Amateur Gardening 23-Jun-2018

BEDDING means many things to many people, whether it’s the formal swathes of carpet bedding that are so popular with municipal planters, or little patches of summer colour in private gardens. Some people like to keep it simple and stick to one type of plant or colour scheme, while others prefer to go ‘full kaleidoscope’ and create a bobby-dazzler of a garden that is either a visual feast or bilious nightmare, depending on your point of view. Whatever planting scheme you favour, on these pages I look at how to get the best from your bedding, from purchase through to a long summer of healthy colour. I like to position bedding in colourful clumps worked into our perennial borders. It helps fill seasonal gaps while young perennials are getting established and can add…

Planning and after-care are key 1 If you want a more formal planting scheme, it may help to draw an idea of how you want the bed to look before you start. 2 Early summer has been pretty wet, so to avoid damaging the structure of your soil, work off a plank so your weight is balanced. 3 Give bedding a good start by adding a granular feed to their planting holes (which should be the same depth as the rootball). 4 Tender young bedding plants are manna for slugs and snails, so protect them using a deterrent such as wool pellets, which double as an effective mulch.…

THE main idea of summer bedding is to transform your garden into a place of colour, scent and beauty, so for the best results you need to prepare where you want your annuals to go. Dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter (compost or manure) a couple of weeks before planting, and remove stones, roots and weeds that will steal moisture and nutrients from your plants. The next stage is to buy your plants. There is an astounding array of plants to buy online from reputable plant suppliers, and doing so suits lots of gardeners. I prefer the garden centre, nursery or market approach as it lets me see what I’m buying and I can pick and choose at leisure. When buying in real life, as opposed to off the internet, make sure…

Once your bedding is in the ground or in pots, you need to keep it healthy so it flowers throughout the summer and doesn’t leave you with unsightly gaps. Don’t let it dry out, and feed with liquid tomato fertiliser that’s rich in potassium once a fortnight. Weed borders well as unwanted plants can become hosts for pests and also block airflow, leaving cultivated plants vulnerable to fungal diseases such as mildews. Aphids love fresh shoots and vine weevils chew leaves and flowers. Their grubs cause devastation by eating plant roots. Use a biological control such as Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer to control the problem…

AS if the winter weather weren’t enough for the gardens to contend with, spring and early summer are causing their own problems too. The dry yet humid conditions we have been experiencing are the perfect breeding ground for fungal infections. Powdery and downy mildews can be a particular scourge and often develop when plants have dry roots and humid surroundings. The symptoms of powdery mildew are powder-like spots on foliage, flowers and fruit, sometimes followed by distortion of the plant. Most powdery mildew fungi restrict themselves to a few related plants, but infection can spread from wild varieties, such as from wild crab apples to domestic trees. Remove and destroy affected foliage, and feed and water plants to strengthen them and make them less susceptible. You can also use fungicides such as Bayer…

A common summer pest problem in greenhouses is glasshouse red spider mites. These can be hard to control as they breed fast in warm conditions. These tiny pests suck sap on foliage, causing it to become mottled. Severe infestations can cause leaf loss and even the death of the plant. Lessen the risk of mites by keeping humidity high in the greenhouse with regular watering and damping down. There are several biological controls available, including predatory mites, midges and rove beetles. Chemical controls will also work, but repeat treatments may be needed.…