Hampshire Country Gardener August 2021

Hampshire Issue No 131 AUGUST 2021 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Don’t let your garden RUN OUT OF STEAM! Inside:

Plus:

Our popular guide to garden speakers

It’s pruning month; Dealing with tomato blight; Autumn hanging baskets; Solving your tree problems; Win an old fashioned roller mower; High summer gardens open for the NGS; Hydroponics - the plants that grow in water; Our wonderful ‘Bee roads’; Gardening news and places to visit throughout Hampshire

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2

Country Gardener

CUTTINGS

Gardeners cuttings

in Hampshire

Dahlia field not at its best until late August

The well known dahlia field run by Gilberts Dahlia Nursery at Sherfield in Hampshire will be open from Tuesday 17th August when visitors can walk amongst the dahlias on grass pathways. Seating is positioned around the field.

Due to the poor weather in early July it has been Dahlias show will be later this year suggested visitors make the most of the displays at the end of August or beginning of September onwards as the dahlias have not put on the growth they would have done in a normal year. This year the dahlia field has been extended and on show will be seedling beds. It’s a chance to view the tree dahlias along with the large collection of dahlias, all colours, shapes and form. The field closes 30 minutes before the nursery closes.

Visit www.gilbertsdahlias.co.uk for up to date news and any Covid restrictions. The dahlia field closes for the season from mid-October or the first frost.

Gilberts Nursery, Dandys, Ford Lane, Sherfield SO51 6DT

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Gardens in Hampshire opening for the NGS by arrangement It’s not always possible to get to a private garden’s open day for the National Garden Scheme and many people like to be able to book a private visit to tour the garden at another time that suits them.

Some gardens have both specific open days and are also open by arrangement, while others are only open on a by arrangement basis.

There’s still time to book a private visit to a garden open for the NGS this summer, including some in Hampshire that open for the NGS in this way.

Although the gardens open for the NGS, it is necessary to book a visit directly with the owners, whose details can be found on the NGS website.

Gardens opening in Hampshire for the NGS, by arrangement with the owners, include Hambledon House, at Hambledon, Durmast House at Burley, Down Farm House at Whitchurch, and Ferns Lodge at Hordle near Lymington.

Hambledon House, the home of Capt and Mrs David Hart-Dyke, the parents of comedian and actress Miranda Hart, has a three-acre partly walled plantsman’s garden with large borders, unusual shrubs and perennials, and hidden, secluded areas. The garden opens by arrangement between April and October.

The garden at Durmast House, which was designed by Gertrude Jekyll, is being restored by the current owners. There are hot and cool colour borders, a formal rose garden and a long herbaceous border, many old trees, a Victorian rockery and an orchard. The garden opens from March- September; group openings include a talk on the garden’s history and its planting, and a conducted tour.

Down Farm House is a two-acre garden created from an old walled farmyard and the surrounding land, with many of the original features, organically grown vegetables, succulents, an alpine bed created from the old concrete capped well, informal and naturalistic planting, wooded area and orchard. The garden opens by arrangement from January until December for groups of up to 30.

EXBURY GARDENS HOST ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’ The spectacular grounds of Exbury Gardens in Southampton host a one night performance of Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Wednesday, 25th August from 7pm, which promises to be a glorious welcome back to theatre under the stars.

Ferns Lodge is a captivating cottage garden, around a Victorian lodge house with winding brick paths, gazebo and terrace; another three and a half acres of Victorian garden is being restored. The garden opens for groups of up to 20 from April until September.

Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway, Summer Lane, Southampton SO45 1AZ

For more details of these and other gardens that open for the NGS, and to book a visit, go to www.ngs.org.uk and follow the links.

Hampshire specialists step up to artificial grass quality Artificial grass is now sophisticated and environmentally proactive

Artificial grass sales continue to attract much more interest from gardeners. One of the keys to the growth of interest is the improvement in the quality of the artificial grass available. Hampshire based specialist producers Namgrass have a new ecofriendly artificial grass product now available, enriched with Pureti.

The new option arrives when the UK’s air pollution is being monitored daily. A Pureti treated metre squared of Namgrass is comparable to the air purifying effects of one mature tree planted. Taking this into account plus the fact that the UK’s average garden size is 50 square metres, Pureti offers the same CO2 equivalent to planting 50 trees in a family back garden.

Namgrass products are designed and manufactured to make them hard-wearing, easy to clean and able to withstand heavy garden use. The addition of a Pureti treated surface means a benefit from a reduction in dust, grime, mould, or algae build up, leading to an elimination of odours and a significant improvement in outdoor air quality.

Jared Gardner, sales director at Namgrass, said: “Cutting edge technology has always been at the heart of the Namgrass brand and we are delighted to be able to now offer a sustainable solution to artificial grass across our range.” www.namgrass.co.uk

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.

Cover Image: Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ - stunning late summer and early autumn colour www.countrygardener.co.uk

3

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4

Country Gardener

CUTTINGS

New Forest built stylish bird table a tempting invitation We are all getting more refined when it comes to feeding birds. So if you are looking for something stylish to attract your feathered friends then one Hampshire company has exactly the thing.

Perch & Settle is a New Forest based, design-led manufacturer of outdoor furniture, garden art and contemporary bird tables with a mission to bring beauty and sustainability to the products that we use in our outdoor spaces, helping us to enjoy them more and engage with the natural environment.

These striking new bird tables are a dramatic departure from tradition, combining contemporary design with the practical considerations of providing food, shelter and shade for wild birds.

The four-leafed bird table is supported on its four-stemmed stand, designed to resemble the stems of daffodils emerging through the grass. The table is a real statement piece for private gardens at 900mm across. www.perchandsettle.co.uk Perch & Settle, The Coach House, Stuckton Farm, Stuckton, Fordingbridge SP6 2HG

Open day for national roscoea collection

Constance Spry exhibition at The Garden Museum

Lovers of the tropical perennial Roscoea plants have a dream weekend in store on Saturday, 7th August and Sunday, 8th August when an Open Day is being held for the National Plant Collection of this plant native to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. They are plants which superficially resemble orchids. There will be a special tour of the collection with advice and growing tips. The event which opens at 10am on Saturday and closes at 4pm on Sunday, costs £5 to enter and is in support of Plant Heritage.

For more information call Mr B Clarke on 07919893060 or email brambleboy70@btinternet.com.

Constance Spry in action

The event takes place at St Athens, Houghton, Hampshire SO20 6LS.

CALLING HAMPSHIRE GARDEN CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS Over the last few weeks garden clubs and associations have been letting Country Gardener know they are starting to plan meetings, events, trips and talks for the autumn and into next year. If you are starting to make plans for club events remember to let us know and we will include them free in our popular Time Off section which looks as if it could be returning soon. Email us at timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk or send to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton Somerset TA4 3AD.

HAMPSHIRE CELEBRATES NATIONAL ALLOTMENT WEEK Allotment holders from all over Hampshire will come to the fore when the National Allotments Week is held from Monday, 8th August until Sunday, 15th August with events throughout the county -and a virtual allotment show.

The week ‘s theme is Plotting for the Future, celebrating the contribution that allotments make to a sustainable future. National Allotments Week started in 2002 as a way of raising awareness of allotments and the role they play in helping people to live healthier lifestyles, grow their own food, develop friendships and bolster communities. www.nslag.org.uk

Calling all flower arrangers – and anyone interested in the history of flower arranging. There is still time to get to the exhibition celebrating the 20th century flower arranger and gardener Constance Spry which is running at The Garden Museum in London until late September.

The exhibition explores Constance Spry’s exceptional life, achievements and legacy, with exclusive access to her archive, which is held at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library. There has been new interest in Spry’s work in recent years, as a new generation of florists has discovered her approach to floristry.

The Constance Spry archive at the Lindley Library was deposited there after her death in 1960 and have not been displayed publicly since. The exhibition displays 100 photographs, documents and personal items never seen before.

Constance Spry and the Fashion for Flowers runs until Sunday, 26th September, 10.30am-5pm. The Garden Museum, located in what was the old parish church of St Mary at Lambeth, next to Lambeth Palace and the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, can be found at Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB. There is a café and shop, and there is also now the chance to climb the 131 steps to the top of the medieval tower to see views of the Thames to Westminster.

For more details visit www.gardenmuseum.org.uk or phone 020 7401 8865

The September issue of Country Gardener will be available from Saturday, 28th August www.countrygardener.co.uk

5

IT’S PRUNING MONTH! Now is the time to cut back the vigorous growth of shrubs and climbers.

It is important to keep them in shape but more importantly encourage them to focus all their strength on producing next year’s buds From April through to the end of June most woody plants grow at a phenomenal rate. But by the early weeks of August nature has put the brakes on and that mad rush of leafy growth is pretty much over.

So it’s the time to take many plants into hand.

Thinning and reducing the amount of foliage controls size and allows more air and sunshine through the plant, speeding the ripening of flowering and fruiting wood and is diverting the plant’s energy into the important task of diverting the plants energy into producing flower buds for next year.

Summer is also a perfect time to prune vines which have a tendency to ‘bleed’ or produce sap when cut as they will bleed less now that growth has slowed. However you can’t hack at everything in sight and your pruning should take into account when a plant flowers.

Anything which blooms in spring should be left alone otherwise you will be removing next spring’s flowering shoots.

The plants to tackle now are summer-flowering and fruiting shrubs and climbers.

Late summer is the best time to prune many midsummer-flowering shrubs to keep them vigorous and flowering well. It is also the ideal time to prune several trees that are prone to bleeding if pruned at other times, and it’s not too late to complete the pruning jobs for July if you haven’t got round to them yet.

Any nurseryman will confirm that one of the most common problems gardeners ask them about is the lessthan-exuberant performance of climbing plants: wisteria with plenty of growth and no flowers; clematis with a topping of flowers and bare stems; honeysuckle and jasmine that grow into dense thickets of woody stems.

“The solution to all these problems lies in both pruning the plant correctly and in training it against its support in a way that encourages flowers rather than foliage.”

6

The solution to all these problems lies in both pruning the plant correctly and in training it against its support in a way that encourages flowers rather than foliage.

To get most climbers to flower well it is essential to begin forming the basic shape you want the plant to grow into as soon as it is planted.

WISTERIA Wisteria is a vigorous plant that will produce lots of long, whippy shoots, which, if left uncontrolled, can dislodge roof tiles, clog gutters and creep into attics. Even worse, they won’t produce any flowers. For best results, in August, tie in any stems that are needed to fill in gaps against the wall, or to extend the plant over a pergola.

Cut back all the rest to about 30cm from the point from which they have grown. This is important for future flower-bud production.

CLEMATIS Clematis that flower from late June and July should be cut back hard. Remove all growth to a pair of buds about 30cm from the ground in February or early March. The first time you do this can be unsettling – especially when you can see new growth appearing further up the stems you are cutting off. But hold your nerve, cut the whole plant down and a few months later you will have lots of young, fresh vigorous growth covered in buds and flowers.

CLIMBING ROSES It is essential to train the stems of climbing roses horizontally to produce a good display of flowers. Place supporting wires 30cm apart and tie the stems along them with soft string at 30cm intervals. Prune back side shoots by about two thirds of their length in autumn. Cut old, woody stems back at their base to a new shoot and tie any later growth from this in, to fill the gap.

BUDDLEJA This shrub bears its scented flowers on stems produced the previous year. So to ensure good flowering next year prune immediately after flowering is over at the Country Gardener

beginning of August. Remove any dead or damaged growth and shorten lop-sided or over-long shoots to balance the overall shape of the shrub. Old and neglected shrubs can be rejuvenated by cutting out one-in-three stems, starting with the oldest. Either cut them back to a sideshoot lower down or remove them completely.

ILEX (HOLLY) Bushy evergreen hollies such as Ilex crenata as well as holly trees trained as hedges, such as the common or English holly, can be pruned to shape now that the growth has stopped but before the stems are fully ripened. It is important to leave the pruning of formal hedges to this time to avoid re-growth that will spoil the hedge’s neat outline.

LABURNUM (GOLDEN RAIN) Laburnums are best pruned during late summer because they are prone to bleeding if pruned in spring or early summer. Take care to remove any shoots that appear from below the graft on grafted trees.

Laburnums are prone to cavities after severe pruning if the collar at the base of the branch is damaged or stumps are left behind. For this reason it is worth raising the canopy when the tree is still young and keeping the stem clear as it grows.

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7

Houseplants that will thrive in your

bathroom

More of us than ever before are filling our bathrooms with moisture-loving plants which love the warm humid atmosphere, absorbing the extra humidity An injection of foliage is a great way to breathe life into a functional and sterile bathroom - and with its low light and high humidity, it is the perfect home for many houseplants.

But while those very conditions might be a tropical paradise for some, other plants could barely last the duration of a shower without wilting and withering - so choosing the right plant is essential.

Showers, baths and running hot water make bathrooms a naturally humid environment so look for plants that need these conditions to thrive.

Beware of plants that tick the ‘low light’ box, such as succulents, but also need dry conditions so wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for bathroom life.

Bathrooms tend to be smaller spaces with less space on the floor so think about plants that will fit onto a windowsill or shelf. Or, if your toiletries have claimed all the shelfspace, why not try hanging a plant from the ceiling or wall in a hanging planter?

Bathroom plants are now a popular trend amongst homeowners, in a houseplant market which has boomed since Covid lockdown last year with one estimate that there are now twice the numbers in our homes than two years ago.

If you take the Snake Plant as an example, it has a host of great benefits for your health so it is no surprise bathroom plants are such a popular trend.

MONSTERA If you only have space for one houseplant in your bathroom, make sure it’s a Monstera. Both the Monstera Monkey Leaf and the Monstera deliciosia, also known as the swiss cheese plant because of the holes in the leaves are excellent bathroom plants.

Monsteras are happy in medium light and environments with around 40-50 per-cent humidity.

However, they thrive best in rooms with at least 60per-cent humidity.

SNAKE PLANT The snake plant thrives in more humid climates and even has the ability to purify the surrounding air.

It comes in many different forms and makes for a perfect addition to a windowsill or standing unit.

This tropical plant is believed to be able to absorb 8

Plants that love humidity are great for bathrooms and will thrive because they replicate their natural tropical climate. They’re hot, humid and bright, which are three things moisture-loving plants need to be happy and healthy.

Pruning and caring for your plants can also be a bit like taking a meditative moment, giving you five minutes to forget about your worries and stresses.

We’ve pulled together a plant selection below.

While some plants are happy to tolerate low light levels, all plants need some light to survive and grow. No living plants can survive for too long in a bathroom without windows.

Think about it this way: how often do you use your bathroom every day? Most of us are only in there for a short time while we shower and bathe. Because the lights are rarely on, a bathroom without windows becomes dark, replicating night-time conditions for the majority of the day. This prevents plants from carrying out photosynthesis, which is a key process they use to turn light into oxygen and energy.

If your bathroom doesn’t let in any natural light, pop your plant elsewhere to keep it happy or you can always move a low light-loving plant like the Zamioculcas in and out every week so it gets good light for the days it is on the windowsill.

pollutants that can have a negative impact on your body.

DEVIL’S IVY Despite its name, this plant is a must when sprucing up your bathroom. The elegant vines will help to create an outdoor haven in your bathroom. Keep the plant in an area with moderate lighting and it will create an eye-catching appearance.

PEACE LILY When creating a relaxing spa-like ambience in your bathroom, no plant portrays this better than the Peace Lily. This plant is a combination of green leaves and beautiful white flowers when in bloom.

This low maintenance plant is the perfect statement piece for a shelf, cupboard or even situated on the corner of a bath.

Country Gardener

ORCHIDS Despite their elegant appearance, orchids are actually more robust than you’d imagine. As an orchid blooms, it creates beautiful flowers that will last for months. There are many types of orchid, but the majority need good levels of light.

FERNS If your bathroom is shaded for large parts of the day, then a fern is the perfect bathroom plant for you.

There are various varieties of fern and most thrive in the shade, as well as being relatively small in size.

Ferns can adapt to various climates which make them one of the ultimate bathroom plants.

TREE SPECIALIST

Your tree themed QUESTIONS ANSWERED Mark Hinsley’s regular column in Country Gardener addresses tree themes, threats and projects which reflect his role as a leading south west arboriculture consultant. His views and advice are always in demand so in this special two page feature he sets out to answer a batch of readers questions.

Q1.

I think the protected tree in my new garden is dead. Can I

remove it?

The vast majority of mature trees near homes are perfectly safe

Dead trees can be removed

Answer. Yes - as long as it is dead. However, unless it is immediately very dangerous, you need to give your local planning authority five days’ notice before you do so. This is to give them time to decide if they wish to enforce a statutory replant requirement. It is worth remembering that, if the condition of the tree is queried after it has been removed, the burden of proof that it was indeed dead is on you - so take plenty of photographs of it before you act.

Q2.

I have bought a property which has several mature trees in the garden and some of them are very large oaks which are quite near to the house so how do I know if they are safe?

Answer. Well - they have lasted this long, which is a good start! ‘Safe’ is not a word we use on its own because nothing in life is 100per-cent safe. ‘Reasonably

safe’ is what we are looking for, bearing in mind that the risk to life from trees is very low. If you have a flight of stairs in your house, you are 200 times more likely to have a fatal accident falling down them than to be killed by a piece of falling tree. Having said that, it may be worth getting the trees checked for potentially dangerous defects, particularly if they could impact upon your neighbours or the public. If you do this, ask a consultant – not a tree surgeon. You need somebody who does not make their living from tree work and who carries Professional Indemnity Insurance rather than just Public Liability.

Q3.

Will the council accept responsibility for my protected tree if I am not allowed to cut it down and it then causes damage to my neighbour’s property?

Answer. No. Or, at least, not unless in your application to remove the tree you have made a case that proves that damage to your neighbour’s property is foreseeable. Vague arguments such as ‘if the tree fell over it would hit my neighbour’s house’ - are not strong enough. A defect that would make the tree likely to fall on your neighbour’s house would be required.

Or, ‘my tree’s roots might undermine my neighbour’s www.countrygardener.co.uk

Damaged trees can cause tensions with neighbours

foundations’ would not wash unless you had proof relating to soil type and foundation design that again would make it likely that damage would occur. If a local planning authority refuse permission to fell in the face of proper evidence that there is a significantly enhanced risk relating to a particular tree, they may be liable for any resulting damage but only for a year after their decision is published.

Q4.

I am having problems with a tree in my neighbour’s garden blocking light. What can I do?

Answer. Turn the lights on? In truth, without the willing co-operation of your neighbour, not a lot. If the tree is not protected by a Tree Preservation Order or in a Conservation Area you can cut overhanging branches back to your boundary – but no further. If the tree is protected you can apply to the local planning authority to prune back the branches on your side of the boundary and, if they give consent, you can go ahead and do that. You need to remember that anything you cut off an overhanging tree is still the property of the tree’s owner. You are legally required to offer the cuttings back – this is not carte blanche for just chucking everything back over the fence. However, 9

TREE SPECIALIST

“I am having problems with a tree in my neighbour’s garden blocking light.

What can I do?”

However, if this is an individual tree standing within the boundaries of your neighbour’s property your only chance is to talk nicely to them, perhaps invite them around to see it from your side and employ your best negotiating skills.

Q5.

We have a red leaved tree which I believe to be an almond. A white powder-like substance is growing on its’ trunk. I would be grateful if you could advise us whether this is harmful to the tree and if it is, how to treat it?

Q6.

I have managed to grow two Persian Silk Trees from seed.

One plant is now nearly five ft tall and the second one is nearly three ft tall. Not having a conservatory, I keep the young trees in my glazed porch. I do not know what the next step is – indoors or outdoors?

entire hedge cut back hard and it grew again until March without any spots. Now the lower branches are getting the same spots again. What is this disease, and can it be eliminated?

Fungal leaf spots

Is this a purple leaved plum?

Answer. Not sure about a red leaved almond; I wonder if what you have is a purple leaved plum? The white powder growing on the trunk could relate to scale insects which create the white powder to protect themselves. They are not usually a major problem, but if they are adversely affecting the vigour of your tree, they may be controlled with insecticides. Some people try scrubbing them off with detergent – not sure how effective that is.

10

Answer. Sounds like you have a couple of Albizia julibrissin. They should be fairly hardy in Somerset, but you will need to be careful with them at times.

Generally, they will take temperatures down to about -5C. You need to put them in a sheltered south facing sunny spot, if you have one! In the winter if hard frosts are forecast you can protect them with horticultural fleece. A good 100mm deep, 1m diameter woodchip mulch in the autumn should protect the roots from the cold. If you get a bit of frost damage on the tips, just prune back to the next live bud. Albizias will grow to four metres high with a similar spread, so – outdoors, unless you wish to move out yourself!

Q7.

I have a myrtle hedge in my garden which last summer developed yellow and black spots. I had the Country Gardener

Answer. It sounds like poor old myrtle is suffering from fungal leaf spots. The pattern of development you describe certainly fits the bill. The fungus over-winters in the leaf litter and releases spores in the spring. These cause a primary infection on the lower branches. This infection then spreads from those branches up through the plant. You can reduce or prevent spring infection by removing the fallen leaves over winter, but you do need to be very thorough because it does not take much to reinfect. You can also gain some degree of prevention by maintaining a coating of fungicide on the twigs in the spring. Also prune out new infected growth as soon as you see it. As with just about any disease it is also especially important to maintain good health and vigour in the victim plant. Mulch after you have removed the fallen leaves in the autumn and do not let them dry out if we have a drought.

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

Meet the chalk marking Rebel Botanists A group of amateur botanists are promoting the thought of ‘plant blindness’ - the idea that people don’t see the plants on the streets

Chalk markings which started to appear on pavements around Plymouth are now a thing people look forward to seeing.

The markings identify and highlight the importance of flora growing in the cracks of paths and walls in the Devon city.

A group of amateur botanists called the Rebel Botanists have started a mission to label so-called weeds on verges and pavements.

The group, who have posed for a Wild West picture wearing their Covid masks, draw on the work of guerrilla artists like Banksy to list facts about everything from a handsome tree to a straggly plant.

They aim to raise awareness about the environmental role plants play - for example 500 invertebrates can feed on a single silver birch in the city centre.

And while the chalk washes away in the rain, the group hopes that the messages will sink in with those who see them.

In the UK it is illegal to chalk anything - hopscotch, art or botanical names - on paths or highways without permission, even if it educates, celebrates and fosters interest and knowledge in nature. So technically it’s not long before laws are being broken. They could face a £2,000 graffiti fine.

“We could get fined for this,” says Liz, as she grabs a crayon from the bucket to write Cymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax to you and me) on the path, with an arrow pointing up towards the plant. “That’s a big name for a little flower,” adds Liz. “It’s just the prettiest thing ever.”

One anonymous tree name chalker said: “I’ll keep labelling as I go on my daily walks. I think it’s really tapped into where people are right now”.

The rising international force of rebel botanists armed with chalk has taken up street graffiti in towns and cities across Europe.

The reaction to the graffiti, including around Plymouth Hoe and around the city centre, from everyone from Plymouth City Council to casual passers-by, has been ‘incredibly positive’.

The council itself, partly due to staff shortages in the coronavirus crisis, last year reduced it’s mowing of

verges and other grass areas to let wild plants grow.

Founder Elizabeth Richmond, who started the group in March last year, said: “When people learn to recognise a plant, they begin to notice it and respect it. Curiosity is the first positive step to learning, for all ages.”

The idea of naming wild plants wherever they go which began in France - has gone viral, with people chalking and sharing their images on social media.

More than 127,000 people have liked a photo of chalked-up tree names in a London suburb, while a video of botanist Boris Presseq of Toulouse Museum of Natural History chalking up names to highlight street flowers in the French city has had 7m views.

Charlotte Underwood gets straight to the point. “The word ‘weeds’ is banned in the Rebel Botanists,” she says. “There is no such thing. There are just plants growing where you don’t want them.”

Charlotte, a former teacher now running her own dog-walking business, is not wrong.

Now, if scrambling around on your hands and knees sniffing at the shrubbery is not your thing, then walking around and gaining a bit of free knowledge about the flora around you cannot be anything but positive.

She was inspired when she saw a photo, of a French lecturer Boris Presseq, writing plant names in chalk on the streets.

Elizabeth added: “What a great idea, I thought.”

In Plymouth, the Rebel Botanists are encouraging people to adopt the green verge in front of their houses to stop them being mowed at the wrong time.

“There are no such thing (as weeds). There are just plants growing where you dont want them.” www.countrygardener.co.uk

Chalk messages are appearing all over the city 11

READERS STORY

‘I HAD NOTHING LEFT TO SPEND ON MY GARDEN’ Creating a garden from scratch with no money can be a daunting prospect, but it can be done – as architectural student Alison Lowen discovered with her Somerset plot

Last year I moved into a new house in Ilminster in Somerset. A lovely restored cottage which I didn’t really discover until three days after moving in, came with a 40 metre by 30 metre garden.

My excuse for not being too aware of outside was that it poured with rain for four days after I moved in so I barely ventured out the back door.

Then the sun shone and I realised I had a bit of a blank canvas. The bad news was buying the cottage made such a dent in my savings that nothing was left to spend on any garden.

I’m sure many of your readers share my predicament. That’s why I’ve decided to share my experiences of developing a garden almost from scratch on clay soil and a meagre budget.

Over a few months of hard work, a lot of luck, generous friends and to give myself a little credit some imagination I think I’ve been able to create something without hardly spending any money.

It won’t inspire everyone but it might encourage a few!

As I stood on the very first patch of earth I ever owned it was hard to imagine what I could do with a space overlooked by two neighbouring properties. What is more, the soil was overrun with weeds, the lawn looked like an unwanted relative had been buried there and a tool shed looked worryingly as if it was made of asbestos.

It was standing there that I began to use what I guess is any gardener’s most important tool: their imagination.

Visualising an outcome is a useful tool in many walks of life including my own profession and none more so than when planning a new garden.

A colleague who had a large garden and spent lots of time in it, told me ‘I bought and restored old bits of furniture as plant holders’ I needed to plan how the flowers and plants would look and the impact that they will have on light levels and the plants around them.

Although I cleared a patch, dug it over and planted marrow seedlings before I had even unpacked my suitcase, this was the limit of my gardening efforts for the next three months.

Busy at work, I could only return once a week to water and admire the effects of rich clay on my rapidly growing marrow plants. I discovered that some Jurassic looking rhubarb was well established in the top right corner and that the previous owner of the house had left me some well selected plants.

Over the course of these few months I observed another critical element, the movement of the sun and the position of light and shade in the garden. This would prove more important even than soil quality or acidity as time went by because it would determine the layout of my new garden and the position of the inhabitants within it.

In short, not rushing into my garden helped me to see exactly what I had to work with and to develop a picture of what could go where. So that’s my first piece of advice to my pauper peers. Don’t rush to begin with. Sit back, relax and visualise.

I had lots of advice coming at me from a lot of directions. Some was useful – others not so. One was that I should try and get my hands on perennial plants not annuals. In the right conditions perennial plants grow year after year, so I wouldn’t need to keep replacing them. I was also educated in taking cuttings so I set about asking friends and family members for cuttings. I got some rude replies from some but others came through with the goods.

It’s also easier than you might think to grow flowers from seed.

You only need a few basic supplies to make it a success and if you choose flowers that are easy to grow from seed it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or fiddly. The biggest challenge is not getting carried away and planting more seeds than you have space for!

I bought flower seed packs which had gone past their sell by date for 29p each and was assured they would grow. (They did by the way!) The picture frames and many of the other quirky touches in my garden come from charity shops. We are not short of charity shops, vintage markets and other second-hand shops where I live and I made the most of what has ended up being a wonderfully eclectic collection of pots and upcycled containers, wooden boxes, old teapots and more.

If you buy chairs and tables from junk or charity shops, you’ll probably be less worried about whether they’ll rot so I did that.

I painted some rusted garden furniture my sister was throwing out and that was a happy day when I could sit out in my garden.

I found as part of my learning curve that pots work well in small gardens because they give you lots of flexibility. You can replace plants when they’re ‘over’ and change arrangements around.

My garden is now looking as I expected - a work in progress, nice area of curved lawn with flowers, colour, growing shrubs and a seating area– but also not a threat to my bank account!

Slowly my garden is starting to look smart and promising. Note the donated shrubs.

12

Country Gardener

CGAUGUST

www.countrygardener.co.uk

13

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

GARDEN

advice

High summer reader queries from our postbag on a whole range of worries and concerns

Do you have any advice on how I can remove hogweed from my borders? It seems a pretty thankless task!

I have just dug up my first early potatoes and they are really floury and hardly eatable. What has gone wrong?

Loretta Wood Weymouth Firstly a warning. Giant hogweed is invasive and potentially harmful. Chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis or photosensitivity, where the skin becomes very sensitive to sunlight and may suffer blistering, pigmentation and long-lasting scars. So wear protecting clothing when you are dealing with this weed. With its large, distinctive, cowparsley-like appearance, you can’t miss this intrusive weed and what makes matters worse is it is a perennial plant which can grow up to five metres tall with dark green leaves, and has an umbrella-like head when flowering. If you don’t want to use chemicals then It is possible to eradicate the weed through physical destruction of the plant itself. This can be achieved on a small scale by using a sharp spade and digging through the central root of the plant. If you severe it completely and cause enough damage it is possible to kill the plant this way. Some traditional gardeners believe a solution of three to one parts water and salt spraying on the hogweed only over a number of days will kill the plant.

I have always through it was acceptable to use bath and washing up water on my plants. I heard on a local radio gardening programme the other day that this was now frowned upon. Has anything changed?

Olivia Wilson Portishead There is a point that using just grey water on plants will harm them and that it should only be used occasionally. Shower, bath, kitchen Pour ‘grey water’ sparingly on plants and washing machine water from rinse cycles is collectively known as ‘grey’ water. Some concern has been expressed that contaminants such as soap and detergents may not be ideal when used regularly but soil and potting composts are effective at filtering them out and the residues can sometimes act as a mild fertiliser. Use the water straight away and don’t save it for later use. So generally there should not be a problem with small scale, short-term use to tide plants over. The exception is on edible crops, due to contamination from pathogens in the water. In recent RHS experiments continual use of grey water was found to create salt stress in plants.

In past years I have always been able to grow lots of tomatoes but getting them to ripen has become a real problem. Are there any tricks I can use to get them to turn red?

Emma Smart

Dorchester There are a couple of reasons here. Lack of rain moisture in Don’t leave potatoes in the ground too long general might be a factor or you are leaving them too long before harvesting. This can affect many salad or new potato varieties if they are left in the soil too long. The famous Jersey Royals are a classic example. When harvested young they are a nice waxy salad type but if left will almost grow too big and become large floury tubers. There is also the temptation to over-boil freshly dug potatoes, which spoils the texture. And do dig them fresh - use the same day.

My new plum tree has shoots at the base which seems to affect its growth. Can I just cut them off?

Chris O’Brien Saltash Plum trees are usually vigorous growers with a wide, laterally spreading root system that grows close to ground level, often producing numerous basal shoots or suckers within three feet of the trunk on all sides.

In addition to marring the visual harmony of a wellmaintained plum tree, root suckers divert moisture and nutrients away from the main stem and thereby reducing overall yield, fruit quality and foliage production. Removing the suckers by hand as soon as possible should solve the problem.

Remove all suckers from plum trees for better fruit

The onions and shallots in my raised beds have failed this summer and have grown twisted and brown. Is there anything I can do?

Weston-super-Mare Once tomatoes are nearly ready, turning red is mostly accelerated by warmth and a colder spell when you Putting a ripe banana with need them to ripen is very tomatoes can help them ripen frustrating. You can take off the plants’ lower leaves to let in sun which might help. If it is a real problem then pick them and take them into the warmth. If you put a ripe banana with them, the ethylene gas it gives off triggers ripening. And don’t overwater later in the season as it can delay the fruit from ripening – as can a high nitrogen feed.

14

Frank McFarlanes

Country Gardener

Geoff Shermans Chard This sounds like an eelworm infection which can be very damaging to onions and even ornamental bulbs. Rhubarb, carrots and parsnips might also be affected by this microscopic worm-like Ditylenchus dipsaci. There is sadly no chemical control available and the only real option is to dispose of all the infected plants and then for the next couple of years grow non vulnerable plants in your beds such as brassicas, turnips ,swedes and lettuce and then the soil should clear. Remember to keep the beds weed free also.

Why have my radishes stopped producing swollen roots and are just thin roots which don’t seem to be filling out?

Pat Sharman Frome The most common cause of radishes not growing is overcrowding and it is simply they do not have enough room to produce fleshy large bulbs and just grow downwards and end up leaving you with pencil thin results. You need to give them at least two inches and that should help bulb formation. If you have done this from the start then the other answer is excessive nitrogen so if you have been feeding them with a heavy nitrogen dependent fertiliser then this encourages the tops to grow with very little underneath.

Radishes need enough space to fill out

Our self seeding foxgloves which normally give us such a wonderful display have all disappeared this year and I just don’t know why.

Lois White Dartmouth

Leave the tiny rosettes on foxgloves, to flower the next year

Foxgloves are biennial. In the first year you need to leave the tiny rosettes to fill out and then they will flower the next year. If you are someone who tidies up their borders too much you may have got rid of these rosettes. One idea might be to buy some new plants this year and next and then you should get on going seasons of selfseeding flowers.

Over the past few years I am convinced my plants and vegetables have benefitted from my homemade comfrey fertiliser which is a great summer and spring feed. What I am finding it difficult to get any information on is whether or not I can store it over winter?

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

- Julia

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Alan Mawes Painswick Making your own comfrey fertiliser is a hugely underrated benefit for gardens and well done for making your own. As with most complex liquids, the quality will degrade over time specially if it is stored in a bucket rather than an airtight container. Organic compounds also become simpler and less useful over time but the mineral content does remain. It might be better to add the stale comfrey juice to the compost and make a fresh batch in spring. Likewise with leftover leaves just add those to the compost.

With over 30 courses to choose from including:

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Make fresh comfrey fertiliser in early spring www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

GARDEN VISITS

GARDENS TO VISIT

in August compiled by Vivienne Lewis

It’s high summer and there are spectacular gardens to visit, many of them privately owned and opening for charity, the National Garden Scheme particularly raising much needed funds for nursing and caring charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and the Queen’s Nursing Institute. Here’s a selection in the areas Country Gardener covers. Before setting out on a visit we advise checking with current Government guidance and with the National Garden Scheme website for up to date information www.ngs.org.uk

EAST COURT East End Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8QN A secret garden of contrasts on two levels that not even many of the locals know about.

The upper garden around the 1806 house (not open) has formal beds, lawns and three majestic purple beech trees about 200 years

old. The 2½ acre lower garden – now four years old – has winding brick paths leading through swathes of herbaceous plantings towered over by arching datisca, miscanthus and paulownia. Along a high, south-facing wall less hardy plants are spiced up with some exotic annuals. A new pond has attracted a wide range of aquatic wildlife. Open for the NGS on Sunday 29th and Bank Holiday Monday 30th August, 10am-6pm. Admission £7, children free. Parking will be signed.

THE DEANE HOUSE Sparsholt, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 2LR

OLD CAMPS Newbury Road, Headley, Thatcham, Hampshire RG19 8LG As featured on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, a breathtaking garden built on the site of a Roman Camp and Bath House, set over an acre, with panoramic views of Watership Down. Traditional herbaceous borders, knot garden, and potager contrast with desert/prairie planting, and exuberant subtropical schemes featuring bananas, cannas, hedychiums and more. New additions include the Ravine Garden and Orto. Picnics welcome in the orchard (five picnic pitches max). Open for the NGS on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th August from 10am-5pm. Admission £7.50, children free.

This beautiful four-acre rural garden, nestling on a gentle slope, has been landscaped to draw the eye from one gentle terraced lawn to another with borders merging with the surrounding countryside, with a good selection of specimen trees, a walled garden, prairie planting and herbaceous borders, water features, sculptures and children’s play area. Open for the NGS on Sunday 29th August, 2pm5pm. Admission £5, children free.

WHEATLEY HOUSE Wheatley Lane, between Binsted & Kingsley, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 9PA Set on a rural hilltop with panoramic views over Alice Holt Forest and the South Downs, this 1½ acre garden is full of interesting and unusual planting combinations, sweeping mixed borders and shrubs. Look for the the black and white border, now with bright red accents. Open for the NGS on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August, 1.30pm-5.30pm. Admission £5, children free.

OUR KEY TO FACILITIES ON OFFER AT THE GARDENS:

16

Refreshments available

Plants usually for sale Dogs on short leads

Wheelchair access to much of garden

Partial wheelchair access

Unsuitable for wheelchairs

Visitors welcome by arrangement

Coaches welcome consult owners

Accommodation at this venue

Country Gardener

WESTERN GARDENS 24A Western Avenue, Branksome Park, Poole, Dorset BH13 7AN Created over 40 years this secluded garden offers enormous variety with rose, Mediterranean courtyard and woodland gardens, herbaceous borders, cherry tree and camellia walk. Lush foliage and vibrant flowers give year-round colour and interest enhanced by sculpture and topiary. Open for the NGS on Sunday 8th August, 2pm-5pm.

Admission £4.50, children free.

THE CROFT Yarnscombe, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 3LW A one-acre plantswoman’s garden featuring exotic Japanese garden with tea house, koi carp pond and cascading stream, tropical garden with exotic shrubs and perennials, herbaceous borders and shrubs, bog garden with collection of irises, astilbes and moisture-loving plants. New beds around duck pond and bog area, large collection of rare and unusual plants.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th August, 2pm-6pm.

Admission £4, children free.

COWLEIGH LODGE 16 Cowleigh Bank, Malvern, Worcestershire WE14 1QP

SIDMOUTH GARDENS Woolbrook Park, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 9DX Three contrasting gardens in the lovely seaside town of Sidmouth: Byes Reach has a potager, colour-themed herbaceous borders, rill, ferns, rockery, hostas, a long arched walkway, and seating in secluded niches. Fairpark lies behind a 12ft red brick wall, with terraces, rockery, many acers, small woodland and greenhouse, grasses, raised beds and willow sculptures.

Rowan Bank is sloping, generously planted with trees, shrubs, perennials, woodland, seats and summerhouse. No wheelchair access at Rowan Bank and Fairpark. Open for the NGS on Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th and Bank Holiday Monday 30th August, 1pm-5.30pm. Admission £6, children free.

The garden on the slopes of the Malvern Hills has been described as ‘quirky’, with a formal rose garden, grass beds, bamboo walk, colour-themed beds, nature path leading to a pond, acer bank, chickens, large vegetable plot and orchard with views overlooking the Severn Valley. Visitors from previous years will see the difference in this expanding, developing garden, with lots of added artefacts, troughs, and signs. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th August, 11am-5pm.

Admission £4, children free.

LITTLE ASH BUNGALOW Fenny Bridges, Honiton, Devon EX14 3BL A country garden of 1½ acres, packed with different and unusual herbaceous perennials, trees, shrubs and bamboos. Naturalistic planting in colour coordinated mixed borders, highlighted by metal sculptures, providing foreground to the view. Natural stream, pond and damp woodland area, mini wildlife meadows and raised gravel/alpine garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th August 1pm-5pm. Admission £4.50, children free.

THE GABLES Riverside Lane, Broadoak, Newnham on Severn, Gloucestershire GL14 1JE A large flat ¾ acre garden with formal lawns, colourful herbaceous borders, rose beds, shrubberies, hidden long border, mini stumpery with hostas, bamboos, grasses, wildflower meadow with soft fruits and fruit trees, wildlife pond, allotment size productive potager vegetable plot with herbaceous borders, greenhouse and composting bin area. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th August, 11am-5pm.

Admission £4, children free. www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

GARDEN VISITS

THE DOWNS PREPARATORY SCHOOL Charlton Drive, Wraxall, Bristol BS48 1PF

THE HAYES Newton St Loe, Bath, Somerset BA2 9BU Stunning in all seasons and with wonderful views, this is a new opening for the NGS. The one-acre garden on the edge of the Duchy of Cornwall village has herbaceous borders and formal lawns and terraces, an informal garden of trees and long grass, bulbs and meadow flowers, formal potager and greenhouse, and a small orchard with espalier apple trees. Open for the NGS on Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd August, 11am-4pm. Admission £6, children free.

A new opening for the NGS on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th August from 10am until 4pm each day, 65 acres wrap around the Grade II listed Charlton House, once part of a wider estate owned by the wealthy Gibbs family which included Tyntesfield, the National Trust property. There are historic garden features, a stumpery, pond and greenhouse, an edible and medicinal bed and annual bedding displays framed by beautiful views across open parkland with specimen trees dotted around the estate, that visitors are free to roam, with plenty of space for children to run around. Admission £6, children free.

GASPER COTTAGE

BONYTHON MANOR Cury Cross Lanes, Helston, Cornwall TR12 7BA A magnificent 20 acre colour garden on the Lizard Peninsular, with a sweeping hydrangea drive to a Georgian manor (not open), herbaceous walled garden, potager with vegetables and picking flowers; three lakes in a valley planted with ornamental grasses, perennials and South African flowers. Open for the NGS on Thursday 12th August from 2pm until 4.30pm. Admission £9, children £2.

Gasper Street, Gasper Stourton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6PY Near Stourhead Gardens, a 1½ acre garden, with glorious countryside views, luxurious planting of dahlias, grasses, asters, cardoons and new perennial planting. Orchard with wildlife pond, artist studio surrounded by colour balanced planting with formal pond, a pergola with herb terrace, seating areas and there’s also a model railway in the garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th August, 11am5pm. Admission £5, children free.

BLACK SHED FERNHILL

Blackmarsh Farm, Dodds Cross, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4JX

Whitebail, Wellington, Somerset TA21 0LU In approximately two acres, with a myriad of unusual plants and features, and intriguing, almost hidden paths leading through English roses and banks of hydrangeas, this garden has scenic views stretching up to the Blackdowns and its famous monument. Well stocked herbaceous borders, octagonal pergola and water garden with a slightly wild boggy area and a specimen Dawn Redwood dating from 1960. Open for the NGS on Sunday 1st August from 2pm until 5pm. Admission £4, children free.

18

This family-owned cut flower farm, established in 2017, has more than 200 colourful and productive flower beds growing a sophisticated selection of cut flowers and foliage to supply florists and the public, for weddings, events and occasions.

Traditional garden favourites, delphiniums, scabious and dahlias grow alongside more unusual perennials, foliage plants and grasses, creating a stunning display. A warm welcome and generous advice on creating your own cut flower garden is offered. Currently around 1½ acres, the ever expanding garden is one of the very few cut flower farms open to the public in the UK. Open for the NGS on Sunday 29th August, 1pm5pm. Admission £5, children free.

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19

Keep the show

on the road

In August, gardens can often just run out of steam - but there are ways to boost your borders and patios and keep them colourful and fun, well into the autumn.

It’s understandable. All the hope, expectation and energy put into getting the garden ready for summer and then suddenly it’s August and many of us start to think about the end of the season.

It’s soon harvest time and those colourful displays and borders start to be something of an afterthought and their beauty starts to fade. Many summer flowering plants will be starting to look past their best but hold on, there’s no reason for your garden fiesta to end so early. With a few simple steps and identifying the right plants you can keep the colour and fun going right into autumn.

The big must do’s are watering, feeding and deadheading, which are all essential to keep mainstream summer flowers going for as long as they possibly can. Everything dries out faster in hot dry weather specially if there is a breeze but containers and plants in full flower suffer more than most so make that your top priority.

For best results water last thing at night so the plants 20

have all night to soak up what they need before the sun comes out again.

If you haven’t already, prune spring and early summer flowering shrubs, such as deutzia, weigela and philadelphus to keep them in check. You can extend the season of colour in borders with high summer shrubs such as lavenders, acers, hardy fuchsias, hydrangeas and cotinus (smoke bush).

So what’s the key to extending that colour in the garden so that when you are back from holiday (fingers crossed) your garden still has weeks of pleasure?

As a general rule, autumn-tinting plants need sunlight to perform really well; deep shade is hopeless. If you can plant your tinting trees so that they are backlit by the sun, colours can take on the brilliance of a stained-glass window. Attractive heartshaped foliage saves large woodland shrubs such as Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ from being oneseason wonders.

Country Gardener

Sun-loving shrubs with similar qualities include Cotinus ‘Grace’, with coppery orange autumn foliage, and oak leaved Hydrangea quercifolia, a well-behaved shrub with deep red leaves following panicles of white florets.

Brighten up beds and borders with plants that flower late in the year or for longer.

The yellow daisy flowers of Rudbeckia fulgida (blackeyed Susan) make striking additions to the border.

Flowering in summer and autumn, these are great late flowers for pollinators too.

Also, they’ll look striking when contrasted with the delicate looking Verbena bonariensis (purple-top), that can grow up to two metres tall.

Asters and chrysanthemums will remain bright and cheery, as they continue flowering well into autumn.

Heleniums and kniphofia (red hot pokers) are also great for adding late colour to brighten up any borders with colour and texture.

Put life into your containers too with ivy, heather, polyanthus, winter-flowering pansies and primulas.

And remember it’s also the time of the year to think ahead. It’s never too early to be planning next year’s garden, so make sure to give azaleas, rhododendrons and particularly camellias a good drink of water now to ensure they set plenty of buds for spring.

OUR PICKS FOR AUTUMN COLOUR 1. Hedychium gardnerianum Hedychium gardnerianum or Kahili Ginger, is probably the bestknown of the gingers capable of being grown outdoors in this country. It has a spectacular large inflorescence with soft yellow flowers with long apricot-orange filaments and an intense almost-overpowering fragrance and gives a wow factor to any autumn garden.

As for feeding beds and borders with the thought of giving them a late summer lift, then don’t. It is not the answer to any stunted growth or other late summer symptoms when the real cause is a lack of water.

Fertilisers draws moisture out of plants by a process called exosmosis leaving roots scorched.

2. Phlox paniculata ‘Franz Schubert’

Water is such an important pert of your gardening in August and a few days of high temperatures can quickly take its toll on the garden. Continue to water any new plantings not yet established; a thorough soak every few days with the addition of a thick layer of mulch to help retain moisture should make a great difference even at this stage of the summer.

Phlox are easy-to-grow perennials that come back reliably every season. Phlox paniculata is the most commonly grown garden phlox, often known as border phlox. In the wild, Phlox paniculata can grow to nearly two metres, and typically bears pink flowers.

Years of breeding have resulted in shorter, more garden-worthy cultivars that flower in a variety of different colours, including shades of blue, purple, pink, magenta, red and white. As well as being fragrant and long-flowering, most cultivars attract a variety of bees and other pollinating insects. Phlox are herbaceous border stalwarts – and will keep going in the borders deep into September.

In the warmer temperatures, it’s important to keep on top of the quick growing weeds. Try to hoe them off before they get the chance to establish, and when needed, apply chemical weed-killer for any large areas of persistent weeds.

SOME WAYS TO BOOST YOUR GARDEN NOW

3. Phygelius Phygelius are evergreen shrubs, usually grown as herbaceous perennials in cooler areas, with simple, ovate leaves and large panicles of tubular flowers in summer and autumn. They flower into September and are ideal for sub tropical borders or pots. P. capensis is a special favourite with triangular-ovate leaves to 8cm in length. Nodding, tubular, bright orange-red flowers three cms in length in large open terminal panicle.

4. Tigridia Tigridia pavonia will certainly make you take a second look at its flowers. This zany and almost Bohemian bloom is unlike anything you will have seen before. It gives the impression that perhaps one flower dropped in unannounced on another one, like it there and decided to stay for future generations.

•

•

The top of the Tigridia pavonia (or Peacock Tiger Flower) is like a very colourful cloth made up of dots and ovals placed in the bowl formed at the centre of the underneath three petals. The other three petals are very small and form a trimming on that decorative cloth in the centre bowl. Several of these exotically-patterned tigridia flowers are produced on each slender stem that will hold the bloom up among long slender concertina-type leaves.

Plant a large pot with late summer flowering perennials. This will create a wonderful splash of colour on the patio or veranda or you could place the pot in the border. Grown in a container you will be able to water and care for them for the remainder of the summer and enjoy the colourful display. The plants can be taken out of the pot during the dormant season and replanted next year to provide colour this time next year.

5. Crinum x powelli Originating from stream edges and lakesides in tropical regions, this tall bulbous perennial is an impressive sight in late summer and early autumn when the arching mound of strap-shaped leaves is crowned with large pink trumpets, which have a light perfume. One of the hardier forms, it likes a sunny spot with reliable moisture.

Deadhead roses and dahlias and any summer perennials that will still have more buds to follow.

Do the same with annual bedding plants so they can’t start setting seed. This keeps them flowering with more vigour and they will continue doing so in autumn.

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Cut back plants such as astrantia, floppy hardy geraniums and brunnera to encourage fresh growth and often a late flush of flowers.

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Take a close look at your containers as by now they will be packed solid with roots so they will need even more feeding, watering and deadheading than usual to keep them looking good. Be ruthless with any of them that are past their best and replace with something like autumn pansies in new compost.

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If your borders are looking a bit dull use strategically placed pots of plants such as patio dahlias and late tall perennials.

Plant bulbs in a sheltered spot in spring, with their neck just above soil level. During the growing season water frequently and keep moist after the plant has finished flowering. Protect the crown with a generous layer of dry mulch in autumn and winter.

6. Physalis alkekengi ‘Franchetii’ Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii is better known by its culinary name of Cape Gooseberry. Tiny, creamy-white flowers appear in midsummer above oval green foliage. This hardy perennial is mainly grown for its edible berries, which later develop within red, papery Chinese Lantern calyces. This vibrant autumn display brings a bright splash of colour to fading perennial borders. The stems can be cut to create wonderful decorative flower arrangements. If left on the plant the calyces will slowly skeletonise, adding ornate winter interest to your garden.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

TOMATO

blight

If you are worried your tomatoes might need help in order to fight off the scourge of late tomato blight then there’s still things you can do to protect your plants The speed at which infection can spread in tomatoes is alarming. Crops are ruined in a fast process someone once described as symptoms, which looked as if someone had thrown creosote over their plants overnight.

What we are talking about is late blight, caused by fungus like Phytophthora infestans which often appears in warm, wet summers.

It is aptly named as phytophthora in Latin means ‘plant destroyer’ .

Infected plant tissue dies. Outbreaks spread quickly under favourable conditions because the pathogen can produce huge numbers of wind-dispersed spores. Once a plant is infected, it must be destroyed.

The key is to plant wisely, be prepared, be alert and learn to distinguish late blight from other common diseases.

Understanding the late blight life cycle is one key towards taking action to thwart the attack. Moisture on foliage is needed for spore germination and this is easily avoided by moving plants into greenhouses or under cover during periods when the risk is at its highest.

Symptoms first appear on older leaves near the base of EARLY BLIGHT DISEASE the plant and in some cases can overtake the whole plant IS DIFFERENT FROM ITS in a few depressing hours.

LATER-IN-THE SEASON So by growing under glass ‘COUSIN’ AND IS CAUSED you will make it a lot harder for late blight to strike. About

BY ALTERNARIA SPECIES. 15 years ago, a mutant of the IT IS MAINLY A PROBLEM blight called Blue 13 emerged which was more aggressive IN AMERICA AND QUITE than anything seen before RARE IN THE UK. and had increased fungicide resistance.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT VARIETY: Though no tomato varieties are completely immune to late blight, plant breeders are now developing varieties that are resistant to infection by the late blight fungus. If you can, start your own plants from seed.

You might also want to plant some varieties that mature early so if late blight does strike, you may still get a harvest.

PREVENT OVERWINTERING: Fortunately, the fungus that causes late blight needs living tissue to survive over the winter, so it can’t overwinter on tomato cages or supports. However, infected potatoes (the other plant that gets late blight) can carry the disease through the winter. Be sure to destroy any volunteer potato plants that come up.

If you plant potatoes again, be sure to buy seed potatoes that are certified as disease-free.

GIVE PLANTS SPACE: If possible, avoid planting tomatoes and potatoes where you had them last year. Be sure to give plants plenty of space, based on recommendations for the variety. Maximizing airflow and light around the plants will help them resist disease. Make use of trellises and supports that will keep the vines off the ground.

22

TOP TIPS • Avoid overhead watering and don’t get the leaves wet. Water very specifically at the roots of the plants. Make sure your plants are in a sunny but airy position.

• Tomatoes grown under cover are more difficult for the blight spores to access.

• You can check blight infection levels in your area by signing up for blight monitoring tools such as www.blightwatch.co.uk. Grow modern tomato varieties that presently show resistance to late tomato blight.

• Rotate susceptible crops like potatoes and tomatoes in case any crop debris or more persistent spores perpetuate year-on-year attacks.

AVOID WATERING FROM ABOVE: target your watering of plants into the roots to keep foliage dry, which makes it more difficult for late blight — and other diseases — to spread. Avoid overhead watering techniques such as sprinklers. Water early in the day so the foliage can dry before nightfall.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER: Learn to recognize the weather conditions that foster the spread of late blight. The disease spreads rapidly in cool wet weather, whereas dry weather tends to hold back the disease. There are websites which track the occurrence of late blight in real time. Check the site regularly during the growing season. Stay in touch with gardeners in your area so you’ll know right away if late blight is near.

TAKE ACTION QUICKLY: If treated plants show signs of continuing infection or if unsprayed plants succumb to late blight, take action immediately.

Pull up the plants and either seal them tightly in a rubbish bag, or secure them under black plastic, where the sun’s heat can kill the spores. Do not compost blight-infected plants.

If left unattended, the disease will spread quickly from your plants to those of your neighbours.

Country Gardener

Speakers List

Welcome to Country Gardener’s annual guide to gardening speakers and lecturers offering their services to gardening clubs, societies and organisations.

Gardening clubs and associations could never have expected what would happen to their monthly meetings in this strangest of times.

All gatherings cancelled, no visits, no much loved meetings when they were able to welcome guest speakers to talk on a range of topics.

None of it happened.

So there is special significance in our popular guide highlighting specialist speakers who offer their services to garden clubs and organisations.

Country Gardener has a close relationship with clubs and we know the vast majority decided to abandon any

£C

www

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ALEXANDER, ADAM Benson’s Bush, Itton, Chepstow, NP16 6BZ q 07860646613 E adam@veggingoutwithadam.com Ħ www.veggingoutwithadam.com

£A

Little Acre, Dyers Lane, Iron Acton, Bristol BS37 9XW B

2. THE ADVENTURES OF A SEED DETECTIVE - Finding rare and

endangered vegetables around the world.

3. SEED SAVING MADE SIMPLE

- Saving your own flower and vegetable seeds, rewarding and fun.

4. THE GARDEN ABOVE THE ESTUARY - The journey from abandoned meadow to productive vegetable garden.

5. THE CULTURE OF SEED SAVING

- Continuing a 12,000-year-old tradition of growing delicious vegetables.

When not growing vegetables Adam travelled widely as a filmmaker discovering rare and endangered varieties of edible crops. He produced ‘A Year at Kew’ for the BBC and has appeared on Gardeners’ World and CNN’s Going Green in his role as a seed guardian for The Heritage Seed Library. £D

APPLEGATE, SUE Polden Wines, Stocklands Vineyard, Bawdrip, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8PN

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q 07493 773153 E poldenwines@gmail.com Ħ www.poldenwines.co.uk

£A Price band £0-50

£B Price band £51-100

Online talks available

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by adding carefully chosen plants.

3. Insectivorous plants - Discover new hardy year round attractive ones for the garden or the windowsill.

4. Fascinating Gardens - Choose from

CANDLIN, BEN

50 regions worldwide from Cornwall to Costa Rica.

32 Featherbed Lane, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 3NE

5. Holly & Ivy - Entertaining Winter Talk.

Many other talks, ask for details. Widely experienced and qualified, Roy progressed from Gardener to Director of parks and gardens around Britain. As senior lecturer and curator of gardens in Somerset he amassed ten thousand different plants, ten national collections and created new hybrids, diverse gardens and gold medal exhibits at Chelsea.

Now Chairman of an RHS trials forum, international tour leader, judge, advisor, designer and writer.

q 07763 348148 E ben@adventurousplants.co.uk Ħ www.adventurousplants.co.uk

The fascinating world of Aroids UK Subtropical Gardening Plants of the Canary Isles Wildlife Friendly Gardening

CARL WOODMANS WORLD

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1 BroomHill Cottage, Broom Hill, Huntley GL19 3HA

1. Trugmaking by a miserable old trugger - I think that’s what the wife called me

2. Besoms and Gypsy Flowers 3. Bees and their products

£C Price band £100+

Radius covered 0-25 miles

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£D Price band variable

Radius covered up to 50 miles

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www

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www.countrygardener.co.uk

07594 574150 info@katherinecrouch.com www.katherinecrouch.com

4. Plants That Should be Better Known 5. The Hardy Exotic Garden 6. Grasses in the Garden 7. Self Seeding Garden 8. Bulbs That Should be Better Known BBC Gardener of Year 1999 BBC Gardener of Decade 2008 Chelsea Gold Medal 2013 Katherine has been a garden designer in South Somerset for 20 years and loves to talk gardens!

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DODD, SUE & SMITH, SUE Treetops, 11 Stony Riding, Chalford Hill, Stroud, Glos, GL6 8ED q 01453 882127 E sue-smith@11treetops.co.uk

1. Wildflowers of the Cotswolds Remedies, myths and legends 2. Gardening for butterflies and moths 3. The Wonderful World of Trees All talks are subject to Covid-19 restrictions.

Zoom talks available. Please make contact (as above) for further information.

Slide presentations included D

q E Ħ

3. Winning BBC Gardener of the Decade

q 01278 784110 / 07896 351693 E coxmyra20032000@yahoo.co.uk

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Corner Cottage, Great Street, Norton sub Hamdon, Somerset, TA14 6SJ

2. First Time at Chelsea - and Winning Gold!

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Price band expenses only

CROUCH, KATHERINE

1. New Tricks for Old Gardeners

COX, MYRA

1. Inspirational, versability and ideas for floral art for shows and around your home 2. Christmas cracker fun with flowers 3. Seasonal wonderland of baskets, boxes, bottles and bows 4. Afternoon tea with Mr Shifter and his P.G Tips tea friends 5. Life as a Cinnamon Trust volunteer Sundries and greeting cards for sale.

q 01452 830 258 E woodmansworld@live.co.uk

Vineyard talks and tasting the wines.

Visit this beautiful vineyard on the Polden Hills, marvel at the views, savour the wines and learn about the success of English Wine. Transferring my skills as a Peony Grower to growing nearly 4,000 vines has been very exciting. My talk explains seasonal management of vines to produce quality wines and reduce our Carbon footprint. Cellar Door prices, lunches and suppers can also be arranged.

2. 2 Irresistible garden plants for Butterflies - Bringing them winging in

Please visit website for more titles and info.

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35 Wembdon Rise, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7PN

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20 different silver and gold gardens and displays.

competition and container/basket prize.

Completed many local talks for WI, Probus and Mothers Union groups. Feedback is always very positive and delegates always enjoy the holistic experience.

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CHEEK, ROY

1. Chelsea Flower Show - Creating

2. Garden QA - With quiz to include the

www

If you come across speakers not on our list please let us know so we can include them in a later edition or update our information online.

q 01278 451814 / 07788593674 E rvcheek@btinternet.com

- baskets and general landscape advice for small and large gardens.

£B

So our guide provides them with new options, ideas and possibilities to plan their meetings. We have full details of each speaker, including a synopsis of their areas of expertise and the subject matter of their talks.

£B

q 07816 530270 E karen.beasley1@icloud.com

1. Planting up of seasonal containers

1. GARDENS OF THE MEKONG - Discovering the secrets of vegetable cultivation along the river.

BEASLEY, KAREN

chance of holding meetings for the rest of the calendar year. We also know their focus is on autumn 2021 and beyond, and that they already have started drawing up schedules for meetings - hoping that things will be able to get back to normal.

www

Website

Plants or items for sale

Radius covered 100+ miles

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DOWN, FELICITY Former owner of Cleeve Nursery

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q 07739 977431 E downtoearthfd@gmail.com Ħ www.down-to-earth.co.uk

1. All year round colour in the garden 2. Plan it, plant it!

3. Climbing and wall shrubs Please contact me for the full list.

Zoom talks available!

HINCHLIFFE, ANN

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11 Quarry Cottages, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9UR

www

q 01935 472771 E thedancingmaster@outlook.com

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1. Six centuries of Historical Dance: from Geoffrey Chaucer to Jane Austen. Can cover whole period or

MCCONNACHIE, ANDY

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Lost Habitat - Reconnecting People with Nature™

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q 01647 478 003 E Restoration@LostHabitat.uk Ħ www.LostHabitat.uk

1. Wildlife Pond Benefits

focus on one era; always illustrated with literary references, live music and some audience participation.

Expert advice on wildlife ponds, aquatic plants and their benefits.

2. How to Build Wildlife Ponds

2. Why Music in Prison

Expert advice on how to build wildlife ponds. £D

FISHER, SUE

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Yelverton, Devon, PL20 7BY www

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q 01822 841895 / 0781 775 7446 E suefisher@talktalk.net Ħ www.suefishergardens.co.uk

Sue offers a range of fully illustrated presentations either via Zoom or in person.

Topics include gardening for a changing climate, sustainable/wildlife friendly gardening, making the most of small spaces, container gardening, and creating a cutting garden. Please see Sue’s website for a detailed list or email for further information. £B

www

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FLINTHAM, BECCA 39 Regents Park, Exeter, Devon, EX1 2NY q 07717 846814 / 01392 437792 E becca.redkite@gmail.com Ħ www.rowanleaf.co.uk

1. Wildlife Gardening - Attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden

2. Water, Water Everywhere - Ponds,

bog gardens and water-wise gardening

3. Food For Free - A guide to foraging for wild foods

www

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3. Ecological Landscaping

HINSLEY, MARK ARBORICULTURAL CONSULTANT

With over 25 years’ experience, Andy’s projects have appeared on Channel Four Grand Design’s TV programme, and he has been a guest speaker for the BBC, as well as assisting in water garden projects appearing at the Hampton Court and Chelsea Flower Shows. He has also had the privilege of working alongside Charlie Dimmock & Alan Titchmarsh at the esteemed Romsey Watergardens.

q 01202 876177 E enquiries@treeadvice.info Ħ www.treeadvice.info

1. The Churchyard Yew 2. Trees in your Garden 3. Trees and the Law Please contact us to discuss requirements. £C

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HOFFNUNG, MARGIE

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Netherfields, Frog Lane, North Nibley, Glos GL11 6DJ q 07876 196074 E margiehoffnung@gmail.com

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www

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HARVEY, RICHARD 106 Castle Hill Drive, Brockworth, GL3 4NX

Contribution & Legacy to C20 gardening

1. Cotswold & Gloucestershire Gardens 2. Great British Castle Gardens 3. Cornish Seascape Gardens Virtual guided tours through some of UK’s finest gardens supported by high quality images taken 2020/21 by Richard Harvey Photography. £A

HAZELL, GILL

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17 Valley View, Clutton Bristol BS39 5SN q 01761 452036 E clutton.glads@btinternet.com

1. Gardens of Versailles

3. Blaise Castle - A Stranger at Blaise 4. Westonbirt School - A Historical

3. Medieval Gardens

2. Islamic Gardens

different aspects of why we visit gardens

Growing and Showing Sweet Peas Classic, Rare and Unusual Bulbs So you think you know Gladiolus!

Illustrated On-Screen Flower and Vegetable Quizzes 5. Holland, its flowers and flower festivals 6. Halfway round the world in 30 days Other talks in relation to the above can be tailored to suit your society.

£A Price band £0-50

£B Price band £51-100

Online talks available

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4. Landscapes of Vietnam and Cambodia 5. Seasonal Colours in the Garden

HOPE, NICOLA

6. Le jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh

4 Avon Road, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 0DL

Please, feel free to contact me for more information on the above talks as well as on further subjects. I base my presentations on personal experience, photography, travel and academic research.

q 07711285447 E info@nicolahope.co.uk Ħ www.nicolahope.co.uk

1. Organic Gardening ~ happy plants, happy minds 2. Tales from the Potting Shed ~ where gardening magic begins!

3. Talking Tomatoes ~ Seeds with Stories make Tastier Fruits

Travel charges and fee on request.

Thank you.

Twitter and Instagram: @nahemi25

An organically trained gardener, Nicola has over two decades of experience working in prestigious public and private gardens. £B

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1 Stanley Cottages, Blaisdon Longhope, Gloucestershire GL17 0AL

2. Garden Visiting - a very British Tradition - A lighthearted look at the many

www

q 07932 430513 E rsharvey@hotmail.co.uk Ħ www.richardharvey.net

MIGNOTTE, NATHALIE

q 077 66 197 129 E nmignotte@aol.com

1. Rosemary Verey 1918-2001 - Her

Introduction to the Gardens

£B

www

JAMES, ADRIAN Langdale, Church Street, Offenham, Evesham, Worcs. WR11 8RW q 01386 424880 / 07535 537137 E ajames@waitrose.com Ħ www.adrianjames.org.uk

2. Three West Country Gardens 3. Gardens of the Italian Renaissance

£D Price band variable

Radius covered up to 50 miles

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The Old Manor, Rudge, Frome, Somerset BA11 2QG

Money from the talks is donated to the Wessex Therapy Centre for Multiple Sclerosis. I always bring a large variety of herbs for sale and demonstration plus my book Making Jellied Preserves and the jellies.

Please see website or contact me for a complete list of online garden talks.

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PAKENHAM, CAROLINE

1. The cultivation and uses of unusual herbs 2. Getting ready for winter

- The history, design & symbolism of Persian style gardens.

Radius covered 0-25 miles

£B

q 01373 830312 E carriepakenham@gmail.com

1. Gardens of Paradise

£C Price band £100+

1. Garden to Globe 2. Making the Most of What you’ve Got 3. Down to Earth and The Art and Science of Compost Please get in touch for more details and full list. Zoom talks available.

www

Talks within Devon are preferable.

Office F11, 10 Whittle Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH21 7RU

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£E

Price band expenses only

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Country Gardener

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POCOCK, STEWART Pococks Roses, Jermyns Lane, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0QA q 01794 367500 E sales@pococoksroses.co.uk Ħ www.garden-roses.co.uk

1. Growing roses with ease Can travel up to 50 miles from our base in Romsey or Newquay, Cornwall

£D

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POWLES, STEPHEN Swallows, Withleigh, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LA q 01884 242965 E stephen.powles@btconnect.com

1. Hedgehogs - in need of your help 2. Otters - Coming to a river near you 3. Hammer Scar - Five years together (all about the five years Stephen spent filming one individual otter in amazing detail) 4. Tawny Owls - coming to a wood near you 5. Hornets - Gentle Giants 6. Wildlife Photography - tips and experiences ... and more. Please contact Stephen for his full list of talks.

Zoom option available - and he can host the meeting for you.

Stephen Powles is a passionate naturalist, wildlife photographer and film maker. His specialist interests are otters, tawny owls and hornets - he, the otters and the hornets have appeared on national TV. Most of his wildlife subjects are found in and not far from his house.

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REED, MERVYN 14 Brookmead, Thornbury, Sth. Glos, BS352XG

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q 01454 415849 / 07429629588 E mervyn.reed@talktalk.net

1. Buying Abroad 2. A New Kind of Rose 3. A full list available on request by e mail Photographic presentations with Horticulture in mind. Using some of my experiences of 38 years in horticulture.

Slide presentations included D

Meadow Cottage, 42 Rivar Road, Shalbourne, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3RL q 07740 636455 / 01672 871265 E downtoearth18@outlook.com

£B

Ecological landscaping methods and how to rewild your garden.

PHILIPPS, LOIS

Radius covered 100+ miles

www

Website

Plants or items for sale

COMPETITION £B

www

SHELDRICK, CAROLINE Middle Path, Keble Road, France Lynch, Stroud GL6 8LN q 01453 884092 E cjsheldrick@gmail.com Ħ www.carolinesheldrickmedicalherbalist.co.uk

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1. Medicinal Garden Plants 2. Flowers in Healing 3. Hedgerow Pharmacy Caroline is a qualified medical herbalist in practice in rural Gloucestershire.

£B

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STAPLEY, CHRISTINA 38, Wenhill Heights, Calne SN11 0JZ q 01249 821087 E christina.stapley@tiscali.co.uk Ħ www.christinastapley.co.uk

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1. Native and Garden Trees – Harvests for Medicine and more 2. The Living Garden – Gardening for Natural Survival 3. Food Pharmacy from Your Garden

£B

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USHER, DAVID 10 Rowbarton Close, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 7DQ q 01823 278037 E dave.usher@hotmail.com

1. Gertrude Jekyll - Her Plants & Designs.

2. The Restoration of Hestercombe Gardens 3. Bedding Plants for your Gardens 4. Care and management of trees & shrubs 5. The history of our gardens 6. The answer lies in the soil 7. Herbaceous Plants

Time to get pushy and win a

Gardena hand lawn mower If you have a small or even medium sized lawn, an eco friendly push mower could be just the thing for you.

Push mowers are a traditional way to mow your lawn without the worry of engines or cables. Cylinder blades rotate as you push the mower and there’s no fuel, electricity costs and no emissions. They are kind to your neighbours also and much quieter than cylinder mowers.

David, a professional gardener for over 40 years, was Head Gardener at Hestercombe for 18 years. He is interested in all aspects of ornamental gardening and has given talks to a wide variety of groups. Contact him for a brochure about his talks. David is also available for giving talks via Zoom.

Talks given over Zoom are offered at a discounted rate. £C

www

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£B

Minehead, Somerset

www

q 07546874083 E andrew@atpgardening.co.uk Ħ www.atpgardening.co.uk

14 Mill Park, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1EX

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q 01531 579160 / 07767 690009 E mail2@thegardenlady.me.uk Ħ www.thegardenlady.me.uk

1. Off the beaten track, hidden gems 2. Glorious gardens, a gardeners choice 3. Art of Topiary & Ornamental Hedges 4. Stumperies, ferns & shady friends

£B

UNDERHILL, TERRY

1. Planting and Plant Care 2. How to love your garden 3. Design and Create a Garden to be Proud Of Many other talks available, please ask for more details.

£B

MHORT FCIHORT www

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WILLIAMS, CATHERINE

TOLMAN, ANDREW

Fairlight, Mill Cross, Rattery, South Brent, TQ10 9LA q 01364 72314 E terry@terry-underhill.co.uk Ħ www.terry-underhill.co.uk

Mountains to the Garden Mediterranean Garden Plants Autumn Colour Being a TV Gardener

Many other talks. Highly qualified, wide experience including TV, Radio and Magazines. See website for more titles.

17 Seymour Drive, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 8PY D

If you would like to be part of our hugely popular Speakers List next year email classified@countrygardener.co.uk

q 07964 824673 E info@garden-together.co.uk

1. Camellias 2. The Scented Garden 3. Blood, Sweat and TEA Ex Head Gardener of private estates and now specialist camellia grower of over 400 varieties and a wide range of fragrant plants.

They also significantly give a sharper finish than rotary mowers and if you love your lawn stripe the rear roller can provide those too.

Obviously you need to push and walking bristly gives you a better cut - and you get a workout and burn calories each time you mow.

PLUS: • Thanks to the contact-free cutting technique of the reel mower it is particularly quiet and easy to push.

• The boom can be folded so that space-saving cleared the cylinder mower can be stored easily.

• The knife roller is non-stick coating and thus prevents the hassle of drying off wet grass.

• No charging, no cables, no noise, no hassle.

£B

The Speakers List is our comprehensive annual guide to gardening and gardening speakers and lecturers.

WILSON, JEREMY

In our exclusive August competition we have five Gardena Comfort Reel Mowers to give away each worth £140 - one for each of our five editions of the magazine.

These high quality hand lawn mower have a blade roll made of quality steel and are ideal for small and medium sized gardens up to a recommended 250 square metres mowing area.

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WRAY, NICK Curator, University of Bristol Botanic Garden

q 07990 777705 E n.wray@blueyonder.co.uk Fully illustrated lectures by well known speaker including:

1. The development of the new University of Bristol Botanic Garden 2. Flora of the Western Cape of South Africa 3. The Gardens and Landscapes of Sicily 4. Garden plants and their pollinators

All you have to do is answer the following question: What is the maximum recommended size a Gardena push mower should cut?

Put you answer on an envelope and send to: Gardena Push Mower Competition, Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD and remember to include your own name and address.

Entries close on Friday, August 27th. Winners will be informed by Friday, September 3rd.

25

GREAT DAYS OUT

Time to enjoy high summer days out Fancy a summer day out? Most of us have been gearing ourselves to finally be able to enjoy a safe and relaxing day out visiting gardens, summer fetes, even weekends away.

High summer of fun AT HARTLAND ABBEY

Life has been starting to get back to normal for a couple of months now but the further lifting of restrictions has meant almost everywhere is getting back to normal. That means NGS Gardens Open, National Trust properties opening their houses and tearooms, private gardens welcoming visitors without any restrictions garden, to festivals and plant fairs.

A day out in the summer holidays in the natural surroundings of Hartland Abbey on the north Devon coast is fun for all the family. There is much to explore – the ‘Magical Mystery Tree’ in the shrubbery is a children’s favourite to clamber over; the giant rhubarb (gunnera); the walk to the beach with its paths en route lead to the woodland summerhouse and the gazebo where buzzards, peregrine falcons, roe deer and seabirds can be seen. Or you can follow the ‘Malory Towers Trail’ to see where Darrell and her friends were filmed.

The house, its fascinating interiors and exhibitions, the walled gardens in their full summer glory and rows of annual flowers make an inspiring day out. Homemade lunches and teas available. Visit www.hartlandabbey.com for Outdoor Theatre dates and don’t forget a picnic!

It’s also good to hear that garden clubs all over the southwest are starting plan summer and autumn events.

So the deeper we plunge into high summer deeper the better the news has been for garden lovers who have been itching to get out on garden visits.

After the toughest of times last year for those who love their garden it has been a long time coming.

The latest relaxation of the Government’s Covid restrictions gave the final go ahead for gardens to open and to provide a fuller experience for visitors in terms of not just numbers but food and drink options. It has been a long time coming and over the summer months and into early autumn there now looks at long last to be lots to look forward to.

Hartland Abbey, Nr Bideford EX39 6DT Tel: 01237 441496

ROSEMOOR STAGES ONLY RHS SHOW IN THE SOUTHWEST THIS YEAR

Melbury Vale Locally produced: • Wines • Aromatised Wines • Liqueurs • Brandies

RHS Garden Rosemoor in Torrington, Devon, welcomes return of its three day Garden Flower Show on Friday,13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th of August, sponsored by Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management. Following the cancellation of the last years’ planned event this year is set to be better than ever, featuring flower power from floral artists and dozens of nurseries and trade stands, all in the setting of the Rosemoor gardens in high summer.

From Dorset vineyards • Wine Tours • Glamping The Winery, Melbury Vale Vineyard, Cann, Shaftesbury SP7 0BW (Open to visitors Fri & Sat 10am 4pm or by prior appointment)

Devon-born gardener, broadcaster and radio host Toby Buckland will open the show at 9.30am on Friday, 13th August. Visitors can shop for plants, sundries and more from over 40 specialist growers and traders, with each nursery displaying a mini ‘show garden’ of their best seasonal blooms. Top floral designer Jonathan Moseley also returns to give twice-daily flower arranging demonstrations in the Talks Tent.

Tel: 01747 854206

www.mvwinery.co.uk

Floral displays have been created by a team from the British Academy of Floral Art from Exeter headed by Tina Parkes.

A new ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed floral display trail takes inspiration from the summer holiday activities that families can also enjoy during the show. Local floristry clubs have created this trail including: Atlantic Flower Club, Barnstaple Floral Art Club, South Molton & District Flower Club and Ilfracombe Floral Art Club.

28th-29th AUGUST DORSET | DT10 2BG

For details on tickets and information on the safety precautions in place visit https://gardentickets.rhs.org.uk.

Country Gardener readers can save 10 per-cent when booking online.

RHS Garden Rosemoor,Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH

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CELEBRATE TIMBER, conservation, CRAFT & THE COUNTRYSIDE TICKET ONLY event for 2021 - AVAILABLE AT THEOAKFAIR>COM Country Gardener

SEPTEMBER OPEN DAY PROMISES GARDEN FEAST AT BADMINTON HOUSE The gardens of the Cotswolds Badminton Estate host a late Summer Open Day on Sunday, 5th September.

There will be a huge variety of plants to view, from the formal beds on the east side of the house, designed by Russell Page, to the south garden with its water squares, hedges, beds and borders. Glorious displays of roses and borders of soft summer colours are combined with herbaceous perennials, campanulas, penstemons, geraniums and phlox. The Walled Garden, a short stroll from the house through the park, is home to the kitchen garden, providing fruit and vegetables as well as cut flowers for much of the year. An archway, running the full width of the garden, is covered with roses, clematis, wisteria and yellow laburnum. Pre-booked tickets are £7.50 per adult. On the day entry is £10 per adult. Children under 12 are free.

Summer delights galore at Cotswolds Garden Flowers There’s the opportunity to see the summer border plants flowering in profusion at the nursery of the hugely popular Cotswolds Garden Flowers at Badsey near Evesham. Many gardeners have lots of flowers in early summer but have fewer by mid- season, so you can review your own patch and get some ideas for ways you could add to extend the flower season.

There will be heleniums and helianthus to echo the shape of sunflowers. Daylilies and crocosmia to add to any colour palate and many others. Don’t forget to think about structure and form as well – grasses are good to give you movement in the flowerbeds. Ferns can be used to complement your flowering plants.

01454 218203 or email estateoffice@badmintonestate.com The Badminton Estate, South Gloucestershire, Badminton GL9 1DD

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

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

Cotswold Garden Flowers, Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham WR11 7EZ

BUSCOT PARK IN HIGH SUMMER IS

a garden lovers delight

The Georgian mansion at Buscot Park in Farringdon is surrounded by gardens of rare beauty. The old walled garden below is now the ‘Four Seasons Garden’ where mixed borders bustle beside pleached allées and walkways. Above this pathways and tree-lined avenues lead to the 18th century Pleasure Grounds where the water garden designed by Harold Peto in 1903 descends to a lake; and a citrus garden and swing garden feature on the way up to an obelisk sundial. The gardens are open until 30th September, Monday to Friday, 2pm to 6pm and some weekends including Bank Holidays.

The house and tea rooms open on 21st July. Entry: Adults £9, over 65s £7, children (5 to15) £4.50.

Information Line: 01367 240932 info@buscot-park.com www.buscotpark.com Buscot Park, Lechlade Rd, Farringdon. SN7 8BU

Boscrege - a breath of Cornish fresh air Boscrege Caravan and Camping park in Cornwall is a great combination of the best the country is famous for. It is set at the foot of Tregonning Hill amongst Cornish lanes in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The park, open all year through, is situated close to the wonderful Cornwall coast and only a few minutes drive to Praa Sands, one of Britain’s nicest beaches. St Ives, Penzance, Hayle, Lands End, The Lizard Peninsular, Helston and Falmouth and many other Cornish attractions and beaches are very easily visited from the central location in West Cornwall. So if you are looking to take a holiday in Cornwall this year in a self catering caravan, camping, or even purchasing your own holiday home then contact Boscrege Caravan and Camping Park. Twin lodges are available to buy with a 20 year site licence.

Boscrege Caravan Park, Boscrege, Ashton, Cornwall TR13 9TG 01736 762231 www.caravanparkcornwall.com

BOSCREGE CARAVAN & TOURING PARK Ashton, Cornwall TR13 9TG

Small, peaceful and picturesque site open all year round Luxury holiday homes and lodges for sale and hire Used static caravans for sale offsite

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

44th Cerne Abbas

Open Gardens About 20 Private Gardens Open

14th & 15th August, 2-6pm Day ticket to all gardens £7 Ticket for 2 days £10 Accompanied children free Teas in St Mary’s Church from 1.30pm Plant Stall Free Car Park (DT2 7GD) from 11am

01736 762231

www.caravanparkcornwall.com

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

Equal proceeds to: Cerne Abbas School & Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

Keep up to date: www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk 27

HILL CLOSE GARDENS OFFER A STEP BACK IN TIME Hill Close Gardens are a unique set of Victorian Detached Gardens set in the heart of Warwick.

They are the only remaining set of Victorian detached gardens open to the public in England. Detached gardens were once plentiful around the towns, villages and cities in England so it’s an opportunity to find out about their unique history and take a step back in time to 1896 to a point where the gardens have been recreated.

There are 16 individual plots of the original 32 overlooking Warwick racecourse and some have brick built summerhouses where you can shelter and find out about the plots’ previous owners.

Many events take place throughout the year including the Apple Day & Country Fair in October.

The ‘green’ visitor centre turns into a tearoom on weekends and bank holidays throughout summer.

The gardens offer guided tours through-out the year, and sells both plants from the nursery and produce from the gardens. They can come to you through an off-site talk.

Visit www.hillclosegardens.com or call on: 01926 493339

Melbury Vale Vineyard blossoming as visitors return to enjoy themselves

DAHLIAS HEAD THE SHOW OF AUGUST SPLENDOUR AT CADHAY

Melbury Vale Vineyard, just one and a half miles south of Shaftesbury, has been rushed off its feet since re-opening in May -a reflection that so many of us are keen to get out and enjoy ourselves. Vineyard tours have made a comeback on Saturdays and glampers are taking advantage of the ‘weekender package’.

Dahlias promise to be the highlight this August at Cadhay Manor as the gardeners at the Ottery St Mary venue have continued to build on the prize-winning collection of dahlia collarettes inherited from one of the allotment holders. A few more dahlias are propagated each year in case there are losses from frost during the winter but the winters have been so mild that the numbers have multiplied. From the beginning of August ,the gardens are open every Friday afternoon from 2pm till 5pm and also Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Bank Holiday weekend 28th to 30th August. It is planned to give guided tours of the courtyard which will cover the history of the house. See cadhay. org.uk for further details.

Set on the hillside with stunning views over Melbury Hill, and the vineyard, you can relax in a giant timber barrel, watching the wildlife and hearing the soothing river flowing by as the sun sets and evening descends. Weekend glamping packages are back again and can be booked online at www. mvwinery.co.uk/tours/ The first food, drink and music event was launched at the end of May Bank Holiday for 20 guests and was so successful the event is being held again towards the end of August. Tickets are limited so check the Belle Street social media soon and bring your picnic blanket.

Cadhay, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1QT

Melbury Vale Vineyard & Winery, Foots Hill, Cann, Dorset SP7 0BW

HILL CLOSE VICTORIAN

GARDENS WARWICK Come and explore 16 unique restored Victorian gardens

Badminton House Garden Open Day

Open weekdays Nov-March: 11-4pm Open every day April-Oct: 11am-5pm with tearoom Sat, Sun and Bank Hol Mon

SUNDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER 2021 10AM-4PM

Tickets PRE-BOOKED TICKETS: £7.50 PER ADULT ON THE DAY ENTRY: £10 CHILDREN U12: FREE

Tickets and full information available through the website: www.badmintonestate.com Any questions please contact the Estate Office on 01454 218203 or by email estateoffice@badmintonestate.com 28

PLANTS / PRODUCE / HIRE / NURSERY Arts Festival: Sat 21st August, 11am – 4:30pm Summer exhibition of arts and craft around the gardens, artist workshops and music. Family Arts and Crafts workshops and children’s activities.

Apple Day & Country Fair: Sun 10th October, 11am-4:30pm Apple and fruit displays, stalls, arts and crafts for all the family.

Garden entry £5.00 Child £1.00 HCGT & RHS Free Tel. 01926 493339 www.hillclosegardens.com Access by racecourse to Bread & Meat Close, Warwick CV34 6HF. 2 hrs free parking.

Country Gardener

Save 10%*

Garden Flower Show Fri 13 – Sun 15 August Discover specialist plants, be inspired by our experts and enjoy delicious food and drink *Country Gardener special offer –

Save 10% when you book online and use promo code CGFS10 at checkout.

RHS Members go free

Book online

Supported by

Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH Your visit supports our work as a charity RHS Registered Charity no. 222879 / SC038262

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Oak Fair celebrates all kinds of countryside skills

20 private gardens open over August weekend at Cerne Abbas Cerne Abbas is looking forward to opening about 20 private gardens on Saturday,14th and Sunday,15th August. Normally the gardens open in June but were delayed this year because of the Covid restrictions. However, this enables regular and new visitors to see the wonderful gardens in a very different flowering season. All the gardens are within easy walking distance of the free car park which will be open from 11.30am and there will be the usual well stocked plant stall operating from 1pm and teas from 1.30pm from St Mary’s Church. The garden owners have chosen to divide the proceeds this year between the local junior school and the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Cerne Abbas is a quaint village that is world renowned for the Cerne Giant, a 180 ft high ancient chalk figure carved out into the steep sloping hillside above the village.

The Oak Fair is back in August The Oak Fair in Stock Gaylard, the country fair which celebrates trees and wood , conservation and countryside is back over the weekend of Saturday, 28th and Sunday, 29th August. As usual there will be over 200 exhibitors, focussed on local crafts, conservation and of course wood. The arenas will be busy with heavy horses, falconry and axe displays. There will be the opportunity to try your hand at axe throwing and archery as well as some bush crafts and more. Market Square will be bursting with amazing local food producers and stands and the beer tent will be flowing.

The Oak Fair is now in its sixteenth year and this years’ event should be one of the best after a very long 18 months. Unlike previous years the show will be running on a ticket only basis to ensure it is as safe and enjoyable for everyone as it can be. These are available online at www.theoakfair.co.uk The show opens at 10am on Saturday, 28th and Sunday, 29th August.

The Oak Fair, Stock Gaylard Estate, Sturminster Newton DT10 2BG

Twenty gardens will open at Cerne Abbas

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

High summer at hartland is fun for all the family with lots to explore and theatre on the lawn…

Enjoy a day out in this hidden valley of walled and woodland gardens leading to a wild Atlantic Cove.

Family home with fascinating architecture, collections, displays and film exhibition. No pre-booking required.

Hartland Abbey IS Enid Blyton’s ‘Malory Towers’.

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

* Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Homemade light lunches & cream teas * * Hartland Quay 1 mile * House, Gardens etc and Café: until 3rd October, Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - 5pm last adm. 4.15pm)

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

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 30

GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm until 24th September

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

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk Member of Historic Houses Country Gardener

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

JOBS IN THE

August garden The heady days of late summer should be about taking time to savour the garden and enjoying every moment outdoors. There’s lots of pruning, deadheading and harvesting to be done in August.

You can also start preparing for the autumn veg patch and start to sow flowers for next spring.

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2

Pruning wisteria

The whippy growth that your wisteria will have produced should be cut back so that they are within five or six buds from the main stem or use that same whippy growth to tie in to extend the framework of the wisteria if it is a young specimen. Where a wisteria does not flower may be down to an incorrect pruning regime but often it is because the wisteria is not a named variety that has been grafted on to vigorous rootstock.

To check that your wisteria has been grafted look for a slightly swollen area at the base of the main stem. Without this assurance your wisteria may take many years to flower, or never do so.

3

When lilies have finished flowering, deadhead by trimming back to just above a pair of leaves.

This prevents plants from producing seed, which can lead to a lacklustre display the following year.

To ensure an abundance of buds next season, ericaceous plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas need lots of water – do not let them dry out.

Trim lavender back for new growth

4

When the flowers are beginning to dry out on the plant and you have harvested enough to for instance scatter in your bath of an evening, trim all the flowered spikes back and take about two and a half cm of the leafy growth at the tips of shoots at the same time to prevent your lavender bushes from becoming leggy and misshapen. If your lavender has become twiggy and straggly because lavender rarely grows from old wood, your best bet may well be to take cuttings of your old plants or to buy in some new plants to replace the old ones. Lavender does thrives in a free draining soil so if you are gardening on a heavy, clay soil make sure that you add plenty of grit to the soil to improve drainage.

5

Help flowers conserve energy

Deadheading will help the plant next year

Plant indoor hyacinths

It sounds bizarre to talk about Christmas in August, but if you want the intense fragrance of indoor hyacinths to fill your home on the big day, it’s best to buy bulbs now and plant them before the end of the month. Buy specially prepared bulbs and plant in pots or bowls filled with bulb fibre or multipurpose compost, so the tip of the bulb sits just above the surface. Water lightly then stand the pot in a cool, dark place – a garage is ideal. You can still plant hyacinths in September and October, but they may not flower until after New Year.

Aphids need your attention Aphids are a menace in August, infesting stems and leaves of garden favourites such as nasturtiums, dahlias and beans. Left unchecked, these sap-sucking insects can drain the life from plants and even spread plant viruses, while their sticky honeydew creates an unsightly mess. Organic solutions include blasting bugs from leaves and stems using a hosepipe (mildly effective) or using organic sprays, which are often based on sticky, fatty substances that block aphids’ ability to breathe and feed.

6

Enjoy the harvest

Having spent all spring and summer nurturing the edible elements of your garden, August is when the harvesting begins.

Some veg, especially lettuce and summer squash, need to be picked regularly in order to ensure good growth continues. The first figs will arrive in August as will blackberries, plums, raspberries and some early ripening apples. There are some vegetables you can sow in August too – try beetroot, spring onions and oriental greens like pak choi.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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7

Thinking ahead

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In August, try to look ahead to how you’d like to enjoy your garden next year and begin to collect the seeds you’d like to store. Of course, you can always leave seed heads in place and let the plants do the work for you if you prefer a wilder, more haphazard garden.

At this time of year it can seem as if everything is growing before your eyes so be prepared for some serious pruning. August is the month when hedges should be trimmed right back, both to keep things looking neat and to encourage thicker, healthier growth next year.

Now, when they’re really thriving and lush, is also a good time to take cuttings from tender species like fuchsia, verbena and pelargonium.

Keen herb growers should take the opportunity to cut these back as well. Doing so will bring forth a new surge of delicious growth for September and – if you’re lucky – October too!

9

Make cutbacks

It’s also the time to dead-head your bedding plants, as well as perennial plants like lavender, geranium, phlox and dianthus. This will both stop them from self-seeding wherever they please and will also make them more likely to reward you with flowers into the autumn.

Water, water, everywhere

Often the hottest month of the year, August is no time to put away the watering can. For the good of the environment, use ‘grey’, or recycled water where you can to keep your beds, lawns and shrubs hydrated and healthy. New plants and plants in containers are particularly susceptible to drying out, so make regular watering a habit when temperatures soar, and if you’re going on holiday, ask a neighbour to do the job for you.

If you’re hoping for plenty of buds on plants like camellias or rhododendrons next year, now’s the time to get out the hosepipe and give them a drink.

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Keep your August flower beds well hydrated

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Start collecting seeds Plants that have finished flowering will be developing seed heads now, so this month you can start collecting seeds. Saving seeds from your plants is a great way to get more plants for free, and it’s really not difficult.

Summer strawberries A cheap and easy cultivar that’s perfect for planting this month is the strawberry.

Now is an ideal time for planting these summer fruits, before the cold weather sets in. Plant roughly 40cm apart in rows with the crown of the fruit just level to the soil.

Firmly pat down the soil and water regularly, avoiding the tops as this can cause disease. To suppress weed growth and maintain water, you can grow them through white polythene sheeting or opt for a straw bedding to keep them clean.

Collecting seeds is not difficult

Choose a dry day to harvest your seeds. Snip off the stem just below the seed head, and pop it into a paper bag or envelope where you can shake the seeds out and discard the rest of the seed head. Remember to label each bag!

Try not to harvest every single seed head. Leaving a few on the plant can provide structure and interest later in the year, while also being a food source for local wildlife.

Leaving seed heads will also mean the plant can self-seed in the soil nearby.

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In the kitchen garden • Plant out your leeks and brassicas if you haven’t already, and you can also squeeze in a final sowing of spinach and chard in the first couple of weeks of August.

• Sow salad leaves under cover, or out in the open.

• Watch your tomatoes and potatoes closely for blight.

This will first be visible in the leaves. Simply earthing up the tubers can also protect potatoes.

There’s still time to plant out leeks 32

• Another problem to keep an eye out for is blossom end rot on your tomatoes. This is first spotted on the fruit itself, as a brown or black spot that grows in size and gradually becomes sunken and flat. The risk of blossom end rot can be prevented by frequent watering – the disease being caused by the plants not receiving a sufficient quantity of calcium.

Country Gardener

• Do a last sowing of beetroot – a patch of a purple variety such as ‘Boltardy’, a stripy pink and white, such as ‘Candy Stripe’, (syn. ‘Chioggia’) and an orange such as ‘Burpee’s Golden’. Mixed up, these colours look fabulous in chunks on top of a simple rocket and feta salad.

• Keep on top of weeding and remove any dead or diseased leaves.

• Continue to feed tomatoes.

• Look out for seed potatoes to give you new potatoes at Christmas. These prepared tubers can be planted now in a frost-free greenhouse, or in containers that can be moved under cover once it gets cold. They will take about 12 weeks from planting to cropping.

The huge benefits of aquatic plants for ponds…

Andy McConnachie from Devon ecological landscapers Lost Habitat looks at some of the trade secrets of selecting and looking after aquatic plants

High time for

Many species of aquatic plants produce flowers, are a food source for many animals, provide safe refuge for wildlife, and add aesthetical beauty for us.They also help to prevent bankside erosion by stabilising banks with their root system, are extremely good at absorbing waste produced by fish or contaminants such as fertilisers from run-off and are vital for producing oxygen. All aquatic plants play a major role in ensuring a freshwater ecosystem stays balanced, assisting in the pond’s nitrogen cycle, and aiding water quality through uptake of excess nutrients and nitrogen.

hydroponics?

by Luke Regan Should more gardeners be willing to try new style watering systems which could revitalise the growing experience Water is intrinsic to the existence of plant life. So much so that a gardener’s chosen means of irrigation often plays a distant second fiddle to its necessity.

It is a given that plants need water, but deliberately over-elaborating irrigation can seem a mistake.

How much so though, when you consider the benefits to lifestyle, variety, cost, and ecology that a deeper look at garden irrigation techniques might yield?

If you could grow free from manual labour, with more time to develop techniques, trying new types of plants, using minimal water, while maximising available growing space - then why wouldn’t you?

Hydroponics promises many or all of these things but continues to be divisive with gardeners - often due to understandable, if misplaced, fears. True, some hydroponic systems do entail growing in water or convoluted substrates, using power, and employing complex nutrients. However, variations on hydroponics, combining the best things about in-earth cultivation with simple, power-free, highyielding, water-saving devices, can readily revitalise the experience of gardening at minimal cost.

Such systems often incorporate equipment familiar or intuitive for gardeners.

Typically, they are comprised of pots sitting in trays.

In each tray sits a small, power-free, self-regulating float valve. And that’s about as scary as it gets! The valve is connected to a reservoir or water butt via simple pipework. The valve meters out a supply of water and/or nutrient solution into the tray. Only once a plant has exhausted the supply will the valve reopen to admit a fresh fill.

The physical benefits of such automated systems are manifold. Gardeners do not need to to oversee an otherwise laborious, task. For inexperienced growers, or old hands trying new varieties, there’s no need to hazard a guess at watering regimes. Ultimately the plants control their own irrigation. Provided the system does not require power or running water it can be left in operation indefinitely. Systems not requiring utilities also open up myriad untapped growing spaces. And then there are the benefits in terms of performance and quality.

In the words of 12-time RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Medwyn Williams; “I do honestly believe that watering systems bring the growing of exhibitionquality vegetables onto a level playing field. Now competition doesn’t have to be in the hands of a few specialist growers.”

If you are ready to take the plunge with a watering system then one key question is what media you’d like to grow in. The first thing to be aware of is that soil or peat-based media can’t do it alone. Yes, it’s an excellent ingredient for supporting bio-activity, but on its own it’ll compact into a virtual solid leaving your roots, water, and nutrients with nowhere to call home. Don’t let this put you off.

Mixing in another medium is a cheap and simple way of ensuring that the essential balance of aeration, water-retention, and wicking is maintained.

Inexpensive and easily available, perlite or clay pebbles represent excellent additions. These perform equally well with natural, free-draining substrates such as coco coir which can be enhanced with beneficial bacteria and fungi to strengthen the root-zone and accelerate plant growth. Watering systems also open the door to all manner of ‘improvised’ substrates.

Plant reeds, recycled glass, rice husks, bracken, denim, calico, pumice, and sheep’s wool are just a few examples of improvised substrates that have enjoyed success in watering systems. Why should more obscure, improvised growing media be of interest to everyday gardeners? The short answer is; they might not be obscure for long. As with the wider world, horticulture is under pressure to function sustainably and find alternatives to traditional practices. At a time when the RHS and Woodland Trust are petitioning the government to ban peat-based composts it’s surely prudent to take a look at recycled options.

Watering systems offer a great opportunity to do this, and their eco-credentials don’t stop there.

Some hydroponic systems will certainly set your meters spinning. Equally, there are many power-free watering systems that rely on gravity alone to draw the supply. Typically these do not require computers or timers and eschew the wasteful, and potentially hazardous, practice of recirculation. Systems that supply each pot-and-tray module individually can direct 100% of water and fertiliser inputs to the plants. Thus it is possible to achieve zero waste on utilities using a watering system.

A reluctance to experiment, for fear of undermining all that is great about gardening, shouldn’t hold you back from developing new skills, trying new varieties, or even growing in the first place. Divisive they may be, but watering systems are really beginning to show the ways in which they can enhance the work of gardeners everywhere. Time to give one a try? www.countrygardener.co.uk

‘Mentha aquatica’ - Water mint

How many aquatic plants should I add to my pond?

For a new pond, I would advise on having approximately one third of your ponds surface covered with suitable aquatic plants, for example, a pond measuring three by three meters, having a surface area of nine square metres should have around three square metres of planting, suggesting five plants of one litre pot size per square metre. Over a couple of seasons growth, the plants will cover at least one half of the pond surface, leaving room for wildlife, helping to prevent algae growth, and providing plenty of choice habitat.

What about choice of aquatic plants?

I have already spoken about the aesthetic benefits; thus, element of choice will be slightly driven by colour, height, and flowering period. We also need to ensure however, that we add beneficial plants for the pond’s delicate ecosystem, species that include good oxygenation abilities such as our native Hornwort ‘Ceratophyllum demersum’, some plants to provide good marginal cover and protective habitat for invertebrates, tadpoles, and newts such as Brooklime ‘Veronica beccabunga’, or Water mint ‘Mentha aquatica’, both these species produce root growth directly to the water also helping to remove excess nutrients. Other marginal species for dragonflies and damselflies might include taller plants such as the Flowering rush ‘Butomus umbellatus’ or irises, or Pickerel weed ‘Pontederia cordata’. A selection of deeper water plants to provide valuable surface cover from the sun, apart from water lilies might include Water hawthorn ‘Aponogeton distachyos’, or Amphibious bistort ‘Persicaria amphibia’. www.losthabitat.uk 33

Prevention as well as cure in septic tank management

Welsh Slate water features to bring drama to your garden

Thousands of us rely on out own mini sewage treatment plant - a garden septic tank. The maintenance is a necessity sometimes forgotten or overlooked and then needing expensive pump outs. Regular use of Aquarius SC will mean such problems can be virtually eliminated.

If you are looking for sensational bespoke natural stone water for your garden feature then Welsh Slate Water Features offers stunning options.

Aquarius SC is a dry, multi-culture preparation designed to liquefy and consume organic wastes and almost all factions of animal fats and vegetable oils found in sewage and septic tank systems, drains and grease traps.. Aquarius SC is nontoxic, non-caustic, non-corrosive, non-pathogenic and is biodegradable.

Every slate structure is selected from quarries in Wales and England and the finish is hand crafted.

The Four Seasons Monolith for example is a stunning collaboration between Welsh Slate Water Features and master stone mason Ray Moseley.

This beautiful tower of Welsh slate has the alchemist symbols for spring, summer, autumn and winter hand carved into the front face and is core drilled vertically to allow water to flow out the top, making it the ultimate unique garden water feature.

The performance and efficiency of septic tanks, drainage and sewage systems depends entirely upon the type of waste throughput and the amounts and strength of the bacterial agents present therein. The bacteria lives and multiplies by feeding on the waste matter within the septic tank and as such causes decomposition of the soluble waste into less harmful and inoffensive effluent, which may then be safely dispersed through the system.

The increasing use of household detergents, bleaches and cleansers destroys the very bacteria required to digest the sewage in the purification system.

Welsh Slate Water Features work in partnership with garden designers and landscapers to help homeowners create beautiful outdoor spaces. Trade Discounts are available on request.

Four Seasons Monolith

Aquarius SC is supplied in a soluble sachet, as a pre-measured treatment of one sachet a month for standard size domestic tank, entered into the drainage, septic tank and sewage system through the sink waste or flushed down the toilet.

Aquarius Agriculture (A division of Morgan Hope Industries Ltd) visit www.aquarius4u.com for more information.

www.welshslatewaterfeatures.co.uk

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...keeping Septic Tanks clean for over 65 years!

34

Country Gardener

Can be used hydroponically or traditionally - with soil

Gold Standard AutoPot Watering Systems - As used by 12-time RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Medwyn Williams Success comes naturally. AutoPot Watering Systems put your plants in control of their own power-free irrigation and feeding.

For truly responsive growing that makes produce of prize-winning quality a real possibility.

No more daily watering, systems can be left unattended for weeks No need for electricity, pumps, timers, or mains water pressure Gravity pressure from a reservoir or waterbutt is all that’s required Environmentally sustainable, no water is ever lost to the ground Can be used to grow any crop variety; edible or ornamental

autopotsystems

autopot.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

autopot_global

35

The right pump for the right job

Choosing the right pump for your pond or water feature can be a bit of a headscratcher, with so many models on the market. It’s very important to select the right type of pump for the task and Water Garden Ltd are on hand to help.

Water Garden Ltd specialise in OASE pond pumps, the market-leading manufacturer in pond technology. Whether you’re searching for a replacement pump or looking to create a new pond or garden feature, we can offer the very best solution for your needs.

Bring your garden to

life!

Pond pumps are primarily designed to push water from A to B, perhaps from a pond to a cascade, pond filter, or to create an ornamental fountain. However, it’s important to note that the right style of pump is needed for the specific task in hand.

For example, a filter pump has large holes in the outer casing to pass muck to the filter. This style of pump is perfect for a filter system but is unsuitable for a fountain, as the decorative nozzle attachment constantly blocks up with debris!

If you need advice to select the right pump for your garden project, visit water-garden.co.uk or call on 02392 373735 for expert advice.

DON’T PLACE YOUR PUMP IN A POND AND FORGET ABOUT IT !

Pond pumps are specifically manufactured for different purposes; to power an ornate fountain, produce a gushing waterfall, or taking dirty water to a filter system. The design will ensure that it performs its task effectively and efficiently. A pump intended to work on a fountain will not produce results if you try using it to feed your filter.

Any pond pump will need regular maintenance as most are designed and built to run 24 hours a day. OASE’s AquaMax filter and watercourse pumps are designed to take lots of solid waste to the filter, but cleaning them regularly will help extend their life. At the end of the summer ten minutes spent getting your pump ready for winter will make all the difference. No pump will give you its full potential if it is just placed in the pond and forgotten about. It is the beating heart of your pond system and so should receive the love and care in truly deserves.

Pond Pumps

Water Features

Fountains

Pond Filters

Pond Lights

Maintenance

02392 373735 email: contact@water-garden.co.uk

Details on Oase’s range of pumps visit www.social.oase.com/pondpump

OASE have a range of pumps to suit any pond Waterfall Kit

AquaMax Eco Premium

Formal Spouts OASE pumps efficiently carry dirty water directly to your pond filter. Whether you need a gravity fed option, to care for koi, or a tiny pump, for the smallest pond, they will help keep your pond clean.

Learn more: social.oase.com/pondpump

Copper Bowls

36

Country Gardener

ENJOY COLOUR IN YOUR GARDEN

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37

OUR NEW BEE-ROADS Using the vast network of road verges throughout Britain is now seen as the key to securing the future of our precious insects, allowing them to travel and breed with other colonies along ‘pollinator corridors’

able to travel and to breed with other colonies to allow the widest possible strong gene pool. One view is that over half the number of insect species could become extinct if action is not taken to allow them to move more easily around the countryside.

Which is where Ben Philips from the University of Exeter comes in.

He is lead author of a report which highlighted that road verges cover 1.2per-cent of land in Britain- an area the size of Dorset and that it could be managed to help wildlife.

University of Exeter researchers used Google Earth and Google Street View to estimate that verges account for 2,579 km2 (almost 1,000 square miles) of land.

About 27per-cent of these verges are frequently mown, 41per-cent is wilder grassland, 19per-cent is woodland and the rest is scrub.

More of us than ever before are gardening with wildlife in mind.

We plant mini flower meadows; we spend time and money to buy plants and seeds which will benefit bees and pollinators. We leave lawns uncut and allow areas to grow wild.

It has become a real passion for so many gardeners.

The worry is that despite all we are doing it might not be enough and that gardeners alone can’t stop the decline of our precious insects.

So gardens all over the country become tiny oases of thriving buglife. But these may be too isolated when it comes to the real needs of the insects. They need to be 38

There are “significant opportunities” to improve verges by reducing mowing and planting trees, the researchers say.

“Our key message is that there’s a lot of road verges in Great Britain and we could manage it much better for nature,” said Ben Phillips, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“About a quarter of our road verges are mown very regularly to make them look like garden lawns – this is bad for wildlife.”

Previous research has shown that reducing mowing to just once or twice per year provides more flowers for pollinators, allows plants to set seed and creates better habitats for other animals.

Phillips said: “Some parts of verges need to be mown Country Gardener

regularly for safety, but many verges could be mown much less, and this could save money due to reduced maintenance costs.

“We found that only a quarter of frequently mown verges had trees, so there’s potential to add trees and shrubs, which will also help to capture carbon.

“But tree planting must be done carefully to avoid damaging flower-rich grass verges, and to prevent any impacts on visibility for drivers, or damage to infrastructure from roots and branches.”

The charity Plantlife ran a hugely successful a campaign called #NoMowMay, asking gardeners and councils to “lock up the lawnmower” for the month of May. Over 700 species of wild flower grow on the UK’s road verges – nearly 45 per cent of our total flora. And where wild flowers lead, wildlife follows… a multitude of bees, butterflies, birds and bugs. All enjoyed by 23 million road commuters.

However, our road verges are under considerable pressure. Priorities for safety and access, alongside budget constraints, a desire for ‘neatness’ and difficulties with the collection of litter and grass clippings all mean that enhancing their wildlife value is often low on the list.

The management guidelines can be summed up as ‘cut less, cut later’ and their adoption by councils and other highways authorities will significantly improve the health of our verges. We want flowers to be allowed to flower so pollinators can work their magic and seeds can ripen and fall to the ground. In this way, the floral display will become better and better every year.

Plantlife started this campaign in 2013 in response

Weymouth Relief Road verges entertain 30 species of butterfly

Dorset wins all the accolades The verges of roads throughout Dorset are now havens for half the butterfly species in Britain. Since the Weymouth Relief Road ten years ago, 30 species of butterfly have been recorded by volunteers from Butterfly Conservation on the low-fertility chalk grassland slopes created next to the road. That’s over half of the species known to live in Britain, and includes Small Blue, Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue.

There is now a UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme transect on the road and over the coming years and decades it will be possible to document accurately how each butterfly species is faring as the slopes develop into chalk and limestone grasslands.

Small Blues can be found laying eggs on the flowers of Kidney vetch. This species arrived within 18 months of sowing Kidney Vetch seed. The nearest population is four miles away, showing that even this tiny butterfly can travel across inhospitable countryside to find a home.

HOW YOU CAN PLAY A PART • Plantlife is running a petition to support their conservation road verges plan with over 120,000 signatures. You can add yours at www.plantlife.orgruk/roadvergecampaign You will also find their Good Verge Guide which gives practical help on how local verges can be managed.

• www.buglifeorg.uk has full details of the B-line maps linking conservation sites. It is continually being updated.

• www.wildlifetrusts.org allows you to volunteer with your local wildlife trust.

• www.bumbleeconservation.org runs local working parties organised by the Bumbleebee Conservation Trust to protests from the public horrified by wild flowers being mown down.

Says the charity: “A few roadside nature reserves is not enough. We want to transform the entire network.

There are nearly 500,000 kilometres of rural road verge in the UK. This is equal to half of our remaining flower-rich grasslands and meadows: their potential is enormous. With support from our partners and the public, we believe this will happen”.

“This year we will be having more conversations with councils to encourage them to take up wildlife-friendly verge management. Eleven local authorities are interested in working with us already to implement our road verge management guidelines.”

The insect charity Buglife has been working now for ten years to build a map of what it calls B -lines (B for biodiversity) which aims to link existing wildlife areas building a network of linked land from the south west of England up to the northernmost regions of Scotland.

Their work is painstaking and involved working and convincing landowners, highways agencies and local authorities to work together with the considerable help of funding from the National heritage Lottery Fund.

The charity believes there is a momentum for change: “More help is being given and we are finding less resistance to our ideas,” said a spokesman.

Road safety is a priority and comes first but with the size of most verges there is little conflict with conservation.

For many verges, a regular late summer cut and removal of clippings will keep the verge open, safe and thriving with interesting wildlife. Certain verges must be cut regularly to maintain clear lines of visibility – this is particularly crucial at junctions where a ‘visibility splay’ has to be maintained at all times.

Planting generic mixes of wildflower seed does little to conserve wild flowers and can threaten the distinctiveness of natural local flora. Mixtures of annual, often non-native, flowers for pollinators can also be expensive and labour intensive to maintain.

Instead, simply cutting less and later will give native plants the opportunity to flower and set seed. Given the chance to spread, verges will be full of life again before too long. If verges have been neglected for a long time and are devoid of wild flower species, it may be worth restoring the habitat with locally sourced wildflower seed or green hay.

Freedom of Information data gathered by The Press Association shows that seven in ten councils are making efforts to encourage wild flowers on road verges. A total of 38 councils are looking to expand on what they’ve already been working on, and a further 36 already have new plans for 2021 and beyond.

A key point in the success of the project is having clear lines of communication to those responsible for the roads and highways.

The Strategic Road Network (SRN) - motorways and major A roads - is managed by Highways England.

Outside of the SRN, County and Metropolitan District councils are normally the highway authorities for their area, although some C roads and unclassified roads are delegated to the local District, Parish or Community Councils. In any area a council has been designated the Highway Authority. Often this will be a county or city council. They may delegate – for example, to Parish Council or to local contractors – but they remain the highway authority with legal responsibility for looking after roads. www.countrygardener.co.uk

39

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

We’ve another lively and entertaining bunch of letters from Country Gardener Readers, You can write to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or email alan@countrygardener.co.uk

My aquatic plant haven

Lunar seed sowing - did it work?

Since I salvaged an old bath I have been experimenting with aquatic plants to try and bring more wildlife into the garden and also to bring life into a boring corner of the garden.

It has worked wonderfully well and would recommend it to any creative gardeners.

Sowing with the phases of the moon may seem like witchcraft to some and plant folklore nonsense to others.

However, always up for a bit of harmony with nature, I thought I’d give it a go.

Annie Parker Bordean

A lovely colourful combination I love combinations of things in a garden.

I have grown a vigorous and colourful Clematis ‘Abundance’ in a young apple tree which provides masses of pink blooms.

It means retaining a bit of character and height in the garden. The planting area at the base of the tree was compacted and I guess therefore starved of nutrients so I dug out the planting hole and filled it with well rotten compost. The clematis thrived and they make a lovely pair!

Fiona Hughes Portsmouth

Please, no crisps for the birds I urge your readers to take care when feeding birds. You can be as inventive as you like with what you feed – but always avoid salted food of any sort (chips, crisps, salted bacon, salted peanuts, plus desiccated coconut) as this can seriously dehydrate birds.

I was appalled to find my elderly neighbour feeding old bags of crisps which are tremendously salty and will do the birds no good at all. And avoid feeding loose peanuts during the breeding season as this could possible become lodged in the mouths of chicks. I always clean the feeding station every week and make sure they have plenty of water as it is essential for feather maintenance as well as drinking.

Tina Hunter Bridgwater

Birds - stay away from my hanging baskets Have you ever had birds hijack your hanging baskets in spring and convert them into nests? It may sound silly, but it can happen.

Each spring birds build nests in my hanging pots. The first year it happened, I thought it was charming. But it quickly became a nuisance. I couldn’t water my plants. If I went near the nest I would frighten the birds off the nest. Once they finally left all I had remaining was dead plants. This is the second year it has happened and while I love birds in my garden I wish they would be a bit more understanding where they end up nesting. A friend said I should put a toy plastic windmill in the baskets next year. Not very aesthetic but might do the trick.

Sarah Beaven Poole

I usually sow tomato and pepper seeds in mid-late February, in a heated propagator. Sowing that early, they benefit from some artificial heat after germination. If you’re using a windowsill, I think you wait until March when the days have lengthened a bit. Leggy seedlings are worse than useless.

As I understand it, the majority of horticulturalists sowing with the moon do so on a ‘waxing’ moon in other words getting bigger, towards full. A German researcher, Dr Kolisko studied the effect of the moon on plant growth. He confirmed in 1936 that the best time to plant seeds was 48 hours before a full moon.

I planted ‘Suncherry Premium F1’, ‘Sungold’ and ‘Gardener’s Delight’. They did germinate much faster than usual. Was it the propagator, the freshness of the seeds, the compost, the phase of the moon or a combination of them all? Well, you’ll have to make up your own minds about that one!

Nick Webb Petersfield

Help in difficult times I cannot thank you enough for the regular dose of medicine for my mental health with Country Gardener. I’ve have picked up your magazine for years and it gets better and have always looked forward to the quality of the gardening coverage. During lockdown I had to shield and generally have been very restricted. A neighbour now picks up your magazine and without it I think I would have found it much more difficult to cope and it certainly inspired me to get out into my garden much more often.

Anne Hudson Dartmouth

Yes, parsnips do taste better after the first frost I’ve been doing some research, which I thought your readers might like to share. I love growing parsnips and have always wondered if the old saying that parsnips taste better after the first frost is true. The theory is they become sweeter when it turns cold because the starch in their roots is turned to sugar.

Birds eating the fruit in my garden was becoming a major irritation until I successfully dissuaded them by hanging mothballs in my trees. I cut out a six-inch square of cheesecloth I use for draining my quince jelly and tied it up and hung two or three of them in my favourite trees. It may sound a bit daft but it really works. The mothballs don’t poison the fruit and the birds stay away to avoid the awful smell.

‘Cold sweetening’ is a process used by the food industry to improve the flavour of parsnips harvested in late summer, as early crops harvested at this time of year tend to taste bland. In research by Canadian scientists, a panel of sensory experts tasted parsnips before and after they had been stored in a cold room. They found that parsnips developed a sweet flavour after cold storage, and that there was a rapid increase in the sugar content of parsnips that had been stored at 0°C compared with those that had been stored at 10°C. So to enhance their flavour, leave roots in the ground until you need them.

Rena Smith Burnham

Sara Beaven Cirencester

40

Country Gardener

MY MOTHBALL DETERRENT

CROSSWORD

I FOLLOW MY FATHERS’ STRAWBERRY GROWING TIPS My father who sadly died last winter would have loved the wonderful strawberries we have been enjoying this summer. He loved his strawberry beds and became such an authority he started giving talks at local gardening clubs a few years ago, which he loved.

They have never been better. The middle of July was always important in his eyes after the early strawberries finish fruiting - usually the middle of July - they put their energy into producing new plants via runners. These are long shoots with one or more plantlets spaced along their length. As the plantlets touch the soil they put down roots, establish quickly and so the plant regenerates itself. By pinning them to the soil or onto a pot with compost in it and then separating it from the mother plant these can be harvested as new plants that will have more vigour than the parent and keep your stock replenished and refreshed.

I follow my father’s lead and dig up and compost the parent plant after four years as their productivity rapidly declines after this and they often accumulate viruses.

By the end of August the rooted plantlets are ready for planting out into a new bed that has had a generous amount of compost added to it as strawberries are greedy feeders (they should always be planted on soil that has not grown strawberries for at least three years to avoid possible viruses). I then space these at least 12 inches apart and ideally twice that to allow for maximum growth and productivity. The trick is to keep them well watered and mulch with more compost in autumn.

country gardener

CROSSWORD

Our monthly horticultural crossword is compiled by Saranda. The first winning entry will receive £50 worth of RHS gift tokens. Completed entries should be sent to Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD. Closing date is Friday, 27th August. The winner of our June crossword was Tamsin Porter from Cheltenham.

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I do it in honour of my lovely Dad.

Amanda White Martock

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My love heart strawberry I love your magazine and always look forward to going to my local garden centre to pick it up.

My husband was out picking strawberries the other night for our supper when he came in and said ‘Close your eyes’. When I opened them he said, “Here you are, a love strawberry I grew specially for you.

The old smoothie!

ACROSS 7.

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Lisa Alston Yeovil

I’ve wasted my time trimming leek roots In the five years I have been growing leeks I have always trimmed the roots of my seedlings before transplanting them. I am sure I read it or saw it somewhere and took it as gospel. Then I went to a talk about growing leeks only to be told, studies have shown that this does nothing to improve yield, and may actually restrict the growth of your leeks. How annoying is that?

Jack Adamson Totnes

Flower bud of a Sicilian bush (5) Not yet ready for harvest (9) Was in arrears (4) General term for anything ornamental grown in home (10) 12. This flowering tree inspired Van Gogh in the South of France (6,7) 15. According to WWI song, part of France where ‘roses are shining’ (7) 16. Mexican peninsula where their most famous agave is found (7) 18. An alternative name for the wild flower moschatel (8,5) 20. Plants or trees that retain leaves all the year (10) 22. A kiln for drying hops or malt (4) 23. Common name for garden plant known as teucrium (9) 24. Fish that gives its name to a certain begonia (5)

DOWN

1. Genus of trees and shrubs sometimes known as devil peppers (9) 2. A tuber that should be chitted before planting (4,6) 3. Plants that complete their life cycle within one season (7) 4. A pretty member of borage family sometimes called adderwort (6,7) 5. Traditional cottage garden plant polygonatum or Solomon’s ____ (4)

6. Described as a thornless rose, it has showy powder puff flowers (5) 9. Acid-loving shrubs whose name in Greek means rose tree (13) 13. An animal or baby position, sometimes employed by gardeners (2,3,5) 14. A beautiful youth in Greek mythology, also applied to a daffodil (9) 17. Herbal concoction with therapeutic value (4,3) 19. Covered in creeper (5) 21. Hoar frost or frozen dew (4)

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41

Don’t leave me in suspense!

Hanging baskets aren’t just for high summer. With a bit of planning they can colourfully last throughout the autumn and even provide winter colour and fun

Replanting baskets now will allow for colour throughout the autumn

The petunias may be starting to fade, begonias on the verge of collapse and busy Lizzies past their prime - but don’t give up on your hanging baskets -just because your high summer performers are starting to look washed up.

It’s time to look ahead and plant up your containers or hanging baskets for autumn and winter displays.

Planting them with a fresh display now will allow them plenty of time to establish before the really cold weather sets in.

In order to create a container that will last till next spring you will need to select plants with plenty of colour and interest.

Using a high quality potting mix is vital to successful hanging baskets. Choose a lightweight mix if possible.

Just as planting in your garden, you have to choose the right plants for the right spot.

Choose trailing plants for the sides and bottom of the container, and more upright varieties for the middle of the container. Lastly, decide on type and variety.

Do you want a single colour and type to make a mass statement or do you want three to five different varieties with different textures, colours and bloom shapes for more close up interest? Bolder colours will draw the eye more from the street, while more subdued choices allow the basket to add to the

gardenscape, instead of becoming a focal point.

Winter-flowering pansies are ideal for containers and hanging baskets over the cold months, but they aren’t the only option.

Try hellebores– a fantastic plant that flowers in deep winter. It comes in a range of colours, including white, green and reddish petals also polyanthus, which is a good winter bedding plant. Cyclamen is another good choice.

You can also try winter-flowering heather, which blooms for months on end and is really bright. It comes in pink, purple and white. It’s also a really hardy plant, so it will thrive in containers even in the cold winter weather.

42

Apart from autumn and winter-flowering bedding plants, there will be compact specimens of conifers, evergreen shrubs and trailing plants.

To create a head-turning display, you’ll need a mixture of upright, mound-forming and tumbling plants.

Shrubs or conifers are ideal to provide height, while bedding plants and compact shrubs provide interest at the base. Trailing plants are best for hiding the edges of the basket.

Why not try adding spring bulbs to keep your hanging baskets going in late winter and early spring too?

Snowdrops and daffodils are always popular.

Deadheading flowers in baskets you are trying to prolong the life of is one of those tasks that most gardeners enjoy and is key to long life.

Stick to a colour scheme and don’t plant random flowers that will make your basket look messy. Pansy, viola and cyclamen are great for colour, while conifer plants, chrysanthemums and coloured heather can make up the centre and give both height and structure. To think ahead, plant spring bulbs between your chosen winter plants and flowers, and your winter hanging baskets will keep on growing as the sunny rays of spring touches the soil.

It’s important to deadhead as it channels all the plant’s energy back into the flowers rather than growing seed heads. If you let your flowers die on the stems, the plants assume their job is done and don’t bother flowering again. In addition, nothing spoils a nice floral display than a host of dead flowers.

Unlike summer, getting the watering level right can be tricky. Check that the compost is nicely damp after watering and although it’s unlikely much sun will dry the basket out, don’t forget how drying the wind can be. If you’ve used good compost you probably won’t need to feed again over winter- too much feed will produce faster, softer growth which is more susceptible to frost damage.

Although the plants you will use will tolerate most winter conditions you might have to move the basket into a sheltered place if the temperatures drop too much.

White flowers can made a dramatic impact as shown by hanging baskets of ‘Snow Princess’ alyssum white.

Before planting a new autumn display , you need to prepare the basket. If you already have one with the remains of a summer display, take it down and evict the contents. Don’t be tempted to reuse compost - it will be exhausted of nutrients and could harbour pests.

For colder months use a closed bottom basket rather than an open work one.

Country Gardener

With small bedding plants, you can pinch the flower head and remove it. Thicker stems need cutting.

Remove the dead flowers below the dead bloom or just above the next healthy leaves. Watch out for any small buds not yet open; it’s very easy to get snip happy and cut off immature buds as well as dead flowers!

PACK THEM IN You have to pack the plants into hanging baskets to get the full and lush look you want. They have a short amount of time to get to their full intended size, so you may need more plants than you usually would use.

This is also why these baskets need more water and fertilizer – there is a lot of root competition in there!

Hanging flower baskets that are just one plant choice can make a statement. Such as trailing pansies.

A shade hanging basket of asparagus fern, ivy and coral bells.

There are no flowers in this hanging baskets idea but just goes to show how versatile you can be!

Looking for something a little more unique? A lovely geometric design in a crisp porcelain ivory glaze complete with coconut coir liner. Perfect for all kinds of plants.

Don’t ignore the beauty of winter hanging baskets Once the last of summer’s flowers have faded, it’s tempting to discard the plants, store the baskets behind the shed, and give up until spring. But that would be to miss out on the colour, texture and form offered by dwarf evergreen shrubs and winter perennials, annuals and bulbs.

Plant winter hanging baskets between September and October, and it doesn’t matter if they are frosted as the plants are should be hardy.

Create a warm atmosphere on even the coldest day with bright lime green and variegated gold foliage.

Dwarf Lemon Cypress (Cupressus ‘Goldcrest’) adds height to the centre of a hanging basket with striking lime green foliage and a conical shape. Slender sweet flag grass (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’) is another option to add height to a container display. Its soft semievergreen lime leaves cascade from the centre of the basket and blend beautifully with other lime foliage or darker colours, like the smaller black grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’.)

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Place a small circle of plastic (cut from a margarine tub or similar) in the bottom of the basket before filling with compost to create a saucer that will help stop water running straight out of the bottom

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A good quality, peat-free multipurpose is fine for a display that only has to last for one year. And if you want to grow plants such as winter flowering heathers, it is best to go for ericaeous compost,

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In early autumn apply a liquid fertiliser, preferably after normal watering.

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You could even add a few dwarf daffodil bulbs to extend the spectacle well into spring

•

Ivies are brilliant if you want to hide the edges of hanging baskets, and they’re great teamed with mixed winter bedding plants or potted evergreens in more formal settings. Small, variegated evergreen euonymus plants are also good for this.

...and then there’s the Christmas hanging basket

Add heuchera foliage for interesting shapes and colours. Or try the heucherella trailing collection for a mix of lime, red and purple leaves that will cover the edges of the basket and soften the display.

Ivy is also ideal to trail over the edges of any hanging basket and Hedera helix ‘Goldchild’, with its olive-green lobed leaves edged in gold, will pick out the lime and gold highlights elsewhere in the display. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Don’t be afraid of using holly, ivy, other greens from the December garden to hang out a celebration hanging basket over the holiday period.

It is becoming a popular trend amongst gardenerscolourful,good fun and not vulnerable to the weather.

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45

Snake

charmer The good looking, non venomous reptile has been returning to gardens in record numbers over the past two seasons, often found in and around compost heaps but still remains on a priority list of species for conservation

Britain’s longest snake, the grass snake is slowly but surely making a comeback.

It’s a harmless, elegant species often found in a garden compost or grass heap and is protected by law but over the last two summers experts believe its numbers are growing although it still remains on a conservation list.

It can exceed a metre in length. The species is typically grey-green in colour. It has a distinctive yellow and black collar around the neck and black markings along the length of the body.

It of course, shouldn’t be confused with the poisonous adder, which has a distinctive dark zigzag pattern along its back. Another possible confusion species is the slow worm. These legless lizards can be identified by their shiny appearance and bullet-shaped head.

Frogs, toads and newts are a grass snake’s favoured prey, but they will also take fish, small mammals and birds. With no venom, grass snakes rely on the element of surprise to hunt. A snake will strike out and grab its unsuspecting prey, swallowing it whole.

Often, the prey is still alive when swallowed.

Grass snakes are the UK’s only egg-laying snake.

Eggs are normally laid in a sheltered location within rotting vegetation. Compost heaps are often a favoured spot. Up to 40 eggs may be laid, hatching in late summer or early autumn. Only a minority of the young will reach adulthood, with many falling prey to predators such as herons, birds of prey, pheasants and even hedgehogs.

As cold-blooded reptiles, grass snakes spend the coldest part of the year in hibernation. A variety of hibernation sites may be used, provided they are warm and humid. Tree root systems, fallen trees, compost heaps and rabbit warrens are some of the places that may be utilised. Snakes will normally begin to hibernate in October or November, emerging in March or April.

retreat into cover after detecting a human. Your best chance of seeing one is to visit a suitable habitat early in the morning. This is when the snakes have to bask in the sun to generate warmth. If you disturb a snake, it’s worth quietly revisiting the spot as the same basking points are often used regularly.

Grass snakes are extremely strong swimmers and they can often be seen swimming across bodies of open water, especially after they have been disturbed from basking nearby.

In 2017, the grass snakes found in Britain and western Europe were reclassified as a new species (Natrix helvetica) to separate them from those in central and eastern Europe (Natrix natrix).

There is a lack of reliable information concerning the population trend of grass snakes in the UK. However, the species is fully protected by law, meaning it is illegal to deliberately kill or harm the snakes.

Such is the flexibility of grass (and other) snakes that they can sometimes tie themselves in knots as they settle into tight grasses or slither into narrow cracks.

How intentional this behaviour is remains largely unknown. It certainly doesn’t seem to cause grass snakes any obvious problems. They usually simply pull the knot wide with their super-muscular skeleton and slide through the loop as if the knot weren’t there.

Tying itself in a knot can also be an accidental by-product of the grass snake’s famous ‘play dead’ response. When threatened by predators, these reptiles often bunch their coils and stay stock still, lolling their tongues and rolling their eyes into their skulls with theatrical aplomb.

The behaviour is reasonably common in adults, but rarer in young snakes. One study found that 66 per cent of wild-caught grass snakes exhibited the deathfeigning response when threatened, yet no (labreared) hatchlings appeared to rely on this adaptive behaviour.

Did you know?

•

The grass snake (Natrix Natrix) is the UK’s largest reptile and our only snake to lay eggs and can be easily identified by the black and yellow collar behind its head.

•

Males and females generally look alike, females are often slightly larger though males have a longer tail section.

•

Like all reptiles they are cold blooded and can only hunt and digest food when their body temperature is raised - they’ll often be seen basking in the sun.

•

Breeding takes place in spring with females mating every other year. They lay eggs in a warm nest, hidden for example in a compost heap or grass.

•

Grass snakes like to live near water where prey is more abundant.

•

Although fast and able to make a quick getaway, the grass snake is one of the few animals to play dead as a defence mechanism against predators . It is also able to release a garlicy substance from its glands.

•

Even when threatened, grass snakes rarely bite, but may strike out with their head, keeping the mouth closed.

Grass snakes are shy creatures and will quickly

Time Off

Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk

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46

Country Gardener

A summer WARNING Serious poisoning by plants is very uncommon and while some plants present a hazard, the risk of severe poisoning, skin reaction or allergy is generally low but that doesn’t mean care isn’t needed when it comes to some plants First the good news .The UK is not brimming with poisonous plants: most are completely harmless. But there are those which may cause harm when touched or consumed. Whilst the risk of severe poisoning is low (there are approximately two fatalities per year), you should still be wary of potential hazards.

It can be recognised from its large leaves and wide, purple flowers.

Ingesting a small quantity of monkshood will lead to nausea and vomiting at the very least. The whole plant is poisonous, but the roots are particularly so.

The Government campaign warns: “But in actual fact, some of the most toxic plants and flowers are perfectly capable of growing and surviving in the UK – and they do so in thousands of gardens.

“Whilst most are only deadly if consumed in large quantities, they still pack nasty toxins that can cause some unpleasant side effects.

Delicious in a crumble as long as you just use the stalk and avoid the leaves.

Lantana This popular summer pot plant can be deceiving with its bright petals and beautiful shape. As well as the leaves being capable of leaving an irritating rash, the berries are also poisonous.

Cuckoo Pint - its berries are poisonous

Cuckoo Pint / ‘Lords And Ladies’ Cuckoo pint is one of the UK’s most common poisonous plants. It is common in woodlands and hedgerows, and boasts a tall, cone-shaped leaf enclosing brown flowers, all encircled by a collar of red and orange berries. It is these fruits which pose a threat.

Hydrangea These contain cyanide. But don’t worry, you need to eat lots for it to be fatal.

Almost every part of this is poisonous, especially the leaves and seeds. Eating these can leave you feeling dizzy, have a dry mouth and dilated pupils.

Tansy Often used in gardens as a natural insect repellent, the plant isn’t a dog’s best friend either. The oil produced from the plant can leave those who are susceptible to dermatitis with irritable skin.

“From potentially suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea, to hallucinations and convulsions – these are some of many reasons we should educate ourselves on the potentially harmful plants.”

“It’s particularly important that in the summer and specially the holiday weeks when a lot of these flowers are in full bloom we protect younger children and our pets”.

Oleander

Rhubarb

English yew

Monkshood - one of the UK’s most poisonous plants

It may smell and look lovely but the toxic compounds in Lily of the Valley called cardiac glycosides can leave you feeling dizzy, vomiting and covered in a rash.

Oleanders have a high concentration of toxins within its nectar and sap and significant exposure can cause severe digestive issues.

And that is why the Government is again working hard as the summer holidays arrive to try and raise the awareness about the dangers which do exist from a small number of plants. It is raising awareness mainly amongst parents where children accidentally picking up plants and tasting them remains the biggest single threat. For most so-called poisonous plants the amount that would have to be digested is considerable and in most cases vomiting would start very quickly.

But while it is true that many poisonous petals and toxic leaves might only be found in the pages of their favourite childhood fairy tales, the reality is that some of the common domestic and wild plants are actually harbouring harmful toxins.

Lily of the Valley

Daffodil Perhaps more of a worry to dogs who like digging so keep them away from your daffs. Eating them will cause vomiting, convulsion and diarrhoea.

Deadly nightshade Everyone has heard of deadly nightshade with it probably being the most famous poisonous flower in the world, and when a plant has the name deadly in it, you know it can’t be good for you.

Most common in central, eastern and southern parts of the UK, this can cause dilated pupils, problems balancing and a rash.

Euphorbia Many euphorbias contain a milky latext sap which congeals when exposed to air. The sap contains esters which cause skin rashes and pain.

GENERAL SAFETY RULES •

If it isn’t a food plant don’t eat it.

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Check plant labels for toxicity levels.

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The majority of plants identified as being dangerous can cause digestive upset or discomfort.

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Some plants contain chemicals called allergens. These do not affect everyone but some individuals may acquire sensitivity to them, resulting in an allergic reaction.

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Here’s a list of some likely to cause problems, some which might be surprising:

A very small number of plants have sap which renders the skin excessively sensitive to strong sunlight.

The combination of sap and sunlight can result in severe localised blistering.

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The RHS has a comprehensive list of toxic plants at www.rhs.org.uk/advice

Monkshood / Wolf’sBane / Aconite / Devil’s Helmet

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The Kennel Club also has a full list of poisonous plants for dogs www.thekennelclub.org.uk

Monkshood is one of the UK’s most poisonous plants. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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