Gardening for late Spring

Long, dry springs appear to be becoming a regular feature in recent years and although we don’t know what the summer will bring, it makes huge sense both financially and environmentally to become a water-wise gardener. And less need for watering means less time spent attached to the business end of a hose pipe. 

Choose plants that naturally tolerate drought and your garden will look fantastic even when there’s no rain for weeks. These plants have features like thick, waxy foliage; leaves that are narrow and needle-like or covered in fine hairs; or silvery and light-reflecting. Some create their own ‘heat shield’ by evaporating essential oils to create wonderful scents, including popular herbs like rosemary and lavender. Plan your plantings with a blend of foliage and flowers: create the ‘bones’ of a garden with strong structural foliage such as elaeagnus, bay, olearia, and Box, which look good all year and make a beautiful contrast to colourful flowers. For some planting inspiration, I recommend a trip to South-West Water’s visitor centre at Roadford Lake, near Broadwoodwidger, where the garden I was commissioned to design has recently been completed. 

For pots and borders, succulent plants with fleshy leaves are great as they store water in their leaves and need far less water than many patio plants. However, do bear in mind that drought tolerant plants hate sitting in ground that’s wet for any length of time, so if your soil is poor-draining, create raised beds or plant on mounds so they don’t succumb in periods of heavy rain. For general container planting, improve drought tolerance by planting in large pots (small ones dry out incredibly fast) and group containers close together so they shade each other.

Collecting and saving rainwater rather than using tap water can be done in lots of ways. Waterbutts are simple and low-cost (SW Water offer these through www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk) and there are lots of more ornamental designs too, including a clever design that combines planters around the butt. Or, hide your storage out of sight with a low, wide tank beneath a deck or patio. An alternative to lugging cans around is a little solar-powered or electric pond pump. 

Timing your planting is an excellent way to save water and end up with much better plants in the long run. Planting now means watering for months whilst plants are in full growth, but anything hardy is best planted in autumn, when growth is slowing right down and the soil is warm and moist, ideal for root growth so the plant establishes itself during autumn and winter. Then come spring when the plant explodes into growth, there’s little or no need to water.

Seasonal gardening jobs

• Stake tall-growing perennials early rather than waiting until stems start to topple. Either buy grow-through supports, use twiggy prunings, or canes and string. 
• Tender vegetables like courgettes, marrows, sweetcorn, runner and French beans can be sown outside now. Buy ready-grown plants of tomatoes, peppers, chillis, and cucumbers.
• Feed hardy plants growing in containers, using controlled release fertiliser that will last the whole season.
• Inspect lilies for bright red lily beetle and the orangey slime-covered larvae. Hand picking and squashing is the best control, or use preventative chemical-free sprays, although these need re-application after rain.
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia and flowering quince, as next year’s blooms will be borne on growth made this year.

Wild about gardens

Wild about Gardens is a collaboration between the Royal Horticultural Society and the Wildlife Trusts, to encourage gardeners to take action in support of nature. This year’s theme is “Wild about High Fliers” to help those soaring superstars of the skies: swifts, swallows, and martins.

These amazing birds fly from Africa to breed here from spring to autumn. Sadly, numbers have declined, and swifts and martins have been added to the Red List of globally threatened species. But there’s lots that gardeners can do to help, by providing nesting sites, materials, and food.

These birds are all insect-eaters and feeding on the wing, whilst in flight, so you’ll never see them at your bird table, but boosting insect populations get them swooping over your garden and nearby. Do this by having a pond, bog garden, or moist ground that is a magnet for insects; turning a part or all of your lawn into meadow; and growing plants that attract pollinating insects.

Swallows, swifts, and house martins nest under the eaves of buildings, both out and in, where you can place ready-made nests and ‘swift bricks’, and allow access to outbuildings by making a small hole in a door top or taking out a couple of bricks. Create a path of moist, muddy soil outside for use in nest building. And yes, they do make a bit of a mess below the nest but a bit of tarp can easily be rigged up as protection. Encouraging these wonderful birds is well worth the slight inconvenience. For more information see www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk

By Sue Fisher