May – drought, late spring jobs, and unexpected guests

What a hot and dry few weeks that was! Until a recent break in the weather it felt more like midsummer than late spring, and saw plants put under an unusual amount of drought strain during their early stages of growth. What was heartening, however, was the undeniable effects of our mulching regime. Compared to an un-mulched neighbouring garden, growth here was noticeably lusher and more advanced. Even the driest part of the garden, the Curved Border, continued to thrive having been watered just once with a sprinkler, while in the neighbouring garden plants wilted dangerously despite repeated soakings. If ever evidence was needed in support of an annual layer of the good stuff, there you have it!

The Curved Border yesterday. We're about a month ahead usual blooming times for many perennials and flowering shrubs.

Where we have suffered is in the nursery, as many of our spring-sown hardy annuals have been severely checked by the high temperatures in the polytunnel. Whilst this simple structure is great at offering protection from night time cold, it is frustratingly hard to regulate during the day. Ventilation goes only as far as opening the doors at either end and partially rolling up the sides, and is simply not enough to counteract the searingly hot weather we’ve been experiencing. We do grow plants ‘hard’ here (more on this in a minute), though such extreme heat at this early stage has proved too much for these seedlings, most of which are sadly now destined for the compost.

Our spring sown hardy annuals, barely alive having put on zero growth in weeks. Consolation has been found in talking to other gardeners across the south of the UK, many of whom have experienced similar challenges this spring.

Fortunately, we did an autumn sowing of hardy annuals (currently flowering their socks off in the garden), and with the unusually early blooming of many perennials and shrubs, the May-June period is now shaping up to be the garden's 'peak' this year (which is good news for the open day). It will be July-August that we really feel the effects of the failed second sowing, and will simply have to accept a mid-season 'dip'. Thankfully, a late season swell of colour from our many dahlias and cannas can be expected, and by late August and September the patchiness caused by this month's losses should be a distant memory.

Thank goodness for the autumn sown nigella...

...calendula...

...and ammi.

The good news is that the polytunnel’s days are numbered, due to plans for a more extensive nursery on a new strip of land. The proposed new ‘back of house’ area will include a glasshouse (with copious ventilation points and an option for shading) and series of cold frames. Adjustable growing conditions, here we come.

If you’re wondering what we meant by growing plants ‘hard’ earlier, allow us to explain. When things go from nursery to garden having been cossetted with copious water, nutrients, and warmth, they can struggle to adjust to ‘real life’ in the open ground, and their growth is often too soft and weak to stand up to weather. To avoid this, we allow the compost in each pot to dry out considerably before we water, and provide only the bare minimum when it comes to feeding. Plants are moved out of the polytunnel before they become large, and are then hardened off for at least a few nights on the ground outside. The results are tough, adaptable plants which establish well with the minimum of fuss.

In terms of work in the garden this month, we’ve been busily trying to finish staking before plants get overly large (if this job is left too late they look unpleasantly ‘hoiked’ up, rather than invisibly supported). The sweet peas have gone into the ground, and the now faded forget-me-nots have largely been removed to allow surrounding perennials to fill the vacated space. We’ve started ‘growth control’ (AKA the Chelsea chop) on flop-prone plants such as origanum, althea, and aster, shearing selected plants back by approximately a third to encourage a stouter, more self-supporting habit. Our old foes bindweed, ground elder, and vetch have been hit with a targeted attack – they were as pleased as any of us to see the rain last week, and so we’ve been digging them out as much as we can to nip any ideas of garden domination in the bud.

We use different methods of staking depending on the growth habit of the plant. Here, a delphinium is supported with canes and string...

While this knautia is bolstered with a network of woven hazel sticks.

Metal half-rounds are also useful, seen here holding up a clump of perovskia.

Of these three clumps of aster, the front two have been given the Chelsea chop. These lower, sturdier plants will hold up the taller, uncut one behind, with the added benefit of flowering slightly later and therefore extending the season of interest.

Vetch snaking its way over planting in the New Ambition area. Though pretty, it makes itself unpopular with a bullying, overbearing habit.

The all too familiar strangling embrace of bindweed.

As well as foes we have been observing the work of friends in the garden, not least yellow rattle. For several years now we have been sowing this parasitic plant in the meadow, the idea being that it will weaken the grass and allow a more diverse range of species to take hold. Where it has become established, things like knapweed and ox-eye daisy now dominate. Not only does this hold enormous aesthetic and wildlife appeal, but it also makes the late summer cut much easier. By this point, the long grass has usually collapsed and grown up through itself a good two or three times – the resulting thicket no friend to the scythe.

Where this clump of yellow rattle has taken off, a reduction in grass and increase in wildflowers is clear to see. We shall continue to sow it until the majority of the meadow resembles this patch.

Another helpful interloper arrived unexpectedly this month, in the shape of masses of small, black grubs feasting on our dock leaves. One of the hardest-to-love weeds in the garden, dock is an aggressive self-seeder which can quickly dominate an area, and with a hellishly long tap root is almost impossible to eradicate. Thankfully, this year nature has extended a helping hand. A quick Google reveals our new allies to be the larvae of the green dock beetle – a stranger to us though very welcome, and taken as positive sign that we're striking a good balance between beauty and ecology. Now, if only they’d invite some pals to devour the bindweed…

Don't forget to head over to our Youtube channel, where this month Bella takes an in depth look at what makes the planting in the Curved Border work so well.