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Follow the Sunshine!

10/5/2025

Don’t rely on guesswork and hunches to decide where the sunniest and shadiest spots of your garden are.

Choose a bright day when you are going to be at home and take photos of your borders every few hours.

You will get the best overview by photographing from an upstairs window but it might be necessary to head outside, depending on the size and shape of your garden.

Not only will this help you get plants into the places they will do best in, it could even affect where you decide to create new flower beds and vegetable patches.

Plants for slopes

9/5/2025

Slopes can often present a challenge but there are plenty of options to try.

Remember that aspect plays an even bigger role than normal - for example a south-facing bank really will be sunny - so make sure you pick accordingly.

For steeper slopes you might do better to go for climbers rather than trying to anchor shrubs and perennials into the soil.

You can find lots of suggestions at www.katiesgarden.co.uk/advice

One year wonders

7/5/2025

It’s common to decide you want to stick with permanent planting to make your gardens lower-maintenance, but to rule out all those shorter-lived plants is to miss out.

Structure in a garden comes from trees, hedges and shrubs, with perennials - those flowering border plants - providing the eye-catching spectacle year after year.

Annuals, on the other hand, last just one season. But their short lifespan means they waste no time in growing and producing their flowers. This makes them very useful for prettying-up temporary gaps.

Some come from the wait for young shrubs to grow to full-size. If you have a space to fill for a year or two, annuals are an easy low-cost option that will naturally disappear when no longer needed.

Gaps can also occur because earlier-flowering plants have finished, whether that be perennials or spring bulbs. Annuals usually have small root systems, which means they can fit in between those enduring plants.

The holy grail of gardening is to have borders that always look interesting.

Filling your borders with evergreen shrubs is one way to do this, but it won’t vary through the year and won’t have a lot of flowers.

The other option is the goal of many a keen gardener: succession planting. Set up your borders as a relay race, with plants of varied flowering times mingled in together. The joys of spring followed by summer stunners; autumn colour into winter interest.

Annuals can give a helping hand when your perennial plans have left you with an interlude of blooms, maximising colour and interest in your borders.

The use of annuals in vegetable patches and allotments has come back in favour as gardeners look to attract the pollinators necessary for many edible plants to form their crops.

A lot of annuals also draw in other beneficial insects, which keep surrounding planting healthy.

Ammi, Cosmos, Zinnia, Calendula, Tagetes and sunflowers are among those that draw in the likes of the ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies that eat pesky aphids. No need for chemicals, or indeed any effort from you the gardener.

And although billed as ‘one-year plants’ a good number of annuals self-seed to give you ‘free’ plants the next year and beyond.

• This May selected cut flower plants are 5 for £10 at Katie’s Garden Plant Centre

Cosmos give you your money’s worth, flowering right up to the frosts - just keep snipping out the old blooms.

Katie’s Garden is growing the beautifully lacey Orlaya for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

The beautiful blue blooms of the cornflower are a welcome addition to sunny borders.

Own-grown bouquets

7/5/2025

Dream of beautiful bouquets of own-grown blooms, and thumbing your nose to the environmentally damaging supermarket bunches shipped halfway round the world?

A good proportion of annuals are perfect for the job and can be threaded through your existing flower borders, vegetable patches or grown in their own dedicated bed.

The two key factors you are looking for if you are growing for the vase are strong stems and long-lasting flowers.

Make sure you get your plants in while they are still young. You want to give them the chance to grow and bush out in the ground. That way you will get a lot more blooms than if you buy them when they are already in flower.

Greener Garden Choices: Pond plants

5/5/2025

The number one thing you can do to help nature in your garden is to have a pond or other source of water.

Saucers will be appreciated by everything from birds, bees, butterflies and hedgehogs as somewhere to get a drink.

Ponds can help even more wildlife as they provide habitat. They don’t need to be deep and in fact shallow sides make it much easier for creatures to get in and out. Birds in particular enjoy a shallow end for a splash rather than a swim.

You don’t need to get into pumps, chemicals or filtration systems with wildlife ponds. Instead rely on aquatic and marginal plants to naturally filter the water, clean up excess nutrients and oxygenate the water to keep it healthy.

Frogs and toads can hide up in leafy plants. Tall-stemmed types such as grasses help the damselflies and dragonflies, and flowers feed the pollinators.

• A range of pond plants is available this May at Katie’s Garden Plant Centre

Right plant, right place

3/5/2025

The flower bed above is filled with plants that like free-draining soils and sunshine.

Most of us understand that if you want a cactus in this country you are going to have to grow it indoors to keep it warm enough. And most of understand that a water lily needs to grow in water.

But not everyone manages to carry on the lesson: every plant has specific needs in order for it to survive and thrive.

Getting to grips with this is an absolute game-changer in your gardening life.

No more buying random plants, taking them home and watching them slowly die.
Work out what the conditions are in your garden and you can tailor your selections to what has the best chance of succeeding.

These factors include temperature, rainfall, soil type and levels of sunshine.

Get it right and you’ll have borders full of healthy, happy plants. Get it wrong and you could be sending a lot of plants to their early deaths, as you garden under a cloud of frustration and failure.

If you’re not a confident gardener, the easiest tactic is to copy your neighbours. They are going to have the same climate and weather as you, very probably the same soil too, so all you have to do is pay attention to the areas of sunshine and shade in your own garden.

If you keep seeing the same plant appearing in your neighbourhood there is a very good chance it will grow well in your flower beds.

If you don’t know the names of any plants that catch your eye, take photos to show at the nursery, use a plant finder app, or use it as an opportunity to chat to your neighbours: complimenting their gardens is a great way to break the ice!

Working to the conditions you have can help your borders feel cohesive. The plants you end up using are likely to be natural bedfellows so it will be easier to avoid the hodgepodge look.

Silver-leaved perennials generally like sunshine and free-draining soils, whereas many gold-leaved plants will scorch or bleach in full sun.

A sun-loving plant in too much shade will either flop towards the light or barely flower at all.

Consider too which areas of your garden catch the wind and which are more sheltered, and don’t put tall, brittle plants in those more exposed areas where they are at risk of snapping over.

Place Delphiniums where they won’t get blown about in the wind and where they are less likely to get knocked

Perennial Lobelias (above) do best in damp soils

The type of soil you have makes a big difference to which plants will do well for you.

Wilting plants often throw people off course, as they assume it is always caused by insufficient water. In fact it can just as easily mean the plant is water-logged, so dig down to check moisture levels a few inches down from the surface. If puddles form on it, it’s poorly drained, whereas sandy soils can lose all moisture within hours of rainfall.
Plants can also wilt from getting hot and bothered in too much summer sunshine.

Wildflowers often fail to come to anything in lawns and gardens as they favour low-nutrient, unimproved soils. On the other hand, ‘hungry’ plants such as Roses and most climbers need soils enriched with manures and composts to really thrive.

Plants in the wrong place are more susceptible to problems with bug infestations and fungal diseases, in much the same way we are prone to catching things when we are run down.

But a plant in the right place will grow strong and sturdy, flower well and need much less help from you.

• See plant lists at www.katiesgarden.co.uk/advice

Some gardens have extra challenges: Geraniums, Hydrangeas, Roses and Lavenders are all slug-resistant

Hanging basket recipe!

2/5/2025

THE CENTREPIECE
For a fully rounded basket you will need a plant that grows upright to act as your centrepiece. Among the best for the job are Pelargoniums (aka Zonal Geraniums), Begonias and Fuchsias. These will prevent the flat ‘bad hair day’ look that can otherwise afflict baskets!

THE TRAILERS
The stars of the show. These provide that characteristic cascade of blooms. Petunias, Begonias and Million Bells (Calibrachoa) trail the furthest, while Ivy Geraniums, Fuchsias, Lobelias, Brachyscombe and Scaevola can add extra substance, texture and interest.

THE FILLERS
One of the many pluses of having larger baskets is having room to add upright and semi-trailing plants. Their role is to give the basket a full shape. Impatiens (Busy Lizzies) are great for the job, as are Verbenas, Lantanas, Nemesias, Diascias, Bacopa and Bidens.

THE FOLIAGE
If you want that really impressive ceiling-to-floor effect make sure you include one of the trailing foliage plants. Silvery Nepeta works with pastel colour schemes; use Lysimachia for hotter themes. Dichondra and Helichrysum are other options.

Know your habits!

2/5/2025

The ‘habit’ of plants refers to the way they grow.

How big they will end up, whether they grow up, down or out - in other words the shape and form they naturally have.

In the world of basket plants there are lots of variations to trip you up if you are not careful.

Not all Petunias have a trailing habit: many are mound-forming, so always check labels or ask staff before you buy. Names such as Surfinia, Cascadia and Tumbelina can give you a clue!

The same applies to other commonly used plants: Fuchsias, Begonias, Lobelias and Pelargoniums (Geraniums), although with the latter you can spot the trailing types by their waxy leaves.

Head-turning hanging baskets!

1/5/2025

Hanging basket at the Waldringfield Maybush by Katie's Garden Plant Centre

Whatever the size of your garden, there is always room for a hanging basket!

Give them pride of place by the front door to greet you every time you get home - whilst brightening up the street scene for the benefit of all - or use them as an excuse to pack in even more flowers into your back garden.

Brackets are easily attached to anything wooden such as fence posts, sheds, arbours and pergolas. It’s only if going into brick walls that you will need a drill.

As with all summer annuals, basket plants are a great opportunity to have some fun trying out your design skills without spending a lot of money or waiting months or years for results.

Baskets and planters also give you the chance to increase your plant knowledge, as the plants you use all have different roles to play thanks to their differing habits.

Baskets aren’t just about trailing plants: you need mounds and froth too to achieve that full-bodied look.

The colour mix you go for is entirely down to what you like, so don’t worry about ‘rules’ such as not putting orange and pink together. This is your chance to experiment to find combinations that put a smile on your face.

Texture can make a big difference, mixing up big bloomed Petunias with the sprays of Lobelias and
the fireworks of Pelargoniums, for example.

For stunning displays, quality compost and long-release fertiliser are a must.

Watering is also crucial. Gel crystals can be added to reduce the frequency of waterings to every few days. It might sound counterintuitive but larger baskets are easier to have, as they don’t dry out as quickly as smaller ones.

If you have a basket with a coir lining then make sure you place a sheet of plastic in the bottom to stop water flushing straight through. In contrast, if your basket has a full plastic lining make sure you pierce a few drainage holes in the sides to prevent waterlogging.

Order basket bundles and pre-planted baskets at www.katiesgarden.co.uk/shop-online

Plants for pollinators in April!

11/4/2025

Clockwise from top left: Senetti, Dianthus, Apple, Erysimum (shrubby wallflower), Viburnum, Hebe, Euphorbia, Ceanothus