Innholdsfortegnelse for 12-mar-16 i Amateur Gardening

MY brother, Nick, lives in Surbiton, a southerly suburb of the Greater London metropolis. He has a charming house with a small back garden that he tends with great passion. When I visited a week ago talk centred on his sarcococca (a hookeriana – I have the smaller leaved and flowered S. confusa). His little plant in a pot was blasting its sweet scent to every corner of the plot. Nearby stood a tree fern that had kept its previous year’s fronds, looking verdant and fresh. Nick tells me it just puts out more from the centre in May, the older fronds fading individually as the season progresses. He’s on the east side of the country, and inland from the sea, yet his garden hardly ever suffers frost. Modern cities,…

1 Parsley: An essential in a huge range of recipies, parsley likes neutral-to-alkaline soil, in sun or partial shade. It comes in flat and curly-leaved varieties. 2 Basil: Various types of basil are available – all need warmth (best under glass), and do well in pots. Use basil to make pesto, and in Italian cookery. 3 Chives: Part of the onion family, a hardy, reliable perennial. A tasty garnish for vegetable soup and salads, and their flowers add colour to the garden. 4 Sage: A reliable, hardywoody perennial that loves sun. Variegated and the pink-flowered blackcurrant sage (pictured inset) add interest to borders. 5 Marjoram: A member of the oregano family (Latin name Origanum majorana), this is widely used in Mediterranean cookery, and likes dry soils. 6 Mint: There are…

• Overpotting is when a plant has been potted into too large a container. • The plant will suffer because it has too much ‘empty’ compost around its roots, and this becomes waterlogged and airless. In time, the roots will rot. • Avoid overpotting by repotting into a container only slightly larger than the original. If you have already overpotted, move the plant back into a smaller container, and let the compost dry out a little. A foliar feed will boost growth.…

ALPINES are at home in thin, extremely free-draining mountainous soils, and hate sitting in soggy, wet conditions. If this puts you off growing them – maybe you have heavy clay soils, or live somewhere with high rainfall – then please think again. Unless you already have a rock garden and free-draining soil, the easiest and most attractive way of growing them is in a gravel-topped container. Simple rectangular troughs set the plants off to their best advantage, and they also look superb planted up in one of the old, traditional, white Belfast sinks – sadly these can be extremely expensive to get hold of. Alpine plants are widely available, and there are different varieties to give colour and interest most of the year. Spring-flowering plants include Pulsatilla vulgaris, large-flowered gentians,…

MOST houseplants – with the exception of forced bulbs and seasonal plants such as Christmas cacti and amaryllis – do very little in the winter months. But when the temperature and light levels start to rise in spring, they will begin to put on growth, and get ready for flowering. The advice during the winter months is to let the compost dry out between watering, and not to feed while the plant is dormant. However, in the spring, when plants start to grow again, you should increase levels of watering, and also feed regularly with a specific houseplant fertiliser or balanced a liquid feed (Phostrogen or MiracleGro). Top Tip The cold can still be a problem in mid-March, so it is worth keeping houseplants out of draughts, and moving them…

THE garden is really starting to gather pace. Buds are bursting, flowers are opening and signs of new life appear everywhere. I’m on top of most jobs but have to admit I’ve been dodging one of the most essential tasks. The lean-to greenhouse at East Donyland Hall where I work as head gardener is lofty and vast, so I’ve been putting off cleaning it. But to do so is to risk making pest and disease problems a lot worse, and I really have to bite the bullet. Most garden greenhouses are a much more modest size, like the one I’m tackling in the picture above – so you’ve no excuse, get to it! Scale insect, whitefly and damping off disease are just a few of the potential flies in my…

IF you are short of space, or have not yet prepared an area of the garden for growing raspberries, the ideal solution is to grow them in a container. Summer- and autumn-fruiting canes will thrive in a pot, as long as they have enough room and are planted in rich, moisture-retentive yet free-draining compost, such as a 50:50 mix of John Innes No 3 and multi-purpose. Plant at a rate of one cane per 15in (38cm) pot, and treat the plant as if it is growing in the ground. Keep the compost moist, and if you live in a hard water area, use rainwater if possible. When the canes are growing, feed with a liquid fertiliser once a month. Top Tip  Summer-fruiting raspberries can be harvested from July to August,…

“My writing career took off exponentially.” When distance-learning pioneer Ernest Metcalfe founded The Writers Bureau in the late 1980s, he can hardly have dared hope that twenty-seven years on it would be acknowledged as Britain's leading writing school. Yet so it proved, with thousands of Writers Bureau students seeing their work in print for the first time. And, for many of those who persevered with their writing, the dream of becoming a successful writer has turned into reality. Students such as Tim Skelton. An engineer by profession, he had always harboured an ambition to write, and at the age of 40 signed up with The Writers Bureau. The decision changed his life: "My writing career took off exponentially. I started appearing regularly in lifestyle and in-flight magazines. The following year…

WE all love to spot butterflies flitting around our summer flowers, but it is around now, on the cusp of winter and spring, that the earliest ones are usually seen. I say usually because, as we know, this has been such a mild winter that butterflies were spotted on NewYear’s Day in some parts. According to reports sent to Butterfly Conservation, on 1 January a Red Admiral was seen in Hampshire and a Small Tortoiseshell in Northants. Over the following couple of weeks there were Speckled Woods, Peacocks, Commas and a Brimstone seen variously in Dorset, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cheshire. Now it may seem a bit lame to proudly announce the sightings of individual butterflies in this way, but actually it’s a serious issue. More than three-quarters of the UK’s…

1 Find a half seed tray, wide shallow pot or plastic veg carton (mushroom containers are good). Cut holes in the base to let water escape, fill with seed compost and press lightly. 2 Water compost gently using a fine rose on the can and let it drain. Space seed thinly and evenly over the surface. You can use the groove in your hand to channel the seeds. 3 Cover the seeds by their own size with compost: scatter compost evenly by hand or tap it through a sieve. Press lightly. Put in a propagator at 15°C (60°F) or on a warm windowsill. Aftercare tips • After germination, transplant seedlings singly to 3.5in (9cm) pots or individual cells, handling them by their leaves. Or set them 2in (5cm) apart in…

UNTIL recently I thought snowdrops too quaint, samey and short-lived to warrant much attention. But now I’ve surprised myself by planting some. Dried bulbs are sold in autumn, but snowdrops are best planted ‘in the green’ – bulbs that are lifted from the soil as they finish flowering. You will find bagged up clumps for sale at snowdrop gardens or even greengrocers, but I ordered mine from a specialist mail-order nursery. Common snowdrops are fairly cheap, but expect to pay much more for named varieties. My group of 15 plants (five each of Galanthus nivalis ‘Viridapice, G ‘S. Arnott’ and Galanthus woronowii) set me back over £50! Still, what I’ve paid is a fraction of what some people spend on rare or unusual ones. You’d usually plant snowdrops in small…

WHEN growing radishes in pots go for the round rooted varieties – longer rooted ones will soon start to sulk when deprived of space. For a worthwhile crop choose a large pot – 12in (30cm) diameter x 8in (20cm) deep is ideal. Place a layer of broken pot in the base for drainage and use good quality general-purpose compost, levelling and firming down. Then scatter radish seeds thinly over the surface. The packet might suggest sowing in rows 12in (30cm) apart but you can space them closer in a pot. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of finely sieved compost and water in. For now cover the pots with a cloche or put them inside a cold frame. Seedlings should appear within 7-10 days. From next month until September,…

Pelargonium Also known as tender geraniums, they flower continuously and tolerate dry weather well. Deadhead regularly to keep the blooms coming. Pot up and overwinter indoors. Bacopa This South African annual’s trailing habit makes it ideal for baskets; its white flowers help to show off brighter colours. Best in a south-facing site, but will grow in semi-shade. Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ is a tiny-leaved hardy perennial that combines well with other basket and box plants. Doesn’t like to dry out, so use water-retaining gel. Begonia Tuberous begonias are much more popular than their fibrous-rooted cousins. They’re hungry plants, so feed and water regularly. They also work well on their own as focal plants. Petunia There’s a petunia to suit every container, from a small trough to a giant basket.…

AGREADERS who grow a rude or amusing fruit or vegetable could be laughing all the way to the bank. Seed firm Van Meuwen has launched a Vulgar Vegetable Competition and there’s a £250 cash prize for the winner. A spokesman said: “We’re celebrating vulgar vegetables and phallic fruit in 2016, with a hunt for the nation’s naughtiest.” In a move that’s set to get gardeners hot under the collar, the firm has introduced Chilli ‘Willy’ for 2016. Its phallic-shaped fruits, which are far too rude to publish in AG without censorship (left), are certain to get the neighbours talking! Fruits are described as medium-hot and easy to grow, thriving in a warm greenhouse, but will also perform on the windowsill or patio. Seeds (£2.99 for a pack of four) are…

GROWER David Austin has unveiled its new roses for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May. Rosa ‘Imogen’ is an upright shrub with soft-lemon blooms while ‘Bathsheba’ is an English climber with apricot-pinkand yellow flowers. They’ll be launched alongside Rosa ‘Roald Dahl,’ named after the famous kids’ author. Both will be available to order as bare-root plants or in containers after 24 May. Call (01902) 376300 or davidaustinroses.com.…

Fabulous Evergreen Trees for year-round impact! Pair of Elegant Italian Cypress Trees TREAT yourself to a pair of these gorgeous Italian Cypress trees, and add a touch of Mediterranean class to your garden. Seen all over Italy, these spectacular architectural conifers will add height and year-round interest wherever you plant them. With their elegant, pencil thin form, they’ll look simply stunning framing a door or gateway, or in a terracotta pot. Not to be confused with vigorous Leylandii, these slender, manageable beauties are slower growing and won’t get out of hand – you can even grow them on your patio! They are of course very drought tolerant, but also completely hardy and evergreen, so they’ll thrive here in the UK and look magnificent all year round whatever the weather! Height…

Write to: Jenny Bagshaw, Amateur Gardening Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG or email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Our Star Letter wins £40 in National Garden Gift Vouchers; tip of the week, £10; other letters £5 (£10 if we use a photo you’ve sent). Vouchers can be bought and redeemed at over 2,000 UK outlets offering more than 90,000 garden plants and products. Visit thevouchergarden.co.uk for details. Have a banana! I LIVE in the south of the Netherlands and our climate is a little colder than yours in the UK. Back in your 24 October 2015 issue I read about Anne Swithinbank digging out her Musa Basjoo (hardy banana) to bring it into the greenhouse for the winter. The banana in these pictures has been left outside in our garden…

‘Roy Clutterbuck’ This yellow-flowered saxifrage was raised by Jan Bürgel in the Czech Republic during the 1980s. ‘Nimbus’ Has pale pink flowers with a darker centre and tiny rosettes. It was bred in the UK by Ron Beeston during the 1990s. ‘Karel Stivin’ This rose-bloomed saxifrage has ‘lime crusting’ on its leaves, which makes it especially attractive throughout the year. ‘Dominika’. A beautiful saxifrage with dark pink flowers bred by Karel Lang in 2006 in the Czech Republic. ‘Allendale Citation’ Has beautiful white flowers and was produced in the UK by Ray Fairbairn during the 1990s. Saxifraga longifolia A silver saxifrage with rosettes that can reach a foot across. The plant dies after it sends up a stem of white flowers.…

WHILE brushing down my propagator in readiness for the season of seed-sowing and potting-on, I was reminded of an old Saab I used to own. It had the fundamental fault of stalling whenever the indicator was pushed to turn right, so driving anywhere always required an elaborate series of left-hand turns. I was glad to see the back of it, although it did have one redeeming feature: heated seats. ‘Bottom heat’whether in a car or a propagator is therapeutic and works wonders for young plants and seeds, as well as for backs made sore by digging. The heat of your seat is a personal choice but for seeds the temperature depends on what you’re growing. As a rule, species that hark from South America or South Africa such as pelargoniums,…

ONE of the great things about the start of spring, is the sight of our perennial herbs returning to life after the dreary winter months. I grow three different ‘levels’ of herbs. First, the kitchen windowsill is crammed with basil, coriander and parsley plants that were germinated from seed. These are cut for the pot when cooking. Just outside the front door is a prolific rosemary bush growing in a bed – according to ancient lore it wards off evil from the home, and is also a popular addition when cooking the Sunday roast. Then there is a convenient stand of pots of all shapes and sizes by the back door. These hold a variety of herbs including mint, sage, thyme, parsley and bay. The main garden beds are also…

1 Some tender herbs, such as basil and coriander, can be sown indoors and kept on your kitchen windowsill. Sow different batches every few weeks for a constant supply all year round. 2 Most herbs will grow happily in pots, so if space is tight in the garden, plant a selection of your favourites in a big container, and position it near the kitchen door.…

“IT’LL take more than global warming for that to grow in England,” barked a man to his other half in the garden centre, as she browsed the olive trees. Maybe he believed that olives only thrive in the sun-kissed groves of the Med – or perhaps he was wincing at the price. The reality is that you can grow olive trees in the UK, albeit as an ornamental tree rather than an edible crop. And while mature trees with gnarled trunks cost hundreds of pounds, you can pick up a young plant for as little as £29. I’ve opted for a half-standard Olea europea, with narrow, oval leaves. Although trees may produce short panicles of small white flowers, they’re unlikely to bear a useful crop of fruit in Britain. My…

1 Put crocks over drain holes in base of the trough. Fill with John Innes No 3 mixed with horticultural grit mixed. 2 Before planting, arrange plants on the trough, still in their pots, until you’re happy with the way it looks. 3 Plant them firmly, but slightly proud of the compost surface to boost drainage. Tease out roots if congested. 4 Water, and finish with a layer of grit. This is traditional, but it also helps to drain water away quickly.…

1 Choose a clean pot that is only slightly larger than the plant’s existing container. Place a crock at the bottom and then a layer of good houseplant compost. 2 Carefully tap the plant free from its pot, and work your thumbs into the rootball to gently loosen the tightest roots to help them spread through the compost. 3 Position the rootball into the new container so the rootball surface is just below the rim. Carefully fill around it with fresh compost, firming as you go. 4 Fill the pot almost to the top with compost, making sure it falls all round the rootball. Give it a light press to support the plant and remove air pockets.…

1 Dirty glass inhibits light penetration, which leads to leggy seedlings. With spring light levels being low in the first place, washing panes down with warm, soapywater is a must. 2 Damping off disease and botrytis are pathogens encouraged by dirty equipment. Soak used pots, labels and trays in a sterilising solution. Use fresh seed compost when sowing. 3 Create a warm, airy atmosphere. Chills slow down seedling growth, so ensure propagators work efficiently. Avoid overwatering and occasionally remove covers on warm days.…

GROWING fruit in containers is handy if you’ve got a small plot, a courtyard garden or a balcony. Petite areas like this offer a sheltered microclimate which boosts fruits’ sugar levels, and have wall space to train branches. Spring is a good time to assess potted fruit growth and consider potting-on or top-dressing. Vigorous trees and bushes like apples, peaches, blueberries and raspberries benefit from a slightly larger pot size each year. Root-bound plants are incredibly vulnerable to drying out in hot spells. If roots poke out from the bottom of the pot, potting-on is needed. Use a thick-walled and glazed pot to keep roots cool and moist. Can’t take a larger tub? Top dress the pot instead. Scrape off the top 2-3in (5-8cm) of compost and replace it. I…

1 Make sure the container you use is deep and wide enough for the raspberry canes to establish. Place a crock in the bottom for better drainage. 2 Fill container with a mix of loam-based John Innes No 3 and multipurpose compost, to just below the pot rim. Firm it lightly to remove air pockets. 3 Make a hole in the centre of the compost. It should be the same depth as the rootball of your raspberry cane, and slightly wider. 4 Gently ease the plant from its pot and tease out the roots before planting. The roots of bare-root plants should be soaked for several hours before planting.…

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• 19 March: Orchids Open Day, McBeans Orchids, Cooksbridge, Lewis, East Sussex BN8 4PR; 01273 400228; mcbeansorchids.co.uk • 20 March: Plant Hunter’s Fair (10am-4pm), Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch, Shrops. SY13 3JQ; planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 20 March: Rare Plant Fair, Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD; 0845 468 1368; rareplantfair.co.uk • 23 March: Plant Propagation, Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AH; 01572 813 200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk • 24 March: RHS Watercolour Painting Day ‘Beautiful Flowers’, Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AH; 01572 813 200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk • 25-28 March: Easter at Barnsdale, Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AH; 01572 813 200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk • 26 March: Plant Hunter’s Fair (9.30am-4pm), Battlefield 1403, Shrewsbury, Shrops, SY4 3DB; planthuntersfairs.co.uk • Please check that the event is still going ahead…

I SHOULD have bought fresh seeds. The packet I used for my early sowing of peas in guttering was still in date but had been stored in dodgy conditions. Only about half have germinated, which would make setting them out on the veg plot a waste of time. The same can happen in cell tray sowings of other big seeds like beans, but there’s a way to sort it out. ‘Chit’ more seeds by putting them in a warm, bright and moist position so you can spot the ones that are still viable. They should germinate within a couple of days in this mollycoddled environment. Sow them into the gutter/cell tray as soon as the radicle (the baby root) emerges from the seed case. They’ll grow away strongly to make…

IN theory you can grow any type of potato in a pot if it’s large enough, but I think you get better results by choosing fast-growing varieties and those that produce fairly small tubers. This year I’m trying ‘Rocket’, which is claimed to produce the earliest potatoes of all. After buying seed potatoes (you’ll find them at garden centres, nurseries or mail-order nurseries) you need to encourage them to produce sprouts, a technique known as chitting. To do this, place a tuber in each cup of an egg carton, ensuring that the rose end (where most of the eyes or indentations are) is facing upwards. Put the cartons in a cool, light place such as a spare room, porch or greenhouse. Leave them until short, stubby sprouts have grown from…

ACOUPLE of years ago I took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch. Looking back at my records, I spotted five different species of bird over the course of an hour. Namely, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, wood pigeon and an unidentified species of seagull circling over head. Since then I’ve gone on to make some radical changes to the garden, which has included removing a number of very large, mature shrubs and a tapestry of climbers on the trellis fences surrounding my plot. Unfortunately these plants provided food for the local population of wild birds and gave them a place to shelter when they felt under threat. The upshot of this was that when I gave the survey a shot earlier this year, I didn’t count a single…

How to start begonias successfully Q This will be my second year growing Non-Stop Begonias. Please can you tell me how to do so successfully, as they didn’t do very well last year. Geoff Gauntlett (via email) A Start begonia tubers in March or April, in the smallest containers possible, and begin watering. Tubers should be placed hollow side up, and not fully buried in fresh compost. Keep them at 16-21°C (60-70°F), or in a bright warm room. When the shoots are a couple of inches high, move the tubers into slightly larger containers. Reduce the heat slightly. If you start your tubers well into April theywon’t need to be indoors for so long before being hardened off. If you plan to put them directly into the soil, you may…

IT’S the time of year when you’ll be busy making plans to sow vegetable seeds or perhaps even consider making a new lawn. This is when soil preparation and the production of a fine tilth, ready to accept the seed or turf, are crucial. It’s also when having a good levelling rake becomes an absolute necessity. The levelling rake can be used for breaking down clods of soil, collecting stones and debris, or presenting a finely crumbed surface. It will also help incorporate fertiliser to improve soil nutrition and the back of the rake head can be used to move soil around and level it. Turn the rake on its side and the edge can often help form a seed drill. Then once the seed is sown, it’s the ideal…

“I’ve bought every issue of AG for years and I love them” HELLO Amateur Gardening readers! My name is David Thorne (age 28) from Kidlington in Oxfordshire. I became hooked on gardening five years ago when I saw some snowdrops along the Oxford Canal and thought something like that would look nice in our garden. I went to buy some the following day and from that moment I became obsessed, and the rest is history as they say. The garden was a completely blank canvas when I started and I had no knowledge of plants. As my new passion grew I spent hours reading up on plants or thinking of ideas to make the garden look as beautiful as I possibly could. I’ve always loved cottage gardens, so I suppose…

1 Stand your herbs in a bowl of water so their rootballs are moist. This helps speed up their establishment. 2 Dig a hole the same depth as the pot rootball, and roughly twice as wide. Add compost to poor/heavy soils. 3 Tap the plant from its pot, tease out any roots that have become congested, and plant it in the hole. 4 In-fill and firm down the soil. Water well, add a mulch to keep in moisture, and label the plant clearly.…

EVERYONE can enjoy gardening, whether they have a garden or not. If we don’t have flower beds we just grow stuff in pots and containers. Most plants, from ornamentals to dwarf trees and shrubs, and fruit and veggies, will thrive in a pot. Howeverwe need to be aware that container gardening has its own set of problems. Getting the wagering right can be tricky – and not just underwatering in summer. Winter wet causes waterlogging. This can be overcome by standing containers on feet. Always use a good quality, free-draining but moisture-retentive compost such as soil-based John Innes, or a mix of John Innes and multipurpose compost. I lost a couple of terracotta pots over the winter, both of which I forgot to stand on feet. This meant that when…

1 Around 24 hours before planting into a new container, water the tree. This will make it easier to remove the pot without damaging the roots. 2 Choose a sturdy, deep, frost-proof container with good drainage. Make sure that it’s slightly bigger than the pot that your olive tree was supplied in. 3 Olives like deep, well-drained soil. Add crocks then plant in a John Innes No3 compost with 20 per cent added sharp sand or horticultural grit. 4 Plant the tree at the same level as it was before and water-in. Place in full-sun. In summer, feed monthlywith a liquid fertiliser such as Phostrogen.…

“Growers are already reacting to these likely effects” ONE good season’s flowering and/or cropping has quite an effect on sowings and plantings in the following season. So, for example, early blooming daffodils and their extended period of flowering in cool February/March weather this year is likely to encourage us to plant more of them next autumn. At the other end of the scale the mild and very wet late autumn and early winter took its toll on over-wintering pansies and violas, with too many damaged by Pansy Black Spot and other fungal diseases. Demand for them may well go down as a result come next September/October. Growers are already reacting to these likely effects of weather by offering extra vigorous cultivars for more specific seasons. Trailing Pansy ‘Cool Wave’ in…

• When plants start growing again, water from the top, and let it run through into the saucer below, and be re-absorbed. But don’t leave your plant sitting in water for a long time. • Feed budding and flowering plants once a week. • Deal with pests including vine weevil (Provado Vine Weevil Killer), scale insects and red spider mites. • Wipe dust off leaves with a damp cloth to help photosynthesis.…

I MENTIONED the importance of potash for fruit crops back in February, to boost both flowers and fruit. However nitrogen is also important, for leaves and shoots. Light, free-draining soils are more likely to need applications than heavy clays, and now is a good time to consider it. Not all fruits need extra nitrogen, but heavyweight cooking apples, pears and plums will benefit. Organic gardeners can use well rotted manure or chicken pellets to top up levels. You could also use sulphate of ammonia for acid-loving fruits, or nitrochalk for crops that like lime, or try Vitafeed 301 from garden centres.…

IF you love celeriac, you’ve learnt a valuable life lesson – never judge a book by its cover. Whoever first decided to sink their teeth into this hairy, gnarly ‘root’ veg was a brave soul, but I’m eternally grateful that they did. Mashed, souped, baked in cream and garlic or grated raw – it comes up trumps in the kitchen every which way it can. Being in the same family as celery and parsley it has one drawback – a tedious period of germination – but get over that and it’s plain sailing. Sow the small seeds on the surface of moist seed compost in a large pot, or in modules, and pop them in a propagator. Expect to wait three or more weeks for seedlings to emerge.…

• Intercropping is when you grow a small, fast growing crop in the same space as a slower growing, bigger crop. • The soil should be rich, with added organic matter, to give both crops the nutrients they need. • Onions with narrow leaves, or quick growing lettuces or radish, can be planted between young brassicas. • When the onions and quick growing salads are harvested they leave space for the brassicas to mature.…

“If weeds are coming up, it’s time to plant sets & sow” EASTER is only a fortnight away and is the traditional time for planting potatoes in the ground. Of course this is a rough rule, in a sheltered garden on a nice sunny slope in the south it could be a month earlier, and in a cold wet, shady valley in the north, a month later. And the soil makes even more difference, dry dark peaty soils being ready way before cold wet clays. But you don’t need to worry about the exact date as there’s a simple sign – if weeds are coming up it’s time to plant sets and sow seeds. No weeds means the soil’s too cold, seed and sets may rot, better wait. However, if…

THERE is something very retro about a double-flowered aster and this mixture is one of the best, delivering large blooms resembling incurved chrysanthemums. The colours are rich and the sturdy, upright plants reaching 2ft (60cm) rarely need supporting. Flowers are produced from July to October and are great for cutting. Bedding or China asters (Callistephus chinensis) are half-hardy annuals native to China and Korea. Garden varieties are descended from the only species in the genus, whose natural habitat is open fields and stony slopes. In the garden these showy plants perform best on a fertile, well cultivated neutral to alkaline soil and thrive in an open, sunny position. Good moisture levels are important for healthy growth but asters must have good drainage and could flounder if their feet staywet during…

1 Choose a container at least 8in (20cm) in diameter and the same deep, and fill it with good, fresh multi-purpose compost. 2 Settle compost to leave a 1.5in (4cm) gap below the rim. Sow seeds thinly about 1in (2.5cm) apart across the surface. 3 Just cover the seeds with sprinkling of compost and firm down lightly, then label the pot so you know what’s in it. 4 Water the compost well and keep it moist. Cover with fleece or move somewhere sheltered if frost is forecast.…

ORGANISERS of the RHS Malvern Spring Festival have booked the “godfather of gardening” to pull in crowds. ITV Love Your Garden host Alan Titchmarsh will appear at the Three Counties Showground in Worcestershire on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 May (the show runs from 5-8 May). Star of the BBC’s The Great British Bake-Off, Mary Berry, will appear on Sunday 8 May. Show boss Ken Nottage said: “We are over the moon that Alan and Mary will be joining us this year” Other stars set to share know-how include AG’s Christine Walkden, and BBC Gardeners’ World co-presenters Carol Klein and Joe Swift. Malvern will host gardens, a food and drink pavilion, floral marquee, school gardens and a ‘grow your own wedding’ feature. Call (01684) 584900 or visit rhsmalvern.co.uk for ticket…

What can I put in a poor, narrow bed? Q I have a narrow bed that gets summer sun in the early morning and late afternoon, with little sun in winter. We are by the Devon coast, so we also get strong winds which can scorch plants. The soil is poor and stony, and rabbits nibble our plants. What can I grow for year-round colour? And how do I improve my soil? Debbie Rowlands, via email A Your first priority is soil improvement. Fork over the area, and dig in at least a 3in (8cm) layer of well-rotted compost or soil conditioner. Firm the area gently, then apply a top-dressing of a general fertiliser and rake this into the surface. Allow two weeks for the soil to settle before planting.…

Assisi LED planter £43.20 + £2.99 delivery 0843 317 7824 Konstsmide at lighting-direct.co.uk Solve your planting and lighting problems all in one go. This clever container has 15 LEDs that produce a warm white light with an average life expectancy of 30,000 hours. Made from plastic it measures: H. 11in (28cm) x Dia. 11in (28cm) x internal depth 6in (15cm). Potnotch hanging holder £12.95+ £2.75 delivery notonthehighstreet.com Giving pots a lift just got a whole lot easier with this clever holder. Made from FSC birch, with a waterproof paint finish and sturdy nylon core rope, it’s designed to hold terracotta pots from 5-9 1/2in (12-24cm) in diameter. Waterfall cascade planter with lights £209.99+ £4.99 P&P 0118 903 5210 primrose.co.uk What’s not to like about a container that also…

Traditional strawberry pot Attractive terracotta strawberry pots are great when space is limited but keep up with regular watering as they dry out quickly. In the ground Whether in raised beds or at ground level, growing strawberries in the garden means they have more space to spread their roots and find moisture and nutrients, resulting in bigger crops. Hanging baskets Strawberries grown in hanging baskets are well out of the way of slugs and snails, but they do need regular watering. Raised trough Take a tip from commercial growers and try a trough. They’ll save you bending an keep pests at bay. Something fun Strawberries are nothing if not versatile and, as long as they get plenty of moisture, rich soil and root space, can be grown in almost anything,…