Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Sep-2022 i Amateur Gardening

“Many of you will know by now that peat compost for use by amateurs will be banned by the end of 2023. The rationale is the preservation of UK peatlands, yet the majority of the peat we use comes from Eastern Europe – not the UK. We definitely support the efforts to save native peatlands. However, the problem is that many of the peat-free replacement composts currently available are not fit for purpose. We have had countless letters from AG readers who have tried peat-free with awful results. This ban is too early. Producers need more time to refine products and users need more time to learn how to garden differently. I don’t think the government or the RHS have fully grasped how big a problem this will be for…

LET’S take stock of the toll caused by the summer’s scorching conditions. Brown lawns, soil that’s either dry as dust or baked to impenetrable hardness, lost plants and tinder-dry compost heaps are just some of the issues facing gardeners. It’s too late to do much about them this year, but there are steps we can take to ‘drought-proof’ our gardens. Climate change gardener Kim Stoddart, author of The Climate Change Garden and editor of The Organic Way magazine for horticultural charity Garden Organic said: “Dealing with excessive heat weakens plants in the long term by impacting their ability to cope with other types of extreme weather conditions, such as harsh winters. But there are steps you can take to safeguard your plants and garden sustainably. Kim suggests ways of helping…

THIS week’s seeds are for a traditional favourite that has brought colour to cottage gardens for generations. Larkspur ‘Hyacinth Dwarf’ grow to 20in (50cm) tall and produce dense spires of flowers from the deepest indigo to palest lilac. Hardy annuals, sow them now or next spring and they will flower from June through to September. Larkspur do best on light soil, so if you garden on dense clay dig in plenty of organic matter or grit before sowing. They thrive in sun and light shade and are beloved by bees and butterflies, making them worthwhile additions to every garden. Larkspurs self-seed easily, so next spring look out for seedlings with delicate frondy foliage and thin them out if they are growing too close together. This plant is also popular with…

SUMMER’S gaudy annuals have had their fling so it’s time for a changing of the guard. Get your autumn and spring bedding in now, while there is still a massive choice of colourful plants in garden centres and online. Plant them in enriched, free-draining soil, or in containers, and they will flower through autumn, then go dormant during the coldest months. If you keep them healthy through winter, protecting them from pests and disease and keeping their area weed-free, as soon as the mercury starts to rise again next year they will start growing again and provide a blanket of brilliance in light and shady areas throughout spring. The most popular varieties for interest and colour include pansies and violas, wallflowers, daisy-like bellis, cyclamen, stocks and polyanthus. This year I…

AUTUMN is one of the best times of year to give your perennials some love and add more to your garden. Also cut back those that have finished flowering, especially if the stems have fallen outwards to cover other plants. This month and next, the soil will be holding onto summer’s warmth, while also being dampened by seasonal showers. This creates the perfect conditions for new roots to bed down before plants go dormant for the winter. Consider dividing perennials that have outgrown their space or stopped flowering as well as you would hope. As they grow older, perennials can develop woody, unproductive centres and become exhausted. Splitting them creates several new plants with lots more oomph, and as long as each new division has healthy roots and top growth,…

DAFFODILS are popular, easy-to-grow, adaptable spring-flowering bulbs. Each bulb is half-way between an onion and a shallot in shape and size, with fleshy segments surrounded by papery outer coverings. The base is flattened, and this is where the roots develop, while leaves and flower stems emerge from the pointed tip. Each flower stem usually carries just one bloom, although a few varieties may carry up to a dozen, and all have the same basic structure. At the back of the flower is a ring of six petals (sometimes called perianth segments) and in front is a trumpet or cup (sometimes called the corona). Daffodils flower at a range of heights from 6-20in (15-50cm), some in late winter and then different varieties at different times until late spring. The size of…

THE modern science of genetics was born in 1900 when research workers investigating heredity discovered that their problems had all been solved 35 years before by an Augustinian monk experimenting with green peas in his tiny monastery garden somewhere in Moravia [now Czechia]. Father Gregor Mendel was that monk and the statistical laws of biological inheritance he formulated – often known as Mendelism – are used now by plant breeders so that their crosses are not the hit-and-miss business they once were. Mendel, born Johann, came from a long line of gardeners. His father, a smallholder, had improved the family farm by planting many fruit trees and keeping bees, and in these activities Johann found lifelong hobbies. From Johann to Gregor Not notably religious, he entered the monastery at Brno…

WHEN a squirrel buries an acorn, it does so in the full belief that it’ll remember where the tasty seed is hidden. That’s why you never see a squirrel drawing up a map. But the fact that squirrels forget their seeds isn’t simply because they’re ‘squirrel brained’. Seeds possess a magic beyond their ability to keep the embryonic life in suspension until conditions are right for growth. They also cast a spell on anyone or anything that collects them, making them forget to remember their hoard – and I have the proof! It’s stuffed in coat and trouser pockets, house drawers and shed boxes, where dozens of unlabelled envelopes, containing seeds that I’ve long forgotten, languish while I try to recall what they are. Some, like buckshot-shaped brassica kernels, are…

TO get the best out of your bedding you need to put in the spadework first, literally. Once you have removed summer bedding, improve the soil by digging or forking in well-rotted compost or manure. Chicken manure pellets are also a good all-round feed. When you buy plants make sure you choose the healthiest specimens. Avoid any with yellowing leaves or roots poking from the bottom of the pots, and buy plants with lots of buds rather than those in full bloom. Although bedding is eye-catching when grown in blocks of colour, make sure the plants have enough space to grow healthily. Good spacing improves ventilation and helps keep fungal problems at bay. It also makes it harder for pests to crawl from one plant to the next. The milder,…

SEPTEMBER is traditionally the time when gardeners sow their first batches of sweet peas. Hardy annuals, they will soon germinate and then the young seedlings can sit out winter in a cold frame, greenhouse or cool, light room indoors. The seedlings will put on a real growth spurt next spring and be ready to go into the garden once the soil has warmed up after winter and nighttime temperatures are reliably above zero. They will be more advanced than seeds sown next spring, flowering earlier, but if you sow at both times you will get a prolonged period of blooming. Sweet peas are hardy enough to be sown straight into the soil, but this can be risky in autumn as they may rot if soils become saturated, and be eaten…

ONE of the lessons I learned when I moved here in 2004, to what was a desolate garden with little wildlife, is the value of undisturbed areas in the outer reaches. The areas close to the low stone walls harbour perennial weeds and they’re stony. There was a pigsty in the southwest corner and the floor is still there. I planted roses and honeysuckle along the southern wall of the cottage and these look better from the field than they do in the garden. I love it when walkers on the footpath stop to smell the flowers. The metre-wide (3ft) strip along the western wall is the wildest part of the garden, but it gets a lot of sun for most of the day so it’s pollinator-friendly. The earliest source…

How do I help my dahlia survive winter? Q My dahlia flowered amazingly this summer and has grown tall, but I’m not sure what to do with it now. Please can you advise? Grant Rivers, Essex A Provided you stake it well to stop it from falling over, which may cause shoots to break, there is nothing, apart from dead-heading regularly, that you need to do until the frosts arrive. Then, when chilly nights blacken the leaves, shorten stems to within 8in (20cm) of the base and lift the plant with a spade. Don’t use a garden fork which may pierce tubers. When you’ve dug around the root system, choosing a dry day when the soil is crumbly, remove the clump very carefully, taking care not to damage any of…

This week it’s: It’s seed-gathering season! We look at the secrets behind seeds FOR some 12,000 years, humans have collected plant seed and saved it for growing the following year or season. Over this time, we’ve learnt a lot about the best ways to collect and look after seed before sowing time comes around. Some seeds can be sown almost immediately, while some need a period of cold before they will germinate. Some become unviable after more than a year, whereas others remain perfectly viable for many years. We are now at the peak of the seed-gathering season, so I thought we could take a look at what all the fuss is about! ■ Seed can be saved from many trees, shrubs, perennials, alpines, annuals, biennials, bulbous plants, ornamental grasses,…

MOST hand tools show little variation in their basic design, but they can vary considerably in quality and price – and trowels are no exception. When it comes to choosing one, cost must be a consideration, but comfort and shape should also be taken into account, especially if the trowel is going to have frequent use. Some have wider blades than others for easier digging of holes, but a narrow blade is better for bulbs and small plants. A smooth, well-made handle will help to reduce the risk of aching hands and blisters. Test the weight before you decide, as some are much lighter than others. Traditional and modern Trowel handles are traditionally made of wood, but composite plastics with a ‘soft grip’ are becoming popular, often brightly coloured so…