Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Sep-2017 i Amateur Gardening

Casting off: Get rid of worm casts by gently dispersing them using a broom or by moving a rake side-to-side over them with the teeth facing upwards. SUMMER, with its emphasis on outdoor living, heat and occasional downpours, can be an exacting time for lawns. Similarly winter, lurking just around the corner, can be equally tough with its freezing temperatures, snow blankets and weeks of drenching rains. Autumn gives a respite between the two extremes and is an excellent time to carry out restorative lawn work. On these two pages I highlight some simple but essential maintenance work that if undertaken now, will improve your lawn and make it more able to withstand the heavy months ahead. I also show you how to lay turf in a few simple steps,…

▪ Chafer grubs and leatherjackets (cranefly larvae) live under the soil and eat the roots of the grass. ▪ Symptoms of their presence include yellowing patches and dying grass. ▪ They also attract many birds, especially starlings, jays and magpies that tear up the ground trying to eat them. ▪ No chemical controls are available, but there are two parasitic nematodes on the market that can be watered on to the lawn. They will infect the unwanted grubs with a fatal bacterial disease.…

Gro-sure Fast-Acting Lawn Seed SEED has a coating that’s said to deter birds and helps to show where seed has been sown, avoiding over (or under) sowing. The micro-nutrient coating of organic compounds is claimed to attract and retain moisture around the seed while encouraging healthy rooting and quick establishment. It contains plant hormones to stimulate growth. Handily, each box has a built-in seed applicator. I’ve used this product and seed was up within a week. It withstood a wet winter. Price: £5.99. Covers 15sq/m (450g box) Suttons Rapid Green Self- Repairing Lawn Seed SUTTONS says its Rapid Green mix will germinate in seven to 10 days but it was up in less than five when I used it to sow a small lawn several years ago in autumn. It’s…

1 Fill a 5in (12cm) pot with seed and cuttings compost mixed with perlite or grit. Water and leave it to drain. 2 Using sharp, clean secateurs, cut 6in (15cm) lengths of healthy, nonflowering shoot from the plant. 3 Cut off the bottom 1in (2.5cm) or more, strip away bottom leaves and pinch out the soft shoot tip. 4 Dip the cut end in hormone rooting compound to boost strong root development. Tap off any excess. 5 Insert the cuttings into the compost/ perlite mix, leaving room between each one. Gently firm them in. 6 Seal the pot in a plastic bag in a cold frame or greenhouse until the cuttings start to put on growth.…

Listen to Peter's free podcast every Thursday. Search for 'This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook' on iTunes BEETROOT has suddenly re-climbed the popularity charts and is now seen as one of our major health foods. It always tops the list of vegetable seed sales, presumably because the seeds are so large most gardeners buy more than one packet to sow an allotment length row. This is not really necessary as traditional beetroot seeds are in fact clusters of several seeds and can be sown individually, two or three inches, apart if grown for full size roots. Today, of course, seedling thinning’s are eaten as salad leaves, so thicker seedling emergence is quite acceptable. Beetroot is one of the easiest root vegetables to grow and suffers from few pest…

1 Stand your basket on or in a bucket or pot, on a table, to keep it steady, raise it up and make planting easier. 2 Start filling it with compost until you reach an inch below the basket rim. Plant the central plant. 3 Start adding the smaller plants around the edge, taking care you don’t damage their roots. 4 Water the basket well – I find that the least messy way of doing so is once you have hung it up – and add a slug deterrent.…

Water the plants well and stake them if necessary. Keep the compost damp to avoid fruits succumbing to blossom end rot. 1 Water your seedlings well to hydrate the roots and make it easier to remove the plants and compost from the pot. 2 When the water has soaked in, tap the seedlings from their pot, keeping the rootball intact if possible. 3 Gently prise the plants apart, taking care not to damage the roots. Check they are healthy and pest-free. 4 Pot up each seedling in individual pots with enough room for growth. I used loamy John Innes No 2 compost.…

IN the early 2000s the National Trust decided to cut down on their mowing around large country houses because it was labourintensive and costly. Instead they began to cut smart paths through grass, allowing the rest to grow until it was mowed in autumn. During an interview with NT butterfly expert Matthew Oates, he told me that this had led to an unexpected upsurge in butterfly numbers, particularly brown butterflies such as the ringlet, the meadow brown and the gatekeeper. Skipper numbers also rose. As a result of that interview I decided to make a small meadow behind my neat area of lawn and I also made a conscious decision to leave the grass on the verge uncut, although I had to get permission from my parish council. Both paid…

1 Your store should be somewhere dark, airy and rodent-proof, so a mousehole-free shed or garage is ideal. Slatted traps are perfect storage vessels because they allow air to flow among the fruits. Make sure everything is clean and cobweb-free. 2 Lay out your fruits so that they are spaced out well and not touching each other. If they’re too close together and one rots, it can easily spread to neighbouring fruit. You can use straw or scrunched-up newspaper as packing material, but it’s not essential. 3 Check over your stored fruits every week or so and remove any showing signs of rotting. The fruits will slowly mature in the store over the coming weeks and months. If you want them quickly, move a few into a warm room and…

IF you look in my fridge freezer you’ll see evidence of what a prolific harvest my raspberries have given me. first the summer variety ‘Glen fyne’ cropped from June till late July, and then my autumn row of ‘Polka’ and ‘All Gold’ kicked in and I’m still harvesting them now – I love them! I planted both rows back in the winter of 2015/16 and they’re settling in well. If you’re thinking of ordering some you don’t need many –a dozen canes of summer and the same of autumn varieties will easily feed two of you. I pick over the plants every few days, which ensures that each raspberry is harvested at its peak. Over-ripe fruit quickly goes squishy whereas those that are yet to mature don’t separate nicely from…

I’M often asked by friends to help them come up with a new look for their plot. Many gardeners find the huge choice of garden styles overwhelming. I always suggest that those wanting to create a garden start by writing two lists. One that records all the practical features they need such as washing lines, bike shed, and compost heap and another that features what they want. This often includes hammocks, water features, colour themed borders etc. As a garden is used by the whole family the lists must include features that everyone agrees on. Once you have your requirements it’s time to look at style and colour themes. Place a pin board in the kitchen and pin on anything that you see in a magazine that you like. This…

▪ Start by raking over the soil, breaking it up and removing weeds and stones before watering it well. ▪ Scatter the seeds in casual drifts, or in curves made in the soil by the edge of a hand fork. They should be around 1?2in (1cm) deep. ▪ Cover the seeds with soil and water again. ▪ When the seedlings appear in 2-4 weeks, thin them out so they are roughly 12in (30cm) apart to give the plants plenty of room to grow. ▪ Keep them watered and protected from slugs and snails.…

‘Angélique’ Fragrant, double, peony-like flowers in apple blossom tones are carried on strong stems and last longer than single tulips. ‘Orange Princess’, in vivid orange with a red flash, is more dramatic. Flowers: April/May. H: 11/2ft (45cm). ‘Berlioz’ A dwarf Kaufmanniana tulip with red-mottled foliage and fragrant lemon yellow flowers that are tinted red on the outside and have deep red centres. Look out, too, for pink and white ‘Ancilla’. Flowers: March/April. H: 6in (15cm). ‘Fusilier Unicum’ Has branched heads carrying up to half a dozen bright red flowers above leaves edged in cream. If you dislike variegation, try ‘Fusilier’ (above), or the white and lemon ‘Cartouche’. Flowers: March/April. H: 10in (25cm). ‘Queen of Night’ The elegant blooms are a rich, dark, velvety crimson - almost black, but not quite…

Wallflowers The perfect partners for tulips in spring beds or large containers, especially as they’re scented. For a stylish look team one variety of tulip with wallflowers in a single colour. Grow from seed and select heights to complement your chosen tulips. Forget-me-nots Those clouds of blue flowers – or white or pink if you like – make an attractive backdrop for tulips of all types and colours. Again, raising your own forget-me-nots from seed is ideal as it enables you to select varieties with height in mind. Daffodils In containers, daffodils and tulips mix well. Choose varieties of both that will either flower one after the other for an extended spring display, or flower concurrently so the colours harmonise, like Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ and Narcissus bulbocodium var. conspicuus (above). Other…

Camassia leichtlinii ‘Sacajawea’ Grown as much for the strappy green with white edge variegated foliage as for its ivory star-shaped flowers, this stunner is an elegant addition to the border. Flowers: May and June. Height: 3ft (90cm). Camassia quamash ‘Orion’ The deep violet-blue flowers of this low-growing variety are said to be more distinctive than the beloved species Camassia quamash. Flowers: April and May. Height: 14in (35cm). Camassia cusickii ‘Zwanenburg’ Large wisteria blue flowers with golden anthers coat the stems of this graceful variety. ‘Zwanenburg’ naturalises well in grass and woodland. Flowers: May and June. Height: 2½ft (70cm). Camassia leichtlinii ‘Semiplena’ This form is sterile, which means it’s expensive, but the lovely semi-double flowers make it worth the splurge. One of the tallest camassias, it can grow to more than…

Q Box blight and box caterpillar have destroyed our low hedging. Is there anything that will treat it? And what would be a good alternative to box? Wendy Brownleigh, Basildon, Essex A For thousands of years, the ability of box to withstand clipping has suited a human desire to shape and control. The ancient Egyptians are believed to have used it; the Romans did and no knot garden or parterre could be without it. Today, box hedges, spirals and balls are found in domestic gardens but the plant is now under threat from box blight, Cylindrocladium buxicola, which first appeared in the mid 1990s, and box moth caterpillar, a problem from 2008. With box blight you’ll notice black spots on foliage, leaves dropping, black streaks on stems and, in wet…

Q I have a lot of fuchsias in pots. Nearly all of them are losing leaves, which are turning yellow with dark spots. Is it fuchsia rust? Mrs C. Davies (via email) A It is possible that the symptoms you describe are those of fuchsia rust, but they may also be due to drought or other growing conditions. If it is rust then before the leaves start to go yellow, you will be able to see dust-like orange or yellow spores on the lower surface. Fuchsia rust is a very debilitating disease and quite difficult to eradicate, but some success can be achieved by spraying with a fungicide in the spring. It is also important to be extremely vigilant and remove all infected leaves immediately. Plants that have been cut…

The latest stories from around the UK Got a story? Call 01202 440848 or email marc.rosenberg@timeinc.com GREENS are ramping-up pressure on the government to ban pesticides they claim are linked to bee decline. Friends of the earth (Foe) is demanding that ministers clamp down on neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides after a report last month claimed they risk “bumblebee extinction”. New research from the Royal Holloway University of London and University of Guelph claimed that bumblebees are “26 per cent less able to start colonies” when exposed to a common neonic pesticide [thiamethoxam] which “would lead to collapses in wild bee population,” according to the report, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Harm to bees Foe nature campaigner Sandra Bell said: “This new study comes hot on the heels of…

▪ 9 September: Autumn propagation, Godinton House Gardens, Godinton Park, Godinton Lane, Ashford, Kent TN233BP. 01233 643854 or email: info@godintonhouse.co.uk ▪ 9 September: National Food Growers’ Fruit Show, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr ▪ 12 September: Propagation – the next step, RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253 or rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 14 September: The Curious History of the Cottage Garden, Borde Hill, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XP. 01444 450326 ▪ 15 September: A beginner’s guide to growing vegetables, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830 or rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr ▪ 15 Sept-20 Oct: 15 Sept - 20 Oct, Discovering Victorian Gardens, RHS Lindley Library, London SW1P 2PE. Call 020…

1 Fork over and break up the soil of the area you want to turf to a depth of 8-10in (20-25cm). Remove weeds and dig in well-rotted organic material. 2 Leave the ground to settle for several weeks (a month is ideal). Then remove any new weeds, rake off stones and debris and tread the ground to flatten it. 3 Start laying your turf, working off a board to avoid crushing the grass. Lay the sods butting against each other and with staggered edges, like a brick wall. 4 Add or remove soil as you lay the lawn to keep it level. Lightly tamp down each fresh turf roll to encourage the grass roots to grow down into the soil. 5 After laying all your turf, brush sand into the…

THE thought of taking cuttings used to fill me with trepidation, but as with many things that seem difficult, it’s actually pretty easy once you know how. Autumn is the time to take semi-ripe cuttings of climbers, herbs, shrubs and trees. ‘Semi-ripe’ means that the material you use is this year’s growth, starting to harden at its base but still soft at its tip. I have taken cuttings from a cistus, one of my favourite plants. Also known as rock rose, or sun rose, it likes a sheltered, sunny site with freedraining soil. Perhaps because of their Mediterranean origins, cistus look great with plants that favour arid conditions, such as lavender and rosemary. TopTip If you are taking semi-ripe cuttings of shrubs with large leaves, cut the leaves in half…

LAST year I planted up a couple of bowls with forced hyacinths for inside the house and they delivered fabulous colour and scent during the dark days of winter. It seemed a shame – and such a waste – to discard these bulbs once they had flowered, because with hardly any effort on the gardener’s part they can be given a new lease of life out in the garden. Forced bulbs are prepared for indoor flowering by being commercially frozen for a time during the summer. This cons them into thinking they have lived through a winter and so are ready to start to grow again sooner than they would if left to start shooting naturally. Forcing takes a lot out of the bulb, so they are unlikely to flower…

1 When sowing early in spring choose Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ (T. & M.), which was bred to withstand checks by low temperatures without bolting prematurely to form seed heads. 2 Beetroot ‘Moneta’ (Mr Fothergill’s) and B. ‘Solo’ F1 (T & M) is a single seed kind, reducing the need to thin out and suited to grow as ‘baby beet’. 3 The F1 hybrids produce high quality roots and B. Alto’ F1 (T. & M.) has a tall cylindrical root easier to cut up into multiple slices.…

LAST month I potted up a few side shoots pinched off our tomato plants. They romped away and are now ready to pot on. Although it is late in the season, I hope that by keeping them somewhere light and warm, they will mature enough to produce a late crop. I will either use them green for chutney, or ripen them on a warm, sunny windowsill in the house. Thanks to this summer’s rather cool, damp and cloudy weather, our tomato crop was slow off the blocks to ripen. Even the greenhouse plants took time to get going. Regular watering and feeding is the key to success with tomatoes, and I also cut off excessive foliage once the fruits had formed to allow sunlight to get to them. We pinched…

NOW as you well may have guessed I’m not heavily into Health & Safety, but having said that I really would rather you didn’t hurt yourself. And one of the most common items involved in garden accidents time and time again is the stepladder. “Never go up wobbling steps – reset the feet” I reckon it’s during picking when most of these falls occur. You see the other time we’re up trees is when pruning and then we often have one hand left free to get a grip. When we’re harvesting we tend to pick with both hands so have no hold when a wobble takes place – then whoops, it’s off to A&E. And don’t imagine you’re safe when using a low set of steps: these topple over just…

Next week: Store carrot and beetroot, last chance to prune stone fruits, picking apples and pears, managing your compost heap and shell beans from their pods. I JUST adore this time of year, when orchard fruits yield their harvest – it’s the epitome of autumn. At the end of last month I was explaining how to prepare your fruit storage area, ready for the influx of apples, pears and quinces you may have. Depending on the varieties you’re growing, many will be working their way off the trees now. If you’ve only got a few to store, you can simply place them in a large plastic bag in the bottom of your fridge till they’re needed. Don’t seal the bag up because you want any excess moisture to escape. But…

IT can be a bit of a gamble growing outdoor tomatoes, along with their cousins sweet peppers, chillies and aubergines. In less than perfect summers their desire for heat means that you can often be left with lots of unripe fruits come early autumn. Getting them to ripen-up can be tricky. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had good pickings off my plants, though there are still a few green fruits remaining. You’ve got various options when it comes to ripening them up, so let’s run through each one in turn: ▪ Potted plants are obviously the easiest to take care of because pots and hanging baskets can simply be moved into a greenhouse, porchway or sunny conservatory. the extra heat will soon ripen up any stubborn fruits. ▪…

Tip: Don’t plant all your autumn bulbs in one go. For a succession of flowers spread out your planting times. THE assortment of seed heads in the borders at Stockton Bury are causing just as much interest as the flowers this month. It’s now that I start to collect seed to either sow direct immediately or to store for sowing in spring. A plant that is loaded with seed this month is Smyrnium perfoliatum. As this is a biennial I pull the whole stem out of the ground and shake the seed over beds where I want plants next year. I am all for sowing seed direct now if the plants are known to be good self seeders in the garden. This treatment also works well for foxgloves. On a…

SINCE June our line of dwarf apple trees have been shedding apples. This is not at all unusual. In fact, it is important that some fruits are shed as it allows those remaining to reach a good size. Make time to clear up – place rotting apples on the compost heap and they will soon add to its goodness. It is also possible that the apples may carry pests and diseases, so it is good practice to keep under the trees clear of debris. Clearing the fallen fruits of the plum is also a job worth doing. Last year they attracted hundreds of flies which was rather unpleasant. Just leave a few apples and plums on the ground for ground feeding birds, such as the black bird, to enjoy.…

1 Fill new or thoroughly cleaned 3in (7cm) pots with fresh multi-purpose or John Innes No 2 compost. Water and leave to drain. 2 Using the end of a plant label or an old spoon, carefully lift the seedling from the compost with its rootball intact. 3 Holding onto a leaf to keep the seedling stable, lower it into a hole dibbed in the centre of the dampened compost. 4 Firm in the seeds and set them in a greenhouse or cold frame out of direct sunlight. Keep their compost watered.…

▪ Use a pot at least 6in/15cm across and good multipurpose compost. ▪ Choose varieties that force well, especially Single Earlies like ‘Apricot Beauty’ and ‘Coquette’ (white). ▪ Plant almost touching, with 4in/ 10cm of compost above bulb tips. ▪ Place pot in a clear polythene bag, tie the top and put in a shed or garage, or the bottom of the fridge. ▪ When yellow shoots emerge, move pot into warmth and light. Flowers will open 2-3 months later.…

Tulipa saxatilis Lilac flowers with bright yellow centres open in twos and threes on short plants. In sunshine, the flowers open almost flat to show off their buttery centres. Best grown in a sunny raised bed. Flowers: April. H: 6in (15cm). Tulipa sprengeri Spreading by offsets and also self-seeding, this is an adaptable tulip for sun or shade, offering elegant red flowers tinted yellow on the outside. Flowers: May/June. H: 16in (40cm). Tulipa sylvestris Resilient enough to escape into the wild in Britain, T. sylvestris’s underground runners gently colonise sunny or partially shaded parts of your garden – even in grass – if the soil is well-drained. The bright buttery flowers are lemon scented. Flowers: March/ April. H: 14in (35cm).…

IMPROVE SOIL Camassia can struggle in extremely welldrained (such as chalk or sand) and in waterlogged soil. Dig in humus to boost water retention and assist drainage. PLAN YOUR PLANTING The optimum month is September (or later if the weather is mild). Plant 4in/10cm deep and 4in/10cm apart, in sun or semi-shade. MULCH FOR PROTECTION In very cold areas, mulch well in late autumn. LEAVE THE LEAVES Camassia draw strength from their foliage, so resist the urge to cut them back after flowering.…

I’D replace your affected box plants with alternatives such as Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’, the boxleaf honeysuckle Lonicera nitida, Teucrium x lucidrys, lavender, Euonymus japonicus ‘Jean Hughes’ (although the caterpillars are known to attack euonymus too), or yew (Taxus baccata). In time, you could try again with box, perhaps using the less blight-prone Japanese boxwood, B. microphylla ‘Faulkner’. Breeding programmes are in place to produce resistant strains. When it comes to spacing, most low hedging is planted at 8in (20cm) intervals.…

Q Could you please tell me the name of this plant? The colour of the leaves is beautiful. Mari Rennie, Dreghorn, Ayrshire A It is Cimicifuga simplex ‘Brunette’, a tall and stately variety, it makes a splendid focal point, especially with Japanese golden grass. Other varieties include ‘Elstead’, whose buds are purple tinted, ‘Braunlaub’, prized for its dark green leaves and ‘White Pearl’ whose pale green foliage foils white flowers. Q What is attacking my bay tree? Janet Copeland (via email) A I suspect that caterpillars have been busy chewing and shredding the bay leaves. The best way to control them is to spray with BugClear for Fruit & Veg. It will effectively eradicate the pest and your bay’s leaves can be used in cooking the following day. Q I…

GARDENERS could catch Legionnaires’ disease from their hosepipe, it has been claimed. Plumbing body WaterSafe says people can become ill if water in a hose “backflows” into their drinking water supply, or is infected with Legionella. It is calling on gardeners to fit ‘double check valves’ to hosepipes to “prevent any water or contaminants from the garden, ponds or paddling pools from flowing back into mains drinking water supplies”. WaterSafe’s Julie Spinks said: “Many homeowners do not realise how ill you can get if water in your hosepipe backflows into your drinking water supply, or becomes contaminated by Legionella, that can thrive in warm, stagnant water.” Gardeners are being advised to keep hosepipes stored out of direct sunlight.…

We try before you buy Next week: Tree ties to ensure your trees grow strong and straight ALL that hard work and effort you put in over the year has paid off. The garden is looking splendid. The lawn is well manicured, hedges neatly clipped to shape, flowers blooming, beds and borders are weed free and even the patio is sparkling clean. But by the back door, where it’s most convenient, is the huge wheelie bin. Designed to be functional, not attractive, the bin can be an eyesore, detracting from the beauty of your garden. There may be more than one bin. Depending on where you live, there may be a grey or green one for household waste, a blue one for recyclables and a brown bin for garden waste…

Write to: Wendy Humphries, Amateur Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Rd, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG or email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Share your stories, tips and pictures with us and if your letter is published you will receive a new book. When you write, please indicate your special area of interest! Star letter A home for the hoglets FURTHER to your bank holiday project feature that included a section on how to make a hedgehog house (AG, 26 August), here’s our own success story. Three years ago after seeing a very small hedgehog in our garden, my wife and I set about making a shelter to give the hedgehog a better chance of surviving the winter. It was quite a challenge as we had no idea what we were doing with our recycled…

Double up for 1p COMPACT and floriferous, Lavatera ‘Barnsley Baby’ is perfect for patio containers and small gardens. With a well branched habit and racemes of saucer-shaped, soft pink blooms, this tough little mallow needs little maintenance. Height: 30in (75cm). Spread: 24in (60cm). Supplied as a 3in (7cm) potted plant. ▪ Buy 1 for £11.99 ▪ Double up for 1p & Buy 2 for £12 ▪ Buy 1 Lavatera Pot collection for £29.95 (Worth £48.95) Collection includes: 2 x 3in (7cm) potted Lavatera plants, 1 x 100g pack of Incredibloom Fertiliser and 2 x 24 litre large patio pots. How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021, please quote aGt316Z. all orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising you of the expected despatch date. this offer is…

Nurseryman and former Gardeners’ World host YOU may not know this, but badgers are keen football fans. I have no evidence they actually play the beautiful game or swap stickers of their favourite stars, but what I do know for certain is that they adore football pitches. The field in which I play a weekly lads and dads game has suffered a badger pitch invasion and these nocturnal living excavators have turned what was a Monday night field of dreams into an ankle-twisting nightmare. “Badgers dig looking for juicy grubs” Dog-owners and their bone-burying pooches were suspected of causing the damage at first, but I welcomed the bobbles that the initial holes caused, as they offered a believable excuse for my unbelievably bad football skills! As the damage worsened, however,…

1 Scarifying the lawn with a rake reduces the thatch (old, dead grass stems, moss and other debris) that can impede feeding and watering. Don’t rake too deeply as this can damage the turf. 2 Aerate your lawn by plunging a garden fork 4-6in (10-15cm) into the soil. This allows air and water down to the roots and can prevent waterlogging and compaction after a lot of use. 3 Feeding your lawn between now and mid-November makes it more robust and able to withstand winter. Apply at the manufacturer’s instructions when the day is frost-free and the soil is damp. 4 To improve the texture of the soil, level out irregularities and encourage improved rooting, top-dress your lawn with a mix of 3 parts loam, 6 parts sharp sand and…

▪ Remove weeds and stones and dig soil to a depth of 6-9in (15-22cm). ▪ Rake the seed bed over so it’s level, then tread gently to firm it. rake again to give the seed bed a fine surface. ▪ A few days before sowing, add a general-purpose fertiliser. ▪ Before sowing, moisten the ground, but do not flood. ▪ Shake the box well then apply the grass seed at the recommended rate. ▪ Lightly rake seed in to the soil. Some gardeners gently roll or tread it in. ▪ Water using a fine spray, taking care not to wash the seed away. ▪ During dry weather, the area may need watering daily. ▪ Before cutting for the first time, raise the height of your lawn mower’s blades. ▪ Don’t…

▪ My cold frame is full of this summer’s cuttings. They need looking after if they are to mature into healthy plants. ▪ Pinch out flower buds that form at their tips, so the developing plants use energy for rooting, not flowering. ▪ Check that their compost remains damp. Make sure you water gently. ▪ Keep an eye out for pests that will devour tempting young shoots. ▪ Once roots start to emerge from the base of the cuttings’ pots, move them into larger containers or plant them into the garden where their roots will develop through winter.…

1 Knock the bulbs and soil from their container into a sieve and gently tease the roots free from their compost. 2 Check over the bulbs and discard any that are rotting or damaged. Some may already be starting to shoot. 3 Plant them at three times their own depth, one bulb’s width apart. Cover with soil and remember to water them well. 4 If bulbs have been growing densely together and their roots are entwined, they will still grow well if planted as a small clump.…

THERE is a mistaken belief that baskets and containers are really only meant for the summertime garden. But think again, because what is more appealing than a splash of contained colour to brighten the progressively dank and gloomy days of autumn and winter? Most winter bedding plants, available now, lend themselves beautifully to container growing. I want to create a hanging basket that will last through to the spring, so I have chosen a selection of violas and cyclamen, a pink, a variegated ivy and a Muehlenbeckia complexa or Australian ivy with tiny button-like leaves and green-yellow flowers. Baskets are a good idea in winter because they should get some degree of shelter from the wall they are hanging on, and are light enough to take down and stand undercover…

▪ In summers of uncertain weather, tomatoes will ripen at varying speeds – or not at all. ▪ If toms haven’t ripened, for the best tasting fruits unearth the whole plant and suspend it upside-down in a frost-free garage or shed. ▪ You can also try storing a single layer of toms in a cardboard box lined and covered with newspaper. ▪ Alternatively, put them in a paper bag with a ripening banana or apple, which will give off the gas ethylene that speeds up the ripening process. ▪ Or you can do what I do – pick them while they are green and use them to make chutney!…

1 Keep dead-heading roses – with luck there’s up to a dozen weeks more of flowering left in them. 2 On dry, sunny, preferably windy days move your stored garlic, shallots and onions outdoors to air – they’ll keep longer that way. 3 Citrus can stay outdoors longer if covered on frosty nights. Turn their pots on their sides during heavy rain to avoid waterlogging. 4 Suspend netting over your pool or pond, held taut with rocks or bricks, to catch the autumn leaves before they fall in and foul the water.…

I’M going to be honest with you, I don’t bother sowing green manures. For many of us our gardens are just too small to worry about the odd bit of bare soil. I rarely have any in the winter anyway, because I’m too busy squeezing in overwintering brassicas, leeks, spinach and other hardy leaves. The purpose of green manures is to cover over bare patches of earth, and hardier ones can be sown now for overwintering. There are different types available (eg Italian grazing rye, mustard, field beans), each with unique characteristics. They smother out weeds, stop nutrients from being washed out of the soil, and boost soil fertility. Allotment holders and owners of large plots might well reap benefits – but I’ll stick to my hardy veg!…

I MAINLY use the summer greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers, but I ensure I make room for a truly indulgent crop – glasshouse melons. Of course, you can grow melons outdoors, but if we have an inclement summer then glasshouse crops offer the guarantee of a good result. These plants are the Rolls Royce of the melon world. they’re a variety called ‘Alvaro’ which is a charentaistype melon known for its superb flavour. I can’t wait to pick them! You’ll know when your melons are fully ripe because they’ll emit the most delicious smell. But it’s also important to support the fruits of glasshouse crops as they mature. Being trained up string, ripe melons would crash to the floor if simply allowed to hang on the plant, so I’m fashioning…

AS my garden is open to the public until the end of this month I’m keen to have reliable September flowering plants around every corner. A group of plants that I would not be without are the nerines. I grow Nerine bowdenii, as these are hardy types, raising them in pots and borders. For best results, plant them at the foot of a south-facing wall in a well-drained soil. These autumn flowering bulbs need to be baked by the sun to encourage flowers. They dislike being moved so make sure you have picked the right spot for them. Those planted in pots will enjoy a sunny spot and if you’ve got a cool room in the house why not bring them inside for an indoor display? My favourite of all…

THERE are still plenty of garden pests at work this month. The best way of reducing their impact is to manage your garden well and remove unnecessary debris. Many garden pests work at night so you are left scratching your head as to what has caused the damage on your favourite plant. Head out with a torch and you might spot the culprit. Dahlia flowers are particularly susceptible to attack from nocturnal earwigs now. To catch them, place a pot upside down on a garden cane stuffed with straw. Place your trap amongst your dahlias and empty out the pests from the pot daily. Another night worker is the adult vine weevil. These tricky to control pests leave irregular notches around the edge of leaves, like the damage caused by…

IF this week’s free seeds don’t lift your spirits, I don’t know what will! Cornflower ‘Polka Dot’ is a jolly, dwarf variety of this once-common agricultural land staple. Its gem-hued flowers come in shades of red, pink and purple and are supported on bushy plants that grow to 18in (45cm). The chief delight of cornflowers is that as hardy annuals, they are incredibly easy to sow and are happy in poor soils. Get them in the ground now and they will germinate before the first frosts, developing strong roots during the cold season before they start to grow away again in spring. You can also sow them between March and May, but these may not flower as well as those that have had a head start and will possibly grow…

Combine with grasses A refreshing, contemporary combo of Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii Caerulea Group and the evergreen Bowles’ golden sedge (Carex elata ‘Aurea’) will ignite the garden in May. Go for colour contrast Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii Caerulea Group paired with the flaming flowers and claret foliage of Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’ makes the boldest of statements. Team white and green Stick to an elegant pared-back palette of fresh green and cool white with a waterside planting of variegated Hosta ‘Francee’ and Camassia leichtlinii subsp. leichtlinii. Meadow style Take inspiration from the Wildflower Meadow at Highgrove, where Camassia quamash and C. leichtlinii subsp. leichtlinii work beautifully with alliums – try it in a border, too. Be complementary Luminous sky blue Camassia ‘Blue Heaven’ is the perfect complement to perennial Salvia nemorosa…

Write to us: Ask the AG experts, Amateur Gardening magazine, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG Email us: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Q Can a phormium be moved and, if so, when? Do they benefit from being divided? Llinos Morgan, Llandovery, Wales A Phormiums can indeed be moved. The recommended advice is to lift them in spring – and they can be divided at this time too. However, like many perennials, they can be moved at any time during the autumn and winter as long as the weather and growing conditions are conducive. If your garden is particularly vulnerable to serious frosts, or your soil is heavy and likely to stay wet and cold through the winter then I would recommend not lifting your plant until spring. Prepare the new site…

WIN Worth £847 TO help you tackle those unruly hedges and overgrown boarders STIHL is giving one lucky reader the chance to win the complete range of Lithium Ion Compact products. Included in the range is an MSA 120 Chainsaw, HSA 56 Hedge Trimmer, FSA 56 Grass Trimmer and BGA 56 Leaf blower – all with batteries and chargers. The whole range boasts some of the features most loved by gardening professionals, who have trusted STIHL to deliver the best results for more than 90 years. This prize will give the winners everything they need to have the perfect garden. BGA 56 Cordless Blower The STIHL BGA 56 cordless blower is incredibly powerful and soon gets paths and patios cleared of leaves. Best of all, it’s significantly quieter than petrol…

PLANS to create a £200million Garden Bridge over the River Thames in London have been scrapped. Over £37million of taxpayers’ money had been spent on the project with a further £9millon at risk, it is reported. The bridge, backed by actress Joanna Lumley and former London mayor Boris Johnson, was designed by Thomas Heatherwick. The Garden Bridge Trust confirmed it was winding-up the project and “had no choice because of the lack of support for the project from the Mayor”. London Mayor Sadiq Khan highlighted a “funding gap of £70million” and said: “I could not permit a single penny more of taxpayers’ money being spent on it.”…

Garden Set £23 + £5 p&p V&A Shop vam.ac.uk The Victorian textile designer produced numerous wallpaper designs, one of which now features on this trowel and hand fork set. Morris’s Bower wallpaper of 1877 shows flowering plants and a variety of foliage in shades of green on a pale blue background. Made from aluminium the tools are lightweight, durable and ideal as a gift, boxed up and ready to go. Strawberry Thief Gloves £15 + £4.99 p&p 01761 452966 english-heritageshop.org.uk A leading member of the Arts and Crafts movement, one of Morris’s most famous patterns, the Strawberry Thief, is based on the thrushes he watched stealing strawberries from his garden. Now it adds a designer edge to the polyester backing on these gloves. The soft palm is made from 100 per…

NEMATODES are microscopic worms, invisible to the naked eye. Some are natural predators of soil-dwelling grubs and when watered on grass they seek out and infect the grubs with a deadly natural bacteria. It sounds grizzly but nematode application increases the ratio of predators to prey. Once the grubs are under control, the number of nematodes falls, too – unlike chemical poisons that can pollute soil for a long time. Sold in sachets of clay that are mixed in cans of water and sprinkled on the lawn, remember to water grass thoroughly before application, as the nematodes ‘swim’ to find their prey.…