Summer must be on the way! Chelsea Flower Show has started and unless you already have tickets, as they are all now sold, the best place to see it is on the television. Another indication that summer is fast approaching is that the peonies are resplendent in all their blowsy and delicate beauty. Writing this, we are enjoying some warm dry weather however at the first sign of rain, I shall be outside and picking an overly generous bunch of blooms to enjoy in the house before they are destroyed in a shower.
It should usually be just about safe now to put out your hanging baskets now, however there was such a hard frost last week that it nipped all the new growth on my hostas and box hedging, I always err on the side of caution and will again hold off until June. Everything was so slow to get going with the earlier cold weather this year that I’m not sure they are ready yet anyway. A great friend of mine is trying strawberry hanging baskets for the first time and it has me thinking about different plants to try in them and other containers.
There are the usual petunia/lobelia/fuchsia/pelargonium combinations that are so widely grown and available at local garden centres. Always reliable, as long as they are fed occasionally or have slow release fertiliser in the compost, watered thoroughly at least daily and deadheaded to the point of obsession. Water retaining gel incorporated at the planting stage really does help in reducing drought problems too.
I must say, the idea of strawberry hanging baskets does appeal – picking the fruit is far more productive than deadheading although it serves exactly the same purpose, in promoting more flower production.
Another combination could be the ‘tumbling’ tomatoes inter-planted with a sprinkle of basil seeds – shame mozzarella doesn’t grow too! Best advice with this though is not to dead head the flowers as another friend of mine once did and could not understand why he had no tomatoes! A basket filled with herbs such as basil, parsley, chives and mint would be a great addition too and would be so much easier to keep and longer lasting than the pots of herbs available at supermarkets. I’ve never tried the hanging basket varieties of sweet peas but would think that if it works for them, then perhaps an ordinary green pea basket might work too? At least the mice would not be able to eat the seeds up there! Perhaps some brave soul could try it and let me know? Trailing courgettes may be worth a go too if you have a basket big enough to hold the copious amount of water they would need.
I also like the idea of having a selection of lettuce varieties or rocket that you can ‘cut and come again’ hanging outside the back door, rather than having to trudge up to the top of the garden. One of the most fantastic rewards as a vegetable gardener is harvesting and eating the first crop of new potatoes. Of course the mint and butter add to the delight but the sweetness and melt in the mouth deliciousness of those little tuberous jewels does it for me every time – better than chocolate! You don’t need a patch of ground to grow them either as you can pop seed potatoes in now (some still for sale, at reduced prices too in local garden centres) into virtually any large container with drainage holes at the bottom, a good depth of compost and regular watering, and in much less time than you think, you can enjoy that wonderful flavour that only home-grown can give you, through the summer. We have used old tree plant pots, plastic drums, those thick ‘lifetime’ carrier bags, broken linen baskets, and even an old wheelbarrow with holes in it before now. Perhaps the wheelbarrow is the place to try growing your pumpkin or marrows as you have ready made transport up to the village show to exhibit your prize winning veggies later in the year!