Mike, the gardener
speaker
61 appearances
2 recordings
1 series
first heard Jun 2026
last heard 15 Jul
Mike, the gardener’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.
Appearances
No, no.
Hi, Joe and Zoe.
What a scorcher.
Today, I'm going to be sharing my top tips for how to garden in a heat wave, what to do, when to do it and some great sun loving plants.
Silver foliage plants usually hail from the Mediterranean and are well used to the heat and the sun.
This is one of my favourites, Lavender Hidcote, and it's one of the favourites of the pollinators.
And I team this with Chartreuse Alchemilla mollis, a really zingy combination.
And of course, there's Cosmos either in pots or in borders, a great addition for a sunny garden.
Another one of my favourites has to be Agapanthus.
Dark blue, light blue and white.
Beautiful flowers, long dark stems in this one which is called Black Arrow.
Perfect in a pot or in a border.
Or how about Tumbling Begonias in shades of reds, oranges and whites and pinks.
I love these, they're tubers and easily grown in pots or in hanging baskets.
And if you fancy a touch of the tropics, how about a beautiful Abyssinian banana with these lovely paddle-like leaves.
And just for you Joe, these lovely pelargoniums, they do love the sunshine but also give them a bit of partial shade as well.
If you've got a sunny south-facing garden like me, planting trees around will give plants a bit of shade and a bit of respite from the heat.
water plants in the cool of the morning or the evening or both if it's been really dry and make sure you put the nozzle right at the base of the plant so as not to waste any and get the water right on top of the soil where it will go straight to the roots.
Grouping pots together makes it easy for you to water and it provides some humidity for the plants too.
There's not many women who'd get me to lie down in the grass for them, I can tell you.
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