Good plant #32 - Clematis Viticella 'Abundance'

This is a large, incredibly floriferous and quick growing variety of this popular group of versatile and perennial climbing plants.  The key to success with clematis is cool and moist roots and pretty much any soil type.  In sunny borders, use anything that will keep the roots cooler and moisture in.  Planting an under-storey with big leaves that offer shade is well worthwhile.

I feed this this plant with a balanced multi-purpose liquid feed round the roots in spring and early summer to encourage rapid growth and massive flower production.  Make sure you have a good climbing framework because it goes ballistic.

After the first year of flowering, in early spring prune the entire plant back to a pair of shoots per stem to encourage new shoots from the ground and branching further down the plant.

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Dealing with cats in the garden

If you don't have your own cat, other people's cats can be a major problem in your garden. They poo in freshly hoed soil, spread their stinky scent, rest on comfy large plants and damage small plants.

The easiest way to avoid issues from other cats is buy a huge tom cat yourself. Other cats will avoid his territory. The Maine Coon is a huge sized cat breed and you wont get much trouble from your average tabby once one of these is marauding its territory. Obviously if you can get a licence, a lion will do the trick ;^) I would suggest that your own dog is nowhere near as effective as your own cat.

However, if you don't want cats in your garden and don't want to by one you have to deter them. I suggest the following:

1. For poo issues - provide and maintain a litter tray (or ask the cat owner to) and keep your soil well-planted
2. For wee and scenting issues - spray garlic and leave citrus fruit peel along their paths and resting areas
3. For plant damage issues - spray more mature plants with garlic and use pea sticks to make cats walk round small plants
4. Shoo them away using fair means such as a pump action water gun or hose

If these deterrents fail, you'll have to wait until the cat moves away, gets too old to jump your fencing or dies.

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Good plant #31 - Digitalis ferruginea

Is there anyone who does not like a foxglove?  I am not a big fan of biennials because they only flower in their second season. Unfortunately most fox gloves are biennial but this is the nearest one I've found to being perennial, albeit short-lived 2-3 seasons of flowers. Another advantage of this foxglove over others is that slugs and snails do not seem to like it.

All foxgloves generally do best in fertile soil and part shade.  However, I have tended plants which have self seeded in exposed and very sunny sites and they have done well enough.

To propagate, I collect and store the seeds and sow them in spring - 3 or four seeds on the surface of tiny biodegradable cells and removing the weaklings.  I also just the shake the plant when it is in seed so new seedlings grow round and about, then thin out to six inches plus.

If you are a bit impatient, a cheeky alternative to waiting for seeds for two seasons is Digitalis 'Foxy' hybrids which are supposed to flower in one season.  Never tried these myself but the advice out on the web-cybe is allow a five months for blooms.  This suggests a late winter sowing (on the window ledge) for a summer showing.

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Good plant #30 - Lupinus 'Chatelaine'

I do not think there is a more stereotypical cottage garden plant than the lupin.  The varieties seem almost infinite.  They've got amazing flower spikes which bloom in late spring/ early summer from the top of a mound of foliage.  They've got distinctive and fairly unusual shaped leaves too which add contrast to any border.

It's a real shame that this plant (along with hostas and hollyhocks) is slug's and snail's favourite dish.  Use as many slug deterrents as you dare and be vigilant - hunt them down.

They do best in sunny-ish sites but will tolerate some shade.  They will grow in most soils but like moist roots, so apply a mulch round the base.  They can be propagated by seed easily but flowers take two growing seasons to come.  The easiest way to propagate is to dig up a mature plant in early spring and slice the fleshy root in half/ quarters with a knife and replant them -  make sure there's shoots on each root cutting.

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Good plant #29 - Lavatera Barnsley

I love all Lavatera and this variety is a favourite of mine.  They produce loads of flowers and are great as a specimen or as part of summer/ early autumn flowering border.

I recommend pruning it hard in early-ish spring or it becomes gangly looking.  In mid/ late spring when it starts to put out new shoots, I apply a multi-purpose liquid feed around the roots to guarantee maximum flowers.

The main downside of this deciduous shrub is they don't last for many years.  Therefore, I recommend you take cuttings in late spring to hedge your bets.  I have also had plants/ branches turn from this very pale pink back to the more usual purple.

I have grown this shrub in a large pot too using a soil based compost - no problems other than a bit of extra watering in extended dry periods.

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Good plant #28 - Osteospermum 'Lady Leitrim'

I love osteospermums but they often die in winter.  This osteospermum is 'officially' a full hardy perennial type.   In my opinion, in really cold winters 'ere up north, it is not hardy.  There's no choice but to buy it again or take cuttings in late summer and overwinter it indoors.

This plant is great for containers and the front of borders in full sun.  It does best in a light/ sandy well-drained soil - just add a bit of sand (horticultural grade) to a soil based compost.  They can tolerate a bit of drought but I keep the young plants in moist soil.

Osteospermum Jucundum Compactum seems to cope well up here in Manchester and looks similar to Lady Leitrim.

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Good plant #27 - Cerastium Tomentosum

This is probably the best ground covering, drought and poor soil tolerant flowering perennial plant I have come across.  Silver leaves right throughout the year and a profusion pure white blooms.  It will even grow in the semi shade and at the foot of hedges!  (See picture)  Its only downside(?) is it will self seed and send runners and before you know it you've got a carpet of it.

After it flowers, I recommend cutting it back and applying a very diluted multi-purpose liquid feed.  This isn't necessary but I do.  It tidies the plant, stops it spreading to much and encourages fresh growth.

You can propagate this by dividing up plants.  Just put a sharp trowel through a plant, taking some roots with it and replant it in any old soil.

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Roses - the golden rules

Roses are not everyone's cup of tea and I have to admit it's taken me a while to warm to them.

1.  Feed all roses in early spring and again before they flower with a balanced multi-purpose or rose fertilizer
2.  Mulch roses in early spring to suppress weeds and improve water retention - well-rotted manure acts as both a mulch and fertilizer
3.  Water newly planted roses around the roots in dry periods - a full large watering can each time and not a little and often
4.  Remove faded flowers to encourage new flowers unless you want the rose hips but stop removing the faded flower heads in early autumn
5.  Prune your rose just as the buds begin to appear in early spring and in autumn too if you have a tall bushy rose
6.  Never plant a new rose in old rose soil - remove all of the old soil and replace

There are so many varieties of rose and there are of course exceptions to these rules.  If you know what variety you have, look it up on t'internet and webcybes ;^)

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Good plant #26 - Gunnera Manicata

For me, this is the king of jungle perennial plants.  The leaves are humungous - 3ft plus!. This is not a plant for the faint hearted and it needs a huge amount of space.  It is said to be frost hardy but needs a bit of winter protection.  In my experience of the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 in South Manchester, young plants are not hardy even with winter protection.  In view of this, for the first couple of years, I would suggest you grow it in a giant pot, cutting the leaves back in autumn, fully protecting the crown with a garden fleece and when the temperature drops below freezing, bringing it indoors/ putting it in a greenhouse.  Once the plant is mature, I expect winter protection will be enough.

This plant needs moist and fertile soil.  It's a bog plant.  If you do grow it in a pot at first add plenty of pre-watered, water retaining crystals to the soil-based compost along with additional fertilizer.  I have used chicken poo pellets or manure as the fertlizer.

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Good plant #25 - Stipa Gigantea

This is another favourite tall perennial grass.  This grass produces a mound of arching grass leaves, from which very tall flower shoots emerge.  These tall flower shoots wave gracefully in the wind and fan out.  It's a classic plant for adding 'transparent' height - 6ft plus.  I think this plant can be grown as a feature plant, amongst other contrasting grasses and/ or as part of a summer flowering planting scheme.  The tall shoots and seed heads last right through the winter, maintaining much of their integrity and shape.

It's a tough plant and will tolerate most soils but needs full sun. This grass should be trimmed in early spring to remove any old mound leaves and flower heads.  It can be divided in late spring by shoving a spade through the centre and digging half of it out.

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Good plant #24 - Wisteria Frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'

I really like wisterias.  They are deciduous climbing perennial vines but they are almost too vigorous. This 'American' wisteria is a bit easier to keep in check (it's slower growing) than 'Chinese' ones and I think the compact flowers are equally if not more attractive.  Mind you, I have two Chinese ones in my garden, which I like too.

The key to maximising flowers is judicious pruning mid to late summer (and again in late winter for mature plants).  For the summer prune, cutback the current year's long green shoots to a few (five or six) leaf branches and remove any seed pods.  The purpose of these pruning is to encourage flower buds to form instead of more green shoots.  The second pruning for mature plants is really just a tidy.  For very young plants, I tend to only prune for training purposes not flowering.  Once I've got the shape I want, this is the time I'm a bit harsher to encourage more flowers.

This plant prefers full sun and  fertile soil.  In early spring, I recommend applying a multi-purpose liquid feeding or using a bonemeal fertilizer to encourage plenty of flowers.

The easiest way to propagate this plant is layering in spring but you may have to wait years for flowers.  In short, layering involves burying and tying down a long green shoot with slice taken out of it in the soil until it grows its own roots.  My advice is if you want more of these plants buy another maturish plant in spring.

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Green Shoots (Gardening & Horticulture)

Green Shoots (Gardening & Horticulture) provides garden design, garden maintenance and planting services in South Manchester. It is run by an experienced gardener and plantsman who writes this blog. For a FREE initial consultation, please email gs.gardeningandhorticulture@gmail.com

Click on 'Gardening tips and good plants' above to see the rest of this site.

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When is the best time to buy plants?

When they're in the shops of course  ;^)

I have five general rules:

1. Buy hardy annuals and all perennials and shrubs in early/ mid spring
2. Buy half-hardy and tender annuals at the end of spring/ early summer
   (or buy earlier and keep indoors/ in a green house)
3. Buy bulbs and corms in early autumn
4. Buy trees at the end of autumn
5. Avoid buying anything in 'full' or near-full flower

The reason why I buy plants at these times is because this is when they are best planted generally. Obviously, I ignore the rules when they don't apply or when I see a plant that I have been looking for for ages.

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Good plant #23 - Miscanthus Sinensis 'Malepartus'

This is my favourite tall ornamental grass.   It has a really long season of interest:

• In spring, you get purple tinged grass shoots
• In early summer, you get a plethora of graceful leaves
• In late summer/ autumn, you get the same gorgeous leaves combined with shimmering red flower heads which turn golden
• In winter, you get yellowy golden leaves and seed heads which maintain their integrity right through to the end of the winter

This plant will tolerate most soils and sun conditions but does best in  fertile well-drained soil in full sun.

To maintain this plant, in very late winter or very early spring (but not in frosty conditions) cut back all of the growth to about 4 inches from the ground.  Be careful not to damage any new shoots of grass.

It's a doddle to propagate - in early spring I just drive a sharp spade through the middle and replant one half and backfill the gap with some soil based compost.

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Want a perfect lawn?

Whether you are a reluctant mower or lawn 'fetishist', I don't think you can ever have your perfect lawn.

Maybe it's just me, or is is fair to say that (1) a lawn fetishist will only be perfectly happy if 100% of blades of grass are exactly the same colour and height, and (2) a reluctant mower will only be perfectly happy if the grass stopped growing but still looked okay!  Both of these scenarios are impossible.

In my opinion, a great looking lawn is largely a function of:

• The soil conditions, sun exposure and use
• The effort you put into mowing, watering, scarifying, aerating, weeding and feeding at the right times of the year
• The quality of your mower, especially the blade's sharpness and the way it is set

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Good plant #22 - Rosa Rambling Rector

This is an incredibly vigorous and heavily scented climbing rose.  This is often used to grow through trees, cover pergolas and hide unsightly garden buildings and features.  It only flowers once in June but does it with aplomb -  large clusters of sweet smelling flowers.  This is one of the roses I have trained round my own front door.

Although this plant produces  brightly coloured orange/ red hips which would provide colour in the winter, I always remove them at the end of summer.  At the same time I prune to remove very old stems and spindly ones and in a way which encourages lateral growth the following year.  More lateral growth equals more flowers in my book.

This rose is pretty robust and will tolerate most sites and soils. Adding plenty of manure and compost to the planting hole will give it a good start.  I always feed roses when the new leaves are beginning to show.   You can do hardwood cuttings in autumn.

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Good plant #21 - Cosmos Bipinnatus

I am yet to come across a variety of this hardy-ish annual that I don't like.  You cannot go wrong with the most often seen 'Sonata' types, single colours or mixed.  This year I'm experimenting with a variety called 'Picotee'.  I have to say I was persuaded by its picture (see right).

I sow the seeds in late March indoors - 2 to 3 seeds per mini pot just below the surface of sandy seed compost.  I put the mini pots in a covered seed tray on the window ledge and keep moist.  They germinate very quickly 5-10 days.  I remove the the weakest seedlings from each mini pot.  I pot the best seedling into a slightly bigger pot using peat free compost with a bit of horticultural sand in it.  I keep them next to the house until end of April, beginning of May before planting in their final position.  If a severe late ground frost is predicted, I recommend bringing them indoors overnight.

They key to keeping these flowering until the first frost is keep removing the dead flowers.  The key to getting a bushy plant is to remove the growing tip when it has three or four sets of 'real leaves' i.e. not the ones that show when the seedling first germinates.  These plants prefer full sun and any well-drained soil.

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Good plant #20 - Tanecetum Niveum 'Jackpot'

Quite simply, this hardy short-lived perennial plant is more floriferous than any plant I have come across.  Before the daisy-like flowers completely cover this dome forming plant, it has beautiful silvery blue and fragrant foliage which is attractive in its own right.

It likes a sunny position and free draining soil.

This plant is very easy to grow from seed and I have taken cuttings in spring and after flowering - both have worked sporadically.

Oddly this plant is its own worst enemy.  My theory is that because it produces so many flowers, it runs out of energy to keep going for a further year of flowering or maybe it is more of a biennial.  I would suggest that as soon as more than half of the flowers begin to look ropey, hack it right back to a 3 or 4 inches of leaves and stalks give it a liquid feed on the soil round the base of the plant.  Be warned, I have had mixed success with this approach but if you take cuttings too, there's no worries.

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Good plant #19 - Acer Shirasawanum 'Aureum'

This stunning small tree is not as popular as the 'red leaf' acers.  Quality trees are quite difficult to find.  This acer is also fairly pricey. Even for a titchy small tree, you are looking at £30-£40.  The unusual leaf form and growing habit of this tree is evocative of a sophisticated japenese garden.

This acer will thrive in most free draining soils. If you have clay soil, add some compost and grit to the soil to improve drainage.

This acer (like most other small acers) lends itself to growing in pots using a soil based compost with extra grit to improve drainage.

This acer can be pruned – new growth in June and older growth in September. Carefully does it though!  This plant grows fast when it’s young and may put out an excessively long  branch that needs pruning to keep a good shape. 


This plant prefers a sheltered site and part shade.


The main enemies of this plant are a late spring frost, over or under-watering and scorching by the wind.


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How to design a classic flowering border

1. Assess the soil (ph, moisture and consistency) and site (sunny or shady)

2. Using a book, t'internet or knowledge, choose several plants you like that will grow well in the soil and site

3. Narrow down your plant choices by considering:

(a) which will grow the best in the soil (improved or not) and sunniness or shadiness of the site

(b) whether you want plants to flower at the same time and/ or in succession

(c) the size of your border - wide and tall plants look good in small gardens but you can't have as much variation (mono borders and limited combinations can look great too)

5. Organise your planting scheme in drifts so:

(i) flower colours of each plant compliment (usually) or contrast using a colour wheel - you can use a single flowering colour or plant too (complimentary colours are next to/ near each other on the colour wheel right) 

(ii) textures contrast (i.e. different leaf and flower forms)

(iii) there are variations in height, either adhoc or following a 'sort of' pattern

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Good plant #18 - Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red'

A gobful of a name but a belting fern - my favourite fern. 

This plant is the queen of moist and shady sites. 

In spring, just as new fronds are beginning to unfurl, I shove a spade between frond groups and dig a piece out to make at least one new plant.

This has long lasting fronds and unusual red stems.  It looks great with hostas.

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Good plant #17 - Ammi Majus

This is one of my favourite hardy annuals.  It's so easy to grow from seed, which can be sown in autumn or spring.  No wonder it's other name is bishop's weed because it grows with little effort - just like weeds.

It likes most soils.  I add a bit of extra compost to the soil to aid water retention.  If you have sunny moist border, it will romp away and will seed your border year after year.

I stake the plants if not planted in a sheltered spot and I tend to grow in large groups/ swathes. This helps avoid them being blown over.   It's a great plant for adding elegant height quickly, poking through an under-storey.

Because it's white, it's a great colour companion for most other flowering and foliage plants. 

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Good plant #16 - Calendula Officinalis 'Needles and Pins'

If you like plants that produce flowers from early summer to the first frosts, this hardy annual is hard to beat.  In late March, I sow two or three seeds into a tray of 12 tiny biodegradable pots outside.  I remove the weak seedling(s) a couple of weeks after germination.  I keep the tiny pots in an elevated position (away from slugs) and moist.  You get slightly quicker germination if you put the tiny pots in a covered seed tray.

Once the plants are about 3or 4 inches and looking sturdy, I plant the biodegradable pots, straight into the the soil in sunny or sunnyish site about 10-12 inches apart.

To save the kerfuffle of seeds, just buy mini plants online or from your local retailer!

The key to keeping this plant flowering for a long period is removing fading flowers constantly.

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Good plant #15 - Hypericum 'Hidcote'

This is a large-ish deciduous flowering shrub that makes a spectacular hedge.  I think this is a great hedge plant because it's not just green and keeps flowering from late spring to autumn.

This plant has to be kept in check with some pruning in early spring.  Just shorten all the woody stems to leave your desired shape - don't be shy as they are vigorous plants.  Remove any dead flowers and more will replace them.

This plant will grow in most well-drained soil and loves a sunny position.  You can take cuttings of these in spring and autumn.  Remove a few 2/3 inch twigs, cut the bottoms off just below a leaf with a sharp knife.  Remove all the leaves except for couple and plant in gritty compost.

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Getting kids into gardening

I'm sure most people remember putting a carrot top in some water and watching it grow shoots. Nowadays, you can get all sorts of stuff to encourage your kids to take an interest.

Here's a few I found from a local toy store next to the 24hr Tesco in Burnage.

http://www.giftedoriginals.co.uk/Nature_Toys__Kits/

I have to say the resurrection plant has me intrigued.

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Planting in pots

Gardening in pots can be labour intensive, mainly because of watering. For evergreen and perennial plants, maintaining the soil's nutrients is essential too.

You can partly overcome watering issues using water chrystals in the soil mix. You can overcome watering issues completely by putting an irrigation system in place.

You can partly overcome soil issues by using the right size pot and soil mix. As a general rule, if you're doing a long-term (more than 1 year) potted plant, buy a soil based compost. I would add extra slow-release nutrients for quick-growing plants or heavily planted pots. I've found the most convenient ones are the little yellow fertilizer balls from the garden centre. Look for John Innes' composts which have the right mix of soil, compost, sand and nutients.

I move sensitive plant pots close to the house in winter to prevent waterlogging and wind damage.

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Good plant #14 - Hakonechloa Macra

This perennial 'japenese-style' grass is rare-ish and slow-growing compared to other grasses. Eventually, it produces perfect mounds of beautiful and almost flowing green leaves.  Be careful when trying to buy this species variety - don't get fobbed off with the wrong one. There are many varieties of this ornamental grass. The most popular varieties have variegated leaves and tend to be smaller.

It's not an 'expert's' plant really but can be temperamental e.g late frosts can damage the look of the leaves. These plants like a little shade, shelter and moist soil. I like this type of grass in pots. To ensure success in pots, I use a soil, compost and (hoticultural grade) sand (70:30:10) mix. I also add slow release fertilizer (the tiny yellow balls) and water retaining chystals. I water as often as required to stop the soil drying out. I replace at least some of the soil and add slow-release fertilizer in early spring to maintain grass' vitality.

One advantage of this species plant is that it can be grown from seed and will 'come true' unlike other varieties. I do not recommend dividing any hakone grass or you'll spoil its beautiful mounding shape - which can take ages to achieve.

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Good plant #13 - Echinacea Purpurea 'White Swan'

Expensive, temperamental and slugs love to munch on it. This perennial plant's form, good looks and late flowering qualities make it a personal favourite despite its reputation as an 'expert's' plant.

Echinaceas are usually on sale towards the middle/ end of summer just ready to bloom or already flowering. My advice is take your plant home, admire it for a day or two in flower, then chop all the flowers off! NO, I AM NOT JOKING. If you do not take the flowers off, the following year it may not come through the winter and if it does, it will probably be a pathetic spindly plant. By chopping the flowers off, more of the plant's energy goes into establishing its roots.

Personnally, once the flowers are off I put them in bigger pot with more compost and put them in a sunnyish spot until the next year. I do not let the compost dry out.  When gowth is well underway but before flowering I plant them in their final position.

They like a sunny position and anything other than very dry or very wet soil.

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Good plant #12 - Anenome Blanda 'Blue Shades'

This is a bargain and beautiful perennial ground cover plant that flowers profusely throughout spring. It grows almost anywhere in my experience. It looks great in drifts or combined with any blue, white, purple and yellow flowering spring bulbs, including other varieties of anenome blanda.

They're so cheap to buy, I never bother propagating these - I just by a load more.

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Good plant #11 - Kniphofia Caulescens

These red hot pokers are classic cottage garden plants. Huge spires of orange and yellow flowers on thick stems that emerge from the midddle of dense mounds of large grass-like leaves. They are tolerant of most soil conditions but always need full sun. I have found that keeping their roots moist seems to help them flower more but they do okay in dry conditions. I feed with chicken poo pellets round the base in early spring to encourage more flowering. I try to remember to put a heavy mulch of bark round the base of plants before the start of summer to retain moisture too. I remove the dead flower spikes

In spring you can propagate by taking off any side shoots with some roots attached with your trowel or spade and replant them in compost to get them off to a good start. These side shoots may not flower in the same year you take the cutting.

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Good plant #10 - Primula Vialli

I am not generally a fan of the primrose but I like this variety - not just for its humerous shape either! This perennial plant has great flower spikes which start off crimson and then go a lilac colour. In my opinion they are best planted in groups of at least three plants, in a pot full of moist compost. I add water retaining crystals too. This minimises the risk of the drying out.

Unfortunately, this plant prefers damp shady-ish conditions and so do slugs. My advice is to use a few slug deterrents in combination and regularly hunt for the beasts, especially under the pot lip and under the leaves after a downpour.

You can propagate this from seed in moist well-drained compost but I just buy small plug plants from online nurseries because they are as cheap as chips.

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