Dead-heading extremes

Pansy plant trial at Hyde Hall is a challenge, says Peter

- Peter Hayes

THE days may be getting longer and daylight brighter, but there seems to be less time to keep up to date with the many gardening jobs at this time of year. The 4,000 pansy plant trial in Floral Fantasia at the RHS Hyde Hall Garden, for example, soaks up the time. If each plant opens 10 flowers a week (some are now yielding more than this), it means there are 40,000 dead heads to remove every seven days.

You need to get your eye in, because the opening flowers can easily be mistaken for those which have set seed and are fading; once petals have fallen, the green seed pods are easily lost amongst the leaves. Hoeing for weed control and removing old flowers is but a part of the job, as the questions flowing from visitors come thick, fast and continuously. There are some tasks where it is possible to answer queries at the same time as getting on with the work – for example, standing side shooting and tying in cordon sweet peas.