VALLEY GARDENING he mos


c imbers I


conrainers


F you need height and colour on your patio and you have a couple of large pots to hand, there's still time to plant


a mixture of climbers to cover an obelisk or wigwam this summer to provide you with a riot of colour. Sweet peas are the most obvious choice


and are still available in garden centres. Just ■ a small pot of them should give you enough plants to cover canes or other supports and when they flower you should cut them regu­ larly to give you the same scent and colour Indoors as you'll have outside. With sweet peas, the more you pick, the


more prolific the flowering will become. Don't let them run to seed or the plant takes that as an Indicator that flowering is over and will stop producing more blooms. Some clematis work really well in pots and


good garden centres can recommend suitable types for the size of the pot and the area you have to cover. Clematis which build up a framework of branches, such as the early and mid-season hybrids, are the easiest to train, but take note of the height they'li reach - before investing. Good specimens for pots include C. "The


ASTRANTIAS


President", which has deep purple blue flow­ ers from late spring to early autumn, growing


SWEET PEAS to 3m. (lOft) a.nd C. "Edith", which bears large


■ white flowers and deep red anthers, growing to 2m. (6ft).


Some climbing annuals can provide a blaze


of colour during the summer months, includ­ ing black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata), which is perennial in its native Africa, but an ■ annual here. Its stems wrap around supports to reach 2.5m. (8ft) and it produces pretty yellow or orange flowers with a chocolate eye from summer through to autumn. Put it in a sheltered spot, shaded from the hottest sun. if you have a sunny corner and you want a


tropical feel to your patio, invest in the canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum), which produces bright yellow flowers with large upper petals that look like a bird's wings, it will flower all summer and can reach up to 4m. (13ft) tall. Of course, no obelisk would be complete


without nasturtiums, those sizzling flowers in shades of acid yellow, orange and red, which can ideally be placed near the kitchen so you can add the peppery leaves and flowers to salads. Look for the climbing varieties such as T. majus "Jewel of Africa" and T. majus "Tall Single Mixed" to give you columns of colour all summer long. Other climbers which are ideal for contain­


ers include Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor), a half-hardy annual with large, trumpet­ shaped flowers in blue or purple which will reach 1.5m. (5ft) in a pot. Clematis "Evening Star" and "Kingfisher", as well as Trach- elospermum jasminoides "Variegatum", one of the best scented white climbers, which bears showers of starry white flowers which • turn cream as they age. When choosing a climber for the patio, se­


HANSON Ga rd e n C e n t r e


lect a container at least 45cm. (18in) deep and wide. Plants always to better in larger pots. Bear in mind that one container thoughtfully positioned can serve as a focal point. It you want more than one pot, plant matching or toning plants in containers grouped around it, but not masking the climber itself. Make sure the grouped pots are similar in style and colour.


O Best of the bunch - astrantia These dainty-looking perennials, with basal


clumps of divided foliage topped with small flowers, often whitish-green or bluish-pink, grow to 60cm. (24in), an ideal height for the ' middle of a border. They're extremely easy to


WHITE CLEMATIS VINE '


grow in any soil in either sun or partial shade. Astrantias have soft, subtle colours which fit into most colour schemes. A. major "Sun- ningdale Variegated" contrasts well with the purple foliage of Viola labradorica in spring, while its white flowers make a cool compan­


ion against sizzling red crocosmias. Other good varieties include A. major involucrata "Shaggy", which has white flowers with a collar of long petals, A. major "Rubra" with plum-coloured flowers and A. major "Claret", one of the darkest-flowered astrantias, with deep, ruby red pincushion-like flowers with a ruff of longer bracts than many other varie­ ties. Although it is an old cottage-garden favourite, this astrantia works equally well in contemporary-style plantings. Add plenty of organic matter to the soil before planting and don't let them dry out. • Good enough to eat - broad beans (Vica


faba) If you sowed broad bean seeds in Febru­


ary or last autumn, your first crops should be ready this month and are delicious popped into pasta or risotto dishes, or lightly steamed. They are best harvested young, when slightly smaller than a kidney bean. Once the pods grow bigger, the beans inside swell and develop a leathery, unpalatable skin, so pick them early. They need a sunny, sheltered spot, in soil


with plenty of added organic matter, and you can make successional sowings between early and late spring for a prolonged harvest. Plants will need supporting (although you can buy dwarf varieties) and when young beans, appear at the base of the plant, pinch out the growing tips to focus the beans' energy on pod formation. ■ They don't need watering before the flow­


ers appear but keep the weeds down by regu­ lar hoeing and give them a good soak once a week if it's dry, when the flowers appear to improve the quality of the crop.


‘ Harvest the beans, taking pods from the base of the plant and working up. Use scissors or secateurs to snip them off or you may dam­ age the plants. Good varieties include "Aquadulce Clau­


dia", "Red Epicure", which produces red beans, and "The Sutton", a bushy dwarf type reaching only 60cm. (2ft), producing lots of pods containing white beans.


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