the Derby Telegraph HAS launched its new gardening column featuring tips and advice from Mark Smith, manager of Swarkestone Nursery.
THIS is a very busy time of the year in the garden, as some of you will have or are preparing for summer bedding plants and also some of you will be sowing or planting vegetable plants. But what about this week? Well it's way too early to be planting out tender summer bedding plants – as proved by last Monday morning's frost.
Currently we are experiencing typical spring weather where there is a good chance of being caught by frosts after having had bright, clear evenings. So beware.
It's the perfect time to plant out "harden off" vegetable plants, such as broad beans, beetroot and all year round lettuce. If you are still worried about frosts, cover newly-planted vegetable plants with horticultural fleece. If you haven't yet got round to sowing vegetable seeds it's not too late start this weekend.
If you are not into "grow-your-own" remember now is a great time to introduce much-needed colour into your garden before any summer bedding appears and the colour choice available at this time of year is overwhelming.
Every week I will choose a plant for an aspect that is well worth a go.
This week my choice of plant for a pot:
Euonymus japonicus "Paloma Blanca" – a compact-growing, evergreen shrub with very little maintenance, a new variety of Euonymus with pure white tips of new growth. The new growth almost looks like flowers and because it's the new growth you have repeated flushes of colour throughout the year until late Autumn – its height is 1 to 2ft. It requires multi-purpose compost, likes a sunny or semi shade position.
My choice of plant for a wall:
This is a bit general but winter flowering, evergreen Clematis. This climbing plant has been around for years but has seemed to be off most people's radar – if you speak to most gardeners they will say that Montana Clematis are the earliest flowering – but actually these little beauties are.
There are many varieties but very limited in flower colour choice as they come in either white or pale yellow – most varieties are scented, flower prolifically, are easy to grow and do not need pruning. Great on a sunny or shaded wall or pick carefully (under 6ft high) and these are suitable for containers.
Two new varieties are Clematis cartmanii "Ovation" or Clematis cartmanii "Emerald Dream" which only grow to 1ft high and can be used as neat groundcover or for containers. Make sure when planting to have well-drained soil and not clay, or in a pot just a good quality multi-purpose compost is required.
Need a plant for a shady spot? My choice is a bit usual but the herb Woodruff is great in a shady position, very hardy and evergreen which creates a carpet of pure white flowers that last a long time and can clearly be used as a herb – or to smoke fish, meat or cheese.
My choice for a plant for a present: Camellias are looking amazing this week. Ignore gardening shows telling you they are hard to grow, that's rubbish they are hardy and given the correct compost as easy as any other shrub. Choose a variety almost in flower then choose a pot ideally 1ft by 1ft then choose Ericaceous compost.
My top tip of the week: Visit plant nurseries/ garden centres several times a year, buy a couple of plants that look fantastic at that moment then visit again in a month or so and then buy a couple more. This means you will eventually have all-year-round colour plus this will spread the cost – remember the best skill you need as a gardener is patience.
