May 2010
Newsletter
Yay!! At long last we’ve had some much needed sunshine and warmth, and - wow – what a difference a month makes to our gardens.
It’s full steam ahead here at the garden centre. Key highlights are:
• The latest Italian delivery has just arrived, including
- Oleander
- Hibiscus
- Agapanthus
- Large specimen climbers – Campsis, Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Akebia
- Ficus (figs)
as well as the large shrubs and trees that I always bring in from Tuscany.
• Summer bedding by the lorry load! Almost all varieties of bedding are now available. These can either be bought in packs of 6 small plants, or in individual larger pots. The Osteospermum and Senetti are looking particularly luscious.
• Wisteria. It’s the perfect time to plant this amazing climber, as long as you have a south or southwest facing spot for it. We have them in a number of colours, with some stunning large magenta flowered ones just starting to burst into colour.
• Herbs, small and large, including the more tender varieties, such as basil, and more unusual varieties such as Vietnamese coriander are back in.
• More and more varieties of vegetables are becoming available each week (in strips priced at £2.50). I’ve been told by several customers that the pak choi they bought from us last year was fantastic, and I can personally recommend the purple coloured “Black Russian” tomatoes.
• New in, and something we’re very excited about, are Veg-tables. These are beautifully built table-height planters that you can grow anything in, but are really designed for vegetables. See the photo below, or go to the website www.veg-tableltd.com for more information. Not only brilliant for those with bad backs or disabilities, these fabulous tables allow you to grow veg and herbs in places where you can’t dig into the ground. They come in 3 sizes, and Sally has planted one of the small veg-tables with herbs and tomatoes for you to see at the centre.
• As so many of you have admired and wanted to buy our old wheelbarrows, daybed and the other “found” items that we have at the centre, Tamsin has hunted down some beautiful reclaimed items to sell. Come and see the gorgeous 3 tiered Victorian wire planter, the old wooden trugs, the unusual basket, and the pair of shutters she found. We intend to acquire more items from auctions and sales. Let us know if there is something specific you’ve been trying to find
Other matters now …
I was disturbed to read a couple of weeks ago about a study that shows we are
losing thousands of birds, particularly greenfinches, to a salmonella type bacteria, which seems to be rife in dirty bird feeders.
See
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.asp for more information.
The RSPB say it is vital to clean out feeders regularly. Empty the feeder of any debris, and scrub it in a mild solution of very hot water and washing up liquid, before rinsing it off thoroughly. Using an old toothbrush to scrub all the nooks and crannies will help ensure a healthy and clean feeding environment.
I’ve noticed a lot of customers are interested in trying to attract bees into their gardens. We all know the shocking figures indicating the declining bee population worldwide, so anything we can do to encourage their wellbeing is crucial. There are many gorgeous plants that bees love, most of them beautifully scented, so it’s actually a real pleasure to have them in your garden as part of your overall planting scheme. We all know about lavender and rosemary, but how about
• Philadelphus
• Penstemon
• Echinacea
• Salvia
• Aconitum
• Aquilega
• Lonicera
• Geranium
Lastly we are all very excited here at new plans in the pipeline for a series of events and changes at APGC to inspire you in your summer gardening. Its all a bit hush hush at the moment but keep popping in to see what we are up to and make sure you don't miss out...... watch this space
I’ve attached the usual “to do” sheet, which will keep you busy, but don’t forget to take time to just enjoy being in your garden this May - possibly the most glorious month of the gardening year.
Warmest regards
Karen
PS PLEASE READ! If you come to the centre in your car, please be respectful of the fact that the open space outside the centre provides access to the garages of local residents. All too often customers' cars are parked in front of these garages.
Opening Hours for April: 9.00am - 6.00pm Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10:00 am - 4.00pm
Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk
The May Garden
What a riotous explosion of growth and colour we are seeing in our gardens at the moment! It’s so very welcome after the long hard winter, even if it means there’s lots of work to be done…
- Deadhead bulbs (daffodils, tulips) that have now finished flowering and drench the leaves with a feed so that the bulbs bulk up for next year. Leave the leaves to die back naturally
- Tie in shoots on climbers that are romping away, such as clematis, roses, honeysuckle and jasmine
- Give flowering climbers a mulch of manure, or feed them with a good fertiliser. You want them to give you lots of flowers so you must give them what they require to produce them.
- Garden pests need to be kept at bay, and encouraging wildlife into your garden is the best long-term solution, although the chances are you will still have to use chemicals occasionally. Encourage desired wildlife (birds, hedgehogs, ladybirds) by providing water and somewhere for them to live. See separate item below on companion planting
- Weeds must be kept in check otherwise they will smother other plants. Hoe regularly between plants, or mulch. Some perennial weeds may need to be treated with a systemic weed-killer to eradicate them.
- Make sure you keep watering any shrubs, trees or perennials planted last autumn or this spring. They won’t have had time to get their roots down yet, so are vulnerable to dehydration. And don’t forget to water your containers.
- Mow your lawn on a weekly basis, and treat with a specific lawn conditioner – either lawn dressing, or a “feed and weed” product.
- Sow biennials now (wallflowers, foxgloves, forget-me-not) for flowering next spring or early summer.
- Plant up your containers, hanging baskets and window boxes with tender bedding plants so that you have colour right through the summer. I predict that hot clashing colours will be in this summer, so forget the classic English garden pastels and opt for reds, yellows and purples. (I’ve just planted my window boxes at home with vibrant purple petunias, dark blue lobelia, and hot red nasturtiums – interspersed with a little silver leaf to cool the whole thing down a bit!)
- Lightly clip any formal evergreen topiary or hedges to keep them looking neat, but do this on an overcast day, or after the sun has set, to avoid leaf scorch.
The vegetable patch
The biggest problem this month will be pests, so please forgive me for repeating below the advice I gave last year on companion planting, but I felt it worth re-emphasising.
Companion Planting will really help deter pests and avoid having to resort to chemical warfare!
Firstly, try to encourage beneficial insects to your plot. Planting brightly coloured flowers near your crops will attract a wide range of insects to the area. More bees visiting your plot will result in more pollination of your vegetable blooms and therefore lead to bigger yields. Attracting ladybirds and lacewings to your crop will also help reduce damage from aphids. These predators will lay their eggs on your crops, and each hatchling larvae can eat up to 150 aphids per day.
The following flowers and herbs are ideal for attracting beneficial insects to your crop:
• Candytuft
• Coriander
• Sunflower
• Lavender
• Echinacea
Simply by planting a row of strong-smelling plants next to a row of vulnerable vegetables, you can ward off many pests (such as carrot root fly, white fly and aphids). Carrot root fly can smell carrots from up to a mile away. But if you plant alliums (such as leeks, onions or garlic) near your carrots, this masks their sweet, carroty smell. Alliums also deter slugs, so try growing them amongst your salad leaf crops (such as lettuce and rocket). Further, alliums prevent fungal infections, so a row of onions planted near strawberries helps to prevent the strawberries from developing mould.
Basil and marigolds act as a natural insect repellent when planted amongst tomatoes, helping to ward off whitefly. Similarly, a row of nasturtiums planted amongst beans attracts aphids away from your crop. This is because nasturtiums are more appealing to aphids than beans, so the pests will always go for their favoured treat if there’s the option to do so.
Nettles attract cabbage white butterflies, keeping them away from brassica crops
To summarise:
• Basil wards off whitefly when planted amongst tomatoes
• Nasturtium attracts aphids away from beans
• Alliums confuse carrot fly and protect against slug damage
• Lavender confuses pests
Other jobs in the veg patch include:
• Regularly check on and earth up your potatoes.
• Thin out seedlings that were planted directly into the ground and are emerging now, leaving the strongest plants.
• Ensure climbing beans have strong supports and tie in if necessary.
• Pinch out the lateral leaf shoots on your tomato plants.
• Protect young plants from slugs, either using chemical slug killers, or by surrounding area with course grit or traps.
Opening Hours for April: 9.00am - 6.00pm Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10:00 am - 4.00pm
Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk