Innholdsfortegnelse for 21-Aug-2021 i Amateur Gardening

“Midsummer is all about keeping the flowers going for as long as possible, and that’s been my task for the last few weeks: deadheading, pruning, feeding and watering to maintain those beautiful blooms. My big challenge has been trying to keep black spot at bay on roses. Some varieties are more susceptible than others, and my David Austin Pilgrim, which gives an abundance of yellow blooms, has an equal abundance of black spot. I find myself constantly pruning and clearing the ground of yellow and black-spotted leaves. But I guess that’s the price you pay for not using any chemical deterrents, and I’m still getting great blooms.” Contact us: ■ Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 ■ Editorial: 0330 3903732 ■ Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com ■ Advertising: 0330 3906566…

WE all want to do our bit to save the bees, and now to encourage and educate more people about how it can be done, the National Trust has teamed up with BBC Radio 2’s Big Bee Challenge 2021 and launched a plant guide listing bee-friendly plants for every garden. The Trust has also planted a Buzz Border packed with pollinator-friendly plants at its North Yorkshire property Nunnington Hall and is sharing tips on how everyone can attract these important pollinators into their gardens. Nunnington Hall gardener Cal Stewart, who designed the border, said: “While many of us will be familiar with bumblebees, there are more than 200 species of bee in the UK and they are critical, pollinating food crops we all rely on. We hope the border, and…

IT is not just the days and weeks – the months are just flying by, and while I look forward to the Bank Holiday weekends, for a chance to catch up with gardening at home, this weekend we have the rose bed display on show at the NEC to staff and then to clear. Dahlias are coming into their own, and in addition to the dahlia shows at RHS Gardens Hyde Hall (2nd-5th Sept) and Wisley (7th-12th Sept), if you are anywhere near the M1/M25 junction be sure to allow time to visit the Aylett Garden Centre Dahlia Festival (28th Aug to 12th Sept). I like to disbud most dahlias, so the stems are longer and individual flowers larger, additionally disbudding high up on the plant encourages side-shoots from lower…

I KNOW that I’m your wildlife columnist, but there’s wildlife and wildlife! A four-footed friend has been visiting our garden and there’s a great debate among the neighbours as to whether it’s a young hare or a rabbit, so I have nicknamed the interloper the ‘habbit’ for now. It is rabbit sized, I admit, but brown rather than grey. Given that we seem to have more hares in the fields than rabbits, perhaps it is a young hare. In spring this year, a pair of amorous hares could be seen sunning themselves in the field about 100 yards away from our low stone wall. I knew something was wrong straight away, because the Best Beloved rushed upstairs and got dressed at speed – something he’s not normally known for. He’d…

THE pruning saw is a specialised, fit-for-purpose gardener’s tool that’s used to prune thick shoots and branches from trees and shrubs. In pruning terms, secateurs are good for thinner stems, then loppers (long-handled pruners). A pruning saw fills the gap between loppers and the much bigger bow saw (or even a small chainsaw). They are good for dealing with stems and branches up to 4in (10cm) in diameter, which is probably the upper limit for a folding pruning saw, although the fixed-blade version is usually slightly larger and is better for cutting through material of up to 8in (20cm) in diameter. The fixed blade means it is less convenient to carry around, so we have chosen to concentrate on folding saws that can be carried easily for garden tasks that…

IT’S been a strange summer in many ways, partly due to the weather and partly down to the lingering effects of Covid. As with last year, the garden has been a place of sanity and sanctuary for many of us this summer and hopefully we will be able to get out into it and enjoy a few more weeks of warmth and sunshine yet. I want to see summer out with a bang, and what better way to do this than plant up pots and baskets full of cheery, eye-popping colour? Moreover, what better time of year to do it, as late summer segues into the vibrant russet tones of autumn, when slightly cooler days and the increased chance of rain help boost the longevity of plants, and there are…

AS gardens become smaller and time more precious, the machinery we use also shrinks or, to save time, does the jobs for us – hence the rise of robot mowers. However, I quite enjoy mowing the lawn, even though our petrol mower is rather cumbersome and heavy. So I was delighted when Gardena’s lightweight PowerMax 32/36V came into my life. Small enough to negotiate the narrow paths between our raised beds and follow pathways through the wildflower lawn, yet powerful enough to get the job done, it is a delight to use. Handily, the two 18V Bosch batteries that power the machine fit more than 70 other gardening tools from Gardena and other leading garden brands. The batteries slot easily into a top-loading holder and there is a safety key…

AS summer daylight dwindles, it is time to start cheering ourselves up by planning what we want to grow next year. California poppies, also known as Eschscholzia californica after the 19th century botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, are a popular annual addition. While they usually have bold orange flowers, this week’s variety bears a blush of reddish blooms. ‘Carmine King’ is a dwarf plant, making it ideal for the front of borders, that produces wonderful red petals above feathery blue-grey foliage. The flowers open and close with the passing of the sun and the variety, which is believed to have been introduced to this country in 1906, will thrive in even the poorest soils as long as it has full sun. As well as providing pretty patches of colour, California…

BE assured that, by growing one of these stone-fruit trees, you’ll not only be keeping your household stocked up with delicious, flavoursome fruits, but also those along your entire street! Plums, plus related damsons and gages, are notoriously high yielding. True plums arise from Prunus domestica, and are oval in shape. Ripening can occur from mid-July (like ‘Herman’) to early October (such as ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’). Gages are also botanically Prunus domestica, but are more spherical. They need time to develop their high sugar levels, so ripening occurs in August or September. “Give them time to develop high sugar levels” Damsons originate from Prunus insititia, and the fruit is generally small and tart. Ripening occurs very slowly, generally in September and October. With pruning only necessary if trees become unruly, and…

This week it’s: IF your garden is within 10 miles of the sea, then you are a coastal gardener. Strong winds, salty air and poor soil are just three of the problems you have to contend with. You may also need to address such matters as being blasted by sand, or intense light or, in extreme circumstances, erosion, flooding and the potential of cyclones! Coastlines can be hostile environments for gardens, and the closer you are to the sea, the more intense will be the issues caused by it. Let’s take look at the pleasures – and perils – of coastal gardening! ■ According to the Ordnance Survey, Britain’s coastline (including islands), is 19,491 miles (31,368km). The mainland coastline is 11,072 miles (17,819km). The good points READ the words above,…

Q I love hollyhocks and planted some out last autumn. They have made tall plants with flower buds, but the leaves have orange spots on them. Is this rust and can I get rid of it? Peter McIntyre, Ipswich, Suffolk AThe hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a gorgeous but short-lived perennial from the mallow tribe, with its origins in western Asia. The towering spires open their buds in July, to glamorous, satin-petalled single or double blooms in white, cream, yellow, pink, red, purple or near-black. The singles are my favourites and are better for pollinating insects. In an ideal world we would sow in summer, let plants overwinter as rosettes of leaves to flower magnificently the second summer and then let them settle down as perennials until they run out of…

SCRAMBLING atop the fence at Buckland Towers is the most remarkable and heavily scented honeysuckle I’ve ever sniffed. It blooms from June right through until September, and although its flowers are few and far between, their perfume fills the whole garden with the most delicious honey-lemon aroma. It’s a variety that I thought was called ‘Graham Thomas’, but I’m beginning to wonder if this shy-to-bloom woodbine is a brand-new form. Its flowers are the same; shaped like white trombones that fade to brassy yellow, but they’ve clearly traded abundance for a punchy perfume that’s ten times as powerful as the ordinary ‘Graham Thomas’. Perhaps it’s a seedling that has sprouted from one of the red berries that fall from the branches in autumn, or is an evolutionary mutation that occurred…

WHETHER you are planting a container or basket there are certain things you can do to get the best from your plants and maximise their flowering potential. Firstly, choose healthy plants and stand them in water to give their roots a good soak before planting them up. If you are reusing a container or basket, disinfect it first to remove debris and any residue of pests and disease. When it comes to choosing compost, there are several proprietary blends mixed specifically for containers with added nutrients and water-retaining compounds. However, they often contain peat, which will be banned from 2024, so I recommend using a peat-free product and supplementing it with a granular fertiliser such as Growmore or Vitax Q4. Water-retaining granules that store and release up to 80 times…

THIS is the prime season for saving seeds from around the garden, allowing you to propagate your favourite plants where you want (as opposed to at Mother’s Nature’s whims) and save money at the same time. Whether you are saving annual, perennial or biennial seeds, or stashing away edible varieties, it’s a great fun thing to do, saves a lot of money and is incredibly satisfying when the results of your labour come to fruition. Collecting seeds is done when the seed heads or pods have ripened and turned from being flexible or soft and green to dried, brittle and usually brown or red. Gather them on a dry day, ideally after a run of rain-free days, as unless they are completely dry when stored they will go mouldy. Timing…

OUR first tomatoes always taste so wonderful that each is treasured. But by now, especially where many plants are being grown, these will be producing more than most folk want to eat fresh. So what to do with the surplus – should you freeze, bottle, dry or pickle them, or make jam? There are many possibilities, but the really important question you ought also to ask is how to keep your fresh tomatoes fruiting for as long as possible. So don’t let your plants spoil and exhaust themselves by overcropping huge numbers of tiny fruits, most of which may never swell or ripen. Thin out fruits already set so that those left get bigger, sweeter and become more fleshy (with less skin and fewer pips per pound). Thinnings of unripe…

How can I save blossom from the birds? Q Bullfinches and other garden birds have stripped blossom off our trees and we have no fruit. What can I do to protect them? Katie Parsons, Worksop, Notts A Bullfinches tend to turn to flower buds when the seed supply runs out in winter. The best means of protecting trees and bushes is to net them against attack – but this obviously isn’t practical on large trees! Understanding why bullfinches eat flower buds might help though, and providing them with a source of seeds might perhaps distract them from your trees. However, they are quite shy birds and may be reluctant to visit bird feeders, but if you can offer their favourite foods then it might work. Another deterrent might be to…

Star letter I’M very excited that I have spotted not one but two sports hiding amongst the cranesbill this week! I didn’t know about them until the recent article by Peter Seabrook about sports. Aren’t they pretty? The first image is the regular cranesbill in the garden, I have no idea what it’s called as it was here when we moved. It’s prolific! I have chronic daily pain and have found a ‘little go’ in the garden so beneficial in so many ways. It’s important to keep moving! I just want to say I have learned so much from your lovely mag and have managed to put so many things into practice this year. Jane D’Arcy Norfolk Please continue with imperial measurements I READ the letter from Les Milne (AG,…