Hello and a warm welcome to English Garden Newsletter.

In England there is a wealth of bright green leaves and everywhere the sound of lawn mowers as they tackle the lush new growth.
For Lawn Care Tips just go to http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50557.asp

Now is the time of year when gardens start to open to the public for the summer season. Often they are advertised in the local papers and it is worth keeping an eye open for these – looking around someone’s else garden gives you fresh inspiration as to what you could do in your own!

This is the week of the Chelsea Flower Show which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. The "in" flower of the Show is the Iris, practically all the show gardens had irises so look out for an article on these lovely flowers.

Thinking about planting a climber then why not consider a Wisteria?
A Japanese Wisteria was first planted in England in 1820 in Kew gardens. Since then it has become the quintessential part of an English Garden. To find out more http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50638.asp

If you would like information on which English Garden plants look their best in May then check out my article on May flowers - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43140.asp

If you haven’t done so already then now is a good time to pot up annuals in your containers or hanging baskets. Check out my list of easy garden annuals http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31374.asp

Some of the plants I will be potting on this month are lupins. They are one of the traditional flowers for an English Garden.

Lupins are upright hardy perennials that can have spikes of large, white, yellow, purple, red, pink or blue pea-like flowers. The leaves are spiky and add texture to your planting. They prefer a sunny spot and well-drained soil and can vary in height between 3ft to 5ft (90cm to 150cm.)

If you don't want them to self-seed then cut off the flower heads after flowering. (Please note that lupin seeds are poisonous.) Although I think allowing some self-seeding adds to the charm of an English Garden.

If the ground is still damp then you can mulch your perennials for the summer – this will help to conserve the moisture around them. I use worm compost mixed with leaf mould and this gives the plants a really good start to the season

Here's the latest article from the English Garden site at BellaOnline.com.

Chives
Chives are an easy plant to grow and have been used in English Gardens for hundreds of years.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50892.asp

Please visit englishgarden.bellaonline.com for even more great content about English Garden.

Enjoy your gardening!

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http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=283

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Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Hellie T., English Garden Editor
http://englishgarden.bellaonline.com

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