In June, Jim Cable hides fading bulbs with Geranium ‘Rozanne’, gives perennials an early summer prune and plants crops of French and runner beans and fennel
It will soon be midsummer and we are left with the aftermath of spring bulb displays. I deadheaded the tulips and daffodils a while back to ensure that the food made by the plants’ foliage heads underground to swell next year’s bulbs. And there’s the rub. We need that to happen, but those leaves can look messy as they slowly die back. My answer is to plant the hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in front of and among the bulb colonies. It’s later flowering than other varieties and thrives in sun or light shade. When it comes back stronger the year after planting, it weaves through the fading bulbs without blocking too much light.
Shopping now for plants in flower means there are no surprises. You can try out colour combinations in the trolley and select hues that will complement the existing plants in the destination flower bed. The drawback is that you need to ensure new plants are watered over dry spells this summer. If you can commit to that, use bought-in potted dahlias and lilies to turn gaps in your borders into focal points.
Border management is about taking away as well as adding. Most of us are familiar with the Chelsea chop whereby perennials are cut back around the time of the annual flower show. It induces plants such as sedums, nepetas and achilleas to become bushier and therefore less prone to flopping. A few years ago, I learnt another technique from the great gardening botanist and author, John Grimshaw. He likes to manage perennials by pulling out up to 80% of the stems of a clump of Michaelmas daisies or phlox, for instance. I have tried it and the remaining shoots certainly grew thicker and stronger, required less support and bore broader heads of flowers than those I left unthinned. I also found that thinned out phlox plants were less prone to fungal diseases.
Florence fennel appears frequently in Mediterranean cuisines. The pretty plants develop swollen leaf bases – the edible bulbs with their aniseed flavour. It is a nutritious, low-carb vegetable that can be roasted or used in soups, stews or salads. As a crop it is usually pest and disease free but may bolt if subject to cold nights and/or short days. One of these early-summer days is the perfect time to sow seed. It requires well-drained, fertile soil in a sunny spot. The seedlings will need thinning to ar
