Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i BBC Gardeners' World

Clematis for free! If you have a clematis you love, make more plants with Monty’s guidance, in our popular video from the show, on propagating clematis. Watch it at bit.ly/GW-clematis-cuttings Spring revamp Now’s the perfect time to get your garden into shape, so follow Joe Swift’s Golden Rules of design in our exclusive video, to make a start. Watch it at bit.ly/GW-Golden-Rules Our Cotswolds tour Enjoy our summer 2019 tour to gardens of the Cotswolds, joined for a day by Adam Frost. This tour unlocks several gardens normally closed to the public, so why not treat yourself? See p52. Learn to prune You’ll get more from your garden if you’re confident in pruning, so let us show you how, in our small group sessions. Turn to p100.…

Budget feed I read the bird special articles with great interest, but I have one criticism about the piece, ‘What’s in our bird food?’ (January issue). The only bird food I can afford comes from the cut-price outlets and I’m in no doubt it a . However, the number and variety of birds visiting suggests that there is enough in the mix to keep all of them interested. Surely the point should be that, while better-quality foods are great, it’s better to feed the birds with what you can afford rather than not at all. Glenda King, by email Winter colour Wow, how I loved Frances Tophill’s article (My container style, February issue) – those gentle colours, so soft and reassuringly comforting. I am inspired by Frances’s creation, and know…

Here at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, we’re passionate about the health benefits of gardening. It’s a topic we championed back in 2010 with the launch of our Grow Yourself Healthy campaign, and something we’ve revisited a great deal between then and now. And one undeniable thing we’ve learnt over the years is that gardening is good for you – it’s a medically proven fact. As the spring growing season launches, we’re stepping up our Grow Yourself Healthy campaign, with more ambition than ever before to improve the health of our nation’s gardeners. As you’ve seen on previous pages, Monty kicks off things by writing about the healing powers of gardening. Then from next month, we will explore the key issues concerning our health today, from why gardening guarantees better…

Planting a tree is often done to commemorate an important event. Yet, in our own gardens, it is a momentous occasion in itself. We are planting something that may live far longer than us and, as such, it is imperative to get it off to a good start. Before you buy your tree, check out its roots. Most trees we plant are containerised, like this magnolia. No self-respecting nursery person will object to your carefully removing the tree from its pot to inspect the root ball. If it won’t come out of its pot it’s probably rootbound (potbound) and is best avoided. At the other extreme it may have been potted recently and not have established itself. Avoid plants like this. Ideally your tree or shrub should have a healthy…

Best for larger lawns: Cub Cadet. 4 in 1 function, wide cut, key start, variable speed adjusts automatically. Best cordless for larger lawns: Ego. Packed with features,including rapid charger, handles well, folds down for storage. Best cordless for small-medium lawns: Al-Ko. Simple controls, light, very manoeuvrable, quietest. Best petrol for small-medium lawns: Cobra. Variable speed, rear roller for stripes, easy pushbutton start. Best low-cost petrol: Webb. 4 in 1 function, large grass collector, wash port for easy cleaning and handled very well.…

Buying from your local garden machinery dealer means being able to inspect, handle, and compare different models so you can make sure the mower is easy and comfortable to handle. A dealer will supply your mower all set up and ready to use, which is a useful benefit, especially for larger petrol models. Most websites listed in our suppliers’ guide include a ‘find a dealer’ facility. If buying a mower from any other source for direct delivery, it’s worth checking the amount of assembly you’ll have to do. Some of the mowers for our test were supplied ready assembled, but a couple that came boxed were fiddly and time-consuming to put together, while others required virtually no assembly (see our star ratings for setting up/ storage). The prices we list…

• Lavatera x clementii ‘Rosea’ and L. ‘Barnsley’ are best cut back hard to prevent the plants from becoming large and brittle. Remove thin stems entirely and cut all the thick stems back to around 30cm above ground • Cotinus coggygria and any other shrubs you want to ‘coppice’. Cut back to just above a bud (if visible), about 20-25cm above ground. • Dogwoods and willows produce the most intense coloured stems when pruned hard in early spring. Remove the thinnest stems and then cut back all remaining stems to 20cm high.…

Start sowing annuals Annual flowers are great fillers in the border and guarantee wonderful summer colour. Blooms like gypsophila, poppies and pot marigolds can all be sown direct into short drills. The key to success is thinning out the seedlings to avoid overcrowding. Half-hardy annuals must be germinated indoors and planted out when the risk of frost is over, so begonias, cosmos and petunias can be sown now in pots on the windowsill or greenhouse. When the seedlings are big enough to handle, prick them out to give them more space and plant out in late May or early June. WATCH gardenersworld.com/pruning-training for more on deadheading Move shrubs It’s the last chance to move shrubs before they are fully in growth. Tie the branches together to avoid…

Beetroot is like Marmite – you either love it or hate it. But childhood prejudices should be laid aside and if you have always shuddered at the thought of it, you should try beetroot again – not least because it is good for you! It’s also easy to grow (as long as you give it the undemanding conditions it enjoys) and now, as the ground begins to warm up, it can be committed directly to the earth. That said, do sow when the weather is favourable, not simply because the packet says you can sow this month. Seeds sown in damp and chilly earth are likely to succumb to rot, and those that are sown a week or two later in milder weather will always catch up. Choose bolt-resistant varieties…

SUBSCRIPTIONS – 03330 162123 Including new subscription orders or queries, missing covermount gifts and magazine slipcase orders. Email gardeners.world@buysubscriptions.com Phone line open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm. GARDENERS’ WORLD OFFERS – 020 7150 5780 Email offers@gardenersworld.com MAGAZINE EDITORIAL – 020 7150 5770 Email magazine@gardenersworld.com or letters for publication to: letters@gardenersworld.com. Phone line open in office hours, Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm.…

Gardeners have always been in two minds about double daffodils. One the one hand, they’re long lasting, have real impact, come in some lovely colours and combinations, and have enhanced fragrance compared with the more familiar kinds. On the other hand, some people say that they don’t look like daffodils at all and that those multi-petalled flower heads are so heavy that they hit the ground at the first sign of drizzle or a breeze. Well, firstly, so they don’t look like daffodils – who cares?! Are we saying that if they were not actually daffodils they’d be lovely but because we have a fixed idea in our heads about what daffodils look like then they’re horrid? Oh, please… And while some are weak-stemmed, there are plenty that are not.…

Monty has written another inspiring and thought-provoking piece (The Full Monty, February issue). I totally agree with him when he considers that being open to different points of view could be the key to achieving a healthy mind and garden. We all need to be more open-minded to other people’s methods, ideas and thoughts. If you have not read this article, you need to. Linda Nykamp, by email Thank you, Monty, for openly sharing your thoughtful and deeply reflective views on the mind and garden – essentially exploring some of the ‘whys’ (The Full Monty, February issue). Physical, intellectual, creative and rewarding lifelong work is a wonderful place to be, so let’s press on in sharing our gardens and the benefits of gardening with all who will benefit. James Hainsworth,…

A garden visit makes a perfect treat this Mother’s Day, 31 March, and those listed here have tea rooms. Don’t forget, you can use your 2018 2 for 1 entry card until 12 April at Hever Castle and Forde Abbey. Kent Enjoy a visit to the gardens of historic Hever Castle, once the home of Anne Boleyn. Walk through the maze and see the boating lake before sitting down to lunch. hevercastle.co.uk Somerset Mothers will each be given a posy of seasonal flowers at Forde Abbey. Enjoy a cream tea after a meander through the 900-year-old garden. fordeabbey.co.uk Dumfries & Galloway Take in the soothing sounds of the water features as you walk around Threave Garden & Estate: nts.org.uk/visit/places/threave-garden Carmarthenshire Stroll around the cloister garden and then browse the local…

One of the most uplifting experiences in the natural world, is the sight, and sometimes the scent, of blossom. Whether you live in the heart of the city or in the countryside, you are bound to come into contact with trees that for a short but spectacular time are transformed, as blossom opens along their boughs and branches. The frothiness of sloe and hawthorn highlighting field edges is a magical experience. To walk beneath cherry trees in a city street and look up to see a clear azure sky through their pretty pink petals is to be transported to another place. Everything seems to want to join in the festival of froth. Fruit trees everywhere are smothered in flowers. Apple orchards in particular are bursting with pink and white blooms.…

My love of spring is instinctive and primal. And there’s no doubt that the plants are what make this time of year unique – so bulbs have to be my centerpiece in this container. If you didn’t plant any last autumn, don’t worry, most garden centres sell them potted up, ready to burst into flower, so you haven’t missed out. Once they’ve finished flowering in this pot, and the foliage has gone over, replant them in the ground and they should come back year after year. To make this container even more deserving of a space on any patio, I have added aromatic herbs that give off delicious scents and are useful in the kitchen. Mediterranean herbs have evolved in rocky terrain with little root space. This makes them a…

1. To cover a fence panel ‘Romantika’ Wonderfully rich, deep-purple flowers 15cm across. The petals are elegantly spaced on blooms that are produced in late summer. Group 3 2. Up into a tree C. montana The heftiest of all the clematis family and capable of covering a cathedral, I’m sure. The pink flowers of rubens, are a particular spring treat. Group 1 3. Scrambling through a shrub ‘Purpurea Plena Elegans’ Fully double rosettes of flower in purplish crimson in late summer. One of my all-time favourites – great when run through Viburnum tomentosum to extend the season of interest. Group 3 4. In shade ‘Nelly Moser’ The ‘pyjama-striped’ clematis with pale-lavender flowers in May-June, whose petals have a wide central stripe of pink. The blooms fade less when not in…

When you think of the stalwarts of the houseplant world – aspidistra, parlour palm, rubber plant – they are all rather lacking in colour. These hard-to-kill houseplant heroes thrive on neglect, but there is a world of vivid flowers and vibrant foliage ready to inject colour into your home. We visited houseplant enthusiast Jamie Song to discover more about these modern marvels that are both easy to care for and strikingly good looking. See more from Jamie Song at @jamies_jungle Angel wings Caladium bicolor ‘Florida Clown’ Caladiums are tuberous plants, developing from a swollen rootstock. There are many different varieties, offering a huge range in leaf patterning and colour. Watering They prefer a winter rest period, so reduce the watering in autumn and they will die back. During the summer…

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Join David Hurrion, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Associate Editor, for expert pruning advice and inspiring ideas. Plus, enjoy a garden tour and talk with John Anderson, Keeper of the Gardens. • Learn what to prune and what not to prune • Know the right tools • Understand how plants grow and the outcomes of pruning at different times of year Prices £65 subscribers £75 non-subscribers Time 10am-3.30pm For further details go to gardenersworld.com or call 0871 220 0260* and quote code: Savill Ts&Cs: In the case of unforeseen circumstances, experts may be substituted. *All calls are charged at 13p per minute plus your network access charge.…

Subscriber copies of this month’s magazine come with free Dahlia ‘Bishop’s Children’ seeds. Sow them in pots, modules or trays now, under protection, ready for planting out once the risk of frost is over. Dahlias are tender, so keep your seedlings in a warm spot until late May or June, then harden off or about a week before you plant them out. They will develop tubers over summer that can be stored next winter for planting again he following year. ‘Bishop’s Children’ has dark foliage that makes the perfect backdrop to the flower colour range of red, orange, purple and pink. These plants reach 90cm in height and are ideal for growing in pots, borders or for cutting for the house. The flowers will attract pollinating insects and, being edible,…

Snowdrops(Galanthus)areoneofthefirst garden bulbs to flower in the year and, because they don’t mind light shade, their bright-white flowers are perfect for illuminating darker corners of the garden. After flowering, their strappy leaves continue to grow, but eventually die down to feed the bulbs underground, ready for next year’s blooms. It’s easy to propagate snowdrops in your garden and now is the time to act. Dividing them ‘in the green’ means breaking up clumps while they’re in leaf and replanting them. Overcrowded bulbs don’t flower well, so by giving them more space you’ll get a better display in years to come. Do this job every five years or so, rather than disturbing the plants annually. ADAM’S TOP 5 SNOWDROPS G. nivalis Scented and naturalises well G. plicatus ‘Three…

■ Check roses for aphids, which will multiply as the temperature rises. Look under leaves and around buds and gently blast off when watering ■ Hoe off any unwanted self sown seedlings ■ Dig out perennial weeds, removing as much root as you can while able to reach between plants ■ Remove weeds and moss from garden paths, patios and driveways ■ Order new biological controls, such as nematodes, to keep slugs and snails at bay. Apply once soil is at least 5°C and keep soil wet…

3 WAYS TO TRY • Bake rhubarb with a little sugar until tender. Whip together double cream, vanilla extract and icing sugar. Cut shortcakes in half, and fill with a dollop of the cream and rhubarb. • Cook rhubarb with sugar, a splash of water and grenadine. Fill meringues or a pavlova with whipped double cream and then add the baked rhubarb. • Roast rhubarb with honey and lemon juice. Bake oats and hazelnuts with honey and water until toasted. Layer up rhubarb and yoghurt in cups and then top with the oats and nuts. FIND MORE rhubarb recipes from Olive magazine at bit.ly/olive-rhubarb-recipes Forced rhubarb Nutrition Rhubarb is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium and fibre How to grow Prepare the ground in November or December,…

Next month: Easy Veg – failsafe veg, plus tips for tackling trickier crops May: Shortcut to Summer – delicious crops in a matter of weeks June: Metre-Square Salad – big harvests from the smallest of plots July: Maximise Your Space – smart ways to fit more crops into tight spaces August: Maximise Your Harvests – ensure the pickings keep coming September: Never Go Hungry – store-cupboard staples and the ‘hungry gap’ October: Get Winter-Ready – how to prepare your plot FIND MORE timely tips for your plot this month at gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now-march…

Wet winters cause problems for both soil and plants and while there’s not much you can do when your garden is saturated, there are a few measures you can take afterwards to prevent the same problem next year. The UK receives its heaviest rainfall over winter, and clay soils, due to their tiny particulate size, hold the most water and therefore present the greatest threat to plant health. Not only can they be seriously soggy but they can also become compacted, preventing further water and air penetration. Even if soil doesn’t look saturated, it could well be the cause of failing plants. Species not adapted to excessively wet conditions display their discontent in the form of yellowing leaves, rotting roots and even death. This is because the normal air spaces…

• Wet soils can become anaerobic, literally meaning ‘without air’. This condition leads to the death of many soil organisms (often causing an unpleasant smell) vital for the health of the earth. • Plants that have adapted to cope with wet, low-oxygen soils have special air pockets in their stems known as aerenchyma. These allow air to travel down the plant and supply the roots. • Waterlogging in soil saturates the pockets normally filled with oxygen thus preventing the roots from respiring aerobically – an efficient process that turns sugars into energy quickly. • Clay soil is notoriously sticky and not free-draining. Some clays can be improved with calcium in the form of a ‘clay-breaker’. This causes the clay to flocculate or bind together into larger particulates, thus allowing better…

Anne Swithinbank A keen fruit, vegetable and houseplant grower, Anne was formerly the glasshouse supervisor at RHS Garden Wisley. Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Matthew Wilson Garden designer Matthew was curator of RHS Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr, and often appears on television. Q Can you suggest interesting evergreens for a woodland spot? Cath Close, Renfrewshire A BOB SAYS Top of any such list has to be the hollies. These will establish in even quite shady areas and in most soils as long as they are never waterlogged. Named varieties come in a host of foliage colour variations, but remember, to get berries on the female plants you also need at least one pollinating male. However, if…

Head, heart and hand – the combination, which is part of Taoist philosophy (bear with me, I’m not going off on one), is something that gardeners have understood for years, whether or not they are aware that they are aligning themselves with a Chinese belief system dating back over 2000 years. For completeness of being – satisfaction and contentedness – it is important that head, heart and hand are given equal importance in life. The mind needs to be stimulated and the heart gladdened, but without the intervention of the hand – through practical skills and creativity – then something is left wanting. At least, that’s my interpretation and explains why, when foul weather and frozen ground have kept me indoors for days, I begin to feel irritable and uneasy.…

The secret is out – the big one we all share about gardening. Spend more than a few minutes in your garden, from planting beans and turning compost, to simply cheering on long-buried bulbs as they limber out of the ground, and you’ve switched off the outside world and switched on to the natural one. Though you may be too busy to think about it, with a mental checklist of spring tasks that’s growing daily, we all know what it means to come in from a gardening blitz and feel as elated as you are muddy and aching. And now, medical experts of every discipline are on board, with the NHS announcing investment in ‘social prescribing’ – including gardening – as a viable solution for a range of health issues.…

In the film Being There , Peter Sellers plays Chance, the gardener who becomes a presidential candidate by dint of saying vague horticultural inanities in response to every question. In the light of the current US president, you could argue that stranger things have happened. Or that this pretty much defines the TV gardener. I could not possibly comment. But what if a politician became a gardener? It might be said like this (assumes a serious but caring face): “Austerity has hit Longmeadow. Cuts have had to be made. More are to follow. Some of these are radical and will leave a hole, but bullets have been bitten, nettles grasped and guns stuck to. And I am happy to tell to you that, as a result, everything for…

Do you relish weather extremes or do they spell horticultural disaster? We Brits hardly need an excuse, but last year’s weather was a constant source of conversation, often for the wrong reasons. We have, for some time now, been warned to expect more extreme weather conditions as our climate changes, and from late winter to early autumn we were forced to endure some exceptional weather. “Hot, dry summers are not necessarily a bad thing for gardeners” We have been told to expect warmer winters and hotter, drier summers, but what are the pros and cons? It is a complex story, but I found many plants revelling in the Mediterranean sunlight levels of 2018. The flower and fruit-set on perceived borderline species such as Lagerstroemia (crape myrtle) and Diospyros kaki (Sharon…

Work plenty of organic matter into the soil that is to accommodate any clematis. The plants put on a lot of growth in a season and that growth needs fuelling. Make sure the support the plant is to climb – be it trellis, pergola, tripod or obelisk – is sturdy, and that the smooth surface of walls and fences are equipped with strong horizontal wires at 45cm intervals, or stout trellis panels, to give the shoots something to cling to. Plant 10cm deeper than the plant was growing in its container, to help it resist and survive clematis wilt (that nasty malaise where the whole plant suddenly collapses). Do this with any clematis since it ensures that should wilt strike there is a greater chance of new shoots being produced…

• Bristol Old Market Plants, 50 Gloucester Lane, BS2 0DP • Edinburgh Dahlia, 17 Roseneath Street, EH9 1JH • Falmouth Toro, Old Brewery Yard, High Street, Falmouth, TR11 2BY • London Forest, Frogley Rd, East Dulwich, SE22 9DF • Manchester Plant Shop, 8 Mealhouse Brow, Stockport Old Town, SK1 1JP • York Botanic, 27 Walmgate, YO1 9TX ONLINE • Crocus, crocus.co.uk • Hortology, hortology.co.uk • House of Plants, houseofplants.co.uk • Patch, patch.garden • Sprout, sproutlondon.co.uk…

We carried out our mower comparison test at Harper Adams University, Shropshire, which specialises in agriculture and rural studies. We unpacked and assessed each mower for features, then mowed medium-length and short grass, on slopes and level areas with each one. We checked how the grass collectors functioned, plus the cleaning and storage features. We used the following criteria to assess the mowers: Ease of handling: includes engine power, ease of use of controls, noise level, amount of vibration, weight Cutting performance: Number and range of cutting heights, cutting width, grass collector capacity, mulching and side-ejection options, rear roller Set up and storage: Unpacking, ease of use of power supply, ease of cleaning, easy storage features Value for money: Price, number of functions, engine/mower quality, area covered, any special features,…

STEP BY STEP Sow sweet peppers Sweet peppers don’t grow well outside and are best kept under the protection of a greenhouse or polytunnel. Sown now, you’ll be eating peppers by August. Have cane supports ready before they get bushy and the crop gets heavy. Crop them early when they’re green or wait for them to sweeten and change colour before picking. 1 FILL a pot with multi-purpose or bedding plant compost. Firm it gently until level, then soak with warm water. 2 SPACE a few seeds on the surface, then sieve a 3mm layer of compost over them. Firm again so the seed is held securely. 3 PLACE the pot in a propagator or on a windowsill that gets plenty of sun. The seeds will germinate in two to…

Protect with a cloche A cloche, like a mini greenhouse, will warm up soil and give some protection to the earliest germinating seedlings. You can also plant out early tender crops, such as courgettes, later on, under cloches. Use a bell jar for small numbers or construct a fleece or polythene cloche tunnel to cover a row. The cloche cover will be needed until the frosts are over, but keep it on to protect plants from pests like flea beetle, on your radishes, turnips and early greens. Control weeds Weeding now will allow young vegetable plants to grow without competition. If you can do this once a week, you’ll clear young weeds before they can flower and spread seed all over the garden again. Use a hoe to cut through…

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and keep growing the same old varieties of tomatoes. But new varieties are being bred every year that boast better disease resistance, boosted sugar levels and increased vigour, as well as bigger, more flavoursome harvests. So it makes sense to try new varieties to compare alongside benchmark favourites. Now is the time to sow your tomato seeds to get the best results, but with hundreds of varieties to choose from, where do you start? We’ve asked expert tomato grower Matt Simpson of Simpson’s Seeds to reveal his taste-test results. Each year, in his greenhouse, he trials 50 cordon varieties across cherry, plum, salad and beefsteak size tomatoes. Also called vine or indeterminate, cordon tomatoes are the tall ones that need to be…