Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-Feb-2017 i Amateur Gardening

IT’S a good time to start herbs from seed. I use a lot in cooking and grow fresh batches every year. Not just the annual/ biennial basil, coriander and parsley, but also fresh batches of perennials like sage and thyme. While thyme can be propagated from cuttings, I don’t find the method as reliable as growing it from seed. One seed on the surface (don’t cover it) of each cell in a cell-tray filled with moist seed compost and popped in a heated propagator usually gives me 100% germination. In contrast, sage is a cinch to raise from cuttings – they’ll root in a jar of water! My other favourite perennial, French tarragon, does not produce viable seed. It can only be propagated from cuttings or division. I usually divided…

LAST summer I took several semi-ripe cuttings of penstemons. It is an easy way to propagate your favourite perennials, and is also a good ‘insurance policy’ for frost-hardy penstemons, which can fail in very cold winter weather. Cuttings are also an economical way of multiplying plant numbers, and I am thrilled that all five of my cuttings took successfully. They grew well before the cold weather came, and have spent the winter in the greenhouse, occasionally covered with a layer of fleece when hard and prolonged frosts were forecast. Their roots have been growing through the winter, even though top growth has slowed down. This week I am transplanting them into larger pots so they continue to grow. They will be ready for planting out into the garden in late…

1 Dahlia ‘Bishop of Dover’: Beautiful peony-flowered dahlia that grows to 36in (90cm). White-and-yellow flowers offer a striking contrast to dark foliage. 2 Dahlia ‘Tahiti Sunrise’: Big, showy, red cactus dahlia. Yellow centres emerge as flowers mature. Plants need staking. Grows to 24in (60cm). 3 Dahlia ‘Maniac’: Variegated salmon-orange semi-cactus dahlia with huge 8-10in (20-25cm) flowers. Tall plants can reach 36in (90cm) high.…

1 Remove the top 2in (5cm) of soil, and break up lower soil to a depth of around 5in (12cm). 2 Place a sample of the lower soil in a container, remove stones and debris, break it up, and leave it to dry out. 3 Following the instructions supplied, place dry soil into the test tube with barium sulphate, and the test solution. 4 Shake and leave to settle – more barium powder may be added if the mixture takes time to settle.…

1 Fill a new or clean seed tray almost to the top with fresh seed compost. Tamp it down to create a level surface. 2 Lavender seeds are small, so pick up a few on a damp finger, and scatter them thinly onto the compost. 3 I covered my seeds with a thin layer of vermiculite, to let light in and boost water retention and airflow. 4 Water with a fine rose, so seeds aren’t washed away. Label, cover, and place somewhere light and warm.…

FASCINATING and ethereal, air plants get their name because they don’t root down into soil but spend their lives hooked into trees, lodged on cliffs or dangling from telegraph wires. Small roots are used purely for anchorage and the plants absorb water and nutrients through modified scales called trichomes covering leaf surfaces. This makes them ideal for people on the move. With no pots of soil to lug around, a collection of air plants is very portable. Air plants belong to Tillandsia, the largest genus in the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). There are around 600 species spread throughout Mexico, Central and South America and south eastern parts of the USA. Skeins of Spanish moss dangling from trees in Florida are colonies of Tillandsia usneoides. Finding ways to display plants is fun,…

THERE are certain herbs that are the mainstay of my savoury meals, and parsley is top of the list. Oregano and thyme, too, get thrown into casseroles, risottos, soups and pasta sauces but I propagate these two herbs by cuttings which I’ll cover later in the year (they’re a synch!). For now, though, I’m concentrating on getting my flat-leaf parsley out of its seed packet because it takes a long time to germinate. I like curlyvarieties, too, but just prefer the texture of flat-leaf types. The plants I sowed last spring provided good pickings and have hung on well through the winter, protected by bell cloches. Now temperatures are warming these biennial plants will soon flower and run to seed, so sowing now is timely. Here’s how to do it:…

I THINK someone’s conspiring against me. I’ve been waiting for this bare-root fruit tree to arrive for a few weeks, and now it’s turned up I’m off on holiday! Bare-root plants mustn’t dry out – roots can die otherwise – so it’s essential I get it in the ground. However, I’ve not got time to erect the posts and wires I need to support this cordon tree. But no matter, because this is where ‘heeling in’ comes into its own. If you take delivery of bare-root plants but are short on time, just dig a shallow trench, lay the tree roots into it and cover them well with soil. Firm the earth down gently and your tree can stay there as late as March, giving you more time to get…

NEXT week is National Nest Box Week. Organised by the British Trust for Ornithology, it’s held every year from 14-21 February. Put up one or two nest boxes now and you may find that birds will use them for their broods this spring. But do nest boxes in gardens really serve any useful purpose, other than giving pleasure to us humans? The answer is a resounding yes! Rather like voting in an election, if just one or two people put up nest boxes, it doesn’t have any effect on the population of birds. But if thousands or millions of garden owners do it then whole species can be saved. The simple fact is that unless birds can find a suitable nesting site they will go elsewhere to breed. So, a…

GARDENERS who visit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May are not guaranteed to meet TV gardener Rachel de Thame – but they may catch sight of her new namesake iris. Iris ‘Rachel de Thame’ is one of 18 launches from iris specialist Cayeux this season. Described by the grower as “undoubtedly unique” and “one of our star varieties for 2017,” the blooms have “copper-yellow standards infused with light-mauve at their hearts”. Flowers also boast brick-red falls that are tinted with violet around yellow beards. A Cayeux spokeswoman said: “It’s a beautiful, strongly ruffled shape. “Ever since 2004 when [iris breeder] Richard Cayeux took part in Chelsea Flower Show for the first time, Rachel de Thame was always supportive. She likes irises, and is very pretty!” The French grower has…

Q How can I save my Euonymus that is covered in scale insects? I have tried several chemicals and water jets, but nothing has worked. J Mowbray (via email) A The white scales are males, the brownish pear shapes are females. They cause yellowing leaves, plus loss of vigour. For the best results, spray with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer in early summer, and again in early autumn as new batches of pests are hatching. Q I planted winter-sprouting broccoli last spring. They have grown for 12 months, but no sign of broccoli heads. Why? Sheila Varney (via email) A Your sprouting broccoli may be a late variety for harvest in April or May, if you planted between June and August. By April, they may be top heavy, so support them…

Ecofective Rose Defender £4.99rrp or spray/ £9.99rrp concentrate 0345 0778888 homebase.co.uk Non-pesticide, with added foliar feed, designed to control aphids and powdery mildew on roses. Comes in a handy ready to go 1ltr spray or 100ml concentrate. Botanical gifts £16.99rrp p&p £4.95 Burgon & Ball 0114 2338262 burgonandball.com Designer and illustrator Brie Harrison has provided the fresh and original botanical artwork for a collection of Burgon & Ball range of gifts out this month for the garden and home. Boot Butler £29.99rrp bootbutler.co.uk Clever design means that once you’ve got one welly off it’s just a case of flipping out the adjoining plate to reveal a clean, dry surface on which to place your foot while removing the second boot. Made from sustainably sourced oak with…

King of the castle MY husband Ray has had a stroke and can’t get out into the garden. However, he managed to get to the window to take this picture of a majestic fox that was surveying the scene from the top of our summerhouse. In the 16 years we’ve been here it’s the first time we’ve ever seen a fox in the garden, let alone have him pose so beautifully for the camera. He was certainly a welcome surprise visitor on a bleak winter day. Mrs Sheila Martin, Malvern, Worcs Jenny says... I spotted a big dog fox in my garden a few weeks ago hunting for food. It was almost too pretty to eat! I RECENTLY turned 18 and, because I’m a keen gardener, my Nan had this…

“Clever deterrents deserve to be more widely used” IN 2002 the EU banned 10 per cent of chemicals used by the UK’s gardeners. The list of substances included poisons like Liquid Malathion, Dimethoate, Lindane and Pirimicarb – all given what seemed at the time as an arbitrary red card. Years later there are still gardeners who miss them, evidenced by a recent query on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. It went: “Now we’re Brexiting, can we get back our chemicals banned by Europe?” Some on the panel hoped that we might, and that “common sense” would prevail. Although at the time the bans seemed harsh, hindsight makes it easy to see why these chemicals were taken away. Liquid Malathion, Chlorophos and Dimethoate are organophosphates, a cluster of chemicals developed…

“Standard shrubs are more expensive than others” WITH winter almost over, the patio is looking rather bare and drab. It’s in dire need of something to perk it up. Containers are great for instant interest, even at this time of year. A wide range of plants are available, including spring bedding, perennials, herbs, and spring-flowering bulbs, and as long as you take into account the problems caused by winter weather and temperatures, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a successful early colour burst. I planted up a large pot with an evergreen standard Ceanothus thysiflorus var. repens, surrounded by spring-flowering bulbs and hellebores. The bulbs include Tulip ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, yellow aconites, scilla, pink Chionodoxa and Ipheion uniflorum ‘Wisley Blue’, also known as Spring Starflower. These will…

• I have a couple of strawberry plants in the greenhouse, which will hopefully fruit before those growing outside. • They are tucked away under the bench, and are watered whenever their compost feels dry to the touch. • They are thriving, and to keep them healthy, I check them over for pests and disease once a month or so. • Start by looking for pests in the area where the soil meets the edge of the container, and under the rim of the pot. Then remove dead and damaged foliage using clean scissors. • In spring, feed them fortnightly with a high-potassium liquid tomato feed to promote flowering and boost the production of berries.…

IF you haven’t done it already, this week is a good time to prune autumn-fruiting raspberries. These late fruiting types are easy to prune, and you can trick them into giving an early crop, too. Cut old canes to the ground, and mulch the soil with well-rotted organic material. To ‘double crop’ established canes prune off just the upper part of 6-8 of the strongest ones in each 3ft (1m) of the row, just below where they fruited last year. Cut the rest of the canes to ground level. In the summer, prune the taller canes back to the ground once they have fruited. • Below, I show you one way of testing the pH of your soil. Many tests are available, and they are worth doing, so you can…

“It is ready to pick in late November” SEVERAL new apple introductions have come from chance seedlings found growing in roadside hedgerows. Presumably this is down to apple cores thrown from car windows. I have found two, a lemon yellow skinned, russet flavoured September/October season eating apple and a larger, much sharper and longer keeping red and green skinned kind. While I am interested in good heritage cultivars and last autumn picked my first fruits from a branch of two hundred year old ‘Ribston Pippin’, grafted onto a ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ in the garden, modern introductions also have their place. Generally the move today is toward sweeter, juicy, highly coloured cultivars such as ‘Gala’, ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Pink Lady’. Both ‘Pink Lady’ and ‘Braeburn’ are warm temperature, late season kinds with the…

WE have a friendly Robin who appears whenever we are digging in the garden. Even the smallest job, like planting a few tiny snowdrops, attracts this little bird. He has been known to join me in the greenhouse, but recently he decided to hop into the house and perch on a dining chair, watching me sort out some bird seed in the kitchen. He soon followed me outside again when I topped up the bird table. It’s nice to be close to nature, but I prefer it when wildlife stays outdoors! Where was Mr. Robin when we did the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in January? Every year we diligently conduct our survey and we never see any of our usual visitors. Last time we excitedly donned our binoculars and despite…

1 Water silvery-leaved air plants like Spanish moss (T. usneoides), fuzzy T. tectorum and silver-green T. bergeri by misting in the shower. 2 Plants left dry for a while, like this T. argentea fresh from a garden shop, are best soaked for an hour in a bowl of water to rehydrate leaves. 3 Small Tillandsias are easily displayed by wedging them between the spines or stems of other plants, like Peperomia puteolata. 4 This T. punctata suits an antique cup and saucer. Use dry stones or shells in the base to hold the plant upright.…

IS it possible to tuck into home-grown strawberries in late April or early May, a full four to six weeks before anyone else? Well, yes! I was so impressed with this project last spring that I’m repeating it this year. My motivation is that moment when I pick and pop a bright scarlet strawberry, packed with flavour, into my mouth. Bliss! When forcing strawberries choose early varieties like ‘Vibrant’ and ‘Gariguette’ which are genetically preprogrammed to crop quickly. Plants must also be exposed to sufficient frost in order to produce a mass flush of flowers, rather than blooms in dribs and drabs. Luckily, both plants in the ground and those that were potted and left outside in autumn are perfect candidates for forcing. You could even buy cold-stored runners specifically…

• 11 February: John’s Garden Open Day, Ashwood Nurseries, Ashford, Kingswinford, West Midlands, DY6 0AE 10am-4pm. See the three acre garden created by nursery owner John Massey Entrance £5 in aid of Beacon Centre for the Blind 01384 401996 ashwoodnurseries.com • 11 February: East Anglia Potato Day, Stonham Barns, nr Stowmarket IP14 6AT. 9.30am-1.30pm. More than 80 varieties of seed potato available to buy plus onion sets. Numerous nurseries, tool stalls and Seedswap. • 12 and 15 February: The Beeches, Milton, Newark, Notts NG22 0PW. One acre NGS open garden featuring 250 named snowdrops, along with hellebores and early daffodils. 11am-4pm. Entrance £3, children free. Mr and Mrs Swindin 01777 870828 ngs.org.uk • 14-15 February: RHS Early Spring Plant Fair, RHS Lawrence Hall and RHS Lindley Hall, London. Kick start…

How do I grow onions from seed? Q I’ve bought some onion seed. Can I sow it now under glass? Doreen Salt, Newcastle upon Tyne A If you want big onions, or intend to grow for show, sow as soon as possible under glass to get them going. However, you do not want the seedlings to become too big. Allow 100 days between sowing and transplanting. Use a quality seed compost and sow seeds ¼in (6mm) deep into seed trays. A standard seed tray will hold 100 seeds. Water with warm water and place in a heated propagator at of 14-21°C. (57-70°F) They’ll take around 21 days to germinate and the first leaf will be doubled-up. Leave the seedlings until they are at the crooked stage and then move each…

What is it? A deciduous shrub, whose bare winter branches are coated in ivory flowers in February and March. Its leaves turn purple before falling in the autumn. Flowering can be sparse at first, but once established, it is floriferous, and will reach 3-6ft (1-2m) tall and 1.5m-2m (4½-6m) wide. Native to Korea, where Abeliophyllum distichum is plundered for herbal medicine, it’s classified as an endangered species in the wild. Since first being grown at Kew in 1932, it has become a beloved garden plant, albeit not a well-known one. Since it looks a bit like a forsythia with white flowers, it’s known as ‘white forsythia’, but these two plants are only distant relations, being in separate genera, yet both part of the olive family (Oleaceae). The species produces white,…

1 Always start by standing your plants in water. It gives them a drink and makes them easier to slide from their containers. 2 It is important to place crocks in the base of your container, especially in the winter, as they help excess water to escape. 3 Remove moss or algae from compost surface, tease out the shrub’s roots, and plant at the same depth as its rootball. 4 Set small plants around the edge, taking care not to damage the roots. Firm in, and add more compost if needed. 5 Water the container well to settle the soil and support the plants. Don’t let your container dry out completely.…

I’VE often watched Gardeners’ World, where the presenters visit the garden of a national collection-holder, and wondered what makes someone so passionate about one type of plant that they devote their entire garden to growing it. If I had to turn my garden into a floral monoculture, I’d pick the dahlia. These easy-to-grow tuberous-rooted perennials flower from mid-summer until the first frosts, but it’s early autumn when many are at their peak. Traditional horticulture teaches us to plant tubers of frost-tender dahlias in their flowering position from May to early-June (often earlier in the south but later in Scotland and the north). Because I want my plants to be in flower by June, I start mine off between now and Easter in pots in a heated greenhouse or conservatory (if…

• My rhubarb plants are two years old, so I am waiting another year before forcing them, because the process weakens young plants. • Instead, I have been mulching the emerging shoots with a generous layer of well-rotted homemade compost to feed the soil and insulate the plants from late winter cold. • Avoid covering the crown with the mulch, as it can cause it to rot. • As spring progresses, remove flower stems so the plant directs its energy into growing strong leaf stalks. • Also remove any yellowing, weak-looking leaves so that air can circulate around the rest of the plant.…

THIS week’s free seeds will require a pinch of patience while the plants reach maturity, but the wait will be well worthwhile. With its distinctively tasselled flower heads, French lavender is a more flamboyant plant than its traditional English counterpart, and is a worthy addition to any garden. This hardy herb will grow happily in borders as well as containers, and its flowers will appear as early as May, which is often before other varieties. French lavender seeds usually take between 3-6 weeks to germinate, and once seedlings are large and robust enough to handle they can be pricked out and potted on into individual 3in (7cm) pots. Grow them on in either multi-purpose compost, or loamy John Innes No 2. French lavender can withstand temperatures dropping to around -5°C/23°F,…

ONE of my favourite flowers is Love-in-a-mist (also called Nigella) and some varieties have wonderful blue blooms which appeal to my boys who usually want to avoid being associated with anything pink. AG gave away seeds of Nigella ‘Persian Jewels’ last year which contained a nice mix of pink, white and blue flowers. • You can sow these seeds outdoors where they are to flower from March to May. • Robbie has sown some seeds in a pot to give to Grandma for Valentines day.…

• Make sure plants receive some direct sunlight daily. Soft morning light from an east facing window is idea but harsh, summer south facing light could scorch. Normal room temperatures are ideal, avoiding lows of 4°C (40°F) or less and hot, dry air above radiators. • Tillandsias break loosely into two groups. Those that are silvery with fuzzy scales originate from drier climates and thrive on a thorough misting every few days to once a week. I take mine to the shower, so I can mist all around the plants safely. • Others with smooth, green leaf surfaces come from tropical forests and need more water. A gentle hosing under the shower gives them a thorough drink. • Should either type dehydrate (brown leaf tips; leaves curl up, round or…

IN the gloom of winter we all need a little cheering up, and for me, setting up my first early seed potatoes gives that much-needed boost. They’re called first earlies because they are the quickest potato varieties to mature (around 100 days from planting), followed by second earlies and then the maincrops. If you browse the seed catalogues you’ll find dozens of good varieties, with telltale names like ‘Rocket’ and ‘Swift’. My absolute favourite at the moment is ‘Lady Christl’, which produces perfectly oval tubers that look just like pullet eggs. The texture is slightly waxy and the flavour, to my mind, is sublime. You’re bound to discover your own favourites, and now is the time to buy. Called ‘seed potatoes’, they’re stocked by seed merchants and garden centres, and…

“Potting composts are too rich for small seeds” GO on, confess. Have you never stuffed some hapless seed or plant into some totally unsuitable substitute when you ran out of proper compost? So right now, get in more than you need, after all it’s not expensive considering what it’s going to do for you. You know, we really ought to pay more attention to our sowing and potting composts. Plants survive on small amounts of growing medium in pots compared to the volumes they’ve access to in the ground. Now, there’s a fundamental difference between sowing and potting composts though both composts should be free-draining yet retain some moisture. Sowing composts are just that, for sowing in, low in fertility so they don’t overwhelm small seedlings, but then these will…

IN the Dingle Garden at Stockton Bury we have a telegraph pole in the shrubbery on the boundary. Over 20 years ago my uncle planted a Thuja plicata in front of the pole. This evergreen conifer is sky high now and does a wonderful job of disguising the pole. So, why did I feel the need to cut the lower 13ft (4m) of branches right back to the trunk? It is an extreme move as we will face looking at the bare telegraph pole for a year. But by removing these very long branches new shoots on the trunk will have the chance to develop. If left, the result would be a very leggy, large plant that would dominate the border and push out other shrubs. I share this story…

THE gardening season is about to get underway with the Royal Horticultural Society set to stage a spring extravaganza. Fresh winter colour and early-flowering plants will be the stars of the RHS London Early Spring Plant Fair on 14-15 February, It’ll take place at the RHS’s Lindley and Lawrence Halls in Westminster. Snowdrops, hellebores and irises will be on show from some of the UK’s leading nurseries, while visitors will be able to meet top garden designers who will be exhibiting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. A ‘designer Q&A session’ will allow the public to quiz designers about their plans. On-the-day tickets cost £5 for RHS members and £9 for non-members. Admission to a special preview evening, from 6-9pm on 13 February, is £5. Go to rhs.org.uk/shows…

A TRENDY garden show is upping sticks and moving venue under new ownership. Grow London – The Contemporary Garden Fair, first sprung-up on Hampstead Heath in summer 2014 when it was launched by event operator The Affordable Art Fair. The show has been bought by Clarion Events and will be part of the new House & Garden Festival at Olympia, London, on 21-24 June. Grow London will run alongside the Spirit of Summer Fair and The House Fair at the show. Organisers say marrying the three shows will draw 23,000 visitors to Olympia this summer. Spokesman Stuart Hunter said: “It’ll be the ultimate shopping experience for stylish living.” Grow London was founded by Will Ramsay as a contemporary gardening fair with nurseries, furniture, tools, artisan foods and drinks.houseandgardenfestival.com for details.…

• If growing for showing, or if you want extra large onions, use the correct strain of seed. Over the years I have been successful with Robinson’s Mammoth Improved Onion (pictured). • Bring seed-sowing compost indoors a day before use to warm up. Compost stored in a shed, garage or greenhouse can be very cold at this time of year, which can delay seed germination. • Water with luke warm water during sowing and germination so you don’t chill the compost. Water from a cold tap can cause the soil temperature to fluctuate, leading to erratic germination.…

GENERALLY hard surface cleaning solutions work to eliminate hazardous coverings of algae and mould. They also remove stains on concrete, slabs and blocks to leave a safer surface that looks good too. And, since pressure washing can be messy, time consuming and harmful to some surfaces, it’s good that these alternatives simply work by applying a diluted solution through the watering can. Some even have a lasting effect that prevents re-growth. When deciding which to buy remember to check suitability for the type of surfaces/ materials you intend to treat and any potential threats to nearby plants or to children, pets and aquatic life. Always test on a small area first and wear wellingtons, gloves and eye/protection when mixing and applying cleaning fluids. All tested here have very different chemical…

• Given shelter, abutilons are easy to grow, preferring a free-draining soil. In the growing season they need plenty of water and feed (tomato fertiliser is a good choice). • They are vigorous plants, so will likely need to be pruned, best done in spring. Young plants can be tip pruned to promote bushiness, while mature plants can be cut back hard annually. It’s a good idea to deadhead faded blooms. • Abutilons produce large root systems so, if kept for the patio or conservatory, grow in large pots and use a loam-based compost such as John Innes No2.…

“It’s all about being encircled by plants, flowers and trees” IT’S rare to find such a well-designed family garden that pleases everyone. “Simon wanted a big lawn for games with the children, while I envisaged an uncluttered garden with breathing space, but also a sense of enclosure,” says Selina Botham. A garden designer, her layout hinges on interlinking circular shapes and curves connecting different areas. “Wherever you are in the space, it’s all about being encircled by plants, flowers and trees,” she adds. A broad terrace flanks the rear of the house. “We all enjoy being outside, and share family meals whenever we can,” says Selina. “They love a space where they can chill out with friends away from the house. Young adults have lots of pressures so a…