Innholdsfortegnelse for 20-Feb-2021 i Amateur Gardening

IF the past year has taught us one thing, it’s that we love to grow our own. As the first lockdown tightened its grip last spring, fruit and veg seeds became as rare as hen’s teeth, such was the demand. To keep themselves occupied, new gardeners started flexing their green fingers and thousands more people were bitten by the grow your own bug. After all, what tastes better than peas straight from the pod, or freshly picked raspberries on your morning cereal or suppertime ice cream? Cropping is a year-round thing of course, and this winter we had homegrown sprouts and leeks with our Christmas dinner, while our kale crop has provided us with seemingly endless supply of curly leaves, perfect for frying with butter and garlic to accompany bangers…

■ Use warm, light windowsills to germinate your fruit and veg seeds. ■ Sow herb seeds every few weeks for a year-round supply (basil, coriander, parsley and chives are good to start with) and keep them on the kitchen windowsill to snip straight into your cooking. ■ Chillies like a warm environment and will happily grow indoors. You can even grow cherry tomatoes too. ■ Microgreens are a space-economical way of cultivating nutrient-rich fresh produce from the comfort of your own home. ■ Simply the sow the seeds of a wide variety of plants, including herbs, beets, spinach, lettuce and many more and either snip of the shoots or eat the shooting seeds for a blast of fresh goodness.…

THANKS to ongoing coronavirus uncertainty, the RHS has decided to postpone the Chelsea Flower Show until September. The show, which would have taken place 18-23 May, has been moved to run from 21-26 September at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. Sue Biggs, RHS Director General, says: “In these challenging times, we have always followed government advice and made difficult, responsible decisions, with the health and safety of people our key concern. Best-loved gardening show “While we are sad to have had to delay RHS Chelsea and are sorry for the disruption this will cause, we are excited that we are still planning to bring the world’s best-loved gardening event to the nation.” The September show will be different to the usual spring event and will celebrate autumn horticulture, with many…

IN a bit of departure, this week’s free seeds are deliciously edible! Tomato ‘Sweet Baby’ do exactly what is says on their packet - they are cherry-sized little ‘uns that have a moreishly sweet taste with a bit of after-bite. Not only do they taste delicious, but they are reliable croppers and can be grown in the greenhouse as well as in the garden, either in growbags or pots. ‘Sweet Baby’ are cordon tomatoes, which means they to grow upwards and plough their energy into flowering and fruiting, rather than creating side shoots. If sown undercover now they will have a head start on other plants and their early cropping will give you an extended season for harvesting. I have sown mine in a pot instead of the tray to…

1 Recycled plastic conduit makes useful hoops to support netting, fleece and environ-mesh. 2 Old net curtains give weather and pest protection to save buying horticultural fleece. 3 Want a hedge? You can grow your own by rooting some hardwood cuttings of flowering currant, forsythia and privet. 4 Sowing hardy perennial flower seeds (such as delphinium and lupin) indoors now will have them in flower late summer. Then any of your favourite colours can be selected out and those plants grown on in future years.…

WHEN I started gardening, you could usually find seeds, sets and sometimes cabbage plants and bedding in trays. Times change, and we have almost every vegetable, bedding plant change, and we have almost every vegetable, bedding plant and choice perennial sold as plantlets growing in modules of varying size and number. Many are available at local garden centres, and there’s even more variety on line then delivered to your door. Indeed, there seem too many options… Naturally, traditional packets of seed usually work out least expensive per plant. But not so if you only wanted a couple. Then buying those plants may also save you time, heat and space. On the other hand a few vegetables, mostly root crops such as carrots, really have to be sown directly where they…

IT’S something that gets us in an excitable frenzy when it’s in season, and yet few of us remember to sow this delicious vegetable in spring. A long-term commitment it may be, but why not sow some purple (or white) sprouting now? It’s sure to satisfy your inner cook 12 months from now… Space and time required There are two key things you need to remember when you are growing sprouting broccoli: it takes a long time to mature, and the plants can become huge. Conventional types are sown now, yet they won’t produce their harvest of delicious, tender spears until March or April – no wonder many of us forget to grow them. But advances in breeding mean that summer-maturing varieties are now available (see overleaf), and you can…

■ From AG 7 March 1885 Pruning shrubs WHERE any evergreen or deciduous shrubs have outgrown their allotted space, this is the best season of the year in which to do any cutting back that may be necessary, as the young growth that will soon be made will quickly hide any unsightly places resulting from the pruning. The common laurel is a very unruly growing shrub if left alone to spread in its own way. At the same time it is an accommodating plant for the pruner to operate upon, for if the very largest branches are cut back they will break out into fresh growth with remarkable freedom. The Portugal laurel (Prunus lusitanica) is not quite so accommodating, although the young branches may be pruned without risk as they…

Q I am about to pull up sheets of moss growing on damp, north-facing concreted areas and rake some from the lawn. Is there any good use I can put it to, or shall I add it to the compost heap? Gemma Carty, Malton, North Yorks. A Starry, spiky, spongy or feathery, mosses are simple ancient plants that love to grow in damp, humid weather. In all but the drier parts of the UK, they tend to flourish from autumn to spring and die back in hot summers, sometimes rehydrating in autumn and growing again from spores. Instead of a proper root system, mosses anchor themselves with thread-like rhizoids and absorb all the water they need through their leaves. They are ‘non-vascular’ plants, meaning they don’t develop special tissues for…

OCCASIONALLY, when the top of a tree is damaged, two shoots from lower down grow to replace it, giving the tree two leaders. Where and how these leaders meet drastically affects their strength and the likelihood of the tree living to an old age. Staggered branches and T-shaped joins are OK, but narrow V-shaped joins can spell disaster, due to the permanent pressure placed on the join as the two branches gain in girth. The remedy is to remove one side of the leaders, ideally while the tree is still young.…

1 Potatoes can be grown in the soil or in containers if space is tight. Get your seed potatoes sprouting now for planting out in March. 2 Runner beans keep on cropping and add elegant height to the garden. Dwarf French beans (and peas) can be grown in containers. 3 Onions and shallots are grown from seed or sets (immature bulbs) and are low-maintenance though they need careful weeding. 4 Beetroot, radishes and spring onions are all space-efficient, quick and easy to grow virtually all year round.…

1 Soft fruits (raspberries, strawberries, currants and gooseberries) are easy to grow in containers as well as in the ground. 2 Once mature, apple, plum and pear tree fruit generously for years, as will more exotic peaches, apricots and almonds. 3 Rhubarb is a must if you are a sucker for fools, pies and crumbles, and is also great for chutney-making and jamming. 4 Fig trees love a warm spot in the garden and will thrive in a lined ‘fig pit’ or a large pot. They are generous croppers.…

I DON’T know about you, but the sight of the first of this year’s snowdrops poking through the cold, muddy January ground made my heart sing. With not a lot to look forward to right now, and a lot of uncertainty looming, those early-year flowers that spread to form pristine drifts of white blooms over the years, were exactly what was needed to lift the spirits and imbue the day with a renewed sense of optimism. While most spring bulbs are put in the ground in autumn, some can be planted now, while they are still in leaf or even in late-stage flower. This is known as planting ‘in the green’ and it works well for snowdrops and yellow aconites. These springtime heralds are dug up with plenty of soil…

■ How do we know whether last year’s leftover seeds can still be sown and grown successfully? ■ Most vegetable seeds remain viable (able to germinate) for at least a year. Some, such as cucumber, are good for five-10 years and tomato seeds stay fresh for four-eight years. ■ There are a couple of easy ways to tell whether old seeds will still grow. ■ Sow a few onto a damp piece of kitchen paper, seal it in a clear bag and place it somewhere light and warm. If the seeds are good, they will shoot. ■ Larger seeds can be popped into water. If they sink they will germinate but if they float, discard them. ■ Store leftover seeds in their packets in an airtight box somewhere dry and…

AS with everything else, houseplants are sitting waiting for the return of spring and the time for regrowth. This means that for the next few weeks all you need to do is keep them in a ‘holding pattern’ of basic care, making sure they are problem-free until they grow again and feeding and watering can resume. Until then, place them somewhere warm and light, though out of direct sunlight as this can scorch their leaves, check their compost isn’t too dry or soggy and deal with any pest infestations or other health issues that rear their head. I discovered a very sad peace lily that had been languishing in a dark corner of a spare bedroom. Several of the leaves had died or were starting to turn black. The compost…

1 Want to avoid vine weevil attack in plants like fuchsia (above)? Stand pots of plants prone to this pest in double saucers, the outer one with oily water making a moat. 2 Lay an old carpet, tarpaulin or black plastic sheet on any ground, and after a week move aside to reveal food for the birds. 3 On a dull day, sharpen, oil and make ready all your important tools such as secateurs, spades, trowels and hoes. 4 Paint your watering can black and then stand in the sun or close to a radiator for warmer water for new seedlings.…

John has been answering reader queries for 50 years How do I plant and care for these bulbs? Q I recently bought some bulbs and I’m wondering how to grow them, what time of the year I should be planting them and what their aftercare is as the Internet says different things? The bulbs are as follows: Polianthes tuberosa ‘Pearl’, Ismene festalis, Bessera elegans, Scadoxis multiflorus, Amarcrinum howardii, Chasmanthe duckittii, Crinum powelli alba, Proiphys amboinicum. Christine Feltham, via email A What a wonderful choice of bulbs! Here is my advice: Polianthes tuberosa: Plant bulbs in March, to three times their depth, in John Innes No2. Grow them in a warm greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. Start watering when leaves appear. Interestingly, enthusiasts who are passionate about this plant recommend buying…

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 Star letter Talking to plants helps MY husband was very allergic to flowers, and planters were not allowed in our home for over 40 years. About 15 years ago, a neighbour gave me a small pot with about three leaves on a stem – name tag ‘Christmas cactus’. I hid it well in the conservatory; luckily it didn’t seem to cause problems. So from February to early autumn, when the buds appeared, it lived in the garden. My husband used to sit in the conservatory to read away from flowers during three seasons of the year. So winter meant I could bring in my cacti.…

A NEW task force led by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has been set up to hasten the end of peat use within the gardening industry. It aims to reinvigorate efforts to tackle the issue of peat use, with representatives from each area of the industry producing a plan outlining a realistic timetable for achieving a peat-free supply chain and stating the barriers that need to be overcome. The aim is for it to be in place by the end of February 2020 to help inform Defra’s forthcoming and long-awaited England Peat Strategy. An aligned industry approach HTA chairman James Barnes said: “The debate around peat use is nuanced and complex, and to successfully negotiate a way forward we must take a more strategic approach. By working in a coordinated…

■ Snowdrops look so pretty in drifts across a lawn. peeping out of the grass when they are planted around the trunks of trees and ■ Planting in the lawn is known as ‘naturalising’ and works with many species of flowers, most of them spring bulbs, so hold onto this idea and plant them up in autumn (it’ll come round sooner than you think). ■ My top varieties are dwarf tulips, snake head fritillaries, crocuses and snowdrops, and it is an incredibly easy look to create. ■ Simply choose your bulbs and scatter them over the area of lawn you want to brighten. Then, using a bulb planter, remove a plug of soil two-three times as deep as each bulb. ■ Pop in the bulb, refill the hole with soil,…

A REQUEST for advice on low-cost gardening brought a smile to my daughter’s face, and the comment, You are always economical when comes to spending money on the garden”. A great deal can be gained at little cost from a modest plot with a little thought, some homemade garden compost and leaf mould for soil improvement as starters. Shallots are only bought once; at harvest, a dozen or so of the best for planting the next year. When bulbs are selected to store cool planting these in spring, remember small shallot bulbs will give a lesser number of big bulbs, while larger ones grow to yield more smaller equivalents. If you want lots of mouth-sized small shallots for pickling, then plant big bulbs. “F1 hybrids will not come true from…

ALTHOUGH this week’s bird isn’t exactly a garden bird, it has become such a common sight in our neighbourhoods, parks and fields that it comes as no surprise when the bread and leftover potatoes put out for our usual garden visitors are snaffled by this opportunist. Chip-stealers par excellence, the herring gull is at home in urban and rural areas as it is following the fishing fleet for cast-offs. Herring gulls do not come armed with a bad reputation for no reason. They are ruthless characters and have been known to steal food from the hands of picnickers, kill pets including a small dog and tortoise and even predate gull chicks from different nests. But for all their bad reputation, they are an attractive bird, with a dapper grey upper…

EARLY flowers not only lift our spirits – they’re vital for early flying pollinators as well. Lots of our native bumblebees and solitary bees hibernate in winter with little or no food. Once the days are a bit longer and the sun a little warmer, these bees emerge and need sustenance straight away. They look for nectar-rich plants because this sugar-loaded substance gives them energy for flight. Once a nest site has been acquired, the bees begin to collect protein-rich pollen, needed for reproduction. I grow lots of early flowers, and every year I watch to see which one comes first. In sunny winters, it can be small-flowered crocuses. All crocuses trap the warm air inside their goblet of petals, so the temperature inside the flower is generally 2-3oC warmer…

Q Can I pot up my dahlia tubers now? George Williams, via email A The best time to ‘reawaken’ them is in March or April. Set them in pots of potting compost, adding, by volume, a quarter part grit to improve drainage and water them in. Then set them to sprout in a warm, light place in which the temperature hovers around 61ºF/16ºC. Q When should I divide a healthy coreopsis? Diane Everidge, Sutton Coldfield A Tackle coreopsis in March or April when the soil is workable and temperatures are rising. All you do is use a spade to divide a clump into chunky well-rooted portions and re-set them 12in (30cm) apart in free-draining soil in full sun. Q There is white slime coating the bottom of my acer. Is…

TODAY, the orchid is far better understood than at any time in the past. Gone are the old fallacies that tropical orchids must have specialist equipment and conditions, such as a humid greenhouse at a specific temperature, with not too much and not too little shading, and regularly timed mistings from hand-held syringes. Gone also is the belief that orchids are just for the wealthy to enjoy. But go back a hundred years, and this was all undoubtedly true. Today, it is the reverse. Orchids – which belong to one of the largest and most remarkable of plant families in the world – can be grown by anyone. Let’s look at some of the amazing stories surrounding them… There are 25,000 to 30,000 natural orchid species growing in the wild,…

SECATEURS are the gardening tool most people tend to have. They are essential for all forms of trimming and light pruning as well as dead-heading and general tidying, so most of us pick them up automatically whenever we go into the garden, even if we are not going out to do any pruning. The trouble is that carrying them in a pocket, whether it is a jacket or coat, jeans or trousers, means that before long the point of the blades starts to wear a hole in the fabric. This is not really something you can avoid, because they have to be placed in the pocket blades first so you can draw them out by the handles, not the blades, and there is no chance of catching your hand on…

TODAY started with high hopes and a simple mission: to remove a friend’s unwanted tree stump. I know… it doesn’t sound all that simple, but it’s a London plane (Platanus x hispanica), so I’m hoping the roots will come quietly. While plane trees don’t support much wildlife (just one associated insect species compared to 284 for an oak tree), they are loved by town planners for their compact roots, and have contributed a great deal to our arboricultural understanding. Up until the late 1980s, textbook diagrams of trees depicted roots that echoed the size and the shape of the branches above, most going straight down into the subsoil. But after the Great Hurricane of 1987, that all changed. At the time, I was in Camberwell in London and I remember…