Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Jun-2022 i Amateur Gardening

“By the time you read this, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 will be a memory, and (for the first time in a while) a positive one for me. Why? Classic plants are back at Chelsea. Recent years have seen a decline in traditional planting and an emphasis on landscaping with trees, shrubs, even weeds and unfortunately concrete and rusty silos. This ugliness was ignored, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, as commentators waxed lyrical about designs that bore no relation to what most gardeners would really want. But there was a palpable sense of relief this year that we could talk about plants again. Let’s hope this is a positive sign of change at future shows.” Contact us: ■ Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 ■ Editorial: 0330 3903732 ■ Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com…

THE oldest cliché in gardening – ‘the answer lies in the soil’ – still rings true. Good gardeners know that enriching soil gives bigger flowers and bumper harvests of fruit and veg. With the horticulture industry united in belief that there is no reason to use peat to improve soil structure, what are the latest sustainable soil improvement options for gardeners? Eco-friendly compost maker Melcourt Industries points to SylvaGrow Farmyard, which has replaced its Farmyard Manure. “It is completely free of animal products, making it suitable for use by vegans,” technical director Catherine Dawson told AG. “It is now made with anaerobic digestate, the solid byproduct of the renewable energy process. It is uniform, looks like farmyard manure and has a virtually identical nutrient content which, like manure, is released…

KEEPING the greenhouse running well and the plants inside it healthy is a major consideration throughout the summer. The main challenges are keeping the temperature at safe levels and making sure plants stay hydrated and safe from the perils of sun scorch and pests through the hottest months. One of the easiest ways to do this is to cover the glass with opaque shading paint that can be easily washed off in autumn. Alternatively, drape netting or fleece over the structure. Good airflow and cool water also help lower the temperature and keep plants healthy. Keep windows and doors open, and dampen the floor in the morning so the moisture evaporates through the day, cooling things a degree or two. This also raises the humidity, which will keep plants safe…

ODD stuff, salt. Too much in your diet and it’s bad for you, while too little is apparently worse. It is said to be so valuable it entered our language from salarium, which was the salt ration in a Roman soldiers’ pay. Yet we use salt, with grit, on our roads when it’s icy (because salt makes ice melt). And people worry about that salt damaging their nearby plants – after all, in biblical times, victors were described as ‘salting’ the fields and orchards of their victims. True, a very high concentration of salt will kill almost anything, as can almost any dissolved substances. But that’s a really strong solution, and it would need to be a very large quantity, as salt will wash out of the soil so quickly.…

John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week How do I care for my mystery clematis? Q Please can you identify this clematis and tell me how I should care for it? Rhys Long (via email) A I believe this clematis might be the species texensis or a cultivar of this – the shape of the flowers is certainly right, as is the colouring. However, there are a great number of clematis available and it isn’t always possible to be certain of colour and size from a photograph! Clematis texensis are wonderful garden plants, and although they are a little bit fussy about their growing requirements, they will reward care with an abundance of flowers right through the summer. They prefer a sunny but sheltered spot and…

Star letter New perspective on peat debate I RECENTLY cancelled my subscription to BBC Gardeners’ World magazine because of the increasing number of features on the environment in line with the BBC’s mantra. It was refreshing to read Bunny Guinness’ article on dropping peat (AG, 30 April), it put the horticultural use of peat into perspective. I’m so pleased to have found your excellent magazine with so many practical tips. I’m looking forward to the next issue. Rachel Reynolds, Worcester Wendy says Thank you Rachel. As Bunny said, peat extraction for horticultural use is small. Peat has traditionally been harvested for domestic heating or used in power stations, this is coming to an end. Peat is also used in whisky production A good deed gone wrong WHAT an excellent letter…

EVEN though we’re in the busiest season of the year, it is still worth making time to fill any emerging gaps with summer bedding and use the leftovers to create colourful pots and baskets. Early spring plants will have had their moment, leaving bare patches in their wake. Bedding, which is relatively cheap and still widely available in garden centres and supermarkets, is the perfect way of adding instant and long-lasting interest to the garden. As with all aspects of growing, the health and longevity of your display starts before planting. You will get the best results by buying healthy plants, enriching the soil where they are to grow, using good quality fresh compost if growing in containers, and feeding and watering consistently. It also pays to be a bit…

WHO doesn’t love growing tomatoes? There are countless varieties with large and small fruits coloured red, yellow, purple, even tiger-striped, and they can be grown in a greenhouse, in the garden – and there are even trailing varieties for baskets. Tomatoes are prone to several pests and diseases, and need a consistent feeding and watering regime, so keep an eye on your plants to get the best results. The most common pests on greenhouse tomatoes are glasshouse spider mites that cause blotched leaves and spin webbing over plants, whitefly and tomato moth caterpillars. The little mites and flies can be beaten with biological controls, such as parasitic wasps and flies and predatory mites. They are widely available online (see dragonfli.co.uk 01376 563322 and greengardener.co.uk 01493 750061) and can be ordered…

I’VE been at Spring Cottage since November 2005 and it’s only the third proper garden I’ve made since 1978. All three gardens have been very different, but they’ve all been completely empty of plants on my arrival. My first proper garden was a north-facing Northamptonshire plot with wonderful views across a sloping landscape where sheep grazed and cuckoos called. My children grew up there and I enjoyed the north-facing aspect because it was sheltered from easterly and westerly winds. The shade cast by the tall stone cottage suited ferns and woodlanders. The soil was free draining, because it had been cultivated for hundreds of years, and there was a small, very sheltered south-facing garden on the other side of the cottage, complete with a functional well covered in honeysuckle. My…

ROOT pruning trees and shrubs growing in containers is used to reduce the need to keep transferring these plants to ever-larger pots, which would eventually lead to the container being so big it would become unmanageable. Where a plant is intended to remain in a container for a long time, the usual recommendation is to remove the top 2-3in (5-7cm) of old compost each spring and replace it with fresh bought compost containing a controlled-release fertiliser. This should provide sufficient nutrition for the current growing season. This is an alternative to constantly moving the plant into a larger container. Roots close to the surface Removing the old layer of compost does have advantages, including the removal of weeds and weed seeds, along with the eggs and grubs of the dreaded…

ONCE you’ve planted your containers and baskets, beds and borders, and they are growing well, the next thing to do is keep them healthy and flowering for as long as possible. Feeding and watering regularly are the obvious top priorities, though take care when using peat-free compost as it can look dry on the surface but still be well hydrated underneath. This can make gardeners think they need to add more water when in fact the opposite is needed. To check, stick a finger in the compost up to the first knuckle; if it feels dry, add water, but if there is still moisture there, check again the next day. Lots of plants in a container will gobble up all the original goodness in the compost, so start feeding with…

YES, we are all preoccupied with the summer garden and making sure this season’s plants are kept healthy and in bloom, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look ahead to later in the year and the start of next year. Early summer is the ideal time to start sowing your spring bedding, the violas, pansies, bellis and biennial wallflowers and sweet Williams that will start next year’s parade of colour and scent. This week’s free seeds are for a ‘Early Mixed’ pansies, which promise to bring a multicoloured swathe of velvety petals to your garden next spring. These plants, with their cheerful faces in myriad shades will look fabulous at the front of borders and in containers and baskets, and are relatively problem-free, as long as you grow them in…

WITH eager spring sowings and correct storage, you can supply your kitchen with homegrown beetroot all year, so how do you ensure supplies keep rolling in? Read on! Hopefully your garden contains at least one row of beetroot, but I’m here to encourage you to swell that to three or four. That’s the secret to great beetroot – sow small batches every month outdoors from April until July for a succession of roots. If you really love this nutrient-packed veg, make a final larger sowing now. This harvest (made in late October) will keep in storage for months. All you need is a box of damp sand and a cool, rodent-free spot in your shed. “You can expect maturity in 12 weeks” Sowing for success Root shape and colour vary…

HEIRLOOM roses are also known as heritage roses, antique roses, old garden roses, shrub roses and old-fashioned roses. Strictly speaking, these are roses that were developed before the first modern rose arrived on the scene in 1867, but in practice any roses developed more than 100 years ago can be classified as heirloom roses. Sue Martin of Piedmont Master Gardeners says: “The heirlooms are described as hardy, disease-resistant, carefree, prolific shrubs that don’t require much tending. But the showstopper is their wondrous fragrance, mentioned over and over again. They also offer a wide variety of forms ranging from shrubs to tall, arching plants up to 20ft (6m) in height.” The other feature that is typical of heirloom roses is the beautiful structure of the individual double flowers. Collectively, in early…

AS gardeners we are familiar with the more common herbs – the mints, sages, rosemaries (or should it be rosmarys?), lavenders, thymes, and so on. But what about, what I call, the lesser herbs? There are valuable culinary and household herbs that rarely get a mention. I’m thinking of such luminaries as alecost, tansy, coltsfoot, sweet cicely, winter purslane, skullcap (no, it’s not a fungus, although it sounds like one) and many more. Let’s take a look at some of these plants, and how we can make better use of them in our gardens – and in our lives! ■ Apparently (and I cannot confirm this), there are 32 references to herbs in the Old Testament of the Bible, but just five references in the New Testament. Fancy a tansy…

Q Having read that jostaberries will grow in the shade, I planted a bush in a north-facing position about seven years ago. How can I persuade it to set a better crop of fruit? Angela Hawkins, Stroud, Gloucestershire A The thornless jostaberry (correctly pronounced ‘yostaberry’) is a hybrid created between blackcurrant and gooseberry. I was also attracted by the promise of picking sweet berries from disease/thorn-free bushes. Several years down the line we have a large, vigorous shrub whose fruit are less plentiful than that of a gooseberry or blackcurrant. Although sweet enough to eat raw, the berries seem to lack the distinct flavour of either parent. On the plus side, the plant is healthy, sets fruit well on its own (with insect pollination), is vigorous and responds well to…

I’m really very proud of my clock uponthe wall,Though it isn’t in the dining room,Not even in the hall.No, I’ve hung it in the garden, it’s thereit’s going to beSo I can tell the time when I’mgardening you see. Oh, it is a proper garden clock that’smeant to go outside,And there it hangs and quietly ticksFilling me with pride.But there is a snag that happens tointerrupt this rhyme.I’m afraid my lovely garden clock justdoesn’t tell the time! For instance, when it’s five past ninemy clock says ten to ten.Again, when it should say ten to ten itsays five past nine again!Every time, (well almost), I set thehands in place,And step back with a happy smileupon my face.But no sooner has my back beenturned then off it goes again!Telling some ridiculous…

KNOCK on my Aunty Frankie’s door, morning, noon or night, and she’d put a meal in front of you faster than you could say, “But I’ve just eaten.” I’ve been thinking about Aunty Frankie’s ability to find space at her table (and demand you find it, too) as I’ve been planting clematis – a group of climbers that there’s always room for, even in gardens with full-to-bursting borders. One of the easiest to squeeze in is the alpina variety ‘Pamela Jackman’. In my garden, it keeps an old crab apple company, scrambling up the trunk and into the branches where it grows out of sight until bell-shaped blue flowers cascade out from the twiggy canopy each spring. It’s as easy-going as the crab apple; the only pruning required is occasionally…