Garden News December 19

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WINTER DRAMA Plants for colour and structure

TRY ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS TREES in all shapes and sizes!

Festive

gems!

en e r g r e v e h t i d w ke et CREATIVE Sow berry-pac G ries r e ! b d e & e s s d a m e o r h f hedges leaves, seed Reader gardens packed with colour CHRISTMAS MASTERCLASS!

3

Chris Beardshaw's guide to forcing & blanching

!s, L O R A C "Itt''ss time for trunk "I

" twigs and stems to shine

AboutNOW Illegal orchid trade threatens wild species Online buyers urged to take caution

Hardenarea carnea – found in Thailand’s mountains

Words Ian Hodgson

A

Hundreds of wild Geodorum recurvum on sale

Wild collected orchids freely on sale in a Bankok market

All photos: Dr Jacob Phelps

sizeable illegal trade in wild orchids is threatening the future of species in South East Asia, a report has concluded. Research

by British scientist Dr Jacob Phelps from Lancaster University has indicated that tens of thousands of orchids are illegally traded across Thailand’s borders every year, after being placed on open sale in markets.

Plants, usually collected without approved or regulated permits, include species such as slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum, which are internationally protected. All are on Appendix 1 of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora. Up to 22 per cent of the countries known orchid flora is reportedly traded in four of the largest wild plant markets, including Chatuchak

market in Bankok. The situation is likely to be more severe, as the conservation status of many species has not been properly accessed.

The situation also has implications for orchid enthusiasts in the UK and

elsewhere, as many of these plants could end up for sale online, with unwitting purchasers ending up helping fuel the trade. “It’s important that people ask nurseries for clear information on the origins of plants. Especially when

Find a speaker

Through its Nemaslug and Nemasys brands, the company sells five different nematode species, each of which controls a particular pest or pests, including slugs, vine weevil, cabbage and carrot root fly, chafer grubs, cutworms, gooseberry sawfly, thrips, ants and codling moth.

Nematodes are microscopic swimming organisms that penetrate their target host. Once inside they release bacteria that attack the hosts respiratory and digestive systems, quickly killing them. After reproducing, new generations of nematodes spread out in soil moisture to seek new living hosts. If none Eelworms – the future are found or the soil becomes too dry or cold, of pest control nematode populations die back to low levels.

Is your gardening club or society having trouble booking a speaker? Worry no more – help is now at hand with the launch of a new independent website promoting horticultural Justine Dixon wants lecturers. Keen more speakers gardener Justine Dixon, from East Yorkshire, decided to create the website after realising other groups had the same problem. The website now lists almost 70 speakers based around the UK, but she would like far more to come forward. “I also want local gardening clubs to register, so people can join and find new friends,” said Justine. ● Tel: 01405 769725 or visit www.gardenclub-listings.webnode.com Justine also provides a printed leaflet. Send an SAE to: Ms Justine Dixon, Rosemary Cottage, 163 High Street, Hook, East Yorks DN14 5PL.

Justine Dixon

Eelworm cultures in the new Sussex laboratory

How do nematodes work?

8 Garden News / December 19 2015

dealing with overseas sellers,” said Dr Phelps. “We also know that in many countries CITES permits and other documentation are forged. It’s important for serious collectors to do due diligence and look for credible traders.

BASF

Bio controls stepped up The progressive loss of garden pesticides to professional and amateur horticulture has stimulated a multinational chemical company to ramp up production of its nematode biological control systems.

Global giant BASF has installed a new 75,000-litre (16,497 gall) fermentation tank at its plant at Littlehampton, West Sussex, that can raise eight trillion beneficial nematodes or eelworms in one go. The new plant is the largest in the world and the only one in the UK.

Eria ornata is often collected in the wild

60 SECOND

Christmas holiday

Expert

Boredo m b u st e rs

With Mandy Morrison

Natural decorations A

s Christmas adverts and the expense of the festive season threatens to overwhelm us, it’s wonderful to know that many beautiful decorations can be made from nature’s off-casts. What’s more, I’m sure your children or grandchildren would much prefer wrapping up warm and scavenging for what you need rather than being hauled around the shops.

Let’s start with sticks. The winds of late have left plenty to collect of all shapes and sizes, but remember to take a big bag to bring them home in! Sticks can be made into all sorts of wonderful Christmas art. Cross and ti together tie t gether two longer er ones and two shorter er ones to makee a snowflake shape. e. Or spray them m gold or silver and stand them in a vase. se. Add some baubles bles or use some me different lengths gths and some twine ine to make a two-dimensional o-dimensional Christmas ristmas tree.

In our local woods oods my children hildren quickly

learnt to identify pine trees, in the hope that they’d find the holy grail of cones beneath.

And indeed they did! That was soon followed by a keen interest in leaf shapes to find any remaining acorns that hadn’t yet been buried beneath the unmistakable oak leaves – which, incidentally, make beautiful reindeer antlers if you’re making pictures.

Having added some fallen bits of holly and accompanying berries, we were laden with plant material to play with. When we’re out and about, we only collect stuff that’s no longer growing, but if you’re lucky enough to have Christmassy evergreens aplenty in your own garden, then snip away.

My kids really enjoyed turning their cones into Santa and Rudolph decorations for the tree with a few pipe cleaners and wobbly eyes, and it goes without saying that combining your natural finds with some PVA glue and glitter (over a large tarpaulin) can keep everyone happy for hours.

Your treasure can also be used to adorn wreaths woven from cornus stems and built up with spruce. Or let children use their imagination to make table decorations of evergreens and berries laid on a plate with a candle centrepiece.

With rosy cheeks, free decorations and glitter sparkling in your hair, who needs Christmas shopping?

It’s amazing what you can do with a few pine cones!

A two-dimensional Christmas tree is easy to make

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Grapefruit and loganberries are hybrids

Hybrids

A

hybrid is the result of a mixed marriage between different species or genera. Familiar plants such as Leyland cypress, tree ivy, heucherella, loganberries and grapefruit are all hybrids.

Nobody knows quite why, but if you cross two unrelated species their offspring (the ‘first filial’ or F1 generation) is more energetic than either parent. This boost can be astonishing: a 1910 experimental radish-cabbage hybrid filled its greenhouse with 1.5m (5ft) leaves and burst through the roof as it flowered!

This hybrid vigour is common to all F1 varieties. Other characteristics usually include predictability and uniformity – ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Javelin’ parsnips, for example, both have these traits. More specific qualities may be bushier growth, brighter colour, double or larger flowers, higher yield or, most useful of all, pest and disease resistance. The F1 carrot ‘Resistafly’ is less attractive to carrot root fly.

These improvements come at a cost – quite literally, because deliberate and exclusive crossbreeding takes time and effort, which must be paid for. Cynics argue that plant breeders have us over a barrel because we must buy more of this costly seed every year. Some F1 varieties are sterile and never produce seeds, and if you do manage to save and sow any, the complicated laws of inheritance guarantee some very odd individuals among your seedlings (the F2 generation).

F1 hybrids complement rather than supersede non-hybrid varieties.

Although less predictable, these have many other valuable qualities that justify growing them. Wise gardeners select and sow both types for their varied and distinctive merits.

December 19 2015 / Garden News 9

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Sow fresh tree seeds G

rowing trees and shrubs from seed is a cheap way to produce many plants when planning a new garden, hedge or shelter belt. The drawback is the time it takes – even a sapling will take a few years. But it’s fun to have a go, and if you have the space to keep your seedlings potted for a few years, they will make thoughtful gifts for friends and family.

Bear in mind that trees that are distinct named hybrid varieties are unlikely to produce seedlings that are the same as the parent (known as ‘coming true’), though they may have some of their characteristics.

Hollies will also be either male or female, so some of your seedlings will not develop into berry-producing trees.

Common rowan, Sorbus aucuparia, will usually come true from seed if its neighbours are all the same type, but if you have a pink-, white- or yellowberried neighbour you may produce an interesting new hybrid. For a pink-berried rowan that does come true from seed try S. pseudovilmorinii.

Many trees will only germinate from fresh seed, so collect the berries now and sow straight away. Fleshy berries such as holly, sorbus and Cotoneaster lacteus are easy to spot when ripe – they will have coloured up and the berry will be soft enough to squash between your fingers. It’s also best to wait until there have been a couple of frosts, because the berries will be easier to squash, and some seeds need cold to break the dormancy cycle in order to germinate.

To extract seed, smudge the berries onto a piece of kitchen paper. As they disintegrate each one will reveal a few small gritty seeds. Pick them off the paper as you need to sow them.

Alternatively, squash berries in a sieve and run cold water through them to remove the flesh.

If you are leaving them outside make sure they are protected from mice and birds.

28 Garden News / December 19 2015

Ste p by ste p

1

Fill a seed tray or small pot with a low-nutrient seed compost and firm it down.

Propagate your own little trees

2

Place your chosen seeds on the surface, at least a finger width apart.

3

Cover with grit, water, and label with the date. Seeds should germinate by spring.

TERRY WALTON

Tales from the

ALLOTMENT

Star of BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show and best-selling author. His allotment sits in the Rhondda Valley

Spring is in sight!

Days will soon get longer, and I’m thinking about new-year crops

N

ext week the shortest day will be upon us. I always cheer once this day has passed. It may only be ols in the shed a physiological thing, but the l Clean garden to p condition. to thought of a few more minutes in to keep them of daylight each coming day and trays l Collect old pots is a boost, and even though move homes re to lying around it’s a long way off, o snails. for overwintering my mind turns r bu s so they l Clean out wate to spring and season. refill in the ‘rainy’ planting time again!

Even when returned eturned the weather’s the empty cold outside, chamber to there’s plenty the he wormery of work to do in where I’ll keep the warmth of adding ding the Emptying the my greenhouse. greenhouse never-ending r-ending rich contents of I brought my supply off kitchen waste. my wormery My super wormery wormeries in from the I’ll I’ll ll mix 25% of my compost mix will cold some weeks ago and these wormery with 75% of good see my broad beans busy little ‘beings’ have been multi-purpose compost and right next year! munching well on my kitchen start filling my polystyrene waste, producing yet another bin pots with this ‘super’ mix of rich compost. I’ve gathered ready for broad bean sowing I was pleasantly surprised After they’d spent two days in a this into a plastic sack and in mid-January. last week to receive a new warm airing cupboard, I moved introduction of sweetcorn shoots them to a cooler, darker cupboard from Suttons Seeds, which in the house. Within three days, satisfied my need to sow vibrant yellow shoots appeared something at this barren time and soon I’ll be harvesting this of year. I filled a half seed novel crop.

It’s time to write my le er to planting, to house seed packets. tray with sieved compost Sowing Santa. We gardeners are often Perfect storage and a timely and planted the seeds seeds. something and a thrifty lot, so this is a time to reminder of when to plant. looking forward indulge in presents we wouldn’t I’m also a messy user of string to harvesting buy ourselves. when tying my plants, which and eating a As I get older I find packets then rolls about the plot and fresh crop has of seeds go astray. A perfect gets into all sorts of knots. So made made d me a answer is a garden seed twine on a stand will solve gardener again! organiser – it’s a board to hang in this problem. the shed with wooden pockets, Of course, a new pair of good An indoor crop of l See p.32 marked off in the gardening gloves never goes sweetcorn shoots to for o more on months of amiss and my final request is a try in chilly weather! sowing o this pair of ‘go faster’ welly boots! As unusual n salad the year’s progress, my digging and n stir-fry pace is ge ing slower so I need crop! r a pair that will rejuvenate my speed. Plus mine are rather thin on the sole and need replacing before I get cold, wet feet!

Photos: Terry Walton

Jo bs to do n ow

Shu erstock

My letter to Santa

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