Innholdsfortegnelse for 09-jan-16 i Amateur Gardening

much more harmful to bumble bees than conventional pesticides.’ What I found even more disturbing in the same story was the statement from bio control maker BASF that: “under lab conditions… nematodes are commonly known to infect a significantly wider range of insects.” Chemical pesticides have long been pilloried for not being selective, and harming beneficial wildlife. Now, call me stupid, but I think a lot of gardeners would assume that if something is offered as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, it would have less ‘collateral damage’ potential. Instead, this study suggests that we need to look closely at the way biological pest controls work, because what we thought was a precision sniper’s rifle could be little better than a blunderbuss. Have a great gardening week!…

FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS are a wonderful Christmas gift, as they bring colour and scent into the home during the dreariest weeks. With the proper care, and placed in the right situation, they can continue flowering for several weeks. Some will enter dormancy in the summer months, and can be started back to life in the autumn to flower the following winter. On these pages I show you how to get the best from some of the most popular plants given as Christmas gifts. Don’t forget to check them for pests and diseases, including aphids, red spider mite, whitefly and mealybugs. What to do with popular houseplants after Christmas Amaryllis AMARYLLIS, OR hippeastrum, are easy to care for. Keep in a light, cool place when flowering, and make sure you turn the…

DENDROBIUM AND phalaenopsis orchids love a warm environment, and in the right conditions they can flower all year round. An east or west-facing window is the ideal spot, and they should be watered (tap water is fine) regularly. Keep the foliage dry in winter, but wipe dust off leaves. Mist the plants in summer. Feed regularly in the flowering season, but sparingly in winter. Cymbidium orchids like good light levels, but prefer cooler temperatures. To flower well, the plants need a distinct temperature drop between day and night during mid- to late summer. Water moderately in spring and summer, and do not let the plant sit in water. Apply half-strength general liquid fertiliser every third watering in spring, and switch to a specialist orchid fertiliser in summer. Feed sparingly –…

GARDENERS NEED a great deal of patience as they await the arrival of warm spring weather. It isn’t my strong point – hanging around for temperatures high enough to sow seeds is absolute torture! So I have invested in a heated propagator to speed things up a bit. The model I chose for my first venture into heated seed germination is the relatively small Sankey Growarm 100, which has two seed trays that sit on a piece of capillary matting for moisture control in a heated tray. The lid fits over and, when plugged in, the 8-Watt heated base gently warms the seeds. The kit was easy to set up, and will fit on a windowsill if you don’t have a greenhouse with electricity. top tip A couple of weeks…

1 Whether buying new or setting up an old heated propagator, make sure everything is in good order and undamaged. 2 Place the capillary matting, provided with some models, in the propagator tray. This helps distribute moisture evenly. 3 Fill the seed trays with good quality seed compost, firm it lightly then water it well and let it drain. 4 If the seeds are tiny, use a folded piece of card and pen nib to guide them onto the compost so they aren’t overcrowded. 5 I covered mine lightly with a 50:50 mix of compost and vermiculite, which will help light and air to reach the seeds. 6 Water the seeds, label, replace the cover and put the propagator in a bright spot. Plug it in, switch on and wait!…

ALTHOUGH PESTS and diseases can be killed off by a sharp period of frostiness, they can usually ride out weeks of wet and mild weather – especially if you have provided them with some snug places to escape the worst of the cold! Insect pests are not a massive nuisance in winter, although you may get pigeons and mice attacking your brassicas, and rabbits and deer nibbling the bark of young trees. But slugs and snails will happily tuck themselves away in piles of leaves and debris, and with hedgehogs, toads and slow worms hibernating, there’s nothing to eat them. Fungi can also flourish when the weather is wet and mild. So here are some ideas for keeping your garden clean and problem-free.…

PUMPKINS AND winter squash are not just for Halloween. In the dark, cold days of January, I bring out stored fruits and use them for all sorts of warming dishes – roasted wedges, added to curry, or made into a spicy soup. You can only keep squashes in good condition into the New Year if you choose the right varieties and store them the right way. Varieties described as ‘pumpkins’ are usually round and orange, and are useful for decoration but not always good eaters or keepers. Look instead for ones with better culinary and storage qualities – these often come in different shapes and colours. The essential ingredient for growing them is warmth. Start the seeds in pots inside about a month before the last expected frost in your…

Stuffed whole roasted winter squash A colourful combination of sweet winter squash, healthy kale and quinoa Preparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 50 minutesServes 2 Ingredients: 1 Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. 2 Cut the top quarter off each squash, discard. Discard seeds. Brush the inside of the squash with a little oil, then arrange cut sides down, on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 3 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add sage, thyme, garlic, beans, quinoa, tomato and kale. Cook until the greens wilt, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 4 Divide stuffing…

Q My garden is on a heavy clay soil and we have had a lot of rain this winter. What is the best way of preventing the garden getting boggy and too heavy to work? Jasmine Clarke, Caterham, Surrey A On heavy soils it is best to apply (and dig in) large amounts of organic matter to the soil as often as possible. The worms will take this organic matter down into the soil, and, as a result, the soil will become open and not compacted. On no-dig land (where you apply organic matter as a mulch on the surface), the soil is much firmer than on dug soils, and may be okay to walk on even when wet. Soils which are dug every year will not be as firm…

Tree trunks & stems IN WINTER when the leaves are down, tree trunks and shrub stems stand clear against the light like an etching on paper. Some strokes are bold and fat like single trunks of Prunus serrula , others are thin and delicate like a multi-stemmed amelanchier or wands of willow. Both will command attention close-to or from a distance, and even more so if you go for colourful bark, like a pink Chinese birch ( Betula albosinensis ) or a lipstick red Cornus alba . Think shape first, colour second. Shapes INCLUDE IN your scheme some shapes that are densely rounded, such as Hebe ‘Boughton Dome’ and Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’ or plants…

HAVING GROWN the Peruvian tuber oca for the first time, I was anxious to see what crop had formed under the abundant stems and foliage. Oca is an oxalis and has the typical clover like leaves on a sprawling, branching plant. This foliage is meant to be wilted by frost before lifting the tubers but even by mid-December, it remained stubbornly in place. Eventually, impatient and concerned about slug damage, I couldn’t wait any longer and lifted a plant. A large number of red, knobbly tubers had formed, an impressive haul considering I started with only five tiny tubers scrounged during last-year’s visit to Charles Dowding. They were kept dry and cool, then set to chit or sprout like seed potatoes before being potted and planted out during May. We…

AT THIS time of year there’s nothing nicer than curling up beside a log fire and reading the latest issue of Amateur Gardening, or browsing through the seed catalogues. But how do you carry your logs from the store to the fireplace? And what should you use to store them, near to the hearth? If you want something that’s practical and aesthetically pleasing you’ll find a wide range of carriers, everything from log baskets and buckets to bags, all available in a wide variety of styles and materials including wicker, steel and jute. A good tip is to think about the shape and size of your logs before choosing a carrier. To save you all the hassle of looking though, we’ve put six to the test this week. Just read…

WITH THEIR glossy evergreen leaves and showy flowers, camellias are one of the most welcome sights in early spring, and for those without the necessary acid soil, or who have only a small garden, they can easily be grown in a container. In principle, any camellia can be container grown, but those that are slower growing and with a compact, bushy habit will make a neater and more manageable plant that will not outgrow its pot too quickly. Camellias may be bought and potted at any time of year, but if you’re purchasing one now, make sure it’s full of bud and ready to flower in the coming weeks and months. Don’t be tempted to put a small plant straight into a large container – it’s not good for the…

Setting a standard HAVING READ the article ‘Turn a shrub into a tree’ ( AG 28 Nov), I wondered if readers would like to see my foray into that field with an Amelanchier larmarkii . When I bought this a few years ago it was a shrub, but I pruned it back to one leader and then spent time shaping it to produce what you see now. I give it a yearly haircut after the birds have eaten the red berries and it’s a lovely addition to any sized garden. It’s also frequently used by small birds awaiting their turn at the feeders. Patricia Holden, Taunton, Somerset Don’t let them burn out IT MADE me feel so sad to read the Star…

STAY UP to date with all The Yellow Book news with the brand new NGS mobile app. Free to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store, it features over 3,800 gardens open to the public in aid of NGS charities. You can see what’s on and share garden opening details with friends via Facebook and Twitter. It also has details of latest opening times, prices, contact details, directions and will save your favourite places – where you’ve been and where you’d like to go. Plus, you can send friends email invites to visit gardens with you.…

WHENEVER YOU see a sweep of bright yellow on a clement winter’s day it’s very likely to be a colony of winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis). There will probably be leafless trees close by, because this southern European species is found naturally in deciduous woodland and associates well with our most common snowdrop Galanthus nivalis, another woodland specialist. Each globular flower consists of six tough sepals so it’s quite resilient to winter squalls, and it can be the first flower of the new gardening year. A ruff of green frames the yellow globe and the flowers appear to nestle in a whorl of divided leaves. They spread mainly by self-seeding, after cross pollination takes place, and seedlings germinate and then take three to four years to flower. A large colony may…

PECKISH WINTER Warmer ready-to-use feeder is full of seeds to give your garden birds health and energy through the winter. It hangs from a bird table or feeding station, and is easy to refill. We have five to give away. To enter, send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Peckish Winter Warmer RTU, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG. Or email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com , heading the email Peckish Winter Warmer RTU. The closing date is: January 13, 2016.…

WINTER CAN be a tough time for lawns, especially if they have taken a lot of wear and tear over the summer. Wet weather can lead to waterlogging, especially if your lawn is laid on heavy clay, or drains poorly. Frost and snow can also be damaging. A frosty lawn may look pretty, but walking on it can kill the grass and leave footstep-shaped marks on the sward. Although you should venture onto the lawn as little as possible in winter, there are certain tasks you can carry out now to prepare it for spring. top tip Grass will continue to grow if the temperature remains above 5°C. You can mow it in winter, provided the lawn is dry and not frozen. Make sure your mower blades are set on…

HEATED PROPAGATORS are just one of several methods of starting seeds into action. They work by gently warming the seeds, so giving growth a kick start. They are especially useful for plants that are slow to germinate. My packet of physalis tells me they will take up to six months to germinate – we will see! Some seeds, such as those of hardy annuals, some perennials and vegetables, can take a few days (or even just 24 hours) to germinate if placed somewhere light and warm. These may not require extra heat at their roots, so here are some ideas for getting them started: Non-heated propagators: Basically a seed tray with a clear plastic lid. Fill the tray with compost, water, sow over the surface, cover, put on the clear…

TREES MAY be the giants of the garden, but they need care like any other plant. Winter is a tough time for them – snow and storms can bend and split branches, winds can rock them and weaken roots, and animals can eat them when their other food sources dry up. Here are some jobs you can do to strengthen your trees, and help them through the bad weather. top tip After bad weather, check all your trees, and remove damaged branches – if it is safe for you to do so. If they are large, or overhanging buildings or power cables, seek professional advice or contact your local council.…

IF YOU are at a loose end over the next week or so, why not visit one of these gardening events taking place around the country? • 9 January-12 March: Capability Brown’s Lost Sussex Garden – Hills of Horsham (Mon-Sat); Horsham Museum & Art Gallery 9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1HE; 01403 254959; capabilitybrown.org • 10 January: Orchids in the Spotlight; RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH; 01805 626800; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor • 12 January: What Now? January and February; RHS Garden Wisley; Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB 0203 1765 830; rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley • 16-17 January: Great Gloucestershire Potato Weekend; Dundry Nurseries, Bamfurlong Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 6SL; 01452 713124; dundrynurseries.co.uk • 23 January: Snowdrop Sale; Myddleton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield EN2 9HG; 03000 030 610; visitleevalley.org.uk •…

1 Choose a sunny sheltered site and dig plenty of compost or well-rotted manure into the soil to feed the hungry squashes. 2 Sow seeds in 3in (7.5cm) pots of multipurpose compost. Put in a heated propagator, or on a windowsill at 60-65°F (15-18°C). 3 Set out young plants 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) apart each way depending on variety; protect on cold nights with fleece. 4 Give plants a good soaking every week in dry weather. In wet years support growing fruits off the soil on straw or similar. 5 Harvest fruits when skin hardens and changes colour. Store in a dry place at around 50-60°F (10-15°C).…

Q MY PHALAENOPSIS orchid hasn’t flowered for 10 years! Also, it has barely put on any green growth. Is it OK, and what should I do? Emma Pickles, Eton A These fabulous blooms can remain in flower for many months, and they can flower almost continuously with only a short ‘resting’ period. However, if the room temperature is too low, the plant can enter a long period of dormancy, which can also be induced by not removing the racemes of faded flowers. If the room temperature is cold, move your orchid into a warmer, well-lit room. However, after 10 years without a flower, I might be inclined to throw out your plant and buy a new one! DR JANE BINGHAM Q My lemon tree has given us a wonderful crop…

THERE IS a noticeable change in approach by politicians to gardening and commercial horticulture. At a recent Westminster reception, representatives from both Houses spoke enthusiastically about the benefits to health, wellbeing, social cohesion and our need to have more home grown fruit and vegetables. I have to say that when they championed the benefits school children could gain from growing things, it brought a wry smile to my face. I wonder, does this really mean that after more than 20 years of encouraging schools to garden, the message is at last getting through to our lords and masters in Parliament? It’s good to see that there are already two national campaigns doing sterling work in this area. One is the Potato Council Campaign, which receives annual registrations of up to…

• THINK IN layers, trees and shrubs (base) herbaceous (middle) bulbs (top) • WINTER/SPRING bulbs will not need any light or much water during summer, so can go under or close to the base of trees and open shrubs. • IN THE case of dense and spreading shrubs, do not plant so close that the shrub will ultimately engulf and smother the bulbs! • IF YOU feed the birds in your garden, they won’t eat so many berries as to spoil the display! The best plants for berries are: holly, crabapple, cotoneaster and pyracantha. • CREATE DRAMA and emphasise colour by planting big blocks of it i.e. a group of shrubs (if you have the space) or big drifts of bulbs. • PLANTING CONTRASTING colours (from opposite end of the…

GROW MUSHY PEAS Suttons is encouraging gardeners to ‘grow their own mushy peas’ by adding the marrowfat variety pea ‘Maro’ to its range. Go to suttons.co.uk for details. NATIONAL NEST BOX WEEK It’s national nest box week from 14-21 February. Gardeners will be urged to put boxes in gardens to help bird species that are suffering decline. GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME CHRISTINE WALKDEN, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Wilson join Eric Robson in Monmouthshire. Tune in to BBC Radio 4 at 3pm on Friday 8 January (repeated at 2pm on Sunday 10 January).…

WHEN CAMPAIGNER Linda Grove appealed for people to help plant the area outside the Royal Free Hospital in London, she hoped that a few locals would show up. What she didn’t expect was a team of Korean holidaymakers to arrive with gardening gloves at the ready! The tourists responded after their countryman Kim Minho posted the request for volunteers to help create the garden on a Korean website. Kim Moonsun, who was a language student in London 10 years ago and now visits every year, came to help, along with husband and wife hairdressers Jeon BongKeun and Youn Sunhae. Kim said: “I wanted to help out. I love London and this seemed like such a great thing to do. I hope to come back when the flowers are in bloom…

DRINKS COVERS £7.50RRP SET OF 2 01280 84133 charlesviancin.com/en Put a lid on outdoor drinks with a pretty silicone daisy. This 4in (10cm) one is designed for glasses or small mugs, to keep pests at bay and teas or coffee hotter for longer. Once in place it forms such a perfect seal that you can lift it by its white steman grip. STARPATH-PRO £89.28PER 25KG PACK + P&P 08700 678 108 pro-teqsurfacing.com Light the way in a more cost effective and environmentally friendly manner. Once laid on top of a hard surface this clever mix of photoluminescent natural stone aggregate and polyurethane resin binder, will give your garden path a natural appearance during day time that transforms into a lovely soft blue luminescent glow at night. Cost-wise it works out…

POINSETTIAS NEED bright, filtered light, away from strong sun and draughts. They need a minimum temperature of 13-15°C (55-59°F). Water when the compost has started to dry out, and mist regularly to prolong the plant’s life. Feed monthly with a high potassium feed, such as tomato food. Prune back the plants hard in April, to about 4in (10cm), and repot. Keep them growing in a light, cool place over the summer. From November, make sure they get 12 hours of dark and 12 hours of light, to prompt their bracts to turn red again. Keep them warm to encourage colouring.…

Aeration: Use a long-tined garden fork, or a spiked roller, to punch holes in the surface of your lawn. This helps water to escape, and increases air flow around the base of the grass to help combat fungal infections. Fusarium patch: Also known as snow mould, this is a fungal infection caused by damp conditions. Prevent it by increasing drainage and air circulation. It can be controlled with Bayer Garden Lawn Disease Control. Worm casts: Worms are great for the garden, but their soil casts spoil the look of turf. Let them dry, and then lightly brush them off with a twig broom or besom. Don’t tread them in as this will damage the grass. Tidying edges: When you can get on the garden, keep the edges of the lawn…

IF YOU have not bought new seeds this year, and are wondering if your old ones are viable, there are ways of testing them. Take a few from an open packet and sprinkle on a piece of damp kitchen paper. Place it somewhere warm and light (but away from direct sunlight), such as on the top of a fridge-freezer. Keep the seeds moist. Check regularly, and if most of the seeds sprout the packet is still viable. Place larger seeds, such as for sweet peas, in a bowl of water overnight. Those that sink should germinate, but floating seeds should be thrown away.…

FRUIT TREES: Apple and pear trees can be pruned in winter. Start with dead, diseased and damaged branches. Do not prune plum trees, or any trees in the prunus family, as this can make them vulnerable to silver leaf disease. SNOW PROTECTION: If you have a significant snowfall, knock the snow off the branches of trees as its weight can cause them to break. Snow on the ground around the trees can act as mulch, locking in moisture and warmth. RABBITS AND DEER: Hungry rabbits and deer will nibble the bark of young trees in winter. Protect trunks with a plastic guard wrapped around, or box the trunk with chicken wire stretched around three or four stakes. STAKING TREES: Fierce winds can cause trees to rock, and loosen the rootballs…

Fallen debris: Clear away leaves and twigs that have blown against walls and into corners, as it offers a hidey-hole for pests, and is a breeding ground for disease. Greenhouse grime: Give your greenhouse a good clean before over-wintering plants in it, as its warm interior and tight corners are ideal for garden nasties. Snail patrol: Snails like to huddle together behind plants, and low down on walls. If you find them, get rid of them (and not over the neighbour’s fence!). Clean equipment: Always clean tools and containers before putting them away after summer, so you don’t transfer diseases from one season to the next.…

• Take a leaf out of expert Charles Dowding’s book and make either a raised, or a ‘Lasagne’ no-dig veg bed. You’ll need a big load of well rotted manure or garden compost. You’ll also need enough big old cardboard boxes to cover your veg patch when they’re opened out. For the raised no-dig bed (pictured) you’ll need treated timber boards about 6in (15cm) wide to make sides for the bed, corner brackets to join them, and wooden pegs 2in (5cm) square to anchor the boards. • Both types of bed need a sunny but sheltered site. • To build a ‘Lasagne’ bed, start by skimming off all the weeds and other greenery using a spade or hoe. Leave it lying on the ground, spread out. If you have more…

0843 168 0200 * MARY WALLACE called to say the leaves on her young eucalyptus tree are looking unhealthy and mottled. We think the cause is leaf spot fungus, and advise her to spray the plant with Bayer Fungus Fighter Disease Control or Scotts Fungusclear Ultra in April, when new foliage is emerging. Fallen leaves should be raked up and binned or burned, not composted. She should feed the tree in April with sulphate of potash at 1oz (28g) per sq m, and water in. *Calls cost 5p per minute from a BT landline, call costs from other networks may be higher.…

WINTER IS a great time to clean out sheds and storage areas, so this week we tackled the great Swithinbank plant pot collection. This is a lifetime’s accumulation and gradually sprawls out of control, with rims peeking above grass, nettles and brambles. The system involves a good mix of pots and trays next to the greenhouse in a plastic shed, with an overspill down the garden in an old beach hut. Handling terracotta pots reminds me of their history, which stretches back at least to Egyptian times and certainly to the Romans. They knew the merits of bringing plants under cover for winter, especially when their empire expanded to colder climates. Pots have always been wider at the top than the bottom as this aids firing, stacking, easing rootballs out…

GARDENING LEAVE, the charity that helps to rehabilitate brave veteran soldiers using plants and gardening as therapy, has closed down. Lack of funding, and in particular a large number of ex-services charities competing for dwindling donations, led to the announcement. “It’s very sad and frustrating that it has had to come to this,” said Gardening Leave Trustee and spokesman, Peter McCarthy. “We haven’t had the income this year that we’ve seen in previous years and it’s really tailed off in the last three months, forcing us to make this difficult decision. “The veteran charity scene is sometimes described as overcrowded, but the fact is there’s a continuing need for the support they all give.” FOUR GARDENS Founded in April 2007, Gardening Leave operates out of four gardens – Auchincruive in…

SENSORY PLANTS for touch, sight, smell, sound and taste form a major part of a new garden at a children’s hospice in Hampshire. The garden at Naomi House near Winchester features a pirate’s ship fort, outdoor games areas, lawns, soft paths and planters. Many of the children use wheelchairs so the raised manger-style planters allow them to get up close to touch and smell the plants. “The garden is a place of relaxation, beauty and fun: a space that can stimulate all the senses through careful use of specially selected plants and flowers,” said Paul Morgan, head of fundraising at the charity. Compost, controlled-release plant food and water-retaining gel were provided by Scotts Miracle-Gro to cut down on garden maintenance for the charity’s busy staff.…

A YORKSHIRE council is going wild over wildflowers. Grass verges and open spaces in Calderdale, which includes Halifax, could soon be awash with poppies, daisies and wild blooms. There are already a number of sites across the area where wildflowers have been allowed to flourish, resulting in striking roadside displays. Now the council is to follow a wider policy of creating wildflower plantings. One benefit would be there wouldn’t be the need to use fuel-powered mowers as often. The possibility of setting up a fund for the purchase of wildflower seeds is to be investigated, allowing community groups to bid for funding and take their own projects forward. Calderdale councillor Steve Sweeney said: “By allowing these flowers to bloom in grass areas, the borough will save money and it will…

Raspberry ‘Polka’ 6 canes for £12.95 AN AUTUMN fruiting primocane variety, Raspberry ‘Polka’ has been found to provide a yield twice that of the popular Raspberry ‘Autumn Bliss’. The large berries are also extremely sweet. Each spine-free cane could produce up to 2.5 kg of fruit and the fruiting season lasts from July until October! Blackcurrant ‘Big Ben’ 1 bare root bush for £9.95 THE FRUITS of ‘Big Ben’ are up to twice the size of standard varieties. ‘Big Ben’ can yield up to 4.5kg from a mature bush. Plus these fruits are sweet enough to be eaten straight from the bush. Bred at SCRI Scotland, this variety has excellent resistances to mildew and leaf spot. Gooseberry ‘Xenia’ 1 bare root bush for £8.95 THIS SUPER sweet, dessert gooseberry is…

THERE USED to be much debate over how beneficial it is to dig a plot over once a year. Keen diggers would get quite heated, protesting that digging was essential, and in the other corner, non-diggers were equally convinced it was the work of the devil. And much the same argument has long been going on in agriculture with ploughing versus no-tilling methods. In both cases, both sides are right, some of the time. It is difficult (though not impossible) to have a no-digging way of growing vegetables, but easier with soft fruit and trees. However, unless you garden a piece of pristine woodland or meadow, any spot will have been much disturbed many times in the past, and is probably littered with rubbish from that past. It’s amazing what…

I WAS EIGHT when I first tasted fresh orange juice and it was a revelation. Until then the only thing on the cold-drinks menu at breakfast in our house was rosehip syrup, a pink elixir made from the boiled and twice strained hips, gathered from the hedgerows and kept in a bottle under the sink. My mum drank it as a child, and working on the principle that ‘if it tastes bad it’s good for you,’ thought it would be just the thing for her children. I didn’t like it and despite contemporary TV chefs sentimentally eulogising about its flavour, I believe the best place for rose hips is on roses. I mention this because I’ve just planted one of the best hip-bearing varieties in the corner of my garden.…