Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i BBC Gardeners' World

Our award-winning app Keep up to date while you’re on the move with our digital edition, made for iPhone and iPad. Get extra content plus videos from Monty and the team, plus access to our subscriber-only, online Secret Garden. Pay from £4.99 an issue in the App Store. See: bit.ly/GW-digital Join our Masterclass Give the gift of knowledge this Christmas with a place on our Spring gardening masterclasses, led by Associate Editor David Hurrion. Join us for Seed Sowing (24 Mar) and for Pruning (25 Mar). Priced at £75 for the day, see p55. New travel guides If you’re planning your 2020 trips, and find inspiration in our travel special (from p81), discover more with our NEW online guides to top destinations and gardens at gardeners world.com/travel It’s Show Time!…

Naturalistic and soft shades are the trends for cut flowers in 2020, according to cut-flower grower Sarah Raven. “Garden-grown or foraged wild hedgerow foliage is massively on the up,” she tells us. “What is out of fashion is the regular glasshouse flowers with uniform straight stems.” People are also shifting away from vibrant colours to vintage tones. “There’s an increasing move towards old-fashioned sepia browns and faded, muted colours,” she adds. For gardeners with small spaces, Sarah recommends smaller dahlias such as ‘Happy Single Flame’, which is a rusty-brown colour, good for pollinators and works well in a pot of at least 45cm deep and wide. For anyone with only a windowsill free, she suggests trying Cosmos ‘Sonata White’, which is prolific in shallow soil. Sarah puts the shift towards…

✔ DO always use really sharp tools for pruning. Not only is it easier and safer, but also a sharp edge cuts more cleanly, meaning less risk of damage or infection. Clean them, too, between jobs. Good secateurs, a pair of loppers and a sharp pruning saw will deal with most tasks. ✔ DO always use a tool that is comfortably within its capability, so it cuts easily and you always have complete control, rather than straining to make the cut. Not only does this ensure a cleaner, neater cut, but it also means that you can keep half an eye on how it is looking. ✔ DO, when cutting off anything with a saw, always make an undercut first, before cutting down from above. This will ensure that the…

Tinned veg Collection of six root veg seeds, each in its own tin. £19.99 + p&p, suttons.co.uk Some like it hot! Ten packets of carefully selected chilli seed varieties, chosen for heat, colour and flavour. £17.99 + p&p, sowseeds.co.uk Solar light Six lights that automatically come on at night – no wires or batteries needed. From £22.99 + p&p, ethicalsuperstore.com Gift hamper Handy gardening essentials, including twine, labels and raffia. From £25 + p&p, nutscene.com Winter warmers Soft and hardwearing oak-leaf gloves, machine washable with a real leather trim. £14.99 + p&p, burgonandball.com Personalised apron Choose the name or word you want printed on the smart de im apron. £29.95 incl. p&p, sparksanddaughters.com Books for plant-aholics Wild About Weeds: Garden Design with Rebel Plants Jack Wallington, Laurence King, £19.99…

When I was a fledgling designer there was a fashion for minimalist gardens, where the hard landscaping tended to come first and the plants second – but the spaces rarely buzzed with wildlife. These days, things have changed and most of us are aware that our urban gardens, whatever their size, play an important role in providing vital resources for a wide range of creatures where they most need it. With the variety of habitats and flora these gardens contain, the volume of green space across the country is considerable. If they could all be joined up, they would form the essential wildlife corridors that many species need to survive! Most of the things we can do in our own gardens are very simple and require very little time and…

STEP BY STEP Care for your moth orchid You can keep your moth orchid flowering for months if you follow these tips. In winter, put it on a light windowsill where night temperatures are about 15°C. Keep the flower stems well supported. Water as the compost dries out, but make sure that the plant stays dry (see step 3, right). In summer, move to a more shaded position, mist occasionally and feed while it’s in growth by adding orchid fertiliser to the water. Orchids are sensitive to too much feed, so drench the compost with water occasionally to remove excess nutrients. 1 SNIP OFF flowers individually as they fade. You could leave them there but it looks unsightly and can encourage fungal disease, particularly when the light is poor over…

STEP BY STEP Winter pond care Pond life slows right down in cold weather but you can still lose aquatic creatures if you don’t pay attention to water quality and air exchange over the winter. Organic matter left in the pond builds up nutrient levels, which eventually deprives water of oxygen. Air holes (see 3 below) are vital if snow cover excludes light. 1 CUT back any overhanging stems from nearby trees and shrubs to reduce debris dropping into the pond next year. Use secateurs or reach with long-handled loppers. 2 SCOOP out debris with a hand net to keep the water in good condition, or use a net across the whole pond to protect it. 3 PUT a float or ball on the water in freezing temperatures. Lift it…

Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Matt Biggs Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years. Pippa Greenwood Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods. Q My shrub has coral spot on its trunk – can I save it? Clare Watson, by email APIPPA SAYS Coral spot fungus (Nectria cinnabarina) is instantly recognisable by the many tiny pink pustules that appear on infected woody stems, which subsequently die. It is usually an opportunist fungus, moving in and causing further damage on parts of a shrub or tree that are already dead, dying or damaged. However, on occasions it may be more aggressive and…

My family have stopped giving me things for the garden as Christmas presents. Not unreasonably, as they assume that after more than 50 years of gardening I have everything I could possibly need. Up to a point this is true. I have no need of decorated tin boxes in which to keep my plant labels (they are sticking up out of a small clay flowerpot on the potting bench). I do not need a new spade since the one bequeathed to me by my father (and ultimately my grandfather) is still doing sterling service, and I prefer to use old tools rather than new ones. Their handles and blades have been worn to a silken smoothness over years of toil – even if, in the case of the aforementioned spade,…

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It almost seems like magic. As soon as an ivy shoot touches a wall, fence or tree trunk, it starts to climb. It’s not clear how it clings until you look closely and see the tiny roots lined up along the back of its stems. These aerial roots, as they’re called, have only one purpose: to cling. Many people think these roots parasitise the host tree, sucking nutrients from the trunk. But no, not only do they not harm the tree, but they have no capacity even to absorb rain as it runs past. The tip of each individual rootlet develops a tiny sucker, and clinging to its host is all that these rootlets do. Ivies have another unusual feature. When they reach the top of their support, they stop…

Is reusing a plastic tree for several years better for the environment than buying a real one annually? It’s a common misconception that real Christmas trees are bad for the environment and, in the light of recent media reports on global deforestation and the effects of climate change, you can understand why. But in fact the opposite is true. It’s the plastic counterparts of our traditional festive showstoppers that are causing the problems. Let me explain. “Trees provide habitats for wildlife, absorb CO2, and produce oxygen” Commercial Christmas tree production is a cycle starting with a seedling, which grows for eight to 10 years and is then cut down, to be immediately replaced with another seedling. They are usually grown on large plantations, with trees of various ages and sizes.…

Christmas in the Frost household is one of my favourite times of year. It’s not that peaceful, with the kids excitedly waiting for the big day, and friends and relatives popping in to exchange cards and presents, but I love all the bustle. For me, it’s the best time of year to spend precious moments at home with the family. Of course, there’s one person who loves Christmas even more than me and that’s Mrs Frost! She can’t wait to get the decorations up and a fire lit. Although, with two new kittens and three sheep this year, it could be an even more memorable Christmas than usual. For me, it’s a time to enjoy being at home and that includes the garden, too. On a crisp day there’s nothing…

Emma Crawforth, Gardening Editor, on ECUADOR Explore historic Quito, Ecuador’s capital city high in the Andes, then stay in a rare cloud forest, teeming with tree frogs, butterflies and hummingbirds, and stunning plants such as orchids and ferns Close to the equator, but 2,800m above sea level, the climate of Quito feels Mediterranean. Close by there are dry plateaux and volcanic cones, however, as you descend the slopes of the Andes, you quickly find tropical forests. Modern routes have made remote regions accessible for tourists, so in just a few days you can see the baroque architecture of Unesco World Heritage-listed Quito old town, buy hand-crafted garments in a regional market and stay at an eco-reserve. For a plant-mad gardener like me, this region was fascinating. I visited traditional craftspeople,…

Wildlife habitat box YOU WILL NEED • Wooden box • Decaying branch • Broken pot • Pinecones • Ornamental grass twigs • Gravel Making a wildlife box (or bijou bug hotel!) is fun, easy and costs almost nothing. You may even already have the materials lying around. It’s a great project to do with kids, too, helping to teach them about habitats and conservation. You could go large, but even in a small box like this there’s enough nooks and crannies that make the ideal habitat for insects to hibernate. They are especially good for hibernating wasps, lacewings and woodlice, as well as ladybirds, which munch on aphids in the garden. 1 LEAN the box back and start placing the materials inside. Start with some larger pieces then infill later…

Plant dogwood for colour When it comes to usefulness, beauty and ease of growing, nothing beats the shrubby dogwoods with their colourful winter stems and (in the variegated kinds) brightly painted foliage. Planting them now makes sense, as they prefer damp soil and will establish quickly at this time of year. They’ll give their best if never allowed to go short of water, so enriching soil with well-rotted compost or manure is beneficial. Once settled, they’re not fussy and will thrive even in poor, dry earth. You can plant rootballed or bare-root dogwoods between now and March; pot-grown kinds at any time – teasing out the roots if rootbound. Right after planting, shorten stems by a third to a half. To enjoy winter bark colour, cut established plants to within…

Year Planner 2020 Created to be your essential gardening companion, this month-by month planner comes complete with diary dates, spaces for notes and clear step-by-step instructions for key gardening tasks. Spread over 132 pages, this colourful guide will help you achieve your best ever results. Only £6.99 incl. P&P at magsdirect.co.uk/gwplanner19 Your Pruning Year Perfect your pruning technique with this 132-page comprehensive guide to pruning through the year – helping you make the right cuts to get the best from your plants. Includes which plants to prune when, step-by-step guides, troubleshooting, tools and techniques and much more. Only £6.99 incl. P&P at magsdirect.co.uk/gwpruningyr19 Complete Guide to Roses Discover roses for every location, including sun, shade, windy gardens, ground cover and more, plus find the perfect rose for your plot with…

If you have a gardening problem, email the details (and your location) to Q&A@gardenersworld.com or write to Emma Crawforth at Gardeners’ World Magazine, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT. We regret that we cannot offer a personal advisory service or guarantee a reply. You’ll also find lots of pest and disease advice, along with creative and problem-solving projects, at gardenersworld.com/how-to Gardening on the radio Gardeners’ Question Time Enjoy a fascinating crop of listeners’ questions and answers from the experts every week, on BBC Radio 4, Fridays at 3pm, repeated Sundays at 2pm. Missed it? Listen online within seven days at bbc.co.uk/ radio4…

The joys of the garden may be harder won this month than in high summer, but it makes them all the more precious. The warm glow of berries and sweet fragrance from shrubs, prising knobbly veg from crusted soil and the flitting energy of birds are all reasons to tear yourself from the endless To Do list of festive preparations, out into the fresh air. Just being amongst greenery gives us breathing space – as every gardener knows. This is supported by a new report from the University of London and Wildlife Trusts that proves how young children gain in happiness and confidence from a daily hour outdoors in nature. So we’ve plenty of ideas in this issue to encourage you to spend time in the garden: from Adam’s festive…

I find it hard to believe that any one really likes a monkey puzzle tree. I can see that they are interesting, what with being a survivor from the Jurassic period, designed not so much to thwart ascendant monkeys but grazing dinosaurs, and I imagine that a forest of them in their home on the slopes of the Andes would be an awesome sight. When given time – around a thousand years does it – they become hugely tall, with a topknot of branches sitting on a bare pillar of a trunk. The trouble is that the oldest British Araucaria araucana is a mere babe. The years they need to acquire some kind of aesthetic distinction lie in a far distant future. Perhaps when western civilisation expires and the streets…

1 IT’S GOOD TO HELP Volunteering in nature conservation is good for wellbeing, according to the Wildlife Trusts. Benefits include improvements to health, lower stress levels and increased self esteem. bit.ly/ volunteer-wellbeing 2 DORMICE NEED YOU Dormice populations have declined by 50 per cent since 2000 due to climate change and loss of habitat. Find out how to help at bit.ly/help-dormice 3 TROPICAL WILDLIFE Discover more about the wildlife of Madagascar, Borneo and Hawaii when BBC Earth’s Tropical Island, a new three-part documentary series, hits our screens in early January, on BBC2. bbcearth.com 5 PLASTIC-FREE HERBS Asda’s living herbs range has gone plastic-free. The plants are now being sold in soil plugs wrapped in paper sleeves, saving 45.6 tonnes of plastic a year. asda.com 5 GARDENING PODCAST Download and listen…

Harvest turnips Now is the time to harvest any remaining turnips that were sown in late summer, while they’re still full of moisture. If you leave them much longer, they’ll turn woody and start to split. The best ones are no bigger than a tennis ball. Snip off the leaves, wash the turnips and dry them well. Then either store them in sand, along with carrots and parsnips, or place in the salad drawer of the fridge, where they’ll stay fresh for weeks. Make leafmould from fallen leaves Autumn leaves are a valuable asset, as you can easily turn them into leafmould. This makes a useful mulch or you can dig it into the soil to improve its structure. So collect up leaves from around your garden now and place…

Some houseplants, including many ferns, orchids and bromeliads, are epiphytic in the wild. This means that they grow on top of other plants. They have evolved to survive in the air, so are sometimes called ‘air plants’. Instead of taking their moisture and nutrients from the soil, these exotics are adapted to harness the water around them from rain, dew and mist. Some, like Spanish moss (the bromeliad, Tillandsia usneoides), have no roots at all. Others, like moth orchids, have roots that can cling to branches. Have you ever noticed a greenish tinge to your moth orchid roots? That’s there because these roots can photosynthesise, helping the plant to capture more sunlight to make food. Epiphytic houseplants typically originate in forests. They cope well with the low light they get…