Gardener's World with Paraic Horkan NDH

Sowing and Reaping.

Gardening is all about forward planning the ‘sowing and reaping principle’. Gardeners are sowing summer flowering bedding plants from seed now for a super show of colour in mid summer.

Certified seed potatoes are sprouting indoor's now with the promise of an early bumper crop in late summer. Tomato seeds are in gentle heat in propagators or on the kitchen sink pushing the first seed leaves through signalling the start of spring with the harvest of summer beckoning.

And so it begins another year's preparation and planning well under way.

Summer colour.

I have always said that bulbs are fool proof, irrespective how you plant them they still come up trumps for spring and summer colour. Over the next couple of weeks the early spring bulbs will be in full bloom carrying colour until early summer.
February is the ideal month to plan and prepare for colour in mid to late summer from bulbs.

Horkys tip: After flowering allow spring flowering bulbs between six and eight weeks to die back and feed each clump with a dressing of ‘grow more’ which encourages stronger bulbs for next season.

Border Dahlias.

One of my all time favourite border plants in summer and autumn are the free flowering dahlias, so easy to grow, they start flowering in June and carry their profusion of colour until early winter.
The choice of varieties is outstanding from dwarf bushy varieties suitable for tubs and small beds to large varieties grown for their splendid large blooms ideal for cutting for vases indoors.
One characteristic they all share is the freedom by which they flower and flower.
Dahlias should be potted up now indoors in a frost-free shed or greenhouse. Plant the tubers in potting compost in pots or trays water and let them sprout, after a couple of weeks the individual tubers can be separated and potted up singly into 6in pots. Again hold them in a bright frost-free location until mid may and plant the into flower borders, shrub beds, pots or herbaceous borders to create welcomed summer colour.
Dahlias are ideal as fillers in newly planted shrub beds or flower borders to create instant colour this season.

Dahlias for containers.

Dwarf dahlias are an easy option for filling patio containers or general garden containers, their low bushy shape and repeat flowering habit make them ideal for container use.
Again the choice of varieties offers you a range of flower and foliage colour and varies heights depending on the size of planter you want to fill.
Try Dahlia Guinea with its beautiful deep yellow flowers and neat compact foliage this one is ideal to brighten up a patio or doorway.
Dahlia Berliner Kleene is a super dwarf variety with really large double orange blooms, a lovely reliable variety ideal for containers.

Horkys tip: Plant three tubers into a large container keep frost free until mid may and enjoy a riot of colour from June to late November. Six months of carefree colour.

Dahlias for borders.

For larger shrub borders or herbaceous beds consider some of the larger free flowering dahlias, again start them off in the normal way indoors in a frost free location and plant into the final flowering position in may.

Horkys tip: Add organic farmyard manure into the planting site to add additional nutrition for the young plants. Farmyard manure will increase the flower size and provide additional food resources which increases repeat flowering.

Look for Dahlia oranjestad , a beautiful medium sized variety with large double orange flowers from June to November. This one is ideal for shrub borders.

Dahlia Arabian night is a tried and tested tall variety the flowers are produced in abundance and are deep red with black frills. A lovely variety for cutting.

Dahlia red Babylon has brilliant scarlet red flowers, very large and ideal for cutting.

Horkys tip: Feed flowering dahlias in mid summer with tomato fertiliser and dead head the old blooms on a regular pattern. Dahlias can be propagated each year by dividing the tubers or taking cuttings of the young shoots in late spring.

Jobs in the garden.

• Plant shallots and sets now, look out for the ‘turbo’ set variety, which gives excellent return but also stores very well in winter.
• Plant red sticked rhubarb now into well prepared soil. Older plants can be forced by covering with a black refuse bin to exclude light, young sweet red sticks will be produced within a month.
• Sprout early-certified seed potatoes now indoor's in a bright frost-free location. Try the popular epicure or Winston to give a bumper crop this season.
• Sow dahlia tubers, begonias, and lilies indoors in gentle heat to provide excellent summer colour later on.
• Plant existing outdoor containers with hardy spring heathers, primulas, pansies, trailing ivies and spring bulbs.
• Sow seeds of summer flowering bedding plants, herbs and vegetables now for an early start.

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

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