Dig It

August in the Garden Show Notes

In this episode Chris and Peter discuss National Allotments week and their drive towards sustainability helped by using water butts and mulch to conserve water.

Find out about National Plum Day, Pershore and the Vale of Evesham including the Victoria Plum and how it grows and fruits on North facing walls.

We discuss Waspinators and wasp traps to keep the wasps away from your Tea and cake! They also share the difference between High Tea and Afternoon tea.

August is the time to check your potatoes for Blight. Find out what to do if you have it and how to check whether your potatoes are ready to lift. Garlic, shallots and onions are nearly ready for harvest too and we have a tip on how to get the bulbs to mature.

Learn of the benefits of the Hozelock Growbag Waterer for growing tomatoes and using good fertilizers like Phostrogen to stop blossom end rot.

There’s still time to plant Lettuce - lollo rossa, Radish – French Breakfast,  and for next year it is now time to plant your, Spring onions – White Lisbon, Spring Cabbages Offenham Spring, Swiss Chard – Bright Lights, Pak Choi. We discuss how to use Cress seeds to mark out your rows of slow sprouting vegetables like Parsnip and have the bonus of delicious Cress seedlings.

In case you haven’t yet seen it the informative Whartons rose video is well worth a watch (discussed in more detail in our Celebrating Roses podcast)

Chris and Peter discuss their favourite fruit, the Strawberry, and the Strawberry Alpine.

It’s time to start taking softwood cuttings from semi hardy plants like Argyranthemum just in case your specimen plants get killed off by harsh winter frosts and we explain how to use rooting powder and gels and what to plant your cuttings in, including the benefits of mixing in some Perlite or Vermiculite.

Buckingham Palace Gardens are open until the 19th Sept and we chat about what the gardens have to offer. Other gardens to visit more local to you and across the country can be found at National Gardens Scheme.

Peter's Broad bean Dip recipe:

250g - 300g of shelled (or frozen) broad beans

3 or 4 cloves of Garlic

25 ml of olive oil

retain a small amount of water the beans were cooked in

Sprig of Rosemary

Listen to the episode to find out how to make the dip.

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy

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In this podcast we chat with James Taylor, Nursery Manager and Jo Davey, Marketing Manager from Whartons Nurseries. We look at how roses continue to be admired and prized as our No. 1 favourite flower in the UK. James explains the production journey of a rose from propagation in the field to bringing the finished rose bushes to the Garden Centre. Jo gives us advice on growing roses, dealing with disease and how the new varieties of roses are making an impact in our gardens. We find out from our hosts their favourite roses for fragrance, plus a sneak peek at the Rose of The Year for 2022.

Hosts Peter Brown and Chris Day highlight the many uses the humble rose can bring to our gardens and homes as well as our own well-being, plus we chat about rose favourites and where you can see the best roses in the UK.

Rose products mentioned: Whartons Roses use Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic which helps feed roses and fight disease on the Nursery but is also good for the home gardener. This organic foliar feed creates strong resilient growth which gives plants additional disease resistance. It is best applied several times in the season.

Rose fertilisers Vitax Organic Rose Food , Miracle-Gro Rose & Shrub Continuous Food 1kg and Afterplant Food with Rootgrow - Rose 1kg

Rose mentioned: ‘Flower Carpet’ groundcover roses, Rose ‘Kiftsgate’, ‘Wedding Day’, Rose rugosa, Rose` sweet briar, Rose dog rose, Rose burnet or scotch, R. moyesii ‘Geranium’, ‘Joie de Vivre’, ‘Maiden’s Blush’, ‘Morning Mist’, ‘Grouse’, ‘Partridge’, ‘Sir Paul Smith’, ‘Scarborough Fair’, ‘Francis E Lester’, ‘Rambling Rector, ‘Bobbie James’, ‘Queen Bee’ and ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.

Rootstocks: Rosa ‘Laxa’ (most popular, rarely suckers and almost thornless), Rosa ‘Canina’ (used on heavier soils, less popular, suckers freely), Rosa rugosa (sometimes used for standards).

Hedging and Native Roses , Hybrid Tea Roses , Floribunda (cluster flowered roses) , Climbers and Rambler Roses , Shrub Roses , Groundcover Roses The ‘Precious’ range of Roses and Special Occasion Roses

Fragrant Roses: ‘Arthur Bell’, ‘Fragrant Cloud’, ‘Scent From Heaven’, ‘Silver Anniversary’, ‘Timeless Purple’.

James Taylor’s desert Island rose is Rose ‘Munstead Wood’ (a David Austin bred variety famed for its amazing colour and scent). Jo Davey’s rose would be Rose ‘Flower Carpet Pink’, especially suitable on the Island where a pair of secateurs might be difficult to source as it doesn’t require much pruning!

The coveted Rose of the Year for 2022 is ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ ® and is best described as a free flowering floribunda shrub rose. The large - almost 10cm across - beautiful old fashioned style blooms have over 60 petals. The colour is a blend of orange, pink and peach with the depth of colour influenced by weather conditions. It was bred by Colin Dickson of Dickson Roses. The rose name is a registered trademark. Use of the material: It's a Wonderful Life™ name is used courtesy of Melange Pictures LLC. All rights reserved. This rose will be available to order here from October as a root-wrapped rose and in pots from spring 2022.

Rose replant disease RHS link also RHS tips on T-Budding Roses

You can also view the Whartons Roses production process click on this link which takes you to a short video.

Rose Gardens: The 50 top rose gardens in Britain can be found here

Rose uses: Rose water, Rose Oil, Rose Hip Cough Syrup, Rose Hip Jam, Rose Vinegar, Rose Honey, Rose Hip Wine, Turkish Delight contains a few drops of rosewater.

Chiltern Music Therapy

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July in the Garden Show Notes

Products mentioned

Cottage Delight Sticky Wings and Rib Sauce

Plant fertilisers and organic sprays: Vitax Q4, Vitax Blood, Fish and Bone, Tomato feed Sulphate of Potash, Vitax Plant Guard Organic for controlling pests and diseases – available in store.

Plants mentioned: Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis), Clematis montana, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Hardy geraniums, Mock Orange (Philadelphus) Pyracantha, Apples, Pears, Hellebores, Thyme, Ivy (Hedera), English Lavender, French Lavender,

Look out for Christmas spuds from Taylors. Expected varieties ‘Charlotte’, ‘Desiree’, ‘Maris Peer’, ‘Pentland Javelin’ and ‘Sharpes Express’. A pack of tubers will cost £2.99. Available in store from mid-July onwards.

National BBQ Week celebrates its Silver Anniversary this year between Friday 2nd July - Sunday 11th July, at Buckingham Garden Centre we will have some BBQ themed specials in the Gardeners’ Retreat Restaurant.

Weber BBQ and accessories

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 6th -11th July

Love Parks Week 12th-21st July. Enjoy our open spaces and help our mental and physical well-being too. Parks mentioned by Peter and Chris Abington Park, Northampton, Williamson Park, Lancaster, Cannock Chase Park, Rutland Water and Nature Reserve and combine a visit to Barnsdale Gardens, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, The Savill Garden and Philips Park, Whitefield. Why not share your favourite parks at #LoveParks

A few of the many plants that will help attract Bees to your Garden

Radio 2’s Big Bee Challenge (children’s Garden Design Competition in the conjunction with the RHS) with the Big Bee Challenge Weekend (Saturday 31st July – 1st August)

Find out more about bees and beekeeping here

Bee Identification tips

HTA Photographic Competition 2021, a chance to win tickets to next year’s RHS Chelsea flower show and get your photo onto a HTA gift card!

As the school summer holidays fast approach, a brief mention of the National Gardening Week website and the RHS website for children’s activities

How to Extend the Flowering Season in Your Garden using the Chelsea Chop and the Hampton Hack.

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy

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Show notes for Bedding Plants with Stuart Lowen

In this episode we chat with Stuart Lowen, Marketing Manager from Ball Colegrave. We look at how bedding plants have evolved over the years as well as examine many of the traditional bedding schemes we still enjoy in our gardens. Stuart explains how plant breeding has changed the way we grow one of our most loved summer plants, the Busy Lizzy or Impatien. Stuart provides an insight into how bedding plants come to the market place and the way they are assessed in the garden trade. We investigate how pansies and violas have changed the face of our gardens in the winter and early spring, plus a look at what’s in store in the future as our gardens become smaller yet our appetite for growing colourful plants throughout the year grows.

Plants mentioned

Traditional varieties: Alyssum, African and French Marigolds , Lobelia and Salvia. Centre planting suggestions Cordyline (Draceana), Standard Fuchsia, Canna and Musa (banana).

Begonia tuberous and Begonia Non Stop. Calibrachoa and Trixi Petunias (three varieties/colours in one pot) Available in store. Gazania Pelargonium Red (colour is specific to those geraniums planted outside Buckingham Palace to match the Queens foot guards tunic attire). Osteospermum (Cape Daisies) seeds and plants available in store.

Impatiens (Busy Lizzies) ‘Beacon’ F1 hybrid. This is a resistant variety developed to combat the Impatien Downy Mildew disease which until very recently caused major problems in the growing of the plants. This variety of Impatien features in our Living Wall at the front of the main building of the Garden Centre.

Winter Pansies and Violas tend to flower on shorter days and are bred for cold and wet conditions. Good varieties to look out for include Pansy ‘Matrix’ and the hanging basket trailing variety ‘Cool Wave’ as well as the Viola ‘Sorbet’ varieties.

The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. Look out for the trophy symbol on a plant's label or packet of seeds which shows that it has earned the prestigious AGM!

Fleuroselect is the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry. Each year it invites growers to submit their new varieties for judging. If a judged plant is deemed exceptional then it is awarded the prestigious Gold medal, which usually is promoted on the plant label.

Floral Olympic Torch display at Manchester Airport was created to help drive the bid to stage the Olympic games in Manchester in 2000. The display, the size of Wembley football pitch, featured Begonias, Lobelia, Marigolds, Parsley, Beet, Perilla and Impatiens, plus one mile of rabbit proof fencing to keep the bunnies out. Over 200,000 plants were used in the display to create a display featuring some 20 million flowers! The display could be seen from the air as planes landed at Manchester Airport.

Products mentioned

High potash fertilisers Phostrogen Tomorite and Doff Tomato feed available in store. Chempack High potash Feed

Slug slime beauty Products, as yet not available in the Shops!

Slug deterrents: Slug pubs, Slug Gone, Bran Flakes, spiky Holy leaves, Copper Tape

Fatty acid (soft soap) for control of popular problems as well as Mealy bug, Scale and mildew - SB Plant Invigorator and Bug Killer

Pop in / Drop-in planters available in various colour themes. The mesh bottomed ready-planted baskets can be simply dropped into your existing containers and compost infilled to fill the gaps. Normally available in late spring-June and again in September/October with winter interest plantings.

Living Wall. A great way of utilising vertical space on buildings and perfect for growing flowers, herbs, vegetables and even strawberries. Options include vertical modular systems, wall baskets and flower pouches.

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy

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Show notes for June in the Garden

As June arrives, Peter Brown and Chris Day look at the important tasks in the garden including vegetable planning and sowing, allotment hedging ideas, creative planter and basket tips as well as sowing for spring colour. There are two busy weeks of activities through the month, including a special week of gardening aimed specifically at children and featuring Peppa Pig and a themed week on growing for our mental and physical wellbeing.

Our special guest is Catherine Watkins from Chiltern Music Therapy talking about their amazing ground-breaking work as they provide music therapy and community music to people of all ages across the UK.

Peat in the news Garden rules: Sale of peat-based compost to be BANNED - how will it affect your garden?

National Children’s Gardening Week 29th May-6th June 2021. We will be offering advice and garden projects to children throughout the week. A limited number of the Peppa Pig Activity Book will be available for a suggested £1 donation will benefit Save The Children charity.

Growing for Wellbeing Week takes place between the 7th-13th June 2021. Set up by gardening therapy organisation, Life at No.27, the week is a celebration of the magic that growing your own produce can do for your wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

Key plants and products mentioned

• Compost bins, Garotta Compost Activator, Sulphate of Potash, Vitax Q4, Blood Fish and Bone, Hanging baskets and liners, Copper Tape, and Garden hoe
• Biennials to sow now to flower next spring Canterbury Bells, Primroses, Pansies, Polyanthus, Sweet William, Violas and Wallflowers.
• Vegetables to plant now, vegetables to sow for cropping succession and vegetable plot hedge suggestions: Edible Hedging, Hazel - hedging suitable for coppicing and producing hazelsticks, Hazels for nut production - Cosford, Purple Filbert and Pearson’s Prolific

Thrillers, fillers and spillers to keep your gardens looking fantastic:

• Thrillers: Centre plants including Bush Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Cordylines, Dahlias and standard Fuchsias. Available in store.
• Fillers: Plants placed around the base of Thrillers including Begonias, Marigolds and Petunias. Available in store.
• Spillers: Trailing plants including Lobelia, Ivy leaf Pelargoniums, Creeping Jenny, Bacopa and Helichrysum. Available in store.

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy

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In this episode we chat to top orchid expert Manos Kanellos and delve into why our love affair with houseplant orchids, especially the Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) remains as popular as ever. We discuss the care of growing orchids, the process of getting these plants from the test tube to the plant bench at the Garden Centre and we find out more about the potential pitfalls of growing them. Manos also explains how the successful company Growth Technology has revolutionised the way we nurture, feed and keep our orchids both healthy and happy, plus a sneak peek into a new book, Growing Orchids at Home written by Manos Kanellos and Peter White. 

Growing Orchids Show Notes

Our guest, orchid expert Manos Kanellos from Growth Technology.

Orchids mentioned in the podcast

Cymbidium (boat orchid)

Dendrobium nobile hybrids (noble dendrobium)

Ophrys apifera (hardy bee orchids)

Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

Paphiopedilum (slipper orchid)

Vanda (blue orchid)

Growth Technology products mentioned

Orchid Myst

Orchid Focus Repotting Mix

Orchid focus Bloom (high potash), Grow (high nitrogen) and Ultra (growth enhancer) (available in store)

Orchid pots (clear transparent pots with air cone and plenty of drainage

Manos Kanellos and Peter White’s book, Growing Orchids at Home: The beginner’s guide to orchid care. Published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (available in store)

Growth Technology’s Charity: Action Aid

Contact Manos with your orchid queries

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy  

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May in the Garden Show Notes

May in the garden is certainly a busy month and keeps us gardeners busy. In this episode of Dig it Peter Brown and Chris Day look at how the late spring is affecting our gardens and how using specific plant fertilisers will help your plants recover and prosper this summer. How the gardening trade is coping with plant, gardening products and composts shortage is discussed as well as timely hints and tips on plant supports, choosing bedding plants, organic slug control and pond care.

Plants mentioned

Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn, May, Whitethorn)  

Prunus spinosa (Blackthorn, Sloe)

Fraxinus excelsior (Ash) No longer available for sale due to devasting effect of the Ash Die Back disease.

Quercus robur (Common Oak, Pedunculate Oak, European Oak or English Oak)

Runner beans

Lettuce

Herb seeds

Antirrhinum

Marigolds

Strawberries

Fertilisers mentioned

Miracle Gro https://m.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk/search?keyword=Miracle%20Gro%20all%20purpose

Phostrogen https://m.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk/search?keyword=phostrogen

Vitax Q4 https://m.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk/search?keyword=Vitax%20Q4%20fertiliser

Maxicrop Seaweed Extract https://m.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk/Original-Organic-Seaweed-Extract-1-Litre-p65899206

Pond plants and products

Fish Food: Tetra Pond Food Sticks

Iris laevigata and Iris siberica (waterside and marginal Iris)

Nymphaeaceae (Waterlilies)

Houttuynia cordata (Chamaeleon plant)

Dechlorinating tablets: Interpet Bioactive Tapsafe Plus

Barley straw and Cloverleaf Blanket Answer

Use a fishing net to remove Blanketweed / Duckweed

Garden Products

Copper tape to deter slugs and snails

Horticultural fleece

Plant ties

Plant support system

Pheromone trap for Codling Moth

Pheromone trap for Plum Moth

Water butts

Hozelock watering

Hanging baskets and liners

Weber BBQs

Music by Chiltern Music Therapy  

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Chris Day and Peter Brown discuss some things to do in your Garden in April.

Tree, Shrub and Tree Planting Compost

Roses

Rose feeds - Top Rose

Vitax Q4

Cosmos Sonata

Antirrhinum (Snapdragons)

Sunflowers

Camellias, Pieris, Rhododendrons Ericaceous Feed

Sequestrene Tonic

Plant stakes - Poppy Forge

Garden Canes

Willow / Hazel sticks can be grown from bare-root plants established from November-March

Bird Feeders / Bird food

Sowing Cucumbers, Marrow, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spring Onions and Radish

Runner Bean 'Enorma'

Multi-cell Modular Trays / Propagation trays

Soil thermometer (in store only)

Greenhouse cleaning - Citrox Greenhouse Cleaner and Jeyes Fluid (in store only)

Feeding spring bulbs with Sulphate of Potash

Organic Lawn Feed - RHS Mo Bacter (in store only)

Moss Control products (In store only)

Lawn Seed for new lawns and overseeding

Houseplant repotting: Houseplant Compost or a Peat Free Compost. Perlite. Ericaceous compost for Gardenia, Stephanotis and indoor Azaleas. Use specialist composts for Citrus, African Violets and Cacti. Houseplant feeds including Baby Bio and specialists

Useful Links

Chiltern Music Therapy

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An interview with John Marshal, expert in growing potatoes and Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner.

Potato varieties mentioned: 'Apache', 'Arran Pilot', 'Charlotte', 'Duke of York', 'Highland Burgundy Red', 'Maris Peer', 'Rocket', 'Salad Blue' and 'Swift'.

John's Desert Island Potatoes: Early variety 'Duke of York'; Second Early 'Pink Fir Apple' Main crop 'Maris Piper'.

Other plants mentioned: Scented Tobacco Plant - Nicotiana. Sweet Potatoes. Yacon.

Blight resistant varieties: Look out for the Hungarian bred Sarpo varieties including 'Sarpo Mira (main crop).

Christmas Potatoes - available from early July.

Products mentioned:

Vitax Potato Fertiliser

Potato Growing bags

Sulphate of Potash (High potash feed)

Tomorite Tomato Food

Our guest was potato expert and speaker John Marshall. You can request details of John's Tattie Talks tailored for gardening groups. John can be contacted by e-mail [email protected]

Love potatoes website

Chiltern Music Therapy

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Chris and Peter's first show, giving you a bit of background on who we are, our horticultural background and what to look forward to in our upcoming shows.

Eleagnus ebbingei

Antirrhinums

Pinks and Carnations (in store only)

Houseplants and Accessories

Orchid Products

Useful Links

Amateur Gardening magazine

Buckingham Nurseries

Chiltern Music Therapy

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