Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2016 i BBC Gardeners' World

Any self respecting person over 50 should be grumpy in the same way that any self-respecting person under 25 should be angry and impatient at the world. Both attitudes reflect an idealism – a belief that there is a better way and that life can be rich and beautiful – though in your middle years, when you’re burdened by responsibilities, keeping your nose clean and getting by is often as good as it gets. I seem to manage to rage against the world while at the same time feeling blessed and entirely satisfied with my lot. Somewhere in that psychologically tangled web is the reason why I garden. But something that really annoys me is the absurd dramatisation of the weather. All those yellow and red warnings! Those alerts and…

Missed a step? I work at a volunteer-run tree nursery in Brighton, and reading your feature Save and sow tree seeds (What to do now, November issue), I thought you had omitted an important step. Using your example of spindle seeds, it is best to remove the outer orange coating prior to placing them in a bag and refrigerating them. As a general principle, when we gather fleshy seeds, the outer layer should always be removed before stratifying. Lastly, when gathering tree seeds from the wild, it is important to take only a nominal amount from any tree, around 10 per cent, leaving the rest to be harvested by wildlife, or to germinate naturally. Anne Martin, by email We say: The seeds were shown being removed from their…

Winterwatch A new series of live reports from the Cairngorms in Scotland, focusing on rare creatures. The team travel high into the mountains to try to get close to black grouse and ptarmigans. A wildlife safari from the River Dee sees hardy dippers and red deer brave extreme temperatures. And the team attempt to track down the elusive Scottish wildcat and learn about pine martins. 26-28 Jan 8pm and 29 Jan 9pm, BBC2 World’s Sneakiest Animals Chris Packham meets the animals that use devious tactics to survive, tricking predators and each other. Travelling around the world, Chris discovers illusions, mimicry and con artists. Times and dates TBC, BBC2 Gardeners’ Question Time The team start the month in Wales. The second episode is a postbag show, from RHS Harlow Carr, in…

JANUARY Mahonia japonica Height x Spread 1.5m x 2m At the start of the year you need a brave and bountiful plant that says, “Weather? What weather?” Ice, snow and chilly winds – nothing can deter this bold evergreen shrub. Its vibrant yellow flowers waft their scent on the cold air, stopping you in your tracks. Mahonia has a special place in my gardening memories. It was the first plant I bought when we came to Devon 37 years ago, before we even had a garden. FEBRUARY Helleborus x hybridus H x S 50cm x 50cm Hellebores flower at the time of year we need it most, yet least expect it. Colours range from pure white to the deepest burgundy. To appreciate their hidden magic, lift…

Last summer wefilmedthe comedian Griff Rhys Jones in his garden for Gardeners’ World . It was a lovely garden and – as these things always are – a fascinating insight into the private person behind the public persona. But it was something that Griff said that has remained with me. “Gardens are something... that you need to grow into. We don’t need to worry that young kids are not spending a huge amount of time gardening. They will come to it later.” This not only struck a chord with me, but also sparked an immediate response on social media. Yet there has been – and still is – a big drive to get ‘young people’ interested in gardening. I think that is doomed. The first problem is that dreadful expression…

CORNER PLANTING Choose bold, large-leaved plants for the back corners to accentuate the full width of the window SEE THROUGH PLANTS Create movement with light-textured foliage that will mask, but not obscure views out from indoors. ADD IMPACT Fill the front of the box with bedding plants that will provide splashes of seasonal colour. CREATE PRIVACY Use taller plants at the centre of the window to give an added sense of privacy indoors. TRY EDIBLES Include a few evergreen herbs for winter or summer edibles such as chillies and tomatoes. WILDLIFE FRIENDLY Choose single, nectar-rich flowers that will attract bees and butterflies to provide more interest. THINK DRAINAGE Make sure your planter has sufficient drainage holes to stop it filling with water in winter. Fill with open-textured potting compost. ON…

With their exotic looking blooms, these colourful alstroemerias will be a welcome addition to your summer garden and to enjoy in a vase indoors. Hardy, compact and easy to grow, these spectacular flowers are perfect for adding a bright splash of late summer colour to cottage garden borders and patio containers. Height x Spread 75cm x 60cm One bare root plant £9.99 Extra offer Coldframes are one of the most useful gardening accessories and will help you protect your plants during the winter months. This spacious, aluminum and glass coldframe has hinged and sliding lids on both sides for easy access. Dimensions 120cm wide x 80cm deep x 60cm high Coldframe £89.99 (RRP £102.99) SAVE £13 WITH FREE DELIVERY SAVER COLLECTION 5 plants (one of each variety) for only £14.95…

Whether your spade is intended for digging, planting, earthing up the border edges or filling the barrow, your choice should depend not only on price, but also on soil type, how much digging you do, and how the spade suits your height and build. To help you make that choice, we tested a range of tools currently available across the market. We divided the test into three categories: digging spades, which are used mainly for turning over larger plots where there are few plants; border spades, which are smaller than digging and ideal for getting in-between plants; and ergonomic, which are developed to make digging easier or more comfortable, with angled or curved handles, shafts and blades. The material the blade is made of is a key factor. Stainless steel…

WINTER IS A GREAT TIME to clean your greenhouse to get rid of any lurking pests and diseases before the new growing season starts. It’s likely to contain fewer plants now than at any other time of the year, so clearing out will be easier, plus there aren’t as many other jobs in the garden demanding your time. Choose a day that is dry, sunny and calm and remove all your plants, tools and other items. Cover any tender specimens with fleece so that they don’t suffer in the cold outdoors, then thoroughly brush or vacuum away all the debris and scrub with a cleaning product that is environmentally friendly. Open the door and use maximum ventilation to let water evaporate as quickly as possible. Wipe away any pools of…

AUTUMN TO WINTER Grow antioxidant-rich berries for migrating birds and thrushes Supply fat for small birds, which ‘shiver’ to keep warm at night Leave water for birds to preen and insulate their feathers SUMMER TO AUTUMN Leave out mealworms and soft suet pellets for fledglings Supply protein-rich seeds and mixes for moulting birds Provide water for drinking and preening WINTER TO SPRING Provide a range of food to get birds into shape for breeding Offer sunflower hearts and niger seed for goldfinches Leave caterpillars and aphids on plants as they are a natural food source SPRING TO SUMMER Supply mealworms and insect-based food in case of a shortage of caterpillars and aphids Don’t provide peanuts unless chopped or in a wire mesh feeder Avoid home-made fat balls, which can melt…

These exotically colourful half-standard roses will brighten any patio or border. After years of breeding, the stunning open-centred single roses have a deep red maroon heart, due to crossing with exotic Persian rose species. The results are a cocktail of colours, even on one plant. With a much less formal rose flower style, their open centres are a magnet for bees and the ever-changing flower colours provide long season interest. Height x Spread 120cm x 80cm You will get one each of: Atropicalmixofred, orange and warm yellows, changing as the flowers age through the season Lovelyvanillaicecreamcolour, splashed burgundy red in the centre eye, slowly fading as they age. Classicberrypinkwith darker purple centre eye, softens to paler pink. 530216 Rose ‘Babylon Eyes’ Collection £29.95 (RRP £39.97) SAVE £10.02…

Dug fresh from the garden, the first potatoes of the year are a melt-in-the-mouth gourmet delight that taste so much better than bought ones. New potatoes command high prices in the shops too, so for these reasons alone they’re well worth growing – and now’s the time to order seed potatoes while stocks are plentiful. To find the very best potatoes to grow, I trialled a dozen different varieties to assess their garden performance, then BBC Good Food magazine stepped in for that all-important taste test. Early or ‘new’ potatoes are really easy to grow, requiring much less space than later varieties. Even in a small garden, there’s usually a corner for a few earlies – in the ground, in large containers or potato growing bags. With only three months…

Soil is your most valuable resource in the veg garden and, if you want to get the best possible harvests, it needs to be protected during winter and early spring to maintain good structure and retain nutrients. The impact of heavy winter rains will compact the surface of all but the sandiest soils, causing small particles to clump together into a hard layer or pan. And with huge amounts of water draining through the soil, the most soluble nutrients – nitrogen in particular – will be flushed away and lost from the root zone where next year’s crops would be able to use them. Regularly adding organic matter will help to keep your soil in good condition by maintaining its structure and improving fertility, but you should also cover the…

Chris Beardshaw A member of BBC 2’s Beechgrove Garden, Chris is also an award-winning garden designer. Bunny Guinness Bunny is a winner of Chelsea Gold Medals and has designed everything from public parks to city gardens. Pippa Greenwood Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods. Q What’s the best way to create a sensory garden? Dawn Huckerby, by email A CHRIS SAYS: All gardens should be a delight for the senses, using all the designer’s skill to bring our connection with the plants and elements, through a series of specific and intended experiences, to a crescendo of awareness. Here, the same principles of layout and inclusion apply as in any well-designed space. An easily implemented and cost-effective inclusion is the meadow.…

Feeding birds in our gardens has become one of the great natural history success stories of this century. Our mass participation – and 87% of you tell us you feed birds regularly – is genuinely making a difference to survival rates, even to migration patterns. There’s no doubt your actions are yielding big results. But could you do more? Thanks to detailed recent studies by bird charities, the RSPB and British Trust for Ornithology, we’ve learned that the old ways are no longer the best. When the magazine first investigated bird feeding, at its launch 25 years ago, bacon scraps and mesh bags of dusty pet store peanuts were standard fare. Our options today are a sophisticated diet of tailored recipes and fresh, UK-grown feeds. So does your bird feeding…

The common corkscrew hazel, also known as Harry Lauder’s walking stick after the trademark curled cane of the music-hall star of 100 years ago, is a popular and useful plant. As well as its long corkscrew branches, it produces yellow catkins in late winter. It is attractive in winter, but less so for the rest of the year. And then there is ‘Red Majestic’. Discovered as a chance seedling in Germany nearly 20 years ago, ‘Red Majestic’ has the same twisted stems that are so lovely against the winter sky and when cut for the house. It’s as prolific with its catkins, which will be opening soon, but they come in an unusual purple-pink shade. On top of that, the foliage is a rich wine red from when it unfurls…

This is not really a yes or no question: gardening enjoyment is such a personal thing and we all prioritise differently. But much of it surely comes from the satisfaction gained from the results of one’s own practical and creative efforts. Even routine jobs such as mowing can provide essential switch-off-and-think time, while in difficult, physical jobs – the kind that can prey on your mind – there is huge satisfaction to be had from mastery of them, and in their completion. Personally, although it has become an unfashionable word, I admit to a need for ‘control’ in my blowsy garden, where despite appearances, everything – every inch of it – is ‘just so’. I would find it difficult, worrying even, to pay anyone to do things in my garden…

Civic pride restored Felixstowe has bucked the trend for cutting back on parks and gardens, thanks to £2.1m of Heritage Lottery funding which has been used to restore the town’s historic Grade II Seafront Gardens. With their late Victorian and Edwardian features preserved, as well as much of the original planting, the gardens are a fine example of the municipal pride once taken in our coastal resorts. Go to thesuffolkcoast.co.uk to find out more. Garden to help hospital Chris Beardshaw has designed a garden for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show that will be replanted at the heart of Great Ormond Street Hospital. “The hospital team identified a real need for an outside space where parents can find respite from the wards,” said Chris, “So the design includes a reflective water…

“This is a strong grower producing masses of blooms with long stems that make them perfect for cutting”Alan Titchmarsh Can you come up with a name that is worthy of this beautiful flower and sums up 25 years of the nation’s favourite gardening magazine? We trialled this new sweet pea, given to us by Blooming Direct, alongside other varieties last year and loved its large, sweetly scented flowers – our experts loved it, too (see below)! All you have to do is tell us what you think it should be called and you could win our bumper prize package to enjoy this summer. Editor Lucy Hall will head the judges’ panel and we’ll announce the winner at this year’s Gardeners’ World Live and in our July issue. Our competition winner…

Does your garden lose its va-va voom by January? As one of the most difficult months in which to create impact, my advice if you’re seeking inspiration is to take a trip to The Winter Garden at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire. It will provide you with seasonal planting ideas, as well as give you a quick energy boost. I’ve visited it many times to lift my spirits in midwinter and I always head home feeling the better for it. The individual plants and well thought through combinations demonstrate just how vibrant and stimulating a garden can be on a miserable winter’s day. Winter stems of dogwoods, willows and trees with interesting bark sing out against the carefully chosen evergreen foliage. The delicious scent of daphnes, sarcococcas and viburnum…

You can move towards a new gardening career by volunteering, studying or getting a job. A good way to start out is by volunteering, but you will need to commit to regular attendance and take a health and safety induction. There are lots of qualifications suitable for beginners and even some grants available. By going back to college you’ll have the chance to make useful contacts who will help you to progress. Getting paid work is tricky if you haven’t qualified or volunteered, but some people are lucky enough to do their training on the job. Volunteering: National Council for Voluntary Organisations volunteering.org.uk National Trust nationaltrust.org.uk – for information on volunteering and working holidays Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew kew.org/about/volunteer…

Where to put it Sash windows usually have deep sills that can easily accommodate a window box. You can also still open the window with it standing directly on the sill, so simply measure up and choose one to fit. With side-opening windows, you need to secure the window box below the sill. They look best if they’re either the same width or wider than the window above. Secure it in place Sill-mounted boxes should be secured with a wire across their front attached to the window frame on each side or, if practical, screwed directly into the sill. Steel-rod retaining ‘baskets’ are also available. For wall-mounted window boxes, use 60mm screws (or longer) and rawl plugs. Style wise Choose window boxes to complement the building. With modern homes, clean…

“Many perennials keep improving year after year with no disturbance” However dormant and lifeless the garden looks in January, there is always a degree of relief in passing into a New Year. (Is the difference between gardeners and farmers that farmers always assume that next year will be worse than this one, while gardeners unfailingly believe that it will be better?)Whatever the New Year holds, it won’t be long before things start to wake up and we get a chance to improve on the efforts of 2015 – it’s what keeps us gardeners going. Winter and early spring are times to take stock and make what Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown would have called his ‘improvements’. Seasonal delights We are blessed with seasonality in this country. Not only do our plants get…

WINTER PRUNING • Remove dead, diseased or damaged stems, and any small stubs that have been left to die back In the heart of winter, sap flow is at its slowest, so hardy shrubs, trees and deciduous hedges can be pruned hard if necessary. All the cane fruits can be cut back and trained, while apples, pears and blackcurrants can be thinned or reduced. It’s also the best time to tackle big pruning jobs, such as overgrown shrubs that need renovation. While you work, look out for emerging bulbs under your feet, but other dormant plants in the border won’t be damaged as you work among them, and at this time of year you have a clear view of where cuts need to be made. Avoid pruning the more tender…

Horticultural highlights Tour of the Gardens of Landriana, created by English landscape designer Russell Page and one of the most impressive gardens in Italy, accompanied by Lucy Hall Special guided tour of the Gardens of Ninfa, built in the abandoned ruins of an ancient medieval town, accompanied by Monty Don and Lucy Hall Tours of the UNESCO heritage site of Tivoli – Villa d’Este, accompanied by Lucy Hall, and the Emperor Hadrian’s Villa WHAT’S INCLUDED: Special guest appearances by Monty Don and magazine editor, Lucy Hall Return flights to Rome from Birmingham, Bristol or London Gatwick Four nights bed and breakfast at a four-star superior hotel Drinks, buffet reception and talk with Monty Don Guided tour of Rome, capital of the ancient world’s mightiest empire Optional visit to Vatican City,…

MY DAILY RITUAL in winter always begins with opening the cold frames, although if it is below freezing – and it is very rare that some January days do not begin locked in frost – then I leave them closed until it warms up a little. If there is a cold wind I just prop them open an inch or two. On a mild day I open them up as wide as I dare because the ideal is to have all the tender plants and young seedlings inside toughened up as much as possible, ready to move out as soon as the weather warms up a little. Cosset them too much and they suffer when it is time to face the big bad garden. Cold frames are much cheaper than…

Sow summer bedding seeds START SOWING seeds of any summer bedding plants that require a long growing season, as this will ensure they’re coming into flower when planted out from late May. These include antirrhinums, begonias, dianthus and lobelias. Sow in a heated propagator set to 21°C and provide extra lighting if possible to prevent seedlings becoming lanky. Many hardy perennials will also flower in their first year if sown now, such as achilleas, campanulas and lupins. Keep winter displays pristine POTS AND BORDERS with winter-flowering bedding plants such as pansies and polyanthus will struggle to look their best in the coldest months. Deadhead the flowers regularly and remove any leaves showing signs of rot. Only water pots if the compost is dry, for example if it is under an…

Keep bird feeders well stocked with fat-rich suet products, peanuts, sunflower hearts and nijer seed. Leave food for ground-feeding birds such as robins and blackbirds, which may be struggling to find natural food if the ground is frozen. Migrant birds from eastern Europe are often shyer than resident birds, and may benefit from food being left at the base of shrubs or the back of borders. If conditions are mild, plant wildlife-friendly bare-root trees and shrubs. Varieties to try include fruit trees such as apples and cherries, and native shrubs such as blackthorn, hazel and hawthorn. A mixed native hedge provides a wealth of food and shelter for a range of wildlife species. Keep an eye out for queen bumblebees that may have been roused on mild days. Mix 1tsp…

PEANUTS In the 1990s peanuts were found to have the cancer-causing chemicals aflatoxins, which kill birds. Most are now certified aflatoxin-free but always check the label. Don’t provide nuts in summer as they choke nestlings. NIGER SEED Niger came onto the market in 2002. It’s imported from India, Ethiopia, Nepal and Burma (Myanmar). Use a bespoke niger-seed feeder that has narrow feeding slots and fix a tray beneath to catch spilled seed. SUNFLOWER HEARTS On the market since 1999. High in energy and protein, birds don’t have to de-husk them, meaning less mess. Attracts a wide range including tits, finches, robins and thrushes. SUNFLOWER SEED Black seed has a higher oil content than striped seed. Attracts blackbirds, wrens and tits, but they have to de-husk it, leaving mess under feeders.…

Q How do I compost my Christmas tree? David answers A Having given pleasure for just a few weeks indoors over Christmas, it seems only right that your tree gets transformed into something useful rather than ending up going to landfill. A typical 1.8m (6ft) non-drop Nordmann fir takes up to 10 years to grow. During that time it usefully takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to build its wood. Making the effort to compost your tree will slow down the rate at which that carbon is released back. It also provides you with the ingredients for a useful soil improver, and should save money for your local authority to better spend elsewhere. WRAP, the government waste agency, estimates that as a nation we dump around 160,000 tonnes of…

Beating the winter blues I thought I’d try and inject a bit of colour back into the dark winter months, so here’s our stunning border from last summer. Angela Oglesby, Hampshire A late lily bloomer My husband and I really enjoy seeing what Monty is up to at Longmeadow, particularly the exotic planting in the Jewel Garden. So when we came across a canna lily at the church fete for £3, we couldn’t resist. Our plant was still blooming in late November before being retired to the greenhouse. James and Iona Chisholm, Staffordshire The best tonic Last year was a testing one! Breast surgery in March, followed by six months of chemotherapy and then radiotherapy every day for another month, resulted in my garden being neglected. But the bulbs still…

Clematis special Our top varieties and how to grow them Container recipes for clematis in pots How and when to prune – follow our easy guide Start your seed sowing year FREE sweet pea seeds Scented blooms for summer One stop sowing chart When to sow flowers & veg Propagators on test Which is best for your seeds? Hottest chillies How to grow a scorcher! Your gardening experts Carol on how to make the most of snowdrops PLUS planting in the green Monty helps you get a head start on the veg plot Alan on his best trees and shrubs for every garden Coming up in our anniversary year... March • Your 60-minute veg plot • £10,000 of kit to win April • Back to Basics booklet • Beautiful pots…

As cold weather tightens its grip, this pot is guaranteed to bring a spot of warmth to your patio. The fiery tones will make a welcome highlight on the darkest days, and the display will look good for several months. The evergreen shrub creates the backbone of the display, while the grass adds texture and movement to the scheme. The cheery violas up the flower count at the front of the pot and will bloom non-stop if deadheaded regularly. 1 Half fill your pot with multi-purpose compost. Add a measure of slow-release fertiliser and mix well. 2 Add the plants starting with the photinia, carefully removing them from their pots. Pack them in tightly. 3 Fill in gaps with compost and firm. Water well to settle the compost and make…

• Is the screen/hedge likely to be windswept? If yes, then this could be a problem, particularly if it’s exposed to a coastal salt wind. tepee the troll • There is a pyracantha hedge near me. It’s 2m high, 1m thick and about 40m long. It’s fabulous – I think it’s ‘Orange Glow’ and the berries were amazing last autumn/winter. jo47 • Our nextdoor neighbour had a pyracantha hedge and it was full of birds all the time. One year it was visited by a flock of waxwings that spent several hours stripping it of berries. Keep on top of the trimming if it’s near a footpath – it’s very spiny. Dovefromabove • It would make an excellent screen – tough as old boots and the berries are terrific. And…

• England’s Tree of the Year 2015 is to be chopped down to make way for the HS2 rail line. The Cubbington pear tree, voted for in The Woodland Trust’s yearly contest, is thought to be around 250 years old, has a hollow trunk that makes it impossible to move, so it will need to be felled. • More than 7,000 butterflies will cause a flutter in the glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley from 16 January 2016. Entry to the glasshouse is free with normal garden entry. Visit rhs.org.uk/ wisley for details. • Rachel de Thame (below) has been appointed vice president of Plantlife, the organisation responsible for the preservation of the UK’s native wildflowers, plants and fungi. • Rhubarb could help fight cancer, according to research by US scientists. The…

HISTORY Sir Harold Hillier Gardens was established in 1953 by plantsman Sir Harold Hillier, who brought together a comprehensive collection of trees, shrubs and half-hardy plants from around the world. The gardens were left to Hampshire County Council in 1977, and were included in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in 1997. They are now run as a charity, continuing Sir Harold’s tenets of horticulture, conservation, education and recreation. GARDENS The Winter Garden takes up four of the 180 acres that houses Hillier Gardens and is one of the largest in Europe. Other sections include the Acer Valley and Pinetum, The Bog Garden, Centenary Walk, Himalayan Valley, Hydrangea Walk, Magnolia Valley and Wisteria Border. There is also a restaurant and tea room on site. VISIT The…

What we need in January is a little glimpse of spring, and creating a display with flowering bulbs is the perfect way to bring some next-season cheer into your home. Snowdrops and crocuses that are starting to emerge in the garden can be transferred to pots and grown on indoors as long as they’re kept cool. So too can bulbs that have been forced in the cold and dark before being slowly exposed to light and warmth. If you haven’t forced your own bulbs, or don’t have any suitable candidates in the garden, florists and nurseries are bursting with prepared, potted bulbs in various stages of growth. They’re usually in basic plastic pots, but can easily be transferred to much more pleasing containers of your choice. Repotted, re-grouped and topped…

• Review your borders this month and look for areas that can be enlivened with some early colour. Try adding groups of early-flowering primroses, hellebores and pulmonaria to act as focal points, planted at the front of borders where their beauty can be appreciated. • Grow perennials in successional groupings, mixing early-flowering species with those that bloom later in spring, as well as others to take on the display in summer and autumn. • Plant up pots of spring perennials now. These can be moved onto a prominent position when they start to flower for instant impact. • Use dwarf and low-growing spring bloomers right at the front of borders so that they can be admired at close quarters, rather than with a pair of binoculars at a distance. •…

Vigorous shrubs that shoot from the base to form thickets can quickly become overgrown and a bit top heavy. Others, even those that need no regular pruning, gradually grow too big for the border and need cutting down to size. Whatever you prune will grow back vigorously in the spring, but if you want them to flower then some planning is needed to choose the right pruning technique. Late summer-flowering shrubs such as buddleia can be pruned to just above the ground or to a low framework. This may look drastic, but the new shoots that will sprout in spring will carry flowers at a lower level, where you can see them easily. Often, thicker, older wood has dormant buds that may not be visible from which shoots will appear.…

Horticultural highlights Bois des Moutiers was created by Guillaume Mallet in 1898 The gardens were planned in collaboration with English landscape designer, Miss Gertrude Jekyll The house is officially listed as an historic monument and as an outstanding garden The Guillaume Mallet family will meet the party as we visit their gardens Monet’s Garden is divided into two distinct halves – the flower garden and the water garden The Flower Garden is set around the Grande Allée with its flowering climbers trailing over iron frameworks and leafy tunnels In 1893 Monet diverted the River Ru into his meadow to form the Water Garden with its central pool, water lilies, willows and the celebrated Japanese bridge Your itinerary Day 1 Southampton Join Braemar in Southampton Day 2 Honfleur Join your fellow…

STEP BY STEP How to care for amaryllis after flowering DON’T THROW away your Christmas-flowered amaryllis. Get it ready for next year by feeding up the exhausted bulb so that it has the energy to produce another flower. Even if your bulb looks a little shrivelled, there’s every chance it will plump up and recover. 1 Cut the spent flower stem back before it sets seed, but keep the leaves until midsummer. 2 If your bulb has been decorated or waxed, chip off what you can to stop moisture being trapped and causing the bulb to rot. 3 Pot the bulb in potting compost, and keep watered and fed until the leaves die back in summer. 30 mins to spare? MOP AWAY any condensation that has settled on…

JANUARY is a relatively quiet time in the garden providing us with an opportunity to get ahead with tool maintenance. Cutting tools such as secateurs and loppers will function better, last longer and be safer to use if they’re clean, sharp and well-oiled. Rather than ripping through stems, sharp blades cut cleanly, leaving a tidy wound on the plant which should heal fully and reduce the risk of disease affecting the plant. Keeping tools clean also guards against disease being spread between plants. For maintaining cutting tools you don’t need much – some oil, wire wool or abrasive cloth for cleaning and an inexpensive sharpening stone or diamond tool. I also use a coarser sharpening stone to keep spades and hoes sharp as it makes them more efficient. How often…

I have to confess to a love affair – with willow trees. Alright, so it won’t set the media alight, but all through my life willow trees seem to have played a major role. When I was a boy, during the month of March we would cut stems from the pussy willow trees by the River Wharfe in Yorkshire and bring them into the classroom so that we could watch the furry catkins unfurling. In these days of ‘sensory gardens’ the delights of stroking the silken buds of Salix caprea, and other willows, should not be forgotten. But talk of sensory gardens does exasperate me. What garden is not sensory? All the five senses can be awoken in any garden, but when it comes to touch, the willows score highly.…