• Large variety of New Plants arriving weekly including Shrubs, Perennials, Vegetables & Herbs.
• Baby Bedding Plants for your Summer Beds, Baskets & Pots
NEW RANGE OF TOP QUALITY TIMBER GARDEN FURNITURE
• Special offers on selected Rattan Furniture
GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR MOTHER’S DAYHOUSEPLANTS, PLANTED ARRANGEMENTS, FINE FOODS OR LUNCH IN OUR CAFÉ
Relax in our cafe over Breakfast, Lunch or Coffee with Homemade Cake. Booking essential for our weekly Wednesday Roast.
PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPING SERVICE
Find inspiration throughout the year on our Website, Facebook and Instagram
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON-SAT 9AM-5PM SUN 10AM-4PM
T: 01643 703612 E: enquiries@wsgardencentre.co.uk
www.westsomersetgardencentre.co.uk
Country Gardener
Gardeners cuttings in Somerset
A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA
SPRING GARDENS DUST OFF WINTER AND
OPEN FOR A NEW SEASON
The magnificent HESTERCOMBE GARDENS at Cheddon Fitzpaine near Taunton TA2 8LG opens for the National Garden Scheme on Wednesday, 5th March from 10am until 3.30pm.
There’s four centuries of garden design to discover, with a Georgian landscape garden designed by artist Coplestone Warre Bampfylde who owned the property and was a contemporary of Gainsborough and Henry Hoare of Stourhead, a Victorian terrace and shrubbery and an exquisite example of a Lutyens/Jeykll designed formal garden.
Admission £15.30, children £7.65. Light refreshments available, dogs welcome, plants for sale, visitors can bring picnics and coaches are also welcome. Wheelchair access but gravel paths, steep slopes and steps. An all-access route is shown on the guide map, and visitors can pre-book an all-terrain tramper vehicle on 5th March.
For other opening times and information: Hestercombe Gardens Trust, Tel: 01823 413923 info@hestercombe.com www.hestercombe.com
FOREST LODGE, Pen Selwood BA9 8LL, a three-acre mature garden with beautiful lake, masses of bulbs and flowering trees, opens for the NGS jointly with LOWER SHALFORD FARM, Shalford Lane, Charlton Musgrove, Wincanton BA9 8HE on Saturday 15th March from 10am until 3pm. Forest Lodge has many camellias and rhododendrons and lovely views towards Blackmore Vale; part formal with pleached hornbeam allée and rill, part water garden, unusual spring flowering trees including paulownia, Davidia involucrata, many beautiful cornus, and interesting garden sculpture.
Lower Shalford Farm has a large open garden with extensive lawns and wooded surroundings with drifts of daffodils, a small winterbourne stream running through with several stone bridges, walled rose/parterre garden, hedged herbaceous garden, and several ornamental ponds.
Joint admission £10, children free. Donation to Well Wessex group of Mental Health charities in Somerset. Homemade teas, dogs welcome. plants for sale, and at Forest Lodge, picnics allowed and coaches welcome. Partial wheelchair access.
www.ngs.org.uk
HOSPICE CHARITY LOOKS FOR GARDENERS TO PROVIDE HELP
The Greenfingers Charity, which is dedicated to creating therapeutic gardens for life-limited children and their families in children’s hospices, is looking for skilled gardeners in Somerset to become Garden Ambassador.
Over the last 25 years, the charity has designed and created nearly 70 gardens in children’s hospices across the UK. These spaces provide a backdrop to those children, families and staff that spend time in hospices.
The charity is launching a programme asking for help from experienced gardeners to support the maintenance and development of gardens
The work involves ensuring gardens are well maintained and providing help on garden volunteering days.
Applicants should have hands-on garden maintenance experience, strong plant knowledge, their own transport with a full driving licence and public liability insurance. The role needs commitment of one day a month per garden, with a rate of pay set at £200 per day, including travel expenses.
Send your CV and covering letter to Neil Sewell at neil@greenfingerscharity.org.uk to learn more about the work of the Greenfingers Charity visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk
FULL GARDEN EVENTS DIARY FROM ST LUKE’S HOSPICE
St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth has another full diary of gardens opening across Devon this year. The scheme sponsored by NFU Mutual Plymouth, offers a diverse selection of beautiful gardens, many of which are not normally open to the public.
The season begins with Gnaton Hall’s Mothering Sunday opening on Sunday 30th March where visitors can enjoy over five acres of beautiful gardens just outside Yealmpton.
Other Devon gardens opening under the scheme include Flete House Gardens, Lukesland Gardens and a garden walkabout in the picturesque village of Rattery.
MARVELLOUS MANGELWURZELS - THE VEGETABLE TO GROW THIS SPRING
There’s something likely to be new in vegetable plots this spring and summer- the forgotten heirloom vegetable, mangelwurzels.
It’s the vegetable that looks that looks like something out of a Harry Potter book - and with a name to match, the mangelwurzel has shot to fame this winter!
The vegetable is a huge quirky cousin of beetroot and sugar beet and with its massive size, vibrant colour and interesting history, the mangelwurzel is fun to grow, but it also stores well, making it a real winter staple. It produces a huge root with chard-like leaves making it a dual-purpose vegetable as both the root and leaves are edible.
Mangelwurzel seeds can be sown directly into the soil and kept undercover until May, although earlier sowings produce larger harvests.
Mangelwurzel seeds should be available at garden centres but if you are struggling to find them visit:
www.shegrowsveg.com
The scheme runs until September and entry to the gardens costs £6, with free entry for children under 16. Refreshments, plant sales and a raffle will be available at most of the gardens and all proceeds will go straight to help St Luke’s deliver their vital end of life care. www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/opengardens has the full list of gardens
St Lukes Hospice, Stamford Lane, Turnchapel, Plymouth PL9 9XA
‘That is one good thing about this world... there are always sure to be more springs.’
LUCY
MAUDE MONTGOMERY
The first Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival, a three-day celebration of gardening, will take place in in Blagdon, Somerset from 18th to 20th September.
The aim of the festival is to encourage visitors of all experience levels, to get growing with nature in mind.
Specialist nurseries will offer seasonal plants and bulbs for sale, alongside music, entertainment and delicious food.
Sarah Mead, head gardener of Yeo Valley Organic Garden said;
“Our festival will be an unpretentious, upbeat and light-hearted celebration of gardening, where all garden enthusiasts are welcome.”
Tickets are now available at:
www.yeovalley.co.uk/events
‘The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter!’
JEN SELINSKY
Forest Lodge
Lower Shalford Farm
BAN PEAT FOR GOOD SAYS SOMERSET WILDLIFE TRUST
Somerset Wildlife Trust is to urge the UK Government to fulfil its promise to ban sale of peat. Supporters across Somerset are being asked to help lobby the Government to finally ban sales of peat products and protect the UK’s peatlands.
A total of 95 per-cent of people responded to a recent UK Government consultation – of which 88 per-cent were amateur gardeners – were in favour of a complete ban.
Last year, the former Environment Secretary and Conservative MP, Theresa Villiers, introduced a Private Members’ Bill to Parliament, since the UK Government’s pledged peat legislation failed . The second reading was abandoned when the 2024 General Election was called.
Under plans outlined there would be a ban on selling horticultural peat by the end of this year.
The trust is urging people to complete three simple actions to make some noise for peat, to support this Bill. The actions are:
• Sending a pre-written email to your local MP
• Tagging the UK Government on social media
• Signing The Wildlife Trusts’ open letter to retailers
You can support the bid and learn more about precious peatlands, by visiting the Somerset Wildlife Trust website: www.somersetwildlife.org/bogs-not-bags
ANNE’S PAINTINGS HELP WITH HOPES OF SPRING
Anne Cotterill’s flower paintings are a welcome reminder of the hope and promise of spring. Her depictions of snowdrops, primroses and other wildflowers are a reminder of the joys ahead.
Anne Cotterill was born and bred in the Scottish Borders and studied at Edinburgh Art College but moved to Somerset in the 1960s and spent the rest of her life revelling in the flowers and landscapes of the West Country. Her original paintings became well-known in the 1990s and were in demand, and it was at this point she started to reproduce some of her work as prints and greetings cards. Mill House Fine Art is now run by her daughter, Catherine, and continues to reproduce a lovely selection of Anne’s work.
Mill House Fine Art Publishing Ltd, Belflower Gallery, Market Place, Colyton EX24 6JS Tel: 01297 553100
www.millhousefineart.com
PEAT-FREE GROWING WITH COIR PRODUCTS
CoirNutri from Salike® is a revolutionary, 100per-cent peat-free growth substrate ideal for all types of growers and gardeners. Made with de-composted coir and enriched with essential nutrienats of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), this mix is developed by CoirProducts.co.uk®, blending traditions with the inherent goodness of coir. Unlike other types of coir mixes, it functions as a compost, having gone through natural microbial activity and decomposition. It has high water holding capacity, excellent air porosity, and facilitates drainage. The addition of NPK helps plants grow stronger root systems.
HELP PROTECT ENGLAND’S GREEN SPACES WITH CPRE
Since 1926, CPRE has campaigned for a countryside that is rich in nature, accessible for all and protected for the future. Its proud history includes advocating for rural spaces, National Parks and the Green Belt, as well as ensuring local people have a say on what gets built where they live. Some of CPRE’s recent successes
include securing commitments to restore hedgerows and influencing the government’s planning reforms. Yet the countryside remains under threat now more than ever. CPRE has partnered with Farewill to offer you the opportunity to write your will for free. After providing for your loved ones, please consider leaving a gift in your will to CPRE to let your love of the countryside live on.
For more information on leaving a gift in your will to CPRE, contact us at legacyinfo@cpre.org.uk
YEO VALLEY HOSTS EARLY SPRING FAIR
One of the first chances to attend a an early spring fair comes on Saturday, March 29th when the Hardy Plant Society Somerset Group’s early Spring Plant Fair is held at YEO VALLEY ORGANIC GARDEN, Holt Farm, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ. Open from 10am to 3pm (garden open until 4pm). Parking is free and pre booking is essential for a morning visit, but you can enter after 1pm with cash sales at the gate www.somersethps.com and follow the links to book- £5 (£4 for RHS and HPS members).
Look out for our April issue of Country Gardener available on Friday 28th March Find your nearest stockist www.countrygardener.co.auk/magazine/stockists
SOMERSET GARDENS OPEN WITH ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
If you are a lover of all things bright and beautiful then there’s no better place to look than in the Somerset gardens opening in March and April for sensational displays of everything from daffodils to crocuses, hellebores and still a few late snowdrops.
The gardens have been working hard throughout January and February to prepare the spring delights and put out the ‘open’ signs.
AMERICAN MUSEUM & GARDENS, CLAVERTON, NEAR BATH
Enjoy a feel-good start to spring and the sensational beauty of 70,000 daffodils in bloom during March and April, with different varieties opening in succession.
The new American Garden, designed by US landscape architects Oehme, van Sweden, features 40,000 narcissus, in a display unique to Bath.
The American Museum & Gardens is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. The American Museum and Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD
LYTES CARY MANOR, NEAR SOMERTON
The medieval manor house dating back to the 14th century has a beautiful Arts & Crafts garden, with ‘rooms’ containing topiary and herbaceous borders, a peaceful walk along the River Cary – and masses of these beauties. You can browse the second-hand book barn and sit down with some refreshments afterwards.
Lytes Cary, Manor near, Somerton TA11 7HU
FORDE ABBEY, NEAR CHARD
The first crocii were planted at the former Cistercian abbey over 100 years ago; now there are acres of the flowers, lining pathways and covering the lawns and elsewhere, wild daffodils, dog’s tooth violets, chinodoxa and clumps of hellebores.
Following the snowdrops in February, acres of naturalised crocuses line pathways and cover lawns.
Crocus Week is Friday, 1st March to Thursday, 7th March open 10.30 to 5pm. Adults £15 Last entry 4pm.
Ford Abbey, Chard, Somerset TA20 4LU
FAIRFIELD, SOMERSET
This is a very popular woodland garden with many interesting bulbs including naturalised anemones, fritillaria with roses, shrubs and fine trees and a paved maze with great views of the Quantocks.
The gardens open on Sunday 13th April from 2pm to 4.30pm.
Stogursey, Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 1PU
TYNTESFIELD, NEAR WRAXALL
An ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house with extensive garden and parkland, just a stone’s throw from Bristol is spectacular in early spring. Make your way to Paradise, the peaceful western part of the gardens, where daffodils and other flowers abound in the extensive grounds of the guano palace (the epic Gothic Revival house was built on a fortune made from South American bird droppings fertiliser).
NT Tyntesfield Wraxall, Bristol BS48 1NX
BARRINGTON COURT, NEAR ILMINSTER
The popular Tudor manor house
National Trust property at Barrington Court is renowned for its apples – and the 150 different types of apples will soon be bursting into blossom – but the spring bulbs are spectacular too.The cafe, shop, artisan workshops and Book Barn are all worth a look.
Barrington Court, Ilminster TA19 0NQ
It’s the final call for pruning!
MARCH IS THE LAST MONTH TO PRUNE MANY TREES AND SHRUBS BEFORE THEY COME INTO LEAF IN APRIL. WHY?
IT’S EASY TO SEE THE BRANCHING STRUCTURE AND SAFER IN TERMS OF DISEASE SPREAD
Pruning is done for a variety of reasons – to promote bigger harvests, get newly-planted trees and shrubs off to a good start, thin crowded stems, train cordons, fans and espaliers, encourage flowering, shape plants, remove diseased wood and promote vigour.
With a few exceptions, these jobs can be done in late winter and early spring when bare stems make the job of shaping shrubs and spotting diseased growth much easier.
There is still plenty of time in late February and well into March to prune, cut back and encourage new life into your plants and shrubs.
So, as we start the hopeful downward spiral to spring here’s what action you can still take when it comes to pruning.
Roses
Many types of roses can be pruned in winter right through to March, including floribundas, hybrid teas, shrub roses and climbing roses.
As a rule, cut back thin, weak stems the most, and thick, vigorous stems the least. Aim to leave plants anything from 15cm to 45cm tall, depending on the original size of the plant and your preference. The basic principles of pruning roses are the same as pruning anything else: cutting back hard will promote the strongest growth, while light pruning will result in less vigorous regrowth. Bush roses include cluster-flowered floribundas and large-flowered hybrid teas, and have been bred for their ability to flower freely on strong new growth made during the current growing season. This means they can be cut down hard every year to keep plants compact, if they are well mulched and fed every year.
Fruit bushes
Fruit bushes, including blueberries and blackcurrants, plus gooseberries and redcurrants are best pruned in late winter. Generally, remove some old wood each year, creating a goblet shape and leaving healthy young branches that will produce large crops in years to come.
Apple and pear trees
If you’re wondering when to prune your fruit or pear trees, the answer to that question depends on your goals. Do you want to reduce the size of a vigorous tree? Or, do you want to encourage a young fruit tree to grow faster?
Correct fruit tree pruning, at the right time of year, can help you achieve those goals.
Both these can be pruned through to mid-March to encourage fruiting. Aim to create a wine-glass shape, with evenly spaced branches rising up from the trunk in a circle around a hollow centre. Cut off any water shoots at their very base and remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches. Fruit trees hardly grow at all during the winter months (their roots continue to grow, but that’s about it). So, your tree will use just a small percentage of its stored nutrients to keep it alive during the winter. Most of the remaining energy will be saved for a flurry of action in the spring, when fruit trees emerge from dormancy. Their buds break open and trees need their stored energy to fuel blossom, leaf, branch, and root growth.
Deciduous ornamental trees
Again prune through to March, remove smaller branches arising from the trunk to create a clean, bare stem at least 90-120cm tall. Remove any branches that impede access or block mowing, but cut sensitively, thinning out rather than chopping back the whole canopy.
Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush)
New plants should be cut back now to create a short, stubby framework of branches 15-90cm high, depending on how tall you want the shrub to be. Thereafter, you can keep the shrub neat, vigorous and free-flowering by pruning back hard annually during early spring. As new growth starts to break, remove all of the previous year’s growth to two or three pairs of buds from the main framework.
Forsythia
Do not prune forsythia during the first few years after planting. However, once established, older plants that are left un-pruned become woody at the base where few flowers are produced. To avoid this, prune after flowering has finished, by cutting out one-in-three of the main stems at the base, starting with the oldest. Neglected plants can be rejuvenated by cutting back all flowered shoots to a strong bud near to the base of the shrub. Trim forsythia hedges after flowering too, then leave un-pruned until the following year otherwise you risk removing all of next spring’s flowers.
Hebe
Hebes grown for their foliage rather than their flowers, can be pruned in spring to achieve a compact and neat habit. Neglected plants can be cut back hard since new shoots will be readily produced from near to the base. Hebes grown for their flowers and foliage should only be pruned to remove frost-damaged, dead or diseased growth. You can also use a pair of shears to trim all hebes over lightly to encourage bushy growth. Variegated hebes that produce all-green shoots, should have these removed completely.
Spiraea
Spiraeas are a varied group including spring and summer flowering forms, some of which flower on new growth produced this year and others that flower on old wood produced in previous seasons. Late spring flowering spiraeas as well as summer-flowering varieties that bloom on old wood should not be pruned until after flowering. Also, spiraea hedges should be pruned annually, by lightly cutting back after flowering to maintain a dense and neat habit.
Why early spring is the best time to prune
• The plant is dormant. It’s not putting energy into producing leaves, flowers, buds, or new stems.
• There are no diseases or fungal pathogens in the air in winter. Late summer and fall are the worst time of year to prune because airborne pathogens reach their peak at that time.
• You can see the plant structure better when there are no leaves.
Rose pruning through to end of March
Shaping your tree for summer is a pruning goal
WEATHER CANOPIES
WEATHER CANOPIES
• All year round barbeques and parties
• Children can play outdoors come rain or shine
• Cats and Dogs love the cover
• Patio tables and chairs stay dry - No need to store away for most of the year
• Any colour and any size to suit you and your property
• Supply and install or Supply only
• D.I.Y kits available - Trade Discounts
a FREE quotation or brochure call 01647 432321 or visit www.allweathercanopies.co.uk
the South West - Somerset show site open for
Time to learn a new skill
Would you like to learn a new skill this spring?
A high-quality series of craft workshops has been launched as part of the popular two-day Toby Buckland Garden Festival at Powderham Castle on Friday, 2nd May and Saturday, 3rd May.
The chance to learn a new skill brings together local craft and gardening experts for a new programme of Craft Workshops at the Devon event.
Taking place on both days, and with limited tickets, there are five workshops to choose from, including
• botanical art
• willow weaving
• fermenting
• floristry
• house plant terrariums.
The high profile in-demand tutors include renowned Devon
Botanical water colour painting
Join award winning and best-selling botanical Devon artist Harriet de Winton to start to delve into the world of botanic painting.
This two-hour session is an opportunity for beginners keen to learn pencil and watercolour work and how to paint seasonal plants from sight. Harriet has developed her own botanical painting style which she shares through workshops and bespoke commissions, teaching how to create contemporary watercolour artworks to treasure and share. Her teaching is much in demand.
COURSE DATE: Friday, 2nd May 10.45am and 2pm Saturday, 3rd May 10.45am
DURATION: 2hrs
PRICE: £55 including entrance to the Festival and all the materials you need.
The popular two-day Toby Buckland Garden Festival is launching a series of high profile workshops offering the chance to visitors to learn a new skill
botanical artist Harriet de Winton, Amelia Cooper Smith from Devon based Amelia’s Flower Farm, Frankie Hutch, co-owner of Exeter’s Hutch House Plants, Somerset willow artist Jo Sadler and owner of The Ground Up Cookery School, Colin Wheeler-James.
The cost of the course includes entrance to the festival and all your materials – plus you will go home with something fabulous, created at the festival.
All the courses will be held in specially allocated rooms inside the historic Powderham Castle.
How to book one of the workshops
Just visit www.tobygardenfest.co.uk
Go to What’s On and drop down to Learn a Craft where you can book all the individual courses
Creative willow making
Weave your own willow owl with artist Jo Sadler Jo Sadler is a Somerset Willow Artist with ten year’s experience. She teaches willow animal sculpture all over the Southwest using willow from the Somerset Levels. She has a large following of willow enthusiasts keen to learn more and create more using this fast-growing skill. She aims to encourage people to let themselves go and try something creative.
She says : “The Little Owl which we will be creating at Powderham is a great sculpture-small enough for indoors and lovely hovering over a garden border or lawn”.
COURSE DURATION: 2hrs 30mins
PRICE: £65 including entrance to the Festival and all the materials you need.
DATES/TIMES: Friday 2nd May 10.30am and 1.30pm Saturday, 3rd May 10.30am and 1.30pm
Flower arranging
Make a hand-tied bouquet with Amelia Cooper Smith
Learn how to make a beautiful hand-tied bouquet, get tips on growing you own cut flower patch and take your bouquet home!
From her small-scale cut flower farm and florist in Combeinteignhead, South Devon, Amelia grows thousands of flowers, including heirloom, scented, and unusual varieties. her style is natural and abundant using her own home-grown flowers.
COURSE DURATION: 1hr 30mins
PRICE: £75 to include entrance to the Festival and all flowers and materials for your bouquet.
DATES/TIMES: Friday, 2nd May 10.30am Saturday, 3rd May 10.30am
Or if you just want to visit the festival
Toby’s Garden Festival, now a premier gardening event in the Southwest is back for the 11th year, on the first Spring Bank Holiday of the year, Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd May, at Powderham Castle just outside Exeter.
The 2025 event promises visitors a great gardening day out with over 200 exhibitors including award winning plant nurseries, an outstanding speaker programme which includes BBC TV presenters Joe Swift, speaking on the Saturday and Frances Tophill speaking on the Friday. The speaker line-up includes award-winning author and Devon grower, Mark Diacono, and Susy Atkins the BBC Saturday Kitchen expert who will be hosting talks as part of a Food & Drink Market, a showcase for fabulous local products.
There’s a full supporting speaker and demonstration programme to view at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk
Book your tickets now at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk
Adults £18 Group bookings £15
Create a living terrarium
Make your own terrarium to take home
Design and build your own sealed miniature house plant ecosystem in a course led by Frankie Hutch from Exeter’s Hutch House Plants, covering everything from plant selection, layering and planting design – plus the care, techniques and tricks that’ll ensure your terrarium thrives. With thousands of plants to nurture daily, the team at Hutch have experienced it all and are on a mission to share their knowledge and skills with you!
COURSE DURATION: 1hr 30mins
PRICE: £65 including entrance to the festival and all the materials and plants to create a bespoke terrarium.
DATES/TIMES: Friday, 2nd May 1.30pm Saturday, 3rd May 1.30pm
Learn how to start fermenting
Join Colin WheelerJames from the renowned Ground Up Cookery School in Chudleigh in Devon for a hands-on workshop and introduction to the world of fermentation. In this relaxed and informative two-hour session, you’ll learn how to make fermented food, plus, you’ll get to sample a variety of ferments.
COURSE DURATION: 2hrs
PRICE: £65 includes entrance to the Festival.
DATES/TIMES: Friday, 2nd May at 1.45pm Saturday, 3rd May at 1.45pm
Devon artist Harriet de Winton
The flying willow owl by Jo Sadler Hugely popular terrarium making
Colin Wheeler-James - passionate about fermenting
Beautiful hand-tied bouquets
Wire Anchor
Wire Anchor with Gripple Trellising System
Personalised care provided to residents at ‘welcoming’ Beauchamp House care home
Residents at Beauchamp House care home in Taunton receive personalised care which helps them to thrive with round-the-clock care.
Located in the picturesque Somerset countryside, Beauchamp House, a Grade II listed care home in Hatch Beauchamp operated by not-for-profit charity, Care South, provides residential, respite and nursing care.
Debbie Lane, Home Manager at Beauchamp House care home, is proud that the team consists of long-serving staff who get to know the residents on a personal level.
She said: “It’s a very open inviting home to come into. Visitors always comment on what a lovely, welcoming feel the home has.
She added: “We’re like a family at Beauchamp House and the staff know each resident very well, which is important for a continuity of care.”
The care home team carry out a pre-assessment before a resident moves in to learn about their individual care needs, likes, dislikes, routines and preferences to ensure that the team can safely support them.
Once a resident arrives either for respite care or on a permanent basis, they can participate in Beauchamp House’s ongoing ‘Make a Wish’ initiative. It encourages residents to tell the care home team about a hobby or interest that they may no longer able to pursue. The care home team will then try to safely make this happen.
Recent examples include a resident who has a passion for motorbikes, so the home arranged for a Harley-Davidson to be brought to the home, and another resident who loves horses, so the home enabled her to visit a local stables.
The home itself also recently benefitted from a significant transformation, following two years of extensive renovation work on the historic Grade II Listed building. To mark the completion of these improvements, the Mayor of Taunton, Cllr Vanessa Garside, visited Beauchamp House to officially cut the ribbon.
The Mayor toured the newly refurbished bedrooms and communal spaces including an onsite cafe, library, dining rooms, and hair and nail salon, as well as the extensive lawn, pond and gardens of the home.
The grounds of the care home, set in the stunning Somerset countryside, feature wide, flat walkways and raised flower beds to make them accessible to everyone. There is a communal allotment space for the residents to grow fruit and veg, and plenty of outdoor seating areas and
benches to enable residents and their families to enjoy some quiet time.
At the end of her visit, the Mayor said: “I think it’s probably the best care home I have visited since I started my Mayoral year. The renovations are splendid, and the rooms have been beautifully refurbished. It’s like being in a posh hotel with the best facilities. I think that the home offers a good quality of life to the residents.”
Care South is a leading provider of high quality residential and home care services across the south of England. The not-for-profit organisation, which is a registered charity, has care homes in Dorset, north Devon, Somerset and West Sussex, and home care offices covering east and west Dorset, and northeast Somerset and south Somerset.
Scan the QR code to find out more, hear from residents and meet the Home Manager.
The start of SOMETHING SPECIAL
Magnolia’s magnificent blooms arrive at the end of winter, announcing that spring isn’t far away. Their white, pink, purple, dark pink or soft yellow flowers appear before the leaves - so the blooms take pride of place.
Few things announce the arrival of spring more than a hardy magnolia. Their creamy white, beautiful fragrant flowers adorn the glossy leaves –leaves that, at times, stay around all year long with dark green colour.
Magnolias can be either evergreen or deciduous but the deciduous varieties that lose their leaves in winter are by far more common. They have few leaves and this allows the beauty of the flowers to be seen much more clearly and are thus more popular. They are one of the oldest plant groups still in existence today and date back at least 20million years.
Planting a new magnolia tree
First identify the correct position. In full sun and not directly open to cold winds is best and not in a place which will get waterlogged. As far as spacing is concerned, don’t cramp your magnolia and allow enough space for it to grow to its full size. The plant label should give a good idea of spacing but in the absence of that the following rough guidelines for mature plants can be used:
The best time to plant a deciduous (loses its leaves in winter) magnolia is when they are dormant, from December to January. Dig the soil well slightly deeper than the container of the new plant and 60cm to 90cm wide. Remove the plant from the container and place the plant in the hole to the same depth it was in the pot and fill in around it with the dug earth.
Do not pile the soil higher around the base of the plant, the roots of magnolias are shallow by nature. Water well and make sure the area around the plant
remains moist for the next nine months until the roots have established themselves.
How to care for a magnolia
When magnolias are established, they are truly low maintenance shrubs. The following care plan will help them thrive although they withstand neglect (other than lack of water) very well:
An annual mulch with well-rotted organic matter such as the compost heap or spent potting compost. Weed well around the base of the plant and keep mulches away from the stem. If your garden soil gets dry in summer water very well a couple of times during the dry period. Magnolia roots are shallow and even well-established they can dry out in summer.
Pruning magnolias
Pruning a magnolia will not damage it but it will encourage the growth of wispy shoots which detract from the shape of the plant. Pruning can also cause flowering to reduce for a couple of years. So, the rule with magnolias is to avoid pruning them unless they are outgrowing their existing space. The best time to prune a magnolia is early to mid-summer because this will avoid the cuts bleeding which can be an easy site for infection.
Growing magnolias in pots
Magnolias can be grown in large pots or planters but do need good drainage - choose a pot that’s at least three sizes bigger than the original nursery pot. Select a dwarf-growing magnolia tree, suitable for growing in pots. Fill your pot or planter with a good quality planting mix. Gently remove the magnolia from the nursery pot and tease the roots lightly if they are compact. Plant the magnolia into the potting mix and backfill around the plant. Water in well and mulch over the surface of the potting mix to help retain moisture but keep the mulch back from the plants main stems. Keep the potting mix moist, but not soggy and make sure your new magnolia receives plenty of water during hot and dry summers.
There are some 125 species of magnolia plants, several of which are important ornamentals with many named cultivars. There are shrub-like deciduous magnolias and huge forest evergreen magnolias. The Asiatic species, star magnolia (M. stellata) and saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana), bloom in early spring before their deciduous leaves come out. The sweetbay magnolia (M. virginiana) has fragrant white flowers of medium size.
Some of the most popular magnolias include ‘Bracken Brown Beauty Magnolia’, a relatively cold hardy cultivar of southern magnolia with a dense pyramidal shape, and ‘Little Gem Magnolia’, a smaller, compact version of the same species that grows to about 20 feet tall. Both of these have large flowers that bloom in mid spring to summer. Among the deciduous magnolia tree varieties that bloom in early spring on bare branches are ‘Alexandrina Magnolia’ and ‘Ann Magnolia’, both hybrids of Asian origin and of considerably smaller stature than the American species with pink flowers that are tulip shaped.
Top tips on magnolias
• They prefer full sun but will also grow well in light shade for part of the day. In low light conditions the plant may not produce flowers.
• Choose your variety according to the space you have.
• They grow best in soil which is slightly acidic or neutral, they do not do well in alkaline, chalky soils.
• They are shallow rooting plants and because of this the soil should not be allowed to dry out. An annual mulch is highly recommended to prevent water loss.
• All produce flowers and the most common ones do this for a couple of weeks in late March to late May.
• They should not be planted in frost pockets or areas that are subject to water-logging.
• They rarely suffer from pests or diseases unless completely neglected.
Magnolias are at their best late March and June
Growing perfect onions
Too many gardeners still seem to have problems growing a high quality onion crop which is surprising seeing how easy they are to grow
A recent survey of allotment holders suggested too many gardeners were consistently disappointed with the results of growing onions.
Crops were too small, weeds overtook them and bolting was common - all of which affected the final harvest.
Onions (Allium cepa) are a vegetable-plot favourite – one of the easiest crops to grow, taking up relatively little space and giving reliable harvests. The crop can be stored too, rather than having to be used straight away, so you won’t find yourself overwhelmed by a sudden onion glut.
So more care at certain times of growing them will negate any problems and you can easily grow perfect disease free large onions.
Onions are usually grown from small plants called sets, planted outdoors in autumn or spring. These grow quickly and reliably, with minimal maintenance. They can also be grown from seed, although this takes a little more time and care.
Onions like a warm, sunny spot in well-drained soil, with watering in dry spells and regular weeding. Onions can also be grown in large containers. Harvest the crop in summer or early autumn, then either use straight away or store them for whenever needed over the following months.
There are many varieties to choose from, producing yellow, white or red onions, some spicy and tangy, others mild and sweet. Varieties mature at different times from early summer to early autumn. Some store particularly well or are resistant to disease or bolting. When choosing varieties, look for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), as these are particularly reliable croppers.
Plants grown from sets are also less likely to be affected by disease. However, they are more prone to bolting (when a flower is produced instead of a bulb), so choose heattreated sets to reduce the risk.
Seeds are usually cheaper to buy, more widely available, and with a greater choice of varieties. But the seedlings need to be looked after more carefully and the seeds don’t usually store well, so germination rates may decline if you keep the seeds from year to year. Onions have a limited root system, so improving the soil with lots of organic matter before planting is invaluable – dig in a bucket of garden compost or well-rotted manure per square metre/yard. This will add nutrients, improve the soil structure and hold moisture in the soil. Avoid using fresh manure.
You can also apply a high potassium general fertiliser at a rate of one handful per square metre/yard.
Growing
Onions don’t do well in acid soil (below pH 6.5), so if necessary reduce acidity by adding lime in autumn or winter.
You can sow onions outdoors from late winter until mid-spring, once your soil is drying out and beginning to warm up. Thin out the seedlings first to two inches apart, and later to four inches. Closer spacing will result in more bulbs and a larger overall crop, but smaller individual bulbs.
Top tips for perfect onions
1. Give onions exactly what they need: a sunny spot in moist but well-draining, fertile soil. Add compost or well-rotted manure to the soil several weeks before planting.
2. Spacing is vital because it has a direct impact on the final size of your bulbs. Row spacings of about a foot apart leaves plenty of room for large onions.
3. Onions have long, thin leaves that don’t shade the soil, which creates ideal conditions for weeds to thrive. Turn your back for too long and weeds can quickly gain the upper hand and prevent well-formed bulbs.
4. Bolting is a common problem and in the case of onions leads to split or poorly formed bulbs that won’t store for long at all. Two reasons behind bolting are a cold snap soon after planting, and hot, dry weather.
5. Your cue to harvest is when the leaves start to turn yellow and flop over from the neck where the leaves meet the bulb.
show onions needs something extra
Large exhibition onions are one of the most difficult vegetables to grow which is why so many people covert the prize for the biggest and best specimens at their local shows.
First select the right variety. The best choice is aptly named ‘Exhibition’. Not only will this seed grow into huge 100g onions the flavour will still be excellent and, unlike other monster onions, they will store well.
Using a good seed compost sow your exhibition onion seed in a heated propagator, lightly covering with sieved compost. Once the seedlings have germinated place a fluorescent light above them as this will stop them growing leggy and build a “wall” of tinfoil around them to reflect the light.
Once the seedlings begin to straighten out of their
crooked stage pot them on individually into threeinch pots. Once the roots have filled the pots move them on into larger pots and support the leaves using short canes and clips. You want them to grow strong and straight.
Water your exhibition onions from the bottom as watering from above may cause the bulb to rot.
Once the risk of frost has passed then the onions can be planted out, ideally in a polytunnel or raised bed. Depending on how serious you are about winning the prize you may wish to select about four of the strongest plants and put them into their own 20 litre pots, again giving the leaves some support. From then on it’s a question of giving them special care, attention, water and feed.
Remember onions need plenty of space
Selecting the right variety is key to exhibition size onions
BUZZ IT UP THIS SPRING: Planting Wildflowers for Pollinators
As February unfolds, we’re greeted with the first brave snowdrops, their delicate white blooms heralding the promise of spring. Before we know it, other spring bulbs, such as crocuses and early daffodils, will emerge, bringing with them the gentle hum of early pollinators at work. Now is the perfect time to think about how we can make our gardens not just a sanctuary for ourselves in the coming months, but for the many creatures that depend on them—especially our precious pollinating insects.
At Meadowmania, we believe in the importance of supporting biodiversity by planting native wildflowers that nurture our vital pollinators. We’re excited to help you create a garden that not only looks beautiful but also provides essential nectar from early summer through to autumn. Here are five wildflower species which, together, offer a continuous nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects throughout the growing season.
1. Meadow Cranesbill ( Geranium pratense )
For a garden that thrives with both beauty and biodiversity, plant meadow cranesbill. This delightful perennial begins its bloom in early summer and continues to impress well into early autumn, with its striking blue-purple flowers. Rich in nectar, these open blooms are particularly attractive to a variety of pollinators, including buff-tailed and red-tailed bumblebees, and honeybees. Buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), the largest of the bumblebee species, are often the first to emerge in spring. These bees have a unique habit of being “nectar robbers.” If a flower’s nectar is too deep for their tongues, they’ll puncture the base to access the sweetness within. This clever method not only benefits the bumblebees but also leaves behind a handy access point for other pollinators to follow.
2. Greater Knapweed ( Centaurea scabiosa
)
This hardy perennial, with its bold purple blooms, flourishes from mid-summer through to autumn, creating a striking visual display. Its flowers are a magnet for a range of pollinators, especially butterflies, including the beautiful marbled white butterfly (Melanargia galathea). The marbled white, with its distinctive black-and-white patterned wings, is particularly fond of greater knapweed. The flowers offer both a reliable nectar source and a perfect spot for these butterflies to lay their eggs. As the larvae hatch, they feed on the knapweed, completing a full life cycle right within your garden.
3. Oxeye Daisy ( Leucanthemum vulgare )
One of the most iconic British wildflowers, oxeye daisies bloom from late spring through to early autumn, offering a source of nectar for a wide variety of pollinators. The yellow centre of the flower is made up of many small flowers which each hold nectar and are a favourite of bees, butterflies, beetles, moths and hoverflies. Their long-lasting blooms help support a steady food supply from early summer to early autumn, making them an ideal flower for your pollinator garden.
4. Bird’s-Foot Trefoil ( Lotus corniculatus )
Blooming from late spring to late summer, bird’s-foot trefoil is a must-have wildflower for supporting the common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus). This plant serves as a host for the butterfly’s larvae, providing them with the food they need to grow. Its bright yellow flowers also attract a range of other pollinators, including bumblebees like the red-tailed bumblebee.
5. Field Scabious ( Knautia arvensis )
This beautiful perennial blooms from mid-summer into autumn, providing a vital nectar source when many other flowers start to fade. Its lavender-pink flowers attract a wide range of pollinators, including bees, and butterflies like the meadow brown and small tortoiseshell. But it’s not just bees and butterflies that love field scabious; this plant is also a favourite of burnet moths, including the striking six-spot burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) and the New Forest burnet (Zygaena viciae). These daytime moths are particularly attracted to the nectar-rich flowers, playing an important role in pollination. By planting field scabious, you’ll extend the nectar supply in your garden into autumn, providing vital support for bees, butterflies and moths as they prepare for colder weather.
Bringing It All Together: A smorgasbord of delights
These five species, along with over 20 others from the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, are included in Meadowmania’s Native British General Purpose Wildflower Seed Mix.
Ideal for creating a pollinator-friendly garden, this mix is designed to support the essential insects that help pollinate plants, provide food for wildlife, and boost biodiversity. As spring approaches, now is the perfect time to think about sowing these beautiful, low-maintenance wildflowers in your garden.
Planting native wildflowers is an easy and impactful way to contribute to the health of our environment. Not only will your garden become a haven for bees, butterflies, and other vital pollinators, but you’ll also be helping to restore local biodiversity. Whether you have a large rural plot or a small city garden, creating a pollinator-friendly space is an effort that benefits us all.
At Meadowmania, we’re passionate about giving you the tools to make your garden more biodiverse and sustainable. Browse our wide selection of native wildflower seeds, plants, and bulbs today, and let’s work together to make our world a little greener, one pollinator at a time.
To help you make your garden more pollinator-friendly, we’re offering 10% off our Native British General Purpose Wildflower Seed Mix during the month of March. Just enter code: CG10 at the checkout at www.meadowmania.co.uk www.meadowmania.co.uk shop@meadowmania.co.uk
Meadow cranesbill
Marbled white butterfly on greater knapweed
Oxeye daisy
Common blue butterfly on bird’s-foot trefoil
Burnet moth on field scabious
Meadowmania’s Native British General Purpose Wildflower Seed Mix
Early season delights are READY AND WAITING
The first gardens to open for the new spring season are always special.
Daffodils, crocuses, magnolias, spring blossom, perhaps even the last of the snowdrops are all waiting and demanding to be explored.
It’s been a storm damaged winter for many gardens but in March there are signs of the new season and with the days getting longer and the odd warm day there’s some new hope in the air and gardeners are in general an impatient lot and keen to get out into the fresh air and visit gardens throughout the southwest.
The year ahead promises lots with so many places to visit old and new. But it may only be March but already there are special openings and early season delights to enjoy. Here’s a few places which should be on your list.
Forde Abbey crocus displays set for a bumper year
The stunning crocus displays on the lawns and meadows of Forde Abbey on the Somerset and Dorset border are ready to welcome visitors. Following the snowdrops in February, acres of naturalised crocuses (Crocus vernus and tommasinianus) will line pathways and cover the lawns with their wide-open chalices. The earliest record of Ccocus vernus growing at the Abbey dates to over a hundred years. Since then, they have self-sown and beautifully naturalised in our 30 acres of gardens and meadows. Each year, the abbey gardeners add a few more to areas needing a boost, and results are spectacular It’s the perfect time of the year for pollinators to come out, bask in the sunshine, and enjoy the nectar. Elsewhere in the garden, the wild daffodils (Narcissus lobularis), clumps of Lenten roses (Helleborus x hybridus) and splashes of Chionodoxa and winter flowering shrubs will also be at their best this month. Free entry to Forde Abbey. www.fordeabbey.co.uk
Forde Abbey & Gardens Chard TA20 4LU
Badminton House set to be at its vibrant best
There’s the opportunity to experience the vibrant beauty of spring and summer at Badminton Estate’s Open Garden Days on 27th, April 15th June, and 7th September this year.
Visitors can explore the historic Gloucestershire gardens, featuring formal beds designed by Russell Page, alongside the South Garden’s water squares, hedges, and borders. Enjoy a stunning array of seasonal blooms, from tulips to roses and dahlias, and visit the walled garden, home to the estate’s kitchen garden. Then take in the plant and flower stalls, delicious food, and drink vendors, and the very special A Garden of Botanical Art exhibition in the Old Hall.
Admission opens at 10 am, with the last entry at 4 pm. Pre-sale tickets are £10 for adults and £7.50 for seniors (60 plus), with higher prices at the gate. Carers and children under 12 free.
Proceeds support the Severn Area Rescue Association and the Church Restoration Fund. For directions, parking, and accessibility details, visit www.badmintonestate.com
Badminton Estate, South Gloucestershire, Badminton GL9 1DD
Caerhays Castle - one of the great Cornwall gardens
Nestled in a sheltered valley on the south coast of Cornwall near Mevagissey you’ll find the world class, magical 140-acre woodland garden at Caerhays Castle, steeped in history and often described as a springtime wonderland for visitors. Home to a National Collection of Magnolias, the gardens are also famous for their camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.
Caerhays is a one of the great gardens of Cornwall. The gardens are open daily until the 8th June. The castle is open for guided tours from 3rd March - 8th June.
National Garden Scheme ready for a great 2025 full of gardens
There’s a host of gorgeous National Garden Scheme gardens waiting to be explored in 2025. From stately acres in the grounds of historic homes to idyllic country plots, wildflower meadows to kitchen gardens, and urban secrets there are over 3,300 gardens opening across the country for you to discover this year. With fresh shoots emerging and spring bulbs in flower, it’s a great time to get out and enjoy a visit. What could be better than an affordable day out in a beautiful garden – and perhaps a slice of delicious home-made cake!
Find your perfect garden ngs.org.uk
Hartland Abbey & Gardens
DAFFODIL & SPRING FLOWER SUNDAY 16TH MARCH 11AM - 4PM
Enjoy a lovely day out with beautiful historic daffodils, spring flowers and wildflower walks to the beach! Film location for ‘Malory Towers’, ‘The Salt Path’ and many other productions
* Special rate: Adults £10 Child over 5 £1 *
* House open 12-3pm £4 * Dogs very welcome *
* Delicious light lunches & cream teas * Open for the 2025 Season: 30th March - 2nd October
Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - last adm. 3.45pm)
For more information and events see www.hartlandabbey.com Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234
Sunday 16th March to Sunday 8th June, Suns, Weds, Bank Holidays 11am - 5pm
Harford Ivybridge PL21 0JF Tel 01752 691749 www.lukesland.co.uk
your perfect garden: ngs.org.uk
Country Gardener
CASTLE IS OPEN FOR GUIDED TOURS: 3rd March - 8th June
CASTLE IS OPEN FOR GUIDED TOURS: 3rd March - 8th June
Caerhays is one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall and home to a world-famous National Collection of Magnolias. This magical woodland garden has a spectacular springtime display. GARDENS OPEN: 10th February - 8th June
Caerhays is one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall and home to a world-famous National Collection of Magnolias. This magical woodland garden has a spectacular springtime display. GARDENS OPEN: 10th February - 8th June
01872 501310 enquiries@caerhays.co.uk
www.caerhays.co.uk
www.caerhays.co.uk
Lukesland gardens wins fulsome praise from visitors
Lukesand gardens ‘The perfumes, the peace, the beauty.....’ ‘The most magical gardens I have ever visited’, ‘Scrummy soup and cake!’
These are some of the comments from appreciative visitors to the spectacular 25-acre Lukesland Gardens, Ivybridge. Tucked away in a woodland valley on the edge of Dartmoor (just north of Ivybridge, 10 minutes off the A38), Lukesland’s noted collection of rare trees and flowering shrubs provides a spectacular show of colour in the Spring. In March, the magnificent Magnolia campbellii should be in full bloom, along with a host of camellias and early rhododendrons and wildflowers. The Addicombe Brook at the heart of the garden is criss-crossed by a series of charming and unusual bridges over pools and waterfalls. There are also many sculptures, including a redwood carved into a striking buzzard, and indoors there is an art exhibition by well-known local printmaker, Louise Scammel. With home-made soup and cakes on offer in the tearoom, and Free Entry and fun activities for children, these family-owned gardens have something for everyone. Dogs are welcome on a lead. Spring openings are on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Bank Holidays 11am to 5pm from 16th March to 8th June.
For further details call 01752 691749/ 07479383531 or visit www.lukesland.co.uk or facebook.com/lukeslandgardens
Welcoming spring to Hartland Abbey on Daffodil Day - Sunday 16th March
After a terrible winter of flooding in Hartland Abbey itself and hurricane force winds bringing down trees in the gardens, spring is appearing in all its glory! To celebrate, the abbey, its gardens and lovely walks to the beach are open for Daffodil Day on Sunday 16th March before the season starts later in the month. It’s a great chance to see the historic collection of daffodils, the beautiful camellias and early spring flowers at a reduced entry rate. It’s a great day out and for dogs too! With Series Five of ‘Malory Towers’ on screens now, young fans can search for locations around the gardens. The Tea Rooms will be serving their warming, homemade sustenance!
Hartland, Abbey Stoke, Bideford EX39 6DT
Stunning spring blossom at Batsford Arboretum
Early spring visitors will soon be able to take advantage of the enchanting beauty of early season blossoms at Batsford Arboretum. Home to the National Collection of Prunus (Sato-zakura Group) cherry trees, Batsford boasts over 120 flowering cherries spread throughout the grounds Additionally, you’ll find 73 species of magnolia, which contribute delicate pastel shades to the seasonal scenery, complemented by vibrant carpets of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs.
Batsford Garden Centre is a haven for garden and plant lovers too, offering a fabulous range of quality, affordable plants and gifts. Pre-booking is advisable for arboretum visits via www.batsarb.co.uk
One young Exeter woman who wants to remain anonymous, shares her experience of how gardening moved her from anxiety and depression to having a smile on her face.
I think I can say gardening saved my life. I was a moody, unhappy 22-year-old woman with a history of depression and finding it difficult to hold any sort of job down.
I worked quite happily I guess in a local Co-op supermarket on the till and it gave me rent money and some freedom to afford somewhere to live away and independent from my very caring and worried parents.
But it was only filling in time. My depression was worsening and I was offered and accepted therapy, searching for a cure.
If I was to describe myself during this period, I was anxious, useless and completely without purpose.
I was a doctor’s daughter and we grew up in Devon in a large garden with one older sister and we loved playing tennis, being out in the fresh air and loving the outdoor life. I used to help my dad with the gardening and loved growing vegetables.
Somewhere along the line I had lost contact with being outside. I had forgotten what it was like to feel the sun on my face.
I stayed in so much listening to music, sleeping during the day and awake at night and self harming. In fact I now relied on medication to make me feel anything at all.
My father, grandfather and uncle were all passionate gardeners. I had I suppose learned to associate gardens with a sense of calm and homeliness, exactly what I was looking for. After failing to study properly the turning point came when my uncle asked me if I wanted to earn some money helping him out on his Exeter allotment. He had hurt his
back and was worried the allotment would grow out of control.
I jumped at the chance and worked there in spring and summer three days a week. I loved being outside, getting my hands dirty, planting and planning and wallowing in the camaraderie of the other allotment holders.
To me the act of gardening is this sense of giving back to nature which makes me feel so much better.
I also found I was good at it. I read a lot and found I had some genuine affinity with the allotment and with my family garden. Gardening reassures me that I am both capable and full of purpose. I’ve added some gardening jobs as well, working for three or four ladies who wanted help with their garden. When spring comes round, I think I will be fully booked.
How has this changed me? I’m sleeping well. I’m not so anxious - being outdoors even in November does wonders for that.
Most of all, I remember when a smile returned to my face after years of absence. There have been times when I have found myself standing amidst herbaceous perennials and laughing simply because the idea of these things growing out of the ground made so much sense. I can’t really explain it but it does distract me from worry and stress.
Gardening can make us feel both calm and invigorated. We all have an inner gardener, and there has never been a better time to connect with yours.
HAVE YOUR SAY...
Over the last few weeks Country Gardener readers have again been sharing their thoughts, ideas and views with us. If you have anything to add as the new growing season arrives email us at editorial@countrygardener.co.uk
TAKEAWAY DELIGHTS FOR BIRDS
My outside space is a wonderful place, Wild birds visit each day. They argue and fight with all their might to pick up a takeaway.
I leave out a treat for them to eat, and though this may sound absurd, I have sparrows and tits who eat the most bits –and even a grape-eating blackbird.
Wagtails abound, they vacuum the ground and will only eat from the floor. Starlings eat fast as if each peck was their last and they drop more than they eat, I am sure.
If a wash is their wish, there’s always a bird’s bath to do as they please - to drink or to clean and then away to preen.
It’s just my bit to keep them healthy and fit, as they live their life every day. The joy they bring with the songs that they sing; saying thank you in their own special way.
Claire Piper Portsmouth
Are wild birds getting friendlier?
I wonder if any of your readers have found that wild birds in the garden seem to be getting friendlier and more domesticated. This Christmas after feeding a handful of birds for several months with what is a very tasty diet of mealworms and superior branded birdseed, I noticed three things.
Firstly, they started perching on pots and perennials outside the window and were clearly waiting for their meal. Every day. Secondly, they became more impatient if I was late or forgotjumping around and coming to the back door and on one occasion I had a lady blackbird and two robins in the kitchen. Thirdly, if I went out, they stayed eating and didn’t seem threatened by my getting close. All in all, I feel I have some new friends. Whether or not it’s a change in habits or just that they are delighted with the quality of the food I don’t know but it is lovely.
Janet Graham Chichester
Growing large garlic bulbs
I love growing large garlic bulbs – contrary to what many think not only do they look impressive they have a better taste with a milder flavour that’s every bit as delicious as their diminutive cousins. The trick is don’t let them compete with weeds, make sure the pH range is between 5.5 and 7 and keep them evenly watered and if they dry out they will become stressed and send up shoots or a flowers stalk. We both love your magazine by the way Andy Palmer Milverton
Polystyrene to the fore
Here’s a tip as we start thinking about planting things for spring -save using too much compost when filling your window boxes, baskets, and containers. Put in a good layer of broken up pieces of polystyrene into the base of the pots first then fill with the compost. You can reuse the polystyrene the following year by just giving it a good wash.
Allen Dunre Poole
A father’s advice to a new gardener
My father who died about ten years ago was a passionate gardener. He was keen for me, his only daughter, to take up the mantle and to so wrote me words of advice. While doing one of my occasional clear outs I found his words and they are worth sharing.
“I want to offer some advice about becoming a new gardener. For along with good compost and high-quality seeds, you need patience, self-compassion, and a good dose of humour.
When I planted the first garden — patio containers for some salad greens and herbs — I read gardening involves a steep learning curve. The book said, it takes ten years to learn how to garden. You can't speed up nature. You learn by experience, by making mistakes.
Gardening really comes simply from
doing it repeatedly, year after year. But. It. Is. All. Worth. It. That feeling when you make your first meal from homegrown ingredients or grow your first artichoke— you can't buy that in a supermarket aisle. You need good soil. This is the one part where please don’t skimp.
Start small. If you take on too much all at once, you’ll only become discouraged if you can’t maintain it all, and you might give up.
If you don’t like kohlrabi, don’t grow kohlrabi. If pesto on a summer day is what makes you happy, plant as much basil as you can fit in. You get my point.
I know it’s overwhelming. But I’ll wager that five years or 15 years from now, you will not regret learning how to garden. Enjoy this time of apprenticing and growing. Put your hands in the dirt, be curious, and have fun’’.
Jo Smedley Martock
WELCOME TO A BLUE DAFFODIL!
My brother-in-law has a proud claim to fame. He has a blue daffodil! I am not sure how he came by it and he keeps quiet on the subject but I have seen it. Apparently, it took ten years in the making but does not exist in the wild. The cultivar is called Narcissus ‘Poisson d’Avril’ and was developed in Wales. Whatever next?
Emily Fisher Bristol
EVERYTHING IS STARTING EARLIER
Has anyone else noticed a trend over the last few years – that things seem to start appearing in the garden earlier – never mind what the weather is. We had daffodils the week after Christmas - out in full bloom. The snowdrops in my and my neighbour’s garden are well advanced in mid-January. Other plants are at least a few weeks ahead of what is normal. I read a study at Cambridge University said plants are flowering around a month earlier. It is all down to climate change. Does it matter? I guess it just saddens me a little. I don’t like what’s happening to our climate and I guess this is just another indication of change.
Lisa McDonald Exeter
Narcissus 'Poisson d'Avril'
0203 137 5159 www.gardenplantsonline.co.uk
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Operation weed patrol!
Attacking weeds in early spring is thought by many to be the secret of a successful growing season. Don’t let them get a grip of your garden.
Weeds are also very successful plants - there’s no getting away from it. That means they can dominate your borders and crowd out other plants. And until recently, gardeners took pride in making sure there were no weeds in their gardens. It was something you ‘had to do.’
But sometimes perhaps there’s another view- weeds will grow where nothing else will grow. They can be pretty. And many of them support local wildlife. So, we now realise that not all weeds are bad.
However, you do need to find out more, so that you can decide which weeds you want to keep and which ones to weed out.
Spring is the very best time to weed because that is when garden weeds are emerging.
So, if you take out the young weeds, they won’t come up to flower. You’ll have fewer weeds later. You can weed at any time of day. It’s often easier to pull weeds out after it’s been raining, but you can weed after dry or wet weather.
The main reason for weeding is that weeds take up space and nourishment in the soil. That’s particularly important if you are growing food to eat, because vegetables need space and nutrients in order to grow to the ideal size for harvest.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but hand weeding is probably the quickest and most effective way to weed a garden. If you’re short of time, just make yourself do a few ten- or fifteen-minute sessions. They will soon add up.
Perennial weeds need a different kind of weeding
However, if you hoe perennial weeds, they will sprout again.
That’s because perennial weeds have roots which stay in the ground for three years or more. If you chop its leaves off, the perennial weed just grows back. Perennial weeds include dandelions, ground elder, bindweed, creeping buttercup and many more. The best way to stop perennial weeds from coming back is to dig the whole root out. However, they can sprout again from tiny scraps of root.
People are sometimes told that using landscape fabric/weed control fabric will help stop weeds coming back. It works for a few months, but it’s not a long-term solution.
Why there is no such thing as a weed-free garden
Nobody has ever achieved a weed-free garden. And if anyone promises you that landscape fabric or artificial lawn means ‘no weeding’, then do not believe them. You can minimise weeds. You can get the most effective weeding tools. But whether you spray everything with chemicals or smother every inch of your garden in weed suppressing membrane, you will still get weeds in the future.
Like every form of weed control, horticultural membrane/landscape fabric/artificial grass does control weeds, very effectively. But only for a few months.
If you cover the membrane with gravel or mulch, weed seeds settle in that. Annual weeds are blown in by the wind and grow on top. They also grow in the dust that settles on top of artificial grass.
Weeding without chemicals
There are recipes on the internet for killing weeds with salt, vinegar or boiling water. These are all contact herbicides, which means they kill the leaves they touch. They don’t kill the roots. But they also kill any other leaves they touch, so it is difficult to use them in a crowded border.
If you re-apply contact herbicides often enough, the roots will die off. But wouldn’t it be
less effort to hand-weed them out in the first place?
Just because something is home-made, it doesn’t automatically mean it is safe. And salt leaches into the soil. It can damage the vital micro-organisms in the soil. You may have problems planting in that area.
As for boiling water – how do you keep a kettle boiling as you rush down the garden to that patch of bindweed at the bottom?
“A weed that runs to seed is seven years weed” - Proverb
The four basic ways of weeding
• Dig out weeds completely by hand, including the roots. If you leave even a scrap of root behind, it can re-grow.
• Cover weeds with a very thick mulch, black plastic or landscape fabric. This deprives them of light so they can’t photosynthesise and eventually die off.
• Use organic weedkillers, either as a spray or a topical application, such as a gel.
• Hoe your weeds.
“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them” - A.A. Milne
Some weeding tips
• Do a small section at a time. Hand weed your plants and then cover the area with a layer of well rotted manure, garden compost, bark chippings or other mulch.
• Mulch the soil all round where you want to plant before even thinking about what new plants to buy.
• Understand what kind of weeds you are dealing with. Depending on where you live, identify your most common weeds, then check whether they are annual or perennial.
• The best way to stop annual weeds from coming back is to layer a couple of inches of mulch on your border once a year. You can use bark chippings, well rotted manure or garden compost.
“When weeding, the best way to make sure what you are pulling is a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant” - Paul Dickson
YOUR SOIL IS IN NEED OF HELP!
The first weeks of spring often sees soil in its worst condition of the year, drained of nutrients, compacted and suffering from erosion. It needs some help.
Healthy and nourishing soil is the key to successful plant growth, and without it, they simply won’t thrive.
It is the first and most important rule of gardening successfully. Soil improvers are a great solution for enhancing soil health as they will enhance fertility, structure and nutrient availability.
Spring is of course the key season when the soil comes into focus. Harsh wet winters drain the soil of nutrients, it gets compacted and suffers from erosion. So, action is a necessity, every year.
• Organic matter when added to the soil:
• Increases soil organic carbon.
• Increases the nutrients within the soil, making it more fertile for plant growth.
• Improves water retention in free-draining, sandy soils
• And improves drainage in heavy, clay soils.
• Creates an environment where soil life can thrive, boosting biodiversity in the soil ecosystem.
When laid over the surface of the soil as a mulch, organic matter additionally protects the soil below it, conserves soil moisture by reducing water lost to evaporation, and
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helps to suppress weed growth. Gardeners now have such a wide range of options with biodegradable compost, where specific research provides products which deal with specific problems, everything from special root growth to drainage and compost for specific plants. It all means there’s no excuse forgetting your soil healthier.
Biochar and no-dig route to soil health
If you’re passionate about gardening and looking for innovative ways to improve your soil health, you might have encountered the terms Biochar and no-dig gardening says The Dorset Charcoal Co.
When used together, these two methods can not only enhance your garden’s productivity but also contribute to environmental sustainability. Biochar, an ancient soil amendment, combined with the No-Dig approach, creates a low-maintenance, thriving garden that benefits both your plants and the planet.
For more information and to purchase locally produced biochar please visit the Dorset Charcoal Company website www.dorsetcharcoal.co.uk
Grow sustainably with CoirProducts’ peat-free compost range
CoirProducts (of Salike®),offers gardeners the UK’s largest portfolio of coir-based products.
The peat-free coir compost range combines innovation, quality, and environmental responsibility, giving growers a biodegradable, easy-to-use alternative that supports soil health and reduces carbon footprints.
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The. New. CharoGaia® is an all-purpose compost that combines coir vital grow with a blend of biochar.
Also new is the DomusCoir® range ideal for the houseplant lover, while the Orchid Compost range is perfect for a range of varieties of orchids and epiphytes. www.coirproducts.co.uk
Leave a legacy of green space
CPRE, the countryside charity works to promote, enhance and protect the countryside so it can thrive for the benefit of everybody.
Income from gifts in wills is vital for CPRE to continue campaigning to ensure the countryside is at the heart of the government’s priorities, so that people and wildlife can thrive.
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The March garden
The successful gardener knows how to do the right things at the right time. Our new monthly series looks at what’s happening in the garden month by month and how specific tasks matter for each month
The first month of spring has arrived in the garden and it begins to come alive after the long dreary winter. The clocks go forward in a few weeks and that gives more time for getting things done. But suddenly it can be quite a list.
March can be a tricky month as far as the weather goes; it is possible to get mild sunshine one day only to be followed by a hard frost the next. However, you can mulch and prune, take cuttings, tend the lawn and sow half hardy annuals.
Still the fact is March is always an exciting month. The weather will be maverick and completely unpredictable - the chances are high that it will be cold, wet, snowy, frosty, stormy, sunny and balmy - and often all on the same day. Despite this, March is the month when the garden really comes alive after winter.
Whatever the weather does, spring cannot be denied. March birdsong is the best of the year and the bulbs, from the latest snowdrops to the earliest tulips and a dozen species in between, are all bursting into flower. It will have to be exceptionally warm for the ground to warm up, but the sun can and does shine and this is the month when bulbs really take charge, growing and flowering regardless of the weather, adding an array and intensity of colour that sweeps winter away.
March, of all the months of the gardener’s year, is the one where time presses most urgently, finishing the winter jobs, sowing, planting, getting that feel of soil on your hands and just a little sun on your back.
Above all March is the month where gardener and garden become easy in their reacquaintance after the wary stand-off of the winter months. Just as the hedges start to prickle with fresh green leaves and the last of the snowdrops are replaced with a great flush of daffodils, crocus, hellebores and even the first species tulips, so we all feel ourselves falling in love with our garden again.
Plant but only if your soil is ready
If your soil is ready then March is a good time to plant and move things around. But ‘ready’ means, above all, warm enough. The only way to know this is by touch. Pick up a handful of earth. If it feels cold and clammy to the skin then seeds will not germinate and roots will not grow. If it feels warm, holds together when squeezed and yet can easily be crumbled then it is ideal.
When you have finished clearing and cutting back give the grasses a thick mulch with a low-fertility material – i.e. not garden compost or manure. However, do not divide or move any grasses at this time of year. They must be growing strongly to have the best chance of surviving so wait until late May or even early June.
Take it easy and be patient
It is quite understandable to get a sudden urge and get out and put the garden to rights now it is officially spring But take it easy!
Gardening is great exercise and there is nothing better than clearing out the cobwebs than working in the garden on a cold, clear day.
Just take it easy to start with. Before starting any strenuous jobs such as digging, do some warm up stretching exercises to ease yourself back into work.
Weather watch in March
March can be a cold month when it often doesn’t seem to get the message that it is spring. In the last few years March has been colder than February by an average of 2°C. The daily highs rise from 10°C at the beginning of the month to 13°C by the end. Temperatures rarely go above 17°C or fall below 8°C only one day out of every ten. In the garden it’s probably the most vital month for keeping an eye on the weather forecast. The longer days bring more chance of increased hours of sunshine
each day. But the ground can still turn hard and make planting and digging difficult so it’s not the time to put tender plants out.
What can you sow outside in March?
Sowing seeds of hardy vegetables and annual flowers outside can get under way now. This year try planting vegetables among flowers if your garden is small. Most modern gardens are too small to accommodate a separate kitchen garden but fruit, vegetables, herbs and ornaments can be grown successfully together.
• Plant onions, shallots and garlic sets.
• Plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers.
• Chit early and maincrop potatoes.
• Plant asparagus crowns.
Asparagus crowns should be ready to get in the ground
• Sow seed outdoors in mild areas with light soil, eg: broad beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, onions, lettuces, radish, peas, spinach, summer cabbage, salad leaves, leeks, Swiss chard, kohl rabi, turnip and summer cauliflower. Be guided by the weather, and sow only if conditions are suitable.
• Sow seed indoors of sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, celery, salads and globe artichokes.
Rose pruning in March
This is the traditional time for pruning bush and shrub roses. Some people prefer to do it in the autumn but there’s a lot to be said for waiting until spring. The more growth in general you can leave intact in the garden over the winter the more options it gives to wildlife. Also if roses have taken a battering in the wind and rain then you can tailor your pruning accordingly with the better shapes after removing the damage.
Don’t be shy about pruning bush roses very hard. Modern bush roses tend to be grafted on to the roots of more vigorous species and are strong growers so they rise to the challenge of hard running by producing good growth and flowers.
Five lawn care steps in March
• Mow established lawns when the weather is mild enough and the grass shows signs of growth. Ensure the first cut of the season is light, raising the blades a quarter of inch higher than the usual cutting height.
• Add grass clippings to the compost heap in thin layers. Too much all at once is likely to cause wet, poorly aerated conditions, resulting in smelly slime rather than compost.
• If you have bulbs in your lawn, such as crocuses and daffodils, wait at least six weeks after flowering before you mow the area, to allow the leaves to photosynthesise and feed the bulbs for a good display next spring.
• Apply a high nitrogen spring lawn feed in late March if your grass needs a boost. This will promote strong growth to help the lawn recover after the winter. However, it’s best to use the minimum necessary, to reduce the environmental impact.
• Straighten lawn edges using a half-moon turf iron
and a board, or use sand to mark out a curve, which can then be cut out with the iron. At the same time, create a 7.5cm (3in) ‘gutter’ around the lawn to prevent grass spreading into your borders.
What March means for wildlife
Keep feeding birds. Most birds are nesting this month, and many will start laying too. So, this a time that puts great demands on their energy when there is not much natural food around so keep feeding the birds all month concentrating on high energy items such as fat, peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Do not disturb frogspawn. Frogs like to spawn in shallow, still water, so if you are lucky enough to have some in your pond (and occasionally even in a puddle) then leave it well alone and do not be tempted to clear the pond or plant anything. Wait until the middle of next month when the tadpoles will all have hatched.
Many creatures such as hedgehogs, bats, dormice, grass snakes, toads, newts and many butterflies will be starting to come out of hibernation or a state of torpor. Try not to disturb natural hibernation spots, especially if you are vigorously tidying up after a long winter. These creatures all make a slow start and will be lethargic and weak - be mindful of them.
Planning ahead for fruit
Check that fruits have water in dry months as fruits of all kinds need water to develop properly. The fruit growing in containers and trained against walls and fences need checking in the early season and can easily dry out and lose the growing impetus.
Feed your fruit with potash. Most general fertilisers contain potash but it is a good idea to give everything a little extra to get some really luscious fruits later in the season.
Six star plants for the month
Anemone
Chionodoxa
Daphne mezereum
Forsythia x intermedia
Prunus surgentil
Zinnia
Don’t be shy about pruning roses hard
Grass cuttings can go in the compost- but not too much
Concentrate on high energy food in March
Garden events are one of the joys of summer
WE ARE ALL IMPATIENT FOR SPRING TO ARRIVE. WHEN IT DOES COME IT SPELLS MORE THAN JUST ACTIVITY IN THE GARDEN, IT ALSO KICKS OFF THE EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO START PLANNING VISITS AND DAYS OUT TO A WONDERFUL ARRAY OF GARDEN SHOWS AND EVENTS
Garden shows are one of the real joys of spring and summer. They say everything there is to say about beautiful garden venues, great value for money plants to buy, knowledgeable speakers, garden demonstrations, food and music and just a great day out. There’s a wonderful array of gardening festivals, events, plant fairs and shows galore to get in the diary over the next few months and to look forward to later this year.
It’s that rare chance to have the whole horticultural year ahead of you and looking at the wonderful array of events which also includes, country and town
shows, agricultural events, gardens open and more.
There’s a brand new event in the calendar in Somerset with the three-day Yeo Valley Organic Gardening Festival in Blagdon.
It all starts this month with the Hardy Plant Society Somerset Group Early Spring Plant Fair, the Rare Plant Fair at Bishop’s Palace, Wells, an open day at Fonthill House gardens and then switches to Cornwall in early April with the Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show and running through to a busy calendar of events through the summer and into the autumn. Later in the summer the traditional and historic Taunton Flower Show returns.
Yet it isn’t all about the big shows. It is also about the tradition of small events summed up by the Cotswolds village of Elkstone opening its gardens and the popular two-day spring plant sale at West Kington again in the Cotswolds.
So, open up the diaries and here are just a few events from a busy calendar which need your attention.
16th March
The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD
29th March
Evenley Wood Gardens, Northants NN13 5SH
Crack the Egg-nigma code at RHS Garden Rosemoor this Easter!
The fun Easter egg hunt at RHS Rosemoor has an eggciting new twist this year. As well as the classic quest, children can turn ‘detective’ when they seek out the colourful eggs hidden in the beautiful gardens.
Visitors can grab the special code-breaker packs on arrival so young sleuths have everything they need to solve the mystery. The £2.50 pack contains the top-secret information and tools needed to crack the ‘egg-nigma’ code. Each giant egg found will reveal a special symbol which, when translated and combined with clues from other eggs, will spell the solution to the puzzle. Your cunning code crackers will be rewarded with chocolate treats for solving the challenge!
Parents can save time at the door and money on entry by taking advantage of the advance booking discount available online only - remember too that kids 5 to15 years are now just £5 and under 5’s go free.It all takes place from April 5th to April 21st.
RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH
Book early for the world’s oldest flower show
Online tickets are now on sale for the Taunton Flower Show at Vivary Park in Taunton town centre on Friday, August 1st and Saturday, August 2nd, an event which proudly claims to be the oldest flower show in the world.
At the heart of the two-day show are the large competitive classes and floral classes marquees. The competitive classes are open to all and consist of approximately 250 different classes for amateur gardeners, crafters, floral artists and children. Everyone is welcome to take part in these classes that have been running since 1831. This year is the 194th year of competitions. The competitive classes have sections for fruit, vegetables, flowers, adults, plus an array of creative sections for under 17’s. The floral marquee features traders who mount displays of their flowers and plants.
Early bird discounted priced £18 for Friday and £16 for Saturday are available at tauntonfs.co.uk/tickets/
FONTHILL HOUSE
Fonthill House, Tisbury, Salisbury SP3 5SA SAVE THE DATES
2025 Charity Garden Openings To Which You Are Warmly Welcomed:
SUNDAY 23RD MARCH
Fonthill House garden opening in aid of the National Garden Scheme (12pm – 5pm)
SUNDAY 27TH APRIL
Fonthill House garden opening in aid of Salisbury Hospice (12pm – 5pm)
SUNDAY 8TH JUNE
Fonthill House garden opening in aid of the Lady Garden Foundation (12pm – 5pm) Stalls, ice cream van, wine stall and refreshments. Do bring well behaved dogs on leads. Unfortunately there is restricted access in the gardens for wheelchairs. Further details & prices for entry can be obtained from our website www.fonthill.co.uk/gardens
Sunday 22nd June 2025 2 - 6pm
Visit beautiful private gardens, the very special Norman church and enjoy refreshments and ice creams. SAVE THE DATE
We are still planning the event and updated details will be posted on: www.elkstonevillage.com
£7.50 for adults, children under 16 free. PROCEEDS HELP SUPPORT OUR CHURCH AND VILLAGE HALL
Honiton show again celebrates rural life in east Devon
Honiton Agricultural Show is planning a great celebration of rural life in the East Devon countryside on Thursday, 7th August. There will be a great line up including Bolddog Lings return, Honda’s official and the UK’s number one motorcycle display team. The event will also welcome the HOH Equestrian Team performing two stunning displays with their skilled team of horses and riders.
Children can meet animated characters Sheridan the Sheepdog and Pumpkin the Pony and enjoy the fabulous Twistopher Punch & Judy Show and Professor Crump, on his stilts. Over 100 vintage tractors and over 50 stunning Classic Cars will be on display. Add to this the shopping on offer, food and drink including the Cookery Theatre with a schedule of chef demonstrations then it means there is something to appeal to every member of the family.
For further details on the show or information on becoming a member of the association contact the secretary on 01404 41794. Gates open at 8.am until 6 pm. Discounted Early bird tickets are available at just £18 in advance, until Easter, (show day prices £22) accompanied children (Under 16) are admitted free!
Visit www.honitonshow.co.uk
Three charity garden openings at Fonthill House
With Lord Margadale’s kind permission, the gardens at Fonthill House, Tisbury, Salisbury SP3 5SA will again be open to the public for three wonderful charities. The first opening is in aid of the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 23rd March.
The second on Sunday 27th April for Salisbury Hospice that relies so heavily on the generosity of fundraising efforts, www.salisburyhospicecharity.org.uk
And the third, on Sunday 8th June, is for a national charity called Lady Garden Foundation who promote screening and funding for the treatment of gynaecological cancers, www.ladygardenfoundation.com. Do go along on any or all of the days not only to see the beautiful garden but also to meet Lord Margadale who will be there on all three days.
Further details for ticket prices, times can be found on the website www.fonthill.co.uk/gardens
The three Garden Shows are ready to bloom again
The trio of Garden Shows which take place in spectacular venues in the south of England in April, June and July have forged themselves a reputation for high quality events. Each one is set over three days and features specialist growers, garden related goods, artisan designs, homeware products, fashion accessories & delicious country foods. There are daily talks, activities for young and old, expert advice and a variety of music and entertainment.
It’s the right time to start planning your visit. Those three hardy show perennials, the Garden Shows at Firle, Rookery Park and Broadlands are getting ready to bring a plethora of plants, garden furniture, artisan designs, homeware products, sundries, fashion accessories and the most delicious country foods to your garden and home. Good garden advice and talks with plenty of family entertainment. Enjoy some great days in three beautiful locations. They are all worth looking forward to. Here’s the dates for your diaries
• Firle, Nr Lewes Friday to Sunday, 18th -to 21st April
• Broadlands - Friday to Sunday, 6th - 8th June
• Rookesbury Park, Romsey - Friday to Sunday, 25th - 27th July www.thegardenshows.com
Sat 3 – Sun 4 May
Country Gardener
Plant heritage Dorset plans to build on successes
Last year’s Abbotsbury Plant Fairs broke all records for attendance and Plant Heritage Dorset Group are planning to build on this success. This year, there will be three more specialist fairs in Dorset, organised by Plant Heritage. The first on Sunday 11th May, is at Athelhampton House just off the A35, near Puddletown. It’s an ideal event to buy spring and early summer-flowering perennials and shrubs, plus lavenders, alpines and a few exotics.
The second and third plant fairs will be held at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens on Sunday, 8th June and Sunday, 31st August. Admission to the fairs is £7 and this includes free access to the gardens for the whole day until 5pm. Plant Heritage members can get in free with a valid membership card.
Elkstone village ready to impress again with
open day
Elkstone Village Gardens hosts its famous Open Day on Sunday ,22nd June from 2pm to 6pm. Visitors can enjoy the historic Cotswold village and see parts of it not accessible to the casual visitor. Relax with cream teas, homemade cakes or ice creams. The Grade I listed Norman church, the highest in the Cotswolds, will be made extra special with flower displays. Plant stalls will be open to take back a reminder of a special day. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the church and village hall.
For further information contact the organisers.
Email: admin@elkstonevillage.com
Rare Plant Fairs return for 2025
The popular and successful Rare Plant Fairs are back with 13 specialist plant fairs, all held in prestigious gardens which provide wonderful settings for the fairs. The events are attended by specialist nurseries all of whom are experts in the plants that they grow, offering a wide range of interesting and unusual plants for your garden.
The season starts at The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, on Sunday, March 16th. Hidden within the ancient ramparts and protected by the moat are 14 acres of stunning, tranquil gardens in the heart of the City of Wells, Somerset. This is followed by a return to the unique 60-acre woodland gardens at Evenley Wood, near Brackley in Northamptonshire, on Saturday, March 29th. Both fairs run from 10am to 4pm. Visit www.rareplantfair.co.uk for details of all the events, including a full list of the exhibitors attending.
Somerset Group
EARLY SPRING PLANT FAIR
Saturday 29th March 2025 10am - 3pm (Garden open until 4pm) at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Holt Farm, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ
Many top nurseries attending from England and Wales, plus stalls selling garden artefacts.
Yeo Valley products and light refreshments available from the shop and cafe throughout the day. Book tickets online for a morning visit, cash at the gate from 1pm. Admission charge will be £5 (£4 for HPS and RHS members.) Booking opens early February 2025. Visit www.somersethps.com
THREE SPECIALIST PLANT & GARDEN FAIRS
Organised by Plant Heritage Dorset
Sunday 11th May 2025
At Athelhampton House, Nr Puddletown, Dorset, DT2 7LG
Sunday 8th June 2025 & Sunday 31st August 2025
Both at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Dorset, DT3 4LA
Plant Fairs open 10am – 3pm.
Admission £7.00 includes entry to the gardens (until 5pm).
Free to all Plant Heritage Members.
Many specialist nurseries and growers, including National Collection Holders, large selection of garden stalls plus craft & wildlife stalls. Quality refreshments and food. Free parking. Beautiful locations.
Proceeds support Plant Conservation & Education in Dorset www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/gardens/events www.athelhampton.com/events www.plantheritagedorset.org.uk
Honiton
Agricultural Show
We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 7th August 2025
Fabulous entertainment, Delicious food and drink, Over 400 trade stands.
Majestic livestock and horses, Bees and Honey, Dog Show, Vintage Tractors and Classic Cars, West of England Hound Show, Cookery Theatre, Young Farmers Clubs.
Please apply for trade, livestock and horse schedules.
ADVANCE TICKETS JUST £18 (ACCOMPANIED UNDER 16 GO FREE)
AVAILABLE FROM www.honitonshow.co.uk
Secretary: Marcelle Connor, Bank House, 66a High Street, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1PS info@honitonshow.co.uk
Taunton
Vivary Park
Two-day West Kington spring plant sale
One of the most popular plant sales in the Cotswolds returns on Saturday, 26th and Sunday, 27th April when West Kington Nurseries hold their massive plant sale. Entry over the two-day event is free and visitors will have the chance to wander over the five-acre site of the nursery which promises to be bursting with plants. Catalogues for the sale are sold in aid of local charities. Call 01249 782822 or visit www.wknurseries.co.uk for more information.
West Kington Nurseries, West Kington, Chippenham SN14 7JQ
Cornish nearly season show celebrates with show gardens
The Cornwall Garden Society is proud of being one of the first flower shows of the year when it opens on Saturday, 5th April (10am to 5pm ) and Sunday, 6th April (from 10am to 4pm). Spectacular show gardens with the theme of ‘A Place to Heal’, a ‘Grow Your Own’ allotment with incredible edibles, a sustainability hub and Tipi Talks by more local luminaries and national names are some of the new features that will complement the breathtaking displays of beautiful blooms and gorgeous greenery.
Described by The Daily Telegraph as the ‘Chelsea of the West’, the annual festival of flowers – on at The Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge – celebrates the county’s rich horticultural heritage and all the joys of spring.
If you fancy making the most of one of the best horticultural events in the southwest, why not buy a festival-style weekend pass and experience two whole days of glorious gardening inspiration at a reduced rate? Daily tickets: £10 in advance. £12 on the gate (card payment preferred). Weekend tickets: £15 in advance. £18 on the gate (card payment preferred). Free admission for under 16s. Well-behaved dogs on short leads welcome.
Buy tickets at www.cornwallgardensociety.org.uk/spring-flower-show/show-tickets/ Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7JE
Music and more at the Royal Bath & West Show
The Royal Bath & West Show returns from 29th-31st May, promising plenty of free entertainment for visitors.
Fans of horticulture have always enjoyed the floral art displays, whilst the food and drink marquee is also a perennial favourite. This year there will be plenty of creative inspiration in the craft area, where the ‘Artists in Action’ will demonstrate their talents.
With music ranging from the Old Time Sailors to the Jelly Roll Jazz Band and The Rivertones, everyone will find something to their taste!
To book your tickets, visit www.bathandwest.com
Hardy Plant Society’s early spring fair at Yeo Valley
On Saturday 29th March, the Hardy Plant society Somerset group holds its Early Spring Plant Fair at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Holt Farm, Blagdon BS40 7SQ. Many top nurseries will be there with value for money plants plus stalls selling garden artefacts. Light refreshments will also be available. It opens from 10am to 3pm (garden open until 4pm) and there’s free parking. Pre-booking essential for a morning visit, but you can enter after 1pm with cash sales at the gate. Go to www.somersethps.com and follow links to book- £5 (£4 for RHS and HPS members).
There’s lot to consider when it comes to selecting and buying a greenhouse. They are very personal things and there’s a wide range of options when it comes to choosing one as they will be an exciting addition to your garden for many years.
Prices can vary from a few hundred to many thousands of pounds. The greenhouse you eventually choose will come down to two main factors – the area you have available and your budget.
It also comes down to experience and quality of service .One of the south west’s most experienced greenhouse supplier is Leigh Goodchild based near Bath who can supply almost all makes of greenhouses and have particularly extensive knowledge of Robinsons, Hartley Botanic, Gabriel Ash, Alton, Hercules and Simplicity structures. With over 30 years experience in the supply and installation of greenhouses the business prides itself on providing professional and practical advice where aesthetics, practicality, durability and creation of a space for plants and people can be combined.
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE UNIQUE CONTROLS FOR ALL YOUR SHRUBS AND CLIMBERS
You can control your shrubs and climbers this year using Rivelin Glen Products uniquely designed Wire Anchors. They are quick and easy to attach to concrete posts (without drilling) to act as an ‘eye’ by threading wire through them to create a trellising system.
The Gripple Trellising System is ideal to use with the anchors as the wire does not stretch, takes up to 100kg load & has a life of up to 15 years. Multiple rows can be achieved with one length of wire and two tensioners. No more sore hands or sagging wires!
Rivelin Glen Products are the main stockists of the Gripple Trellising System.
Prices: Wire Anchors from £10.25 for a pack of three; Gripple Starter Kit - £20.25. Email: info@rivelinglenproducts.co.uk Tel: 01246 462666
Captivating Camellias at the CGS Spring Flower Show. Image: Ian Kingsnorth
IT’S TIME TO MAKE A START!
A look at some of the essential jobs in the early spring garden
March is the official beginning of spring, but it can be very cold so do keep an eye on the weather forecast and at times over the next few weeks. Patience will be needed. The clocks also go forward this month, so the lengthening daylight hours also help plants to get growing. Spring bulbs take centre stage in the borders and in patio pots, rewarding your efforts for planting them last autumn It is also the time to finish
TOP TIPS FOR THE MONTH
This month’s tips are all about getting a head start in the garden.
1. Fertilise your beds. Once your soil is workable, dig a 5cm (or more) layer of compost or well-rotted manure into your beds to prepare for the growing season ahead. You can also work in a generalpurpose fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure, or fish, blood and bone.
pruning tasks. Now’s the time to get vegetable seeds started in the greenhouse, and you can sow hardy seeds straight outdoors into their final positions. It’s also time to kickstart your flower displays. Start sowing flower seeds undercover to enjoy colourful displays come summer.
2. Put supports in. If any of your garden plants or climbers need supporting this year, put them in now, so plants can grow up through them. Adding supports afterwards is trickier and often looks unattractive.
3. Move deciduous trees or shrubs. Now is the time to do this task, provided the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
4. Resurface paths before plants start to grow and smother them.
2
Get
on top of weeks as soon as you can
Weeds will be growing as strongly as your plants during these weeks, so keep on top of them before they can get a hold. Digging them up with a hand fork is the best idea, as you can get all the roots out. Reserve hoeing for dry weather, as weeds can re-root if the soil is moist.
3 5 4 6
Plant early potatoes
Towards the end of the month early potatoes, such as ‘Accent’ and ‘Red Duke of York’ can be planted. The potatoes can be grown in the ground by digging a 12cm deep trench with some manure forked in. Plant the tubers about 30cm apart with 45cm between rows and cover with soil. Potatoes can also be grown in raised beds or even large containers if you don’t have a lot of space. They need a minimum depth and width of 30cm Half fill the bed/ container with a multi-purpose compost then plant the potatoes and cover leaving some space at the top.
Make sure you water the pot regularly, so the compost is moist but not wet. By late June or early July, your potatoes should be ready to harvest. Check they’re ready by putting your hand into the pot and gently feeling for the tubers. If they feel big enough, tip out the contents of the pot, otherwise leave them to continue growing.
Mulch, mulch and mulch
The most effective way of improving the soil in established borders is to mulch the surface with a three cm-layer of organic matter, such as garden compost. It will also help to suppress weeds and trap moisture in the soil. If your heap doesn’t produce enough compost to mulch the whole garden, it’s worth contacting your local council to see if it’s possible to buy the compost that’s made from the green-waste collections. Mushroom compost (though not for acid-loving plants, as it contains chalk) and composted bark make good alternatives and can be bought online. Before you start, make sure you have thoroughly weeded the bed and that you have sufficient mulching material – this could be leaf mould, compost, well-rotted manure or bark chippings. Always leave a gap around the stem of plants.
Plant summer-flowering bulbs
Summer bulbs such as tulips, dahlias, lilies and gladioli can now be planted. When picking your bulbs ensure that bulbs feel firm to the touch and don’t have any signs of mold. The bulbs can be planted where you want them to flower. Bulbs hate to be wet so need good drainage. Therefore, put a handful of grit at the bottom of the planting hole.
Sow your first tomatoes It may seem a bit early, but March is really the time to sow tomatoes for growing indoors. Wait until mid-month and then sow tomatoes you’re planning to grow indoors, pricking out the seedlings into individual pots later on. Plants for growing outdoors are best sown in April or they’ll be ready before it’s warm enough to plant them outdoors.
7
Cut back perennials and grasses that were left over winter
… and don’t forget your houseplants
When you see growth starting again it’s time to check your houseplants. Some may just need a tidy up, clearing away dead leaves and debris and a bit of a prune to get it back into shape. If roots are appearing through the base it’s a sign, they need repotting. If you can’t see the roots, but it’s a while since they were repotted, try to loosen the plug of earth out of the pot and see if the roots are circling as if desperate to get out. If so it’s time to repot.
Ideally, water plants a few days before repotting. Use washed pots, one size larger than the existing pot, and fresh clean potting compost – whichever is correct for the plant. Some plants like a lighter mix so mix up your own soil for each plant using a combination of potting compost, sand and perlite as necessary.
Flower seeds to sow in March
Hardy annuals can be sown in trays indoors or under glass now but unless you live somewhere mild it’s a bit early for half hardies.
There’s nothing more depressing than seeds that fail and these should deliver: honeywort Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’, cornflowers, borage (great for bees and decorating drinks) and viper’s bugloss (also great for bees and for butterflies).
If seed trays have been stored somewhere outdoors or weren’t washed when you put them away, give them a good wash and brush up with hot soapy water and don’t think you’ll save money by using old compost or earth – you’ll regret it when seeds shrivel and die.
Use large trays, fill with seed compost to near the top and water with a can with a fine rose or stand in a sink until the tray’s absorbed moisture. Don’t use water from the butt as this can lead to disease and try to use lukewarm rather than freezing cold water. Sprinkle over seeds as sparingly as you can manage and use a sieve to sprinkle of a light layer of dry compost. Sit somewhere light and neither too hot nor too cold. You want an even temperature around 18°C or 64°F. Some people like to cover the tray with glass or a clear polythene. You should see results in a week or two.
Keep an eye on wildlife
If there are any perennials that were not cut back in the winter, now is the time to do it. This is to make way for the green shoots. Cut back to ground level but be careful not to damage the new growth. The dead foliage can be added to your compost heap. Any overgrown clumps of perennials can be divided. Perennials will also need dividing once a plant becomes woody or dies back at the centre. To divide the plant, dig it up and split it up into several pieces. After pruning and dividing, then it’s time to feed established plants with an all-round plant food. After feeding, mulch your borders with homemade compost. Always apply mulch over moist soil, ideally after it has rained. 10 9 8
While bulbs are blooming and birds are singing, March can be a difficult time for garden wildlife.
Temperatures in March can still fall well below zero at night, so invertebrates such as earthworms, green shield bug, beetles and caterpillars may still be taking shelter. Garden birds will have eaten all but the last of the berries, and with less invertebrate food available, they can often go hungry, just at a time when they need to be in good condition for breeding.
March is the key month for breeding amphibians. Frogs start breeding first, laying clumps of jelly-like spawn at the pond edge, joined by toads a couple of weeks later. Toads tend to breed in larger ponds than frogs, and are more likely to return to ‘ancestral’ pond sites. They lay ‘ribbons’ of spawn around the stems of submerged plant such as marsh marigold. Finally, newts return to ponds - shine a light into the water at night to see males performing a courtship dance to woo females. Female newts wrap eggs individually in leaves of marginal plants such as water forget-me-not and brooklime.
The home of quality plants, friendly expert advice & inspiration for your garden & home Quality Outdoor Plants Unusual Houseplants Peat-Free Compost
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram for updates www.cleevenursery.co.uk 138 Main Road, Cleeve BS49 4PW (located on the A390 between Bristol & Weston) 01934 832134 / info@cleevenursery.co.uk
Overwintering and early season growing problems dominate our questions this issue. If you have anything you need help with email us at editorial@countrygardener.co.uk
I have moved into a new garden in Somerset, and I would like to run it organically. I am a fairly novice gardener and any help to get me on the organic path would help.
Mike Revell Minehead
The starting point for you has got to be the soil and how you prepare and feed it. To nourish your soil, use bulky materials like garden compost or well-rotted manures. These materials release nutrients slowly, improve soil conditions and stimulate essential micro-organisms. Mixing in well-rotted leaf mould can enhance its structure and water holding capacity and release plant foods into heavy soils.
Sow a green manure and you can improve structure by adding organic matter, aiding aeration, and boosting nutrient retention. Green manure plants such as field beans or winter tares are sown, grown, and dug back into the soil in spring – leaves, stems, roots and all. It is worth doing it to plan. They’re particularly helpful if you don’t have access to manure or compost, and they prevent nutrients being lost or washed away. Once you have the soil working right the organic options open up.
I have heard a lot about mycorrhizal fungi and how it helps root formation in plants but I don’t really understand it. Is it a complicated process?
Wanda Graham Portsmouth
Mycorrhizal fungi form relationships with plants, where the fungus provides the plant with nutrients such as phosphorus, and in return the plant provides the fungus with sugars from photosynthesis. The fungus colonises the root system of the plant and can help the plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil more efficiently.
Mycorrhizal fungi also help protect plants from pathogens and can improve the plant’s tolerance to environmental stress. The mycorrhizal fungi’s association with plant roots provides several benefits to the plant: it increases the surface area of roots, allowing the plant to absorb more nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and other micronutrients. The fungus can help the plant absorb water from the soil more efficiently. It also can help plants tolerate environmental stress such as drought, heavy metal toxicity, or soil salinity.
What time of year is best for layering rhododendrons? I love them and would like to create new plants.
Anna Porter Chichester
Layering is a time-tested propagation technique, which allows you to effortlessly create new rhododendron plants from existing ones, saving money. This method mimics how rhododendrons naturally spread in the wild, relying on the inherent ability of their stems to produce roots under the right conditions.
Early spring is the perfect time. Selecting a suitable stem is crucial. A healthy, flexible, one-year-old stem is ideal. Avoid stems that are diseased, damaged, or excessively woody. The chosen stem should be low enough to easily bend to the ground without breaking. Bend and bury the stem, ensuring proper contact with the soil to promote rooting. Make sure the root is covered with soil but don’t overwater as this causes rot. It will take anything between six to nine months until a new cutting forms which you can separate and pot on.
How do I add colour to my rose beds and which plants can I use to plant under the existing roses.
Tom Gooding Cheltenham
Traditionally rose beds have always been dug over in the winter but this can cause problems with damaged rose roots producing suckers later in the season from the wounds on the roots. It’s better to mulch with well-rotted horse manure and with no digging taking place underplanting is an option. You could try Geraniums G. renardii or G.sanguineum or geum, phlox or osteospermums which would all thrive.
Our lovely olive tree hasn’t wintered very well. Lots of the leaves have disappeared early and there are several dead branches. Is this common for olive trees in cold wet winters and can I do anything to revive it?
Fiona Beaumont Bath
Olive plants although quite hardy are often damaged by winter winds and frosts which burn the leaves. This can be avoided by placing a horticultural fleece over the olive plants on the coldest days and nights or bring them inside if they are in containers. If your trees have been damaged they should recover in the spring and to aid the recover you should feed them with a high nitrogen plant food and remove the very badly damaged leaves.
Our orchard was a disappointing part of the garden last year- very few apples and the pears were not up to much. Maybe the problem is that I am not working hard enough to attract bees. Is this possible?
Amy Brice Exeter
It’s quite true that without bees there would be no fruit so it will certainly pay to make your garden bee friendly. In sunny spots, sow clumps of bee attracting plants. There are lots of annuals you can get under way now including borage, Californian poppy, fennel and poached egg plant. The latter is sown around fruit bushes to attract aphid eating predators. As the soil warms up, apply plenty of mulch around trees and fruit bushes.
Looking for a greenhouse?
We supply and install almost all makes of greenhouses and have particularly extensive knowledge of Robinsons, Hartley Botanic, Gabriel Ash, Alton, Hercules and Simplicity structures.
BROWNE’S GARDEN CENTRE
Come and relax in our coffee shop and then select from our large selection of container grown shrubs, perennials, roses, fruit & ornamental trees
Unscramble the following to reveal some well-known flowers and vegetables:
Crossword
WIN £100 IN RHS GIFT TOKENS
Our popular gardening themed crossword is compiled by Saranda which over the past year has become enormously popular with readers. The winning entry to be drawn by us will receive £100 of RHS gift tokens. Completed entries should be sent to Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD. Closing date Friday, 21st March. The Winter issue winner was Joe Dent from Exeter.
The Country Gardener Quizzing dozen
See how you manage with these not so easy gardening questions.
1. If albus means white, rubens is red what colour does viridiflora suggest in flowers?
2. What is the common name for the climbing plant Ipomoea?
3. Which Surrey estate was presented to the RHS in 1903 by Sir Thomas Hanbury?
4. Eschscholzia californica is a tongue twister, what is the common name?
5. English Ivy (Ilex aquifolium) is dioecious. What does this mean?
6. Vanilla flavouring is derived from which flower?
7. Who is the patron saint of gardeners, horticulture, florists, brides and brewers?
Word Search
8. What word is used to describe plants that like acid soil and will not grow in alkaline soils?
9. Which charity was founded in Devon in 1972 by farmer Kenneth Watkins?
10. What is the name given to the female reproductive organ of a flower?
11. Name a reason your entry in a Standard Flower Show can be disqualified.
12. In the novel Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee what is Rosie’s rather bucolic surname?
How did you do with the answers? 0-4 correct - there’s still work to be done 5-8 correct - impressive 9-12 correct - time to get that application to Mastermind in!
STOURHEAD
UPTON HOUSE
BARRINGTON COURT
CLEVEDON
CLEY HILL
KNIGHTSHAYES
DUNSTER CASTLE
ARLINGTON
TRELISSICK
TRENGWAINTON
AVEBURY
LACOCK
TYNTESFIELD
DYRHAM PARK
KILLERTON
PRIOR PARK
THE COOMBES
FYNE COURT
LEIGH WOODS
CHASTLETON
LANHYDROCK
ANTONY
TRERICE
PENROSE
LYTES CARY
Answers
1. Snapdragon, 2. Sunflower,
ACROSS
1. Golden rod genus (8)
5. Species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand (6)
9. Name given to Canary Islands' dragon tree (5)
13. Soft fruit often blown by comedians! (11)
14. The Barberton daisy is the national flower of this West African island country (4, 5)
15. A tree or plant with wide, flat leaves (9)
17. They are grown in containers at home (11)
18. Bearing catkins (12)
19. Californian estuary plant, Suaeda esteroa (8)
22. Moneses uniflora or wood _____ (5)
23. Harmful or annoying levels of disturbing sound (5, 9)
25. A type of landform colloquially known as catstep (10)
26. Tomato variety named after Firth of Clyde island (5, 5)
29. Famous Scottish football club (7, 7)
31. Briar or bramble (obsolete.) (5)
33. Orpin rose or King's crown (8)
34. Disastrously as might have befallen Jane! (12)
36. Used for shooting cinematographically! (5, 6)
38. Tarzan was sometimes called Viscount _________ (9)
40. An outgrowth or enlargement of an organ such as a plant stem (9)
41. The state of bankruptcy named after a London bankruptcy court (5, 6)
43. Piles of compost (5)
44. A sickness or ailment (6)
45. He worships blindly and to excess (8)
DOWN
1. Vegetation consisting mainly of brushwood (5)
2. Go insane or mislay certain toys (4, 4, 7)
3. A small flatfish (3)
4. Barrier between two areas of land? (6, 5)
6. Buildings used for drying hops (10)
7. The fruiting body of rust fungi (6)
8. The skin of a certain fruit (5, 4)
9. Succisa pratensis, a flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae (6-3, 8)
10. Great mullein or rod of biblical character (5)
11. Ornamental shrub of the genus Elaeagnus (8)
12. A wartime slogan for growing more vegetables (3, 3, 7)
16. Perennial plant, Dicentra cucullaria (9, 8)
18. In botany, joined by having grown together (6)
20. Term used for bouts of rain few and far between (8, 7)
21. Name sometimes applied to touch-menot balsam (4, 2, 7)
24. A place where eggs are deposited or kept (6)
27. Having eyes which are not elevated on a stalk (7-4)
28. Unstable or mentally disturbed (10)
30. The aromatic, resinous juice of balm of Gilead (9)
32. A mixture of oatmeal and cold water (8)
35. A tall, prickly plant of the Dipsacus genus (6)
37. The garden pansy belongs to this genus (5)
39. A comestible apple (5)
42. Sesame (3)
QUIZZING DOZEN: 1. Green, 2. Morning Glory, 3. Wisley, 4. Californian poppy, 5. Male and female are on separate plants, 6. Orchid - vanilla planifolia, 7. Saint Dorothy, 8. Ericaceous, 9. The Woodland Trust, 10. Pistil, 11. Anything
flowers, dock12.Bur
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Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-4pm (inc. Bank Holiday) Closed Sundays
Diary events from clubs and organisations in SOMERSET
Welcome to a new season of Time Off and our popular coverage of gardening club events throughout Somerset. If you have any events, meetings, or trips organised by your gardening club and association please let us know and as we go through the year we will happily give them coverage. Email the details to us at timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk
February
18TH
Gardening in Retirement Club ‘LATEST TRENDS IN ORGANIC GARDENING’ - TIM FOSTER Details on 01179 656844
19TH
Clevedon Gardener’s Club ‘BARKS, STEMS & EVERGREENS FOR THE WINTER GARDEN’ - DUNCAN COOMBES www.clevedongardeners.chessck.co.uk
25TH
Chilcompton Gardening Club ‘ORNAMENTAL & VEGETABLE GARDENING’
March
5TH
Clevedon Gardener’s Club ‘WEEDS: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY’ - SALLY OATES www.clevedongardeners.chessck.co.uk
9TH
South West Orchid Society MONTHLY MEETING www.swos.secretary@gmail.com
11TH
Eastwood Gardeners’ Club ‘REVIEW OF SCOTLAND TRIP’GEORGE HARGREAVES email: secretary.egc95@gmail.com
Frome Selwood Horticultural Society ‘MY GREENHOUSE YEAR’ - GILLIAN TAYLOR Details on 07776 208531
Long Ashton Horticultural Society ‘FILMING JAGUARS IN SOUTH AMERICAN PANTANAL’ www.lahortsoc.co.uk
Sedgemoor Gardens Club ‘FERNS IN OUR GARDENS AND IN THE WILD’ www.sedgemoorgardensclub.co.uk Details on 01458 259025
12TH
Kilmersdon Gardening Club ‘GARDENING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE’ - THE BLOOMING WILD NURSERY www.kilmersdongardeners.org
Nailsea & District Horticultural Society ‘CHRYSANTHEMUMS’ - IVOR MACE Details on 01275 855342
13TH
East Coker Gardening Club
‘OTTERS’ - STEPHEN POWLES
Details on 01935 862447 15TH
Chilcompton Gardening Club ‘TALES FROM THE POTTING SHED’ 16TH
Purbrook Horticultural Society SPRING SHOW www.purbrookhorticulturalsociety. org.uk
17TH
Fagus Garden Club
‘THE HISTORY & RESTORATION OF ROCOCO GARDENS’ - DOMINIC HAMILTON Details on 07507816327
18TH
Gardening in Retirement Club ‘READY, STEADY GO FOR SUMMER’JOHN TUCKER
Details on 01179 656844
19TH
Clevedon Gardener’s Club
‘CREATE A GARDEN TO BE PROUD OF’ - CATHERINE WILLIAMS www.clevedongardeners.chessck.co.uk
21ST
Carhampton Gardening Club
‘DUNSTER CASTLE GARDENS’JAMES CORDINGLY Details on 01643 821085
Are you part of a garden club or society?
Please send us your diary for the year - we’d love to include your talks and shows It's free!
Send them into us by email giving us 10 weeks notice of the event: timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk or by post to: Mount House, Halse, Taunton, TA4 3AD.
THE 2025 Treevia quiz
QUESTION 1
In Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman appear to walk from Dover to Nottingham via the Sycamore Gap Tree within one day. How fast would they have to walk to achieve this?
A. 4 mph B. 40 mph
C. 100 mph D. 14 mph
QUESTION 2
On April 1st, 1957, the BBC screened a hoax documentary about what growing on trees in Switzerland?
A. Money B. Toblerone
C. Girkins D. Spaghetti
QUESTION 3
In 1832 William Cobbett returned from America with which tree to be grown as timber for treenails for Royal Navy ship building?
A. Robinia B. Iron wood
C. Hickory D. Giant redwood
QUESTION 4
In the 17th Century Wheelwrights used four different timbers in wheel construction, three were harvested in the Winter, but which one had to be harvested in late Spring – early Summer?
A. Elm B. Beech C. Oak D. Ash
QUESTION 5
The main native fruit used to make gin is….
A. Sloes B. Hawes
C. Rowan D. Juniper
QUESTION 6
Who is credited with patenting the first mechanical chainsaw in 1830?
A. Andreas Stihl
B. Harold Husqvarna
C. David Danarm
D. Timothy Teles
QUESTION 7
Sorbus aria is the botanical name for which British native tree?
A. Hornbeam B. Field maple
C. Whitebeam D. Silver birch
QUESTION 8
The Horse Chestnut (Conker Tree) is a native tree of……?
A. Turkey B. Albania C. Britain D. Spain
Editorial Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk
Tel: 01823 431767
Time Off Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk
QUESTION 9
After his failed rebellion in 1685 the Duke of Monmouth was found hiding under what kind of tree?
A Judas Tree B. Ash
C. Rowan D. Oak
QUESTION 10
Sudden Oak Death in England is so called because….?
A. it is sudden
B. it is fatal
C. it infects English Oak
D None of the above
QUESTION 11
The first European to see a living Gingko biloba tree was
A.. Engelbert Humperdink
B. Captain Cook
C. Engelbert Kaempher
D. Captain Bligh
QUESTION 12
Throughout the Industrial revolution the wood of choice for making clogs in Britain was……?
A. Dutch Elm B. Alder
C. Black poplar D. Ash
QUESTION 13
The original masts of HMS Victory were made from pine trees sourced in…..?
A. The New Forest
B. Scotland.
C. Scandinavia.
D. New England.
QUESTION 14
According to the old saying - what kind of tree ‘hateth man and waiteth?’
