Growing trends (From Worcester News)

Growing trends

11:40am Saturday 7th January 2012 in Gardening

AS the ideal gardens ambassador for this year’s Ideal Home Show, TV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh needs to stay ahead of the times.

Keeping a keen eye on gardening trends, landscaping designs and what the public will be growing in 2012 and beyond, he predicts that the ‘grow your own’ campaign will be as strong as ever this year.

He said: “Growing your own will still be popular and veg can be fitted into pockets on the flower border as well as on a dedicated veg patch.

“Climbers on house walls are set to make a resurgence – who needs to look at boring brickwork? Just make sure that adequate wire or trellis supports are provided.

“Repeat-flowering roses should be in every garden – in and among border perennials and shrubs – dedicated rose beds are now out.”

Despite heavy TV commitments, Titchmarsh will be out in his Hampshire garden this winter, preparing it for spring and beyond.

“Getting my garden ready for spring is something that, like everybody else, I try to fit in around work.

“My garden has good lines.

Perspective, proportion and form are every bit as important to me as colour. There is lots of evergreen topiary – clipped box and yew – but within the borders there are billowing banks of perennials, shrubs and roses.

“I also have a wild flower meadow and a wildlife pond, providing great entertainment and a really good way of doing my bit for conservation. My garden is my sanctuary.”

Winter offers time for planning new borders and allows gardeners time to do jobs little by little.

“The great thing about winter is that things move slowly in the garden and we have a chance to catch up. It’s not all about tidying, though there is some of that to do – border perennials to cut back and the last of the leaves to clear up and compost.

“I lightly fork over the earth between plants in early spring, working in a sprinkling of blood, fish and bone and then, among shrubs in particular, I mulch with chipped bark to seal in moisture and keep down weeds.”

Winter is a great time to take a long, hard look at the garden and work out where there are gaps in terms of interest, he says.

Deciduous trees and shrubs are best planted now (provided the soil is not waterlogged or frozen) to give them a headstart in spring, while perennials should be ordered now for planting in early spring so that the year can get off to a flying start.

If the ground’s too hard or wet to work on, curl up on a winter’s evening with some seed catalogues and work out what you want to grow this year, making your order quickly for the best selection.

If you’re creating a new veg plot, decide what you like eating and how much space such crops will take up. Then work out sowing and harvesting times so that the best use is made of your veg patch.

“Order your seeds early and store them in a shoebox in order of sowing times,” he advises.

“Don’t sow too much of quickmaturing crops such as lettuce and radish at the same time, but make smaller sowings every few weeks to ensure a succession of tender young crops.”

Indoors in January and February, you can sow geranium (pelargonium) seeds early – they take a long while to grow and will flower sooner if they are raised on a warm windowsill. Sprout seed potatoes so that they get off to a flying start when planted out later.

Å The Ideal Home Show at London’s Earls Court runs from March 16 to April 1. Visit ideal homeshow.co.uk or call 0844 858 6763.