GARDEN NEWS April 23

The UK's No.1 gardening weekly!

April 23, 2016

Still only £1.99!

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

7

steps to successful begonia cuttings

FREE SEEDS worth

1.99!

£

Carol Klein

“Learn how I use container planting for high impact”

S D E E S E E R F £1.99 worth

JOBS TO DO THIS WEEK!

✔ Spruce up pots ✔ Plant up pink blueberries ✔ Get maincrop

potatoes going

Grow an apple tree

that’s a treat for wildlife too!

Top tips for bumper

tomatoes

BLOOMS FOR FREE! How to clone your best dahlias

Create a garden of

surprises! you can eat

● Everyday flowers us plants ● Outdoor carnivoro ry herbs ● Out-of-the-ordina

CHRIS BEARDSHAW MASTERCLASS "Take action to prevent carrot fly NOW!"

AboutNOW RHS garden

Woodland will be thinned for access and fresh plantings

revolution Plans for new Manchester and Wisley gardens unveiled

Perennial meadow planting (left) and new lake and water garden 10-acre walled garden (above) will showcase flower, herb and veg gardens

V

isions for major developments to two RHS gardens have been announced. Both are part of a £160-million investment that will see the charity expand or refresh some of its key operations and outreach programmes over the next 10 years.

New RHS Garden Bridgewater, in Salford, Manchester, is being built on the 62ha (154 acre) derelict site of Worsley New Hall, which the RHS plans to open in 2019. International designer Tom Stuart-Smith has produced the master plan for the site, which sees transformation of a 4.5ha (10 acre) walled garden to include vegetable, therapeutic and flower gardens, the creation of a new lake and linear water garden, and a new learning centre on the terraced site of the longdemolished hall. Said Tom: “These proposals are aimed at retaining the most historic

Photos and illustrations: All RHS, unless stated otherwise

Words Ian Hodgson

Car park

aspects of the garden, while reinterpreting and revitalising it.”

Led by award-winning designer Christopher Bradley-Hole, changes to the RHS flagship garden at Wisley will see the current main entrance relocated to the opposite end of the laboratory. Visitors will enter via a paved cherry tree-covered walkway linked to a meeting and cafe space. New gardens and lawns will allow improved views of both frontages of the historic building.

A new Hilltop Science and

New visitor centre

Learning Centre will become focus for the society’s research work, and the setting for three new gardens devoted to the science and benefits of horticulture, namely a World Kitchen Garden, Nature Garden and a Garden for Health and Wellbeing, all linked to Wisley’s famous orchards.

“These plans are at their earliest stages and may evolve as the gardens develop,” said RHS director general Sue Biggs, “but they give a clear idea of the scale of our ambitions.”

New show gets blow-up ‘glasshouse’

C

Chatsworth show will be reached by three new bridges

4 Garden News / April 23 2016

entrepiece of the RHS’ new show at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire in 2017 will be a giant inflatable ‘glasshouse’. The new pavilion for the plant exhibits will recreate the Great Conservatory, an enormous 84m (275ft) long structure designed by Chatsworth head gardener Sir Joseph Paxton.

Completed in 1840 to house tropical plant collections, it was demolished in 1920 after the plants perished from neglect during the First World War. The new 40m (130ft) square double-skinned transparent

fabrication will also sport side extensions for further exhibits.

“It will be the largest inflatable structure of its kind ever created,” said RHS shows’ head Nick Mattingley. “It’s being made in the UK by Inflate GB and can be erected in minutes.”

Access to the show will also require three new temporary bridges over the River Derwent, which meanders in front of the Grade I-listed venue. One will be an 18th-century Palladian-style structure, the second a reference to London’s proposed Garden Bridge and the third a five-arch

New Hilltop centre (above). More laboratory views will be revealed

Design proposals RHS Garden Wisley

l ‘Theatrical’ tree-clad walkway from car park into garden. l New garden in front of historic laboratory building. l ‘Village Square’ feature next to new ‘Welcome’ building. l Three new gardens for new ‘Science and Learning Centre’.

Inflatable will mimic Paxton’s Great Conservatory

construction. Artists and designers are being sought to help decorate the latter two. l The show, with a theme of Design Revolutionaries, will take place June 7-11, 2017. Tickets on sale from June 7, 2016. Visit www.rhs. org.uk/flowershows

Plants & Pla ce s Discover the beauty of muscari, camellias and auriculas, and what to plant where

The Queen Mother’s Garden at RHS Hyde Hall

Planting solutions in Essex Thursday April 21, 11am-1pm

RHS

New learning centre will sit on the derelict site of Worsley New Hall

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon Common, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. Tel: 0845 265 8071; www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall Learn the plants to use for a range of challenging situations.

Practical talks will include soil preparation, analysis of site and situation, and how to get the best from your plants. It’s an outdoor event, so wear appropriate clothing. Ideal for beginners and novices. ● Admission: £25, RHS members £15.

Shu erstock

Camellias in Cornwall Saturday and Sunday April 23-24, 10am-5pm

Existing lake will be dredged and connected to the new lake feature

The story be hind the picture...

Colourful marvel – Glass Gem corn

C. reticulata Tregothnan, Tresillian, Truro, Cornwall ‘William TR2 4AN. Tel: 01872 520000; Hertrich’ www.tregothnan.co.uk Enjoy a rare opportunity to experience Tregothnan, a garden normally closed to the public, to see its 54-strong Plant Heritage National Collection of Camellia reticulata varieties and hybrids.

The extensive grounds also contain many rare and unusual shrubs and trees. The garden produces its own commercial brand of tea from a plantation of tea plants, Camellia sinensis, as well! ● Admission: £10 in advance, limited See a diverse range tickets on day. Under 16s free. Dogs on of grape hyacinths lead welcome. All proceeds to Cancer Research.

Muscari in Norfolk

Sunday April 24, 11am-4pm

Shu erstock

16 Witton Lane, Little Plumstead, Norfolk NR13 5DL. Tel: 01603 71466 Tiny private garden opening for the National Gardens Scheme. Owners Richard Hobbs and Sally Ward specialise in rare and unusual bulbs and woodland plants, including a Plant Heritage National Plant Collection of 18 species and 87 varieties of muscari, most set among displays of other spring bulbs and perennials. Plants for sale and refreshments. ● Admission: £3

W

hile amateur breeders have given the world a wealth of significant plant varieties, Glass Gem corn created by Cherokee farmer Carl Barnes must be in a league of its own. The depth of colour and lustre in each niblet is nothing short of astonishing, making each unique multicoloured cob resemble a psychedelic boiled sweet from Alice in Wonderland. Now in his eighties, Carl, from Oklahoma, started crossing traditional Indian corn varieties in the 1990s, re-crossing those with

the vivid, translucent qualities, with the help of others, to eventually produce the unique selection. Ears vary in length between 7.5-20cm (3-8in), with plants reaching up to 2.75m (9ft) tall, with the corn used for popcorn or flour.

Although not available from UK suppliers, seed has found its way around the world and is sold from various sites on the internet. ● Information on the original seed strain can be found at Native Seeds/SEARCH, www.nativeseeds.org

Subscribe now and save up to 67%! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn

Auriculas in Carmarthenshire

Learn to grow and display border auriculas

Blaencm Cottage, Foelgastell, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire SA14 7HL. Tel: 01269 832678; www.reginascottage.com Mrs Pat Fisher welcomes visitors to see her Plant Heritage National Plant Collection of 182 varieties of border auriculas, displayed in pots in an open-sided pavilion, raised bed, plant shed and cold frames.

Talks on care of auriculas throughout the day. Cottage garden planting and organic vegetable garden. ● Admission: £3 donation to Macmillan nurses Shu erstock

Glass act

April 23 2016 / Garden News 5

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Garden News RECOMMENDS

Standard trees

Shu erstock

Photinia ‘Red Robin’ New growth is bright red and can be kept coming for most of the year with regular clipping.

Shu erstock

Spruce up pots Make a statement with these ideas for showy displays

L

ighter evenings and warmer weather mean we are outdoors more, and with that comes the craving to put on a smart show for all to see. It’s time to sweep away winter and spruce up entrances and front gardens.

One quick way to create a fresh look at your front door is to plant a ‘family’ of containers, showing off a selection springflowering plants alongside evergreen trees or shrubs that will give year-round interest.

The classic look is to plant two standard bay trees in matching pots either side of your door, but I’ve opted for a grouping of pots with different sizes and plants.

A front door is the perfect place to make a statement with a plant, so opt for something with striking form – standard trees (clipped like a lollipop) or topiary.

If you use standard trees, under-plant them with frothy or mounding plants at the base to balance the display. Aromatic plants are also a good choice as their perfume will be released when you brush by to go inside.

I’ve also included a camellia (planted with ericaceous compost), a pot of primroses and a pot of aubretia, which can be planted out into the garden after flowering and replaced with summer bedding to update the show later on.

These family displays look great if you can find a group of matching containers. The pots we used are from the ‘Forge’ range of National Trust containers, available at selected NT garden centres, but if you’re on a budget stick to simple terracotta.

Another approach is to use a pick-n-mix group of different pots, all in different patterns.

To create a theme that works using different containers, stick to similar types – perhaps pots in different shades of one colour or with different patterns but within the same style, such as antique scrollwork or geometric patterns.

Sow your free seeds – Rudbeckia ‘Caramel Mix’ Your free seeds this week are a gorgeous new mix of rudbeckia in soft shades of apricot, soft red and caramel. Flowers appear double and semi-double, with rich, dark brown centres. At 60cm (24in) tall they’re ideal for the border but make great cut flowers, too.

These seeds need a warm temperature to germinate between 20-25C (68-77F), so once sowed, keep them in a heated propagator or in a sealed polythene bag on a warm windowsill.

34 Garden News / April 23 2016

Ceanothus

Blue flowers in spring make this an unusual but pretty option. Evergreen leaves give interest all year round.

Argyranthemum

Marguerite daisies are trained as standards for summer flowers. They’re normally used for one year.

Sow the seeds thinly on the surface of a freedraining mix of seed compost that’s already been watered. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of vermiculite or a sprinkling of compost. The seedlings should appear within three weeks.

Once large enough to handle, pot on into 7.5cm (3in) pots and grow in a cooler position.

What to do this week

ON YOUR FRUIT & VEG PLOT

Pot up a trough of gourmet herbs Follow the top chefs and create an aromatic oasis

W

Try 3 chefs’ favourites

Surprise!

Basil isn’t always green and can also taste of cinnamon

Photos: Neil Hepworth unless stated

Ste p by ste p

Garden News RECOMMENDS

Shu erstock

e all love our ‘old favourite’ herbs in the garden, with their familiar smells and tastes in our cooking, but there’s now such a wonderful range of culinary goodies out there to try. Maybe you’d like to try planting up an out-of-the-ordinary container garden with some new and less common herbs?

Keep up with the latest recipes from top chefs who seem to be using little-used herbs more and more these days, such as cinnamon basil, hyssop, lovage and purslane – once considered common culinary and medicinal herbs in centuries gone by.

These are now quite fashionable plants as top chefs love the unusual flavourings, so why not keep up with the latest trends?

Once you’ve sown your herb garden, it’ll take a couple of weeks or more until germination. When it’s time to thin out your seedlings, a good tip is to use these thinnings in your cooking instead of wasting them, or you could pot them on. Once your plants are of a good size they may be a little congested, so you can liberate them and transplant them to other pots or beds elsewhere in the garden.

Enjoy your new aromatic oasis this summer, and remember to feed them a balanced fertiliser every week or so.

Lovage

An aromatic, celery-like herb that goes great with soups, stews and potato dishes.

Creating your herb trough Shu erstock

Garlic chives

Trim for use in potato salads or rice dishes – the pretty white flowers can be used too.

1

Using a good multi-purpose compost, fill up a long trough. Mark out three or four even-sized sections for each herb you try.

2

Thinly sow each type of herb in their respective sections and add a thin layer of compost over the top.

Alamy

Sorrel

A classic aromatic garden herb with a lemony flavour – perfect for salads and soups.

3

Remember to label each section, as it’s often difficult to remember what the emerging seedlings look like.

4

Water in your trough well, but not too much for fear of drowning the seeds.

Place in a sunny position.

Subscribe now and save up to 67%! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn

l Suppliers: Jekka McVicar’s range at Johnsons Seeds, tel: 0333 321 31038; www.johnsons-seeds.com Chiltern Seeds, tel: 01491 824675; www.chilternseeds.co.uk

April 23 2016 / Garden News 39