Innholdsfortegnelse for 02-apr-16 i Amateur Gardening

GREENFINCHES used to be regular visitors to my garden, but in recent years I’ve seen far fewer of them. So I was interested to receive an email from Westland Horticulture, maker of Peckish bird feeding products, explaining that the disease Trichomonosis may be the culprit. Apparently it attacks the back of the throat causing the birds to starve to death. This unpleasant disease is spread via dirty bird feeders. Westland is urging gardeners to regularly wash feeders and help save the greenfinch. It’s good advice, but one of the reasons many gardeners don’t wash feeders regularly is that they are complicated and awkward to dismantle and clean. Westland’s own Peckish 3 Port Seed Feeder is much better in this respect, easy to fill and easy to clean. It’s sensibly sized…

1 Mix fine seeds, like begonias/petunias, with a pinch of horticultural sand. Sprinkle the sand/seed mix onto pre-watered compost in a pot. Don’t re-water. 2 Bigger seeds can be evenly spaced in seed trays. Space them 1/2in (1cm) or more apart to aid air circulation, and make them easier to prick out when ready. 3 Large seeds that develop lengthy roots, such as beans, sweet peas, etc can be sown in modules, root trainers or 3in (7.5cm) pots to give roots space to develop. 4 Once sown water, seal pot/tray in a clear plastic bag and put somewhere light and warm, such as a windowsill. Remove bag when seeds germinate. 5 If you are sowing hardy seeds, like nasturtiums ( above ) in a big pot, almost fill it with…

• Visit topsoil suppliers, ask where the soil originally came from and check it for weed roots, glass and rubble. • If your raised beds are big, ordering topsoil is cost-effective. I paid £48 for this 1-tonne bag, including delivery. • Give beds a north-south orientation to get maximum light. If crop heights vary, grow tall crops on the north side. • Make your raised bed area decorative by including sunflowers, nasturtiums dahlias and aphid-deterring marigolds.…

1 Water plug plants well prior to potting up. Aim to pot up as quickly as possible, to stop plants languishing. 2 Remove each plug gently from its module; loosen it by poking a pencil up through the hole in the base. 3 Fill a 3in (7.5cm) pot with potting compost; dib a larger hole than the plug plant. Plant the plug, and water in. 4 Move plants to a warm windowsill, or a frost-free greenhouse. Harden off the plants before planting them out.…

EVEN people who earn their living from gardening have bits of garden they are not particularly proud of. One of my perennial beds is a perfect example. Several plants in it have become congested with couch grass and perennial weeds. You can’t just pull it out because it’s tangled in the perennials’ roots. Just tearing the top away leaves couch roots with growing points on in the soil, and you’d effectively make the whole thing worse. The only real solution is to dig up the plant now, while it is still dormant, and cleanse the rootball of weed roots (and anything else that shouldn’t be there). See below to find out what I did: TopTip If weeds are growing between plants rather than through them, you can carefully apply a…

I LOVE asparagus, but its harvesting season is short, which is why it is so expensive to buy. So this year I’m going to grow my own. Ten crowns, once established, will yield over 17lb (8kg) of spears each year. Buy crowns from garden centres now, or they can be supplied from mail order nurseries, usually until May. They won’t be ready to harvest until next year, but their tall frondy leaves – when left uncut – are attractive. I’m going to grow my asparagus in a flat bed, with no earthing up. Ideally, the soil should be prepared in the autumn before planting – but few of us do this! First, dig plenty of well-rotted organic matter in to the top 9in (23cm) of the bed, and remove any…

WITH the arrival of April, you really do feel as if summer is just around the corner. It gives you the green light to start sowing in earnest – the soil is now warm enough to receive seeds directly, and more delicate sun-loving crops can be started off under cover, too. Of course, there are some veg that are already well out of the starting blocks, including the peas and broad beans I sowed earlier in the year. They now need a different type of attention – support. Being a traditional kind of girl, I love using pea sticks, but netting, chicken wire, or good old bamboo canes and string will all work just as well. Different crops need differing types of support, so follow my steps to ensure your…

I’VE noticed that the weeds are beginning to grow at an alarming pace now, but that’s a good sign. It means the soil is warming enough for us to sow directly into it, rather than into pots or trays in the greenhouse to transplant outside later. For veg growers, that means it’s time to start crops that resent transplanting such as spinach, carrots, spring onions, radishes and many, many more. In my book, that’s a great reason to get excited by weeds! It’s fair to say that sowing outside has its pitfalls and advantages. As well as allowing you to grow a wider range of veg, it also means that anyone with a patch of earth can get sowing – no greenhouse required. But just remember you’re at the mercy…

“Prevent the soil crusting by covering seeds with a cloche” I GUESS most vegetable gardeners grow carrots, or try to. They’re popular on the table and store well, yet some report serious difficulties growing this tasty root crop. The ideal soil is loam or sand with few stones, the carrots go straight down and swell with their eventual size depending mostly on spacing and rainfall. The worst soil is heavy wet clay with many stones and or badly mixed in manure, this gives twisted multiple-fanged roots if the seed ever comes up at all. Indeed getting seed to come up seems to be the commonest problem. Obviously sowing fresh seed in season is essential but it’s small and in some soils germinates but never emerges. This is because the soil…

• 1-2 April: Plant Extravaganza featuring RHS London Orchid Show, RHS Lindley Hall, 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE. rhs.org.uk/shows-events • 2 April: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10am-4.30pm), National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffs DE13 7AR.planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 3 April: West Cornwall Orchid Society Spring Festival of Orchids, Camborne Community Centre Annexe, South Terrace, Camborne Cornwall TR14 8SUY.westcornwallorchidsociety.btck.co.uk • 3 April: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10am-4pm), Ness Botanic Gardens Wirral, Cheshire. CH64 4AY.planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 4 April: River Cottage Garden Open Day (9.30am-4pm), River Cottage HQ, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, EX13 8TB. 01297 630 300; rivercottage.net • 5 April: Classy Climbers for Every Site, Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AH. 01572 813 200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk • 7 April: Potions and Poison: Shakespearean herbology (10.30am-3pm, age 7+), Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Rd,…

• Faced with a choice of pots, trays, plugs and modules, it can be difficult to decide which to use for sowing. Fresh seeds won’t be fussy as long as compost, techniques and conditions are spot-on. • If I want a lot of plants, I’ll use a seed tray. When space in the propagating case is at a premium, a small pot has to do. • Most seedlings can be pricked out after germination as long as their first true leaves have only just appeared past the seed leaves, and are not so closely sown that their roots have tangled. • Always handle seedlings by their leaves, not stems. Cells and plugs take up more space initially but are great because seedlings need not be disturbed.…

IN October I move our fuchsias from the unheated greenhouse, in the kitchen garden, into the cellar. Some of the plants have been making this journey for well over a decade. Once in the cellar they are placed near the door so that they get a little bit of light. Plants can be successfully over-wintered anywhere that is frost-free and offers some light. The temperature in the cellar remains a constant 6°C all year round – perfect for over-wintering. During this period our fuchsias aren’t watered and are left to enjoy their beauty sleep. At the beginning of April it’s time to wake them up and start preparing them for the summer ahead. To make our fuchsias rise and shine I mix horticultural grit and slow-release feed into fresh compost.…

IF you garden in the country, you’ll have rabbits. Eating prize plants, nibbling seedlings and digging holes is what makes them one of our most unwanted garden pests. The garden here at Stockton Bury is rabbit proofed but the occasional clever bunny makes it through. If a young tree is ring barked (gnawed all the way around) death could be knocking at its door. So, to repel any intruders, new trees and shrubs are protected with guards. Rabbit proofing a whole garden is time consuming but it’s worth it. Choose wire netting that has a mesh of no more than 1in (2.5cm). Fences should be about 4ft 9in (1.5m) high and about 7 3/4in (20cm) of this wire needs to be buried under the ground. This underground mesh should be…

Japanese knotweed A very attractive brute. Strict laws control its disposal. Where practical dig it out, dry it and burn it. Spray green foliage with glyphosate. Never compost this weed. Oxalis One of the prettiest weeds, with purple foliage. Explosive seed pods shoot seeds a good few feet. Dig out before the flowers appear. Persistence and vigilance are the keys. Ground elder Can be forked out with patience, or treat with Vitax SBK Brushwood Killer which won’t harm grass but will kill all broad-leafed plants. May take two or more seasons. Horsetail The stems contain silicon which makes it difficult for herbicide to penetrate the tissue so bruise the stems with the back of a rake before spraying in late summer. Couch grass Glyphosate was designed for killing grasses and…

A “HIDDEN gem” of a garden has won £84,000 of Heritage Lottery funding. York Gate, near Leeds, was bequeathed to the horticultural workers’ charity Perennial in 1994. The grant will be spent researching the garden’s history and creating a permanent exhibition for visitors. One-acre York Gate is laid out as “garden rooms” using yew and beech hedging. Perennial’s Richard Capewell said: “This award is a tremendous help in realising our long-term ambition to preserve this wonderful garden.”…

Q Is there an organic way of controlling slugs and snails? Also, I have a big mouse problem in my shed, and nothing seems to work against them. What should I do? Margaret Burgess, Exeter, Devon A It can be challenging controlling slugs and snails. If you have particular plants to protect, then collars of copper tape or something rough like sandpaper can work. Beer traps are also useful, although other insects can also drop in. The best liquid to use is real ale, as it has a higher yeast content, which the slugs seem to like! You can also buy a biological control called Nemaslug, which contains nematode worms. Water it on to the soil, and the microscopic worms kill the slugs. It is available online, and can be…

There are many seed mixes available. Some are for the purist who are trying to replicate a natural and local meadow, others for those who just want colour and are not worried about authenticity. PlantWild’s Welsh Meadow Mix To replicate a natural meadow this is the mix for you. Includes fine meadow grasses and flowers in a mix of 70:30. Enjoy yellow rattle, ox-eye daisy, red clover, cowslips and common spotted orchids to name but a few. Ideal for a meadow that will last for years. £6.50 (postage not included). 01531 670797 Ultimate Flower Meadow Mix For a dreamy scene of whites and pinks with a splash of blue opt for Sarah Raven’s new mix that comes in a handy shaker. Made up of popular annuals – cosmos, cornflower, poppies…

‘Sweet Dreams’ Hot pink flowers that resemble florist’s gerberas from early summer into autumn. H16in (40cm). Looks good with Penstemon ‘Pensham Plum Jerkum’ and Dianthus carthusianorum. ‘Rachel’ Brilliant orange red flowers with the classic gerbera look, from early summer until the first frosts. H14in (35cm). Looks good with Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ and Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’. ‘Sweet Honey’ Gorgeous yellow amber daisy-like flowers from May to October. H14in (35cm). Looks good with Geum ‘Lady Stratheden’ and Cosmos atrosanguineus.…

THE month of April is peak seed sowing time, when gardeners use the rising temperatures and stronger light to start off flowers and crops for the coming year. There is much more to sowing seeds than simply placing some on a layer of compost, covering them with more compost, and waiting for the little seedlings to emerge. Different seeds have different requirements for successful germination. Some need extra warmth provided by heated propagators or a heated greenhouse, while others need darkness and cool conditions. You also need to get the watering balance right – too dry and seedlings wither, too wet and they can keel over with the fungal disease called damping-off. Similarly, too much warmth and not enough light will make seedlings drawn and leggy. They will be difficult…

• Vermiculite is a natural lightweight iron silicate that is sprinkled over freshly sown seeds instead of compost. It aids air circulation and drainage, and lets in light, boosting germination. • Perlite is a naturally occurring, light, heat-treated volcanic rock. It is usually used as a compost additive. Mixed with compost it opens it out, improving drainage and aeration.…

1 Dig soil deeply, breaking up any winter ‘crust’ and taking out weeds and lumps of debris. Don’t remove all stones though, as they will assist with drainage. 2 Use a rake to level the area, ironing out bumps that will cause your raised beds to sit unevenly. Avoid a lot of walking on dug soil, as this will compact it again. 3 Using a sturdy bench, measure timber, mark with a pencil, then cut to length using a saw (inset). It’s quicker to cut the required timber for all your beds in one go. 4 Before screwing planks together with decking screws, always drill pilot holes (inset) which prevent timbers splitting. An electric screwdriver makes the job easier. 5 Place batons in corners and screw to timbers. Make batons…

“The garden is getting under control again” AT last I feel as if the garden is getting under control again. Lawns have been cut and edged, all dead stems and over wintered debris cleared from flower beds, roses are pruned, rose fertiliser applied under them and to all the woody ornamental trees, shrubs, hedges and hardy border flowers that require feeding. Fruit trees and bushes are pruned, rose fertiliser with higher potash plant food has been dusted on the soil under apples, pears, dessert gooseberries, red and white currants. Growmore with higher nitrogen is given to plums, culinary gooseberries, cane fruits and rhubarb. Next job is to apply a surface mulch to as much bare soil as I have well-rotted compost to cover it. Spring frost susceptible crops, including strawberries,…

1 I began the project by getting rid of old flower stalks and dead leaves that had died down naturally on the irises. 2 I then dug right around the plant, loosening its rootball, which allowed me to lift it complete from the ground. 3 I lifted the plant on to a bin liner, and then set about teasing the weeds and their roots out from the rootball. 4 Returning to the hole where the plant had come from, I tidied it up, lifting and binning all weeds and glass.…

• Autumn raspberries fruit on the tips of canes grown up during the current growing season. Now, on the verge of late winter/early spring, you traditionally cut every cane down to ground level. • However, you can get autumn varieties to produce two crops a year. To do this, prune half the canes to ground level as above, and the rest to just below that part of the cane which produced the autumn crop (right). These part cut canes will crop in summer, after which they can then be cut down at ground level.…

GREENHOUSE space is at a premium in summer, but if you can afford to squeeze three or four melon plants in it, heaven awaits you. A sunny, sheltered spot outside it’s worth trying too, as many varieties (including the one I’m sowing, ‘Emir’) have been bred to do well in cooler climates. Sow one seed per 4in (10cm) pot of well watered seed compost. Place in a heated propagator at 18-20ºC, or seal in a clear plastic bag on a warm windowsill. Germination is often quick – if you find your seedlings are becoming leggy move them out of the propagator to a slightly cooler spot, or remove their plastic bag. Grow them on in good light and warmth.…

BACK in February I moved some quick-maturing strawberry plants into an unheated greenhouse for an early crop. They’re leafing up nicely, but with young shoots in short supply savvy pests are queueing up to feed on the early nutrient-rich young leaves. Red spider mites and aphids colonise a multitude of crops, and I’ve noticed the telltale signs on my precious strawberries. Tiny yellow flecks on the leaves show me that the mites are active, and white cast aphid skins are a sure sign of greenfly. Organic growers use a fatty acid-based spray such as Doff Universal Bug Killer. For non-organic gardeners Provado Ultimate Fruit & Vegetable Bug Killer is available (avoid spraying at all when your strawberries are in flower).…

1 Make sure those potato sets are planted, especially main crops; ‘earlies’ less important as they catch up. 2 Plant leftover onion, garlic and shallot sets now, all overdue but still just time to gain decent crops. 3 Whenever rainfall has been significantly lacking, water recently transplanted trees and shrubs well. 4 Carefully pour boiling water over weeds in paths, drives and patios, repeat fortnightly and they die.…

I’VE always loved gazanias for their large, beautifully-marked daisy-like flowers and ability to tolerate drought. These are tender, evergreen perennials but because they rarely survive the cold and damp of a British winter, we usually sow them fresh from seed every year. Plants of ‘Sunshine Mixed’ will reach 10in (25cm) high and wide and they’re smothered with richly coloured blooms. Gazanias originate from Southern Africa, where they grow in lowland sandy soils or high altitude meadows, where bright light and well-drained soil is guaranteed. The species in particular tend to have grey, felted leaves to protect them from harsh light and water loss. In the garden Plant gazanias for patches of colour towards the front of a border, or where harsh sun and poor soil are causing problems for other…

• Should one particular gazania catch your eye, it is easy to take cuttings during late-summer and early-autumn. Lift it using a fork and look at the base where all the tufts of growth meet the roots. Separate and remove the shoots by cutting or pulling them gently away, trimming the bases if necessary. • Fill a pot or seed tray with gritty cuttings compost (50:50 soil-less potting compost and sharp sand, potting grit or vermiculite) and insert the cuttings so they are 2in (5cm) apart (right). • Water in, sit the pot or tray inside a loosely knotted poly bag (remove this after they have rooted) and place out of full sun. Keep frost-free and pot separately by October, or the next spring.…

EVERY gardener dreads the discovery of vine weevil grubs. Being white they’re always easy to spot – I challenge you not to stamp your feet with anger when you come across them! These grubs are very proficient at eating plant roots. Cyclamen, bergenias, primulas and fuchsias are particularly susceptible. Most say it’s best to discard your plants if you find grubs in your pots, but an alternative is washing off all the soil and repotting the plant. I use Provado Vine Weevil Killer2, which offers protection after three applications and is ideal for container grown plants. Being a concentrate this systemic insecticide needs mixing with water. The bottle is an ingenious design and offers a no-touch system – however, I would still wear gloves. Mix and simply water on to…

A NEW green screen is required in the garden, and thankfully it’s the perfect time to plant a hedge. I have chosen Thuja plicata ‘Gelderland’, which will grow about 16in (40cm) a year if really happy. Before planting I paced out 3ft (1m) between each plant. This is a generous spacing for a hedge but these plants have quite a wide spread. Once evenly placed I dug generous holes using an old spade with a narrow head – a similar type is the treaded tree planting spear from Bulldog Tools ( bulldogtools.co.uk). These narrow headed spades are ideal for planting whips. The plants were then removed from their pots, positioned in their planting holes and the holes backfilled with soil. This is an exposed site, so firming them in well…

Paving and drives There are certain situations where it is difficult to see a better solution than using a herbicide. For example the tap roots of dandelions or docks get established in the cracks of paving or walling. In these situations hand weeding always leaves some root behind, and they send up more shoots. A herbicide with Glyphosate will kill the plant outright. The same applies to hard packed gravel drives where plantains and dandelions survive being driven and walked over. They grow tight to the ground with a tenacious grip in the hard packed surface. You risk losing finger nails trying to pull them out! Best solution: Target specific weeds with a sprayer; do this on a calm day. Growing through other plants Couch grass and ground elder are…

TOP onion variety ‘The Kelsae’ is back – after a hailstorm wiped out supplies last year. DT Brown will offer the popular strain as young plants. General manager Tim Jeffries said: “We saved enough plants to protect our breeding stock, but it meant we had no packet seed available for this season. “We did have some old seed left from last year and while it wasn’t of high enough germination to be packeted, it was fine to sow for plants. “The irony is it germinated better than we expected, so we have a supply of young plants.” Regular winner Onion ‘The Kelsae’ is popular with allotment gardeners and is a regular winner at National Vegetable Society Championships. It has mild, sweet flesh and a pack of 20 plants costs £6.95.…

A ROSE that’s set to be unveiled at Chelsea has been hand-picked by royalty. Peter Beales Roses of Norfolk will take the wraps off Rosa ‘Sandringham’ – a medium-sized rose with double-pink blooms. It will go into the firm’s Modern Classics range. It was at Sandringham Flower Show in 2014 when the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were presented with three new seedlings from the Peter Beales range. The Duchess chose a “pink, intensely perfumed seedling,” said the nursery. The seedling was later named after the royal Norfolk residence. Call (01953) 454707 or visit classicroses.co.uk for details.…

Q Our wild primroses have started to produce occasional pink flowers. Is this usual? Terry Castle, Bath A It is not unusual for primroses to hybridise, but it isn’t common, so you are lucky! Unlike most wild flowers, primroses are pretty immune to long spells of cold weather, and flower over a long period. Q Why are the leaves on my indoor gardenia going brown and dropping? Barbara Palm (via email) A The problem is caused by dry air. Give your plant lots of light, but not direct light in midsummer, with plenty of water and a humid atmosphere. Water up to three times a week in summer, using rainwater ideally, and mist the plant throughout the year.…

IT’S easy to forget the names of plants in your garden over time. And when growing new seedlings they can often all look the same, making it difficult to tell which is which. Plant labels are the obvious answer, whether stuck in the ground or pot, or tied to a sturdy part of an established plant. Here we’ve tried a variety to suit every type of gardening – from simple labels to identify seeds in a tray to more substantial ones suitable for letting visitors to an open garden know what they’re looking at. The labels are priced from pence to pounds and come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Wooden Labels £2.50 in store 0333 014 3098 diy.com  for store locator Features In a pack of 12, these simple,…

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. Year round value FURTHER to your article including Top 5 Container Plants (AG 12 March), as you can see I grow pelargoniums which I put out into the borders in summer, then overwinter in my conservatory. They must be the best value plants in the garden giving a wide selection of colour for 365 days each year, which is wonderful on a cold,…

It’s a great time to plant a pot-grown trillium Why grow it? THIS is a classy plant. If you’ve ever aspired to a country pile with rolling acres and your own woodland, you’d want to see trilliums growing on its forest edge. Shade-loving trilliums grab your attention on the rare occasions you come across them growing in posh gardens with woodland. The distinctive foliage is enough to make serious plant lovers weak at the knees. The plain T. grandiflorum has, common to all species, foliage arranged in an ‘apical whorl’ of three equally spaced, broad, deep green leaves. From the centre of these T. grandiflorum produces bold white spring flowers with three distinctive ridged petals around a yellow central cluster of stamens. On other species flowers can be deep red…

“They’ll come up all over the greenhouse” THERE are many garden-miracles: Dew sparkling inside the emerald leaves of alchemilla; the impossible complexity of unfurling rose buds; and best of all, the marvellous discovery of a long-lost trowel in the compost heap. There is one wonder that trumps them all, however: new life sprouting from seemingly lifeless seeds. I love seed-sowing. I always have and get particular enjoyment when coaxing something new or tricky into growth. All seeds have their foibles but some are more difficult than others, as they have evolved techniques to help them disperse and sprout when conditions are just right. Dust-like nicotiana, begonia and petunias are small and light enough to take to the air on the slightest breeze. Sneeze when sowing and they’ll be coming up…

• To help stop ‘damping off’ disease, use new pots, trays and propagators, or wash old ones thoroughly before use. • Use fresh seed sowing compost, which is finer, and contains less fertiliser which can stop germination. • Rainwater from your water butt is fine for mature plants, but use clean tap water for seeds and seedlings. • Place the seeds somewhere bright with a steady warmth – not too warm or the seedlings will grow spindly.…

WE often hear from AG readers who are keen to start growing veg but can’t get an allotment, or who don’t have time to maintain a full-size plot. Starting off with a small veg patch and only growing what you want to eat are golden rules for success when venturing into grow-your-own. To show how productive a little patch can be, I’m building two raised beds, siting both in the sunniest part of my garden where no shade is cast by trees. Raised beds offer several advantages: with soil higher than ground level, drainage is improved, so there’s less risk of flooding. Soil warms-up rapidly in spring and, where good-quality topsoil is used, roots have the depth to flourish. Raised beds can make harvesting and weeding easier, too. I’m building…

TAKE a trip to the garden centre this weekend, or browse through a young plant catalogue, and you are sure to see masses of tempting plug plants. These are pre-sown seedlings, each growing with their own little root system in a plug of compost. Most will be summer varieties of bedding flowers, but there are also many types of vegetable from which to choose. They represent excellent value for money, as buying more mature ‘pack’ plants, or individual potted plants, is much more in expensive. When buying plug plants from a garden centre, ensure that they are well rooted, to enable them to be handled. The soil plug should be bound firmly, and it should not fall apart when you pick it out of its little module tray. Buy your…

I HAVE often wondered why there is always so much frogspawn and so few frogs… I recently found out after we observed tadpoles in a tank in my kitchen. When their back legs develop, tadpoles become carnivores, and despite feeding them high-protein fish food, they eventually turn on each other. The moral of my story is not to keep tadpoles for too long outside of their natural habitat. We were so proud of our first froglet, but he met a grizzly end during one unfortunate swim. He was circled by his shark-like siblings and devoured in the water. Robbie was upset about this and I was horrified, but this turn of events appealed to Joe (younger and more gruesome). He gave me updates on the situation, whilst Robbie sobbed. We…

How to revitalise patio pot plants • Ideally, we should repot a permanently planted outdoor container annually, into a container one size larger. But what if there’s no space for a bigger pot? In this case, replant your tree, shrub or perennial in the same pot, replacing one-third of the old compost around the roots with fresh compost. • Or, top-dress the container by scooping away 2in (5cm) of old surface compost, replacing it with fresh compost (above). After top-dressing, water well, and give monthly liquid feeds during the growing season.…

1 Buy crowns now. You can also grow asparagus from seed – but you’ll wait an extra year for your first crop! 2 Soak the crowns for a couple of hours in water to rehydrate them prior to planting. 3 Lay crowns on the trench mound, with roots spread outwards; space the crowns 15in (38cm) apart. 4 Then draw about 2in (5cm) of loose soil back over the crowns, and water in. Rows should be 3ft (1m) apart.…

1 First check the height of your crop, and tailor supports to that. Some dwarf leafless peas can support themselves, whereas a few mange-tout varieties can grow a good 5ft (1.6m) tall. 2 Broad beans don’t have tendrils to cling to supports, so I cage them inside a surrounding framework of sticks. They stand up by leaning on each other as well as the sticks. 3 Most peas on the other hand, do produce wire-like tendrils that wrap around whatever they lean against. A central row of pea sticks, chicken wire or netting will do the job.…

I’VE been patiently leaving these bean seeds in their packet till the weather warms up – they don’t like cool soils. But now it’s April I can crack on and sow them ready to transplant outside in five to six weeks. Dwarf French beans are ideal for pots and tend to crop in flushes, whereas climbers mature in succession over a long period. If you’re lacking greenhouse space, wait till the end of April and sow directly outside, two seeds per station, later thinning to one. Sow under cover now for earlier pickings and better germination. I sow one seed per 4in (9cm) pot, and have chosen pencil-podded dwarf green ‘Mascotte’ along with red flecked ‘Dwarf Borlotto’.…

BUMBLEBEES are unmistakable. They seem to lumber from one plant to another. If, over the next few weeks, you see a bumblebee zig-zagging low over the ground it’s likely to be a female (or queen) hunting for a nest site. She’ll have hatched last year, and found somewhere to hibernate but now has to feed quickly to recoup energy lost over winter. Her priority after that will be to find a suitable nesting site for egg laying. It’ll also be her job to feed the colony of larvae until they reach maturity, at which point they become known as the workers, leaving her free to lay more eggs. Interestingly, the first worker generation appears quite early in the gardening year, when there are not always enough flowers out with the…

1 Fill a pack of modules with good, well-draining seed compost (add extra sharp sand and grit if necessary). Push lightly to make sure there are no gaps, brush the surfaces smooth and pop one seed on each cell. 2 Using the tip of a dibber, usher each seed just under the surface of the compost so it is covered by no more than its own size, and press lightly with a fingertip. Water using a fine rose (sprinkler) on the can. 3 The sun is climbing higher and increasing in strength, so propagating cases could overheat. The seeds will germinate at 15-18o C (60-65o F) but make sure the case is ventilated and, if necessary, shaded.…

BE the envy of your neighbours with this fantastic garden tool collection from Kent & Stowe. The stainless steel set includes a Digging Spade, Digging Fork, Soil Rake, Dutch Hoe, Hand Fork and Hand Trowel, all designed to make any job easier and quicker. All of the handles are made from ash wood, to provide comfort when working long hours in your garden. Each product is made with high quality stainless steel to ensure a strong, durable performance, while also maintaining a clean, traditional finish. Enter this competition and you could get your hands on your very own collection! Kent & Stowe are giving away tool sets to eight lucky Amateur Gardening readers. You’ll be using these products with confidence for many seasons to come, as each one comes with…

DO you remember my recent trip to a tree nursery? My intention was to buy just hedging plants but I couldn’t resist a tree. We have a fine tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the garden. It’s about the same age as me – and no, I’m not telling! The tulip tree is a giant reaching 98ft (30m) in height and its flowers appear after 25 years. Therefore it’s only suitable for a large garden and a patient gardener. So smitten by its impressive autumn colour my uncle and I bought another specimen. We’ve planted it just behind our kitchen garden wall in a shrubbery between the road and garden. Getting to our planting spot was tricky as brambles and nettles created quite an obstacle course. I tripped over a bramble…

Fat Hen Chenopodium album is a host to black bean aphid. Control by hoeing and pulling. Stop it seeding – seeds are very long lived. Hairy bittercress Cardamine hirsuta has explosive seed capsules that shoot seeds up to three feet, so hoe off before seeds are produced. Groundsel Senecio vulgaris – don’t leave hoed off or pulled out mature plants lying, they can l still set seed (wind born seeds).…

Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ I find the coloured leaves too garish but many people like them (some say they smell of orange peel) but it does have an invasive habit. Grow in a pot. Muscari A charming spring bulb that can take over gardens and no amount of digging it out seems to dent its vigour. Go for other little blue bulbs like Scilla siberica, instead. Aquilegia vulgaris A common and beautiful plant but an abundant self-seeder. Control the number of seedlings you allow to grow on and cut off seeding flower heads. Phalaris arundinacea var. picta An attractive but invasive grass spreading underground. Grow it in a large pot where its impressive foliage can be enjoyed safely.…

FORTY of the tallest trees on earth were planted at the Eden Project in Cornwall, on the 15th anniversary of its opening. The grove of Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) could live for 4,000 years and reach 400ft (122m) high. A clone of the Fieldbrook Stump – the remains of a Californian redwood felled when it was 3,500 years old, was the first sapling to go in. Eden co-founder Tim Smit said: “It’s humbling to plant these Coast Redwoods, in the knowledge that they will still be here in 4,000 years’ time.”…

Q Should I start to harden off my seedlings now? Lucy Hutchinson (via email) A Start hardening off young plants when they have a good flush of leaves and are growing strongly. To do this, put them outside on frost-free days and bringing them back in at night. Find a sheltered spot out of the wind. Depending on the plant and the weather, by mid May you should be able to leave them out overnight, and be starting to think about planting them out.…

How do I grow sweet peas? Q My sweet peas have germinated. I sowed them in a 3in (7.5cm) pot. When do I pot them on and how should I grow them for best results? Christina Feltham (via email) AI sow up to 10 seeds in a 3.5in (9cm) pot of seed and cutting compost and keep them in this pot until planting out. Once germinated ensure that seedlings have plenty of light to prevent them from becoming leggy. I place seedlings in a cold frame, covering it with fleece if very cold. Once the seedlings are 2-3in (6-8cm) tall I pinch them out, to encourage stocky plants. When the pinched-out plants are 4in (10cm) tall, I start to harden them off by opening the frame fully during the day,…

Fence sprayer £24.99 rrp Ronseal ronseal.co.uk The name says it all – the Precision pump up fence sprayer is designed for accuracy and speed. So speedy that the makers say it covers five times faster than a brush does, which makes it ideal for larger areas. There are two spray settings and an in-built foot rest, for stability when pumping. Holds up to 7ltrs of paint. High pressure washer £219.99 rrp Karcher kaercher.com/uk/ Compared to a hosepipe there’s up to a 50 percent saving in water to be had from Karcher’s K4 Full Control machine, which is around 35 times more powerful too. It comes with various spray lances housed in the centre of the body and a hose storage area. An LED display built into…