Chop this
Spring-flowering beauties such as brunneras and pulmonarias look a bit tired now, so don’t be afraid to chop them back to the ground. Give them a good, long soak, and they should produce a fresh flush of foliage. You can also give perennial wallflowers such as Erisymum ‘Bowle’s Mauve’ a bit of a haircut to prevent them going leggy: if you want more plants, take cuttings from non-flowering stems and pot up into gritty compost, sheathed in a clear plastic bag until rooted.
Visit this
Grow London is hoping to do for gardening what the Affordable Art Fair did for contemporary art: make it hip and accessible for urban dwellers. A marquee on Hampstead Heath plays host to a selection of some of the UK’s best nurseries, so you can get your hands on some really choice plants. Grow London is on from 19-21 June;
Plant this
Cimicifuga (Actaea cordifolia) may look exotic, but it’s robust, fragrant and useful for difficult situations such as that cold, wet corner you can’t think what to do with. Height and spread: 1m x 50cm. Order a one-litre potted plant for £11.99 or two for £18.98 (prices include free UK mainland p&p). To order, call 0330 333 6856, quoting ref GU336, or go to our Readers’ Offers page. Dispatched June/July.
