Shrubbing along

AS SPRING-flowering shrubs and trees such as hawthorn and viburnum fade, later blooming species take their place to fill the gaps. Getting to grips with the shrubs in our garden has been challenging over the past 18 months, but I am beginning to recognise them and even remember some of their names.

We have a couple of lovely variegated shrubs that began flowering this month. One is, I think, Cistus hybridus ‘Gold Prize’ with bright lime green and yellow evergreen foliage that glows in a sunny spot throughout the year.

It seems a tough specimen and has coped with a couple of very cold winters, which is surprising since cistus are usually considered to be a little tender.

This one is nestled in among other shrubs and trees and is in the sunny site and well drained soil it prefers, which avoids the problem of roots in cold wet winter soil, a killer for many dubiously hardy plants.

While researching the name of this shrub, little work was done on this shrub apart from lifting long, woody stems above the smaller plants they were smothering.

They were tied to a strong wooden support which looked odd for a while, the scant foliage and occasional flowers barely covering the support.

This year, things have improved considerably; the shrub is now covered with rough bright leaves and numerous flower buds that open out in the sun. The support can hardly be seen and there is plenty of new growth. Light pruning will be done after flowering.

A second variegated shrub was more easily identified as being Weigela florida ‘Variegata’, although it only had one small variegated shoot this time last year.

I took off all those that had reverted to plain green and crossed my fingers that it would cope through the winter. It has certainly done this and now we have a fully variegated specimen with several new stems covered in pale edged foliage and in May and June tubular pink flowers.

Apart from keeping an eye on any reversion, this seems an undemanding shrub that should eventually reach four of five feet tall. The stems tend to arch so it will need a decent amount of space to show them off and sun or partial shade is preferred with fairly well drained soil. Other than that, it can stand quite a lot of neglect.

In the veg patch

Apart from potatoes and rhubarb, which love this cool, damp weather, things seem to have been very slow to get going in the vegetable garden this year.

Our courgettes are just about beginning to get a few new leaves, and a little more sun should see them take off. But the outdoor tomatoes have stopped growing since I put them in and my crop of coriander has been completely eaten by slugs, as have all but one of the outdoor cucumbers.

Chard and beetroot has germinated but like the tomatoes seem to be struggling to get their next set of leaves and the Italian ‘yard long’ beans are sulking in the chilly soil.

So all in all, the veg patch is not doing at all well. Luckily there is still time to sow more lettuce, dwarf French beans, Italian beans and even chard and beetroot for a later crop.

Weekend catch-up

Spring-flowering clematis that had finished blooming can be pruned this month. Clematis Montana, for example, can be heavily pruned every four or five years to stop it developing a thick woody trunk with all the flowers at the top of plant where they bloom unseen.

If this seems too drastic, then a few of the oldest stems can be taken out now and new growth tied in throughout the rest of the summer.

Open gardens

Tomorrow

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Birstwith Hall, High Birstwith, HG3 2JW, five miles northst of Harrogate. Eight-acre garden nestling in the Yorkshire Dales with a formal garden, ornamental orchard, extensive lawns, stream, large pond and Victorian greenhouse. Open 2pm-5pm, admission £3.50.

Jacksons Wold, Sherburn, YO17 8QJ, 11 miles east of Malton. Two-acre garden with a walled garden with mixed borders and roses, woodland paths leading to shrubs and perennials borders, lime avenue, wild flower meadow, vegetable garden and Victorian greenhouse. The adjoining nursery will be open. Open 1pm-5pm, admission £3.

Langton Farm, Great Langton, DL7 0TA, five miles west of Northallerton. Organic riverside garden with formal and informal gravel areas, nuttery and a flower garden with mixed borders and a pebble pool. Open 2pm-6pm, admission £4.

Linden Lodge, Newbridge Lane, near Wilberfoss, YO41 5RB, ten miles east of York. One-acre garden with gravel paths, borders, wildlife pond, kitchen garden, glasshouse, woodland area and formal garden with pond. Also five acres of developing meadow. Open 11am- 5pm, admission £4. Also open tomorrow 11am-5pm.

Yorke House, Dacre Banks, Summerbridge, HG3 4EW, ten miles north west of Harrogate. Two-acre flower arrangers garden with colour themed borders, extensive water feature with ornamental ponds and stream, nut and rose walks, Millennium garden and wildlife area and views over Nidderdale. Open 11am-5pm, admission £4.

Wednesday

Marton Cum Grafton Gardens, YO51 9QJ, two and a half miles south of Boroughbridge. Marton Cum Grafton are adjacent villages overlooking the York Plain. Springfield and Well House are in Grafton, Old Smithy farm and Shippen Bower are in Marton. Wednesday 1pm-5pm, combined admission £3.50, children free.

Gardening TV and radio

Tomorrow

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. A postbag edition from Hampshire.

Tuesday

8pm, ITV1, Love Your Garden. Alan Titchmarsh and his team return for a second series of six programmes in which they transform neglected gardens. This week they have two days to create a Japanese themed space for a Hampshire woman with a life threatening illness whose fundraising efforts leave her no time to make the garden she craves.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Eric Robson chairs the discussion from the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Stratford, East London and there is also a final visit to the Olympic Park before it opens to the public.

Saturday, June 30.

7am, BBC Radio York, Julia Booth. Julia Booth and gardening expert Nigel Harrison hold their weekly plant surgery.