Innholdsfortegnelse for 2-Jun-2018 i Amateur Gardening

THE spring bulbs have finished their display and died back, leaving tangles of wilted greenery. Deadhead them and leave the foliage to die back completely before removing it. To give them a boost for next year’s flowers, feed your bulbs fortnightly with liquid tomato feed that contains high levels of potassium. The next thing to do is to decide whether to lift them or leave them in situ. Many varieties are happy to be left alone. Bulbs naturalised in lawns and rockeries or returning each year in borders can be left where they are, as can certain tulips bred for the purpose, such as ‘Negrita’, ‘Ballerina’ and ‘Red Riding Hood’. If you do want or need to lift bulbs and keep them in storage until they can be replanted in…

This basket had been forgotten and overrun with couch grass. Even so, the daffs flowered valiantly this spring. 1 Tip your basket or container out onto a piece of plastic or tarpaulin to make it easier to separate the bulbs. 3 Trim the roots and check that the bulbs are healthy. Discard any that are soft, rotten or damaged. 2 Carefully tease the bulbs out from the mass of roots and weeds, taking care not to damage them. 4 Store the bulbs somewhere dark and cool where they can’t be attacked by pests or diseases.…

The RHS is investing £160 million into the new centre – £120 million has already been provided and more than half of the remaining £40 million has already been met. “But we still have an amazing £19 million to raise,” said director general Sue Biggs, “so if any readers of Amateur Gardening can help and give us their support, we would be amazingly grateful.” The society has come up with some novel ways of raising the money. In the herbarium, where the specimen count will rise from 80,000 to 400,000, donors can sponsor a box of plants for £300. “I spoke to one man who had sponsored a box for his grandparents’ diamond wedding, and their names will be on it in perpetuity – he was thrilled to bits!” said…

Roses cut in the evening and kept in deep water overnight will stay fresh for longer and are much less likely to wilt over subsequent days. Adding cut-flower food to the water will extend the cut life and help flowers to open up even larger in size. Healthy leaves set off pretty flowers and a protective fungicidal spray on young foliage will prevent damage by black spot, mildew and rust diseases on susceptible varieties. When choosing roses, do not forget fragrance. The new Rose Festival Week will give the opportunity to take time to smell their fragrances.…

1 Choose a flexible healthy growing stem with no flower. Remove the leaves along its length. 2 Strip the stem of its lower leaves as they may start to rot when they are buried in the pot of compost. 3 Dip the cut end in rooting powder, and insert it in a clay pot of fresh cuttings compost mixed with perlite for drainage. 4 Seal the pot in a plastic bag, with sticks holding the cover off the cuttings. Stand it somewhere light and warm until roots form in a few weeks.…

“If you keep picking, they will crop until autumn” YOU can grow more crops with less input if you also grow more beans. You see, beans are legumes – a group of plants that have nodules on their roots that make a surplus of fertility, whereas most other plants just extract fertility and thus leave less in the soil. Beans actually create more than they need, so they’re worth growing even if you don’t want to eat them – though that would be foolish. Beans are delicious to eat, particularly when they’re cooked straight after picking, and are much tastier than those that have been sitting in a shop for a while. And there are so many beans to choose from. It may be too late to sow or plant…

GARGANTUAN in size and in yield, squashes deserve a space on any veg plot. Courgettes, pumpkins, butternuts, marrows and everything in between – squashes are an impressive family. In the kitchen they can be transformed into zucchini chips, spicy pumpkin wedges, butternut risotto and fruity marrow chutney. Being tender, you must wait until early June (or plant under large cloches in May) to get the seedlings outdoors. I encouraged you to sow some back in April, so you’re hopefully now looking at sizeable transplants, ready for life outdoors. As with all indoor-sown veg, harden off your squashes before planting them outside. Once they’ve been acclimatised, here’s what to do next (see right). Bundle up hybrid berries WHEN I say bundle up, I don’t mean the berries themselves, but their new…

LAST week was the ideal time to plant out your tomatoes – but what do you do after that? Being a veg grower’s favourite, I thought a plan for the summer might be in order. First, only cordon (indeterminate) varieties such as ‘Gardener’s Delight’ and ‘Sungold’ need their side shoots pinching out (snap them off at their base while they’re still small). Cordons also need regular tying in as they gain height. Bush, patio and hanging basket varieties can be left unpruned. Apply a high-potash liquid fertiliser regularly (check the manufacturer’s instructions for dosage rates). Watering needs attention, especially if you’re planting into pots or growing bags. Keep the compost moist, but not waterlogged. If plants do dry out then they can be vulnerable to blossom end rot (where the…

■ Water newly planted diascias during dry spells – this will help them become established. ■ Some varieties flower in flushes, so clip back the whole plant when the first flush is over in mid-summer. ■ Varieties that bloom continuously can be deadheaded as the spikes fade – kitchen scissors are often more effective than secateurs in trimming the slender stems. ■ Propagate by taking short soft cuttings in spring or summer. ■ Alternatively, small rooted pieces can often be detached from clumps, then potted up for a few weeks before replanting. ■ Diascias rarely suffer from pests or diseases. However, aphids may be troublesome, so be prepared with your favourite treatment.…

A FEW years ago, I was tempted to ‘have my colours done’. This involves a consultation with a colour expert who looks at your skin tone and hair, and suggests what hue you should be wearing. Having guidelines and a restricted palette for your wardrobe makes shopping for clothes much easier. However, I decided that I didn’t want to limit my choices, because on some days I fancy wearing red and others blue. When it comes to flower colour, I also enjoy the freedom of choice and variety. After all, the chance to indulge in a varied palette and plant a garden that suits our personality is so rewarding. Many gardeners choose to create borders of one colour. White works well as a solo colour, as it offers such a…

Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Boy’ A great addition to any border and a fabulous cut flower, this cornflower’s classic blue blooms will keep appearing all summer if regularly picked. Grow in well-drained soil and do not fertilise. H: 3ft (90cm). Thymus ‘Jekka’ On downland and hillsides, wild thyme provides food for pollinators for months on end. Loved by bees, this garden and culinary cultivar, introduced by herb guru Jekka McVicar, is great as path edging. H: 4-8in (10-20cm). Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ A soft-peach foxglove; essential in the cottage garden, where it looks gorgeous among roses and peonies. Bumblebees disappear into the hooded flowers in search of nectar. H: 39in-4ft (1-1.2m). Scabiosa caucasica ‘Perfecta Blue’ Just like its wild relatives, this perennial is…

Why are foxglove flowers hairy? Q Why do foxgloves have vertical hairs inside their trumpet-shaped flowers? Is it something to do with how they are pollinated? Mark Humphries, Weymouth, Dorset A The line of hairs inside a foxglove flower is indeed there for a purpose – it guides bees and other pollinating insects to the sugar-filled nectaries. The plant has adapted to thrive in light shade. Because of this, over thousands of years the leaves have become quite large to capture as much light as possible for the production of chlorophyll. They grow tall for the same reason. They need the light so have evolved a tall stem so they can reach up for the maximum amount of sunlight. Foxgloves are biennials. They produce leaves in the first year of…

Green gardening World Environment Day takes place every year on 5 June. Spearheaded by the United Nations, it aims to encourage worldwide awareness and action in protecting the environment. As gardeners, we are responsible for our own environments, but what we do collectively can have a much wider impact. Let’s take a closer look at the history and facts of ‘green’ gardening… Compost or landfill? Here’s a question often asked: if plant-waste material (such as leaves, stems and roots) decomposes over time, why don’t we put it in our rubbish bins that get emptied onto landfill sites? Well, when general rubbish goes to landfill, air cannot get in to any of the organic elements mixed in with it. So, as this organic waste breaks down, it creates methane – a…

For peat’s sake These days, gardeners are encouraged not to use peat – and for good reason. British sedge peat, cut from heaths and moors, is made up from the remains of sedges, rushes and heather. Its removal cannot be justified – over the centuries the landscape has been scarred. Sphagnum or moss peat is in greater abundance and there are vast deposits in Russia, Finland, Norway and Canada. However, harvesting it and getting it to the UK requires a huge carbon emission problem. To improve our soils it is far better to use bought-in recycled or home-grown composts. Bonfire facts ■ Why is it called bonfire? Because, in origin, it is a bone fire, or the fire in which our ancestors used to burn their left-over scraps of animal…

Greenhouse effects LET’S face it, an ordinary greenhouse does not look that inviting most of the year. During the winter months mine (as I guess most people’s) is filled with empty plant pots, the garden BBQ and sacks of compost. So when I found some stencils at a car boot I decided to revamp my greenhouse. With leftover paint, some sponges and a roller, I turned it into a forever-flowering piece of garden art. I am very pleased – do you think I’m setting a new trend here? I hope so! Ursula Urbansdotter, Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire, Wendy says Your glass mural is great fun! I like the idea of using stencils to transform tired pots and furniture too. Reader’s Quick Tip I READ the question about keeping beans pest-free (AG,…

Hoeing will eventually kill bindweed, but if you’re taking over a neglected patch that is riddled with the roots consider turning it into lawn for a season or two before starting to plant. Bindweed, couch grass and ground elder can’t cope with regular mowing and, as well as killing the weeds, the fibrous roots of the grass will help break up and improve the soil structure. If you do spray, the bindweed is most vulnerable when the flowers appear and if sprayed with a glyphosate-based herbicide in the evening.…

Some bulbs that are forced to flower indoors, such as miniature daffodils and hyacinths, can be planted out when they have faded. Wait until the foliage dies back, then lift them from their indoor container. Discard any that are soft or rotting and plant them in groups at three times the depth of the bulbs, and one bulb’s width apart. They may not flower brilliantly next spring, but should mature and improve over the years. Don’t plant out ‘Paper White’ narcissi as they are not frost hardy.…

“What we are doing is unique in the world” THE Royal Horticultural Society is moving into brand-new territory – and mobilising an army of gardeners to help it on its way. The society, which was formed more than 100 years ago, is combining its decades of gardening and scientific expertise to become a world leader in the fight against climate change and help reduce the global impact of mental and physical illness. It is developing a multi-million-pound, world-beating National Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning at its flagship garden RHS Wisley in Surrey, The centre will open in 2020. Instead of being a top-secret research laboratory staffed by unworldly, stuffy boffins, the centre and its trio of new gardens will welcome the public to watch the scientists at work and…

DESPITE appalling weather, our forsythia flowered in a glorious mass of yellow blossom earlier this spring. It is a reliable shrub, putting on a splendid show each year and does so because I cut it back immediately after its flowers have faded. Deciduous shrubs that flower early in the year (flowering currant, mock orange and kerria, as well as forsythia) should be cut back straight after flowering. They produce blossom on the previous year’s growth, so early pruning gives them the maximum growing time for next year’s flowers. Start by removing the flowered growth back to strong new shoots. You should also remove damaged, dead or diseased branches back to their origins, as well as weak and spindly shoots. Just leave robust branches that will bloom strongly. Create an open…

MEMBERS of the pink family – carnations, dianthus and sweet Williams – are excellent additions to any garden. Whether they are in pots or edging a border, they bring colour and scent from late spring through to autumn. They are remarkably easy-going plants and are relatively simple to propagate. Last year I took some dianthus cuttings and I want to do the same this year from one of my established plants. On this page I show you how to take cuttings and also how to plant out any you took last year (you can put newly bought plants in the ground in the same way). The word dianthus (which is Latin for ‘divine flower’) is an umbrella term for the family of pinks and carnations. Pinks are short-lived perennials that…

HOLLYHOCKS are traditional cottage garden plants. Tall, robust yet somehow delicate, and with a wide range of colours and styles, these hardy perennials can grow to more than 96in (2.4m) tall. This week’s free seeds are for ‘Giant Single Mixed’ hollyhocks in a range of vibrant colours. Sow them now, thinly, into trays or modules of damp compost. Cover with a little more compost and keep them somewhere light and warm until they germinate in 2-4 weeks. Then move them into larger pots when they are large enough to transplant. You can also sow them outside in a prepared seedbed. Thin the seedlings when they are large enough and plant them in their final positions in autumn. Your hollyhocks will flower beautifully next summer. In exposed areas it will pay…

1 If it’s cold, your outdoor tomato, pepper and squash plants will suffer, so make a temporary windbreak from netting or a clear plastic sheet. 2 If it’s hot, indoor cucumbers, melons and peppers will scorch, so shade them with netting, net curtains or fleece fixed outside with clothes pegs. 3 Stop strawberry fruits being ruined by slipping jam jars or plastic bottles over flowers and fruit. This will protect them from weather, slugs and birds. 4 Pull up all bolting (going to flower) beetroot and onions, as this is thought to prevent these plants ‘encouraging’ others.…

1 First, get the position right. Squashes need a sunny, warm spot with moisture-retentive soil – they will then absolutely thrive! If yours is light, add plenty of nutrient-rich organic matter to it before planting, and well-rotted farmyard manure is ideal. 2 The next step is to plant out your squashes. The plants are either bush-forming or trailing, and this determines their spacings. Bushes should be at least 1.2m (4ft) apart each way, whereas sprawling plants should be even further apart – a minimum of 1.8m (6ft) each way. 3 Being thirsty plants, either make a ‘moat’ in the earth around each squash to retain water, or sink an upturned plastic bottle alongside, angled towards the base of the plant. Pushing a stick into the bottle’s neck will help you…

FIFTY years ago, hardly anyone grew diascias. But when the nurseryman and Gardeners’ World presenter John Kelly introduced ‘Ruby Field’ in the early 1970s, gardeners started to take notice. Diascias are dwarf, often trailing or sprawling, sun-loving annual and perennial plants from south-east Africa. Resembling a more delicate-looking snapdragon or nemesia, they have a very long summer flowering season. Spikes of small, open-mouthed flowers are carried on slim (but often wiry) stems, and come in a huge range of red, pink and sometimes purplish shades, as well as white. There are also a number of fine varieties in orange and apricot shades that are relatively hard to come by in summer flowers, and the blooms are set against small heart-shaped or linear leaves. One of the reasons that diascias have…

Botanists Rachel and Rodney Saunders helped enormously in the development of diascias. They collected seed from around 50 species in their wild habitats in South Africa – along with that of a wide range of other South African native plants – and sold it through their international seed company, Silverhill Seeds. Earlier this year, the couple were abducted, and they are now thought to have been killed. However, their legacy lives on in the varieties that we grow today – many of which were bred from plants grown from seed the Saunders supplied. I have grown diascias from their seed myself.…

There are no rules when it comes to colour selection. If you like something, go for it. When planting a border of just white, avoid a south-facing position as the white display will be far too bright. Give white-flowering plants a dark backdrop. Remember that the most dominant colour in the garden is green. Look at the different greens plant foliage offers and work with them as well as the flowers. Flowers of a similar colour will work well together if their shapes and textures are contrasting. If you plan well, a border can have many different colour themes as it moves through the year. A pastel spring scene of forget-me-nots, wood anemones and fritillaries can be followed by a fiery late-summer scene with deep-red dahlias and orange red-hot pokers.…

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Sussex’ (AGM) One of the best lavenders for bees when it blooms from mid-summer. Trim in April and cut back after flowering to create an attractive evergreen shape. H: 2 1/2ft (75cm). Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ Loved by wool-carder bees. Solitary males will hold court and insist that females mate with them before harvesting the down of the leaves for their nests. Fascinating to watch. H: 8in (20cm). Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ Catmint is one of the most reliable wildlife perennials, producing an aromatic mass of silvery-blue that hums with bees all summer long. Cats love it too. Plant in sun or semi-shade. H: 3ft (90cm). Borago officinalis Borage is one of the best annuals you can…

Scientists have discovered that the reason honeybees are able to fly a direct ‘beeline’ to a nectar source is because one of their fellow bees has already told them its location. This information is communicated via what’s known as the ‘waggle dance’, a figure-of-eight movement performed by a forager bee. It shows in which direction the lavender, hyssop or other source of nectar and pollen lies, and how far away it is. A long dance equals a long distance; a rapid dance means an excellent source of nectar.…

Cutting crew Grow plants of one of the taller varieties such as ‘Champagne Bubbles’ or ‘Pastel Poppy Mix’ in rows for cutting – you’ll have armfuls for the house, plus extra to give away Pots of poppies Perk up your patio with two or three plants of a shorter variety (try ‘Garden Gnome’) in a 30cm terracotta pot. This will also work as a portable highlight in a gravel garden Gravel garden Pale yellow ‘Pacino’ makes a fine gravel-garden plant and will self-sow once happy. Make sure the soil under the gravel is finely textured, not too stony, water in and leave the plant to settle down Herbal helpers Herbs such as thyme and catmint often benefit from more colourful neighbours, and during the summer the bold petals of Iceland…

Honeysuckles grow in a wide range of soils. Add plenty of organic matter and mulch in spring and autumn. Like clematis, honeysuckles prefer their roots in the shade and the top in warm sun. Climbers enjoy scaling trees and pergolas but can be stressed in poor soil against a wall. Prune shrubs and most climbers immediately after flowering. Later-flowering climbers blooming on this year’s wood are pruned in spring. Prepare the planting site carefully, thinning back neighbouring plants, clearing weeds and digging any compacted soil. Fork in organic matter before planting. Plant to the same depth as the honeysuckle was when in the pot, and water well. Check regularly during first year.…

■ 29 May 1917 Financier Leopold de Rothschild died. He created a magnificent garden at his home, the 3,200-acre (13km 2 ) estate of Ascott House in Buckinghamshire. ■ 30 May 1744 Poet Alexander Pope died. At one point he translated Homer, and the money he received allowed him to move to a villa in Twickenham, Greater London, where he created his now famous grotto and gardens. The grotto still survives today. ■ 1 June 1902 William Bull, who owned a plant nursery in the King’s Road, Chelsea, died. He was best known for breeding orchids. ■ 2 June 1962 Vita Sackville-West, writer, owner of Sissinghurst in Kent (now one of the most-visited of all National Trust properties), died at the age of 70. ■ 3 June 1713 Robert, 8th…

DISTRIBUTING lawn seed for a new lawn, or to thicken up your existing grass, can be a haphazard business if it’s broadcast by hand. The same applies to lawn feed, and weed and moss killers. So a mechanised spreader with adjustable delivery to put the right amount of product exactly where you need it makes sense. There are two types: hand-held devices, with some electrically powered while others rely on elbow grease; and wheeled push-along hoppers that either drop product, or spread it in a wide arc. Accurate delivery is an issue as you don’t want grass seed or weed, and moss killing products sprayed across your flowerbeds. Spreading the right volume gives the best performance without waste. Hand-held units can also be used for delivering granular or pelleted fertiliser…

I WAS so delighted to see the first bloom on our Japanese tree peony Paeonia ‘Suffruticosa’ over the sizzling bank holiday weekend. The rich-pink petals and golden stamens look so vivid and striking. I was particularly pleased as it had not only survived the frosty spells wrapped in my grandma’s old net curtains but, as the photo above shows, is thriving, with many more flowers to come! Iona Chisholm, Staffordshire…

• How did you get into gardening? When I was seven my mother gave me a packed of Virginia scented stock seeds and a trowel. I was devastated! But they grew into beautiful flowers and I was smitten by gardening and have been ever since. • What is your biggest weakness when you visit a garden centre? I’m always trying to get a second trolley of plants – it’s amazing how much you can fit into a convertible car with the roof down! • If you could only have one plant in your garden, what would it be? That’s so hard – I think it would have to be a tree, a Prunus, because they have everything from beautiful bark through to wonderful blossom. • What is your favourite season…

“A new rose society has been formed” ROSE growers, retailers and lovers of the nation’s favourite flower are backing a Rose Festival Week from 23 June-1 July. Many of us loyal members of the former Royal National Rose Society were very upset when pension-fund debts closed it down. The new Rose Society UK has been formed and members won ‘The Best in Show Award’ in the Special Education and Scientific Section at the Harrogate Spring Show last April. The Rose Festival will help to further publicise the new society and put the spotlight back onto this garden plant and cut flower. Currently, there are over 60 garden centres, from Haskins in the south to Simpsons GC, Inverness in the north, and Altons GC, Essex, across to Klondyke Lady Green, Merseyside,…

The dianthus cuttings I took last summer have taken well and are ready to plant out. While your plants are standing in water to saturate the root ball, dig a hole as deep as the plant’s container and add some slow-release fertiliser. Ease the plants from their containers and tease out any roots that look congested or are circling the root ball. Plant the dianthus, firming down the soil to support the plant and remove air pockets. Water well, even if the soil is damp, and don’t let the plant dry out while it gets established.…

2: Iris Summer Show: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley 2: RHS Gardening Advice: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 3: Spring Plant Fair: Scampston Hall Walled Garden, Scampston, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 8NG. 01944 759111, scampston.co.uk 4: Plants for Shady Places and Stumperies: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 6: Growing Tree Fruit: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/wisley 6: Medicinal Herbs: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 6-10: Chatsworth Flower Show: Chatsworth House, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP. chatsworth.org 9: Peony Show: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0203 176 5830,…

“Some 3,000 species were logged” I STARTED to study the wildlife in my Oxfordshire garden in the mid-1990s, shortly after I began garden writing. The catalyst was a local radio show and I was part of the panel. There were four of us on the panel, three men and me, and we answered phone-in questions. Two of us appeared every week in a random order, so I got to meet all three of my male colleagues. The programme, which was called Dig It, was an eye-opener for me because the three chaps recommended a fungicide, or a pesticide, or some other product almost every time. I was horrified, because they were recommending things that I’d never used, or heard of. I gave my organic answers and I lasted for about…

I’M always urging folk to grow their own fruit – especially when you see the high prices of bush and cane fruit in the supermarkets! The important nutrient for ensuring bumper crops is potassium (look for potash, or the letter K on fertiliser packaging). This element encourages wood to ripen and mature, leading in turn to enhanced flowering and fruiting. At the beginning of the season, when leaves are unfurling and new shoots extending, I feed my fruit with a balanced fertiliser, such as liquid Growmore. But now, as fruit is swelling and new stems begin to harden, it’s my cue to switch to a high-potash liquid feed, such as Tomorite. You only need to feed fruits regularly if you grow them in pots or if your soil is nutritionally…

Choose a site that is sunny for all, or almost all, of the day. Light, well-drained but fertile soil suits diascias best, but they need summer moisture as long as their roots are not waterlogged. Plants may fade away in winter in heavy, badly drained soil. Pot up plugs bought by mail order into 7cm or 9cm pots, and grow them on into larger pots before planting out. Plants bought in pots from nurseries and garden centres should be planted now or in summer. To give them a flying start, always water newly planted diascias with liquid feed immediately after flowering.…

Diascias are not only valuable front-of-the-border perennials, but they are also ideal plants for containers – for summer patio pots, and for hanging baskets and window boxes. Their long flowering season, informal habit and ability to intermingle effectively with other plants makes them ideal placed in front of, and among, more substantial varieties. Pastel-pink varieties look especially good with dwarf patio dahlias in similar tones, with verbenas and with Tumbelina double-flowered petunias. They are also very effective when planted with blue trailing lobelia. Orange and apricot-flowered varieties work with the broad foliage and solid growth of coleus, and have a softening effect on zonal pelargoniums. They also team well with the bronze-leaved ipomoeas we’re now seeing more frequently.…

Nassella tenuissima and Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ The lime-green grass with the purple salvia forms a winning combination for June and July. Height of 2ft (60cm) Paeonia ‘Bowl of Beauty’, Astrantia major ‘Roma’ and nepeta This cooling June scene makes a wonderful addition to a cool collection. They reach a height of 2ft 7in (80cm) Verbena bonariensis and Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ Orange and purple rarely disappoint, and this couple will add impact to a sunny border through June, July and August Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ and Aster x frikartii ‘Flora’s Delight’ For late-summer glamour this shocking yellow and purple combination will delight…

Q We have a dry shady bed backed by a mature hedge with trees. Using lists of suitable plants I’ve attempted to introduce a few shrubs and perennials. Some have taken and provide spring interest, but how can I make this more attractive in summer? Terence Smith, Tetbury, Gloucestershire A Dry shade is a good mimic of woodland conditions, where forest-floor plants come into leaf, flower and set seed from February to June. During this period the soil is still moist from winter rain and light penetrates to the ground before a leafy canopy from deciduous trees knits together. After this, many plants go dormant, dying back to bulbs or tubers. The rest fall back on reserves of fleshy roots to tide them over the dry periods. In a dry,…

Q This plant appeared in my aunt’s garden – what is it? Maggie Cook, via email A This is Gladiolus communis byzantinus. A native of southern Europe, it makes a fascinating focal point for the garden in late spring and early summer. Hardy in free-draining soil in a sheltered garden, it multiplies well if fed monthly from April to September with fish, blood and bone or another organic fertiliser. Q How can I get rid of lawn fungi? Dennis Chappell, Glossop, Derbyshire A Unless they are fairy ring toadstools, the fungi, which subsists on buried organic matter, should succumb to Bayer Garden Lawn Disease Control. Follow treatment with a lawn fertiliser, which also kills moss and weeds. Water it in if rain doesn’t fall for two days. Q What is…

L. x heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ This semi-evergreen climber bears attractive blue-toned leaves. From June to August, expect a burst of warm orange and pink from fragrant flowers, followed by red berries. Reaches 15ft (5m). L. involucrata From North America and Mexico, this deciduous variety bears paired tubular red and yellow flowers in spring. Bracts turn red and contrast with black berries. Reaches 6ft (1.8m). L. hildebrandiana The giant Burmese honeysuckle produces massive fragrant blooms during summer, but is a tender species for the conservatory. A vigorous evergreen, it can twine to around 30ft (10m). L. sempervirens A deciduous or evergreen twiner from the USA, bearing scarlet-orange flowers in late summer, followed by red berries. Stressed plants are prone to mildew. Can reach 12ft (4m).…

Westland Resolva Pro weedkiller is ideal for controlling annual and deep-rooted perennial weeds, as it kills the visible weed and the root. Containing glyphosate, it is a systemic weedkiller that claims to produce visible results in 24 hours. Supplied in a 1-litre ready-to-use spray, it can be used on beds, paths, patios and driveways. As with any weedkiller, read the label before use. We have two 1-litre packs to give away, each worth around £6. 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 Westland Resolva Pro Draw (2 June), Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF. Or you can email your details to ag_giveaway@timeinc.com, heading the email Westland Resolva…

Evergreen Wizz Year-Round Spreader £26.99 rrp 01276 401300 for nearest stockist or lovethegarden.com Features Battery-powered, hand-held rotary spreader with lock and trigger on/off mechanism. There are 23 settings for accurate distribution of fertiliser and lawn seed in summer, and salt on paths in winter. Broadcast width 1.5m. EdgeGuard mechanism to prevent product straying onto borders. Storage hook. Takes 4x AA batteries. Performance Excellent, clear controls. Battery cover fiddly to remove. Safety lock, on/off trigger and dial flow-adjuster worked well and gave good flow control. Delivered an even spread of lawn seed, granular lawn treatment and pelleted chicken manure with ease. Sliding EdgeGuard into place gave clean right-hand bias to delivery to protect borders, but setting needed turning up half a click to maintain flow. Enough power in batteries…

“Bindweed won’t thrive where strawberries grow” A FAVOURITE childhood pastime was squeezing the green base of bindweed blooms to pop the shuttlecock of white petals into the air. Back then I’d have probably said that it was my favourite flower, but now of course it’s one of my least favourites due to its serpentine stems that coil, boa constrictor-like, around all the plants I’d rather keep. Because of its speedy growth and its modus of intertwining with its neighbours, bindweed is very difficult to eradicate. Repeated pulling out eventually exhausts the weed’s resolve, but only if the hunt for the spiralling young stems is never forgotten. Digging out will also check its growth, but never completely gets rid of the spaghetti-like roots that are as brittle as over-cooked pasta and…