Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Woman's Weekly Living Series

SPOT THE BUTTERFLIES The Big Butterfly Count takes place between 17 July and 9 August. Last year’s survey showed our butterflies had their best year since 1997. A wet spring and summer sunshine seemed to provide the perfect tonic for many of our resident butterflies after the potentially very damaging drought in summer 2018. Butterfly Conservation reported excellent results for many species, including the Peacock and Red Admiral. Understanding the link between our changing weather patterns and butterfly numbers is at the heart of year-round research made by the charity, and the Big Butterfly Count is a vital part of this. Richard Fox, Associate Director Recording and Research, said, ‘We’d encourage everyone to take 15 minutes during sunny conditions to appreciate the nature around them and help us understand butterfly…

SALVIA ‘ORIENTAL DOVE’ A great addition for a sunny spot, this pretty compact plant is drought tolerant and easy to grow, ideal for borders or pots. HxS 50x45cm, £6.50, hardysplants.co.uk PITTOSPORUM ‘BANNOW BAY’ Ideal for patio pots, this shrub grows from a mound of deep purple foliage, tinged pink in winter, with pale green variegated growth that makes a stunning contrast in spring. H&S 1mx75cm, £17.99, hillier.co.uk AGAPANTHUS ‘POPPIN PURPLE’ Who can resist these dark purple-black buds that open to starry violet flowers on upright stems? This repeat-flowering agapanthus is quicker to establish compared to other varieties. H&S 60x45cm, £19.99, thompson-morgan.com…

GARDENERS Garry and Alison Szafranski. LOCATION Kingsley Moor, Staffordshire. LANDSCAPED In 2006, the garden was virtually non-existent, with overgrown grass and weeds going right up to the house. SPECIAL FEATURES An 18m square front garden is filled with cottage garden favourites and, on the lowest terrace, a 14m-long formal rill ends by a bench. The back garden has a large 40m x 20m vegetable parterre, orchards and wildflower meadows ASPECT South-facing. SOIL TYPE Heavy clay. PROBLEMS The clay proved a huge challenge. ‘It’s not surprising since this area was once home to brickworks and a pottery industry,’ says Garry. The site stands at 760ft above sea level, and is exposed to strong south-westerly winds, so shelter was key to creating a garden INSPIRATION The rill was inspired by one at…

Roses especially thrive on the clay soil and the couple have chosen old English shrub roses for their beautiful rosette-shaped blooms and fragrance. ‘Roses must be fragrant — there is no point in a rose without scent!’ There is the elegantly-shaped white ‘Winchester Cathedral’, peachy ‘Macmillan Nurse’, and light pink ‘Gentle Hermione’ and ‘Lady Salisbury’, all of which reliably repeat-flower well into the autumn. ‘We deadhead regularly and, on the rare occasions there are greenfly, we remove them with a quick spray from the hose. Generally, this is sufficient to keep them under control.’ The parterre planting adheres to a colour scheme of mostly soft pinks, whites and purples — ‘plus the odd blue and red, which seem to work well. Our favourite colour combinations are here, but we also…

1 PELARGONIUM ‘PINK CAPRICORN’ Gorgeous mauve-pink flowers will adorn this gently trailing pelargonium for months – just as long as you grow it in sun and keep deadheading. The leaves smell of lemon and rose. H: 45cm. 2 CALIBRACHOA CAN-CAN BLACK CHERRY Rich and velvety, the blooms are maroon-black with golden throats, and the plants have a gently trailing habit. Long-flowering and robust, they’re ideal for well-drained baskets in sheltered sun. H: 15cm. 3 GLANDULARIA ‘SISSINGHURST’ AGM Butterflies will visit the cheering clusters of magenta-pink flowers that coat this trailing vervain (you might find it sold as Verbena ‘Sissinghurst’) from May to November. Remember to keep deadheading. Full sun. H 20cm. 4 HELICHRYSUM PETIOLARE AGM The liquorice plant is a grey-green trailing stalwart that features aromatic evergreen leaves. Drought-tolerant, it’s…

1 Take 5-10cm shoots from this year’s growth early in the day before plants have a chance to dry out. Nonflowering shoots are much better than flowering shoots. 2 Make a clean cut just below a leaf (node) and remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting. 3 Using a pointed stick (dibber) make holes in a pot of gritty potting compost (50:50 grit or perlite and general-purpose potting media). 4 Place the cutting up to the lowest leaf in the hole and firm the compost around it, then when the pot is full, water thoroughly. Each pot holds several cuttings. 5 Cover pot with a plastic bag or place in a propagator in warm but not bright place. 6 Expect rooting from two weeks, and reduce the…

This is the perfect project for getting the kids involved. They will love watching the creepy-crawlies scurry into the holes and cracks. It’ll be sure to capture their imaginations. Plus, building a bug hotel can often be a free activity as you’ll be able to find a lot of materials in your garden. MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT Any combination of: ✣ Stems ✣ Reclaimed wood ✣ Bricks ✣ Broken pots ✣ Soil ✣ Tiles ✣ Dead wood ✣ Stones ✣ Tubes ✣ Dried flower heads ✣ Pinecones 1 DECIDE ON A SPOT The best location for the hotel depends on the type of insects you want to attract. Some prefer cooler, damper conditions, while others, such as bees, prefer the sun. 2 BUILD YOUR HOTEL If you need to add some…

CASTOR OIL PLANT The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a fast-growing evergreen shrub, usually grown as an annual from seed planted the previous autumn. The variety ‘New Zealand Purple’ (above) has dusky foliage, while ‘Carmencita’ has deep bronze red leaves. RICE PAPER PLANT This fast-growing shrub Tetrapanax papyrifer bears huge, deeply-lobed green leaves – the biggest occur on the cultivar ‘Rex’. Originating from Taiwan, it is almost evergreen in mild spots, but in colder areas sheds its leaves in autumn. HONEY BUSH Honey bush, Melianthus major, is an architectural evergreen shrub that copes outdoors in mild areas, reaching up to several metres in height, with handsome, glaucous, bluish-green leaves and small crimson tubular flowers in spring and summer. BANANA Few plants add more of a touch of the tropics…

A free service exclusively for RHS Members, the RHS Advisory Team answers thousands of queries every year on everything from pests and diseases to the best plants for tricky spots in the garden. Here, RHS principal horticultural advisor Leigh Hunt answers the most common questions about dahlias: ✣ How can I stop slugs and snails eating my dahlias? After planting out in late May or early June, the soft stems are loved by slugs and snails. You can try slug traps (such as beer traps) and going out on a snail hunt with a torch at night. Nematodes, a biological control which can be bought online, can be watered on around the plants to give good control. ✣ Earwigs are causing holes in the petals of my dahlias – what…

White chocolate and raspberry blondies Serve as a snack with tea and coffee or as an indulgent dessert with cream… MAKES 16 ✣ 250g (9oz) unsalted butter ✣ 4 large free-range eggs ✣ 175g (6oz) soft brown sugar ✣ 1tsp gluten-free baking powder ✣ 100g (3½oz) gluten-free plain four, sifted ✣ 200g (7oz) ground almonds ✣ 200g (7oz) white chocolate, chopped, plus extra to decorate ✣ 200g (7oz) raspberries You will need: ✣ 28x18cm (11x7in) brownie tin, base and sides greased and lined with baking parchment 1 Heat the oven to 170C/ Gas 3. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. With an electric hand whisk, beat the eggs with the sugar until thick and creamy. 2 Mix the baking powder, flour and ground almonds until well combined. 3…

Most people have a strong emotional bond with poppies and the opium poppy is no exception. As one of the easiest poppies to grow, it’s useful for filling gaps in borders by sprinkling the seed direct into the ground in spring or late summer, for flowers next year. These summer-flowering beauties produce stout stems of grey-blue foliage topped by silky blooms. Many colours, from red, pink, purple or black in different forms are available, as single flowers or fluffy doubles, called peony-flowered. Look out for the frilly-feathered double varieties too. The seed pods that follow are also striking, with the variety ‘Hen and Chickens’ producing a single ‘pepper-pot’ surrounded a cluster of smaller pods and ‘Giganteum’ producing the largest seed pod that can be dried for beautiful winter arrangements.…

The charming brick 1830s farmhouse was semi-derelict and its renovation took priority over clearing the front area. ‘The first thing we did was to enclose the 18m-square front garden in hornbeam hedges,’ says Garry, an award-winning garden designer. ‘Originally, we wanted beech, but feared it wouldn’t survive the wet soil.’ As it happens, the hornbeam copes admirably. ‘We cut it twice a year, but other than that, it looks after itself,’ he adds. Once the hedge was establishing, Garry designed the front garden ‘I was being treated for cancer, so it was a welcome distraction,’ he recalls. Favouring more formal, geometric shapes, his parterre design is series of six square beds (with the corners cut off) separated by straight paths, and raised behind brick retaining walls. ‘There is an old…

Measuring around 40m x 20m, Garry and Alison’s kitchen garden is laid out as a series of square beds that are raised because the ground was originally so wet that it had first to be drained. ‘Square or rectangular beds work best for growing veg because you can reach in from every side, without the need to walk on the soil, compressing it,’ says Alison. They focus on growing tasty varieties such as ‘January King’ cabbages, ‘Red Ruble’ kale, courgettes and leeks, as well as root crops such as beetroots and carrots. It is a decade since Alison left her civil service job to run a cafe in nearby Leek (sold in 2019), relying on the kitchen garden for fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, edible flowers and salad. ‘At one point,…

COMPACT CLEMATIS Q Can you suggest some small clematis for my fence and patio trellis? A Provided the soil is well drained, Clematis alpina are especially delightful for spring flowers: ‘Helsingborg’ for example is about 2m tall, and carries blue/purple bell flowers in spring. Later Clematis ‘Anna Louise’, also 2m tall, has blue and purple hues but with a broad cerise stripe through each, and flowers in early summer and again in late summer. Pure-white ‘Arctic Queen’ carries double flowers in early summer, and semi-double in later summer growing to 2m. For later, also consider Clematis ‘Walenburg’, which has red-purple flowers with pale centres. Flower powers Q I want to start planning ahead – what flowers can I sow now for next year? A Many flowers sown now, either in…

SKIMMIA JAPONICA SUBSP. REEVESIANA A compact and low-maintenance plant with red berries, ideal for patio pots during autumn and winter. H: 90cm NANDINA ‘BLUSH PINK’ The evergreen heavenly bamboo has pink growth in spring that retains its colour in summer, adding fiery red tones with berries in autumn. H: 50-60cm PENNISETUM ‘FIREWORKS’ This stunning fountain grass boasts dark red and purple leaves and feathered flower heads. Keep it well watered. It’s hardy in mild regions or overwinter in a greenhouse. H: 90cm COLEUS One of the cheapest ways to bring colour with dramatic foliage in red, bronze, pinks and brown. Grown as an annual outside, take cuttings to overwinter for next year. H: 35cm SOLANUM CAPSICASTRUM The winter cherry produces shiny orange…

CANNAS Cannas are grown as much for the broad, deeply-veined, paddle-shaped leaves in greens or purples as their flowers in vivid, hot shades. Pot up a few spare rhizomes that can be slotted into borders, filling gaps that may develop as the season progresses. ANGEL’S TRUMPETS Also known as brugmansias or daturas, these shrubs rarely grow to less than two metres and do not cope with temperatures below 7°, so must overwinter indoors and are best kept in pots. They are poisonous, though, so keep away from little fingers. GINGER LILY Ginger lily, Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’, bears lance-shaped leaves and exotic, fragrant, flowers in dense spikes. Different cultivars come in shades of white, yellow or orange-red. In warmer areas, the rhizomes can be left in the ground. LOBELIA TUPA…

‘HAPPY SINGLE WINK’ This single-flowered dahlia has vibrant purple-pink flowers with a deep red ring, and has also earned the RHS Plants for Pollinators badge. ‘DAVID HOWARD’ The coppery-orange double flowers against purple-bronze foliage make this a real showstopper amongst the Decorative group. ‘CHAT NOIR’ A taller variety, growing to around 1.7m, with striking double flowers with florets in deep burgundy red, belonging to the Semi-Cactus group. ‘BISHOP OF LLANDAFF’ With bright red, open-centred flowers and deep purple, almost black foliage, this is considered one of the best single dahlias available. ‘GLORIE VAN HEEMSTEDE’ A beautiful example of the Waterlily group, the golden-yellow double flowers are excellent for the vase. ‘HONKA’ An unusual and delicate cultivar in the Star group, the pale-yellow incurved florets around the yellow-orange centre are a…

GERANIUMS Hardy geraniums will sit comfortably in sun or shade, so are great filler plants for bridging the gap between both aspects. PHORMIUM, OR NEW ZEALAND FLAX A dramatic-looking plant that looks fabulous in the heat of summer when most herbaceous perennials will typically be flagging. AEONIUM ‘SCHWARZKOPF’, OR BLACK TREE AEONIUM This looks amazing in contemporary gardens and is perfect for creating a desert, Mediterranean or Mexican feel on the patio. HOUSELEEKS, OR SEMPERVIVUMS Their huge rosettes of strappy leaves thrive on neglect and are the ideal choice for an arid-soiled garden.…

1 Try to avoid bare ground. This helps to protect the soil from the sun, enabling the moisture within to stay there to the benefit of surrounding plants. On my veg patch, I use lettuce and herbs, calendula, nasturtium and chamomile as attractive and edible ground cover. 2 Build resilience in your soil. By ensuring your loam is the best compost-rich quality it can be, its ability to hold and retain water will therefore be enhanced. Not digging the soil will further enable the beneficial community of microbes and microbial fungi within to work their natural magic, providing an enhanced robustness to extremes of weather. 3 Water for longer, less often. Rather than applying a shallow surface watering, soak the soil thoroughly so the precious liquid can permeate much deeper…

No other cut flower offers such a tantalising range of colours and fabulous fragrance as sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus , which are climbing annuals that flower from late spring into late summer. Best of all, the more you pick, the more will follow until finally, exhausted, the plant is ready for the compost heap. Nor is space a bar, with dwarf varieties that form compact, cascading bushes, producing loads of flowers without need for support. Sow seed indoors from October to gain a head start next year. Sweet peas come in modern and heritage varieties — also referred to as old-fashioned or heirloom — and are loved for the glorious range of colours and a scent so strong that it fills a room. Among the most beautiful heritage varieties are…

✣ We focus on growing crops that are either expensive to buy or have a far superior flavour to shop-bought varieties. Onions, for example, look lovely but can be problematic and, being so cheap to buy in, are simply not worth the effort. ✣ Raspberries are easy to grow and freeze well, lasting all year for baking and jams. ✣ Grow only what you can eat — in the past, we have ended up with 30 cabbages all ready to eat at the same time. If you germinate too many, plant a few, and treat the remaining seedlings as microgreens in a salad. ✣ Make several seed sowings so that as one crop finishes, there is another to follow in succession. ✣ We germinate all seeds in the greenhouse, in…

A collection of single, separate plants, however perfectly primped and primed, does not make an alluring garden. It in the blending of plants that the true skill of garden design lies, in creating a cohesive tapestry of flower and foliage that is more beautiful than any of the constituent parts could be on its own. Prime pairings, like a good marriage, allow each individual plant to shine, while complementing one another. EIGHT PLANTING RECIPES 1 Adding the wow Factor Foxtail lilies, such as Eremurus x isabellinus ‘Pinokkio’, are real showstoppers, bearing elegant spikes of peachy, golden flowers. At just over a metre high, this variety is relatively compact. ‘We have trialled taller varieties in the gravel garden without success, whereas shorter ones do well,’ says David. His greatest challenge in…

✣ One of Beth’s favourite sayings as a dry spell approached was: ‘We don’t use the hosepipe, we use secateurs.’ After flowering, cut back plants such as hardy geraniums or catmint to the ground, and trim rock roses and cistus. This helps reduce water loss, while promoting new growth. ✣ Think ‘right plant, right place’, and select only those plants known to cope without water. ✣ Aim to plant in early spring – the time when plants put on major growth and have ample time to establish before winter. ✣ Give plants the best possible chance by improving the soil structure, breaking it up and adding organic matter such as spent mushroom compost. ✣ Soil must be well drained. A sure way to kill these plants is to subject them…

BUDDLEIA (BUTTERFLY BUSH) Butterflies will mob its honey-scented flowers from July to September. Lack space? Try the Buzz® container buddleia. H: 2-4m. CENTRANTHUS RUBER (RED VALERIAN) A plant with spires of clustered red flowers that butterflies love. Flower from May to September. H: 90cm. VERBENA BONARIENSIS This tall perennial with its purplish haze of flowers atop swaying stems is a butterfly magnet. Flowers from June till the first frosts. H: 1.50m. LAVENDER Aromatic foliage and purple-blue flowers attract the butterflies. ‘Munstead’ (mauve) or ‘Hidcote’ (purple) are good varieties. H: 60cm. ACHILLEA (YARROW) Butterflies use its large flattened flower heads as landing pads. Comes in many colours. Cut back and it’ll reflower. Likes sun. H: 1m. SYMPHYOTRICHUM (MICHAELMAS DAISY, ASTER) Starry perennial flowering from late summer to…

Plants for an exotic garden will feature spectacular foliage and extrovert flowers. While most of this glamorous group originate from warmer climes, many are much hardier than they look. So, if you’ve fallen for sub-tropical plants when on holiday, there’s a good chance that some will survive the warmer, wetter winters that in recent years have emboldened jungle-like migrants such as palms and phormiums, bamboos and bananas. Exotic gardens are very distinctive in style, relying on dramatic plants that inevitably steal the limelight from all but the most prominent decorative features. Many can be demanding, and creating a lush tropical retreat comes with certain prerequisites. Large, exposed plots need walls or hedges to provide adequate winter protection for half-hardy plants and, ideally, a conservatory or greenhouse to overwinter tender ones.…

1 Dahlias have been cultivated for centuries, but not always for their flowers. For the Aztecs and other indigenous peoples of Central America, dahlia tubers were an important food source and even a medicine, while the long, hollow stems of certain species were used as water pipes. Dahlia tubers are still used in cuisine today, particularly in Mexico’s gastronomic capital, Oaxaca, and can be cooked at home similarly to sweet potatoes. Don’t use tubers straight from the garden centre, though – these may have been treated to prevent pests and diseases and are not suitable for consumption. 2 Named for the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, dahlias have been a part of gardens in Europe since the late 18th century when the first plants were brought to Spain from their native…

When timber decking first started out, it was very much as a fashionable fad beloved by garden makeover programmes, but its versatility, beauty and durability has outlived the hype, and decks have become a practical addition to gardens great and small, rural or city. It’s been a steep learning curve, and along the way there have been cautionary tales of slippery surfaces, unseasoned timber and super-rats nesting in the void beneath but, with time, solutions have been found, and today garden decking has never been more popular. At its best, a timber deck is a handsome, hard-wearing surface that complements most garden settings. It’s a natural material that provides a sympathetic background to plants, blending beautifully with water, stone and trees. Timber also readily lends itself to different styles of…