Trugg and Barrow’s Garden Diary September 2012

The end to another summer is fast approaching, but there is still plenty to enjoy and lots more gardening to do.
EASY, FUSS FREE AND AFFORDABLE.
There are few plants to which the above adjectives can truly be applied but Hydrangeas are certainly one of them and NOW is the time when they are at their best. In addition, few other woody shrubs come from as versatile a family or display such variety.
Hydrangeas shout their presence in the summer garden when there are few flowering shrubs apart from Hypericums. There are a number of highly ornamental species and cultivars.
What makes hydrangeas so special is the longevity of the display. Roses will repeat flower all summer, presenting new flowers as old ones fade. Hydrangeas present the same flower from bud burst to first frosts. This is only possible because of the curious arrangement of hydrangea flowers. Each head is made up of small fertile flowers usually toward the centre, these are the flowers concerned with producing seed. The sterile flowers attract insects with showy bracts which, because they are infertile, cannot be pollinated so remain until the fertile flowers have been pollinated when they turn downward and change colour. Most species have lacecap type flowers except H. quercifolia and H. paniculata. Most variation between cultivars has to do with the ratio of fertile to infertile flowers.
H. arborescens was, incidentally, the first hydrangea to be introduced into cultivation and in the wild can grow to tree like proportions of 10ft or more, although it usually achieves only 3-5ft in the garden. ‘Annabelle’ is perhaps the best cultivar with huge heads of sterile flowers.
Also from America, H. quercifolia has large drooping panicles of flowers although these are only borne in warm summers. What is impressive is the foliage which looks like a much magnified oak leaf but displays wonderful crimson and purplish autumn colour. Unlike most hydrangeas which will still perform well in shade, this one demands a warm spot and acidic soil.
H. paniculata by contrast will tolerate the most extreme cold and is not fussy about pH so long as the drainage is good. Left unpruned, the bush can reach 20ft though pruned annually it makes an impressive plant of 5-7ft. This is also one of the most trouble free of a trouble free genus and as a bonus is also scented!
There are a host of available cultivars, all differing in the ratio of sterile to fertile flowers and some have a slight pinkish hue. The best in my opinion are all pure white such as H. paniculata ‘Kyushu’ or H. ‘Unique which has so many infertile flowers that they completely obscure the fertile ones. Late in the season the bracts droop and turn a lovely rust red.
My favourite species of hydrangea is H. aspera var villosa and H. aspera var sargentiana. The latter is a tall upright shrub displaying large pink hued lacecap flowerheads atop large hairy leaves. If that were not enough, the bark is a pleasing confection of brown papery peel revealing grey underneath which makes an excellent winter feature. To grow this hydrangea successfully, the soil needs to retain moisture so that the large leaves do not turn brown prematurely. With sufficient moisture this normally shade loving plant will tolerate full sun. Shelter is also advisable to help keep those big leaves in tip top condition but if you can grow this plant successfully it will make you the envy of your neighbours.
H. aspera var villosa bears purplish/mauve lacecap flowers and prefers full sun. It has slender hairy leaves and is very easy to grow. In the 2010/2011 winter, a fine specimen was cut to the ground by the severe cold and has since completely regenerated. Whereas H. sargentiana is a tall slender shrub, by comparison H. villosa is spreading, reaching 7-10ft tall by as much wide. The hairy leaves protect it from extremes of drought and cold and it is a deservedly popular plant.
By far the most common hydrangeas are descended from H. macrophylla which adorn front and back gardens everywhere and deservedly so. These are also the hydrangeas which change colour according to pH so need no introduction from me!
The climbing hydrangeas are as impressive as the shrubby ones and extend far beyond the realms of the commonly planted H. anomala subsp petiolaris, though many people seem unfamiliar with using it as a ground cover by preventing it from climbing.
Schizophragma hydrangeoides and S. ‘Roseum’ are amongst the best, both self clinging and bearing showy bracts. Content in both sun or shade they flower best in sun and on warm walls.
Pileostegia viburnoides is an evergreen relative and is worth the patience it needs to get going, after which it will reward with creamy white flowers in late summer. It does best in rich, well drained soil in sun, though it will tolerate some shade.
Easy, fuss free and affordable. Add to that adaptable, elegant and varied…what more could one want!
In the Kitchen Garden
The end of another growing season has swung around again. There is already a bit of chill in the air on some mornings, with the grass covered in heavy dew, and the occasional morning fog. As well as these early indications of a change in season, the first few signs of autumn colour are also appearing in yellows, reds, purples and oranges.
Production in the kitchen garden is winding down now and although some growing could continue, here we have a full programe of autumn and winter work in the main garden, so the race is on to get as much of the kitchen garden put to bed now. During August, as well as fruit and vegetable picking, cutting of the box hedging in the kitchen garden has occupied most of the working time. Time is getting on for this job and it needs finishing quickly in order to lower the risk from the disfiguring and potentially fatal box blight. This fungal disease attacks during the cool damp weather prevalent in Autumn (the cool damp weather we have had in summer this year has already caused an outbreak) . Large patches of the 750 m or so we have in the kitchen garden has suffered in the last 5 years from attacks from box blight. However, with good cultural practices we are now holding the disease at arm’s length.
This has been one of the least productive years in the KG for a good while. This is due to the cool cloudy weather conditions which have all kinds of knock on effects. Potatoes have produced low yields, sweetcorn has been stunted, lettuce, chard and onions have all bolted. Tomatoes don’t seem to be able to ripen; in fact a few people have told me that they gave up on these early in the season as they were doing so poorly. It has not been all doom and gloom though. Some crops such as cucumber have done very well this year, probably due to the more humid conditions that they favour.
The vegetable garden does not have to be unproductive through the winter. For example, hardy varieties of lettuce and cabbage can be grown.
Spring Cabbages need an open, sunny position together with some protection against harsh winter winds. Grow hardy varieties such as Primo, Savoy King or Savoy Siberia. A light, well-drained soil is preferable. Nothing will damage them more than water-logged conditions in the cold winter. Don’t add manure or nitrogen rich feeds to the soil as this will only encourage vulnerable soft green growth.
Generally, late July to early August is the best time to sow Spring cabbage. If you have some kind of crop protection you can still have a go this year. Spring cabbage matures earlier and more reliably under cloches.
Please note: images have been removed from this pages because some of them may have been used without permission.