Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Feb-2017 i Amateur Gardening

IT sometimes surprises me how useful gardening experience is. Features Editor Sally was asking how to manage a delivery of one ton of well rotted manure. Amongst other things I emphasised how important it is to keep the material dry by covering it completely with a sheet of plastic. This is not just because rain washes out the nutrients and makes a mess. More important, a barrow of fairly dry manure weighs a lot less than one that is wet. When you have to spread it around your plot the advantage becomes immediately obvious. There are lots of other simple tips, like: watering pots and containers from the base where possible maintains the open, airy structure of compost (watering from the top compacts it); always water seedlings with tap water…

1 Witch hazel: Likes acid/neutral soil, they produce spidery flowers in yellow, orange, or red, with spicy scent. 2 Skimmia japonica: The ‘Rubella’ variety has red buds in winter, and scented flowers in spring. 3 Mahonia: Dark, shiny leaves contrast with cheery yellow flower spikes. A low-maintenance plant. 4 Viburnum bodnantense: Expect sweetly scented, pretty white or rose blooms from October to March,…

YOUR greenhouse will soon be filling up with this season’s seedlings, cuttings and plug plants, so carry out any cleaning and repairing that needs doing now, while things are still relatively quiet. The same applies to cold frames, mini-greenhouses and any other protective structures. Move your plants elsewhere while the work takes place. A garage, shed or lean-to is ideal, but you can cover them with fleece and place them against a sheltering wall on warmer days. Clean the glass inside and out, and use a flexible piece of slim plastic like a plant label to tease out algae and debris between overlapping panes. Make sure greenhouse gutters are clear of rubbish, so rainwater can flow straight into any attached water butts. Brush soil and potting debris off surfaces, and…

Water in well, and make sure the plants don’t dry out as they establish. Mark the spot so you don’t accidentally dig them up! 1 Before planting, check the plants are healthy, with undamaged bulbs and good root systems. 2 Place them on the soil, still packaged, until you get them in the arrangement you want. 3 Gently tease the bulbs slightly apart so they have room to grow. Take care not to damage or break any of the roots. 4 Remove the wrapping, and place the plants at the same depth as their rootball. Backfill with soil, and firm in.…

• Good but not direct light ensures strong healthy growth with no scorch marks. • Normal room temperatures are ideal but a minimum of 55˚F (13˚C) is tolerated. At low temperatures, take care not to over water plants. In hot, dry rooms increase humidity by grouping with others. • Keep the compost moist while growth is active. Allow the compost surface to begin drying out between waterings at lower temperatures. • Wipe the leaves clean of dust with a damp cloth regularly (pictured) and pull away dead leaves. • Add a general purpose liquid feed every three weeks while plants are growing strongly. • Pot well-established plants on in spring or summer, using a 50:50 John Innes No2 and soilless potting compost mix.…

WE’VE got a row of hazel trees at the bottom of our vegetable garden and they’re now outgrowing their space. If you have some, too, congratulations - you’ve got a source of pea sticks and bean poles for life! It has to be said that between the squirrels and nut weevils we don’t get much of a nut harvest off our trees, but the wood more than makes up for it. To keep them producing new shoots we’re taking out the thickest, oldest stems to the base. Stems tend to become multi-branched with age so are less useful as bean poles, but I can get lots of pea sticks from them. I’ll also take out a few tall, inch-thick stems for my runner beans, again to the base.…

A FROSTY morning can be a beautiful sight as the low winter sun rises over mist-draped fields, but for those of us who grow early-flowering fruit trees it can also cause panic. The likes of almonds, apricots, peaches and nectarines plus their hybrids can easily start flowering during late winter and early spring. Harsh frosts can also occur at this time, and the two processes combined can spell disaster. While these fruit trees are hardy, their flowers are not. Frost damages or even kills the flowers, so at best you end up with scanty, malformed fruits or at worse, you get no fruits at all. It’s not all doom and gloom though. While it might be impossible to protect a fully-grown free-standing tree, wall-trained plants can be draped in a…

THE Rev Gilbert White is famous as the pioneer of British ornithology. During the mid-1700s he studied hundreds of different living birds and animals in their natural habitat and, in so doing, rather went against convention. Up to this point, standard practice had been to kill the specimen first, and then study it. One of his more important discoveries involved the chiffchaff, a lovely little bird that can be seen now in the south of England, Wales and Ireland, and during summer in other parts of the British Isles except for the far north of Scotland. This bird is a good friend to the gardener as it is insectivorous, moving restlessly though foliage or briefly hovering over its feeding sites. It has been seen to take hundreds of different types…

MY garden is home to a natural pond. Therefore, it is not lined and the levels go up and down throughout the year. It’s empty now, which is fantastic as it gives me the chance to clear it before spring. When I moved here the whole pond was overrun with bull rushes (Typha latifolia), to such an extent that I had to remove 17 wheelbarrow loads. This is a backbreaking, smelly, and messy job but without such drastic action there’d be no pond for wild ducks to teach their ducklings to swim in. The bull rush or reed mace is an excellent plant for purifying pond water but I’ve now got too much of it again and plan to remove at least half of the clump. Some would remove it…

A HIGHLIGHT in my winter garden are the flowers of Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’. The leafless stems are home to the most wonderfully scented pink flowers that stop you in your tracks – gorgeous planted by the back door or next to a bench. I have two large specimens that I haven’t pruned for years. Like hamamelis, they don’t need pruning as they flower on old wood. However, they are hanging over pathways and their shape leaves a lot to be desired. Now and into March is the perfect time to remove any overhanging or crossing branches. It’s a great opportunity to give the plant a good framework for next year’s display. Before cutting take a step back, look at the shape of the plant and identify stems that are…

Q I’m keen to try forcing rhubarb. What’s the best method? Richard Truckle, Birmingham AI’ve been interested in rhubarb since working at the Stockbridge House Experimental Horticultural Station in Cawood, Yorkshire, as a student. I helped with work that removed virus from crops in the 1970s. All forcing was done in sheds, but for the amateur, it’s possible to produce succulent early shoots with little effort. Rhubarb is a hardy perennial producing leaf stalks that are edible. Early cultivars require a number of cold units before it will start into growth. In commercial production these units are calculated by daily recording of air and soil temperature. This isn’t practical for the home gardener, so when top growth has died back in autumn, remove all dead leaves and expose crowns to…

Q How far apart should bare-root hawthorns for hedging be planted? Can I plant them straight away, or do they need soaking in a bucket of water? Colin Radburn (via email) A The plants should be put 12-18in (30-45cm) apart for formal hedging, 18-24in (45-60cm) apart to make a more informal hedge that is not pruned on a regular basis. The key to success with bare root plants is to get them in the ground as soon as possible, to prevent the roots drying out. They are the cheapest and quickest way to get trees and shrubs, but if the roots dry out you will encounter lots of problems in establishing your plants, if they succeed at all. If the plants have been in their packaging for a few days,…

Best yield – Jazzy Big claims are made about the tuber count from this relative newcomer. I’ve seen over 40 tasty spuds harvested from a single seed potato! Best flavour – Maris Peer An outstanding second early variety. The tubers are firm and will not disintegrate or discolour when cooking – so great for boiling. Best looks – Red Duke of York If you eat with your eyes, this is the one for you. Red skin is unusual among early varieties, and the buttery yellow flesh looks great on the plate.…

Jet Spray Pro II £21 SRP   hozelock.com for stockists Get the best of both worlds. Blast surfaces clean with the powerful water jet and then use the gentle fan spray on delicate plants. Easily adjusted the Pro II has a, lockable variable flow trigger and separate flow control. Hip Trug £9.95 0114 2338262 burgonandball.com A clever hands-free device. This lightweight trug sits in a neoprene holster, which then clips to clothing. Available in two sizes (the larger being £12.95), it puts an end to bending down to a basket on the ground. Robomow RX12u £499.99 01522 283007 robomow.com Specifically designed with the average sized lawn in mind the RX12u cuts right over the lawn edge. There’s a 7in (18cm) mowing width, adjustable mowing height and mulching system that returns cuttings…

1 M. grandiflora The large white blooms of evergreen bull bay are the state flowers of Louisiana and Mississippi. Plants can reach 60ft (18m). 2 M. ‘Star Wars’ A profusion of starry-pink flowers to 8in (20cm) long open in April and May before the leaves. Trees can reach 22ft (7m). 3 M. x ‘George Henry Kern’ Deep-pink buds open to pale-pink flowers in spring on a compact, hardy, shrubby plant, reaching 13ft (4m). 4 M. ‘Daphne’ Yellow flowers open in spring on a small, very hardy tree reaching 16-20ft (5-6m). Needs a neutral to acidic soil.…

Keukenhof, Bezoekadres, Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse keukenhof.nl • The garden paths are mostly flat and well paved, with free WiFi, and access for the less able is good. Dogs on leads are permitted and you can hire an electric wheelchair for €10 plus a deposit (book via the website). There are free-to-use luggage storage lockers at the main entrance. A map of the gardens is available on the website. • Garden or Combi tickets bit.ly/keukenhoftickets • Stena Line (0844) 770 7070, stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland • Schipol airport (00 31) 20 794 0800 (dial 2 for English), schipol.nl…

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I’VE just come back from Britain’s most interesting beer garden. It’s really an allotment where ale isn’t partaken but is produced! The ‘Growing Beer’ project is the brainchild of Ben Richards, who matches myriad of brew types and styles to different foods. What Ben doesn’t know about pilsner and porter you could squeeze onto a beer mat! But he does need help with the horticulture and that’s why I popped in to see him. Barley is the main ingredient of beer and although vast quantities of its seed is sold to farmers, sourcing the right type for growing on a small scale isn’t straightforward. Beer in the UK is made from ‘two row’ barley which bears kernels in parallel tracks down either side of the ears. As well as looking…

“Cut back shrubs after flowering” WINTER-FLOWERING shrubs are a great way of reminding us that not everything is mud-coloured and drab in winter. Wintersweet, witch hazel, daphne, and viburnum are among those producing scented flowers through the coldest days. After blooming, they need cutting back as soon as possible, because if you prune when their branches are putting on growth, you will remove this year’s flower-producing wood, and reduce their flowering potential. Our winter-flowering clematis ‘Freckles’ put on a beautiful show, and needs tidying up now. This variety of clematis doesn’t appreciate hard pruning, so simply remove the dead flowers, and cut back to a pair of healthy leaf buds. Pruning also gives you the chance to check for pests and disease, and treat any problems. After pruning, feed then…

DECIDUOUS grasses are left untouched in autumn so old fronds can protect the crown, and add winter interest to the garden. They will be looking brown and sad now, and most varieties can be cut back to tidy them up and create space for new growth. Cut out tall flower stems with secateurs, taking care not to damage any new growth. Then cut the rest of the foliage back to a few centimeters from the ground, leaving just a hairy tuft. Weed around the clump, and mulch. You can also treat evergreen sedges in this way. Some deciduous species, including Deschampsia and Calamagrostis, should be trimmed before new growth emerges, whereas later-shooting Pennisetum can be cut back in late April. Miscanthus varieties like late pruning, and deciduous Stipa tenuissima can…

THE best way to plant and move snowdrops – as well as bluebells and winter aconites – is when they are ‘in the green’. This is when they are dug up while still in growth having just flowered. Soil-covered bulbs and roots are wrapped in plastic to keep them fresh until they are replanted. I buy my snowdrops in the green for 50p a bunch from a stall at my local market. Last year’s plants went into the ground around our greengage tree, and I am adding to their number with this year’s batch. The market trader, a respected nurseryman, recommends that the plants’ seedpods should be gently trodden into the ground to spread the flowers. I will give it a try, and let you know how it works! Top…

“Every member centre is inspected” ST. ANDREWS in Scotland was the venue this year for the 38th Annual Conference of the Garden Centre Association. There are over 170 members, mostly independent family businesses, all of whom operate a hardy plant guaranteed-to-grow scheme. Every member centre is inspected annually by a fully qualified and independent inspector to ensure high standards are maintained. As the first inspector in 1970 I visited four centres a day through July from Lelant in Cornwall to Aberdeen. All centres are scored for the quality of their operation over a wide range of services and are fiercely competitive to come out top. The awards I follow most closely are The Ruxley Rose Trophies given for the best plants. There are two classifications Garden Centres, in practice the…

THIS week’s free seeds delight me, because cosmos are one of my very favourite ways of brightening the summer garden. I think my love of them stems back to when I bought a few tatty leftover plants from the bargain section of my local garden centre. I watered them and planted them, and the cosmos thanked me by flowering their socks off until the end of October. This member of the daisy family is relatively low maintenance, and gives so much back in return. The variety we are giving away this week is Mr Fothergill’s ‘Seashells Mixed’. They flower in assorted shades of pink, and the petals are folded to form shell-like flutes around the flowers’ yellow centres. Sow the seeds indoors between now and the end of April. Once…

1 The shoot tip is the likeliest to root and is trimmed to about 5in (13cm). Remove the lowest leaves and trim others back to lighten the load. 2 Cut remaining stem into 2in (5cm) lengths. Remove any leaves. These pieces can be planted upright (base down) or horizontally into compost. 3 I’ve made five cuttings. The short ones will be set in 50:50 soilless multipurpose compost and potting grit. The long one will root in water. 4 Small pots are covered with ventilated polythene, then stood on a north facing windowsill over a radiator to root.…

“With no leaves in the way, it’s amazing what you can spot” FEBRUARY can be a changeable month. For all its reminders that winter is far from over, there are also wonderful sunny days with clear skies of the brightest blue. And these provide the perfect opportunity to look for and disable any potential pest and disease problems. With no leaves in the way, it’s amazing how much more you can spot. First, I’d have a look at the blackcurrants. Some of their pointed buds may have become fat and swollen, harbouring tiny mites that will be released later to infect yet more buds. Simply nip off any such buds and bury them down a deep hole, compost or burn them. Hazels can have similar swollen buds so you can…

• 24-26 February: Holker Gardens snowdrop weekend, Holker Estate, Cark-in-Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7PL. Award winning 25-acre gardens. Open 10.30am-4pm. Adults £8.50, children up to 16 free. 01539 558328, holker.co.uk • 24-25 February: RHS London Botanical Art Show, RHS Lindley Hall, 10am-5pm. Tickets free, late event £5. See the botanical artwork, chat to the artists, buy artwork and materials, take part in workshops and talks. • 1 March: Shrub Pruning at RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH; 0203 1765 830; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor • 2 March: Beginners’ Propagation at RHS Garden Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB; 0203 1765 830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley • 3 March - 2 April: The Chiswick House Camellia Show 2017, Chiswick House, London, W4 2QN. Set in the newly restored conservatory and thought to be the oldest…

THIS year I’m keen to grow more salad crops and edible flowers on the veg patch. I’m dividing the plot into four to ensure I rotate the traditional crops. Row one will be home to beans, which will follow on well from last year’s potato crop. Row two will be potatoes, to follow on from the last year’s parsnips. Row three will be for carrots and parsnips, as last year it was a row of brassicas. Finally, row 4 will be home to brassicas – last year it was a row of beans. Cut and come again lettuce, nasturtiums and calendula will then be grown between each veg row. It’s well worth sitting down and putting pen to paper to make a veg patch plan, as it won’t be long…

HOMEOWNERS should be called on rip-out urban paved front gardens to cut the risk of flooding, according to research. In future, the run-off in London could be equivalent to 100 Olympic swimming pools, overwhelming the drainage system. Dr David Kelly, of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, examined the potential impact that paved gardens could have on urban flooding in Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Exeter. He applied projected rainfall intensities for each city to simulated paved front gardens. “Domestic front gardens cover almost 30 per cent of our urban space and play a vital role in managing surface water run-off,” he said. “Existing urban drainage systems will be inadequate to cope with the level of increased run-off from paved gardens.” With run-off from impermeable surfaces likely to increase in future, the risk of…

SEEDS IF you enjoy growing plants from scratch, buy or order seeds pronto and get busy. The sowing season runs from now until the end of April and it’s a cheap way to add a colour, as you will end up with plenty of plants. PLUGS NO time/space for seed sowing? Jump ahead and buy plug plants. Opt for very small plants (the cheapest), which need a bit more nurturing, or try ready-to-plant plugs. Order now for delivery from late March. YOUNG PLANTS EVEN if you don’t manage to buy seeds or plants via mail order in time, don’t worry as garden centres will have large summer bedding plant selections on sale in late spring.…

‘Timperley Early’ is a good forcing variety, with stalks that are deep-red at the base, passing to light-green with red flecks. It’s a heavy cropper. ‘Victoria’ is a classic allotment variety; good for forcing with cardinal-red stalks. ‘Champagne’ is an early cultivar with long, thin, pale-pink stalks. Again, it’s excellent for forcing, while ‘Raspberry Red’ AGM (pictured, right) will give you rich-red stalks of excellent quality and flavour.…

Q What compost should I use to re-pot a Spider plant (St Bernard’s lily)? Janet Savage (via email) A Use multi-purpose, either peat or peat-free, though not a loam-based John Innes. Any of the major brands will be fine. The new pot should be just one size larger. Let the rootball dry a little, lift the plant from its pot, tease off loose old compost then settle it in the new pot filling carefully around the edges. Q The leaves on my Daphne odora seem to be dying, although the branches look healthy. I have transferred it to a pot – will this help? Mrs Howell, Arundel, West Sussex A The fact that your Daphne suffers when it comes into leaf suggests that the root area is too dry. Now…

Quick guide: • Feb/March Plant out first earlies; chit second earlies and main crops. Protect young crops with fleece. • March/April Plant out second earlies and main crops; pull earth up over shoots of first earlies. • April/May Keep plants well-watered; continue to earth up, and spray foliage with seaweed solution once a fortnight. • June/July Lift first earlies as foliage yellows; tend second earlies and main crops. Keep an eye out for brown patches on leaves and stems as this signifies blight. • August Lift second earlies; plant second cropping varieties to harvest before frosts. • September Lift main crops and store in a cool, dark place.…

Waxing lyrical I TOOK these pictures of waxwings in Buncrana in County Donegal, Ireland in early February where the birds were feeding on rowan berries in peoples’ gardens. The waxwing is a winter visitor from Scandinavia. In some years they arrive in larger numbers, called irruptions, when the amount of food available on their natural breeding grounds isn’t enough to feed the increase in the population. Christine Cassidy, Londonderry, Northern Ireland Jenny says... In most years, when local crops are good, waxwings don’t move far from home. In poor years, however, large numbers of birds may move sizable distances and this is when there’s an influx, as you’re experiencing this year. Gardening inspiration from AG I LOVE how Amateur Gardening inspires me to look for new plants. In…

1 Start by stripping away any weeds, ivy and other unwanted greenery around the base, so you can get to the plant’s stems. 2 Look for unwanted, low-growing offshoots and suckers. Gently untangle them from the main plant, and cut them off. 3 Thin out crossing, weak, dead and diseased stems, either removing them or cutting them back to healthy wood. 4 I forked some bonemeal around the jasmine’s roots. The plant will benefit from this slow-release goodness. 5 Finally I mulched the plant with well-rotted garden compost, which will retain moisture and release nutrients.…

ANNUAL climbers are a cheap and cheerful way of bringing colour into the garden. They are useful for masking unsightly areas – compost heaps, sheds, wheelie bins etc – and scramble up and through trellises, pagodas, even unattractive shrubs and hedges. I want to grow some in pots to hide the garden shed, and sowing now will give early flowers. Hardy climbers like sweet peas, and near hardy Trapaeolum speciosum will be OK left outdoors in a sheltered spot, but tender types like cup-and-saucer vine Cobea scandens will need keeping frost-free in the greenhouse until May. Sowing now gets them established early. For best results, sow directly into pots or troughs of John Innes No 2, or multipurpose compost with a top layer of seed compost to avoid seedling root…

• We have many primroses that often self-seed in less-than-ideal positions. • One was growing under a thick evergreen shrub where it couldn’t be seen, so I moved it to a more open setting where it can be appreciated. • Perennial plants are easy to move, as long as the ground is workable. • Water the plant well first, and dig its new hole, making sure it is deep and wide enough to take all the roots. • Lift the plant, keeping as much soil around the roots as possible. • Move it immediately to its new position, infill around it, and water. Don’t let it dry out while it settles in.…

I LOVE eating bite-sized cherry tomatoes straight from the plants, but I don’t like gluts (my neighbours, on the other hand, love it when I have a glut of fruit because it means I’ll come round with plenty for them!) To avoid giving away so much of my crop this year, I’m sowing a succession of tomato plants: a few early ones now, followed by sowings in March and April. With a bit of luck, ripening of tomatoes will be staggered over late-summer. Last year, I grew blight-resistant outdoor tomatoes from Suttons: the F1 ‘Crimson Crush’ and new F1 ‘Crimson Cherry’. Despite some plants showing symptoms of blight late in the season, all cropped heavily. However, I was disappointed with the taste. Maybe it was a bad summer, but in…

MY favourite indoor plants are the characterful aged ones whose owners have cared for them over many years. Our daughter was given a 20 year old Dracaena marginata already on its second owner, whose long stems and hanging leaves give it the slightly drooping look of an Afghan hound. Both daughter and dracaena moved back to Devon and now we need to prune this old plant to even up growth and squeeze it into the Land Rover so it can travel to her new flat. There are around 40 species of dracaena originating from scrub and forest in the Canary Islands and tropical Africa. Some, like the spotted gold dust dracaena (D. surculosa) are small and slow-growing enough for a bottle garden while others like D. deremensis grow quite quickly…

AT this time of year you can spot a gardener’s home in an instant – especially if like me, they don’t yet own a greenhouse. Windowsills, conservatories and porches will be crammed full of seedlings as we make use of every possible propagation space in our homes. Nothing is more motivating than peering into a tray of seed compost and spotting the telltale signs of germination. A rash of vegetable seedlings is so full of promise. It can be a bit disappointing then, to peek into your propagator, only to find that seedlings have collapsed or, worse still, none have appeared at all. Luckily there are tricks to avoid that happening – here are three: Top Tip   As soon as seeds germinate, remove any covering to let air circulate,…

IN the wild, fruiting trees get by with what they can find. But gardeners train and prune domesticated varieties for top yields, while fruit breeders have boosted crop size, so apples, pears, plums and the like need a little help! Now is the right time to feed all fruit trees, canes and bushes with potash, as this nutrient boosts flowering and fruiting. Slow-release organic sources like rock potash can be applied now, as can granular manmade formulations such as sulphate of potash. Liquid or water-soluble forms should be applied when the plant is in full growth. Sandy, free-draining soils need more feeding than heavy clay ones, so adjust your dosage accordingly.…

LAST Christmas was an extravagant one. We had one home grown cut Christmas tree in the house and one in a container outside the front door. The potted tree is a lovely shape and in the last few weeks I’ve noticed some new growth. All too often you see potted Christmas trees abandoned, but it is possible to keep them year after year. The secret, other than a bit of love and care, is to avoid placing them in the warmest room in the house during the festive period. As my tree was kept outside it should have a few more years in it. I picked a larger container with drainage holes in the bottom. Then I mixed multi-purpose compost with the soil from a few mole hills. The garden…

IT’S not too late to take hardwood cuttings. All you need to do is look for a healthy stem that was produced in the last growing season. Remove a length of stem about 6in (15cm) long. Make a sloping cut at the top of the cutting just above a bud. Place the cuttings in a trench so that two thirds of the stem is buried or push cuttings into pots of compost. Try and take these cuttings before the dormant season ends. Here’s a few plants that I’ve had success with when using this type of cutting. • Buddleja • Cornus • Gooseberries • Ribes • Roses • Vines…

BRITAIN’S biggest garden centre chain is revamping its offering to cater for a generation of ‘convenience gardeners’ who rent their homes, want instant results and have little knowledge of horticulture. Wyevale Garden Centres, which operates 150 UK stores, said in its 2017 Growing Forecast report: “Today’s generation of younger gardening enthusiasts lack the basic horticultural knowledge of older generations and this, paired with demand for instant gratification products, resulted in the rise of convenience gardening.” Growth in organics The retailer will launch pre-planted pots to cater for such consumers, marketed as ideal for balconies and longer-lasting than cut flowers. Wyevale’s analysis found more people are now renting their home or living in smaller spaces – so they’re less likely to invest in outdoor spaces. The firm will boost its offerings…

• THE name Keukenhof (‘kitchen garden’) was first used in the 15th century when the staff of Countess Jacoba van Beieren gathered herbs on this country estate. • IN 1949 the first open-air flower exhibition was organised by the Mayor of Lisse and a number of leading bulb growers and exporters. The Keukenhof opened its doors for the first time. • OVER 60 years the Keukenhof has evolved into one of the most popular attractions in the Netherlands. More than 44 million people have visited. • KEUKENHOF is Europe’s biggest flower show. More than 7 million bulbs will be in bloom this spring, including 800 varieties of tulips. • THE Keukenhof theme for 2017 is ‘Dutch Design’. Dutch Design is a mix of steadiness combined with innovative solutions. Famous artists…

POT 1 Antirrhinum ‘Pretty in Pink’ is a new perennial snapdragon that attracts bees. To keep it blooming cut stems regularly for indoor displays. Order now to add to containers in late spring. Flowers: Jun-Sept. H: 2ft (60cm). S: 20in (50cm). Ranunculus Also known as Persian buttercup, these peony-like flowers love full sun and good drainage. In March and April, soak tubers for 12 hours and plant about 1in (0.5cm) deep and 4in (10cm) apart. Flowers: June. H: 15in (40cm). S: 4in (10cm). Bacopa Produces small white flowers all summer, to cascade over the side of pots. Grows in sun or part shade. Water regularly. Buy as plug plants, pot up and plant out after the last frost. H: 4in (10cm). S: 15in (40cm). POT 2 Lobelia ‘Cascade…

• Team Stipa tenuissima with erigeron to give your pot height and texture. Pollinating insects will be drawn to the daisy flowers in particular. • A cottage garden favourite, scabious is great for beneficial insects thanks to its steady supply of nectar-rich flowers. Butterflies in particular love the open flowerheads, which are comprised of lots of tiny blooms, and make an excellent landing platform. • Another butterfly attractor, coreopsis has cheery yellow flowers in varying shades. Mid-height, it adds a blast of sunshine to containers.…

Q Can you tell me the best time to move peonies. Will they grow well in pots? Tony Champion (via email) ADO you have herbaceous peonies or tree peonies? The best time to plant tree peonies is while they are dormant, between about October and March. It is best to choose mild weather, and certainly avoid times when the ground is frozen or waterlogged, or likely to be soon afterwards. Herbaceous peonies are best moved in autumn. Peonies are not well suited to long-term container cultivation. However, if it is necessary to grow them in pots, use soil-based potting compost such as John Innes No 3, and do not let it dry out. The plants may not grow as well as they would in the ground, so if you can,…

YOU’D have a job digging a garden, turning soil and breaking up clods without a garden fork. A fork should be comfortable to use without putting undue strain on your back, and be strong enough to cope with the rigours of hard digging. The British Standard BS3388 says a fork should deviate no more than 1in (25mm) from its original shape after sustaining pressure of 150lb (68kg) at the end of the handle – some makers proudly state they test to well beyond this so you can be sure the tool isn’t going to break, while others make no claims of strength at all. Prices of full-size digging forks can range from under a tenner to around £40, but are the cheaper tools really a bargain, or does it pay…

THE Netherlands is a short hop from the UK. You can fly to Schipol airport from several UK airports. Once there, get a Combi ticket, which gives you a return bus/train ticket to the gardens and includes the entrance fee (it’ll cost you €24). This is cheaper than buying your transit and garden entrance tickets separately. Alternatively, you can take a more leisurely trip to Keukenhof by catching the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland with Stena Line. The crossing takes up to eight hours and can be made in the morning or overnight. Once there, the gardens are about an hour away by car, or you can take a couple of trains to Keukenhof. The return ferry crossing for a couple of adults with a car costs…

Every day, more and more women are playing online bingo – not just for the fun games but also for the great community. But if you’re new to online bingo, it can be daunting knowing where to start. To help you get going, we’ve put together this guide to Woman’s Own Bingo. What is online bingo? It’s just like traditional bingo, except you play on your computer or laptop. So you can play in comfort at home when it’s convenient to you and win cash prizes. How do I join? Visit womansown-bingo.co.uk, register and pick a member name and password. Then deposit money into your account to buy tickets and play games. If you deposit £10, you can buy up to 1,000 bingo tickets!† You’re always in control as you…