June

With lots of summer fruit now appearing on plants around the garden, it’s a good time to enjoy your first harvest.

Strawberries are ripening from June onwards; they can be grown in very compact strawberry planters or even trailing from hanging baskets away from the slugs and snails.

Chilli peppers are easy to grow in containers on the patio or even the kitchen windowsill producing lots of attractive fruit in vivid orange, yellows and reds.

Why not maximise space by planting Blueberries and cranberries in the same container. Both prefer ericaceous compost and similar growing conditions and the cranberry plant will naturally cascade below the upright blueberry bush producing fruit in late summer.

For a touch of the mediteranian,grow lemons, grapes or olives on a sunny patio in plain terracotta pots, place near a warm wall to improve chances of ripening fruit in our brief British summer times.

Many people think you need a large greenhouse and all kinds of heating equipment to produce your own vegetable crops .However you can easily grow your own favourites like tomatoes on a sunny patio with little time or investment.

With a small inexpensive growhouse, a grow bag and a few garden canes you could have your own summer salad tomato crop.

 Designed to hold all standard Growbags, the Growhouse is ideal for growing tomatoes and other vegetables on sheltered patios and balconies. The growhouse has a very small foot print and can be dismantled and stored when not in use.

Other Vegetables which are easy to grow in containers on a patio include: spring onion, strawberry, dwarf French beans, peppers, Aubergines, chillies and radishes.

With only a relatively small amount of compost to sustain their growth, you will need to feed and water your crops more often than if they were in the ground.

Add colour to your plant display by planting in bright ceramic pots which complement the colour of the leaves and fruit.

Vegetables which are usually found in urban allotments can similarly be produced on a much smaller scale.Raised beds are becoming increasingly popular for people who want to create a mini-allotment in their own back yard. Simply fill with top soil or a select vegetable growing compost and plant out rows of all your favourite flavours.

I was shocked to find a Chaffer grub in my garage the other day (http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=487) These little beasts munch the roots of your lawn leaving just the top growth which you should then roll up like a carpet, take to the tip and throw away as far as you can! Areas usually hardest hit for reasons I don't know are: Mansfield areas, Top Valley and Calverton.

The only product that gets rid of them is Provado Lawn Grub killer. I have stocked up early this year as suppliers always run out, which is just as well. The adult fly should not be out till June but seems like this hot weather has speeded things up a little so check out the advice on the link above and get some Provado in quickly.

 £4.99  to treat 20m2 or £17.99 for 100m2

If you like the idea of growing your own food but you're short of space, try growing potatoes in an adequately drained container that's at least 30cm (1ft) deep and wide. Half fill the pot with vegetable growing compost, nestle two seed potatoes into the top of the compost and then top up with more compost or soil to within 2.5cm (1in) of the rim of the container. Easy.

With a simple raised bed and a sunny spot on your patio you can easily create your own kitchen herb garden. Here are a few varieties which have a multitude of uses in the kitchen:

Chives

Chives are a must have for a kitchen herb garden. They are so versatile; you may find that you use your chives at almost every meal. Easy to grow, chives demand only that you snip them back often, to keep from toppling over. If there was one herb to choose for a kitchen garden, chives should be it.

Thyme

Thyme is a powerhouse of flavor in a tiny package. Choose any variety that you prefer, but keep it trimmed tightly to fit your specific needs. The more you trim the more tastyleaves you will be rewarded with. Thyme is great for both savory dishes and in a tea for colds and flu.

Tarragon

French tarragon is a versatile herb that needs to be in any kitchen herb garden. Because it lends itself well to any dairy or egg dishes, tarragon is a great way to round out a cook's garden. Use tarragon to bring savory taste to those winter comfort foods.

Marjoram

Sweet marjoram is for anyone who loves the taste of fresh herbs in cooking. Use sweet marjoram for any dish that uses oregano, without the chance of bitterness. This is an easy to grow herb that is as versatile as it is delicious.

Sage

Sage is a fantastic herb for a kitchen herb garden. It is used medicinally, as a tea for sore throats and colds. It is also a commonly used herb in savory meat or poultry dishes. Sage comes in many varieties and growing habits.

Other useful herbs you could grow include: Rosemary, coriander, parsley, basil and freshly picked leaves are so much more appealing than those out of date jars of dry dusty herbs at the back of the kitchen cupboard.

 

The recent conditions we have seen with prolonged periods of sub zero temperatures and lows of -15 can have serious effects on all kinds of plant life. In my area and throughout the country many cordylines young and old have already been killed by the big freeze. For future reference if you have this type of palm in your garden and it is not protected, it would be best to tie all the leaves up into a point and tie fleece around the crown to prevent snow resting on it in bad conditions. However for most palms the damage has already been done during December 2010.

Those that do appear dead may eventually shoot from the base again in spring. The best thing to do is wait as long as possible to see if any new growth emerges from the stem, then cut back any dead wood above the new growth. If nothing has appeared by May and the wood is soft and mushy, the plant is dead and beginning to decay. Even large palms that do shoot again may take many years to return to a full covering of leaves as they are quite slow growing. If you are not willing to suffer the appearance whilst this happens it would be best to replace them entirely.

Did you know that slugs and snails do their first courting of the season on the most romantic day of the year?

Take away the possibility of increasing the slug and snail population by getting rid of the pests before they get the chance to reproduce. Your spring planting will benefit; having a chance to become established rather than being a gastropod's favourite snack! There are many slug and snail products on the market including organic, children and bird friendly ones so come in to the Garden centre where the expert team can talk you through the ranges and help you choose the right product.

We have found an increased demand for real Christmas trees, especially as the Nordmann fir (our chosen premium quality variety) is so fragrant and won't drop needles all over the floor! The plant area team have worked really hard to make choosing your real tree an absolute pleasure; at the weekends there will be a real wood fire burning in our covered plant area to keep the chills off and if you can't get too close to the fire the mulled wine drinks we have available will do the job!

The christmas department is always a magical place to shop but the space where real trees are sold from is too often neglected so we have addressed that with decorations on the trees, specimens set in stands so you can see the shapes of the individual trees and a beautiful snow scene to get you in the mood. A wide selection of taller trees is available but we only have VERY limited stock of trees 3-4 metres tall- they truly are spectacular and if you have a large space these will look sensational.

Hopefully visiting the centre to choose your real tree will be the beginning of your preparations for christmas, it would be great to hear from you to see what you think.

Plants are becoming dormant, they are less stressed by putting on new growth or producing flower and are happy to settle into a new home and put some roots down.

Nowadays less gardeners take advantage of this period to plant in their garden which is un-fortunate as there are also many bargains to be had at the garden centre. All those late flowering perennials are generally sold off cheaply by plant area staff eager to reduce stock over winter. Customers are often put off by faded leaves and bedraggled flower stems but they should remember that the important part of the plant is below the soil; the rest disappears completely in winter and will emerge in perfect proportions next spring.

Buying these plants now represents a real bargain and if you don't feel confident about taking home such a dishevelled specimen, ask a member of staff to give you some assurances; in our garden centre all hardy plants are guaranteed for at least 2 years.

The star performers are pansies, violas and cyclamen. These hardy flowering plants are best combined with small evergreen shrubs and conifers to provide seasonal colour in containers and baskets. Underplant with spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils or tulips for an added burst of colour in the spring.