Gardeners are being urged to purchase two specific types of plants from nurseries immediately, though experts advise delaying planting to avoid potential damage from a late cold spell.
Expert Advice From Joe Swift
Gardeners' World presenter Joe Swift has shared his expert gardening tips, recommending that now is the ideal time to buy tender annuals and herbs. However, he cautions against planting them outdoors just yet due to the possibility of a cold snap.
Writing in The Times, Swift stated: 'Buy them from the garden centre and nurseries now but, depending where you live, perhaps don't plant out for another two weeks. If you do, watch out for a cold snap.'
Tender Annuals: Great Value Choices
Swift highlights that annuals are typically sold in pots or strips. Climbers such as sweet peas, morning glory, Spanish flag, and black-eyed Susans represent 'great value' options. Some varieties can grow up to three or four metres in height and will continue flowering throughout the summer months. These plants are also excellent for borders lacking height.
He advises: 'For borders that lack height, consider making a wigwam from bamboo or hazel canes - push them into the soil and tie them together at the top, then grow a climber or two over.'
Hardy Plants Ready for Immediate Planting
Swift notes that hardy and tender annual flowers, including cosmos, nicotiana, snapdragons, nigellas, and poached egg plants, can be planted straight away. The same applies to annual herbs like basil and coriander, as well as hardier herbs such as mint and chives.
Many plants are simultaneously ornamental and tasty. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) confirms that fresh herbs are easy to grow and provide an additional flavour boost to meals after harvest.
Herb Cultivation Tips
The RHS advises that herbs should be cultivated in full sunlight with abundant light, alongside well-drained yet moisture-retentive soil. Seeds for plants such as coriander and dill should be sown fortnightly throughout spring and summer.
Gardeners are encouraged to cultivate multiple herbs with varying maturation periods to maintain productive herb gardens. Herbs including chives, mint, parsley, and tarragon should be raised outdoors before being transferred inside for winter.
Container Gardening and Protection
Robust herbs like mint and sage require potting in larger vessels. Gardeners with restricted space can utilise a grow bag. Additionally, herbs planted during spring can be sown beneath cloches and frames, according to the RHS.
Alternatively, gardeners can sow trays within a greenhouse, conservatory, or on a sunny windowsill, which will be prepared for planting once the soil temperature rises. Certain herbs including lavender, sage, thyme, and rosemary can fall prey to the rosemary beetle. Young seedlings may also require protection from birds, slugs, and snails. Herbs like dill and basil struggle under crowded conditions.
