Woman's Weekly Living Series August 2019

The Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend Love flowers but feeling unsure about their provenance? Then make a date to visit the first-ever Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend on 16-18 August. The three-day, nationwide, open-farm festival is the brainchild of Flowers from the Farm, an artisan grower movement behind the renaissance in British cut flowers. It promises to show British flower farms at their best. Over 100 growers will be opening the gates to their farms, allotments and cutting gardens during the weekend and will be hosting talks, tours, lunches, pick-your-own, workshops and even suppers amongst the blooms. To find out what’s on near you and how to book visit flowersfromthefarm.co.uk. Kew for kids The Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, continues to expand its popularity with a brand-new Children’s Garden. This unique space, the…

Stephanie Hafferty is an organic kitchen-gardener who uses ‘no-dig’ methods. This involves applying a thick layer of compost or rotted manure to veg plots to trap in moisture and encourage worms to aerate the soil. It cuts down on time, money and weeds and results in healthier soil. ‘I converted my allotment to no-dig in 2009,’ says Stephanie. ‘Since then, my plot has been productive year round.’ Stephanie writes a blog NoDigHome.com and helped set up Homeacres, Somerset, with author and no-dig guru Charles Dowding (charles dowding.co.uk). Their book, the No Dig Organic Home and Garden, includes ideas for sustainable living. Stephanie will be speaking at RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show on 3, 5 and 6 September. Summer vegetable bhajis These incredibly moreish spicy snacks come from Stephanie’s book, The Creative…

It was as much the delightful 200-year-old cottage as the lie of the surrounding countryside that persuaded Janet Howell to settle in the picturesque village of Endon, in the Staffordshire moorlands. Although the garden covers only an eighth of an acre, the brick cottage is positioned on the plot so as to allow for a level 4.5m x 15m front garden. ‘It’s very important to have a lovely front garden – it’s the first thing visitors see,’ believes Janet. Hers is densely planted with traditional cottage-garden favourites that jostle for space around a calm rectangular lawn; at its centre a sundial enclosed in a square of neatly-clipped, low box hedge. However, no less attention has been lavished on the rear garden, where a 24m x 15m slope has been tamed…

GARDENERS: Janet and steve Howell. LOCATION: Brooklyn, endon, staffordshire. LANDSCAPED: a builder excavated 100 tonnes of soil and rubble from the rear garden in 1991, creating a broad 2m-wide terrace between the cottage and new retaining walls built from the distinctive local stone. He then built steps leading up the hillside plot, and laid a lawn. SPECIAL FEATURES: a front garden with a succession of summer flowers; shady side courtyards with collections of hostas and primulas; a small waterfall and pond; a summerhouse; deep borders of beautifully-tended plants; and different seating areas throughout. ASPECT: the front garden faces south. SOILTYPE: neutral, fertile and well-drained. PROBLEMS: originally, the rear hillside descended to within 1m of the back wall of the house, making this area feel very claustrophobic. it was an uneven…

1 ALLIUM These should be planted in the autumn in well-drained soil in a sunny site at a depth of two or three times the bulbs’ height. Mark the position with a short stake that will later support the seed heads’ dry, brittle stems. To collect the small, black seeds, gently shake them from the dried heads into an envelope, and store in a cool, dry place until spring. 2 CHINESE LANTERNS (PHYSALIS ALKEKENGI) These vigorous perennials thrive in any free-draining soil in sun or partial shade. Sow seeds in spring for flowering the following year. Once established, they are invasive, spreading via rhizomes, so limit their reach by using a spade to cut a deep slit around the crown each autumn. Congested clumps can be lifted and divided each…

Snips & cuts Q How do I take semi-ripe cuttings for propagating my evergreen plants, and when is the best time to do it? A Popular evergreen garden plants such as choisya, lavender, sage and rosemary are easily propagated until October. Snip 8-10cm lengths of shoot, remove leaves from the lower half and insert up to the lowest leaves into pots or trays of a cutting medium of 50:50 multipurpose compost and coarse grit. Ideally, dip the ends of the cuttings in a rooting compound containing IBA. Water, cover with plastic sheet or put in a clear plastic bag or cover in a light but not sunny place. Rooting might not occur until next June but, once roots have formed, gradually remove the polythene and, after two weeks, pot up…