Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Aug-2018 i Amateur Gardening

EARLIER this year, Mr Fothergill’s announced the launch of its Optigrow range, which uses revolutionary Swedish seed-priming technology. The company claims that Optigrow seeds ‘promise superfast germination’, producing more uniform crops, better harvests and quality vegetables. It also claims that ‘germination becomes possible under a wider range of conditions, allowing gardeners to sow Optigrow seeds in colder, warmer and drier conditions than the ideal’. Intrigued by this, we at AG decided to put this new range to the test by sowing four Mr Fothergill’s Optigrow varieties alongside their untreated (‘standard’) equivalents (see AG 10 March). The seeds were Cauliflower Triomphant F1, Leek Cairngorm F1, Parsnip Gladiator F1 and Tomato Ferline F1. The story so far I have detailed when each batch of seed was sown and how it germinated elsewhere…

“Toms are Britain’s most popular crop” HOT, dry weather will keep blight disease off potatoes and tomatoes: the foliage has to remain damp for hours if the airborne spores are to germinate. These conditions are, however, likely to increase difficulties with blossom end rot and red spider mite attack on tomatoes. One way to avoid all these problems is to sow a very early ripening cultivar such as tomato ‘Red Alert’ in March, and pick ripe fruit from July before problems develop. It’s fair to say this is child’s play, with several schools in the Windsor area picking red tomatoes in early July from plants grown in wheelbarrows. When it comes to blossom end rot, high temperatures, shortage of water and insufficient calcium are the common causes of black, inedible…

1 Keep watering, more than once a day if necessary. Grey water from washing up or hand washing is fine to use as long as it contains no bleaching agents. 2 Deadheading keeps new flowers coming, and with good care your pots should bloom right through into autumn. 3 Container compost contains nutrients for a few months, but will need replenishing. Liquid tomato food is ideal – high in potassium to boost flowering. Use it fortnightly. 4 Slugs and snails love the cool damp areas around the rims of containers, so check them regularly.…

I’M all for trying something new in the garden, but sometimes it is good to stick with tradition and what you know. This week’s free seeds are for a plant that has been used for cosmetic purposes, healing and cooking for generations. Calendula ‘Art Shades’ is one of our most popular annual plants, producing masses of double blooms in bold and cheerful shades of yellow and orange. Also known as pot marigold, Scotch marigold and ruddles, their petals have been used for generations to add colour to and decorate food, and as key ingredients in soothing cream for cracked and painful skin. They are unrelated to Tagetes – the French and African marigolds that are used as companion plants to distract pests from crops – but they will enrich your…

I KNOW that the mere mention of winter will not go down well with some of you, but please bear with me! In just a few weeks’ time, we will be hitting September, and with that cooler, moister weather come conditions that are perfect for salad leaves. If you wait until then to sow, however, some slower-growing crops like corn salad, purslane and land cress won’t have sufficient time to bulk up and make decent-sized plants come the cold weather. That’s why the time to act is now. Getting hardy crops (such as Swiss chard, mizuna, komatsuna, dandelion, endive, chicory, rocket and sorrel) into the ground right now will guarantee pickings all through autumn and winter, and well into spring. So bite the bullet and put in a few sowings…

I’M sure that many (if not all) of you have already eaten a good number of home-grown courgettes this year, whether this is from your own or your neighbour’s plants. They are hugely productive and gluts are commonplace: I think they’re second only to runner beans as the most bartered-with crop! We swap ours for hen’s eggs with our neighbours (a pretty good deal, I think) yet yields can begin to taper off as the summer reaches its peak. You can refresh your plants and maintain frequent harvests by ensuring that fruits don’t get any bigger than a banana before you cut them – cutting them finger-sized, with the flower still in tact for stuffing, is the ultimate in decadence! Larger fruits suppress the production of others, so if you’ve…

Autumn or spring are the best planting times for hebes. Choose a sunny place in rich but well-drained soil, or a container filled with John Innes No3 compost. Small plants often establish more quickly than large ones in large pots. The day before planting, soak the plants in their pots with seaweed fertiliser such as Maxicrop or Seasol. Do not allow young plants to dry out until they are well established. Some varieties appreciate the extra warmth of a south- or west-facing wall. All hebes are good seaside plants and will take wind and storms in milder areas.…

Tomato ‘Mountain Magic F1’ Considered by Kings to be the best disease-resistant tomato available, it produces masses of sweet fruit that are full of flavour. A Campari type with fruit slightly larger than cherry toms. Pea ‘Hurst Greenshaft’ Bred in Lincolnshire and making its debut in 1971, this pea is a perennial favourite among Kings’ customers thanks to its heavy crops. Each pointed pod contains about 10 sweet-tasting peas. Sweet Pea ‘Spencer Waved Mixed’ A special blend of more than 40 different varieties grown in Kings’ trial fields, and picked for their garden performance, bright colours and scent. The long stems are ideal for cutting. Runner Bean ‘Moonlight’ Holding an RHS Award of Garden Merit, this variety boasts white flowers followed by tasty, smooth skinned, 9in (23cm) long pods. As…

CUTTING Ammi visnaga A. majus’s chunky cousin produces denser flower heads over a longer period. The greeny-white domed blooms add a wafty feel to flower arrangements. A hardy annual, it can be sown in spring and autumn. HxS: 4ftx16in (1.2mx40cm). POTS Orlaya grandiflora AGM This hardy annual has dainty, pure white flower heads. Shorter than other umbel plants, it’s perfect for summer containers – try planting with salvias and scabious. Easy to grow from seed in spring and autumn. HxS: 2x1ft (60x30cm). POLLINATORS Daucus carota ‘Dara’ A favourite with hoverflies, who love the flat-topped flowers, D. carota has delicate umbels in shades of pink and burgundy, complemented by feathery foliage. A hardy annual; best sown in autumn. HxS: 3x1 ½ ft (90x45cm). AROMATIC LEAVES Foeniculum vulgare…

Alpine strawberry Fragaria vesca can be used as a pretty edging plant, and will soften hard landscaping. Shade tolerant, its flowers attract beneficial insects, while the fruit has a distinctive flavour. There’s even a version with variegated leaves. Chives Both the dense clumps of narrow green leaves and the purple, globe-like flowers will bring colour to the edge of a border. Chives look great paired with round-leaved plants, and all parts of the plant are edible. Calendula officinalis Rely on good old pot marigolds for an injection of bright orange, plus pretty petals to perk up salads. An ideal companion plant, it will attract beneficial insects and lure aphids. Direct sow in March and be prepared for self-seeding. Comfrey A useful multi-tasker in that it looks good, attracts insects and…

Double trouble in the garden! Q How can I get rid of invasive alstroemeria? Also, some of my shrubs including daphne and choisya aren’t doing well. What can I do? Jennifer Wotherspoon (via email) A The best way to control the alstroemeria invading your garden is to spray it with Weedol Rootkill Plus. Based on glyphosate and another weedkiller, which are biodegradable, it works systemically, travelling through the plant’s vascular system to kill the roots and shoots. If the alstroemeria is well established with a large root system, then a second or third application may be necessary to eradicate it. Because the herbicide is a total herbicide, it is vital to keep it away from other garden plants. I am sorry that your daphne, choisya and other shrubs are making…

THERE is something so satisfying about whizzing through overgrown areas with a trimmer, reducing tall grass and weeds to stubble. Mains-powered models are limited in reach by the cable, while petrol trimmers are powerful but messy and noisy. The latest lithium-ion battery models offer enough muscle, good run time, and freedom from messy petrol and mains cables. They’re also a lot less noisy. However, run times are affected by the type of work you do with the trimmers – push them hard, and run time will be a lot shorter than those quoted. The batteries are not cheap, but they will plug into a range of other power tools. If you can afford it, a second battery will increase the time you can work. Mountfield MT 48 Li £247 inc…

‘Brunswick’ Expect large, somewhat pear-shaped fruits, flushing from green to purple when ripe. This reliable, hardy variety fruits very well in hot summers. ‘White Marseilles’ Another contender for outdoor planting, the fruits of this lovely fig turn yellow as they ripen. The flesh is transparent but sweet and richly flavoured. ‘Panachee’ An old French variety, known as ‘Tiger Fig’ for its attractive green and yellow-striped fruits. The red flesh is sweet and tasty. Crops outdoors in milder areas. ‘Violette de Solliès’ The dark purple, nearly black fruits don’t disappoint, as the flesh inside is red, aromatic and sweet to taste. A vigorous fig, and hardy in the UK. Leaves are interestingly serrated.…

Westland Buxus Feed promotes plant health in box hedges, box balls and box trees by helping to improve tolerance against pests and diseases. Containing the major plant nutrients NPK in the ratio 5:2.5:7.5, plus trace elements, it also restores leaves to a rich-green colour and boosts root growth. Buxus Feed can be applied at fortnightly intervals from April until September. We have three 1-litre bottles to give away, each worth £5.99. See below for details of how to enter the prize draw. How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Westland Buxus Feed Draw (18 August), Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF. Or you can email your details to ag_giveaway@ti-media.com, heading the email Westland Buxus Feed Draw (18 August).…

As well as having buckets, pots and a water butt to catch the rain, be ready to give plants a pick-me-up feed as soon as the ground is moist. Calcium often goes missing in summer and a deficiency shows as brown/yellow spots around the edges of leaves. A feed of garden lime (a spoon or two mixed in a can) will help, or a sprinkle of wood ash, which contains calcium, will help them recover. Nitrogen deficiency presents as pale leaves – feed affected plants with chicken manure pellets or fish, blood and bone.…

WITH their mix of perennials and annuals, our borders have been a picture this summer despite the hot, dry weather. A few plants have perished (a couple of nemesia and one or two nicotianas keeled over in the arid conditions) and the sweet peas aren’t as prolific as usual, but everything else has survived so far. I’m amazed the beds are looking as good as they are, as most of our saved water (grey water poured from washing-up bowls into watering cans) has been given to the tomatoes and other fruit and veg. The rest of the garden has been watered with the hosepipe just once or twice, giving plants a good dousing in cool evenings or mornings. I’ve also been keeping up with weeding, as most are more robust…

FEW things are as beautiful or quintessentially English as a froth of mauve or white wisteria flowers cascading down the sunny wall of a house. However, these vigorous climbers have a reputation for being reluctant to flower, possibly because those grown from seed can take up to 20 years to bloom and young grafted plants that have already flowered can be prone to attacks by mice and birds, and may lose flower buds to late frosts. Encourage your wisteria to flower by pruning it at the right time. Tidy it up in late winter so flower buds won’t be obscured by foliage, and remove long whippy shoots now, in late summer. Summer pruning simply involves reducing the current year’s growth to five or six leaves once flowering has finished in…

Where tomato plants have thin growing tips and small, pale green young leaves, all but grafted kinds can be given a boost by heaping some fresh, damp compost around the base of stems to encourage new roots. Black and green coloured tomatoes have been introduced to give variety to mixed salads. Bush tomatoes grown ‘Table Top’ style in grow bags have fruits kept clean up off the soil, free from slugs, easier to pick, and with air movement to reduce risk of blight disease. Do not remove lower leaves until they start to yellow or carry disease – while green, they are still feeding the fruits.…

“Peas and beans are worth effort” MANY gardeners save seeds each year, as it’s easy and a real cost-cutting measure. But we cannot – or rather, should not – save seeds for every crop and flower, as some will not come true. For example, sweetcorn seed is expensive to buy, so very tempting. The problem is the plants that result will likely not be like the parent, or even much like each other. Most varieties of sweetcorn sold are what are called F1 hybrids: these produce excellent plants and crops, but their breeding method means the seeds formed do not come true. Old varieties such as ‘Golden Bantam’ are OK, but only when no other variety is grown nearby, as cross-pollination will also produce random offspring. Most F1 hybrids suffer…

17-19: RHS Rosemoor Flower Show: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 18: Shadwell Flower, Veg and Plant Show: Shadwell Primary School, main Street, Shadwell, Leeds LS17 8JF. 0113 273 8821 18: Intro to Dry Stone Walling: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 18-19: Carnivorous Plant Exhibition: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley 19: Dog Day: Easton Walled Gardens, Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG33 5AP. 01476 530063, visiteaston.co.uk 21: Bat Walk: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0845 6121 253, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley 23: Watercolour Day ‘Potting Shed’: Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH. 01572 813200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk 26: Dog Day: Easton Walled Gardens, Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG33…

I’M going to be the ultimate show-off now: in the walled garden where I work, you’ll find mature peach, nectarine and apricot trees – and they’re all loaded with fruit this year, sorry! Harvesting them is an absolute treat, even if I do get buzzed by the odd grumpy wasp. The trees are all growing as fans along the south-facing brick wall; they adore sunshine and need a good amount of it to boost those all-important sugar levels within the fruits. Growing them as fans also makes it easy for us to cover them with polythene in winter to prevent peach leaf curl fungal attack. Apart from that, these trees are fairly simple to look after. Just cut out some of the old wood and tie in the new to…

HEBES are a very mixed bunch. All are attractive and easy-to-grow evergreen shrubs that never take over your garden – attributes that, on their own, make them valuable plants. But they really do have some special features. Rarely reaching more than 39in (1m) in height, their neat, pointed foliage is usually dark and glossy, and looks good all the year round; in some varieties the undersides or the shoot tips are purple. Many have variegated or coloured leaves: in some, this is simply a matter of a creamy margin; in others, the colouring is augmented by reddish or pink tones that show up especially well in winter. Meanwhile, the leaves of a few are impressively silvered. Hebes’ flowers are tiny, but they come in crowded heads that may be long…

If you garden in a cold area, take cuttings of large-leaved types about now, as back-up in case your plants are hit by a harsh winter. Prune in spring. A feed of general fertiliser at the same time will help kick them into growth. Be sure that your newly pruned hebes are not allowed to dry out – they need the moisture to help fuel new growth. Look out for leaf spot (brown spots under the leaves), and treat with your favourite general-purpose fungicide. Other problems such as root rot and downy mildew are usually caused by waterlogged soil.…

OVER the past few years, Kings has offered a limited range of vegetable plug plants to customers visiting its website, including several varieties of beetroot, tomatoes, kale and spring onions. Due to the amount of interest in ready-grown plants, the company plans to increase the number of vegetables and varieties it offers in the future. “We can see there’s definite growth in the market for vegetable plugs, which appeals to a different sort of customer than those dedicated to growing from seed,” says horticultural director Andrew Tokely. First-time gardeners and those who are strapped for time are among those snapping them up. “The whole idea is to make life easier for people,” he says. For more information about Kings Seeds, visit kingsseeds.com.…

Selinum wallichianum AGM Pairing strong structure with a delicate feel, the fern-like leaves, tiny white flowers and tall, red-purple tinged stems of this perennial work best at the back of a border. Flowers: July-September. Full sun/part shade, in moist, well-drained soil. HxS: 6x2ft (1.8mx60cm). Cenolophium denudatum AGM A great cut flower, in the garden baltic parsley makes mounds of dark green, feathery foliage that’s topped by billowy clouds of green-white flowers over a long season (July to October). Likes: full sun/part shade, in moist, well-drained soil. HxS: 39inx1ft (1mx30cm). Angelica gigas A statuesque plant with huge domed umbel flowers the colour of beetroot, plus shiny leaves. Fabulous at the back of a border, this short-lived perennial will be happy in full sun or part shade, in…

■ Hardy annual umbels make bigger plants when sown in early autumn rather than spring. Sow direct if you’re on well-drained soil. If not, sow into module trays or large pots (they don’t like root disturbance) and keep protected over winter in a cold frame or greenhouse. Plant out in spring. ■ The general advice is to use fresh seed; however, I’ve had success with old packets of ammi seed, so if you have any lying around, it’s definitely worth giving them a go. ■ Control self-seeding umbels by removing fading flower heads before the seeds can ripen. You might want to leave a few in situ, however, as the flower heads of many umbels look beautiful in autumn, covered in frost.…

Create feature pathways Use bricks arranged into repeated patterns, paver and gravel combinations or other materials to build paths that are decorative as well as functional. Central walkways should be wide enough for your wheelbarrow. Edge with box, or hedge germander (Teucrium x lucidrys) to act as a wind break. Embrace natural materials Utilise natural materials to create attractive plant supports for peas, sweet peas and runner beans. Hazel or colourful dogwood twigs (cornus; above), willow and bamboo will all work well. Alternatively, why not customise ordinary garden canes by painting them with bright primary colours? Opt for contrast Play around with different combinations of plants. Partnering those with contrasting leaf shapes and flower colours will help create a sense of drama. Dark-leaved kale looks particularly striking with the bold…

Q This is growing in my daughter’s garden – but what is it? Mrs R Sheldon, Rhiwbina, Cardiff A It is Japanese wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius). A native of northern China and Japan, it was introduced to Britain in 1876 and won an RHS First Class certificate in 1894. In winter, cut out fruited cane and tie in new ones, ideally fan-training them. It is a delicious fruit, though some people are allergic to it. Q What is this lovely purple plant, please? Jeanette Konopka (via email) A It is purple heart (Setcreasea purpurea), a native of Mexico where it luxuriates on limestone pavements, and it has great charm. Prized not only as a house plant for a warm, sunny aspect, but also as an outdoor hanging basket contender for summer,…

Carnations and pinks The name ‘dianthus’ is from the Greek words Dios (meaning ‘of Zeus’) and anthos (‘flower’). Over the years, dianthus species have been extensively bred, and there are now thousands of cultivars for garden use and the cut-flower trade. They come in a huge variety of flower shapes and markings, and in all shades of white, cream, pink, yellow and red, and verging into purple. The summer-flowering types are giving their all right now, so let’s look at some of the history and facts surrounding them. Main forms of carnation and pink Perennial garden dianthus are generally divided into the following groups: Border carnations: fully hardy with large blooms; often need staking, to 24in (60cm). Malmaison carnations (pictured): grown for their intense ‘clove’ scent; derived from the variety…

Waterfall effect HERE in the North West, the hosepipe ban starts on 5th August and will affect all gardeners. In addition to lawns, borders and many pots, I have 16 hanging baskets around my garden which need watering daily, and where possible I have positioned wall planters and pots below them. Not only does this make for a better display, it avoids empty walls below hanging baskets. More importantly, in these drought conditions, where all of our plants are struggling to survive a dry summer (discussed by Ruth last week, Surviving a Dry Summer, 28 July), it maximises the efficient use of water. I water the hanging basket first, and any excess drains out of the basket hole into the wall planter below, then any excess from watering this drains…

Our slightly crazy wildlife garden, with its wild areas, unmown lawn and emphasis on native and insect-friendly plants, has loved the hot weather. Because our soil is thin and chalky, we grow plants suited to harsher conditions – they have thrived and attracted many bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths. Silvery stachys, or lamb’s ear, has furry leaves that help it cope with arid conditions, so it doesn’t need much care or watering. It flowers for months, is a wonderful plant for texture and contrast in borders, and its elegant spires of pinky flowers are a magnet for butterflies. Herbs, thistles, daisy-like flowers such as marigolds and echinacea, and hardy native plants can handle adverse conditions and will bring in pollinators and pest predators.…

A FOUR-YEAR restoration project has culminated in the reopening of the pagoda and the recreation and restitution of the 80 dragons that first adorned the building 257 years ago, writes Garry Coward-Williams. The Great Pagoda has been an important feature of Kew Gardens since it was built in 1762. It was the second tallest building in Britain at 163 feet high, and a design project so extraordinary that many believed it would collapse. It was seen as a miracle of Georgian engineering and a strange wonder from the exotic east, like an erstwhile London Eye, but it was not accessible to the general public — only to guests and friends of King George III. Those lucky enough were able to enjoy never-before-seen views of the countryside, reaching out to London…

WITH outside temperatures putting the Med in the shade for most of the summer so far, I’m starting to wonder why we didn’t decide to grow all our tomatoes on the patio. The reason, of course, is that British weather is notoriously fickle and tomatoes grown undercover are less susceptible to blight and pests. Greenhouse plants will have needed more care than ever this summer to help them survive the intense heat. Too much hot, direct sun will scorch leaves, and warm, still days create the perfect conditions for pests such as glasshouse red spider mite. Symptoms of these pests include a pale mottling of the leaf surface and, in bad infestations, webbing between and a loss of foliage. They can be controlled using biological controls – predatory mites are…

1 Sort potatoes as you dig – store perfect tubers from healthy plants for next year, and eat damaged and odd ones first. 2 Pick blackberries early as they’re much more digestible. The last to ripen will have hardened seeds which cause stomach ache. 3 Admit that you’ve left too many bunches on your grapevine and remove a third now to give the others a chance… 4 Gently lift pumpkins, melons and squashes, then sit them on pieces of wood or tile to ripen off the damp soil.…

I’M not sure whether it was last year’s cold winter followed by the equally cold spring, or the hot weather during June and July, but it seems that two of my favourite creatures have gone AWOL. They are the two toads that used to live on the compost heap, under a tarpaulin. One was twice the size of the other, so I christened them Little and Large. This dynamic duo kept the slugs off our winter squashes, planted on top of the compost heap. As a result, the squashes rarely got nibbled even in wet summers. Now the toads have gone and our four winter squashes have been reduced to one good plant, despite the dry weather. I haven’t seen any frogs in the borders, either, and sometimes they jump…

1 Sowing in the conventional way, straight into the ground, is great if you’ve got gaps appearing on your plot that need filling. Make a drill 3-4ft (90cm-1.2m) long and 3in (7½cm) deep, water the base thoroughly, and sow your chosen salad directly into the base. Cover with soil, firming it down well. 2 Sowing into pots allows you to utilise your patio or balcony – especially handy if you don’t have a garden! Use larger containers, as these don’t dry out so readily. Line the sides (but not the base) with polythene and fill with good-quality multipurpose compost. Drench, sow and water in lightly. 3 Growing bags are ideal for productive salad leaves. Lay the bag out flat and bind it widthways with twine in two or three places.…

August is the optimum time to take hebe cuttings. Snip off non-flowering shoot tips about 4in/10cm long. Trim off the lower leaves and recut the base just below a leaf joint. If all the shoots are flowering, carefully snip off the flowers. Insert them up to the lowest leaf in pots of multipurpose compost – three to a 3½in (9cm) pot is fine. Water well, put the pot in a polythene bag, use a piece of cane to keep the polythene off the leaves, then close the top of the bag. Open the bag after about four weeks, by which time your cuttings should have rooted. If growing well, pot them up individually and keep them cool but frost-free until planting time in spring. Otherwise, pot on in early spring.…

Courgette ‘Shooting Star’ F1 Unlike most courgettes, this variety with golden-yellow fruit is perfect for smaller gardens, thanks to its unique climbing habit, making it possible to train up a trellis or canes. Pea ‘Purple Magnolia Snap’ Claimed to be the first purple-podded sugar snap pea. Climbing with the aid of strong tendrils, it forms tall plants that produce attractive purple and claret flowers followed by lots of extra-sweet pods. Calendula officinalis ‘Calexis Orange’ Dwarf, well-branched plants up to 5in (12cm) with double cactus-type flowers in orange or yellow, with rolled petals and dark-brown centres. A Fleuroselect gold-medal winner. Kale ‘Cottagers’ Mentioned by Charles Darwin in 1860, this old variety has been put back into seed production by Kings due to increased popularity in kale. Its greenish-purple leaves…

Enclose the garden using hedging or fencing: this not only looks great but will ensure rabbits and deer are unable to help themselves. Build your design around a central feature, such as an attractive tree or pergola planted with beans or melons. Use this as a focal point, and lay paths to and from it. Edge beds with low hedges of box (or similar) as this will offer protection from any harsh winds. Evergreen alternatives to box include Euonymus japonicus and Ilex crenata. Use a rotation system to aid soil fertility and reduce the possibility of soil-borne pests and diseases.…

Q The flowers on my clematis and dahlias are being eaten by something. Quite large bites and holes, mainly made around the outside of the petals, are spoiling them. My friend tells me it is earwigs – do you agree, and how can I stop it? June Fleetwood, Clevedon, North Somerset AThey’ve almost certainly been eaten by earwigs – slim, dark insects that emerge after dark to feed on a variety of petals. Although at first these creepy-crawly creatures may seem hateful, with their reputation for invading ears and nipping with rear pincers, I do urge you to study them, learn their ways and discover how useful they are in the garden. Earwigs ( Forficula auricularia ) are up to ½in (14mm) long, a rich brown colour and partial to…

For pots, use a 50:50 mix of John Innes No3 and a soilless mix with 20% extra grit. Move on gradually to larger containers by repotting every few years in spring. A wooden half-barrel is a good final container. During winter, move any potted figs under cover or wrap the pot sides in bubble plastic. Thin badly placed stems in spring (although I have successfully done this in summer and autumn, too). Sticky white sap can be an irritant, so wear gloves. Let light in by pinching back the new growth of over-enthusiastic figs to five or six leaves in June.…

17 August 1661 Vaux-le-Vicomte, 34 miles from Paris and the first garden by landscape architect André le Nôtre, was opened. 17 August 1847 Amelius Richard Mark Lockwood was born. As the 1st Baron Lambourne, he became President of the RHS. The dessert apple ‘Lord Lambourne’ is named after him. 17 August 1878 Tulipa kolpakowskiana, discovered by Swiss-Russian botanist Johann Albert von Regel in Turkestan, was introduced in Britain. 18 August 1855 Gardener and RHS founder John Lindley published a new edition of The Theory of Horticulture, subtitled: An Attempt To Explain The Principal Operations of Gardening Upon Physiological Principles. Catchy! 19 August 1858 Plantswoman Ellen Willmott was born. She was said to have grown more than 100,000 species and cultivars of plants in her lifetime, and more than 60 are…

CUE tumbleweed and brace yourself… What’s the difference between a pirate and a strawberry grower? One buries his treasure – the other treasures his berries. Boom! You’ll thank me for that the next time you’re trying to strike up a conversation. Strawbs and buried relics have been a theme in the news of late, as thanks to the hot weather the strawberries have been more abundant and succulent than ever, while the parched grass has revealed the outlines of long-lost Neolithic ruins and crop circles in farmers’ fields. Although you might not have a Stonehenge entombed under the lawn, most gardens have a spot where plants don’t thrive because buried rubble, drains or old footings affect the soil. Wilting when other plants stay healthy is the first sign of subterranean…