Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Sep-2021 i Amateur Gardening

“Where does the year go? Only the other day, I was digging up daffodill bulbs from containers to store them for autumn – and within a blink of the eye, I am about to take them from their slumber to plant again! Truth is, this had not been on my mind but for reading Anne Swithinbank’s article on small daff varieties (Dainty Daffodils, page 28). I’m a traditionalist, and I see the first daffs as the true start of spring and the flowering season. No matter how many I plant, there never seem to be enough! So, inspired by Anne’s article, I am going to plant some dainty varieties this September to complement their taller cousins. Let’s hope for a glorious blast of yellow come spring…” Contact us: ■ Subscriptions:…

1 Rake up leaves and collect them for leaf mould. If left, they keep sun off the grass causing it to yellow and can become hosts for pests and disease. 2 Get rid of dead and dying summer bedding, then weed, turn and feed the soil and plant spring bedding and bulbs or let the bed lie fallow for winter. 3 It is still warm enough to treat containers with vine weevil nematodes, or a chemical if preferred. Raise pots on feet to aid drainage. 4 Pick fruit as it ripens before it spoils and potentially spreads infection. Store carefully, either somewhere cool and dark or in the freezer. Step by step Winter prep Season-proof all areas of the garden 1 Remove leaves and muck from gutters to prevent flooding…

WHEN you read this, the die will have been cast and we will know how a very different Chelsea Flower Show has fared with its delay from late May to late September. It won’t be the same – you can be sure of that – with some regular faces missing, and others taking their place. Chelsea Show Product of the Year 2021 is already chosen, with Ocean Plastic Pots (made from recycled old fishing ropes and nets) the winner. Close contenders were Twool Naked (a neutral-coloured British wool garden twine) and, at the other end of the price scale, a beautiful steam-moulded sweet chestnut garden table from Gaze Burvill. There is no shortage in the entries for Chelsea Plant of the Year 2021, and when it comes to innovation, Camellia…

WE might have an Indian summer lasting long into deepest winter, but the chances are it will soon become colder, wetter, windier and, all too soon, frosty. So it’s time to pick, process and store almost everything before it’s wasted. Now a few crops such as carrots and other root crops, leeks and the hardier brassicas can be left to fend for themselves. Most others, especially such as tomatoes and squashes, really need to be somewhere guaranteed warmer and drier otherwise they will just rot. A garden shed or garage will do, but make sure there is plenty of ventilation to help dry them off. (This applies to almost everything you want to store, especially fruits such as apples and pears, which ‘sweat’ for their first weeks after picking). Tomato…

It does what it says on the tin - our garden-ready plants can be planted straight into your garden as soon as they arrive - it couldn't be easier - just plant them out and water them. Before long you'll be sure to enjoy an amazing show of colour. If you're short on time then these large plug plants are ideal! You're guaranteed to get stunning results because we've done the hard work for you. Just plant, water and enjoy! • Flowers from autumn and though winter reaching a crescendo of colour in spring, choose from 8 varieties in the 3 for 2 offer! • Also great as colourful ground cover between spring flowering bulbs • Delivered as large garden ready plugs in a 20 pack for planting out straight…

This week it’s: Lawn seed and turf Fascinating facts about our green, green grass WHEN I was a student, I was taught the ‘textbook’ way to garden. In reality, however, there is always leeway. Take sowing a new lawn: I was taught that the middle of September was the only time you should sow grass seed: any other time would result in complete failure. Mmm! Over the years, I’ve sown lawn seed (and laid turf) practically every calendar month – avoiding frozen, snowy weather or drought. So, as now is ‘the only time’ to sow grass seed or put down turf, let’s take a sideways look! ■ When sowing grass seed, take a two-week weather forecast into consideration. Be aware of adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain and flooding,…

Q As we only have a small outdoor space, I am tempted by the idea of lasagne bulb planting in a pot. Have you tried it, was it successful and have you any tips on planting the bulbs? Jenny Minchin, Swindon, Wiltshire A In small spaces it can feel as though every inch counts in the struggle to grow as many different plants as possible. Instead of adding one variety of daffodil, hyacinth or tulip to a container, lasagne planting allows for two to five layers of different kinds. A deep container is half-filled with compost and the first layer of lateflowering bulbs (usually tulips) added. The compost goes in, leaving the bulb noses proud, and another layer is nestled in between them (perhaps an earlier flowering tulip or multi-headed…

THERE’S something incredibly uplifting about planting spring bulbs just as autumn is getting underway and the days are noticeably shortening. They are an optimistic sign of brighter times to come and an extremely easy and versatile way of adding colour and interest to your garden. With the right planning, spring bulbs will perform from early in the year right through to late summer, starting with snowdrops and crocuses before moving on to daffodils, anemones, tulips, crown imperials (Fritillaria imperialis), and the dazzling array of summer alliums. Bulb plants come in different heights too, from ground-hugging Anemone blanda and little scillas, crocuses and winter aconites to stately Camassia and bell-flowered Nectaroscordum siculum, that produce entrancing, upright arrowhead-shaped seedpods. Most spring bulbs favour a sunny spot, though a little shade will prolong…

PONDS are still busy with life in early autumn, though some things are starting to die back and slow down so you do need to carry out some ongoing maintenance. Just as terrestrial garden plants start to fade as summer ends, so aquatic plants reach the end of their annual cycle. It is important to cut back any dead and dying material to keep plants tidy and also stop old plant material from falling into the water where it will decompose, absorbing oxygen and releasing toxic gasses. When you cut back marginal plants, take care not to reduce stems below the waterline as they will start to rot, which will eventually kill them. Tender plants such as Egyptian paper rush (Cyperus papyrus) should be grown or moved into in pots…

A SUMMER garden without a stand of sweet peas always feels like there is something missing, so this week we are addressing this, but with a twist. ‘Singing the Blues’ has the traditional sweet pea scent but instead of being the range of candy shop colours, their flowers bloom in tones of blue, from rich, deep indigo to cool, restful shades. Regularly topping the ‘favourite summer flower’ polls, sweet peas are hardy annuals and can be sown now. In fact, if you do so, the resulting plants will have time to develop robust growth and stronger roots than those that are started off next spring. LIke all members of the pea family, ‘Singing the Blues’ develops long roots, so to be sure your plants have the chance to reach their…

EVERY year has its highlights, although this year wildlife and insect life have struggled in my garden after the incredibly cold spring. As I write, I haven’t seen a hummingbird hawk-moth hovering over our red valerian and that’s a common sight in most summers. Small copper butterflies have been absent and I’ve only seen one large skipper. Thankfully, I have been entertained by two spotted flycatchers in the bare branches at the top of an old holly tree above the roof of my cottage. They sit there in the afternoons and leave the branches to chase flying insects, then return to their perches. We probably wouldn’t have noticed them, but we’ve moved our garden table away from the path in front of the cottage because it’s full of plants. They’re…

John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week How can I save my wildflower garden? Q I sowed a wildflower garden last year and it did really well. However, this year the weeds (creeping buttercup, rushes, and so on) have taken over. I have considered redigging it, but I planted more than 100 bulbs and some primulas last year. Should I spray it? Norma Hill (via email) A With perennials such as primulas in the ground it isn’t possible to treat perennial weeds with herbicide. These kill all plants they come into contact with. The only way to treat the area as a whole would be to dig up those plants you want to keep and spray the rest, but this would have to be done soon…

JUST FOR FUN IT’S time for our just-for-fun puzzle: AG’s Garden Wall. This wall comprises 12 bricks in three courses. Each brick has a different word, or phrase on it. The first brick in each course (with words in BLOCK capitals) has been cemented in place and cannot be moved. Just rearrange all the other bricks, so that all four words in each course of bricks are linked. There are three different connections to look for, one for each course. You may find that some words have more than one connection to other courses, but there is just the one correct answer. You’ll either find this puzzle fiendishly difficult, or incredibly easy! Answers below. Hint: In one of the courses, the words are all types of lawn grass! Answer: SPINACH…

DESPITE the current trend for encouraging wildflower meadows, there are still many gardeners who prefer a wellmaintained green lawn. A perfect lawn takes time and effort, and it locks up carbon dioxide and provides a space for sitting or playing. Where you have borders, an even green lawn provides a relaxing foil to brighter colours and can lead the eye to a particular feature. A good lawn needs regular mowing, but also needs attention paid to feeding and weeding to keep it in good condition. To do this well, especially if you have a lawn of any size, it helps to have something to aid the distribution of fertiliser and weed control evenly. Getting the distribution rates wrong can have disastrous results. Ensuring the product is distributed evenly gives your…

Thank you for the seeds! I THOUGHT you might like to see this fabulous cleome I have grown from the Sarah Raven seeds that came with your brilliant magazine. My daughter was very suspicious when she saw the leaves and thought I was growing something illegal but when she saw the flower she was convinced! I have recently retired from a large northern supermarket and my dear friends and colleagues gave me a generous collection because they knew I wanted to do a major revamp of part of my garden. I’ve had weeks of exercise moving a raised bed, two huge compost bins and erecting a second greenhouse which I completed yesterday. Now I am looking forward to having so much space to grow lots more of your seeds so…

WIN £20 ‘You are nearer God’s heart in a garden’,So it says in the well known rhyme.But the devil inhabits my garden,where borders are less than sublime. Ground elder springs up in each corner,The bindweed refuses to die.A million mice live in my greenhouse,I think they’re subscribers to Sky. The blight took my bl**dy potatoes,Why won’t my tomatoes turn red?And who brought that truckload of rabbits?Is that what they mean by ‘deadhead’? Some badgers have dug up the meadow,My raised bed’s become their latrine,I’d much prefer God in my garden,The devil’s not left me a bean.…

BULBS are one of the easiest ways of adding oomph and style to your garden but there are a few things to bear in mind to get the best results. Firstly, the soil should be fertile and free-draining as bulbs will rot if planted in ground that holds onto moisture. We have thin and very chalky soil which drains well but doesn’t hold on to nutrients brilliantly so before planting I like to fork in lots of well-rotted compost or manure and chicken manure pellets too. If you are faced with clay soils, you may prefer to grow bulbs in containers where you can guarantee good drainage. Plant your bulbs at 2-3 times their own depth, roughly a bulb’s width apart. Cover them with soil and compost and firm it…

IN a few weeks’ time we will be entering the prime season for planting and moving trees and shrubs. The dormant months are perfect for relocating large woody plants and I will be dealing with that in more detail as autumn progresses, but there are a few things to bear in mind before you commit to the job. Not all trees and shrubs will relocate happily and the longer they have been growing, the less successful the move is likely to be. As a rule of thumb, plants that have been in the soil for five years or more are better left alone. The best months for transplanting are between October and mid-March for deciduous varieties and in October or March, when the soil is warm or starting to warm…

LEEKS are often in the ground for 10 months, are an essential part of any winter plot and don’t require any technical growing kit – just soil. It’s no wonder gardeners can’t get enough of this allium! So, how do you guarantee successful harvests? With careful selection, you can harvest leeks from August until April. Early varieties such as ‘Zermatt’ tend to have long, slender stems or ‘shanks’ and can be harvested as baby veg in late summer. As you move towards winter, varieties become stockier and hardier with darker green leaves (called ‘flags’) – sowings of ‘Neptune’ and ‘Below Zero’ will yield well into the spring. While some leeks are open pollinated (such as ‘Musselburgh’), which can lead to variability of quality, the 1990s saw the introduction of F1…

WILDFLOWER meadows aren’t just easy on the eye, as they also provide a habitat and flowery food for birds, bees and butterflies, and, for time-poor gardeners, require no regular care. But, just as every silver lining has a cloud, shaggy long grass meads have a downside with which I’m all too familiar. For the past week I’ve been cutting a meadow – a task timed when the wildflowers are dry and dropping their seeds to ensure they bulk up in number. Thanks to regular summer rain and the slow start to the growing season, this year the oxeye daisies, knapweed, yellow rattle and the rest have only just finished flowering and the cut is later than I’ve ever known. Strimming long grass is a dusty, noisy and back-breaking job I…