Garden News December 26

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B rit a in'sed st m o st t ru in e ic vo g a rd e n in g

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S D E E S E E FR Eye-catching

CAMELLIAS Top varieties for dazzling blooms on gloomy days

Make easy last minute gifts from the greenhouse!

TEST YOUR SOIL'S pH to ensure top results all year round

JOBS TO DO !

THIS WEEK ✔ Take hardwood cuttings ✔ Keep your winter containers flowering ✔ Prune storm damaged trees

CAROL KLEIN'S

s a m t s i r h C ! n w o d t n u o c

● Sowing mistletoe ● Feeding the birds PLUS The plants that make the season!

AboutNOW

Slender trees to create shade and shelter Japanese-style pavilion

Horticulture has proved invaluable for boosting mental and physical skills

Chris Beardshaw

Gardening charity to close

A S h a d e G re en er

Woodland planting with splashes of colour

Chris’ children’s garden is career highlight

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N contributor and designer Chris Beardshaw (right) has declared his 2016 Chelsea garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital (above) ‘one of the most significant and poignant’ of his career.

The courtyard-style garden containing lush planting will provide a private and reflective space for parents and families of the children undergoing care, and will be rebuilt at the heart of the hospital

Ditch the digging!

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hy not make 2016 the year you go no-dig? Some evidence says it makes for healthier, more productive soil, and can be particularly useful when tackling clay. Kick things off now, mimicking natural processes by building fertility from the top down. No-dig specialist Charles Dowding recommends spreading 5cm (2in) of homemade compost, composted animal manure or shop-bought compost on beds, ready for wintry weather to break up lumps into a tilth by spring.

Linear reflecting pool

complex by summer. Said Chris: ‘The team at Great Ormond Street advised us of the he real need for or an outdoor space for parents to find a little respite from the intensity of the wards.”

Sponsored by global financial services manager Morgan Stanley, the garden will contain trees and quiet woodland planting, sprinkled with pockets of sparkling blossom.

Chris Beardshaw

Gardening Leave, a charity using horticultural therapy to support troubled veterans of the armed forces, is to close, with the loss of 13 jobs. Launched in 2007, the charity, which helps individuals with mentalhealth issues to adjust to civilian life, cited difficulty in securing ‘adequate and sustainable funding’ from the ‘crowded armed forces and veterans sector’.

The charity reluctantly took the ‘heartbreaking’ decision to close as the financial situation was judged unlikely to ‘improve in the short and medium term’. The charity, which ceases operations at the end of 2015, is in active discussion with related charities about the continuation of some of the services it provides at its centres in London, Dundee, Ayr and Glasgow. It is also liaising with armed forces’ clients about alternative sources of help available to them.

Photos: Gardening Leave

Gardening Leave has helped troubled members of the armed forces since 2007

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Worms and soil organisms, in their perpetual quest for organic matter, will eat at the surface and then draw down the goodness into the soil. In preparing new beds, or plots that have become particularly weedy, other mulches can be used to feed soil and deprive weeds of light. Sheets of cardboard, leaves, grass mowings and half-rotted manures all work well.

Not only could no-dig save time and

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A Japanese-style Azumaya pavilion sits at the head of the garden, while a reflective water feature running the length of the courtyard will showcase a number of specially commissioned artworks.

“The formality of the essentially geometric lines are interrupted by the repeated theme of circles, which symbolise eternity and the unique perfection of a child,” added Chris.

Morgan Stanley are aiming to raise £1.5 million over two years for a parent accommodation block.

‘No-dig’ uses natural processes while maintaining soil structure

effort, undisturbed soil is allowed to develop its own, aerated structure. “My experiments have found that vegetables often grow more strongly and more healthily on the undug beds,” says Charles. “The quality of harvests is noticeably different.”

December 26 2015 / Garden News 7

Fossil peaches were a real treat Peach stones exposed in the earth

Evidence suggests peaches pre-date humans

Daring and different Plant retailer Bakker has launched a wide range of interesting new additions in its new-look spring catalogue. Tel: 0844 481 1000 or visit www.spaldingbulb.co.uk

Hosta ‘Miracle Lemony’

Photos: Bakker

First-ever yellowflowering hosta.

Decorative blue-green foliage. Moist soil, sun or semi-shade. Borders and pots. Height: 40cm (16in), spread: 30cm (12in). Price: £9.99.

Phlox amplifolia ‘Goliath’ Shu erstock

Enormous, fragrant flower heads. Good cut flower and a magnet for butterflies and bees. Grow in sun, in moist, well-drained soil. Height: 90cm (3ft), spread: 60cm (2ft).

Price: £9.95.

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he discovery of fossil peach stones millions of years old may mean we have to revise our understanding of how and where the fruit developed. A scientist has discovered eight well-preserved fossilized peach pits (stones or endocarps) in Southwest China, dating back more than two-and-a-half million years. Despite their age, the fossils appear nearly identical in size and structure to modern peach pits.

It’s the first time fossil peaches have been discovered, and were only found by accident due to road works exposing ancient rocks near the scientist’s home in Kunming. “We found these fossils just exposed in

the strata. It’s really a fantastic finding,” said associate professor Tao Su of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Garden.

Peaches are thought to have originated in China, but previous archaeological evidence only dates them to about 8,000 years ago. The new evidence places them before human life existed, and it’s likely animals, primates and early hominids may have snacked on the fruit and played a key role in its evolution.

“If you imagine the smallest commercial peach today, then that’s what these (fossil fruits) would have looked like,” said Professor Peter Wilf of Pennsylvania State University.

“They must have been delicious.”

Campsis Summer Jazz ‘Summer Glow’ Dwarf, compact form of the normally vigorous, self-clinging climber. Can be grown free-standing in a sunny border or pot. Yellow trumpet flowers June-Sept.

Height: 1.2m (4ft), spread: 90cm (3ft).

Price: £14.75.

Know your foreign invaders 60 SECOND

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lien plants regularly make headlines, when their possible threat to our native plants or to the wider environment makes alarming news.

An alien plant is one that occurs naturally elsewhere.

There have been countless introductions of aliens into our gardens over the centuries. It’s estimated that a mere 1,500 plants are truly native to Britain, whereas as many as 26,000 species from Rhododendron can get out of elsewhere grow here, and hand and become invasive our gardens would be

Expert

Shu erstock

impoverished without them.

The crucial factor is whether the alien is well-behaved or likely to become an invasive menace in the UK. The pretty little azolla fern, for example, once a popular garden pond plant and widely 'farmed' as a protein source and nutrient in paddy fields, has escaped into the wild, choking ponds and other water courses and competing ruthlessly with native plants.

It is now classified in the UK as an unwelcome alien, its sale discouraged under various Codes of Practice, together with other invasive marginal and aquatic plants including

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Himalayan balsam, floating pennywort and water primrose.

Japanese knotweed is even less welcome: its release into the wild is an offence, and plants need secure disposal as controlled waste at registered council sites.

Rhododendron ponticum, Spanish bluebells and buddleias are all lovely plants that may become foreign invaders in the wider environment, potentially dominating important ecosystems.

The remedy is not for gardeners to abandon growing aliens, but to simply limit their spread and escape into the wild.

December 26 2015 / Garden News 9

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Winter container care Protect plants from the dangers of frost and waterlogging

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he depths of winter can be a trying time and, even with the hardiest of plants, there’s a danger of compost freezing in the pot – this will be extremely bad news for them and may kill them. Wrapping pots fully with layers of bubble wrap and fleece will go a long way to help. If you’re worried about any of your containers being a little too exposed, put them in a frost-free greenhouse or a relatively cool conservatory to protect them a little more.

Remove plant saucers in winter so the soil remains free-draining, and make sure you don’t feed

Ste p by ste p

any winter containers outside.

Dormant plants don’t need it, and any growth on other plants it might encourage may be vulnerable to the chill.

Plants that are still in growth, such as conifers and other evergreens, may still need a little watering over winter during dry spells, but everything else should be able to cope as it is. If snow is forecast, it’s not nearly as devastating as a frost, which will creep into plant stems and roots and kill them. Snow, as it lays on the surface of your beds and pots, can actually be quite warming for them.

3 ways to protect your plants

Mulch

Raise

For a li le extra warmth to the roots, mulch the top of the surface of your pots with bark or some compost or gravel. Wrap the rest of the pot in bubble wrap for extra insulation.

During extra-wet periods, or even all winter to be on the safe side, raise containers up with pot feet to keep their bo oms out of the water.

More damage can be done by winter wet than through cold.

Shelter Group all your more vulnerable pots together in a huddle to keep in warmth.

Pop them in a corner, in a frost-free greenhouse, or right up against a hedge or the rain shadow of a wall for shelter.

Winter pelargonium care Commonly called geraniums, tender pelargoniums need cosseting when the weather gets cold. Cut away any brown, dead stems and remove yellowing leaves, bring them indoors or keep them somewhere frost free, such as a bright conservatory or cool greenhouse. Keep the soil on the dry side – if it’s too wet the stems may rot, so a good water once a week is better than daily watering.

Cut away any brown, dead stems and remove yellowing leaves. Check plants regularly for disease and signs of rust, which shows as brown spots on the leaves. In warm rooms or heated greenhouses white fly can be a problem, so use sticky traps, or spray to prevent infestations.

26 Garden News / December 26 2015

Clean the greenhouse gutter Ass gardeners we tend to look at the earth when we are in the garden, but now is the time to look upwards at the guttering!

Greenhouse gutters often get clogged up with moss and leaves, and that, together with winter rainfall, could put the gutters under undue strain.

Clear leaves out by hand, together with moss and any sludge that’s collected. Use a ladder if its safe to do so – if you can’t reach the gutters safely, an angled radiator brush is a handy tool for clearing out debris.

Terry Walton

TERRY WALTON

Tales from the

ALLOTMENT Star of BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show and best-selling author

From plot to plate There's something very special about a meal grown by my own hands

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he festive season is in full swing and soon the turkey will be half eaten and the allotments on the barred list for a day or two!

Still, there will be the family gathering and a chance to share my home-grown produce. The Walton Christmas meal is a great tradition, with all the vegetables on the plate being grown with my own hands, and gathered as close to the big day as possible. In my father’s time these were dug up on Christmas morning and on the plate mid afternoon!

Nowadays, the harvesting takes place on Christmas Eve. I guess my wife knows me too well and, if I disappeared to the allotments, who knows what time dinner would be ready! But they are still from ground to plate within 24 hours and free of all air miles.

That’s fresh enough for me.

There is another long-time tradition in our household. In addition to growing, gathering and bringing home the goodies, this is the one time of the year when I actually prepare them. Although the complicated bit, the cooking,

MIKE THURLOW

Small plot

is left firmly to my wife.

We eat a wide variety of veg to accompany our turkey. This is filled with homemade stuffing made of bread seasoned with sage and onion from the plot, of course.

The potatoes are fresh from store and the runner beans come from the freezer. The swede, parsnip, brussel sprouts and leeks are straight from the ground.

My Christmas gift to myself has arrived – my seed order, ready in anticipation of next season!

I love opening this box and putting them in some semblance of sowing order. I never heed too much the sowing time shown on the packets but sow according to my area's weather conditions.

But, regardless of where you grow around the country, the same crops follow in the same order.

Gathered on Christmas Eve!

Jo bs to do now

l Check the chrysa nthemum stools in the greenh ouse for any signs of fung us. l Ventilate the gr eenhouse every day for a coup le of hours to prevent it. l Take a few days off and enjoy Christmas!

Pre y up your veg plot!

BIG CROPS

Runner bean 'Celebration'

National Allotment Society advisor

Photos: Mike Thurlow

Plant a potager No matter how small your plot, you can grow fruit, flowers and veg in harmony

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’m hoping Santa might leave bronze-leafed lettuces, differentme some seeds and plants to coloured dwarf beans and red, create a potager. Not a huge yellow, orange and white chard. one like Villandry or Versailles I’d also add red, white and yellow has, but just big enough to fit in beetroot to the list. Some my back garden – 2 x 4m (6½ x climbing beans have pink and red 13ft) would be fine. The definition flowers as well as white, and the of a potager is a kitchen garden, red and white blooms of runner but I think the modern bean ‘Painted Lady’ are as understanding of a potager is a colourful as sweet peas. Broad garden in which you can grow fruit, flowers and vegetables alongside each other. If it’s colourful and attractive, even better.

Mini and patio vegetable varieties are perfect for a potager, Runner bean together with some spotted and 'St George'

30 Garden News / December 26 2015

bean flowers can smell as sweet as wallflowers, so I won’t be devoid of fragrance.

We always associate scent with flowers, yet there are some that not only provide colour and fragrance, but also can be eaten.

Calendulas and violas are excellent choices and bring an attractive splash of eye-catching colour to salads.

Gooseberries and red and white currants can be formally trained into fans, espaliers or cordons to form a backdrop to the potager.

The fruit supply can be augmented by growing strawberries in pots and using them as gap fillers. It might also be possible to squeeze in a pot-grown family fruit tree that can fill the

growing space above the potager.

With a little planning it’s possible to have flowers, fragrance and flavour from the smallest space!

My potager vegetables Lettuce Semi-cos ‘Freckles’ (green with dark spots) and ‘Little Leprechaun’ (red leaves with green and red heart); Little Gem ‘Intred’ (reddish-purple); butterhead ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ Courgettes Yellowy-orange ‘Atena Polka’, light green ‘Clarion’ and dark green ‘Nero di Milano’ Runner beans ‘Celebration’ (salmon pink flowers), ‘Desiree’ (white flowers) and ‘St George’ (red and white flowers)