Innholdsfortegnelse for 27 January 2026 i Garden News

A rather different feature makes it into the pages of GN this week – rather than advice on what to do in the garden, starting on page 12, we tell you what NOT to do! Our list of the most common gardening mistakes could have been longer but probably covers off most of the things that people often get wrong, despite having the best of intentions! Let us know if you think of other gardening howlers that often get passed on as received wisdom but ultimately do more harm than good. But one thing that should very much be top of your list at this time of year is rose pruning. Val Bourne has some great advice (see page 18) on what you need to do for different types of…

It’s the perfect time to tackle rose pruning, but you do need to pick your day. Avoid frosty and windy weather and opt for calm, still days when you have enough time to tackle the job carefully. Arm yourself with a good pair of secateurs. You’ll also need a folding pruning saw as well, because you may have to cut thicker woody growth away at the base. It’s very warming on a winter’s day! RAMBLERS Most ramblers only flower once, very abundantly, in June. They’re a very strong, healthy group of roses so they can tolerate poorer growing conditions. The clusters of small flowers are very bee-friendly and they often produce small attractive hips in autumn. New growth is produced from the base and these new shoots should replace some…

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her dairy for the week! Much of the garden here at Glebe Cottage is looking a bit bare. Most of the fallen leaves – and of course there were more of them than ever this year – have been cleared thanks to Hannah, Ingrid and James who, in the short time they spend here, achieve so much. There are mountains of leaves that will become leaf mould by our compost heaps. Most of the gathered leaves are from the tall beeches at the foot of our shady garden and looked glorious, a shimmering golden-brown carpet – though less attractive on murky days after heavy rain! They’re gone now and their absence throws into focus the silhouettes of trees and the scattering of…

Unlike most other summer-flowering bulbs, lilies are hardy and they can be planted at any time when they’re dormant, from autumn to spring. However, spring is generally the only time they’re available. Lilies are also unusual because they don’t have a protective skin around the bulbs and they should have some healthy roots at the base, meaning that they ought to be planted as soon as possible after receipt. They’re now fully dormant, which means it’s also a good time to lift overcrowded clumps and replant them. Most lilies are easy to grow and prefer a spot in full sun but where their roots are shaded, which makes them ideal to plant through low shrubs and other herbaceous plants. Most lilies aren’t fussy about soil pH and some, such as…

Helping you get your best-ever fruit and veg When most people think of mistletoe, it’s usually as a festive decoration hanging above a doorway at Christmas or being used for a cheeky kiss on New Year’s Eve. But even if your sprigs had berries, they wouldn’t have been ready for sowing at that point. The best time to try growing this fascinating parasitic plant is between late January and March, when the berries have ripened fully and the seeds inside are ready to germinate. I’ve already had success growing mistletoe on two of my apple trees, but hawthorn, that spiky hedgerow classic, is another suitable host and one that should support the plant well. Getting started is simple enough. All you need are a few fresh berries, ideally picked straight…

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 make leaf mould? Brian Gore, Blackpool, Lancashire Stefan says: You write to say you have a builder’s bag full to the brim with this season’s autumn leaves and it’s given rise to four queries. You ask: 1. Do I regularly water the leaves to keep them moist but not wet? 2. Should I cover them with old carpet to keep heat in and too much rain out? 3. Should I turn the heap on a regular basis? 4. Or should I leave the leaves to rot down on their own without interference? I have to say that a builder’s…

Showtime! It may be cold and bright outside, but it's disco time for my plants on my kitchen windowsill. Linda, Southport Defiant pansies My beautiful pansies, which I planted in this urn on Christmas Eve, were still standing after some snow. They look picturesque in front of the blue spruce tree on these magnificent Surrey Hills, echoing the colour of the pyracantha berries. The dried ‘Karl Foerster’ grass continues to create winter interest in my garden. Bertha Dove, Surrey Early stars These ‘Snow Fox’ snowdrops are always the first to come up in my garden. They showed buds in early December and opened up when we had a burst of sunshine before Christmas. Ali Acred, by email Keith keeps watch! I would like to say that Keith the cat likes…

Crocosmia ‘Fountain’ Floriferous, with multiple stems of soft orange, yellow-flushed blooms with ember-red throat markings from July, above fans of sword-like foliage. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun or light shade. Avoid droughted soil. H: 60cm, S: 30cm. Price: £7.90/5 corms. From: farmergracy.co.uk Gladioli ‘Lizzy’ (Glamini series) Compact with large flowers, this is ideal for the front of a sunny border or pots to display soft rosy-pink blooms from July onwards. Any moist, well-drained soil in sun. H: 50cm, S: 15cm. Price: from £3.05/5 bulbs From: dejager.co.uk Dahlia ‘Fire an d Ice Lemon’ A chic take on the popular ‘Fire and Ice’, with a lime-green tone instead of scarlet. Lovely in the middle or back of a cottage garden and makes a distinctive cut flower. Any moist, well-drained soil in…

It’s a well-known gardening challenge. Clay soils, or heavy soils with a serious sticky element, are difficult to work. They tend to retain too much moisture in winter and not enough in summer and many, many plants just can’t cope. A particular problem for evergreens is wind rock. Your evergreen shrub is planted – recently, last summer or the previous year – and then comes the gale. The wind rocks your shrub back and forth, opening up a space, which fills with water, preventing roots taking hold. It may be wise to put up a screen promptly after planting. Otherwise, it’s mainly a matter of which evergreens have roots that will grow out into clay soil, and which will not. These are 10 shrubs that can cope, and that will…

A fresh take for a new year Iona Chisholm A developing family garden and allotment in Staffordshire, with year-round interest. I always aspire for a better gardening year than the year before. So this year, I’m looking at things from a different angle. I’m beginning a weekly gardening podcast for Lichfield Radio called Sowing and Growing. My favourite things about this will be the guests and the Community Compost Heap, all about acts of gardening kindness. I’ve already heard of a local allotment holder who regularly helps out older occupants with heavier tasks. Please get in touch if you have any gardening stories to share! I’ve been sitting in the arbour, listening to the dawn chorus while watching the garden get light. To see the garden in different ways, I…

Follow Naomi's progress as she gets to grips with her tiny uyrban garden on heavy Bristol Clay We all have go-to plants. The ones that we think of first when creating a garden or expanding a scheme, when a known performance or a particular appealing quality is required. The nature of these stalwarts depends very much on personal taste and gardening history, but for me, among narcissus ‘Jetfire’, Geranium phaeum, fruit trees and roses, I tend to plant Cornus alba. Historically, cornus has worked well for me. It doesn’t argue too much and while it can be a bit sprawling on damp ground, it more than makes up for this with brilliant winter stems. So, one of the first plants that I put in when I arrived was Cornus alba…

Oranges and satsumas from the greenhouse make delicious marmalade. Seville oranges are available in the shops, but homegrown citrus is just as good. Harvesting fruit encourages plants to produce flowers. I’m feeding and starting to water plants in pots as they’ve been kept relatively dry since autumn. Enjoy this marmalade on buttered toast, or as a filling for cakes. Ingredients Makes around 2.5-3.5kg 900g Seville oranges or other citrus  1 lemon  2.25L water  1.8kg granulated sugar, warmed  100g flaked almonds (optional)  2 tbsp rum, brandy or whisky (optional) You will also need: Square of muslin or clean fabric  8 sterilised, warm jars Method • Place a saucer in the freezer. • Cut fruit in half and squeeze out the juice. • Place juice and water in a preserving pan. • Gather the pips into the muslin square. •…