Innholdsfortegnelse for 19 April 2025 i Garden News

Easter’s slightly late arrival this year means that for many, the gardening year is yet to really get going. We know there are lots of readers for whom it never actually stops, but the four-day Easter break tends to signify packed garden centres and the time of year when people really set about getting their gardens in order. Even retired folk – I’m specifically thinking about my parents! – make the most of the long weekend. The good news is the weather should be kinder from now on – there was frost in my garden in early April and while we’re not out of the woods, the likelihood of May frosts seems to be diminishing year on year. Call it climate change or just a run of warmer springs, but…

Looking to ring the changes in your garden this summer? Then why not grow some annual climbers? These fast-growing plants are easy-going, and with a profusion of flowers from summer through to the first frosts, they’re great value for money. HOW TO USE ANNUAL CLIMBERS Within a couple of months these vigorous growers can transform a garden with vibrant colour and lush foliage, which is especially useful if you have a new garden where the perennials and shrubs haven’t had time to put on much growth. Use these climbers to hide unsightly structures and screen off parts of the garden. Grow them up wigwams of canes, over arches or pergolas; let them scramble up trellis supports attached to walls or fences, or position obelisks throughout your borders where these climbers…

Plants grown in containers really do work hard, given their restricted space and soil that quickly loses nutrients and water. They need a lot of care and attention to keep them up to scratch, much more so than plants in the ground, and spring is the ideal time to give them some love as we’re now in full swing with the growing season. You’ll be reminded when you pop outside to the garden for a peek at all the new plant growth – pots of shrubs with leaf buds or unfurling bulb displays make us feel sorry for them struggling on through! It’s enough to make you immediately find your watering can, plant food and compost supply! When you’re considering planting up a container garden, note that soft, fleshy, thin…

Once the soil has warmed up, you can get cracking with direct sowing root vegetables outdoors. Who can resist the earthy taste of freshly pulled parsnips and carrots? Root vegetables love fertile ground, but don’t be tempted to cover the soil with fresh manure now as it could cause the roots to fork. Choose a site that had a layer of organic matter added in winter so there’s been plenty of time for worms to work their magic, mixing everything together. Buy fresh parsnip seed or those saved from last year’s crop as seed only remains viable for one year; don’t hang on to old packets or you might have a disappointing germination rate. Lay a line and sow your seeds in rows or place a plank on the soil…

The world's finest share their tips for success Over the last few years I’ve been looking at tulips in a completely new way, and I’ve become much more relaxed about how to plant them. When working as a parks’ gardener way back in 1990, part of my job was to plant the formal bedding schemes using a plan set out by the client officer. Huge boxes of tulips would arrive and my colleagues and I would position them with regimented precision. It was a little like painting by numbers and nothing was allowed to swerve out of the lines. The result was stunning apart from the odd patch that had been raided by squirrels. Once the flowers had faded, they were lifted and thrown away. Yes, thrown away. The reason…

Blooming bargain! These hyacinths bought from Tesco for just £2.50 are such good value. They’ve lasted at least a fortnight, smell divine and I’ll then plant them in the garden for next year. Christine King, by email Pic and plant! When putting a label in a plant pot or module, I take a photo so I can remember the packet of seeds I used. It’s very useful because as well as growing tomatoes, cucumbers and sprouts, I’m also growing my onions from seed this year and trying a number of varieties of beetroot. Steve Watkin, County Durham Buzzing into spring Lungwort and crocuses enjoying the sunshine in our wildlife garden. Honey and bumblebees have already visited. I hope they – and we – have a better summer. Nicky Turnbull, West…

HALF PRICE These incredibly colourful, strong-growing perennials will transform your garden, looking great as well as attracting beneficial insects including butterflies, ladybirds and honey bees. The main varieties included (but not guaranteed) are: Nepeta ‘Blue Moon’, dianthus ‘Arctic Fire’, heuchera ‘Palace Purple’, papaver ‘Champagne Bubbles’, verbena ‘Buenos Airies’, Alchemilla mollis, aquilegia ‘Mrs Scott Elliot’, coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’, delphinium ‘Fountain’ Mix, digitalis ‘Dalmatian’ Mix, hollyhock ‘Chater’s Double’ Mix and rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’. • Item 480050: 24 x plug plants £14.99 – save £14.99 HALF PRICE You might also like... Power Daisy Collection Power daisies are a completely new garden plant bred from old-fashioned calendulas but world’s apart in terms of performance, flowering for more than six months. And they’re hardy, too! Supplied as 12 jumbo plugs, six each of yellow and Tango…

The latest from Carol’s beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! At this time of year we are treated, along riverbanks and ditches, to the sight of hundreds of our native daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus. They relish the fertile ground and damp soil and seem to enjoy the few weeks they spend midwinter practically submerged. When the river returns to its usual level it must leave behind minerals and trace elements. Most bulbs would object but these little daffodils have evolved with the constant rise and fall of the water and spread around each year. In our gardens, we can add compost and leaf mould to make them feel at home. I love these wild natives, with bright yellow trumpets surrounded by paler yellow outer petals, or perianth. Related…

If you want to increase biodiversity in your garden and help reduce potential pest problems on your flowers and crops, you might just need a packet of hardy annual flower seeds. Unlike many garden flowers, these simple plants are less highly bred and most have open blooms with easily accessible pollen and nectar, which is just what bees, hoverflies and other insects need. Attracting bees will help to pollinate crops such as beans and peas, courgettes and other squash and fruit such as strawberries and blueberries. Attracting hoverflies, which feed on pollen to produce eggs that hatch into greenfly-munching larvae, will help keep down pests on other flowers such as roses and pesky aphids on cabbages and lettuce – a perfectly natural solution. Nasturtiums are easy to grow and not…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg It’s not long now until the last frost date here in Yorkshire, probably around four weeks away. With that in mind, I’m starting a couple of outdoor cucumbers in small pots in a propagator, giving them a strong start so they’ll be ready to plant out in about six weeks. If you’ve got space, you can sow earlier, but I like mine to be ready to go straight outdoors when they’re large enough, even if they need a bit of protection under a cloche for the first few weeks. I’ll do another sowing in early May to keep the harvest going while avoiding taking up too much indoor space right now. I’m growing ‘Mini Muncher’, a variety that does well both outside…

Professor Buczacki is a horticultural expert, writer and former chair of Gardeners' Question Time Got a problem? Our Problem Solver can help! See our contact details on page 3 #GNASKTHEEXPERTS Should I get rid of my pear tree? Mandy Alexander, by email Stefan says: Your pear tree was in the garden when you moved there four years ago and you’ve never done anything with it. You tell me you get lots of pears but you fear it has some sort of disease and were planning to chop it down, but wonder if there’s anything you should try first. Having looked at your pictures, I can’t see anything wrong with your tree and the fact you regularly have a fine crop is as good a reason as anything to leave things alone. What…

Astilbe ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ With dark chocolate-purple foliage and red-purple flower spikes, this mound-forming perennial is ideal for a damp spot, cool shade in most soils and in containers. It contrasts well with yellow foliage. H: 90cm, S: 80cm. Price: £11.95. From: sarahraven.com Iris ‘Light of Heart’ Pale lilac upper and dark lavender lower petals in June, over deciduous grassy foliage. Adaptable plant for a poolside setting, growing in permanently wet to drier soil conditions in sun to light shade. H: 86cm, S: 95cm. Price: £6.50. From: claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk Nymphaea ‘Pinwheel’ With its unusual, flattened, pale pink blooms from June to August, this compact lily is a lovely addition for shallow ponds in full sun or partial shade. Also suitable for containerised water gardens. H: 30cm, S: 60cm. Price:…

Easter – a time for hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and, most important of all, gardening! Come rain or shine (we’re hoping for the latter), the long bank holiday weekend is a prime opportunity to get gardens looking shipshape. With temperatures rising and blossom heralding the arrival of spring, follow our egg-cellent Easter project ideas and get your season off to a flying start! PLANT A JUNGLE HIDEAWAY Beat the April chill by planting a jungle-like seating area, ready for warm summer nights. For fabulous foliage, the Chusan palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) creates an instant Mediterranean atmosphere with its deeply serrated, fan-like leaves. If you’re looking for a bushier mass of foliage, opt for the dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) – a superb seaside specimen. No jungle garden is complete without…

The garden is starting to glow Caroline & David Broome A plant-packed suburban garden in London that is accessible all year. Spring is definitely here and there’s been plenty of activity in the garden. On the first warm day I washed all the greenhouse glass while David painted the interior of the summer house. He’s been making new shelves using discarded pallets so he can show off his upcycled gardenalia! We no longer open our garden for charity but we’re hosting a small group from a local gardening club in July, so it will be nice to share our latest project with fellow gardeners. David’s been carrying out maintenance on the creaky garden gate, the two small ponds have been filled up and he’s checked the irrigation for leaks. The…

TV and radio broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener Many small trees and garden shrubs can successfully be grown in large containers and used to decorate paths, patios and hard-standing areas, where they add colour and height all year round. We have several such shrubs, including an olive tree, magnolia and a feijoa, or Acca sellowiana, to give it its proper name. This evergreen shrub or small tree is part of the myrtle family. Once established, attractive red and white flowers are produced, followed by green fruits. Having tasted feijoa ice cream in New Zealand several years ago, I decided I wanted to try growing this South American plant, which for us has been hardy to -8C. We’ve had flowers, but so far, no fruit! With all…

This year I’m hoping to harvest fresh ginger from my potted plants. It needs warmth to thrive and I grow mine under the staging in the greenhouse. I started off with a piece of ginger from the supermarket. Look out for roots with shoots or ‘eyes’, which will develop into stems. This tasty recipe is perfect for Easter and is easy for children to make. To make it suitable for vegans you can use dairy free margarine and chocolate. I like to decorate the tiffin with edible flowers. I’ve adapted it from a recipe by Rosie Furniss, who is newly opening her garden at 8 Saintbury Road, Leicester, to raise money for the National Garden Scheme. Ingredients Makes 12 large squares, or cut into smaller sizes for more • 100g…

Sunflower ‘SunBelievable™’Brown Eyed Girl’ is a half-hardy annual that’s perfect for beds and containers and will produce 1,000 flowers over a season! This hybrid is sterile so it puts all its energy into flowering rather than setting seed. It’s super easy to grow and will bounce right back if you forget to water it. You might also like... Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’ Non-stop blooms from April to October make this daphne unbeatable for flowers and fragrance. This unusual semi-evergreen flowers on new growth, so blooms just keep coming! With a compact, slow growth habit and deliciously sweet fragrance, this elegant shrub is perfect for planting in containers close to a doorway, where you can fully appreciate the scent as you pass. H&S: 90cm. THREE EASY WAYS TO ORDER TM_GN461/TM_GN462 ONLINE www.thompson-morgan.com/TM_GN461.…