Garden News June 20

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MAKE MORE OF

June 20, 2015

YOUR GARDEN!

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

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Flower-smothered fragrant honeysuckles

✔ Take cuttings for free shrubs! ✔ Help hanging baskets last longer ✔ Sow quick growing gap-fllers

S D E E S E FRE 2.39!

Worth

£

SWEET POTATOES 3 steps to success with this tasty crop BE CONFIDENT WITH

COLOUR

How to contrast but never clash!

Carol Klein

Best of

"My never-fail propagation secrets"

British!

PEST-PROOF PERENNIALS Claire Austin picks plants rabbits & deer won't touch

Grow the UK's favourite fowers Try our creative planting ideas Choose the best for your garden!

AboutNOW

Wildflowers need to seed into verges before they are mown

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oad verges are an important refuge for more than 700 types of wildflower, a study has found.

Research by conservation charity Plantlife revealed around half of the UK’s flora is found on kerbside grassland, with 88 per cent providing nectar and pollen for bees and other insect pollinators. Plantlife botanist Dr Trevor Dines is keen to stress

their importance.

“Over 97 per cent of meadows have been destroyed since the 1930s. In many areas, rural road verges are the last remaining stretches of natural habitat for wildlife,” said Dr Dines. “But we also know they can be better managed while remaining safe for motorists. This means adopting some simple changes to their management – like a

delay in cutting to allow seed to be set.”

The charity has produced new guidelines for better management. Trials on 11,700km (7,270 miles) of Dorset verge is already showing promising results, and now Plantlife is urging the public to sign a petition asking more local councils to adopt the measures. ● Visit www.plantlife.org.uk

Breeder Jack Ui enbogaard (left) presents the tulip to Sir Paul

Alamy

Charity calls for changes in local authority management practices

Shu erstock

Verges are critical habitat for wildfowers wildfowers

Up the garden path: gnomes without a home

li Tulips l T Remarkable

Marcela Telehanico va/Facebook

Remarkable Tulips

Tulip ‘Paul McCartney’

McCartney gets foral honour

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x-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney came face to face with a tulip named after him. Singersongwriter Sir Paul received the honour just before he went on stage in Amsterdam.

The distinctive red, white-bordered blossom is a reference to Liverpool, birthplace of the legendary musician, and for his enormous contribution to music history.

6 Garden News / June 20 2015

“It was my long-held wish to honour my musical hero with a Dutch tulip,” said grower Jack Uittenbogaard of the variety, which took 20 years to develop. “Perhaps we’ll be able to plant it in Sir Paul’s garden this autumn.” Sir Paul was also presented with a painting of the new tulip referencing different subjects from his songs. The new variety will be available within three years.

Gnomes come mob-handed

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n army of more than 100 garden gnomes suddenly appeared at night in a woman’s garden in Devon. Marcela Telehanicova of Ivybridge was closing her curtains when she was shocked to see 107 diminutive figures lining up three abreast 30 rows deep down her garden path. “It’s the best, most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me,” she said. “I would love to know who did it. It made me laugh!” The figures, made of moulded plastic with bar codes on the base, were taken away by police. Said a police spokesman, “Someone took quite a bit of time and patience to place them. We are seeking to establish where the gnomes have come from.

The question is whether they are stolen – or gnomeless!” If the little chaps are not claimed in 28 days Ms Telehanicova can apply to give them permanent sanctuary.

Bluebells, threecornered leek and red campions enliven a roadside habitat

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Warmington

HiddenGEMS

Reader Jane Blackford picks the best places for gardeners around her Northamptonshire village

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orthamptonshire has some pretty little villages and Warmington is no exception, with a thriving horticultural society and village show.

I’ve been trying to work on my garden since my younger son left to go to university around 15 years ago, and more so since I retired, but there is still a lot to do. I’ve just had the fencing replaced all along one side, so I am searching for suitable plants to cover up the bare panels as quickly as possible!

Flamingos, parrots and bluebells Coton Manor, Northamptonshire, is the home of Ian and Susie Pasley-Tyler, whose borders will be looking about their best now, with fabulous roses, peonies and alliums,

Garden World Images

The herb garden at Coton Manor

plus many unusual plants. They have a courtyard café complete with colourful parrot that sits outside, and a little plant nursery.

There’s a fab bluebell wood in spring, and pink flamingos wandering about, too! Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon until 5.30pm. Coton Manor, Coton, Northampton NN6 8RQ, tel: 01604 740219; www.cotonmanor.co.uk

Fabulous open gardens Mary and Stuart Hendry’s lovely garden at 67-69 High Street, Finedon, Northants NN9 5JN, is open under the NGS Scheme on Sunday, June 28 (2pm to 6pm) along with gardens at 11 Thrapston Road, Finedon, and The Vicarage at Church Hill, Finedon, home of the Reverends Richard and David Coles.

Richard is also a broadcaster and hosts the Saturday Live programme on Radio 4 (and he used to be in The Communards!). The Hendrys’ garden is also open on Thursdays June 18 and June 25 (5pm to 8.30pm).

Jungle meets the Med Olive Grove Nurseries (Polebrook Road, Oundle PE8 5LQ, tel: 01832 275660;

Subscribe now for £1 an issue! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn

www.olivegrovenurseries.co.uk). This nursery stocks Mediterranean plants, olive trees and other architectural plants – some on a huge scale – as well as some really big garden features, like the massive gorilla in the jungle area. It also has a famed café that’s very popular with the locals and serves lovely food, and there’s a delicatessen and a home shop, too.

Newly-discovered gem I’ve only been there once, but there is a really good selection of plants, shrubs and all things gardening at reasonable prices at Podington Garden Centre, now part of Wyevale. Lots of gardeners around here like it and you’ll find it in High Street, Podington, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN29 7HS (tel: Open for the 0844 288 5078; NGS – the Hendrys’ www.wyevale garden at gardencentres.

Finedon co.uk).

June 20 2015 / Garden News 7

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Garden News RECOMMENDS

Top shrubs for cutting

Photos: Garden World Images

Escallonia Great for growing in mild coastal areas, these flowering shrubs are often used for decorative hedging.

Take shrub cuttings They’re putting on lots of growth so it’s the ideal time to propagate your favourites

32 Garden News / June 20 2015

Photos: Neil Hepworth unless stated

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hrubs are putting on lots of young, healthy growth at the moment, so it’s the ideal time to take cuttings and propagate more of your favourites.

Whether it’s a fuchsia, escallonia, or a shrubby fruit such as this jostaberry, the method of propagation is the same.

The best time to take cuttings is in the morning when stems are full of moisture. Make sure your plant is well-watered and the stems are firm.

You’ll need healthy, nonflowering shoots taken from this year’s growth, sharp secateurs or a garden knife, and some plastic bags to pop the cuttings into as you take them. This prevents the soft growth from drying out before you’re ready to deal with it. If you’re taking a lot of cuttings, pop some labels into the bags as you go along. It’ll save confusion later.

Cuttings need composts that are low in nutrients, and easy for plant roots to penetrate. It’s possible to buy specialist seed and cuttings mixes, alternatively mix

Phygelius

your own open-textured, free-draining cuttings compost with half and half multi-purpose compost and Vermiculite.

Once taken, cuttings need to be kept somewhere warm. Place them in a propagator, or cover the pots with a plastic bag to keep a closed, humid atmosphere.

Keeping moisture in the stems is vital. Mist regularly and shade from hot sun.

St e p by st e p

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Choose a non-flowering shoot around 10cm (4in) long. Cut below a leaf bud.

Cuttings will root in around six to eight weeks, but don’t be tempted to tug the plants to see if they’ve rooted. Wait until you can see the roots escaping from the pots before potting them up into loam based compost.

Cape fuchsias, phygelius, escallonias, and hebes all root well by this method as do shrubby fruits, such as currants and jostaberries.

Cape fuchsias are versatile shrubs for warm gardens.

They’ll even climb if you plant them near a wall.

Hebe Hebes root fast and establish easily. They’re tolerant of most soils and happy in sun or part shade.

How to take shrub cuttings

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Remove lower leaves and pinch out the growing tip.

Dip into rooting powder.

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insert into a pot of cu ings compost. Keep warm and moist until rooted.

Gardening

GENIUS Nuggets of pure wisdom

We asked Sam Clark, hardy perennial specialist at multi-awardwinning Cowell’s Garden Centre in Woolsington, near Newcastle, to give us some insider tips on how they keep their many beautiful pot and basket displays looking tip-top for customers.

Cowell’s has an impressive range of pots and plants available. They are Garden Centre of the Year 2015, and have been a family firm for more than 35 years. Visit www.cowellsgc.co.uk.

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Group pots together for ultimate impact

Keep your containers creative and thriving

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ssortments of perfect pots teeming with happy plants or a fruitful container allotment are a joy to see.

We’ve got some fun tips and specialist advice to help keep yours thriving and beautiful.

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I’ve got a fancy-leaf geranium in a colander that I lined with an old compost bag filled with multi-purpose compost and slow-release fertiliser. My sister’s wellies have trailing lobelia in them.

And I’ve planted some old soup cans with chives, parsley and sempervivums!

Shane Crawshaw, Facebook

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Ex p e rt I n s ig ht

My lovely Belfast sink is planted with chives, rosemary, thyme and mint.

I give them a good chop every few weeks to keep it looking smart and fresh.

Line e Lomax, Facebook I try to include a combination of bold, delicate and trailing plants in my hanging baskets, such as fuchsia ‘Swingtime’, red busy lizzies, light-blue lobelia and white petunia ‘Million Bells’.

Sheila Thompson, Facebook

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Buy the biggest container you can afford – crowds of strong planting always looks good. Water-retaining crystals keep the moisture in. To refresh a tired pot, shear off spent flowers such as lobelia and bidens, then sow a few nasturtium seeds to take over from them.

Pam Richardson, garden writer

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Insert 7.5-10cm (3-4in) pots into the surface of large containers planted with shrubs or perennials so you can keep adding plants of seasonal interest. Try combining annual climbers Ipomoea lobata and I. tricolour for a zingy mix of orange, vanilla and blue. Or mix climbing minicucumbers and runner beans for an unusual and edible display.

Ian Hodgson, editor-at-large

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Get creative! Theme your containers with alpine, perennial or wildflower plants. Display them in intriguing ways – such as a sunken pot spilling with sedums and sempervivums. sempervivums Karen Murphy, features editor

We like to colour-block our plants for bold visual impact. Try teaming bright, striking colours together, or more muted shades and toning. Our begonias are great this year, with peach, orange and apricot colours working well in the same pot.

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Remember that containers look brilliant but aren’t low maintenance! You’ll need to water and deadhead every day for best results. Plants such as bacopa benefit from regular trimming because it prolongs their flowering. Don’t see this as a chore though, if you’re watering them quickly, just pick off a few dead flowers here and there while you’re at it. Five minutes every day should do it.

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Make sure your pots have a good soil base to start with. We use Miracle-Gro granules and a high-potash feed.

You’ll notice that you get so many more flowers!

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A quality, sturdy pot makes all the difference. We like to colour theme these too – strong rainbow colours, and matching or clashing them with the plants inside.

A L U D N E L A C E E R F ce’

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KK Pan E er-long displays m E m E S su E r LU fo W s ic W ot t ex ! d Do n t m i s s o u

calendula

‘Indian Prince’

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A bright, eye-ca tching marigold