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11:14am Saturday 12th July 2008

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Gina Parkinson enjoys a self-seeding common garden plant that glistens in the rain.

THIS summer already seems to have been too wet. It is easy to fall into grumbles when a glance out of the window shows that once again the rain has begun.

Still, some plants love these warm, damp days and look beguiling after a summer shower. I am thinking especially of a very common garden plant which self-seeds with abandon and inhabits any space, from cracks in the pavement to fertile soil at the front of a bed.

Alchemilla mollis is lovely at this time of year, when soft mid-green felty leaves catch droplets and hold on to them long after the rain has passed. Above the foliage are clouds of yellowish-green flowers that last for weeks. They sometimes need a gentle shake to rid them of excess water that can bow them to the ground, but they gratefully spring upright, given a helping hand. A few stems cut and placed in a vase make a pretty posy in the house. Each summer I set myself a garden project. Sometimes it is a small job such as replacing the broken front gate a couple of years ago; sometimes a much larger one, such as digging up the concrete yard last summer and laying a patchwork of bricks, cobbles and paving stones.

Big projects obviously have a big impact on how the garden looks, but seemingly trivial changes can make the most surprising difference. The gate, for example, is a simple black painted metal item bought from a DIY chain. It took an afternoon to install and was commented on for weeks by neighbours passing by. The front garden suddenly seemed complete and the plants looked inexplicably better than before.

This year my project arrived unexpectedly. The hedge down the side of the back garden needed a trim, which involved delving to the back of a deep bed that had got overgrown and untidy.

Getting in among the plants showed that some were much too large for the bed and that others had died, leaving a good bit of the bed unplanted.

What was to be a morning’s work stretched into a week and several trips to the tip with a fully loaded car. A couple of plants were impossible to dig up without destroying them, which was disappointing, and they had to be disposed of. But most have survived, even though it isn’t the best time of year to be moving them. Keeping the root ball intact and damp seems to be the key, especially when they cannot be planted back into the garden straight away.

Not content with emptying the bed, I decided to make it narrower which, being a raised bed, involved taking down the wall and digging out the soil.

The rich black earth was distributed around the rest of the garden, and over a few muddy evenings the bed took shape and the wall was rebuilt.

All the plants appear to have survived their ordeal, even the peony, which lost some of its larger roots. The dull damp weather has helped, as has ‘puddling in’ where the planting hole is filled with water before dropping the plant in.

As long as the soil is fairly well drained, this is a great way to get plants established if they are moved when growing rather than dormant.

The new slim-line bed left a patch of soil that needed to be incorporated into the lawn. Although a small area, it still had to be dug over. Stones and roots were removed before levelling it.

This can take ages, running the rake over and treading down the earth to firm it up and feel for any small dips and mounds. Patience and a dry day will see the job done, and then the grass seed can be sown and left to germinate.

Having a cat, I have protected the area with netting, which she immediately sat on. Here’s hoping the seeds manage to germinate.

Open gardens

Sunday, July 13
In aid of the National Gardens Scheme
Cawood Gardens, Cawood, between York and Selby on the B1222. Three gardens open in the village:

* 9, Anson Grove has an oriental-style garden with winding paths, raised area, four pools, Zen garden, pagoda and a collection of more than 30 grasses.

* Ash Lea has shrubs and a fernery leading to colourful borders, a pool and a traditional vegetable garden edged with clipped box.

* 21, Great Close uses mixed planting to create year-round interest with borders, vegetables, herbs, grasses, unusual perennials, ponds and a stream.

Open noon to 5pm. Combined admission £5.

Manor Farm, Thixendale, www.manorfarmthixendale.co.uk, turn off the A166 at the top of Garrowby Hill and follow signs for Thixendale. A one-acre garden lying in a frost pocket and a wind tunnel. It includes alpine areas, a courtyard, knot garden, mixed beds and shaded area. Open 10am to 5pm. Admission £3.

Rudston House, Rudston, on the B1253 five miles west of Bridlington.
Three-acre garden with old trees, lawns, paths with clipped box hedges, conifers, roses, potager, hostas and short woodland walk with a pond. Rudston House (not open) is a Victorian farmhouse, which was the birthplace of author Winifred Holtby. Open 11am to 5pm. Admission £3.50.

Rye Hill, Station Road, Helmsley. Garden divided into compartments planted with unusual specimens and in different styles to create year-round interest and colour. The conservatory is well stocked with tender species. Open 2pm to 5pm. Admission £2.50.

Wednesday
In aid of the National Gardens Scheme
Hunmanby Grange, www.hunmnbygrange.co.uk , Wold Newton, 12.5 miles south east of Scarborough. Three-acre garden created from an exposed field now with fences and hedges sheltering a series of gardens planted for year-round interest with seasonal highlights. The adjacent nursery will be open and there will also be an artist working in the garden. Open 1pm to 5pm. Admission £3.

Saturday, July 19
In aid of the National Gardens Scheme
Sleightholmedale Lodge, Fadmoor, six miles north east of Helmsley. A hillside garden with a walled rose garden and herbaceous borders. Open 2pm to 6pm. Admission £3.

Gardening TV and radio

Sunday, July 13

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, Gardening Phone in. Telephone number 01482 225 959.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Gardening with Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC Radio 4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Peter Gibbs and his team of experts help members of Broadwey, Upwey and District Horticultural Society, near Weymouth, with their horticultural problems.

Saturday, July 19.

7am, Radio York, The Plant Surgery. With Julia Booth and horticulturist Nigel Harrison.