CRAVEN College horticultural lecturer Michael Myers gives his verdict on this year’s Chelsea Flower Show gardens.

BY the time you read this, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will have been and gone for another year. It is the highlight of the horticulture calendar and it is fantastic to see such support from the BBC in its coverage, although some programmes do seem to concentrate more on celebrity spotting than the actual gardening.

The Best in Show for Andy Sturgeon (The Telegraph Garden) was a worthy winner although Cleve West (The M&G Garden) must have been a close second. Naturalistic and formal gardens seemed equally well represented with an emphasis on colour. Abstract stone sculptures seemed to be popular this year and in general they are far easier to place in a small garden than more ornate, classical designs.

It was good to see the Welcome to Yorkshire garden receive so much coverage although I cannot help thinking that the judges were as perplexed as myself with the garden building which seemed out of place among the lush, stylish planting. Good gardens do tend to follow the tried and tested design rules that apply to most things, fussy and cluttered gardens rarely work as well as those that stick to a specific theme highlighting the old adage that ‘less is more’.

I was surprised that no-one had used Brexit as a theme, perhaps an island of native foxgloves drifting away into the ether was just not the done thing.

Gardens can make political statements though and I was delighted to see Juliet Sargeant win Gold for her thought-provoking Modern Slavery Garden. Juliet is the first female, coloured designer to exhibit a garden at Chelsea and her success will hopefully pave the way for more diverse representation in the future.

Diarmuid Gavin must surely be the marmite of the design world, an ‘enfant terrible’ whose work is always unconventional, controversial but great fun. His garden, inspired by William Heath Robinson, included a rusty shed, bobbing box balls, a spinning summerhouse and dancing bay trees. Gardens should be entertaining though and not just through incorporating a barbecue or children’s trampoline.

Among my favourite gardens are the Garden of Cosmic Speculation at Portrack House in Dumfries and Galloway. This is the home of celebrated architect, Charles Jencks, whose modernist garden derives its inspiration from natural laws and phenomena such as chaos theory. The land-sculpting may not be to everyone’s taste but I find it inspiring. Further afield, the dancing fountains at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d'Azur reminds me of how I might spend a significant lottery win.

The new RHS flower show at Harlow Carr is an exciting addition to the show calendar and it runs from June 10 to 12. There will be no show gardens but some superb nurseries are attending and there are other events throughout the weekend.

Village garden openings for both National Gardens Scheme and local charities are becoming increasingly popular. On Saturday, June 11 (11am to 5pm) Gargrave gardens will be open with proceeds benefitting St Andrew’s Church. All gardens are within walking distance and the entrance fee of £4 in advance (or £5 on the day) is superb value. In addition to the gardens there will be live music, a children’s quiz, tombola and plant stall in the village hall.

Other local village garden events include: Burley-in-Wharfedale Open Gardens on Saturday, June 18; Kirkby Malzeard Hidden Gardens and Baildon Open Gardens on Sunday, July 3; Collingham Village Open Gardens on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10; and Galphay Open Gardens on Sunday, July 10.

More details and other gardens open in your area can be found at opengardens.co.uk/index.php and http://www.ngs.org.uk

As we enter the summer, it is important to be ever-more vigilant for pests and diseases. The new shoots of many plants can be home to colonies of aphids which can disfigure plants but more importantly transmit viruses. Aphids and some other pests and diseases tend to be quite specific over which plants they attack and so will not necessarily damage other plants in your garden.

Roses are unfortunately attacked by several aphid species as well as rose specific fungal pathogens that cause blackspot, powdery mildew and rust. Many new rose varieties claim to be resistant to some of these problems but invariably over time the diseases overcome the plant’s immunity. Most rose problems can be tolerated, especially in mixed planting schemes but for perfect roses regular spraying with a combination of insectides and fungicides is almost essential. There are organic pesticides based on plant extracts but even these are often non-specific and can harm beneficial insects, it is vital therefore that you spray when pollinating and other beneficial insects are not active.

Pests and diseases also affect many edible crops and whilst there are some pesticides available it is important to check that they are approved for edible crops. Many systemic pesticides are not approved since they make the plant toxic to the targeted pest.

Slugs and snails are a problem throughout the year and whilst there are many organic remedies for these, slug pellets for many are the first choice. The popular blue slug pellets are based on metaldehyde which is potentially harmful to wildlife especially if used indiscriminately. A more environmentally friendly choice would be those based on ferric phosphate, this is even used by some organic growers.

Both types of pellets are more effective if used with an attractant such as a cereal base. Nematodes, beer traps, copper bands, grapefruit halves and even egg shells are other methods to try and failing that buy a head torch and patrol the garden after dark for those malevolent molluscs.