Danny Calderbank on how his grass is always greener...

In most gardens the lawn covers the greatest area and yet its appearance is often secondary to borders for example, which is unfortunate for here in the North we experience the ideal conditions for growing grass and we should be able to create fine lawns with very little effort.

Danny Calderbank gets to the root of gardening issues...

Everyone has a favourite hardy perennial; mine is Verbena bonariensis and judging from my mail box and the frequency of this plant’s appearance on TV gardening programmes, I am not alone. The common name of Vervain is not often used but I am sure you will readily recognise the plant. Verbena bonariensis can truly be called an ‘architectural’ plant for it is self supporting and capable of reaching shoulder height. The stems may look delicate but are actually wiry and the long-lasting flowers are plentiful and much loved by bees and butterflies.

He's a cut above the rest - just like his lawnmower. Danny Calderback has more timely handy hints and the summertime news.

However well built and looked after, there comes a time when it will need replacing. My right hip is a case in point, but more immediate is a replacement lawn mower for my ancient servant, a Mountfield, which is now beyond repair. There are many types of machine out there and selection can be tricky; perhaps a ‘hover’ for longer grass on difficult slopes or a ‘cylinder’ with a rear roller where the perfect cut also provides stripes. However, a rotary is the choice of many, including myself, as it will satisfy most requirements.

Danny Calderbank has some top tips for May, answers your garden queries and serves up a few horticultural hints and wrinkles.

Beginning in mid April and running for at least six weeks is one of the best free spectacles imaginable. I refer of course not to some TV or film show but to the marvel of flowering trees and shrubs. For many it is the best time of year and I cannot argue with that sentiment for there is warmth and a feel-good factor that for adults, can even outshine Christmas! The only people who might not enjoy it so much are sufferers of early hay fever and although it’s no consolation, the likely cause is birch pollen.

Danny Calderbank has some top tips for April, answers your garden queries and serves up a few horticultural hints and wrinkles.

IT is now time to put the winter months behind us; nature has stirred and plant growth is more evident - although in the north some caution is still needed, particularly if you are thinking about putting tender plants outdoors. I tend to err on the side of safety and leave such things until as late as possible but sometimes the April evening frosts and hail showers don’t materialise and I wish that I had planted them out earlier. It’s a gamble and only you can decide; plant earlier perhaps in a sheltered spot near the coast and into May in exposed upland areas. Nature is kind however to those who wait and the new plantings romp away once they feel the warmth of the sun.

April has so much promise but only if the plants can access nutrients. You only have to look at grass as an example; the winter months leach away all the nitrogen leaving it pale in colour and very vulnerable to weeds and moss. Grass really does struggle to make a comeback at this time of year although you can give it a considerable boost by applying a lawn feed now and within a week or two all will be verdant again. Levington has a brilliant product that actually controls weeds and moss in addition to feeding the grass! I’ve never been disappointed with Levington products and this one is called ‘Evergreen Complete 4in1’. A combined fertiliser, weed and moss killer that you can apply by hand or in a mechanical distributor; either way you will get excellent results. Lawns are a lot easier to care for than people think but only by the judicious use of fertilisers and moss and weed killers.

Seaweed fertilisers have been magical for me over the years; I initially recognised their merit when I was involved in exhibiting but they are also a boost for almost all plants. Some gardeners add large quantities of seaweed to their compost and swear by it and I don’t doubt its efficacy but I don’t much fancy a working trip to the seaside! The seaweed I use is dried and concentrated and arrives by post in a small packet. This is far easier and only requires me to measure a small amount into water and spray it over the leaves. A foliar feed par excellence! I love to wander around the garden on a still warm evening spraying this elixir over just about everything that I think needs a fillip.

Weeding out your garden problems

I have three areas in the garden where empty snail shells accumulate and this baffles me. Is there something here that is toxic or are they being collected by something?

How lucky you are to have a number of thrush anvils in your garden. The song thrush picks up a snail and flies to a favourite spot to consume it; however it must bash the snail on a stone in order to crack the shell and then gain access to the delicacy inside. If you look closely I am sure you will see a stone amid the shells and this is the actual anvil. Song thrushes are lovely garden birds, of similar size but more delicate than the blackbird and are often bullied by them.

I wish to grow some poppies in my cottage garden. Can you offer any advice on how to raise them?

You have chosen well and having selected your poppy seed sow either directly where they are to grow or in small pots for transplanting a little later. Poppies are very variable both in height, size of flower and colour; for a cottage garden you may consider Thompson and Morgan’s poppy ‘Black Paeony’ which has a full double flower on a tall stem but I am sure that whatever you choose will look good.

Cuttings

•    Two books not to be missed include the RSPB ‘Pocket Garden Birdwatch’ that offers practical and achievable advice to attract birds into the garden and the RSPB Pocket Birds of Britain and Europe that covers 320 species. Richly illustrated in full colour these books offer hours of pleasure and information.

•    To create bushy plants pinch out the growing tips of fuchsias, pelargoniums and argyranthemums

•    Check recently planted trees and shrubs to ensure that they have not suffered from ‘wind rock’. Heel around the base of each and if necessary drive the stake further into the ground for added stability

•    If you have a propagator sow seeds of tomato, chilli peppers, aubergines and indoor cucumbers. Sow one or preferably two seeds in a pot and remove the weakest at a later stage. If you sow only one and it fails you have lost valuable growing space in the propagator

•    Plant out main crop potatoes and sow beetroot, carrot, mangetout, indoor cucumber and sweet peas