TREASURE HUNT PRIZES WORTH £500 TO BE WON!

5 April 2014
wekly
Packed with great gardening advice that’s easy to follow

Organic guru
BOB FLOWERDEW
“Bees are in decline so you
Toby
Trymy ips on
should do the job for them” growing tle
mons

MAGIC MAGNOLIAS
Hunting the first magnolia flowers
A NEW Spring into

BLOOM
LEAF
Sowing foliage
bedding plants action!
Tips to get you growing
AGAIN! Caring for spring bulbs
Planting repeat-
flower perennials
Fruit for looks & taste
“Take time to pick good
Christine Walkden plants for your garden”
 it ors
’ This week in GET IN TOUCH
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Ed eter wekly
EDITORIAL OFFICES:
Westover House,
West Quay Road,
Poole Dorset BH15 1JG

l EXPERTS HELPLINE:

I
0843 168 0200
(12-1 Monday - Friday)
T’S NICE (and something of EMAIL US...
a relief) when I read of amateurgardening
5 APRIL 2014 @ipcmedia.com
fellow gardeners who are
as cost-conscious as I am when
buying plants. Anne (p24) is
crossing her fingers that three
hymenocallis bulbs she bought
SPRING INTO ACTION
Simple ways to get your garden growing P4 Practical
from The Pound Shop will
come good. In my experience,
7 How to look after flowered
spring bulbs

if you pick your plant carefully,

cheapies are usually fine.
12 Sowing bedding plants for
summer foliage
This year I got three healthy
dwarf apple trees for six quid 13 Feeding trees & shrubs;
harden off seedlings

18
each from ASDA. I’ve grown on How to grow your free
two weedy gooseberries seeds of coreopsis
rescued from my local
Poundland, and they’re thriving
now; a bargain-bin redcurrant
22 Your gardening questions
answered by our experts

from B&Q is going great guns;

and the Magnolia stellata that’s Features
presently carrying a cloud of
snowy blooms in our back 34 Hunting for the earliest
magnolia flowers
garden was a rooted twig that
cost me less than two quid Expert advice
P48 14
from Somerfield supermarket Sue Stickland
10 years ago. PATIO FRUIT Growing early carrots
I could have wished that Fruit can be as attractive as it is delicious!
some of these plants were
better looked after by the
20 Peter Seabrook
A summer of strawberries
stores that sold them – though
the apple trees from ASDA 23 Christine Walkden
Choosing garden plants
were in fine shape. I had to
rummage through Poundland 24 Anne Swithinbank
Planting summer bulbs

45
offerings to find plants I was Bob Flowerdew
prepared to take a risk with. Pollinating flowers by hand
But pick a plant that clearly
has green shoots on it, get it
home quick and settled in
67 Toby Buckland
Growing citrus fruit trees

fresh, moist compost, and with Regulars

patience you’ll probably find
you have a good ’un. P24 28 Gardening news from
around the UK
The cuttings I took from the
B&Q redcurrant when I pruned
it in the autumn, have all struck
40 Treasure Hunt – prizes
worth £500 to be won

P11 42
and are ready to pot up - so Plant labels and markers
I’ve now got seven plants for a P8 tried & tested

54
quid. That really is a bargain! Tea break puzzles with
Have a great gardening week. £30 cash prize

56 We visit Alan and Sylvia

Lloyd’s Dorset rill garden

Cover picture Narcissus variety Shutterstock

PERENNIALS
Step-by-step planting guide
HOUSEPLANT CARE
Reviving flowered pot plants Save Over
TIM
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 Your
gardening
weekWith AG eperts Kris Collins and Sally Chare

Welcoe! TOP TIP

If you have large areas of wood
to cover then it may be quicker –
and easier – for you to use a paint
sprayer. There are pump-up and

W
E’RE AT a turning electrically operated (via the
point in the mains) models. But the success of
any such activity depends on
gardening year. Many good preparation and cleaning
spring flowers are starting to of the surfaces first.
dwindle and our thoughts are
switching towards summer
displays. Sally offers tips to
keep spring bulbs looking
better for longer this week, and
I’m planting out perennials for
winning displays this summer
and many more to come.
One thing often forgotten
about when planning summer
flower displays is the inclusion
of foliage plants. Get the
balance right by sowing foliage
plants now. See p12 for details.

Kris Collins Mid-spring DON’T

D
AG’S GARDENING EDITOR

PRIZE DRAW essentials ELAY

Nature’s Haven Easy
Wildflowers is a new
mix of easy-to-grow
wildflowers selected to
Kris looks at the important jobs to do
bring bees, butterflies in the garden over the next couple of weeks
and other beneficial
insects into the garden.
1 FRESHEN UP HARD SURFACES AND STRUCTURES
Westland

Just scatter the

contents, lightly rake in
and enjoy a stunning
display in your garden.
We have five packs to give away.
To enter the draw, send your name and
address on the back of a postcard to Easy
Wildflowers Draw, Amateur Gardening,
Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole,
Dorset, BH15 1JG. Or email your details to
ag_giveaway@ipcmedia.com
Closing date 9 April, 2014.
IT’S NOT just plants that need our attention now. Hard surfaces – from
walls and fences, to patios and paving, sheds, arches and furniture –
should be painted, protected or preserved. Here I’m giving the shed a
lick of paint – not just so that it looks better, but it helps protect the
wood. Choose a dry day – and use a product with high protection
against decay; many now come with UV inhibitors and fungicides.
Patios and stonework should be chemically brushed or pressure-
cleaned to get rid of grime, and furniture should be dusted down and
oiled or varnished ahead of this year’s blisteringly hot summer!

4 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 Your
gardening
week

2 PROTECT BLOSSOM 3 GREENHOUSE ACTIVITY

FRUIT BLOSSOM, whenever
it is out, is vulnerable to frost
– and if flowers get frosted
they probably won’t set fruit.
With large old fruit trees it is
not easy to protect the
flowers, but with small patio
trees and trained cordons or
espaliers, you can cover
them with fleece at short
notice. This is important with
peaches, nectarines and figs.
ON SUNNY days there are severe
risks of greenhouse plants
overheating – even this early in
the year. Stop this with a three
point plan: 1. Open vents and
doors on hot, days. 2. Put up
shading so that vulnerable plants
and young seedlings don’t burn
to a crisp in the full glare. And 3.
Damp down the floors and
staging once or even twice a day,
to keep humidity levels high.

4 ORDER AND POT PLUGS

PLUG PLANTS are great for
filling the garden with summer
colour. They are in abundance
now via mail order and in
store. To grow them on for
planting out in May/June, fill
small pots or large-cell trays
with multipurpose compost.
Dib holes in each pot/cell,

5
then use the dibber or pencil
to push the plugs out of their TYING IN CLIMBERS
trays. Plant each plug in its
CLIMBING PLANTS need a helping hand from time to
new pot, firm in, water and
time to grow how you want them. As spring growth
label. Set them in a frost-free
takes off, tie in non-clinging varieties like climbing roses
greenhouse or on a windowsill.
and trachelospermum (pictured). Keep the shoots as
horizontal as possible for best flowering potential.
Wayward shoots of clematis, sweet peas and other
clinging forms just need setting in the right direction.

6 SPRING LAWN MAINTENANCE

BARE PATCHES in the lawn mean weeds and moss
can take hold, so if you have any bald areas, act
immediately. Lightly fork over the patch to loosen the
surface soil, then sprinkle grass seed or try one of the
many patch kits available. Water in and cordon off to
stop people walking on the patch. Apply an all-in-one
All IPC unless credited
7
WARMING SOIL
SOWING HARDY annuals (flowers and veg) directly outside is
feasible now, whereas you should not direct-sow half-hardy
annuals until the end of this month. If you want your later-sown

weed, feed and mosskiller to the rest of the lawn. plants to get off to a really good and assured start, cover the
sowing area with black plastic sheeting, or with cloches
(pictured), to warm up the soil first.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 5


TOP TIP
Bulbs growing in grass
(naturalised) should be allowed
to die down for at least six weeks
after flowering has finished,
before the foliage is removed.
If growing in containers, stand
the container in an out-of-the-
way corner once top growth
looks tatty.
Tulips exhaust themselves, and flowers get smaller
over the years, so it is important to deadhead to
stop them from wasting energy on making seed
Spring bulb care
All IPC
Spring bulbs have been in colour since February,
and they now need some attention, says Sally
ERE ARE the key jobs to keep
H your spring bulbs flowering for as
long as possible, and for surviving
through to next year!
■ Watering: All bulbs need adequate
water while in growth, and for six weeks
after flowering. Check bulbs growing in
pots to make sure they don’t dry out
during the growing period. The compost
should feel moist but not wet to the touch.
■ Cutting back: Wait until leaves are
yellow and straw-like (at least six weeks
Your
gardening
week
DEADHEADING
Do this to prevent seed from setting. With
hyacinths (above) and bluebells, cut back
spent flowers to the base of the stalk. With
daffodils and tulips, snap off the ovary
behind the flower, leaving the stalk.
FEEDING
Apply a high-potash fertiliser (such as
sulphate of potash) as the bulbs are
coming to the end of their flowering, to
encourage bulbs to flower well next year.
In containers, use a liquid tomato fertiliser.
WEEDING
It is important to keep soil weed-free
around bulbs. If weeds get a hold, they will
compete with the bulbs for moisture, soil
goodness and light. It is best to hand weed
around bulbs as they are easily damaged.
INSTANT
after flowering) before cutting them
back. Old gardeners used to knot the
leaves to keep things tidy, but this stops
goodness getting back into the bulb.
■ Lifting: Only lift and store bulbs where
this is practical. If you do, do it once the
foliage has died down; carefully lift and
clean the bulbs; trim back roots. Keep just If you have gaps in borders, buy a pot of
the good-sized, healthy bulbs, laying spring bulbs in flower and stand these in
them on a tray to dry for 24 hours to help place – to look good. When they go over,
plant them out and allow them to die back
prevent fungal rots. Store the bulbs in
naturally for flowering in situ next year.
paper bags or nets, in a dry, cool place.
5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 7
Your
gardening
week
TOP TIP
CHOOSING
Save yourself wasted money
and effort by selecting the
right plants for the right spot
– don’t set sun worshippers

YOUR PLANTS
in the shade, nor shade
lovers in the sun.

POT SIZE

Perennials are commonly sold in 2litre pots,

for around £8 each. These quickly form
nice sized plants. To keep costs down, try
cheaper 5in (13cm) pots, at around £2.50.
These quickly catch up in the second year.

HEALTH CHECK

Before buying, give plants a once over. A

few roots coming through drainage holes is
fine, but a mat of roots means the plant is
pot bound (above). Check for pests and
diseases, and that plants are well watered.
Spend time arranging your plants before
committing to planting. They’ll remain in place for
years, so it pays to get the mix right from the start

GROUPING
Plant out
When selecting your plants, have odd
numbers in mind for a natural look.
perennials
Whether you group in 3s, 5s, 7s… do it by Bring out the designer in you by planting beds
type – all your Irises in one (above) and
geums in another, or put complementary
with herbaceous perennials this spring, says Kris
mixes together (below) and repeat these
NLIKE SEASONAL bedding get the creative juices flowing. To set
groupings through the display. Where a
single plant is needed, opt for something
architectural to make a big impact.
U displays, a border planted
with herbaceous perennials
the plants up for success it also pays
to get the soil in top condition before
will last for years in the garden. Things planting out – weed, dig in plenty of
can look a little drab in winter when feed and organic matter, then level.
plants turn dormant, but they soon Perennials can be planted at any
fill out again once spring arrives (and time of year, but spring is the best
the winter sparseness can be lessened time to set out autumn-flowering
with the inclusion of a few evergreens). varieties, giving them time to establish
A long-lasting display deserves before putting their energy towards
some consideration in terms of the show. No matter the perennials
design, and with so many perennials you choose, get the look and set them
to choose from it’s a great way to up for success with the tips here.

8 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 Your
gardening
week
Kris’s perennial pick
There are hundreds of perennials to choose from, but you
won’t go wrong if you start with my top three species… FINISHING
TOUCHES
WATER Spring soils are
still wet from
winter rain.
The first
watering is
more about
settling the
plants in and
1 FOR FLOWERS: 2 FOR FOLIAGE: 3 FOR SCENT: ensuring good
root-to-soil
Lupinus perennis – Pluming Melianthus major – A striking Dianthus barbatus – Pretty
contact.
flower stalks above lush palmate architectural plant reaching 8ft flowers over silvery green
leaves that trap ‘jewels’ of water
in their centre when wet.
(2.5m). Great for adding height
and structure to the border.
foliage, both of which add scent
to the border through summer. PROTECT Early spring
growth makes

DON’T FORGET YOUR CONTAINERS DESIGN TIPS

an attractive
meal for slugs
and snails.
Protect with
■ Lay out plants in their pots
your chosen
and play around with
control. Pellets
positioning before committing
can be covered
to planting them out
with mulch
■ Leave a generous amount of for safety.
room for plants to fill out – it
may look sparse to start, but
after three years or so you’ll be
lifting and dividing the plants to MULCH Bark chips make
a decorative
make more room for them finish while
Perennials add a classy ■ Grade plants by height – trapping soil
touch to container displays tallest at the back, shortest at moisture and
the front, but.... controlling
■ Vary heights along the border, weeds. Add up
MOST OF us save our pots for seasonal bedding plants, but too. This will avoid a one- to 3in (7.5cm)
perennials should not be forgotten when planning patio pots. dimensional look to the display on bare soil,
thinning toward
Few perennials will disappoint when grown this way. Use John ■ For similar reasons include a plant crowns.
Innes No.3 compost mixed with up to 50% multipurpose. This variety of foliage textures
pot combines perennials with grasses and a hardy fuchsia. ■ Colour choice is all up to you!
All IPC

e p HOW TO PLANT PERENNIALS

step by st

On prepared and levelled soil, dig a hole The traditional way to feed the hole is to add Set the plant centrally and backfill around the
twice as wide and not much deeper than the manure or fish blood and bone to the base. I’m roots, firming in stages to knock out air gaps. If
perennial’s pot. Loosen the soil in the base, testing Planting Magic, a mix of nutrients, soil adding a mulch, set the plant slightly high in
ready to add your chosen soil booster. conditioner, water control and root builder. the hole so crowns aren’t buried.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 9

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 Your
gardening
week
SALLY SAYS:
In autumn we should move
plants closer to windows to 4 THINGS TO WATCH FOR
maximise light. Now the sun
is getting higher, move them ■ DEADHEADING:
back into the room. Most flowering
houseplants need
deadheading –
removing the dead
and dying blooms.
Here, I’m removing
the faded bloom of a
hippeastrum – cutting
the flower off at the
top; let the stalk and
leaves die back
naturally. With smaller
plants, like African
violets, use finger and
thumbnail to cut the
thin flower stalks.

■ REPOTTING: A
plant needs to be
repotted if: i) roots
protrude from the
bottom of the pot,
ii) the plant stops
growing or goes
limp, and iii) the
plant is root- or pot-
bound. When
moving into bigger
pots, add some
slow-release feed to
the compost, follow
the manufacturer’s
guidelines to avoid
overfeeding.
Dust can quickly build up on leaves. This is unsightly
and it prevents plants from growing properly.
Clean with a soft cloth dipped in water. Milk can be ■ TOPDRESSING:
used to give a good shine, but it could be smelly! Some plants, such
as clivia (left) and
bird of paradise,

TLC for
prefer to be
slightly pot-bound.
Rather than repot
them, top-dress
them annually.

houseplants
Scrape away the
top 1in (2.5cm) of
compost, and
replace with
similar, fresh
compost. Tamp it
down and water
Now spring has sprung we must attend lightly to settle.

to the plants in our homes, says Sally ■ WATERING: Most

houseplants are
OME HOUSEPLANTS humidity. However some plants killed by over-
S will have had their
resting periods over
have specific needs.
For example, flowering plants
watering. Aim to
keep the compost
moist but wait until
winter, and these now need to and those with variegated
it has almost dried
be started into growth. foliage need more light than out before
Conversely, some plants were plants with plain green foliage. watering again.
flowering or fruiting over winter, And ferns tend to prefer a Tropical plants (like
so these now need to go into darker position. orchids, and
their resting period. Cacti, succulents and bromeliads), and
many ferns like
Most houseplants thrive in a carnivorous plants like a bright high humidity, so
well-lit, draught-free place windowsill – but don’t put them stand them on trays
indoors, with a temperature that on a south-facing sill in summer, of pebbles and
is even, and reasonably high where they are liable to scorch. water these daily.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 11

Your
gardening
week
TOP TIP
WAYS TO SOW
4
Bring a few of your favourite
perennial foliage plants (such as
coleus, cineraria or even

LEAFY PLANTS ornamental kale) indoors in

autumn to brighten the home. Or
overwinter them frost-free, cut
back in early spring
and plant out for a second
summer outdoors.

1 Sow in pots, straight from the

packet. Try to make sure the seeds
are sown as evenly as possible. As a
guide, in a 3in (7.5cm) pot don’t sow
more than 20-30 seeds.

2 If sowing a greater number of

seeds, you may find it easier to
sow in trays (or half-trays as here) –
All IPC unless credited

you can get more on a greenhouse Coleus, or flame nettles, make

bench. Divide trays if necessary. fabulous summer foliage plants –
but to get the best leaves, pinch
out the flower spikes when small

3 Compressed peat block (or Jiffy)
pots are ideal for big seeds. Soak
the pot, to make it expand, and then
sow one, two or three seeds in each
pot, to avoid having to prick out.
4 Small seeds can be difficult to set
properly on the compost surface.
An easy way to space-sow them is to
wet the end of a matchstick, pick up a
seed, and place it where you want it.
Sow colourful
foliage plants
Summer foliage plants, both annual and
perennial can be started now, says Kris
E ALL want colour in the summer
W garden – that’s a fact. But we
don’t always want flowers.
Sometimes colourful foliage completely
clothing a plant is more dramatic, or
gives a different dimension to the border.
Different colour shades and textures
are also desirable, and all these are
available with the wealth of foliage plants
available to us.
Sometimes one type of foliage plant
can be used in a big group to fill a bed
with a block of single- or multi-colour, and
sometimes they can be used as ‘dot’
plants to give visual breaks from a block of
flower colour.
Many of these foliage plants are annuals
and therefore just like the flowering lobelia,
petunia and marigold. Others, on the
other hand, are more perennial or even
sub-shrub (woody perennial) in habit.
Regardless of which, all can be sown now.
On the left are four options for sowing
foliage plants, and on the next page
are six that I love for drama and texture
in the border.

12 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 Your
gardening
6 plants to try
week

Helichrysum petiolare QUICK TIPS

10 MIN JOB
from
Kis
Flame nettles or coleus
(solenostemon) are
woody-based tender
Helichrysum petiolare is a
perennials, to 24in
trailing woody perennial to
(60cm), grown for their
(18in) 45cm in height, with
brightly colourful leaves.
white stems bearing oval,
This is the variety ‘Glory
grey-hairy, evergreen leaves.
of Luxembourg’.
These are good for patio pots,
windowboxes and baskets.

Now is the key time to feed garden trees

FEEDING TREES
This is the time to feed trees – they are coming into full leaf, and
maybe flower, and quite possibly you will want them to fruit later
in the year, too. If you do not feed them now – either with a
general fertiliser such as Growmore, or a potash-rich feed such as
sulphate of potash, then you will be risking a reduced flower/
fruiting, and the tree will be more susceptible to fungal issues
such as mildew and leaf spot. Ideally, feed at least once a year.

ONGOING
Perilla frutescens
The greater quaking ‘De Nankin’
PROLONG
grass (Briza maxima) is
an upright annual grass Perillas are bushy upright FLOWERING
to 2ft (60cm), forming a annuals with toothed, aromatic, We have had a mild
tuft of flat yellowish often red or purple leaves. This winter and early
green leaves – and long- is P. frutescens ‘De Nankin’, spring, and the
lasting, large, flat, pale which produces curled, purple- bedding plants have
yellow flowerheads. black foliage and spikes of tiny been flowering well.
white flowers in summer. Make sure you keep
them going for as
long as possible by
deadheading
regularly. This tidies
the plants and stops
them from producing
seed, so they flower
over a longer time.

HARDENING OFF
Many young plants TIMELY REMINDER
will now have reached
the stage where they
Graham Clarke

Lamium galeobdolon Senecio cineraria ‘Silver can start to be given

‘Hermann’s Pride’ Dust’ is a perennial, often cooler conditions. If
a little woody, and usually you have a coldframe,
grown as an annual for
The above lamium is a good place the hardier
its striking, heavily lobed,
semi-evergreen ground cover types in this, but make
silvery-white leaves.
plant for growing in shade. It Sometimes it carries sure that you shut the
makes a neat, compact plant, clusters of yellow daisies. lids (or cover with
with short, upright stems of fleece) at night.
silver-streaked foliage.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 13

Your
gardening
week
Early carrots
Sow in the soil now for tasty roots, says Sue Stickland
F I want to harvest
I young, sweet,
summer carrots, I
can’t avoid sowing
outside on my vegetable
beds any longer.
My plot tends to be cold
and wet in spring, and
most early crops – salads,
peas and beans, even
beetroot – get sown in
pots or modules. Both soil
and weather then have a
few weeks to warm up
before I plant.
However, this method
doesn’t work for carrots.
A carrot seedling tries to
Cover crops with fleece
to keep carrot fly off
14 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
Carrots need deep soil
that’s free of big stones.
Raised beds (left) are ideal
form a long tap root at an
early stage (before three
weeks old, apparently)
and if this hits the bottom
of a module, the mature
root will be a good
contender for any ugly
vegetable competition.
Instead, carrots should
be sown direct in the soil.
LIGHT AND FRIABLE
Improving the soil is
tremendously beneficial.
It doesn’t need to be rich,
but should be as light and
friable as possible – any
bit of pressure below
ground can again give
misshapen roots.
Lavish attention on a
small area – you can get
lots of young carrots
from a square metre, and
it is easy to protect this
against carrot fly too (I
cover my patch with fine
pest-proof mesh before
the seedlings emerge).
On heavy or compacted
TROUBLE SHOOTING
If your carrot seedlings fail to
emerge, don’t necessarily blame the
seeds. I find the main reasons are:
■ Be patient – seedlings can take at
least 2-3 weeks to come up.
■ The soil is too cold – cover with
cloches or clear polythene until the
seedlings emerge.
■ Seedlings have been grazed off
by slugs before I notice them. Set
traps, or use pellets or biological
control when you sow seeds.
■ Also, if seedlings come up too
close together, gently tease out
All pictures IPC
unwanted seedlings (pictured) to
improve spacing
HOW TO GROW
EARLY CARROTS
■ Choose an
soils, dig in plenty of early variety
leafmould or old potting
compost (several buckets
■ Lighten heavy
soils with plenty
on your square metre) of leafmould or
and fork it thoroughly, old potting
removing stones. compost
Choose an early variety ■ Sow very
for the first sowings – thinly into drills
and cover with a
these grow more quickly dusting of soil
than maincrop varieties. (pictured)
I find ‘Early Nantes’ gives ■ Cover drills with polythene
good results and seed is sheeting or cloches
much cheaper than that ■ Take measures to protect against
of the modern hybrids. slugs (with slug pubs or pellets) and
Sow the seeds very carrot fly (cover with fleece)
thinly and evenly
(½in/1cm apart) along VARIETIES TO TRY
shallow drills about 6in ‘Amsterdam Forcing 3’ (sometime
(15cm) apart, and rake called ‘Sprint’) – Small succulent
carrots with good colour and taste
over a light covering of
soil. The crop should not Carrot ‘Early Nantes 5 ’ - Quick to
crop, giving sweet, tasty roots.
need thinning until you
start to pull the first Both these varieties are widely
available, and there are some cheap
delicious crunchy roots. ■ deals on seed around (e.g. from Kings
and D. T. Brown)
‘Adelaide’ F1 – Early, producing sweet
SUE STICKLAND
crunchy roots, An RHS AGM winner.
Is a qualified gardener
(Thomson & Morgan)
and widely published
gardening writer
 IN
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O
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 I DO BELIEVE HE NEEDS IBULEVE

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AND BACK PAIN.

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Your
gardening
week
Sunny spells
Plantsman Graham Clarke shows how to
grow this week’s free coreopsis seeds
HE COLOURFUL,
T daisy-like flowers of
coreopsis are carried
from July until well into
September, and even later,
especially if you keep the
plants well deadheaded.
The variety we’re giving
away this week is a blended
mix of annual coreopsis.
Although they have been
selected for their height, they
are bushy plants, producing a
cloud of small, vividly
coloured flowers. They are
good for cutting and bringing
indoors, too.
Until a decade or so ago
nearly all coreopsis were
yellow. Now they come in all
shades except green and blue.
Your free mix this week will
give you plants in yellows,
oranges and reds; they
associate well with plants of
other hot colours (including
penstemons, like those
creeping in to our main
picture, right).
YOUR
FREE
SEEDS
These coreopsis are ideal for
bed and borders, or even a
wildflower area – butterflies
love them. Their graceful
stems and delicate flowers will
sway in the slightest breeze.
Grow small varieties in patio
pots and single plants in 6in
(15cm) pots make attractive
pot plants for the greenhouse
and conservatory.
Another annual coreopsis
T&M
you could grow from seed is
‘Unbelievable’ (pink, yellow
and white, each with a dark
centre, from Mr Fothergills
✆ 0845 371 0518). You can
also buy young plants of the
Coreopsis Lemonade Series,
which have orange, red and
gold flowers, with lemon-
yellow foliage (from Suttons
Seeds, ✆ 0844 922 0606).
Incidentally, coreopsis have
the curious name of ‘tickseed’
– because in their native
Coreopsis used to be just
America the seeds were yellow, but now they come in all
thought to resemble fat, shades except green and blue
bloated ticks! ■

HOW TO GROW
YOUR FREE NEXT
AG SEEDS
WEEK
FACTFILE
Coreopsis tinctoria WORTH
£1.99
ÔTall, Singles MixÕ
SOW: February to April
HEIGHT: 24-30in (60-80cm)
FLOWERS: Mid- summer onwards
Both IPC

BEST FOR: Beds and borders

SPRINKLE, LABEL AND BAG!

FILL A container – such as a 3in (7cm) pot or half
sized seed tray – with good quality seed
compost, firm the surface lightly, water well and
allow it to drain thoroughly.
Sprinkle seeds evenly over the surface of the
compost (above left), then cover with a very fine
sprinkling of sieved compost, or use vermiculite.
Label the container and place it in a
propagator, or seal the pot in a clear polythene
bag (above right) and keep it on a warm
windowsill. A temperature of 18-20°C (64-68°F)
needs to be achieved for germination, which can We’re giving away Gaillardia
take three to four weeks. Once germinated, open ‘Single Mixed’ – worth £1.99
the bag to allow air to circulate.

18 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

Your
gardening SEE OUR
week PETER EVERY
SATURDAY IN
Mass production of strawberries
in Britain is reducing the need to

THE SUN import fruits – and is also bringing

Strawberry
advances for the home gardener

success
You can now have fresh fruit from
March through to November, says Peter
RADITIONALLY,
T STRAWBERRY
runners were planted
in autumn and spring, and
all the flowers pinched off
in the first summer to give a
bumper crop in the second
and third and fourth years.
Then, trials demonstrated
and already growing Pot
them up on receipt, and
they’ll crop in just 30 days.
Called ‘Supersonic’, they are
available in the ‘Sweetheart’
cultivar from D.T. Brown.
We can now have home-
produced fruit from March
to November. Strawberries
Arthur Edwards/The Sun

that if runners were rooted can be cropped earlier under

early and planted by mid-
August, a year could be
saved and good crops
harvested in the first year.
Timing is critical, and for
every week planting is
delayed after mid-August
the crop per plant will be an
ounce lighter.
In recent years strawberry
growers have produced
multi-crown plants in the
traditional way by lifting
them in the autumn, but
then placing them in cold
storage to supply what we
call ‘60-day plants’.
Both commercial growers
and gardeners can buy such
cold-stored plants from
March to July, either plant
or pot them, and be picking
fruit in 60 days.
This year, for the first time,
glass and polythene quite
“Ever-bearers weak, can mean that the
crop from June plants make poor, drawn
leaves at the expense of fruit.
to October” All these remarks refer to
summer-fruiting strawberries,
but of course we now
have ‘Ever-bearers’ – such
easily, but while commercial varieties such as ‘Albion’ and
growers in the South can be ‘Buddy’ – that naturally crop
picking fruit under heated from June to October and
glass in March, gardeners in even into November with
most parts of the country protection from the rain.
need to wait a little longer. When planting ‘Ever-
Plants grown in pots to bearers’ in spring it’s a good
force into earlier fruiting idea to remove the first few
need to be outside for the flowers until the plants get
winter, subjected to frost, established, to increase the
and then brought indoors in weight of harvest later on.
late February or early March.
Bringing them into the warm
Plants should be spaced
12-16in (30-40cm) apart
down the row in the open
ground. At the wider
spacing, runners produced
in the first summer can be
rooted into the gaps
between plants to get what
we call a matted row. This
will increase the yield in
subsequent years, but should
not be done to excess or the
interplant competition will
result in smaller fruits. ■
PETER SEABROOK is a
gardening expert and former
presenter of Gardeners’ World

PETERÕS STRAWBERRY TIPS

we have cold-stored plants too early, when the days are
potted into 2in (5cm) pots still short and the sunlight

Pollinate plants under glass to

1 just avoid misshapen fruit;
dust over the open flowers with
a feather
Do not plant too deep; the crow
2 emerge – should be at soil level n – where leaves
Plant through a black polythen
3 war e sheet mulch to
m the soil, and give years of wee
d-free cropping
Strawberry ‘Christine’ is a sum
Plant through barrier fabric Forced, early-fruiting
4 good conditions, will fruit again in the
mer fruiter that, given
autumn
for weed-free crops strawberries crop well in pots Strawberry flowers can be dam
5 can tell because the yellow centre goe
age d by frost; you
IPC
IPC

s black
20 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
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 Ask the
e
ANNA TOEMAN JOHN NEGUS DR JANE BINGHAM
has 20 years’ trained at the RHS has a plant science

experts
experience working and is a specialist PhD and a MSc in
in historic gardens garden writer plant ecology

Que tions answered!

Q “The leaves on my potted
camellia are slowly being covered
by a black ‘grime’. What is causing
it, and what can I do about it?”
Mrs M. Carter, Cheltenham

A Your camellia is infected

with sooty mould, a
fungus that feeds on
honeydew secreted by
sap-feeding pests, such as
greenfly and scale insect.
There are no fungicides
available for this, so the only
way you can prevent the
leaves from contracting
sooty mould is to control the
pests producing the
honeydew. So look for aphids
and scale insects, and spray
with a systemic insecticide,
such as Bug Clear Ultra. Feed
your plant with an ericaceous
fertiliser to boost growth.
Wipe off as much of the
mould as possible using a
soft, wet cloth – the plant will
look better, and the leaves Wipe off sooty mould
will function more efficiently. with a damp, soft cloth
DR JANE BINGHAM

IPC
LET US
Clematis cirrhosa var. AG
AG Expert
p HELP
hotline YOU!
purpurascens ‘Freckles’
IPC

Q “I’ve been told that there is Call weekdays fom 12-1pm

a clematis called ‘Freckles’ that
flowers in winter. Is this correct?” “Mary Priest of Hendon heard
that adding crushed egg shells
Jean McMullin, Doncaster and powdered milk to the holes
when planting tomatoes was

A Yes. This is an
evergreen variety, and
it produces pale yellow
flowers with red freckles,
mainly from October to
February, but it can also
flower at other times as well.
One AG reader (Pam
Watkin of Kings Lynn) tells
us she’s had this clematis on
her south-facing wall for 10
years – and it has never been
without a flower!
It usually has a natural
dormant period in summer,
and at this time many of the
leaves can turn brown. It will
give the best account of itself
if planted in a sunny spot
that is sheltered from the
worst of the cold winds.
ANNA TOEMAN
beneficial to growth; was this
correct? We haven’t heard of
this before, but it could be, as
both shells and milk contain
calcium, which benefits
growth. Calcium nitrate is
often used to reduce risk
of blossom end rot in
tomatoes (when young
tomato fruits develop a
black patch).”
Calls cost 5p per min
ute from a BT landline, call
costs from other netw
orks may be higher.

22 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 Ask
Askthe
the
experts
experts
Christine Walkden’s
Problem
Problem solver solver
SEE OUR
CHRISTINE
ON THE ONE
SHOW, BBC 1
Anne Maxwell

Anne’s seedlings
are growing well

Q “I sowed haricot and black-

eyed beans, and sugar snap peas
(see pic). How tall will they get?”
Anne Maxwell, Perthshire

A Though haricot beans

(the beans of baked
beans!) and black-eyed beans
(actually peas) usually form
True haricots are a form of
hardy ‘navy bean’; if this is
what your seedlings are, they This winter was the wettest since records
will make stocky plants and began, according to the Met Office

small, bushy plants around 2ft
(60cm) high, there are tall,
climbing forms, too.
With regard to your black-
eyed beans (peas), I feel sure
that they will be bushy. If,
however, tendril-like stems
appear then the variety is a
climber and best grown over
trellis, or up a cane wigwam.
IPC
won’t need supporting.
Sugar snap peas normally
grow to around 5ft (1.5m).
Pods are treble-purpose: they
Q “We’ve had so much rain this
can be cooked like a true
winter over our new garden on clay
mangetout, sliced like a soil. Should I plant up the garden
French bean, or shelled and with moisture-loving plants?”
cooked like peas. Grow them Jane Crompton, Tonbridge, Kent
over a trellis or up a wigwam.
JOHN NEGUS
A I think the real issue
here is to establish what
I would wait and see how
(or if) it dries out, and then

Q “Weeds and
the soil is like in the summer. make a selection of plants to
I would hate to suggest suit. Chat to the gardeners
plants for a wet site only to around your home and ask
moss are growing find out that in the summer it them what the soil is like
in between the dries out. Just because the over the summer. It may well
soil became mud this year be a case of having to add
bricks of my (due to the exceptional organic matter to try and
driveway. Can I amount of rain), does not break up the soil and make it
spray without necessarily mean that it will more moisture-retentive
be like that every year. during the heat of the year.
harming the
brickwork?” Weeds between block
paving can be treated
AG on Go to  facebook.com, create a
IPC

Theresa Petty, Northampton

free account if needs be, search
for Amateur Gardening and

A Yes. For the weeds, try Pathclear Weedkiller (coming in

either liquid or powder to mix yourself, or in a ready-to-
use spray – pictured). Or try Bayer Path Weedkiller.
you’re ready to join in the chat!

Carol Taylor I tried sweet peas in a willow pea basket without

For the moss try Pathclear Gun! Moss and Algae Killer. It
destroys moss, algae and lichens and gives long protection on
many different types of hard surface. It is non-staining, and
will not damage treated areas. Don’t let excess spray liquid run
off into adjacent flower beds, as plants here are vulnerable
and could be harmed or killed by the chemicals.
ANNA TOEMAN
much success. Can you please tell me why they were no good?
Kris Collins Sweet peas like a deep root run and consistently
moist soil. I’ve tried these willow baskets and it was a struggle to
keep the compost moist as it was only 6in (15cm) deep and dried
quickly on my patio. I overcame this by cutting the bottom from
the wicker basket and setting this over a deeper plastic pot.

Email us: amateurgardening@ipcmedia.com Follow us on Twitter,

can solv
can yourr
solvee you Call us: ✆0843 168 0200 (12 to 1pm weekdays) go to @TheAGTeam

problems!
Calls cost 5p per minute from a BT landline, call costs from other networks may be higher.

Write to us: AG Helpline, Westover House, AG on

West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 23


Anne
AG’s Family Gardener
Swithinbank
withinbank
Buried
treasures
When lifting rhizomes breaking up
isn’t necessarily hard to do, says Anne
I
’M A little bit late
getting to grips with my
summer flowering bulbs
but they don’t seem to
mind. You turn the old root
ball out and crumble the soil
tentatively so as not to break
up the tiny, scaly rhizomes of
Mexican achimenes (hot
water plant) and x
achimenantha, or snap
growth buds from the
“Woolworths
was the source
of good cheap
plant buys”
cowpat shaped rhizomes of
zantedeschia (calla lily).
I have Z. elliottiana, the
lovely golden arum with
yellow spathes and silver
spotted leaves. Unfortunately
I may have neglected to
nurture my plants sufficiently
last year and they have
reacted by making masses of
small rhizomes. I’ll separate
them, grow them on well and
encourage them to bulk up
for flowering.
This year, the tubers of
Gloriosa rothschildiana are
going to remain undisturbed
24 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
LISTEN TO R
ANNE ON RAODUIO
4'S GARDENERS'
QUESTION TIME
in their pot. I’ll soak the
compost, then let it dry out
at the surface before
watering again. When shoots
appear, fortnightly doses of
general purpose liquid
fertilizer can start and I might
pot the lot on to a larger
container when growth is
more advanced. The
sausage-like tubers can be
properly repotted into fresh
compost next year.
These rested plants have
over-wintered at frost free
temperatures in the porch
and some have been kept
All pictures John Swithinbank
going this way for many
years. I’ve bought new ones
too. In the old days,
Woolworths was the source
of many a good, cheap plant
buy. Maybe the pound shops
have taken over, as I and I can easily fill a vase
purchased three with a dozen or more
hymenocallis bulbs for £1, different sorts.
Step by step
which seemed a good price. In dad’s garden hyacinths,
originally planted in pots or
NEW BLOOMS bowls for indoors, have been
Whether they are large set out in a sunny spot and
enough to bloom this year naturalised well offering
POTTING
remains to be seen. I set all quality candles of scented
three, 3in (8cm) deep in a pink flowers. If you have
ZANTEDESCHIA
10in (25cm) pot and look some in pots, don’t bin them
forward to their fragrant, but plant out. A liquid feed or
daffodil-like creamy flowers two helps while the leaves
RHIZOMES
with long spidery petals. are growing. Let foliage die
We’ve got many daffodil down naturally, so they can
varieties out in the garden, replenish their food stocks
planted by successive owners and flower well next year. ■
 unearthing and potting up old and new tubers,
rhizomes and bulbs to fower later in the
summer is a job I look forward to every year.
my golden arum (Zantedeschia elliottiana) had
made many small rhizomes and I must coax
them back to fowering size (right).

these are just a few of the daffodil

blooms we look forward to every year.
I love the colour variety and shapes.

Dig carefully, crumbling gently with

fnger tips to fnd the small pale
rhizomes of x Achimenantha

these hyacinths in dad’s garden

fower really well every year but
started out indoors

For the best chance of fowers, choose I set three rhizomes in a large pot of good, I’m hoping my rhizomes are large enough
the largest rhizomes and winkle them well-drained potting compost, positioning to produce lovely yellow fowers like these
loose from the compost them just under the surface photographed a few years ago

5 APRIL 2014 AmAteur GArDeNING 25

Anne's
Ann 's
Kitchen Garden
Success
with beans
Pole positioning is called for as Anne
secures her broad bean plantings
F
ULL MARKS to the
broad beans for
coming through
winter so well. They
are the classic autumn
planting variety ‘Aquadulce
Claudia’ and enjoyed the
mild winter months despite
daily downpours. I really
believe that not digging,
adding thin layers of mulch
Growing a trailing or prostrate
rosemary in a pot is good as
roots are raised up out of the
winter wet and drain better
Step by step
SOWING
INTO AN OLD
PLASTIC TRAY
26 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
and mounding the beds
slightly has helped the soil
retain its natural structure
and ability to drain away.
The beans germinated so
successfully, they are almost
too close together at 4in
(10cm) apart and wet soil did
prevent me from lifting and
transplanting every other
one to create another row. It
is far too late now, as the
plants are making their
flower buds. What I will do is
weed through the bed and
fix some 4ft (1.2m) poles
around the double row, to
take the ties that will prevent
the plants from toppling as
they grow and crop.
LIFT AND DROP
To make life easier for me I
have a lovely crowbar
shaped like a large metal pin.
I’m strong enough to lift it
and when I let it drop, it sinks
deeply into the soil, creating
snug holes for my supports.
A second sowing of peas can
go in next door and I fancy
growing the fabulous ‘Pisello
Rampicante Telefono’ from
Make holes for drainage
carefully using scissors
or pair of plant snips
So many broad beans germinated from a November
sowing last year, they are growing almost too close together
Seeds of Italy. With no Italian
at my disposal, I just assume
these are rampant peas that
would like to climb a
telegraph pole. Certainly last
time I grew them they
exceeded their sticks and
produced prodigious crops
of good, sweet tasting peas.
Sometimes one is inspired
to grow something on a
completely random basis. I
was about to throw away
some plastic packaging that
had arrived with
breadcrumbed fish on it
when I imagined it filled with
compost and bursting with
tasty cut and come again
leaves. I felt almost duty
bound to put such sturdy
packaging to a secondary
use. Also in need of using up
Growing cut and come
again is a good way of
using up old seed
was a quantity of oldish seed
that had arrived as freebies
or to trial. Five packets were
selected and soon I was
mixing rocket, chard,
spinach, broccoli raab and an
oriental mixture together for
my plastic tray.
WAKING UP
Herbs are coming back to life
and the rosemary is
flowering. We have the
upright, bushy ‘Majorca Pink’
and a more prostrate sort in
a container along with
thyme. Keeping these up and
out of the ground during
winter ensures their survival
and I can always take
cuttings to replace any
plants that have rotted due
to cold or wet. ■
Sow thinly, water in and leave
on a windowsill to germinate.
Use when 3-4in (8-10cm) high.
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 News
Award winning
Honey fungus tops bill of
the worst plant-wreckers
WET WEATHER SEES DISEASE LEVELS SOAR
T
HE MOST
destructive fungus
to strike in UK
gardens has been
named the worst garden
disease of 2013.
More gardeners called the
Royal Horticultural Society’s
advice team with worries
about honey fungus
than any other
garden disease.
It means that
honey fungus has
been the number
one disease for 18
years. Last year, the
RHS confirmed its
presence on 215 samples
sent in, across 78 different
plant types.
ROOTS KILLED
Honey fungus spreads
underground, attacking and
killing the roots of perennials,
then decaying dead wood.
Once confirmed, the only
Gardening costs Brits £30k over a lifetime
Gardening can be an
expensive hobby
Dudley
28 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
Got a story? call 01202 440848
or email @marc_rosenberg@ipcmedia.com
Honey fungus (main image)
and (inset circled) box blight
effective remedy is to
excavate and destroy the
infected root and stump.
Another disease to cause
headaches for gardeners last
year was box blight, taking
positions four and five on the
chart (rising up from positions
six and eight in 2012).
The rise is being
TOP 10 DISEASE
FLPA
blamed on the mild,
wet autumn of
ENQUIRIES 2013
2013. Both forms
of blight notched
up their highest
levels of enquiries 1. Honey fungus
since the RHS 2. Leaf spots
Alamy
started collating 3. Pythiums (fungus)
digital records in 1996. 4. Cylindrocladium
RHS chief scientist Dr John box blight
David said high rainfall in 2013 wet or warmth, we could 5. Volutella box blight
had provided the “perfect see an increase in these types 6. Phytophthora diseases
conditions” for some diseases, of diseases.” 7. Sparophytic fungi
most notably, box blights. Leaf spots and pythiums 8. Rusts
Dr David said: “Should our occupied second and third 9. Root and stem rots
weather continue to be place on the list respectively, (including damping off)
marked by extreme events, as in 2012, fuelled by damp, 10. Powdery mildews
whether that’s exceptional mild conditions.
AS REGULAR visitors to garden centres vegetable plants, over the years.
will testify, shopping trips on spring Researchers found the second highest
weekends can dent your bank balance. level of expenditure was landscaping, at
But now the true cost of gardening is £9,000 over a lifetime. Homeowners
official, after a study claimed that Brits change their patio or deck six times over
will fork out £30,000 on the years, it was claimed.
gardening over their lifetime. Garden furniture made up
Plants, often fuelled by “Garden furniture £3,600 of the spend
impulse buys on garden
centre visits, made up
is replaced (updated or replaced
around eight times) followed
almost a third of the total. eight times” by tools such as spades,
forks and secateurs –
PLANTS AND SEEDS totalling £3,500. Sheds and greenhouses
The average gardener will spend more set gardeners back £1,800 over a lifetime.
than £9,500 on plants, including seeds, The figures emerged after  Gardening
bulbs, bedding, shrubs, trees, turf and Express.co.uk polled 540 people.
 News
ROYAL VISIT FOR GARDEN SHOW MEET BBC’S JOE AND CAROL
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of TV gardener Joe Swift (left) will join
Cornwall visited the Edible Garden Carol Klein for an Easter Weekend
Show at Alexandra Palace in London. Garden Party at Gloucester Quays

IPC
IPC
See next week’s AG for a full report. Outlet Shopping on 18 to 21 April.

New eco-compost claims to A BLOOMIN’

be as good as its peat rivals
AN ECO-FRIENDLY compost
used by professional growers
for a decade has come onto
the amateur market – backed
by a claim that it’s as good as
its peat-based rivals.
GOOD WEEK
been tricky using some types
of peat-free composts.
SylvaGrow can also be used
for cuttings, young plants,
potting-on, planting out and
in containers.

SylvaGrow is a mix of fine
“Raising seeds has
often been tricky using
some types of
peat-freecomposts”
bark, wood fibre and coir –
plus nutrients sufficient for
the first four to six weeks of
growth. It does not contain
green waste.
Liz Grant/RHS
Asked if it could compete
with peat, Melcourt’s technical
director Catherine Dawson
told AG: “Yes – it’s as good as
RHS gardens
Glorious spring weather
peat. I say that without a
shadow of doubt.”
combined with free entry to
celebrate the RHS’s 210th
Catherine said SylvaGrow birthday resulted in record
number of visitors flocking to
would offer “consistency with
the same results every time”.
the Society’s four main
gardens on 7 March. It was
A statement added: “It will more than double the number
help to overcome recent of visitors who came along on
criticisms by Which? the same day last year.
Gardening about the patchy
quality of some bagged retail
compost brands.”

RAISING SEEDS
Manufacturer Melcourt, which
is a supplier to commercial
growers, said it is suitable for
all garden uses including
raising seeds, which has often
Which? Gardening editor
Ceri Thomas Tweeted in
response: “We’ll be testing!”
In 2012, UK gardeners
bought over 44 million bags
of compost – but just over
four million were peat-free.
Melcourt
SylvaGrow is available now
with an RRP of £6.99 for
a 50-litre bag.
Go to  SylvaGrow.co.uk to
find local stockists.

Bowood is Garden of the Year 2014
THE CLASSIC English gardens
of Bowood House in Wiltshire
have seen the historic pile
crowned Garden of the Year.
Now in its 30th year, the
Christie’s
award, sponsored by the
Historic Houses Association
and auctioneers Christie’s,
aims to highlight gardens of
“outstanding horticultural and
public appeal”. Deputy
chairman of Christie’s, Charles
Cator, said the gardens at
Bowood are a “testimony to
the great care, passion and
dedication of Lord and Lady
Lansdowne”.
He added: “We hope this
award encourages even more
people to discover the magic
of Bowood.”
President of the Historic
Houses Association, Richard
Compton, said: “The famous
rhododendron walks are an
added bonus in May when
they are a blaze of colour.”
Originally a hunting lodge,
Bowood is surrounded by
over 2,000 acres of parkland.
Alamy
Getting your hopes up
Britain could have a sizzling
summer with record heat, say
forecasters in Germany. It has
been suggested that the El
Nino weather phenomenon
could result in higher than
average temperatures this
season. However, the Met
Office has made no such
long-term summer forecast.
A BLOOMIN’
BAD WEEK
GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME
CHRIS BEARDSHAW, Bob
Flowerdew and Bunny Guinness
join Eric Robson at The Edible
Garden Show at Alexandra Palace
in London. BBC Radio 4, 3pm on

Glorious: Bowood House Friday 4 April (repeated at 2pm

 bowood.org for details. on Sunday 6 April).

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 29

 News
Award winning
Fears over future of heritage seeds
RETAILER SLAMS EU LAWS
CONCERN OVER new EU regulations,
which could restrict gardeners’ choice, is
leading shoppers to stock up on seeds
ahead of crazy new diktats from Brussels.
The Organic Gardening Catalogue has
reported “record rises” in sales of tomato
seed, for types not sold in supermarkets.
Sales of its tomato seeds have risen by
40 per cent in the last 12 months alone,
the company claims.
BIODIVERSITY WILL SUFFER
The catalogue’s managing director,
Michael Hedges, said: “A reason for
growth in demand for older heirloom
varieties is the proposed EU Plant
Reproductive Materials (PRM)
regulations, which threaten the existence
Alamy
of many historic and favourite varieties.
“In many cases, it would not be
economic to register them, making it
illegal to sell or even share home-saved
seed with friends. Biodiversity will suffer
as a result, and the European seed
market would be controlled by a handful
of large seed companies.
“This regulation is ill-conceived and
needs to be resisted,” Michael added.
Best-sellers include ‘Harbinger,’
a tomato introduced in 1910, as well as
‘Golden Sunrise’ (1896) and ‘Ailsa Craig’
Leave our rhododendrons alone, say MEPs
EU
MADNESS
2 non-native plant species.
both Alamy
Under threat: a rhododendron
Michael Hedges (right) fears
for the future of heritage
varieties (main image)
“The European seed market would be controlled
by a handful of large seed companies”
(1925). Michael said he had seen a trend
towards gardeners seeking better flavour.
He added: “We’re seeing an increase in
interest in old varieties, typically
characterised by thinner skins, rich flavour
and a long harvest and ripening period.”
The EU’s PRM regulations threaten to
THE UK Independence Party (UKIP) last
week warned that gardeners could be
‘criminalised’ for growing popular plants.
UKIP is concerned about a new
ruling that aims to tackle invasive,
AGÕs 22 March issue told how
authorities could be handed
powers to enter properties and
destroy plants deemed to be
invasive on a new EU hit-list.
The plans, which are not related
to the PRM regulations in the story
above, could see plants such as
rhododendrons banned if they are
declared ‘invasive’ by Brussels.
East Midlands UKIP MEP Roger Helmer
said: “We recognise the risks associated
with invasive species and support
News
NEW RHS AMBASSADOR
BBC Countryfile presenter James
Wong is to be an ambassador for the
RHS. He will champion horticultural
RHS
science and promote garden careers.
EU
MADNESS
1
Organic Gardening Catalogue
wipe out thousands of plants and seeds,
as suppliers would only be able to afford
to register the best-selling varieties.
The legislation was rejected by two EU
committees in March (AG, 15 March) but
is now being re-drafted on order of the
European Commission (AG, 29 March).
policies to control them. But we believe
the UK as an island may need a different
approach from Continental countries.
“We do not support heavy-handed
new rules from Brussels and we
do not support criminalising
gardeners who happen to have
rhododendrons in the garden.”
East Midlands MEP David
Clark added: “The point in
excluding foreign species is to
prevent a takeover, as in
Japanese knotweed.
“The proposed inclusion of plants like
rhododendron is nonsense. They have
been present in British gardens for a long
time without causing problems. Has the
Commission not got anything better to
do with its time and our money?”
5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 31
 News
Award winning News
A TASTE OF FRANCE
Johnsons has added dwarf French
bean ‘Fin de Bagnols’ to its World

Johnsons
Kitchen range. It dates back to the
19th century.  johnsons-seeds.com.

£10k prize for best street Milestone

BIG CASH prizes are up for
grabs in a national contest to
for top tree
find Britain’s best street. A GARDEN centre that gave
Following its debut last year, us a beautiful tree is
Cultivation Street is back in celebrating its 150th birthday.
2014, spearheaded by telly Kershaw’s of West Yorkshire
gardener David Domoney. was founded as a nursery in
Up to £20,000 of National 1864. The present owners, the
Garden Gift Vouchers will be Yates family, took over in 1929.
dished out to the streets, Also celebrating its 150th
schools and communities that anniversary is Acer
show-off the best blooms. pseudoplatanus
A top prize of £10,000 will ‘Brilliantissimum’ that was
go to Britain’s best street. discovered growing on the

BEST POPPY DISPLAY

A new award this year (see
panel) is Commemoration
Street, which will go to the
Big prizes are up for grabs

CULTIVATION STREET
street with the best displays
Domoney

by Britain’s finest streets

of poppies that mark 100

2014 CATEGORIES
“Highlighting the power Home Show. The deadline for
entries is 31 August and a ■ Inspiration Street – road with
of horticulture in panel of experts will judge the inspirational stories

uniting communities”
displays on 17 September. ■ Multiplication Street – most Garden stunner: the acer
Mike Kelley, who picked up front gardens involved

years since the outbreak of
World War One.
David Domoney, who
presents Love Your Garden
with Alan Titchmarsh, said the
campaign would “highlight
the power of horticulture in
uniting communities”.
The competition launched
last month, backed by the
Sunday People and Ideal
the North West of England
award for Rockcliffe Bay in
2013, said: “The money was
shared between residents for
their front gardens. Other
people in the area have been
inspired to find funding and
follow suit.”
Entry is free but a minimum
of three consecutive
houses must apply. Go to
 cultivationstreet.co.uk.
■ Transformation Street – best
street makeover
■ Cultivation School – for
getting kids growing
■ Sustainability and
Community Award – eco-street
■ Commemoration Street –
best WW1 poppy display
■ Nominator Street – for an
individual who nominates a
street other than their own
IPC
nursery in 1864.
The oldest known specimen,
thought to be a graft of the
original, used to stand in the
garden centre’s grounds.
But when land was sold for
building it ended up in a
neighbouring garden where it
still flourishes.
The largest example is on
Birdcage Walk in London.

Alan quits chat and returns to gardening roots

Alan Titchmarsh is quitting his
ITV daytime chat show to go
‘back to his roots’ and spend
more time gardening on TV.
Alan, who also stepped down
from BBC coverage of the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show after
Monty Don was appointed main
presenter, said it was time for
fresh challenges after eight
years as a chat show host.
Mr T will lead a major new
Waitrose
to find Britain’s best domestic
garden. He’ll film a two-part
series on Buckingham Palace
gardens, but will remain as
presenter of Love Your Garden.
“It’s time for a change – the
chat show is a demanding
schedule,” Alan told AG. “I’ve
got a series called Britain’s Best
Garden. We want people to
submit entries. We will look for
30 of the best gardens in the
knock people’s socks off.
Alan was speaking to AG at
the launch of his new gardening
range, which is exclusive to
Waitrose (AG, 29 March).
The line-up will include cut-
your-own flowers and a new
Alan Titchmarsh-branded peat-
free compost.
For an in-depth chat with Alan
about his projects for 2014, and
a behind-the-scenes look at his

Alan: fresh projects

prime-time ITV series that aims country. We want them to new range, see AG next week.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 33

 The
Magnolia
hunters AG Editor Tim Rumball and his wife Kath
go in search of the earliest magnolia
IP
C
flowers in the gardens of Cornwall
W
HAT A fuss she
made! All I
wanted was a
picture of Kath
and myself with magnolias in
fower. We’d been invited to stay
at The Nare Country House
Hotel near Truro in Cornwall to
visit some of the 17 Cornish
gardens that stretch from
Plymouth to Penzance. The
event was organised to promote
Cornwall’s early spring which,
triggered by the sub-tropical
climate, can kick-off in mid
January and brings into fower
some of the most magnifcent
magnolias in the UK.
The owner of The Nare Hotel,
Toby Ashworth, got together
with leading gardens in the
region. The idea is that on the
day seven of the 10 gardens
taking part each have 50 blooms
open, then spring has arrived.
You can follow this declaration
of spring’s arrival on Twitter
(@Gr8gardens), from the
announcement of the frst
blooms to open, through to the
full blaze of glory.
I’d chosen to see three gardens
across the region on our fying
visit. Caerhays Castle Gardens
on the coast near Truro is an
essential stop as it holds a
National Collection of
magnolias and is the birthplace
of the famous x williamsii
camellias; Trewidden near
Penzance because it’s the most
34 AmAteur GArDeNING 5 APRIL 2014
southwesterly garden and often
hosts the frst fowers; and
Trewithen (between St Austell
and Truro) because people said
I mustn’t miss it. They were
right. But back to Caerhays.
JAmIe’s ChAmpIoNs
“Magnolia campbellii is one of
the earliest species to fower.
Our ‘Champion’ campbellii was
planted in 1910. At over 100ft
(30m) tall it is the tallest in the
UK. We also have the oldest
Magnolia stellata which was
planted here in 1897,” Caerhays
Head Gardener Jamie Parsons
told us. He was showing Kath
and I around, scrambling ‘off
ÒM. campbellii is
one of the earliest
species to f lowerÓ
piste’ away from the established
paths to get outstanding views
of the specimen trees.
There are over 600 species
and varieties of magnolia in the
Caerhays National Collection.
Jamie went on: “Being on the
coast, Caerhays faces some
tough winter gales. The shelter
belt of Rhododendron ponticum
around the garden has fallen to
phytophthora disease in recent
years, but we’re replacing it with
IP
C
stunning view to the
sea from Caerhays
laurel, which is not susceptible.
It’s this shelter combined with
mild temperatures that allows
us to grow such a great range of
trees and shrubs.”
The hillside location offers
magnifcent views across the
garden and to the coast. Even at
the early date of our visit (28
February) splashes of fower
colour from magnolias and
camellias shone from the largely
bare deciduous winter canopy.
“There’s loads of fower
interest in the garden. Apart
from our National Collection of
Great Gardens of Cornwall/The Nare NP
magnolias we have fantastic
picture announcing the ‘offcial’
displays of camellias from arrival of spring in the Great
November to April, as well as Gardens of Cornwall shows young
azaleas and rhododendrons Georgiana Ashworth with early
fowering M. campbellii blooms
into the summer,” said Jamie.
 Flowering trees

Magnolia soulangeana is
one of the last to bloom
IPC
Rosemary Calvert

M. stellata varieties make

compact plants for small plots

5 APRIL 2014 AmAteur GArDeNING 35


ie
Caerhays head Gardener Jam
parsons with a new and as yet
unnamed magnolia hybrid he’s
bred. the richly-coloured
fower (circled) is outstanding!
IPC
Jamie Parsons
YS
HEAD GARDENER, CAERHA
Caerhays Castle
IPC
JamieÕs magnolia care tips
s is slugs and snails first five year
n Biggest problem for magnolia
slug bait unti
We protect seedling trees with
toughened up.
don’t because we don’t need to
n You can prune magnolias. We
! But if you need
we have space to let them grow
they’re dormant in winter.
slightly acid soil, but M. stellata
n Almost all magnolias need a
tolerate some lime
plenty of well rotted manure into
n When you plant magnolias, dig
first, then put the plant in and mulch the soil
the planting area
surface to retain moisture.
36 AmAteur GArDeNING 5 APRIL 2014
“Some of our trees are huge,
only really suitable for large or
estate gardens. But if you’re
buying magnolias for an
ordinary garden always choose
compact named varieties.”
LAND’s eND peNINsuLA
Flying visits are always a little
frustrating, but the hour Kath
and I spent at Caerhays was a
joy. Next on the list was
Trewidden – a mere two hours
drive away on the Land’s End
peninsula. Thankfully the roads
are good, and early in the year
fewer tourists means they’re
also less busy.
ZZzzzoooooommm! The
satnav dropped us reliably right
on the doorstep.
“The big draw in this garden is
the magnolias,” explained Head
Gardener Richard Morton,
“including our ‘Champion’ trees
Magnolia campbellii (rich
pink fowers) and M.
dawsoniana (with light
pink fowers), and
M. sargentiana
‘Robusta’ with
massive pinky-
white foppy
fowers that open
late March.”
“But we also have
lots of camellias
fowering through
spring, and we have the
biggest stand of tree ferns
Cae
rha
ys
NP
in Cornwall. I’ve been
adding summer fowering
hedychiums, anemones and
Acanthus mollis around the
garden to extend the season
of interest.”
Richard warned: “You have to
be careful with acanthus – it’s
very invasive and diffcult to get
rid of. However we have plenty
of space for it here.”
“We often have the frst
s.
magnolias in fower because
l the main stems have
we’re so far south and close to
the sea. Magnolia ‘Trewidden
– Belle’ is usually the frst to
to, it’s OK while bloom in Cornwall – sometimes
in January, though more
usually early February. The
will
latest to open their blooms
are the soulangeanas.”
As we admired Magnolia x
veitchii ‘Isca’ (which apparently
is the Roman name for Exeter),
planted in 1906, Richard told
me: “Magnolias are very sturdy
even though they’re shallow
rooted, so they’re a good choice
for windy gardens.”
My visit made me realise that
apart from their magnifcent
fowers, mature magnolias have
the most delightful form,
texture and colour in their
trunks and branches – some of
the bigger species look amazing.
“If you have the space and are
looking for a vigorous grower,
try M. ‘Peter Veich’” suggested
“For fragrant
f lowers, a gem
is M.obovata”
Richard. “This variety has real
hybrid vigour – ours has grown
into a bit of a monster!”
“For big, fragrant fowers a
real gem is Magnolia obovata
(syn. hypoleuca) – I believe the
leaves are still used for wrapping
food in Japan.”
I could happily have spent a
couple more hours exploring
Trewidden – the tree ferns are
wonderful, planted on the
Alamy
roller-coaster site of one of
Cornwall’s oldest open cast tin
mines dating from the Roman
period. If you get the chance to
talk to Richard when you visit
don’t miss it – the guy is a mine
of fascinating information and
really loves his garden.
turN ArouND trewItheN
But Kath was worried we’d be
late returning to The Nare and
she’d miss the full body massage
she’d booked in the hotel spa. So
it was back to the car and
Zzzzooooomm! I dropped Kath
at the hotel then scooted out for
a quick, unescorted turn around
Trewithen. This historic estate
garden is further inland on
higher ground, close to the
A390, so it’s not cosseted by
warm sea air like the other two.
This means that magnolias
sometimes fower slightly later
than those in coastal gardens (so
a great place to enjoy blooms
later into the season).
It is renowned for its
collections of magnolias,
IPC
 Flowering trees

JAMIE’S MAgnolIAS
for SMAllEr gArdEnS

n ‘PIcArD’s GArNet’

GAP
M. dawsoniana

this M. x veitchii ‘Peter Veitch’ at

trewidden Garden was planted in
1920 and around 80ft (28m) tall –
not one for smaller gardens!
n ‘PIcArD’s ruby’
n ‘cAerHAys surPrIse’
GAP

Alamy

n ‘sHIrAZ’
GAP

5 APRIL 2014 AmAteur GArDeNING 37

 RichaRd’s Magnolias
foR sMalleR gaRdens
n m. stellAtA
A compact shrub
or small tree
n m. WIlsoNII
Nice, small tree
n m. sIeBolDII
summer flowering,
scented and grows
to 25ft (8m) tall
n m. mycelIA ‘FIGo’
Does best in warmer
gardens. 12ft (4m)
n m. soulANGeANA
‘AlexANDrINA’ Magnolia Stellata
compact grower

IPC
richard morton explained that
magnolias fower buds have a
furry overcoat called a ‘perule’
which protects them from the
weather and frost
IPC

Richard Morton
HEAD GARDENER, TREWIDDEN

Richard’s magnolia care tips

the
in the first couple of years. As
n Slugs can be a real problem .
don’t get atta cked
saplings get more woody they
– epicormic growth (sometimes
n Keep pruning to a minimum y,
ts) following pruning makes magnolias bush
called water shoo
ral shap e.
destroying their beautiful natu
s,
us can be a problem for magnolia
n Some books say honey fung quite tolerant of
case . Man y seem
but we don’t find that to be the
emic in old gardens like this.
the disease which is often end m. x soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’
IPC

camellias and
rhododendrons. There are
lovely woodland walks along
well-surfaced level paths, and a
family home that’s open on
selected days for guided tours.
Though I had no guide on this
tour, all visitors get an easy-to-
follow map which pinpoints all
of their 20 Champion trees – six
of them magnolias. I visited all
of them, but was too early to
fnd any in bloom. But I did fnd
plenty of other fowers, from
pure white camellias and
screaming red rhododendrons;
through the dusky, shimmering
fowers of Pieris ‘Dorothy
Wyckoff ’; to a superb red and
yellow fowered mahonia – but
clever old me managed to
photograph the back of the
label, so I don’t know which
species or variety it is!
What I did fnd on sale in the
plant centre was a range of good
garden magnolia named
varieties, and I’ve listed these in
the panel (above).
Back at The Nare, Kath was
curled up on the sofa looking
like the cat that got the cream.
“I thought I’d better have my
nails done as well,” she purred.
“They were getting a bit ragged.
“Fancy a swim? “There’s a nice
pool downstairs – and a steam
room and sauna.”
luxurIous comFort
Two days of fabulous indulgence
at the Nare, from delicious food
and luxurious comfort to some
of the best service I’ve ever
experienced, had obviously gone
to her head. But then, who was I
to object…
…and the fuss I mentioned
earlier? I needed a picture of
Kath and myself with magnolia
fowers. The fowers we enjoyed
in Cornwall were well out of
reach, but our neighbour in
Bournemouth has a magnolia
which came into bloom a few
days later. Perched atop a
wobbly table I managed a
passable ‘selfe’ of Kath and I
– and actually she didn’t fall off,
in spite of the fuss she made! n

38 AmAteur GArDeNING 5 APRIL 2014

fiVe TreWiThen
comPacT magnolias
1 Magnolia acuminata
‘Butterflies’ – medium
sized tree with upright
habit. Bright yellow
flowers with a red centre
appearing in May-June

2 Magnolia liliiflora
nigra x sprengeri
diva ‘Galaxy’ – small to
medium sized tree with
rich pink-purple flowers.
Sheltered site required

3 Magnolia ‘elizabeth’
– small, conical tree
to 30ft (10m) bearing
magnolia ‘elizabeth’
m. ‘elizabeth’ makes a
delightful small tree
GAP

GAP

pale primrose-yellow,
cup-shaped and scented

The nare
flowers 6in (15cm) wide
in April-May

coUnTrY hoUse hoTel

4 Magnolia ‘Gold star’
– upright, bushy
small tree reaching 10ft
(3m). Star-shaped, pale
yellow flowers

5 Magnolia liliiflora x
stellata ‘ricki’ –
large shrub with erect
habit reaching 10ft (3m)
tall. Red-purple flowers magnolia ‘Gold star’
open in late April
GAP

The Nare NP

GARDENS OF CORNWALL n the NAre COuNtry hOuse

Carne Beach, Veryan-in-Roselan
hOtel
n CAerhAys CAstle GArDeNs d, Cornwall TR2 5PF
& 01872 501111 email: stay@nare
Gorran, St Austell PL26 6LY. 120 acres. National Collection of hotel.co.uk 8narehotel.co.uk
magnolias. Open 18 February to 16 June, seven days a week, RATED BY the AA as the best hote
10am-5pm. 8caerhays.co.uk & 01872 501310 l in Cornwall, every year for the
last 15 years, The Nare sits in its
own grounds overlooking a bea
providing perfect sea views from ch,
n trewIDDeN GArDeN its restaurants, lounges and man
of the guest rooms. This tradition y
Buryas Bridge, Penzance TR19 6AU. Historic 21-acre garden al country house hotel offers leve
comfort, luxury and service that ls of
established 1840s by Edward Bolitho. Champion magnolias. are increasingly difficult to find
modern world. in the
Finest stand of tree ferns in the UK. Open 25 February to 22
September 10.30am – 5.30pm. 8trewiddengarden.co.uk Individually decorated rooms and
suites, delicious food from the
& 01736 351979 or 363021 hotel’s two restaurants, and outs
tanding spa and leisure facilities
The Nare perfect for a couple to make
n trewItheN GArDeNs enjoy a romantic short break, or
families looking for a location to
Grampound Road, Nr Truro TR2 4DD. Historic estate with suit all ages.
tim says: “Kath and I enjoyed top
collections of magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons. class facilities and food of the very
highest order at The Nare, but
Open March to September 10am-4.30pm Monday to Saturday what struck us most was the
friendliness of staff and beautifu
(Sundays March to May). 8trewithengardens.co.uk lly balanced service – there was
always someone on hand but thei
& 01726 883647 or 883794 r presence was never obtrusive.
We
aren’t posh, but we never felt out
of place. For a special treat The
really is a fabulous place to stay Nare
There are many more gardens to visit in Cornwall. .”
Go to 8greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk or & 01872 322900

5 APRIL 2014 AmAteur GArDeNING 39

 Treasure
Treasur
hunt
WIN Blacksmith planters
Blacksmith planters combine style with durability

W
HEN IT comes to traditional improve durability.

£w5ort0h o0f
style, forged metal is a material Baskets also now have
that can be relied upon to a heavier duty chain
deliver. And it always looks with an ‘S’ hook.
especially good when used in the design of Included in the range
Gardman’s container planters, like those in are wall troughs and
the Blacksmith range. From hanging mangers, curved planters

planters
baskets to wall mounted and free- and traditional hanging
standing containers – they’re all a baskets. Amongst them the
perfect accompaniment to the lush Blacksmith wall trough
greenery and vibrant colours of 24in (60cm) at £19.99;
spring and summer flowers. the 14in (35cm) square
Plus, the range has even more gothic hanging basket
to offer in 2014. A total (£9.99) with its distinctive
refresh, reflecting current arch design; the Blacksmith curved
trends and incorporating planter (45cm) at £29.99 and
feedback from existing Blacksmith hanging basket (35cm)
customers is giving priced at £14.99. Whichever one you
Blacksmith planters and choose it’s bound to add a flourish to
baskets an extra edge on any planting scheme.
others in the design and Enter the competition this week
finish stakes. The metal and you could be one of 12 lucky
gauge has been increased, readers to win a curved planter and
welding enhanced and hanging basket from the
additional spokes added to Blacksmith range, worth a total of £44.98.

APRIL 2014 Treasure Hunt TO ENTER: For your chance to win this fabulous prize
Fill in this coupon and send it to: AG April Treasure Hunt, simply track down the four images below in this issue of
Hazel Eccles, 7th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Amateur Gardening, fill in the coupon telling us which page
Street, London SE1 0SU. each one appears on and send to Hazel Eccles, April Treasure
Hunt, IPC Media, 7th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark
Picture Your answer Street, London SE1 OSU to reach us before
Friday 25 April 2014
A is on page...

B is on page...

C is on page...

D is on page...
Entries to reach us by Friday 25 April 2014.
Use of personal details: entering this competition indicates your consent to be
A B
added to the regular Amateur Gardening newsletters and that IPC and its partners
may contact you about relevant products or services and research via email. You can
opt out at any time via the unsubscribe messages in the emails you are sent.
Email

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS

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(Mrs/Miss/Ms/Mr/Title)

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C D
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS Use of personal details: Entering this competition indicates
Telephone Year of birth your consent to be added to the regular Amateur Gardening newsletters and that IPC
and its partners may contact you about relevant products or services and research via
Amateur Gardening, published by IPC Media Ltd (IPC), will collect your personal information to process your entry and to email. You can opt out at any time via the unsubscribe messages in the emails you are
gain a better understanding of our magazine readership. sent. Closing date for entries is Friday 25 April 2014. All entries must be on the official
Amateur Gardening and IPC would like to contact you by post or telephone to promote and ask your opinion on our entry form, no photocopies accepted. Entries received mutilated, illegible, altered,
magazines and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to hear from us. ■ incomplete or not complying exactly with the rules and instructions will be disqualified.
IPC may occasionally pass your details to carefully selected organisations so they can contact you by telephone or post with No responsibility can be accepted for entries lost or delayed in the post or elsewhere.
regards to promoting and researching their products and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to be contacted. ■ No correspondence will be entered into and entry implies acceptance of the rules as
5 APRIL 2014 /AG Treasure Hunt final and legally binding. Employees of IPC Media, Gardman and their relatives are not
eligible for entry. The prize is non transferable and is as listed – no cash alternative.

40 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 T
Tried
Trried
d
& tested we try before you buy
Garden markers
Using markers means you will never again forget a name or
planting spot. Consumer editor Julia Heaton looks at six examples
T
HINK HOW frustrating it is
when you put your spade
through a perennial that has
died back, or plant a magnolia
one month, only to forget its name
the next. We gardeners tend to be
good at labelling seeds; cheap and
reusable, those white plastic labels are
ideal for popping into pots or trays
without obstructing a propagator lid.
But who wants to look at white labels
once the plants go outdoors? You need
something larger and more decorative.
Humphries
We were surprised to find that not all
garden centres sell markers designed
12 15 11 15
7 ASSORTED PLANT MARKERS 10 EDWARDIAN TEAK MARKERS
£12.95 + P&P £4.95 £22 + P&P £3.95
✆ 01392 829977 ✆ 01279 842685
 PlantaBox.co.uk  Alitags.com
Features  Features 
Comprises two long, 10in x 10in (25 x Handmade using ultra-hard wearing
25cm), two regular, 5in x 13in (13cm x teak. Marked with pencil, they can be
33cm) and three lollipop markers, 3in x sanded down and reused. With a decent
10in (8cm x 25cm), made of treated FSC writing area, they measure 4in x 8in
pine pinned to single or double stems. (10cm x 20cm).
Performance  Performance 
Using the white paintmarker the Easy to label with a dark pencil, though
wording was highly visible. They looked not as legible as the aluminium type.
great but the stems didn’t seem that The most discreet of the six – ideal if
sturdy – one pinged off in transit. you don’t want anything too obvious.
Value  Value 
A good variety of sizes; versatile, The material and workmanship bump up
attractive and fairly priced. the price, but worth it for permanence.
42 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
for labelling plants in the ground as in
our opinion these are indispensable for
the allotment, containers, conservatory
or herb garden. However, after
shopping around we came up with a
selection of six, mainly from mail order
companies – we even found a pack in
the Waitrose Outdoor range.
Using an HB pencil or Edding 750
white paintmarker for black surfaces,
we tested to see whether the writing
remained clear in the rain, and
considered durability and visibility. All
measurements given are width of head
times length (including writing area).
13 15
10 BLACK LABELS WITH ANGLED
HEADS £2.95 + P&P £3
✆ 0845 402 5300
 Harrodhorticultural.com
Features 
Made of plastic with an angled head, 3in
(8cm) x 8in (20cm).
Performance 
Highly visible due to the size and
colour of the writing area – when using
a white marker the words jump out
without you even having to bend down.
The stem is a good length but the
plastic might not last that long. All in
all, they did the job well.
Value 
Great value, even taking into account
the price of the pen.

10 BLACKBOARD MARKERS/WHITE CHINA
MARKER £4.95 + P&P £3
✆ 0845 402 5300  Harrodhorticultural.com
Features 
A generous pack of labels
measuring 10in (26cm) long by
¾in (2cm). Made of wood coated
in blackboard paint. Includes a
white chinagraph pencil that can
be rubbed out with an eraser.
Performance 
The white pencil proved easy to
use and gave lettering that was
fairly clear. The longer length of
the labels meant there was plenty
of space for plant names, which
remained legible after the labels
were sunk into the ground.
Value 
Reasonably priced at 50p each –
you may quickly use up all 10 as
they are suitable for any area of
the garden, even to mark clumps of
bulbs once foliage has disappeared.
13 15
10 ALUMINIUM PENCIL ALITAGS
£9.75 + P&P £3.95
✆ 01279 842685
 Alitags.com
Features 
Sturdy ‘Ogee Stem’ label – ideal for use
with HB pencil, which can then simply
be rubbed out. Measures 3½in (8.5cm)
x 6in (15cm) and has a pointed stem
that goes into the ground easily.
Performance 
Traditional in looks and weatherproof.
The label can either be re-used if you
rub out the writing or left in situ – the
pencil will not wear off on its own.
Value 
Good value for a hard-wearing,
permanent plant marker.
ASK OUR EXPERTS
Tried
& tested
14 15
WHAT’S
NEW
Our pick of all the latest
gear for gardeners
HOSE END TAP £10 RRP
Darlac at garden centres
✆ 01753 547790 for stockists
centres
For water on
to press and may vary at garden
tap throughout
the garden
simply attach
BEST the Go-
Anywhere
Tap to a wall,
All prices correct at time of going
BUY
shed or fence
near where your current hose
reaches and the end of the hose
to the quick-fit connection under
the tap. Ideal for longer gardens
and allotments, or for use with a
watering timer.
8 15
MULCH MATS
£4.29 RRP (pack of 10)
Vitax at Garden centres
Keep fruit clean and
healthy the eco-friendly
way. These mulch mats
are ideal for use around
strawberries, lettuces
and newly planted roses to prevent
rotting and protect roots from
FOUR WAITROSE SLATE LABELS temperature extremes. They also help
WITH CHALK £5 RRP retain moisture in the soil and deter slugs.
From stores carrying the Outdoor range
✆ 0800 188 8844 AUTO SHUT-OFF PUMP £29.99 SSP
Features  Blagdon
For stockists ✆ interpret.
Box of four chunky slate labels with a
co.uk/store-locator/
piece of chalk. Reusable, wipe clean.
Dimensions: 1in (3cm) x 8in (20cm) Wind and sun can
cause water levels
Performance  to drop in ponds,
The textured surface meant the writing and when this
wasn’t all that clear, plus it was difficult happens the pump in your water feature
to write small using chalk – no Latin may easily burn out. For a stress-free
names here! The writing disappeared solution try the Blagdon 650 Auto Shut-
when wet and words had to be bunched Off Pump, which cuts off when levels
towards the tip to remain above ground. fall, starting up automatically once they
are topped up again. Also has a pre-filter
Value  cage to stop debris causing blockages,
The chalk was a bit of a letdown. More and adjustable flow control.
novelty item than effective plant label.
5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 43
 AG’s Organic Gardener LISTEN TO O
BOB ON RADUIOR

Bob
ob Flowerdew 4'S GARDENERS'
QUESTION TIME

Pollinating by hand
Bob reckons we need to take on some garden work normally carried out by bees!

D
ISTURBINGLY, IT

BOB’S TIPS
appears that the
fading of the
honeybee is to be
followed by the fading of the
humble bumblebee.
Devastating pests and
diseases are spreading from
one to the other. It is an
ecological disaster in the
making, and I believe this
means we gardeners will
have to take on some of the
work carried out by these
insects on many of our crops.
Most fruits, and many seed
crops, need to be pollinated

If soil is workable sow batches

“Electrical of hardy vegetables in situ

buzzing bees
aid the set of
tomatoes”
and without the various bees
to do the job then we risk
total failure. We have always
hand-pollinated some crops
under cover – such as early Soft artists’ paintbrushes are fine for hand pollination Under cover, sow brassicas
All IPC

peaches and nectarines, and beetroot in cells or

apricots and strawberries –
where the bees could not
reach them.
We don’t pollinate with a
hand, as such, but with a soft
paintbrush, cotton bud or
bunch of feathers (these now
supplant the traditional but
so un-PC rabbit’s tail!).
Indeed, commercial tomato
growers are even known to
use electrical buzzing bees to
aid the set of flowers.
Not all our crops will need
any intervention. Potatoes, all
the members of the cabbage
and onion families, and root
vegetables need no help. In
fact, we rightly panic if most
even flower.
The nuts, and sweetcorn,
are wind-pollinated, and
there’s no shortage of wind!
The fig, as well as a few of
the top fruits, such as the
‘Conference’ pear, need no
pollination, and we positively
do not want our indoor
cucumbers to be pollinated
or they become bitter.
For most else we must step
in. Luckily the job is neither
dirty, difficult, nor expensive.
small pots to plant out later
Take your little paintbrush,
or whatever, and just gently
push the bristles into one
flower after another until
you have visited most on a
tree or bush. Whichever fruit
type you start with, do all
the blooms on this before
you move on to the next
variety. Don’t worry about
cross-contamination: pollen
from, say, apples will not
affect peaches, and so on.
Oh, for massed blooms In warmth, sow squashes
(such as cherries), a feather (and outdoor tomatoes
duster works well! ■ and sweetcorn)

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 45

 P
la
id nt
ea in
s g

fruity
GAP
Feeling
Fruiting crops often look as good as they taste so why segregate them off from the main
garden? Hazel Sillver suggests clever ways to blend them in with fower beds and borders

T
he idea of growing
your own fruit often
conjures images of a
large orchard or
functional fruit cage. But in
reality, it’s very easy to produce a
high yield of fruit in a small
garden and, not only that, it can
be done attractively.
Strawberries, apples, cherries,
blueberries, redcurrants and
other edible fruits can be a
beautiful and productive
addition to any size of garden
– even a roof terrace. By using a
few simple design and training
tricks and the right plants, your
fruit bushes and trees will blend
effortlessly into the garden.
Many fruiting plants (such as
pear and cherry) produce a
glorious show of blossom in
spring, as well as fery colour in
the autumn. The incredible
shapes that can be produced by
“Choose jazzier
varieties of fruit
for the best look”
training trees (such as fg and
apricot) against walls result in
wonderful structure through
the winter months.
Most fruit can be grown in
containers on a patio. For
instance cranberries and
strawberries can tumble
attractively out of hanging
baskets and columnar apple
trees in pots create focal points
on the patio.
if you want some shade for
your seating area, a vine will
coat a pergola with lush green
leaves, as well as producing
grapes for the fruit bowl! and
other scramblers (such as kiwi
and thornless blackberry) will
happily romp over the arches
that frame your paths.
Finally, don’t assume fruit
can’t be grown in borders.
Bushes such as blueberry can be
grown amongst your large
perennials and ornamental
shrubs. The jazzier varieties
(such as the golden ‘White
Versailles’ currant and the
burgundy ‘Pax’ gooseberry)
easily earn their place because
they look so good!
You could even edge your
borders with low apple ‘fencing’
known as ‘stepovers’. Why have
wooden edging when you could
have step-overs covered in
snowy spring blossom and
then adorned with apples! n
SupplierS
Keepers,
8 keepers-nursery.co.uk
& 01622 726465
Blackmoor
8 blackmoor.co.uk
& 01420 477978
Ken Muir,
8 kenmuir.co.uk,
& 01255 830181

5 APRIL 2014 AMAteur GArDeNiNG 47

 TOP TIPTer wind
THe win e cheaper) bare is
h
ow for
-
d
getting (t ees in the groun ay
tr m
root fruit an end but youthem
co m in g to rc h a s e
ble to pu , if
still be a ecialist supplierssed
fro m s p ta in e ri
uick! Con n
you’re q hes and trees ca
fruit b u s w a n d
d n o
be plante ghout
throu g
the sprin

Training pears along horizontal canes, known as

pleaching, is an attractive way to divide up the garden
GAP

IPC
UP & OVER

GAP
apple ‘Bolero’ is an
excellent variety for

STRUCTURES
growing over arches

Training fruiT into productive, beautiful shapes is

enjoyable and means you can yield a big crop without
taking up much room in the garden. You can buy the
traditional wall shapes (fan, espalier and cordon) ready
trained or do it yourself - ‘growing fruit’ by Harry Baker
(£8.99, Mitchell Beazley) is a great guidebook. Cordons
(single stem trees grown at 45 degree angles and
30in/75cm intervals) take up the least room and allow you
to grow several different crops side by side on one wall.
Scramblers (such as the ‘Jenny’ kiwi, the thornless ‘Loch
ness’ blackberry and the ‘Phoenix’ dessert grape) will
clothe arches, gazebos, pergolas and unsightly fences.

SuITable fruIT
n kiwi n pear
n blackberry n apple
n grape n plum
n currant n damson,
n cherry n nectarine
n apricot n peach
grow apples or plums as
C

cordons to cover ugly fences

IP
IPC

48 aMaTeur garDening 5 APRIL 2014

 P
la
id nti
ea n
s g

terracotta forcing jars look great and

give you an early crop of rhubarb
GAP

IN RAISED BEDS & BORDERS

Fruit can be grown in amongst ornamentals in fower
borders or raised beds. Opt for compact varieties, such as
the ‘Ben Sarek’ blackcurrant, colourful crops, such as the
bright scarlet Goji berry, and funky versions of everyday
plants, such as the gorgeous ‘all Gold’ raspberry, which has
amber-gold fruit.
Suitable fruit
choosing raised beds means you don’t have to step onto n blueberry n rhubarb
the earth to tend your crops, which saves you having to n raspberry n currant
aerate the soil by digging. they can be attractive features n strawberry n Japanese
in their own right, for instance when built out of old wineberry
n gooseberry
railway sleepers or used to edge a patio seating area.
The Garden Collection

Gooseberry standards Blueberries can be grown in

underplanted with nasturtium amongst acid-loving ornamentals
GAP

5 APRIL 2014 amateur GarDeninG 49

 P
la
id nti
ea n
ON THE PATIO s g

Create your own potted orchard on the patio! you

can grow just about any fruit in a container (even a
gaggle of raspberries attached to canes). What’s
more, a potted orchard usually yields more fruit.
this is because the growth restriction that the
container provides forces the plant to put all its
energy into the crop. Very large fruit trees should be
bought on dwarf rootstock (such as M27 for apple
and Quince C for pear) – these have stunted growth
and are thus ideal for a container.

IPC
Fig plants fruit
abundantly in a pot

Suitable fruit
n strawberry n pear
n raspberry n fg
n cranberry n gooseberry
n apricot n blueberry
n cherry n citrus
n plum n nectarine
n medlar n peach
Strawberries are well-suited to n apple n currants Choose trees on dwarfng
growing in hanging baskets rootstocks for containers
GAP

GAP
SuN or SHaDe?
the majority of fruit
GROWING
TIPS
requires a sunny,
sheltered position
in the garden.
However some
crops (such as
apple, blueberry,
redcurrant,rhubarb,
raspberry,
blackberry and
gooseberry) will be
Shutterstock

oK in semi-shade.

IN PotS: Speak to
your supplier
PoLLINatIoN: about the best size
Check with your of pot for your
supplier that crop. Plant into
you’re buying a John Innes No3
self-fertile plant. compost and set
Many varieties are the pot on bricks
self-sterile, which to aid drainage. In
means you would summer, water
need to purchase daily and give a
a pollinating plant weekly dose of
as well. tomato food.
Wiki

IPC

50 aMateur GarDeNING 5 APRIL 2014

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Letters
Fame at last!
ABOUT TWO years ago you
published my letter in AG
about a visit I’d had from
two policemen convinced
that I was growing cannabis,
when it fact it was cleome.
It took a while to convince
them that I wasn’t, even
when I told them I had no
idea what cannabis looked
like. Then the penny
dropped and I showed them
the empty cleome seed
packet with the plant image
on it, though I’m sure they
still thought that I was
pulling a fast one.
It’s a question
of f inances
IN THE AG News 8 March, I
was disturbed to read about
National Trust members
having to pay to park at
Wakehurst. My wife and I are
long standing members of the
NT and enjoy our days out
visiting their various
properties. We don’t mind
paying our annual
subscription, but would
definitely object to having to
pay for car parking as well.
National Trust properties are
usually a long way off bus
routes so it’s necessary to
travel to them by car. Car
running expenses, including
petrol, are about 69p per mile,
so a 140 mile round trip would
cost £96.60. Now, in addition,
we’re being asked to pay just
to park at a NT property, with
a tiered timescale incurring
even more cost.
I think it’s fair to charge
people for car parking who
52 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014
Earlier this week my wife
was reading on her Kindle
when she suddenly burst
out laughing. When she
stopped I asked what she’d
found so funny and she read
me a couple of paragraphs
from a novel called
‘Pebbleton on Edge’ by
E A Gregory.
It could have been written
about my dealings with the
police and the ‘Affair of the
cannabis plant that wasn’t’!
So it looks like I’m famous
and I didn’t even know it.
Graham Coe, Chippenham
aren’t members of the NT.
But for a member to be
charged in addition to their “WEGREA
membership fee could
amount to an additional
annual cost of at least £80
if they visit 40 properties
(albeit very briefly!) in a
year – and probably more.
Interest rates are almost
non-existent at the moment
so people are cutting back
on their overheads. Some
can’t be ignored but
pleasure jaunts could easily
be curtailed to the detriment seaso
of income for the NT.
Indeed, many NT members charges at its garde
may decide to cancel their
membership as a direct result
of the imposition of car
parking charges.
David Evans, Nailsea, Bristol
JENNY SAYS: This whole issue
is clearly a hot potato which
isn’t going to fade away.
Write to Jenny Bagshaw, Amateur
Gardening, Westover House, West Quay
Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG or email:
amateurgardening@ipcmedia.com
STAR
LETTER
NT members
pay to park
at Wakehurst
The NT will
KEW IS to introduce
garden in West Susse
parking charges at its
From April, cars will
the first hour, £5 for
x, Wakehurst Place.
day. National Trust memb
up 80 per cent of Wake
now have to pay for
Wakehurst Place
be charged £2 for
two hours or £10 per
costs
ers, who make
hurst’s visitors, will
parking.
Kew £1.4million
lose visitors
to run per year. Mana
that parking charges
gement anticipate
will raise half a I AM a National Trust member and have
first year.
million pounds in the
been to Wakehurt recently, which is
HAVE REACHED A POINT WHE RE
TER INCOME IS NEED ED” beautiful and is the place I love the most.
A joint statement from
the National Trust Sadly, I think this will be my last visit.
maintains the
and Kew said: “Kew
gardens, woodland and
, in accor
mansion at
dance with a
Who would want to only visit a NT
Wakehurst Place
lease from the Natio
“Despite being run effi
nal Trust.
ciently, the net property for an hour! To have to pay £5.00
g Wakehurst is such
cost to Kew of runnin
that we have reached
a point where
d if we are to
for a two hour stay, which wouldn’t even
greater income is neede
continue our hortic ultura l standards.”
leave time for a cup of tea or coffee, will
mean that the on-site restaurants will lose
a lot of customers.
I’d be willing to pay £2.00 for an all day
visit, but nothing more.
Apparently one can purchase an annual
Kew Gardens
urst Place will
Pay and display: Wakeh for car parking
soon charge NT memb
ers parking ticket for £25.00 if you pay by
Parking will remain free
for Wakehurst
s of Kew and
direct debit, or £30.00 if you pay by cash
n ticket holders, Friend
day ticket visitors (who
pay £12.50 per or credit card.
person admission).
l Society told AG
The Royal Horticultura
that it has no plans to
bring in parking I think they’re just being greedy.
ns.
Barbara Halsay, Reigate, Surrey
Readers QUICKTIPS
AN EMPTY jam jar makes a good wasp trap. Half fill it with
water, add a generous scoop of jam and shake to mix. Then
simply pierce a large hole in the lid and leave outdoors.
Carol Loader, Taunton, Somerset
 Letters

Patent pending
I WAS particularly interested in Patricia
Johnston’s letter about winning the battle with
thieving pigeons (AG Letters 22 March), as I  amateurgardening.com
have been wrestling with the same problem. Editorial offices: Westover
I’ve been thinking along the same lines of House, West Quay Road,
putting a large cover over the small birds’ Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG
feeding dish, but I think it needs to be rain ✆ (01202) 440840
proof as the birdseed would soon get wet using Fax: (01202) 440860

Up on the roof a hanging basket. I’d even thought of using a

dustbin lid but I’ve not quite got round to
patenting the idea!
Email: amateurgardening
@ipcmedia.com

Need a back issue?

I DISPLAY flower pots on the roof of our garage If someone from Dragon’s Den wishes to ✆ (01202) 440840
every year and I thought you may like to see my mass-produce our idea, I hope they’ll share the Subscriptions:
pots of geraniums that have kept going up there all profits with Patricia and myself! ✆ (020) 3148 6340
winter. It’s obviously a sheltered spot as they’ve Jeannette Richardson,
been in flower right through the bad weather. Hornchurch, Essex Editor: Tim Rumball
Shirley Turk, Lincoln, Lincs Deputy editor /
Features editor: Sally Charrett
Gardening editor: Kris Collins

Grow-your-own AG on Gardening writer: Graham Clarke

Consumer editor: Julia Heaton
News editor: Marc Rosenberg

is false economy Art editor: Bob Kemp

Designers: Al Rigger, Del Shults
Katherine Miller, Christine Willis
Editor’s PA/Admin manager:
Q CUTTING CUT-FL
“I have to source cut
flowers for our church this OWER COSTS Jenny Bagshaw
year, but we have no bud Picture library:
What can I ask gardene get. Judith Cake/Judith Everitt
my village to grow?” rs in
Diane Grange, via email

A Yes you can certainly save

cut flowers! Supermarkets
a lot by growing your own Display advertising
Will Peach ✆ (020) 3148 2632
can sell gerberas at £2.99
eight; one 2ft (60cm) delphin for
ium stem for £3.99, and
couple of white chrysan a
themum heads for £4.99.
even if you did have a budget At this rate,
, it would soon disappe
ar.
Growing pots of gerbera
could fill the church during
Classified advertising
✆ (020) 3148 2858
(such as the Landscape
peak chrysanth season!
Series) can be useful. The
Being perennials, these
three

Marketing manager:
I WAS surprised to read The only way is to use I THOUGHT you might like to see this photo of Natalie Paszkowski
the reply to the query a good local wholesaler my lovely hellebore. I’ve only been at this Advertising director: Lee Morris
house a few months so there’s still lots to do. ✆ (020) 3148 2517
about reducing cut so you can order what
But seeing this plant in all its glory, I know it’s
flower costs which you want for when you going to be a good growing space. Publisher: Hazel Eccles
recommend the reader want it. You get used to Jennifer Town Managing director: Paul Williams
to get the village to things such as getting Group magazine editor:
grow blooms (AG Ask lilies a week before you Garry Coward-Williams
FRIDAY HAS always
the experts 15 March). need them to be open, Head office: Blue Fin Building,
been my favourite
Sorry, but this doesn’t for example. I’ve also day and all the 110 Southwark Street, London,
work out. I’m a church done arrangements for more so now SE1 0SU ✆ (020) 3148 5000
and cathedral flower weddings and this is the Gardeners’ World is Subscription rates (51
arranger and have also only stress-free way. back. Please BBC, issues, all prices shown
include postage) UK: £107.53; Europe/Eire:
organised many Flower Yes, by all means grow don’t take it off air ¤195.99; USA: $254.99; All other regions Middle
Festivals in churches. your own but you’ll for a sporting event East, Africa, Asia, Far East and ROW £166.99.
Cheques payable to IPC MEDIA LTD. Write to: IPC
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Sussex, RH16 3FS ✆ (0844) 848 0848. Overseas
undertook I thought I about them flowering always winners and +44 330 3330 233. Published every Tuesday by

could be cost effective, on time. Those from the losers. GW only has Country & Leisure Media, part of IPC Inspire, a
TimeWarner company, Blue Fin Building, 110
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but oh dear! None of the wholesaler will also this periodical shall not, without the consent of
already plenty of the publishers first given, be lent, re-sold, hired
gladioli were near to outlast home grown and dedicated sports I CAME across this out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade
at more than the recommended selling price
flowering, neither were so really are a better channels but no lovely spring butterfly shown on the cover (selling price in Eire subject
other flowers I needed, buy in the end. to VAT). Origination by CTT. Printed and bound
gardening ones! on my rockery today. in England by Southernprint (Web Offset) Ltd,
although they were Peter Mann, Marden, Jill Haslam Michelle Bennett Poole, Dorset. Distributed by IPC Marketforce
Ltd, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street SE1
planted in time etc. Herefordshire 0SU. Registered as a newspaper at the post office.
Amateur Gardening (inc. Popular Gardening)
AMATEUR GARDENING Westover House, West Quay
Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG ✆ (01202) 440840.
Our Star Letter wins £40 in National Garden Gift Vouchers; tip of the week, £10; other letters £5 (£10 if we use a photo you’ve sent). Amateur Gardening® is a registered IPC trade
mark © IPC Media Ltd 2005. ISSN 0954-8513 IPC
There will be no vouchers awarded for Facebook comments published on these pages. Vouchers can be bought and redeemed at over Media Ltd, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street
SE1 0SU ✆ (0870) 444 5000. Email: ipcsubs@
2,000 UK outlets offering more than 90,000 garden plants and products. Visit  thevouchergarden.co.uk for details. quadrantsubs.com. Web site:  ipcmedia.com
Letters are edited at AG’s discretion. Please enclose an SAE if you would like photos to be returned.

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 53

Gardener’s
Gardener
ardener s Cros word
tea break 1
just for fun...
2 3 4 5
Answers below

6
7 8

10

11 12

13
14 15

16
When it comes to springtime cheer, few flowers pack a punch like tulips do – as
demonstrated here by this glorious display at last year’s RHS Malvern Spring
Festival in Worcestershire. But can you spot the FOUR differences between these ACROSS
two pictures of medal-winning blooms? (Answers can be found at the bottom of the page) 1 The bird of paradise
flower genus (10)
7 Broom made from a
bundle of twigs tied onto
3 Genus of succulent
plants that flower
between June and
August with colours
including red, orange,

true or True or false: Monaco

is the world’s largest
grower and exporter
a shaft (5)
8 Parts of the body of a
peach, yellow, pink,
magenta and purple (11)
4 An orchid, for example,
false? of raspberries?
(Answer at the bottom
of page)
plant that grow, typically,
downwards into the soil
(5)
that will grow in the soil
(11)
9 Where Princess 5 Genus of flowering
plants in the lavender

WIN
Elizabeth was staying in
Word search M S L A R E N I M F
Kenya in 1952 when she and sage family (6)

!
£30
acceded to the throne – 6 The ‘tears of ____’
This word search in the upper part of the (named after the ancient
comprises words
associated with the
A U H T A E P S E M wood! (8) Egyptian goddess of
fertility) is another name
soil. They are listed below;
in the grid they may be read
I E N T Y O P R A U 11 Sag net at standing
pool of water! (8) (anag) for common vervain
(Verbena officinalis) (4)
across, backwards, up, down or
diagonally. Letters may be R E M E L A T O K I 14 One of five equal
parts, as in Pelargonium 10 Clivia miniata is
shared between words.
Erroneous or duplicate words E K R I D I L G R S ‘_____ Avenue’ (5) known as the ______ lily
(6)
may appear in the grid, but 15 Lots of hederas! (5)
there is only one correct
solution. After the listed words
T A A E L B T C O E 16 Genus of evergreen
11 Separate and retain
the coarse parts (of
shrubs, with the common
are found there are seven letters
remaining; arrange these to
C R G I D N Y I F N name of New Zealand
potting compost, as well
as ashes, flour, etc.) with
broadleaf (10)
make this week’s KEYWORD.
A I S A N D L L C G DOWN
a sieve (4)
BACTERIA 12 Popular leafy
CLAY B E E R U N A M O A 1 Genus of palms,
including the dwarf
perennial with the
common name of
DIG
FERTILISER
R E S E N A G N A M palmetto (5) plantain lily (5)
2 Suffix flower for dog, 13 Taraxacum is a dandy
FORK China and miniature (4) big cat (4)
HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry No:
LIME form, and send it to AG Word Search No 205, Amateur 205
LOAM Gardening, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset
MAGNESIUM
name is missing from a plant label (bottom right).
BH15 1JG, to arrive by Wednesday 16 April, 2014. The first on the pink tulips (centre) have become bigger and the variety
MANGANESE correct entry chosen at random will win our £30 cash prize. while a metal roofing bar of the marquee is missing (top). Flowers

MANURE This week’s Keyword is.......................................................................... The man’s jacket has changed to a much lighter shade of brown
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
MINERALS Name............................................................................................................ TRUE OR FALSE? False. The correct answer is Serbia.
MOLYBDENUM 4 Terrestrial 5 Isodon 6 Isis 10 Kaffir 11 Sift 12 Hosta 13 Lion
Address .......................................................................................................
PEAT
14 Fifth 15 Ivies 16 Griselinia DOWN 1 Sabal 2 Rose 3 Lampranthus
ACROSS 1 Strelitzia 7 Besom 8 Roots 9 Treetops 11 Stagnate
RAKE Postcode..................................................................................................... CROSSWORD ANSWERS
SAND Email ............................................................................................................
SOIL
Tel no ............................................................................................................ KEYWORD ANSWER TO WORDSEARCH NO. 200 (AG, 1 MARCH)
SPADE


IPC Media Ltd, publisher of Amateur Gardening will collect your personal information solely GRAFTING
TILTH to process your competition entry. AND THE WINNER IS: DR STUART MEESON, HAMPSHIRE

54 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 The fnal waterfall is topped by a rockery –
Alan’s take on “a Jurassic cliff face”. Plants
like Trachycarpus fortunei add an exotic feel

Alan’s rill helps tie together different areas of the

garden, including the shrubbery. The most mature
part of the plot, it turns an awkward piece of
bowl-shaped land into an attractive feature

56 AmAteur GArDeNING 7 DECEMBER 2013

Me & my
rill
garden
Water features don’t come much more
impressive than the 30 metre-long rill
created by Alan and Sylvia Lloyd in Dorset

T
HE CHINE valleys of
Dorset, through
which rivers
gradually wend their
way to the sea, have long
been an inspiration for Alan
Lloyd, so much so that he’s
recreated one in his own
garden. His 100ft (30m) long
meandering rill follows the
gentle slope of the land
before discharging a wide
ribbon of water into a small
pebbly area close to the
house. Alan, who was
operations director at a
foundry for many years,
drew on his considerable
engineering know how to
design the water feature,
which he built with the help
of wife Sylvia a few months
after his retirement.
This relatively recent
addition to the garden now
acts as a unifying feature,
bringing together the
contrasting parcels of land
the couple have added to
their plot over the years.
“With hindsight, I suppose
it was a visit to see the rill
at Alnwick Castle in
Northumberland that made
me consider the possibility of
creating this kind of water
feature in my own garden,”
Alan explains. “I’d thought
about it for years, and then
we built it within five months,
working non-stop.”
Constructed over a base

Words by Sue Bradley/ photography by Peter Chatterton Illustration by Elizabeth Paine

 of concrete blocks faced
with local Purbeck stone, the
rill is 16in (40cm) wide and
16in (40cm) deep, and fed
by an underground tank
located close to the house.
“We use a submersible pump
to lift 12,000 litres of water
to the head of the rill every
hour,” Alan reveals. “I put a lot
of thought into giving the rill
a credible entry and exit
point, so that it looks as
natural as possible.”
Today the garden is a world
away from the tiny patch of
land that came with the
bungalow when the Lloyds

“We worked
on it non-
stop for five
months”
moved there in 1965. “We had
a back garden with a little
concrete path, two lawns and
little vegetable patches each
side,” recalls Sylvia. “When
the children were young we
took over a lady’s garden a
few houses up and grew
vegetables there.”
As their family also grew,
the couple built an extension
and, in time, gradually bought
up small parcels of land
The rill carries 12,000litres of water an hour bordering their property,
Contrasting heucheras fll gaps in the narrow beds. including a steeply sloping
“They give excellent colour later in the year,” says Sylvia area in which they created
a shrubbery.
The fnal addition to the
The surrounding concrete wall garden was two sections
shields the garden from wind and of a railway line that once
its hard lines are softened by ivy carried clay to a local pottery,
and here Alan and Sylvia
were able to fashion a
sunken walkway leading
from their home and giving
easy access to the vegetable
and fruit beds beyond.
“We’ve never had a grand
master plan for the garden –
it just grew,” Alan admits with
a smile. “On paper, it’s a very
odd shape but it works for
us.” In fact, for Alan and
Sylvia being out in the garden
has “become a way of life”.

58 AmAteur GArDeNING 5 APRIL 2014

 Terraces make this sloping
area more accessible and the
stonework complements the
rill. Grasses, perennials and
bulbs add plenty of interest

Running from the bungalow to

the far end of the plot, the
sunken walkway is lined with
rock garden plants as well as
camellias and rhododendrons

MEET THE
OWNER
OWNERS Alan and Sylvia Lloyd
ADDRESS 22 Holt Road,
Branksome, Poole BH12 1JQ
SIZE OF GARDEN ¾ acre
MONTH VISITED April
ASPECT West-facing
SOIL Acid
SPECIAL FEATURES Garden
linked by 100ft (30m) long rill
featuring 28 mini-waterfalls, the
fnal one topped with a rockery.
Railway line walkway, raised
vegetable beds, shrubbery and
Med-style sunny patio area.

Alan and Sylvia will open

their garden in aid of the
National Gardens Scheme
on 27 Apr, 15 Jun, 27 Jul and
24 Aug (2-5.30). For details
call them on & 01202 387509
or see The Yellow Book 2014.

5 APRIL 2014 AmATeuR GARDeNING 59

 Get the
look

trees and stone

“there were a number of mature trees when we moved
here, including a Scot’s pine, a cherry and an oak, but
we planted the deodara cedar ourselves,” says Sylvia.
“We’ve used local Purbeck stone for the walls to refect
the wider landscape around here,” Alan adds.

Created some 30 years ago, the mature shrubbery

showcases Sylvia’s impressive planting skills.
“I have tried to be a little bit artistic,” she says

rock garden plants such as aubretia and Ferns like partial shade and add
sedum look great with dry stone walls form and texture to borders

60 AmAteur GArDeNING 5 APRIL 2014


The drumstick primula,
P. denticulata, provides
colour in spring and summer
Camellias thrive
in acid soil yelloW
book
neWS
“It was the garden at Ashbrook
House in Oxfordshire where
Kenneth Graham drew
inspiration for his classic
children’s book The Wind in the
Willows,” writes
Chris Morley of
the NGS.
“And it remains
an inspiration
today thanks to
interesting
features such as
a bog garden,
fruit orchard,
herbaceous
borders and a
large glass
house. Water
plays a key part here, with a
stream and a small lake that’s
home to trout and wildfowl.
Look closely and you may even
be able to spot Toad himself...”
Full details of this and all 3,800
gardens that open for the
National Gardens Scheme can
Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ be found in the 2014 edition of
offers lovely fowers and fragrance The Yellow Book. You can order
your copy now from the website
8 ngs.org.uk for £9.99 (inc p&p).
LAYER BY LAYER
Primula denticulata thrives in moist and well-drained
soil, such as the borders along the rill, in full sun or part
shade. “We have chosen plants that will provide layers
of colours,” Sylvia reveals. “Daphne, for example, is a
great value plant and I can never resist stopping and
enjoying its wonderful perfume.”
5 APRIL 2014 AmAteur GArDeNING 61
 To place classifed advertising:
Call 0203 148 2858 Fax 0203 148 8314
or email tadeyo_akitoye@ipcmedia.com
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£20 FOR 21 POTS 3 POTS OF EACH
V8L*ARIS ( :ild 3rimrose) &A3ITATA ( DAR. Violet Blossom) National Collection
VERIS (&owslip)
ELIVATIOR (Oxslip)
B8LLE<ANA (Orange <ellow Blooms)
BEESIANA (Dark Red fowers)
STAN MOSSOP (PLANT MASTER)
BER*ENIA :INTER*LO: (pink +eart SKaped )lowers) 36 Torny Road, Tornhill, Cumbria CA22 2RZ
HELLEBORUS SPECIAL OFFER PRICE Tel: (01946) 821817
£25 FOR 15 POTS 3 POTS OF EACH
NI*ER (&Kristmas Rose) ORIENTALIS ( Delicate inner to :Kite 3etals)
Argutifolius (3ale *reen )lowers) ORIENTALIS LAD< SERIES (&lump )orming)
)OETID8S ( &lump )orming witK leatKer\ *reen )oliage) GARDENING EQUIPMENT
CYCLAMEN COUM & HEDRIFOLIUM OFFER PRICE
£21.00 FOR 15POTS 3 POTS OF EACH
&O80 0I; 3IN. &O80 SILVERLEA) &O80 :+ITE
+EDRI)OLI80 SILVERLEA) +ERI)OLI80 0I; 3IN.
BULBS IN THE GREEN PACK 500 BULBS 42.50
 Scilla Siberica BrigKt Blue  Scilla Siberica Rosea
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 Narcissus Tete E Tete
All bulbs are fowering size and come from cultivated stock.
3lease add . towards 3 3 0ainland onl\.
3lease ring for cKarged to otKer destinations.
Please send payment with order to
Eurobulbs UK Ltd., 314 SMEETH ROAD, MARSHLAND ST JAMES,
NR WISBECH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE PE14 8EP
TEL 01945 430009 FAX 01945 430009

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 Trellising Made Easy Quick & Easy - Wire Anchors For Concrete Posts Support with Gripple Trellis Kit.
Weathervanes, Obelisks, everything for the gardener.
RIVELIN GLEN PRODUCTS
www.rivelinglenproducts.com or Tel: 01246 851777 or info@rivelinglenproducts.co.uk

POLYTUNNELS FRUIT

COMPOST

tools

catalogue request

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 To place classifed advertising:
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or email tadeyo_akitoye@ipcmedia.com
accessories moss & mould remover

Moss, Mould, Lichen

and Algae remover
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Ancillary brackets then lift on/lift off the main
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Postfix
☎: 01268 560680
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WEB DIRECTORY

Please mention

when replying to advertisements

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lawn care

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reader
er SAVE OVER
offer
From £18
Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’
2012 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year!
ARENTAGE FROM the little-known
P Isoplexis canariensis (Canary Island
Foxglove) gives this exciting new variety
its fabulous tropical colouring. Completely
sterile, it won’t set seed, giving it an incredibly
long flowering period.
Unlike most foxgloves, which are generally
biennial, this half-hardy semi-evergreen is a true
perennial so you will be able to enjoy its flowers
for years to come. The exotic-looking blooms
are densely packed on sturdy stems, with many
side branches, making a striking addition to
summer borders. Height 36in (90cm,) spread
18in (45cm).

One 9cm potted plant £12.99

Three 9cm potted plants £19.98 – SAVE £18.99

FOXGLOVE OFFER AG578/579

Send to: Amateur Gardening Foxglove Offer,

Dept AG578/AG579, PO Box 162, Ipswich, IP8 3BX

CODE PRODUCT Subs QTY

Price price Total

Foxglove ‘Illumination
TCC46385 Pink’ – One 9cm potted £12.99 £11.69
plant

Foxglove ‘Illumination
TCC46386 Pink’ – Three 9cm potted £19.98 £17.98
plants – SAVE £18.99

* Add postage and packaging £1.95

Total £

AG Subscriber No. (if applicable).......................... Despite the fact it’s sterile, Digitalis
I enclose my cheque no………............... Value £………...............
‘Illumination’ will still attract bees
made payable to: T&M (with your name and address on the back).
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66 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 APRIL 2014

 AG’s telly gardener TUNE IN
TO TOBY ON

Toby
y Buckland THIS YEAR
BBC CHELSE’SA
COVERAGE

Oranges
and lemons
Think you can’t grow citrus in the UK?
Follow Toby’s expert tips for success

L
EMONS AND limes,
in fact all citrus, are
the most exciting of
fruits imbuing any
balcony, greenhouse or garden
they grace – bringing a touch
Cotê d’Azur glamour.
The fact that they are divas,
demanding of time and effort,
shouldn’t put you off. They are
worth it for the sweet scent of
their flowers alone. Plus, if you
can entice them to fruit, you’ll
have something to eat and
show off about, too.
the bottom of the social
ladder, even though it was us
who had to climb to the top of
the actual ladders to gather
fruit for the Communists, who
sat around playing cards.
It was hard graft. The thorns
on orange trees are so large
that pyracantha seems tame
by comparison. And at the end
of each day I not only smelled
like a pot of marmalade, but
my arms were cut to ribbons.
I did enjoy myself though and
whenever I look at my citrus

My love of growing citrus
started when I was a teenager
TOBY’S
If you want to try something
tree now I think back to those new, give citrus a go
mad but happy days.
IPC

working in Greece as an
orange picker for the Greek
Communist Party.
As with all Marxist systems,
some participants inevitably
are more equal than others
and I along with the other
itinerant workers were firmly at
Unlike in Greece where the
intense sunlight hardens
growth making for greater
cold resistance (the oranges
were always dusted with frost
in the mornings) citrus here
needs mollycoddling inside a
conservatory, porch or frost-
FINAL WORD
free greenhouse where the
temperatures stay above
5¡C (41¡F) during winter.
Then come summer they
like to bask in full sunshine
and that’s why they’re best
grown in large pots filled
with John Innes compost,
so they can be wheeled
out to the patio after the
risk of frost has passed.
Another thing to know is
that they are the hungry
horticultural equivalent of
King Henry VIII.
I feed mine every week
from now right through to
IPC

October with a weekly ■ Good citrus to try – Lemon

dose of half-strength lawn
fertiliser plus a good
splash of liquid seaweed
feed in their pots and
sprayed on the leaves.
Without it, their foliage
pales and they become
shy of flowers and fruit.
They are a lot of effort
David Lock
‘Four Seasons’ as its name
suggests is almost always in
flower and very often in fruit.
■ Calamondin –a mini-me
orange. Delicious when cooked
with sugar into marmalade.
■ Kaffir limes – easier than
conventional limes and grown
for its leaves which give Thai
curries their distinctive flavour.

but as it says on the ads

‘they’re worth it’. ■

5 APRIL 2014 AMATEUR GARDENING 67