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LIVING WALL AT GARDENERS’ WORLD LIVE
A living wall is essentially a vertical border and, at Gardeners’ World Live this year, we plan to build our very own. All sorts of plants will thrive in this situation and to create that rich tapestry effect, we will need a wide variety of plants. This is where you come in! If you have any plants to spare, whether they be from seed, cuttings or division, please do bring them along. Our display will consist of 3 different types of wall – one for shade, one for sun and one to attract butterflies and bees. The show is open from Wed 13 June to Sun 17 June and we very much look forward to seeing you there!
Gardeners’ World Live -
HARRY’S LILIES
Harry & Heather Brickwood’s garden looks an absolute picture in summer. And last July was certainly no exception when we went to see them. Of the many hundreds of lilies Harry likes to grow, there are several he just couldn’t be without. Here are some of his favourites:
Orchard Cottage
Big Brother (yellow)
Blueberry Crush (light pink with a dark pink throat)
Casa Blanca (white & very fragrant)
Conca d’Or (yellow)
Extravaganza (white with pretty pink spots)
Gizmo (white)
Holland Beauty (red & gold, very fragrant)
Madame Butterfly (dark pink, long lasting)
Nymph (white with maroon stripes)
Triumphator (white with a maroon throat)
Yellow Star (yellow)
It’s rather late in the season to be buying lily bulbs and quite a few of these varieties will be difficult to find. But if you’re going to one of the big gardening shows later this year, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to place an order with a specialist supplier.
Harry and Heather open their garden by appointment for the National Garden Scheme. Please click on the website below for more details. -
JACK’S HOTBED
Growing vegetables in hotbeds is a great way of extending the season at the beginning of the year, when the soil is still cold but light levels are increasing. It’s a technique that has been practised for centuries and is something that Jack First does year in year out on his allotment near Bradford. If you feel like having a go, here are a few additional tips to get you started:
More on hotbeds
1. Horse manure is the best type of manure to use. Stables often give it away for free if you are willing to collect it in person. It must be fresh and no more than 6 weeks old.
2. To help keep the manure in place, it’s worth building some sort of outer frame. It doesn’t matter what you use. Old pallets or redundant bits of fencing would do the job. Ideally, it needs to be at least 0.6m (2ft) high.
3. Where possible, choose a sunny site. Light levels in the early part of the year are likely to be low, so don’t be tempted to site your hotbed in a dark corner of your garden.
4. Crops that can be sown in January include lettuce, radish, salad leaves and spinach. Jack also grows carrots and new potatoes. They can be grown fairly close together and during a warm spell, it helps to open the lid for a few hours during the day.
5. By the middle of May, the rotting manure will have finished decomposing and so won’t generate any more heat. But there are still plenty of crops that will benefit from the shelter provided by the surrounding frame. Possibilities include courgettes, squashes, outdoor cucumbers, melons and dwarf French beans. Close the lid at night until the threat of a frost has gone. -
JOBS FOR THE WEEKEND: HOE WEEDS
Annual weeds can grow at quite a pace in the spring, especially when the weather is warm and wet. Hoeing them is often the best way of dealing with them on the veg plot, provided you do this on a dry day with a sharp hoe. Lightly skim the surface of the soil, cutting through the weeds as you go. There’s no need to gather them up – just leave them to shrivel in the sun.
Weed control -
JOBS FOR THE WEEKEND: STAKE HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
It’s best to stake herbaceous perennials before they get too tall and start to flop. It doesn’t matter what you use. Monty likes to use metal hoops he’s made himself, but bamboo canes with twine strung between them work just as well, as do prunings you may have saved. Whatever you go for, place the support snuggly around the plant in question and within a few weeks, you won’t even notice it’s there!
More on staking herbaceous perennials -
JOBS FOR THE WEEKEND: MOVE SPRING BULBS TO A SUNNY SPOT
Spring bulbs look brilliant in pots, but to make sure you get a good display next year, it’s important not to hide them away after they’ve flowered. While the leaves are still green, keep them in a sunny spot and make sure they don’t run short of water. Alternatively, plant them out in the border or even the lawn. Crocuses and daffodils look particularly good in turf.
More on growing spring bulbs from BBC Gardening
Credits
- Series Producer
- Liz Rumbold
- Presenter
- Monty Don
- Presenter
- Carol Klein
- Presenter
- Joe Swift
- Producer
- Louise Hampden
Broadcasts
More expert gardening advice
Find out more about the gardens featured in the show and get some topical tips.
