Innholdsfortegnelse for 22 November 2025 i Garden News

If the forecasters are to be believed, we could be in for a prolonged cold snap. About time too. Certainly in my garden, the recent wet, mild weather has only benefited lingering pests and diseases. I’ve still been seeing plenty of slugs in the garden! Maybe we are heading into what we might call an old-fashioned winter, complete with sub-zero temperatures and snow over a long period. But it’s just impossible to predict what might happen these days, such is the bewildering variation in weather that climate change has wrought. Yet in this issue (page 18) we offer up a fascinating suggestion for the garden on that front, which is that traditional heirloom crops are better suited to deal with extremes of climate. Over the years they have built increased…

A proud moment producing our 'Maxi' pumpkins, which we grew for the grandchildren to celebrate Halloween. It’s the first season on a newly acquired half plot and I’ve had a lot of help from my partner, Martin. It's been a steep learning curve but when you produce something like this from seed it’s fantastic. Amanda Lea, by email Charlie smelling the roses. Linda Dyke, by email Annie helping us clear up some leaves. She’s purr-fect! JT Sheringham, by email Cinders the cat soaking up the sun while watching me work! Roz Jennings, Staffordshire Grandad’s little helper – always keen to get digging! Cara McLoughlin, by email Brody helping with the gardening. Holly Kirkham, by email Why not share a photo of your furry, feathered or friendly garden helpers. See page…

There’s something deeply satisfying about gardening the traditional way – planting when the soil is warm, the air is crisp, and the plants are ready to get on with the serious business of establishing themselves without the stress of summer heat. Autumn bareroot planting is one of those longstanding techniques that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. It’s kinder to the plants, more economical for the gardener and, if you get it right, can reward you with better growth and earlier harvests. Let’s take a proper look at why it works so well, and how you can make the most of this golden window of opportunity – when you’re picking fruit or enjoying a rose in bloom next summer, you’ll know you did the right thing.…

Sunny days are to be savoured Iona Chisholm A developing family garden and allotment in Staffordshire, with year-round interest. Any sunny day at this time of year feels like a real treat and I’m straight outside making the most of it! I’ve had fun collecting seed from nasturtiums, marigolds, snapdragons, cosmos, scabious and French beans. These are dried and packed into recycled envelopes – I keep a few, but most are gifts for friends. I’ve also taken plenty of cuttings this month, including salvia ‘Hot Lips’ and ‘Amethyst Lips’, rosemary and lavender. The dried lavender flowerheads made wonderfully fragrant bags. Tissue paper seedheads of honesty (Lunaria annua) look spectacular when they catch the light, while allium and teasel seedheads remain striking despite weathering Storm Amy. The rain was a blessing…

Award-winning designer, TV broadcaster and best-selling author who makes the ordinary extraordinary Ever since I qualified as a garden designer nearly 30 years ago, I’ve seen a gradual shift in what my clients are asking for. Back in the ’90s it was all conifers, paving slabs and lawn, but two of this threesome have waned. First to go were the conifers. But the biggest shift has been the loss of the lawn. Of seven garden design projects I’m currently working on, three have asked to lose their lawns. It’s clear that over the last three decades people have embraced the advantages of grass-free gardens. Not to pave them over but to squeeze in more plants. And I couldn’t be more delighted. My own garden is a case in point. When…

Our apples usually keep until January if stored in a cool spare room. But this year, when we examined the fruit, we found tiny bruises. Storm Amy caused the branches to thrash about, damaging the apples. Sadly, these won’t keep and I’ve been turning the harvest into cakes and puddings to freeze instead. Children love this tray bake. It makes a lovely after-school snack. It’s also nice with a cup of coffee or for afternoon tea! Ingredients Serves 16 200g butter  150g light brown sugar  100g crème fraiche  1 tsp vanilla extract  2 eggs  250g plain flour  1 tsp cinnamon  ½ tsp ground ginger  1 tsp baking powder  3 apples  6 tsp raspberry jam Method • Line a 22cm x 17cm ovenproof dish or a Swiss roll tin with baking paper. • Set the oven temperature…

Climate change is a challenge that all gardeners are dealing with, and the disruption in global temperatures is impacting our own vegetable plots. That’s why growers – from major food producers to allotment holders – are looking for crops that can withstand the unpredictable climate. The Heritage Seed Library, which is part of the Midlands-based charity Garden Organic, is encouraging gardeners to consider a wider choice of vegetable varieties to grow because it believes it could be the key to increasing climate and food resilience. Heritage varieties (such as those preserved by the Heritage Seed Library and offered up each winter in its yearly Seed List) provide a diverse range of heirloom vegetable plants, many of which are better suited to the UK’s warmer and wetter climate. Even better, many…

Spring bulbs are especially exciting at Christmas and bring a colourful treat to the festive proceedings. Paperwhite daffodils are the easiest and quickest to grow. Planted now, they should be in bloom for Christmas or the New Year and may even be half price in garden centres. Don’t worry if they already have curved green shoots in the pack. These will straighten once planted and will still flower. Plant in pots of compost or grow in a vase or pot of gravel. Fill the container with gravel and position bulbs on this. Add more gravel or stones to hold the bulbs in place and add water – just enough so it doesn’t touch the base of the bulb. Roots will soon grow down into the water and growth speed will…

Once we’ve had a frost and growth in the garden stalls, our minds turn to winter digging. Not all parts of the garden need to be dug every year and most garden borders need only light forking. Keep bare areas free from weeds and maybe apply some compost, and you can fork that in during spring. The areas that are usually dug annually are those where we grow vegetables. There are various reasons for this: to improve drainage and soil structure (which is important for root crops), to incorporate organic matter or lime and to expose soils (especially clay) to frost to temporarily create a fine tilth. Digging can also be used to incorporate annual weeds and old crops to boost soil fertility. And digging and forking over the soil…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week! Having celebrated autumn colour in exceptional style this year – hasn’t it been glorious? – we’re all experiencing the gradual but inevitable slide into winter. There are still some leaves left on the trees, hanging on but giving way to evergreens and conifers. At ground level, less and less is happening as herbaceous perennials die back. Shades of brown begin to take over from green and splashes of colour become a rarity. For a few plants that hail from South Africa though, this is their moment to shine. Nerines and amarines, with their almost fluorescent pink flowers, sparkle here and there in sunnier, sheltered sites and, equally brilliant, the flowers of hesperantha start their long display. You…

As work in the garden slows a little over the next few months, it gives us a chance to look after garden tools. Not all of them will be put away in storage for the next few months; we’ll still be using secateurs, spades and forks. And a little bit of care helps them last longer and remain in good condition. One thing I’m guilty of is leaving tools around the garden. I wasn’t always like this but I sometimes forget about a spade or fork after I’ve been working, especially the pitchfork by the compost bin! So, go round the garden and look for any tools you may have left outside. Keeping them dry will prevent the rot of handles and rust. Clean all digging tools and remove old…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg Over the past few years, more and more gardeners across the country have been dealing with damage from allium leaf miner, which can be devastating to onions, garlic, and leeks. To keep mine safe, I always cover allium crops with insect-proof netting through the vulnerable periods. However, this is the time of year when it’s finally safe to uncover them. If you’ve planted onion sets, garlic or have leeks standing in the ground like I do, you’ll be pleased to know you can now remove protective covers before the winter winds do it for you. Allium leaf miner has two main periods of activity, late summer through early autumn, and then again in March and April. But with that first generation of…

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 Can I use paraffin heat in a greenhouse? Bill Handley, Middlewich, Cheshire Stefan says: You’ve downsized to a smaller house and garden that came complete with a greenhouse. You’ve never had the luxury of a greenhouse before and want to make use of this one in the coming winter, but are concerned about the cost of heating it. You’ve read the capital outlay alone can make an efficient electric heating system prohibitive because of the cost of installing a safe electricity supply, which will require a buried armoured cable fitted by a qualified electrician. I agree. I’ve seen far too many…

Dahlias for my dad I always grow dahlias as they were my late dad’s favourite flowers. For 20 years he was a professional gardener and would take me to work with him. I know he is looking down on me, proud of my life-long passion for gardening. Mark Anthony Nuttall, Silsden, West Yorkshire A blaze of blueberries The autumn colour on my blueberry plants rivals that of any acer. Add to that, you have gorgeous flowers in spring, followed by tasty berries in the summer. What more could you ask of a plant? I have mine in pots so I can give them the ericaceous compost they need. Gert, Southport From table to trowel! I found some fish knives in a charity shop and thought it would be a different…