Vale Life’s resident garden expert Bob
Priddle lifts the lid on composting and
gets to grips with the horticultural
preparations for the coming season.
VALE GARDENS
Winter is slowly but surely coming They then can be used to fill in gaps in These simple tips will help ensure you
to an end. We have become so used borders. They’re much cheaper than get a fantastic compost:
to mild winters in recent years that bedding plants, most of which are half ■ Don’t just pile loads of grass clippings
this one came as a bit of a shock to hardy annuals, and still provide great on as it creates too much nitrogen
plants such as Echiums that have colour and interest. When preparing and not enough carbon.
been enjoying the previous mild compost I generally add some perlite to ■ Try and make a simple lid for your
winters and have taken a bit of a the mixture. Perlite is a naturally heap. Weighing down a few plastic
hammering. occurring rock that is heat treated. As it bags will do - no lid and rain can
is heated it expands up to forty times make your heap too wet.
Also, what were described as ‘frost its own size. This lightweight white ■ If we do get a dry summer, leave the
resistant ‘pots have been shown to be rock then absorbs water and helps to lid off and give your heap some water
not as resistant as they have been in improve the air to water balance and to stop the material drying out.
the previous years. As well as my pots also stops the compost becoming too ■ Add the occasional spade full of top
garden birds have also had a tough wet and seedlings rotting off. soil which will help to give the
time of it. I always think that having bacteria you need to increase the
birds feeding in the garden is a real For starting off your annual climbing speed at which your heap rots down.
bonus. Leaving aside the pleasure of plants a tip is to use the cardboard
seeing and hearing them there is also tubes from the inside of toilet rolls. Get these things right and next autumn
the fringe benefit of birds as part of Climbing plants need long cool root you’ll be digging out marvellous dark
your pest control system. A good bird runs and these tubes are ideal. Because brown humus-rich compost!
population can help control pests such they’re bio degradable you can also
as slugs, snails and aphids. If you’re plant them straight into the garden.
growing fruit you may need to provide Good garden compost does not happen BOB’S TOP TIPS
netting to keep them from eating your by accident. But the ingredients to
crops but I think the inconvenience make good compost are not as difficult
Climbing annuals
is worth it. as you may think. A container is helpful
but no essential. Because I use so much
that can be easily
Spring is my favourite time of year in of it I make my own containers which
grown from seed
the garden with all the promises of the will hold the largish quantities.
season ahead. If winter is a time for
Ipomea – Morning Glory
cutting back and clearing then spring Good compost is about getting a
As well as the stunning Heavenly Blue
is the time to start sowing seeds. suitable balance of nitrogen, carbon,
there are also the darker colours of
water and air combined with some
varieties such Black Night.
Hardy annuals are a group of plants that suitable bacteria. Your household waste
are sadly overlooked, especially when it can be added to the heap, just
Sweet Peas
comes to growing climbing hardy remember not to include man made
Probably the most popular of annual
annuals. Although you can sow the materials, cooked food or meats. Toilet
climbers. Make sure you go for a
seeds directly into the ground at the roll tubes or tubes from the centres of
scented variety such as Percy Thrower.
end of March through April I also like kitchen roll provide great sources of
to sow some in containers, then carbon. Corrugated cardboard, as long
Thunbergia - Black Eyed Susan
transplant into pots. as its not waxed, can also be included.
As well as being great climbers they
also work well as subjects in hanging
baskets.
Quamoclit lobata - Mina lobata or
Spanish Flag
This is an absolute stunner and once
you’ve found how easy it is to grow
from seed you’ll grow it again and
again.
Chilean glory vine
Although this is technically a tender
perennial it can be grown from seed
and will flower in the first year of
growth.
18❧ ❧
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