Simplify container care

We all like a simple life and since containers are perfect for small gardens how can you make care of them easy? If you want your containers to work for you the first step is to choose a container that is attractive in its own right and one that can make a feature of itself even if it is unplanted. A large deep colourful container would do the job perfectly.

If you choose a terracotta pot, line it with polythene pierced with a drainage hole. This will help moisture stay in the pot. Another aid to reducing watering is to use a good container compost, many come with added moisture retaining gels and slow release fertilisers which means that your plants will be fed too! For further advice and ideas why not visit your local garden centre like St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter? (Sidmouth Road and Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, Devon, UK).

Companion planting

Everyone needs a companion and plants are no exception!

When growing vegetables there are a number of companion plants that are a sound way to improve soil quality, reduce pests and diseases and complement their partners.

Simply intersperse rows of vegetables with helpful herbs.

For example...

Peppers grow well with basil (they taste nice together too)!

Celery grows well wioth tomatoes

Brassicas grow well with nasturtiums, onions, garlic and potatoes.

Tomatoes grow well with asparagus, basil, carrots and brassicas.

Runner beans grow well with sweetcorn!

Be aware that there are also some bad matches such as, broad beans do badly with onions and garlic, potatoes do badly near tomatoes and runner beans and beetroot aren't friends either!

For vegetable plants and seeds to grow in your garden, go to a garden centre like St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum Touring Exhibition: Global Gardeners
This fascinating exhibition charts the adventures of intrepid plant hunters of the Exeter and Chelsea firm of Veitch & Sons
Date: 24 May to 29 June
Time: Mon-Sat 8-5.30, Sundays 10.30 -4.30, Bank Holidays 9-5
Venue: St Bridget Nurseries, Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, UK, EX2 7JY

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Veitch & Sons sent fearless plant hunters all over the world to collect new species of plants. As well as the plants they collected the travellers also brought back objects as souvenirs from the countries they visited. The Veitch family donated many of these items to The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in the 1880s and they now form part of the Museum's World Cultures collection. These items provide a fascinating link between plants, collecting and empire.
Visit the touring exhibition to gain a better understanding of the influence of Veitch & Sons plant collectors on our planted environment.
St Bridget Nurseries acquired the famous Exeter nursery of Robert Veitch & Son in 1969 when failing health obliged the late Mildred Veitch to sell the business. For many years the nursery was run separately but it is now a subsidiary of St. Bridget Nurseries. A family firm with its third and fourth generations in the business, St Bridget Nurseries will always strive to ensure that the wonderful contribution made to horticulture by the firm of Veitch & Sons will never be forgotten.

Preview the exhibition at St Bridget Nurseries, Old Rydon Lane, before it opens to the public.
Join Veitch specialist and horticulturalist, Caradoc Doy, in a walk around our Nursery and see some of the plant varieties introduced by Veitch & Sons.
After a finger buffet in the Plantsman's café hear Tony Eccles, RAMM's Curator of Ethnography, talk about Victorian souvenir collecting featuring the souvenirs collected by the Veitch plant hunters.
Date: Friday 23rd May, 6pm
Tickets: £5 (inc buffet), must be purchased in advance.
Call 01392 873672 for tickets.

Indoor Plants

As outdoor temperatures rise, now is a good time to move conservatory plants, such as Cymbidium, Ficus and Citrus plants outdoors but bring back inside if cold nights are expected.

While you are tending to your indoor plants, clean shiny leaved plants. Many garden centres like St Bridget Nurseries sell leaf shine wipes, they help clear the leaf surface of dust and therefore allow the plants to 'breathe'!

In the conservatory, continue to prick out and pot on new seedlings and cuttings you have grown. May is a busy month for gardening!

Pest and Diseases

Now is a good time to get on top of Pests and Diseases that will start to flourish in the warmer weather.

Pinch out the tips of broad beans once they start to flower. This helps to discourage blackfly, which otherwise can decimate tender new growth. Also keep an eye on brassicas and other vegetables, which pigeons love to destroy! Cloches, frames of netting or fleece and similar covers will help to keep them away from vulnerable crops. Finally check roses for signs of blackspot, aphids (shown above on an Aquielgia leaf) and leaf-rolling sawfly damage.