Innholdsfortegnelse for 4 October 2025 i Garden News

Our gardens are incredibly self-contained areas. Sure, they need some intervention from us, but as Rob Smith says in his column this week (see page 36), they produce very little that is actually waste. As we clear our gardens at this time of year it can feel as if we’re accumulating an awful lot of detritus, but in truth almost all of it can be put to very good use. Whether that’s as compost – and we can throw virtually everything on to the compost heap! – or a log pile to help wildlife, there’s very little that needs to actually leave our premises. The same goes for leaves and now is the time to rake up whatever you can and start the process of creating leaf mould – we…

SPONSORED BY The online specialist gardening retailer, run by gardeners for gardeners Happy harvests despite dry days Tom Pattinson A garden full of unusual plants and a big collection of fruit and veg in Alnwick, Northumberland. We’ve been assessing the season so far and the weather’s effect on shows and garden visits. Edibles have performed well thanks to organic mulch and regular watering despite lack of rain. Horse ownership gives us continuous organic matter that works wonders after weathering – ask if you have stables nearby! ‘Charlotte’ second early potatoes were the best for years despite the heat, dryness, a pheasant – and blight, though thankfully that came after the foliage had done its job. Constant watering, protective netting and removal of haulms saved the day. Carrot ‘Chantenay Red Cored’…

TV and broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener I always think there’s something special about planting bulbs in autumn, with the promise of colourful flowers next spring to cheer us up after a long winter. Now is the time to get started if you’ve not already done so! Garden centres and specialist mail order companies stock a wide range of spring-flowering bulbs that can be planted in autumn. With bulbs, you get what you pay for. Small, cheap bulbs often don’t deliver, so always buy quality bulbs of a good size for the variety. When you buy a bulb, it has everything inside it needed to flower next spring, so a large bulb will obviously flower better than a much smaller, immature one. You also want…

Despite years of experience growing food, I still make mistakes. I was quite downhearted when the string tying my tomatoes to the roof of the polytunnel suddenly snapped. Trusses laden with heavy beef toms crashed to the floor! Lesson learned, use stronger string! On a positive note, I managed to rescue most of the tomatoes and I’m busily cooking and processing them now. This galette can be reheated or served cold and is delicious served with new potatoes and French beans, or just a simple salad. Ingredients Serves FOR THE PASTRY 160g plain flour 160g wholemeal flour 180g unsalted butter Pinch of salt 4 tbsp cold water FOR THE FILLING 250g mascarpone 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme 1 tbsp finely chopped marjoram, chives, basil ½ tsp lemon zest Seasoning 3…

Dixter duplicate We regularly visit Great Dixter and many years ago we saw Christopher Lloyd's display at the entrance of his house. This inspired us some years ago, and whilst not competing with the late, great man, this is our effort this year. Martin Howells, by email In mint condition! I find that cut flowers from the garden keep twice as long if you drop a couple of old (pre decimal) coins in the water. This is because copper has natural antiseptic properties, hence the reason why our water pipes were lined with copper years ago! Katie Gooding, Tiverton, Devon Sunflower showoffs I love getting free seeds with Garden News. These few sunflowers escaped the hungry beaks of birds and I was amazed at how big they got. Although I’ve…

A40-year career has seen Raymond Evison transform the profile of clematis. Assisted by his nursery team in Guernsey, he has introduced 200 species and varieties to commerce, developing a global market and producing 75 million plants. “Having set up a partnership with rose breeder Poulsen Roser in 1994, I set myself the challenge to create a new range of clematis, with a different habit to old Victorian varieties, more compact, suitable for growing in pots and containers in a far greater range of colours,” said Raymond. Producing new clematis for market takes eight to 10 years from seed set to sale, involving stringent judging and evaluation. “We throw thousands of unwanted seedlings away to get just what we want,” Raymond said. His favourite creation is the Boulevard series: compact varieties…

In most parts of the country, the first frosts of autumn could begin in a matter of weeks, so getting the greenhouse sorted now should be a priority. Make the most of the weather while it’s still mild to get all the plants outside to allow you to do a thorough clean. Begin by getting rid of old tomato and vegetable plants and add them to the compost heap. This will reveal woodlice, which can eat seedlings, and slugs, which should be swept up. Weeds in paving and beds will harbour aphids over winter and diseases like fuchsia rust will reside on willowherbs, so get rid of those as well as any fallen leaves and dead plants, as they can produce grey mould spores that infect a wide range of…

Hopefully you’ve had a good harvest of tomatoes this year, and that over the last few weeks they’ve ripened nicely. If not and you’re wondering what to do with those last green ones now the weather is on the turn, don’t worry, there’s plenty you can do with them. It’s best to either pick fruits now or sever whole branches of them to bring indoors, as it’s unlikely they will now ripen outdoors, unless we get an early-autumn heatwave, of course! Tomatoes need warmth to ripen, and many people take to fleecing theirs in September to encourage ripening, or try the trick of placing a ripe banana in among your plants — the ethylene emitted from it can help speed up the process. If you’re bringing your fruit indoors, here…

Ornamental onions for summer sparkle ‘Dallas’ Compact variety ideal for small gardens or front of borders. Vibrant violet to pinkish-purple toned blooms are striking from early June. Grow in full sun or light shade in moist, well-drained soil. Ideal for patio pots. H: 75cm, S: 20cm. Price: From £3.75/5 bulbs. From: farmergracy.co.uk ‘Magic’ This distinctive ornamental onion, a cross between Allium schubertii and A. atropurpureum, will stand out from late May and June with its upswept, flat-topped, starburst-shaped blooms up to 25cm across. H: 60cm, S: 20cm. Price: From £64p per bulb. From: gee-tee.co.uk ‘Pink Jasmine’ Create a lovely country border effect with this elegant Julyblooming variety with medium-sized heads of pink blooms. Its individual flowers cluster together to make a very intriguing sight. H: 1.4m, S: 30cm. Price: £3/bulb.…

The wonderful thing about gardening is planning for future seasons, because we all want our gardens to get better year after year. That won’t be difficult following the drought of 2025, because most gardens have struggled. I’m getting ready to celebrate next year by planting up spring-flowering bulbs in containers. It’s so much easier than trying to get them into parched soil. I position the containers close to my front door and mainly go for larger containers in rugged materials, such as wood, terracotta or stone. I know they’ll please me every time I see them. Best way to plant bulbs in pots I avoid wood-based composts when planting bulbs, because they don’t seem to do very well in it. I go for another type of peat-free. I have to…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! Of all the shrubs that most people – even non-gardeners – would recognise, hydrangeas must be the most familiar. They’ve been cultivated for well over 1200 years – but not here. The first were recognised as glorious additions to gardens in Japan where many of the species are native to China. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that they were introduced to the Western world of horticulture, and then only in dribs and drabs. Hydrangeas from their other home, the United States, were also introduced around that time. But it’s only from Victorian times that hydrangeas have been widely grown, and then it was forms of Hydrangea macrophylla, aka H. serrata (from the Greek meaning large-leaved…

Autumn is the season of falling leaves, but it can feel a relentless job raking them up off lawns and borders, so put this hard work to good use and use your collected haul to create some garden gold! Leaf mould is a nutritious soil improver and mulch. Different leaves have differing breakdown times. Birch, beech, ash and hornbeam break down relatively quickly, whereas sycamore, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut require a longer wait. Accelerate the process by shredding leaves before storing – simply mow over the leaves to chop them up. One of the easiest ways to make leaf mould is to place raked leaves in a bin liner, squeeze the air out of the bag then tie it shut. Punch holes in the bottom of the bag for…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg It may feel as though our gardens produce an overwhelming amount of waste at this time of year, but in truth very little of it is truly wasteful. Almost everything can be put to good use, be that feeding the compost heap, supporting wildlife or providing shelter for insects and small creatures over the winter months. It’s a good reminder that a garden works as a cycle. What looks spent or untidy often becomes the raw material for next year’s growth and aids the survival of many living things that call our plots home. Take rhubarb as an example. Once the leaves die back, they can be lifted and dropped straight into the compost. The great big leaves may look messy, but…

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 Do I have one wisteria or two? Denise Mitchell, by email Stefan says: You write to say that four years ago you bought a wisteria ‘Amethyst Falls’, as you wanted a plant that was easy to control. In principle this was a really good idea since ‘Amethyst Falls’ is a variety of the American species Wisteria frutescens, which is usually less vigorous than the more familiar varieties derived from the two Oriental species, W. sinensis and W. japonica, although I should add that it’s not exactly miniature and will reach 5m or more in height. However, although it bloomed well…

Edible Indoor Pineapple Plant Bring a taste of the tropics to your kitchen with this fascinating and easy-to-grow plant. These are the same variety used in commercial pineapple farms across South America. Each plant arrives already fruiting, so you’re guaranteed a delicious pineapple this year. Just pop it on a sunny windowsill or in a conservatory, give it a little water and the occasional feed, and let nature do the rest. Once you’ve picked your fruit, the plant will produce offsets that may fruit in future years – and you can even grow a new plant from the leafy crown! Supplied at approximately 50cm tall in a 14cm pot, these are full-sized fruiting plants. • Item 340031: 1 x 14cm pot £16.99 – save £3 Venus Fly Trap This insect-eating…