Sow this
If your grand plans to grow a cutting garden and/or flower meadow have fallen by the wayside, don’t panic: buy cheap packets of hardy annuals such as nigella, Californian poppies, flax, wild carrot and cornflower, mix with a few handfuls of sharp sand, and fling on bare soil on a rainy day. Before the summer holidays, you’ll have a colourful melange that will almost look as if you planned it.
Water this
Of all the strange gardening advice I’ve seen online, placing nappies (unused, thankfully) in the bottom of a container to help plants retain water is among the weirdest. Better ways to keep pots moist include a thick mulch of bark or gravel, placing a saucer underneath to collect runoff, and grouping pots together.
Plant this
Petunias are jolly and, dare I say it, gaudy, but P. ‘Night Sky’ is different. Its dark, purple-blue, single blooms speckled with white will stand out and it’s ideal for hanging baskets. Height and spread: 25cm x 30cm. Buy five postiplugs for £6.99, or 10 for £9.99 (plus £4.95 p&p per order). Call 0330 333 6790, quoting ref GU534, or go to our Readers’ Offers page. Dispatched within four to six weeks.
