Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Garden Answers

Can you name these plants with wafty stems and delicate flowers that create an airy, see-through feel? Answers p14 A Perennial that produces wispy stems covered in a froth of small white flowers, like a haze of tiny butterflies. B Borderline-hardy plant native to Argentina that has tall, wiry stems topped with clusters of tiny purple flowers. C Grass from East Asia with an upright habit and large, feathery flowers in shades of silver, buff or pale pink. D Charming perennial with elegant arching stems studded with dangling bell-like flowers that sway gently in the breeze. E Ornamental grass with plumes of golden oat-like flowers glistening above large mounds of strappy leaves. F Bobble-like flower clusters in dark red, pink and white sit atop slender stems, giving them a floaty…

Botanical tiles 1 Mix 250g plain flour with 125g table salt then add 125ml water. Stir until the mixture forms a ball. 2 On a floured work surface roll out the dough so that it’s about 1cm thick then cut it to the desired size and shape using a knife. 3 To create botanical-themed tiles, press flowers and foliage into the surface of the dough to make an imprint. 4 Remove the plant material then place the tiles on a baking sheet and bake in an oven at 120C for 2 hours or until hard. 5 Once cool, the tiles can be decorated using paint.…

Celebrate the end of summer by introducing a new potted arrangement to the front of your house or patio. By mixing together summer pinks and purples with apricot and russet shades, you can create a fresh floral mix that has a foot in two different seasons . Echinacea ‘Summer Cocktail’ Compact echinacea w fragrant, bee-friend flowers in sunset shad June-Sept that adop pinky-salmon hue as t age. Prefers full sun H60cm (2ft) S45cm (18in) Celosia plumosa An abundance of fluffy plume flowers in a range of electric pink and orange shades emerge Jun-Sept on upright stems of green or purple-tinted leaves. Not frost hardy, so treat as an annual, but easy to grow from seed. Site in full sun. H40cm (16in) S30cm (12in) Heuchera ‘Blondie’ From rosettes of unusual caramel-coloured…

Fact file Name: Alice Whitehead Location: Northampton Patch type: Urban allotment and garden Size: Two standard-sized allotments and terraced street garden (about 600sq m/ 717sq yd) Soil: Clay allotment; garden loam Aspect: East/west-facing allotment; north-facing garden Top 5 crops: Courgette, rainbow chard, orach, tomatoes, potatoes Failures: Edamame, melon, cauliflower, asparagus Organic tip: Try no-dig – hoe off annual weeds and let worms and nature do the rest Find out more: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter @allotmentalice August is a time of plenty - especially if you’ve sown or planted too much. While sowing little-and-often is the way to keep produce cropping over a long period and not all at once, it’s not easy in practice, especially with bigger crops. “Just one more courgette,” I think, as I pot up the 12th plant in spring.…

SARA EDWARDS launched her garden design practice in 2019 at RHS Malvern Spring Festival with her RHS Gold medal and Best in Category Green Living Space Garden ‘Defiance’. She made her RHS Chelsea Flower Show debut in 2021 with the IBC Pocket Forest. Find out more at www.no30design.co.uk; Instagram @no30 designstudio Q How do I create a scented haven for relaxing in the evenings? EVERYONE LOVES THE HEADY scents of summer flowers, and the low hum of pollinators flitting from flower to flower drinking their nectar, but have you ever wondered why flowers are fragrant and how they create the scent? The answer is that scent is created by essential oils found in the petals, which are released in warm weather to attract the pollinators to the flowers. Typically, we…

● Rupert Paul is a former editor of Garden Answers and Natural World. He has been an environmental journalist for 20 years Readers of this page are probably wildlife gardeners, or at least that way inclined. In which case, you are doing something hugely powerful. Your own garden might not feel like it’s achieving much, compared with the generalised onslaught against nature that is currently part of the modern world, but if several of your neighbours also like wildlife, then all your gardens become part of a wildlife-friendly system. If they are interconnected too, then that effect is turbocharged. To prove that idea, I’ve being running a little project over the past few months and asked my neighbours for photos of the critters and plants they’ve found in and around…

1Large hardy banana plants such as Musa basjoo (H5m/16ft S4m/13ft) can live outdoors in a sheltered spot, given some winter protection. 2Dahlias add heat and colour among the lush foliage. In free-draining soils they can remain in the soil with a thick protective mulch. H and S90cm (3ft). 3An evergreen backbone of clipped box balls and a lollipop bay tree provide formal structure all year round. FOLIAGE FANTASY This authentically sub-tropical garden is thriving in a sheltered spot in the south of England. The hardier plants, such as the date palm and Japanese bananas, can stay outside all year given winter protection. The tender aroids, bird-of-paradise and bromeliad plants can be moved indoors for winter as beautiful houseplants.…

WHAT TO DO THIS Month SAVE DRIED ALLIUM SEED HEADS FOR CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS Allium seed heads add architectural interest to borders, but wet and windy weather can damage them. Therefore it’s worth collecting their spiky globe-like heads while they are still intact and using them for indoor decorations. You can gently tap the seeds into a paper bag and save them to sow in spring. Hang the heads upside down to dry for a week or two and they are ready to use in natural arrangements. Leave them for another month if you want to spray them for Christmas arrangements, then apply spray paint outdoors, covering them evenly. Summer-prune wisteria To keep wisteria plants compact and tidy and to improve flowering, they are best pruned twice a year – in…

Like a teenager finally outgrowing their awkward stage, August gardens have a certain swagger. Early soil improvement and the patience to let young plants mature pays off so that one day you realise that little Stipa gigantea you planted a couple of years back is now a golden 6ft fountain. This gravel garden border is full of such attention grabbers. You can’t miss the sunset-edged leaves of the phormium or the vibrating purple haze of verbena ‘Bampton’, but thanks to differences in shape and texture and the gift of enough space to breathe, they lift one another up rather than out-competing their neighbours. Colour palette Dusky purples, vivid reds and sunny yellows STEP 2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS STEP 3 PLANT YOUR BORDER A sunny site and well-drained soil…

1 Gather your materials For this project you’ll need 2L plastic bottles with lids, craft knife or scissors, hammer and nails, twine, compost, herb plants, trowel and watering can. 2 Carefully cut the bottles Use a craft knife or scissors to cut the plastic bottles in half. Take care not to press too hard, or the plastic might split. 3 Make a drainage hole Hold a nail against the inside of each lid and tap sharply with the hammer to punch a hole. Screw lids back on to each upper bottle half. 4 Make holes for the twine Use the hammer and nail to punch two more holes next to the cut edge of the upper half of each bottle. They should be directly opposite each other. 5 Thread the…

13 free seed packets ayear 3 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE ● BY POST using the form on the right ● ONLINE at www.greatmagazines.co.uk/ga ● CALL 01858 438884 quoting BIAA or for overseas orders call +44 1858 438884 SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS ✿ Never miss an issue ✿ Free delivery to your door ✿ Save money on shop prices ✿ One pack of free seeds with every issue 13 ISSUES A YEAR FREE P&P ONE FREE PACKET OF SEEDS AN ISSUE At Garden Answers magazine our aim is to help you make the most of your outdoor space by creating your perfect garden – not just for summer, but all year round. Now’s the perfect time to become a subscriber. This rich source…

PURPLE PATCH Sultry shades are perfectly suited to balmy late summer days. Here, a plum-coloured container has been planted with the slender arching leaves and fluffy bottlebrush-like flower heads of Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’ (H and S1m/3ft 3in). The almost black flowers of calibrachoa ‘Can-can Black Cherry’ (H and S45cm/18in) tumble over the side of the planter, mingling with the deep purple, heart-shaped leaves of ipomoea ‘Black Tone’ (H20cm/8in S50cm/20in). Hovering above these are the small saucer-shaped, claret-coloured blooms of Cosmos atrosanguineus (H70cm/28in S45cm/18in) that emit a delicious chocolate scent.…

NEW INSECT VISITOR RHS scientists have recorded the first rockrose prickly leaf beetle in the UK. It is the first time the species, which is harmless to plants, has been recorded in Britain. It was identified on its name-sake plant – the rockrose (cistus) – in a Surrey garden. The beetle measures 5mm long and its orange-brown body is covered in black spines, giving it a striking appearance. It hails from mainland Europe, and RHS scientists believe that eventually it is likely to become established in areas of the UK where rockroses are common. Dr Andrew Salisbury, Principal Entomologist for the RHS, said: “It was not a species anyone had expected to appear in this country. This species does not pose a threat to gardens and native plants and can…

Shady spots often get neglected in a garden but this great book celebrates those dark corners and awkward spots with planting suggestions, design ideas and tips on understanding the different types of shade. ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ Bringing the dying art of flower pressing bang up to date, this inspiring guide to preserving nature’s beauty includes the history of herbaria, tips on how to press and projects to get you started. ✿ ✿ ✿ Miss Willmott’s Ghosts by Sandra Lawrence, Manilla £20 Ellen Willmott was a lady of wealth with a passion for plants and a reputation as a mean-spirited eccentric. With unparalleled access to family archives, the author uncovers the fascinating story behind one of Britain’s horticultural greats. ✿ ✿ ✿ Published in association with Kew, this is a…

Adding a tree to a garden is one of the best things you can do for wildlife. But in a small garden, balcony or roof garden? It can seem a daunting prospect when space is already at such a premium. However, there are two reassuring reasons to take the plunge and plant one. Firstly, some trees are naturally small and slow-growing and so won’t outgrow their allotted space. And second, some trees that would, if left unchecked, grow too large for your space are nevertheless easy to rein in. You only have to think of a hedge to realise how pliant trees are, because hedges are basically a line of them, pruned and shaped to keep them to the size you want. Trees can be transformative in terms of wildlife…

Inside 78 Shrubs 79 Herbaceous 81 Houseplants 83 Plant IDs 84 Fruit & veg 86 Pests & disorders 88 Design solutions Our experts GEOFF STEBBINGS gives expert answers to all your gardening problems. Geoff is an author and gardening writer, and was head gardener at Myddelton House, north London. GEOFF HODGE will be answering subscriber questions in our new Live Zoom Q&A events. Geoff is a horticultural author, radio broadcaster and speaker, and former online editor for the RHS IAN HODGSON casts an expert eye over unruly borders, providing advice on how to revamp them. Ian is author of Great Gardens, in association with the Society of Garden Designers. Send us your queries! CONTACT US By post: Garden Answers, your Bauer Media,…

GO LARGE! £27.99* ACER ‘TAYLOR’ 3L pot – save £2! Compact acers make wonderful garden trees with their beautiful foliage that evolves into different colours through the seasons, often providing a glorious finale in autumn. Compact and slow growing, they are ideal even in small gardens and suit container growing. Acer palmatum ‘Taylor’ is a rarely-available acer with fabulous, salmon-pink fresh spring foliage that matures to variegated green and cream with a touch of pink. The leaves then turn completely lime green in autumn, lighting up the garden before falling. This stunning, slow-growing, medium-sized acer contrasts beautifully with darker plants and looks beautiful as a specimen tree in a large pot. It can be grown in partial sun or light shade. H and S2m (6½ ft) in 10 years.…