Get over 'June Gap' with some perennials

Spring to summer ornamental displays in bedding schemes or containers are in changeover mode so there's a lean period for bloom between one fading and the other getting up to speed.

- BY TOM PATTINSON

In gardening terms this is referred to as the "June Gap". However, certain shrubs and herbaceous perennials save the day by illuminating the month.

When dismantling a faded spring display think about future cost saving.

Bedding plants such as polyanthus can be salvaged and replanted in a spare piece of land.

There they will recover, make new growth, and can be divided into sections for replanting from this autumn onwards.

Bulb salvaging is another consideration.