GINA PARKINSON finds a plant with a touch of yellow fever.

BY THE pond and sprawling under a bench and onto a sunny gravelled area near the house grows a grey-leafed shrub until recently covered in bright yellow daisy-type flowers.

I have always known this as Senecio, but some of the grey-leaved members of this genus have been renamed Brachyglottis. So our sunny Senecio is now Brachyglottis Dunedin Group ‘Sunshine’, a bit more of a mouthful to learn.

Whatever the name, this shrub remains the same obliging carefree plant that needs little care apart from some tidying up to keep the stems from falling into the pond.

The flowers are lovely when they come in early to mid-summer but like many grey leafed specimens it is the felty evergreen leaves that are the main attraction of this shrub.

I let mine spread where it likes within bounds but this can produce bare, woody stems at the base.

This can be prevented to a certain extent by pruning some stems hard back along with dead or weak growth in spring. New leaves soon begin to appear and the plant should quickly lose that just been cut look. Dead flowers can be trimmed off in July to neaten the plant and last minute cuttings can also be taken at this point.

For gardeners who prefer more control of their plants, this Brachyglottis can also be grown as a low hedge. Regular trimming will produce plenty of attractive silvery soft new leaves although flowers are unlikely to occur.

Brachyglottis ‘Sunshine’ needs sun for a good part of the day and is one of the more hardy species as long as it is in a reasonably sheltered site in soil that doesn’t become waterlogged in winter.


Weekend catch-up

The step outside our patio doors was becoming crowded with plants, so earlier in the week I tidied it up and decided to transfer two pots of snapdragons into spaces in the garden.

Bought as small plants in spring, they have developed into lovely flowering plants in yellow, white and pink but the very sunny step is a bit too hot for them and they have needed a lot of watering.

I was a little concerned about getting the plants out of their pots but they were removed easily after a good soaking.

Despite their size, their root system is compact and they came away easily in healthy, compost covered clumps.

I divided them into groups of individual colours and planted them directly into the soil with a good soaking and sprinkle of organic slug pellets.

So many of my plants have been fodder for molluscs this year that I am taking no chances that my lovingly nurtured antirrhinums will be victim to their attack.


Gardening TV and Radio

Sunday July 13.

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

8am, BBC2, Monty Don’s French Gardens.

9am, BBC Radio York, Julia Lewis. Gardening news and features from around North Yorkshire.

9am, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Using pots and containers in the garden.

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

9.30am, BBC2, The Beechgrove Garden. A visit to a new community garden in Easthaven.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Chairman Peter Gibbs and his team of gardening experts answer questions from the audience at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire.

11.30am, ITV, Love Your Garden. With Alan Titchmarsh.

Tuesday July 15.

8pm, ITV, Love Your Garden. Alan Titchmarsh and his team give a makeover to the smallest garden they have tackled so far.

Friday July 18.

3pm, Gardeners’ Question Time. A GQT potting shed edition from Sparsholt College in Hampshire where chairman Peter Gibbs and the panel answer listener’s questions.


Open gardens

Today

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme.

Bugthorpe Gardens, YO41 1QG, four miles east of Stamford Bridge. Two gardens open. 3 Church Walk has a cottage garden with herbaceous borders, a pond, shrubs and kitchen garden. The garden at the Old Rectory has mixed borders, ponds, a stumpery and raised vegetable beds. There will be an artist working in the garden. Open 10.30am-4.30pm, combined admission £5. Also open tomorrow.

Cawood Gardens, YO8 3UG, five miles north of Selby. Three village gardens open. 9 Anson Grove has a small garden with winding paths and an oriental style pagoda, bridge and Zen garden. 21 Great Close is a flower arranger’s garden with herbaceous and grass borders, ponds linked by a stream, vegetable garden and a terrac. The Pigeoncote has a small walled garden with box hedging, cottage garden planting and paths leading to shaded seating areas. Open 12pm-5pm, combined admission £5. Also open tomorrow.

Langton Farm, Great Langton, DL7 0TA, five miles west of Northallerton. Organic riverside garden with formal and informal gravel areas, nuttery, mixed borders and pebble pool. Open 5.30pm-8pm. Tomorrow from 11am to 5.30pm.

Tomorrow

Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens, Nidderdale, HG3 4EW, ten miles north west of Harrogate. Four gardens linked by a valley walk or individually by car. Open 11am-5pm, combined admission £7.

Havoc Hall (pictured), Oswaldkirk, YO62 5XY, 21 miles north of York on the B1363. Large garden with knot, shrub and flower gardens, vegetable area, woodland walk and two acre wild flower meadow and small lake. Open 1pm-5pm, admission £4.

Oatmill Cottage, Lealholm, YO21 2AG, nine miles west of Whitby. Cottage style garden overlooking the village. Open 11am-4.30pm, admission £3.

Windsong, Sand Lane, Osgodby, YO8 5HT, one mile north of Selby. South facing garden with mixed borders, pergola, rill and brick path leading to a secluded late summer border and seating area with a countryside view. Open 1pm-4pm, admission £3.