Cotswolds Country Gardener October 2016

Cotswolds

Issue No 127 October 2016

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Pick up some pumpkins and enjoy them through the winter Growing lots of fruit in smaller gardens

Painswick’s Rococco gardens COTSWOLDS APPLE DAYS TO ENJOY

Early autumn events galore throughout the Cotswolds www.countrygardener.co.uk

Autumn Homes & Gardens AT THE GARDEN LOVERS GARDEN CENTRE On A423 Southam Road, Nr. Farnborough, Banbury OX17 1EL. Tel: 01295 690479

Open Six Days a Week. Tue-Sat: 9.00am - 5.30pm Sun: 10.30am - 4.30pm

Open Bank Holiday Mondays www.farnboroughgardencentre.co.uk

Autumn at

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ROSS GARDEN STORE

Enjoy!

Shop!

Walk leisurely around the plants, displayed within informal garden settings that will inspire you. Browse, or ask our friendly staff to help you choose those plants that are right for your situation.

Eat & Drink!

Relax in a quiet corner of the garden centre where you can meet a friend or simply read through your gardening books with a frothy cappuchino! Serving light snacks & refreshments, such as our famous cheese scones, cakes and cream teas.

Our speciality is specimen plants ranging from trees and shrubs, to palms and topiary. We also stock patio furniture, stoneware, enamelware, metalwork and obelisks. In our shop you will find orchids, sundry items, gifts and ideas for the discerning gardener, all gift-wrapped on request. Seasonal lines such as bedding plants, bulbs, seeds and perennials complement the range throughout the year, alongside the gardening necessities of chemicals, fertilisers, wild bird care and composts.

Grow

Quality Service Value

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ee Come and s ! for yourself Ross Garden Store, The Engine Shed, Station Approach, Ashburton, Ross On Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7BW

www.rossgardenstore.com 01989 568999 OPEN DAILY

Contents Apple Days will soon be here Apple days have suddenly become one of the best themed days of the year.

We look forward to how you can enjoy the glory of the apple this autumn with local events which focus on everything from cooking to cider making. Page 10

How to grow loads of fruit even in smaller gardens Nurseryman and fruit grower extraordinary Kevin Croucher urges those with smaller gardens to try growing Dorset

Issue No 148 October 2016

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ON THE COVER

This month’s cover anticipates the wonders and glories of the pumpkin and squash harvest which will soon be with us. We look especially at how to ‘ cure’ and let your crop enjoy a suntan so you can enjoy the fruits not for just a few weeks but throughout the winter.

Page 37 Pick up some pumpkins and enjoy them through the winter Growing lots of fruit in smaller gardens

‘Berried treasures’ perfect for Dorset gardens DORSET APPLE DAYS TO ENJOY

Early autumn events galore throughout Dorset

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Editorial Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 431767 Time Off: Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk Design & Production Aidan Gill aidan@countrygardener.co.uk Gemma Stringer gemma@countrygardener.co.uk

“Delicious autumn! If I were a bird I would f ly about the earth seeking the successive autumns” - GEORGE ELIOT

dwarf varieties of fruit and start growing fruit against a wall as cordons fans or espaliers. Page 12

COVERING UP THE GROUND

How do you react when someone mentions ground cover plants?

Gill Heavens comes up with some wonderful plants which will add a lot to those tricky areas of your garden.

Page 16

Scythe your way to happiness Scythes were still widely used until the end of the Second World War, when petrol-driven machinery took over but recently, new traditional but light and versatile tools are available, and scythes are again being used. Page 21

THINK AUTUMN: THINK SWEET PEAS If your thoughts are just beginning to wander rather prematurely towards next summer and how your garden will look then one thing you could focus on is your sweet pea display. For the best

Advertising Sales Cath Pettyfer Devon & Dorset cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660 Ava Bench Somerset & Classified ava@countrygardener.co.uk classified@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 619073

Corina Reay Cotswolds corina@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 410098 Rob Houghton Hampshire & Sussex rob@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01614 283230

results start thinking about planting now. Page 22

Enjoy the best of autumn colour Autumn is for many a favourite time of the year with its fantastic colours and tints.

We’ve some great ideas for days out and trips to see the best of autumn colour throughout the region. Page 24

Answers to your questions Do you know the difference between bulbs, corms and tubers? What can you grow to keep bugs down in the greenhouse and how can you liven up your soil this autumn? We’ve the answers in our hugely popular Q&A column. Page 32

Conifers are back in fashion Devon nurseryman Grahame Oakey shares some of the secrets on how to plant, care for and make the most of conifers. Page 34

" The ‘Indian Summer’, the dead summer's soul" - MARY CLEMMER Accounts Sam Bartholomew sam@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 430639 Distribution Pat Eade pateade@btinternet.com Tel: 01594 543790 Follow us on Twitter @countrygardenuk

The Country Gardener magazines are distributed FREE at Nurseries, garden centres, National Trust Properties, open gardens, garden machinery specialists, country stores and farm shops in each county.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or made available in any form, without the written permission of the copyright holder and Publisher, application for which should be made to the Publisher. Unsolicited material: do not send or submit your only version of manuscripts and/or photographs/transparencies to us as these cannot be returned to you. While every care is taken to ensure that material submitted is priced accurately and completely, we cannot be responsible or liable for any loss or damage suffered. Views and/or opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Country Gardener or the Publisher.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

3

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...IN THE COTSWOLDS A look at news, events and happenings in the Cotswolds

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management.

Living roofs can be used in a variety of ways both to enhance garden structures such as sheds, summerhouses and storage units, to provide insulation to buildings, to attract beneficial insects and to reduce pollution. These were all important considerations in Sue’s chemical-free, teaching garden.

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Devon Log Stores have been producing log stores, recycling stores and bicycle stores for ten years but this was the first time they had been asked to create a store with a living roof.

A sedum roof - light green and a textured living roof

Something new - a sedum roof on your log store A groundbreaking, or roofbreaking, new venture between a garden design and a log store specialist may have set a new gardening trend.

Sue Gibson, proprietor of Sue Gibson School of Gardening in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, approached Devon Log Stores with a request for a log and bin store with a living sedum roof. The aim was twofold: to introduce an attractive log and bin storage unit into her teaching garden and to enhance this with a living roof.

This was to be a model for teaching the benefits of a living roof in her classes on garden design and garden

After detailed research a specification and design was forwarded to Sue to show how her criteria for the store and roof structure would be met.

The sedum plants, supplied as easy-to-fit modules by Sedum Green Roof Ltd in Wiltshire, were then installed

by Sue Gibson who is delighted with the finished result.

The strongly constructed log store, now with its lightgreen and textured living roof, makes a focal point in what was previously an underused and dark part of the garden.

Devon Log Stores, email info@devonlogstores.co.uk Sue Gibson School of Gardening, Slimbridge, Glos, www.iteachgardening.co.uk Tel: 01453 890820

Garden writer Val Bourne to speak to Black Pear Gardening Club Top garden writer Val Bourne will be giving her practical, witty advice to members of the Black Pear Gardening Club at Powick Parish Hall when she talks about her windswept Gloucestershire garden on Saturday 15th October.

Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer, photographer and lecturer who gardens on the windswept Cotswolds at Spring Cottage, high above Bourtonon-the-Water in Gloucestershire. Her illustrated talk is entitled ‘Gardening at Spring Cottage with the Much Beloved’.

She writes for The Daily Telegraph, Saga Magazine and many others. She is also the gardening correspondent of The Oxford Times and judges the perennial and dahlia trials at RHS Wisley.

The meeting starts at 2.30pm at Powick Parish Hall, Powick WR2 4RT. Entrance is ÂŁ5 for all, including refreshments. The raffle at this meeting will be in aid of a charity chosen by the committee.

For more details call the club chairman Brian Skeys on 01684 311297, email him on blackpeargc@icloud.com or visit the website at www.blackpeargc.org.uk 4

Country Gardener

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All sorts of bare-root hedging - Ideal time to plant

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Soak up the spectacular colour... at Batsford this autumn. Browse our selection of gifts and garden goodies and treat yourself to a home-baked lunch or afternoon tea in our café.

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Visit www.batsarb.co.uk for details on our forthcoming events BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AD. Tel: 01386 701441 E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk www.batsarb.co.uk BatsfordArboretum

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01684 562544 grangefmnursery@btconnect.com

www.countrygardener.co.uk

5

WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM READY TO WOW The Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum at Westonbirt is planning to be transformed into a sensory winter wonderland, for its annual Enchanted Christmas event.

The festive events will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from the last weekend of November 25th to 27th to the weekend before Christmas.

At the heart of the event lies a spectacular lighting display decorating the trees for Christmas. Westonbirt’s majestic tree collection is illuminated, creating a magical experience for the whole family. A new lighting design is created each year, taking in around a mile of the arboretum’s paths.

The trail itself is pushchair and wheelchair friendly and features exciting interactive displays for the family to enjoy along the way.

Advanced booking is essential for Westonbirt’s Christmas event

Due to such popular demand, tickets are advance booking only.

Visit www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-christmas for more information about the event, including opening times and price information.

Howle nursery opens for special acer autumn week

Howle Hill Nursery in Ross on Wye are celebrating Japanese Maples in full colour over a special week starting on Monday 17th- and running through to Sunday 22nd October (9am to 5pm) at the picturesque Herefordshire nursery which will give visitors the chance to witness the acers in their autumn glory.

The popular nursery have had a busy year so far- after coming back from Chelsea Flower Show and the RHS Malvern Spring Show with gold medals, they have been busy at their offices on Howle Hill, designing domestic gardenslarge and small.

"We've had a fantastic year on the 'show circuit' however our private gardens are at the business' heart and there really is something brilliant about re-visiting a garden ten years on to see its progress and growth,” said Peter Dowle.

The growers and nursery workers outside are gearing up for an exciting autumn- with much care going into the company's vast collection of Japanese Maples that are starting to change colour, as well as tending to a large variety of specimen trees and plants that the nursery stocks.

Howle Hill Nursery Ross-on-Wye HR9 5SP Opening times – Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) Saturdays (9.30- 5pm). Tel: 01989 567726

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Best year for Britain’s rarest butterfly since 1930s The once-extinct large blue butterfly, reintroduced to the UK in 1984, flew in its highest numbers for at least 80 years this summer, due to the combined efforts of the Large Blue Project, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust The numbers go against warnings that this year could be the worst year on record for British butterflies.

Thanks to conservation management, south-west England now supports the largest concentration of large blues known in the world. Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Green Down and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust saw over 10,000 adult large blues in 2016, which equates to roughly 60 per cent of the UK population. Together they laid more than a quarter of a million eggs on the abundant thyme and marjoram flowers.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s chief executive, Roger Mortlock, says: “This is fantastic news for this globally endangered butterfly whose extraordinary life cycle makes its conservation very challenging. Scrub clearance and careful grazing of wildflowerrich grasslands is key to ensuring a future for this beautiful insect.

This special management also helps a huge diversity of wild plants and other insects to thrive.”

Their habitat has been restored to more than 50 former sites.

The finest of these are Green Down Nature Reserve in Somerset and Daneway Banks Nature Reserve in the Cotswolds, both Wildlife Trust sites.

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30/08/2016 14:56

7

Painswick Rococo Garden THE ULTIMATE PLACE TO PARTY!

Susie Hunt escapes the 21st century and returns to the sensual early 1700s at Painswick’s Rococo Garden with its theatrical sets, charming garden structures, informal plantings and woodland walks and finds it a joy at any time of the year There's a new man at the helm of one of the most distinctive and unusual ornamental gardens in the Cotswolds.

After nine years working for the National Trust - most recently for the eccentric attraction, Snowshill Manor House and Gardens, Dominic Hamilton has taken over as the new garden director of Painswick Rococo Garden and admits he fell in love with the place the moment he first saw it.

“When I came and looked round I thought it had the magic to it and I think for me that's the key. I've got to love what I'm doing and this place has a quirkiness to it. There's nowhere else quite like it and it's not your average garden - it's not all about manicured edges and pretty flowers.

Although horticulturally excellent, it's not a Hidcote,” he adds.

“It's got a naturalness to it that I really like - it blends in with the surroundings but it's also got that wow factor.”

It's hard not to fall in love a little with the garden when you visit if the truth be told. It's certainly very different from many gardens you find in the Cotswolds which tend to be much more quintessentially English in their design and style. No blowsy herbaceous borders here though - or at least very few. This is a fascinating mix of wildflower areas mown through with gently meandering paths, woodland walks, an impressive maze, a formal kitchen garden and a huge mix of follies adding to the incredible theatricality of the place.

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“It draws you in with its beauty and is both romantic and surprising. It's also a garden with the most amazing stories behind it.

“Essentially it was a party garden”, says Dominic. “You'd go to a party in the big house next door then you'd spill out on a summers evening and snuggle with your lover in a building or go and chat to the blokes or go and play a game of cards. It's a place to be entertained and to have fun so it's not about serious flower growing, it's about using the space and being intrigued so you go round a corner and want to explore further”.

Even today the garden feels a little like walking around a film set. I almost expected Kate Winslett to step out from behind a statue, intent on shaking off the amorous advances of a dashingly uniformed soldier! There's certainly nowhere else like it in the country. The Rococo Garden is the only one of it's kind and the story of how it came to be restored is certainly the stuff of fairy tales. The garden had been captured on canvas by the 18th century artist Thomas Robins and, following an exhibition of his work in the late 1970s, garden historians of the day became excited about the prospect of finding - and restoring the garden to its former glory.

At that time it was little more than a field of conifers and brambles but a donation of £100,000 from a very supportive and generous sponsor gave them the means to start recreating the garden in line with Robins' painting.

It's a story that certainly inspired Steve Quinton. A graduate of the highly respected Pershore College, Steve has been head gardener at the Rococo Garden for the past three years and he's so passionate about the place, he's just completed an MA in Garden and Landscape History -

Country Gardener

using his workplace as the subject of his dissertation. Hours of research, poring over historic documents in the Gloucester archives gave Steve the chance to find out more about what the original gardens would have looked like - and he admits not all of the 1980s restoration is quite right. One or two of the hedges for example may not be in quite the right place but he admits the historians of the time didn't have the resources he had for his dissertation.

Now he hopes his painstaking research and hard work will help visitors to learn and understand more about this unique garden and allow the charitable trustees and staff to go onto finish the restoration work.

“We plan to do some interpretation around the garden explaining what all the different follies are or why the kitchen garden was designed the way it is. We've still got a little bit more to do on the restoration. There are some little projects and we'll do a couple of those each year and then there's a couple of bigger projects. I think the one that I would most like to do is because there's a second Thomas Robins painting that's been found of the Eagle House which is the salmon pink house and that shows a landscape that's completely different from the one there today. Recreating that would be my ultimate goal”, he says.

A big part of the Rococo Garden's success is down to the band of volunteers who give their free time to keep them looking beautiful.

Working alongside Steve, his assistant head gardener and trainee gardener, Dominic says these dedicated workers fulfil a vital role.

“Volunteers bring their own challenges to any job although actually volunteer management was a big thing at the National Trust so I'm used to that. I think as long as we treat everybody equally, both staff and volunteers - you have to remember you have got to want to come so you have to make the prospect interesting and engaging but it shouldn't be difficult. That's one of my ambitions here, to increase volunteering more because there aren't' enough people to do everything - just to cover the basics.”

I don't imagine finding people with a passion for Painswick Rococo Garden will prove difficult but securing the money to fund the future restoration work is unlikely to happen quickly.

But with such a passionate group of people involved, it will no doubt be worth the wait - although there's no time like the present and this Cotswolds gem is just waiting to be explored - and to wow you.

Painswick Rococo Garden, Painswick, Glos, GL6 6TH. Tel: 01452 813204.

Five things you probably didn't know about Painswick Rococo Garden

• Unusually for a garden restoration, there's only one source of information - namely a blown-up pdf of the centuries old Thomas Robins painting.

• Painswick House was built in the mid 1730s by asthma suffering Charles Hyett who moved to the area to escape the smog of Gloucester!

• Even the Painswick air couldn't help Charles Hyett who died soon after the house was completed, giving his son Benjamin the chance to create the fanciful garden.

• The spectacular maze was planted in 1998 to commemorate 250 years of the Thomas Robins picture.

• The work of the garden is supported by an independent charity called The Friends of Painswick Rococo Garden who organise social and fundraising events to benefit the garden. www.countrygardener.co.uk

9

Time to enjoy

Apple Days

The past 25 years have seen the blossoming of Apple Days all over the country to the point where there’s even a campaign to make it a UK national holiday. So it’s time again to celebrate the glory of the apple in all its tastes and varieties It’s that time of year again – when apples really enter front of stage. Apple Days are now much looked forward events at villages, towns, NT properties, farms and orchards all over the country.

It’s the chance for communities to celebrate the apple harvest. And for visitors to the Apple Days the chance to get varieties identified and to take along their own apples and have them turned into juice to take home.

There’s hundred of events celebrating the unique varieties of apples grown throughout Britain, and how to make the most of them.

In 1990, dismayed by the loss of s o many traditional orchards and amazed at the 3,000 or so varieties of apples that have been grown here, Common Ground, the charity that explores the relationship between nature and culture set out to create a new calendar custom to celebrate our most versatile fruit and the beautiful orchards they come from.

The first Apple Day was held on October 21st in 1990 in the old Apple Market in Covent Garden, London, bringing fruit back there for the first time in 17 years.

And so the tradition of Apple Day began. Over the next few years, the number of events being organised around the country grew from more than 60 in 1991 to 300 by 1997 and over 600 in 1999, some attracting thousands of people.

Apple Day has played a part in raising awareness not only of the importance of orchards to our landscape and culture, but also in the provenance and traceability of food.

It has been one impetus behind the developing network of farmers’ markets and is helping people everywhere to discover they are not alone in valuing the links between food and the land, between natural resource use and the impact we have on nature.

We have used the apple as a symbol of what is being lost in many aspects of our lives and shown that anyone can take positive action towards change.

Over the years, Apple Day has been celebrated in a wonderful variety of ways by a diverse range of people.

Doctors’ surgeries, coronary support groups, and the Cancer Research Campaign have taken Apple Day as a novel way of encouraging healthy eating.

Each year, alongside tasting, juicing, baking, pruning and grafting, an imaginative array of games and creative activities have flourished – ranging from simple apple printing to mummers’ apple plays, new songs and poetry evenings. But invariably, year after year, the most popular event is the display, tasting and buying of numerous 10

varieties of apples and the presence of an expert to aid identification.

The success of Apple Day has shown what the apple means to us and how much we need local celebrations in which, year after year, everyone can be involved.

In city, town and country, Apple Day events have fostered local pride, celebrated and deepened interest in local distinctiveness.

It has struck a chord.

Common Ground have worked to extend, support and promote Apple Day countrywide through nurseries, fruit farms, restaurants, National Trust and RHS gardens, museum, art centres, community groups and schools who celebrate the day in their own place, in their own way.

Sue Clifford from Common Ground says; “Apple Day is not a marketing device, its creation has been impelled by altruism and idealism for living better with nature – the apple and the orchard are symbols of hope. They demonstrate how we can have our trees, bees, bats, butterflies, birds and badgers whilst growing good fruit to eat and drink.”

“It’s a day to recognise the wealth and variety of apples available in the United Kingdom.”

Twelve months after the launch 50 events ranging from apple roadshows, grafting classes and village hall markets took place. By 2000 the day was celebrated in over 600 events around the country, and abroad! Events were organised by restaurants, museums, Women’s Institutes, cider makers, community orchards and others.

Apple Day a national holida y?

There’s still a cam paign for Apple Da y to become the autumn holid ay in Britain. Appl e Day is now an integral part of the calendar of m any villages, local authorities and city markets.

It is a focus for ac tivities organised by the Women’s Institute, Nationa l Trust properties, Wildlife Trusts, museums and ga lleries, horticultura l societies, shops and restaura nts as well as for schools, colleges and envi ronmental study centres. It would say supporters pr ovide a traditiona l and much need Bank Holiday in th e autumn.

Country Gardener

Hunting down the best

Cotswolds Apple Days Apple celebrations at historic farm You can join in a number of apple themed Michaelmas celebrations at Mary Arden's Farm near Stratford –uponAvon.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September are the dates for the for apple themed games and cooking displays for the whole family in the celebration of the harvest at a Michaelmas fair.

Experience the Stratford –on-Avon historical farm hustle and bustle of a 16th Century fair.

You can celebrate the bounties of the harvest at our apple display, apple juice and cider bar; enjoy Tudor cooking demonstrations with apple recipes to take home with you and join in with Tudor dancing.

Michaelmas marks the end of the fishing season and the beginning of the hunting season. It was the time to pick apples and make cider and was one of the 'quarter days' when the Tudors would settle rents and accounts.

Normal admission applies, so if you already have a valid ticket you go and join in for free.

Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9UN. Tel: 01789 338535

Harvestime 2016 The famous Big Apple Association’s 28th Harvestime event will happen in and around Much Marcle near Ledbury over the weekend of October 8th and 9th. It’s a real apple harvest themed event. Much Marcle lies on the A449 Ledbury to Ross on Wye road.

Big Apple Association, Woodcroft, Putley, Ledbury, HR8 2RD.

Faversham stages National Apple Festival One of the biggest apple festivals is at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdate in Faversham, Kent, on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th October. Discover something new and tasty with over a hundred different varieties on offer to buy and take home. Tractor trailer and walking tours of the orchards will be running and the craft and produce village returns to offer your some unique gift ideas. Live music, local food and entertainment over the whole weekend.

The National Apple Festival offers a display of approximately

400 apple varieties and 'try before you buy' of the seasonal fruit. On this momentous occasion visitors can experience varieties of the past and have snapshots of varieties being bred for the future. Tractor trailer and walking tours of the orchards will be available as well as the craft and produce village returns to offer you some unique gift ideas. Enjoy live music, local food and entertainment over the weekend.

Brogdale Collections, Brogdale Farm, Faversham, ME13 8XZ. Tel: 01795 536250

Blackmoor’s famous Apple Tasting day Blackmoor Estate's famous Apple Tasting Day will be back for the 46th year time on Sunday, 9th October. This popular free local event is a rare opportunity for fruit enthusiasts to taste a wide variety of the old an new apple and pear varieties grown at Blackmoor - from traditional favourites like 'Cox's Orange Pippin' and 'Norfolk Royal Russet' to exciting new varieties like 'Evelina' and 'Opal'. Apple 'doctors' will be on hand to identify mystery apples and apple ailments and there will be a range of other attractions including rural craft fair and demonstrations, community fete, local produce stalls, horse and cart rides, cakes and teas, climbing wall and live music. Entry is free. 10am - 4.30pm.

Blackmoor Estate Ltd, Blackmoor, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 6BS.

RHS Rosemoor Apple Day a bumper festival The high profile RHS Apple Day takes place on Sunday, 2nd October 2016, at RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington.

It’s a great day out for all the family, Rosemoor's Apple Day is organised in conjunction with Orchards Live, Thornhayes Nursery and the RHS South West Area Fruit Group who will endeavour to identify your unknown apple varieties (please bring at least two apples from each variety you would like to identify and no more than three different varieties per person). With apple displays, cookery demonstrations and apple recipes, tastings, planting and cultivation tips and talks; children's activities and trails plus stalls selling fruit, cider and apple juice. Free face painting by Devon Face Painting.

RHS Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. Tel: 01805 626800

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11

Growing lots of fruit in smaller gardens

Properly pruned and trained fruit on a south facing wall can produce spectacular results

Devon nurseryman Kevin Croucher urges those with smaller gardens to try growing dwarf varieties of fruit and start growing fruit against a wall as cordons fans or espaliers Many people who enjoy their gardens only have small ones and often feel that they haven’t got the space to grow tree fruit.

A bush apple tree 8-10ft tall and wide is a bit dominating in a modest urban patch. However, there are ways of fitting various trained forms of tree fruits into a small domestic garden attractively and productively. It just takes a bit of skill and advice. At Thornhayes I run courses on 'Trained fruit- how to do it' and they are perennially popular.

The thing is that trained as cordons, fans or espaliers, the effect is quite contained and formal, therefore attractive in small gardens where space is at a premium.

Training fruit against south or west walls brings another consideration in to play. Such things as gages, apricots, peaches and many pears thrive best in a continental climate of hot summers and cold winters. They need sufficient heat in one summer to form fruit buds for the following spring. These buds need a chilling in the winter and if pollinated sufficient heat to ripen fruit and form flower buds for the next year. The pollen also has to reach a sufficient 12

Country Gardener

temperature to ripen and become viable.

Growing against a wall or fence makes fruit a more likely outcome of all your effort. If you garden at high altitude or in an open windy site, possibly near the sea, you have a problem growing many fruits, even apples.

However, a sunny wall or fence will improve your odds.

Let’s consider the options available starting with the smallest. Apples on very dwarf rootstocks can be trained as step-overs. These are essentially single tier espaliers on an M9 or M27 rootstock, trained along a single wire about 18 inches above the ground. Each plant occupies about a six feet run. They are a pretty edge to a path or border.

Pruning is primarily carried out in August/ September and they can each provide up to five or six pounds of fruit, once established and mature. Using a succession of varieties, a modest plot can provide fruit over several months.

Similar results can be achieved with pears grown on Quince C rootstock.

A couple of things to bear in mind Trees on these very dwarf stocks must have very good fertile, free draining soil conditions and be kept totally free of competition from weeds or other plants. Also, as they are only producing small amounts of fruit, it is probably best to restrict your selection to dessert varieties.

Such dwarf trees could also be grown as small cordons, trained up a wall or fence for support. Generally though, I recommend cordon apples are grown on MM106 or M116 rootstocks and cordon pears on quince A or pyrodwarf rootstocks.

They have a greater vigour than M9 or M27 and are generally better suited to conditions in the wetter and windy west. If you read most books in relation to cordon fruit growing they will recommend “oblique” cordons, planted 1m apart and trained at 45 degrees against wires on a south or west facing wall or fence. This does a number of things.

• The wall or fence provides hotter conditions and thereby sweeter, riper, more highly coloured fruit and better flower fertility and pollination in cold seasons.

• A framework to train the plants against and provide support.

• By training at 45 degrees the apical dominance of the leading shoot is suppressed and the plant more readily initiates side shoots and thereby fruiting spurs.

Trees grown like this, if trained six feet to seven feet up a wall or fence will provide eight to ten pounds of fruit per year, that can all be picked safely from the ground. Pruning is primarily a summer activity in August September. So again whilst being larger overall than step-overs, they are still tidy and compact; ideal for a small garden.

varieties over many years and eventually decided it wasn’t worth the effort. So my advice to would be cordon growers is stick to apples and pears.

If you want to grow plums and cherries in a confined space, then you will need a wall, fence or wire framework of some sort.

Not everyone can provide this, but if you have the location, then you can grow a fan. This will take up a space of six to seven feet tall and ten to 12 feet wide. If growing cherries, such a system also means that you are easily able to net the ripening fruit against birds, who otherwise will consume the entire crop.

A similar space could equally be used for a fan or espalier trained apple or pear.

If having read this, you feel inspired to delve further, then I suggest you visit us at Thornhayes Nursery. There is a demonstration orchard with examples of all these different ways of training fruit trees. Or you may wish to enroll on ‘Trained fruit-how to do it’. 1.30 – 4pm on Wednesday 7th December. www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk/index. php?page=events-courses for details Thornhayes Nursery, St Andrews Wood, Dulford, Cullompton, EX15 2DF.

You can find room for a fruit tree in the smallest of spaces

What I hear you cry if you don’t have a wall or fence?

And you don’t wish to construct an independent timber and wire framework that would dominate your small garden.

Here is where we leave the text books behind and talk about “vertical free standing cordons”.

Cordon apples and pears can be grown vertically, but all the information on line or in books says that they have to be supported. They don’t. If you plant them as maidens (apples on MM106 or M116 and pears on quince A or pyrodwarf), without a stake and prune them appropriately, they will anchor and establish firm roots. This gives gardeners the opportunity to plant any number they like as free standing elements in the garden. They can be mixed in to an ornamental border or flank a garden path, as close as three feet apart or as far apart as you like. With summer pruning they can be maintained as a column two to three feet wide and six to seven feet tall, all managed and picked from the ground.

I have examples at Thornhayes that have been established in the ground for years, but I am their only advocate.

So far only apples and pears have been considered. There was much talk 20 or more years ago of growing cordon plums on dwarfing pixy rootstock. I know many very proficient fruit growers who experimented with a range of

Getting the angles correct. Cordon pear trees growing at Thornhayes Nursery

Dwarf trees from good stock can producing remarkable results

SPECIALIST TREES

Remember

leaves are NOT litter!

Mark Hinsley comes up with a timely reminder that it won’t be too long before the leaves start falling and natures starts its own recycling project I remember years ago, when I was the Tree Officer for Wimborne District Council, being asked to visit a property (we did that in those days!) in an area called Ashley Heath.

As you have probably guessed, there was not much ‘heath’ left at Ashley.

It was by then a development of miles of bungalows with open plan frontages and decent sized gardens.

The lady who had made the complaint was a widow of advancing years. She and her husband had moved from London to Dorset, where they had always come for their holidays, into their dream bungalow when he retired from working. Unfortunately, he had predeceased her quite soon after they arrived and she was on her own in the property with no close relatives.

scales, flowers, leaves (all season), lots of leaves (autumn), needles (all year round), cones, seeds, nuts, dead twigs, dead parrots, you name it, at some time or another it is likely to fall out of a tree and land on your lawn!

The reason for this constant arboreal fall out is that trees (which do not harm the planet) became heavily into recycling at a time when we (who do harm the planet) were no more than a twinkling in the eye of some primitive reptilian life form.

Absolutely nothing in a tree goes to waste and as soon as it has performed its function it is dropped to the ground to be broken down by bacteria and fungi, released back into the soil, turned into solution by rainfall and taken back into the tree by its roots to use again. It is called the’ nitrogen cycle’.

As I have pointed out in previous articles, it is us with our hard surfaces and tended gardens that often break this cycle.

The complaint from the lady in question was regarding all the bits that fell on her lawn. The problem was that having spent most of her life in an inner city environment divorced from nature, she considered every bit of debris that landed on her open plan front lawn as being ‘litter’ and, being a respectable woman, she could not tolerate the thought of ‘litter’ being strewn all across her garden making her look unclean and slovenly.

I felt desperately sorry for her.

She was not in the best of health and her hip caused her pain, yet every time some leaves, needles or whatever fell on her lawn she was out there with a rake.

She treated the lawn as if it were her front room carpet.

That old song by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band came to mind, ‘I’m The Urban Spaceman’, because here was a lady totally out of her environment, landed in Dorset from the planet ‘concrete’. She did not understand that once you are living in amongst nature you have to learn to live with it, that falling leaves and fruits, etc are not tin cans and old newspapers; they are nature at work.

I never saw the lady again and, needless to say, I didn’t allow all the trees to be felled. I did try to make her understand that she was in a different environment now – but I don’t know if I got through.

Mark Hinsley is from Arboriculture Consultants Ltd. www.treeadvice.info

Now, my rural living hardened country cousins, please don’t feel too smug when I inform you that, whilst most city dwellers understand that the leaves fall off the trees in the autumn, they do not realise that there is stuff falling out of most trees most of the time!

Trees produce a constant stream of debris: bud 14

Country Gardener

GREEN MANURE TO THE RESCUE Scything down green manure ready to dig in

It’s the time of year when you need to start thinking about your soil and its condition for next spring. It isn’t too late to plant green manures but it is important to understand how they work Let’s start with the easy bit.

Green manures are fast-growing plants sown to cover bare soil. The foliage smothers weeds and their roots prevent soil erosion and when dug into the ground while still green, they return valuable nutrients to the soil.

Our gardens are due a time of respite. This is the time to concentrate on recovery and replenishment of the soil so we’ll be ready for an ever better year of growing when spring rolls around.

Many organic gardeners spread mulches, leaf mould or compost across beds to condition the soil overwinter. All great ideas, yet these will leave large bare patches in our gardens. Perhaps a better option is to grow a green manure, known as a cover crop, over the soil and then dig this crop into the soil in the early spring to add nutrients.

How does green manure work?

As well as increasing the fertility of the soil in spring when it’s dug in and incorporated, the foliage of your green manure will help smother any hopeful weeds and provide shelter for beneficial wildlife such as ground beetles. The roots will ensure your valuable top soil stays in place and doesn’t become compacted during heavy rains.

There are two types of green manure: Legumes and NonLegumes.

Legumes, such as clover, soybeans and the winter field beans pictured above, are plants from the pea and bean family. These have the special ability to grab fertilising nitrogen from the air and ‘fix’ it into the soil via their root systems.

Non-Legume green manures include rye and oats.

Which green manures can you plant now?

October’s fairly late to be getting green manure into the ground, as the main British growing season is over, but never fear, the RHS recommends a couple of options for October planting: • Winter field bean (Vicia faba): This annual legume can be left for two or three months after sowing (up to flowering) and is good for heavy soils; sow in September to November.

• Grazing rye (Secale cereale): This crop is good for soil structure and overwinters well; sow right up to November and dig in the following spring.

Hopefully one or both of the above can help you get started with green manures this year, however to get the best from your green manure, you should plan to get the crops in the ground in late summer, combine more than one type of plant and rotate what you plant from year to year.

How to plant and dig in your green manure Firstly, check the weather forecast. It’s important to sow the crop when it is going to rain so the seeds don’t dry out during the germination period.

For small areas, mix the seed with a little soil or sand, and broadcast by hand. Try to spread the seed as evenly as possible and then rake the soil to cover them sufficiently for germination.

Around three weeks before you plan to sow or plant out your main crops, chop down your green manure and leave on the surface of the soil to wilt. With two weeks to go, dig the wilted plants and foliage into the top 25cm of the soil and leave to decay. When it comes to begin the new season, plant or sow as usual and enjoy a bumper crop.

Problems • A dense carpet of green makes a perfect environment for slugs and snails, so control measures may be needed after green manuring.

• Decaying green manures can suppress plant growth, so allow at least two weeks between incorporation and planting or sowing.

• Club root can be a problem with green manures in the cabbage family such as mustard.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

Epimedium × perralchicum 'Fröhnleiten’ bright yellow flowers held above the leathery foliage in spring

Going to GROUND! Gill Heavens says there’s many reasons for ground cover plants in your garden and looks at the huge number of choices to make the most of tricky areas with some sensational planting ideas How do you react when someone mentions ground cover plants? Do you try to change the subject to something more exciting like “puddles I have known”? Does the thought of all those nondescript plants leave you cold?

I can understand why you might think they are dull. After all their purpose is clearly set out in the name, they cover ground.

No mention of ornament, they just conceal ugly stuff, not very thrilling. Of course it doesn’t have to be that way. Just because they are serving a practical purpose doesn’t mean they can’t be beautiful too. Here are a few suggestions of plants that might cover tricky places and look good at the same time.

The ones I have chosen are all full time employees (evergreen) rather than part time (deciduous).

Often thought the most difficult of garden conditions, dry shade can be a problem area in the garden. The epimediums or barrenworts are life savers in these conditions. Epimedium × perralchicum 'Fröhnleiten' will do you proud in anything from full to part shade, with bright yellow flowers held above the leathery foliage in spring. Although not quite so vigorous, Epimedium × warleyense is my favourite, with its striking, coppery orange flowers.

Pachysandra terminalis will also grow well here, with its shiny serrated leaves and short white flowers in early summer. A variegated form ‘Variegata’ has cream edges to the leaves.

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Country Gardener

Another shade lover is Waldsteinia ternata, which will remain evergreen in milder areas. It has strawberry like leaves and delicate yellow flowers in spring.

For part shade try the ajugas, commonly known as bugles. Ajuga reptans ‘Catlins Giant’ is a fine example, which throws up candles of royal blue in spring and summer, over a carpet of bronze tinged foliage. Ajuga ‘Atropurpurea’ has purple foliage and ‘Multicolor’ a stunning tricolour of pink, green and cream. The leopard plant, Farfugium japonicum 'Aureomaculatum' is an exotic looking Japanese native, with yellow daisy-like flowers in autumn and winter. The cultivar ‘Aureomaculatum’ has very attractive large, kidney-shaped leaves, splashed with gold, perfect for sun or part shade.

For sunny dry positions Iberis sempervirens, the perennial candytuft, is a good choice. It has 4cm wide, shining white flowers which bloom from late summer onwards. Armeria or sea thrift will form a dense dome of pink lollypop flowers and Stachys olympicum a grey velvet blanket with spires of blue and grey. Moltkia x intermedia is a little more unusual and belongs to the borage family. It produces deep blue tubular flowers in May which are held over an dense mat of leaves. Persicarias are excellent cover plants, none less so than Persicaria vacciniifolia, the rock knotweed. This little gem flowers for weeks on end with delicate needles of rosy pink.

Shrubs can also provide good ground cover.

The low growing Hebe pinguifolia ‘Pagei’ has silver-grey leaves and white flowers in summer and will enjoy sun or part shade, growing to a petite 30cm tall. All that is required is a quick trim after flowering once a year to keep it neat looking. There are several forms of prostrate juniper, which are unfussy in their environment; these include the golden Juniperus conferta ‘Old Gold’ and the blue grey Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’. Juniperus horizontalis 'Andorra Compacta' has grey green leaves which turn plum coloured in winter.

Perversely, climbers can also be useful in the horizontal department. When they can find nothing to climb up they have no option but to clothe the ground instead! If necessary you can guide them by gently pinning down the stems at intervals, and they may well root at these points. There are many attractive ivies, but be careful not to select one too rampant for your problem place, or you will be adding problems not solving them.

The large leaved, Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’, with variable yellow, pale and deep green leaves is fast growing and will quickly brighten a shady corner. If you prefer a more sedate plant then Hedera helix ‘Courage’ is the one for you. It has variegated starfish shaped leaves and although more leisurely is

just as attractive. You could also try one of the evergreen clematis such as the vigorous Clematis armandii which will give a fragrant winter display of white flowers or one of the Clematis cirrhosa’s such as ‘Freckles’ or ‘Wisley Cream’.

Honeysuckle will also make a perfumed carpet when allowed to scramble across the ground; the evergreen Lonicera japonica and its cultivars are ideal.

Ground cover plants will help to suppress weeds, but they are not miracle workers, some sneaky weeds will invariably show their heads.

To give yourself a head start on these invaders it is important to thoroughly weed before planting, taking care to remove all persistent or perennial weeds such as brambles or bindweed.

The odd one may still peak through, but good preparation will keep this to a minimum.

There may be many reasons for needing to use ground cover plants in your garden. You might wish to cover a steep bank or other difficult to access areas. Perhaps you want to hide an inhospitable place such as under a mature tree or you may have some other guilty secret!

Your choices are vast so make the most of these tricky areas, don’t settle for second best, transform them into features that you want to show off, not hide.

Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’ - an exotic looking Japanese native

Waldsteinia ternata - will stay evergreen in milder areas

Persicaria vacciniifolia, or the rock knotweed

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17

JOBS IN THE GARDEN

OCTOBER gardening jobs

Late September into October and there’s a real difference in daylight hours. It’s hopefully still a frost-free period and while gardening time might feel curtailed by the shorter sunlight, the days are often glorious, with the autumn colour a counterpoint to the light tipping away.

P lanning for a colourful spring Now is the time to think about how to light up the garden when it wakes after hibernation. Bulbs are incredible value, for they have instant impact, but it is always better to buy few varieties and larger numbers of each. Think 10’s and multiples of 10 for a generous effect in pots. Think 100’s if you are planting in grass, and look into the right varieties. The smaller-flowered Narcissus cyclamineus hybrids such as 'Jack Snipe' have fine foliage and so are easily incorporated, and there are early, midseason and late varieties to keep the display working from late winter until May. The earlier you plant bulbs the better, for the soil is still warm, and getting the roots established before the weather closes in will help them fight wet and rot. That said, tulips are happy to go in as late as the end of November, so leave them until last.

The general rule is that bulbs should be planted at two and a half times their own depth, and if you are planting in drifts, work on the principle that if you threw them in the air, you would plant where they landed.

It’s time to get collecting seeds Collect ripe seed on a dry day, as soon as the seedheads (e.g. capsules or pods) ripen. This is often indicated by a colour change from green to brown, black or red but before they open and shed their contents. Pick the seedheads, either singly or on stalks, and lay them out to dry on a greenhouse bench, warm windowsill or in an airing cupboard. This enables seed to be more easily extracted from pods, cones or capsules. If they don’t open when dry, gently crush pods and capsules to release the seed.

After extracting the seed, clean off any surrounding material (chaff) attached to them, as this material could. Chaff can harbour moulds, pests and diseases.

18

THE COMPOST HEAP NEEDS YOU As the garden is tidied in preparation for winter, lots of material is generated for composting. To encourage it to rot down quickly, turn the contents regularly to stir it up and allow in lots of air. In the colder weather, the rate of decomposition will naturally decrease, but it will soon speed up during warmer spells

Take action on colder days Think about bringing in any houseplants that have been outside. Acclimatise them slowly if you can. In warmer areas it is worth risking half-hardy perennials until the end of October to make the most of the finale, but in frost-prone areas you will need to bring them under cover, or into the shelter of the buildings.

Bring tender plants under protection If you've got tender plants, such as canna, now's the time to bring them indoors before they get killed by the frost. Choose a light, frost-free place such as a greenhouse or cold frame. Then keep them on the dry side during the winter, so they don't put on much growth. To reduce the threat of disease, check the plants on a regular basis and cut off any dead leaves and flowers before they have the chance to rot. The plants can then be brought back into growth in spring by gradually increasing the amount of water they receive.

Country Gardener

A NEW PLANTING SEASON

Plant asparagus crowns More gardeners are now planting asparagus in early autumn so buy crowns as soon as you can get them. Asparagus is an excellent perennial crop and will produce delicious tender spears for 15-20 years. Asparagus plants are either male or female. Male plants produce more and better spears, so many modern cultivars are all-male. If any female plants do appear, they will be noticeable because they produce orange-red berries. If you are growing an all-male cultivar, you will need to remove any female plants as well as any seedlings that appear. Asparagus grows best in an open, sunny site, but will tolerate dappled shade. It is not fussy about the soil type as long as it is well drained. A pH of 6.5-7.5 is ideal, so more acidic soils may need liming.

THE BEST WAY TO Pure harvest CLEAR LEAVES gold The simplest method of clearing leaves off the lawn is to run over them with a lawn mower. The cutting action of the mower blades will help to shred the leaves and make them quicker to rot down. Collect leaves this way once a week - any longer and the grass will start to grow long and get harder to cut. For clearing patios, paths and other surfaces, a leaf blower is a better bet.

Either blow the leaves onto the lawn for the mower to pick up or blast them on to a tarpaulin and drag them to the compost heap. Autumn leaves are great for adding to the compost heap, or for rotting down in black plastic bags on their own to make a finer type of compost called leaf mold.

One of the delights of the year is when you can start to harvest pumpkins.

Pumpkin and gourds can be moved into a dry position to prevent them from rotting. Pick windfall apples for cooking and twist those on the tree half a turn to see if they're ripe. If so, they'll come away with a satisfying snap. The unblemished can be stored in a cool shed to last into the winter months.

Hoarding is a good feeling for there is nothing like providing for the future. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Late September and early October is an exciting time for many gardeners as it the start of the planting season for many trees and shrubs . Plants planted now will benefit from the months ahead to get roots in. Be wary of planting evergreens in exposed sites, however, as they are prone to drying out in winter winds.

If you are prepared to water in winter, so much the better and get them in too.

RAKE'S PROGRESS

To make the most of the moment let autumn foliage lie where you can. Beware of build-up on precious lawns and rake them free to prevent browning off of the grass. If you want to instil order without breaking your back, keep paths and terraces free for the contrast of order. An autumn feed to stimulate root growth is worth applying on lawns that get a lot of wear in the summer.

Early autumn tips • Remove the top growth of your bean plants and incorporate them in your compost. Leave the roots in the soil as they add nitrogen and can be dug in later.

• For an early crop next year, plant autumn-planting varieties of garlic, onions and shallots.

• Allow birds into your fruit cage.

Once all the fruit has been picked, let the birds into your fruit cage to pick off any pests.

• Any citrus trees that have spent the summer outside should be moved indoors. Place in a bright airy place away from draughts and radiators.

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Scythe your way to happiness! soil, allowing you to keep root crops such as carrots in the ground longer; and ultimately adds organic matter.

Scythes were still widely used until the end of the Second World War, when petrol-driven machinery took over but recently, new traditional but light and versatile tools are available, and scythes are again being used

HOW TO SCYTHE

Scythes no longer have a bad name.

Once rejected as being heavy cumbersome, difficult to handle and sharpen there’s been a renaissance with courses in how to scythe booming and more people than ever are turning back to them.

A scythe (pronounced “sigh” or “sithe”) consists of a curved, steel blade attached to one end of a long, wooden shaft called a snath. Handles on the snath allow the user to hold the scythe and stand upright while swinging the blade horizontally at ground level to cut grass.

Scythes have been used for centuries to mow grass for making hay, clearing land of bushes and small trees, keeping fields or lawns neat and tidy.

Ian Miller is author of a new book called The Scything Handbook. This is his advice.

“The scythe involves work that is creative, challenging and invigorating. In an age where climate change is upon us, the scythe is a technology that is relevant to us all.

“A scythe can tackle a wide range of jobs efficiently, which means you may be able to dispense with a range of garden tools that aren’t in everyday use.

“Once you have acquired the technique, a scythe is a joy to use and provides a wonderful experience for mind and body.

“If you have a lawn to mow, you think there’s two choices - a petrol or electric lawn mower or a hand mower. They are generally effective, but are expensive and noisy.

“To eliminate air and noise pollution, use a scythe instead.

Let your lawn grow longer than you may be accustomed to for the scythe to be effective, but this also means mowing less frequently.

MOWING A WILDFLOWER MEADOW “In wildflower meadows, the scythe can be used to remove problem plants such as wild parsnip or the saplings of unwanted trees without causing large amounts of damage by bringing equipment in and out.

MULCHING “Ask a gardener who does not mulch why this is and the response will probably be that they do not know what they would use, that it is too expensive or that they don’t want to haul bales of hay or straw. Meanwhile their garden is smack in the middle of a free source of mulch, if they only had the knowledge and tools to tap into it.

The benefits of mulching cannot be overstated.

Mulch suppresses weeds and retains moisture so you need to weed and water less; covers the soil, thereby preventing erosion; insulates the

“When holding the scythe in the mowing position, the basic, neutral posture is legs slightly apart, right foot slightly ahead of the left, exactly halfway between the two grips on the snath. Placing the right foot slightly ahead of the left causes you to face slightly to the left. The reason for this posture is that the blade of the scythe is already at the far right, so your mowing is biased to the right. Rotating slightly to the left corrects this bias and will also help keep your windrow of cut grass free from any uncut grass that may be to your left.

“The scythe is drawn around the body in a semi-circle with the blade in constant contact with the ground, even on the return stroke".

SAFETY A scythe properly handled and respected, need never injure anyone.

TIPS ON MOWING LAWNS WITH A SCYTHE: •A scythe will mow wet thick grass that would bog down and stall a rotary mower. Use the scythe to clear an overgrown lawn before using a power mower.

•Short blades work well and are easier to use.

• Don’t expect the finished lawn to look as neat as if it were done with a rotary mower, especially at first .

• Your neighbours will appreciate your quiet, motorless mower.

• A scythe will clip right up close to foundations, steps, fences, stone walls, and many other obstructions that a mechanical mower can’t get close to.

• Light, gentle strokes are most effective. Mowing is a shearing action.

The Scything Handbook Learn how to cut grass, mow meadows and harvest grain by hand.

By Ian Miller, £14.99 hardback | Filbert Press www.filbertpress.com For help and advice on courses you’ll find a number of options including: wwwscytheassociation.org/courses www.thescytheshop.co.uk/courses www.wildseed.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

Autumn sown

THE SWEETEST OF PEAS Sow them in early October and fragrant sweet peas will grow bigger and more beautiful next spring. Tom Vernon explains why and how If your thoughts are just beginning to wander rather prematurely towards next summer and how your garden will look then one thing you could focus on is your sweet pea display.

For the very finest sweet pea blooms for cut flowers and exhibiting always sow in the autumn.

Sowing in autumn produces far superior results for the slower growth through the winter, fosters sturdier plants and stockier shoots far more able to withstand any hard weather after planting out. Likewise, the longer life in the pots produces a prolific root system and, in turn, more vigorous growth throughout the longer flowering season. This in turn gives longer stems, extra size and quality of bloom - and in good time for the early shows if exhibiting. The disadvantages of autumn sowing are merely the chores of winter care Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are probably the most popular annual flower, being especially prized for their colour and scent. Smaller cultivars are available for hanging baskets and containers but for the most part they bring scent, beauty and colour to borders.

Ideally you should be ordering seeds now, and planting them a centimetre deep in seed compost in root trainers.

But won’t they end up dead and forgotten on a windowsill somewhere? No not if they are left, ideally in a cold frame, in a cool greenhouse or even in a crate in a sheltered spot (protected from hungry mice), and will benefit from neglect.

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They don’t need watering but, if there’s a hard frost, I should cover them to exclude the light.

Gardeners in the southern half of the country have always grown them this way but, with spring often arriving earlier it’s a trend which is happening all over the country.

If you are sowing in late autumn or winter, your seeds may need a little gentle heat to germinate, for example on a kitchen windowsill, but do not use a propagator as it gets too hot.

An alternative – one I’ve occasionally succumbed to – is to buy ready-grown plants. Varieties are ready to order now from the leading specialist websites or nurseries. Watch out for slugs, though.

With a mouth-watering choice, it’s hard to plump for just a few. The dwarfs and sprites seem unappealing and modern, scentless varieties are out. Many of the heirloom or Old Fashioned varieties are too short-stemmed, so it’s the Spencers which many experienced sweet pea growers opt for. Developed from a single variety discovered by one of Earl Spencer’s gardeners at Althorp in 1899, these are the showiest and prettiest on the plot.

They have four flowers per stem and include ‘ Gwendoline’ the top selling sweet pea.

Think of sweet peas and you imagine ruffles of pastel hues, but the colours I love are darker: the purples such as 'Dark Passion’ the maroons such as 'Cupani’ and 'Almost Black’ and among the magentas the perennial Lathyrus latifolius is the most vibrant. There’s even a lime green 'Limelight’.

An average sowing date is early autumn, 7th-14th October is ideal.

Country Gardener

For sowing, use a reliable soil based seed compost such as John Innes Seed Compost. Divide this into two parts, two thirds as the rooting phase, and one third the germinating, the latter with a good mixture of a soil-less compost well mixed in. This provides the perfect friable compost for healthy seed germination. Ensure both composts are moist at sowing time by building each into a heap several days beforehand, watering gently layer by layer with a fine rose on the watering can and allowing the water to thoroughly permeate and drain; this produces the ideal moist yet crumbly condition (i.e. not wet and soggy).

The first shoot produced rarely grows on, and it is the side-shoots produced at the two joints below the bottom pair of leaves which build up to the flowering plant.

Growers are sometimes tempted to stop their plants during November, i.e. remove the growing point above the second pair of leaves to divert sap flow to stimulating side-shoot development.

However, such early side-shoots become over-tall, ungainly and hard put to withstand wind and frost after planting out in March. So be patient and if side-shoots are appearing by the New Year leave well alone and even do not stop at all, for the main shoot will peter out anyway.

But if any plants are showing no or negligible side-shoot evidence by late January, stop them, when shoots will soon appear and grow on satisfactorily.

At planting time itself, the plants should be a warming sight, with the aim and routine of autumn sowing fully achieved short-jointed plants, hard grown and well rooted, and each with two or more sturdy side shoots. Two further points merit mention; firstly, when selecting for planting, ensure that the neck of each plant, i.e. the white seed stem below soil level, is free from a brown mark or collar, unlikely but if an odd one is suspect do not use, for early collapse is highly probable; secondly, the proper depth when planting is with the bottom side-shoot at soil level.

Planting time generally means early spring from the autumn sowing.

Problems Sweet peas can suffer from a wide range of problems, though few are serious: • A grey, leaf covering is caused by powdery mildew • Aphids will suck sap, particularly around the shoot and flower tips • Plant viruses are known to attack sweet peas, but this isn't that common • Do protect young plants from slugs and snails • Drought and temperature stress causes scorched foliage and bud drop. Protect young plants if significant temperature drop is forecast and always harden off indoor raised plants before planting out.

• Dense clusters of distorted leafy shoots, often close to ground level, are leafy gall Seedlings may grow weak and leggy, which is caused by insufficient light and excess warmth. If this occurs, move seedlings to a cooler and brighter spot.

Sweet pea top tips • For bigger, better plants, sow six seeds to a one-litre pot or use deep root trainers.

• Don’t soak seeds; leave them on damp kitchen paper overnight, then nick any that have not swelled.

• If you want sweet peas in pots, grow Old Fashioned or Semi Dwarf varieties in as big a pot as possible. Feed well with seaweed or tomato fertiliser.

• Sweet peas like plenty of root room, moisture and a sunny spot.

• Keep picking; as soon as seeds are produced, they’ll stop flowering.

Five varieties to try ‘Duo Salmon’

Winner of the ‘People’s Choice’ voted by visitors to Wisley a cerise-pink double colour a free-flowering sweet pea, with vigorous growth. Flower stems are to 17cm, bearing four flowers. Highly scented.

‘Heathcliff’

A tall modern grandiflora and mauve-blue. Exceptionally fragrant blooms which are larger than those of the old grandifloras. Their long stems give them greater appeal as cut flowers.

‘Oklahoma’

Crimson flaked on a white background and a vigorous climber to 1.8m, with strongly fragrant flowers five cms across, the petals white flecked.

‘Matucana’

Outstanding for those looking for scented varieties and first introduced into this country from Sicily in 1699 where wild specimens have also been collected relatively recently.

‘High Scent’

Cream with blue edge and an outstanding scent, large, showy flowers of a modern variety and excellent scent.

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Enjoy the dazzling display of

autumn colour Autumn is for many a favourite time of the year with its fantastic colours and tints.

Landscapes in gardens, parks and woodlands showcase some of the finest places to see the golden glow of autumn in all its glory.

Hues of reds and bronze blanket woodlands trees and shrubs from early October onwards and can go on late into November. It’s also a time to be visiting specialist nurseries to plan your own trees and shrubs for next autumn’s colour.

Every garden should have a shrub or tree that provides seasonal interest throughout the main gardening season; especially autumn interest. The gardener is spoilt for choice and the only constraint is the available space in your garden. Remember autumn interest also extends to fruit, nuts and berries as well as late flowering perennials.

So whether you are looking forward to breathing in the crisp autumnal air, building up an appetite to sample some warming treats or enjoying getting out to autumn garden displays there are plenty of reasons to explore. To help you

decide where to visit we’ve come up with our own ideas to see autumn colour and look at autumn plants.

Castle Drogo spectacular in October The Castle Drogo garden and gorge look spectacular in October as they start to come alive with the colours of autumn. In the Teign gorge whether you are after a gentle stroll to take in the views or a peaceful walk to explore the ancient woodlands of Fingle woods you'll find there's a walk to suit everyone. Hidden behind immaculate yew hedges stands a unique Lutyens designed terraced formal garden.

There’s plenty to see from the spectacular autumn colour of the Persian ironwood trees to the quaint Bunty House complete with its own miniature garden.

For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castledrogo or ring 01647 433306.

Autumn delights at Powderham Castle Home to the Earl of Devon and steeped in 600 years of Courtenay family history, a visit to Powderham Castle offers a fascinating look at the magnificent Castle interior

ENJOY A COLOURFUL YEAR WITH THE BEES Love flowers, love bees, why not Adopt a Beehive from one of ten regions across the UK?

SCOTLAND

MIDLANDS

N.IRELAND

EAST

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST SOUTH EAST NORTH WEST

LONDON

WALES

Help raise money for applied research and education projects to help save the honey bee.

“A present that is useful, desirable and capable of doing some good” THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

To Adopt a Beehive visit adoptabeehive.co.uk | Facebook/Adoptabeehive | Call 0845 6807 038 Adopt a Beehive, sponsored by Burts Bees, is from The British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), registered charity no. 212025. All profits go towards applied research & education projects to help save the honey bee.

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Country Gardener

on one of their entertaining guided tours. The Castle is surrounded by a stunning deer park overlooking the Exe estuary and with the start of the rutting season autumn is one of the best times of the year to visit. Deer Park Safaris run on Wednesdays and Thursdays (subject to the weather and grounds conditions) and for a small extra charge will take visitors for a 35-minute tour around the park on a tractor and trailer. The farm shop, plant centre and gift shops in the grounds ensures a full day of activities and the Courtenay Café, situated in the castle’s courtyard, is the perfect place to relax with a Devon cream tea.

Special Deer Rut Safari and Cream Tea event days on Tuesday 4th, 11th and 18th October. £13.50 per person.

Pre-booking essential for this offer on 01626 890243.

Powderham Castle has a 2-for-1 offer for National Trust and English Heritage members, assuming both are members.

New gardens only admission available.

Powderham Castle, Kenton, Exeter EX6 8JQ. Tel: 01626 890243 www.powderham.co.uk

Warming up for autumn at The Garden House One of the questions for early September comes when looking out of the window to see the leaves of a large Acer griseum start to show a reddish tinge to the leaf edges. Will this be a good year for acers?

The Garden House is one of Britain’s finest gardens and a ten-acre site on the edge of Devon. It is renowned for the Acer Glade, which drips with autumn colour from brilliant yellows through to the deepest crimsons and showing every breath-taking shade of red in between. To keep an eye on

Lukesland Gardens

the changing glade in order to plan your visit, stay in touch with the website and Facebook pages.

The Garden House Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton PL20 7LQ. www.thegardenhouse.org.uk or call 01822 854769.

Autumn and time to be thinking about planting fruit trees Adams Apples established in 1992 are specialist growers of apple trees, and most other fruit trees and bushes, and autumn is a crucial time of year when it comes to buying and planting. With over 150 varieties of traditional and modern varieties advice can be given on orchards large and small. Typically the nursery has supplied cider growers, juice makers, community orchards, smallholders, nurseries, schools, and of course gardeners, all over the UK and most of the EU. Staff can advise on planning and planting, pruning and aftercare; their commitment is to create

Amazing autumn acer glade Check online as the colour changes!

2 for 1

National Trust & English Heritage members

www.thegardenhouse.org.uk

Search for ‘The Garden House, Devon’ on Facebook 01822 854769 office@thegardenhouse.org.uk

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY

autumn

01647 433306 nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo

© National Trust Images. Registered Charity Number 205846.

Fall for autumn's golden moments in the garden and gorge at Castle Drogo

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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productive orchards and fruit gardens. In the south west they may be able to help with planting and pruning.

Contact them on 01404 841166 or sales@adamsappletrees. co.uk or visit www.adamsappletrees.co.uk. You can also visit the nursery but please contact to make an appointment.

Autumn colour weekends at Evenley Wood

add guelder rose, spindle and dogwood for colour, hazel for pretty catkins, blackthorn for sloes (used in sloe gin, wine and preserves) and crab apples (used to make jellies and jams).

Perrie Hale Nursery specialises in UK grown native trees, hedging and shrubs and are happy to offer planting advice.

Call 01404 43344 or email faye@perriehale.co.uk or shop online www.perriehale.co.uk

Perfect autumn flower colour for us... and for bees

Evenley Wood Garden

Go along to 60-acre Evenley Wood Garden this October and celebrate the season’s warm tones during two special Autumn Colour weekends on the 15th–16th and 22nd–23rd from 11am-4pm.

Amongst the garden’s vibrant wave of colour is a special oak developed on site named Quercus rubra aurea ‘Evenley Gold’, which transforms into a beautiful shade of red every year.

The outdoor café also reopens, and the garden’s excellent staff and volunteers will be on hand to greet you, answer any questions and, of course, recommend the best routes.

For more information visit www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk or call 07776 307 849.

Picton offers a different take on autumn in the garden

In order to produce honey, bees need to locate flowers rich with pollen and to do this they heavily rely on their vision.

Although they are able to use odour cues they can only do so when close by the flowers, therefore vision is essential for bees to find flowers at a distance.

In the electromagnetic spectrum of colour wavelengths, humans only see a miniscule fraction of what we call ‘visible light’. However, a bee’s range of light is shifted towards the violet end of the spectrum, meaning that they are able to see colours we simply cannot, including ultra-violet light patterns. These patterns often outline where best to land for bees and direct them towards the part of the plant containing nectar and pollen. Flower colours that particularly attract bees are blue, purple, violet, white and yellow.

To make the bees happy, and for a fabulous garden display, suggestions of flowers to plant in autumn would be the Rosa ‘Ballerina’ a small shrub with white-centred pink flowers and the Michaelmas daisy, aster with lilac blue flowers.

The British Beekeepers Association has set up a scheme called ‘Adopt a Beehive’, which raises money for much needed applied research and education projects. Adopting a

JAPANESE MAPLES Acer palmatum varieties We produce and grow the largest selection available in the UK. We also offer many other choice seedlings and grafts ie. cornus, wisteria, conifers etc. Plants are pot grown and suitable for garden, patio or bonsai.

If you are looking for a slightly different take on autumn then Picton Garden in Colwall near Malvern in Worcestershire offers a rather different autumn colour experience. Although this one and a half acre gem has an excellent background of unusual trees and shrubs chosen for their autumn foliage colour, fruit or flowering, the herbaceous planting creates the main tapestry of vibrant colour. The National Plant Collection of michaelmas daisies is found here with more than 420 varieties adding to the drifts of colour many of them peaking in early October.

Alongside these is an extensive range of other late season perennials, bulbs and a diverse collection of ferns.

Old Court Nurseries and The Picton Garden Walwyn Road, Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6QE. Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk

Perrie Hale has solutions for adding colour to your garden As well as bringing glorious colour to gardens, trees and hedgerows, autumn also marks the start of the new planting season.

Are you looking to plant a new hedgerow? Or add some colour to the garden?

Small native garden trees such as silver birch and wild cherry have lovely autumn colour. In a mixed native hedge 26

Send SAE for descriptive catalogue.

Visitors welcome Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Barthelemy & Co (DCG), 262 Wimborne Rd West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ

Tel: 01202 874283 www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

Northcote Hill, Honiton, Devon, EX14 9TH Tel: 01404 43344 Growers and suppliers of native trees, shrubs and hedging for: • Native, Formal & Evergreen Hedges • Screening • Woodland, Amenity, Wood Fuel & Gardens Call us for friendly and expert advice for species selection, planting & tree protection. We can also provide a planting & maintenance service.

Country Gardener

Email: sales@perriehale.co.uk www.perriehale.co.uk

Beehive involves a year subscription, costing £34.99 inclusive of P&P, where you receive a welcome pack of goodies and updates from your local beekeeper across the year.

Visit www.adoptabeehive.co.uk or call 0845 680 7038.

Forde Abbey opens doors to autumn plant fair Forde Abbey opens on Saturday 24th September for The Hardy Plant Society (Somerset Group) Autumn Plant Fair. The society has assembled some of the best specialist nurseries in the south west. Forde Abbey’s own nursery will also be open and in addition to a wide selection of hardy plants, many of them not seen in garden centres, there will be garden accessories and rural crafts with both demonstrations and products for sale including basket making and woodwork.

Look out for the Hardy Plant Society’s own table where children can get their hands dirty planting a free pot of bulbs to take home! The fair opens at 10am, entry will be £5 for adults (half the normal entry price to the gardens) and free to children under 15. Forde Abbey is well known for its beautiful and interesting gardens surrounding the stunning 12th century former monastery.

Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset. TA20 4LU. Tel: 01460 220231

Perfect timing to visit Barthelemy Japanese maples specialists If you love the autumn colour of Japanese maples, then you’ll love Barthelemy & Co near Wimborne in Dorset. Established by a French nurseryman almost a century ago, the Skinner family now specialise in propagating and growing Acer palmatum – or Japanese maples as they’re known.

Castle Drogo

The ten-acre nursery at Stapehill has a huge collection of Japanese maples to choose from and expert staff are on hand to help select the right variety and to offer advice about caring for the trees in future.

40,000 plants are grafted at Barthelemy & Co each year, 25,000 of them maples and, as one of the largest specialist growers of their kind, you can be sure of a great product and excellent service.

Barthelemy & Co, 262 Wimborne Road West, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2DZ. Tel: 01202 874283 www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

Trees galore at Dulford Nurseries Dulford Nurseries offer the widest range of trees and shrubs in the south west, from small native hedging plants to rare and large specimen trees and over 500 different shrubs.

Autumn is an ideal time to visit the nursery, where the experienced staff are happy to advise on the best selection

DULFORD NURSERIES

SPECIALIST TREE & SHRUB GROWERS

Growers & suppliers of the widest range of Native & Ornamental Trees, Shrubs & Hedging in the West Country Many varieties, including rarities, in many sizes For directions & a visit with expert & friendly advice

Tel: 01884 266361 www.dulford-nurseries.co.uk Free catalogue or view it on online

Dulford Nurseries, Dulford, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2BY

A beautiful 60-acre privately owned woodland garden, set in Northamptonshire’s finest countryside Visit us for Autumn Colour from 15th October 11am - 4pm

The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906 Nursery and garden specialising in late season herbaceous perennials. Home to the National Plant Collection of Michaelmas Daisies.

OPEN: Daily 1st September - 20th October. Entrance £3.50 per person.

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

www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk Email: info@evenleywoodgarden.co.uk Tel: 07776 307849

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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for your situation. With 15 acres of trees in the ground it is easy to compare the shapes and sizes of the different varieties and to appreciate the stunning autumn colours.

Particular favourites are Acer rubrum 'Brandywine', Quercus palustris and Stewartia pseudocamellia.

Dulford Nurseries, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2BY. Tel: 01884 266361 www.dulford-nurseries.co.uk

Fine autumn colour and warming soups at Lukesland Tucked away on the southern edge of Dartmoor, just north of Ivybridge, Lukesland Gardens is a wonderful place to enjoy autumn colour. This year’s autumn openings are on Sundays and Wednesdays 11am – 5pm from 9th October to 13th November. The shelterbelt of beeches, planted by the Victorians to protect this 24-acre garden from Dartmoor winds, turns a glorious gold, while more exotic species such as acers, cornus, enkianthus and ginkgo reflect their fiery autumn tints in the pools of the Addicombe Brook. The Howell family, who run Lukesland, serve up seasonal soups and cakes in the tea room, by a woodburner. There is a children’s trail and dogs are welcome on a lead.

Lukesland Gardens, Harford, Ivybridge PL21 0JF. Tel: 01752 691749 www.lukesland.co.uk

Meander through the beauty, peace and tranquillity of Bodenham If you haven’t already experienced it Bodenham Arboretum at Wolverley in Worcestershire has a mile long drive winding through undulating countryside and gently climbs to the brow of the hills to reveal a secret garden nurtured since 1973.

Thornhayes

n

Bodenham is an area of outstanding landscape beauty and interest. Its 170 acres contains an oasis of plantations, pools and avenues beautifully landscaped with over 3,000 species of trees and shrubs from all over the world including many rare and ornamental trees that can be seen in full autumn colour beauty around the arboretum.

Stroll amongst the trees and around the lake and stop off at the award winning visitor centre and restaurant. Don't forget their Family Torch Lit Pumpkin Walk! - Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th and Monday 31st October. 5-7.30pm.

Bodenham Arboretum, Crossways, Hobro, Kidderminster DY11 5TB. Tel: 01562 852444 www.bodenhamarboretum.co.uk

Something fiery from Thornhayes Nursery?

As 2016 is the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, perhaps gardeners should celebrate by planting something fiery, but more desirable in their gardens. There is a great choice of trees and shrubs to choose from, providing attractive leaf colour and also crops of fruit that look pretty and then provide food for birds and small mammals.

At Thornhayes Nursery, you can walk around the garden and arboretum to see some of the vivid assortment to inspire you, then select your own plants from their extensive stock.

There is lots of choice from large to small.

Open 8am-4pm Monday to Friday. 9am -1pm Saturday.

Thornhayes Nursery, Dulford, Cullompton, Devon. www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

LUKESLAND GARDENS

HARFORD, IVYBRIDGE, PL21 0JF

u r s e r y

HPS Somerset Group

PLANT FAIR

Quality Trees and Shrubs Hedging, fruit (including heritage apples) and amenity trees from whip to standard. Conifers and broadleaves. New range of choice shrubs. Advisory/design service.

Thornhayes Nursery, Dulford, Open 8am-4pm Mon to Fri also 9am-1pm Sat Cullompton, Devon EX15 2DF Tel: 01884 266746 www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

Adam’s Apples

Saturday 24 September 2016 10am – 4pm

Fine Autumn Colour Pools & Waterfalls Home-made soups & cakes Sundays and Wednesdays 11am - 5pm 9th October - 13th November

Tel: 01752 691749 www.lukesland.co.uk

Admission £5 including Gardens, Tearoom, Gift Shop & Eeles Pottery Over 20 South West nurseries attending, for full list visit www.hps-somerset.btck.co.uk Forde Abbey 4m SE of Chard, Somerset, TA20 4LU Signposted from A30 & A358 www.fordeabbey.co.uk

Apple Trees from £8.00

Over 100 varieties Dessert, juicing, cider, cookers to suit your farm, smallholding or garden.

Wolverley, Kidderminster, Worcs.

DY11 5TB Tel: 01562 852444 An award winning Arboretum, beautifully landscaped and set within a working farm.

Many other fruit trees & bushes.

• • • • •

Advice and catalogues.

Tel: 01404 841166 sales@adamsappletrees.co.uk

Order online www.adamsappletrees.co.uk 28

Country Gardener

Plant and Tree Sales Free entrance to Restaurant and shop Groups and guided tours Dogs on leads allowed in grounds Discount for group bookings For opening times and charges see

www.bodenham-arboretum.co.uk

The owl you will see in the daylight

WILDLIFE

The Little Owl is not deterred by its size and is a fierce little creature, often tackling surprisingly substantial prey We expect owls to be out at night – people who stay up late are not called ‘night owls’ for nothing. We also expect to hear a hooting call across the darkness. But the smallest of our owls does not hoot, but squeals or mews, and it can often be seen during the day.

The little owl lives up, or rather, down to its name. It measures 22cm in height, not much bigger than a blackbird, much smaller than other owl species. The nocturnal tawny owl will reach 37-39 cm with a wingspan of 94-104cm.

The little owl has a short flat head, with greyish brown upper parts, mottled and barred with white, paler under parts with broad brown streaks. They have large yellow eyes, a greenish bill, the legs and feet covered with pale, buff feathers.

The tawny owl is nocturnal and not often seen during daylight. Its familiar hooting 'hoo hoo - hoohoo' call is usually heard at night; a loud 'kee - wick' call may be heard mainly in the autumn. In contrast, the little owl doesn’t hoot but gives out squeals or mewing sounds.

It was introduced to Britain from Holland in 1889 and was then known as the 'fierce little foreigner'. As its Latin name Athene noctua implies, the owl was associated with the Greek goddess Athene.

The little owl used to be held responsible for the destruction of eggs and young game birds, but analysis of the contents of their pellets proved this to be untrue. Nowadays it is regarded as a useful pest-destroyer in gardens and on farmland. They are found in open country, especially farmland with scattered old trees and old buildings, also on moorland edges, quarries and sand-dunes. You may see one on a fence post or on top of a telegraph pole, and if alarmed it will bob up and down and waggle its head.

In the 1960s when organochlorine pesticides were introduced the little owl population in Britain began to decrease, along with other animals. The chemicals entered food chains and affected the fertility of predatory animals at the top of the chains, reducing their numbers. Since these pesticides were banned, little owl numbers recovered to some extent but records show that numbers within the UK population were down by 24 per cent between 1995 and 2008.

Little owls feed mainly on invertebrates and small mammals, occasionally small birds.

Hunting is carried out mainly at dawn and dusk. The most frequent prey includes beetles, caterpillars, moths, spiders, slugs, mice and voles. Being a fierce, daring bird, equipped with powerful talons, it will tackle mammals and birds of its own size.

The little owl is a cavity-nesting species, its small size enabling it to make use of a wide range of sites; pairs will occupy cavities in trees or within stone walls and buildings, and even rabbit burrows. Favoured tree species include oak and ash, although they will also use old fruit trees in orchards, the nest cavity typically between two and four metres off the ground.

They also use nest boxes, though they seem less willing to take to these than barn owls or tawny owls do, and like a dark nesting chamber, so little owl nest box designs tend to feature a long tunnel for an entrance and have internal baffles to reduce the amount of light getting in.

During the breeding season throughout the summer, a pair of owls may be heard calling to each other with a mewing sound. Once established, a nest site is often used year after year. No special nesting material is collected.

Three to five smooth white eggs are laid and the female usually begins incubating as soon as the first egg is laid, which means there is normally an age difference of a few days between each fledgling. Sometimes the female does not begin incubating until her clutch is complete. Hatching occurs after 24 to 25 days, the fledglings covered with a creamy down which later changes to reddish-grey. The young owls are ready to leave the nest in three and a half weeks, but their parents continue to feed them for some time.

If you spot a little owl, you can help the Little Owl Project, a country-wide project dedicated to the research and conservation of these small owls, in order to help their numbers rise again. To find out more, go to www.littleowlproject.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

The riches of collecting your own seeds Every year many of our garden plants set masses of ripe seeds. It’s that time of year when saving some of these offers an easy method of propagation and an ideal way of raising large numbers of plants, absolutely free Over the next few weeks as you wander through your garden you’ll see a lot them. Of all shapes and sizes. Perhaps they will be in different stages of their autumn journey.

Seeds and lots of them.

So you might ask-why collect seeds? Nature will ensure that plants self-sow in order to perpetuate the species, but much more reliable results can be gained by collecting and sowing them yourself.

Well fro a start you have control over where plants grow and, above all, it’s free.

Annuals are some of the best and most popular plants to grow from home-saved seed, but bulbs, perennials and even some shrubs and trees can be equally rewarding.

Be prepared for some variation in seedlings, especially if collecting from F1 hybrids which are special varieties bred by the seed companies for uniformity and vigour; the seedlings produced by these plants are unlikely to have the same properties as the parent plant. On the plus side, the different characteristics may be good ones and it makes the whole process more exciting!

Some seeds are very straightforward and simply require storing until they’re ready for sowing, either into pots under cover or directly outside. Others, however, may need specific preparation before they’ll germinate, such as exposure to certain temperatures, soaking, or breaking the seedcoat.

Sowing into trays of seed compost in autumn and placing outside with some shelter such as in a cold,frame will cover most germination options.

Bring the trays inside in spring to a temperature of between 15 degrees and 25 degrees which should encourage germination.

You can save seeds from all kinds of plants. Annuals are the easiest because they’re the most prolific at producing seeds, but perennials and biennials are entirely possible.

Flowers are best for beginners, because most of them need no special treatment to encourage seeds to sprout. Self-sowing plants, like California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), spider flowers (Cleome hasslerana), and cottage garden columbines (Aquilegia vulgaris), are perfect to practice on.

Not all plants grown from seed look like their parents. Those that do are called “heritage seeds.” They’re a specialty of some catalogues. Like pink poppies, or the wonderful ivoryseeded sunflowers (Helianthus annuus ‘Tarahumara White’) these plants always ‘come true’ from seed.

Collect ripe seeds on a dry day as soon as the seedheads ripen.

This is normally when their colour changes from green

30

Country Gardener

to brown, black or even red before they open and shed their contents.

Pick the seedheads either singly or on stalks and lay then to dry on a greenhouse bench or warm windowsill. This allows you to extract the seeds more easily from the pods or capsules.

Collect seeds from fleshy fruits and berries by mashing them in a fine sieve and then rinsing away the pulp in cold towels, leave the seeds to dry out for several days.

After collecting the seeds clear out the chaff attached to them as this could lead to rot. Chaff can harbour moulds pests and diseases.

Problems on the way Some plants are sterile and cannot set seed. Trying to collect seed from such plants will be both time wasting and disappointing. Others for example holly may carry male and female followers on separate plants so male seeds will never bear seed.

Weather conditions will have an effect. Some years will be better for harvesting than others or it may just be that weather conditions for that season were not favourable – perhaps due to late frost or drought.

Poor viability is the length of time that seeds stay ‘alive’ and able to germinate. If seed is sown but fails to germinate it suggests it was not viable. Seed viability depends on the condition of the seed when first stored how long it is stored and what seed is being kept.

in paper bags or envelopes in a cool, dark, dry place. The fridge is good, but remember your harvested seed should not be eaten: mark your seeds clearly and keep them separate from food.

Wild flowers can be sown in early autumn, giving some species a chance to establish before the winter and others the chilling they need to germinate well in the spring. Sow in prepared ground or containers in September or October.

How to pick and store wild flowers

Trading seeds – a few rules One of the joys of building up an abundance of your own seeds is that you can start to trade with them. First you need to make it clear what you are trading so you need to list it - preferably in alphabetical order of Latin name, if you intend to trade for anything other than common seed. It's amazing what you can 'buy' with it.

There are a few points to consider when making your 'trade' - the number of seeds for one. It depends on what sort of seeds you're exchanging - if they're rare, only a few is reasonable Some people have very definite rules about the number of seeds per packet, and insist that you swap packet for packet. I suppose it depends why you swap in the first place. If you want to fill a large area with common plants and don't want to buy the seeds, you might look on it differently from someone who just wants the opportunity to try and establish something new in their garden.

After harvesting Leave seeds in paper bags or spread on newspaper on trays in a dry, airy place with no drafts or direct sunlight for three to four days or until seeds appear visibly dry. Aerate or shake daily to speed up this phase and make sure the seeds don’t go mouldy. If you have harvested any seed capsules – poppies, for example – they are likely to open up and release more seed as they dry.

Storage conditions Once they are dry, remove any large bits of debris and store

Seeds need to be collected when fully ripe – and warm, dry weather is best for collecting. Too early and the seeds will not have matured sufficiently. Too late and the seeds will have gone. Keep a careful eye on your plants, looking for signs that the first seed is being dispersed; usually when the seed or seed capsules go brown or straw coloured and feel dry, rattle or start to split. At this stage in their development, seeds will become more loosely attached to the parent plant and will be easier to remove.

Avoid collecting seeds in plastic bags – use paper ones.

Remove ripe seeds or seed capsules by hand or by snipping with a pair of scissors or secateurs. When you are finished harvesting, the plants can be cut back, although consider leaving at least a few patches uncut to provide food and shelter for wildlife over the winter

Five easy seeds to collect • Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove • Nigella damascena, Love-in-a-mist • Helianthus annuus, Sunflower • Cosmos bipinnatus, Cosmos • Lunaria annua, Honesty

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31

ASK OUR EXPERTS

ANY QUESTIONS?

Our Country Gardener experts can solve your gardening problems

Andrew Midgley takes over responsibility for answering a wide range of readers questions this month.

Andrew worked for the National Trust for 17 years and was general manager for the National Trust gardens at Coleton Fishacre, Greenway and Compton Castle. He now runs his own gardening business from the Newton Abbot area Q. I often get confused reading your excellent magazine when you write about bulbs, corms and tubers? Can you explain the difference?

Companion planting is one of the tricks of keeping down bugs in the greenhouse

A. There are three distinct differences between these.

Basically, bulbs look like small onions with a papery skin, known as a tunic, which reduces the risks of drying out.

The roots are at the base of the bulb. Tulips, daffodils and snowdrops are examples of bulbs. Corms can be such as crocuses, crocosmias and freesias. Again these have a tunic but the differences that if you cut it in half there will be no ‘rings’ inside it unlike a bulb. Often, the original corm dies but attached to it are two or three small corms that contains the food reserve until it come to life. Crocosmia is a good example of seeing small corms developing with the mother corm. Tubers are associated with begonias and cyclamens. These have growing points known as ‘eyes’ on the top of the tuber. Potatoes are a good example of a tuber. The tuber gets larger each year with more eyes emerging. The one common thread is that all three have their own food reserve to see them through the dormant period.

Q. I am always looking for plants that help keep down bugs in the greenhouse. I think I read about Devils Claw, does this plant help, and what does it do? Are there any other options?

A. The key to good greenhouse management is hygiene and ventilation essentially. You should check your plants daily removing dead/ dying leaves from the pots and from the 32

plant itself. Do not liberally overwater your plants; instead, lift up each plant to gauge its weight and water as needed.

Companion planting is something that's been around for a long time in gardening, especially in vegetable growing.

Using French marigold in between planting tomatoes attracts nematodes. Nasturtiums, growing with French runner beans, are used as a sacrificial crop as the aphids are attracted to them thus reducing the effect on the beans. You can use plants to attract insects away from your prized plants. For pelargoniums (geraniums) repels the small white butterfly as well as leafhoppers. Basil repels flies, whiteflies, mosquitoes plus the carrot flies. The trick here is to place them strategically around the greenhouse.

Nasturtiums are good for controlling aphids. The classic carnivorous plant to have in your greenhouse is the venus fly trap as insects will be attracted to it whilst meeting a sticky end too. As for the devil’s claw I have not heard of any benefits that I am aware of within glasshouse management but its roots are used in medicine to help people suffering from rheumatism.

Q. My camellia ‘Donation’ has really been struggling since I bought it. I had hoped for some real colour from it but it just does not flower. What can I do about it?

A. You don’t say if it ever flowered before or produces buds. The first thing I would do is to thoroughly weed the area around the plant itself and then water it deeply

Country Gardener

with well-rotted horse or farmyard manure to add some organic matter to improve the soil structure. I would spread it around on top of the bed and then lightly fork it in. Another method is to use green manure (such as Italian rye grass and red clover) as a crop to keep the weeds down and to anchor the soil down. The added benefit of this is that it produces nitrogen in the soil. In spring simply trim back the crop and fork it into the soil. Do this over a couple of years and you should see the benefits in the soil structure. The other possibility is crop rotation which you should be doing every tear. Essentially you should not grow the same crop or family in the same place year after year.

Q. I like using willow catkins in flower arrangements.

Can you suggest any shrubs which bear attractive catkins?

Camellia 'Donation' flowers

before applying a layer of wood chippings as mulch. In the spring, I would be tempted to apply an especially formulated camellia feed to give it a boost and then give it a watering (using rain water from your water butt) when the buds are developing. Also in cold periods, cover the plant with horticultural fleece. Also have you planted it in a suitable place? If you have planted it near a tree, such as a beech, the Camellia will be in competition for nutrients and water especially if it is a shallow rooted tree like a beech tree. It’s also worth giving a liquid foliage plant feed such as ‘ Uncle Tom’s Plant Tonic’ in July.

Q. My vegetable garden has under performed this year. The soil seems hard and pretty lifeless and the effect on the crops has been noticeable. I did try and pep up the soil in the spring with some compost but perhaps not enough. Should I plan to do something about it this autumn for next spring and if so what.

A. This autumn, I would be tempted to bulk up the soil Corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana Contorta)

A. One of my favourite shrub or small tree is the corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana Contorta) which produces a masses of yellow catkins in February. The catkins are attractive on the shrub as well as in a flower arrangement.

There is a purple variety C. maxima ‘Red Filbert’. Silver birches also produces catkins worthy of selection for the flower arranger and of note is Betula lenta for its elegance catkins. Hornbeams also produce catkins and of particular note are the long catkins from the Chinese hornbeams, Carpinus fangiana. Itea ilicifloia and Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’, produces tassels that will complement a flower display with the added bonus that the Itea produces its tassels in summer.

Autumn is the time to dig in well rotted manure

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33

Trees that dance in the lightest of breezes Conifers are back in fashion. Devon nurseryman Grahame Oakey should know. He propagates up to 15 species of conifers at his nursery Acorn Trees and Shrubs and stocks other lesser known, rare and choice plants As with many fashions, they tend to go in cycles. Conifers are coming back- better than before, according to Grahame Oakey who has noted a significant increase in conifer interest over the past few years.

For the unconverted,conifers are trees with unique scalelike leaves or needles and their seed-bearing cones are easily recognised. They are mostly evergreen and can grow into large, often very fast-growing trees, although there are many dwarf varieties, including many effective groundcover plants. Many conifers make good hedges too. Yew is a conifer with small cones with a fleshly covering.

Grahame, from Devon based Acorn Trees and Shrubs, grows about 15 species and varieties that he is sole UK supplier of.

He believes that far too often gardeners view the conifer option as just Leylandii or similar invasive large trees.

“However, there is a myriad of species and varieties available from miniatures, dwarves through to larger types; and a myriad of colours, forms and textures too”.

Conifers are more popular than people think with nearly a third of garden owners having a conifer in their garden according to a poll commissioned by the industries Horticultural Trades Association.

When planted they can create height and add exciting form to any garden.

From a small balcony with room for a container, to acres of grounds with space, conifers can add something truly special to any front or back garden, patio, doorstep or driveway.

Also being hardy, low maintenance and easy to care for,

34

conifers are the ideal choice for the novice gardener.

Like deciduous trees conifers can be identified by their ’leaves’ or needles.

Says Grahame “The famous Pinus montezumae is probably one of the most sought after long needle pines available in the UK. It’s very choice, not least for its graceful needles up to 30cm long, but there are only two or three suppliers in the UK. At Acorn we have both European and Sheffield Park varieties. The Sheffield Park variety, reputed to be the hardiest, though this is not fully proven, was a clone from Mexican stock circa 1910.

“It has gorgeous glaucous needles in other words covered with a greyish, bluish, or whitish waxy coatin, yet my standard stocks are turning glaucous too, and I wonder why.

“Apparently, according to travelling botanists, most Mexican montezumae are less glaucous, yet, there is a notion within the horticultural trade that glaucous plants turn more glaucous to protect themselves from increased exposure to sun rays.

“However, I would like to challenge that, in part, as I’ve experienced the opposite with certain species, and even found some glaucous plants turning green in full sunshine.

So why is the Sheffield Park variety so glaucous when it originated from sunny Mexico and came to these damp and humid less sunny lands?

“It’s a mystery, when considering the general trade view of increased glaucicity in sunshine, but perhaps my experiences with glaucous plants turning green in full sun

Country Gardener

may have some impact here. We both agree that golden varieties do best in full sun yet glaucous varieties do best in more shaded areas.

“Perhaps, also, this is an example of the fact that the plants don’t read the text books, and that like many generalisations- there are nearly always some exceptions.

“We all know plants are individuals too- some will perform better and display different accents than others. I’ve long been a believer that trends in horticulture and propagation practice depend on what species is involved, when you are doing it, how you are doing it, where you are doing it, and who’s doing it. There are a myriad of factors at play in horticulture.

“Montezumae is not rated fully hardy, yet there are specimens growing in Scotland. I’ve heard of a 120-180cm specimen killed off in South Wales during a particularly harsh winter.

“Here in Devon, I know of one 30 plus year old specimen and some of mine have been exposed to mild frost at 120cm. The trick is, wherever you plant it, keep it in a green house over-winter until it grows to at least 120 cm, and if you then plant it out from that height make sure it’s fleeced over-winter until it grows to over 180cm.

“Obviously sheltered spots are best and definitely don’t plant it in a frost pocket. It responds well to food, and can sometimes give 12 inches growth per year, yet it seems late to start new growth in the spring.

“Whilst Montezumae will become a fairly large tree to 2030 metres over time, but not in our lifetimes, it will respond to pruning and despite keeping a different overall form will possibly look more interesting and more animated with its long ‘arms’.

"A testament to my faith that virtually anything can be ‘bonsaid’, if this can be considered a verb. Bonsai does not have to be miniature- it can be the cultivation of say a 50 metre tree down to three metres, and I know of a P. montezumae kept in just this way for many years in Wiltshire.

"A good alternative to P.montezumae would be P.engelmannii with needles even longer at up to 40cms and a hardier rating. I’ve found them quite popular - grafts and seedlings alike.

"Pinus holfordiana, P.ayaccahuite x wallichiana, with cones to 30cm and needles over 20cm, raised by the Holford family who owned Westonbirt Arboretum 1904 and Schwerinii,

30 per cent off your needle pine purchases If you are interested in adding a long needle pine into your garden Country Gardener and Acorn Trees and Shrubs have a special offer giving readers 30 per cent off all purchases. This offer includes Pinus: coulteri, edulus, engelmannii, holfordiana, jefreyii, montezumae, patula, pinaster, schwerinii, teocote, yunnanensis and more.

To take advantage of this offer email Grahame Oakey on goakey101@gmail.com or call 01884 881633 quoting reference CG10.

"Pinus wallichiana x strobus with needles also over 20cm both can be seriously glaucous, long needles and are hardier than Montezumae, (fast growing too - up to 60cm per year), as are the shorter needled but very choice.

"Pinus strobus himelblau and Strobus pendula and P. monticola strobicola (a five needle pine with very glaucous needles to 12cm+) all are available from Acorn Trees and Shrubs.

"Pinus patula (needles 15-22cm) are tender, so it’s best to follow the same procedures as P. montezumae, when it comes to frost protection.

"Neither of these like heaps of water, but they don’t like drying out either. If you get die back just cut it off - earlier the better in my view."

There are many more choice conifers long and short needles, available at Acorn Trees and Shrubs - from second year seedlings to four metre specimens: more than a dozen species and varieties not currently available elsewhere in the UK and another dozen or so that are only available from one or two suppliers for example Taiwania cryptomeriodes.

Grahame Oakey. Acorn Trees and Shrubs, Rackenford, Devon, EX16 8DX - visits only by appointment.

All enquiries: 01884 881633 or goakey101@gmail.com Images left to right: Pinus montezumae, the most sought after long needle pine in all its glory at Sheffield Botanical Gardens; Pinus englemannii, a good long needle alternative; Fitzroya cupressoides which has graceful drooping branches and is bluish; Pinus wallichiana x strobus often known as Bhutan pine

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35

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36

Country Gardener

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PUMPKIN HARVEST REALLY LAST The ability to store pumpkins and winter squashes for up to six months adds to the pleasure of growing them. However, there are a few guidelines worth following to ensure they store well including allowing them to develop a tan One of the undoubted highlights of the autumn is when the large umbrella-like leaves of pumpkins and winter squash finally die back to reveal the plump fruits beneath.

It’s the moment you realise all that growth over the summer months has finally come to fruition.

Pumpkins and winter squashes capture the flavour and excitement of autumn but if you want to be able to enjoy this bonanza for longer than a few weeks you will need to cure your home-grown fruits. Curing simply involves the hardening the skins to protect the flesh inside from deterioration. Do it properly and you can expect fruits to stay perfect for at least three months and as long as six, taking you to the first harvests of next spring.

Store pumpkins and winter squashes from early to late autumn. Allow the fruits to mature on the plant for as long as possible to accumulate the most sugars from the leaves, but before frost arrives- remember frosted fruit will not store.

So how do you know when your pumpkins and winter squashes are ready to be cured? Well, aside from acquiring their mature colour, ripe fruits offer several other clues that the time has come to remove them from the dying plant.

The most obvious cue is to look at the stem; if it has died off and turned hard you know that the fruits are ready.

Other ways of telling that the moment of truth has arrived is to slap the fruit (it should sound hollow) and to push your thumbnail into the skin, which should dent but not puncture.

Cut your home-grown beauties free complete with four inches of stem to ensure a failsafe seal at the top of the fruit. If heavy frosts threaten (a light frost won’t damage fruits) you will need to bring in all of your fruits, even if they are not quite ready.

Handle your pumpkins and squashes carefully. Do not be tempted to handle them by the delicate stem, but rather cup your fruits in the palms of your hands – damage at this stage could spell trouble later. The object of the game is to retain a perfectly intact outer skin that remains impervious to outside moulds and fungal spores.

THE CURE Curing your fruits is a simple enough process but it does take more than a few days. Some of your fruits may be whoppers, so laying down this amount of food for the winter is time well spent.

Allow your fruits to sunbathe and develop a tan! This should take about two weeks for the top of the fruit then once (carefully!) flipped over, another two weeks for the bottom.

You can, of course, continue to enjoy some of the fruits fresh while you wait.

As the skins harden up further they create a longer-lasting seal, while the colour of the fruits enriches as they sweeten up and take on a more intense flavour. Once the fruits are cured they can be given one final treatment; a polish of olive oil applied with a cloth to create a moisture-tight finish completes the job.

Like many fruits and root vegetables stored for the colder months, pumpkins and winter squash prefer a wellventilated, dry place. But this is where the similarity ends as these thick-skinned customers will happily keep at up to room temperature (20°C/68°F).

Keep the fruits raised up off hard surfaces on racks or wire mesh cushioned with a thick layer of newspaper or straw.

Keeping them off the ground will allow air to circulate around the fruits while the extra padding will prevent the skin softening and becoming vulnerable to infection.

HOW TO STORE Place a wooden board or tile underneath ripening fruits to protect them from discoloration and slugs.

When fruits develop a tough skin, ring hollow when lightly tapped and have a deep, rich colour they should be ripe.

When harvesting take off as much stalk as possible, using secateurs, as rot starts from that end.

Once removed from the plant, the fruits should ‘cure’ outdoors in the sunlight for a week to ten days.

Alternatively, cure the fruit in a greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame.

PROBLEMS • Frost-damaged fruit will not store and should be consumed as soon as possible.

• If fruits are not allowed to ripen or ‘cure’ on the plant, they are more likely to go mouldy.

• Winter squashes may not be as flavoursome if harvested too early.

37

P LAN YOUR WALLF LOWERS F OR NEXT SPRING

Erysimum ‘John Codrington’

A good old fashioned standby, wallflowers should be planted in October for a colourful display among the bulbs next spring With their jewel colours of orange, red, yellow and purple, wallflowers are an old favourite for spring colour, traditional cottage garden plants that literally were grown against old walls. They are still good value plants to complement forget-me-nots, tulips and other spring bulbs for a great display – and they give out a lovely, heady fragrance.

Whether grown from seed or bought in bare-rooted bunches ready to be planted, wallflowers are a mainstay of the spring border and they should be planted out in early October.

Wallflowers used to be divided into two genus - Erysimum and Cheiranthus - but are now combined under Erysimum.

These colourful plants have been grown in Britain for centuries and may have come here with the Normans. The name cheiranthus is thought to derive from the Greek for hand (cheir) and flower (anthos) and the heavily scented flowers were carried as nosegays to smother the stench of Elizabethan streets.

There are now long lists of different varieties to choose from. Wallflowers are hardy, like a sunny well drained spot, and will grow well on most types of soil. More importantly, the plants should not be allowed to dry out, so give them a good mulch to keep them moist.

They are biennials, that is, they are grown from seed one year to flower the next. If growing from seed, there are two ways, either in modules or trays or directly into the ground.

If sowing directly into the ground, choose a sunny position in late May or early June with good, well-drained soil. Sow thinly, at a depth of 13mm (0.5in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart. Cover the seed with fine soil and water in well. Water regularly, especially during dry periods. When the plants are large enough to handle, transplant them to their final flowering positions.

Better results may be gained from sowing the seeds in trays or modules, again in late May or early June, and potting them on into 3in pots when they are large enough to handle; keep them outside in a spot where you’ll remember to water them regularly.

In early autumn plant them where they are to flower in drifts, not singly or in regimented rows, but give them enough space, about six inches apart. Give them some good mulch, preferably organic material, and nip out the tops to 38

Erysimum ’Jacobs Jacket’

make them bush out more.

If you are planting out ready grown bare rooted plants, give them a good soak for about half an hour when you get them home instead of rushing to plant them out immediately. Prepare the soil with a potash or general granular feed. If you buy plug plants or seedlings, prepare them in the same way as the young plants grown from seed to that stage.

There are some superb varieties available: Erysimum ‘John Codrington’ has yellow flowers, ‘Winter King’ has marvellous orange flowers; there’s ‘Sunset Apricot’ with pale apricot blooms, and ‘Jacob’s Jacket’ with brick red, dark orange and pink flowers, and many more. Wallflowers will grow well in containers and rock gardens as well as in borders.

Then there are the perennial wallflowers. They bloom for a longer period than the biennials but don’t have the rich fragrance, and have a tendency to become woody and leggy before dying out within four to five years, usually succumbing over winter.

The way to extend their lifespan and keep them compact and vigorous is to give them a yearly midsummer trim by cutting into the foliage. However if the stems are very woody, cut back hard to the base, but try to take a few cuttings from the clippings straight afterwards.

Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’ is perhaps the best known, but you can choose from ‘Constant Cheer’ which has a light scent, ‘Winter Orchid’ which flowers from winter onwards and is quite compact, and ‘Gogh’s Gold’ with so-called ‘antique’ colours.

Wade through nursery catalogues and you’ll be spoilt for choice in both the biennial and the perennial varieties of these lovely traditional plants.

Country Gardener

Juglans regia (Walnut)

Alnus Cordata (Italian Alder)

Golden Weeping Willow

Trees which will put some speed on Tammy Falloon from St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter shares her favourite fast growing trees which will offer a quicker solution for more impatient gardeners Ornamental trees are a fantastic feature to add to your garden providing plenty of seasonal interest and colour.

At St Bridget Nurseries we are frequently asked which trees will grow fast as many people want trees to screen off unsightly objects. Trees are perfect for screening but just remember that although fast growing varieties will achieve your desired height quickly, they will continue to grow.

Many fast growing trees have an ultimate stately height and can often be too big for the average garden. Most tree nurseries quote a height at ten years old and generally when you buy trees from a garden centre they are two to three years old.

Our top pick of fast growing trees would include: Alnus cordata (Italian Alder) which is narrowly conical and suits almost any soil. Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey Locust) has beautiful pinnate foliage. Juglans regia (Walnut) is stunning with its broad crown and large pinnate leaves.

Nearly all Populus (Poplar) varieties are very fast growing, “balsamifera” is a particular favourite as it creates a nice form on a clean trunk. Salix (Willow) varieties are also very fast growing, “chrysocoma” is one of the best known forms and is commonly called the Golden Weeping Willow.

If you are choosing a tree to block out a neighbour take some time to think about the shape of the tree. An upright (fastigated) tree or tear drop (pyramidal) tree won’t spread its branches into your neighbour’s garden. If branches do overhang next door your neighbour is legally entitled to cut them off.

To ensure your tree grows as quickly as possible, give it a great start with good planting conditions. The best time of year to plant trees is the autumn as the ground is still warm yet wet and workable. In addition, trees are entering their dormant period which means they can be sold from nurseries as bare rooted specimens.

When you buy a tree like this we recommend sprinkling some Mycorrhizal fungi on the roots. The fungi has a symbiotic relationship with the tree.

The tree delivers carbon and sugars to the fungi and in

return the fungi enables the tree to extract more nutrients and hold more water in difficult soil conditions.

The fungi effectively becomes a secondary root system.

One you have sprinkled the fungus on, place the tree in a prepared hole. Each hole will vary depending on how wide your trees roots are on purchasing but generally a hole about three or four feet will suffice. Take out the first foot of soil and set aside.

Then fork the subsoil by another 1ft so it is thoroughly loosened. Drive in your stake now and then return some top soil along with some peat or good quality tree planting compost.

Place the tree next to the stake and ensure that the top roots are level with the undisturbed ground level. Fill in the hole completely mixing in some bonemeal and compost with the top soil. Give the tree a gentle shake to work the soil around the root to avoid air pockets. Firm the soil as necessary.

Tie your tree to the stake.

At St Bridget Nurseries, we grow our ornamental trees in an open ground field on our nursery in Exeter. We use traditional propagation techniques of hand grafting to do this. As well as fruit trees, we grow 118 varieties of ornamental trees and can sell them from one year old maidens to three to four year old trees.

Join us on a tour of the nursery Due to the complexity of choosing a tree, we will be offering tours of our tree field in Old Rydon Lane, Exeter EX2 7JY on November 10th, 11th and 12th at 10.30am each day. Tickets must be booked in advance and cost £2 per person with all money going to our charity of the year, Children’s Hospice South-West. You will see the different stages of growth from freshly grafted rootstocks to four year old trees. The principles of grafting will be explained and you will learn what to look for when choosing a tree with terms like rootstocks, tree shapes and pollination groups for fruit trees. At the end of the tour you can wander the tree field and see hundreds of fruit and ornamental varieties as well as the different trees available to order. www.stbridgetnurseries.co.uk/events St Bridget Nurseries Nursery, head office and garden centre: Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, Devon, EX2 7JY Tel: 01392 873672 Garden & Aquatic Centre: Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1AE Tel: 01392 876281

www.countrygardener.co.uk

39

MOVING

gardens Professional gardener Grenville Sheringham finds that moving gardens offers tough choices, new challenges and finds there’s no time to be nostalgic

Moving house is rarely straightforward, but for the keen gardener leaving a garden that has seen many years of care and attention presents its own problems, and deciding what plants to take and what to leave can be highly problematic.

Having just moved to a 1960s bungalow after 30 years tending an unusual and challenging east-facing hillside garden has proved an interesting experience.

When I bought our Victorian cottage high up on the Malvern Hills I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.

As a professional gardener with a fair amount of landscaping experience I imagined I would soon clear all the undergrowth that had taken over after decades of neglect. After numerous hacking sessions and huge bonfires, I discovered the remnants of terraces supported by rough walls of Malvern stone.

My attempts to restore the walls were soon abandoned after carrying endless buckets of mortar up two flights of steps.

Over the years I made several attempts to create paths up the steep slope, and make planting pockets to hold the thin covering of soil in place. I discovered the art of ‘bricolage’ – constructing things using whatever materials 40

Country Gardener

come to hand, which included hammering in various bits of wood and metal to support improvised steps made from branches cut from the numerous sycamores which had rooted themselves firmly in the rock.

So the question is, what to take? You can't take it all, but should you take anything at all? Would it be better to start again, looking at whatever happens to be in the new garden and going on from there? Should it be just a few cuttings or a lorry load of pots? A sack of bulbs dug up from the beds, or one or two, or none? What have other people done about their compost heaps, their collections of old pots, their useful buckets and broken handled tools, their miscellany of spoons and dibbers and canes and planters and bricks which might be missed if they weren't packed up and taken, but which will add an extra journey for the removal van. What have other people done?

Our new garden is about as different as it is possible to get so that helped with the decisions. Instead of climbing two flights of steps to get to the garden, it beckons to me though the sliding glass doors that almost fill one side of the living room.

Instead of an east-facing aspect that welcomed the early morning sun but was in deep shade from late afternoon, we now have continuous sun all day (when it's shining of course!) with varying pockets of shade at different corners as the sun moves across the garden.

The range of plants I can now grow is enormous, but the few special plants I chose to take with me have settled happily in their new location.

They include a large curly-leaved fern that lost its label many years ago which fills up a dark corner and provides a great contrast to our inherited collection of rhododendrons and camellias.

Hydrangea ‘Sheila’, bought for my wife as a special birthday present, has adapted quickly to its new home and is enjoying the sunshine and deeper soil, which fortunately has a similar pH to our old garden.

A few hastily-potted prize peonies are taking longer to adapt to their new home, but I have high hopes they will thrive once they have recovered from the shock.

Plants that had to be left behind include a 'Buff Beauty' rose which was a wedding present 30 years ago, a 'Silver Anniversary' rose, and a magnificent pampas grass and dramatic bamboo that looked spectacular on the steep hillside but which would soon swamp our little suburban oasis.

Do I miss the old garden?

So far I have to say no.

Maybe in a few years I will tire with pottering in my sunny haven and long for the challenge of the hillside, but I doubt it.

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www.countrygardener.co.uk

41

GARDEN Visits

THE BEST GARDENS TO VISIT compiled by Vivienne Lewis

Mellow autumn days make for pleasant garden visits and there’s still time to visit some in the counties we cover, so here’s a selection of gardens opening for charity with plenty of autumn colour and interest. We advise checking wherever possible before starting a journey as circumstances can force private gardens to cancel openings. If dogs aren’t mentioned, they are not allowed.

Perrycroft, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Herefordshire

With magnificent views, this ten-acre garden and woodland owned by Gillian and Mark Archer lies on the upper slopes of the Malvern Hills, with an Arts and Crafts house (not open), and the garden partly designed by CFA Voysey. The walled garden has mixed and herbaceous borders, yew and box hedges and topiary, a dry garden, natural wild flower meadows, ponds (unfenced), bog garden, and woodland walks. There are some steep and uneven paths.

TREBARTHA, TREBARTHA, NEAR LAUNCESTON A fine example of a natural landscape garden, with cascades tumbling down from Hawkes Tor, ponds, streams, rocks and woodlands including fine American trees, a walled garden, and a private garden at Lemarne, at its best in autumn. Allow at least an hour for a circular walk; there are some steep and rough paths, which can be slippery when wet, so stout footwear is advised. This is an interesting garden project in progress.

Trebartha, Trebartha, near Launceston, PL15 7PD. Open for the National Garden Scheme: Sunday 9th October, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. Homemade teas. Dogs allowed.

Perrycroft, Jubilee Drive, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Herefordshire WR13 6DN. Telephone: 07858 393767. Email: gillianarcher@live.co.uk Open for the NGS: Sunday 2nd October, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £5, children free. Homemade teas, plants for sale. Dogs allowed. Visitors also welcome by arrangement groups and individuals all year. This venue also offers accommodation. www.perrycroft.co.uk

Higher Ash Farm, Ash, Dartmouth, Devon An evolving garden, high up in the South Devon countryside, owned by Mr Michael Gribbin and Mrs Jennifer Barwell. Sitting in 2.5 acres there is a large kitchen garden terraced into the hillside with an adjoining orchard. The farmhouse is surrounded by a mix of herbaceous borders, shrubs and lawns, with a pond and stream.

Higher Ash Farm, Ash, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 0LR. Telephone: 07595 507516. Email: matthew.perkins18@yahoo.co.uk Open for the NGS: Sunday 9th October, 1.30-4.30pm. Admission £4.50, children free. Teas available. Dogs allowed. Visitors also welcome by arrangement April to October for 1-15. This venue also offers accommodation, see the website at www.higherashfarm.com

42

Country Gardener

Edmondsham House, Edmondsham, Wimborne, Dorset There are six acres of mature gardens to explore at Edmondsham House, owned by Mrs Julia Smith, with grounds, views, trees and shaped hedges surrounding the house that dates back to the 18th and 16th centuries, and a 12th century church adjacent to the garden. The wide herbaceous borders are planted for seasonal colour, while the large Victorian walled garden is productive and managed organically (since 1984) using 'no dig' vegetable beds, with a traditional potting shed and working areas. The house also open on days when the garden is open for the NGS. Edmondsham House, Edmondsham, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5RE. Open for the NGS: Wednesdays 5th October, 12th October, and 19th October, 2pm5pm. Admission £2.50, child £0.50. Teas available in the house 3.30pm-4pm.

Plants for sale. Wheelchair access. For other opening times and information, phone 01725 517207 or email Julia.edmondsham@yahoo.co.uk.

Millichope Park, Munslow, Craven Arms, Shropshire

THE OLD VICARAGE, WASHINGTON, SUSSEX Listed among the top 25 gardens of Sussex by the county magazine, and just a couple of miles from Storrington, this three and a half acre garden owned by Sir Peter and Lady Walters surrounds an 1832 Regency style house (not open).

The front garden is formally laid out with topiary, a large lawn and mixed border. To the rear there are some mature trees dating back to the 19th century, an herbaceous border, a new large pond, stream and copse area with log cabin and stunning uninterrupted views to the North Downs. New for 2016 is the Japanese Zen garden complete with waterfall and pond.

The Old Vicarage, The Street, Washington, Sussex RH20 4AS. Telephone: 07766 761926. Email: meryl.walters@ me.com Last opening for the NGS this season: Sunday 16th October, 11am-3.30pm. Admission £4.50, children free. Home-made teas. Gluten free cakes and biscuits available. Visitors also welcome by arrangement April to October for groups of 10+.

The historic landscape gardens owned by Mr and Mrs Frank Bury cover 14 acres with lakes, cascades dating from the 18th century, woodland walks and wildflowers.

The succession of spring snowdrops, bluebells and violas, roses and wild flower meadows ends with a finale of autumn colour in October. There’s an exciting restoration project bringing the walled gardens and 19th century glasshouses back to life, due to be completed this year.

Millichope Park, Munslow, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9HA. Last opening for the NGS this season: Sunday 9th October, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. Home-made teas. Plants for sale.

Partial wheelchair access including WC. Dogs allowed on short leads. Coaches welcome – consult the owners. www.boutsviolas.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

43

TIME Off

GARDEN EVENTS AROUND THE COTSWOLDS compiled by Kate Lewis

Here’s a selection of gardening events to look out for during the next few weeks throughout the Cotswolds.

Send us details of your event at least ten weeks before publication and we will publicise it free of charge. Make sure you let us know where the event is being held, the date and include a contact telephone number.

We are keen to support garden club events and we will be glad to publicise talks and shows held during the year where clubs want to attract a wider audience, but we do not have space for club outings or parties. We suggest that garden clubs send us their diary for the year for events to be included in the relevant issue of the magazine. Please send to Country Gardener Magazines, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or by email to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk and copy to vivienne@countrygardener.co.uk .

We take great care to ensure that details are correct at the time of going to press but we advise readers to check wherever possible before starting out on a journey as circumstances can force last minute changes. All NGS open gardens can be found on www.ngs.org.uk or in the local NGS booklet available at many outlets.

OC T OBER DIARY 7th

16th Warwick, Hill Close Gardens, 01926 493339

Tetbury, Westonbirt, 01666 880559

Beginners Photography Workshop Spend a day developing your photographic skills in both camera technique and understanding of digital photography in the beautiful location of Westonbirt Arboretum.

10.30am – 15.30pm. £65

Autumn and Apple Day at Hill Close Gardens Apples have been grown at Hill Close Gardens since 1856.

The much-loved fruit will be celebrated with apple tasting and sales, craft stalls, children’s activities and refreshments.

11am-5pm. Adult £2, child 50p 20th Bristol, University of Bristol Botanic Garden, 0117 331 4906

8th/9th/10th Worcester, NT Croome, 01905 371006

Apple Pressing Days Make the most of any surplus apples or pears from your garden by turning them into juice using the apple press at Croome. Apples also available for purchase from Croome's orchard.

11am – 3pm

44

Friends Lecture: ‘The Osborne Gardens and Estate, Prince Albert’s pastime’ Osborne House head gardener, Toby Beasley, will explore Prince Albert’s ideas for his garden at the royal Isle of Wight residence. He will also discuss the restoration carried out by English Heritage and some of the historical plants they grow.

7.30pm. The Frank Theatre, Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue 22nd Mere, NT Stourhead, 01747 841152 Apple Day Taste and buy over 20 varieties

Country Gardener

of Somerset orchard apples along with local ciders and speciality cheeses.

11am – 5pm 23rd/25th/27th/29th Wraxall, NT Tyntesfield, 01275 461900

Lantern Making Workshop Tyntesfield House was one of the first properties in England to have electricity installed. Join the celebrations at this paper lantern making workshop. All ages welcome!

2pm – 4pm. £3 23rd Bath, NT Dyrham Park, 0117 9372501

Autumn Family Nature Day Celebrate autumn wildlife with the Bath Natural History Society.

Try your hand at bird spotting, discover mosses, fossils and fungi under the microscope and take part in two fungus identification walks.

11am – 3pm

CLUBS AND O THER ORGANISAT IONS

8th

September 28th Chepstow & District Garden Appreciation Society ‘SHADY LADIES & DAMP DAMSELS’ – SALLY GREGSON

email: sec@worcs-hardy-plant.org.uk

8th

October 1st

1st

3rd

5

th

5th

6th

6th

6th

6th

7th

Chris Pattison Nurseries RETIREMENT AUCTION SALE OF RARE TREES & SHRUBS INCLUDING WIDE RANGE OF UNUSUAL GIFTED PLANTS Details on 01531 650480 Cottage Garden Society West Midlands & Warwickshire Group ‘RAISED BEDS AND NO DIG DIGGING’ – MICK POULTNEY Details on 0121 7442418 Wyche & Colwall Horticultural Society THE 30TH PERCY PICTON MEMORIAL LECTURE: ‘SISSINGHURST’ – TROY SCOTTSMITH Details on 01531 670801 Alpine Garden Society Cotswold & Malvern Group ‘DEVELOPMENTS IN THE GARDEN’ – DR TIM INGRAM Details on 01531 820666 Bishampton & District Gardening Club ‘NORTH AMERICAN PLANTS IN BRITISH GARDENS’ – DR IAN KEITH FERGUSON Details on 07854 362318 Ettington Gardening Club ‘THE NEW PLACE GARDENS’ – SCOTT BOYDEN Details on 01789 748041 Churchdown Horticultural Society ‘THE LAND GIRLS’ – FIONA WARIN Details on 07711 311716 Northwood Green Gardening Club ‘PERENNIALS FROM SEED’ – ROB COLE www.meadowfarm33.co.uk Woolaston Allotment & Garden Society ‘PLANTS TO GROW FOR FLOWER ARRANGING’ – ALWYN PAGE Details on 01594 528160 Gloucester Amateur Gardening Club

‘IRON AND COAL IN THE FOREST’ – PAM SINGER email: Helen93c@gmail.com Hardy Plant Society Worcestershire Group ‘CLEMATIS – THE ULTIMATE SOCIAL CLIMBER’ – GLENIS DYER

10th

10th

11th 11th

11th 12th

Plant Heritage Gloucester ‘HSTORY AND LOVELINESS IN THE GARDEN’ Details on 01242 674592 Bartestree & Lugwardine Gardening Club ‘THRO’ THE GARDEN GATE’ – DEMONSTRATION OF GARDEN FLORISTRY Details on 01432 850554 Malmesbury & District Garden Club ‘BONSAI BASICS’ – GEOFF HOBSON Details on 01666 823093 Cricklade Garden Club TALK TBC Details on 01793 750557 Plant Heritage Worcestershire Group RON SIDWELL LECTURE Details on 01386 750862 Slimbridge Gardening Club ‘ALL OUR YESTERDAYS’ – FRANK HARDY Great Rissington Gardening Club ‘WILDLIFE FRIENDLY GARDENING’ – JO WORTHY-JONES email: jfpalmer45@btinternet.com

12th Lechlade Gardening Club MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01367 232286 12th Painswick Gardening Club ‘THE SHADED GARDEN’ – DUNCAN COOMBES Details on 01452 812254 12th Shipston & District Gardening Club ‘THE WOODLAND TRUST PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE’ – LAWRENCE BEE Details on 01608 666933 12th Winchcombe Gardening Club ‘GARDENS IN THE SOUTH WEST OF ENGLAND’ – ADRIAN JAMES Details on 01242 609590 13th Cheltenham Horticultural Society ‘THE WINTER COLOUR GARDEN’ – FIONA WARIN Details on 01242 691135 13th Highnam Garden Club ‘WONDERS OF WESTONBIRT’ – DAVID SWINTON Details on 01452 312626

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15th Black Pear Gardening Club 'GARDENING AT SPRING COTTAGE WITH THE MUCH BELOVED' - VAL BOURNE Tickets £5 plus refreshments.

Details on www.blackpeargc.org.uk 17th Abbeydale Garden Club ‘BULBS FOR THE UNUSUAL’ – ROSS BARBOUR Details on 01452 554199 17th Alpine Garden Society, Warwickshire Group ‘A SHADY GARDEN’ – DIANE CLEMENT Details on 0121 7443129 17th Minchinhampton Gardening Club ‘MISTLETOE FACTS & LEGENDS’ – DR JONES Details on 01453 764956 19th Berkeley Gardening Club ‘DEFENSIVE GARDENING AT A TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE’ – DAVE COPP Details on 01453 810607 19th Chipping Norton Horticultural Association ‘FUNGI’ – JOHN CORNWALL Details on 01608 643275 19th Mickleton Gardening Club ‘SHRUBS, TREES & CLIMBERS’ – KEITH FERGUSON Details on 01386 438013 20th Bidford on Avon & District Gardening Society ‘BULBS FOR THE UNUSUAL’ – ROSS BARBOUR Details on 01789 268974 20th Newent Gardening Club ‘THE LATE SUMMER GARDEN’ – JACK WILLGOSS Details on 01531 820761 25th Wessex Fuchsia Group AGM & WESSEX SUPPER Details on 01225 754666 25th Ullenhall Gardening Club ‘FIFTY PLANTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD’ – BILL LAWS 26th Clows Top & District Gardening Club ‘NEW ZEALAND’ – RAY STURDY Details on 01299 270475 26th Hagley Gardeners Club ‘PLANTS THE REAL THING’ – ROB & DIANE COLE Details on 01562 777014 26th Malvern Horticultural Society MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01886 884696 26th Wickhamford Gardening Club ‘USEFUL BUT UNLOVED’ & AGM

45

CLASSIF IED Accommodation

Delightful cosy Shepherds Hut for 2 on Cotswold Farm Pretty villages, Bustling market towns excellent walking NT and gardens Tel: 01242 604189 www.pinnockwoodfarm.co.uk

Glorious North Devon. Only 9 cosy caravans on peaceful farm. Wonderful walks in woods & meadows. Easy reach sea, moors & lovely days out. £125395pw. Discount couples. Nice pets welcome. 01769 540366 www.snapdown.co.uk Bosworlas near Sennen/St Just, Cornwall. Cosy Cottage, rural views, Sleeps 2-4 01736 788709 www.bosworlas.co.uk Hampshire coast, New Forest, Milford on Sea – village centre holiday apartment sleeps 2-3, private parking. Wonderful walks, lovely all year round. 01590 644050 pamela_hutchings@hotmail.com www.littleegretmilfordonsea.co.uk

Ryde Isle Of Wight, two cottages.

Sleeps 2/4, close sandy beaches.

Tel: 02380 849565 rydecottage@talktalk.net

Pembrokeshire, Wales 4 star luxury cottages in idyllic surroundings. Fully equipped, open all year. Children & pets welcome.

Tel: 01239 841850 www.valleyviewcottages.co.uk

Accommodation: Holiday Cottages Carmarthen Bay South Wales Seafront chalet situated on estuary. Sleeps up to 6. Seaview.

Well Behaved Dogs Welcome. For brochure Tel: 01269 862191

Fully equipped self catering house. Undercover parking. 10

mins walk to the seafront.

Tel. 01934 862840 www.sidmouth-stayatnewlands.co.uk Three Scandinavian lodges. Set in beautiful Worcester countryside. All with own hot tubs and wood burners.

Go to cottages .com ref nos UKC 392 W43950 and W44036 Cornwall, near St Just. Chalet, sleeps 4, heated indoor pool, open all year – near gardens/coast, golfing nearby.

Prices from £260 pw. 01736 788718 46

Cornwall. Village location between Truro and Falmouth. Fully equipped renovated cottage. Peaceful garden.

Off road parking. Ideal for 2 adults.

No children/animals. Good public transport. Good pub and shop. Easy reach of Heligan and Eden. 01279 876751 ayrepj@aol.com Padstow house, 4 + baby, gardens, parking, Wi-Fi, Camel trail (bike storage), beaches. 07887 813495 holidaysat55@gmail.com Shakespeare Country/Cotswolds.

Sleeps 5, Dogs Welcome.

Tel: 07757 784074 www.newparkholidaycottage.co.uk A charming holiday cottage, rural setting, stands alone, Sleeps 3. Short breaks available. Pets welcome.

Tel: 01239 711679 Devon, Culm Valley. Well equipped rural cottage for 2. No Pets/Smokers Tel: 01884 841320 Self-catering cottages in countryside near Lyme Regis.

Japanese food available. www.hellbarn.co.uk Lanlivery near Eden and other Cornish Gardens lovely woodland lodge 2/4 people www.poppylodgecornwall.co.uk Tel: 01726 430489

Country Gardener

Creekside Cottages, Near Falmouth, Cornwall Waters-edge, Rural & Village Cottages Sleeping 2-8. Peaceful & Comfortable. Available year round.

Dogs Welcome. Open Fires.

Call us on 01326 375972 for our colour brochure www.creeksidecottages.co.uk

Accommodation With Beautiful Gardens North Devon near Clovelly. 3 delightful cottages situated in 12 acres of idyllic countryside. Sleeps 2-4. 1 Wheelchair friendly. Prices from £190 p.w. Brochure: 01237 431324 www.foxwoodlodge.co.uk Northumberland Luxury selfcatering cottage, sleeps 2. Rural location. Near to major tourist attractions inc Hadrian's Wall.

Tel: 01884 841320

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4* self catering cottage sleeps 6.

Peaceful Farm. En-suite bedrooms.

Wheelchair friendly. Short breaks available. Discount for couples. Pets welcome. lorna@westhele.co.uk Tel: 01237 451044 www.westhele.co.uk

Penrice Castle Gower 16 holiday cottages on an 18th century Estate on the Gower Peninsula with beautiful Grade I listed historic park and gardens.

Tel: 01792 391212 www.penricecastle.co.uk

Somerset 5* Restaurant with Rooms.

Close to many NT Gardens, Houses and Dorset Coast. Countryside Location with Lovely Garden. Pet Friendly www. littlebarwickhouse.co.uk 01935 423902 Quality B&B Truro Cornwall. Ideal for visiting beautiful cornish gardens and coast. £40 pppn 01872 241081 Paignton, Devon, 4* B&B. Ideal location for coast, countryside and NT gardens. En-suite rooms, garden, parking. Green Tourism Gold Award. www.harbourlodge.co.uk Tel: 01803 556932 Charming B&B in garden cottage annex. Double with en-suite. Village location near Jurassic Coast, Bridport.

Tel: 01308 488177 Explore Devon and be spoilt. 2 nights DBB £185 per couple. Farmhouse hospitality. Great trip advisor reports. www.eastraddon-dartmoor.co.uk Tel: 01566 783010

Cards & Prints

ANNECOTTERILL

Lovely self-catering cottage in peaceful location: Large garden, Sleeps 2. Perfect for famous gardens, NT properties & Cotswolds.

Tel: 01789 740360 www.romanacres.com

Bed & Breakfast 4 Star Gold Award B&B in Stoulton, Worcestershire. Luxury accommodation in beautiful surroundings. Perfectly situated to visit Worcester, The Malvern's, Pershore, Cheltenham and Cotswolds.

Tel: 01905 841129 www.sunbrae.co.uk

NEW 2017 SEED CATALOGUE OUT NOW! REQUEST YOUR FREE CATALOGUE TODAY!

www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/F17RCG Or call 0845 371 0518 (Open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week).

Calls cost 3p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

Remember to quote promotional code: F17RCG

Plants of Distinction

Order your FREE catalogue www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk or call our hotline 01473 890033 10% discount for orders placed before 31 October 2016. Ref: EARLYBIRD17

A range of over 200 greetings cards and prints from the flower paintings of

Near Stratford-upon-Avon

www.kingsseeds.com Request your free copy 01376 570000

We sell to both individuals and trade. No order too small.

Contact us for your free 2016 catalogue.

Mill House Fine Art Publishing, Bellflower Gallery, Market Place, Colyton, Devon EX24 6JS

Tel. 01297 553100 info@millhousefineart.com

christmascatalogue supporting gardeners Lovely selection of cards and gifts.

Call for a catalogue on 0800 093 8510 or order online www.perennial.org. uk/christmas

EHACTRYGDNR

Rosemoor 7 miles

www.millhousefineart.com

GRBS (Enterprises) Ltd; trading as Perennial. Registered Charity No 1155156.

Catalogues

burncoose Advertise here... nurseries ...from just £2 per word Plants by Mail Order

2016 October - Country Gardener - EHACTRYGDNR - 23/08/2016 FINAL.indd 14:08:31 1

Nurseries • Landscaping Woodland Gardens

The UK’s largest specialist Mail Order supplier of trees, shrubs herbaceous plants including many rare varieties exclusive to Burncoose.

Burncoose Nurseries, Gwennap, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 6BJ Tel: 01209 860316 • email: info@burncoose.co.uk

FOR A FREE CATALOGUE OR TO BUY ONLINE VISIT:

www.burncoose.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

Boxed out full colour advertisements are available for an extra £20.

Call 01823 619073 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk 47

CLASSIF IED CD7.qxp_Layout 1 17/08/2016 13:55 Page 1

Catalogues

Garden Buildings Leigh Goodchild Ltd

Garden Buildings

Superior cedar greenhouses by Gabriel Ash. Free survey and quotes; all work undertaken.

Call Leigh 07971 251261 www.leighgoodchild.com

Garden Furniture UKs leading supplier of Teak Furniture for the Garden

Tel: 01902 376300 www.davidaustinroses.com

Daffodils for Spring Ron & Adrian Scamp

“Quality Daffodils”

For our full colour illustrated FREE catalogue of DAFFODILS, TULIPS and OTHER SPRING BULBS please send your name and address to: R.and A. Scamp, 14 Roscarrack Close, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4PJ Tel/Fax: Email: Web:

(01326) 317959 rascamp@daffodils.uk.com or amscamp@qualitydaffodils.com www.qualitydaffodils.com

Tel: 01256 809 640 sales @chicteak.co.uk www.chic-teak.co.uk

Garden Services Wisteria Pruning, renovation, Oxfordshire, surrounding area.

Richard Barrett 01865 452334 wisteriapruning@tiscali.co.uk

ANDREW TOLMAN

Professional Garden Services Services include Consultations, Garden Design, Borders, Orchards & Meadows. Specialist Pruning; Climbers, Fruit & Topiary.

Supply of Trees, Plants & Bulbs.

Talks on Gardens & Plants.

Tel: 07546 874083 / 01643 818092 andrew@atpgardening.co.uk www.atpgardening.co.uk

Fruit Trees

Adam’s Apples Apple trees from £8 Over 100 varieties Dessert, juicing, cider & cookers to suit your farm, garden or smallholding Many other fruit trees & bushes.

Discounts for wholesale, community projects & schools. Advice and free catalogues.

Tel: 01404 841166 sales@adamsappletrees.co.uk www.adamsappletrees.co.uk 48

Mortared work also undertaken.

Patrick Houchen - DSWA member.

Tel: 01963 371123 www.yenstonewalling.co.uk

Polytunnels FREE BROCHURE

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Polytunnels from £345 available to view by appointment 01363 84948 info@ferrymanpolytunnels.co.uk

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Specialist Garden Products Ex display sheds. Stables, field shelters, garages, summerhouses, offices, workshops/agricultural 01935 891195 Dorset Hazel Hurdles. Made to order

by Alan Brown, Wool, Dorset. 01929 462761 www.brownshurdles.co.uk

MALVERN COPPICING Rustic timber garden rooms, summer houses, gazebos and garden structures from sustainably managed local woodlands

Boxed out full colour advertisements are available for an extra £20.

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Call 01823 619073 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk

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DULFORD NURSERIES SPECIALIST TREE & SHRUB GROWERS Growers & suppliers of the widest range of Native & Ornamental Trees, Shrubs & Hedging in the West Country

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49

Stockists of Country Gardener Cotswolds Country Gardener is available free of charge throughout the county at the outlets listed below.

For amendments to details or deliveries call Pat Eade on 01594 543790 email pateade@btinternet.com Alcester The Hiller Garden Bampton Bampton Garden Plants Bentham Primrose Vale Farm Shop Berkeley Kitts Green Nurseries Birdwood The Fairview Gardener Bisley The Green Shop Bourton-on-the-Water Countrywide Stores Bristol Henleaze Garden Shop Broadway Snowshill Manor NT Buscot Buscot Park NT Charlecote Charlecote Garden Store Charlecote Park NT Cheltenham Blooms Garden Centre Cheltenham Garden Machinery Dundry Nursery & Garden Centre Shurdington Nurseries Valley Roundabout Nurseries Chipping Campden Hidcote Manor Garden NT Lapstone Tourist Information Centre Chipping Norton Applegarth Nurseries Cirencester Dobbies Garden World Coleford Pygmy Pinetum Garden Nursery Cotheridge Laylocks Garden Centre Droitwich Arkle Plants & Shrubs, Hanbury Hanbury Hall NT Dursley Sunnyside Garden Centre 50

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Stratford Garden Centre Stow on the Wold The Organic Shop Stroud Made in Stroud Tourist Information Centre Swindon Greatfield Garden Centre John Toomer Garden Centre Manor Garden Centre The Pear Tree @ Purton Walfins Garden & Leisure Tetbury Tourist Information Centre Westonbirt Arboretum Tewkesbury Countrywide Stores Hoo House Nursery Tewkesbury Garden Centre Thornbury Thornbury Garden Shop Thornbury Library Toddington Toddington Garden Centre Upton Upon Severn Clive’s Fruit Farm Warmington National Herb Centre Westbury on Severn Westbury Court Garden NT Weston Subedge Hartwell & Co. Worcester David’s Garden Centre Spetchley Park Gardens Worcester Garden Centre Wotton-under-Edge Eastwood Garden Plant Centre Newark Park NT Tortworth Court Farm Shop The Lavender Garden

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Jacksons Fencing news, topical treats and more...

Here’s a fantastic garden renovation sent to us by garden designer, Peter Reader.

Brief: The client’s brief was to update the garden design and introduce more interest into the main garden space by using different levels, rendered walls and new low maintenance planting, whilst retaining the feeling of openness.

Before: The majority of the garden was laid with ageing artificial turf.

The wooden deck, steps and the fences were rotting away and needed to be replaced. Two of the fences were covered with ivy, which the client didn’t really like, however they did appreciate the way it softened the boundary’s appearance.

They wanted to replace the collapsing fencing and to have some new climbers, although as the garden is quite small, they didn’t want to feel too enclosed.

What was done: The old rotting wooden deck and steps were removed and replaced with natural stone. All three fences were replaced with Jacksons Horizontal Hit and Miss fencing, which works well in the space because it provides privacy, but the gaps between the boards allow some light and air through, so it still feels open and not restrictive, and there’s the added benefit of Jacksons Fencing being guaranteed against rot and insect attack for 25 years, so it will be looking great for many years.

their foliage and flowers soften the lines perfectly. In the area around the raised seating, the fence has been clad with Jacksons Venetian panels, so this keeps up the horizontal motif and defines the seating area as a distinct space within the garden.

Conclusion: The clients are delighted with their new garden, and are looking forward to seeing it mature over the next few years. An interesting footnote to the story is that at first the neighbours were unsure about whether to agree to the fence change and wanted the ivy left in place on their side. However, once they saw the new Jacksons fences they were delighted and have removed all the ivy and developed a new flowerbed in its place.

Go to www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal where you can find out more about these and our other products.

Have you used Jacksons products in a garden makeover that you think we should feature, we’d love to hear from you?

louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk

Thanks to Peter for sharing this fantastic project with us (please visit www.readerlandscapes.com) and Belderbos.co.uk who worked on the garden construction.

New climbers have been planted to reduce any starkness as

Win a Jacksons Log Store

To enter the free prize draw and be in with a chance to win a Jacksons Log Store, just log on to your dedicated page, address below and follow the easy instructions on how to enter.

The draw closes 30.11.16.

To enter go to: www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal

For info on any of Jacksons products or brochures, please call 0800 0966151 to talk to your local Jacksons Fencing Centre.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

51

Herefordshire’s Most Inspirational Plant Centre

Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest, Little Verzons, Ledbury Time to plant

Spring Flowering Bulbs - Crocus, Narcissus, Tulips, Hyacinths, Alliums and more Winter Flowering

Bedding plants ready to add colour to your Patio

Containers and Garden

We grow over 100 varieties of Heuchera, Heucherella and Tiarella - including the new ‘Forever Purple’ (above).

Superb colour for Autumn and Winter in the garden or pots and hanging baskets.

Hardy, evergreen and easy to grow.

Autumn is the best

A417 LEOMINSTER

time to plant Trees we have fresh stock

with stunning autumnal colours and fruits to attract wildlife

Friendly advice always available from Mark and the team ‘Collectors Corner’ of unusual and hard to find plants

Verzons Hotel HEREFORD

A438

Trumpet Inn

LEDBURY

Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest

A4172 DYMOCK & NEWENT

Find us @ just 3 miles west of Ledbury on the A438

Open 7 Days a week Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest, Little Verzons, Hereford Road, Ledbury. HR8 2PZ Tel: 01531 670121 Email: enquiry@newentplantcentre.co.uk

www.newentplantcentre.co.uk RHS Gold Medalists

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