Gardener's World with Paraic Horkan NDH

Plant of the month for May.

Summer Mallow.

Easy to grow , very free flowering , large deep purple bells of flower produced in profusion over a long period make lavatera brendon springs one of the easiest summer flowering shrub's to grow.

Lavatera brendon springs is one of the most colourful garden plants that you can grow, free flowering and vigorous make this plant a popular choice in many gardens. The speed at which it comes into flower is one of the major benefits of this easy to grow plant. The flowers stay in flower over a long period flowering from June until late autumn. The entire plant is covered with large trumpet shaped blooms from mid way right up to the tips of the branches.

Lavatera is happiest on poor sandy soil and dislikes heavy wet clay soils where it tends to be short lived.
Plant lavatera in mixed shrub borders in the middle or towards the back of the border as it very quickly makes a full shaped shrub which is ideal for filling vacant gaps or as a quick filler in new or larger gardens.

One of the best new varieties is lavatera brendon springs which has more compact growth with a deep purple trumpet shaped flower from June to late winter. For large groups plant three in a triangle spaced three feet apart, which will form one large, clump of purple fill a space quickly this season.

Lavatera should be pruned back in early September to allow new growth from the base to develop before winter.

Summer colour from fuchsias.

One of the easiest garden plants for new or established beds or containers has to be the fuchsia family. This is due to the wide range of colour and exotic shapes of the flowers.
Fuchsias are well suited to our mild climate enjoying plenty of moisture throughout the flowering period which extends from June to late winter.

Horkys tip: When planting fuchsias in hanging baskets always plant three of the same variety and inter fill with trailing lobelias, geraniums and impatiens for a stunning long-lasting show of colour.

Fuchsia la campanella is another favourite with very large purple and white flowers from June to November. Super mixed in flower baskets or window boxes.

Fuchsia Annabel is a strong growing variety ideal for mixing with more vigorous basket plants such as tapien or trailing petunias. Large double light pink flowers over a long period.

Fuchsias can also be planted out of doors to give additional colour in shrub or flower borders giving flower colour over a long period and extending colour from your shrub beds until late winter.
Hardy fuchsias can also be planted into patio containers with a mixture of summer bedding to give a real summer show.
Look out for hardy varieties including fuchsia Mrs popple, the beautiful golden variety called geni with golden foliage and deep red flowers.
Fuchsia Tom Thumb is an excellent dwarf variety for tubs, rockeries or smaller shrub borders.

Roses some of the best!.

For long-lasting summer colour roses are up there with the best.

May is the ideal month to plant a new rose border or to replace old or damaged varieties. Soil preparation is important and selecting a sunny well-drained site makes for a good show later on.
The selection available at present has never been as good with new introductions bred for disease resistance and long flowering ability.

Horkys tip: Look out this year for one of the best new introductions called! Irish eyes! A low growing variety with excellent disease resistance, so important in the west, and beautiful free flowering habit with double blooms of vibrant yellow and red from June to November.
Irish eyes is a very free flowering floribunda ideal for mass planting or for containers Many varieties will flower from June to early winter and some until Christmas day.

Summer colour from dahlias.

"Dahlias" are an old favourite summer flowering border plant, available in many different colours and flowering heights. Over the past number of years new and improved compact varieties have been introduced to create a bushy plant, which produces their double flowers from June until late November. This range of new varieties are called "dahletta" which are available in a wide range of colours from red, orange, burgundy, pink, bright yellow and white. "Dahletta" are ideal for long-lasting colour in patio planters, planted amongst shrubs or in mixed plantings with other summer bedding.

Gardening tips for May:

• Finish planting main crop potatoes including rooster, records, king Edwards and maris peer.
• Continue planting summer vegetables including Calabrese, sprouts, lettuce, and cauliflower.
• Fresh herbs and strawberries can be planted into containers and baskets for summer use.
• Plant up your hanging baskets, window boxes and tubs with summer flowering trailing plants look for petunias surfinia, white bacopa, verbena tapien and trailing lobelias.
• Treat your entire lawn to renovator lawn feed and weed with added moss killer.
• Kill off young weed growth with weedol spray, before planting new bedding or shrubs.

Remember Horkans Garden Centres in Sligo and Castlebar are open seven days Sunday 2 to 6pm. horky@iol.ie

Top

Go to Castlebar