Innholdsfortegnelse for 1-Nov-2025 i Amateur Gardening

As we nudge that bit further on in the gardening calendar and the natural world starts to hunker down and prepare for the colder months ahead, it’s an excuse to turn our attention inside to houseplants and indoor gardening opportunities. Of course, there are lots of outside opportunities still, without the pressure of long to-do lists. There is, instead, a chance to mull, ponder, reflect and prepare with an eye on ideas for next year. Time to look and learn from what worked well, and what was a little challenging, and to think what could be done differently in 2026. It’s all part of the process, and we are constantly learning and adapting to our gardens and the plants and produce within. With changing climate and greater extremes of weather,…

It is said that a change is as good as a rest, and if that change is a rest as well, then you’ve doubled your money. Mr Hayes and I were lucky enough to spend most of September in the High Alpujarra Mountains of southern Spain, nestled between the Sierra Nevada and the coast. It’s a dry, rocky region of stark beauty and beating sun, but wow, what abundance. Watered throughout the year by the ancient, ingenious ‘acequia’ irrigation system bequeathed by the Moors, almost anything can grow here and there is an embarrassment of edible and floral wealth in every garden and scrap of ground. In the gravel garden of our mountain cortijo (cottage) were towering cosmos, gauras, asters, verbenas and gaillardias, giving me endless inspiration for the future…

Embellishing home-cooked dishes with herbs is just as important to me as growing the fruit and vegetables that go into them. Consequently, I’m keen to keep my collection of culinary herbs in fine fettle, and now is a great time to do so. Perennial clump-forming herbs like oregano, mint, chives and tarragon have multiple shoots emerging at soil level. As this clump expands and matures, the central part often becomes bare and unproductive because the young growth is predominantly on the leading edge. By lifting and dividing the clump every three or four years, you can optimise the amount of young growth and banish older wood – and you’ll also gain many extra plants for free! What’s not to love? I’m lifting this golden oregano plant because it makes a…

With expert broadcaster, author and long-standing AG columnist, Anne Swithinbank An autumn sowing of hardy peas is always going to be something of a gamble, but the payoff could be an early crop flourishing in the coolness of spring. I like to direct sow peas but attention to detail is vital, with choice of variety, bed and alignment all important. In colder regions especially, the protection of tunnel cloches or frames may be necessary. Now is about the right time for sowings to make short, sturdy plants before truly terrible weather stops growth. The young peas often look sad during the worst winter weather but rally as light improves in the new year - and when temperatures begin to rise, there’s no holding them back. We have lovely neighbours in…

Cooler weather and shorter days make me seek deeply flavoured, richly coloured comfort food. This smoky chilli combines autumnharvested squash with store cupboard ingredients. It is ideal for serving at bonfire parties and wintry allotment get-togethers. It is delicious served with rice, over a baked potato, or eaten out of a bowl with a chunk of bread or some tortilla chips. For this recipe I used one can of kidney beans and one of black beans. Butter, cannellini and borlotti beans are good too. Softer-skinned squash, such as ‘Uchiki Kiri’, ‘Delicata’ and ‘Sweet Dumpling’, can be eaten with the skin on. Although all squash skin is edible, it is better to peel tougher-skinned squash because it can be too chewy to enjoy eating. Ingredients ■ 700g (1lb 8oz) squash (roughly…

I’m always on the lookout for something a little bit different for the garden, something that will catch the eye without looking too otherworldly and out of place. I love daisies and coneflowers, so enjoy seeing the likes of rudbeckia and echinacea scattered through the borders. These are often quite large, so finding something similar but smaller to grow in gaps among other plants is something of a ‘quest for the Holy Grail’, as far as I am concerned. So step forward Ratibida columnifera f. pulcherrima ‘Red Midget’, a delightful little plant that ticks all the boxes, offering perky colours, and a slightly quirky look. ‘Red Midget’ is a dwarf prairie coneflower with a protruding pale centre surrounded by deep red petals. It grows to around 45cm (18in) and although…

If you catch a glimpse of the speckled chest of a thrush but then give a double-take as you realise its head is an usual bluey-grey colour, don’t worry: it’s not that your local song thrush has aged overnight, you’ve just been visited by a fieldfare! Like redwing, fieldfares are thrushes which come to the UK for the autumn and winter, arriving in October from their colder breeding grounds in northern Europe. It’s quite a large bird – slightly bigger than a blackbird - and recognisable due to its grey ‘hood’ and chestnut back. Its breast has a light yellow colour, with black speckles or streaks, and it also has quite a distinctive stance – very upright, as if it has just realised it is being watched and is standing…

When William Shakespeare picked up his quill and wrote: ‘Better three hours too soon than a minute too late’, he could have been writing about the time it takes to pass through airport security when catching a plane. Or, living as he did in 16th and early 17th century England, maybe he was talking about arriving at the market before the turnips had sold out? We’ll never know… all I can say for sure, is that he definitely wasn’t talking about gardening. I know this because the long growing season has come to an end and, as always, I’m taking stock of lessons learned. And top of the list is that, sometimes, with our erratic climate, being late is great! Especially if you’re a gardener who’s prepared to ignore the…

with Bob Flowerdew, long-standing AG contributor, broadcaster and all-round expert. We’re in the middle of the bonfire night season, with large and small displays across the land to provide some much-needed warmth and cheer; even though they’re, in reality, ‘not good’ from so many points of view. (And don’t get me started on the accompanying fireworks, which scare poor wee animals and further pollute the air…) Sorry to be a spoilsport here, but there really are not many good reasons for having a bonfire, as almost anything you can burn could instead be put to better use shredded, composted or stacked as wildlife shelters. For most of us, a lack of space rules out bonfires anyway, although thorny, infested and diseased material is arguably best burnt. Whatever you decide to do,…

Just because a garden is small doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for shrubs that give interest throughout the year. Sarcococca hookeriana Winter Gem (‘Pmoore03’), This is my favourite winter-flowering evergreen shrub, which you can smell long before you see it. The lovely glossy green foliage is brilliant for setting off the plants around it in spring, summer and autumn, but in winter it produces an abundance of highly scented, filament-like flowers. As an added bonus it has red berries from the previous year’s flowering that are usually visible at the same time. Because it only reaches a size of 90cm high and 50cm wide (36in and 20in) it’s perfect for a container or small space. Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ This dense, bushy shrub has dark green leaves that…

Given the sheer number of species, there’s bound to be a perfect choice for most different requirements, from groundcover all the way up to trees. C. salicifolius ‘Gnom’ Good for: fast-growing groundcover Ultimate height 15cm (6in) and spread 2m (6ft 7in) An uber tough, fast and low-growing, easy-to-care-for evergreen that shrugs off air pollution and salt-laden, windy, poorly drained sites and even grows well in notoriously difficult dry, shady locations. It flowers during the summer months producing bright red berries in early autumn, ideal for birds that nest close to the ground, such as robins and blackbirds. Any pruning needed is best done in the spring to keep growth thick and dense. C. franchetii (Franchet’s cotoneaster) Good for: topiary/training Ultimate height and spread 3m (9ft 11in) My favourite cotoneaster. A…

What will grow against a shady wall? Skimmia and hosta will appreciate the spot and add colour Q I would like two pots to put alongside a wall by a clematis. The wall is east-facing but the pots are in the shade without much sun. Can you suggest a plant that flowers but is also drought tolerant? Jan Schutt (via email) A It’s good to hear that you wish to cheer your east-facing wall with perennials suitable for growing in pots. Though there are few for shade with bright sunny flowers, I suggest that you consider the following: Skimmia reevesiana: A dwarf evergreen shrub to 60cm (2ft) high and slightly more across, its massed white spring and summer blooms are followed by a wealth of crimson berries that cheer late…

The National Trust has been able to carry out a wide range of conservation projects thanks to a £1 million collaboration with Blue Diamond Garden Centres. Funds given by the garden centre chain have supported a wide range of Trust projects. Alan Roper, Blue Diamond Garden Centres’ Managing Director, said: “We are immensely proud to have reached the milestone of £1 million in support for the National Trust. “It reflects the passion and commitment of our customers and colleagues, who share our belief in protecting the nation’s natural and cultural heritage.” With Blue Diamond’s help, the Trust has been able to create a new flower garden at Berrington Hall in Herefordshire, renew the kitchen garden at Wightwick Manor near Wolverhampton, protect the stumpery at Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, research…

Resilience is such a commonly used word, but boy is it important nowadays. Inner strength and wellbeing is as integral as the building of protection on the ground for plants and gardens. We need to look after ourselves, and others if we can, to help us negotiate the tricker things being thrown at us on an almost daily basis. So this is why at this time of year, I get very excited about the opportunity to keep sowing seeds and growing some food in the house so we can enjoy a veritable array of lovely cut-and come-again produce over the months ahead. As well as helping to save money from the weekly food shop, there is much joy to be gained from indoor edible displays. They look so good and…

1 Arachnoides aristata ‘Variegata’ Variegated basket fern is a little out of the ordinary, with its evergreen fronds bearing a yellowgold ‘ribbon’ along each spine and having serrated edges. Also known as East Indian holly fern, this hardy plant thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Outside it can be grown in shade or light shade and will need protection in severe cold. Inside it needs a reasonable amount of light, such as in a bathroom. Height: 30cm (12in) Spread: 30cm (12in) Suitable for: bathroom with good light Recommended by Steve Drew of New Forest Hostas 2 Pinguicula ‘Guatemala’ Butterwort looks beautiful and performs a useful role in catching scarid flies that emerge from compost. It’s also useful for snaring whiteflies in the greenhouse. A native of Mexico, its attractive rosettes of…

Just before late-autumn finally hands over the seasonal baton to winter, here are my top seven pyrotechnical trees and shrubs for your own festival of horticultural fireworks. Euonymus alatus Let’s start with a real cracker of a shrub, the aptly named burning bush, which obliges with retinasearing, vermillion foliage. For me, it’s the very best shrub for making a statement in autumn. It’s deciduous, but the show carries on after leaf fall with attractive ‘winged’ stems, that are quite unlike any other shrub. It sits beautifully within a mixed border, preferring a sunny or partially shaded outlook, and will cope with most soil types. Height and spread: 2m to 4m (6.5ft to 13ft). Rowan Little fills my heart with joy more at this time of year than seeing the berries…

Edges of hedges! These days, hedging plants can be bought and planted at any time of year. Traditionally, however, planting time was always November. Why? ■ In years gone by, hedging plants were only available as bare-root plants, lifted from a nursery’s open ground. Such plants needed to be planted in gardens when they were dormant, between November and March. It was only in the 1950s and 60s that plants for sale were first grown in pots. ■ The Meikleour Beech Hedge, comprising dozens of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), is situated four miles south of Blairgowrie, in Scotland. It is acknowledged as the tallest beech hedge in the world, and the longest hedge (of any species) in Britain. It is 530m (1,742ft) long – that’s 1/3 of a mile –…

Great for wildlife I was very interested in Bob Flowerdew’s article on growing plants with berries (October 4 issue of AG) as I try to do this. May I suggest a good shrub for gardeners with a small space is a weeping cotoneaster. It stays the height you buy it and only needs a light prune of the ends. It is smothered in flowers followed by, as my photo shows, hundreds of berries. I love the variety of interesting articles in AG. Anne Oglesby Kim says; thank you Anne for writing in and what a great idea for wildlife-friendly planting. Rosie Irving writes about this lovely shrub in the current issue, I’m pleased to say. We hope you enjoy reading it. Lovely lobelia Dear Kim Thought I’d share this stunning…

Gardening should be fun, colourful, and just a little bit surprising, and that’s exactly what these new fruits and vegetables are all about, many of which you won’t find in the supermarkets. So, the only way to experience them is to grow your own! These eye-catching varieties from Prudac in The Netherlands are changing the face of edibles, and all fit beautifully into small gardens, patios, or even on windowsills. Here are some of their stand-out stars you’ll want to meet: Melon Honey Drops F1 Dara Mini Think of these as nature’s candy. Melon Honey Drops F1 Dara Mini are tennisball sized melons, where you can eat everything, even the skin; bite into them just like an apple! They taste like pure sunshine with a drizzle of honey. Plants produce…

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