Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-Jan-2026 i Amateur Gardening

Green shoots This time of year, let’s face it, has a reputation for being a little bleak. Now in the depths of winter, the daylight hours are still short and the weather can be bracing to say the least. But, like the natural world, we also need to rest and recuperate so this is also a precious, slower time where we can pause, reflect and plan for the year ahead. Gardening can be done at a much more leisurely pace in January, so it’s great for some mindful early seed sowing, mulling a new project or two, reading and pottering without pressure if you so desire. Yes, social media is now awash with frantic New Year activity, but you don’t have to be - especially if you don’t have content…

SE Essex Organic Gardeners are holding their Seed Potato Day 2026 on Saturday, February 7. The popular day is held in partnership with local charity Trust Links, which aims to help and support people with mental health issues through gardening, social activities, employment training and environmental workshops. Seed Potato Day 2026 runs from 11am to 2pm at Trust Links Rochford, Trust Links House, College Gardens, Rochford, SS4 1YL, with free admission, growing advice and refreshments. Full details at: seeog.org.uk…

AG has been hitting the headlines again, with editor and resilient-gardening expert Kim Stoddart speaking to the national press about everything from sustainable gardening to gardening projects for children and climate resilience. The magazine was founded in May 1884 to promote gardening and make it accessible to ordinary people, not just the aristocracy with large areas of land tended by teams of gardeners. We are carrying this message forward to this day, keeping our readers on top of current trends and supporting their gardening with practical, accessible tips, advice and inspiration. AG has been mentioned in, among others, The Independent and The Sun, The Irish Times and news pages on MSN and Yahoo, alongside lots of regional publications. Kim said: “As the world’s oldest gardening magazine, with such a long…

One of things I love about this time of year is that when the weather allows, there is the opportunity to create something structurally new in the garden. Whether it’s digging a new flower bed, building a raised bed or adding an arch for bare-root climbers, with much of the garden still resting, there is time to add something that opens up vast new possibilities. We inherited an old, rotting and rusting wood and metal bench from my parents. There is an old black-and-white photo somewhere of my paternal grandfather Tom sitting on it, for it belonged to him and maybe even his parents before him, and it is a simple but rather beautiful piece of garden furniture infused with family history. My husband took it to bits and remade…

1 If you didn’t get around to pruning your peach tree in summer, you may need to make a few cuts now to fit it under the protective covers. It’s advisable not to prune peaches in winter because it invites disease, so I prefer to gently bend and tie in any oversized growth, using soft twine (tying stems horizontally also promotes better flowering.) 2 Of course, potted peach trees can simply be moved somewhere cool and dry like a greenhouse, but my sizable fan-trained tree is planted in the ground. We’ve devised a system of long and short batons that we screw to our fence. We then fix a polythene cover to these batons, which covers over the whole tree, then weigh the bottom down with bricks. 3 The covers…

At their happiest growing in the cool of spring and early summer, broad beans are an aesthetic delight, from voluptuous seedlings to stems of blue-green leaves and (unless they happen to be a crimson-flowered type), white flowers with black spots. Inside their felt-lined pods, beans are silver, green or pink and harvested at their peak of perfection, need only the briefest contact with boiling, lightly salted water to impress. For sowing under glass I’ve tried many different containers and settled on full-sized seed trays. Economical on compost, one tray takes 24 seeds, sown grid-fashion four up and six along. The young beans need prompt planting out while still easy to separate by tapping then shaking them sharply from the tray onto the ground. Ideally, you want vigorous white roots that…

How to grow moth orchids Anne explains how to look after these pretty house plants Affordable, long-lasting in bloom and happy to thrive in ordinary living rooms, moth orchids (phalaenopsis) make welcome gifts and you might well have received one for Christmas. Orchid newbies can be forgiven for looking askance at odd, bark-based compost and wayward aerial roots, but worry not as they are easy to care for and hard to kill. First, imagine their origins in the warm forests of Asia, The Philippines, Indonesia and Northern Australia. Here, the species from which today’s cultivars have been bred grow epiphytically, their aerial roots clinging to the bark of trees. At home, place them in good but not harsh light in a warm room and gauge their need for water according to…

Replicating their native, partially shaded woodland idyll in our gardens will ensure snowdrops give their very finest show. I plant them in generous swathes at the base of deciduous trees and shrubs whose leafy detritus falls in autumn to leave a humus-rich mulch which rots down, providing snowdrops with the friable, free-draining, damp soil in which they thrive. This nutrient-rich, open soil ensures that the bulbs don’t dry out in summer. I plant mine around and beneath deciduous shrubs including roses, coloured dogwoods, cotinus, sambucus and cercis, which allows them to catch the golden rays of the watery spring sunshine before they tuck themselves away beneath the cool shade of their hosts’ cool summer leaf canopy. Apply an annual mulch of well-rotted compost or leaf mould after their leaves have…

▪ Best planted in a partly shaded, sheltered spot, but it will grow well in full sun if given a rich, moist, free-draining soil. ▪ Plant it close to the edge of a border where you can smell its beautiful scent, and/or in front of medium-sized, deciduous trees to give it some shelter as it is mildly tender, tolerating temperatures down to between -5° and -10°C. ▪ If in doubt, grow in a container and move to a sheltered part of the garden during the colder months of the year. ▪ Pruning is rarely needed, other than to remove any winter-damaged shoots.…

How to grow edible sunflower seeds Top tips for delicious, nutritious home-grown treats Q The arrival of sunflower seeds with the end of November edition has prompted me to write to ask advice about growing sunflowers for seed for human consumption. Last year I grew two varieties which advertised themselves as good for this purpose, but the seed husks were virtually empty. Would this be down to watering, feeding or variety? Christine Curd (Devon) A Bad luck! I am sorry that your sunflower husks were empty. It may have been caused by last summer’s heat, but this plant is grown in many countries hotter than ours, and I am sure it’s not due to lack of fertiliser. Assuming that you raised plants in spring, watered them when they were wilting,…

In my old garden I constructed an elongated apple arch ‘tunnel’ to support six cordon trees over the front path. The structure was built of bent rebar for the uprights and bamboo cane for horizontals. It was a bad design idea that anyone who came to the front door complained about. You have never truly dealt with a complaint until a postie is stood at your door with the remains of a Bramley apple in their hair. It did not go down well when I suggested adding some crumble topping. Though I loved the idea of an enclosed arched tunnel, there were some practicalities that I overlooked. Bamboo cane is not long-lasting and cordons move in the wind and need some flexibility in their supports. Yet, the idea of an…

Sometimes, even in the thick of winter when everything feels a bit bleurgh, something happens that sends spirits soaring. I was sitting down to write this very page on a Tuesday morning when I spotted a small hedgehog scavenging for bird food on the lawn. A hog out in daylight, especially now, is not a happy hog, so I took it to Dorset Hedgehog Rescue, where he was diagnosed with ringworm and will be treated and hopefully returned to us in spring. But the good news kept coming. Late last summer we found a tiny, woebegone hog on the patio and he was also rushed to the sanctuary, but with little hope as he looked so cold and poorly. However, the rescue centre database revealed that Hog 1 had survived…

Our desire to rip open seed packets right now (if I’m anything to go by) is HUGE! So, I thought I’d indulge our yearnings by giving you some examples of edibles that will be happy to say hello to the world this month. January is, of course, incredibly early to start sowing veg and herb seeds, so think of this as a slight release of the pressure valve, rather than permission to open it fully. So, what can we start off with? Firstly, I’m experimenting with a box of early-maturing carrots. Opting for an early variety, which is also an F1 hybrid (e.g. ‘Marion’) is your best bet, because the hybrid vigour combined with the eagerness to mature will push through any January chills and low light levels. I’m also…

How to provide early nectar for insects Chris Collins explains which are the best plants for helping early pollinators It is easy to think that spring and summer are the only times to nurture insects in your garden, but in fact they need your help all year round. January is a particularly crucial time as there are fewer food sources easily available to them. Butterfly and bee numbers are declining so it’s become even more important to support them as they emerge in spring. Queen bumblebees will come out of hibernation on warmer days in late winter, and you might even spot a solitary ivy bee. This is one reason why ivy is one of my favourite early nectar plants. It provides a banquet of pollen, a food source for butterfly…

As gardeners we are all in this together, so I’d like to take this opportunity to share some reader recommendations for edibles that fared well last year in the drought. Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) @norfolkbluedoorflowers on Instagram explains: ‘Mashua from the Tropaeolum family was the most resilient for me as you can eat the leaves and the roots. I kept it in a pot as I’ve heard it’s a spreader. It certainly climbed well and needed little watering. My achocha (a South American climber with edible fruits) also grew itself and I had a great crop as I didn’t sow any this year.” Taunton Deane kale @julietevegranddesign on Instagram explains “Our ‘Taunton Deane’ kale plants are enormous and keep on giving all year round. They are perennial, frost-hardy and last for…

Odontoglossum group This group, often called Cambria orchids, are a mixed bag of hybrids, often between different genera. Happy to grow in good but diffused light and slightly lower temperatures around 15°C (60°F) than moth orchids, they’re a varied and colourful bunch. Dendrobium Sometimes called bamboo orchids, these bloom from tall, upright stems and enjoy good but filtered light and room temperatures of 15° to 21°C (60-70°F). After flowering and when new growth arises, add liquid feed to every third watering. This gives a boost to elongate their new growth. Paphiopedilum You might be tempted by the structural, spotted blooms of a slipper orchid. These grow amongst rocks or in the light, leafy litter of the forest floor. Indoors, they thrive in normal room temperatures, medium light and are especially…

The genus Edgeworthia is named after the man who collected it, Irish-born amateur botanist, Michael Edgeworth who, despite owning a huge estate in Ireland, spent most of his working life in India, employed by the East India Company. This enabled him to travel into the Himalayas to indulge his passionate love of plant hunting, which is where he found E. chrysantha and had it sent back to England in the mid 1800s. On one return trip to India he collected 40 plants in just two hours during a brief stopover at Aden, 11 of which proved to be new to science. This feels a little like me when I go shopping in a plant nursery! He became a member of the Linnean Society, (dedicated to the study of natural history),…

E. chrysantha (Syn. E. tomentosa; E.papyrifera) The most widely available, and probably the hardiest Edgeworthia cultivar, with a mature height and spread of 150cm (4ft 11in) and yellow/gold, highly scented flowers. E. chrysantha ‘Red Dragon’ As its name suggests, ‘Red Dragon’ produces delightfully scented, coral-red flowers in late winter and is a similar height and spread to, but slightly less hardy than, E. chrysantha. It is better suited to growing in milder parts of the country, ideally in front of a wall for extra warmth and shelter. E. chrysantha ‘Grandiflora’ This is a similar-looking cultivar to E. chrysantha. The two main differences are that it is slightly shorter, with a height and spread of 100cm (4ft) and, as its name implies, the flowers are larger, but a similar colour, with that…

This fortnight I’m starting to sow some seeds for the promise of summer colour. It’s a good time to start bedding plants such as lobelia and petunia. They aren’t frost hardy, but if you sow them now they will have plenty of time to grow and be hardened off so they are ready for life outside after the last frosts. Their seeds are tiny, almost dust-like, so take care when you open the packet and try not to sneeze! Fill pots or trays with sieved peat-free seed compost and tamp it flat to create a supportive surface. This helps to make sure seeds don’t roll around, and keeps them in place when they start to root. Dampen the compost ost with fresh tap water, either by spraying the surface or…

Channeling the gardeners of yore Dear Kim Having just read your Festive Special editorial, I began thinking back over all those editions of Amateur Gardening that have gone before this one. It was a magazine that reminded me of my grandparents’ gardens - and I am 83 - and that made me think if there wasn’t some way of including examples of earlier ways of gardening in it, some good, and some long abandoned. It would make fascinating reading both for your older and newer readers. I can remember gardening before there was any use of chemicals - and when wildflower meadows were the norm, full of bees and insects. But also when municipal bedding displays were common and folk stood and admired the centrepiece of the Floral Clock. Never…

The Shirley Sherwood Gallery in Kew Botanical Gardens is hosting two complementary exhibitions exploring the complex colonial history of botanical art through historical and contemporary lenses. In Gallery 5, Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire by internationally acclaimed artists The Singh Twins showcases a striking new body of work inspired by Kew’s botanical archives. Meanwhile, Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art can be seen in Galleries 1–4. It is the first-ever public display of 52 rediscovered botanical illustrations by Indian artists commissioned by British botanists between 1790 and 1850. Both exhibitions run until April 12.…

Thompson and Morgan have produced the world’s first cherry tomato that is virtually skinless and free of seeds. ‘Meltaway’ F1 has taken years to breed and plants will be available in late spring. Peter Freeman, New Product Development Manager at T&M, said: “The texture is soft and gummy, they taste pure and sweet. “Everyone who has tried it in our taste trials went back for another, it’s a genuine breakthrough in tomato breeding and eating experience.”…

■ Garden centres are buying plants for the coming year so will be keen to get rid of last year’s unsold stock, making January a brilliant time for gardeners to bag a bargain. ■ Perennials, trees, shrubs and climbers are definitely worth snapping up now. ■ They may not look like much as they will be dormant, but re-potted in fresh compost and popped in a greenhouse or cold frame, they’ll soon come back to life. ■ I love ferreting around in the bargain areas of garden centres, not just for plants but also for tools, equipment, even garden furniture that may be ‘last year’s model’ or going cheap because of damaged packaging.…

■ Fleece or old net curtains are a brilliant way of protecting plants from the cold. ■ Insert sticks into pots and drape the fleece over the top to keep small plants warm, and wrap it around larger pots to help stop the compost freezing. ■ The moisture in compost expands when it freezes, which is the main cause of cracked containers. ■ When the temperature rises after a freeze, remove the fleece to let trapped condensation evaporate and the leaves dry off.…

This is just a gentle reminder, while it’s cold and damp, to turn your mind towards summer. Yes, the green lushness and strengthened sun is a nice thought, but what I’m really asking you to ponder is your water butt! Doing all you can now to conserve rainwater will put you in good stead for drier spells, so clear all your gutters and downpipes of fallen leaves. The leaves took ages to descend back in 2025 and I was still clearing mine up way into December, so giving your gutters one final check now will clear any straggling foliage. It’s also a good time to assess whether you have sufficient containers for your water demands. Thirsty edible crops like courgettes, maincrop potatoes, blueberries and raspberries will produce scant yields if…

Why not try…? Wood sage Calling all home brewers! This medium-sized hardy perennial, known botanically as Teucrium scorodonia, is reputed to have a hop-like flavour so can be used in a similar fashion (although far more modestly as it’s quite strong in flavour). It’s especially handy in areas with poor soil and a lack of moisture, and will even grow in dry shade, if required. It thrives, though, in a sunnier spot in lime-free soil, and makes an attractive edging plant. The soft, green leaves are topped with pale green flowers in summer (these are loved by bees) and while the foliage tastes bitter when eaten in volume, small sprigs can be used as a garnish in savoury dishes. A gentler option would be to use the blooms as an…

Q I’d like to grow a flowering shrub – what would you recommend? A Viburnum (beautifully scented flowers) and mahonia are both magnets for pollinators. Mahonia is particularly striking with its spikes of bright yellow flowers from January through to March. You can buy compact varieties of both for small gardens such as Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ and Mahonia aquifolium ‘Apollo’. Q What kinds of insects will I see in January? A Despite the cold, you might spot clusters of ladybirds huddling together, and on warmer days, buff-tailed bumblebees. These are increasingly seen flying in winter, particularly in cities. Warm winter days might also tempt out hoverflies from deep inside ivy or wall cavities. Q What other ways can I attract insects in winter? A As well as early flowering plants, the…

From Roald Dahl’s fantastic hero to Disney’s dashing Robin Hood, foxes occupy a significant place in our culture. Leicester City Football Club supporters should know - the fox is central to their logo - and I’m willing to bet there’s a generation that owes its interest in nature to the charismatic leader of The Animals of Farthing Wood. Perhaps it’s because these smart, adaptable creatures display certain traits that we recognise in ourselves? They’re also a wild animal that often overlaps with the human world, and there’s a thrill and a fascination in that. The red fox is the UK’s only wild member of the dog family, and our second-largest carnivore after the European badger. Foxes can be found almost anywhere, from the busiest cities to the quietest corners of…

Broad beans, foraging for plant supports and homegrown Christmas trees Anne is embracing successional seed sowing and planning for the year ahead Nearly a month after the winter solstice, days are lengthening but spring still seems a long way off. The big question is, do we give in to the temptation of early sowings, or wait another month or two? Small, successional sowings starting early and ending late in the growing season serve me well, so my seed tins have been opened and raided. We do live in a relatively mild, though wet, part of the country and facilities also have a role to play. I’m missing the luxury of an electric propagator in the greenhouse, but we do have a cool bedroom blessed with double-glazed, south-facing windows. Sowings of…

Foraging from the garden should include all useful plants required in the home and kitchen and next year, I hope to begin using our homegrown Christmas trees. Raised from seed a few years ago, the biggest is now 1.5m (5ft) tall. These and other seed-raised trees occupy nursery beds in the kitchen garden and are lifted and moved every year or two to encourage dense, fibrous roots instead of longer tap roots. They are much healthier than pot-grown plants and take well in their final positions. Potted, kept moist and away from radiators, Norway spruce (Picea abies) should stay healthy enough to go back to a bed after being brought indoors for Christmas. They drop needles only when dry, when the little peg that holds the needles to the tree…

Mid-January can be a difficult time for many of us. The skies are often grey, the excitement and joy of midwinter festivities are over and it feels like spring and a new growing season are still a long way off. With that in mind, I’ve been looking at a selection of plants that can lift our spirits or provide a soothing feel to the garden. While they won’t all be in flower this month, I think choosing new plants is always a delight and gives us something joyous to look forward to. Plants put into the ground during the cooler months often establish faster and produce a better display. We may not see any activity above ground, but within the soil the plant will be settling in and establishing its…

Have you ever wondered how plants made it back safely to Britain during the 1800s? Many garden history books state that Nathaniel Ward, an English doctor, invented a carry case for plants that was essentially a mini greenhouse with a glass roof and sides, and a wooden base. A little-known fact is that it was actually a Scottish botanist, Allan Maconochie, who invented a similar device 10 years earlier, but failed to make his invention public, paving the way for Doctor Ward to claim the credit and name his creation. The discovery they both made was that plants growing in soil in an enclosed airtight glass case could survive for years without being watered thanks to condensation forming inside and dripping down onto the soil in the case. You might…

Long-lasting leeks Leeks are one of the few essential winter veg in our household, and they are such good value for money. You can buy a packet of ‘Musselburgh’ (or similar) leek seeds for around £2, and that packet is likely to contain hundreds of seeds. If stored in cool, dry conditions, those seeds will easily keep for three years. ■ As well as that, leeks are easy to grow. They produce a crop from October to spring, when very little else is growing, and they suffer from fewer pests and diseases than most other veg. What’s not to like! ■ The smaller the leek, the more tender it will be. To test a leek before cooking, bend the lower part of the pale section a little. If it doesn’t…

Every garden needs a structure, even the most naturalistic. Think of this as the bones beneath the skin: paths, seating areas, hedges, trees. These elements shape the space, giving it purpose and cohesion. A garden begun from scratch often benefits from a few key anchor points: ■ Plant a Tree A single tree, be it a small ornamental cherry, a graceful birch, or a productive fruit tree, immediately brings height, movement and life. It roots the garden in time as well as place, marking seasons with blossom, foliage, or fruit. ■ Define Your Edges Borders that drift into the lawn without intention can feel vague. Create clear shapes: a sweeping curve, a bold rectangle, a narrow strip hugging a fence. Good outlines make even the simplest plantings feel deliberate. ■…

17 Jan: Letchworth Organic Gardeners’ Seed Swap, Broadway Gallery, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 3ES. Talk by Catrina Fenton from the Heritage Seed Library. 2pm to 4pm. 17 Jan: Bishop’s Castle Seed Bank at the market, Bishop’s Castle Town Hall, High Street, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, SY9 5BG. 9am to 1pm. 17-18 Jan: Burnham Nurseries & Orchid Paradise Open Weekend, Burnham Nurseries, Forches Cross, Newton Abbot, Devon, England, TQ12 6PZ. Plants for sale plus growing advice and tips. 18 Jan: Ashampstead Early Snowdrop & Plant Fair, Ashampstead Village Hall, Ashampstead, Reading, Berkshire, RG8 8SH. 11am to 2.30pm. 23-24 Jan: Snowdrop Gala and other Spring Treasures, Ballykealey House, Ballon, Co. Carlow. Ireland, R93 A9K1. 24 Jan: Harveys Garden Plants’ Celebration of Snowdrops, New Green Centre, New Green Avenue, Thurston, Bury St Edmunds,…

‘Prepare early, protect growth, and build resilience into the new season’ should be the mantra of every gardener. January is the month where groundwork pays off: early sowing of chillies on a windowsill in a heated propagator, soil improvement using mulches and manures, the use of cloches, nets and fleeces on winter and spring crops to protect them, and habitat creation such as pollinator-rich planting, dead hedges, bug hotels and water sources for wildlife to give your garden a strong start. Winter is not a respite from gardening but the time when every gardener can get ahead.…

1. Top up mulch around perennials and trees to conserve moisture and reduce soil erosion during rain. Use bark or garden compost. Do not place the mulch too close to any stems or trunks. 2. Add mycorrhizal fungi to your soil. Bought in powder form, the fungi soon colonises a garden, sending out thin white spidery strands in the soil that help improve plants’ access to water and nutrients. 3. Ensure water butts are connected and debris-free to catch the rain. Take time to check your butts for debris and remove any leaves from gutters. 4. If your garden has sloping areas, build shallow swales or berms to slow water runoff and reduce flooding. Look at how water flows through your garden. Do not fight it, but instead see how…

6 new container plants to revolutionise your pots Michael celebrates what’s new in the world of containers and baskets A new gardening year is the perfect excuse to refresh your containers and experiment with plants that bring style, colour and pollinator power to even the smallest spaces. These six new introductions are ideal for patio pots and offer something genuinely fresh for the season ahead. Look out for them in your garden centres from spring onwards. Whether you’re revamping old pots or starting afresh, these plants bring colour, resilience and a sense of excitement to the New Year. Try one, or try all six, but whatever you do, make room for something new. Petunia Amazonas™ Series Possibly the most stylish petunias yet, the Amazonas™ series adds bold tones and dramatic veining…

It’s time to get my ducks in a row, kittens in a queue and…er, squirrels in a square! I’ve just seen my first daffodil and although the lonely golden trumpet was slug-damaged and a bit soggy, I’ve taken its arrival as irrefutable evidence that the growing season is blinking back to life. While it’s too cold and dark to plant seeds and tubers, it’s never too early to prepare. It seems like an aeon ago now, but the autumn before last I raked up a huge amount of leaves, bundled them into my truck and trundled them to the kitchen garden. This walled plot was once a thriving food production hub with beds and borders carefully designed to make the most of the sunlight and heat-trapping walls to ripen peaches…

Should we even consider keeping cats if we’re keen gardeners who value wildlife? There’s a terrible dearth of birds, undeniably obvious, and indeed cats may kill birds. But it’s unfair to blame those ‘furry swines’ for many millions upon millions of missing birds. Our birds have been robbed of nesting sites, deprived of food and poisoned with pesticides, as well as being hit by avian flu and now Usutu virus, which is particularly affecting blackbirds. To be sure, cats do sometimes hunt feathered friends - but they also get the blame for many they haven’t. Suppose you find a dead bird on your patio: Tiddles is immediately hauled in for questioning. Yet maybe that bird flew into a window, mistaking the reflection for an opening into the clear sky beyond.…