What to grow:

With our very late flurry of sunshine at the end of September, as I write I am still enjoying the last of my cosmos, sweet peas and dahlias. I hope you are too!

As the hours of daylight lessen and the weather gets a little colder and wetter, I’m thinking about how to maintain colour and interest in my garden and home. It’s perhaps not as simple as it was over the spring and summer, but the challenge and having to think and plan creatively is all part of the fun.

This month, I’m bringing some of the outside in and potting up hyacinth bulbs indoors. I’ve chosen the prepared carnegie hyacinth – perfect for growing in pots. I love their scent and the clusters of dense white flowers that grow on each stem. When planted indoors in early Autumn, you can expect flowers from mid-December. They can also be planted outdoors, where they’ll flower from March onwards.

How to grow:

To get started, choose whether you will be planting them in a pot or the ground. For the purposes of this, I’ll refer to pot planting. Start by choosing your pot, it is important that you select one that is both wide and deep enough, as the bulbs will need to be planted at a depth of 10cm and should be spaced no less than 10cm apart.

Start by filling your pot with some grit – this will provide good drainage and help prevent the risk of bulbs rotting off. Then add in your peat free compost and decide on the formation you want to put your bulbs in. For maxi- mum impact and scent, I’ve selected a big pot and will plant three bulbs together. Bulbs must be planted with the pointed tip facing upwards towards the sky, at the right depth and spacing – see above. Once the bulbs have been planted, gently press down on the top of soil to ensure the bulbs will be making contact with the soil and then water well.

Bulbs like full sunlight, so find them a spot where they’ll get maximum daylight and sunshine. Give the bulbs a lit- tle water every couple of days, but be careful not to over-water as this may cause the bulbs and their roots to rot.

Green escape: Abbey Gardens

Each month I explore a green space in our borough and each month I am astonished that such interesting, innovative and vibrant communities exist on our very door- step. At each spot I have visited, I have been met with such a warm welcome and this month’s green escape is no different.

The Abbey Gardens site contains the remains of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey where it is believed that monks once ran a kitchen garden. In 2006 a group of local residents formed Friends of Abbey Gardens, initially with the aim of rescuing the derelict site from vandalism and neglect. Their vision grew and the plan was made to turn Abbey Gardens into an open-access park and harvest gar- den with 30 long raised beds.

The Friends of Abbey Gardens are very clear in their mission stating that they ‘want to ensure that the space continues to be used and managed by local people as an open-access site and harvest garden which improves the local environment, helps to build a stronger community, gives people an understanding of locally grown food and serves as a venue for cultural events.’ And they have certainly achieved and managed to stay true to this. Abbey Gardens is located at the end of Bakers Row, Stratford, E15.

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