Meet Humpty

The grass was in great need of a trim, having grown in fits and starts whenever temperatures were high enough throughout the winter. A quick once-over with the mower improved things no end, even though it also revealed patches of buttercups and dandelions. These can be sorted out another time, for the moment it was enough to savour that lovely scent of fresh-cut grass.

In the flower beds, spring has taken firm hold and early plants such as the euphorbias are coming through thick and fast.

Evergreen Euphorbia ‘Humpty Dumpty’ is a favourite plant for me and my husband. We can see it through the window as we eat our breakfast and watch its progress daily. Soft leaves hug the stems, which are each topped with a shepherd-crook curve flower bud from January.

By February, the clump of stems have turned to face the afternoon sun and as March dawns they are straightening up, as the flower buds swell before opening into a clump of bright lime- green blooms.

This is a valuable plant for a sunny spot in the garden, tolerating dry soil and making a decent-sized but neat clump of colour all year. Spent flowers need to be cut to the base of the plant in summer, but by that time new stems are coming through to take their place. These are the ones that will bear flowers the following year.

Not all Euphorbias are evergreen. Some die back in autumn and remain dormant until February or March, when the new shoots gradually push through the dark earth.

Euphorbia griffithii is a good example of the herbaceous type. The strong red stems grow rapidly once they appear and by mid-March are a foot or so tall and already carrying red or orange- veined leaves.

The flowers will generally appear from April onwards. Unlike many of this family, which revel in poor, dry soil, E.griffithii seems to do best in moister conditions with sun for at least part of the day. It can be invasive once established, but the new shoots are very obvious when they emerge and can easily be pulled up from where they are not wanted.

Be sure to cover any bare skin before doing this. Broken stems exude a milky sap which can leave sore blisters if it touches the skin.

Diary date THE Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2009 will be held at the Great Yorkshire Showground from Thursday April 23 to Sunday April 26. Opening times are 9.30am-5.30pm (4.30pm on Sunday). There will be plenty for enthusiastic gardeners to see, from specialist growers in the plant societies’ marquee to innovative designs from students at local colleges to garden inspired crafts and gifts.

The two flower halls will house displays from more than 100 nurseries from the UK and Europe. Here the nurseries will create displays of their best plants, both popular old favourites and some new additions with many on sale for people to try in their own gardens.

Tickets on sale at the gate are £14 per person on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and £12 on Sunday. Advance tickets have a £2 discount making them £12 Thursday, Friday and Saturday and £10 on Sunday. They can be booked by telephone on 0870 758 333 or on-line at flowershow.org.uk Advance tickets must be booked by noon on Tuesday, April 14.

Open gardens THE open-garden season kicks off this weekend, with the first one in the National Gardens Scheme calendar open to visitors on Sunday, details below.

If you are opening your garden for charity or know of someone who is and would like details included on this page please send a brief description of the garden together with date, time and who the funds are being raised for to Gina Parkinson, In the Garden, Features, The Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN or email to julian.cole@thepress.co.uk. Please send the details about two weeks in advance and bear in mind that June and July are especially busy for open gardens.

Open Garden, tomorrow

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme.

The Old Vicarage, Church Street, Whixley, off the A59 York-Knaresborough road. Walled flower garden with mixed borders, hardy perennials, bulbs, hellebores and gravel and old brick paths leading to hidden seating areas. Open 11am-3pm. Admission £3 adult, accompanied children free.

Gardening TV and Radio

Tomorrow.

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, Gardening Phone-in. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart. Telephone number 01482 225 959.

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

2pm, BBC Radio 4, Gardeners’ Question Time. A postbag edition with Matthew Biggs, Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and chairman Peter Gibbs. The gardening weather forecast is at 2.40pm. (Repeated from Friday).

Friday.

8pm, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Toby Buckland tackles the issue of the use of peat in the horticultural industry and meets people who have passionate opinions on both sides of the argument.

Saturday, March 28.

7am, BBC Radio York, Julia Booth. Presenter Julia Booth and plant expert Nigel Harrison help listeners with their horticultural problems. Telephone number 01904 641641.