Innholdsfortegnelse for 26-Mar-2022 i Amateur Gardening

“At the time of writing this column the war in Ukraine is still ongoing and I can only hope that when you come to read these words those poor, innocent people may be closer to a peaceful resolution. I mention this because I wanted to direct you to Toby Buckland’s column on page 58, in which he explains how sunflowers and the Ukraine are inextricably linked and indeed why the sunflower is the national symbol of that great and sadly beleaguered country and also their national sign of peace. Toby asks us to plant sunflowers this year to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian people and I am joining him in that request. Let us all pray for peaceful resolution in the hope that Ukrainians will be free again.” Contact…

GROWING new flowers from seed is one of the greatest joys of gardening. While we all love the reassurance of tried-and-tested varieties, experimenting with the latest novelties ensures that the nation’s favourite pastime is always a voyage of discovery. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, breeders have been hard at work creating new flowers that have been tailored to make gardening easier and more enjoyable. There are new blooms for 2022 that shrug off the extremes of heat and drought – wishful thinking for a great British summer, perhaps, but a scenario that’s predicted to become commonplace with climate change. Breeders have even unveiled new varieties that won’t succumb to pesky diseases such as busy Lizzie downy mildew. This season hasn’t played host to the volume of ‘new and exclusive’…

I AM writing this a few days after Storm Eunice bounced her way across the UK, leaving many people clearing up the damage left in her wake. Violent storms such as the one in late February, as well as Arwen and Barra in November and December 2021, are becoming more commonplace so it makes sense to be extra vigilant and aware of potential problems in the garden when they are forecast. Strengthening winds can cause immense damage so make sure railings and fences are stable, their panels properly secured and reinforced if necessary. Young and newly planted trees need staking and older ones should be checked regularly to make sure branches aren’t becoming weak and dangerous. Wind isn’t the only problem. Heavier rainfalls lead to flooding and waterlogging, and this…

A FEW weeks ago, a national newspaper asked me to write a column about the apparent demise of the British garden, based on two previous articles by non-gardeners. One featured the widespread use of plastic grass in North Kensington, London, which I pointed out was hardly appropriate to the rest of us. I can understand why those with shady courtyards in urban environments might resort to this, though. After all, it graces the parterre at the National Trust’s Cliveden in Buckinghamshire. Real grass dies under constant footfall and creates a slip hazard. The other article reported that the Royal Horticultural Society was going back to plants at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, by making every garden devote 75% of its space to plants. This was an inaccurate statement. It only…

No: 055 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 BLOCK capitals, is cemented in place and cannot be moved. Just rearrange all the other bricks, so that the 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 one correct answer. You’ll either find this puzzle fiendishly difficult, or incredibly easy! Answers below. Hint: In one of the courses, the bricks are all words connected to the flower of the daffodil! Answers: DIGGING…

You can listen to Steve on alternate Sundays 10am-2pm on BBC Radio Kent’s Sunday Gardening (BBC Local) YOU may think a watering can is just a watering can, but they do vary widely and there can be more to your final selection than you expect. For instance, the type of can you need depends on the type and size of your plants and where they are, and the distance to a water supply. Size is important If you have lots of containers or need to water plants growing outside in borders, you may need a big watering can with around a 10-litre capacity to help you water everything efficiently. If you struggle with a 10-litre size, look at a smaller option such as a 5 or 7-litre can, bearing in…

Star letter Surprises that brighten up my day I HAVE spent quite a lot of time this last month preparing the allotment for the year ahead, clearing and digging in manure. Despite unsettled weather, I managed to enjoy uplifting sunny intervals to get my jobs done. On one visit, I found two unexpected surprises that really brightened my day! How the delicate white crocus got into my tidied raspberry bed I’ve no idea, and I was stunned to see a sunbathing butterfly so early! Just goes to show, there can be wonderful treats just waiting around the corner for you! Iona Chisholm, Lichfield, Staffs Smart filing I AM sending you some photos of planters that I made from old metal filing cabinets. First of all, I scraped the drawers, I…

I’M like a child in a sweet shop at this time of year, when garden centres fill up with all the promise and colours of summer plants. Bulbs are one of the easiest ways of bringing colour into the garden between late spring and autumn and they are some of the brightest and best plants available for us to grow. Alstroemeria, agapanthus, begonias, ranunculus, dahlias, echinaceas, gladioli and lilies – so many wonderful plants in every colour imaginable. We already have lots of alliums, crocosmia and gladioli in our borders as well as several begonias, dahlias and a canna lily potted up in the greenhouse and on windowsills, already starting to shoot with this year’s growth. Some of these are new tubers, others salvaged from last year and I only…

WINTER is a tough time for rockeries, rock gardens and alpines planted up in containers and elsewhere in the garden. Although they are generally tough little plants they often tend not to fare so well in our mild, wet winders. They are often low-growing, which makes them vulnerable to rotting, especially among their lower leaves and roots if they are left to sit on continually wet soil or planted in areas where there is poor drainage. Their diminutive stature also means it is easy for them to become smothered by fallen leaves and debris, and overgrown by weeds. With spring well under way now, take time to check your alpines and rockeries to make sure plants survived the winter and give them some TLC. Keep rockery plants free from weeds…

ONE of the most exciting things about this time of year is that the soil is generally warm enough to sow hardy annual seeds directly. Half hardy seeds still need starting off undercover, but their hardier cousins will do very well scattered thinly into a prepared seedbed outside now. This week’s free seeds are ‘Quick and Easy’ mixed annuals and contain several varieties including poppies, corn cockles, stocks and calendulas. Sown now, they will thrive in a sunny patch of well-prepared soil. I have sown ours in a corner of the garden that gets a lot of afternoon sun. I have already planted several wildlife-friendly perennials there and will add a stand of sweet peas in a few weeks’ time. ◼ The Cosmos seeds I sowed in three types of…

CARROTS are among the UK’s most popular vegetables, and yet growing them at home can be tricky. Here’s how to leapfrog over any hurdles from spring through to winter, so you can make sure that this is your best-ever year for carrots. Light, stone-free soils are a carrot-grower’s dream. So if yours is heavy, compacted or clay, consider adding lots of well-rotted garden compost, sowing into raised beds, or container growing. If the taproot is impeded, the resulting crop quality will be poor. Carrots can be notoriously slow to germinate (they often take two-three weeks to emerge), hardly germinating at all when the soil is less than 7.5°C (46°F). Due to the individual seeds within the carrot flower maturing at different times, you can reduce the problem by keeping the…

ANTIRRHINUMS are short-lived perennial plants, usually grown each year from seed. They are also called snapdragons, or sometimes dragon flowers, because as you gently squeeze the sides of the two-lipped flowers, the face opens like a dragon opening its mouth. They are also called ‘bunny rabbit plants’ because the flower is said to look like a rabbit’s head. The large and colourful two-lipped flowers open in late spring and summer, and are carried on plants that vary from small, twiggy and bushy edging plants to tall and upright cut flowers. A few varieties have open, trumpet-shaped flowers, an increasing number are well scented, some have partially double flowers (with extra petals) and a few varieties also have crimson or variegated leaves. Snapdragons come in a wide variety of colours, though…

Making a moon garden Q Our 10-year-old daughter has read about a moon garden and is asking for ideas on how to make one. I want to encourage her interest in the garden, so could you provide any tips about plants to grow to create this type of garden? Helen McKinney, Kidderminster, Worcestershire A My daughter might be 31, but has a romantic disposition and made a similar request for a garden to enjoy on long summer evenings as dusk turns to dark. An area filled with pale, glowing, night-scented plants is also perfect for those returning late from work and unwinding by candlelight. I like a challenge, and any new project starts with a site and plan. You might earmark a secluded corner, but we’re looking at a group…

WIN £20 Please write to our popular ‘Gardener’s Poetry’. This week, an amusing poem by Robert Hinchcliffe about this wasp found in his garden. Did you know these creatures were so hairy? Hey, what’s that sudden blinding light?That wakes me from my winter night.That icy wind, for goodness sake,It’s not yet time for me to wake!And now this human – whata size!He’s staring straight intomy eyes.Is that a camera that I see?He’s peering down the lensat me.Don’t you quite appreciate,That we wasps like tohibernate?Though rudely woken frommy nap,I’ll sit here while you takeyour snap.Though you don’t even seemto care,I’ve had no time to fix my hair.It’s all stood up as if in shock,Might make you think I likepunk rock!I’d rather I’d slept through‘til spring,But though annoyed, I willnot sting.That wintry…

INCREASINGLY popular, butternuts are a series of squashes cropping from mid-late summer and they are wonderful stored for winter use. They’re of a different species to our marrows, courgettes and pumpkins, which were long ago derived mostly from Cucurbita pepo, whereas butternuts are more recent and developed from C. moschata. This makes them more nutritious, with more vitamin A – indeed, 30% more than ‘Hubbard’ and 80% more than ‘Acorn’ squashes. And all parts of the plant are edible, even the leaves. Unfortunately, their different ancestry also makes them a tad trickier. Originally from Central America, butternuts are much happier with hotter, more continental climates and they sulk in our cooler springs and summers, which would be just OK for other squashes. “All parts of the plant are edible, even…

John has been answering reader queries for 50 years Could I grow Epimediums in containers? Q Is it possible to grow Epimediums in a container and if so, what compost should I use and are some varieties better than others? Helen O’Brien, Cumbria A I’ve never tried to grow Epimedium in containers, but Hardy’s Plants lists the following as suitable. Those listed are Epimedium grandiflorum, Epimedium x youngianum ‘Roseum’, Epimedium x peralchium ‘Frohnleiten’ and Epimedium x warleyense ‘Orangekonigin’. Other varieties of these hybrids will probably also be suitable. Epimedium like humus-rich garden soil and in most cases like plenty of moisture around the roots. I would be inclined to use loam-based John Innes no 2 with added leaf mould or garden compost, or added multi-purpose compost. Even types that tolerate…

This week it’s: Daffodils in all their glory We take a close look at these spring-flowering bulbs WE are in daffodil season, and I for one could not be happier. These ‘large-flowered trumpet narcissus’ (to give them their official title) are a real joy, and for many gardeners they represent the first real patches of colour in the year. Over the next few weeks try to visit places like Wisley, or Edinburgh Botanics, or 101 other spring gardens where daffodils abound in large drifts. And become inspired. Also, look out for the names of the varieties that catch your eye. Let’s take a look at some of the many fascinating stories about daffodils. ◼ Quote of the Week: ‘A house with daffodils in it is a house lit up, whether…

I’VE always had a big thing for sunflowers. Growing in a few weeks into skyscrapers, they are living miracles – up there (pardon the pun) with the best of them. As I push the stripy kernels into the astonishing summer height and heft to come, although recent events mean that now I can’t help but reflect on how lucky we are to live in a free and peaceful land. Sunflowers are inextricably linked with the brave and beleaguered people of Ukraine. Not only are they their national flower, but the image of the golden petals against a blue sky also evokes the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, while oil pressed from the seed provides a significant chunk of Ukraine’s agricultural wealth. Sunflowers aren’t native to Europe but hark…