Innholdsfortegnelse for 4-Sep-2021 i Amateur Gardening

■ As always with gardening, not everything goes to plan and this year was no exception. ■ Last year our assorted fruit and veg trees, especially the ‘Conference’ pear and ‘Cox’ Orange Pippin’ apple, did us proud, but this year they seem to be taking a year off. ■ Trees often have a rest after a heavy season and hopefully with feeding and pruning they will bounce back next year. ■ Likewise our onions haven’t done as brilliantly for a change. I didn’t do anything new when planting and nurturing, so am blaming the strange, cold and dry spring. ■ The other major disappointment is that we have yet to see any amphibians in our wildlife pond, despite it teeming with invertebrate life. Maybe next year……

1 My kalanchoe has started to produce air roots on several stems so I shall remove the pieces and pot them up individually. 2 Insert the rooted cuttings into pots of gritty compost, then seal them in a plastic bag and they should soon start to grow. 3 Houseplants are prone to pest infestations when in rooms with open windows, so deal with any problems immediately. 4 Wipe dust and debris off plant leaves to help them make the most of declining light levels.…

1 Honey fungus kills perennials and woody plants. There is no cure, all you can do is remove the plant and all its roots to stop the disease spreading. 2 Saprophytic fungi, such as these elf cups, feed on dead plant material. Remove them with a hoe or rake and remove their food source where possible. 3 White rust weakens chrysanths, covering plants in pale pustules. Dispose of badly affected plants and treat lesser infections with a fungicide. 4 Deal with powdery mildew by removing and disposing of affected material, treat with a fungicide and in future don’t crowd plants together.…

AROUND this time of year we get a lot of letters to our ‘agony uncle’ John Negus asking ‘what is this bug?’ They are invariably accompanied by a photograph of a large, chunky brown caterpillar with unusual black ‘eye’ markings. It is the caterpillar of an elephant hawk moth, one of our larger and more colourful nocturnal creatures. While the larvae resemble chunky twigs with big black ‘eyes’ at the front and a spike on the tail, the adults are decked out in brilliant pink and green, with broad hairy bodies and a wingspan of 1-2in (4-6cm). Elephant hawk-moth adults take to the wing at dusk and feed on honeysuckle and other tubular flowers through the night. The food plants of the larvae include bedstraws, fuchsias, Himalayan balsam and enchanter’s…

ONE of the delights of growing flowers is that, week by week, month by month, some are coming into their peak season as others are fading away. However, if we’re looking for more than transient displays, we can extend the lives of many flowers from weeks to months by cutting them, drying them and arranging them in a display indoors. There are two approaches to this. One way of going about it is simply to raid your beds and borders – and even the veg garden – for existing plants that will dry well. You’d be amazed how many annuals, perennials and even shrubs that you’re already growing can be dried successfully. So if you’re fired up about drying flowers, you can get started today. There are some simple guidelines…

IT is really for owners of gardens who have little interest in them that articles on labour-saving plants should be written. But then, such people would, I fear, never even get as far as reading the article, whereas readers of Amateur Gardening are unlikely to be deterred from growing a good plant just because it demands a little trouble to get best value from it. However, it must reluctantly be admitted that there are spare-time pursuits other than gardening, so plants that will take care of themselves can be a blessing. In this case, shrubs are undoubtedly the most important because their permanent framework covers the ground the whole year through and helps to keep weeds at bay. If they are evergreen, so much the better, but one must bear…

This word search comprises words associated with anemones. 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 seven letters remaining; arrange these to make this week’s KEYWORD. ANEMONES WINDFLOWER ALPINE BLUE DE CAEN DOUBLE HYBRID JAPANESE NYMPH PERENNIAL PULSATILLA SEA SPRING UNFURL WHITE WOODLAND HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry form, and send it to AG Word Search No 585, Amateur Gardening, Future Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, RG41 5TP, to arrive by Wednesday 15 September 2021. The first correct entry chosen at random…

1 This Schefflera arboricola had sat leafless and moribund for several months. The answer was to prune off the tips and encourage young shoots to grow. 2 When the plant is actively growing, knock it from its old pot and disentangle some roots from the ball. This will help new roots push into the new compost. 3 Find a pot a little wider all round, and place potting compost in the base (I used a peat-free mix with added loam and extra 10% grit). Fill in around the roots, firm and water in. 4 You can allow all the new shoots to develop, or decide to thin them out to achieve the shape you want. Break them away from the main stem and use as cuttings if more plants are…

■ There is a cutting for every season, and autumn is when we take and pot up hardwood cuttings. ■ These are taken from trees, shrubs, fruit bushes and roses in late autumn and winter when the plants are dormant and the wood mature. ■ The cuttings are rooted in gritty compost and overwintered in a frost-free greenhouse or cold frame. Alternatively, you can set them in the soil in a sheltered area of the garden where they won’t be disturbed. ■ Hardwood cuttings take around a year to root and grow and 12 months after they were taken you can either pot them up individually or dig up and plant them where you want them to grow. ■ Although it is a lengthy process, it is one of the…

1 It’s been a great year for legumes. The beans (French, runner, broad and borlotti) and peas have filled the freezer and I shall leave some to ripen on the plants to sow next year too. 2 The garden has become a wildlife haven. In early spring we hosted a relatively rare redstart followed a few days later by a black redstart (inset) and the hedgehogs have produced hoglets. 3 The seeds scattered in early spring flowered fantastically. Poppies, corncockle, scabious and cornflower, daisies and more produced a wall of colour. Perennials have thrived too. 4 It has been an abundant year for soft fruits and figs. Raspberries are still going, the red gooseberries and figs were plump and sweet. I munch them as I go about my gardening!…

PLANTING up containers for autumn is a bit like choosing a new wardrobe for the season. Your summer pots are probably starting to look a bit tatty and past their best, so it’s a chance to give your patios and window boxes a fresh look. It’s also a positive way to mark the end of summer and embrace the rich and vibrant colours of autumn – and, even better, you can experiment with new plants. It’s tempting to look for plants that will last right into the winter months. Winter pansies and cyclamen are great performers, and if you want easy long-lasting colour they tick all the boxes. But it’s fun to mix these up and use perennials, too, as this can be a testing ground for new planting ideas.…

CHOOSE combinations that will suit your aspect – combine shade-tolerant plants with other shade-lovers and sunlovers with plants to suit hot, dry conditions. Add mycorrhizal fungi when planting, good drainage and use a mix of peat free compost with plenty of organic matter and topsoil to help retain moisture. Just because the summer heat is waning, don’t stop watering regularly to keep plants healthy and flowering for as long as possible.…

In this extract from AG 31 October 1959, Christopher Lloyd, of Great Dixter fame, looks at plants that take care of themselves THERE are a number of closely related plants in which the leaves, or parts of them, have become modified in a remarkable way, into the shape of pitchers or funnels that act as traps for insects and other creatures. These pitchers are often brightly coloured, and therefore deceive insects into thinking they are flowers at a distance, while closer to, insects are attracted by a pleasant scent and often a strong discharge of honey or nectar-like fluid. In many cases, a special ‘walkway’ for non-flying insects, such as ants and centipedes, is provided in the shape of a ridge on one side of the pitcher, and in some…

ACROSS 1 Common name for a subject of this week’s Miscellany! (10) ‘Princess of ____’ (5) 7 Shrub of the syringa genus (5) 8 Plants with this Latin species name usually possess certain black features or characteristics (5) 9 The subject plants of this week’s Miscellany! (8) 11 Lysimachia nummularia is known as ________ Jenny (8) 14 Small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray (5) 15 Genus of the tequila-producing century plant (5) 16 Biological communities of interacting organisms and their physical environments (10) DOWN 1 Area of the UK with a coastline of some 1,680 miles, as in the floribunda rose ‘Princess of ____’ (5) 2 Miss Gwynn was known, among other things, for selling oranges! (4) 3 This crossword puzzle, and the Wordsearch puzzle…

SCHEFFLERAS originate from sub-tropical rain forests. In a north-facing conservatory that doesn’t overheat in summer, yet falls no lower than 50°F (10°C) in winter, grow S. actinophylla in a large container as a specimen tree. Mature plants produce scarlet flowers held in long panicles. On one or two stems, S. arboricola has a stiff, upright habit – but prune hard and new shoots will create a softer, rounded shrub.…

1 Lift the last of your ripe onions, letting them dry on the soil for a few days before storing or knotting them somewhere cool and dry. 2 If you haven’t already done so, cut back fruited summer raspberry canes down to the ground and tie in new stems for next year. 3 A glut of tomatoes and courgettes? Why not make chutney – it keeps for years and makes a wonderful Christmas gift. 4 Cut back spent pea plants but leave the roots in the ground. Peas are legumes and they fix nitrogen in the soil through root nodules, feeding it for future crops.…

1 Slugs and snails are a perennial Public Enemy No 1, and they love mild, damp autumns. Beer traps and wool pellets help eradicate the problem and protect plants organically, and it is still warm enough to water nematodes (microscopic parasitic worms) onto the soil. Go to gardening-naturally.com, or call 01285 760505. 2 Nematodes can also be watered onto containers to deal with vine weevil grubs. These creamy larvae with brown heads eat plant roots and their brown parents chew notches in leaves.…

1 The leaves will soon fall, so position nets over (or on the windy side of) pools and ponds to catch them. 2 Let grass grow longer under fruit for storing; this helps them keep better by competing for available water and nitrogen. 3 Lift remaining potato crops soon, as any increase in the next weeks will likely be cancelled by increasing pest damage. 4 Remove shoot tips and new flower trusses from outdoor and greenhouse tomato plants to concentrate resources on ripening crops.…

USING ‘airy’ plants produces layers of flowers that make a border seem bigger and look more attractive. Referred to as ‘see-through’ plants by garden designers, they are mostly perennials that flower on very thin stems, allowing the plants behind to be glimpsed. Lightweight stars, such as sanguisorba and knautia, form a millefeuille of bloom and often grow through one another, creating stunning colour combinations. By contrast, a border composed only of dense plants and a gradient of size, with large plants at the back and small ones at the front, is not as exciting to look at. Adding see-through plants is a fast way to liven up a border, and it’s fun and easy to do using perennials (as well as biennials) that can be planted now. The king of…

Pollinator haven Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’ AGM With small daisy flowers that keep coming through October, this adds a welcome zing of purple and yellow to attract wildlife. An RHS Award of Garden Merit makes it a reliable choice. HxS: 36x18in (90x45cm). Carex comans ‘Bronze Form’ A great year-round performer, this grass will soften the edges and create a meadowy feel, with the bronze foliage adding an autumn glow. HxS: 20x40in (50x100cm). Hylotelephium ‘Blue Pearl’ Rich dark-purple leaves on upright stems are great for adding contrast and the flat heads of pink flowers bring in the pollinators. H: 20x24in (50x60cm). Shady corner Athyrium nipponicum f. metallicum AGM The painted lady fern is good for shady corners. The grey-green foliage makes for a moody but elegant foliage plant and will look good…

AGREE with your news item (AG, 31 July) that the ‘plane wreck’ at Hampton Court Palace Festival was an eyesore. I really don’t think gardeners need to be preached at in this way. By planting and tending our gardens we do a great deal to help the environment. I think flower shows should display plants in a more pleasing way, thus encouraging us to keep gardening. Nanette Ellis, Leeds Reader’s Tip THIS tip involves homemade sloe gin. After filtering out the berries, de-stone them all and add the flesh to the crumble, with apple, rhubarb, cherries or whatever, for a different taste than the usual. The results are very moreish! Michael Hamblin Malmesbury, Wiltshire…

JACKIE Beatham’s picture-perfect garden belies the fact that its owner is a busy woman. Over the years Jackie has travelled the world in her role as an international horse judge, undertaking her duties while simultaneously running her own business and enjoying her passion for tennis. Throughout this time Jackie’s garden on the edge of the New Forest has been a beautiful place in which to unwind, and it’s clear that the high standards she applies in her equestrian role equally apply to her colourful borders and immaculate lawn. Jackie has succeeded in combining a busy working life with a lovely outside space through the way in which her garden has been carefully planned, with a strong backbone of colourful shrubs underplanted with flowering perennials and various annuals that keep areas…