Gardeners World episode 23 2019: as Longmeadow radiates colour in the height of summer, Monty takes a range of cuttings to get plants for free and also shows how best to prune your lavender.
Carol Klein visits a garden in Devon to revel in the hues of blues in the summer border. We meet a passionate gardener in Wiltshire and his partner who uses their garden as inspiration for art.
Gardeners World episode 23 2019
Topiary
Topiary has been used historically in many different European gardening styles, from early Roman gardens through to modern day. From box balls to yew ‘peacocks’, it is so versatile and striking that many are inspired to create their own piece of living architecture.
Grow your own chillies
Sweet peppers and chillies can be grown in pots on a sunny, warm patio in a similar way to tomatoes, but will produce a better crop when grown in a greenhouse or conservatory. Chillies and peppers are green when young, maturing to a variety of colours and flavour varying from mild to extremely hot.
How to grow aubergines
Aubergines (eggplants) are becoming popular vegetables to grow at home – thanks to new cultivars more suited to the British climate and their delicious fruit. Sunshine and warm growing conditions are the key to success. Seed is sown early in the year, so a plant propagator is invaluable; alternatively, germinate seedlings in the airing cupboard.
Sow at 18-21°C (65-70°F) in seed-sowing compost in pots or modules. If germinating seeds in the airing cupboard, check seeds daily and remove them as soon as they have germinated.
For greenhouse cultivation: use a heated propagator and sow in January if you have a heated greenhouse, or February for crops to be planted out in an unheated greenhouse. If using a windowsill sow from late February. For outdoor cultivation, sow indoors in early March.
Plants are now widely offered for sale in garden centres, and are ideal where plant raising is difficult. Grafted plants have good vigour and well suited to cooler conditions and for soil cultivation.
