Find or make a large gap either near the back of the border or between lower hummock-shaped plants, where the new plant can tower over and take centre stage.
The more light the tall plant gets all around it, the stronger its stem will grow. Water the plant in its pot first, make a deep hole, water it well, and add a small handful of blood, fish and bone to give it a good start.
Firm in and place supports around it, tall plants are easily broken in heavy wind or rain.
PLANT Gladiolus murielae bulbs in pots or borders now that the soil has warmed up.
These pretty, scented summer-flowering corms like free-draining soil in sunshine, so add a handful of grit to the planting hole if your soil is heavy.
Space the bulbs 15cm apart, and plant with the pointed end upwards, at two to three times the depth of the bulb. Come August and September, you’ll have a wonderful display.
These African bulbs won’t overwinter in our part of the world, so lift and dry them, store in a dark place, ready for planting again next year.
DIVIDE primroses now they have finished flowering.
Clumps of primroses can get congested so dividing them will rejuvenate growth, encourage new offsets and improve next year’s flowers.
Lift them out of the ground and gently pull them apart at the base. Each rosette will have it’s own roots, trim the long straggly ones by a third and replant them in the border.
Space them out about 15cm apart, firm them in and water well to settle them back in.
NOW is the time to tackle pruning spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Choisya.
Once the flowers are going back and there’s no chance of frost, cut back winter damage, such as scorched leaves and dead shoot tips. Removing these allows fresh shoots to emerge.
Aways cut back to a bud and stagger the trim to allow the shrubs to grow in a natural looking way.
It’s also time to cut back late-summer perennials, such as penstemons, that have been left with their previous year’s growth as protection through the winter.
Remove all dead foliage, making space for the fresh growth appearing now, and cut back any leggy stems to a healthy shoot.
It’s always a good investment to take cutting during the summer, to guard against potential winter losses.
HEUCHERAS are one of those rare plants that look fantastic all year round.
They have the most beautiful ruffled foliage in a rainbow of colours, topped with tall spires of flowers in spring and summer.
Shade tolerant, disease resistant, fully hardy and suitable for borders, pots or even winter hanging baskets, they fit the bill for any situation.
Heuchera Wildberry has superb purple leaves all year, is happiest in partial shade and flowers from June to August.
A true favourite with heuchera lovers as well as Paddington is Heuchera Marmalade, again plant in partial shade and is perfect for the front of a border. This one flowers, May to June. Heucherellas are a cross between heucheras and tiraellas, making them ideal for containers.
Heucherella Sweet Tea is a great favourite with fiery cinnamon-orange foliage and beautiful patterned evergreen leaves.
Garden centres and nurseries have a good range but if it’s a more unusual look you’re going for, check out Plantagogo, Vicky and Richard have been growing and selling plants since 1990, as well as creating stunning displays for flower shows around the country. They hold the three national collections of Heuchera and Tiarella and regularly pick up Gold awards at all the flower shows, including Chelsea.
