At last Summer has arrived! Even in Lancashire...
June is Allium month - the flowers seem to float above other plants in the border and their seed heads provide interest long after the flowers fade.
Gardening tips
At the end of May I went down to Essex to visit gardens in the driest county of the UK. At the time I thought the planting beautiful, but possibly not very relevant to us in Lancashire. But since my return this hot dry weather is just the conditions that the garden there have been developed to cope with. The Dry Garden at RHS Hyde Hall and Gravel Garden at Beth Chatto's Garden have been prepared and planted with species that will not need any additional watering. After the last couple of weeks of watering in my garden I wish mine was more like them! My gardening tips this month are about plants that thrive in dry, sunny conditions.
Nursery and Garden Visits
I visited RHS Harlow Carr near Harrogate recently and was very impressed with all the changes and improvements that have been made there during recent years. The new stream-side garden is getting established now and the Kitchen garden has plenty of inspiration for fruit and vegetable growers. The Plant Centre is well stocked and, if the weather isn't good, there's always Betty's Tearoom for a extra treat. Harlow Carr will be having its first Flower Show this weekend on 10th to 12th June - so go along and see for yourself.
If you're looking for more gardens to visit this month try the National Garden Scheme website, which lists private gardens that are open for charity. These are a great source of inspiration for what can be done in a small garden, and often have good quality plants for sale too.
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