Gardeners World episode 8 2012: With plenty of advice and tips on how and what to plant in a pond, Rachel de Thame joins Monty at Longmeadow to give a helping hand.
Monty also gets up to date with all the seasonal jobs in the Jewel garden, from sowing his collected opium poppy seed to trying out a method of growing lilies in plunge pots for bold summer colour. Carol follows the trail of one of spring’s brightest plants to an allotment in South Yorkshire and a man who has amassed a national collection of Euphorbias there.
Joe visits Charles Rutherfoord, architect and chair of the Society of Garden Designers to talk to him about the unique design of his own small garden. And the confectionary colours of Primulas come under the spotlight when we go to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr to find out tips for their successful cultivation.
Gardeners World episode 8 2012
Marginal pond plants
Monty Don and Rachel de Thame begin to plant up the new pond at Longmeadow. Marginals are the plants that hug the water’s edge. Some like their roots to be fully under water, others only partially submerged. Monty and Rachel show how best to plant up aquatic baskets and where to place them. When mature, these plants will knit the water to the land and provide an important habitat for wildlife.
Growing lilies in plunge pots
Last year Monty grew his lily bulbs in pots. They looked wonderful but they tied-up his clay pots for much of the season. This year he’s grown his lilies in mesh baskets and by plunge planting them into clay pots they can be easily removed once they have finished flowering, freeing up the pots for planting with another display.
Lilies
Plant the bulbs any time from now until March (autumn is preferred), in sun or partial shade, with 15cm (6in) of soil above them in rich, fertile but well-drained conditions. I feed mine every two weeks from flowering until they start to deteriorate. Don’t forget to deadhead.
