Gardeners’ World 2021 episode 6: If you’ve planted your chilli seeds along with Monty Don, he takes us through the next steps of their growth and, as well as planting out some evergreen cuttings he has propagated, there’s plenty to be getting on with in the vegetable garden including planting beans.
Alternative stream
Joe Swift gets some garden design and planting inspiration when he visits a shady courtyard garden in London and we travel to Dorset to get expert advice from a woman who grows chillies from all over the world. In mid-Wales we visit a gardener whose back garden has been planted to remind her of her childhood home in Jamaica and Nick Bailey finds out about what can be done about an annoying pest which is spoiling box hedges. Our viewers have also been busy with their own hints and tips from their gardens. Our viewers have also been busy with their own hints and tips from their gardens.
Gardeners’ World 2021 episode 6
Pruning early flowering shrubs
Deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter, spring and early summer need annual pruning to encourage strong, healthy shoots and improve flowering. Annual pruning also prolongs the life of these early-flowering shrubs.
Early-flowering shrubs are pruned after flowering (in late winter to spring and early summer, depending on the shrub). They usually flower on the previous year’s growth. Pruning immediately after flowering allows the maximum time for development of young growth to provide the following year’s flowers before the end of summer.
How to grow dahlias
Dahlias put on a show in summer and autumn. They come in a wide range of colours from pastels to brights. Very floriferous, they’re also good for cutting. You can buy dahlia plants in summer that are potted up and in full growth. Alternatively, buy dormant tubers in bags in the garden centre in spring or pre-order dormant
Tubers are swollen, usually underground, parts of a stem or root used to store food by the plant. They have buds that can produce new plants. Examples are tuberous begonia, cyclamen, dahlia and potato. To grow on tubers and cuttings, you’ll need a frost-free place like a greenhouse with heating or at least insulating fleece, depending on where you live in the country and how cold it is in spring.
Bedding dahlias are often seed-raised and will flower that same season. They usually come in a mix of colours or a single colour strain that’s not as uniform as plants-raised from cuttings.
Carnivorous plants – Gardeners’ World 2021 episode 6
An ever popular group of plants with children, carnivorous plants lend an element of curiosity to windowsills, greenhouses, containers outdoors and in the open garden where they have a place in both traditional and contemporary garden design.
Carnivorous plants come from a range of climates including tropical Asia, Australia, temperate Europe and from areas as diverse as Mexico up to Alaska. Their requirements are very variable. Carnivorous plants trap and extract food from other living organisms to supplement the lack of nutrients in their habitats. They have food collection mechanisms that include traps, pitchers, sticky pads or suction techniques.
It is important to select the correct compost formula for each genus. All of them dislike nutrients in the compost but some prefer free drainage while others need boggy conditions. Ready-made potting composts are not suitable, but the ingredients to make up suitable composts should be easily obtainable from garden centres or mail order suppliers.
Carnivorous plants have evolved in association with peat bogs and have always been thought to grow best in peat. However, some growers have undertaken their own trials with peat-free alternatives and are now sharing their successes.
How to grow yew
This native evergreen can be grown as a tree or clipped to form hedging or topiary. As a hedge, large or small, it can provide a dark green backdrop to borders or form a sturdy sheltering screen along boundaries. Its dense growth and red berry-like fruits provide valuable shelter and food for wildlife.
Yew tolerates most soils including those containing chalk. It is, however, sensitive to soil compaction and waterlogged growing conditions. Once established, yew will even grow in dry soil and shade and can grow more quickly than anticipated.
Chilli pepper – Gardeners’ World 2021 episode 6
Growing your own chilli peppers means you can choose from a huge array of colours, shapes, flavours and levels of heat. Chillies are easy to grow in pots in a greenhouse or, after starting off indoors, can be grown outdoors.
Sow indoors from late winter to mid-spring – an early start will give you an earlier crop. Fill a small pot with seed compost, firm gently then sow a few seeds on top. Most seeds will germinate, so only sow a few more than you need, in case of losses. Cover with a fine layer of vermiculite, pop in a plant label and water.
Seeds will germinate quickly in a heated propagator, or simply put the pots on a warm sunny windowsill. Place a clear plastic bag over each pot, secured with an elastic band, to raise the humidity. As soon as seedlings appear, take the pot out of the propagator or remove the plastic bag. When seedlings are 2.5cm (1in) tall, move each one into its own small pot filled with multipurpose compost. Water and keep in a warm sunny spot indoors.
If you don’t have time to sow seeds, or don’t have a suitably warm, bright place to raise good plants, then buy young chilli plants from garden centres in late spring.