Cotswolds Country Gardener March 2021

Cotswolds www.countrygardener.co.uk

Issue No 173 March 2021 FREE

IT’S ALMOST HERE!

How to make the best of this long awaited spring in your garden PLUS THE INSIDE STORY OF

composting

More inside: Spring blossom; Growing perfect tomatoes; It’s pruning month; Sowing wildflowers; Robot mowers; Novice mistakes in the garden; Gardening news throughout the Cotswolds; The best of 2021 vegetables

M40 LEAMINGTON SPA A425 STRATFORD UPON AVON

DAVENTRY

SOUTHAM A423

A422 BANBURY M40 J11

A361

Farnborough Garden Centre B4100 M40

CHIPPING NORTON

BICESTER

Prepare for Spring AT THE GARDEN LOVERS GARDEN CENTRE A traditional garden centre that focusses on providing quality plants, garden products & giftware

On A423 Southam Road, Nr. Farnborough, Banbury OX17 1EL. Tel: 01295 690479 OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK - Tues-Sat: 9am - 5pm Sun: 10.30am - 4.30pm Call and Collect and Home Delivery Services available

www.farnboroughgardencentre.co.uk

CUTTINGS

Gardeners cuttings

in the Cotswolds

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Gardens in Gloucestershire open for the National Garden Scheme in March The garden-visiting season is getting under way and garden owners in Gloucestershire are opening their gates in March for the National Garden Scheme which raises much needed funds for nursing and caring charities.

green garden with pleached lime allee and potage, potting shed and greenhouse.

Admission is £6, children free, home-made teas and cream teas will be available, plants for sale and dogs allowed on leads. There’s partial wheelchair access.

The Coach House garden also organises rare plant sales (in aid of James Hopkins Trust), garden lecture days and workshops, and groups of 15 plus can book visits by arrangement; there are more details on their website www.thegenerousgardener.co.uk

Reader Offer: National Garden Scheme Handbook 2021

South Lodge

SOUTH LODGE, at CLEARWELL, near Coleford, opens for the NGS on Saturday 27th March from 1pm until 5pm. It’s a peaceful country garden in two acres with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

High walls provide a backdrop for rambling roses, clematis, and honeysuckles; the organic garden has a large variety of perennials, annuals, shrubs and specimen trees with year round colour, vegetable garden, wildlife and formal ponds. A rustic pergola is planted with English climbing roses and there’s a willow arbour in a gravel garden.

Admission is £4.50, children free, with home-made teas. The garden is open on other dates in the season and by arrangement for groups of 20 or more, see the NGS website entry for more details.

THE COACH HOUSE GARDEN at AMPNEY CRUCIS near Cirencester opens for the NGS on Sunday 28th March from 2pm until 5pm. The garden of about 1½ acres is full of structure and design, constantly evolving, divided into rooms including a rill garden, gravel garden, rose garden, herbaceous borders,

The Coach House

ROCK HOUSE, ELBERTON in south Gloucestershire opens for the NGS on Sunday 21st and Sunday 28th March from 11am until 4pm on both days. Admission is £4, children free. Plants will be on sale and there’s partial wheelchair access. This two-acre garden has pretty woodland vistas with many snowdrops and daffodils, some unusual, other spring flowers, cottage garden plants and roses, an old yew tree and pond.

Before planning any garden visits, do check with the Government guidance; also look at the NGS website at www.ngs.org.uk or buy the national NGS handbook (see our reader offer to the right), or the county booklets that are available at many outlets.

COTSWOLDS RESEARCH PROVES LINK TO

gardening

AND

reduced stress levels

Research carried out in the Cotswolds has found more scientific evidence that exposure to plants positively contributes to human health and wellbeing. For the first time, this experimental approach has demonstrated the role that domestic gardens can play in reducing residents stress levels. A four-year study which included giving two planted containers and a tree to householders in Cheltenham and Gloucester were tested against cortisone levels (a hormone which regulates our response to stressful situations). Three months after the addition of the plants cortisone levels had increased dramatically.

Your health in the new season garden - page 23

We’re offering Country Gardener magazine readers the opportunity to save £3 on the RRP of the 2021 National Garden Scheme, Garden Visitor’s Handbook (normal price £13.99). This iconic yellow book is the essential county-by-county guide to over 3,500 fabulous gardens across England and Wales, many of which are not normally open to the public. Your visits not only provide you with an affordable and inspirational glimpse of some of the best gardens but also help support an array of good causes.

Order yours for just £10.99 (excludes postage and packing) via the National Garden Scheme website www.ngs.org.uk/shop using the code CG2021 COVER PICTURE: Forsythia x intermedia (Border forsythia) is noted for its branches smothered in vivid yellow flowers and one of the first dramatic splashes of colour in March gardens throughout the southwest.

The flowers appear before the bright green leaves covering the plant in a fine cloth of gold- another of the reasons it is seen as heralding spring.

Look out for the April issue of Country Gardener available from Saturday, 27th March

Country Gardener works hard to ensure we have up to date and correct information when it comes to garden events and openings.

However, events can be cancelled at short notice with the uncertainty surrounding Covid 19, so we urge readers to double check with venues before setting out on a visit. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Wander through clouds of confetti-like blossom at beautiful Batsford this spring. Browse our Garden Centre for a wide selection of quality plants and gardening essentials. A perfect day out for all the family – including the dog!

MOTHERING SUNDAY 14TH MARCH

Great gift ideas including houseplants & planted containers Seeds, bulbs & baby bedding plants Seed potatoes & onion sets Home grown bedding plants, cottage garden plants, shrubs & trees

Plant, lawn & garden care products Specialist bird care Specialist composts, decorative gravels & pots

Gretton Road, Gotherington, Cheltenham GL52 9QY

 01242 676722 www.gotheringtonnurseries.co.uk  info@gotheringtonnurseries.co.uk 1 mile from Prescott Hill Climb. Open Mon-Sat: 9am-5pm Sun: 10am-4pm

Pygmy Pinetum NURSERY & GARDENS

Come and enjoy our lovely garden while safely shopping for the following and much more!

Harvington’s Hellebores Full of bud and gorgeous flowers Roses Full range, bare root and potted

Book your Arboretum tickets online at www.batsarb.co.uk BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AT.

Seed Potatoes Over 20 carefully selected varieties.

Onion sets, shallots, garlic, rhubarb, strawberries and Fothergill’s seeds.

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Early flowering clematis now ready Hardy Perennials and Alpines Old favourites and Choice varieties Compost Peat free and reduced peat varieties

Summer flowering Bulb Collection and fresh Spring Bedding

Tel: 01386 701441 E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk BatsfordArboretum

Fruit and Ornamental trees

Cannop Crossroads, Nr Speech House, Royal Forest of Dean, Glos. Tel: 01594 833398

@BatsfordA

www.pygmypinetum.co.uk

Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906

Order your plants now for delivery or click and collect

Opening will be subject to Covid restrictions please phone or check online before travelling Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE 4

Country Gardener

CUTTINGS

GROWERS ORGANICS RE-OPENS with new website for a new growing season Growers Organics, the southwest’s largest supplier of organic vegetable plants for another growing year has re-opened.

We caught up with Joa, Growers Organics owner and head gardener. She explained that the nursery had seen a large increase of customers last year and that just before the first lockdown of 2020, they were struggling to keep up with the sudden demand for vegetable plants. Joa said, “I think the first lockdown made many people panic and want their plants early. Also, those people who had always wanted a vegetable garden, had the time to create one.”

“We simply needed to do something about how we operate our online sales, and we hope that we have achieved that. We have used a local web design company to create us a new website. It has been specifically designed, with our customers in mind. With the new site, the customer gets to choose the week they would like to receive their plants.”

Joa Grower (left) with her Growers Organics team

PLANTING TREES IN MEMORY OF LOVED ONES A joint initiative between the RHS and Britain in Bloom is encouraging people to plant trees in memory of loved ones who have been lost to Covid 19. ‘Roots of Remembrance’ is an initiative to help those who have been unable to say a proper farewell to loved ones by planting trees in celebration of their lives and at the same time create a memorial collection across the country.

For advice and help on how to add a tree to the national map visit www.rhs.org.uk/ remembrance

Go to www.growersorganics.com or visit the nursery next to Bens Farm Shop in Yealmpton, Devon PL8 2LT. Open seven days a week. Growers Organics sell their organic plants at Totnes market every Friday and Saturday.

Cotswold Garden Flowers to the rescue with

nerine collection A national collection of 692 different varieties of Nerine sarniensis (known also as Guernsey or Jersey lily) now lives on with Cotswold Garden Flowers in Worcestershire. It is one of the new National Plant Collections, administered by the horticultural conservation charity Plant Heritage The nerines collection was one of two that overcame significant obstacles posed by 2020’s spring lockdown and were relocated to new homes despite the challenges of Covid-19. Now, both thrive in their new locations and the newly accredited 13 collections bring the charity’s total to an impressive 666.

Nerine sarniensis - 692 varieties live on

The nerines and a separate hardy nerine collection with Cotswolds Garden Flowers formerly held by a collection holder in Devon had to be relocated from their previous home in Devon when unforeseen circumstances meant a quick move. The hardy nerine collection (over 100 different varieties) is settling into life at nearby RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon. Together the two collections numbered over 2,000 plants - an incredible feat to prepare and relocate during 2020’s spring lockdown.

GET YOUR LAWN READY FOR SUMMER AND EASE YOUR STRESS There’s more than one reason to look ahead to summer and to getting your lawn in the best condition possible. Greensleeves is a family business improving lawns and a leading franchise specialist on lawn care. Their advice is: “Are you one of the growing numbers of people who have turned to their garden for solace and respite throughout the madness this year?

“Suddenly millions of green-fingered enthusiasts found that spending time in the garden was not only good for the soul but also a welcome change of scenery from the four walls of home.

“It looks like we’re set for another period of house arrest, which is why we’ve deemed 2021: ‘The year of the garden’. And in preparation we’re urging you to get your lawn summer ready. We hope that come the bright, sunny days of June, July and beyond; we’ll be watching the youngsters running round the garden in sheer delight as they squirt their siblings with water pistols.

We might even enjoy lunch alfresco or toast an occasion with close friends

and a glass of something cool.

“Whatever your plans this year, make sure your garden is an extension of your home, a place you can spend an hour to yourself or make memories with the family. Take the sudden halt to our usually busy lives as a blessing and an opportunity to reap the benefits of being in the garden, your health and wellbeing will thank you for it.

“A recent survey by gardening charity Thrive found that 43 per cent of people agreed with the statement ‘gardening helps my mental health’, while 36 per cent agreed ‘gardening keeps me fit and healthy”. www.greensleeves-uk.com Contact 0808 1001413

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Welcoming

SPRING BLOSSOM

Malus ‘Royalty’

Prunus ‘Pink Shell’

Blossom is one of the first signs that spring is well and truly on the way, and a welcome sight of colour and vibrancy after the frosty, cold winter months

Spring blossom is a celebration of winter’s end, and a reminder that summer is just around the corner.

As the days lengthen, our eyes instinctively start scanning the winter-battered landscape for signs of spring. That’s why every garden needs at least one early riser: somewhere cheerful to rest the eye whilst the rest of the garden pulls itself together.

Magnolias and flowering cherries are the classic choice, and with so many varieties to choose from, selecting one is a pleasure. Here we recommend some favourite spring blossoms, Pretty pink and white flowers burst into bloom, providing an early source of pollen and nectar for bees, before falling from their boughs like confetti.

While there are many other spring-flowering shrubs and trees, it’s generally the flowers of fruiting trees belonging to the Rosaceae family including apples, peaches, cherries and pears where the flowers which precede their fruit.

Here’s our very personal favourites: Malus ‘Royalty’ This is a wonderful striking upright ornamental crab apple with magenta flowers. Glossy foliage that turns deep red in autumn. The small red fruits make a fine crab apple jelly, or left alone provide a good food source for birds in winter.

Prunus ‘Pink Shell’ Prunus ‘Pink Shell’ is a small, spreading ornamental cherry with delicate, cup-shaped pink flowers and pale green leaves that turn orange in autumn.

Excellent for early pollinators.

Prunus ‘Accolade’ ornamental cherry A special little tree probably at its best as a multistem but also grown as a standard. Semi-double pale pink flowers opening from dark pink buds in early spring. Breathtakingly luminous on the dull days of March, and again in autumn when its foliage glows yellow and orange.

Syringa vul. ‘Madame Lemoine’ white lilac This cultivar is one of the oldest and most reliable. It flowers profusely with dense panicles of beautifully scented, brilliant white flowers opening from creamy-yellow buds in May. Leaves are lush, green and heart-shaped, accenting the flowers. If needed, prune out any excessive branches after flowering.

Tolerates renovation pruning. Hardy.

Syringa vul. ‘Madame Lemoine’

Magnolia stellata star magnolia A very distinct and charming, slow-growing Japanese shrub forming a compact rounded specimen usually wider than high. Produces pure white, slightly fragrant, star-shaped flowers in March and April before the mid-green foliage appears. Buds are sensitive to frost and morning sun.

Magnolia stellata

Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica A lovely ornamental pear, this tree bears attractive single white blossoms on a dark grey trunk. The flowers are loved by pollinators. Pears follow in autumn which, while edible, are tasteless, although loved by birds.

Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica

Identifying spring blossom Apple trees - Apple blossom appears from late March onwards and is white with a hint of pink. It grows in hedgerows and scrubland in moist, heavy soil. It’s a short tree with greyish-brown flecked bark and a gnarled (‘crabbed’) shape. Crab apple trees often indicate past human habitation – the apples can be used in cooking and the wood is good for carving and firewood.

Cherry trees - Wild cherry produces small baubles of white flowers covering the tree in April-May with a confident flourish. It loves sunlight and fertile soil, typically growing singly in hedgerows or at woodland edges.

Blackthorn shrubs - Blackthorn is one of the first shrubs to burst into flower 6

Prunus ‘Accolade’

in March. The white blossom appears before the leaves. The tree is short with a smooth, dark brown bark and found in hedgerows and scrub in full sun. The tree can often last up to 100 years.

Hawthorn trees - The fragrant pinkish-white flowers appear after April, and so it is also known as May-flower. It is often found in hedgerows, woodland edges and scrubland. Hawthorn wood is hard and very finely grained and in the past was used for making cabinets, boxes and tool handles.

Elderflower trees - The clusters of cream flowers appear in late May, and the trees they bloom on can be found in woodland, scrub and hedgerows. The bark is grey-brown with a corky furrowed texture. It is thought that the name ‘elderflower’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘aeld’, meaning fire.

Country Gardener

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01386 840373 www.hartwellfencing.co.uk The Timber Yard, Weston Subedge, Nr Chipping Campden, GL55 6QH

Specialist Plant Centre

Grange Farm NURSERY Beautiful plants to create your own unique garden

Open 7 days a week: Summer 9am - 5.30pm, Winter 9am to Dusk, Sundays 10am - 5pm Guarlford - Malvern - WR13 6NT

GET MORE FROM YOUR GARDEN THIS

Spring

For the latest garden news, events & advice - don't miss COUNTRY GARDENER

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SPRING INTO ACTION for 2021

ORDER ONLINE OR CALL US:

www.flowershedtewkesbury.co.uk 01684 290288

Creating beautiful flowers for all occasions PLUS

Family-owned and managed “independent” Garden Centre, catering for all your gardening needs and so much more.

Stockist of a wide range of well-known gardening brands and locally sourced plants, trees and shrubs.

Browns Garden Restaurant serving Breakfasts, Homecooked ‘Fresh’ lunches, Afternoon teas, cakes & treats.

COVID RESTRICTIONS DEPENDENT - PLEASE CHECK WEBSITE SUNDAY ROASTS - BOOKING ADVISED FULLY LICENSED 01684 299996 info@brownsgardenrestaurant.co.uk Open Mon -Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm

OPEN THROUGHOUT EASTER WEEKEND EXCEPT CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA FREE & AMPLE PARKING T: 01684 293103 W: www.tewkesburygardencentre.com Find us on Facebook & Instagram Worcester Road, Tewkesbury, Glos, GL20 6EB Mon-Sat 9am - 4.30pm, Sun 10am - 4pm (until 29/03/21) Mon-Sat 9am - 5.30pm, Sun 10am - 4pm (Closed Easter Sunday)

WINTER OPENING TIMES: THEN OPEN:

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Reach a passionate and affluent audience of gardening enthusiasts Over 100,000 copies distributed every month

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Feel the

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between your toes

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Let the experts get your lawn summer ready www.greensleeves-uk.com 8

Call us free: 0808 100 1413 Country Gardener

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

In a special three part series we look at the value and science of composting in the garden the natural way to invest in the quality of your soil for the long term. We look at the products, the secrets behind better and faster composting and different sources of composts to buy.

INVESTING IN ‘BLACK GOLD’ Home made garden compost full of nutrients that plants love is a passion for many gardeners. It remains the secret of success when it comes to making things grow but we could all learn a little more about this not so dark art.

So, do you really need compost? Well, it is a simple question really-do you want to invest in your soil for the long-term? Do you want to introduce nutrients into the soil that will make for more natural, healthy food plants and flowers in your garden?

Millions of gardeners compost. They save their kitchen scraps, pile up their leaves, collect their grass clippings, and hoard their coffee grounds. Then, they put all this into a pile or a bin, and they wait. They wait for the process of decomposition to turn it into ‘black gold.’

Perhaps they turn the pile from time to time. Or maybe they don’t, because they know that eventually, they’ll get compost.

But, do all of those gardeners really know what they’re doing? Do they understand the science behind composting? Many gardeners are surprised to discover how excitingly complex composting really is.

Begin by selecting the right materials Any good compost ‘how to’ guide will tell you that the first step in building a quality compost pile is choosing the proper ingredients. Different materials bring different things to the process of decomposition. There are two basic classes of ingredients constituting a proper compost blend: the carbon suppliers and the nitrogen suppliers.

• Carbon suppliers are materials added to the compost pile in a non-living state. They’re usually brown in colour and have low moisture content. Carbon suppliers are generally high in lignin and other slow-todecompose plant components, so they take longer to fully break down. Carbon suppliers include leaves, straw, hay, shredded newspaper, small amounts of sawdust and shredded cardboard.

• Nitrogen suppliers are those ingredients used in a fresh state. Nitrogen suppliers are often green (except in the case of manures) and have high moisture content. Good nitrogen

suppliers include untreated grass clippings, plant trimmings, farm animal manures, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, rinsed seaweed, and other plant material.

Turn and turn again If the compost pile is not turned and no oxygen is present, your compost pile’s decomposition switches to fermentation.

Different organisms are at work during fermentation, and they release both methane and ammonia, and as a result, your pile will stink. In addition, fermenting piles don’t generate enough heat to kill pathogens or weed seeds, creating more than one potential problem.

Decomposition does not smell bad when adequate oxygen is present.

Composting - millions of microbes at work There are thousands of different decomposers at work in the typical compost pile, and they number in the tens of billions. They all do their part, and they do it year-round. Some species of bacteria continue to work even in freezing temperatures. Fortunately, in a properly constructed compost pile, these bacteria usually generate enough heat to support other species of bacteria that prefer warmer temperatures. The most rapidly decomposing bacteria work between 100 and 160°F. At 160°F these rapid decomposers are happiest and the decomposition process is at its fastest.

Good compost is hot… until it’s not The process of decomposition naturally creates heat, so properly constructed compost piles are hot to the touch and should reach up to 160°F. Sustaining this temperature for 10 to 15 days is enough to kill most human and plant pathogens, as well as most seeds.

One sign that a compost pile is done ‘cooking’ and the contents are ready to spread on the garden, is a drop in the pile’s temperature. Finished compost will not be hot.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

9

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

How lockdown summer made it easier to turn waste to good use As we began to familiarise ourselves with lockdown last year, never has our accumulation of waste been more visible. All the while, gardening began gaining hundreds of thousands of new participants who felt their gardens saved them from the lockdown blues.

But then came the suspension of garden waste collections and we asked ourselves, is there any way to put all this waste to good use?

Composting has many different recipes and approaches. The basic ingredients are browns and greens. Browns are dry materials such as dried leaves and wood chips while greens are fresh, soft materials such as fruit and vegetable scraps. A plastic compost bin is a simple solution. One popular option on the market is the 330L Compost Converter, which retains heat and moisture levels. You keep adding waste and then sprinkle with water. It is worth trying to occasionally turn your compost too.

This should give you compost in around 12 months.

If you are looking for ready-to-use compost by the summer, the process needs to be made more efficient. Hot composters speed up the process and give you compost in around 12 weeks by working at high temperatures to break down organic materials more efficiently.

The Aerobin Hot Composter provides an ideal environment and unlike a regular compost bin, you can add meat, bones, fish, egg boxes and even card in moderation. There is also little need to turn your compost and it works allyear-round due to weatherproof insulation.

Wormeries - a quick and efficient way to get rid of household waste

For smaller households, wormeries are designed to work as both an easy way to get

rid of household waste as well as being a costeffective method of creating compost. The worms will eat the organic matter you put into your wormery - such as fruit and The Aerobin Hot Composter vegetables, coffee grounds, and even paper. The stacking trays let the compost produced fall to the bottom level. This makes it easy and efficient to collect the compost when it’s ready. Wormeries come in a variety of styles and sizes.

With landfill sites filling up, everyone should be making compost. Turning waste into a useful commodity that will improve plants in the garden makes perfect sense. There’s a chance of making a compost bin in the corner of the garden as ubiquitous as the wheelie bin on the driveway.

Visit www.originalorganics.co.uk to view all options.

Testing your soil will unlock its secrets

by Robert Galster

Just because a garden appears to be doing well doesn’t mean it’s safe or that it can’t be more productive Appearances, as the old saying goes, can be deceiving. That certainly applies to our gardens and more specifically the soil in them.

It is a common misconception that just because plants ornamentals, fruit and vegetables or even lawns - appear to be thriving, the soil they grow in must be free from pollution and contamination. Not much could be further from the truth.

The fact is that the presence of potentially harmful heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium et cetera), various hydrocarbons, asbestos and other things that can pose significant risks to our health can exist in the soil seemingly without affecting what’s growing in it. Whether these ended up in the soil because of past industrial land use in the area, proximity to heavy traffic or former mining sites, past flooding and even farming activities, their presence can have a calamitous impact on our wellbeing.

If these things are present, we risk ingesting them by eating things grown in the contaminated soil, inhaling dust particles kicked up by the wind or our digging and even through our skin upon contact. The risks range from minor irritation to kidney and bone diseases through to neurological damage, various cancers and ultimately even death.

On a considerably gentler note, the same applies to soil fertility. Again, just

because the majority of plants seem to be doing relatively well, does not necessarily mean that the soil has sufficient supplies of nutrients to allow the things we grow to properly thrive. Or that the type of soil we have - be that its pH, texture or organic matter content - lends itself to growing the things we want to grow.

There’s sometimes a very good reason why our attempts never seem to match the glory on display on seed packets or in magazines. Or, even more annoyingly, what the neighbours have on display in their gardens.

So, as spring and another planting season approaches, use soil testing to unlock its secrets and, ultimately, ensure that our gardens thrive. Safely.

Robert Galster is the co-founder of Safe Soil UK, the leading soil testing company. www.safesoil.co.uk

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Country Gardener

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

YOUR COMPOSTING QUESTIONS ANSWERED What will make compost break down faster?

For rapid decomposition, your compost pile should have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 30:1. Carbonrich materials include corn stalks, straw, dry leaves, sawdust, and shredded paper. Nitrogen-rich materials include kitchen scraps, fresh prunings from your garden, alfalfa hay, grass clippings and seaweed.

How long does it take for compost to break down?

A compost tumbler helps compost break down more quickly. Depending on the factors above your compost could take anywhere from four weeks to 12 months to fully decompose. If you’re using a tumbler, you’ll have ready-to-use compost in three weeks to three months.

Can you put mouldy food in compost?

You can add mouldy food (vegetables and fruits only) to a garden composting bin anytime. Mould cells are just one of the many different types of microorganisms that take care of decomposition and are fine in a garden bin.

Can you plant directly into compost?

Growing plants in pure compost can cause problems with water retention and stability as well. So while it may be tempting, planting in pure compost is not a good idea. That’s not to say you shouldn’t plant in compost at all. Just an inch or two of good compost mixed with your existing topsoil is all your plants need.

Organic poultry manure improves yield by over a third One of the more individual organic fertilisers is poultry manure, a strong source of nitrogen, the main nutrient that plants need for green leafy growth. It also contains smaller amounts of other important nutrients.

One of the few companies to produce the pellets to Soil Association standards from truly organically raised chickens is Greenvale Farms in Yorkshire. Most chicken manure pellets are not necessarily organic in terms of chemicals - and often come from battery-reared hens.

Greenvale Farms supplies pellets under the brand name Rooster in bulk to the Organic Gardening Catalogue and Tamar View Nurseries - where they dispense them for gardeners.

Poultry manure is often sold in dried and pelleted form and is a good non-chemical fertiliser. Dried, pelleted and powdered forms are distinct from fresh domestic poultry

litter, and is now one of the most commonly available nonchemical fertilisers on the market.

Fresh manure from commercial poultry operations is rarely available to home gardeners, as it is unpleasant to transport and use. If you are able to access a source, then it can be used as a spring top dressing for crops requiring plenty of nitrogen, such as blackcurrants, vegetables and plum trees. It can also be put on the compost heap, adding a twoinch layer to every six inches of other material.

In trials conducted by the Pershore College of Horticulture the results of using Rooster organic poultry fertilisers showed yield increases of 33.6 per cent on potatoes and 32.5 per cent on Dorado cabbages. In other trial conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, increase yield of 56 per-cent was recorded where Greenvale products were used. Indications were that half the plant nutrients are available immediately, the remainder being released over a period of some ten weeks.

www.organiccatalogue.com/products/greenvaleorganic-pelleted-chicken-manure-25kg

TIPS TO SPEED UP YOUR COMPOST 1. Make your compost heaps large enough. The bigger the bin, the more heat producing area you’ll have. Larger piles also retain moisture better.

2. Be creative when sourcing materials for your heaps. You’ll need more brown, carbon material than green nitrogen material.

Shredded brown cardboard makes a great addition. Using old bales of straw is a quick way to add brown material.

3. Keep your pile moist. Nothing slows down the

creation of compost than a dry pile. Water the layers of ingredients as you construct the pile and keep it moist between turnings.

4. Aerate. Providing shredded sticks and other debris that creates air spaces in your pile will speed the process along. This is one of the reasons you turn your pile: to inject more air and help create spaces for it.

5. Use a compost thermometer to monitor the heat of your pile. It will let you know if you’ve reached temperature hot enough to destroy weed seed.

6. Don’t be afraid to harvest compost early. Not every ingredient in your pile will decompose at the same rate. Shredded sticks and other dried material like wood chips and corn stalks will help your compost develop quickly by aiding aeration but may not decompose completely themselves. Use a sieve to separate compost that’s crumbly and ready for the garden from these other materials. Then throw them back into the next heap.

NEXT MONTH: What composts can you buy and which is best; what makes them different, what they are best for; which option applies to certain growing needs and what ingredients make the difference. www.countrygardener.co.uk

11

AVAILABLE ONLINE OR FROM ANY GOOD GARDEN CENTRE rootgrow.co.uk 12

Country Gardener

Advertising feature

Grinding out the honey fungus in your garden Dealing with the destructive effects of honey fungus in gardens is now one of the most frequent call out tasks for stump grinding specialists with owners facing no real alternative in how to deal with control of the disease Honey fungus, also known as Armillaria Mella, is a highly destructive disease in the gardens of the UK. Honey fungus spreads through the roots and soil, killing perennial plants and then decaying the dead wood.

How to spot honey fungus Honey fungus is the common name given to several different species of the fungus that attack and kill the roots of many woody and perennial plants. The most characteristic symptom of honey fungus is white fungal growth between the bark and wood, usually at ground level. Clumps of honey coloured toadstools sometimes appear briefly on infected stumps in autumn.

Honey fungus can attack many woody and herbaceous perennials. No plants are completely immune, but there are some that are only rarely recorded as being affected. Dead and decaying roots, with sheets of white fungus material (mycelium) between bark and wood, smelling strongly of mushrooms. This can often be detected at the collar region at ground level, and more rarely spreads up the trunk under the bark for about 1m (3¼ft). This is the most characteristic symptom to confirm diagnosis Upper parts of the plant die. Sometimes suddenly during periods of hot dry weather, indicating failure of the root system; sometimes more gradually with branches dying back over several years.

The fungus often means smaller, paler-than-average leaves.

There also follows failure to flower or unusually heavy flowering followed by an unusually heavy crop of fruit (usually just before death of the plant).

How to control honey fungus There are no chemicals available for control of honey fungus. If honey fungus is confirmed, the

No More Stumps can come to the rescue in the garden in more than one way – being on hand to clear fallen tree wreckage and leaving the garden ready for a new project

only effective remedy is to excavate and destroy, by burning or landfill, all of the infected root and stump material. This will destroy the food base on which the rhizomorphs feed and they are unable to grow in the soil when detached from infected material.

Preparing for re-planting the area The most effective way is to leave the area fallow for six to twelve months. This will starve the fungi with no new food source. Also make sure to cultivate regularly to reduce the chance of its survival.

Another option is to replant the area with grass but this isn’t as effective and without risks compared to leaving fallow.

When replanting instead of using trees and shrubs, plant shorter lived plants, but avoid using strawberries and potatoes which are highly susceptible.

How do stump grinders work?

Stump grinding removes the whole stump of a tree

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using a power tool. It works by chipping away at the wood using a rotating cutting disc, that grinds the stumps, as well as the tree’s roots in to small wood chips.

Stump grinders come in many sizes. The size of the stump grinder you’ll need is dependent on the size of the stump, as well as the complexity of the job.

Tree surgery involves cutting down a tree, but tree stump removal is an additional job. If you want to remove the whole tree, including the stump you will also need to use a stump grinder. Fewer gardeners are happy leaving the tree stump in place, seeing it as unsightly, or they may want to re-use the space.

It’s best practice to remove the stump, as whilst some stumps will just rot away, this can take years. If the tree isn’t dead there is also a chance that the tree will start to grow back, producing shoots of stems and leaves.

READERS STORY

‘My novice gardening mistakes SAMANTHA CLARKE STARTED READING COUNTRY GARDENER LAST MARCH AND IT COINCIDED WITH HER FIRST ATTEMPT AT GARDENING IN HER NEW DORSET HOME. IT WASN’T PLAIN SAILING HOWEVER AND SHE HAS BEEN KEEN TO SHARE HER FIRST YEAR AS A NOVICE IN THE GARDEN. I don’t want to be too hard on myself but if I was to sum up my first year as a proper gardener then I would have to say I got far more wrong than I got right!

My definition of a ‘proper’ gardener by the way is a year when I had plenty of time to devote to my garden with the impact of Covid 19 putting me on furlough from my accounting work for most of the spring and summer.

I picked up your magazine from the local farm shop and read it thoroughly and have to say was inspired.

Then when lockdown came I decided this was the project I was looking for. Fresh air and a new challenge.

I am single and I’ve been living in Wareham for a few years without hardly touching my garden apart from mowing the lawn and growing a few things in some pots on the veranda.

I told myself I didn’t have the time to do much gardening – but that excuse suddenly wasn’t there any more.

I wanted to try growing vegetables, plant a few roses and shrubs, a few herbs and start a proper project to turn my long narrow garden from a green oasis unto a thing of beauty. Or that was the plan.

I should say that being outdoors for most of April in the glorious sunshine sunshine was a delight and I felt as if I could be a natural at this. My back up support was your magazine and some of my parents’ old Dr.D.G. Hessayon ‘Garden Expert’ books which although a bit tattered and well-read were a great companion.

I am still working from home and starting very tentatively to plan my second season in the garden

and I thought it might help me and perhaps your readers to work on my mistakes.

there were serious weeds all over the plot and I lost the battle.

I over watered almost everything

Over the winter I’ve read more about mulching.

Plants need water, right? And isn’t it relaxing and therapeutic to stand in your garden and watch water droplets soak into the soil? Maybe that’s just me.

Well, I am sure I overdid it especially during that hot spring, and some shrubs never seemed to get over my attempts to drown them.

Over–fertilising with the wrong fertiliser

A lesson learned.

I couldn’t tell a plant from a weed It might not be as silly as it sounds. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognise what is a weed and what is a germinating seed. I should have shown a bit of patience and left it a while for things to mature a bit.

I sowed poppy seeds and summer annuals but these may have been lost in the search for weeds.

Again Dr. D. G. says to take advantage of the pictures on the back of the seed packets.

No-one told me about mint I wanted to grow mint and was thrilled when it raced away over the growing season. No-one told me it would take over so much of my garden and get out of control and so quickly. I know now I should have put it in a container.

In the end weeds took over My four metres by six-metre vegetable plot dug over so carefully and planted with potatoes, courgettes, pumpkins and onions looked like being a success story for a while. Then the weeds took over. I didn’t follow the mantra of ‘little and often’ and so quickly

Another mistake now I can see but I got excited about the need to give my expensive plants the right start in life and decided to fertilise, fertilise, fertilise!

Some plants were burnt, others died. It was such a waste and all I needed was some common sense.

I got carried away I bought too much and too often. I was so keen to make an impact in year one that my border was clearly crammed full. I made the common mistake beginner gardeners make in overcrowding.

When my allotment holder friend came round he just said in that wise old way gardeners have about them – “Plants are just like people, they need room to breathe”.

“Try to remember that a single plant with access to water and nutrients will surpass two plants fighting for the same things”.

Not knowing the soil I think the biggest mistake was not knowing what type the soil was in my garden. Basic, daft, beginners mistake I now know and Dr.D.G makes it clear that not knowing your soil will singlehandedly kill your garden! I have bought a soil testing kit so things should get better.

So I think I have leaned my lesson. Remedies are in place. I can’t wait to get going again.

Over watering

Over crowding

Too many weeds 14

Country Gardener

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15

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

The most important March jobs

IN THE GARDEN

March signals the start of spring but there’s no need to panic about what needs to be done.

Selecting the key jobs and making sure you can manage the coming growing season is the priority.

1

Invest time in your soil

Good soil structure is the key to growing healthy vigorous plants. If your soil is still wet from winter rains, avoid walking or standing on it until it’s had a chance to dry out. Use planks to spread your weight.

Spread compost, well-rotted manure or other soil- improvers. Organic material in the soil will stimulate the billions of micro-organisms that maintain health and fertility.

If you know you have a patch which won’t be cultivated until later in the summer, sow a green manure to benefit the soil. Fenugreek or Phacelia tanacetifolia will germinate this month. The former gives the soil a quick fertility boost; the latter will provide beautiful blue flowers loved by pollinators.

Give your compost heap a ‘spring turn’ to aerate and stimulate the contents.

March is also a good month to empty out any ready compost. Store in bags ready for use around the garden where needed.

If you have a worm bin, it can be put outside at the end of the month.

3

2

Sowing and growing in the cutting garden

March is the time for sowing your hardy annual seeds under cover. If you have a greenhouse, windowsill or conservatory, you can sow nearly everything when it comes to hardy annuals.

You can sow some half-hardy annuals too, but wait until the middle of the month when the light levels are better and the nights are less cold.

It’s also that time to sow perennials. Pinch out tips of winter-sown sweet peas to encourage side-shoots.

Prepare areas in flowerbeds ready for direct sowing hardy annuals in later March through to April.

The end of the month is the time for mass pricking out of annual seedlings. Transplant everything that has formed its true leaves (recognisably like that of the parent plant) into their own individual pot. Take care to get right below each baby plant and lift out the whole of its root with a dibber or stiff label. Handle everything by its leaves, not the stem, which bruises very easily.

Start early when it comes to weed control

As temperatures rise, weeds spring up. The key to control is to tackle weeds fast. Once they flower and set seed, your problem will become worse. Organic weedkillers are widely available and use natural ingredients to bump-off unwanted invaders. You can also use a hoe or hand-weed but make sure to tease out as many of the roots as possible.

4

16

Control slugs Slugs come out in force as tender, young shoots emerge in spring. Molluscs become active when warmer weather arrives, so it’s worth stepping up slug patrols. Physical barriers can be made around plants – packs of granules are available at garden centres that slugs hate slithering across.

Slugs can be caught in beer traps, too, which are set in soil and filled with lager, leading gastropods to a tipsy death.

Beware the slugs when new growth is susceptible, and use pellets judiciously and only where necessary. Always use an organic pellet, such as ferric phosphate as they pose no risk to animals and insects.

Country Gardener

5

Mulch your borders

March is the perfect time to mulch your borders, as long as the soil is wet. Mulch acts as a barrier against weeds, can provide nutrients, keeps the soil moist and insulates roots from the cold.

Before you start, make sure you have thoroughly weeded the bed and that you have sufficient mulching material – this could be leaf mould, compost, well-rotted manure or bark chippings.

Always leave a gap around the stem of plants.

6

7

Start sowing now

Keep a close eye on the temperature because this is the month when it should be possible to start sowing directly outside.

As soon as the soil reaches 6°C you can start to sow. Sweet peas and broad beans can be sown first, and though the first of the salad can go in now you get better results if you warm the ground first with plastic or cloches.

Early sowings of mustard, rocket and cutand-come-again salad are some of the most delicious mouthfuls of the year, so seize the moment if it looks like the weather is with us and the month is kind.

8

Time to feed your lawn Feed your organic lawn if it grew poorly last year. Try a good quality all-purpose organic spring feed. It is the most important thing you can do you’re your lawn all year long.

Also scatter sieved garden compost over the lawn, and brush or rake in.

A patch of unmown long grass adds to the bio-diversity in your organic garden. Butterflies, for instance, like to lay eggs in flowering grasses.

Feed any hedges with a garden compost, or well-rotted manure mulch.

Jobs in the fruit garden

• Cut autumn-fruiting raspberry canes to the ground to stimulate new canes, which will fruit in the autumn.

• Cut the tips of summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have grown beyond the top of their supports; cut just above a bud.

• Feed blueberry plants with ericaceous plant fertiliser.

• Protect the blossoms of apricots, peaches and nectarines from frost with a screen or horticultural fleece.

• Mulch fruit trees with well-rotted manure or garden compost. Take care not to mound mulch up around tree trunks.

• Cover strawberries with a cloche to encourage earlier fruiting.

• Mulch rhubarb with a thick layer of well-rotted manure to keep it healthy and reduce moisture loss through the soil. Take care not to cover the crown.

9

Plant early potatoes While most varieties of potato are planted in April, earlies, such as ‘Rocket’, should be put in during March. If you’re planning to grow them in pots, use one that’s at least 25cm in diameter and half fill it with compost.

Bury the potato just below the compost surface. As shoots grow, cover with more compost until the pot is full. Cover the young plants with garden fleece if frosts are forecast. Make sure you water the pot regularly so the compost is moist but not wet. By late June or early July, your potatoes should be OK to harvest.

Check they’re ready by putting your hand into the pot and gently feeling for the tubers.

10

PLUS • Use this month to pre-warm soils with a cloche or sheet of plastic for a week or two before sowing or planting.

• ‘Top dress’ overwintered crops, such as autumn-planted onions and cabbage, with some rich garden compost, or well-rotted manure. This will give them a boost for spring growth.

• If you have had rye growing as a green manure over winter, it is important not to follow it with a direct-sown, small-seeded crop, such as carrots or parsnips.

• Don’t forget to plan a crop rotation for your fruit and veg. This helps prevent disease and makes best use of the soil’s nutrition.

• Dig up any potato plants from tubers left in the ground from last year; they could be carrying the potato blight fungus. They can be composted, but smash them well first.

• Bury stems and stumps of overwintered brassicas in the compost heap as soon as they have finished cropping. This will help reduce the population of mealy aphids and whitefly which otherwise would simply move on to your spring planted crops.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

WILDLIFE

ENGINEERS OF THE SOIL

Earthworms are extraordinary creatures now seen as one of the most important animals on the planet whose influence is affecting more than just our humble gardens When Charles Darwin was asked to pick what he thought was the most important animal in the world, his choice may have surprised a few people.

He didn’t choose one of the earth’s impressive and dramatic creatures - he chose the earthworm as the most significant creature on earth and called it ‘nature’s plough’- opening the soil up with air and nutrients to make it more fertile and rich.

In recent years more researchers have identified how critical earthworms are not just in our everyday gardens but to our entire ecological system.

Research projects now look at the role of earthworms in restoring polluted or degraded farmland.

The earthworm has taken centre stage.

But for gardeners they have always been a joy to behold.

Earthworms are great for the soil in your garden because they’re known to:

Bury and shred decaying plants Plant and crop residue are buried by worm castings deposited on the surface. Earthworms use these plants as food which they transport from the surface into their burrows.

As the earthworms consume organic matter and mineral particles, earthworms poop out castings.

Earthworms can move large amounts of soil from the lower strata to the surface. They can also carry organic matter down into deeper soil layers over periods of time.

A large amount of soil progressively passes through

earthworms’ guts. It’s believed that they’ll turn over the top six inches of soil within two decades.

Improve water-holding capacity By breaking apart organic matter, earthworms loosen the soil and increase water-holding capacity.

Loosen the soil and make it porous Earthworms enhance porosity as they move through the soil. Some species make permanent tunnels deep into the soil. These tunnels can last long after the earthworm has died. This helps with soil drainage, especially during heavy rainfall.

Simultaneously, the tunnels minimize erosion due to surface water. The horizontal burrowing of other species increases overall drainage as they loosen the soil.

Provide channels for root growth The tunnels made by the burrowing earthworms have available nutrients from their castings. This makes it easier for roots to penetrate deep into the soil.

Increase the soil’s microbial diversity

In the UK we have 27 species, ten of which are commonly found in agricultural soils and these can be grouped into three ecological types: • Surface dwelling earthworms (Epigeic earthworms) don’t make burrows but live on the surface of the soil – often in leaf litter and in compost. They rapidly consume the compost material and reproduce very quickly. They are usually bright red or reddishbrown, and the compost worms in particular (known as brandling or tiger worms) are often stripy.

• Shallow burrowing or topsoil earthworms (Endogeic earthworms) are pale coloured - pink, grey, green or blue - and make horizontal burrows through the soil to move around and to feed. Some can burrow very deeply in the soil.

• Deep burrowing earthworms (Anecic earthworms) are the most common. They are the largest species, often reddish brown, and they make permanent vertical burrows in soil. They feed on leaves on the soil surface that they drag into their burrows. They also cast on the surface, as often seen in grass. They make middens (piles of casts) around the entrance to their burrows.

Earthworms get their nutrition from microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. However, there are more microorganisms present in worm castings than in organic matter.

As the matter goes through their intestines, it’s fragmented and inoculated with microorganisms.

The increase in microbial activity aids the cycling of nutrients. It transforms them from organic matter to forms readily taken up by plants.

EARTHWORMS – THE FACTS • If you cut an earthworm in half, does it make two? It is a common misconception that if you cut an earthworm in half it makes two new worms. The common earthworm will generally survive having a bit of its tail end cut off and may even grow a new tail but chop an earthworm anywhere near the front end and it will kill it stone dead as this is where the major organs are.

• As Darwin wrote “There are few animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world than the earthworm.” They are a natural way to maintaining soil structure and fertility as they aerate the soil, improve drainage and bring nutrients to the surface. These 18

How many species or types of earthworm are there in your garden?

For further reading try ‘The Book of the Earthworm’

BY SALLY COULTHARD Published by Head of Zeus Ltd Price £14.99

actions help support the ecosystem services that soil provides.

• No one is exactly sure how many earthworms there are in the soil but recent estimates suggest that good quality soil can have up to two million earthworms per acre.

• Earthworms are so sensitive to light that just an hour in daylight leaves them paralysed.

• An earthworm’s diet consists of decaying organic matter, such as leaf litter or crop residue. An earthworm’s digestive system runs through the length of its body. Earthworms themselves, are an important source of food for plenty of creatures, including hedgehogs, foxes, moles, many birds, slow worms and amphibians.

Country Gardener

WHAT YOU NEED TO As new season buds begin to appear in the garden it’s the best sign there is that the time for winter pruning should be coming to an end but there’s still time to get active with the secateurs Over the next few weeks new buds on plants will start to be clearly visible.

It is the perfect sign that winter pruning should be finished before the spring growth really gets under way.

That is why March is so important because it really should be the end road when it comes to pruning for the winter season.

The aim of pruning now is to encourage vigour so that fruit trees are productive and shrubs don’t outgrow their space, roses can flower to their full potential and dormant overgrown plants can be given a new lease of life So this is the time to make sure you have pruned your roses, cut back clematis and reshaped fruit bushes and trees.

ROSES The majority of roses are pruned between late winter, late February and early March, but this can depend on the weather.

You are safe to prune roses in late February just as the new growth begins.

If you are deciding when to prune a ground cover rose for example, it is always prudent to wait until after it has finished flowering.

You can’t tar all rose varieties with the same brush though. Different types of rose will need to be pruned at different times of the year and in different ways.

Climbers are happy with a late autumn and/or early winter pruning

prune in March

It is still easy to see a plant’s framework and with it the ability to maintain the ideal shape you need.

While plants are dormant, it’s also time to carry out renovation pruning, to revive plants that can become large and unproductive, such as viburnum and mahonia.

Lavender plants

Pruning now can also help control or prevent the spread of disease.

Apple and pear trees

The general rule is that if your shrubs are deciduous and flower from late summer to autumn, then you can prune them in March.

Deciduous trees The time to prune deciduous trees is early spring before they begin to leaf out. Some trees, such as maples, ‘bleed’ heavily when pruned in late winter or early spring. However, the heavy bleeding doesn’t harm the trees.

Evergreen shrubs Prune evergreen shrubs, such as juniper and yew, by late March or early April before new growth begins.

to keep them neat and tidy and flowering well.

Remember it is very important to angle your cut away from the plant as this prevents rain water from collecting and dripping towards it causing disease.

If you are looking for an open shape then concentrate your pruning on the outward facing rose buds. If you would prefer an upright growth shape then prune above the inward facing buds.

CLEMATIS (pruning group 3) Clematis that belong to pruning group 3 flower from July onwards, on growth produced during the current year. All

Lavender plants need a light trim by March to encourage them to flower hard and keep them looking tidy. The hard trim comes in September right after flowering.

Apples and pear trees can be pruned from November onwards but many prefer to wait until the longer days of March to encourage fruiting. Pruning will help encourage a good crop by channelling energy into the remaining buds. Aim to create a wine-glass shape, with evenly spaced branches rising up from the trunk in a circle around a hollow centre. Cut off any shoots at the base and remove dead, diseased or crossing branches. Getting light into the centre of the tree is also important.

Stone fruits Do not prune stone fruits, such as cherries or plums, in winter as they risk being infected by a fungal disease called silver leaf. Prune them in early or midsummer instead.

require hard pruning annually to keep under control and flowering well. In the first year after planting, during early to mid-spring, cut back all stems to 30cm above ground level. This will encourage more shoots to be produced from the base for the next year.

BUDDLEJA DAVIDII (butterfly bush)

New plants should be cut back to create a short, stubby framework of branches between 15 to 90cm high, depending on how tall you want the shrub to be. Thereafter, you can keep the shrub neat, vigorous and free-flowering by pruning back hard annually during early spring..

www.countrygardener.co.uk

DOGWOOD Dogwood, which is grown for its colourful winter stems, can be cut down to the ground. This will reenergise the plant and encourage many new colourful stems for next winter.

WILLOWS Willows grown as trees should be trained a single-leader standard.

Little pruning is required other than the removal of crossing or damaged branches. Weeping willows are best left alone unless you want to raise the canopy of mature specimens to create a clear two metre trunk to achieve a more classical weeping silhouette.

19

GREAT DAYS OUT

Garden events start to appear - with hopefully many more to come

The next few weeks and months will see a lot of garden lovers and enthusiasts keeping their fingers crossed to see if many of the traditional, much loved garden events can go ahead later this spring and summer.

Hundreds of events, all part of the hectic schedule of shows, garden openings, plant fairs and more throughout the south west, are still uncertain of their future as Covid 19 restrictions threaten to limit what can be held Honiton Show, planned for August to ensure the general public’s safety.

A number of early spring shows including Malvern Spring and Axe Vale have been cancelled while other traditional garden shows including Cornwall Horticultural Show’s early season event have been delayed until the summer.

There are however a number of events to look forward to- some already being planned for late summer which can be added to your diary with some more confidence. Others have worked hard to get Covid safety regulations in place and approved.

Lets hope there will be more to follow but here are some dates for your diary.

Hardy Plant Society show in Milverton The Hardy Plant Society Somerset Group will be holding their popular Early Spring Plant Fair on Saturday, 27th March at Milverton Recreation Ground, Butts Way, Milverton, near Taunton from 10am to 3pm. There will be a variety of specialist plant nurseries from all of the south-west of England selling a wide range of garden plants, including some rare and unusual varieties. Plenty of free on-site parking. Refreshments will be available to purchase.

Entry to the Plant Fair will be £3 (plus booking fee) from www.ticketsource.co.uk/hardy-plant-societysomerset-group. Entry numbers are limited per hour to ensure Covid 19 safe distancing.

Milverton Recreation Ground, Butts Way, Milverton, Taunton TA4 1JR

Somerset Group

EARLY SPRING PLANT FAIR 27th March 2021 Milverton Recreation Ground, Butts Way, Milverton, Taunton TA4 1JR 10am-3pm

Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury March 21st- May 31st

Free on-site parking.

Refreshments available.

Featuring specialist plant nurseries from the south-west of England.

Entry £3 (plus booking fee) via TicketSource www.ticketsource.co.uk/ hardy-plant-society-somerset-group

August Honiton show celebrates 130th anniversary The Honiton & District Agricultural Association is delighted to be celebrating its 130th year and plans a real welcome for all visitors on Thursday, 5th August. The main ring will be buzzing with Jason Smyth and his Adrenaline Tour and the amazing Rockwood Dog Display team. Viperaerobatics will have everyone looking to the skies whilst they perform two phenomenal flying displays in a beautiful iconic Pitts S2B Biplane.

The lower field incorporates all that is countryside with hurdle making, thatching and Cob Block demonstrations, ferret racing, a blacksmiths guild, a trip down memory lane with 100 Vintage Tractors and The West of England Hound Show.

With over 400 trade stands there really is something of interest for all. New for the 2021 show is a new Village Green with high quality food and entertainment.

For further details on the show, schedules or details on becoming a member of the association and enjoying all the benefits contact the secretary on 01404 41794 follow the show on twitter @honitonshow1890 or visit our website www.honitonshow.co.uk

Honiton Agricultural Show We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 5th August 2021

An exhibition of indoor & outdoor sculpture

Acts Booked So Far... Viper Aerobatics Display, Jason Smyth's Adrenaline Tour, The Rockwood Dog Display, The Sheep Show, Twistopher Punch & Judy, Livestock, Horses, Vintage Tractors.

Over 400 Trade Stands. New Village Green with fabulous food and entertainment.

Please apply for Trade, Horse and Livestock Schedules Secretary: Marcelle Connor, Bank House, 66a High Street, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1PS info@honitonshow.co.uk www.honitonshow.co.uk

www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk www.cotswoldsculptorsassociation.com 20

Country Gardener

Stunning Creating Spaces event set for March opening

‘My year living with a robot mower’ Grenville Sheringham finds that being in his armchair and giving instructions to his robot mower more than compensates for lack of stripes and tidy edges on the lawn!

There’s the chance to see a stunning indoor and outdoor sculpture exhibition in the grounds of Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury from Sunday, 21st March through to Monday, 31st May. The gardens, designed by the late Ian Pollard, are formally laid out and provide a perfect backdrop for the many sculptures won show. It will be a mass of tulips with perennials coming to their peak later in the show.

A fabulous time to showcase wonderful sculpture from established and emerging artists.

The event is organised by Cotswold Sculptors Association.

Rufus Pollard of Malmesbury Abbey House Gardens says: “After months of lockdown, we cannot wait to greet friends and families to all celebrate the glory of the garden and the eye of the sculptor”.

Building on the success of 2018 and 2019, ‘Creating Spaces 2020’ was an amazing achievement. Having been thoughtfully installed before the first strict lockdown, it was required to remain closed. When it was then allowed to open, it became a place of joy - being outside in freedom, and connecting to beauty in the world along with wonderful sculptures, created from wood, ceramic, glass, stone and bronze. There is a wide variety of styles of sculpture, reflecting the membership of nearly 100 members from the Cotswold area, ranging from lifelike and life sized figures, to abstract pieces of joy and amazement.

In addition to gardens to explore, there is the beautiful Belvedere, a wood and glass space looking out onto the valley below.

This is filled with sculptures - wall pieces, hanging sculptures and wood carvings more suited to an indoor setting.

The gardens are ‘paid for entry’ and therefore outside spaces are expected to remain open should any further lockdown restrictions occur.

Refreshments available, according to latest government guidelines.

See www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk for opening times and prices.

Abbey House Gardens, The Abbey House, Market Cross, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9AS

As a freelance gardener you get used to adapting to the changing whims and fancies of your clients and most things I can take in my stride. But when my best clients whose garden I have lovingly tended for almost 20 years announced they were getting a robot mower, I thought my days were numbered.

As they had a large garden with lots of grass, much of my time was taken up with mowing, either with the ride-on mower in the orchard or the roller mower for the formal lawns. But we agreed I would carry on for a year and see what difference the robot made to my workload.

The robot arrived, and a problem emerged right away - it didn’t like neat edges to flowerbeds. Now I must admit I’m an edge man, and like to keep a neatly-cut edge to beds and borders, but the robot stops a few inches short of the edge, pauses, and turns away. So I have to get the roller mower out and go round all the edges separately.

On the plus side though, the robot mowed all day every day come rain or shine, so when it would have been too wet to get the mowers out, robot just carried on regardless. However, the robot was constantly getting stuck in the mud in the orchard, and had to be rescued and taken home to its charging point to recover.

This was when I discovered the joys of the robot mower app. The mower suppliers had installed it on my phone, and not only did it alert me when the mower was stuck, it also showed me on a Google Earth photomap where exactly it was in the garden. I also discovered I could use the app to alter the height setting of the cutting blades, and even park it if I thought it needed a rest – all from the comfort of my armchair at home!

Spring arrived bringing drier weather, but it also brought the moles. Every year they tunnel their way across the lawn, but apart from having to level the molehills with a spade before mowing they hadn’t been a major problem. But they were a problem for the robot. It wouldn’t accept this alien intrusion on its patch, and would obstinately push away at it until its blades finally got caked in earth and refused to rotate.

Cue another rescue operation.

Spring also brought the weeds, and much of my time was spent weeding and tidying the beds and borders (and edging of course). But strangely, whenever I settled down to a bit of tidying, the robot would appear out of nowhere and insist on mowing right where I was working. Much as I appreciated its company, it didn’t like me leaving tools on the ground or parking the wheelbarrow in its way, so I would finally give in and press the big red STOP button on its back, and it would sit there sullenly watching me until I had finished.

Summer came and went, and we sort of settled down to a routine of working together.

Soon the apples ripened in the orchard and fell to the ground, and the robot definitely doesn’t like apples. It would headbutt them, roll them, slice them, anything but go round them, but mostly it managed to find its way past them and move on.

Then came the leaves falling. In previous years I would mostly rely on the mowers to pick them up, with just the occasional bit of raking if they got too thick on the ground.

Robot mowers - not cheap, great to sit and watch, but no stripes!

Finally winter arrived and the grass stopped growing, and I could breathe a huge sigh of relief as the robot was taken away for its annual service, and winter hibernation.

So looking back on our first year together, the lawns still took up a lot of my time one way or another, but then the grass has been kept short and neat all season regardless of the weather. There is no doubt robot mowers are the way forward, and most large gardens will have them in the not-too-distant future. They are quiet, non-polluting, and you don’t have to pay them to mow the lawn.

But they can’t do stripes like the traditional roller mower, and they won’t give you neat edges to your flowerbeds

“Soon the apples ripened in the orchard and fell,and the robot definitely doesn’t like apples. It would headbutt them, roll them, slice them, anything but go round them.” www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

garden advice Country Gardener readers seem to have been storing up their list of questions and queries as throughout the winter we’ve been receiving a steady stream of problems and queries.

Almost all the trees in our garden are covered in ivy - some dramatically so. I have always wanted to know if ivy is damaging the trees?

Andrew Preston Martock, Somerset Ivy is well known for its habit of using trees as a climbing frame, readily forming what looks like a ‘tree of ivy’ held up by the hosts trunk and branches. However the good news is that its aerial roots are just used for clinging. It doesn’t steal trees’ nutrients. It can of course deter from the natural beauty of a tree and the only serious threat is if its weight prematurely causes a tree to weaken and eventually fall. For the wildlife gardener of course the evergreen cover provides nesting and roosting sites for countless birds, moths and other insects and the blossom and fruit of ivy can be a godsend in late autumn when its fat rich berries ripen sequentially over the winter months.

We are both very fond of our two quince trees but neither seem very healthy.

Last autumn so much of the fruit was brown and diseased and the leaves didn’t look healthy at all. Lots of the fruit just rotted on the branches in October. The whole trees just don’t look well. Is there anything we can do to improve them?

Janet and Ian Henderson Exeter Common quince (Cydonia oblonga) is often affected by leaf spot disease, particularly in wet summers. It is a disease caused by the fungus Diplocarpon mespili which affects leaves and then fruit. The vigour and cropping of the tree may be reduced in severe cases. The tree will improve with some tender love and care.

You should rake up and dispose of affected leaves as they fall. You must prune out any dead spots during the winter. Feeding the tree will also help in spring. The cause of the problem is prolonged wet seasons and the tree will deteriorate as the wet seasons accumulate. But quince trees are worth persevering with even if they don’t look at their best and you can also try mulching a metre circle round the base of the tree.

I’ve never been really successful with growing sweet peas and a friend on an allotment told me the secret is to soak the seeds before planting them. Others have ridiculed this idea.

Alan Wrelton Cheltenham Sweet peas don’t need soaking and you are right, there are conflicting thoughts about this technique. Soaking in water might help some hardcoated seeds such as Ipomoea (because they don’t absorb water easily) but you shouldn’t leave them water for more than 12 hours. The idea of soaking came about to try and get the seeds to germinate faster. There are some varieties of sweet pea, particularly the darker sweet peas that can germinate faster by ‘nicking’ the seed coat with a sharp knife. Darker seeds absorb water more slowly than the paler ones. Just scrape away a small piece of the seed coat in the opposite side of the eye of the seed. Sow two seeds per pot and they should get off to a fast start.

I have a very leggy mahonia ‘Charity’ which is a much-loved shrub but it has in recent years been struggling to produce flowers. I guess this is a pruning problem but I am not sure when and how.

Jane Steele Bath Don’t be in a rush to prune and wait until worst of the winter had passed. Autumn blooming mahonias such as ‘Charity’ can develop a palm tree shape with long bare stems which limit the number of leaves and of course flowers on your plant. Part of the problem can be solved by proper pruning. To help it bush out use loppers and prune down to 30cms. Feed the plant consistently for a few weeks after pruning to boost growth and it should soon be back in leaf and that will be the route back to better flowering.

22

Is there anything I can do to stop birds flying into windows? It is a gardening problem I feel.

We have had so many birds die this way and it is distressing.

Nichola Anderson Westbury Agreed, it is very much a garden and wildlife lovers’ problem and hundreds and thousands of birds are killed each year as they fly into windows - and it is terrible carnage. The birds see the reflection of the sky or vegetation and imagine it must be open sky and fly full pelt into it. Some are stunned and recover but as you say it can be distressing when so many die.

The solution is to reduce the reflections in the glass which are at their worst if the room behind the window is dark. It also helps to have pale or net curtains that you keep drawn whenever possible. Window decals that reflect ultra violet light have proved very effective at preventing bird strike and are available on Amazon or www.jacobijayne.com or www.britishbirdfood.co.uk/ other-accessories/protection-and-security/ window-bird-alert-wild-bird-food-feeders-andaccessories. Another solution is to stick black silhouettes of raptors on the outside of windows to deter birds.

Country Gardener

Can I plant my Christmas azalea outside – and when?

Andy Harrison Stroud Nothing is more beautiful than an azalea shrub in spring bloom and they are lovely to be able to get outside into the garden. Azaleas sold as pot plants need to stay indoors on a bright indoor windowsill until May. If you do want to repot the azalea use ericaceaous compost and look for a sunny moist spot in the garden and keep well watered. They will need feeding. Bring back under cover in the autumn.

Why do I get only male flowers on my courgettes? It is becoming very frustrating.

Courgettes often produce all male flowers when it is very warm particularly when the plants are stressed by heat or drought. This may be the most obvious reason.

The secret is to keep courgettes well watered but consistently and don’t expose them to flood and then drought.

I really love trying to grow heliotrope but I don’t have much success and often is a disaster.

Annie Peterson Petersfield Heliotropes or perhaps known as cherry pie plant, are delightful cottage garden annuals with purple or white flowers that are deliciously scented. However you do need patience with them as they take longer to reach full flowering than most annuals. If for example they are sown too late they won’t grow big enough to bloom until very late in the season and may not even flower.

Sow early - 10 to 12 weeks before the last expected frost and keep the seedlings warm. They will need temperatures of 21°C to 24°C to germinate. The seedlings will grow slowly at first especially if conditions are cold outside and light levels are low.

Is there an effective, economical method of controlling ventilation in unattended greenhouse during long hot summer periods.

Adam Long Waterlooville Greenhouses, whether of glass or plastic, can overheat in sunny weather and cause real damage so it is vital that there is a route to protect plants from excess heat.

You can fit automatic vent openers to ensure roof vents open even when you are not around. However, remember that since they work by the expansion of wax in a cylinder to open the vents, it takes time for the wax to expand.

Provide plenty of alternative ventilation (i.e. doors and side vents) to prevent damaging temperatures occurring before the openers respond. Costs can vary but this isn’t probably the economical option you are looking for.

A more economic way is maybe to use shading paints which are diluted in water and painted on the outside.

Examples include SunClear, Nixol and Varishade. Some are designed to become translucent when wetted.

Your garden and

YOUR HEALTH

Beat stress, sleep better and get fitter-that’s what’s on offer for the new gardening season as getting out in the fresh air presents the path to a happier lifestyle

REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELS Gardeners have known for centuries that tending a plot is good for your physical health, and it improves mood and dissolves stress.

Now, a huge amount of research is providing us with the science that supports what we knew already about the benefits of gardening.

Stress is a problem that affects large swathes of the population. Three in four have been so stressed they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.

Time spent gardening calms the mind, soothes ragged emotions, and increases our ability to focus on the positive aspects of our lives.

The size and scope of the garden isn’t important.

A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology reported that gardening was more effective at reducing stress than reading a book. Another study that appeared in the Journal of Public Health found that working in a garden for just 30 minutes increased self-esteem and mood. Exercise, digging, weeding, planting and harvesting are all physical activities that release endorphins and help keep you fit.

When you’re outside, your body enjoys fresh, clean air and your skin soaks up vitamin D from the sun.

If you grow vegetables, you’re more likely to eat a healthy diet. And when your body is healthy, you’re better able to manage everyday stresses.

Are those the reasons why people nowadays are drawn to gardening?

Discovery about the connection between horticulture and health has been the aim of a surprising amount of research. According to a recent analysis of 22 studies, gardeners were less likely to have mood disturbance, and depression and anxiety symptoms, and were more likely to have lower cortisol levels (measure of stress) than non-gardeners. Gardening was connected to improvements in well-being measures such as life quality and satisfaction.

Reduce your stress levels by...

• Sowing micro greens on a windowsill – they are guaranteed to succeed with results in days giving you a sense of achievement.

• Not worrying – gardens and plants are completely nonjudgemental so there’s no need to worry if things don’t work out the first time round.

• Raking up leaves and add them to the compost heapv - simple tasks will release mood-boosting hormone like endorphins.

• Forking over a border- the physical exertion will help you focus and clear your mind and feel calmer.

• Watching and listening to wildlife - the wild sights and sounds of the garden will decrease tension.

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Getting fitter

Improve your sleep If you are not tired you probably won’t sleep well. Its pretty obvious if you think about it, but many of us don’t. We all know we should have 30 minutes of exercise every day but with today’s hectic lifestyle many struggle to find the time. Gardening could be the solution and can be a great way to achieve an all-body workout. It can also be a low-impact path to being a little bit more active. Some gentle pottering in the garden (beneficial in itself) can lead to other tasks, which leads to more physical exertion, which can only ever be a good thing. But physical exercise is not the only way that gardening can help you sleep at night.

Sleep is hugely influenced by your natural circadian rhythm... getting outside, getting a bit out of breath, and even being a bit chilly, is the best ways to regulate your body clock.

Studies have found that gardening can burn calories and tone your muscles just as well as other forms of exercise, such as cycling and jogging. According to Loughborough University gardening activities can burn between 200 and 1,000 calories per hour.

Tasks such as sowing and planting seedlings, raking the lawn and collecting grass and leaves can in themselves burn over 250 calories an hour, while pruning and weeding use up 280 calories an hour, digging as much as 322 calories and chopping logs over 1,000 calories.

Plus you’ll have the benefit of being out in the fresh air.

Digging is great cardio gardening activity – just 30 minutes can burn around 300 calories. It will be more if you have heavy clay soil or hard ground. Keep going at a steady pace without a break for maximum calorie burn.

You can also ditch the weed killer and do it yourself. It’s cheaper, produces no chemicals and burns around 80 calories per hour. Weeding can be hard on the knees so try to use a soft pad to protect you from knee-related injuries. Also, try to adjust your body as you move from weed to weed to prevent over-reaching: leaning beyond our centre of gravity creates stressed posture and sore bodies.

The Critical Care Research Group at the University of Oxford say studies suggest that access to a garden during a hospital stay can lower stress levels in both patients and their families.

Recognising this, Horatio’s Garden, the Dorset charity that creates and builds accessible gardens for NHS spinal injury units and a number of hospitals around the UK have gardens where they can take their ICU patients during the day.

Gardening is, in and of itself, a positive, forward-looking activity.

So if you’re struggling to sleep at night, go outside during the day, plant some seeds, prune something, dig the borders, enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine, and reap the rewards of a good night’s sleep.

IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP BY...

To improve your fitness try...

• Burning calories. Digging and raking are strenuous activities that will raise your heat rate and burn more calories. Where possible use manual tools don’t use ones that automate processes like robot mowers • To focus on gardening tasks that you find enjoyable so you keep coming back to them. Fitness needs to be long term to have benefits. Regular exercise is the key to having a healthy body and mind • To target specific muscles. Weeding is good for your back and if you are squatting that will strengthen the gluteus muscles in your bottom.

Strengthen your upper body and improve your balance by doing things above shoulder height like pruning • Strengthening your core. To strengthen your core try hoeing, digging with a fork or turning compost

• Increasing your exposure to daylight. Get into the garden and the daylight. Vitamin D contained in sunlight helps not only the quantity but also the quality of sleep. The body needs normal rhythm. Being outside boosts the exposure to natural daylight and that in turn helps to set the body’s internal clock.

DO MORE EXERCISE...

• Growing your own crops. Grow and eat tomatoes, strawberries, walnuts and cherries -they all contain melatonin which enhances sleep.

• Improve your happiness - 80 per cent of gardeners reported being happy and satisfied with their lives.

• Sowing seeds. Sow seeds to instil calm and encourage you to think about them growing in the future.

• Gardening is good for your mental wellbeing and if you are anxious you will have trouble sleeping.

24

Gardening tends to find those muscles we don’t use too often! So, as with any physical exercise, it’s important to remember to prepare our bodies before and after. Try gentle stretching or yoga-style moves in preparation for the work ahead.

• Start by doing some gentle exercise on the garden to increase your heart rate. Just a bit of pottering about can give you some physical exertion. If you are not physically tired you won’t get to sleep.

• Getting your hands dirty - contact with the soil can make you happier.

• Get outside and really look what’s going on in the garden.

• Planning for the future- think about what you want from your garden in the coming months and years. Think about plants you would like to grow and features you would like to introduce - this releases creativity and gives a focus on something that has a high regard factor.

Country Gardener

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25

Make sure the seed mix you choose is right for your soil. Here Purple Vetch stands out amongst bright yellow cowslips.

How to create your own

mini flower meadow Native perennial wildflower seeds sown on impoverished soil which you can leave to thrive year after year is a dream for any garden no matter how little space you have available

Perennial wildflowers like the tough life. They require impoverished soil, because if it is too rich you will get mostly leaves and few flowers. So it’s best to grow a wildflower meadow in a spot you don’t usually cultivate, or one you haven’t used for a while.

However, if you have richer soil you can grow an annual flower meadow using cornfield flowers. This is the best option if you want to convert an existing bed with good soil.

You can buy ready-made wildflower meadow mixes for different soil types and situations, and it’s worth looking for a mix of annual and perennial to prolong flowering time.

Seed mixes vary, so check the coverage on the packet. However, as a rough guide, you need 1g per square metre of pure wildflower seeds and 5g per square metre of grass and wildflower meadow seeds.

Give your spare space a good weeding before sowing anything, as weeds will compete for light, space and food. Once you’ve removed everything, dig over the soil and firm it back down before raking it smooth.

Scatter your wildflower meadow seeds by hand. Rake in lightly and water thoroughly. If you’re particularly worried about birds eating them all, put some netting over the soil.

Make sure the soil remains moist and warm while they’re germinating. The key thing is to make sure they don’t dry out. A single blisteringly hot weekend will stop them in their tracks. And watch out for weeds coming back too.

Deadhead the flowers as they grow to prolong flowering. Leave the plants to selfseed at the end of the growing season – they should come back up next year.

Clear away the old plants when they start to appear to let the new ones get light.

Again, keep on top of weeds to stop them taking over.

You may need to sow more seeds for the first few years, but after that they should come back every year with no extra work from you.

26

The right seed for your soil Make sure the seed mix you choose has the right ones relevant to your soil type.

If you’re combining flowers with grasses, or flowering up an area of existing grass, you need to reduce the strength of the grasses. It’s key to introduce Yellow Rattle.

This is a hemiparasite, which fixes its roots onto the root system of an adjacent grass and extracts the water and minerals it needs. This weakens the grass and hence the competition, allowing more delicate and often more colourful and interesting wild flowers to thrive.

Clear the ground If on a small scale, dig out the coarse-leaved grasses such as Cock’s-foot, Couch Grass and Perennial Rye Grass. If on a large scale, consider spraying these off before you start. They out-compete the more delicate-growing wild flowers.

Planting wild flower seedlings Wild flower seedlings can be planted in enriched soil or an established grass area. Before planting the seedlings, mow the grass to less than 5cm and remove competition from any other long leaved grasses and flowers.

The planting hole should be the same shape and size as the seedling, i.e. an inverted pyramid. The planting hole can be quickly created with a suitably shaped dibber, but ensure that the surrounding soil is loose to allow the roots to spread easily.

Keep watered until established if conditions are dry, and protect from slugs.

Meadow maintenance Cut or strim the grass in August, or leave it until September if you want species such as agrimony and betony to get a hold.

Leave the hay where it falls for a week, turning it over a couple of times as it dries, to help the wild flower seeds drop back down into the soil.

Country Gardener

Meadow mix is a better choice than cornflower mix

Scattering Yellow Rattle seeds is key

Rake all the hay away so as not to increase fertility and use it for compost.

•

• •

•

Get rid of that grass: yes, the patch of lawn you’re transforming into a wildflower meadow will need to be grass free in order to thrive. First, using your lawnmower, cut down the grass as much as you can.

Next, rake over the soil to get rid of any remaining grass. Use a finer rake to disturb the soil as much you can.

Now, plant your seeds. Make sure they are a meadow mix and not a cornflower mix. To help establish your meadow, choose a mix that contains yellow rattle, or add yellow rattle seeds to your mix. This plant suppresses grass and aids other wild flowers.

Now, walk all over the meadow patch to aid germination. Your meadow is ready to grow. Be patient, though: it’ll be a couple of months before you see any flowers, while some may only germinate next year.

Wildflower highways to look forward to throughout the west country Wildflowers may soon be more common along the roads and highways of Dorset, Devon and Somerset as Highways England adopts a new approach to verge management.

Contractors are now following a new policy that stipulates low-nutrient soil, favoured by wildflowers and fine leafed grasses, is used rather than rich topsoil. The decision is backed by a number of successful case studies including the Weymouth Relief Road in Dorset where 140 plants and 30 butterfly species now thrive on chalky roadside soils.

In practice, all grassland areas on improvement schemes will be finished with more suitable substrate allowing wildflowers and grasses to regenerate naturally or be given a helping hand by seeding a six mile ‘butterfly highway’ on the new A303 scheme in Wiltshire currently being planned.

One of the few happy accidents of the spring lockdown was that wildflowers were able to bloom on roadsides as the pandemic forced maintenance teams to stay at home. An explosion of colour followed across the UK, and the vision of what could be inspired many members of the public.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Here is the list of a few of best wildflower meadows-find one to visit near you.

CRICKLEPIT MILL, DEVON Devon Wildlife Trust An unusual urban meadow in the centre of Exeter, with meadow and arable plants such as cornflowers, poppies, blue corn cockles and oxeye daisies, as well as previously dormant species like black medick, cat’s-ear, corn chamomile, dove’s-foot crane’s-bill, ivy-leaved toadflax, Oxford ragwort and scarlet pimpernel.

Cricklepit Mill, Commercial Road, Exeter EX2 4AB

KINGCOMBE MEADOWS, DORSET Dorset Wildlife Trust A patchwork of fields with rarities such as lady’s mantle, corky-fruited water dropwort, pepper saxifrage, devil’sbit scabious and knapweed, plus skipper and fritillary butterflies.

Kingcombe Meadows, Toller Porcorum, Dorchester DT2 0EQ

IFFLEY MEADOWS, OXFORDSHIRE Ancient Thames-side meadows famous for their display of snake’s-head fritillaries, once picked for sale in Covent Garden.

Oxford 0X4 4BL

FIVEHEAD ARABLE FIELDS, SOMERSET Somerset Wildlife Trust Home to nationally scarce wildflowers, such as broadleaved spurge, spreading hedge-parsley and slender tare, as well as cornflowers such as black medick, scarlet pimpernel, field pansy and red bartsia.

Fivehead Arable Fields, Cathanger Lane, Fivehead TA3 6PS 27

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

Since our last issue Country Gardener readers have been busy putting pen to paper and sharing their views and thoughts. If you have a gardening topic you would like to raise, write to Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

When reader Alan Edwards wrote to us about problems with deer in his garden, help was on hand as fellow readers piled in with their solutions.

MY FIGHT WITH THE LOCAL DEER POPULATION I read the letter from Alan Edwards in your current edition no.177 about the damage caused by deer in his garden, and I can really sympathize with him. I lived in Oregon, in the United States, for 15 years and had to do battle with the huge deer population for years. I finally found a solution.

It was a foliar fertiliser which was fish-based. I mixed it with water in a spray bottle and left the bottle out on the deck to ‘cook’ in the sun. After a few days it stank really horribly. I sprayed all my most vulnerable plants, and the deer kept off. The smell was not detectable to humans but as deer have such sensitive noses it was revolting to them! Perhaps you could recommend a fish-based foliar fertiliser or indeed any foliar fertiliser, as even if there is no smell there A great relief to us all! would be a nasty taste! I attach some photos of the culprits in my garden.

My husband had a cheap and effective way of deterring the deer Janice Robertson Street, Somerset who used to come into our garden and took a liking to our climbing roses. Every night he took our two spaniels out last thing and all three relieved themselves into the hedge. Cheap and effective if MY SUCCESS STORY Fencing out the culprits lacking in other niceties.

Nearly 20 years ago we moved to a cottage in the - A FOUL SMELLING Anna Clarkson Devizes country with a little bit of land totalling three acres.

LIQUID We had to create a garden from a few fields. Deer Many years ago, our garden at assaults were quite common in the early days but a previous house was attacked COFFEE DREGS TO THE RESCUE we soon found a solution in the form of eight foot by deer, and it also backed high deer fences that we fashioned ourselves out of We had terrible deer problems with a pair of them breaking on to fields. We came across inexpensive rolls of chicken wire or similar stock into our garden fairly regularly. There was no fence -just a poor a product called Renardine. wire bought from agricultural merchants. The rolls hedge which made it very easy for the animals to break through Soak some rags in this foul were then attached to posts using a heavy-duty to the delights in our garden. We lost some lovely and expensive smelling liquid, (don’t splash staple gun. Once the shrubbery matured the wire shrubs, even some David Austen roses - which broke my heart. it on your clothes) which cannot be seen at all. It keeps the deer out and the Then someone in our village I was talking to about the problem you have tied onto sticks or tender plants that they love to nibble, safe and suggested taking the dregs of a few used cups of coffee grounds garden canes. Place these healthy. We did it all by ourselves for very little cost. and putting them in a bag and leaving them for over a week -by along the hedge or fence The deer haven’t troubled us since. Also, my late which time they were really stinky. We made three bags like this where they get in. This cured husband, personally marked out our territory by and hung them at various points along the hedge and the problem the problem for us. peeing on every post. That is optional. He just loved went away. We do this every spring now and seems to do the trick. the great outdoors!

They do stink though.

Rosemary Jarvis Cranborne Helen Chiari Wimborne Tara Russell Illminster

MORE POWER TO US GARDENERS!

Our gardens help us in more ways than one – mental health

I’d like to congratulate my local B&Q for how hard they seem to be working on launching recyclable, eco-ware and peat free products- due almost entirely based on pressure from gardeners. Plastic is now top of the agenda with B&Q who are now offering a recycling service for pots and trays. They seem finally to get the message that gardeners feel very strongly on the impact all this plastic has on our lives.

I’d like top thank your excellent magazine for the coverage it regularly gives to championing the benefits that gardening brings to mental health. This past year more than ever before has raised the anxiety levels of so many people and it is wonderful that so many have sought some help and comfort in gardening and being outdoors. It heals and prevents many of life’s ills. My own struggles with anxiety and depression have gone on for years and my small garden has always been the eye of the storm. Gardens are places of sanctuary against raging winds of day-to-day life and even through this winter my garden has been so important to me. Mental health often leaves sufferers ruminating over the past, or fearful of the future. Gardens are the opposite- they are the beautiful present.

Well done us gardeners! Long may it continue!

Alex Reynolds Taunton 28

Tom Partridge Dorchester Country Gardener

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Emma Jennings’ article ‘The Time Warp, That is my Garden’, in Country Gardener’s Winter issue reminded me of this poem I wrote many years ago!

I’ve been a gardener most of my life, but I have always found it really difficult to get on with the job in hand. Invariably I am forced to leave it by the knock on effect of other things getting in the way! I’m hoping I’m not alone with this frustration?

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My gardening day I try to plan my gardening day, But good intentions fade away, As with my hoe I smite the weeds, I chance upon some precious seeds.

I take my trowel to plant them out, But, ‘Oh, my can has blocked up spout’.

So to the shed to find a cane, To push the snail right out again.

And on it goes the same old way, Each time I plan my gardening day, Potting ends up just the same, I do a few, “Oh, what a game”, I’m out of space to stand them in, Another job I must begin, One day my chores will run to plan, And I will end what I began, So on it goes frustratingly, Five jobs to do, for one to see.

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wildflowers; Robot pruning month; Sowing perfect tomatoes; It’s vegetables Spring blossom; Growing Dorset; The best of 2021 Gardening news throughout

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My grandfather was a lovely man and a passionate gardener who when in my late 20’s I became interested in gardening used to sit down with a cup of tea and impart some of his secrets. My favourite was when he would say to me: ‘Wildlife will come into your garden if there are flowers, seeds, hiding places and if you let plants stand until late winter and avoid cutting it back and being too tidy. In a good garden you don’t need to think about it’. Wise words and ones I have never forgotten.

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Growing the perfect tomato GROWN IN A POT, CONTAINER, GROWBAG, GREENHOUSE OR UP AGAINST A SUNNY WALL, MOST GARDENERS WILL START AGAIN THIS YEAR AIMING FOR A BUMPER TOMATO CROP

One of the highlights of the year comes in late February, perhaps early March when we can start thinking about the tomato-growing season which lies ahead.

the seeds stick in place among soil particles. The seed coats also release chemicals into the soil that enhance growing conditions for the soon-tocome roots.

For many gardeners it’s a time to anticipate the delights and pleasures of again producing succulent home grown tomatoes.

Water carefully

Tomato seedlings emerge fast and show vigorous growth under warm, bright conditions, so there is little point in starting seeds very early.

It is a growing process in six stages so the first is sowing, the second is pricking out, the third is planting, the fourth pinching out, the fifth training up a string or a cane, and the sixth pinching out the tip.

All gardeners are looking for tips on how to improve their crop, the taste of the tomatoes and on how to keep the plants disease free.

Put extra effort into keeping it clean If you are reusing plastic module trays, wash them well in warm, soapy water to remove old soil and accumulated salts. Small paper cups with several holes punched in the bottoms make cheap but adequate pots. When the seedlings are ready to move to larger containers, it’s easy to peel away the softened cups and compost them.

Never try to cut corners on quality Use as high quality seed as you can – the results will make it worthwhile. Avoid cheap imitations, which are often the cause of seedling failure.

Try a pump spray bottle to thoroughly moisten seeds. When the containers feel heavy with water, make shallow holes for the seeds, and cover and press them in with your finger. Then spray more water over the top. If you are not sure about the purity of your water, use filtered water.

Tomatoes need warmth and light Tomato seeds kept at warm room temperature and sprayed with water twice daily should sprout within a week. As soon as the seedlings break the surface, move them to bright light. A fullspectrum grow-light is ideal, but a sunny window will do provided the seedlings are watched closely to make sure they don’t dry out. Transplant seedlings to larger containers as needed to support steady growth.

Pot on in stages ‘Potting on’ is an important phase for tomatoes the process of moving a seedling to a slightly larger container, which happens twice ideally. Soon after the first true leaf appears, move the seedlings to larger paper cups or small plastic pots. Most of them must be potted on again three weeks later.

Handle tomato seedlings with care Never touch the main stem of tomato seedlings, because the juicy tissues are easily bruised, and bruises serve as entry points for the fungi that cause seedlings to rot. The main stem also can be damaged if a seedling falls over, which sometimes happens when a weak-stemmed tomato seedling becomes top-heavy with new leaves.

Avoid the temptation to plant little tomato seedlings in large containers, which can cause the skimpy roots to become overwhelmed by soil microorganisms. It’s better to pot on seedlings to a slightly larger container as soon as you see roots growing through the bottoms of the containers.

Don’t rush hardening off Gradually expose your indoor-grown tomato seedlings to increased sun and wind. An opaque storage bin with the lid removed makes a good hardening-off chamber, or you can use a cold frame or protected plant shelf. Allow at least a week for your plants to prepare themselves for outdoor life.

With a little practice, you can expect great results growing tomatoes from seed. Tomato seedlings that enjoy stress-free lives with no serious setbacks quickly adapt to garden life, and few things are more rewarding that harvesting sun ripened tomatoes from plants you started as tiny seeds.

Label your varieties Write variety names on them with waterproof markers, or you can make labels from utility tape.

Labels work better than little stakes, which wiggle around amongst the tomato roots and can be lost.

Plant tomato seeds dry The furry coating on tomato seeds softens and starts sticking when water is added, which helps 30

The sweetness of a tomato is measured by the Brix scale which calculates the percentage of sugar contained in a tomato’s liquids. The scale is named after Professor Brix, a 19th Century German chemist who was the first to measure the density of plant juices.

Tomatoes with purple skin have been developed at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. The pigment which comes from high levels of antioxidants, is intended to give the same health benefits as blueberries.

The tomato with the highest concentration of lycopene is a dark red beefsteak called ‘John Hawkins’.

Country Gardener

It’s ‘horses for courses’ when opting for varieties You are spoilt for choice when it comes to what variety of tomato to grow. There are all shapes and sizes and colours come to that. Some are great for tossing whole into salads while others come into their own when cooking.

BEST FOR SALADS

Five ways to improve the flavour of your tomatoes 1. Let the tomatoes ripen on the vine for as long as possible for the maximum sugar content.

2. Pick varieties to suit your palate. Cherry tomatoes which rank high on the Brix rating are best for a sweet tooth whereas beefsteak and plum are perhaps better suited for cooking.

‘Gardeners’ Delight’ For small, flavoursome tomatoes, try this reliable and heavy cropping cultivar. A cordon type. Good in growing bags or pots.

3. Water plants little and often to avoid split or watery fruit.

BEST FOR SWEETNESS

5. Don’t remove too many leaves the as plant needs them for photosynthesis.

‘Sungold’ AGM Sungold is considered by many to be the best of the best for taste. Vigorous plants produce small delicious ‘Gardener’s Delight’ tasting orange coloured fruits on long trusses. If they make it back to the kitchen, they are great in salads.

Best grown in the greenhouse, but can be used for planting outdoors later in the season.

BEST ALL ROUND TOMATO

4. Remove spare trusses and priories the strongest ones so the remaining fruit gets more nutrients and develops a fuller flavour.

Five ways to boost the yields 1. Grow seeds early and grow plants under cover to extend the season.

2. Plant your tomatoes where they get plenty of sun. The number of daylight hours a tomato receives is more important for boosting the yield than heat.

3. Try grafted plants which have a more vigorous rootstock and will be more productive.

‘Moneymaker’ ‘Moneymaker’ is a very popular amateur variety that has stood the test of time. It is a heavy cropper and fruits are medium sized. A very popular variety for greenhouses.

4. Feed plants at least once a week with a high potash fertiliser when flower buds appear to encourage fruits.

5. Remove side-shoots and pinch out the top of the plant as soon as you see three or four trusses developing so that growth is concentrated on the fruit not the plant.

Originally bred in Bristol in the early 1900s.

‘Moneymaker’ ‘Beefmaster’

BEST FOR GRILLING ‘Beefmaster’ The hybrid ‘Beefmaster’ tomato plant has undergone some improvement in recent times. It produces huge, red, extra large juicy tomatoes which can grow up to 500gm (1lb) each. This variety is ideal for slicing or stuffing. It has an intensely good colour and an excellent meaty type flavour.

BEST YELLOW VARIETY

‘Golden Sunrise’

‘Golden Sunrise’ ‘Golden Sunrise’ is a cordon variety, producing the most beautiful golden yellow fruits which are considered by many to be the sweetest you can grow. Bright golden-yellow table tennis to billiard ball-sized fruits they are early to crop and ideal for salads.

‘Shirley’

‘Sungold’

BEST TO EXHIBIT ‘Shirley’ AGM ‘Shirley’ is an early, short-jointed type producing large trusses that give heavy yields of good-shaped fruits and so is popular with gardeners wanting to show their produce.

BEST BEEFSTEAK VARIETY ‘Marmande’ AGM This is a beefsteak type of tomato which is the variety beloved of French holidays. The plant produces large uneven shaped fruits of deep red. It is a later maturing variety but the rich sweet flavour is definitely worth waiting for.

‘Tumbling Tom’

‘Marmande’

BEST FOR GROWING IN BASKETS ‘Tumbling Tom’ ‘Tumbling Tom’ produces hundreds of small, juicy red cherry tomatoes all summer long and is perfect for hanging baskets and containers.

31

TREE SPECIALIST

How to control roadside pollution on your property?

Mark Hinsley consider the long term Government plans to cut back carbon dioxide omissions and decides by far the better option is to plant the ‘Rolls - Royce’ of all hedges

The Government recently announced that the selling of diesel and petrol engine cars will be banned from 2030.

I suppose that depends on them still being the Government. Anyway, whilst it makes a good green soundbite for a Government in all sorts of trouble over other issues, I suggest that as far as it ending the problem of roadside pollution goes, the answer is don’t hold your breath!

Or, in fact, - do hold your breath!

Even if we do end up switching to electric cars and vans - I see no mention of HGVs in the report - electric vehicles only eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the exhaust pipe. They do not eliminate all particulate emissions because 50percent of them are coming from tyre, brake, and road wear. So, on we choke.

The problems of roadside emissions and the serious problems they can cause to people’s hearts and lungs are well documented, and not to be taken lightly. But there is another side to these emissions.

When the pollution from vehicles lands on solid objects such as buildings (brick or stone), statues, metal plates and garden furniture it coats everything with a fine layer of contamination.

These chemicals then react with other substances - such as water - and become corrosive. Nitric acid is one of the by-products of these processes. This is a particular problem with old limestone buildings, flags and even gravestones.

So, what do we do when faced with this modern problem?

We turn to one of the oldest solutions known to man: the hedge.

32

Ever had a fence blow down in a gale? I bet some of you have. Ever had a hedge blow down? Of course you haven’t. Why is this?

Because the hedge is permeable, a portion of the wind passes through it. This makes an effective windbreak without creating the turbulence caused by a fence; it also makes an air filter.

The University of Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research has been conducting some clever experiments in Guildford.

A team of researchers undertook a five-month experiment measuring traffic pollutants behind and in front of a hedge that shielded a children’s park alongside a busy road in Guildford.

The researchers used a sensor system to examine whether or not there was a reduction in pollution during the vegetation cycle of a beech hedge.

This was the clever bit, because they found that there was a 50 per-cent drop in pollutants on the side of the hedge away from the road when it was in leaf. During the winter when the hedge had fewer leaves - the pollution levels went up.

First conclusion: for all year-round protection you need to have an evergreen hedge.

Other projects have looked at different forms of vegetation and the conclusion has been that the hedge, because it operates at the low level where the pollutants are coming from, is by far and away the best air filter.

Different types of hedging plants have been assessed and the beech tested in the first experiment is not the best, despite its impressive 50per-cent reduction.

Small, soft needle types are even more efficient.

Country Gardener

Clearly you want a hedge that is cheap to buy and easy to maintain.

You do not need a hedge that wants to grow into a 100ft tall tree - so put that leylandii back where you found it.

No, you need the monarch of hedging plants, evergreen, with a modest growth rate, easy to maintain, small, soft needles to filter the air.

The hedge plant exalted by John Evelyn in 1662 was the very best of all.

You need a yew hedge!

Mark Hinsley is from Arboriculture Consultants Ltd www.treeadvice.info

Advertising feature

Living well with dementia. Loving life at Sandfields The team at Sandfields care home do everything they can to make each day special for residents living with dementia. They learn as much about each resident so they can organise activities and experiences they’ll love. dance floor herself (prior to the first lockdown).

Every day brings something different, from quizzes and music, to arts and crafts. Residents recently went ‘back to school’ doing light-hearted science

Residents who are living with dementia live life as fully as anyone else, enjoying hobbies and even having their wishes come true. Howard, the home’s resident photographer, recently judged a staff photography competition; while Jo, a keen ballroom dancer, watched professional ballroom dancers strut their stuff before taking to the

experiments. And there are always gardeners keen to get outside and keep the gardens looking good.

Residents are supported to be independent – making their own drinks, helping with the washing up or folding the laundry. One former resident Ken, a gentleman who lived with dementia, helped with the decorating. An active and practical man (he had a pedometer to keep track of his daily steps) was happy and content because he was busy.

One relative comments, “The staff are all caring and compassionate and treat residents with the utmost respect.

There’s a true ‘family’ atmosphere.”

If you’d like to know more about quality dementia care at Sandfields, please call Laura Sayburn on 01242 808553 or email laura.sayburn@careuk.com careuk.com

Getting the vegetable plot

going in March

If you’ve taken a winter break from the vegetable plot, February and early March is the perfect time to get things going again - but patience is key when planning your spring planting.

March is a key month for making some big decisions in the garden – decisions, which will determine how successful life on the vegetable plot, will be over the coming months.

It’s the time of year to stick to some very specific rules.

1. Only grow what you love to eat and go for acclaimed varieties. Many of these will have been awarded the AGM (the RHS Award of Garden Merit) and this is often depicted by a trophy logo. These varieties have outshone their rivals in extensive plant trials recently judged by experts. Don’t gamble on the word ‘new’.

2. It’s very tempting to follow the instructions on the packet. However the weather varies across the country and in colder districts spring can arrive a few weeks later. Wait for the weather and don’t blindly follow the instructions on the packet, because every year’s different.

So, err on the side of caution and wait for the correct weather, because crops sown or planted later catch up.

3. Hardy crops can withstand cold weather and these are the first crops to be sown and planted in March.

Peas, broad beans, garlic and onions will survive.

4. If it’s not hardy it can’t go into the garden until late-May or June, depending on where you live, because a frost will kill at worst, or check the growth at best. Either way they never recover. French beans, runner beans, courgettes, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines are all tender.

34

Check forced rhubarb To boost nutrients and aid growth, dig some well-rotted manure or compost around the base of the rhubarb plant.

If there are any weeds around or old leaves on the plant, remove these.

Cover the entire crown of your rhubarb using your bucket, large pot or rhubarb forcer and use the tape to cover any holes or cracks so all light is prevented from reaching the plant.

The stems should take about eight weeks before they become big enough for harvesting. Due to the lack of sunlight they will appear pale in colour as plants need sunlight to produce chlorophyll, which is what gives plants their colour.

Wait until the stalks are around 20-30cm in length before harvesting.

How to get the most from your new potatoes The idea is to develop the chits (shoots) on the Country Gardener

seed potato before it is planted out, to speed up growth so you can harvest your crop three to four weeks early. If chitting speeds up growth at the beginning, it can reduce yields. The trick is to keep those chits as healthy and chubby as possible.

In reality, you often don’t get to choose. Early potatoes, in particular, can’t wait to get sprouting. If you keep your tubers in a warm room, where chits will grow fast and furiously, they will be pale and easily damaged when planted out. Worse still, the shock from a cosseted warm room to the cold, hard world of outdoors can slow the plant’s growth.

Grow your own ginger Growing your own ginger can be fun and rewarding – and easier than you might think. You begin by picking up ginger root from a vegetable counter.

For edible purposes, the most common species of ginger is known as Zingiber officinal.

You will need to choose ginger root (rhizomes); visually they are plump and have small ‘eyes’. When the eyes have begun to turn green in colour they are ideal. You should opt for organic ginger when possible.

Divide the original vegetable root up using a sharp, sanitised knife. Any piece about an inch to an

Tomato ‘Siam’ new variety of Kitchen Minis

WHAT’S NEW AND THAT LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT?

Sow three varieties of lettuce

Mountain Cranberry known as a ‘Ligonberry’ is ideal for gardeners who want to grow something different in a window box. An evergreen perennial, it will produce berries that are just like cranberries on small 15cm plants. Traditionally used in Nordic countries, the berries have a juicy, tart taste.

Sowing three different types of lettuce, a loose-leaf ‘pick and come again’ variety like ‘Salad Bowl Mixed’, a small hearting lettuce such as ‘Little Gem’ or its red-leaved equivalent ‘Dazzle’ and a slower maturing Cos lettuce like ‘Lobjoits Green’ extends the Wild blueberry, also known as Bilberry

inch and a half with one or more eyes can grow into its own plant.

Leave the pieces in a safe and dry location for a few days - this will allow the ginger pieces to form a protective callus over the surface, reducing the risk of infection.

Ginger thrives in partial shade, or at most, areas with morning sun. Aim to keep the soil at a warm temperate between 22º to 25ºC (71º to 77ºF), before the ginger plant germinates. If you are growing your ginger in a pot, ensure you pick one at least 30cm deep.

Early peas are the best solution Podded peas can often be difficult to grow and take up a lot of space on the plot for only a small yield.

For this reason a lot of gardeners just grow earlies, then clear the space for later developing crops like leeks and cabbages. Mangetout and sugarsnap give a better yield and are easier to harvest as the whole pod is eaten.

Peas are legumes, so they produce their own nitrogen, so a rich fertile soil is not necessary but they do like a lot of humus and a neutral pH. Sow early varieties from March to April. For the earliest crop, cover or cloche the soil a few weeks before sowing.

picking season to two months at least. Always use fresh packets of seeds with the correct date because lettuce has a short period of viability – three years at most.

Sow leek seeds Leeks can germinate in cool conditions and once the seedlings are up you don’t have to worry about cold nights.

Watering is key because all members of the allium or onion family are shallow-rooted.

They cannot seek out moisture from the depths, so the leeks, shallots, onions and garlic can dry out easily early on. If young leeks become water-stressed they tend to bolt or run to seed. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Patty Pan ‘Greendisc’ (above) is a unique squash with mottled green/lime skins. The fruits hold their mottling until quite big –n then go green A high yielding scallop shaped patty pan squash with attractive medium green fruits with speckled stripey outer skins.

Most tender when harvested at no more than 5-7cm in diameter.

The Wild Blueberry is a stunning variety that is also known as the Bilberry and will produce small 30cms perennial fruit bushed which makes it an ideal plant for containers or on a windowbox.

Pepper Chilli Seeds - ‘Chocolate Habanero’ is a spectacular chilli variety originating from Jamaica and. Similar in appearance to other Habanero chillies but chocolate brown in colour. The fruits are extremely hot, up to 600,000 Scoville Heat Units. The bushes grow large with strong woody stems. Sow seeds half an inch deep and 18 inches apart in the garden in a full sun location.

Tomato ‘Siam’ is one of the new varieties of Kitchen Minis, a line of compact edibles bred for indoor growing in Denmark just for that purpose. The plants are super-compact potted tomatoes and peppers that produce indoors on a sunny windowsill.

35

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Country Gardener

Your chance to win a set of long handed Burgon & Ball gardening tools

We are offering Country Gardener readers the chance to start the new gardening season by winning a selection of high quality Burgon & Ball long handed gardening tools.

Designed to eliminate bending to work, reducing back strain and making gardening more comfortable, especially for gardeners who find kneeling uncomfortable.

WE HAVE FOUR SETS OF TOOLS TO WIN. EACH SET WILL INCLUDE: •

• •

A long handled traditional bulb planter. A unique angled head slices easily through even compacted ground to remove a plug of soil which is then replaced on top of the bulb once it’s in the ground.

A long handled and best-selling Weed Slice, a weeding tool and hoe with a compact head that’s ideal for working in tightly planted borders.

A long handled Miracle Cleaning brush which offers complete solutions to cleaning block paving, grouting and decks. There’s no more pressure washing. No more chemicals. And no more bending.

COMPETITION

Burgon & Ball have been making shears in Sheffield, England, since 1730. In 1865 James Ball patented a manufacturing process for the production of solid steel sheep shears. By the early part of the 20th century production of garden shears and equipment outstripped that of sheep shears and the gardening tool dynasty had started. Their 1922 catalogue showed over 96 designs of hoe alone!

In 2012 Burgon & Ball stainless tools were officially endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society.

To win one of these sets of highest quality tools just answer the following question... In what year did Burgon & Ball start to make shears?

Put your answer on a postcard and include your name and address and send to Burgon & Ball Competition, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD. Closing date for entries is Wednesday 31st March. Winners will be notified by Wednesday 7th April.

FIVE WAYS TO GARDEN WITH NATURE IN MIND With the problems caused by plastics, garden chemicals and unsustainable water there’s all the more reason this year to garden with nature to the fore. Here’s five ways to make a difference.

It goes without saying that gardeners are nature lovers.

We are typically twice as likely as non-gardeners to feed the birds, are playing a key role in reducing plastic and have fingers in the soil!

Working in tandem with nature rather than opposing it is likely to be make sure everyone and everything wins.

1. REDUCE CHEMICALS There are dozens of reasons people opt to use natural pesticides and take a more organic approach in their home gardens. First, it’s kinder to the environment; by going organic you reduce pollution and won’t introduce new chemicals into your soil, plants and ultimately your food.

Going organic means a new approach to pest control in your garden.

2. PLANT WISELY AND WELL Choose plants which suit your soil, microclimates and our changing climate. Think less about luscious needy specimens and more about robust choices that tolerate stressful periods

Avoid plants which tend to consume plastic, compost, water and in many cases considerable plant miles.

Over a lifetime the average gardener will spend over £10,000 on plants without knowing if their garden has the right conditions for them so remember to prioritise choose plants that suit your soil and microclimate.

is almost non renewable. So make it an on-going theme of your gardening to opt for peat free products. When you change over make sure you read what the labels and bags say. ‘Environmentally –friendly is an example. If it doesn’t say peat free then it isn’t. Wood based material in peat free compost provides good drainage and is useful for different plant requirements.

3. MAKE YOUR SOIL THE PRIORITY

5. CONSERVE WATER

If you put the health of your soil at the top of your agenda than you’ll be going a long way towards taking care of your plants and the subterranean ecology that depends on them. Most gardeners make compost. If you don’t then start right away. It recycles nutrients from the garden and household but adding compost mulch does much more that just replenishes nutrients. It is about biology and chemistry. Adding compost benefits soil life from the microbial to the visible creatures- creating more matter for them to colonise.

We need to save water in our gardens. Capturing rainwater for gardens is now thought to be a muchneglected skill in far too many gardens.

It is of course a free reservoir that reduces storm drain surge, minimises rainwater run off damage and by reducing reliance on metered water, saves money.

4. REDUCE OR ELIMINATE PEAT Peat is a precious resource. We need to garden with alternatives. Peat supports biodiversity, moderates flood risk, filters water and stores over 40 per-cent of all soil carbon more than any other vegetation types including the world’s forests. It accumulates at such a slow rate it

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Many of us over-water our gardens. This is not only wasteful, it means we’re doing more work than we need to. To check if you need to water or not, look at the soil about a spade-deep down. If it’s damp, it’s fine; if it’s dry, it’s time to water.

37

READERS STORY

TURNING THE TIDE

against plastics Twelve months ago, Somerset home owner Fay Clarkson started a project to reduce plastic to a minimum - and started in her garden. This is her progress report

Reducing plastic totally in the garden takes willpower

Editorial

Magazines

Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 431767

The thing you quickly learn when you start trying to eliminate plastic from your garden is that it seems an impossible task.

I always buy in compost or mulch bags in the spring. All my stock of pots and seed trays are plastic. The netting round part of my old fruit cage is plastic. There’s all my cable ties. Should I stop using my plastic watering cans? What about my three green water butts or the plastic guttering round the shed?

When I started out with all this I thought that the best I could hope for was like-for-like substitutes which would let me carry on gardening as before.

It takes more willpower to resist plastic when there is no direct equivalent or the alternative is a lot more expensive.

Treated wooden water barrels for example cost £200 each and should I be replacing my plastic steady old butts?

My neighbour, who is a far better gardener than I am, suggested a compromise in my campaign of not adding to the plastic but making more use of what I had already. This wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to go plastic free or as near as damn it!

I know when I started almost a year ago I was on good moral ground. Reducing the use of plastic is all the rage at the moment, and for very good reasons.

Making a commitment to reducing plastic in the garden has many benefits. It will not only help the wider environment, but should help me become a more self-sufficient gardener. In the long run, it could even save me money.

I started with compost and decided to make my own and no more bags of compost or grow bags for tomatoes for me.

I cheated a bit when a friend delivered some of his spare compost on a trusty wheelbarrow and I promise I plan to be self sufficient for this year. I was already ahead of the game on leaf mould which has been decomposing down the end of the garden year after year.

So my progress through the gardening season was steady but successful.

Plastic twine was one of the first things to go, replaced by string or twine from natural fibres which I found less likely to cut into stems as they grew. Plastic netting was easily swapped with sturdy, longer-lasting metal. I decided to keep on using my bright orange plastic watering can but when it finally needs replacing, I will go galvanised with a traditional-looking can.

Water barrels I found had metal or wooden alternatives – pricier but very attractive and I decided to be bold and

replaced by plastic water butts with two oak barrels from a local allotment where the owner had moved away. It cost me a small fortune to move them but how wonderfully rewarding.

Plastic pots have been a stressful part of the process. Of course plants are sold in plastic pots, but I started to look out for fibre alternatives, often made from grasses or coir and found much to my delight two local garden centres were already making the switch and offered plastic free. That was a happy day.

Most trees, shrubs and perennials I bought bare root over the winter months while they are dormant. Mail order nurseries I have found now despatch young plants and seedlings with minimal packaging, just carefully laid between layers of newspaper or straw.

And, of course, the cheapest and most effective way to raise lots of plants is to propagate them yourself, by sowing seeds, taking cuttings and dividing established plants.

I had a corner of my garden shed full of pots and they became a worry to me. It felt wrong under this regime to have them in my garden. So I am not sure if I did the right thing but the better ones I gave to my neighbours where at least they were being re-used and the rest I managed to off load to a garden centre about two weeks before they decided they couldn’t take them any more.

Labels were easy to make from lollipop sticks, which I found you can buy in bulk from craft stores. Wood naturally absorbs moisture, which may cause ink to become blurred over time.

I used a soft pencil instead, and even tried labels made from bamboo. For larger labels I went for lengths of wood batten cut to size, painted with non-toxic paint to give a trendier look.

There’s really no need for plastic in or around your harvested fruits and vegetables. I now use crates of damp sand to store root vegetables like carrots; boxes of straw to insulate fruits such as apples; or hessian sacks for maincrop potatoes.

The only real waste item we’ve generated so far is the plastic labels that come attached to the seedling punnets. Most of them are currently in the garden reminding us what is planted where, but when the season is finished we may not have another use for them.

I haven’t finished. There’s the plastic gutters which worry me and somehow plastic pots arrive in my garden mainly as plant gifts from friends.

Still, if I’ve been able reduce the use of plastic to just a few seedling labels and these odd quibbles then I am happy!

Time Off

Cath Pettyfer - Devon cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660

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Distribution & Stockists

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Design & Production

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Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk Ava Bench - Somerset ava@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01278 786139

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The Country Gardener magazines are distributed FREE at Nurseries, garden centres, National Trust Properties, open gardens, garden machinery specialists, country stores and farm shops in each county. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or made available in any form, without the written permission of the copyright holder and Publisher, application for which should be made to the Publisher. Unsolicited material: do not send or submit your only version of manuscripts and/ or photographs/transparencies to us as these cannot be returned to you. While every care is taken to ensure that material submitted is priced accurately and completely, we cannot be responsible or liable for any loss or damage suffered. Views and/or opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Country Gardener or the Publisher.

38

Country Gardener

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