Innholdsfortegnelse for 13 September 2025 i Garden News

A couple of weeks ago, while aimlessly browsing social media (as you do), I came across an ‘advice’ feature on the best time to prune shrubs. It was very specific, even offering exact dates for some – clickbait, I know, and posted simply to get a reaction, so I grumbled away to myself and refused to engage. That’ll show them, I thought! Anyway, one of the shrubs was lavender, and it appeared I’d missed the advised pruning date, yet when I went outside later that day my own lavender plants were smothered in bees. I felt suitably smug; after all, we should listen to what our gardens are telling us. I will prune the lavender when there are no bees on it! Now this may feel counter-intuitive, because one of…

Looking for something special that flowers nonstop through summer and into autumn? Flowering sages, or salvias, are hard to beat. Held on bolt upright stems above mounds of foliage, their blooms are small but brightly coloured and produced in great numbers, helping plants make a great visual impact. At this time of year, salvias have already been making their presence felt for a couple of months. However, they are cherished for their late, late display. Snap up some established pot-grown plants now and plant them in beds, borders or pots, and they’ll continue to add a pop of colour until the first frosts. A BIT OF BACKGROUND Salvias are a massive family of plants with annuals, biennials, shrubs and perennials within their ranks. Some species are native to Europe, Asia…

The online specialist gardening retailer, run by gardeners for gardeners Homegrown happiness! Iona Chisholm A developing family garden and allotment in Staffordshire, with year-round interest. I was away for a week, so before leaving I prepared the allotment and garden for hot weather. At the allotment, I always plant in ditches for better watering, but the raised beds were already looking parched. To keep things going in my absence, I set up makeshift drip watering systems with plastic bottles and cotton buds (an idea I saw online), and added a few bottle watering ends. I concentrated on the courgettes, peas, sweetcorn, broad beans, carrots and shallots. On my return, I found the bottles empty, the soil still bone dry, and the shallots sadly crisp, but everything else had soldiered on.…

TV and radio broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener Shrubby herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage make excellent garden plants. Not only do they earn their keep in the kitchen, but they also look great in beds and borders. These sun-lovers thrive in well-drained soil – a soggy, wet winter can really set them back. As they age, they tend to become woody at the base, so it’s wise to take cuttings as insurance for the future. Luckily, they root easily from semi-ripe (or semihardwood) cuttings, taken when new growth is partway between soft and woody. These cuttings should be firm, yet still a bit flexible. The ideal time to take semi-ripe cuttings is September and October, before the stems get too woody. The good thing…

I love trying new varieties, so was delighted to be given a new sweet blackberry, ‘Loch Katrine’, at the Fothergill’s Trials Ground Open Day recently. It’s a UK-bred thornless variety which should produce 4kg of berries per plant; 2L pot plants will be available this autumn at £22.95 from Fothergill’s DT Brown range. ‘Loch Katrine’ is a floricane plant, so will produce fruit next year on stems grown this season. Hopefully, there will be masses of fruit for this family-favourite blackberry and coconut tray bake. It’s a lovely recipe for picnics and lunchboxes, too. Enjoy it on its own, or with single cream or thick Greek yoghurt. Ingredients Makes 12 slices 150g unsalted butter 150g soft light brown sugar 250g self-raising flour 75g desiccated coconut 200g porridge oats 3 tbsp…

This delightful collection of hardy, drought-tolerant bearded iris has exceptional disease and insect resistance. With the first flowers appearing in spring, and a second flush in autumn, these really are outstanding perennials that are perfect for summer borders. The majestic tall flowers have a delicate scent and make impressive cut blooms for a vase indoors. H: 90cm, Spread: 30cm. The collection, which is supplied from September onwards, comprises: ‘Orange Harvest’: rust-orange flowers ‘Victoria Falls’: Light blue flowers ‘Cantina’: Violet blooms ‘Buckwheat’: Golden-yellow petals ‘Pass the Wine’: Dark purple flowers topped with lavender You might also like... Iris ‘Eyecatcher’ All dwarf iris are pretty in their own right, but few can compete with ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. However, the delicate ‘hand-painted’ blooms of iris ‘Eyecatcher’ give it a run for its money! White…

Annuals and perennials are the go-to plants if you’re keen to provide sources of food for insects, but if you want some year-round structure and height in your garden it’s important to include shrubs too. Not all flowering shrubs are great for insects, though. For instance, Forsythia intermedia looks like it would provide a banquet for insects with its profusion of bright yellow blooms, but it actually produces very little pollen or nectar. However, there are plenty of flowering shrubs that will add an extra layer of interest to your borders while also keeping the bees and butterflies happy. SPRING The ornamental quince, chaenomeles, flowers from late February through to May, its bare branches bearing clusters of blossom-like blooms, providing a valuable food source for emerging bees. Flower colour options…

Autumn is coming and garden centres are filling up with colourful spring-flowering bulbs. These should be planted over the next few months, with early planting usually giving the best results. That’s because bulbs need time to develop strong roots before winter sets in. The exception is tulips, which are best planted later – any time up to November. The small bulbs – snowdrops, chionodoxa, crocus and scillas – are the ones to prioritise. They tend to dry out in their packs, so the sooner they’re in the ground, the better. Most of these thrive in sunny spots and won’t perform well in shade. Crocuses in particular need warmth to open, so a sunny position is essential. These early bloomers are ideal for naturalising in grass, especially alongside early daffodils. They…

Autumn-planted onion sets, often called Japanese onions, are growing in popularity. They mature one to two months earlier than traditional spring-sown or spring-set onions, which is a real advantage. You can also harvest them young in winter and spring to use as spring onions. They’re hardy and grown just like regular onions, but good drainage is especially important. They also do best in sheltered gardens; while they tolerate cold, they can be damaged by winter gales and extreme frosts. Like all onions, they prefer fertile soil, but avoid planting in freshly manured ground. They’re ideal for beds where beans or peas have recently been grown and cleared. Timing is key: they need to be well established before winter, so mid-September is generally ideal across most of the country. In milder…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! Hedychiums, cannas and eucomis. Anyone who knows these three plants could wax lyrical about them and probably write reams about each one, or at least each family, but I have limited space so I’ll try my best. Although a green-leaved canna can have show-stopping consequences on account of its scale, varieties with bronze leaves are the real showoffs. They’re immense and the rich, dark sienna of their scrolled leaves opening into giant paddles contrasts the surrounding verdancy of most gardens. When the great exotic clump is topped by spikes of orchid-like blooms of tropical fruit shades, nothing else gets a look in. Cannas come from the Caribbean and South America but thrive all over the world where…

After years of habitat decline, butterflies need our help to provide them with havens to shelter, breed and feed. Grow late-blooming perennials like aster, rudbeckia and hylotelephium (sedum, or stonecrop); as they’re attracted to bright colours, vibrant bloomers will entice butterflies to stock up with nectar and pollen before winter. Single-petalled, open-centred dahlias like ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, cosmos and zinnia are better than dense doubles so butterflies can easily feed. Plant flowers of different heights. Butterflies suck up nectar with a long tube (proboscis); different species have varying length proboscises, so growing a variety of heights, flower shapes and sizes will ensure you accommodate more butterflies and offer them protection from the elements and predators, and make handy landing platforms. If you have room, dedicate a small quiet part of…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg With the busiest part of the growing season behind us, now is the perfect time to tackle the jobs that have been pushed aside or need completing before the wet and cold weather sets in. Top of my list is the shed: it hasn’t been painted for seven years and is starting to show the neglect. Once I’d removed the guttering and other fixtures, I noticed the felt was coming loose at the edges, so before getting the paint out, I secured it with roofing tacks. Leaving it would have risked the felt tearing in autumn winds. With the roof sorted, I decided on a complete colour change, opting for Heritage Blue exterior wood paint from protekwoodstain.co.uk. I think the blue will…

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 Will broad bean rust affect my plants? Clark Finlay, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland Stefan says: When you pulled up the plants to dispose of the old crop, a brown cloud appeared which you think must have been spores of the rust fungus. I think you are correct. It’s obviously too late to do anything for the plants but you ask: if it really was rust, will it affect next year’s plants which you plan to sow in autumn? Rusts are fungi with complex and biologically involved life cycles. Some kinds produce up to five different types of spore – each with a different…

A boom of blooms My foxgloves eventually blossomed into these beautiful pink blooms – it was magical! Now, I’m eagerly waiting for the seed pods to dry so I can collect the seeds and replant them, ready to enjoy yet another magical display next year. Bertha Dove, Surrey Buzzing birdhouse After some great tits had finished nesting in the bird box at the end of the garden, I took it down to clean it and discovered a few bumblebees inside. I carefully reattached the box to the wall, and within days, it was buzzing with activity. That’s when I took this photo, showing the bees forming a perfect circle around the entrance.” Byron Adams, by email Be kind but cautious I wanted to gently flag something I saw on a…