Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Nov-2019 i Amateur Gardening

GROWING up in the 1970s, we would return from car journeys with a windscreen plastered with the corpses of insects. The sound of cuckoos was a regular thing, and foxes, hedgehogs and badgers were common currency. Flash forward to the 21st century and things are sadly different – car windscreens stay clean and our native insects and wildlife are in steep decline. Climate change, increased urbanisation and widespread agricultural use of pesticides and weedkillers are just three of the dangers our native wildlife is up against. But all is not lost. Our gardens collectively make up an area the size of Norfolk, and if we each did something to welcome in our native insects, mammals, invertebrates, amphibians and birds, it would certainly improve their lot. Start by leaving a quiet…

1 Make a hole in the base of a clean yoghurt pot and thread garden twine through, knotting one end. 2 In a pan melt some lard and add grated cheese, breadcrumbs, birdseed and mealworms. Mix together. 3 Pack the fatty mix into the yoghurt pots and make sure the twine goes through the middle. 4 Place the pot of fatty mix in the fridge overnight to harden and next day, carefully cut away the yoghurt pot. 5 Hang the fat balls where birds can easily access them. They will soon find them and come flocking.…

THIS year marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and as we approach this year’s Remembrance Sunday, Mr Fothergill’s is asking Britain’s gardeners to help veterans at the iconic Royal Hospital Chelsea by buying and growing its ‘Victoria Cross’ poppy seeds. So far Mr Fothergill’s has raised almost £75,000 for the charity by selling special poppy packets in previous years, and with 25p donated from each packet this year that sum is set to rise even further. ‘Victoria Cross’ is the perfect flower for informal borders and cottage-garden settings. The scarlet petals have white stripes that form a cross in the centre of each flower, and the distinctive ‘pepper-pot’ seed heads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends. Joint managing director of Mr Fothergill’s, David Carey, said:…

As winter closes in, fountains and other water features need protecting to prevent them cracking in freezing conditions and collecting moss, mould and algae during milder spells. Solar-powered attractions can be dried and cleaned, and the solar panels and pumps rinsed in warm water before being stored, wrapped in bubblewrap, to prevent freezing. Mains-powered features should be kept ice-free, emptied of water and left with a towel at the base to sop up the last drops. Protect water features with a winter cover to prevent freezing, which may cause the structure to crack.…

9: A Designers Harmony Between House and Garden talk by Lady Xa Tollemache: Scotsdale Garden Centre, 120 Cambridge Road, Great Shelford Cambridge CB22 5JT. Tickets £13/£10. ppsrjb@ gmail.com, ✆ 077798 732747, cambridgelivetrust.co.uk 10: Photographing Autumn Colour – fungi and fruits: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. ✆ 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/ gardens/wisley 11/15/18/22/25: Free advice day for RHS members: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. ✆ 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/ gardens/harlow-carr 19: Winter Protection masterclass: RHS Wisley 21: How to Maintain Garden your Machinery: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. ✆ 0203 176 5830, rhs.org.uk/gardens/ rosemoor 21-28 Dec: Glow light show, RHS Harlow Carr 22-24: Annual Christmas fair, Chelsea Physic Garden, 66, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea SW3 4HS. 020 7352…

I RECENTLY spent several hours walking round a gardening event at the NEC near Birmingham, looking at garden tools, plants and various sundries. There were two major themes – personal wellbeing and wildlife. Every known type of bird feeder and bee house could be found on stand after stand, many of them not fit for purpose because the holes were too small, although it didn’t seem to bother the sellers when I pointed this out. As I walked round I began to think that we all might be singing off the same hymn sheet. I casually picked up a copy of the HTA News , issued by the Horticultural Trades Association, where there were two articles extolling the positive side of gardening for the human race and the planet. One…

1 Frames: Usually static, with walls or lids made from glass or twin-walled polycarbonate, plus wooden/aluminium frames. Great for overwintering fruits that detest chills and wet (like olives). Transplant hardy salads and spring cabbage for early 2020 harvests. 2 Cloches: Available as bells for single plants, or tunnels for rows. Made from glass or rigid plastic, so insulation properties are good. Bell cloches are easy on the eye, but tunnel cloches are useful for protecting rows. Lay blankets or fleece over them on frosty nights. 3 Covers: Insect-proof mesh is good for deterring pests in summer, but in winter, try a garden fleece. Throw it over tall crops like yacon, or create a ‘bag’ to cloak standard bays and olives vulnerable to leaf scorch in icy winds. Beds of winter…

1 Soggy, frozen roots will not be conducive to good health, so stand container plants on pot feet to deter waterlogging and secure bubblewrap around the outside of the pot to keep roots insulated. 2 Push bamboo canes or stout sticks into the pot or soil surrounding your plant, then wrap around the perimeter with frost-protection fleece. Secure the fleece so it doesn’t touch the foliage. 3 To stop excess wet falling onto your plant, secure a mini polythene ‘awning’ over the canopy of your plants. The fleece and awning combo will encourage good airflow, yet deter winter rotting.…

M. cambrica The Welsh poppy will bloom sporadically from May-October. Once established, it happily self-sows, popping up in cracks and crevices, and softening hard landscaping. Prefers acid-neutral soil and some shade. HxS: 20x6in (50x15cm). M. ‘Slieve Donard’ AGM The large sky-blue flowers with yellow stamens are a truly stunning sight. Vigorous enough to make a clump, but sterile so it doesn’t produce seed. Short-lived perennial; propagate by division. HxS: 39x20in (1mx50cm). M. punicea ‘Sichuan Silk’ Punicea poppies usually die after flowering, but this is reliably perennial. Drooping petals like crumpled silk are held above clumps of foliage. Flowers: May-Aug. Needs acid-neutral soil in dappled shade. HxS: 1½ftx10in (45x 25cm). M. baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’ This gorgeous Himalayan poppy with fabulous purple-violet flowers was discovered growing on the…

“In Flanders Fields the poppies blow”, is the opening line from a First World War poem written in 1915 by John McCrae while serving in Ypres. It was inspired by the sight of red field poppies that sprung up across the battlefields, where explosions churned up the ground and created the perfect conditions for the seeds to germinate. In the years since, these dainty, ephemeral red flowers have come to symbolise the futility and bloodshed of war.…

How do I get better runner beans? Q I’m clearing my runner bean plants and feeling resentful. We went to a lot of effort to grow them, but they didn’t yield much, while everyone else I know had bag loads! What’s the secret? Moira Purcell, Ipswich, Suffolk A Runner beans are my favourite crop, and I’ve been known to beg and clear patches of land and grow them in front gardens so as not to miss out. Between sowing the seeds and tucking into that plateful of perfectly harvested and cooked beans, though, there are hazards to avoid. A bad set can result from drought, poor, thin soil, overly acidic soil, cold, heat, lack of pollinating insects and even birds destroying flowers. As with all problems, it pays to research…

Do ✓ Compost or tak e to the - waste centre green recycling any material you can. ✓ Cut up branches into manageable still green. pieces while they are ✓ Check material for wildlife before through dry burning it. ✓ Add material to the fire in small amounts , and let it burn down before adding more . Don’t ✗ Site bonfire or incinerator near your buildings, dry grass or anything you don ’t want to burn. ✗ Be selfish about bonfires warn – neighbours who might have washing out. ✗ Burn or material that will damp very green produce smoke. ✗ Waste the ash. When it’ s cool, spread it on the garden soil where it will add potassium and trace elements.…

ON this day, Frank Kingdon Ward, botanist, explorer, plant collector and author, was born in Manchester. Among his plant introductions from Asia were the first viable seed of the Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia, pictured), the giant cowslip (Primula florindae, named after his first wife Florinda) and the yellow-flowered Rhododendron wardii. One of his last great ‘finds’ was Lilium mackliniae, found jointly with his second wife, and called after her maiden name, Macklin. He survived many accidents on his 25 or so expeditions over 50 years, including falling off a cliff (and being stopped by a tree), being lost for two days in the jungle with no food, his tent being crushed by a tree during a storm, and being impaled on a bamboo spike! In 1950 he was also…

‘Mister John’ A cultivar of N. bowdenii with purple-pink umbels atop dark stems rising to 2ft (60cm). A little tender, so provide a winter mulch in cold regions. ‘Vesta K’ Pale pink flowers with wavy petal margins make a pretty contrast to the bright pinks of N. bowdenii . Reaches 20in (50cm) tall. ‘Amelia’ This Guernsey lily has generous flower umbels that are packed with rich pink blooms. ‘Salmon Supreme’ N. sarniensis cultivar with neat umbels of bright, salmon-red flowers on stems 2ft (60cm) high.…

A WILDFLOWER lawn, or a wildflower patch in an existing lawn, is a starting point for attracting more flora and fauna to your garden. Ideally, it should contain a range of native plants and grasses that will invite and encourage a huge range of insects into your garden. Once the insects arrive, birds, amphibians and mammals will follow suit. There are several ways to start a meadow. Whichever method you use, stop feeding your existing lawn first, as wild varieties and flowers do best in poor soils. Next spring, you could plant wildflower plug plants and let them spread (these are widely available online and larger plants can also be bought from garden centres), or raise areas of lawn turf and sow wild seeds in the bare soil beneath. If…

There are several things to avoid when trying to attract wildlife. Steer clear of artificial lawns, because getting rid of grass, weeds and flowers deprives insects of food and animals further up the feeding pyramid of prey. Please don’t pave over your front garden to make extra parking space. It steals precious habitats and removes a vital absorbent layer of grass and soil, leading to an increased risk of flooding. Taking pride in your patch is one thing, but manicuring it to the nth degree leaves nowhere for wildlife to feed and hide. Overuse of pesticides and weedkillers will create a natural imbalance in the garden and damage or kill beneficial plants, insects and animals.…

ECOLOGIST, writer and hedgehog champion Hugh Warwick gives AG readers tips on helping their neighbourhood hogs: ■ Don’t be too tidy. If we want wildlife in our garden we must be willing to share, so let a little run wild. ■ Log piles and compost heaps provide excellent shelter and food, so start one in your garden. ■ Wildlife ponds draw in animals to drink, but also give invertebrates somewhere to breed. Ensure there is a shallow end or ramp so hedgehogs can escape. ■ Remove hazards. Netting left on the ground can catch and kill, drains left open are traps. The use of pesticides kills the wildlife you might want to see, and also removes its food. ■ Make sure hedgehogs can access your wildlife-friendly garden. They need a…

MENTION Charles Darwin and most people think of his book On the Origin of Species, about his theories of evolution. What is less well known is that Darwin also wrote a number of books on plants. Thompson’s book is divided into five chapters, each one related to one of Darwin’s books. As well as investigating climbing plants, Darwin covered movement in plants, insectivorous plants, cross and self-fertilisation, and the variation of animals and plants under domestication. Thompson has extracted some amazing facts from each. This book is a fantastic read about a man who was a pioneering botanist whose theories were far ahead of his time. Darwin revolutionised many areas of botany and had an insatiable appetite for finding out how things worked, which led him to all sorts of…

TRADITIONALLY, wallflowers were sown in the open ground in early summer, thinned to make larger plants and even pinched if they got rather tall, before lifting in the autumn to plant out in beds to flower the following spring. More recently they have been sown later to be offered for sale either several plants in a 13cm pot or in cell trays. “Tenderstem broccoli is coming in a purple colour” Mail-order companies (Kings and others) have now brought back open-ground-raised plants and can get delivery within three to four days of lifting. Trial plants purchased in this way have arrived in pretty good condition, even with a little soil around the roots and it will be interesting to see how they flower next spring. Wallflowers are in the brassica family,…

IT’S getting a bit too late to plant garlic sets outdoors, but not for you to start them under cover in pots and tubs. Given a bit of protection, garlic makes much more growth in a greenhouse, tunnel or even just a cold frame than it ever does in the open ground. Then, when spring arrives, your containers can be moved outdoors (do remember to harden them off by standing them outdoors each morning and bringing back under cover at night for a few days). The larger plants you have now produced go on to produce much larger crops; mine are usually around double those grown in the open. “Larger plants produce much larger crops” Of course, if you also use really good potting compost and feed from late winter,…

DO you fancy extending your veg season by four weeks at each end? That’s two extra months of growing power! You can insulate crops for a longer season, protect them from winds to give soft, palatable growth, exclude pests, and deter winter wet to discourage rots. Different materials have varying insulation properties. If glass and twin-walled polycarbonate raise night-time soil temperatures by 4°C (39°F), then comparatively heavy-duty (35g/m2 ) fleece will raise it by 2°C (36°F), while insect-proof mesh hardly raises it at all. But there are other pros and cons: glass has excellent light transmission yet it’s breakable; rigid plastic insulates well yet is difficult to store; lightweight fleece allows water to penetrate but it tears; polythene is cheap and flexible but its condensation causes rots; insect-proof mesh encourages…

THE term ‘pH’ may sound intimidating to newbies (it refers to the concentration and availability of hydrogen ions in soil water). However, all we need to know is that it tells us if our soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline. Why does this matter? Because extremely acidic or alkaline plots can make certain nutrients unavailable to plants, leading to deficiencies. The classically quoted scenarios are calcium and magnesium becoming unavailable in acid soils, and iron deficiency on alkaline (chalky) plots. However, other key nutrients (phosphorus, boron and manganese) are also affected. With plots predominantly bare now, it’s a good time to buy a pH testing kit from a garden centre and check your soil’s status; full instructions and explanations come with the kits). I’ll explain later this winter how you…

1 If you want to lay some organic weed-suppressing mulches on bare patches of earth then do so now , before soil temperatures fall too low . 2 With maincrop potatoes now safely harvested, get into the habit of checking stores weekly to remove any rotting tubers. 3 With cold weather settling in, the appetite and flocking of pigeons will swell. Check brassica netting regularly to ensure it’ s steadfast. 4 Radicchios and endives may develop discoloured outer leaves after frosts, but check the central rosette as it should still be edible . 5 Fancy growing your own well into winter? Indoor growing kits, complete with artificial lights, are readily available these days.…

Site Give this cherry a sunny site that is not too exposed. It’s considered pollution-tolerant, so is a good tree for an urban environment. Planting in front of dark evergreens will help to show up the airy, pale-coloured flowers. Like all forms of Prunus, it’s a surface-rooter, which can be a disadvantage if you want to plant it in the lawn. Soil These trees need average loam – ideally enriched with garden compost and well-rotted manure. Hardiness Although very hardy, it’s a good idea to provide some shelter from cold winter winds. Pruning Your tree only needs pruning to keep it within bounds. Carry this out on a dry day in summer, to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker. If you spot any diseased, damaged or dead…

Cottage gardens Papaver orientale Large, sumptuous, early-summer flowers Colours include shades of pink, white – even pale grey. Blooms are short-lived; plant with late-flowering perennials to fill the gap. HxS: 34x16in (85x40cm). Papaver nudicaule A short-lived perennial, often grown as a biennial. Hates winter wet, so sow into pots in summer, keep under cover over winter and plant out in spring. Comes in mixed colours. HxS: 20inx1ft (50x30cm). Papaver somniferum Not only do annual opium poppies come in a huge range of colours, with single, double and peony types to choose from, but the seed pods also fuel the interest into autumn. HxS: 39x16in (1mx40cm). Gravel gardens Glaucium flavum The yellow horned poppy can be found growing on shingle beaches on Britain’s south and east coasts – it loves the…

Most poppies aren’t fussy about soil pH, but they perform best on free-draining soil that is moderately fertile, in full sun. Meconopsis need damper, cooler conditions, with some shade, plus an acid soil. Annual poppies are best sown direct where you want them to grow, in early autumn or between March and June. Create a fine tilth and scatter the seeds evenly; don’t cover, and water using a fine rose. Mix the dust-like seed with sand before sowing – this will help you sow them more evenly.…

Will pruning help my paulownia flower? Q When can I prune my paulownia? It is about five years old and has never flowered. Mrs Jennifer Pritchard, via email A I am delighted that you are growing a paulownia. Commonly called the foxglove tree, it intrigues us by producing its slender purple 9in (22cm) blooms from not only the branch tips but also from the trunk. As yours is just five years old it is still a little young to flower. Be patient. Indeed, you may have to wait another two or three years before it blooms. Remember that the flowers are frost tender and appear in April. If the flowers have appeared and frost is forecast, spray them with water in the evening. A thin layer of ice will coat…

1 Choose cultivars carefully, perhaps including a white-flowered variety in hotter parts of the country. Good soil cultivation is vital. 2 Sow in April and again in early June, individually in generous modules, or six to a 6in (15cm) pot. Plants don’t seem to mind being gently shaken and pulled apart from each other. 3 Fix hazel poles or bamboo cane supports firmly and as tall as you can reach to pick. Plant 10-12in (25-30cm) apart against the supports. 4 Regular harvesting every other day – of all the beans that are ready – is important for productivity, and to capture them at their peak of perfection.…

1 Pile any waste you can’t compost or recycle on an old pallet. Cut thicker branches to a manageable size. Cover with a tarpaulin and leave to dry for 3-4 weeks. 2 Site the incinerator on bare soil or hard standing away from buildings. Scrunch newspaper and pile it in the base. Top with thin kindling, then thicker kindling. 3 Light the paper. When the kindling is burning well, add small bundles of the dry waste material, quick-burning stuff first. Let it burn down before adding more. 4 When all the waste has gone into the fire, let it burn right down. Put the lid on and leave it overnight. Check it’s cool next day, then spread ash on the garden.…

WHEN summer blooms fade, I look forward to the flowering of nerines. Naked stems that are 1-2ft (30-60cm) high bear tapering buds opening to umbels of almost glistening, lily-like flowers in white, red and shades of pink. Yet they belong to the Amaryllis family, along with crinum and narcissus. Hardy Bowden lily ( Nerine bowdenii ) teams very well with the pink and purple daisies of Michaelmas and New England asters. Native to the Eastern Cape area of South Africa, this nerine grows in rocky places or well-draining scree-strewn soil, and thrives best at the sunny base of a south or west-facing wall. Newly planted bulbs take a few years to bulk up, jostling for space with their tops well above ground. Leaves put in an appearance towards late winter,…

Late-blooming passion IN my 64th year I thought, “I’m going to do some gardening.” I hadn’t gardened before and was a complete novice. I was medically discharged from the Army in 1982 due to injuries sustained in service and have recently been doing various courses, including a Help for Heroes City & Guilds in Practical Horticulture. With the help of your wonderful magazine and what I have learned on the City & Guilds course, I am thoroughly enjoying my garden. Plus, on a different note, gardening has improved my mental health tremendously. I just wish I had “found” gardening years ago. Keep up the good work, AG – you’re doing a fantastic job. Malcolm Smith, via email Wendy says This is wonderful to hear, Malcolm. Your photos show that…

FOR pots – make that urns at Buckland Castle – I’m keeping my pansies and winter bloomers in the company of a green Skimmia ‘Finchy’ centrepiece, a pair of black Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ and a ring of sparkling silver Calocephalus. If you’re not familiar with this Australian native, the cushion bush (as it’s also known) is an amazing addition to both summer and winter containers. Pansies love it as a neighbour, as its wiry stems prop up the flowers. Calocephalus is also long lasting and come summer, it can be re-used with pelargonium and begonias.…

1 Leave a quiet, messy area for insects, frogs, slow worms and mammals to find food and shelter, and stuff any cavities with hay and straw. A bug hotel is also fun to make. 2 Attract predators to keep pest numbers down. Hedgehogs feast on slugs and snails, while predatory wasps will lay their eggs on crop-eating caterpillars. 3 Provide shelter and year-round food for insects. Ivy is a refuge through winter, while early flowering plants provide nectar for early emerging bumble bee queens. 4 Ponds are wonderful for wildlife. Aquatic animals and insects will arrive and mammals will drop in for a drink. Even a patio barrel water feature will attract dragonflies. Naked beauty: In next week’s AG (available from 12 November) I’ll be looking at bare-root planting –…

WILDLIFE throughout the UK is in a precarious position, according to the State of Nature report published by the National Biodiversity Network. Since regular scientific monitoring of native species began in the 1970s, there has been a continuing decline in the national abundance of our wildlife. Previous State of Nature surveys were carried out in 2013 and 2016, but this year’s was the first time that more than 70 wildlife organisations joined forces with government agencies to present the clearest possible picture of the threats facing our wildlife. The results don’t make happy reading. More than 40% of UK species studied have declined, just 26% have increased in number and 33% show little change since 1970, while 133 species have been lost forever from our shores since 1500. The main…

OF all the features in the garden, one that undergoes some of the most extreme changes during the winter months is the pond. In spring, summer and autumn a healthy pond will be alive with insects (aquatic and otherwise), drinking birds and mammals, fish, amphibians and more. All this before we even mention the flowers and greenery growing and thriving in the water and at its margins. We dug our pond in April and have had a fascinating few months watching it naturalise and flourish. After all the rain we had last month it almost burst its banks, but now the waters have subsided and it’s time to get it ready for winter. This is an important job as ponds have delicate ecosystems that need to be kept in balance…

AUTUMN is traditionally the time that we plant our bare-root roses. It is also the time to start roses from scratch, by collecting their seeds and getting them ready for sowing in the New Year. Rose seeds are held in hips and need to be extracted, cleaned and subjected to a period of cold before they are ready to germinate. This process is known as stratification, and although sowing rose seeds is slightly fiddly, you’ll have an immense feeling of satisfaction when your new plants start to come through. Rose hips take around four months to ripen, become slightly soft to the touch and start to fall from the parent plants. Clean the seeds and remove any bacteria and fungus spores with fresh water, bleach and peroxide, which is available…

1 Only tidy back herbaceous flowering plants, globe artichokes or asparagus (above) after the stems have withered or the plant loses nutrients. 2 Once they have died down, cover the crowns of plants with spent potting compost or composted bark to prevent weeds germinating there. 3 Get a lemon, tangerine or orange plant, or all three, and then enjoy a lemon or two until you gift the plant for Christmas. 4 Collect every scrap of material and add to the compost now, before real cold weather arrives and hinders everything.…

Throw a double layer of fleece over rows of autumn raspberry canes, to squeeze a few more fruits out of the season. Pack tunnel cloches with straw, then position them over rows of carrots, swede and turnip to insulate for easier harvests. Peg a span of fleece over spring cabbage transplants to encourage soft growth and deter pigeons. On heavier soils, lay tunnel cloches over pea and broad bean seedlings to protect them from excess winter wet. Lay tunnel cloches or a double layer of fleece over rows of Swiss chard and perpetual spinach to keep them soft and palatable. On lighter soils, throw a thick cloak of horticultural fleece over late-season tubers such as sweet potatoes to help bulk them up.…

WITH temperatures falling, these small mammals often move undercover for shelter, where they discover tasty stored crops in our sheds and garages, or lush sowings of overwintering pods and salads in our greenhouses. I’m not one for laying down poisonous baits, but I do use traps. Don’t worry – humane ones are available, so no rodents need be harmed in your quest for nibble-free winter crops; these do need checking twice a day to ensure that trapped inhabitants are released promptly, so just bear this practicality in mind. Traditions may have you believe that cheese is the best bait, but chocolate, sultanas and peanut butter are worth a try. Also, check stores and greenhouses for holes (scrunched-up chicken wire is a quick hole-blocker) and suspend fine-wire mesh cages over sowings.…

DID you ever try growing these fruits as a child? The process is quite simple: buy a pineapple ( Ananas comosus ), eat the fruit, but save the top with the foliage spike. Remove the lower foliage carefully to expose around ½in (1cm) length of stem (you’ll see leaf scars and tiny buds once the leaves are removed). Then trim off the fleshy base of the stem that penetrated the fruit. Lay this bromeliad ‘cutting’ on a sunny windowsill to dry for a few days. Dibble the base into your compost and perlite mix, keep the compost just moist, place in a frost-free, well-lit spot and cross your fingers. With luck, roots will develop, and the grand plan will be for it to flower and fruit within a couple of…

World War I AG 5 June 1915 Town girls working on the land An experiment of the Central Committee on Women’s Employment for setting town girls to work on the land has, so far, proved a marked success. The girls have been under training for seven months, with a view to becoming working gardeners (as distinguished from lady supervisors), and it is now reported that out of 26 trainees, 20 have kept steadily to work, and much good work has been done during winter and spring. They have planted nearly 30,000 fruit trees and bushes, 10,000 loganberries, 25,000 raspberries, 40,000 strawberries and two acres with peas. The girls have all lost the factory pallor and have gained a healthy appearance. After a year’s training they all hope to find work…

Eschscholzia californica ‘Peach Sorbet’ Romantic pale peach-coloured flowers in a mix of singles and flouncy doubles from June to October. Hardy annual; sow in early autumn for earlier flowers the following year. Good in dry spots and gravel gardens. H&S: 1ft (30cm) E. californica ‘Ivory Castle’ A California poppy that features beautiful creamy-white, silky petals with lemon-yellow centres, plus finely divided blue-green ferny foliage. This bushy annual makes an elegant choice for the front of a border, where it will gently tumble over edges. H&S: 16in (40cm).…

Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ AGM Winter honeysuckle is a sweetly scented deciduous shrub that flowers from early January onwards, providing nectar and pollen for any early flying pollinators. HxS: 61/2-10x61/2ft (2-3x2m). Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’ AGM Despite its masculine name, this colourful Highclere holly is female. The clusters of orange-red berries sustain birds, while the sage-green oval leaves, randomly margined in creamy yellow, shelter insect life. HxS: 26x13ft (8x4m). Helleborus orientalis Easily accessible, saucer-shaped and nectar-rich, the flowers bridge the gap between winter-blooming shrubs and spring bulbs. Remove the leaves in early December and you’ll encourage lush new foliage. H&S: 2ft (60cm). Epimedium ‘Spine Tingler’ AGM Jagged-edged green leaves, suspended on wiry stems, offer…

Q What should we do with autumn sweet pea seedlings? Maria Moynihan, via email A Grow the seedlings in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse, which will provide good light and protection from the weather. By spring, they will have grown a strong root system (pinch out any that are straggly). They can then be hardened off before planting out after the frosts. Q When do I prune my sarcococca? Janet Savage, via email A Prune in April or May when nights are warming and growth is vigorous. If necessary, shorten extra tall shoots to about 2ft (60cm). After pruning, feed with fish, blood and bonemeal. Sprinkle it over the roots and water it in. Apply monthly from April to September. Q Was I correct to use fungicide to remove fungi…

THERE is no law preventing anyone in Britain from having a garden bonfire on any day of the week, at any time. However, you can be fined if you burn household waste or any rubbish that emits dangerous fumes when it is burned, such as plastics or treated timber. You can also be fined if the smoke from your fire causes a nuisance to neighbours, or if the smoke from your fire causes a hazard to road traffic. Consider alternatives first Garden fires are great fun, but they can annoy neighbours and they are not an environmentally friendly way to dispose of waste material. So the first thing to ask yourself is: can I compost this garden waste? All organic material, from grass cuttings and autumn leaves to tree trunks,…

NEARLY a third of us have a conifer in our gardens. The high popularity of conifers over the past 15 years has, in part, been because of National Conifer Week being held every autumn. Garden centres promoted conifers during that week, and there were special deals and articles in the press. However, the ‘week’ stopped in 2017, and there is now a degree of lethargy about these garden staples. Conifers are a wonderful way of adding colour and shape to a garden, and because most are evergreen, the effect lasts all year round. There is also an amazing choice of different shades, shapes and sizes, ranging from tiny dwarfs to magnificent trees. Let’s look at the fascinating world of the conifer. Conifers in nature MANY people think of conifers as…

N. bowdenii Plant bulbs out in early spring, 4in (10cm) apart. Or grow in a container, with (initially) one bulb per 6in (15cm) pot, or four to an 8in (20cm) pot of 50:50 John Innes No2 and soilless potting compost with 20% extra grit. Set bulbs with the neck just showing. In colder regions, plant 2in (5cm) deep. Bulbs bloom well in a crowded state, but if performance is poor, or if you want to expand colonies, then lift, divide and replant after flowering. N. sarniensis Plant in pots (I use attractive and breathable clay ones) using the above compost. Set one bulb per 5in (13cm) pot, or five to a 7in (17cm) pot, with necks just above compost. Repot as necessary in summer. Provide a frost-free winter temperature. Water…

HAVING replaced one half of my lawn with a gravel garden as featured in Letters (AG, 31 August), as promised, here is other half. After thinking long and hard about how I could improve this area, I decided to go with a gravel garden again, this time including a little waterfall and another small water feature. I am hoping that the plants will self-seed, giving me more plants as time goes by. I only used weed matting on the gravel path. I also decided to add some artificial grass instead of decking, which is softer underfoot and is a safe place for our grandchildren to play. I think it has turned out rather nice. Ian Kimber, Stockport, Gtr Manchester Wendy says It has indeed, Ian, and the fences are…

WHEN planting winter containers, I can’t help thinking of Joan Rivers and her famous saying, ‘The light at the end of the tunnel is usually another train.’ Planting anything is a leap of faith, but especially in winter, and with winter bedding, who knows what the weather is going to throw at it? When I first started gardening, ‘Universal’ pansies were still in their infancy. Bred for their ability to bloom in winter, they were like primary school children in charge of a paint factory: colourful, but far from reliable. That hasn’t stopped parks’ departments from using pansies to fill beds – they may look promising now, but come spring they are often conspicuous by their absence, with weeds where the pansies should be. “Winter pansies come into their own…