Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Dec-2018 i Amateur Gardening

“Like you, we care about the environment and the use of plastic, so I’m delighted to announce that AG has been selected to trial a new wrapping for subscriber copies made from compostable potato starch (see News, page 6). This is a one-issue trial of the January 26 edition to allow subscribers to test how effectively the bag breaks down into compost. So it would be good to get as many of you as possible on board for the test. In the meantime, please bear in mind that the bag we currently use can be recycled and is still genuinely environmentally friendly.”…

AS part of Amateur Gardening’s on-going commitment to use the most environmentally friendly way of reaching our increasing number of subscribers, we are trialling new, fully compostable potato starch bags in 2019. Amateur Gardening has been chosen by its parent company, TI-Media, to be the first publication to trial the new bags. The test magazine dispatched in the packaging will be the January 26 edition – and we are asking readers to help us with our research. “Let us know how they compost” The packaging is fully compostable and widely suitable for use as food waste bags. Current AG subscription bags can be recycled in the plastic bag recycling units at supermarkets. The use of potato starch bags has taken months of development and research, and we would like our…

The Remarkable Case of Dr Ward & Other Amazing Gardening Innovations By Abigail Willis, illust. Dave Hopkins (Laurence King, £12.99) When you’re mowing your lawn, pruning your roses or cleaning algae off your water feature, do you ever stop and wonder how gardening trends and paraphernalia came about? This information-packed and beautifully illustrated little tome can help you answer all these ponderables and more. Set out in chapterlets covering everything from potagers to prairie planting, and from guerilla gardening to garden rooms, it takes you through the history of horticulture and introduces a host of delightfully eccentric characters, inventions and brilliant ideas. And Dr Ward? He was Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward who, in 1829, reared a hawk moth in a bottle. Some seeds germinated among the jar’s leaf litter, so he…

Fresh herbs are a culinary essential, and I always keep several pots on the kitchen windowsill and just outside the back door. They are so easy to grow and do extremely well in pots if you are short of space. In fact, some, such as mint, are best grown in containers as they are extremely invasive and will take over a border given the chance. I sometimes buy a large pot of basil or parsley from the supermarket and then divide the plants to make smaller ones. Rosemary and garlic cloves get thrown into the roasting pan along with the potatoes, and sage and parsley are chopped into the stuffing. Herb butter made with chopped sage, parsley and lemon zest, and then carefully inserted under the turkey skin before cooking,…

1 If you want the good needle retention of Nordmann and the fragrance of a Norway spruce, keep an eye out for the Fraser fir. It is slimmer in shape, but more choosy about soil, so not grown in all areas. 2 Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Glauca’) has sharp, glaucous silver blue needles, and the most colourful forms make attractive garden trees when young. 3 Rootless, cut trees are best in a Christmas tree stand which holds water – cut a slither off the end before installing, and keep the water topped up. 4 Fresh trees are sustainable with more planted to replace those harvested; an acre of growing Christmas trees provides enough oxygen for 18 people.…

5 Dec: Seasonal Wreath making: Cambo Estate Gardens, Cambo House, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 8QD. 01333 450313. 15-16: Christmas Craft Fair: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 26: Boxing Day Walk: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall Until 5 Jan: Christmas at Kew after-dark trail of lights, 5-10pm: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE. 0208 332 5655; kew.org…

SOME gardeners think there’s nothing to do in winter, and sometimes, when the weather is horrible, I wish there wasn’t! However, winter is one of the best times to tackle weeds – and I have plenty at Spring Cottage. The self-seeding ones, like dandelions, bulbous buttercup, stinging nettles and sorrel, blow in from the field over the wall. I’m not complaining: I love the way the field changes throughout the year. In early summer there’s a golden sheen from the buttercups. Later, there’s a rosy flush from the sorrel and of course there are always dandelion clocks. My really pernicious weeds linger under the old stone walls and they include bindweed and ground elder. Bindweed is worst at the lower end of the garden and sometimes when I come home,…

BEFORE we start on this week’s Six of the Very Best, let’s get one thing out of the way, namely: geranium or pelargonium? Looking at it from a botanical point of view, Pelargonium is correct. So why do we persist in calling these plants geraniums? Well, the first botanist to describe the plants when they arrived in Europe from South Africa in the 1700s decided that they were very similar to our wild cranesbills. And because the scientific name for cranesbills is Geranium he called them Geranium africanum. The trouble is, soon after it was determined that the two groups were sufficiently different for the African ones to have a name of their own: Pelargonium. Even so, all would have been fine – and there would never have been any…

Some of the most colourful of foliage plants, variegated pelargoniums make splendid specimens in pots, and look good in large mixed containers, too. Viral diseases reduced their vigour, but these have now been largely eliminated. Look out for AGM winners ‘A Happy Thought’ (green and yellow leaves), ‘Dolly Varden’ (grey-green, white and plum leaves), ‘Frank Headley’ (green and white foliage) and ‘Mr Henry Cox’ (sage green, cream and plum foliage).…

From autumn to winter, clean soil from tubers and store frost-free in boxes of dry, used potting compost. In spring (March or April), set the tubers hollow side uppermost in trays of moist, light, well-drained compost in a warm, 65°F (18°C) setting. After they’ve made roots and shoots, dig the tubers out and pot them separately into 4-5in (10-13cm) pots. They can tolerate a cooler minimum of 45°F (7°C). Before using begonias outdoors, wait until after the last frost and then harden them off (in other words, accustom them to weather) by standing them outside for a week. Special large-flowered cultivars are best kept and displayed under glass to protect blooms from the weather.…

Plant when the ground isn’t sodden or frozen. Trees grown on dwarfing rootstock require a sturdy 6ft (2m) post to support them. This needs to be driven into the ground beforehand. Ahead of planting, soak bare-root plants in water for at least an hour. Dig a generous hole on the downwind side of the stake; loosen the earth in the bottom, and fork in a little well-rotted manure or compost. Position the tree in planting hole, backfill with and firm, before mulching with manure or compost…

Q Our ‘Victoria’ plum has only had a few fruits this year – why is this? Barbara Zaliwska-Moreton, Nottingham A There are two reasons for the sparse cropping: the tree is recovering from a heavy yield the previous season or it was chilly when the flowers opened and fertilisation was poor. Q How should I care for a perennial Salvia ‘Clotted Cream’? Keith Green, via email A Salvia ‘Clotted Cream’ is a beautiful and relatively hardy variety. If sited in full sun, in humus-rich and free-draining soil, it should flourish and overwinter well. Guard against hard frost killing the roots by mulching the root area with 4in (10cm) of well-rotted garden compost or manure, or bark chippings. Additionally, erect a bamboo frame around it and drape it with fleece…

WHEN should you use a fork for digging rather than a spade? When you want to keep plant roots intact. A fork helps to ease them from the soil, whereas a spade will cut them. A fork should fit your stature – long handled if you’re tall, shorter if you’re not. A long handle will give better leverage, but is awkward for shorter gardeners because the handle is too high. Broad, flat tines are good for lifting root crops like spuds because they avoid damage to tubers, but are not always as easy to push into the soil as square tines. A heavy fork will drive into the soil well, but may be tiring with long use. I put six digging forks through their paces to help you pick the…

11 December 1840 Franz Bauer, Austrian botanical artist, died. He was one of the first to hand-colour botanical illustrations at microscopic level. 12 December 1731 Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin, was born. A scientist and poet, he founded the Lichfield Botanical Society in Staffordshire. 12 December Nothing to do with Alan Titchmarsh or his team, but today is Ground Forces Day in Ukraine! 14 December 1843 John Claudius Loudon died. A Scottish botanist, writer and landscape gardener, he was the first to use the term ‘arboretum’ for a collection of trees 15 December 1908 Hugh, 5th Earl Annesley, creator of the arboretum at Castlewellan, Co Down, died. The arboretum is described as being the finest in Ireland. 16 December 1902 Arthur George Lee Hellyer was born. He was a…

I WRITE in regards to Mrs G Evans’ letter about the use of molehill soil ( AG , 13 October) and how it should not to be used in potting up plants. I use it all the time with part grit sand and part leaf mould to make a potting compost, and have had great success. Maybe using the soil neat is probably not the best use and it needs extra ingredients to get the best out of free potting compost? Mark Foster, Castleford, Yorks INTERESTING to read the comments appertaining to molehill excavations, which is something I no longer have experience of as I have found a way of making sure the dreaded mole does not visit. If you do encounter molehills, you can get a rag, douse it…

THE Yuletide ritual of choosing a Christmas tree is always an adventure for the elves of ‘Buckland Grotto’. Rather than buying a needle-holding Nordmann from the local garden centre, we venture up to the moors to a pick-your-own plantation that only sells the Norway spruce ( Picea abies ). This is the ‘traditional’ Christmas tree and, I think, the most generous – not only filling the lounge with the resinous aroma of Christmas Past but also our socks with needles! The Norway spruce is a widely planted forestry tree in Blighty that originally hails from the high peaks of Scandinavia, where conifers are kings. In the mountains, spruce have an edge over deciduous competitors because their evergreen leaves are ever-ready, winter or summer, to capture the sun the moment it…

WITH the shortest day and Christmas hoving into view, it is time to carry out those last-minute tasks to get the garden ship-shape before the festivities. If you have guests arriving then doubtless the house will be gleaming like a new pin – and nothing spoils the effect like an unkempt garden. I spent a day sorting out things that had been put to one side weeks ago ‘to be done later’. Top of the list was a pile of growbags that had held this summer’s tomatoes, plus a rigid plastic patio vegetable trough that was starting to rot through and a couple of annual containers with spent plants. I didn’t want to waste the compost so I barrowed it around the garden, and dumped and raked it on the…

1 Lift your gazania with a spade, digging around it carefully and keeping as much soil around the roots as possible. 2 If weeds have started to grow around the plant and its roots, tease them away and compost them before potting up. 3 Pot your plant into John Innes No1 compost that has low levels of nutrients and won’t start the plant into growth during winter. 4 Water the plants to settle the roots, and remove flowers and buds. Drape plants with fleece on very cold nights.…

IRISH peat giant Bord na Móna is moving out of peat production and into ‘renewables, resource recovery and new sustainable businesses’. The firm’s Brown to Green strategy will focus on decarbonisation, preserving climate and energy resources and higher-value recycling. Decarbonisation is the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels and the move towards renewable energy sources, and Bord na Móna is aiming to become Ireland’s leading provider of renewable energy by 2026, phasing out the use of peat by 2028. This shift in direction may cost up to 430 jobs and roles in Ireland, which the company is dealing with via a consultation process. Company chief executive Tom Donnellan said, “Decarbonisation is the biggest challenge facing this planet, and for us it presents both a serious challenge and a national opportunity.…

Cranberries, that traditional accompaniment to Christmas dinner, need to grow in acid soil, so if you garden on alkaline chalk cultivate them in a container. Buy them as bare-root or container plants and don’t let them dry out in their first year while they get established. Use rainwater or tap water that has been left standing for 24 hours. They usually take a few years to start fruiting and their berries make a delicious sauce. Boil up 7oz (200g) of berries with the juice of 2 oranges, a splash of port and 3.5oz (100g) of light brown sugar. When the berries start to ‘pop’ and soften, squash them with a spoon and set them aside. Re-heat the sauce when needed.…

DURING the most inhospitable days of winter your pond may look bereft of life, but things are still going on under the surface and care is still required. If you have a pump, it is up to you whether you remove it for the duration of winter or leave it in place. If it is kept running and you can regulate its flow, it is worth reducing it by up to 50%. This will save energy and be enough to keep the water moving, which will help keep an area of your pond free from ice. Moving water also helps expel poisonous gasses before they can accumulate to dangerous levels. A pond heater is another way of keeping part of the water ice-free, which also helps avoid a build up…

DO you have green fingers or brown thumbs? Some folk seem blessed – they push a stick in a pot and it turns into a magnificent, healthy-looking plant. Others try hard but despite doing it by the book, their results are miserable specimens, best not shown to friends. Nowhere is this more apparent than with houseplants. The reason is simple: we’re up close and see them clearly, whereas outdoors everything is further away. Moreover, houseplants are in view all year round, so any deficiencies can be scrutinised; outdoors is visited less often and is filled with other distractions, so the odd scrappy plant can be overlooked. The secrets of success are two-fold. First, be ruthless and get rid of any that fail to succeed. You will be happier, and considered…

IF there’s one horticultural bugbear that always winds me up, it’s saggy wires – I simply cannot stand them! Ever since I discovered this quick and highly effective way to keep wires tight, I’ve made a point of adopting it in my gardens, and I just know it will help your plants, too. There’s no point being tied to something that’s meant to support growth and keep it in shape, only for it to sway and wobble all over the place! With winter being a key season for fruit tree, cane and bush planting, why not try this simple technique for yourself? It doesn’t require specialist equipment, and it’s ideal for supporting raspberries and trained fruits such as fans, cordons and espaliers. Just follow my guide… Next Week: Make a…

ARE you one of those gardeners who likes to get ahead for the year to come? If so, hats off to you – prune and plant to your heart’s content! However, there are some tasks it doesn’t pay to forge ahead with now, and mulching is one of them. The job of a mulch is to keep weeds at bay, retain soil moisture and – crucially – insulate your plant’s root system. So, think about it: if a mulch is laid now, it’s going to insulate and retain whatever soil conditions are present at that particular moment. In the middle of winter, that’s very cold soil! If your plot has experienced a few frosts, you could even risk preserving a frozen soil by laying an organic mulch on it now.…

All pelargoniums appreciate plenty of summer sun and will need protection from winter frosts. Most familiar types enjoy rich conditions and regular watering, but they hate waterlogging. Seedlings in pots can be started in the greenhouse or conservatory, then moved outside after the last frost. Regular feeding helps produce bushy, prolific plants. Tomato feed works well. Deadhead regularly – flower stalks snap off easily where they join the stem. Take cuttings in late summer. These can be overwintered somewhere frost-free, and planted out in late spring. To keep existing plants happy, move pots into the conservatory for winter.…

WITH generously filled flowerheads prolifically produced over a long period, seed-raised pelargoniums are great for both containers and borders. Seed is best sown next month, in cells, in a propagator at about 21ºC. Move the seedlings into 7cm pots as they develop, and grow them on in cool but frost-free conditions. Pot on if necessary, then plant out in June. This group has not recently been assessed for AGMs but look out for the Horizon and Divas series, and the chocolate-leaved Bulls Eye Series. If you want a head start, some seed companies also sell them as seedlings or young plants.…

Begonia ‘Can-can’ Costly, but worth it for rich yellow flowers decorated by orange picotee markings. With care, blooms reach 8in (20cm) across on plants 18in (45cm) tall. Begonia x intermedia ‘Bertinii’ A striking trailing type for hanging baskets. Fiery single blooms with pointed petals cascade over the sides. Begonia odorata ‘Angelique’ The buds and flowers of this fragrant double begonia are white, flushed with pink. A cascading habit suits baskets and boxes. Begonia ‘Prima Donna White’ Strong, upright stems 14in (35cm) high will bear huge, ruffled white double blooms that grow to 8in (20cm) across.…

Why mix potting composts? Q I’ve noticed that people are always mixing and fiddling with potting composts. Presumably, manufacturers know what they are doing, so why can’t I just use it straight out of the sack? Alex Burton, Thetford, Norfolk A For the majority of plants, you can use commercial brands of potting compost straight from the bag, but I’m fussy. Sometimes I’ll run my hands through the mix and decide it is too coarse, fine or potentially water-holding for the plant I’m dealing with. In many ways, I’m harking back to the days when gardeners mixed their own composts, using loam, sand, grit, leafmould and peat. During the 1930s, the John Innes Horticultural Institution evolved the recipe for John Innes potting composts that is still used today – seven…

Burgon & Ball Digging Fork (RHS) £39.99 ( sam-turner.co.uk ) 0114 233 8262 for stockists burgonandball.com Features Ash shaft and ‘D’ handle. Shaft riveted into Sheffield stainless-steel socket and tines. Tines are curved, square section 3/8in (1cm) wide. Weight 4lb 10 1/2oz (2.12kg). Tines 11x7 1/4in (28x18 1/2cm). Overall length 44in (112cm). Tested to over 220lb (100kg) breaking strain. Performance This fork has a slightly chunkier grip that offers a good hold. Rivets and socket edge are raised on the shaft, but aren’t noticeable in use. It feels light – the tines look skinnier than other forks. There’s a good shoulder to push on, the tines drive in easily and they’ll lift a spit of moist soil. There’s good leverage from the long shaft that can…

HAVING a 60ft (18m) tall beech tree in our garden, I was interested to read your recent Tried & Tested feature on leaf gathering tools (AG, 10 November). I recently purchased the Draper leaf grabbers and can concur that they are fantastic – among the best garden tools I have ever bought. Although referred to as leaf litter, I do think that even fallen leaves can look quite beautiful. Whilst leaf collecting, I picked up this leaf from under the beech tree and I thought it looked truly striking when backlit by the low autumn sun. Robert Hinchcliffe, Bottesford, North Lincolnshire…

THANKS to the dry summer, Christmas trees will have a better shape with bushier tops and a shorter leader (the vertical stem that sticks out of the top). For commercial growers, the heatwave has been a disaster – with some nurseries losing a third of their crop. This will affect future prices, so if ever there was a time to plant a potted Christmas tree after Yuletide, it’s now! Keep it watered and lightly trim to encourage bushy growth, and it could save you a fortune……

Most dead and dying perennial plant material should have been removed by now to tidy up borders and reduce the risk of frost damage. Some you can leave – hollow stems make great hibernation homes for invertebrates and some dead seedheads look stunning when caught by hoar frost. Others are left, or only partially cut back, to protect the crown of the plants. I usually leave the bottom third of penstemon and gaura stems, as they will help to stave off the worst of the winter weather and can be cut right back in spring when they have started to shoot again.…

Green manure grows densely and strongly, which makes it hard to dig in when you’re prepping the soil for planting and sowing. Make life easier by cutting back the top growth before you dig it in. It will break down faster to give you a head start with next year’s crops. You can leave your green manure growing right through winter, but I find the results just as good if I dig it in now. This gives time and weather the chance to rot it down and enrich the soil before you sow or plant next spring.…

WE are a family of condiment obsessives, with multiple jars of spreads, pickles, sauces and other savoury gloops in the kitchen cupboards and fridge. Although most are tongue-tinglingly delicious, nothing quite matches up to the fresh zestiness of homegrown side dishes with a large meal. Most gardeners grow veggies for the Christmas table and this year I have added cranberries and horseradish to the list. Horseradish is seen by many gardeners as an invasive nuisance, and indeed, its hefty deep roots make it extremely hard to contain. But grow it in a large pot and you should have little trouble. If you are having roast beef at Christmas, homemade horseradish sauce is the perfect accompaniment and is easy to make (although to my mind, nothing quite beats cold roast potatoes…

THE Christmas tree at Number 10 Downing Street will no doubt feature in the media at this time of year, but do you know how it is chosen? Some 300 members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association meet up each September, this year in Somerset, and compete to see who has grown the best tree and who makes the best door ring. The winners get to supply the tree outside and the ring for the door of Number 10, while the grower who comes second supplies the tree for indoors. They may well also get to be present when the Prime Minister switches on the lights! “Bud-rubbing improves shape and bushiness” Christmas tree growing has advanced considerably over recent years, with ‘bud-rubbing’ and trimming carried out in summer to…

We may be in the thick of winter, but spring is in the air and Colesbourne Park, ‘England’s Greatest Snowdrop Garden’, is already planning its snowdrop walks and tours for 2019. The garden, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, organises pre-booked weekday tours for societies, clubs and groups of friends. These are led by owner Sir Henry Elwes and head gardener Arthur Cole. The snowdrop walks are also open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 2 February 2 until 3 March 2019. For details 01242 870567, email info@colesbournegardens.org.uk or visit colesbournegardens.org.uk • Send details and images of your events to ruth.hayes@ti-media.com or What’s On, Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Industrial Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF. • Listings need to be with us at least six weeks in advance. •…

1 Victorians would make empty borders attractive by sticking in groups of evergreen prunings, ideally with flowers or berries. 2 Look out for neat inexpensive stocking fillers such as packets of favourite seeds. These make excellent gifts, especially those with appropriate names. 3 Sow some mustard and cress seed in a small pot, or on damp kitchen paper on plates, to add fresh greens to those turkey sandwiches. 4 Float a football, plastic ball or half-empty plastic bottle in your pond to bob through any ice, letting gases escape.…

DO you know of any techie, space-strapped gardeners just bursting to grow their own crops? With outdoor space at a premium, more and more of us are looking at our indoor areas to grow small, leafy vegetables and herbs. So if you’re in the market for an LED bulb or a whistles-and-bells indoor growing system, what should you be looking for? First, it’s important to understand that not all lights are equal. To grow plants successfully indoors, you’ll need a full-spectrum bulb and not a standard domestic one; fluorescent and LED are the most widely available types. With improved longevity, energy efficiency and less heat emitted, LED seems to have the edge over fluorescent bulbs. Also, make sure you can adjust the bulb’s height easily; trays of vegetable seedlings require…

WITH life being less hectic on the plot during these more dormant months, it’s the ideal time to take stock of things and check that all is well for the growing season ahead. For those of us with allotments, plots and beds, this means ensuring that the absolutely fundamental element – the soil – is in good working order. Poor drainage, the wrong pH, compaction, malnutrition and pest or disease are all soil ailments that can lead to poor root growth. How do you ensure things are fighting fit? Well, many problems can be resolved by adding organic matter. Heavy clay soils that tend to be compacted, along with light, sandy soils that may be shy of nutrients, can both benefit if you add a 3in (7½cm) layer of garden…

Of the 13 groups of pelargoniums, these six are the picks you’re most likely to see available for sale: Angel Bushy, well-branched plants carry small, rounded leaves and a long season of flowers reminiscent of small pansies. Ivy-leaved Trailing stems that can reach 61/2ft (2m) are decorated with glossy, ivy-shaped leaves and single or double flowers in the full range of colours. Regal The most flamboyant, with the largest flowers in the widest range of colours. They also have the best tolerance of cool conditions. Scented-leaved A varied group, with foliage in a range of minty and citrus aromas. Lots of relatively small flowers. Unique This underrated group matches aromatic foliage with more colourful flowers than scented-leaved types. Zonal The familiar ‘geranium’, with rounded leaves – often with a dark…

Why are wisteria blooms hidden? Q We have a very old wisteria against a wall that I prune and feed correctly. The flowers are covered by the leaves so should I cut it right back? Martin Burgess, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire A There are two species of wisteria most commonly grown in gardens – Japanese wisteria ( Wisteria floribunda ) and Chinese wisteria ( Wisteria sinensis ). Chinese wisteria produces its flowers long before the leaves, whereas Japanese wisteria produces its leaves and flowers at the same time. I suspect you have a Japanese Wisteria and this is why the flowers are hidden by foliage. The RHS suggests Chinese wisteria is the best type for training against a wall or fence, whereas Japanese wisteria is more suited to a pergola. Both species…

1 Epiphytic plants (those that grow on trees in the wild) such as bromeliads and hoyas benefit from an open, well-drained compost. Try two parts peat-free compost, one part orchid bark, and one part grit, coarse perlite or vermiculite. 2 Succulents require good drainage and a compost that will wet again easily after a dry winter rest. I use half of 50:50 John Innes No2 and soilless compost, and half of potting grit. 3 Acid-loving plants such as blueberries, rhododendrons and camellias prefer an ericaceous compost, perhaps with added grit, leaf mould or composted bark. 4 Cuttings need a well-draining compost, and 50:50 peat-free multi-purpose and potting grit or vermiculite brings good results.…

Garden gnomes and other ornamentation Gnome figures first came to Britain in 1867 as garden ornaments when Sir Charles Isham inherited Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. He built a rockery and imported gnomes from Germany to adorn the area. Gnomes and dwarfs occur in many cultures around the world and appear in many legends and myths, including our own Celtic history. The figures had been particularly popular in Austrian and German gardens for generations, with some of them standing more than 3ft (1m) in height. Let’s look at the history surrounding them and the wider world of garden ornaments. Bombastic gnomes It was a rumbustious 16th century eccentric, Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (who called himself Paracelsus), who invented the word ‘gnomus’. Referring to sprites guarding the interior of the earth and…

The icing on the cake! WE celebrated the 10th Anniversary of our Gardeners’ Club with a cheese and wine evening, and a talented member made this fantastic cake. I felt sure the marzipan gardener was going to join in. We book excellent speakers covering a wide range of subjects, plus we organise two outings a year to fantastic gardens, a special Christmas meeting including wine and nibbles, and an annual social with caterers and entertainment every February. How about a series on garden clubs and their activities? Readers might find it interesting, and we could all learn a bit more about how the other half lives. Judy Berrow, Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire Wendy says Gardening clubs are a fantastic way of meeting like-minded people and for swapping seeds and plants,…