Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i BBC Gardeners' World

New date added • Prune like a pro Learn new skills and get expert guidance from associate editor David Hurrion in our Pruning Masterclass in April at the stunning Savill Garden – hurry as tickets are selling fast! • Pruning roses Watch our useful set of video clips from Monty and the team, on how to prune shrub, climbing and rambling roses – plus much more rose advice, on gardenersworld.com.Go to bit.ly/GW-roses • Herbs for health Come and join the team at this spring’s Highgrove Festival, where herb guru Jekka McVicar will reveal the health benefits of easy-to-grow herbs. Find out more on p101. • Gardening trips We’ve got two great ways for you to holiday with presenters in this issue. Join Carol this August in Madeira (p46) or meet…

1 Galanthus nivalis ‘Viridapice’ and Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ Here’s another example of what I was saying on the previous page – a whole chorus ready to sing. Snowdrops are still in fine voice, as the mini-daffodils join the show. There’s cyclamen foliage in there too and a young foxglove waiting in the wings. Lots now, and plenty to look forward to… Galanthus nivalis ‘Viridapice’ • Care Prefers a shady spot. Divide large clumps after flowering and replant in new sites straight away. • H x S10cm x 10cm Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ • Care Plant bulbs in early autumn and they’ll soon form clumps. Great at the front of borders or in pots. • H x S20cm x 10cm 2 Skimmia japonica reevesiana and Leucothoe ‘Zeblid’ There are two…

“The harsh reality of extreme weather would crush the soul of our British eccentricity” At the beginning of December, I went to bed on a Saturday night with the garden greenish, brownish and not particularly cold and woke the next morning with it undulating white under a foot of snow. The snow kept falling all day, so by Monday morning there were drifts across paths and great, white cumulus clouds of snow on all the hedges, and every branch etched with a thick, white line. There was some damage, almost entirely through the sheer volume and weight of the snow – a weeping pear split in two, a hawthorn brought down and two buddleias uprooted. When the temperature dropped below -13ºC, the greenhouse doors froze solid and, under their deep…

“The worse irritations are the boring routine housekeeping jobs” We all know that gardening is a delight and nothing makes us more inclined to skip around happily than the flowers that bloom in spring, tra la la! But the skipping comes to a sudden stop when we discover that rabbits – or slugs or deer or squirrels – have eaten our long-awaited flowers. There is no doubt that pests are a major irritation. I correspond with many gardeners, and about one in a 1,000 have decided to live happily with their rabbits – unless they have them in cages. Come spring we are likely to discover winter damage. Plants that have rotted off or trees that have blown down. The mega clear-up is a pain in the… well, everything. Then…

Which roses to grow There are many different types of roses, from sprawling climbers and ramblers, to shrub, hybrid and groundcover types, right down to the tiniest patio varieties. To make sure your rose is healthy and covered in flowers, it’s essential to choose the right type and the right size of pot. Tiny treasures The obvious choice of rose for container growing is the patio or miniature types, which have been specifically bred for growing in pots and have shallower roots and compact growth. Minimum pot size: 30cm x 30cm Mid-size marvels Groundcover roses and shorter climbing roses, which have been bred for growing on a patio, are bigger than the miniature types, but still compact enough to be happy in a container. Minimum pot size: 45cm x 45cm…

Secateurs tend to be the first thing you pick up when you’re off to do some work in the garden. They’re useful for deadheading and snipping off untidy shoots, for harvesting flowers and vegetables, and for the precision pruning that keeps your shrubs and climbers performing perfectly year after year. There are so many variations of this versatile hand tool that you may be left wondering how to make the right choice. The priority in terms of plant health is to make clean, neat cuts. When choosing which pair to buy, this cutting efficiency must be balanced against your own comfort, their ease of maintenance and overall value for money. We set about testing a selection of secateurs that would suit most gardeners. Tools were selected under three categories: bypass…

My successes • Brinjal (aubergines) Long Bangladeshi aubergines have dense flesh with lots of flavour. “They’re so vigorous, we were still picking them into December,” says Shaish. • Chillies “If you have one or two Naga chilli plants, that’ll be enough for a year of food for a family, no joke!” • Coriander Shaish finds coriander is frost-hardy and grows best in the cool of autumn and spring. “Nothing attacks it – not slugs, not birds, not anything.” • Mint Shaish says plain spearmint (Mentha spicata) has the best flavour for his chicken tikka. “And mint grows so wild! This year I got a little mountain.” My challenges • Bottle gourds “The first year I got lots of gourds, but last year I had none,” says Shaish. This year he’s…

Now is the ideal time to lift and divide large clumps of snowdrops. They establish best if moved after they’ve finished flowering, but before the foliage dies back, rather than as dormant bulbs. Plant the divided clumps in a new location out of full sun, into free-draining soil that will hold onto some moisture. 1 Choose a shady spot and dig several planting holes about 10cm deep. Fork in organic matter and add bonemeal for root growth. 2 Dig up a clump of snowdrops with plenty of roots. Pull it apart into several smaller clumps. Firm back in any bulbs left behind. 3 Plant the small clumps into your prepared holes, at the same depth they were before. Firm them in and water well.…

Pot up mint for early pickings Mint will begin to sprout quite early outside, but you can get further ahead by digging up a clump of roots and bringing it into the greenhouse. Protected from the worst of the weather, the mint will produce tasty young leaves for cropping several weeks before those out in the garden. Simply lift a small clump and plant in a deep pot of multi-purpose compost. Water in, then stand the pot on a sunny bench. The radiant heat will spur the mint into growth and you’ll soon be harvesting the flavour-packed young leaves. You will then get continued growth until your outdoor plants take over. Get your fuchsias ready for spring Before spring growth gets under way, tidy up your overwintering fuchsias. Trim off…

The taste of rhubarb is so much better when pulled from your own garden and this is a great time of year to get yours in the ground, as long as the soil is workable. It’s happy in sun or part-shade and prefers a rich, free-draining soil. I have always found rhubarb easy to grow, it will just keep clumping up and providing delicious stalks from spring until the middle of summer. Make sure you water your rhubarb well through the first season and don’t be tempted to start pulling stalks in that first summer – it will need time to get itself established before it produces good strong growth. When you do start harvesting, hold the stalk at the base and pull off the whole stem. Don’t cut the…

This easy-to-make project will house a range of different bat species. It has an entry slot against the back board on the lower edge, and the rest of the joints are neat to prevent drafts – something bats are fussy about! The roof is held in place with a short section of timber on its underside and an angle slot cut in the back board, making it easy to take off and clean. Your plank might have different measurements to ours, so roughly assemble the box as you go, to check everything lines up before you start drilling or screwing. Don’t buy treated timber or apply any preservative as it will deter bats. YOU WILL NEED • Softwood, planed timber plank, approx. 18 x 144 x 1500mm • 20 x…

First and second early potatoes need much less space than maincrop ones and are ready to harvest earlier, so they are ideal for containers or if space in the ground is limited. I grew ‘Charlotte’ second early potatoes in seven different ways: in sacks, pots and bags of various materials and sizes, plus a trench in the ground and a row in a raised bed. I adjusted the number of seed potatoes to suit the size of the container. Miracle-Gro Gro Your Own Gro-sac This is similar to those used for growing tomatoes: a plastic sack ready-filled with 50 litres of compost, plus slow-release fertiliser lasting six weeks. I cut small drainage holes in the base and simply plunged the seed potatoes in. greenfingers.com, £8.49 Pros and…

Q How can we transform pasture into a garden? Dave Hoddell, Somerset A BOB SAYS Pasture contains mostly surface-rooting plants, so borders can probably be cut out of the turf, which can be piled up to rot down and turn into a rich loam, which will be most useful. The clay soil you say you have is good as it’s rich and holds moisture, but it will be heavy and difficult to work, so aim for perennial plants that require minimal cultivation. First, though, you must ask your local council as converting a field into a garden may require planning permission, and it would be awful to later have to undo all your efforts and restore the land to pasture. Even if it cannot be converted into a garden, you…

There’s a ripple of energy buzzing through our gardens, despite the chill air reminding us it’s still winter. But we’re on the cusp, and every day brings signs of new life, shyly poking through the earth. I can’t resist a peek every day to see who’s joining the party! It’s always exciting to find that bulb, seed or dormant plant you chose and placed with care rewarding your efforts by bursting into life. Monty observed recently that when you garden, you’re investing in hope. That’s so right – and anyone who’s gardened for a while will have felt the good it does, tearing us away from sofa and screen. Out into fresh air, our hands are in soil, our heads in the future and our minds fully engaged yet still…

There are two main features we require of winter shrubs: flowers and fragrance. They have to stand the worst the winter can throw at them, and if their foliage is attractive and evergreen or if their autumn berries hang on into winter, so much the better. Viburnums fit the bill and there is quite a choice. They fall into three distinct groups and it would be no bad thing if we had one plant from each. For fragrant flowers, the forms of twiggy and deciduous Viburnum x bodnantense stand out. The four or five varieties available are similar and you’ll be pleased with any named form. The pink buds open to scented white flowers at any time from November to March and occasionally all the way through. Evergreens form another…

A new start Thank you for waking the dormant gardener in me. Since opening my January issue, I’ve ordered my free dahlias and learnt that I’ve stored my dahlia tubers correctly. I’ve agreed with Michael Gove for the first time ever, in ‘Gove champions pollinators’ (Clippings, January issue). Monty’s article on growing grapes provided valuable advice, and although saddened by the low counts of house sparrows in my county, it’s good to know my windfall apples will offer them a meal. I know what to prune and when to plant broad beans and chilies and sort my seed packets. With so much on, I might have to book a relaxing day at Highgrove and be inspired by Adam Frost. Wendy Todd, Surrey Sign up to become a Magazine Insider Share…

Competing with Europe! Have your say on the European Tree of the Year, by casting a vote in the annual competition. Voting opens this month, with The Gilwell Oak representing the UK. The tree can be found in Gilwell Park, Essex, on the Epping estate where Robert Baden-Powell championed the tree as a metaphor for the Scouting movement in 1929. It’s hoped the tree will do equally well for the UK. To vote, go to woodlandtrust.org.uk Kevin McCloud backs sensory garden A new community, sensory garden that is inviting locals to take over plots of land, has received the support of Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud. Langdon Nature Reserve near Basildon in Essex has a path around a newly planted section of scented winter shrubs, plus spring and summer borders.…

Tropical gardens are fun and exciting to create – there’s nothing better than stepping outside the back door and feeling as if you’ve just walked off a plane and arrived in another country! Over the years, I’ve transformed many average gardens into lush jungly havens and find this style works particularly well in urban gardens or as an exotic ‘room’ in a sheltered corner of a larger garden, where the plants thrive in the protected microclimate. In a small space, the dramatic planting can be condensed for high impact, so you really feel you’re in among it. The key plants that set the exotic scene tend to be those with large foliage, such as bananas and hardy palms, or imposing architectural forms such as bamboos. Once you have a few…

Books & reports • Biophilia Edward O. Wilson. Personal essays on our innate response to nature. £22.79, Harvard University Press • Gardens and Health David Buck. Report from The King’s Fund. kingsfund.org.uk • The benefits of gardening and food growing for health and wellbeing. Report by Garden Organic and Sustain. gardenorganic.org.uk • Last Child in the Woods Richard Louv. Impassioned plea for more kids climbing trees. £8.99, Atlantic Books • The Nature Fix Florence Williams. Why nature makes us happier, healthier and more creative. £14.78, WW Norton & Co • Restorative Gardens: The Healing Landscape Nancy Gerlach-Spriggs, Richard Enoch Kaufman and Sam Bass Warner. Absorbing history of using gardens for therapy. £19.19, Yale University Press • Sunshine Over Clover Sarah Wint. One woman’s journey to find healing through gardens. £11,…

1 CHOOSE A POT large enough for the type of rose you want to grow (see p66), with plenty of drainage holes in the base. Fill it two thirds with a good quality loam-based compost, such as John Innes No3, mixed with a couple of handfuls of garden compost or well-rotted manure. 2 SPRINKLE MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI on the roots. Place a bare-root plant on the surface and spread the roots out. With a container rose, remove from its pot and plant at the same depth it was originally. 3 FILL IN around the rose with compost making sure the bare-root plant is planted at the same depth as the soil mark on the stem. Press the compost firmly down around the roots and top up with compost if the level…

Bypass secateurs have a blade sharpened on one side. It cuts as the blade passes a hardened plate, much like a pair of scissors. These are popular for their versatility. Manufacturers claim they can cut stems up to a maximum diameter of between 12mm and 26mm. We found that few models managed the maximum, and it was mostly dependent on hand strength and stem softness. Anvil secateurs have a double-sided blade that presses down onto a hard anvil plate as it cuts. These are good for cutting woody material. They must be kept sharp or they will crush, rather than cut stems. On some models the blade ends are quite rounded (compared to more pointed bypass designs), which can make it harder to get in among congested stems. Ratchet secateurs…

Subscriber copies of the magazine come with free ‘Velvet Queen’ sunflowers seeds this month. You can sow them indoors straightaway, or wait for spring and sow outside. This summer you’ll enjoy large, spectacular flowerheads (great for pollinators such as bees and hoverflies) and after they’ve faded, edible seeds (for you or the birds) are a bonus. Grow for cutting, as a screen or to boost the back of a border. Give the plants plenty of space as these tall flowers can reach head height – just where you’ll be able to best appreciate their colouring. For outdoor sowing, choose free-draining soil or a raised bed, Water well to encourage large, strong plants. If you did not receive your Free Seeds with your subscriber’s copy, call 03330 162123 6 TOP TIPS…

Most of what we call ‘summer bedding plants’ (planted out in late spring to brighten beds between June and November) are technically half-hardy annuals. They are capable of spending the summer in the open, but too tender to sow outdoors like ‘hardy annuals’. They can be raised each spring from seeds sown ‘under glass’ in a greenhouse, porch or on a windowsill – in fact, anywhere the temperature can be raised. They just need to be protected from frost and positioned in bright light to stop them from growing tall and ‘leggy’. Most require just a little heat, and can be transplanted when large enough to handle, and spaced out in trays or modules of compost until planting out time in June. Sow from February to April and when it’s…

1 Choose firm, healthy crowns with a couple of good buds/ shoots showing. Plant out from November to March, immediately after buying, in unfrozen ground. 2 Weed the soil, then work in some well-rotted manure. I work to a spade’s depth so that the roots have plenty of good, loose soil to grow into. 3 Plant in a hole slightly wider and as deep as your crown, so just the tip is showing. Fill around it with soil, firming out air pockets. Water to settle the soil. 4 Force stems by keeping them in the dark, to make them sweet and tender. Don’t force brand new rhubarb and give plants a rest by forcing in alternate years.…

If new grassed areas are to be successfully created in the spring, turf is the best choice as seed germination takes so long on cold soils. If the turf is laid now, you’ll be walking on it in just a few weeks. 1 Clear the ground fully of leaves and tamp down to give a firm, level surface on which to lay turf. 2 Lay the turf on the day of delivery, roll it out and start at the edge, working from a board over the newly laid turf. 3 Cut the turf pieces to size. Try to use the largest pieces possible. Firm them down and water well.…

Micro-leaves Quick and easy to grow at any time of year, these mini-plants are bursting with nutrients and flavour 3 WAYS TO TRY • Scatter micro-coriander over sliced sea bass, dressed with lime juice, ginger and chilli • Make a micro-leaf salad with a honey and orange dressing to accompany roast duck • Add micro-parsley to pickled crab and lemon mayonnaise Nutrition Micro-leaves contain much higher concentrations of nutrients than the mature vegetables, including a high level of vitamin C. How to grow Micro-leaves must be grown indoors, either in a frost-free greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. Scatter the seeds evenly into a seed tray filled with multi-purpose or seed compost. Sow more densely than usually recommended, but not so close that the seeds are actually touching each other.…

Trees have a huge impact on our gardens and landscapes. These lofty plants bring volume, height, shade, soil stability, wildlife habitats and oodles of oxygen to outdoor spaces. To get the best from both established and newly planted trees, there is much we can do as gardeners. Established trees A mature garden tree is something to be treasured, but they’re not without challenges. Large trees are hungry for light, water and nutrients, meaning they can potentially deprive the rest of the garden of those resources. Light can be addressed with pruning to open up the canopy, irrigation can provide for plants beneath the tree, and nutrients can be added in the form of mulch and balanced organic feeds. Although these giants of the garden may appear all-powerful, they can be…

• GW TV special bumper edition • 11-page preview of the 2018 series • Meet all 10 GW presenters • Longmeadow plans revealed TUNE IN : 8.30PM, BBC2 , 9 MARCH ON TEST CORDLESS MOWERS We reveal our battery-powered best buys Wildlife in small spaces How to attract pollinators to your garden – however tiny it is The art of green living Freshen up your home with our houseplant style guide Expert advice Celebrate the season with Carol’s pick of primulas Get your lawn summer-ready with Adam’s action plan Confused about compost? Alan explains what’s on offer PLUS ✔ Monty on growing lemons ✔ Nick explains how to conquer clay soil ✔ Plant a shady border with Joe’s plan ✔ Charles Dowding on time-saving veg WIN! An 8-day Danube river…

Ivy attracts plenty of wildlife. When you remove this you will be upsetting the balance of nature in your garden for a few years. However, it will regrow unless you can dig out all the roots without disturbing other plants in the hedge. Guernsey Donkey2 I don’t see what you would gain by removing the ivy. I expect it’s also a lot easier to keep maintained than hawthorn would be. Onopordum Cut the stems at the base and leave it to die back, rather than try to pull it out and disturbing everything. Cut with hedgetrimmers a couple of times a year to stop it galloping across the rest of your garden. Don’t convince yourself it has to come out because it’s a weed. raisingirl The ivy will eventually kill…

• Celebrate nest boxes Get involved in National Nest Box Week, 14-21 Feb, by putting up a box in your garden, school or place of work. And you can help the organisers, the British Trust for Ornithology, by telling them about visitors to your box. Go to bto.org • Bees on tour Following its success at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Me and My Bee, a comic family show tackling climate change and the disappearance of bees, embarks on a UK tour from 10 Feb. Go to: thisegg.co.uk • Spot the birdies A new birdspotting app, BirdSpotter, has been created to help twitchers track and record the birds they see. Visit birdspotter.kennedywildbirdfood.co.uk • Kew Orchid Festival Head to Kew Gardens this month for a tropical cure for the winter blues with its…

“Perennials suit a variety of circumstances. A garden without them is missing out” For uplifting colour and their ability to fill a border, perennial plants are unbeatable. They offer variety of outlook and seasonal change. Their range of heights, from just a few inches to more than six feet, and their variable habits – from the tall and statuesque to the billowing cloud or the modest creeper, means they will suit a variety of circumstances and gardens – or containers – of all sizes. In short, a garden without them is really missing out. A perennial simply means a plant that will live on indefinitely, as opposed to an annual, which flowers, sets seed and dies within 12 months, and a biennial, whose seeds are sown one year to flower…

Although cutting back our favourite flower can seem complicated because of their many different types, roses are some of the easiest plants to prune. They are also a good plant on which to practice your techniques as they are so forgiving. February is a good month for routine pruning of all roses except ramblers, and the basics are the same. Cutting back hard will promote the strongest growth, while light pruning will result in less vigour. The other rules of thumb are to cut to an outward-facing bud and to remove any closely positioned stems that might rub or compete for space. Also remove stubby ‘snags’ (short, dead lengths of stem with no growth on them) and thin, twiggy stems that are unlikely to produce anything worthwhile in terms of…

Plant lilies in pots What better centrepiece for your patio this summer than a large pot of glorious lilies? Most types can be grown in containers, although the dwarf Asiatic hybrids do particularly well and don’t need staking. Simply take a 30cm pot, part-fill it with potting compost and place the lily bulbs 5cm apart on the surface, then cover with 10cm of compost. Stem-rooting species such as Lilium longiflorum need to be at least 5cm deeper to allow for root development above the bulb. Keep the pot in a frost-free place, water well from spring and protect plants from slugs and lily beetles. Prune late clematis It’s time to cut back last year’s growth on late-flowering Clematis viticella and C. ‘Jackmanii’. Don’t be afraid to prune them hard, cutting…

Your free seeds can be sown indoors or outdoors. You can sow them under cover now, but wait until March before sowing outdoors. Seedlings started off indoors will need to be grown on in a cool but frost-free place, watered and planted in a bed after the risk of frost has passed. Watch out for pests. 1 Overfill small pots with seed or multi-purpose compost and run a cane over the top to level the surface. Don’t compact the compost before sowing as seeds need air to germinate and grow. 2 Place one seed into the centre of each pot, pushing it down until it’s 1.5cm deep. It doesn’t matter which way up the seed is. Flick the compost back over the top of the seed. 3 Water pots thoroughly,…

1 Fill a modular tray with multipurpose compost, push away the excess with the side of your hand and tap the tray on a hard surface to settle. 2 Sow two or three seeds, such as these cosmos, per module and then push just beneath the surface with a pencil. Do not bury them too deeply. 3 Label each tray with the variety and the date sown (so you know when to expect germination). Water the seeds in with a can fitted with a fine rose. 4 Cover with a plastic lid, to keep the soil damp, not wet. 18-21°C suits most half-hardy annuals. Remove the plastic lid on germination to promote good airflow.…

4 CROPS to sow now Some crops need to be sown this month because they take a long time to reach maturity. Others can be sown now in small batches, and resown regularly, for continuous cropping. These early sowings require extra heat to trigger germination and the young seedlings need as much light as possible, so they grow into strong, productive plants. 1 Tomato seeds should be sown into pots of multi-purpose compost. Place in a heated propagator or on a heated mat to provide a temperature of 22°C. The seedlings should appear in less than a fortnight. 2 Brussels sprouts germinate in just a few days, even at low temperatures. Sow sparsely in a seed tray, cover lightly with compost, then firm down the surface. Water well. 3 Onion…

In October 2017, more than 2,500 readers nationwide took part in our annual garden wildlife survey* . The results reveal an important picture of what’s happening in our backyards, with winners, losers and some encouraging success stories to report. Here’s the full picture, with resident wildlife experts Kate Bradbury and Richard Jones explaining the results and revealing how you can do more to help. What are we spotting? Generally, sightings of all kinds of wildlife remain the same, with small fluctuations in the following: Going up Rat +2% Squirrel +2% Badger +1% Bat +1% Frog +1% Hedgehog +1% Mice +1% Mole +1% Newt +1% Owl +1% Toad +1% Vole +1% Going down Fox -1% Rabbit -1% Helping wildlife We continue to be a nation of wildlife lovers, with nearly 75%…

 here are far too many awards ceremonies. “Where once a rake was used to corral fallen foliage, we now have a vacuum cleaner in reverse” They are tedious, self-congratulating and of little interest, unless you happen to be a recipient. If that’s the case, they are long overdue, a nice way of saying ‘thank you’ and a means of recognising overlooked talent. But whichever side of the fence you find yourself, I hope you will approve of my GASBOs – Gardening Antisocial Behaviour Orders. The most obvious is the one most frequently awarded to the custodian of a Leyland hedge that has grown so tall and so wide that it reduces the light in the next-door neighbour’s house to a level akin to that enjoyed by a cave dweller. ‘Good…