Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Garden Answers

Here at GA we spend a lot of time in the afternoon looking out of the window, then looking at our watches as the days lengthen slightly. Every day another minute or two – and before we know it, we have daylight at 5pm, then 6pm… and spring is here! Winter can feel the longest season as we wait for our gardens to bounce back to life, so indulge us as we wish those short days away! But we are also heartened by the shoots of early bulbs, which herald brighter days ahead. In this issue we have some cracking scented daffodils to try (see page 14) – not only do they look fabulous, but their fragrance will bring even more joy to your spring plot. You can get potted…

The UK’s highest tropical garden has been created in an apartment block in Canary Wharf, London. Landmark Pinnacle soars 75 storeys above the city. The tropical garden takes up the entire 27th Floor and takes inspiration from Kew Gardens with more than 3,500 plants. The Sky Terrace features the UK’s highest living walls, with 13,000 plants selected to endure wind and sunlight, including hardy evergreen varieties with dashes of colour. There is also a space within the garden where children can play. Rami Atallah, Director of Chalegrove Properties, which developed Landmark Pinnacle, said: “When creating Landmark Pinnacle, we wanted to create the best living experience for our residents possible.”…

Camellia ‘Yuletide’ It has the perfect name for the profusion of rich red flowers in winter. Each crimson bloom boasts a golden crown of stamens at its centre. H: 6m, S: 2.5m. ● £29.99 for 15cm potted plant, thompson-morgan.com. Camellia japonica ‘Femme Fatale’ A striking new variety of this much-loved evergreen. Large, dark red, double flowers burst forth from February to April. The luscious new foliage emerges in darker, rich bronze tones, taking on red-green hues as it matures and offering the anticipated waxy sheen that gives camellia their opulent air. H: 1.2m, S: 70cm. ● £28 for a 1.5L pot, hayloft.co.uk. Camellia ‘Desire’ This vigorous shrub has white to pale pink double flowers with a darker pink edging, which reach up to 10cm across in spring. Needs full or…

This month we have 10 pairs of comfy Fleecy Cloggies worth £12.99 each to give away! Fleecy Cloggies® from Town &Country are cushioned, comfortable and lightweight with a simple slip on, slip off design. They will keep your feet warm and comfortable on those cooler days and with their slip-resistant sole they are perfect for sliding on and off with ease. An ankle strap can be adjusted to add amore secure fitting if desired whilst still retaining the simplicity of use. The shoes are designed to make your daily activities more comfortable and convenient, plus they are ideal for days spent in the garden or for pottering around your home. Available in a range of colours including this vibrant teal with complementing soft fleece teal liner. ● To enter, visit…

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced the results of its garden trials of shorter daffodils and the top 12 cultivars to receive the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit. Each year the RHS runs trials of popular garden plants to find those that are the best for gardeners to grow. Over a two-year trial period, at RHS Garden Wisley, 64 daffodil entries were assessed on their impact, quality of foliage, length of flowering, their health and vigour. In hues of bright yellow, orange and white, daffodils are renowned for heralding the arrival of spring. They are easy to grow, hardy perennials that provide year-on-year colour and a huge 26,000 cultivatedvarieties to choose from. The shorter daffodil varieties (under 35cm) are becoming increasingly popular, reflecting the desire of gardeners to…

What could be more delightful than wandering through a private garden you’ve always dreamed of peeking into, marvelling at its fabulous planting scheme and being able to ask the owner how they managed to create something so spectacular? The National Garden Scheme, which is almost 100 years old, has made that possible for garden lovers thanks to its unique relationship with more than 3,500 private gardens owners across England and Wales. But what some people may not appreciate as they take in swathes of snowdrops at Westcroft, Salisbury, or the sunken rill garden in The Old Vicarage in Rutland, is that their entry fee is saving lives. The foundations of the National Garden Scheme are steeped in a desire to provide free healthcare to people when they need it most.…

Pruning encourages plants to produce their best display of flowers, helps control their size and creates a more attractive shape. It also promotes a healthy overall plant by removing dead, diseased and damaged branches, which if left on the plant could lead to infection. Removing branches that cross and rub can also prevent wounds opening up and creates a more open shape to allow better air flow through the plant. The timing for different plants varies, but many benefit from an early spring trim. What to prune ● Winter- and early spring-flowering shrubs Think Viburnum bodnantense, Lonicera purpusii, Lonicera fragrantissima, ribes and forsythia. Prune as soon as flowers fade so new growth can form and ripen ready to bloom next winter. ● Colourful winter stems Grown for their…

IN THE GARDEN WITH… Carolyn and David McHale AT: The Limes, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway SIZE: One and a quarter acres SOIL: Stony, but rich silty soil FEATURES: A variety of different plant habitats: woodland, dry sunny gravel beds, rock garden, crevice garden and mixed perennial and shrub borders VISIT: Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, March 24, May 19; 2pm until 5pm; Entry £5. Visit scotlandsgardens.org. WORDS: ELISE SARGENT When Carolyn and David McHale moved to The Limes in 2007, the garden was mainly laid to grass, with a magnificent elm and several lime trees along the southern boundary. The border beside the drive was full of Rhododendron ponticum, overgrown laurels and ground elder. The previous owners had planted a leylandii hedge around half of the property – most of it had…

1 Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias) is the star of the show here. This evergreen perennial can grow up to 1.5m and adds structure to the back of the border. 2 Low-growing forget-me-nots (myosotis) could easily get overlooked by the taller, more vibrant plants, but they twinkle at the edges of this border, H: 30cm. 3 White-flowered narcissus ‘Thalia’ is luminous against the darker colours and proves such a delight when planted in swathes, as it is here, H: 40cm.…

Education charity The Country Trust has launched a rather unusual campaign. The 2024 Plant Your Pants soil campaign aims to inspire gardeners to find out what’s really going on down there. Gardeners are being asked to plant a pair of cotton pants on or around the first day of spring, and then dig them up eight weeks later to discover what’s happened to them. Doing this will demonstrate, in a very visual way, the life within our soil, and is a fun way to get people talking about soil. The Country Trust has anetwork of farmers, community gardens, growers and education practitioners delivering hands-on food, gardening and farming programmes aimed at empowering children to become more confident soil custodians. Visit countrytrust.org.uk/plantyourpants for more details.…

The National Trust is calling on all political parties to ramp up progress on adaptation by introducing new legislation that recognises the importance of adapting buildings, coastlines and countryside to cope with the impacts of climate change. The charity’s landmark report, A Climate for Change, outlines for the first time the charity’s approach to climate adaptation and details how technology is helping detect future threats to its properties and land. As the UK’s largest conservation charity, caring for 250,000 hectares of land, 780 miles of coastline and 220 gardens and parks, the Trust says it is already experiencing first-hand the consequences of more frequent extreme weather events – from heavier rainfall causing flooding, to rising temperatures, prolonged periods of drought and more wildfires. These changes are also beginning to affect…

From winter to spring, the jewel-like flowers of pulmonarias or lungworts transform the garden floor with masses of beautiful bee-attracting blooms. Compact in habit, easy and hardy, thriving in sun or partial shade, these low-growing perennials are brilliant for many different spots around the garden. Clusters of bell-shaped flowers are freely borne in a wealth of blues – gardeners really swoon for exquisite azure and cobalt shades – plus there are reds, pinks and whites. After the flowers, attractive foliage takes up the baton with oval or lance-shaped leaves. Maximum garden value is given by long-lasting, highly decorative varieties with silvery-white, pewter-marbled or silverdappled leaves that create weed-smothering clumps, and can even remain semi-evergreen in mild winters. Pulmonaria has been grown in UK gardens for hundreds of years and the…

IN THE GARDEN WITH… Sue & David Coates AT Fairwinds, Chapel Lane, Chigwell Row, Essex, ORIENTATION North-facing SOIL TYPE London Clay SPECIAL FEATURES: Gravelled front garden and three differently styled back garden spaces OPEN Saturday, June 8, 2pm until 5pm, through the National Garden Scheme, visit ngs.org.uk for details WORDS: GEOFF HODGE. Sue Coates describes the style of the plot at Fairwinds as a country garden with a rich variety of planting styles, some influenced by such gardening luminaries as Beth Chatto, Penelope Hobhouse, Christopher Lloyd and Piet Oudolf. The latter influenced Sue’s fabulous drift planting, for example. “I don’t overly like plants that need a lot of TLC, preferring those needing minimal maintenance. I very much adhere with Beth Chatto’s ‘right plant, right place’ philosophy so that plants grow…

SHRUBS Timely cutbacks Q When and how do I prune my viburnum ‘Dawn’? STEVEN HIGGINS, NORTHUMBERLAND A Many winter-flowering shrubs are slow growing and need little pruning but viburnum ‘Dawn’ is more vigorous. Once plants reach about four or five years old, you can cut out a few of the oldest stems near the base to keep the whole bush upright and narrow and to remove old, twiggy growth. ‘Dawn’ can produce its fragrant, pink flowers from November until March and the best time to prune is immediately after flowering, which gives the shrub all summer to produce new shoots. Weed it or feed it? QWhat is this plant with shiny green leaves and no flowers? JEANETTE RADCLIFFE, BERWICK-UPON-TWEED AThe lifecycle of colchicums is quite unusual. From corms planted in…

Emma Bridgewater Signs of Spring large metal tray £40.50 Features dainty narcissus and blue grape hyacinth with handy high sides, hartsofstur.com. Burgon and Ball children’s steel watering can £15 Perfectly sized to hold enough water, without being too heavy for little ones to carry, shop.nationaltrust.org.uk. Burgon and Ball RHS Florabrite hand trowel £11.62 You won’t lose this fluorescent trowel in your beds! hartsofstur.com. Daffodil bird bath £20 Made from frost-resistant glass, mariecurie.org.uk. Riviera Stripe yellow ceramic vase £38 Create sunshine by filling this vase with bright yellow daffodils, oliverbonas.com. Twill Wool Throw £48 Woven in Yorkshire and finished in the Welsh town of Flint, nationaltrust.org.uk. Yellow leather gardening gloves £14.36 Luxury gloves with a soft fleece lining for heavy duty gardening, futuregarden.co.uk.…

There are many magical events we get to enjoy in the garden: the changing of the seasons, the unfurling of flowers from their buds, the sound of birdsong and the hum of pollinators. But one thing that rivals all of these is the thrill of growing something from seed. To see that desiccated little grain thrust up a green shoot and turn into a healthy, vigorous plant is little short of miraculous. As I wander around my garden, Iknow which of my plants I grew from seed and which I didn’t – there is something of a parental pride in knowing that you started so many of them on their journey. To see a tree that started out as amere acorn, pip or nut that you collected, or a colourful…

WRITE TO US AT Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA EMAIL gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk WEBSITE gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk Seasonal mix-ups Since Iwas given this beautiful rose, in September and all through December I had the pleasure of watching each long-lasting, single bloom until another opened to put on a show. Aldeen, by email Can you believe how colourful my border looked as late as December? Carole Sampson, Braunton, Devon In early winter Ihad both snowdrops and a Clematis montana in flower! Mave Turner, by email Global warming strikes again – this primrose was open at the winter solstice. Janet Mattacks, Essex CONTENTMENT IN THE DOING Coming into the winter I felt defeated and deflated by my garden. Years of accumulated design mistakes made on poor soil, the dawning realisation…

Save £21 when you buy 18! More commonly known as granny’s bonnet, aquilegias are an essential of the cottage garden. Flowering all the way through spring and summer, frilly blooms nod in the breeze above layered petticoats of clump-forming, grey-green foliage. Easy to grow, these incredibly tough plants cope well with most soil conditions and are slug resistant. Supplied as bareroots, delivery from March. FROM JUST £2.40 EACH ALSTROEMERIA HYBRID MIX Bring life to your summer and autumn borders and containers with these vibrant, eye-catching Peruvian lilies. Up to 100 exotic, giant tubular blooms will flower from June to September among compact, bushy foliage, giving you months of colour. The ultimate cut flower and a favourite with florists, they will last up to 14 days in a vase and are…

CLUES ACROSS 1 HHA of the borage family – a bee magnet also called fiddleneck (8) 6 - - - - nettle, plant of the lamium genus – yellow archangel, white or red (4) 7 ‘King - - - -’, Shakespearian monarch or a daylily with warm yellow blooms (4) 8 Silybum marianum, the - - - - or Mary thistle often grown as a medicinal herb (4) 9 Stone fruit Prunus armeniaca, of which ‘Golden Glow’ is a UK cultivar (7) 12 Lilium candidum, the - - - - - - - lily with majestic, pure white flowers (7) 15 Sometimes aggressive stinging insect pollinating in its hunt for nectar (4) 17 Biblical ark builder lending his name to a cymbidium orchid (4) 18 Bridal - - - -…