With one of the driest summers in Britain for many years, Monty responds to viewers’ questions and has plenty of advice on how to deal with drought conditions for vegetables, fruit, flowers and containers.
Carol Klein celebrates one of the most flamboyant summer shrubs, the hydrangea, Joe Swift visits a garden which has tranquillity at its heart in both design and planting, Adam Frost gives tips on how to plant up a seating area, and Nick Bailey concludes his guide to roses with the most recent introductions.
Plus a visit to a garden planted up on a tiny budget, where over 200 containers have been filled with plants which have been either been rescued, bought cut-price or swapped.
Gardeners World 2018 episode 18
Mulching
Mulching is generally used to improve the soil around plants, but it also gives your garden a neat, tidy appearance and can reduce the amount of time spent on tasks such as watering and weeding. They help soil retain moisture in summer, prevent weeds from growing and protect the roots of plants in winter. Mulches are loose coverings or sheets of material placed on the surface of cultivated soil. Mulches can be applied to bare soil or to cover the surface of compost in containers.
How to collect & store seed
Growing plants from seed is generally straightforward and inexpensive. It is an opportunity to increase the number of plants in your garden for free. Seed can be saved from many trees, shrubs, perennials, aquatic plants, alpines, annuals, biennials, bulbous plants, ornamental grasses vegetables and herbs.
Watering know-how
To make the most of water, it pays to use it economically. It helps to understand the needs of plants and use techniques to prevent water loss from both plants and soil. Ideally water plants early in the morning, to avoid evaporation loss during the day. On warm summer days, evening watering is also likely to be effective, the dry soil soaking it in readily and low humidity at night reducing risk of disease.