In the garden: Giving consideration to the 'Chelsea Chop'

The recent rain has helped to green up the garden once again after a pretty dry May overall.

The wind, however, has been less welcome, with some cold draughts hindering growth of newly planted out young plants, and damaging brittle new growth on roses, sweet peas, and other climbing plants that were getting growing in the early summer sunshine.

Regular tying in of climbers will help to support them and keep new growth safe from cracking off in rogue winds.

It was a lovely late spring and early summer and we are hopeful of more continuous sunshine as it is early in the season yet!

Plants have gotten off to a flying start, with roses looking just glorious as they burst forth with their vibrant summer colours and scents. It is a glorious sight, a healthy rose full of bud.

Growing roses in our climate can be challenging as it is so humid and damp, it is conducive to fungal diseases like blackspot and mildew. Allowing space between plants and avoiding overplanting will help with airflow.

The dry, warm and sunny month of May this year laid the groundwork for some fantastic flowers now. Providing roses with a good feed in spring will result in healthy new growth, they are greedy feeders and so like a lot of nitrogen to fuel growth.

Horse manure or farmyard manure produce some of the best results with roses.

Getting the balance right can be tricky as overfeeding will result in too much soft new growth, which can become susceptible to attack by aphids like greenfly, so it can be best to be moderate with an application of manure in spring to avoid overfeeding and creating other difficulties.

Aphid numbers start to increase once the temperatures pick up and plant growth is in full production. These little insects feed on the sugars that plants produce using sunlight and they thrive in warm and moist conditions.

Poor circulation, an abundance of new leaves, and a lack of natural predators can lead to an increase in aphid numbers.

What are the natural predators of aphids? Some of the best are ladybirds, lacewings and their larvae, hoverflies, ground beetles, and parasitic wasps, and encouraging these insects into your garden is one way of creating some balance and a healthy environment for plants to grow.

As plant growth flourishes, so too do opportunistic pests and diseases, and creating a favourable and balanced ecosystem will help your garden grow.

Plants that have umbel flowers like carrots, cow parsley and fennel are great for attracting these beneficial insects as their open, airy flowers allow for easy access to nectar.

Now is the time to consider the ‘Chelsea Chop’ if some perennials are getting a bit top heavy and it is desirable to have some later or staggered flowering. The technique involves cutting back herbaceous perennials by one third or one half of their height and the idea is that this will encourage a more bushy growing habit and result in slightly later flowering.

It took its name from the timing coinciding with the famous Chelsea Flower Show, which happens in late May.

Last year, Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (formerly known as Sedum ‘Autumn Joy) was a perennial that I regretted not getting the secateurs to earlier in the summer as its flesh foliage is so heavy with water stored in the leaves that by September it was just a sprawling mess that I could do nothing with - the insects love the flowers and flower is precious that late in the year.

This year, I will cut it back to half its height and look forward to a more compact and less leggy autumn flowering.

If there are herbaceous perennials that you feel this way about then it is worth considering a chop down now, maybe just try it on some of the plant if uncertain and see how it goes.

Plants that have worked well for me in the past are Phlox paniculata, Echinops’ Blue Globe’, Symphyotrichums (formerly know as Asters), Heleniums and Echinacea.

Do not leave the cutting back until too late and do not prune too severely or when there are drought conditions as this may result in the plant struggling to regrow unless watered.

Happy summer gardening this weekend.

Plant of the Week

There is so much to admire in the garden at the start of June - fresh foliage, flowers and scents abound, and the garden is full of promise for the months ahead.

If attracting insects and pollinators and the creation of favourable habitats in your garden is a priority this summer, then a good plant to consider is Valeriana pyrenaica, or Pyrenean valerian, which as the name suggests is native to the Pyrenees in Spain and France. A great plant for a country cottage garden style.

This clump-forming perennial has large heart- shaped green leaves, reddish stems, and small clusters of pale purple flowers which are rich in nectar and pollen, borne in May, June, and July.

This plant will seed itself around the garden and if this is not desirable then cutting back the flowers before seed set is advisable.

It is quite a tall plant, getting to about 1.2 metres high with a spread of half a metre.

It is best grown in full sun or dappled shade in a moist but free draining soil. As with most herbaceous perennials, it will benefit from division every 2-3 years.