Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-Aug-2021 i Amateur Gardening

“This is a question for all the new peat-free users out there. Are you satisfied that producers are providing a clear-enough explanation (on their packaging) of how to use the product in comparison with how peat would be used? I have not yet found a producer who does this, and the fact that peat-free is not the same makes this lack of information all the more puzzling. Does peat-free need more watering? I know one brand that needs less. Does it need more feeding? In three years, there will only be peat-free and I would like to know if our AG readers are equally puzzled by the lack of useful information — see our story on page 6.” Contact us: ■ Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 ■ Editorial: 0330 3903732 ■…

AS the move toward peat-free compost gathers momentum, we have been trying to get to the bottom of how it will affect gardeners when it comes to the practicalities of growing plants. Peat is the perfect growing medium for plants of all ages, from seedling to maturity, because it retains and releases moisture and nutrients at exactly the right levels to sustain healthy growth. However, the contents, quality and composition of the many peat-free composts coming onto the market vary, making it harder for gardeners to automatically know how much to feed and water their plants. So the question at the top of our list is ‘what are the fundamental practical differences between using peat and peat-free composts?’ We are concerned that once peat is banned in 2024, this lack…

AUGUST used to be a quiet month, but not any more – with two major flower shows moved to the autumn (including Chelsea) and trade events opening up, too. I’ve got four columns a week to write and a podcast to record, overseeing and caring for Floral Fantasia (pretty well a fulltime job). Add the warm, showery weather giving everything lush summer growth, and my own garden is like the shoemaker’s children – not very well shod! Visiting one of our leading wholesale seed and young plant companies, we were presented with over 400 new plant introductions for next year. How can one keep up with such a rapidly changing world? I did take a couple of hours off, when visiting the London offices, to make a family visit to…

I WAS seduced by meadows more than 25 years ago, after visiting Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter garden in East Sussex. It was May, and as we went along the lanes there were patches of deep-pink hardy orchids. When I arrived at the garden I was surprised to see that the meadows surrounding Great Dixter were studded with common spotted pink orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) as well. The garden was wonderful. It was a Sunday and there was a smell of roast beef. Bang on cue, Christopher and his two dachshunds appeared. Sadly, he passed away in 2006, but I treasure his books and Meadows, published in 2005, is my favourite. Great Dixter was acquired by Christopher Lloyd’s parents in 1910. It had been on the agent’s book for 10 years and…

GROWING plants on a bed system has always been popular, but the use of raised beds continues to expand for a variety of reasons. Where a garden has no soil, a raised bed is an alternative to growing in containers. In effect, you have one large, deep container instead of lots of small ones, allowing more scope for crops like carrots or salad leaves. In gardens where the soil is difficult to manage, such as wet sticky clay, dry shade or in an area prone to long periods of wet conditions, a raised bed can help overcome the difficulties by providing a better growing environment. Perhaps the most adaptable use is for gardeners with restricted mobility, where the bed can be raised to a convenient height for anyone who has…

AS the last three-day holiday before Christmas hoves into view, I’ve been making a list of things that I really need to get to grips with in the garden. There are quite a few as I’ve spent the last few weeks simply enjoying the garden, and it has all started to run slightly amok. As well as the weeding and general maintenance, the shed looks like a tornado has whirled through it after a busy summer and tools need sharpening and cleaning in readiness for autumn’s pruning and clearance. A substantial proportion of this weekend will be spent tidying beds and dealing with pests. On the whole we have so far had a healthy year: the worst of the blackfly, found on an apple tree and among the bean plants,…

ROSE and dahlias are late summer garden stalwarts and with the right care, most of them will flower until autumn. The exception is rambling roses that flower in one burst and then form their hips. All you need to do to them now is remove any dead and diseased wood back to healthy growth, deadhead, leaving some hips for the birds and winter colour if you wish, and tie the stems back to keep them orderly. As with all roses, keep an eye out for black spot and cut away and dispose of any infected material. Do not add it to the compost heap as the spores will thrive in the damp, warm environment and go on to contaminate elsewhere. While you are deadheading and removing any plant material affected…

THIS week’s free seeds are for a traditional favourite that is incredibly easy to sow and grow and will self-seed with happy abandon if you let it (and I thoroughly recommend that you do). Sarah Raven’s Larkspur ‘Giant Imperial Mixed’ seeds grow to a stately 3ft (90cm) tall and will bless your borders with elegant spires of pinks, purples and blues, each one with a small rear ‘spur’ that gives the plant its name. They used to be found growing wild in cornfields, so are a natural companion to other traditional flowers such as poppies, cornflowers and borage. Hardy annuals, you can sow them now or next spring and they flower from June to September. Sow them in a well-prepared seedbed of raked, crumbly soil that has already been watered.…

WITH its juice-packed flesh and unmistakable perfume, a ripe homegrown melon is something everyone with a sunny spot in the garden should experience. When eaten warmed by the sun (instead of numbed by the fridge), the perfumed flavour is unparalleled. But how do you get the best crop from your vines? Melon plants have a reputation for being fussy, but follow my key points (see the checklist on page 20) and you’ll be fine. Here, I’m writing about varieties of Cucumis melo, rather than watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) or cucamelon (Melothria scabra). This species gives us honeydews, galias and cantaloupes (which includes the much-desired Charentais types). Sown in March or April, the first fruits will be ripening now, filling the air with that unmistakable scent. My benchmark varieties are F1 hybrid…

This week it’s: I LOVE these two bold, brassy border perennials of the daisy family. Known as coneflowers, they are not, however, universally liked, mainly because some consider the daisy flower and the yellow and deep-pink colours common! For me, though, they bring much-needed colour and warmth to a border during August and September – and later. They are easy to grow, flower freely over a long period and make good cut flowers – so what’s not to like? ■ The flowerheads of both plants are often likened to shuttlecocks; the middle of the flowers are at the front, with the petals splayed backwards. In botanical speak, ‘the central disc has a conical outline, surrounded by reflexed florets’. Names to savour: fascinating floral origins THE stories behind the genus names……

Q Following the seasonal advice in magazines and online to ‘take semi-hardwood cuttings of shrubs in July and August’, I am not having much luck as they usually wither and die. Where am I going wrong? Paul Harding, Kendal, Cumbria A The time is right to take semi-hardwood cuttings, and I’m sure instructions have been carefully followed, but as the old saying goes, ‘There is many a slip between cup and lip’. The process of collecting stem material, choosing containers and compost, and looking after the cuttings while they root requires attention to detail for a good success rate. I have often killed cuttings simply by moving them 5in (13cm) so they suddenly received too much direct sun or accidental overwatering. Some shrubs (ceanothus, for instance) are notoriously tricky from…

Star letter I READ a reader’s complaint about their purchase of a double purple Anemone ‘Pauline’ which turned out to be a single red flower. And you advised them to complain to get a replacement. I bought a bag of butterfly gladioli from Wilko a few months ago. Their picture shows them as having dark red flowers with creamy white edges. But as you can see, they have boring pale yellow flowers. And three years ago, my sister bought me a flat nectarine online which has now turned out to be a plain peach – with one small hairy fruit and leaf curl disease to complete the picture! I had the same problem with a cooking apple and plum tree that both turned out to be something different. In the…

A AS autumn rolls towards us, it is time to think about what you’d like to add to your garden. The soil has been warmed by the summer and dampened by seasonal showers, which makes it perfect for planting. For the next few months garden centres will be packed with a mind-blowing array of spring and summer-flowering bulbs. There will be the traditional favourites, the daffs, tulips, crocuses, as well as bulbs for shady areas, pots, rockeries and pots and baskets. Some can even be ‘naturalised’ and added to lawns – there’s something absolutely charming about snakeshead fritillaries, crocuses and dwarf varieties popping spots of colour through spring-lush grass. Bulbs are easy and versatile and once they are in the ground, they will multiply over the years, creating a bigger…

WE all end up saving seeds – it’s inevitable, as we just can’t stop ourselves. Is there anyone who hasn’t at least one ‘posy’ of dried plants, either crop or bloom, hanging in their garden shed, a few wildflower seedheads in their pocket or a drying sweet pepper core on the kitchen windowsill? I reckon it’s sort of an inherited trait – ‘putting away the seed corn’, so to speak. As a bit of fun it doesn’t matter much if those seeds survive, remain fertile and germinate, although it would be nice. However, if you really want to save your own seeds to grow them next year, you will have to take much more care. Obviously, seeds need to ripen on the plants sufficiently before they are collected, and from…

How should I treat a standard fuchsia? Q I have a standard fuchsia ‘Lady Boothby’ which is in a large container. It is roughly 60in (152cm) tall and the spread is roughly the same. When should I cut this back and how far down should I go? Denise Wicks (via email) A Fuchsia ‘Lady Boothby’ is described as hardy so should be able to survive temperatures down to-6°C. However, its ability to survive cold snaps will depend largely on its growing conditions. It is worth noting that pot compost will freeze more quickly, and stay frozen for longer, than the soil in the ground so if your garden is prone to frost, or we have a bad winter, it is worth giving some protection during the colder months. A cold…

MY birthday’s coming up soon, but before you splash out on another Toby jug or pair of corduroy house slippers, I’ve made a wish-list. At the very top is an orangery – a gift idea that’s occupied the No1 spot for longer than an Ed Sheeran cover of ‘(Everything I do) I do it for you’. But if you can’t stretch to that, what about turrets for Buckland Castle’s roof garden? No? In that case, would Sir/Madam consider fencing pins? Fencing pins, since you ask, are hook-topped metal rods that police forensic teams knock into the ground and fix with fluorescent tape to protect their excavations. They’re not expensive (and no, I’m not setting up a CSI unit for plants). These pins are the perfect tools for propping up flowers…