Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Dec-2017 i Amateur Gardening

THE gift of a houseplant can be a double-edged sword. If chosen with thought it will be welcomed with open arms, but if it’s a last-resort present you may as well have presented a bunch of flowers from the nearest petrol station. Indoor plants are currently going through a bit of a Renaissance and have come a long way from the spider plants and cheese plants of yore. These days, it’s not just about the plant, but about how you display them and what they can add to a room. What we term ‘houseplants’ are actually outdoor plants from warmer climates and require a habitat as close as possible to their native one if they are to do well. If their new home is vastly unsuited to them due to…

1 Cacti and succulents are very “on trend” at the moment and usually look good and do well in conservatories and bathrooms. 2 Not all beauty comes from blooms. Plants grown for their foliage are a striking addition to the home and there is one to suit every situation. 3 Children are fascinated by carnivorous plants such as Venus fly traps and pitcher plants. A perfectly ghoulish gift! 4 Terrariums: Gardens grown in glass containers come in all sizes and varieties, and look extremely classy and unusual.…

• Christmas is traditionally the cut-off point for getting garlic in the ground, so this weekend really is your last chance! • Plant bulbs in a sunny, well-drained site where the soil is fertile and enriched with organic matter. • Keep the growing area free from weeds and cover emerging leaves with fleece to stop birds pulling them up. • This is also your last opportunity to plant tulips in time for flowers next spring. • Whether in the ground or in a container, plant bulbs at three times their depth and one bulb’s width apart in fertile, free-draining soil.…

• Birds will be flocking to your feeding tables now, and drinking and washing from birdbaths when other sources of water are frozen solid. • Keep them clean at all times to avoid spreading disease and attracting vermin. • I regularly scrub our birdbath clean with warm water and detergent, and keep it topped up with fresh water. • Uneaten food should be disposed of, and feeding stations, tables and food holders regularly cleaned and washed. • Discarded food at the base of bird tables should be swept up so it doesn’t attract rats.…

Mulberry ’Mojo Berry’ (syn. M. ‘Charlotte Russe’) produces ripe fruits from June to November in a container (Suttons and in garden centres next year). Strawberry ‘Just add Cream’ (T & M) is unbeatable for sweetness and flavour. It cropped from June to November in a hanging basket, but my plants produced no runners. Celosia ‘Dragon’s Breath’ (garden centres) has been voted people’s choice with dark foliage and flame-red flowers. It likes heat, humidity and infrequent watering!…

I HAVE never understood the extortionate price of shop-bought redcurrants. Anyone who grows a bush on their plot knows how prolific the yields are – and in good years we often have to give them away! Whitecurrants and pinkcurrants, too, are considered gourmet in the shops, but they’re dead easy to grow. Happy in sun or shade, these tart fruits are produced on older wood, meaning you can train bushes into traditional freestanding bushes or space-saving wall-trained fans. You’ll clearly see the fruit buds at this time of year – they are cone-shaped and sit at 45° to the stem. Pruning maintains productivity and now is the time to complete it (see right).…

YOU have to do a fair bit of wiggling with your folk to get parsnips out of the ground. The tap root of this hardy veg can penetrate 2-3ft (60-90cm) deep and often you’ll hear a ‘pop’ as you heave it from the earth. Frost is said to improve the sweetness of parsnips (the roots produce a sugary ‘antifreeze’ when frozen), so I’ve only just started lifting this bed of baby roots. I’m not a fan of massive parsnips, so I sowed these ‘Gladiator’ F1 in early July (sow in mid June if you live in the north of the UK). Sow three or four seeds in clusters 1ft (30cm) apart, keep the rows moist until germination occurs, then thin to the strongest seedling once they’ve emerged. If larger roots…

WE’RE celebrating having been at Spring Cottage for 12 years, and at this time of year we’re ankle-deep in beech leaves because there are several mature trees close to the house. This year they’re a lovely shade of russet-brown, and as it’s been relatively dry collecting them has been a real pleasure. I’m reminded of the American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963), who wrote in Gathering Leaves: “I make a great noise… Of rustling all day… Like rabbit and deer…Running away.” All the leaves have come down this year, but sometimes the beech hang on to some leaves and then drop another load in early spring. Our leaves are collected up in key areas, because in milder winters slug eggs hatch out and then every beech leaf comes with a free…

MENTION winter-flowering shrubs and I’d wager that most gardeners will think of witch hazels, shrubby honeysuckle or other popular cool-season stalwarts. Yet, there’s a less celebrated group of shrubs from Down Under that deserve to be more widely grown for their stunning flowers, which are produced for months on end. Correas are a small tribe of evergreens that deliver a non-stop supply of small pendent blooms from mid-autumn until mid-spring. Native to Australia and Tasmania, they vary enormously in habit, from ground-hugging species to upright plants 10ft (3m) tall. Others make waist-high rounded bushes. The tubular or bell-shaped flowers of wild species come in shades of red, orange, pink, white and greenish-yellow. However, plant breeding has led to an increased number of shades, with many plants boasting attractive two-tone flowers…

Erysimum ‘Jacobs Jacket’ Dark pink, brick red and peach – they all come together in the flowers of this hardy wallflower, which provides a low, spreading bush of dark green foliage and blooms for several weeks in spring. H: 1ft (30cm). Actaea simplex Atropurpurea Group Grow this perennial for dark foliage and plumes of creamy-white flowers that appear in autumn and are popular with bees. It thrives in partial shade and adds interest from April until late in the year. H: 6½ft (2m). Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ This “first-rate thistle” looks great in naturalistic plantings. Clump-forming, with an upright habit, it produces crimson flowers that are a favourite with insects. Likes damp, fertile soil in full sunlight. H: 4ft (1.25m). Geranium phaeum ‘Album’ G. phaeum…

Ruth Hayes, gardening editor “My heart says agapanthus for those fabulous trumpets of colour in beautiful shades of blue (and white),” says Ruth. “My pick is the dark ‘Northern Star’. However, my head says potato – because who doesn’t like a perfectly cooked spud, especially on a desert island!” Garry Coward-Williams, editor “Daffodils are the symbol of new beginnings,” says Garry. “So their bright yellow petals will always give me a sense of re-birth on my desert island. Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’, a diminutive of its big, brassy brother, is my favourite: refined and exquisite.” Julia Heaton, consumer editor “Coincidentally, I’ve gone for a coastal planting vibe in my courtyard garden, and one of the plants that has done really well for me is rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis),” says Julia. “So I’d take…

Butterfly Collection Mug £9.50 p&p £2.99 0161 694 3898 lindybop.co.uk There’s nothing like a cuppa from fine china in the garden. And with this mug you can study a range of butterflies from the Wellcome Collection image archive in between sips. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe, stands H. 3 1/2in (9cm) x D. 3in (8cm) and comes in a matching gift box. Border in a box £24.99 p&p free notonthehighstreet.com Pull in the butterflies and bees with this professionally designed template kit, containing all the information you need to create a border full of plants they’ll be instantly attracted to. The border template measures 10ft (3m) x 3ft 3in (1m) but can be adapted to fit. There’s also a plant list, including flowering times, plant care and photos, a mood…

Why doesn’t my holly produce berries? Q A holly tree sprouted in our garden and we thought we would have plenty of free Christmas decorations. It is now 6ft (1.8m) tall, but has no berries. What do we have to do to get the holly to produce berries? Jessica Weir, Watton, Norfolk A Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a British native common in hedgerows and as an understorey tree of oak and beech woods. Plants are either male or female, so if your chance seedling happens to be a male, it will never set fruit. It could, however, be used to pollinate any number of female hollies. In the wild, there are usually colonies of both, and insects carry pollen from male to female flowers, resulting in a good set. Birds…

Bring the nation’s favourite bird into the your garden with Peckish Robin Seed and Insect Mix. It has a protein-rich seed mix and added mealworms – the robin’s favourite food. We have three 2kg resealable packs to give away, each worth £5.99. See below for details of how to enter the prize draw. How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Peckish Robin Seed and Insect Mix 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 Peckish Robin Seed and Insect Mix Draw. The closing date is 3 January 2018.…

1 Encourage your plants to produce more flowers for a longer period of time by deadheading them regularly. 2 Boost humidity around houseplants by standing them on a layer of damp gravel. This will also deter certain pests. 3 During winter, only feed plants when they are growing or in flower. Keep their compost damp but not saturated. 4 With little natural light available in winter, help plants access as much light as possible by wiping dust and debris from their leaves.…

HOW has 2017 been for you? Cutting back some late-flowering Shasta daisies last week, I started to mull over the past 12 months in our garden. And I wondered whether the articles I have written in this year’s issues of AG have been an accurate reflection of what has actually happened on our plot. The truthful answer is ‘not quite’! I usually focus on the start of projects and report back on those that have been successful, so here is a more rounded idea of what has been happening. While nothing has been quite as catastrophic as the day last year when I dropped a completed hanging basket onto a glass garden table, annihilating both, some projects have failed and mistakes have been made. I lost all our lilies and…

1 Seed and cuttings compost is designed to contain the right amount of nutrients for strong and healthy young growth. 2 Sieve the compost to remove larger debris that may hinder the progress of seeds as they push up after germination. 3 Tiny seeds, such as petunia seeds, are tricky to sow thinly. Mix them with a little horticultural sand for easier sprinkling. 4 Use fresh tap water to dampen seed compost. Water from butts and barrels may be contaminated by dirt and fungal spores.…

DECEMBER 15-24: Stories with Santa: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, N. Yorks HG3 1QB. 01423 565418, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 15-24: Magic of Christmas: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 01423 565418, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 26: Boxing Day Walk: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. 020 3176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall JANUARY 4: Pruning Shrub Rose and Wisteria workshop, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. 020 3176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall 6-Feb 25: Women in Horticulture exhibition: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 01423 565418, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr • Please send details and images of any events happening in your area to ruth.hayes@timeinc.com or address them to What’s On, Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Industrial Park, Farnborough GU14 7BF. •…

ANOTHER year closes and a new gardening year begins. So what have I learned that might help you, and myself, to do better? Well, first, it’s getting more and more obvious that the old weather patterns are changing. Warm days in winter, erratic springs, colder days in summer, late autumns, excess water when least wanted and none when desperate. Certainly that makes trying times for vegetable gardeners aiming to hit windows for crops, but surprisingly it’s hardly a problem at all for most of the fruits. Indeed, I’ve seldom seen a year like it for berries as they’ve been brilliant, but sadly there seemed to be fewer birds about robbing them. Likewise, tree fruits have been magnificent, and wonderfully no wasps – the first year without them for a decade…

WHAT could be more decadent than decorating a gin and tonic with a homegrown lime, or making Limoncello with your own lemons? While my mind springs to festive cheer, there are loads of other uses for citrus – lemon meringue, key lime pie, kumquats in syrup, for example. If you have a well-lit conservatory, or frost-free greenhouse or porch, this dream can become reality. Citrus enjoy a minimum temperature of 15°C and, in summer, humidity. In winter they’re often cropping and can be kept just moist. Using a specialist citrus feed meets their nutritional requirements, and avoiding drafts and waterlogging helps prevent winter leaf loss. Prune overlong shoots to keep plants bushy and mist with water occasionally in summer.…

LET’S face it, most of us will be reminded at some point over the Christmas break why we should “never do it again”. Excess alcohol puts a massive strain on our liver, causes dehydration and releases toxins into our bloodstream – put like that, we should never do it again! But for those of us finding ourselves in that situation this season, there is some help – plant power. Many herbs have the ability to mask, lessen and relieve hangover symptoms, so it pays to put them to good use. Clutching a cup of fennel seed or peppermint tea, for example, will both rehydrate you and suppress nausea. Crawling into a warm bath adorned with lavender sprigs will relax and sooth a throbbing head. If you have things to do,…

Suggestions for a border shrub Q I have a small border that contains hydrangeas that I want to replace with four other small shrubs. What would you suggest I plant? Mr M Bowles (via email) A The following small shrubs are appealing throughout the year: • For a sunny position Abelia ‘Francis Mason’: Evergreen, with small golden leaves and pink flowers in late summer and autumn. Buddleja ‘Buzz Series’: Neat, with pink, red, blue or white cone-shaped flowers. Cistus ‘Peggy Sammons’: Evergreen, with pink saucer-shaped blooms in summer. Lavender ‘Munstead’: Richly fragrant dark lavender-blue flowers in summer. • For a lightly shady spot Skimmia reevesiana : Evergreen, white flowers followed by crimson berries. Pieris ‘Flaming Silver’: Evergreen with variegated leaves, scarlet…

“My gift to you is a list of can’t-wait, must-do jobs” IT may be the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ (according to Andy Williams, anyway), but the indoor chaos of washing up and entertaining the in-laws during the festive season may leave you looking for an excuse to nip out for some air. So this Christmas, my gift to you is a list of can’twait, must-do jobs that will stop you going stir-crazy while providing a perfectly legitimate reason to head for the back door. Frost is your friend on Christmas Day, as not only does it look festive, but it also means that ponds will need a breathe hole cut through the ice sheet to keep fish and other wildlife alive. No matter how tempting it is, never…

1 Phalaenopsis (moth) orchids: Relatively low-maintenance, these flower for months and will do best in a light spot in winter and a shadier site in summer. Water sparingly in winter. 2 Hippeastrum: A popular gift in ‘kit’ form. Place the planted bulb in a well-lit spot, water sparingly but keep the compost damp. Move to a cooler spot when in flower so the bloom lasts longer. 3 Azalea: Houseplant varieties won’t survive outside in colder areas, but they will thrive in a cool, humid room with plenty of light. An unheated porch is an ideal location. 4 Schlumbergera: Also known as Christmas cactus, these low-maintenance beauties like a shady spot. Rest them from late January to March, before their growing season starts again. 5 African violets: Saintpaulia flower in a…

• We try to garden as naturally as possible, using only pesticides as a last resort, and growing plants that suit our soil and setting and that appeal to wildlife and insects. • This includes leaving plenty of wild areas for animals and insects to flourish and forage. • Pleasingly, this year has seen a marked increase in the number of beneficial beasties. • A tribe of hedgehogs moved in, numbers of ground beetles are increasing and, much to my family’s bemusement, I spent a fascinated 15 minutes one day watching hoverflies picking aphids off my broad beans. • Especially pleasing is an increased number of bees, which are widely under threat through habitat destruction, intensive farming and pesticides. • Most summer days the catmint, laburnum and campanula are abuzz…

I LOVE Christmas and all things festive – so long as the celebrations are kept in December. But on the day itself there is something very welcome about escaping the over-indulgence into the garden for some fresh air and light exercise to offset all those mince pies. If it has been mild, weeds will have been gaining the ascendancy while you get ready for Christmas. Get rid of them so they don’t smother your precious dormant plants. Any perennials left standing can be cut back now, and even moved and divided so long as the soil is neither waterlogged nor frozen. If you harvest leeks and parsnips on Christmas morning, take time to dig in lots of well-rotted organic matter afterwards to boost the soil. Check brassicas for damage by…

A WARMING fire crackling and glowing in the grate is one of the perks of winter – and even better, the residual ash can be used to benefit the garden. Wood ash contains useful levels of potassium – a key nutrient that helps plants flower and fruit. It can be added to the compost heap, creating a more alkaline mix. Wood ash will raise the pH of excessively acidic soils, allowing you to grow a wider range of plants. It can also be used on soils where brassicas are grown to raise the pH and inhibit the danger of clubroot disease developing. Conversely, avoid using ash on soil where potatoes are due to be grown, as raised alkalinity will increase the risk of potato scab. In winter, wood ash can…

IF the weather is fine over the next nine days I will be digging to work up an appetite on the vegetable plot. Should it be frosty or wet then I’ll use the time to work through the heap of colourful catalogues from our major seed and plant companies. Each year they get thicker and more comprehensive, so the choice is demanding, to say the least. It’s all too easy to get carried away and buy more seeds than can possibly be raised. So let me at least mark your card to a few new varieties that performed well in my garden this year. Sugarsnap pea ‘Lusaka’ (T & M) is a real find. Mangetout is not to my taste, but ‘Lusaka’ is something else, with thick succulent pods you…

1 Oil all hinges and catches, and ensure your locks are secure on your garden shed as well as on your house and garage. 2 Give friends and neighbours packets of seeds of flowers, herbs, shrubs or whatever, with or even instead of cards. 3 For fresh air and exercise, turn the compost heap. Empty it, mix it, then put it back with loads of seasonal waste added. 4 After festivities come January sales, so look out for stocking fillers for next year. Avoid anything labelled ‘Ideal gift for gardeners’!…

1 If your plant is mature, you may spot some old unproductive wood that needs to be cut out to the base using loppers or a saw – this will encourage new, more vigorous stems to form. Also, take out any dead, diseased or damaged growth.. 2 Congested shoots rub against each other, which can cause bark damage and encourage infection. Overcrowded fruits are also more likely to rot in wet summer weather. Thin out tangled stems, cutting to a sideshoot or a well-placed bud. 3 This last step isn’t essential on free-standing bushes, but it keeps them more compact. Cut all last year’s growth back to 2in (5cm) from its point of origin. This helps to keep fans tight against the wall. New shoots can also be tied in…

IN the festive period it’s sometimes nice to have a break from family members, so here’s an excuse to sneak outside for some “essential sowing”. Justify your actions by suggesting that the prize money for your winning bulb will pay for a slap-up meal – hopefully, the family will have forgotten that comment by August when you enter your giant onion into the village fete. In all seriousness, though, the sooner you sow the bigger your bulb will be, because bulb initiation is triggered by changes in day length. So, if you own a heated propagator, fire it up to 18°C, fill some modules with seed compost and sow one seed per cell, roughly 5mm deep. Ensure your seed is a good strain, such as ‘Kelsae’, to be in with…

IN these days of digital everything, traditional paper calendars may seem out of date, but grubby-handed gardeners will find them a lot easier to use than an electronic tablet or phone. Good paper calendars on permanent display give instant date references. They’re easy to scan and flick through, have room for notes (so long as you can find a pen) and can provide useful additional information, from bank holidays to moon phases and, in garden-themed calendars, topical horticultural reminders. Well-illustrated examples can also make attractive wall decorations and, unlike electronic gizmos, it doesn’t matter quite so much if you leave muddy fingerprints! Garden and Cookery Year £9.95 p&p £4.95 0345 092 0283 Sarahraven.com Features Traditional wall-hanging calendar with inspirational flower, garden and crop pictures. Month-to-view format with separate gardening tips…

THIS collection of spectacular begonias brings non-stop colour to containers, beds and window boxes all summer long. Growing begonia tubers is so easy and they’re guaranteed to make a show-stopping display! Height and spread: 12in (30cm). Collection comprises: • Begonia ‘Double Flowered’ Mixed • Begonia ‘Fringed’ (Fimbriata) Mixed • Begonia ‘Giant Picotee’ Mixed • Begonia ‘Pendula’ Mixed Buy 10 of any variety for £7.99 Buy 40 (10 of each) for £19.99 – Saving £11.97 How to order TELEPHONE ORDER LINE 0844 573 2021 please quote AGT356Z. 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 are open 9am to 8pm (weekdays) and 9am to 6pm (weekends). All correspondence concerning…

A year on the allotment I HAVE had my allotment in Forest Hall, Newcastle, for 11 years and I grow everything from seed. I have grown around 3,000 vegetables and also flowers for the plot this year. It has been an exceptional growing year given the cold snap we had early in the season and has seen a glut of courgettes, beans, cauliflowers, beetroot, tomatoes and sweetcorn. I have grown several different types of vegetables that I haven’t grown before including flower sprout, cape gooseberry and cucamelon. With all the rain we have had, slugs have been more abundant which has been great for my resident hedgehog but quite challenging for me! I overcame this by ensuring that my plants were healthy and strong before planting out. I find there’s…

THE world of gardening has some fun facts associated with it. If, like me, you’re a gardening trivia ‘nut’, and a ‘sucker’ for plant-based facts and figures, then these pages will delight you. Oh, and they’re all connected to the little-known festival of Christmas, too. Enjoy! Poinsettia: how it got its name It’s not often a diplomat has a flower named after him, but this happened to Dr Joel Poinsett (1779-1851), who was American Secretary of War between 1837 and 1841. He introduced this lovely plant from Mexico. • Incidentally, the Mexican name for this flower is Flor de la Noche Buene, or Flower of the Holy Night. The holly and the ivy Both holly and ivy were important to the Romans. The holly was said to represent the masculine…