Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-dec-16 i Amateur Gardening

IT never ceases to amaze me that however long we garden, there’s always more to learn. Take Brussels sprout tops – the crown of fresh foliage at the top of each plant. In the 30-odd years I’ve been gardening I’ve always cut off one or two because they taste so good, but thought that doing so might harm the plant. Now I learn that it actually encourages the formation of sprouts down the trunk, just like pruning. Brassicas are favourites in our household, and I’m constantly looking for varieties that taste like I remember they used to when I was a kid. Modern varieties lack robust flavour. In recent years I’ve been growing extra purple sprouting plants to harvest the leaves for greens. Like sprout tops, they have that strong…

1 First, stand the pot in water to hydrate the roots and make it easier to remove the plant from its pot. 2 Dig a hole as deep as the plant’s rootball, and slightly wider. Check the depth by placing it into the hole. 3 Gently tease open the rootball to encourage roots to spread, so they will take up more water and nutrients. 4 Once in the ground, water to settle the soil around the roots. You can also add a weed-suppressing mulch.…

CUT trees of Nordmann and Noble firs are popular for their ability to hang on to their needles, whether held in water or not. Make sure your tree is freshly cut. Some garden centres receive their trees at the beginning of December, meaning your purchase may have been without water for several weeks. Inspect the base of the cut trunk and make sure the branches are not drooping or brittle and that needles are not dull. You’ll know whether the tree has been cut too early if it drops needles when you give it a shake. Always choose a container-grown tree over potted tree as it will last longer and much less likely to drop needles indoors. • As soon as you get the tree home, cut off the lower…

1 Start by removing faded and dead summer bedding. Add them to the compost heap if there is no sign of disease. 2 Place crocks and JI No2 compost in a pot to suit the rootball of the fuchsia or other perennial you want to transplant. 3 Lift the plant from its summer pot with as much root as possible. Place it in the new pot with fresh compost. Firm in. 4 Tip contents of the summer pot into a wheelbarrow. Brush clean crocks for next year, put compost on the garden.…

GLOBE artichokes provide an attractive display, and the mild autumn has prompted a late flush of young, edible flower buds that are a real treat. To make a good crop, plants must be grown in a sunny spot with a steady supply of moisture through the summer months. Heads should be cut with secateurs before the scales start to open, or they become tough. If you don’t wish to eat the buds straight away, cut them with a length of stem just above a leaf joint, and stand in a cup of water in the fridge for up to a week. Once boiled the tender sepals of young heads (overlapping scales on the buds), or bases of sepals of big heads, can be eaten. Otherwise, remove the sepals and immature…

• Place near a bright window for winter but most need shade from harsh light. Our P. puteolata stays in the south facing window year-round. • Normal room temperatures suit peperomias. Provide a minimum of 50-55°F (10-13°C) and when it’s warmer increase humidity by standing them with other plants or on moist pebbles. • Give a balanced liquid feed monthly between spring and autumn. • Repot in spring or summer, using a fibrous, soilless compost mixed 3 parts to 1 with medium grade vermiculite or perlite. Avoid large, deep, containers as roots are small. • Propagate in spring by stem, leaf or leaf section cuttings. Cut leaves with 1in (2.5cm) of stalk attached. Insert in 50:50 soilless compost and grit/sand mix up to the blade.…

CAN you tell that I’m a little bit excited about the 2017 sowing season? Thoughts of propagators may be far from your mind in mid-December, but it is worth checking they work properly well before any seed has left the packet. You can begin sowing chilli peppers and exhibition vegetables in early January, so there’s not a huge amount of time! Wiping down all the surfaces of your propagator with disinfectant is the absolute minimum you should do, to maintain a hygienic environment. Also, if your model requires sand in the base, change this for fresh. If your propagator has an electric heating element it’s crucial to check that it still works properly. After plugging the propagator in and letting it heat up for 30 minutes, lay your hand in…

CHRISTMAS tree farms usually operate by handing out a measuring stick and a price guide which shows the different varieties available and prices according to height. It is then up to you to make your selection, find a member of staff with a chainsaw who will chop it down, label it and load the tree on to a tractor trailer. Traditional Norway Spruce trees are cheaper per foot than the increasingly popular Nordmann Fir (known for low needle drop). Prices are usually a lot less than those at garden centres or roadside vendors. It’s well worth a visit to a farm if you want a big tree.…

THERE’S no doubt most garden tools will see less action over the next few months, making it a fitting time to give our trusted helpmates some tender loving care. During the main growing season tools are used almost daily, often without getting any maintenance to keep them in good working order. As a result, they can look a bit worse for wear after months of use, and lack of upkeep will almost certainly reduce their effective life. Typically, the cutting parts of secateurs, loppers and knives might be blunt or clogged up with sap, while the edge of spades might be dull and blades covered with caked-on dirt. If they’re not made of stainless steel, then rust might be a problem and wooden handles are likely to show cracks if…

TIME honoured advice usually rolled out at this time of year includes removing electric pumps from ornamental ponds so they don’t get damaged during freezing weather. It makes sense, of course, and it’s certainly something I’ve recommended to gardeners in my articles over the years. Taking it out, cleaning the filter and storing the pump in a dry place until spring will prevent deterioration and extend its life, but what do you do when you can’t physically take the pump out of the pond? This is the conundrum I’ve just been faced with. Some pond owners will own pumps with cables attached to an isolated but otherwise normal three-pin plug, which can be pulled out of a wall socket to allow devices to be removed. But my pump has been…

I RECKON most gardeners are now in the habit of feeding wild birds over winter, but it’s equally important to put out some water. During a cold snap their access to a natural source of liquid will be hindered by ice, so it’s a great help to fill up bird baths or water drinking devices. There’s no need to splash out on one of these if you don’t have one already, a plant saucer, plastic tub or similar will do just as well. Remember to evict ice daily during frosty periods and to top up with fresh water.…

AN expert horticulturist who once worked behind the scenes at a BBC Gardeners’ World TV garden has been named curator of the Royal Horticultural Society’s new fifth garden. Marcus Chilton-Jones (circled, left) will run RHS Garden Bridgewater near Salford, when it opens to the public in 2019. Marcus said: “It’s a dream project for me.” He previously worked at Berryfields, a former Warwickshire base for BBC2’s Gardeners’ World, before the series moved to Greenacre in Edgbaston and then to Monty Don’s garden in Herefordshire. Most recently, Marcus had been curator at Dorothy Clive Garden in North Staffordshire, and also tended Nymans in West Sussex. Inspiring garden The RHS said an 11-acre walled garden at Bridgewater will be the first part to open. Further phases will then be unveiled. An RHS…

Gardeners can get into the festive spirit this weekend (17-18 December) at the Royal Horticultural Society’s new London Christmas Show. A preview evening and late-night shopping event will take place on Friday 16 December (6-9pm) with mulled wine, carol singing and mince pies. Set to take place at the RHS’s Lawrence Hall in Westminster, London, visitors are promised a host of nurseries, artisan craft stalls and food producers – with plenty of plants and gift ideas for keen gardeners. Creative workshops will include making Christmas wreaths, and a family of reindeer will be landing at the show, too. Tickets cost £9 on the day (£6 in advance) while entry to the preview evening is £5. Go to rhs.org.uk/ londonshows for details.…

Choose furniture carefully Avoid large, heavy tables and chairs, which will overwhelm a small space. Lighter, open backed or slatted designs will allow the light to travel through rather than absorbing it. A small, glass-topped table or foldaway furniture also works well. Hang mirror panels Mirrors will reflect light to give an illusion of a larger space. Simply attach some to a perimeter wall or fence in-between plants and let them work their magic. Smaller mirrors are better as there’s less likelihood of birds mistaking them for open space and flying into them.…

YOU can’t beat handmade decorations for giving your home a unique festive flourish. And luckily you don’t need to be the UK’s answer to Martha Stewart to create them as some of the most effective can be made in minutes using a few craft supplies and items from the garden. Collect fallen cones from a conifer and either spray them in silver or gold, add fake snow or leave au naturel, then pile into a bowl for a simple centrepiece; or attach ribbons and hang them on your tree. If you have a corkscrew hazel or willow, trim off a few twigs, tie together and decorate with small baubles or LED lights. There are endless possibilities (visit YouTube.com for how-tos), but we’ve put together five super-easy DIY decoration ideas to…

MAINTAINING hand tools in good condition makes sound economic sense, and keeping them sharp reduces effort, especially when cutting woody plant material. We’ve tested six hand-held blade sharpeners, some of which come as a kit with lubricating oil. The sharpeners are generally fitted with a tungsten carbide block – a more aggressive sharpener for heavier steel – or a fine diamond particle sharpener for smaller blades and finishing off. Some have both types incorporated for tackling different blades. Many tools have blades manufactured with a bevelled edge, usually at 25°, so to take the guesswork out a couple of the sharpeners have pre-angled sharpening stones. With others it’s necessary to sharpen the tool following the edge by feel – which is actually fairly straightforward. Bypass secateurs, shears and scissors are…

1 Gladiolus murielae The Abyssinian gladiolus reaches 3ft (1m) and flowers in early-autumn. Its white, hooded funnels with maroon throats emit strong perfume. 2 Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus Magenta-flowers to 2ft (60cm) high appear in late- spring. Naturalised in the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. 3 Gladiolus ‘Claudia’ Easy to grow; reach about 2ft (60cm), with butterfly-like blooms and are ideal for smaller gardens. Crimson flowers marked with yellow. 4 Gladiolus ‘That’s Love’ Large pink-flowered gladiolus. Pale-pink blooms are decorated with dark-pink blotches, on stems at least 4ft (1.2m) tall in July and August.…

Buyer beware! WHEN we moved into our house 16 years ago there was a plum tree in situ that had been planted by the previous owners. Over the years it grew taller and taller, until it finally bore fruit. The plums were huge and delicious, but it was evidently not a grafted tree. I had vague recollections of the previous owners saying they were mad-keen propagators and realised it was most likely a seedling grown from a plum stone. I hadn’t the heart to cut it down because I hate felling trees and because I thought the plums were a one-off new variety and rather special. Now disaster has struck. I noticed a lot of gum being produced by the tree and the leaves have ‘shot-holes’ where bacteria has entered…

“To keep weeds down, fill your borders with plants” FOR all its wonderful festivities, Christmas can be an exhausting holiday – especially if you have family and friends coming to stay, with all the catering and cleaning it entails. Making sure the outside looks presentable is just as important as cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms. After all, it is likely that visitors will walk through your front garden before they even reach your front door! There isn’t a great deal going on in the garden at the moment, but by devoting a few minutes each day you can keep it looking as good as possible. May of the jobs you do to spruce up your garden now are beneficial, and help improve plant health and hygiene during some of the toughest…

HOLLY trees are laden this berries this year, even my pot-bound specimen, which has reached a good size, large enough to bear fruit, albeit a few! They bring such richness to gardens with their glossy, evergreen leaves and jewel-like berries. Then, when it turns cold, the enjoyment is extended when blackbirds and thrushes appear to feast on them. As hollies are the plant of the season, I thought re-potting my specimen to grace the front door for the festive period would be a good idea. All containerised evergreens benefit from being repotted every 2-3 years, into a slightly larger container. My tree dried out during a hot spell in summer and consequently dropped a few of its leaves, but hollies are tough plants, and having feet in fresh compost is…

ONE of the brightest stars on the patio this summer was a glossy black pot planted up with a standard fuchsia, a variety of vivid coleus, bronze begonias and a gazania. Due to the mild autumn, the fuchsia and coleus kept going week after week, the coleus eventually crowning the display with spikes of delightful mauve flowers. Then after a couple of sharp, frosty nights, the coleus collapsed into a soggy mass. I didn’t want to lose the fuchsia, a perennial, so the answer was to repot and nurse it through winter in the greenhouse, hoping that it will regenerate next year. This is a relatively easy job to do, and has the added bonus of freeing up a patio pot that can be replanted for spring colour. Top Tip…

“Begonia elatior will flower for months indoors” GREEN and living houseplants have become fashionable once again. But modern home owners, leading busy lives, are looking for “easy to care for” plants. Visiting one of the UK’s largest pot plant growers on the south coast I was interested to see nimble fingered staff potting echevaria into attractive ceramic containers and covering the surface with fresh green moss to add a finishing touch. Apparently Sainsbury’s supermarkets cannot get enough of these succulents, which we are used to seeing in summer carpet bedding. They will survive neglect and lack of water through the winter in a light position on windowsills, as long as the moss gets some moisture to keep it green. While I accept the succulents look stylish, I also saw thousands…

OUR WONDERFUL collection of Japanese maples – otherwise known as acers – will give you a stunning range of foliage colours all summer long, ending in a riotous autumnal blaze of burnished red, orange and yellow right through to winter. Very easy to grow, they’re neat and slow-growing and will make a huge impact in just a small amount of space – perfect for compact gardens or patio pots. They’re totally hardy, and even their bare winter branches are beautiful – providing architectural structure all year round. Acers are always expensive in garden centres, so this collection represents simply fantastic value for money. We’re offering them for HALF PRICE – 3 vARIEtIEs FoR Just £14.99! The collection includes one each of: • Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ • Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’ •…

“Protect the shoots if a really cold night threatens” DO you have a sunny spot indoors? A wide windowsill, maybe a bay window, a conservatory or, ideally, a frost-free greenhouse, cold frame or tunnel? Then you could be enjoying your own new potatoes at Easter, just when everyone else is planting theirs. You must have noticed how potatoes kept warm and damp soon start to shoot. They’re ready and willing to grow – it’s just far too cold outdoors. Nevertheless, the days will be getting longer soon and potatoes can register this and soon turn shoots into leaves. So we can plant sets now in buckets under cover for a glorious – if admittedly relatively small – crop in early spring. Obviously it’s best to do this with an early…

I WAS asked recently if there was a time of year when wild rabbits are most troublesome to the gardener. I thought about it for a minute and then had to admit they can be a pain all year round, but whether they are worse in the growing season or in winter depends largely on what you’re growing. From spring to mid-autumn, wild rabbits feed primarily on grasses, clover, weeds, wildflowers and – of course – any tasty crops. Garden carrots, lettuce and spinach seem to be particularly appealing. From late autumn until spring however a rabbit’s diet shifts, perhaps by necessity rather than mere taste preference. When there isn’t so much tender greenery about they’ll eat buds, twigs, bark, needles, as well as any fresh garden plants they can…

1 My spade has been left outside more than a few times, leading to the wood splitting on the handle. Rub with fine sand paper to restore a smooth surface. 2 Protect wood by treating it with linseed or teak oil. Spread a small amount on a cloth and work it into the grain with a circular motion. Wipe off any excess oil. 3 Over time the cutting edge of spades can become blunt making it hard to slice through heavy soil, so restore the sharp edge with a flat engineer’s file. 4 Metal blades can go rusty if left wet or stored in a damp shed. Prevent a build up of rust and stop mud sticking to the surface by spraying or wiping with oil.…

MY Cordyline indivisa makes a bold, striking feature over summer, but is notoriously temperamental. Strong winds, shade and even being transplanted can cause them to go downhill rapidly, so I won’t take any chances when it comes to protecting them from bad weather. These architectural beauties suffer most when they are subjected to a few sharp frosts, which can damage the bark, leading to stems rotting and eventually collapsing. The open head of branches on cordylines can also act like a sump, trapping rainwater that will cause the crown to die back. A small greenhouse would be the perfect place to house my cordyline until the weather picks up in spring – it wouldn’t even need to be heated because the structure alone would provide all the protection the plant…

How do I care for an orchid? Q I’ve been given a beautiful moth orchid (phalaenopsis) as a present but I’ve never grown orchids before. How do I look after it and keep it flowering? Melissa Green, Colchester, Essex A The moth orchid is moderately easy to grow in a centrally heated room and will produce flowers throughout the year. It requires a reasonably well-lit situation but out of direct sunlight. I’m successful with mine on north- and east-facing windowsills. Levels of light that are too low will restrict flower production. Maintain a room temperature of 18-22°C (64-72°F) throughout the year, along with high humidity around the plant. Stand plants on a gravel tray and mist spray daily in the summer. Avoid draughts and fluctuating temperatures. I water my plants…

Decorate a candle Pop a scented candle into a high-sided jam jar and place into a plant pot that’s been filled with gravel. Surround the candle pot with sprigs of pine or ivy. Add a ribbon and a bauble for a finishing touch. Trim your topiary Be inspired by this variegated standard holly hedge, topiarised to create a ‘mini tree’, then hung with baubles. Trim your own lollypop evergreens – box, yew and bay will all look lovely. Hang some mistletoe If you don’t have this traditional Christmas favourite in the garden, buy sprigs from a florist. Tie stems with a brightly coloured ribbon then hang above your front door, or suspend from a light fitting inside.…

Wild Bird Garden Cup Feeder £5.95 + p&p £5.95 0345 605 2505 worm.co.uk Flower-like bird feeders in cheerful red, yellow or orange colours are staked directly into the ground to hold seed or fat balls. Made from powder-coated steel, the cup has drainage holes, is 2 3/4in (7.2cm) in diameter and the feeder stands 27in (69cm) tall. Garden String Dispenser Tin £7.95 + p&p £1.95 01476 576541 garden-gear.co.uk Attractive enamel-look tin with a ball of garden string inside – perfect for keeping around the greenhouse or potting shed. A tight-fitting lid is designed to stop the string falling out and unravelling. Comes in clay or thyme colours. Approx 5in (12.5cm) high x 4 3/8in (11cm) diameter. Greenhouse Slate Tags £10 + p&p £4.95 01993 845559 gardentrading.co.uk Perfect for the greenhouse,…

“Pointed tips encourage water to drip from leaf blades” I’VE just received a message of thanks for a ‘most entertaining talk’ given while filming on the Isles of Scilly. It’s so lovely that I’m considering getting it framed – although having never been to the Scillies this might be a conceit too far! In my younger years I was often mistaken for Alan Shearer but now it seems I’m being mixed up with ITV’s Island-hopping Alison Steadman. Perhaps (and hopefully more likely!) I have a doppelganger – mimicry in horticulture is very common after all. Plants from different parts of the globe often evolve in parallel and look the same even though they are unrelated. Succulent Canary Island spurge with its water-storing box-like stems wouldn’t look out of place among…

1 Cut back unsightly perennial foliage and spent seedheads, as they can encourage pests and disease to spread. 2 It’s been a mild autumn so far, and weeds are growing with gusto, so get them out as soon as you spot them. 3 Mulch around plants. A quick task, it makes borders look tidier, protects plant roots, and helps suppress weeds. 4 Sweep the patio; it smartens them up, helps stop slippery moss forming, and removes debris that can block drains. 5 Rake up the last fallen leaves for leaf mould. They look messy and can shade out the grass to leave bare patches.…

THERE’S nothing quite like heading outdoors for a bit of winter air! I spent an hour or so checking my deciduous trees and shrubs, tackling any that required a light trim. My ornamental pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’) is quite large. Many people like to raise the canopy to around 6ft 6in (2m) to create an ‘umbrella’ shape but I prefer the naturally weeping habit. The longest stems were cut back to a healthy bud to ensure they cleared the ground and this will allow more light to reach the grass beneath. I was careful to trim the stems to varying lengths to retain the natural shape of the tree. Any uncharacteristic growths, crossing and weak stems were removed, as well as the inedible fruits still held on the branches, to…

• When you clear and empty containers and growing bags, don’t simply discard the compost. • After removing all the plant debris, check carefully for any sign of pests, such as slugs, snails and any overwintering larvae. • If it is clear of problems, you can use the compost as winter mulch for beds and borders, as well as for hardy perennials in containers. • Although plants will have used up most of the compost’s nutrients, it still has value as insulation, and will be washed into the soil by winter rain, helping to improve its structure.…

GREEN manures are useful soil improvers sown on vacant ground after crops are cleared. My phacelia green manure, which was sown at the end of September, formed a protective covering over the veggie plot this autumn and can be dug in now. I didn’t let it flower, as it seeds very freely. Green manures are beneficial because they store nutrients in the plant’s cells and roots, returning them to the soil when they are dug in. Some types of green manure are nitrogen-rich while others are grown to provide organic matter or phosphates, and to suppress weeds. Being so low growing, my green manure was fairly easy to chop down, and the growth was still soft. If allowed to go woody it would steal nitrogen from the soil as it…

THERE are over a thousand species of peperomias, mostly from central and southern America and a handful from Africa. Mainly epiphytic, they grow not in the ground but on rotten wood in a wide range of habitats including rain forest, cloud forest and desert-like areas. In our homes they make handsome foliage plants and clean the air by absorbing pollutants through their leaves (according to research carried out by NASA). In Brazil, they are given as tokens of good luck and I find them very collectable. Peperomias can have either trailing or short, stout fleshy stems and hardly ever seem to be properly labelled. They deserve to be displayed well to suit their habit and our trailing P. puteolata looks great planted in a vase-like container. This has no drain…

WINTER is the time to make plans, maintain your plot and generally get things in order, especially plant supports. This week our raspberry patch is under the spotlight. Last November I planted both autumn and summer varieties – perhaps you’ve bought some new canes this winter? Nurseries and garden centres have canes in stock now, so it’s the perfect time to buy and plant them. I should have installed some supports as I planted them but am only just getting round to it now. Luckily the autumn-fruiting raspberries don’t need anywires or canes to cling to – they are free-standing, and are cut down to ground level over the winter. Summer varieties need supporting because the fruiting canes have to stand over the winter, so cue our timely step-by-step weekend…

I’M feeling incredibly spoilt. Yesterday, my husband built a 5ft (1.5m) tall cage over our entire brassica bed. Covering winter greens with netting is essential during chilly months. Leave them exposed and the whole crop can be stripped bare by voracious wood pigeons. I normally use low tunnel cloches, but because these veg grow to such a size the netting squashes the crops. So 2in x 2in (5cm x 5cm) vertical battons, 6 ½ foot (2m) long, were hammered 18in (45cm) into the soil. Netting was then strung over the top and sides. We stapled it into place – remembering to leave a flap unfastened so I could get in and out.…

WE usually decorate the same artificial tree every Christmas, unless we are hosting, and then we splash out on a real one bought from a local garden centre. A friend had told me that driving out of town to a Christmas tree farm had become a tradition in their household, something that the whole family looked forward to every year, whatever the weather. I had to convince my husband that this was a worthy morning excursion, and we decided to give it a try. We discovered a place where trees of all sizes are grown in fields as far as the eye can see - a truly magical sight, even on a drizzly December day. Robbie and Joe had a fantastic time running through the fields trying to find our…

• 17 December-2 January: Christmas Glow at RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, GU23 6QB. Giant illuminated blooms light up the winter landscape and coloured lamps highlight trees and lawns. rhs.org.uk/wisley 17-18 December: Robinson College gardens, Grange Road, Cambridge, CB3 9AN. Open for the NGS Saturdays and Sundays 2pm-4pm and every Friday 10am-4pm until the end of the year. 01223 339100 robinson.cam.ac.uk 17-31 December: Stowe House, Buckinghamshire MK18 5EQ. Landscape advent calendar: follow the Stowe House trail to discover 24 hidden doors in the landscape as part of a giant advent calendar. From 10am-4pm. Free event but normal admission charges apply to venue 01280 817156; nationaltrust.org.uk/stowe. 17-24 December: Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire SA32 8QH. Open daily 10.30am-4pm. Look out for new collections of berried shrubs and coloured stems, the snake-bark maple, the…

BACK in late summer I gave the astilbes around my pond a quick spruce up, removing the fading flower stems before they had a chance to set seed. After that I left the foliage to provide some late colour and interest. Well, that might be stretching the point slightly as the autumn foliage of Astilbe ‘Professor van der Wielen’ is really nothing to write home about. The ferny leaves have now started to go crispy and fall off around the base of the clumps, giving the plant almost no ornamental value at all. Some gardening encyclopaedias suggest cutting the worst stems back and leaving the rest until spring but I’ve decided to go the whole hog and knock the plant into shape in one fell swoop. It’s easy to prune…

A seed supplier has revealed its 2016 best-sellers, in a bid to highlight consumer trends. Marshalls Seeds’ brand manager Anna Betts said: “During 2016, we noticed a move towards modern varieties due to their disease-resistance and reliability. “Gardeners want assurances that their hard work won’t go to waste and will result in heavy cropping and tasty produce.” The Marshalls top five were: 1. Caliente Mustard – popular as a green manure and soil biofumigant (claimed to suppress soil-borne pests and diseases) 2. Runner bean ‘Firestorm’ – the world’s first self-pollinating red-flowered runner bean. It sets in poor or hot weather. 3. Beetroot ‘Bolthardy’ – a tried and tested variety for early-sowing, due to its resistance to bolting. 4. Carrot ‘Resistafly’ – an early Nantes-type carrot with good resistance to carrot…

• To extend the flowering period, cut back flower stems after the flowers fade to just below the point where the earliest flowers appeared. New blooms will appear on side shoots. • Never allow beads of moisture to rest on phalaenopsis leaves – they’re susceptible to rot and fungus infection and black spots will appear if moisture remains on them for even a short period. • Large plants can sometimes stop flowering, so reduce the temperature in the room by 5°C for a month. This will normally encourage flower production to get going again.…

1 Collect 14-20 pine cones and leave somewhere warm to dry out. Spray paint white and, once completely dry, screw a metal eyelet into the base of each. 2 Cut some Christmas ribbon about 1 ½ times as long as width of mantelpiece. Using a ruler to keep spacing even, slot ribbon through eyelets to attach. 3 Suspend from the mantelpiece with drawing pins. For a different look, paint the cones with glue and then dip them in gold or silver glitter – give them a good shake before attaching to ensure any excess falls off. Alternatively, you can vary the size of your cones or even use teasel seedheads, which look great sprayed with a little fake snow. Take care when handling teasel, and remember to leave some standing…