Sunday

How to make your plants flower for longer

I keep extolling the virtues of perennials for cut flowers but I noticed that the plants in the long border are rising up all at the same time.

Perennials are utterly brilliant. I weeded around the plants a few months ago, lifted and split a few that looked like they could do with it then left them well alone. The border looks brilliant right now with alchemilla mollis, echinops and asters verdant and about to flower; but I’m thinking that’s great for June, but what about late July and August? Every year that bed looks great now but then I cut it all back to await for another performance in September. If only I could manipulate the flowering to go on for longer.

So when I was watching the Chelsea Flower Show this week, I was reminded of a brilliant technique to prevent this hiatus and delay some of the flowers by 4-6 weeks.

Yes, you got it…