You may also like<\/strong><\/p> Each week from February to midsummer we add plants to enrich and enliven schemes. Some, particularly perennials<\/a> and shrubs<\/a>, are planned, but others, such as the annuals<\/a>, are more instinctive. Hardy annuals can be sown directly <\/a>in their flowering site and then left to self-seed<\/a> in subsequent years. Alternatively, for more control, we sow some hardy annuals in a pan under glass in September to October and again in February to March.<\/p> For each of the ten Sissinghurst \u2018rooms\u2019 we have a palette of annuals I\u2019m happy to let run, simply weeding out the \u2018enthusiasm\u2019 of some, such as campions or poppies. Alongside firm favourites I like to try a few \u2018new to me\u2019. This year I\u2019m growing the Chinese forget-me-not<\/a>, Cynoglossum amabile <\/em>\u2018Firmament\u2019. I am hopeful its indigo-blue flowers on light-limbed chocolate-coloured stems will be a delight threaded through bearded irises<\/a>.<\/p> When growing clematis<\/a> against a wall, the best method of support is pig mesh, the sort of wire that has 15cm squares, secured to the wall. Even with the right support, however, it is still vital at the start of the season to guide the new shoots in the direction that you want, using \u2018twizzlers\u2019 (paper-covered wire). Without this early intervention they will wrap themselves into a knot. One of my favourites is Clematis tangutica.<\/em> A vigorous but never rampant clematis<\/a>, it clambers over everything, hanging its yellow flowers like tiny Chinese lanterns. These flowers mingle with the silky silvery seedheads<\/a> that Vita delightfully described as \u2018reminding her of Yorkshire terriers curled up into a ball.\u2019<\/p> Here’s how to prune clematis<\/a><\/p> Deadheading<\/a> is a weekly task during the flowering period. In the photo, right, I tackle striped Rosa<\/em> \u2018Honorine De Brabant\u2019 with yellow Rosa<\/em> \u2018Claire Jacquier\u2019 behind and surrounded by Rosa<\/em> \u2018William Lobb\u2019, the rare Rosa<\/em> \u2018Magenta\u2019 and an unknown pale-pink rose. We are lucky to have small teams of local volunteers who come in specifically to deadhead our roses. For every perfect bloom, there will be another two or three that have finished and will be unsightly unless removed.<\/p> Here’s more on myth-busting rose tips<\/a><\/p> We grow most of our biennials<\/a> in a large open bed west of the Rose Garden. We sow under glass from the end of May into June, depending on the year. However, there are subtle timing differences that matter \u2013 the first you should sow are sweet Williams, followed by foxgloves<\/a>, verbascum, wallflowers<\/a> and pansies last of all, perhaps as late as July. When they\u2019re large enough to handle, we prick out the seedlings into plug trays before lining them out in the biennial bed for summer. By the time we\u2019re ready to plant in the garden, usually late October, the majority have made good strong plants and will flower from April through to June the following year.<\/p> Pruning in any garden is essential, but especially in more compact gardens. Sissinghurst is a series of small garden \u2018rooms\u2019, so I find the sense of order, definition and scale that pruning injects invaluable. I\u2019m careful, however, to ensure that our pruning still allows the plant to grow beyond horticultural perfection. For me, the character of Sissinghurst is conveyed as much, if not more so, through the management of the plants, rather than the choice and distribution of them. So only prune what is necessary<\/a> and be sympathetic and sensitive to the plant\u2019s underlying character and form.<\/p> In 1949, Vita wrote of irises: \u2018No velvet can rival the richness of their falls; or, let us say, it is to velvet only that we may compare them.\u2019 Depending on the heaviness of your soil, flowering can become shy and so every three years or so we try to lift, divide and replant the entire group. Irises make their major root growth between July and September, so the best time to lift is immediately after flowering.<\/a> Break away and discard all but the fattest rhizomes and cut the foliage to a low arrow-shaped fan. These should be re-planted in prepared soil at about 30cm spacing.<\/p> Here’s more on caring for bearded irises<\/a><\/p>Seven key gardening jobs for summer<\/h2>
Add hardy annuals<\/h3>
Tie in clematis<\/h3>
![\"Tying](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/06\/GI-Sissinghurst-June-2023-520-Enhanced-NR-Edit_preview-edited-scaled.jpg\")
Deadhead roses<\/h3>
![\"Deadheading](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/06\/GI-Sissinghurst-June-2023-_802_preview-edited-scaled.jpg\")
Sow biennials<\/h3>
![\"In](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/06\/GI-Sissinghurst-June-2023-200v2_preview-scaled.jpg\")
Prune early flowering shrubs<\/h3>
Lifting and dividing bearded iris<\/h3>
![\"Troy](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/06\/GI-Sissinghurst-June-2023-690-Enhanced-NR-Edit_preview-1-edited-scaled.jpg\")