Garden Answers Spring 2023

Meet the Contributors “This month in the garden I’ll be...” “…cleaning the greenhouse glass, ready for seed sowing.” Val Bourne suggests perfect spring partners, p16 “…sowing seed of an annual wildflower mix to create a tapestry of blooms buzzing with insects.” Sue Fisher on crab apples, p28 “…turning a metal trough into a container pond.” Louise Curley’s top 10 plants with pink foliage, p24 “…sowing a mini-meadow. They’re the easiest thing to maintain.” Adrian Thomas greens up for wildlife, p44 “…sprinkling wild-flower seeds in the bare tree pits on my street.” Dan Masoliver writes our Garden View column, p114 “…adding more pink foliage plants to complement the red acers in my garden.” Gill Lockhart, designs the magazine Welcome to the Spring edition of Garden Answers. This issue started life as…

POPS OF JOY A carpet of starry white wild garlic flowers, late hellebores, zippy lime green euphorbia and clouds of purple honesty make a beautiful backdrop for a mass of tulips, planted in a mixed patchwork to create a sense of informality and joy 1 Liberal use of white, such as the swathe of Narcissus poeticus in the background, helps other colours to sing. H35cm (14in) S10cm (4in) 2White or purple honesty (Lunaria annua) is a useful gap-filler in spring, helping to create this blanket-like planting effect. H&S70cm (28in) 3 Emerging, softly darkening allium ‘Purple Sensation’ flower spikes add subtle structure to the scene. H80cm (32in) S15cm (6in)…

Patio project Pink & Perky Brighten a sheltered corner or porch with this delightful spring ensemble grouped together in a woven planter (try dunelm.com or thebasketroom.com for similar). If the woven planter isn’t lined, place a layer of plastic, such as a piece of compost bag or bin liner, inside and then use a plastic or terracotta pot with holes in the base for the arrangement. Fill with good-quality peat-free compost and start by planting the hellebore at the back. Choose a dark pink cultivar such as helleborus (Rodney Davey Marbled Group) ‘Anna’s Red’ with its attractive marbled evergreen leaves (H&S60cm/2ft). Position the dainty nodding flowers of Fritillaria meleagris (snakeshead fritillary; H30cm/12in S8cm/3in) to one side and allow the feathery foliage of Polystichum tsussimense (H&S45cm/18in) to soften the front edge.…

A large expanse of lawn at Sandringham House, the Norfolk royal residence of King Charles III, is being transformed into a new climate-friendly topiary garden. Once the site of a formal parterre garden in the 1800s and subsequently used for crops as part of the Second World War’s ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, the area is being redesigned to be decorative once again with naturalistic planting to improve biodiversity. In total an acre of land will be cleared and replanted in the coming months. Topsoil and turf removed during the initial works will be reused in the beds of the new garden. The current expanse of lawn has been weakened by warm weather and excessive rainfall. The newly developed garden introduces species that are more robust, hardy and better able to…

Gardener’s gauntlets £32.95 Cream rose linen and leather. 0345 548 0210; annabeljames. co.uk Burgon & Ball FloraBrite hand trowel & fork set from £29.49 RHS-approved; fluorescent pink or yellow. 01308 326426; auntiemorags.co.uk Rive Droite bistro set £300 Large (90cm diameter) metal table with 4 chairs; 3 colours. 01993 845559; gardentrading.co.uk Garden obelisk £49.95 Wooden or painted slate 1.5m. 0844 482 5555; scottsof stow. co.uk Pink watering can £24.99 Pink and chrome 9L metal watering can with rose. manomano.co.uk Tool shed with shelves £279.99 Pastel green, dove grey, chalk white or natural finish. 01276 535641; gardenesque.com Polkadot garden trug £12 Pink handle and pink poka-dot fabric lining otherbunch.com B&Q pink wheelbarrow £90.49 90L heavy-duty plastic with puncture-proof wheel. 0333 014 3357; diy.com…

Hyacinth ‘Hollyhock’ Intense blue double-flowered muscari makes a late spring statement. ✿ H20cm (8in) S10cm (4in) £4.80/20 bulbs Farmer Gracy 0330 808 7304; farmergracy. org.uk Muscari armeniacum ‘Fantasy Creation’ Create a vibrant splash with this bright red double-flowered hyacinth that has a strong sweet scent. ✿ H20cm (8in) S10cm (4in) £5/5 bulbsKevock Garden Plants 0131 454 0660; kevockgardenplants.co.uk Iris tuberosa Previously known as Hermodactylus tuberosus, this hardy snake’s head iris has flowers of a reptilian green with striking black falls. Emerging in late winter, the flowers last until mid-spring. ✿ H20cm (8in) S5cm (2in) £3.90/10 bulbs Farmer Gracy 0330 808 7304; farmergracy.org.uk Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ Blooms start yellow, then develop a white halo at the petal base, while the soft pink trumpet matures to rich salmon. ✿ H35cm (14in)…