Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-Mar-2018 i Amateur Gardening

THE saying ‘if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail’ is as applicable to gardening as in any other endeavour. If you want a garden to be proud of this year, now is a good time to get out and see to your soil before the growing season really gets into its stride. Soil is a living thing, and should be rich in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. But like anything else, it can get worn out and need nurturing back to its best. I like to start by removing any weary-looking spring bedding and forking over the borders where they may have become compacted during the winter. Then dig in lots of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure – a 2in (5cm) layer should be enough to really improve…

Early spring is the perfect time to improve heavy or thin soil ready for the growing season. Heavy clay soils that are hard to work and soon become waterlogged can be lightened by digging in plenty of well-rotted organic matter (compost or manure) with added grit. This makes it more free-draining and less likely to remain saturated after heavy rain. Thin, poor soils show better results if organic material is added as it helps them hold on to water and increases their nutrient levels.…

After replanting, firming in and watering, new plants benefit from a generous layer of mulch applied around their roots. Well-rotted homemade compost or farmyard manure is ideal, as are brand-name mulching products. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture, preventing the roots drying out. It also helps suppress weeds and can deter pests. It slowly releases additional nutrients into the soil. Avoid getting mulch on the crown of a plant as it can cause it to rot.…

• This is your last chance to prepare trees for autumn moving. Young trees transplant much better than more established ones, and trees that have been growing somewhere for five years or more are best left where they are. • Dig a circular trench around the tree one spade spit (blade depth) deep, 1ft (30cm) wide, parallel with the spread of branches. • Back-fill it with sharp sand, which will encourage the growth of fibrous feeding roots. These will help the plant to re-establish quickly after transplanting. • Give the tree or shrub a gentle prune, only removing dead or dying branches. You can prune it properly once it is re-located and dormant in autumn.…

AQUILEGIAS are tenacious beauties that self-seed with abandon and will grow in even the poorest soils. This week’s free seeds from Mr Fothergill’s are Aquilegia ‘Biedermeier Mixed’, which produce pretty bonnet-shaped blooms in pastel-pinks and blues, as well as white. Sow now and plant them out this summer for flowers next year. These hardy perennials are cottage-garden favourites that appreciate dappled shade and free-draining soil. They grow well in borders and containers and are popular with beneficial pollinators such as bees. Below I also show you how to prick out seedlings that are ready to move on from their nursery seed tray. This can be done once they have developed their first sets of ‘proper’ leaves, rather than the rounded germination seeds that first form. When you move the seedlings,…

IF you’re limited on garden space, then growing fruit in pots is a godsend. Crops take up little space, weeding is a doddle, fruit takes fewer years to appear and plant protection is simpler – what’s not to love about all that? Plant breeders have cottoned on to how popular it is, too, producing more compact varieties as a result. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, figs, apricots – all these crops and many more are perfectly happy in containers. Potting up your crops is one thing, but keeping them happy in their containers is another. It’s crucial that roots are healthy – not congested or vulnerable to drying out. Re-potting deters both these pitfalls and the time to do it is now. Here’s how to do it, step by step…

ONE of the plants that does really well in my woodland garden, at the lower end of the garden close to the spring, is the primrose. It seems to like the cool, damp conditions at the bottom of the garden. I wanted to grow lots of snowdrops and hellebores in this patch, but my garden had different ideas. The snowdrops and hellebores struggled, but the primroses and lots of different wood anemones have thrived. Both are bee-friendly and both seed freely. “I’ve been collecting all sorts of primroses for decades” One of my golden rules is to grow the things that do well for me. It’s no good, for instance, wanting to grow moisture-loving asters and phloxes if you’re in East Anglia where the summers tend to be too dry.…

MY mum always enjoyed gardening, and as soon as I was old enough she wanted me to enjoy it, too. So, knowing they would mature before I lost interest, she showed me how to sow some radish seed. Three or four weeks later I pulled a red-and-white ‘French Breakfast’ radish out of the ground, took it into the kitchen, washed it and took my first bite of the first food I’d grown myself. I then promptly spat it out as it was so hot! The experience put me off gardening for years, until I eventually swung back around and studied horticulture. And here I am, writing about radishes – and enjoying eating homegrown radishes for much of the year. But, surely, growing radishes is so easy that the last thing…

■ If sown 1in (2.5cm) apart, thinning will not be necessary. ■ If seed is sown more thickly, thin to 1in (2.5cm) as soon as possible; overcrowding will ruin your crop. ■ Water in dry spells as dry conditions encourage slow growth and tend to make radishes uncomfortably hot, as well as pithy, woody and with hollow spots inside. Moist soil also discourages flea beetle, the main pest. ■ Pull as soon as the roots are ready, usually after about three to four weeks; for flavour and texture, sooner is usually better than later. ■ Do not leave the last of the sowings in the row. These will eventually go woody, which can lead to clubroot.…

Woodland plant nightmare Q Inspired by visiting spring woodland gardens, I planted some cyclamen, winter aconites, snowdrops, dog’s-tooth violets and so forth in our garden. However, I hadn’t realised quite what a problem we had with perennial weeds like ground elder and bindweed. How can I enjoy the plants and deal with the weeds? Jane Sinclair, Redruth, Cornwall A Choice woodlanders usually arrive as young plants and need time to build themselves into decent clumps able to hold their own against perennial weeds. Even then, ground elder can rise to 3ft (1m), effectively shading them out, bindweed swamps and couch grass produces a competing swarm of growth above and below ground. If left unchecked, the pernicious rhizomatous roots of these and other perennial weeds spread into a thick spaghetti-like mass…

Why do my sweet peas fail? Q My sweet pea seeds keep rotting – what can I do? Bruce Burton, via email A I fear that your sweet pea seeds are rotting because the compost is too wet and airless. Thankfully, there is still time to sow a fresh batch. When you do, add a quarter part of coarse grit, by volume, to the seed compost. If you are using pots or seed trays, set seeds 1/2in (13mm) deep and 4in (10cm) apart. Cover containers with plastic film. Ideally, raise seedlings in a propagator and remove shoot tips when two or three pairs of leaves have formed. If you wish to sow seeds in situ outdoors, ideally in April, cover the site for 3-4 weeks beforehand with cloches or plastic…

• 13 March 1873 George Forrest, plant collector and after whom Rhododendron forrestii is named, was born. • 14 March 1994 A rainbow filled the sky over Sheffield in South Yorkshire for six hours. The enduring display is believed to be the longest-lasting rainbow ever to be seen over the UK. • 15 March 1936 The Rev George Engleheart, daffodil breeder, died. • 19 March 1902 A Convention in Paris reached an international agreement for the protection of wild birds.…

Arguably the most famous gardener in Ireland today is plantswoman and garden consultant Helen Dillon. Respected in gardening circles around the world, she has lectured and collected plants in many countries, and has written several books as well as created inspirational gardens of her own. Helen is known in Ireland as a presenter of TV gardening shows and as a newspaper columnist. She has been honoured by having several plants named after her, including forms of scabiosa, hedychium and heuchera – all called simply ‘Helen Dillon’.…

SAP-SUCKING insects are troublesome under glass as numbers build so quickly. Contact insecticides containing natural pyrethroids are an effective one-off solution. They come from the blooms of Tanacetum cinerariifolium and can control caterpillars, as well as whitefly, aphids and thrips. A better solution is to use insecticidal soaps such as SB Invigorator, as insects never become immune. These ‘glue-up’ the pests, stop them feeding or disrupt reproduction, and are particularly effective against mealybugs, scale insects, red spider mite, aphids and whitefly. Regular application is essential, but the good news is that crops can be eaten straight after application.…

1 Mulching plants with manure or compost as they return to growth insulates and feeds roots, and helps keeps weeds at bay. 2 Frosts are still a threat, so protect tender shoots with a cloche. Remember to anchor it down if high winds are forecast. 3 Remove spent spring bedding to make room for summer colour. Compost healthy plants, but bin any with fungal problems such as pansy black spot. 4 If your borders now look rather bleak and barren, add some colour to give them a temporary lift before summer.…

WE don’t have room for growing crops in borders so we stick to raised beds and patio containers. To get the best results we use a system of crop rotation, to prevent any build-up of pests and diseases, and replenish the soil and compost each year. This week I cleared the patio beds of any remaining plants, removed the top layer of compost and replaced it with fresh. The old stuff was added to the garden borders where worms will get to work and incorporate it into the soil. The larger raised beds were sown with green manures last autumn, which have protected the soil and stopped it becoming compacted by winter rain. The last lot has now been dug in and will rot down in a couple of weeks,…

1 Dig widely around the plant to avoid damaging the roots. Lift it with plenty of soil still attached. 2 Put the plant on a sack and divide the roots using a fork, two forks back-to-back or a sharp, clean knife. 3 These roots were so tough and congested that I had to use an old pruning saw to cut through them. 4 Make sure each division has healthy roots and shoots. Compost any that don’t look robust. 5 Re-plant the divisions at the same depth as before in soil enriched with well-rotted organic matter. 6 Water well and don’t let them dry out while they get established. Add mulch and watch for pests.…

A VISIT to the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, the Netherlands, in spring should be on every flower-lover’s bucket list. It is not just the most concentrated and extensive range of spring-flowering bulbs, but it is also in the most beautiful setting of beech trees just coming into leaf, lakes reflecting the colourful displays and windmill views across surrounding fields of bulbs. Cheap-day flights booked in advance, ticket entry for the garden and a coach from the airport and back costs about £50, which is good value. Late April/early May is the best time to enjoy the different kinds of bulbs, and 22 April sees the big Corso Floral Float Parade. When you see the river of massed blue muscari (grape hyacinths) in flower, the message to plant in bold clumps…

Fill a seed tray or pot with fresh seed and cuttings compost, and sow the seeds thinly on the surface. Cover with a layer of compost or a mix of compost and vermiculite to improve moisture retention and airflow around the developing root systems. Water the tray/pot, cover and place it on a warm windowsill or in a sunny greenhouse. The seeds should start to germinate in 3-6 weeks. Once seedlings appear, remove the covering to allow good airflow around the growing plants.…

CAN gardening save you money? The answer is, of course it can – especially when you like cooking vegetarian meals. The cost of growing most crops is a fraction of their price bought and, even better, the home-grown produce has freshness, variety and quality not found in shops. In fact, it’s simple to save even more by growing those things that cost you the most money to buy. Honestly, you can buy sacks of carrots, potatoes and onions so inexpensively, even organically grown ones, that it’s hard to justify their space and effort in your own garden. Where saving money is the measure, nothing beats growing flowers for the home rather than buying them. A £4 bunch of flowers once a week adds up to a couple of hundred pounds…

DID a shiver just run down your spine? Ericaceous fruits? What are they? Don’t worry – it simply refers to plants that need acidic soils in order to thrive, such as blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries and raspberries. Many of us grow blueberries in pots and will have come across ericaceous compost at garden centres. Using this, in conjunction with ericaceous fertiliser, will keep such container-grown plants happy. But ericaceous plants growing in the earth need extra help too. Often our soils aren’t quite acidic enough, which can ultimately lead to nutrient deficiencies (especially iron deficiency) and meagre yields. I’m forking sulphur chips (Chempak Sulphur) into the soil of my blueberry bed to help keep it sufficiently acidic. Now is a great time to do this, before spring growth starts.…

ALL winter I’ve been cooking leeks in cheese sauce, slurping on leek and potato soup, or just enjoying this cold-season veg sautéed in butter as a side dish. There are a few ‘Musselburgh’ leeks still on the plot so, if you’re in a similar position, make a conscious effort to use them up soon. Leeks are what’s known as a ‘biennial’ plant – growing one year and then flowering the next. Kitchen gardeners utilise the growing part of that cycle, but as soon as flower stalks begin to develop your leeks become inedible. Stalk development is stimulated by lengthening spring days, and by late April or May your leeks will look more at home in a flower border than a veg bed!…

THE various Helleborus niger plants growing around the garden have put on a tremendous show this spring. They were protected by mulch through winter, and the new shoots came through strongly and produced several heads of stunning flowers. I want to keep them flowering, and to be able to see the blooms, for as long as possible, so I have been removing the old leaves as they become tattered. This has a double benefit – it opens up the flowers to viewing and reduces the risk of hellebore leaf spot. Leaf spot is a fungal problem that creates unsightly brown patches on the foliage and stems and, if left to develop, will affect plants in subsequent years. If plants are already infected they can be helped with a fungicide. Although…

■ Radishes prefer fertile but well-drained soil in sun; they will take a little shade in the heat of summer. ■ Fertiliser isn’t needed if soil is in good shape; it may encourage leafy growth. ■ Sow in a cold greenhouse or tunnel in January and February for the first crop; sow under low plastic tunnels in February; and sow outside – under fleece for protection against flea beetle – from early March onwards. ■ Then sow every week to maintain a continuous supply. The length of the row can be determined by the number of radishes you actually need. ■ Sow seeds individually, 1in (2.5cm) apart (no closer), 1/2in (1.2cm) deep, in rows 6in (15cm) apart. ■ Keep soil moist to ensure quick germination and continuous speedy growth, and…

SOME trees and shrubs are admired for their striking bark, stems or variegated foliage that brighten up winter, while others have gorgeous blossom in spring or put on a show-stopping display of flowers in summer. A number are renowned for their autumnal berries, fruit or leaves that turn fiery shades before they drop. If you’ve got a large garden you can probably find space for a number of these seasonal wonders, even if their moment in the sun lasts for just a few weeks. However, when there’s not enough room to swing a cat, then every plant has to earn its keep by providing more than one season of highlights. Fortunately, there are plenty of trees and shrubs that are suitable for smaller gardens due to their compact nature or…

Small posies Lily of the valley A lovely option for shady corners. When they spread, it’s worth cutting some of the beautifully scented flowers to make a posy – ideal for a small vase or jam jar. Hellebores In midwinter when there is little else in bloom, give yourself a treat and bring some of these Christmas roses indoors. They’ll definitely cheer up those bleak January and February days. Calendula officinalis ‘Indian Prince’ Marigolds offer a real burst of sunshine and make wonderful cut flowers. Deep-orange ‘Indian Prince’ mixes well with other hot colours in an informal bunch. Larger bouquets Zinnia elegans ‘Queen Red Lime’ Grown for their colourful, long-lasting daisy-like flowers, zinnias need a hot, dry spot. In return they will reward you with vibrant,…

Erythronium revolutum ‘Knightshayes Pink’ A strong-growing, pink-flowered dog’s-tooth violet reaching 12in (30cm). Best moved after flowering. Keep them moist but not waterlogged. Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Plena’ This double form is less great for pollinating insects, but creamy-white flowers look great against lobed leaves. Grows to 10in (25cm). Move after flowering or after plants die back. Trillium chloropetalum A wake robin with deep-maroon flowers over flecked leaves. These plants must not dry out and are best moved after flowering. Plants reach 18in (45cm) and expand into clumps. Uvularia grandiflora Merrybells arch to a height of 24in (60cm), terminating in yellow nodding flowers with twisting, tapering petals. Best moved in early spring.…

Q Could you tell me what this tree is? Barbara Stacey, via email A This is a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), a native of temperate China and Japan. In a warm garden, it may produce fragrant white flowers followed by edible, pear-shaped orange-yellow fruits. In warmer parts of Britain, it usually grows to around 15ft (4.5m). It’s happiest in full sun where air freely circulates around it. Q Where can I buy Disporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’? Richard Hayden-Woods, via email A‘Night Heron’ should be available from Edulis, Growers of Rare Plants ( edulis.co.uk, 01635 578113). Other forms of Disporum cantoniense are available from Barracott Plants ( www.barracottplants.co.uk,01822 832234) and Rare Plants ( rareplants.co.uk, 01978 366399). Q This plant is growing around our school. Is it safe? Val Hatshorne, via email A…

B. davidii ‘Blue Chip’ A dainty buddleja reaching 3ft (1m) high, whose fragrant panicles are in proportion to the plant. Great for windy or small gardens and containers. Pollen is infertile, so no seeds are produced. B. globosa A large shrub to 16ft (5m), the golden ball buddleja is native to the Andes and blooms in late spring. It attracts fewer butterflies, but moths like the orange blooms packed into tight balls. Non-invasive and prune by thinning lightly after flowering. B. davidii ‘Miss Ruby’ The compact growth and profusion of bright-magenta flowers makes this a popular choice. Would look great alongside the dark blooms of ‘Black Knight’ and both will attract many butterflies. B. ‘Morning Mist’ Grown for silvery semi-evergreen, woolly foliage. Lovely among…

In 2008 DIY retailer B&Q recalled all its sonic mole repellers from its Northern Ireland stores – but it wasn’t because they were all faulty! In fact, the devices were in perfect order. B&Q recalled them because moles (like snakes) do not exist naturally in Ireland. Professor Ian Montgomery from Queen’s University Belfast says that moles arrived in mainland Britain via glaciers during the last ice age, but they didn’t get into Ireland because the sea level rose too quickly.…

Potatoes have an intriguing history in Ireland that goes back to the 1600s, when Britain introduced them as an ideal food source for their first colony’s peasant population. The potato was thought of as highly nutritious and, by the 1840s, it had helped to decrease infant mortality rates in Ireland. The Great Famine destroyed potato crops across Ireland from 1845-49. Successive crops failed due to late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible tubers. Nearly two million people died as a result of malnutrition. The famine spurred new plant-breeding programmes and the introduction of disease-resistant potato varieties. It is also credited for stimulating modern agricultural science.…

1 Weeds don’t hang about, even in winter, so get them out now before they flower and set seed. Regularly hoe beds to break weed roots so they don’t get a foothold. 2 Tired soil needs refreshing and improving, so fork in lots of well-rotted compost or manure. Early spring frosts and storms will help break down any large clumps of earth. 3 Layer last year’s container compost over borders. It will have negligible nutrients now, but will be drawn into the ground by worms and help improve the structure. 4 When digging soil or removing plants, keep an eye out for pests such as these snail eggs. Either squash them or leave them exposed for hungry birds to find. Spring into action: Buy next week’s AG (in the shops…

HERBACEOUS perennials are the stalwarts of the garden, providing a framework to plan your annuals around. They sometimes run into trouble and out of steam after a few years, sprawling out of their allotted space and creating fewer flowers. Instead of buying new, save money by dividing them. This creates several smaller plants, and once these divisions get going they should grow well with improved blooming. Summer-flowering perennials are best divided in spring or autumn (though delay autumn work until the following spring if conditions are too wet). Spring-flowering varieties should be lifted and divided in summer after flowering. However, I decided to split a congested spring-flowering iris this week after lifting it to remove a mass of weeds growing among the roots. It had been in the border for…

Check flowering times to get a succession of flowers. You could, for example, plant both early flowering species crocus and the later, larger-flowering Dutch hybrids. Snap the fading flower heads off tulips before the petals and stamens fall. If left to rot on the leaves below, they can encourage fire disease. Where narcissi have been naturalised in grass, the foliage needs to be left in place for at least six weeks, and ideally until they start to yellow before cutting the grass. The developing seed pods of named cultivars of snowdrops need to be picked off to keep the stock pure and to prevent self-seeding.…

1 Slide an old teaspoon or plastic plant label under the rootball and lever the seedling out, carefully holding its leaf, not the stem. 2 Fill a 4in (10cm) pot with John Innes No1 and dib holes in it. Carefully place each seedling in a hole so their rootballs are buried. 3 Larger seedlings can go in their own 3in (7cm) pot. This gives more room and improved airflow around the leaves. 4 Firm the compost around each seedling and water it in, using a can fitted with a fine rose. Grow in a warm, sheltered spot.…

1 As spring-flowering bulbs go over, dead-head before they wither or set seed. This improves their flowering next year. 2 When preparing early potato sets leave all the shoots to grow, but on your main crops rub off all bar three. 3 Hand-pollinate fruit trees as bees are so scarce. It’s easy – simply brush with a feather duster attached to a long cane. 4 Before lush new growth obscures things, go round and check all the ties, stakes and wires, and re-write their labels.…

1 First, does your plant need re-potting? Knock it out of its pot and assess the roots. If they’re congested around the edge of the compost rootball, then they’ll be very vulnerable to drying out in summer. It’s high time you re-potted your plant! 2 Choose a pot 3-4in (8-10cm) bigger in diameter than the initial container. Thick-walled or glazed pots are best as they keep the roots cool and moist. Ensure there are adequate drainage holes in the base. Water your plant well, let it drain, then gently tease out any spiralling roots. 3 Place some of your compost blend in the base of the pot, then position your plant on top so that it is just 1/2in (1cm) or so below its original level. Gently work the compost…

IF you own a greenhouse or polytunnel, you may be one step ahead of me in planting your first early potatoes. Being a tender crop, potatoes mustn’t be planted outside too early, otherwise their foliage can be burnt off by frosts. Those of you with a covered growing area could well have planted tubers way back in February (these can be lifted in May), but those of us who aren’t so lucky can, at last, play catch-up now. Smothered in nothing but butter, a steaming bowl of new potatoes is an utter treat. These varieties, known as ‘first earlies’, mature quickly. They should have been chitting indoors since February and are not grown for their size but for their earliness, so are often tagged with an appropriate variety name (such…

17 March: Orchid Day and Clinic: Poundbury Gardens, Peverell Avenue, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3RT. 01305 257250 17: Arboretum & Fair: National Memorial Arboretum, DE13 7AR 10am-4pm: Free Entry (P&D parking) 17: John’s Open Garden: Ashwood Nurseries, Kingswinford, West Midlands 01384 401996 ashwoodnurseries.com 17-18: Daffodil Weekend: Cotehele National Trust house and gardens: Saltash, St Dominick, Cornwall, PL12 6TA. 01579 351346, nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele 18: Plant Hunters’ Fair: Alderford Lake, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 3JQ 10am-4pm. 01948 665914, alderford.com 19: Friends of Borde Hill Open Day, Borde Hill Garden, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH6 1HP. 01444 450326, info@bordehill.co.uk (Borde Hill re-opens to the public on March 20) 22: Magnolias with RHS vice-president Jim Hill, Borde Hill Garden, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH6 1HP. 01444 450326, info@bordehill.co.uk 24: Essential…

There’s more to radishes than the marble-sized balls and red-and-white ‘French Breakfast’ types. Asian radishes (daikon, mooli, beauty heart and winter radishes) make larger, round or carrot-like roots, in red, black, white and other colours, sometimes with coloured flesh. They can be ready in less than two months, but some tend to bolt if sown early, so it may pay to wait until June/July. Check the packet. They need thinning to 3-4in (8-10cm) apart, in rows 10-12in (25-30cm) apart, but will stay in good condition longer than salad radishes. None has an AGM as they’ve yet to be assessed, but I’d suggest trying ‘April Cross’ (long; white) and ‘Pink Beauty’ (round; pink flesh).…

Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ This slender tree has white flowers in spring and leaves that turn fiery shades in late autumn, long after many other deciduous trees Malus ‘Butterball’ (AGM) This small crab-apple tree has pink-flushed, white flowers in spring and large yellow fruit that remain on the branches long after the leaves have fallen Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ (AGM) Pink flowers appear on bare stems in early spring, followed by heart-shaped purple leaves that take on orange tints in autumn. Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ (AGM) Green and white variegated leaves add interest all year round. Ideal for beds, low-growing hedges or try training up a wall Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Eva’ (AGM) Finely dissected black foliage and large…

Acanthus mollis This spreading perennial’s spikes of purple-bracted white flowers can reach 5ft (1.5m). A. spinosus is more floriferous, but deeply cut leaves cast less shade. Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwerson’s Variety’ This cranesbill makes a dense mass below and above ground, reaching to 20in (50cm ) high. Pale-pink flowers appear in early summer. Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ Spreading by rhizomes, this perennial sends up 3ft (1m) stems of purple leaves joined by yellow flowers in summer. Divide and spread plants in among the weeds. Chrysosplenium macrophyllum Colonising by runners, this evergreen resembles a hairy bergenia yet pale pink flowers from January to March place it in the saxifraga tribe. Creates dense ground cover 8in (20cm) high.…

I WOULD be more than happy to pay extra for my magazine, if it would allow you to use a recyclable delivery format, as opposed to the current plastic bag. I feel sure many, if not most, of my fellow AG subscribers would be happy to do the same. Each small step in eradicating this gross overuse of ‘world-destroying’ plastics is a step in the right direction. We use natural fertilisers and biodegradable conditioners to improve the quality of the soil. We also use natural and biodegradable products to control pest and weed problems. We must contribute towards the worldwide effort in controlling the ‘man-made’ problems, resulting from the over-use of plastics. In most cases, alternatives are available. Let’s use them where we can. Sarah Tomlinson, Southampton, Hants It is possible…

St Patrick’s Day This Saturday is St Patrick’s Day. In Ireland it’s considered to be the traditional time to plant potatoes. While a few traditions have changed, the ceremonial planting of potatoes around this day remains strong. More accurately, it is first early potato varieties – such as ‘Orla’, ‘Pentland Javelin’ and ‘Epicure’ – that should go in on this day, but don’t be shy about planting peas, onions and leeks around now as well. • On St Patrick’s Day in 1976, Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, USA, became an official park. Measuring just 19in (48cm) x 24in (61cm), the tiny park – set on a traffic island – was created ‘as a colony for leprechauns, and a place for snail races’. Shamrock or clover? The emblem of Ireland…

Aftercut All In One is a triple-action lawn treatment that conditions and nourishes your lawn, while controlling weeds and moss. Lawns look greener and healthier in just seven days. We have three packs, each capable of 80sq m lawn coverage, to give away. Each is worth £11.99. 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 Aftercut All In One 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 Aftercut All In One Draw. The closing date is 22 March 2018.…

■ Bells of Ireland ( Moluccella laevis ) is a summer-flowering annual with flower spikes comprising masses of green ‘bells’; the plant itself originates from Turkey and Syria. ■ The earliest plant cuttings were ready-rooted suckers, pulled from parent plants and then planted. It’s still carried out on plants including chrysanthemums, violas and artichokes. They’re known as ‘Irishman’s cuttings’ – but no one knows why! ■ ‘Belfast’ sinks in the 1700s had a weir overflow built in: fresh water was readily available in Belfast at the time and it didn’t matter if a little went down the overflow. This weir differentiates Belfast from London sinks. Old ceramic sinks are eagerly sought for use as alpine gardens.…

RSPB Adjus-table bird table £89.99 + £3.95 delivery  shopping.rspb.org.uk 0345 034 7733 Features High-quality /15 traditional freestanding treated timber bird table with quick-release gable roof. Three-stage adjustable-height feeding platform. Plastic platform liner for easy cleaning, plus cut-outs to aid drainage. Four-leg base for stability. Dimensions: H. 49in (162cm), W. 17in (42cm), D. 18in (44cm). Performance Solid, traditional bird table with classic looks and clever design. Straightforward assembly took 50 minutes. Very stable freestanding. Easy to load with food. Adjust height of feeding platform from roof by moving peg, to stop big birds getting on – it works well giving small birds a better chance of food. Rain drains off quickly. Lift-off roof and plastic table liner make platform easy to clean. Value Classic looks, robust construction and clever adjustment to benefit…

SOOTY mould might sound like an occupational hazard for a glove puppeteer, but it’s actually a fungus growing on the ‘syrup’ that drips on to bay trees, camellias and plants grown under glass. Although the black covering looks unsightly and checks growth, it’s not a plant disease at all, rather a sign that sap-sucking aphids, whitefly and scale are building in numbers and gorging on new growth above. I’ve had numerous callers to my radio show complaining about it, so I know there’s a lot about. It occurs because of the way insects feed, via a sharpened straw-like nose or proboscis. Plugged directly into the sugary sap beneath a plant’s surface, sap squirts up the proboscis under such pressure that the insects are forced to ‘vent’ what they don’t consume…