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Perhaps America’s First Lady will sow her ‘summit’ seeds in the new White House veg and herb garden
First Lady is growing veg
America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, is creating a new veg and herb garden at the White House. She is working with 26 schoolchildren on the project and some of the produce will be cooked in the White House kitchen and also go to help the local soup kitchen, according to the website www.mycapitalgardensusa.co.uk The website features a collection of some of the best farmers’ markets, wineries, gardens and national parks in the Capital region which includes Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. Monty Don introduces the site and there’s also a competition to win a holiday.
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Grow plea to world leaders
Seed company’s daring summit stunt pays off By Carol Warters News editor
WORLD leaders attending the G20 summit in London have been urged to join the ‘grow your own ‘brigade. But the seed company who sent packets of veg seeds to the world’s most powerful people, including presidents, prime ministers and a king,
nearly ended up in trouble with the Law. London-based company Seeds of Italy sent a letter and seeds to every head of state attending the summit imploring them to encourage schools, factories, offices, homes, hospitals and public offices to ‘get the world growing again’. But a ‘serious’ phone call
from the Metropolitan Police asked Paolo Arrigo, of Franchi Seeds of Italy, why he was sending the leaders little packets and asking what they contained. Fortunately the firm had received a swift response from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 10 Downing Street headed paper, thanking them for taking the initiative.
“After a long and very thorough interrogation, they were happy to let it pass with the positive results seen from a letter from Gordon Brown’s office,” said Paolo. “We’re certain that other leaders also saw the packets and hopefully they are growing a pack of Franchi seeds in their veg plots right now. “We were really chuffed
April 21 2009 Garden News 3
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Presidents and prime ministers The White House, Joyce Boghosian
Do you have an allotment story? ALLOTMENTS have a unique role in British life – as valuable green spaces, communities for bringing people together, and above all as somewhere to grow your own healthy food. If you’ve already got a plot, you could be ready to enjoy your best summer ever, but perhaps you’re still on the waiting list… There’s currently a huge demand for allotments and a wait of several years or more isn’t unusual. Garden News is planning an in-depth series on allotment gardening and we need your help! We’ll be looking at waiting lists and we want to know
where the longest is. Tell us how long you’ve been waiting. We’ll also be investigating whether local councils do enough to stop people hogging plots and whether they’re sticking to legal obligations to provide plots. In fact, if you have anything to say about allotments, our team at Garden News want to know about it. Perhaps you’re paying an exorbitant rent – or barely anything. Or maybe your plots closed down years ago and are still lying derelict. Write in and let us know and send some pictures, if you have any. The editorial address is on page 46 or you can send an email to carol.warters@ bauermedia.co.uk
Fiona scarlett
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Gordon Brown thanked the firm for taking the initiative and very proud to receive a reply from Gordon Brown,” he added. The seeds included were a mixture of Venetian carrots and alpine lettuce to Neapolitan basil and Ligurian tomatoes and the message was a genuine one, added Paolo. “Seeds still germinate during a crisis and we all need to eat, but an increase
in domestic vegetable production and a shift in government policy is needed to safeguard the future of our children,” Paulo told Garden News. “Children that grow vegetables, eat vegetables and should grow their own at school so as to experience nature at first hand.” He said that as well as
Happy gardeners at Stoughton Infants School in Surrey
‘We’re certain that other leaders also saw the packets and hopefully they are growing a pack of Franchi seeds in their veg plots right now’ keeping youngsters healthy with regular exercise, ‘growing your own’ saves food miles, helps children to appreciate food as well as taking ownership and responsibility of the world’s resources. “No part of growing vegetables is bad – the produce is good for you, the plants are good for the environment and compost
down. To all the leaders on the planet earth, we say ‘what you sow, you reap’.” Seeds of Italy have launched an appeal to help the victims of the Italian earthquake. Visit their website at www.seedsofitaly.com and click on Italian Earthquake Appeal on the homepage.
School’s garden helps children eat more veg TWO thirds of children at a primary school refused to eat any kind of fruit and veg at lunch times – until they discovered gardening. Now nearly all plates are packed with healthy bites and the youngsters are eating things that they would not have tried before, Belinda Wilson, joint head teacher at Stoughton Infants School in Surrey has revealed. The school’s pupils were the first in the country to achieve all five levels of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening benchmarking scheme and have transformed an outside space into a dynamic learning environment. Belinda Wilson recognises the educational and health benefits of the gardening scheme: “A recipe that went down very well was raw spinach, carrot, cucumber, tomato and lime salad and all
ingredients were grown by the children.” As well as eating the fruits of their labours, the young pupils met up with gardening superstar Alan Titchmarsh at the RHS flagship garden at Wisley, Surrey. He was launching a funding scheme for green fingered pupils across the country. At the end of the month, the RHS will take over the management of the Alan Titchmarsh Gardens for Schools Trust, creating a fund from which RHS Campaign for School Gardening schools can apply for grants of £500 to help them develop their gardens further when they reach a certain level of the benchmarking scheme. Schools will be able to apply for grants from September. For more information on the campaign, visit www.rhs.org.uk/ schoolgardening
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April 21-27
k e e w g in n e d r a g r u o Y The key things you should do over the next seven days P12 containers P13 essentials P6 and 7 Fruit & VEG P9 and 10 Gardening for health
This week’s tips, ideas and reminders are brought to you by gardening expert Martin Fish. He helps you tidy up your climbers and refresh containers ...
Spruce up your containers now for an even better display this summer
Freshen up containers IF YOU are growing trees, shrubs and perennials in large containers, a little extra attention at this time of the year will keep them healthy and growing well. The secret to keeping container plants in good condition for several years is to make sure they always
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have plenty of water and food. Unlike those growing in the garden, container plants can’t send down deep roots in search of water and nutrients so they have to rely on being fed and watered regularly. Even at this time of the year, when the weather can be cool and showery, it is
Scrape off the top inch or two of old compost and pull out any weeds before sprinkling some slow-release fertiliser onto the surface.
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important to water regularly to prevent roots from drying out. You can either give a liquid feed weekly or add a slowrelease fertiliser to the pots every spring. I tend to give the main feed now and give additional feed when I water from midsummer onwards.
Top up with some fresh compost to cover the fertiliser granules and then water thoroughly to settle the compost. The new compost will makes the container look better as well as adding more nutrients.
The yellow flowers of winter jasmine make a lovely display in late winter and early spring, but after a few years the plants get a bit ‘woody’ and produce fewer flowers. To rejuvenate an old plant, be ruthless and cut out all the old wood down to ground level. The long stems made over the summer will produce flowers next winter.
Climbers you can train now
Variegated ivy is ideal for covering a wall, but if not trimmed occasionally, it becomes very thick and woody. Trim now with a pair of shears to shape it back against the wall and encourage lush new foliage.
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April 21 2009 Garden News 7
Control climbers How to prune and train them CLIMBERS can be among the most attractive plants in the garden but they can easily become overgrown and out of control. This can be because they have not been trained and pruned properly or simply planted in the wrong place. When you are planting new climbers, always think about their eventual size and also what type of pruning they will need to keep them under control. Correctly supported and pruned from a young age, most climbers are assets to
the garden and ideal for hiding or softening walls and fences. If they do get a bit out of hand, most of them respond well to heavy pruning. At this time of the year most climbers are starting into growth, so it’s the ideal time to sort out any unruly plants before they get even larger! Do this job now and they will have all summer to make new growth. But before you start to prune, remember to check in the thick growth in case any birds are nesting there.
Other jobs to do... Borders
Stake Perennials Try to support tallgrowing perennials before they grow too big and flop over. For the most natural effect in the border, allow the perennials to grow up through the frame.
Containers Prune Bay Trees After several years clipped bay trees in pots can start to get tired and lose their shape. To get them back into shape prune now a little harder than you normally would to encourage a flush of new shoots which can be trimmed into a better shape. Fortunately bay will grow from old wood, so even very hard pruning won’t harm the plant.
Trees and shrubs
BEFORE
Growing against a wall in our new garden are a honeysuckle and Virginia creeper which have twined together over the years. They are top-heavy and have grown several feet away from the wall over the driveway.
AFTER
To encourage the two climbers to make new shoots that can be trained against the wall, I’m cutting them hard back to leave bare stems. It looks drastic, but by midsummer the old wood will be covered by new growth.
Tips for aftercare
EWhen pruning old climbers, take your time and cut out all of the dead wood in the centre of the plant. EOnce you have pruned established climbers, they usually make vigorous growth over the spring and summer which should be trained, otherwise the plant will just become untidy again. Tie long stems to support wires or a trellis to keep the plant flat against the wall or fence.
Pot young shrubs Young shrubs grown from cuttings last year that are in small pots should be potted into larger pots to keep them growing until they are large enough to plant out into the garden. They should then be ready to plant in their permanent position by early autumn.
Cut out dead stems Check around deciduous shrubs now they are in full leaf and cut out any bare stems that have died over the winter.
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12 Garden News April 21 2009
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10 ways to a better garden and a fitter you! By Clare Foggett gardening editor
W
E’VE been saying it for years – gardening really does make you healthier in all sorts of ways. There’s all that fresh air, not to mention the uplift to the spirits that you get when you savour the fruits of your labours. Here are some surefire ways to ‘get gardening and get healthy!’
1 Plant potatoes
Great for your garden If you want to grow your own, potatoes are a great place to start, easy and good in the ground or in pots. You’re not too late – second earlies and maincrops can be planted now until early May for a crop in late summer and autumn and garden centres still have them in stock. Great for you Potatoes are good for you, as long as you don’t turn them into chips too often! They’re low in calories, packed with vitamins and their skins are rich in fibre. A medium portion of new potatoes provides you with almost one third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
26%
of your RDA of vitamin C is provided by a portion of new potatoes After raking, over-seed any threadbare patches with lawn seed mixed with multi-purpose compost. Then feed with a spring lawn fertiliser to encourage strong growth. Great for you You know raking your lawn is doing you good, because you can feel it! It’s great exercise for toning your stomach muscles. An hour’s worth of raking also burns up to 345 calories – that’s the equivalent of four chocolate digestives!
chemicals from the air making it better to breathe. They’ve even been shown to lower blood pressure, help concentration and improve memory. Get that rubber plant potted on now!
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Sort out your compost bin
Great for your garden Is your lawn looking ropey after winter? There’s still time to get it in shape for summer. Here’s what to do: Rake out moss and ‘thatch’, the debris that accumulates at the bottom of the grass.
Great for your home Spring’s a great time to give your houseplants a little TLC. Re-pot them if they’ve run out of room or freshen up their compost and take off dead leaves. Now’s the time to up the watering as they’re starting to grow vigorously again and it’s a good time to start feeding. Great for you Houseplants have been proven to promote relaxation, calm and wellbeing, absorb noise and lessen dust and remove harmful
Great for your garden Homemade compost is the best thing for your garden. Although it takes a tiny bit of effort, it’s 100 per cent free of charge and can be put to all sorts of good uses: mulching around plants to conserve moisture, as a soil improver and as an ingredient in potting compost. Plus, if you compost your garden and kitchen waste at home rather than throw it out with the rubbish, you’ll help the environment too. Great for you We reckon turning your compost heap for 15 minutes wears off more than 100 calories, and now’s a good time to turn heaps, empty out compost that’s ready and prepare your bins for the influx of material you’ll have now the growing season is underway.
Plant nutritious potatoes
Tone that tum by raking
Pot on houseplants now
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Rake lawns
3
Treat your houseplants
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Sow or plant tomatoes
Great for your garden If you have a greenhouse, put it to good use this summer and grow some tomatoes. There’s still time to sow tomato seed, or you can buy young tomato plants at garden centres ready for potting on or planting into growing bags. Great for you Tomatoes are packed with vitamins A, C and E and minerals and recent research has shown that lycopene (the pigment that makes ripe tomatoes red) is particularly beneficial, helping to protect the body against heart disease and cancer.
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Get out in the sunshine!
Great for your garden Any time you can spend in your garden is good for you, even if it’s only a few minutes a day pottering around, half an hour weeding or a good session getting stuck in at the weekend. It all makes a visible difference that’s heartening for you and great for your plants. Great for you There’s nothing like standing back and admiring your hard work at the end of the day, but working outdoors has other benefits. Getting out and exercising in the fresh air and sunshine improves your immune system, helps you sleep at night and natural sunlight helps the body produce essential vitamin D.
Get exercise turning compost
April 21 2009 Garden News 13
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Plan a herb garden
Great for your garden Spring is the best time of year to plant many new plants, including herbs. If you’ve always dreamed of an aromatic herb garden or just herbs in pots next to the kitchen door, now’s the time to put those plans into action. Herbs are readily and usually cheaply available in garden centres. Many have pretty flowers and are good for bees and butterflies, too. Great for you Herbs play an important part in a healthy, balanced diet but can also make great homemade remedies. A soothing mint tea made from fresh leaves is great to ease indigestion, camomile tea can help you sleep and one made from lemon balm leaves is said to relieve headaches. Well, it’s easier to grow than paracetamol!
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Sow flower seeds now
Great for your garden You can sow masses of flower seeds right now. Hardy annuals can be sown directly into finely raked soil where you want them to flower – what could be easier? Half-hardy annuals need a little warmth to germinate so benefit from being sown in a propagator. Either way, they’re easy and will fill your garden with cheerful colour. They’re also a great quick fix if there are parts of your garden that could do with a pick-me-up. Great for you: That uplifting happy feeling you get when you see a garden bursting with colourful flowers has got to be good for you! Double it if you’ve sown and nurtured those colourful flowers yourself. Collect extra points if
‘Getting out and exercising in the fresh air improves your immune system’
you’ve also made over a part of your garden that wasn’t performing well!
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Grow superfruit
Great for your garden Container-grown fruit trees and bushes can be planted now, and that includes the ‘superfruit’ blueberries. If you’ve got acid soil they can go in the ground, if not, grow them in pots of ericaceous compost. Grow more than one for pollination and a good crop. Great for you Blueberries are just one fruit known as a super food, not only packed with vitamins but also with cancerpreventing antioxidants. Just 100g (4oz) of blueberries provides the same amount of antioxidants as five servings of other fruit and vegetables. And they’re said to help prevent wrinkles, too!
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Cut down on chemicals
Great for your garden This time of year is critical in your fight against garden pests and diseases. Act now, the minute you spot any pests gathering, and you can often nip problems in the bud, lessening the need to reach for sprays later when the problem is out of control. Keep an eye out now for lily beetles, vine weevils, slugs and snails and aphids – when there are only one or two of them they’re easily dispatched by hand (or boot). Great for you: Although garden chemicals are tested to ensure they’re safe, most of us would rather not use them, particularly when it comes to fruit and veg where you’ll end up eating anything you spray on your crops. That’s why it’s so important to avoid problems in the first place. Using your thumb and forefinger will be better for you in the long run, if not the pests!
The best calorie burners Everything you do in the garden burns some calories – even walking from the shed to the house for a cuppa! But some activities are better for you than others, so if you want to lose weight, find some of these jobs to do. They’re all fantastic calorie burners - who needs expensive gym membership! Scrubbing paving Ditch the pressure washer and scrub dirty patio slabs by hand instead. You could burn off up to 474 calories an hour, depending on your weight.
Mowing the lawn Buy a super environmentallyfriendly, non-polluting push mower to cut your grass and you could also burn 474 calories an hour. Raking the lawn As we’ve already mentioned, lawn raking is brilliant exercise for toning stomachs, and can burn up to 345 calories an hour. General gardening Even general gardening tasks like planting, pruning and even weeding can help, burning up to 431 calories an hour.
Carol
16 Garden News April 21 2009
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s t r e p x e e Th top brains ’s g in en d ar g m o fr e ic v The best ad Derek Lusby nurseryman and exhibitor
PElargoniums I told you in February that I was going to grow some pelargoniums from seed and I remember saying it was many years since I had tried it.
‘I have four seedlings growing out of the 25 that were planted’
I can now report on what, so far as I am concerned, is complete failure. I have four seedlings growing from the 25 initially planted – a very poor return for a packet that cost more than £2! So what has gone wrong? The seeds were given the recommended temperature for germination, they were planted as per the instructions on the packet, seed compost was used and water was supplied as and when it was needed, bearing in mind that it is now eight weeks since planting. I don’t know what has gone wrong and I’m afraid the results only serve to reinforce the reason why I stopped growing my pelargonium bedding plants from seed years ago. That’s why I’d much rather order seedlings in (see below).
TOPICAL TIPS
Plants to be grown throughout the summer in the greenhouse should be in their final pots. Neglect for two or three days can quickly turn into disaster, so pay particular attention to the following: EOpen windows and even doors if the temperatures rise during fine weather. EMake sure plants have sufficient space to grow without being ‘drawn’ to the light. EDon’t forget to quarter turn plants regularly so that all parts have equal light. Check for pests and remove any dead leaves or even those that are turning yellow. EIt is still not too late to manoeuvre young plant material into the gaps you may still have in the plant. You can use ties or thin stakes to accomplish this. Take care, have patience and don’t rush. EKeep to a regular watering and feeding programme. The weight of the pot when you pick it up should be a good guide to whether water is needed or not. EFeed with a high potash fertiliser when the first flower buds begin to appear.
Spring’s
On arrival, each individual plantlet was potted up (see below)
A total of four plants were produced from seed
Rescue operation is a success I ordered some bedding pelargonium seedlings from a well-known mail order company last December. I chose a mixed colour selection. I ordered the plants online and delivery was promised for mid March 2009. Postage and packaging was included in the price of £9.99 for a tray of 60 plants. Confirmation of the order arrived within minutes of it being placed, together with a reference number. As I was going away from home in the early part of March I rang the firm before leaving to make sure that the plants would not arrive while I was on holiday. The telephonist took my order reference number and assured me that this would not happen. As originally promised, the order arrived towards the end of the third week in March
together with instructions for onward care. The plants were securely packaged and arrived, via Royal Mail, in excellent condition. Within the tray of seedlings there were five colours labelled in separate rows. I gave them a root soak in tepid water and then left them for 24 hours to recover from the journey. I potted the plantlets into 6cm (2¼in) pots in multipurpose compost, taking great care to only handle leaves and not roots or stems. I sprinkled the plants with tepid water to settle them into the compost and then placed them in a more shady part of the greenhouse for a day or two to allow them to acclimatise to a cooler temperatures and new surroundings. Subsequently they have been on or at staging height to have
the full benefit of the light available to them. After nearly three weeks, every single plant is now established in its pot and is developing well. Not a single plant has been lost. Where I live, close to the east coast, its unlikely I’ll plant them out until late May. Before then they are likely to need re-potting during mid to late April depending on temperatures, probably into a 90mm pot, and they will be ‘stopped’ to encourage them to produce flowering stems. Past experience tells me that they will be in full flower by the end of June and, with some moderate attention to deadheading and occasional feeding, they will continue to do so until late September. The plants I purchased worked out at 16p each.
Five great things to see in
T
he garden at Glebe Cottage is in full spring spate. Every sunny day brings new flowers and fresh leaves, suddenly the whole garden is burgeoning. On the one hand such active life promotes a feeling of contentment, just enjoying it all and watching it all happen. On the other it inspires us gardeners to get out there and work as, when everything is happening at breakneck speed, there seems so little time to catch up. How can the blossom get better year by year? Each spring for several years now the cavalcade of blossom, starting with sloe in the hedgerows, continuing with ornamental cherries and crab apples and fruit trees, seems more and more floriferous and frothy.
Magnolia stellata The branches of our Magnolia stellata are hardly visible under the weight of big white flowers and the scent, especially in the evening, is glorious. This was one of the first trees we planted in the garden 30 years ago though another, Magnolia loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’, has only lived here for six years and for the first time is smothered in pink bloom.
Tulips do not do well in our heavy clay soil, but I can’t forego the pleasure of seeing them each spring, so we compromise by planting them in pots and containers and using them strategically around the garden, standing on broad paths or tucked into flowerbeds among emerging perennials. Best this year are a bath full of tulip ‘Jan Reus’, a true
Klein
April 21 2009 Garden News 17
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the garden this week ‘Branches of Magnolia stellata are hardly visible under the weight of flowers and the scent is glorious’ rich crimson, and an enormous copper with a big pot full of ‘Spring Green’, which on sunny days opens its flowers wide until its petals almost reflex. Eventually Magnolia stellata might be too big for very small gardens, but Exochorda macrantha ‘The Bride’ will fit in almost anywhere. With big, fat, spherical buds that give it the
name of pearl bush and open to pure white chalices, this is a delectable shrub. Ours, at the top of steps up to the house, has layered itself and though the original plant is on its way out, the layer is now a fine plant, its arching branches full of flowers. In heavy soil, daffodils do well and white narcissi are especially effective in darker places. Although the canopy
has yet to appear, the shady part of the garden can look dark at this time, but hosts of narcissus ‘Thalia’ bring light and scent. One of Devon’s most iconic plants is the primrose, Primula vulgaris, and we have tried to establish colonies of it, especially in the wilder parts of the garden where hopefully cultivation blends into nature. Having scrupulously sown masses of green seed from plants already in residence, we are enjoying the sight of primroses en masse. As usual, nature does it best and, when adding to our colony the other day, putting out new plants, I noticed that selfsown baby primroses are starting to appear around their mother plants, by the score.
In the past we have taken seed from especially good hybrid primulas, but there are never any guarantees about what will result. A salutary lesson was learnt two years ago when we grew on seed from an exceptional blue primula. About 95 per cent of the seedlings flowered magenta/pink, a colour hard to place at the best of times. This weekend a few opening flowers on that same good blue primrose will be pollinated with pollen from another good primrose and when the seed pods have swelled they will be gently prised apart, the seed collected and sown while it’s still fresh. ECalendulas of every description are bright and cheerful flowers, but one in particular ‘Indian Prince’ with
White daffodils shine among blue forget-me-nots
thickly layered glowing orange petals and a crimson reverse, stands out. Despite having masses in the garden last year, I forgot to collect seed, but marigolds being marigolds, they self-seeded and as soon as the seedlings are big enough to handle, they will be potted on or transplanted into our hot bed and in a row in the veg garden to attract pollinating insects. ESoil and weather conditions are ideal for planting out perennials. One of the most electrifying combinations of recent years was a partnership we used at The Chelsea Flower Show, where anchusa ‘Loddon Royalist’ linked arms with geum ‘Prinses Juliana’. Deep orange and bright blue, this zippy pair perfectly complimented each other. Both plants enjoy the same conditions, rich soil that doesn’t
dry out and sunshine. In a credit crunch year we all need to lift our spirits with joyful combinations like this. I’m going to plant them now. EThe first sweetcorn have shot through the compost in their individual pots and climbing French beans are erupting left, right and centre. Various salads have been sown in modules, but this year I am determined to maintain a supply by sowing every couple of weeks. Mizuna and lettuce are due for resowing. EThere are a few bad clashes in the garden at the moment, but the worst is purple honesty in the midst of pink hellebores! Instead of ignoring them, we need to dig them up and move them to where they can be enjoyed. They might not transplant well, but it’s worth a try.
‘Spring Green’ tulips capture freshness and vibrancy of spring
18 Garden News April 21 2009
s t r e p x e e Th
ing’s top brains en rd ga om fr ce vi ad t es The b Ivor Mace champion grower
chrysanths Earlier in the year I extolled the virtues of Continental dwarf chrysanthemums, bred and grown for Armistice Day (November 11). I was surprised how they tolerated -6C (21F) in my greenhouse last December. When I turned the dehumidifier off at the end of the show season my traditional chrysanthemums developed spotted petals within three days, while these durable tough dwarf chrysanths continued to develop into full-sized blooms without a mark on them. Leicestershire nurseryman Steve Budding grows them on his nursery and supplies cuttings by mail order. I recommend these to anyone who wants a pot plant or cut flower without going to too much trouble to produce them. Steve told me that the 25 varieties of dwarf chrysanths he grows at Brookside Nurseries in Leicestershire originated on the Continent where they are widely-grown to put on graves for All Saints’ Day on November 1.
Steve Budding with his impressive dwarf chrysanths “We send out rooted cuttings at the end of May and these should be potted in a John Innes No 3 compost, with three cuttings around the outside of a 23cm (9in) pot,” Steve said. “After two weeks nip the tops out. Each plant will provide up to five flowers, so the pot will carry 15 or so florist-sized blooms. The pots require four or five 45cm (18in) split canes around the outer rim tied with string around the plants,” he advised. The chrysanths flower at the end of October or beginning of November and stand quite a lot of cold weather so they can be put outside.
Send off for Steve’s cuttings!
Steve is offering Garden News readers 15 cuttings of his dwarf chrysanths for £15 (including postage and packaging) – that’s three extra cuttings compared to the price he usually charges. Send a cheque (made payable to Brookside Nurseries Ltd) with your address and contact details to Steve Budding, 129 Cropston Road, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7BR. EFor information tel: 0116 236 4564; visit www. brooksidenurseries.co.uk or email brooksidenurseries@ hotmail.com
Important jobs will keep you fit! IT’S one of the busiest times in the chrysanthemum grower’s calendar or the time when we do some of the hardest work. There are two very important jobs to do now and they will help to keep you fit! We’ve got to mix our final potting compost and get the soil ready to plant out our early-flowering plants. Although chrysanthemums will grow and give satisfactory results in a proprietary multipurpose compost, most keen growers like to mix their own. The certainty of the nutrient levels and extra drainage material are key factors. I have changed my mix this year to: E60 per cent moss peat. E20 per cent loam. E20 per cent Perlite. I am a bit old-fashioned and still work in bushel measurements (a bushel equals eight gallons). So to every bushel or eight gallons, I add 57g (2oz) each of calcified seaweed and ground limestone. If you can’t get calcified seaweed then double up on the ground limestone. After mixing, I add 113g (4oz) each of Vitax Q4 and Antagon organic fertiliser with beneficial fungi. I find this helps the plants develop healthy roots and helps avoid root rots.
Ivor mixes his potting compost My friend from Northamptonshire, Andy Wickham, always uses this very open mixture and you’d be hard pushed to better his results. Only nutrients that are lacking need be applied to your plot and you can find out what these are by sending off a sample of your soil for analysis. Apply a general base dressing for chrysanthemums, vegetables, roses or any plant really at a rate of 136g per sq m (4oz per sq yd). You could use blood, fish and bone, or Growmore or any other balanced base fertiliser. However, what chrysanth growers often find (because their plots are covered from
August until at least early October) is that the absence of rain means soil tests often show adequate phosphate levels, a small deficiency in potassium and a large deficiency in nitrogen. Prepare the soil by forking it over and breaking it down to a planting tilth. A mechanical cultivator is a big help on a large piece of ground. You can either rake the fertiliser into the top few inches of soil or spin it in with the rotavator. Never over-cultivate or the soil will cap over after the first rain. You can also put in your bamboo canes ready for when you plant out. I plant in double rows with the plants 45cm (18in) apart with the same distance between the double rows. I have 75cm (2ft 6in) pathways between each double row bed. You need this distance for light and maintenance. Planting out is generally from early to mid May, depending on where you live and your risk of late frosts. Chrysanthemums will tolerate slight frost, but hard frosts can cause blind shoots. You can get Antagon from Trevor Martin at Vitagrow (Fertilisers) Ltd, PO Box 161, Southport, Lancs PR9 8GH, tel: 01704 507777.
Loveable rogues Make sure glorious Montanas are planted in the right spot!
M
ontanas are some of the nicest garden thugs that anyone could plant. I say ‘thugs’ because these vigorous climbers can be an absolute nightmare if they are planted in the wrong spot. But in the right place, their glorious display of flowers from mid-spring to early summer more than makes up for their riotous behaviour. With careful planning, even a small garden could house at least one Montana. Nowadays, new houses are
generally built on quite small plots with their back gardens separated by some sort of fence and this is where a Montana clematis can be very useful. Most Montanas will make around 6m to 9m (20-30ft) of growth and if this is trained horizontally in both directions, one plant could
cover an area of about 12m to 18m (40-60ft). That isn’t bad for the cost of one plant to cover an unattractive boundary! Montanas are also very useful to disguise unsightly outbuildings and just one plant can turn an eyesore into something much more attractive. Here they can grow unhindered and may never need pruning. Where space is rather more limited, it is better to give Montanas a light prune each summer. Once the plant is established and has filled the
‘Montanas will grow almost anywhere, but they will flower much better in a sunny spot’
Scented flowers of ‘Odorata’
C. montana grandiflora
Ruth Gooch ChELSEA GOLD MEDAL WINNER
CLEMATIS
Next week Carol Klein chooses top plants for you EAndi Clevely goes back to basics
GAP Photos/Jonathan Buckley - Design: Helen Yemm
April 21 2009 Garden News 19
Medwyn Williams
Champion grower
SHOw VEG Potato competitions at shows this year are going to be bigger and better than they have ever been before. There are more exhibitors having a go – especially now you can grow them in a bag. This cuts out all the hard work of deep trenching, treating with straw and mixing composts. Even the most novice of growers, using the right variety, can grow quality show potatoes in a potato bag or container without the need to do any mixing at all.
‘I hope a lot of you will try growing potato ‘Bonnie’. I rate it very highly’
space it has been given, it’s time to start keeping it under control. It is far better to trim off a little excess growth each year rather than let it get out of hand when much more drastic pruning may be required. The ideal time to prune a Montana is immediately after flowering has finished and it’s better to do it with garden shears rather than secateurs. Ideally, this should be no more than a light ‘hair cut’ – just sufficient to give it a good tidy up. If you need to take more
drastic action, try not to prune below the lowest set of leaves. If you have no alternative but to prune below leaves, into what looks like dead wood, you may find that the Montana won’t successfully recover and could die. This is why I strongly recommend pruning a little each year, it is far easier and much more reliable. A word or two of warning. Where Montanas have been allowed to climb too high on houses they have lifted roof tiles. They have also been known to pull telephone
wires off, block guttering and clamber in through air vents. Some Montana varieties have lovely purply-bronze foliage. ‘Broughton Star’, ‘Freda’ and ‘Warwickshire Rose’ all have beautifully coloured leaves, which to me are an added bonus. I also love the perfume of ‘Odorata’, ‘Fragrant Spring’, ‘Elizabeth’, ‘Mayleen’ and ‘Vera’. Their scent reminds me of a mixture of almonds and vanilla, just gorgeous! Montanas will grow almost anywhere, but they will flower much better in a sunny
position or one where there is just lightly dappled shade. Remember that the scent from perfumed varieties will be enhanced by the sun and ‘Marjorie’ needs as much sun as possible to bring out the true colour! Several Montanas have been given women’s names, but most are far from ladylike in their habits! In my opinion ‘Freda’ is the only one. She will grow the distance but does not make the quantity of dense growth compared to the others. So, if you are lucky enough to have a bit of space to fill, why not try one of these loveable rogues? EThorncroft Clematis Nursery, tel 01953 850407; www.thorncroft.co.uk
We also have some exciting new varieties that are showing great promise on the show bench, as well as being excellent in the kitchen. The latest I am growing is ‘Camelot’, a ‘Malin’ crossed with ‘Picasso’ variety. It’s an early maincrop, smooth-skinned and shalloweyed with fairly reddish pink splashed eyes, producing white fleshed, oval tubers with similar cooking characteristics to both ‘Malin’ and ‘Picasso’. It also has very high common scab resistance and is resistant to golden eelworm. The seed potatoes look very promising with good shape and shallowness of the eyes, so I shall certainly be planting 15 or so of this variety. Another potato that proved itself to be a winner at its first showing last year was ‘Bonnie’, a pink eyed, round to oval, uniformly-shaped, yellowskinned potato with pink splashed eyes and creamy coloured flesh. I really do hope that a lot of you will try growing this variety as I rate it very highly. It has a lovely shape with a silky smooth skin finish. Most exhibitors will be thinking of planting this weekend so that they have a selection of tubers to select from for their August and onwards flower shows.
There are some exciting new varieties coming through for next year from the Caithness stable. Look out for these: E‘Upmarket’, white skin, pinkeyed and round to oval tubers. E‘Lulu’, white skin, round to oval tubers and red eyes. E‘Apache’, red skin with white eyes. E‘Sparkle’, white and round to oval. They all have the Caithness trademark – very shallow eyes and good skin finish. Nearly all growers these days are using black polythene pots, (17-litres capacity) for their potatoes. They can be ordered direct from LBS Polythene at Colne, Lancashire, tel: 01282 873333. The benefit of these pots is that they are made from polythene and not rigid plastic so the polythene gives without damaging developing tubers. Once you have decided on your growing mixture, fill a third of the pot with compost, place the potato in the centre with the sprouts upwards and backfill to within 2.5cm (1in) or so of the rim with the same mixture. The pots can then be positioned in the vegetable garden on some well turned over soil that’s had a shallow trench opened up the width of the bag and about 5cm (2in) deep. Pull the soil back around each pot in turn and water them well. My pots sit on the raised beds used in the past for stump carrots. The sandy compost in the beds has been rotavated with 4oz of Vitax Q4 added to a yard run of bed.
Two mixes to try TRY these two very similar mixes to fill your pots. The first is used by champion grower Sherie Plumb with such startling results and is ideal for small quantities: E4 x 3½ gallon buckets of peat. E340g (12oz) of calcified seaweed. E450g (1lb) of Vitax Q4. Alistair Gray, from Brechin in Scotland, is another top grower of exhibition potatoes and he offers a very simple award-winning mixture suitable for larger quantities: E300-litre bale of medium grade Shamrock peat (passed through a shredder). To the whole bale of peat add: E1.36kg (3lb) of calcified seaweed. E1.36kg (3lb) of Vitax Q4.
Don’t miss
Pretty ‘Warwickshire Rose’
Dark-leaved ‘Broughton Star’
‘Marjorie’ needs full sun
Turn to page 31 for our great offer on Clematis montana
Carrots growing in blue barrelspolythene in the polytunnel Flexible pots make growing show potatoes easier
ETips on growing dahlias, fuchsias and begonias EMedwyn Williams on showing veg
24 Garden News April 21 2009
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Create a dazzling Celebrate the new season with bulbs, shrubs and heathers... By Pam Richardson garden Writer
A
s soon as the first daff bursts into bloom in February, spirits lift and there is a sense that spring is almost here. Now the clocks have gone forward and spring really has arrived it is time for many other spring flowers and shrubs to join the daffodils. Tulips respond to the warmth of spring sunshine and in shady spots woodland plants such as erythronium and epimedium put on a delicate display. On acid soils azaleas, pieris and heathers wear their new spring colours. Here we show you how to create this dazzling spring border and suggest alternatives to the acid-loving plants if you garden on chalky soil.
2Muscari
This can be rampant but true blue flowers are rare. Brilliant blue Muscari armeniacum also has a double form ‘Blue Spike’. Deep lavender-blue shaded Muscari latifolium (below) has a single neat leaf that doesn’t flop – it’s perfect for tidy borders. Height: 20cm (8in). The bright blue flowers of common grape hyacinth Muscari neglectum take some beating, but it is a rampant spreader.
5Azalea
Azaleas and rhododendrons thrive on acid soil and brighten up a spring garden with flamboyant, sometimes scented flowers. All need to be planted in moist, humus-rich acid soil. Plant them shallowly in dappled shade and keep the soil moist. Mulching helps to keep roots cool. There are many hybrids including the dwarf Japanese azaleas that are reliably hardy in Britain. ‘Addy Wery’ is an evergreen with brilliant orange-red flowers in May. Height: 1m (3ft 3in).
Here you can learn how to:
EChoose acid-loving shrubs EPlant bulbs for a spring show EFind alternatives for alkaline soils
1Pieris
Pieris have distinctive strings of miniature bells in creamy white or pink, but the big attraction of this acid-loving plant is its colourful young spring leaves. ‘Forest Flame’ and the smaller ‘Bert Chandler’ are two of the best known. Pieris forrestii ‘Wakehurst’ has fiery red young leaves. Shelter the shrubs from cold winds. Height: 2m to 4m (6ft-12ft).
3 Tulips
By mid-spring, tulips have joined the daffodils to create a mass of colour. Greigii group tulips (right) are a good choice because you get a show of beautifully marked leaves even before the flowers appear. The flowers of ‘Cape Cod’ are red and yellow and appear in mid-spring with leaves marked bluish-maroon. ‘Red Riding Hood’ is carmine red inside with similarly marked foliage and appears in early spring. Height: 20cm (8in).
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4 Euphorbia
For a vivid acid green and yellow splash in the border, not much beats Euphorbia polychroma. This showy, but compact perennial makes clumps that contrast well with brightly-coloured tulips and yellow daffodils. Some varieties such as ‘Emerald Jade’ colour up well in autumn too, turning a rich rusty brown. E. amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ (below) has dark purple-green stems and leaves with paler yellow bracts. Grow in moist but well-drained soil in sun or dappled shade. Height: 40cm (16in).
6 Erica carnea
Heathers are ericaceous plants that do best on acid soil. With varieties that flower from winter to summer, there are heathers in flower for most seasons. Shear off spent flowers to keep the plant looking good. Erica carnea ‘Springwood White’ is an old favourite, flowering from winter to spring. Bell heather Erica cinerea ‘Fiddler’s Gold’ flowers from late May until autumn. It has gold-green foliage and pink flowers. Height: 25cm (10in).
7Ranunculus
Sometimes known as Persian buttercups these double-flowered ranunculus need conditions that mimic the cool moist springs and hot dry summers of their natural habitats. Find them a sheltered spot where they won’t be buffeted by wind and rain. Plant them in moist, well-drained soil and feed with a high potash feed, deadhead them regularly and they will flower until June. They make good plants for containers. Height: 20cm to 40cm (8-16in).
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April 21 2009 Garden News 25
spring border
Try these on alkaline soils
Potentilla
1
Unlike azaleas, potentillas tolerate most soils including poor gritty types. They are shrubby perennials and have a long flowering season. They bear attractive, mainly simple flowers in shades of pink, white, lemon and red and have strawberry-like leaves. Prune them to within 2.5cm (1in) of old growth once the flowers have faded. Potentilla fruticosa ‘Red Ace’ flowers from late spring to mid autumn. Height: 1m (3ft 3in). ‘Gloire de Nancy’ has double, orange-red flowers. Height: 45cm (18in).
3 5
8
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Photinia
Scarlet new growth makes a vivid display as good as pieris on these generally large evergreen shrubs. Keep pruned to encourage fresh colour or to keep as a low hedge; or buy one trained as a standard ‘lollipop’. In spring it has sprays of white flowers. Photinia fraseri ‘Red Robin’ has reliably scarlet young growth or choose ‘Little Red Robin’ a new, dwarf version of this popular plant that only grows to 1m (3ft 3in). ’Redstart’ and P. glabra ‘Rubens’ are tall, upright shrubs suitable for hedging. Height: 5m (15ft).
6 7
8 Narcissus ‘Pipit’
‘Pipit’ is pale lemon, fading to cream, and has the characteristic head of two or three flowers. Best of all it is sweetly scented. Height: 25cm (10in). Another deliciously scented daffodil from the same division is ‘Quail’, a taller, late-flowering variety with rich golden flowers and a perfume that can be smelled from way across a garden. Height: 40cm (16in). Both are good in containers.
9Narcissus ‘Hawera’
Small daffodils make dainty edging and are good gap fillers. Grow late-flowering ‘Hawera’ with tulips. It is lemon yellow. Height: 18cm (7in). Other narcissi such as ‘Cheerfulness’ and scented, white, ‘Thalia’ are good choices. Their slightly taller flowers are good for cutting. Height: 20cm (16in).
Suppliers
EBuckingham Nurseries, tel: 01280 822133; www.hedging.co.uk EAvon Bulbs Ltd, tel: 01460 242177; www.avonbulbs.co.uk EMr Fothergill’s, tel: 0845 3710518; www.mr-fothergills. co.uk ESuttons, tel: 0844 922 0606; www.suttons.co.uk EThompson &Morgan, tel: 0844 573 2020; www.thompsonmorgan.com EChiltern Seeds, tel: 01229 581137; www.chilternseeds.co. uk EPlants of Distinction, tel: 01449 721720; www. plantsofdistinction.co.uk
MAIDEN PINKS
Dianthus deltoides form mats of dark green foliage and burst into flower in summer with tiny, toothed and fringed flowers. The petals are often much darker in the centre and there are some brilliant colours such as bright cerise ‘Flashing Light’ or red and white ‘Arctic Fire’. They thrive in a sunny position on alkaline soil where heathers would soon die. All the small dianthus make good additions to a rockery. Height: 20cm (8in).
28 Garden News April 21 2009
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April 21 2009 Garden News 29
NEW SERIES
JUST GROW IT!
If you have a passion for growing your own, this series is for you. Greg Loades reveals how you can harvest for longer
1
2
Ripen your last tomatoes indoors
4
Grow summer and autumn raspberries to stretch the season
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8
Don’t forget to raise new veg for autumn and winter
9
Constant picking means a bigger bean crop
Salad leaves will grow indoors all year
10
Sow early veg at the end of the season
DON’T MISS AN ISSUE
Get GN for £1!
Ever-bearing strawberries crop for months
Make sure you follow our Just Grow It! series in Garden News over the next few weeks by ordering your copy – for just £1 an issue! All the details of this special offer are on page 27. Next week: Tips to help you cope with problems
3
6
Radishes are an easy catch crop
7
Summer planted potatoes can give a late harvest
Spot the spud! Win £50
A polytunnel is the ultimate season-stretcher
10 ways to stretch the season 1
Ripen tomS indoors
Pick unripe tomatoes and ripen them indoors if the plants have given up at the end of the season but are still carrying lots of fruit. Put them stacked up in trays or in paper bags, stalk end up – keep them on the vine if possible – in a cool, slightly humid, airy place. Make sure they are healthy fruits showing no sign of disease. Move them somewhere colder if they are ripening too quickly. Placing a ripe apple or banana next to the fruits releases a gas that helps them ripen quicker. And if you have too many tomatoes or they are too immature to ripen indoors, you can always use them to make chutney or cooking sauces.
2
Sow salads indoors
Grow salad leaves on your windowsill and you can enjoy salads every month of the year! To stop the seedlings getting leggy, sow thinly in 15cm (6in) pots in a greenhouse or cold frame first. You don’t need to thin them out, just bring them indoors and place on a sunny windowsill when the plants are about 10cm (4in) tall. Treat them as ‘cut and come again’ leaves, picking off what you want a bit at a time. Looseleaved lettuces, chard, lamb’s lettuce and pak choi can all be grown and harvested for their tasty baby leaves. Keep sowing every three weeks for new leaves all year. Winter sowings need gentle heat in the greenhouse to germinate and grow well.
3
get quick catch crops
Long-cropping fruit and veg such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are a must in a greenhouse or polytunnel. It can be a while before there’s anything to harvest, so while you have the space now, squeeze in some quick-growing veg that will mature well before tomatoes and peppers are ready. Try radishes, salads, chard, and turnips now for crops in a matter of weeks. Sow in growing bags or straight into the soil. If you have a polytunnel or greenhouse, then move tomatoes grown outside in baskets or containers under cover when the summer starts to fade, to keep them producing fruits for longer.
4
TRY seasonstretchers
This is the easiest way to extend the season of any fruit or vegetable. Growing the earliest and latest cropping varieties can extend the season by weeks and give you a lot more of your favourite fruit and veg to enjoy. Raspberries are one of the easiest crops to extendthe season with. Grow an autumn variety such as ‘Autumn Bliss’ or the spine-free ‘Joan J’ (from Suttons) alongside a summer variety and you can harvest fresh fruits from early summer to the end of autumn. Don’t mix up the different types, though, because they need to be pruned differently. Grow them in separate rows and label them clearly.
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non-stop strawberry
The wonderful taste of warm, sweet strawberries eaten straight from the plant is as good a reason as any to grow your own. Grow ever-bearing strawberries and you can still be picking fresh fruit into October. Steadily cropping through the growing season, they’re early, mid and late strawberries all rolled into one! Ever-bearing strawberries are a good choice if you only have space for a few plants. They are also perfect for growing in hanging baskets and containers if you don’t have room in the garden. ‘Albion’ (from Thompson & Morgan) or ‘Malling Opal’ (from Dobies) are reliable ever-bearers.
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Grow late potatoes
Planting potatoes in mid to late summer is a great way to enjoy that special summer taste much later than usual. Mail order suppliers sell seed potatoes from July. Choose a variety with good resistance to blight such as ‘Maris Peer’ or ‘Cara’ and plant them as soon as you receive them. This can give a crop of new potatoes very late in the year, maybe even at Christmas. Frost may damage the tops but cut them off and you should still get a crop. You can also plant some late potatoes in containers at the end of summer and move them into a polytunnel when it turns cold for an extra reliable winter potato harvest.
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Sow under cover
Instead of waiting for the soil to warm up, sow tender veg outside under cover now to get a head start. Courgettes, peas, squashes, French beans and runner beans will start cropping sooner with extra warmth to help them germinate and establish quickly. Sow outside and then cover the seeds with cloches or polythene attached to metal hoops. This way the plants will be protected from frost and will get established sooner for an earlier harvest. It will keep slugs and birds off young plants, too. Just remember to water underneath them! Or if you have a polytunnel, sow tender veg in it now and you’ll have a much earlier crop.
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sow in summer
When you’re busy harvesting in summer, it’s easy to forget there are\ vegetables that need to be started so that they can crop later in the year or early in the next. Purple sprouting broccoli, calabrese, spring cabbages, kale and cauliflowers should all be sown and planted out in July and August. Then there are carrots, turnips and over-wintering onions to get started before the end of summer for a later harvest. Sow autumn and winter brassicas in cell trays and you’ll have handy plant modules to plant out. Sow Brussels sprouts in September and they’ll be ready for Christmas.
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Pick, pick, pick
It can be difficult to keep up with picking if you have lots of crops or are away from the garden or allotment for a while. Regular picking is essential for extending the cropping season of many vegetables. Fruiting vegetables need constant harvesting because if their fruits set seed, they can stop producing altogether. Runner beans lose a lot of their cropping potential if pods are left on the plant too long. Picking encourages more flowers and, therefore, more tasty crops, so keep on top of harvesting. If you are away from the garden or allotment, ask someone else to do the picking for you. They won’t be able to turn down the offer of free veg1
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Sow earlies
Most early veg varieties are so named because they crop quicker than others. So, while you’re sowing early varieties of veg, save some seed in the packet for later. Because they mature quickly, early varieties can be sown late to squeeze in a crop before the end of the season. Sow early peas such as ‘Early Onward’ and ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ in July for this late harvest. Sow early broad beans at the end of May to extend the season. Try early varieties such as the very fastgrowing ‘Witkiem Manita’ (from Suttons) or ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ (from Thompson & Morgan).
CELEBRATE our Just Grow It! series – dedicated to helping you grow fruit and veg – we’re giving you the chance to win £50 in cash. All you have to do is spot the image of our spud on one of the pages of this issue of Garden News. Once you’ve found it, fill out the coupon below and post it to the following address: Spot the Spud Competition 2, PO Box 57, Coates, Peterborough PE7 2FE. You can also enter online at www.greatcompetitions.co.uk We’ll pick a winner at random from the correct entries. All entries must reach us before the closing date – April 28 2009.
ENTRY FORM I spotted the spud on page__________________________ Name _______________________________________ Address _____________________________________ ___________________________________________ __________________________Postcode___________ Tel no _______________________________________ E-mail ______________________________________
Send to: Spot the Spud Competition 2, PO Box 57, Coates, Peterborough PE7 2FE.
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36 Garden News April 21 2009
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k e e w e h t
, Northants n o tt ra p S f o s, d o o W m Tony and Pa
All-year colour W
hen Tony and Pam Woods first saw their garden, more than 30 years ago, it was ‘just a plain field, a paddock’. They were already living in the pretty village of Spratton and had been renting the stables for Pam’s hunter livery business for 10 years when, in 1978, the whole property went up for auction. They realised it might be possible to buy the farm with its old barn and outbuildings and convert it into a house and garden as well as securing the stables. They sold their home and moved into a caravan on the site and set about converting the old barn into a beautiful new home, doing most of the work themselves. In 1979, they gave their attention to landscaping the garden. One of the first jobs was to harness the water that flowed naturally down the slope of the garden; they had hired a digger to dig out the slope and Pam remembers that water was gushing everywhere. “There was a long way to the drain so constructing the stream and water feature was definitely a necessity,” she said. Tony, a retired education officer, built the stream with a series of steps so the water could flow on into a pool and through to the land drainage system. The pond and stream are now major features of the garden. The stream meanders gracefully down the grass slope and looks particularly beautiful in spring when erythronium and spring bulbs join the grasses planted along its wide, rocky borders. Stone left over from the
Tony and Pam Woods
‘Nothing just
gets put in, I have to find the right place’ barn conversion and outbuildings was used to make the impressive rockery that retains the garden to the north of the house. Spring planting here includes pretty little drumstick primulas amid rockery plants and bulbs. Along with the water feature there are colourthemed borders, lawns and gravel areas. There is also a vegetable garden and an area for propagation. Pam says they are very lucky with the soil – welldrained loam tending towards acidity with only a few pockets of clay – and most plants seem to thrive. The only downside of all this good soil is nettles escaping from the paddock! Recently Pam
See the garden in 2009 EPam and Tony Woods’ garden is at The Stables, Smith Street, Spratton, Northampton NN6 8HL. EIt is one of a group of gardens in Spratton which open for the National Gardens Scheme on Sunday May 10 (noon-5pm). ECombined admission £4, children free. ERefreshments and teas at St Andrews Church nearby.
has noticed that oxalis has crept into the garden, joining nettles and bitter cress as weeds that need to be controlled. She tries to garden organically, going on snail hunting expeditions with a bucket rather than resorting to pellets, but sometimes ‘weeds need to be zapped’. Pam looks after the planting and propagating. Her preference is for mellow colours and she does the planting with an artist’s eye. She says: “Nothing just gets put in, I have to find the right place for it.” She achieves some great colour combinations and planting that looks just as good in autumn and winter as it does in spring. If Pam is the head gardener, Tony brings a perfectionist’s eye to the lawns and the hard landscaping. Between them they seem to have the balance just right. The garden looks immaculate in May when Pam and Tony welcome several hundred visitors as part of the National Garden Scheme. The whole village of Spratton throws its group of gardens open to view with the added attraction of refreshments in the 12th century church. Two things Pam and Tony wish they’d known before they started the garden: EYou really do get older much quicker than you expect. You know at the back of your mind that many trees will get big one day, but you still plant them because you like them – and all too soon they do get big. They then either block the sun from parts of the garden that you would rather they didn’t or as with our Blue Atlas cedar, we are now wondering how much bigger we can let it get. EHowever little money you have (all ours was going into building the house) do try to plant specimen trees you like. Don’t plant, as we did, the common silver birches that we found seeded around as saplings; they are now huge and we wish they were specimen trees.
Alpine opportunity Including a wide border of stone gives an opportunity to grow alpine plants.
What we think By Pam Richardson garden Writer
EThere are some inspiring plant associations in Pam and Tony’s garden. Clever colour matching and some careful changes of form and texture make even the smallest space interesting. ELots of different areas give Pam and Tony the opportunity to grow the widest range of plants. ENot an inch of space is wasted. Spring bulbs and hellebores are tucked between shrubs and perennial planting. Dry stony areas are home to Mediterranean plants and tough foliage plants such as euonymus scale the walls as well as fronting borders.
April 21 2009 Garden News 37
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EYou can put pictures of your gardens online at our great new gardening website, www. liveforgardening.com
PICTURES: PIP WARTERS
Put your garden pictures online
Copy this all-season planting scheme EWhatever the season there is something of interest in this grouping. In spring the
pulsatilla steals the show with its silky flowers. Astrantias take over as flowering stars of
the border in summer and whatever the weather or season the euonymus glows
and makes a bright contrast to the black spikes of the turf lily (ophiopogon).
euonymus
astrantia
Natural features
This sloping site makes the perfect place for a stream.
Create contrasts Keep grass edges neat to contrast with hard landscaping.
ophiopogon
pulsatilla
ideas to steal FOR YOUR GARDEN Clever colour combinations
Add spring colour A planting of erythronium adds spring colour.
Change textures Use different materials to change the texture of the hard landscaping.
EThis harmonious blend of blues is a clever idea. Blue Corydalis flexuosa and clematis ‘Frances Rivis’ combine to give a haze of soft spring colour. Both flower in spring and planted together like this they make a wall of colour. EStately orange-flowered crown imperials (Fritillaria imperialis ‘Aurora’), pictured far right, emerge from the border and pick up the colourful new spring shoots of the photinia. A spiky pink phormium carries on the flame theme before colours fade into the pearly pink of the hyacinths.
Pack in the plants
EThis planting scheme is a great example of getting the most impact from a small space. Choose plants that complement each other in colour but enjoy the same conditions. In a gravelled part of the garden, the green and gold of bay and euonymus contrast with pink heather and a silvery hebe.
Keep them happy
EChoose the right place for plants and they will thrive. Gravel-loving grasses add height and texture in this poolside planting. They wouldn’t thrive in a boggy area but they love the rocky slopes of this water feature. Keep them in check by trimming off the seed heads.
Sleeping partners
EUse spring bulbs and plants such as these magenta tulips and dicentra that will die down in summer to extend the interest in your borders. When they disappear later in the season there will be room for extra summer planting.
Next week More spring colour from Spratton, Northants