Gardening

Fall in Love with your garden all over again

Early spring is the ideal time to take stock of your planting and plan some new additions for 2012. Here are a few of our favourite options...

Lily of the Valley 

May is synonymous with Lily of the Valley. It's one of those nostalgic plants with a fantastic old fragrance. So many people love this plant yet gardeners find it difficult to grow. Margaret Griffin of Griffin's Garden Centre told us, "A little bit temperamental, it takes longer from dried crowns so I would suggest buying it ready potted in its green form. It is a rambling plant, popping up here and there. Once established, it thrives and will spread quickly and will be one of the prettiest ground cover plants ever. If you find flowering poor, an occasional feed of potash will work well."

Where does it do best?

Lily of the Valley likes very well drained soil and can tolerate limey soil. It likes well composted, rich soil with ample moisture to get started.

Margaret's Tip: "I find it's best to grow Lily of the Valley in containers to get them established. Once this is done, you can plant it into the ground. Just imagine pots of these beautiful plants on your patio with that wonderful fragrance wafting through the doors and windows."

Combination Plants: Wood Anemones, Ophiopogon Nigrescens make for interesting bed fellows. It is also wonderful with contrasting greenery, delicate fretwork of ferns, the divided leaves of Aquilegia or Corydalis.

Anemone Nemorosa

This is known as the 'Wood Anemone'. A wonderful ground cover plant with stunning cream/white flowers that will help to suppress most weeds. Easy to grow, these pretty flowers come back year after year without fail, making them a must, particularly for any shady patch in your garden. 

Solomon's Seal: A Shady Character

Growing to well over 3ft, Solomon's Seal has soft green foliage with delicate looking pendulous white flowers hanging gracefully from it. Very peaceful and dainty looking with its bold foliage, it has a unique architectural stature and has been used for medicinal purposes for many centuries.