Innholdsfortegnelse for 8-May-2021 i Amateur Gardening

“By the time you read this we’ll probably be in the middle of a heatwave, but as I write I’m watching snow fall on my garden in the South of England! Unexpected cold snaps and no rain have added an extra dimension this spring, and having put many of my young plants out I found myself bringing the most vulnerable back in again… and then out, and so on, as the weather went from one extreme to the other. It was like doing the hokey cokey without the shaking it about bit! Initially I found this frustrating, but then I realised that dealing with nature is a core part of what we all do. There will always be challenges, and we need to embrace and enjoy the experiences as there…

GLOBE artichokes are the giants of the garden. Like their cousin the cardoon, they tower over everything else, architectural members of the thistle family with tough grey-green leaves and, if you don’t eat their buds, beautiful, huge purple flowers that are loved by bees. We have one large globe artichoke growing happily in a raised bed. I have never yet harvested the flower buds for cooking (every year it’s always a case of ‘I’ll leave them for the bees this summer’) but I would like to try it one year. The plant has been growing for several years now and needs to be divided to keep it productive, and spring is a good time to do it. It is easily done, as artichokes throw out divisions that can be separated…

PERFECT for pollinators and beautiful as border-edging plants, Marigold (Tagetes patula) ‘Honeycomb’ will bring a warm joyfulness to any garden. With red and gold ruffled petals as vibrant as a flamenco dancer’s skirt, these dwarf half-hardy annuals will flower reliably from summer right through into the autumn. Don’t rush to get them outside though, for they won’t take kindly to late frosts, so sow undercover and plant them out once summer warmth is assured. You can either sow them in trays, pots or modules of fresh seed compost that has been dampened with clean tap water. Scatter the large, bristle-ended seeds thinly and then cover them with compost or vermiculite. Label the seeds, seal the pot in a plastic bag, or add a lid to the seed tray or modules,…

I’M a bee guardian and I have been for many a year now. Every March, I get red mason bee cocoons sent to me. Their bee houses are on the south-facing wall of the cottage and they hatch out in April. I like to watch these industrious bees coming back and forth, with pollen on their undersides and mud in their mouths. They’re active until late June and they use cardboard tubes placed in bee boxes. In September, I post the tubes back to Red Mason Bees ( masonbees.co.uk) using Freepost, and then I get sent another free lot the following spring. Every bee guardian gets a yearly report, and Guardian Bourne (that’s me) only received a B for her red mason bee tubes of 2020. Yes, a measly B.…

John has been answering reader queries for 50 years What shrubs will thrive in shade? Q What shrubs could I plant in some shady areas in my garden? I’m looking for something that will attract wildlife, and will grow to no more than 3-5ft (1-1.5 m) tall. David Smith (via email) A The following small shrubs should prosper in your garden, which is shaded for most of the day: Aucuba: Female plants of A. japonica enchant us with scarlet berries; A.j. ‘Crotonifolia’ has large leaves speckled with gold and is evergreen. Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Harlequin’: Purplish-pink leaves with white speckles, deciduous. Berberis x stenophylla: Wealth of orange flowers in spring, evergreen. Mahonia x media ‘Charity’: Cones of citrus-scented yellow flowers in winter. Ribes speciosum: Commonly called fuchsia-flowered flowering current,…

No: 568 This word search comprises words associated with irises. They are listed below; in the grid they may be read across, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Letters may be shared between words. Erroneous or duplicate words may appear in the grid, but there is only one correct solution. After the listed words are found, there are 10 letters remaining; arrange these to make this week’s KEY WORD. BEARDED IRISES TALL DWARF BORDER MINIATURE STANDARD ORRIS ROOT CAYEUX DROP EYE FALLS HERA POLLEN RAINBOW RHIZOME SCHREINER HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry form, and send it to AG Word Search No 568, Amateur Gardening, Unit 2, Eelmore Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7QN, to arrive by Wednesday 19 May 2021. The first correct entry chosen at random…

You can listen to Steve on alternate Sundays 10am-2pm on BBC Radio Kent’s Sunday Gardening (BBC Local) SWEET peas are one of the most popular flowers we grow, and they can produce a fantastic display of wonderfully fragrant flowers during the summer. The blooms are ideal for cutting and taking indoors for cut-flower displays – in fact, they are commonly known as ‘friendship flowers’ because you can give them to other people and still have more for yourself. This is because the purpose of any plant when it flowers is to set seed and, once this has happened, flowering tends to tail off. So the more you cut, the more flowers the plant produces as you are delaying the seed-producing process. Single-stemmed cordon Larger flowers are produced if each plant…

Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Future Publishing Ltd, Unit 2 Eelmore Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7QN (please include your address to receive a prize). Email us: amateurgardening@futurenet.com Fresh beginnings WE’VE been in our new home 18 months now. I’ve never done any gardening before but was keen to give it a go – lockdown meant much more time on my hands. I bought a secondhand greenhouse last summer and love spending time in there, all my plants are from free seed or cuttings. I’ve really surprised myself that I’ve got into gardening and enjoy the process of it all so much. Now all I want to do is spend time outdoors, rather than inside… doing my crocheting! Having the assistance of AG really helps, too. Joanna Wilkinson, Dartford,…

SISYPHUS was a mythological King condemned by Zeus to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. When Sisy (to his friends) reached the top, the rock would roll back down, and his misery started afresh. This tale has been on my mind because I’ve found myself in a similar situation – not fighting gravity with an atlas stone, but battling Nature over a topiary ball and box hedge. For years now, and armed with only a sprayer and cultural controls, I’ve been in an epic struggle to save a parterre from the twin Harpies of pestilence (aka box blight) and box tree caterpillars. Both afflictions are relatively new to the UK: box blight arrived in 1994 and has been defoliating and scorching leaves as if brushed by the fires…

AT the time of writing (mid-April), this spring has been a tough one for the garden. Not only has it been unseasonably cold even here on the south coast, it has been worryingly dry with no rainfall of substance for several weeks. We have already emptied one water butt and are starting to save grey water and recycle not-too-contaminated washing up water, which is unprecedented at this time of year. The last few springs have been very dry, though not as cold as this one, and if this pattern continues we will need to start thinking more carefully about how we save and store water, and how carefully we use it. Millions of gallons are already lost each year through cracked and leaking pipes. On these pages I’m going to…

The wonders of windowsills There’s so much you can do indoors NOT everyone has room for a greenhouse, mini greenhouse or cold frame, but most of us have windowsills or a warm, light spot indoors where plants can be started. This year our sills have been groaning under the weight of seedlings, everything from tomatoes and chillies to nicotiana, squash, courgettes and marigold. Potted on half-hardy seedlings are growing away all over the house, and I have started off begonia tubers and several varieties of herbs there too. In fact most mornings I have to remind myself they are there, or risk the calamity of sending them to the floor when I draw back the curtains! Windowsills that avoid direct sunlight are the best as hot sun will frazzle little…

Listen to Peter’s free podcast every Thursday. Search for ‘This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook’ on iTunes PLANTS are a lot like children; brought into the world safely and easily, and then raised with care, they are ready for a good life. No matter how many times we sow seeds, there is a great feeling of satisfaction to see them push through the soil and develop into healthy young plants. My windowsills have raised literally millions of seedlings over the years, usually starting out in 3in (8cm) square black pots, 15 of them to a standard-sized seed tray. Squares fit neatly, and the black pots have been washed between uses to serve me well for over 50 years. This spring, 11 different cultivars of cut flower stocks have…

WITH many of us trying to cram as much fruit, veg and herbs into our gardens as possible this year, what better time to look at space-saving growing methods? Let’s make the most of our walls, fences, trellises, boundaries and beyond, as we make this the year we all grow our own food. Using sunshine and shade Lockdown has galvanised a whole new gardening tribe to make more of even modest-sized spots. Existing gardeners already know what they are catching on to – that homegrown fruit and veggies are delicious! But with back gardens getting smaller (and in some cases, non-existent), are there any limits to home production? Not if you think vertically. “Why not make this your year for boosted spirits?” Vertical surfaces are often heat traps for sun-loving…

This week it’s: IRISES are unmistakably gorgeous. Their blooms have unique characteristics, which make them stand out from everything else in the garden. They fall into two groups – those with ‘beards’ and those without. Bearded irises have a caterpillar of hairs on some of their petals. All border irises (excluding the dwarf bulbous spring irises) have broad, sword-like, greyish green leaves. They also have a large rhizome that is half buried in the soil and half exposed to the sun. They need a well-drained, neutral soil, ideally in full sun. The first bearded irises of the year are just starting to open, so let’s look at this stunning plant group. Irises are exclusively plants from the northern hemisphere. You’ll be spoilt for choice… THERE are hundreds of bearded iris…

What’s up with aeoniums? Q We have overwintered some potted dark-leaved aeoniums, but they are tall with leaf rosettes at the tips and they keep falling over. Can we prune them and get them to branch? Bernie Micklewright, Hales, Norfolk A The attractive succulent that you describe is probably Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’, with leaves so dark they are almost black. This is a cultivar of A. arboreum, native to the Canary Islands, and the habit is tree-like, usually with a main stem and branches at the top. At the ends of the branches are rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves; the colouring will vary according to light levels. In bright light, the rosettes are dense and succulent with firm, dark leaves. In dull wintry light, the rosettes are not as tight and leaves…

IF spring stays dry and there is little rain through summer, gardeners will have to start prioritising where they use their water. If you are growing fruit and vegetables, they need plenty of water for healthy growth, flowering and to swell the developing fruits. A thorough soaking once or twice a week is better than regular sprinkles that don’t penetrate deeply, and grey water is fine for fruit and veg as long as it isn’t full of food debris that could encourage germs and vermin. The greenhouse is another flashpoint, as growbags are shallow and if you have two or three tomato, aubergine, squash or cucumber plants in each one, they will soon drink up all the remaining moisture. When it is very hot, you may even find yourself watering…

SWEETCORN tastes so much sweeter when homegrown. This is because the sugars start turning to starch the moment the cob is picked. Thus, freshly picked and dropped into already boiling water is the ideal, and no supermarket or roadside stall can possibly compete. However, many people still don’t grow sweetcorn because they think it is too difficult. Well, it once was. However, breeding has made it reliable in most regions (although it’s still risky in cold, shorter-season areas). Even so, it’s so good that it’s worth the risk. However, it’s not worth it if you follow the advice to sow in pots indoors, then plant them out. This almost guarantees poorer performance compared to sowing in situ, as the plants invariably get checked by root disturbance, no matter how careful…

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