Innholdsfortegnelse for 24 October 2015 i Amateur Gardening

ON SATURDAY Kath and I picked the last of the figs from the fence-trained bush at the bottom of the back garden. There were also a few bunches of very small but sweet grapes from the vine I’ve trained along a side fence. The apples on my dwarf ‘Kent’ tree, picked a week ago, are in the greenhouse getting the last few rays of sun before going to store. They’re top quality this year, but most will be made into apple marmalade – a tasty recipe from an old WI cookbook. We also had a bumper crop of blueberries from two shrubs grown in tubs. All of these fruit bushes and trees are dual purpose ornamental and cropping plants. They offer delicious harvests, but they’ve earned their place in my…

THERE ARE never enough hours in the day, nor days in the year – and this is especially true when it comes to gardening! No sooner have we finished the summer essentials, than we have to take stock of what requires attention before we batten down the hatches for winter. On these pages I take a look at five areas of autumn maintenance that will help keep your garden ticking over during the winter months, ready to get going again come the spring. None of the jobs are particularly arduous or time-consuming, but it is important to get them done before the worst of the weather arrives. Don’t ignore them, or you will have an extra pile of things to do in spring on top of all the new-season tasks…

WE NEED to talk about the birds and bees – but don’t worry, it’s suitable for a family magazine. I’ve been writing the news pages of AG for 16 years and a worrying trend has become evident: there has been a steady increase in stories about Britain’s wildlife being in big trouble. Take the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, for example. Numbers of starlings and song thrushes have dropped by 80 and 79 per cent respectively since the annual Birdwatch started in 1979. Even house sparrows have declined by 57 per cent over the same 36-year period. And then there’s the plight of Europe’s bees. Reports of winter colony losses of 20 to 50 per cent are commonplace, leading to concerns over how flowers and fruit will be pollinated if bees…

• Until 31 October, Sat-Sun and Weds Guided Walks – The Wonders of Westonbirt; Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Glos GL8 8QS, 11am and 2pm (11am only Weds); 0300 067 4890; forestry.gov.co.uk • 23-24 October: RHS London Shades of Autumn Show; Lindley Hall & Lawrence Hall, Greycoat Street, Westminster SW1P 2PE; 0203 1765 830; rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley • 24 October: New Forest Breakfast Walk; Exbury Garden Estate Office, Exbury, Southampton, Hants SO45 1AZ; 023 8024 5750; exbury.co.uk • 24 October: Guided Walks – The Wonders of Westonbirt; Bluebell Arboretum & Nursery, Annwell Lane, Smisby, Ashby-de-la-Zouche LE65 2TA; 01530 41370; bluebellnursery.com • 24 October: Plant Sale; RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH; 0845 265 8072; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor • 24-25 October: Pumpkin Weekend; RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH; 0845 265…

1 Choose a container with good drainage holes. I opted for terracotta pots for my amaryllis: they’re cheap and stylish. 2 Part-fill the pots with fresh bulb fibre (if you don’t have bulb fibre, use John Innes No2 or multi-purpose compost). 3 Plant the bulb with the top third above the surface of the compost. Keep it at around 20 o  C (68o F) and water 4 Once leaves and flowers develop, water more but never excessively. Tall flower spikes may need staking.…

Apple & Almond Cake Use slightly tart apples for this delicious cake to balance out the sweetness. Enjoy with a scoop of creme fraiche. Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes For the sponge: • 100g/3.5oz butter • 100g/3.5oz golden caster sugar • 100g/3.5oz plain flour • 100g/7oz ground almonds • 2 large eggs • 1tsp baking powder • 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced For the topping: • 1 tbsp demerara sugar • 2 tbsp flaked almonds Method 1 Preheat your oven to 175°C/fan 160/gas 4. Grease a round baking tin (approx 20cm) 2 Core and slice the apples into thick slices. Set aside. Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl, set aside. 3 Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one…

Q My Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ looks beautiful at this time of year, with red leaves and creamy berries. How easy would it be for me to grow more trees from its fruit? Terry Ward, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands A Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ is a stunning tree suitable for a small garden. It flowers well in the spring, followed by glorious autumn colour and large bunches of berries. It is not a tree that can be raised from seed, as it will not come true from the fruit and is normally budded onto a rootstock, and then grown on for two to three years before it is sold as a standard tree. Budding is a relatively easy procedure once you have a bit of…

DAYLIGHT IS showing through the mouldy study door and we could keep guppies in the water-filled gaps between some of our double-glazing panes. In short, we’re due for window replacements right across the sea-facing side of the house and will redesign the front garden shortly after. With this in mind, we’ve set up a stock bed halfway down the garden to house plants bought on a whim, and those raised by cuttings, seed and division. Hopefully we’ll be able to transfer some good-sized specimens of tried and tested plants into the new beds and save money. This stock bed is on top of an old compost heap, so the soil is good but there used to be a colony of hemlock (Conium maculatum) nearby and seedlings keep arising. This tall,…

A WOOD chopper, or hatchet, is a useful tool to have around the garden – for cutting up tree branches either to burn or for easier transport to the tip; for splitting kindling to get your winter fire started; or for hacking at stubborn shrub and tree roots when a plant just has to go. We’ve tested these six brands by chopping a green 1 1/2in (4cm) diameter beech branch, and then splitting some pine timber for kindling. Don’t be fooled by the manufacturers’ stated weights: they’re only talking about the axe head. Include the handle too (which is what we’ve done) and you get much better idea of the actual weight you’ll have to wield. We’ve measured the length through the axe head to the tip of the handle.…

A sense of history MANY YEARS ago I used to work for an organization that offered jobs to people who were disabled in some way or another (I’m registered blind myself). One of the orders we had was from Bees Seeds to recoat their display stands for their range of seeds in shops and garden centres. One of my colleagues cheekily commented one day that there was something wrong with the stands and, when questioned, replied “Well they’ve got no seeds on them”. He was asked if the workers would like some free seeds for themselves and a large box of mixed flower and vegetable seeds were duly received and divvied up between us. Amongst them was Lettuce ‘Winter Density’, a packet of which I came…

NEVER MIND ivy, euonymus, heuchera and periwinkle. For ground cover that is effective and a great talking point, liriope is the plant to choose. Like all great weedsmotherers, liriope – a fully hardy, tuberous plant related to lily of the valley – is evergreen; its thin, strappy leaves are either rich green or have creamy variegation and tend to arch over attractively. We’re not talking ground cover in the sense of creeping along at soil level, because liriope reaches up to 1ft (30cm) in height, but when grown en masse it forms dense clumps that make life for wind-blown weed seeds very hard indeed. So far, so impressive, but it is right now - in autumn - that liriope really comes into its own. L. muscari’s purple flowers are produced…

INSECTS WILL buzz to your garden with Nature’s Haven Easy Wildflowers. The mix of cornflowers, corn poppies, ox-eye daisies and corn marigolds helps wildlife, and looks beautiful. We have five pouches to give away. To enter the draw, send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Easy Wildflower Draw, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG. Or email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com , heading the email Easy Wildflower Draw. The closing date is: 28 October 2015.…

• According to the RSPB, all types of bread are acceptable to birds, but gardeners should remember that bread does not contain the proteins and fats that birds require. It’s okay as a snack ‘filler’ but should be just one component of a varied diet. • Fat from unsalted cuts of meat is fine, too. However, the RSPB points out that this kind of food can attract large birds such as magpies and gulls. If you see this happening, such food may best be avoided. • Fat (including suet) is favoured by thrushes, wrens, great spotted woodpeckers and tits. Robins, dunnocks, blackbirds and song thrushes are partial to mild grated cheese. The RSPB advises that leftover baked potatoes (cold and opened-up), roast potatoes and mash are suitable for birds. Unlike…

1 Carefully lift the plant rootball. Remove no more than one-third of the root system, and replant the parent straight away. Wash soil off the roots. 2 Choose a pencil-thick length of root, cut off the thin end and side-roots. Cut 2-4in (5-10cm) lengths of root, angled at the base, flat at the top. 3 Push the cuttings 2in (4cm) apart into pots of moist potting compost, angled end down, flat top just below the surface. Topdress with a layer of grit. 4 Water the pots, label them, and place them in a coldframe or a sheltered area of the garden. They will start to shoot in the spring.…

IF YOU are looking for trees for a small garden, dwarf apples tick all the boxes. They stay manageable, look attractive and are good for wildlife – and of course you get delicious fruit too. The ones we planted at our local community garden started cropping within three years, and their small size meant everyone could help with the harvest! It is essential to get a tree on the right ‘rootstock’ (the underground part on which it is grafted) because this determines how large it gets. At our garden, we found the rootstock M9 gave good small ‘bush’ trees (the traditional open apple-tree shape) and once mature they reached only 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) in height. From now until March is the best time to plant. The less-vigorous roots of dwarf trees…

ANNA TOEMAN has 20 years’ experience working in historic gardens JOHN NEGUS trained at the RHS and is a specialist garden writer DR JANE BINGHAM has a plant science PhD and a MSc in plant ecology Q My Brugmansia have been kept in a well-insulated greenhouse over winter, and brought out in the spring. But only one of them has attempted to flower – and that is only now, in October. What is wrong? Mildred Hughes (via email) A I am sorry that your Brugmansia is not flowering well and, when it does, performs rather late in the year. Help it thrive and bloom more freely throughout summer by feeding it with a high-potash tomato fertiliser. Apply it in April, and continue weekly until…

AUTUMN MIGHT be upon us, and the evenings drawing in, but you don’t have to retreat indoors when you can make your patio more alluring with living flames. Bonfires are always popular in the autumn because people like the romance of it and can imagine sitting around one with a few good friends in the winter wrapped in their woolly jumpers with a hot toddy. Just as in summer, you should make the effort to transform your patio into a relaxing ‘getaway’ that not only looks inviting but makes you want to sit there and be part of it, even when the weather is cold! Consider making a fire pit or bowl the centerpiece of the patio, because it will throw out light as well as heat. Build it in…

THE FERAL raspberries in our garden never cease to amaze me, and I’m enjoying some tasty late fruits from canes reaching 6ft (1.8m) high. I don’t know whether the roots fell off a wheelbarrow, or these plants arose from seed deposited by birds in their droppings. Either way, they’ve taken and grown in the space where an old pear tree once stood. They first appeared about 12 years ago and now have thick, long grass right up to the stems. Recently, we dug a massive planting area for a plum ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’ and I think they might have tapped into some of the well rotted compost put down for that. I don’t prune them and they give both summer and autumn fruits. The irony is that these fruiting raspberries prosper…

TO CELEBRATE its 40th anniversary, Rolawn is offering four readers the chance to win two bulk bags each of their choice of high-quality topsoil, delivered right to the door! Just answer the simple question and send in the coupon today! High-quality topsoil is one of the best ways to ensure healthy, vibrant and blooming beds and borders. Think of it in culinary terms – you wouldn’t catch Mary Berry using poor-quality flour to make a Victoria Sponge, would you? Because the topsoil you use will provide early establishment and development of vegetables, plants, shrubs, trees, seed and turf, it’s important to know what the product you’re buying is made up of and also, where it’s come from. Bulk bags are ideal for filling raised beds, top dressing existing beds, making…

BEE LIP BALM £2.99INCLUDES P&P 07746 668258 vonnybee.com Avoid chapped lips while working in the garden on chilly days with this natural lip balm that soothes and rejuvenates. Handmade by a British beekeeper using only goodies from nature, the maker says it’s “a kiss from the bees with Mother Nature’s sunshine in every tube.” Comes in a 15g dispenser and is made from, beeswax, olive oil, coconut butter, almond oil and propolis. BEE HIVE COMPOSTER £99.99+ P&P £3.95 0345 077 8888 homebase.co.uk Okay, so it’s not a real beehive, but having this beehive-looking composter in the garden will remind you to grow plants that bees love. Made from treated timber it requires self-assembly (about 15 minutes) and stands 34in (86cm) tall by 29in (74cm) square giving a 250 litre capacity.…

MORE THAN 50 heritage varieties of apple have been identified by experts at Holly Mount Orchard near Ramsbottom. Here are some of the best: ‘Monarch’ First introduced in 1888, ‘Monarch’ is a cooking apple with a more mellow taste than a Bramley Apple. Perfect for apple sauce or pie fillings, ‘Monarch’ originates from Chelmsford, Essex. ‘Laxton’s Superb’ (late season) The definitive late Victorian dessert apple, with a sweet understated taste. Named after the Laxton brothers who developed the apple from a ‘Cox’ and ‘Wyken Pippin’, it was first introduced in 1897. ‘Bramley’ (Bramley’s Seedling) The Rolls-Royce of the cooking apple world, ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ was only discovered by chance during the 19th century and is grown solely in the UK. While it’s very well known as a classic cooker, with its…

Spot the difference No-one puts on a display of perfect vegetables like Medwyns of Anglesey, and we loved his exhibit at the Malvern Autumn Show in Worcestershire last month, especially its centrepiece rugby ball made out of cherry tomatoes, to support Wales at the Rugby World Cup. But can you spot the FOUR differences we’ve made to this picture of Medwyn’s autumnal showpiece? (Answers at bottom of page) True or false? The BBC commissions far more episodes of Gardeners’ World than it does of The Beechgrove Garden (pictured, right) every year? (Answer at bottom of page)…

IF YOU’RE in the Cotswolds this weekend there’s another chance to experience the beauty and colour of the historic park and gardens at Abbotswood, Stow on the Wold. Remodelled by Sir Edwin Lutyens the collection of acers in the formal gardens have prompted a pop-up opening in aid of the Yellow Book scheme on Sunday (25 October) from 12-4pm. Like the Four Seasons garden Abbotswood has something of interest for visitors throughout the year, including massed plantings of bulbs, heathers and rhododendrons in Spring. Landscaping ranges from dramatic hillside stream gardens to elegant and formal herbaceous plantings alongside a lily pond, terraced lawn and fountain. Admission is £5. For further details see a copy of The Yellow Book 2015 .…

SHRUBS GIVE gardens shape and structure, but if they grow too big for their space, or their new shoots become ‘leggy’ and straggly, they ruin the garden’s overall look. They can be easily kept in shape with regular pruning, and autumn is the ideal time for certain varieties. Early-flowering deciduous shrubs that bloom on the previous year’s growth, such as forsythia, are cut back in late spring. Deciduous shrubs that flower later in summer should be pruned now, so the new shoots have time to grow before flowering next year. Always remember that pruning cuts are basically ‘wounds’, and a possible entry point for disease. Make sure you use clean, sharp tools, and cut above a bud, rather than below. Mulching shrubs • Mulching shrubs after pruning helps keep moisture…

THERE MAY be no such thing as a free lunch, but it is possible to expand your collection of plants without any financial outlay. Perennials are a delight throughout the seasons, but can be expensive to buy, especially if you have a large area to plant and want colour and interest throughout the year. However, you can multiply your stock for free by dividing certain plants and, in autumn, taking root cuttings. Plants that can be divided in autumn include daylilies, Oriental poppies, hostas, bugle and Heuchera . Choose plants that have grown too large for their space, or appear to be failing to thrive. Dividing is not particularly technical, and doesn’t require a great deal of skill. But it is worth doing as it improves plants’ wellbeing and performance,…

THERE’S ONE bulb I cannot go without during the dark winter months, and that’s the amaryllis. I’ve been fascinated by their Triffid-like flower spikes since I was a child. The speed at which these tender indoor bulbs bolt up, combined with the sheer spectacle of their gigantic blooms, means they’re a must-have on my autumn shopping list. Over the years, AG’s gardening pundit Peter Seabrook has often recommended buying the biggest, fattest bulb you can lay your hands on – and I agree. Expect to pay £7 to £10 for a monster bulb. Smaller ones are available for less than a fiver, but it’s worth forking out a few quid more because fatter bulbs will usually throw out two or three flower spikes, extending the bulb’s flowering period to a…

1 Choose a well-drained sunny site; dig holes 8-9ft (2.4-3m) apart, slightly bigger than the root ball 2 Knock in stakes. Put in trees and refill the holes, adding compost only on very heavy or sandy soils 3 Secure trunk to stake. Prune to give clear 2-3ft (60-90cm) trunk, and head in an open, goblet shape 4 Mulch to keep the ground clear at least 2ft (6cm) each way around each tree; water in dry spells. 5 Remove any fruit which forms in years 1-2; in years 3-4 you should get a harvest in autumn…

Sweet chilli jam IF YOU’VE just finished harvesting this year’s homegrown chillies, how about turning them into sweet chilli jam? It is easy to make and is a delicious relish for cheese and biscuits, and makes a gorgeous gift for friends and family. Ingredients • 150g red chili peppers (de-seeded) • 150g sweet red peppers (deseeded) • 1kg jam sugar • 600ml cider vinegar • 6 x 250g sterilised, sealable jars with vinegar-proof lids Method 1. Finely chop the chilli and red peppers 2. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a medium-sized pan over a low heat without stirring. 3. Add the chilli/pepper mixture to the pan and bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes. 4. Take the pan off the heat to cool. The mixture will become…

IT IS a report that will prickle conservationists around the world: 31 per cent of 1,478 cacti species are threatened with extinction. So says a study in Nature Plants, which warned that 99 struggling cacti species are “critically endangered”. The probe, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said: “The dominant drivers of extinction are unscrupulous collection of live plants and seeds for the horticultural trade, smallholder livestock ranching and smallholder annual agriculture.” It added: “Cacti are a culturally significant group, perceived as amongst the more charismatic of plant taxa. This has led to a long history of human use, including for private and public ornamental plant collections, leading to major conservation concerns.” The only major taxonomic groups to contain a higher proportion of threatened species are cycads (63…

A NUMBER of noteworthy things are being done in the world of cabbage breeding and indeed for most of the brassicas. Studying the genetics of cabbage grown in Northern Europe and the Far East, scientists found significant differences. Japanese cultivars are sweeter, presumably as a result of producing vegetables to cook lightly in stir-fries and to eat raw. Northern European cabbages, on the other hand, had more ‘bite’ from the higher concentration of mustard oils. Now the two are being brought together with the best characteristics from both to give crunchy hearts to eat raw, stir fry, use for wraps, rolls and to cook in traditional ways. Take Cabbage ‘Cabice’ FI (Johnsons) a sweet and very crisp hearted ball head type, so called because it looks like a cabbage and…

IT’S POSSIBLE to grow a wide range of apples – to eat fresh off the tree or for storing – from late July through to Christmas. Simply sit them in a tray in a cool room or garage and many varieties can remain usable into February. Far fewer will last into March, and most of those are cookers. Then after March only certain varieties remain good eaters – even with almost professional storage conditions of precisely controlled temperature and humidity. So if you want to eat more of your own apples for more months each year then you will need to plant more late keepers. ‘Granny Smith’ apples keep extremely well, as do ‘Wagener’ and ‘Winston’. But for good eating next April you need ‘Tydeman’s Late Orange’, ‘Brownlee’s Russet’, ‘D’Arcy…

WHAT IS IT? A small, vigorous and extremely hardy deciduous tree that’s native to the UK. WHY GROW IT? Wild hedgerow forms (Crataegus monogyna) have small, deeply lobed leaves, and while their snow-cloud corymbs of strangely scented early spring flowers are followed in summer and autumn by masses of bright red berries, they lack the late season drama of ornamental varieties. These not only have both berries and flowers, but also broad, deep green leaves that turn the most magnificent colours through autumn. Birds love the protection of the dense, thorny canopy and blackbirds feast on the bright red autumn berries. Bees go wild for the spring flowers. WHAT TO GROW There are several species and named varieties. Crataegus pedicellata offers white flowers, pear shaped red fruit and good leaf…

ACCORDING TO fashionista Gok Wan, the human race can be grouped into just a handful of body shapes. There are ‘apples’ that pile on pounds around their middle, ‘pears’ who carry their consignment lower down and long, thin bananas who presumably also have a stoop. Trees can be classified in a similar way but rather than continue with Gok’s fruit analogy (which let’s face it, with fruit trees could get confusing!) it’s useful to think of their outlines in terms of drinking glasses. At the champagne flute end of the spectrum are trees with vertical branches such as Sorbus ‘Hillings Spire’ and Prunus amanogawa. They grow into living exclamation marks up to 33ft (10m) tall but a maximum of just 6.5ft (2m) wide. Both make excellent focal points, fit small…