In Gardeners World 2018 episode 17 Monty Don advises on plants for a late summer display. He tackles his overgrown wildlife pond and shows which roses to prune now for a repeat flowering in late summer. Frances Tophill travels to Birmingham, where she shows that every space counts by transforming three tiny balconies into spaces full of colour and scent.
Nick Bailey continues his journey through the world of roses, and we meet a couple who have filled their Staffordshire garden with a national collection of dierama, otherwise known as angel’s fishing rods.
Gardeners World 2018 episode 17
Pruning floribunda and hybrid tea roses
Rose pruning ensures that plants grow vigorously and flower well each year. If left unpruned, bush roses such as hybrid teas (large-flowered) and floribundas (cluster-flowered) can become a tangled mess of branches with very few flowers. Although often considered complicated, rose pruning is not difficult if you follow this guide. This method is suitable for all bush roses, whether they are hybrid teas or floribundas. If you have a bush rose, and don’t know what type it is, the best way to tell is by looking at the flowering habit.
Growing dieramas
With its graceful, arching flower stems and bell-shaped blooms, it is easy to understand why Dierama is commonly called Angel’s fishing rod. This is a perfect perennial for a sunny border or a container. Dieramas need adequate space to look their best. They can be planted in borders or gravel gardens, and look good grown with ornamental grasses. They are attractive near water, but careful positioning is necessary as the corms must not get too wet over winter.
Wildlife ponds
A pond is an attractive feature in any garden and, with a little thought about its design and construction, can also be a haven for wildlife. During the past century, nearly 70 percent of ponds have been lost from the UK countryside, meaning garden ponds and water features have an increased importance for wildlife.
Plant containers
Planting in containers is a great way to create displays that you can move around to suit your mood. You can create beautiful displays using many kinds of garden plants for seasonal interst. Containers come into their own when space is limited and you can move and arrange plants more easily than those in the ground. There are a few tricks and techniques to master, so you can create containers to impress.
