Garden News March 26

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Carol Klein

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Primroses, foxgloves and hostas!

Top 20 plants for shade JOBS TO DO !

THIS WEEK

✔ Plant an ornamental cherry tree ✔ Grow potatoes in a bag ✔ Sow sweet peas

Transform your

garden is weekend! th

Lush lawn action plan Patio pots for instant wow Pack your beds with colour

CHRIS BEARDSHAW ROSE-PRUNING MASTERCLASS

AboutNOW Here’s looking at yew

Door on history – Surrey’s Crowhurst yew could be between 1,400 and 4,000 years old

New map locates almost 1,000 notable UK trees

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lmost 1,000 historic yew trees have been mapped to encourage the public to visit and get to know more about them. The ‘We Love Yew’ initiative by the Conservation Foundation (CF) features examples that have been intimately entwined with local British culture for hundreds, if not thousands of years, often pre-dating our civilization.

Spearheading the initiative is a group of experts known as the Ancient Yew Group, who have looked at trees around the country, documenting their age, history and associations. Trees 500-800 years old are termed ‘veteran’, while those over 800 years are designated ‘ancient’.

Yew tree age is a hotly contested topic and disagreements abound. Hollow centres or branches rooting into the ground after the original trunk has decayed makes them notoriously difficult to date.

Churchyards are particularly important locations, currently holding the vast majority of examples, of which 300 are currently designated as ancient.

Surprisingly, for an area rich in churches, there are no such specimens in East Anglia.

Many have colourful associations such as the Crowhurst yew in Surrey. In 1820, locals hollowed out the

At 1,500 years old, the unwieldy Rotherfield yew, East Sussex, outdates the original church

Oldest and greatest?

Churchyards such as Arkesden St Mary the Virgin, Essex, are important locations for old yew trees in the UK

10m (33ft) round tree, installing a door that still survives today.

A cannonball from the English civil war in 1642 was also found embedded in the wood.

“Our ancient yews are a very special part of our environment and cultural heritage. The signing of the Magna Carta took

St Cynog’s yew, Defynnog, Powys. Estimated to be 5,000-plus years in 2014, this 6m (60ft)-wide tree could be Europe’s oldest, but its age is contested. place under a yew tree,” said CF director, David Shreeve. “We hope our map will encourage more people to discover their local examples.” l The ‘We Love Yew’ map can be found at www.weloveyew.org If you know an unrecorded notable yew, contact www.ancient-yew.org

Survey will help butterflies Knowing more about how our butterflies use our gardens could assist their future survival, a leading conservation charity has said. With previous research focusing more on the countryside, little is known about their use of garden plants and garden habitats, even though the UK’s 22 million Peacock bu erflies gardens cover an area are commonly seen the size of Somerset. in gardens Recent changes in weather have seen the red admiral,

4 Garden News / March 26 2016

comma, ringlet and speckled wood expand their ranges, while the small tortoiseshell and small copper have declined their populations. Warmer autumns have also seen some species continue to fly into winter.

Food for thought

Fortingall yew, Fortingall, Perthshire. Record-holding tree in Scotland, considered to be 3,000-plus years old.

Ankerwycke yew, near Wraysbury, Berkshire.

One of the oldest in England at between 1,400 and 2,500 years old.

The Garden Butterfly Survey launched by charity Butterfly Conservation (BC) invites members of the public, and especially gardeners, to log their monthly observations about butterfly species they find in their gardens online. l To take part in the survey, visit www.gardenbutterflysurvey.org A garden spider investigates yarrow flowers

Spiders feast on plant products as well as insects and other organisms, new research has found. Scientists from the UK, USA and Switzerland discovered nectar, pollen, sap, honeydew, leaf tissue and seeds were all on the menu for a wide range of species. Trees, shrubs, weeds, grasses and orchids all provided food sources, but those producing copious nectar from flowers were found to be the most popular.

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collection of 200 border chrysanthemums has been dispersed to new locations so it can be better protected for the future.

Judy Barker started the Plant Heritage National Plant Collection of Korean, rubellum and spray chrysanthemums on her allotment 12 years ago, but flooding of her plot and a period of infirmity posed significant risks for the plants survival. New locations have been found at Norwell Nurseries, Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Hill Close Gardens, Warwickshire. The move follows the dispersal of a collection of English marigold varieties by Bristol Zoological Gardens to schools and community groups. ● Visit www.plantheritage.com

Beatle garden gains support

Clematis and climbers in Wiltshire

Thursday March 24-Sunday 27. Open 10am-4pm.

Floyds Climbers and Clematis, 36 Dowding Drive, Lower Compton, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 8QL. Tel: 01249 823200 or visit www.floydsclimbers.co.uk Nursery open days where you can browse and buy a wide range of climbing plants and clematis. Advice and tips on growing, training and pruning climbers. Tea and coffee available. ● Admission: free

Hyacinth collection open days in Cambridgeshire Friday March 25–Monday 28.

Collection held at field location, near Bottisham Lock, Cambridgeshire.

Satnav CB25 9QL or call Alan Shipp for details, tel: 01223 571064 or email alan.shipp@virgin.net National collection of 225 different varieties from history to the present day. ● Admission: £ 3

‘Framberry’

A strawberry with the taste kick of raspberry makes for a very different experience. Fruits from mid-June to July. Grow like a strawberry in pots, beds or hanging baskets. Price: £6.99 ● Available from all Wyevale Garden Centres. www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk

‘Freeclimber’

A climbing variety that produces almost full-size, intensely- flavoured fruit on scandant runners. Grow in pots and train over a framework of horizontal canes or twigs. Price: £2.50

‘Freejumper’

● Both Freeclimber and Freejumper are available from Lubera.

Tel: 0845 527 1658 or visit www.lubera.co.uk

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Dorothy Clive Garden, Willowbridge, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 4ET. Tel: 01630 647237 or visit www.dorothyclivegarden.co.uk Fourteen specialist nurseries attending, selling a wide range of plants, many rare and unusual. Advice freely available.

Fair is set against 4.8ha (12 acre) quarry garden, set in wooded hillside. Spring-flowering herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees and mixed borders. Water features. Café and tearoom with hot and cold food. Dogs on a lead welcome. ● Admission: £ 3.50 to both fair and garden

Alpine displays in the Cotswolds Monday March 28, 12 -4pm.

The Cotswold and Malvern AGS group, event at Maisemore Village Hall, Church Road, Maisemore, Gloucestershire GL2 8JE. Visit www.alpinegarden society.net/groups/ Cotswold-and-Malvern/ springshow Enchanting A display of primulas at range of well-grown Dorothy Clive Garden alpines displayed in competitive classes. Specialist nurseries selling plants.

Advice and problem-solving desk. Refreshments available. ● Admission: £ 3 public/AGS members free

Rob Po erton

Trailing variety suitable for hanging baskets and tall pots!

Blossoms produced quickly on new runners, ensuring a long season of aromatic fruit. Price: £2.50

Sunday March 27 – Monday 28, 10am -5pm.

Shu erstock

Why not try something very different in strawberries this year, with this trio of new launches?

Hyacinths old and new are on display

Rare plant fair in Shropshire

Alamy

New frontiers in strawberries

Clematis ‘Stephanie’ at Floyds Climbers

Shu erstock

A memorial garden for Beatle George Harrison (right) has been proposed by the mayor of the Oxfordshire town where he lived. Henley-on-Thames councillor Lorraine Hillier recently suggested using an undeveloped triangular piece of land in the town centre. The committee now plan to approach the family, who live in nearby Friar Park, where the late musician and keen gardener set up home in the 1970s, asking for their consent.

Buy climbers and rare plants, and appreciate 225 hyacinths

Marcel Floyd

Chrysanths re-homed

Plants & Pla ce s Norwell Nurseries

Judy Barker

Chrysanthemums ‘Mary Stoker’ and ‘Alehmer Rote’ (below)

March 26 2016 / Garden News 5

WHAT TO DO Meet the tea m

Jo Wright

Jo has an established garden with fruit trees, plus an allotment.

Ian Hodgson

A Kew-trained horticulturist, Ian is also a garden designer.

THIS WEEK

Melissa Mabbitt

Karen Murphy

Having previously worked at the National Trust’s Bodnant Garden, Melissa has RHS qualifications.

Keen fruit, veg and container gardener, Karen also loves wildlife.

If y o u d o ju st o n e jo b...

C h e c k li s t

ouseplants

■ Re-pot h dlings ■ Thin see erb garden ■ Sow a h

Put in plant supports Do it now to keep perennials upright and undamaged

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Got 5 min ute s?

Oil hinges on your gates

As part of getting woodwork and furniture ready for the gardening season ahead, don’t forget to oil gate hinges, to remedy unpleasant squeaks and creaks. Use WD40 spray to get at awkward spots, or opt for an environmentally friendly oil such as Green Oil (www.green-oil.net).

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

lump-forming perennials are an essential part of any border, but some have a tendency to flop open when their stems reach a certain height and weight.

This is more likely in plants that have been bred to be taller, with bigger, heavier flowers, such as showy peonies or Oriental poppies. Other plants that seem to suffer the dreaded mid-summer flop include hemerocallis, phlox, delphiniums, asters, and the tall crocosmia ‘Lucifer’.

Unless you grow your plants crowded together so they support each other, you will need to put in supports now to keep them upright and undamaged. Don’t wait until they have put on more growth – the idea is to put supports in place early so the leaves and stems can grow up through the supports, and gradually hide them.

Shop-bought wire or plastic supports are neat and easy to install, but you can use almost anything you have to hand. I’ve even seen an old wooden chair, seat removed, used

Plants will hide supports as they grow to support a large peony!

Willow and hazel wigwams make charmingly rustic supports that can be a feature in their own right.

Pea sticks (twiggy tree prunings) are a natural alternative that blend in well with plants. My favourite technique is to push a ring of pea sticks into the ground around the plant then weave the tops and sides together to make a rough dome that the plant can grow though.

March 26 2016 / Garden News 31

What to do this week

IN YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

Plant a small cherry tree Enjoy beautiful spring blossom and autumn colour

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othing brings a smile to the face more than billowing branches of ornamental cherry blossom this season, so why not add to the joy in your garden with one of these easy-to-grow trees?

Simply make sure your flowering cherry is situated in a sunny, well-draining and fertile area, and do not prune it in spring, or its rising sap will bleed, meaning it will lose vigour or even die. Prune in June, after flowering, trimming excess or crossing branches with a pruning saw, or leave it until late autumn. See our guide below to fail-safe planting. l Supplier of miniature prunus in pot: Suttons Seeds, tel: 0844 326 2200, www.suttons.co.uk

Ste p by ste p

Many ornamental cherries are suited to containers, such as the variety ‘Kojo-no-mai’, and will grow happily in a sunny spot, perhaps complemented by some cheerful pansies

Dig a sizeable hole in a sunny position, roomy enough to take all your tree’s root system comfortably.

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Lift your tree from its pot, and lightly tease out the root system to loosen it from its pot confinement.

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Fill in all the gaps around the tree with soil, making sure the tree is firmly in place, and stamp down.

Lower it into the hole and, with a wooden stake, check that the base of the trunk is level with the ground.

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Garden News Two classics to try RECOMMENDS

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Tie in your stake to the tree firmly, using some soft material or twine so you don’t damage the trunk.

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Frilly, scented pink blooms appear in April. Has good autumn leaf colour. Height: 8m (26ft), spread: 6m (20ft).

Garden World images

Garden World images

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Hammer in a stake at a side angle, so that you avoid any damage to the roots of the tree.

Prunus ‘Fragrant Cloud’

Prunus ‘Ukon’

Between April and May, large clusters of greenish double flowers that open from pink buds. Height: 8m (26ft), spread: 10m (33ft).

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