Moss is not our enemy

Sometimes we have to make a real conscious effort to change our preconceived ideas of how our gardens should look and how we manage our spaces. How we feel about moss is probably one of the biggest perceptions to conquer. For years we have been ‘fighting back against moss’ using ‘moss killers’ and ‘moss destroyers’ to rid this nuisance from our lawns. It’s a controversial subject, the products manufactured to kill moss [using chemicals like iron sulphate or even glyphosate] is a massive commercial business; not to mention the lawn care companies and gardeners out there trying to do the best for their clients…

Yet moss is an ancient plant that can filtrate pollution from the air, it is responsible for some of the oxygen we breathe today and it provides a diverse habitat for a range of microscopic animals and organisms. It can help prevent soil erosion as its water absorbing qualities can soak up to 20 to 30 times its weight [Sphagnums; hence the importance of going peat free] which slows down run off and at the same time filtrates the water.

Let’s just skip back to the microscopic animals and organisms as they are the creatures that pack a hard punch when it comes to the health of our environment. Nematodes, mites, tardigrades, rotifers and gastrotrichs are some of the names of these creatures that are found to inhabit moss [they are also prevalent in our soil too]. It is these tiny invertebrates that are crucial in fertilising the soil, taking out pollutants from the air and absorbing carbon. Innovative sustainable solutions harnessing the power of moss are even popping up in and around our cities to help reduce the pollutants in the air we breathe; see Green City Solutions . So why are we still pre-occupied with killing it? Because our lawns and borders look better without it?

The moss that grows in our lawns tell us that there is moisture, shade and the lawn grass is lacking vigour. In the UK we inhabit the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere which correlates to wetter weather, combine this with lower light levels during the winters it is not surprising that most lawns will break out in moss. We will always be ‘fighting back against moss’ as it happens to adore our natural climate.

As a grower at heart, choosing the right plant for the right place is the most logical solution in dealing with all sorts of ground condition scenarios. Damp, wet, even waterlogged areas in people’s gardens is rife here in the North West and there are many design and planting solutions that will be far more appropriate and sustainable than turf. Bog gardens, bio-swales, wet woodland areas and yes, moss lawns, could provide so much more interest, habitat and actually play a role in cleaning up our environmental mess.

I know we are all consumed by so many responsibilities and it’s difficult to look after everything. But this one is really easy to action. Resist buying those moss killers, try to reset your perception of moss and maybe enjoy watching the blackbird collecting this life-supporting plant to make its nest.

Salvia x jamensis Nachtvlinder | Plants for pollinators

I love things that have more of a purpose than just looking good and this plant has this in bucket loads. I first bumped into this plant during a garden visit to Wollerton Old Hall, drawn by its delicate, rich velvety blooms, I bought one. At the time I had no idea how adeptly bestowed this specimen was, until quite recently listening to a pod cast via Sarah Raven’s Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange.

I discovered a couple of years previously that planting this Salvia underneath roses was meant to be a good way to deter the dreaded black spot fungal infection. With a newly installed rose arch at the garden I maintain weekly and the year-old roses showing early signs of this disease I planted drifts of Nachtvlinder underneath to monitor its effectiveness. At the time I wasn’t sure what chemical aspects of the plant contributed to safeguarding against black spot…just that it was a good companion.

The podcast is very enlightening. To sum, it is believed that the scent make-up of this Saliva exudes sulphur which is a well-known fungicide used to treat black spot and other fungal infections in plants. In theory making this a super natural way to help keep our roses healthy. Some have very good results and swear by it. We may have planted slightly too late for it to have a massive effect, although the black spot hasn’t got any worse. For better results, it is recommended to plant the Salvias at the same time you plant the new roses.

The name Nachtvlinder translates to moth, night moth or night fly and usually Latin names tend to give us a clue as to something unique about the plant itself. We know it is an amazing plant for pollinators in general but the emphasis on potentially benefitting night time pollinators elevates this plant’s worthiness.

This particular Salvia is also hardy down to -15 so a good choice for our cold winters. This year we recorded -11 in Bolton so we definitely need to be careful in what we select for our gardens. If you do choose to grow this, leave all the foliage on as late as possible… and I mean late, do not trim back till at least the end of March/beginning of April and keep an eye on the forecast.

One last little icing on the cake to add… the petals of Nachtvlinder can be eaten. Use in salads and yes, sprinkle to decorate your home baked desserts.

Fruit trees, fungi & wildflowers

Once a week I happen to inhabit a beautiful two acre garden that I have had the privilege to design and maintain for the last eight years. You can have a glimpse at some images from past seasons here. I have always had a hands-on approach to my garden design business, from shadowing a landscaper in the early days and being involved in the up-keep of a range of garden types. Seventeen years in I still find this element of my job really useful and a great way to keep connected to the spaces that I am designing. There is a natural cycle to gardening work which I love, dictated by the seasons, the needs of the plants and the client’s dreams.

These past few weeks have focused on giving the orchard and wildflower meadow some tlc, to set it up for the new season. Fruit tree pruning is the first job to get underway, older trees still need to be opened up to allow air to circulate more freely around the branches and let more light through. I always tend to err on the side of caution and aim to take out just two or three substantial branches so as not to upset the balance and generate water shoots [they don’t bear fruit or very minimal whilst stealing all the plant’s energy]. Always starting with the classic three D’s, dead, damaged and diseased shoots come out first. Finally the tips are reduced to keep a check on its height. If you are looking for guidance on how to go about pruning your fruit trees check out the RHS advice.

A few year’s ago we discovered Honey Fungus marching its way from adjacent parkland to an old poplar stump. This explained the slow demise of some of the older, weaker apple trees in the orchard. Now there’s not a lot that can be done battling the deadly bootlaces of honey fungus but we are attempting to increase the resilience of the remaining trees in the hope they will remain strong enough to withstand an onslaught. Every year we add mycorrhizal fungi around the roots of the trees and add a fresh layer of home composted mulch. Mychorrhizal fungi are the goodies, they live in symbiosis with plant roots and help to improve the nutrient and water uptake of plants. Giving plants an extra boost nutrient wise should help them become more disease resistant. So far we have not lost any more than what we initially predicted …so watch this space.

We are also at a timely point to be able to add additional wildflowers into the orchard to increase the flower potential for this season. Leucanthemum vulgare freely self seeds in other areas of the garden so we have left them to grow on in situ to be able to re-position them now. In fact any wildflower that self seeds in the borders can be hoicked out and planted in a wilder patch in your garden space eg teasel, achilleas, corn flowers, poppies, burdock, ribwort plantain…

A gardening habit is a good habit

Some of the clients I meet often request a ‘low maintenance’ garden space because they lead busy lives, are juggling too many work/home commitments and are overwhelmed with how to manage their garden spaces. It has taken me a while to get my home gardening hacks fine tuned to relinquish more time to spend how I want it, albeit, doing more gardening at the plot …

I do see many gardens designed and landscaped with the obvious go-to ideas for a ‘low maintenance’ garden… smaller borders so less plants to worry about; less soil for weeds to take hold; raised beds for a more contained [and again smaller] border space; increased lawn and very often no lawn at all but artificial grass installed along with larger hard-landscaped patios. I’ve even seen plastic plants planted in front gardens.

Our gardens could be our saviour mentally, physically and environmentally and I do believe that doing some good old gardening is achievable even in our time-restricted lives. There are ways to help a garden become easier to manage without creating sterile or nature-deficient spaces. There are lots of informative tips out there to help the non-gardeners and time-restricted to be able to get hands on in their own space. Check out Laetitia Maklouf’s five minute garden approach.

We all know that spending time outside, including in our gardens, really is good for us. It does improve our mental health, it can keep us active, connect us to nature, give us a sense of achievement, responsibility, teach commitment and patience. Ten [or five] minutes weeding the border or clipping the hedge can sneakily put us outdoors amidst something natural. I love that.

Good gardening also happens to be beneficial for our planet too. Creating spaces in our back yards that seek to enhance local wildlife by creating different habitats is something a lot of us have the opportunity to do… and we can still integrate our outdoor dining areas to be able to relax, eat and cook alfresco if we want to do so.

If you are lucky enough to be able to have a look at re-doing aspects of your garden then do think about the following ideas to help keep maintenance down but also keeping/creating habitats for a range of pollinating insects and birds.

1. Reduce your mowing. Imagine a mown circle within your lawn area. Everyone loves a circle. It will create a crisp contrast to the longer un-mown areas so will still create an illusion of 'neatness’ within an albeit wilder outer. You can also mow a pathway to the circle if you have a more rectangular or mis-shapen lawn. Mow a pathway around the outer so you can access your borders too. If you have the budget you could think about replacing those un-mown parts with wildflower seed or turf [latter gives you quicker results and less initial maintenance].

2. Reduce your lawn. Caring for your lawn is actually very time consuming and costly… especially if you add in all the ‘traditional’ maintenance aspects such as fertilisers, moss killers, aeration, scarifying, over seeding and regular edging to keep it looking pristine. Biodiversity wise they are not that great either so reducing your lawn area could work for you.

3. Gravel garden. Replacing some of your lawn [for example] with a gravel garden will help to increase the biodiversity of your space. You will be replacing a monoculture with a much diverser range of plants and you will be reducing your weeding by covering an expanse of bare soil. Do plant lots of small shrubs, perennials and grasses.

4. Groundcover and perennial plants. The more plants in a border the more chance you have of covering your soil to a point where little or no weeds will take hold. This is the approach I take with my own garden. Groundcover plants are really useful as they will provide dense growth that will spread. Try Persicaria affinis, Epimediums, hardy geraniums [go for the longer flowering varieties like Rozanne or Dreamland for a not so vigorous option] and Betonica officinalis ['Hummelo' is one I use often].

5. Steel edging. These are simple to install and really do help to keep your lawn separate from your borders. They are positioned so the edge is flush to the lawn so that a lawn mower can go over and help to reduce the time you need to keep your edges trimmed.

Agastache Blue Fortune | Plants for pollinators

There is always opportunity to hone good habits and learning to let go of our clinical, neat-freak nature in our gardens is one we need to master. We all need to plant more for the pollinators and we all need to resist the big perennial chop till as late as we can push it. Agastache Blue Fortune is a regular on my planting palettes, not only for its attraction to pollinators but for its long lasting seed heads which, I have recently observed, provide a winter snack for passing Goldfinches.

Agastache will flower for four months [July - Oct]. The flowers will then fade to a beige/blonde and will give you structural interest for another four months. That’s a whopping eight months of flower power and structural performance.

Leave the secateurs, in fact lock them away, till at least mid-March or even later would be better as the finches will miss out on free seed if they end up in your compost too soon.

It’s a versatile plant, flowers can be cut for the vase lasting easily a week in water with a bit of conditioner. Foilage has a lovely liquorice aroma too.

• Needs sun and moist but free draining soil to thrive. If it is happy in its place it will self seed so you will never be without and can pass around and share the spare with your friends.

• There are other varieties that are equally good looking and have the endurance for providing long flowering/stem interest. Look out for ‘Blackadder’ and ‘Blue Boa’.