Innholdsfortegnelse for 6-Oct-2018 i Amateur Gardening

“Did you know that unwanted black plastic plant pots end up in landfill because they can’t be recycled? That is truly appalling, but the good news is that there are new taupe-coloured pots that can be recycled via kerbside collection (see News , page 6). But what about those we already have? We could simply continue to reuse them rather than sending them to landfill. Lastly, may I remind you that all subscription copies of AG are wrapped in recyclable plastic. We’re doing out bit for the environment too.”…

1 Deadhead penstemons as they fade through summer and they will reward you with a spectacular early autumn show. 2 Wild and rambling roses, and Rosa rugosa, are the gifts that keeps giving, following their flowers with jewel-like hips. 3 Low-growing Verbena rigida looks lovely at the front of borders and will flower well into the autumn. 4 Light up shady areas with gem-coloured hardy cyclamen. Flowers appear before the leaves and they self-seed with ease. 5 From now until the first frosts, bright and beautiful dahlias should come into their own whether grown in the ground or in pots. When I’m cleaning windows: Read next week’s AG (in the shops 9 October) for all you need to know about getting your greenhouse ready for winter…

“We have closed the loop for recycling pots” AMATEUR Gardening is backing moves within the horticultural industry to replace black pots with recyclable alternatives. One-use plastic is currently Public Enemy No 1 thanks to the BBC nature series Blue Planet and Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don, who has moved towards using degradable coir substitutes. Black plastic has a bad press because it contains a carbon pigment that isn’t picked up by infrared recycling sorting machines, which means it can’t be recycled through kerbside schemes and ends up in landfill. Now leading plant growers led by Worcester-based Bransford Webbs have got together and are working with plastic pot manufacturers to replace black pots with recyclable taupe alternatives. The new pots will be phased in over the next 12-18 months and will…

Our bumper tomato crop still has some way to go. I want to clear away the plants but not waste the unripened fruits. There are several things I can do to make them blush (apart from telling them saucy jokes). Place layers of green tomatoes in a cardboard box separated by newspaper and keep them somewhere warm. An empty drawer or paper bag will do just as well. Uprooting a plant and hanging it upside down in a shed or garage also helps speed ripening and is said to create good flavour. Placing ripe fruit in with the unripe ones also helps as it releases the gas ethylene, which speeds things up too.…

THE frost-free weeks of mid-autumn are the ‘golden hours’ for laying a turf lawn, and as long as your soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen the turves should quickly knit together and bed in. You can lay lawns in spring, but the onset of warmer, drier weather means they will need more water. Between now and mid-winter, however, they will be watered by rain and not need much mowing as grass growth slows to a stop. Creating a lawn using turf is more expensive than seeding, but carries fewer potential problems. It can be walked on within days, rather than waiting weeks for the seed to germinate and grow enough to withstand use. Soil preparation is key to successful turfing and should be carried out 5-6 weeks before your turves arrive.…

I’M all for trying new varieties, but sometimes it’s nice to keep it traditional and go with a tried-and-trusted favourite. Larkspur are annual delphiniums that often flower longer and more robustly than their perennial counterparts. I am very excited about sowing this week’s free seeds of the variety ‘Hyacinth Dwarf’ because perennial cultivars usually turn up their toes in our garden (thank you, snails!) so I hope that by sowing some annual seeds, at least some will survive. Mr Fothergill’s Larkspur ‘Hyacinth Dwarf’ grow to 20in (50cm) tall and will create a beautiful wall of pinks, purples and blues at the front of your borders. You can sow these hardy annuals now or next spring and they will flower from June through to September. Larkspur do best on light soil,…

1 Tender plants brought back under cover can roast on hot sunny days, so check your ventilation is working properly. 2 When digging or doing other strenuous work, warm up first and remember – strip before you sweat, cover before you cool. 3 Before mowing, raise your cutting height near the max so as to leave a longer, more resilient sward ready for winter. 4 Cut prunings into foot lengths then wrap around the bundle with newspaper, leaving the ends open, and tie inside an evergreen to make an insect hotel.…

THE term ‘hybrid berry’ is used to describe blackberry relatives such as loganberries, tayberries and wineberries – indeed, blackberries themselves can be propagated using the method I’m about to describe. Called ‘tip layering’, it’s incredibly easy, so is perfect for novice growers. Simply bury the tip of any new shoot in the ground – and that’s it! You can secure it down with a hoop of wire if you like (if it’s in an exposed site, for example). Come spring, the shoot will, if kept moist, develop roots which allow it to be dug up, cut from the main plant and repositioned elsewhere. This is how brambles naturally ‘hop’ along hedgerows and verges, so you’re only encouraging nature to do what it does best.…

THERE’S no point fighting it: the warm weather is behind us and Christmas is knocking on our door. But you don’t have to give in to the chills of winter just yet! Strawberries and raspberries are two of the most popular fruit crops for home gardeners, and with just a little care you can carry on picking them for another couple of weeks yet. The secret to harvest longevity? Grow the right varieties and provide them with warmth. In the case of varieties, you’re looking for autumn raspberries (also referred to as primocanes) like ‘Polka’, ‘Joan J’ and ‘Fallgold’, and perpetual strawberries (called remontant) like ‘Aromel’, ‘Buddy’ and ‘Mara des Bois’. Late-cropping perpetual strawberries can be easily insulated by laying a rigid glass or ventilated plastic tunnel cloche over them.…

I like to grow asters with ornamental grasses, especially the shorter varieties of miscanthus, as they intermingle so well, creating a lovely autumnal display. Asters also soften the brilliance of dahlias, while the smaller-flowered varieties look particularly good with hardy chrysanthemums. Or try combining a selection of different asters on their own with no other partners – blending large-flowered varieties with small-flowered ones is a highly effective technique.…

Winter purslane Also called miner’s lettuce, this North American native has heart-shaped, succulent leaves. High in vitamin C, it was eaten by miners during the 19th century Californian gold rush to avoid scurvy. Pak choi red An oriental type that looks and tastes good, with bright-green stems topped with reddish-purple leaves. Forming 12in (30cm)-tall plants, pick whole heads for stir fries or add leaves to salads. Lamb’s lettuce Also known as corn salad or mache, this leafy green was once considered a weed by arable farmers in Europe. It’s now popular for its mild, delicate leaves with a slightly nutty flavour. Mustard ‘Golden Streaks’ Boasting deeply cut, feathery-light green leaves with hints of yellow, this mustard has a lovely sweet, pungent taste with an unexpected tang that’s reminiscent of new…

1 Check old, untended clumps of crocosmia that push themselves above soil level and become vulnerable to extremes of cold and dryness. 2 Exposed to any long hot, dry periods, crocosmias in sheltered positions often succumb to red spider mite. Look for pale, almost scorched-looking foliage, and check with a hand lens. 3 Lift a portion of a crocosmia clump, and you can see successive layers of corms one on top of the other. Technically, these could all make new plants. 4 Lift and divide after flowering or water well if dry. Draw soil up the sides to insulate the clump. Dispose of leaves after they’ve turned brown, and divide in spring.…

H. x ericsmithii ‘Pirouette’ A new cultivar of Eric Smith’s hellebore (a hybrid between H. x sternii and H. niger) standing to 14in (35cm) tall, whose pink flowers will open from December to April. Loves partial shade and looks great with ferns. H. x hybridus ‘Harvington Red’ Great for clay soils, this Lenten hellebore with glowing red flowers will reach 18in (45cm) tall. Others in the series include those with speckled, apricot and double flowers. H. x nigercors ‘Emma’ This vigorous hybrid of H. niger and H. argutifolius (Corsican hellebore) is a good contender for dry shade. From February to April, white blooms age from pink to green against grey-green foliage on…

Pines and cones If you refer to fir trees (abies), spruces (picea), cedars (cedrus), larches (larix) or even coniferous hemlocks (tsuga), then you are actually talking about pines – they are all in the pine family. The true pine tree genus (pinus) itself has around 126 species, and there are some 240 species if you include all of the above. Most pines make tall trees, from 10-260ft (3-80m), so they have limited use in most gardens. There are, however, some smaller types, such as the Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila) and the Potosi pinyon (P. culminicola). Pine tree needles can be from 1-11in (2.5-28cm) long, and they can remain on a tree for between 18 months and 40 years, depending on the species. There are some interesting stories surrounding pines…

Budget basket well travelled I THOUGHT you would like to see my summer creation (above) – and all it cost me was a bit of compost. The heuchera was a piece that had broken off in my border, from the variety ‘Purple Palace’; the petunias were from a few seed pods taken from last year’s basket; and the alyssum was an old packet of seed I had in my seed box with a use-by date of 2011! We were so pleased with it. When we went to our caravan in the Lakes we took it with us, and of course it came back home again after the holiday. Jack Richardson Bishop Auckland, Co Durham Reader Tip AT the end of the season I clean and then sterilise all my pots…

IT’S been a tough year for our perennials. First the snow, then a wash-out Easter and then straight into week after week of blazing sunshine. They did well to start with, romping away in the heat until the ground dried up and the summer started to feel a little bit relentless. Watering became a dilemma. Virtually all our grey water was saved for the fruit and vegetables, and we were reluctant to wheel out the hosepipe for the ornamental beds more often than necessary. By mid-summer the perennials and annuals had lost their sheen, and on more than one occasion had to be brought back from the wilting brink by emergency watering. I tried to keep them at their best by deadheading promptly to conserve their energy, and now this…

After an Indian summer there will still be lots of wildlife activity in the garden and it will need our help. The different varieties of Sedum spectabile (iceplant) flower late and are a rich food supply for hungry, late foraging bees. Keep your bird table and birdbath well-stocked and clean. Hedgehogs will be busy fattening up for hibernation, so take care when mowing and strimming. If you want to feed them, use meat-based pet food or a designated hedgehog food such as Brambles ( bramblespaw.co.uk). Moles may make a comeback after the dry summer. Don’t despair – use soil from their freshly milled molehills to add to your borders or pot up tender plants you’ve lifted for winter.…

Here are AG’s five top tips for gardening more sustainably: Re-purpose empty plastic bottles as beer traps for slugs or mini-cloches for growing tender seedlings. Instead of pricking out seedlings into plastic pots, move them to cardboard egg boxes, which will degrade once they are in the ground. Clay pots are better than plastic for growing cuttings as they are porous and let the rots breathe. Invest in a newspaper pot-maker. They are widely available and the paper pots break down when planted out. Use empty coffee-ground pouches (right) for germinating seedlings that need a deep root-run.…

ASIAN hornets, which are capable of wiping out entire colonies of bees, are said to be spreading the whole length of the UK and gardeners are being asked to report any sightings. The predatory insects have been seen in the UK as far apart as Cornwall and Yorkshire. Conservationists and beekeepers are concerned because the hornets, which are smaller than the native variety and don’t usually attack humans, can kill more than 50 bees a day. Asian hornets were first reported in France 14 years ago, probably travelling to Europe from the Far East in wooden crates. They initially appeared in the UK in 2016, mainly in southern counties, and news of their northward spread has raised concerns for the future of the country’s wild and cultivated bees, and the…

HEAVY autumn dews, the tail end of bedding-plant colour and chances of night frosts are a good time to review this summer’s successes and make plans for 2019. Weeks without rain put stress on a range of plants, and only the most garden-worthy struggled through and then responded well when the summer rains did come. Garden roses were remarkable. The heavy rain, then snow and hard frost in early spring suited them, and when high temperatures came in June they flowered beautifully. The second flush of flowers in early autumn was also good, and it is pleasing to see deeper colour with cooler temperatures. “Weeks without rain put stress on plants” I will certainly be planting the new Home Florist roses in three colours, and especially ‘Timeless Purple’ that has…

Good soil preparation is key to turf-laying success and should be completed before your turves arrive. Begin by eliminating perennial weeds including couch grass and bindweed, then dig over the soil to a depth of 8-10in (20-25cm). Dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter (material that isn’t well-rotted will break down unevenly, creating dips and bumps). Now leave the ground alone for 5-6 weeks before removing any fresh weeds by hand. Rake until the tilth is fine and the ground level. Feed with a general-purpose fertiliser and lay the lawn.…

Oct 6-7: Apple Festival: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon 2018 EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 6-7: Autumn Food Festival: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall 6: RHS gardening Advice: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 7: East Markham Apple Day: Heritage orchard and village hall, East Markham, North Notts, NG22 0SS. Stalls, tastings, apple idents and much more. 01777 871491, stuartian@hotmail.co.uk 8: RHS gardening Advice: RHS Harlow Carr 13-14: Autumn Extravaganza: Great Comp Gardens, Comp Lane, St Mary’s Platt, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 8QS. 01732 885094, greatcompgarden.co.uk 12-14: Chelmsford Art Society Exhibition: RHS Garden Hyde Hall 12-14: Woodfest Festival of Trees: RHS Garden Rosemoor 13-14: Alpine Show: RHS Harlow Carr…

WE’RE all in cutting-back mode at the moment because the garden’s fading away before our very eyes. My mini-meadow, containing wildflowers and cultivated hardy orchids, got its yearly trim in early September. The debris was left for a day or two, to allow any seeds to drop, and then all the material was added to the compost heap before it began to rot down. This mini-meadow is not a large area, about 20x15ft (6x4½m), so we hand-clip it rather than mow it. This may seem onerous, but one year we caught a frog in the mower blades. Strimmers cause similar injuries – so it’s snipping for us. A friend went to a summer barbecue and the techie owner – a chap, of course – had one of those mowers that…

1 First, establish where your plant’s new home will be, and excavate the planting hole. In this way, the roots are out of the ground for the shortest possible time and therefore won’t dry out. Get some compost and a filled watering can ready, too. 2 Water your plant and let this soak in: it makes the roots easier to dig up. Starting from the edge of the leaf canopy, gently dig around the perimeter of the plant. The fine, delicate roots are the most important – and easiest to snap – so be careful! 3 Once the rootball is loosened, slide the plant onto a plastic sheet and move it to its new site (get a friend to help if it’s heavy). Replant into the new hole, adding soil…

CITRUS always seems to work best when there’s a pair: ice and a slice, lime and orange Tic Tacs, or chocolate limes. It therefore makes sense that citrus plant cultivation requirements are formed of two sections, too: summer and winter. When temperatures are warm enough (at least 10 ° C/50 ° F at night), the plants can live outside – in fact, they enjoy it. But at this time of year, when we’re regularly experiencing 8 ° C/46 ° F or less at night, it’s essential that you bring your plants back inside. As you do so, check your plants over for slugs and snails (they tend to leave unsightly trails across the floor) and also for scale insects, red spider mite and mealy bugs. These three pests will thrive…

Asters suffer from two problems – one of them can be dealt with, but the other one is more difficult. Powdery mildew, a dusty white coating on the leaves, mainly attacks Michaelmas daisies (S. novi-belgii). It tends to be especially troublesome when the soil dries out and when the weather is hot and dry. The lower leaves tend to drop off eventually. Enriching the soil with humus before planting helps, as does a drench in dry spells. Your favourite fungicide will do a good job, too. Mites are tiny bugs that feed on the unopened flower buds, which then open to reveal what looks like a cluster of tiny leaves. Plants also tend to be stunted. In general, they’re only a problem where many Michaelmas daisies are grown together, and…

SOW salads in 8in (20cm) pots filled with 50 per cent multi-purpose compost with an equal amount of John Innes No2. Scatter seeds thinly over the surface and cover with a ½in (1cm) layer of finely sieved compost. Firm the surface gently, water and put in a light spot to encourage germination. As an alternative, you could sow salads in short rows in window boxes or in growing bags with a large rectangular window removed from the surface of the bag. It’s possible to recycle bags used for summer salads by removing as much of the debris from the previous crop and adding some fresh fertiliser. Thin out overcrowded seedlings when they’re about 1in (2.5cm) tall – the distance will depend on the variety, so check the information on the…

Penstemon ‘Raven’ Perennial with foxglove-like flowers in a sumptuous deep-purple, held on sturdy stems – pastel-coloured options are also available. Deadhead and they’ll bloom until first frosts; mulch to protect over winter. HxS: 39inx1ft (1mx30cm). Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ The first mahonia to feature spine-free leaves, it’s also more compact so can be grown in large pots. Fragrant yellow flowers appear in late summer and continue into autumn. Plant in full sun or part shade. H&S: 39in (1m) Hesperantha Also known as Schizostylis or Kaffir lily. Star-like flowers (in colours from white to blush-pink and scarlet) appear among clumps of strappy leaves from now until Christmas. Needs moist but well-drained soil. HxS: 28x20in (70x50cm). Bellis ‘Bellissima’ The pompom-like daisies in pink, scarlet and white will add colour…

When planting near a house, paths and doorways, you’ll need to choose plants with care and bear certain things in mind: Avoid anything with thorns or prickles. Beware of lilies with pollen that stains, and plants such as euphorbia, which release an irritant sap when damaged – both should be planted elsewhere. Go for climbers that aren’t too vigorous. Avoid planting large trees and shrubs near a house, particularly if you are on heavy clay.…

Q What is this tree, please? There are several where I live. Jean Butler, Didcot, Oxon A This is a claret ash (Fraxinus angustifolia oxycarpa ‘Raywood’). An Australian selection made in 1925, it is fast-growing and prized for its striking red, orange and purple-tinted foliage. The tree has year-round appeal. Q Can you identify this attractive grass that came with some mixed annual seeds? Jeremy Timworth, Bovey Tracey, Devon A Thisis the perennial toothbrush or melic grass, probably Melica Altissima. It has been grown in gardens since 1888 and its blooms are prized for flower arranging. It thrives in moist but well-drained soil. Q Please can you help me identify the following plant? Bardia Durope, via email A This is a species of lily turf (Liriope), probably L. muscari. A…

PRUNING trees and shrubs through autumn and winter is an exciting opportunity to reshape the larger plants in your garden, but it can be hard work without the right tools. A good pair of loppers will take a lot of the strain out of cutting branches up to 2in (5cm) thick. A clean cut is essential to minimise the risk of disease entering the wound before it heals, and this depends on sharp blades and good leverage from the handles. Loppers need to be strong enough to cut cleanly time and time again, but also light enough to operate easily. Bypass loppers give a cleaner cut of green stems than anvil loppers (which can crush them), so are better for formative pruning work. All the loppers here were first tried…

2 October 1832 German botanist and naturalist Julius von Sachs was born. In 1865 he discovered chlorophyll within plant cells. 2 October 1989 A Victoria amazonica waterlily (Longwood hybrid) leaf diameter was measured at 8ft (2.4m) at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm in Warwickshire. 3 October 1941 A patent for the first aerosol can was filed by chemist Lyle D. Goodhue and entomologist William N. Sullivan, researchers at the US Department of Agriculture. 4 October 1758 Franz Bauer, Austrian botanical artist and microscopist, was born. He died in 1840. 5 October 1811 Moritz Richard Schomburgk, botanist and curator of Australia’s Adelaide Botanic Garden, was born. He died in 1891. 8 October 1837 English merchant George Hibbert died. He was also an amateur botanist who funded botanical expeditions. The hibbertia (guinea flower) is…

I MADE a wildlife pond two years ago and soon toads and frogs came for a dip. This year it’s been wonderful to see pond skaters and water boatmen skidding the water. As I sat in my little bit of heaven, I noticed dry insect cases on the stems of the water iris. I soon found out what these were, as you can see in the photo (right)! I would like to enlarge the pond and can’t wait to see what else turns up. All newts welcome! Mrs L Buck, Newmarket, Suffolk…

Sharpening a scythe is an art in itself, and a job that’s best done regularly whilst mowing. Most scythes come with a portable whetstone or ‘wet-stone’ sharpening kit, consisting of a watertight pouch and a stone that’s kept wet inside. While scything might be glove-free, sharpening requires leather gloves, especially if you’re new to it – as the name of the game is to run the stone along the blade to keep its cutting edge. Like shears and cuttings knives, the blade is bevelled and only the ‘sloping’ edge is sharped – the flat side is merely cleaned of burrs.…

Enrich it and remove weeds I like to give our hard-working beds a boost in autumn and this year, after the long dry summer, they definitely need some extra care. Weeds that were kept in abeyance by the drought have surged back to life and need constant monitoring and removing. Go over the soil with a sharp hoe every few days to cut off unwanted seedlings. Perennials will need a firmer hand, so dig them out with a fork or trowel, making sure you remove every last bit of root to prevent their regeneration. Feed your soil now, adding a thick layer of well-rotted compost, manure or proprietary soil improver. Make sure the soil is damp before loading it up, as rain will find it harder to penetrate through the…

1 Standing on a plank so you don’t compact the bed, fork over the soil to break it up and remove weeds and debris. 2 Dig the planting hole and add plenty of well-rotted compost or manure. In clay soil, score the sides with a fork so the roots can break out. 3 Check that the planting hole is the right size. It should be as deep as the plant’s container and roughly twice as wide. 4 Slide the plant from its pot, tease out any congested roots and place it in the hole, infilling with soil and compost and then firming it in. 5 Tall perennials should still be staked and supported, tying the twine in a figure-of-eight to prevent the stem chafing against the cane. 6 Water well…

AG COLUMNIST Peter Seabrook thinks there are more controversial matters than gardeners’ pots when it comes to discussing the issue of one-use plastic. He says that gardeners are ‘a soft touch’ and the problem lies with the equipment used in recycling screening centres, which can’t pick out the black pots due to their carbon content. Peter said: “I think it would be better if we paid more attention towards the litter dropped cross the country that blows into our rivers. “From what I understand, black plastic pots aren’t recyclable because the sorting equipment can’t pick out the black, but that they could be recycled if different equipment were introduced.” He added that the new ‘battleship grey’ pots will be more expensive in the short term and may not last as…

IT has been a good year for our two rhubarb plants and they have provided us with everything from crumbles and pies to a couple of hefty batches of spicy chutney. They have been in situ for several years now and are starting to outgrow their space, so I want to split one of them and move the offset to another patch in the fruit and veg area. It is an easy task to complete and autumn is the ideal time to carry it out, as is spring, once the frosts have finished. Once the dividing is complete, water the plants well. Leave the foliage to die back naturally and return nutrients to the crown, then remove them and add them to the compost heap. The rhubarb crowns will now…

1 When cleaning off begonia tubers for storage, be careful not to damage the skin and check carefully for vine weevil larvae that eat right into the furry roots. 2 Quite a number of modern, cutting-raised, summer-flowering bedding plants are half-hardy perennials and can be rooted to overwinter as we do with fuchsias and pelargoniums. Surfinia petunias and Sunflower ‘Sunbelievable’ (pictured) are good examples. 3 The earlier you can plant both container and bare-root roses in the autumn, the better. If transplanted in October/November they will make new roots while the soil is warm and grow away well next spring. 4 A new range of colours of climbing Thunbergia (black-eyed Susan) have flowered nonstop through summer and autumn.…

1 Prepare a level laying area with a fine tilth, removing all the stones, weeds and other debris. 2 Begin laying in one corner, facing bare soil, using tight string as a guide for straight lines. 3 Where necessary, cut the turves to fit, creating a pattern of staggered joins like bricks in a wall. 4 After laying each turf, tamp it flat with the back of a rake to firm it in so the grass roots are in contact with the soil beneath. 5 If you have to take into account the curved edge of a border, cut the turf accordingly after it has been laid to create a tight fit. 6 Once the turves are all laid, brush a mix of sand and soil between the joins to…

IF you’ve got some keeping apples you wish to store, there are a few simple ways you can get these to last longer. First, pick as late in the year as you can: the longer they hang on the trees, the better. However, once they start to drop, they need picking as soon as possible – and likewise if birds or other pests start robbing too many. Ideally, you need to pick on a dry day as wet fruits seldom keep. Handle each one carefully, and ensure the little stalk (pedicel) remains attached because if this breaks off, rot will get in where it joined. Don’t even think about storing any fruits with holes, bruises or rots – and it’s pretty foolish to pick up windfalls, no matter how good…

WE’VE all done it – bought something on impulse from the garden centre, not read the label properly and shoehorned it onto the plot. Then we discover that the said ‘bargain’ has grown to twice the size that it should have done, or needs full sun, instead of its present position crammed between the raspberries and the rhubarb. Luckily, it’s easy to rectify such mishaps and now is the perfect time to do so. The cool, moist conditions of autumn offer an ideal rooting environment, so lifting a fruit tree, cane or bush now offers the maximum success rate. Don’t procrastinate: your plant has the best chance of survival if it’s young, because the root system will be comparatively small. So grab that spade today! Next Week: Tidy up and…

THE bulbous forms of alliums (shallots, onions and garlic) are kitchen essentials in most households. Not an evening goes by when I’m not ringing, crushing or slicing one up in the name of rustic cuisine. Consequently, I grow a large supply of them. Presuming I’m not the only one, I thought some advice on successful storage wouldn’t go amiss. The key to long-life harvests is to thoroughly dry the outer layers of the bulbs, thereby preserving those juicy inner bits. Hopefully, you heeded my advice to lift and begin drying out your alliums way back in August. If so, the bulbs would have been laying in trays somewhere warm and rain-free for a few weeks by now. The outer foliage becomes papery and dry during this process, and now it…

CAST aside thoughts of watery-looking plants lining railway lines or growing in cracks in old brickwork: asters (often known as Michaelmas daisies) are essential autumn perennials. They’re elegant, colourful and tough – and the name covers a variety of styles and colours. So, what have we got? First, there are the traditional Michaelmas daisies, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii and the (usually larger-flowered) New England asters, S. novae-angliae. Both, I should mention, were once known botanically as Aster. Those irritating botanists. Ranging in height from 39in-8ft (25cm-2.4m), most are a more manageable 2-4ft (60cm-1.2m). They feature sprays of 1/2-1 1/2in (1.5-4cm) single and double daisies in shades from purple to white, plus pinks and soft blues. The New England asters include some especially vivid shades. One important distinction between these two groups is…

MENTION home-grown salads and most people will conjure up an image of a summer dish. It might contain lettuce, tomato, radish, cucumber, spring onions and similar ingredients that are raised outdoors or in greenhouses, thriving during the warm, long days of spring and summer. Yet just because the weather has started to turn cooler doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy picking your own leafy greens. There are plenty of hardy varieties suitable for sowing now that will provide you with loads of tasty leaves to pick over autumn and even into winter. Winter purslane, lamb’s lettuce, mustards and several rugged forms of lettuce, along with a host of crops that are known as oriental greens, are ideal. These crops are tolerant of colder conditions and lower light levels, allowing swift germination…

Fritillaria meleagris AGM Bumblebees love the nodding chequered flowers of snake’s head fritillaries. These bulbs will thrive in a moist spot, and can be grown in the shade. Flowers: Apr-May. H: 1ft (30cm). Iris ‘George’ (Reticulata) AGM Miniature bulbs such as dwarf narcissi or iris are ideal for pots, and with its deep-purple/plum petals and attractive scent, ‘George’ is a real winner. Flowers: Feb-Mar. H: 6in (15cm). Convallaria majalis AGM Not strictly a bulb (you actually plant rhizomes) but referred to as such. Good for a shady spot, lily of the valley has a lovely scent and attractive bell-shaped blooms. Flowers: May. H: 10in (25cm). Tulip ‘Angélique’ Bowl-shaped and with a double layer of petals, the gorgeous blooms look almost like those of a peony. Beautiful…

How should I grow my coral drops? Q I have bought some bulbs of Bessera elegans. Please could you tell me how I should grow them? Mr R Brierley, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands A Commonly called coral drops, Bessera elegans is a corm-forming native of Mexico, where it colonises rocky slopes, grassland and scrub. Unless your garden is frost-free, grow it at the base of a warm south-facing wall or in a greenhouse or conservatory. Ideally, set the corm in a pot of loam-based John Innes No2 compost and position it in good light. Water moderately when growth is robust, but keep the compost dry when the leaves die back and also in winter. This plant is easily propagated by removing and potting up the bulb offsets in autumn and…

Can I revive my crocosmia? Q Our Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ usually puts on a good display but this year there were hardly any flowers, and instead stressed, yellowy-brown looking foliage. What’s wrong, and how can we help it? Jenny Mallon, Malvern, Worcestershire A Crocosmias grow from corms, dying back for winter and leafing up in spring. They’re easy to grow and the tall, pointed leaves are joined by a lively show of fiery-coloured flowers bringing the garden to life in late summer and autumn. Basic ‘montbretia’ ( C. x crocosmiifolia ) can be invasive and sometimes escapes from gardens into verges and hedge banks, but there are plenty of beautiful and well-behaved cultivars. In my own garden, a yellow-flowered variety planted into an open border three years ago has performed well…

Plant in sun or semi-shade, into well-drained soil that is enriched with plenty of well-rotted garden compost. Give individual plants plenty of space. Use the gaps between for snowdrops, winter aconites or Iris reticulata and for later, primroses. Remove dead or disfigured leaves of Lenten hellebores in autumn and repeat just as they come into bloom. Leaf removal helps avoid the spread of the viral and fungal diseases that cause black marks and spots. For containers, use 50:50 John Innes No2 with soilless compost, with 20% added grit and leaf mould.…

01782 204141 for stockists fiskars.co.uk Features Aluminium oval-profile handles with textured grips. Stainless-steel blades with PTFE friction-reducing coating. Powergear mechanism provides 3x more force. Suitable for cutting branches up to approximately 2in (5cm). Length 26in (64cm). Weight 42oz (1,190g). Performance The weight is apparent, but the loppers are well balanced. The slim oval grips are not as comfy as other round ones for my big hands. There’s not perceptible play in any joints. On 2in (5cm)-thick green hawthorn it took some grunt, but sliced through cleanly leaving a neat cut end. The super-sharp cutting blade is cleaver-shaped, while the anvil blade is deeply looped, trapping branches in the right position for cutting. Clean, easy cuts on everything around 1in (2.5cm) thick. Value Mid-range price and outstanding performance on…

Westland Bulb Planting Compost provides the perfect growing medium for both indoor and outdoor bulbs. The specially formulated compost promotes strong root growth and sustained plant development, which results in healthier bulbs and more vibrant flowers. We have three 20-litre bags to give away, each worth £4.99. 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 Bulb Planting Compost Draw (6 October), 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 Bulb Planting Compost Draw (6 October). The closing date is 12 October 2018.…

MY new scythe might look like the olde-worlde archaic design favoured by peasants and grim reapers, but it’s actually a modern-day mowing tool with high-tech features. There’s a lightweight tensioned steel blade, ergonomic ash handle (also lightweight) and adjustable handles which, like the blade, detach so it can be neatly packed away for winter. I’ve been after a scythe ever since I took on the care of an acre of long grass, which I’m turning back into a wildflower meadow. After witnessing a scything demonstration by a master-mower at a garden show, I knew that I had to have one – and just £120 and a few hours of practice later, I can now share the secret of scything with you! “Work gently, like a barber shaving a bushy beard”…