Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Woman's Weekly Living Series

Karin has collected more than 100 named snowdrops, always looking for those that are most distinctive. Her most remarked-on snowdrop is Galanthus ‘Big Boy’, boasting flowers up to 48mm long. ‘Visitors even ask whether it really is a snowdrop,’ says Karin, who has been delighted by its vigour. ‘Within two years, a single bulb had clumped up sufficiently to split, and provided three new plants.’…

The best-loved gardens, regardless of size, style or purpose, improve the lives of their owners, and the most appealing unfold as a series of changing pictures in which features and furnishings, foliage and flowers are woven into a fully integrated layout. When many gardens have to serve multiple purposes, a good starting point is to list these, ensuring practicalities are included on a master plan that reflects how you intend to use your garden. Work out a rough budget and consider carrying out the work in carefully planned stages. Making the most of what is already there is a good way to cut costs, so write a list of pros and cons, looking at the negatives, and working out possible solutions. An ugly permanent feature can be disguised, whereas eyesores…

Topiary is the ancient practice of shearing evergreen shrubs and trees to beautify a garden. It encompasses the miniature box hedges that enclose flowers in elaborate parterres and the substantial yew hedging that forms mazes in the gardens of stately homes. But most famously, it is the individual plants that are tightly clipped to form peacocks, pyramids, chess pieces and other fantastical or geometric shapes. ‘Like every art, it may be abused but, treated with restraint, such clipped trees introduced singly, in pairs or in groups, provide a certain atmosphere in a garden which is not to be obtained by any other means,’ wrote Nathaniel Lloyd, who created the impressive topiary at Great Dixter in East Sussex. This ‘atmosphere’ relates to character, but also to structure. For those of us…

Box ( Buxus sempervirens ) An aromatic evergreen shrub with small leaves, for topiary that doesn’t exceed 6ft (1.8m): mini hedges and small or intricate pieces. Grow in  well-drained soil in sheltered semi-shade. Clip in August; trim in June as well, unless there are birds nesting in it. Yew ( Taxus baccata AGM) A bushy evergreen tree with dark-green or gold leaves and toxic red berries, for large, impactful or detailed topiary. Grow in well-drained  soil and keep moist until plants establish. If birds are nesting in it, only clip in August; otherwise, clip in June and September. Wilson’s honeysuckle (Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis ; syn. L. nitida ) A dense evergreen shrub with small…

Winter blooms are revered for their sparsity, adding pinpricks of colour on the gloomiest days. These are an elite, resilient group that can be relied upon to reappear each year come deluge or drought. Tiny bulbs such as reticulata irises and crocuses do best in a sunny, sheltered spot, but if one is not available, they thrive in pots. No winter garden is complete without hellebores, and with hybrids self-seeding freely, each year brings new surprises. Then there are wallflowers, daphne, Christmas box, wintersweet and witch hazels to add fragrance, nature’s ploy to attract pollinating insects.…

Advice on planting hardy cyclamen Q How should I plant up hardy cyclamen? I’d like to grow them in an old sink on the patio. A What a lovely idea. Cyclamen will add much in the way of foliage interest, as well as long flowering. Producing small, pink, shuttlecock-like flowers, they are one of my favourite plants. Ensure you use a soil-based compost such as John Innes No2, to which I add 25% sharp alpine grit, as the corms will rot if they sit in wet conditions over the winter. Put plenty of drainage in the bottom of the sink. Both Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium can be grown very successfully in a sink, but don’t plant them together as C. hederifolium is the more vigorous of the two and…

GARLIC MUSHROOM TARTS A perfect pairing, the garlic in these delicious tarts really brings out the taste of the mushroom filling. PER SERVING 325 cals, 17g fat, 9g sat fat, 25g carbs MAKES 6 For the pastry: ✣250g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting ✣30g (1oz) grana padano or Parmesan, grated ✣125g (4oz) chilled butter, cubed ✣1 egg, beaten For the filling: ✣1tbsp olive oil ✣250g (8oz) mushrooms, sliced (we used portobellini and baby chestnut) ✣3 garlic cloves, crushed ✣250g (8oz) carton quark or crème fraiche ✣2 eggs ✣2 roasted peppers, roughly chopped ✣2 handfuls of rocket You will need: ✣11cm (4¼in) cutter, or one larger than the tartlet tins ✣6 individual tartlet tins, greased and floured ✣Baking beans 1 Blitz the flour, cheese and butter in a food…

1 Take a cone-shaped evergreen 2 (such as box or cypress). Tie white string to the top and then wrap it around the plant, so that it creates a helter-skelter look. A 3ft (90cm) cone might have six or seven rounds cut into it. 3 Using one-handed topiary clippers or sharp kitchen scissors, begin to snip into the plant, gradually creating a gutter behind and around the string. 4 Once you’ve created the basic skeleton shape, remove the string and clip until you have a series of neat, curvaceous whorls.…

✣ Keep blades sharp to cut clean lines. ✣ Stop and assess. ‘Look at what you’re doing from every angle as you trim,’ advises Charlotte. ‘Keep pausing to assess.’ ✣ Trim regularly. ‘Topiary needs cutting,’ says Charlotte. ‘If you leave box, it will grow into a tree!’ Cutting time varies from plant to plant, but in general cut in early or late summer, or both. If birds are nesting in the plant, wait until August. ✣ Feed. Give a liquid fertiliser in spring and mulch. ✣ Be patient. ‘A decent box hedge can take 10 years to form,’ warns Charlotte. If you don’t have that kind of patience, grow Wilson’s honeysuckle. ✣ Protect pots. Containerised topiary is best sheltered against a south or west-facing wall in winter, and must have…

1 HOLLYHOCK This perennial is best started from seed one year for flowers the next. Sow seeds in pots and plant the following spring in a sheltered spot. H: 90-120cm. 2 SWEET WILLIAM Perfect for pots and borders, the densely packed, sweetly scented flower heads come in a combination of pink, red and white. Grow in full sun. H: 60cm. 3 CANTERBURY BELLS Lofty stems with white, pink or blue bell-shaped blooms add elegance. Sow seeds in trays and plant in spring. H: 90cm. 4 ERIGERON KARVINSKIANUS From spring to winter, Mexican fleabane brings masses of small white and pink daisy blooms, perfect for pots. H: 30cm. 5 LYCHNIS CORONARIA From grey, felted rosettes rise magenta flower heads that easily self-seed. Look for the white Alba. Prefers well-drained soil. H:…

GARDENERS Christopher and Karin Proudfoot LOCATION Fawkham, Kent LANDSCAPED The original garden was exposed to biting northerlies, so it wasn’t until a hawthorn hedge was established along the driveway that new planting could be established. As areas of the garden were cleared, the snowdrops spread so prolifically that their presence dictated where borders were cut SPECIAL FEATURES In midwinter, the lawns running through the garden come alive with a myriad of naturalised snowdrops, whilst winter flowers, topiary, ornamental grasses and frosted seed heads star in beds, borders and a parterre ASPECT East-facing front facade SOIL TYPE Alkaline loam PROBLEMS Very free-draining soil, so plants still struggle in hot spells – planting the right plant, in the right place, is key to survival. Fortunately, the many trees produce ample leaf mould…

Snowdrops never fail to enchant, and this pretty little cultivar – ‘Trym’ by name and trim in form – is no exception. It is a special, named snowdrop, and thrives in a pot which is kept in a sunny, sheltered spot, and moved in a pot to the back of a shady border during the dormant season. As an alternative, the common snowdrop has great charm, and is widely available. Growing snowdrops with winter aconites works wonderfully, because the aconites flower below snowdrops, their pretty green ruffs lasting long after the petals have fallen, covering bare soil. This is the season for small bulbs which now emerge to display dainty, retiring blooms that project subtle colour and fragrance. A number are available now from garden centres, potted and sprouting, ready…

Any experienced gardener will tell you that to grow beautiful, healthy plants you must first take care of the brown stuff beneath your feet. While all soils fulfil a similar function, there are many different types, and knowing which one you have in your garden will help you choose plants adapted to thrive in your specific conditions. Clay and sandy soils are the most common types; silty soils are less prevalent and are generally found on flood basins near rivers or where rivers have previously existed; and peaty and chalky soils are rare in gardens and exist in just a few areas of the country. Although there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ soil, since there are plants adapted to each type, some can be more challenging to cultivate and may…

1 Take a bushy evergreen shrub (such as yew or box) that’s at least 5ft (1.5m) tall. 2 Create a base or plinth for your bird to sit upon, by clipping a dome shape into the lower two-thirds of the plant with shears. 3 Carefully study the upper part of the plant and decide which dominant four items will create the head and tail. 4 Tie two to three front stems (that will form the head) together with string and lightly cut into shape. 5 Bind five to 10 stems that will form the tail, using string and a cane to create a vague fan shape. 6 Cut back the rest of the upper section to create a body that is lower than the head and the tail.…

Jobs for mid Feb to mid March ✣ IT’S TIME TO ENJOY the great outdoors again and head into the garden for your spring spruce-up. Tidy the borders and buy new plants from the garden centre – all guaranteed to put a spring in your step. ✣ TEST YOUR SOIL Understanding your soil is key for gardening success and, to avoid wasting money on plants that won’t thrive, you need to test your soil. This is particularly important if you have recently moved house and are planning lots of changes and additions to your plot. ✣ ANY NEW PURCHASES establish well if planted this month and you can buy (then plant) bare root trees, hedging and fruiting plants at bargain prices. ✣ WHEN WINTER HEATHER has finished flowering, trim it…