Creative Gardens Q&A - Not Much Time...

QUESTION

I don't have much time for gardening but like to have nice plants.

ANSWER

Shrubs are the best answer for time saving gardening.

Design and plant an area once and it can last up to 20 years with little more than occasional pruning. When planting your shrubs, use plenty of good planting compost and some bone meal. Save yourself more time by mulching in between the plants with chipped bark which will suppress weed growth and also help retain moisture for the plants.

Choose a selection of plants in different sizes, shapes, leaf and flower colour and select plants that have their main display at different times of the year to ensure year-round interest.

The following are all plants that are attractive over a long period, are easy to grow almost anywhere and are not particularly prone to pests or disease. No pruning (or very little) required!

Chiosya - an evergreen that develops into a nice rounded bush and has "orange blossom" scented white flowers.

Escallonia - another evergreen large shrub great for the back of a border, flowers in a range of pink or white. Hebe available in lots of varied leaf colours with the bonus of summer flowers.

Camellia - this well loved shrub is evergreen with beautiful flowers in pink, red or white.

Ceanothus repens - a lower growing variety of the well known Californian Lilac that you will see in many gardens, covered with a mass or blue flowers from April until July.

For scent Lavender is ideal and it needs a good sunny spot. It should be trimmed lightly after flowering (you could make your own pot pourri!).

Perfect for Winter scented flowers and colour, Mahonia or Viburnum "Dawn". Both are easily grown.

For good Autumn leaf colour Amelanchier or a beautiful dwarf Acer (Japanese Maple) if you have a sheltered spot.

Finally and very important for Winter berries plant Skimmia, a lovely evergreen making a nice rounded shrub, in varieties that produce masses of bright red berries. Pyracantha, with its' bright yellow, red or orange berries is perfect for planting against a wall or fence and best of all, it will attract and feed all sorts of wild birds, a real bonus!

Creative Gardens Q&A - Potted Herbs

QUESTION

I don't have room for a herb garden. Can I grow herbs in pots?

ANSWER

If I only had one container or window box I would just fill it with herbs!

They really are perfect for growing this way. They are attractive, smell good, are a joy to cook with and the bees just love them as well, which is so important these days.


Choose your window box or pot - terracotta seems to go well with herbs, but anything will do. Make sure you have drainage holes and place some stones or broken pots in the base of the container before filling with compost.


There are so many herbs to choose from and garden centres have most of them. 

Chives are a must, lovely little purple flowers and easy to snip away at them as you need them - perfect for that egg sandwich! 

Parsley is always useful and grows easily from plants although it can be tricky from seed. 

Rosemary, another scented plant to add interest - great with roast lamb and adding to sauces. 

Oregano & Thyme are probably the other two most useful herbs. 

All these plants look great planted in one pot or window box together, their different shaped leaves and colours contrasting and complimenting each other.

Mint is also a very useful herb and there are dozens of types nowadays but it is best planted in a pot on its own as it tends to take over and smother the others.


To ensure best results your pots of herbs do of course need watered and fed during the summer months. Use an organic feed, once a week should be enough. Herbs prefer sun but a bit of shade will not harm them. Most of these herbs will over-winter quite well although your containers will need a bit of tender loving care next spring. Herbs like Basil are annuals and only live for one year so you will need to replace them.


Another benefit of having herbs in pots is that you can place it beside your BBQ next time you use it and snip away as you need them. Everyone will love experimenting by adding herbs to their meat while cooking and the scent will be appreciated too!

Grow Your Own Competition 2012

Begins Saturday 2nd June 2012

It's come round to that time again when we run the 'Grow Your Own' competition. From tomorrow we will be on the lookout for some keen fruit and vegetable gardeners. Why not enter this year? You could win one of our fantastic prizes! The competition is open to all ages, young and old, and your entry can be of any fruit or vegetable at all.

Enter by simply bringing a photo to Creative Gardens Donaghadee or Bushmills along with your contact details or even easier, simply email us your entry with your contact information to us at competitions@creativegardens.net

1st Overall Winner - £100 Gift Voucher & Gardening Hamper
Main Runner-Up - £50 Gift Voucher
Most Creative Display - £25 Gift Voucher
Junior Gardener of the Year - £25 Gift Voucher

10 Runners-Up will each receive a Gardening Goodie Bag.

Maximum 3 entries per person. Photos will be shown on our 'Grow Your Own' display at each centre and we will choose our lucky winners on Saturday 22nd September 2012. All the Best!

Creative Gardens Q&A - Vegetable Plants

QUESTION

Is it now too late to plant young vegetable plants?

ANSWER

No, it's not too late. There is a vast choice of young vegetable plants that are still available at the garden centre, usually in packs of six plants. As the plants have already been started off for you this is the really easy and reliable way to grow your crop. There is something very special about harvesting your own fresh vegetables from just outside your back door.

Here are some of our favourite vegetables to grow:

Savoy Cabbage - This is a versatile variety which can be grown throughout the season without the risk of bolting. Distinctively crinkled green heads with an excellent flavour. You can plant these in June and harvest November to March.

Celery - Plant now and they will be ready to harvest in October.

Lettuce 'Lollo Rosso' - A variety of lettuce with curly leaves. Try cutting the leaves as you need them leaving the plants to grow new leaves for further harvests! A sort of "cut and come again!" You can grow this in the open ground, pots or window boxes.

Courgettes - Plant out in June and you will get a huge crop produced over a long period provided you keep cutting them when they are about 7cm (3ins).

Squash 'Butternut' - Plant now in well-manured, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position. Harvest in mid-summer and early autumn.

Keep all vegetables well watered in dry spells and keep free from weeds. Feed regularly with a general organic plant food eg. a Liquid Seaweed Extract, this will promote healthy plants and help plants withstand environmental stress, pests and disease. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails. Circles of grit or crushed egg shells around your plants is a good way to deter them.

There are a couple of novelty tomatoes that are worth trying even if you don't have a glasshouse.

Tomato 'Tumbler' - A high fruiting variety especially for hanging baskets and containers, suitable for growing outdoors.

Tomato 'Sweet Million' - Plant outside in a sheltered sunny spot, very prolific, sweet cherry tomato, fruits ripen to an attractive shiny red. Plant all tomatoes in a sunny sheltered spot in a border. Once the little tomatoes have formed keep well watered and feed regularly with a liquid tomato feed.

Good luck with your vegetable patch and don't forget to enter our "Grow Your Own" 2012 competition when it is launched Saturday 2nd June.

I hope this has given you a few ideas, you can look forward to harvesting, tasting and sharing your home grown produce!

Creative Gardens Q&A - Growing Herbs

QUESTION

I would love to grow herbs that I could use in cooking. I don't know what to do, is it difficult to grow herbs?

ANSWER

Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. There are just a few basic points to follow and you will be rewarded with beautiful fresh flavours.

Location - Herbs can be planted in open ground or in containers in a sheltered, sunny position with minimum of 4 to 7 hours of direct sunlight. If you are going to plant the herbs in containers, use a mixture of 50% compost and horticulture grit. Ensure the container has a drainage hole to ensure good drainage as herbs dislike wet conditions.

If you are planting your herbs in the open ground the soil should be free from weeds and overhanging branches. Fork in organic matter (farmyard manure) and rake over the soil so that the area is level.

Design - Small formal herb gardens are timeless. These are based on geometric patterns, framed by low hedges and paved paths. Stepping stones can be provided to provide access to the herbs for harvesting.

Planting - Gently loosen the root ball to encourage new growth, and plant to a depth just under the soil level. After planting firm in the soil gently around the plant and then water.  Some herbs such as Spearmint can be invasive, restrict their spread by planting them in containers sunken into the ground.

Aftercare - Water newly planted herbs regularly but once they are established they are naturally drought resistant.

During the growing season use a well balanced fertilizer. Always use half the dosage given on the packaging. The reason for this is the essential oils of the herbs that 'suffer' a bit are more concentrated, increasing their flavour.

To encourage healthy, bushy growth, remove dead leaves and flowers. If you use your herbs frequently, pruning may not be necessary as you would be pruning when harvesting. When harvesting use a sharp knife or scissors, do not break or tear off the branches as this will affect healthy growth.

Herbs are not very prone to pests, but if you see any aphids/white fly, simply cut back the herbs or use an organic pesticide.

Creative Gardens Q&A - Cuttings

QUESTION

I have some pretty flowering Hebes in my garden. I would like to try taking cuttings from them. Any tips?

ANSWER

Spring is the perfect time to take Softwood cuttings and Hebes can be easily multiplied this way. You need to wait until the shrub has produced some nice fresh new growth.

Here is what you need; a good clean sharp knife, horticultural sand, peat or seed and cutting compost, hormone rooting powder, a pot or seed tray, label and pencil and a watering can.

Choose a good healthy plant that has produced some nice fresh new growth. Choose a non flowering stem and make the cut just below a node (the swollen part of the stem where the leaf is). Your cutting should be about 7 – 10 cm long, that’s 3 – 4 inches.

Remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting and dip the base in the rooting powder.  This will encourage roots to develop.

Fill a pot or tray with a 50/50 mix of peat and sand. Place your cuttings carefully in the pot.

Don’t let your cuttings dry out. You can purchase a mini propagator quite cheaply which is ideal for controlling humidity and can be used for seeds as well as cuttings.

Water and label your cuttings and keep them in a bright area but away from direct sunlight.

After a few weeks check if your cuttings have rooted by gently placing a dibber underneath and lift cuttings to expose root system. When there are plenty of roots produced pot the cuttings in to single 3” or 4” pots and when the roots have filled these pot on into a larger pot. Eventually by next year you will have a small shrub ready to plant in your garden or why not give the lovely gift of a home grown shrub to a friend!

Creative Gardens Q&A - Unhealthy Shrubs

QUESTION

Some of my shrubs are straggly and didn't flower that well last year. Should I cut them back or will that damage them?

ANSWER

If you have been disappointed by some of your shrubs that have not produced an abundance of flowers, pruning in Spring will encourage new flowering stems. Left unpruned deciduous shrubs that bear flowers on the current season’s growth tend to become congested and flower quality deteriorates.

Here are some shrubs that will benefit from spring pruning:

Abelia, Buddleia, deciduous Ceanothus, Forsythia (after flowering), Fuchsia, Spiraea,  Perovskia.

It is best to use a good sharp pair of secateurs, long handled loppers are needed for thicker stems or use shears where there is a great deal of dead weak light growth which needs to be removed.

As a general rule the best time to prune your trees and shrubs is immediately after flowering. This helps to promote good healthy growth of new stems. As well as helping to control the height of your shrubs removing any damaged or dead stems which can become diseased is important. If you are unsure which stems are dead scrape a small section of the stem or branch. If the lower layer is green then the branch is alive if the tissue is brown then it is dead and should be removed.

Prune out the stems of the previous year’s growth to within 2 – 4 buds of old wood. Always cut the stem at a 45 degree angle making a sharp clean cut just above an outward facing bud. This will encourage the new stem to grow outward and not inwards. Cut back some of the main stems to the base to retain an open framework.

Buddleia needs a more drastic prune. Using loppers cut back all the main shoots that flowered the previous year to within 1 -3 buds of the old wood. 

Evergreen shrubs such as Rhododendrons and Azaleas do not need pruning at all unless they have dead or damaged stems.

All you need to do now is add a good quality fertiliser to promote fresh healthy growth. You will almost hear your shrubs breathe a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of dead and unhealthy branches.

Creative Gardens Q&A - Too Little Time...

QUESTION

I love my little garden but don’t have much spare time to garden and spend time pruning etc. Are there easy plants that don’t need much care or attention? I like evergreens!

ANSWER

Yes there are lots of plants that really look after themselves! 

Dwarf or slow growing conifers can be useful.  The little Thuja Aurea Nana is a small round shape and it is bright yellow all year. Plant the low growing Juniper Blue Star beside it for a nice contrast. As its’ name suggests it is blue all year and grows in a compact star shape.  As long as these plants have enough moisture, not usually a problem here, then they really need no attention at all.

To cover a wall or fence Pyracantha is hard to beat. It is also evergreen and will grow nicely against the wall producing white flowers in summer and brightly coloured berries in the autumn and winter. No care or pruning is required – just the occasional cutting back of any branches that grow in an unwanted direction!

Dwarf Rhododendrons and Japanese Azaleas are easy too. They never need pruned and also keep their leaves all year. The soil needs to be correct so add plenty of peat or lime free compost when you plant them. There are lots of colours available and when they produce masses of flowers in spring they are a wonderful sight!

If you want a taller plant for the back of a border or to fill a space Photinia Red Robin is highly recommended. It is one of our favourites. The plant is evergreen with dark green leaves but the new leaves are an amazing bright red turning burgundy and very eye catching indeed.

For spaces around the edge of beds and borders Euonymus is good. Available in gold, green and cream variegated colours they are great little plants for all year interest.

Finally we think some of the small dwarf Hebes are lovely. They have great all year round leaf colour and then as a bonus in the summer they flower mostly in lilacs or white depending on the variety you choose.

Creative Gardens Q&A - Flowering Shrubs

QUESTION

My garden has very few flowering shrubs at this time of year and I don’t really want bedding plants.  What do you recommend?

ANSWER

Quite a few borders and shrubberies look a little dull just now.  All the spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Pieris are passed their best but don’t despair there are lots of summer flowering beauties to enjoy.

Roses are an obvious choice for summer colour they are great for scent as well and there are climbers and ramblers as well as bush and shrub roses.  We love the low growing Flower Carpet Roses as they are easy to grow, don’t require much pruning, have a long flowering period and are exceptionally disease resistant too.  They are available in a range of attractive colours.

Lavender is a great companion plant for Roses and famous for its’ scent. It thrives in full sun. Try making your own pot-pourri or scented sachets!

Hydrangeas are also fabulous at this time of year, starting to flower soon and lasting through until September, with their large showy blooms in blues and pinks. Rather like Rhododendrons they like peaty soil and plenty of moisture and prefer a little shade.

Potentillas are a useful shrub as well. They flower for a long period from May right through until September and are very easy to grow as long as they get a little sun. They are available in white, pale lemon, bright sunny yellow and even pinks and an orangey red too, so there is a one suitable for every colour theme.

The purple spikes of Buddleia will start to show colour soon and attract butterflies into your garden as a bonus. This shrub will grow into quite a tall tree if you let it but it is best cut it down in March to keep it small and bushy and encourage flowering.

There is a whole family of Hebes to choose from. They are a definite favourite with us as they are about to produce their flowers soon and many also have great leaf colour ranging from green with cream edged leaves to really eye catching pink and purple foliage which it retains all year. Hebe Heartbreaker is a great example of this with pink and purple leaves and mauve flowers in July. Hebes are easy plants to grow but may need some protection in a very severe winter such as last year.

 

For a tough plant that never minds a cold winter, the low growing Hypericum calycinum (Rose of Sharon) is pretty at this time of year or for a taller variety choose Hypericum Hidcote. It has bright sunny yellow flowers followed by attractive berries. An old fashioned plant but still a good one! 

Creative Gardens Q&A - Young Gardeners

QUESTION

What can we do to encourage children to garden?

ANSWER

Young children love being outdoors so take advantage of this and start as early as possible to introduce them to the garden and the plants and wildlife that exist there.

Giving them a small patch of their own is a great idea as they can get immense pride and pleasure from their own achievements. Get them involved in working in the garden, teach them the difference between the weeds and the plants. They will love the little tools especially for children and even little gardening gloves for them to wear. Children also enjoy discovering snails, caterpillars and all the little creepy crawlies that live in our gardens!

Seed sowing can be very rewarding for kids. Initially choose seeds that germinate quickly such as the old favourites Mustard and Cress. Radishes are fast growing and fun to chop up for salads too. Many of us will remember the joy of harvesting peas or beans from the garden. Popping a freshly podded pea into their mouths is an unforgettable experience to a child and you don’t need a large garden to grow a few. Try a some plants in pots if you don’t have a vegetable patch. 

An absolute must to try are new varieties of potatoes especially prepared for planting in pots now and they will be ready for Christmas! Great fun for kids and adults alike.

In the garden generally it is a great idea to plant scented plants such as Cosmos (the chocolate scented variety), and the curry plant (Helichrysum). Lots of herbs such as Lemon Balm, Sage, the Mint family are all lovely to touch and smell and older children can start to use them in the kitchen as well.

Plants such as Poppy and Nigella are an interesting addition to the garden for kids as well as their noisy seed pods that rattle when shaken will fascinate them!

Creative Gardens Q&A - Non-Hedge Borders

QUESTION

I want to screen a building site which is behind my garden. I don’t really want a hedge, something more informal but it will need to grow 8’ or 9’ and it is quite shady. Any ideas?

ANSWER

I think the best solution is to plant a mixed border. Here are a selection of shrubs that will grow quite easily, in an average soil. 

Viburnum tinus is a reliable hardy shrub with dark green leaves and white flowers in autumn and winter. 

Aucuba Japonica Variegata  (spotted Laurel) you should plant male and female varieties of this to get large red berries in the winter which contrast beautifully with the glossy green spotted leaves.

Ilex (holly) there are lots of different varieties which can give you green, golden or silver variegation.  Again male and female varieties should both be planted to get the berries or there are some self fertile types.  You will be the envy of your neighbours at Christmas when you cut your berried holly and bring indoors for decoration!  

Next, and a particular favourite of ours is Photinia “Red Robin”.  This is not the most dense of shrubs but really worth planting for its’ stunning new growth in spring and summer which as its’ name suggests is a rich red.

All the above shrubs are evergreen and so will give you good screening cover all year, and they will contrast nicely with each other. They will all grow to at least your required height, albeit at slightly different rates which will help create that informal look you want. You can trim these plants in future if they become too tall.