Garden News April 9

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April 9, 2016 £1.99

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

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top tips to grow vitaminpacked fruit and veg!

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Carol Klein "Why spring foliage is such a joy!"

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JOBS TO DO THIS WEEK! ✔ Root prune ay tree a bay ✔ Grow watercress ✔ Divide agapanthus

Easy ways to double your

FLOWERS

10 BEST cacti and succulents for early blooms now Slug-proof your garden

Grow summer's

! s r e n n stu ● Sow an edible fiery climber ● Discover exotic Siam tulips ● Plant a giant canna lily

ATE CLIMBER OL OC CH E TH Y TR the natural way WITH A HINT OF VANILLA

Graham Andrews

AboutNOW These boots were made for watering!

Village steps up efforts for Queen’s birthday Words Ian Hodgson

David McHugh

North Molton Prima

refuse sacks and 30 pairs of boots.”

This year the boots will again be out in force, with a patriotic red, white and blue theme to cheer on the Queen for her birthday.

Said Alan, “It’s a lovely way of bringing people together and having lots of fun!” l How do you plan to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday in your garden or community? Let us know by writing to Pick of the Post at the address on p54.

Ash extinction?

Britain. The threat from the beetle is potentially far more serious than that from ash dieback.”

Dr Thomas is also concerned for the 1,000 or so wildlife species associated with ash or ash woodland, including birds, mammals and invertebrates.

Not all may yet be lost, as evidence is emerging that UK ash trees may possess more resistance to dieback than on the continent. “It’s vital we retain as much ash as possible to identify resistant trees,” said Christine Reid, head of conservation for the Woodland Trust.

“If and when the emerald ash borer arrives in the UK, we can’t predict an outcome with any certainty as, for example, there may be a natural predator on our shores. Most importantly we need to focus on positive action, such as planting a more diverse range of native tree species to build resilience in the landscape; The emerald promoting ash-borer beetle the value of UK-sourced and grown tree stock, and investing in monitoring and detection at our borders to keep pests and diseases The disastrous at bay.” effects of chalara ash dieback

David McHugh

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is already devastating ash tree populations in many parts of England and Wales. Heralding from Asia, the emerald ash borer is not yet in the UK, but has spread into Europe and is possibly already in Sweden.

Although feeding adults cause little damage, larvae bore beneath the bark, eventually killing the ash tree. “European ash is very susceptible to the beetle,” said Dr Thomas, “It is only a matter of time before it spreads across the rest of Europe, including

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4 Garden News / April 9 2016

Young and old join in the fun, from local schoolchildren’s Bertie Boots (left and below)…

Debbie Miller

A lush, healthy canopy of ash

… to a giant bovver boot, created by staff at a nearby garage

North Molton Prim ary School

C

ombined attacks by a fungal disease and a wood-boring beetle could cause the extinction of ash trees in Europe, a new scientific study has found. The study by Dr Peter Thomas of Keele University said the effects would mirror the havoc caused by Dutch elm disease in the 1970s and ’80s, which all but wiped out the UK elm population.

Only identified in 2012, chalara dieback, caused by fungus

ry School

A

north Devon village is putting its best feet forward in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday in June. Residents of North Molton have been filling redundant footwear with compost and growing all manner of plants to interpret a particular theme. The idea was the brainchild of local pub owner Alan Boddington, when re-opening The Poltimore Inn three years ago.

“We wanted to do something different to making scarecrows, and old footwear was something everyone has. Home owners, schoolchildren, and local clubs and businesses have really got behind it.

The sports club used cricket and football boots and trainers, the mother and toddler group used baby wellies, and a local garage created a giant bovver boot out of an old oil drum and lorry tyres!” Alan told Garden News. “Local school kids were the success of 2014. They created a giant caterpillar, dubbed Bertie Boots, made from green

Marvel at unusual trees, alpines and heucheras

A bridge for all seasons

Borde Hill Garden

Plants & Pla ce s

An abundance of bulbs will come to life in spring

Walk among the magnolias with head gardener Andy Stevens

Terrific trees in Sussex Friday April 8, 10am-4pm Photos: The Garden Trust Bridge

Borde Hill Garden, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XP. Tel: 01444 450326, www.bordehill.co.uk/events Tour of the famous garden’s trees with legendary plantsman Roy Lancaster, and Tony Kirkham, head of arboretum RBG, Kew. ‘Walk and talk’ around the garden with RHS experts and Borde Hill head gardener Andy Stevens. Bring along unknown plant material for interest or identification. Plants for sale. Cafe facilities available. ● Admission: £12, RHS members £10.

Bridge springs into action designed to capture each and every season,” says The Garden Bridge’s planting designer Dan Pearson. “After winter, the promise of spring will be heralded with an abundance of blossom and spring bulbs.” The Garden Bridge will connect South Bank to North Bank, and will open in late 2018.

Heucheras in Cheshire

Friday April 8 to Sunday 10, 10am-4pm

Plantagogo, Jubilee Cottage Nursery, Snape Lane, Engelsea Brook, nr Crewe, Cheshire CW2 5QN. Tel: 01270 820335, www.plant agogo.com Plant Heritage National Plant Collection holders of heuchera, heucherella and tiarella opens its nursery and garden to show off the diversity of these colourful woodland plants.

Plants for sale, and advice on growing Cheshire is and propagating plants available. a haven for ● Admission: Free. Refreshments heuchera lovers available (proceeds to charity).

Plantagogo

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o celebrate the start of longer, brighter days, The Garden Bridge Trust has released an image of what the new London landmark will look like in spring. The view features blossoming fruit trees, plus flowers such as crocus, narcissus, hyacinth, primroses and violets. “The planting is

Last year’s winning entry

Alpines in Edinburgh

Lewisia is just one of the alpines on show in Edinburgh

Saturday April 9, 12pm-4pm (from 10:30am for plant sales)

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Saturday April 9 to Sunday 10, 10:30am-5pm

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Thompson & Morgan has announced the prize money for its 2016 gardening competitions. The highest value prizes are for giant veg, with a £10,000 reward if your pumpkin breaks the current world record, £1,000 if it breaks the UK weight record, or £500 if it’s the largest entered on the day. Bring your entries to The Autumn Pumpkin Festival at Royal Victoria Park, Netley, Hampshire, on October 8.

There are a series of other competitions, including £5,000 for a world record-breaking tomato ‘Gigantomo’ (take entries to Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, September 16 to 18), or a £4,000 prize if you grow a world record-breaking tallest sunflower with Thompson & Morgan’s Incredibloom fertiliser, plus a series of photographic competitions. Visit www. thompson-morgan.com/competitions to find out more.

Daffodil varieties in Cornwall

Thompson & Morgan

Grow a £10k pumpkin!

Scottish Rock Garden Club Edinburgh and the Lothians show, Fairmilehead Parish Church, Frogston Road West, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh EH10 7AA. Enchanting and impressive range of choice alpine plants in competitive show. Nursery exhibits and plant sales.

Refreshments available. ● Admission: £1, SRGC members free.

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

Relish in hundreds of different daffodil varieties

The Daffodil Society Show, Trelissick, Feock, Nr Truro, Cornwall TR3 6QL. Tel: 01872 862090 or visit www. nationaltrust.org.uk/telissick Hundreds of daffodil varieties will be displayed by the Society at the National Trust (NT) garden. Advice on daffodil culture, and identification from international expert and breeder Ron Scamp. ● Admission: Free to daffodil show. Normal entrance charges apply to visit Trelissick. Parking £4.

NT members free.

April 9 2016 / Garden News 5

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Divide your agapanthus Improve performance by re-potting clumps into smaller containers

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ome gardeners swear that agapanthus flower better when they are crammed into a pot. The reason is that when they’re planted in the ground they spend a few years growing into full maturity before they flower, but when they do, the flowers are large and spectacular. Growing them in a container causes a ‘bonsai effect’, which prompts them to flower

Ste p by ste p

1

Tease out the fibrous roots around the rootball using a hand fork.

32 Garden News / April 9 2016

sooner, but with smaller flowers.

Growing them in a container has other benefits, too. It’s easier to move these semi-hardy plants into a more protected place over winter, such as a shed if it’s deciduous, or a cool greenhouse if it’s an evergreen variety.

While they like conditions to be tight, letting them get very congested in a pot isn’t, in fact, good for their performance. They will be happier and eventually reward you with more flowers if you divide your plants and re-pot the clumps into smaller containers.

Whether deciduous or evergreen, now is the right time to divide potted plants. The roots are fleshy and almost like rhizomes, so when you split them you’ll need to use a knife, spade or sharp secateurs. Each division should have a few healthy growing points attached.

Choose new containers that are an inch or two wider than the clump. Push compost down around the sides of the clump with a trowel or your fingers to make sure the clump is firmly anchored into place.

When you have re-potted the clumps into their new homes, feed them regularly to encourage flowering. Apply a high-potash feed every month during the growing season, and a generalpurpose feed mid-season.

How to divide and re-pot your plants

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Use a sharp-edged tool to cut the rootball straight down the middle.

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Separate into clumps with at least three growing points.

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Replant in a pot slightly larger than the clump, with fresh compost.

Nicotiana sylvestris agm Night-scen ted f owers

Garden News RECOMMENDS 3 of the best for scent

Philadelphus ‘Virginal’

This mock orange has sumptuous fragrant white blooms in summer.

Height: 3m (10ft), spread: 2.5m (8ft 3in).

Alamy

Hardy shrub with honeyscented flowers July to October. Height: 1.5m (5ft), spread: 2m (6ft 7in).

Alamy

Alamy

Abelia grandiflora ‘Francis Mason’

Coronilla glauca

Fragrant through winter and spring. Height and spread: 80cm (2ft 8in).

Coronilla emerus also has scented pea flowers in summer and autumn.

H

NICOTIANA

You’ve still got time to plant some beautiful shrubs this month as, traditionally, planting time extends from autumn until the end of April, particularly for bare-root and rootballed shrubs. Why not up the scent factor and pick shrubs to plant that will effortlessly emit their heady scents through different months of the year? See our panel of fragrant picks below.

Soil preparation is key – in your chosen spot dig in some rich organic matter, such as compost, beforehand. Water your container plant, or soak your bare-root specimen before you plant.

The hole should be wide and deep enough to comfortably take the roots, and make sure the base of the stem where it meets the roots is at the soil surface. Refill the hole, ensuring no air pockets, and stamp down the soil carefully.

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Plant scented shrubs

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Sow you r free seeds!

Nicotiana sylvestris

These tall, fast-growing, halfhardy annuals look equally good in a cottage garden or an exotic planting scheme. They are a stalwart of white garden designs, with their snowy blooms.

They are also one of the best flowers to grow for night scent. Grow them in containers on the patio, where you can enjoy the perfume.

To germinate, seeds need to be kept at room temperature – about 18C (65F) or just above. Sow on the surface of a tray filled with seed compost. The seeds are tiny, so there’s no need to cover them.

Water the tray from below by placing it in a shallow bath of water, to avoid washing the seeds into a corner. Place the tray on a sunny windowsill or in a heated propagator until the seedlings develop. When large enough to handle, transplant into small pots and grow on in cooler conditions.

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April 9 2016 / Garden News 33