Monty Don said he looks after annuals, perennials, edibles and decorative plants, but pulls them up and puts them on the compost heap
Monty Don has issued an urgent warning to gardeners telling them to ‘rip up these plants now.’
Basil plants he said were the “canary in the coal mine” for his own garden in Herefordshire and turn black when frost appears. It is the first in a number of plants which he pulls up and “puts on the compost” on them before things get properly cold. He warned gardeners about being “precious” regarding their blooms. The Express reports the 69-year told Gardeners’ World: “Tender plants are very unhappy indeed if the temperature drops below 5C. Of course, some plants are more tender than others.”
He looks after annuals, perennials, edibles and decorative plants. But he simply “pulled up and put on the compost heap”. He added “The same applies to Cosmos bipinnatus, tobacco plants, zinnias, tithonias, bidens and many other summer additions that have flowered gloriously long into autumn.
“Don’t be precious about them – clear them away and sow some more in spring.” The TV presenter said some tender plants lose their top growth at the first signs of winter. It comes as gardeners in some parts of the United Kingdom forecast the first frost could be merely weeks away.
In Edinburgh, the frosty nights are set to come in between October 21 and 31, reports Plant Maps. While vast swathes of England are expected to get some frost in early to mid November. The gardening expert, however, says some plants have hardier roots that allow them to survive a few degrees of frost. In his own garden, these include dahlias, cannas and gladioli.
He suggested these plants be lifted from the ground or pot where they have been kept and the top growth removed. The roots, rhizomes or corns can then be kept in a cool, dark place to remain dormant throughout the winter. The Mirror reported how home growers were earlier urged to prepare gardens now for a delicious vegetable known as one of the earliest fruits of the year. And i could be ready as early as March.
Rhubarb is delicious in a number of ways, such as in crumbles and in cordials to make drinks. It should be planted in fertile soil with the likes of horse manure to give it the best chances of growing healthily. The plant is easy to grow and produces a number of stalks every year which are edible – the leaves are not. Horticulturalist Monty rose to popularity presenting a gardening sequence on This Morning. He became the Gardeners’ World star after Alan Titchmarsh left the flagship BBC show in 2003.
