Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Sep-2017 i Amateur Gardening

Leave them alone: Don’t cut back penstemons until after the frosts next spring. The greenery helps protect the crown of the plant from winter’s cold. AS the mainstay of most summer gardens, a lot hangs on the health of your herbaceous perennials. Ours have been fantastic this year, with special mention going to the catmint, penstemons, echinaceas, hardy geraniums and Verbena bonariensis. “Increase plant numbers by simple division” As early autumn continues its course, this week is an ideal time to take stock of your perennials, tidy them up, plant new ones and divide those that have outgrown their space. Hardy geraniums feature largely in our garden because they love its freedraining chalky soil. They need regular cutting back throughout the growing season to keep them in shape and encourage…

▪ Alpine bulbs are sown in the same way as other bulbs – they should be planted at three times their own depth and a bulb’s width apart. ▪ Many of them are dwarf varieties and are also suited to being naturalised in lawn or planted under trees. Place them singly and watch them increase in number over time. ▪ If your soil is heavy clay, improve its structure by digging in plenty of grit or well-rotted organic matter. ▪ Bulbs planted in dense soil that is prone to holding on to water are at a greater risk of rotting and failing to thrive.…

1 Water the cuttings so they slip easily from their pot, then carefully prise them apart, so you don’t damage the roots. 2 Pop each cutting into a 5in (12cm) pot of multipurpose or loamy compost (I am using John Innes No 2) and firm it in. 3 Water the cuttings well, making sure their compost is thoroughly dampened. Don’t let it dry out over winter. 4 Place the cuttings in a cold frame, unheated greenhouse or in a sheltered corner of the garden. Plant them out next spring.…

1 Place the larger plants on the soil in their pots until you get an arrangement you are happy with. 2 The holes need to be as deep as the plants’ rootballs and slightly wider so the roots aren’t cramped. 3 Remove the pots and tease out the roots. If any have matted under the containers, gently pull them apart. 4 When planting, make sure you infill around the plants properly and firm down the soil to give support.…

AS the days shorten and light levels fall, most houseplants enter their winter dormancy. This means you can stop feeding them and reduce their water levels. Wait until their compost is dry to the touch and their pot feels lighter when lifted before adding more water. The exceptions are ferns and citruses that do best if their compost is kept slightly damp. Citruses also need feeding all year round. Water from below and stand plants on damp gravel to raise levels of humidity. This is especially important in a room with central heating, which often creates a dry atmosphere. I put a bottle cap filled with almond oil on top of the compost in each pot to eliminate fungus gnats. They breed in compost, but are attracted to the sweet…

1 Start a leaf-mould bin and keep adding to it – it’s the best soil and compost improver you can get. 2 Take foot-long cuttings of blackcurrants, redcurrants, grapes and gooseberries, trim faded leaves fade and push into soil. 3 Stop regular watering of most tender plants in containers under cover (like this streptocarpus). From now on give just enough to stop them wilting. 4 Beware: as the nights begin to cool it’s now that rodents move into sheds, greenhouses, cellars, garages and attics. Block obvious holes and set precautions.…

1 Lift your carrots on a dry day. Slide the prongs of a garden fork alongside the row then gently lever it upwards to ease the roots out of the soil. The aim is to snap or damage as few as possible. Once lifted, leave them on the soil for an hour or so to dry the skins. 2 Now grade your carrots – use up any that are split, stabbed or showing signs of root fly damage – these won’t store well. You’ll be left with top-quality roots. Gently twist off the foliage, then lay the roots so they’re not touching in a box of dry sand. 3 Build up layers of roots as you fill your box, packing them with more dry sand. Top the box with a…

THIS task, known as ‘shucking’ is like yoga for the soul. Just grab a chair, a bowl, a handful of beans and start popping. Not just any beans, mind you – beans suitable are those that are dried like kidney, borlotti, butter and cannellini beans, or types that are shelled and used fresh, like soya beans and this flageolet bean I’ve grown called ‘flambeau’. Dried and fresh podded beans are excellent for casseroles, risottos, and soups. While french and runners are grown for their pods and need regular picking, shucked beans can be harvested all in one go. Just wait for pods to dry out on the plants or, as is the case with these fresh flageolets, wait until the pods are large enough.…

GOLDEN hops (Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’) are one of the most vigorous climbers you can grow. At the height of summer, my three plants created a magnificent spectacle against the black supports of our pergola, that was only really surpassed when the climber became draped in thousands of showy cones. Unfortunately, the plant will start to go downhill rapidly over the next few weeks as the leaves turn a murky shade of brown. Alas, there’s nothing left to do other than cut the entire thing back. I start by snipping away ties, then gradually work my way from one end to the other, cutting shoots and unwinding them from supports. It requires having to work from a ladder and is a mucky job that results in plant debris going all over…

IT is so often the case that things of great beauty require a lot of care and cosseting. So what a relief it is to grow low-maintenance Mr Fothergill’s Godetia ‘Azalea Flowered Mix’ in your garden! Godetia (Clarkia amoena) are bright, free-flowering hardy annuals that originate in North America where they grow in the wild as well as in gardens. Their showy funnel-shaped flowers bloom from early summer right through to early autumn and look delightful in borders. The plants also look striking when cut for indoor arrangements. The variety we are giving away this week produces a profusion of double and semi-double blooms in shades of pink and red that will not only delight you, but also draw in the bees and butterflies too. You can sow your godetia…

Buy 2 get 1 FREE This Rhs Award of Garden Merit winning bluebell creeper is easy to grow, preferring a sheltered corner where, given a wall or trellis, it’ll scramble up to 6ft 6in (2m) with simple evergreen leaves. The stunning climber will produce a profusion of beautiful, bell-shaped flowers all summer, followed by purple berries later in the season. Sollya heterophylla is ideal for planting into pots. height: 6ft 6in (2m). spread: 24in (60cm). supplied as a 3in (7cm) potted plant. ▪ Buy 1 for £9.99 ▪ Buy 2 get 1 FREE for £19.98 How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021, please quote AGT318Z All orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising you of the expected despatch date. This offer is subject to availability. Offer…

THIS depends on where you live. I have to lift mine – as you would expect in a place with a name like Cold Aston – and do so, following a frost, by mid-November (earlier if cold weather arrives). Stems are cut back to 3-5in (7-13cm) and the soil is gently shaken away but tubers are not cleaned off. They’re stored under the bench in the unheated frost-free greenhouse, in deep plastic crates with holes in the side. I cover my tubers in dry compost and leave them alone – though in severe winters I do fleece them. In spring, tubers are divided before planting by gently pulling them apart. This is advisable as a mass of tubers won’t flower well. In warmer parts of the UK you can leave…

Buy 1 for £8.99 was £9.99 THE multi-branching floricanes of Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’ bear superb yields of deliciously sweet berries, while thornless stems and a short stature make harvesting quick and easy. They can be netted with ease to protect the crops from greedy birds and the sturdy stems won’t need support either - perfect for the low maintenance garden. Height: 39in (100cm). Spread: 20in (50cm). Supplied as a 31⁄2in (9cm) potted plant. ▪ Buy 1 for £8.99 Was £9.99 ▪ Buy 3 for £14.99 Was £29.97 ▪ Buy 1 Raspberry Patio Collection (including 1 potted plant, 1 large patio pot + 100g of Incredicrop®) for £19.99 Worth £24.97 How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021, please quote AGT320Z All orders will be acknowledged by letter or email,…

The latest stories from around the UK Got a story? e-mail: marc.rosenberg@timeinc.com Giant veg challenge CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship is at the Malvern Autumn Show on 23-24 September. Categories include heaviest chilli and longest chilli. Wisley glasshouse milestone RHS Garden Wisley’s spectacular glasshouse celebrates its 10th birthday with a special exhibition on view during the Wisley Flower Show (5-10 September). AS Triffid-like plants go, it is the stuff of nightmares – striking fear into the most experienced house-buyers and confident property investors. But the nation now has a handy tool available to see if Japanese knotweed is growing anywhere near their home – or close to a property they intend to buy. Five years ago the Environment Agency launched an app called Plant Tracker to map the spread…

Pepper ‘Biquino Red’ (hot) Lots of attractive fleshy fruit are produced on plants, which are said to be “extremely versatile with great flavour”. This type of fruit is sometimes known as ‘little beak’ peppers. Sow from February to April for harvesting between July and October. Price: £2.29 for 10 seeds. Kale ‘Sympatic’ Claimed to be a very hardy variety, this new kale features tightlycurled leaves for tasty winter greens. Vigorous roots are said to resist wind-rock. Its baby leaves can also be used raw in salads. Sow from March to September for harvesting from June until April. Price: £1.79 for 250 seeds. Pea ‘Valido’ This new maincrop variety is reported to be highyielding, producing masses of large, pointed pods that each contain nine to 11 medium-sized peas. Good powdery mildew…

Metal arch £37 01376 573 302 thegardenfactory.co.uk Frame a view or separate one garden area from another with an arch. Made from hardwearing tubular steel with a black coated polyester powder coating the Gardman arch is weather resistant and makes an immediate style statement. It’s also perfect for adding height and interest with your favourite climber. H. 9ft 8in (295cm) x W. 4ft 7in (140cm) x D. 1ft 6in. (47cm) Home assembly required. Ornate gothic mirror £129.99 +£4.99 p&p 0118 903 5210 primrose.co.uk An outdoor mirror can bounce light back into a shady garden and give the illusion of more space. Although made from reconstituted stone, glass fibre and resin the surround on this one looks and feels like traditional stone and will weather just like it too. Measures W.…

Nurseryman and former Gardeners’ World host DESPITE the washout weather, flowers have a bumper crop of kernels that are ripe and ready for harvest and I’ve gathered more seed than at any time since I had a job collecting seed at a botanic garden! For the veg plot I’ve been bagging-up the heads of companion and cut-flowers that I’ll sow next year for colour along the ends of rows of vegetables. The fat plates of spent sunflowers, the wiry tops of larkspur and cosmos are all easy and worthwhile, as are French marigolds. “Plants in bloom cost over a fiver!” If you’re after that naturalistic Provencal potager-look, marigolds among the rows of ‘Cavolo Nero’ kale are essential, as not only do they look good and provide petals for salads and…

1 Water the plant well to minimise its shock, keep the rootball hydrated and make it easier to dig up. 2 Using a fork, loosen the soil all the way around the plant, then carefully lever it from the ground. 3 Split the plant either with a sharp knife or spade blade, or by teasing the roots apart with your fingers. 4 Discard divisions that are damaged or have poor root systems. Re-plant the rest at the same depth as their roots. 5 Water the divisions well and add a layer of nutritious mulch to keep the soil hydrated and suppress weeds. 6 Using sharp, clean secateurs, cut off dead or damaged foliage and flowers to keep plants healthy and looking good.…

LAST autumn I took several hardwood cuttings from a blackcurrant bush and now they are ready to move into larger pots. I could plant them straight into the ground, but they should do better if they spend winter in pots of compost in a protected environment, such as the cold frame now and greenhouse later. They will be planted out into their final positions next spring, when the frosts have passed. Hardwood cuttings are taken in autumn, when plants are dormant and their wood has hardened off to withstand colder weather. This is a relatively fail-safe way of increasing plant stocks, but you need to be patient – cuttings can take up to a year to take root. I struck mine in a 12in (30cm) pot of cuttings compost mixed…

LAST week I spent an afternoon deadheading and clearing weeds and spent bedding from a border in the back garden. It looked immaculate afterwards – but also rather barren and empty in the areas between the shrubs and perennials planted for autumn interest. So I popped down to our local weekly market and bought three late-flowering perennials on special offer (a sweet William, a pink-and-white penstemon and a delicate pink gaura), plus a mixed tray of little hardy cyclamen. As we live in the south and our garden is reasonably sheltered, these will hopefully flower for several weeks more. The roots will develop through the winter so the plants put on a bigger and better display in future - and I won’t need to worry about unsightly gaps when next…

Listen to Peter's free podcast every Thursday. Search for 'This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook' on iTunes RUN your eye down the list of sweet pea varieties in seed catalogues and it is a veritable who’s who, from ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ to the ‘Tiller Girls’, ‘Princess Elizabeth’ to ‘Sue Pollard’, ‘Dusty Springfield’, ‘Geoff Hughes’ and ‘Darcey Bussell’. Every year the gardening press gather at seed trial grounds to witness the naming ceremony for the latest sweet pea variety and recent personalities honoured at Mr Fothergill’s naming’s have included sweet peas ‘Jimelda’ (after Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton), ‘Emilia Fox’, ‘Sir Henry Cecil’ and this year ‘Lady Salisbury’. I have grown sweet peas as cordons for cut flowers for more years than I care to remember, the first requirement always…

THINGS are starting to ease off in the greenhouse after a busy few months. The last tomatoes and cucumbers are ripening and the rest of the space is slowly filling up with tender perennials and cuttings, with room set aside for a lemon tree, tender banana and nonhardy standard fuchsia. The key to keeping these healthy throughout the winter is maximum light, adequate heat and good hygiene. Remove any shading to let in as much light as possible. Check your heater – if you use one – is in good order. If you don’t heat your greenhouse stock up on fleece to wrap around plants and bubble wrap to attach to the greenhouse frame as added insulation. At this time of year you should water plants in the morning to…

Next week: order new fruit stock, cover perpetual strawberries with fleece, pick nuts, cut leaves off ripening squashes and ways to store chillies HEARTY casseroles, warming soups, tray-baked and buttery mash – there are loads of ways to use this essential root veg in the kitchen during winter – I’d be lost without carrots! Sowings made way back in the spring will be yielding delicious, crunchy pullings now. While I’ve been munching my way through some as baby roots, there are only so many carrots a person can eat in the summer. So now, as autumn is upon us, take time out to lift and store your very best roots. I’ve been experimenting with different varieties, growing quick-maturing early varieties like ‘Romance’ alongside classic maincrops such as ‘Autumn King’. I’ll…

IF your compost heap is anything like mine it will have trebled in size since the spring! I claim it’s a testament to our enthusiasm on the plot, but a large pile of rotting vegetation can soon lose its appeal if it’s not looked after properly. Composting is a science, rather than a pile of rubbish. If you’ve read up on it you may well have come across ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ – which refers to the two main types of material that you add to your heap. Greens include soft, sappy items like vegetable peelings, rotten fruit, grass clippings and lush leaves; brown ingredients refer to woody materials like prunings, dried-up stems and animal bedding such as hay and straw. Essentially you need a mixture of each for successful composting,…

I WAS at a jolly gathering a few weeks ago, enjoying a pub meal, and marvelled at the complexity of the drinks order. Gin was the favoured tipple of some young things. Others wanted wine, some wanted shandy and two lightweights, including me, went for fizzy water with lemon and ice. It proved how different we all are and the insects that visit our gardens are equally picky when it comes to collecting nectar. Flowers come in different shapes, colours and sizes, that’s obvious, and they all produce nectar, which is the sugary drink most flying insects need for energy. Pollination is almost a by-product, rather like my cat spreading goosegrass seeds through the garden when she hunts for voles. Thankfully I haven’t got many of these cleavers. Nectar, rather…

A GROUP of Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’ have been fantastic this year, blooming constantly from about late May until the end of August. Now flowers have faded leaving long stems topped with fluffy seed heads and clumps that look a bit tired. After cutting the spent stems down to the ground, I find it helps to chop plants back hard to rejuvenate the foliage. Rather than let the fading flower stems of Astilbe ‘professor van der Wielen’ set seed, I’ve taken them back to the base. Over the next month or So, the foliage will start to turn brown and crispy, and I’ll prune the whole lot back by cutting 2in (5cm) above the ground, taking care to avoid any of the knuckle-like growths near the surface. Don’t get carried…

▪ A few weeks ago I noticed that one of the baby ‘spiderlets’ from our kitchen spider plant had been knocked off its runner. ▪ I popped it into a jar of water and it soon started to take root – the easiest form of plant propagation there is! ▪ The roots are now robust enough to take potting up in container compost. Simply place the plant in a clean pot and cover the roots with fresh houseplant compost. ▪ Firm it in, water it and place your new plant on a light windowsill.…

Geranium Rozanne (‘Gerwat’) Spreading border essential that boasts lavender-blue blooms from May to October. Magenta pink G. x riversleaianum ‘Russell Prichard’ is also long-flowering. Sun or semi-shade. Height: 2ft (60cm). Verbena hastata f. rosea Forming a veil of blush pink at the back of borders from June to October, this AGM winner is hardier than its floriferous cousin V. bonariensis, which lasts one to two years and will self seed. Full sun. H: 31/2ft (1.1m). Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ One of the longest-flowering heleniums, with deadheading this good doer will produce copper-amber flowers from June to October. Plant in moist, welldrained soil in full sun. H: 3ft 3in (1m). Gaura lindheimeri Has white blooms that float on willowy stems for months – sometimes from May through to November. Its airy,…

‘Karma Choc’ AGM One of the Karma series, this floriferous dahlia has brownish foliage and slender stems topped by deep red flowers. Good with yellow rudbeckias. H: 4ft (120cm). ‘Waltzing Matilda’ AGM This coral pink and sunset whirligig has informally shaped, often non-symmetrical flowers, making it a fabulous choice for the front of a border. H: 2ft (60cm). ‘Totally Tangerine’ Too new for an award, this anemonecentred option has a neat dark-tangerine middle surrounded by petals that morph between pink and orange. H: 2ft (60cm). ‘Twyning’s After Eight’ AGM A bee-friendly, elegant blush-white single with dark foliage and stems. The hint of pink in the flower means it mixes well with purple and pink asters. H: 4ft (120cm). ‘Thomas A. Edison’ No AGM here, but this 1929 plum-topurple dahlia has…

How do I stop slugs eating spuds? QI lifted my maincrop potatoes only to find that the tubers were riddled with slug holes. How can I stop this happening next time? Sid Hasslebury, Brentwood A This is a complaint that’s familiar to most potato growers. The fork goes in and there is the usual rush of excitement when pale (or rosy-skinned) spuds show against the dark soil. And at first, they look great. Slug damage is often invisible until the tubers are washed prior to cooking but then small entry holes show up, which cut through, reveal the tunnelling activities of small slugs and often the culprits themselves. These are subterranean long-keeled slugs, whose underground activities place them safely out of reach of slug pellets, even if you wanted to…

A NEW seed range aims to boost gardeners’ confidence by only offering varieties that hold a coveted Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The new Award of Garden Merit seed range from Mr Fothergill’s comprises 61 flowers and 57 vegetables – all of which have been tried, tested and recommended by experts at the RHS. Flower varieties have, where possible, been selected from the RHS Perfect for Pollinators list. The launch follows the appointment of Suffolk-based Mr Fothergill’s as the RHS’s preferred partner for licensed seed products. The RHS’s Cathy Snow said: “The AGM seal of approval tells gardeners that the plant performs reliably in gardens and is the ultimate guarantee of quality.” To carry the AGM logo, all plants in the range have been grown and tested…

▪ 17: The Invisible World of Plants, RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 18-19: Autumn garden lunch, Belmond le Manoir, Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7PD. 01844 278881; Belmond.com ▪ 19: Autumn and winter pots and containers (2pm): RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 19: Tuesday garden tours, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr ▪ 20: Gardening for Wildlife, Middlethorpe Hall and Spa, Bishopthorpe Road, Middlethorpe, York YO23 2GB. 01904 661301, j.betteridge@middlethorpe.com ▪ 22: Late Season Show-Stopping Perennials, RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor ▪ 22: What Tree Can I Plant in my Garden? RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge…

‘Red beauty’ Crimson blooms with darker markings and gold throats on plants 3ft (1m) tall. Great for cutting but stems may need staking. ‘Purple Rain’ Large, rich purple-pink blooms have white centres, patterned with dark markings and stand 30in (75cm) tall. ‘Inca Ice’ A pale peachy wash with flushed centres and flecks of orange/brown. Reaches 2ft (60cm) and rarely needs staking. ‘Sirius’ One of the ‘Planet Series’, the blooms are deep coral with a gold throat and brown markings. These will reach 3ft (1m).…

WINNOWING is the fabulous process of separating the seeds from their casings and spent petals known as ‘chaff’. Put the seed-heads in a bowl and scrunch-up between your fingers to pop the kernels from the cases. Then standing outside with the wind at your back, gently toss the contents into the air, gently blowing across the bowl at the same time. Because seeds are heavier than the chaff, they fall back into the bowl while all the stems, petals and unwanted greenery blows away. Pour the seed back into a labelled envelope and keep in drawer for sowing in spring.…

OUR ‘rockery’ – I use inverted commas because it is basically a hastily-thrown together, inherited mish-mash of stones plonked above the patio – is one of the most neglected areas of the garden. Plans for its renovation have been in the pipeline for ages, but never seem to reach the top of the ‘to do’ list so it only gets an occasional tidying up. Autumn is a key time for rockery maintenance. Most alpine plants do best in the summer when the weather is warm and dry and their long, questing roots can spread far and wide to access all the moisture and nutrients they need. Alpines are tough plants, perfectly suited to the poor, thin soils and punishing climates of high altitudes. However, they are not so well suited…

▪ For hardwood cuttings take a length of this year’s healthy, hardened growth, approximately 12in (30cm) long. ▪ Cut it into sections around 4in (10cm) long. Make sure each piece has one end cut on a slant. ▪ Dip the end that was cut flat into hormone rooting powder and insert it into a pot of compost and perlite, or a trench of gritty soil. ▪ Firm them in, water well, and keep them weed and pest free.…

▪ Autumn-planted perennials need extra care and attention to keep them healthy and flowering for longer as the weather deteriorates. ▪ Remove dead or damaged material when planting, so it can’t provide an entry point for pests and disease. ▪ Avoid placing plants too close together. They need space for airflow and proper growth to keep them robust and reduce the risk of fungal problems such as mildew. ▪ Deadhead regularly, but at the end of the season it can be worth leaving some seedheads in place as they look attractive when covered in winter frost and provide food for garden birds and over-wintering insects.…

1 Sweet peas are self-pollinating and come true from home saved seed. It is therefore worth collecting seed pods from good named cultivars at the end of their season. 2 Sweet pea seeds will hold germination over several years, but unlike most other seeds are better stored in paper packets rather than dry airtight tins or for longer periods in the deep freeze. 3 Autumn sown sweet peas will produce seedlings that will withstand really hard frost. Cloche or cold frame cover is advisable however to protect from excessive wet and bruising winds.…

HERE’S how to make your plants happier – and maybe save some cash as well. We could all store a little more rainwater than we do now. Plastic butts are not expensive and by just standing another beside an existing one you’ve doubled up straightaway. “Get those gutters, butts and barrels fitted now” Two butts could also support a shelf of plants between them and be doubly useful, then you could fit a third… Of course the problem is you’ll eventually run out of space. The answer is to connect the butt plumbed in to the downpipe to others hidden somewhere out of the way, and you can do this with a siphon: a hosepipe weighted and hung down to the bottom in each butt which, once filled with water,…

I’D hate to turn into a nag, so this is just a gentle reminder that you should have pruned anything that we gardeners call a ‘stone fruit’ by now. I’m referring to cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, damsons, gages, almonds and the like, all of which are prone to two serious diseases: bacterial canker and silver leaf. Both can ultimately be fatal to a tree, and pruning during winter increases the likelihood of infection. On the other hand, summer pruning, where wounds dry up and callus over quickly, helps to minimise their occurrence. Ideally pruning would have been carried out immediately after you picked your crop, but I can empathise with you if you’ve not yet carried the job out – summer is incredibly busy for us gardeners!…

YOU’D think it would be a doddle – just walk up to your tree, pick the fruit and sink your teeth into it – yes? Well, yes! Some varieties of apple and pear are indeed that simple, but many aren’t. If your apples or pears are dessert varieties that ripen in late-summer and early to mid-autumn (eg apple ‘Discovery’ in August, ‘Ellison’s orange’ in September and ‘Pixie’ in october) then it’s just a case of establishing when they are ripe. You’ll find many hints in books and online for this point of perfection: “when the apple seeds turn brown, when there are windfalls, when the fruit parts easily from the spur,” but the most reliable method is to take a bite out of one or two sample fruits. You’ll tell…

Tip: Tighten tree ties that are loose or relax ties that are biting into stems. As a rule, stakes should only be needed to support a tree for 18 months before being removed. ONE of the stars of my garden is the day lily – hemerocallis. I’ve got three different varieties that provide a non-stop display for about seven weeks in summer. The first yellow bloom opens in mid-June and plants are still going strong at the beginning of August. They really are good value and require very little care, apart from regular deadheading, to ensure they continue to pump out fresh blooms. So I’ve decided to find space for other varieties and, as luck would have it, I already have some in containers that I’ve been nurturing for a…

THERE are parts of my garden that I’m really pleased with and others that could do with a revamp. All summer long, I’ve been jotting down ideas for changes that I’d like to make to existing planting schemes, along with the introduction of some new features. It’s been a little frustrating because I’ve wanted to crack on with the work but have had to wait for autumn and its perfect planting weather. The first thing I want to do is move a Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) that I planted against the fence at the top of my garden in spring. The position has proved too light for the self-clinging climber, resulting in the foliage scorching. I’ll lift and replant it against the fence in a shady bed near the…

1 Create a healthy seedbed by raking the soil to a fine tilth, removing weeds and debris and then watering the ground. 2 Sow the seeds as thinly as possible in curves and swathes to create an attractive, flowing, nonregimented look. 3 Rake a thin layer of soil over the seeds and water again. Protect the area from cats and birds with a layer of twigs. 4 When the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them, out to approximately 8in (20cm) apart.…

Prairie partners Create a relaxed feel with prairiestyle plants that complement one another, such as Astrantia major ‘Roma’ and Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’. Combine with grasses. Colourful combos Held on purple stems, the bold scarlet blooms of Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’ add a punch of colour that contrasts well with the blue/violet of Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’. Cool containers Upgrade summer pots by teaming Euphorbia hypericifolia Diamond Frost and white Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ with cool blue bedding like salvias and verbenas. Front-of-border fabulous Ensure interest all summer by planting Geranium Rozanne (‘Gerwat’) alongside grasses (try the evergreen Carex comans bronze-leaved) and foliage favourites such as Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’, with its mat of grey-white leaves. Border layers Tall, diaphanous plants will help create an airy, layered effect that looks stunning on a…

DAHLIAS aren’t very good at pushing up through herbaceous plants, so the easiest way to grow them is to give them their own bit of space. You could create a gap at the front of a border for shorter varieties, such as the orange whirligig ‘Waltzing Matilda’. however I prefer the system used at Great Dixter in East sussex, a garden that has always used dahlias to great effect. The late Christopher lloyd championed these flamboyant flowers when everyone else damned them. and Fergus Garrett’s team continue to do so by leaving substantial spaces in the border. These are filled, first, with spring flowers like tulips, wallflowers and forget-me-nots, which are lifted in early June, making room for cutting-raised dahlias. Teamed with summer favourites (the likes of amaranthus, Verbena bonariensis…

M. azureum AGM Bees love this non-invasive variety, a Turkish grape hyacinth with bellshaped flowers that are pale blue with just a hint of a dark stripe. Height: 4in (10cm). M. armeniacum ‘Saffier’ AGM ‘Saffier’ has sterile, mid-blue flowers that last for weeks and make good cut flowers. Its leaves appear in autumn and it won’t take over your garden. Height: 8in (20cm). M. aucheri ‘White Magic’ A good option for a small garden as it is less vigorous than many muscari. The white, rounded flowers appear in April and have a strong fragrance. Height: 5in (12cm). M. latifolium Two-tone blooms feature an almost black bottom with a tuft of bright blue at the top. These sterile flowers appear over a long period, from March to April. Height: 6in (15cm).…

Write to us: Ask the AG experts, Amateur Gardening magazine, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG Email us: amateurgardening@timeinc.com How can we beat blight? QMy neighbours on either side have lost all of their outdoors tomatoes to blight. They both removed most of the leaves from the plants. Another neighbour two doors along, has, so far, not had any blight. Our greenhouse tomatoes have shown signs of blight or something similar. Why is this? Andy McIlvenna and neighbours AIt is very bad luck for your neighbours to have lost their tomatoes so quickly to blight. Let me tell you a little about the disease and see if that helps you all to know what to do in the future. The fungus that causes blight is encouraged by warm…

FRIENDS of the Earth (FoE) claims that nine out of 10 leading garden retailers don’t want to sell plants that have been treated with chemicals that are linked to bee decline. The claims come as greens prepared to hand in a petition signed by over 33,000 people, urging the government to support a permanent ban on neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides. FoE said retailers including B&Q, Wyevale, Dobbies, Klondyke, Blue Diamond, Notcutts, Squires, Hillview and Hillier had all indicated their commitment to removing neonics from flowering plants. Bee campaigner Nick Rau said: “Garden retailers are responding to public concern and mounting scientific evidence by saying no to plants grown with bee-harming chemicals.” The concern follows research earlier this year which claimed that 70 per cent of the plants tested from a number…

We try before you buy Next week: Time to get spring bulbs in, but which planter is the best? We take a look at six of them. THERE are plenty of good reasons for planting a tree. It might be for the fiery colour of an acer in autumn or perhaps the brilliant white bark of a birch. There’s the shade they offer from the hot summer sun and fruit to harvest from apple, pear and plum trees. If you’re thinking of doing it then October through to March is the best time. For all but the smallest of trees, staking is recommended in order to prevent wind rock and to provide the roots with stability as they establish in their new home. Single, angled or double staking with crossbar…

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 Wasteland to wonderland I WANTED to share the work and passion put into transforming some abandoned land and turning it into a wonderfully productive vegetable patch in the East End of London. Last year the owners of Phoenix gym asked if anyone was interested in turning the abandoned steps around the gym into a garden as the owners were considering concreting them over. This piece of land is terraced between a series of steps going upwards like an amphitheatre. The…