BBC Gardeners' World

Join us… this September on a bespoke 7-day tour of the historic museums and gardens of the Netherlands – all in the company of GW’s David Hurrion. See p60 Learn… from the gardening experts with our GrowHow on-demand webinars from just £5. Visit GardenersWorld.com/grow-how Enjoy… the ultimate gardening day out at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham from 15-18 June. Quote GWR7 for 15% off tickets*. Book before 8 June at bbcgardenersworldlive.com Listen out… for Monty Don, Sue Kent and Nick Bailey in our latest podcast series. New episodes are out every Thursday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and at GardenersWorld.com/podcast Subscribe now… and get your first three issues, plus our 2 for 1 Gardens entry card and guide, for just £5, then pay £27.60 every six issues thereafter. See p30 Keep up…

Can there be a better month than June to be in the garden? I’m not sure there is. Nothing beats being up with the lark, tinkering and pottering outside before the heat of the day kicks in and the busyness of life begins. At the other end of the day, the evenings stretch out with seemingly endless daylight and more opportunity to enjoy the garden – whether that’s catching up with the watering or having friends and family over for a bite to eat outside. Life in June is good. And let’s not forget the plants – roses are blooming, lawns are lush, borders are bursting and there’s the promise of a long summer ahead, with bountiful harvests and flowers to look forward to. June gives us the quintessential Great…

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses”Maud Hart Lovelace STAR OF THE MONTH Lathyrus odoratus ‘Sunset’ Many good things have come to us from the southern Mediterranean: olive oil, pasta, mythology, summer holidays on Greek Islands, interesting cheeses and, of course, the sweet pea. What would summer be without the glory of the sweet pea? The scent is seductive, the colours enchanting and the overwhelming generosity of the plant will give you bundles of flowers every day: it is like having your own private horn of plenty in your garden. They can be a bit tricky, but lavish them with gifts of manure and fortnightly fertilisings and they will repay you in fragrant vase loads. If you want it to keep on blooming, pick the flowers every day…

As a plant becomes more popular, and an increasing stream of new varieties is introduced, a problem arises – they all need names. Long ago, it was simple: some names were descriptive, such as ‘Rose Queen’ (iris); some commemorated the gardener’s boss or patron, ‘Countess Spencer’ (sweet pea); some marked the person who raised them, ‘Laxton’s Superb’ (apple). The important thing is that a new plant is not given a variety name that’s already in use for the same plant – that only leads to chaos. But, eventually, names will run out so, to avoid duplication, we end up with ‘40th Anniversary of the Communist Youth League‘ (lilac), and ‘In Memory of My Dog’ (rose). Traditional names for daylilies were used up long ago – there are over 5,000 –…

WORTH £30 Although summer is typically the time to look after your plants and prepare for harvests, there’s still plenty of seed sowing that can be done. In fact, it’s a great time to sow a range of different vegetables, including salads, legumes and roots such as turnips. Sow these FREE varieties outdoors now or save them for next year, and you’ll be rewarded with delicious homegrown crops. Bundle includes 10 seed varieties: For more offers and details on how to order, see opposite page Garden tools with 20% off and free postage • Darlac telescopic edging shears These telescopic edging shears are easy to use, incredibly lightweight, and perfect for trimming lawn edges. 1 pair of shears £39.95 £31.96 • Darlac take anywhere brass tap Provides a water source…

By the time you read this, Chelsea Flower Show will be the biggest gardening story in town. It has a place in the horticultural heart that overshadows every other event. I first visited Chelsea back in ’84. I was very young, working in fashion, and I regarded the horticultural establishment in all its manifestations as a bunch of old farts who were very remote from my own deep passion for gardening. But for all my truculent iconoclasm, I loved Chelsea from that first visit, as much as I wanted to criticise and reshape it. To this day I feel the same. It is like the BBC: there is much that can be criticised, much that could be improved, but I will defend it to my last breath as something that…