Innholdsfortegnelse for 26-Jul-2025 i Amateur Gardening

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Kitchen Garden is Britain’s best guide to growing your own produce. Featuring expert advice from the fi nest minds in gardening, it helps you get the tastiest produce from your plot. Discover tips for growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables, month-bymonth guidance, reader insights, recipes, competitions, offers and more! Why subscribe? + FREE seeds every month + SAVING OF 37% on the cover price + FREE postage straight to your door + Exclusive access to the subscriber-only online allotment, the Mudketeers’ Club packed with ‘how to’ guides, recipes, competitions, videos & much more! PLUS FREE SECATEURS & 20 PACKETS OF SEEDS SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Visit: www.classicmagazines.co.uk/kg567 Call: 01507 529529 Quote: KG567 Scan me > Offer expires 15/08/2025…

Raspberry delight! Raspberries are a quintessential summer fruit, and are ripening nicely in our gardens and allotments now. In fact, the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is just one species in the large rubus genus, which also includes blackberries, brambles, loganberries, tayberries and a whole host of others. Some, like loganberries, are man-made hybrids. ■ Curiously, although we all really would like a warm, dry, sunny summer, raspberries much prefer cooler, cloudier ones. According to United Nations statistics, Russia is the world’s largest grower and exporter of raspberries. In 2022, it produced 468 million pounds of raspberries, some 22.4% of the entire global raspberry harvest. Raspberry merits Raspberries or strawberries: which are better? You choose: ■ Raspberry canes remain productive for eight to 12 years (three or four times that of a…

Say, ‘shade’ and most gardeners start to fret. House buyers and renters cherish the idea of a southfacing aspect where sunshine streams through windows. Yet for every south-facing garden, there are gardens that face north and gardens that are shaded. Shade is not as big a problem as you may think, and rather than use the word ‘shade’ I’m opting for ‘dappled.’ I will go even further and state that for me, north-facing gardens can be spaces that are calming. Think of a favourite forest in spring, carpeted with bluebells then, as the season progresses, the unfurling of ferns and the green canopy above. These dappled spaces were the original gardens long before our pursuit of lawns and borders. We lived and foraged in and tended these spaces, and they…

Your lovely letters, emails and social media posts continue to flow in beautifully. 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 as soon as we can so do please send your address and contact details when you get in touch. AG through the ages Dear Kim I am thoroughly enjoying my recent subscription to AG. I have a copy of the splendid jubilee book published in 1934 which belonged to my father. As you can see from the attached, the pictures of the editor seem to have changed but the delight of gardening endures. Well done to you and all the team. Charles Twining Kim says; thank you so much for getting…

There is often an end-of-term feel in the air at this time of year, as the holidays and peak summer season arrive. Our gardens have been filled with excitable activity for much of the year and now, whatever the weather, we deserve to enjoy some sweet green-fingered rewards. All work and no play is not the order of the day, goodness knows we have enough going on…. So this issue we offer you lots of lovely inspiration and ideas for the weeks ahead, including advice on how to deal with extreme weather gardening and, to balance this, we also encourage some good, old-fashioned, down-to-earth fun and frivolity. Yes, we want our gardens to be lovely, packed full of pretty plants and produce and hopefully lots of wildlife to boot. Yet,…

Observation is one of the most important, yet often tools available to the underrated, gardener. By getting to know your garden and looking closely at how it grows, or what fails to grow, you can create a healthy patch and learn where to avoid mistakes in the future. And no matter how many years of gardening we have under our belts, we are never too old to see and learn something new. The other day, for example, I was in the veg patch, tutting over the number of blackfly on our broad beans - it seems to be a bumper year for the little blighters. I rubbed them off (leaving some for the birds and ladybird larvae), pinched out their tender top shoots and then turned my attention to the…

Have you already begun lifting new potatoes on your plot? Or are you patiently waiting for your maincrop varieties to bulk up for your winter stores? Whatever your situation, harvesting potatoes can feel like rolling a big pair of horticultural dice – what’s going to be on the end of that fork, glut or dearth? Well, let me help guarantee it’s a double six! Cast your mind back to February, when you decided what spuds to buy. Were they first earlies, second earlies, maincrops or lates? Each of these four potato groups takes a different time to mature (100 days, 110 days, 125 days and 140 days respectively) and this time can be affected by weather, especially temperature. With our changeable spring in Essex I’m only just starting to lift…

The Country Smallholder is a monthly magazine focused on all aspects of owning and maintaining a smallholding, offering practical advice and information on hobby farming, poultry care, organic gardening, and much more! SAVE UP TO 56% * GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE: ■ Never miss an issue ■ Save up to 56% * ■ Look forward to delivery direct to your door ■ Receive our free bi-monthly e-newsletter EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE 1. VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CSH6XAD 2. Call 01959 543 747 * and quote CSH6XAD 3. Use this QR CODE to go directly to our website Terms & conditions: UK Direct Debit or Continuous Credit Card offer, you will pay £19.99 for your first 6 issues then £28.99 every 6 months thereafter. * Savings are based on the standard basic rate, which includes the cover price…

Midsummer is the best time to sow biennials that will flower following year and one of my the favourites is sweet williams (Dianthus barbatus). Although they are strictly speaking a short-lived perennial, we usually treat them as biennials, although having said that, I have a cluster of plants in the front garden that I left alone after they had flowered and have been going for a fair few years now. Sweet williams are early flowering members of the Dianthus family. If sown now they will produce a rosette of leaves and then sit tight through winter until the weather improves next spring, when they start growing again. They will flower in spring and early summer, producing sweet-scented umbrellas of blooms in shades of pinks, reds and white. Some of the…

STIGA is giving two lucky Amateur Gardening readers the chance to win the brandnew STIGA A4 autonomous robot mower, worth RRP £999 each… a true gamechanger in garden technology. Perfect for lawns up to 400m², this sleek, intelligent mower takes the hassle out of lawn care, arriving fully boxed and ready to go. With instant digital garden mapping and no need for digging or wires, installation is quick and easy via the user-friendly STIGA.GO App. Equipped with STIGA’s groundbreaking Active Guidance System (AGS), the A4 uses advanced GPS mapping to plan precise mowing routes. It anticipates signal variations and adapts accordingly, ensuring full, even coverage and a healthier, wellmaintained lawn, all with zero effort from you. Forget random mowing patterns, this is smart, systematic mowing at its best. Enter now…

As July rolls into August, the colours shift in our garden from the soft pastel blues and pinks of cranesbills and sweet peas to the bright orange, yellows and reds of helenium, bidens and potted-pelargoniums - in shades so bright you (almost) need sun glasses to look at them! Even the weeds have turned their colour up to 10 with acid-magenta willowherb coming into bloom and the cohorts of montbretia (also known as crocosmia) with their burnt-orange flowers, majestic above ranks of spiky leaves. This late-summer intensity is no accident and happens because flowers that open later in the growing season have the benefit of being forged in the heat and high light levels of summer. This extra energy allows for the easy production of expensive-to-make coloured pigments, which they…

There is good news for beleaguered ash trees across the UK and Europe, many of which have been lost in recent years to dieback disease. New research indicates that natural selection is acting to combat the fungal problem, according to scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Queen Mary University of London. Researchers have discovered that the DNA of the new generation of woodland ash trees exhibits greater resistance to the disease. This discovery offers renewed hope for the future of ash populations and provides compelling evidence for a longstanding prediction of Darwinian theory, that natural selection will protect and promote the strongest individuals of any species. Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, arrived in Britain in 2012. Past predictions estimate that up to 85% of ash…

Taking cuttings is extremely rewarding and this simple technique lets you increase numbers of ornamental and edible plants – without forking out for fresh plants from the garden centre. Softwood cuttings are taken from early summer as the ‘wood’ on the plants begins to mature, but you can also take semi-ripe cuttings later in summer. These methods are suitable for all kinds of herbs, as well as flowering perennials such as aster and penstemon. It’s important to use cuttings as soon as you’ve snipped them from the parent plant, so they don’t dry out or wilt. Choose vigorous growing shoots, ideally without flowers or damage. Cut off a 5 to 15cm (1.9 to 5.9ins) length just above a leaf. Gently cut or pinch off the lower leaves from the bottom…

The prettiest fruits in our kitchen garden are pink and white currants, whose translucent berries dangle in long bunches. Like other soft fruits, a full ripening is needed to gain sweetness and this usually means protecting them from birds. On our good soil, they’ve proved resilient, with the whitecurrant recovering after a chunk of it died from what looked like verticillium wilt and the pinkcurrant withstanding an invasion of bramble, ivy and nettle. My rescue plan has been to root hardwood cuttings, which I did last winter, along with clearing and mulching. It is tempting to think that cultivated roses have similar requirements but this is far from the truth. As usual, the first flush of flowers opened in June against fresh, clean and healthy foliage but immediately there was…

Liz Zorab outlines her pick of the flowers with global garden appeal Inspired by the recent Wimbledon Tennis Tournament and the current UEFA European Women’s Championship, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the ball-shaped flowers available for us to grow in our gardens. Of all the shapes of flower heads, I think globes are the most striking. They have the convenience of not facing in a particular direction, so look great from all angles. This is especially good when using them as cut flowers. I’ve chosen a range of plants that includes the weird and wonderful and one so common that we possibly often overlook it as a great choice for our gardens. Dianthus barbatus If you are looking for something a bit different, it’s…

Privet hawk moths are a precious discovery These large insects are active in summer Q Can you possibly tell us what these strange but wonderful creatures are please? They were on the side of my bug box this morning? Diane Newby (via email) A What a wonderful find - they are mating privet hawk moths, which can grow to have a wingspan of 9 to 12cm (4 to 5in). These beautiful creatures can be seen flying in June and July and are often spotted in gardens and parks. Their pink and black bodies are shaped like torpedoes and their big, strong wings are brown and cream. Their caterpillars are large and lime green with purplish stripes, a yellow dot on each segment and a black hook at their tail end.…

This week we’re talking about roses. From varieties that are great as ground cover, and those that have the prettiest foliage, to roses with the most fantastic fragrances. Did you know there’s even a variety that smells of fresh laundry? Some of these plants can be found in garden centres now, and some are likely to be on their shelves soon. Naturosa Series This new breeding re-imagines the rose as a low-maintenance, ecofriendly plant. Unlike traditional roses, it needs no pruning, you can just mow over it if needed! With a long flowering season and minimal upkeep, Naturosa is perfect for conscientious gardeners and public spaces. I think it might also work very well in a living wall as well, to add a little bit of colour. The AmiRose At…

Pruning apple and pears in the summer is a most effective improving fruit quality, not just way for for this harvest but also for next. If you want to up your game, then carefully cutting back new shoots on your trees while they’re ‘in the green’ can really help. You see, after we prune ‘dormant’ trees in winter they wake up and replace the missing with new; the harder we cut back, the more they grow back. But when we prune in summer we check this growth by removing functioning foliage and, as a result, redirecting the sap, which swells the fruits more. Although we remove lots of leaves on the shoots, the sunlight now falls more strongly on others previously shaded, and onto the fruits, making them sweeter. The…