Garden Answers June 2023

As our contributor Greg Loades says in the ‘what do to this month’ pages this issue, June is perhaps the finest month in the garden. So many plants are at their peak. It’s also the month I associate with roses, when many forms – whether they are repeat flowering or not – reach their fragrant and floriferous peak. And what better planting companion can there be for roses than nepeta? These fragrant perennials billow softly around shrubby roses, filling in any empty spaces perfectly. It’s our must have plant on p28, and Sue Fisher explores the many varieties now available. I’ve always grown quite long and lax forms that spill over path edges in my garden, but if you want one that’s more upright and neater, there are plenty to…

1Hybrid musk rose ‘Pink Prosperity’ has a wonderful spicy sweet perfume. It opens pink and grows paler as it expands. H1.5m (5ft), S1m (3ft 3in). 2Even repeat flowering roses need a helping hand later in summer, so plant tall flowering perennials among them, like this Thalictrum flavum glaucum. H1.5m (5ft), S40cm (16in). 3Classic rose ‘Iceberg’ has been a garden favourite for decades, loved for its abundant snowy blooms. H1.1m (3½ ft), S1m (3ft 3in).…

`Patio project BURNISHED BEAUTY Subtle shades of burnished bronze and gold give this extra-large container a sultry and sophisticated air. A base of spreading foliage in contrasting forms is created by combining silver Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum pictum ‘Silver Falls’) with foamy Alchemilla mollis and creeping, wiry stemmed Muehlenbeckia complexa. From this, the deep bronze sprays of angelica leaves emerge, topped with a froth of coppery golden foxglove ‘Goldcrest’ flowers. A white-blooming thalictrum adds touches of light among the mixture and its finely cut foliage also adds pretty texture.…

Two annual national garden competitions are being held again in 2023 where you can vote for your favourite UK gardens. Voting for the RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2023 has opened. Visitors once again have a chance to name their top ‘Feel Good Garden’ out of more than 220 gardens. Thousands of votes were cast in 2022, when Nant y Bedd garden in Monmouthshire was crowned winner. Votes can be cast on the RHS website until September 29, 2023 and visitors can choose their favourite garden from one of the following six regions: Midlands and East Anglia; North and Northern Ireland; Overseas; Scotland; South East and Channel Islands; and South West and Wales. All voters will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to…

Garden gauntlet gloves £30.99 Protective thorn-proof elbow-length gloves by Tumaliahia. manomano.co.uk Rose secateurs £26.50 Sophie Allport wooden handle with steel blade and rose motive engraving. sophieallport. com Patio Rose £29 compact rose bush in a 40cm tall 3L pot. plants4presents. co.uk Pink watering can £32.99 Detachable watering rose, holds up to 3.5L. wayfair.co.uk Rose garden metal spike £11 Made of sheet steel and hand-painted finish. H64cm (25in) blackcountry metalworks.co.uk Rose obelisk £59.99 Zest Outdoor Living FSC-certified hardwood. charlies.co.uk Barrington Rose Arch £178 Made from raw metal H235cm, W145cm, D40cm naken.co.uk Mycorrhizal fungi £3.95 Helps create better root systems for more blooms. davidaustin roses.co.uk Rose plant feed £4.95 Slow-release spring and summer feed. diy.com…

Be inspired by... ‘Drift Popcorn’ Drift roses are easy-maintenance border roses with long-stemmed flowers on low-growing plants. ‘Popcorn’ is a buttery yellow. H50cm (20in), S75cm (21/2ft) £10.99/9cm potted plant, Marshalls Garden marshallsgarden.com ‘Peach Melba’ Designated Rose of the Year 2023, this disease-resistant climber produces prolific clusters of peach and pink double flowers with a subtle perfume. H2m (61/2ft), S1.5m (5ft) £32.99/4L potted plant, Crocus crocus.co.uk Rosa ‘New Imagine’ Floribunda rose covered in large, double and semi-double burgundy blooms streaked with cream and white. H90cm (3ft), S60cm (2ft) £19.99/5L potted plant, Harkness Roses roses.co.uk ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ Repeat-flowering cupped scented orange-yellow blooms pale to apricot. H1.2m (4ft), 1.1m (31/2ft) £33.50/potted plant David Austin Roses; davidaustinroses.co.uk ‘Dame Deborah James’ Repeat-flowering bush rose with white blooms tinged pink, named in honour of the…