Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Jan-2021 i Amateur Gardening

“January is such a busy time in the garden, with lots of clearing, soil preparation and some planting. The weather can make it a challenge, though, and sometimes my enthusiasm wilts when I look through my kitchen window to see the frosty, cold bleakness that is my garden. However, once I get out there, put in the work and start to warm up, that reticence fades and I’m pleased I braved the elements. So don’t be put off by the weather: wrap up warm and get out there, as you’ll feel better for making the eff ort and your garden will thank you for it.” Contact us: ■ Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 ■ Editorial: 0330 3903732 ■ Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com ■ Advertising: 0330 3906566…

LIKE all fashions, many plants wax and wane in the popularity stakes and one that seemed to disappear for a while, though it is now coming back, is aubrietia. Creating glorious spillages of colour down walls and rockeries early in the spring, it was a mainstay of gardens when I was growing up. Then it seemed to fall from favour (or did I simply stop noticing it?) before rebounding and becoming part of your free seeds schedule for 2021. This week’s seeds are for a variety called ‘Cascade Mixed’, which will produce mounds of flowers in shades of pink and purple. Although they seem, to human noses, to have little scent, bees and other pollinators love them. Aubrietia is wonderful at carpeting areas such as walls, rockeries and in between…

A REPORTER from the South West emailed recently to ask whether pampas grasses were back in fashion. The lady told me that big dried plumes are selling at £10 at time online and that seedheads are being stolen from front gardens. If this is the case, my pots of Cortaderia ‘Silver Feather’ will need to be insured! Now all manner of grasses are currently popular, it should not be a surprise pampas has moved up the charts, and more so with compact-growing cultivars such as Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’ more readily available. The best time to increase numbers is March/April, when they start to grow again in spring. It is quite a tough job if you need to split off pieces from very big garden plants, and it is easier cutting…

YOU can often tell new growers from older hands by the number of seed packets they buy. Of course, once you’re gardening you save many of your own seeds, though that’s not really it… It’s that when we first start, we want to try and grow everything. Then, after a few years, we work out what does well for us and, more important, what’s popular at our table. There’s little point growing something supernutritious if no-one much likes it (unless you’re going to gulp down a smoothie holding your nose, that is). Thus, it’s sensible to initially grow mostly crops you already eat. Now don’t let me put you off – by all means, grow everything in the catalogue. However, it’s easier to start with the familiar. “There’s little point…

Hordeum jubatum Foxtail barley (pictured with dahlia ‘Helno Harmony’) teams green foliage with silvery-pink flower spikes that glisten in the sun. Grow in groups. A hardy annual, sow March to May, leaving seed uncovered. HxS 24x16in (60x40cm). Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’ Bronze fennel has frothy, feathery foliage – initially purple, then maturing to bronze-green – and tall stems topped with yellow umbel flowers that pollinators love. The flowers, foliage and seeds all will have an aniseed fragrance. HxS 6ftx18in (1.8mx45cm).…

‘Greenfinch’ This variety make an impact with its outer petals – one snowdrop that is easy to distinguish from the others because of its well-marked, deep green tips. The flowers are held on tall stems. HxS: 30cm x 10cm. ‘Midas’ The markings on this rare snowdrop change from green to yellow as it matures. It needs a sunny spot to get the best yellow colouring. HxS: 20cm x 10cm. ‘Walrus’ This unusual snowdrop is named ‘Walrus’ because the it has very long outer petals, which flare up like tusks. Both sets of petals are marked with green crescents. HxS: 20cm x 10cm. ‘Trym’ This has been described as looking like a pixie hat and has outer petals that curve up with a green heartshaped mark on them. It really stands…

Viburnum betulifolium Utterly astonishing in autumn when summer white flowers are followed by glistening red berries like redcurrants, weighing down the branches and lasting well into winter. Tall, though, and needs a second plant to fruit well. Height: 10ft (3m). Viburnum dentatum ‘Blue Muffin’ (‘Christom’) Outstanding for its prolific production of blue, latesummer berries following white, late-spring flowers. Unusually neat and bushy in growth, its orange purple autumn foliage colour is an additional attractive feature. Height: 4ft (1.2m). Viburnum davidii Low, spreading, evergreen ground cover with bold glossy foliage, the unremarkable white flowers are followed by brilliant turquoise berries. Needs male and female plants to fruit, the best nurseries will sell them separately. Height: 18in (75cm). Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’ An invaluable deciduous variety, the bright red buds open to white…

WHEN I worked in an office full-time, I always knew where everything was (and I do mean everything), because it was on my desk. However, I could never find anything quickly amid the piles of stuff. The same applies to gardening tools. Chuck them all in the shed higgledy-piggledy, shut the door and when you want to use them again the ones you want will always be at the bottom of the pile. Tool tidies and racks transform the gardening experience, with hoes, spades, forks, shears and the like all having their allotted space, being easy to reach and easy to replace. Suddenly you can immediately find the tools you need for the job in hand. They’ll stay in better condition and last longer, too, and you won’t start each…

SPRING is in the air – no, really, it is! It may not feel particularly warm and welcoming out there but January is almost out of the way and a thin green fuzz will be covering our gardens and beyond as buds break and leaves start to unfurl. You need to get a shimmy with pruning before trees do green up again, otherwise their sap will be flowing well and cutting wounds may bleed profusely, creating an entry point for diseases and pests. At this time of year we are only tackling certain deciduous trees, as it is way too cold for evergreens as frosts damage and blacken cut shoots. Trees and shrubs that flower early, such as forsythia, should also be left as pruning now will remove their blossoming…

1 Pansy leaf spot and downy mildew are common problems. Leaf spot can be controlled by removing and destroying material and by fungicide, downy mildew only by removing leaves and improving plant ventilation. 2 Greenhouses and coldframes are a haven for pests and diseases that thrive in a still, warm atmosphere. Treat pests on sight and remove infected plant material. Improve ventilation but close doors and windows at night. 3 Keep an eye on precious winter veggies. Aphids colonise greens in mild spells, so wipe them off with a gloved hand. Leek rust on your alliums is unsightly and will weaken plants, rather than kill them off. 4 Seek professional advice with bracket fungi as they show serious problems. Coral spot can be a sign of a weak tree, so…

THE season for sowing and planting is almost upon us so it’s time to look sharp and start thinking about warming the soil. If you have already given it a boost by forking in lots of well rotted compost and manure, or layered it deeply with mulch, all you really need to do is weed it well and make it more warmly hospitable for seeds and the developing roots of young plants. If you haven’t yet improved your soil there’s no time to waste. Do so now, so the late winter weather and worms can work their magic, incorporating the goodness before anything else is done. However, don’t do any mulching when conditions are frosty as the fresh layers will simply trap the cold against the soil, delaying the warming…

BY the end of January, the days are long enough to allow me a daily spell in the garden after I’ve finished at my desk. My early potatoes are already in their egg boxes, gently chitting in the cool porch. However, I won’t plant these frost-tender beauties until about 10 April. If I plant my potatoes any earlier, they are likely to get frosted, the foliage will blacken and they may even turn up their toes for good. There is a long tradition of planting potatoes on Good Friday, and even when I was a child in the 1950s this was taken as gospel. I lived in suburban London and we generally got away with it, although if a frost was forecast we used weighted-down newspapers – the 1950s version…

Dahlia ‘Gerrie Hoek’ A waterlily-like dahlia in a pretty pale pink shade, with the petals fading to cream in the centre. Strong and robust, it will bloom earlier than some dahlias. Makes a gorgeous cut flower, too. HxS: 39x32in (1mx80cm). Rudbeckia hirta ‘Sahara’ This relatively new introduction has a mix of caramel, copper and peachy tones, with ruffled petals around that classic dark central cone. Sow late February to March and don’t cover seed with compost. HxS: 24x18in (60x45cm). Euphorbia oblongata From May to November, the acid-green/yellow flowers are great for summer colour. Sow February to March. The sap is an irritant, so wear gloves when handling the plants. HxS: 20x18in (50x45cm). Gladiolus ‘Espresso’ The sultry red of this gladiolus looks magnificent beside deep oranges and acid greens. Plant in…

Nicotiana alta ‘Grandiflora’ This tobacco plant is perfect for a slightly shady spot where it’s creamywhite, star-shaped flowers will sparkle. It also has a jasmine-like perfume as night falls. A half-hardy annual, sow in March and do not cover the seeds. HxS: 32x12in (80x30cm). Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ Silver-leaved trailing foliage is the perfect backdrop to pretty pastels or stronger colours. Great for baskets or containers, Dichondra does not mind a shady spot. Treat as a half-hardy annual and sow indoors in February. HxS: 3inx4ft (7cmx1.2m).…

3 singles G. plicatus (pleated snowdrop) This is known as the pleated snowdrop for its broad leaves, which fold back on themselves and it is larger than the common snowdrop. It’s said that this snowdrop was brought back by soldiers from the Crimean War. HxS: 20cmx10cm. G. elwesii ‘Mrs Macnamara’ One of the earliest snowdrops, this can be in flower on New Year’s Day. The flowers are large and narrow with a V-shaped green mark and they are named after Dylan Thomas’ mother-inlaw. HxS: 25cmx10cm. G. elwesii Named after a famous plant collector, H.J Elwes, this variety has two green dots on the inner petal, although sometimes they join together to make one central mark. HxS: 20cmx10cm. 3 doubles Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’ One of the best-known doubles,…

This week it’s: IN general, gardeners think of the word ‘fungus’ as being a problem. Take scab, mildew, wilt and blight – all of these are bad! These are parasitic fungi that live on live plants, and take nourishment from them, which slowly weakens them. But here I want to talk about saprophytic fungi, which live on dead plant material, so are not harmful to living plants. They include all the fruiting-bodied fungi we are familiar with in cooking: mushrooms, of course, with such evocative names as button, chestnut, shiitake, oyster, morel and chanterelle. Let’s take a look at some of the stories about these edible delights. ■ The caveat to anything I say here is that you should never eat a wild fungus if you are unsure what it…

QTo make the most of the growing season, are there any crops I can sow now in an unheated greenhouse? Frank Entwistle, Exeter AHere in Northern Europe, our growing season is short and if you have a greenhouse or even a coldframe, then it makes sense to use these protected spaces to gain time. Despite low light levels and chilly temperatures, the seeds of some veg germinate well without extra heat. They may take longer, but they are often sturdier and healthier than those over-cosseted. Glass traps and concentrates warmth from the sun but, most importantly, gives us control over watering when the soil outdoors is often still cold and saturated. Early sowings can include tender crops such as tomatoes, aubergines and peppers but they need warmth to germinate and…

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@futurenet.com IT’S been a year where new good memories have rarely been made, so I’m sure so many like us have been looking back at a lifetime of old ones and much reminiscing of gardens we have had. This spotted laurel is a new purchase. It might grow out of its pot in time, as I know our previous one did, but the wonderful green with its markings is bringing happy memories of a garden and house decades ago, which we had forgotten a lot about until deciding what shrub to put in the empty pot. They might be more known for hedging, but make super…

Growing media: In next week’s AG I look at compost. There is a baffling array of varieties out there so I will talk you through what they all do and how to make your own. WHEN it comes to pruning, certain areas of caution are advised. Firstly, think about your personal safety, so make sure tools are sharp and clean so they are less likely to slip or bounce off the wood and cause injury. If working at height, make sure you are standing on something stable, so either get someone to hold your ladder or invest in a platform or larger ladder such as one in the Henchman range – it is money well spent. Sturdy but flexible gloves are a must, too, and in winter I use Town…

I LOVE lilies, with their extravagant glossy flowers that immediately add an exotic look and scent to the garden. Even better, their stunning beauty belies a relatively easy-going nature, for they are happy growing in most situations and are especially good in pots. Bold and beautiful, for many people lilies are the star of the summer garden. Dwarf ones shine out at the front of borders, while taller varieties and tree lilies hold court further back. These versatile bulb plants also do well in containers, and we have two varieties on our patio: ‘Orange Pixie’, which is a cheery dwarf Asiatic number that also works well at the front of beds, and the statuesque ‘Stargazer’, with large pink-and-white blooms. Asiatic lilies are among the easiest to grow and the earliest…

GROWING up, one of my favourite books was (and still is) Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals, with his brilliant depiction of his gloriously eccentric family’s sojourn in Corfu. Most of the scenes were stolen by the young Gerry’s menagerie of animals, none more so than a pair of magpie chicks, known as ‘the magenpies’, that wrought havoc and thievery through the Durrells’ home. Magpies are the jokers of the UK’s bird world, the clever pranksters so easily recognisable by the cruciform shape they create in flight, and their dapper black and white uniform, though on closer inspection, the black feathers are actually sheened with a rich, iridescent green. People have a love/hate relationship with these birds. Magpies are feisty, intelligent (they have started nesting close to busy roads…

IMPROVED soil drainage, increased soil warmth, reduced back pain – there are numerous reasons why installing raised beds is tempting for fruit and vegetable gardeners. You can build them using brickwork, paving slabs or rendered breeze blocks, but the most common and versatile construction material is timber. Raising your expectations All fruit, vegetables and herbs will happily grow in raised beds. Due to their larger soil volume, they dry out far less than containers so watering is simpler, and you can still pander to the needs of fussy crops such as blueberries that require specialist ericaceous compost. “Enrich pockets of soil so root health is boosted” The fact that you can enrich the pocket of soil with any form of compost, specialist or otherwise, means that your crop’s root health…

Bulbs ■ Water lightly after potting up and ensure compost stays on the dry side until there are signs of life. Look for shoots, or roots at the base of the pot, before you start to water regularly. ■ Keep somewhere frost-free. ■ Repot if necessary. ■ Harden off during May, then plant out after all risk of frost has passed. ■ Protect from slugs. Annuals ■ Use seed compost or 50:50 multi-purpose compost and perlite. ■ Some seeds need covering with compost, others need light to germinate – check the seed packet for details. ■ Water gently, using a watering can fitted with a fine rose. ■ Cover with a propagator lid or clear plastic bag to retain moisture. Remove this once seeds have germinated.…

John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week How do I grow sweet peas in cardboard? Q I am planning on sowing sweet peas in toilet roll tubes this year. What is the best way to do this – do I need to cut and fold the bottoms of tubes across, or can I just fill tubes as they are? Thomas Moug, via email A The reason for growing sweet peas in toilet rolls is to encourage them to establish deep roots which are necessary for a long and healthy growing season. The deepest roots will obviously develop in the full-length tube but you then need to consider that you will have to plant the whole thing. If you have freshly turned soil and lots of elbow…

ALTHOUGH frosty weather puts a halt on working on the soil, it’s great for the garden, reducing numbers of insect pests and improving the flavour of parsnips, beets and leeks. The cold helps strawberries and deciduous fruit trees produce fruit, while the expansion of water as it turns to ice turns clods of clay into a crumbly tilth. It’s also extremely beautiful and worth wrapping up to see. I should be cleaning the greenhouse roof to let in more light, but if I did that, I wouldn’t get the lavish ferny patterns that form during icy nights on the glass. My dad once told me that these intricate swirls build up around particles of grime and were the elegant handwriting of Jack Frost himself. I’ve stared long and hard, but…