For many, Easter marks the start of Spring gardening and the long weekend offers the opportunity to get a good head start for the coming season. If you plan to spend time in the garden, there are plenty of jobs to do. The vegetable plot or allotment should be well prepared and ready for planting – if not there is still time to dig it over. Historically, Good Friday was the only day gardeners had to plant their potatoes, unlike today there were no Bank Holidays back then and time was limited. The tradition continues today, despite the yearly change dates.
Other varieties of vegetables soon to be ready for planting include broad beans, peas, garlic, brassicas, beetroot, salad crops and strawberry plants. However, we need to be prepared to protect crops from cold snaps when temperatures are low. It’s also the last chance to plant bare root fruit and hedging while their roots are still dormant.
You may be attending to your lawn, giving it a first cut or repairing and seeding patchy areas. After a long wet winter there could be a need to re-turf sections or your plans could include creating a new lawn. Borders and beds can be weeded and new planting schemes designed ready for perennials and shrubs to be added. Even if you only have a few hours to spend in the garden, enjoy the great outdoors and (hopefully) nice sunny weather!
Take care of your lawnCalendula are both colourful and edible
Edimentals
If you fancy being creative with a different growing style this year, you can consider growing ‘edimentals’. The art of growing plants which are both edible and ornamental, ideal for combining plants in the borders if you prefer not to have a dedicated vegetable plot or if space is limited. Choose annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees – you can grow you own food like fruit, leaves, roots and flowers while enjoying the floral and structural attributes they offer for an alternative look to your existing borders. Pollinators and wildlife will also benefit from edimental plants.
Let’s explore some popular choices:
Climbing plants – grown in pots, against the fence or in beds using an obelisk or create a structure using bamboo canes for height.
Peas and beans – Bright flowers will attract pollinators. Annual plants producing edible pods and beans.
Fruit – ornamental blackberry, climbs with pretty white flowers, small fruits and attractive evergreen leaves. Fig and Kiwi plants produce fruits in a sheltered area and both have unusual foliage colour and unusual shaped leaves for an ornamental look. All attractive perennial climbers.
Annual flowers – Nasturtium are colourful, seasonal climbers with an abundance of flowers all summer long and into autumn. Edible flowers can be used for decoration. Very popular.
Herbs – All varieties can be planted in a dedicated bed or singularly among flowering perennials and shrubs. Left to flower, they produce edible leaves and flowers attracting pollinators. Many are perennials, some evergreen.
The cynara has large silver leaves and globe flowersNasturtium not only add colour to your garden, but your plate as wellBorage flowers are both edible and decorative
Shrubs – Consider blueberries in pots. Produce pretty spring flowers, berries during summer and attractive foliage, changing to rich autumn colour at the end of the season. Evergreen lavender and rosemary can be shaped and trimmed for all-year-round interest. Flowers can be used for culinary purposes. Sage (salvia) in a variety of leaf colours provide evergreen interest and used for cooking and teas.
Perennials – Cynara (ornamental artichoke). Beautiful, large silver leaves and globe flowers, tall statement plant ideal for large borders. Bronze fennel, soft, feathery foliage can grow to a medium height, and in time produces attractive seed heads. Choose green fennel for alternative colour and similar effect. Chives and garlic chives, from the allium family, produce an abundance of flowers.
Rainbow chard – used as a gap filler in the herbaceous border it produces bright multi-coloured stems and large glossy leaves, which can both be used in savoury dishes and salads.
The cynara has large silver leaves and globe flowersGrow peas growing up an obelisk framework for height
Trees and hedging – Fruit trees are an obvious choice to consider alongside some ornamentals, including an interesting selection of crab apples bearing blossom of white and shades of pink. Apple colours range from golden, peach and red. Weeping varieties are very architectural. Hedging, including hawthorn, cob nut, rosa rugosa and blackthorn, all display beautiful blossom and edible fruits/nuts for culinary uses.
Miscellaneous – The list goes on! Edible flowers include colourful viola, calendula and borage, which all have dual use as decoration. Wild garlic grown as ground cover in shaded or wooded areas have delicate edible flowers too. Sunflowers produce seeds which are a food source for wildlife and birds once they have finished their glorious display in the garden.
Exploring edimentals is a great way of engaging children to enjoy gardening and makes ‘growing your own’ fun!
Add rainbow chard in your bordersCeanothus – Californian lilac flowering in the spring
Always research and double check plants before eating, making sure they are safe to consume. Not all plants are edible.
Plant of the month – Ceanothus (Californian lilac)
A versatile evergreen shrub with glossy leaves, flowering late Spring.
Striking blue flowers in a range of purple shades.
Requires a sheltered position with fertile, well drained soil in full sun. A range of varieties for different aspects, including compact bushy, climbing, horizontalis or train as a standard. A very attractive shrub.
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Happy Easter!
RHN Plant Centre is open every day over Easter. Friday and Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday and Monday 10am-4pm.
Growing for more than 60 years
Rougham Hall Nurseries at RHN Plant Centre and Farm Shop, Colethorpe Lane, Barrow IP29 5BE
Call 07813 008960
See rhn.me.uk
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