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Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a pretty spring bloom
Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a pretty spring bloom. Photograph: Alamy
Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a pretty spring bloom. Photograph: Alamy

Gardening tips: plant wallflowers for a vivid display

This article is more than 4 years old

Then invest in a collapsible cloche to keep pests off your veg and add compost to raised beds and pots

Plant this Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a pretty purple wallflower that you can plant for a spring display, and enjoy the blooms until midsummer. It needs full sun: take cuttings from sideshoots in summer as this is a shortlived perennial. Height and spread: 75cm x 60cm.

Buy this If pigeons and other pests obliterated your vegetables last year, coordinate the fightback now: the brolly cloche opens like an umbrella and pegs into place to keep your kale hole-free: £24.99 from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

Top up this Soil levels in raised beds and large containers will drop over time, so now is the time to raid the compost heap for some homemade compost. (Bagged soil conditioner or peat-free container compost will also work.) Remove weeds first, and a top layer of organic mulch of wood chips or Strulch will prevent soil from drying out.

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