Innholdsfortegnelse for 1-Jun-2019 i Amateur Gardening

“They’re wonderful plants, but in the wrong soil. I’m talking about two rhododendrons sadly sitting in the neutral soil of my garden, when they would be happier in a more acidic home. I had thought of moving them on, as they were planted by a previous owner, but after seeing the rhododendrons at Exbury Gardens in Hampshire I have been inspired to try to get them to their best. At the weekend, I applied ericaceous feed to the base and lots of ericaceous soil on top. Let’s see if I can get them to a happier state. If anyone has some tips, I’m listening!”…

1 Ornamental grasses: Add contrast and texture to flower borders, and create unexpected visual surprises, such as a fishy sea scene! 2 Interesting containers: Why stick to terracotta pots, when there are colourful cow containers and old gardening accessories waiting to be used? 3 Imaginative lighting: Highlight specimen plants, generate atmosphere and create shady nooks with careful use of lights and lanterns. 4 Shake it up with pots: Use different sized containers in bold colours, in clusters and singly, to add height to borders and break up a patio area. Structural support: In next week’s AG (in the shops 4 June) I discuss the importance of looking after fences, furniture, metalwork and other garden structures.…

PERENNIALS are the mainstays of the border and those that flowered in early spring will need cutting back now. I have tackled a couple of large hellebores that flowered fantastically and are now flopping over the early summer plants. Hellebores are prolific self-seeders and each drooping flower head is surrounded by a cluster of small seedlings. I’ll let them grow on a week or two, then pot them up and transplant them elsewhere, or give them away to friends, when they are large enough. Also, remove large hellebore leaves that have been battered by the winter. It keeps the plant tidy, frees up room in the border and reduces the risk of disease. Perennials that have been growing with gusto can be divided now too. The benefits are numerous: it…

THIS week’s free seeds are for a traditional British plant that is a common early summer sight in shady hedgerows and woodland settings. Foxgloves are easy to recognise for their tall spikes of ‘bells’, which are traditionally pink. The name is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon ‘foxes glofa’ (glove of the fox) or from the northern legend that bad fairies gave the blooms to foxes to muffle their footfall while hunting. Their Latin name is Digitalis purpurea and they provide a substance called digitalin, which was used to treat patients with heart problems, although the use of this is now declining. This week, we are giving you the seeds of Foxglove ‘Alba’, which produces stunning white bells that shine out from the shady areas of the garden that it…

THERE is absolutely no point in wasting growing space on crops you’re not going to eat, which is why we pack our relatively small edible plot with fruit and veg that will be welcomed with delight. Beans are a must-have. Last year, we grew broad beans, and this year it’s runners and borlottis. The runners are growing in a raised bed and in the ground, and the borlottis are romping away in a container bought from Wilko for our supermarket issue on 13 April. Beans of every variety are an attractive addition to the garden, with their pretty flowers in the traditional shade of scarlet, or more modern varieties with bicoloured and white blooms. Dwarf varieties are also available now and are ideal for smaller plots and containers. Planning for…

1 If you are anywhere near Attleborough in Norfolk in the next few weeks, visit Peter Beales Roses. In addition to an amazing collection of roses, the restaurant is also worth the visit. 2 Old roses susceptible to black spot, mildew and rust diseases need a protective fungicide spray on young growth. Note the word ‘young’, as you must get the fungicide on early to prevent infection. 3 There are a number of different colours in the Flower Carpet series. All are very disease-resistant but without fragrance. 4 Go for the Home Florist series from the same breeder (Noack) for good health and fragrance, namely rose ‘Timeless Purple’ (above), and sister cultivars ‘Timeless Cream’ and ‘Timeless Pink’.…

IF at some point this month your apple trees start to shed their immature fruit, don’t be alarmed. It is a phenomenon called the ‘June drop’ and is nature’s way of protecting the tree while still providing a good crop. Apples can be hefty fruit, and if the tree keeps just one in 20 it will still be cropping well. Indeed, if it kept too many it could be at risk of breaking its branches due to the weight. Trees shed the embryonic fruits when they are around the size of a 10p piece, usually throughout June and into early July. For this reason, stay your hand and don’t thin any fruit yourself until you are sure the natural dropping has finished. If your tree sheds excessive numbers of fruit…

EARLIER this year a vegan gardening book by Matthew Appleby, called The Super Organic Gardener: Everything You Need to Know About a Vegan Garden, was published. It stirred up a bit of controversy about bird feeders because Matthew (a writer I respect enormously, by the way) feels that bird feeders and baths are not compatible with his vegan ideals. However, my bird table provides great pleasure to the extended family and we probably wouldn’t catch sight of nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and coal tits if we didn’t have peanuts and seed on offer. It’s better than television! I feel that we’re helping birds as well, because they are in decline and numbers of common farmland birds have plummeted. We’ve been very excited about a pair of linnets, the first we’ve…

1 Fill a modular tray with seed compost, water well, allow to drain and make a ⅓in (1cm) hole in each cell. Sow five seeds per hole, covering with compost. Place in a propagator at 20°C (68°F). 2 Once seedlings are ¾in (2cm) tall, transplant the whole cell into a 3½in (9cm) pot of multi-purpose (move them into a larger pot as they grow). Grow on at a minimum of 15°C (53°F) in good light. 3 As your plants grow, keep pinching them out – this provides harvests, stops woodiness and delays flowering. Make three more sowings in summer to continually have young, vigorous plants.…

NEVER has a crop been given quite so many names! This veg is called stem lettuce, celtuce, Chinese lettuce – and, of course, asparagus lettuce due to the shape of the elongated stems. It’s incredibly popular in Asian cuisine, where it’s diced and stir-fried, added raw to salads, or thrown into soups and stews. The crunchy texture is evocative of celery, but the flavour is milder. It’s not fully hardy, so treat as a summer rather than winter crop. Sow now, either into modules under cover or, if it’s warm, directly into the earth. Space the plants 1ft (30cm) apart, popping slug controls down if the weather is wet. Initially, plants will look like a bit like cos lettuce, but as they mature the stem will elongate (a little like…

IF you grow tomatoes in the ground, sooner or later you’ll encounter soil sickness. This term covers a variety of diseases that build up in the soil when tomatoes are planted in the same place year after year, indoors or out. In a greenhouse or tunnel, where there’s little choice of site, it’s inevitable. The answer is grafted plants. Because their rootstocks are resistant to soil-borne diseases, you can consistently grow them in the same site and still get an exceptional yield. I’ve also found that, in uninfected soil, they grow better – and yield more – than regular plants. Yes, they’re more expensive to buy. But unless you’re growing so many that the cost becomes prohibitive, I would go for grafted plants every time – and beat soil sickness.…

Once plants are established, regular watering (once or even twice a day) is the most important aspect of care. Without additional feeding, container plants lose enthusiasm quickly, looking sickly with few flowers. Check compost bags for details of added slow-release fertiliser. After the stated period, add more mixed into compost as a mulch, or give weekly well-balanced liquid feeds. Never feed a dry plant. The compost should be moist but just starting to dry out before adding any feed. Deadheading is important, but not necessary when flowers are tiny and scatter easily from the plant. Plants added early to containers might turn straggly. Trim them back by a good half, and pay attention to watering and feeding, and they should sprout fresh growth and flowers.…

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ A gorgeous anemone dahlia that has sunset tones of coral, pink and apricot, and will continue to bloom into November. Compact enough to be grown in a container, it needs a spot in full sun. H: 3ft (90cm). Hesperantha coccinea ‘Major’ AGM (syn. Schizostylis ) The starry flowers of this scarlet stalwart will burn red throughout autumn, above tall, grass-like foliage. It is happiest in a sunny south or west-facing border. H: 2ft (60cm). Hylotelephium ‘Red Cauli’ AGM A fantastic stonecrop that forms a clump of leathery purple-grey foliage with glowing ruby-pink flowers that lure honeybees. For best results grow in well-drained, poor soil, in full sun. H: 1 ½ ft (45cm). Salvia microphylla ‘Cerro Potosí’…

Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ AGM A compact version of euonymus. Well-suited to smaller gardens, this little shrub blushes into a burning bush of strawberry-red in autumn. Plant in sun for the best colour. H: 39in-5ft (1-1½m). Anemanthele lessoniana AGM Fans of grasses will love the New Zealand wind grass. It takes on coppery tints during the cold months, forming an arching mass of bronze ‘hair’ that really seems to glow in the autumn light. Grow in well-drained soil. H: 2 ½ ft (75cm).…

Heliotropium arborescens ‘Midnight Sky’ For a fragrance sensation, team superbly scented heliotrope ‘Midnight Sky’ with pelargoniums ‘Attar of Roses’ and ‘Pink Capricorn’. Add in the blue starry flowers of Anagallis monellii ‘Skylover’ and you have an excellent combination for a summer container. H: 1ft (30cm). Luzula nivea Also known as snowy wood rush, this clump-forming evergreen perennial has narrow dark green leaves and stems topped with clusters of small, shiny white flowers in early and mid summer. It’s a good companion for the lilac-pink flowers and light green foliage of ‘Lara Starshine’. H: 2ft (60cm). Salvia officinalis ‘Berggarten’ AGM Aromatic sage with grey-green leaves and light violet summer flowers. Try in a border with pelargonium ‘Lady Plymouth’ and silvery-leaved lavenders. The fragrances will harmonise beautifully, and…

Q The bees love this shrub, but what is it? Dorothy Reeder, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim A This is a bushy honeysuckle called Lonicera nitida ‘Maigrün’. Prized for its ground-covering habit and abundance of small creamy-yellow, nectar-rich flowers, it’s invaluable for attracting bees. Q What is this growing in our new garden? Tony Dukes, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands A This is a deutzia and I’m reasonably certain that it is the variety ‘Strawberry Fields’ Deutzia are hardy deciduous shrubs, happy in most situations, and reach from 4-8ft (1.2-2.4m) tall. ‘Strawberry Fields’ will reach 6ft (1.8m), but can be kept to 3ft (90cm), which is ideal for growing in a pot. Q What is this shrub, please? Patricia Johnston, Bury, Lancs A Your shrub is Weigela ‘White Knight’ or its closely related…

1 Hoe when the soil surface is dry. Pick up loose debris before starting. Select a long-handled hoe with a head to suit the job – big for open areas, small in confined spots. 2 If you need to stand on the soil, start at the furthest point in and work backwards to avoid trampling the air out of freshly hoed areas. 3 Use a push-pull motion, skimming the head horizontally just beneath the soil surface, especially on the forward thrust. Work in an arc around you. 4 Once you’ve hoed the open areas, use an onion hoe or three-tined cultivator to weed close around plant stems. Pick up and compost weeds with roots.…

This week it’s: Low and high hydrangeas An easy-to-grow shrub with heads of flowers in white, pink or blue IT is true to say that there are gardens for every hydrangea, and hydrangeas for virtually every garden (certainly those with a temperate climate). These wonderful shrubs are easy to grow and propagate, they’re highly decorative and their colour is long lasting. Usefully, most of the hydrangeas available fill that all-important gap between mid-summer and autumn. However, many are coming into flower now. So, with that much to offer the gardener, we are duty-bound to look at some of the stories surrounding them. In the top 40 of popular shrubs, hydrangeas are one of the few with no common name (other than hydrangea – the genus name). Mopheads and lacetops THE…

THE common idea of a hydrangea is a big, bun-shaped plant packed with showy florets. It comes as something of a surprise to find that a quite different-looking and distinctly elegant style of flower also comes under the hydrangea umbrella – the lacecap. Wild hydrangeas are nearly all like this one. They have flat-topped heads consisting of a central disc of small, fertile flowers that do the business of seed setting and an outer ring of showy but sterile florets whose function is, presumably, to attract pollinating insects. Viburnums such as the guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) have an arrangement so similar that the first hydrangea introduced by the Swedish botanist Thunberg from the Far East was assumed to be a viburnum. Lacecap is an evocative description of this graceful, frothy…

I FELT I must share these photos taken in my garden. A warm spell of weather has brought everything on, and we have weigela, cherry blossom, wisteria, Clematis montana and lilac flowering at the same time as the tulips and other spring bulbs. I do love lilac, but my mother was very superstitious and would never bring it in the house in case it brought us bad luck! So I have to enjoy its fragrance outdoors and cannot bring myself to cut stems for the house for fear of tempting fate! Heather Eaton, Dorset Wendy says: What garden-related superstitions do you abide by?…

HOW you use slug pellets and barriers makes a massive difference to your success rate. Pellets placed under pots are more effective than when scattered, as the pellets last for longer and target the place where molluscs prefer to hole up. Mulches of sheep’s wool pellets and coffee may not always work after heavy rain, so are best used with beer traps – small beer-filled containers set 1in (2½cm) above the soil (so beetles don’t fall in) to catch any slugs that manage to cross the mulch.…

GARDENING is usually a slow business, best not rushed, and not generally regarded as a hobby for the hasty. Indeed, there is something incredibly satisfying about watching tiny seeds take weeks to germinate into stunning plants, or apparently dead twigs blossom forth into new shrubs. But there are times when we need a developing garden to look at its best now , awash with eye-catching colour and interest. Maybe you are hosting a home wedding or other big celebration, or maybe you want to sell your house and require instant impact to impress viewers. Whatever the reason for the urgency, it can be done – and not necessarily with massive upheaval and financial outlay. Garden centres often sell baskets and containers already planted up and packed with colour, but you…

Always check the health of pot plants bound for your borders. Moss growing on the surface of the compost could mean they have been languishing in the garden centre for some time. This also means pests such as snails, slugs and vine weevils have had longer to munch on plants or lay their eggs among the roots. Check carefully that roots are healthy. If you find pests, return the plants to the vendor. If that isn’t possible, add the pests or eggs to the bird table, wash the roots, then treat the plant with a chemical or nematode after planting.…

Hellebores, or Lenten roses, are amongst my ‘musthave’ plants for their beautiful early flowers and ease of cultivation. However, they tend to sprawl after flowering and need cutting back to tidy the border and keep them safe from pests and disease. You may also want to deadhead them swiftly, as they are experts at prolific self-seeding. Remove the largest and most battered old leaves as they can carry the fungal disease hellebore black spot, transmitted via rain-splash. Mulch with well-rotted organic matter and feed monthly with a general-purpose fertiliser.…

Ornamental and vegetable seeds sown where they are to grow should be strong seedlings by now. For the best results, thin them out to remove weaker plants and give the remainder adequate space to grow. Cramped plants are unlikely to reach their full potential without enough room to develop properly. They will also be more susceptible to attack by pests and fungal problems caused by poor ventilation between each plant. Seedlings of root veggies need thinning to give the roots enough space to grow and thicken up.…

I’m growing our borlotti beans in a large container filled with a mix of Westland’s New Horizon vegetable compost and multi-purpose compost. I enriched the mix with chicken manure pellets as beans are hungry plants and nutrients are limited when growing in containers. I inserted a cane in each corner of the hexagonal pot and planted a bean at each one. The beans will be fed and watered regularly as they grow and it will be interesting to compare their progress to that of the runner beans in raised beds and in the ground.…

LIKE many gardeners, I’m wondering what the summer will unleash on our lawns. Will it fry it to a crisp like last year, try to drown it with torrential rain or, best of all, will we get decent growth with a few showers to keep the sward green? Our wildflower lawn looks happy with conditions as they are, and is bursting into colour with a sunburst of buttercups, plus speedwell, yellow rattle, ox-eye daisies and scabious. The spring may not have been terribly warm throughout, but it was dry, and your grass lawn may be starting to look a little withered. Ongoing arid conditions may also be hampering the growth of spring-sown patches. Don’t panic! Watering new sowings will soon put a spring back into its growth and if you…

IF you’ve already filled every space in your vegetable bed, then you can feel smug. However, the chances are there are still some gaps, and as the last of the spring greens go over and the earliest new potatoes are gathered, more gaps will soon appear. Don’t leave these idle – there’s plenty of growing season to go, and there are barely any crops you can’t sow or plant right now. OK, it’s getting a tad late to sow some of the slower croppers, but these can still be put out as plants. Many crops put in now, when the soil is nicely warmed, do far better than batches put in earlier when the soil was a lot cooler. “There’s plenty of growing season to go!” Most valuable to me…

I ADORE basil – the mere waft of it makes me salivate, so I’ve grown dozens of different varieties over the years. Green, purple, dwarf, huge – the range available to gardeners these days is so exciting. The basil genus, Ocimum, is diverse and it has been cultivated as a herb all over the world for centuries. Belonging to the mint family, the main species grown is sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), but why should you stop there? Lemon basil (O. africanum), lime basil (O. americanum), bush basil (O. minimum), holy basil (O. tenuiflorum) and Thai basil (O. b. var. thyrsiflora) are equally worthy of a place in your garden, each bringing their own unique flavour and quality to your kitchen. Basils are predominantly tender annuals (although some are perennial), so…

THESE vigorous vines will quickly rampage if left to their own devices. Take control with secateurs now to reduce disease and gain better fruit: 1 Established vines will set far too many bunches. Thin these out to leave the largest – for dessert grapes, keep one bunch per 3ft (1m) of rod. 2 Wine grapes (which are generally grown outdoors using the Guyot system) can carry more fruit – leave one bunch per vertical stem. 3 As your dessert and wine grapes grow, cut back any non-fruiting shoots on established plants to 10-20in (25-50cm) in length.…

EVERY gardener should grow tomatoes. Luckily, these days, every gardener can, as the vast range of different varieties now available means you can fit a plant in whatever your situation. But what sort? Well, in the end, in spite of the popularity of cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes and the rest – it’s the classic tomato that we all keep coming back to. Mostly red (but sometimes yellow, green, black or even striped), there are outdoor varieties, options for greenhouses or polytunnels, and some all-purpose varieties that will grow anywhere. With fruits about 1-2in (2½- 4cm) across – smaller than beefsteaks and larger than cherry tomatoes – these classic toms are the ones that can taste of absolutely nothing when bought from the supermarket, and whose chewy skins get stuck in…

IN the garden centre, look for plants that are dark green in colour. Avoid pale plants (they’ve probably been forced) and blue-tinted ones, which are likely to have had a chill. Choose plants that are stocky and self-supporting, with fat stems and short internodes, and with stems that are not kinked or broken. Plants in 3in (7cm) or 3½in (9cm) pots are fine; I’m not sure buying larger ones has much advantage until late in the month, when 3½in (9cm) plants may take a while to catch up.…

Calibrachoa Cabaret ‘Bright Red’ Tender perennials known as million bells resemble compact, small-flowered trailing petunias. This one bears pillarbox-red flowers with darker veins and yellow throats. Argyranthemum ‘Grandaisy Pink Halo’ A pretty marguerite with masses of darker-eyed, candy-pink daisies over finely divided leaves. HxS: 20in (50cm). Verbena EnduraScape ‘Dark Purple’ A new purple-flowered verbena described as hardy to 14°F (-10°C), long-flowering and heat tolerant. It’s a bushy shape, 12in (30cm) high and 18in (45cm) wide. Felicia amelloides Kingfisher daisies will add a touch of true blue to your containers all summer long. Plants reach 10in (25cm) and respond well to deadheading.…

Once planted, water pelargoniums as and when needed, making sure the roots do not become waterlogged. “There are no rules to watering – other than they don’t need extra moisture every day,” advises Ursula Key-Davis of Fibrex Nurseries, who adds a minimal dose of potash-rich fertiliser (such as tomato feed) to her watering can to maintain the flowers. Deadhead spent blooms regularly, and bring the plants inside once temperatures start to drop. Watch out for pests such as mealy bugs, whitefly and aphids. Prune in late autumn. When taking cuttings, use only non-flowering material.…

IN dry weather it’s best to hoe annual weeds and weed seedlings. In damp weather dig perennial weeds out by their roots using a hand fork or cultivator. Pushing a hoe horizontally through the soil just below the surface when it’s dry cuts through the stems of annual weeds like fat hen and hairy bittercress, and kills them. If you do it in damp weather when the soil is soft, the hoe tends to uproot weed seedlings and then simply pushes the roots back into the soil so they continue growing. However, damp soil is ideal for tackling perennial weeds like dandelion and bindweed. These plants don’t respond well to hoeing – slice off the top and the root will send out new shoots. So use a short-handled hand fork…

What is eating my tulip buds? Q My tulips budded up well, but something took the heads off them just as they were opening. What would do this? Also, should tulips be left in for another year or is it best to remove them? Sarah Piper, Folkestone, Kent A First, let’s look at the possible culprit. It is going to be a large pest, so probably a rabbit, squirrel or deer – and I suspect it is a deer. The UK deer population is growing, and even if you live in a town or city they do visit urban areas. Encouraged by a nearby park, a group of large gardens or a neglected plot, deer could easily have sniffed out your tulips. Pint-sized muntjac deer, in particular, are adept at…

ON this day, much-loved actress Thora Hird (later to become a Dame) was born. You would mainly associate her with acting roles (such as in Meet The Wife, Dinner Ladies and Talking Heads, as well as presenting the occasional religious programme) rather than gardening, but she was a lifelong lover of plants and gardens. In the early 1980s a flushed-white floribunda rose, bred by leading rose breeder Tony Bracegirdle, was named after her, and she was even featured on the cover of AG showing it. But the rose has long since disappeared from the catalogues. Surprisingly, Olympic sprinter Linford Christie maintains that Thora once came to his house, just to have a go on his ride-on Toro lawnmower! Thora died, following a stroke, in 2003 at the age of 91.…

1 Dig an angled hole and set your container in it, making sure it is firmly bedded in and sitting just proud of the soil. 2 Fill the pot with plants that are an instant visual hit – the bright foliage of coleus, heuchera and variegated catmint is a fantastic mix. 3 Water generously and scatter slug deterrents such as wool pellets around the lip of the pot. 4 For added interest and height, camouflage the back of the pot with quick-growing annuals such as cosmos, nicotiana or snapdragons.…

1 Stand your plant in water for at least 30 minutes before planting to give the roots a good drink. 2 Dig a hole as deep as and slightly wider than the rootball and fork some granular feed in the base. 3 Large plants may actually be two or three in one pot. If so, divide them and dot them around the garden. 4 Infill around the plant with a mix of soil and compost, then firm them in so stems are properly supported. 5 Water generously and slowly, giving it time to sink in rather than flowing away from the plant.…

1 Dig around the plant, slightly wider than the root area, then lift it from the ground onto an old compost bag or newspaper. 3 Dig holes for the divisions and enrich them with compost, well-rotted manure or balanced fertiliser. I’m using blood fish and bone. 2 Use a clean knife or sharp spade blade to cut the plant into divisions, each with its own top growth and roots. 4 Replant the divisions at the same depth as their rootball. Firm the soil around them to knock out air pockets and support the plants. 5 Water your new plants well and mulch around them to retain the moisture in the soil.…

1 Scatter the seeds as thinly as possible onto a tray of fresh seed compost that has been dampened with clean tap water. 2 Cover the seeds with a thin layer of seed and cuttings compost, vermiculite or a mixture of the two. 3 Label your seeds, add a lid and place the tray somewhere light. Remove the lid once the seedlings have started to appear. 4 Alternatively, sow onto weeded, raked and dampened soil, cover and mark. Thin seedlings when large enough to handle.…

WHEN I write this column each week, I always bear in mind that there will be a reader out there who will know more about the subject than I do. While visiting Peter Beales Roses for the opening of its Rosarian Restaurant on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, I learnt their Ian Limmer had worked there for 40 years. Ian started work with the late Peter Beales when there were just four members of staff and now, at peak times, there are 60. They list over 1,100 rose cultivars, have a rose garden to die for and are still breeding yet more roses. “It has never shown any sign of disease in 29 years of growth” Even though in the 1960s I worked on a rose nursery, staged exhibits…

May 31-June 2: Gardening Scotland: Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, EH28 8NB. ✆ 0131 333 0965, gardeningscotland.com 1: Beekeeping Demonstration: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. ✆ 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 1: Make a Willow Sculpture Basket: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. ✆ 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/ gardens/rosemoor 1-2: Plant Portraits: RHS Rosemoor 1-2: Open Gardens: St Nicholas at Wade, near Birchington, Thanet, Kent CT7 0NR.opengardens.co.uk 1-2: English Country Garden Festival: Lewtrenchard, near Okehampton, Devon EX20 4PW. ✆ 01566 783179, coombetrenchard.co.uk 1-2: Plant Hunters’ Fair: Hodnet Hall, Market Drayton, Shrops TF9 3NN.planthuntersfairs.co.uk 2: Rare Plant Fair: High Glanau Manor, Monmouth, Gwent NP25 4AD. ✆ 01278 661352, rareplantfair.co.uk 5: Drawing and Painting Course: RHS Rosemoor 5-9: RHS Chatsworth Flower Show: Chatsworth House, Bakewell,…

1 Hot, bright weather parches cucumbers, melons and other greenhouse plants, so add some shade by draping fleece or net curtains outside, held in place with clothes pegs. 2 Straw under strawberry fruits stops contamination with dirt. Alternatively, slipping jam jars over them protects them from the weather, slugs and birds. 3 If outdoor plants like tomatoes are looking peaky and a bit yellow, they may be cold so make them a temporary windbreak. 4 Drawing up earth around the bases of sweetcorn, broad beans and French beans encourages more roots and helps their stability.…

‘Lettuce Leaf’ This heritage sweet basil variety produces huge, rich green crumpled foliage, giving plants a frilly look. With an excellent flavour, the large leaves make the perfect bed for sliced heritage beefsteak tomatoes – just bring on the olive oil! ‘Siam Queen’ A striking form of Thai basil, with rich green leaves and deep purple stems and flowers. The spicy, aniseed-liquorice flavour lends itself perfectly to Thai cuisine. Stir the fresh leaves through a green curry to create a truly authentic recipe. ‘Purple Ruffles’ Easy on the eye, this dark purple-leaved sweet basil looks great in pots. The striking colour develops best in full sun, and the flavour is unique, so mix it with a handful of ‘Genovese’ basil if you’re making a batch of classic pesto.…

1 Be poised with some netting if you own a cherry tree, covering it up as soon as the fruits begin to show colour. Birds will then be kept safely at bay . 2 Seedlings will be bursting to be transplanted outside. To ensure they hit the ground running, water them – and their new site – thoroughly beforehand. 3 First-early potatoes grown outdoors will be maturing now. Gently slide your fork prongs vertically alongside a plant, lift, harvest – and enjoy! 4 Warm, wet nights are like heaven on earth for slugs and snails. Go on regular dusk patrols with a buck et and headtorch, picking off those that you see. 5 Sweetcorn can be planted outside this week. Transplant into blocks, not rows, to aid pollination and sow…

Plant out as soon as possible – remember to feed plants with tomato food before they go in. When planting in soil (rather than in containers), incorporate plenty of weed-free organic matter. Support plants outside using a 4ft (1.2m) dahlia stake (last year, I had to extend mine with canes). Indoors, use strings tied to the roof and to a short stake by the side of the plant. Use fresh multi-purpose compost in large pots – I find the roots of one grafted plant will easily fill an 18in (45cm) pot. Water and feed regularly, although it’s generally agreed that less water and less food will give a better-flavoured (albeit smaller) crop.…

WHEN gardening, particularly in a small plot, it’s tempting to focus all your efforts on the flowery show of summer. But there are lots of ways to fit in plants that perform in autumn, and doing so will ensure a great spectacle for months. Autumn has beautiful low light, and it makes sense to capitalise on this. One way to do so is to grow grasses that take on golden or pink tints late in the season – they will look enchanting as they catch that golden light. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ and Stipa gigantea are two gorgeous choices. Roses that repeat flower into autumn and shimmer in the October sun are another must. ‘Just Joey’ is a compact hybrid tea with copper-apricot flowers that look their best in autumn,…

Rosa ‘Geranium’ AGM Plant this arching moyesii shrub rose not only for the single scarlet summer flowers (bees love them), but also the beautiful large orange-red hips that follow. Grow in full sun. H: 8ft (2½m). Cotoneaster x suecicus ‘Coral Beauty’ AGM Forms a mound of evergreen leaves that are paired with white spring flowers and orange-red autumn berries – the latter providing food for birds. Sun or semi-shade. H: 32in (80cm). Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’ AGM An autumn star, the foliage of the beautyberry flushes bronze-purple and the stems are dotted with clusters of purple berries. Sun or semi-shade. H: 10ft (3m). Pyracantha Saphyr Jaune In late spring the flowers of this…

‘Attar of Roses’ AGM Transport yourself to a rose garden with the perfume of this long-flowering bushy sub-shrub, which will happily grow outdoors during the summer. The pale pink flowers are particularly good for cutting. H&S: 1½-2ft (45-60cm). ‘Charity’ AGM Bright green-yellow cut leaves that emit a spicy orange perfume are complemented by pale mauve flowers. Grow inside or out – you’ll need good light indoors to preserve the colour. HxS: 20x16in (50x40cm). ‘Pink Capricorn’ Hit a fruity note and enjoy long-lasting deep pink flowers (great for vases) and ruffled green foliage. Growth can be lax, almost trailing. Plants can be grown outside in borders, as well as in pots. H&S: 1½-2ft (45-60cm). ‘Filicifolium’ The balsam-scented, finely divided leaves have a fern-like appearance, making this hybrid of P. denticulatum a…

Can I cut back my hellebores now? Q My hellebores were magnificent, but have left lots of leaves covering other plants. Can I cut them back? Mary Broughton, West Wittering, West Sussex A If you look closely at your hellebores, you should be able to distinguish between the old leaves left from last year and the new leaves that have grown this year. The old leaves will be coarser, darker green and probably blotched and a bit tatty. It is fine to remove the old leaves at any point during late winter and early spring. In fact, doing so will make way for the flowers and new leaves to come through. However, I would be wary of removing too many of the new leaves as these are busy photosynthesising and…

Do ✓ Hoe garden beds regularly, about once a week, even if you can’t see any weeds. You’ll knock out tiny weed seedlings before they develop, and it’s much easier. ✓ Hoe when the surface of the soil is dry. Weeds are more firmly anchored in dry soil so the hoe will cut off their heads more effectively. ✓ Own a range of long and short-handled weeding tools, each suited to different tasks such as big open spaces, or crowded areas in a flower border Don’t ✗ Hoe very close to valued plants. It’s easy to nick the stems, which can cause lasting damage or, worse, chop off their heads. ✗ Trample over an area you’ve just hoed. You can accidentally ‘firm in’ weeds you’ve just uprooted and crush valuable…

1 If large pests decapitate your tulips, try planting them in pots under unheated glass and enjoying an early display on the staging. The picture shows ‘Apricot Beauty’. 2 Replant tulips in the kitchen garden (especially if this area is fenced to keep rabbits and deer out). Enjoy, or use for cutting. 3 Try naturalising tulips in grass. These have been added to short grass with narcissus. 4 For reliable naturalising (returning to flower year after year), plant species tulips like ‘Lilac Wonder’.…

Orchids are a great way to add spring colours to any living space. To ensure your orchids flourish, Miracle-Gro is giving AG readers the chance to win an indoor gardening bundle comprising Miracle-Gro Orchid Mist, Miracle-Gro Orchid Concentrate and Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Concentrate. Miracle-Gro Orchid Mist encourages strong growth and heavy flowering by creating a hydration layer around the plant. Combined with Miracle-Gro Orchid Concentrate’s mix of nine nutrients, your flowers will blossom beautifully. For your other plants, Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food concentrate guarantees beautiful, healthy and strong plants with greener leaves. We have three bundles to give away, each worth £12.99 How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Miracle-Gro Indoor Gardening Bundle Draw (1 June), Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst…

Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF (please include your address). Email us: amateurgardening@ti-media.com Create a natural balance AMAZING! Slug control ( AG , 4 May) says use pellets – all of which are bad for wildlife – and then says do not feed mealworms as they are bad for hogs. But they are good for baby birds so having killed slugs and caterpillars, buy dog or cat food. Slugs and grubs were the main food for birds and hedgehogs until humans took a hand. What a hypocritical bunch we humans are – we should learn to live with nature, not destroy it and eventually ourselves. Paul Chandler, Droitwich Wendy says: Absolutely, we do have to make a responsible…

ON a recent visit to our local garden centre, we spotted plants grown in very environmental pots, from The Hairy Pot Plant Company. These plants can also be planted without removing the pots, which is helpful. Mrs Mabel Judge, Kelvedon, Essex WHILE reading Toby Buckland’s article about his stationery box, I had a little idea to pass on. Make seed labels from the handles you get on the seed trays when buying young plants. Keith Gilbert, via email I HAVE stopped buying multipacks of small yogurt pots due to the amount of plastic in the packaging. Instead, I buy the large yogurt tubs, as the cardboard label and lid can be recycled. The cartons are the perfect size for starting off veg seed and potting up plug plants, by first…

I’VE tried everything to keep slugs off my hostas, including biological controls, beer-filled traps, mulches, pellets and preventative sprays. All work for a while, but unless religiously reapplied none lasts for a whole growing season. So when I heard that a new long-lasting preventative mulch was gambolling over the hills, my ears pricked up like an alpaca’s! It was early on the Friday of my recent garden festival when Di Davies, owner of Alpha Alpacas, told me that her flock had been approached by foxes. The doe-eyed creatures looked so gentle and vulnerable I was concerned for their safety, as was Di, although the animal welfare on her mind was for the fox! “Alpaca wool is an extremely efficient slug killer” Alpacas are fiercely territorial and formidable fighters – like…