Going to great heights

Margaret Griffin

 

While formal gardens thrive on order and well-defined spaces, cottage gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers that form a kaleidoscope of hues and textures.

The cottage garden style is relaxed, colourful, and fragrant. Small cottage gardens can visually double in size by adding height with the correct plants.

Last week’s article was all about lavender, sugar rush and aquilegias and this week, it it about lupins and senetti.

 

Lupins are one of the quintessential cottage garden plants, adding height and majesty to any border. They are hardy, easy to grow and come in a huge range of colours. Lupins are a wonderful flower that provides colour and scent to most gardens, while also attracting bees.

Perfect for flower borders and beds, Lupins can grow up to three-four feet in height, meaning they provide great stalks of colour in even the greenest of gardens. Lupins love well drained soil.

I love them in containers and pot. Dead-head by cutting out the complete flower stem and you will get your lupins flowering until August!

The brilliant flowers of Senetti are very eye-catching in our garden centre at this time of year. These are large daisy-type flowers in shades of violet, and magenta. The colours are very intense and some plants have a white band that creates a strong contrast. There is no mistaking this plant, it is very distinctive.

Take great care when you water your pots at this time of year. Mornings and afternoons can get very cold, so I suggest midday watering and take the cold out of the water.

 

As will anything flowering, dead heading is essential. Don't make a big thing of this. I find it's best to dead head every time you see a withered flower. The golden rule being - dead head as you pass your pots. Once you get in to this routine, it's no bother!

The slug club is on this Saturday 13 April at 3pm. This is Cork’s coolest kids club! For full details, go to griffinsgardencentre.ie or call Griffins Garden Centre in Dripsey on 021-7334286.