Cotswolds Country Gardener August 2022

Cotswolds Issue No 188 AUGUST 2022 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

A handful of summer!

Why cherries should be grown in every garden PLUS:

Summer vegetable growing problems Thefts from gardens Preserving and storing summer fruit

Inspired Living

High summer NGS gardens Correcting garden mistakes Gardening and depression

Gardening news and events from across the Cotswolds

M40

AT THE GARDEN LOVERS GARDEN CENTRE

A traditional garden centre that focusses on providing quality plants, garden products & giftware

On A423 Southam Road, Nr. Farnborough, Banbury OX17 1EL. Tel: 01295 690479 OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK - Tues-Sat: 9am - 5.30pm Sun: 10.30am - 4.30pm ALSO OPEN BANK HOLIDAY MONDAYS

www.farnboroughgardencentre.co.uk

LEAMINGTON SPA A425 STRATFORD UPON AVON

DAVENTRY

SOUTHAM A423

A422 BANBURY M40 J11

A361

Farnborough Garden Centre B4100 M40

CHIPPING NORTON

BICESTER

ROSS GARDEN STORE Looking for a different shopping experience?

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Bursting with 100’s of seasonal plants all housed undercover, and with a shop full of unusual gifts you won’t see on the high street, this is a must see destination.

The main shop is found within an historical “Brunel” designed “Engine Shed” building-formerly of the Great Western Railway, and houses a wonderful café serving homemade cakes, light lunches and their signature “cheese scones”.

Great customer service, coupled with knowledgeable staff always willing to help.

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The Engine Shed, Station Approach, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7BW

01989 568999

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Gardeners cuttings

in the Cotswolds POP-UP AUGUST OPENINGS FOR THE NGS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE Two beautiful and important gardens in Gloucestershire, EAST COURT and CALMSDEN MANOR, are holding pop-up openings in August for the National Garden Scheme, raising much needed funds for nursing and caring charities.

Pop-up openings, which are not in the NGS Handbook or the county booklets, have become very popular in the past couple of years and are an exciting addition to the annual lists of gardens that open for the NGS. EAST COURT, at East End Road, Charlton Kings, East Court Cheltenham GL53 8QN, was Gloucestershire NGS’s largest admission ticket contributor last year, but this year a pop-up opening on Sunday 28th and Bank Holiday Monday 29th August has been decided upon, from 10am until 6pm both days.

It’s a garden on two levels: the upper garden around the 1806 house (which is not open) is traditionally styled with formal beds and lawns and three majestic purple beech trees that are around 200 years old. The lower garden which covers 2.5 acres, in complete contrast has

The Maize Maze will be growing tall for you to navigate through, solving the puzzle in the heart of the Cotswolds and capturing a selfie (or two!) along the way.

You can watch as busy pollinators get to work, hopping from one flower to the next. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about their importance in our ecosystem.

After enjoying the golden blooms and exploring the scenic landscape, head through the farm gates to meet the Farm Park’s biggest rare breeds, including the giant Suffolk Punch Horse and magnificent Albion Cattle.

If you’re looking for a countryside getaway, there are still limited spaces available over at Cotswold Farm Park Holidays. They have a variety of accommodation to suit families of all sizes, from Lodges, Safari Tents and Pods to Premium Pitches.

Entry to the Sunflower Festival is included in Farm Park entry and Sunflower Festival only tickets are also available.

Cotswold Farm Park Limited, Guiting Power, Cheltenham GL54 5FL www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk

Escape to the Enchanted Garden trail

During August there’s the chance to escape to Painswick Rococo Garden and the Enchanted Garden trail - a world of dancing fairies, fiery dragons and mischievous woodland boggarts.

You can explore the twist and turns of the Garden, discovering charming follies, enchanting woodlands and a puzzling maze – be on the lookout as the Enchanted Garden friends, beautifully sculptured in willow, could be hiding anywhere.

Families can also enjoy the rustic woodland play area and delicious refreshments in the café. Dogs on short leads are very welcome.

The trail is open now and runs until Sunday 4th September.

Painswick Rococo Garden Gloucester Rd, Painswick, Stroud GL6 6TH

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

winding brick paths leading through swathes of herbaceous plantings towered by arching datisca, miscanthus and paulownia.

Along a high south facing wall there is experimental planting of less hardy plants, spiced up with a scattering of exotic annuals; there’s also a new pond which has attracted a wide range of aquatic wildlife. Admission is £7, children free, with home-made teas available. It’s mostly Calmsden Manor accessible to wheelchairs, but visitors can ask for help where it’s needed.

CALMSDEN MANOR at Calmsden, Cirencester GL7 5ET, with herbaceous borders originally designed by top garden designer Mary Keen, opens for the NGS on Bank Holiday Monday 29th August from 2pm until 6pm. Last year the garden was the biggest revenue earner for Gloucestershire NGS, proving a favourite with visitors who will be pleased to see its pop-up opening this August.

There’s a walled garden for fruit, vegetables and cut flowers, a small arboretum and a wild grass and flower meadow. Admission is £5, children free, the garden is accessible for wheelchair users and cream teas will be available, with plants also for sale. Pre-booking on the NGS website is available but not essential, and visitors can just turn up and pay at the gate.

Find more gardens opening for charity in our main feature on page 28.

Sunflower festival delights at Cotswold Farm Park

Visitors can become countryside explorers at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park Sunflower Festival which is now open and runs through to Thursday, 1st September.

The farm’s floral display returns in style providing the perfect backdrop for those essential family photographs.

For the first time ever there will also be a chance to pick your own wildflowers, before using them to create colourful arrangements for your vases at home.

CUTTINGS

Malvern Autumn Show welcomes back the giant vegetables

Malvern Autumn Show, the three day event which runs over the weekend of 23rd, 24th and 25th September, is an annual celebration of autumn. However, its place in the diary has become linked with the popular CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship which attracts entries from all over the UK for those with a passion for growing huge varieties of fruit and vegetables.

Tickets are now on sale for the event held at the Three Counties Showground, which will include gardening grow your own delights, with celebrity speakers and gardening gurus, unique retail experiences and regional food and drink.

To book tickets visit www.malvernautumn.co.uk

THE PASSION FOR DRYSTONE WALLING GROWS If you were to take a guess which countryside skill has become hugely popular over the past couple of years, would you put dry stone walling at the top of any list? To cater for the passion many have for this skill, a series of two day dry stone walling courses will run at Notgrove in the heart of the Cotswolds which is aimed at beginners to learn the art of building and repairing dry stone walls. The course is run by expert and Dry Stone Walling Association qualified instructor Richard Gray. There are also dates in, September, October and November.

The next courses are 30th and 31st July and then 13th and 14th August.

More details at www.notgroveholidays.com

THE WINNERS OF THE RECENT BACKDOORSHOES COMPETITION IN COUNTRY GARDENER WERE: V Houston; Jill Payne, Halse; Karen Usher, Taunton; A. Hepburn, Stratford on Avon; Annie Smith, Exeter; Glynis Firman,Ringmer; C. Reece, Bitterne; Elisabeth Lee, Honiton; Jose Osborne, Ston Easton; Jane Manley, Keynsham; Mrs S. Jones, Bristol; N.W Stokes, Huntley; Paul Sands, Emsworth; V Rogers, Studley; Mrs S Harwood, Southampton; Richard D’Arcy, Wincanton; Julie Elkin, Barnstaple; Sarah Byrne, Bransmore; Sarah Frost, Glastonbury; M Duckworth, Chelscomber www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Country Gardener

CUTTINGS

WALLED GARDEN FETE ONE OF COTSWOLDS FINEST

Compton Abdale Fete is a traditional village fete held in a beautiful walled garden in a tucked-away village which takes place on Saturday 30th July. It is rated as one of the most popular fetes in the Cotswolds. The stalls include local produce, books, toys, white elephant and tombola. Refreshments are available including teas, homemade cakes, ice cream, barbecue and Pimms tent accompanied by the Gloucester Excelsior Band.

Gardening club events and meetings in the Cotswolds July

Admission is £2.50 for adults. Children and parking free. Dog show £2.

19TH

Lower Farm, Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire, GL54 4DR

Plant based food fair to highlight different cultures

BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN HOSTS POLLINATOR FESTIVAL The Bee and Pollination Festival returns this year to Bristol Botanic gardens on the earlier weekend of the August bank holiday from Saturday 27th, August at 10 am to Sunday, 28th August at 5pm.

It’s great place to learn about the vital role pollinators play in our lives, see demonstrations, exhibits, and talks, buy honey and see the botanic garden in all its September finery. Entry is £11.

University of Bristol Botanic Garden,The Holmes, Stoke Park Road, Stoke Bishop, Bristol, BS9 1JG

A plant-based street food fair is being held on Friday, 29th and Saturday 30th July as part of Oxford Botanic Garden’s 400th anniversary celebrations. The Plant-based Street Food Fair is an inclusive community event, focusing on cuisines and cultures from around the world.

Visitors will have the opportunity to discover a diverse range of delicious plant-based food, and will learn how different cultures utilise different plants, while enjoying demonstrations, talks, music, and dance workshops delivered by the community groups themselves.

Whether you’re interested in global cuisine, cooking, plants, or just a fun day out with the family, the Plant-based Street Food Fair will be bursting with treats for food lovers.

A new survey part of which was carried out in the Cotswolds has found that two thirds of gardeners do not have a compost heap. The findings come as the RHS embarks on its Planet Friendly Gardening campaign calling on the UK’s 30 million gardeners to compost to help the transition to going peat free. The survey found that although gardeners aged over 55 composted more than any other age group, younger gardeners in the 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 age group were more willing to give composting a go if they had no bin already. A third of those who do not currently compost said subsidised or free compost bins from local authorities would get them composting.

Whether it is to cut a sloping meadow, a small space around trees, or to create a winding pathway through grassland, scything is a perfect way to enjoy nature without the noise of a mower; just the sound of birds and the swish of your blade.

Scything is also a gentle, low-impact exercise.

A course on Saturday 6th August from 10am to 4.30pm and which costs £70 which runs at Harcourt Arboretum, owned and run by the University of Oxford will include: setting up an Austrian scythe; movement and technique; mowing practice; sharpening in the field; maintenance and a demonstration on peening the blade. Course leader Nicole Clough encourages attendees to purchase their scythe prior to, and for use on, the course and can provide advice on what to buy or she can provide a scythe kit for hire at an additional cost.

Harcourt Arboretum ,Oxford Lodge, Peacock Gate OX44 9PX

August 11TH Alderton Gardening Club ‘GROWING FRUIT IN SMALL GARDENS - REG MOULE www.aldertonvillage.co.uk/alderton-gardening-club Cheltenham Horticultural Society ‘TALES FROM THE POTTING SHED’ KATHERINE KEAR Details on 01242 691135

13TH Bishampton and District Gardening Club SUMMER FLOWER AND PRODUCE SHOW Details on 01386 462436 Churchdown Horticultural Society 70TH ANNUAL SHOW email: churchdown.secretary@gmail.com

15TH Abbeydale Garden Club MINI SHOW Details on 01452 540790

16TH Lawn Gardening Club GARDEN PARTY Details on 01793 523099

Two thirds of gardeners still not composting

HARCOURT ARBORETUM HOSTS SCYTHING COURSE

Lawn Gardening Club ‘NO PLOT, NO PROBLEM, FRUIT AND VEG IN CONTAINERS’ - PHILIP AUBURY Details on 01793 523099

The animals go in two by two at Sudeley castle and gardens An ark full of camels, crocodiles and elephants are waiting at at Sudeley Castle & Gardens to spread the message of wildlife CoExistence.

The Sudeley Sculpture Safari, open until the end of October is a celebration of all creatures and spreads a universal message of conservation and peaceful coexistence with nature. Visitors can expect to encounter 30 sculptures, spanning ten iconic species of the animal kingdom, spread out throughout the grounds.

The Sculpture Safari is the latest chapter in a CoExistence campaign that began during lockdown 2021 when 30 elephant sculptures migrated across the castle grounds. This year, ten returning elephants will be joined by a variety of other species, all made from natural materials such as pampas grass, bark and flowers by All for Love London, an internationally known florist.

18TH Newent Gardening ‘ALLOTTED TIME - ALLOTMENT GARDENS’ - DAVID CRAMP Details on 01531 820761

21ST Cheltenham Horticultural Society SUMMER SHOW Details on 01242 691135

September 1ST Churchdown Horticultural Society ‘NEW PLANTS FROM OLD - PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF DIVIDING AND POTTING ON’ email: churchdown.secretary@gmail.com

4TH Moors Meadow Garden CONCERT AND TEAS IN AID OF ST MICHAEL’S HOSPICE Details on 01886 510318

‘Time Off’ set to return If your gardening club or association is back in full swing after the restrictions of the past couple of years be sure to let Country Gardener know.

Send your club meetings and details to timeoff@countrygardner.co.uk

Look out for the September issue of Country Gardener on Friday, 26th August www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Sweet cherry

delights

SWEET CHERRIES (PRUNUS AVIUM) It wasn’t so long ago growing cherries was not rewarding but new varieties from Canada and Europe has brought sweet cherry trees that crop heavily in a wider range of conditions It remains a mystery why more of us don’t grow cherries.

Whether for the deliciously sweet taste picked straight from the tree, or the rich indulgent flavour of cherry pie, cherries are forever associated with the height of summer.

There is also an excellent reason to make the effort to grow them, as cherries are often hard to find in the shops and expensive to buy.

Cherries can be divided into two main types: • Eating cherries (sweet) • Cooking cherries (acid) Traditional cultivars of acid cherry trees were generally smaller, more self-fertile, and more hardy than sweet cherry trees, although modern cultivars of sweet cherry trees have addressed this.

Sweeter types (sometimes referred to as ‘mazzard cherries’) tend to be larger trees and may need a pollinator – although there are many exceptions.

Advances in cultivation have helped create varieties which offer more choice to the gardener – i.e. dwarf sweet cherry trees that are self-pollinating. White fleshed cherry varieties are often particularly sweet.

The sweet cherries are the delicious ones that can be eaten freshly picked which crop in early summer.

They need light and warmth in order to crop well so traditional cherry growing in Britain used to be concentrated in the country’s hotspots such as the south and west of England. These heritage varieties were tall and lanky and harvesting proved uneconomic so many traditional cherry orchards and their varieties disappeared decades ago.

However recent breeding in Canada and Eastern Europe has produced sweet cherry varieties that crop heavily in a wider range of conditions. These varieties are grafted on to dwarf rootstocks so commercial cherry crops can now be grown in polytunnels, where yields are guaranteed. Being undercover deters bird damage, because a cherry crop is irresistible, so you must always net a crop or the blackbirds and thrushes will eat every one.

These modern dwarf varieties are small enough to be grown in fruit cages and some are even suitable for large containers. A polytunnel, should you have one, is ideal too because it creates extra warmth.

ACID CHERRIES (PRUNUS CERASUS) These were a staple of the old walled garden, because they tolerated shade so the north-facing walls of many a kitchen garden supported fan-trained, acid or Morello cherries. They are self-fertile, so will set a crop

WHEN TO PLANT Cherry trees can be bought as bare root or containerised trees. Containerised trees can be planted at any time, with plenty of well-rotted manure or compost, but must be watered regularly during warm weather until their roots are established.

Bare root trees can be planted between November and early spring.

Varieties to choose from: ‘Sunburst’ (1975) A Canadian variety, with almost black fruit in lateJuly. Grown for its exceptional flavour.

‘Lapins’ AGM This, red-fruited, mild-flavoured cherry does very well in British gardens throughout the country. Named after its raiser.

‘Kordia’ AGM Bred in the Czech Republic, this dark almost-black cherry, with exceptionally large fruits, will need another cherry variety in order to set fruit because it’s selfsterile. It’s the best new cherry to emerge in recent years.

on their own by late summer. The fruit, which has a distinctive flavour, is either bottled, jammed or used in pies. It tends to be smaller. Morello cherries (like most sour cherries) contain melatonin, a natural antioxidant substance which helps to regulate sleeping and wakefulness.

Acid cherry varieties: ‘Morello’ (pre 1629) AGM The traditional sour cherry, now grafted on to modern root stocks. The cherries have dark-red flesh and small stones. Very hardy and productive.

‘Nabella’ AGM This late, acid cherry bears clusters of bright-red glossy fruits that ripen late. It’s German-bred, naturally more compact and crops more heavily.

HOW TO PLANT Plant bare root trees between late autumn to early spring, when the ground is not frozen. Plant containerised trees at any time, digging a hole twice the size of the rootball and working some well-rotted manure or garden compost to the hole. Water well.

Young free-standing trees will need staking for the first few years.

HOW TO PRUNE CHERRY TREES All cherries (and all other stone fruits such as peach, plum and apricot) need to be pruned when in leaf, because the flow of sap seals the wounds as they are cut. This will help prevent diseases such as Silver leaf (Chondrostereum purpureum) from infesting the tree because in summer there are fewer fungal spores. The main symptom of silver leaf is silvery foliage, caused by a toxin produced by the fungus that’s carried upwards by the sap stream.

Morello trees fruit on the previous season’s growth so when pruning take out some older wood and leave newer wood, so there’s a balance of both.

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THE GREAT APPEAL OF CHERRY BLOSSOM One of the benefits of growing cherries is of course cherry blossom which is such a welcome addition to the spring garden. Blossom can vary from a sprinkling of delicate, single flowers on bare branches to clusters of full-skirted frilly flowers that almost weigh down the branches.

Prunus ‘Kursar’ One of the finest cherry trees for early colour is the awardwinning Prunus ‘Kursar’, a Japanese cherry that flowers in March or April producing rounded clusters of bright-pink flowers on bare branches. However the pink buds, which hang down in clusters, are often highly prominent in January and February.

Prunus serrula The Tibetan Cherry produces simple white flowers in April or May on airy branches. But in winter it’s the shiny, mahogany bark that catches the eye.

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MY TOP gardening mistakes Former Yorkshire head gardener Joe Ellis now busy in retirement in his Somerset garden shares his top garden mistakes which you can quite easily eliminate

quickly and you’ll get those tell-tale yellow-brown patches. Set the blades on their highest setting so you don’t scalp the grass.

Don’t lower them too much over the coming weeks as It is easy to kill houseplants with kindness cutting at a higher height allows daisies and other lawn plants to flower and DON’T PLANT TOO DEEPLY help pollinators, and the grass is also more likely to stay This is one of the frequent mistakes made by beginner lush and green. gardeners and a reason why some plants don’t survive.

DON’T KILL HOUSEPLANTS WITH KINDNESS

Don’t sow too many seeds at once

SOWING TOO MANY SEEDS Growing from seed must be the easiest way to grow lots of things in the garden. If you get a thousand seeds in a packet its very tempting at the start of a season to envisage thousands of plants later in the summer all growing away beautifully.

What you don’t think about is the implications of all those seeds in terms of time, patience, compost between the seeds and the result. One of the most common mistakes is sowing too many seeds so thickly and seeing so many of them wasted. The key is to sow little and often.

DON’T WASTE TIME WITH BAD WEEDING Don’t use a hoe to chop the top off a weed. Many weeds such as dandelions and thistles have a strong root structure under the soil. You must dig as much of the root up as you can.

CUTTING THE GRASS TOO SHORT It might be tempting to lower your lawn mower blades and cut your lawn short so you don’t have to worry about cutting it again any time soon. However, this is particularly bad during a dry spell as it will lose its moisture more

Most house plants are killed by kindness. Too much generosity with water is the number one killer. You should never let your plants sit in water continually. A great technique is to put about an inch of water in your sink or bath, and then sit your plants in it. After an hour, once they have absorbed what they want you take them out and put them back. Too many people fuss too much with houseplants. They are generally great survivors.

THE WRONG TREE IN THE WRONG PLACE Too often I see these monster trees that have just taken over people’s front gardens. Conifers, oaks and Norway maples invade windows and door spaces, blocking all the light to the front of the house.

There are several smaller, more modest trees that look stunning and won’t dominate the space. Pencil cherries, sometimes called flagpole cherries because of their unusual slim build, are gorgeous and covered with stunning pink flowers. Weeping pear and weeping cherry are another two beautiful options. And don’t forget the striking Japanese maples.

Any of these options will bring tons of character without needing tons of space.

START EARLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SLUGS Many people don’t start dealing with slugs until it is too late. Whether you are using copper tape, grit, eggshells, beer traps, or whatever – start in early spring as the sun warms up. Otherwise they will breed and breed, and you will just be holding back the tide. Make sure their numbers don’t get so great in the first place and you will have a much easier summer.

DON’T OVERFEED PLANTS There’s a common belief that we must keep fertilising and feeding plants throughout the summer to get better, bigger plants. It is a myth. Like overwatering, too much plant food can have the opposite effect to the one you’re looking for.

Feed soil life instead with a mulch of compost on top of the soil and leave it undisturbed, is my advice.

Don’t cut the grass too close 8

This way plant food is then available through biological interactions, such as the work of naturally-occurring mycorrhizal fungi. By overfeeding, however, you can do more harm than good by creating an imbalance in growth and encourage more leaf, less fruit and more aphids.

Country Gardener

When setting the plant make sure it is at the same level as it was in the pot.

This means above ground level if you plan to mulch (and you should as mulch helps preserve moisture and keep down weeds). Pay special attention to trees: The root flare, where the base widens slightly, should be above ground - a tree should not look like a telephone pole coming out of the ground. Typically, larger seeds prefer deeper depths of planting and smaller seeds closer to the top, but this is not always true. Don’t make the mistake that all seeds get planted at the same depth.

DON’T IGNORE A PLANT LABEL OR GUESSTIMATE OF THE SIZE OF A PLANT It may sound a little obvious but always read the plant label before planting. Planting a plant or tree too close to your house, or garden shed could prove very costly once it’s no longer a sapling in a small container.

WATERING AT THE WRONG TIME Many people water at the wrong time of the day. If you water in the heat of the day you will do two things: you’ll lose a lot of the moisture through evaporation, and the water droplets on foliage can act as magnifying glasses for the sun, scorching the leaves. Instead, water your plants either first thing in the morning or last thing at night to retain the moisture and protect the delicate leaves. Pots and baskets need daily watering in sunny weather.

DON’T GROW VEGETABLES YOUR FAMILY DOESN’T EAT I know quite a few gardeners and my brother is one of them who grow things in the veggie patch they want to grow because they are exotic and fun to grow, but why grow them if your family is not interested in eating them?

I know it’s temping to want to try everything out there, but practically speaking, it’s best to plant what you know your family enjoys.

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Country Gardener

CRIME

in our gardens Levels of theft in our gardens is set to reach a peak this year both with tools and equipment being taken from sheds - plus the more subtle crime of plant theft

There is a lot of crime going on in our gardens. In fact, it is set to reach record levels this year.

There are the more obvious thefts as robbers seek out more easily accessible gear such as garden furniture, mowers, garden tools and bikes.

Then there is the increase in plant theft – either the taking of plants, shrubs and trees in containers or the subtle taking of seeds, cuttings to propagate from public and private gardens without the knowledge or approval of the owner. It is becoming known as ‘green collar crime’.

Officially the RHS says: “Yes, taking cuttings from plants without asking is theft and we’ve had reports of this activity increasing dramatically over the past couple of years. It is a crime no matter what people might say about it.”

There were 595,000 thefts from gardens last year – up 23 per cent according to analysis of Office for National Statistics.

Insurance expert Casey Kennett says garden owners are not doing enough to deter thefts.

“There is almost a feeling that no-one would dare come into a garden and take things. But thieves are very determined and watchful so can be aware of when people are away or when a garden is left unguarded.”

or setting in concrete, it makes it almost impossible for thieves to take them away.

Covers for furniture also act as a deterrent (especially if they are anchored to the ground) and protects furniture, so can be useful.

One of the biggest deterrents for thieves is motion sensitive security lights; they draw attention to your home and put thieves off from targeting it. Making it ‘noisy’ to enter your garden can also discourage would-be thieves, so putting gravel down can help. Having high fences, walls and hedges to make entering your garden more difficult is also a good idea.

Lock up and put things away If you are out all day in the garden it is tempting to leave tools, furniture, bikes and other valuables out, either for use again the next day, or while you pop out for more supplies.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? Cuttings can be taken very discreetly and be hardly noticed

Don’t make it obvious when you go away If you are away, try and get someone to pop over every now and again to water your plants, put your rubbish out on the right day – perhaps even mow your lawn – so it will look like you are still around. Maybe see if someone will park their car on your drive at night too. Think about putting lights on a timer!

Leave a fingerprint It is a good idea to mark all your valuables – not only does it make them identifiable which can help with the recovery if they are stolen, but if you make it clear to thieves that your items are marked, they are less appealing and potentially less valuable, so not worth taking.

Some insurance companies offer home insurance customers who buy a policy a free fingerprint forensic property marking kit.

Ideally all valuable items would be put away to prevent theft, but sometimes this is simply not practical, so for bigger items which cannot easily be stored, think about anchoring them to the ground.

Garden furniture thefts account for most garden thefts so prevent it by using wall or floor anchors.

It is also a good idea to secure things like water features, bird tables, and valuable plants, hanging brackets and potted trees and shrubs. By anchoring them with wires,

An unlocked shed is an open invitation for thieves

But leaving them out makes them prime targets for thieves, so it is important that you put these items away when you are not around and at night and that you lock any sheds, garages and gates. It is a sad fact that thieves use tools they find in gardens to break into houses, so don’t make it easy for them.

TAKING PLANT CUTTINGS FROM GARDENS REALLY IS THEFT Let’s set the scene. You’re in a garden - maybe a friend’s, or perhaps a public park or National Trust place. You spot a plant you’ve been lusting over for years - a particular aeonium, say. What would it matter if you pinched out a cutting, took it home and nurtured it to create a new plant?

The original plant would quickly regrow, you’d have a new www.countrygardener.co.uk

plant for free and no one would be any the wiser.

But wait - that’s still wrong, isn’t it? You haven’t asked permission from the garden owner, the plant material belongs to them, and if every visitor follows your lead, there won’t be much to look at by the end of the season.

Wholesale theft of plants, shrubs and trees by digging them out of the ground or removing pots is completely wrong, but what about carefully removing a nigella seedhead full of ripe seeds, or snipping off a stem of fuchsia? Does it matter more in a friend’s garden than a public park?

Perhaps the correct approach should be “Always ask first, but never hesitate to ask”.

Fellow gardeners know how tempting it can be to take a cutting from something you fancy when you’re out and about. The plant you are lusting over may be unique or perhaps you recognise that it’s strong and hardy–the perfect specimen. So, if you find the perfect plant, what do you do? If the owner of the home is not there, is it okay to take a cutting without asking permission or is it wrong in every way?

Sue Murley from Tavistock remembers a nun in her garden club always sneaking a few cuttings: “On one of our gardening trips she had a plastic bag in her pocket and when something took her fancy, she would slip a piece into it. When we questioned her about it, she said they were ‘gifts from God’. A lovely lady who gave us a lot of knowledge and laughs.”

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COUNTRY GARDENER READERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES ON TAKING PLANT CUTTINGS FROM OTHER GARDENS A year or so I knocked on a door of a house I knew and was met by the disabled owner sitting in a chair. I asked if I could take a cutting from a Weigela ‘Florida Variegata’ that I saw flowering in her garden. She was chuffed. She did not know the name of her plant so I told her and we discussed it. Her garden was a treasure trove of old shrubs and perennials and she told me to help myself to anything, cutting wise.

I returned that same day with a box of chocolates.

I have had plants taken from my front wall or cuttings taken from them. I caught a couple pulling bits from osteospermum out there and I confronted them and got quite aggressive. “We’ll pay,” they screeched. “£20 please,” I said, and they paid up. They learned a lesson or two. I think, but not sure, that takings cuttings without permission would be classed as theft.

If we see something we like in somebody’s garden then we knock on the door and ask. We have never been turned down in over 30 years and most people appear flattered that we noticed things. We always carry plastic bags.

Yes, it’s stealing. However, I have found that most people are happy to give you a cutting if you ask. That way, they can choose where to take the cutting. I’ve only been rejected twice. Once at an RHS garden and the second timewas outside our public library.”

Forty years ago, Percy Thrower used to open his garden for charity and welcome people to visit. My late mother used to go along as she was a real fan of his. I admit she was a fond of taking pieces from his plants to propagate her own- she even boasted of it. Then Percy announced he was not doing it any more because of people taking cuttings. Lots of people were apparently doing it, plants were mutilated so he knew what they had been up to. Then plants weren’t so much for sale then at Open Gardens. I’ve always felt like I have been keeping a secret about my mother’s gardening activities.

At Dixter House I asked a lady gardener if I could take some Dierama seedling growing in a pathway. She thought about and said ‘Ok’, and got them out for me.

I had an embarrassing experience at RHS Wisley. We were there for a day out and had lunch before on the way. After lunch I felt a bit queasy to say the least. I felt sick. I was looking closely at an interesting seedhead and started to move to take a part of it. Suddenly a voice boomed from behind me: ‘Leave that plant alone’. I turned round …….and threw up on his shoes!

RHS advisor Kevin Blythe gives his definite view about plant theft • The flower patch at the library near me is maintained by volunteers from the local gardening club.

They turned me down in a routine sort of way when I asked for a cutting. They get a lot of requests but she did remember to add “Thank you for asking first.” Under no circumstances take a cutting that would damage a plant’s health or appearance.

• If the plant is in a private garden and you are a visitor of any sort you must ask permission. I’ve never had anyone refuse my request for a cutting; on the contrary, several times when it’s a neglectedlooking plant, I’ve had the owner tell me I could have the whole thing if I take it out of the pot.

• If the plant is in a public area, like a traffic roundabout, public landscaping (ornamental planters in parking areas, hedges, etc.), a cutting is okay if you can do it without causing a hazard and it doesn’t harm the plant.

• If the plant is associated with a home or business that appears to be empty and uncared for, and the plant is obviously not doing well, a cutting is okay.

• Off limits: plants in RHS gardens, botanical gardens, public parks, private gardens, NGS gardens open.

• When in doubt about whether it’s okay to take a cutting, don’t. There are lots of plants and lots of chances for cuttings.

• As you receive, so shall you give. Be generous with other people when it comes to cuttings.

‘PLANT THEFT MADE ME STOP OPENING MY GARDEN’

Caroline Morris used to open her Cotswolds garden for the NGS open gardens scheme – two or three times a year. She gave up on it three years ago because a whole range of her plants were being mutilated by visitors taking cuttings or even whole plants.

‘The first time we noticed something it was quite shocking. It had been a busy day and more than 50 people came to the garden. That evening I noticed a gap where a new dogwood ‘ Midwinter Fire’ had started to be established. Somehow, someone had just dug it up and taken it away!

“It was the start of us noticing plants were being damaged. I am sure it was only a small minority of visitors to the garden but they were very persistent. I started posting ‘watchers’ in the garden because it was clear visitors were taking plants from my garden without asking. I was very, very annoyed. It is stealing wherever you do it. Would I have agreed if they had asked? I don’t know. It would depend on the plant I suppose but no-one ever asked me. I became quite dispirited about it and stopped opening the garden”.

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GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

August and high summer days out We all know how much gardens change in August and take on that high summer look and feel. It’s a long way away from the burst of colour and early season spring delights.

Yet August gardens still have so much to offer with brighter and often wilder feels to them.

August this year is also a great month for shows big and small to attract garden lovers and we highlight some great events to visit.

We have again rounded up some idea of places to visit, things to do, events to take part in so you can make the most of what promises to be a sensational August.

Rosemoor summer flower festival is a standout event RHS Garden Rosemoor has won itself a great reputation for the range and variety of events it stages throughout the year but the three-day flower show held on Friday 19th August, Saturday, 20th August and Sunday, 21st August stands out.

It is a summer delight with specialist growers and dazzling floral displays in the spectacular north Devon gardens.

There will be the chance to browse and buy high quality plants from 17 specialist nurseries offering choices of flowers, grasses, houseplants alpines and more. It comes with the opportunity to talk to the growers and hear how they can advise you on what plants will work in your garden Floral arranging personality Jonathan Mosely will bring his expertise to the event with twice daily flower arranging demonstrations. He is backed up by specialist nursery owners sharing their knowledge with a series of talks over the three days. New for this year will be floral displays created by Devon flower clubs and inspired by the theme ‘The Great Garden Adventure’. New also for this year, the flower clubs will be decorating willow structures. Six areas throughout the garden will be offering festival food and live eusic will be played by the lake each day. The show runs from 10am to 5pm with the gardens open until 6pm. Normal garden admission prices apply. Free to RHS members. Booking is not required.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington EX38 8PH www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/RHS-Garden-Rosemoor-Flower-Show

National giant vegetable event the highlight for Malvern Autumn Show The Three Counties’ annual celebration of autumn is back with a three-day event running across a long weekend of September 23rd, 24th and 25th.

Tickets are now on sale for the Malvern Autumn Show held at the Three Counties Showground,which will include gardening grow your own delights, with celebrity speakers and gardening gurus, unique retail experiences and a selection of quality regional food and drink.

For the green fingered, there is the RHS Flower Show, where you can leisurely wander through impressive displays and soak up all the gardening inspiration, hints, and tips.

No visit to the Malvern Autumn Show would be complete without experiencing the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship!

At the heart of the show is the Autumn Potager Theatre which will feature an impressive line-up of guests and celebrities, sharing seasonal gardening tips and trends for 2023.

To book tickets visit www.malvernautumn.co.uk

Discover the Alpine Garden Society garden at Pershore, for free

There’s a wonderful opportunity to visit the Alpine Garden Society garden in Pershore, Worcestershire to discover a world of alpine plants. This quarter-acre garden is filled with alpines, hardy plants and bulbs, grouped in different areas that reflect the conditions in which they thrive. There are trough gardens, a crevice garden and Alpine House, plus a new Mediterranean bed that displays droughttolerant plants.

The Alpine Garden Society is more than 90 years old. It welcomes new members to celebrate alpine plants, and benefit from a quarterly journal, Zoom talks and plant shows.

The AGS Garden, Avon Bank, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3JP is open daily and admission is free www.alpinegardensociety.net

BOSGREGE – A REAL TASTE OF CORNWALL Boscrege Caravan and Touring Park in Cornwall is a peaceful and picturesque park, set at the foot of Tregonning Hill, Godolphin National Trust and amongst a myriad of Cornish lanes in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The park, open all year through, is situated close to the wonderful Cornwall coast and only a few minutes’ drive to Praa Sands, one of Britain’s best beaches. St Ives, Penzance, Hayle, Lands’ End, The Lizard Peninsular, Helston and Falmouth and many other Cornwall attractions and beaches are very easily visited from the central location in West Cornwall. And new this year, an exciting development of single/twin lodges available to buy with a 20-year site licence and two years free site fees. You can stay for two nights free, available for genuine buyers.

Boscrege Caravan Park, Boscrege, Ashton, Cornwall TR13 9TG Tel: 01736 762231 www.caravanparkcornwall.com

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Each of our luxury holiday homes comes with a private garden and Wi-Fi. Perfect

for families and couples, we are open all year, and offer seasonal pitches.

We offer the following: • Designated dog walking fields • Pet friendly accommodation • Comprehensive storage • Luxury holiday homes for sale

01736 762231 • enquiries@caravanparkcornwall.com www.caravanparkcornwall.com

Nestled in the heart of North Devon, Marwood Hill Garden is a hidden gem Home to four National Plant Heritage collections, this private valley garden spans over 20-acres and showcases three stunning lakes, rare trees & shrubs, and colourful surprises throughout each season. Not only a haven for wildlife, the garden is also the perfect environment to explore and be inspired.

Enjoy a day of inspirational and relaxation for the whole family.

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We offer special all counties prices when advertising with our features, plus 100 words of free editorial with an advert.

Speak to one of our sales people for more details.

Catch up over coffee and homemade cake or a cream tea in the picturesque Garden Tea Room or take a bit of Marwood magic home with you from our Walled Garden Nursery and Plant Sales.

Enquiries & Tea Room 01271 342528 Plant Sales & Nursery 01271 342577 e info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk w marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, Marwood, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4EA

Rosemoor Flower Show BOOK NOW Fri 19 – Sun 21 Aug Join us for a vibrant show full of inspiration, expert tips and delicious food and drink.

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rhs.org.uk/rosemoor

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GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Late summer show spectacular at Picton Garden

Cadhay dahlias set to be resplendent in August

As mid-summer becomes a memory the place to visit is The Picton Garden in Colwall. A hidden gem at the foot of the Malvern Hills this one-anda-half-acre garden is just starting its late summer and autumn show. Home to the National Plant Collection of Michaelmas daisies there is plenty of colour to wow and it only gets better as October draws nearer. Should you be tempted by the plants you find on your wanders the adjoining Old Court Nurseries is well stocked and almost everything is grown on site from unusual succulents to delightful daisies.

Cadhay has earned a considerable reputation for its dahlia collection which will be resplendent in August. Yet again the winter was so mild that all the dahlias left in the ground survived and a few more have been propagated. Cadhay has opened its gardens over the last two years while the House remained shut and they have become a major attraction in their own right alongside tours of the House which are now open. From the beginning of August the gardens are open every Friday afternoon from 2pm to 5pm and also Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Bank Holiday weekend, the 28th to 30th August. See cadhay.org.uk for further details.

Cadhay, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1QT

Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk

Early September opening for Badminton House private gardens

Hartland Abbey is open again with Outdoor Theatre back!

The private gardens of the historic Badminton House, home to the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort are opening on Sunday 4th September. There will also be a variety of plant sellers, plus hot food, drink, and cakes from local stallholders in the West Courtyard. The event will support the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who will have volunteers on site and The Badminton Church Restoration Fund.

Tickets are £7.50 pre-sale or £10 on the day. Children under 12 go free. Gates open from 10am with last entry at 4pm.

After an exciting month of filming Series Four of Enid Blyton’s ‘Malory Towers’, once again Hartland Abbey has reverted to its peaceful self! The main reception rooms, closed during filming, are fully re-open. Young Malory fans will recognise many of the locations in the house, gardens and at the beach. The Walled gardens are ablaze with the annuals and bright perennials of late summer whilst the Shrubbery with its deepest blue and white hydrangeas is cool and calm. Massive gunnera and tree ferns flourish in the Bog garden and Fernery. Late July onwards brings some wonderful theatre productions to the lawns.

Visit www.badmintonestate.com Badminton Estate South Gloucestershire, Badminton GL9 1DD

© King Bert/WildBrain

For details see www.hartlandabbey.com or 01237441496/234 Hartland Abbey and Gardens, Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT www.hartlandabbey.com

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

Visit this timeless historic house, gardens and wildflower walks to a remote Atlantic cove Visit our family home with its fascinating architecture, collections, displays and film exhibition. Fully reopen again after filming Series 4 of ‘Malory Towers’. Enjoy its beautiful Walled and Woodland gardens, Fernery, Bog garden and walks to the Atlantic Coast. * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Homemade light lunches & cream teas * * Hartland Quay 1 mile*

Badminton House Garden Open Day SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER 2022 10AM-4PM

Sunday to Thursday until 3rd October 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - 5pm last adm. 4pm)

For more information and events see www.hartlandabbey.com Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234

Tickets PRE-BOOKED TICKETS £7.50 PER ADULT ON THE DAY ENTRY £10 CHILDREN UNDER 12: FREE

Tickets and full information available through the website: www.badmintonestate.com Any questions please contact the Estate Office on 01454 218203 or by email estateoffice@badmintonestate.com

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GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm from 6th May to 30th September

Also August Bank Holiday weekend Saturday, Sunday & Monday GARDENS: adult £5, child £1

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk Member of Historic Houses Country Gardener

Visit the AGS Garden AGS Centre, Avon Bank, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3JP Open daily; admission free This quarter-acre garden is filled with enchanting alpine and mountain plants, growing in areas that replicate their natural habitats.

A new Mediterranean bed has been planted with drought-resistant plants. The crevice garden, troughs and woodland, as well as an Alpine House, offer more inspiration for gardening with alpines.

For more, see our website: alpinegardensociety.net Email: ags@alpinegardensociety.net Tel: 01386 554790 Reg. Charity No. 207478

MELPLASH SHOW THURSDAY 25th AUGUST WEST BAY, BRIDPORT DT6 4EG

Buy tickets to Show early and save!

Free bus, free car parking + Park & Ride FREE Admission for 16 years & under

For latest info visit www.melplashshow.co.uk

We’re back & Can’t wait to see you! www.countrygardener.co.uk

Adult Advance Ticket £17 (on the day £19) 17

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Wilder but still wonderful August gardens at Marwood Hill In August, Marwood Hill Gardens are looking much wilder – it’s all about ornamental grasses this month.

Large straw-coloured meadows, populated with muted greens and purples of grass flowers and spikey seedheads dominate the gardens northern face, creating a beautiful backdrop and a great habitat for wildlife.

Marwood’s collection of astilbes can still be seen - late flowering pink, pale blue and dark, purple-coloured astilbes provide a hazy meadow effect against the stillness of the lakes.

The herbaceous borders at the top of the garden are changing too, blues, whites and pinks of spring are seen less often, though Campanulas, Agapanthus and Hydrangea provide a blast of blue! In contrast it is also time for the plants originating from the southern hemisphere to flower.

The hot, fiery colours of Crocosmias, Orange Kniphofia’s, Ginger Lilies and Yellow Rudbeckia’s which originate from South Africa light up the garden. It’s unusual to see trees flowering so abundantly at this time of year, as most trees concentrate on sporting berries or papery seed heads.

Marwood proudly display many truly spectacular, white flowering eucryphia trees to be admired - Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ and the interesting dark leaved and pink flowered Clerodendrum bungei are looking spectacular and well worth a visit!

Marwood Hill Gardens, Marwood, Guineaford, Barnstaple, North Devon EX31 4EA Call 01271 342 528 www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk

Stock Gaylard show a celebration of rural life

A celebration of countryside, woodcraft, timber and, above all, conservation, Stock Gaylard’s Oak Fair on Saturday, 27th and Sunday ,28th August enjoys widespread support and is a major draw for town and country folk alike. Although there is a plethora of shopping opportunities with more than 200 exhibitors showing everything from homewares to industrial machinery, the primary concern of the Oak Fair is to provide a platform for rural crafts and demonstrations including the ever-popular falconry, chainsaw carving, heavy horse logging, pole climbing and the daredevil stunts of the Adams Axemen Display Team. The fair opens at 10am on both days.

A CELEBRATION OF FARMING AND RURAL LIFE BY THE SEA! The Melplash Agricultural Show is back on Thursday 25th August after a break of two years and plans are going well!! The e popular show brings together the best of West Dorset with animals, food, fun and entertainment.

Show secretary Lucy hard said: “Having had a two-year break due to the pandemic we are determined to make this year’s event one of the best. As always it will feature many of the traditional aspects of an agricultural country show along with plenty of new and exciting visitor attractions. There really will be something for everyone, with lots to see and do for all the family to enjoy. It is going to be another amazing show day!” The show runs from 8am to 6pm.

Adult tickets are £19 on the day or £17 bought in advance. For more information visit www.melplashshow.co.uk Melplash Agricultural Show, West Bay Bridport Dorset DT6 4EG

Extend the flower season by seeing how Cotswolds Garden Flowers achieve it The summer border plants flowering will be in profusion at the Cotswold Garden Flowers nursery in Badsey near Evesham over the next few weeks.

Many gardens have lots of flowers in early summer but have fewer by midseason, so have a long look at your own patch and come out to get some ideas for how you could add to extend the flower season.

There will be heleniums and helianthus to echo the shape of sunflowers.

Daylilies and Crocosmia to add to your colour palette, and many others.

Don’t forget to think about structure and form as well – grasses are good to give you movement in the flowerbeds. Ferns can be used to complement your flowering plants.

Cotswold Garden Flowers, Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham WR11 7EZ

Stock Gaylard Estate, DT10 2BG, 01963 23511, www.stockgaylard.com

Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906

DELIGHTFUL GARDENS TO INSPIRE YOU PLANT AND GARDEN ADVICE Mail order and click and collect available, or pop along and visit us at the nursery

Specialist nursery and beautiful 1.5 acre garden just waiting to be explored CATALOGUE ONLINE OR AVAILABLE BY REQUEST

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Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 5pm, plus bank holiday Monday.

Also open SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST for the National Garden Scheme OPENING TIMES FOR THE YEAR: 1st Feb - 31st July, Wednesday to Saturday / Throughout August, Wednesday to Sunday (plus BH Mon) / 1st September - 20th October, Daily. Open 11am - 5pm (except during Feb/Mar, 11am-4pm)

Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE 18

Country Gardener

Groups welcome by appointment Open 7 days a week from 1st April to 30th September.

Weekends 10am -5pm, Weekdays 9am-5.30pm

Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham, WR11 7EZ 01386 833849 info@cgf.net www.cotswoldgardenflowers.co.uk

TREE SPECIALIST

the gardeners’ Reversion enemy or nature fighting back?

Mark Hinsley looks at the phenomenon of reversion in trees where greener sections appear which initially look encouraging but can eventually take over and the tree becomes mutated Leaves are green. Chlorophyll absorbs the light that the plant needs for photosynthesis. The part of the light spectrum which the chlorophyll does not need is the green bit, so it reflects it away. When that reflected light reaches your eye, you see a green leaf.

Green is therefore the colour of efficiency in the production of carbohydrate in plants.

Light that penetrates through the plant to the ground is wasted.

Therefore, the most efficient plants have leaves which are arranged or shaped to capture as much light as they can.

Fancy fern like leaves with frilly edges are less efficient at gathering light than boring old entire ones. The light filtering through the canopy of a cut-leaf beech is beautiful indeed, but to the beech it is a dreadful waste.

Many of the fancy trees and shrubs we grow for their ornament are abominations of nature which would not survive in the wild because they would be outcompeted by their ‘natural’ cousins. But nature doesn’t always take these botanical affronts lying down…

Take a close look at a copper beech.

In all but the most stable of hybrids, you will see that the leaves that are high in the tree enjoying full sun are generally the deepest richest purple. Whilst the lowest undercanopy leaves are barely purple at all; they are a dark purplish green. If those leaves were the deep purple of the upper canopy leaves, they would not function at all in the lower light levels so nature reverts them to green.

Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata Aurea’ - fabulous striking shrub with vivid splashes of yellow in the centre of the leaves... until you try and grow it in the shade, where it will go greener and greener in its efforts to survive in the low light levels.

Most of these fancy plants are mutations, and just as nature can mutate one way so can it mutate back the other, or ‘revert’ as we call it. Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata Aurea’ will do that as well, even in full sun.

However, the most obvious example of an ornamental gem which wants to be green and mean is Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii.’

I have been making a study of them this summer. Very easy to spot as they really stand out with their lovely creamy white variegation over most of the leaf …but take a closer look at most of them and you will see plain green bits.

The first photo shows what, at first glance, appears to be a perfect specimen of this variegated Norway Maple. But look where the arrows point – do you see the plain green leaves? The main problem with these plain green bits is that they are much more efficient at photosynthesis than the pretty variegated leaves.

Consequently, the reverted green branches are far more vigorous than the pretty cream ones you bought and will, in not a huge amount of time, take over completely as in the second photo.

These are mutated plants reverting to their much more vigorous and efficient original forms. Quite a number of them will do this. I am not going to list them here; you need to be vigilant. If you catch them early the solution is

Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii’

simple, just nip out the green bits whenever they show up.

One word of caution – technically if the reverting tree is protected under a Tree Preservation Order or within a

Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii’

Conservation Area, you would need the formal consent of the local planning authority, but unless you have left it way too late, such consent ought to be forthcoming.

WHAT IS REVERSION? Some plants – particularly those with variegated leaves or other colours – produce stems with allgreen leaves. This is called reversion, as the plant is ‘reverting back’ to a different form from its parentage.

It is most commonly a problem in trees and shrubs with variegated leaves.

Because the leaves on the all-green stems contain more chlorophyll (the pigment used to make food for the plant) than variegated ones, they are much more vigorous, grow quicker and can take over the plant.

This ruins the look of the plant – both its shape and its colouring.

Many variegated plants originally originated as a natural mutation or sport of an all-green plant. The variegated shoot is propagated and this results in a new variegated variety. However, these mutations are not always stable and the plant ‘reverts back’ to the original all-green leaved mother plant.

Some variegated-leaved plants, especially hollies, may produce pale yellow or white stems. As these are weaker than green ones they don’t take over the plant.

Mark Hinsley runs Arboricultural Consultants Ltd which offers a wide range of tree consultancy services.

www.treeadvice.info www.countrygardener.co.uk

19

Speakers List 2022

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CHEEK, ROY

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35 Wembdon Rise, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7PN q 01278 451814 / 07788593674 E rvcheek@btinternet.com

1. Chelsea Flower Show - Creating

20 different silver and gold gardens and displays.

2. 2 Irresistible garden plants for Butterflies - Bringing them winging in

Welcome to Country Gardener’s annual guide to gardening speakers and lecturers offering their services to gardening clubs, societies and associations.

After a demanding two years when gardening clubs were forced to temporarily shut down and cope with the Covid pandemic there are finally signs that things are improving.

The much-loved club meetings stopped and there was no welcoming of speakers to share their knowledge and expertise.

Slowly throughout the first half of 2022 clubs have started to meet again and many are now starting to put all their efforts into their event list programme for next year.

And this is where Country Gardener’s speakers list provides an invaluable

£C

www

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by adding carefully chosen plants.

3. Insectivorous plants - Discover new 4. Fascinating Gardens - Choose from 50 regions worldwide from Cornwall to Costa Rica.

5. Holly & Ivy - Entertaining Winter Talk. aid to provide new options, ideas and possibilities to plan meetings.

We have full details each speaker, including their synopsis of talk subject, what they charge and how far they are willing to travel.

If you come across speakers who you have been impressed with let us know and we will try and include them in a later edition or update our online information.

£B

Benson Bush, Itton, Chepstow, NP16 6BZ

www

1. THE SEED-SAVERS OF RAJASTHAN - Uncovering the remarkable world of local varieties and their conservation.

2. THE ADVENTURES OF A SEED DETECTIVE - Finding rare and endangered vegetables around the world.

3. SEED SAVING MADE SIMPLE -

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1.

2.

3.

4.

Many other talks, ask for details. Widely experienced and qualified, Roy progressed from Gardener to Director of parks and gardens around Britain. As senior lecturer and curator of gardens in Somerset he amassed ten thousand different plants, ten national collections and created new hybrids, diverse gardens and gold medal exhibits at Chelsea.

Now Chairman of an RHS trials forum, international tour leader, judge, advisor, designer and writer.

CANDLIN, BEN

£C

32 Featherbed Lane, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 3NE

www

q 07763 348148 E ben@adventurousplants.co.uk Ħ www.adventurousplants.co.uk

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The fascinating world of Aroids UK Subtropical Gardening Plants of the Canary Isles Wildlife Friendly Gardening

- Transforming a meadow into a productive garden for growing vegetables for seed.

5. GARDENS OF THE MEKONG -

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A voyage of discovery, revealing the secrets of vegetable cultivation along the river.

- continuing a 12,000 year-old tradition of growing delicious fruit and vegetables.

Adam is a consummate story-teller thanks to forty years making food and gardening programmes.

His true passion is collecting rare, endangered vegetables from around the world and saving their seeds. He has appeared on Gardeners’ World, CNN’s Going Green and The Great British Food Revival. His book, The Seed Detective, is published in September.

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APPLEGATE, SUE Polden Wines, Stocklands Vineyard, Bawdrip, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8PN q 07493 773153 E poldenwines@gmail.com Ħ www.poldenwines.co.uk

Vineyard talks and tasting the wines.

Visit this beautiful vineyard on the Polden Hills, marvel at the views, savour the wines and learn about the success of English Wine. Transferring my skills as a Peony Grower to growing nearly 4,000 vines has been very exciting. My talk explains seasonal management of vines to produce quality wines and reduce our Carbon footprint. Cellar Door prices, lunches and suppers can also be arranged.

£A Price band £0-50

£B Price band £51-100

Online talks available

20

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CARL WOODMANS WORLD

5. The Hardy Exotic Garden 6. Grasses in the Garden

1 BroomHill Cottage, Broom Hill, Huntley GL19 3HA

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q 07717 846814 / 01392 437792 E becca.redkite@gmail.com Ħ www.rowanleaf.co.uk

1. Wildlife Gardening - Attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden

2. Water, Water Everywhere - Ponds,

bog gardens and water-wise gardening

3. Food For Free - A guide to foraging for wild foods

BBC Gardener of Year 1999 BBC Gardener of Decade 2008 Chelsea Gold Medal 2013 Katherine has been a garden designer in South Somerset for 22 years and loves to talk gardens!

3. Bees and their products

COX, MYRA

£C

q 01278 784110 / 07896 351693 E coxmyra20032000@yahoo.co.uk

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1. Inspirational, versability and ideas for floral art for shows and around your home 2. Christmas cracker fun with flowers 3. Seasonal wonderland of baskets, boxes, bottles and bows 4. Afternoon tea with Mr Shifter and his P.G Tips tea friends 5. Life as a Cinnamon Trust volunteer Sundries and greeting cards for sale.

Radius covered 0-25 miles

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£D Price band variable

Radius covered up to 50 miles

www

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DOWN, FELICITY Former owner of Cleeve Nursery q 07739 977431 E downtoearthfd@gmail.com Ħ www.down-to-earth.co.uk

1. All year round colour in the garden 2. Plan it, plant it!

3. Climbing and wall shrubs Please contact me for the full list.

Zoom talks available!

£E

Price band expenses only

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Country Gardener

32 ADDISON CLOSE, EXETER EX4 1SJ q 07720714720 E ladyhort824@yahoo.com Ħ www.ladyhorticulturist.co.uk

Claire Forster CMTGG (Consultant member of The Gardeners Guild), qualified RHS Certificated Horticulturist with RHS Level 3 Advanced in Horticulture. 20 Years professional horticulturist experience. Featured in Devon Life Magazine. £B

HAIG, GAVIN FRCS The Castle Lodge, Castle Street, Bampton, Devon, EX16 9NS

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q 01398 332419 E gavinhaig@googlemail.com

1. Creating a Wildlife Garden 2. The Healing Garden 3. Celebration of Devon/Somerset Wildlife 4. Trials and tribulations of being a Surgeon Practised as Surgeon and Doctor with a passion for attracting wildlife to our gardens.

Developed award-winning Wildlife Garden at Tiverton Hospital.

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HARTLEY, LUCY Wellesbourne, Warks. CV35 9LL q 01789 840834 or 07771 596962 E Lucy.hartley@yahoo.co.uk Ħ www.lucyhartleygardens.co.uk

1. Climate Change and Our Gardens!

2. Principles and Pitfalls of New Border Design 3. In Search of a Low Maintenance Border 4. Plant Choices and Combinations for a Year Round Border Please refer to website or contact me for more detailed description and further Talks offered.

£B www

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HAYLOCK, JULIE 20 Sandhurst Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2LG q 07899710168 E juliesandhurst1@gmail.com Ħ www.sandhurstgardendesign.co.uk

1. Container Planting 2. Planning your Garden Borders 3. An Introduction to Garden Design 4. Going for Gold - BBC Gardeners’ World Live

Slide presentations included D

FORSTER, CLAIRE

1. Women in Horticulture - past and present 2. Pots and Baskets 3. Other talks available

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8. Bulbs That Should be Better Known

2. Besoms and Gypsy Flowers

£C Price band £100+

£C

7. Self Seeding Garden

called me

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07594 574150 info@katherinecrouch.com www.katherinecrouch.com

4. Plants That Should be Better Known

1. Trugmaking by a miserable old trugger - I think that’s what the wife

£C

q E Ħ

3. Winning BBC Gardener of the Decade

q 01452 830 258 E woodmansworld@live.co.uk

6. THE CULTURE OF SEED SAVING

Corner Cottage, Great Street, Norton sub Hamdon, Somerset, TA14 6SJ

2. First Time at Chelsea - and Winning Gold!

Please visit website for more titles and info.

£B

CROUCH, KATHERINE

1. New Tricks for Old Gardeners

Saving your own flower and vegetable seeds, rewarding and fun.

4. THE GARDEN ABOVE THE ESTUARY

39 Regents Park, Exeter, Devon, EX1 2NY

www

hardy year round attractive ones for the garden or the windowsill.

ALEXANDER, ADAM q 07860646613 E adam@theseeddetective.co.uk Ħ www.theseeddetective.co.uk

FLINTHAM, BECCA

£B

Radius covered 100+ miles

www

Website

Plants or items for sale

£A

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HAZELL, GILL

£D

17 Valley View, Clutton Bristol BS39 5SN q 01761 452036 E clutton.glads@btinternet.com

1.

2.

3.

4.

Growing and Showing Sweet Peas Classic, Rare and Unusual Bulbs So you think you know Gladiolus!

Illustrated On-Screen Flower and Vegetable Quizzes 5. Holland, its flowers and flower festivals 6. Halfway round the world in 30 days Other talks in relation to the above can be tailored to suit your society. £B www

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HINSLEY, MARK ARBORICULTURAL CONSULTANT Office F11, 10 Whittle Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH21 7RU q 01202 876177 E enquiries@treeadvice.info Ħ www.treeadvice.info

1. The Churchyard Yew 2. Trees in your Garden

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MIGNOTTE, NATHALIE

£B

1 Stanley Cottages, Blaisdon Longhope, Gloucestershire GL17 0AL

www

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q 077 66 197 129 E nmignotte@aol.com

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. Gardens of Versailles 2. Islamic Gardens 3. Medieval Gardens

5. Seasonal Colours in the Garden

£B

6. Le jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh Please, feel free to contact me for more information on the above talks as well as on further subjects. I base my presentations on personal experience, photography, travel and academic research.

www

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Netherfields, Frog Lane, North Nibley, Glos GL11 6DJ

Twitter and Instagram: @nahemi25

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different aspects of why we visit gardens

3. Blaise Castle - A Stranger at Blaise 4. Westonbirt School - A Historical Introduction to the Gardens

£B

HOPE, NICOLA

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q 07711285447 E info@nicolahope.co.uk Ħ www.nicolahope.co.uk

1. Organic Gardening ~ happy plants, happy minds 2. Tales from the Potting Shed ~ where gardening magic begins!

3. Talking Tomatoes ~ Seeds with Stories make Tastier Fruits An organically trained gardener, Nicola has over two decades of experience working in prestigious public and private gardens.

£B

PAKENHAM, CAROLINE

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The Old Manor, Rudge, Frome, Somerset BA11 2QG q 01373 830312 E carriepakenham@gmail.com

1. The cultivation and uses of unusual herbs 2. Getting ready for winter Money from the talks is donated to the Wessex Therapy Centre for Multiple Sclerosis. I always bring a large variety of herbs for sale and demonstration plus my book Making Jellied Preserves and the jellies.

£A Price band £0-50

£B Price band £51-100

Online talks available

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£C

STAPLEY, CHRISTINA 38, Wenhill Heights, Calne SN11 0JZ q 01249 821087 E christina.stapley@tiscali.co.uk Ħ www.christinastapley.co.uk

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USHER, DAVID 10 Rowbarton Close, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 7DQ q 01823 278037 E dave.usher@hotmail.com

1. Gertrude Jekyll - Her Plants & Designs.

2. The Restoration of Hestercombe Gardens 3. Bedding Plants for your Gardens 4. Care and management of trees & shrubs 5. The history of our gardens 6. The answer lies in the soil 7. Herbaceous Plants David, a professional gardener for over 40 years, was Head Gardener at Hestercombe for 18 years. He is interested in all aspects of ornamental gardening and has given talks to a wide variety of groups. Contact him for a brochure about his talks. David is also available for giving talks via Zoom.

www

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E stephen@stephenpowles.co.uk Ħ www.stephenpowles.co.uk

about the five years Stephen spent filming one individual otter in amazing detail)

4. Tawny Owls - Coming to a Wood Near You 5. Hornets - Gentle Giants 6. Wildlife Photography - Tips and

£D

7. The Countryside Detective 8. Wildlife Photography - In Pursuit of

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the improbable ...and more. Please see his website or contact Stephen for his full list of talks.

Stephen Powles is a passionate naturalist, award winning wildlife photographer, film maker and conservatist. His specialist interests are otters, tawny owls and hornets.

He, the otters and the hornets have appeared on national TV. Most of his wildlife subjects are found in and not far from his house.

www

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WILLIAMS, CATHERINE

The Coach House, Tramlines, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1EH

14 Mill Park, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1EX

q 01837 54727 E paul.dartmoor@gmail.com Ħ www.paulrendelldartmoor.co.uk

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q 01531 579160 / 07767 690009 E mail2@thegardenlady.me.uk Ħ www.thegardenlady.me.uk

1. Planting and Plant Care 2. How to love your garden 3. Design and Create a Garden to be Proud Of

The speaker can offer over 40 talks about history, wildlife and landscapes of Devon and Cornwall. All talks are illustrated and last about one hour.

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£D Price band variable

Radius covered up to 50 miles

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Many other talks available, please ask for more details.

£E

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q 07815807832 E saul.walker123@btinternet.com Ħ www.talkingheadspodcast.co.uk

1. Stonelands House and Gardens: Devon’s Hidden Beauty 2. My Career in Horticulture: A Pot Plant to 16 Acres 3. My Time as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Manager 4. Orchids in Oz: Plant Hunting in north Queensland

7. Exotic Plants: Turning your garden into a Jungle

www

3. The Secret Wildlife On Dartmoor

Plymouth, Devon www

White Fan Talks, ‘Starshine’, 15 Half Moon Court, Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0GA

Both talks have powerpoint presentations.

Long journeys can only be undertaken in the summer months, from April till October.

£B

WALKER, SAUL

5. The Gardens and Plants of Madeira

1. 301 years Tribute to Gilbert White, 1720-2021 2. Gardening with Jane Austen

RENDELL, PAUL

£C Price band £100+

£B

TOWNSEND, PENELOPE

q 01364 644028 / 07792517145

1. Devon’s Water Wildlife 2. Wild Plants Of Devon

Radius covered 0-25 miles

q 07546874083 E andrew@atpgardening.co.uk Ħ www.atpgardening.co.uk

1. Off the beaten track, hidden gems 2. Glorious gardens, a gardeners choice 3. Art of Topiary & Ornamental Hedges 4. Stumperies, ferns & shady friends

1. Hedgehogs - In Need of Your Help 2. Otters - Coming to a River Near You 3. Hammer Scar - Five Years Together (all

£A

TOLMAN, ANDREW Malmesbury, Wiltshire

Swallows, Withleigh, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LA

Experiences

Malmesbury, Wiltshire www

POWLES, STEPHEN q 01884 242965

1. Rosemary Verey 1918-2001 - Her 2. Garden Visiting - a very British Tradition - A lighthearted look at the many

Medicinal Garden Plants Flowers in Healing Hedgerow Pharmacy Plants for wellbeing

£B

Talks given over Zoom are offered at a discounted rate.

q 07876 196074 E margiehoffnung@gmail.com Contribution & Legacy to C20 gardening

q 01453 884092 E cjsheldrick@gmail.com Ħ www.carolinesheldrickmedicalherbalist.co.uk

1. Native and Garden Trees – Harvests for Medicine and more 2. The Living Garden – Gardening for Natural Survival 3. Compassionate Herbs for Stress

Travel charges and fee on request.

Thank you.

Please contact us to discuss requirements.

HOFFNUNG, MARGIE

Middle Path, Keble Road, France Lynch, Stroud GL6 8LN

Caroline is a qualified medical herbalist in practice in rural Gloucestershire.

4. Landscapes of Vietnam and Cambodia

3. Trees and the Law

£C

SHELDRICK, CAROLINE

Price band expenses only

Radius covered up to 100 miles

www.countrygardener.co.uk

6. Woodland Gardens: Working with Shade

8. Meadows: Making Grass work for you and nature Head Gardener of Stonelands House, Devon.

Trained at Antony House, National Trust and a graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Former Show Manager of the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Regular contributor for BBC Radio Devon and Plant Expert for BBC Gardeners World Live.

£B

17 Seymour Drive, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 8PY D

q 07964 824673 E info@garden-together.co.uk

1. Camellias 2. The Scented Garden 3. Blood, Sweat and TEA Ex Head Gardener of private estates and now specialist camellia grower of over 400 varieties and a wide range of fragrant plants.

Slide presentations included D

WILSON, JEREMY

www

Website

Plants or items for sale

Radius covered 100+ miles

21

Getting

the best

from your harvest!

For many gardeners harvesting at the right time, storing crops and dealing with gluts has become as big an issue as growing the produce itself It is getting to that time of the year when we can really reap the rewards of all the hard work.

It’s when harvesting fruit and vegetables reaches its peak of activity.

Getting the crop out of the ground or picking from the trees doesn’t thankfully happen all at once but August is the time when one of the biggest issues is how to store and look after crops long term.

For many gardeners storing crops and dealing with gluts has become as big an issue as growing the produce itself.

Some fruits and vegetables store well for months if they are kept properly.

The right conditions are crucial for successful storage, and the produce itself needs to be in perfect condition – no blemishes or breaks in the skin. It is easy to bruise fruit and veg as you harvest them, and once they are no longer growing, they have no means to heal.

Different crops, such as root crops, potatoes, alliums, beans, cabbages, leeks, tomatoes, pumpkins, apples, and pears all need different storage conditions. You can also freeze many fruits and vegetables.

It’s also a question of timing. Most vegetables should be picked before they peak. Tomatoes and peppers are good examples. They will slowly ripen off the vine. Some vegetables need to ‘cure’ or ripen and harden before storing. A good example of this is pumpkins and gourds.

Feed tomatoes weekly to keep the flow of fruit coming

Tomatoes Harvesting tomatoes can be an art. Pick as they ripen and feed them weekly to keep the flow coming. Don’t overwater at this stage this can split and dilute the flavour. When temperatures fall to around 10°C bring any outdoor fruit inside to ripen. Greenhouse plants will of 22

course keep growing. Look out carefully during this stage for blight, a blackening of the leaves and fruit that kills plants -ripe or not!

Courgettes can too quickly become too big

Don’t let the apples touch

To freeze courgettes, slice then blanch in boiling water for one minute and cool rapidly in iced water. Drain them and then pat dry before freezing and they should keep for three months. To cook, fry from frozen.

Apples Pick when they are easy to pull from the tree with a gentle twist. Use any that are damaged first and remember only to store perfect blemish free fruits.

Apples will keep for a few weeks at room temperature.

Place a few apples in a clear freezer bag you can buy (biodegradable options online) – or even better, paper bags – and store in the fridge for up to a week.

To store apples over winter, wrap each one in a single sheet of newspaper and place them in single layers on a tray. The trick is to make sure they are unblemished, not bruised or have any sign or pest infection. Make sure they don’t touch each other. You will need to monitor then because it is almost certain some will go into storage with some damage and not make it.

If you have the space and a large apple tree, you may want to invest in an apple rack. Apple racks can store a large quantity of fruit, and enable air to circulate between the layers, so you don’t need to wrap each fruit individually.

Courgettes and marrows The key is to pick plants before they get too big. At this time of the year, they grow at an alarming rate and too often the marrows that are left get wasted. In warm weather, water, feed and pick courgettes little and often when they are cigar sized.

Keep courgettes in a plastic bag in the fridge and they should last a week.

Country Gardener

Leave onions in a dry sheltered spot

Garlic and onions Pick once the foliage starts to fade and turns yellow and then you know this is the time to harvest. For onions it is when the leaves have flopped over. Leave in a dry sheltered spot to dry for just over a week. Lay them on a rack and don’t leave them on the soil where they might dampen and attract pests. Store for up to ten months in a cool dark, frost-free place. Tie or plat the leaves together and hang them somewhere up to dry and layer them in ventilated boxes. Onions will last for months pickled or up to two months in the freezer sliced or chopped. To pickle use a ratio of 100g peeled onions, 100ml white vinegar and 40g honey.

delights of the growing season.

Maincrop potatoes will store though the winter in a dark, dry place (not the fridge) especially in a hessian bag.

Potatoes freeze best in a pre-cooked recipe.

Open freeze raspberries on trays

Summer berries

Chillies

For preserving and freezing pick before they are ripe and firm. You need to cover plants with a fine mesh or netting to protect the fruit from birds without trapping them. If you don’t, you will see the crop disappear in a few days.

Keep in the fridge unwashed in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Take out of the fridge an hour before serving so they have the fullest flavour.

Raspberries and currants are best frozen on an open tray then bagged. Strawberries do not freeze well and are not worth the effort.

The trick is to harvest when they are green or for a hotter taste leave on the plant until the fruits turn red. As with tomatoes don’t overwater as this will weaken the intensity of the flavour. If the temperatures dip below 10°C at night and your plants are still fruiting, bring them inside, place on a sunny windowsill and treat them like houseplants.

They should keep cropping even in winter.

Chillies will keep for at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.

You can freeze chillies whole on an open tray than bag and store for up to a year, cooking from frozen or dry them out in an airing cupboard and use them to add to oils and chutneys.

Pears

Plums and damsons Harvest when fully ripe or when just ripe but still firm if you are freezing or making preserves. Don’t leave on the tree for too long as they will get damaged and rot, attracting wasps.

They will keep in the kitchen for a few days.

Both will freeze for up to nine months. Stone and freeze open on trays before bagging. If you are going to make jam, use equal quantities of fruit and sugar. You can also bottle plums in syrup with rum or steep damsons in gin instead of sloes. Use 550g fruit and 250g sugar for every litre of alcohol.

Pears can ripen and pass their best quickly so need daily checking. In warm storage conditions they will soften slightly when ripe but, in cooler storage, ripeness will be indicated by a subtle change in colour and they’ll then need to be brought into the house for a day or two to soften before eating.

In proper storage conditions, pears will keep long enough for you to eat them until the end of winter, even the beginning of spring. There is no point in picking up fallen pears, they are very fragile and will only keep for a few days.

Spread the pears out in crates or on shelves, without them touching each other and Ensure that air circulates well around the pears. Store the crates in the dark, away from moisture and ideally at a temperature of around 10°C. Inspect regularly to quickly remove those that deteriorate first.

Potatoes You can leave maincrop potatoes in the soil until autumn to bulk up and then dig them upon a dry day and let the tubers dry out for a few hours but no more. Look out for blight, a blackening of the leaves and tubers. Cut down the leaves and harvest in two weeks if you see any signs. This disease can wipe out an entire crop if it isn’t caught early.

New potatoes from your own garden are one of the

Blanch runner beans before freezing

Beans Harvest runner beans when they are between 15 and 20 cms long. French beans are best when young before the pods start to bulge and toughen. You should pick every couple of days to encourage growth and avoid a glut. Beans are one of the thirstiest plants so water regularly. A liquid seaweed feed will also boost the crop.

To freeze, blanch then refresh with cold water. Lay in a single tray and freeze. French beans will keep for 12 months and runner beans for six.

Carrots and beetroots Don’t leave in the ground for too long as they can both become tough, woody and inedible.

Twist off the foliage but leave a few cms of stem on beetroots to stop the colour bleeding. Arrange in layers of moist sand so they don’t dry out then keep somewhere dark and dry, away from rodents, when they will last until late winter. Blanch carrots before freezing. Carrots will keep for 12 months; beetroot for six months.

Plus Plants in the squash family such as pumpkins and courgettes can last for up to three months, depending on the variety. Pumpkins and marrows don’t keep after midwinter, but other squashes (such as butternut and spaghetti) may keep until early spring. Ensure they are in good condition and store them in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard.

Leafy crops such as lettuce and spinach do not store well and should be eaten within a few days of harvesting. Sow regularly right into early autumn so that you still have a salad crop.

DIGGING CROPS When digging root crops such as carrots, parsnips and leeks, use a garden fork and make sure that you dig down deeply, so that the bottom of the root is not damaged. Allow plenty of room between the row and your fork to prevent damaging crops with the tines as you ease the roots up.

Try to avoid digging root crops in dry weather as there is more possibility of the lower portion of the root snapping in the ground. During prolonged dry spells, water the rows before harvesting.

Always dig root crops up rather than trying to pull them out of the ground – you will probably just snap the leaves off unless your soil is very fine.

Start to dig new potatoes when the flowers begin to open. Gently ease up the haulms with a garden fork taking care not to spear the tubers by digging down deeply. Cover the potatoes with an old towel once they are dug to keep the sun off them.

Water the rows before harvesting

Main crop potatoes can be dug when all the top growth has died down. Try to harvest when the soil is dry and do not wash the tubers.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

If you have any comments, views, stories or ideas you would like to share with us then please write to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

HOW TO SAVE BLIGHT AFFECTED SPUDS

Long grass warning on ticks

This year I tried No Mow May and encountered a serious problem with ticks. I and my family have always had a fear of potential Lyme disease and when we walk in the countryside are always careful about covering up but I was shocked and worried to find a large tick on the back of my knee when I had only been in the garden regularly for a couple of days.

I have never had this happen before and can only think it has happened because of gardening alongside the longer grass. I obviously removed it and took medical advice, and all seems OK but I wonder if there should be more of a warning about this as I know the occurrence of ticks in gardens has increased.

There has been a lot of concern amongst my allotment neighbours’ over the past week or so because some plot holders have suffered with potato leaves which have gone black. It is of course late blight which is around much earlier this year and occurs after warm wet weather. It starts with brown blotches on leaves which blacken and then rot until the whole plant collapses. I’ve been advising them that blight can spread to the tubers so to save the harvest you have to remove the top growth to soil level. Then leave the spuds in the ground to harden for a fortnight and dig them up and eat them straight away. I’m afraid I’m a bit smug as this summer I am growing blight resistant varieties ‘ Sarpo Mira’ and ‘Sarpo Axona’.

Matthew Weyant

John Everett

Chichester

Memories of an old push mower

Barnstaple

Compost and health issues

I wanted to sing the praises of the much derided and I think much loved push mowers. I have read about them in the past in your magazine. At the start of last summer my husband suffered a bad fall and was really limited in what he could do in the garden. I have never been a fan of petrol rotary mowers. I find them hard to start and eventually difficult. I rummaged through the shed to find my late grandad’s old push mower. After not being used for perhaps 25 years the mower started to cut as though it had been sharpened yesterday. My grandad loved gardening and was the reason I fell in love with it and I know he is with me and smiling at his old mower.

I have been made aware of three cases of keen gardeners (all with underlying health issues) including myself contracting pneumonia possibly as a result of close contact with compost.

If anyone does suffer from asthma or breathing issues, I urge them to wear a face mask when handling compost.

Hillary Marshall

Poole

NATURE HAS BEEN HELPING ME

Thanks to the efforts and hard work of various birds in my garden including blackbirds, magpies and crows a large quantity of dead thatch has been removed from my garden. I assume that in return for all their hard work they enjoyed some juicy worms and grubs!

Judith High sent by email

Donna Wilson

Hayling Island

Not a good year for sunflowers?

I wonder how many of your readers have been having trouble with sunflowers this summer. The seeds germinate but when I plant them out, we never see them again. I have been careful to protect them from slugs and I have hardened them off but still no result. I mentioned this at our gardening club last week and there were lots of nodding heads. Perhaps it’s just not a summer for them.

Rachel Vaughan

My compost really is hot stuff I attended a local council open day about composting in the spring and since then I have been passionate about composting and think I have been making a good fist of it. The wooden slatted compost bin gets plenty of variety and I step in and admittedly with great difficult turn it every few weeks. So, I thought I would just carry out a little experiment and put a thermometer in it to check the temperature. I went back after an hour or so and the reading was 60°C. Now that really is hot stuff!

Christine Coutts Martock

Burnham

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, SUPERMARKETS

One real bugbear of mine is the amount of withered plants displayed outside supermarkets. I imagine these plants are ‘factory’ raised with artificial lights and heating and then transported from abroad and dumped at supermarkets. I often imagine this is the first sight of proper daylight they have had. The environmental cost is massive. It would be cheaper and greener to transport them straight from the growing ‘factory’ to the nearest composting facility. Supermarkets -you should be ashamed. Why not contact a local nursery and arrange to sell quality local produce?

Mary Stocker 24

Let’s buy the flag

I recently visited RHS Garden Bridgewater on a holiday weekend and loved the garden and would recommend it to anyone. I visited the plant centre with the intention of buying just one plant but was tempted to buy four. I was also pleased to see a Union Flag with the words ‘British Grown’; I feel we should all look out for the flag when buying plants. By doing so we are helping British growers and avoiding bringing disease into this country.

Susie Murphy

Exeter

sent by email Country Gardener

WORMS TO THE RESCUE

I wasn’t looking to be very impressed when I saw the subject of the talk at our gardening club for June . It was just called ‘Worms and why we need them’.

But the speaker, a former head gardener and knowledgeable chap opened my eyes into what needs to be done to attract more worms into our soil. His basic message was to start a compost heap; don’t overdig your garden and disturb the worms: improve drainage and while worms like moisture but not an waterlogged garden and applying manure. I now accept that worms are probably the most valuable of all the animals in our garden and I like the title that they are ‘earth movers’.

Laura Thomas

Bristol

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25

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Garden advice August A busy gardening season has brought a record number of queries from readers which we are happy to advise on. If you need advice on any gardening problem or concern then write to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

Is it easy to graft roses or is taking cuttings the best option for me?

Matt Lars Plymouth Grafting certainly isn’t straight forward but it is worth trying in late summer. You need a new rose plant for the rootstock which would have been planted the previous autumn and another rose which will provide the ’bud wood’. Ideally, they should be the same age and obviously both healthy and vigorous. Then you select bud wood from a healthy shoot with several buds. Remove the leaves than use a knife to pare away a healthy bud along with roughly three cms above and below it. You will need to remove the woody material behind it. Then about 10 cms from the base of the rootstock cut a ‘T’ shape in the bark and slide the bud down between the horizontal flats. Finally bind it in with grafting tape. If you have done it all correctly the new plant will grow the following spring.

What are the little worms in my plums? This is the second season I’ve had them.

Jon Adams Exmouth Pink plum maggots, the caterpillar larvae of the plum moth – live in and eat the fruit of plums and related damsons and gages. The adult moths start to emerge from late May, but mainly from mid-June to mid-July. They mate, and the female adult moths lay eggs singly on the underside of the fruit. The eggs hatch into small creamywhite or pinkish, brown-headed caterpillars.

They then tunnel into the fruit and feed on the flesh around the stone until late summer. Once the caterpillars have burrowed into the fruit, there is nothing you can do to control them.

Any control methods must be used before they enter the fruit. Plum maggot pheromone traps, which are designed to monitor adult plum moth activity, may also give some degree of control.

They trap the adult males, resulting in the females laying fewer fertile eggs. They should be hung in the tree from early May.

Why hasn’t my agapanthus flowered yet? It’s very frustrating.

Kate Barber sent by email Agapanthus should be in full bloom now with large blue flowers.

There are several reasons for non-flowering which can include not enough sunlight, boggy soil, frost damaged flower buds, too much nitrogen or because of recent planting, potting or dividing.

I have always been keen to grow melons in the greenhouse but I seem to have problems getting them to fertilise properly. Is there a trick to this?

Erin Black Cheltenham There is something you can try. If you seem to have male flowers only, you can collect the pollen on a cotton bud and store it inside a paper envelope in the fridge for a couple of weeks. When you see the female flowers open you can carry out pollination yourself by wiping the cotton bud on the female flower. Timing of all this is important so the trick is to look out for open flowers.

Agapanthus often displays fewer flowers in the first year after planting, re-potting or dividing of clustered roots due to transplant shock and potential damage to their roots when dividing.

In the first year of planting most of the plant’s energy is directed into growing and establishing the roots in the soil and to growing its lush green foliage rather than displaying flowers.

Also bear in mind that the optimal time for re-potting is in the spring before the plants starts growing. Summer temperatures may make it more vulnerable to drought and therefore the conditions are not ideal for developing flower buds.

I have lots of mare’s tail in my small garden. Is there an answer to getting rid of it?

Alan McClai Petersfield Mare’s tail or horsetail is very deep rooted with wiry rhizomes that penetrate down two metres or more and they can regenerate from deep down to form new plants. It can persist for years even if the top growth is suppressed so it’s no surprise there is no easy answer. The only non-weedkiller approach is to dig out and dig deep and often. You may not be able to get rid of it first time round but you will weaken and finally destroy it.

26

I understand that irregular watering causes blossom end rot on tomatoes so this year I have been diligent on when and how I water.

However, the first fruits of the new season still have the same problem. Is there another reason for this I am missing?

Amanda Wilkinson via email

This is the time of year when blossom end rot can be very frustrating. Typically, the problem starts on the first flush of fruits and those that haven’t quite reached their full size. The spot appears watery and yellowishbrown at first and will grow until it destroys much of the fruit.

It’s all about the roots and their ability to carry calcium upward. There are several things that will prevent a tomato plant’s roots from uploading calcium to the plant’s fruit.

Calcium is transported up from the roots to the fruit by water, so if you’ve had a dry spell or haven’t sufficiently or consistently watered your plants, you may see blossom rot. If you’ve been more careful about this it may be the problem is that plants have had too much fertiliser and they may be growing too quickly, which can prevent the roots from delivering enough calcium fast enough to keep up with the growth. It maybe your soil may be lacking in calcium. Do a soil test first and, if this is the problem, adding lime will solve it.

How can I get rid of earwigs? This year I’ve got really upset on the impact they have made on my borders.

Lesley Hampson Painswick Flower petals and young leaves are a prime target for earwigs and older foliage is sometimes reduced to a tattered network of veins. However, earwigs are part of the natural balance in a garden and in some cases, especially with fruit trees and shrubs, they can help reduce aphid numbers. Trap earwigs by placing upturned flower pots loosely stuffed with hay or straw on canes among plants being attacked (This can also provide useful shelter when encouraging earwigs in fruit trees). Every morning shake out the pots and remove the earwigs. This may not protect plants when earwigs are abundant, but it is a useful means of monitoring their numbers.

Country Gardener

My beloved monkey puzzle tree looks as if it is dying. Is there anything I can do?

Liz Charlton sent by email It may simply be your tree is short of water. Monkey puzzles, are very hardy but like well-drained soil and plenty of moisture – especially in winter. Clear all soil for a metre radius around the trunk, water well and then mulch thickly with bark chippings or compost. If it isn’t water don’t despair. The tree has a natural tendency to shed lower branches and it is not dying, just revitalising itself. Cut off the old wood and the rest of the tree should flourish.

What is the greyish coating forming on my grapes?

David Hampson Poole This whitish, chalky film on grapes (and on blueberries) is called the ‘bloom’. It’s not dirt and it’s not pesticide. It’s a waxy coating that is produced by the plant itself and acts as a barrier to pests and bacteria. Powdery mildew affects grapes by giving them a bad flavour, but you can still eat them.

GARDENING TERMS EXPLAINED

Bare Root versus rootball plants The term ‘bare root’ means simply that the plant is dormant, or not actively growing. Lifting the plants from fields, with as much of the soil taken off the roots as possible. Bare root is easier to ship as they do not weigh as much as a potted plant, saving about 25 per-cent in costs!

It remains a great way to plant a large area at good prices for healthy, but sleeping, plant material.

Bare root plants are a great option for achieving a new hedge whilst also being very cost-effective. Bare roots are generally deciduous so they can look quite bare when delivered in the dormant season, however, what you get is a good root system with a decent amount of stem and side shoots (depending on your chosen height). Bare roots do not require re-potting each year and do not incur costs for the weight of the soil, as with other root types.

It is sometimes quoted that bare root plants have a ten per-cent failure rate.

Bare roots are easy to handle but they need protecting from frost and should be planted quite quickly after delivery.

They are available from autumn to early spring, depending on the weather. Suppliers stock a range of sizes, from 40cm to 2m, and they can be pre-ordered from mid-summer.

A bare root plant

What causes a magnolia tree to bloom a second time?

Tim Bull Chichester Yes, magnolia trees can bloom twice a year, but it is not common. Some varieties can bloom once in early spring and once in late summer. Chinese or Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana) varieties are the ones that most often bloom twice.

While the variety has the largest impact when magnolia trees bloom, location is also an important factor. In general, magnolia trees bloom sometime between February and June.

Unfortunately, the flowers usually do not last long.

Most varieties only bloom for less than two weeks.

However, magnolia trees can bloom longer if they are given proper care.

There are a large variety of magnolias available and if you have lucky enough to have a double flowering variety it does provide double the benefits.

I read that radish were a good thing to start growing as they are according to everyone very easy to grow. Mine will not form properly so I am doing something wrong which is rather embarrassing.

Valerie Lange Dawlish Lack of moisture is the most likely problem. The warmer drier conditions in mid-summer when you have probably sown the radishes are often responsible for poor swelling and root formation. Add some more organic matter into the soil before sowing to increase soil retention and ensure the young crop is kept watered regularly.

A root ball plant

Root Ball Root ball plants are normally quite large and are delivered with a substantial ball of soil. All plants have a root ball. This includes trees, shrubs, and even annual flowers. Simply put, the root ball is the main mass of roots located directly beneath the plant’s stem. Though the root ball may consist of several different types of roots, including feeder roots, the root ball in gardening generally refers to the part of the plant’s root system which will be transplanted into the garden or landscape.

Root balls should be planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible and generously watered during their first year.

Given their larger size and maturity, root balls are great for establishing a plant quickly when growing time is at a premium. Root balls are available from autumn to spring.

Crossword answers from July 2022 issue:

My box hedge which has always been very healthy and strong growing has started to go brown at the bottom. Is this the start of blight and if so can I do anything to slow it down or stop it?

Ian Alsopp sent by email If this is blight, it begins with dark or light brown spots or lesions on the leaves. The leaves turn brown, fall off while the stems develop brown or black lesions. The leaves are lost very quickly after the first signs of the disease appear so you will soon know. By pruning out dead or diseased growth, regular watering and feeding and with a thick layer of mulch and compost, it is possible to nurture your hedge plants back to good health. If you have halted the blight you can apply a slow-release, balanced fertiliser to the soil in the autumn. www.countrygardener.co.uk

B H H G O W A N G A R T E M C A L M E D B E

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GARDEN VISITS

CORSLEY HOUSE

GARDENS TO VISIT

Corsley, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 7QH A garden full of surprises with a sculpted wave lawn, a beautiful walled garden and many well preserved ancient outbuildings around this Georgian/Jacobean house including a granary built on staddle stones, and all overlooking the National Trust’s Cley Hill. Open for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 7th August, 11am-5pm.

Admission £10, children free.

in August compiled by Vivienne Lewis

HARCOMBE HOUSE

August can be a difficult time for gardeners, with some plants fading, but there are many beautiful gardens opening for charity that show what can be achieved in late summer. Here’s a selection that will inspire you. We advise checking wherever possible before setting out on a journey as circumstances can force cancellations in private gardens. www.ngs.org.uk

Pitman’s Lane, Morecombelake, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6EB Landscaped into the hillside 500ft above the Char Valley, with spectacular views across Charmouth and Lyme Bay, the steeply sloping garden has a formal area and a wild garden; in August the hydrangeas and eucryphia are the stars. Open for the NGS on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th August, 1pm-6pm, admission £5, children free. Visitors can also explore the wood above the garden, extending to the top of Hardown Hill, one of the best viewpoints in Dorset.

CHURCH HOUSE Trinity Hill, Medstead, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5LT A new opening for the NGS on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th August, a colourful oneacre garden with a variety of trees and shrubs, long sweeping colour borders and wavy lawns, and the contrasting features enhanced by sculptures.

Espaliered fruit trees, a woodland area, small greenhouse and roses make for an interesting visit.

Open 1pm-6pm both days, admission £5, children free.

SHEEPEHOUSE COTTAGE Stepping Stone Lane, Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 6RX A new opening for the NGS on Sunday 14th August from 11am until 5pm, this lovely hillside garden has outstanding views across the Cotswolds, and a mixture of garden rooms with perennials, herbaceous and evergreens, a new cottage garden with formal pond and arbour, a wildflower orchard, small woodland area, greenhouse and wildlife pond. Admission £5, children free.

ROMAN HOUSE 5 St Andrew’s Meadow, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3NS A small town garden with a tropical twist, terraced cut flower beds, herbaceous borders and lawn, garden studio, raised beds for vegetables, and all bordered by a trickling stream. Open for the NGS on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th August, 1pm-5pm both days, admission £4.50, children free.

VEXFORD COURT Higher Vexford, Lydeard St Laurence, Somerset TA4 3QF A new opening for the NGS on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August, 10.30am-4.30pm, a large garden surrounding three converted barns, with one and a half acres sloping gently down to a stream. Roses around the courtyard entrance leads to herbaceous borders, shrubs and trees including a large Liriodendron tulipfera, catalpa, ginkgo, Wollemi pine and Persian Ironwood trees. Admission £5, children free.

OUR KEY TO FACILITIES ON OFFER AT THE GARDENS:

28

Refreshments available

Plants usually for sale

Wheelchair access to much of garden

Partial wheelchair access

Unsuitable for wheelchairs

Dogs on short leads

Visitors welcome by arrangement

Coaches welcome consult owners

Accommodation at this venue

Picnics welcome

Country Gardener

GARDEN VISITS

WESTBROOK HOUSE

GREATCOMBE Holne, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 7SP

West Bradley, Somerset BA6 8LS There are four acres with three distinct gardens to explore in this garden four miles from Glastonbury, with mixed herbaceous and shrub borders leading to a meadow and an orchard with plants including species roses. The planting and layout began in 2004 and is continuing.

Open for the NGS on Saturday 27th August, 11am-5pm, admission £5, children free.

22 AVON AVENUE Avon Castle, Ringwood, Dorset BH24 2BH

OLD DOWN MANOR GARDENS

Hidden in a Dartmoor valley, a tranquil garden set in two acres that has unusual planting and colour schemes, with a moorland stream, climbers and perennial borders, artist’s studio and art, plants and metalwork for sale.

Open for the NGS on Friday 19th, Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August, 1pm-5pm each day. Admission £5, children free.

A Japanese-themed water garden with granite sculptures, ponds, waterfalls, cloud topiary and a collection of waterlilies and goldfish.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 28th August, 12pm-5pm, admission £5, children free. Adult supervision of children necessary due to the large, deep pond.

Tockington, Bristol BS32 4PG A new opening for the NGS on Wednesday 31st August from 10am until 4pm, with a Victorian walled garden, a formal rose garden, rolling lawns and newly restructured rockery gardens with views across the Severn Valley; paths lead through woodland or meadows to a tranquil lake. Admission £6, children free.

TREETOPS, BROADCLYST Exeter, Devon EX5 3DT A one-acre cottage garden made from a former orchard, bordered by a forest and lovely landscape; there’s an avenue of ‘Olivia Austen’ roses and an old brick path surrounded by borders and a pond. Open for the NGS on Sunday 21st August, 1pm-5pm, admission £4, children free.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

1 POVEY’S COTTAGE Stoney Heath, Baughurst, Tadley, Hampshire RG26 5SN There’s plenty of interest in this cottage garden, with an orchard, small wildflower meadow area and an unusual natural swimming pond, as well as herbaceous borders, trees, shrubs, greenhouse and fruit cage, beehives and chickens.

Home-made pottery for sale, also plants. Open for the NGS on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August, 1pm5pm each day, admission £4, children free.

TREE HILL 76 Gretton Road, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5EL A visit to Barbados inspired this Cotswolds garden with its tall, exotic plants, banana plants, palm trees, tree ferns, cannas and massive leaves of the tetrapanax. There’s also a small orchard and an abundant vegetable garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 28th August, 10m-4pm, admission £4, children free.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH

MUST DO JOBS FOR THE

August garden

1

3

Watch out for blight on potatoes and tomatoes

Watch for any signs of blight on potatoes and tomatoes. Keep leaves dry on undercover tomatoes as blight enters the plant when the leaves are wet. The first signs of blight on tomatoes are large, dark-brown spots on the stems. Similar brown patches appear on the leaves but they are lighter in colour or grey. Some fruits develop dark ‘bruising’ and smell bad. If you spot an infected plant, pull it up.

The first signs of blight in potatoes are small, dark areas, often on the edges of leaves. Infected tubers have brown and purple skin blotches that go into the tubers.

If you spot blight on the leaves, cut off all the top growth to stop fungal spores spreading to the tubers underground. Then wait two weeks before lifting them.

2

Last chance to sow any annuals

Sowing annuals means you plant the plants that germinate, come into flower, set seed and then die, all in the space of one year. This month is the last chance to sow the seeds for them to come into flower in the later summer months.

The flowers that you should be looking to sow now would be both cosmos and nigella. These make a stunning addition to any flower bed and will be a beautiful flower to have in late summer.

5

Cut higher to keep grass healthier

Raise mower blades in dry spells. During dry weather, raise the blades on your lawn mower to allow the grass to grow a little bit longer. This will keep it greener and help retain moisture. Don’t panic if your grass does turn brown as it will soon green up again when the rain returns.

4

Stop strawberries from spreading too much

Cut back strawberries If you don’t want to create new strawberry plants using runners, it’s a good idea to cut back plants after they finish fruiting or they’ll spread very quickly. Remove any straw mulch and take out any weeds. New strawberry leaves will soon appear, so don’t worry if your plants look a bit bare after you prune them.

8

Collecting seeds for sowing

We are approaching the time when it is ideal to start collecting seeds.

Growing plants from seed is mostly straightforward and inexpensive. It is an opportunity to increase the number of plants in your garden for free.

It does however take a little understanding and planning.

Seedheads can ripen quickly, and must be watched carefully in order to collect the seed before they are dispersed.

As a rough guide, seed is set two months after flowering.

Berries need to be collected before they are taken by birds.

The plants from which you collect seed must be healthy and vigorous. This will help ensure good quality seedlings and plants.

Most seed germinates best if sown as soon as it ripens, whereas seed harvested while immature will not germinate.

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6

Mix grass cuttings with other materials to avoid a slimy mess

Compost grass clippings. If you don’t have a mulching mower, you’ll need to dispose of your grass clippings. It’s tempting to use the green-waste bin but it’s a waste of material for the compost heap. To avoid the clippings turning into a slimy mess, mix other materials into them, such as cardboard, and add a spadeful of soil as trials have shown this helps them to break down.

9

Keep on deadheading roses

Roses should be deadheaded not only in the summer months but throughout the whole growing season.

While you are deadheading your roses it is important that you remove the entire flowering head. You can do this by simply cutting the stem just above the first leaf that has five leaflets. Once you have done this you can then cut any disproportionately long stems to the height of the other stems to help keep everything looking neat and tidy.

Deadheading has so many benefits, not only does it help clean up the appearance of the rose but it also controls the spread of seeds and encourages your flower to grow thicker and fuller than previously.

7 Pick off flowers on coleus plants A coleus plant is a stunning genus of perennial herbs or shrubs. Their unique beauty stems from their gloriously vibrant colours and their unusual shape. They come in different types of combinations of green, pink, yellow, red and so many more brilliant colours. They can be added to both beds and borders to add an extra element of character to your garden.

It’s very important that you maintain the beauty of these plants; you can do this by picking off any leaves or flowers that may be going through a stage of browning or discolouration so that the vibrant colour is not overshadowed or dulled down.

Some coleus flowers can take on a slightly spiky texture.

You can remove these if you wish but keeping them will not be a hindrance or harmful to any of your other plants.

Water to reduce evaporation

It is important to keep on top of the watering of your plants during late July and August as it is a prolonged period of dry weather.

High temperatures mean that the soil dries up and therefore the plant finds it far more difficult to absorb water from the soil. The plants need this water to help transport vital nutrients from the soil into the plant.

Watering plants in peak heat will mean that a lot of the water will not fully soak into the soil as it will evaporate due to the heat.

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31

Summer troubles in the veg plot?

The vegetable plot is often a scene of intense activity during this stage of the summer. There is a lot to harvest but many vegetables may be causing summer problems. Vic Jeffrey owns a double allotment plot outside of Exeter and has been an enthusiastic vegetable grower for over 30 years. He answers some of the questions he often comes across from his fellow allotment owners.

Q. MY RAISED BED ISN’T AS SUCCESSFUL AS I HAD HOPED. DOES IT NEED BETTER DRAINAGE?

Q. THE TOPS OF MY TOMATOES ARE CURLING. WILL IT AFFECT THE FRUIT?

Raised beds can be accessed without having to walk on them, this prevents soil compaction, which also improves drainage, helping plant roots to grow more freely and take on more nutrients. Some raised beds allow for drainage through the air gaps between each block, and if you have built raised beds directly on patios, tarmac and concrete you could benefit from a drainage layer at the bottom if the bed - stones or gravel can be used for this.

If your garden is particularly susceptible to collecting surface water and feel you need an additional drainage source you could add a French drain to the base of the wall. This requires you digging a small trench, adding a perforated drainage pipe, which will needs to be directed away from the wall to either a main drain or to somewhere where it can easily soak away.

Many tomato growers get used to the leaves curling.

One cause is the fluctuation in temperature. For example, when you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse it is often the fact that those nearest the door will have leaf curl. Another cause is windy conditions.

Although it may not look as if the plant is healthy, it will not affect the fruit.

Q. HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY ONIONS ARE READY TO PICK? Yellowing and toppling of the foliage is a sign that the crop is reaching maturity.

Harvest before the foliage dies down completely. Carefully lift the bulbs with a fork, taking care not to damage or bruise them, as this could cause them to rot in storage. Use any damaged onions straight away.

When an onion flowers, often referred to as bolting, the bulbs are still edible, but the quality of the bulbs as an edible food crop diminishes. The overall size shrinks, flavour diminishes and the onions are harder to store.

Q. I AM KEEN TO KEEP FEEDING MY VEG PLANTS. WHAT IS THE BEST FEED, WHEN SHOULD I FEED THEM AND IS TOMATO FEED GOOD FOR ALL VEGETABLES? There is a danger you are overthinking this. If you are growing in containers or pots you should need to apply a regular feed as there will not be the depth of soil. But for other vegetables it should not be necessary at this stage of the growing season. Yes, you can use tomato feed on all plants, including vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals. The tomato feed contains high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential nutrients for plant growth. Tomato feed can also help improve the taste of fruits and vegetables.

Q. HOW DO I KEEP GARDEN PESTS OUT OF THE GREENHOUSE IN AUGUST? The problem with greenhouse pests is that in the summer warmth and protected environment under glass, they can proliferate rapidly. If infestations are severe, plants won’t crop as well and might even die.

Luckily, most of these pests are easy to spot, if you know what to look for. The two most common pests are red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly. Red spider mites are tiny, almost invisible, little mites but the fine webbing that they use to clamber over plants is much more visible. You might also notice the leaves becoming pale and speckled, and, on their undersides, the mites’ eggs and cast skins. Honeydew is a tell-tale sign that a pest is about. It’s the sticky excretion pests leave behind if they’ve been feeding on a plant’s sugary sap. Scale insects, mealy bugs and greenfly will also produce honeydew, so check plants for them too. Scale insects look like small brown limpets, usually on stems or the underside of leaves. Mealy bugs cover themselves in white, fluffy wax so are easy to spot.

You could try an organic spray based on natural pyrethrum, fatty acids or plant oils to gain control, but it will probably need repeated applications.

Q. HOW OFTEN SHOULD THE VEGETABLE GARDEN BE WATERED IN JULY AND AUGUST? Most plants require an inch to an inch and a half of water per week. But variables such as wind speeds, humidity, rainfall, air temperatures and the consistency of your soil can cause this to vary. When the soil feels dry an inch or two into the ground it’s time to water.

A deep watering is more beneficial than a shallow or short watering period.

Q. HOW DO I KEEP PESTS OUT OF MY RAISED BED IN SUMMER? If you have problems with rabbits build the raised bed at 0.35m and above to prevent them getting to your prized plants and veggies. Crop protectors can provide some cover, especially from cats, insects can be a little more difficult to control but there are friendly ways to keep them out; adding a bug hotel nearby will help encourage beneficial insects into the garden who can feast on pests such as greenfly and black fly and if you add a bird feeder they will repay you by picking out insects too, but make sure you add a deterrent to keep them away from seedlings and strawberries!

Q. WHAT CAN I STILL GROW IN LATE SUMMER? Most of us wishing to grow vegetables go slightly bonkers in the spring dash to sow and plant, but forget about all the things you can grow in late summer. On my allotment what really makes for a productive plot is getting succession right, and establishing a steady harvest across the growing season rather than the boom-bust of gluts.

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Late sow some borlotti beans 32

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33

Havens on Earth The Caring for God’s Acre charity is working hard to keep burial grounds beautiful, accessible and connected to their communities Old churchyards and cemeteries are increasingly important sanctuaries for wildlife as well as for people -enclosed spaces where the grass has been relatively undisturbed, growing and re-seeding naturally for hundreds if not thousands of years.

The charity, Caring for God’s Acre, works across England and Wales supporting groups to care for these special places. But what makes them so special?

There are many reasons but let’s start with the flowery grassland. It has been both scythed for hay and grazed by animals during this time, but not treated with chemical fertilisers/pesticides or ploughed. Essentially they are meadows.

Meadows were once widespread in the UK but this habitat is now rare. Since the 1940s over 97 per-cent has vanished but, as most churchyards and many other types of burial ground pre-date the 1940s, meadow areas are often found within their boundary walls.

One way of preserving this rare grassland is to allow it to grow and flower for around 10-12 weeks over the summer. Then cut and rake the grass clippings up so that the nutrient levels are kept low and coarse grasses such as cocks’ foot and false oat grass don’t outcompete the finer flowers. Conservation in these special places is all about active management, not neglect and we always promote keeping grass short where there are recent and visited memorials.

These sites are also sanctuaries for a diverse array of lichens. As undisturbed, natural outcrops of rock and stone have decreased over the years, places with headstones have become of supreme importance for lichen conservation. The different types of rocks and building materials support different lichen communities: limestone, sandstone, marble, mortar etc. Also, the stonework varies from rough to smooth, shaded to exposed, damp to dry, horizontal to vertical - providing different niches for lichens. Those on the shaded north side of a wall are different to those on the sunny south side.

Of the 1700 British species, over a third have been found in burial grounds and many sites have well over 100 species on the stonework, on trees and in the grassland. Some grow very slowly at less than half a mm per year!

One way of preserving rare grassland is to let is grow for 10 to 12 weeks

Then there are the yew trees. Britain contains one of the world’s greatest collections of ancient yews, with well over half of our total population being found within churchyards. Around 800 yews with an age of above 600 years have been recorded in churchyards across England and Wales. Experts estimate age using a variety of ways including investigating old maps, looking up tree records, measuring tree girth and looking at the growth form. Several yew trees are believed to be over 2000 years old and there is no known limit to how old they could live.

Churchyards and cemeteries often have a mixture of tree types – which is really valuable to birds that raise several broods in a breeding season. These birds have to start early so often use a conifer as a nesting site for the first nest, when deciduous trees are leafless, and may then switch to the deciduous trees later in the season.

Many sites offer a wealth of nesting, feeding and roosting opportunities– think of the external building walls with buttresses, gargoyles, ledges, porches, towers, spires, along with moss and ivy covered memorials.

Birds such as blackbirds, song thrushes and wrens live there all year round, nesting in trees and hedges. Other birds, such as swifts are here for only about three months and those sites with suitable nesting places are really important for this beautiful bird which is in decline. Swifts need our help – over the past 15 years numbers of this amazing bird have dropped by about 40 per cent. Some site managers - as well as ensuring that building renovation work doesn’t remove swift nesting places – are also increasing nesting opportunities by putting swift boxes behind the louvers in the church tower. Nest holes, nest boxes or swift bricks can be fitted into and onto buildings (including listed ones) without difficulty.

Burial grounds are often the only locally accessible green space for many people and the treasures within them are there because of the way our ancestors have looked after these sites for centuries. Now it is our time to give them the attention and care they deserve and enjoy being custodians of these amazing places.

If the idea of spotting the wildlife in your churchyard or cemetery appeals to you, you may like to join in with the charities citizen science project (information on the website) where visitors are encouraged to record the species they see and send in their records. Last year over 20,000 records were submitted. From the smallest ladybird to the largest yew tree, the charity would love to hear about them all!

Churchyards capture the history of communities

• • • •

There are over 20,000 burial grounds in England and Wales. They range from small rural medieval churchyards to large Victorian city cemeteries.

They span different cultures, religions and centuries.

They capture the history of communities and offer refuge for wildlife.

They are now increasingly under threat from development and often mismanagement.

www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk 01588 673041 34

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ACROSS

1. Neatness that starts with a garden

fruit? (5-3,5) 8. Capsicum or a pungent, hot-tasting powder (6) 13. Invasive weed also called herb Gerard (6,5) 14. A plant that is parasitic on the roots of hazel and beech (9) 15. Botanically egg-shaped with the narrow end basal (7) 16. The cultivation of flowers (12) 18. Flower girl? (5) 19. Gobble ones food in a disgusting manner (3,4,1,3) 20. Cathedral city home to the beautiful Jubilee Gardens (3) 21. South African flower sometimes called Buck Bay vygie (11,5) 24. Scottish name for the corn spurrey flower (4) 27. A plant of the genus Baptisia with blue flowers (4,6) 29. A condition or time of flowering (10) 32. Of vegetation, growing too thick and coarse (4) 33. Bright red, arable flower and fictional hero of Baroness Orczy (7,9) 37. Evergreen shrub widely appreciated, but especially in the UK! (3) 38. Useful aid for summer gardening? (8,3) 40. Country bumpkins or yokels (5) 41. Monk’s rhubarb or rumex patientia (8,4) 42. Falls between Canada and the United States (7) 44. Most crunchy, as applied to apples (9) 45. An attractive woman named after a beautiful home-grown flower (7,4) 46. Tropical fruit tree of the soapberry family (6) 47. A female teacher in charge of a residence at a boarding school (13) DOWN 2. Russian composer famous for ‘The Love for Three Oranges’ (9)

3. Flowering plant of the verbena family, sometimes called Spanish flag (7) 4. Dead before another person such as a relative (11) 5. Tropical vegetable closely related to taro (4) 6. Classic countryside book written by political reformer William Cobbett (5,5) 7. The muse of music (7) 9. Scientific study of animal behaviour (8) 10. To swell or bulge (11) 11. Devon village where rodents might be found (7) 12. Abstract ideas or theories (8) 13. Plant of the buttercup family, belonging to the Trollius genus (11) 17. More powerful and muscular (8) 22. Black radish or radis ____ (4) 23. Made from the dried berries of Pimenta dioica and highly valued in cuisine (8) 25. Goeppertia insignis - plant from Brazil (11) 26. A small amount of land surrounded by water (4) 28. Red like this House’s rose (11) 30. Garden pests perhaps, but an edible import to our shores? (5,6) 31. Technically a Brassica, this is a weed found in fields (9) 34. Protective layers that cover the epidermis of higher plants (8) 35. Sweet and fragrant like the drink of the gods (9) 36. Favourite, intensely fragrant summer flower (5,3) 37. Up to date and current (7) 39. A public ball or masquerade, popular in the 18th century (7) 40. A girl’s name and a flowering Calluna (7) 43. An ancient British and Irish alphabet (4)

Answers from July 2022 on p27 37

READERS STORY

‘Depression: how my garden gives me hope.’

Country Gardener reader Amy Sharpe shares how fresh air and working hard in her Dorset garden have lifted the anxiety and depression she has had since being a teenager I have experienced bouts of depression and anxiety since I was a teenager.

I am now in my early 40’s and there are still dark days when I am too stressed to do anything.

But gardening has given me hope and I am so thankful for it.

I lived for a long time in rental houses with no garden but I started growing a few vegetables in pots for years before we moved into our current house.

I got my first proper garden six years ago.

I can honestly say that gardening has proven to be the best self-administered therapy around! As a friend said, “Gardening can be really grounding”!

When we bought our house the garden had been neglected for several years by the previous owner. It was just over half an acre but a mess. Part of it was a lawn which was worn and full of patches.

My memory of first seeing it was there was no hint of any colour in it – just brown and green.

Over the past six years my family and I have worked very

hard and it now features a plentiful vegetable patch which is my domain, a pergola with grape vines over our north facing kitchen window, (my husband likes to think of this as his vineyard), a mini orchard with apples, pears, apricot, nectarine, a cherry tree and raspberries and mandarin, chickens and a succulent collection.

On sunny days like the ones we had in June with the sun overhead it is nothing short of a paradise and I just stand there and am so grateful.

It is easy to be overdramatic about the effects of gardening but I think it saved my life. It gave me something to look forward to.

Depression is tiring and bleak. You are not able to see into the future without getting upset and stressed.

So, the simple task of planting seeds in spring gave me that hope. That there was something in the future that I could look forward to. I have gained immense satisfaction and pleasure from the garden. I glow with pride when people visit and say how wonderful it all looks. There is often a degree of surprise when people look out of the window to

‘The garden needs me and rewards me in such a tangible way’

Editorial

Magazines

Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 431767

view such a fertile and plentiful garden because I think they thought it was beyond me.

I think that the trick to gardening as therapy is to be in the present – to smell the plants and feel the soil.

To notice the bugs and the moisture.

To listen to what your garden is telling you about what it needs and to respond without fear of failure.

The hardest moments in gardening for me came when I embarked on getting rid of the old lawn and the weeds in the old garden without using any chemicals. I look back on what surely must have been months of digging. I would close my eyes and be haunted by the image of the brambles and four foot high weeds. Pulling up couch grass and hearing the snapping sound that means I haven’t got it all, is still a source of despair. But it was all very much worth it and through all that digging and sifting (and digging and sifting and digging and sifting) I learnt so much about the soil in different parts of the garden. If I find myself digging up weeds with resentment or watering the garden (from our rainwater tank) on autopilot then I know I need to stop and slow down and be mindful.

There is always work to be done outside and if I find myself feeling heavy with depression or stunted by anxiety then I know I need to get out there and get on with it.

The garden needs me and rewards me in such a tangible way. The garden is the one place that the black and white thinking that can come with mental illness can be constructive. When it comes to human relationships black and white thinking is rarely realistic or constructive and one can get tangled up in emotional knots trying to make sense of things through a bout of depression. However, a garden has clear needs and if one is not present enough to tend to them then it becomes obvious through the garden’s response.

Hiding in bed is not an option!

I also believe that there is a lot to be said for the healing properties of good old fashioned fresh air and exercise. Of course, the therapeutic side of gardening is only one small part of why I do it.

I didn’t start digging up the couch grass because I thought it would help me – I wanted to grow veg and teach my kids about nature and sustainability.

I still belong to a group of people who meet regularly and talk about our depression. There is so much of it around if only people would be open about it, accept it and start doing something about it.

Gardening has saved me. I hate to think where my life would be without it.

Time Off

Cath Pettyfer - Devon cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660

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