Plant this Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ is a stalwart of a “hot” border, producing generous explosions of scarlet flowers against stiff iris-like foliage in late summer. It makes a wonderful cut flower, too. Grow in full sun or partial shade in any reasonably fertile soil. Height and spread 1m x 1m.
Treat this If something is taking irregular notches out of leaf edges, it’s most likely vine weevil. The adults chew on leaves, while the white C-shaped grubs chomp on the roots of everything. Nemasys vine weevil killer (from gardening-naturally.com) is a safe, biological control that’s best applied now while soils are warm.
Visit this Borde Hill in West Sussex is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and tomorrow it’s hosting more than a dozen specialist growers at the Plant Fairs Roadshow. Fit in the redesigned Round Dell, too, to see some of the rare species for which the garden is famous; go to bordehill.co.uk for details.
