Kids corner
Let’s create a rock garden for spring!
Geraniums in rockeries or built up raised garden beds.
Brought to you by Our Kids Corner contributor - Jane Byrne, all the way from Shetland in the UK.
While holidaying in Shetland I have been astounded at the beauty of the numerous varieties of geraniums being grown in raised rock beds in gardens.
Even larger varieties of geraniums are grown inside on the kitchen windowsill. Their blooming, the pride and joy of the grower, gives splashes of color in a very short summer period. Geraniums growing inside are often given a spell outside when the sunshine is warm and welcoming. In Australia, I think geraniums are something of a forgotten plant, one of my favorites is the “Big Red” which has a very large bloom and flowers for many months. Big Red is easily struck from a cutting.
The smaller varieties of geraniums grown in rockeries are hardy and can grow with very little soil or space. Forever nudging out other plants to take over more area, they are often referred to as “thugs’” in Shetland speech, which is also a term used by Monty Don. For this reason, they make great ground covers and always give a wonderful show of flowers for the great array of pollinating insects.
Anne Bain and Peter Watts of Netherton, Levenwick, have been crafting their gardens for years by carefully creating raised rock walled garden beds. This creates warmth and protection for the plants, the rocks absorbing the sun and creating warmer conditions for them to grow. When in flower an array of pollinators visits, including the mesmerizing bumble bee that seems to clumsily move around the flowers, trying to navigate its reckless way in to collect nectar.
You too could create a rock or built-up garden using left over materials that can be found around your garden. It’s best to choose a sunny spot.
What will you need:
- Rocks
- Timber
- Broken pots
- Soil
- Plants
Build up the walls, placing some smaller rocks or course gravel in the bottom so water can drain well and place soil or potting mix into the top of your walled garden. If you don’t have spare materials to build with you can use old terracotta pots, but you may need to water your plants more frequently as the terracotta will absorb the moisture.
You can plant your raised garden with plants of your choice, geraniums, vegetables or even herbs.
With your garden being raised and having rocks for walls you will be amazed at how much faster your plants will grow.
