Gardening advice from Charlie Dimmock

Charlie Dimmock of Ground Force fame is making her QVC debut this weekend in our Summer Garden with Charlie Dimmock shows. We caught up with her to chat about growing her own veg, ponds and getting the giggles...

What's your own garden like?

It's quite cottage-like - my front garden is totally chaotic and everybody turns up and goes 'Oh, what a mess!" but I've left it like that for the wildlife.

You don't want to be too tidy in your garden, have one or two areas where you just let things happen - then you'll have more wildlife and less pests.

In my back garden I've got a pond with a little waterfall. It's very cottagey so I've got lots of poppies, corn cockles and roses, lilies, clematis and a few bedding plants. And then I've got quite a big vegetable patch.

Enhance your garden with tips from Colin Crosbie

Here's the second part of our interview with gardening expert Colin Crosbie from the Royal Horticultural Society. You can read more gardening advice from Colin in our first RHS interview. 

How can people recreate the look of wild planting in their own gardens?

The term 'wild' is often misused. What people are trying to copy is naturalistic planting.

Naturalistic planting is where plants are placed in 'drifts' of about 5 plants in a group. These drifts merge into one another, mixing flower, foliage and texture. 

Plants often used in naturalistic planting include grasses, Echinacea and Eryngium. In shady positions, go for ferns, Hosta and Hellebores for a natural feel.

Remember: Planting can appear very disjointed if you plant in ones or twos.

Gardening advice from RHS expert Colin Crosbie

As part of our partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, we met up with RHS expert Colin Crosbie to get his professional gardening advice. Here's the first part of our interview with Colin...

What are your tips for growing vegetables?

Make sure you know your soil, and choose the right vegetable for that soil. If you're just starting out, try some of the less difficult crops, like potatoes, beetroot, peas, radishes and lettuce.

It's possible to grow many vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, peppers, small varieties of carrots, lettuces) in containers or grow bags. You can also get a very good crop of strawberries by growing them in a grow bag.
 
The most important thing is to have fun - don't worry if you have one or two disappointments. The flavour of the vegetables you grow will be absolutely wonderful, and you'll get your vegetables at the peak of perfection.

Adam explains the plant choices for the QVC Garden

Hi everyone,

One of my biggest aims for the QVC Garden at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show is to make it simple enough so that you can recreate in your own gardens the parts of it you like.

Have a look at this short video clip to learn more about the plants I'm using in the garden.

Plants and flowers in the QVC Garden

If you're interested, here's the QVC Garden's full planting list.

Happy gardening,

Adam

View our Garden & DIY selection

Super poppies FAQs

Grow your super poppies collection to its full potential with a little help from our FAQs...

What will I receive?
The super poppies will arrive as plug plants, one each of:

- Super poppy Snow Goose
- Super poppy Shasta
- Super poppy Alpha Centauri
- Super poppy Medallion
- Brand new Super poppy Heartbeat

If you order our Buy More Save More option, you'll receive two plug plants of each variety.

How big does each poppy grow?
These beautiful perennial poppies will reach a mature height of around 45cm - 75cm (18" - 30"). 

Are super poppies perennial?
Yes, they'll come back year after year. In the late summer the plant will form a cluster of new leaves at the base of the stem. You should leave these over the winter to protect the roots from frost. In the spring remove the damaged leaves and the new growth will quickly arrive.

How long will my super poppies flower for?
These varieties are repeat flowering so you'll get blooms twice a year! The first flowering is around May and the second around September. A mature plant is even likely to give a third flush of flowers.

Tree lily FAQs

Grow your tree lily collection to its full potential with help from our FAQs...

What will I receive?
You'll receive nine bulbs in three varieties: Satisfaction, Garden Pleasure and Lavon. 

How big does each tree lily grow to?
These tree-like shrubs will put on a lot of growth in just three years, reaching a mature height of up to 250cm (98"). Here's their rate of growth:

• Year 1: 90cm - 120cm (35" - 47")

• Year 2: 150cm - 180cm (59" - 71")

• Year 3: 180cm - 250cm (71" - 98")

Are tree lilies perennial?
Yes, they'll come back year after year.

How long will my tree lilies flower for?
They'll bloom from July through to September.

Giant begonia FAQs

Get the most from your giant begonias with a little help from our FAQs...

What will I receive?
You'll receive 14 extra-large tubers in the following colours: white, yellow, copper, salmon, orange, pink and red.

How big does each begonia grow to?
The begonias will grow up to 30cm (12") in height and the blooms will reach up to 15cm (6") across.

Are begonias perennial?
You can lift your begonia tubers, place them in dry peat, and keep them in a cool, dry, frost-free position over winter. Restart your tubers into growth the following March.
 
How long will my begonias flower for?
They'll flower from June through to October.

Sweet pea FAQs

Grow your aromatic sweet peas to their full potential with a little help from our FAQs... 

What will I receive?
The collection contains six multi-sown plugs (right) and a minimum of twenty seedlings in total. We’d recommend planting three multi-sown plugs in each basket, which provides at least ten seedlings per basket.

How big does each sweet pea plant grow to?
Each individual seedling will grow to about 15cm (6") in height and have a spread of 30cm - 46cm (12” - 18”). If you plant three plugs per basket, the display will reach about 15cm (6") in height and around 60cm (24") in width.
 
How many blooms are there per plant?
You'll enjoy literally hundreds of scented blooms per basket.

Are sweet peas perennial? 
No, sweet peas are hardy annuals.   

How long will my sweet peas flower for?
They'll flower for 4 - 6 weeks from the time you receive them up until the autumn. 

Can you plant them outside straight away?
Your sweet peas will be despatched to you, complete with the baskets, in the week starting Monday 9th March 2009. Although sweet peas are hardy, the baskets are best planted up as soon as you receive them and then kept in a light, frost-free environment for up to six weeks before putting outside. Alternatively, plant your sweet peas outside and use a fleece to protect them from any frosts until they're established.

Using poetry in the QVC Garden

Hi everyone, Adam here.

As you might have picked up from reading my earlier blogs, the theme of this year's QVC Chelsea garden is creating a space for two people to enjoy together. One of the ways I want to do this is using poems. 

The garden features stone walls along the the sides, and parts of these walls will be engraved with extracts from poems.

The idea is she sends a poem to him, and he responds with a poem to her. The poems are a secret until the garden is finished. I've chosen extracts from Wordsworth, Keats, Yeats and Tennyson, and as well as building on the themes of the garden, it's done to make me look slightly more intelligent than I actually am!

Have you ever thought of bringing poetry into your garden? Adding pieces of art that you like into your garden, whether sculpture, ornaments, poetry or mosaics, is a great way to make a garden your own.

Adam

Read more about the QVC Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009.

Giant tree peony FAQs

To help you get the best out of our stunning tree peonies we've put together some useful FAQs...

What will I receive? You'll get three bare roots in the following varieties: white Xue Ta, pink Rou Fu Ronge and red Hya Wang.

What size do tree peonies grow to? About 1.5m (5ft) in height.

How many blooms per plant? A mature plant can produce more than one hundred flowers.

How long will the blooms last for? The flowers will last for 3-4 weeks depending on the weather. When in bud, tree peonies create a colourful lollypop effect as they're perfectly round and the size of golf balls. The buds may stay on the plant for months. During winter, the leaves on the new-growth buds are bright pink in colour.

Are tree peonies perennial? Yes, they'll come back year after year.

Can I plant them outside straight away? You can plant bare root tree peonies during winter and early spring if the soil is unfrozen.

Where shall I plant my tree peonies? We'd recommend planting your tree peonies into borders or containers. They need plenty of space to grow, so don’t crowd them with other plants. You'll find your tree peonies extremely hardy and they'll survive in both sun and shade. However, avoid completely exposed situations where petals could blow away quickly and shorten the life of the flowers.