Innholdsfortegnelse for 15 November 2025 i Garden News

A confession – when we moved into our house some 15 years ago, the first thing we did in the garden was chop down about 20 very large leylandii around the perimeter. Impressive plants, no question, but not only did they block out all sunlight, they took up so much room that could be put to much better use. So conifers and I have history. The first thing to say is getting rid of leylandii is not for the faint-hearted and much easier if one has a friend equipped with a stump grinder and digger. But removing them transformed the garden and gave us room for proper borders, one of which now includes a couple of much smaller and more manageable conifers! Marc Rosenberg looks at this much-maligned plant (page…

Rain helps to give the garden a refresh Christine High A Norfolk garden, with shady borders, wildlife areas and a large herbaceous bed. Autumn is here and with the nights drawing in, the garden is definitely starting to show the effects of a dry year. Yet, with a bit of rain, it’s amazing how quickly plants have burst back into life. Our roses put on a wonderful display this year. While the first blooms faded quickly in the heat, the later flowers have lasted well and look lovely. Pete ticked off a big job by trimming the privet hedge, which forms a 50m-long section of our boundary and stands 10ft tall. It’s a relief to have that challenge out of the way for autumn. We’ve been revamping an area…

TV and radio broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener At the moment lawns are green and lush, but just a few months ago in many parts of the country they were struggling after the long, dry summer. In Lincolnshire it was very hot and dry and the grass in our garden was brown and scorched by late summer. Fortunately, lawns are very tough and resilient and after some rain they quickly green up. To help a lawn to fully recover and get it in good condition for next year, it’s a good idea to carry out some maintenance. This is best done while the soil is still fairly warm and before winter sets in. The chances are your lawn is still growing and if that’s the…

Herbs liven up even the simplest meal. Over winter, I protect my supply by bringing pots of chives, parsley and sage into the polytunnel. Using some fleece as protection on the coldest nights, the herbs will be available to harvest right through the season. As a back-up plan, I’ve frozen herbs in ice cubes and containers, too. Then, for using herbs, this loaf is a lovely alternative to bread. I discovered the recipe when I ran out of yeast. It goes beautifully with any winter soup or salad, and can be served on its own or with butter and extra slices of cheese. It’s great toasted, too. It also makes a tasty after-school snack for children. My grandson Finn loves it! Adapted from a recipe by Gemma Stafford at biggerbolderbaking.com.…

After a summer of blooms, rose growth slows, giving us a chance to prune, stripping back plants to a strong framework to form a solid basis for new shoots to grow. Pruning is essential to maintain your rose’s shape. It sounds counterintuitive, but climbing roses flower on new growth, so cutting them back will actually promote an abundance of flowering stems. Autumn and winter can allow us to see roses’ skeletal structure, with stems exposed as leaves fall, but often seasons remain mild for longer and leaf fall can be late, so you may still have to wade through foliage. Clear congested stems and old leaves; these could harbour overwintering fungal diseases. Climbers need a hard prune to prevent straggly stems; it can seem drastic, but this is a beneficial…

Anyone with apple trees will know just how prolific they can be – and what excellent value they offer. This year has been especially fruitful, with bumper crops. While potted apple trees are available year-round, winter marks the ideal time to plant bareroot varieties. Bareroot apple trees come with several advantages. They’re typically more affordable, though smaller and younger than their potted counterparts. Often sold via mail order or through specialist fruit nurseries (some garden centres may stock them too), they offer access to a much broader selection. This means you can grow rare or heritage varieties not found in shops. Crucially, bareroot trees tend to establish more successfully in the ground. Planting them allows you to spread out the roots properly and apply beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, like Rootgrow, directly…

Camellia ‘Winter Perfume Pearl’ Lift winter gloom with soft pink, scented single flowers in evergreen foliage. Needs a moist, well-drained, acid soil in a sheltered, shaded position or plant in pots of ericaceous compost. H: 1.5m, S: 2.5m. Price: £49.95/3L pot. From: bluebellnursery.com RED AND PURPLE HUES Cornus alba ‘Nightfall’ A deciduous shrub with clusters of small, white flowers and green foliage in spring, with leaves that turn purple, fall and reveal vivid red winter stems. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun or light shade. H&S: 1.5m. Price: £14.99/1 bareroot. From: thompson-morgan.com Mahonia ‘Meteor’ An evergreen shrub for all seasons. Vibrant red leaves in spring and summer, fragrant yellow flowers bloom in autumn and early winter and bluish-black berries follow. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. H&S: 1.25m.…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! Some parts of the garden here at Glebe Cottage depend greatly on herbaceous perennials to provide a spring and summer through to autumn display. There are bulbs, too, and occasional shrubs and trees on the west side of the track that runs up to the cottage, but in the main the terraced beds here are open and sunny (we’ve had a lot of sunshine this year) and rely on perennial plants for their colour and interest. Some of the plants have been here for several years; we try to rejuvenate by division and there is general maintenance – cutting back, composting stems and old foliage at this time of year, weeding and mulching, but the great majority…

Garden plants can be propagated in a wide variety of different ways and cuttings are one of the best because young plants will be identical to the parent. But not all plants are easy to root from cuttings, and it can be tricky to get a piece of plant to root before it dies. That’s where layering is such a great idea. A shoot is brought down to the soil and only partially severed from the parent plant as it roots, so it’s much more likely to succeed and make a new plant. It does take a bit longer, usually a year, but it’s much more certain. The trickiest part is getting a shoot down to ground level. It isn’t always possible with shrubs and trees but climbers, with naturally…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg With seedlings and young plants slowly germinating in the greenhouse, now’s the time to make sure they’re getting every drop of available light. A good clean of the glass, both inside and out, makes all the difference. Over time, a thin film of algae and mould can build up, especially around the corners, and it’s surprising how much light it blocks. So, grab the hose, a soft brush and a mild cleaner, and get to work. Before you start, remember to disconnect any water butts from the downpipes. It might seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to save water, but all that grime, algae and bird mess will otherwise wash straight into your stored supply, making it unsafe for watering later on. Once…

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 How do I deal with chafer grubs? Mack Faulkner, by email Stefan says: You moved to your present garden three years ago and until this summer, the lawn looked okay, although not brilliant. Over the past months, however, the lawn has displayed dry and bare patches that didn’t seem uniform enough to be caused by the drought and hot weather. When you lifted the turf, you found chafer grubs and then discovered the entire lawn was infested. You tried applying nematode controls twice in summer but to no avail. Chafer grubs are the larvae of insects called chafer beetles. Many…

Seedy behaviour! This is a friend’s Trachelospermum jasminoides, which has this strange seed pod. We haven’t seen one before so believe it’s probably due to the lovely summer weather here in Somerset. Trudy Matthews, by email Wonder of Woolies I wanted to share the story of the rose ‘Dublin Bay’ I have in my garden. I bought it from Woolworths back in November 1982 for just 69p, as a birthday gift for my husband. After 20 years, it was dug up for a house move, and again in 2023. It’s still blooming beautifully. Maureen Marklew, Worcestershire It’s all in a name My daughter Amanda was often called ‘Manda Panda’ when little. So with my love of succulents, I could not resist this one called ‘Panda’! Sylvia Monk, Hayling Island, Hampshire…

Flamboyant container displays can last from July right through to October with these two top-performing begonias. The gently tumbling stems of 'Pendula Mixed’ are ideal for hanging baskets, while 'Non-Stop Mixed' is perfect for pots, baskets, borders and bedding schemes alike. ‘Non-Stop Mixed’ has fully double flowers in a boisterous array of shades that jostle for attention in containers, beds and borders. With weather-resistant blooms, these long-lasting tuberous begonias will keep flowering well into autumn. ‘Pendula Mixed’ is a spectacular trailing begonia with pendulous stems smothered in enormous double flowers all summer and into autumn. It will fill hanging baskets and containers with flamboyant colour for a show-stopping display. The collection is supplied as 20 tubers (10 of each) and despatched from January 2026 onwards. You might also like... Begonia…