How to prune Lavender Lavender (Lavendula), which is commonly used in cooking recipes, is a popular evergreen shrub that is often sold as a herb plant. They make beautiful plants for creating low formal hedges as the blue flowers give the appearance of a sea of blue and are often seen in many country estates where they have been growing for over 20 years. They are drought tolerant and grow well in drier, poorer areas…
Pruning French / Spanish Lavender French and Spanish Lavender is part of the Lamiaceae family of plants and is also known as the Lavandula stoechas. It is more tender and less hardy than the more common English Lavender (Lavandula angustifola) that is often planted as low growing hedging. French Lavender is best grown in pots where it can be moved into sheltered positions for the winter. This more tender type of Lavender is often easily identified by…
Hanging baskets plants Using the best plants for hanging baskets can help transform your outdoor space and add tranquillity to an outside area but with so many different basket plants to choose from, which ones are really right for you? Hanging baskets planted in summer are usually planted with upright plants in the centre and trailing plants around the edge so that they trail over. Furthermore, you might want something with beautiful foliage to trailer over the…
Pyracantha rogersiana (Asian Firethorn) Originating from Western China, the Pyracantha rogersiana is a drought-resistant, evergreen and bushy shrub that is ideal for forming a hedge or as a border/wall shrub. The arching branches produce creamy-white flowers in spring followed by orange/red berries in autumn and these provide food for many species of wildlife and birds. This evergreen shrub has oblong leaves that are around 4cm long and spiky branches, so it often makes a good…
Pruning Camellias Many gardeners think that Camellias are difficult plants to grow but this could not be further from the truth. In fact, they will grow in most areas, except for places where the soil is chalky or limestone as this creates alkaline soil and Camellia plants need acidic soil. However, they can be successfully grown in pots using ericaceous compost. They are available in many colours and there are hundreds of varieties to choose from. They…
