Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Nov-2017 i Amateur Gardening

TopTip If you have run out of space in the garden and in the greenhouse, overwinter plants indoors in a light, cool room away from direct heat. Watch them for pests, and water occasionally. ALTHOUGH many plants can survive winter outside, a lot of popular varieties and young cuttings need a bit of extra help to see the cold months through. A lot of plants can be left outside, as long as they are wrapped or have their crowns mulched to stave off the worst of winter’s chill. Many others need to be lifted and stored, either whole or without their foliage (see p7 on lifting dahlias and cannas), somewhere dry, frost-free and where they are safe from pests. There are lots of ways of protecting plants and cuttings and…

TopTip Never leave houseplants on a windowsill overnight in winter. Closed curtains trap cold air and this will damage, or even kill off, tender varieties that come from warmer climates. I THINK we are entering the final stages of the Battle of Schefflera, and am cautiously hopeful we will emerge as victors. Our umbrella plant (Shefflera arboricola) is growing well, despite indignities including being graffitied with indelible marker during a teenage party and a serious infestation of scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite. In recent weeks many of the Schefflera’s leaves have become pocked with little scales and festooned with the spider mites’ webbing. Houseplant pests are as active in winter as they are in summer. They cause more damage now because the plants are dormant and have less…

1 Once the foliage starts to wither, cut it back to around 6in (15cm) and compost the removed plant material. 2 Carefully ease the plants from their pot - you may need to run a trowel around the inside to loosen the roots if they are pot-bound. 3 Check the tubers, making sure they are healthy. Discard any that aren’t sound, as rot and fungal problems can spread quickly. 4 Store them in pots of dry compost or sand, and place them somewhere frost-free, such as a shed or under greenhouse staging.…

Listen to Peter's free podcast every Thursday. Search for 'This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook' on iTunes THE suggestion we dust our fish and chips with chilli powder hadn’t entered my head until I met husband and wife team, Maggie Goodsell and Mark Rowland last month. They have spent the last nine years breeding tomatoes and peppers for flavour. Tomato ‘Sweet Aperitif’ is one of the leading garden varieties for taste from this work and now peppers are being bred specifically for flavour and UK climatic conditions. Apart from traffic light colours for sweet peppers – that is red, yellow and green coloured fruits and different degrees of heat in the chilli peppers – other qualities hadn’t registered with me. Now, rather like fine wines and apples, we…

From Thompson & Morgan Experts in the garden since 1855 Double up for 1p Rose ‘Queen elizabeth’ is an exquisite floribunda rose and the perfect tribute to the Queen’s long reign. It’s a robust, disease resistant variety with a tall upright habit which produces a profusion of long-stemmed, rounded clear pink flowers. Grow as a beautiful specimen rose bush or plant several to form a delightful, flowering hedge. Flowers appear over a long period giving you a plentiful supply of cut flowers to enjoy indoors. supplied as bareroots. Height: 60in (150cm). spread: 30in (75cm). ▪ Buy 1 for £9.99 ▪ Double up for 1p & Buy 2 for £10 How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021 please quote AGT342Z. All orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising…

1Only take cuttings from this year’s growth (older wood is far less likely to root). Select stems roughly 12in (30cm) long. Cut horizontally just below the bottom bud and at an angle just above the upper one. If you drop them, you’ll then know which way is up! 2 Fill a large pot with John Innes or multi-purpose compost and insert the cuttings so only the uppermost bud is showing. Alternatively select a patch of weed-free, free-draining earth in a sunny spot and making a slit with a spade, insert the cuttings here. 3 Put the pot in a sheltered place so that it doesn’t freeze solid. Water if the soil/compost becomes dry. Your cuttings will take a year or so to root, so patience is needed. In autumn next…

‘HGC Jacob’ The most consistently early of all the Christmas roses (in my experience); the blooms of ‘HGC Jacob’ sometimes start to open in November. Grown in cool conditions the slightly lobed flowers will develop pink tints as they age. ‘HGC Snow Frills’ The best double-flowered form, blooming reliably at Christmas. A mass of shorter, narrow petals backed by large rounded ones. Good grown in a pot in a cold greenhouse for pristine flowers without soil splashes. Delightful. ‘Winterbells’ An unexpected hybrid between a Christmas rose and our native stinking hellebore! This year, my plant was flowering from mid October, and those pink-flushed green flowers will keep on coming for months. ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ Slightly upward-facing flowers, with bright green nectaries behind the boss of golden stamens, shown off attractively…

3 terrific trees Betula utilis var. jacquemontii Sparkling white bark and a pyramidshaped canopy. Dangling catkins in spring and dark green foliage that turns yellow in autumn. H: 60ft/18m. Acer davidii Ideal for underplanting, the snake bark maple has green and white striped bark and autumn leaves in reds, oranges, and yellows. Lovely year round. H: 50ft/15m. Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ (AGM) With orange, red and purple autumn foliage, plus creamy-white spring flowers, followed by yellow berries in autumn/winter. H: 20ft/6m. 3 foliage plants Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ (AGM) This hosta’s thick, ridged leaves in greenish yellow add structural interest and brighten up a dull corner. They’re less prone to slug attack, too. Pale lilac flowers add summer colour. Polystichum setiferum (AGM) Easy to grow and evergreen, the large fronds (up…

RepLicATe the feel of the forest floor using tree stumps, logs and pieces of driftwood. Hardwoods are best – oak, sweet chestnut and beech – as they rot slowly. Fill any crevices with soil and leaf mould, and plant up with small ferns. Over time, moss, lichen and fungi will grow over the dead wood, and your stumpery will provide food and shelter for insects like solitary bees, woodlice and beetles, as well as hedgehogs. TopTip Get in touch with a local tree surgeon and ask if they have anything suitable for a stumpery.…

Can I combat clubroot? Q Last month I pulled up some sorrylooking brassicas to find their roots swollen and distorted. I guess this is clubroot. Does this mean I won’t be able to grow these crops again? Derek Meddings, Marineville, Hants A When you first discover clubroot on your plot, it is a nasty shock, but not the disaster it first seems. The disease is caused by a soilborne slime mould that can remain in the soil for 20 years or more, regardless of whether brassicas continue to be grown. Infection gains entry through root hairs and symptoms are twisted, swollen and distorted roots, from which spores are released into the soil. Should you notice plants turning pale and drooping, it is worth carefully forking the roots up and if…

Write to: Wendy Humphries, Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF or email: amateurgardening@timeinc.com Star letter Giving double the value IGROW a large range of flowering shrubs including lavender and buddleja, which not only looks nice, but should also help the bee population. However, I have also planted an evergreen cotoneaster, which has clusters of very tiny flowers in June. This year, it attracted more small bumble bees than all my other flowers put together. So if you want more bees in your garden, a cotoneaster shrub will not only attract bees but will provide a good crop of red berries in autumn which the birds also find irresistible. I’m still learning about gardening even after 75 plus years. Bob Musgrave, Street, Somerset Wendy says: I have…

Prize Draw Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover is a protective and decorative natural mulch ideal for use in beds, borders, planters, containers and pots. Made with natual wood fibres that lock together to stay in place, it protects plant roots in winter, helps prevent weeds an keeps soil moist in summer. We have three 100lt bags to give away, each worth £9.99. For a chance to win, see below for details of how to enter the draw. How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover Draw, Amateur Gardening, 2 Pinehurst, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF. Or you can email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com, heading the email Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover Draw. The closing date is 21 November 2017.…

OUR front garden is home to two surprises and should you ever come to call (you’ll think twice after reading this). Our cat Parker is the first. She crashes through the borders with all the subtlety of a wild boar before staring sweetly at the unwary with a ‘Come pat me’ look on her bewhiskered face. This is a trap. Reach out with the hand of friendship and faster than you can say the ‘Here’ of ‘Kitty, kitty’ she’ll clamp her teeth into your arm and scuff at your wrists with her claws. “I like its troublefree cropping best!” The other surprise you might spot as you run for the gate, is the magnificent crop on the quince tree. What takes me aback is how well the hefty pear-like fruits…

1 Check all the pieces are present and start assembling. Make sure the base is square and stable. 2 As it gains height, make sure the shelving is properly secured and the poles filly inserted in their sockets to create a durable structure. 3 Cover the framework with the waterproof shell and tie it into place. They are cheap and easy to replace if damaged during storms. 4 Leave the front open on mild days but always close it at night. A few bricks or blocks of wood on the bottom shelf helps prevent it being blown over in bad weather.…

1 Wipe leaves clean using a damp soft cloth. Removing grime lets plants access all available light and boosts rates of photosynthesis. 2 Wiping leaves clean also removes sooty mould that is caused by the sweet excretions of sap-sucking pests. 3 As a belt-and-braces precaution, I always use a houseplant pesticide after cleaning a plant. 4 Raise humidity – which will deter glasshouse red spider mites – by adding gravel under the plant and keeping it damp.…

TopTip Young bushes transplant better than more established ones. Instead of moving an old, unproductive plant, take hardwood cuttings from it, grow them on and use them as replacements. TWO years ago I planted a blackcurrant in a bed that I thought would suit it perfectly. However, a lack of sunlight may have knocked it back as it has yet to fruit while other bushes planted at the same time elsewhere in the garden have been cropping well. It needed moving and now, when it is dormant, is the best time to do so. When you transplant shrubs of any kind, not just fruiters, do so on a day that is mild, overcast and relatively still, so the roots lose as little moisture as possible. Dig the new hole first,…

TopTip If you tie back climbers now and train them in the direction you want, new shoots will follow the same path when they come into growth next spring. Don’t forget to secure them as they extend! WE have been battered by a couple of blustery autumn storms recently and they reminded me to go out and check existing plant supports and affix new ones. Stormy weather is also a useful prompt for getting on with outstanding pruning. The dormant weeks of autumn and winter are the best time for many trees and shrubs, though leave alone early-flowering varieties as you will remove the growth that carries spring blossom. I tied back a young fantrained apple tree that has put on good growth this summer and is several inches higher…

HOW would you like to save some money on composts and mulch? It’s a no-brainer, as long as the results are as good. All you need do is sieve materials before you use them. You see, most of us purchase these items in large plastic sacks, which come from big stacks of sacks moved around by the pallet load. Stacking compresses the contents, which may also have soaked up water as they’re usually, and most wrongly, stood in the open air awaiting sale. All this means is that – as I’m sure you’ve observed – when you open the bags inside you find a mixture of chunks, or worse, large slabs of compressed compost. Most of us crumble this with our hands as we need it but that’s only partly…

ONE OF life’s little luxuries is an early morning cuppa in bed from where I can see the autumn border whilst I’m sipping tea. It’s now full of late-season grasses and tall perennials that produce statuesque seed heads. As I gaze out, wrens swing in out of the border like trapeze artists, catching small insects in the nooks and crannies of the plants. Occasionally they will dive down to the ground, drink from the guttering on the greenhouses, or poke about in the mite-rich lichens on the walls. There may be a pair or more of these jaunty little birds, who are in my garden because they can find food. The whole area is left intact over winter and then cut down in late January or mid February, so my…

Gallium odoratum Sweet woodruff produces clusters of small, starry white flowers with a subtle fragrance in late spring. Plant in moist soil in dappled shade. G. odoratum spreads by underground rhizomes and will gradually form large clumps. Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (AGM) Those zingy lime-green flowers, held above rosettes of dark green foliage, really light up woodland borders. A compact plant, this spurge prefers moist, well-drained soil. Spreads by suckers, and can become invasive if not kept in check. Asarum europaeum (AGM) This wild ginger has attractive glossy, round leaves that reflect light and brighten up spots under trees. The plants will slowly spread to make great ground cover. Likes humus-rich, moist soil that has an acid to neutral pH. Suppliers Long Acre Plants plantsforshade.co.uk 01963 32802 Ashwood Nurseries ashwoodnurseries.com…

WHAT do gardeners like to talk about the most? The weather of course. During the winter, frost is a hot topic; gardeners with a frost pocket needing to be extra vigilant about plant protection. So, what is a frost pocket? Put simply it’s an area of low-lying land where cold air collects. This makes it a tricky part of the garden to manage as frost will arrive early in winter and leave late in spring. Cold air is dense and tends to run downhill. It then gets trapped in low-lying land or in corners of the garden, which are well fenced or hedged. The easiest way to work with a frost pocket is to choose hardier, laterflowering, plants and tweak your gardening techniques accordingly. A more extreme alternative is to…

Will my surfinias survive the winter? Q I have some surfinias outside in wall hanging pots and they are still green and healthy. Could I overwinter them indoors to flower next near? Geoff Gauntlett (via email) A The Surfinia petunia, which comes in a wide range of varieties, is perennial. To keep yours safe, overwinter them in a gently heated greenhouse in which the temperature does not fall below 7?C (45?F). Alternatively, position them on a warm, sunny windowsill indoors. If you wish to propagate them, take 2-3in (5-7cm) shoot-tip cuttings in April. Remove lower leaves that might be buried and insert cuttings to half their depth in a 4in (10cm) pot of proprietary cutting compost. Space shoots 3in (7cm) apart and carefully water them in. Place cuttings in a…

From Thompson & Morgan Experts in the garden since 1855 Double up for 1p This stunning variety is one of the most eye-catching hydrangeas available. The rounded flower heads are formed by dozens of red florets with blue centres, each petal tipped with an extraordinary shade of lime green. This robust, hardy shrub makes a superb addition to borders or large patio pots. height: 48in (120cm). supplied as a 31⁄2in (9cm) potted plant. ▪ Buy 1 for £9.99 ▪ Double up for 1p & Buy 2 for £10 How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021 please quote AGT344Z. All orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising you of the expected despatch date. This offer is subject to availability. Offer enquiry line 0844 573 2021. Order lines…

We try before you buy TALLER shrubs and trees add a valuable extra dimension to gardens, but they can easily become too tall so they need pruning regularly. That’s where long arm pruners come in. These tools are capable of reaching high into the canopy so the gardener can stay at ground level – which is a lot safer. The best of them will cut stems over an inch (2.5cm) in diameter and reach as high as 20ft (6m). There are many different designs. We selected six readily available models and tested their cutting ability on mature holly, apple and ornamental hawthorn trees. 25mm Telescopic Tree Cutter £34.99 free delivery 01869 363635 wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk Features Steel telescopic pole with lever lock. L.4ft 11in – 8ft 8in (1.5 – 2.6m). W. 3lb…

THE most common fruit tree-buying mistake is to plump for fruits already sold in the supermarkets. These won’t necessarily be good in your garden, with apple varieties like Cox being particularly diseaseprone and tricky outside of a commercial orchard. If you want a similar flavour choose cultivars that have been bred from them instead, like the apples ‘Kidds Orange Red’ or ‘Sunset’, which are far more reliable (good nurseries can advise with this). The less ordinary fruits are the most rewarding as they are easy and crucially can’t be bought in the shops.…

It’s a wrap: Buy next week’s AG for the ultimate guide to seeing plants safely through winter – and what to avoid doing. 1 Greenhouse: An ideal light and warm environment. Keep it ventilated, close doors and windows at night and wrap plants in fleece if you have no heater. 2 Cloche: Perfect for insulating single plants, but try and get one with ventilation holes if possible. Anchor it securely so storms don’t blow it away! 3 Shelter: Walls can protect, but make sure they don’t cause a frost pocket. Grouped containers create a microclimate slightly warmer than elsewhere. 4 Conservatory: These are ideal for larger specimens such as bananas and citrus plants that like warmth and a lot of light during the winter. Making your own shelter ▪ Creating…

Remove foliage: Tidy up and compost excess dahlia foliage and spent flowers before the plant has been hit by the first frost and is ready for lifting. TopTip Cannas and dahlias can be left in situ in mild areas. Wrap containers in fleece and after cutting back dead foliage, mulch border crowns with a generous layer of straw or bracken. If I had £1 for every summer garden I have seen ablaze with the rich colours of cannas and dahlias, I’d be living in luxury rather than writing for AG every week. And how boring that would be! These bold plants are ubiquitous in the warmer months, and rightly so. Their rich colours and wide variety of shapes add interest to borders and last from mid-summer until the autumn. Now,…

1 Dig a hole deep and wide enough to take all the roots comfortably and add some well-rotted organic matter. 2 Carefully dig around the plant to loosen the roots and lift it gently, with as much soil attached as possible. 3 Place the bush in its new hole and in-fill with the removed soil. Firm it down as you go to remove air pockets. 4 Water the bush well, so the roots are saturated. Keep it well-watered while it gets established.…

▪ 17-18: See How Our Garden Glows opening weekend: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 17-19: The Enchanted Woodland: Syon Park, London Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 8JF. 0208 560 0882, syonpark.co.uk ▪ 18: Care of the Fruit Garden in Winter: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 21: Curious Conifers Walk and Talk: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 22-26: Christmas Craft Fair: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley ▪ 24: Winter Pruning: Crown Nursery, High Street, Ufford, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 6EL. 01394 460755, crownnursery.co.uk ▪ 24: Christmas House Plants, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr…

PROPAGATION is a fun way to get to know your crops. It helps build your confidence as well as your plant collection, so why not give it a go this week? At this time of year many fruit crops (e.g. gooseberries, blueberries, grapes and figs) can be propagated via hardwood cuttings, which are an absolute cinch to take. Their ease relies on this being the start of the dormant season. Plants have essentially shut down, which makes the cuttings much more resilient. There are no leaves to wither, rot or fall off, and no specialist propagator is required. All you need is a pair of secateurs, a spade and a pot. Here’s how in easy steps: Protect seedlings from mice WHEN it comes to young, tender shoots, there’s not much…

There is something truly magical about a wood: the unfurling buds, emerging perennials and the carpet of flowers in spring; the cooling dappled shade of summer and the changing leaf colour of autumn. And while most of us don’t have the luxury of our own patch of woodland, it is possible, even in a small space, to capture the essence of one outside your back door. There are a number of ways you can do so, but the quickest is to use existing trees as a starting point. If you don’t have any of your own, you can ‘borrow’ those that border your plot and encourage climbers to scramble over fences and walls so that your garden appears to merge into the surrounding greenery. Then simply turn the shade these…

Nassella tenuissima This perennial grass forms healthy clumps in a sunny well-drained garden. A hardy plant that self seeds. Height: 50cm. Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’ Any hardy geraniums are ideal for a frost pocket. This one offers dashing purple flowers that repeat in summer. Height: 60cm. Malus ‘Ellison’s Orange’ A dessert apple with blossom less susceptible to frost as it is late flowering. A self-fertile apple. Praised for its juicy red fruits. Crataegus monogyna Like most British natives the hawthorn is ideal for a frost pocket. Either grow as a tree or hedging plant. Has attractive May blossom. Hellebores Take your pick of the hellebores. Ideal for a shady, cold spot. These hardy perennials flower in later winter. Height: 50cm. Magnolia ‘Apollo’ Magnolia’s flowers are susceptible to late frosts but try…

QIs winter the best time to prune a young Robinia hispida▪ Viv Elgar (via email) ARobinia hispida needs no pruning other than to remove damaged parts. Robinia have brittle branches and these can be damaged during high winds. Damaged branches can be pruned out, but do this in mid to late summer. QI have been asking and looking around for a while to try and figure out what this plant is, I’m hoping you can help. Alexandra Boanta (via email) AI suspect that your plant is a form of agave, probably Agave attenuata. A native of Mexico, it grows to around 3ft (90cm). When mature, it produces a riveting recurring flower spike of greenishwhite blooms. It is not hardy in Britain, so is best grown under glass, in a heated greenhouse…

String in a tin £8 orlakiely.com There’s no need to worry about knotted string when there’s a proper dispenser at hand. Decorated in the classic Orla Kiely flower stem print this tin contains a high-quality natural fibre twine that pulls out easily every time from the top - simply cut the length you need and tie it securely to your plants. Twine length is 475ft (145m) and tin size 4in x 4in (10cm x 10cm) Ball dispenser £18 p&p £3 tch.ne Have perfect, easy-to-unravel string to hand whenever you need it, whether you’re tying in plants or wrapping up parcels. The wooden spool has a groove cut into it to allow you to put the string through, so there’s no searching for the end H. 8in (20cm) x W. 6in (16cm)…