Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i BBC Gardeners' World

Discover the Secret Garden Unlock the subscriber-only area of our website, the Secret Garden, where you’ll find extra features, video and offers created just for subscribers. Find your Subscriber Number on the address sheet to enter and explore! Winter exclusive Missing Longmeadow with the TV show off air? Watch our Secret Garden exclusive video with Monty’s guided tour to the garden in winter, at gardenersworld.com/longmeadow-winter Highgrove festival Hear Alan, Adam and a host of other gardening experts at the Talking Gardens Festival, held in the private garden of HRH The Prince of Wales. We’re giving readers exclusive access –see page 24. Join a 2019 Masterclass Learn new skills in our exclusive Masterclasses, hosted by the beautiful Savill Garden. It’s the perfect festive gift. Turn to page 61.…

What is your garden like? A big mix of plants, indoors and out. We grow vegetables, hardy tropical plants and plenty that are from Australia, like me. My partner is a Kew-trained gardener, but the garden is our baby, so we really do both look after it. How do you rate your gardening? I would be lucky to get 2/10, but I’m learning so much. I’m so impressed with the range of plants we can grow here in our eight acres of English countryside. Have you always had a big garden? For a long time, while living in the city, I only had a small garden, with just a few plants, pots and a trickling water feature that I named Kelly Brook. Have you enjoyed designing? To me the garden…

Choose stems that are about pencil thickness and fully ripened and woody, but not old and gnarled (except in the case of mulberry, poplar and willow, which don’t seem to mind). Willow and poplar both have pre-formed root initials, which make them so easy to root. Even branches of pussy willow stood in water will soon begin to push out roots, so eager are they to grow. On deciduous plants, the leaves should have fallen by now, but snip off any that remain. On evergreens, remove all but the topmost pair of leaves. Root your cuttings outdoors in open ground if you have the space. If you don’t, then the cuttings can be rooted in pots, but choose large containers so that the compost is slower to dry out, and…

Richard Small Tyne & Wear Garden size 3.2m x 6.6m + 1.9m x 2.5m Many people would have dismissed the bare concrete yard as too small to do anything with, but not Richard. He saw past the gloom and flaking paint to visualise the calming, plant-filled oasis that it would become. He has spent the past 22 years creating it, painstakingly caring for the plants, which are all grown in pots. The judges were so impressed by the cohesion and restrained colour palette that he only narrowly missed out on being Highly Commended. “So refreshing! I love the way he’s focused on green. He’s created rhythm by grouping plants of different heights”Alan Titchmarsh What you have done to make the garden? First, I repointed the walls and painted them white…

1 CHECK the pot has drainage holes. Half-fill with ericaceous or multipurpose compost, and firm lightly. If leaving the plants potted beyond winter, mix in controlled-release fertiliser. 2 ENSURE the roots are damp before planting. Position the conifer towards the back, with the top of the rootball 3-4cm below the rim. 3 ARRANGE the other plants close together for instant impact – they won’t grow over winter. Work from largest to smallest. Fill all gaps with compost and water well.…

All gardens produce fallen leaves, debris and clippings that need to be tidied up. A rake or broom will keep you fit but a powered blower can make it quicker and easier to access awkward corners, blasting leaves into neat piles for collection or under shrubs to rot down in situ and improve the soil. Domestic leaf blowers cost up to £300, but you can buy a good model for less than £100, so the blowers we tested are in that price range. Some of these also have a vacuum facility, with a collection bag and shredding function. For less than £100 you can buy cordless (powered by lithium-ion rechargeable batteries) and corded (electric, powered straight from the mains) models. Petrol models are priced out of this bracket. The 12…

REMOVE WEEDS Target tough perennial weeds still going strong – they will now be much easier to spot and dig up. Remove as much of the roots as possible to help prevent regrowth. Plan beds and order seeds While it’s quiet on the gardening front, spend some time planning any changes you want to make to your borders next year. Look back at recent photos if possible, and note any areas that you’d like to improve. You could even draw up a simple plan showing the colours and sizes of plants you’d like to add in spring. You can also get ahead and order seeds now, while the best choices are all still available. Make a simple border plan showing plant sizes and colours Control blackspot Blackspot is a common…

Check the temperature Some of your greenhouse plants may need some extra protection from the cold as the winter sets in. A max/min thermometer that measures the highest and lowest temperatures over 24 hours will give you the best data to judge when to take action. Fleecing vulnerable plants helps to protect them, but it’s best to get greenhouse heaters working, too. You’ll still need to keep an eye on the thermometer, of course. Keep a record of your readings and the effect of protection measures on your plants. It’s valuable information for future years. Mulch beds now Adding a layer of mulch to your greenhouse border now will condition the soil ready for next year’s crop. Most organic matter is acidic, so check your soil’s pH and if it…

Inspect stored veg Vegetables that you’re storing, such as root crops, squash, garlic and onions, get progressively more vulnerable to rot as the weeks go on, even when kept somewhere cool and dark. So check them regularly – handle each one to make sure they’re not going soft, and get some light on them so you can see if they’ve developed spots or other signs of rot on the skin. Onions, for example, can look perfect, but be soft when pressed. Use the softer ones as soon as possible, but discard any that have started to rot. Prune apples Keep your apple trees healthy and improve cropping by doing some winter pruning. You’ll need secateurs, long-handled loppers and a pruning saw, with the blades freshly cleaned and sharpened. Start by…

All Christmas trees will last through the season, looking fresh and with less needle drop, if you take time to prepare them and position them in the right place. Even the ‘no needle drop’ trees do better when they’ve been conditioned a bit like cut flowers. Place the tree well away from any source of heat. 1 CHOOSE your tree using the buying tips outlined below and get it netted, ready for transport. 2 KEEP the tree wrapped, but saw a few centimetres off the end of the trunk. Keep your gloves on - it’s not only safer but also the tree needles may cause a rash when you handle them. 3 STAND the tree in water for a few hours or overnight. This allows the tree to draw up…

3 WAYS TO TRY • Fry halved chicory, cut-side down, in butter, add sugar to caramelise. Add cider vinegar, a splash of water and a lid and cook. Drizzle cream over, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesan and brown under the grill. • Chargrill chicory halves coated with olive oil, serve over a purée of cooked borlotti beans, tomatoes, puy lentils and spelt. • Shred chicory and mix with parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Serve in a sandwich of leftover roast turkey, ham and pickled cucumber. FIND MORE delicious chicory recipes from Olive magazine at bit.ly/chicory-recipes Nutrition Chicory is a good source of vitamin A, C and E, as well as calcium and iron. How to grow Sow seeds directly into the soil in a sunny part of the garden.…

• Day-length sensitive plants, like poinsettia, only flower when they are exposed to the right amount of light. Poinsettias are short-day plants and produce floral buds instead of leaves when only lit for 12 hours. • Moth orchids are produced by the million in South East Asia via seed or a method known as micro-propagation. Tiny leaf fragments are grown on agar jelly or similar and go on to produce full-blown flowering plants. • Young coniferous species such as picea and fir are often given as gifts at Christmas. But, evolved to withstand temperatures down to -30°C, they rarely survive the central heating in our homes. • Most citrus species originate in Asia where many produce green fruit, even when ripe. It’s thought that the colder conditions of the Mediterranean…

Many years ago – about four decades to be precise – I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I considered applying for a teacher-training course, but life took a different turn and I ended up at Kew Gardens creating staff-training courses. This amounted to the same thing, I suppose, albeit achieved via an alternative route. Sharing passions and passing on what I hope are useful skills have always been the driving force behind what I do. But after a couple of years of ‘teaching’, I discovered two things that indicated I wasn’t really cut out for the job. The first was that, of necessity, I had to teach exactly the same things each year, every year, and the second was that it became increasingly clear that not everyone wanted…

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The birch is one of Britain’s best-loved trees. In the countryside we enjoy its white stems, its spring catkins and its buttery autumn colour, while in garden varieties we enjoy all those features with extra intensity plus its quick growth, light shade and dappled canopy of foliage. The choice from the 35 species, and many varieties, allows us to select plants for wet soil and for dry, and the fact that trees quickly reach a size where they make an impression, yet never cast dense shade, allows a wide range of shade-loving plants to be grown beneath. At this time of year the gleaming white bark of many varieties shines in the low winter sunshine, especially when cleaned with soap and water. The weeping growth of some is elegant year…

• Keep your secateurs sharp - blunt tools damage wood and can introduce disease. • Use loppers or a saw for thick stems to avoid crushing the wood or making ragged cuts. • Remove all dead, damaged and diseased wood from whatever type of rose or shrub you’re pruning. Such wood is unproductive, harbours disease and can spread disease to healthy parts of the shrub. • Remove all crossing wood because stems that cross can rub together, damaging bark and inviting disease. Also, each stem should have its own space so you can see and enjoy your roses. • On bush types, always cut just above an outward-facing bud (no more than a quarter of an inch) to prevent the stem above your cut dying back and to help the…

1 Choose your cutting material well, selecting healthy, pencil-thick shoots (25-30cm long) and make a cut above a bud, or pair of buds, at the top and below a bud at the bottom. 2 Choose a pot at least 23cm in diameter, put drainage material, such as coarse gravel, in the bottom, then fill it to within 2-3cm of the rim with peat-free multi-purpose compost that has added extra sharp sand. The gap will allow for subsequent watering and the sand will help to prevent 3 waterlogging in wet weather. Insert the cuttings to two thirds of their length, the right way up. Space them 8-10cm apart around the edge of the pot, where drainage will be swift. Position the pot in a sheltered spot. Protect it from severe weather…

Fabulous and foraged Dazzle your guests with decor made from nature’s bounty, says Isabelle Palmer In the depths of winter, fresh greenery gathered from the garden lifts your spirits and reconnects you with nature like nothing else. Combined with a profusion of gold, it really brings the festive season alive. Here I have brought together some of my favourite ideas to decorate your home this Christmas, collecting foraged materials from around the garden and winter walks. Don’t forget to follow the foragers’ code: don’t pick on nature reserves, only pick from abundant patches and only pick one in 20 seedheads you find. Isabelle Palmer is a city garden designer YOU WILL NEED Your wreath…

gifts for foodie gardeners Winter garlic pack The winter planting pack contains four popular types of garlic suitable for January planting. £12.95, thegarlicfarm.co.uk Vintage Bormioli bottles Lunchbox-size, thick-glass bottles with leak-proof lids - perfect for homemade sauces. £17.99, seedsofitaly.com Veg seed tin Tin containing a selection of seeds for year-round veg or a mix of organic salad leaves. From £11.95, sarahraven.com Recycled plant labels Set of five blank plant labels made from recycled plant pots, complete with wax crayon. £5.99, ethicallygifted.co.uk Kilner pickle fermentation jar and set Make your own pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi with this 3L fermenting set. £25, johnlewis.com Books Know Your Onions , Fiona Thornton, Allsorted, £7.99 The Ten-Minute Gardener , Val Bourne, Bantam Press, £9.99 The Cocktail Garden , Adriana Picker, Hardie Grant Books, £12.99 A…

The blowers arrived boxed and were tested in a large garden on a range of surfaces, including gravel, paving, and grass, and used to blow dry and damp leaves and garden debris. We used the following test criteria: • Handling Weight, noise level, comfort, ease, vacuum facilities. • Performance Power output, single or variable speed, flow rate, battery run time, cable length, effectiveness on dry material, effectiveness on damp material. • Set up and storage Ease of assembly, instructions, safety features. For batteries: charging, fitting and removal if not integral. • Value for money Taking into account the above points, plus tool price (complete), material/product quality, warranty period.…

We’re giving three awards based on our findings: Spear & Jackson S18BL Best cordless Light and easy to use, quiet, reasonable run time on one charge, quick to recharge, long warranty (three years). MacAllister 3000W Best corded Comfortable to use, powerful, tube telescopes for storage, also good vacuum features (large bag, high mulch ratio, additional head for flat surfaces). Great price. Webb EBV260 Best blower-vac model Great performance on both functions. Comfortable to operate, with a large bag.…

Start amaryllis (hippeastrum) bulbs into growth now for spectacular trumpet flowers in a couple of months. Place on a windowsill in good light, then water and feed as it grows. After flowering, cut off the spent stem, but continue feeding for flowers next year. 1 PLANT the bulb in loam-based potting compost, so the tip is 3cm above the surface. Firm in so hold the bulb upright. 2 SOAK the compost to start the bulb off, then water only sparingly until the leaves begin to grow rapidly and need regular water.…

Testing the soil in our gardens is vital if we want to know which plants will do well and which ones will struggle, thus avoiding wasting money. On very alkaline soils (which overlie chalk or limestone), some plants are unable to extract iron from the soil, which results in their foliage turning yellow or chlorotic. The technical term for them is ‘calcifuges’ – plants that need acidic soil to do well. Other plants thrive in alkaline soils and have no trouble extracting nutrients. These plants are known as ‘calcicoles.’ Soil acidity and alkalinity is measured on the pH scale, which ranges from 0 (extremely acid) to 14 (extremely alkaline). Most soils in the UK have a pH of between 4.0 and 8.0, and pH 7.0 is neutral. Testing your soil…

Garlic likes full sun and free-draining soil that has been enriched with well-rotted manure or garden compost. If your soil is heavy, plant the cloves into shallower holes or start them off in modules. 1 SPLIT the outer skin of the bulb, then pull off each of the individual cloves from the base plate. 2 SPACE each clove 15cm apart along a line marked with a cane or string, in rows 30cm apart. 3 USE a trowel to plant the cloves so that the tips are about 2.5cm below the soil surface.…

1. Measure up the space for your tree at home before going shopping. Trees tend to look smaller in large barns and outdoors, so stick with your measurements. 2. Lift the tree. A heavy tree is better, as it’ll have a high water content. 3. Check your tree’s health – its growth shouldn’t look dull or dry. Bounce the tree on the ground and be wary of trees that are already shedding lots of green needles. 4. Run your hand along the branches – they should feel nice and springy. 5. If taking the tree home on your car roof, fix it so the base is facing forwards. This will limit the risk of damage.…

If your tree lacks the jolly red or yellow berries that symbolise the festive season, the reason could be straightforward. Most hollies (Ilex) are dioecious, which means that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Some plants evolved like this to prevent self-fertilisation, thereby reducing inbreeding in a population and promoting the health of the species. But it can backfire when one of the sexes is vulnerable to change and starts to die out – no mate means no reproduction. A tree that is male will have no berries, as only flowers with female parts can form fruits. Alternatively, your tree might be female but unpollinated. This happens when there is no male tree nearby with pollen-producing flowers. When you only have room for one holly, the answer…

Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Pippa Greenwood Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods. Matt Biggs Matt trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years. Michael Davidson, East Yorkshire Q Which plants would make a low, evergreen flowering hedge? A BOB SAYS My best suggestion is the evergreen Berberis verruculosa, which has yellow flowers in early summer followed by purple fruits. If the hedge will be mostly in the sun, then taller varieties of lavender would work, as would rosemary – both are evergreen, aromatic and flower over a long period. Though East Yorkshire may be a bit harsh…

What do you give a gardener for Christmas? We’ve all had ‘em – well-meant gifts ‘thoughtfully designed for the gardener in your life’ that land wide of the mark. To give you some bright ideas, for giving and receiving, we bring you our festive gardeners’ guide on page 63 (and, as you ask, I’ve got my eye on that pack of twine – who ever has enough?). But in truth, the best gift for any gardener is time. Whatever the season, we always want more hours in the day, to finish a task here, sow something there, or just mooch. It’s never harder to find than now, as darkness creeps in mid-afternoon and festive preparations tug at our elbow. But even just 15 minutes a day,…

I have just returned from a long filming trip in Japan – the second this year – that will result in two programmes appearing on your screens in February. This was my third visit to Japan, and I now feel that as well as loving and admiring Japanese gardens, I am beginning to understand them a little. But Japanese gardens are hard for the western eye and mind. They are, by and large, not hard to like, or even love. But that love is always tempered by a degree of incomprehension. Many years ago, I studied Zen Buddhism but I came to realise that I would have to learn Japanese in order to really understand what was being said. Too much was being lost in translation. In many ways, it…

1 Help horticulture Alan Titchmarsh has called for more government support to prevent the demise of UK gardens following a report by Oxford Economics* suggesting that the horticulture industry sector is worth £24.2 billion to the UK economy. 2 Sweet relief Lavender is so relaxing, scientists are researching its use in extracts to treat anxiety disorders. bit.ly/lavender-research 3 Garden value Enjoy 30% off the cost of your ticket for Gardeners’ World Live, if you book before 31 January. Quote code GWR1. Subcribers receive a 35% discount – see p26. bbcgardenersworldlive.com 4 Truro is tops The Cornish city of Truro was crowned ‘Champion of Champions’ in UK-wide community gardening competition, Britain in Bloom. bit.ly/truro-champions 5 Gardenless homes 26% of new homes do not have a garden, a new report by Oxford…

FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2019 ✿ Speaker Alan Titchmarsh ‘The friendly gardener – how to garden with a clear conscience’ Lunch £145pp or Afternoon Tea £115 Alan Titchmarsh describes himself as a friendly gardener, and that friendship extends to all wildlife – birds, bees and butterflies, wild flowers and even what many others would regard as weeds. Using organic methods of gardening for over 25 years, Alan’s garden caters for all these different inhabitants as well as providing a sanctuary for the owner. In this talk, Alan shares some of the secrets to having a wonderful garden without impacting negatively on the wider environment, so helping to keep your gardening conscience clear. SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2019 ✿ Speaker Adam Frost ‘Creating my garden’ Lunch £145pp or Afternoon Tea £115pp In his…

Do give them… ✔ Grated cheese is popular ✔ Fruit is good, especially for blackbirds and thrushes ✔ I buy dried mealworms, too, which robins, tits and wrens gobble up greedily ✔ Sunflower seeds and fat balls – preferably hanging (but never in nets) so tits can land on them without being bullied away by more aggressive birds ✔ They like bread, though it is low in calories for the volume so will fill them up for little reward Don’t give them… ✘ Avoid anything salty, such as crisps, salted peanuts or bacon ✘ Dessicated coconut ✘ Fat balls or peanuts in string nets – birds’ feet and beaks can get caught up in them. ✘Milk, margarine, veg oil, fat from cooking…

Crate expectations A palette of wintry hues gives this display a refined air, set off by the vintage crate. Place on a doorstep or patio table to enjoy the cyclamen and heather up close. Before planting, line the crate with an old compost bag, then punch drainage holes in the base. Place the conifer centrally, then split a pot of acorus and dot small clumps among the other plants. Tended over summer, this display will last a second winter, alternatively the plants can be moved into a border in spring. Trim the heather after flowering and the conifer as necessary. Star plant Podocarpus nivalis ‘Kilworth Cream’ The pale, yew-like needles are especially bright in winter. Spring growth is pinkish. Slow growing but can be trimmed and does best…

Your choice will partly depend on the size of your garden and whether you have an outdoor power socket and extension cable. Electric cords are typically 10m long, but some are as short as 5m. Corded models can be used without interruption, while for the cordless models you’ll need to stop to recharge the battery, which can take from 1-5 hours. Power is measured in different ways for each type, but budget corded models are more powerful at 2,500-3,000 Watts and budget cordless less powerful at a typical 18 Volts. Cordless models are less bulky, so easier to store, but if you want a vacuum function in a budget blower, you’ll need to buy a corded model. Budget corded Heavieraround3-6kg Run time indefinite Noisier – 97-108dB Budget cordless…

Root cuttings are an excellent way to propagate some clump-forming herbaceous plants. These have roots that, when cut, will readily produce new shoots from dormant buds and develop into new plants. Suitable candidates include echinops, crepis, Oriental poppies and acanthus, as well as these Japanese anemones. Root cuttings should be taken over winter when the plant is dormant. Simply dig up part or all of the clump, cut off a few of the larger roots, then replant it quickly before it dries out – it should settle back in well, unharmed by the experience. 1 SELECT a strong, healthy, well-established clump and use a fork to lift part of it from the ground. Choose some of the youngest, most vigorous growth on the outside of the clump. 2 TRIM off…

1 COLLECT small soil samples from the part of your garden you wish to test. Bear in mind that the pH may vary slightly across the garden (though seldom extremely). 2 DRY the soil near a radiator or other heat source and remove any stones or debris that could skew the reading. Mix up the soil samples and add to a test tube. 3 POUR the indicator fluid in the quantity suggested – usually up to a line marked on the test tube. This fluid is specially formulated to detect the soil’s acidity or alkalinity. 4 SHAKE the soil and fluid for half a minute, then let the mixture settle to reveal the colour of the fluid. Check this against the chart to find out its pH value.…

Recycling after the festive season Local authorities will collect old Christmas trees for free if you put them outside on the designated day. Alternatively, you can compost your tree. Cut it with loppers or use a shredder to make small pieces that can be added in layers to the compost heap. You can also use the shreddings as a mulch around trees or shrubs - but not on flowerbeds. Beechgrove Garden BEECHGROVE GARDEN The TV programme is off air until March, but the garden is tended over winter, ready to host the show from spring to autumn VIEW FROM BEECHGROVE Tree staking The felling of mature conifers bordering Beechgrove has exposed us to stronger, unrelenting winds, so staking our new trees is crucial. Staking (with the post facing into the…

Remember the old adage, ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’? Well, the same idea goes for the houseplants given as gifts over the festive season. All too often, perfect plants that have enjoyed ideal growing conditions in a climate-controlled glasshouse in Holland are suddenly plunged into our dark, centrally heated homes. This shock treatment often leads to their demise but with some good growing it’s possible to maintain them for a few months or even years. I’ve selected a few popular ones, and if you follow my tips you could be getting healthy growth from your houseplant gifts all through winter. As with all plants, for Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) it’s worth thinking about its original habitat. In the wild, these live in high humidity forests in semi-shade,…

February Houseplant special Give your home withplants follow our practical advice andmust-haveaccessoriestoget the look Montyon Alanon and andideasto steal from March Gardeners’ World TV returns to our screens! We asthegardeningseasonkicks off Take a anddiscoverMontys plans for the garden aswerevealtheir2019 TV strands April FREE seeds for every reader forguaranteedsummerbloomsnext year Polidor & Pandora Perfect partners for an easy and vibrant May FREE 2 for 1 Gardens to Visit card & guide tohundredsofgardensnationwide onvisitsyear-round untilApril2020 withourbiggestissueof the year Exclusively for subscribers in 2019 ✔ FREE Dahlia ‘Bishop’s Children’ seeds with our March issue ✔ 4,000 pairs of gloves and seed packs to give away ✔ Competitions with big-ticket prizes worth £££s – don’t miss out! ✔ Access to the…