Peonies are in flower now, so take time to appreciate this most luscious of flowers and choose varieties for your own garden. There are three kinds of peony; herbaceous, tree and intersectional hybrids, which are a cross between the first two. Despite their name, tree peonies are in fact deciduous shrubs, but whatever kind of peony you choose the growing advice is the same - plant your peonies in a sunny, free draining position and don’t allow them to grow short of water.

Herbaceous peonies and intersectional hybrids (Itoh) should be planted with the top of their crown almost at soil level, but tree peonies should be planted deeper.

Peonies of all kinds are very hardy and long-lived and despite advice to the contrary, they are easy to move so long as the basic planting rules are observed.

Scottish Gardener:

TOP TIP
Take cuttings from winter flowering honeysuckle, removing all but the top leaves, and placing lengths of new growth in water until roots start to show. Once this happens, plant up the cuttings in potting compost and keep in a sheltered spot, out of direct sunlight. Repot regularly as the plants grow before moving them to their final position in the garden. After flowering, the honeysuckle should be cut back to keep it in trim and to encourage fresh shoots to grow.

Scottish Gardener:

WHAT TO DO NOW...

  • If violas are looking untidy, cut them back hard, apply and foliar feed, and they will produce lots of new flowers.
  • Scarlet lily beetle is on the march. Pick the adults off the leaves of lilies and from fritillaries, which the beetles also damage, and check the undersides of foliage for eggs and larvae.
  • Cover carrots with fleece or erect 60cm (2ft) polythene barriers around the edges of beds where carrots are growing to protect plants from carrot fly.
  • Set out hanging baskets and tender bedding plants but cover with fleece on cold nights.
  • Potatoes growing in sacks should be watered frequently to prevent them from drying out. Add extra compost as keep the stalks earthed-up.
  • Pinch out the tips of fuchsias to create bushier plants. Once new shoots grow pinch these too for maximum flowers.
  • Prune camellias lightly if they need reshaping and remove faded flowers from rhododendrons.
  • Hoe regularly between flowers, shrubs and vegetables to remove annual weeds while they are still small.
  • Line terracotta pots with polythene before filling with compost to reduce evaporation and cut down on watering.
  • Sow basil under cover, using deep pots. Open vents to reduce humidity and prevent seedlings from damping off.
  • Heucheras that are failing should be dug up and divided. Do this every three years.
  • To prevent sedum plants from flopping over when they flower, remove half the shoots now.
  • Harden off sweet peas then plant outdoors where they are to flower, supporting them with canes.
  • Once primroses and primulas have finished flowering dig them up, separate into small segments and replant in pots or in a seed bed. Grow on until they are large enough to replant in the garden.
  • Thin out seedlings of hardy annuals, lettuce and radish to prevent plants from becoming overcrowded.
  • Remove the spent flowerheads from tulips, give plants a foliar feed and allow the foliage to die down naturally.