Garden News March 5

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DAHLIAS

Start now for masses of cuttings

GROW A LEMON TREE THE EASY WAY

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Early-flowering

CLEMATIS

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rhubarbs

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Spring colour

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Carol's must-have primulas

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AboutNOW Showing the way forward Forum to discuss the future of local competitions Words Ian Hodgson

Entries to many flower shows will continue to decline unless action is taken

T

Photos: Iwerne Minster Flower Show

he falling number of entries to local flower shows will be debated at a specially convened forum in Dorset on March 17. Gardening clubs seeing an unrelenting decline of entries to competitive classes will have the chance to share their concerns and devise ways to rejuvenate events in their own communities.

The Flower Show Forum initiative is brainchild of Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group garden centres, in response to feedback from his local gardening community.

“Last summer we learned how hard organisers were having to work to put these shows on. It is progressively getting tougher and tougher. On speaking to the RHS we discovered it was an issue that was being experienced nationally,” said Mike. “So we thought it would be useful to hold a forum to try and bring about change, encourage other regions to bring their knowledge and expertise, and entice more people to get involved.”

Mike also elicited support from the RHS who are sending representatives from their Affiliated Societies team, along with one of their show judges.

Others involved include

individuals from Charing Gardening Society in Kent, who have had success in attracting more entrants to their various show classes.

“Getting young people involved will be key and I think gardening clubs and societies need to work in schools to encourage greater collaboration, help solve each others problems

Thursday, March 17, from 2-4pm.

Entry is free. To take part in the debate email mike@ thegardensgroup.co.uk or call 01935 814633. ● Are entries to your local flower show in decline? How would you encourage more younger people to enter? Write to ‘Shows Crisis’, at the address on page 58, or email gn.letters@bauermedia.co.uk

Photos: Van Meuwen

Racy veg could land a cash prize

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on’t despair if your prize carrot is rather more preposterous rather than perfect, plant retailer Van Meuwen’s new ‘Rude Veg’ competition could be just the solution. Whether it’s a bulbous beetroot, peculiar parsnip or misshapen strawberry, Van Meuwen want to see what you’ve got – the winner will receive a £250 cash prize!

The competition is open Embrace the unusual and enter your weirdest produce to all UK-based gardeners and you don’t have to use

4 Garden News / March 5 2016

and nurture closer relations for the future,” added Mike, when talking to Garden News.

After the event a Facebook group will be set up to encourage further discussion and stimulate fresh ideas. Points made will appear in a future edition of GN. ● The Flower Show Forum will convene at Castle Gardens, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR on

Van Meuwen plants or products to enter.

How to enter

Post a photo of your entry with your address and phone number to ‘Vulgar Veg Competition’, Van Meuwen, Freepost Admail ADM3952, Spalding PE11 1ZZ, or upload the photo to www.vanmeuwen. com/competitions. The closing date is September 18. ● Sorry, no printed photos can be returned.

RBG Kew

I see no tree...

Brazil unfurls at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Visit breathtaking displays of exotic orchids and winter bulbs this week Meadows of wild crocus in Berkshire From March Inkpen Crocus Field, near Newbury, Berkshire.

Visit www.bbowt.org.uk/ reserves/inkpen-crocus-field Grid reference: SU 370640.

Britain’s largest wild display of over 40,000 naturalised crocus. Known since at least 1800, the extensive display of bulbs in this Site of Special Scientific Interest is always dramatic. ● Admission: FREE

Brazilian jungle celebration at Kew

A young homeowner from Canterbury was outraged when she thought the 2.4m (8ft) tree in her front garden had been ripped out by vandals.

But Zoe Slater, 24, was shocked to discover it had fallen down a 3m (10ft) wide sinkhole that had opened up right outside her house. Zoe is thankful the hole hadn’t formed later on. “My children always play out in the front in the summer. I hate to think what could have happened!”

A spokesman from South East Water said the problem has been caused by a burst water main and the damage was being repaired.

To March 6 Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB. Tel: 020 8332 5655 or visit www.kew.org

SWNS

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

Camellia ‘Middlemist’s Red’ dates to 1804

Rare plants and crocus in Somerset Plant fair: March 6. Crocus week: March 5-13 Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset TA20 4LU. Tel: 01460 220231 or visit www.fordeabbey.co.uk

Thirty stalls of rare and unusual plants and sundries. Gardening advice available. Free posy-making workshops for Mothering Sunday. ● Admission: March 6 only: Plant fair and crocus displays £3. All other dates in crocus week: £10.

Historic camellias in North West London

To March 13, Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm Chiswick House & Gardens, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London W4 2RP. Tel: 020 8995 0508 or visit www.chgt.org.uk

The UK’s oldest collection of original camellia hybrids from 1828 growing in a newly restored historic glasshouse.

The 33 varieties includes the very rare ‘Middlemist’s Red’, brought from China in 1804. ● Admission: FREE (donations welcome).

Clare Kendall

Bole in a hole – thanks to burst water main

Last chance to experience colourful, artistic and informative displays of orchids, bromeliads and other tropical plants from Brazil and elsewhere in the Princess of Wales conservatory.

Documentary screenings available. ● Price: £15 adults, £14 concessions, £3.50 children up to 16.

Crocus stud the fields at Inkpen

Adrian Wallington

dinburgh’s The Palm House – Botanic Gardens repairs are needed (RBGE) received a glittering ‘school report’ from an independent body reporting to the Scottish Government.

“RBGE is a small organisation achieving a great deal,” said the group, who praised the joint operation of its plant collections, education and science and visitor services, citing them as ‘almost unique’. Edinburgh’s ‘Edible Gardening’ project that helps marginalised communities grow food was particularly acclaimed.

In response to the report and its own internal assessments, RBGE urgently needs to re-develop part of Storm-damaged the site, improving both its educational support glasshouses and horticultural facilities, and visitor need replacing experience. The ambition is to build new research glasshouses and refurbish public structures, such as the temperate and tropical palm houses.

The Scottish Government has already given RGBE nearly £2 million towards planning the repair or replacement of its various glasshouses.

Photos: RBGE

Thumbs up for Edinburgh!

E

Plants & Pla ce s

March 5 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

Karen Murphy

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

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

THIS WEEK

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

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

Prune Hybrid Tea and bush roses Take action now to protect against blackspot and boost blooms

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he point at which leaf buds start to develop on your bush roses is the time to give them their early spring prune. You might have given them a light prune in autumn to reduce wind-rock,

but pruning thoroughly now will give them a strong structure and encourage lots of healthy new growth and flowers.

Pruning also removes stems that harbour blackspot – it’s this pruning, rather than picking

Ste p by ste p

1

Cut any old or damaged stems on your plant right down to the ground.

2

Also remove crossing and thin, weak stems to ground level.

Got 5 min ute s?

Get ahead on next year’s growth

3

Prune the remaining strong stems to an outwardfacing bud.

up fallen leaves, that’s now thought to reduce reinfection.

If left, unpruned roses can become a tangled mess, with thin, weedy stems and few flowers. Use sharp and clean secateurs to prune, and wash or spray them with garden disinfectant between each plant to stop the crossinfection of diseases.

Bush roses include Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, and you

Feed the bulbs Sprinkle a slow-release granular feed around flowering bulbs and those that are still emerging.

As the flowers start to fade the plants get to work storing food in their bulbs and developing next year’s bloom. The better the nutrient they have at this time, the bigger next year’s flower will be.

A slow-release fertiliser, such as Miracle-Gro Bulb Booster, will make sure they have access to a gradual supply of nutrients as they do this.

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

Photos: Neil Hepworth

Prune now for abundant flowering

can also prune standard roses in the same way. Completely remove any stems older than three years, along with any stems that look damaged or diseased. Remove thin, straggly and crossing stems too.

The strong stems left behind should be shortened to at least 25-30cm (10-12in), to an outwardfacing bud. For Hybrid Teas aim to cut the stems even shorter, to 10-15cm (4in-6in) from the soil surface. Once pruned, sprinkle over a slow-release fertiliser, or mulch them with well-rotted farmyard manure.

Che cklist ■ Protect new shoots

from slugs ■ Start dividing perennials ■ Open greenhouse vents on warm days March 5 2016 / Garden News 31

MEDWYN WILLIAMS

Seeds will thrive in warmth and light

Growing for

SHOWING

Winner of 11 Chelsea golds and awarded an MBE!

Equal spacing is vital to ensure even growth

Sow tomatoes

Parsnip prep is key

Garden News RECOMMENDS

Three to try

Photos: Medwyn Williams

If there was any year to grow tomatoes, it has to be 2016 – the official Year of the Tomato! It’s a Europe-wide campaign to promote the wonder of the tomato and all the varieties out there to try, so why not get involved and start sowing now? March is the ideal time to start – nice and early means your young tomato plants get off to a good start and develop strong roots before being planted out in late spring.

Simply sow a few seeds thinly onto pots of some good quality seed compost, cover with a fine layer of compost and Vermiculite, and water lightly and carefully. Pop them on a windowsill at around 20C (68F) and they’ll appear in a week or two.

Some common wisdom dictates that, sown too early, tomato plants will become leggy and light starved, but this shouldn’t happen if you keep them in consistent light and warmth, with not too much water.

In low light, perhaps try a piece of foil or white paper behind your pots or tray to reflect light back onto them.

Once it’s time to plant them out in mid to late May you can water them more, as they have enough light and warmth to thrive correctly.

Pot on when they get larger, and thin out weaker seedlings. Why not try growing something a li le different such as elongated yellow plum ‘Cream Sausage’, or a striped variety such as ‘Green Zebra’?

I’m coring out my 45-gallon drums ready to grow monster parsnips

‘Cream Sausage’

A plum heritage variety with a sweet flavour.

‘Tigerella’

Decorative medium fruits, and gives good yield.

‘Chocolate Cherry’

Deep purple-red fruits with good flavour.

l All varieties available from Mr Fothergill’s, tel: 0333 777 3936, or visit www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

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his year I’m sowing all my parsnips in 45-gallon steel drums in my glasshouse, which are standing on a bed of sand contained by concrete block work. I emptied out and refilled the drums with sand a while ago, and I’m planning to sow four ‘Victor’ parsnips per drum this week. They’re sown in boreholes that I need to excavate from the sand and fill with peaty compost.

This is really hard work and my young worker Tom will be exercising his muscles on this job as well!

First, I soak the sand in my barrels to wash out any build up of salts. Also, when I core out the holes, the wet sand tends to remain inside the pipe rather than collapsing back into the hole. I space the four holes evenly across the surface and mark them with the bottom of the coring pipe.

The space between each hole, and between the edge of the hole and inside of the drum, is vital because I want the four plants to grow evenly, which Excavating boreholes is eventually hard work! should help me match up a set.

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I use two lengths of 7.5cm (3in) diameter piping to core the holes.

The first is about 107cm (3ft 6in) long and the second is 168cm (5ft 6in). Both have holes drilled across the top where I can insert a small length of steel piping as leverage to turn the pipe around because it needs to remain upright while coring. Once I’ve cored down as far as I can, I finish it off with a pointed steel bar, which I also use to form the top of the cored hole. This needs to have a diameter of 12.5cm (5in), so I use a bottomless pot of that size as a template.

Next, I fill the holes with compost, pushing it down with a cane to ensure that it settles with no air holes. For my parsnip mix I use one bag of F25 passed through a ½cm (¼in) sieve, 10 litres of fine-grade Vermiculite, 10 litres of sieved soil from my celery bed that has dried in the polytunnel, 200g of finely sieved bone meal, and 300g of sieved calcified seaweed. This is all turned over in my concrete mixer and passed again through a sieve. It’s amazing how many hard pieces still remain!

March 5 2016 / Garden News 39