Innholdsfortegnelse for 4-Nov-2017 i Amateur Gardening

TopTip Some people treat tulips as annuals and replace them each year. If stored properly they will flower again though not as strongly as the first season. Always leave the foliage for six weeks after flowering FOOD is never far from my mind at the best of times and, when you are planting tulips, it’s hard to get away from it. Not that tulips are edible however. Far from it in fact – they are poisonous to eat and can be an irritant and people who have sensitive skin are advised to wear gloves while handling them. The reason they make me wonder if it’s lunchtime yet is down to two ways of planting them, one traditional and one more modern. The tried and tested way of grouping tulips with…

TopTip Don’t put perennial weeds with ripe seed heads on the compost as the seeds will either germinate in its warmth, or overwinter and get going when the compost is spread next year. IT is tempting, in autumn, to keep colourful annuals going for as long as possible just to extend the joy of summer. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but have finally come to the realisation that this year’s annuals are way past their best and need to go. Clearing borders is useful in many ways. On a cosmetic level it improves the look of borders, but it also benefits the garden long-term. I set myself the task of stripping a border of summer annuals and adding them to the compost. What started as a quick job…

1 Cut off old and diseased foliage and remove any decaying material from under the plants, as it can harbour disease and pests. 2 If your pinned runners have produced healthy new plants, cut them free from the parent now using clean, sharp secateurs. 3 Place the young plants in a greenhouse or cold frame over the winter. Check regularly for pests and don’t let them completely dry out. 4 Treat container-grown plants the same way as those in a bed. Tidy them up, then move them undercover for an earlier crop next year.…

▄ 3-5 November: Autumn Woodfest (A Festival of Trees): RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET 0845 265 8071, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hydehall ▄ 4 November: Beginner’s Gardening, Colourful Autumn Garden: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. To book 020 3176 5830; rhs.org. uk/gardens/rosemoor ▄ 9 November: How to Make and Use Compost: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. To book 0845 265 8071, rhs.org. uk/gardens/hydehall ▄ 9 November: Propagation, Cold Frames, Cuttings and Seeds: Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire SA32 8QH. 01558 668998, aberglasney.org ▄ 10-12 November: The Enchanted Woodland: Syon Park, London Rd, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 8JF. 0208 560 0882, syonpark.co.uk ▄ 11-12 November: Christmas Shopping, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, N Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830,…

1Position a wheelbarrow just outside the greenhouse doors and dig out the old border soil to a depth of at least 12in (30cm). I find transferring the soil to a bucket, then tipping the bucket into the wheelbarrow the easiest way to move large amounts of earth. 2 You want your new earth to be in tip-top condition, so either dig up soil from a spare border or buy in sterilised topsoil. If using garden soil, try to select it from an area where it’s got a good texture (not heavy clay) and hasn’t grown veg for five years. 3 Enrich your new soil with some well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost or multipurpose compost. This will ensure it has a lighter texture and doesn’t compact down over time.…

How can I care for my exotics? Q I brought back a small strelitzia (bird of paradise) plant from Madeira a couple of weeks ago, planted in a 4in (10cm) pot. It has already grown quite a bit. I also have Vanda and Cattleya orchids growing. How do I look after them? Kathy Greaves, Virkie, Shetland Isles A All I suggest that you do now is to insert slow-release Osmocote granule clusters to feed your charges for the next six months. Water to keep the compost moist, but not soggy – it’s far better to under-water these plants, specially in winter. Hopefully your plants are already three or four years old, so should bloom within two years. Remember, the larger the pot, allowing roots to quest widely, the sooner blooms…

Write to: Wendy Humphries, Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF or email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Star letter Trial and error pays off OUR 1960s housing estate is built on the site of an old army fort and, judging by the amount of stone, brick and concrete shelves underneath, we think our garden must be on the parade ground! We also live in a chalky, hard water area and are plagued by slugs. We are getting better, with a lot of trial and error and reading magazines like AG, and choosing plants that are right for these conditions. We are also pleased that slugs don’t like forget-me-nots, hyacinths, columbines, foxgloves, love-in-a-mist, bluebells and lots more lovely plants that grow happily in our conditions. Richard and Sue Webb, Gosport, Hants…

A GREENHOUSE or coldframe will protect plants against the odd chilly night and keep the first frosts at bay, but once things turn really cold and temperatures don’t rise above freezing something more is needed. We’ve looked at a selection of electric (you’ll need power in your greenhouse, obviously) and paraffin (you’ll need to buy the fuel) heaters suitable for small greenhouses to see how they compare. It’s wise to give your greenhouse some form of insulation if all the heat you’re paying for isn’t to be lost straight out of the glass to the cold winter air, and if it’s really cold you might want to screen off a smaller compartment that’s easier to keep frost-free. Remember to take precautions with heaters: electric ones need to be kept dry…

WOOD ash contains potassium-rich potash, a plant food needed for flowering and fruiting, so is particularly useful for apples, red currants, gooseberries, tomatoes and strawberries. The best time to apply it for these is in the spring. Wood ash is also alkaline, making it an excellent thin mulch around brassicas such as cabbage, radish and wallflowers that struggle in acid soil. Apply to raise pH in autumn, raking the ash into the soil surface, or sprinkle it in thin layers and mix with leaves etc in your compost heap, where the ash will feed and help ‘sweeten’ the contents as they rot down.…

Staying snug: Check next week’s AG for simple but spectacular container ideas, and how to protect them after planting. ALTHOUGH you can start getting most spring bulbs in the ground from late summer onwards, it is highly recommended that you wait until November to plant your tulips. This is because the warm, moist conditions that usually arise in autumn are perfect for the spread of tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae), a fungal disease that will kill bulbs and plants. A virulent problem that only affects tulips, Botrytis tulipae causes leaves to twist and wither soon after they sprout from the soil. They may then develop brown spots that enlarge, making the foliage appear as if it has been scorched by fire. Spots also appear on the flowers, which soon rot, and…

Future flowers: If you saved seeds from this year’s wallflowers, sow them next spring, nurture the plants and plant them out the following year. TopTip Hardwood cuttings don’t need special treatment and should survive outside somewhere sheltered, such as against a fence or a wall. If snow or storms are forecast, move them undercover for the duration. If you took cuttings of favourite plants in summer and autumn, you are probably keeping your fingers crossed that they will see winter through successfully. I took several sets of cuttings, from tender perennials to rockery plants and hardwood cuttings. I also potted up a set of last autumn’s blackcurrant hardwood cuttings and am nursing them through the winter to plant out next spring. So how to keep them healthy? Most cuttings will…

Listen to Peter’s free podcast every Thursday. Search for 'This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook' on iTunes A COMMON recommendation when it comes to the pruning of cortaderia (pampas grass) is to set fire to the mass of dead foliage in spring. I would think twice about this if I were you as I well remember the late Percy Thrower demonstrating the process on BBC Gardeners’ World. In the event it certainly caught fire – enough, in fact, to have someone telephone the fire brigade for help! Pampas grasses look magnificent at this time of year and before the winter gales break the stems, or fold over plumes leaving them looking forlorn, rather like dirty washing! It’s important to select the right cultivar for todays’ smaller garden. Cortaderia…

THERE’S an old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ so here’s something to consider, and some simple precautions to prevent problems arising. We know there are many sorts of garden diseases, and that bacterial and fungal ones are more common and more troublesome – so much so, in fact, we’ve had to employ all manner of means to prevent them ruining our flowers and crops. But, as with humans, plants can also suffer viral infections, and these can be more insidious and harder to spot. Some we’re well aware of such as tomato/tobacco mosaic, and most of us are quick to get rid of old blackcurrant bushes when their leaves become nettle shaped and crops dwindle from reversion virus. The difficulty is many viruses don’t immediately cause much obvious sign…

WITH its numbers plummeting the hedgehog is one creature that gardeners can really help. There were an estimated 36 million in the UK in 1950, but by 2015 this had fallen to a mere million. Roads in particular are a real hazard as these dark-brown creatures come out at night, with no high-vis jacket and only a defence mechanism to curl up. As a result urban populations have declined by one third since 2000. Hedgehogs in rural areas have fared even worse, going down by a half since 2000. Here badgers predate them and intensive farming methods mean that many hedges have been grubbed out, reducing habitat. Pesticides have also reduced their food options. Hedgehogs have a varied diet and consume around 100 creatures per night, walking between half a…

Q I found these in the lawn. Are they doing the grass any harm? Andy Clutton, Manea, Cambridgeshire A Bad luck, the toadstools are those of honey fungus. Subsisting upon buried, decaying wood, they are not harmful to grass but, if left, may spread to and kill nearby shrubs. Ideally, remove them, together with the wood or other organic matter on which they are growing, and bin them. Do not compost them. Sadly there are no chemical controls for this fungus. Q We have lots of thin red worms at the top of our compost bins. Is this OK? Carol Smallwood (via email) A I am delighted that thin red worms are feeding upon the organic matter in your compost heap. Beneficial, they digest waste, which bacteria convert into humus,…

amateurgardening.com Editorial offices: Amateur Gardening, Time Inc (UK), Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF 01252 555213 Email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Subscriptions: 020 3148 6340 Editor: Garry Coward-Williams Gardening editor: Ruth Hayes Consumer editor: Julia Heaton News editor: Marc Rosenberg Designers: Al Rigger and ‘The Studio’ Picture research and Letters editor: Wendy Humphries Marketing: Samantha Blakey Classified advertising 020 3148 2858 Advertising director: Kate Barnfield 020 3148 2575 Managing director: Steve Prentice Content director: Mark Hedges Group managing director: Oswin Grady Subscription rates (51 issues, all prices shown include postage) UK: £107.53; Europe/Eire: ¤195.99; USA: $254.99; All other regions Middle East, Africa, Asia, Far East and ROW £166.99. Cheques payable to Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. Write to: Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, PO BOX 272, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3FS ?…

Protect against cold, wet weather and autumn leaves Three seater swing seat cover £31.95 + £2.99 p&p outdoorvalue.co.uk When you’ve spent a fair amount of money on a swing seat it makes sense to ensure your investment doesn’t come under attack from wild winter weather. A waterproof woven polyester cover is the answer. Suitable for three seaters it has a front zip for easy access and is double sewn for extra strength. A strong cord makes for a secure fitting, while vents prevent condensation and mildew. Drain tidy £9.99 + £3.99 p&p 0333 240 0707 qwerkity.com Allow leaves and rubbish to build up in drains and you could be in for all manner of problems. The answer is simple – don’t allow blockages to happen in the first place. A…

1 Place drainage crocks in the base of a clean container. I use broken crockery or pieces of polystyrene. 2 Place compost at the correct depth and add the deepest layer of bulbs. Ensure the bulbs are evenly spaced. 3 Cover the bulbs with compost. I am using a mix of multi-purpose and bulb fibre, which will feed the bulbs. 4 Add the middle tier of bulbs, trying to place them so they are in between the bulbs below, if possible. 5 Add more compost then place the smallest bulbs or corms (these are anemones) on top, before covering. 6 Water well so the compost is soaked right through. Stand the pot on feet and place in a sunny, sheltered spot.…

TopTip Don’t tidy strawberry plants that are three years old or more, as they become more prone to soil-borne pests and disease. Compost them and buy new plants in spring, planting them in a different spot. I THOUGHT I had already given my strawberries all the tidying up they needed, but a warm and wet early autumn has prompted them to put on lots more growth. They have even produced flowers and have a couple of berries as well, though these won’t ripen now. Now is the time to give your strawberries a final tidy up. Start by removing any flowers and unripened berries as these will rot, giving pests and diseases an easy entry point. Also remove excess runners as these will take energy from the main plant. Back…

INCREASED rainfall and freezing conditions can turn even the lightest soils into an unworkable morass, while heavier soils simply become a claggy nightmare. The best course of action during the winter months is to avoid treading on beds and borders where possible. If you absolutely have to, lay a plank across the soil and work from there – it helps to distribute your weight more evenly, which is less likely to cause compaction and damage its structure. However, November is the ideal time to dig over and improve your soil for better results next year. This is especially true for clay soils, which will then have winter’s freezing weather to help break them up and make them more workable. Spring is the optimum time for improving light, thin soils but…

MOST gardeners are aware of of crop rotation – where related veg are grown in new beds year on year to help prevent disease build-up. But why isn’t that thinking automatically applied to our greenhouse soil, too? The vast majority of people grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and perhaps melons in their greenhouse soil, and if this is repeated year on year then that soil is soon going to become at best exhausted and at worst, riddled with pests and diseases – and that’s a recipe for disaster! So now is the ideal time to honestly assess how well your greenhouse border crops did this year. Were crops meagre and vigour low? If so, this step-by-step project should help you to put that right: Harvest winter cabbages WITH their vitamin-rich foliage…

Snowdrops and ferns Enjoy white clumps of snowdrops peeking through the new fronds of deciduous ferns, which begin to emerge in spring. Note that this combination will not work with evergreen ferns such as Polystichum aculeatum. Crocus and dwarf almond Borrow an idea from Great Dixter and plant pretty Crocus tommasinianus amid the bare stems of dwarf almond Prunus tenella. As the crocuses fade the almond will first be clothed in pink flowers, and then foliage. Alliums and crocosmia Alliums such as A. hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ look incredible flowering through the fresh young foliage of crocosmia, which will bloom in the summer. You can apply the same planting technique to tulips and lupins. Where to buy J. Parkers jparkers.co.uk 0161 848 1100 Bakker bakker.com 0344 481 1001 De Jager dejager.co.uk…

Worth £3 4 .95 PUT the winter blues behind you and look forward to a summer garden brimming with bright and cheerful blooms! This top quality collection of herbaceous perennials will fill your garden with colour from June to September next summer and for many years to come. Collection comprises the following bulb varieties: n Liatris x 6 n Gypsophila rosea x 4 n Eryngium planum x 4 n Physalis x 4 n Alcea rosea x 2 *just pay £5.65 postage Other special offers: Cottage garden favourite OFFER 1 Lupin ‘Russel Hybrids Mixed’ Tall spires of tightly packed flowers rise above clumps of palmate foliage in a magical array of colours. A distinctive hardy perennial that remains a firm favourite adding height and structure to cottagestyle gardens. Height: 36in (90cm). Spread: 20in (50cm).…

nurseryman and former Gardeners’ World host I KEEP a trug behind my garden shed filled with dry wood and twigs for use as a bonfire-starter kit. This tinder stockpile costs nothing and not only saves the smoky embarrassment of a fire that won’t light, but nips any temptation to reach for turps (or worse, petrol) in the bud. This always ends in disaster as I know from bitter experience. As a callow youth working in a client’s garden, I poured petrol onto a reluctant fire only for it to catch on a hidden ember causing flames to leap in a deafening ‘thrump’ back into the plastic can. In shock I hurled the can into the air spilling a blazing arc of fuel all around. I was lucky not to have…