Cotswolds Country Gardener May 2021

Cotswolds Issue No 175 MAY 2021 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Towering infernos Handsome hollyhocks can dominate your summer garden More inside: Turn your shed roof into a garden; Florence fennel; The boom in beekeeping; Ethical garden designing; Opening time for more NGS gardens; The return of great gardening days out; Gardening news and events throughout the Cotswolds; Composting solutions M40 LEAMINGTON SPA A425 STRATFORD UPON AVON

DAVENTRY

SOUTHAM A423

A422 BANBURY M40 J11

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Farnborough Garden Centre B4100 M40

CHIPPING NORTON

BICESTER

Spring Gardening 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 - 5.30pm Sun: 10.30am - 4.30pm Call and Collect and Home Delivery Services available

www.farnboroughgardencentre.co.uk

CUTTINGS

Gardeners cuttings

in the Cotswolds The Laskett gardens open for Perennial charity

The charity Perennial, which helps people working in or retired from horticulture has reopened all three of their gardens to the public for a new season and the first is The Laskett in Herefordshire, on the Welsh borders.

Uniquely autobiographical, this remarkable garden has been created over the last 47 years by Sir Roy Strong CH and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman. It was created from a bare fouracre field. There is much to see and inspire from The Christmas Orchard and Queen’s Silver Jubilee Garden to The Rose Garden and a wildflower The Laskett in Herefordshire meadow with pond.

Group bookings are now available through to September.

Bookings available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, morning and afternoon time slots.

Contact thelaskett@perennial.org.uk or call 01372 384045 to book.

Garden centres urged to place warnings on bamboo Garden centres have been asked to place written warnings on bamboo plants to highlight its invasive nature and educate customers on the risks of planting it in their gardens, invasive plant specialist Environet UK has warned.

Invasive bamboo has become a major problem for homeowners in recent years, with customer enquiries relating to bamboo removal doubling over the last twelve months.

Easy to grow, hardy and tolerating most soil types, bamboo are invasive if left unchecked by sending out long lateral shoots that can spread up to 30ft beneath the ground to emerge in neighbouring gardens and beneath fences, patios, sheds and even homes. All types of bamboo have large underground root and rhizome systems and some common varieties can easily reach heights of 5 metres, blocking light and views.

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

NT’s tree planting takes root in Oxfordshire The National Trust has planted its first 60,000 trees, despite the coronavirus pandemic, as part of its commitment made to plant and establish 20 million trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to help tackle climate change and to create new homes for nature.

The Cotswolds has played an important role in the early stages of the scheme.

At the 3,046 hectare NT Buscot and Coleshill Estate in Oxfordshire, the team have planted 1,100 trees in recent weeks.

There are plans for a total of 38,000 trees to be planted on the historic estate over the next three years to create woodland and wood pasture. The aim for the planting is to help reduce flooding, capture carbon and replace some of the trees lost through disease over the last 40 years.

Over 1,000 of 2,500 trees have been planted alongside the River Cole with the aim of creating wet woodland habitat. Wet woodland habitat is the least common type of woodland. Willow, alder and oak have been planted to help slow flood water down and clean up the water by reducing the levels of silt entering the river.

For more information on the National Trust’s tree planting ambitions, or to make a donation, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dedicate-a-tree

1,100 trees already planted on the Oxfordshire estate

GARDENS FILMED TO AID CHARITIES WORK

colour and charm. There are corners planted especially to encourage wildlife and biodiversity whilst other, more formal, spaces boast beautiful roses.

The owners of two stunning private gardens in Cirencester have allowed them to be filmed to raise funds for the local charity The Churn Project.

Still available to view on The Churn Project’s Vimeo channel are the first two garden tours – of Daglingworth House and Bywell.

The first part of the film sees owners Jim and Deirdre Waddell guide viewers through a much-loved garden on one of the town’s oldest streets.

The three films, each of which lasts for approximately 30 minutes, are available to view for £5 each, with proceeds going to help fund the work being done by the charity.

Following Jim’s death in early 2021 a moving tribute to him starts the film.

Gardening was his great love and he and Deirdre took enormous pleasure in restoring their garden over the past five years.

The second tour of the Cirencester gardens takes viewers behind the gates of one of the town’s beautiful old villas and into a tranquil walled garden full of

The Cotswold Gardens on Tour initiative is helping to generate much-needed funds for the Churn Project to enable it to meet the extra demands during the pandemic and continue to help local people.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thechurnproject/513526568

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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For spectacular spring walks...

Enjoy glorious walks through the flower-filled arboretum, treat yourself to lunch or afternoon tea, browse our beautiful gifts and visit the Garden Centre for an extensive range of quality plants. A perfect day out for all the family – including the dog!

Book your Arboretum tickets online at www.batsarb.co.uk BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AT. Tel: 01386 701441 E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk BatsfordArboretum

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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 MAY BANK HOLIDAYS 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 OPEN: 4

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CUTTINGS

Elephants arrive in style in Sudeley gardens Visitors to Sudeley Castle, near Winchcombe, will be in for a surprise over the next few weeks as they will be some of the first to see a mighty migration of elephants ‘stampeding’ into the grounds.

The castle and popular gardens has teamed up with international conservation charity ‘Elephant Family’, which protects Asian elephants and their habitat. Through to Monday, 31st May, thirty life-size elephant sculptures will form a trail that weaves through the stunning Cotswold gardens, offering a COVID-secure adventure for all against the backdrop of Sudeley Castle.

Thirty life sized elephants descend on Sudeley gardens

The sculptures, nestling among native British wildlife, will eventually form a 100-strong herd in London’s royal parks this summer, which will be transformed into the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India, before migrating to the USA and beyond on their global mission.

Cotswolds to head cowslip survey Wildflower enthusiasts throughout the Cotswolds are being encouraged to take part in a survey of cowslips to help monitor the health of threatened meadows.

Nature charity Plantlife is urging the public to continue the legacy of Charles Darwin by taking a close look at the inside of cowslips to judge the genetic diversity of the flowers.

Blacksmith Cottage opens to visitors A special garden has re-opened to visitors following the easing of lockdown.

The Blacksmith’s Cottage Open Garden is welcoming visitor again to its Cotswold setting.

The garden, designed by Katie Lucas, features a giant crystal ball fountain, snakeshead fritillary plants, garden walls lined with 20 ornamental pears and a lumbar-friendly raised strawberry bed and summer house designed by Mrs Lucas’ husband Andrew.

She said: “Your garden should look special from December to December, because it’s foliage that holds everything together, flowers are the icing on the cake.”

The yellow spring flower, whose local names include cowslops, fairy cups and bunch of keys, were once as prolific as buttercups, Plantlife said.

But they have suffered marked declines as their ancient meadow and speciesrich grassland habitat was converted to intensively managed pasture and silage fields, or ploughed up for crops.

The cowslip survey is part of a European study, looking at the centre of flowers and recording which of two types of cowslip they are.

With the garden now open again, go to ngs.org.uk for updates, tickets and information.

Two summer

artistic workshops at Batsford Arboretum

Two sets of workshops will be running through the summer at Batsford Arboretum.

‘Drawing and painting for pleasure’ is an outdoor watercolour workshop and a chance to learn a new skill in the beautiful surroundings of the arboretum.

Complete beginners and experienced painters are all welcome.

The workshop costs £32per person (£26 per person for annual pass holders) which includes three hours of tuition, all art materials necessary for the day and entrance fee.

Booking is essential –call 07927 614604 or email carl.march@live.com to book.

‘Impressions of Batsford ‘Photography Workshops runs through to Friday, 2nd July and is a one-day workshop designed to help build upon existing photographic skills by developing your creative eye, and helping to look beyond the obvious.

Workshops take place on April 21st, May 13th, June 8th and July 2nd and cost £140.

The ‘S-morph’ or ‘hrum’ has male parts of the flower visible and the “L-morph” or “pin” has only the top of the female part visible.

This difference promotes cross-pollination between unrelated plants, keeping populations healthy and robust.

www.plantlife.org.uk

For more details and to book, visit www.imageseen.co.uk/impressions-of-batsford-arboretum

A year in lockdown book a

huge success

A special ‘photo book’ taken by Batsford arboretum gardener Bradley Rogers has proved to be a big hit with visitors to the Cotswolds venue Last year, while the arboretum was closed during the first lockdown, Bradley was tasked with looking

after the venue by himself and he carried his camera with him most days so that as he could capture the empty arboretum and its wildlife as the spring season unfolded. Bradley carried on taking pictures throughout the pandemic and created a photo book to document it.

The book – Batsford Arboretum 2020: An Extraordinary Year – has been published and is available to buy now from the Batsford gift and garden shops, with the proceeds going to The Batsford Foundation.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Bradley Rogers – busy with his camera during the lockdown last year 5

CUTTINGS

Hope in the Hedgerows’ –

COTSWOLDS SCULPTURE EXHIBITION ‘THE BEST YET’ Cotswold Sculpture Association has opened its fourth, and ‘best yet’ exhibition in the stunning Malmesbury Abbey House Gardens, which look certain to be at their absolute peak during April and May. The exhibition which is now open, runs through to the end of May. ‘Creating Spaces 2021’ goes ahead subject to opened doors and social distancing rules. The five acre site is arranged on a hillside with formal, woodland, and riverside walks, and beautiful sculptures thoughtfully placed at every turn is by members of the association and invited international artists and all available for sale.

The wood and glass Belvedere showhouses smaller indoor works in bronze, wood, glass and ceramic.

The licensed cafe serves delicious light bites, and drinks. www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk

REFLECTIONS OF LIFE IN LOCKDOWN Retired musician Penny Adie went out on her daily walks during the first lockdown, looking for signs of spring in the lanes near her home, and started to take photos of spring flowers on the way – just on her mobile phone.

From this small way of coping she developed ‘Hope in the Hedgerows’, asking friends and associates from many walks of life to contribute their thoughts about life in lockdown, dealing with the effects of the Covid pandemic. The book’s secondary title is ‘Lockdown as Seen Through Nature’ – and it is the combination of the wild flowers, foliage and insects and the accompanying writings that make it especially uplifting.

Penny Adie co-founded the Two Moors music festival as a response to the foot and mouth crisis in

the agricultural communities of Somerset and Devon during 2001-2. Now she has seen another way to help others, to not only help readers but also the many musicians whose lives – and incomes - have been so badly affected by the Covid crisis, which has left them without work and only a very uncertain future.

All proceeds from the book are going to the charity Help Musicians, formerly known as The Musicians Benevolent Fund. It costs £10 with post and packing and can be purchased direct from Penny Adie, Higher Trickeys House, Morebath, Tiverton EX16 9AL, or email adie.exmoor@btinternet.com or at www.hopeinthehedgerows.co.uk

Two-day Powderham garden festival gets the go ahead One of the most popular West Country garden festivals is to go ahead in June- one of the first events open for visitors to enjoy since the Covid 19 lockdown.

The two-day Toby’s Garden Festival returns to Powderham Castle at Kenton outside Exeter on Friday, June 11th and Saturday, June 12th after passing all the Covid safety tests for new events.

The show, now in its seventh year, has already attracted over 100 exhibitors including leading specialist nurseries, garden related exhibitors, and food and crafts stalls. The show has already proved popular with visitors and garden clubs looking forward to attending a thriving garden festival.

Online tickets have been in great demand. It will be a Covid Track and Trace Compliance event, with social distancing measures applying.

Said event host Toby Buckland: “Our early-summer slot opens up new plant-possibilities and areas for display at a time when the castle grounds are at their abundant best.

The two day Powderham event has June dates this year

“Rest assured… you’ll not only have a safe day out you’ll have a wonderful and inspiring one too”.

Online tickets are available at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk

It’s heaven for

WATERING SOLUTIONS COME TO THE RESCUE

SWEET PEA LOVERS

Plants and trees can be expensive to replace, and keeping them healthy is a priority of all gardeners. It is also the passion and expertise of SCH Supplies and as manufacturers of waterers, no one understands the importance of adequate hydration better.

With capacities from 50 to 2000 litres, their watering units are typically towed behind a ride on lawnmower or a small tractor, but some can be pulled along by hand.

Gardeners with a passion for sweet peas can now check the names and history of every variety plus information on other Lathyrus cultivars.

The SCH GWU Garden Watering Unit is a 270-litre waterer mounted on a single axle chassis. This unit has the unique ability to be filled from an external source such as ponds, lakes and tanks. This adaption must be requested at the time of ordering. The GWU is available in both petrol and electric, the benefits of an electric motor include its low noise output, which is essential for those that enjoy peace and quiet.

SCH Supplies Ltd follows old-school manufacturing techniques that demand a highly durable product, simple to service and maintain.

Contact SCH for a free brochure featuring over 200 British built products on 01473 328272 email sales@schsupplies.co.uk or visit www.schsupplies.co.uk

The list which has never been published, is now freely available online. It contains 7,200 names and has been compiled by Roger Parsons who runs a family owned sweet pea seed business. The comprehensive list still may not be complete and if you know of missing or incorrect information, Roger would be delighted to hear from you.

The information can be found at: www.rpsweetpeas.com/epithets

Look out for the June edition of Country Gardener available from Friday, 28th May 6

Country Gardener

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NEW FOR 2021 Selection of ornamental trees and specimen shrubs Open: March to November, Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm to 5pm Other times by appointment Broadway Road, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Glos, GL54 5NY Tel: 01242 604160 Web: www.ireleynursery.co.uk Email: ireley_nursery@hotmail.com

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7

Cutting edge

celebrations!

Devon is now home to a brand of lawn mowers which for exactly 100 years has been keeping the nation’s lawns trim and tidy Unit 8, Bell Close, Bluewater Estate, Bell Close in Plympton is an unremarkable address for a great British gardening success story.

It is the Devon home now of ATCO, a brand which brings with it nostalgic memories of old, vintage mowers and well as modern superstar cutting machines.

This year ATCO marks its centenary. Yet for the company behind the world’s first ever mass-produced petrol lawnmower, there were fears they might be making an expensive mistake.

The first ATCO motor mowers, designed for the public, hit the market in 1921, the worst launch time for the makers, Charles H Pugh Ltd of Birmingham. The country was in the middle of an economic slump and a national coal strike was making life hard.

“The mower was so small and so light, a story reached the company that some people believed the ATCO to be a toy.”

But there was another troubling factor - the weather.

Britain was experiencing the worst drought for a decade, wreaking havoc for lawns the length and breadth of the country. For those families lucky enough to have a lawn - still a luxury in 1921 - there was little grass left to mow. At a board meeting in 1921, one of the company directors remarked: “I have heard that the established people say that we shall last only a short while.”

Thankfully, the ‘established people’ were wrong.

The ATCO petrol mower - smaller and lighter than anything that had come before - was an instant success, with 900 sales in the first year.

There are some lovely stories surrounding the birth of the ATCO lawnmower. After the First World War, the company was looking at new products and new markets, so when the donkey that powered the mower at their factory died, they had a brainwave: why not develop our own motor mower not just for the factory, but to mass produce?

When Charles Henry Pugh founded the firm in 1865, it was an ironmongery business in Rotherham, Yorkshire. When the business grew, it moved to Birmingham, where it was able to manufacture as well as supply the parts. At the start of the 20th century, bicycles and cars were the new big thing, so the company switched to making parts for these - notably bicycle chains. One of the companies that Charles H Pugh had taken over was the Atlas Chain Company, so someone suggested ‘ATCO’.

Lawnmower historian Brian Radam left school in the 1960s and worked for ATCO as an apprentice engineer.

Today, he is curator at the British Lawnmower Museum in Southport which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. Brian says the arrival of the ATCO mower was a revolutionary development: “This made lawnmowers mainstream. By 1921, motor mowers had been around for some time, but the ATCO lawnmower was different, and it paved the way for us all having powered lawnmowers today.

“The reason it was lighter and smaller than anything else on the market was because they created a completely different chassis. It meant most people could use them. In fact, the mower was so small and so light, a story reached the company that some people believed the ATCO to be a toy.

“The other reason the ATCO was so different was that for the first time, there was a petrol mower on the market that was affordable. It was still quite expensive for those days, starting at 18 guineas for the smaller models - around £900 in today’s money - at a time when people earned about £2 a week. But it was still much more affordable than any other brand.”

Although the ATCO mower targeted homeowners, it was also a godsend for village greens, cricket grounds and larger estates because it was nowhere near as back breaking as the other machines available.

ATCO were ahead of the game again in the 1950s, when they launched a marketing campaign aimed at women. Advertising images showed women in long flowing dresses pushing lawnmowers - some of the brand’s present-day marketing has a nostalgic nod to these iconic images.

ATCO merged with Qualcast just three years earlier, and in recent decades, a number of different owners have taken the helm.

Through it all, the ATCO brand has continued to thrive.

Today, the brand - motto, “A Long History of Keeping it Short” - is part of the STIGA group. Sitting proudly among the current line-up of roller lawnmowers, rotary lawnmowers and lawn tractors is the traditional ATCO cylinder mower, a 2021 version of the ATCO Standard that kick-started it all 100 years ago.

Vintage ATCO mowers dating back to the 1940s and 50s are still treasured possessions

8

Country Gardener

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

Composting - your questions answered In the final part of our series on all aspects on making your own compost, buying the right compost and tending to your soil, we answer a whole series of questions from readers How can I stop the swarm of flies that comes out every time I take the lid off my compost bin?

What is meant by carbon to nitrogen ratios when people discuss composting?

These are most likely to be fruit flies, indicating that there is too much green waste in your bin. Cover the waste with brown or dry materials or a thin layer of soil. You could also leave the lid of the compost bin or any covering off your heap off for a day or two to allow fruit fly predators such as birds to enter and eat the flies. Do not spray with fly spray or any chemicals.

When combining any organic materials to make compost, the concept of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio is critical. The micro-organisms in compost use carbon for an energy source, and nitrogen for making proteins. The proportion of these two elements used by the micro-organisms averages about 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Given a steady diet at this 30:1 ratio they can work on organic material very quickly. The larger the number the greater the amount of carbon in proportion to nitrogen and the slower the decomposing process. Sawdust has a very high C:N ratio and decomposes fairly slowly unless some additional nitrogen is supplied. Grass clippings have a relatively low C:N ratio and decompose relatively quickly. Providing a mixture of high and low C:N materials usually results in better or faster decomposition than too much of either material.

Can I add potato peelings to the compost?

Should the compost pile/bin be placed in the shade or sun?

A sunny spot is best because the heat of the sun speeds decomposition. However, the pile also dries out faster and requires more frequent watering than a pile in the shade.

Can I compost grass clippings that have been treated with pesticides?

Potato peelings are always a discussion point when it comes to composting There are two schools of thought: one says do not put potato peelings or potatoes into the compost as you get potato plants growing next year with potential blight problems; the other side says that if you get potato plants, you can just pull them up. You choose what you want to do as both points of view are valid.

Some lawn herbicides may persist in the soil for six to eight months. However, composting accelerates the degradation process. If treated grass clippings are composted for at least one year, pesticide residue should not be a problem when the compost is used in the garden or landscape.

Can I compost leaves?

Except for colour and glossy paper, which might contain some toxic heavy metals, newsprint and other paper is safe to use as mulch or in compost. In fact, one study revealed that paper had less toxic material than straw or grass!

The only problem with paper is that if you put too much of it in your heap, you could get an unfavourable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, since paper is high in carbon (one reason it burns)! The ideal ratio is 30 carbon to 1 nitrogen. Too much carbon slows down the process. If that happens, you can always add highnitrogen material such as grass, alfalfa, or manure. As you no doubt have already discovered, well-chopped material and frequent turning is the key to healthy, happy compost.

Leaves are slow to break down so only add small amounts to your compost bin.

Large quantities of leaves are best used for making leaf mould. Leaf mould can be applied in large amounts to improve soil structure or for making seed and potting mix although it may not have the full ’power’ of other compost. To make leaf mould simply place leaves in a separate compost bin or plastic sacks and water them if they are dry. If using plastic sacks, tie the sack shut and punch holes in the top. Your leaf mould will be ready in one or two years.

Is it necessary to add lime (calcium) to the compost pile?

It is not necessary, nor is it recommended. Too much lime may cause a loss of nitrogen from the pile. Most finished compost will have a near neutral pH without the addition of lime.

I am confused as to whether composting paper is a good idea?

Compost and preparing the planting regime in a greenhouse Getting the right soil and compost mixture for use in greenhouse beds is vital when it comes to what sort of growing season you can achieve .Dig out the existing soil, at least a spade depth or more if you can. Break up the sub-soil at the bottom with a fork.

Next add a thick layer of homemade compost - at least six inches deep but more is better if you can. For ideal plant growth prepare the mix using 60per-cent loam, 30percent compost and 10per-cent potting mix, perlite and/or vermiculite. If the quality of your native soil is poor, you can mix half potting mix and half compost.

If you’re going to grow vegetables, then mushroom compost or mushroom and manure compost are good options or you can go for one of the loam-based John Innes mixes, or a specialist seed compost. You can start to sow some early seeds, especially since it’s so mild. www.countrygardener.co.uk

9

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

Dorset compost brand has new owners

‘OVER FEEDING THE SOIL CAN LEAD TO DIRE CONSEQUENCES’

The popular Komit Compost business known and respected throughout Dorset has new owners and will soon become part of Chedington Compost. Owners Tim and Louise Ford have moved to North Buckham Farm, near Beaminster, and are excited to have taken over the business. They aim to make the transition with no disruption to service.

Dr Dave Aplin from Soil Values, the testing and advice company, says gardeners must learn to understand the soil type, characteristics and degree of acidity in their soil

The business provides a range of composts, mulches and growing media based on composted farmyard manure. It also offers straight composted manure, mulch, general purpose compost and wood chips. A lawn dressing for regenerating worn patches can be produced to order.

‘A handful of garden soil may seem lifeless apart from the occasional earthworm, woodlouse, or beetle. You could not be more mistaken, because life is at the microscopic level.

Products are supplied in easy to handle 30 litre bags, in bulk bags or loose bulk.

They have been meeting customers and have been busy behind the scenes getting to grips with running the business, and working on its new look and feel. This is a great opportunity to introduce Chedington Compost. The core of the business remains the same, offering a variety of quality products including compost, manure, mulch and chippings.

“We have access to a working equestrian stables and an ever-growing flock of sheep meaning we provide natural aminopyralid free products for gardeners.

“We have invested in new production equipment and vehicles to increase production and get orders out on the road to you.

“Keep an eye out for the new website where you will be able to find out more about Chedington Compost and order products online.”

Chedington Compost, North Buckham Farm, Beaminster DT8 3SH Tel: 01308 863054 Mob: 07974 943411 www.chedingtoncompost.co.uk

Why mushroom compost is literally growing in popularity Mushroom compost can often be bought cheaply in bulk for use as a soil conditioner or mulch. It is usually available as ‘spent’ mushroom compost, referring to the fact it is the compost left over from mushroom farming.

Mushroom compost has a high organic matter content makes it a useful material for soil improvement and mulching.

It can sometimes be obtained cheaply and in large quantity from local mushroom farms, soil and manure suppliers, and the occasional garden centre.

Traditionally made with well-rotted stable manure, mushroom compost is now generally made using composted straw.

Mushroom compost often contains chalk and is alkaline in nature. When using mushroom compost, remove any large pieces of chalk that are visible, and use it in moderation, alternating with well-rotted manure or garden compost, these being only slightly alkaline or neutral in their reaction. This avoids excessive build up of chalk in the soil. Mushroom compost is sometimes offered without having first been used to raise mushrooms and being free of chalk is an ideal manure.

Soil is home to staggering populations of microorganisms.

A tablespoon of garden earth, for example, contains more bacteria than there are people currently on Earth. These bacteria have important functions, breaking down dead plant and animal matter to release most of the fourteen nutrients plants need from the soil.

Plant nutrients come in two main categories, those termed ‘macro elements’ are needed in large quantities. The most common and most used are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, often abbreviated to ‘NPK’. The other group are the ‘trace elements’. These are required in much smaller (but no less important) amounts. These include manganese, copper, and iron.

The characteristics of soil governs the health and vigour of plants and their productivity. To get the best from your garden it is important to determine your soil type, its degree of acidity and the concentrations of some of the most important nutrients.

Often gardeners will grab handfuls of bonemeal to topdress their soil but have no idea of the actual levels of soil phosphorus, some will be doing more harm than good..

Too little leads to nutrient deficiency, too much can lead to the same but in different nutrients. This frequently occurs in tomato plants. As fruits develop we often give plants high potash fertiliser, such as seaweed extract.

Shortly afterwards leaves start turning yellow. This yellow colouration is magnesium deficiency, not because the soil has insufficient magnesium but because ‘competition’ between potassium and magnesium occurs blocking magnesium. Back to our bonemeal example, high levels of phosphorus can substantially reduce the plant’s ability to absorb the trace elements zinc, iron, copper and molybdenum, yet the symptoms of these deficiencies are less easy to identify and can dramatically reduce growth.

Over feeding can lead to dire consequences. Two specialist flower exhibitors I know inadvertently made their soil toxic through annually overfeeding. This resulted in them having to root out their plants and grow crops to reduce soil fertility. At the other end of the scale, a low nutrient requirement is vital to succeed in establishing a wildflower meadow, otherwise your precious native plants will be out competed by tall rank grasses.

The desire to combine my horticultural, botanical and soil science experiences motivated me to provide a soil testing service-targeting gardeners. www.soilvalues.com, is a service that delivers high quality analysis. Many soil-testing companies target commercial projects and contaminated land issues, leaving the rest of us less well-served. We offer a range of services giving the gardener what they need to know about their soil and advise on what should be done.’ www.soilvalues.com

10

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11

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

GARDEN

advice

More queries, questions, problems and concerns from Country Gardener readers which our experts are only too happy to help with

I am passionate about hydrangeas and my lovely white variety has been affected by developing blue centres and murky pink petals. Is it slowly dying?

Anne Webster Ilminster The showy white hydrangeas start out as I am sure you have noticed creamy green and turn pure white later on and they often develop pink or red areas and it looks as if your hydrangea might have been in too strong sunlight or damaged by rain. For this reason white hydrangeas are best planted in part shade which helps them keep their colour for longer, So the solution might be to move it but that also might be a bit drastic so apart from keeping them well watered it may just be better to accept this is part of their natural ageing process.

The blue centres are actually hydrangea flowers surrounded by the much larger sepals. The tiny flowers turn blue or pink depending on the acidity of the soil.

I have a rare variegated hawthorn Crataegus laevigata I think. I wonder if it might be possible to propagate from it, as it seems rather special?

David Bunn sent by email In principle the answer is yes but it will not be a straightforward task as you may have to graft it perhaps on to a seedling plant. You might want to get the help of a local specialist nursery or perhaps your local garden centre. It would certainly be worthwhile to try and get it to propagate.

I am interested in growing ‘Turbo’ onions again using onion sets but for the last two seasons they have only lasted a few weeks in storage.

Pam Henderson Martock The storage time for your onions depends on not only the cultivar but also the weather when they are ripening and when you finally pick them. Smaller thin-necked onions store better than larger onions so avoid giving them too much nitrogen, which might result in large necked bulbs. Store in a single box well aired. Leave the onions to dry for several weeks, and make sure the leaves stay intact.

When the leaves are completely dry, either braid the stems together or cut them to about one inch above where the bulb is. Try a dark and dry corner of your garage. Since most basements are damp, they are not an ideal place to store onions unless you use a dehumidifier to ensure that the place is dry enough for onion storage.

12

How and when should I prune my fig trees? They seem very delicate and I am nervous about touching them.

Annie McGuire Reading Figs are great plants to grow but they are also extremely vigorous, so require regular annual pruning to keep them in check.

Fig trees are also prone to bleeding, and like acers and laburnum, must be pruned in winter to stop sap bleeding from the wounds. Pruning a fig tree at the wrong time, during spring for example, can cause them to bleed profusely. This loss of sap can weaken the plant and in extreme cases may cause death. When pruning a fig tree, aim to give the fig an open framework and control its size.

Cut several of the oldest, woodiest stems down to the base. On younger trees which seems yours might be keep pruning to a minimum in earlier years.

Country Gardener

My husband as is his wont when let loose with a pair of secateurs in his hand, got rather carried away when pruning our wisteria back.

He left little more than a stump and I am not sure which piece of gardening advice he was following. Anyway the important thing now is to discover if I can encourage new growth?

Amy Greenwood Plymouth As many wisteria owners will testify, it is almost impossible to completely destroy the plant, so your husband may just have got out of jail!

When an established plant is cut back hard it will send up lots of strong shoots from the base.

These can be trained to grow over a fence or shed or you can shorten the shoots and allow more dense growth. They can be thinned out at any time but make sure they are pruned back in August to slow the growth of the shoots down and to encourage flowering.

I have a four year old ‘Blue Tit’ variety plum tree which grows very well but refuses to flower and produce any fruit.

Nicky Edwards Liphook First you will need to be sure how old your tree is. Remember that plum trees begin to bear fruit when they are three to six years of age. You can tell right after bloom if your tree will set fruit.

Inspect the terminal ends after blossom drop.

The ovary should be swollen with the beginning of the new fruit. If these are absent, there was a problem with initial fruit set.

There are things you can do.

Keep weeds and grass away from the base of a tree. Provide good irrigation and a fertilising program appropriate for fruiting trees.

Fertilisers higher in phosphorus will help with blooming and fruiting. Bone meal is a great source of phosphorus. Prune the trees to create a strong scaffold and minimise upward growth.

Pruning is done when the tree is still dormant and before buds have formed.

There are lots of slugs in my compost heap. Is this a good or a bad thing?

George Jackson Kelworth This is easy. They are not good for your heap and you need to get rid of them.

Slugs in compost suggest that the heap is far too wet so you need to add more dry matter to get the right balance. Ideally add more dry matter plus some compost activator to help the heap warm up. This warmth naturally discourages slugs and you might then also find a place for the little critters on the bird table!

It is amazing to be able to learn and receive feedback directly from the experts.

- Julia

My garden is prone to flooding.

So are there any native hedge plants which I can grow which will thrive in these conditions?

Sally Thornton sent by email Yes there are some options. Two ornamental shrubs that tolerate flooding and wet conditions are Cornus (dogwood) and Salis (willow). Although neither is a traditional hedging plant because they need regular clipping, they will make good screens and serve the purpose. You can pollard them to keep them neat and supply a colourful attractive hedge, which will never mind the wet.

I have a much-loved rose which for various reasons I need to move.

How can I help it survive. It was a present from my beloved mother and it is very important to me.

Jan Wooding Petersfield If you must move the rose and have no other options then treat it as you would a new bush and prune it hard to try balance the top with the inevitable root damage which will be caused by the move. You might also like to try a product such as ‘ Rootgrow’ to help the roots establish. Prune the rose back to about 12 inches and water it well in dry weather and feed it again when it starts to show signs of growing.

Why do my lupins only last for a single season?

Fay Rosen sent by email Perennial lupins prefer a light sandy soil so one reason might be that they have spent the winter in damp heavy spoil where the roots have started to rot.

Slugs and snails can also wreck havoc. Buying young plants in bloom is also an issue. Sometimes they struggle to get established because they lack basal roots. They produce all their energy on producing flowers all summer then die exhausted.

Please I need some help. How can I stop carrot fly or should I after a few seasons give up on growing carrots. It has become very disheartening.

Felix Dawson Dorchester The good news is that you should be able to keep growing carrots without this problem. You should sow sparsely to avoid thinning the seedlings. Female carrot flies searching for egg-laying opportunities are attracted by the smell released when surplus plants are removed.

Late sown carrots (after mid-May) avoid the first generation of this pest; similarly carrots harvested before late August avoid the second generation.

You can also protect crops by covering the plants with insect-proof netting, such as Enviromesh. It is essential to practise crop rotation with this method; otherwise adult carrot flies may emerge within the protected crop from overwintered pupae in the soil. Finally choose carrot cultivars that are less susceptible to carrot fly, such as ‘Fly Away’, ‘Maestro’, ‘Resistafly’ and ‘Sytan’. These cultivars are less susceptible to carrot fly, rather than being fully resistant.

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13

GARDEN VISITS

It’s

opening

TIME!

The good news is there are gardens opening for the NGS at various times during May with many openings towards the end of the month, particularly on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, with the Bank Holiday on Monday 31st May.

As the weather improves and life gradually returns in small steps to a ‘new normal’ there are beautiful gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme, many of them new to the scheme, but all opening their gates to raise funds for nursing and caring charities

Charingworth Court, Winchcombe

Charingworth Court, Winchcombe

In Devon, Lewis Cottage near Crediton opens for the NGS on Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th and Monday 31st May, Shutelake near Cullompton on the same weekend and Chevithorne Barton on Sunday 30th May. In Somerset, the new openings include The Hayes at Newton St Loe near Bath on the weekend of 29th and 30th May, and Coombe Cottage, Long Ashton near Bristol on Sunday 30th May. Other gardens open at around the same time are Claylands Wrangway near Wellington on Sunday 30th May and John’s Corner at Bedminster, Bristol open on Saturday 29th May and Sunday 30th May. In Gloucestershire, Richmond Painswick Retirement Village is a new garden opening for the NGS on Thursdays 13th and 27th May, while the Garden at Miserden near Stroud opens on Friday 21st May (pre-booking essential for this venue), and Charingworth Court, Winchcombe, has open days on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd May.

The Thatched Cottage, near Alton

In Hampshire, Searles Lane Gardens at Hook open on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th May, The Thatched Cottage near Alton opens on Sunday 30th and Bank Holiday Monday 31st May, and Amport and Monxton Gardens also open for the NGS on Sunday 30th May and Bank Holiday Monday 31st May. In Dorset, there are new gardens opening for the NGS, including Little Benville House at Corscombe which opens on the weekend of 15th and 16th May, and Rosebank, Shaftesbury, opening on the following weekend, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd May.

The Thatched Cottage, near Alton

Another new garden for the NGS that opens on Sunday 23rd May is the award-winning garden that was on TV’s The One Show last year, at Ordnance House, Salisbury.

In Worcestershire, Warndon Court, Worcester, opens for the NGS on Sunday 23rd May, while Rothbury, North Malvern, also opens on 23rd May and on Bank Holiday Monday 31st May, and Pebworth Gardens at Stratford-upon-Avon open their gates to visitors to raise funds for the NGS on Sunday 30th and Bank Holiday Monday 31st May. 14

Country Gardener

Pebworth Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon

ORDNANCE HOUSE West Dean, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 1JE This garden, eight miles from Salisbury, was awarded a RHS Gold Medal in May 2020 in a competition held in conjunction with the BBC’s The One Show.

The garden won the ‘Back Garden’ category judged by a panel including Monty Don, James Alexander-Sinclair, Sue Biggs, the Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, and One Show host Alex Jones. It’s now a new opening for the NGS. The garden has drifts of white and purple alliums and foxgloves in spring with unusual varieties of lavender in summer. Its design features topiary balls and spheres, a vegetable garden, ornamental parterre and small orchard while seating areas offer views of the garden and to the borrowed landscape of open countryside beyond.

The garden opens for the NGS on Sunday 23rd May from 11am until 4pm. You can pre-book your tickets in advance, but it is not essential, and you can just turn up and pay on the day.

Admission is £5, children free. Home-made teas will be available, in aid of Salisbury Hospice. Plants will be on sale. Dogs are allowed on leads.

LEWIS COTTAGE Spreyton near Crediton, Devon EX17 5AA Lewis Cottage, four miles from Crediton, which opens on Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th and Bank Holiday Monday 31st May, has a four-acre garden located on a south west-facing slope, using informal planting and natural formal structures.

There’s a spring camassia cricket pitch, rose garden, a large natural dew pond, woodland walks, bog garden, hornbeam rondel, winter garden, hot and cool herbaceous borders, fruit and veg garden, picking garden, outdoor poetry reading room and plant nursery selling plants mostly propagated from the garden.

The garden opens from 11am until 5pm, with light refreshments, admission £4.50, children free. Pre-booking is available but you can pay at the entrance on the day.

Lewis Cottage is also available to visit by arrangement in groups of 10-30, from May to September. Go to the NGS website for more details of how to contact the owner.

THE HAYES Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BU The Hayes is a stunning garden with wonderful views on the edge of the Duchy of Cornwall village of Newton St Loe. It has herbaceous borders, formal lawns and terraces, an informal garden of trees and long grass, bulbs and meadow flowers, a formal potager and greenhouse, and a small orchard with espalier apple trees.

The Hayes will open from 11am until 4pm on both open days, admission is £6, children free, and homemade teas will be available.

The garden can be accessed in a wheelchair but there are some grassy inclines.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

GARDEN VISITS

ROSEBANK 8 Love Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8BG A delightful small garden living up to its name, Rosebank is a new garden opening for the NGS that has 106 rose plants bedded in during the last four years, transforming the front garden into boxedged flower beds with rose arches and peonies. The back garden is in cottage style, planted with many varieties of herbaceous perennials and tea roses. A pergola shades an alpine rockery and a herbaceous border.

Rosebank opens on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd May from 10.30am until 4.30pm. Admission is £3.50, children free. Pre-booking is available but you can turn up on the day and pay. There’s wheelchair access around the garden, with just a slope near the entrance.

RICHMOND PAINSWICK RETIREMENT VILLAGE Stroud Road, Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 6UL Another new opening for the NGS this year, Richmond Painswick Retirement Village, on the southern slopes of Painswick has four acres of formal lawns and borders planted for all year interest, with a varied mix of herbaceous and perennial planting, and many areas of interest including a wildflower meadow and fruit trees that combine to attract an abundance of wildlife.

The gardens will be open for the NGS on Thursdays 13th and 27th May from 10am until 4pm each open day. Car parking and refreshments are available, admission is £5, children free. The garden will also open on Thursdays 3rd and 17th June.

PEBWORTH GARDENS Pebworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 8XZ Pebworth is a delightful village seven miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, with thatched cottages and a variety of properties. There’s a mix of garden styles from cottage gardens to modern, walled and terraced gardens. This year there are ten gardens opening together and the Pebworth Allotments is also opening, with tea and cakes provided by the Pebworth WI in the village hall.

The Pebworth Allotments have only been in existence a few years and residents have lovingly tended to them. The gardens will be open for the NGS on Sunday 30th May and Bank Holiday 31st May, from 1pm until 5.30pm both days. Admission to all gardens is £7, children free. Refreshments that will be available are in aid of village organisations, and plants will be on sale. There is partial wheelchair access in some gardens, and a ramp is available for access to the village hall.

SEARLES LANE GARDENS Searles Lane, Hook, Hampshire RG27 9EQ Searles Lane is a long established area in Hook with Searles Farmhouse dating back to around 1680. Visit three very different gardens bordering Whitewater Meadow.

Maple Cottage is reopening after a two year break, a half acre cottage style garden with herbaceous borders, veg plots and a tiny, but very active wildlife pond surrounded by hostas, astilbe, sarracenia and a quirky tree cave for kids.

The neighbouring one acre contemporary garden at Cherry Tree Barn is just two years old and is the realisation of the owner’s ideas working with garden designer Fiona Harrison. The area around the thatched

barn has been planted with grasses, iris, salvia, euphorbia, phlomis and knautia; drifts of oxeye daisies and other wildflowers on bunds line the perimeter. There’s terracing, decking, pathways and a Japanese influenced Yatsuhashi Bridge through the main border, and a small collection of sculptures. The tiny garden at Cherry Tree Barn Cottage is full of lovingly attended, colourful containers.

Open for the NGS on Thursday 27th, Friday 28th, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th May, 2pm until 5pm. Admission to all gardens is £6.50, children free, with pre-booking available or pay on the day. Home-made teas, gluten and dairy-free options at Maple Cottage. Plants will be on sale. There’s wheelchair access with mainly grassed areas and avoidable steps. Not all the gardens will be open on every open day, so check the dates for more details on the NGS website.

Whatever garden you would like to visit, it is essential that you check on the current government guidance and the NGS website for updates - www.ngs.org.uk 16

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Visiting a garden is good for you Find your perfect garden: ngs.org.uk 18

Country Gardener

Aniseed DELIGHT FLORENCE FENNEL IS GROWN FOR ITS WHITE BULBS WHICH HAVE A POWERFUL ANISEED TASTE AND ARE IDEAL SOWING IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN IN MAY

Florence fennel is the bulbous edible version of the more familiar herb, sharing the same distinctive aniseed flavour.

It looks great in the vegetable garden and is very versatile when it comes to its uses in the kitchen.

There are two types of fennel. Florence fennel is an annual, which is grown for its bulbous white stalks. Sweet fennel is a perennial in mild climates and is grown for its feathery foliage and for its seeds, which are actually fruits.

The Florence fennel bulb is in fact the swollen base of the stem. It can be a little tricky to grow, but with the right care and attention, a homegrown crop is well worth the effort. Freshly picked fennel makes a great addition to summer salads but is also delicious cooked as an accompaniment to meat dishes, or on its own.

If you want to get an early start with Florence fennel, sow seeds under cover. Sow one seed per module, as the seedlings don’t like having their roots disturbed when transplanted. Water in well and keep moist.

When the roots fill the modules, ‘harden off’ the seedlings and plant out into well-prepared and fertilised beds, when there’s no danger of frost.

Later in the season, you can sow directly into wellprepared, warm soil. Place seeds in rows, approximately thinning to 30cm apart.

Looking after fennel plants Florence fennel in the kitchen • Use fennel raw or cooked after removing the tough outer leaves.

• Fennel can be served raw in wedges or sticks finely sliced in salads.

• Cook fennel as little as possible in order to preserve the flavour.

• Florence fennel can be grilled, braised, boiled, or sautéed.

You can blanch, braise fennel with other vegetables.

Purée cooked fennel, season with butter, salt, and pepper as a side dish.

• Slice, long uncooked fennel strips and add them to salads.

• Fennel greens can be used as a garnish or snipped into a salad or other cold dishes like you would dill. Stir fennel greens into hot dishes at the last minute to enhance the flavour.

• Fennel seeds can be used to flavour cheese, bread, soups, sauces, pastries, and wine.

Florence fennel thrives in warm, sunny and moist conditions. The key to success is to prepare a bed of welldrained, fertile soil in an open site. Once your seedlings have been planted out, make sure they’re regularly watered.

Your plants won’t be happy if left to dry out, or if an unexpected frost takes them by surprise. Any shock to the system will affect the growth of the tender, edible bulb and cause the plant to bolt, flower and set seed quite rapidly.

You can earth up the bulbs as they start to swell, but this isn’t always necessary.

Give plants a boost every couple of weeks with a high potash feed. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Florence fennel – the facts • The bulb of Florence fennel is about the size of a large fist.

The stems which can grow from 12 to 30 inches (30-76 cm) tall look a lot like celery. The flesh of the slightly striated stems has the texture of tender, crisp celery.

• Growers sometimes earth up around the base of Florence fennel to blanch the bulb and make it even tenderer.

• Finnochio is the Italian word for fennel. It is thought that this hardy perennial originated near the Mediterranean at least four thousand years ago. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans cultivated fennel.

• The aromatic seeds and leaves of the non-bulbing form of fennel—known as common fennel—were used in ancient times as now as an anise or licorice flavouring.

• Common fennel is sometimes mistakenly called sweet anise.

• Florence fennel is grown in abundance in gardens primarily in Italy, France and Greece.

The bulbs are best used soon after cutting.

Both kinds of fennel grow best in full sun and rich soil that gets plenty of moisture and has a near-neutral pH. That said, fennel is quite forgiving of less than perfect conditions. When planting, mix in compost and a little fertilizer The plants have only a moderate need for nitrogen, and low needs for phosphorus and potassium.

Fennel is in the carrot family. It attracts lots of insects, more good than bad, and none of them are particular problems.

Florence fennel only survives light frost, while its cousin sweet fennel is hardier. Harvest leaves from both as soon as the plants have enough to spare. Should your plants go to flower, you’ll find the blossoms are handsome as well as tasty.

Fennel plants need well drained fertile soil 19

BEE SPECIAL

Honey is the bee’s knees!

Lockdown has seen a huge growth in the interest in beekeeping amongst gardeners and now the profile of the hobby has never been higher and with it the respect for the medicinal properties of honey When honey made the headlines last year as a better treatment for coughs and colds than antibiotics, beekeepers all over the country sat back and clearly thought; “I could have told you that”.

Anne Rowberry, the chair of the British Beekeepers Association, notes that knowledge of honey’s therapeutic benefits dates back to ancient times. “I think sometimes we forget we had some quite good remedies already”.

Anne who has 20 hives around her home in Bath, applies honey to cuts and grazes and uses it as a low-sucrose sweetener. Bees also produce propolis, a resin-like compound with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, that Rowberry says makes a good mouthwash.

The upward trend in both beekeeping and honey obviously predates Covid-19 but during every stage of lockdown, she believes many have had more time to start a hobby, with online apiary courses booming. One beekeeping video notched up 220 million views.

She says many amateur apiarists are motivated by fascination with bees, not their harvest: “There is huge value in sitting quietly and watching the bees go about their business. The honey is just a bonus.”

Why are so many people taking up beekeeping?

It’s happening in back gardens, on rooftops and in fields up and down the country.

Your friends may be doing it.

Your neighbours could even be at it too. But just what is it that is so attractive about beekeeping not just in the countryside but in towns and cities - and why now?

Normally associated with the countryside, beekeeping in built-up areas has boomed in popularity over the past nine years, according to Tim Lovett, of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA).

The association’s membership has risen from about 8,500 people in 2008 to more than 24,000 - many of whom live and keep bees in towns and cities.

This huge increase has its roots in fears a decade ago that the world’s bee population was under threat.

Dramatic and

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In May, colonies may swarm, once they have stored enough food to fill the broodbox, and the queen has filled the remaining space with young. Scout bees will begin looking for the best place to move to.

If the colony swarms, the bees left behind may rear another queen and be set for the year.

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Country Gardener

unexplained colony losses in the United States prompted a publicity campaign in this country urging people to do their bit - and the result is hives across suburban gardens and yards all over the country.

“There was a renaissance in the interest in beekeeping and it didn’t seem to matter where people lived,” said Mr Lovett.

It is he says a fascinating hobby, not expensive and totally enthralling.

Is the modern hive really right for bees?

Norman Guiver, founder and director of Bee Watch, based in Oxfordshire which runs management system developed for beekeepers to collect and share information discusses the choice of bee hives.

The Reverend Langstroth is credited in the 1850s for inventing the removable hive frame, which revolutionised honey production. He gradually observed that bees construct their colonies, leaving nine millimetres of space between the comb, allowing bees to pass through unhindered.

He called it the ‘Bee Space’.

Up until this time, to extract honey from your colony, you would need to cut out the comb, heavily laden with honey, and drain it through a jelly bag. Bees require approximately seven units of honey to make one unit of wax, so harvesting honey in this way left the bees with a large amount of work to rebuild their colony literally, and they used honey to make wax to do it.

Langstroth’s invention was copied worldwide as it dramatically improved honey production, but his patent inadvertently included other features of his hive that he was not researching.

The one which is most hotly debated is the ‘bottom’ entrance. Typically, the hive entrance

for a feral bee colony in the wild is a round deep hole through a rotted branch into the trunk of a tree, but Langstroth’s research entrance is simply a board on which he sat the colonies with a slot across its width to allow them to enter under the colony.

With an entrance at the bottom, the nectar and pollen have to be carried up through the hive to be deposited in the cells by the Worker Bees. They then travel back down to the entrance to receive the next delivery, much as we do living in a block of flats, but the difference is, bees have wings.

There are many other human hive ‘innovations”’ created for our benefit. The mesh floor so that the varroa mite can drop through, and we can make observations as to how infested the hive is. It also ventilates straight into the brood box (nursery), and we forget to close it up in the winter. We then wonder why the bees block it up with propolis.

Then there is the queen excluder, which does what it says it does, but with the draughty floor, do we not want to allow the queen to move as high up in the hive as possible?

What also drops through onto the ground outside are the wax cell cappings, which the bees would otherwise recycle. Again, it is hard to imagine that evolution would allow such a waste of energy.

Beekeeping without back pain There comes a time for most beekeepers lives when the idea of lifting a stack of heavy honey supers fills them with dread.

That’s how it was for Matt Shepherd of hive specialist Hyde Hives.

As he was carrying a load, he was struck by lightning – or so he thought. It was a slipped disc and put him in hospital. He feared it was the end of beekeeping.

It was just a pause though, but it got him, thinking that there must be another way.

And of course, there is – one that has been around for as long as beekeeping itself. Wild bees will occupy cavities of all shapes and sizes providing other conditions are satisfied and, in many parts of the world, these are met in horizontal hives.

It turns out that he was far from alone in considering alternatives to the traditional, vertical format. This is when the Hyde Hives long hive was born. The hives are horizontal by design and made by hand from cedar and oak that’s grown in the UK.

Hyde Hives Tel: 07378845069 www.hydehives.co.uk

Get the buzz from beekeeping see page 22

British beehives Made to order Built to last

www.hydehives.co.uk tel - 07378845069 www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

GET THE BUZZ FROM

Beekeeping BEEKEEPING IS BOOMING AS A POPULAR HOBBY. IT’S BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND A RELAXING PASTIME. BEEKEEPING FAN ANNA PRESLEY OFFERS HER ADVICE ON WHY AND HOW YOU MIGHT LIKE TO START YOUR OWN HIVE

Hives need inspecting every few days in summer

But my beekeeping mentor Paul Fairbrother was quick to reassure me.

and nectar, and most of their collecting will be done away from your garden. If there are paths or neighbours nearby, it is a good idea to place the hive with its entrance facing a hedge or fence to encourage the bees to fly higher, thus avoiding passers-by or neighbours. Wherever you keep your bees, you must be able to visit them easily as hives need to be checked regularly.

“Don’t worry, they won’t come near you. They like some people more than others and they seem to like you”

Mine was placed at the far end of our one-acre Devon away from neighbour’s fences and in a relatively open space.

I wasn’t totally reassured but the moment passed and since that morning in the Devon countryside I’ve become a passionate beekeeper.

Your biggest purchase will be the hive. The modern hive, with its movable frames avoids damaging the bees when inspecting and removing honey. It comes in many forms each with their pros and cons. Many beekeepers in the UK use the Modified National hive type, which I opted for.

The first time I went anywhere near a beehive I had to stand perfectly still, not daring to move. There were, after all, hundreds of buzzing bees darting through the air a few feet away from me.

I was for the moment terrified.

I saw the attraction immediately.

Watching the intricate behaviour of the bees moving around the hive has always been enthralling to me and I can reassure others that once you get over that initial nervousness you start to feel relaxed and enjoy the whole fascinating process which is going on in front of you.

Many keepers get two honey flows

I decide I wanted to become a beekeeper and that was three years ago and I haven’t regretted it for a moment. My only thought was that I wished I had started much earlier.

I would without hesitation recommend it to more and more people. It is a fascinating and rewarding hobby but there is a very clear path I believe you have to take.

It’s a very good idea to join an association before you get started with your own hives.

You will get good advice and some practical experience in addition to picking up tips from more experienced beekeepers. The BBKA (British Bee Keeping Association) has associations across the country and there should be one near you. (www.britishbee.org.uk; Tel: 02476 696679).

Beekeeping courses are now extremely popular 22

So my first question was where do I site the hive? A beehive can be sited in any corner of a garden, but the bees will do best if they are in a sheltered and warm position. A bee will fly up to three miles to find pollen Country Gardener

It’s worth saying at this point that when buying a hive, it doesn’t usually come with bees in it! Some hive suppliers do also supply bees, but it is best to buy bees from a local supplier. Locally bred bees are likely to be more successful as they are locally adapted.

Bees are normally supplied as a ‘nucleus’ which will consist of four to six frames of brood, food and bees, with a laying queen. Your local beekeeping association will be able to recommend suitable suppliers of bees, and may be able to sell bees from their own apiary.

Protective clothing and equipment You will need to have suitable clothing: a bee suit and veil, suitable boots, and gloves. A full bee suit gives total protection, though some beekeepers use just a jacket and veil. Wellington boots are fine. Gloves will get sticky from the propolis in the hive, and could transfer disease from one colony to another; so thin disposable gloves are best. Leather gloves can retain bee stings, which will annoy the bees, and also disease, so are not recommended these days. For all clothing, it is vital to have overlaps to stop the bees entering your clothes as they walk upwards.

As far as equipment is concerned, as a minimum you will need a smoker, a hive tool, and a good book for reference. The smoker is used to keep bees away from the part of the hive you are working on. It burns slowly and produces cool smoke which will not harm the bees.

The swarming season Hives need inspecting every eight days (the time it takes for an egg to be sealed in the queen cell). Once an egg has been laid and sealed inside the queen cell (the size of the top two joints on a

Other ways to help bees Bees are small but they have a mighty impact on the world around us. Without bees and other pollinators many plants, including those we rely on for food would not be able to reproduce and would die within a generation. So what small steps can we take to help bees?

• Plant more bee-friendly plants such as lavender, abelia and honeysuckle, borage, lovage, bee balm, rosemary and the shrub Cotoneaster horizontalis is a bee magnet. Also you should allow a handful of parsnips and carrot flower the following year.

• Cut grass less often to let weeds grow. Let dandelions and daises flower in your lawn • Let bees outside if they get caught indoors • Provide a syrup of sugar and water to help revive tired bees

little finger) the bees will swarm. The scout bees go off first. They will keep looking until they find somewhere suitable then return to alert the others. No one knows how.

SO YOU WANT TO KEEP BEES

Bees feed from the honey they make so they can only fly as far as they have the energy. The beekeeper can trick the bees into thinking they have swarmed by splitting the hive.

I’m 68 and is that too old to keep bees?

How does the hive work?

The bottom layer is the brood box which is filled with sheets of wax.

The queen will lay eggs (as many as 2,500 a day in peak season) in the centre of this. Mesh excluders prevent the queen from laying anywhere else.

Extra layers known as ‘supers’ are placed above the brood box. One super at a time, as the bees fill the sheets of wax comb with honey.

When all the sheets in a super are sealed with wax the keeper can remove the super. This is then spun to release the honey.

Twice the honey Many keepers get two honey ‘flows’. Early season (up until June) and from the end of June/July. In between is the ‘June gap’.

A phrase familiar to gardeners, this is the period when spring flowers are over and summer ones yet to open. Rapeseed honey comes early and is the least sought after - it tastes bland, is very light and goes hard easily. Late season honey is darker and more strongly flavoured.

-the key questions

Retired people often make better keepers as they have enough time to do the job properly, have more patience and are keen to learn and research the project.

Is my garden big enough?

The size of your garden is a factor - you will need to site your hives sufficiently far away from your neighbours. If yours is too small consider joining your nearest bee keeping association who may rent out land.

How much will it cost?

1. A self-assembly hive will cost about £200.

2. Buying the bees. This is very much a question of supply and demand, but is normally over £150. The best price will probably be from your local association.

3. Clothing: A decent quality bee suit will cost in the range of £100-£150.

4. Smoker: A smoker should v cost less than £50.

5. Honey extractor: these can cost about £200 but are very easy to hire. Most associations have arrangements for members to borrow or hire honey extraction equipment.

So you should budget from between £600 and £800.

FURTHER READING

How much time will I need to invest?

The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping PRICE £17.40, is aimed at beginning beekeepers, and the only one to be endorsed by the BBKA provides an authoritative text, along with clear photographs and illustrations.

Beekeeping is a seasonal hobby, so the time needed varies. In the middle of winter there is practically nothing to do, except to occasionally check for physical damage or snow blocking the entrances. The busiest time is the early summer when each hive should be checked almost daily to stop swarming and add supers. The work in your first year will depend on exactly when you get your bees and how prolific they are.

‘The Bee Manual’ by Claire Waring PRICE £16.98, offers a clear and concise introduction into the fascinating world of the honey bee and the addictive craft of beekeeping.

‘Beekeeping for Dummies’ by David Wiscombe PRICE £9.51, is from the popular ‘For Dummies’ series and is a light hearted but hugely informative whistle stop tour of beekeeping. It is a good first read on what is involved.

Do I need to register my bees?

It is best if you register yourself as a beekeeper with the National Bee Unit (NBU), which is the part of The Animal and Plant Health Agency. Their web site, BeeBase www.nationalbeeunit.com, has lots of useful information.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

Bring your shed roof TO

LIFE

You can add to the amount of green space by using rooftops as beds for plants. It isn’t as weird or as difficult as it sounds and great fun.

A green roof revolution is under way with places such as Bristol, Exeter and Cheltenham amongst those urban areas which have seen a huge expansion in the appearance of often spectacular roof and shed gardens.

at. A well-made green roof will attract all kinds of wildlife to your garden and will help to play an important role in maintaining the amount of greenery in your local area – an important consideration if you live in a city or town.

Many tower blocks, businesses retail outlets, schools and universities are getting a living crown but it’s right to say overall we still lag way behind Europe when it comes to roof gardens.

The pace of building development has depleted wildlife habitats in urban areas, causing a negative effect on both the potential for flooding – because there is less land to absorb rainfall – and a general increase in the atmospheric temperature in cities: the urban heat island effect. The addition of a green roof will offset the footprint of your garden shed and the fact that such roofs allow plants to grow more freely than on a lawn or flowerbed will help it to attract even greater numbers of birds, butterflies, bees and other insects.

That’s where gardeners come in. And over the past few years it seems that more of them are looking at their shed roofs and starting to see them as an opportunity for planting.

While houses weren’t typically built to take the weight of a green roof, garages and sheds do offer plentiful opportunities.

But where do you start if you want to join the garden roof scene?

Although making a garden or shed roof may seem daunting, with a bit of knowledge and some basic DIY skills it is much more achievable than people think.

Shed roofs are made up of a growing ‘living’ layer of plant material on top of a roof. They require drainage and a substrate or growing medium for them to exist relatively maintenance-free.

Certainly if you are worried that having a shed in your garden will take up valuable space for wildlife and greenery, the best solution is to add a green roof. They are simple to create, and delightful to look 24

Country Gardener

There are a number of factors to consider before adding a green roof to your shed, not the least of which is whether your shed will be strong enough. For plants to flourish on a green roof they will need moisture and drainage, which means soil and a sturdy framework to keep it in place. Check that your shed is strong enough to take such weight, and remember that the walls will also play a large part in bearing the load.

You will also need to make sure that your shed’s roof is waterproof.

In terms of drainage, if the roof is pitched more than roughly 25 degrees from the horizontal, you may have a problem with slippages.

First look at your roof The first key consideration is whether your chosen roof can hold the weight of all the plants and soil you need to put up there. There is no simple equation for working out how much a roof can hold but as a rough rule of thumb a sturdy garden shed or single width garden roof needs a soil depth of about five to 15 cms which weighs about nine to 20 stone. You could always ask a structural engineer to check it out but it would clearly be best to err on the safety side.

Technically a green roof can be added to any angle of roof but the steeper the slope the more challenging it becomes to stop the soil from slipping down.

A slope of about 125 degrees shouldn’t present too much of a problem and on steeper roofs it’s possible to create a wooden grid to hold the soil in place.

At the other end of the scale a flat roof has different challenges because rainwater doesn’t flow off it so you will need to build in more drainage.

How to make a green roof Make a simple frame with the same dimensions as your shed’s roof from pieces of rot-proof timber, using L brackets for the corners. Attach the frame to the roof with metal straps at each corner, to prevent slippages.

Make sure that you leave a waterproof layer such as a plastic sheet between the roof and the frame; this will stop any rooting plants from breaking through your roof. On top of this, add a filter sheet, which will help with drainage. In order to maximise moisture retention, it is a good idea to place old blankets or towels over the filter sheet.

Next, add the soil: starting with a layer of clay pellets, then about three inches of soil/sand mixture. Your green roof is now ready for planting.

Living with your green roof The good news is that green roofs don’t need a lot of maintenance but a little bit of TLC will keep them looking at their best. You may still need some TLC to keep them looking at their very best; plants such as buddleia and sow-thistles are prime invaders and the last thing you want it the roof to become more of a forest.

The dry, exposed sun-baked conditions of a feed roof dotted with small flowers of sedums and other wildflowers is quite different from the typically lush and fertile habitat found at ground level. You may in fact find some unusual

Get planting SEEDING This is the cheapest and is just a matter of scattering your chosen seed mix across the roof at a rate of about 4g per square metre. Sow in spring and water carefully in hot or dry weather

PLUG PLANTING Although this will naturally cost more you have the advantage of being able to arrange the plants as you want them to grow and they have a better chance of establishing themselves. You will need about 20 plants per square metre.

PRE-PLANTED MATTING OR WILDFLOWER TURF This is by far the quickest method with the plants arriving readily established on a textile mat or blanket, You just roll it out onto the roof as you would turf but this does come at a higher price of about £28 per square metre. You can now even buy specialist seed packages sold as Green Roofing Kits.

Sempervivum

Starlings and blackbirds happily probe around for insects safe from the local cat population and it can be a rich hunting ground for bats to skim across.

In a few places in the south west it’s the prime haunt of one of the UK’s rarest breeding birds, the black redstart.

A rare breeding bird the black redstart loves skimming across shed roofs

Did you know?

• Green roofs decrease flood risks by retaining water, decreasing the amount of water that reaches urban drain areas.

• Green roofs help retain heat in a building by insulating the roof during the winter. In summer a green roof will also absorb sun’s rays to keep the inside cool. A natural air conditioner that could work wonders for your garage.

• Green roofs can attract wildlife to your area. If you have a small garden any extra planting space shouldn’t go amiss; research what you wish to attract and plant relevant flowers to attract them.

• Green roofs only need maintaining twice a year – ensure drainage outlets remain clear, plants are watered in the dry season, and bare areas are re-planted.

So what can you plant on your shed roof garden?

There are three main ways to plant a green roof.

Cotula hispida

wildlife is attracted to your roof including pollinators such as the rare brownbanded carder bee.

• A wonderfully textured plant with pink burrs, Acaena microphylla forms dense carpets that tolerate drought. The plant is a member of the rose family and each leaf resembles a tiny glaucous rose leaf. This plant flowers from June to September.

• Ground-hugging Cotula hispida forms mats of filigree silver foliage that are soft to the touch. The tiny yellow button flowers are like the centre of a daisy – not surprising, as this plant is a member of the daisy family. This plant flowers May to August.

• The leaves of sedums have built-in reservoirs to withstand drought. Stature and leaf size vary among the species, but Sedum rupestre, Sedum reflexum and Sedum acre are ideal for roofs. Each leaf can grow into a new plant. This plant flowers from June to August.

• Legend has it that sempervivums and their close relative Jovibarba should be planted on roofs to stave off thunderbolts. This undoubted benefit aside, they still grow well on a roof with no need for soil. Sempervivums flower from June to August.

• The tiny flowers of native Thymus serpyllum are rich in nectar, so are great for insects. This plant thrives in thin soil with sharp drainage, so a roof is the perfect location, where it will create a dense covering. Creeping thyme flowers from May to August.

Acaena microphylla www.countrygardener.co.uk

Sedum rupestre 25

GREAT DAYS OUT

It’s good news month May looks like being the trigger month for us finally to enjoy days out The last few weeks have finally brought good news for those of us who are desperate to get out and about again, visiting gardens, attending shows and fetes, making the most of the sunshine.

May seems as if it might be the breakthrough month and after all that lockdown frustration certainly garden owners have been thrilled to get their doors opened again for visitors.

Suddenly there is no shortage of places to get out and see - all with assurances that Covid regulations have been adhered to. So it’s time to make the most of the good news.

Helen Simpson exhibition hosted by East Lambrook Gardens East Lambrook Manor, the iconic cottage garden which enjoys the claim as England’s foremost cottage garden, is open now through to the end of October.

The garden is closed on Sundays and Mondays but opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

The gardens are hosting the first solo exhibition of the oil paintings, pastels and ceramics of Helen Simpson called ‘Petal Poise’ which runs from Saturday, 1st May to Saturday, 29th May and then again from 24th July to 14th August in the studio and Malthouse Gallery.

The exhibition was due to happen last year.

The May exhibition will be oil paintings and ceramics.

The gardens are a very appropriate place for her paintings as many of the plants which inspire her grow in this very special garden.

Helen’s paintings are no ordinary views of flowers.

They are well observed, beautifully drawn but not immediately recognisable. This is partly due to their enlarged scale, but mainly because Helen wants to draw you into the silent drama and inherent energy in the cycle of plant life.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5HH

CORNWALL GARDENS COME ALIVE IN SPRINGTIME GLORY Springtime in Cornwall is the time to be together to reconnect and to enjoy the world-renowned gardens, the glorious spring flowers are bursting into life and this wonderful county comes alive.

From primroses and bluebells in the woods to the amazing flower displays in our great gardens of Cornwall. It is blessed with over 30 gardens with an amazing variety of different flora and fauna at this time of year.

As spring explodes into colour it is also a time to getting planning for those much loved and missed holidays, to enjoy a Cornish spring and make new memories that will last a lifetime. So now is the time to go to visit cornwall.com and plan your spring break.

TIMING LOOKS PERFECT FOR HARTLAND ABBEY OPENING After such an awful year for everyone Hartland Abbey Gardens are all ready to welcome visitors from Sunday, 2nd May, with the added benefit of outdoor catering! With a new roof, thanks to The Culture Recovery Fund, (the house had been encased in a scaffolding shroud since November) the house and Tea Rooms will reopen their doors from 17th May in line with Government guidelines.

Visit the iconic and beautiful cottage garden of gardening legend Margery Fish in May to enjoy the garden and nursery plus ‘Petal Poise’, a wonderful exhibition of fabulous flower portraits by artist Helen Simpson.

The azaleas and rhododendrons, the Walled Gardens and the beach walks should be at their loveliest!

Hartland Abbey, Nr Bideford EX39 6DT Tel: 01237441496 www.hartlandabbey.com

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

Beautiful walks through rhododendrons and azaleas in May

England’s foremost cottage garden

Visit our beautiful walled and woodland gardens with walks to the Atlantic Coast from 2nd May. The house with its fascinating architecture, collections, displays and film exhibition opens later in May * Delicious light lunches & cream teas * * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Hartland Quay 1 mile*

26

Cottage garden, nursery and gallery Open Tuesday to Saturday | 10am to 5pm Garden entry £6.00 | Over 65s £5.50 | Under 16s free

Gardens etc and Café open from 2nd May, Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House from 17th May 2pm - 5pm last adm. 4pm)

East Lambrook | South Petherton | Somerset | TA13 5HH 01460 240328 | enquiries@eastlambrook.com

For more information and events see www.hartlandabbey.com Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234

Book online at eastlambrook.com for the garden.

Free entry to ‘Petal Poise’ exhibition.

Country Gardener

LUKESLAND WELCOMES BACK ITS ADMIRERS

Buscot Park ready to welcome visitors again The Georgian mansion in Buscot Park near Faringdon in Oxfordshire is surrounded by lawns and tree-lined avenues leading to the 18th century pleasure gardens where visitors will find the modern Citrus Garden and Swing Garden. There is also the famous Water Garden designed by Harold Peto in 1903. In addition, there is the old walled vegetable growing area, now filled with floral borders and sculptures, called the ‘Four Seasons Garden’; as well as ornamental fountains and lakes.

The popular Lukesland gardens set in 24 acres near Ivybridge have for a long time won praise from visitors for its spectacular beauty.

Open until 30th September. Monday to Friday, 2pm to 6pm and some weekends including Bank Holidays. Entry: Adults £9, over 65s £7, Children (5-15) £4.50.

NT Buscot Park, Lechdale Rd, Faringdon SN7 8BU Information Line: 01367 240932 Email: info@buscot-park.com Website: www.buscotpark.com

Tucked away in a woodland valley on the edge of Dartmoor, just 10 minutes off the A38, Lukesland’s collection of rare trees and flowering shrubs provides a spectacular show of colour in the spring.

It’s peak peony time at Cotswolds Garden Flowers There’s an old saying that April showers bring forth May flowers. May is always a peak month for flowers in the nursery garden at Cotswold Garden Flowers in Badsey.

The Addicombe Brook at the heart of the garden is criss-crossed by a series of charming and unusual bridges over pools and waterfalls.

Amongst the founder Bob Brown’s favourites are peonies with varieties that have single, semi-double and double flowers in many colours.

With home-made soup and cakes served up in accordance with Covid guidelines, and free entry and fun activities for children.

They are family-owned gardens with something for everyone.

Dogs welcome on a lead.

Perennial plants are growing fast to give structure in the border. One to look out for is Melianthus major which is grown for its amazing leaves.

Others include members of the Cow Parsley family which give a light airy feel, in contrast to members of the Arum family with their bold vase shaped flowers (some with a bad smell).

Spring openings are on Sundays, Wednesdays and Bank Holidays from 11am to 5pm through to Sunday, 13th June.

BUSCOT PARK & & BUSCOT PARK THE FARINGDON COLLECTION

Call 01752 691749 or visit www.lukesland.co.uk or www.facebook.com/lukeslandgardens

Cotswold Garden Flowers, Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham Tel: 01386 833849 info@cgf.net www.cgf.net

THE FARINGDON COLLECTION One of Oxfordshire’s best kept secrets One of Oxfordshire’s best kept secrets

BUSCOT PARK & THE FARINGDON COLLECTION One of Oxfordshire’s best kept secrets

DELIGHTFUL GARDENS TO INSPIRE YOU PLANT AND GARDEN ADVICE Mail order and click and collect available, or pop along and visit us at the nursery

Groups welcome by appointment Open 7 days a week from 1st March to 30th September Weekends 10am - 5.30pm, Weekdays 9am to 5.30pm

Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham, WR11 7EZ 01386 833849 info@cgf.net www.cotswoldgardenflowers.co.uk

Open 1 April - 30 30 September September Contact: Info line 01367 01367 240932 240932 or or www.buscotpark.com for website www.buscotpark.com for opening opening times. times.

Open 1 April - 30 September Contact: Info line 01367 240932 or website www.buscotpark.com for opening times.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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28

Country Gardener

GREAT DAYS OUT

Refurbished Karma Salford Hall reaches out to garden lovers Garden lovers have a new venue to look forward to with the opening of Karma Salford Hall in Abbot’s Salford. The hotel, in the Vale of Evesham has undergone a refurbishment, and is promoting itself as being in an area, which is a treasure house of beauty and interest for tourists and garden lovers.

The hotel, an historic country retreat dating back 700 years is now offering al fresco dining in the manicured gardens and marquee and a full hotel offering from 17th May onwards.

This part of the Cotswolds is famous for manor houses and spectacular gardens by the score and the hotel is planning to become a central point for visitors wanting to explore the area.

Cadhay spruced up to welcome visitors Cadhay gardens and tearooms close to Ottery St Mary in East Devon open again on Friday afternoons on 7th May. The gardeners have been tackling maintenance jobs over the last few months, normally so difficult to do. The gardens have responded to the easing of lockdown by looking resplendent with an abundance of spring flowers. For some time a pair of swans have been visiting the ponds which has been a cause of celebration as there has only been a single swan for the last two years. The allotment holders have been very busy on their plots which promises well.

The gardens open at 2pm on Fridays and will also be open on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the late May Bank holiday weekend (Sunday and Monday for the NGS).

Guided tours of the house will not take place for the time being.

Cadhay, Ottery St Mary EX11 1QT. For more details see www.cadhay.org.uk

ELKSTONE OPEN GARDENS DAY SET TO WELCOME VISITORS

The area around Karma Salford Hall includes Stratford-Upon-Avon, Broadway and the old Abbey town of Evesham. A short tour within a 20-mile radius brings in the whole of Shakespeare’s homeland, from Henley-in-Arden to historic Kenilworth and Warwick.

Elkstone is one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds, half way between Cirencester and Cheltenham off the A417. The best way to appreciate the village is to visit the Open Gardens Day on Sunday, 6th June. Organised by villagers to raise funds for upkeep of the local church and village hall it offers a unique opportunity to visit this special village and see it in detail not normally accessible. This year you will be able to amble through beautiful private gardens, browse stalls, enjoy cream teas, homemade cakes or ice creams, and a tractor ride through farmland with sensational views.

The church is known for its unusual dovecote above the chancel and its quite exceptional Norman arches in the chancel and sanctuary bathed in golden light.

Last year the bells were taken down and retuned but it is hoped that it will be possible for them to ring out to celebrate the day.

Adults £5 children free, Parking included. No dogs please.

Elkstone Village - follow car park signs. www.elkstonevillage.co.uk

Close by is The Regency Spa of Cheltenham, Britain’s most beautiful Garden City, and renowned as an excellent shopping centre as well as being a Mecca of horse racing.

Whether it’s afternoon tea, leisurely lunch or a candlelit dinner, Karma Salford Hall is the perfect destination to soak up the countryside landscape. Children and four-legged friends are made to feel welcome!

Following government guidelines Karma Spa treatments are available. Experience both traditional and 21st century Asianinfused therapies.

Karma Salford Hall, Abbot’s Salford, Warwickshire, WR11 8UT Tel: 01386 871300 reception@karmasalfordhall.com www.karmasalfordhall.com

LUKESLAND GARDENS

Want to advertise in one of our features?

Sundays, Wednesdays and Bank Holidays 11am – 5pm till 13th June

We offer special all counties prices when advertising with our features, plus 100 words of free editorial with an advert.

Harford Ivybridge PL21 0JF Tel 01752 691749

Speak to one of our sales people for more details.

24 acres of Rare Shrubs, Trees, Pools & Waterfalls Home-made soups & cakes

www.lukesland.co.uk

Time to be together in 2021

G O TO

 V I S I TCO R N WA L L .CO M

COTSWOLD GARDENS

at Elkstone

Sunday 6th June 2021 2 - 6pm Visit beautiful private gardens, the Norman church, wild flower meadow and allotments Enjoy cream teas, homemade cakes or ice creams and enjoy sensational views on a tractor ride*

GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm from 7th May to 24th September

Also late May & August Bank Holiday weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday GARDENS: adult £5, child £1

Adults £5.00, Children free

Parking included. No dogs please.

Elkstone Village, near Circencester - follow car park signs

PROCEEDS HELP SUPPORT OUR CHURCH AND VILLAGE HALL

Member of Historic Houses

'Cream teas in a beautiful garden - this is England at its very best.'

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk

More details on www.elkstonevillage.co.uk *Tractor rides subject to Covid restrictions at the time

www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

M AY I S S E T TO B E BLOOMIN’ MARVELLOUS WITH

As the vaccines roll out and the flowers open up, what better time to get out and celebrate our gardens?

For the whole month of May, Candide is bringing everyone together in a free, online celebration of floral frivolities.

F R O M M AY 1 ST O N

candidegardening.com #ShowUsYourBlooms

30

Country Gardener

GREAT DAYS OUT

Online celebration throughout May hosted by Candide

BISHOPS PALACE GARDEN FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR SIXTH YEAR

As lockdown restrictions begin to lift and in an effort to kick-start summer 2021, online specialists Candide Gardening the will host The Candide Festival of Flowers in a floral ‘take over’- a celebration of gardens, plants, pollinators and people.

The Bishop’s Palace Garden Festival returns this year to celebrate its 6th year, in the popular Wells venue set amongst 14 acres of stunning RHS partner gardens.

Throughout the 31 days of May, Candide will provide an online display, including live videos from favourite gardeners and from some of the UK’s finest public open gardens.

Candide has an online community of over half a million people. Everyone is invited to enjoy, learn and shop and share their own photos and videos of their favourite house and garden plants, trees and outdoor spaces using the hashtags #ShowUsYourBlooms on all social media channels.

One highlight is on 17th May, when Candide will unveil what would have been the final display at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, from multi-award-winning Hampshire based Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.

Following the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s cancellation in May, Hardy’s were disappointed not to create their final exhibit. However the show will go on–online. Hardy’s will create what would have been their final exhibit, but instead of within the Grand Pavilion, the display will be created as a walk-through ‘Festival Flower Garden’ in the grounds of their nursery.

The event takes place from Friday 2nd to Sunday, 4th July, when the gardens will be at their best with dramatic summer colour and the evocative fragrance of roses.

Festival speakers will include Roy Lancaster, John Horsey, Claire Greenslade and James Cross.

The South Lawn will be filled with stalls including nurseries, food & drink, garden gadgets, gifts, sculpture and more, and there will be live music, hands on demonstrations, workshops, flower installations and garden tours.

Tickets are £12.50 for adult and £6.50 for children and were due to go on sale in late April.

Other events in the gardens as things begin to return to normal include Yoga in the Gardens from mid April through to Monday 17th May; and Pilates in the Gardens running from Wednesday 5th May until Wednesday 26th May. The Bishops Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD

14 ACRES OF NATURE LANDSCAPED GARDENS GUIDED TOURS HISTORIC SURROUNDINGS

MAY AT THE PALACE

THE BISHOP'S PALACE & GARDENS, WELLS, SOMERSET

www.countrygardener.co.uk

01749 988 111 WWW.BISHOPSPALACE.ORG.UK 31

GREAT DAYS OUT

Dorset summer plant fair set to go ahead Plant Heritage Dorset had planned to hold three plant and garden fairs this year but Covid-19 restrictions has meant that the first event on 2nd May at has been cancelled.

DORSET PLANT & GARDEN FAIRS

There is better news about the Summer and Autumn fairs which are due to take place at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens on Sunday 13th June and Sunday 12th Sept. Admission to the Plant Fairs is £7 and includes access to the beautiful gardens on the Jurassic Coast between Weymouth and Bridport. The fairs are open from 10am until 3pm and the gardens remain open until 5pm. Profits go towards supporting the National Collections, plant conservation and education in Dorset.

Athelhampton House Sunday 2nd May 2021 (Cancelled) Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Sunday 13th June 2021 Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Sunday 12th Sept 2021

Further details about ticket sales will appear closer to the event dates.

THE GARDEN SHOW BACK WITH JUNE DATES AT STANSTED PARK The Garden Show at Stansted Park at Stoughton in West Sussex is ready to blossom again as usual on Friday 11th June through to Sunday, 13th June. It is the 27th in the long running series of shows and the perfect event to find all you need to make your garden grow and refresh your home. It is great opportunity to explore what’s on the doorstep; source new talent, designers and artisans. You can browse affordable and handpicked companies showcasing the latest specialist plants, garden and home accessories, art, design, sculpture, fashion, gifts and then treat your taste buds to tempting foods and wines.

The show continues to adapt over the years whilst holding onto the original concept – an opportunity to source an innovative range of items for the house, garden and oneself.

Stansted Park, Rowlands Castle, Hampshire PO9 6DX

32

Our popular Plant Fairs are set in beautiful surroundings with lots of space for a wide range of specialist stalls.

Many nurseries, growers & stall holders from across the South & West of England.

Admission is £7.00 including access to the gardens for the day.

Free parking. Free admission for all UK Plant Heritage Members.

Plant Fairs are open 10am - 3pm and gardens remain open until 5pm.

Wide range of food and refreshments is available, including our solar powered coffee franchise serving premium hot & cold drinks.

Organised by Plant Heritage Dorset Group. Our regular monthly meetings are normally held at the Dorford Centre, Dorchester on Thursday evenings. More details at:

Country Gardener

www.plantheritage.org.uk

Registered Charity No 10004009 Email: martin.plantheritagedorset@btinternet.com

READERS STORY

CHILD’S

PLAY!

Country Gardener reader Jack Quince shares his delight at getting his three young grandchildren to take an interest in gardening Just before Easter something my six-year-old grandson Ben said made my day.

He asked if he could have some small gardening tools as a present-not instead of but as well as his Easter egg!

I felt I’d done it. I’d got one of my grandchildren interested in gardening.

I was so pleased and happy my wife suggested I should write something down for your magazine which might perhaps encourage other grandparents and parents to do the same thing.

I have three grandchildren two boys and one girl, aged between six and ten and from an early age they’ve seen me in the garden and from time to time have joined in, got into wheelbarrows, played in the leaves and so on.

It is a sad thing to say but none of their parents are interested in gardening. To them it’s a lawn, some swings somewhere for the kids to play and that’s it.

My father was a passionate gardener and had a wonderful garden just outside of Martock and had an allotment as well. He got me interested because he made it fun with me.

He was determined I would not grow up to hate gardening because all it involved was weeding, mowing, leaf-sweeping and the like.

I like to think the grandchildren when they visit us enjoy being out in the garden because I try to open their eyes to the beauty of nature without ramming it down their throats. I show them plants and colours and insects and they all seem to love it ‘Can we go outside Grandpa?’ is the first thing they say on arrival and that cheers me no end, as it shows a love of the outdoors and the fun and excitement that it can offer a small child.

If all that means is piling miniature wheelbarrows full of gravel from the drive, collecting eggs from the chickens or picking raspberries and strawberries in season, then I’m content.

In order of success there are a number of things that have captured their imagination: looking for the toad that sleeps under a gigantic, rusted metal pear and rolling down the slope of the grassy spiral mound in the corner of the meadow.

I’ve avoided for the time being making a tree house but it’s not for want of them asking me. I have a nervous and Health and Safety concerned grandmother looking over my shoulder so plan to take that step very carefully but I am sure it will come.

I’ve tried to get them all to realise the beauty of plants and nature can be step one to getting them interested in gardening. They love pressing and drying our pretty flowers and I think it helps them learn which flower is which and they may even soon have a favourite that they want to plant themselves.

I let them pick two or three flowers from our garden and then the process is easy. We place their chosen plants between sheets of baking parchment or tissue paper, then place them inside a heavy book and leave to press for two or three weeks.

I know this sounds like a nightmare, but the kids love messy mud play. It gets them out in the garden. I give them some old mixing bowls and spoons to get them started and let them go wild in their mud kitchen creating some mud masterpieces with soil and water!

Mags love arts and crafts so I gave her a plant pot to decorate. She loves it and let her imagination run wild with paint, glitter, jewels and more to make a pot she is proud of.

Watering is another winner for us. I punch little holes in the lids of large recycled mineral water bottles to produce a light sprinkle of water, so they can fill them up and wander around the garden.

So back to Ben and his garden tools.

I bought him a set made I think from 100 per-cent silicone with no sharp edges and very colourful and it includes a watering can, shovel and rake, everything he needs to start his gardening adventure.

And of course guess what then happened. The end of the story is that the other two Maggie and Seamus now want their own sets. So that’s the real breakthrough.

“I’ve tried to get them all to realise the beauty of plants and nature can be step one to getting them interested in gardening.”

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33

Heavenly hollyhocks Sometimes up to nine feet tall these towering, colourful and hardy flowers remain the epitome of an English summer and a country garden favourite

Some flowers never seem to go out of style.

The hollyhock seems to belong to a country garden just as much as a rose.

Its splendid height, towering over a garden make it a favourite in traditional borders and its renowned ability to re-seed itself makes it both abundant and welcome in the garden.

These splendid perennials are amongst the most colourful of hardy plants.

Originally introduced from Turkey in 1573 they quickly became the mainstay of the gardens and have remained popular ever since.

The many varieties are so robust that they quickly develop to flower six months from seed. Either sow in late summer or early spring, gently push the seed directly into the ground where you intend the plants to flower or into little pots, just cover with a little seed compost or garden soil and keep moist until germination.

If you love your hollyhocks and already have a collection of older plants save seed from your favourites and grow on young plants and replant them in a fresh spot.

Growing hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) in the garden is the goal of many gardeners who remember these impressive flowers from their youth.

The flower stalks on hollyhocks can reach heights of nine feet (2.7 metres.) tall!

They can tower above a garden, adding a lovely vertical element to your garden.

The first thing to understand is how to plant hollyhocks.

They need full sun and moist, rich, well-drained soil.

The mistake many novice hollyhock growers make is to plant this flower in soil that is too dry.

If you are planting seeds, sow the seeds outside about a week before last frost. If you are planting seedlings out, wait about two to three weeks after last frost. Hollyhock seeds only need to be planted right below the soil, no more than a quarter of an inch(.6 cm.) deep. Hollyhock plants should be about two feet apart to grow well.

34

Once you have planted your hollyhocks, they will need minimal care, but there are a few things you should be aware of when growing hollyhocks. Here are some tips on hollyhocks.

First of all, hollyhocks are a short-lived perennial.

This means that most varieties will only live two to three years.

Their lifespan can be extended some by removing growing hollyhock flowers as soon as they fade.

The one benefit that comes from growing hollyhock flowers is that they easily reseed themselves. While they may be short lived, in their proper growing conditions they will continually grow more, which will keep the hollyhock flowers consistent in years to come.

They grow quickly and bloom for a really long time in the summer, appearing very stately, which has made them a favourite for gardeners for generations.

One of the most frustrating things about hollyhocks is that they’re so tall they become gangly and fall over if they aren’t given the correct spot or aren’t adequately staked. With a little planning and proper support, this doesn’t have to be a problem. Heirloom cultivars will most likely be single-flowered, but you can still find some older cultivars that are doubles, such as ‘Majorette Double Champagne’ and the ‘Carnival’ series.

They are generally considered a biennial, but will usually develop leaves and flower during the first year. They will seed, then die off, but they will reseed themselves, so you should have beautiful flowers for many years (causing many people to consider them as perennials). It is also possible to harvest seeds from the plants in the autumn if you want to plant them in another location.

Country Gardener

Hollyhock ‘O Hara’ This double variety of hollyhock has rich crimson flowers with a broad saucer of outer petals, studded in the centre with a pomponshaped arrangement of petals. It gets its name from Gone with the Wind‘s Scarlett O’Hara.

Hollyhock ‘The Bride’ With pure white, double flowers, this variety is fittingly named ‘The Bride’.

The petals have an attractive, crinkled appearance like crepe paper. Bear in mind that pollinators won’t be access the pollen and nectar from these flowers.

Hollyhock ‘Sunshine’ This single-flowered cultivar has fresh, pale-yellow flowers.

‘Sunshine’ is part of the ‘Spotlight’ series,

How to recover hollyhock seeds To propagate your hollyhocks, harvest the seeds that are found in the capsules formed after blooming, store them in the dark over winter, and plant them in the ground in March or April.

Look out for rust on hollyhocks Rust fungus is the curse of hollyhocks. The undersides of the leaves are often peppered with bright yellow or orange-red rust spots with corresponding beige-yellow splodges on the upper surface. Eventually, it affects the whole plant, with leaves starting to fall away from the base. In severe cases the stem becomes infected too, and the whole plant may die.

The best hollyhocks to grow which are characterised by their single flowers held on tall, sturdy stems. It’s a good choice for growing as a perennial, as it will reliably regrow each year.

Hollyhocks ‘Peaches ‘n’ Dreams’ Peaches ‘n’ Dreams’ is a double-flowered hollyhock with balled blooms largely made up of ruffled, peachpink petals. Bear in mind that this doubleflowered variety doesn’t provide nectar and pollen for pollinators.

Hollyhock ‘Creme de Cassis’ With bi-coloured mauve and cardinal purple, this makes a spectacular addition to summer beds and borders. Interestingly, each plant will bear a mix of single, double and semi-double flowers.

Hollyhock ‘Blacknight’ Like ‘Sunshine’, ‘Blacknight’ is part of the ‘Spotlight’ series. It has sumptuous, very dark

purple flowers that have a lovely, silky appearance. It is great as a focal point in borders, or planted with contrasting plants.

Hollyhock ‘Halo Red’ ‘Halo Red’ is part of the ‘Halo’ series of hollyhocks, known for their beautiful, bi-coloured flowers and resistance to rust.

It has single, raspberry-coloured flowers with warm yellow centres.

Hollyhock ‘Halo Apricot’ Another member of the ‘Halo’ series, ‘Halo Apricot’ has dusky pink blooms with dark purple centres punctuated by a creamy central column of fused stamens that surround a central pistil.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Remove infected leaves from plants as soon as the fungus is seen. In winter, when the hollyhock dies down, clear away any infected leaves as they will harbour the fungal infection.

Hollyhocks - the facts •

The common hollyhock in the garden (Alcea rosea) travelled all over the world during the Middle Ages because of its well-deserved reputation of being able to thrive in almost any climate and soil so long as it was planted in full sun.

• It is wrong to suggest that hollyhocks are poisonous to pets – they aren’t and there is no reason to suggest otherwise.

• In Japanese culture, the hollyhock is believed to ward off thunderstorms and earthquakes, and the Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) is one of the most famous and most celebrated festivals in Japan, featuring a parade of hundreds of people dressed in the aristocratic style of the Heian Period (794-1185).

• Hollyhocks have always been acknowledged to have soothing health benefits. Hollyhock flowers are perfectly edible and are often eaten raw, in salads, or steeped in hot water to make infusions.

• The stems of hollyhocks can be used as firewood.

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A new greener landscape Wildlife becomes a real priority in any ecological landscaping project

Natural swimming pools are a classic rewilding project

Garden design which puts the emphasis on conserving water, reducing green waste and increasing wildlife is now being offered as a real alternative to gardeners who want to make an ecological statement It can be called eco-landscaping or green landscaping but whichever definition you prefer, the option to nuture wildlife in gardens, reduce air, soil and water pollution and generally make healthier living environments is now dramatically on the increase.

Ecological landscaping is a means of using any outdoor environment, whether an urban or rural garden, a field, woodland, wetland, then incorporating a design suited to enhancing the surrounding environment and to attract wildlife, then creating these areas for the benefit of wildlife and a quality of life and human health, working with nature and not against it.

Sustainable structures can again aid wildlife 36

One Devon based company, Lost Habitat and its founder Andy McConnachie are now promoting the value of our natural environment with rewilding techniques.

They create stepping-stones and corridors for wildlife by introducing wildlife ponds, food with wildflowers and native flora, shelter and refuge for bugs and bees, and planting trees for species richness and aiding wildlife habitat connectivity.

Their aims are to reconnect people and communities with their natural environments for health and social well-being, to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services, to protect and conserve freshwater aquatic habitats and to preserve the life of trees.

Andy knew from a young age the value of nature and nurtured outdoor life, and after leaving school decided to learn about the positive effects of water, the environment, and everything sharing precious ecosystems. From working on some of the UK’s most prestigious chalk stream fisheries he studied at Sparsholt College Hampshire, and after graduating went on to study Marine and Freshwater Biology. He graduated from Plymouth University through Eden Project Learning in Land & Ecological Restoration, receiving a master’s with distinction.

Take ponds for example. Ponds in Britain are in decline, and amphibian numbers are diminishing due to pollution caused by industrialisation, property development preventing natural migration, insufficient land drainage and poor farming methods. It is estimated over half of the UK’s ponds now remain, and less than 20per-cent of those are considered priority habitat. Creating wildlife ponds, even small bodies of water such as a trough or barrel feature, will naturally encourage wildlife to your garden, and create steppingstones for natural migration, good news for reducing slugs and snails as they form part of the frog’s diet.

“Ponds are diverse habitats and by creating a pond in your garden you will attract an array of wildlife, from invertebrates and amphibians to reptiles, mammals, and birds. They provide food and drinking sources, and breeding areas, they are a visual magnet and refuge for calm thought, they add huge aesthetical benefit to gardens and help to prevent habitat loss”.

Country Gardener

The Lost Habitat team covers all aspect of pond and swimming pool construction

Trees require our unconditional care

Lost Habitat cover all aspects of pond design and construction, management, and protection, bioengineering, habitat restoration and improvement to advice and protection from invasive species and predators.

Says Andy: “It’s no secret that trees provide us with air to breath, they store carbon, remove excess CO2 from our atmosphere, stabilise soil preventing run-off, absorb storm water, prevent water pollution, remove dust and fumes, provide massive habitats for species of flora and fauna, materials for building, shade for resting, the list is endless. Trees require our unconditional care and protection, and furthermore, we need to plant more of them.

“We regularly see buildings and construction negatively impacting on ecosystems from disturbances of soil releasing carbon and trapped pollutants, removal of trees, even protected ones, destroyed aquatic habitats from run-off and contaminants, and barriers caused from roads, fences and walls preventing the natural migration of animals. By utilising practical, mutually beneficial methods ensures natural equilibrium with nature and humans, balancing and conserving biodiversity, creating diverse landscapes and helping to improve air quality, mitigate impacts of climate change, and protecting natural resources.

Water

Wildlife Ponds, Lakes & Streams Aquatic Planting Bio Engineering & Bank Revetment Habitat Improvement

Ideas used in ecological landscaping include edible gardens, perennial food systems, sensory gardens for people with learning disabilities and/ or autism, refuges for wildlife such as hedgehogs, or bird boxes, sustainable structures from boardwalks and wooded pathways to hidden mediation areas, community gardens, wildflower schemes and meadows.

Trees

Arboriculture & Tree Surgery Professional Tree Inspections Tree Planting

Lost Habitat’s team promote the natural environment by enhancing people’s outdoor space by way of ecological landscaping or rewilding techniques. Their arboriculture services provide care and maintenance for trees at any stage, from planting to storm damage removal and professional tree inspections.

They specialise in all types of tree care resulting in a complete tree service to clients from tree consultancy and determining correct species for ecological landscaping, to health and diagnosing and treating trees.

Lost Habitat, Crowethorn, Village Road, Christow, Devon EX6 7NG www.losthabitat.uk

Ecological Landscaping Soft Landscaping & Rewilding Ecological Maintenance

LostHabitat.uk

01647 478 003 Reconnecting People with Nature ™

www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

Another lively and thoughtful batch of letters from Country Gardener readers. Write to us with news, views, ideas and gardening suggestions to Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

When one disgruntled reader wrote in our last issue about the problems she was having keeping cats off her garden it soon became clear that other readers had their own well tried suggestions.

Lateral thinking when it comes to controlling cats With reference to the article ‘My battle against cats’ in the April issue of Country Gardener, perhaps some of the ideas we had over time may be of some help.

We have four cats, at one time six and all rescue cats. We have Alsatian dogs, and we are members of the RSPB with numerous bird feeders, and love our garden. We have had our garden for 40 plus years and are now in our 70’s.

To avoid cats desecrating the garden it’s all a question of ‘lateral thinking’ and not making the same mistakes ad infinitum, and making some compromises.

We changed over to gravel garden many years ago, saving on water and work, only a quick hoe to check any weeds. The cats are not keen on the gravel. They are

adverse to toileting on it.

The birds are kept safe, as the cats do not like running on it, and walk very sedately. We only lose one or two birds approximately a year, because we monitor it, the cats always bring the trophies back to us. The dogs get on with the cats and because of the stone do not run riot in the garden.

We never of course have to mow, so no mower. In the winter the stone reflects the light back into the house, which is a great benefit on dark days, and we do not have to gaze on dank mossy excuses for a lawn.

We grow our own vegetables, therefore a fruit cage, no birds stealing our veg and no cats desecrating it. It is an outlay to begin with, but we keep everything in harmony, save money on mowers and petrol, and peace reigns.

Sara Bunn sent by email

THE ‘WEST HIGHLAND WHITE’ SOLUTION Just to say what a great edition of Country Gardener, really useful articles, especially liked the herbs and compost ones. As for the reader plagued with cats, this is what happened to my daughter, as she had two toddlers at the time and neighbours, cats messing in the garden was not funny. One day my son-in-laws’ work colleague asked if they would have their dog while they were away for a few days, a little West Highland White. The family welcomed the little dog; unbeknown to them he did not like cats. So the end of their cat problem. The ‘whitey ‘ more than repaid their hospitality, so perhaps your reader could borrow a friends’ dog for a few days, no need to buy a big one. Reading Country Gardener again makes me feel we are on the way to a wonderful garden year again.

Barbara John sent by email Sonar solution not the complete answer In desperation of regularly having several cats in our garden I bought a device which uses sound wavelengths that are too short for the human ear to decipher, but a cat will hear. The device plays them really loud which ultimately irritates the felines. I now understand that cats are really picky when it comes to loud noises. The ultrasonic cat repellents conveniently work with 9V batteries.

However, for the ultra-sonic noise to be released there needs to be a movement in front of the device. They are triggered by movement sensors which will only cover that much area. Cats are smart and will eventually learn to avoid this area. For this device to work you have to know exactly where the intruders enter from so I am not sure who is winning this confrontation at the moment.

Nick Probert Midhurst 38

Citrus fruits turn cats away

Cats hate getting wet If there’s anything that all cats in the world universally hate, it’s getting wet. Especially when they least expect it. This is probably the most effective method ever. However my neighbour has a sensor trigger device which shoots water out when anything comes near. His device needs to be charged up, constantly filled and it cost him £40 and he is now considering buying more than one to cover all the areas in question.

I use a water gun. The only disadvantage is I really need to use it 24/7 but some of the cats won’t come back for sure.

Malcolm Taylor Dorchester

Sheep manure was my father’s answer My father used to go round the local fields and collect sheep manure convinced it would deter cats and it is true I never remember seeing one in the garden when we were growing up.

My grannie couldn’t abide cats in her garden and she always used to finely chop citrus fruits (such as lemons, limes and oranges) and place them around the garden. Similar to lavender and peppermint, cats don’t like the strong citrus scent was her thinking.

Cutting up rotting bananas

She even went as far as making up her own solution by squeezing the fruits into water if you’d rather spray it around the garden. It seemed to work for her.

Cats also don’t like the smell of bananas, so another way to stop them from pooping in your garden is to finely chop bananas and scatter them around your flowerbeds. Ripening bananas give off a strong smell that cats simply can’t stand.

Want to scare them away? This could be worth a try.

Laura Mearns Cheltenham Country Gardener

Janie Harris Liss

Peter Lancaster Hereford

The dangers of adding cooked food to your compost I am enjoying your series looking in depth at how and why we should all compost. However I think something you should be stressing more is to take care not to put any form of cooked food into the bin. My neighbours’ compost heap butts against our garden and for some reason they do not seem to have taken this message on board – despite some strong words of advice from my wife. They seem to use their bin for cooked leftovers and even food with gravy on it.

And the result? That area of the garden has a lot of rats- a direct and expected result of adding cooked food. I know they may well be attracted to raw food but it is the cooked element which they thrive on. We will try again to get the message over but perhaps your excellent magazine should stress the point again.

Andy Craig Southampton MY MIMOSA TREE MIRACLE I bought my mimosa tree a couple of years ago as a tiny weak looking sapling. It had I remember one flower and a few sad looking leaves. Just look at it now. It has bloomed for weeks from February.

To the woodpecker rescue Following on from your recent article and advice on how to protect birds from crashing into windows I thought you might like to see this poor little woodpecker who crashed into our living room window and sat quietly on my hand stunned for about ten minutes and seemed to slowly recover. I then put him on the bird table and he eventually flew happily into a tree. It has proved a warning to us and I now dangle hanging ornaments on the window to warn the birds.

Heidi Scott Petersfield

A dazed young woodpecker

I should have been more careful with my fig tree I have learnt my lesson when it comes to my wonderful pair of fig trees which I nearly managed to kill three autumns ago. I was told at my local garden centre that they would survive no matter how hard I pruned them. They were both quite weak looking so I thought I’d take the advice and be quite brutal.

The effect has been to stop the appearance of any fruit for about three years. I have now been told that any figlets which appear this spring may not produce fruit. So the lesson here is to treat your fig tree with care and don’t be as brutal as many people advise.

Annie Davidson sent by email

Alison Lee Dawlish Combatting blossom end rot If your tomatoes get blossom end rot it might be because of a lack of calcium in the soil. I knew that crushed oyster shell is commonly sold as a calcium supplement for laying hens so I wondered if it might work in my soil. I sprinkle a handful or two of crushed oyster shells in the planting hole and then backfill around the roots. It seems to have worked consistently and helped me to banish or combat blossom end rot.

Andrew Joseph Martock The therapy of feeling soil in my hand The regular references in your excellent magazine to how gardening can aid mental and physical health are enlightening. I have had serious health issues and the one thing which has helped me function (besides my wonderful husband and my two dogs) is my garden. I am now spending quality time in it, getting to understand it more, what plants need and how to deal with problems.

It is rewarding no matter what time of year and, within reason , whatever the weather is. Feeling the soil in my hand is the best therapy for me.

Name and address supplied

Regarding the peat free debate I would agree that the now low demand for peat free compost is a hangover from when the first versions available were truly awful.

I changed to peat free last year and was delighted with the results.

I would encourage all gardeners to make the switch.

Lisa

I have just returned to England and the west country after nine years abroad and was sad to discover that many public gardens when they open are nor going to allow dogs on their premises.

Days out supporting gardens especially as they hopefully start opening up in the weeks and months ahead after the lockdowns, are family events that can often last for hours and the pet dog

is an integral member of thousands of families nationwide. Do garden charities not realise that they face losing huge potential income by excluding dog owning families? All that is required is that there are clear signs that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times and to clean up your dog poopsimple solutions which would mean more people enjoying more garden visits.

Dawn Henderson Exmouth

Hedgerow heaven

PEAT COMPOST WAS AWFUL ANYWAY

Bryant Williton

Please allow dogs in to public gardens

Our garden is packed full of starlings, blackbirds, robins and dunnocks come summer time. And what’s the reason for this haven for birds? Well it’s the mixed hawthorn hedging which surround two sides of the garden. The birds in great numbers use it for sheltering, nesting and finding food. We inherited it and have been paying thanks for it ever since. I’d recommend anyone who has a love of birds to plant such a hedge.

Jacqueline Quinney Painswick

www.countrygardener.co.uk

39

COMPETITION

WIN A STAY AT The Eastbury Hotel & Spa

The Eastbury is a luxury Georgian country house style hotel with a unique boutique spa, country gardens and a multi award winning Seasons 2 AA Rosette restaurant, set in the glorious Dorset countryside, adjoining the ancient market town of Sherborne.

It offers 27 luxury accommodations, including five Victorian Garden Potting Shed Suites and a self-catering three-bedroom cottage. The Eastbury offers a warm and welcoming home to home feel. You can dine in the Seasons Restaurant enjoying the resident pianist on a Friday or Saturday evening with the scrumptious seven course tasting menu and matching wine flights. There’s even a Mini Seasons menu for children and a delicious Doggy dinner for your furry friends. The walled gardens have become a favourite for garden lovers winning the local Sherborne in Bloom award in 2019.

Acknowledged as a hidden gem at The Eastbury the walled gardens offers tranquillity for relaxation, playing garden games with the family or lounging in the sun. Across the lawn you will see their own vegetable patch where you will find French beans growing along with mint, rosemary and thyme. The walled gardens are also popular for alfresco dining which will be available from Saturday, 1st May for lunch bookings every weekend and everyday for lunch, afternoon teas and dinner from Monday, 17th May! For an extra special treat, relax and rejuvenate with a soothing French Caudalie treatment in the Bijou Woodland Spa.

To launch the full reopening of The Eastbury on Monday 17th May Country Gardener magazine is offering you the chance to win an amazing Dorset Staycation prize for two people worth £980!

The prize - A two night stay in one of the Victorian Garden Potting Shed Suites with a Dorset cooked breakfast, a seven course tasting menu for two people with matching wine flights and a 25 minute spa treatment per person.

Entering the competition is easy. Just go to the website below and follow the instructions to enter. Or you can simply scan the QR code. www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk/competitions Terms & Conditions: Closing date for entries is Monday 17th May. Prize cannot be redeemed on Bank Holidays, during July-August or from 23rd December. Entries must be 18 years old and over. Prize must be redeemed by 31st March 2022. Non-transferable, non-refundable.

40

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41

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

GARDENING JOBS

for May

May is here and suddenly everything which seemed dormant a few weeks ago is bursting into life and growing fast so don’t get overwhelmed by endless lists of gardening jobs - the main jobs are planting out new vegetables, pruning spring flowering shrubs and planting summer bedding.

1

Earthing up spuds will increase your crop

Spuds planted in March or early April should be showing long healthy shoots above the compost.

By earthing up your potatoes, you can increase the number of potatoes grown from each tuber and protect your spuds from damaging sun exposure. Earthing up is the name given to the process of covering shoots with additional compost. When shoots are showing 10cm above the compost, cover them with more compost to leave just four cm shoots showing at the tip.

4

Sow and plant into a warm bed Warm up your vegetable plot with a ground preparation fleece before sowing or planting out. When temperatures rise during May, seeds and plants will grow rapidly, however when temperatures drop, plant growth grinds to a halt.

A gardening fleece will keep temperatures up, whilst being permeable enough to allow air and moisture through, ensuring healthy growth. The added bonus of a gardening fleece is it will help diffuse strong light, providing shading and preventing damaging scorching.

Plant in pots or trays under glass, dwarf and climbing French beans, runner beans, sweet corn, outdoor cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, squashes, outdoor cucumbers – all which can be planted out next month.

Savoy cabbage, winter cabbage, endive, kale and sprouting broccoli can be sown in the open ground now, ready to be planted out next month.

This is also your last opportunity to sow peas and parsnips this year.

5

It is ‘Chelsea chop’ time

The ‘Chelsea Chop’ in the week of the famous flower show (or thereabouts) helps to keep the taller, late-flowering perennials from leaning. Pinch out asters, helenium and eupatorium at knee height and they will rebranch to provide you with stockier plants .

42

6

2

Thin out your seedlings

3

Attacking weeds early in the season will bring results

Seedlings sown in rows can quickly grow into each other’s space, taking up vital water and nutrients, effectively reducing your harvest.

Use a dibber to gently remove excess seedlings whilst protecting their roots and transplant healthy seedlings elsewhere. Once you have thinned out your seedlings, water your remaining seedlings to allow the surrounding compost to re-settle.

It’s not just the plants you want that thrive at this time of year - weeds will be growing strongly, too.

Catch weeds while they’re small by hoeing borders and the veg garden once a week.

Paths, drives and patios can be kept weed-free by spraying with organic path weedkillers. Many of these prevent weeds returning for several months after they are applied.

Perennial weeds, such as dandelions, have roots that will regrow if you just kill the leaves. They will eventually weaken over time if you hoe them off, or you could try to dig out the roots. Alternatively, spray them with a weedkiller containing glyphosate.

Mulching the soil surface deprives weed seeds of sunlight and helps prevent your precious plants from drying out in hot spells. Apply a layer of fine organic mulch at least 5-8cm deep for it to be effective. Make sure the ground is damp before you apply the mulch, otherwise the mulch act as a barrier to moisture reaching the roots of your plants.

Your forsythia might need some attention

Try to prune forsythia after it has flowered. If you don’t do this every year they quickly get unmanageable and flower less well.

Using sharp loppers and secateurs cut a quarter of the old growth to the base. Also remove diseased, dead, dying and wispy stems cutting them to the ground. Finally prune stems that have just flowered to two buds above the previous year’s growth.

Country Gardener

7

Tie up your sweet peas

If you have been organised, the autumn sowings of sweet pea will tear away as soon as weather warms. Tie in to their supports.

If not, buy pot-grown plants and put them in now. Dig a trench and fill the bottom of it with scrunched newspaper to hold moisture and compost, or manure if you have it.

A plant that flowers freely and repeatedly needs good nutrition and moisture.

If you get organised now and start planting up hanging baskets then by June and July everything with be in full and glorious colour. As long as your patio is sheltered or under cover, baskets can be planted up with fuchsias and tender perennials.

Why not incorporate a slow release fertiliser and water storing crystals to reduce feeding and help water retention at the same time but remember

9

Time to trim evergreen hedges

10

Bean wigwams can save space

not to place outside until end of May/early June so that containers do not dry out. Watering can be stepped up on warm, breezy days.

Dwarf dahlias can be potted up into containers ready to provide colour from mid summer to early autumn.

May is a good time to trim evergreen hedges, such as lonicera, box and yew; it will get their edges looking crisp and neat. Small hedges can be trimmed with shears. Larger hedges are best tackled with a hedge trimmer. It is illegal to disturb nesting birds, so be sure to check the hedges for signs of nests before you start the job.

Use canes or hazel stems to make a support for growing beans. Either tie the tops together to form a wigwam or else arrange the supports in long’ X s’ that cross either half way up or close to the top. Sow a couple of beans to each cane and a few at the ends of the row, as replacements for any that don’t come up. Beans are greedy plants so they’ll enjoy being grown above a trench filled with rotted manure or kitchen compost (even part rotted will do). Cover the trench with soil and then plant the beans.

Once the beans are up make sure that the slugs cannot get to the growing tips because they’ll destroy the plant.

11

8

Prune spring flowering shrubs for next year’s displays

Deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter and spring and early summer need annual pruning to encourage strong, healthy shoots and improve flowering. Annual pruning also prolongs the life of these earlyflowering shrubs.

Pruning requirements depend on the type of shrub, but all early-flowering shrubs need routine removal of damaged, diseased or dead wood, as follows: Cut out any damaged or dead shoots back to their point of origin or to ground level.

Where there are many stems remove some to ground level to keep the bush open and avoid congestion.

Finally take out any weak, spindly or twiggy shoots right to the point of origin or to ground level so the plant concentrates its resources on strong new shoots that will bear the best flowers.

Watch the temperatures around your tomatoes

Tomatoes originate from South America and suffer as soon as temperatures drop below 10°C. Keep them under cover until you can be sure that the weather is warm enough to plant them outside, and then find the warmest spot to give them all the help they can get. If you are growing in the ground, keep well away from the potatoes, as blight can travel from one to the next. Try to keep the plants in a position that is warm but with air movement, as the blight favours humidity. Bush varieties are great in pots on the terrace.

12

Time to repot pelargoniums

Tough as old boots they may be, but last year’s pelargoniums appreciate repotting and new soil to set them up for the summer. For best results, pick off dead foliage, prune back to healthy new shoots and give them all the sun they can get.

13

The month at a glance • Watch out for late frosts. Protect tender plants • Earth up potatoes, and promptly plant any still remaining • Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month (except in cold areas) • Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges

www.countrygardener.co.uk

• Collect rainwater and investigate ways to recycle water for irrigation • Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs • Regularly hoe off weeds

43

TREE SPECIALIST

Fake news

comes in many guises Mark Hinsley vents his anger on what he calls ‘hogwash’ reports from some building surveyors’ who seem to have no understanding of the limited risk trees have to a property Gentle reader, I am livid.

After 46 years in arboriculture I ought to be used to it, but a particular piece of irresponsible disinformation that crossed my desk recently has got me spitting blood and feathers.

I am not going to name the company involved, although I expect a codirector is Mickey Mouse, but I am going to tell you what they wrote.

Many of you will be familiar with the process of buying a house with a mortgage.

To ensure their investment is safe the mortgage lender requires the property to be insured and the insurance company needs to be sure that they are not exposing themselves to any risk of actually having to pay out on the property.

To this end, and at your expense, they send round a building surveyor. Now some of these surveyors are conscientious, highly knowledgeable professionals who do a good and thorough job; and some of them are not.

If there are trees near a building the building surveyors invariably require an arboriculturist’s report regarding their condition and any unreasonable risk which they may pose to the property. It can be frustrating for the purchaser because these things often crop up at the last minute just when you thought you were home and dry.

However, it is fair enough because professionals should confine themselves to their own expertise and not start pontificating on things they do not understand.

Before visiting the property, we always request the building surveyor’s report. This is because the history of the building and the presence of current or historic cracks can tell us much about 44

“The conditions whereby tree roots can adversely affect structures are specific and limited” the relationship between the trees, the subsoil and the foundations. Often this is all we need to know to assess the risk or otherwise that the trees may represent.

Most trees are not a threat to most buildings.

So, such a report lands on my desk. The main body of the report recorded no movement, historic or current in the building. It also reported the presence of a tree so recommended an arboricultural report; so far so good. However, in some general comments towards the end of the report it stated the following:

“Trees and Shrubs It is important to control the growth of all trees and shrubs in close proximity to any permanent structure or drainage runs as the roots can cause serious damage. You should obtain the advice of an arboriculturalist on large trees or before allowing trees to grow too large. All trees and shrubs should be regularly pruned.”

What does ‘allowing trees to grow too large’ even mean? Too large for what?

And the vast majority of trees and some shrubs are best not pruned at all. No mention of the possibility of Tree Preservation Orders or Conservation Areas which the recipient of this report could fall foul of if they believed they had to follow its advice; and clearly no thought of the cost to the home owner of all this unnecessary tree pruning.

You could get better advice than this down the pub!

I was flabbergasted that a person trained to inspect buildings felt somehow qualified to give such sweeping (wrong) advice about trees. I also suspect that this ‘advice’ is attached to every report this company writes.

So, if you ever have a building surveyor’s report which tries to tell you what to do with trees - please take it with a large pinch of salt.

This is utter hogwash.

The conditions whereby tree roots can adversely affect structures are specific and limited. Tree roots generally only invade drainage systems which already leak.

Country Gardener

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

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45

ROLLING WITH THE TIMES S I NC E 1921

For 100 years, ATCO has been producing mowers for the lawns of Great Britain.

In 1921 the first mowers were mass-produced from the factory in Birmingham, easy-to-use and affordable for most households.

A lot has changed since then, but the British racing green colour, quality and superior cutting performance can still be seen in all our mowers today – which continue to deliver the finest cut of all.

To view the 2021 range, visit www.atco.co.uk or your local specialist ATCO dealer.

46

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47

Let Dorset become a National Park Twelve months after the unique Purbeck Heath project there are new moves in 2021 to give the county a national park status Just over 12 months after seven landowners joined forces to create the first ‘super’ nature reserve on the Purbeck Heaths in Dorset, comes a new initiative for the county.

Campaigners are now proposing to push ahead in 2021 that Dorset becomes the UK’s newest national park.

Those behind the idea say it would create jobs, protect the environment and benefit the local community.

However, critics say it would be another layer of bureaucracy, turn the county into a museum and damage local democracy.

The Government says it is committed to establishing new national parks and Dorset is considered to be the next most likely to be created.

From the stunning cliffs and beautiful beaches of the famous Jurassic coast, to the rolling hills of the Isle of Purbeck and its lush farm and heathland, Dorset is one of the country’s most beautiful and diverse counties.

The proposed area would stretch from east Devon to the edge of Poole harbour.

Dartford warbler

Early last spring the county’s commitment to wildlife and conservation came when the National Trust, Natural England, RSPB, Forestry England, Rempstone Estate, Dorset Wildilfe Trust and Amphibian & Reptile Conservation got together in a landscape-scale conservation to help tackle climate change and benefit more than 2.5 million visitors.

The new Purbeck Heaths reserve brought together 11 types of priority habitat to enable wildlife to move more easily across the landscape. It gave rare and varied wildlife, including the sand lizard, the Dartford warbler, and the silver studded blue butterfly, a better chance of adapting and thriving in light of the current climate crisis.

The new super reserves combines three existing sites at Stoborough Heath, Hartland Moor, and Studland and Godlingston Heath, linking them with a significant amount of new land including nature reserves and conservation areas managed by seven partners.

The small pearl bordered Fritillary 48

It is 3,331 hectares (8,231 acre) in total, expanding the current site in Purbeck by 2,335 hectares (5,770 acres).

The new designation has resulted in a landscape-scale haven more than three times its original size, and similar in size to the town of Blackpool.

Country Gardener

It will also offer a public benefit by giving people more opportunity to explore and in turn help improve the health and wellbeing of more than 2.5 million people who visit Purbeck every year.

This super reserve is a rich mosaic of lowland wet and dry heath, valley mires, acid grassland and woodland, along with coastal sand dunes, lakes and saltmarsh.

Conifer plantations are also being carefully restored to heathland.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper explained, “By creating bigger, better, and more joined-up wild places like this one, we will achieve big benefits for both people and wildlife.”

A reason for choosing Purbeck Heaths for this initiative is due to the fact it is one of the most bio diverse locations in the UK, boasting the richest recorded 10km for biodiversity in the country, including 450 species that are rare, threatened, or protected.

All six native reptiles can be found at the park, as well as rare heathland birds such as breeding nightjars, and raptors such as hen harriers, marsh harriers, merlins, and ospreys.

At least 12 species of bat live on the NNR, which is the last stronghold for such invertebrates as southern damselflies, and the Purbeck mason wasp. It is also home to Dorset’s only colony of small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies.

Rare plants at the reserve include marsh gentians, great sundews, lesser butterfly orchids, and at least two fungi that are found nowhere else in England and Wales.

The wider campaign to promote a the county as a National Park believes it could a could offer Dorset a unique opportunity.

Much of Dorset is already designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), but unlike National Parks, AONBs have no statutory planning powers and rely on the decisions of a multitude of local councils who are all trying to meet their housing targets.

A Dorset National Park would not only have a statutory role in planning and housing, but also judge how to balance that with tourism and environmental impact.

People will also benefit from the park, with more than 2.5 million people visiting Purbeck each year, offering them the opportunity to improve their health and wellbeing.

Do you want

vinegar with it?

How to make the most of the day-to-day wonders of vinegar in your garden

If you are trying to cut down on how many chemicals you’re exposed to every day in your garden then there’s a very traditional solution.

Maybe you’ve made a commitment to getting rid of pesticides and chemicals in your life – at least the ones you can control.

In that case, the remarkable and undervalued properties of vinegar for your home and garden can come to the rescue.

The uses include:

Guess what rodents, moles, cats, dogs, rabbits, and deer all have in common?

They all hate the strong smell of vinegar.

Soak a few rags in white vinegar and place them hidden around where you’re noticing the vandalism. Keep re-soaking every week for maximum repellent action.

Fruit and house fly traps

Remove weeds You can use vinegar to kill weeds and tufts of grass that grow in the cracks of your garden walls or walk ways. Simply spray them directly and they will dry up and die in two to three days. No need to use toxic herbicides.

Beware, though, vinegar can kill your grass too and, if too much is applied, can make the soil infertile if you put too much in it, so be careful.

Repel ants Ants hate vinegar! Mix equal amounts of water and vinegar and spray the solution on any ant hills you find in your garden.

You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Vinegar works wonders when it comes to cleaning pots

Repel garden pests

In late summer, flies can drive you insane! Make this bait to use indoors or outdoors: one cup water, half a cup of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, and one tablespoon molasses. Mix it all together and put in an empty container and hang from a tree or by a window indoors. Watch the flies get attracted and trapped by this clever device – no chemicals needed!

Save plants from fungus If you have plants suffering from fungus and mold, you can protect them with a simple vinegar fungicide. Brew some chamomile tea and add two teaspoons of vinegar. Spray this solution on moldy plants – it’s totally safe for the plants!

Feed acid loving plants If you have rhododendrons, azaleas or gardenias you know they love acidic conditions. You can spray them with a quick pick-me-up: one cup of white vinegar in a gallon of water and watch them wake up.

Clean clay pots

Extend the life of cut flowers

Gardeners love clay pots.

Their natural properties keep soil cool in summer, allow plants to breathe and look attractive in all kinds of settings. As clay pots age, they absorb calcium and other minerals from water and become discolored.

Add two tablespoons of vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar per liter of water for any cut flowers you want to keep fresh for as long as possible.

After you’ve scrubbed off any loose dirt in a bucket of water, soak your clay pot in this mixture: one cup five per-cent acidity white vinegar per four cups water.

The less vinegar, the longer you’ll have to soak it.

Cleaning Of course, the non-toxic cleaning properties of vinegar make it perfect for cleaning many surfaces – including your skin and hair. It can dissipate the stink from anything without leaving a lasting stink itself. Here’s a list of ideas: Clean the rust from your garden tools with straight vinegar.

Clean birdbaths and birdhouses with a 25per-cent vinegar 75per-cent water solution.

Rid your hands of that dry feeling after working in the dirt – it neutralises the lime from soil.

These are just some of the great uses for vinegar in your garden and homevinegar is one of the best, cheapest, and most versatile products you can have at your fingertips.

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51

READERS STORY

‘OUR dream garden ON A BUDGET’ David Hunt and his wife Michelle adopted a ‘make do and mend’ approach when it came to restoring their Dorset garden

Patience was very ne

The first thing to say is that we are both in our early 70’s and gardening has made our retirement a joyful thing –not a tedious boring time.

Three years ago we downsized our Hampshire home was just too big and the three-acre garden for the last few years we were living there felt it was a chore and we felt it was a losing battle.

So after spending about a year looking all over Devon, Dorset and Somerset we found a wonderful Dorset cottage with just less than an acre and a garden which we loved as it wrapped round the house with lawns, island beds and which we felt had so much potential.

We get Country Gardener every issue and love it and so enjoy the gardeners who write in with their very personal thoughts and stories and wanted to share our story with you as we somehow have managed to resurrect this garden in three years and on a very, very tight budget.

When we moved in the garden was certainly neglected and looked as if someone had loved it at one stage but hadn’t been able to do anything with it for a good few years, and eventually nature in the forms of weeds, brambles and overgrowth had taken over.

We didn’t have a lot of money to spend on the garden so it has been a real exercise in economy, thrift, make do and mend, beg, steal and borrow you get the idea!

We could see the garden had a lot of potential but it was just full of meadow grass, brambles, dead ash trees and half completed raised beds which had rotted down and looked a mess.

My wife is a recycling fanatic so that has become a bit of a way of life, I suppose. Almost anything we laid our hands on became the opportunity to plant something into.

‘I learned how to make a basic cold frame’

A herbal use for an old delivery palette 52

When we started we were aghast to discover we only had about six inches of topsoil and under that the ground was very heavy, red clay. It was difficult soil to work on and three years later we are still constantly mulching and digging in our own compost to improve it. But we have managed to find plenty of plants that seem to thrive.

We have done everything ourselves and because of our reluctance on spending money on the garden we have had to be patient. For instance I wanted a garden pond and rather than get someone in, I did it myself a bit at a time and it took a year in all to finish it and I then found that we could use the clay to our advantage, mixing it with straw to create a watertight pond lining. We saved about £400 on a pond liner and it hasn’t sprung a leak yet!

Country Gardener

cessary when it cam

e to our borders

We bought most of our roses from the nearby market for £1.50p each.

Our son goes out and spends a lot at garden centres for his beds and borders and likes an almost instant garden.

We however have learnt this ‘patience and low cost’ principle. We have taken endless cuttings of shrubs and plants and waited for them to grow, and we swap seeds with neighbours. It is amazing what you can do and how you can save money if you plan and talk to other gardeners who seem willing to work together.

We have created new beds and borders and sourced materials from wherever we could. We found a new friend down a local wood yard who gave us off cuts and old pieces of timber which we brought back and manufactured into raised beds.

We scrounged some old bricks from a neighbour to lay a path which looks rustic but fits in well with what we have been trying to achieve.

‘We have done everything ourselves and because of our reluctance on spending money on the garden we have had to be patient.’

We found a rusty old iron pergola in a reclamation yard which we bought for £25 and again it took weeks and weeks of hard work and yes it does look a bit used, but it has found a much loved place in the garden, now painted and starting to be covered in roses.

‘Make do and mend’ was a saying of my father who would never pay for anything if he could find a way of getting it for nothing and I seemed to have inherited that from him.

Gardening on a shoestring hasn’t been difficult.

It has been a challenge. The garden we hope this year will look its best ever and the signs are good.

It has become a garden which is surprisingly low maintenance. The best bit is when visitors come and see it. They seem to appreciate what we have done and that keeps us going.

It is good to know that gardening doesn’t have to be expensive.

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53

WILDLIFE

Honey

I’M HOME! The most intriguing question about our summer visitors is not why they go south, but why they return to Britain year after year. Survival is the key to it all.

For many birdwatchers and bird lovers April and May is the most exciting time of the year.

It is a time of change with the departure of winter visitors and the arrival of summer migrants. Wherever you are, you will see birds moving.

Birdwatchers regularly record the first arrival dates of migrants such as the first cuckoo or swallow of the year.

Instinctively, migrating birds know where to migrate and how to navigate back home. They use the stars, the sun, and earth’s magnetism to help them find their way.

They also almost always return home to where they were born. Because of this, you could be right if you think you see the same bird each year in your garden.

The primary motivation for migration appears to be food; for example, some hummingbirds choose not to migrate if fed through the winter. In addition, the longer days of the northern summer provide extended time for breeding birds to feed their young.

In spring, they return to their breeding quarters. They include fieldfares, redwings, bramblings, Bewick’s and whooper swans and many kinds of ducks, geese and wading birds. Many water birds also spend the winter on the sea around the UK coast, including common scoters, great northern divers and red-necked grebes.

So on the whole, there are two factors that compel them to come here. First, there is plenty of room to hold

How do birds navigate?

Migrating birds can cover thousands of miles in their annual travels, often travelling the same course year after year with little deviation.

First-year birds often make their very first migration on their own. Somehow they can find their winter home despite never having seen it before, and return the following spring to where they were born.

The secrets of their amazing navigational skills aren’t fully understood, partly because birds

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territory without being crowded out by African birds.

And secondly, the long daylight hours allow birds to feed their young for longer every day, helping them to grow quickly.

Different types of summer returnees SWALLOWS The swallow has one of the longest migrations of any bird, with the British population heading for the eastern part of South Africa, where they arrive in November as harbingers of spring. They feed there in much the same way, swooping low to catch juicy flying insects. Their return to the UK is often a muchheralded event with some being seen in early April.

SWIFT Swifts arrive in Britain in late April or early May, and are a welcome sight and sound in the skies. However, they don’t stick around here long – staying just long enough to breed before beginning their autumn migration back to Africa in late July or early August. It’s believed that their autumn migration is prompted by fewer insects in the air.

TURTLE DOVE It’s quite unusual for a seed-eating bird to be a longdistance migrant, but the turtle dove breaks the rule,

combine several different types of senses when they navigate. Birds can get compass information from the sun, the stars, and by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. They also get information from the position of the setting sun and from landmarks seen during the day.

Some species, particularly waterfowl and cranes, follow preferred pathways on their annual migrations. These pathways are often related to important stopover locations that provide food supplies critical to the birds’ survival.

leaving in September to fly to the Sahel region, a dry, scrubby belt south of the Sahara, in countries such as Mali and Senegal. Here it is much more arid than in the farmland of Britain, although the turtle dove simply feeds on seeds and grains, as it does here. Now rare in Britain after a drastic decline, the turtle dove is now seen principally in southern England .

CUCKOO Tracking of cuckoos in recent years has revealed much about their extraordinary migration. Many adults leave Britain on their southward journey as early as June.

They then fly to West Africa followed by a journey into the deep rainforest of the Congo Basin – a minimum of 6,500km –where they spend most of the winter.

The cuckoo returns to Britain in April. Following a big population decline in the south of England, they are now most common in northern England and Scotland.

OSPREY The osprey’s practice of hunting fish by plunging into water from a height is easily translatable from West Africa to England. The practice also works equally well in salt water as in fresh. In Britain, ospreys arrive in April to inhabit freshwater lakes and a popular spot for them is Poole Harbour, Dorset.

Birds that migrate to us in April and May Also known as summer visitors, there are a large number of birds that migrate to us in spring, often seeking warmer climates. These summer visitors include:

• Swallows • Martins including the • Warblers house martin including the Dartford warbler • Yellow wagtails and reed warbler • Nightjars

• • • • •

Turtle doves Nightingales Ospreys Cuckoos Redstarts

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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.

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