Features

There's always something new to learn no matter how long you've been gardening. We hope you'll find our gardening articles and features of help and interest.

You can read this month's feature below, others can be found by clicking on the feature title on the left of the page.

Topics include bedding plants, basket plants, the vegetable garden, growing herbaceous perennials and tender climbers.

The warmer weather and longer days naturally make us think about the coming summer, and this is the ideal time to get your summer bedding plants and vegetables growing.

You can plant containers with summer bedding like Pelargoniums (geraniums), Fuchsias, Gazanias and Osteospermums for a glorious display throughout the summer and early autumn. These are low maintenance plants that need only routine watering, feeding and dead-heading to look spectacular.

If you want to add height to your display (or just squeeze in an extra plant where space is limited), then what about an exotic-looking tender climber like Eccremocarpus (Chilean glory flower), Ipomoea (morning glory), Thunbergia (black-eyed Susan) or Lophos (creeping gloxinia).

These climbers are not hardy in our climate, so don't put them outside until the weather warms up and all danger of frost has passed. However one of their real benefits is that they grow quickly to cover all sorts of vertical structures such as walls, fences, trellis, wigwams, pergolas and arches and they produce lots of often, exotic looking flowers.

Asarina
This fascinating climber or trailer has purple, pink, red or white flowers. It will do best in either containers using John Innes no 2 compost with added sharp sand for drainage, or will grow over a all sorts of structures in the garden. Place in good light or partial shade, water moderately and apply a balanced fertiliser once a month. Support the stems on canes or a frame as they grow, or let them trail. It will appreciate a slightly sheltered position.

Eccremocarpus
This unusual climberalso known as the Chilean Glory Flower has tubular flowers of yellow, orange or red which are followed by black seed pods. It grows best in containers with John Innes no 2 potting compost or in borders which have free draining but moist soil. It needs full light and plenty of water, with a balanced fertiliser once a month. Support the stems as they grow on canes or a frame. It will grow well through a small tree, but make sure it has enough water.

Ipomoea
Also known as Morning Glory, this lovely climber has heart shaped leaves and large round trumpet flowers usually in shades of blue, purple and red. Twining stems will soon cover trellis or poles and it grows well in pots using John Innes no 2 or 3 potting compost or in borders. It needs supporting as it grows and likes a position in full light, with shade from hot midday sun, and regular watering to keep it moist at all times. Feed it once a month with a balanced fertiliser. It will grow best in a sheltered position.

Lophos (Lophospermum)
This is a fast growing tender climber with large trumpet shaped white or red flowers. They look great climbing up trellis or poles and are suited to growing in containers or borders that are warm, sheletered and sunny. If growing in containers they will do best in John Innes no 2 compost with added sharp sand for drainage. Apply a balanced fertiliser once a month and support the stems on canes or a frame as they grow.

Thunbergia
This pretty twining climber reaches 1.5 - 2 m (5 - 8 ft) high in a season. It has roughly triangular leaves and wide flowers of yellow, orange or creamy-white, usually with a chocolate-coloured centre. It's a fairly hungry plant, so in containers grows best in John Innes no 3 potting compost, and in borders that have plenty of organic matter such as garden compost added. They like plenty of light but with some shade from midday sun. Support the stems on a frame as they grow. Water freely as it grows and feed once a month with a balanced fertiliser.

Hanging baskets come in all sorts of materials and may have solid sides or an open framework. You won't be able to plant through the sides of the solid type, so use more trailing plants to cover the sides. The open and wire mesh types allow you to plant in layers, which will let the plants hide the sides and trail further - and also makes use of all the compost within the basket.

You can line the basket with a ready-made fabric or fibre lining, or use traditional sphagnum moss. You can push holes in the ready-made liners to allow planting in the sides. If you do that, it's easier to push the roots through than risk damaging the tops.

1. Add the first layer of compost and plants
2. Place more plants at the next layer
3. Distribute the remaining plants over the top
4. The young plants will establish quickly

Tip:
Adding water-retaining gel to the compost will keep the roots more moist, as it releases water back into the compost gradually.

Nothing beats the taste of vegetables and salad crops picked fresh from the garden and it's possible to grow many varieties in containers or growing bags in the garden, on the patio or even on a balcony.

Many companies offer varieties of vegetables that have been specially selected for container growing, because they are smaller or mature quickly. Plantconnection offer complete kits like the tomato and chilli windowsill kits, bean and salad planters and a patio vegetable collection, so you have no excuse for not having a go!

Tip:
Children love gardening, but lose interest if nothing is happening, so a kit is ideal. Kept well watered and fed, vegetables and salads grow quickly enough to keep them interested and the best bit is the taste-test at the end!

1. Vegetables in growing bags
2. Finger sized carrots
3. Harvesting peas
4. Good enough to eat