Garden News October 4

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October 4, 2014

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Your expert guide to over-wintering

DAHLIAS GET AHEAD! Sow next year's broad beans now

10

ways to bring deep shade back to life!

EASY ORCHIDS TO TRY THIS WINTER!

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top plants for colour now! en Fit bright FOLIAGE in any size gard Grow the best SHRUBS for berries US Discover delicate AUTUMN CROC

Left: Autumn crocus will flower well beneath deciduous trees

Plant of the week FACTFILE

AUTUMN CROCUS Bulbs Full sun Free-draining soil Flowers: September and October Height: 6cm to 18cm (2¼-7in)

Garden World Images

Get up close to

autumn crocus Grow them in pots to admire their intricate beauty

Nick Turrell GARDEN WRITER

A HUGE DRIFT of crocus naturalised in grass is an endearing springtime scene, but if this is the only way you picture them,

you’re missing something. Some crocus varieties flower in autumn and they should be looked at differently. When it comes to autumn crocus, less is more.

I only realised this when I grew some in a pot. When you see them up close, you notice just how

Crocus banaticus petals fold back when exposed to strong sun

Garden World Images

4 Garden News / October 4 2014

intricate and beautiful the flowers are; something that can go overlooked when grown in large numbers in the garden.

Creating even a modest-sized display of naturalised crocus in the garden takes hundreds, if not thousands of bulbs. Have you ever tried planting hundreds of bulbs?

It’s backbreaking work! However, you can still get an amazing display from just a few packets if you plant them in pots.

Many autumn crocus come from Turkey, Iran and Romania, so they’ll want a sunny position and a well-drained soil. Adding plenty of grit to the compost to help it drain is a must.

Perhaps the best known of the autumn-flowering group is Crocus sativus. This tiny plant, no bigger

Crocus sativus is the source of the spice saffron

than a teacup, is famous for a different reason – it produces the most expensive spice in the world – saffron. Just one kilo costs £11,000 but before you get any big ideas, you’ll need at least two acres of crocus to produce this much saffron! The expensive bits are the pretty red stamens in the centre of the flowers, which are all picked by hand.

It likes rich compos – a John Innes No 2 is fine – and should be planted much deeper than you’d imagine for such a small bulb, 15cm (6in) below the surface.

Make sure your pot is deep enough to allow for this.

If you’re looking for some wow factor from just a few bulbs then

6 of the best types

Tony Goode

Alamy

Crocus kotschyanus cappadocicus

Crocus mathewii This pure white variety has a violet-purple ring at the base of the flower. Prefers welldrained soil in full sun.

Karen Lynes Expert bulb grower, Peter Nyssen Bulbs We grow hundreds of thousands of bulbs and one thing I’ve learned about autumn crocus is if you’re growing them in pots, always use a soilbased compost rather than a peat-based one. Peat is too Crocus pulchellus acidic for crocus and it can burn multiplies well the roots.

I like to grow them in pots with other bulbs such as tulips so when the crocus die down, the tulips will take over. Like crocus, tulips also like a dry environment so they will be compatible growing partners.

We don’t have many problems with pests or diseases on the whole, but look out for squirrels. They like to up the bulbs and eat them. You can outwit squirrels by planting the bulbs inside a small plastic cage so if a squirrel goes digging around it can’t actually eat the bulbs. I’ve also heard that surrounding the bulb in dried chilli fl akes when planting helps. If the squirrel gets a mouthful of chilli before it gets to the bulb, it will look elsewhere!

On the whole, crocus need to be planted at least 8cm (3in), deep but if you’re in doubt, plant them deeper than you think. A dose of tomato fertiliser applied in late summer when you see them first emerging will help improve the flowers and obviously if there is heavy rain or strong winds forecast, it’s a good idea to put them where the blooms won’t be spoiled.

Some of our most popular varieties on the nursery include Crocus speciosus which is a strong grower, C. pulchellus which spreads really well and, of course, C. sativus.

Alamy

Prefers cool moist conditions with a dry summer rest.

Grows on its side in the soil.

“Always use a soilbased compost, peat is too acidic”

Alamy

Tony Goode

Crocus pallasii haussknechtii

Crocus niveus A giant among autumn crocus, standing 18cm (7in) tall. The flowers are usually white with yellow centres.

Likes cold winters and hot dry summers. Keep dry in summer to allow it to rest.

Alamy

Alamy

Garden World Images

Crocus tournefortii

Crocus speciosus ‘Albus’

Blooms remain open at night and in dull weather. The long red stamens look like its poking its tongue out at you.

Large flowers with a tinge of yellow near the centre. Leaves have a silvery central stripe.

Flowers are fragrant.

Garden World Images

and will multiply steadily over a few years, especially if you give them a little protection from the elements during winter. Once they’ve finished flowering, let them die down naturally and then during the summer ease right off the watering to let them rest.

At 10cm to Large-flowered 12cm (4-5in) tall, Crocus speciosus C. speciosus are one of the big boys in the playground. They have try C. banaticus, which has silvery lilac-blue flowers with flowers as striking as an orchid. darker veins and a white throat.

A dozen of these in a big pot will They need full sun and a gritty, be breathtaking, but in the moderately fertile soil to keep garden they’d be lost. They aren’t them happy. bothered by pests or diseases

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● Peter Nyssen Bulbs, tel: 0161 747 4000; www.peternyssen.com

They’re easy to propagate by removing the smaller bulblets that develop on the side of the main bulb and growing them on. The best time to do this is early summer when it’s dormant.

Having delicate blooms on show at such a squally time of year is asking for trouble and it’s no surprise that they can be damaged by autumn wind and rain. This is another good reason for growing them in a pot. If you have a conservatory or greenhouse, you can bring them in at the crucial time to protect their blooms.

Suppliers ● Avon Bulbs, tel: 01460 242177; www.avonbulbs.co.uk ● Po ertons, tel: 01472 851714; www.po ertons.co.uk ● Rare Plants, tel: 01978 366399; www.rareplants.co.uk ● Van Tubergen Bulbs, tel: 01379 688282; www.vantubergen.co.uk

October 4 2014 / Garden News 5

Weekly reminders and advice from the GN team 5 quick jobs to do right now

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Buy value plug plants

Catalogues are full of autumn bedding plants such as pansies, primulas, bellis, wallflowers and sweet williams. When young plug plants arrive they need attending to promptly, which is easy if you’ve brought them home yourself – but really important if they’ve arrived in the post. Water the compost if plants are dry. Pot up plugs as soon as possible into multi-purpose compost in cell trays or small pots depending on their size. Water sparingly, just enough to settle the roots, and grow on until they’ve made plenty of new roots and are ready to plant out.

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Treat yourself to a pot ‘mum!

Pot chrysanthemums are such great plants, absolutely smothered in flowers for weeks on end and perfect for a hit of instant colour in a pot. How about planting a pair in containers either side of your front door to cheer yourself up every time you come home this autumn?

Just use multi-purpose compost and water when it dries out. Make sure they’re in a sunny spot to get the best display.

Pot up parsley If you want to carry on har vesting fresh herbs during winter, pot up pieces of perennial kinds such as parsley, mint, chives and tarragon now. Lift and divide the clump, split it into pieces and plant into multipurpose compost.

Water the pots and grow them on in the warmth of the greenhouse to keep them producing fresh leaves.

Clare Foggett

Greg Loades

Ian Hodgson

Nick Turrell

Horticulturist Clare’s 50m (165ft) garden is home to fruit, cut flowers and ornamental borders.

Rose specialist and horticulturist with a large allotment that includes lots of roses as well as fruit and veg.

Kew-trained horticulturist and garden designer, who previously worked for the RHS.

Garden designer with 20 years experience.

Nick’s garden is full of herbaceous perennials, grasses and herbs.

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4

Take down bean canes

When your runner and climbing beans have finished cropping, remove the old plants and take down the canes. Chop the plants up and add to the compost heap. When you dismantle your rows or wigwams, clean stuck-on soil from the ends of the canes before storing for winter. You can also dunk the ends in varnish or preservative to help extend their life.

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Support sedum Sedum spectabile varieties are starting to produce spectacular colour now. Don’t let flopping stems ruin the display though. If your plants are starting to splay outwards, slot a circular support around the clump to keep them upright. If they’re splaying, it’s a sign they need dividing and splitting up into smaller clumps, so make a note to do this next spring when buds emerge.

October 4 2014 / Garden News 19

s w e n e In th

Floral waiters serve up a treat in Zundert

is week th s e ri to s g in n e rd a g ig The b N Editor-at-large Edited by IAN HODGSO

Exhibits are both imaginative and complex

Dahlias talk of the town

Dutch festival largest in the world

I

30 Garden News / October 4 2014

Exhibits are only available for two days The designs are made from cardboard, papier-mâché, wire and fresh blooms that are also grown by the locals. The flowers are only attached three days prior to the parade, often involving townspeople

Twenty Dutch hamlets each make and grow flowers for their sculpture working long into the night.

Preparing the structure for each exhibit and growing the right colour balance of flowers takes most of the year, so creating the winning exhibit is a huge honour.

After the parade, the exhibits are displayed for a further day and then pulled apart, until the next competition the following year.

• For more information, visit: www.bloemencorsozundert.nl

Photos: Corsozundert

N EARLY SEPTEMBER the town of Zundert, southern Holland, is the venue for an astonishing flower show unlike any other.

Sculptures of amazing complexity are lovingly created from countless colourful dahlia blossoms by an army of volunteers from the town and the surrounding districts.

Mobile floats trundle a cavalcade of house-sized exhibits down the main street to the delight of locals and the thousands of paying visitors who come to revel in the two day spectacle.

The Zundert Flower Festival, which started in 1936, now involves all the people in the town and its 20 surrounding hamlets. Each hamlet competes to produce the best float, which can cost between €15-20,000 (£11,800- £15,730) to make.