Innholdsfortegnelse for 22-Sep-2018 i Amateur Gardening

“The blistering July weather might have a far more damaging effect on Britain’s lawns than the mere scorching that mine and many others suffered: it could mean many will disappear altogether! The makers of artificial lawns have seen a 30% increase in enquiries since the summer (see News, page 7) from people who care more about looks than the environment and the important benefits gardens bring to cities (see RHS Explains, page 36). Lawns are a vital element in your garden’s ecosystem. Don’t be tempted to fake it – keep it real.”…

SOME plants can weather the winter outside, even though they are not completely hardy, with a little extra help. Penstemons and evergreen agapanthus fall into this category, and if you live somewhere extremely balmy then your established fuchsias will survive too. Plants that are too large or inconvenient to lift and overwinter undercover are relatively easy to protect. Cloches, either bell-shaped ones for individual plants or fleece tunnels for a line of crops, work well. Just remember to anchor them as they can be prone to lifting off in high winds. A layer of organic mulch, such as bark chippings or a proprietary mulch and soil-improver, will insulate and help to nourish the soil and plants while they are dormant. Take care not to mound wet mulch over the crown…

ONE of the great joys of gardening is that there’s always something new to grow – not just in terms of species we may not have tried, but also new and sometimes improved variations of the plants, flowers and veg we love. Here are some of the newcomers to the Mr Fothergill’s range, which includes three new sweet peas, a delightful purple poppy (‘Lauren’s Grape’), some colourful carrots and a yellow beetroot. All are available as seeds now. See mr-fothergills.co.uk or telephone 0333 777 3936 for further details. Brachycome Blue Star Half-hardy annual. Compact, fragrant, star-shaped flowers. Drought-tolerant. Sow Feb-May, and flowers Jun-Oct. Cornflower Classic Fantastic Hardy annual. Easy to grow, an ideal filler for borders or containers. Sow Mar-May, flowers Jun-Sep. Morning Glory Party Dress Half-hardy annual. Large flowers.…

DO you want to travel the world in the name of botanical exploration? Then the RHS may be able to help you! The organisation has made more than £100,000 available to gardening professionals and amateurs who want to combine travel with horticultural learning. The funding, which comprises a series of bursaries between £200 and £3,000 for around 100 applicants, aims to improve the UK’s horticultural skills and knowledge at home or abroad. A fellowship programme will also offer one applicant an all-expenses paid opportunity to study at an American university or gain practical experience at Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens. Previous recipients of RHS funding have investigated unique flora in Korea’s Demilitarised Zone, researched plants in the Caucasus Mountains and followed in the footsteps of famed horticulturist Harold Comber in Tasmania. Chris…

THE ability to garden without a garden was brought home to me by a recent Twitter posted by former AG writer Marc Rosenberg in the form of a picture from Cornwall. A house with front door right on the pavement was surrounded by a mass of containers overflowing with summer flowering bedding. It was an absolute delight and just as welcoming as the countless pubs and restaurants that bring colour and beauty to our streets and neighbourhoods. There was another picture on Twitter of the front door at Great Dixter, staged by head gardener Fergus Garrett and his staff. “Plants with fragrance add a welcome” They of course have the wonderful old porch backdrop, but it does not matter what the door looks like – we can green it up…

1 Fill deep modules, 10in (25cm) pots or root trainers with seed compost that should be dampened before sowing. Make a 2 1/2in (5cm)- deep hole in each module or root trainer (five in the larger pot) and drop a single seed in each. Cover with compost. 2 Place the seeds in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame to germinate. Keep the seedlings well ventilated to avoid fungal diseases such as botrytis grey mould, and pinch out the tops to create plants that are bushy rather than leggy.…

Any young self-seeded plants that you want to keep should be lifted now and either potted up or planted out where you want them to grow. This will give enough time for their roots to grow and the plant get established before winter. If you are potting up hardy plants until there is space in borders next spring, keep them well watered and somewhere sheltered – against a wall or in an unheated greenhouse – until they can go in the ground. If they are tender, keep them undercover and protect them with horticultural fleece when the temperature drops below freezing.…

“Perennial crops do better in most adverse years” THE long drought this year has illustrated the resilience of trees compared to vegetables. Whereas most veg needed a daily drink just to survive, many perennial fruits managed to crop without a single watering. As there’s so much less labour to growing fruit anyway, I reckon we should consider growing more of it in case we face more drought years in future. Indeed, perennial crops do better in most adverse years – wet, dry, hot or cold – so it makes sense even if we don’t suffer a run of drought years. Sadly, raspberries and strawberries did very poorly without watering: indeed, some died. However, currants black and red and also gooseberries all managed reasonable crops. The brambles and hybrids such as…

1 Ideally, choose a new site for your strawberries, where the plants haven’t been grown for at least two years; this helps to reduce the build-up of strawberry-specific pests and diseases. If you can’t, just add lots of compost and fresh soil to an existing bed. 2 You might have propagated your own strawberry runners (well done!) or be buying plants from the garden centre, or bare-root plants via mail order. All these are planted in the same way – ensure that the crown is only just above soil level. 3 Spread out the roots of bare-root plants evenly, and tease out congested ones of potted plants. Cover around the rootball with soil, firm gently and water the strawbs in well. If there are dry autumn spells, give the new…

Be sure to check the growing conditions your grasses need: sun or shade, moist or dry – varieties vary and it’s important to get it right. However, waterlogged soil suits very few grasses. Intermingling grasses with other plants to create an informal, prairie-style blend often works better than grouping them together in tight clumps. Most grasses will appreciate the addition of some weed-free organic soil improver before planting. Newly bought plants can often be split into two or three to fill more space and help them mingle with their neighbours.…

Ornamental grasses make some of the best of all container plants. Set three small plants of the yellow-variegated Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ or ‘Alboaurea’ – or even the plain green Hakonechloa macra – in a 40-45cm container, and in a couple of years you’ll have an elegant waterfall of delicate colour. The shorter varieties of miscanthus are also ideal – their upright growth leaves space for bushier plants at the pot’s edge. Some are attractively variegated; with a season of interest that starts in April, they have elegant plumes and the foliage turns orange for the autumn and into winter. Look for ‘Flamingo’, ‘Gold und Silber’ and ‘Kleine Silberspinne’. Some gardeners plant pots with individual varieties, move them into prominence when they’re at their peak, then tuck them away when others…

“AS gardens seem to be getting smaller, packing more into a limited area is becoming increasingly important to our customers,” says James Oakey, head of horticulture at Unwins. As a result, the company plans to increase the range of flowers and vegetables suitable for pots and tiny spaces. Unwins already supplies lines that fit the bill, such as sweet pea ‘Cherub’, a diminutive gem that grows to 10cm (4in) tall, and butternut squash ‘Butterbush’, which forms a 30cm (12in) tall bush rather than a 3m (10ft)-long plant. “Expect to see more plants like this and those with a dual purpose,” says James, singling out kale ‘Superfood Mix’. He describes it as an edible ornamental. Not only does it taste good, but the attractive leaves wouldn’t look out of place in…

Geum ‘Borisii’ Great for the front of a border, the small bright-orange flowers work particularly well with burgundy shades. Deadhead to maintain flowering. Grow in well-drained soil, in sun. H: 1ft (30cm). Delphinium ‘Fenella’ AGM Blue addicts can never have enough of these towers of breathtaking gentian flowers with black eyes. Grow at the back of the border, in sun. Beware of slugs; use protection. H: 39in-5ft (1-1.5m). Achillea ‘Coronation Gold’ AGM With plates of bright-yellow flowers atop upright stems, this is taller and bolder than the widely grown ‘Moonshine’. The spent flowers look good in autumn and winter, too. Full sun. H: 3ft (90cm). Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Chile Black’ Short-lived perennial, the dark claret chocolate pincushion flowers of which make it a…

Why did most of my roses fail? Q What could be the cause of only one of my standard roses flowering this year? Also, the bark on one of my rose bushes has developed brown patches – could this be caused by spray from a farmer’s field? Janet Kiddle, Market Rasen, Lincs A The usual reason for non-flowering is poor light and low temperatures, but we have had such a glorious summer that the cause can’t be either of these. I suggest you encourage your standard roses to bloom well next year by feeding them with bone meal in October, which breaks down into root-promoting phosphates in spring. Additionally, dose them with 1oz (28g)/sq m of sulphate of potash, which helps them flower well. Apply it monthly from April to…

AN ordinary straight-bladed penknife will help you harvest many crops, but there are occasions when it is worth investing in a specialist knife. It is no coincidence that many specialist harvesting knives have long, curved, serrated blades – they are designed for harvesting asparagus, which requires its tough stem base to be cut just below soil level. But the curved saw edge is also good for tackling woody stems like cabbage, and the pointed tip can be wriggled into awkward spaces for cutting crops without damaging the plant. Other specialist harvesting knives have different attributes. I’ve tried a range of them to see what works. Darlac Harvest & Asparagus Knife £6.99 + £4.99 delivery 0844 557 6700 or visit marshalls-seeds.co.uk Features Scalloped and serrated stainless-steel curved blade. Textured soft-grip handle,…

18 September 1937 The first TV mention of the RHS garden at Wisley, Surrey, occurred on this day, when the Keeper of the Gardens, Mr R Findlay, appeared on the BBC, from Alexandra Palace. He gave a talk on late-flowering plants. 19 September 1818 Swedish botanist Olof Swartz died. He visited North America, the West Indies, Puerto Rico and Cuba, recording more than 6,000 new plants, particularly ferns, orchids and mosses. 19 September 1925 Francis Darwin, English botanist and son of Charles Darwin, died at the age of 77. In 1880 he published the results of his collaboration with his father, in the book The Power of Movement in Plants . 19 September 1992 Potato peeling reached the record books when five people peeled 830lb (376kg) of potatoes (to institutional…

HAVING nursed the season’s bedding plants through the summer’s drought and water shortage, it’s time to make plans for seeing tender perennials through winter. If you live somewhere extremely temperate and sheltered you may want to risk leaving plants in the ground, but even though I live on the south-west coast, I always lift mine. On these pages I’m concentrating on the pelargoniums growing in my garden, but the same treatments of lifting, taking cuttings and overwintering can also be given to marguerites (Argyranthemums) and fuchsias. Penstemons can be left in situ, but make sure you only cut them back by one-third so their stems and foliage help protect the plant’s crown through winter. Agapanthus in borders should be mulched with bark chippings or similar, while those growing in pots…

Plants in a greenhouse need monitoring to keep them healthy. A chill, damp atmosphere is a breeding ground for fungal disease and a sharp drop in temperature will soon see off plants. Keep horticultural fleece to hand to throw over plants at night. Remove it each morning, as even slightly rising temperatures will create condensation that will attract mould. Open doors and windows slightly on warmer days to improve airflow, but close them at night. Leave the greenhouse door slightly open when gales are blowing to help air blow through safely and not ‘pop’ any panes of glass.…

A SPIKE in the number of people inquiring about swapping real grass for artificial turf could pose a real threat to our native wildlife and eco-structure. Following this summer’s extremely hot, dry weather, artificial grass company LazyLawn has reported a spike in the number of people enquiring about installing fake lawns. In July, the business saw a 30% rise, year on year, of people looking for alternative ways of keeping their garden looking lush and green. LazyLawn sales manager Matt Shemilt said: “After weeks of baking heat and no rain, homeowners are keen to find ways to reinvigorate their gardens. We have seen enquiries increase in line with the hot weather, where we would usually expect a slight reduction because of the holiday season.” But the possibility of far fewer…

TENDER perennials such as pelargoniums (see pages 4-5) aren’t the only summer plants that need lifting and protecting through the coldest months. Several plants growing from tubers and corms should be taken from the soil and stored somewhere dry and frost-free. In almost anywhere in the UK, cannas, dahlias, tuberous begonias and gladioli will struggle in the cold and wet of a typical British winter, and almost definitely succumb to prolonged freezes and heavy snow. (Having said that, my parents, who lived on the south coast, had a big old dahlia in their front garden that kept going for years despite never being lifted in winter). Some plants, such as dahlias and cannas, should stay put until their foliage has been blackened by frosts, but I prefer to lift my…

1 Heavy wide-based pots and heavier soil based composts reduce the risk of tall plants blowing over. 2 Use the same style and coordinated colour for containers to get a more cohesive look. 3 Chinese box, Sarcococca, is a compact, rich evergreen shrub ideal for doorstop gardening with fragrant flowers in winter. 4 Stand pots in saucers through the summer to save water and improve uptake. Remove through the winter to prevent water-logging, unless in the rain shadow of overhanging soffet…

Sweet pea seeds are hard, round bullets, which keeps them safe from predators but can also hamper germination. There are several simple ways to help them along. Soaking in tepid water overnight softens the seeds’ hard carapace, but may cause rotting if they are left too long. You can also place seeds on dampened kitchen roll somewhere light and warm for a few days until they start to swell and sprout. I find the easiest method is to roughen up the seeds with a nail file. It’s safer and easier than nicking them with a sharp knife (the traditional way to aid germination).…

1 Clear the planting area and fork it over to break up the soil. Stand on a plank if soil is wet to help prevent it compacting. 2 Dig a hole that is large and deep enough to take all the roots without squashing them. Add a generous amount of well-rotted organic matter. 3 Lift the plant, taking as much soil as possible with it to protect the roots. Remove any weeds you spot growing among the roots. 4 Place the plant in its new hole as soon as possible. Spread out the roots as this will help stabilise the top growth. 5 In-fill around the roots with a mix of soil and compost, and firm the soil either by hand or by treading lightly around the plant. 6 Water…

1 Stretch blankets, sheets and nets, and spread pillows and duvets under choice fruit trees, to stop the windfalls bruising. 2 Order your roses, shrubs, herbaceous plants, fruit trees and bushes now, so they can arrive ready for a mid-October planting. 3 Sow chervil, rocket, hardy lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, miner’s lettuce, pak choi, spring onions, winter radishes and carrots in trays and tubs. 4 Go on, admit it: summer’s over, so gather in tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash and marrows, and dry those peas and beans.…

TENDER, tuberous veg are, by nature, providers of essential bulk in our diet. Although our much-loved potato comes under this description, I’d like to focus on some newcomers to the group, such as yacon, oca, sweet potato and ulluco, because you might not be so familiar with their cultivation. In inclement summers, they’re a bit of a gamble – but this summer’s heatwave means that the gamble has paid off! All of them need a long, hot spell to grow readily, and many don’t start producing their tubers until late summer. The key now is to keep the soil warm, so that the young tubers can bulk up sufficiently to give you a worthwhile yield. Good mulching materials include straw, scrunched-up newspaper and dried leaves. Lay these around the roots…

Cut back old growth before new shoots emerge in spring. A spring mulch of weed-free organic matter makes an attractive background; apply in autumn if grasses are surrounded by spring bulbs. Look out for plain green shoots on variegated varieties and remove them. Most perennial grasses have tight crowns packed with masses of new shoots. These can often be prised apart in spring and replanted to make more plants. However, some perennial grasses develop more spreading (less dense) growth. In this case, shoots at the edge of the clump can easily be detached and replanted in spring. Be careful when handling the leaves of some grasses, including cortaderia and miscanthus, which have sharp edges.…

Spring onion ‘White Lisbon’ – an heirloom variety and arguably still the most popular spring onion around, admired for its long, slender white stems and green tops. The crisp, succulent stems have a fairly mild flavour. Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ – making its debut in 1980, this beetroot is popular for its traditional spherical purple roots that are highly resistant to bolting. It holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Lettuce ‘Salad Leaves Mix’ – a fast-growing mixture of lettuces for picking as young leaves. The blend boasts red and green salad bowl types, ‘Lollo Rossa’, blondi and ‘Black Seeded Simpson’. It can be sown in autumn with protection. Lettuce ‘Cut And Come Again’ – a blend of different loose-leaf lettuces, including ones with red leaves and fancy oak-leaf types.…

Fragrance Lonicera periclymenum ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ Honeysuckle can be rampant, but this compact cultivar is easier to manage, and will flower for longer. Plant in full sun or part shade, in fertile, well-drained soil. Flowers: Jun-Sept. HxS: 6 1/2x5ft (2x1.5m). Jasminum ‘Clotted Cream’ This cream-coloured version of jasmine is not completely hardy so is best planted against a sheltered south or west-facing wall. Can be grown in a container and pruned hard if it outgrows its space. Flowers: Jul-Aug. H&S: 10ft (3m). Rosa Little Rambler AGM A rambling rose that will give you the cottage-garden look without taking over. Has glossy dark-green leaves, almost thornless stems, good disease resistance and scented pale-pink double blooms. Flowers: Jul-Sept. H&S: 10ft (3m). Containers Wisteria ‘Amethyst…

Nearly one in four front gardens are completely paved over, three times as many as ten years ago. This increased imperviousness alters the local hydrological cycle, reducing infiltration of rainfall into the soil and increasing surface run-off. With climate change predicted to bring more variable weather, including an increase in extreme rainfall events, urban residents are likely to see an increased risk of localised flooding. Gardens can capture and retain rainfall, slowing the rate at which it reaches drainage systems and lessening the pressure on them. Trees are valued, particularly those with a large or fine-textured canopy, extensive branch structure, hairy leaves and rough bark. Beds, borders and lawns also play their part, allowing rainwater to infiltrate into the soil.…

Q Can I grow cacti in a plastic fish tank? Mr W Fallows, Newcastle, Co Down A Yes you can, though the plants need strong light. Fill the tank with a 6in (15cm) layer of John Innes No1 with a quarter part of coarse grit. Don’t put a lid on the tank, as humidity will build up and your plants may become diseased. Q Do moth orchids produce plantlets from their stem? Mr M Lambert, Congleton, Cheshire A Some Phalaenopsis species do and they produce their own aerial roots in due course. The plantlets can then be semidetached, with a short length still attached to the parent plant, and pegged down to the surface of a pot of orchid compost. New plants take two years to flower. Q How can…

Choose an open site with no competition from trees and shrubs, but with shelter from wind. The best rose soil is deep, heavy loam; the worst, one that dries quickly. Large standards are hard work in containers. Drive a sturdy stake into the hole before positioning roots. If there is a graft union at the base of the long stem, bury it on light soils but keep at the surface on heavier types. Water thoroughly and regularly during droughts. Apply rose fertiliser in February and after the first flush of flowers, followed by a mulch. Prune the head of bush or shrub varieties by half to one third in late winter. For weeping standards, remove a quarter of the oldest stems close to their origin and trim the tips of…

Burgon & Ball Vegetable Harvesting Knife £11.99 + delivery £4.99 0114 285 2518 for stockists burgonandball.com Features Curved carbon-steel blade with serrated cutting edge, stepped to give a clean cut at soil level. FSC hardwood handle with hanging loop. Weight 5 1/2oz (157g). Blade 8in (20cm). Overall length 12 1/2in (31cm). Performance The stepped blade is useful when lifting lettuce, allowing you to cut right down at ground level without scuffing fingers. Serrated edge saws through the woody stems of cabbages. Excellent for cutting asparagus just beneath soil level, and the point on the blade lets you slice courgettes and other squashes off the stem without damaging the rest of the plant. Also good for chopping off the dried foliage of onions and garlic, and for cutting down those spent…

Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover mulch offers a natural barrier to suppress weeds and lock in moisture that stays put far better than traditional mulch. Made from wood fibres that lock together when watered, it will stay in place even on slopes to give beds and borders a neat weed-free finish. Compared to bark, it offers 50% more coverage and 75% more effective weed suppression at one-third of the weight. The wood fibre comes from FSC-certified forests, and a 100-litre pack contains enough mulch for 5sq m of ground. We have two 100-litre sacks to give away, each worth £9.99. 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 Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover Draw…

Some of the most attractive bee-magnets are autumn-flowering perennials. Top of the list are the ‘composites’, which look like single blooms but are in fact many flowers clustered together, with shared petals aka ray florets around the outside. Bees adore them, as they don’t need to travel far between blooms. Fiery orange heleniums with puppy-nosed centres, asters and rudbeckias come into this category, as do perennial sunflowers such as ‘Lemon Queen’ (pictured). These are big and spreading, so ideal for the back of a border, but also good in poor ground and hedge banks where they will gamely compete with the weeds.…

1 Deadhead spent flowers and any remaining blooms or buds so they don’t waste the plant’s energy or start to rot during the winter. 2 Check the plant for pests and diseases, and remove affected material. Lift the plant, keeping some soil attached to the roots. 3 Use a pot that is just large enough to hold the roots and fill it with John Innes No1 that won’t prompt the plant into new growth. 4 Water and place the plants somewhere light and frost-free. They won’t need watering or feeding until growth resumes next spring.…

1 Fill a 10in (25cm) pot with a mix of cuttings compost and sharp sand or perlite. Water it well so the compost is saturated. 4 Dip the end of each cutting in hormone rooting gel or powder to help boost the development of a strong rooting system. 2 Remove 4in (10cm) lengths of healthy non-flowering shoots using a sharp, clean pair of secateurs or scissors. 5 Insert the cuttings around the edge of the pot, or insert one per 3in (7cm) pot of the same dampened compost mix. 3 Remove all the large leaves growing lower down the stem, so that just the small ones at the tip of the shoot remain. 6 Seal the container (or small pots) in a clear plastic bag and place somewhere light. The…

AG regular and horticultural expert Peter Seabrook MBE has been awarded an Honorary Degree from Writtle University College. A former student at the college, Peter received the accolade at a ceremony in Chelmsford Cathedral for his work as an ambassador for the college and for his contributions to the horticultural industry. As well as his degree, Peter holds three RHS Awards: the Victoria Medal of Honour, Associate of Honour and the Harlow Carr Medal for services to Northern Horticulture. He has maintained strong links with Writtle since completing his diploma in 1956. He was awarded a Fellowship in 1997 and, over many years, has continued to make valuable contributions to the benefit of students. Peter said: “My two-year Commercial Horticultural course at Writtle provided a depth of knowledge and number…

22: Heather Society Show: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley 22: Photography morning: RHS Wisley 22-23: Plant Heritage Autumn Plant Fair: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall 23: Plant Heritage Autumn Plant Fair: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 23: Garden Festival by Candide: The Glove Factory, 1 Brook Lane, Holt, Wiltshire BA14 6RL. 01380 724963 23: Plant fair: Abbeywood Gardens, Delamere, Northwich CW8 2HS.planthuntersfairs.co.uk 26: Garden Tour with Friends of Harlow Carr: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, N. Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 27: Rose Pruning: Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH. 01572 813200; barnsdalegardens.co.uk 1-28 Oct: Autumn Colour at…

SWEET peas are consistently voted one of our favourite plants and it isn’t hard to see why. Easy-going and relatively simple to cultivate, they reward gardeners with weeks of beautiful scented flowers that look stunning in the garden and add fragrance to indoor arrangements. Having said they are easy to grow, we had mixed results with this year’s plants. In one bed they produced a respectable number of blooms, but another batch of sweet peas, grown the same way up a willow teepee, performed dismally. I have put this down to the extremely hot weather, underwatering and poor soil. While gardeners are helpless in the face of one of these factors, the other two can be easily remedied. I’m starting now, by digging lots of well-rotted compost and manure into…

IT is time to move the self-seeded globe thistle I discovered when I cleared a border a few weeks ago. Then the ground was hard and dry, but we have had plenty of rain since so the soil will be more hospitable. I moved the globe thistle to a mixed border that had been home to a teepee of sweet peas and an assortment of perennials, including Verbena bonariensis and Verbena rigida that have self-seeded prolifically. I got rid of the sweet peas and potted on or relocated the verbena seedlings as I love the way they add airy height and movement to borders. The best time to relocate plants is on a cool, slightly overcast day with little wind, so there is less risk of exposed roots drying out.…

“There are 600 species of spider in Britain” I HAVE never killed a spider, even the one that bit me when I was picking runner beans in the so-called summer of 2015. I have a soft spot for spiders, and it began in the early 1970s when I rented a flat in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, almost next door to a huge fruit warehouse. I found that my flat had more than its fair share of big, hairy spiders and possibly not British, either. Luckily, I was able to arm myself with lots of jam jars and postcards, which I arranged on my mantelpiece as tastefully as any ornaments. I became adept at trapping them and walking them further up the street. There are 600 species of spider in Britain and…

WHO doesn’t want more strawberries in their life? I’d sign up for that straight away! If, like me, you can’t get enough of this iconic British fruit, take note: now is a great time to plant them. Autumn plantings give you bigger yields than spring equivalents – end of. The plants are able to make strong root growth in this cool, moist weather, and will be far more established and drought-tolerant if planted now than if you wait until March or April of next year. Most strawberry plants run out of steam after three or four years, so always consider an autumn re-plant if you’re a long-term strawberry lover. Viruses, pests and diseases can build up, so re-stocking occasionally with new plants is a sensible plan. In the panel opposite,…

FROM our lawns to our breakfast toast and the sugar in our tea, so many of the 12,000 species of grass around the world have an impact on our lives. But 50 years ago the idea of growing grasses as ornamental plants for our beds and borders was one that most people would have dismissed. They were thought of as simply not colourful enough, and often assumed to be invasive. Certainly not worth growing. It’s a very different story now. New varieties have come along and ornamental grasses are everywhere: as specimens, as mixers and as ground cover in sunny and shady borders, as well as in containers – even dried or fresh in the vase on the kitchen table. Grasses bring us three special features. First, their way of…

Gardeners often worry that ornamental grasses will be invasive. It’s true, some are, and these have tainted the reputation of them all. But none of the 50 with an AGM will cause such problems. The two widely grown varieties to be especially wary of are Glyceria maxima var. variegata and Phalaris arundinacea var. picta. Both feature attractively striped leaves, but have a tendency to romp. If you insist on growing them (and admittedly, they are very pretty), my advice is to plant them in containers.…

Helianthus ‘Giant Single’ – a classic sunflower producing massive heads on plants that can reach 4m (13ft) in height. Ideal for providing colour at the back of the border or winning first prize in growing competitions. Sweet pea ‘Old Fashioned Mix’ – with flowers that are much smaller than modern types, this mix of strongly scented grandiflora varieties will grow to around 1.8m (6ft), adding a subtle touch of colour to climbing structures. Stock ‘Starlight Scentsation’ – this is a lovely mix of pastel-shaded stocks. The sweet scent released by the pink, lilac and white blooms, held on 12in (30cm) stems, is most noticeable in the evening. Wildflower seeds Butterflies Mixed – borage, evening primrose, cosmos and malva are among a blend of 26 different varieties of native…

Research has identified a range of plants which could be used to deliver multiple ecosystem services. In addition to trapping particulate pollution (if grown to 1.5-2m high by 1m wide), hedges can also provide food, shelter and corridors for wildlife, cool the air and surfaces, reduce noise pollution and intercept rainfall. Species so far identified as providing multiple benefits well include Viburnum tinus , Thuja plicata (giant cedar) and Elaeaganus x ebbingei (Ebbing’s silverberry) as well as Fagus (common beech), Crataegus (common hawthorn), Ilex (common holly) and Rosa species.…

Q I bought young sweet pea plants in plugs from a show at the end of April and found that each module contained many seedlings. Separating them seemed impossible, so I divided each clump in two to plant against a fixture of canes. Despite being watered, they didn’t grow much and fizzled out before blooming. How can I succeed with my favourite flower? Donna Campbell, Ilkley, West Yorkshire A Sweet peas prefer to grow during cool weather and perform best if planted singly about 7in (18cm) apart, or in small clumps. I think you set a tough challenge by starting quite late, having to make plants compete with each other in a dense group and then cope with heatwaves and drought. Yet triumph should still have been possible, had the…

‘Munstead Wood’ An English Rose with deep, velvety crimson blooms and a fruity, old rose fragrance. Growth is bushy and spreading. ‘Lynda Bellingham’ A large-flowered yet short-growing hybrid tea with large, spicily scented blooms that open over a long period to a soft peach from pink buds. ‘I am Macmillan’ Expect many flushes of rich salmon, frilly-petalled flowers held in generous clusters from this lightly fragrant floribunda. ‘Golden Celebration’ (Ausgold) This English Rose bears cupped yellow blooms with a strong scent and it forms a lovely rounded shape.…

Turning Japanese-y Unlike Western gardens, traditional Japanese gardens do not go for colour and impact. Instead, they promote the aesthetic and philosophical ideas of Japanese culture. Plants and old materials are used to suggest an ancient and ‘faraway’ natural look, and express the fragility of existence as well as the forward march of time. Japanese Zen gardening, originally inspired by 13th century monks from China, uses extreme simplicity and moderation. So this week I’m looking at stories surrounding the arts of Japanese gardening and bonsai. The word ‘bonsai’ is made up of two Japanese characters: Bon meaning ‘tray’ and sai meaning ‘plant’ or ‘planting’. A literal translation therefore is that of ‘tray plant’, and not meaning the growing of something small or dwarfed. Even smaller bonsai Shohin means ‘small thing’,…

My vegetable bounty THIS is the first year I’ve been able to grow anything (thanks, AG ) and am quite proud of my wee vegetable patch. Everything has been grown from seed, and while it hasn’t all worked out (my cabbage and broccoli are more ‘holes’ than green, and my cauliflower didn’t grow at all), I’ve done incredibly well with everything else; peas, green beans, lettuce, courgettes, onions, potatoes, beetroot, spinach and my pumpkins – which I’m leaving to see how big they grow. I simply had no idea what different veg needed, when to plant and how to look after it. I’ve also got a herb garden that would make an Italian chef weep, so whatever I need I just go out and snip! AG’s advice has been great…

IF a beekeeper says that gloves won’t be needed to inspect his hives, ignore him completely and reach for the longest and most armoured gauntlets you can get your hands on… and in! When my apiarist friend Ed claimed that his bees were deliberately bred to be gentle, I unwisely fell for his mellifluous tones and donned a bee suit sans gloves. To be fair, the bees were harmless – to Ed! However, they took an instant dislike to me, and even though I stood well back as Ed removed the honey-filled frames, one made a beeline for my hand. When a bee stings, it leaves a pheromone marker that tells others where to attack, and within seconds one became dozens. At the time, I was recording an interview for…