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s a n n a C t s e b e h t f o ix S Exotic, colourful and easy!

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135 years of practical advice

1884 The World’s Oldest Gardening Magazine 2019 “We’ve had more letters from AG readers shocked that the RHS awarded a gold medal at the Hampton Court Festival to a garden that was little more than a pile of rubble, littered with coffins and bandoned trolly (Letters, page 50). Have designers t sight of what we love to see — creative and ourful use of plants to inspire our own gardens? this considered passé by designers and the elite who judge these shows? If they don’t come to their senses, there will be fewer AG readers paying the £40 entry fee. And I don’t blame them.”

Garry Coward-Williams, Editor

22

“They’re exotic, colourful and easy to grow,” says Graham

Jobs for this week

4 12

KEEPING ON TOP OF JOBS Ruth shows how to keep your garden ticking over nicely TOMATO GROWBAG TEST UPDATE Find out which tested brand is the clear front runner

Great garden ideas

26

“Try these cheery late-summer daisies for borders,” says Anne

18 22 26 28 32 53

ARE YOU SHORT ON SHADE? A small tree can make a big difference, says Tamsin SIX OF THE VERY BEST CANNAS These perennial stunners are rich in colour and easy to grow HOW TO GROW LATE SUMMER DAISIES Anne looks at uplifting options for sunny banks and borders SPRING BULB SHOPPING LIST Now’s the time to start thinking about what to order…

TRY HESPERANTHA For long-lasting flowers to take you from summer into autumn GET THE LOOK: SECRET WALLED GARDEN Vibrancy abounds in a walled retreat within a Liverpool suburb

Gardening wisdom

28

“22 bulbs to bring your garden alive in spring,” says Hazel

10 14 16 20 36 41 42 45 50 59

PETER SEABROOK Alstroemeria are great for cut flowers, says Peter BOB FLOWERDEW Sunflowers have plenty of uses for the garden, as Bob reveals VAL’S GARDEN WILDLIFE Capturing 130 moths in Val’s garden brings lovely surprises LUCY CHAMBERLAIN’S FRUIT AND VEG Plums, gages and damsons, lifting onions, trying cucamelons ASK JOHN NEGUS Poorly bougainvillea, confused by worms, tuberous triumph ANNE’S MASTERCLASS How do I attract more butterflies? Anne has the answer HOW TO REPLACE FELT ON A SHED ROOF It’s a simple job when you follow Tim’s sage advice…

A GARDENER’S MISCELLANY This week, cyclamen is the subject of puzzles and prizes YOUR LETTERS Dahlia to remember, special salvia and flying saucers!

TOBY BUCKLAND This week, Toby works on restoring his big blue Echiums

All Alamy

Garden news and readers offers

32

“Try long-lasting flowers with architectural beauty,” says Louise

Cover: Hesperantha coccinea ‘Fenland Daybreak’ (pic: Alamy)

6 8 39

TRANSFORMING RHS WISLEY We meet the inspirational curator, Matthew Pottage BRITAIN IN BLOOM UPDATE They’re planting runner beans up lampposts in Essex!

AG SUBSCRIPTION OFFER See our special summer deal to get the mag every week 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

3

Move self-sown plants this week

Make sure the supports are straight

Lift the plant with as much soil as possible around the rootball and place it in a pot large enough to happily accommodate all the roots.

1

I’m putting up a trellis for our young grapevine. It is still very small, but will soon grow to fill its space

Preserve drill holes to prevent rotting

Keeping on top of jobs

The seasonal crossover is a busy time, says Ruth

T

HE mornings feel cooler, the climbing roses and clematis. Done now, lights are being switched on any disturbance to the plants will quickly noticeably earlier each week settle and they will be secure before the and the swifts have left our winter storms arrive. skies and headed south – not that there We also put in a new trellis for a were anywhere near as many as usual grapevine that is still young and small, this year, which was a concern. but will grow. In fact, within 48 hours of Autumn is just around the corner attaching it to the trellis its tendrils and as the seasons swi ing to twine around gardeners will have the pport – it’s amazing hands full continuing w fast a happy plant the summer work while n grow! also factoring in the You will need more things that need doing an one pair of hands for autumn. o install a trellis.

Deadheading and Drill into mortar, harvesting, pest and ther than brickwork, disease control, d use Rawlplugs to feeding and watering ure the screws in crops and containers – e when attaching it’s a busy time after the porting batons to Keep roses stable slight lull of midsumme things could largely be left to tick over.

Use a spirit level to get everything One of the major jobs we have been straight and dab wood preservative over doing this week is replacing old, rotten any raw ends and drill holes to protect trellises with new ones to support our the wood from damp and rotting.

4 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

2

Pot it up in multi-purpose or John Innes No2, water and overwinter somewhere sheltered.

Alternatively, plant it straightaway where you want it to grow.

What about wildlife?

Garden wildlife will soon start feeding up and searching for places to hibernate.

Give wildlife a hand by leaving some seedheads to ripen for the birds (goldfinches love teasel seeds).

After deadheading hollowstemmed plants such as irises, leave the stalks standing, as many insects like to hibernate, or pupate, inside them.

A quiet area of long grass and discarded twigs is an ideal sanctuary and hunting ground for all types of creatures, including invertebrates.

Hedgehogs will be feeding up for hibernation, so help them by leaving out meaty pet food, but not dried mealworms, which will make them ill.

Bright and beautiful: Don’t despair over the end of summer, in next week’s AG (in the shops 3 September) I’ll be showing you how to extend colour and interest with autumn bedding.

Six tasks to help the garden

Free seeds

Summer and autumn combine to keep us on our toes!

True blue Hardy cornflowers are a splash of colour

Cooler, damper weather means more pests. Beer traps catch slugs and snails, and don’t forget to add late caterpillars and grubs to the bird table.

1

Clear away allium heads. The larger ones make intriguing indoor arrangements, and if kept and dried you can harvest their seeds.

2

Clear the sowing area of weeds and debris, rake to a fine, crumbly tilth and water generously.

1

Scatter the large, tufted seeds thinly over the soil. If any are too close together, thin seedlings later.

2

Turn your compost to get a good mix and leave it uncovered so rain can get in. If you haven’t done so already, create a bin to store fallen leaves for leafmould.

3

Cut back dead pea plants, leaving their roots in the soil to release the nitrogen stored in their nodules. Sow quick-growing autumn crops such as radishes and winter salads

4

Carefully rake a thin covering of soil over the seeds and water well with a can that has a fine rose attached.

3

Don’t neglect houseplants. Keep on deadheading, feeding and watering. They will soon start to need less food and water as autumn draws on and they stop growing.

5

Watch out for late summer diseases such as hollyhock rust.

Rose black spot is still prevalent, so remove and destroy all affected material and treat with a fungicide if necessary.

6

Label the seeds so you don’t disturb them. You could also add some poppy seeds to the mix to create a natural display.

4

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

5

Got a story?

Call 01252 555138 or email ruth.hayes@ti-media.com

Transforming Wisley into a modern masterpiece Matthew Pottage, the youngest curator of an RHS garden, talks about his work and the development of the world-famous site

New garden photo award A NEW photographic awards category focusing on the world-famous Sissingurst Castle Garden has been launched by and International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) in conjunction with the National Trust.

The new free-to-enter award joins nine regular categories including The Beauty of Plants and Beautiful Gardens, which together attract some 20,000 entries annually.

It is the first time the renowned garden, created by Vita SackvilleWest and Harold Nicolson and now cared for by the National Trust, has had its own category in the world’s premier garden, plant and flower photography competition.

Until Sunday, 6 October, visitors are invited to capture the beauty of Sissinghurst, pictured above, for the chance to have their work exhibited at the garden and published in the annual IGPOTY hardcover book.

Head gardener Michelle Cain said: “This historic, poetic refuge is a perfect location for all types of garden and landscape photography.

From colourful borders to the iconic White Garden, Sissinghurst is just waiting to be captured.”

For further details visit  igpoty.com.

6 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

A

CHANGING of the guard at a muchloved national institution is always likely to ruffle a few feathers. But when the guard in question is in charge of overseeing the RHS’s flagship garden at Wisley, you may need to be prepared to see a few feathers fly.

“You just have to hold your nerve,” said Matthew Pottage, who is the youngest-ever RHS curator not just at Wisley, but in the society’s history.

“When I started to rip out the roses for the exotics border, people were writing to [RHS director general] Sue Biggs the and calling me the ‘monster of Wisley’.

“She was incredibly supportive and let me get on with it, and that’s what you have to do. You have to stand up for yourself and what you believe, because if you worry about everything you will do nothing if you are paralysed by fear.”

Matthew arrived at RHS Wisley in 2004, aged 18, to start a two-year diploma in Practical Horticulture. He was the youngest in his year, fresh from school.

Massive amount of change He then went on to gain his RHS Master of Horticulture qualification, which is no mean feat when working full time, though he says that although his Wisley work left him physically tired he still had enough mental energy to complete the course.

He rose through the ranks and was named Wisley’s curator in 2016.

Under his watch, the garden has undergone a massive amount of change, in

Matthew Pottage is overseeing huge changes at RHS Wisley

its plantings as well as in its There is also a vast (and physical appearance. pleasingly sensibly priced) Last year saw the launch of Plant Centre, its healthy, wella multi-million scheme to tended charges inviting you replace the old entrance and to part with your pounds in a visitors’ centre, which had way that is, frankly, irresistible become inadequate to to any gardener! comfortably accommodate In the gardens, Matthew the gardens’ million-plus has orchestrated the removal visitors a year, with a purpose- of the rose garden in favour built Welcome building. of an opulent exotics area of It was opened earlier this bananas, cannas, echinacea, year by Alan nd alliums in Titchmarsh and t fiery colours. next capital also got rid project is the an area of development of edding on the a science and Top Terrace, learning lanting a 75m building that will Wisteria Walk make Wisley a sing darkReplacing roses with exotics was initially a world leader in d ‘Royal controversial move plant research an e’ and the development. lighter mauve ‘Kimono’) The spacious Welcome in its place. building is set on a tree-lined Future plans include plaza and includes a café, a consolidating the garden’s 100-seat restaurant and edibles and herbs areas into massive shop catering for all one World Food Garden, your home, garden and designed by Ann-Marie lifestyle needs. Entrance to Powell. This should be open the gardens is through an airy to the public by spring 2021. reception area, so you no There is also an informal longer feel you are being trial area dedicated to finding processed through a an alternative to box hedging claustrophobic funnel. in the face of the onslaught

Bees at Brogdale: Brogdale gardens’ National Fruit Collection in Kent has launched a conservation and education project to prevent the decline in bee numbers. Sara Smile, Brogdale operations manager, said: “The bees conservation and education project is an exciting opportunity to conserve this vital species and raise awareness of their importance to the public.” Read more in our next AG news pages.

The new RHS Wisley Welcome building

PRODUCT REVIEW Some beds are grassed over when they are overrun with weeds

by box blight and caterpillars.

It is an attractive knot garden planted with a range of pittosporum, berberis and other dense shrubs.

As ever when dealing with a venerable institution, there is a fine line between the ‘dirty’ world of commerce and maintaining the integrity of the establishment.

Matthew feels Wisley has the balance right and that casual visitors, who go for the ‘wow factor’ of thousands of tulips or massive pumpkins, depending on the season, and the more serious gardeners looking for something rare or an unusual way of growing, will both come away happy.

Giving staff space to grow As well as overhauling many of Wisley’s growing areas, Matthew has brought in a new style for the garden.

The old-school, stifling methods of ‘helicopter management’ have gone and he has stepped back, trusting his teams and giving them space to learn and flourish.

Matthew said: “I don’t do

The recently planted Wisteria Walk on the Top Terrace

“You have to stand up for yourself and what you believe” running is a challenging task micromanaging because I that combines negotiating don’t think it is the right massive commercial approach. You get the best out of people by trusting their challenges with the pesky minutiae that face expertise and instincts ners and giving them rywhere. ownership of the Just because role they have. ou are known “If Pavlina is s the RHS’s looking after agship garden the rhubarb oesn’t make beds, I want ou immune to Pavlina to know Thousands of ‘Summer eds, though at everything there Drummer’ alliums were y they don’t is to know about planted this year h of a look-in rhubarb. We had chap from our trials team who thanks to Matthew’s policy of encouraging staff pride in the did a spiral of annual flowers areas they look after and in the lawn. I would never adopting a ‘less is more’ have thought of doing that philosophy of care. and it looked fantastic.

“They are all so talented Strategic management and by letting them get on “We have a policy that it is with their jobs you let their much better to do five things personalities shine through brilliantly than eight things not in their work.”

Keeping on top of Wisley’s so well,” he explained. “It is development and day-to-day all down to strategic management and if we have to lose a bed by grassing it Informal trials of alternatives to box hedges over and mowing out the weeds, we will do something better elsewhere.

“We have had a few comments and queries about what we are doing, but it is better that A, B and C all look amazing though we have had to get rid of D and E.”

Mastergrip Pro gloves are comfortable and flexible to wear

Town & Country Mastergrip Pro gloves £7.49 DO you get through lots of pairs of gardening gloves each year? If so, perhaps a pair of gloves aimed at the ‘professional’ could be the answer.

Town & Country produces a vast array of gardening gloves, but one of the latest additions to its range is the Mastergrip Pro. The company claims the gloves are ideal for ‘professionals’ who demand the ultimate grip and durability, with a latexcoated thumb and palm to keep hands dry and a breathable back to provide comfort.

The gloves have been in use for the past six months for weeding, digging, potting up and general tasks in the garden and on the allotment, and have proved comfortable and flexible to wear.

The smooth latex surface helps with fiddly tasks, like tying in beans and sweet peas, and so far the index finger tips of the gloves have remained intact. They are now the go-to gloves for most gardening tasks!

The Mastergrip Pro gloves are available in green, in small and medium sizes.

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

7

Got a story?

Call 01252 555138 or email ruth.hayes@ti-media.com

Runner beans colonising a lamppost in Halstead, Essex

What’s on

Things to do near you

The People’s Dahlia Competition at RHS Wisley until 8 September

Planters of herbs, chard and edible flowers adorning the centre of Bath in Somerset

Contest is food for thought

Edibles are the future, says Andrea Van Sittart of the RHS

W

ITH RHS Britain in Bloom they have squeezed crops into the smallest of spaces, even growing runner judging behind them, beans up lampposts. community gardeners across the UK will likely Vineyard is protected from goats be breathing a sigh of relief.

Community orchards are springing up Many will also now be reaping the all over the place, including in Filby in fruits of their labour and enjoying the Norfolk, Amersham in Buckinghamshire glut of fresh produce they’ve been and Ystradgynlais in Powys, often carefully tending ng heritage cultivars of Interest in growing your les, pears and plums that own has surged over recen e specific to the local area years and Britain in Bloom nd in danger of dying out. is no exception.

Llandudno in Bloom in Whether it’s to eat Conwy has taken things a more healthily, cut down tep further, because as on air miles or help ell as a new orchard in combat food poverty, Volunteers hard at work een’s Park, volunteers we’re seeing more and in Lytham St Annes, e planted a hillside more groups swapping Lancashire nity vineyard. Protected blooms for berries, dabblin by wire mesh from the Great Orme with edibles in their borders and goats, the group hope to process this baskets, and adding signage inviting summer’s grapes to produce their first people to pick and eat. bottles of wine. Come the autumn they In Bath city centre, tiered planters of fragrant herbs, chard and edible flowers could well be celebrating their and their peers’ success in the competition. such as nasturtiums have proved a real To find out more about this year’s RHS hit with shoppers. In Wilmslow, Cheshire, Britain in Bloom competition and your tasty tomatoes and courgettes that local community gardening group visit passers-by can take flank the local  rhs.org.uk/get-involved. leisure centre, while in Halstead, Essex, 8 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

1: Rare Plant Fair: Adwell House, Thame, Oxon OX9 7DQ. ✆ 01278 661352,  rareplantfair.co.uk 1: Plant Heritage Autumn Plant Fair: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. ✆ 0203 176 5830,  rhs.org.uk/ gardens/harlow-carr 1: Artisan Food Fair: RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. ✆ 0203 176 5830,  rhs.org. uk/gardens/rosemoor Until 8: People’s Dahlia Competition: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. ✆ 0203 176 5830,  rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley Until 22: Surrey Sculpture Society Trail: RHS Wisley 2: RHS Members Gardening Advice: RHS Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorks HG3 1QB. 3: Garden Tours with the Friends of Harlow Carr: RHS Harlow Carr 3-4: The Riches of Late Summer Plants in Gouache Painting with Sarah Jane Humphrey, RHS Rosemoor 3-8: RHS Wisley Flower Show (free to RHS members): RHS Wisley 4: Late Summer Walk with the Head of Hyde Hall: RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. ✆ 0203 176 5830,  rhs.org.uk/gardens/ hyde-hall 5: Garden Walk – Plants for Hedges: RHS Harlow Carr 5: Seeds – Collecting, Saving and Sowing: RHS Garden Hyde Hall 6: RHS Members Gardening Advice: RHS Harlow Carr 6-8: Artisan Craft and Design Fair: RHS Garden Rosemoor ■ Send details and images of events to ruth.hayes@ti-media.com ■ All details are subject to change without our knowledge, so please check that the event is still going ahead before leaving home.

Listen to Peter’s free podcast every Thursday. Search for ‘This Week In The Garden with Peter Seabrook’ on iTunes

with Peter Seabrook, AG’s classic gardening expert

Peter’s tips

1

Main image: Alamy

Plug seedlings and cuttings are being raised in three designer colours per single cell, called Trixie; all the gardener has to do is push them into hanging basket compost.

Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ can be grown in borders and containers and will flower from late May until Christmas

Grow flowers for cutting

2

Very free-flowering callas on taller stems and in eye-catching colours will be available next year.

Alstroemerias are long-lasting in the vase, says Peter

All photography Peter Seabrook / TI Media, unless otherwise credited

E

VERY year in summer, I take to the motorways and visit the trial and show gardens staged by wholesale seeds and plants company Ball Colegrave, at West Adderbury, near Banbury. It opens to the public for one afternoon and early evening, and this year raised £11,842 for its local hospice and the David Colegrave Foundation, which makes grants to people studying horticulture.

Amateur Gardening listed this event, and I met readers there among the masses of flowering plants and hundreds of new cultivars likely to be introduced in the next year or two. Visitors are requested to place a blue flag with their favourite flower, and it was not surprising to see blue flags amongst

“Cut alstroemerias last up to three weeks in water” 10 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

some of the latest alstroemerias.

We have had Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ for several years, and this has proved an excellent garden plant.

It can be grown either in borders or containers, flowers from late May to Christmas on stems 18in (45cm) long, and has withstood temperatures below -15ºC (5ºF) in my garden.

Best of all, a well-established clump will provide a steady supply of cut flowers that last for up to three weeks in water. Cut is the wrong word, of course, because flowering stems are plucked from the root, and this snapping away stimulates new shoots and flowers.

Do it both to deadhead and earlier in flower development to arrange in water, when the white piece at the bottom of the stem is cut off.

New colours are being introduced, including a lighter yellow ‘Summer Breeze’ and white ‘Summer Sky’, with ‘Summer Red’ to follow. You hear as well as see new things, and I was interested to learn that the petals of Begonia ‘Sweet Spice Bounty’ taste like sherbet and have a citrus flavour…

3

Stems are plucked from alstroemeria, not cut, although the white end is cut off before arranging in water.

4

Where space is limited, plant up with the VertiGarden system.

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with AG’s Lesley Upton

Growbags for tomatoes on test

In part two of her home trial, AG reader Lesley Upton reports on how the tomatoes are performing in three different growbags and the number of tomatoes on each plant

All photography Lesley Upton

Left-right: ‘Crimson Crush’ and ‘Moneymaker’ tomato plants in the Westland growbag, ‘Crimson Crush’ and ‘Moneymaker’ in the Melcourt SylvaGrow, and ‘Crimson Crush’ and ‘Moneymaker’ in the Dalefoot Wool Compost

I

N AG 20 July, I explained how I had planted two tomato varieties in three different growbags to see how each performed over this season. The tomatoes were the blight-resistant ‘Crimson Crush’ and ‘Moneymaker’, a traditional favourite.

The growbags were a 33-litre Westland growbag, a 45-litre Melcourt SylvaGrow peat-free planter and a 30-litre bag of Dalefoot Wool Compost for tomatoes with ‘no need to feed’.

After following the manufacturers’ instructions for each growbag, the tomatoes were planted outside in May

The results so far…

At this stage of the test (8 August), the plants with the darkest foliage, which is a deep, dark green, are growing in the Dalefoot compost.

The biggest tomatoes are on the ‘Crimson Crush’ plant in the Dalefoot 12 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

“I counted the number of tomatoes again on 8 August” and watered in. They were fed according to the manufacturers’ instructions – apart from the Dalefoot ‘no need to feed’ compost, which received water only – alternating between Natural Grower Natural Fertiliser for Organic Growers

compost. The most tomatoes are growing on the ‘Moneymaker’ plant in the Melcourt compost.

In total there are 42 tomatoes on the ‘Crimson Crush’ plants and 71 on the ‘Moneymaker’. Plants in the Westland compost have produced 28 tomatoes,

Natural Grower organic liquid fertiliser is vegan friendly and Soil Association approved

and home-made comfrey.

On 20 July I measured each tomato plant and counted the number of visible tomatoes, of all sizes. I counted the number of tomatoes again on 8 August.

plants in the Melcourt compost 42 tomatoes and plants in the Dalefoot compost 43 tomatoes.

Next month: How many ripe tomatoes will each plant produce – and what will they taste like?

2019

GROWBAG TE ST

Westland Growbag The tomato plants in the Westland growbag had the palest foliage of all the plants on test. In July the ‘Crimson Crush’ was 3ft 8in (114cm) tall and had five tomatoes, while the ‘Moneymaker’ plant was 4ft (126cm) tall and had 12 tomatoes. A few weeks later, on 8 August, the tomato count had increased to eight for ‘Crimson Crush’ and 20 for ‘Moneymaker’. The largest tomato on the ‘Crimson Crush’ plant was starting to turn red.

‘Crimson Crush’ (left) and ‘Moneymaker’ tomatoes in the Westland growbag

Melcourt SylvaGrow planter The foliage of the tomato plants in the SylvaGrow peat-free planter was a darker green than those in the Westland growbag. The ‘Crimson Crush’ plant was 4ft 6in 140cm tall and had seven tomatoes, while the ‘Moneymaker’ plant was 5ft (150cm) tall and had 17 tomatoes.

On 8 August the tomato count had increased to 15 tomatoes on ‘Crimson Crush’ and 27 on ‘Moneymaker.

‘Crimson Crush’ (left) and ‘Moneymaker’ tomatoes in the Melcourt SylvaGrow growbag

Dalefoot Wool Compost The colour of the foliage of the tomatoes in the Dalefoot Wool Compost for tomatoes was the darkest green of the three plants on test. The ‘Crimson Crush’ plant was 5ft 2in (158cm) tall with six tomatoes, while the ‘Moneymaker’ plant was 6ft (180cm) tall with 14 tomatoes. On 8 August the number of tomatoes had increased to 19 on the ‘Crimson Crush’ plant and 24 on ‘Moneymaker’. The biggest tomato on ‘Crimson Crush’ was turning red.

‘Crimson Crush’ (left) and ‘Moneymaker’ tomatoes in the Dalefoot Wool Compost 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

13

Alamy

rdew, AG’s organic gardening expert

Bob’s top tips for the week

Sunflower stalks can be cut into small lengths and used as winter hostels for insects

1

Nick Sinclair

Stalks can also be used to support bean plants

Sunflowers like Helianthus ‘American Giant’ have many uses, long after they are done looking gorgeous in your garden

We love their vibrancy, but there’s more to sunflowers than meets the eye, as Bob considers stakes and sanctuaries

Body image: Alamy. All other photography TI Media, unless credited

S

UNFLOWERS are well known as fun plants for kids to grow. They are also valuable as a food of economic importance with their oily rich seeds. Howeve have overlooked other for them in our gardens Nuthatch Obviously, we know feeding on sunflower that the huge heads seeds provide copious nectar for bees and other insects. We also know how birds love those seeds – after all, they rob the lot if we don’t protect them. But have you ever thought about rest of the plant?

Those thick stems are commonly pulled up and composted, yet they can make superb winter hostels for all sorts of little critters. Just cut them

“Have you thought about the rest of the plant?”

14 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

into short lengths and pack in openended boxes to fix to a wall, or tie whole lengths into bundles and hide them inside dense hedges and evergreens.

M these stems are ong. I’ve used them pports for tomatoes, ner beans and sweet eas. It’s possible to ave the climbers run p them during their year of growth, but it’s better to wait until the ollowing year and have em clambering up the ad stems you have situ. To make these and more stable, you can join three stalks together at the top to make pyramids, or bend and tie the tops of two rows to horizontal rods to make a tent-like frame. Of course, the horizontals are more sunflower stems.

Having done this several times, I realised I had a way to plant out tender crops earlier and also keep the blight off tomato plants. Simply by growing parallel rows, tying these together and fixing on a plastic sheet, I had in fact grown my own greenhouse or polytunnel. Beat that for a neat trick!

Main image: Alamy

This is the last week in which you should feed almost anything.

From now on, feeding would make most new growth too soft.

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Nip the tops off any outdoor tomato plants, as any future flower trusses may set but they are unlikely to ripen.

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Raise the height of cut on your mower to leave a longer sward that will choke out autumn flushes of weeds.

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Get the catalogues and order your soft fruit bushes and new fruit trees, ready for planting in just two months’ time!

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Gardening Week

rne, AG’s organic wildlife expert The poplar hawkmoth has a wingspan of 2½-3½in (6½-9cm)

The buff tip is found in woodland, scrub and hedgerows

Val is delighted to find more than 130 moths in a trap in her garden, including the poplar hawkmoth and a buff-tip

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

W

HAT you buy a man who wants nothing when it’s his birthday? This is the dilemma I face every year in August, because the Best Beloved is not interested in the material world.

He could put his possessions into one cardboard box, possibly two, which is rather worrying because, however well you get on as a couple, there are times when everyone wants to walk away.

I’ve bought him some unappreciated presents over the years, and the telescope – not cheap, by the way – was passed on to grandson James after staying in its box for several years. Last year I bought a moth trap and that also stayed in its box for almost a year before a visit from granddaughter Ellie, a 12-year old eco-warrior, made the Best Beloved decide to give it an outing. I don’t know nearly as much about moths as I do about butterflies, but I do know there are 2,500 species of moth compared to 59 species of butterflies, and that includes two migrants – the painted lady and clouded yellow.

With all the publicity about declining wildlife, I imagined that we might find four or five moths lurking in the cardboard egg trays at the bottom of the moth trap. The ‘trapped’ moths are not in any danger, by the way. The light lures them in and they are free to fly away after darkness descends again. It was a glorious surprise to discover more than 130 moths inside the trap and we might have trapped more because, when the Best Beloved began to water the pots 16 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

close to the front door where we’d set up the moth trap, a lot of moths flew up to escape the water they probably imagined was heavy rain.

There were two really large moths and the most impressive was the poplar hawkmoth, a large grey moth that looks like a cross between a delta-wing jet and a symmetrical piece of bark. The books say that the male usually comes to light after midnight, while the female may come earlier. This moth is listed as ubiquitous and it flies generally from May to July, although it may also appear in early August. The caterpillars eat poplar leaves, but they also eat hazel foliage, and when I went over to check my hazel it was clear caterpillars had chobbled the leaves. Hazel trees are one of the best natives for wildlife, in theory attracting 79 insects. You can also cut the poles and the twiggy sticks for vegetables.

There was also a large elephant hawkmoth, with pink and lime-green markings that reminded me of a silk scarf my late grandmother had. This is another common moth and this one likes to suck the nectar from our native honeysuckle flowers, so it obviously has a long tongue. We have two or three honeysuckles planted with roses against the low stone wall.

We also discovered the small elephant hawkmoth in the trap and this is much more yellow, with a pinker body. It’s about two-thirds the size of the large elephant hawkmoth and it’s usually found on calcareous grassland, so I hope that our meadow is encouraging it. One of the

Ellie, Val’s 12-year-old granddaughter, was instrumental in getting the moth trap into use for the first time

“The most impressive was the poplar hawkmoth” caterpillar food plants is bedstraw and that grows in our mini-meadow.

The other really interesting moth, the buff-tip, looked more like a birch twig than a moth. As you’d expect, this moth is found in woodland, scrub and hedgerows. It’s also common in gardens and parks in towns and cities.

There were also lots of small brown jobs that were a challenge to identify, plus several heart and darts and two black and marbled green moths. There was also a common footman moth whose caterpillars feed on lichens, and there are plenty of those on the low stone walls around Spring Cottage.

TIP

Plant a native honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) because the flowers are adored by many moths. We seem to have a lot of moths, which might explain why bats swoop over our garden as the light fades.

Val Bourne

Val Bourne

The large elephant hawkmoth loves to suck nectar from honeysuckle flowers

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with Tamsin Westhorpe

All photography Alamy

Plant a tree to provide shade in your garden so you can cool off on those hot summer days

Short on shade?

Could your garden benefit from a shady area, where you can cool off when things get hot? Tamsin Westhorpe suggests planting a tree to shelter from the sun

I

AM writing this article on the hottest day of the year so far. My laptop is perched on the potting bench, which is in an old stone building so it’s the coolest place to be.

With temperatures reaching more than 30°C, I’m not planning to work outside.

If we continue having summers as hot as this, having some shade in the plot will be essential. My advice to those who really want to garden on a warm day is to get up early and work in the coolest part of the day or try to work in the shade.

Those short on shade should plan to plant a tree. I’m convinced that every garden, where space allows, should be home to at least one small tree.

My border terrier always heads to the shade of the trees on a warm day and I’m not far behind him.

The other benefit of planting a tree in a sunny spot is that the shade it casts 18 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

will allow you to plant and enjoy some wonderful shade lovers.

The best trees for shade Now is not the time to plant trees, but it is the time to work out where you need one before autumn planting. If you’re looking for shade in mid-summer, then there are a few things to think about.

When researching trees to create shade, ask yourself these questions. Is the tree suitable for your soil? How quickly will the tree provide shade? What shape is the tree? And what interest will the tree offer to your plot?

Let’s start with shape. Columnar trees are ideal for adding height to a plot, but won’t offer much shade – these aren’t the trees if you want to lie under branches and look up at the leaves.

Trees with an oval or pyramidal shade look great in a garden, especially when

planted in a pair. Their upright form draws the eye to a vista, but they aren’t that suitable for sitting under, either.

Weeping trees can be the best of all when they are mature – especially if you have the space to grow large specimens such as willow (you’ll need a very large garden for this). Small weeping trees such as the silver pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’) weep so close to the trunk that they don’t throw much shade out into the garden and there is little, if any, space to shelter under the branches.

I have a fantastic weeping mulberry tree. Children that visit are often found hiding under its dense branches nibbling on the mulberries. However much I love the mulberries, a tree with such soft summer fruits isn’t ideal for casting shade – the berries stain clothes and can cause a slip hazard if they fall on paving! Another common tree, the

6 top trees for creating shade

Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis ‘Sunburst’ This medium tree with a spreading habit enjoys full sun and a sheltered spot.

Stunning lime-green foliage in summer and golden-yellow autumn foliage.

Malus transitoria A tree with unbeatable spring blossom.

The autumn crab apple fruits are tiny, but appealing to birds. It’s wide spreading, but classed as a small tree.

Betula ermanii Silver birch offer dappled shade and grow quickly. For added winter interest choose one with attractive bark such as Betula ermanii (pictured). Heights vary.

Amelanchier lamarckii A small tree or large shrub that’s ideal for a tight space, in sun or partial shade.

Wonderful white spring blossom. A fairly slow grower. Strong autumn colour.

Prunus serrula A small tree with a fairly quick rate of growth and wonderful mahogany bark.

Starts as an upright but will spread. Flowers in April and has attractive autumn foliage.

Sorbus aucuparia The rowan or mountain ash tolerates tricky growing conditions such as an exposed site. A medium tree that offers dappled shade and berries in autumn.

plum, attracts wasps when in fruit.

Apple trees are a popular choice as they offer wonderful spring blossom and autumn fruits. You also have the advantage with apple trees of being able to choose a tree on a dwarfing rootstock.

The downside to an apple tree is that in early summer you get the June drop when small apples fall to the ground.

This isn’t much of an issue with a small tree, but for a larger specimen you’ll need to be prepared to collect them the fallen fruit and expect the odd dropping apple to land on you as you relax in the shade. Apple trees also benefit from a summer prune, so if you don’t fancy doing this then a tree that

requires no pruning might be preferable.

Acers and flowering dogwoods are wonderful trees for a small plot, but they are slow growers. If you want shade

quickly, look at faster growing trees such as Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis ‘Sunburst’ – seems rather an ironic name when planting for shade!

Five things to consider Buy from a specialist nursery, where the staff will advise you on the ultimate shape and size of the tree.

Look at how the shape of the tree will impact on the design of your plot.

Consider the view from all windows.

Choose a tree with more than one season of interest – winter bark,

spring flowers or autumn foliage.

Summer-fruiting trees offer huge interest and help to attract bees and birds to the plot, but their fruits can be a little messy.

Acers are popular for small gardens, but they are slow growers and can suffer from scorch if your site is hot.

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

19

with Lucy Chamberlain, AG’s fruit and veg expert

Focus on... Plums and damsons Lucy’s picks Lucy looks at growing perfect gages, damsons and plums

Choose ‘Oullins Gage’ for yellow-green fruit from mid-August

Prunus domestica ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’ is a disease-resistant, late-season plum

Y growing one of these trees, you’ll not only be keeping your household stocked up with flavoursome fruits but also those along your entire street! Plums, damsons and gages are notoriously high yielding.

True plums, which arise from Prunus domestica, are oval in shape. Ripening can occur from mid-July (‘Herman’) to early October (‘Marjorie’s Seedling’).

Gages (also Prunus domestica) are more spherical. They need time to develop their high sugar levels, so ripening occurs in August or September. Damsons originate from Prunus insititia, and the fruit is generally small and tart. Ripening occurs slowly, generally in September and October.

Plums and other stone fruits are always pruned in summer to avoid silver leaf (see below). For ease, do this immediately after harvest. Fan-trained trees should have old, unproductive stems cut out and new ones tied into their place. Free-standing trees respond well to festooning (see last week’s AG), and can have lofty or wayward stems cut out to a well-placed sideshoot, or back to the main branch.

Watch out for this troublesome trio…

1

Plum moth: Grapholita funebrana can wreak havoc. Eggs laid on branches in summer hatch into pink caterpillars that tunnel into developing fruits. Spray with pyrethroid-based pesticides once fruitlets appear, or hang pheromone traps in trees during early May. 20 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

2

Plum rust: Caused by the fungus Tranzschelia discolor, this is a case of live and let live. Although the orange spotting on the leaves can look alarming, the disease occurs quite late in the season and the fruits themselves are luckily unaffected (no fungicides are available).

3

Silver leaf: This is one fungus that is readily controlled by cultural means (which is handy, as no fungicides claim to kill it). The airborne spores are far more prevalent in late autumn and throughout winter. These enter via pruning wounds, so only prune during summer.

All Alamy

All photography TI Media, unless otherwise credited

Don’t forget!

With pruning only necessary if trees become unruly, and unfussy pollination requirements, you can see why they’re so popular – and now is the ideal time to harvest and prune them.

Own a chest freezer? Come this time of year, you can put it to good use by freezing excess plums and gages. While other tree fruits don’t respond well to this method of preservation, plums buck the trend, making gluts welcome. Leave the stones in or (to save your teeth) remove them using a knife. Bear in mind that some varieties (like ‘Opal’ and ‘Herman’) are termed ‘freestone’, which means the stone parts easily from the flesh, while ‘clingstones’ (like ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’) are more fiddly to de-stone.

‘Czar’: A productive early cooking plum that can also be eaten fresh once fully ripe.

The stone is easily removed, and the fruit cooks down to a lovely deep ruby-red. Self-fertile.

‘Denniston’s Superb’: While many gages can be fickle, this delicious golden-fruited variety crops reliably and heavily. Once fully ripe, they are soft, honeyed, aromatic and juicy. Self-fertile.

‘King of the Damsons’: This damson (also called ‘Bradley’s King’) yields impressive crops of good-sized purple fruits. The rich flavour is less astringent than other varieties, and perfe for preserves or drinks. Self-fertile.

All Alam

Compact, reliably fruiting ‘Farleigh Damson’ produces dark blue fruit

Three stone fruits to try

Next week: Apple tree masterclass, growing sharkfin melon, picking perfect figs, lifting maincrop spuds, revamping runner beans.

5 quick jobs 1

Sweet, scrumptious figs are now ripening. Best eaten when fully ripe, mature fruits hang downwards, darken in colour and also develop skin cracks.

If your climbing French or runner beans are flagging, strip off every pod (small and large), douse with a liquid feed, and they’ll recover well.

Purple and white sprouting develop as top-heavy plants. Insert a stout cane alongside each one and secure it to them with some twine to deter wind rock.

Garlic, bulb onions and shallots can be lifted and laid on wire or wooden racks in a dry, sunny spot. This helps dry the outer layers, ready for storag e.

Don’t throw away this season’s used growing bags. They’re perfect for batches of winter salads in the greenhouse – just fork over the top layer, then sow.

2 Choose varieties with longevity, like ‘Crown Prince’

Inset: Unwins

YOU might not believe it, but with a little extra care and savvy variety selection, your winter squashes will keep into June – from an October harvest, that’s an impressive eight months of storage!

The secret is to choose varieties with longevity in their genes (‘Crown Prince’, ‘Hunter’ and ‘Honey Boat’ work well for me) and to help them ripen fully. This encourages the outer skin to harden and ‘cure’, which in turn forms a protective rind over the tender, moist flesh inside – it’s a bit like wearing a leather jacket!

If the outer skin is thin or damaged, the life of the squash is compromised. A thin skin lets too much moisture escape, and damaged areas are an entry point for fungal and bacterial rots. Sufficient sun is key, so remove any leaves that cast

Main: Alamy

Boost ripening of winter squash

shade on ripening fruits. Your harvest will then enjoy two more months of sunshine, allowing it to develop the perfect leather-like shell.

3 4

5 Harvest aubergines at their peak Egg-shaped ‘Bonica’, with ‘Farmer’s Long’ inset

Why not try..?

Both Alamy

types like ‘Goyo Kum require you to get your eye in. You might mistakenly allow a few to over-mature (again, indicated by dull, wrinkled skins) but pick as full-sized as possible.

Cucamelons

YOU may have c across these tin fruits – they’re the latest ontrend squash.

While most members of this family (Cucurbitaceae) Cucamelon plants benefit are gargantuan from supports beasts, the cucamelon (Melothria scabra) is more diminutive.

Sow the small seeds in individual pots in early April, ready to pot into larger containers (two per 10-litre pot) in late May; you can transplant them on to the plot, but pot culture suits them well. The tender perennial vines are slow to bulk up, but once they do their yield is prolific.

Add supporting canes or pea sticks as they establish, and expect tiny yellow flowers (male and female blooms are borne separately) by mid-summer. Shortly afterwards, beautifully marbled 1in/2½cm-long fruits will develop with a sharp, cucumber-like taste. Blitzed into salsas or pickled with dill, they’re mild, crunchy and delicious.

Su

AUBERGINES can take a long time to get going in summer but once they do, boy, are they productive! The evolution of grafted plants (where a variety is propagated on to a supercharged rootstock) has increased yields further, so how do you pick them at perfection?

With conventional, purple skinned, egg-shaped varieties such as ‘Bonica’ and ‘Moneymaker’, the harvest indicator is straightforward: as fruits mature, they emit a hollow thud when tapped, yet their skin remains shiny (dull, matt skins are a sign of over-mature fruits).

It’s trickier to determine the texture of slender-fruited forms like ‘Thai Long Purple’ and ‘Farmer’s Long’, so wait until they’re a good size, then pick. Unusual

Step by step

How to lift and dry onions These must-grow bulbs are ready to lift come early autumn. Here’s how to avoid rots and withering to prolong their life in storage:

The bulbs’ foliage will be dying back, but it’s time to speed things up.

Gently slide the prongs of a garden fork into the soil under the bulbs, and partprise the onions out.

1

Within the next week (especially if it’s sunny), onion foliage will turn from green to yellow-brown. After lifting each bulb, rub off the excess soil and place on a wire rack or slatted tray.

2

Check for quality, using up damaged or bolted bulbs in the kitchen rather than storing them.

Place the tray/rack in a dry, sunny, airy spot to let the healthy bulbs dry fully.

3

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Pick of the very best

Graham Rice chooses his six top RHS Award of Garden Merit winners

¨

All photography Alamy and TI Media, unless otherwise credited

Want to add some bold, fiery colour to late-summer borders or containers? Cannas team statement leaves with equally eye-catching flowers and are great planting partners for dahlias, crocosmias and other perennials

This week it’s

Cannas

Like dahlia tubers, Canna rhizomes are edible! In the Andes, where they’re native, the rhizomes are roasted until soft, when they taste unexpectedly sweet.

The leaves are also used as wraps.

Exotic and full of drama, these architectural plants are surprisingly easy to grow.

Graham Rice chooses his favourites from the 23 varieties that hold AGMs

A

S more and more of us are tempted to grow exoticlooking container and border plants, the popularity of Cannas is on the rise. Colourful and dramatic – yet so easy – they are an obvious choice. But what exactly are they?

Cannas are perennial plants, characterised by their bold foliage and vividly colourful flowers – they’re related to bananas and strelitzia, so you get the idea. Their upright stems develop from fat rhizomes that are rather like those of flag irises but which develop 4-8in (1020cm) below the soil’s surface. Stout and

usually self-supporting, as the stems grow, large elliptical or paddle-shaped leaves unroll and from July to October bright (but admittedly rather untidy) flowers open at the top of them.

Fabulous foliage That dramatic foliage varies in colour: in some it’s bright green; certain varieties have bluish tints; in others, the foliage is a deep and dusky purple or bronze. Some of the most startling varieties have jazzy foliage streaked in yellow or orange.

Each flower has three or four bold petals – technically, some are not

Where to buy Hart Canna hartcanna.co.uk 01252 514421 Suttons suttons.co.uk 0844 326 2200 Todd’s Botanics toddsbotanics.co.uk 01376 561212 Urban Jungle urbanjungle.uk.com 01603 744997 22 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

actually petals at all, but we don’t need to go into that! To be honest, viewed separately the flowers can look a little messy. The symmetry and elegance of the individual blooms is not their strong point; it’s all about the colours – mainly scarlet, orange and yellow shades at the more fiery end of the spectrum, plus a few in pastel tones.

And they can be tall – a few reach 8ft/2½m! However most grow to around 5ft/1½m, while there are options that are much shorter and these will do well in average-sized patio pots.

The crucial thing to keep in mind with Cannas is that they’re not hardy. Roughly speaking, they’re about as hardy as dahlias. As with my dahlias, I plant them deep and leave them in the ground for the winter, but if you’d rather be on the safe side, dig them up and store the rhizomes frost-free for the winter.

Cannas make superb specimens;

Toddsbotanics.co.uk

The Award of Garden Merit is a mark of quality awarded since 1922 to garden plants (including trees, vegetables and decorative plants) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

‘Musifolia’ In the UK, ‘Musifolia’ tends to be shy with its orange flowers, but the leaves are both bold and impressive – huge, dark green, veined in red and carried on red stems. Vigorous; superb at the back of the border. H: 8ft (2.4m).

‘Phasion’ The dazzling foliage is finely striped in green, pink, orange and purple, creating a unique effect. It often colours best in a little shade and is matched with large, bright orange flowers. Sometimes sold as ‘Tropicanna’ or ‘Durban’. H: 5ft (1½m).

Cannova Bronze Scarlet (‘Fcaa35’) The scarlet flowers open before those of other varieties and are beautifully set off by bronze foliage. Shorter than most, this canna is especially well suited to our climate. Raised from seed but often sold as plants. H: 2½ft (75cm).

‘Wyoming’ Large, impactful burgundy-tinted green leaves are carried on pinkish-purple stems that are topped by clusters of large, vivid orange flowers. Tall and dramatic. Introduced in 1906, and still one of the best. H: 8ft (2.4m).

Suttons

‘Striata’ Deep plum-purple stems carry bold green leaves that are veined in yellow, the plant harmoniously topped by prolific heads of large orange flowers.

Sometimes sold as ‘Variegata’ or ‘Pretoria’. H: 5ft (1½m).

‘Picasso’ Topping the bright green foliage are unique bright yellow flowers, vividly and unpredictably splashed and speckled in reddish orange. This startling flowering variety goes particularly well with dark blue salvias. H: 5ft (1½m).

however, it’s in combination with other plants that they really create an impact, and there are plenty of fiery friends to go with them. So whether you have a sunny border to devote to these and other exotics, or simply a large patio planter, I would say you should definitely give them a try.

What makes a good Canna?

Impressive overall impact Well-filled clumps Foliage that is closely packed on the stems

Richly or brightly coloured leaves Vivid flowers Long flowering season Good availability 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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Planting essentials Order rhizomes by mail order during winter. Store them frost-free.

In late March or April start rhizomes off individually in large pots (about 8in/20cm) of fresh potting compost.

Keep pots in a frost-free greenhouse; warmer (15ºC/59ºF) is better than cooler (5ºC/41ºF), but frost-free is essential.

If no heat is available, delay potting until late April.

Keep compost moist. As shoots develop make sure they have good light.

Plant out in June, after the last frost in your area.

Alternatively, plant rhizomes 4-6in (10-15cm) deep, in containers or in the open ground, in late May.

Keep moist after planting

Ensure young plants have good light

Start rhizomes off in large pots

Removing dead flowers will encourage more

Perfect for hot borders, they look spectacular with crocosmias and heleniums in similar fiery shades

In the garden Ensuring plants stay healthy Keep moist after planting; I give plants an occasional dose of tomato feed, too.

Staking is rarely necessary.

Once the flowers in the spike are over, deadhead by cutting them off just

below the lowest flower; more flower spikes will then develop.

When frost has blackened the foliage, dig up rhizomes, dry off and store in a frost-free place for the following season.

SPECIAL varieties have been developed for growing from seed; look for the Cannova Series and the Tropical Series.

At around 2-21/2ft (60-75cm), both are short in growth, which means they lack the impact of other varieties; however they are impressive in patio pots.

File through the hard seed coat with a nail file, then soak seeds overnight before Try Cannova Series sowing at about 21ºC/70ºF in January – see seeds in pots need a long growing season. Move into 3i pots once they’re large enough, then into bigger pots if necessary, and keep them growing frost-free before hardening off and planting after the last frost.

24 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Suttons

Cannas from seed

CANNAS make superb planting partners. Their stout, vertical stems are never overwhelmed, and there’s usually space between them into which other plants can sneak.

Bushier options such as dahlias are ideal; choose foliage and flower colour to complement your Cannas.

Dahlias with divided and toothed foliage such as ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ look especially good with large, paddle-shaped canna leaves.

Other plants that work well in fiery colour tones include crocosmias, tithonias, tall African and French marigolds, and orange and yellow cosmos. Recently we’ve seen larger-than-life varieties of fibrous begonia, such as the Big Series, and these hide the gaps at the base of Canna plants well.

Looking for contrast? Consider hardy and half-hardy salvias in blue or purple – ‘Black & Blue’, for example.

And I like using Cannas to support ipomoeas such as ‘Heavenly Blue’ and the much darker ‘Grandpa Otts’.

The orange flowers and strikingly striped leaves of ‘Striata’ look lovely amid a sea of blue salvias in Kew’s Blue Border. It’s a combination that will work well in containers, too

Enjoy the showy spectacle of Helenium ‘Indianersommer’ well into autumn

Avoid overfeeding, especially in the second half of summer.

Soft, sappy growth will be less likely to tolerate cold, wintry weather.

These potted osteospermums have been deadheaded, ready for another round of flowers. I’m taking 3in (8cm)-long cuttings to root and overwinter under glass

Osteospermum ecklonis such as ‘Zion Copper Amethyst’ will continue filling borders and beds with vivid colours

How to grow...

Summer may well be drawing to a close, but there’s still plenty more colour to be had.

Anne Swithinbank looks at some of the cheeriest options for sunny banks and borders

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

H

AVE you ever looked through a magnifying glass at the head of a daisy? Any type will do – from cheerful lawn daisies to showier osteospermums, heleniums or rudbeckias. The detail is amazing, and what looks like one flower is revealed as a capitulum of many tiny ones. The centre is packed full of tubular disk florets, surrounded by sterile petal-like ray florets designed to attract insects.

With such an economical method of getting many flowers pollinated at once, perhaps it is not surprising that over 10% of the world’s flowering plants belong to the daisy tribe. Every fertilised floret produces a neat, one-seeded fruit, usually with a pappus of hairs to help it drift away on the breeze.

As we move into autumn, daisies have a strong role to play in providing late flower colour, and once the stillwarm soil has been moistened by rain, this is also a good time to plant.

Roots will grow quickly into good, well-nourished soil, and fast-growing 26 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

plants like South African osteospermums should have time for a quick burst of flower this autumn. These perennials make low, ground-covering plants, ideal for border edges and smothering sunny banks. Plants will grow 6-12in (15-30cm) high, yet some spread to 3ft (1m), knitting together and smothering weeds. They flower from June to November in shades of white, cream, pink and yellow and, once established, they are usefully drought-tolerant.

Making a backup plan Although described as hardy, these African daisies rely on well-drained soils to carry them through from year to year.

On heavier, wetter ground and in colder regions, you should take cuttings during summer, just in case. Those rooted before August can be potted separately to grow through winter in an unheated greenhouse or frame. Those taken now and rooted four or five to a 3½in (9cm) pot are best left together and set one per 3½in (9cm) pot in March.

Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’

Aiming high For tall border daisies, look to the perennial sunflowers. Willow-leaved sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius) is an elegant giant at 8ft (2½m) tall, while glorious H. ‘Lemon Queen’ (pictured) reaches 5-6ft (1½-1.8m).

Inset: John Swithinbank / TI Media

Plant in light, moderately fertile soil in a sunny position.

To space the plants out correctly, check the size as compact varieties might spread to cover 12in (30cm) while others will cover 3ft (1m). Water in well, and while establishing.

Feed occasionally (when th Plant in a sunny spot soil is moist) with a well-balanc liquid formula.

Aphids (greenfly) are occasionally troublesome, but they are best left for nature to deal with.

Take 3in (8cm)-long cuttings from spring to autumn, remove flower buds and dibble four-five into a 3½in (9cm) pot of 50:50 multi-purpose and potting grit. Cover with ventilated polythene and place out of full sun while rooting.

Prune to tidy overwintered plants in spring, trimming away dead stems and shortening weak growths.

TI Media / John Swithinbank

Growing osteospermums

Four autumn beauties

Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’ Lavender-blue flower heads with distinct petals shine out from late summer into autumn on mildew-free plants that are 28in (70cm) high and 16in (40cm) wide.

Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride’ Apricot-orange daisies with prominent central cones bloom from July to October, reaching a height and spread of 24-36in (60-90cm). Must have well-drained soil.

Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii Known as black-eyed Susan, this rhizomatous perennial from Indiana rises to 24in (60cm) and relishes moderately fertile and slightly heavy (and therefore moist in summer) soil.

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Alice Haslam’ True Michaelmas daisies have a reputation as mildewsufferers. This occurs mainly on poor, dry soils and is hardly noticeable on plants grown well. This beauty reaches 10in (25cm) high.

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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Spring-flowering bulbs such as hyacinths and tulips are a garden essential, and with a bit of planning you can create striking displays for borders and pots

Plan ahead with

Unbeatable spring bulbs With spring bulb planting season looming, it’s time to start compiling your shopping list.

Hazel Sillver has some sublime suggestions for a cheering show next year

B

ULBS are the ultimate gardening gift, with flowers and foliage all wrapped up in neat little parcels. Exposed to moisture, nutrients and light, the surprise is revealed – and unlike other gifts, it’s generally just what you wanted.

In borders, spring-flowering bulbs create a patchwork quilt of colour that satisfies us until the summer plants take over. And now is a good time to start compiling your wish list as the likes of daffodils, hyacinths and fritillaries ought to go in the ground in early autumn; only tulips should go in later – in October or November. Decide on a palette, work out where there are gaps in the flower beds and then flick through the bulb catalogues to make your selection.

Planting is an easy task, especially with a bulb planter – simply place them with the tip pointing upwards at their own depth in heavy soil (twice their depth in light soil). The majority love well-drained, neutral-to-alkaline soil (little wonder that the bulb fields of 28 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Holland contain sand, shell and humus, the perfect growing medium).

Spring bulbs are very versatile, with options for every situation. The front of the border can be brightened up with small bulbs, such as Tulipa tarda and Narcissus ‘Hawera’. Paths can be scented by fragrant ones: hyacinths and narcissi in sun; lily of the valley in shade.

Colourful combinations In the middle and back of the border, the strong colours of daffodils, tulips and crown imperials can be tempered by complementary and softer shades. Try mauve and apricot-pink wallflowers with bright orange tulips (such as ‘Ballerina’).

Or team lime-gold spurges and cream

hyacinths with yellow crown imperials, and red anemones and copper grasses with claret tulips.

It’s a good idea to draw a simple sketch of the border, noting down where you’ve planted your bulbs. That way, you will avoid skewering them with a fork as you dig, or planting over them.

If you have a large lawn, some bulbs (such as daffodils and camassia) can be naturalised in grass. Scatter them over the ground to ensure you’re not planting in regimented, uniform lines, and don’t put them too close together.

Take time to make your selection and plan your display. Set aside a couple of weekends for planting, then sit tight until spring and enjoy the riot of colour.

Where to buy Avon Bulbs avonbulbs.co.uk 01460 249060 Broadleigh broadleigh-bulbs-autumn.co.uk 01823 286231 Sarah Raven sarahraven.com 0345 092 0283

Beautiful bulbs for...

Narcissus ‘Jenny’ AGM A beautiful cyclamineus daffodil, with lemon trumpets that fade to cream, plus cream reflexed petals. Despite its daintiness, it’s a toughie that will naturalise well. Flowers: Mar-Apr. H: 1ft (30cm).

Shade

Sun

Tulipa ‘Doll’s Minuet’ This fantastic tulip blooms like a magenta-pink flame in the border during April and May. Grow with orange tulips, copper and mauve wallflowers and grasses, in sun. H: 16in (40cm).

Moist soil

e Semi-shad

Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ AGM In April and May, this wood anemone has lavender-blue flowers with silver backs.

Plant in humus-rich, well-drained soil in dappled shade. H: 8in (20cm).

Fragrance

GAP

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

g Naturalisin

Convallaria majalis var. rosea When grown in humus-rich soil in dappled shade this pink lily of the valley produces scented bells in May. Takes time to establish; mulch with leafmould in autumn. H: 6in (15cm).

Front orf borde

Tulipa ‘Little Beauty’ AGM A great bulb for the front of the border, where it will produce sharp red-pink goblets with contrasting navy blue throats in March and April. Sun or semi-shade. H: 4-6in (10-15cm).

Fritillaria meleagris AGM In the wild, the snake’s head fritillary blooms in damp meadows in April and May, so grow this gothic beauty in moist soil in sun or semi-shade. For contrast, mix it with the white form. H: 1ft (30cm).

r Mid-borde

Tulipa ‘La Belle Époque’ Chic and stylish, this peach-pink tulip is the colour of faded vintage fabric and has double petals reminiscent of a peony when it flowers in April and May. Full sun. H: 1½ft (45cm).

Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ AGM Opening in mid spring (Mar-Apr), flowers have a delicious scent. Native to damp meadows and riverbanks in Spain and Portugal, it likes sun-baked, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil. H: 6in (15cm).

Back orf borde

Fritillaria imperialis ‘Maxima Lutea’ AGM These giants resemble flaming yellow torches in April and May, their sunny bells topped by punk heads of leaves.

Sun or semi-shade. H: 39in-5ft (1-1½m).

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3 more unusual options to try...

Camassia cusickii Rockets of sky blue flowers adorn C. cusickii when it blooms in May. Wonderful growing in drifts through grass, it will gradually naturalise; however it resents being moved. Sun or semi-shade. H: 2ft-39in (60cm-1m).

Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ AGM With gorgeous yellow flowers in March and April plus generous mottled foliage, this dog’s tooth violet is a stand-out pick. Don’t let it dry out before planting in moisture-retentive soil in semi-shade. H: 1ft (30cm).

4 bulbs for pots

Tulipa ‘Estella Rijnveld’ With extravagant white and red petals that are feathered and twisted, this gorgeous heirloom tulip is a delight when it blooms in April and May. Grow in generous pots in sun. H: 20in (50cm).

30 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Muscari ‘Jenny Robinson’ (syn. ‘Baby’s Breath’) AGM A pretty grape hyacinth that produces scented pale blue flowers in April. Plant in welldrained pots – alone or with white narcissi – and position in sun. H: 6in (15cm).

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Woodstock’ Grow for blooms in a deep shade of beetroot – ideal with pink and apricot tulips.

Place near a path or door to enjoy the scent. Sun or semishade. H: 1ft (30cm).

Narcissus ‘Petrel’ A striking triandrus daffodil, ‘Petrel’ produces graceful, scented white flowers with reflexed petals in March and April. Plant alone and generously in pots. Sun or semi-shade. H: 14in (35cm).

Nectaroscordum siculum The Sicilian honey garlic is a great addition to the border. In May, it will add height and lure bees with nectar-rich flowers that resemble art nouveau lamps. Happy in sun or semi-shade. H: 32in-4ft (80cm-1.2m).

What to team with tulips ‘Uncle Tom’ looks lovely with pink hyacinths

New bulbs to get to know…

Narcissus ‘Breezand Tristar’ AGM Nodding heads of delicate cream and butter flowers adorn this vigorous April-flowering narcissus, which was bred by bulb maestro Janis Ruksans.

Looks great in containers; likes full sun. H: 16in (40cm).

Allium ‘Pink Jewel’ Lollipop heads of pink starry flowers sit atop the sturdy stems of this allium, which flowers in May and will attract pollinators. For best results, dot it through the middle and back of the border. Full sun. H: 32in-3ft (80-90cm).

GAP

March-April: Tulipa turkestanica AGM with Narcissus ‘Toto’ AGM, Scilla ‘Pink Giant’ and Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Kokuryu’ AGM. April-May: Tulipa ‘Ballerina’ AGM with Allium atropurpureum, Stipa tenuissima AGM and Chaerophyllum hirsutum ‘Roseum’.

April-May: Tulipa ‘Artist’ AGM with pink, amber and burgundy wallflowers, cushion spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides) and Dryopteris erythrosora AGM. April-May: Tulipa ‘Uncle Tom’ with Bergenia ‘Silberlicht’ AGM, pink and beetroot hyacinths and Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ AGM. 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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Hesperantha, amongst the highlights of autumn, can bloom right through until December

For autumn colour, plant

Hesperantha

Why not grow crimson flag lily for long-lasting flowers in pinks, white and red?

It’s just the thing to add interest in the months to come, says Louise Curley

W

ITH their dew-covered grasses and cobwebs, fading flowers and mellow light, the chilly days of autumn are on the horizon. But that doesn’t mean your garden can’t still provide colour and interest for months to come. The key is to find space for plants that come into their own at this time of year, and one that definitely fits the bill is Hesperantha.

These plants used to be known as the tricky to pronounce – and even trickier to spell – Schizostylis. Then, in the 1990s, scientists discovered that their DNA was exactly the same as that of a group of plants already known as Hesperantha, and Schizostylis were absorbed into this genus. The old name still lingers, and you sometimes see them referred to as this.

It’s the common name, crimson flag lily, that gives a clue to their charms, however.

A member of the iris family (Iridaceae), 32 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

these plants are native to South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains, where summers are wet and warm, and winters cold and dry. Here in the UK they make clumps of strappy green leaves in summer, followed in late August and early September by the first flush of starry, lily-like blooms.

Vertical interest Each slender flower spike can produce up to 12 flowers and, along with the foliage, these will add vertical interest to a border. Flowers come in a varied range of pinks, plus an elegant white variety and the vivid red blooms of the

exotic ‘Major’. If the weather is mild, they will continue to flower until December – I’ve seen them blooming on Christmas Day in a neighbour’s garden.

When planting, group them together in clusters of three or four, as one or two on their own can look a bit lost in a border and plants take a few years to bulk up. The rhizomes can be planted in spring, but it’s best to buy them as readypotted plants over the coming weeks.

The range of pinks can be tricky to distinguish from plant labels alone, but buying in flower means you can see the colour before making your decision.

Where to buy Beth Chatto bethchatto.co.uk 01206 822007 Farmyard Nurseries farmyardnurseries.co.uk 01559 363389 Hayloft hayloft.co.uk 01386 562999

All photography Alamy

Hesperantha hot list

‘Alba’ A dainty flower with pale green buds that open to reveal exquisite pure white flowers. Looks lovely interplanted among short grasses that like similar moist conditions, such as Molinia (purple moor grass). HxS: 16x8in (40x20cm).

‘Major’ One of the most popular – show-stopping deep red blooms are held above clumps of mid-green strappy leaves, creating a striking contrast. Larger than other varieties; flowers work well among lush foliage. HxS: 2x1ft (60x30cm).

‘Fenland Daybreak’ Very floriferous, the attractive bowlshaped blooms come in a pretty salmon shade and feature flecks and veining in a darker pink. This one is shorter and more compact than most.

HxS: 20inx1ft (50x30cm).

‘Sunrise’ Large, rose pink flower buds open fully to produce flat, star-like blooms. Later into flower than some, ‘Sunrise’ is one of your best bets for a flag lily that will still be putting on a show at Christmas.

HxS: 2x1½ft (60x45cm).

‘Oregon Sunset’ With flowers in an intense coral red with paler patches, this eye-catching plant will add much-needed shots of colour to autumn borders. Or try in large containers (at least 1ft/30cm across) for a dramatic display. HxS: 2x1ft (60x30cm).

‘Mrs Hegarty’ A heritage variety with delicate pale pink flowers that really shine in autumnal borders, glistening on dewy mornings.

Great with pastel tones and rich-coloured foliage like that of cotinus or Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’. HxS: 2½x1ft (75x30cm).

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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Perfect partners Echinacea purpurea Features large, daisy-like blooms with prominent orange-brown central cones surrounded by a ring of bright pink petals. The late summer and autumn flowers fade to attractive seed heads. Plant with: ‘Mrs Hegarty’.

HxS: 5x1½ft (1½mx45cm).

Ceratostigma willmottianum This Chinese plumbago is a spreading shrub with vivid cobalt blue flowers from August to October. These are surrounded by a mass of green foliage that changes to deep red as the weather turns cold. Plant with: ‘Alba’. H&S: 39in (1m).

Anemanthele lessoniana Pheasant’s tail grass adds movement, structure and colour to a planting scheme.

The slender, green leaves will take on lovely yellow, orange and red tones as the autumn months progress.

Plant with: ‘Major’.

H&S: 39in (1m).

Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ A fabulous late-season perennial with ethereal white flowers held on tall, wiry stems from August to October. Great for adding height to a border, it’s happy in partial shade. Plant with: ‘Sunrise’. H&S: 4ft (1.2m).

Healthy plants need moist but well-drained soil

34 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

These plants need moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, so add plenty of compost. If you garden on clay you’ll need to incorporate some grit.

They’ll never be happy planted in dry soils – try nerines instead.

Mulch in spring with compost or grit to retain moisture over the summer.

Divide clumps every three-four years; otherwise, plants can stop flowering.

Cut back any old growth in spring.

Pots can be moved under cover to beat winter wet

Winter protection Hesperantha is hardy to between -5°C and -10°C; just watch for winter wet, the thing most likely to kill them.

Add grit when planting, and create a dry mulch of chipped bark in a mound over the plant to help water drain away. Alternatively, grow in pots and bring under cover in winter.

GAP

Hesperantha growing tips

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Ask John Negus Begonia boliviensis was one of the first varieties used to produce hybrid tuberous begonias

John has been answering reader queries for 49 years

Rose rust can cause leaves to fall prematurely

Rust on your roses

Q A What is this tuberous triumph?

Q

What is this plant and how do I look after it?

Barry Lea, via email

A

The plant you have asked us to identify is a variety of Begonia boliviensis. As you can guess from its name, it originates from parts of South America.

It is a tuberous begonia so it comes back year after year if the tuber is stored correctly through the winter. This plant is of special historical interest to gardeners because was introduced to Europe in 1864 and is one of the species used to produce the first hybrid tuberous begonias in England.

To keep tubers over winter they

should be allowed to die down naturally once the leaves start to fade. Tubers should then be stored somewhere frostfree and dry, but covered with peat or old compost to prevent them shrivelling up.

They can be started into growth in March or April (depending on the local climate and the facilities available for keeping frost off) by planting individually in pots of peat-based or peat-free compost. Watering should be minimal to start with, increasing as leafy growth appears and temperatures increase.

The flowers and foliage are not hardy, so should be gently hardened off ready to go outside towards the end of May to produce the stunning display of flowers seen on the plant in your photograph!

It is rust disease, which causes leaves to fall prematurely. Spray the plants with RoseClear Ultra and collect and burn affected leaves. New growth will be healthy.

Feed your roses with 1oz (28g)/square metre sulphate of potash now and next month. Water it in. In future years, help guard against infection by sprinkling it over the root area from April to September.

Hostas need feeding and protection from slugs and snails

Can I plant out lilies now

Help for hostas

Q

Q

A

A

When is the best time to move container lilies into a bed?

Malcolm Sturgess, Rochdale, Lancashire

All photography TI Media, unless otherwise credited

What is this on my roses?

Mrs J Thomas, Carlisle, Cumbria

I would move them as soon as possible.

Water their compost the night before, so the roots don’t cling to the pot walls and tear.

Gently tap the rootballs from the pots, and Pot-grown lilies can be reset the plants into a deeply dug patch of planted out now organically rich soil, in full sun or light shade. If necessary, work in well-rotted organic materia manure or thoroughly decomposed garden compost.

If you haven’t got either, buy some soil conditioner from your local garden centre. Additionally, mix in 4oz (112g) per sq m of blood, fish and bone. Water in the plants, and water regularly until the lilies have re-established.

36 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

How can I improve the performance of my hostas? obel Liu, via email

Encourage them to perform well by feeding them with bonemeal now, nd fish, blood and bonemeal in spring. epeat the latter feed monthly from April ntil September.

Additionally, mulch them with ell-rotted garden compost or crumbly manure to retain moisture in the soil.

Slugs and snails are a menace. Set a beer trap or use blue pellets applied sparingly fortnightly throughout spring and summer.

Write to us: Ask John, Amateur Gardening magazine, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF. Email us: amateurgardening@ti-media.com

Quick questions & answers

Plum trees usually take four-five years to fruit and need optimum conditions

Q

Please could you identify this grass for me?

Michael Hamblin, Malmesbury, Wil

A

It is a soft rush (Juncus effusus), a native perennial that forms thick tufts in boggy marshes and pastures.

Other varieties include bulbous rush (J. bulbosus), round-fruited rush (J. compressus) and hard rush (J. inflexus).

Why is my ‘Victoria’ plum not fruiting?

Q

We planted a ‘Victoria’ plum four years ago. It is thriving and has produced a few fruits, but this year they grew to half-size, started to colour and then fell off. What is the problem?

Graham Gruar, Oswestry, Shropshire

A

Plum trees tend to start to produce a decent amount of fruit at four-five years old, which may be why yours has only produced a few so far.

You say the tree is doing well so it is obviously getting enough sun and water, but I wonder why the fruits aren’t ripening. Are they getting enough sunlight? Sun is essential to the ripening

process and if there isn’t enough it may be worth pruning the tree to let in more light.

Do this between April and July next year to avoid problems associated with silver leaf disease.

Have you cut open any of the fruits to see what’s happening inside them? Are there marks or damage on the leaves and stem that might give us a clue?

The problem may simply be down to a difficult climate, as we have had a very dry spring and summer. I would feed your tree next spring before it starts back into growth and prune at the appropriate time.

Confused by worms in my compost bin

Q

Why are there lots of worms around the rim of my plastic compost bin?

Tracey Kent, Stroud, Glos

Why haven’t my cosmos flowered yet?

Margaret Greenf via email

A

The quickest and earliest varieties take 70 days from seed to flower, but the tall varieties take much longer. The , if you didn’t sow until May or later it might explain why they haven’t yet flowered. Don’t despair because they readily flower well into October.

Q

What is this shrub, please?

Krissi Marwood-Cross, via email

A

A

The reason worms are congregating on the lid of your bin is that they are migrating from the higher temperature of the bulk of the rotting vegetation.

You are very lucky to have so many worms. They are doing sterling work in feeding on and decomposing raw waste.

Normally, they would be active within the middle of the heap, but high air temperatures combined with those of fermenting vegetation are causing the material to overheat. The worms have moved away to a cooler spot.

Q

Worms escape excess heat by retreating upwards

Your shrub is Clerodendrum bungei. Also known as glory flower, it hails from China and the Himalayas. Normally growing to around 6ft (1.8m), it needs a warm, free-draining spot to do well.

Ideally, shorten the previous year’s stems to near ground level in spring to encourage new and vigorous shoots to replace them and flower in late summer.

31 AUGUST 201

Write to us: Ask John, Amateur Gardening magazine, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF. Email us: amateurgardening@ti-media.com

What is wrong with our bou ainvillea? Geum propagation Check the health of sick-looking plants by scraping away a little stem bark

A

A

The leaf loss may simply be a reaction to cooler overnight temperatures.

I think that in the first instance you need to make sure the stems are actually dead and not just defoliated. If you scratch a thin sliver of bark off with a thumb nail to see what colour the wood is underneath, this will give you an idea.

Green means the wood is still alive and will probably produce new leaves eventually, but brown means the wood is dead and should be removed.

Dead wood should be cut back leaving only live wood. Live wood should leaf back up given the right growing conditions and should be left intact.

There are two main species of bougainvillea that need slightly different care and hopefully the label will identify yours. Both should be watered frequently during the summer, and fed weekly with a balanced liquid feed. B. glabra flowers pretty much all year round and should be fed and watered all year, though less in the winter.

B. spectabilis, on the other hand, needs a dry period to promote flowering and should be allowed to dry off gradually once the flowers have finished.

It should then be kept just moist through winter and started into growth in March.

Q

How should I divide a large and healthy geum?

Sue Mann, via email

If repotting is required this should be done in February, as should pruning.

This involves shortening the main stems by about one-third, and cutting all the laterals back to two or three buds from the main stems. Any weak growth should be removed altogether.

The loss of leaves at that time of year is perfectly natural.

Both species like lots of light and high humidity, though their home should be well-ventilated. During the winter a minimum temperature of 7ºC (45ºF) is ideal for B. glabra, but B. spectabilis prefers it slightly warmer at 10ºC (50ºF).

In March, when both species come back into growth, the temperature should be raised to 20ºC (68ºF).

The b way is se a very harp pade or strong knife. Very carefully divide it int Cut geum through roots chunky, we with a sharp knife grooted portions an divisions in organically rich soil.

If your soil is sandy and lacking in humus, work in a generous quantity of composted manure laced with fish, blood and bonemeal.

Water copiously after planting.

Ideally, choose a warm, sunny site for your plants.

Himalayan balsam is an invasive problem

How can I tidy my heucheras?

Q

How can I tidy up my leggy heucheras using vegetative propagation?

Janet Savage, High Wycombe, Bucks

A

Shortening leggy growth, then feeding, helps keep heucheras tidy

The best way to regenerate your leggy heucheras is to shorten them to an acceptable height, say, 4in (10cm) above soil level, then feed them with a balanced fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4. Finally, mulch them with composted manure and keep the root area damp.

If you wish to multiply them vegetatively, which is recommended, you could try taking shoot-tip cutting the stems that you remove. Shorten shoots to 4in (10 ) reduce leaves by half their length. Then insert shoots to half their depth in pots of cutting compost augmented with a half part, by volume, of grit, and water them in.

Finally, cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to conserve moisture and root your charges on a sunny windowsill.

It’s an unconventional way to increase your stock, but you may find that a good percentage of cuttings will root.

38 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Not much cop!

Q

Please can you identify this plant that appeared in the garden. nda Fursland, via email

A

This is policeman’s helmet or Himalayan or Indian balsam mpatiens glandulifera) also known s I. roylei.

Introduced from southern Asia, has become an invasive menace nd colonises river banks, waste and ultivated ground to such a degree that it suppresses and often kills native wildflowers. It spreads rapidly and I urge you to remove it before it becomes an invincible foe.

Bin or burn it rather than compost it, for seeds may germinate within the heap.

Wikicommons

Q

Our bougainvillea spends the winter in the conservatory and the summer in a sheltered sunny spot outside, but is really struggling and has lost its leaves. What should we do?

Kim Devlin, via email

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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40 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: attracting butterflies Make a safe home for butterflies by not using garden chemicals and leave some areas undisturbed.

At any time, there may be eggs, larvae, pupae or adults in your plot.

Speckled woods love hedgerows and field edges

Providing nectar all summer into autumn, Verbena bonariensis is easy to grow and seeds itself around. It flourishes in poor ground and loves grow in our driveway

Butterflies in your garden

Both insets: Alamy

Anne’s top tips

A comma basks on the petals of a sunflower. Caterpillars feed on hop, nettles or currants. This species hibernates in adult form.

Skippers are fond of sunny, meadowtype spots

How do I entice butterflies?

With a name like butterfly bush, nectar-rich buddlejas planted in sun and sheltered from wind are an obvious choice, especially to attract butterflies such as peacock red admiral, small tortoiseshel and comma. The caterpilla of this group are all nettlefeeders, so try leaving a clump in a sunny spot, convenient for basking and egg-laying. Red admirals are generally Brimstone caterpillars migrants, but the others feeding on overwinter as adult buckthorn butterflies, relying on undisturbed shelter in hollo trees, sheds or garages.

According to their life cycles, our native butterflies are on the wing at specific times, and not all at once. In the garden,

All photography John Swithinbank / TI Media, unless otherwise credited

A

Butterfly lifestyles

Alamy

they gravitate towards habitats matching their favourite countryside haunts.

In sunny meadow areas, you might find meadow brown, clouded yellow, small copper, skipper and common blue.

Shadier spots comparable to woodland glades, rides, hedgerows and field edges are the haunts of brimstone (their caterpillars feed on buckthorn) and orange tip (their larvae enjoy honesty and garlic mustard). Speckled wood, ringlet and gatekeeper all love this dge situation. The holly e is a garden favourite, eir caterpillars feeding n holly in spring and vy in August, although gorse and bramble are popular, too.

To attract late-summer utterflies, add Verbena ariensis, Sedum abile, Eupatorium and as daisy. You should also leave windfall fruit, as butterflies sip the rotting juices of apples and pears.

Herb flowers from lavender, marjoram and lemon balm are all appreciated.

Red admiral butterflies usually arrive as migrants and then breed on nettles. This one sips nectar from a late-flowering Michaelmas daisy.

A small copper visits Verbena bonariensis. Caterpillars eat dock and sorrel, with the last generation of these larvae overwintering.

Vanessa atalanta feeds on rotten apple

WE have 60 species of butterfly in the UK, with 22 recorded in gardens. These winged insects generally live for a few weeks, although some hibernate as adults and last several months. They nourish themselves by drinking nectar through a long proboscis. Their role is to mate so females can lay eggs on appropriate food plants for the caterpillars.

Alamy

We are doing everything to encourage wildlife to use our garden, but don’t see many butterflies.

What can I plant to attract them apart from the obvious buddleja?

Gwen McLaughlin, Brinscall, Lancs.

Q

Painted ladies (this one feeds on Buddleja ‘White Perfection’) arrive as migrants during May and June. They breed during summer but they cannot withstand our cold, damp winters.

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

41

How to use tools Best techniques to get the job right with Tim Rumball

Replacing felt a on shed roof You can add years to the life of a wooden shed with a new felt roof, says Tim Rumball

I

F you don’t fix leaks in the roof of a timber shed, it will deteriorate and rot. A new shed costs anything from £200, not to mention the effort it takes to build. In contrast, refelting the roof takes just a couple hours, costs £40£60, and should last 10 years or more.

What you need for the job First, measure your shed roof and work out how much roofing felt you’ll need.

Felt is usually supplied in rolls 1m x 10m.

For a small 4x6ft (1.2x1.8m) shed, one roll will cover the roof with lots to spare, but remember you need generous overlaps at joints and around the roof edges.

Roofing felt comes in several weights and styles. The lightest (and cheapest) will do the job but can tear easily while being fitted, and probably won’t last as long as a heavier weight. You’ll also need short, galvanised clout nails for fixing the felt, a few longer galvanised nails for fixing corners, long screws for the bargeboards, and adhesive to seal the overlapping edges. Tools include a Stanley or heavyweight craft knife, tape measure, claw hammer and pin hammer, pliers, a long straight-edge, and a step ladder to reach the apex of the roof.

Strip-off old felt and pull nails Carefully remove ‘barge boards’, the wooden covers on the vertical pitched edges of a gable roof, but also around the vertical edges of some flat roofs.

Tap out old nails and put the strips of wood to one side. Now strip off all the old roof felt, then lever out nails using the claw hammer – it’s easier to do it this way around. Inspect the wood beneath and, if there is any sign of rotting, replace it.

If it is wet, leave it to dry for a couple of hours. On a small gable roof shed like mine, I only need two lengths of felt to When refelting a big shed with a gable roof, fix a strip down either side, then lay a third strip over the apex, wide enough to overlap both generously

42 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Roofing felt is quite fragile stuff, but correctly and neatly fitted it can keep your shed watertight for up to 15 years

cover the roof because each strip overlaps a lower edge and the roof apex generously. On a wider roof, you need three strips – one down each edge, and a third across the apex to overlap the lower two strips. Overhang on the roof lower edges should be 2in (5cm), and on the gable ends 3in (8cm).

How to measure and place felt On a flat roof, work from the lowest edge to the highest. The felt strips should overlap each other from the top down, so start at the bottom and work up, lapping each successive strip over the one below. On a gable roof, measure from the lower roof edge up towards (or over) the roof apex, 37in (95cm) and mark a line parallel to the apex. This is where the top edge of the felt comes to. Do it on both sides of the roof if you need three strips to cover.

Cut the felt to length and lay your first strip so it overlaps the lower roof edge by 2in (5cm) and the gables either end by 3in (8cm) – the lines you marked earlier will help to keep everything square. Smooth it out, check the Measure, cut and position felt on the roof, then check overlaps all the way round before nailing

overhang and use clout nails at roughly 6in (15cm) spacings to fix the top edge of the felt, then around the vertical edges at 2in (5cm) spacings. Fold corners to make a neat overlap before nailing – you may need longer nails here. Repeat this process on the opposite side of the roof.

On a small roof, before nailing the overlap onto the opposite felt, paint or lay adhesive onto the overlapping portion, then press down firmly and nail at 6in (15cm) spacings. On a larger roof, you’ll need to lay a third strip of felt along the apex so it overlaps the lower two strips equally and generously, and overhangs the gable ends by 3in (8cm) before gluing and nailing.

Using adhesive and finishing off The adhesive is not essential, but offers an additional seal, which I prefer. Be careful when applying it – don’t let adhesive creep out beyond the overlap or it will look messy. Also, you don’t need it on the woodwork – just on the felt. Finally, fix back the bargeboards using screws or long galvanised nails, and trim any bits of felt left sticking out.

When removing old roof covering, it’s easiest to rip away the felt first, then lever out nails with a claw hammer

Kit required to replace shed roof felt 1. Step ladder to access roof apex

Step by step

5 Stanley or other heavyweight craft knife

How to replace felt on your shed

2. Long straight edg Roll of waterproof ofing felt 3. Pliers for removing stubborn nails

Short, galvanised ‘clout’ ails with a broad, flat head . Tape measure

4. Claw hammer and pin hammer for removing and fixing nails

Felt adhesive to seal overlaps

Remove bargeboards and retain.

Strip old felt off roof and remove all nails. Measure 37in (95cm) from the lower edges and mark a line parallel to the apex.

1

Language of re-felting a shed roof Roofing felt: Felt material impregnated with bitumen, often reinforced with glass fibres.

Clout nail: Short, thick steel nail with a large, flat head, galvanised to make it rustproof.

Gable roof: Has two sloping sides joined along one edge at the apex, and angled away from each other.

Apex: The highest edge along which two sloping roof sides are joined.

Bargeboard: Flat board fixed to the projecting vertical gable ends of a roof for added weather protection and a tidy finish.

Claw hammer: A hammer with two flat prongs at the back of the head forming a V notch.

Do’s & don’ts of felting a shed roof Do ✓ Buy good quality felt. Very cheap thin felt tears easily

It’s a false saving to buy cheap felt – buy best quality

when you work with it, and probab ly won’t last as long as heavier grade felt. ✓ Use adhesive carefully to fix felt where it overlaps for a strong joint, but apply it out of sight, beneath the overlap.

Na il in straight lines with even spacing for ✓ a strong fix and a neat finish.

Measure and cut the first felt strip, position carefully, allowing 2-3in (5-8cm) overhang. Nail the top edge at 6in (15cm) spacing, and vertical edges at 2in (5cm) spacing.

2

Repeat on the opposite side.

On a small roof, glue before nailing the overlapping top edge.

On a large roof, nail both top edges, then glue and nail the third strip so it overlaps each side equally.

3

Nail in straight lines with even spacing

Don’t ✗ Fit new felt over the top of old – strip the old off first. If it

has been leaking, the layers of felt will the roof timber and encourage rotting hold water against .

Us e lon g nai ✗ ls to fix felt onto the roof surface – they’ll stick through into the shed. ✗ Walk on a shed roof, as they are rarely strong enough.

Work from a stepladder.

Fold corners neatly and fix with longer galvanised nails. Replace bargeboards and fix with long galvanised nails or screws. Trim off felt sticking out beneath boards.

4 Don’t use long nails – they’ll come through the roof

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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44 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Gardening’s king of trivia and brain-teasers, Graham Clarke This week it’s:

Indoor and outdoor cyclamen

If you want colour in late winter or early spring, cyclamen are the answer

WHEN most people talk of cyclamen, they mean the large-bloomed pot plants found in garden centres around Christmas. They brighten our rooms with highly coloured flowers, and last for a good few months before they run out of steam.

But there are also the small, daintily flowered hardy outdoor cyclamen.

For me, these are much more beautiful and interesting plants.

Now is a crucial time for both types: tubers of the indoor hybrids should be started into growth again if you want them to colour up by Christmas, while the outdoor types can be planted out now. Let’s look at some of the stories surrounding cyclamen.

Ground cover: Cyclamen hederifolium

Tender cyclamen

Hardy cyclamen

POTTED houseplant (or florists’) cyclamen, forms of Cyclamen persicum, have been intensively hybridised over the past century, initially to achieve large flowers and a wider range of colours than the basic pink and white seen in th Cyclamen persicum wild. Different petal shapes started appear, including flattened, fringed double. Breeders then looked at leaf patterning, and developing different plant sizes: plants are now available in Micro, Mini, Midi, Maxi and Magnum (sizes all named by the nursery trade). More recently, breeders have tried to reintroduce fragrance, much of which was lost during development work.

OST hardy cyclamen grow to 4in 0cm) or so in height. This makes em eminently suited to spots nder trees, as well as rock ardens, the tops of walls and in cree beds (as well as in small pots et in a well-ventilated, unheated Cyclamen hederifolium eenhouse – known as an ‘alpine planted under a tree ouse’). But, actually, they make a colourful carpet in any small area.

They thrive in dappled to heavy shade – although full sun doesn’t diminish their flowering noticeably. They don’t mind a bit of dryness at the roots, either, and they seem most at home under large trees where the canopy keeps the soil on the dry side. See below left for a list of top hardy species.

Year-round cyclamen

5

cyclamen with colours in their names

Purple: Cyclamen purpurascens (the purple cyclamen)

Silver: Cyclamen hederifolium Silver Cloud Group

White: Cyclamen alpinum ‘Nettleton White’

White: Cyclamen hederifolium subsp.

Hederifolium f. albiflorum ‘White Cloud’

HooHouse.co.uk

Name Flowering Period Sept-Oct . . . . . . . . . . . .C. cilicium Sept-Nov . . . . . . . . . . . .C. cyprium, C. rohlfsianum and C. graecum (frost tender) Sept-Dec . . . . . . . . . . . .C. hederifolium Oct-Dec . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. mirabile Dec-Feb. . . . . . . . . . . . .C. x wellensiekii Dec-March. . . . . . . . . . .C. coum Mar-May. . . . . . . . . . . . .C. alpinum, C. creticum, C. pseudibericum and C. libanoticum April-May . . . . . . . . . . . .C. repandum June-Sept . . . . . . . . . . .C. purpurascens

Ashwood Nurseries

Cyclamen Coum ‘Album’

Magenta: Cyclamen coum ‘Magenta’ 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

45

Gardening’s king of trivia and brain-teasers, Graham Clarke

Coum, sweet coum!

Prize draw WEEDS can creep into even the most well-maintained gardens an can be a nuisance to remove. To help you reclaim your garden fro pesky weeds, Roundup is giving AG readers the chance to win a Roundup Telescopic Wand, plus Total and Path gels.

The Roundup Gel Wand extends up to 86cm, meaning you ca get to weeds no matter where they are, leaving your garden beautifully weed-free. Total Gel is ideal for treating weeds in hard to-reach areas, killing the root so weeds don’t come back. For weeds that grow on hard surfaces, such as paths, drives and patio Path Gel weedkiller gets to the root of the problem. We have one bundle to give away, worth £32.50.

How to enter Send your name and address on the back of a postcard to Roundup Draw (31 August), Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF. Or you can email your details to ag_giveaway@ti-media.com, heading the email Roundup Draw (31 August). The closing date is 6 September 2019.

Use weedkiller gels safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Roundup Total Weedkiller Gel contains glyphosate.

WIN £30

Word search

rch comprises words associated with cyclamen. They are listed below; in the grid they may be read across, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Letters may be shared between words. Erroneous or duplicate words may appear in the grid, but there is only one correct solution. After the listed words are found, there are 10 letters remaining; arrange these to make this week’s KEYWORD. CYCLAMEN COUM FLORISTS HARDY INDOOR LEAF MARBLED OUTDOOR PATTERN PERSICUM POT SILVER SOWBREAD SWINEBREAD TUBER WHITE

N R E T T A P G T D

C O D T M U O C A S

Y O R E I I T E S T

C D O T L H R O H S

L T O A U B W A E I

A U D R E B R A F R

No: 482

M O N N R D E A D O

E V I E Y E E R M L

N W A S I L V E R F

S D M U C I S R E P

HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry form,

and send it to AG Word Search No 482, Amateur Gardening, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF, to arrive by Wednesday 11 September 2019. The first correct entry chosen at random will win our £30 cash prize.

This week’s keyword is ..........................................................................................

Name ........................................................................................................................

Address .................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

Postcode ..................................................................................................................

Email.........................................................................................................................

Tel no ........................................................................................................................

TI Media Ltd, publisher of Amateur Gardening, will collect your personal information solely to process your competition entry.

46 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

THE so-called eastern cyclamen (C. cou the most oftenseen hardy cyclamen species, and is at its best from mid to late winter, managing to keep its blooms f three months. Th pointed buds open to light or dark pink, or white. Look for Pewter Group (pictured), which carries pink to magenta flowers. ‘Golan Heights’ is pure white, and ‘Tilebarn Elizabeth’ has tiny flowers of pale pink to white with deeper flushes.

Most have rounded leaves, plain dark red on the underside, and with lovely silver and green patterning on the top – sometimes with a Christmas tree-like pattern in the centre.

Although the plants themselves are tough, the leaves may be damaged by a severe frost.

Historical Gardening Event Of The Week: 1 September THIS is the feast day of St Fiacre of Bre – the patron saint of Gardeners. He lived from around 600670AD, and was raised in a monastery where he taugh himself about h medicine and later became a Catholic priest and abbot. He was also a devout gardener. He moved from his native Ireland to France, where he built a religious retreat, with a large vegetable and herb garden. It is also said he was known for performing healing miracles, curing all manner of diseases by ‘a laying on of hands’.

Officially, he is the patron of growers of vegetables and medicinal plants, of florists, and of gardeners in general, including ploughboys!

Further, he is the patron of taxi cab drivers, box makers, and, curiously, of the victims of hemorrhoids!

Crossword Corms, tubers or bulbs?

FROM what do cyclamen grow: corms, tubers or bulbs?

And what are the differences?

Bulbs (below left) comprise a number of leaf-like layers attached to a disc of tissue called the ‘basal plate’.

Examples: daffodil, tulip, hyacinth, snowdrop.

Corms (below centre) resemble bulbs, but almost their entire bulk consists of flattened stems, while the leaves exist as dry scales. Examples: crocus, colchicum, gladiolus.

Tubers (below right) are swollen roots produced by some plants as food storage. Examples: dahlia, gloxinia, potatoes, oh, and cyclamen!

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9 10 12

11 13 14

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Cyclamen confusion THIS is a call from an AG reader some years ago: Reader: I’ve got a cyclamen, and I’m worried about it.

Staff member: What’s wrong with it?

Reader: The leaves are turning yellow and it hasn’t flowered.

Staff member: Have you been watering and feeding it?

Reader: Oh yes. But now there are ants all over it and the stem is splitting.

Staff member: What?

Reader: And there is no sign of any fruit at all.

Staff member: Fruit? A cyclamen will produce seed pods, but you can’t really call them fruits.

Reader: Well, how do you get it to produce fruits?

That’s what I’m growing it for, to put in gin and tonics!

Pause…

Staff member: Ah… you have a sick lemon!

Reader: That’s what I said.

major pest of cabbages, sprouts, peas and grain (also buds, shoots, seeds, nuts and berries) (4,6) 7 Common name for Tanacetum vulgare (5) 8 Type of conserve made from grapes (5) 9 Way of preserving fruits (with water or syrup) and vegetables (often with salt) (8) 11 The main genus subject of this week’s Miscellany (8) 14 Plants that are given plenty of fertiliser, perhaps, may mean you feel listless and somewhat annoyed! (3,2) 15 Not readily reacting with other elements or compounds, as found in finer tulips! (5) 16 Biological communities of interacting organisms and their physical environments (9)

_____ mint! (5) 2 Bloom nicely, including the prefix being ever-present! (4) 3 Genus of flowering shrubs, including one commonly known as ninebark (11) 4 Uh! Stir algae to make several shrubs of a genus in the heather family! (11) (anag) 5 Difficult-to-remove weeds, and a genus of flowering plants of the wood sorrel family (6) 6 Half an ice lettuce – floating at sea! (4) 10 Type of soil, it is said, with a pH lower than 7.0 (6) 11 Tearoom, as in Dahlia ‘____ au Lait’ and Tulipa ‘____ Noir’ (4) 12 _____ corniculatus is the bird’s foot trefoil, while it is also an exotic waterlily! (5) 13 Genus of flowering shrubs, once known as ‘shrubby veronicas’ (4)

Simon Hultby / University of Uppsala Botanical Garden

1 Columba palumbus – a

1 Mentha aquatica is the

ANSWERS TO ABOVE CROSSWORD

Cyclamen, to the surprise of many people, are actually in the primula family.

A common name for C. mirabi is English sowbread, or sometim swinebread, because it was once thought that the leaves, stems and tubers were a favourite food of pigs.

Generally, cyclamen species are native to Europe and around the Mediterranean, but one species, the rare C. somalense (pictured), comes from the Al Miskat Mountains of northeast Somalia, thousands of miles from the natural homes of all other cyclamen.

If you want to learn more about cyclamen, consider joining the Cyclamen Society. Visit  cyclamen.org.

DOWN

ACROSS 1 Wood pigeon 7 Tansy 8 Uvate 9 Bottling 11 Cyclamen 14 Fed up 15 Inert 16 Ecosystems DOWN 1 Water 2 Omni 3 Physocarpus 4 Gaultherias 5 Oxalis 6 Berg 10 Acidic 11 Cafe 12 Lotus 13 Hebe

Wow! I didn’t know that...

ACROSS

KEYWORD TO WORD SEARCH 477 (AG 27 JULY): HALIFAX AND THE WINNER IS: MRS M. DUDGEON, EDINBURGH

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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This photograph of a colour plate from 6 August 1904 shows an image of Clematis integrifolia and is reproduced along with the original words that relate to the photograph.

Amateur

1884

35 years of practical advice Oldest Gardening Magazine

2019

Herbaceous clematises THE herbaceous clematises have never become so popular as the climbing species and varieties, and are less showy than these, though when well placed and planted in good soil they are plants of

merit that should not be overlooked.

Clematis integrifolia is the oldest species of this section in cultivation, and its value as a decorative plant may be readily judged from the excellent plate here. It

has also been used as a parent of hybrids with C. viticella and C. recta, one of the hybrids with the former being C. hendersonii, a form with small but deep-coloured flowers.

The views, information and opinions expressed during this series of extracts from past issues of AG are solely those of the individuals involved, at the time they were written, and are not necessarily relevant or even legal today. Please treat these pages as a look back at how things were done in the past and not necessarily how they are done today. AG accepts no responsibility if readers follow advice given in these articles from past issues.

48 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

GREENHOUSES WALL GARDENS COLD FRAMES ACCESSORIES

For more information contact your nearest retailer or visit vitavia.co.uk @VitaviaLtd

01473 218100

info@vitavia.co.uk

Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF (please include your address).

Email us: amateurgardening@ti-media.com

with Wendy Humphries

Designer: Rose McMonigall

No stories attached!

Star Special salvia letter

Dream of The Indianos, RHS Hampton Court Palace Festival: “Should have got Gold,” says Derek

I

READ with great interest your feature about Hampton Court Place Festival (AG, 3 August).

I totally agree with you over the giving of medals. Yes, I feel that the Dream of the Indianos garden should have got Gold. The fly-tipping? Nothing.

I am sick and tired of these journey gardens, where the presenters go into raptures about the path of this, or the journey of something else. Why can we not just have beautiful gardens that are pleasing to look at and have stunning flowers? If a person with mental health

issues saw the ‘fly-tip’ garden, he or she would be distraught. A person needs a garden to be a sensory haven, perhaps with scented plants such as lavenders for calmness, water to soothe the mind, and seating areas to sit and contemplate.

I lost my beloved brother to dementia in 2017, and my garden full of flowers – including roses, lavenders and pinks – has helped me to cope with the loss.

So come on, designers! Cut out the ‘journeys’ and do a garden with ‘no stories attached’.

Mr Derek Robinson, Holcot, Northants

I WAS very interested to read Tamsin Hope Thomson’s article ‘Months of colour with Sensational Salvias’ (AG, 27 July). I thought readers would like to see the fabulous magenta colour of my special Salvia ‘Tubular Bells’.

I was thrilled to be given Salvia ‘Tubular Bells’ one of these rarer salvias las year when I vis Lamphey Walled Garden in Pembrokeshire – a garden lovingly restored with rare and unusual plants.

I treasure this plant and hopefully, if I follow Tamsin’s instructions, I will be able to propagate it from cuttings to pass on to my friends.

Marilyn Pitcher, Caerphilly Wendy says: A truly vibrant variety, Marilyn. If you ever make it to Great Comp Garden in Kent, there’s a salvia specialist called Dyson’s Nurseries based at the garden. They will also be at RHS Wisley Flower Show, 3-8 Sept.

Fed up with cutting the grass...

I GOT fed up with my old boring lawn with planted borders and having to cut the grass time and time again. So I decided to look at ways to improve it.

One day when I was walking round my local garden centre, I saw a display of gravel and old pieces of slates with rockery and alpine plants. This gave me the inspiration to remove my lawn and replace it with something very low maintenance. I removed the turf and slowly designed the layout, and started to plant alpine and rock plants with the odd perennial here and there.

I didn’t place any weed control matting down under the gravel in the hope of plants self-seeding and, as you can see, many have already spread.

I now have one half of my garden to enjoy for many years to come – the other half is now an ongoing project, which, when finished, I hope to share with you all at AG! Ian Kimber, Stockport 50 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

The showy flowers of morning glory Before: the old lawn, now pulled up

Flying saucers

After: a stunning gravel garden

I HAVE never grown morning glory (ipomoea) from seed before. I thought I would give them a try this year from the seeds I received on the cover of my weekly AG magazine. Aren’t they beautiful? I’m sure you’ll agree.

Ann Marie Tucker, via email Wendy says: Gorgeous I love annual climbers, they’re so speedy – my black-eyed Susan is happily twining its way up a metal support.

SHARE YOUR STORIES TIPS AND PHOTOS and you will receive a fantastic pair of Town & Country’s Master Gardener gloves — the UK’s best-selling gardening glove and a perfect companion to help you in the garden. State small, medium or large with your letter.

Photo of the week

Dahlias can be relied upon to burst into life in late summer

A day-lia to remember OH, my word – what a day! I walked a few feet down my front path and look what I found: a dahlia explosion at last.

Plus, there’s plenty of zinnias for good measure. I love summer!

Jane Stredder, Harlington, Beds

Reader’s Quick Tip Time to scrub hands after fun in the garden

I KEEP a bar of soap hung over the outside tap in a laundry tablet bag, along with an old towel. That way, hubby and the boys can wash their dirty hands before coming into the house.

Mrs Lucy C Travell, Barnwood, Gloucester

Wendy says: Great idea, Lucy – you’ve got them well-trained!

Forgotten prints I WAS interested to read a letter in (AG, 6 July) issue from a lady regarding the botanical paintings and a request to ask if anyone has come across prints.

I am enclosing two prints that were in a picture frame that belonged to my mother, and were behind a couple of other pictures on display – I was surprised to find them there. I do remember them being on the wall when I was younger.

Mrs P Comper, Holsworthy, Devon Wendy says: It’s lovely to hear that original AG prints are still turning up!

Editorial contacts: Editorial offices: Amateur Gardening, TI Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF ✆ 01252 555138 Email: amateurgardening@ti-media.com Subscriptions: ✆ 0330 333 1120 Editor: Garry Coward-Williams Gardening editor: Ruth Hayes Assistant editor: Janey Goulding Designers: Al Rigger, Emily Secrett Picture editor and Letters: Wendy Humphries Features: Kathryn Wilson, Lesley Upton Classified advertising ✆ 07572 116044 Advertising director: Kate Barnfield ✆ 07817 629935 Ad manager: Laurence Pierce ✆ 07817 629935

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Subscription rates (51 issues, all prices shown include postage) UK: £107.53; Europe/Eire: Û195.99; USA: $254.99; All other regions Middle East, Africa, Asia, Far East and ROW £166.99. Cheques payable to TI Media Ltd. Write to: TI Media Ltd, PO BOX 272, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3FS (0330) 333 1133. Overseas +44 330 333 1113 (Lines are open 7 days, 8am-9pm, UK time). Published every Tuesday. TI Media Ltd, 161 Marsh Wall, London, England E14 9AP. Conditions of sale: this periodical shall not, without the consent of the publishers first given, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover (selling price in Eire subject to VAT). Printed and bound in England by the Wyndeham Group. Distributed by Marketforce (UK), 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Registered as a newspaper at the post office.

Amateur Gardening (inc. Popular Gardening) AMATEUR GARDENING, TI Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Hampshire, GU14 7BF, 01252 555138. Amateur Gardening® is a registered trade mark TI Media Ltd. ISSN 0954-8513 TI Media Ltd, 161 Marsh Wall, London, England E14 9AP 0870 444 5000.

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31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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52 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

the look Get Ideas for gorgeous gardens

Draw the eye with flowers and foliage of a similar colour to create drifts. Here, a yellow-bloomed bearded iris chimes with a golden privet and zingy euphorbia

The secret walled garden Colour abounds within Jane Hammett’s unusual walled garden in the middle of a densely populated Liverpool suburb, says Sue Bradley

Photographs by Howard Walker

A

WALLED garden filled with a riotous collection of colourful plants isn’t what most people would expect to find tucked away within a densely populated Liverpool suburb.

Indeed, owner Jane Hammett was intrigued herself when she first came across an advert for the site in Wavertree and decided to see what it was like.

And while the adjoining coach house wasn’t a prospect for the faint-hearted, with its lack of windows, doors and utilities, Jane immediately saw the potential in its walled outside space.

“Back then there was just an area of grass surrounded by 18ft (5½m)-high walls, with houses all around it, but

nevertheless it was so peaceful,” explains Jane, who bought the property in 2005.

Site of a former dairy “It had a spirit all of its own and felt absolutely right for me,” she adds.

“We’re pretty sure the site was once occupied by a dairy: the lower part of the

“I really like gardens that are a bit chaotic”

sandstone wall contains curves that we think would have held metal cow mangers. In addition, there was once a pair of small cottages here, the sandstone and York stone from which was used by the previous owner, my neighbour Pat Docherty, to restore the walls to their former height and build a lovely gazebo.

“Pat was also responsible for the raised beds and brick paths that form the bones of the garden.”

Once work on Jane’s home had been completed, she was able to turn her attention to the garden, adding structures such as a long lean-to greenhouse to the south-facing wall, and a substantial shed. She used 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

53

the look Get Ideas for gorgeous gardens recycled materials to create features such as paths fashioned from York stone and further raised beds and an L-shaped seat built from wooden sleepers discovered along the river Mersey.

Great Dixter inspiration Water butts around the garden collect more than 1,500 litres of rain, which is an important consideration given that Jane’s home is on a meter, and over the years she’s added a huge amount of well-rotted horse manure, homemade compost and leafmould to the soil.

As for her planting scheme, the main inspiration has always been Christopher Lloyd’s colourful masterpiece at Great Dixter in East Sussex, a garden she first visited as a child.

“I wanted to cram in as many plants as I could,” laughs Jane, who taught horticulture at a further education college before running her own gardening business.

“I grew up in Eastbourne and went to see Great Dixter with my mother.

Allow perennials to spread over a pathway to soften hard stone edges. Contrast green foliage with plants such as the silvery-grey lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina)

Steps leading to a blocked-off alley are the perfect spot for a garden seat, over which Jane has placed an ecclesiastical-style mirror with a reclaimed brick surround 54 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Choose vibrant flowers and enhance with colour.

A bearded iris, similar to ‘Nibelungen’ or ‘Rajah’, looks great with Persicaria microcephala ‘Red Dragon’

Capitalise on a south-facing wall with a lean-to greenhouse – the perfect spot for tomatoes and even a fan-trained peach. Raised beds made from railway sleepers provide extra growing space

Accentuate the positives: a pelargonium in an attractive glazed pot draws attention to the curve left by a cattle manger

An arch creates a gateway between two areas of the garden. Rosa Gertrude Jekyll provides stunning pink double flowers

Pair Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’, a tall perennial with lavender flowers on jet-black stems and pretty lace-like foliage, with a red oriental poppy

Clad walls with climbing and spreading plants to blend with the rest of the garden. Cotoneaster horizontalis on the lower wall joins with ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ honeysuckle and ivy 31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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the look Get Ideas for gorgeous gardens Christopher Lloyd was there, and I was immediately enchanted.

Use gaps between steps as an extra space for plants, such as the mat-forming Silene uniflora

Encouraging chaos “I like gardens that are bit chaotic: the plants are the stars and then they fade and others take their place. It’s an everchanging tapestry of plants and colours, but all the time the thugs are being controlled and, when various things have gone over, they’re chopped back. My goal is to be friendly to wildlife, which means a lot of the plants I use are single-flowered to make them accessible to insects.”

Retirement means Jane is now able to spend more time in her garden, something that clearly gives her a great deal of pleasure.

“For me, it’s a form of artistic expression,” she says. “It’s my passion.”

This structure is built to blend in with the surrounding stonework. A passion flower covers a water butt

Put smaller plants, like this Rhodohypoxis baurii, in a pot so that it doesn’t get lost among exuberant perennials 56 AMATEUR GARDENING 31 AUGUST 2019

Soften an old wall by growing a rambling rose over it.

Rosa Malvern Hills from David Austin produces clusters of fragrant yellow blooms throughout the summer

An unglazed window provides a spot for succulents and carnivorous plants

Celebrate unusual features: lozenge-shaped indentations inspired by the remains of cattle mangers built into one of the original walls are an attractive backdrop for a colourful planting scheme

Use colour well: a blue-glazed pot works for an acid-yellow Santolina rosmarinifolia ‘Yellow Fizz’

Meet the gardener

Grow acers in attractive pots in sheltered areas of the garden for an extra splash of colour

Place pots filled with colourful flowers and foliage on wall ends either side of a path to give the feeling of transition from one area of the garden to another

Owner: Jane Hammett Address: ‘The Secret Garden’, 37 Prince Alfred Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, Lancs L15 8HH Garden size: 311.4 square metres Month visited: May Aspect: Predominantly south facing Soil: Loam, acid pH Special features: Tucked away walled garden that combines intriguing architectural features and colourful planting Open for the NGS: Part of the Sefton Park September openings, Sunday 8 September, noon-5pm.

31 AUGUST 2019 AMATEUR GARDENING

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Toby Buckland

The towering blue beauty of giant viper’s bugloss (Echium pininana), pictured in Tresco, Isles of Scilly

High achievers: I hope to bring back my big blues in the free-draining border

Dizzy heights

Want to cultivate high-rise Echiums? Toby explains how to turn those lofty ambitions into a towering success…

I

F there was a pop-picker’s chart of holiday plant purchases, the number one spot would definitely go to giant viper’s bugloss, aka Echium pininana. And small wonder… This floral Ed Sheeran has 14ft (4.3m)-high pyramidal towers of flowers as blue as the Tenerife sea. Perfect, and almost as tall as that Castle on The Hill.

Part of their charm is that they look so exotic and, although they hark from La Palma in the Canary Islands, they thrive in the balmy seaside resorts of Cornwall and the Gulf Stream-washed West Coast, making them tempting souvenirs for Brits abroad.

Echiums have a reputation for being temperamental (see the panel below), although the first batch I planted were as happy as weeds. Maybe it was beginner’s luck but, like a mathematically challenged footballer, I had 110% success. Not only did they flower and set seed in my garden, but their numerous progeny also self-sowed all down the street!

Those days are long gone, though, and my luck has turned with the weather.

“Their progeny have self-sowed down the street!”

In recent years, April blizzards have killed my crop just as they were coming into growth. But unseasonal cold isn’t the only reason my colony has died off.

All self-sowers such as electric-blue Cerinthe, grain Amaranths and Echiums migrate on the wind to pastures new and the original plants peter out. But as the breeze doesn’t distinguish between sheltered borders and frost pockets, this puts tender types at risk.

My original Echium was near the house, but now I’m down to the last one, which is metres away by the lawn – and so stunted it would be dwarfed

Bugloss basics IN the first summer after planting/ sowing, Echiums grow short trunks topped with a tuft of leaves. In the second, they flower – but only if the trunk and the leaves come through the winter unscathed. That’s why they need your warmest border. That said, with a greenhouse or polytunnel, it’s possible to get the plants to flowering size by growing in 10in (25cm)-plus plastic pots that are filled with peatfree compost – they like the good drainage. So many seeds are produced when they bloom, you will always have a supply to chance in different parts of the garden.

Toby’s top tips

Collect seed on a dry day and, if you’re not sowing straight away, dry the kernels on a windowsill indoors before storing for winter.

In mild areas, Echium seeds can be sown now, but in cooler gardens you should wait until spring.

by a road cone. Thankfully, it’s full of ripe, jet-black kernels, which I’m now re-introducing to the free-draining border, where all those years ago its ancestor was planted.

Echiums do come up when broadcast over the soil, but as with all seeds it pays to sow in drills, as seedlings in lines are much easier to distinguish from weeds.

They’re also easier to cover with fleece should the weather turn cold. And even though lines don’t look natural, you’ll find that with time and a little thinning, the rows won’t show by the time they mature. Fingers crossed, they do!

Young Echiums grow short trunks with a tuft of leaves

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

Self-sower Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ also migrates on the wind to pastures new

Echiums will travel and flourish in different parts of a garden

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