Gardening tips for August

The Collector Earl’s Garden is so vibrant you may well think you have been cast back into an era of flower power and travel as you make your way past the subtropical hot borders with Canna iridiflora (Giant Canna lily); Crocosmia – Lucifer; Dahlias - Bishop of Llandaff and David Howard; Monarda – Garden View Scarlet; Helenium – Moerheim Beauty and Musa basjoo (bananas) to name but a few!

In the tubs you will find our bright Canna striata (variegated Canna lily) by our new labyrinth and stone circle.

After the Collector Earl’s Garden continue through to the soft English herbaceous borders were you will see a wide range of Cosmos; Dahlias – Swan Lake; Phyostegia – Virginia; Sidalcea – Elsie Hugh and Salvias. Along side the Vinehouse you will see the most striking row of Agapanthus lilies, that run through to the organic kitchen garden, which is full of fruit and vegetables being harvested by our busy garden team, ready to go up to the castle.

Seed Collecting - Like any garden it is an ongoing circle of life, we have starting collecting some of our most wanted seeds for next year.

We are often asked “When do I collect the seeds”? Our answer to this is: “As soon as your seed head dries out, is the best time to collect”.

Here are a few seed collecting tips:

You will need a supply of brown paper bags or envelopes for this task and a good pair secateurs or sharp scissors. Some seed heads you can tie the bag over the head and then just shake the seeds into the bag (i.e. poppies etc.

Others, like our Salvia Horminum seeds, are sticky and a little more time consuming as one needs to carefully remove the tiny seeds from the husks.

Try to collect whilst it is a dry day (around noon when it is at its hottest).

It is always good to mark the plant you want to collect the seeds from prior to it going to seed, to ensure you collect the correct seed.

For example if you have a number of different poppies in a border label or mark the ones you want the seeds from, this ensures you collect the right ones.

A few tips from the castle garden team in general:

Sow early carrots, peas, turnips, baby spinach leaves, cabbages.

Look at your hedges (especially beech, hornbeam and leylandi) and get ready to clip them towards the end of the month.

Cut suitable flowers for drying.

Remember to continue to pick your fruit, prepare for the freezer, or make into jam etc…

Continue to deadhead your roses and flowering plants and cut back your perennials.

Order your spring bulbs for autumn planting

Happy Gardening!

Visit: www.arundelcastle.org for full details on the castle, gardens and festival events.

Martin Duncan - Head Gardener Arundel Castle