Innholdsfortegnelse for 02-jul-16 i Amateur Gardening

“WILL you stop pouring cold tea on the office plants!” Long-suffering office administrator Jenny has been telling me off for slinging the dregs of my tea in the pot of the Dracaena for over a year. She was originally concerned that the milk in my tea would go off and make the office stink…. then I gave up milk in tea. “Yes, but you’ll kill it!” Possible. I’ve heard of people feeding their plants cold tea, but always dismissed it as hogwash. I pour my tea dregs in the plant pots because I’m lazy. We don’t have a kitchen, so dregs have to be disposed of in the loo. Too complicated (too far away). The office plants have been here as long as I have (16 years) – the result…

WE are not alone in looking forward to a change of scene in the summer – our houseplants can benefit from different surroundings too! Two or three weeks after the threat of frosts has passed, depending on where you are in the country, you can move houseplants outside for the summer. They will do best somewhere warm and sheltered – but they must be out of bright, direct sun, which can scorch their leaves. Help them acclimatise to cooler temperatures and brighter light outside by placing then somewhere shady during the day for the first couple of weeks, and bringing them back inside at night. Because their compost will dry out faster outdoors, the plants will need regular watering, and will also require feeding. Keep an eye out for pests…

1 Water regularly. During hot, dry spells, you may need to do so every day, possibly more than once. 2 Container compost has nutrients for up to six weeks’ growth. You can supplement it with a liquid tomato feed. 3 Control pests. Slugs and snails lurk around the rim of pots, vine weevil grubs eat roots, aphids damage foliage. 4 To encourage prolonged flowering, deadhead your plants as soon as the individual blooms start to fade.…

1 Clear the deck, sweep timbers and screw down springy or loose planks. Lightly sand railings and balustrades. 2 Hire or borrow a pressure washer to blast away muck and peeling paint. Allow the timber to dry for up to 24 hours. 3 Check the forecast. You need a spell of dry weather. Many deck paints require 4-6 hours to become rainproof. 4 Use a large brush to apply deck paint (the same brush for painting a fence). Most weathered timber needs two coats. 5 Stand pots on deck tiles to protect timbers. These small wooden tiles (£1 each from Poundland) are perfect.…

MUCH as I love growing my own food, I’ll always make the most of opportunities that Mother Nature throws my way. So, having noticed for the last fortnight the large, domed cream heads of elderflowers in the hedgerows around our village, I decided I’d better make use of them before they fade. I’ve made cordial for years now (you can make champagne and jelly from them, too) and so, secateurs in hand, I set out to cut some heads one sunny, dry afternoon. As well as giving me a very pleasant walk, I’ve also created a delicious and refreshing drink that literally bottles up the taste of summer – just add fizzy water. Cheers to that! Lucy is a former AG gardening editor, and edited a national Grow-Your-Own magazine. A…

WE may have reached peak barbecue season, but that’s no reason to forget the year’s other gastronomic landmarks. Planting potatoes between now and the middle of August should reward you with some wonderful, fresh tasting tubers, in time for the Christmas table. Buy cold-stored tubers of early or second early varieties such as ‘Charlotte , ‘Nicola’ and ‘Maris Peer’ from most of the major seed companies. They will take around 12 weeks to grow. When ready to harvest, remove foliage and leave the tubers in the compost until they are needed. If you are growing in a pot, make sure it is at least 12in (30cm) deep and wide, to give the tubers enough room to swell. Top Tip Plant Xmas spuds in summer and harvest late autumn/ winter. They…

FOR many of us, swallows herald the arrival of spring, returning to Britain between late March and mid-May after wintering overseas. Once here they build nests from mud and bits of plant, set against beams or shelves in sheds, garages and outbuildings, as well as on cliff ledges. These can be re-used from year-to-year; some have even been going for nearly 50 years. When a family of swallows is in residence, the building becomes their property – so watch out as they complain loudly when you get too close! If there are swallows in your garden, do take time to watch as the chicks will fledge around now. Their flight training can be both amazing and comical, especially as the parents tend to feed them mid-air. During our winter swallows…

WHEN I planted some tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) back in May, they arrived with a fabulous head of fronds. Unfortunately, I had to leave the plants in an exposed part of my garden for a few days, allowing me to prepare the ground for planting in a sheltered, shady spot to the side of the house. During this time, the tree ferns were subjected to gusty blasts that scorched the upper surface of the leaves, which turned browner and ragged in the following weeks. To allow the plant to put all of its energy into its new leaves, which have since unfurled, I’ve removed all the old ones. It’s important not to prune too hard, as they will eventually form part of the trunk – cut back to 6in (15cm)…

RELIABLE bedding plants capable of flowering from autumn to spring are thin on the ground, making ‘winter flowering pansies’ so desirable. Garden centres will be full of them come early autumn but raising your own from seed is satisfying and enjoyable. These showy plants flower well during autumn, making pools of jewel-like colours in borders or peeping from among evergreens in containers. Unless the weather is unusually kind, they often stop blooming in the depths of winter and almost seem to shrink and hunker down against the cold and wet. Given good drainage, plants rally once again in spring, to produce a brilliant and long-lasting display. Although they can live on into summer, they tend to be straggly and are best replaced with summer bedding plants. Modern pansies Modern pansies…

Use paint to add colour If you haven’t got enough colour from your plants, cheat and paint doors, fences and furniture bright colours instead. Scour Gumtree, eBay and second hand shops for quirky things like an old wooden chair or tiered plant stands. Rub them down and give them a fresh lick of paint. If you are unsure of colour choice choose a natural tone before going straight for the red! Remember that a dark colour is hard to paint over! Top tip - Garden chairs are far easier to paint if raised. If you have an old wallpaper table or work bench, work from that. Add one coat, allow it to dry and then add a second for best results. Grab a bargain Go to your local garden centre…

Q I planted tree lily bulbs in February 6in (15cm) deep and 18in (45cm) apart. They all shot up to about 16in (40cm) then stopped growing, except for one, which reached 20in (50cm). Why did most of them stop growing and fail to flower? Charlie Hutton (via email) I’ve had the same experience with tree lilies in my garden this year. My bulbs were not large and I wondered if they would flower this season. Growing conditions have been far from favorable. My bulbs started into growth and then stopped. Then they had another flush but did not move for weeks. Tree lilies can reach 8ft (2.4m) after two years and were introduced in 2009 by Thompson & Morgan which trademarked these towering flowers as Tree Lilies. Other companies offer…

Verbena bonariensis Tall thin stems topped with lavender-purple flowers. Flowers for months, and attracts bees and butterflies. Needs full sun. Erigeron karvinskianus Seeds itself into the cracks in paving, and walls, producing a mass of pink and white daisy flowers for months. Requires full sun. Aquilegia vulgaris Once you have them, columbines will appear across your garden in surprising, and beautiful colours throughout May and early June. Meconopsis cambrica The delightful Welsh poppy produces yellow flowers that bring cheer to boring, gloomy patches of the garden. This stalwart likes semi-shade. Stipa tenuissima This grass looks fabulous in contemporary planting schemes, and will seed itself freely, producing silver-blonde plumes here and there. Full sun.…

Sternbergia lutea A carpet of these yellow goblet-shaped flowers will brighten the dullest autumn day. Good at the foot of a sunny wall. Amaryllis belladonna Gargantuan trumpet-shaped flowers. Grow in a conservatory or against a south-facing wall in well-drained soil. Acis autumnale The autumn snowflake is a delightful dainty plant that likes a sun-baked, dry spot, such as a rockery. Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ Produces lilac-pink double flowers that resemble waterlilies; followed by sizeable strappy foliage in spring.…

JULY is something of a ‘holding’ month in the garden. With summer in full flow, everything should be growing well, blooming beautifully, and ticking over nicely by itself. So the gardener can take it easy, right? Sadly, not quite! While plants are busy growing, flowering and fruiting, pests and weeds are also flourishing, lawns are growing, and there is much else besides to prevent gardeners from resting on their laurels. The easiest way to keep on top of summer jobs is to do little and often. Constantly tending different areas of the garden allows you to keep a steady eye on developments. Feeding, watering and dead-heading, and controlling pests and disease, reduces plants’ stress levels, and helps them reach their potential. Top Tip Don’t give your lawn a high-nitrogen feed…

ONE of my absolute must-have summer plants is agapanthus, or African lilies. Their tall, almost spherical heads of blue or white trumpet-shaped flowers add elegance and structure to the garden, taking over when early summer alliums fade. Agapanthus are either fully hardy or half hardy (the evergreen varieties tend to be the most tender), and like to grow in full sun. For robust growth and good results, both varieties should be mulched and fleeced during the winter months. If your garden is on heavy clay soil, or prone to waterlogging, agapanthus will happily grow in containers. It is a myth that they like to be root-bound, so do give them some room for root growth, but don’t leave them wallowing in too much empty soil. The varieties I chose were…

TENDER houseplants such as moth orchids and African violets should be kept indoors over the summer. Water regularly – you may need to do it every few days in exceptionally warm and dry weather. However don’t allow the compost to become waterlogged. As this is peak growing season, plants will also require a weekly feed of liquid houseplant food. Plants will also perform better if you boost humidity around them. Mist their leaves regularly (don’t do this to African violets, as the water stains the leaves), or stand them on a saucer of gravel and, when watering, let water drain through so it can be re-absorbed or evaporate to lower the surrounding air temperature. You should also keep their leaves clear of dust by wiping them clean with a damp…

“It wasn’t just cabbage that got results” SCORES of schools took part in a Scott’s Miracle-Gro plant feeding experiment last winter and spring. Cabbage ‘Hispi’ F1 was sown late autumn and, once well established, seedlings were potted up singly into 10ltr pots of ordinary garden soil. If anyone needed an explanation why we now use soilless compost they should try lifting such a filled pot when wet and would soon get their answer! One pot was left untreated as the control, one was enriched with Growmore (the balanced, general fertiliser, with 7 parts each of nitrogen, phosphates and potash), while the third had the latest slow release plant food granules. The difference was as expected although more dramatic than I would have forecast. The plants in just soil were very…

CLEMATIS wilt is a devastating fungal disease (Phoma clematidina) that causes the rapid blackening and wilting of the plant’s leaves, followed by the stem. The fungus enters the plant through wounds caused by feeding pests, or by rubbing against ties and supports. It blocks the uptake of water and nutrients, causing speedy collapse. Regrowth of healthy shoots can occur from the base of affected plants, and even from underneath the soil. It is worth noting that large-flowered varieties are the most susceptible to wilt, while varieties such as C. Montana, C. Orientalis and ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ are more resistant. There is no chemical control for clematis wilt, but you can help reduce its devastation by cutting back to new growth any affected (or potentially affected) areas of the plant. Bin…

I’M keen to get you sowing seeds all year round – just this week you could be sowing spinach, carrots, chard, beetroot, lettuce, salad leaves... the list is endless! But how can you sow them if the soil is bone dry? Here’s how. The day before sowing, dig over then thoroughly drench the area to build up soil moisture reserves. The following day the soil surface will have dried but the earth beneath will hold precious water. Create a drill for your seeds, making it slightly deeper than what is recommended on the packet. Soak the base of the drill then sow your seeds. Cover them with dry surface soil, tamp the row down lightly with the back of your rake and, if you visit your plot daily, cover the…

LAST month I touched on the process known as ‘June drop, where orchard fruits naturally thin out to leave the healthiest and best fruitlets. Now that has occurred it’s time to step in and meddle with things! Even after June drop has occurred, trees can carry too many fruits. From the tree’s perspective, more fruits equals more seeds. What we’re interested in, though, is large individual fruits. So, first pick damaged or misshapen fruitlets, then thin out those that remain. I thin apples and pears to 1 to 2 fruitlets per cluster. Take out the central apple fruit if you can – it has a short stalk and the resulting fruit may become distorted. Thin plums and gages to 2in (5cm) apart and don’t worry about thinning cherries. You want…

1 Gauge levels and types of infestation by hanging sticky yellow cards in the greenhouse. Flying pests get stuck to them, and once you have ascertained the problem, you can deal with them using the appropriate chemicals or biological controls. 2 I am using the tiny wasp Encarsia formosa as a biological control for whitefly. It comes on cards that are hung on or near plants. The wasps predate the pests, multiply, and die at the end of summer when temperatures drop and their food source dwindles.…

• 2-3 July: Hever in Bloom, Hever Castle & Gardens, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG 01732 865224; hevercastle.co.uk • 2-3 July: Warrenfell, 2 Filter Cottages, Tunstall Reservoir, Wolsingham, Bishop Auckland DL13 3LX in aid of the NGS; 10-4.30pm; 01388 538392; warrenfell@btinternet.com • 2-3 July: Brook Memorial Hall, Brox Road, Ottershaw, Chersey KT16 0HG; open gardens plus exhibition by local artists in aid of Brook Hall Development Fund; 2-6pm; 01932 874328 • 3 July: Plant Hunters’ Fair (10am-4pm), Sugnall Walled Garden, Eccleshall, Staffs. ST21 6NF; planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 3 July: The Forge, Ravensworth, Richmond, DL11 7EU, 1-5.30pm; in aid of the NGS; Mr and Mrs Peter & Enid Wilson; 01325 718242; enid.wilson@btconnect.com • 3 July: Galleywood Open Gardens, Galleywood Heritage Centre, The Common, Galleywood, Chelmsford CM2 8TR; 11-5pm in aid of Farleigh…

NOTHING is more pleasing than perfectly manicured topiary. Fortunately, untidy versions, like my group of Japanese holly (Ilex crenata ‘Stokes’) balls, can be restored with a little bit of deft pruning. A sphere-like shape is the easiest to trim by eye. Standing over a holly ball, I start by removing a band of growth from the midriff of the plant – as this species is renowned for its slow growth, I don’t remove too much. I then angle my clippers slightly and work on the bottom half, before turning my attention to the top. Any twiggy bits that are left sticking out are removed with the secateurs. I find that to prune effectively by eye, you need to keep your cutting tools steady and follow the contours of the shape,…

1 Fill a small seed tray or pan with good seed compost and press lightly for a smooth surface. Water, using a fine rose (sprinkler) on the can and leave to drain. 2 Sow the seeds by sprinkling them thinly and evenly across the surface. Either tap the sides of the foil packet so they trickle out, or take a pinch and dispense by rubbing finger and thumb gently against each other. 3 Cover seeds very lightly, scattering compost or pushing it through a sieve (not too fine, as tiny particles can ‘cap’ over seeds). Put in light shade under glass or in a cold frame. Germination is best below 18°C (65°F).…

Bring the inside out Some house plants some can be put outside to add colour in summer. Begonias and guzmania plants will cope well, as will cacti if given a sunny spot. Planting patio pots For reliable colour plant garden-ready marguerites or osteospermums. Group small pots for impact raising some on bricks to create a tiered display. Green up the lawn If your lawn is weedy and lacklustre, and the summer is not too dry, you can apply Westland After Cut All in One Even-Flo Lawn Treatment in July. Pretty up the patio Make your patio more interesting by lifting or cutting a slab or two at the edges and plant with dry garden plants like thyme and agapanthus. Mulch with pebbles. Feed for flowers Give your bedding a mid-summer…

Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride’ Tangerine orange blooms with reflexed petals. A striking new variety that’s scented. Ideal for a moist soil in sun. 3ft (60cm). Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’ Stunning deep purple bell flowers. Reaches 19in (50cm) in height and enjoys full sun or partial shade. Will need winter protection in cold areas. Grasses These versatile plants are ideal for filling gaps in borders. Hakonechloa macra is perfect for a sunny or partially shady spot. H 1ft (30cm). Aster ‘Little Carlow’ Covered in small purple flowers from late summer until the first frosts. Ideal for the middle of a sunny border. H 31in (80cm). Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’ Flowers from June until September. A graceful plant reaching 4½ ft (1.5m). Full sun required. Good with grasses.…

THE art of topiary is the careful pruning and shaping of trees and bushes, from the most basic box balls to more ambitious spirals and animal shapes. Essential for crisp lines is a well engineered tool for making a neat, precise cut. Once the shape or size is established, clipping should be done from June and again in August or early September. All the tools on test here are used one handed – the Japanese scissor-action model and Darlac’s pivot design requiring less effort than the tensioned steel tools based on traditional sheep shears, which are designed for soft new growth only. So, for the purpose of our tests, new growth on privet, box, Lonicera nitida and grass were worked on. It’s worth remembering too that topiary shears are also…

• Give your evergreen hedge shrubs a trim now to keep them looking neat and tidy. • Prune small-leaved shrubs such as box and privet with shears or a powered hedge trimmer. • Tidy up large-leaved varieties, such as laurel, using secateurs. This helps avoid damaging and bruising leaves, or leaving them with ragged cuts. • While pruning, look for signs of pests and disease, and treat immediately. Also feed, water and mulch plants.…

1 Place crocks at the bottom, and fill the pot with a loam-based compost – I used John Innes No 3. 2 Push the plants’ pots into the compost to their rims. This creates a perfect sized pocket for the rootballs. 3 Take the pots out of the compost, the plants out of their pots, tease out the roots, drop them in the holes. 4 Water the container well to settle the roots. Don’t forget to stand the pot on feet to aid drainage.…

PLANTING up a container with a colourful selection of plants, or crops such as tomatoes and courgettes, is a quick and easy way to add interest to the dullest, and smallest, patch of garden or patio. However, the real work starts once the plants are in their pots. Their confined growing space means they are unable to send out roots, so they need careful feeding and watering to provide the nutrients and moisture they need to grow well. And, like all plants, they are prey to pests and diseases, so watch them carefully. Top Tip Greenhouse plants in grow bags and containers will dry out quicker than those outside as they get no rain. Stand them in watering trays, and check the compost daily.…

DECKING is not my first choice for a garden seating area (I’d rather have a patio) but like many gardeners I moved into a house where the previous owners had installed a deck during the Ground Force years. A few winters ago, during an icy spell, I learnt the hard way that dirty, algae-stained decking can be incredibly hazardous – when I slipped and landed on my backside. My small deck looked dire, so I asked a builder for advice. He made a hissing noise through his teeth (that noise when you know a big bill is coming), then suggested rebuilding the deck from scratch. My solution is a little less radical (and cheaper). If your deck is blighted by peeling paint or weathered timber, but the boards and joists…

1 Select healthy, non-flowering growth. Put it in a dampened plastic bag if not potting up immediately. 2 Divide the long piece by cutting it immediately above each leaf joint, and then again 2in (5cm) beneath it. 3 Dip the stems in rooting powder or gel, and insert into clay pots of damp cuttings compost and perlite. 4 Put the pot in a propagator or sealed plastic bag. Keep it warm, light and damp until roots develop.…

1 Research what an elderflower looks like before you harvest! You need about 20 heads that are fully open, releasing pollen but not turning brown. 2 Dissolve 1kg of white sugar into 1.5litres of boiling water, then leave to cool. To the cooled sugar water add 20 elderflower heads. 3 Now put in 4 sliced lemons and 50g citric acid. Cover with muslin and leave to steep for 2 days, then strain and bottle. Freeze excess in batches.…

WHOA! Whatever I’ve been feeding these broad beans with it’s obviously worked - some of the plants are almost as tall as me! I sowed this batch of ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ way back in October and they’re almost at the end of their harvest season. They’re an excellent hardy type that performs brilliantly from an autumn sowing – I’ll definitely be growing them again. The spring sowing of ‘Masterpiece Green Longpod’ is hot on their heels, and will be ready to pick in a week or so. The key to great broad beans is to harvest them at about the size of a penny coin. Too large and they become leathery and bitter. For a glut like this, pick and freeze batches to ensure you capture them at their very best.…

“Gooseberry is one of my favourite jams” SOFT fruits are really easy to turn into jam. Admittedly, strawberry is harder to set and perhaps best left to the more experienced. Blackcurrant sets like concrete and is better as jelly, as perhaps are redcurrants and raspberries if you don’t like pips and seeds. Gooseberry is one of my favourite jams and I make green jam from unripe fruits carefully cooked at low temperatures so it doesn’t turn pink. Soft fruits are not difficult to preserve in other ways though. Probably the simplest is freezing. I freeze currants or berries on trays, then pack them into freezer bags or boxes once they’re frozen; this stops them from forming a solid block. You can also bottle fruits, you boil fruit in juice or…

WATER in any form, whether a large lake, trendy rill or a simple water feature, makes a big difference to a garden. Back in March, I installed a large, black fibreglass cube with the intention of turning it into a raised pond. My next step was to find a suitable combined pump. As my square pond is 3ft deep by 3ft wide, I didn’t need anything too powerful and so settled on the Hozelock EasyClear 3000, which is suitable for ponds up to 3,000 litres. Despite being the smallest in the company’s range, it’s still a nifty pump offering the choice of three different fountainheads and the option of adding a waterfall. It’s important that you hire a qualified expert to fit an outdoor electric supply for a pump. It’s…

THE best thing about my old garden in London is that it housed a tiny greenhouse, where I managed to start all sorts of tender crops from seed early in the year. Unfortunately my new garden on the south coast has no such facility, which means I’ve had to be clever when it comes to raising tomatoes – my favourite vegetable. So why don’t I start seeds off on a windowsill inside? I hear you ask. That’s easy. The sills in my kitchen are too dark and those elsewhere simply aren’t deep enough to accommodate pots or seed trays. As an alternative, I simply have to bury my pride and cheat. That’s right, I admit it. For the past four years I have bought ready grown tomato plants from my…

Gardman Loire Obelisk £24.99 RRP 01406 372227 gardman.co.uk  for stockists Decorative steel obelisk with a scroll design and pointed finial, finished in a French-style white-greywash. Simply push the legs into the ground, plant your climber and leave them to it. H. 5ft 3in (1.6m), W. 12in (30cm). Radial Pergola 90° £199 RRP inc delivery 0333 003 0026 forestgarden.co.uk/retailfinder.asp Perfect for growing vines, hops or climbing roses, this pergola kit will create an interesting 90° corner focal point. Radius is 8ft 2in (2.5m) and headroom under the rafters is approx 6ft 3in (1.9m) when installed. Planed for a smooth finish with a 15-year expected service life. Assembly instructions and most fixings included. Gardenia Rose Arch £135.99 + £14.99 P&P 0800 6888 386 blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk Sturdy steel rod frame covered in woven linked…

• MOST autumn-flowering bulbs can be grown in containers, although Paul Christian at Rare Plants warns that sternbergia can be tricky, since it’s a big plant and a greedy feeder. However smaller bulbs like autumn crocus and cyclamen, usually fare very well in pots. And if you want to swap them for something else in the spring, they can be planted out in the garden. Amaryllis belladonna can be planted in August in containers filled with good quality potting compost, and will flower 6 weeks later in a protected, sunny spot.…

Drive to save trees WHAT an interesting article in the News pages (AG 11 June) on the subject of ‘Front gardens disappearing’. When we moved into our little Close 46 years ago we all had pretty front gardens brimming with flowers. Now you can count on one hand how many have kept them. There are hardly any trees left and it all looks so bare and drab. I know people need space for cars but do they really need three cars! When it rains the water has nowhere to go but straight back into the road, perfect for ducks but not walkers. I really think there should be a national campaign to ‘Bring back the Tree. I could cry every time I hear a chainsaw as the trees that are…

“Flowers have set and fruits are swelling” FIDDLING expenses and squirreling cash away in the Cayman Islands are two life lessons we can learn from politicians, but there is another important lesson for gardeners: gloss over the failures and focus on success. With this in mind I thought I’d give you an update on my new veg patch that I started a few weeks ago on a bit of ground previously occupied by a sickly old apple tree. I could mention the flops: French beans decapitated by an uprising of revolutionary mice that also ate the strawberries, while my work-shy cat watched from its new perch atop the parsley. But I won’t. Like a politician with post-referendum amnesia I’ve determined to focus on my tomatoes which are doing very well.…