June in the Garden (2008)

flower Welcome to the June edition of Fiveways gardens. After some warmth and a bit of rain, everything in the garden is in full swing. Lilacs are blooming wonderfully, filling the air with their fantastic perfume. Last year I made a small seating area at the bottom of my garden, next to an old Lilac and lately it’s my favourite bit of the garden. Even in our small gardens, there’s nearly always room to squeeze in another place to sit. I get morning sun there and shade from the hot afternoon sun we’ve been enjoying lately. I’m also only a few feet away from my pond, which is beginning to team with life. The pond will be 3 years old this autumn. In the first spring, a 3 legged newt called “Lucky” moved in. The following spring, we saw a few adults and a few ‘baby’ newts, and just last week, we saw the regular newts and a small Great Crested Newt – and some people say gardening’s boring… So, a good time for ponds and also a lovely time for trees. One of my favourites is the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata). There are 2 in Stanmer Park, one beside the glass house next to the nursery and the other near the church – it’s really worth getting out to Stanmer at this time of the year. Meanwhile, the twisted willow cutting I took whilst a student at Stanmer is now 3 years old and about 2 metres tall. It’s in a large (50cm square) container and thriving. Taking time to gaze up at the blue sky through the beautiful leaves is a must. Any of you wanting a tree but thinking you haven’t got room, take note. So long as you can commit to watering – as little as twice a week – in high summer, there are loads of trees that will thrive in containers. As usual, the trick is to give them a nice big container and plant in soil based compost (eg. John Innes No. 3) with some drainage holes at the bottom. Mine’s under-planted with French tarragon and parsley, handy for the kitchen, and I’ve just planted the annual climber, Black Eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) and a French bean to climb up the trellis beside the tree. I’m often asked about growing herbs so here’s a few thoughts. I’ve found French tarragon has over-wintered no problem in my garden. The flavour is said to be superior to the more common Russian tarragon by “Which Gardening” and they take these things pretty seriously. I found mine in small pots at Stanmer Nursery last year (if you haven’t been yet, you ought to check it out). Pinch it out as it grows, to encourage it to bush out – this applies to virtually all herbs. It’s great for flavouring vinegar for salad dressings and, of course, goes well with chicken dishes. It’s vital to keep things like coriander, rocket and basil well watered or they go to seed very quickly. If you planted seeds be sure to thin or pot on if you’re keeping them in a container. If you’re not growing them straight in the ground, consider planting 3-5 of your favourites in a large decorative container – the larger the container the slower to dry out. Looking forward to more sunny days and evenings in the garden, best wishes Lisa

For an initial consultation call Lisa on 01273 500407 or 07957 751218 or email her at info@lilybud.co.uk

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