Cotswolds Country Gardener March 2022

Cotswolds Issue No 183 March 2022 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

WILDLIFE NEEDS YOU MORE THAN EVER

What is most at risk and how you can help this spring MORE INSIDE:

Early NGS gardens to visit Get fit for gardening Houseplant heaven

Action stations in the veg patch Tomato growing masterclass The delights of compost making

Prepare for Spring 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

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M40 LEAMINGTON SPA A425 STRATFORD UPON AVON

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Farnborough Garden Centre B4100 M40

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ROSS GARDEN STORE Looking for a different shopping experience?

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A unique independent family run business nestled in the heart of Ross on Wye, a small market town on the banks of the river Wye in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

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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CUTTINGS

Gardeners cuttings

in the Cotswolds

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Coming soon - New watering system supports plants at every stage of growth

How about a watering system that can support your plants at every stage of growth? AutoPot, specialists in self watering systems, have developed Tray2Grow, an automated, power-free watering system that offers five ways to irrigate and feed plants from germination to fruiting or flowering.

Seed trays, small pots, grow bags, micro herbs, and planters, can each be accommodated, allowing you to explore all manner of projects from start to finish.

Nineteen different native trees were planted at NT Coleshill

NT Coleshill celebrates with 22,000 trees

Ten years worth of tree planting has been completed in just one winter on the National Trust’s Coleshill estate in West Oxfordshire thanks to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

In total, 22,000 trees of 19 different native British trees have been planted along with 15,000 hedgerow plants.

Staff and volunteers have dug the holes, planted the trees, wrapped them in coconut fibre tree guards and then secured them to posts.

The aim of the planting is to improve habitats for wildlife, capture carbon and replace some of the trees lost through disease over the last 40 years.

BISHAMPTON GARDENING CLUB BACK IN FULL ACTION Bishampton is six miles from Evesham and Pershore and between Fladbury and Flyford Flavell, with an enthusiastic number of gardeners who support the club as well as regular visitors from other areas further afield. This year the Open Gardens Day is scheduled for Sunday, 19th June.

The club uses The Bishampton Villages Hall (WR10 2LY) on the 1st Wednesday of the month where speakers can use the necessary equipment to deliver their talk.

A calendar of events includes garden visits. Meetings start at 7.30pm The Spring Show this year is on Sunday, April 3rd. Entries on the day and the Summer show – takes place on Saturday August 13th open to all. Entries by August 11th.

Membership is open to all or arrive as a visitor.

Details and schedules from Jan Tel: 01386 462 436 or info@bishamptongardeningclub.org.uk

Irrigation is supplied via the AQUAvalve5 in the tray. It opens to supply water to a 20 mm depth and then closes. Once the plants have used that supply the valve reopens to repeat the cycle.

Directing water to your container of choice are a network of channels in the base of Tray2Grow. Onto these you place capillary matting which draws irrigation up, through root control into the growing container. When using grow bags, optional ‘capillary spikes’ can be fitted to the inside of the tray. These pierce the underside of a grow bag, allowing you to irrigate the substrate within. If you wish you can supply nutrient solution via the capillary mat or spikes.

www.autopot.co.uk

NGS teams up with the Woodland Trust to plant Jubilee trees

Plant a tree for the Jubilee

The National Garden Scheme has joined forces with the Woodland Trust to promote tree planting during the Queen’s Jubilee year. The NGS is a Friend of The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee which invites people to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.

The NGS has put together information about which tree to choose for your garden and how to plant it. The NGS stresses that trees are a vital part of our wild and domestic landscapes - they are essential for people’s wellbeing, for wildlife and the environment, capturing carbon and helping the fight against climate change.

One of the points that both organisations want to get across is the importance of planting trees which are more likely to do well in certain areas, and to think carefully before you choose one or more trees.

www.ngs.org.uk which also has a link to the Woodland Trust website and its wealth of detailed information.

THINKING OF REPLACING YOUR PATIO, THIS YEAR? Over the years, garden stonework becomes covered in layers of lichen, algae and white fungi.

which can number millions!

Successfully remove this, and the original stone will be, virtually as good as new!

Pressure washing has little effect; merely removing surface dirt and accentuating their presence.

The black spots that appear on your garden stonework, begin life as pollen sized, lichen spores, emanating from the trees, travelling on the breeze until deposited, by the rain, in the pores of your garden stonework!

The Patio Black Spot Removal System ® containing Euchan2®, is an exercise in garden sustainability; the complete garden stonework restoration system, that both restores and prevents the return of the black spots.

Their micro - fibrous roots penetrate the surface, anchoring themselves, the mineral in the stone, sustaining their growth.

Whether your stone is five or 500 years old, Patio Black Spot Remover works in just two hours!

The older the stone, the deeper the roots, and the worse the infestation,

www.patioblackspotremoval.com www.countrygardener.co.uk

3

SPRING INTO ACTION for 2022

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CUTTINGS

Hellebore Open Days are back at Kapunda Plants After the disappointment of having to cancel her open days last year, hellebore expert Juliet Davis is opening her two-acre garden at Southstoke Lane, Bath, for its display of hellebores, and to raise funds for Dorothy House Hospice Care.

The Open Days at Kapunda will be on Sunday, 6th and Sunday, Hellebore expert Juliet Davies 13th March, from 2pm until 4pm. Admission is £5, plants will be for sale, and tea and homemade cakes available.

Specialising in the growing and propagation of Lenten Hellebores, Juliet runs a nursery from Kapunda.

Juliet said: “During lockdown I worked on further developing the display beds and continuing the programme of hellebore propagation, with much excitement as the three- year-old plants come into flower for the first time.”

Garden clubs and societies are welcome by appointment, and the plant nursery is open for buyers, strictly by appointment. Contact Juliet Davis on 01225 832165.

Kapunda Plants, Southstoke Lane, Bath BA2 5SH www.kapundaplants.co.uk

RHS Malvern promises greenest ever show RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2022 kicks off the Royal Horticultural Society’s show season with its greenest ever show.

Hosted at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, from Thursday, May 5th to Sunday, May 8th -the show is back after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.

Shows manager, Jane Edwards, said: “Plants, gardens and green spaces, whatever their size, have been vitally important during the pandemic, and so we wanted to put on a festival that will bring more greenery and gardening into our lives. The brand new RHS feature garden, the ‘Vitamin G ‘garden, does exactly this, offering practical ways to benefit from a daily dose of Vitamin G (gardening”.

Tickets are now on sale at www.rhsmalvern.co.uk

If you’re hoping to visit one of the many private gardens that open for the National Garden Scheme, there’s the opportunity to have a private tour on a date to suit you.

A garden open by arrangement accepts visitors to their garden for a more personal visit, on a pre-agreed date. Usually, the garden will advertise a range of dates available that they are willing to open so that visitors can decide on their most suitable option.

In 2022 there are 43 gardens in Gloucestershire opening in the National Garden Scheme that offer visits by arrangement with the owner.

The period being offered for visits in this way are in the garden’s entry on the NGS website, and the entry will also show whether teas are available, if dogs are welcome, if plants will be on sale, and whether there is wheelchair access.

Monks Spout Cottage, May Hill, Longhope, Gloucestershire is a new opening for the NGS this year. The two thirds of an acre garden is adjacent to Castle Hill Wood which is the backdrop for a mix of herbaceous borders, lawns, mature trees, ponds, and garden sculptures, with a greenhouse, stream and large display of insectivorous plants, mostly planted outside but some in the greenhouse.

Springtime at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum

The garden opens only by arrangement from February-September for groups of up to 30. Homemade teas will be available. The garden is not accessible for wheelchairs. There are public footpaths adjacent to the garden which lead through the wood where visitors can see the remains of a ringwork castle dating from the twelfth century.

This spring promises to be a most spectacular season at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum.

Magnolia flowering is always a special time in the arboretum and the famed ‘Westonbirt Diva’ is a main attraction as the dramatic display of wonderful pink flowers dominates the view on Circular Drive.

Serridge House, Coalpit Heath, Gloucestershire is a two and a halfacre garden with mature trees, heather and conifer beds, island beds mostly of perennials, woodland area with pond, a colourful courtyard with old farm implements, lake views, lakeside walks and unique tree carvings.

Other spring highlights include: The Handkerchief or Dove tree with its papery white bracts, The Cherry plum with their delicate pale pink or white flowers, Chinese Winter Hazel with its fragrant, yellow, drooping racemes and the beautiful carpets of bluebells adorning Silk Wood.

Mark Ballard, curator at Westonbirt explains:“Amongst the team, spring is our favourite time of the year. The sights and smells alone make it a truly magnificent place. There’s also a tremendous heritage linking springtime and the arboretum.

NGS gardens open for private tours in the Cotswolds

To find out more go to www.ngs.org.uk or consult the NGS National Handbook for 2022, and county booklets are also available.

Spring is an equally dramatic

time at Westonbirt “The Westonbirt Diva is a champion magnolia tree. It is the tallest of its kind the British Isles and its roots can be traced back to seeds brought to the UK from China in 1900. Then there’s our ornamental rhododendron collections, which first began in the 1860’s and it’s thought that Camelias, which bloom so proudly, first arrived on our shores at the start of the 1700’s.”

Westonbirt, Tetbury GL8 8QS

Gardeners warned of invasive plant threat Gardeners in the Cotswolds have been urged to take caution before planting a common plant which in one case caused more than £100,000-worth of damage.

There have been two recent incidents of the plant in the county. The message being issued is clear and simple - ‘think twice’ before putting Chinese moso bamboo in your garden. The warning comes after one person was forced to dig up the entire ground floor of their property after a Chinese moso bamboo plant got completely out of control.

Invasive plant specialist Environet UK is now warning other gardeners to show caution.

It can grow almost a metre in a single day.

One homeowner suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage after the plant spread from a neighbouring property on to their own, according to Environet UK.

FREE ROSES FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS Community gardens across the Cotswolds are being planted with the new yellow flowering Rosa John Ystumllyn as a symbol of unity and diversity in gardening.

Named after a famous 18th century Black gardener the double Rosa ‘John Ystumllyn’ flowered hybrid tea has been bred by Harkness Roses and is thought to be the first rose to recognise a minority ethnic Briton.

To apply for roses for your community garden email enquiries@roses.co.uk

Look out for the April edition of Country Gardener available from Saturday 26th March www.countrygardener.co.uk

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FLOWERING TREES FOR

small gardens Trees give your garden structure, provide shade and make a wonderful resource for wildlife – every garden should have them in abundance. As spring appears on the horizon it’s worth remembering that no garden is too small for a tree, and there’s a wide and varied range of flowering trees suitable for small spaces.

MULTI-PURPOSE TREES Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo ‘Atlantic’) has handsome evergreen leaves, autumn flowers and characterful bark and is one of a group of small, evergreen trees with flowers like lily-ofthe-valley and unusual red and yellow fruits. It will grow to four metres.

YEAR-ROUND PERSONALITY Amelanchier lamarckii has flowers in spring, ornamental fruit in summer and fiery foliage in autumn which is fully grown at five metres. Also known as juneberry, this is a bushy, small tree with pure white flowers in spring. They are followed by berries and there’s fiery autumn leaf colour. Three different seasons from one tree.

GOLDEN GLORY

WONDERFUL WEEPING WILLOW Salix purpurea ‘Pendula’ is a lovely small weeping willow with purple stems that carry catkins before the leaves open. Height four feet.

FAR EASTERN DELIGHT The Japanese apricot, Prunus mume ‘Benichidori’ is a great small tree which will contain itself at three feet. Its rich pink flowers are freshly scented and open in February and March, and casts only dappled shade.

The golden wattle, Acacia baileyana lights up the garden in late winter and early spring. Its silvery grey, feathery evergreen leaves make a lovely background to yellow flower clusters.

HAWTHORN YOU CAN CONTROL Crataegus persimilis ‘Prunifolia’ is a glorified up market hawthorn. It has more compact growth, darker and glossier foliage, and bright white flowers sparked by pink anthers. The flowers are followed by exceptionally persistent crimson. Five metres in height.

CRAB APPLE DELIGHT

WELCOMING WHITE

An exceptional crab apple, Malus ‘Evereste’ has snowy white, spring flowers opening from red buds to give an attractive contrast. It won’t grow more than six feet.

Cornus kousa ‘John Slocock’ is an upright Japanese dogwood. Its vertical branches create a tree that fits into a small space. The white bracts, opening in June, are veined in green with bright red fruits that look like strawberries forming later. Maximum height is four metres.

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7

WILDLIFE

FANTASTIC MR FOX Can I stop them trampling the garden?

Smart, swift and stealthy we are seeing more foxes in our gardens than ever before.

Increasingly famous for their urban habitats they certainly haven’t neglected their appearance in gardens, often during daylight.

Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have made a success of living with people. This is not based upon their mythical cunning, but rather their ability to adapt to a range of changing conditions. Wherever you live you probably have at least one fox visiting your garden. The profile of the urban fox has never been higher, but their rural counterparts still are prolific and many of us don’t know whether to love or hate them.

Foxes are one of the most recognisable wild animals in Britain and these wily animals are extraordinarily adaptable and as at home in urban and suburban areas as they are in the countryside.

In many cases foxes go unnoticed or are welcome wildlife in gardens and they cause no damage, but can trample plants, eat ripening fruits, dig holes or leave droppings and food debris.

A fox may dig up new plants, especially where bonemeal, dried blood or chicken pellet manure has been used. Foxes smell these materials and dig down searching for food.

Dog foxes use their excrement and pungent urine as territorial markers, often leaving their droppings in prominent positions. If a garden forms the boundary between fox territories, it may be frequently marked in this way.

Foxes largely need to be tolerated in gardens and can be considered part of the biodiversity gardens support and as such it can be impossible to keep foxes out of gardens. Standard netting or fencing is unlikely to provide an effective barrier, as foxes can scramble over or dig underneath.

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What noises do foxes make?

Red foxes are very vocal compared to other fox species.

They use barks, whines and throaty noises for several communication purposes, from conversations with their young to alarm calls and aggressive ‘gekkering’.

Foxes live in social groups of two to six adults, although they mostly forage independently. They use vocalisations to communicate to nearby foxes. A study in Bristol found that when different groups of foxes encounter each other, it almost always results in aggression to defend territory.

Why do foxes scream?

Foxes are perhaps best known for their ‘screams’, which are mostly heard at night, when the animals are most active.

The high-pitched wails are made by vixens (female foxes), mostly in the breeding season, which begins in January.

It has been suggested that the screams are sounds of pain when foxes are locked together during mating, but this is an urban myth. The screams are the females trying to summon a mate.

This problem is mainly caused by cubs playing in the late spring and early summer. They can do considerable damage to flowerbeds and cloches. But playing in gardens may also lead to disaster for the foxes, and fox cubs frequently get hung in garden netting or entangled in lengths of garden line left lying on the ground. Either securely block all the entrance points to the garden or find where the cubs are lying up and persuade them to move elsewhere by use of animal repellents and general disturbance. Better still, remember it’s a short-lived problem that will go as the cubs get older and try and enjoy the wildlife!

Do the foxes pose a health hazard?

Foxes are prone to a variety of diseases, virtually all of which occur in domestic dogs. These include parvo virus, distemper, ear canker and sarcoptic mange, which is invariably fatal. In the case of the latter, the mites burrow into the skin and cause severe irritation; over a period of three to four months the fox loses most or all of its fur and dies of emaciation. It really is a horrible disease, and is also found in rural foxes and, contrary to popular belief, is not a consequence of urban scavenging.

It is important to remember that most urban foxes are perfectly healthy and not the disease-ridden animals they are sometimes portrayed to be.

Is the urban fox a different species?

Should I hand-feed the foxes?

No. Foxes born in cities may disperse to the country, and vice versa.

No. Do not try to make foxes tame. While it is a great thrill to have wild foxes coming to take food from your hand, problems arise because many urban foxes are now so tame that they approach strangers in the expectation of being fed. Perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of people are scared by such behaviour because they do not know if the foxes are being aggressive or just inquisitive.

Do urban and rural foxes look different?

Country Gardener

No. You often hear stories that urban foxes are greyer, and have fewer good coats, or foot problems from walking on concrete all the time. These are all myths.

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

GARDEN

advice

A new growing season is almost with us, and our postbag of readers’ queries reflects some spring growing concerns.

If you have any queries you would like Country Gardener to help you with write to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

Can I put woodchip boiler ash or wood ash generally on my vegetable plot?

Jenny Hall Taunton Ash contains a lot of good things for the soil - phosphorous, potassium and other nutrients. So, the answer is yes but only if the ash is from untreated wood. It is alkaline so it would be better to carry out a pH test to make sure of the starting point of your soil. Most fruit will benefit from the potash but don’t put ash on crops which prefer slightly acidic conditions like potatoes and raspberries.

I have all through the winter months had rats all over my vegetable patch and I fear they will remain over the growing season.

Is there anything I can do to keep them at bay and how serious is this for any vegetables I have grown?

Simon Davies Chepstow The main concern about the rats being in and around your vegetable plot is Weil’s disease (leptospirosis) a form of bacterial infection caught from their urine in water or on wet leaves. They can also carry salmonella. The RSPCA gives good advice on deterring rats including not putting cooked food on compost heaps and taking care feeding birds to prevent spillage.

Help - my lovely and much-admired magnolia has stopped flowering.

Christina Pawsley Liss Many magnolia species have flower buds that are more sensitive to frost or cold snaps than the leaf buds. If the tree has flower buds, but they don’t open, they may have died due to cold.

They can also die due to a tiny insect called a thrip. It sucks the sap out of the flower buds, killing them. They are so small they can go unnoticed, unless you look for them.

Keeping the soil around the tree damp during the hottest and driest time of year can help the tree set flower buds. If the tree dries out too much it may not produce flower buds in order to try to stay alive.

Prune magnolias in the month or so after they bloom or at that time, if they didn’t bloom.

When should I cut back snowdrop foliage?

Ian Stewart Martock Leave as long possible is the best answer, as the foliage feeds the bulbs for the following season. If you really are impatient to cut the foliage back leave it until at least six weeks. Any earlier and you are damaging next year’s show.

What has been eating my rhubarb leaves over the last couple of years?

Lillian Morris Plymouth When it comes to rhubarb leaves the culprits should be quite easily identified. Caterpillars or plain old slugs and snails won’t be easily put off by the toxicity of the leaves. The solution should just be good quality eco -friendly slug pellets spread around the base of the plant in spring.

I have a five-year-old olive tree and would like to take cuttings from it and grow in the greenhouse and then ideally pass on the new plants to friends and family. Is this possible?

Mick Yandell Portsmouth First, select a healthy twig that is about the size of a pencil.

Next, strip the leaves away from the lower two thirds of the twig, then dip it in a rooting hormone mix. Finally, place the twig in dampened soil, and keep it watered. It will take two to three weeks for an olive branch to root and begin to develop.

When can I plant out dahlias?

Amanda Grant sent by email Dahlias are tender tubers and warm weather plants, and their foliage will not tolerate freezing temperatures. which means they won’t survive a frost. Start them off undercover in early spring, then plant them outside after the frosts have passed in late May or June.

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We have a spectacular pampas grass in the new garden which we moved into last June. So, this is the first year I am having to deal with pruning it. The plant is a feature of the street, so I am slightly nervous about to deal with it. Any help very gratefully received.

Angela Hawkins Poole Unless the plant is very old and coming to the end of its life this shouldn’t be too difficult at all. Remove the old flowering stems in February or March. Then cut as close to the base as you can and you can afford to be quite brutal.

How do I grow parsnips with long straight roots?It is something my dad always did.

Nick Enderby Dawlish There are no real ‘types’ of parsnips which will produce the long and dramatic roots you want but there definitely are varieties which are better for some soils and this will affect their length and straightness. All parsnips are best suited to well dug, light soil which drains well.

Remove as many stones from the ground as possible. When parsnip roots hit stones, they tend to split and grow wonky.

Do not add manure to the site before sowing seed. Addition of fresh manure encourages the roots to split. Parsnips prefer a neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

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11

Down to

EARTH A recent survey by the RHS identified that up to 40 per cent of gardeners were unaware of the type of soil they were working with - a fact which makes it no surprise that there is a lot to do to get soil quality in spring improved

Beginner gardeners could be forgiven for thinking that soil is just, well soil. That’s fair enough, as most soil does look similar. But dig beneath the surface and you’ll discover that soil can vary enormously in its structure, consistency, fertility and ability to hold onto moisture.

It has a huge impact on the kind of plants that you can raise, and it determines how well they grow. For example, plants usually romp away in fertile soil that’s in good shape, while those set in infertile soil tend to limp along before giving up the ghost.

What kind of soil

There are several ways of identifying your own soil. First, dig a hole as deep as the blade of your spade and examine your soil’s profile. The topsoil is the fertile soil in which most of your plant roots will grow. Ideally, the layer of topsoil should be a spit deep.

If not, bulk it up with rich compost. Next, grab a handful of soil, squeeze it into a ball and see how it responds. If it crumbles, your soil is sandy. If it’s almost impossible to break and makes your hand dirty, it’s clay. If it’s between the two, it’s loamy. Another key quality is soil pH. You can buy pH meters or litmus paper to check your own soil or try some local detective work.

If soil in your area is acidic, there will be rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and blue hydrangeas.

If it’s alkaline, you should see a lot of poppies, and hydrangeas will be pink, not blue. You can still grow most vegetables in either case but just beware of certain preferences.

Forty per cent of gardeners couldn’t say what type of soil they had

Improving soil

Improving the soil involves two aspects - firstly adding more nutrients and secondly adding humus (organic material like garden compost or manure) to improve the structure.

Adding organic material makes the soil airier and this aids root development and tends to improve drainage on heavy soil. Once the organic material breaks down, after a year or so, the process may need repeating.

The main consideration is your soil. Those on heavy clay may wish to follow the Great Dixter method of adding coarse grit to heavy clay to improve drainage.

Adding grit has the advantage of being permanent and clay is already a fertile medium. Once the digging is done it would then be possible to top dress with a sprinkling of a slow-release fertiliser like blood, fish and bone every March and September.

Clay soils are fertile, but heavy clay can become waterlogged in winter and dry rock solid in summer.

It can be improved by digging in plenty of well-rotted manure and a few handfuls of grit, which will improve its drainage and enable it to hold onto moisture more effectively in summer, prevent it from turning to concrete.

Sandy soils benefit from having well-rotted manure or garden compost dug in. This bulks up the soil and enables it to hold onto nutrients and water more effectively, allowing it to reach the roots of plants. Digging the same materials into silty soil will help improve its structure and prevent it from compacting too easily.

Acidic or alkaline?

Gardeners often talk about soil acidity or pH. Very simply, soil acidity is recorded on a pH scale of 1 to 14. A pH of 7 indicates that the soil is neutral with scale points above this being alkaline and anything beneath it signalling that soil is acidic. Most plants prefer a pH of between 6.5 and 7.

You can discover the pH of your soil with a testing kit.

How to keep your soil healthy

Add organic matter throughout the spring 12

Soil requires a little bit of attention to keep it in good shape. If it’s regularly cultivated mulch it annually in autumn or spring with a 7.5cm (3in) layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure. As it breaks down, it will improve the fertility of the soil and encourage worms and microorganisms. Rain can literally ‘flush’ nutrients out of Country Gardener

You must identify what type of soil you have

the ground, so after a wet winter work organic matter into the ground with a fork.

Choosing top soil

High in nutrients and organic matter, top soil is the uppermost layer of soil. It’s available to buy in bags or in bulk, and is useful if your soil is poor, exhausted or you have a space without any natural soil, such as a courtyard. There are three different grades – premium, general purpose and economy. The first is most expensive but best for new beds as it has been screened to remove weeds and stones.

Feeding your soil

Slow-release fertilisers are much better at releasing nutrients in the best way. Blood, fish and bone is generally the best and the powder is easy to spread.

There are water-based fertilisers that deliver a fast rush of nitrogen and which promote a lot of soft leaf. This soft growth is unattractive to look at and more prone to pests’ attack - it’s almost a gourmet meal for aphids. It could be used on brassicas, but isn’t suitable for strawberries in flower.

If you want to promote flower and fruit opt for a tomato feed or make your own comfrey tea.

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13

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

It’s just about spring - BUT TRY TO BE PATIENT

March is the official beginning of spring but it can be very cold at times so keep an eye on the weather forecast and at times over the next few weeks patience will be needed. The clocks also go forward this month so the lengthening daylight hours also help plants to really get growing. Spring bulbs take centre stage in the borders and in patio pots, rewarding your efforts for planting them last autumn. It is also the time to finish pruning tasks.

1

2

Number one job is to mulch, mulch, mulch

The most effective way of improving the soil in established borders is to mulch the surface with a three cm-layer of organic matter, such as garden compost. It will also help to suppress weeds and trap moisture in the soil. If your heap doesn’t produce enough compost to mulch the whole garden, it’s worth contacting your local council to see if it’s possible to buy the compost that’s made from the green-waste collections. Mushroom compost (though not for acid-loving plants, as it contains chalk) and composted bark make good alternatives and can be bought online.

Before you start, make sure you have thoroughly weeded the bed and that you have sufficient mulching material – this could be leaf mould, compost, wellrotted manure or bark chippings. Always leave a gap around the stem of plants.

3

5

Weeds will be growing as strongly as your plants during these weeks, so keep on top of them before they can get a hold. Digging them up with a hand fork is the best idea, as you can get all the roots out. Reserve hoeing for dry weather, as weeds can re-root if the soil is moist.

Plant early potatoes While most varieties of potato are planted in April, earlies, such as ‘Rocket’, should be put in during late March. Plant them about 40cm apart in rows 45cm apart in the ground. Alternatively, if you’re planning to grow them in pots, use one that’s at least 25cm in diameter and half fill it with a quality compost for containers.

Bury the potato just below the compost surface. As shoots grow, cover with more compost until the pot is full. Cover the young plants with garden fleece if frosts are forecast. Make sure you water the pot regularly, so the compost is moist but not wet. By late June or early July, your potatoes should be OK to harvest.

Check they’re ready by putting your hand into the pot and gently feeling for the tubers. If they feel big enough, tip out the contents of the pot, otherwise leave them to continue growing.

7

Plant a clematis

Divide those perennials

This is the key moment for dividing clumps of perennials because it’s possible to break off the outer, vigorous pieces and replant them straight back into the soil with a dusting of blood, fish and bone. Only select clumps with sparse middles, or ones with perennial weeds, or clumps that need reducing in size. Lift them with a fork and most will pull part into hand-sized pieces (others may need chopping with a spade).

14

4

Get summer bulbs in the ground

Plant summer-flowering bulbs.

Look ahead to colourful borders this summer by planting bulbs, such as gladioli, galtonia and eucomis.

Flower seeds to sow in March

Hardy annuals can be sown in trays indoors or under glass now but unless you live somewhere mild it’s a bit early for half hardies.

There’s nothing more depressing than seeds that fail and these should deliver: honeywort, Cerinthe major ‘purpurascens’, cornflowers, borage (great for bees and decorating drinks) and viper’s bugloss (also great for bees and for butterflies).

If seed trays have been stored somewhere outdoors or weren’t washed when you put them away give them a good wash and brush up with hot soapy water and don’t think you’ll save money by using old compost or earth – you’ll regret it when seeds shrivel and die.

Use large trays, fill with seed compost to near the top and water with a can with a fine rose or stand in a sink until the tray’s absorbed moisture. Don’t use water from the butt as this can lead to disease and try to use lukewarm rather than freezing cold water.

Sprinkle over seeds as sparingly as you can manage and use a sieve to sprinkle of a light layer of dry compost. Sit somewhere light and neither too hot nor too cold. You want an even temperature around 18°C or 64°F. Some people like to cover the tray with glass or a clear polythene. You should see results in a week or two.

Once the seeds germinate remove any covers or you’ll get condensation and rot. Whilst you are waiting watch that the compost doesn’t dry out but don’t overwater either. Aim for a consistently moist compost.

It’s your last chance to plant out summer flowering-bulbs like lilies, as well as any forced bulbs you might have had indoors over winter, such as daffodils and hyacinths, if you haven’t already.

March is a good time to plant a summerflowering clematis. These climbers race away now and those that flower after Midsummer’s Day (21st June) produce lots of smaller flowers from top to toe. Classic varieties include ‘Étoile Violette’, ‘Polish Spirit’, and ‘Betty Corning’.

Pruning’s easy, just cut them back to the lowest buds in midFebruary and they won’t suffer from wilt.

6

This is the month for the weeds to take off

Country Gardener

8 Eco friendly alternatives to peat March is still a busy pruning month March is one of the busiest months for pruning with a wide range of shrubs and other plants requiring their annual prune.

Timing is of course everything when it comes to pruning.

By now it is too late to prune apples, pears and late flowering clematis. But climbing roses, hybrid teas and floribundas need a March pruning and the sooner the better, so they don’t waste their energy growing leaves which are about to be lopped off. Borderline perennials such as pestemons and phygelius can also be pruned.

Tender evergreen shrubs such as variegated griselinia are best pruned now. The new growth triggered by the pruning should not be damaged by hard frosts. Evergreen edging and topiary can be finished now to create a smooth finish.

10

…and don’t forget your houseplants

When you see growth starting again it’s time to check your houseplants. Some may just need a tidy up, clearing away dead leaves and debris and a bit of a prune to get it back into shape. If roots are appearing through the base it’s a sign, they need repotting. If you can’t see the roots, but it’s a while since they were repotted, try to loosen the plug of earth out of the pot and see if the roots

9

First feed for roses

If you haven’t already done so give roses their first feed of the year. Use a tailored rose feed as they need the correct mix of nutrients. And don’t think you’ll be doing them a favour by over feeding.

You’ll end up with too much sappy soft growth that makes them less able to withstand pests. Feed again in April/May and, if you want, they can have a final feed in July but no later or that soft wood will make them vulnerable to winter cold.

are circling as if desperate to get out. If so it’s time to repot.

Ideally, water plants a few days before repotting. Use washed pots, one size larger than the existing pot, and fresh clean potting compost – whichever is correct for the plant. Some plants like a lighter mix so mix up the soil for each plant using a combination of potting compost, sand and perlite as necessary.

You can add water retaining gel granules if you like and some plants benefit from a topping of grit.

If the plant’s just not going to come out of the pot you can try to eke out a little more time by top dressing.

To do this carefully scrape off an inch or so from the top of the old soil, avoiding damaging the roots, and replace with fresh new potting compost. Water pots well and drain. Avoid putting newly repotted plants in direct sunlight but let them recover slowly.

After a week or so they should be nicely settled in.

With peat expected to be phased out of garden compost by 2024, Country Gardener has been looking into eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives.

Peat has traditionally been used as a growing medium since at least the mid 20th century. But while gardens flourished, peatlands (which form over thousands of years) were withering away to nothing, and with them a valuable ecosystem.

The good news is a shift in consumer demand can help protect and restore peatlands.

Coir Coconut-based coir bricks are a popular alternative to peat. Usually sold in compressed bricks which expand when you add water, coir is natural and biodegradable.Made from coconut husks (a byproduct of the coconut industry) coir has an open structure ideal for young seedlings and root cuttings.

Wool Wool is a useful potting medium. As well as ticking the natural, renewable and biodegradable boxes, wool is great at locking in moisture and acts as a slowrelease nitrogen fertiliser. Additionally, wool contains beneficial trace elements, including potassium, sodium, iron, and phosphorous.

Wood Most peat-free composts contain some sort of wood, whether that’s composted bark, sawdust, wood or paper waste.

Wood-based mixes drain well and sport a low pH. Wood chips make a great mulch and can sometimes be picked up for free from tree surgeons. However, the bagged stuff can vary in quality. Look for Forest Stewardship certification as it’s more likely a by-product of sustainably managed British forests.

Home grown compost

11

Don’t prune...

Grapevines As sap pressure tends to be very high in March so if you prune them they will bleed profusely-something which will either damage them or possibly kill them.

Rambling roses Unlike climbing roses these bloom on stems produced the previous year so prune and then train.

Mediterranean shrubs Delay pruning the more tender forms such as French lavender and hyssop until May. This ensures that the subsequent re growth won’t be badly damaged by frosts.

Buddleja alternifolia Unlike the more popular B.davidii, these varieties bloom on last years’ wood so prune them after flowering in the summer.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Try making your own compost. The perfect blend will strike a balance between greens (wet nitrogen-rich stuff such as fruit and veg scraps and grass clippings) and browns (dry, carbon releasing waste such as scrunched-up paper, card and straw).

Biochar Biochar is just the thing for climate conscious gardeners. Biochar is essentially a form of charcoal, made when organic matter is heated at high temperatures (the technical term is pyrolysis), aside from locking away carbon.

15

TREE SPECIALIST

GARDENING

words Bolting

DEFINITION Bolting is the term applied to vegetable crops when they prematurely run to seed, usually making them unusable.

GUESS WHAT – here’s another global warming crisis Mark Hinsley warns of the real threat to nature’s balancing act where undersoil fungi fights for the future health of root systems We are killing animals, destroying their habitat, polluting their environment, diminishing our world.

We are destroying trees, felling the rain forests, cutting down ancient woodland. We are polluting the seas, killing dolphins, filling salmon with mercury.

Well, guess what – there is another group of living organisms which could even be the most important of all that we are giving a hard time - fungi.

Fungi are mostly invisible. We see their toadstools or their brackets or sometimes just a covering film. What we don’t see is their mycelium.

The ubiquitous ‘they’ have calculated that all the fungal mycelium threads in the top ten inches of the soil globally would stretch for some 270 quadrillion miles (more than my Land Rover has done!).

These below ground fungal networks lie at the base of food chains which support most of land-based life.

It was fungi that enabled aquatic plants to make the move onto land some 500 million years ago by acting as a root system for them before plants began to develop roots of their own. Even now Mycorrhizal fungi continue to form a vital part of most plants’ root systems.

These fungi assist the plant with the uptake of water and nutrients and even allow communication between different individuals. The decline in 16

the health of our tree population and its increased vulnerability to diseases like Ash Dieback can be linked to a decline in the below ground support system caused by damage to the fungi.

We used to think we could command nature.

If a fungus was attacking our crop, we could kill it with chemicals. If our crops were short of nutrients, we could supplement them with chemicals.

We could make things grow faster and blemish free with chemicals. We could control insects with chemicals, and we could control disease in animals with antibiotics. We could even use some heavy stuff to clean our cars and salt to de-ice our roads.

Even when air pollution built up on the leaves of our city trees it didn’t matter because the rain washed it away. We didn’t have to worry about it because it all disappeared into the ground. Visible only to ostriches, which is what we were except we didn’t even go as far as sticking our heads in the sand to see what was going on.

It was the development of the symbiosis between above ground plants and the below ground fungi which reduced the carbon content in the earth’s atmosphere by some 90 per-cent and made it habitable for land animals to develop.

That carbon has remained locked up for millions of years in the threads of fungal mycelium.

Currently, globally, at least five billion tons of carbon dioxide are sequestered by Mycorrhizal fungi systems every year. Despite all the abuse we give them, they are still working to keep us alive!

When a vegetable or herb bolts, it has spent more of its energy growing the flowers and seeds than the leaves.

This process is a survival mechanism triggered when a plant experiences stressful conditions.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to prevent bolting and increase your chances of a bountiful harvest.

Plants bolt as a response to situations, which prompt them to begin the reproduction process.

The most common causes of bolting are increased day length, high soil temperatures, and root stress.

Warm soil temperatures cause stress for crops, triggering them to begin seed and flower production. While this process isn’t an issue when it occurs on schedule late in the plant’s life cycle, bolting often occurs when there’s a spring with unnaturally hot weather or if you plant crops too late into the growing season.

Bolting caused by root stress typically happens when you disturb a plant’s root system by transplanting, or if your plant runs out of growing space in a container that’s too small.

If Mycorrhizal fungi pulled the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to make earth habitable for us, and has kept it locked up ever since, you don’t have to be David Attenborough to work out what happens if it all starts to die.

Is there hope? Well yes - there could be.

Atmospheric pollution and plant fertilisers are the biggest problems.

Various countries are trying to clean up their air, though probably not fast enough yet.

There have also been some interesting ‘re-wilding’ projects which have demonstrated – shock, horror, probe! – that nature, if protected from man’s polluting activities, can actually sort it all out for herself.

Still, she had millions of years of practice before we came along.

Mark Hinsley runs Arboricultural Consultants Ltd offering tree consultancy services. www.treeadvice.info Country Gardener

You can seek out seeds labelled ‘bolt-resistant’ or ‘slow bolting’ as these seeds are specifically developed to resist conditions that cause bolting.

For example, when growing onions, look for heattreated onion sets; these onions can withstand high temperatures, and they’re much less likely to develop flower buds in warm weather.

You can also cool your soil with a layer of mulch.

Plants with heat-sensitive roots, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cilantro, are prone to bolting when warm soil heats up their roots. Prevent soil from overheating by spreading a layer of mulch on your topsoil to keep it cool and moist.

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autopot_global 17

SHOWS & EVENTS

TIME TO GET THE DIARY OUT A new gardening season sees calendars ready to be filled with returning shows, fetes and plant fairs, and much more

For gardeners and garden lovers it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in two years, it’s the chance get the diary out and start planning visits to shows, fetes, open garden days, plant fairs and a host of other events.

Many events are now set to re-appear this year after being forced off calendars in the pandemic hit of 2020 and 2021. Even those who were able to go ahead in some form last year were hit by restrictions and understandably nervous and unsure visitors.

But the new gardening season has brought with it fresh hope and tons of expectations from garden lovers keen to get out and about. We are delighted to have some returning favourites and some new events to highlight and to start looking forward to.

Yeo Valley hosts Somerset Hardy Plants spring fair Yeo Valley Organic Gardens is hosting an early Spring Plant Fair organised by the Hardy Plant Society, Somerset Group on Saturday, 26th March at Holt Farm in Somerset from 10am to 3pm.

Admission is £4 which includes parking and entrance to the gardens (RHS members free but still need a ticket). Twelve top nurseries from the southwest will be there plus other stalls. Due to limited parking, a car ticket system will be operating to encourage car share so please book a free parking space online when you book your admission tickets. Tickets available now from www.somersethps.com

Yeo Valley Organic Gardens, Holt Farm, Blagdon, Bristol BS40 7SQ

18

Country Gardener

CORNWALL GARDEN SOCIETY’S SPRING FLOWER SHOW READY TO BLOOM

Advance tickets are now on sale for the popular Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show at The Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd April.

Dramatic displays of flowers and shrubs; exquisite exhibits by leading nurseries and landscape artists; a spectacular spread of horticultural traders; a floral art marquee and botanical illustrations from the Eden Project’s Florilegium Society are some of the features. to look forward to.

Described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘the most highly regarded spring show in the country’ and by Gardens Illustrated as “one of the best flower and garden shows,” this two-day event, sponsored by Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management, celebrates Cornwall’s early spring .

Tickets are £13.50 in advance or £15 on the gate (card payments only).

To book, visit cornwallgardensociety.org.uk/spring-flower-show Free admission for under 16s. Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome.

The Royal Cornwall Showground, Whitecross, Wadebridge PL27 7JE

Honiton Agricultural Show We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 4th August 2022

Cornwall Garden Society

Acts Booked So Far... Viper Aerobatics Display, Bolddog "Lings" Freestyle Team, Bob Hogg's Sheepdog Display, Twistopher Punch & Judy, The Shetland Pony Performance Display Team, Livestock, Horses, Vintage Tractors & Classic Cars. Over 400 Trade Stands. Fabulous food and entertainment.

TICKETS JUST £17.50 (ACCOMPANIED UNDER 16 GO FREE) AVAILABLE FROM

www.honitonshow.co.uk

Secretary: Marcelle Connor, Bank House, 66a High Street, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1PS info@honitonshow.co.uk

Saturday 2nd April, 10am - 5pm Sunday 3rd April, 10am - 4pm Somerset Group

EARLY SPRING PLANT FAIR Saturday 26th March 2022 10am-3pm at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Holt Farm, Blagdon BS40 7SQ 12 of the South West's top nurseries, plus other stalls, will be attending.

Admission charge will be £4 (Free for RHS members) A free parking permit must be pre-booked for all vehicles.

Pre-booking is essential.

Booking opens 1st February 2022 Visit www.somersethps.co.uk

COTSWOLD GARDENS

at Elkstone

Sunday 19th June 2022 2 - 6pm Visit beautiful private gardens, the very special Norman church and enjoy refreshments and ice creams.

The Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge Advance Bookings:

cornwallgardensociety.org.uk/spring-flower-show Sponsored by

SAVE THE DATE We are still planning the event and updated details will be posted on: www.elkstonevillage.com PROCEEDS HELP SUPPORT OUR CHURCH AND VILLAGE HALL

www.countrygardener.co.uk

19

SHOWS & EVENTS

ELKSTONE OPEN GARDENS DAY REACHES THE HEIGHTS

Garden Shows ready to bloom again this year!

Spring is on its way and whilst we wait for the daffodils, primroses and bluebells to bring joy to countryside and gardens it’s time to start planning. Covid has impacted our lives over the past two years but the country is opening up again and those hardy perennials, the three popular Garden Shows at Firle, Stansted and Broadland, Romsey are getting ready to bring a plethora of plants, garden furniture, artisan designs, homeware products, sundries, fashion accessories and the most delicious country foods to your garden and home.

Daily garden advice, talks and walks with plenty of family entertainment. At last, we can get out and about again and enjoy great days in beautiful locations.

For full details visit www.thegardenshows.com Tel: 01243 538456

Elkstone is one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds. The best way to appreciate the village, and see areas not normally accessible to the public, is to visit the now traditional Open Gardens Day on Sunday, June 19th from 2pm to 6pm. Organised by villagers, this raises funds for the upkeep of the church and village hall. Many of the gardens will be open. Afternoon teas, refreshments, and ice creams will be available and there will be a plant stall to browse. Organisers are busy fine-tuning the day and updates and latest news can be found at www.elkstonevillage.com

SPECIALIST PLANT FAIRS RETURN WITH FOUR DATES

Four popular Specialist Plant Fairs plant fairs return this year. The first is the Sherborne Plant Fair in the Digby Hall (next to the library) on Saturday, March 26th. This is seen by many as the start of the gardening calendar and the perfect opportunity to stock up on spring flowering bulbs, perennials, vegetable plants and seasonal favourites.

Honiton show promises a

high summer day to remember Honiton Agricultural Show promises a celebration of rural life in the East Devon countryside on Thursday, 4th August. It should be action packed day of entertainment with the countryside theme to the fore with hurdle making, thatching, cob block and hedge laying demonstrations. Visitors can take a trip down memory lane with an array of vintage tractors and classic cars. The day will also host The West of England Hound Show.

At the heart of the day will be livestock and horses including the majestic heavy horses and a variety of differing sheep breeds and dairy and beef cattle.

Bolddog Lings, the UK’s top motorcycle display team will perform breath-taking stunts.

The Bob Hogg Sheepdog display offers the opportunity to experience the world of the sheepdogs and their skills.

For further details or information on becoming a member of the association and enjoying the benefits contact the secretary on 01404 41794, and follow the show on twitter @honitonshow1890. Tickets are £17.50 in advance, accompanied children under 16 free. www.honitonshow.co.uk

Next is the Mapperton Gardens Spring Plant Fair on Sunday, 10th April and a great day out for all plant and garden lovers. Not only will there be many nurseries stands but the opportunity to explore award-winning gardens in their spring glory.

Also held at Mapperton House is the Autumn Plant Fair on September 11th.

Yarlington House Plant Fair, near Wincanton, on Saturday, 7th May has been running for 20 years and continues to delight plant enthusiasts. The elegant 18th manor house is a family home, not normally open to the public, and is a beautiful venue for a plant fair with the extensive gardens to explore and refreshments available on the day.

Nurseries from across the Southwest have been carefully selected, ensuring a mix of the rare and unusual plants plus popular garden favourites, all high quality and great value for money. If you are a knowledgeable gardener or a novice you will find the plants you are looking for plus helpful advice, direct from the grower.

For more details, including a list of the stall holders and the local charities benefiting, visit www.plantfairs.com or ring 01460 242620.

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Country Gardener

New coastal garden show for Ilfracombe The north Devon coast is hosting a new garden festival in May when the two-day Coastal Garden Show is held at Ilfracombe. The show, held on Saturday, 21st May and Sunday, 22nd May is set to be an inspiration for gardeners and the chance to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, and meet new friends.

ROSY’S THREE TRENDS FOR GARDENS IN 2022 Rosy Hardy is the award winning Hampshire plantswoman behind Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants who won her place as one of the most trusted growers of plants and someone respected for her views on gardening trends

Visitors will be able to enjoy demonstrations from country crafts to mosaics, wood craft to weaving, and herbal medicine to watching a blacksmith at work.

Gain an insight, from a variety of interesting speakers on gardening, conservation, ecology, the environment, and the benefits to be gained to mental health and well-being.

Artisan stands from plant stalls, crafts and gifts will be on show plus the chance to sample locally produced food, and to sip cocktails and drink a cooling beer. Under 15’s free. Free parking. Pre-booked tickets £8.50.

Mullacott Riding Centre, Mullacott, Ilfracombe EX34 8NA www.coastalgardenfestival.org

Rare Plant Fairs are back with full 2022 programme Rare Plant Fairs are back for 2022 with a full programme of 14 specialist plant fairs, all held in unique and prestigious gardens across the country which provide wonderful settings for the Fairs. The ever-popular events are attended by a great selection of specialist nurseries from across the country, all of whom are experts in the plants that they grow, offering a wide range of interesting and unusual plants.

After changes to the programme over the last two seasons, the popular fairs are generally returning to their traditional dates this year, and the season starts at The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, on March 20th, from 10am to 4pm. The Bishop’s Palace lies at the heart of the City of Wells and is a place full of secrets, stories and stunning scenery. There are 14 acres of gardens to explore, including the beautiful well-pools from which the city takes its name.

Visit www.rareplantfair.co.uk for full details of all the events, including a list of the exhibitors.

March Fair 20th March The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD Fair open from 10am – 4pm

1. Trends in garden design One of the strongest trends I see for gardens in 2022 is a move towards a more naturalistic planting style with more emphasis on plants that offer colour, a long season of interest and which are pollinator and wildlife friendly.

Naturalistic planting was embodied by the Dutch Wave in the 1970s, where garden designers took inspiration from nature, considered the structure of plants in particular their ability to provide interest all year around, accounted the natural character of plants such as grasses and planted with the garden’s natural environment in mind.

An excellent example of Dutch Wave design is the Oudolf Field Garden at the Hauser & Wirth gallery and arts centre in Bruton, Somerset, designed by Piet Oudolf.

2. Trends in plants I think that the simple calendula, also known as the marigold, could be set to make a resurgence in our gardens this year. It’s easy to grow from seed, provides a warm shot of yellow or orange flowers for a long period, and it is not only attractive to gardeners but also to a wide range of pollinating insects. Since medieval times this plant has been grown for medicinal and culinary use. Calendula has antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Calendula is also a regular in wellbeing gardens, as the flower looks like a ray of sunshine and this boosts mood.

Calendula’s beneficial properties as a companion plant are well known among organic vegetable growers. Planting calendula alongside your vegetable patch will not only attract pollinators, but will attract other insects which support biological control of aphids and other nasties which will eat your crop. Much better to grow calendula alongside your carrots than treat them with a cocktail of toxic chemicals.

3. Garden maintenance

www.rareplantfair.co.uk Please visit our website for full details of admission fees and times of opening.

Specialist Plant Fairs 2022 Digby Hall Sherborne March 26th 10am-2pm Mapperton Gardens April 10th 10am-4pm Yarlington House May 7th 10am-4pm Mapperton Gardens Sept 11th 10am-4 pm

Classic calendulas

Learn to be less tidy

One trend I hope grows in 2022 is that gardeners learn to be less tidy and to not be so quick to get out their secateurs and cut back plants after they have flowered.

If we leave plants to dieback naturally, we can provide a range of natural habitats for beneficial insects. Letting plants die back naturally, allowing them to collapse protects the crown of the plants. And allowing plants to drop and decay, provides worms and beetles with debris to mulch into the soil, with nutrients being redistributed back benefitting the plant roots as nature intended.

In addition, clearing garden debris in spring is much easier for the gardener - there’s a reason why it’s called a spring clean!

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, Priory Lane Nursery, Freefolk Priors, Whitchurch, Hampshire RG28 7FA. Tel 01256 896533 hardysplants.co.uk 21

The perfect tomato crop is within our reach We can never grow enough tomatoes. Unfortunately, there are few vegetables that are prone to more problems than tomatoes. The trick is to choose the best varieties, start the plants off right, and control problems before they happen.

The great thing about growing tomatoes is you can start early. So, from late January through to mid-March you can sow indoors, and the fun begins. Tomatoes are so versatile.

They’re ideal for growing in containers, either outdoors in a sunny spot or in a greenhouse, and there’s a whole array to try, from tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes to full-flavoured giant beefsteaks.

There are over 400 easily available varieties to select from. Any search criteria should concentrate on flavour and good growing characteristics. Increasingly popular amongst regular gardeners are heritage and heirloom varieties such as ‘Amish Paste’ ,’Amy’s Sugar Gem’ and ‘ Austin’s Red Pear’.

So, to start at the beginning. If you are starting tomatoes from seed, give the seedlings plenty of room to branch out and that means thinning the seedlings to one strong plant per cell or small pot.

Snip the weaker, smaller seedlings in favour of the best grower. Crowded conditions inhibit their growth, which stresses them and leads to disease later. Transplant tomato seedlings into their own four-inch pots shortly after they get their first set of true leaves.

Tomato seedlings need strong, direct light.

When you’re ready to plant them outside, choose the sunniest part of your vegetable garden as their location.

Here are some of the ‘insider’ top tips towards growing great tomatoes:

The right growing conditions?

trench and lay the plant sideways. It will quickly straighten itself up and grow toward the sun.

By planting deeper, you can create sturdier, more resilient plants that are primed to thrive. Plant deep at every stage: when transferring seedlings into their own pots by sinking them right up to their lowest leaves, and again when planting them into their final growing spots. Don’t be afraid of dropping plants quite deeply into their planting hole—or removing a few low branches to do so.

Planting deeply is one of the reasons why growbags and other shallow containers aren’t ideal—they may not offer enough support. If you are using growbags, be sure to buy bigger, well-filled bags; plant only one or two tomatoes per bag (depending on its volume), not the often-recommended three; and add an extra depth of potting mix it.

Mulch your tomatoes?

Don’t forget to mulch the soil! There are many good mulches to choose from—shredded pine bark, straw, shredded leaves, grass clippings, composted leaves, or even a thick layer of newspaper.

Remove the bottom leaves After your tomato plants reach about three feet tall, remove the leaves from the bottom foot of the stem. These are the oldest leaves, and they are usually the first leaves

Add a pinch of Epsom salts

Add plenty of organic matter in advance of planting.

Quality garden compost or well-rotted manure, applied lavishly, can supply enough nutrients to last the entire season, and will help with retaining moisture.

Tomato plants also need space – not only to reach their full potential, but to encourage a good flow of air between plants, which should help to reduce the threat of disease.

In most cases, this means leaving at least two feet (60cm) between plants.

Don’t plant tomatoes in a garden bed that’s grown the same plant family (for instance, potatoes, aubergines, or peppers) within the past two years.

Pinch and remove suckers Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant.

However, go easy on pruning the rest of the plant. You can thin out a few leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but it’s the leaves that are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavour to your tomatoes.

Fewer leaves will mean fewer sweet tomatoes.

Most gardeners pinch weekly, letting one or two suckers grow, so each becomes a leader with leaves, flowers, and fruit of its own.

Water consistently to avoid trouble Water deeply and regularly while the fruits are developing.

Irregular watering—missing a week and trying to make up for it—leads to blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency) and cracking and splitting. The rule of thumb is to ensure your plants get at least one inch of water per week, but during hot, dry spells, they may need more.

What can you give your plants to help them along?

• You can add a handful of bonemeal to the soil (which adds phosphorus and calcium). pH testing is important because if your soil has a pH of 7 or higher, bone meal will be relatively ineffective.

Bone meal with high nitrogen soil additives can also help balance out high nitrogen fertilisers like rotted manure.

• Some gardeners crush up eggshells and add them in and around the planting holes for added calcium and to avoid blossom end-rot.

• Another popular trick is to add a pinch of Epsom salts to the soil.

Added early in the season, Epsom salts can increase germination, early root and cell development, photosynthesis, plant growth, and prevent blossom-end rot.

• Some gardeners side-dress the plants with a dose of liquid seaweed or fish emulsion or feed their tomatoes compost tea to keep heavy-feeding tomato plants happy. Soak one-part organic compost in one part water, let sit for 24 hours, filter the ‘tea,’ and use to nourish plants.

Bury the stems-plant deep at every stage Plant your tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to the bottom few leaves. When planted this way, tomatoes can develop roots all along their stems. And more roots make for a stronger plant.

You can either dig a deep hole or simply dig a shallow 22

to develop fungus problems. As the plants fill out, the bottom leaves get the least amount of sun and airflow.

Because these leaves sit close to the ground, soilborne pathogens can easily splash up onto them.

Country Gardener

Thinning out a few leaves

Carefully watering plants

After the fruit begins to ripen, you can ease up on the watering. Lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars, for better flavour. Use your judgment. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants continually wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.

Juicy tomato plants need a couple of inches of water per week. But not all at once!

The best time to water is in the morning, when plants are at their most receptive to moisture. Water deeply.

Removing bottom leaves

Defending against disease Gardeners aren’t the only ones who love tomatoes; pests and diseases can set in and infect your crop. Most commonly, mouldy residue in the soil can produce early blight in tomato plants that are constantly wet. To prevent this, make sure to clean away the autumn debris from your garden before planting, and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Similarly, late blight can devastate whole crops. It spreads fast, so remove any noticeably affected plants from your garden before the fungus sets in.

Pests including aphids, cutworms, flea beetles, and hornworms can also affect your tomato crops. There are many natural ways to eradicate these creatures, including essential oil preparations and diatomaceous earth. Worms are especially destructive, as they can eat an entire tomato plant in a matter of hours.

Defend against disease with aspirin! This little pill stimulates an immune response. Dissolve roughly 600 mg of aspirin for each gallon of water then spray it on your plants. They’ll think they are under attack and will up their defences for the remainder of their lives, making them less susceptible to real attacks, including blight! Not only that, but spraying aspirin onto your tomatoes is said to improve their taste and even their vitamin C content. It will even make plants more tolerant of drought and cold.

Feed them well The tastiest tomatoes are gleaned from plants that have access to all the nutrients they need. Besides preparing the soil with organic matter (compost), most gardeners also apply a slow-release organic fertiliser to the soil at planting time or apply regular liquid feeds using a product specifically formulated for tomatoes (which often has extra calcium).

Avoid high nitrogen fertilisers unless your plants have yellowing leaves. Too much nitrogen will cause lush foliage growth but give you little or no fruit. If the leaves on your plant are purple, they are calling for more phosphorus. This is the most important nutrient for fruit production.

Top: Caterpillars having a feast; Bottom: Blossom end rot

So which variety is it going to be?

There’s no reason to stick to growing tomatoes you’ve always grown. Some tomatoes are more susceptible to disease than others, so look out for variety descriptions that promise good resistance to diseases such as blight. You may also want to seek out varieties known to give an early harvest, heavy yields, and, of course, superior flavour—or all the above.

Here’s our favourites which provide a mixture of traditional varieties, multi coloured options and new plants to try: • Tomato ‘Incas’ is a very early plum tomato with bright red, meaty fruit with a thick flesh. It’s perfect for barbecuing and using in sauces and purees.

• Tomato ‘Ildi’ A cherry variety bearing sweet yellow pear-shaped tomatoes, ‘Ildi’ is perfect for eating raw and in salads. It’s ideal for container growing.

• ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’ is an old-fashioned beefsteak tomato producing medium to large mishapen and ribbed fruits with an excellent flavour. Suitable for slicing and using in sauces.

• A fantastic- tasting plum tomato variety, ‘Astro Ibrido’ is perfect for using in sauces and preserves. Suitable for growing in containers. You may also find it sold as tomato ‘Scipio Ibrido’.

• ‘Rio Grande’ is a plum tomato producing heavy crops of deep-red fruit. Perfect for sauces.

• An incredibly sweet cherry tomato with thin skin, tomato ‘Super Sweet 100’ is ideal for use in salads. High yields.

• Tomato ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ is a large cherry variety. It has a delicious tangy flavour, and is reliable and prolific when grown under cover or outdoors. It was voted best for salads.

Clockwise from top left: ‘Incas’, ‘Ildi’, ‘Ibrido’ and ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

THE BONUS OF A SPRING?

back to normal This spring is something of a bonus for garden lovers. As well as the delights of a new growing season closing in on us it is the first time in two years that things will be almost back to normal when it comes to gardening days out.

It means that a whole range of venues, NGS Gardens Open, gardens, nurseries, garden fairs and fetes will be open and welcoming visitors after the toughest and most challenging of times.

Some venues worked hard to open last year in often tough conditions and attendances were lower as there was still a lot of Covid anxiety around. But with the imminent lifting of all restrictions it’s time to look forward and celebrate what could be a bumper year as gardens get up and running to open their doors.

Hotels and holiday venues are set to be more optimistic as we all hope for a return to normal.

CELEBRATE DAFFODILS AND SPRING FLOWERS AT HARTLAND ABBEY Hartland Abbey is thrilled to welcome visitors back to Daffodil Day on Sunday, 20th March again at the popular north Devon venue -after three blank years; two cancelled because of covid, and, in 2019 thick snow! After two difficult years the Abbey, the gardens, exhibitions and tea rooms are up and running again and looking forward to seeing keen ‘daffodillers’, their children and dogs! With so many lovely walks through the valley amongst the early flowers towards the beach and the walled gardens it will be a time to enjoy spring once again and all the lovely daffodils, amassed over the generations. The house will be open too and for those who have watched ‘Malory Towers’, a chance to see where it all happened, following the ‘Malory Towers trail’! Reduced entry prices. www.hartlandabbey.com

BOSCREGE CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

DELIGHTFUL GARDENS TO INSPIRE YOU PLANT AND GARDEN ADVICE

THE MOST PICTURESQUE CARAVAN PARK IN CORNWALL With a welcoming atmosphere and set in 12 acres of Cornish countryside only two miles from the beautiful sandy beaches of Praa Sands, Boscrege Caravan & Camping Park is the best place to enjoy your Cornish holiday.

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:

Mail order and click and collect available, or pop along and visit us at the nursery

• Designated dog walking fields • Pet friendly accommodation • Comprehensive storage • Luxury holiday homes for sale

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

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

DAFFODILS AND SPRING FLOWERS Sunday 20th March 11am - 4pm Come and enjoy our beautiful historic daffodils, spring shrubs, bulbs and wildflower walks to the beach. * Dogs really welcome * * Delicious light lunches & cream teas * * Special rate: Adults £8, Children over five £1 * House open 1pm £4 * 2022 Season 3rd April - 3rd October Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - last adm. 4pm)

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

For more information and events see www.hartlandabbey.com Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234 24

Groups welcome by appointment Open 7 days a week from 1st March to 30th September Weekends 10am - 5.30pm, Weekdays 9am to 5.30pm

Country Gardener

Cotswold Garden Flowers It’s early spring in the garden, but you can still find late winter flowers on the hellebores and bergenias at Cotswolds Garden Flowers near Evesham which is a special place to visit at this time of year. Lots of bulbs will be flowering this month including ipheion, tulips, muscari and hyacinths. In the shady areas you will find brunnera, anemones and primulas. There’s promise of lots to come with new leaves opening on trees and shrubs to give us that spring fuzz. On the ground buds, stems and leaves are pushing up from the perennials which were dormant in the winter.

Cotswold Garden Flowers, Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham Tel: 01386 833849 info@cgf.net www.cgf.net

Cirencester’s secret romantic Cotswolds garden Cerney House Gardens is a romantic ‘secret’ garden in 40 acres of Cotswolds parkland with a walled garden. A vibrant riot of colour is appearing throughout the garden as the herbaceous borders awaken.

In the walled garden, ‘the knot garden’ is brimming with colourful tulips and the fantastic collection of oriental poppies starts to appear which adds to the colour and drama with their vivid reds and pinks. Enjoy the peacefulness and tranquillity of nature on the bluebell woodland walk. And finally, time for a cup of tea or coffee and homemade cake in the tea-room.

CORNWALL SECRET ‘PARADISE’ HOTEL

Cornwall’s best kept secret: a hidden valley hotel with its own secluded beach, Hotel Meudon is a coastal paradise near Falmouth, Cornwall.

The hotel and restaurant both received a Gold Award in the Taste of the West 2021-22 awards and Silver in the restaurant category in the Cornwall Tourism Awards. Experience for yourself a stylish retreat boasting nine acres of sub-tropical gardens and stunning sea views.

Restaurant Meudon, The Drawing Room and Freddie’s Bar are open to all, whether you’re staying at the hotel or simply passing by.

A visit to Hotel Meudon offers a relaxing experience, stunning surroundings and topquality service.

Cerney House Gardens, North Cerney, Cirencester GL7 7BX

Boscrege, a breath of Cornish fresh air

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, which is open all year, is close to the wonderful Cornwall coast and only a few minutes drive to Praa Sands, one of Britain’s nicest beaches. St Ives, Penzance, Hayle, Lands’ End, The Lizard Peninsular, Helston and Falmouth and many other Cornwall attractions and beaches are very easily visited. So if you are looking to take a luxury holiday (doggie friendly with dog friendly homes and on site designated fields for the dogs too) in a either a self catering caravan, lodges touring or even purchasing your own holiday home then contact Boscrege Caravan and Touring Park. New this year, is a development of single/twin lodges available to buy with a 20 year site licence and two years free site fees. You can visit with a two night free stay available for genuine buyers.

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

Cerney House Gardens A Romantic English Garden in the UK Cotswolds

Walled garden set in 46 acres of countryside * Stunning display of Tulips * Medicinal Herb gardens * Wildlife and woodland walks * Refreshments available Open daily, 10-7pm

Telephone 01285 831300 www.cerneygardens.com

meudon.co.uk Tel: 01326 250 541 Hotel Meudon, Maenporth Rd, Mawnan Smith, Maenporth, Falmouth TR11 5HT

Admission: £5 adults, £1 children

Cerney House Gardens, North Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 7BX

&RUQZDOO¶V EHVW NHSW VHFUHW The stunning subtropical valley setting of Hotel Meudon is a short hop from the South West Coast Path. Our hpg l^\en]^] Zg] b]reeb\ [^Z\a ;k^Zf <ho^ bl cnlm perfect for wild swimming, snorkelling, stand-up paddle [hZk]bg` hk cnlm _hk k^eZqbg` hg' If wanderlust takes hold, then there are some truly wonderful walks nearby. Stroll to the mouth of the Helford River and beyond via Rosemullion Head, taking in ancient woodland and fishing villages on the way.

Spring, Easter and weekend breaks available, book at www.meudon.co.uk

MAWNAN SMITH, FALMOUTH CORNWALL TR11 5HT ;HHD :M F>N=HG'<H'ND • 01326 250541

S TAY • E AT • CE L E ; R AT E

T&C's apply for some seasonal packages

www.countrygardener.co.uk

25

Why wildlife needs you more than ever We are kinder and more thoughtful when it comes to wildlife than we perhaps were a couple of years ago, but much garden wildlife is still at risk and there is more to do to help them thrive Our love for wildlife in gardens continues.

Most of us would like more wildlife to visit us, and to make our gardens attractive to birds, mammals and invertebrates.

In the last couple of years gardeners have spotted more wildlife than ever. Being at home more over the last couple of years meant we had time to see and hear wild species in our garden.

And it’s generally accepted that we are now kinder than we were a couple of years ago, more of us not just buying bird food, but cutting holes in our fences for hedgehogs or adding a bird box, bird bath or bug ’hotels’.

While there was some better news on some wildlife fronts last year, conservationists and wildlife charities see the risk to wildlife as very long term, needing up to 20 years of dedicated strategies, action and help to find permanent solutions.

Recent surveys show that: • The decline in the number of butterflies and moths across the UK continues.

• Song thrushes, swifts, house martins, chaffinches and greenfinches are in decline and record numbers of garden

Chaffinch - numbers hit by parasitic infection 26

birds are thought to be infected last year

by Trichomonosis, the parasitic infection.

• The decline in hedgehogs is being halted but with half the population lost in the past 20 years more needs to be done.

• Bee populations are rapidly declining due to habitat loss, pollution and the use of pesticides, among other factors.

So large elements of our native wildlife are not out of the wood just yet and this gardening season is again vitally important to help them thrive.

There is still lots more to do to support native wildlife birds, mammals and beneficial insects, from introducing nectar rich plants for pollinators to building a bug box and helping hedgehogs.

Early spring is the trickiest time for much wildlife. It is when winter food supplies disappear, and hedgehogs might start to emerge from hibernation but the natural source of their food such as caterpillars and beetles will be in short supply.

Song thrush still in decline Country Gardener

GARDEN BIRDS More birds than ever before were placed on the Red list of greatest conservation concern in the latest report published last year. At 70 species the list is double the length of the one in the first report in 1996 showing that even more birds are in trouble.

Numbers of chaffinches continue to decline in 2021 with the lowest ever sightings recorded. The most likely cause is Trichomonosis, a parasitic infection that also affects several other birds, particularly finches and pigeons.

Some gardeners believe March and April are safe months to stop feeding birds, but the reality is they are some of the hardest months for them. Berries and seeds are gone while other sources of natural food such as caterpillars haven’t yet become available. These are also significant months as birds are getting ready to breed so it’s vital to keep feeding them at least until May. The best way to prevent Trichomonosis and other bird diseases such as Asian flu spreading in your garden is to clean your feeding stations and baths regularly. Stations and bird feeding can quickly become infected and carry harmful diseases.

The annual Big Garden Birdwatch was the first survey to alert the RSPB to the decline in sightings of certain birds in gardens.

Since 1979, song thrush sightings have dropped by more than 78 per cent.

First ranked at number seven, in 2021 they came in at number 21. The number of greenfinches recorded has also dropped by 65 per cent, from number eight in 1979 to number 20 in 2021. Although greenfinch populations declined in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the 1990s saw a drastic decrease.

House sparrow numbers were not monitored adequately before the mid-1970s.

Since then, numbers in rural England have nearly halved while numbers in towns and cities have declined by 60 per cent. Because of these large population declines, the house sparrow is now Red listed as a species of high conservation concern.

Exactly what is behind the decline is not clear, but together with other scientists, the RSPB is investigating what’s going on.

One project found that sparrow chicks were suffering due to a lack of invertebrates to eat, while a team from the ZSL Institute of Zoology, in collaboration with the RSPB, found that 74 per cent of London’s house sparrows carry avian malaria, possibly influenced by our warming climate. There are some signs for optimism though. Big Garden Birdwatch 2020 figures suggested that sparrow sightings had grown by ten per cent in the last ten years.

The reasons behind the declines in garden bird sightings are complex and continue to be investigated.

Fewer green spaces, pollution and a changing climate are just some of the challenges faced by many birds. We also know that many garden birds will benefit from any extra help that we give them. Looking back over the last 40 years, one thing the Big Garden Birdwatch has revealed is that for some birds, our gardens are increasingly seen as places to find food, water and shelter during the winter and spring.

BUTTERFLIES

Clean bird feeders regularly

HOW TO GO ON HELPING Additional shrubs and climbers that bear fruit and seeds will keep the birds going throughout the year too, plus provide shelter to a whole host of wildlife.

Undergrowth, leaf litter and log piles are a bonus and can provide diverse habitats. Just be mindful that there could be something living there when you come to maintain your garden and be especially careful with rakes and strimmers. By no means do you need a ‘wild’ garden, just be a little more relaxed about tidying up, or dedicate a small patch for wildflowers.

Have a look at the huge range of food and feeders for wildlife, to see what suits your garden and the wildlife you have (or are hoping to see). You can try simple hanging bird feeders filled with sunflower hearts to get you started as this is a staple of many birds, but you’re more likely to get better results by adding a variety such as fat balls or peanut cakes. Hedgehogs especially need supplementary food when breeding and then fattening up for winter, and keep any cheeky squirrels to their own side of the garden with a squirrel feeder.

You can do your bit make to make habitats that beetles and earwig like. Build a log pile and let grass grow long. One of the best things you can do is compost your garden waste as open compost offers home to a huge range of species and your garden will be full of beetles and other animals. www.rspb.org.uk has details of birds we should be concerned about and what can be done to help them long term

For the first time last year sightings of specific species of butterfly were down .

Worryingly, the decline in the number of butterflies and moths across the UK is continuing, with some of the UK’s mostloved species including the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies dropped in numbers this summer. The iconic Peacock butterfly suffered its lowest numbers since 2012.

The Small Tortoiseshell, once a frequent visitor to gardens in the UK, had its third worst summer in the history of the Big Butterfly Count and shows a significant long-term decline in High Brown Fritillary Britain.

Butterflies will visit any garden, however small, if they can feed from nectar plants. A well thought out garden can attract more than 20 species of butterfly. If you manage your patch to create a breeding habitat, you may see even more.

Moths are valuable pollinators that need our help. They play an important role in the garden ecosystem, so it’s vital to make homes for them. Like butterflies, many moths drink nectar, but they also need plants on which to lay their eggs.

We shouldn’t wish for warm days to come too soon; while we may welcome warmer days February or March, it can be a disaster for insects if they are awoken from hibernation too Small Tortoiseshell soon. This can happen to those butterflies which spend the winter as adults, such as Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. And while it can be exciting to see a first butterfly of the year these butterflies will need a constant supply of nectar if they are to make it to spring when they will breed. www.butterfly-conservation.org is the home of the charity devoted to saving butterflies and moths and their habits throughout the UK.

BEES POLLINATORS AND WILD FLOWERS You can help the bees, all the bees, honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees, by planting more flowers for them to feed on. It doesn’t matter if your garden is a balcony, allotment, window box, pots and tubs or a swathe of green open space; with a bit of thought pollinators can benefit from a banquet of pollen and nectar right throughout the year.

Choose plants with single, open flowers for easy access to the pollen and nectar.

One of the simplest ways to attract bees to visit your garden is by growing flowers rich in pollen and nectar – perennial plants are great, but don’t discount flowering annuals, shrubs and trees, too.

The Wildlife Trust has put together a detailed list of plants for bees and pollinators - www.wildlifetrusts.org

HEDGEHOGS Hedgehogs thanks to our help, are fighting back. Numbers last year increased for the first time in up to 20 years, but that needs putting into context.

We have lost over half our hedgehogs from our countryside since the millennium alone and have lost a third from our towns and cities.

Up to 335,000 hedgehogs are estimated to die on British roads annually. Habitat modelling suggests that suburbs and villages are hotspots, with 9 per cent of Britain’s Road network classed as dangerous for ‘hogs’.

Impermeable fencing and lack of connectivity through hedgerows can result in limited movement and isolated hedgehog populations. This can have genetic effects, and eventually the populations may become unviable and locally extinct.

Loss of nesting and foraging habitat through development (urban) and hedgerow removal (rural) reduces the carrying capacity of the landscape. Hedgehogs may struggle to find somewhere to breed and hibernate, and to find enough food to survive.

The UK Wildlife Trusts, a federation of 46 independent wildlife conservation charities covering the whole of the UK have made it clear that the work and strategies to help wildlife will continue, but said spokesman Ian Patterson: “What signs of hope we have seen here and there have come from the huge numbers of gardeners who are starting to act, be kinder and more thoughtful to all aspects of our wildlife. It is a challenge every year and we must not rest in preserving the diversity of wildlife in this country.” www.countrygardener.co.uk

Action to help hedgehogs • Plant a hedge – perfect habitat for hedgehogs.

• Cut holes in your fence that allows access in and out of gardens.

• Make ponds safe - ensure ponds have sloping sides so hedgehogs can enter and exit easily.

• Prevent injury by checking long grass before strimming.

• Don’t use slug pellets -ferric sulphate pellets are said now to be less harmful to hedgehogs but will take slugs and snails out of the food chain.

• Leave out extra food: they prefer cat or dog food but avoid bread or milk as this can dehydrate and kill them.

• Check bonfires -dismantle or rebuild before burning or light it on the same day you build it.

• Retain twigs and leaves- piles left in the garden make the perfect hedgehog habitat.

27

COMPOSTING SPECIAL

Compost: the perfect garden insurance No commercial fertiliser, even one that is totally organic, provides the full spectrum of nutrients that you get with compost Most gardeners don’t start with great soil. Whether yours is hard and compacted, sandy, stony, heavy, or wet, adding compost will improve its texture, water-holding capacity, and fertility. Your soil will gradually become fluffy and brown—the ideal home for healthy plants.

Even if you are lucky enough to have better than average soil, you can’t expect that soil to remain rich and productive without replenishing the nutrients that are consumed each growing season. The nutrients are available gradually, as your plants need them, over a period of months or years. The microorganisms in the compost will also help your plants absorb nutrients from fertilisers more efficiently.

Adding compost moderates pH and fertility problems, so you can concentrate on the pleasures of gardening, not the science of your soil’s chemical composition. Unlike organic or inorganic fertilisers, which need to be applied at the right time and in the right amount, compost can be applied at any time and in any amount. You can’t really over-apply it. Plants use exactly what they need, when they need it.

Can a gardener ever have enough compost? It’s doubtful. Compost is the perfect thing to spread around when you are creating a new garden, seeding a new lawn area, or planting a new tree. Compost can be sprinkled around plants during the growing season or used as a mulch in your perennial gardens. You can add compost to your flower boxes and deck planters. You can also use it to enrich the potting soil for your indoor plants.

Tips to make the best of compost • Choose a specialist compost for the task in hand, this will ensure you create the optimum growing conditions.

• Check out your garden soil pH balance before you get planting, and depending on the results, you may need to mix in lime soil improver to get started.

• Use any leftover compost and dig into your existing soil around your garden as a soil improver.

• Pot up your existing and new plants in fresh compost each year to minimise pests and diseases being carried over, this will also provide new nutrients that will have been used up.

• Always water in your plants (even if the ground is moist) to remove air pockets and ensure the roots are in contact with the soil.

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Country Gardener

COIR IS BECOMING A GARDENER’S CHOICE Gardeners’ access to a range of coir products for growing, soil enhancement or protecting the soil from erosion has never been easier. Coir is now very much in vogue with gardeners as a peat free alternative to improve garden soil or propagate plants.

CoirProducts.co.uk offers an extensive range of natural and biodegradable coir-based products that is perfect for the ecoconscious buyer. All CoirProducts goods are ethically produced and sourced, and peat-free. CoirProducts CoirCoins are ideal for sowing and for root cuttings, and have high germination rates. CoirProducts Coco Pots come in a variety of innovative sizes, suitable for growing smaller and larger plants. As roots permeate through the pots, plants grown in CoirProducts Coco Pots do not go through any transplanting shock when repotting, which is beneficial for plant growth. A versatile potting mix, CoirProducts Coir Potting Mix is an ideal alternative for peat moss and can be used for growing a variety for plants and crops.

Coir products have high water and air holding capacities, which help plants develop strong and healthy root systems.

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COMPOSTING SPECIAL

Composting worms super structure for your soil

A heavenly mixture for growing perfection The main difference between a compost and healthy natural soil is biology. Composts are sterile and in one handful of healthy fertile soil there are more individual organisms than there are currently humans on our planet.

The best way to put biology into compost is to mix in Empathy After Plant into the compost when planting, also treat the roots of any new plant with rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi.

Empathy products are designed to seed soils and composts with good biology, fungi, bacteria, organic nutrients and soil conditioners that mimic and enhance good natural soils and composts that enable your plants to thrive. www.rootgrow.co.uk

Peat free compost that you can trust

It’s time to welcome more worms into your garden. Vermicomposting is one of the easiest ways to help reduce your food waste with wormeries providing an environmentally and convenient way to deal with household organic waste.

Yorkshire Worms specialise in quality dendrobaena worms and tiger worms to use as compost worms. The company’s wormery starter kits contain everything you need to get your wormery up and running. They have also now added a range of different variations and multi-packs of coir blocks, feed, and lime with options for kits with and without worms. These are particularly popular with existing wormery owners who already have plenty of worms and just need the supplies to keep their wormery in the best condition. The kits can help you create the perfect conditions that your worms will love, and all our kits come complete with comprehensive instructions to give you the best advice on making your wormery a success.

Tel: 01430 860364 www.yorkshire-worms.co.uk

Melcourt Industries is the UK’s leading supplier of mulches, growing media, soil improvers, media and more, based on bark, wood and other natural materials.

They have a huge range of peat free products, top soil, planting compost and soil improvers.

Melcourt is an established brand and relies on its experience, resources and expertise. So, as a gardener who wants to use 100 per cent peat-free compost, they are keen to help gardeners decide which one to use.

They suggest a check-list. Is the manufacture new to the market or do they have a track record in the horticultural industry? For how long has the product been trialled and where can people see the trial results? Does the manufacturer belong to a recognised trade body i.e. HTA, RHS, GMA, Soil Association etc? What are the ingredients in the mix (beware of glass, plastic and residual chemical contamination)?

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Earthworms

GARDEN VISITS

HALDON GRANGE Dunchideock, Exeter, Devon EX6 7YE

GARDENS TO VISIT

Peaceful, well established 12-acre garden, some of it dating back to the 1770s, with one of the largest collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and camellias, interspersed with mature and rare trees and complemented by a lake and cascading ponds. Five-acre arboretum, large lilac circle, wisteria pergola with views over Exeter and Woodbury. Visitors welcome to bring picnics. Open for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday 12th/Sunday 13th/Saturday 19th/ Sunday 20th/Saturday 26th/ Sunday 27th and Wednesday 30th March, 1pm-5pm on all days.

Admission £6, children free.

in March

compiled by Vivienne Lewis We’re heading into spring, with daffodils and other bulbs giving such a lift in spirits. Here’s a selection of private gardens opening their gates for charity during March, so get out and enjoy a trip around someone else’s garden, and help raise much needed funds for deserving charities. Some gardens are also open later in the season – for more details go to www.ngs.org.uk or consult the annual NGS handbook and local booklets.

LOWER SHALFORD FARM

UPPER GORWELL HOUSE Goodleigh Road, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 7JP Created mostly since 1979, this four-acre garden overlooking the Taw estuary has a benign microclimate allowing many rare and tender plants to grow and thrive, both in the open and in the walled garden. Several follies complement the enclosures and vistas within the garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 27th March, 2pm-6pm. Admission £6, children free. Visitors welcome to bring picnics.

Charlton Musgrove, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 8HE A large garden with extensive lawns and wooded surroundings with drifts of daffodils in spring. Small winterbourne stream running through with several stone bridges.

Walled rose/parterre garden, hedged herbaceous garden and several ornamental ponds.

Open for the NGS on Saturday 19th March, 10am-3pm. Admission £5, children free.

DOWN PLACE South Harting, Petersfield, West Sussex GU31 5PN Set on the South Downs with panoramic views out to the undulating wooded countryside, merging into its surrounding landscape; spring bulbs, hellebores and blossom; well-stocked vegetable garden and walks shaded by beech trees surrounding the natural wildflower meadow with various native orchids. Open for the NGS on Saturday 26th /27th March, 1.30pm-5.30pm both days. Admission £5, children free.

OUR KEY TO FACILITIES ON OFFER AT THE GARDENS:

Refreshments available

Plants usually for sale Dogs on short leads

Wheelchair access to much of garden

Partial wheelchair access

Unsuitable for wheelchairs

Visitors welcome by arrangement

Coaches welcome consult owners

Accommodation at this venue

www.countrygardener.co.uk

31

GARDEN VISITS

MANOR FARM

LITTLE MALVERN COURT

Hampreston, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7LX

Little Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 4JN

Traditional farmhouse garden designed and cared for by three generations of the Trehane family through over 100 years of farming and gardening at Hampreston, noted for its herbaceous borders and rose beds within box and yew hedges. Mature shrubbery, water and bog garden. Open for hellebores in March, with Dorset Hardy Plant Society sales at openings. Hellebores for sale in March. Open for the NGS on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March, 1pm-4pm. Admission £5, children free.

Ten acres attached to the former Benedictine Priory, with magnificent views over the Severn Valley, garden rooms and terrace around the house, a chain of lakes, wide variety of spring bulbs, flowering trees and shrubs, topiary hedge and fine trees. Open for the NGS on Fridays 11th, 18th and 25th March, 2pm-5pm all days.

Admission £6, children £1.

THE COACH HOUSE GARDEN Church Lane, Ampney Crucis, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5RY Approx 1½ acres divided into rooms including rill garden, gravel garden, rose garden, herbaceous borders, pleached lime allee and potager. Potting shed and greenhouse and wildlife pond. Garden lecture days, workshops and specialist plant sales held during the year. Open for the NGS on Sunday 27th March, 2pm-5pm.

Admission £6, children free. Tel. 01285 850256 www.thegenerousgardener.co.uk

ROCK HOUSE Elberton, Gloucestershire BS35 4AQ

LITTLE COURT

This two-acre garden ten miles north of Bristol has pretty woodland vistas with many snowdrops and daffodils, some of them unusual; spring flowers, cottage garden plants, old yew tree and pond. Open for the NGS on Sunday 20th and Sunday 27th March, 11am-4pm both days.

Admission £5, children free.

Crawley, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 2PU This traditional walled, sheltered garden is open in all seasons and is especially exciting in spring, with many flower beds and climbers, kitchen garden, colourful free range bantams, and a south facing natural wildlife field of English wild flowers and butterflies. Many informal seats, each with a good view. Open for the NGS on Thursday 3rd March, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free.

PILLEY HILL COTTAGE

FONTHILL HOUSE

Pilley Hill, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 5QF

Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 5SA

Entering via the creeper covered lych gate, the garden reveals itself via winding paths; dogwood and cornus among gnarled trees, the stark structure of winter softened as spring brings snowdrops, then masses of daffodils. Wild flowers in little meadow strips and green shoots of bog plants and ferns. Open for the NGS on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March, 1pm-4pm both days. Admission £4, children free. Picnics welcome.

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Wonderful woodland walks with daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, shrubs, bulbs, magnificent views, and formal gardens which are being continuously improved with new designs, exciting trees, shrubs and plants. Gorgeous William Pye fountain and other sculptures. Open for the NGS on Sunday 20th March, 12pm-5pm. Admission £7, children free.

Country Gardener

Carraway Barn, Dorset

Over 3,500 exceptional gardens to discover Find your perfect garden: ngs.org.uk

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33

Don’t be late this year!

Former head gardener Jack Davies shares his advice for a successful vegetable growing season by following his father’s advice to put the hours in during February and March to get a flying start to spring

Jack Davies remembers his father telling him what the secret of a successful vegetable growing season was.

The former Yorkshire head gardener recalls working on his dad’s allotment in Ripon and saying to him nothing was more important than being ready for spring.

“He used to say that once spring arrived it would race away with everything and you had to be ready, the garden tidy, the soil improved, the weeds under control. He said too many gardeners were always three or four weeks late sowing seeds and they would never catch up, some things wouldn’t get a full growing season, and everything would be late.

“He was once aghast to see a neighbour on his allotment still putting up shelves in his shed the third week in April.

He hadn’t touched the soil, so he had no chance.”

Jack, who oversaw the gardens at Sheffield Botanic Gardens, now runs his own double allotment plot in Devon and sticks by the advice he learned from his father.

“Spring will be here before we know it and you have to be ready when it arrives? If the answer to this is not a resounding, emphatic yes, then getting to work in the garden and performing soil preparation sooner than later is a must.

“It’s no good waiting for the warmth of early spring days.

Sometimes you must accept poor weather gardening in February and March. I like to have my allotment free from weeds , the beds mulched, the tools sharpened by the first week in March . The I’m ready for anything spring can throw at me.”

“To get started, clean-up should be a priority. If any plant

Clear all the soil of weeds as a first step 34

debris remains, go ahead and remove it. Dig up any dead plants and residual roots, raking leaves that may have fallen at the same time as this is an important part of pest control; having these types of things left in your garden will invite pests in to snack and lay eggs. Get these items moved into your compost pile so they will be ready to use effectively in the garden come spring.

“Give your garden soil some invigoration in the form of a few inches of compost. This will infuse your soil with good nutrients and minerals while at the same time helping with water management, be it holding water in or draining it properly in accordance with your set of needs. If you prefer, you can wait until spring to do this, but having it done and out of the way is very beneficial. Soil that is nutrient deficient can also be helped by the planting of cover crops to be ploughed back into the garden come spring.

“Depending on what you plan to plant in the spring, you are going to need soil with a corresponding pH. In some cases, this can take some time to achieve, so the sooner to you tackle the task, the better. If you’re still uncertain as to what you will be planting, aim for a neutral pH of around seven. If your current soil is too acidic, add and work in limestone. On the other hand, if it is too alkaline, granular sulphur can help. Regardless of what your soil needs, getting it precisely where it needs to be can take time, so starting the process with a few months to spare can save you a lot of panic in the end as opposed to letting it go until spring.

“Once your cleanup is complete and pH is balanced, consider adding some organic mulch. This will help keep soil from running off while at the same time adding nutrients as it breaks down.

“Adding a blanket of mulch to beds will help to suppress weeds, improve soil structure and lock in moisture.

It is wise to hold off until conditions are right, only applying mulch to soil that’s clear of weeds, moist and not frozen. Homemade compost, wood chippings and spent mushroom compost are all ideal. Aim for a layer at least five centimetres thick.

“If the soil in your pots and raised beds has slumped and shrunk over winter, it is time to add a revitalising top-up.

Start by removing any weeds then add peat-free compost but don’t fill to the brim: leave some space for watering. A top layer of grit, gravel or bark chips will hold soil in place and foil weeds.

Country Gardener

“Although many of us grow veggies during the colder months, there is likely still garden space available for tending. Get yours ready while you can because there is no telling what Mother Nature has in store for us in the coming months. She may have been going easy on us and our gardens thus far, but we might as well tackle all of our garden work and soil preparation before that changes.

“If you think it’s too early to start working on your spring garden? It’s definitely not because March is the perfect time to get those cool weather veggies that can handle cool, early spring weather in the ground.”

What to plant March is the perfect time to sow some seeds

Every vegetable goes through three basic phases in the gardener’s hands: starting, growing and harvesting.

Early spring is all about starting for many vegetables, particularly the cool-season varieties that grow until early summer.

Some of the varieties are started indoors in January and February and then set out in April as transplants.

Members of the onion family should be planted now for spring and summer harvest, including bunching onions, onions sold as sets and usually by colour, leeks and chives.

I am also putting in seed-started transplants of globe artichokes and parsley.

If you’re planning on growing squashes, courgettes or

pumpkins then you’ll need to be ready to feed the greedy plants with as much goodness as possible. Squash pits are a great way of giving them a head start.

Dig a big hole where they’ll be planted and start filling with vegetable scraps from the kitchen, chopped and dug in with a spade. Cover with compost a month before planting and those lucky cucurbits will be able to enjoy some homemade nourishment.

Hold fire you may need a bit of patience sometimes

“I like to have my allotment free from weeds, the beds mulched, the tools sharpened by the first week in March.

Then I’m ready for anything spring can throw at me”

Easy harvests

The worst vegetables for extra-early planting are those that need warm air and soil, aubergine, peppers and tomatoes, as well as all members of the cucumber family.

Seedlings that are started too early become lanky and overgrown while they wait for warm weather and require constant potting up to keep them from becoming root bound.

Seeds and seedlings aren’t too keen on being plunged into cold soil, the shock often delaying their desire to start growing.

Give them the cosiest possible start by covering the soil a few weeks before the planting action begins. Horticultural fleece is good, but a little expensive; bubble wrap is even better.

You can bet that before you begin sowing, the wild seeds will have got a head start on germinating and your veg beds will already be starting to show green growth.

Learn from your mistakes At the start of a new growing season remember your mistakes. Every gardener makes them, but the important thing is to learn and carry on gardening.

1. Sowing too early Cut-and-come-again are a gardener’s must-have

Potatoes The easiest of almost anything to grow but yes, they do take up a lot of space. Even if you don’t have a garden it’s still great fun growing a few in a large pot or sack. Early varieties are the best to grow and quickest to harvest.

We all get impatient when it feels winter’s been going on forever, and we want to see things growing again. But seedlings sown too soon can struggle because the conditions aren’t suitable for them. Follow the sowing dates on your seed packets.

2. Sowing too late There’s so much to do in spring. It’s hard to get everything done on time. Plants are relatively forgiving but plants like chilli peppers and tomatoes need a long growing season, and if you sow them too late, you won’t get a good harvest.

Lettuce Cut-and-come-again are so popular now - for obvious reasons. The trick is to sow few and often otherwise you will be wasting so many of your seeds. Once a week just sow a handful and that will keep you in constant supply through the whole growing season.

3. Planting in the wrong spot

to ignore them for too long when they are growing fast, water sensible and don’t let leaves and suckers take away the energy which should be going into the fruit.

Runner beans Start them off under cover as they do not like the frost.

Planting them out too early will also stunt their growth so wait until it’s warm or else they will take much longer to establish. Structurally good for the garden and they love a good climbing frame.

Broad beans Try growing potatoes in black bin bags

Beetroot Sow in modules and try out beetroot in containers.

Beetroot is easy to grow and delicious. Pick them when they are the size of golf balls, and the taste is at the best.

When the seeds have grown their first true leaves and the roots have started to establish then plant them out into rich soil.

Tomatoes You don’t have to own a greenhouse to grow them. Just keep them protected. If you are growing outdoors you can now buy varieties suited to the outdoor growth. A south facing wall is ideal. The trick with tomatoes is not

Hardy and fast growing and an early season vegetable and generally trouble free. You can overwinter them to given them a fast start but they can be planted indoors in February and/or March and outside by April.

Rocket Sow successionally in trays. Good early season crop with leaves that are tasty and delicious. You can treat them like cut-and-come -again.

Courgettes The trick is to give each seed its own growing environment. They are tender so need to be started under cover and away from frosts. Don’t over plant. A couple of well grown plants will give a constant supply if picked when they are cigar sized. Too much space is often taken up and gluts are well known.

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If you want your plants to thrive rather than survive, check what conditions they need and make sure they have them.

4. Planting things no one wants to eat There’s no point in growing vast quantities of vegetables if you don’t eat them - courgettes and lettuce are often the worst for providing gluts. Plan your garden around the things you want to eat, not simply the plants that are easy to grow, so you’re not left with a mountain of unwanted veg.

5. Planting too many different things It’s easy to get carried away but growing vegetables can be tricky, so if you try to grow too many different things at once, you’re likely to be overwhelmed. Pick two or three vegetables and start with them, gradually adding more as you gain confidence and experience.

6. Forgetting to weed Weeding is one of the most critical and neverending tasks in a vegetable garden. Weeds compete with your vegetables for nutrients and water, and they can harbour pests and diseases.

Weed your vegetable plot regularly.

35

I have a notebook by my desk in the office which is an ongoing mini survey of the questions I get most asked about when it comes to houseplants and their upkeep.

It is a small list and contains questions I face time and again.

If nothing else, it serves to highlight perhaps some of the things which are going wrong in our homes when it comes to us all trying to keep houseplants happy and healthy.

Here’s some of the most questions I am asked: How can I tell if I have overwatered/underwatered my plant? Have I watered the wrong way, watered with the wrong sort of water?

Have I splashed the leaves with water and scorched them?

Is my houseplant in the right place with the right temperature, the right amount of sunshine or shade?

Was it already dying when it came back from the garden centre?

What did I do wrong trying to repot it?

Did I give it enough /too much food?

How can I tell if I have over pruned?

Should I always remove dead leaves?

Does dusting and wiping plant leaves make any difference to the plant’s health?

What I would say in summing all this up is that houseplants are popular because they are relatively easy to take care of, provide health benefits and there are some fairly simple rules of do’s and don’ts which mean it’s not too stressful to keep plants alive and well.

WATERING

‘My solutions to keep houseplants happy and healthy’ Vanessa Lee trained at Kew Gardens to become an expert on houseplants.

She is now an author and in demand as a speaker on houseplants and indoor growing throughout the West Country.

36

Country Gardener

It pays to know the signs of under- or over-watered plants. Plants will ‘tell you’ if you’re not doing it right. If your plant is looking sickly, first check the compost. If it’s dry, immerse the plant’s pot in a bucket of water and hold it down – air should bubble up. Leave it until the compost is soaked through and the plant shows signs of perking up. Allow the water to drain before returning it to where it was growing.

Wilted yellow leaves can be a sign of overwatering. If the compost is damp, let it dry out before you next water.

Some house plants are native to tropical regions and are used to a higher level of humidity than our houses usually can provide. What’s more, plants that thrive in low light-levels and high humidity are perfect for growing in a terrarium.

Many house plants are native to dry regions and therefore suffer if watered too much. What’s more, most house plants suffer if their roots are sitting in water.

Water sparingly, instead.

Wait until the compost is dry before you water. Place your plant on a large saucer or in the sink so water can drain out. Water until all the compost is moist. Return to its cover pot when no more water comes from the base.

Some plants need to sit in water all the time to keep their roots permanently moist, while others are at risk of rotting if watered too close to the base of the stems or crown.

For those that need moist roots, place the pot in a saucer of rainwater and keep it topped-up. For plants that rot at the crown or stem, place the pot in a saucer of water until the compost is moist again, and then drain thoroughly.

The leaves of some plants scorch easily, so it’s important to keep them dry when watering.

WATER IN THE CENTRE OF THE PLANTS Bromeliads have an unusual leaf formation, allowing them to absorb water that collects in the central reservoir. Keep this reservoir topped up, and periodically flush it out to stop the water becoming stagnant.

REPOTTING YOUR HOUSEPLANT When plants have been in their pots for some time they may need repotting to a larger pot to give the roots space to grow and to provide fresh nutrients and extra water holding capacity.

It maybe you’ve decided your houseplant needs repotting.

When it’s time to repot your plant, you should use a combination of plastic pots and peat-based compost.

Plants will often need more room and fresh nutrients

Always leave enough space between the rim of the pot and the surface of the compost; as that’s your watering space. When one of your houseplants is in a large pot and can’t be repotted, you’ll have to top-dress the compost.

What this means is you will have to remove the top inch of old compost and replace it with fresh compost.

Water the plant the day before you plan on repotting it. Put your fingers over the top of the root ball and invert the pot. Tap the pot’s rim on a firm surface. Tease the roots free. After that, pick a clean pot a little larger than the one from which you just removed the plant– normally going up a couple pot sizes. Place a nice, firm handful of fresh compost into the pot’s base.

Make sure the surface of that root ball is below the rim so you can cover it adequately with compost. Once you have the plant in the correct position, gently place some fresh compost around it and over it.

You want to give the roots some ability to move and grow.

Be sure to leave the recommended amount of space on top for watering purposes. Put the plant where moisture can drain freely and trickle water on to the plant filling the watering space on top. You won’t want to water this plant again until the compost shows some signs of drying out. Now that you know how to repot houseplants, you can enjoy them even longer year-round.

MAKING NEW PLANTS Well grown mature houseplants are relatively inexpensive to buy and generally easy to come by, so why do people go through the effort of trying to propagate them?

The main reasons are that although plants can be cheap to purchase, they’re almost always cheaper to propagate.

It’s also very easy.

A rooting hormone is a good way to increase your chances of success but not essential.

Finally, never expect a 100 per-cent success rate but equally, never let failure put you off from trying again.

Remember the golden rule - houseplants want to be propagated. You aren’t trying to force them into doing something they don’t want to do (unlike attempts to push your dog outside to do its business when it’s pouring with rain!) so don’t be afraid to give it a go.

Some species will form side shoots or offsets, usually around the base of itself. This method is tricky to get right because when you remove the offset you must do so carefully to ensure as many of the new roots that have formed come along with the bulk of the miniature plant you have removed.

With some houseplants, plantlets appear on the end of long flowering stems. These are basically miniature adult plants and when the leaves and roots have formed and have grown to a decent size they’re ready to live life on their own. You just need to remove the plantlet and pot up into a standard soil mix, watering well. One houseplant is propagated this way more than any other and that’s the Spiderplant.

Depending on the plant you’ll need to either gently pull or cut off a leaf from the stem, allow the raw edge to dry slightly (a few hours to a day) and then pot it up in a free draining compost mix with the raw edge going in first.

Some plants like the Sansevieria have massive leaves, which although a little more drastic, can be cut into several smaller pieces.

Always plant in the direction of growth, keeping most of the leaf above the ground which prevents rotting and allows for photosynthesis to take place which in turn creates the new growth you need. Only a few centimetres of the leaf needs to be in the soil, just enough to hold it in place.

Vanessa’s top tips

Grouping houseplants together makes a real impact

• Gathering lots of plants together creates a wonderful impact in the house.

• I like to see houseplants used more in bedrooms and feathery friends are idealbest suited to muted light.

FEEDING All houseplants need feeding from time to time. Plants in pots rely on you for nutrients. Use a general-purpose liquid feed for most plants. A high potash feed such as tomato feed can be used to encourage flowers. Look for specialist food for cacti and orchids.

A bright windowsill is perfect for cacti and succulents and fun to care for

• If you have a dark corner in the house brighten it up with light reflecting plants such as yucca, a fern or Sansevieria (mother-in-laws tongue).

• A bright windowsill is perfect for a collection of cacti and succulents.

Regular wiping helps a plant’s ability to synthesise

Propagating more houseplants

When it comes to propagating there are many methods to pick from. It may be you’re increasing your own stock, planning on giving them away to friends and family or wanting to start afresh with a smaller version of an “old friend”.

There are several basic rules.

Cuttings and new plants will typically need more attention than fully grown ones.

Neglect - for example failure to keep the compost moist (or on the other hand, too wet) could easily end your attempt in failure.

Always use fresh compost (if rooting using soil) or fresh water (if rooting using water).

DUSTING AND WIPING Dust builds up on leaves of houseplants making it difficult for them to photosynthesise efficiently so yes, it is important to wipe using a clean damp cloth and avoid any chemicals - just water is fine.

REMOVING DEAD LEAVES Leaves which have gone brown will never recover so they need to be taken out and removed quickly to avoid spreading rot. Try to avoid damaging healthy leaves in the process.

REVIVING WILTED PLANTS

Not enough households are brave enough to try hanging plants against a window

• Hanging a plant by a window gives plants the light they need and shows off their trailing stems. Sedum morganiarum (burro’s tail) is a perfect example of this.

• Always use rain water or filtered water but not softened water.

First check the compost. It is the secret behind most problems. If it is dry soak it in water and let it drain. If it is too wet then let it dry out thoroughly. The worst thing you can do is water when it isn’t necessary. www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

If you have any gardening thoughts, opinions, views or ideas you would like to share we would be delighted to hear from you.

Write to Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

Why I burn vegetable remains SAVING WATER IS A PRIORITY FOR US GARDENERS I work for a water company so I guess I have a vested interest in saying to gardeners they must make it a priority this season to save water. If you haven’t got yourself an efficient system which saves water into a large water butt then get one.

And if you have one then think about getting a second one. Most of us have more than one option when it comes to saving water from a roof. It makes enormous sense in terms of cost savings, but natural rainwater is the only option for the serious gardener. You can shop around and find some great offers for specially recycled butts.

Richard Grey Porlock

Referring to the November article by Bob Dixon on bonfires. I burn potato stalks and tomato remains, also cabbage roots to prevent spread of blight and club root. If fires are controlled there is little smoke or tar ignition. Also, the process of composting results in Co2 formation so there could be little difference between the processes. Some recycled compost I have seen is not fully mature and difficult to use. I am lucky being in the country and isolated and I watch for the wind direction before burning.

T.W. Price Maisemore

WELCOME GARDEN GUESTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

Living in the strange world of Covid has changed my life a lot over the past 18 months. Selfisolation as I recently had to cope with, has its benefits. I have had to look at wildlife on a restricted scale -namely in my back garden.

It is one small lawn, a rockery, flowerbed and three trees. However, the variety of birds I have come to know has been wonderful. First to arrive in the morning is the dunnock, weaving in and out of the vegetation looking for a meal. Then comes the lone thrush and his first task is to bully the dunnock. Hence our nickname for him - ‘Bruiser’. Next on the scene is the blackbird who is a real creature of habit, and he objects to the presence of the thrush. The flowerbed is his domain, and he guards it passionately. The blue tits scurry back and forth at what seems to be 80 miles an hour. And then there is the robin, impatient, demanding. It looks as if every morning he has a watch on and he looks at it and stands under our window and tapping it saying ‘Come on, what time do you call this?’

Finally we have loved seeing the nervous, jumpy and anxious great spotted woodpecker who is with us fleetingly. It’s a circus I could not have imagined before lockdown.

Olivia Porter

Newton Abbot

Plant your trees in plain old soil I read in your autumn issue the advice you give about planting trees. Somewhere there was a reference to adding bone meal to soil before planting a tree or shrub. In my experience of 20 years of gardening it is a waste of time.

It does not stimulate plant growth. It is only a mineral, not a plant growth regulator.

A high concentration of phosphorus may do harm by inhibiting beneficial mycorrhizal fungi.

These fungi occur naturally in the soil and create a secondary root system, drawing water and nutrients from the soil. If the fungi don’t appear, trees and shrubs compensate by growing extra roots, at a cost to the rest of the plant.

Compost can also be harmful in holes dug for new trees.

The compost rots and the tree settles down too far in the soil and as a result root and stem rot can set in. It’s best to plant trees in plain old soil.

Arthur Grant

SPOTTED ONE RARE REDSTART One of the joys of birdwatching is that you never know for certain what is out there in our gardens I had a huge thrill last October when I was sitting gazing out of the window idly looking across the lawn. I spotted something I have never seen before, and I have been birdwatching on and off for 35 years. I saw a black redstart. It was only there for a moment before it was gone. I love how birds can take you by surprise. Redstarts supposedly are more common in urban areas and are very nervous. I am not sure the outskirts of Plymouth qualifies but it was a beautiful sight - a small robin sized bird which has supposedly adapted to town living but which according to the RSPB is still very rare.

Renata Brand 38

Plymouth

Country Gardener

Portishead

READERS STORY

The sweet pea route to gardening pleasures

My diagnosis get gardening

I really look forward to reading your magazine.

I managed last spring to encourage my grandchildren to start to enjoy gardening and it worked. I got them to plant some sweet peas in my garden which they could see throughout the spring and summer when they visited. I think it is a lovely idea to get kids or even some older people started in gardening. There’s nothing like the smell of sweet peas to signify summer and what’s even better is the more you pick the more flowers they produce. We had a lovely crop through the summer and the youngsters were thrilled with it.

Philip is a GP working in North Somerset, a Country Gardener reader and enthusiastic gardener, and one of many in the profession who believes gardening can provide health benefits to his patients

Pam Nicholss Burnham

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF AN INSECT THRIVING GARDEN Sorting out a heap of old gardening magazines recently I re-read a Country Gardener article on what plants to grow to attract butterflies and bees. I realised that of the 27 suggestions listed I have 22 in my wildlife friendly garden. Since moving here in 2003 I have noted 18 different species of butterfly. The occasional hummingbird hawk moth sometimes visits too, and a wide variety of bees and hoverflies make the borders hum.

My most visited flowers were not on that list however, so I’ll add them here: winter honeysuckle, ceanothus, perennial purple wallflower (which has grown to the size of a shrub!) and Ceratostigma willmotianum.

Honesty and Verbena bonariensis, both of which self seed freely in my borders, are easy to grow and very popular.

The sight and sound of these insects are a joy and make the garden feel truly alive.

Joy Piper Weymouth Fridge magnets to inspire the arrival of spring I always look forward to spring with childlike enthusiasm.

Spring has always inspired me and I can’t wait to welcome back the warmth of those first sunny spring days. As an inspiration I have two fridge magnets in my kitchen which keep the thoughts about spring to the fore during January and February in particular.

‘Spring is the music of open windows’ - TERRI GUILLMETS And the other is a bit cheeky but my husband approves: ‘I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees’ - ELLIS PETERS.

The secret of growing celeriac

Last year I discovered the secret of growing celeriac, a root vegetable which I love but have never managed to be successful with. It isn’t easy to grow. The secret I found was to grow them individually in large pots. I fed, watered them the same way I do with leeks, starting them off early indoors with warmth. The other trick is to remove some of the oldest leaves in mid-summer as this seems to give the roots a boost. Job done!

Mark Allenby Yeovil

Pauline Larss Petersfield

www.countrygardener.co.uk

In September I went on a two-day RHS course to learn more about gardening.

I did it for myself, but I also did it for my patients.

Over the past 18 months I have never had to deal with so many patients suffering from anxiety, stress and depression. They have not been all elderly - in fact 65 plus people have been in the minority.

My reason for writing to you within some degree of anonymity is to confirm that as a gardener myself I am increasingly recommending gardening as a way out of many health issues.

I feel promoting fresh air, being outdoors in the garden is an effective drug free therapy which I know has helped a lot of people.

After the course with the lovely and informed RHS people I am now more specific in my recommendations of a course of action.

Spending time outdoors, surrounding yourself with greenery and living things is one of life’s great joys – and research suggests it’s good for your body and your brain.

It’s maybe not entirely surprising then that patients all over the country are increasingly being prescribed time in nature and community gardening projects as part of “green prescriptions” by the NHS. Here in Somerset, patients with depression and anxiety have been given ‘nature prescriptions’ with doctors recommending walks and activities that allow people to connect with the outdoors.

Instead of worrying about the everyday stresses of life, gardening allows us to redirect our focus. In the garden, concentrating on a physical task gives our minds a rest from the other thoughts getting us down.

A three-hour session of gardening can match the calorie burn of an hour at the gym. But gardening doesn’t require a membership!

In addition, exercise releases endorphins (happy hormones) which make people feel happy and relaxed. It is well known that regular exercise has proven mental health benefits and can improve other aspects of our lives – such as sleeping well.

Spending time growing your own flowers, fruit and veg is a way of caring for something regularly.

For some, gardening can simply provide a reason to get up and about outside of the house. Without a particular motivation (such as a garden to tend to) this can often feel impossible for lots of people.

Non-medical treatments such as recommending and urging people out into the fresh air and gardening may seem simplistic but we have a major task in the NHS over the years to come to tackle anxiety, loneliness, and depression. I am convinced this is one of the best solutions.

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Be sure to

stretch As the days get longer there is an anticipation in the air about the gardening season ahead. After months of long, dark days we can’t wait to get back out into the garden and start preparing it for those plans we’ve been hatching all winter.

Gardening is a wonderful pastime for our health and wellbeing - both physical and mental. It builds strength, endurance and flexibility, is beneficial for heart health and can help control weight. And that’s before we talk about the mental health benefits - research has shown that it can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression.

But it is easy to forget that gardening should be viewed as a physical activity, and a strenuous one at times. Leaping back into full days of moving, digging, pruning and planting, especially after a sedentary winter, can cause pain and injury. It is so easy to get stuck into all the jobs that need doing without a thought of the toll it will take on our bodies.

Build up slowly Although the temptation to jump back into several hours of work is tempting, it is more sensible to pace yourself, especially if you have had an inactive winter. It is far better to start out with shorter spells of activity and build up than it is to overdo it and not be able to get out in the garden again for days.

We have all started a ‘quick job’ and then realised hours have passed and ended up with back pain afterwards. Your body will thank you for starting small and building up. Break tasks into smaller chunks and set a timer if you need to.

Warm up Hands up how many people have warmed up before they start gardening?! Spending a few minutes getting the body prepared is worth it.

Start your warm up by going for a short walk - just ten minutes will do. This is enough to warm up your muscles and raise your body temperature.

Then take some time to do some dynamic stretches. These are active stretches usually used before physical activity to prepare the body for movement. Static stretches - that are held for a longer period - are best done post activity.

1. Wrist Circles Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Raise your arms to shoulder height in front of you. Circle your wrists ten times in each direction.

2. Arm Circles Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Raise your arms to shoulder height and windmill your arms forward ten times, backwards ten times and then try to rotate them in opposite directions.

3. Side Reaches Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Raise your arms above your head keeping them shoulder width apart, keep your shoulders away from your ears. Reach your arms over to one side of your body and then the other.

Reach through your fingertips and gently move from one side to the other.

4. Trunk Twists Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Place your arms behind your head and rotate the torso to one direction and then to the other. Keep the pelvis facing forwards. Repeat ten times.

5. Roll Down Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your

Last year GP’s and emergency departments reported a record number of injuries at the start of a new gardening season. Stretching and warming up is essential when heading out into the garden. Pilates trainer Kate Lewis shows some easy to follow and effective warming up routines

knees soft, roll down through the spine, one vertebrae at a time, until you are in a forward fold. Draw your tummy muscles in and roll back up through the spine one vertebrae at a time.

6. Leg Swings Stand with your feet hip width apart, holding on to a tree or stable object if you need extra balance. Lift your right leg. Slowly and gently swing your leg forwards and backwards five times each way. Repeat on the other leg.

7. Hip Circles Stand with your feet hip width apart, holding on to a tree or stable object if you need extra balance. Lift your right leg. Slowly and gently circle the leg five times in each direction . Repeat on the other leg.

8. Cat/Cow Kneel on the ground with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees. Pull your tummy muscles in and arch your back gently so you are looking up.

Keeping your tummy muscles pulled in round your back in the opposite direction into an ‘angry cat’ stretch. Move slowly and gently between each position five times.

NEXT MONTH we look at postgardening stretches and safe gardening techniques.

Note: Please check with your doctor/healthcare professional before starting any physical exercise, especially if you have a previous medical condition.

None of the above exercises should cause pain, please exercise within your capabilities.

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ACROSS

acerate (7) 1. Abandoned urban area previously used 4. Name by which the root of Abrus precatorius is sometimes called (6,9) for commercial purposes (10,4) 5. A simple leaf that is not divided into 8. Former chairman of Radio 4’s parts (6) Gardeners’ Question Time, ____ Robson 6. Genus of plants including chickweed (4) and stitchwort (9) 9. Sambucus species with dark, purple 7. Roadside plant of the sunflower family, fruit (10) found in California (7) 10. Famous dance held in Helston annually 13. European rose or sweet briar (9) (6) 11. Hardy perennials of the saxifrage family 15. More covered in furze (7) 17. Confines in coop (7) (8) 18. General name for any fruit of the Ribes 12. Genus of herbaceous plants commonly genus (7) called marigolds (12) 19. A heritage park and desert botanical 14. Having little or no rain and too dry to gardens are found in this Texan city (2,4) support vegetation (4) 22. Popular garden plant with long, pointed 15. Do this to the lily to try to improve on flowers (5) perfection (4) 16. European herb formerly thought to cure the quinsy (9) 20. A species of dried plum (8) 21. Popular vegetable from the same family Answers from previous issue, Winter 2021: as parsley (6) C H A M P A C P O M P I O N 23. Sprucing up, for example, the garden R D E R R A R E (10) U V A U R S I A N E M O N E 24. Now ignored by gardeners who prefer M N F M N W K P more ecological substitutes (4) B U S S U B A C H E L O R S 25. Homeopathic plant also known as oneO M O E S berry or herb Paris (4,6,4) D O N N E R C R A T C H I T

DOWN

1. Salt-resistant plant sometimes called opposite leaf Russian thistle (7) 2. Christian name of ‘A House of Pomegranates’ author (5) 3. Describing a tree whose leaves are

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45

READERS STORY

Passionate about primroses Devon gardener Mary Gooding reveals her love of primroses which she inherited from her mother and how important they are to her to announce that spring has arrived We are almost there- that wonderful day in the third week in March when daylight wins over darkness.

It’s a day which gives us hope and sees us gardeners returning to serious work outdoors.

It is the day most when I remember my mother and her love of primroses which more than any other plant I know signifies spring – much more to me than tulips and daffodils.

So, forgive me but what follows in is praise of the primrose.

A love of the primrose is part and parcel of being English.

I believe. And I am half-English. My mother came from Devon, where primroses (Primula vulgaris) grow in abundance. The pale-yellow flowers were familiar to every country child of my mother’s generation. Today, due to increasing development of their natural habitat, primroses are fewer in number. But these spring wildflowers still hold gentle sway over people of my age.

I now am back in Devon just 20 miles from where my mother grew up.

Sadly, she died before I began working on my primrose garden. However, her vivid descriptions of home and of this beloved flower made a lasting impression on me when I lived in the United States.

Sight unseen, it had cast a spell on me. Upon meeting my first wild primrose in Devon, many years later, I was overcome with nostalgia.

Since that time, I have discovered a vast world of primroses.

There are more than 400 species of Primula distributed all over the world, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere.

Although my mother never imagined the richness of this large genus, she would have been thrilled by its beauty and variety.

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A charming old lady, whom I knew only through Gertrude Jekyll when she grew and sold a special correspondence, once wrote me the following: “I was given polyanthus in her garden at Munstead Wood in Surrey. a clump of primroses more than 40 years ago. Now, I am Jekyll lifted and divided the plants every year, instead of 93 and handicapped, but my primroses continue to give the usual two or three. When in Home and Garden (1899) me joy. From my desk, I can see a row of them in a little she describes her role in the proceedings, she tells us she courtyard garden. I watch eagerly for the first sign of them sat on a low stool for two days, where a boy “feeds me with in the spring and enjoy at least six weeks of pleasure. Then, armfuls of newly-dug up plants, two men are digging-in I look forward to their coming again the following year.” the cow-dung at the far end, and another carries away the Such is the power of the primrose.

It is hard to imagine more “Primroses are best appreciated right at your feet, pleasure for less work. Though where you can enjoy their perfection at close range. my elderly friend could no longer tend her primroses, they Upon meeting my first wild primrose in Devon, continued to flourish. They are many years later, I was overcome with nostalgia.” possessed of an ethereal beauty that belies their hardiness— plants, tray by tray and carefully replants them”. blooming early and so faithfully. In her sheltered courtyard garden, they grew at the foot of shrubs. I have What does a primrose symbolize? In the Victorian also enjoyed seeing them grown under apple trees, and language of flowers, primroses’ association with youth and they are perfect for a woodland garden. Primroses are best young love means ‘can’t live without you.’ Across cultures, appreciated right at your feet, where you can enjoy their primroses signify spring, protection, safety, and love. perfection at close range.

The scientific name Primula is a diminutive of the Latin Here in Devon primroses still grow in open fields beneath primus, ‘prime’ alluding to the fact that this flower is scudding clouds and fitful sunshine. They are flourishing among the first to appear in spring.

I notice in a nearby churchyard. I am not sure whether The vernacular name has the same meaning: primrose planted or wild but bring real feeling when you see them derives from a late Latin form prima rosa, consisting of around a gravestone prima, “first” (feminine), and rosa, “rose”.

As a rule, primulas are tough and can take a lot of abuse. I But for me it’s about spring, back to work and the have even lifted and moved a clump bursting into flower gardening days ahead. because it was the wrong colour for a bed.

And, against the odds, primulas can sometimes survive in dry, gritty soil, as they did for the great plantswoman

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