Innholdsfortegnelse for 29-Apr-2017 i Amateur Gardening

I’VE tried several times to overwinter chilli plants – only once successfully, and then the plant didn’t do well. I should’ve refreshed its compost! Anyway, last autumn I had three plants I wanted to keep through winter. It’s difficult – chillies generally need a minimum 10˚C to survive, and are very prone to rots. The advantage is that they flower and hence fruit earlier. One was a big plant that grew slowly and never flowered in its first year – I should have started it earlier and kept it warmer. Whatever, it didn’t survive the winter, just turned up its toes and died. The other two were dependable ‘Prairie Fire’ that fruited incredibly heavily – they still had fruit into early January. I picked both plants clean, let the compost…

LONG-PLANTED patio containers may be looking a little tired right now, so this is a good time to spruce them up. Patio pots, windowboxes and hanging baskets all deserve the same degree of attention. They may have been planted up in the autumn with winter and spring bedding plants and/ or bulbs. By now, some of the leaves and flowers may have faded, there could a few weeds poking through the compost, and there could well be some broken stems or stalks following winter gales. Get rid of these, as damaged plant material makes it easier for pests and disease to get a foothold, and then work their way through all the plants in the container. After you’ve tidied the pot, address the issues of feeding and watering. Most containers…

DOES it look like an octopus, an alien sea creature or a giant house spider? Fellow shoppers at the garden centre couldn’t agree – but all of us wanted to have a go at growing it. In fact, the weird-looking object that I’m holding (top right) is a crown of Eremurus robustus, the foxtail lily, grown for its towering spires of star-shaped flowers in summer. Originating from semi-desert climates of Asia, these clump-forming perennials are hardy in the UK, but young foliage can be at risk from frosts, so have some fleece to hand in case a late frost is forecast. Eremurus is fussy: it must be planted in a hot, south-facing, sheltered spot in free-draining soil. Crowns won’t tolerate heavy clay. I paid a hefty £9.99 for one crown,…

KITCHEN garden work is really picking up pace now, with sowing in the greenhouse and outside in the soil, as well as pricking out seedlings, feeding, watering, and so on. It’s all go! I have so much going on that I haven’t had the time to sow some of the vegetables I wanted to try this year, including black kale and celeriac. So I bought some young seedling plants from the garden centre. It’s a more expensive option, but at least I won’t miss out on them this year. They still need potting up for better growth though - see below! Top Tip   Young plants with roots showing at the bottom of its pot should be moved into a larger container. If its roots don’t show, and it is…

YOU really shouldn’t miss sowing this week’s free seeds from Mr Fothergill’s. Canterbury bells (Campanula medium) are ideal for anyone wanting to grow blooms that are at home in a cottage garden setting. They also make surprisingly good flowers for cutting and bringing indoors for home arranging. They should be sown straight away, to give the seedlings time to grow into sturdy little plants before being planted out this autumn, for flowering from late spring onwards next year. This waiting period will repay you with beautiful bells in shades of blue, white and pink, held aloft on stout stems. They prefer moist but well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Do remember that in full sun the flower colours tend to bleach, and they will certainly last longer in dappled…

1 Remove cold-damaged leaves. Normal room temperatures are fine (in winter min. 55°F/13°C & good light, near a south facing window). 2 Remove the plant from its pot to check roots. These are surprisingly healthy and have liked being watered sparingly in winter. 3 Add grit and orchid bark to boost compost. Pot the old, empty pot into the new, bigger one. Take it out and lower the rootball into the hole. 4 Unwind the stem, discard old wire and train plant to a bigger support. Water in and place in an east-facing window out of harsh sun.…

IF you’ve not got your leek seed sown yet – hurry up! Leaving it much later won’t give this winter crop time to bulk up. I’m not a fan of huge leeks so tend to leave sowing late, but even I don’t want to be accused of growing spring onions! You can choose from dozens of varieties, from Victorian selections such as ‘Musselburgh’ to modern F1 hybrids like ‘Crusader’. Check for traits like winter hardiness, longstanding and – most importantly – rust resistance (a disease especially common on sheltered plots). Scatter seeds over a 5in (12cm) pot of seed compost, keep well watered at 16-18°C and wait till seedlings grow to the thickness of a knitting needle. This is when they can be planted out, but I’ll get to that…

• 29 April: Toby’s Garden Festival, Powderham Castle, Kenton, nr Exeter EX6 8JQ. Speakers include Pippa Greenwood. 10am-5pm, £10 in advance, £12.50 on the day tobygardenfest.co.uk • 29 April: Willow Twigwams for Climbing Plants: RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB; 0203 1765 830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr • 29 April: Plant Hunters’ Fair, Norton Priory, Tudor Road, Manor Park, Runcorn WA7 1SX 01928 569895 planthuntersfairs.co.uk • 1 May: Chygurno, Lamorna, Cornwall TR19 6XH. Unique, three-acre cliffside garden overlooking Lamorna Cove. Open for NGS, 01736 732153, rmoule010@btinternet.com • 1 May: Framley, Hadlow Road, Willaston, Neston, Cheshire CH64 2US. A five-acre garden with mature wooded areas and sunken garden. Open 10.30am-4pm for NGS. 07496 015259, ngs.org.uk • 1 May: Ascott, Wing, Leighton Buzzard, Bucks LU7 0PR. Victorian formality and early…

IT’s not always easy to find room in the borders for more fruit, which is why raspberry-loving gardeners are likely to be wowed by a new variety that’s ideal for growing in pots and also fruits in its first year. ‘Yummy’ from Dobies is a ‘primocane’ variety, which produces fruit on this year’s as well as last year’s canes. This gives it a long fruiting period, from late June through to October. Fruiting season Each plant will fill a 10-litre pot (they’re supplied in 12cm pots) and produces 3lb 6oz (1.5kg) on average over a season. ‘Yummy’ costs £9.99 per plant and grows to a height of 18in (45cm). Call on 0844 967 0303 or go to dobies.co.uk.…

How do I make an alpine trough? Q I’d like to plant an alpine trough but have no experience. What do you recommend for a beginner? Peter Haylett, Keswick A Growing in troughs allows you to see smaller alpines at a better height than if they were growing in a rock garden just above ground level. It lets you create the precise growing conditions that are suitable for specific groups of plants - and you can landscape the surface with rock, slate or grit. Whether it’s a real stone trough or an artificial one, the key is to make sure it has good drainage. Site the trough in an open, sunny position and not in the shadow of trees or buildings for more than an hour each day. Alpines will…

Cut off old flower spike As the last flowers of phalaenopsis are going over, cut the stem off to just below where the lowest flower was. This will encourage branching, which will give you flowers faster. Water & feed Water once every 7-10 days with rainwater or boiled and cooled water; don’t let the pots sit in water. Feed every three out of four waterings with orchid fertiliser. Position them well Cymbidiums need to go outside during summer, in dappled shade, once nights are above 10°C (50°F). This process will kick start them into flowering at the end of the year.…

A tale of two halves THE poor chap living here must have spent years, devotedly trimming the conifer arch around the entrance to his perfectly manicured garden. It was such a feature beside the main road that cars slowed down for drivers to have a look. Sadly, it’s still a feature, but for a different reason! Harry Townsend, East Grinstead, West Sussex Surprise, surprise! LIKE Toby Buckland we make good use of self-seeders (AG 3 Dec 2016). In our border there are honesty, tiarella, aquilegia, geraniums and foxgloves, all of which have self-seeded. We never know where they’re going to pop-up and, in the case of aquilegias, what colour they’ll be. If you’re lucky you may get a two-tone variety like this one! But nature has the best palette and…

THIS week feels a bit like the calm before the storm, a last oasis of relative quiet before the warm weather arrives and we rush full-tilt into the busy days of summer. I will be using it to tidy up the garden, and crack on with any outstanding jobs that have been lingering over recent weeks. We all like to earmark certain days for sowing, pricking out, mowing or general maintenance, but in doing so it’s easy to forget the ‘basic’ jobs that have an effect on the garden. Such as clearing away spent spring bedding, for instance. Removing plants that are passed their best makes borders look neater, and gives you the chance to act on weeds and pests at the same time – and put in more plants!…

BEGINNER gardeners always think of garden colour as coming from flowers. Yes, the bright blooms of petunia, rose and geranium will of course be the spectacle you crave. But don’t forget that there is lots of colour, as well as shape, size, texture and scent, to be had from leaves, too. Now is a good time to plant or sow leafy subjects to enjoy in your garden this summer. In the picture above I’m planting a silver-leaved thyme (Thymus vulgaris ‘Silver Queen’). It’s a bushy, dwarf evergreen that grows to 8in (20cm) or so, and has small, dark green leaves edged with cream-white. In summer, clusters of tiny pale mauve flowers add to its beauty, but I love its leaves. I planted it on my rockery, close to a path…

1 Soak roots: Plant crowns as quickly as possible after purchase. If roots appear dry, soak them in a tub of water for an hour or two before planting. 2 Dig hole: Dig a planting hole that’s 6-8in (15-20cm) deep and slightly wider than the crown, so it fits in easily. Remove any weeds growing nearby. 3 Add grit: In the middle of the planting hole, add a mound of coarse grit (if you don’t have coarse grit, sharp sand will do the job). 4 Plant crown: Sit the centre of the crown on the grit mound, so it will be just below the soil surface when the hole is backfilled. 5 Backfill hole: Taking care, gently backfill the hole, ensuring that the crown is not damaged. Lightly pat the…

• You need a 3in (7.5cm) pot for every seedling. You can use the same compost that you used for sowing, but would be a good idea to liquid-feed the plants if you are growing them for several weeks in the pots. • Fill the pots to the brim with the compost. Make a hole deep enough to take the roots without curling. • Hold each seedling by a cotyledon (seed leaf) and ease the roots out of the compost using a dibber or pencil. • Plant the seedling so that the cotyledons are sitting just above the surface of the compost. Do not firm them in – just water them in, gently. • Check them every day, and water the compost as necessary. Make sure the leaves are dry…

WITH names like bridal wreath and Madagascar jasmine, we expect something special from this twining, evergreen climber from the same plant family as hoya (wax flower). In the Victorian language of flowers, stephanotis implies ‘marital bliss’ and the white and fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers (circled) have long been a favourite in wedding bouquets. Plants can be bought for as little as £6 almost year-round, usually trained around a wire hoop and full of promising buds but their natural flowering time is summer and in the tropical woodlands of their native Madagascar, they reach magnificent heights of 20ft (6m). I was recently given a neglected plant that had bloomed and then been dumped in a corner. Here’s how I went about bringing it back to life. Top Tip Water thoroughly when the…

“Keep your hoe sharp and hoe often!” THE well-worn definition of a weed is: ‘a plant in the wrong place’. Another is: ‘a plant that’s immune to most pests and diseases and rapidly fills all available space’; indeed, if that’s not a weed already, then it soon will be. And that’s just the point, we get used to our weeds and forget there are many others coming over the horizon. Anyone who has ever had golden feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) will know exactly what I mean; once in, you’ll never be able to get rid of it. Likewise, poppies, pot marigolds, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and many other garden flowers become weeds given half a chance. I keep finding the odd shoo-fly plant, (Nicandra physalodes), which despite being tender, pops up…

1 Gooseberry sawfly larvae can quickly defoliate a plant. Flies start laying eggs in April. Either pick off the caterpillar-like grubs or spray with organic pyrethrum. 2 Mildew causes a white, powdery covering on leaves. Water well, use balanced (not high-nitrogen) fertiliser and plant resistant varieties ‘Greenfinch’ and ‘Hinnomaki Red’. 3 Exhibition growers thin out dessert varieties. When berries are the size of a 5p coin thin them to one every 4in of stem. You might get berries the size of bantam’s eggs!…

ACCORDING to the RHS, slugs and snails were the most problematic garden pest in 2016. They can live for up to six years and lay 20-100 eggs numerous times a year. Now, as the weather warms, is a key time to intervene to keep numbers low. Because no one control method works completely it’s best to adopt multiple techniques – so here’s what you can do. Encourage natural predators like hedgehogs, frogs and toads, thrushes and ground beetles into your garden with log piles, low bird tables and ponds. Go on a garden patrol at dusk with a torch and bucket (slugs and snails are most active in the dark). Lay organic slug pellets (ferric phosphate) around vulnerable plants (you don’t need a lot!); put down beer traps; and set…

NOT only does a painted fence make a great backdrop to planting schemes but it helps brighten up the garden when there’s nothing else around. Some paint even adds a protective layer that will squeeze more life out of your fence. I’ve chosen a shade called lichen in exterior eggshell finish for mine. It wasn’t the cheapest, but I love the colour and the paint won’t fade for at least six years. Preparation work involved lightly sanding the surface and applying an undercoat or primer – if you really wanted to go to town, you could even daub knots with a special knotting solution so they don’t show through the paint. I find it helps to work methodically. Start by painting all of the posts (including the very tops, which…

GARDENERS ’ friend the robin is making a comeback, with numbers visiting gardens at their highest level in more than 30 years. That’s according to the results of the 2017 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which saw 497,000 people count over eight million birds across the UK. The average number of robins seen visiting gardens was at its highest level since 1986. And blackbirds were another climber, becoming the UK’s most widespread garden bird after being spotted in more than 93 per cent of gardens. RSPB scientist dr daniel Hayhow said: “The sight of a robin or blackbird perched on a fence is often one of the first experiences we have with nature.” It has been a bad 12 months for tits, however. Sightings of blue tits were down by 11…

VISITORS to Cornwall’s Eden Project will be saying G’day to extraordinary flora from Down Under. Eden’s Mediterranean Biome is having its biggest-ever transformation, gaining a new area devoted to Australian plants. The project teamed up with Kings Park and Botanic Garden in Perth, Western Australia, to recreate habitats of the south west of the state. Eden’s Dr Mike Maunder said: “south-west Australia has fabulous flora found nowhere else on earth, with amazing flowers, ingenious adaptations and great plant stories. Kings Park is helping us to bring some of this floral magic to Eden.” Plants include the grass tree (Xanthorrhoea), known for tufts of grassy foliage which burst from the tops of charred trunks, and Grevillea, referred to by Eden staff as “freaky flowers” due to their spidery, flamboyant blooms. Go…

• Plants for crevices: all of the Kabschia saxifrages are happy sandwiched in inch–wide crevices. Try Saxifraga cochlearis ‘Major’ which produces firm domes of silvered, half-inch rosettes and pure-white flowers. • Potentilla verna ‘Nana’ (pictured) produces neat little tufts of five leaves and small, golden flowers in summer. • For flatter areas try Primula farinosa. Clusters of small lavender flowers with a yellow eye, appear in early spring from rosettes of leaves up to 4in (10cm) long. • Dianthus alpinus (circled) produces rose-pink to crimson flowers up to 1.5in (4cm) across in early-spring and summer. • Saxifraga oppositifolia has rosy-purple flowers borne singly that cover a dense mat of creeping shoots. • For trailers, try Dryas octopetala ‘Minor’ – a dwarf compact variety with white flowers reaching 3in (8cm) high…

HOME-GROWN and picked strawberries in season somehow always taste that little bit better than shop-bought. Not everyone has the space to set down a row or two of strawberry plants, but most can find room outside a back door or on a patio for a strawberry planter. Planters make it easier to keep pests at bay, are usually quick and easy to water – and are very handy for picking when the fruits ripen. Terracotta is the traditional material for a strawberry planter, but it can be expensive – and there are also alternatives that can look just as good. Haxnicks Strawberry & Herb Planters £10.99 for 2 pack p&p £4.99 0117 9341799 haxnicks.co.uk Features Tough, pink-coloured polythene with eight planting pockets plus the open top. Reinforced drainage…

‘Sungold’ Orange-fruited cordon cherry has the sweetest flavour. Grows indoors or out. Fruits develop quickly; ideal for later sowings. Can be prone to splitting. ‘Golden Sunrise’ Yellow-skinned toms look great in salads and ratatouille and these are sweet, juicy, medium-sized fruits on cordon-trained plants for inside or out. ‘Noire de Crimee’ Also known as Black Krim and distinctive for its dark, purple-black and crimson fruits and rich flavour. A large-fruited cordon-type for inside or outdoors. ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ This old favourite produces red fruits just larger than normal cherry tomatoes. Good balance of sweet and acidity in their flavour. Grow as cordon-trained.…

Deciduous ‘Midnight Star’ An excellent deciduous form with strappy leaves and brooding deep blue flowers atop sturdy stems from midsummer. H31in (80cm). Looks good with hot colours, such as Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Dahlia ‘Bishop of Oxford’, and Kniphofia ‘Bees Lemon’. ‘Blue Moon’ This subtle deciduous form produces generous ice-blue blooms atop statuesque stems from late summer. H31in (80cm) Looks good alongside late-flowering perennials, such as Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Evening’, Aconitum ‘Stainless Steel’, and dahlias. ‘Northern Star’ This relatively new deciduous variety produces handfuls of intense blue flowers above glossy green leaves with purple bases. At RHS Wisley, it is planted amongst roses. Try it alongside Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ or Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’. H3ft (1m). Evergreen ‘Snow Cloud’ A floriferous evergreen African lily that produces giant globes of pure white flowers from…

I GREW this Himalayan Poppy Meconopsis Betonicifolia in 2015. I didn’t know anything about them but just saw it in a gardening magazine and bought it. I planted it in full sun, the wrong soil and never gave it much thought, until I saw it bloom in the summer when it was full of flowers and outstandingly beautiful. Well no one was more surprised than me to find out later that it was in the wrong place and wrong soil. So the following year I thought I’d do it by the book, did my homework, bought the right compost, a nice big pot and stood it in the shade, and looked forward to the next summer hoping for even better flowers. And that was the last I saw of it!…

• Coleus (circled, left) can be planted in summer borders, tubs, patio gardens, or kept in pots for indoor colour. • The leaves can be big, small, round or pointed, ruffled, smooth, twisted or lacy. They can have solid colours or contrasting markings with kaleidoscopic colours. • Coleus are easy to grow from seed. Sow now, in pots of moist compost, lightly covered with more compost or vermiculite. Keep at 23˚C (72˚F); little green shoots should be seen after 10 days or so.…

“It helps them develop confidence” RECENTLY I visited a ‘Rising Stars’ training course organised by Westland Horticulture for a group of young people and held at Squires Badshot Lea Garden Centre in Surrey. The participants were selected from garden centres across the south of England and there is a similar group meeting at Barton Grange in Preston for the North. It was an inspiration to meet these bright, enthusiastic members of staff, who are offering advice and helping customers to get the best from their gardens. The courses include projects they execute when back in their home centres and meeting contemporaries to exchange ideas and experiences helps them develop confidence, as well as gain knowledge. There is a desperate need for such people to give sound gardening advice to a…

1 My kale and celeriac seedlings came in tray ‘strips’. I needed to separate the plants first, which I did with the use of an old spoon. 2 Use the spoon to support the roots as you transfer the plants, avoiding putting strain on the leaves as you hold them. 3 About half fill pots with JI No 1, or multi-purpose compost. Gently slide the plant off the spoon, and on to its new soil ‘bed’. 4 Add more compost around the roots, so that it comes to just under the rim of the pot. When all the plants are potted, water them in.…

• Now’s the time to examine plants that were set in attractive groups for the winter. Decide what they need and find them their best summer position. • One day the leaves on our gardenia were deep green and buds bursting, but almost overnight, fine webbing coated the tips – spider mite. It was better to bin the plant rather than risk spread, so it was goodbye gardenia. • Aluminium plants (Pilea cadierei) were too near a sunny window and had an outbreak of aphids, so I replaced old plants with new raised from cuttings and gave them a spray of SB Plant Invigorator. • Both cymbidium orchids were plunged in a bucket of rain water for a good drink. • As predicted the tropical anthurium has shrunk almost to…

YOU’LL learn to forgive these bushes for being so prickly once you realise how delicious and abundant their fruits are. Gooseberries are easy to grow, thriving in shadier spots than most crops because the berries don’t need lots of sun to ripen. My two bushes are springing into life now, and it reminds me that this month is a crucial time for their development. While they don’t suffer from numerous pests and diseases, there are two that can strike – gooseberry sawflies and American gooseberry mildew. Act now to thwart both in a jiffy. It also pays to thin out fruits if you’re after decent-sized berries to top summer desserts. Here’s exactly how to tackle these jobs: Top Tip   Avoid spraying gooseberries with insecticides while they’re in flower as…

LEAF salads are tasty, quick-to-crop leaves that let you squeeze maximum harvests from your plot. Their live fast, die young attitude however means that you have to be on the ball when it comes to sowings. I’ve just planted out a row of mizuna and land cress plug plants. There’s also a drill of rocket just emerging, plus a row of ‘Tom Thumb’ lettuces that are starting to heart up nicely. Within three weeks I’ll have salads morning, noon and night...! ...but only if I keep up with sowings. My rule is to sow a fresh batch as soon as I start picking the existing one. That way salad days are here to stay all summer.…

THE nuthatch is one of the most active and agile British birds, usually seen visiting gardens close to parks and woodland – it’s preferred breeding grounds. If you see it, treasure it, for it does no harm to your garden. About the size of a large sparrow, the nuthatch looks more like a miniature woodpecker, with gunmetal-grey back, cream-brown belly, chestnut sides, a black eye-stripe, and a long, dagger-shaped, black bill. For me, one of its most endearing qualities is the way it moves. It is agile, bold and fearless, often spotted scattering birds far and wide at feeders, or climbing down trees head-first in its search for food. For most of the year the nuthatch eats spiders, beetles and other invertebrates, but come autumn and winter its diet includes…

WHETHER tumbling down the sides of a pot or trained against vertical supports, squashes add a colourful, ornamental touch to a small garden during the warmer months of the year – and they’re great to eat. Start plants from seed sown between now and the end of May. Alternatively, wait until late spring and visit a garden centre where you’ll be able to snap up well-established squash plants ready for planting outdoors. Sow two seeds, 1in (2.5cm) deep on their sides in small pots. Place in a heated propagator until they have germinated. If you don’t have a propagator, simply cover the pot with a clear freezer bag and secure with an elastic band then place on a light windowsill. Following germination, remove from the propagator and after a week…

Ronseal Fence & Shed Sprayer £24 0333 014 3098 diy.com  for store finder Rejuvenating a fence or shed with a fresh coat of paint? Save a lot of time and effort with a spray pump. This one claims to be five times faster than using a brush, will paint four fence panels when fully pumped and has two settings for speed and precision spraying. Holds up to 5ltrs of paint. PlastiKote Twist & Spray £7.12 for 400ml (p&p £5.95) 0800 977 4242 toolbank.com Spruce up tired-looking garden furniture with a bright coat of paint that’s tough enough to withstand the rigours of outdoor life. PlastiKote Twist & Spray is suitable for use on virtually any surface and dries quickly to a tough, durable finish, so there’s…

UNPACK plug plants arriving by post and pot them into to slightly larger pots of 50:50 John Innes and multi-purpose compost. Plan how they’ll be grown, inside or out. Use greenhouse borders conditioned with well-rotted compost but rotate with melons and cucumbers. Should plants fail to thrive, change the soil for next year. Some varieties are bush-grown (won’t need staking or side-shoot removal) or cordon (trained on one stem, need side-shoot removal). If growing in outdoor beds, set tomatoes 18in (45cm) apart and stake cordon varieties. Most problems on indoor toms are physiological, in other words caused by temperature swings or erratic watering. If good ventilation doesn’t control heat, apply light shading to south and west-facing roof and sides (pictured). Water so plants are neither dry nor continuously saturated. Add…

“Stones mean that carrots are a no-no” I’M breaking ground on an exciting project – bringing a walled kitchen garden back to life. It’s bigger than some parks, but the restoration requires the same tricks of the trade as any new border or veg patch. The first job is the hunt for any clues as to what the soil is like from what grows there already. On long-neglected ground, nitrogen-loving nettles are telling, as when nitrogen is abundant, and the soil is good, stingers are a rich velvet-green and reach your armpits! Once the tangle of amber nettle roots has been cleared, the soil will be fit for fast-growers like potatoes and broccoli as well as hungry roses and dahlias. Wiry stems of rushes or moss hint at poor drainage.…