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Right now you are probably lying under a tree in an attempt to keep cool as temperatures move into the 30s, but you may have already spent an hour or more watering your garden and will probably be doing the same again this evening. I love the sun so I hate to admit that this is getting a bit much. The grass is looking scorched, the summer containers look sad and the veg patch looks as exhausted as I feel. This week I think I have spent at least 2 hours watering most days so, like most of you, I shall be glad when we finally get a downpour.
As you may imagine, the sun has dominated our week. You only have to step through the gate of the Walled Garden and you can feel the micro climate created by the high walls. They absorb the heat from the sun all day and reflect it back, ripening the plums rapidly and increasing the temperature by a degree or two. Our first cohort of Certificate in Practical Horticulture students had a very warm, sunny day for their assessment. We kept water bottles filled and even brought out ice creams in the afternoon, but they kept their cool and worked steadily through all their questions, from single digging a plot to taking semi-ripe cuttings. We look forward to finding out how they all did and celebrating their results in a few weeks’ time.
The next Certificate in Practical Horticulture begins in September when we are running the course on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. These courses are both full but we are now taking bookings for January. This is also the case for the Introduction to Garden Design which is full in September and has a growing number of bookings for January. Do get in touch if you would like to join us for either of these courses.
We have been mulling over the online seed catalogues, especially the one from our favourite supplier of all types of seed, Chiltern Seeds. We are planning to get our order in this week so that we can start sowing for next. The seed trays will be jostling for space with the pots of cuttings in the Rhino greenhouse, and the need to water will increase!
Upcoming courses with availability:
Lawn Care & Maintenance 2nd September
Planting Pots & Containers 18th September
Planting for Year-Round Colour 25th September
Botanical and Textural Print Making (6-week course) 28th September
Plants for Free: propagation workshop 29th September
Pruning Shrubs & Roses 2nd October
The Cutting Garden 9th October
Introduction to Garden Design (8-week course) January
Certificate in Practical Horticulture (10-week course) January
Plant of the Week
Lathyrus latifolius
The perennial or everlasting sweet pea is a vigorous herbaceous climber which is native to Europe and found in the wild, growing in scrub and grassy roadsides. Lathyrus latifolius can be grown as a climber or allowed to scramble over banks and slopes or other plants. It copes with sun or partial shade in fertile well-drained soil. It has a long flowering season especially if deadheaded but lacks the fragrance of the annual sweet pea. The common cultivars are shades of pink or white.
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