Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Jul-2022 i Amateur Gardening

◼ Hardy geraniums, or cranesbill geraniums, are one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow. ◼ Happy in most soils and situations, they produce spreading mats of attractive foliage covered, in early summer, with open flowers in shades of pink and purple. ◼ The first flush of blooms should be over by now and some of the leaves may be starting to look a little bedraggled and weathered. ◼ Using a pair of shears, run them over the plant, removing spent flower heads and tatty leaves, then feed with a general purpose fertiliser and water it in. ◼ Your plants will put on new growth and, hopefully, a second flush of flowers later in the summer.…

Next week: Focus on currant care, sowing beetroot as soon as possible, dealing with wasps, when to pick figs, and promoting growth in beans. ARE you facing empty water butts, a sizable water meter bill and a long summer of hot weather? Me, too! So it’s important to use this precious resource wisely. Remember, not all crops need the same amount of water. Mature edibles with a large leaf canopy will demand a lot more moisture than a freshly emerged drill of tiny seedlings. Yield, too, affects the volume of water needed – plants carrying a heavy crop of actively swelling pods, cobs, fruits or foliage should be given more water than those still yet to develop their harvest. As a rule, flowering and fruiting are generally the best times…

THE most successful gardeners are those who take the time to know their gardens intimately. Areas of sun and shade are noted and the texture of soil checked and tested. There is also an awareness of climate and the likelihood of prolonged periods of drought. In a world of climate change, scarcer resources and rising water bills, continuously watering the garden is time consuming and wasteful. The answer lies in choosing ornamental plants adapted to thrive in hot, dry areas, and these are easy to spot and easy to grow. Look for silvery, hairy, woolly, waxy or needle-like foliage, while below ground they are likely to have deep or fleshy roots perfect for seeking and storing moisture. Once settled, they look after themselves and can be safely left when you…

Rich and vibrant Sedum ‘Lime Zinger’ SunSparkler Series (Hylotelephium ‘Lime Zinger’) This plant grows in dense leafy mats that make a great foil for taller plants through the summer. Flowers in late summer bring in the bees. It’s very easy to care for and prefers full sun but will tolerate light shade, too. Will die back completely over winter. HxS: 6x18in (15x45cm). Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’ AGM This salvia is good mid-height plant that is easy to combine with other perennials. It’s also easy to care for and adaptable to sunny or light-shady locations. It needs a top up of mulch in spring and just a light trim over winter to encourage new growth in the spring. HxS: 24x15in (60x38cm). Verbena officinalis var. grandiflora ‘Bampton’ Great for adding ethereal, airy height to…

Q Please could you identify our tree? The bees love it. David Bannerman (via email) A The shrub attracting a plethora of bees appears to be the New Zealand tea tree or manuka (Leptospermum scoparium). There are many prized varieties, among them ‘Appleblossom’, ‘Gaiety Girl’ and ‘Pink Cascade’. Q Please could you identify this plant? The bees love it. David Bannerman (via email) A This is Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Sunburst’, also known as false sunflower. A perennial, it grows well in moist, well-drained soil in full sun. It is a favourite with pollinators. Q What is this plant, please? Jan Schut (via email) A This is soapwort (Saponaria officinalis). A British wildflower, it is often used by the National Trust to clean delicate fabrics. There are single and double-flowered…

On 15 July 2006 we saw the creation of the microblogging and social networking service Twitter. With around 230 million users today, we post (and interact with) messages, or ‘tweets’, and it has become a 21st century phenomenon. For big business, and bigname celebrities, Alan Twitter is an essential part of their online presence – and the world of gardening is no different. Monty Don was an early Twitter user, before falling out with individuals reacting badly to something he said, so he deactivated his account. A few years later he came back to it (@TheMontyDon) and now uses it frequently. Alan Titchmarsh has many accounts in his name, relating mainly to the different ITV shows he hosts; (@LoveYourGarden2). ◼ There is a huge gardening presence on Twitter. And it’s…

ACROSS 1 This Isle of Wight town is also a cultivar of miniature pelargonium (5) 3 Fast-growing crop grown simultaneously with or between successive plantings of a main crop (5) 7 Genus subject of this week’s Miscellany! (11) 8 Mint geared up for seeds started into growth! (10) (anag) 9 Common-name subject of this week’s Miscellany! (10) 13 Large beetles (also known as maybugs), the larvae of which live underground and eat plant roots (including potatoes) (11) 14 Small and insignificant – as in Hosta ‘_____ Donna’ and Iris ‘_____ Circus’! (5) 15 Genus of the Indian shot plant (5) DOWN 1 This fuchsia cultivar is also the official name of the Yangtze River (the longest in Asia) (5) 2 Can watering be the simple answer? That would be a…

Q I am considering plantingbamboo in the garden for stems and movement, but am afraid it might spread and be hard to control. Which should I plant – and are there alternatives? Margaret Alderton, Oadby, Leics. A With their evergreen foliage and attractive canes, bamboos bring a lush, jungle-like mood to the garden, their swaying stems creating soft sounds and patterns of light and shade. We have space for several stands of bamboo and regularly harvest the canes as plant supports for tomatoes and beans. The slight downside is that bamboo plants – especially those planted in wetter, milder regions – can take off with a vengeance and stray where not wanted. Some form tight clumps which, though they spread slowly, form a wide, dense mass of stems and roots.…

SALVIAS are easy to grow from cuttings, providing you remember the golden rule and use flower-free stems. Often you have to create this by pruning out some of the existing flowering stems to encourage fresh sprigs – ideal for cuttings – to grow from the base. Gather when 4in (10cm) long and trim just below a bud before removing leaves from the bottom half of each and clustering them into pots of multipurpose compost. Kept moist and in a shady space, they should root within a few weeks, when they can be transferred to individual containers to grow on.1To keep salvias compact, lightly…

APART from the sad loss of our greengage, a failed sowing of French beans and two butternut squash plants demolished by snails, it looks as though our fruit and veg harvests will be good this year (fingers crossed). The raspberries and tayberries that I fed and mulched in early spring are laden with fruit. The leggy tomatoes that I feared would come to nothing have bushed up and turned a healthy shade of dark green. They are flowering well so again, fingers crossed for a good crop. The Agriframe netting has kept the purple sprouting safe and our freezer is full of podded broad beans, the garage hanging with drying garlic. More exotically, the fig and grape vine are ripening nicely and our ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple and ‘Victoria’ plum…

16 July: Plant Heritage Great Surrey Plant Share. The three ‘Share Hubs’ are Heneage Farm, Windlesham Road, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8QR; 62 Kings Drive, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 8NH; and 23 Shirley Avenue, Old Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 1QZ. 2-4pm, contact David Ford on & 0208 645 5185, email surreyph@gmail.com. 16 July: Cactus Day, Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Exeter, EX9 7BJ. 16-17 July: Belvoir Castle Flower and Garden Show, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 1PE. 9.45am-4.30pm daily. Talks, demonstrations, plants for sale. 16-17 July: Burnham Nurseries & Orchid Paradise Open Weekend, Forches Cross, Newton Abbot, Devon, England, TQ12 6PZ. 10am-3pm daily. Orchids.uk.com. 17 July: Learn to scythe, RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1QB. 17 July: Chenies Manor Plant Fair, Chenies Manor, Chenies, Rickmansworth,…

SPRING may be the major sowing season, but don’t put away those seed tins – by starting off certain crops now, you’ll ensure harvests keep rolling in for months to come! The secret to running a productive vegetable garden is to never take your eye off the ball – always anticipate gaps emerging on the plot, and take steps to fill them as quickly as possible. Early sowings made undercover in February allow us to hit the ground running. But with many quick-growing veg maturing in 6-10 weeks, summer can find you looking at an increasing number of bare patches. Depending on where you live, we have another 8-10 weeks where night-time temperatures remain in double figures. That’s a lot of cropping potential! After this time, growth rate declines significantly,…

HAVE you eaten any garlic yet? It’s incredibly tempting to lift a few heads prematurely in May/early June as they’re just bulbing up (termed ‘wet’ garlic). Growers of hardneck varieties such as ‘Extra Early Wight’ and ‘Caulk Wight’ will have enjoyed dining on the flower spikes or ‘scapes’ that hardnecks produce in early summer. But now, during mid-late July, is the time when we should be harvesting our main crop. Individual garlic cloves can continue to grow once mature – bulb onions just sit patiently until we’re ready to lift them. But as the garlic cloves keep on growing, their storage potential nosedives – so the solution is to lift them as soon as they’re ready. The time to harvest does vary with variety, but generally you should wait until…

Anthericum liliago ‘Major’ AGM Fleshy rooted European St Bernard’s lily makes clumps of narrow grey-green leaves joined from spring into summer by white flowers. Plants die back for winter and are multiplied by dividing clumps in spring. HxS: 30x12in (75x30cm). Hylotelephium telephium ‘Purple Emperor’ (Atropurpureum Group) AGM This compact perennial dies back in winter and bursts to life in spring. Young leaves have a smoky bloom, turn deep purple, and by late summer dark stems have maroon buds opening to pale purple-pink flowers. H&S: 20in (50cm). Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ Better known as gaura, this herbaceous perennial has an upright habit. Narrow stems bear pink buds opening to white flowers from late spring to autumn, when plants turn pinkish-red. They look good en masse. HxS: 30x18in (75x45cm). Bupleurum fruticosum This neat…

How often should I water drought-tolerant plants? IN gardens where soils are light and summers hot and dry, designing with drought-tolerant plants is a fascinating exercise. Newly planted specimens need time to put down deep tap roots, create decent sized rhizomes or fleshy roots to sustain themselves. During prolonged droughts in their first year, push your fingers into the soil and, if dry, give them a good soaking probably every four to five days. If there are many plants, install a leaky pipe system. Once established, they should survive without watering. What is the most drought-tolerant plant for gardens? THE most successful drought-tolerant plants will vary from garden to garden, depending on soil and climate. Oenothera lindheimeri and Lavandula stoechas (French lavender), for example, might not come through winter in…

Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’ This white version of valerian has a long flowering season, pollinator-friendly blooms and a tough temperament. Deadheading to encourage fresh blooms so flowers keep coming through the summer. HxS: 3x2ft (90x60cm). Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ AGM This salvia is great for bringing a vertical accent and rich colour to displays. It’s laden with intense purple flowers from June to October that draw in butterflies and bees. Good for a south-facing patio or windowsill. HxS: 24x18in (60x45cm). Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’ This late-summer perennial will lend an airy feel to larger, informal container displays. It flowers from May through to September, but needs room to breathe, so combine it with softer grasses and lower growing spreading plants. HxS: 24x18in (60x45cm).…

How do you prune these clematis? GARDENERS are often confused by clematis pruning, but in this case it is simple. First, consider whether you need to restrict the growth of your clematis. If not, then do nothing – simply allow it to grow up into a mature tree or take over more space. If you need to restrict the growth of your summer-flowering clematis, if it is growing in a container or on a fence, for example, then prune hard. Cut your clematis back hard in early spring, just as the buds are starting to grow. Cut back all the stems that grew the previous year – all the brown twiggy shoots that remain after the foliage dropped in autumn. Leave about 1-2ft (30-60cm) of old growth and remove all…

In this extract from AG 27 June 1970, Christopher Lloyd, of Great Dixter fame, looks at plants after flowering MANY of us think too much about how a plant looks when it is flowering and too little of how it will look afterwards. But this is a matter of particular importance in the small garden of today, where nothing can be lost sight of or forgotten and everything is constantly in the picture. There are some gardens that already look derelict in May because they have been indiscriminately planted with daffodils. Traveller and plant collector Reginald Farrer (1880-1920) wrote so aptly of their ‘flopping masses of decay’. If you have an area of rough grass, daffodils can die discreetly and unnoticed, but in the more probable event of no such…

WHY are antirrhinums known as snapdragons? They also go by the common names of dragon flowers and dog flowers. This is because of the flowers’ supposed resemblance to the face of a dragon (or a dog) that opens and closes its mouth when the bloom is squeezed at the sides. I spent my student days, followed resemble the face of by 40 years writing about plants, a dragon or a dog knowing that antirrhinums were, without any doubt, 100%, in the figwort plant family (Scrophulariaceae) – along with their similar-looking cousins that include nemesia, penstemon and diascia. However, in the past decade, DNA sequencing has caused the snapdragon to be moved to the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), which includes hebes, linaria (flax), bacopa and the aquatic callitriches – which don’t look…

Roses in multicolour PLANT breeders amaze me how beauty is captured for us to see and buy. This ‘Grandpa Dickson’ is a rose that really keeps giving and a lovely present we were given. The flowers start off as this stunning yellow and a in few days opens out into a beautiful cream tinged with pink, it really is two for the price of one! Sylvia Monk, Hayling Island, Hants Wendy says Lovely, Sylvia. You may have heard about new rose from Peter Beales this year, also with several distinct colours from peach, then pink to almost white on a single plant, it’s called ‘Loyal Companion’ Classicroses.co.uk Star letter My tips for natural dyes I AM writing to say, the issue (AG, 28 May) was brilliant. Sweetcorn, geraniums, hydrangeas, and then…

THE aspect of this experiment that I was most looking forward to was making seed and potting-on composts using our own compost and leaf mould. For the seed compost I used two parts homemade compost and the same amount of leaf mould, both sieved, with one part of perlite (you can use horticultural sand instead). I also made potting-on compost using equal amounts of sieved homemade compost and leaf mould augmented with one part of sieved garden soil. It is easy to make if you have the facilities for making compost and leaf mould but unless your compost heap generates enough heat to kill the weed seeds, they will germinate in your homemade compost. An alternative is to sterilise the soil in a hot oven, but I was pretty sure…

◼ Five seedlings grown in peat-free compost throughout remained for planting out. ◼ I had great hopes for the Sylvagrow peat-free seed compost because it has an excellent reputation and was certainly not cheap. ◼ The seeds were slower to germinate and the seedlings that did appear seemed weaker than those growing in peat seed compost. ◼ This is why I put it third in the test, because had I not been doing the trial I may have given up on the weaker seedlings and sown another batch in the Westland compost. ◼ Luckily they were redeemed when I potted them on into the Sylvagrow peat-free multipurpose, which is my go-to growing medium. ◼ It gave them a new lease of life and they soon caught up with those grown…

◼ Although lavender is at its most pungent when it is first in bloom, it retains its scent all summer and can still be cut now. ◼ Grasp a handful of stems and carefully remove them using a sharp knife, secateurs or scissors. Avoid cutting into the dry, old wood. ◼ Tie the flowers in bunches and hang them somewhere airy, cool and out of direct sunlight. ◼ Hang a paper bag or old pillowcase underneath them to catch any falling flowers as they dry. ◼ Alternatively, lay the stems flat on trays in an airing cupboard or a warm space for a few days. ◼ Either keep the stalks for flower arrangements or rub the buds free and use them as pot pourri or to make moth-repelling bags for…

WITHOUT doubt, most of our crops, and even our flowers, might be significantly better with just a little more ‘X’. The difficulty is working out what ‘X’ is and for which crops? Well, usually more sun, more water, more space or more airflow will be the solution, as these are the greatest factors affecting growth. Fortunately, there’s a simple way we can improve all four – and that’s by thinning. Thin beets You see, when you reduce the number of plants, then those remaining have more of everything between them. This goes double for the crops on the plant. When you reduce the number of apples left on the tree, each remaining fruit will swell more. You can rarely over-thin: the fewer crops left, the better each crop does. “Ensure…

CONTAINER gardening has no limits when it comes to mixing up your planting styles, and using perennial plants means you can enjoy a display from one summer to the next – and save on buying new bedding plants! The best perennial plants for pots are ones that offer a long season of interest and are winter hardy, so you can rely on them to return next summer. Perennials work really well for informal displays that have a more natural feel and fit in with wildlife-friendly planting styles. Keep well watered The key to all successful pot displays is to keep plants well watered, which can feel like a chore in the summer. Making sure plants are getting moisture to their roots is important, particularly during rainy weather when you may…

1 Soak your new clematis plant by standing it in a bucket of water for about 15 minutes. While your clematis is soaking, prepare the planting site by adding well-rotted compost to the soil or bagged soil improver. 2 Use a hand trowel to make a planting hole, then stand your clematis in the hole to check the planting level – unlike most plants, clematis should be planted so that the level of the soil ball is 3in (7.5cm) below the surrounding soil. This encourages the new plant to develop dormant buds below soil level, they will only grow if the plant is damaged or is attacked by wilt. 3 After refilling the hole, irrigate again and mulch with weed-free organic matter. Where to buy Raymond Evison Clematis raymondevisonclematis.com Taylor’s Clematis taylorsclematis.co.uk…

WIN £30 No: 629 This word search comprises words associated with antirrhinums. 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 11 letters remaining; arrange these to make this week’s KEYWORD. SNAPDRAGON HALF HARDY SUMMER BEDDING DISEASE RESISTANT DOG FLOWER CORONETTE DOUBLE HOT PERENNIAL POTOMAC SONNET VIEWS HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry form, and send it to AG Word Search No 629, Amateur Gardening, Future Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, RG41 5TP, to arrive by Wednesday 27 July, 2022. The first correct entry…

Traditionally, once the stump was dead, a layer of soil was applied over the cut surface to help speed up the rotting process by (hopefully) introducing fungal spores into the wood, but there is little evidence to support this over leaving it exposed to the weather. Research is now being done into introducing spores of silver leaf fungus onto stumps to speed up the rotting process, so it will be interesting to see if this works.…

SHARE YOUR STORIES TIPS AND PHOTOS and you will receive a fantastic pair of Town & Country’s Master Gardener gloves — the UK’s best-selling gardening glove and a perfect companion to help you in the garden. State small, medium or large with your letter. I VISITED Sissinghurst Gardens, Kent, recently. The garden was beautiful in June, not only for the masses of ‘star’ plants such as roses, clematis and irises, but for supporting more diminutive flowers, on plants such as hardy geraniums and thistles. Many of these were attracting bees and other pollinators, as you can see in the pic. I believe visiting gardens is one of the best ways for selecting plants, if you have the right aspect /soil. I have now planted a cirsium for the bees!…