Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Woman&Home Feel Good You

Welcome to the Gardens issue of Simply woman&home. For obvious reasons, many of us have been spending more time outdoors in the last year. For me that has helped ignite two passions. As a keen cook I’ve had the time to grow more of my own ingredients – there is nothing more delicious than a freshly picked juicy strawberry on a sunny day! If you’ve never grown your own, but would like to try our easy guide starts on p81. Secondly, I’ve got evermore inventive when it comes to entertaining friends and family al fresco – from a firepit to festoons of solar lighting and I’m now seriously considering an outdoor pizza oven like the one on p53. We’ve also sourced the best expert advice on design and planting, plus…

1 DIG A POND One of the best things you can do to help wildlife is to build a small pond, providing drinking water for birds and small animals, and a breeding ground and habitat for insects and amphibians. Site it somewhere sunny or in partial shade, and aim for one that’s at least 90cm deep in the centre for creatures to shelter over winter, with shallow sides to allow easy access for frogs and newts. Keep the water healthy with a mix of submerged oxygenator plants – choose British native aquatic pond plants to encourage as much wildlife as possible – and place dwarf water lilies in the middle. 2 PICK THE RIGHT PLANTS Every outdoor space, whatever the size, has plenty of potential to attract more wildlife using…

IN BORDERS Create a vibrant mix of low-maintenance perennials, bulbs and evergreens in borders, for interest throughout the year. 1 ECHINACEA Insects love this nectar-rich plant. The pink variety is the pick for lazy gardeners, whereas the orange and yellow shades can be more troublsome. This plant likes well-drained soil and sun. 2 GERANIUM ROZANNE Any geranium variety is perfect for lazy gardeners, but this award-winning bloom is particularly impressive, with its large flowers that form a sea of blue when grown in abundance. 3 JAPANESE ANEMONE Once established – which can take a while initially – this tough perennial will get by without any attention from you. It likes any soil type in sun or partial shade. 4 HEUCHERA This is called an evergreen, but is so much more.…

Fill your garden with fragrant blooms and you’ll enjoy an extra-sensory treat every time you step outside. Just as you create ambience in your home with candles and diffusers, adding scented plants is an easy way to lend your garden charm. Early mornings and balmy evenings are the best times to take in their aroma, but be sure to make these plants the star of the show. Position them along the path that leads to your front door so you enjoy their scent each day, plant them around the entrance so you can smell them every time you pass by, and fill window boxes with scented plants, so you can enjoy the fragrance as it drifts in through an open window. Whether you like sweet and honeyed, fresh and zesty, or…

HOW TO ADAPT AN EXISTING LAWN Spring is the perfect time to begin any changes to an existing lawn or start a new one. The question to ask yourself is: what is your lawn primarily used for? If you have a family, you may want a large lawn. But bear in mind that to some kids, places to hide, secret dens and wild areas for bug hunts can be just as appealing as a space on which to play ball games. Despite being a quintessentially British concept, lawns often end up as last on the list of things to tackle in the garden. Instinctively, gardeners tend to think about planting up boundaries first, then purchasing a shed or creating a patio beside the house, with a patch of lawn ending…

ADD DESIGN FLAIR TO YOUR DRIVEWAY Even if your priority is practical things, such as having enough space to park, a functional driveway can look so much better with small, low-maintenance beds and curves to add interest. If you’re going to use gravel for a drive, make sure it doesn’t go all the way up to the front door or it will be trodden through the house. A step and doormat will also break up the journey indoors. INSIDE OUT Think about what is visible inside your house and how it works with the exterior. These coordinating blinds (left) on the front door and windows add a pop of colour and give a cute and homely country-cottage look. PERFECT PATHWAYS Often seen as largely practical, the right pathway can add…

ADD SOME COLOUR WITH Hyacinths Perfect in a pot by your front door where the delicious scent will welcome visitors. The vibrant purple varieties work brilliantly in flower beds with daffodils. GROW SUMMER BULBS If you want a show of blooms, you can plant blooms such as agapanthus, crocosmia or gladioli in pots or beds. 1 If you have a small garden or want a moveable display, then plant bulbs in containers. Use containers with drainage holes in the base to prevent the bulbs rotting. 2 As a rule, bulbs need to be set in holes two to three times their length. 3 If you have thick soil, sprinkle sand in the bottom to improve drainage and prevent the bulbs from rotting. JOBS TO DO • t’s a good time…

ADD COLOUR WITH Peonies Add height and drama to any border with their huge flowers. Peonies also make a great cut flower. They bloom in early to midsummer, and come in both plant and shrub styles. Grow in well-drained soil in the sun or semi-shade. This Peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a classic, with buxom powder-pink flowers and an amazing scent. GROW CLASSIC ROSES There will be container-grown plants available at the garden centre or local plant nurseries that you can pick up and plant out now. 1 Some roses enjoy full sun, while many are happy planted in shade cast from the side – although not in overhead shade. Make sure you check the label before you pick a spot for planting. 2 Prepare an area wider than just the…

BRICK FOR PATIOS Large stone slabs pale in comparison to the detail you can create with brick. From herringbone patterns to ornate spirals, these smaller scale units are amazing for adding interest that you might not have considered before. So if you’re planning a new garden or patio area, bricks provide the opportunity to create extra detail, particularly in a small space. Award-winning garden designer Henrietta Murray-Wicks is a fan of brick in the garden, in particular a herringbone pattern, a pretty design which is also enjoying a moment as an interior flooring trend. Henrietta says, ‘I tend to use bricks with a stone surround (border), so it gives the effect of a rug on a floor, anchoring the space and any furniture placed on it. The bricks can also…

When. it comes to choosing a planting style, there are many things to consider. Firstly of course there’s personal taste, but you also need to consider the style of your house, design of your garden and, most importantly, how much time you’re willing to devote to it. Here, we explain more about the four most common planting schemes. COUNTRY COTTAGE Say ‘cottage garden’ and you picture roses and honeysuckle romping over a rustic arch, colourful herbaceous borders brimming with delphiniums and lupins, as well as veg, fruit and herbs. Cottage style looks great but can be high maintenance. Make the cottage look lower maintenance by choosing reliable, long-flowering varieties and give borders a colour to avoid a ‘tutti-frutti’ look – pinks and purples are classic cottage. HOW TO DO IT…

No garden is perfect and it always comes down to making the best of what you have and learning to love your space for its unique qualities. Whether your garden needs a total redesign or a quick fix to give it a lift, you’re less likely to come unstuck if you give due consideration to its strengths and limitations before you get started. Start by making a list of some of the problems you have identified: • Poor layout: Perhaps there are awkward or unusable spaces, or no clear footpath routes. • Awkward shape: Does it appear too small or too big, is it long and narrow? • Lacks character: A bit boring visually and without interesting focal points. • Mishmash planting: Colour and plant scheme lacks thought. • Too…

DWARF FRENCH BEANS Also available in purple and yellow varieties, these love a container and only grow to around 40-60cm in height. They don’t need a bamboo wigwam for support, plus they’re stringless. Try ‘Boston’ or ‘Amethyst’. SPRING ONIONS Sow seeds in a large pot of compost, keep the soil moist and, as soon as they are pencil-sized, you can harvest, usually in around eight weeks. Leave others to round out and remember to keep sowing for a regular supply. Choose ‘White Lisbon’ or ‘Apache’. TUMBLING TOMATOES Choose a compact bush variety with clusters of cherry toms that cascade over the sides of the container, with no need for training or trimming side shoots. Try ‘Tumbling Tom Red’, ‘Balconi Red’ or ‘Tumbler’. ZESTY ROCKET The one salad leaf you won’t…

• FOR SINGLE WEEDS Spritz this over troublesome weeds and it should kill the plant down to the root. Resolva Pro Weedkiller, £6.99, marshalls-seeds.co.uk • FOR LAWNS This targets broad-leaf weeds only so won’t harm your grass. Resolva Lawn Weedkiller, £9.99, marshalls-seeds.co.uk • FOR THE CHEMICAL-FREE OPTION This tool’s blade skims just below the surface and cuts the weeds back. Super Slice, £29.99, Burgon & Ball • FOR VEG PLOTS When spread over soil, the wood fibres in this all-natural mulch lock together to stop weeds. Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover, £10, diy.com…

1 PEONY ‘DUCHESSE DE NEMOURS’ With a sweet, citrus-rose perfume and a voluptuous, double flower head, this creamy white peony comes into bloom between May and July. Container-grown plants can be planted out at any time. 2 STOCKS MATTHIOLA INCANA One of the most strongly scented plants available, stocks have a delicious perfume redolent of spicy cloves and come in a range of pastel shades. Plant now and they will flower until August. 3 ROSE ‘MUNSTEAD WOOD’ The velvety crimson blooms release a classic rose scent overlaid with hints of blackberry and damson from May through to October. Can be planted out all year round as long as the ground isn’t frozen. 4 STAR JASMINE ‘STAR OF VENICE’ Sweetly scented, with starry white flowers and lush evergreen foliage, plant this…

• Lawn steps Changes in levels – even just a 10cm drop – adds to the perception that the space is bigger than it really is – and makes a garden more interesting. • Circular This bold shape creates a strong statement and draws the eye. A pathway that sweeps around one side of a circular lawn takes the eye to an area beyond. • On the diagonal A diagonally laid lawn creates longer lines and deeper planting pockets – a solution for wide plots. A zigzagged lawn can ‘widen’ a narrow garden. • Rectangular intersecting A large rectangular lawn with a bold pattern of paving slabs makes the space more interesting, while keeping it unified. • Interlinking Break up a long, narrow garden by creating a series of interlinking…

Bulbs are an easy and cost-effective way to pack colour into your spring and summer displays, in lawns, borders, pots and window boxes. Some are scented, some have interesting foliage, but the sheer variety of their flowers is stunning – from tiny jewel-like crocus blooms hugging the ground in February, to stately lilies spreading their perfume round the garden in July. Using bulbs gives you colour for longer. You can have carpets of colour from snowdrops and winter aconites even in the gloom of January, before the garden has woken up. In early spring, the crocuses, early narcissi (daffodils), and miniature irises take the baton. They give way to alliums, gladioli and lilies in summer, and there are even autumn blooms like dahlias and colchicum (autumn crocus), which continue long…

ADD COLOUR WITH Primulas They might only be small plants, but Primula auricula pack quite the punch and are available in a wide variety of colours, including pink and rich red, with a vibrant yellow centre. They add zingy pops of colour to gardens, at a time when most plants are just getting going. PLANT UP SPRING PANSIES AND VIOLAS 1 Pansies appreciate well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Sow seeds in late winter for summer flowers, and July or August for winter flowers. 2 If using plug plants, unwrap them promptly and, if you can’t pot them immediately, check they are moist and set in a bright, airy place. 3 When the plants are established, acclimatise them to the weather by standing them outdoors for a few days, and then…

GROW COLCHICUMS FOR AUTUMN COLOUR These autumn-flowering bulbs (referred to as corms) can be planted now for a colourful display of goblet-shaped blooms in September and October. 1 Most colchicums flower more prolifically and colourfully in full sun. Plant 8-10cm deep, 10-12cm apart; if happy, they’ll bulk up into clumps. 2 Colchicums can also be naturalised in rough grass in full sun. 3 If growing them in a pot, a useful trick is to place individual corms into 10-12cm pots, then cover the compost with grit. Sit them on a windowsill where they can bloom in full sunshine. ADD COLOUR WITH Lavender Needing no introduction, lavender is admired all over for its colour and fragrance. It’s an excellent grower and is used as an antiseptic, to relieve headaches and insect…

ADD COLOUR WITH Aster Pollinators adore these large, golden-centred, lavender-blue daisies that feed bees and brighten gardens as the year draws to a close. GROW LARKSPUR FROM SEED It’s not too late to directly sow this wildflower. It will add early summer colour to your beds. 1 Rake a patch in your flower bed clear of weeds and debris and water the soil before sowing. 2 Sow the seeds thinly in curves and swathes rather than lines. You can thin the seedlings once they are large enough to handle. 3 Rake a layer of soil over the seeds and gently tamp it down using the back of the rake to prevent the seeds from being washed away. Look out for their blooms from next June. JOBS TO DO • Biennials…

ADD COLOUR WITH Clematis ‘Freckles’ During winter, this large clematis is festooned with scented, speckled flowers. It will provide valuable food for foraging bees. Make sure it is planted in an area with sheltered sun. H: 3m. GROW WINTER HEATHERS Smaller heathers are ideal winter window box plants – the scale is just right. 1 Pick heathers with foliage and flower colours that appeal – a large garden centre or specialist nursery will have lots of options. 2 Team your heathers with cyclamen, or interplant with crocuses, muscari and other dwarf bulbs. After Christmas, bulbs will be available in bud or in flower. 3 Plant in full sun, and ensure that the compost does not dry out in summer. JOBS TO DO • Make your garden a haven for birds…

‘I SWAPPED HANDCUFFS FOR HORTICULTURE’ Susan Main, 47, works at RHS garden Harlow Carr. She lives in Darley, near Harrogate. On the day I got my job as a horticulturist, my mum, Christine, gave me a mug that read, ‘Lawn enforcement officer’. It was a perfect present because for the past 13 years I’d been a police constable. Joining the police was not something I’d planned. After studying biomedical science at university, I returned home with no real idea of what I wanted to do. I applied to be a police special constable. Eventually I made it my full-time job, specialising in working with vulnerable children. It was a fulfilling job, but stress levels can be high and the hours unsociable. To relax, I began to play with the tiny…

Planting up summer pots is an easy opportunity to get creative with colour in the garden. Make life easy for yourself by opting for low-maintenance plants that are readily available at your local garden centre, or online, and will give a long-lasting display. The most low-maintenance choice is to opt for one or two plants that will look good throughout the summer and you can leave to get on with it. Easy-to-grow fuchsias thrive in containers and will bloom right into autumn with very little input from you. They look fabulous massed together for a showy purple, red or pink colour pop. Lavender is a must too, adding height to your container as well as delicious wafts of fragrance. But instead of the pale mauve varieties, choose the compact ‘Hidcote…

COSMOS BIPINNATUS With ferny foliage and elegant blooms in white, pinks or purples, cosmos is perfect for vivid colour in borders or containers, bearing endless blooms to be cut. LARKSPUR With distinctive spiky forms, the alluring blooms of delphiniums cover a lovely spectrum of colours. Sow? February to May, in rows, or in late summer to enjoy the next year. SWEET WILLIAM This traditional cottage garden flower has a wonderful spicy scent. They bloom freely if planted the year before, ready for cutting the next. Sow? The previous July in beds or containers. AMMI MAJUS Known as bishop’s flower, this herbaceous shrub is a refined type of cow parsley with delicate lacy heads that make a good ‘filler’ in your arrangements. Sow? Grows best sown the previous autumn. RUDBECKIA HIRTA…

Home-grown tastes better and is so easy to do. This year, make growing your own a feature of your garden, whatever its shape and size. It’s also good for your wellbeing: growing your own produce can give you a sense of calm and achievement, and, of course, a regular supply for the kitchen. From salad with extra crunch to heavenly scented tomatoes and fresh herbs, it’s all very doable. The trick is to grow small amounts of different crops that offer big rewards. Avoid anything that needs elaborate preparation and cultivation and go for easy options such as cut-and-come-again salad, perpetual spinach and dwarf kale, herbs, chillies, dwarf varieties of French beans and compact tomatoes. Edible flowers such as nasturtium, borage and calendula will add a pretty and colourful touch…

Lantern light Hang this lantern from a branch or stand on a table. Standing tall This outdoor floor lamp not only lights up your seating area but warms it too. The flameproof lampshade transforms it into a stylish patio heater. Light burst Make a statement with stake lights – try turning a boring lawn into a feature or nestle among your alliums and foxgloves for interest come nightfall. Fall for festoon String up lengths of festoon lighting above your outdoor dining table for a soft glow and, as long as you have an outdoor socket and some hooks suitable for your wall or fence, they are an easy addition too. Look for a set that can be extended, making sure you’ve plenty of twinkle for when the sun begins to…

IN BORDERS Fork over the soil, adding grit if it’s heavy. Bulbs love drainage. Plant in large drifts, including more than you think you need for maximum impact, and in case some fail. Dig a large hole, planting two to three times the depth and width of the bulb, pointy side up, and cover with soil. IN GRASS OR GRAVEL This is known as naturalising. Narcissi, snowdrops and bluebells look fantastic when allowed to spread naturally in grass, and increase each year for a carpet effect. Throw bulbs on the ground and plant where they land for a natural effect. Use a bulb planter for the holes.…

Please check current guidelines before visiting. Some venues may currently require pre-booking and opening times may vary. 1 HARLOW CARR, NORTH YORKSHIRE The fabulous 58-acre gardens at Harlow Carr offer a treat for the senses, with colour and fragrances. The talent of Nigel Dunnett, who designed the gardens at London’s Olympic Park, is clear to see. The wild flower meadows are a delight, while cool blue Meconopsis poppies, one of Harlow’s signature plants, burst into flower along the Streamside Walk. Cherries, magnolia and rhododendrons put on great displays, as do the dolly mixture candelabra primulas. The Scented Garden is filled with glorious wisteria, jasmine and roses, while orchids and giant alliums pop up in the borders. And keen gardeners will be able to pick up plenty of tips in the Kitchen…