wildflowers – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Pat’s 10 jobs for May 2025

1. Border irises are really doing their thing now and the show can be brief but make sure to keep the soil around their roots free of weeds so their rhizomes can bake a bit in the sun.

2. Time to Chelsea chop your tall perennials to stop them flopping later or to extend flowering. Good candidates are Phlox, Penstemon, Helianthus, Sedum/Hylotelephium – and I include vigorous Clematis too. You can either do the whole plant at once or just some stems to extend flowering, although it may result in smaller flowers.

3. Deadhead displays of pot plants like Violas to keep them flowering and stop them going to seed. Remember to give them a feed to keep the display going.

Hylotelephium telephium 'Touchdown Teak'

Arundel Castle Gardens

I visited Arundel Castle last week with my son and grandson who spent too long in the castle leaving little time for me to see the gardens. The castle is set in over 40 acres of verdant grounds and within that are the formal gardens in a Jacobean style comprising a domed pergola covered in hornbeam, temples, cascading fountains and obelisks. There is also a stumpery, some very colourful herbaceous borders and a wildflower gardens. I just wish I had more time.

Cascading fountains at Arundel Castle Gardens

There are two huge Victorian glasshouses, one housing a collection of pelargoniums and another for more tender vegetables in the kitchen gardens. The box parterre was in very good condition with little damage from box moth or blight and had in its midst some lovely healthy looking dahlias. Some of the huge pots housed tender perennials in quite a formal style in what must be a very sheltered spot. I understand that the garden underwent a renewal when the current head gardener arrived and surrounded the lawns with a tropical border based on work he had done in gardens in Bermuda. They also have a tulip festival in the spring which a friend of mine went to and said was spectacular. It certainly packs a punch and if you find yourself in the vicinity of Arundel it is definitely worth a visit but make sure to give yourself time to see it all.

Pat K

East Greenwich Pleasaunce wildflowers

EGP volunteers have laid 40m of wildflower turf all along the west side under the lime trees, so we can look forward to a wonderful display next year. RBG gardeners kindly weeded all the Alkanet plants out of the border, and three pallets of wildflower turf was donated by a local developer. Fingers crossed now!

Go wild gardening

CABAHS Committee member Paula, reminds us that even the smallest urban garden can attract and help wildlife. She suggests you can select a small space in a patch of lawn to sow wild flowers as well as well-known plants. Plants such as Echinacea, Foxgloves, Hollyhocks and Lavender – there is a huge choice to pick from, or how about letting the grass grow and think of the time you will save in not mowing! It will attract insects, bees and who knows what else will show up. Check out the RHS tips for creating a wildlife garden

Has your ‘wild bit’ attracted any unusual wildlife? Let us know!