Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Apr-2020 i Amateur Gardening

Top Tip April can be a tempestuous month so make sure your greenhouse panes are securely fixed in place with plenty of clips to avoid breakages. ONE of the many reasons I’m looking forward to warmer weather is that it’ll give us more room to move in the greenhouse! This winter we’ve barely been able to get in there, what with the olive and lemon trees, four growbags of winter salads and more overwintering plants, cuttings and seedlings than you can shake a garden cane at. Soon, hopefully, the mercury will reach an acceptable height and the more tender plants can be hardened off and moved into the garden. Until then, everything needs to be cared for and kept as healthy as possible. Overwintered tender perennials will be coming back…

THERE are plant introductions which really stand the test of time. Lettuce ‘Tom Thumb’ is a good example, and after more than a century, has remained remarkably stable and true to a compact growing type. Bush Tomato ‘Red Alert’ – though only 40 or so years old – is another, and remains one of the earliest of all tomatoes to ripen, plus it has a very good flavour. Tomato ‘Tumbler’ is younger than ‘Red Alert’, is not as tasty to my palate, has not proved to be as disease-resistant and so is now being superseded by Tomato ‘Cherry Falls’. Keeping up with all of this is quite a challenge, and currently a number of either new or recently introduced tomato cultivars are being raised for me to trial against the…

HOPEFULLY, packets of vegetable seed will be widely available for sowing next year, but just in case they are not, let me tell you about the best crops you can grow for yourself, without having to get packet seeds. Potatoes are easiest, as we use sets and not seed. Save small, egg-sized tubers from the healthiest plants and keep in a dark, frost-free place; buried in a tin is good. Jerusalem artichokes have tubers just like potatoes, and once you have grown them, you’ll not have to worry about getting more tubers, as they’re so hard to eradicate! Garlic and shallots are simple, as we use medium-sized cloves from clean bulbs; just store in a cool, dry place. Remember to plant garlic in autumn, and shallots around the New Year…

IF left to their own devices, many perennials start to lose their aesthetic value. Plants can become congested, overtake their allotted space or die out in the centre of clumps, letting the scene down with their unsightly appearance. Worst of all, some become reluctant to produce a great display of flowers. Fortunately, most overgrown, tired or awful-looking clumps can be rejuvenated by division – a quick and easy method of propagation that doesn’t require any specialist tools. Essentially, plants are lifted from the ground, split into several smaller pieces and then replanted to establish in warm, moist soil. It’s most certainly not a job that should be carried out annually on the same plant, but most will benefit from being divided every three to five years, depending on their speed…

John woll reply personally to all your gardening questions every week Email Ask John Negus at: amateurgardening@ti-media.com What are these pretty lawn plants? QThese plants have popped up in our lawn – are they violas? Ben Tasker, via email AThey look like common dog violet also known as the wood violet (Viola riviniana). This is a perennial plant commonly found in woodland rides and grassland but also in gardens, arriving by seed. It is a very pretty plant, particularly at this time of year, but although it seeds itself around and will establish in a garden, it does not need to become a nuisance as seedlings are easily removed. It is very useful as ground cover in situations that mimic woodland such as under deciduous shrubs. Do take care if…

Can I revive potted hydrangeas? QI have a pair of hydrangeas growing in pots on the north side of the house and I do my best to keep them well watered. Yet the plants look miserable, with small leaves and hardly any flowers. Help! Andrew Molyneaux, Knutsford, Cheshire AThe many cultivars of deciduous common hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) have their origins in the woodlands of Japan. Of moderate size, they make well-behaved shrubs, easily maintained by regular pruning, and they are popular permanent container specimens. With good care, a hydrangea will thrive and bud up in summer for a long-lasting display to brighten up your doorway, courtyard or basement. Mop-headed cultivars produce domed flower heads, while those of lacecaps seem almost to hover, with larger sterile flowers appearing to float around…

Top Tip Make sure young children are supervised around your pond. If necessary, fence it in or cover it with strong metal netting raised above the surface. MANY of us have a lot more time on our hands at the moment, which gives us the perfect opportunity to get stuck into some of the larger gardening jobs. If you can turn these tasks into something that is also good for your mental wellbeing, at a time when we are constantly bombarded with things to worry us, then so much the better. Last spring we added a pond to the garden. It was hard physical work – under a few inches of soil we are on top of a thick seam of chalk that needs breaking up with a crowbar if…

Take care: When foraging, always make sure you know what you are picking for cooking purposes. If in doubt, leave it alone. Tread carefully, never trespass on private land and only pick as many leaves as you need, never uprooting entire plants. THE garden is really hitting its stride and providing us with an essential occupation during these strange days of Coronavirus. With more time on our hands, more jobs are getting done and greater inventiveness is being used when it comes to food production. We have a massive bank of invasive three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum), which I thought was good for nothing except digging up. But as a member of the allium (onion) family, it is edible and with supermarket shopping being even more of a chore than usual,…

THESE lovely seeds arrived in the nick of time, just as I realised that one of our older penstemons had not survived the winter. Although they are hardy down to -50C/230F, it was growing in a sheltered area of garden and the winter has been mild, so maybe it succumbed to root-rot or faded in the face of months of torrential rain and cold, wet soil. Luckily, these ‘Penstemon Mixed’ should flower in their first year if sown now, so fingers crossed there will be a replacement penstemon for the plant that didn’t survive the winter! For a crowd of beautiful bell-shaped blooms in shades of pink and red, sow the seeds thinly onto pots or trays of dampened fresh seed compost. The seeds are quite small so you may…

I GROW a lot of snowdrops in my garden, so I have to find plants to distract the eye from the foliage once it starts to fade. I almost always use annuals and I’m very fond of annual and biennial poppies because they’re a thrifty way of plugging the gaps if you save your own seeds. Poppies are notoriously generous and one plant could yield 10,000-60,000 seeds, so once the flowers have finished most of the poppies get pulled up. Pulling one of 10 out, or cutting back, is a good rule for plants that are too generous with their seeds. Poppy seeds are thought to be viable for a long time, but will only germinate if they are exposed to light. They’re socalled disturbance plants, rather like foxgloves are,…

Wildlife Cutting Containers…

Alpines Doubles…

It’s warming up! In next week’s AG I list 10 of the most important jobs you should be getting on with now, as we move smoothly towards the summer. THESE are extraordinary and difficult times, but if anything is going to lift the spirits it’s watching a crowd of garden birds squabbling and flapping around a tree festooned with bird feeders. Attracting birds to your garden, patio and balcony is as simple as hanging up a couple of birdfeeders and the payback is huge. Our native garden birds may not be as exotic as hummingbirds, but they have their own unique charm. Feeders and food are available online and from supermarkets. Food stations should be emptied and cleaned regularly to prevent the spread of disease and to avoid attracting vermin.…

Top Tip Never knot your daffodil leaves in an attempt at tidiness as it stops them feeding the bulb and may reduce flowering next year. IT’S a busy time of year – everywhere you look in the garden and greenhouse things are happening that need your urgent attention right now! It’s just as well, then, that Coronavirus has given us more time to play with at home. Also, thank goodness the weather is on the up – imagine the horror of being forced to stay indoors due to torrential rain day after day. This week I am mainly concentrating on planting, sowing and cutting back plants that flowered through the colder months, such as winter jasmine. I’m also tending to the flowers of spring bulbs that have passed their best.…

Then… AG in 1959 and Now… AG in 2020 OF the different species of finches in this country, the greenfinch is the only one whose name helps identify it. Both male and female are dull, olive-green above, shading to yellowish-green below and are very sturdily built. Although the male sings quite pleasantly, their normal call-notes are harsh; but they are friendly birds, gregariously inclined, and prolific. Three broods are often raised in the course of the breeding season, the four or five greenish-white eggs speckled with reddish-brown being laid in a loosely made nest of rootlets, moss and fibres. A few feathers are added as a lining, but the structure bears no evidence of architectural skill or merit. Greenfinches feed mainly on seeds, particularly those of thistles, dandelions, knapweed and…

If you are after an obliging, rewarding crop, then welcome to lettuces! Germination is simple, growth is rapid, and as for the freshly picked taste, it’s unparalleled. If you sow now, this will germinate within a week; be ready for planting in three weeks. For cut-and-come-again (CCA) crops – which refers to harvesting whole young plants with scissors – you can be enjoying harvests just seven-10 days afterwards. Now that’s speedy! Sow thickly, then cut just above their growing point, and the lettuces will quickly regrow for a second and often third trim. “One sowing can last for months” You can obviously let the lettuces mature instead if you like – there are plenty of types to choose from (see my recommendations on the following page). Hardiness varies: some, such…

Seed head to savour Clematis tangutica ‘Bill Mackenzie’, a vigorous yellowflowered clematis that peaks in September, has silky seed heads like giant silver spiders. These stay intact all winter then disintegrate in early spring. Train it against a fence or wall, or allow it to scramble up a tree. Foolproof guide to planting clematis Ensure supports such as trellis or wire are in place before you plant. If planting against a wall or fence, a 45cm (18in) gap between plant and wall will allow for the building’s rain shadow. Otherwise, a 20-30cm (8-12in) gap is sufficient. Water well after planting, then gently tip a sun-warmed bucket of water over them in dry spells. Tie in stems using a flexible soft string that will keep stems under control without cutting into…

Success with sunflowers Young plants are a favourite food of slugs and snails, so it’s safest to start your sunflowers off indoors. Harden off before planting out. Use stout bamboo canes or hazel beanpoles to stake medium and tall varieties – and tie in with twine. Sunflowers need plenty of sunshine, rich soil (dig in plenty of compost before planting) and a regular supply of water. What to plant with Helianthus Dahlias Whether pastel-coloured or in rich tones, dahlias make fabulous planting partners (right). Bronze Fennel The fine, feathery foliage provides a good backdrop for mid-sized sunflower cultivars. Grasses Pair airy ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ with slender-stemmed types. Achilleas With their flat tops, yarrows offer pleasing contrast in flower shape. Try these perennial sunflowers… Helianthus ‘Lemon…

THIS Thursday, 23 April, is Shakespeare Day. It’s a celebration of William, ‘The Bard of Avon’, our most famous dramatist and poet. We don’t know his exact date of birth, but it was certainly before 26 April 1564 (his baptism date). But we do know that he died on 23 April, in 1616, so it is on this day that the man who helped to shape modern English is usually celebrated. There are numerous references to plants in his works, and botanical and Tudor-style gardens in his name have sprung up around the world. Yet there is no evidence he actually ever grew anything. Nevertheless, the connections between plants, gardening and the boy from Stratford, are many. Let’s look at a few. The fate of Shakespeare’s original garden SHAKESPEARE’S famous…

Best techniques to get the job right with Tim Rumball THERE are two ways to look at weeding. With the wrong approach it’s a boring and backbreaking job, but with the right mindset, tools and techniques it’s therapeutic, and makes your garden look marvellous. I know which I prefer. Removing weeds with hand tools is effective and environmentally friendly. Wait until the soil surface is fairly dry before hoeing, otherwise you’ll uproot weeds rather than cut off their heads, and uprooted weeds can quickly regrow. Know your weeds – hoeing tiny seedlings of any weeds will usually kill them, but chopping the heads off established perennial weeds is an invitation to regrow. Dig out larger perennials, root-and-all, where possible. Basic technique Stand straight and lean slightly forward when using a…

Look and find the beauty Star letter THE garden is waking up after its winter sleep and our senses tell us spring is truly here. You see new buds emerging all around; you feel the warmth of the sun; you hear the birds singing in the trees; all guaranteed to lift the spirits… then coronavirus comes along! But our gardens can be a tonic in these uncertain times. I imagine a lot of us will be having to spend a lot more time at home than we planned this year, but that can also give us more time to fully appreciate the beauty in our gardens. Look a little more closely and you can often find beauty in things you may have previously walked past. I love the look of…

MARCUS Tullius Cicero, arguably Ancient Rome’s greatest thinker, once said the following sagacious words: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” By his measure, I’m more than halfway to happiness thanks to my stack of Mills & Boon books – just help yourself – and my garden. Another Cicero maxim for these challenging times is this: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” I’m certainly thankful for my plot, where I’ve learnt to appreciate old plants anew. Flowers that I would normally consign to the compost heap are having a reprieve, like the leggy bedding geraniums and Cape daises that limped through winter. After pruning hard to shoots low in their centres, their stems have regrown…