7 minute read
L etters to Wendy
from noli tur75
by coolkdei2
Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF (please include your address). Email us: amateurgardening@ti-media.com
My very own squirrel friends
Advertisement
Star letter
IENJOYED reading Val Bourne’s article about ‘wildlife populations’ (AG , 21 December) and although the red squirrel is more popular than its grey cousin, I do find the greys enchanting little creatures. They inhabit the grounds of the apartments where I live, and much pleasure is derived from watching their antics, such as burying shelled nuts in the lawns. They exercise by chasing each other up and down the large trees that we back onto. They’re intelligent and enjoy conversation; they always look up when I chat to them out of my open window. There is a squirrel feeder alongside those I have for the birds, and the two different species feed in harmony. Proudly, I class them as my friends. Mrs Gloria Wilding, Merseyside
The grey squirrel is intelligent – and fascinating to watch
Switched on too early!
JUST thought I would send in a picture of my ceanothus, which started to bloom just before Christmas. It now seems to be opening up fast and obviously doesn’t realise that it’s not meant to be blooming yet! Susan Grant, Rochford, Essex
Susan’s ceanothus, in fl ower during December
Quest to banish invader
I WOULD like to comment on Jo Negus’s reply to AJ Willetts (AG, 18 January), regarding eradicating Himalayan balsam. There is no need to cut it down or use weedkiller. With my Canal & River Trust Volunteer Group, we have just pulled it out, root and all, with great success, We have cleare several metres of it over the la five years to create an award-w garden. As long as you get it be seed pods form, it doesn’t come back. Ruth Stephens, via email
Himalayan balsam can be controlled without chemicals
Swapsies, anyone?
LIKE many people, we were sat there on the 27th wondering, so now what? Christmas and Boxing Day had come and gone quicker than a wage packet, and we were in that vacuum where the weather is too miserable to go out with the perpetual groundhog day of TV shows from generations past. Then our dog sprang into life, as a shape appeared at the front door. Too late to be a Wise Man from the East –it turned out to be a man from the Post Office, bringing gifts of seed catalogues, magazines, and no bills! Just like kids before Christmas, we started our lists again, hoping that we could get what we wanted. Even taking into account that we aren’t based in Babylon and what we have ‘hanging’ is a few baskets rather than entire gardens, there was still an extensive wish list that took days to complete. One thing Santa didn’t bring is the ‘Mystic Meg’ crystal ball to guess the front cover seeds for 2020. Speaking like a child of bygone days, if you do get ‘doublers’ they make lovely swapsies with your pals. What a great and unexpected start to the gardening year! Steve Evans, Llanelli, Carms
Photo of the week
Picture of this Christmas rose at close quarters
Wendy says: Here’s a tasty recipe tried and tested by AG staff
Swede soup with brie Combine this soup with dumplings to make a hearty meal
Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: two
Enjoy this soup piping hot with plenty of seasoning
Ingredients: 1lb (450g) swede diced 4oz (100g) carrots 1 French onion stock cube ½ pint (280ml) boiling water 2 tbsp fresh parsley 2oz (50g) soft brie chopped into small pieces 2oz (50g) self-raising flour 1oz (25g) sage and onion stuffing mix 1oz (25g) shredded suet Seasoning to taste
Method 1 Prepare the swede and carrot and cook together in a pan of boiling water until tender (15 minutes). Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Put the flour, stuffing mix and suet into a mixing bowl and stir together. Add sufficient cold water to mix into a doughy consistency. Divide into four portions and roll each one into a ball. Put to one side. 2 Drain and roughly mash the mixed swede and carrots. Dissolve the stock cube in ½ pint of boiling water and stir into the mashed vegetables along with the parsley and the chunks of brie. Add seasoning.
Pure perfection
THIS is a photo of my Christmas rose (Helleborus niger). The plant does very well in a slightly woodier corner of the garden, and in the past few days the brilliant white flowers have appeared in pristine condition, despite the recent gales and rain. I am tempted to cut a few of these flowers to float in bowls of water in the house. Spring will soon be here! Mrs R Brown, Horsham, West Sussex
Add the dumplings to the soup and cook for 20 minutes
As a variation, use Stilton cheese instead of brie. You can also add different root vegetables to your swede such as parsnip or sweet potato.
Reader’s Quick Tip
Use any spare plastic container for growing spuds, says Tim
IF you have a spare plastic dust bin or large pot, why not use it for growing potatoes? To prepare the container, drill holes in the base, add a layer of gravel or crocks to the bottom, and then a few inches of compost combined with garden soil and manure. I usually plant 10 seed potatoes to a standard-sized dust bin and get a really good crop this way. Tim Arrowsmith, Greenford, Middlesex
Guess this plant! Non-stop fl owering
I DO think the lovely fibrous begonia is so overlooked for its big and blousy cousins, so I enjoyed the article and pictures of them in Peter Seabrook’s article (AG , 21/28 December). He says how long they last through autumn and enjoy the extra moisture –well, they certainly got that! I have loved them for the many years I have planted them amo lobelia in t big pyram planter, and shall again look forward to getting the plug plants, wh are such g value. So l y, thinking ahead within our plots. Sylvia Monk, Hayling Island, Hants Begonia semperfl orens in the pyramid planter display
only £1.14 * an issue when you subscribe –see page 40 for details
Editorial: Editor: Garry Coward-Williams Gardening editor: Ruth Hayes Assistant editor: Janey Goulding Art editor: Al Rigger Picture editor and Letters: Wendy Humphries Features: Kathryn Wilson, Lesley Upton
Advertising and management: Ad manager: Laurence Pierce ✆ 07971 605143 Managing director: Kirsty Setchell Group managing director: Adrian Hughes
Postal address, telephone, email: Amateur Gardening , TI Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF ✆ 01252 555138 Email: amateurgardening@ti-media.com Subscriptions: ✆ 0330 333 1120 Complaints procedure : We work hard to achieve the highest standards of editorial content, and we are committed to complying with the Editors’ Code of Practice ( ipso.co.uk/IPSO/cop.html) as enforced by IPSO. If you have a complaint about our editorial content, you can email us at complaints@ti-media.com or write to Complaints Manager, TI Media Ltd Legal Department, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Please provide details of the material you are complaining about and explain your complaint by reference to the Editors’ Code. We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within five working days and we aim to correct substantial errors as soon as possible. amateurgardening.com
Subscription rates (51 issues, all prices shown include postage) UK: £107.53;
Europe/Eire: Û 195.99; USA: $254.99; All other regions Middle East, Africa, Asia, Far East and ROW £166.99. Cheques payable to TI Media Ltd. Write to:
TI Media Ltd, PO BOX 272, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3FS (0330) 333 1133. Overseas +44 330 333 1113 (Lines are open 7 days, 8am-9pm, UK time). Published every Tuesday. TI Media Ltd, 161 Marsh
Wall, London, England E14 9AP. Conditions of sale: this periodical shall
not, without the consent of the publishers first given, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover (selling price in Eire
Accessories
In a hole about a quick post fix?
OSMOUK ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY POST FIX
Fix posts with ourlightweight two-part mix.
Post in postion; mix the two parts. No heavy concrete and ballast!
Pour into hole.
3
Firmly fixed in just 3 minutes. • EASY • STRONG • FAST
So many uses...
• • • • Garden Posts Sport Posts Agricultural Posts Signs
easypostfix.co.uk
BulBs Plants & seeds BulBs Plants & seeds
GardeninG desiGn
ROSES
• Established in 1765 •
