Dorset Country Gardener Winter 2019

House plants for the festive season

Helping wildlife make it through the winter

Vegetarian Christmas from your garden

Looking forward to the arrival of snowdrops

Dorset www.countrygardener.co.uk

ISSUE NO 178 WINTER 2019 FREE

It’s lighting up time!

Gardens get ready to wow at Christmas PLUS: GARDENING EVENTS IN DORSET THROUGH TO THE NEW YEAR

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Winter Special Explore the 30 acre garden this Winter for only £5 From 4th November until 29th February

Why not enjoy one of our Festive Lunches Including free entry to the Gardens

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Country Gardener

Up Front!

“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle.. a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.

And the anticipation nurtures our dream.” - Barbara Winkler “The colour of the spring is in the f lowers,the colour of winter is in the imagination” - Ward Eliot Hour

OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GARDENING CALENDAR OVER THE COMING WEEKS IN DORSET

Illuminated gardens at Kingston Lacy

New Year plant hunt at Durlston

The spectacular gardens at Kingston Lacy will be lit up during December with a new illuminated experience transforming the formal garden as darkness falls. Pre-booking not required.

This year the lavishly decorated house will tell the story of Edwardian Christmas traditions, drawing of the memories of former owner, Henrietta Bankes and her children. Full details on website.

Kingston Lacy, Blandford Road, Wimborne BH21 4EA

. .and the lights also go on at Forde Abbey Gardens Forde Abbey has a week of spectacular lighting displays through its gardens running from Sunday, 15th December through to Sunday, 22nd December from 3.30pm to 6.30pm each day.

Forde Abbey members will have half price entry. Tickets must be bought on site. Adults £10, children 5 to 15 £5.

Forde Abbey Estate, Chard TA420 4LU

Coastal foraging at Studland Winter foraging by the sea is now very popular. There is a seashore scavenge on Saturday, 24th November at Studland to forage for coastal plants and hunt down the very best of Dorset seaweed, and hunt out razor clams.

Learn what wild species are edible, how to harvest them, their medicinal properties and how to prepare them for eating. Adults £40, children (minimum age 12) £20. From 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Middle Beach, Swanage, Dorset BH19 3AP

Discounted tickets now on sale for Toby Buckland’s May garden festival

There’s New Year botanical delights to be enjoyed at Durlston Castle on Saturday, 4th January when David Leadbetter leads a plant hunt to discover how many species of plants can be found in flower and you are certain to be surprised.

Meet at the Castle at 10.30am.

Durlston Castle, Lighthouse Road, Swanage, Dorset BH19 2JL

Christmas display at Castle Gardens Castle Garden’s Christmas display is open until Christmas Eve for visitors to soak in the Christmas spirit. Having won the Garden Centre Association’s Best Christmas Display Award nine times in the past ten years, Castle Gardens aim to transport gardeners of all ages into a magical wonderland.

Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR

The popular Toby’s Garden Festival returns on Friday, 1st May and Saturday, 2nd May next year. The festival theme is Wild & Wonderful: with talks and demos highlighting how gardeners can work with nature to promote wildflowers, plant trees to reduce carbon emissions, and plastic-and-peat-free gardening.

Discounted online tickets are now available until the end of the year at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk priced at £11.

Dorset Country Gardener is back with a March issue from Saturday, 22nd February www.countrygardener.co.uk

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...In the south west A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN THE AREA

Hospiscare looks for NEW GARDENS to join 2020 open gardens scheme Hospiscare, the Devon adult hospice charity, is celebrating a record breaking gardens open programme in 2019 by raising ÂŁ28,000. The programme started 15 years ago with four gardens raising around ÂŁ1,500 and now the charity opens over 30 gardens annually.

The charity has new gardens opening every year and is asking anybody who wants to open their garden for 2020 to contact them.

The gardens range from small, terraced gardens to sprawling acres in the countryside. Hospiscare is the local hospice charity for Exeter, Mid and East Devon. Supporters open their gardens to raise vital money for Hospiscare’s services.

Hospiscare needs to raise 80per cent of its funding from the community. The funding enables patients to be cared for at home by community nurses, who are looking after over 750 patients at any one time.

It is the charity’s aim to help local people with a terminal illness make the most of the time they have.

Contact fundraising@hospiscare.co.uk or 01392 688020 www.hospiscare.co.uk

Festive bonanza at The Nursery at Miserden

The Nursery at Miserden, the independent nursery just a short drive from Cirencester, Stroud and Cheltenham has lined up a host of festive events to enjoy in the build up to Christmas.

The season kicks off on Saturday, 31st November with the sale of a range of trees, hand-crafted Christmas wreaths and seasonal houseplants.

A wreath workshop will be held on Monday, 2nd December followed by a craft workshop for children on Saturday, 7th December. The season continues with a carol concert on Saturday, 14th December.

The nursery is set in an historic kitchen garden in the Cotswold Hills and has been selling Christmas trees for more than 20 years.

The nursery and cafĂŠ are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am until 5pm until Christmas Eve. For more information on opening times and events visit www.miserdennursery.co.uk Miserden Nursery, Miserden, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7JA

Twenty-three potato days to enjoy in new season of events You don’t have to be a connoisseur of potato varieties to enjoy potato days. A new season of popular Potato and Seed Fairs starts in Bridport on Saturday, 4th January and finishes on Sunday, March 15th in Sherborne.

There are 23 events as far afield as London, Oxford and Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Somerset award-winning nursery Pennard Plants have been running the days for 15 years and it’s a winning formula as they work alongside local garden clubs to hold the events.

Typically there will be over 100 varieties of seed potatoes for 2020, not all of these are at every event and they are sold by the tuber, not by weight so people can buy one or 100.

It’s not only potatoes on sale – there is a range of Heritage & Heirloom seeds, onion sets, shallots, rhubarb crowns plus unusual tubers from South America.

Pennard are encouraging people to bring their own carrier bags as they will not be supplying plastic carriers any more.

You can find a list of the 23 events on www.potato-days.net www.countrygardener.co.uk

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GARDENERS’ CUTTINGS IN THE AREA

Perfect poinsettias for Christmas

Poinsettias are a Christmas tradition grown indoors for their brightly coloured bracts. They are widely available at garden centres and although they have a reputation as being hard to maintain, they should thrive well past Christmas with sensible care. Ross Garden Store in Ross-on-Wye promote Christmas in the traditional way and are keen to help customers care for their poinsettas.

Properly dried wood is key for successful open fires Devon timber experts Devon Log Stores have been helping sort out the difference between seasoned and green wood bought for open fires.

They explain that dry firewood is termed ‘seasoned’ and unseasoned wood is called ‘green’. Seasoned firewood is easy to light and gives about twice as much heat. It produces less smoke and is therefore less polluting.

The advantage of green wood is price: it is cheaper. Drying it yourself allows you to add value to your logs. The aim is to reduce the moisture content (mc) from green (40 to 50 per cent mc) to air-dried seasoned logs (18 to 22 per cent mc).

In a standard garden shed or garage, logs will take longer to dry; so green logs are best seasoned by stacking them outdoors or in a purpose log store. The key is air flow. Do not cover the sides but a simple roof covering such as a plastic sheet is important. The sheet should be supported by pallets or bearers to allow air circulation beneath. Drying time varies according to the thickness and species of the wood. If logs are about four inches thick green logs ordered in March should be down to 22 per cent mc by October. These will then be ready to burn through the winter months.

Devon Log Stores, 129 Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4RE Tel: 01392 681690 www.devonlogstores.co.uk

“Position the plant in good light away from direct sunlight and draughts.

“Poinsettias originate from warmer climates than Britain’s, so avoid temperatures below 55°F (13°C).

“Overwatering will quickly damage the plant. Wait until the surface of the compost begins to dry out, then water thoroughly.

It is possible to keep these plants year round but they will only flower again if subjected to specific daylight hours and temperatures therefore treat them as a seasonal plant only - enjoy them while they last!”

Ross Garden Store has a wide variety of house plants - including top quality poinsettias, warming mulled wine, hot soup and beverages in the café are on the menu in their build up to Christmas.

Ross Garden Store, The Engine Shed, Station Approach, Ross–on-Wye HR9 7BW Tel: 01989 568999

RHS Rosemoor is staging a weekend full of temptation and delights RHS Rosemoor is staging a weekend full of temptation and delights when it holds a food and craft fair on Saturday, 14th and Sunday, 15th December. Selected artisan traders from around the West Country will be in the Garden Room displaying gifts from 11am to 7pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH 6

Country Gardener

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GARDENERS’ CUTTINGS IN THE AREA

Kingsbridge tops south west success in Britain in Bloom Community gardeners throughout the south west have been celebrating a haul of medals in the annual RHS Britain in Bloom competition.

Kingsbridge won a gold medal in the Champion of Champions category, narrowly missing out on the top title to the Scottish city of Perth.

The Devon market town impressed with its pollinator-friendly planting, including the town square’s main bed bursting with plants beloved by bees and woven willow arch marking the 800th anniversary of the town being granted a Royal Charter.

Bath’s Business Improvement District (BID) and St Just in Cornwall joined Kingsbridge in securing gold medals. A first-time entrant as a BID, Bath’s horticulture took centre stage in the historic city, with numerous planters greening the streets and pedestrianised areas, many bursting with

edibles including herbs, salad crops and espaliers of fruiting apples, a nod to the area’s traditional apple orchards. The ‘Wild Walcot’ project, creating a green corridor for wildlife along Walcot Street, was another standout.

St Just, close to Land’s End and a World Heritage Site for its mining history, wowed with its floral displays, despite the challenging conditions of growing on an exposed coast with poor granite subsoil.

Finalists are judged not only on their floral displays but environmental and community efforts. Each was visited by a pair of RHS judges over a fortnight from the end of July.

Victorian delights at NT Chastleton

You can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian yuletide over three special weekends at NT Chastleton. Explore the house and gardens and find out how the Whitmore-Jones family prepared and celebrated Christmas in the 19th century.

Chastleton is opening on the weekends of 23rd/24th November, 30th November and 1st December, and 7th/8th December, open 11am to 3pm. Last entry 2.30pm. Normal admission applies and dress warm.

Chastleton House and Garden, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 0SU

GARDENS EXPLODE WITH AUTUMNAL MUSHROOMS Gardeners will be the first to notice that over the past few weeks there has been an explosion of mushrooms, some of exceptional size. Weather conditions have been perfect for fungi over the last six weeks and the impact in gardens has been significant and in many cases record breaking.

Gardeners across the south west have reported a bumper crop in rarely-seen and exotic fungi spurred on by almost perfect wet, muggy conditions for them to sprout.

A damp end to the summer and a wet autumn has created fertile ground and species which usually haunt dark corners are now being seen in the open.

Gardeners at RHS gardens and Partner Gardens have been reporting unusual species, giant specimens and proliferations of fairy rings of the red and white-spotted toadstools beloved of children’s stories.

Michael Jordan, chair of The Fungus Conservation Trust, led a fungi foray at Hestercombe House and Gardens in Somerset, where they recorded an unprecedented 102 species in two hours.

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Country Gardener

Sponsor a tile to help save Jane Austen legacy Lovers of Jane Austen’s house and gardens Museum in Chawton are getting behind a ‘Sponsor a Roof Tile’ campaign that calls for 30,000 handmade clay roof tiles to be replaced at the popular museum – without disturbing the rare bats in residence.

A fundraising appeal to restore its historic roof is under way, giving the public the opportunity to help secure the house for the future. Last renovated in 1948, its roof is in need of repairs and the museum is asking for individuals to sponsor a roof tile, at £15 each or whatever they can personally afford. A special Roof Donations Register containing the names of donors or their nominees will be held in the Museum’s archive.

Dr Mary Guyatt, director of Jane Austen’s House Museum said, “We are appealing to generous members of the public to help preserve the house where Jane Austen lived and wrote. By sponsoring a roof tile, each donor becomes a part of Jane’s legacy.”

To make a donation or to sponsor a tile in someone else’s name, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/roof-tiles

Avon Mill

If you would like a last resting place in beautiful countryside overlooking Dartmoor.

Phone 01647 24382 and speak to Julie or Martin Chatfield

Garden Centre, & Cosy Café Shops Unique Gifts Open 7 Days Parking Dogs Welcome Woodland Walks

www.crosswayswoodlandburials.co.uk

PYGMY PINETUM Garden Nursery January Gardening TREES... We have 100's to choose from and now is the ideal time for planting.

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9

WET, WET, WET!

Being a successful gardener depends a lot on understanding how plants adapt to conditions and in a new series popular writer Gill Heavens looks at how they adapt to the vagaries of our weather this month yes, its rain!

Rheum palmatum

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We all moan about the rain, most of us anyway.

When it has seemingly been pouring down for weeks and the water table is rising, we begin to worry about how our gardens are going to fare.

However, a few plants will be jubilant at the deluge, as this is their preferred environment.

These genera have adapted to wet conditions and would struggle if they were taken out of them.

Some plants spend their life totally immersed in salty, briny or fresh water. They must cope with the battering of waves and currents and ebbs and flows of tides. Ocean plants have thinner roots than terrestrial ones, allowing them to better anchor themselves in the sand. Seaweeds are the most obvious of the sub-aqua society and are actually a form of algae rather than a true plant.

An important group of submerged maritime plants are the seagrasses, such as eelgrass.

These provide an important habitat and food source for a wide variety of invertebrates, fish and marine mammals and can form vast underground meadows.

However, is unlikely we will be attempting to grow any of these salt lovers in our own gardens!

Many of us have some sort of water feature, be it a grand lake or mini-pond. Whichever you are lucky enough to have, it is important to Country Gardener

maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem, especially if we want wildlife to prosper. The plants we chose are paramount.

Oxygenators, such as water crowfoot or hornwort, are important as they absorb nutrients and release oxygen, thereby keeping algae growth to a minimum. Some ornamentals float on the surface of the water unattached by roots, such as the tender water lettuce and the pretty, white flowered frogbit. Others are attached to the bottom and emerge at the surface.

Dependent on water depth and personal choice, there are many beauties to choose from. The waxy flowers of the waterlily are hard to beat, but the most exotic of all must be the lotus flower, holding its perfect blooms on long stems above the surface.

The next group of plants are the marginals, those that live at the edges of waterways, and are happy to have their feet wet on a permanent basis. An extreme example are the mangrove forests, situated in harsh brackish salt marshes.

Plants here a have variety of tricks up their sleeve in order to prosper. These include prop roots which hold them above the tides that wash in twice a day, aerial roots to breathe through, and filter systems to protect them from saline conditions. Luckily our pond and river sides do not present quite so many challenges.

Caltha palustris, the marsh marigold with its enchanting, double-flowered cousin ‘Flore

pleno’, flag irises, and Lobelia siphilitica will all thrive at the margins. Willows and alders are elegant riverside trees.

Bog gardens with their perpetually damp soil are a joy. Here you can relish the dramatic foliage of rodgersias and the Chinese rhubarb, Rheum palmatum. The dusky leaves and yellow/ orange flowers of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ and Iris ensata, in many shades of violet, blue and white, will add colour. My favourite, the candelabra primula, will reward you with a candy shop of treats from late spring, and the frothy spikes of astilbes will shine all summer long.

Be careful when choosing your riverside plants, as some might decide to spread the love. A flowing river makes the perfect super highway for invasive seed. Himalayan balsam and Lysichiton americanus, the Western Skunk Cabbage, have both escaped captivity and are colonising our natural banks at the expense of other natives.

Extreme rainfall is another reason for some plants’ soggy surroundings. Although living in the south west it is hard to believe it, there are areas of the world that get more rain than we do. These are the rainforests, both temperate and tropical, and some get over 400cm of rain a year.

Plants growing in these conditions have had to rise to this challenge, developing waxy leaves and drip tips. This means that the rain slides

straight off, reducing the potential for fungal infections and mould. Rainforest trees are often very tall and have shallow roots, which is not a great combination. To alleviate this instability, these monsters develop buttresses against the trunk which can be up to 10m high. In some cases, they grow prop or stilt roots to the same ends.

Due to the excess of rain and high humidity there are a group of plants don’t bother living in the soil at all, instead wedging themselves into nooks in the tree canopy. They are known as epiphytes or air plants, and include orchids, bromeliads and a multitude of mosses and ferns. Here they find higher light levels and gain nutrients from plant debris or bird droppings.

The gigantic coastal redwoods of the East Coast of the USA depend on frequent heavy fogs to sustain the enormous amount of water they need. They trap this moisture in the branches, thereby creating their own weather system. Climate change and population growth could unduly affect these statuesque trees and there have already been signs of some drought stress. It would be a great shame if these noble giants became victims of global warming.

Some aquatic plants are edible, such as delicious peppery watercress. A crystal-clear, slow running stream at the bottom of your garden would be a perfect home, however, you can also grow a plant in a large pot or container.

Rice is a semi-aquatic grass and water chestnuts are corms of a marsh plant.

The bulrush is a very useful plant.

Not only can it be used for weaving baskets and thatching roofs, many parts are also edible including the roots, young shoots and seeds.

Images from top to bottom; Lobelia ‘Hadspen Purple’, It also acts as a water purifier, Lobelia siphilitica absorbing toxins, so if you are thinking of eating one ensure that it is growing in a clean environment.

Many of these plants can be grown in your garden, whether you have a pond or stream or neither. The fact that they will happily survive with their feet lapped with water, should tell you that they will thrive in the moistest soil you can provide them with. When you decide where to plant your newly purchased Lobelia ‘Hadspen Purple’, first consider carefully just where it would be happy, then, when you see it thrive in a damp corner you will be happy too. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Country Gardener

GARDENING JOBS

F OR W INTER

JOBS IN THE GARDEN

Autumn can be a time of hard work in the garden. The pace does change down another gear in the winter months but bright dry days cannot be wasted. Clear up the leaves from terraces and paths to give contrast to those that have been left in the beds. They will rot down among the perennials that are left standing. Spring bulbs should be in by now and those in pots covered to prevent the squirrels unearthing them, and the tender perennials that augment the hardy plants tucked away in the garage. And even in the dreariest days of November and December you can spot buds at the base of the hellebores and, in an act of defiance, the winter-flowering cherries provide colour. There is promise still despite what your bones might be telling you.

PRUNE APPLE AND PEAR TREES AS A PRIORITY You only get one chance a year to improve the quality and health of your apple and pear trees so make sure it is done properly. Pruning should be carried out when the tree is dormant - usually between November and early March, between leaf fall and bud burst.

To prune your fruit trees, firstly, always use sharp secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw, as blunt tools can lead to strains. Once all the leaves have dropped they will need some pruning to get them in shape for next year. (Wall trained varieties do not need pruning now.)

Start by removing all diseased, damaged and dead branches.

Cut out very low branches that won’t get much light, crossing branches which rub and damage themselves and others and those that are growing into the centre of the tree. You are trying to create space at the centre and to open up the tree.

Shorten very long stems by a third cutting to an outward facing bud. Remove any thin shoots coming from the trunk.

Make hardwood cuttings a must Remember which way is up and which is down, and save the wood of vines to be made into hardwood cuttings. A pencilsized piece of wood, cut below a bud at the bottom and above at the top, can be set into free-draining compost to half its length. Hardwood cuttings can also be taken from willows, poplars, Cornus alba and C stolonifera, and black mulberry, and make a cheap and reliable method of generating new plants.

Willows are so easy that they can be plunged into the ground as whole branches, but the best results are always when the sap is still in the wood, so this side of Christmas is your goal.

Make some time for the birds Natural food sources for birds are in short supply in the depths of winter. So help your garden birds by regularly putting out food for them.

It is better to feed them little and often, and always put out some fresh water too, especially when the temperatures are freezing.

Garden birds, in particular, benefit from feeding year round, but winter is a time to provide high fat treats to help keep them warm. Some birds need to recuperate 30 per cent of their body weight in order to survive the cold nights.

So, if you can, keep feeding them regularly so that birds will not waste vital energy visiting your garden when there’s no food.

Buy pots for bul bs indoors

For colour and scent over Christmas, you can’t beat pots of bulbs such as hyacinths or paper-white narcissus. Don’t worry if you didn’t get around to planting some in autumn, as you can buy pots of ready-grown bulbs now.

To keep them at their best for as long as possible, put them in a well-lit spot in a cool room. The long leaves of narcissus look good when supported by a few twiggy stems from the garden. After the bulbs finish flowering, you can either throw them away or plant them in the garden. www.countrygardener.co.uk

13

P LAN AHEAD W I TH YOUR HOLLY Overwintering sweet peas

If you have a berrying holly it’s a good idea to cut some boughs for Christmas now. How many of us have looked at a bush in November and looked forward to seeing the berries indoors for Christmas only to look two weeks later and see everything stripped by the birds. They will last perfectly well in a bucket of water in a sheltered corner.

If you haven’t already sown your sweet peas, you can do this now under cover. Sown now, they’ll give you earlier flowers in greater numbers and a longer season. All legumes, these included, thrive with a long root run, so deep pots or rootrainers are ideal. Water the compost and then push a pair of seeds in to about an inch below the surface. Cover with newspaper to keep moisture and warmth in and light out. Some heat will speed up germination, but is not essential.

They’ll germinate in about ten days but watch out for mice, they love them!

Leave some architecture in the garden If you are tidy-minded, it might go against the grain to leave the perennials standing, but in a few weeks’ time you will find that certain plants have made fine winter skeletons and can be left until February or March. Fennel and miscanthus, verbena and teasel make good hibernacula for beneficial insects and their seed keeps the birds going in the cold periods as well as providing winter interest.

DISPOSE OF BLACK SPOT LEAVES

START PLANNING IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN Start thinking about all the veg you’d like to grow next season.

Start making the must-have list of the things that you know taste better home grown and that you will look forward to eating. Try not to be unrealistic about what you can manage, or what you’ll actually get around to eating. Read our article on what veg to grow for more advice. You can then plan how and where you’re going to grow it all.

• Cover ground to keep out the wet.

• Sow Swiss chard under cover. You won’t regret it; once you get used to having this in your garden, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. You can use the stalks and the leaves, and it’s brilliant for risotto, gratins, stir-fries and soups.

• Place netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeons.

• Pick off yellowing leaves from the stems of Brussels sprouts.

• Sow leeks, onions, broad beans, hardy peas, spinach and carrots under.

• Use cloches or clear plastic to warm the soil for early sowings.

• Chit early seed potatoes just after Christmas.

14

Country Gardener

The main job for your roses is to rake up and dispose of (in a bin or bonfire but NOT in the compost) all leaves with signs of black spot to prevent spreading the disease.

P LUS

• Check stored fruit and vegetables for signs of rot and dispose of any affected.

• Stake or earth up Brussels sprouts to prevent wind rock. Continue harvesting kale, parsnips, leeks and Brussels sprouts.

• Orchids such as phalaenopsis and poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) require a minimum temperature of 16-19°C (60-66°F), but do not position them close to radiators, open fires or draughts.

• Insulate outside plumbing. Store watering attachments indoors or make sure they are drained.

• Tidy up sheds and clean pots and trays making them ready for the next season.

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Starting in February with a snowdrop walk For further information and dates available contact Julieann Tel: 01761 479319 or Email: camertoncourtbath@gmail.com www.bathcamertoncourt.co.uk 15

Allotments - alive but

maybe needing help Home-grown vegetables and a place to de-stress - you don’t have to dig deep to unearth the appeal of allotments and it seems now there may be some better news when it comes to them being made available and used to their best effect There’s some good news and bad news for those gardeners looking for an allotment. The good news is, according to a new report, that finally getting hold of a patch of land to grow your own may be getting slightly easier.

“No one can generalise but the trend is for more allotments to be available than say 12 months ago so if there are gardeners who have given up it might be worth trying in your area,” said Paul Webber from The Land Sanction who have been working with the National Allotment Society to update statistics and monitor availability.

The not so good news is that many allotments are in decline with owners not being able to look after them properly.

“We are aware of the ‘black polythene syndrome‘ when too many allotment holders can’t find time to look after their plot so just cover it up with polythene for a season or two.”

This time factor and reported record numbers of thefts and vandalism from allotments is one of the few times the profile of allotments has been in question.

According to the society allotments have existed in some form or other for centuries. But the plot system we recognise today stems from the 19th century, when land was given to the labouring poor so they could grow food.

The system has evolved further since then, but growing fruit and vegetables is still a key part of allotments. And it’s a blooming trend – the home-grown share (as opposed to shop-bought) of all fruit and veg consumed in the UK rose from 2.9per cent to 7per cent between 2012 and 2017.

When the recession hit, waiting lists for council allotment schemes saw huge surges in demand, as the appeal of making pennies go further with homegrown grub rocketed.

“The demand for allotments was branded as being almost impossible with long waiting lists but we have found this not to be the case and there is more optimism around about their availability,” said Paul.

But everyone has busy lives, time is precious, and allotments reflect this to then point where there’s new advice going out to allotment holders:

Use every inch The demand for land for new housing has reduced the size of many allotments but that shouldn’t reduce the produce 16

grown with proper management. Grow plants which crop for months and produce high yields, e.g. French beans, tomatoes and cut-and-come-again lettuce.

Try intercropping too, where small, speedy crops such as radish and lettuce are grown among slower crops, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Grow trailing squash or gherkins through the base of tall plants such as sweet corn, but keep roots 60cm apart.

Take it slowly If you’re new, don’t rotovate your plot, many people make this mistake, chopping up perennial weed roots and making things much worse. And take your time; too many people go guns blazing at the start, wear themselves out, come back six weeks later to an overgrown plot and give up. Slow and steady is the trick, regular visits and a little at a time.

Go perennial Grow more perennial vegetables Perennial veg are amazing, as they reduce time spent on seed sowing. Try daubenton kale, Babington leeks, wild garlic and Jerusalem artichoke.

Store and freeze crops When a crop ripens all at once, it’s negatively referred to as a glut – but this can be an advantage. Freezing or storing veg saves time on harvesting.

Cover bare ground Cut out weeding by covering unused bare soil with weed membrane, cardboard or green manures, so know your soil.

Hoe pre-emptively Hoeing regularly – regardless of method – is key. ‘Hoe when you have no weeds and you will have no weeds’ is an old West Country saying it means you catch weeds as they sprout.

Invest in a soaker hose These rubber hoses allow water to seep out slowly and leave you to carry on weeding and harvesting while the hose does the watering. Just remember to turn it off!

Grow backups Sow salad seeds every three to four weeks into module seed trays to use as easy space-fillers when gaps emerge. Anything you don’t use can be eaten as micro-leaves or put on the compost heap. In summer, salad can be grown outside or in a polytunnel, greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. Or

Country Gardener

construct a home-made cold frame using a four planks of wood nailed together to make sides with a piece of glass or PVC as a cover, propping it open slightly or removing on hot days.

Take seed with you Always have a bundle of seed packets with you that can be sown direct, such as carrots, peas and lettuce. This way you can always sow a new row of something useful.

Work as a team Self-management for allotments is the way forward. It has pitfalls but is so much quicker than working with councils, and a well-run committee can help plot-holders get more from their land. The National Allotment Society has models for dealing with any dispute and recently published a code of practice.

Make compost

because you want to build as much before winter, especially if you don’t want to use animal manures, Also make your own fertilisers, put comfrey leaves into a bucket and let it stew for a few weeks, it’s brilliant.

Avoid disputes Make sure committees know what you’re doing if you plan to try anything unusual, such as growing wild flowers. Have tidy bits around the edge, too, otherwise you may get letters warning that you’ve got an untidy plot.

Weed less (and help wildlife) Although weeds must be controlled in veg beds, many people keep some for wildlife. Communal areas such as verges, paths and areas around lavatories can be maintained to encourage native wild flowers, and plant more flowers and shrubs specifically for pollinators.

Build big compost heaps: at this time of year get as much material as you can into the heap

How to apply for an allotment

What to consider when applying for an allotment

Applying for an allotment is a fairly straightforward process – or at least it should be. Simply contact your local council (search www.gov.uk/applyallotment for your nearest site) to put in a request. From there, you will either be allocated a space or, in many cases, be added to a waiting list.

It’s worth noting, there can often only be one application made per household.

When submitting your application, it’s worth doing your research – for example, which allotments have the facilities that best cater to your needs? Think along the lines of water, storage sheds, compost and toilets; and even scope out limitations such as the erection of greenhouses.

The challenge of managing a productive plot should not be www.countrygardener.co.uk

overlooked either. An adequate level of physical fitness is required, as is time. Realistically weigh up how many hours you can give to the project year-round and through the busier seasons. A full allotment plot is 10 rods (approximately 250sqm / 300sq yds.), but many allotments offer half size too if it suits.

Cost-wise, you’re looking at anything up to £45, or thereabouts, a year.

17

SPECIALIST TREES

Meet one of nature’s

ODDBALL ECCENTRICS! Mark Hinsley identifies a rare true service tree in Dorset but then debates whether it is native or not?

I was asked by the good people of the Blandford Environmental Trust to cast an eye over one of the areas they manage for community benefit called Angus Wood. Whilst we were there, they asked me to identify a tree on a street corner just next door to their wood, because nobody knew what it was.

The tree had leaves like a rowan, bark like a pear, fruit like an apple and was too big to be any of them! I thought some kind of service tree, but I had to check it out to be sure.

It turned out to be a Sorbus domestica or true service tree, and it has a bit of a story to it.

Most authorities will tell you that the true service tree is a rare tree with a natural distribution across central and southern Europe. Its true distribution is acknowledged to be unclear because the Romans are known to have cultivated and distributed it. The tree produces good, tough, dense wood suitable for mechanical parts and the fruits can be used to make jams, juices, alcoholic drinks and traditional medicines. It is also a very pretty tree. However, due to its rarity, none of these uses has any commercial value.

Service trees, our native wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) included, are amongst nature’s oddball eccentrics. They are rare because they seem to want to be. They do not cope well with competition from other trees, they set very little viable seed and they are very picky about where they will germinate.

18

Wild service trees growing naturally in this country, as opposed to being planted by some misguided enthusiast worried about their rarity, are indicators of ancient woodland because they will not germinate anywhere else. If you find one growing naturally in a hedgerow, you know that hedge was once part of an ancient wood.

However, what a true service tree was doing growing on a street corner in Blandford Forum, Dorset, I have absolutely no idea.

According to Stephen Harris writing on an Oxford University website, two of the oldest trees in the Oxford Botanic Garden are service trees. One of these trees is thought to have been planted in 1780 by a Professor John Sibthorp. Apparently, he obtained seed from a true service tree that was discovered in the Wyre Forest (Worcestershire) in 1678, which was believed to be the only one in the country. This tree was destroyed by fire in 1862. Another name for the true service tree is the ‘Whitty Pear’.

Most textbooks will tell you that the true service tree is not a native. However, an article on the website of Porthkerry & Rhoose begs to differ, as does The New Sylva by Gabriel Hemery & Sarah Simblet (2014). They report that a wild population of true service trees was found in 1983 growing on inaccessible ledges on sea cliffs in South Glamorganshire, where they were unlikely ever to have been planted.

That the tree had been around before the Wyre Forest specimen is apparently suggested in Nennius’ Historia Brittonum of 829 AD which records: ‘By the river called Guoy (Wye), apples may be found on an ashtree, growing in the steep wood near the mouth of the river’.

According to The New Sylva, since the discovery in 1983, about 30 trees have since been recorded across other sites in southern England and Wales.

My question to you is this: do we know of any more? If you know of one, email markhinsley@treeadvice.info; let’s see what is out there.

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

Country Gardener

Buying and planting your autumn tree or shrub There’s still time to get a new tree or shrub established in your garden but there are some important rules to follow Planting new trees and shrubs is not a difficult job, but one to get right, if you want your new plants to have the best start in life. The most important considerations are root health, weather, soil conditions and aftercare.

Bare-root and rootballed trees and shrubs are only available in autumn and winter. They should be planted immediately, but if this is not possible, then they can be heeled in (temporary planting in the soil to prevent the roots drying out) until planting is possible.

When you buy a new tree or shrub it is important to consider size, root and canopy health, suitability for the garden and retailer guarantees.

Selecting and buying a tree or shrub is not always straightforward.

• Decide on your requirements before going to the nursery or garden centre: what final size are you looking for, is the tree or shrub to be deciduous or evergreen, single or multistemmed, vigorous or slow growing?

• Don’t be shy about checking the roots of container-grown plants. Although it is unreasonable to look at the roots of every plant, checking those you intend to buy is acceptable.

• Never accept any tree or shrub where there are signs of pests, diseases, wounds to bark, dead or distorted foliage and especially uncovered or dry roots.

• Never carry trees on roof racks or in open trailers unless they are wrapped in polythene sheet, the fast moving air quickly harms them.

• Plant as soon as possible once you get your purchase home.

Five per-cent discount when you buy from Perrie Hale Planting trees, shrubs and hedging in the winter gives your plants the best start. The plants have a chance to establish before the spring and will require less watering than if they are planted later in the season.

For a large selection contact Perrie Hale Nursery. They are a long standing family business known for its quality UK grown stocks of hedging plants, shrubs, ornamental, broadleaf and conifer trees, top fruit and soft fruit.

They are offering readers of the Country Gardener a five per cent discount when ordering online or over the phone quoting the code ‘CG5’ by February 29th 2020.

Contact on 01404 43344 or email faye@perriehale.co.uk or their online shop www.perriehale.co.uk

Mycorrhizal fungi key to faster establishment of new roots

Winter is the ideal time to plant trees, woody shrubs and hedging, beyond following the basic principles of putting the right plant in the right place and not planting too deeply, the next biggest key to planting success is using rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi.

Simply apply the granules directly to the roots and in a matter of weeks the fungi will germinate, attach themselves to the plant root and grow out to make a vast secondary fungal root system. This simple application will ensure your plants establish well and thrive in their first year.

Rootgrow is the only mycorrhizal fungi grown by a UK company containing UK species of this remarkable beneficial fungi. www.rootgrow.co.uk Northcote Hill, Honiton, Devon, EX14 9TH Tel: 01404 43344 'Growing in Devon since 1957' Growers & suppliers of native & ornamental trees, shrubs & hedging for: • Native, Formal & Evergreen Hedges • Screening • Woodland • Amenity • Wood Fuel • Gardens Now stocking a large range of ornamental trees & top fruit Call us for friendly and expert advice for species selection, planting & tree protection. We can also provide a planting & maintenance service.

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19

In praise of

RHS Rosemoor, Cool Garden

THE RHS!

RHS Bridgewater, opening in summer 2020

2020 is a big year for the Royal Horticultural Society with a new fifth garden in Salford, Manchester and the 30th anniversary celebrations at Rosemoor in North Devon The Royal Horticultural Society has been inspiring a love of all things gardening for more than 200 years, so if you’re looking for ideas for your own garden, community garden or allotment, their four (soon to be five) gardens are a great place to start.

From RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, to the beautiful RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, and from RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate to RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex, there are RHS gardens to visit all around the UK. 2020 sees the opening of the newest RHS Garden – RHS Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester – the biggest gardening project in Europe.

RHS GARDEN ROSEMOOR: Devon’s world class garden RHS Garden Rosemoor is much loved and offers some of the finest planting schemes you’ll see anywhere, with a huge diversity of horticultural displays. Featuring the largest rose gardens in the South West, it is consistently voted one of the best places in the UK to see roses.

Next year Rosemoor will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a garden party weekend on 6th and 7th June. There is also the August Festival, featuring events every weekend throughout the month, ranging from vintage and retro fairs to glorious garden fetes, as well as the annual flower show. www.rhs.org/rosemoor. Special Group prices from £7pp when pre-booking groups of ten plus – visit www.rhs.org.uk/groups.

At the heart of the RHS ethos is ‘sharing the best in gardening’ and if you share the trip with friends, it works out even better value. A group of ten or more can benefit from around 20 per cent discount.

Travelling as a group brings the advantage of being able to book a group tour. There are a number of options which can be shaped according to your specific area of interest, whether this is grow-your-own, roses or creating stunning displays. Tours are available at all four gardens, with more specialised tours available at individual gardens.

RHS GARDEN BRIDGEWATER: The Newest RHS Garden RHS Gardens has a new addition next year– RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester which opens its gates in the summer. Named after the historic Bridgewater canal, the garden is set in the grounds of the former 19th century Worsley New Hall, previously the estate of the First Earl of Ellesmere. The master plan has been created by leading landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith and highlights will include the restored 11 acre Weston Walled Garden, one of the largest walled gardens in the country.

RHS GARDEN WISLEY: The historic home of the RHS RHS Garden Wisley is the historic home of the RHS. With one of the largest plant collections in the world, it was founded more than 100 years ago and is the oldest and most diverse of the RHS gardens. Its collections include cultivated plants of national significance as well as a fascinating blend of historical and modern and cultivated planting.

Each of the gardens has their own personality and for more information, visit groups@rhs.org.uk or call 020 7821 3195.

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There’s Flower an RHS Garden Show for and every grou p

©RHS / Lee Beel

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21

WINTER HIDEAWAYS FOR THE UNSUNG HEROES Elizabeth McCorquodale urges us not to be too eager to tidy away the fading stems of the passing year, and provide a winter paradise for a host of beneficial garden invertebrates prefer a tunnel in an earthy bank or an abandoned bird box.

Having made her choice the bee will lay a clutch of eggs, then snuggle down to incubate them just like a broody hen.

To feed herself she makes a little wax honeypot and fills it with honey made from the nectar she has collected from the flowers in her neighbourhood. She needs to visit hundreds of flowers every day.

For ground nesting bees a buried teapot makes a wonderfully insulated, weatherproof, early spring nest with a built-in entrance tunnel and comfy chamber.

Place a handful of dry twigs in the pot and top with a handful of nesting material, leaving enough room for the queen and all her offspring to move around freely. Half-bury your beepot with the spout protruding above the soil and position an old slate or flat stone over the lid and spout to deflect the rain.

Suitable nesting material includes soft feathers, downy seed heads from plants such as wild clematis and natural sheep’s wool which has been liberated A home made bee lodge should ideally be in a spot that catches the morning sun from fence wire. Bedding saved from the cages of pet mice may attract bees to and dry and safe where they will be your nests by scent - if you don’t have protected from the elements and from a pet mouse try asking for old bedding predating birds and mammals. Bug at a pet shop. Always site your bee nests hotels, in all their guises, offer a cosy along some sort of linear structure like place for invertebrates to overwinter a wall, fence or hedge and make sure and they are easy and inexpensive to the entrance tunnels are plainly visible make or adapt from items found around - bees are observant, but they’re not your house and garden. The only limit is telepathic! your imagination.

Some species of bumblebee set their Bumble bees are often active late into sights a bit higher and will adopt an autumn and early in spring. Usually only abandoned bird box already furnished the queen lives through the winter and with nesting material. This sort of so only she hibernates. She will search wooden nest box can easily be fitted out a warm dry spot under a pile of with a plastic-covered peep-hole at leaves or in grassy thicket and when the rear so you can observe the colony she emerges early in spring she will be as they develop. Reduce the size of looking for a place to lay her eggs and the entrance hole of the nest box by raise her young. What type of nest she pushing some twigs into the entrance looks for will depend on which of the 24 cavity.

British bumblebee species she is. Some Solitary bees are also great garden nest underground in old mouse nests pollinators. They live their lives on their and other hollows already furnished own, laying eggs along with a supply of with nesting material while others Being able to offer food and shelter to any garden creature in winter is a pleasure, be they garden birds, hibernating frogs or the liquid bronze of hibernating slow worms tucked up warm and cosy in your compost heap.

However, so often overlooked in the winter wildlife garden are all those creatures that are at the bottom of the food chain – the bugs, beetles, flies, butterflies and bees together with all the other invertebrates that really make your garden hum.

Winter is a tough time for these hardworking creatures and there are many things that we can do to ensure they have somewhere to shelter through the colder months, somewhere warm

22

Country Gardener

food and then leaving them sealed in a chamber to fend for themselves. They are rather good-natured creatures, with curious names and fascinating lifestories. The mason bee, the carpenter bee and the charming leaf-cutter bee all provide a gentle child-friendly introduction to the natural world as they are easily spotted going about their business in the garden. It is very satisfying to dream up homes for these bees as they are often quickly and enthusiastically adopted. To make a bee post, drill a number of holes in a piece of timber using different sized drill bits to cater for different bees. Take the time to smooth the edges as most bees will shun a tatty, rough hole, and provide a back for your lodge so that the holes don’t turn into wind tunnels. Site your bee lodge in a spot that catches the morning sun and position it with the tunnels angled slightly downwards so water cannot collect in the holes.

Mason bees, as their name suggests, excavate their homes in the soft mortar between the bricks and stones of our houses. You can make wonderful mud huts for this type of bee simply by filling the holes in ventilation bricks with liquid mud and allowing it to dry.

Lacewings are voracious devourers of aphids

Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Brimstone butterflies all go into a dormant state in winter and can often be found motionless in corners of garden buildings. For butterflies that have fallen asleep in an inconvenient or dangerous place, gently lift and place the butterfly in a ventilated cardboard box and move it to a cool room until the weather begins to warm, then remove the lid and place the box in a dry, sheltered corner outside.

An old paint pot filled with bamboo mades a perfect home for ladybirds

Ladybirds and lacewings are both voracious predators of aphids, scale insects, mites, thrips and small caterpillars. A single 7-spot ladybird can eat 3000 - 5000 aphids in a single season as can the beautiful lacewing - that is a lot of aphids! Both these insects overwinter as adults and they need a warm and cosy home to survive. You can easily make a lady bird or lacewing lodge from a tin can or a plastic bottle lined with corrugated cardboard for warmth and then filled with hollow bamboo or plant stems for shelter. Tuck the lodge in a sheltered spot, angled downwards to shed the rain. Research has shown that lacewing lodges are most effective if placed right near their spring food source so they can begin feasting on your pests the moment they emerge when the weather warms. Of course, the more winter homes you provide the more chance you have of attracting and keeping a good population of these charming invertebrates.

For the dedicated ground dwellers in your garden build a log pile to provide a home for hibernating creatures such as beetles. The perfect pile is constructed simply: dig over the soil on which it will sit so that creatures such as stag beetles have a layer of friable soil in which to lay their eggs and overwinter. Cover this with a bed of dry leaves, followed by a layer of small sticks and then add your logs. The logs should still be clothed in bark as many insects lay their eggs beneath the bark layer. Finish all this off by piling on a deep layer of leaves to help to shed the winter rains.

With these cosy havens sited near a selection of winter flowering plants such as primroses and mahonia, winter honeysuckle and heathers, together with a determination not to be too eager to tidy away the fading stems of the passing year, your garden will be a true winter paradise for a whole host of beneficial garden invertebrates.

A half buried tea pot is a tempting home for nesting bees with the spout as a ‘front door’

A photogenic log pile can be home for a whole variety of insects

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

FOUR great gardening books FOR CHRISTMAS COMPILED BY VIVIENNE LEWIS

Here’s a selection of beautiful and informative books published this year which would make marvellous gifts for a gardener The Flower Garden: How to grow flowers from seed

BY CLARE FOSTER AND SABINA RUBER, published by Laurence King Publishing, hardback £19.99 As the days get shorter and the dark evenings longer, it’s time to dream of creating a more colourful garden next year, full of flowers that will attract lovely butterflies and bees. All the more fun when you have grown the flowers from seed. Clare Foster, garden editor of House and Garden magazine, and photographer Sabine Ruber have joined forces to produce a lovely book that shows in easy-tofollow instructions how and when to sow nearly 60 plants ranging from cottage garden favourites to climbers such as Morning Glory (Ipomoea), bee friendly plants, edible flowers and herbs, and sweetly scented flowers. The photography is enough to set you on your way, with delicate, atmospheric close-ups of flower heads, and as Clare Foster says in her introduction, there’s nothing like planting a tiny seed in the spring and watching it emerge and grow into a plant full of flowers and delicate foliage.

The Walnut Tree: Tales of Growing and Uses BY CHARLES HULBERT-POWELL, published by Unicorn Press, hardback £30 You may have a walnut tree in your garden, but you’re more likely to crack a walnut open at Christmas or enjoy a slice of cake decorated with walnuts. Whatever your connection with the tree and its fruits, The Walnut Tree will tell you everything about it - from growing to eating, from its history in cultivation around the world to its place in art and furniture making. This is the first definitive guide to growing and using walnut trees. Charles Hulbert-Powell has travelled widely, visiting walnut growers throughout the world in order to make useful comparisons between different varieties and growing conditions. His experience and the advice he offers in this book will be invaluable to anyone planning to plant a walnut, or who just wants to know about the history, folklore, and uses of the walnut tree and its fruit, in a glossy format with beautiful colour photographs.

The Tulip BY ANNA PAVORD, published by Bloomsbury, hardback £40 This is a lavish 20th-anniversary edition of Anna Pavord’s now classic, internationally bestseller, the story of the plant that has driven men mad over the centuries, especially in Holland where during the tulip fever era, single bulbs cost more than a house, and ruined the people who became obsessed by them.

Anna Pavord, a self-confessed tulipomaniac, spent six years travelling around Turkey and Central Asia to discover how a humble wild flower made its way along the Silk Road and took Western Europe by storm.

This beautifully designed, sumptuously illustrated glossy edition with fascinating old botanical paintings, has a new preface by the author, a revised listing of the best varieties to choose from, and a reorganised listing of tulip species by taxonomists. It is deservedly a unique source book written with love and care

by Anna Pavord, who is now recognised as the grande dame of nature writing today in her newspaper columns, books and radio broadcasting, and who has served on the Gardens Panel of the National Trust.

An Economic History of the English Garden BY RODERICK FLOUD, published

by Allen Lane, hardback £25 and available in eBook There have been many books written on the history of gardens and gardening in this country, but it has been hard to find any about the cost of making and maintaining gardens, from great formal and landscape gardens to tiny suburban town gardens, about the prices of plants sold by nurseries over the last four centuries, or the incomes of working gardeners. The economic historian Roderick Floud who has taught at Cambridge, London and Stanford, and has been knighted for his services to higher education, gives us many of the answers here, in a masterly study that is fascinatingly full of data but is also very readable. He compares gardens that demonstrate the burdens put on families who have owned great gardens over the centuries, finding out where their money came from and why they spent it on a garden. There are wonderful illustrations, case studies and interviews, giving us a greater understanding of why people make gardens.

24

Country Gardener

Green fingered Everyone has a gardening lover in his or her life, and it’s a sensible enough thought to want to give them a present that suits their pastime but, if you're not a gardener yourself, it may be a tough ask. Don't worry though - here's a round-up of the best gardening Christmas gifts for men and women so that you can get through the gift buying stage a lot faster and win brownie points with your green-fingered friends.

A seat of authority in the garden

Christmas gifts

National Trust membership A thoughtful gift for those who love getting out and about is membership to the National Trust available in gift form for families, couple, individuals and young people with prices ranging from £36 for membership for those aged 18 to 25 through to the National Trust ‘ best seller’- £126 for a family. You can choose to have the membership welcome pack delivered either to you or the recipient. It gives free entry to 500 venues throughout the country. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

BACKDOOR SHOES, PRACTICAL AND DURABLE

There’s a very personal touch with this garden chair which makes a thoughtful and timeless gift. The large comfortable seat has smooth surface and curved edges and can be personalised with an engraving to suit the recipient – how about ‘Head Gardener’ or ‘The Boss’. Its striking design will make a feature in the garden.

The Posh Shed Company - £570 plus P&P www.poshshedcompany.co.uk

Opening the door to world class gardens

Backdoorshoes is best-known for its lightweight, waterproof, durable garden clogs, which are available in women’s and men’s sizes and in an ever-expanding range of vibrant, fun designs. Give the gift of backdoorshoes this year. They have recently launched several new designs - Hedgehogs, Leopards, Classic Tweed and Green Camo. The leopard print was created from a photograph of Kaia, a female Amur Leopard living at Marwell Zoo. Backdoorshoes visited a local hedgehog rescue centre and were lucky enough to take some photos of hedgehogs who were being nursed back to good health.

Sizes available UK3 -14 and prices start from £26.95 including free standard postage.

For the full range of clogs and chelsea boots please visit www.backdoorshoes.co.uk

On the theme of membership gifts, a one-year RHS gift membership pack is another ideal gift. For 12 months it means access to more than 200 stunning gardens including the four famous RHS gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr with a fifth at Bridgewater near Manchester going on line in 2020 and it also allows a family guest for every visit. As part of the gift membership it means enjoying priority booking, discounted tickets and exclusive members days at RHS gardens. The Christmas gift arrives with two note cards, a voucher for a free RHS tote bag, £5 to spend at RHS gardens, an RHS events calendar and two packets of seeds. The cost is £63. www.rhs.org.uk

Ideal Christmas Gift

New In Hedgehogs Step out in Style? Lightweight, waterproof, durable outdoor/garden clogs featuring unique prints. Sizes range from UK 3-14 with prices starting from £22 including free standard postage. There is something suitable for everyone from our entire collection, Garden Clogs, Chelsea Boots, Storage Bags or Flip Flops!

To see our full range visit www.backdoorshoes.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

25

House plants

TO BRING WINTER CHEER Bringing the garden indoors by being creative with indoor plants can lift our mood especially through the winter months It is quite usual for gardeners to miss the long days of summer which may seem a distant memory. With the change of seasons our moods often follow suit but there is a way to combat this problem - houseplants.

They bring the pleasure of growing right into our homes, brightening rooms and lifting the mood.

And you can enjoy great colours, gorgeous scents and even air purification by surrounding yourself with plants to beat the seasonal blues.

Here are some ideas to help:

CYMBIDIUM ORCHIDS Cymbidium have highly decorative flower spikes and are one of the least demanding indoor orchids.

To flower well, the plants need a distinct temperature drop between day and night in autumn and early winter to set flower buds again.

Ensure good light levels all year round, especially in winter. Support developing flower spikes with a bamboo cane. Flowers generally last for six to eight weeks.

KALANCHOE Kalanchoe, pronounced ‘collin-co-wee’ is, an evergreen plant native to tropical Madagascar, and is a common houseplant grown for its attractive, numerous clusters of colourful flowers. Flowers comes in shades of yellow, orange, or red. It is available all year round at garden centres and makes a wonderful gift.

This houseplant is easy to take care of and will produce an abundance of long lasting flowers with very little care. It is a good choice for people who forget to water their houseplants, as it likes to be on the drier side. Kalanchoe is a succulent, which means its leaves store water. It does best in a warm environment.

SCHLUMBERGERA (CHRISTMAS CACTUS) The Christmas cactus is a great addition to your home n winter.

Naturally flowering in December, they are almost indestructible and display broad, bold blooms.

This plant comes from Brazil and prefers a semi-shaded spot. It’s ideal for humid environments like kitchens and bathrooms because in the wild they grow in the trees of tropical rain 26

Remember the three R’s REPLENISH plants by monitoring their watering needs and cleaning their foliage. Remove dust and maybe even take them to the shower and give them a gentle spray.

REPOT if roots are growing out of the base of the plants or if the plants dry out very quickly. These are classic signs that you need to move to a bigger pot.

REPLACE plants if they are struggling in areas of low light. Choose the right plant for the light in your home. forests or jungles, so as well as ensuring humidity, they need to be somewhere warm—at least during flowering from September to January.

RHODODENDRON SIMSII (AZALEA) Azaleas are a real favourite for lovers of house plants. Usually a sign that spring is coming, these classics can be brought inside and enjoyed in the cold season.

You can purchase varieties in arrays of pretty pink, rosy red and soft white—making them great gifts. Christmas azaleas will need a cool spot away from direct sunlight. It’s important to keep the compost moist.

CYCLAMEN Cyclamen are stunning upright plants in a huge range of colours, with swept-back flowers sitting above layered leaves. Displaying a variety of large or small flowers, some cultivars have silvery or patterned foliage and a sweet scent.

Grow them in a bright spot away from hot sunlight and radiators. Allow the compost to dry a little before watering again, as over watering can be more damaging to them.

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27

ADVICE

Winter gardening

ADV ICE

Organic matter and how to use it, crop rotation and replacing soft fruit are all high on the list of questions from our readers’ postbag this month

I have a number of small raised beds and I have always believed in the principle of crop rotation but I understand now there is a view it is not vital and a not a cure all for problems?

Milly Beighton, Cheltenham

It is true opinions are changing.

In crop rotation, specific groups of vegetables are grown on a different part of the plot or in different beds each year. This theory is technically sound, as by doing so the pests and diseases specific to crops tend to decline when their host plants are absent.

In reality, this only slows down but does not prevent the build up of damaging diseases such as club root of brassicas, onion white rot and pests such as potato cyst nematode. The resting stages of soil borne pests and diseases may survive longer than the three or four years of crop rotation which makes moving them around pointless and the other point is many pests and diseases spread in the air and not exclusively in the soil. So, it is true the argument is building amongst gardeners about the importance of crop rotation. There are two main choices; move crops as best you can leaving as much time as you can between similar crops or grow crops in the same place until pest and disease problems arise and then move to a new spot. RHS Garden Wisley is continually looking at researching this subject and is due to produce its latest findings next year.

I keep reading in gardening magazines of the importance of adding organic matter and I am not entirely sure what the sources of this are?

Frank Coope, Waterlow, Somerset

Firstly, whatever soil you garden on will benefit from adding organic matter. It is vital you know your soil’s pH as organic matter varies in its own pH. Most easy to obtain sources tend to be alkaline but unless you know what your soil is to start with it is very hit and miss as to how you should improve it. Also organic matter varies in its nutrient quantity but generally helps soil hold on to nutrients which could be washed out.

Leafmould and composted bark help with soil structure but are low in nutrients and the impact on soil quality can be marginal.

Home made compost is versatile but usually demand exceeds supply so is rarely the complete solution.

Well-rotted farmyard manure is an excellent soil conditioner and as with spent mushroom compost manure tends to have a high (alkaline) PH. 28

Municipal green waste is now widely available as a high quality soil conditioner.

Composed pine bark is a bulky organic matter source for acid loving plants.

Composed bracken is acidic but is often mixed with manure which increases its pH.

Country Gardener

Can I grow trees from nuts? As I walk around the village I pick up hazelnuts, sweet chestnut and walnuts and wonder if they can have a role to play in my garden.

Peter Robbins, Oakhampton

The answer is yes of course you can grow them on but beware there is a space issue involved here. Certain trees, like walnuts and horse chestnuts, will need a considerable amount of space, but almonds, macadamias and pistachios will happily grow in an average-sized garden. All hardy nuts need cold temperatures (stratification) for between ten to twelve weeks before germinating successfully. This ensures the seed germinates in spring after winter has passed. Hardy nuts include hazel, sweet chestnut, walnut, acorns and horse chestnut. The best option is to stratify the nuts artificially by putting them in a plastic bag and placing in the refrigerator for three months. Then plant the seeds in spring. Most nuts develop a long deep taproot so they do not want to be kept in pots for too long and will soon need room to grow. It isn’t too difficult to get the trees to start rooting. The problem comes however when you need to plant them out and this is where the size issues comes in. The final point to remember is that most nut trees will take seven or eight years to produce nuts of their own.

When my indoor flowering bulbs have finished with their display can I keep them to flower again?

Jennifer Hamm, Barnstable

Is there a definite cycle for fruit trees as my yield of soft fruits has been declining and I get the feeling I should replace them but I don’t know if I am being unkind and should let the existing fruit trees battle on?

Victoria Carlin, Liss, Hampshire

Daffodil and hyacinth bulbs forced to flower at Christmas and perhaps given as presents are often discarded wrongly and wastefully. Yet they can, of course, be kept and planted in the garden to flower again although you may have to be patient as it may take a couple of years for the bulbs to build up their strength to reflower well.

If you decide to keep the bulbs, remove old flower spikes after flowering but retain the leaves. This encourages plants to fatten up their bulbs. Place on a cool, sunny windowsill over winter and keep the soil moist but no more. Popular and fragrant narcissi are best discarded, as they can be difficult to tempt back to reflower.

Hippeastrum will reflower quite easily the following year using the same methods.

While are talking about indoor growing remember that when light levels are at their lowest moving house plants into brighter positions such as closer to a sunny window will make a dramatic difference to their health.

Many readers have been asking about this and the answer is that when yields of soft fruit start to decline noticeably it is often better to replace rather than to try and get them to keep going for another season or two.

Generally strawberries are productive for only three or four years and then the crop will decline or disappear.

Raspberries, currants and gooseberries will keep going for about ten years and blackberries and hybrid berries beyond 15 years. If you are replacing soft fruit ideally replace on a new site. If this isn’t possible then it is important to dig out as much of the old root as possible.

For currants and cane fruits replace the topsoil to a depth of at least 18 inches. Many soft fruits are prone to diseases if they are in soil which is poorly drained so here it is best to add as much organic matter as possible.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

TIPS FOR:

switching off

this Christmas

Most people look forward to the Christmas holidays.

The trend is now for us to have anything between ten days and a full two weeks off over the Christmas and New Year break, so it’s important to use this time to properly switch off.

The garden can look after itself for a few days. Work can be pushed to the background and unwinding in the evenings or at weekends isn’t the same as a Christmas break. So make the most of it and do things differently.

Step away from technology - while it’s usual to receive lots of messages from family and friends try or avoid any emails which might be work related or non-holiday related.

It’s the one time when you can take a break from the norm whether it’s work or just daily routines.

Enjoy family time. Revel in the time spent with family and friends.

Plan some fun thing to do. The greatest threat to switching off fully is boredom, so make sure you plan something to do

Here are two ideas...

Christmas escape at Sherborne’s Eastbury Hotel There is nothing quite like the appeal of a luxury hotel break at Christmas. The Eastbury Hotel in Sherborne has five magical themed rooms in a wonderful garden setting and is an ideal venue for a holiday break.

The hotel is becoming one of the most talked about hotels in the West Country. It is six minutes walk away from Sherborne Abbey and has gardens which will appeal to all garden lovers and, a perfect venue for a winter Christmas time break.

The hotel’s Seasons Restaurant, has two AA Rosettes for its culinary prowess.

Set in the walled gardens is the Eastbury Spa by Amelia Rose, with a Caudalie treatment or a dip in the outdoor hot tub.

Also wrapped inside the garden walls are the luxury Potting Shed suites, featuring a private outdoor terrace.

All five rooms are dog friendly.

The Eastbury has recently been announced on the short list for hotel and restaurant at the Dorset Tourism Awards and for restaurant at the Blackmore Vale Taste Awards.

Call the Eastbury Hotel on 01935813131 or visit www.the eastburyhotel.co.uk 30

every day - it needed be dramatic just something to enjoy.

Don’t rush. The normal working week is so hectic so if there was ever a time to slow down it is this time of year. Give yourself lots of time to get things done.

Try and get away. It may not be a proper full blown holiday, just a few days but the benefits of breaking with routine are huge.

Use the time to plan a treat for yourself next year. You may not be able to get away due to family commitments at Christmas but you can sit down quietly and plan for a holiday treat next year.

Great gardens to visit Tenuta Porta di Ferro The Tenuta Porta di Ferro is a private garden near Salerno in Campania, and a member of the prestigious Grandi Giardini Italiani. The gardens of the estate date from the 1920s when planes, palms and cycads were introduced.

Later magnolia grandiflora, pinus pinea, pomegranates, hydrangea and bougainvillaea were added. These form part of the Giardino Novecento, one of four distinct gardens: the others being the Garden of Silos, the Garden of the Garden and the Garden of Experiments. About 400 plant species are to be found including water plants and rare plants.

A guided visit with lunch at the Tenuta Porta di Ferro is included in the Expressions Holidays’ Tour of the Gardens of the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Ischia (which also includes a visit to La Mortella). Departures for 2020 are on 7th May, 28th May, 18th June, 10th September. Prices from £2,690 per person.

Special offer for Country Gardener readers: Expressions Holidays offers Country Gardener readers a reduction of £75 per person for booking before 29th February 2020.

Contact Expressions Holidays on 01392 441275 for full details www.expressionsholidays.co.uk Fully protected by ATOL 3076.

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31

READER’S STORY

There is true beauty in decay Somerset gardener Marie Salmon has this autumn refused to tidy up her garden and seems to have learned to appreciate decay As the great Piet Oudolf once said “A plant is only worth growing if it looks good when it is dead”.

I have taken heed of this in my Somerset garden, same county as Piet’s garden but in a slightly different class I admit!

I didn’t clear away the fallen leaves from my garden borders this year. I normally do as up until now I thought it was the right thing to do. Every autumn I have cut back almost everything-perennials, shrubs, and old sunflower stems in an effort to tidy up and be a good gardener my parents would be proud of.

But now I am taking a different approach. I am thinking of the insects and little mammals who will enjoy the decay in almost every aspect of my now scruffy garden.

There is however another benefit which has been unexpected and a delight. Despite all the downpours, the endless soaking it received during October my garden has never looked better and in the last few weeks it has looked positively ravishing in its state of decay. In an odd way not cutting everything back has made it look alive and even busy.

The things I am finding beautiful are not those things that are particularly meant to be. The borders are full of four foot high wild fennel which look wonderful in the sunshine.I love the brown sword leaves of the agapanthus collapsed over the edges of pots. And I like the smell of the fallen leaves that never got swept up and are slowly turning to compost.

However, there are so many plants that die so beautifully that perhaps an element of mortality should be designed into our planting schemes.

As gardeners, we spend every waking moment enlivening our gardens into vibrant, green spaces, brimming with life and colour. Yet here’s something I’ve never appreciated -despite our earnest efforts, plants do I guess spend much of their lifecycle decaying into dormancy. This need not be a bad thing though. Where once I fretted feverishly over spent brown bits peaking through the border now I leave it alone to nature and the decaying process. Gardening is now very 32

much an appreciation of plants, throughout their entire lifecycle, where the focus is not solely on their flowers.

I suppose decay is not always elegant. Some plants will simply collapse into a mushy slush, which is no thing of beauty. Where space allows though, such dieback is just to be accepted as natural, and certainly doesn’t have to be ugly. I have made our herbaceous border as wide and deep as possible, which means we can get away with the odd gardening albatross and any other death deficiencies.

I have resisted despite my mother-in-laws pleas the urge to blindly chop.

Because of this I have found that some flowers die back ever so gracefully. In the past I haven’t given them the chance in my rush to tidy up.

Furthermore when the winter light illuminates their seed heads they come to life again. They are hosts to the many spiders’ webs while inside their stems many insects hibernate.

Similarly if they have a dusting of frost their ghostly skeleton outlines become so photogenic.

Perhaps this is just a temporary phase.

It may all change and when the light comes back more in February I might get the urge to tidy up - but for the time being I am enjoying the decay and the rotting.

It seems an important part of the cycle of the garden and perhaps much neglected.

Country Gardener

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Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5pm Commercial Road, Crediton EX17 1ER Tel 01363 772202

@ MATFORD Landscape Design Hard and Soft Landscaping Grounds Maintenance Tree Surgery Weed Control

01278 653205 www.greenslades.biz info@greenslades.biz Main Road, Cannington, Bridgwater TA5 2LD

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR GARDEN

this Winter

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www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

Where to go to

SEE SNOWDROPS Winter gardens are to be enjoyed not endured either in the build up to Christmas or in the New Year, when snowdrops start to flower in the depth of winter and gardens throughout the south west open to show off their fabulous displays

The joy of winter gardens is becoming more appealing than ever. Whether it is walking on bright crisp sunny days, or enjoying winter planting displays more and more organisations are now planting gardens for winter interest and planning and the first snowdrops which will appear in late January.

So do not stay inside this winter, wrap up well and enjoy yourself. Many gardens look delightful after frosts and snow, so put on your warmest outdoor clothes, journey out and specially enjoy the snowdrops.

Shaftesbury snowdrops a unique experience Shaftesbury Snowdrops’ annual Study, Sale and Social day attracts snowdrop lovers from as far as America and Japan, as well as a healthy British contingent.

This year the event celebrates three authors of Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus, known as ‘the Bible’ to snowdrop lovers. This year Shaftesbury promises a unique experience - lectures from all of the authors as well as the ‘Best in the West’ snowdrop sale.

Matt Bishop, a celebrated snowdrop grower and seller, will speak on the future trends as genetic mutations mean more stunning snowdrops varieties are emerging.

Dr Aaaron Davis, senior research leader at Kew Gardens, has been to see the new species Galanthus bursanus endemic to the Marmara Sea region in NW Turkey and will introduce this snowdrop and give his personal retrospective on the genus.

In the afternoon, Dr John Grimshaw of the Yorkshire Arboretum is speaking on Woody Plants for the Winter Garden.

This is the hot ticket of the snowdrop season for serious galanthophiles – tickets are now on sale at www.shaftesburysnowdrops.org. Also available on Eventbrite.

COLESBOURNE PARK COLLECTION CELEBRATES 350 VARIETIES Started by Henry John Elwes FRS with the magnificent Galanthus elwesii, the collection at Colesbourne Park is the historic home of snowdrops in England. The gardens, restored and extended by Sir Henry Elwes and his wife Carolyn, have around 350 varieties mixed with winter and spring bulbs: aconites, cyclamen, iris, miniature daffodils, snowflakes, hellebores and winter-flowering shrubs, and are set in and around the well-known arboretum, with 13 UK champion trees amongst 300 in all.

The gardens are open from 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays from 25th January to 1st March. Teas and plant sales are available. Open on weekdays in February for prebooked group guided tours. Colesbourne Park is halfway between Cheltenham, and Cirencester on the A435.

For more information email info@colesbournegardens.org.uk or visit www.colesbournegardens.org.uk.

34

Country Gardener

Alpine Garden Society plant sale a February highlight

For a chance to see and buy some extra special snowdrops, don’t miss the Alpine Garden Society’s plant sale and show on Saturday, 22nd February at Pershore High School, Station Road, Pershore WR10 2BX. Specialist nurseries will offer a range of snowdrops as well as other alpines, woodland plants, dwarf shrubs and unusual spring bulbs. Experts will answer questions about how to grow these wonderful plants, and there will be gardening and plant books for sale. Open from 11am to 3.30pm. www.alpinegardensociety.net 01386 554790

East Lambrook Manor ready to celebrate second snowdrops festival Throughout February, East Lambrook Manor Gardens in Somerset is celebrating all things snowdrop with its second Festival of Snowdrops; from the spectacular snowdrops in the garden to individual displays of unusual cultivars, snowdrop sculptures and an exhibition of snowdrop photography by garden photographer, Jason Ingram.

Margery Fish, the grande dame of cottage gardening, collected snowdrops to plant at East Lambrook, her home from 1938 to 1969. She was one of the first galanthophiles, and amassed a significant collection, a heritage cared for today by the garden’s current owners, Gail and Mike Werkmeister.

“Mrs Fish grew most of her snowdrops in an area of the garden known as the Ditch,” explains Mike, “and this looks fabulous in February when the sides are carpeted in them.

As getting down close to see them can be difficult, we have a raised display bed to show them off to advantage and we’ll also be creating additional special displays so more can be enjoyed at close quarters.”

The festival will feature tours of the snowdrops and over 60 varieties will be on sale in the nursery. Sculptor Chris Kampf will be displaying his steel snowdrops, and Bristol-based photographer Jason Ingram will be exhibiting prints of the snowdrops photographed at East Lambrook last February.

Visit the website www.eastlambrook.com for timings.

Throughout the festival the garden, nursery, cafe and gallery open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Garden entry £6, over 65s £5.50, under 16s free. RHS members free on Wednesdays.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens, Silver Street, East Lambrook, South Petherton TA13 5HH

Old Court Nurseries Plant Sale and Show Saturday, 22 February 2020, 11am to 3.30pm Pershore High School, Station Road, Pershore WR10 2BX.

• • • •

Thousands of unusual plants for sale Hundreds of specimen plants on show Discounted books for sale Refreshments

& The Picton Garden

The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906 IT'S A GREAT TIME TO PLAN YOUR 2020 AUTUMN DISPLAYS Mail order catalogue available on request or order online www.autumnasters.co.uk for delivery in May.

Gain half price admission for up to two people with this advert.

Admission £3. Under 18s and students free.

For further information contact the Alpine Garden Society, Avon Bank, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3JP, call or visit our website.

T: 01386 554790

Reg Charity No. 207478

www.alpinegardensociety.net

PLEASE ASK TO GO ON OUR SNOWDROP LIST AND BE AMONG THE FIRST TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE. Closed to visitors over winter but please ring or email for help and advice.

Open for the NGS on 14th and 29th February, 11am - 4pm.

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

35

Cerney House Gardens winter snowdrop and hellebore trail Cerney House gardens is a romantic English garden for all seasons: beautiful on a sunny day with the scent of roses filling the air and magical on a frosty winters day. They open their doors again at the end of January for the arrival of their fabulous winter display of snowdrops and hellebores. There is a snowdrop trail winding through the woodland with over 150 different varieties appearing amongst swathes of pink and purple hellebores. Cerney House’s charm is in its apparent informality and tranquillity, which is heightened at the beginning of a busy gardening year.

Tea and cakes available. Open from Saturday 26th January, 10am-5pm.

Cerney House Gardens North Cerney Cirencester GL7 7BX Tel: 01285 831300

Snowdrops mingle with spring colour at Old Court Nurseries

Study, Sale & Social Day including the “Best in the West” Rare Snowdrop Sale

Saturday 8th February 1pm

The Guildhall, High Street, SP78LY Details of tickets from www.shaftesburysnowdrops.org or from the Tourist Information Centre on 01747 853514

Cerney House Gardens A Romantic English Garden in the UK Cotswolds 46 acres of Cotswold parkland Romantic secret garden * Wildlife and woodland walks * Plants for sale * A large variety of snowdrops and hellebores * Refreshments available at the old Bothy Open from Saturday 25th January 10-5pm Admission: £5 adults, £1 children

Telephone 01285 831300 www.cerneygardens.com Cerney House Gardens, North Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 7BX

36

Image: ‘Snowdrop Words’

by Jane Shepherd

Visit gardening icon Margery Fish’s beautiful cottage garden to enjoy the: * Snowdrop ditch * Snowdrop displays * Sculptures for sale * Snowdrops to buy * Snowdrop tours * Snowdrop photography exhibition

Snowdrop ‘Margery Fish’

The Picton Garden at Old Court Nurseries may be famed for its Michaelmas daisies but in February it is all about the treasures that lie beneath all that autumn showiness. Starring roles are played by 200 varieties of snowdrop and a meander in this one and a half acre garden will reveal them alongside a myriad of late winter bulbs and flowering shrubs. Prunus mume and daphnes scent the air and give an extra lift of colour along with coloured stems from birches and cornus. Many of the plants seen in the garden can be purchased in the adjoining nursery.

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

Shaftesbury Snowdrops

£2

F OF T I RS P F O UR YO WDR AD O SN H THIS WIT

Festival of Snowdrops 1st to 29th February

Over 125 varieties of snowdrop to be seen with many rare snowdrops for sale in the nursery.

Garden, nursery, café and gallery open Tues - Sun | 10am - 5pm Entry £6.00 | Over 65s £5.50 | Groups £5.25 | U16s free East Lambrook | South Petherton | Somerset | TA13 5HH 01460 240328 | enquiries@eastlambrook.com | eastlambrook.com

Country Gardener

SNOWDROPS ON DISPLAY AT THE GARDEN HOUSE There are more than 100 varieties of snowdrops in the labelled Matt Bishop collection at The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, together with naturalised swathes that flower throughout the ten-acre gardens.

Snowdrop adviser at The Garden House, Pat Eaton, told Country Gardener: “These delicate looking robust beauties can be seen in flower at any time between October and March, depending on their species and cultivar.”

The gardens remain open throughout the winter months on Fridays (RHS members have free entry), Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am until 3pm, entry £5. The special snowdrop weekends run from Friday, 17th January to Saturday, 29th February, with pre-bookable tours and refreshments available. On Saturday, 1st February Avon Bulbs will hold a special snowdrop sale.

The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7LQ Tel: 01822 854769 Email: office@thegardenhouse.org.uk

The Mount, nr Ivybridge, Devon

NGS proud of its special

SNOWDROP OPENINGS NGS gardens have a great reputation for snowdrop displays and here we highlight just a few of the many gardens opening in February around the south west for charities supported by the scheme.

IN DEVON, Higher Cherubeer, Dolton, Winkleigh EX19 8PP, opens Friday 7th, Friday 14th and Saturday 22nd February from 2pm until 5pm; Summers Place, Little Bowlish, Whitestone EX4 2HS, opens on Saturday 15th February from 1.30p until 5pm; Bickham House, Kenn, Exeter EX6 7XL, opens on Sunday 16th February, 2pm-5pm; and The Mount, Delamore, Cornwood, Ivybridge PL21 9QP, also opens on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th February, from 10.30am until 3.30pm.

IN SOMERSET, Rock House, Elberton, BS35 4AQ, ten miles north of Bristol, opens on Sundays 2nd and 9th February from 11am until 4pm, while Vine House, Henbury Road, Henbury, Bristol BS10 7AD also opens on Sunday 2nd February, from 1.30pm until 4pm; Algars Manor, Station Road, Iron Acton BS37 9TB and Algars Mill, Frampton End, Iron Acton, Bristol BS37 9TD, have a combined opening on Sunday 23rd February between 1pm and 4pm.

IN HAMPSHIRE, The Down House, Itchen Abbas SO21 1AX opens on Sunday 16th February between 1pm and 4pm, while Little Court, Crawley, Winchester SO21 2PU has four openings, on Sunday 16th and Monday 17th February, and Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th February, from 2pm until 4.30pm. Bramdean House, Bramdean, Alresford SO24 0JU opens on Sunday 9th February between 2pm and 4pm, and Chawton House, Chawton near Alton GU34 1SJ, opens on Sunday 23rd February, from 11am until 4pm.

IN DORSET, the Old Vicarage, East Orchard, Shaftesbury SP7 0BA opens on Saturday 8th February, 2pm-4.30pm, and Herons Mead, East Burton, Wool BH20 6HE opens on Sunday

16th February from 2pm until Higher Cherubeer, nr 5pm; Lawsborook, Brougham Winkleigh, Devon Way, Shillingstone DT11 0TE opens its gates on Sundays 16th and 23rd February, while Manor Farm, Hampreston, Wimborne BH21 7LX opens on Saturday 22nd February between 10am and 1pm, and on Sunday 23rd February from 12pm until 4pm.

IN WILTSHIRE, Westcroft, Boscombe village SP4 0AB, opens by arrangement from January to March for groups of 20-plus, apart from Thursdays during January and March which are open days for the NGS. At NGS open gardens the money taken at the gate goes to Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Hospices UK, Carers Trust and other nursing and caring charities which are supported by the NGS. The money taken for the teas and plants also goes to the charities unless stated otherwise.

From early December more information on these gardens and all the gardens opening in 2020 will be available on the website: www.ngs.org.uk. From late February, the NGS Gardens to Visit known as the Yellow Book will be available as well as individual county booklets at garden centres, Tourist Information Centres and other outlets.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook, South Petherton TA13 5HH has a special open day for the NGS on Saturday 15th February, 10am-5pm, during its snowdrop festival.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

Managing

HONEY FUNGUS Is there anything you can do to stop the spread of honey fungus, which has reached record levels in recent years?

The root disease honey fungus (Armillaria) is the most destructive fungal disease in our gardens.

It is rightly dreaded by many gardeners who fear its impact as it attacks and kills the roots of many woody and perennial plants.

At its worst, honey fungus can be virulent enough to kill a fullsized tree in only a few years.

The most characteristic symptom of honey fungus is white fungal growth between the bark and wood, usually at ground level. Clumps of honey coloured toadstools sometimes appear briefly on infected stumps in autumn.

The disease is more common in gardens near woodlands, hedgerows and orchards where infected trees or stumps remain in gardens. The success of honey fungus which has been reported to be at record levels over the past three years is partly due to horticultural practices such as fertilisers and soil

Honey fungus quick facts • You can spot honey fungus when toadstools appear around dead or dying plants.

• Mostly it gets into gardens from dead stumps or buried roots which are the food supply for the disease.

• Dig out infected plants if possible taking care not to drop infected soil or plant material in other areas of the garden and spreading the problem.

• Replant with disease resistant species.

The dramatic impact honey fungus can have

cultivation which modify competition between soil organisms and appear to give the fungus an advantage.

What action can you take?

There are no chemicals available for control of honey fungus.

If honey fungus is confirmed, the only effective remedy is to excavate and destroy, by burning or landfill, all of the infected root and stump material. This will destroy the food base on which the rhizomorphs feed and they are unable to grow in the soil when detached from infected material.

Prevent new infections by physically removing all of the root and stump material of an infected plant. This destroys the food base on which the fungus feeds.

To prevent honey fungus spreading to unaffected areas, a physical barrier such as a 45cm (18in) deep vertical strip of butyl rubber (pond lining) or heavy duty plastic sheet buried in the soil will block the rhizomorphs. It should protrude above soil level.

Avoid the most susceptible plants and instead use plants that are rarely recorded as being affected by honey fungus.

Some less affected plants include: Acer negundo, Arundinaria (and other bamboos), Buxus sempervirens, Carpinus betulus, Chaenomeles, Erica, Fremontodendron, Garrya, Ginkgo, Hypericum, Jasminum, Juglans nigra, Larix, Nyssa, Pittosporum, Quercus ilex (holm oak), Tamarix, and Vaccinium.

Keep plants in good condition by regular feeding, mulching and watering. Stressed plants are less likely to be attacked by species of armillaria.

Symptoms of honey fungus ABOVE GROUND • Upper parts of the plant die. Sometimes suddenly during periods of hot dry weather, indicating failure of the root system • Smaller, paler-than-average leaves • Failure to flower or unusually heavy flowering followed by an unusually heavy crop of fruit (usually just before death of the plant) • Premature autumn colour • Cracking and bleeding of the bark at the base of the stem 38

BELOW GROUND • Dead and decaying roots, with sheets of white fungus material (mycelium) between bark and wood, smelling strongly of mushrooms. This can often be detected at the collar region at ground level. This is the most characteristic symptom to confirm diagnosis.

• Rhizomorphs are often difficult to detect, especially for the most pathogenic species, and they are particularly difficult to find in the soil.

Country Gardener

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Sleeps up to 6. Seaview. Well Behaved Dogs Welcome. Open from 1st March - 31st Dec. For brochure Tel: 01269 862191

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Secluded cosy cabins & lodges in wooded valley running down to Wembury Bay & SW Coastal Path

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Warm welcome. Tel: 01594 833259 www.cowshedcottage.co.uk

Plymouth, Dartmoor & lovely South Devon Villages & Towns in easy reach.

Pets welcome. Short Breaks available.

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

Available year round. Dogs Welcome.

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

Beautifully romantic cottage for two In sunny SW France just 30 mins from Bergerac airport. www.maison-bb.com

Accommodation Holiday Cottages Devon. Tamar Valley. Pretty cottage sleeps 2-4. Wood burner, garden, small dog welcome. 02073 736944/07940 363233 www.northwardshippon.co.uk Self-catering cottages in countryside near Lyme Regis. Japanese food available. 01297 489589 www.hellbarn.co.uk Cornwall, St Just- in- Roseland.

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39

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Contact us for your free 2019 catalogue Mill House Fine Art Publishing, Bellflower Gallery, Market Place, Colyton, Devon EX24 6JS

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Huxtable Farm B&B Escape to this beautiful award winning 16th Century farmhouse, with quality en-suite B&B accommodation (Wi-Fi), log fires, panoramic views, walks and wildlife on its doorstep.

Ideal hideaway for exploring RHS Rosemoor, Marwood Hill, Castle Hill, Tapeley Park, Clovelly, Docton Mill Gardens and NT Arlington Court

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41

Christmas cooking

with winter

vegetables

by Kate Lewis

Vegetables shouldn’t be overlooked at Christmas and it’s an added bonus if you are able to keep on sourcing everything from the garden If you have planned ahead well you may be lucky enough to have a well-stocked vegetable garden this winter. While there is certainly less range of produce, and less chance of a glut, a well-planned vegetable garden can serve as a useful winter pantry. Many winter vegetables will also produce early crops in the new year, handy for filling the hungry gap.

The hardiest vegetables, which over-winter well, are Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, kale, and leeks. Most root vegetables such as swede, carrots, parsnips and turnips can be left in well drained soil over winter.

The recent rise in veganism and decline in meat consumption has led to many people looking for ways to put vegetables at the centre of their meals, rather than the over-cooked after-thought associated with school dinners.

Many people still resort to just boiling their veg.

This is quick and easy but probably the least flavoursome preparation. This method can also result in a loss of nutrients because of the time the vegetables are submerged under water.

Steaming is also a quick way to cook vegetables, but retains more flavour and nutrients than boiling. Sautéed vegetables – cooked over a high heat, usually in oil or butter - retain their flavour even more than boiling or steaming.

Maybe the best way to cook winter vegetables to roast them. Although the cooking time is longer, the preparation time is minimal and the options for added flavours are endless. Cut the vegetables to pieces roughly the same size and ensure the roasting tin is not overcrowded. Add oil, seasoning and try experimenting with herbs and spices. The unique flavour from roasting winter vegetables is well worth the wait.

42

Country Gardener

Cauliflower soup

Root vegetable crumble

INGREDIENTS:

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 large cauliflower, leaves removed

1 litre vegetable (or chicken) stock 2 bay leaves Sea salt and black pepper ½ small lemon, juiced

800g mixed root vegetables (e.g celeriac, carrots, sweet potato, swede, parsnip) Sauce: 50g butter 1 garlic clove, crushed 50g plain flour 500ml milk Handful grated cheese

METHOD: 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 2. Cut the cauliflower head into florets and chop the stem. Add to a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30 minutes, turning half way through.

3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for around 5 minutes until soft.

4. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

5. Add the stock, the roasted cauliflower and bay leaves. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.

6. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Add the lemon juice. Whizz with a stick blender until smooth. Season as needed.

7. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or yoghurt.

Crumble: 200g plain flour 100g cold butter, cubed 50g grated cheese Handful porridge oats 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds Sea salt & ground black pepper

METHOD: 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. 2. Peel and chop the root vegetables into cubes that are roughly the same size. Put in a pan and cover with salted cold water, bring to the boil. Par-boil for 5-8 minutes.

3. Drain the vegetables and put in an ovenproof casserole dish.

4. Sauce – melt the butter and add the crushed garlic.

Cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Add the milk gradually, stirring all the time until it thickens, add the cheese and keep stirring until the sauce is thick. Pour over the vegetables.

5. Crumble – rub the cold butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese, porridge oats and pumpkin seeds. Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined. Spoon on top of the vegetables.

6. Bake for 30 mins or until golden.

Poached pears in red wine Serves 3 INGREDIENTS: 3 hard pears (Conference, Comice or Williams work well) 500ml red wine 125g caster sugar

1 cinnamon stick 1 vanilla pod ½ lemon, zested

METHOD: 1. Peel the pears but keep the stalk intact.

2. Put the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and vanilla pod into a deep pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Carefully add the pears to the pan (lie them down if necessary) making sure they are covered by the cooking liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes or until they are tender.

4. Remove the pears from the pan and boil the syrup until it has reduced into a thick syrup.

5. Pour the syrup over the pears and serve with yoghurt, crème fraiche or ice cream.

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Summer Houses, Log Cabins, Decking, Home Offices, Workshops, Play Houses, Chicken Houses Compound A, Dunball Wharf, Bristol Road, Bridgwater TA6 4BJ Telephone 01278 686267

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TIME Off

COMPILED BY KATE LEW IS DIARY EVENTS FROM CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS AROUND DORSET

Our hugely popular Time Off section is a regular free opportunity for gardening clubs, associations, societies and organisations to publicise their events to Country Gardener readers.

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

If you are a garden club or association looking to promote an event then please send us details at least eight 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 always keen to support events and we will be glad to publicise talks, meetings 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. It is much easier for us if garden clubs could 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 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.

NOVEMBER 17th SPRINGHEAD TRUST, FONTMELL MAGNA THE METHERA QUARTET Details on 01747 811853 18th ST ALBAN’S GARDEN CLUB AGM & CARD MAKING Details on 01202 512543 19th BEAMINSTER HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘PRIMITIVE PLANTS’ – STEVE FRY Details on 01308 862410 BROADSTONE & CORFE MULLEN FLORAL DECORATION ‘SEASONAL FESTIVITIES’ – JO RICHARDS 20th BOURTON GARDENING CLUB ‘PLANTS YOU CAN GROW ON CLAY’ – MARTIN HUNT Details on 01747 840279 21st BRIDPORT & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB ‘IMAGES OF DARTMOOR’ – TONY BURGES Details on 01308 459469 23rd WEST MOORS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY LUNCH FOLLOWED BY PRESENTATION OF CUPS AND TROPHIES Details on 01202 871536

25th PIDDLE VALLEY GARDENS CLUB ‘HOLLY & IVY’ – ROY CHEEK 26th WEST PARLEY GARDENING CLUB ‘BROWNSEA ISLAND – DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST’ Details on 01202 950521 27th UPLYME & LYME REGIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘NATURAL GARDENING’ – BRIAN TOMSETT 29th/1st Dec SPRINGHEAD TRUST, FONTMELL MAGNA THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS www.springheadtrust.co.uk Details on 01747 811853

DECEMBER 2nd HIGHCLIFFE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AGM & CHRISTMAS BUFFET Details on 01425 547740 4th BOURTON GARDENING CLUB ‘MAKE A TABLE DECORATION’ – LAURA FROM FLORISTIC Details on 01747 840279 5th BROADWEY, UPWEY & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY A SHORT FUN QUIZ & SUPPER

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Details on 01305 812439 9th PIDDLE VALLEY GARDENS CLUB SOCIAL EVENING WEST MOORS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘NEW AND EXCITING PLANTS FOR YOUR GARDEN’ – MARCUS DANCER Details on 01202 871536 WIMBORNE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘THE EXPERIENCE OF A TOWN CRYER’ – MR ANDREWS Details on 01202 887006 10th BROADSTONE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMBERS CHRISTMAS PARTY Details in 01202 695873 HALE & WOODGREEN HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION AGM & SOCIAL EVENING LYTCHETT MATRAVERS GARDENING CLUB SOCIAL EVENING WITH QUIZ 11th MUSCLIFF GARDEN CLUB ‘A BIG SCREEN MISCELLANY’ – MERLE & ALAN GRAHAM Details on 01202 519989 STURMINSTER NEWTON FLORAL GROUP AGM & MEMBERS EVENING 12th FERNDOWN & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION ‘OVERLAND TO INDIA’ – CORNELIUS CORNES Details on 01425 276164

45

SHERBORNE & DISTRICT GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION ALAN & SUSAN QUIZ Details on 01935 389375 13th BLACKMORE VALE BONSAI GROUP MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01747 853475 16th ST ALBAN’S GARDEN CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY Details on 01202 512543 17th BEAMINSTER HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AND SOCIAL Details on 01308 862410

14th BROADSTONE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A HORTICULTURAL SPEAKER’ – DEREEK LUTHER Details in 01202 695873 LYTCHETT MATRAVERS GARDENING CLUB BROWNSEA ISLAND 21st BEAMINSTER HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘BEDDING PLANTS’ – DAVID USHER Details on 01308 862410 PARKSTONE GARDENING SOCIETY ‘GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE’ – KATE WILKINSON Details on 01202 752014 26 BLANDFORD MUSEUM GARDEN CLUB POTATO FAYRE AT PIMPERNE VILLAGE HALL Details on 01258 454491 th

JANUARY 6th HIGHCLIFFE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS’ - ALAN EDMONDSON Details on 01425 547740 8th MUSCLIFF GARDEN CLUB ‘TRICK OR TREAT’ – RON TAYLOR Details on 01202 519989 10th BLACKMORE VALE BONSAI GROUP MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01747 853475 13th WEST MOORS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘HAMPSHIRE NATURE IN TRUST’ - MIKE READ Details on 01202 871536

27th PIDDLE VALLEY GARDENS CLUB AGM

6th BROADWEY, UPWEY & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘THE SECRET WORLD OF VIOLETS’ – CLIVE GROVES Details on 01305 812439 11th BROADSTONE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘GLORIOUS GARDENS OF FRANCE’ – ROSEMARY LE GRAND Details in 01202 695873 12th MUSCLIFF GARDEN CLUB ‘GARDENS OF WESSEX’ – JOHN LEWIS Details on 01202 519989 13th SHERBORNE & DISTRICT GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION ‘CARE & MAINTENANCE OF TREES & SHRUBS’ – DAVID USHER Details on 01935 389375 14th BLACKMORE VALE BONSAI GROUP MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01747 853475

28th WEST PARLEY GARDENING CLUB ‘CHERRY TREE NURSERY AND NEW INNOVATIONS’ – TISH BORROWMAN Details on 01202 950521

18th BEAMINSTER HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AGM FOLLOWED BY FLORAL SUGAR CRAFT Details on 01308 862410 PARKSTONE GARDENING SOCIETY QUIZ Details on 01202 752014

FEBRUARY 3rd HIGHCLIFFE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘HAMPSHIRE - NATURE IN TRUST’ - MIKE READ Details on 01425 547740

25th WEST PARLEY GARDENING CLUB ‘AN HISTORICAL JOURNEY DOWN THE STOUR’ – RON TAYLOR Details on 01202 950521

Dorset ISSUE NO 162

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Send them into us by email, giving us 10 weeks notice of the event to: timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk or by post to: Mount House, Halse, Taunton, TA4 3AD. Your event can also be listed on: www.countrygardener.co.uk Sign up to add your events today

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Please send us your diary for the year we’d love to include your talks and shows

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Wolvercroft Garden Centre

Christmas 2019 Need a gift for that special someone?

Wolvercroft shop now open

We have a large selection of hampers available, and can produce them to order, including the option of designing your own.

Our newly opened shop stocks a large selection of food, drink, wine, gifts, aromatherapy products hampers and more - just in time for Christmas!

Christmas Trees in stock from the end of November

Father Christmas is coming to Wolvercroft

Book to see Father Christmas at Wolvercroft this December.

Slots are available at weekends and for a price of ÂŁ5 your little ones will be able to see Father Christmas and receive a gift.

We have a great selection of locally grown Nordmann Fir and Norway Spruce in stock this Christmas, available to collect or deliver.

Come and be enchanted in our winter wonderland Christmas display!

Open now!

Fordingbridge Road, Alderholt, SP6 3BE 01425 652437 www.wolvercroft.co.uk

Christmas Party Lunch

e t a r b e l e C ! s a m t s i r Ch from Nov 25 until Dec 23 Main course £15 2 courses £20 3 courses £25 full bar delicious vegan and vegetarian options

Bookings please visit www.grovesnurseries.co.uk or call 01308 807053

74 WEST BAY ROAD BRIDPORT DT6 4BA 01308 807053