The Beechgrove Garden 2022 episode 9

The Beechgrove Garden 2022 episode 9

The Beechgrove Garden 2022 episode 9: This episode is all about giving nature a helping hand, with a particular focus on gardening that brings wildlife to your growing area. Carole Baxter demonstrates how you can do your bit for the environment, even if you only have room for a container for growing, by using plants such as lavender, borage and teasel.


 

 



There is also a visit to a garden near Oban that has been designed and planted to encourage a huge range of birds and insects to the plot. George Anderson plants French and runner beans on his allotment in Joppa, and Calum Clunie is on his patch planting dahlias and sowing peas ready for exhibition time.

 

The Beechgrove Garden 2022 episode 9

 

How to grow lavender

Lavender is prized for its richly fragrant flowers and aromatic foliage. This easy-to-grow shrub thrives in a sunny spot, in free-draining soil or a container. Lavender is best planted in April or May as the soil naturally warms up and when many fresh plants become available in garden centres. Lavender should never be planted in winter when young plants are vulnerable to rotting in cold, wet soils.

Lavender looks great in flower borders, herb gardens and as a low hedge or edging to a border. It also grows well in containers. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant (in needs if not always in geographic origin) and needs lots of sun and fast-draining soil. It will not survive long in shady, damp or extremely cold conditions. It prefers poor, dry or moderately fertile soil, including chalky and alkaline soils. Lavender will not thrive in heavy clay soil or any soil that becomes waterlogged over winter.

Dahlia

With a wide choice of flower shapes and colours, dahlias are unrivalled for giving a showy display from summer into autumn. You can combine them with other late-flowering plants like salvias and grasses to boost late-season borders, add dwarf cultivars for colour in summer containers or grow them in rows to give lots of cut flowers for your home.

Flowers can be open-centred and daisy-like or multi-petalled spheres or jagged ruffles, from 10cm (4in) up to 30cm (1ft) across. Their colours are diverse too – from sedate pastels through to riotous reds and oranges. The foliage is usually green, but a few have dark leaves for added drama. They can range in height from a compact 30cm (1ft) up to a stately 1.5m (5ft) or more.

Dahlias like a warm, sunny, sheltered spot with free-draining soil and regular feeding and watering to ensure the best flowering display. Tie stems of taller cultivars, especially large-flowered ones, to sturdy canes for support.

Dahlias dislike shade, as well as cold, wet soil and very dry sites. They’re not hardy, so in all but the mildest areas of the UK it is best to dig up the root tubers and store them in a frost-free place over winter. These tall and often top-heavy plants don’t stand up well to strong winds, so need staking.

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