Dorset Country Gardener April 2021

Dorset www.countrygardener.co.uk

Issue No 185 April 2021 FREE

Time to head to the shed which we are turning into a thing of great beauty

More inside: Controlling weeds; Specialist plants for a new season garden; Keep houseplants happy; Buying the right compost; Problem cats in the garden; Balcony gardens; More allotments available?; Gardening news from throughout Dorset

Mark Hinsley

MSc.Res.Man.(Arb), OND (Arb), F.Arbor.A

Arboricultural Consultants Ltd.

TREE ADVICE & REPORTING Established 1994

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Please observe all current government recommendations

● Basket plants, Fuchsias and Begonias £1.25 ea. 18 for £20 ● Bedding cellpacks/trays £2.25 5 for £10 ● Geraniums, Osteos, Dahlias, Argyranthemum etc. large 1 litre £1.99 8 for £15 ● Amazing range of planted containers all year round - always fresh, perfect gifts. ● Mixed Summer baskets from £12.99 ● Veg pots and herbs £1.49 ● Veg strips £2.49 ● Bush and Climbing Roses: £8.99 ● Perennials 3 litre (large) from £4.99 3 for £12 ● Ivy leaf trailing geraniums £1.49 ● Wide range of locally grown shrubs and climbers For updates and news join our eMail list on our web site.

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Lynch Lane Garden Centre & Restaurant Lynch Lane, Weymouth, DT4 9DN Telephone: 01305 766336

The Gardeners Garden Centre National garden gift vouchers sold and accepted here

Why not try our restaurant?

THE GARDENERS RETREAT QUALITY FOOD + AFFORDABLE PRICE

All day breakfast served from 9am-3pm Monday-Saturday 10am-11.30am Sunday Lunch time specials Sunday lunch choice of 4 meats served 12pm-2.30pm Or just come in for a tea or coffee and a slice of homemade cake Telephone: 01305 759503

Country Gardener

Gardeners cuttings

in Dorset

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Cuttings book born out of charities’ Covid cash shortfall

‘Cuttings - a cornucopia of gardening tips’ is a new publication launched by Gardening for Disabled Trust Charity ,a charity helping gardeners with disabilities back into gardening again. The charity does this by means of small grants to purchase items such as raised beds, specialist tools or to pay for adaptations.

The charity is run by a bunch of energetic volunteers, and last year gave out grants totalling £40,000 which helped over 1700 people get back out into the garden. Grants went to individuals and groups suffering from mental and physical challenges.

Desperate to raise funds with a lockdown on their hands, the charity decided on a fundraising book of gardening tips. They chivvied expert gardeners, famous people, and our friends to pass on their tips. The result is the new title with hints from Carol Klein, Roy Lancaster, Mark Lane, Dame Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and Jeff Beck. . The 150-page, richly illustrated book has 500 gardening tips. www.gardeningfordisabledtrust.org.uk/ get-involved/book-of-gardening-tips/ priced at £10 plus p&p

CUTTINGS

Celebrating blossom in Dorset – with the National Trust The National Trust is inviting people to celebrate blossom season in Dorset again.

Emulating Hanami, the Japanese tradition of viewing and celebrating blossom as the first sign of spring, the charity is encouraging everyone to take a moment to pause, actively notice and enjoy the fleeting beauty of blossom.

Using #BlossomWatch the National Trust is asking people to share their blossom images on social media.

You can find out more at;www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ features/blossom-watch.

Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum) in flower

For those inspired to plant a blossom tree of their own, the National Trust has compiled a list of top five blossom trees suitable for home gardens, recommended by Emma McNamara, National Trust Gardens and Parks Consultant.

Pyrus communis (pear cultivars) Its delicate pinkish-white blossom provides a feast for early solitary bumblebees and other insects, and in autumn the tree provides rich, juicy fruit.

Stewarts out to tempt you with new furniture range Stewarts Garden Centres in Dorset and Hampshire are setting out to tempt gardeners with their own exclusive range of outdoor furniture for the new season.

Stewarts New Forest range of furniture, harnesses classic design with modern quality materials, ending with an affordable, set of furniture.

Designed by and exclusively for the three Stewarts garden centres in Christchurch, Broomhill and Titchfield, using rust free aluminium frames and Premium quality half round synthetic weave, the range is easy to maintain and long lasting.

Prices start from £395 for the two seat bistro set and available in a four seat, six seat and eight seat dining, as well as the new this year , Beaulieu range, which includes a bistro set, four seat dining, compact corner with height adjustable table and sofa lounge suite, there are many options to suit most gardens.

www.stewarts.co.uk

Prunus ‘Kanzan’ (cherry ‘Kanzan’) The Kanzan cherry is one of the showiest varieties grown in the orchard at Hinton Ampner, displaying delicious double lilacpink flowers in late April. When the petals start to fade and drop, they flutter across Malus baccata the lawns like spring confetti.

Malus baccata var. mandshurica (Manchurian Siberian crab apple) As the seasons pass, the pure white blossom of midApril makes way for an abundance of cherry-like deep red apples that take centre stage in the autumnal and Christmas displays – they last into the new year.

Cercis siliquastrum (Judas tree) The deep pink blossoms erupt straight from the main stem and branches which gives added ‘wow’ factor.

These are followed by pea-like fruits which are most obvious in late summer/early autumn. It’s a reliable performer and not a shy flowerer.

Malus domestica ‘Discovery’ (apple ‘Discovery’) This early dessert apple, a cross between ‘Worcester Pearmain’ and (possibly) ‘Beauty of Bath’, is as beautiful as it is delicious, producing pure white, cupshaped blossoms from around the end of April.

Athelhampton garden fair cancelled The popular plant fair at Athelhampton House scheduled for Sunday, 2nd May has been cancelled. Athelhampton and similar venues are not permitted to open before 17th May under the current Government plans. The two remaining fairs organised by Plant Heritage Dorset are still scheduled to go ahead. These will be on Sunday, 13th June and Sunday, 12th September and both fairs will be held at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, on the coast road between Weymouth and Bridport.

For further details please contact: martin.plantheritagedorset@btinternet.com

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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Large traditional family-run nursery Wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials & fruit bushes 4-acre woodland garden & Tea Rooms Many unusual plants Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm Sun & Bank Holidays 10am-5pm MACPENNY’S NURSERIES BRANSGORE Burley Rd, Bransgore, Nr Christchurch BH23 8DB Tel: 01425 672348 www.macpennys.co.uk

LARGE VARIETY OF TREES, SHRUBS, PERENNIALS, HERBS AND ROSES Summer Bedding Plants, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Patio and Basket Plants

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Veg & Flower seeds, Seed potatoes, Onion sets, garlic, Veg Plants © Heather Edwards

Architectural Plants Bamboo, Palms, Phormiums, Grasses, Lavenders We now stock Levingtons & Scotts Compost, Grow bags & Fertilisers Offers on Bark, Grow bags, Soil improvers.

New for 2021

Join our online talks and discover the glory of England’s heritage gardens this spring Book your tickets today: www.ngs.org.uk

NEW OUTDOOR FURNITURE available now

Make time to unwind

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Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch, BH23 4SA Tel: 01425 272244 Stewarts Broomhill Garden Centre, God’s Blessing Lane, Broomhill, BH21 7DF Tel: 01202 882462 Stewarts Abbey Garden Centre, Mill Lane, Titchfield, Fareham, PO15 5RB Tel: 01329 842225 4

Country Gardener

CUTTINGS

Gardening charity steps up its help during lockdown People with disabilities throughout Dorset are being helped to use gardening to stay healthy during lockdown through a digital initiative by therapeutic horticulture charity Thrive.

Normally more than 80 client gardeners with learning disabilities, autism and other long-term health conditions take part in face-to-face gardening sessions at Thrive’s centre.

Thrive is now delivering sessions digitally to many clients at home.

Each week, they are sent instructional videos and step-by-step guides explaining what to do by Thrive Social and Therapeutic Horticulture practitioners. Activities have included bulb planting, bean and sweet pea sowing, sensory walks, as well as quizzes and other indoor tasks suitable for bad weather days.

“It’s proving an effective way to help client gardeners experience the mental and physical health benefits of gardening while at home,” said Kathryn Rossiter, Thrive’s CEO. You can find out more about Thrive by visiting www.thrive.org.uk

MARCH OPENING FOR GARDENS AND NURSERY AT FORDE ABBEY The plant nursery and gardens at Forde Abbey on the Somerset and Dorset border, will be re-opening from Monday, 29th March.

If all goes to plan with the Government’s Covid recovery road map and the interpretation of how the regulations apply, Forde Abbey hopes to be opening the coffee shop in April and the house at some point in May. Visitors are asked to check the website www.fordeabbey.co.uk for any updates before visiting the gardens.

The plant nursery will have a selection of herbaceous perennials and grasses, along with helpful advice.

Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset TA20 4LU

CALLING DORSET GARDENING CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS Country Gardener is hoping to be able to bring back its popular Time Off pages highlighting garden club events, meetings and trips as soon as possible.

Clubs that were forced to abandon their regular events last year because of the Covid lockdown, are now starting to plan events for the second half of the year. Some are hoping to arrange meeting for June. If you are planning events be sure to let us know. You can email to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk or send details to Time Off, Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton. TA4 3AD.

Virtual NGS gardens offer online visitors an exciting option At the time when many of us want to get out and about in fine spring weather, perhaps visiting gardens that open for charity, travel is still restricted under Covid regulations. But with the virtual garden tours offered on the National Garden Scheme website you can sit back and enjoy looking at fine gardens all over the country and be inspired by them.

There are more than 180 gardens featured in the virtual garden tours on the NGS website, a project that began during last year’s lockdowns, when so many gardens could not open to raise funds for nursing and caring charities. So the garden owners had to become creative in other ways, selling plants on their driveways, but also making videos of their gardens.

Choose from cottage gardens to small suburban gardens, historic gardens to plantsmen and plantswomen’s paradises, gardens that have been transformed, and gardens that open as a group. Haldon Grange near Exeter is a hidden family gem that boasts one of the largest collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and camellias group.

There’s Kiftsgate Court in Gloucestershire, home of the wonderful Kiftsgate rose, and for a literary theme have a virtual tour of the garden at Ashbrook House in Blewbury, Oxfordshire, where author Kenneth Grahame was inspired to write about Badgers House in Wind in the Willows from the oak doors there, and read the book there to local children.

Discover gardens far from home, in other parts of the country, in Yorkshire, Northumberland, Kent and everywhere in between. Look at group gardens that usually open annually but couldn’t during the pandemic. Gardens such as Froyle

The trolley which takes the strain

Haldon Grange

Gardens near Alton, Hampshire, that hope to open again this summer.

Then if there’s a garden you want to visit, you can check on the NGS website to see when it’s open this year, and book to visit (if that’s still needed later in the summer)..

Before making any plans, do check out the current Government guidance, and the updates on the NGS website. www.ngs.org.uk

Each of the four wheels are the size of a wheelbarrow wheel, which allows the trolley to go off-road or on grass without getting stuck.

Easing your workload in the garden is a priority for every gardener. The go-to trolley to take the strain away is the British built Four Wheel Turn Table Trolley. It becomes an essential part of many garden tasks, whether transporting plants, compost, tools, or used as a handy flat surface.

SCH Supplies Ltd follows old-school manufacturing techniques that demand a durable product that is simple to service and maintain. Expect heavy-duty welded steel and a trolley that will last countless years.

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

Look out for the May edition of Country Gardener available from Saturday, 1st May www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Herbs

to the front and centre Dorset gardener Michael Young argues that growing bountiful harvests of freshly picked herbs should be persuading more of us to focus on a herb garden rather than a vegetable plot Somewhere along the way the classic herb garden has been overtaken when it comes to the priority of growing our own.

Vegetables have been centre stage for some time now and for many people rightly so.

But there is a strong argument that maybe vegetables deserve less attention than growing herbs in our gardens.

Herbs are grown profusely in pots and containers, many on patios and close to the kitchen door and they provide a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to cook with fresh herbs picked near the back door.

But let’s not forget what a beautiful place a herb garden can be.

By their very nature herbs need much less time and attention than vegetables and perhaps there is a tendency to value them less in the horticultural world than the ‘big gun’ vegetables which form the heart of our grow your own horticultural history.

A herb garden can be so much more than a cheap source of flavour and health.

It can be a beautiful, self-contained place in its own right. It is about space to grow different varieties, space to be able to cut huge swathes of parsley for a meal rather than a small sprig, to enjoy rosemary bushes, chives, sweet cicely, sorrel and tarragon.

Some herbs grow well in containers because some of them like thyme, rosemary and sage need poor soil and extremely good drainage as well as lots of sunshine to thrive.

But plant a wider range of herbs in the garden in soil and their roots will flourish and you will enjoy bigger, healthier plants and more to harvest. Herbs lend themselves to generosity and quantity as well as quality.

Then we come to food. Herbs are relevant to every meal for every kind of person. Whatever your dietary inclination, herbs will be a part of it.

Most of the common herbs for cooking can be cultivated without a hitch in a herb bed side by side. These herbs include well-known types, such as: • Annuals: coriander, dill, basil; • Biennials: caraway, parsley, chervil; • Perennials: fennel, rosemary, marjoram, mint, chives, sage, borage, thyme, and tarragon.

The main advantage of growing them in the ground is that they can easily get big as their rooting system will have all the space they to grow.

The most important thing you have to keep in mind when growing herbs is choosing the proper location.

When growing any plant, you should consider where the plant comes from and try to reproduce that environment. Although herbs are from all around the world, most of the culinary herbs we use today come from the Mediterranean and the Middle East and grow best with full sun, in a sheltered location with light, well-drained, moisture-retentive, fertile soil with plenty of organic matter incorporated.

If you have heavy clay soil then incorporate some coarse grit and organic matter to improve drainage.

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Most herbs will tolerate a slightly acid soil with the best pH-level for growing herbs being neutral to alkaline.

Most herbs are relatively easy to grow, they adapt to most situations including within a traditional vegetable garden.

If you are able to grow herbs in a dedicated herb garden harvesting is easier and it also creates a wonderful colourful and aromatic display.

Most herbs prefer to be fully exposed to sunlight, as long as summer temperatures do not go over 32 degrees. Of course, there are those exceptions that require partial shade during the day. If your growing area is no stranger to hot summers, then you should make sure to plant in a spot that receives a lot of morning sunshine and afternoon shade, or at a place with partial shade.

Preparing the soil for planting herbs is crucial for their proper development.

Over the years, any type of soil will become quite dense, so your first job will be to dig it out with a garden fork to loosen it. Doing so will allow water to drain easily and the plant’s roots will have no trouble making their way to the mineral stashes within the soil.

Compost will be of Given more room in the soil herbs will flourish big help. Properly made compost, layered about an inch over the soil and mixed together, will prevent any drainage issues and fertilise your planting area.

In general, a herb is ready for harvest once it reaches between six and eight inches in height. When that happens, cut off a third of its branches. Cut smart – closer to leaf intersections – and you will have new scented leaves in no time. If the herb’s leaves grow from the centre, remove the older branches entirely.

So if you have space for a herb bed take the opportunity to create one. You will be creating a thing of beauty, which will not only look attractive but will attract many pollinating insects including bees and butterflies to your garden.

I would like to think we could stop thinking of herbs as a footnote to vegetable gardens. They deserve to be a main event in their own right .

Country Gardener

Why herbs deserve to have priority in your garden • A herb garden can be, and usually is, a beautiful place.

• The widest range of herbs in your garden has a wonderful relevance to your kitchen and your cooking.

• Herbs can of course be successfully grown in pots but they deserve space to thrive in good soil and drainage giving rooting systems room to grow.

Herbs deserve space

Windowsill herbs - a much neglected pleasure Growing herbs from seed is a low-cost way to have fresh herbs for cooking, with one packet of seeds usually containing enough for a few pots of herbs. It is really easy to grow herbs from seed - you don’t even need a garden to do it. Lots of herbs will grow well on a windowsill indoors.

Growing herbs indoors is also an ideal gardening project to get the kids or grandchildren involved with - it’s simple to do and they will see results very quickly.

Five herbs that create a wonderful windowsill herb garden: Sweet Basil: Basil brings a taste of the Mediterranean to food! This annual herb is fast-growing so will last just one season. Young foliage can be picked as required, avoiding whole stems as this weakens the plant.

Chives: This onion-flavoured herb is an easy to grow perennial herb.

They can be harvested from spring to autumn and will then die down over winter. Shoots will emerge again the following spring.

Rosemary: A woody-stemmed Many varieties of herbs will flourish on indoor windowsills evergreen herb produces tasty leaves that can be harvested year after year.

Rosemary can be used as part of a bouquet-garni to be added to soups, stews and casseroles; whole sprigs can be roasted with root vegetables or sprinkled over Italian breads such as focaccia to add flavour.

Parsley: Parsley is a biennial herb with a two-year life cycle. It is a hungry plant so needs to be kept well fed and watered. Of the two varieties available, the curly-leaved parsley is commonly used as a garnish or in parsley sauce. Flat-leaved parsley has a stronger taste as is used more widely in Mediterranean recipes.

Thyme: An evergreen herb will form mounds of edible foliage all year round but it is best to ‘rest’ the plant in winter when it isn’t actively growing. There are many varieties of thyme available with different aromas and uses ranging from soups, sauces and adding to fish and meat dishes.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Coloured sages make wonderful large chunks of herbs

HEDGING THE EDGE OF HERBS A hedge around the perimeter of an herb garden is a definitive edge, a wall of green that can confer an invaluable sense of privacy and intimacy, a screen that’s every bit as effective as a stone wall. A lower hedge can visually frame the garden space as though it were a picture.

Herb hedges are a long-standing tradition, best known in history in European knot gardens of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Many herbs lend themselves to low hedges.

The coloured sages, purple and gold variegated Icterina make small bellowing shrubs which disguise hard lines with their foliage. Catmint is another herb, which will lessen the hard lines with a mass of purple flower spires in the autumn.

Thymes, winter savoury and hyssop all attract bees to their flowers.

A row of small upright thyme n bushes makes a neat finish to any border alongside a path.

Lower hedges used to enclose herb gardens include yew, holly, hemlock, boxwood, arborvitae, and lilac.

Because capturing the fragrance of the herbs is one of the main purposes of a hedge, pay particular attention to the scent of the hedge itself. Osmanthus, or holly olive (Osmanthus heterophyllus), a glossyleaved shrub of the olive family that grows in light shade or full sun and is hardy and its small white flowers, emerging in fall, have a strong jasmine-like scent that complements the fragrances of the late-season herb garden.

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Book online: rhs.org.uk/bookrosemoor

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

In the second part of our exclusive series on compost and composting we look how to choose from the array of options available and why too many gardeners still buy the wrong variety

The dilemma of buying compost If you go to a garden centre to buy compost, the chances are you will be buying a bag of commercially produced growing mix.

Big names such as John Innes and ‘own brands’ leap out at you.

But is this different to your own homemade compost? And how do you choose from the bewildering array of bags on offer?

However, you must make sure the bag you buy is labelled ‘peat free’ and certified as such if you are growing organically. Always ask at your garden centre, or check if you are buying online. And beware that ‘organic’ to some means the materials are natural, not that they are suitably sourced for organic growing.

Gardeners often face a dilemma on which is the best soil or compost to grow plants in, and with so much on offer, it’s not surprising that most of us find the choice confusing.

But healthy soil is the first step to a blossoming garden and incredibly important for a bountiful crop, so it’s worth taking the time to get right.

But many lack the space for homemade compost or are waiting for it to be in a useable condition.

Some garden soils can be good for growing plants, fruits and vegetables; however they can vary considerably even within the same garden and few gardeners have perfect soil. Adding compost or a soil improver helps to provide the right growing conditions, which will ensure bigger and healthier results.

What is your choice when it comes to composts?

There are four different types of compost - rejecting peat products.

1. Peat free compost Peat free compost can be made from several different base ingredients, such as wood fibre, composted bark, coir, and green compost.

Specialist composts are then produced using one of the above as a base, to which other ingredients are added depending on what they are to be used for.

2. Loam based compost The John Innes Foundation researched and devised the ideal recipe for various

growing mixes according to the plant’s needs. John Innes Composts are soilbased made from a mixture of loam, sand or grit and peat with increasing amounts of plant foods added.

• John Innes Seed Compost: has smallest amount of nutrients as this encourages the best germination and growth of tiny roots and shoots.

• John Innes No.1 Compost: has more nutrients and is for transplanting seedlings.

• John Innes No.2 Compost: for potting up small plants.

• John Innes No.3 Compost: has the most nutrients, as this is designed for final planting up of plants ready for display or cropping.

3. Organic compost Organic composts contain a mixture of materials e.g. peat, expanded wood fibres and composted bark in varying proportions. They are enriched with naturally occurring nutrients, derived from plants and animals, to feed plants for differing periods depending on the organic compost purchased, some feed for up to three months. In addition, composts may be certified as organic by organisations such as the Organic Farmers and Growers Association.

4. All/multi purpose compost These are often sold as ‘Own Brands’. They do not contain loam (or very little) but include a variety of materials, predominantly peat or peat substitutes, coir, coconut husks etc. They do not work as a soil improver, nor for seed sowing and often they don’t hold moisture well. However, because they are light they are excellent for hanging baskets and other annual potting needs. Some have ‘added John Innes’, which probably means a proportion of loam and added nutrients.

The different blends of ingredients, for example, contain varying plant foods that will feed your plants anywhere from six weeks, up to six months – others will limit the amount of watering you need to do, by absorbing water then storing and releasing it as and when the plant requires. You can get peat free and added John Innes.

Compost should be used within a year, as after this time the nutrients and any added feed will lose performance.

SOME DO’S AND DON’TS THE DO’S

1. Be very specific about the right compost for the task in hand, this will ensure you create the optimum growing conditions.

2. It is vital you check your garden soil pH

balance before you get planting, and depending on the results, you may need to mix in Lime soil improver to get you started.

3. Do use any leftover compost and dig into

your existing soil around your garden as a soil improver.

4. Do pot up your existing and new plants in

fresh compost each year to minimise pests

and diseases being carried over, this will also provide new nutrients that will have been used up.

5. Always water in your plants (even if the

ground is moist) to remove air pockets and ensure the roots are in contact with the soil.

6. Do use gloves when gardening.

THE DONT’S

1. Don’t sow seeds in standard compost as the

results won’t be ideal. It is much better to use specialist seed compost that provides specific root growth and contains plant food to help them develop. www.countrygardener.co.uk

2. Reject the idea that your garden soil can be

used for potting up containers and baskets.

It may contain unwanted weeds, pests and diseases and also the soil won’t hold as much water as potting compost would, so your plants will suffer.

3. Don’t forget there are options when it comes

to buying compost and they not only look great on beds and borders, but they suppress weeds and help retain valuable moisture round the roots of shrubs and trees.

4. Don’t forget to follow the compost label instructions.

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COMPOSTING SPECIAL

Ditching peat in favour of more eco-friendly alternatives When mosses and other plants in acidic waterlogged swamps die, they only partially decompose. They form a thick chocolaty compressed layer of organic material, rich in nutrients and with excellent water retaining properties. This is peat. Blended with fertiliser and minerals, we know this as potting compost.

Consider our peat lands as the UK’s rainforests.

Lowland bogs and blanket bogs take thousands of years to develop. Peat forms very slowly, it takes 1,000 years for just one metre of peat to grow.

Over time, these peat bogs create exquisite ecosystems. They clean up chemicals, and lock in carbon (around 3.2 billion tonnes), reduce flooding and support incredible habitats for sphagnum mosses, butterflies and dragonflies, not to mention nesting sites for birds.

Eighty per cent of our peatlands are in a sorry state.

Drainage channels have been cut into the peat to aid sheep grazing and grouse shooting, some of it is burnt in power stations – and large amounts are cut up to create the compost found in some garden centres.

If there isn’t demand, there won’t be a need to supply it. The good news is the Government has pledged to be completely peat-free by 2030 and The National Trust and The Eden Project have already banned it. This has led to garden centres and manufacturers starting to produce more peatfree due to demand, though not all of it to a good standard.

Most peat-free is made from wood fibre, composted bark, sawdust, wood or paper waste, but there are also products made from wool, bracken and coir (coconut husks) and composted green waste.

Generally, these ingredients are muddled with coarse particles such as grit or perlite, and sometimes fertilisers, to create a balanced composition needed for good root growth.

“The reality is few gardeners will create enough of their own homemade compost so at some stage will have to go out and buy some”

OTHER COMPOSTING OPTIONS Seeding compost

Bark and mulches

Seedlings need different nutrients and care than mature plants. Normal potting composts are too rich in most of the nutrients, and have a texture that is too coarse for fine seedling roots to penetrate. Specialist seedling compost has generally lower nutrient levels but higher phosphate, which helps to develop a strong root structure.

Bark can provide a clean visual background that makes plants and flowers stand out. However, applying a layer of organic material, such as bark helps to retain soil moisture, suppress weed growth and will gradually improve the structure of your soil.

Grow bags These are great if you are limited on growing areas in your garden, as they take up very little space and can be placed just about anywhere. You can grow all sorts of wonderful fruit, veg and herbs, from salad leaves, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, strawberries and cranberries.

You can get other various types of mulch, such as pebbles, sea shells, slate, cocoa shells and coloured wood chips.

Laying bark as a mulch

You should put down a layer that is at least five cm thick, as this will help prevent water evaporation.

Bulb fibre

Soil conditioners These are used to improve aeration and drainage in heavy clay soils and adds body to light sandy soil, which aids in retaining moisture and nutrients. It also boosts the soils fertility by adding some nutrients that will encourage healthy foliage, flowers and root growth.

This compost has a more open texture which helps with root growth and has little nutrient content, as bulbs themselves Bulb fibre don’t really need them to develop until the flowering stage. This compost normally has ingredients such as charcoal or oyster shells in it, which keeps the compost fresh.

NEXT MONTH: Readers Q&A on composting; compost solutions for containers and greenhouses; buying in bulk.

10

Country Gardener

TREE SPECIALIST

grow your own

ANCIENT OAK England has more ancient native oak trees than the rest of Europe combined.

How did that come about? The reasons are all historical but as Mark Hinsley suggests there’s nothing stopping you creating your own slice of history.

There are ancient historic oaks dotted across our landscape.

They have their own intrinsic beauty, and they form a strong link between us and our past. These ancient trees support an enormous range of our native wildlife, not just the large obvious bits like birds but smaller things like beetles and wood wasps and still things like lichens and mosses.

One of the reasons they support so much life is because they have been here so long, but there are other factors.

We tend to think of the English oak (Quercus robur) as our own, ‘Hearts of Oak’ at the battle of Trafalgar, down the Royal Oak for a pint of best, English Kings seemingly spending almost as much time hiding in them as they did in their palaces! But the truth is Quercus robur is a native tree right across Europe.

Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast is the city of the oak and those oaks are also Quercus robur. Quercus robur is even found in North Africa.

When a species is so widespread as our ‘English’ oak there will be local adaptations to climate and conditions which are not enough to make a tree into a different species but are nonetheless a variation from oaks elsewhere.

Whilst these subtle variations have no impact upon the visual quality of a particular specimen (visually an oak is an oak is an oak), they can have impacts upon native wildlife, particularly those species which only have oak as a host. Trees from different parts of Europe and Africa may come into leaf at a different time, respond to different day lengths, produce their acorns slightly later or earlier. All of which can have a devastating impact upon a small organism that has to time its entire lifecycle around what the oak is doing at any particular time, or a bird which has to feed early young in the nest.

Image: TDR Photographic

Legend has it that King Edward VI (1537-1553) who came to the throne at the age of nine, was supposed to have sat under this Dorset oak tree and ‘touched it for Kings Evil’. Kings Evil was a custom that started in medieval times whereby the King (of England or France) could touch people who had skin diseases and it was supposed to heal them. Hence the Remedy Oak. “Well, I won’t buy any African oaks”, I hear you say – and good for you! But oh! if it were only that simple.

Since the mid-1700s, if you wanted a tree for your garden, you could find a nursery to sell you one, and if you want to plant up a woodland, you could obtain your seed in bulk. But increasingly over the centuries you had no idea where that plant or seed may have originated from. The numbers involved were and are massive. Millions of plants and seeds are moved and sold across the world. Even if you are an aware and careful person who insists on locally grown plants, if the parents of your plant were both imports, you may still have a problem. Perhaps not for the common generally successful wildlife, but for the rare, fragile, perhaps ‘too choosy for their own good’ types of wildlife.

This is where the ancient trees come in.

Trees which are over 400 years old. Trees which were www.countrygardener.co.uk

already growing in England before the influx of stock from other climes. Any seedlings grown from these trees will be at least 50 per cent truly local.

If you want to have a go, visit an ancient oak tree, provided you have legal access, and collect a few acorns. Grow them in a pot and plant them in an appropriate place.

Pictured here is the Remedy Oak, a 600 years plus tree near Verwood in Dorset. The young oak is in the grounds of Blandford St Mary First School and was planted as a young pot grown specimen raised from a Remedy Oak acorn 20 or so years ago after the school had opened.

Mark Hinsley is from Arboriculture Consultants Ltd www.treeadvice.info 11

June weekend dates for bumper Powderham

garden festival

NOW IN ITS

7 YEAR th

TOBY BUCKLAND GARDEN FESTIVAL IN ITS 7TH YEAR WILL BE ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR GARDEN EVENTS TO BE STAGED IN 2021 The two-day Toby’s Garden Festival, much loved as one of the most popular horticultural shows in the South West, has new early summer dates of Friday, 11th June and Saturday, 12th June.

The new dates reflect recent announcements on easing of Covid 19 restrictions and with the wideopen spaces of Powderham Castle, is set to deliver a bumper event.

Powderham Castle

The Covid safe event will sow the seeds of hope for the new gardening calendar with plans for the alloutdoor event with plant nurseries, specialist speakers, plus all the essentials needed to enjoy the new gardening season.

Friday 11th & Saturday 12th June

The festival was cancelled last year due to the Covid outbreak but the 2021 event – the seventh time the festival has been held - at Powderham Castle near Kenton just outside of Exeter, will ensure all visitors can stay safe and enjoy a great day out.

£11 ADVANCE ONLINE

Visitors will be able to celebrate June and get out into the great British outdoors in the spectacular castle grounds with another celebration of plants and gardening, with a festival which attracts some of the country’s leading nurseries and plantsman supported with arts and crafts stalls and great local food, all in a Covid safe environment.

Inevitably, even in June this year’s event will be different - with social distancing, controlled one way systems, more space between exhibitor displays and hand sanitising stations, but the event will again be packed with gardening inspiration and will be providing visitors with a much needed boost when the time comes.

(£13.50 GATE)

SPECIAL RATES FOR GARDEN CLUBS AND GROUPS UNDER-12’S FREE

Powderham Castle near Exeter, Devon EX6 8JQ

Said festival host Toby Buckland: “At last, the uncertainty of the ‘year that never was’ is behind us and the role-back of restrictions, and our festival setting within low-risk and spacious parkland mean we can look forward to our festival in the grounds of Powderham Castle!

“Our early-summer slot is sure to be popular with our loyal and passionate visitors as it opens up new plant possibilities and areas for display at a time when the Castle grounds are at their abundant best.

“If a single silver lining has shone out during the Covid cancellations, it’s that our love of gardening has grown.

www.tobygardenfest.co.uk

“Gardens and the wildlife they nurture have offered a counterpoint to the challenges faced over the garden fence and for so many have become fundamentally important.

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“We’ve always supported growers, local food-producers, makers and Mother Nature, bringing a family of the best together to create a memorable day out for visitors.

“With so many events cancelled the pent-up appetite for plants, garden décor and decorations has never been greater while the potential of gardens to top up our spirits, never more vital.”

12

Country Gardener

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13

More available allotments?

The demand for allotments throughout the south and southwest during the Covid 19 restrictions has led to a breakthrough with thousands of plots ready to be released to eager gardeners

A record number of allotments are due to become available over the next few months as part of a joint effort to find more sites after a huge growth in demand during the Covid crisis.

While interest in gardening grew dramatically last summer as more people stayed at home, the Government’s allotment application site received a record number of applications. A number of local authorities have now said the provision of more allotments is a priority.

One Devon local authority spokesman said: “The demand for allotment plots over the last two years has steadily grown. This was especially noticeable during 2020, when there was a large increase in the number of requests to join the waiting list.

“During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, it has been well documented through feedback from individual tenants and site associations that the allotments have been a significant source of both physical activity and positive mental and social well being.”

Action includes: • Local councils releasing smaller parcels of available land for vegetable growing.

• Allotment associations imposing strict rules on ‘black polythene plots’ where allotments have been abandoned to make better use of land.

• Investing in allotment sites in Devon, Somerset and Hampshire which have been neglected and allowed to become overgrown.

• Offering more smaller sites to deal with the waiting lists.

• Imposing legislation to put a two year ban on allotment sites being taken over by developers.

• Longer term strategy to work over three or four year periods to identify land as part of proving opportunities for food growing in urban areas.

14

•

Strategies to allow allotment associations to develop, such as through offering community gardens or mentorship schemes on sites that will support new tenants.

The Land Sanction, which has been working with the National Allotment Association said that the interest in allotments during the Covid crisis had done a lot to shake people into action.

garden, contact the local council because they will have details on the allotment opportunities and community gardens in your area. When you have found a plot, contact the owners to claim a space.

There may be a waiting list, but aspiring plotholders shouldn’t be put off by the wait as they allow owners to assess demand in the area”.

Malcom Newcombe from the Land Sanction said, that finally getting hold of a patch of land to grow your own might be getting easier.

“The waiting lists for allotments which have always been significant, continue to grow, I know from my own personal experience that areas like Ashley Vale allotments in Bristol have 300 on their waiting lists.

Bedminster Down has 146 plots and a waiting list of 207.

“The trend is however for more allotments to now be available than say 12 months ago so if there are gardeners who have given up it might be worth trying in your area. Some local associations have acted since the pandemic to be much stricter with plots not in use and have made them available to people prepared to work the site.

“The demand for allotments has been branded as being almost impossible with long waiting lists but we have found in a number of areas this not to be the case and there is more optimism around about their availability. Actions taken over the last few months suggest there will be on ongoing improvement so there are signs of improvement” He added: “Allotments are incredible spaces for growing food, getting active and connecting with nature - and more younger people are starting to get involved.

“During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, allotments have been a significant source of both physical activity and positive mental and social well being.”

“Find a space. If there is no space for crops in the

Applying for an allotment

Do some research first

Applying for an allotment is a fairly straightforward process - or at least it should be. Simply contact your local council (search www.gov.uk/apply-allotment for your nearest site) to put in a request. From there, you will either be allocated a space or, in many cases, be added to a waiting list.

It is worth doing your research before you apply - for example, which allotments have the facilities that best caters to your needs. You should think about the availability of water, storage sheds, compost and toilets as there are huge variations on what is available on allotment sites.

Realistically weigh up how many hours you can give to the project year-round and through the busier seasons. A full allotment plot is traditionally ten rods (approximately 250sqm / 300sq yds.), but many allotments offer half size too if it suits.

Cost-wise, you’re looking at anything from £45 to £75, a year.

Country Gardener

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

garden advice Country Gardener readers continue to fill our postbag with a great range of everyday gardening problems- this month from dealing with a poor quality lawn, fighting to keep a box hedge healthy to growing dahlias from seed

I have a west-facing wall, which is crying out for some climbers but some clematis and a pear tree I bought have both failed and I want to try again this spring. What am I likely to be doing wrong?

Anne Biggsn Exmouth The most obvious error is that you are planting too close to the wall. Soil at the base of a wall is usually in a rain shadow and becomes naturally dry and when you water it will also bounce off the wall and drain further away. You are not giving your plant a proper chance. Non-clinging climbers such as roses, honeysuckle, clematis or wisteria do also need some form of sturdy plant support to which they can be attached. Mesh or trellis are options. It is also a good idea to have these in place before planting. Break up the soil at the base of the wall and improve the quality by digging in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure. In spring plants up against a wall particularly benefit from a good high potassium fertiliser.

Don’t plant too close to a wall

We moved into our new home last autumn and with everything that has been going on with day-to-day life, tending the lawn which is about 25 metres by 10 metres hasn’t exactly been one of our priorities. It is something I would like to tend to now. The lawn is frankly a mess with areas of dead or dying grass. How do I decide whether to start again or is it worth trying to rescue what we already have - something I would much rather work on?

Peter Sinclair Cheltenham Before you blame a disease it is just worth looking a bit deeper to see what the problem is. Animal urine, buried rubble, insect damage or simply drought can cause similar problems to a lawn. There are also other issues such as red thread which is a particular problem in wet autumns. Tell-tale symptoms of this are a reddish tinge to the affected area.

Without wishing to add to your list there is also fusarium patch, a common winter problem where small areas of yellowish grass turn brown and a white or pinkish fungal growth develops in wet conditions.

Luckily the controls for all these probable problems are the same. Don’t rush to add excessive nitrogen fertilisers, aim for moderate not profuse growth of the lawn. Make sure the whole lawn has good air circulation so prune overhanging trees and shrubs. Do not be tempted to cut the lawn too low.

Aerate your lawn thoroughly. This perhaps is the most important task and do it and with a proper system pushing your fork deep into the lawn every few inches. Then scarify to reduce the build up of ‘thatch ‘ dead grasses and mosses. You need to get back to the basic grass roots and give them the chance to recover which they will do quite dramatically.

Research the lawn problem before taking action

The box hedge round our patio has been healthy and flourishing for years but in the last few months something is eating it and the whole ten metre hedge is starting to look dishevelled.

Anna Kailtlin Tiverton A number of invertebrates thrive on buxus plants in our gardens. Specific pests include box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), box sucker (Psylla buxi) and boxed spider mite (Eurytetranychus). The first sign of all these is usually in early spring which is the perfect time to take action. A white substance on leaves is the most obvious sign Box hedges can be vulnerable in Spring of box sucker. Fine pinprick-like mottling is a sign of box red spider. Although unsightly the damage from these creatures is rarely serious and is unlikely to affect the long-term health of the plants. Box tree caterpillars are a greater threat and these can attack every year and do long term damage. The best solution is manual removal or an organic insecticide.

Are dahlias difficult to grow from seeds? I have never read anything to suggest this is easy or worthwhile.

Maggie McEwan Weston-super-Mare The answer is some dahlias are easy to grown from seed - mainly the dwarf and single flowering dahlias. The ideal time to sow is March and April in trays or pots.

You will need to keep them at a reasonably high temperature -20C -and you should see seedlings in seven to ten days. Then transplant carefully into pots, as they will be very delicate. As they grow you will need to pinch out the growing tips when they have three pairs of leaves. Then harden off and plant out from mid May onwards.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

Are squirrels the chef suspects here?

I have a much-loved ‘ZZ’ houseplant and suddenly all the leaves dropped off it this winter. Why would this have happened?

Zamioculas zamiifolia, commonly called the ‘ZZ’ plant, is very sensitive to overwatering. It will grow healthily in sun or shade in a wide range of temperatures and can even tolerate drought but hates being overwatered and this may be the cause of the problem. To help it recover tip out any excess water and wait for it to dry out. Then only water very sparingly and hopefully it should be soon back to health.

What is eating my daffodil flowers?

Something is eating the blooms of my daffodils. The funny part is that the yellow daffs are not touched, only the white ones.

They are all naturalised and white and yellow ones, all different kinds, grow side by side. Fences surround us and neighbours have dogs, which are out at night. I have been out at night and haven’t seen slugs.

This is also the first year it has happened.

Pauline Salisbury Illminster The most obvious answer would have been slugs as normally daffodils do not attract animals. So it may just be they attack the flowers late into the night and then are gone when you check. Rabbits and squirrels are the next culprits on the list although squirrels would probably just damage rather than eat the flowers. The daffodil bulb itself is toxic to many animals that might burrow or dig a bulb up but a flower is a tastier item much like the leaves of the plant.

Rabbits have no compunction against eating flowers. If it is squirrels you could try sprinkling some fresh coffee grounds surrounding the plants to keep them away.

I don’t have a large garden but I have a patio and I’ve become successful at growing a whole range of vegetables.

I’ve asked a number of people if I can grow rhubarb in a container and seem to get a lot of conflicting answers.

Jennie Gooch Bournemouth In theory the answer is yes but this question is one that gardeners argue about. It isn’t the best patio crop and unless you are really keen on it this might fall into the category of being a nice idea but not a very practical one.

Rhubarb needs plenty of water and nutrients and it is difficult to meet those needs throughout the summer.

Potted plants even if you give them lots of room tend to become stunted so it would not be practical to pull many long stalks at harvest time. If you are keen to try more fruits in pots there are a lot which are more suitable such as strawberries and autumn raspberries. If you really want to grow rhubarb then try and find a spot of open ground where it will be a much more straightforward task.

The popular ‘ZZ’ plant

Why won’t my apple tree produce fruit yet a nearby pear is laden? The only thing I do notice is there are an awful lot of ants on the apple tree.

Catherine Peters Liss, Hampshire Most apples need a pollinator, another apple cultivar that will help the flowers set and produce fruit but sadly your nearby pear won’t do the job. You probably have a self-fertile ‘Conference’ pear tree which crops even if it is on its own.

Ants on an apple tree suggest it is infested with aphids or scale insects- ants love attacking these pests.

An infestation of woolly aphids which look like grey wool is a clear sign the tree isn’t healthy So you need to buy and plant another tree to allow nature to do its thing and if you see any of the aphid infestation brush them off the tree and add a compost mulch and feed the tree and fingers-crossed it Most apples trees need a pollinator might crop this autumn.

16

I read the other weekend that too many gardeners confuse diseased plants and shrubs with ones which are just stressed and therefore need an alternative way of dealing with them. How does the average gardener spot the difference?

Allan Keighley Plymouth With woody plants signs of plant stress can be overlooked and underestimated or just taken for a whole range of plant diseases. Understanding the symptoms of stress ,what to look for and how to deal with it helps with what action you need to take. For example, partially browned leaves on the margins of plants can indicate drought or wind damage. Young leaves are the most prone as they are thin. In this case check the soil moisture and browning should lessen as the plants become established.

Lead blackening may not be a disease and just a result of overwatering or if it a plant sits in waterlogged soil over winter. The solution here is to improve drainage or even relocate the plant. Browning of the whole plant indicates root or trunk problems You need to check for damage at the base of the plant as too deep planting can cause bark to rot and trigger root diseases.

Country Gardener

Rhubarb isn’t ideal for a container

I took the decision to plant some wild garlic as I use it a lot for cooking. It doesn’t seem to be doing very well. Can I help it to spread?

Lisa Young Shaftesbury You probably need to be careful what you wish for with wild garlic (Allium ursinum) as it is a native plant and should spread as the bulbs naturally increase. It will also spread by seed. It depends on how much you have sown but seedlings should emerge in spring and unless you deadhead the plants after the flowers fade you will soon have a large patch. In many gardens it can become a real nuisance but the good news is that you should be able to pick plenty of it soon.

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

- Julia

Planting the Piet Oudolf Way with Piet Oudolf & Noel Kingsbury

Upgrade your gardening skills

Wild garlic should spread quickly

I love my rhododendrons but I have two problems with them, which seem to be fairly consistent. Many of the buds just refuse to open which is very frustrating. And also the leaves of two of the plants are falling off leaving two rather sad looking plants.

Christina Graham y Waterow If the leaves on rhododendrons turn yellow and drop off or roll in on themselves the problem is almost always a lack of water. This is more likely to be the case if it was recently planted or if it is growing in a warm sunny spot. Try to keep them watered and well mulched to see if things improve or even in winter dig it up and move to a shadier position.

As to the non flowering buds the problem is probably bud blast, which is a fungal disease spread by leaf hoppers. These flying insects feed on the buds during summer and puncture them, leaving the buds black or grey and then refusing to open . The best way to treat this is to just pick off any affected buds as soon as you spot them. You could try an organic insecticide if that doesn’t work.

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17

PLANTS & ACCESSORIES

NEW SEASON FOCUS ON

PLANTS IN YOUR GARDEN It’s that once in the year time to stock up ready for the new season with plants and accessories There is so much to do in the garden at this time of year. For most gardeners however there will be will a priority of wanting to take stock and making sure they refresh their garden for the new season with something new.

This is a once in a year opportunity and the beauty about gardening is that it goes on giving you a chance to add plants, shrubs or trees which can bring a real fresh look. It can become a challenge to find that new accessory or some inspirational new plants. The answer for many of us is a specialist nursery or garden centre, which for the keen and eager gardener will yield rich pickings in March and April.

This spring things may be different. Some specialist nurseries remain open; others rely on mail order so please check with how they are operating. It will not change the fact they are the place for new plants and the advice you will be given first hand is reliable . They also offer great value and you will be able to share the passion they all have for the plants they grow and they should be your first port of call at this time of year.

So as spring starts to change gear we are delighted to offer you some options of where you can still go to buy that something special.

Abutilons, dramatic, showy flowers which you will adore Abutilons are dramatic shrubs of South American origin, grown for their almost year-round display of showy flowers, which are usually pendant, and bell or bowl shaped, with petals in any colour other than blue. The leaves, which are relatively large, vary in shape but often resemble those of the maple tree (Acer), giving abutilons the common name, particularly used in America, of flowering maple.

Abutilons were popularised in the UK by the Victorians who gave them pride of place in greenhouses and conservatories.

Their hardiness varies: the RHS rates abutilons as either H2 or H3 depending on variety, which means some will need protecting once temperatures reach 0C and others will take -5C. A few, such as A. ‘Kentish Belle’, will go lower than that in a sheltered position. They are well suited to growing in a large patio pot, placed outdoors from spring to autumn and then brought into a greenhouse or conservatory when winter arrives.

Hampshire nursery Paddock Plants propagate around 50 varieties of abutilon. www.paddockplants.co.uk For more information on growing abutilons see www.abutilons.uk

Rootgrow - the key to successful planting Many gardeners find using rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi an essential starting point to success when planting. You can treat any size of plant with rootgrow, from mixing a couple of teaspoons into the compost of a seed tray to a treating a whole planting project. The mycorrhizal fungi in rootgrow will quickly colonise new plants enabling them to explore a much greater volume of soil in search of nutrients and water resulting in faster establishment and greater yields. The empathy range of seaweed stimulants and fertilisers work in harmony with the mycorrhizal fungi, helping to nurture and feed the life in our soils and subsequently the plants themselves. rootgrow.co.uk

DELIGHT IN THE JAPANESE MAPLES SPECIALISTS

Barthelemy & Co, near Wimborne in Dorset, was established by a French nurseryman almost a century ago and the Skinner family now specialise in propagating and growing Acer palmatum – or Japanese maples.

Throughout spring, summer and autumn the delicate foliage of the acer presents exquisite shadings of ‘Mother Nature’s’ gold, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange and red. Acers are a delightful addition to anyone’s garden, giving an aura of peace and tranquillity. The ten-acre nursery at Stapehill has a huge collection of Japanese maples and expert staff are on hand to help select the right variety and to offer advice about caring for the trees. Over 100,000 acers are produced there every year, approximately 15,000 to 20,000 of them are grafted named palmatum varieties. As one of the largest specialist growers of their kind you will get a great product and excellent service.

Barthelemy & Co, 262 Wimborne Road West, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ Tel: 01202 874283 www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

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For expert advice and a wide range of varieties and sizes, visit our website and order online or come and visit us.

Open Monday to Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm Trehane Nursery, Stapehill Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7ND Tel: 01202 873490 www.trehanenursery.co.uk enquiries@trehanenursery.co.uk

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19

PLANTS & ACCESSORIES

Perfecting soil conditions for azaleas and rhododendrons

There is a hosta out there for everyone!

Hostas are mainly grown for their foliage, with thousands of varieties in a plethora of colours, shapes and sizes and once you start with them you can soon become addicted.

With a surge in popularity of hostas, there are many new collectors now. Lockdown has also created thousands of new gardeners.

A lot has to be taken into consideration when it comes to what hosta to start with, position, size, colour, pot or soil. As long as you go for a more pest resistant variety, you can’t go wrong and examples include H.’Catherine’, H.’Cathedral Windows’, H.’Sunset Grooves’, H.‘Dream Queen’ and H.‘Big Daddy’.

All hostas will happily grow in dappled shade, but some can cope with a good amount of sun.

The hottest part of the day is preferably avoided as this may scorch the leaves, but otherwise some will happily thrive in a sunnier position.

Garlic wash is just one of the options when it comes to dealing with slugs on hostas. It works well, costs the price of two bulbs of garlic and hurts nothing. It is just a deterrent, it disguises the smell and taste of the hosta; you do have to apply it regularly every seven or so days throughout the growing season but it is worth the effort.

Azaleas and rhododendrons need the correct soil type to grow with a pH ideally between 4.5 to 6 to grow and flourish. Soil types are defined by their particle sizes such as sand which have the largest particle sizes with excellent drainage but poor retention of water and clays with microscopically smaller particles and so compact holding excessive amounts of water. If you have sandy soils it is best to try and add some type of organic matter such as Melcourt Composted Fine Bark- an excellent product made from spruce (pines) which improves moisture holding capabilities. Spread 75mm (three inches) of Melcourt Spruce Ornamental bark on soil. This when decomposing can be lightly dug in to the surface of the soil and topped up again giving the soil a natural woodland effect. If you have heavy clay soils Melcourt Composted Fine Bark spread over the soil and Melcourt Potting Grit spread on top. One 20kg bag at approximately four square meters, then digging in to the clay (soil will help open and break the structure and let more air in to the root system.

Koirn, The Rhododendron & Azalea Centre, Crossroads Nursery, Woodlands, Nr.Verwood, Wimborne, BH21 8LN Tel: 01202 824629 Email: enquiries@azaleacentre.co.uk

PERRIE HALE - QUALITY AND BEAUTY SIDE BY SIDE Perrie Hale Nursery is a long-standing family business known for its quality UK grown stocks of hedging plants, shrubs, ornamental, broadleaf and conifer trees, fruit and soft fruit. Small trees are a wonderful way to add structure, flowers and attract wildlife to a garden and choosing carefully can result in year round interest.

One of the prettiest trees for blossom is Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ also known as ‘Blushing Bride’. Large blousy flowers open from dark pink buds and gradually fade to white, it also has fantastic autumn colour.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum – Katsura Tree has dainty foliage in the summer followed by golden autumn colour with the added bonus of a candyfloss like fragrance. You can also add interest by choosing trees with attractive bark such Acer griseum, Prunus serrula, Betula utilis jacquemontii ‘Snow Queen’ or Betula albosinensis ‘Kansu’. When you choose your trees, check the conditions it will be planted into as well as the eventual height and spread of the tree.

Talking with your local nursery can be an inspiration.

Contact Perrie Hale by telephone 01404 43344 or email: faye@perriehale.co.uk or visit the online shop www.perriehale.co.uk

Chrysanthemums Direct

THE RHODODENDRON & AZALEA CENTRE Visitors Welcome Mon-Fri 9.00am-4.30pm all year round Sat 10.00am-4.00pm Apr-May

LATE FLOWERING SATSUKI AZALEAS 2LT NOW AVAILABLE Koirin, Crossroads Nursery, Woodlands, Wimborne, Verwood Road, Dorset BH21 8LN (Near Verwood) Mail order available

Tel: 01202 824629

enquiries@azaleacentre.co.uk www.azaleacentre.co.uk Sorry, we don’t accept credit/debit cards

Holmes Chapel Road, Over Peover, Knutsford, Cheshire. WA16 9RA

Telephone: 0800 046 7443 sales@chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk 2021 Catalogue available online now or, contact us to receive your FREE paper copy.

The widest range available in the U.K. with over 420 cultivars, including a choice selection of hardy garden (Korean) varieties, plus many others suitable for the garden or exhibition.

www.chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk

JAPANESE MAPLES Acer palmatum varieties

Everyone needs a pair of

We produce and grow the largest selection available in the UK. Plants are pot grown and suitable for garden, patio or bonsai.

It’s time to be outside and enjoying your garden, allotment or a walk in our comfortable, waterproof, Backdoorshoes. They are lightweight and ideal for slipping off/on when you need to. Mens and Ladies range available online in sizes UK 3-14. We also have a range of Chelsea ‘Jumpy’ Boots and Wellingtons.

Footwear for everyone!

To see our full range visit www.backdoorshoes.co.uk or talk to us on 01202 232357 20

Country Gardener

Send SAE for descriptive catalogue.

Visitors welcome Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-4.30pm Barthelemy & Co (DCG), 262 Wimborne Rd West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ

Tel: 01202 874283 enquiries@barthelemymaples.co.uk www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

Heucheraholics

Chelsea Gold Medal winning Heucheras

NURSERY OPEN DAYS 2021

OUR ONLINE SHOP IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL

• Now is a great time to get your gardens ready to add some • • • • • • •

Sat 24th - Sun 25th April Sat 22nd - Sun 23rd May Sat 12th- Sun 13th June Sat 17th - Sun 18th July Sat 21st - Sun 22nd August Sat 4th - Sun 5th September Sat 2nd - Sun 3rd October

Heuchera ‘Wedding Bells’

Glorious Heuchera technicolour

• We have a the best range of Heuchera’s in the UK including many of our own introductions

• Heuchera’s for the garden and for containers and baskets • Heuchera’s for Fabulous foliage and some for Fantastic flowers

Heucheraholics Sales Area

The Nursery Open Dates for 2021 are now up on our website - following latest Covid Guidelines Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Boldre Nurseries, Southampton Road, Lymington, Hants SO41 8ND TEL: 07973 291062 / 01590 670581

www.heucheraholics.co.uk BUY ONLINE ANYTIME!

New Forest Hostas & Hemerocallis RHS CHELSEA GOLD MEDAL WINNING NURSERY

Our nursery is set in the heart of the beautiful New Forest National Park.

We are a small family run nursery specialising in growing Hostas and Hemerocallis.

Alongside our Hostas and Hemerocallis we also grow a selection of rare and choice plants.

OPEN DAYS April - 24th & 25th May - 22nd & 23rd June - 12th & 13th July - 17th & 18th Aug - 21st & 22nd All Days 9am - 5pm

Springhill Nurseries, Shirley Holms Road, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 8NG Telephone: 07876 676960

Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Shop online any time

www.newforesthostas.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

Trehane specialists in quality camellias Trehane Nursery Camellias have been a feature of British parks and gardens for more than 200 years, and many associate the name with large, blowsy, colourful, spring flowers. However, breeders are constantly seeking to produce new varieties from hybridisation of different species, and recently there has been an interest in those with smaller, simpler flowers, often scented. One is the camellia ‘Sugar ‘n’ Spice’, bred in New Zealand, which has dainty, light pink, semi-double flowers produced prolifically from February to April. With a compact, upright habit, it would be equally at home in a pot on the patio, or in the garden border. ‘Sugar ‘n’ Spice’ is available, along with many other unusual camellias, from Trehane Nursery.

Near Wimborne Tel: 01202 873490 www.trehanenursery.co.uk

D E D I C AT E D T O T H E C U L T I V AT I O N A N D C O N S E R V AT I O N O F A L P I N E P L A N T S .

WIRE ANCHORS ARE THE

supporting solution

Become a member today to receive a quarterly alpine plant journal, 20% off all gardening books, access to virtual plant talks and much more.

Want to support climbing plants and fruit up your fence without drilling into the concrete posts or screwing into the timber panels? Then here’s the solution - use Wire Anchors which are uniquely designed by Rivelin Glen Products and are quick and easy to attach to concrete fence posts without the need for drilling.

They act as an ‘eye’ by threading wire through them to create a trellising system.

Combine the Wire Anchors with the Gripple Trellising System to make a quick and efficient job to run the wires between the Wire Anchors. No knots, sharp ends, or twisting it can be easily tensioned by hand. No more sore hands or sagging wires!

Rivelin Glen Products are the main stockists of the Gripple Trellising System.

For more information, contact Rivelin Glen Products on 01246 462666, www.rivelinglenproducts.co.uk or info@rivelinglenproducts.co.uk

E: ags@alpinegardensociety.net T: 01386 554790 alpinegardensociety.net

Alpine Garden Society wants to see your plants Plant conservation charity the Alpine Garden Society are running a competition, open to both members and non-members, with some great gardening prizes to give away. To enter the competition, all you have to do is take a photo of one of the rock plants that are in flower now in your garden and post it on Twitter with the plant name and a bit of information about how you grow it, tagging the AGS in the post (@AlpineGardenSoc) to enter. The competition will be judged by some of the society’s flower show judges and there are some fabulous gardening-themed prizes to give away – including quality hand tools, kneelers and gardening utility belts. It will be the plant that is being judged, not the photo, but photos need to be good enough to enable the judges to assess the plant. The competition will go live towards the end of March. Keep an eye on the society’s Twitter feed for more information.

BACKDOORSHOES

- key accessories for a busy summer

Everything needed to create, maintain and enjoy a lush, high quality lawn the natural way 01795 411527 • info@plantworksuk.co.uk • rootgrow.co.uk Manufactured under the License granted by the Royal Horticultural Society Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

22

Backdoorshoes were created to solve the problem of how to make quick trips into the garden without having to bother with boots or getting soggy socks. They slip on and off easily, and are waterproof, lightweight, durable and comfortable with removeable, washable insoles.

The colourful, characterful designs continues to expand, with ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Bees’ joining the women’s range, in sizes three to eight and ‘Pebbles’ added to the men’s Chunky Tread range, which comes in sizes eight to 14 and ‘Dorset Daisy’ have been featured.

Lovely gift ideas for family, friends and not forgetting a pair for yourself! www.backdoorshoes.co.uk Tel: 01202 232357

Country Gardener

PLANTS & ACCESSORIES

Chrysanthemums galore to your door with 420 varieties Chrysanthemums Direct are the UK’s leading grower and supplier of chrysanthemum plants to the public. They stock over 420 varieties covering a wide range of different types, including exhibition and garden hardy cultivars and sell via mail order and have developed a sustainable packaging solution, which ensures that you receive quality plants, within 24 hours of dispatch, from the Cheshire nursery.

Chrysanthemums Direct grow over 1.2 million stems of incurved bloom chrysanthemums for the cut-flower market each year, with the majority going to Marks and Spencer.

They also supply a specific Chrysanthemum fertiliser, which gives great results and is used in the nursery.

Details of all the products are available at www.chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk

JURASSIC RECLAMATION SET TO GET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING There’s nothing like the delights of a reclamation yard to spark off the creative passions of gardeners. One to look out for is Jurassic Reclamation at West Bay Fields in Bridport, Dorset- a traditional reclamation yard with a large range of gardening related products to sort through and discover.

Many don’t realise that places like Jurassic remain open for visitors. They have lots of ‘ready to go’ items available. There are quite a few people that don’t even realise these places are available, open to domestic customers.

There is also confusion between scrap yards and reclamation yards.

Reclamation yards are fantastic places to find interesting and inspirational items for your home, your garden, or even your place of work and significantly very different from what you will ever find on the High St. Here you will find a range of reclaimed materials to make features out of and also that things can be repurposed which people have utilised in their gardens as features, vintage chimney pots, railway sleepers as raised beds. It will be a voyage of discovery.

Jurassic Reclamation Unit 2 Broomhills Farm West Bay Fields Bridport Dorset DT6 5LB

Northcote Hill, Honiton, Devon, EX14 9TH Tel: 01404 43344

'Growing in Devon since 1957' Growers & suppliers of native & ornamental trees, shrubs & hedging for: • Native, Formal & Evergreen Hedges • Screening • Woodland • Amenity • Wood Fuel • Gardens Now stocking a large range of ornamental trees & top fruit Call us for friendly and expert advice for species selection, planting & tree protection.

5% READER DISCOUNT online or call quoting CG5 by 30/04/2021 Call us for friendly and expert advice • Delivery available

Email: faye@perriehale.co.uk www.perriehale.co.uk

Heucheras - rewarding plants with real flower power

Heucheras are rewarding plants giving mostly a full year of foliage colour.

But what many don’t realise is that heucheras aren’t just about stunning foliage -many also have incredible ‘flower power’.

There are varieties that produce gorgeous wands of airy flowers that enhance the plant and attract many pollinators - especially bees.

The flowers range from white, cream, bright and pastel pink, green, lemon, two tone and deep red Many are repeat flowering - providing you remove the old finished flowers.

When you take the old flowers off, break them off from the base - don’t cut them off - this helps to produce a chemical reaction that encourages more flowers.

Some great varieties to look out for with lovely flowers are : ‘MEGAN’ - with its silvery foliage and tall beautiful soft bright pink flowers ‘WEDDING BELLS’ - Fresh green foliage with long spires of white flowers with pink tips - very pretty ‘ISLA’ - Silvery foliage with gorgeous pearly white flowers on strong wands ‘PARIS’ - Fresh green foliage with bright pink repeat flowers

Now is the time to give your plants a tidy up - remove any old dead foliage from the base.

Don’t be afraid to give them a ‘haircut’- a couple of inches above the crown of the plant and they will soon bounce back to life.

The team at Heucheraholics will soon be welcoming visitors for the popular Open Days. For more information visit www.heucheraholics.co.uk Heucheraholics, Boldre Nurseries, Southampton Road, Lymington, Hants SO418ND Tel: 07973 291062 Email jooles.heucheraholics@gmail.com

Paddock Plants

Unit 2, Broomhills Farm, West Bay Fields, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 5LB Tel: 07398 939692

grown #peat-free delivered #plastic-free

www.jurassicreclamation.co.uk Our reclamation yard and two storey showroom has an inspiring and large selection of reclaimed garden antiques, building and architectural materials and items for re purposing.

50 varieties of abutilon eclectic range of perennials, shrubs, ferns & grasses www.paddockplants.co.uk 023 80739912 or 0776 3386717 contact@paddockplants.co.uk

‘CORAL PETITE’ - Fantastic vibrant bright coral pink flowers over green foliage ‘LUCKY LANE LEMON’ - Very elegant long spires of lemony flowers ‘TIMELESS NIGHT’ Lush black foliage with gorgeous bright pink flowers

Whatever you are looking for, we are sure that we will have all you need to add creative flair and a unique style to your outdoor space.

Come and visit our yard & ever-changing stock.

We buy reclamation too! Contact us for a free, no obligation quotation.

We are regularly looking to source a wide range of antique and reclaimed items. www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

Shed loads of fun and comfort!

Since the lockdown, garden sheds have become the focus for investment, decoration and adornment so they have become even more of a special place.

A shed at the bottom of the garden is now far more than just a place to store tools.

It is an institution - a domestic oasis where gardeners seek refuge, an outlet for individual style, and above all perhaps a gardener’s need for a small space of his own. And it seems now a much more comfortable one.

New research has shown that garden sheds have become one of the most popular of all the aspects of gardening which have increased so dramatically in the past year.

And the most significant fact of all is that gone are the days of sheds as just shelter and storage for tools - a dumping ground which can become neglected and weather beaten.

Shed of the Year finalist in Wiltshire 24

It seems that in record numbers gardeners have been upgrading their garden shed into something which is more comfortable, more organised and even more beautiful!

Britain is often quoted as having more sheds per capita than any other country. Around two thirds of Brits own a shed; of those who don’t, 44 per cent would like to. The annual ‘Shedonomics’ survey also found that 62 per cent would be deterred from buying a home if it didn’t have a shed or a garden big enough for one.

But if you leave it to look dilapidated, it can detract from a great garden, so it’s worth spending some time making it into a garden feature. They are a large and permanent element in the garden, so it’ll be worthwhile.

And record numbers of gardeners have been doing just that in the past 12 months.

Although, that doesn’t mean you need to spend loads of money; instead a few tweaks and a lick of paint can totally transform your shed.

Start with a good clear out Sort out your tools and it’ll make your shed seem bigger. Group all of your tools, equipment and other stored goods and sort out what you regularly use. Dispose appropriately of anything that’s broken, or that you don’t use.

Then organise it Before you pile everything back in the shed, try putting in some storage. Aim to get as much as possible off the floor and onto the walls using shelves and hooks.

Country Gardener

In addition, old cupboards and chests of drawers are ideal for storage.

Finally, fasten in items that tend to fall over like garden canes and long tools like rakes and brooms.

Does it need painting again?

Wood swells as it absorbs water and shrinks as it dries out, warping and weakening the structure of your shed. A good quality wood treatment will save you money on repairs or a replacement shed further down the line.

These days, wood stain can be more than brown or green! There is a huge range of shades available and mixing two colours can give a great impact.

Then ‘tart it up’ Make it your own with decorative touches, such as attaching a trellis panel to one side to grow a stunning climber up the wall.

Embellish the shed with pots outside the door filled with lavender or other scented plants, so they release their fragrance when you brush past.

Help your garden wildlife by hanging insect hotels on the walls - they should be protected from the rain by the eaves of the roof.

Finally make it safe Now you have a stunning garden shed, it’s worth checking its protection. Minor repairs will help the building last much longer.

One or two sturdy padlocks will make sure your expensive tools and gadgets don’t go missing.

Two gardeners share why a garden shed has become a special place for them...

‘Memories of a garden shed which affected my life’ Peter Bennett remembers his grandfather’s Devon shed which was the start of his love of gardening and which he eventually inherited.

“The memories I have of my grandfather are almost all to do with his garden shed - a place he loved and invited us to. My grandparents had a such a wonderfully large garden with so many mature trees which were great for games of hide and seek, and for climbing of course.

He encouraged us to try gardening. He thought we would find it rewarding and fun.

I secretly believe that he was as pleased as punch that not only were we becoming interested in vegetable gardening, but his decision to let us make the raised bed instead of him doing it was helping to make us less reliant on other people later on in life, and in that he was spot on.

Like a great many retired people, he spent as much time in his garden as possible, but there were times, because he was getting on in years even then, that he felt the need for a sit down and a doze in his garden shed, though he fervently denied ever falling asleep, so we pretended that we had never heard his snores!

That shed was his sanctum and woe betide anyone, including our grandma, who entered

there without permission.

Tools were hung in military fashion on the walls, just as you would expect from an old soldier, and there was a battered old desk whose drawers were full of aged, musty gardening books, some with flattened spiders between the pages, and all dating from way before we were born. It was always tidy, always busy and always homely. He went down to his shed and spent hours there on the coldest days of winter and I remember an old oil lamp in the corner, which gave him light as night fell.

His two best friends used to meet him, not in the house but in the shed where a flask of tea in old bamboo deck chairs was in their mind so much better than the more formal front room.

So, many years later I still remember the old man and his kindnesses, his helping us to take an interest in gardening and his ability to point us towards self sufficiency without our being aware of it, but most of all I remember him every time I go down to my own vegetable plot, because you see, I inherited his garden shed.”

‘We turn our potting sheds into plant infirmaries’ Christine Ardle bought a shed for her Somerset garden seven years ago and it led her to be a more creative gardener.

“I love my shed. When I bought it about seven years ago it added something extra to my enjoyment of gardening. It gave a base to work from and led me to be more creative and adventurous about gardening because I had a base to work from.

Being in the kitchen sowing seeds wasn’t the same.

Potting sheds sometimes look like playhouses, so it’s not surprising that we spend so much time in them. Mine was fairly basic but I painted it a sea blue colour and it began to feel like a mini home. With the optimism of a child, I started to sow seeds of favourite flowers.

My work bench led me to work with the precision of an assembly-line worker; we tediously transplant hundreds of tiny seedlings.

Beyond these essential tools, a potting shed’s contents are as individual as the gardeners who toil in them, varying with the whims and necessities of their keepers.

I have a second-hand refrigerator which store bulbs or seeds that need a long period of cold www.countrygardener.co.uk

- not to mention drinks for long summer days.

Fans help keep me cool on warm days, while a small heater extends the season into winter.

And although I prefer the quiet seclusion of my shed, other gardeners I know just can’t work without their portable phones, clocks, and radios nearby.

I’ve found my shed to be the perfect spot for a favourite old, dog-eared rocker.

We turn our potting sheds into plant infirmaries, where sick plants are nursed back to health. Or research facilities, where, as aspiring botanists, we make discoveries and note our findings in journals.

Potting sheds are studios, where even those of us who seemingly lack creative talent can devise new uses for clothes pegs, or design perfectly sized seedling markers from toothpicks and transparent tape.

Of course, sometimes I relish just sitting there - relaxing in my rocker, listening to the patter of rain on the roof, patiently watching my garden grow.”

25

Keeping weeds

under proper control Weeding is an almost everyday and vital part of gardening but there are effective solutions available which mean you don’t have to reach out for chemical weedkillers If you were to track every hour spent in your garden, you would probably find that you do an inordinate amount of weeding. And while the first few weeks of tearing up these intruders can prove mildly satisfying, the chore soon wears thin.

It won’t be a surprise to many gardeners that the conditions they seek to provide for healthy plants –light, space to grow, adequate moisture and fertile soil also happen to perfectly suit the enemy to gardeners - weeds.

Most of them are native and these botanical ‘guests’ in our gardens add many hours of hard, back breaking work not just in borders but in cracks in paving or brickwork, lawns, gravelled areas carefully planted containers and yes, even roofs and gutters.

Weed control is arguably one of the key garden tasks.

Left to run amok weeds can destroy most if not all of the benefits of a garden.

The fact is some weeds can spread quickly and if allowed to flower and seed set will spawn a whole generation to deal with.

Before reaching for a synthetic chemical weed killer consider the many cultural controls that are available for gardeners trying to deal with this evergreen problem. The fact is that weeding can be therapeutic and it does keep you active and outdoors.

So why should we weed There are a number of good reasons: 1. Tidiness A freshly weeded garden looks neat, groomed and well cared for.

2. Competition Weeds tend to be vigorous and quick growing species that can out compete your expensive and much loved garden plants for light, moisture and space.

26

Country Gardener

3. Observation Weeding allows you to get up close and personal with your plants allowing you to spot problems, pests and disease you would not see if you were not paying so close attention.

Weeding usually needs to be done at very regular and fairly consistent intervals as soils contain a ‘bank’ of seeds of weed species waiting to germinate in favourable conditions. More also blow in on the wind or from bird droppings

Mulch, mulch, mulch Mulching benefits plants by keeping the soil cool and moist and depriving weeds of light. Organic mulches, in particular, can actually host beneficial insects, which seek out and devour thousands of weed seeds.

Some light passes through chunky mulches, and often you will discover too late that the mulch you used was laced with weed seeds. It’s important to replenish the mulch as needed to keep it about four inches deep (more than that can deprive soil of oxygen).

In any case, you can set weeds way back by covering the soil’s surface with a light-blocking sheet of cardboard, newspaper, or biodegradable fabric and then spreading prettier mulch over it.

The old saying ‘Pull when wet; hoe when dry’ is wise advice when attacking weeds. After a drenching rain, stage a rewarding weeding session by equipping yourself with gloves, a sitting pad, and hand hoe or trowel.

Under dry conditions, weeds sliced off just below the soil line promptly shrivel up and die, especially if your hoe has a sharp edge. In mulched beds, use a knife to sever weeds from their roots, then patch up any open spaces left in the mulch.

CONTROLLING WEEDS WITHOUT CHEMICALS

Digging out weeds The best way to clear an uncultivated area of weeds and grasses is to aggressively dig it over, removing all roots and leaves as you go. Remove large, established weeds with a spade, digging out as much of the plant’s rootball as possible to avoid regrowth. A hand fork is ideal for getting ‘down and dirty ‘with smaller weeds. Loose mulches and well-cultivated soil make plants easier to uproot.

There are ways to prevent weeds appearing in your garden.

You can reduce the number of garden weeds in future by mulching borders each spring with a layer of organic material such as well rotten manure or garden compost to about four inches in depth. Mulching stops weeds already in the soil from growing as they obviously need light to germinate.

There are material coverings such as landscape fabric or flexible spun or woven sheets permeable to water which can be laid on bare soil which has already been cleared of weeds. The fabric is a physical barrier to weeds growing from the spoil underneath and should prevent the roots of any that germinate in the soil making them easy to pull out. Gravel can be spread over the top of the material plants placed in holes carefully cut in the fabric.

All weeds can be controlled without weedkillers, but persistent or deep-rooted weeds may be very difficult to eradicate. Ongoing control is always necessary.

Annual weeds (which only live for a year) and epehemeral weeds (which live for less than a year) are the easiest to control, as they are usually shallow rooted. However, they can scatter seed prolifically, so usually reappear and require further control.

Deep-rooted perennial weeds (which die down in the winter and re-grow each spring) will re-grow from their roots if the tops are removed or burned off. They can be difficult to dig out and may grow up through weed barriers in time.

Pulling weeds Some devious weeds are easy to miss among ornamentals. Pull shallow rooted culprits such as willow herbs before they set seed. Smalls weeds can have disproportionately large tap roots so carefully remove the plant with as much root you can get to or all of the root. Attack thistles this way with gloves of course and make sure the whole root comes out.

DO’S AND DON’TS OF WEEDING Do •

Use lots of mulch as your prime attack on preventing weeds. Don’t forget to mulch containers to keep up the same attack on weeds.

•

Don’t be frightened about lifting border plants which have become badly infiltrated by weeds and thoroughly clear weeds from the roots before clearing the area and replanting. This is in severe cases but often necessary.

•

Try packing your borders with broad-leaved perennials such as helebores and comfrey to suppress and hide weeds.

•

Use a hand fork or a border fork to get as deep into the root of the weeds as possible.

Hoeing weeds Amongst the oldest of all garden tools, hoes are invaluable for weeding large areas quickly without bending too far. Use the hoe to sever the roots of weeds particularly young seedlings just below the surface, leaving the plants to wilt and die.

Weeds in paving Weeds, mosses and grasses love to grow in the cracks between paving stones or garden tiles. A thin hooked tool, a metal brush or patio knife will do the trick.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Don’t •

Add perennial weeds into your compost bin as many of them will be difficult to kill unless the bin is left at a high temperature for several years.

•

Leave weeds to flower and set seed as there remains a lot of truth in the saying “One years seedlings, seven year’s weeding’.

•

Don’t forget to start weeding now in early spring and get to them before garden plants start to grow. It is not too late in a month’s time but just a lot more work.

27

READERS STORY

‘MY BATTLE AGAINST CATS IN MY GARDEN’ Sophie Morgan doesn’t like cats and she doesn’t like what they do in her borders so she has been on a mission to find ways to deter them from her Somerset garden

I am writing to you about something which I guess will divide your readers when it comes to having sympathy with me or not.

I have had three gardens in the last 20 years, the last two at either end of Somerset, the first an enclosed garden near Somerton and now a bigger, more open garden outside of Weston-super -Mare.

For some reason which I can only put down to bad luck, each garden has been plagued, and I use the word carefully, by cats.

I am not a cat lover so let’s get that over with.

My bad fortune was to buy a house next to people who do and in this current case by cat-loving neighbours on both sides of me.

The cats, one from one side of the hedge and three from the other, all use my garden as their toilet. They are a nuisance and dig up my garden, attack birds and as I say use it as a toilet.

I have been really distressed over the last two weeks by their attacks on birds. I love birds in my garden and unless I can do something about it I am well aware that birds will see my garden not as a haven for peace and food but a dangerous place to be avoided at all costs.

So now I have become something of an authority on Scaredy cat plant (Coleus canina)

how to fight back against this enemy.

I get on well with my neighbours and have tried to talk to them about the problem in a friendly ‘Is there anything you can do to help’ sort of way but with the cats it is a lifestyle issue and I appreciate it is difficult, if not impossible for them to guarantee their cats won’t enter my garden.

So it’s down to me.

I spoke to the RSPCA a couple of years ago and the lady there politely sensed my anger and chose to warn me that even nuisance cats are protected under the Animal Welfare Act of 2006.

Their advice was fairly bland.

“Don’t offer them food as they will come back”. I didn’t anyway.

“Shoo them away by shouting and clapping”. That’s an everyday task for me and doesn’t make much difference.

“Make it difficult for them to enter the garden with high close boarded fences”. Do the RSPCA seriously expect me to spend a fortune of bordering my garden with high fences which athletic cats will probably climb anyway?

And finally.

Common rue (Ruta graveolens)

“Ask the owner if the cat is neutered and ensure there’s a suitable toilet area in their own garden”. I had visions of the owners having a stern talk to the cats and saying: ‘Come on Tiddles can you please use your own toilet and not that nice lady’s one next door.’

So during lockdown I have upped my game.

There are plants, which cats just don’t like. They include geraniums, pennyroyal (Mentha pugegoum), common rue (Ruta graveolens) rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) curry plant (Hellichrysum augustfolium) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon ).

So through a fairly long process of sourcing, buying and planting, my garden now has a liberal selection of these anti-cat plants. My first impression was they made a difference, gradually and pleasingly I thought the cats moved away and out of my garden more quickly than they had done in the past.

I was pleased to learn how much cats hate geraniums, as they are one of my favourite. Should I read something into that?

For humans, these garden plants emit a pleasant odour, but most cats find them unpleasant to their sense of smell I have been told.

Then a couple of weeks ago I came across the wonderfully pleasingly named plant called Scaredy cat plant (Coleus canina).

The name of the plant is enough to make you think these are the best plants that repel cats, but it is not the name that does it but the smell. Neither cats nor dogs enjoy the scent and these plants emit an extreme pee like odour, so not all people enjoy them either.

The advice which came with the plant told me to “place them directly in your problem areas either in a ring or a line. Cats will not walk around them to reach the remainder of your garden. These plants are low maintenance; you may be surprised at how easy they are to care for. They do well in dry conditions, so if you have a cat using dry areas of the garden as a litter box, plant one of these in the exact place”.

I would have bought these plants just for the name but they too seemed to have an effect.

The next month or so will tell me if I am winning the fight. The longer days, days when I would expect to see the cats enter my garden, will have me monitoring their presence and reaction to my plants with almost an obsessive fascination.

If by the summer it isn’t working, I am getting a dog, a big dog with an enthusiastic bark.

Pennyroyal (Mentha pugegoum) 28

It is my ace card -and I am prepared to play it.

Country Gardener

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29

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

IN THE

April garden

Spring should now be obviously with us, with perhaps daffodils even past their best.

April is a fabulous month in which gardens come exuberantly to life. Spring flowers show their faces, we can mow our lawns and we can plant our vegetables.

1

Start to really care for your lawn

Now is the time to start looking after your lawn. Sprinkle fertiliser or turf conditioner before the grass really gets going.

For a really good result, rake out all the thatch, dead weeds and blackened moss, and over sow bald patches. Pin a bit of horticultural fleece down with tent pegs over your seeded areas to stop the birds making away with the lot. Once the grass is growing, get mowing – not too short to start with.

Make sure you keep all edges tidy. As every gardener knows, trimmed edges can make all the difference. Most gardeners take the box off their cylinder mower when mowing, sprinkling the fine grass cuttings, which puts back organic matter into the lawn. If you are putting down turf this is the perfect time to do so. Work from boards to tamp the sods gently into place and spread your weight. Stagger the joints as you would bricks in a wall. If the weather is dry you may need to water to prevent curling at the edges. Feed established lawns with a slow-release organic fertiliser high in nitrogen to get things off to a good start.

2

3

Plant out sweet peas

After pinching out sweet peas last month, they should have strong side-shoots that will flower well. Plant them next to a support that they can climb by wrapping their tendrils around; they’ll need to be tied in with string at the start to get them going.

4

Bed of roses

Foliage-feed the first new growth on the roses and continue to do so every three to four weeks to avoid the use of toxic rose sprays. Any good organic tonic will help to ward off blackspot and mildew which will be lying dormant and ready to pounce. A handful of slowrelease organic blood, fish and bone spread evenly about the roots will set up the health of your plants.

30

5

It is time to plant dahlia tubers Bringing dahlias in for the winter doesn’t just protect them against frost. It also allows them to dry out properly, and helps you bring them on a bit earlier. They’re now ready to be planted.

Give tubers a sprinkling of water in early spring, and they’ll start to produce young shoots in April. Discard any tubers that look diseased or damaged.

Dig a planting hole, making sure it isn’t too deep.

The shoots are still delicate, and you don’t want to damage them.

Gently pour coarse sand over the tubers; this prevents them from rotting and it’s also a great slug repellent.

Backfill with soil and add a ring of sand to mark the planting spot. It’s also another useful means of combating those pesky slugs and snails.

Write labels for each dahlia cultivar and place them correctly next to each plant; a foolproof way to remember what you’ve planted in a few months’ time.

Undercover check

Inspect plants indoors for pests. Greenfly, white fly, mealy bug and red spider mite can spread quickly, so control by hand or introduce an organic pest control to prevent the problem getting out of hand.

Remove sheets of bubble wrap or any other material used to insulate the inside of greenhouses.

Hard frosts are now unlikely, so allow the maximum amount of light to penetrate the structure to ensure strong, even growth of plants.

Many window sills and greenhouse benches will be heaving with containers full of developing seedlings. To prevent seedlings from becoming weak and leggy, give them their own pot when the first set of real leaves appears above the rounded seed leaves.

Sunny weather can cause extreme temperatures even this early in the year and damage your seedlings inside greenhouses so turn down the heat by painting the outside with a whitewash, such as Coolglass. Alternatively, fix shade netting to the inside with clips. Leave in place until autumn.

Stop watering indoor cyclamen when the flowers and leaves start to wither. Keep the tubers dry until mid-summer, when they should be repotted.

Country Gardener

6

Seeds of time - weeds are a good indicator

When is the right time to start sowing seeds? It’s all too easy to listen to the experts or blithely follow to the letter what it says on seed packets but given the variations in temperature at this time of the year the only true way to tell whether the soil and conditions in your garden are ready for sowing is to look at the weeds. If the weeds are producing healthy happy seedlings then it’s going to be about the right time for you to sow seeds.

Why bother with creating a fine tilth? Seed sowing instructions always stipulate that you need to first rake the soil until you have created a fine tilth.

Why? If there are large lumps left in the soil when you drop in your seeds the emerging roots and stems are going to have to battle their way around these.

Each seed has only so much start up energy and the roots are going to need water and stems will need to find light very soon. If the underground air pockets are too big the plant may struggle to find water and without it they will shrivel and die.

In reality as soon as the ground reaches 6°C you can start to sow salad, beetroot and annual herbs, such as dill and rocket. The same goes for hardy annuals, such as larkspur, nigella or the meadow mix seed mixes. If your soil still feels cold lay fleece directly over freshly sown seed to hold in the heat.

Continue to sow seed of half-hardy annuals under cover. Sow in small pots rather than trays to save space, and prick out after the first leaf is fully formed. A pinch of anything as fine as salt will be enough for most gardens, but larger seeds such as ipomoea, tagetes and squash can be sown in pairs in 10cm pots. Never handle seedlings by the stem when pricking out.

Protect new shoots from slugs

8

The new growth of seedlings and herbaceous plants give all gardeners a buzz of anticipation.

It also excites slugs for another reason: food.

Although slugs can be active year-round, they are perhaps at their most destructive in spring. Slugs are a perennial nightmare for gardeners so get your action plan in place on how you plan to deal with them.

11 • •

• • •

9

What can we expect from April weather?

April is the second month of meteorological spring, and is the mid-point between winter and summer. It arrives with the prospect of warmer weather to come. However, although winter is behind us, April can still muster a damaging frost.

Daylight increases dramatically during the month. In the West Country, the month begins with around 12.5 hours of daylight and ends with almost 14 hours.

In a typical April we can expect around 12 days of grass frost, and just over four days temperatures to fall to 0 °C or below, creating an air frost.

Sunshine hours see a dramatic increase during April, when compared with March, with a 50 per cent increase in sunshine hours helping to warm soils. With more sunshine and with the sun reaching higher in the sky, the sun’s influence on temperatures begins to have a far stronger effect, helping to lift the average maximum air temperature into double figures for the first time in the year.

PLUS

– in the vegetable garden

Try direct sowing some new salad leaves, carrots, peas, beetroot, spinach and chard.

Sow some quick growing half-hardy annuals, like pumpkins, squash, sweetcorn, basil and French beans.

Plant maincrop potatoes.

Plant tomatoes and cucumbers (under cover).

Get ready for a mass sowing of hardy annual veg, such as spinach, carrots, beetroot, lettuce and radish. On heavy soil, integrate plenty of grit and organic matter.

On freely drained soil, only muck and/or

7

Container pots need to be given some tender love and care at the start of a new season. Refresh container plants by scraping off the top few centimetres of compost, pushing in some slow-release fertiliser pellets, then topping up with fresh compost. If the compost is a solid block, your plant has become pot-bound, so get a bigger pot, or cut back about 20 per cent of the roots by a quarter (trimming the rest so they fit in the pot), then replant in fresh compost and feed and water copiously.

10

• •

•

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Don’t forget the birds

Birds will be building their nests at this time of year, ready to lay their eggs. So make sure you keep them supplied with fresh food and water. There a tendency to stop feeding at this time of the year but the birds will still need your help.

12 compost need to go in.

Plant out onions, shallots and garlic.

Pot on tomatoes. It’s tempting to move tomatoes from a module or seed tray straight into their final, large planting pot, but this slows growth. Tomatoes like to feel contained and cosy; their roots can’t cope with a large volume of compost and tend to rot. Pot them only one size up and add a cane at their side to support them as they grow.

Plant asparagus crowns.

Refresh your containers

•

• • •

Last chance to…

• Deadhead daffodils but let the leaves remain.

• Boost pre-spring growth in pots and borders with blood, fish and bone or other fertiliser.

Clear diseased rose leaves that have fallen to the ground or remain on the bush and remove from the garden.

Prune buddleia before they fully start into growth.

Plant potatoes.

Sow seeds of sweet peas into deep pots or root trainers as they dislike disturbance to their roots. Or, instead, look out for young plants in nurseries and garden centres. Check whether they are grown for scent or for cutting. Some longer stemmed varieties may smell less strongly.

31

Everything

you need to start gardening on a balcony

You don’t need a huge outdoor space to start growing your own vegetables, enjoying herbs, planting a wide variety of colourful summer plants and generally enjoying gardening on a balcony Not everyone has a garden. That however doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy gardening - and lots of it.

Indeed, many people live in flats, apartments and maisonettes which enjoy a balcony and for many gardening does not feature high on priorities.

But there’s room for some greenery, wherever you live. Not only will it look good but studies have shown that it does you good too.

Balcony gardening presents a heap of challenges - a lack of growing space, often a shortage of available light, extremes of temperatures, limitations as regards the weight-bearing capacity of the structure, difficulties in terms of transporting plants, pots and compost - but the pleasure it gives when it’s done well is immense.

The classic beginner’s mistake is to clutter a small restricted space further with a jumble of small, mismatched pots, which have the unfortunate effect of making a small balcony feel even tinier while also making it much more difficult to keep plants watered and fed.

Small pots are also far more likely to blow over in strong winds, which is yet another inevitable challenge of balcony gardening.

Instead, go for several large, well-designed, frostresistant, lightweight pots in a neutral or classic shade that won’t date, won’t clash with your indoor furnishings and will provide a handsome foil for foliage and flowers.

Add pollinator-friendly pots of seasonal colour with flowering bulbs and bedding plants. Last but not least, leave some room for fast-growing, spaceefficient edibles such as salad leaves, nasturtiums and culinary herbs such as borage, sage and thyme.

Windy balcony If your balcony garden is an especially windy and exposed one, then consider offering extra protection in the form of semi-permeable screens/trellising/ wind membrane but do make sure that these are very well-secured. The last thing you want is a strong gale wrenching them loose and causing injury to a hapless passer-by.

Whatever its micro-climate, the plants that grow on your balcony garden will also need the very best growing medium you can offer them in order to thrive. Avoid peat-based compost, not just for environmental reasons but also because once it dries 32

out, it’s very difficult to re-wet and gets so light that containers quickly become dangerously top-heavy.

What can you plant on a balcony?

The first beauty that springs to mind is the olive tree, provided it occupies a sunny spot. They are drought tolerant and the small leaves allow the wind to pass through easily. What is more, they look amazing. The larger they grow, the more interesting they become, particularly those lovely trunks. Geraniums, or more correctly pelargoniums, will be perfectly happy in drought-like conditions. What’s more, they will give you some amazingly colourful flowers in the summer. Many ornamental grasses will like the conditions and plants that have edible leaves such as sage, rosemary and thyme are often robust enough to enjoy the above-ground habitat. There are root vegetables such as beetroot and carrots that can do well, and even raspberries, blackberries and gooseberries too. Be bold enough to experiment and you’ll soon be able to add to the list.

Plants with fleshy succulent leaves such as sempervivum, agapanthus and sedum will also cope well with these kinds of growing conditions as will low-growing varieties of ornamental grasses such as stipa, festuca and carex while the silver-leaved architectural plants known as astelia is another good choice.

Summer-flowering bedding plants such as ivyleaved geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum) are easy, flower well and trail softly.

Don’t forget the wildlife garden balcony Hang some bird feeders high away from cats. Add a bug hotel made from bamboo and hollow pipes in a sunny spot on a wall. And scented flowers will attract and feed our beloved bees.

With a little imagination, you can transform a balcony into a mini haven for nature. Look out for plants that will give pollinators a boost - you’ll be helping the birds that feed on insects.

Try to aim for flowers that are blue, purple, white and yellow as bees have good colour vision and can see these best; single flowers are preferred.

Butterflies enjoy bright yellow, orange, pink and red.

Avoid using pesticides - which are toxic to bees and other pollinators.

Country Gardener

Growing vegetables on a balcony Don’t be too ambitious. Plants hate being squashed up together and will only grow weakly if they haven’t got much space. Choose the deepest pots you can find.

The first thing to consider is it’s going to be windy. Plants will dry out quickly in windy conditions, and this can dramatically affect their productivity.

Don’t squeeze plants into tiny pots or you will end up watering more and ultimately reduce their lifespan. The more roots there are, the more you get to keep on picking your supper. Chillies and tomatoes are ideal for balconies.

Smaller varieties of chillies, such as ‘Numex Twilight’, will be happy in a fivelitre pot; larger fruited chillies need pots often ten litres or more, as do tomatoes.

One growing bag is enough for one or at most two courgettes, or you could sow salad leaves all over it.

If you’ve a little more room, use your growing bag for salad leaves by sowing a thick row at one end. Plant up your largest pots (at least 33cm), one with a courgette, and one with a few beans, and sow a sprinkling of carrot seeds in a 25cm pot.

Choose small fruiting varieties of these, such as ‘Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Sweet Aperitif’ or ‘Yellow Pear’; you get a long succession of fruit that is perfect for snacking or salads, rather than larger varieties with which you tend to get less fruit.

If you have walls suitable for hanging baskets, try tumbling tomatoes such as ‘Hundreds and Thousands’, ‘Tumbler’ or ‘Balconi Red’ and ‘Balconi Yellow’.

Kale, Swiss chard, runner and French beans all give lots of pickings in small spaces; with these, put a single plant in a pot of at least ten litres. All will cope with partial shade, too. You can get the beans to grow to the light with some inventive string supports.

The secrets of a successful balcony garden

Herbs are a must for your balcony Plant sun-loving herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage.

Remember to add in perennial herbs, because you get a lot for your money if you look after them well.

Rosemary, thyme, savory, chives and sage are all more than tough enough to take balcony conditions. Bear in mind, mature rosemary will grow to at least one metre wide and one and a half metres tall.

Basil won’t like windy conditions, so tuck it in between other large pots or add it around the base of tomatoes; they are good bedfellows, both improving in flavour from being together.

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1. Don’t be afraid to make a big statement in a small space. Many people end up having small pots and plants that don’t make any impact on the space, as they’re afraid to choose bigger ones.

2. As a general rule, the larger the pot, the less watering is required.

3. Everything you choose to put on a balcony will need to be drought and wind tolerant. They also need to be happy enough to live permanently in a pot. Their ultimate size needs to be small or they will eventually try to break out of the pot.

4. Generally, the small-leafed plants are more wind-tolerant than those with large leaves.

5. Think about pots that will keep plants warm, such as terracotta, in the sunshine. You can secure shelving onto walls and use the balcony rails and edges for planters that straddle the structure. But tie them down! Group plants together so they can protect each other and create their own microclimate.

33

GREAT DAYS OUT

Finally we can plan to get out and about The coming weeks and months will we hope finally start to see life getting back to normal.

For the first time in a long while there will be the chance to start to get out and about, visit gardens and nurseries, see the sights of spring and summer and begin even to plan for family holidays.

Its certainly time to start making some plans and there will certainly be lots on offer. Here are just some ideas.

Cotswolds Garden Flowers blossoming in lockdown Come and visit the gardens at Cotswold Garden Flowers. For much of lockdown Bob Brown has kept himself busy tending the flowerbeds and getting them ready for visitors. Whenever you come, there will always be lots to see with early flowers on plants such as euphorbia and epimedium, together with new growth and buds on the later plants. It’s always a good source of ideas for your own garden.

Sands Lane Offenham, Evesham WR11 7EZ. Tel: 01386 833849 www.cotswoldgardenflowers.co.uk

BLOSSOM SPECTACULAR AT BEAUTIFUL BATSFORD ARBORETUM Home to one of the largest private tree collections in the country, it’s in the spring that Batsford Arboretum comes into its own as the beautiful National Collection of Japanese Cherries burst into life with their fantastic flowering displays, with over 120 trees in clusters around the 56-acre arboretum.

Batsford Garden Centre is a haven for garden and plant lovers too, offering a fabulous range of quality, affordable plants and gifts.

Pre-booking is essential for Arboretum visits for nonmembers via www.batsarb.co.uk

Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AT. Tel: 01386 701441

Treasures galore in the spring Picton garden The Picton Garden in Malvern is best known for its autumn displays, particularly the wonderful Michaelmas daisies. But a visit in April offers a chance to explore the smaller treasures that thrive in the woodland areas of the one and a half acre garden. It’s a chance to wander alongside wood anemones, Epimediums, Trilliums and more. It’s also a great time to buy a few new treats for the garden from the adjoining Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Colwell.

Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Malvern WR13 6QE. Tel: 01684 540416

GLAMPING IN STYLE AND COMFORT After such a difficult year, we are all looking ahead to the summer and what better way to do this than with a luxurious glamping trip in the great outdoors!

Kymani offers bespoke luxury getaways in beautiful, rural locations. Kymani Exclusive Hire allows you to book an entire site to yourselves, to bring a group of up to 30 people together.

Kymani Collective Hire allows for a smaller group, with the same perks!

The sites offer proper beds and Kymani’s popular site in Herefordshire facilities.

Each six metre bell tent has one comfortable double bed and two single beds, bedside tables, woodburning stove, sofa and reading lamps, boot-rack, storage, full-length mirror and rugs. All bedding/linen, a power pack and charge points are included. Hot showers, real toilets and a magnificent giant Tipi with banquet table, lounge, games area and library are also included.

You can tailor make your glamping experience, by booking yoga, arts and crafts and foraging. You’ll also have the ability to pre-order food and drink before you arrive.

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

Prices from £197.50 per tent per night and includes breakfasts and dinners.

Visit our website www.kymanigetaways.com or email us at bookings@kymanigetaways.com 34

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

BatsfordArboretum

Country Gardener

@BatsfordA

@BatsfordA

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

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

Order your plants now for delivery in May. ORDER ONLINE or catalogue available by request.

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 Wednesday to Saturday 11am - 5pm, April - 31st July by booked time slots. Please book online or by phone. Garden admission £4 for adults.

Also open SUNDAY 4TH APRIL and MONDAY 19TH APRIL for the National Garden Scheme please book at www.ngs.org.uk

Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE

5% discount off your summer break!

Use code country5 at time of booking *Offer valud until 30th April

www.countrygardener.co.uk

35

WILDLIFE

The hovering

hunters

Hanging in the breeze above our gardens, acrobatically hunting for prey, kestrels are a wonderful sight high above our heads now thankfully restored to large numbers Easter is typically seen as a time of new life, and for the majestic kestrel April is no exception, as female birds get down to the important task of nesting.

The kestrel is perhaps the most satisfactory bird of all to watch, perking up many traffic jams by hunting alongside motorways for small rodents, hovering neatly 20-30 feet above the ground in all but the most ghastly weather.

It remains a wonderful sight in spring and summer especially on warm days when it hovers and swoops in its search for food.

It’s this resilient flying style that has led to its nickname of the ‘Windhover’.

Kestrels can soar over four to eight kilometres

Another reason to look out for them is as Britain’s most widespread falcon, you stand a good chance of actually seeing one, particularly as they hunt mostly in daylight.

Having bred in February, females will have located a nest site during early spring. Whilst they are adaptable about where they nest, kestrels never build their own nests, instead preferring to use abandoned crows’ nests, hollow trees, ledges on buildings or nest boxes. She will lay a clutch of three to six eggs in late April or early May, and sit on these for around 27 days per egg until they hatch, 36

whilst the male delivers prey to her. Once her fledglings reach 14 or so days old, she can finally begin to hunt, never straying far from the nest.

Watching a kestrel hunt is a truly startling experience, as the seemingly serene bird drops towards the ground at break-neck speed, with wings almost closed behind it, like a skydiver not deploying their parachute until the last second. At this point they touch down on the unsuspecting rodent with immensely sharp talons, and take off again to dine on a telegraph pole or other perch site. Whilst field voles are their most common prey, they have also been known to eat a variety of small birds, including larks, pipits and finches.

To tell apart females from males, try to gauge the colour of their crowns, as males have blue-grey head feathers, compared to the female’s brown colouring. Hatchlings are white and downy, whilst juvenile birds have the same colouring as the females, although the dark stripes on the underside of their wings are wider. If you are lucky enough to see a pair, the female can also be identified as slightly bigger than the male.

Whilst there is a tendency to view such a small, delicately patterned bird as intrinsically British, in fact the kestrel is wide-spread across parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. In the cooler parts of its range, such as northern Europe, the birds will migrate south after breeding, but in temperate Britain our species stay all year round.

In terms of range, it is a most adaptable creature, living in woodlands and happily alongside humans as long as there is ample vegetation.

Country Gardener

What is a kestrel?

Kestrels are a species of falcon. They are typically 32 to 35cm long, with a wingspan of 71to 80cm, weighing between 156g and 252g.

How many kestrels are there in the UK? Despite a significant decline in the 1970s and 1980s, there are still 31,000 pairs of kestrels in the UK, making it one of our most common birds of prey. However they are less commonly found in Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland.

How can I tell the difference between a kestrel and other falcons?

The kestrel’s most distinctive characteristic is its rare ability to hover, using its fanned tail to help keep it stabilised. Buzzards can also hover, but without a kestrel’s grace.

Male kestrels have slate-blue heads and dark, dagger-shaped triangles under the eye, with a buff chest spotted with black. In contrast, the larger sparrowhawk has horizontal barring across its breast.

In flight, the kestrel has much sharper wing tips and elastic wing beats, while the sparrowhawk is more hunched and tends to flap-flap-glide.

Although only slightly smaller, a merlin flies low and fast, while a hobby looks a lot darker, with bigger blotches on its breast and orange-red trousers.

How far do kestrels fly?

Kestrels typically patrol a territory of between four to eight square kilometres.

What do kestrels eat?

The vast proportion of a kestrel’s diet is made up of field voles - the most common British mammal. It will typically eat two or three a day, although in the breeding season the male will stockpile food, hiding it in a tree trunk or cavity before making deliveries back to the nest.

The falcons will also take wood mice and, if they need to, switch to small birds such as meadow pipits and yellowhammers. The remains of much bigger birds have also been found in kestrel nests, such as moorhen chicks and collared doves, alongside the bones of frogs.

COMPETITIONS

Win vouchers from online plant shop perfectplants.co.uk offering the joys of indoor gardening to everyone If you assume gardening is only appropriate for those with a garden, think again. There are many who have no outside space at all. And others who are unable to move around comfortably outdoors because of health or mobility problems. Does this exclude them from gardening? Emphatically, no!

Interest in indoor gardening has increased particularly during the last year.

Indeed, houseplants have reached the pinnacle of chic in terms of interior design and their popularity seems to know no bounds.

How can plants help our health?

Science shows houseplants are capable of absorbing toxins from the environment. They mop up pollution and are beneficial when placed around computer equipment.

The joys of indoor gardening Indoor gardening gives the chance to nurture something that responds to human intervention. Plants can be shaped and preened, re-potted, fed and watered. Indeed, some people talk to their plants whilst others sing to theirs.

Outdoor plants can also be used for indoor gardening. Not everyone has a garden, but most have an external window and maybe a door.

Right plant, right place If you own a conservatory, there are plants that love bright conditions. They include palms including the Canary Island date palm, the ponytail palm (Nolina maya), succulents including Crassula varieties, cacti and even citrus plants complete with full-sized lemons and grapefruit. Ferns like to be kept out of direct sunlight and others such as Aspidistra (nick-named the cast-iron-plant), are able to withstand about any position.

Every plant has unique characteristics. Member of the Marantaceae family including Maranta, Calathea, Stromanthe and Ctenanthe, tend to fold up their beautiful leaves at night. They are known as prayer In addition: plants for this reason. They originate readers of Country from rainforests where they gather light Gardener can use the during the day but need protection from too much moisture at night. unique voucher code: Want to know the biggest cause of death to houseplants? It’s over- watering. Plants can easily be killed with kindness.

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Competition! Can you name one houseplant that folds its leaves together at night?

Email your answer to info@perfectplants.co.uk or write to Perfect Plants Ltd. Church Road, Herstmonceux BN27 1RL. Closing date: 30th April. The first correct answer, chosen at random, wins a £50 gift voucher from Perfectplants.co.uk. There are four runners-up prizes of gift vouchers of £25 each.

Your chance to win a tea gift set with the taste of China

With more time on our hands, the need to relax at home, the appreciation of the ceremony of making and tasting specialist tea is second to none. Loose-leaf tea provides the perfect excuse to take your time.

The Pinestone Tea Luxury Green Tea Gift Set is a new artisan tea experience that offers wellbeing physically and mentally to the drinker.

We are offering Country Gardener readers the chance to win one of ten sets to help soften the wanderlust a little with the authentic taste of China.

The tea comes in a high-quality presentation box with three distinctive teas each offering something unique.

100g Lung Ching: This stunning tea, also known as Dragon Well, is unrivalled in quality and taste. It must be produced in the traditional, hand-panned style to bear the world-renowned Lung Ching mark. 18 bushes were granted imperial status during the Qing Dynasty; those trees still exist, and their tea sells for a higher price per gram than gold.

100g Chun Mee: Produced by hand, it requires no fewer than ten different hand movements to shape, turn and press the leaves to create the perfect combination of aroma, flavour and colour.

100g Jasmine: Jasmine is a favourite the world over. The tea is harvested in Zhejiang province in spring but stored carefully until summer when the jasmine flowers are picked and mixed with the tea.

The Pinestone Tea Luxury Green Tea Gift set

To win a gift set just answer the following question: How many Lung Ching bushes were granted imperial status during the Qing Dynasty?

And send your answer on a postcard to include your own name and address to Pinestone Tea Competition, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD Entries close Friday 30th April.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

Since our first issue of 2021 Country Gardener readers have again been busy putting pen to paper and sharing their views and thoughts. If you have a gardening topic you would like to raise, write to Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

So someone explain what happened here?

LITTER MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL Is it me or is the littering problem getting much worse? As I drive around our village each morning I see bin bags in laybys and the amount of casual littering on the verges makes my blood boil - fizzy drink cans, water bottles, crisp packets, you name it, it is there.

Nature never ceases to amaze me. About 15 years ago I bought an Acer palmatum. It did nothing so after four years I moved it.

It still did not do well. Its leaves were small and sparse but went purple red in summer and changed to deep blood red in autumn.

I have even had drink cans thrown over my wall and into the garden.

I appreciate how local authorities are in a no-win situation: clear it up and the same problem largely repeats itself a few weeks later; leave it alone and you invite more people to do the same. And that is without considering the environmental and eyesore issues it creates.

The penalties for littering should be much harsher and better publicised. And our children should be better educated about the perils of littering. Perhaps schools should be asked to help out in litter services by tidying up their localities -potentially a good educational exercise and a service to local areas.

Karen Stephens South Harting, Nr Petersfield

NOT JUST OLD CROCKS! When I watch gardening programmes time after time I see presenters when they are potting up, put crocks in the containers supposedly over drainage holes to help water escape and not clog everything up. This may be a convenient way of using up broken old pots but I have always been convinced it just isn’t necessary. So many people now say you don’t need to bother putting crocks over drainage holes in containers, that water will always find a way out.

Adding crocks just gives you less space for compost and doesn’t improve drainage at all.

As long as you raise pots off the ground in winter, when they can easily get waterlogged, meaning that the roots rot, you don’t need crocks. In my garden I use Lego bricks, which make for a nice level pot, and wine corks laid on their sides are good, too. So time for television folk to get more up to date.

Christine Youngn Newton Abbott

Venus fly trap and a bad reputation I enjoyed your recent article about the Venus fly-trap and it reminded me of the time years ago when these plants became first available and gardeners were a bit suspicious of them. We had one or two on sale at our local garden club fair and they attracted a lot of attention but one elderly lady had to be assured that it would be still safe if she bought one to let her budgie out!

Annie Clark Gloucester 38

LET A MEMBRANE DO THE WORK Some years ago I had a great tip for keeping weeds out of a new border. It is simply just to lay a membrane over the whole area and then cut holes and pop the new plants in. A neighbour helped me do this and at first it seemed a bit of a performance – getting the woven black plastic membrane which lets in water but keeps the light out and therefore suppressed weeds. It comes in a roll and is easy to cut and lay down and then gets covered in mulch.

That was I think four years ago and it works – no weeds and hours and hours of not having to weed at all.

Peter Richards Painswick Country Gardener

Acer palmatum

So other than giving it a few words of encouragement I left it.

After another four years a remarkable thing happened. As the leaves started to appear in spring they were much more profuse and were new green with a red edge. The tree began to flourish and autumn saw it change to a brilliant orange colour. I am at a loss to understand and explain how this could have happened botanically or genetically. The leaves were not produced on new growth, they were the same branches that had borne red leaves.

It has remained ten feet in height and is a joy. I am delighted with the tree but cannot explain what happened.

Andy Bradford Midney, Somerton

SUBSCRIPTIONS

In praise of my pampas grass One of the highlights of summer in our garden is when our pampas grass blooms. I urge more gardeners if they have the room to try these wonderful architectural, dramatic plants. They provide a feature in a bigger garden and a real talking point. The blooms appear in late summer as fountain-like clumps that stand about four feet above the mounding plant. I use the flowers in dried arrangements.

While they’re extremely easy to grow, however, it’s important to know what you’re getting into before planting pampas grass around the garden.

Don’t be so quick to plant it simply because it looks good. It’s actually a very fast grower as we know from our experience and can become quite large, and ours is about 14 feet high and ten feet wide. So not for the fainthearted!

Kate Renton Dartmouth

YES, WATER IS THE KEY TO IT ALL I read the letter in your March issue about the inexperienced gardener who was very honest in sharing her mistakes. I was brought up with two rules when it comes to watering. The first: never water at midday and secondly before you water stop and think if it is really necessary.

Plants are designed to live outside and to draw natural moisture from the earth without the need for daily artificial irrigation (unless we’re experiencing a drought). I poke a finger about two inches into the soil around the plant; if it’s very dry, add some water. The exceptions are container plants which, because there are a lot of them in a finite amount of soil, will need regular watering.

Not watering at midday has some proper logic to it.

One being that the surface of the compost will be a lot hotter and you get much more evaporation, more quickly, so it’s more wasteful and less beneficial to the plant per litre applied.

And sometimes, droplets on foliage act as miniature lenses, so you can cause scorching. I’ve seen it, particularly in a greenhouse, but it can happen when you get extreme weather.

Mark McSeveney Topsham

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We all hope there will be soon be a lot more to look forward to when it comes to getting out on garden trips but I know so many friends who have been deprived of our much loved NGS Open Gardens days out over the past months. We all appreciate what some gardens have done to offer us online visits and they have been a pleasure to sit and watch. Not of course the real thing and we’ve all got our fingers crossed for when these wonderful gardens, all cared for so lovingly can open up again and let us garden lovers back in.

Maggie Hepworth Exeter There are some gardens open for the NGS in April and many virtual garden tours on their website. Go to page 5 for more details.

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Choosing the ideal irrigation method for your garden A well-watered garden is a happy garden but there’s a rather baffling range of different irrigation options on the market. From water butts to sprinklers, rainwater tanks to capillary watering planters it can be tricky knowing which one to choose. And how much water does your outdoor space actually need anyway?

are now many styles and shapes to choose from.

Rain barrels and stone-effect Roman columns are possible if you like that sort of thing and some are large, very decorative 2-in-1 planters.

So is a water butt the way forward or would a timed irrigation system or solar powered set up be better?

Here we take a look at the general points to consider.

More than one tap is often a good idea, especially if there’s more than once access point. A diverter attached to the down pipe, allows surplus water to drain away if the butt becomes full.

If you’re short on space, a 100 litre Prestige Wall Mounted Water butt is particularly popular with its British-made sleek modern look and no messy diverter. Thanks to its slimmed down design and concealed brackets it’s perfect for flats and balconies too.

Larger automatic irrigation systems

Capacity-wise the average water butt is around 250 litres but many are as large at 1500 litres or as small as 100 litres.

The most common option: Water butts Did you know just one average-sized water butt can hold enough rainwater to fill a watering can 50 times? That’s a lot of free water.

Water butts can be used on their own or in addition to other irrigation solutions.

Be aware as well of the ‘footprint’ of the butt - can you move around it if you need to, and how much floor or wall space will it take up?

Large systems may be necessary if you have polytunnels or a substantial area to irrigate. Both of these can particularly lend themselves to Rainwater Harvesting Systems which allow large volumes to be collected and pumped to where water is required ‘on demand’.

Automatic water irrigation systems can make watering large spaces and polytunnels so much easier and quicker. They also help to avoid overwatering or under-watering, or watering in the wrong place.

Underground water storage tanks

When it comes to water butts, size matters. It’s worth going for the biggest one you can, as you’ll always find some use for soft, clean rainwater that’s cost you nothing. Having said that, be careful to match the size of your water butt to the space available. A huge one stuck on the side of a small or low level property is likely to look out of place.

Remember, if the storage of large amount of water is required, you may consider installing an underground tank.

Next up: Materials Ensure the water butt you choose is strong enough to do the job. Water is heavy, so don’t risk your water butt distorting by choosing a cheap alternative.

Water butts should also have well-fitting lids so that small animals and debris don’t fall in. On this point, remember to keep your water butt or tank clean with an anti-microbial tank freshener.

Design and Shape When it comes to water butts particularly, there 40

As the name suggests, underground rainwater harvesting tanks are designed to be installed below ground level instead of above it. They’re ideal where space is at a premium, or when a property owner doesn’t like the aesthetic of other above-ground options.

only great for sustainable living but saves money on your water bills too (especially if you’re on a meter). There are loads of different types and styles available to suit your needs and preferences, from pretty decorative ones to traditional green barrels.

The benefits of a water butt don’t stop there The beauty of water butts is that they collect water in the wetter months ready for use all year round. No worries about hosepipe bans, and there’s always a ready supply of rainwater for your thirsty garden!

Water butts are long-lasting and incredibly simple to install. And as rainwater is natural “soft water”, there’s no chlorine or other chemicals present - ideal for strong, healthy plants.

Ready to choose the ideal water butt for your outdoor space? Visit www.freeflush.co.uk/ prestige and browse their extensive range.

Once installed, below ground tanks take up no space at ground level at all. This means there’s no restrictions around the lawn, patio or garden that can be placed on top of them.

Getting water into and out of the tank it is typically easier as the pipework can be routed underground as needed.

There is also far less chance of algae growth in the tank, thanks to the cold, dark conditions.

Water butts Collecting rainwater in a water butt is not Country Gardener

Water butts can be decorative as well as useful

HELP YOUR PLANTS

feel right at home The last 12 months has seen another explosion of interest in house plants but putting the right plant in the right position seems still to be a problem There is absolutely no doubt of the health benefits of being surrounded by greenery in your home. Adding plants will not only make it look amazing, but enhance your mood.

However the huge increase interest in houseplants over the special circumstances of the past 12 months has led to a lot of plant casualties as finding the right conditions for the plants hasn’t always been a priority.

There are of course houseplants to suit all but the darkest of rooms.

Can plants make people happier?

Understanding light levels

What are some of the other benefits of being a plant owner?

Any house can be a challenging environment for plants so before you purchase, take a look at where you plan to place your plant and whether it will enjoy its new environment. Knowing where the natural light falls in a room is crucial. Most houseplants respond well to bright indirect lights usually found beside a window that gets direct sun for half of the day.

Another factor is seasonal change.

In winter when levels of lights are at their lowest it might be necessary to move plants closer to a window or even to a brighter room. All house plants will naturally grow toward the light source, a process called ‘phototropism’.

In order to avoid misshaped or leaning specimens, it is best to turn your plants a quarter turn every time you water them.

As a guide, if it is too dark to read a book it is also too park for plant to grow. Also take care of putting plants near extremes in temperature such as around radiator or open fires

Absolutely, plants make people happier! The act of choosing, nurturing and watching your plants grow is both therapeutic and gratifying. Aesthetically, greenery softens the hard edges of our spaces and is soothing to the eye. There are also a plethora of studies that show that nature and indoor greenery benefit us both physically and emotionally.

There is something immensely gratifying about a thriving indoor plant that is constantly throwing out fresh leaves. Knowing you are providing it with all it needs to remain happy and healthy is super rewarding.

Don’t give up if there’s an odd failure!

Plant casualties can be discouraging and a real knock to one’s confidence but they happen to even the most experienced of plant owners. The important thing is to learn from any plant deaths and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Keeping an indoor garden is one big experiment. Look at what’s not working or what might have gone wrong and take that knowledge into future plant endeavours.

Perhaps you’re keeping the wrong plants for the conditions in your space or are killing them with kindness through over-watering.

PLANTS WHICH LOVE THE FULL SUN

Aloe ‘Lizard lip’

Cephaloceereus senilis

South facing windowsill and rooms tend the get the full intensity of light and there are plants which love this and will flourish.

Aloe ‘Lizard lip’ Small rosette-forming succulent with tapering leaves patterns of paler green, with its leaf margins edged with tiny white teeth.

Cephaloceereus senilis This is called old man cactus because of its woolly appearance and it is a very popular plant and a native of Mexico and is best on a sunny windowsill to encourage hairy growth.

Echeveria agavoides Reminiscent of an agave this is a striking, rosette-forming succulent again native to Mexico where it grows in rocky areas.

PLANTS WHICH WELCOME LIGHT, NOT FULL SUN

Ficus binnendijkii

Pilea pereromiodes

Ficus binnendijkii A plant which is idea for a bright room, a narrow leaf fig which has glossy, green willowy leaves and a graceful upright habit. It tends not to be too sensitive to altering conditions in a room.

Pilea pereromiodes Popular for its very unusual form, this is a wonderful foliage plant with succulent shield shaped leaves and very easy to propagate.

Anthurium ‘Rainbow Champion’ Tall brightly coloured spathes bring a touch of the tropics .The newish cultivar has deep green leaves and grows to about three feet.

FOR SHADE LOVERS

Aspidistra elatior ‘Ashi’

Echeveria agavoides

Epipremnum aurem Also known as goldenpothos this is a very versatile plant that can be grown as a creeping vibe or even in a hanging pot The heart shapes leaves are variegated.

Aspidistra elatior ‘Ashi’ Known better perhaps as cast iron plants aspidistras are perfect for shadier corners, are easy to care for and are rewarding companions. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Pilea pereromiodes 41

The Jardin de Cactus is a cactus garden on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and has earned its reputation as one of the great specialist gardens of the world.

Many of us will be clinging on to the hope that this time next year, or even earlier, we will be able to safely and easily travel again. Escaping the cold, dreary days of a British winter, when little can be enjoyed in the garden, is a must for many of us.

The Canary Islands, a four- five hour flight from the UK, is the perfect winter sun destination for those not wanting to fly long-haul.

Lanzarote, the northernmost island of the Canary archipelago, lies 125 km west of the coast of Africa.

Of the seven Canary Islands, Lanzarote is the most dominated by its dormant volcanoes whose eruptions formed the island and also a large part of the dramatic blackened landscape seen today.

HEAVEN IS A

cactus garden

by Kate Lewis

This landscape, with its poor soil quality, strong winds, year-round sun and lack of water, does not make for good growing conditions. In spite of this, the people of Lanzarote have managed to work in harmony with nature in creating successful environments to grow crops - most notably vines for its flourishing wine industry - and create picturesque gardens in the blackened soil.

One of the most notable and most visited gardens on the island - The Cactus Garden - was the final project of artist, architect and activist, Cesar Manrique, whose vision and influence can be seen in numerous landscape and building projects.

On his return from New York in the 1960s, Manrique set in place a movement to develop tourism without high-rise development and in keeping with his aesthetic deals of blending art with nature.

It is this fusion of environment and design that is so clearly experienced at The Cactus Garden, a ‘cactarium’ located in the village of Guatiza in the north east corner of the island. For centuries the area was the centre of the island’s important cochineal industry, the red dye a valuable commodity made from dried, crush and boiled cochineal insects. Although the industry is a fraction of what it once was, fields of prickly pears are still grown to produce the cochineal insect which feed on the sap of the plant.

The site was an abandoned quarry once dug commercially for Picon, the black, volcanic ash used widely on gardens, vineyards and arable land as a surface covering for moisture retention, and spotted

by Manrique as ripe for regeneration.

The Picon quarry in Guatiza had ended up as a rubbish dump, but Cesar Manrique decided it could be transformed into a visitor attraction to

42

Country Gardener

showcase the cactus plant so important to the area’s economy.

black - mirror the surrounding landscape as far as the eye can see.

Construction started in 1989, and in 1991 the doors opened to the public. As with all of his projects, Manrique’s aesthetic of fusing art with nature remained at the forefront of the garden’s development.

It was this ‘equilibrium between culture and fertile nature’ that won the garden the Carlos Scarpa Prize for Gardens in 2017.

Manrique even restored the 200-year-old windmill set above the garden to its original working condition. Visitors can look around the mill to see how gofio - a type of canarian flour made from roasted grains - was made.

Using the original format of the quarry as the garden’s structural basis, the circular garden is laid out on different tiers much like a Roman amphitheatre, in which to house 4,500 cacti and succulent plants of every shape and size, from the size of tea cups to imposing columns.

Among the 696 species, from 17 different families, are floor creeping varieties, eight foot trees, rose-shaped blooms, and domeshaped plants, many of which transform the garden into a sea of colour when in bloom.

Traditions from the surrounding landscape can clearly be seen as you stroll around the terraced garden, from lava stone walls to semi-circular windbreaks to protect plants from the island’s forceful winds, while the colours of the garden - red, ochre and

One of the most peaceful corners of the garden is its ‘monster’ a stone water feature in the shape of a monster, the water running from its mouth into a lily pond. And when you have explored the garden to its full, the trendy cafe offers... you guessed it... a cactus burger.

Lanzarote’s famous Cactus Garden (Jardin de Cactus), towards the north of the island in Guatiza, is known as one of the gardens of the world. Developed under the guidance of César Manrique it showcases over 10,000 different plants. Opens 9am to 5.45pm www.cactlanzarote.com/en/cact/jardin-de-cactus www.countrygardener.co.uk

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45

READERS STORY

April can be a cruel month

- TRUST ME, I KNOW

COUNTRY GARDENER READER JOHN FARRELL IS WARY OF US ALL THINKING THE ARRIVAL OF APRIL IS A SIGN THAT THE WORST OF THE WEATHER IS OVER AND HE HAS WORDS OF WARNING ABOUT THE DAMAGE WHICH MIGHT STILL BE LURKING I am I suppose a semi professional gardener.

By that I mean I garden for wages in half a dozen small to medium sized gardens on the Somerset and Dorset border. I also have a two-acre garden of my own, fruit trees, raised beds and a couple of nice borders. So my life is very much an outdoor one and in the garden, fresh air and paying attention to the weather.

I read your magazine every month. In it and in others which I come across you all make a big thing about April, the arrival of spring, the growing season, the busiest month of the year and so on.

All quite right but the thing about April is it should come with a fairly severe gardening health warning as it can be the most unpredictable of months and so many gardeners believe that once it arrives we are over the worst and it’s just sunshine and showers all the way to summer.

Gardening in April is a balancing act.

On one side the resurgence of growth, shoots flourishing, life in the soil returning.

On the other hand the vagaries of our spring weather where we all study weather forecasts to see if a frost is imminent or what else will or will not reach us.

Do you remember four years ago?

In the second and third ten-day periods of April, the weather brought a series of frosty nights, with catastrophic consequences in many places for fruit growing and horticulture. So much damage was done and losses were so high because vegetation was already well advanced following an exceptionally warm spell of weather in March that continued into the early part of April. The frost had a devastating impact because of the early start of the growing season and then in the second half of April, it affected the sensitive blossoms, the initial fruiting stages and the first frostsusceptible shoots on vines.

These ‘spring-like’ shocks which hit us now and again should be heeded more by gardeners as temperatures often result in many plants and trees breaking dormancy prematurely. This sudden drop to below freezing can wreak havoc on tender new growth.

All too often, unseasonably warm temperatures in late winter and early spring can cause big problems in our gardens and landscapes.

My main worry is how vulnerable soft, new growth is. This is when protection is needed, against all aspects of this weird month.

Last April was wonderful, the weather made even more memorable as we battled to get used to coping with the first Covid

Editorial

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

lockdown but my, was the sunshine some sort of wonderful compensation.

I had sunburn on some of my early plants which never really recovered.

Getting plants used to air movement is a key issue of hardening off, soft leaves can be desiccated by even a gentle breeze and spindly, delicate plants may not survive at all.

My experience of April weather in mine and in other gardens is quite sobering.

There was the potential season-ending loss of flowers that bloom on or before June (i.e. azaleas, hydrangeas and rhododendrons), the plants themselves usually fare much better.

The newly emerging leaves on deciduous shrubs burned or blackened or as though it has turned to mush after a late season freeze. Fortunately, in many cases (and depending on the severity and duration of the freeze) damage is often confined to the foliage.

Newer branch growth and tips are also subject to dieback.

Evergreen shrubs have been damaged in previous Aprils damage, usually in the newest tissue towards the top of the plant. Older, thicker foliage further down, may or may not show signs of damage. Signs of damage include brown or black discoloration or limpness.

Trees respond similarly to shrubs. Although the foliage on prized trees might look terrible right now, trees must have leaves to survive. When a late season cold snap fries the foliage, new leaves will emerge to take their place. In the event tree branches suffer dieback, I have cut back dead limbs to healthy growth to improve appearance.

Some perennials and bulb foliage take a hit as well and this is my memory of that April of 2017. In the case of hostas remove the damaged foliage right away allowing the new foliage to come on unencumbered. If the foliage has turned to mush all the way to the ground, go ahead and remove it.

Annuals and warm season vegetable plants that appear to have melted away are not coming back. I consider this a valuable lesson learned. There is a reason you hear not to put these plants in your garden until after the risk of the last frost has passed.

But the reality is that the garden must cope with the weather but my plea is that we gardeners must give it as much help as we can during this often weird and unpredictable month.

So I would remind all your readers of T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land: ‘April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.’

Who could have put it better?

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Country Gardener