Garden Answers February 2025

We know it doesn’t always feel like it, but gradually as we settle into life in 2025, the days are lengthening. There’s no escaping the fact that right now we are still stuck in a world of dark mornings and curtains drawn at 4pm, but every day we claw back two or three more minutes of daylight. Hold tight folks, spring is on its way! In the garden, that will become very evident in the coming weeks. Some of you may already have snowdrops, depending on what variety you grow and where you live. They will soon be joined by a host of other beautiful early spring flowers as our bulbs burst into life – cyclamen and crocuses will join the party and before we know it our gardens are…

"Planting pot-grown hardy Cyclamen coum along with bulbs ‘in the green’.” Sue Fisher evokes the joy of tiny bulbs, p14 “Admiring my snowdrops and hellebores!” Marvel at Val Bourne’s fabulous tips for effervescent winter containers, p22 “Pruning and hedge cutting, then topping up my dead hedges with the trimmings.” Adrian Thomas is making stigloos, p44 “Preparing my allotment beds and working on my soil” Join Olga Grieves in praise of worms at her allotment, p68 “I'll be warming the soil in my raised beds to make an early start on veg seed sowing.” Geoff Hodge focuses on furniture care, p88 “Keeping bird feeders topped up when natural food sources are at their scarcest”. Dan Masoliver gets creative, p106…

Patio project COLOUR INFUSION This densely-packed container of skimmia, brassica and viola simply sings joy. The varying shades of purple within the display contrast dramatically with the lush, deep green leaves and blood-red berries of Skimmia japonica. Then the eye naturally falls on the vibrant brassica. Planted in groups, ornamental cabbages and kale really have the wow factor. But, as seen here, even just a couple of cabbages in a container pack a big punch. Not to be overlooked, the delicate sweet violets add elegance to the mix. Their tiny stature belies the powerful fragrance they emit all the way through to spring.…

ANTONY WOODLAND GARDEN & WOODLAND WALK Ferry Lane, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2QA. 10.30am until 5pm. • antonywoodlandgarden.com BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moret-on-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AT. Open 9.30am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sundays. • batsarb.co.uk CAMBO GARDENS Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, KY16 8QD. Home to the Plant Heritage National Collection of snowdrops. Open 10am until 4pm. • cambogardens.org.uk CRAICHLAW Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart, Scotland, DG8 0DQ. Private garden opening for Scotland’s Garden Scheme. Visit mid-February to mid-March by appointment only. • Call 01671 830208 or email craichlaw@aol.com. CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Open 11am until 4pm. • chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk COLESBOURNE GARDENS Near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NP. Open every Saturday and Sunday from the end of January to the end of February, 1pm until 4pm. •…

elho has launched a brand-new compost bin worth £95 – which one lucky reader can win! You can create your own compost to provide high-quality nourishment for your plants with the elho green basics composter. Crafted from 100% recycled plastic using renewable energy, with a generous 200L capacity, the composter is great for turning a wide range of organic waste into compost. The elho green basics compost bin features a special bottom plate to ensure desirable organisms – such as worms – stay inside while unwanted guests – like mice – stay out. • To enter visitgardenanswersmagazine.co.uk/freeforyou by February 1, 2025.…

A Dwarf late spring bulb with elegant long white flowers that open to reveal a black centre B Heuchera relative with patterned, finger-like foliage and pink-budded, white starry flowers C Exotic-looking climber whose common name reflects the shape of the vivid flowers D Popular salad plant bearing long cascading trusses of delicious tiny red fruits E Long-flowering variegated perennial named after a 1950s’ music movement F The shape of its long-stemmed purple pompom flowers give rise to its common name FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM @gardenanswers QUIZ ANSWERS A Tulipa ‘Concerto’ B Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ C Campsis radicans (trumpet vine) D Tomato ‘Piccolo’ E Alstroemeria ‘Rock n Roll’ F Primula denticulata (drumstick primula)…