Topical tip:
If one had the right kind of wall, the ideal way of growing the snow-white Exochorda ‘The Bride’ is against a wall.
Train it up to begin and then allow the branches to hang down like a curtain.
This relatively unknown shrub is one of the most beautiful of all the spring treasures.
Its natural tendency, is to droop, arching its branches outwards and down in a cascades of glistening white doll’s house ‘rose’ blossom.
Alternatively, plant it in an open site in full sun.Tie the leading shoot to a cane to raise the height of the ‘fountain’ otherwise it remains an ‘igloo’.
Shorten the lengthy side-shoots after flowering to keep them from weeping with embarrassing lack of restraint. Great, simply great.
House plants:
Give house plants a holiday. Stand them in the shower and wash a gentle spray of tepid water over the foliage.
Then, put them outdoors for a few hours in the middle of the day but avoid a spot in bright sunshine.
Most shiny-leaved house plants can be treated in this way, but not those with hairy leaves such as African violets which would rot.
Encourage:
Aim to get bushy, short-jointed plants of fuchsia, argyranthemum and pelargoniums by pinching out the growing tips at least once before allowing them to flower.
Remove the tiniest piece from the growing tip of each shoot as there’s no need to take more than this.
Give liquid feeds on a weekly basis or if you are prepared to do this more often add the food at half strength.
Check:
After recent rain (and then warm conditions) soft new growth could be vulnerable to attack by aphids, slugs and snails so check all plants regularly.
For slugs and snails, use ‘Clear’ but for insect attack get a systemic insecticide such as Provado Bug Killer.
Prune:
Have you pruned Forsythia , flowering currant (Ribes) and other spring flowering shrubs once the blooms have faded.
Go back quite hard if these have made strong growth in recent years. They may perhaps be interfering with windows or doorways or access to pathways.
The new growth which will replace that cut away will be the one’s to bloom best next spring.
Clematis MontanaCut:
The kindest cut this week could be given to the spring-flowering clematis called ‘Montana’, pictured above, provided of course it has finished flowering.
Where space is limited, prune any stems that have carried flowers right back to a strong pair of buds near the base of the stem framework.
Try to complete the job before the end of June as the aim is to stimulate buds low down the stems to grow up during the mid-summer season.
These new stems are the ones to carry flowers next spring.
Clip:
Don’t waste grass clippings. These can be used as a valuable mulch around the garden.
Spread them over the soil beneath shrubs, along the base of hedges and around fruit bushes.
In fact, anywhere that they can be used to cover soil and conserve moisture in the ground.
Three inches or so will be fine but don’t overdo it for it can quickly build up heat and it may damage surface roots.
See More: Blossom, Exochorda, Flowering, Shrub
