Innholdsfortegnelse for 19 September 2015 i Amateur Gardening

I WAS about to give up growing tomatoes on my allotment. Blight has seriously damaged or destroyed crops planted there every year for over 20 years. Back in the early nineties I regularly got a crop to pick. It’s certainly been worse in recent years – but I don’t blame global warming... summers feel no warmer than they used to. The prevalence of blight is just cyclical, I guess. Anyway, this year I decided to try one of the blight resistant varieties being offered by seed suppliers – ‘Magic Mountain’ from Thompson & Morgan. The plants grew quickly and uniformly from seed. I set them in well prepared soil on the allotment, next to two non-resistant varieties. In late July both nonresistant varieties showed significant signs of blight damage and…

GIVE YOUR garden birds the energy they need this autumn with the new Peckish Complete Energy Balls. Easy to use, the balls are packed with 12 nourishing ingredients, which help keep birds fuelled for longer. We have five packs of six no-mess balls to give away. To enter the draw, send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Peckish Complete Draw, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG. Or email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com , heading the email Peckish Complete Draw. The closing date is: 23 September, 2015.…

1 The bulbs should grow in as natural a formation as possible, so start by throwing them on the ground and planting them where they fall. 2 Using a planting trowel, remove a plug of earth three times the depth of each bulb – you can measure the depth but a rough guess will do. 3 Drop a handful of good compost (or grit on heavy soils) into the hole and place a bulb on top of it, right way up. 4 Finally, replace the plug of earth and firm it down lightly so its top is level with the surface of the lawn. Water well.…

NO MATTER how big or small your plot, there should be nothing to stop you growing a fruit tree. Dwarf varieties are ideal for small spaces, and for growing in patio containers, whereas if you have a larger garden, a taller standard fruit tree makes a nice feature. In fact, I would much rather have fruit trees than ornamentals in my garden. In spring they give you glorious flounces of blossom, and in the autumn they produce a tasty harvest. They are also easy to source. You can buy trees online from reputable suppliers (usually bare root); or directly from garden centres and nurseries; and even supermarkets (two of our trees were bought on spec, while shopping in Lidl!) Container-grown trees can be planted at any time of year, except…

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? • Until 27 September: Festival of Flowers; Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent ME17 1PL 01622 765400; leeds-castle.com/events • 17 September: Totally Thames Festival – A River And A Garden; Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS 020 7352 5646; chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk • 19-20 September: The Artists’ Garden Art Exhibition; RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH 01805 626800; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor • 19-20 September: Essex Plant Heritage Autumn Fair; RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon Common, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET; 0845 2658071; rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall • 19-20 September: The Royal County of Berkshire Show; Newbury Showground, Priors Court, Hermitage, Thatcham, Berks, RG18 9QZ 01635 247111; berkshireshow.co.uk…

KNOLL GARDENS, Dorset, 01202 873931 knollgardens.co.uk Lose yourself in Neil Lucas’s grassy wonderland, and if you bump into the man himself, have a notebook handy, as this man is a font of knowledge when it comes to grasses. LADY FARM, Somerset 01761 490770 ladyfarm.com The colourful ‘prairie’ is a popular feature all year round, evolving throughout the seasons. Open Days or by private appointment only. PENSTHORPE, Norfolk, 01328 851465 pensthorpe.com The Millennium Garden, designed by Piet Oudolf, provides a rich spectacle of plants well into the autumn.…

Mixed Berry Pavlova with Loganberry Coulis Push the boat out for your next celebration and indulge in this impressive yet simple dessert. Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Serves: 10-12 Ingredients For the coulis: Method 1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/Fan 140°C/gas 2. 2 Separate egg yolks from whites, place whites in a large clean bowl. Whisk at high speed until they start to form firm peaks. With mixer still running, add the sugar, a little at a time. Keep whisking for 5-7 minutes until the mix is glossy and smooth. 3 Line two baking trays with baking paper. Divide the meringue mix between them. Shape each dollop roughly in an 8in (20cm) circle. 4 Put…

Q What should I do with my ornamental grasses once they have flowered? Should I leave them or cut them back now? Sheila Blackmore (via email) A Rather than cut back dying foliage now, leave it to develop a reflective light brown hue and it will help colour your border this winter. Then, in early spring when leaves loosen and blow about the garden, cut them back to 4in (10cm) from the base. In April, when the soil is warming up, feed your grasses with fish, blood and bone meal, or some other granular or powdery organic fertiliser. Continue feeding monthly until September. JOHN NEGUS Q What are these plants growing in our front garden? We bought two a few years ago and they have spread – and people say…

ALONG time ago, I decided to be selfish about choosing where to work. If the weather is steaming hot I’ll find somewhere shady, and if chilly I’ll move into the sun. Wherever a group of plants are putting on a fine display of bloom or berry, you’ll find me beavering away nearby, the better to enjoy them. This week, lilies blooming late in the old rose bed lured me there, where the hedge needed cutting and there were gaps to be filled. Now too shady for roses, this bed will suit nearby epimediums ripe for lifting, dividing and replanting. Here, they’ll have more space to show off their shapely ‘Bishops mitre’ flowers. Thanks so much to reader Isabel Hastings, who wrote last May after seeing pictures of our ginger cat…

A SOMERSET homeowner is locked in a battle with the National Trust after it opened a neighbouring garden, allowing visitors within inches of her bedroom window. Anne Parham, 62, says tourists are able to peer into the bedroom and bathroom of her medieval house, which she has lovingly restored over a 30 year period. She maintains that when she first purchased the property at auction in 1981, the National Trust reassured her that gardens backing on to her property would never be opened to the public. But without her knowledge, guests at next door Dunster Castle were granted access to the walled garden. As a result, visitors are able to stand less than a yard away from her home. Anne, who lives alone, says the move has ruined her privacy…

UNLESS WE have an Indian summer, now’s the time to think about storing those items that won’t be needed until next year: parasols, outdoor toys, perhaps the hosepipe, some of the tools and, if they’re not used for winter displays, the hanging baskets. But if you don’t have a shed, or if it’s already bursting at the seams, where can you keep stuff safe and give it protection through the winter months? A variety of garden storage boxes and trunks are available, some that double as a garden bench or seat, but all intended to provide a secure and dry home for garden clutter. Here we test four boxes of around 265 litre capacity. All are supplied flat-packed and require assembly. Best positioned on a hard surface such as the…

• Snowdrops: A perennial favourite, left, they come in many varieties and spread into vast drifts. • Chinodoxa: Also known as ‘Glory of the Snow’, these sweet, star-shaped flowers (right) look beautiful under deciduous trees. • Fritillary: With their gracefully drooping flowers in mottled shades of mauve, these are a stunning addition to any garden, and will happily self-seed. • Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’: These dwarf daffs (right) add a cheerful splash of colour, and are happy in lawns, pots and even rockeries.…

THINK OF summer and what springs to mind? If you’re anything like me, you’ll look forward to spending time out of doors, swiftly followed by planning balmy weeks of al fresco eating and drinking! And what could be a more quintessentially summery addition to the menu than sun-warmed, homegrown strawberries, either fresh in a bowl with rivers of cream, decorating the top of a cushiony Victoria sponge, or chopped and floating in a jug of chilled Pimms? However you like yours, late summer or early autumn is the time to get plants in the ground for a successful crop. Always buy healthy plants from a reputable supplier, and remember that most plants will crop well for up to three years. top tip Strawberries will grow well in fertile soil in…

WHILE WE spend a lot of time planning floral displays for our gardens, we sometimes overlook ornamental grasses. They are an attractive and tranquil addition to borders and patio containers. I love their austere beauty, and the way they make a subtle backdrop to flowering plants. Many are at their best in autumn and winter, bringing warm, reddish tones and attractive seedheads to the garden when other plants have died back. Larger varieties, such as pampas grass ( Cordateria selloana ), make a statement on their own, or as the focal point in a border. Smaller species, including pennesetum and festuca, structurally enhance floral beds, and can be used to great effect in container arrangements. Grasses are resilient plants, thriving in dry, well-drained soil, and on these pages I look…

1 While your tree is standing in water before planting, dig a hole that’s the same depth as the tree’s container, and twice as wide. You can add some compost or well-rotted manure if the soil is poor. 2 Gently remove the tree from its container and tease out the roots, otherwise they may remain in a pot-shaped clump and fail to draw up nutrients and water. If this happens the tree won’t thrive. 3 Stand the tree in the hole, in-fill around the root ball, firming the soil as you go, to get rid of air pockets. Gently firm the ground around the tree using your heel. 4 Support the tree by hammering a strong stake into the ground alongside. Attach it using a tree tie. Make a ‘figure…

GRASSES MAY not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re worth growing for their wonderful autumn displays and the sense of drama they bring to the garden at the end of the season. Spectacular species like Deschampsia and Panicum are the perfect complement to autumn’s flowers and berries, their graceful fountains of foliage adding texture and movement. And when the low light of early autumn causes the shivering plumes of Stipa gigantea to glow gold and the feathery tips of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Ferner Osten’ to shimmer silver, you will be glad you decided to plant some grasses in the garden! “Grasses are such an adaptable group of plants that you can find some for almost every situation,” enthuses Neil Lucas, owner of Knoll Gardens nursery, which specialises in grasses. “If…

I PICKED this year’s first loganberries from our garden in mid July and the last only a couple of weeks ago. You rarely find this fruit in the shops, but they are well worth growing for their long and plentiful harvest of rich-flavoured berries. We’ve been enjoying them in pies and crumbles, and I’ve made delicious jam, but now I’m pruning and training their rambling stems ready for next year’s crop. The loganberry is a cross between a blackberry and raspberry: the berries look like long purple-red raspberries (but have a sharper taste), and the plants have long, arching stems like blackberries. They are usually trained along wires attached to a fence or stretched between posts, but my two plants are more informal – clothing an otherwise ugly stretch of…

FOLIAGE ON some ornamental plants is now so colourful it can be used to replace traditional, seasonal bedding flowers. This was clearly demonstrated at the Thompson & Morgan trials, staged this summer at Jimmy’s Farm near Ipswich, where contrasting foliage on four different heucheras was used to eyecatching effect. Choose perennials like this and planting becomes at least biennial rather than twice yearly. Possible partners include acorus, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Ajuga reptans ‘Multicolour’ and Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ to mention a few. The key to making this work is clean, well cultivated and fertile soil at the outset. Plants need to grow quickly to smother out any seedling weeds, and be vigorous to keep producing lush, attractive foliage. It will be necessary on occasions to shear back and remove old…

NOW THE season is drawing to a close, I have admired the massive quantity of growth made by the oca and yacon, two underground crops that are new to me. Oca is from the oxalis tribe and the plants have flopped and mounded, creating a sea of shamrock-like foliage. By contrast the yacon, from the daisy family, is an upright plant producing pairs of large, vaguely triangular, hairy leaves. I’m not tempted to dig or poke into the soil because I’ve read that these plants behave like dahlias and make a lot of tuber growth late in the season up to the point where frost will melt the leaves. I might have to insulate the tubers but won’t be lifting them until about November. Most of the work now lies…

THE PRINCE of Wales has lent his weight to a campaign to restore a famed avenue of cherry trees in London’s Regent’s Park. The campaign, launched by the Royal Parks Foundation, aims to raise funds to replace the trees. A spokesman said: “Nearly 40 years ago, gardeners planted 100 cherry trees along Chester Road in Regent’s Park. This February those trees were cut down, having reached the end of their natural lifespan.” HISTORIC AVENUES Prince Charles, Foundation Patron, said: “Historic avenues of trees are one of the things that make the Parks so special. The proposed planting will bring pink tinted blossom in the spring and yellow-golden leaves to lift the spirits every autumn. The many visitors to the park will derive great pleasure from this changing spectacle of the…

HOSPITAL VISITORS should grow their own cut flowers – for taking in when visiting patients – after it was found that bloom stems (as well as bottled water and get-well-soon cards) can be almost twice as expensive in hospital shops run by WH Smith and Marks & Spencer than in the nearest high street branches of the same shops. The Times quizzed both companies, who admit they increase their mark-ups to account for staff wages over longer opening hours, and higher rents. IT’S ‘LIKE EXPLOITATION’ But former NHS manager Paula Sherriff, the Labour MP for Dewsbury since May, said: “It’s absolutely wrong. It’s like exploitation.” She said the argument that higher costs had to be passed on to patients and their friends and relatives was “laughable”. “Mark-ups reflect longer staff…

Plant potatoes in autumn, says Bob WHEN DO we plant potatoes? Almost invariably it’s spring. But why? Well it’s the best time for maximising the crop, but this comes at a cost. We are very busy in the spring with many other jobs pressing to be done. The Victorians spotted this and tried planting potatoes in the autumn. After all plenty of ‘volunteers’ (spuds missed during harvesting) come through most winters unharmed and grow away (annoyingly often looking better than our planted sets). The downside was these seemed to give slightly lower yields than from sets planted in spring. Indeed, we often plant a tad too early, and when we inadvertently make late plantings these can do as well, if not better than earlier ones. Anyway, my point is, if…

MY EARLY hatred for berberis started in the hedge that surrounded my parents garden. I call it a hedge, but really it was individual shrubs in a row that, after years of artless over-pruning by my dad, joined forces to become a dense and mixed whole. It was difficult to say where one plant started and another finished, but running right through the tangle (and acting like a magnet for footballs, shuttlecocks and paper planes) was a barberry so fierce that just a glimpse of the 2in (5cm) long thorns could bring tears to your eyes. Like so many things eschewed in childhood (from olives and algebra, to Aled Jones), the passing years have given time for my views of berberis to mellow. Now, I really rate these thorny shrubs…

AS THE dreary winter months start to wane, the appearance of the first spring flowers are like a trumpet-call of hope. Pristine snowdrops, a blast of daffodil yellow, iridescent Iris reticulata – they all remind us that spring must be on its way. Some spring bulbs are ideal for borders, but snowdrops, chionodoxa, grape hyacinth, dwarf daffs and tulips, crocus and winter aconite can be naturalised in lawns, where they will spread. Or you can layer them in pots, which is known as ‘lasagna’ planting. Depending what varieties you choose, this can give colour from late winter through to May. top tip You don’t need to spend a fortune on bulbs. I bought some from Poundland – they are a bit smaller than some ( pictured inset ),…

1 I chose tulips, narcissi and Iris reticulata , which should give me a splash of colour from February right through to May. 2 Place a crock at the base of a large container. This helps drainage, which is vital in a typically wet autumn and winter! 3 Roughly half fill your pot with compost – I’m using a mix of multi-purpose and John Innes No 2, with added grit for better drainage. 4 Place the largest bulbs in first, on the compost. These are tulips and daffodils which I have alternated around the container. 5 Cover the first bulbs with compost and then add your second set – I decided to add crocus as well as iris at the last minute! 6 Top up with…

A STRAWBERRY is a strawberry is a strawberry – right? Wrong. There are three distinct types of strawberry plants that fruit at different times of the year. Summer-fruiting varieties are large, juicy and the most popular. They crop in a heavy burst, and varieties are early, mid and late-season fruiters. ‘Cambridge favourite’ is a popular variety. Perpetual or ‘ever-bearers’ such as ‘Finesse’, produce small amounts of fruit continuously from early summer to early autumn. Alpine strawberries are small and very sweet fruits cropping July to August. Varieties include ‘Mignonette’.…

1 Water your grass well before planting, and dig a hole that is the same depth as the plant’s container, and slightly wider. 2 Put compost in the hole if the grass is from cooler climates, sand if from warmer climates. Loosen the roots before planting. 3 In-fill around your grass, firming the soil as you go to support the plant, and get rid of air pockets. 4 Water well, to get the moisture right down to the roots, which will help the grass to establish itself more quickly.…

HOW’S THE season been?” A friend asked recently. “A bit like a curates’ egg,” I replied, “good in parts.” The interesting thing is how different everyone’s experiences have been this year. I’ve had a great year with my sweet peas, while other people have had their worst yet. My dahlias have been slightly disappointing, but I’ve seen fantastic displays elsewhere. My tomatoes are terrific though. Wendy, one of our floor managers at QVC, tells me that in her first ever year of growing them, her plants have done so well that they’ve virtually taken over the greenhouse. However, my mate Don thinks he’ll have his worst tomato crop for many seasons. I suspect that the cold(ish) weather in May has something to do with it all. It certainly slowed the…

GRASS GURU Neil Lucas, owner of Knoll Gardens in Dorset, has some suggestions on using grasses in a garden design. “Be boldand use a few tall grasses - many (such asMoliniaorStipa) have a see-through quality thatmakes them effective,even in smallspaces. Grasses should complement rather than replace shrubsin a garden: taller grasses needto be cutdown in thespring whereasshrubs retain their structure (and often evergreen leaves)year round; shrubs canbe stiff and solidwhilst grassesprovide lightnessand movement, making them perfect partners.”…

1 Put up a strong support: wires 12in (30cm) apart on a 6ft (1.8m) high wall/fence or between posts 2 Prepare planting areas 8ft (2.4m) apart, adding lots of compost or well-rotted manure 3 Set plants in soil on frost-free days. Water well. Cut stems to about 10in (25cm) after planting 4 Net established plants to keep birds off, and harvest the fruit when purple-red and really ripe 5 Cut out stems that fruited and tie in new ones, evenly spaced to let in light and air…

Q My squash plants have been incredibly productive this year. How should I store all the pumpkins and gourds so that they don’t rot and go to waste? Gail Lloyd, Whitehaven, Cumbria A It’s been a good year for squash, pumpkins and gourds, and I also have plenty that will need to be stored. Leave the fruit on the plant to mature. At the end of the summer cut away the foliage shading the fruit. Harvest when the stems and skins harden. Cut them before the frosts, leaving a long stem if possible. Store in a well-ventilated place where you can maintain a temperature of between 45-50° F (7.5-10°C). Fruits harvested after a slight frost are fine to eat but they will not store, so use them up quickly. AG…

THE BEECHGROVE GARDEN THIS WEEK JOHN HAS THE ANSWER AG expert John Negus (left) has just answered his 2000th query sent in by readers. He joined AG’s team of regular experts in 1985. THE BEECHGROVE GARDEN THE TEAM assess their aubergines, peppers and Michaelmas daisies. BBC2 Scotland at 7.30pm on Thursday 17 September (national repeat on BBC2 on Sunday 20 September; times vary). JANE WINS ABERDEEN HONOURS AG’s Dr Jane Bingham, who also works on The Beechgrove Garden for BBC Scotland, won the Pot Leek Shield for the second time at the RHS of Aberdeen Flower Show at the end of August. RUSSIAN DANDELIONS Japanese tyre maker SRI has joined forces with a US biotech company to trial the potential of utilising Russian dandelions ( left ), as an alternative…

Best new gardening products, tools and services for the 2015 season THE GARDEN Industry Manufacturer’s Association (GIMA) is a trade body representing suppliers and manufacturers in the UK gardening industry. It’s goal is to promote the commercial, trading and industrial interests of its members. Every year experts representing a wide range of gardening industry disciplines come together to judge new tools, products and services offered by GIMA members. Awards in 14 different categories are fiercely contested, the winners representing the very best in their class. There’s also an award for the best of the best, a single star chosen from the winners who collects the coveted GIMA Sword of Excellence. These are the Tools. Products and Services that won Awards in 2015: WINNER OF THE GIMA SWORD OF EXCELLENCE 2015…

My little piece of Eden I THOUGHT AG readers might be interested in some pictures of my garden showing the development of some of my exotic plants, especially my banana and cannas over the summer season. I have a small courtyard garden with hydrangeas, canna, banana and day lilies, and nicotianas which I grew from the free seeds you provided a while ago. There's also a beautiful yellow tree peony, begonias and an ancient camellia which blooms March to May every year. The banana tree was only put outside in May and, as you can see from the pictures, it’s doubled in height and now dwarfs me. The real surprise this year has been the additional height of the canna which must be over twelve feet…