The hardy geraniums in our garden have been as lovely as they always are. What a reliable group of plants these are, appearing year after year, with some remaining neat and tidy, while others spread themselves about the place.

Geranium clerkei Kashmir White will spread a little, although nothing to worry about and certainly not enough to avoid planting this dainty plant.

The leaves are finely cut and thin stems rise above them bearing warm white flowers netted with purple.

In May and June, it is a beautiful sight gently moving in the breeze. By July, the flowers are all but over and it needs to be cut back – care is needed as new leaves will already be coming through and will soon form a new clump of fresh foliage once the old flower stems have been removed.

Give the plant a good soaking and it may even flower again later in the summer. Different coloured relatives include Kashmir Purple and Kashmir Pink which are just as pretty.

A new plant for us last year was the charmingly named Geranium Bob’s Blunder. The young specimen overwintered successfully in a well-drained sunny spot at the front of a bed and is now a good size as it tumbles on to the path.

The small pink flowers that cover the plant contrast well with the chocolate-coloured leaves and have a long season starting in May and hopefully continuing well into November. This is an attractive geranium to grow at the front of a bed, where it will provide an unusual and interesting clump.


Weekend catch-up

It is time to finish sowing biennials such as evening primrose, honesty, forget-me-nots, double daisies and wallflowers if they are to flower next year. They can be sown in rows in seedbeds thinning them out once they have germinated and growing them on until September or October when they can be planted out into their final flowering positions.

Alternatively, they can be sown in trays and kept in a cool greenhouse or sheltered place near the house where it is easier to keep an eye on them and give protection from extreme heat or slugs.

Once the seedlings are big enough they need to be potted on into individual containers and grown on until the autumn when they can be planted out.

Copmanthorpe Horticultural Show

Copmanthorpe Horticultural Show will be held today at Copmanthorpe Methodist Hall, Main St, Copmanthorpe at 2pm. There will be exhibition classes covering summer fruits, vegetables, flowers, flower arranging and special children’s activities, as well as cakes and preserves. Entry is free and visitors can view the best local produce and crafts, as well as enjoy home made refreshments.


Berwick Kaler opens garden

Berwick Kaler hangs up his pantomime dame hat next Saturday when he takes on a new role opening the award winning garden at 58 Rawcliffe Lane in Clifton, York.

This will be the eighth time this beautiful suburban garden has opened in aid of The Candlelighters and CLIC Sargent Children’s Cancer Groups. More than £10,000 has been raised over the years and, as usual, there will be a wide range of plants for visitors to admire.

There will also be plants, homemade greetings cards with photographs of the garden and Picky’s homemade cream teas on sale.

All proceeds will go to the charities. The opening will take place at 10am on Saturday and the garden will be open on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is £2 for adults, 50p for children and includes tea or coffee.


Open gardens

Tomorrow

• Quaker Green Gardens, Woodthorpe, York.
In aid of Leukaemia Research
Approximately six private gardens open together with tombola and raffle stalls, plant and cake stalls and delicious cream teas. This is the sixth year the gardens have been opened during which time almost £12,000 has been raised for Leukaemia Research. Open 1pm-4pm, combined admission £3. Also open today 1pm-4pm.

• The Nursery, Knapton Lane, off Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York.
In aid of the National Gardens Scheme.
One-acre organic garden created from a former nursery and hidden behind a house in the suburbs of York.

The area is filled with bush and trained fruit trees including more than 40 varieties of apples and pears, greenhouses and vegetables grown in bed and row systems interplanted with informal ornamental plants to attract wildlife.

Open 1pm-5pm, admission £2.50. Also open on Friday, July 23, from 6pm-9pm.

• Rudston House, Long Street, Rudston, near Driffield.
Three-acre garden with old trees, lawns, clipped box hedges, roses, potager with named vegetable varieties, hosta bed, short woodland walk and interesting corners and features. The Victorian farmhouse (not open) was the birthplace of author Winifred Holtby. Open 11am-5pm, admission £3.50.

Sleightholmedale Lodge, Fadmoor, six miles north east of Helmsley. A hillside garden with a walled rose garden and herbaceous borders. Open 2pm-6pm, admission £3.50. Also open today, 2pm-6pm.