Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-Apr-2018 i Amateur Gardening

IF your lawn is looking shabby, sparse or infested with moss and weeds after winter, don’t despair. There is plenty you can do to resurrect it, helped by tools and products from brands such as Evergreen, Westland and Johnsons. Mowing should be a key feature as it keeps your grass in good condition and lets you check on its overall health. Tanya Bulanova, Gardens and Lawn Care Category Manager UK at The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd, said: “Regular mowing with the correct mowing height is essential to good lawn health. “Cutter height is critical and should be 2in (5cm) for trodden lawns and 3in (7.5cm) for shaded lawns. Mowing too short weakens the grass and is the quickest and easiest way of allowing weeds and moss to get established.” Moss…

1 For a formal look or to sow easy-to-access flowers for cutting, sow in straight lines or drills. Measure them out with twine attached to two sticks and use a hoe to create a trench you can space seeds evenly in. Cover with soil, then water. 2 For a more informal, natural look sow seeds in wide swathes measured out using trickles of sand or sprayed lines of colour. This allows you to create a border of mixed varieties that complement and contrast each other.…

HERBS are a fantastic addition to any garden. They can fill any gap or situation (shaped rosemary in pots by the front door, creeping thyme in a rockery) and are a fantastic addition to the kitchen. They are also popular with pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Our garden is home to several woody herbs, including lavenders, a large rosemary kept in shape by regular trimming for cooking, several thymes and a handful of healthy sages. These woody plants can grow straggly and unproductive if neglected and should be trimmed back in autumn. They will also withstand a light spring trim before summer’s shooting. Sage needs regular pruning. Cut it back to the lowest leaf buds now, and harvest its leaves regularly. I have also given our lavenders a light…

“It will keep out egg-laying flies” AMATEUR gardeners have been encouraged to return to growing their own fruits by the release of compact bush, cane and tree cultivars suited to small gardens and containers. Smaller plant sizes also allows us to cover with Enviromesh, fleece and nets to protect blossoms and developing fruits from overnight frost. It also protects ripening apricots, blueberries, cherries, plums and soft fruits from birds and fruit fly (spotted wing drosophila). Fruit fly is an unwelcome arrival from southern Europe, which is making French cherry orchards unviable. Soon-to-be-availabe fine-mesh sleeves (Agralan) can be slipped over branches for protection. These sleeves can be slipped over branches and held in place with clothes pegs to give several degrees of overnight frost protection, and where the mesh is 0.98mm…

April 28: Plan and Plant Your own Fruit and Vegetable Garden: Cottage Garden School, East Donyland Hall, Fingringhoe, Essex CO5 7JE. 07837 013 900/07933 992 446 cottagegardenschool.co.uk, 28: Garden Museum Plant Fair: Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB. 020 7401 8865 gardenmuseum.org.uk 28: Iris Late Spring Show: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley 28: Open gardens and plant fair: Sugnall Walled Garden, Eccleshall, Staffs ST21 6NF, 10am-4pm, £1.planthuntersfairs.co.uk 29: Open gardens and plant fair: Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8AH, 10am-5pm, £3.50. planthuntersfairs.co.uk 30-May 6: National Gardening Week (Share Your Passion for Plants): RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr MAY 2: Interesting Container Displays: The Cottage Herbery, The Mill House, Knighton on Teme,…

“As soon as sweetcorn is picked, it starts to deteriorate” DON’T you just love your own sweetcorn? Or maybe you haven’t tried growing it yet. This is a crop that’s immensely better home-grown. If all you’ve ever had is shop-bought sweetcorn, then you will not know just how good it can be. You see, as soon as sweetcorn is picked, it starts to deteriorate and becomes tougher and less sweet as the sugars turn to starches and the kernels harden. Another reason for growing it yourself is value, as it is expensive to buy compared to the cost of growing this pretty easy crop. However, it’s also easy to get wrong. The commonest error is simply overcrowding. The more space you give each plant, the bigger the cobs and the…

FLAT-PODDED, pencil-podded, dwarf, climbing, daisy types, flageolets, shelling beans, filet beans, yard-long beans, green pods, yellow pods, purple pods, red with white splashes pods – the world of beans is enormous! Being tender plants, the beans are best sown now, rather than too early in the year. The resulting seedlings are fast-growing in hot weather, giving you bumper harvests – especially if you keep on picking to encourage more pods to form. Dwarf types are great for pots and give flushes of beans, whereas climbing varieties are ideal for a steady supply of pods if you have room to grow them. Here’s how you start (see right). Top Tip If you’re sowing your beans at the base of a circle of canes, erect the canes and then sow two or…

WHETHER you’ve a soft spot for slices of Galia melon draped in Parma ham, wedges of watermelon to accompany a summer picnic, or slices of the tiny cucamelon to accompany your mojito cocktail, it’s possible to grow these evocative fruits in your very own garden. Yes, I’d be lying if I said you don’t need a sunny, sheltered spot and it’s true that greenhouses do guarantee best results, but outdoor crops are possible, too. Many varieties, such as ‘Outdoor Wonder’ and ‘Emir’, are more tolerant of cooler temperatures, and plastic cloches boost temperatures when conditions are not warm. So, by choosing these varieties and growing them under domes of clear polythene in the sunniest spot you have, you’ll be in with a very good chance of home-grown success. Seeds are…

FIFTY years ago, no one had even heard of courgettes. But as the popularity of marrows collapsed, interest in courgettes surged, and they’re now recognised as just about the easiest of all the homegrown veggies – a surplus is far more likely than a shortage. The Italians were the first to pick and cook these invaluable fruits before they grew into marrows. Cultivated in the Americas for thousands of years, the young marrows were dubbed zucchini by Italian emigrants, who took the idea to the United States about 100 years ago. They came to us via France, so we use the French name instead. Zucchini, courgette, baby marrow – call them what you like, they’re all the same. The most recent change – and the one that ensured their lasting…

NOT all courgettes are green. The fruits of AGM-winning (and almost spine-free) ‘Parador’, the higher yielding and mildew-resistant ‘Orelia’, and ‘Gold Star’, which makes larger plants, are all bright buttery-yellow in colour. Quality and yield in yellow-fruiting varieties have both improved enormously in recent years, and they are now well worth trying. Then there are the striped varieties – pale and dark-green ‘Romanesco’ is very attractive (see previous page). Varieties with round fruits are also now improving, although none has yet reached AGM standard. Look out for spine-free, green and cream-striped ‘Piccolo’ and the bright yellow ‘Summer Ball’. Picked small, both will slide nicely on to skewers for grilling; or they can be left to grow to stuffing size. Sadly, as yet there are no virus-resistant varieties of these types.…

MOST of us have picked flowers from the garden at some point in our lives. The first bunch usually consists of a few daisies and dandelions from the lawn and is presented to our mother after we’ve done something wrong! It seems as if, even from a young age, we instinctively know that a few flowers are the most precious gift. I grew up in a plantsman’s garden where the plants were a collector’s item and picking a flower was a sin. My uncle had planted such horticultural gems, but my grandmother enjoyed a vase of flowers on the table. I clearly recall her tales of how a bloom had just ‘fallen off the plant’ so she felt obliged to put it in a vase! After time, she sensibly decided…

QI hope this is not too late, but I’m hoping to make a floral effort for our daughter’s wedding to be held in August. It would be great to contribute some cut flowers for the day, or at least have some around (both growing and for vases) at home as we’ll have guests staying. The theme is relaxed and country style. What would you suggest? Judith Morrison, Cardiff A There is something satisfyingly unstaged about wedding flowers gathered from the gardens of family and friends. I recall a local reception for which everyone was asked to collect Bonne Maman jam jars. Beribboned and filled with faded, washy hydrangea heads, they looked lovely on the tables at almost no cost. Hydrangeas reliably look good for a couple of months from late…

■ 24 April 1859 Sir Jeremiah Colman, famous for the Colman’s mustard business, was born. He was also a consummate breeder of orchids. ■ 26 April 1914 It was reported that, at a sale of books at Sotheby’s, the following had been sold: A first edition of Gerard’s Herbal (published in 1597) for £3 5s, and a Parkinson’s Paradisi in Sole, Paradisus Terrestris edition (see above) for £6. ■ 27 April 1828 The London Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, opened. The site is known today as ZSL London Zoo. ■ 27 April 1958 Lawrence Johnston, the man who created Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire, died. ■ 28 April 1986 A hedge was ‘laid’ by David James of Brecon and John Williams of Sennybridge in Wales in 11hr 24min. It was laid by…

FOLLOWING the Beast from the East’s icy blast, my spring containers that were planted up in the autumn quickly bounced back to brighten a dull spot. If you look closely you can see snow in the trug. Luckily, I have no serious plant casualties to report, as it seems the snow acted as an insulator against the wind. So many jobs are overdue, for instance rose pruning, but although I’m late there’s no cause for concern. Nature will redress the balance and in the meantime, I’m enjoying the delayed spring daffodils that are blooming at the same time as my flowering shrubs! Christine Higham, Dorset Wendy says We’re intrigued to hear what AG readers were doing during the cold weather, and how it impacted on the tasks. Friend or…

PATIENT: “Doctor, doctor, I keep forgetting things!” Doctor: “When did your problems start?” Patient: “What problems?” Forgetfulness may be frustrating, but sometimes it’s a useful trait for us gardeners. After all, if we remembered every plant that succumbed to slugs or turned up its toes we’d hang up our trowels and miss out on the wonder of rediscovery when long-lost flowers emerge triumphantly into view. I’ve made just such a discovery of some oxeye daisies I grew from plugs last year and am genuinely thrilled. I’d planted them into the grassy sward of a Devon bank: the bank was big and the plugs were small and vulnerable, so when I didn’t see them coming up I assumed the worst. Young plants are a magnet for slugs and snails until established,…

1 Worm casts may still be a problem. Wait until they have dried, then disperse them with a broom or an upturned rake head. 2 Rake over growing grass to remove the thatch – dead material, moss and debris. This lets light and air down to the roots. 3 Fix bare patches by raking them, weeding and sowing grass seed over the top. Water it and cover with twigs or a lattice of cotton tied to sticks to deter pests. 4 Feed with a proprietary spring fertiliser. This strengthens the grass and boosts its growth to prevent weeds and moss.…

1 Nigella (love-in-a-mist): A traditional hardy annual with blooms of blue, pink and white. Its rounded seedheads are often used in arrangements. 2 Eschscholzia californica (California poppy): Cheerful and hardy, with bright, silky petals. Seeds prolifically and tolerates poor soils. 3 Limnanthes douglasii (poached egg plant): A mat-forming border edge plant with masses of yellow-and-white flowers. 4 Cosmos: A delightful, open-faced half-hardy annual with attractive frondy foliage. Available in a multitude of colours and heights. 5 Zinnia: Wait until the frosts have passed to sow this zingy beauty. It comes in many colours and is an excellent cut flower. 6 Nicotiana (tobacco plant): Trumpets of half-hardy colour in a range of heights, these are a gloriously scented summer must-have for borders.…

Place the potted-up cuttings in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame. Don’t let them dry out and watch for pests. 1 Choose this year’s growth and remove a few healthy sprigs approximately 6in (15cm) long. 2 Remove the lower needles and shoots from each sprig, leaving a bare stem topped with a soft tip. 3 Dip the cut end in a pot of hormone-rooting powder or gel to boost development. Tap off any excess. 4 Insert the cuttings into 3in (7cm) pots of cuttings compost mixed with sharp sand or perlite. Water well.…

Cultivating the top inch or two of soil under fruiting plants exposes over-wintering pest pupae to birds. Cane fruits, soft-fruit bushes and fan-shaped trees trained against walls and close-board fences allow mesh cover on just one side. Plum moth and codling moth traps indicate when these pests are on the wing and reduce numbers, but do not eliminate maggots from your fruits. All nets and meshes need removing from fruit cages in winter to prevent heavy snow damaging the frame. There is a special clip to release nets (Harrod) carrying a heavy weight of snow.…

LIVING on the south coast, we take it for granted that spring will have sprung by early April – and if we haven’t seen our first house martins by the end of March we start tapping our feet impatiently. This year was a real shock to the system. We had more snow in mid-March than we’d experienced for years, and it arrived just as plants were putting out their first new colour and foliage. Most of the garden looks as though it survived, although I suspect a couple of evergreen agapanthus may have succumbed despite a thick winter coat of mulch. I am sure the heavy snow, followed by a chill wind and torrential rain, have pushed the garden’s development back by a couple of weeks, so I have delayed…

1 Mix fresh grass clippings into the soil where you are soon to plant out squashes, marrows, gherkins, courgettes and pumpkins. 2 Next, cover the same soil where you’ll plant all those cucurbits with a sheet of black plastic to warm it. 3 Likewise, for outdoor tomatoes make a temporary tent out of clear plastic sheeting to keep off the wind and frost. 4 Watch out for red spider mites on plants under cover, particularly on melons and cucumbers. A hand lens helps to spot the little devils.…

GARDENERS are often confused about fig pruning, so I’m here to guide you down the path to success. I look after three gargantuan figs, plus a much younger potted plant at home. Figs have an unusual cropping habit and this is where the confusion lies. Essentially, they can’t ripen all their fruits in our temperate climate. Fig fruits are initiated at two times of the year – late summer and spring – and it’s only those initiated in late summer that will mature outside in the UK (spring-initiated fruits might ripen in a greenhouse). With the vast majority of us growing figs against a sunny wall outside, let’s concentrate on how to prune these trees now to boost cropping potential. First, avoid getting the milky sap on your skin as…

BACK in early February I encouraged you to move a few quick-maturing strawberry plants into a greenhouse for a luxurious early crop. Well, the time has come to reap your rewards! Even if you only managed to place a rigid plastic cloche over outdoor plants, you’ll still be able to enjoy a bowlful of sumptuous fruits weeks earlier than uncovered outdoor crops. If you’re still getting blooms appearing, don’t forget to brush your hands over them gently and regularly to encourage pollination. Check also that aphids and red spider mites aren’t taking advantage of the extra warmth. Allow fruits to ripen fully on the plants before picking, to enjoy the very best flavour. Oh, and don’t forget the cream!…

■ Sow with protection now; a frost-free greenhouse will be warm enough, or the kitchen windowsill. ■ Sow seeds individually in 2 1/2in (7cm) or 3 1/2in (9cm) pots of seed compost. ■ Plant out after all danger of frost has passed – never plant out too early, as courgette seedlings are particularly susceptible to frost. ■ Alternatively, sow pairs of seeds outside where the plants will grow and remove the weakest seedling. Upturn a large jam jar over each sowing until they come through. ■ Give plants plenty of space, more than you think they will need – 39in (1m) is usually the minimum required.…

■ Always give alpine plants their two essential requirements: full sun and good drainage. ■ When you have made a new raised bed, give it a few months for the soil to settle before planting. ■ After planting, top the bed with ¾in (2cm) of pea gravel or grit. This will keep moisture off the crowns of the plants, provide an attractive background and suppress weeds. ■ Until they are established, keep an eye on moisture levels and make sure plants are not short of water. ■ In autumn, feed with one handful of bonemeal per sq metre.…

Ammi majus This has lacy white flowers similar to cow parsley. Grows to over 3ft (1m) so may need support. Long stems are ideal for arrangements. Perfect for a sunny spot Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’ Pure-white single flowers with a yellow centre which produces all summer. A half-hardy annual that will reach about 3ft (1m) in height. Enjoys full sun Alchemilla mollis This is the perfect filler. It will grow in full sun or partial shade and spreads well. Reaching only 1ft (30cm), it’s perfect for the front of a border Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac Beauty’ Flowers from June until September and thrives in a sunny spot. Height 2ft 4in (70cm), ideal for the centre of a border. Good addition to a pastel-themed bunch Dahlia ‘Happy…

1 Fill fibre pots with good seed compost (I mixed a John Innes seed 50:50 with a multipurpose containing no loam or peat) and pack into a seed tray. 2 Make a wide dent in the top of each pot using a finger and deal out one seed per pot. With mixtures, avoid favouring certain sizes or colours of seed. 3 Push compost back over the seeds so they are covered by a small amount of compost. 4 Label, and water using a fine rose (sprinkler) on the can. Place in a warm propagating case at around 68°F (20°C).…

Wildflower plug-plants are like Trojan Horses gaining a toehold in grass from which a new colony of self-seeding flowers can establish. Sow seeds (all the seed companies sell wildflower seeds) two to a cell and harden off. Mow the grass short and tease out the root-balls from the cells. I place them in a bucket with water to fully hydrate before sprinkling with mycorrhizal powder and planting. Plant by opening a slit in the soil with a trowel and pushing the plug in so the roots are in contact with the soil. Then water well.…

I’M glad the weather is finally warming up because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep adding to this year’s germinating seeds and pricked-out seedlings growing undercover. Every surface and windowsill bears pots and trays of seedlings in various stages of growth and I’m fast running out of room. So thank goodness the time is just about here when hardy and half-hardy seeds can go straight in the ground, without needing a halfway house first. You would think that hardy seeds (such as nasturtium, corncockle and larkspur), which can in theory withstand frosts, would be fine sown outside whenever you fancy. But our relentlessly wet winters aren’t ideal for seeds that can rot in constantly saturated ground, or get washed away in sudden downpours. Half-hardy seeds (nicotiana, salvia…

Once they have germinated and are large enough to handle, thin your seedlings to approximately 2in (5cm) apart. This gives each plant enough room to grow well – and you can always thin again, removing weaker ones if they still looked cramped. Thinning also lets air circulate freely between the plants, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases that thrive in a close, stifling atmosphere. Check that the remaining plants are not attracting pests, and treat them immediately if you see signs of problems. Don’t discard the thinned-out seedlings – pot them up and plant them elsewhere in the garden (see below).…

• Some herbs, such as tender basil and slow-to-germinate parsley, grow well on a kitchen windowsill, where they can be harvested for cooking. • Grow a continuous supply of fresh herbs by sowing a new batch every few weeks. • Sprinkle the seeds thinly onto pots of dampened compost, cover with a thin layer of compost and seal in a clear plastic bag until they have germinated. • A quick way of growing hardy herbs is to buy a plant from the supermarket, divide it and pot on the divisions until they start to grow. • Then you can either keep them indoors or plant them in the garden.…

1 Water the plants and dig a hole as deep as and slightly wider than the rootball. Add some feed in poor soil. 2 Slide the plant from the pot. keeping the rootball as intact as possible. Check that the leaves and roots are healthy. 3 Place the plant in its hole and infill around the rootball with the removed soil. Firm it in well. 4 Water the seedling well, even if rain is forecast. A drenching helps settle the soil around the roots and supports the plant.…

“The lifecycle of the ground beetle follows the same pattern as a butterfly’s” AS some of you may know, I’ve written a book about my garden called The Living Jigsaw, which was published by Kew about a year ago. It involved trying to photograph everything that moved in my garden and that meant the bees, butterflies and countless insects. One creature that proved an impossibility for me was the ground beetle. It scurried away so quickly that every photograph I attempted was blurred and I hadn’t the heart to put them in the fridge and slow their metabolism down. Buglife (www.buglife.org.uk)kindly lent me a photograph in the end. Ground beetles, which are mainly large and black, play an important part in the natural garden. Their name comes from an old…

1 If your plot is warm and free-draining, you can sow outside. Opt for a sunny, sheltered spot, sowing in drills 1 1/2-2in (4-5cm) deep and spacing the bean seeds 2in (5cm) apart. Water the drills in well. If the weather is cold, cover the rows with cloches until seedlings appear. 2 On cooler, soggier sites it’s best to start your beans off in pots under glass. Fill large modules or 3.5in (9cm) pots with potting compost, water well and leave to drain. Sow one seed per module/ pot (3cm) deep. Water in lightly and place at 18-20˚C until germinated. 3 Outdoor sowings can be thinned to 4in (10cm) apart once seedlings are well emerged. Harden indoor sowings off in late May and plant outside in a sunny spot in…

WHILE the incredibly organised among us might have been pulling forced rhubarb stems for a month now, the outdoor crops will be quickly catching up. More robust in flavour and less prone to slug damage than forced stems, outdoor rhubarb is trouble-free and really delicious. When harvesting, only pick one third of the total number each week, selecting the thickest stems and leaving the weaker ones. To ensure you pull the whole stem, run your thumb down to the base of it then grab and twist. The leaves can then be cut off and (contrary to belief) be thrown onto a compost heap. To avoid weakening the crowns, stop harvesting once July arrives. If you simply can’t be without fresh rhubarb in summer, grow a variety called ‘Livingstone’, which can…

■ Water well after planting, in dry spells later and more often if mildew appears. ■ Keep the moisture off the leaves on sunny days as courgette foliage can easily get scorched. ■ Mulching will help keep roots moist. ■ The first fruits should be ready about eight weeks after sowing. ■ Pick fruit every day; about 4-4 1/2in (10-12cm) is the ideal length. ■ Feed with liquid tomato food if growth or cropping slows down. ■ Give fruits away if you have too many, but keep picking regardless. ■ If your courgettes are allowed to become marrows, cropping will stall.…

GIANTS: ANNUALS OVER 2M ‘Giraffe’ Victoria Wakefield’s colossus, developed over 30 years. With dark-brown centres and golden petals, flowers can reach 1ft (30cm) across. The best sunflower for competitive growing. H: 16½ft (5m). ‘Earthwalker’ One for the back of the border, this floriferous variety has rusty terracotta flowers on sky-high stems. Great behind big grasses like Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Fontäne’. H: 8-13ft (2.5-4m). ‘Mongolian Giant’ Huge (18in/45cm) blazing gold flowers atop mammoth stems. Staked well, gargantuan sunflowers such as this look lovely grown in a thick line along the side of the veg patch. H: 13ft (4m. ) TALL BOYS: ANNUALS 1-2 M ‘Magic Roundabout’ A lovely variety that produces blush brown and cream flowers from June to September. Wonderful with grasses such as Stipa gigantea and Deschampsia cespitosa. H:…

Crocus The ideal bulb for raised beds, C. chrysanthus comes in a wide range of pretty colours and bicolours including ‘Snow Bunting’ (cream) and ‘Blue Pearl’ (pale blue; above). Always plant in clumps. H: 4in (10cm). Dianthus Small alpine pinks, with blue-grey foliage and a mass of dainty blooms, tend to open after other alpines are over. Look for ‘La Bourboule’ (pink), ‘Evening Star’ (pink and crimson; above) and others in the Star Series. H: 4in (10cm). Gentiana The classic alpine; the penetrating blue flowers of G. verna, held on tight little evergreen plants, are captivating. Gentians prefer limy soil, so add a little lime or some limestone chips to the compost when planting. H: 3in (8cm). Phlox Low, creeping and vigorous, alpine phlox are ideal for raised beds. Allow…

What’s happened to my camellia? QI have two established camellias, one red and one white, and both sets of buds turn brown before they open. What is the cause of this? Diane Bargh, via email AI am sorry that blossom buds on your camellias have turned brown. I fear that low night temperatures are the probable cause. All you can do is remove the damaged buds and feed the plants with 1oz (28g) per sq m of sulphate of potash. Apply it monthly from now until September. Water it in if the soil is dry. It will toughen tissue and help to make your shrub more resilient to frosty nights. In future, drape bushes with several layers of fleece when a clear evening sky heralds a sharp drop in temperatures…

A little light weeding At this time of year weeds are growing at their fastest rate, so you must make sure you keep them under control. It is interesting to note that while we despise weeds in our veg plots and flower borders, they do have a place in a ‘wild garden’, where they encourage butterflies, bees and other welcome creatures to flourish. Don’t forget, also, that in the monastery gardens of the Middle Ages, there were no such things as weeds. Every plant had its uses, either in the kitchen or on the medicine shelf. Nutritious dandelions Dandelions contain higher levels of beta carotene than carrots, and higher levels of iron and calcium than spinach. All parts of the dandelion are edible, nutritious and healing – they’re good for…

Araujia sericifera The South American cruel plant is easy to raise from spring sown seed, eventually reaching 7-15ft (2-4m). White, waxy fragrant summer flowers trap moths with their glutinous pollen. Mandevilla Cultivars of these South American climbers have showy, sometimes fragrant summer flowers of red, white with pink petals and yellow eye. Water sparingly in winter. To 6-10ft (1.8-3m). Pandorea jasminioides The Australian bower vine bears fragrant white summer blooms with dark-pink throats. Foliage stays green, shiny and handsome all winter. To 12ft (3.6m). Tweedia caerulea A small South American softly hairy climber reaching only 3ft (90cm) with a good show of pale-blue flowers in summer and autumn. Easily raised from seed. Grow three to a pot.…