Free gardening event at Wisley

I popped into the RHS garden centre at Wisley, Surrey on Saturday and noticed a flier for a free Royal Horticultural Society event on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June. 

Adrian Bloom who is an author, plantsman and  many times gold medal winner at Chelsea will be giving talks and signing copies of his new book, Bloom's Best Perennials and Grasses at 1.30 pm and 3 pm on both days. The talk is Take 12 Plants - the key to a successful garden. Worth combining with a browse round the garden centre - or even better a whole day at Wisley Gardens.

While I was browsing for plants, I overheard a husband and wife conversation which amused me. Husband spotted a plant and declared passionately "I love these. Let's get one!"

She replied, very testily, "How many times do I have to tell you that's not right for the theme."

He shrugged his shoulders, looked very peeved and said "I don't understand the bloody theme anyway."

"I've told you it's Seaside garden and that plant is English Country Garden. How many more times..?"

I wouldn't be bothering to save up for the Silver wedding  present! 

It  made me feel a bit sad for the way so many TV gardening programmes have made many people think it's all about rules and sticking to a rigid design. For me one of the beauties of gardening is the way the garden evolves in its own way over time. And it's always a shame when real passion for a plant gets subjugated to the desire to conform to a pre-ordained plan (assuming of course the soil and conditions are right for it).

Clare F

My home-grown lunch

OK, for the experienced veg grower I’m guessing, the following story may not have that much resonance. I say guess, because this is the first year I’ve grown things to eat in my garden and so I don’t know if I’ll feel this way every time I pick my lunch!

That’s exactly what I did yesterday – I picked my lunch of carrot, yellow courgettes, lettuce and beetroot. Well, if I’m totally honest, I added some asparagus that was on offer this weekend at Waitrose and added a dollop of shop bought mayonnaise. But the main event, as you can see from the picture, was my very own first crop of delicious vegetables.

The sense of satisfaction was immense. I mean anyone can buy salad and probably enjoy it. But a day later, I can still taste my lunch. Yes! The flavours were fantastic. I can’t remember the last time tasted such a carroty carrot and I simply grated the raw beetroot into a beautiful deep magenta little mound of the most intensely flavoured sweet beetroot I can remember tasting.

And these little golden courgettes I’m growing are almost creamy they’re so dense and un-seeded – absolutely no need for salting. It’s probably fair to point out that I’ve been cropping my Lollo Rosso lettuce for a couple of weeks now (leaf by large crinkly leaf) and mixed with finely chopped lovage, and lightly dressed with olive oil and cider vinegar they make a splendid salad to go with just about anything but especially pasta.

You see them here straight from the ground, but 15 minutes later and with the addition of steamed asparagus and mayonnaise mixed with a little ready basil from one of those squeezy tubes, the whole effect was sublime. Really.

Tell me, if you are a seasoned veg grower, do you grow immune to that extra sense of ‘I did it myself’ that must add at least another 100% to the taste factor? Do you?

Or do you keep it? I was reminded to ask this question listening to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on Desert Island Discs this morning, because to me, he seems perpetually enthused by food (and animals) that he’s grown himself.

Anyway I hope so, because I’m already planning what I’ll grow next year having put my toe in the water with courgettes, tomatoes (not yet ripe, so watch this space), pumpkins (watch for a separate posting on this subject), carrots, beetroot, potatoes (maincrop: Maris Piper), butternut squash, strawberries (Elan – so sweet!) and lots of herbs. I’m thinking broad beans, cauliflower, celeriac already. Any other ideas and suggestions?

In the meantime, if you’re looking to get started, July is definitely not too late. I’ve learned that now’s a great time to plant new potatoes for Christmas and Pak Choi for cropping in August. I’m sure there must be more. Let us know your tips for sowing now.

>> How to grow veg in mid-summer

>> How to grow your own vegetables

(Clare O'B)

Blooming bras and pants

It seems that our ideas for unusual plant containers have been taken up in the most influential circles – the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) no less.

A little while ago we wrote on our website about turning bras into unusual plant containers (see link below).

Now the RHS has created the ‘Hanging Bra-sket’ as part of its drive to encourage sustainable gardening and food growing. (The bras were apparently donated by ‘enthusiastic gardeners’ and Marks & Spencer.)

They have since upped the ante and come up with ‘plant pants’ which are, yes, you guessed it, pants with plants in and what we’ve christened ‘window boxers’. (Think horticulture’s answer to Linford Christie.) The RHS has gone for a combination of blooms and veggies. Something for the lunch box, so to speak.

The containers were on display at the recent Hampton Court Flower Show.

>> Watch a video about the RHS bra-skets and plant pants

>> See our orginal bra container article - as well as lots of other ideas for creative containers

According to Georgie Webb of the RHS: “Due to their conical shape, bras are ideal containers for turning into hanging baskets, and if you sew two together, you have what is best described as a ‘hanging bra-sket’.

“Once filled with compost you can grow salad leaves, herbs, alpine strawberries and even tumbling cherry tomatoes in them; the bigger the bra the more you can grow. But the serious message behind the ‘bra-skets’ is that you do not need a lot of space or even a lot of money to start growing your own food – just a bit of imagination.”

Top Ten Perrennial Flowers

A list like this is always controversial and is de facto based on personal prejudice, but I have tried here to include plants that I think the novice could be fairly safe with and that are suited to most soil types. Despite the photograph here of the lovely Delphinium I have not included it as they can be very difficult for the beginner.

Apologies to our international readers if some of these are not suitable or available, but I have focused here on the British garden and climate. Any suggestions for other regions welcomed.

All the plants here should do well in a mixed herbaceous bed and are intended to be enjoyed in their variety. This does not mean they will all automatically go together and you should consider other factors such as available space, your chosen colour scheme and the sight lines from your chosen vantage point.

1. Agapanthus. These also work well in containers and offer up a profusion of bluebell-like blue or white flowers at the end of long elegant stems. They have plentiful foliage and can give accent colour or height to a border.

2. Phlox. This is delightful in a country garden setting. I used to grow them in a very large garden and they gave an abundant supply of cut flowers and a vibrant pink splash of colour to the garden, with their big fat blooms. Apparently they enjoy a little shade, although in my garden they managed well in the full glare of sunshine. Phlox can be propagated by taking root cuttings in winter.

3. Red hot poker. This is a sentimental choice, as when I was a small child I was fascinated by their name, their flamboyant red colour and defiant stature, rising above the smaller plants of the border so I chose them as my favourite in our small Liverpool garden. Red hot poker is actually a better choice for a bigger garden as it can act as a wonderful accent in a bed of more muted tones and shapes. They should be planted in spring rather than autumn.

4. Geranium - I mean here the true geranium or cranesbill, not the bedding plant pelargonium which seems to have run away with the name. These are very easy to grow, but can prove invasive so you may need to split them up and share them with your friends if they get too large or spread too far. They are great for planting under trees and are very tolerant. If you dead-head the old flowers they will keep on flowering for ages.

5. Salvia. The salvia or sage is a great addition to a herbaceous scheme, giving spiky blue spears of flowers and lots of foliage. Not to be confused with the red salvia bedding plant so beloved of seaside formal gardens or hanging baskets.

6. Achillea or yarrow. I'm not a big fan of yellow flowers myself, but the achillea is a really good contender for the list if you are looking for a very tall, sturdy plant that is easy to grow and offers up vibrant gold plates of colour and interesting silvery foliage.

7. Rudbeckia or to give this member of the daisy family its irresitable other name, Black-eyed Susan, is another golden flower, this time with a dark centre. This or the Echinacea daisy can give some vibrant colour to a large herbaceous border and is very easy to grow.

8. Poppy. These are spectacular when in bloom, adding a vibrant splash to any border. The problem is when the flowering is over they can look a mess so it's best to site them where their foliage can be hidden by other plants after they have had their day as it would be a shame to forego the loveliness they offer when in bloom.

9. Lupin. I love this old fashioned country garden flower, which can also be grown from seed. As well as offering vibrant spires of colour it has a very distinctive and attractive leaf. The lupin is a legume and was apparently originally brought to Britain by the Romans. Lupins come in a variety of heights and colours including vivid pinks and blues so can be accommodated in most border schemes.

10. Aster. The aster comes in a range of heights from dwarf varieties to towering Michaelmas daisies that can be over 6 feet tall, so be careful to check which variety you have before planting. Asters provide plentiful blooms and lots of colour.

(Clare F)

Top 10 Vegetables to Grow when space is limited

Vegetable seeds are outselling flowers. UK allotments have a waiting list of 100,000 people. Towns are turning their public spaces into vegetable plots. Garden centre carparks are overflowing. Growing veg has become very fashionable. The credit crunch has got us all longing for the crunch of a fresh grown carrot and everyone is walking around with dirty nails!

But we don't all have the luxury of a sizeable dedicated vegatble plot. That doesn't mean you can't grow vegs: you just need to pick them wisely. We have already written about growing vegetables in containers instead of flowers and recently reviewed a fabulous book Crop in Pots to give you some inspiration about veggie displays as attractive as flowers. Now here are some ideas on which vegetables can be grown when space is at a premium.

1. Herbs. Even if you only have a window-sill you can grow herbs in pots. They're mostly easy to tend and cost a fraction of the exorbitant amounts you pay in the supermarket. Some suggestions for getting started are Rosemary (very easy and hardy), Thyme - lots of varieties and rather decorative, Mint - as this is very invasive it is actually better confining it to a small space ( if you do have a bed to plant it in it's better to put it in a bottomless pot and plant this to be keep it contained), and Sage with its lovely velvety leaves. I have also planted Oregano in a container this year and it's doing brilliantly. One of our readers Eileen Riddiford has just posted on the Make it and Mend it Forum that she buys a pot of basil from the supermarket, so she'll have fresh basil for salads and cooking onboard when she goes sailing. "Then I take the pots home and pot them on to a bigger pot, harden them off and put them outside. Result: three or four huge basil plants in pots." Not sure if this is due to the salty sea air or Eileen's greenfingers as generally supermarket basil is not reknowned for potting on.

2. Potatoes - the received wisdom used to be that you needed a big open plot for these - but they do well in containers too. An increasingly popular method is growing them in old tyres, if you have the space. Otherwise a dustbin or a large plastic container will do. Now you can also buy potato growing sacks and custom potato barrels.

3. Carrots - these are very easy and can be grown happily in pots. If you are growing from seed and have the room, it is a good idea to do so in batches every few weeks so they crop at different times and keep you in supply.

4. Radishes - these are really easy and produce very rapid results from seed - again like carrots you may want to phase the sowing from March to July so you get a continuous supply.

5. Tomatoes - grow-bags make tomato growing very easy - even if the bags are a little ugly (which remonds me - Anne was going to design and give instructions for a grow-bag cover to pretty them up - come on Anne!). You can even grow tomatoes in hanging baskets if you get the tumbling variety - and they look very attractive mixed in with other stuff.

6. Lettuce - try Little Gems or mixed salad leaves. Again if growing from seeds. phase the sowing so you can get a continuous supply over the summer months.

7. Courgettes (zucchini) - grown from seed these re easy to sow as the seeds are large like melon seeds and germinate very quickly. As long as you keep them protected through the frosts, harden them off before planting out, and can give them plenty of sunshine they will be fine. As well as the courgettes themselves you get to enjoy the yellow flowers - which are also delicious tempura style.

6. Dwarf runner beans - compact varieties grow well in pots and also reward you with red and white flowers.

9. Rocket - fast and easy to grow and lovely nutty taste to mix in with salads or serve with cold meats

10. Peppers - you can grow chillis or sweet peppers in pots. These can also look very decorative - the brilliant ed against green leaves. Once grown you can dry chillies and use for ages.

A top tip if you have very limited sapce is to buy and share seeds with friends. You can share the seeds or grow and swap seedlings or just divvy up the vegetables.

Useful resources:
The Royal Horticultural Society great advice on selecting and growing vegetables as well as other plants - and the RHS gadens are a great source of inspiration as a well as a good place to buy plants and seeds
I Grow Veg - we love this blog by a lady who shares her learning as she goes - great advice for the novice including pest control
Buy seeds, containers, tools and helpful books
Incredible edible Todmorden - a village that aims to become self-sufficient in vegetables

How to grow vegetables when you have no space

Now that many of us are facing tough times with the economic crisis, growing some of our own food has to be a good idea. But what do you do if you don't have much space? I had always thought you needed a sizeable vegetable plot or an allotment before you could even contemplate growing vegetables.

How wrong I was! I have now discovered the joys of sneaking vegetables in amongst the flowers in the few small beds I have in my little town patio garden. I had no idea how decorative they can be and how well they mix in with the flowers that are already there. Courgettes for example give a plentiful crop from a couple of plants and also reward you with their flowers.

This olive tree in a tall container last year was surrounded by geraniums. This year I've planted Mediterranean herbs (thyme and oregano) around it with some colour to come soon from a few blue sweet peas and some blue salvia. The different shades of green, different leaf textures and shapes make a wonderful combination. I'm now going to grow some real peas in with some sweet peas in a different corner of the garden, so I can have the benefit of the colour and scent of the sweet peas and the yummy taste of fresh peas form the pod. I can't wait!

(That's a fig tree just behind - there's already quite a lot of fruit appearing so fingers crossed!)