Try this
If the Chelsea flower show isn’t your scene, try the Chelsea fringe, on until 12 June. The festival is five years old, and going from strength to strength with plant-related events across the UK, from bat walks in London to vineyard tours in Somerset.
Lift this
Tulips can be a one-hit wonder: in my garden, the only ones that come back year after year are the cheap-as-chips, garish, red ones. So lift choicer specimens after flowering to ensure a repeat performance. Deadhead the flowers and let the stems turn straw-coloured, then lift the bulbs and replant in a container with some spent compost or garden soil. Don’t water them; replant in October.
Plant this
In August, just when other flowers are flagging, echinaceas come into their own. E. ‘Pink Parasol’ has extra-large, dark purple daisies on strong stems, making it a great cut flower, or for adding drama to a sunny flower border. Height: 90-120cm. Buy 12 plug plants for £8.99, or 24 for £12.98 (plus £4.95 p&p per order). Call 0330 333 6790, quoting ref GU533, or go to our Readers’ Offers page. Dispatched within four to six weeks.
