Plant this
Penstemons were the darling of Victorian gardeners’ summer bedding borders. Breeders have since toughened them up, and modern cultivars will survive the winter in a sunny, well-drained spot provided you leave the whole plant standing in autumn and only cut it back hard in April. The foxglove-like flowers come in a range of shades; hot pink ‘Garnet’, inky purple ‘Raven’, lilac ‘Sour Grapes’ and white ‘Snowstorm’ are all worth a look.
Check this
By now chilli plants should be pumping out fruits, but if yours seem stalled, give them some TLC. Start with a dose of high-potash feed. If roots are growing out of the bottom of their container, they may be potbound – upgrade to the next size up. Flowers failing to develop indoors may be down to a lack of pollinators – make like a bee and use a paintbrush to brush the flowers to stimulate fruit formation.
Wriggle this
It’s that stage in the school summer holidays when both funds and parental patience run short. Citizen science project Earthworm Watch will keep little ones busy outdoors for an hour or so, counting and identifying worm types. Find out more at earthwormwatch.org.
