Innholdsfortegnelse for 2 August 2025 i Garden News

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that, out of the blue, a buddleja in my garden was looking distinctly out of sorts – the leaves had started to curl and their colour could only be described as mottled. I took a picture to send to our wonderful Problem Solver, Professor Stefan Buczacki, to ask his opinion and crucially, to tell me exactly what I should do; having a direct line to Stefan is a definite perk of the job! But literally on the day I was going to email him, I saw a reader had been in touch with exactly the same problem and on page 40 Stefan has the answer – the cucumber mosaic virus, spread by aphids. What’s more, Stefan reports that one of his buddlejas has…

SPONSORED BY The online specialist gardening retailer, run by gardeners for gardeners A real gust of garden glory! Tony McCabe A small garden in Merseyside that is packed with a variety of different features. A little staking has been in order due to some very strong winds; even the sweetcorn had a definite tilt! Lush growth everywhere means there’s almost no weeding to be done, but pruning is needed to keep unruly plants in check. The hostas have benefited from the welcome rain and so far (fingers crossed) there’s little slug and snail damage. More permanent plantings means there’s little space for summer bedding plants, but I always rely on begonias in the small raised bed in the back garden, offset with a silver-leaved cineraria – they perform despite the…

TV and radio broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener In many parts of the UK we’ve had a dry spring and early summer. Where we live in northern Lincolnshire, the soil has been very dry with very little rain – in fact, it’s the lowest recorded rainfall for years. Although the sunny weather is good in one way, it does mean there’s lots more watering to do to keep everything growing. This is especially true with newly planted trees and shrubs that haven’t yet got their roots deep into the soil. Outside containers also dry out faster in hot temperatures and even in the greenhouse, plants are drying out faster than normal. In addition to that, the veg plot needs watering on a regular basis. Unless…

I’m always amazed by the speed at which broccoli grows. I sowed seeds of ‘Blue Finn’ F1 in March, and by mid-June we were harvesting fist-sized delicious heads. I’m growing plants in containers in a polytunnel, which gives them some protection from pigeons and cabbage white butterflies. ‘Blue Finn’ is a compact variety for close sowing in shallow beds. I used up some spare cauliflower, but the recipe is equally good made with just broccoli. This dish should be served immediately – new potatoes, carrots and peas make great accompaniments. Ingredients Serves 4 FOR THE FILLING 100g broccoli florets 50g cauliflower 15g butter 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1 tbsp plain flour 100ml milk 85g Cheddar cheese, grated FOR THE SOUFFLE 4 eggs, separated 4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs: parsley,…

Europeans first found dahlias growing in Mexico in the early 1500s, but it wasn’t until the late 1780s that they were grown in Britain. By the early 1800s, enthusiasm for dahlias had spread all over Europe and new forms, especially those with double flowers, started to appear. From the start, growing dahlias produced its own challenges – in particular many were tall, and all were frost tender. Some gardeners kept them growing and flowering through winter in the greenhouses and conservatories that were becoming so popular on grand estates. There were many opinions on the best way to keep them from one year to the next. Here are some of the questions gardeners still have now… I always dig up tubers in autumn and store them until spring, but some…

Extend summer by planting up a late-season pot of cheer! Choose large containers or recycle a crate, an old hamper or wheelbarrow, then select a mix of flowers and foliage of varying heights. Add trailing plants so some stems can spill over the edges of pots for an air of opulence. Summer containers can be bold – anything goes! Choose compact, long-flowering blooms such as rudbeckia ‘Little Goldstar’, verbena ‘Lollipop’ or eryngium 'Blue Hobbit’ for an eye-catching focal point. Plant up gaps with trailing plants like lobelia; the vivid white or vibrant blue petals make good fillers, or try calibrachoa, bacopa ‘Snowtopia’ or variegated ivy. Add movement by incorporating grasses such as Stipa tenuissima, which will lightly sway in the breeze. Pots have a tendency to dry out quickly, so…

A regular dose of organic matter helps break up heavy clay and improves moisture and nutrient retention in light, sandy soils. But bulky materials like compost and manure are often tricky to shift in large amounts — a few bags disappear quickly in a big garden. That’s why it makes sense to produce as much compost as you can at home. But another brilliant way to feed your soil is to sow green manure. If you’ve just lifted your potatoes or summer beans and find yourself with a bare patch of soil, this is the perfect opportunity. Green manures are easy-to-grow plants that are sown directly where they’ll grow, then dug back in to enrich the soil as they decompose. Some types are ideal for overwintering; they add nutrients and…

Wild and worthy These red campions and dame’s violets are both British wildflowers growing in my garden. They could be classified as weeds, but I think our native flowers can look just as good as the more exotic garden hybrids. Peter Hairsine, Pembrokeshire Boost for berries I wanted to share this gardening hack with your readers. When growing strawberries, to stop the fruits touching the soil and rotting, you can place any porcelain or plastic cup underneath to provide some support. Smita Poojary, by email A floral break I took a few copies of Garden News with me to enjoy while on holiday in the Algarve. Our location was set in beautiful grounds, where gaura, hibiscus, agapanthus and datura were all in flower. Hazel Mackintosh, by email Meadow magic Our…

Long, long ago, in the distant mists of time, I wrote a book called Plants for Problem Places. In it, I discussed how to make a dozen problem situations more suitable for plants, and then recommended plants for each. Here, I’m turning it all around, looking at these problem places in a different way. I’ve chosen plants that are suitably tough, resilient, frost hardy, tolerant of mistreatment of various kinds, plants that between them will put up with anything. I’m also including some warnings! BLACK MONDO GRASS When I worked at Kew, the paths in the Queen’s Garden were tarmac. They probably still are. They have to take a great deal of traffic so grass paths or gravel won’t take the wear. But that doesn’t stop Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, the…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! It’s time to rejoice in our gardens. So many plants – and in particular flowers – are at their peak. Parts of the garden at Glebe Cottage are at full sway, particularly in our daughters’ gardens, and all the beds and borders on the sunnier, more open west side of the garden are so colourful. In one bed, diascia is blooming. There are many varieties of this lovely South African plant. Diascia rigescens is a favourite. Its pink flowers can be very pale, almost purple, salmon or coral. The plant was first introduced to British horticulture in Victorian times but it wasn’t until the 1980s that new cultivars started to appear on the garden scene when many…

Rockeries, or rock gardens, are robust design features mimicking miniature mountain environments with raised rocks and well-drained soil, ideal for growing alpines and small plants. Apart from looking good, rockeries are really easy to look after, needing little maintenance and thriving in dry conditions, wind and rain. The plants are tough but after a few years some may outgrow their space and a bit of editing is then required. Dwarf conifers add evergreen structure but be careful when pruning; although the aim is to keep them small, avoid cutting back into bare wood as branches may not regrow, leaving your conifer with bare patches. Regularly weed the area as self-seeders can appear and smother other plants you’re trying to grow. Deadhead flowers such as thrift and dianthus to ensure you…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg The past few weeks here in Yorkshire have been unusually dry and warm, and by the sounds of it, the rest of the UK has been in the same boat – and it’s brought with it a few challenges we don’t normally encounter at this time of year. One that has stood out most for me is bolting, especially in the broccoli patch. My plants are under enviromesh, which is brilliant for keeping the cabbage whites and pigeons at bay, but it can trap the heat, too. That extra warmth, combined with the weather, has caused some of them to rush ahead and flower far too soon. My ‘Sibsey’ sprouting broccoli has coped fairly well, and I’ve been harvesting it steadily for…

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 My buddleja bush looks a mess! Daphne Williams, by email Stefan says: You say your buddleja has always been healthy but is looking unsightly this year and wonder what has happened. This is proving a most unusual gardening year, and your experience with your buddleja is a good example of this. One of my own buddlejas, the wonderful ‘Black Knight’, has just the same symptoms as yours and I’ve heard of many others too – in fact, yours is the third query on the subject this week! I’ve been growing buddlejas for as long as I’ve been gardening and have…

Turn up the heat in winter with bright, bold pansies in a range of sparkling colours, some solid and some with pretty blotches. These compact plants turn winter bedding into a tapestry of living colour. For hassle-free gardening, look no further than our pre-planted baskets for easy seasonal colour. We’re always on the lookout for ways to make life simpler for our gardening customers. So what could be easier than hanging baskets which are already planted up? You might also like... Viola (ice babies) ‘Teardrops’ pre-planted baskets Viola ‘Teardrops’ is one of our top-performing hanging basket varieties, producing cascading trails of colourful blooms to brighten up the winter garden. Flowers just keep on coming and will continue to perform well into May, giving you four months of colour. All you…