Innholdsfortegnelse for 22-Jul-2017 i Amateur Gardening

FOR many people, a summer garden is incomplete without a stand of gloriously scented, cheerfully coloured sweet peas. Whether you grow them up a teepee or pergola, or opt for dwarf varieties as ground cover and in hanging baskets, this ever-popular hardy annual will delight for weeks on end. Sweet peas have developed the reputation for being a bit ‘tricky’, but if you follow a few simple rules they should come up trumps and then reward you with seeds for next year. Last year I planted out my homegrown seedlings too early and they struggled in the early weeks. “They will reward you with seeds to sow next year” This year I left it until the middle of May and the plants have sprinted up, around and through their willow…

TopTip Cut your flowers for indoor arrangements or for showing in early morning or evening. Pinch out side buds around each stalk’s central flower to encourage it to grow a larger bloom on a longer stem DAHLIAS are deservedly popular for the blast of latesummer colour they bring to the garden. They are not the most lowmaintenance of plants and as you will have put a lot of effort into getting them this far, don’t slack off now just as the rewards for your diligence start pouring in! Dahlias are particularly prone to pests including snails, earwigs and aphids, so check them each day for signs of infestations. Pick off snails or drown them in beer traps, earwigs can be collected in simple paper traps placed on the tops of…

TopTip Treat container-grown raspberries almost the same as those grown in the ground. Remember they will need more feeding and watering as their roots draw from a confined space IF you grow summer and autumnfruiting raspberry canes you can expect to harvest them from mid- June right through to late October. Summer varieties will be coming to the end of cropping now and once they have finished, cut them right back to the ground, taking care not to remove younger, unfruited canes that will provide next year’s crop. Fresh growth usually looks lusher than old material. Tie 6-8 of the healthiest new canes to wires and supports and remove the rest, again right down to the ground. Water and mulch after cutting back. If you have autumn-fruiting raspberries, increase the…

THE sun is beaming down, the combines are humming in the fields and your ice cube tray is constantly stocked up. So, of course, you’re thinking about getting your winter crops in, aren’t you? You could be forgiven for living ‘in the moment’ with such glorious weather all around, but can I give you a timely nudge to get one of the main winter-season crops into the ground? Leeks. I say winter, you can now get varieties that crop in late summer and autumn, too, but being a traditional lass I just grow the winter varieties of leek, like ‘Oarsman’. It’s an F1 hybrid so it’s vigorous, and I sowed seeds in April. If you missed the sowing boat then many garden centres stock seedlings ready for transplanting now. See…

HONESTY (Lunaria annua) is one of our most recognisable plants. A hearty biennial and member of the brassica family, it produces clusters of pretty flowers but is best known for its flattened seedpods, which are widely used for indoor arrangements The blooms are usually white, occasionally pink, but this week’s batch of free seeds from Mr Fothergill’s is a delightful mix of the two. Sow them now in well-raked soil and they should be large enough to move to their final growing position in autumn. Honesty does best in alkaline soils and will happily self-seed, creating stunning clumps of colour in summer, as well as winter interest if you leave the seedpods attached. If you decide to sow your honesty seeds in modules, make sure you plant them out before…

Why are my cucumbers sickly? Q My cucumbers are growing but I’m not sure how to support them. Some leaves have a powdery coating, which doesn’t look right. What should I do? Gwyneth Kenton, Salisbury A For single plants train the main stem up a vertical wire or strong cane. Tie the plant to the wire or cane with soft string or wool. When the plant gets to the top of the support, take out the growing point. Then pinch out side shoots, two leaves beyond a female flower (see panel below for how to identify male and female flowers). If you are growing several plants in a greenhouse, then vertical wires stretched 6-8in (15-20cm) apart work well (if you’re growing cucumbers in border soil, vertical wires should be attached…

FILL your beds and containers with quality pansy plants which will grow to display fabulous colour. The blooms of this pansy mix will not fade, are very weather tolerant and will flower from January through to May. Also included is a 100g pack of Incredibloom fertiliser to help get the best performance from your plants along with five packets of Thompson & Morgan flower seed for extra flower power! Pansies suppled as plug plants. *just pay £5.65 postage Worth £2 1 .93 Other special offers: OFFER 1 Polyanthus eliator ‘Crescendo® Mixed’ Fragrant blooms The flowers are longlasting, fragrant and produced in abundance upon strong stems which are held above neat rosettes of foliage. With excellent winter hardiness and superior disease resistance, you can expect repeat performances year after year. Supplied as…

TO paraphrase a well-known proverb: ‘Plant in haste and prune at leisure’. From small acorns, large oaks grow, and that’s why there’s a garden with a weeping willow blocking light to half the street, while looking in the other direction a monkey puzzle tree towers over the tiny front garden of a Victorian terrace. As a sagacious glazer once said: “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” and frankly I shouldn’t talk, having planted a potentially giant eucalyptus next to our house in a mistake made in a hurry to block the view of the building next door. For 10 years it was fine, fast-growing and bright as a blue sky even on a rainy day, but since that time, an extension to our house means the branches are scraping…

THE prime planting time for perennials is spring, when the soil is warming up and workable after winter, and autumn when it still holds summer warmth and is dampened by showers. If you have spent this summer filling border gaps with short-lived annuals and want an easier ride next year, sow some perennials now. This will give you two options: either plant the young plants out in autumn (and be prepared to fleece and cloche them through winter) or grow them on undercover (which will still require some nurturing) and move them out in spring. You need to follow a few rules for the best results. Always use new or wellwashed seed trays or pots and fresh seed compost. Clean equipment is important as seedlings are susceptible to diseases carried…

WHAT has been around before often comes around again. This is certainly the case with both dahlias and gladiolus, both increasing in popularity once more. I’ve just had an interesting trip to Holland with two experienced bedding plant growers and two leading garden centre plant buyers to view new plants for introduction in 2018. It’s rather like the launch of new season collections in the fashion industry. Growers look for new plants that will fit into their production schedules and plant buyers look for things they believe will sell. Personally I had an eye out for garden performance. And, when it comes to the once very popular sweet alyssum modern, cuttings-raised, cultivars are outstanding. They have such vigour, flower power and ability to go on flowering through the summer to…

New series! MY Spring Cottage garden is surrounded by beech trees and they’ve started to drip with honeydew – the waste product produced by aphids as they feed on plant sap. The sticky goo runs out from the aphids’ bottoms, due to osmotic pressure, and sometimes sooty mould can form on foliage. Honeydew is very nutritious and ants feed on it, so if you spot a colony of aphids on a perennial you may well see ants yo-yoing up and down. They protect the aphids from ladybirds and other predators in order to preserve their food supply. If the aphid colony becomes very overcrowded some may develop wings in order to fly to a new site. The ants then respond, by pulling these wings off. “Lacewing larvae eat mealybugs” Lacewings…

In my younger days I had a deep, irrational and strong dislike for hydrangeas. I have to admit that I still have an aversion to blowsy mophead types, especially the glut of modern ones that have been bred to have massive flower heads. I know some people like them, but they’ll never earn a place in my plot. However, I’ve mellowed a lot in recent times and it’s largely due to oakleaf hydrangeas. These are the antithesis of those pink and blue attention seekers, boasting gorgeous plumes of white or soft pink, above huge lobed leaves that take on fiery shades in autumn. There are loads of good ones. Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’ carries pendulous clusters of double flowers, while ‘Burgundy’ arguably has the best autumn foliage. I’ve just planted ‘Snow…

Q I have quite a few dianthus/pink plants. They get loads of buds on them, but they just seem to dry up and not come out. Is there something I can do to make the flowers open as it is getting extremely frustrating! Liz Richardson (via email) AThe usual reason for pinks producing flower buds that fail to open is that they are dry at the roots. The best way to overcome this is to water copiously, then mulch with slate chippings or pea shingle. This mulch will also stop soil splashing onto the blooms. I also suggest you feed your plants with 2-4oz (56-112g) per sq m of garden lime in spring and again in summer. Additionally, to further encourage robust growth, apply a balanced granular fertiliser at monthly…

THE sun is shining and it’s a lovely warm evening. All is ready for a pleasant few hours relaxing with family, friends and neighbours. But wait. Grass and weeds have sprung from between the patio slabs and there are patches of moss spoiling the surface. With no time for the weed killer to work, this is when you need to reach for a weeding knife. For a quick transformation from untidy to pristine, the sharpened edges and hook of a patio weeding-knife do the job. These tools will scrape away moss and slice, cut or dig out the weeds from the gaps. Some weeding knives even have a third sharpened edge, allowing them to be used in sickle-style motion to sever taller weed growth. Long-handled versions of weeding knives are…

Prize Draw Resolva Natural Power Bug & Mildew Control works by physical action to give safe and effective control of a wide range of plant pests, such as whitefly and spider mites, as well as mildew. We have five, one-litre ready-to-use sprays to give away to readers this week, worth £5.99 each. See below for details of how to enter the prize draw. How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Resolva Natural Power Bug & Mildew Control Draw, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG. Or you can email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com, heading the email Resolva Natural Power Bug & Mildew Control Draw. The closing date is: 24 July 2017.…

Write to: Wendy Humphries, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Rd, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG or email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Star letter I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the idea of a ‘boats in bloom’ competition. I wonder if this could be extended in some way to incorporate a regular feature of innovative use of small plots, given that a great many people find themselves in rental or urban space that doesn’t lend itself to planting acres. I think the quirky solutions that people come up with to make much of tiny spaces would be very pertinent for a lot of today’s gardeners or aspiring ones who would love the inspiration. Also, this could lead onto features about gardening for tiny homes, off grid and non mainstream places... Mandy Ellis, Clare, Ireland Wendy says: Having…

TopTip Keep cuttings well ventilated as they are prone to grey mould and damping off. Also protect them against attacks by glasshouse white fly TENDER plants including penstemons, pelargoniums and non-hardy fuchsias need to be lifted and overwintered somewhere frost-free. However, this doesn’t guarantee their survival, so it is worth taking cuttings of these plants as an insurance policy. Do it now, and the cuttings will have time to grow large enough to be moved into individual pots before winter. Softwood cuttings are taken from this season’s growth and should root quickly. Keep them in the greenhouse or a cool room indoors and they will be ready to move outdoors next year after the frosts. Use them next summer to plug gaps and replace older, woody plants. Give your beech…

THE main strawberry season is over now save for ever-bearers and autumn varieties which may fruit on till frosts start. But did you have enough summer strawberries? If you want more and better ones next year right now is the time to act. New plants established in the next few weeks have time to grow big enough to form plenty of (hidden) flower buds this autumn. Plants started later seldom do as well. Anyway, as plants cease fruiting they produce more runners and on the ends are little plants: just slip a pot of compost under each and hold in place with a stone until it’s rooted – simple. Allow healthy ‘mother’ plants to produce one or two new plants from runners, then nip off all the other runners to…

THE word tomentose means covered in short woolly hairs, so it comes as no surprise that these eye-catching succulents have furry, tactile leaves and are known as panda plants. Native to the rocky semi-deserts of Madagascar, they are a long way from home on my dining room windowsill, but are among the few plants capable of surviving this sunny, south facing spot during summer. Just as they would in the wild, velvety hairs protect the leaf surfaces from harsh light and create a silvery cast, decorated by chocolate coloured dots around the edge. The new growth of darker, more narrow-leaved K. t. ‘Nigra’ has an orange glow, with brown rims to mature leaves. These plants will reach 3ft high (90cm) and at maturity (though rarely indoors), produce greenish yellow bell-shaped…

WIN A STAR-studded line-up of Britain’s brightest gardening talents awaits you at the 2017 Southport Flower Show and we have £600 worth of tickets to give away in our exclusive competition. Broadcasters and experts from the nation’s favourite gardening shows on radio and TV will be sharing their expertise with visitors in talks and presentations. Amongst them TV gardener and AG writer Christine Walkden; Gardeners’ World presenter Carol Klein; and David Domoney, resident gardening guru on ITV’s This Morning and Love Your Garden. Garden pest specialist Pippa Greenwood also joins this year’s line-up on the final day. And there’ll be appearances from broadcasters Professor Stefan Buczacki and Matthew Wilson, both regulars on BBC radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Southport has been a fun-filled fixture in the summer calendar for over…