Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i Garden Answers

Patio project SPRING TEXTURES The beauty of May is that it is the month when foliage and flowers start to team up beautifully. And by mixing pots together, a tantalising mix of colours and textures is easily yours. Fresh heuchera foliage in every colour, and intricately-shaped sedums and sempervivums add a wonderful flourish around mixed spring pots. Wallflowers are perfect pot plants for adding extra oomph among tulips and polyanthus. While evergreen Carex testacea and Euphorbia mellifera provide a subtle, but essential, backdrop. GET THE LOOK Blooming marvellous Everything you’ll need to display your spring flowers in superior style CHELSEA NEWS CHELSEA GARDEN FEATURES UNDERWATER BLOOMERS A garden planted with seagrasses, the only true flowering marine plants, is set to be one of the highlights at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower…

1 You will need a cardboard box that your plant pots can fit inside, emulsion paint, glue and William Morris wrapping paper. 2 Paint your cardboard box using emulsion – tester pots from a DIY store are a cheap way to do it. It may need two coats of paint. 3 Cut out shapes of wrapping paper to fit on the cardboard box – make sure to use a ruler to get the lines straight. 4 Glue the paper onto the sides of the box once the paint is dry, then fit your potted plant inside.…

“Whatever the conditions in your garden, it’s likely that there’s a euphorbia that will thrive there Euphorbias, also known as spurges, are an incredibly diverse group of plants, growing in a wide range of habitats across the world. So whatever the conditions in your garden, it’s likely that there’s a euphorbia that will thrive there. In some countries there are euphorbias that grow into trees, others into cacti-like succulents. Poinsettia, the popular Christmas house plant, is also a euphorbia that’s native to Mexico. Those that are suitable for growing in our gardens here in the UK are especially prized for the colourful zing their flowerheads provide in spring and summer. Euphorbia flowers are typically tiny and are encapsulated by bracts – a type of leaf that’s often a different colour…

Annuals are generally used to fill gaps in borders or for floriferous summer container displays, but another option is to use them en masse to create an entire border. This is a great option if you’ve moved into a new house and want something quick and easy to fill an open, sunny site with colour. It’s also a good choice for a spot in a more established garden as it means you can be creative every spring and try different colour schemes and mixes of seeds. Weed and rake the soil before the sowing to give you a clear, level surface to sow on. Before sowing take a container, such as a margarine tub, and empty into it each packet of seeds and mix together. Draw defined lines in the…

LUSCIOUS LEMONS SOFT SPIKES DAZZLING DELIGHTS HOW TO PLANT Clear the site of weeds, break up the ground and work in rotted compost or manure to improve fertility. Mulch annually with organic matter to clear weeds and provide food for worms. 1 Plant the rose Water your rose before you plant (ideally in spring). Dig a hole and add organic matter. Plant so the ‘knuckle’ (where it was grafted) lies just below the surface. Scatter mycorrhizal fungi over roots. Firm soil. Add a granular controlled-release fertiliser in spring, deadhead regularly and water in dry spells. 2 Add the peony Peonies establish best in autumn once dormant, but you can buy container-grown plants now. Give them a sunny site with good drainage, and lighten heavier soils with grit and organic matter. Plant buds…

The world is awake, winter coats are packed away, everything is lusciously green, and all our hard work over winter finally starts to pay off. By default, I’m always busy, eternally overwhelmed by everything demanding my attention on the allotment, especially in May. But this year, I’ve decided to really embrace ‘slow living’. It’s so easy to get caught up in the frenzy of sowing, weeding, and growing, only to blink and realise the month has passed without truly appreciating the little joys of gardening. So, I’m dusting off my allotment hammock, getting out my funky kettle, and enjoying lunch al fresco, taking in the scents and sights May has to offer. In the spirit of slowing down, I’m also sowing only 10 varieties of tomatoes this year instead of…

WRITE TO US AT Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA EMAIL gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk WEBSITE gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk Painting a picture I have a canvas of Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom in the lounge because I love to enjoy the sight of these delicate flowers all year round. However, nothing can capture nature’s true beauty more than a sight of a tree laden with blossom on a sunny day – and this year’s trees are all looking stunning against blue skies. Iona Chisholm, Lichfield, Staffs I look forward to receiving each issue of Garden Answers in the post, and really appreciate all the hard work that goes into each edition. I did enjoy the article about wildlife ponds in April’s issue. We get a couple of frogs (but never spawn)…

FROM JUST £1.33 EACH Do you dream of a picture-perfect border? Achieving this balance can often take years of trial and error but this specially curated collection of 10 must-have hardy perennials have been selected to offer a long, successional display from late spring until autumn. Loved by bees and butterflies, they are also perfect for creating a pollinator-friendly space. Supplied as young plants, delivery in seven days. • Buy 10 x Everlasting Perennial Collection (1 of each) for £18. • Buy 20 x Everlasting Perennial Collection (2 of each) for £26. • Buy 30 x Everlasting Perennial Collection (3 of each) for £34. LIGHT UP YOUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER ILLUMINATING NEMESIA ‘MELODY’ COLLECTION – SAVE £32 Firm favourites for the cottage garden, these new and exciting Nemesia varieties will…

“Refreshing my pond with moisture-loving plants around the edges, including bushy willows and iris.” Sue Fisher on tulips, p14 “I'll be busy hardening off my sweet peas and planting them out.” Louise Curley waxes lyrical on zingy euphorbias, p24 “Sowing, growing and not mowing! Revelling in the thrill of spring with its birdsong and tadpoles.” Adrian’s pollinator passion, p50 “Planting out some tomatoes and going to RHS Chelsea show, for the first time!” Join Olga Grieves on her busy allotment, p76 “Planting out halfhardy bedding, with fleece ready to protect them from cold.” Geoff Hodge’s firepit guide, p94 “I’m planting out sunflowers around the edges of the garden.” Greg Loades on growing carrots in pots, p80…

Wilkinson Sword is thrilled to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win an incredible bundle of Ultralight gardening tools worth more than £100! The bundle includes hedge shears, digging spade, bypass pruners and bypass loppers – all the essentials to maintain gardens perfectly throughout the year. Built to combine strength, comfort and lightweight usability, these tools are designed for long-lasting use without causing strain. From pruning to planting, the Ultralight range is perfect for anyone looking for a more comfortable, efficient gardening experience. Don’t miss out on the chance to win this fantastic set of Wilkinson Sword Ultralight tools! • To enter visit gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk/freeforyou by midnight on May 20, 2025.…

The wildlife conservation charity, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), is asking gardeners to help record the mammals they’ve spotted in their gardens. To take part, and play your part in helping endangered wildlife, visit ptes.org/surveysto record the sightings you’ve made in your garden. David Wembridge, Mammal Surveys Coordinator at PTES, said: “Slowing down and looking for wildlife on our doorsteps is good for people, too, for our mental health and wellbeing, and spring is the perfect time of year to appreciate and connect with nature, and help support and protect it.” Last year’s survey found a decline in rabbit sightings across the country.…

Colour in the Garden: Stylish ideas for year-round colour by Lucy Bellamy, Mitchell Beazley, £25 With gorgeous photography by Jason Ingram, this book offers a modern approach to colour, exploring how to choose plants and use them creatively. There are planting schemes and plant lists, alongside expert advice, including help with colour in containers, tiny back gardens and compact front gardens. QUIZ ANSWERS A Prunus ‘Starlight’ B Semponium ‘Destiny’ C Cercis ‘Eternal Flame’ D Geranium ‘Rozanne’ E Sedum Atlantis F Hydrangea ‘Runaway Bride Snow White’…

Plumes of gorgeous fragrant flowers of lilac, as syringa is best known, herald the arrival of summer, filling the air with deliciously sweet and heavy perfume. This shrub was once a garden staple, especially in the last century when the poet Alfred Noyes urged readers to “Go down to Kew in lilac time” in his poem The Barrel Organ. While deciduous shrubs are currently often sidelined by architectural evergreens and naturalistic perennials, they do sit happily alongside many kinds of plants as part of a gorgeous garden mosaic, with the outstanding benefits of being long lived and easy to grow. The lovely lilac, with flowers that span a raft of colours, is certainly due a renaissance. Common lilac (S. vulgaris) and Hungarian lilac (S. josikaea) originate from Europe, while the…

It is easy to overlook the importance of creating height in the garden. Using taller plants, such as small trees, climbers and large shrubs can be especially effective, particularly in a small space. Exploit the vertical aspect of your garden, increasing its seasonal interest and flower power. Tall plants also help hide bare fences, attract wildlife and create a sense of privacy. 1 Grow climbers up supports Train fragrant roses, honeysuckle and clematis over an arch or obelisk to provide plenty of eye-level colour and perfume. 2 Choose trees for blossom Even the smallest garden can accommodate a spring-flowering tree or shrub for flowers and nectar early in the season. 3 Use columnar plants Small, slender ‘fastigiate’ trees really help to direct the eye upwards and making eye-catching features…

Pollinator is such a well-known term these days, and yet go back 25 years or so and it was barely mentioned. The concept of pollination – of how pollen from one flower is transferred to the stigma of another to allow cross-fertilisation – had long been known, but interest in the creatures that are doing it was limited. Who would have thought that a host of little buzzing insects would become so popular! The reason for this public relations turnaround is in part a greater awareness and interest in garden insects but is especially due to the growing evidence that their numbers are struggling. That is bad news for them, for the rest of nature’s food chains, and for the success of so many of our insect-pollinated crops. Economists have…

1 Fill a deep container (at least 30cm deep) with good quality, multipurpose compost, leaving a 5cm gap at the top of the container. Firm it down then sprinkle the seed thinly on the surface. 2 Cover the seed with a 1cm layer of compost. Ideally use sieved compost or an equal parts mix of multipurpose compost and horticultural sand, making sure the seed isn’t covered by large clods of compost. 3 Water the compost gently using a watering can with a rose attachment. If possible, use water that has been warmed up in a watering can kept in a greenhouse or porch. Stop watering before puddles form on the surface. 4 Insert a label around the edge and include the date so you can easily monitor the progress of…

Q How can I add height and interest to this formal border? This spartan planting scheme (below) has all the makings of an impressive mixed herbaceous border and even comes with its own evergreen backdrop, but it’s falling a little short on height and colour interest. I’d start by placing a tall shrub or small tree on the left to balance the white Anemone hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’. I’m going for a simple blue and white scheme and Buddleja davidii ‘Empire Blue’ with dense spikes of blue flowers (July–September) will attract butterflies by the dozen. Or, you could try ‘Morning Mist’, with silvery foliage and yellow-white flowers. Lilac (syringa) would have a similar visual effect, reaching a height of 4m with arguably prettier foliage. The flowers, from May to June, won’t…

CLUES ACROSS 6 - - - - - - creeper of the Tropaeolum genus with bright yellow flowers (6) 7 Bergamot cultivar sharing its name with the first man in Genesis (4) 8 Perennial Sisyrinchium angustifolium or blue - - - - grass (4) 9 Botanical name of the ivy genus (6) 10 Morning - - - - -, common name of annual Ipomoea vine (5) 12 Rudbeckia - - - - -, tender perennial known as black-eyed Susan (5) 15 All-round maincrop potato variety, ‘King - - - - - -’ (6) 17 Annual herb of the parsley family, Anethum graveolens (4) 19 Month in which immature apples and other fruits drop from trees (4) 20 Spreading, suckering Ailanthus altissima or tree of - - - - - -…

SPRING COMPETITION May 3-4, 10am-4pm, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate North Yorkshire HG3 1QB • rhs.org.uk BIBLICAL GARDEN May 3, 11am-3pm, Elgin Biblical Garden, Moray, Scotland IV30 1HU More than 100 Biblical plants with plant sale for Scotland’s Garden Scheme. Donation. • scotlandsgardens.org CHILLI FESTIVAL May 4-5, 10.30am-5.30pm, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire HR8 1RL Chillies to try and buy, cookery demos. Entry £15.50. • eastnorcastle.com SPRING FESTIVAL May 8-11, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs WR13 6NW Show gardens, nursery and trade stands and celebrity guests. Book from £24. • rhsmalvern.co.uk AGS EAST ANGLIA SHOW May 10, 11am-3.30pm, Connaught Hall, Attleborough, Norfolk Range of unusual alpines on show and to buy. Entry £3. • alpinegardensociety.net CEANOTHUS COLLECTION May 11, 2-4pm, Eccleston Square, Pimlico SW1V 1NP NGS open day to visit National Plant Collection…

Each spring in the Netherlands, there are sheets of blooms covering vast expanses in the bulb fields and countless displays in cities, towns, and gardens, drawing in millions of visitors from around the world. The epicentre of these few blazingly colourful spring weeks is Keukenhof near Amsterdam, a magnificent showcase for the bulb industry that is planted afresh each year with a mind-boggling seven million bulbs. Last year Keukenhof’s 75th anniversary was enjoyed by over 1.4 million visitors, and in the middle of April, I was lucky enough to be one of them. The inspiration for this annual bonanza of bulbs came way back in 1949, when a group of far-sighted bulb growers developed the idea of a ‘living catalogue’ to display their wares to trade customers and public alike.…

PLANT OUT SWEET PEAS Now that soil is warming up, sweet peas will romp away up their supports after planting and potentially bring the first flowers by the end of the month if planted in a warm, sunny spot. Add a handful of compost into each hole as you plant them, water them in well and water on a general liquid plant food weekly for the rest of the month. Tie them loosely to their supports with soft string to help them head upwards quickly. Sweet peas are hungry feeders and grow best in deep, fertile soil (clay soil is good if it drains well). Avoid thin, stony soils, where they will be prone to picking up mildew early in summer. Start hardening off young plants If it’s getting crowded…

Chelsea designer Hay Hwang has a real talent for giving her traditional cottagestyle plantings a soft, romantic look, as this former RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden reveals. This warm yellow, orange and apricot scheme, dotted with cool whites and underpinned with green, would translate easily to any garden, as long as you ease up on the planting distances and find a sunny site with well-drained, fertile soil. The core plants are traditional lupins, foxgloves, roses, geums and peonies, but, by letting them mingle and using a soft pastel colour palette, the overall effect is romantic, yet modern at the same time. Start off later-flowering dahlias, echinaceas and veronicastrum in pots, ready to slot in as these early-flowering perennials wane to keep the display going into autumn. GET STARTED WITH A…

Visit greatmagazines.co.uk/gardenanswers PHONE 01858 438884 QUOTE SP25 At Garden Answers magazine, our aim is to help you make the most of your outdoor space by creating your perfect garden, whatever the season. Now’s the perfect time to take out a subscription with summer just around the corner. This rich source of gardening ideas and inspiration can be delivered direct to your door, 13 times a year, with a free packet of seeds with every issue if you choose the Print Subscription. Or try our Print+ Subscription, which allows you to enjoy Members-only rewards and discounts. Simply scan the QR code (below on the left-hand page) with your smartphone or tablet camera to find out more. SAVE 67% ON SHOP PRICES Subscribe Print Subscription: Get 3 issues for just £5* when you subscribe…

Whether it’s in the depths of winter or on a chilly evening at any time of year, there’s something invigorating and very enjoyable about braving the elements while taking some time out in the garden. And whether that’s eating outside or just taking in the fresh air, enjoying the sights, sounds and scents and experiencing a period of tranquil mindfulness. But we can make such outdoor excursions even more enjoyable and longer lasting by adding some heat and light. Firepits, firebowls and fire baskets are some of the simplest forms of heating, producing a source of cheery and even mesmerising, flickering, warming flames. They’re also the perfect way to cultivate that comforting, almost primeval, campfire feel, creating a lovely ambience and warming the space immediately around you. Just throw on…

Worth £15.98 *Just pay £5.95 postage Perfect for foxglove fanatics, this Digitalis Collection contains five biennial varieties in all their incarnations, instantly evoking that romantic, cottage-garden look. The collection features one jumbo plug of each of the following: • Digitalis ‘Alba’ x 2 Pure white with unspotted flowers that glow in shade – especially stunning at dusk. H: 1.2m, S: 60cm. • Digitalis purpurea x 1 The classic wild foxglove, bearing tall spires covered with pink/purple and occasionally white flowers, with speckled throats. H: 2m, S: 45cm. • Digitalis ‘Elsey Kelsey’ x 1 One of the best new foxgloves in recent years. Stout, strong spires of creamy white flowers with throats splashed with burgundy. H: 1.2m, S: 45cm. • Digitalis ‘Summer King’ x 1 Distinctive foxglove with crushed strawberry-coloured flowers…