Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Mar-2024 i Amateur Gardening

Since re-launching this amazing magazine late last year it has been important to us that we strike the right balance with the content. This is, after all, l, the magazine for the people, for amateur gardeners everywhere and therefore your input and suggestions will always be of paramount importance. So thank you for all your wonderful letters, emails and other communications, laden with ideas, that I receive on a daily-basis - they really help to steer our good ship Amateur Gardening forwards. I can’t do everything at once (if only!) but thanks to you I have lots of fantastic article suggestions stored away to be used sooner or later down the line. The reader survey we carried out at Christmas indicated there was a very strong interest in more gardening…

The garden isn’t the only place where the warmer weather and longer, lighter days are working their magic on our plants - houseplants are benefitting too. Most indoor plants will have entered a dormant state in winter, meaning we haven’t needed to feed and water them. But now they are starting to grow again and need care and attention to make sure they reach their potential over the year ahead. The obvious exceptions to this rule are plants already in flower that were given as gifts. They will have needed feeding, watering and deadheading through the winter and if they have finished flowering will require a period of rest to restore their energy. Christmas cacti, for example, will be resting now and require less water and fertiliser and will do…

At last – soil care is becoming mainstream! Teaching gardeners that the brown stuff beneath our feet is fundamental for good root health is so important, it’s the lifeblood for our edibles and happy edibles give abundant harvests. For fruit (as with most plants) soil should be well aerated (roots actually need air), and moisture-retentive, and contain the right nutrients. Worms and other larger soil-dwelling creatures help aerate soil, so we can leave plots to their own devices to an extent. But if parts have become compacted or waterlogged (when clay soils get walked on in wet winters, for example) we need to remedy the resulting lack of airspace. Gently levering up the soil with a fork alleviates small patches of compaction, and creating gravel-filled ‘soakaway’ trenches helps relieve waterlogging.…

Wildlife doesn’t care if your garden is big or small. If you provide food/water and shelter – it will come, and if you live in an urban area, your garden can knit together with other gardens to create one giant wildlife-wellness corridor. Attracting nature to your garden also helps you grow better, because many insects and birds are great for natural pest control. Easy ways to attract wildlife Gardening for wildlife organically doesn’t mean spending lots of money on gadgets or bird food because there’s plenty of low-cost ways you can tempt them in. Sow pollinator-friendly plants such as herbs and wildflowers, which will attract butterflies, bees, lacewings and hoverflies. Or green-up walls with native flowering shrubs and climbers such as holly, hawthorn or honeysuckle which are a fantastic source…

It is March and the anticipation of spring hangs heavily in the sweetly-scented air. Thankfully, there’s a healthy smattering of clear, blue-sky days ahead now, and you can almost hear the movement of perennials stirring beneath the cold soil as they awaken from their winter slumber. The only remnants of last autumn in my own borders are the bleached, parchment-coloured stems of my beloved ornamental grasses, standing like sentinels over the emerging daffodils and fading snowdrops. The arrival of daffodils is a timely reminder, telling me to reach for my trusty, newly sharpened, secateurs and to fell the dishevelled remains of the grasses to the ground. It seems a savage act, but it’s really not, for now is just the very start of their 2024 story. If you’re a regular…

Hello dear readers, I’ve had a very busy February. The best bit has definitely been spending some time in the USA with our editor Kim, as we were both invited to speak at the Northwest Flower Show in Seattle! We even took part in a Container Wars contest, where Kim won (something I still heartily dispute!) As a self-confessed plant geek, I loved visiting all the exhibitors in the main halls, and so I’m going to share some of my most interesting finds for you. Where possible, I’ve given a UK source for these plant gems. Gloxinia ‘Akira’ I spent a lot of time on the stand of Dew Violets with a charming lady, who seemed to have some of the world’s most beautiful Gesneriads. These Gloxinia really ly reminded…

My passion for gardening, taking me from hobbyist to horticulturist, began eight years ago with a clay-filled, mare’s tail-ridden, shady allotment in Hertfordshire. Over the years I grew my own fruit and vegetables and have now moved to a larger community-based site that gives me increased freedom and more choices regarding what I want to grow and why. Like a lot of modern-day gardeners, I live in a flat and don’t have an outdoor space apart from my allotment, so I decided to start bringing the outdoors in. This involved studying for my RHS Level 2 Diploma, which sparked my joy for growing cut flowers. In early 2023, I made the decision to be self-sustainable in cut flowers, which was a new challenge away from fruit and vegetable growing. My…

Floating over sweet bluebellsThe humble bumble drones and delvesUntil his heart the better swells And butterflies join in and searchAs fragrance rises from bough and birchAlmost toppling sweet robin from his perch Children play in parks and narrow lanesWaving thin and newly formed bamboo canesFrom which they have hung white daisy chains Ponies nuzzle and graze upon meadowlandA pair of lovers stroll hand in handTheir slim young bodies already slightly tanned Passing on they stop to listen and lookAt the meandering of a silver brookNoticing toad peeping from his cosy nook Altogether, life does seem idyllic and sweetFor those who in the springtime meetBefore the summer sun does rage and heat Please send us your letters, poems and musings Your contribution is such an important part of this magazine for…

Now is a great time to be preparing for the long bank holiday weekend at the end of the month; the perfect opportunity to spend quality time in the garden planting, prudently investing in bountiful returns. The garden and propagation teams are now at full speed preparing for the year ahead, full of the joys of spring – bright eyed and bushy tailed. I’m cherishing this moment as, by May, we will be more wild eyed and frazzled no doubt! Wildlife expert, Dr Chris Gibson, has been helping with our website plant descriptions. Beth was wonderful at describing plants and I never fail to be delighted when a plants-person says they use our website as a reference. So, we thought as well as having Beth’s lovely words, we could add…

Gardeners are being urged to ‘plant their pants’ as the first day of spring draws near. The season of optimism officially starts on March 20 and this year the Country Trust is asking gardeners to help test the health of their soil by digging a hole and planting a pair of their cotton pants! Healthy soil will break down or degrade cotton more quickly than soil with low levels of microbial life, so if you’re left with just the elastic, it’s a good sign that your soil is active and healthy. Jill Attenborough, CEO of the Country Trust, said: “We all depend on soil for our existence but as Leonardo Da Vinci said 500 years ago, ‘We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot’.…

I used to cycle a great deal between the ages of 16 and 18, when I was a cadet nurse based in Leamington Spa and Warwick. My small room in the nurses’ home was more like a cell and we had to be in by 10.00pm. The sisters were very strict and they would do surprise checks on the rooms. It was however a very happy time. On summer evenings I would escape on my battered old bike and ride down Warwickshire’s lanes. In those days, the verges were full of wild flowers and hedges. On Sundays I ventured into the Cotswolds, then a landscape of sheep pasture and low stone walls. As soon as you free-wheeled down a hill though, the terrain would change. You’d see small fields separated…

The definition of foraging for food infers moving around from place to place in search of things to eat. With that in mind, I guess purposefully growing a crop of, say, potatoes in your garden does not really qualify, because they were planted on purpose and you know where they are. Nevertheless, we can’t be sure exactly when in summer they’ll be ready to lift and the number and condition of the tubers is always going to be a surprise. Compared to buying a bag of spuds, I reckon these experiences count at least halfway to foraging. “In this new series from my garden, join our escapades as we make the best use of our wild-at-heart plot.” How do you choose which potato varieties to grow? I go for early…

St Patrick’s Day - and potatoes! ■ This Sunday (17 March) is St Patrick’s Day. In Ireland it’s considered to be the traditional time to plant potatoes. Actually, it’s the first early potato varieties – such as ‘Duke of York’, ‘Arran Pilot’, ‘Pentland Javelin’ and ‘Premiere’ – that should go in the ground on this day, but don’t be shy to plant peas, onions and leeks, too. Wow! I didn’t know that… ■ The first types of plant cuttings humans grew were ready rooted suckers, pulled unceremoniously from parent plants, and planted in the ground. These are still used today with violas, chrysanthemums and artichokes, and they’re known as ‘Irishman’s cuttings’ – but no-one knows why! ■ On St Patrick’s Day in 1976, Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, USA…

My first vegetable plot at Drovers was a front garden no bigger than a car park space. It was tucked between a homemade brick path that went to our front door, in a motion that can only be described as seasick, and a patio. The patio barely fitted the garden bench that my wife, Carol and I bought from a store in town and carted back on the bus to the amusement of everyone there. Drovers was our first home and our introduction to the peer pressures that come with owning a piece of land that can be seen by others. Though we loved sitting on that bench behind our new picket fence, anyone and everyone who passed also loved stopping, leaning on our new fence, and gossiping with us.…

How to plant a potted shrub Q We were given a mahonia for Christmas. It is still in its pot and is starting to look sad. Will it recover in the soil and where is the best place for it? Michael O’Donahue, Fife A Pleasing us with clusters of aromatic sulphur-yellow, cone-like blooms when most plants are sleeping, its needs are easily met. Ideally, wait fora mild spell, then consign it to a sunny or lightly shaded free-draining spot. Initially, water it the day before transplanting it, so that roots are less inclined to cling to the pot wall. Then dig a square planting hole and fork over the subsoil. If your garden is heavy clay, crumble the walls of the hole to avoid creating a sump in which water…

SUBSCRIBE TODAY Top Santé is the leading health magazine for women over 40; packed with realistic, life-enhancing tips on everything from health and fitness to food and beauty. With a balanced diet, effective exercise and a positive mindset you can stay younger for longer – inside and out. Read up on expert advice and support every month! GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE Save up to £48* Delivery directly to your door before they hit the shelves Never miss an issue Complete control – manage your account online Free weekly e-newsletters VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TSHA OR CALL 01959 543747 and quote code TSHA Scan our QR code – the easiest & quickest way! HOTLINE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8.30AM-5.30PM. CALLS ARE CHARGED AT YOUR STANDARD NETWORK RATE SCAN HERE Terms & Conditions: UK Direct Debit offer…

Over the coming month or so we’re starting off most of our crops. Many are not that difficult to grow and usually fairly reliable, which is how come they have been selected as garden crops over the centuries. Obviously some are more demanding than others. It’s not that you cannot grow these it’s just they’ll need much more exacting conditions. How to boost results Now if you want success, the first rule is to sow seed for what grows easily in your conditions, with your available time and attentions. Hoping for heads of blanched celery will not be an easy prize for anyone just beginning to garden, or experienced for that matter. It’s fiddly, expensive in time, and demands very moist, very rich soil. Although some lucky folk will annoyingly…

1 Ensure your seedlings remain rot-free – always use room-temperature water when irrigating. Get into the habit of leaving full cans in a warm greenhouse, conservatory or similar. 2 Your compost bin’s contents of autumn and winter tidyings should be well rotted by now. Tip out the contents, using any well rotted materials as a weed-suppressing mulch. 3 Give pollinating insects a break on chilly, wet or windy spring days – if peach, almond or nectarine blooms are open tickle them with a soft paintbrush to ensure good fruit set. 4 Fancy growing a flavour-packed, weed suppressing fruit? Sow alpine strawberries onto the surface of seed compost, placing this pot, bagged, in a fridge for two weeks. 5 Get veg beds ready for outdoor sowings by creating a ‘stale seedbed’. Rake soil to a…

There is so much pressure nowadays to look and be a certain way, and vegetable gardening canalsosuccumb to the weight of tradition, expectation and peer power. From how a garden is structured and managed, to the crops that are grown, there are many perceived ‘must-have’ varieties that one often feels obliged to grow. Yet we are all different, with varying growing conditions and preferences for what we like to eat from the veg plot. I’ve interviewed many gardeners over the years and so often I hear tales of guilt around gluts of unwanted produce that have gone uneaten. With everything still so expensive to buy in the shops, the last thing we need to do is feel bad that we’ve grown too much of something and it is sitting there…

Come spring or summer, these obliging plants are just the job for creating drifts of colour and covering the ground with interesting foliage and blooms, with the added benefit of preventing weeds from getting a look in. Whether they start as potted plants, or grow from seeds, their dogged determination to succeed means you’re unlikely to have to spend more cash to increase stocks. And if they get too much, simply carefully remove surplus seedlings as they emerge, sharing them with family and friends to pass on the easy rewards. While many plants have evolved to self-seed, not all will successfully do this in the UK due to our climate. British wildflowers are a given, of course, and there are many annual seeds that wait in the soil until the…

One of the easiest ways to save money in the garden and kitchen is to grow your own herbs. Many tender varieties such as coriander and basil can be grown all year round on warm sunny windowsills, while woody herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme will happily sit out our cold wet winters. Now the weather is starting to warm up again you can start sowing and growing herbs to use over the next few months. Sow a few pots of chives, parsley, coriander, tarragon and basil - there are so many varieties of basil seeds available now - every few weeks to get a continual supply of harvest-ready leaves. It is also a good time to take some woody herb cuttings that can be used in patio containers…

Your lovely letters, emails and social media posts continue to flow in beautifully. I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying receiving them. Every message, poem, idea and comment matters. Please keep them coming. We will send out a thank you gift for every item published in the magazine so do please send your address and contact details when you get in touch. The Facebook account for Amateur Gardening magazine is now up and running again and we have also started a new Instagram account @amateurgardeningofficial. We hope to see you there. Promoting small plant nurseries Hello I’ve never done this before (not written an email, written to the magazine I mean!), but I really love the wonderful sense of community you have already built up in such a short…

After months of twitchy fingers, flicking through catalogues and eyeing up the varieties we’re desperate to grow, it’s finally time to get sowing. To help you on your way I’ve compiled some product ideas to get your seeds merrily germinating away. 1 You can sow your seeds in any container, but one of my favourite ways to sow is into these nifty cell trays from Bustaseed. Each row pops out to allow you to remove your seedlings with their roots intact, which is excellent for seedlings that like minimal root disturbance. I’ve also found that these trays and inserts work well for propagating, as they come with a clear lid as part of the set. See bustaseed.com with prices from £15. 2 There are three things that you need when…