March was the driest for 50 years and it looks like April might be on the way to being the hottest on record. Normal temperatures for April should be around 14/15c.

All this wonderful sunshine is good news for plants and has brought many into flower very early. Have you noticed the amount of  trees that are already in leaf up to 3 weeks early?

Fig Delight

I took a stroll through St James Park yesterday and was blown away by the beauty of the greeneryeverywhere  – mixed with hundreds of tourists all taking photographs as London puts on its finery ready for the Royal Wedding in a weeks time.

Came across these impressive figs growing across the river which look like they should be located in some warm Mediterranean scene not thriving in the middle of London in April after one of the coldest winters for many years. In fact,  the hardy fig ‘Brown Turkey can survive temperatures as low as -10C and has become a favourite in many gardens. ‘Brunswick’ is also known for it’s tolerance of our cold and damp winters, producing lovely green figs year after year.

I have just planted out a fig tree I had in a large pot for 12 years and it too is looking very comfortable in the delightful weather. Would be wounderful toharvest some figs this year if this glorious weather contiunes through May-September. Anyone had success harvesting figs outdoors?

Here are some useful tips for growing figs and plants to buy:
http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.com/2011/01/fig-ficus.html

http://www.allotment.org.uk/greenhouse/fruit/fig.php

Latin name:

Description: Stunning and always popular succulents grown for their flesh, geometrically patterned foliage. A. ‘Schwarzkopf’ is the most sort after, with dark maroon stems that become woody at the base and at the tips tight whorls of thick, purple-black leaves, shimmer in hot sun. If the tip is pinched out they become bushier and less leggy.

Hardiness: Unfortunately not hardy, though will take temperature down to just above freezing. Over winter plants dry and frost free, where they will mostly defoliate, though they will come back into growth in the spring when watered.

Height: 30cm to 1m

Position: Full sun essential for best growth and colour

Soil: Exceedingly well drained, fairly poor soil essential

Water: once established they have good drought resistance. Mulch with gravel to reatain moisture

Usage: Excellent in containers and more arid parts of the garden. They work well in containers where they also take drought well

Latin name:

Description: A superb semi-evergreen clump-forming perennial with mid-to-dark green strap-like arching leaves forming at the base. Majestic spherical heads of trumpet-shaped blue to white (depending on variety and species) flowers are bourne on lax-to-upright stems from May to August. Excellent in containers where they flower best when pot-bound.

Hardiness: Deciduous varieties are hardener than evergreen. All should be planted in a sheltered position. In cold gardens protect with a layer of bark, straw or leaves during the coldest months.

Height: 0.45-1m

Position: Full sun position preferably south or west facing and sheltered from wind

Soil: Tolerates all soil types if free draining, though they prefer sandy-grity soils.

Water: Minimal in summer and winter

Usage: Architectural impact in borders, ideal for containers

Latin name:

Description: Semi-evergreen perennial with dark green strap shaped leaves forming at the base and spherical heads of tubular mid-blue, majestic flowerson upright stems from May-August

Hardiness: need to be mulched well in winter or brought indoors if planted in pots

Height: 0.45m

Position: full sun and sheltered

Soil: tolerates all soil types if free draining

Water: minimal in summer and winter

Usage: architectural impact in borders, ideal for containers

Thousands of people  rush to their local garden centre to buy their annual bedding plants, which they lovingly plant in their gardens and spend the rest of the summer providing amounts of water and TLC to keep them looking good till September when they die and have to be replaced the following year … and so the cycle goes on.

You would think the Horticultural industry would be a model of greeness but it never ceases to amaze me what a waste of water and effort this has to be.

Not having a regular supply of water is a real problem for traditonal bedding plants. If you are planning to visit your local nursery to buy summer bedding  it is really important to think that you might be better off buying something that needs less water and will come back again next year? Mediterranean plants are one suggestion since they are adapted to long periods with no or very low rainfall and can reappear after the UK winter.

Try to buy plants with silver/grey waxy leaves as they will cope better with a lack of water. Dont be tempted by the rows of traditional bedding plants that are in every nursery at this time of year – petunias, lobelia and bizzy lizzies require vast amounts of water to get them through a hot UK summer and they are just not suitable for climate change gardening.

Mediterranean plants will provide a much better consistent display in hot temperatures as well as being low maintenance without all that wasteful watering.There are many different flowering and non-flowering ones to choose – see the Mediterreanean plants lists on the Home Page.

http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/category/climate-change-gardening/plants/mediterranean

Latin name:

Description: Attractive stout dark purple stems toped with loose heads of six or more scented funnelled-shaped rich pink flowers. The fleshy strap-shaped leaves appear after flowering and into the winter. This delectable plant is dormant during the summer months, flowering from September to October.

Hardiness: Hardy down to -5C with a good mulch

Height: 60cm

Position: Full sun to dappled shade position, preferably south or west facing and sheltered from wind

Soil: Well drained gritty soil

Water: No extra water required once established

Usage: Excellent planted along south or west facing walls. Also grows well in containers.

Latin name:

Description: Yuccas are well known desert plants and there are many to choose from. One in particular – Yucca rostrata is very handsome indeed. It is a stout, single trunked yucca from the Chihuahua deserts of northern Mexico. From the trunk top, linier, powdery, greyish blue, stiff leaves from 25-60cm long are produced from the central crown, eventually forming a tight skirt of dead foliage around the trunk. Spikes of white bell-shaped flowers are up to 6cm long are borne on mature plants in mid-summer. A very imposing plant for creating a desert effect.

Hardiness: Hardy

Height: up to 4.5m in the wild though imported ones range from 60cm to 2m

Position: Full sun

Soil: sandy, well drained soils

Water: Drought tolerant

Usage: As a focal point or in small groups where they look superb greyish- blue foliage

Latin name:

Description: The well known Australian Bottle Brush is now being seen more often in our gardens. They are evergreen, woody evergreen shrubs with mid green tapering leaves with a strong scent when crushed. They are grown for their spectacular flowers which, as their common name suggest, look like a bottle brush. They consist of a number of individual flowers which appear in spring and summer. Pollen is formed on long coloured stalks called filaments. It is the filaments which are invariably red,  that give the flower spikes their distinctive shape and colour.

Hardiness: hardy to -5C or -7C depending on species or cultivar

Height: 1-3m depending on species or cultivar

Position: Full sun produces the best flowers

Soil: They grow in a wide range of soils except alkaline

Water: fairly drought tolerant once established

Usage: Another plant that requires close inspection when in flower so best planted close to a pathway

Latin name:

Description: A very easy and fast growing annual that will really brighten up your garden. All through the summer months, intense, bright orange, poppy-like flowers with silky petals are carried on slender stems well above the finely divided, blue-green leaves. A glorious display can be had from a packet of seeds sown directly in their flowering position in April, where they will self seed for years to come. Varieties are available in shades ranging from pink to red.

Hardiness: Hardy

Height: 35 x 20cm

Position: Full sun

Soil: Poor, fast-draining soil

Water: Drought tolerant once established

Usage: Excellent planted in drifts amongst other Mediterranean planting

Latin name:

Description: Tall plant with absolutely fabulous plant with huge solitary poppy heads (10-15cm across) consisting of six almost round petals overlapping each other around the central golden stamens. The petals unfold crinkled from smooth buds from mid-summer to early autumn from the terminal ends of long stems. The large, light-grey, hand-shaped leaves are a perfect foil to the flowers.

Hardiness: Fairly hardy once established

Height: 2.5 x 2m

Position: Full sun

Soil: Well drained garden soil

Water: Drought tolerant once established

Usage: Best planted somewhere that you can appreciate the showy flowers close up