Monty is in the greenhouse to check on his tomato trial that he started a few months ago by using three different methods. The trial was to see which technique produced the best possible taste and quality fruit. The variety he planted was 'Gardener's Delight'. The results so far are as follows - the first method was in a grow bag which are doing very well. They do however, have blossom end rot which is a sign of irregular water supply. Monty's advice is not to overwater them but don't let the plants dry out either. The second method was planting the tomatoes in plastic black pots. These are smaller than the growbag tomatoes and the leaves look less healthy as they haven't been fed at all, compared with the growbags ones which already have fertiliser. The final method was planting them in terracotta pots which were only half filled with soil. They are currently stunted and the leaves are looking a bit yellow but there is fruit on them. Monty believes that they still have time to catch up and win but what they need urgently is feeding. Carol is in her Glebe cottage garden this week celebrating cornus - flowering dogwoods, perhaps the most aristocratic and elegant of all garden trees. Cornus ' Norman Hadden' was one of the first trees that Carol planted at Glebe, named after Norman Hadden who was a shy, retiring, renowned and respected plantsman who lived in Porlock in Devon. Carol first came across this tree at RHS Rosemoor and was attracted to the glory of the wonderful bracts.
Monty lifts his wallflowers from the seed bed to plant them out to give them more room. Some are flowering which they shouldn't be but this is due to the very hot weather we have had this summer. Monty advises to cut them back if they are flowering. He plants them in the veg garden as they are me...
We're well into August and Monty is pleased to see that his hostas haven't even been nibbled. He believes that is down to him trying to grow healthy plants and give them the conditions that they will thrive in. This also has a lot to do with the balance of wildlife at Longmeadow, where there are ...
Monty is already thinking about next year which means now is the time for him to start collecting seed. He collects seed from astrantia and silene and stores them in brown paper bags. He bought the silene from the Malvern Show in May which started the planting off and now he can keep it going by ...