Innholdsfortegnelse for 07-may-16 i Amateur Gardening

AREADER who gardens organically phoned the AG helpline last week to ask how to use bonemeal fertiliser. She said the packet claims bonemeal is OK for organic gardening. She said it’s also credited with boosting flowers and top growth. However she’d read that it’s high in phosphates and so only good for roots. I suggested blood, fish and bone meal might be better as it’s a balanced formula, and was really surprised when she said that blood, fish and bone is not truly organic (and does not claim to be on packets). I’ve always thought of this fertiliser as the go-to for organic gardeners, but it seems I’m wrong. I’d guess the blood bit comes from cattle that are not reared organically, so it can’t be called organic. But if…

IT may be feeling warmer outside, but there is still enough chill in the air to kill off plants raised on windowsills and in greenhouses. If you place them straight outside after weeks in a stable and warm environment indoors, they will probably keel over. To prepare carefully nurtured seedlings and half-hardy bedding plants for life outdoors, you need to harden them off, by slowly acclimatising them to cooler conditions. This process will take a couple of weeks, but it is worth doing. Here in the relatively balmy south, I am starting to harden off plants now, but gardeners further north will need to wait a few more weeks. Keep an eye on the plants you are hardening off. If they show signs of stress, return them to the warm…

BROADCAST on BBC2 Scotland on Thursdays at 7.30pm and networked on BBC 2 early Sunday mornings, The Beechgrove garden will be celebrating its 1,000th episode this year. Last month I visited its Aberdeen base and am full of praise for what all the team are doing there. The programme and gardens have an appeal that the average gardener is bound to appreciate – the many small demo gardens are of a size appropriate to today’s shrinking plots, and all are packed with inspired, detailed plantings. The most impressive thing for me, however, is the very high standard of horticultural practices followed throughout. One of several greenhouses close to the potting shed hub has a fan trained cherry and long rod vine (the cherry coming into flower and both text book…

STRAWBERRIES are the most traditional of summer fruit crops, and they are incredibly easy to grow. As long as they are in a sheltered area with soil that drains freely, they will do well. They’re also happy in raised beds, containers and even hanging baskets (with the advantage of being out of the reach of slugs and snails). Avoid planting strawberries in frost pockets (where flowers are easily killed by cold air). Also, don’t plant them where potatoes, tomatoes or chrysanthemums have grown, because of the risk of contracting verticillium wilt disease. Make sure the top of the rootball is level with the soil surface: too deep and the plant may rot; any higher and it may dry out. Water well, to help establish the plants and encourage them to…

AT last the veg plot is starting to yield a few more rewards for our efforts, and none could be more indulgent than the annual asparagus harvest. But as well as getting my teeth into those tasty spears, I’m also planting up a few projects for the summer months. This hanging basket is home to two tumbling tomato plants and some basil seedlings. Perfect partners, they’ll thrive in a sunny spot and won’t take up any floor space – a boon for compact gardens. If you’re going to follow this step by step project do make sure you choose naturally dwarf or tumbling varieties of tomato – if not the result is plants that grow 6ft (2m) tall! Care for broad beans BACK in early February I sowed a batch…

THE gooseberries I planted in late February are now coming into leaf. Two problems that could stop them in their tracks are gooseberry sawflies and American gooseberry mildew (which, despite the name attacks UK plants). The young, caterpillar-like stage of the three gooseberry sawfly species is very destructive. Female flies lay their eggs in the middle of bushes from April to August. The resulting larvae feed voraciously on the foliage to leave just the veins remaining – ouch! I’ll keep peeping into the centre of the bushes and apply some Provado Ultimate Fruit and Veg Bug Killer as soon as I see the caterpillars. I won’t spray while plants are in flower for fear of harming bees visiting the blooms. Mildew can affect susceptible varieties, covering the shoot tips with…

1 Weed-suppressing membrane is ideal over large areas. Cut it to the required size and lay it over the soil. 2 Anchor it down securely using pegs or nails, so no light can get underneath to stimulate weed growth. 3 Cut crosses in the fabric where you want to place your plants, open them out and dig the planting holes. 4 Plant, water then fold over the cut fabric so it fits snugly around the plant. Mulch fabric with bark chips.…

• 7 May: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10am-4pm), Donington Le Heath Manor House, Leicestershire LE67 2FW planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 8 May: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10.30am-4pm), Adlington Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4L planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 14 May: Scottish Rock Garden Club Aberdeen Show (11.30am-4pm, admission free), David Welch Winter Gardens, Duthie Park, Polmuir Road, Aberdeen AB11 7TH 01224 310188 • 14 May: Rhododendron Walks with Lord Ashbrook (11am & 2pm), Arley Hall & Gardens, Cheshire, CW9 6NA 01565 777353 (ext 20) arleyhallandgardens.com • 15 May: Little Ouseburn Open Gardens (10am-5pm), Little Ouseburn village (12 miles NW of York on the B6265) 01923 339622 loopengardens@yahoo.com • 15 MAY: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10am-4pm), British Ironwork Centre, Oswestry, Shrops. SY11 4JH, planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 16-17 MAY: Spring Vegetable Weekend (11am-4pm), Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15…

CONSULT most lawn care books and they’ll suggest that female dogs are the only ones responsible for leaving unsightly brown patches on lawns. The theory behind this is that bitches squat to pee in one place, while males tend to do a bit here and a bit there. Well, that’s true to an extent, but male dogs urine can be just as damaging, especially if they are creatures of habit, like my Labrador Ollie. Over the past few months, three brown patches have appeared at precisely the same spots where he likes to wee. As dog urine contains a high concentration of nitrogen, it has the potential to burn the grass if allowed to build up. When Ollie was younger, I had a bucket of water waiting outside the backdoor,…

COURGETTES are one of the best vegetables for those of us who are strapped for space. They do really well in containers and a single plant can easily produce over 20 fruit. I’m going for the climbing variety ‘Black Forest’, which can be trained vertically up canes, trellis or other supports. It’s a real space-saver, the only downside being that you have to be fastidious about tying up the stems or they will snap beneath the weight of fruit. Courgettes are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed. Simply plant two, 1in (2.5cm) deep in a small pot. Place in a propagator to germinate, then remove the weaker of the two seedlings. When roots poke through the drainage holes in the bottom, move into a 5in (12cm) container.…

What is it? A popular hardy annual with a branching habit growing to 18in (45cm) tall with rich green, fine, feathery leaves. From early summer it produces lots of saucer shaped flowers 1½in (4cm) across in deep blue, pale blue, pink or white depending on variety. Flowers are surrounded by a ruff of foliage. Later architectural seed pods develop, giving the plant a long season of interest. Why grow it? One of the most dependable and easy to grow annuals on well drained soil. Nigella damascena’s distinctive finely cut foliage would be reason enough to grow this delightful, border beauty as a foil to other plain leaved plants. But the flowers, bright blue in the species, are a delight in their own right – complex (another common name is Devil-in-a-bush…

GARDENING is what they call “an inexact science”. It is full of mysteries that can confound even the most hardened and experienced horticulturist. In many cases it is the simplest and commonest things that cause the most problems for us all. Whether it’s keeping slugs at bay, preventing potato blight, pruning roses, getting rid of weeds or creating perfect compost, there’s always something to keep us busy. On these two pages, I’m tackling five of our most frequently asked questions. Elsewhere, on page 18, I’m taking an in-depth look at annual and perennial weeds, and some of the various ways of getting rid of them. Don’t forget, whatever your gardening question, we have experts standing by at the AG helpline (call 0843 168 0200) between noon and 1pm, Monday to…

MANY people want the satisfaction of growing their own fruit and veg, but not so many grow flowers for culinary use. A large number of plants produce delicious and versatile edible blooms. Herb flowers often have a more subtle taste than the rest of the plant, and are often added to oils and butter, while the saffron-yellow flowers of courgette plants are fried in light batter or stuffed with cream cheese. Many ornamental flowers can also provide a tasty meal, such as the flower buds of globe artichokes and sunflowers. I’ve just sown some nasturtiums, as the whole plant can be eaten (and they also act as ‘sacrificial plants’ around brassicas by attracting large white butterflies, which lay their eggs on them instead of your brassicas). Nasturtiums are phenomenally easy…

1 Move windowsill-raised plants to an unheated greenhouse, ideally on a dull day to help lessen any wilting. 2 If you don’t have a greenhouse, use a cold frame. Keep the lid open on warm days, but close it at night. 3 If you don’t have a greenhouse or frame, place seedlings somewhere warm and sheltered, and use fleece. 4 After a week or so take seedlings out during the day, and put back at night – I use a mini greenhouse for this.…

Our north-facing patio (we’ve just moved into our first home) is where we’re hoping to have bbqs this summer, so I want to create a lively display with a holiday vibe to it. Despite its aspect, there is an area of the patio that gets full sun until about 7.30pm, so I’ve planted tender exotics that will give us a dramatic show from July. Lilium regale and Lilium ‘African Queen’ both have large, sweetly scented flowers and grow to about 4½ft (1.5m) so they’ll add height, while the shorter Eucomis bicolor, with its spectacular star-shaped green flowers will give interest lower down. The Canna ‘Angelique’ and Dahlia ‘Inca’ will also add to the tropcial theme. I must confess that I broke several gardening rules when I planted my display. Firstly,…

There are many strawberry varieties to choose from, with slightly different or stronger flavours, and resistance to disease. They come in three main types: • Summer fruiting: These are the most popular: different varieties fruit in early, mid and late season. Look for ‘Cambridge Favourite’, ‘Honeoye’ and ‘Elsanta’. • Everbearing: Also known as ‘perpetual strawberries’, these fruit in small bursts starting in early summer, and lasting for several months. Varieties here include ‘Mara de Bois’ and ‘Aromel’. • Alpine: Similar to wild strawberries, the fruit is small and sweet, and plants will crop until the first frosts.…

1 Choose a large basket at least 16in (40cm) diameter and line it with pierced polythene to retain moisture. Fill it to 3in (7.5cm) below the rim with a good-quality multi-purpose compost. 2 I’m planting two tomatoes and half a dozen basil seedlings in this basket. Don’t be tempted to cram plants in as the toms need ample moisture throughout the summer months. 3 Press plants gently into place and work compost into any gaps, filling up to 1in (2.5cm) below the rim. This gap allows water to collect in the basket when you water, then filter through.…

AROUND six weeks ago I sowed some Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers and kale for winter harvests. Well, the kale has romped away so while the other crops can stay inside for a few weeks more, the kale and some calabrese I sowed at the same time can go out in the soil. I expect to be harvesting kale from August onwards, and the calabrese (one called ‘Ironman’ which is excellent) will give me large spears and then lots of sideshoots during July and August. I’m planting the kale 32in (80cm) apart each way, while the calabrese can go in slightly closer at 24in (60cm) spacings. I’ll wrap small collars around the neck of each plant to deter cabbage root fly attack, and will net them against pigeons and cabbage white butterflies.…

“All plants grown undercover need hardening off” BEFORE you say “but Bob, last week your tip was plant out hardier veg, so why hold-on now?” Well, we grow two different sorts of plants undercover to plant out later, hardy and tender. So it’s okay to transplant outdoors hardy plants such as leeks and cabbages grown early under cover, as long as these are hardened ready for it first. However, a frost is still well possible so tender plants such as tomatoes, courgettes, lobelia and petunia should wait till all danger is over. This is despite any claims by a vendor that ‘they’re already hardened off’. All plants need hardening off, that is acclimatising them to their new conditions by moving them in and out, or adding protection for the first…

MOST people have heard of echinacea, even if they have never seen or grown a plant, because these North American prairie perennials are a well known herbal remedy for warding off colds and flu. Those pretty pink daisies pictured on the pill bottle make great garden perennials and the flower heads are huge. Best known is the purple cone flower E. purpurea, whose blooms can reach 5in (12cm) across, on plants capable of rising to 4ft (1.2m) on good soil. Flower stalks are stout and sturdy, so they rarely need staking. While the infertile, rich-pink ray petals advertise the flowers to passing insects, it is the small golden brown fertile ones packed into the cone that they visit for nectar. These are quite spiny and the botanical name is derived…

1 Use a hand held rake to remove as much of the dead grass as possible, and then water the bare soil and surrounding area thoroughly to remove traces of urine. 2 Spread some fresh, finely sieved topsoil or compost over the patch and then level with a rake. Follow this by sprinkling grass seed over the top and covering with topsoil. 3 Sprinkle the re-sown area with a watering can fitted with a rose. Place some wire, mesh or similar material over the top to prevent birds eating the seeds.…

How do I grow healthy honeysuckles? QI have two honeysuckles growing in the shade, and two growing in the sun. In the three years I have had them, none have ever flowered, and some have rusty-coloured leaves. Why is this and should I be feeding them? Or would they be happier if I move them all? Kaeanza Gunn (Via email) A It’s interesting to hear that despite your plants growing in different situations in your garden, they are not yet flowering. Honeysuckles (Lonicera) are usually grown for their lovely flowers but also for their fantastic scent, so it is important to try and get them growing well and encourage them to flower. From your description of the leaves, it sounds like they could be suffering from a disease called rust,…

A SUNNY afternoon, a sit down with a cup of tea and a piece of cake… what nicer way to relax and enjoy your garden? Where space is limited there may not be room for a large bench, in which case a compact bistro set is ideal. Even if you have plenty of room a bistro set is just the job to follow the sun around your garden, as in most cases they’re lightweight enough to be moved about with ease. A table and a pair of folding chairs also take up little space to store out of the weather when not in use. Kara 2-Seater Set £29.99 Free in-store collection or + £3.95 delivery 0345 640 2020 argos.co.uk Features Grey folding steel-framed chairs with black polyester mesh seats and…

Distinctive, lush-green foliage fans out to create wonderful shadows all year round, making this ‘giant’ variety a stunning centrepiece for any garden or patio. These impressive, 5ft tall beauties will add immediate impact wherever you plant them and will grow as big as you let them over the next few years. At less than £15 each for two such big, bold and well-established trees, this is really incredible value! • BUY two potted plants for £29.99 (usually £39.99) - SAVE £10 Pair of Canary Island Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis) Two 47-55in (1.2-1.4m) Tall Potted Plants THESE exotic, tropical Canary Island Date Palms, with their unique architectural shape and spectacular fanning foliage, will add instant dramatic impact to your garden. Despite their tropical origins, these superbly exotic plants thrive in the…

Clary sage Salvia sclarea produces a large rosette of woolly leaves. Has bicoloured white and pink flowers. Great for bees. Forget-me-nots A fairly common biennial; for something different what about trying the white or pink-flowered varieties? GAP Iceland poppies Not widely grown, they make great plants for the front of a border or containers, forming neat hummocks of foliage. Tall stems are topped with exquisite flowers in orange and yellow, which look like crushed silk.…

“Cats don’t connect your anger with their antisocial behaviour” A FEW weeks ago I ran a Q&A clinic from a pop-up garden in the Princesshay shopping centre in Exeter. One question came up time and time again: How do I stop cats from using my beds as a toilet? This is a tricky issue that’d cause even a mellow, Dali Lama-like gardener to lose their equanimity, but put those murderous thoughts to one side, as harming cats in any way is illegal. Besides, chasing with a rake never works as cats don’t connect your anger with their antisocial behaviour. The thing to do is remove the reasons why they like your garden in the first place. Caught-short cats are always a problem in spring as soil, raked into a tilth…

• There’s a lot more to planting than digging a hole and putting something in it. However, the current RHS recommendation is that you don’t need to add extra nutrients to the planting hole. • If your soil is heavy, dig in organic matter (well rotted garden compost or manure) to boost drainage and structure. Meanwhile poor, thin soil, or the soil in the garden of a new-build house that is full of builders’ rubble, will definitely be improved by its incorporation. • Add beneficial micorrhizal fungi to the hole to help the roots establish. • As a rule, the planting hole should be the depth of the plant’s roots or container rootball, and twice as wide. • After planting, in-fill around the plant with soil, firm it in and…

• Thinning seedlings in pots and trays will improve airflow around them, and help to reduce the threat of damping off disease. Sow a few extra seedlings to make up for losses, but be prepared to sacrifice some as well. • Leave the strongest seedlings, and remove weaker ones, as well as those growing around the very edge of the tray or pot. Gently pull them out, taking the root as well. • Cluster-sown seedlings in modules can be thinned so there is just one per module, but leaving two or three is unlikely to cause problems.…

LATER this month the world’s media will descend on the Chelsea Flower Show to see what’s in fashion. Will it be purple alliums and yellow iris? Or giant concrete and steel pods in a garden that’s yours for a cool £250,000? Chelsea is a spectacle, but most gardeners are not fussed about what’s trendy. And now is the time to sow seeds of what many in the design world regard as unfashionable plants – half-hardy annuals. I’m talking about marigolds, antirrhinum, cosmos, salvia, nicotiana, petunia, ipomoea, nemesia and bedding dahlias – summer flowers that are loved by millions of gardeners, but are as unwelcome as a cheeky gnome at Chelsea. Don’t be put off by the term half-hardy annual (or HHA). This simply means they don’t like the cold, and…

FEW things are more revolting than biting into a home-grown apple, pear or plum and finding a wriggling maggot at its heart. Or, even worse, half a maggot… The small white caterpillars you find tunneling through apples and pears, and occasionally walnuts and quinces, are codling moth larvae. Small, pinkish ones in plums, damsons and gages are the young of plum moths. Both types of maggot make affected fruits inedible and more likely to ripen and drop early. The first line of defence against codling and plum moth caterpillars are pheromone traps. These are widely available from garden centres and on the internet. They contain sticky sheets, to which are attached pellets containing a synthetic version of the hormone secreted by female moths. Males are attracted to, and caught in,…

1 The planting site should be sunny and sheltered. Enrich the soil with well-rotted compost or manure. 2 Buy healthy plants from a good supplier. Stand pots in water to hydrate the rootball before planting. 3 Set plants in rows. Give them plenty of room to grow and spread. Firm them in and water them in well. 4 For early crops, plant some in a pot in an unheated greenhouse. The flowers will need pollinating by hand.…

THE problem of how to keep weeds off the flower and veg beds is a high priority for gardeners. You can’t get rid of them entirely if you want other plants to grow, but there are steps you can take to lessen their impact on the garden. They compete with your plants for light, water and nutrients, and will over-run borders if left unchecked. Deal with annual weeds, such as shepherd’s purse, groundsel, chickweed and fat hen; once these have a foothold, removing them is hard work. Remember the old saying ‘never let a weed see Sunday’, use your hoe regularly to chop them out as soon as they emerge as seedlings. You can also help by removing seedheads on mature weeds before hoeing, so they can’t spread around the…

THE EARLY bird catches the worm, so they say. And it’s more likely to be a blackbird than any other species. At this time of year adult blackbirds especially have their work cut out keeping nestlings fed. Even the older babies, once out of the nest and with their familiar speckled plumage and stubby tails, will follow their parents around the garden, greedily accepting beak-to-beak worms. We’ve had a lot of winter rain this year so the ground is moist, with worms nearer the surface and more accessible. However, in drier seasons it can be tough for the birds; on a dry lawn worms bury themselves deep below the surface, out of reach. A blackbird hunting for worms will hop across the lawn systematically, stopping still every so often, waiting,…

1 Fill a wide, shallow pot with good seed or multipurpose compost, press lightly and water using a rose (sprinkler) on the can. Leave to drain and then space the large seeds over the surface and cover with compost. 2 Stand the pot inside a warm propagating case (15-18o C/ 60-65o F) but remove after germination. Using a dibber, transplant each seedling (holding it by a leaf, never by the stem) to a 3.5in (9cm) pot and water in. 3 Keep the potted seedlings under glass where they can grow on fast in shelter and you can watch their watering. When they’ve trebled in size, stand them outside to harden off (accustom to the weather). Other sowing methods Now soil is warm, you can sow direct into a soaked drill…

AS far as I’m concerned there’s no room for passengers in a small garden so if a plant, like the sickly looking camellia in my front garden, is not giving 100% then it’s time for it to go. I first clocked the evergreen shrub when viewing the house three years ago and wondered why a woodland plant that likes a sheltered spot that avoids the early morning sun, had been planted there. On top of that, the soil in my garden is fairly neutral, and not acidic as favoured by camellias. No wonder it looked so poorly. Rather than provide a foil of glossy, dark green leaves for its early spring white flowers, the foliage was a sickly yellow colour – hardly a wonderful backdrop for the blooms. Besides this…

WHITE ‘Dufthecke White’ Generous scented flowers in April and May. Compact, with glossy foliage, it’s a great hedging plant. H&S: 60in (150cm). HOT PINK ‘Anuschka’ A reliable yakushimanum variety with dark foliage. Red buds open into shocking pink blooms during May. H&S: 40in (1m). PALE PINK ‘Bloombux’ Recently introduced evergreen that makes a great alternative to box hedging. Trim at the end of June when the soft pink flowers are spent. H&S: 20in (50cm). PURPLE ‘Rasputin’ Compact rhododendron for acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Dark foliage and handfuls of lilac pink flowers in May and June. H&S: 60in (150cm).…

Q Please can you help me identify this plant (see picture)? Gill Shadbolt (via email) A It looks like plumbago (leadwort). It can be grown as a climber or left to scramble over the ground. It is frost tender and is best grown in a large pot so that it can be brought into a greenhouse or conservatory for the winter. Q want to grow regal pelargoniums, but every time I look on the internet it comes up with Pelargonium domesticum and P. grandiflorum. Which is the correct one? Christina Feltham A The botanical name for the regal pelargonium is P. domesticum. Contact The Vernon Geranium Nursery at GeraniumsUK.com – they will guide you on which varieties to grow. Q Something is eating my viola flowers. I can’t see any…

Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ £9.99 + £4.95 P&P 0844 573 1818 thompson-morgan.com In June and July Obsidian’s fine sprays of creamy white flowers stand out against the glossy, deep maroon-black foliage. A hardy evergreen perennial, it prefers sun or semi shade and grows to 18in (45cm) with a 12 in (30cm) spread. Supplied in a 1-litre pot. Blackboard Plant Labels by Henry & Future £9 + £4.75 P&P  notonthehighstreet.com It’s back to school with these great-looking plant markers. Made of blackboard with a metal frame and spike, you can write on them with chalk or a blackboard pen, and re-use them. Available in sets of three either small 12 1 / 2 in (32cm), large 18in (46cm), or any combination of the two. Apta Black Tall Egg Pot £54.95+ £11.99…

Beppie Series Tall, with fully double flowers in purple white, red, or bronze-and-yellow, held in generous upright sprays from September to November. Height: 36-48in (90cm-1.2m). Chessington Series Large, fully double, classically incurved flowers in ten colours. Lower buds should be removed to favour the main flower. H: 40in (1m). Enbee Wedding Series Prolific, reliable spray chrysanths with large single flowers in 11 colours including bronze (pictured). Ideal for cutting. Needs support as the flower heads are so heavy. H: 48in (1.2m).…

Support needed I READ your article ÔThe Falling Cost of Gardening’ (AG 16 April) with interest and agree with Peter Seabrook ÒWhy are retailers giving priority to low prices when it’s service and quality, not price, that helps to build good, loyal customers.Ó Regarding plant sales, it would appear that the large chains are copying the supermarkets in a price-cutting war, which is OK for a tin of beans but not the way to run a business in plant sales. The Ôbig boys’ can and do dictate to the large growers what they want on the shelves and buy huge amounts for very low prices. If the growers aren’t careful they’ll end up like our farmers who have to sell at a loss. I’d hate to see horticulture going the…

Honesty Best known for its seed pods, but the pretty white or pink flowers are great in dappled shade. Flowers late April. Sweet rocket Produces scented flowers in either white or pink. Good for partial shade, it looks good with tulips and aquilegia. Sweet William Clusters of densely packed flowers with a clove-like fragrance. Great for the front of borders. Wallflowers Great with tulips; grow in a sheltered spot to maximise their scent. Protect young plants from pests. Canterbury bells Long stems covered in bell-shaped blooms; will add height to borders Flowers come in white, pink and lilac.…