Iris eyes shine

THE Sibirica iris is beautiful at the moment. The long, narrow foliage has clumped up over the past couple of weeks from tiny shoots pushing up through the remains of last year’s stalks, and now the thin flower stems have begun to appear above.

These are beginning to stiffen at the base, but are still a little tender towards the top as they bend under the weight of the developing buds, but soon the whole lot will be upright as the flowers open. The buds are beautiful and it’s worth taking a moment to admire their perfection as the dark papery cover begins to split and reveal tightly folded deep blue petals.

Iris Sibirica is a perennial plant related to the more showy bearded iris that appear a little later in the summer. The flowers are smaller and the foliage almost grass like compared to the thick fans of leaves of bearded iris.

This plant seems unfussy about where it grows. I have them in full sun and dappled semi-shade, but they prefer their soil to remain reasonably moist. The plants with more sun tend to bloom earlier.

It can take a young plant a couple of years to flower, but once they start they will be very reliable, with blooms appearing in May and June in clumps that will eventually form a good sized display.

Iris sibirica is easy to look after once established, with just mulch in early spring to help retain moisture.

A light sprinkling of fertiliser can be added to the mulch to help with the fertility of the soil.

If a mature plant gets too large or flowering begins to decrease, it can be lifted and divided either in spring just as growth begins to appear or straight after flowering.

Water well and ease the plant out of the ground after digging around the whole clump to loosen it. It can then be cut into small sections and replanted straight away.

Keep an eye on the new plants over the summer and water copiously if the weather is dry. This will give them a good start ready to flower the following year. Early spring divisions may bloom the same year.

In the vegetable garden

THE strawberries I grew from the runners taken off old plants a couple of years ago have bulked up and bloomed well this spring. They are now showing the first signs of fruit and we should get a decent crop this year. They need to be kept weeded, the sunshine and rain is good for the weeds as well as the fruit and they quickly get out of hand, and it will soon be time to get some bags of straw to push around and under the plants to stop the fruit rotting.

Garden talk

Gill Hodgson, of Fieldhouse Flowers, will be giving a talk at The Robert Fuller Gallery, Fotherdale Farm, Thixendale, YO17 9LS on Saturday, June 15 at 7.30pm. Gill will tell the how she diversified the work of the family farm by growing cut flowers for market and will show how to grow and use traditional English flowers for seasonal bouquets throughout the year.

Gill is the force behind a nationwide network of cut-flower growers, Flowers From The Farm, and has recently launched a campaigning group, Great British Flowers.

Through this she hopes to encourage horticultural colleges and florists to teach their students about using British cut flowers. For more information and to book a ticket visit robertefuller.com

Gardening TV and Radio

Tomorrow

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

8.15am, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Monty Don shows how to create herbaceous perennials for free.

8.45am, BBC2, The A to Z of TV Gardening. The letter V is under discussion.

9am, BBC Radio York, Gardening North Yorkshire.

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

9.30am, BBC2, The Beechgrove Garden.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Chairman Eric Robson and panellists Chris Beardshaw, Matt Biggs and Christine Walkden advise gardeners from Stoke-on-Trent.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Carol Baxter, Bob Flowerdew and Anne Swithinbank are in Midlothian where they offer advice to gardeners from Penicuik. Eric Robson is in the chair.

8.30pm, Gardeners’ World. Monty gets to work in the flower and vegetable gardens and Carol looks at a British native plant the geum.

Open gardens

Today

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Burton Agnes Hall, Burton Agnes, YO25 4NB, between Driffield and Bridlington on the A614. Today and tomorrow is the Gardeners’ Fair at Burton Agnes Hall. The award-winning gardens include herbaceous borders, a potager, jungle and colour-themed gardens and collections of campanula, hardy geraniums, clematis and penstemon. Open 11am-5pm, admission £6.50 adult, £6 senior, £3 child, includes a donation to the NGS.

Cold Cotes, Cold Cotes Road, nr Kettlesing, HG3 2LW, seven miles west of Harrogate off the A59. Peaceful garden with views, stream side walk, pond, bog garden and woodland garden under-planted with bulbs and perennials. Open 11am-5pm, admission £3.50.

Tomorrow

In aid of Coxwold Village Hall and the Church fabric fund

16 Hidden Gardens in Coxwold, Coxwold, sevem miles from both Easingwold and Thirsk. Private gardens open around the village with Songs of Praise in the Church at 4pm. Open 1pm-5pm, combined admission £3.50.

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Burton Agnes Hall, details above. Galphay Manor, Galphay, HG4 3NJ, five miles west of Ripon. Three-acre garden with a water garden and ornamental pond, herbaceous border, kitchen garden and sweeping lawns leading to rose and clematis covered arches. Open 1pm-5pm, admission £3.50.

Hillbark, Church Lane, Bardsey, LS17 9DH, four miles south west of Wetherby. One-acre garden on different levels with formal topiary, perennials, specimen yew, gravel, rock and stream gardens, marginal planting and a woodland area. Open 11am-5pm, admission £4.

Kelberdale, Wetherby Road, Knaresborough, HG5 8LN. A garden planted for year-round interest with a large border, colour-themed beds, pond and bog garden, alpine troughs and house, vegetables and a wild garden with a pond and meadow. Open 10am-4pm, admission £3.

Lockington Gardens, Lockington, Driffiled YO25 9SR. Two village gardens open for the first time under the NGS. Penny Cottage garden is on different levels with conifers, vegetables, perennials and climbers. The garden at Thorpe Lodge is on the site of an old orchard with interesting shrubs and trees, a wildlife pond, vegetables and a summer house. Open 10am-6pm, combined admission £4.

Oswaldkirk Hall, Oswald Kirk, YO62 5XT, four miles east of Helmsley. Four-acre garden with a terrace, lawns, copper beeches, kitchen garden, orchard, borders, a white garden, herbs and views over to the Howardian Hills. Open 1pm-5pm, admission £3.50.