Innholdsfortegnelse for 14 June 2025 i Garden News

The history and theory behind forest gardens is really fascinating – how a patch of ground, no matter how small, underneath the canopy of trees can become genuinely productive with multiple crops. It’s the basis for our feature starting on page 20, where we look at ways in which we can incorporate the practice of forest gardening into our own plots. We may not have different layers of trees, but we can still employ the same techniques to good effect. Sometimes it’s good to garden in a different way and try new things – and you might be surprised by the results. We also have some great tips to help you get the most from your roses (page 14) – hopefully they are already blooming away but if you want…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! The brilliant gardener and garden writer, Margery Fish, once wrote: “If in doubt, plant a geranium.” Sound advice, for geraniums are one of the most accommodating and versatile of all plant families. They are also among the most beautiful of garden flowers. There’s a simplicity about their five-petalled blooms that’s appealing and they all have healthy, generous palmate foliage, the perfect foil for their flowers. They’re plants from temperate zones around the world but we have a few that are indigenous to the British Isles, most notably Geranium pratense, the meadow cranesbill. This common name of cranesbill alludes to the shape and structure of the seedpod, geranos being the Greek for a crane. Geranium’s close relation, pelargonium,…

I’m sure all of us gardeners would love a fantastic large rockery packed with alpine plants that spill over clusters of rocks. Many readers will have some sort of rockery, but not all of us have the room, so we have to improvise. I absolutely love alpine and rockery plants but I’ve got limited space – a small ‘rockery’ made out of hollow breeze blocks and painted white serves as a fun feature for me, but it’s not enough space for all the different plants I like to grow, so each year I tend to make up lots of rustic terracotta planters and dot them about in the sunny spots of my garden. Terracotta drains well for alpines and it looks smart and elegant set against the gravel and spilling…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg The warm spell we've had lately has really brought the kitchen garden to life. With a bit of luck, we might just be heading into a proper British summer, fingers firmly crossed. But with the rise in temperature comes a shift in what vegetable plants need, and there are a few crops that will benefit from a little extra attention to keep them healthy and productive. Let’s start with lettuce. It’s a great one to grow from seed, but this time of year can make things tricky. The heat can cause them to bolt early, and seeds don’t tend to germinate well if the temperature goes above 20C. If you’re sowing now, try and keep the trays in a cool, shaded spot,…

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 grow cornfield weeds? Margaret Harvington, Tenterden, Kent Stefan says: You’re planning to create a wildflower area in part of an old paddock and among the suggestions put to you is to include some cornfield weeds, but you wonder about deliberately growing something called a weed. I can understand the sentiment and I think if the expression cornfield annuals had been used, you might feel better. It’s true they are plants that have achieved their greatest fame and notoriety as weeds among cereal crops, but they are, nonetheless, extremely attractive. Those offered most commonly are corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis),…

Clematis ‘Kokonoe’ is a new variety and sister to our best-selling clematis ‘Taiga’. Opulent double blooms with rich violet-purple petals produce a luxurious display. The blooms emerge as singles, but as they mature the flowers become more double, developing a ruff of petals in the central boss. Flowering from June to October, this showy climber makes a fabulous patio plant, trained onto an obelisk or scaling walls and fences. Undemanding and easy to prune (Pruning Group 3), simply cut back the stems to just above ground level each year. H: 2.5m, S: 1m. Supplied as 9cm potted plants from June onwards. You might also like... Passiflora ‘Snow Queen’ The fragrant blooms of this passion flower are produced in continuous succession from midsummer to autumn and each flower remains open for…

This is Brody, our garden helper, keeping a check on lettuce we’ve grown from the free seeds we got with Garden News. Holly Kirkham, by email These garden helpers are assisting in aerating our lawn! We have curlews and oystercatchers nesting in the field just over the fence. It’s a joy to watch them searching out the pesky leatherjackets but we’re also probably losing a few worms as well! Larraine and Alan Gray, Gott, Shetland I can always guarantee a little visit from my robin friend whenever I’m out doing a bit of planting or digging in the garden. Phil Weston, by email I bet my six-year-old granddaughter Liv that she couldn’t transplant a tomato seedling on her own with no supervision. I lost a pound. Better than dieting! Paul…

The online specialist gardening retailer, run by gardeners for gardeners Beds, beans and biodiversity! Mel Darvill A 6x6m 2 north-facing new build garden on the east London/Essex border; primarily a container garden with lots of climbers for fence and shed coverage. It really has been a month of huge changes in the new garden. The tulips have been out and spring has really sprung. The biggest transformation is that my husband and I dug up a whole section of lawn to make way for a new bed. I’m always so inspired by gardens that bring the planting right up front, which looks inviting and displays the flowers beautifully. So out came the grass and in went a standard hydrangea ‘Limelight’, roses ‘Kew Gardens’ and ‘Queen of Sweden’ alongside lovely tall…

Follow Naomi's progress as she gets to grips with her tiny urban garden on heavy Bristol clay In a month in which the days reach their longest and temperatures theoretically rise to comfortable levels and stay there, the world of gardening goes into hyperdrive. Shows and plant fairs offer glamorous visions to dream on, and a focus on outdoor living sees barbecues and sun loungers, lawnmowers and power tools enticing the most reluctant and fair-weather of gardeners. But while we rush out into the sunshine or make the best of the rain, let us not forget the leafy friends who have been keeping us company over the last few months and cheering us up during the part of the year that may not be so nice. Many hardworking houseplants will…

We had no frost here when the peach trees were in flower. As a result, the trees are loaded with tiny fruit the size of a hazelnut. Thinning means I’ll get larger, better quality peaches. I’m gently rubbing out any misshapen, crowded fruit and leaving a gap of 10cm between them. This will also prevent brittle branches from breaking under the load. I’ll thin again when the fruit is the size of a walnut. I’m also keeping plants well watered as they’re growing in half-barrel size pots in a polytunnel and lack of moisture affects the flavour. Hopefully I’ll have a good crop of peaches to harvest and turn into these tasty cakes, which were a family favourite during our childhood. Ingredients Makes 18 cakes • 200g butter• 150g light…

‘Elton John AIDS Foundation Rose’ Pearl-pink, sweet-scented blooms turn vibrant pink as the weather changes with this repeat-flowering hybrid tea rose. For each one Harkness sells, £5 will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation; Harkness will donate at least £10,000. H&S: 90cm. Price: £34.99/pot or £29.99/bareroot from autumn (pre-order online). From: roses.co.uk ‘Ashton Wold’ This repeat-flowering shrub rose combines old-world charm with modern performance. The soft, butter-yellow, semi-double blooms have an appealing fragrance and are great for pollinators. Small orange hips in autumn help feed birds. Named after the family home of naturalist and conservationist Charles Rothschild. H&S: 90cm. Price: £21 bareroot, from November. From: peterbealesroses.com ‘Catherine’s Rose’ A repeat-flowering floribunda rose from Harkness, named by the RHS for the Princess of Wales to celebrate nature’s healing power, with…

The warm early summer was generally good for sweet peas, but there were issues. Plants from autumn sowings that had a chance to establish well and get their roots into the ground before the heat have generally done well. But spring sowings, planted in April and early May, will have struggled and needed lots of water. Those in pots will have needed daily watering to stay alive. Sweet peas are prone to a few problems, among them bud drop when the plants are young. They usually grow out of this as the season progresses, but lack of water doesn’t help. Mildew, a white powdery coating on the leaves, is usually associated with the end of the season but extreme heat and drought may bring it early. Watering and feeding can…

In many areas the weather was fair when many tree fruits were in bloom and that has resulted in a good ‘set’ of fruits. Even plums, which are prone to poor pollination because they bloom so early in the spring, have lots of fruits growing along their branches. If there are lots of tiny fruits it means we must tackle one of the most difficult jobs of the year – thinning them out! It always seems wrong to remove so many small apples or plums, but it’s necessary. If these fruits are all left to grow you’ll just get a heavy crop of small fruits. They’ll be crowded and won’t ripen evenly and may push themselves off. If the weather in late summer is wet, brown rot, which often invades…

Showers & flowers After several weeks of sunny weather, it was lovely to get some rain. Looking around our garden, the leaves on the trees had rain shimmering on them, and the grass already looked greener. The tulips seemed thankful to be refreshed and the aubrieta really stands out along the border. Christopher Cole, Polegate, Eastbourne From prune to bloom We pruned the quince very hard in autumn and can’t believe the amount of beautiful flowers we’ve had from Christmas onwards, and it’s still going strong. Elaine Richardson, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Crab-ulous blossom! I think my crab apple in bloom is as good as any cherry tree in blossom. Jane Moore, Brighton Petal pose We visit my Uncle Peter in Poultonle-Fylde in Lancashire whenever we can. He does his best…