all want to buy colourful annuals to put into pots and containers in summer. Gardeners spent over nine billion pounds at garden centres last year and a significant proportion of that was on plants for summer outdoor containers. Even though most of us are “running around like headless chickens” trying to keep everything alive in the heat, it seems having a few extra pots and containers to water as well doesn’t deter us.
I have to admit I have lots of containers in my garden. Some would say that I am a sucker for punishment but there are many advantages of growing in containers. One can grow anything in them. Annuals, perennials, grasses, shrubs and even trees are candidates. Fruit and vegetables, succulents and bulbs can also be very successfully cultivated. Using them gives you the opportunity to grow something new or exotic that you may not want to put in the garden border. Pots can be moved around your plot to give colour or texture to areas that lack interest or used where space is at a premium. Of course care will need to be taken to ensure good drainage and breakages can be expensive. Still - there is contact adhesive! I have been known to glue a favourite broken container together with the stuff before now. Easy peasy! For those of you who wish to add to the appeal of your garden through the use of pots, here are a few suggestions as to how to create a cohesive look:
​
-
Look at the colours in your garden and choose pots that ‘marry’ with the main one
-
Choose containers that match the ambience of the area into which you are putting them i.e. modern pots for modern gardens
-
Choose a pot that is the right size and material for the plant/s you wish to grow
-
If framing an entrance or focal point use two pots, anywhere else use odd numbers
-
Containers can be hanging, wall mounted or free standing on the ground, plinth or stand.
-
Don’t have too many different types of pots – less is more.
​
I have containers around the garden all year round but in summer I push the boat out and have displays of summer bedding on the terrace. I like to use as full a range of contents as possible to achieve the colourful arrangements I crave. Perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs and succulents are used together or put into individual pots. My favourite genus for bedding are Cosmos, Coleus, Diasia, Nemesia, Cineraria, Salvia, Verbena, Scabious and Argyranthemum but there are many other annuals available that are wonderfully colourful such as Calendula, Petunia, Tropaeolum, Ipomoea, Zinnia, Heliotrope and of course pelargonium. You can save money and all the hassle at the garden centres by growing some of these from seed to be eventually planted in chosen pots filled mainly, with multi-purpose compost. Cosmos is incredibly satisfying (and easy) to grow. In a matter of weeks seedlings will develop into substantial plants, some of which can be tall. I have grown Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Candy Stripe ‘again this year after a break of a few years. This is a lovely plant with white and pink striped flowers on tall stems up to 80cm. I use it in mixed arrangements with Vebena bonariensis, Diasia, Gaura and Senecio cineraria. Other favourites are the red Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Antiquity’ which gives charming very early red coloured flowers that fade as they age. The rich deep red C.‘Rubenza’ AGM is one of the Cosmos Popsocks series as is C. ‘Veloutte’ AGM and C. ‘Versailles Burgundy Red’. These are stunning growers with long stems that are good for cutting. In the Cosmos Sonata series ‘Sonata White’ and ‘Sonata Carmine’ are excellent, robust and prolific flowerers. There are also dozens of different cosmos from which to choose from the ‘Double Dutch’, ‘Double Click’ and ‘Cosmic’ series too. If you want yellow or orange cosmos (I don’t) these are available in the Cosmos sulphurous group. The shorter growers all look fabulous with perennial Achillea millefolium. I use the bright, strong colours of A.M. ‘Pink Grapefruit or A.M ‘Cerise Queen’. Achilleas can be grown easily from seed, Achillea millefolium ‘Summer Pastels’ being the one most choose because it is an F2 hybrid and has all the qualities one would hope to find in a plant. It stands 60cm high, comes in a range of lovely pastel colours and flowers abundantly in its first year in as little as four months from seed and will continue to do so until the first frosts. It is a true perennial so can be used again in pots or planted in the border thriving in all soils and climates. A.M ‘Flowerburst Red Shades’ is also good from seed, flowering in its first year.
​
C. ‘Rubenza’ with Achillea ‘Pink Grapefruit’
Cosmos ‘Sonata White and S. Carmine’
Zinnias are another genus that is extremely easy to grow from seed but needs a tad more care. There are dozens to choose from in single, semi- double and double forms in almost every colour except blue! They do need sun, high temperatures and rich soil to thrive. If you want to grow them, don’t sow them too early, mid spring will be fine, in temperatures ranging from 20 – 23C. Sow two or three seeds to a module covering them very lightly with vermiculite. They need light to germinate. Zinnias resent root disturbance so plant them in pots from the modules and don’t overwater them.
​
Scabious atropurpurea cultivars provide lovely splashes of colour on long stems in pots in summer. I like the dark ones S ‘Chile Black’ and ’Black Knight’ but there are many others from which to choose. The pink S ‘Salmon Queen’ is lovely so is S ‘Butterfly Blue’ They can be grown under cover but you will need to start these in early spring in modular trays, sowing several seeds in each module. Temperatures need to be between 15 – 20 C. Plant them out in pots when the weather really warms up.
​
I have mentioned the F1 Hybrid Ageratum ‘Blue Horizon’ before but it is worth mentioning again here because it is such a lovely annual and easy to grow. It is the most beautiful shade of pale bluish purple. The flowers form large clusters on strong stems (75cm high) that last a very long time. They look lovely in a vase but would look fabulous with flowering companions of orange or yellow. Lime green foliage would add to the impact.
The seeds are like dust so mixing them with silver sand helps when sowing which should be done by sprinkling on top of moist compost. They need light to germinate so don’t need covering with anything except a cloche or clear seed tray cover. If sown when temperatures are over 20C seeds will germinate and grow quickly.
​
Coleus (Solenostemon) is worth looking for if you just appreciate foliage! I think it is a much underused genus in summer bedding. There are thousands of varieties of coleus in all leaf shapes, sizes and colours (except blue) but it seems only a few are available to the British gardener. It is perhaps that our ‘normal’ summer weather does not suit their growing needs very well- they like heat and don’t appreciate the cold wet conditions we sometimes suffer during an English summer. Still, try growing a few plants from a packet of mixed seeds. They germinate easily under normal conditions and will grow on quickly making sizable plants if you take out the growing tips frequently. Don’t expect every germinated seed to produce a good looking plant of good colour and pattern.
Summer bulbs such as Eucomis, Agapanthus, Gallanthus, Lilium and Oxalis make very good specimens for pots that you can grow easily and will look splendid with all the annuals I have mentioned here. Gallanthus callianthus or Acidanthera bulbs will grow in quite small containers. They are cheap to buy and easy to grow. Seven bulbs in a 12in pot will give a good show.
Nemesia ‘Wisley White’ with Eucomis
Oxalis deppii
Coupled with smaller gems such as Diasias, Nemesias and Petunias that flower all summer will produce a nice display.
​
Of course there will be other things to enjoy during the summer away from the garden, especially our visit to RHS Harlow Carr on 24th June, where we will be able to see lots of container displays to inspire us in addition to lovely borders. Before that on the 17th June Chris Nightingale will be informing us on how he grows his flowers (and fruit and vegetables) for show. Nathan Webster, Tatton Park, Young Designer of the Year 2023 will be enlightening us about how he achieved this accolade on July 15th. If you want to know more about community gardening then, finishing off our summer programme, Ozichi Brewster from RHS Bridgewater is the person to come and listen to at club on August 19th.
Meanwhile don’t forget the other tasks that need to be done during summer:
​
Tasks to do in June, July and August
-Continue to tie in the growth of climbers
- keep ponds topped up and ensure they are well oxygenated if you have fish in them.
-plant out annual gap fillers in borders to continue the show well into late summer and autumn. If the weather is hot, water daily until established.
- deadhead blooms to ensure repeat flowering
-water fruit and vegetables in continued hot weather (in the morning or evening)
-water pots and containers on a daily basis
-keep the greenhouse well ventilated during hot days and damp down paths and surfaces to ensure temperatures stay constant.
​
Happy gardening
​
Moe
Ageratum ‘Blue Horizon’
