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Zone in to waterwise methods
The recent fine weather we've been having has led me to think about how I can become less of a slave to the watering can later on in the season.
The torrential rain and flooding experienced last summer now seems light years away and we should prepare ourselves to offset the nuisance of possible hosepipe bans and drought orders if the dry weather continues into the summer.
Of course many of you will already have a water butt under a drainpipe to catch rainwater, but if you want to create a garden which will require less water in years to come there are a few design fundamentals to put in place now, says horticulturist Ian Cooke, grounds manager of the award-winning University Park at Nottingham University and author of a new book, Waterwise Gardening.
Think about grouping plants and features in your garden that need similar quantities of water, he advises.
"A low water zone would be an area where plants survive mostly on natural rainfall and are unlikely to suffer with drought and high temperatures. These would include succulent plants, silver foliage and spiky plants such as yucca. They will tolerate full sun and a dry gravelly soil yet still thrive," says Cooke.
The soil in a low water zone should be well prepared and well drained as there will be some plants in there which won't stand being waterlogged.
Low water zones tend to be low maintenance, requiring less watering and less weeding, so can be further away from the house, leaving areas closer to home which require more maintenance.
Remember, though, that new plantings will need enough water to develop good root systems in the first season, before they can look after themselves.
Plants for a medium water zone would comprise ornamental grasses, prairie plants, many shrubs and some trees.
"They will thrive in sunny conditions, prefer a slightly richer, moisture holding soil and will require some occasional watering in prolonged dry weather," says Cooke. Many hardy plants in mild areas fall into this category.
Generous dressings of organic matter will need to be mixed through the well-prepared soil to allow many trees, shrubs, roses and some herbaceous plants to grow. These plantings should only need watering when they are young and established, or during severe drought.
The high water zone will include soft, lush plants such as vegetables, fruits, herbaceous perennials and lawns that will need regular watering to stay healthy. Soils with higher clay content will retain moisture better and are more suitable for such plants.
Soil will need to be well prepared with a boost of organic matter. Most of the plants will grow quickly, including vegetables and bedding plants.
Cooke points out: "High water zone plants are in many ways luxury plants for the waterwise gardener. Position your high water zone near to the house where there is a water source and use responsible irrigation as far as possible."
Grouping similar types of plants together is the easiest way to manage a garden in dry weather and avoids the need to drag heavy hoses all round the garden to water odd plants here and there.
If there's an area in your garden which is permanently dry, don't fight the conditions, go with them and choose plants which will thrive there, such as succulents or cacti. Alternatively use ornaments to fill the unlush spaces - from simple items such as a piece of driftwood or an antique chimney post, to more elaborate sculptures and statues.
:: Waterwise Gardening, by Ian Cooke, is published on May 16 by New Holland, price 12.99.
BEST OF THE BUNCH - Gunnera
The foliage of the gunnera is one of the most spectacular you will see in the garden. While there are some small, mat-forming gunneras growing to no more than 15cm (6in) tall, it is the giant rhubarb, G. manicata, which is the real show-stopper in this group of perennials. It reaches some 2.5m (8ft) or more within a season and the underside of the rhubarb-like leaves with their thick stalks are spiked. In some species, such as G. tinctoria, the flower spikes are also attractive. The large-leaved varieties make fantastic architectural plants alongside streams or ponds - but are only really suitable for large gardens. They make good plant partners with astilbes and other moisture lovers. Gunneras thrive in moist soil in the sun or partial shade in a sheltered position. Their crowns will need protecting in winter with a covering of the old leaves.
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT - Kohl Rabi
It was once a rarity, but this member of the cabbage family is now fairly widely available in supermarkets but much more satisfying if you grow it yourself. It can be eaten raw, but cooked it tastes like a mild cabbage. The edible swollen part is the stem base, not a root, so it can succeed in shallow soils.
It should be grown fast and picked small or it will become tough and tasteless. Ideally it should be sown in a sunny spot and sandy soil from April to July in soil which has been prepared in the autumn with lots of added compost, and limed if necessary in winter. Green varieties should be sown thinly between March and June, while purple types can be sown in July or August for a late autumn or winter crop.
Thin seedlings when the first true leaves appear and continue thinning at intervals until the plants are 15cm apart. Keep the crops well watered and hoe regularly. The globes (swollen stem bases) can be pulled when they are about the size of a golf ball - do not let them grow to maturity.
Good varieties include 'Roel', 'Blusta' and 'Logo', which is slow to bolt.
THREE WAYS TO... tackle seasonal pests
1. Aphids start multiplying in mid and late spring. Disperse them with a jet of water from a hose or pick them off, and encourage their natural predators such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies by planting nectar-producing and pollen-rich plants such as the poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii).
2. Check under leaves for egg clusters left by moths and butterflies, which can be crushed with finger and thumb. Remove caterpillars when you notice them.
3. Look out for vine weevils, a continuous pest to pot-grown plants and open ground plants such as strawberries and bergenias. Water plants in containers with biological controls based on parasitic nematodes. Keep the soil cultivated around outdoor plants to expose the grubs to birds.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
:: Harden off summer bedding plants.
:: Pinch out the growing tips of bush fuchsias while the plants are still small.
:: Train greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers and remove male flowers from cucumbers.
:: Earth up early and maincrop potatoes, protecting foliage if frost is forecast.
:: Cut lawns with naturalised bulbs growing in them. Keep mower blades high.
:: Prune winter-flowering heathers. Any not pruned by the end of May should be left till next year.
:: Prune spring-flowering clematis after flowering.
:: Stake and support chrysanthemums except compact varieties and dwarf bedding.
:: Sow the seeds of fast-maturing annuals such as calendulas, candytuft and godetias every two weeks for a succession of blooms throughout the summer.
:: Clear the last of the spring bedding, to make way for summer plants.
:: Thin young apple trees by either rubbing out flower clusters or removing the number of developing fruits by hand.
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Weather for Bedford
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
