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Gunneras, cannas, dahlias, echiums, agaves and bananas are all bold, dramatic plants that can have an amazing visual effect capable of completely changing the look of a garden. Monty has fallen in love with Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, the Abyssinian banana, but before being tempted to go tropical, there are a couple of things you need to consider. First, have a think about what your own garden looks like and how the new plant will sit in it. These plants can often be large and very dramatic and the key is to make sure they enhance rather than dominate. Linking several of these plants can then create a theme and change the look of a whole garden. Monty has chosen the purple-leaved Ensete because it links with the other purple foliage that is so key to the Jewel Garden.

The other thing to consider is winter protection. Read up on what each plant needs to get through our cold, wet winters. This will also depend hugely on where you live and the microclimate of your own individual garden. Some plants can be Ìýwrapped and left in situ, while others need to be lifted and stored somewhere frost-free. The banana Monty planted falls into the latter category.Ìý

(rhs.org.uk)

Kilver Court
Kilver Street
Shepton Mallet
Somerset
BA4 5NF
Tel. 01749 340410

The gardens at Kilver Court are open all year round and if you’re a member of the RHS, you can get in free from January to April and from October to December. For more details, please click on the link below.

(www.kilvercourt.com/secret-gardens)

Downderry Nursery
Pillar Box Lane
Hadlow
Tonbridge
Kent
TN11 9SW
Tel. 01732 810081
Ìý
Carol Klein met Dr Simon Charlesworth at his nursery in Kent where he’s been growing lavender since 1997. Simon has collected cultivars from across the UK, Europe, USA and New Zealand.Ìý

(www.downderry-nursery.co.uk)

To ensure that you always have fresh, young strawberry plants now is a great time to propagate new ones. Using a bent piece of wire, peg down a runner either straight into the ground or into a pot of compost. Then water and leave until rooted. It usually takes three or four weeks, by which time the new plant can be severed from its parent and grown on.

(www.rhs.org.uk)

To prolong the flowering period of your buddlejas, simply deadhead the faded blooms as they appear, cutting back to a side-shoot. This will encourage the plant to produce more flowers which will then attract more bees and butterflies into the garden right into autumn.

(www.rhs.org.uk)

To speed up the ripening of the fruit on tomato plants, it’s worth removing the lower leaves on all of your cordon plants. This lets the sunlight get directly onto the fruit, as well as improving air flow which will reduce the risk of blight.Ìý

(www.rhs.org.uk)