Innholdsfortegnelse for 29-Nov-2025 i Amateur Gardening

I don’t know about you, but I’m always a little taken aback each year at how quickly the evenings seem to draw in after the clocks go back. How soon it is that the skies darken, especially when there is rain and the light levels dip. As gardeners we are so connected with the seasons and the weather at hand, no matter how erratic, and this time of year we slowly but surely start to feel our energy levels slump a little as the natural world slows and the daylight hours diminish. Nowadays, of course, we have electric street and house lights which artificially extend the light for our everyday modern lifestyles. Our ancestors, meanwhile, would simply sleep more and hunker down against the season, and we still have that…

It has been a kind autumn and the garden responded with an extended flush of summer colour. Even the petunias kept their ends up and flowered bravely on until early November, and while the scarlet gerberas continued to flame, the lobelia kept its colourful tumbles coming and I delayed clearing the raised beds because the nasturtiums looked so darn sparky! But now the warmer days are done and summer’s container plants need to be exchanged for something more weather-resistant. However, nothing is wasted and I’ve potted up healthy bedding plants and stashed them in the greenhouse to hopefully survive winter. The plants I’ve chosen to replace them are violas, Bellis perennis, Cyclamen coum and a corkscrew grass - pretty standard fare but the best on offer in a garden centre…

If you’re a seasoned grow-your-owner you’ll be familiar with the term ‘brassica’ - if not, the winter vegetables I’m referring to here are cabbages, cauliflowers, kale, sprouting broccoli and Brussels sprouts. On my parents’ smallholding I helped Dad create this brassica cage earlier in the year – and I’m pleased to report that all inside is thriving. The idea with a cage is that it keeps off the main winter brassica nemesis – pigeons – because given half a chance, they’ll strip these plants bare when times are lean. You’ll notice this cage is a luxury ‘walk-in’ model – no stooping for us! If you have the materials, I can highly recommend one as opposed to breaking your back and getting wet leaves in your face when attempting a harvest…

It’s very nice to be thinking about summer as we nudge further on into the colder months of the year. How to cope with heat in an undercover space during the summer months is a question that often comes up on the polytunnel courses I have run, with some people seeing it almost as a barrier to considering a tunnel in the first place. Rest assured, there are lots of relatively easy-to-employ ways to build resilience and protect plants, so I’m going to share some of my tried and tested tips based on 15 years of experience in polytunnel growing. Keep doors and windows open During the summer, and certainly in a heatwave, doors and windows will need to be open all the time, including overnight, to help avoid the…

In this reflective season, I’m mulling over my tiresome attitude to bitter salad leaves. How many times have I bought a rosette of frilly-leaved escarole or endive, before regretfully chewing a few leaves and leaving the rest to rot in the fridge? Now and again I’ll sow a row or two of red chicory, enjoy their beautiful colours and make one small salad with walnuts and blue cheese before composting the rest. Even the blanched, pale and therefore only slightly bitter chicons (heads) of ‘Witloof’ chicory are never finished off completely. I’m not alone, as the rest of my tribe don’t seem to care much for them either, despite liking peppery rocket and mizuna. French and Italian families seem to thrive on these bitter salads, so is this cultural, or…

Barberry, or Berberis spp, are colourful shrubs that are easy to grow and maintain, but sadly they’re no longer on the gardener’s radar as a ‘must have’ these days. I’m not sure why as they offer clusters of colourful golden flowers that buzz with bees, beautiful berries of various colours and, with the deciduous varieties, spectacularly stunning fiery leaf colours. They also offer the perfect habitat for wildlife, particularly birds. History The Berberis genus is native to various countries and regions, including South America, east, west and central Asia and central and southern Europe, and has been grown in the UK for centuries. There are around 500 known species, of which B. vulgaris (common barberry) is thought to have existed and been grown in Britain since neolithic times. Two of…

Happy houseplant tip Kim I tend to have my houseplants mixed together as I think that is probably what happens in nature. They all seem to get on famously and I tend not to have too many problems of single plant disease or insects. Little watering at this time of year, I gently lift each pot to check on weight as this will tell me if they need water or not. No feeding either until next spring when growth starts again. A bit of tidying up is a good idea, but not too much! There can be a tendency to over do it. Check on the plant requirements in terms of flowering, some plants need to be kept in smaller pots for best results. I find this non-regimented way is…

For more than six decades, Morel Flowers in France has been at the forefront of cyclamen breeding, combining French horticultural tradition with innovative genetic development. Based in the sunny South of France, Morel’s expertise has shaped varieties that thrive across the UK, and each year I am lucky enough to visit its nursery and discover the latest types. Every cyclamen is raised for vigour, uniformity, unique colour richness and lasting performance, ensuring the commercial growers are happy, but that the plants also perform for gardeners. Morel’s dedication to quality and beauty continues to set the standard for cyclamen excellence worldwide. Here’s a little peek into the newest developments in Cyclamen persicum and C. hederifolium from Morel Flowers which could hit your local garden centre over the next year or so.…

It can seem a chore to write a label, even though you know one will be useful, as anyone with a deep freezer full of homegrown produce can testify! Although we’re often sure we won’t forget what something is, we sometimes do. Naturally, there are some plants that are so obvious they need no label, some so recognisable you know them even as wee seedlings. Hollies are a good example. However, if you plant one holly you will probably remember its varietal name, but if you plant several you’re going to need labels. Likewise, any collection, bed or border, especially those with many similar varieties or species. Yet we all know the problem - if labels come with the plants, the name fades (traditionally though, the nursery’s name remains forever)…

Shade is often an issue that worries gardeners, but the good news is that there is a wide range of plants able to cope with either semi-shade and/or full shade. Within sun-deprived situations we also have to consider whether a plant can cope with drier conditions or whether it needs dampness at the roots, so the soil type and the plants’ adaptability for growing in containers is also vital to know. I suppose an absolute classic shadeloving plant is the hosta, and the enormous number of varieties available makes choosing what you want really difficult because you’ll want them all - or is that just me? Some of my favourite smaller varieties are H. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, with its lovely rounded, blue-green leaves topped by lavender-coloured flowers. It only grows…

Being a gardener, I spend much of my time looking downwards towards foliage, flowers and soil. I also raise my eyes to look at larger shrubs and trees, but spend considerably less time looking up at the sky, and for good reason, as plants are rooted in the ground. Yet as an organic gardener, guided by permaculture principles, I like to look at the whole picture, the entire setting within which the garden sits, which includes the surrounding gardens, the landscape, and yes, the sky. Inspired by a comet called Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), travelling across the night sky last month, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the plants that are named after celestial bodies. Once I started looking, I found a great many plants I…

Winter heathers Heathers are the perfect low-maintenance plant. They’re small, manageable, evergreen, easy-to-grow and longflowering. However, since the height of their popularity in the late 1960s and 70s, their image has suffered and, really, I don’t know why. Right now, of course, the winter-flowering varieties are about to come into their own, brightening up low beds, containers and the fronts of borders. ■ Winter heather is bee-friendly. These plants are a lifeline for the few solitary bees and bumblebees (which do not store food) that are flying about during mild spells in winter and early spring. Myth busting 1 Over the years, the distinction between heaths and heathers has become blurred, and you get both types growing in ‘heather gardens’. So, winter heathers are really ‘winter heaths’, and here we’re…

I’m like a child in a sweet shop when it comes to hardy annuals. I’m instinctively drawn to their bright colours and the promise of easy growing to fill gaps between the perennials and shrubs that make up the framework of our beds and borders. I especially love the ones that spread themselves around if left to mature and shed their seeds and one of my favourites is the larkspur. These annual delphiniums are easy to grow and come in myriad shades, from pristine white through to mauve, deep indigo, pale pink and dark magenta. Delphinium consolida ‘King Size Scarlett’ produces double blooms that are an opulent velvety pink-red, making it an eye-catching addition to the border. They are best sown in winter, undercover in trays or pots of peat-free…

Precious things come in small packages… but I prefer the big ones! And hot off a delivery van, I’ve a huge box, brimful of precious little packages. No, it’s not a year’s supply of 'Hortihunk' talc (until you’ve tried, don’t knock it!), but my bumper delivery of spring-flowering bulbs. Opening a box of bulbs is always exciting. There’s the sweetshop rustle of the paper bags, the earthy aroma of the bulbs and their weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. They have an ‘it came from outer space’ look, but in each and every capsule is the promise of spring that’s just a season away. From anemones to zantedeschias (or calla lilies if you prefer), bulbous plants share the same survival method: hunkering inside fleshy storage units when the conditions above…

The scale, diversity and impact of gardening, and the vital role it plays in shaping a greener, healthier and more resilient future, has been laid bare in the RHS State of Gardening Report 2025. The publication, the first of its kind, maps 25.8 million gardens across Great Britain and reveals how their upkeep is key to nurturing biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience and supporting health, wellbeing and the economy. Private and public gardens cover 4.6% of the total UK land area. In general, gardens across the UK contribute £38 billion to the economy, support more than 722,000 jobs and help boost physical and mental wellbeing - often as part of NHS referral schemes. Environmentally, the UK’s gardens contain over 50 million trees, have captured an estimated 158 million tonnes of carbon…

As the daylight hours continue to shorten and the natural world slows sweetly into slumber, thoughts begin to turn rather excitedly to the growing season to come. It is the time for seed catalogue browsing and pondering what to grow next year as we continue to enjoy the late-season and hardy pickings from our gardens. I’ve written about resilient edibles a lot over the years and, of course, it’s not just the actual varieties you grow that counts, it’s the way that you grow them. With the use of sustainable practices such as no-dig, mulching and nature-friendly mixed planting, it is easier to create a more biodiverse and beneficial space in which to nurture the food we grow. Saving some of your own seed will also help massively because it…

A parsnip cake? It is surprising how using this seasonal ingredient in a sweet dish raises so many eyebrows, yet adding its root vegetable cousin, the carrot, to a cake doesn’t cause a murmur. Just like carrots, parsnips add sweetness and moisture to the cake and help to keep it moist for days. I find that no one ever guesses the ‘secret’ ingredient: they just want another slice! The ginger and lemon really shine, cutting through the richness of the buttery cream cheese frosting. Cake ingredients ■ 300g (10.5oz) grated parsnips (weight after peeling and grating)■ 3 large eggs, beaten■ 250ml (9 fl oz) sunflower oil (or another light oil)■ 100g (3.5oz) stem ginger, chopped■ 90g (3oz) pecans, chopped■ 250g (9oz) self-raising flour■ 175g (6oz) soft light brown sugar■ 3…

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As the festivities start in earnest and Christmas lights twinkle, homes come alive with gift wrapping, list making and decorating for the month ahead. Outside, the garden appears to be sleeping, but there’s still plenty of magic happening if you look closely. Nature may be moving more slowly than during the growing season, but getting out to tidy beds, plant bulbs, watch robins and rake up leaves for mulch feels like such a restorative time when life indoors is so busy. Gardening during the build-up to Christmas is a time to find calm in the chaos and mindfulness with the small things. And, if you look closely, you’ll see a whole lot quietly going on. Back inside, I love to decorate with as many natural materials as possible plus plenty…

Filling a climbing rose with blooms Tie the pliable new stems horizontally in spring Q I have a two-year-old rose climbingover an arch and I don’t know how to ensure that it doesn’t just bloom high up but also flowers lower down. What is the best way to prune it so it flowers all over? Doreen Rudd (via email) A That’s the trouble with climbing roses: they tend to flower at the top, leaving lower shoots bare of blossom. Pleasingly, there is a simple and effective way of resolving this. Bend all vertical shoots down to as near horizontal as possible and tie them securely in place. But don’t do it at this time of year as stems will have stiffened and are liable to break. The best time to…

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