Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2024 i Garden Answers

Bring a touch of the seaside to your garden with this quirky upcycling of a small, plain metal outdoor plant pot. If you have collected some special stones on visits to the beach, give them a new lease of life. 1 You will need one small grass-type plant in a metal, straight-sided pot with holes in the bottom, around 50 small pebbles, and glue which is strong enough to stick to both stone and metal. The plant must be in the pot before you start the process. 2 Make sure all the pebbles are free of sand or grit by using a cloth or paintbrush to wipe them. 3 Glue each of the pebbles individually, but not uniformly, to the metal pot, leaving a small space between each one. 4…

The cheerful blooms of flowering quince or chaenomeles mark the year’s transition from winter to spring with an abundance of colour. Clusters of saucer-shaped blooms wreathe the dark woody stems, on naked branches, and later nestle among fresh young leaves. The many virtues of this amenable, long-lived shrub include adaptable growth that suits training on a wall, fence, in a container, or as a compact hedge, as well as growing as a free-standing shrub. The blooms are borne over a long period and fruits that appear in autumn can be both perfumed and usefully edible. While shrubs have largely fallen from favour in the tide of naturalistic-style grasses and perennials that has swept our gardens of late, flowering quince is immensely worthy of a comeback. Since its introduction from Japan…

● Olga Grieves has gone from complete novice to social media gardening personality on her 600m sq allotment in Devon. Each month Olga will be sharing her successes, and her failures, to inspire your own efforts! With dandelions popping up everywhere, daffodils, muscari, blossom and first butterflies on the wing, is it any wonder that this is one of the most special times of the year? As we sprint towards the spring equinox, the days begin to lengthen and you can feel the sunshine on your skin. The colours of the rainbow are unlocked, everywhere you look around. It’s such a soul-soothing tonic after the long and dark months of winter. My greenhouse starts to fill up and, as a serial plant hoarder, I can’t help but go bonkers with…

Q Which annuals attract pollinators? JODIE SIMMONDS, NORFOLK A Many annuals are very good for pollinators. You don’t have to grow natives and the main aim should be to plant flowers with a variety of shapes and to avoid doubles. Petunias aren’t great for pollinators, so try verbena, French marigolds, alyssum, lobelia and (single) antirrhinums for your pots and baskets. Cosmos and single-flowered dahlias, both easily grown from seed, will attract butterflies. Q My lavender is a boon for butterflies but what can I plant to bloom later in summer? ADAM RICHMOND, NORTH YORKSHIRE A It’s important to supply a long season of nectar and pollen for our insect visitors and small, tubular flowers are among the most useful for butterflies, which is why lavender is so popular. Buddlejas and…

Q How can I add more colour to this quiet corner? THE ATTRACTIVE stone wall surrounding this garden makes a lovely backdrop for the ornamental cherry and choisya combination here, yet there’s very little else of interest in spring. To build up the picture in this sunny border, I would add more plants that will harmonise with the emerging pink and gold theme. At the moment there’s a dark purple hebe, but as this looks so recessive against the bare soil it’s contributing little to the overall plan and could be moved elsewhere. Instead, I would go for some contrast in leaf shape – how about a big, bold green and yellow phormium to partner the choisya? Then add a hummocky hakonechloa ‘Aureola’ at the front, perhaps flanked by some…

Save £26 when you buy 15 These perennial wallflowers are similar to their annual cousins but will last for years to come, improving each year. Loved for their incredibly long flowering period, masses of fragrant flowers bloom above evergreen foliage from February through to September, which are loved by pollinators, giving you up to eight months of colour. Incredibly easy to grow and rabbit resistant. Supplied as young plants, delivery from April. SUMPTUOUS SWEET FRAGRANCE PHLOX SWEET SUMMER MIX From £1.33 each There are so many reasons to love phlox and it’s no wonder why they have been a firm favourite in summer gardens for many years. With masses of small blooms that form gigantic flowerheads in summer, which produce a sweet perfume. A favourite with bees and butterflies, they’re…

‘Daydream’ A superb new colour and perfectly named for this delightful flower. White rimmed flowers with a soft pink inner circle and a small golden eye. Very early flowering and the flowers are slightly smaller than other varieties. H: 90cm, S: 45cm; £1.29 for 600 seeds; premierseedsdirect.com. ‘Double Click Rose Bon Bon’ Fabulous Barbie pink, double pompom blooms with bright orange stamens, on strong stems that are perfect for the vase. As sweet as a bonbon! H: 90cm; £2.95 for 50 seeds; kingsseeds.com. ‘Purity’ An old variety of large, open, pure white flowers. A swathe of these throughout borders or even in containers dotted around the garden will add endless elegance from summer until early autumn. H: 1.2m, S: 45cm; £2.50 for 100 seeds; sarahraven.com. ‘Antiquity’ The colour palette for…

There are certain plants in my garden that I can’t walk past without reaching out to give them a soft stroke, or a gentle pat. Some are aromatic and their fragrance lingers on the air and on your fingers, soothing the mind in nanoseconds. Others move and sway seductively, silken Sirens swirling in the sun or catching the raindrops. You can’t resist running your fingers through their optic-fibre mane and for amoment they stand stock-still, before they begin to gyrate once again. Some, more plant sculpture than flower, are hard and metallic to the touch. The lightest prod sends a shock wave, right through your fingertips. Aromatic Sun Seekers Plants with oily, pungent foliage have built-in sun protection so they’re perfect for your sunniest position. Given full sun, the foliage…

PINCH OUT DAHLIA GROWING TIPS Pinch out the growing tips of dahlias over the coming weeks and you’ll encourage them to form bushier plants with plenty of sideshoots rather than producing tall spindly stems. Plants will be easier to maintain because they’ll grow stronger stems that are less likely to flop – and, most importantly, they’ll produce lots more flowers. Remove the growing tip of the main stem when the plant has reached about 40cm tall and has four sets of leaves. Pinch it out between your thumb and forefinger or nip it back with secateurs to the top set of leaves. CARE FOR PRICKLY HOUSEMATES Cacti have become increasingly popular as houseplants in recent years, partly thanks to their reputation for being easy to look after. While these plants…

There’s a point in late spring, as the garden teeters on the threshold of summer, when everything glows with new growth and limitless possibility. This planting at Gravetye Manor in Sussex under head gardener Tom Coward is brimful of that late-spring confidence, with its mix of two very different tulips; the tangerine peach of ‘Dordogne’ popping at the fore, as violet ‘Bleu Aimable’ recedes into the distance. Equally arresting are the globes of euphorbia and angelica dressed in shades of spring-green that serve to break up the horizontal landscape and halt the eye from too quickly passing over.  The lushness of the scene comes from an intensive layering of plants that will carry the display on into summer and beyond, with bulbs and biennial forget-me-nots threaded among the still-to-flower perennials.…

1 Fill root trainers with compost and use your finger to make a hole for the purple-podded pea seeds. Then water well and leave for about two weeks for germination to take place. 2 Peas need a sunny, sheltered position in order to thrive. Find the perfect spot in your garden to provide the best environment to attract pollinators to the flowers. A shady spot is not suitable. 3 Once the seedlings are around 10cm to 15cm tall, top up the soil in the growing area with plenty of organic matter and dig it in well. 4 Peas need strong supports. Make these from foraged garden branches, such as birch, or bamboo sticks. Place them about 20cm apart. 5 Once the supports are in place, carefully remove the delicate seedlings…

Q Will potted hyacinths survive if I plant them outdoors after flowering? NANCY JONES, BY EMAIL A Hyacinths grown in pots and forced to flower early are the same kinds that grow and flower in the garden. You can plant the pot contents straight in the garden after flowering, but plant them deeper than in the pot so the bulbs are about 10cm deep. Or you can water them till they die down and then plant them. Hyacinths prefer a sunny spot. Q Is it too late to lift and move snowdrops? JEREMY ROBBINS, SUNDERLAND A Although snowdrops are often lifted and divided when in bloom, it’s actually best to wait till after flowering and even when they’re dying down. This is because when you lift them, the roots will…

Q Will kiwi plants fruit in the UK and can they grow in a pot? JEAN & RODGER SMITH, SOMERSET A Kiwi fruit (actinidia) can be planted in the UK but they are large vines and best grown against a sunny wall. The foliage is bold and attractive and the flowers are pretty but they need to be trained against a trellis or on horizontal wires and a lot of space is required, at least 2m square. They can be grown in pots, with John Innes No 3 compost but it’s not ideal. Most plants are either male or female and you need two plants, one of each, to get fruits. Self-fertile ‘Jenny’ (pictured) is the exception and the best choice where only one can be grown. In a favourable…

If you’re doing any woody pruning, cutting back the stems of herbaceous perennials or just generally tidying up plants, you need a good pair of trusty secateurs. But with so many different types, makes and models available, you need to choose a pair that will cut the mustard! Always opt for the best quality you can afford, as they will cut much better and more easily, last longer (as long as you don’t drop them in the compost heap) and work out cheaper in the long run. Blade type The first aspect to consider is the blade type. There are two main choices – anvil or bypass. BYPASS have an upper, sharp cutting blade that bypasses the lower blade, much like a pair of single-bladed scissors. These produce the best,…

The soft, gentle tones of Peach Fuzz was selected for the 25th year of Pantone’s Colour of the Year. It’s a match for colour 26D in the RHS Colour Chart – the tool for documenting plant colour worldwide. Curators of the RHS Herbarium have researched the plants that most closely match it and can be grown in a range of spaces, big and small. RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter, said: “With softness, warmth and comfort in its yellows, oranges and pinks, Peach Fuzz is delightful in gardens. In fact, it, or similar peachy tones, are probably already present in a wide range of flowers and garden artefacts, such as paving and containers.” For gardeners planning to use this signature colour there is no shortage of peachy tones and textures to…

Bursting from the seemingly dormant ground, the eagerly awaited site of daffodil blooms never ceases to gladden the heart and brighten even the gloomiest of days. It’s always a treat to explore a garden with daffodils aplenty, and a stroll around the Pleasure Grounds of the Wimpole Estate, in Cambridgeshire, won’t disappoint. Here, yellow blankets from prolific blooms of daffodils naturalised in huge swathes of grassland, are complimented by varieties which can be admired in groupings, beds and borders within the wider garden. It’s thought the first daffodils were planted here when the Pleasure Ground of Wimpole Hall was created in the late 1700s. Today, the National Trust cares for the estate after it was bequeathed in 1976 by Elsie Bambridge, a daughter of Rudyard Kipling. A recent survey by…

Inside 82 Flowering shrubs 83 Spring bulbs 83 Soil matters 85 Bees & butterflies 87 Fruit & veg 89 Pests & disorders 90 Garden Rescue 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 is a gardening and horticultural writer, author, editor and radio and TV broadcaster. His aim is to help gardeners get the best from their plants and garden. IAN HODGSON casts an expert eye over unruly borders, providing advice on how to revamp them. Ian is the author of Great Gardens, in association with the Society of Garden Designers. CONTACT US By post: Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA…

Save £30 on a Mini Orchard Fruit Tree Collection This collection includes three top quality, self-fertile, compact fruit trees so you can grow fruit even in smaller gardens or on the patio. Although compact, they're heavy cropping, with fruits produced from July through to October. You may even pick your first juicy fresh fruit in the first year with an increase in crop year on year, saving you money on expensive supermarket prices. You get one each of apple ‘Braeburn’, pear ‘Conference’ and plum ‘Victoria’ as 1.35m-1.45m bareroot trees, to plant out while dormant. ● Item 300004: buy 3 x bareroots for £29.97 – you save £30! FREE CHERRY ‘STELLA’ WORTH £19.99 WITH EVERY MINI ORCHARD ORDER FREE DELICIOUS CHERRY ‘STELLA’ Enjoy lovely blossom and sweet juicy cherries with ‘Stella’.…

● Dan Masoliver is a trained horticulturist and freelance writer from London. He is the author of The Earthworm, a newsletter that takes a sideways look at the wide world of gardens, gardening and horticulture Alright, apart from the railways, the introduction of bank holidays, the postage stamp, the flushing toilet, the electric light bulb, the telephone, the typewriter, the motorcar and moving film, what have the Victorians ever done for us? Monty Python-isms aside, the Victorians quite literally laid the foundations for our world today. Key to this was the Industrial Revolution with its rapid, mechanised, world-shaping changes. No aspect of life was safe from the machinations of 19th century industrialists – agriculture least of all. After millennia of living at Mother Nature’s mercy, humankind finally had the upper…