Hampshire Country Gardener August 2018

Hampshire ISSUE NO 107 AUGUST 2018 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

DIG THAT

Dahlia!

IT’S TIME TO PLANT EXCITING VARIETIES

Gardening in the TWILIGHT ZONE Coping with that Courgette glut

P lus

alpine stra vertical gawberries, rde agapanthuning, s, tropical hedychium s

August gardening events galore throughout Hampshire

INSIDE: OUR POPULAR ANNUAL GUIDE TO garden speakers G A R DE N

CE NTRE

•

FARM

S H OP

www.garsons.co.uk www.garsons.c w w.garsons.c o.uk

•

BUT CH E RS

•

RE S T AURAN T

TITCHFIELD Fontley Road Titchfield Hampshire PO15 6QX 01329 844336

IN-EXCESS

GARDEN CENTRE Poulner Hill, Ringwood, BH24 3HW Tel: 01425 473113 Open 9am–5.30pm Mon–Sat 10am–4pm Sun Open all Bank Holidays

YOUR PLACE 4 PLANTS

www.in-excess.com THIS SUMMER AT IN-EXCESS

Erin 75ltr Multi-Purpose Compost £3.50 Erin 100ltr Chipped Bark £4.99 Erin 35ltr Growbag only £1.85 Miracle-Gro 50ltr Enriched Compost £3.95 Country Care 50ltr Mushroom Compost £2.65 Country Care 50ltr Horse Compost £2.65 Country Care 50ltr Topsoil £2.65 1ltr Perennials from £2.50 1ltr Aquatic Plants £4.99 Vegetable 6 Packs £1.99 Roses from £6.99 100 year old olive trees £399.00

TIMBER AND PROJECTS • • • • • • • • • • •

6x6 Fence Panel only £20.95 6x5 Fence Panel only £18.95 6x4 Fence Panel only £16.95 6x3 Fence Panel only £14.95 Tanalised 3x3 Post 2.4mtr £5.90 Tanalised 4x4 Post 2.4mtr £9.50 Tanalised Decking 120 x 32mm £1.95/mtr Tanalised 4x2 (100x47) 3mtr £6.00 Garden Gates from £29.95 Tanalised Sleeper 250 x 125mm £27.50 Huge Trellis stock priced from £6.95

Open 10am - 4pm every day www.basketsnblooms.co.uk Stuckton Nr Fordingbridge SP6 2HG Tel: 01425 655150

Keep your garden full of colour with our instant impact:

Hanging Baskets

Planted Patio Pots Specimen Shrubs Growing gifts

Cottage Garden Plants Large seasonal plants

BESPOKE GATE MAKING SERVICE In-Excess are proud to offer a bespoke gate making service. We can produce virtually any type of gate or door, made to your specifications. For more details please see a member of staff in store.

Tea Room Opening Times Open 9.30am-4.30pm Mon–Sat, 10am–3.30pm Sun 2

Country Gardener

Up Front!

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” - Warren Buffett “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”

OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GARDENING CALENDAR - Jenny Han

OVER THE COMING WEEKS IN HAMPSHIRE

Hampshire ISSUE NO 107 AUGUST 2018 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

DIG THAT

Dahlia!

IT’S TIME TO PLANT EXCITING VARIETIES

Gardening in the TWILIGHT ZONE Coping with that

P lus

Courgette glut

alpine strawberrie s, vertical garde ning, agapanthus, tropical hedychiums

August gardening events galore ire throughout Hampsh

INSIDE: OUR POPULAR ANNUAL GUIDE TO garden GARDEN

CENTRE

•

FARM

SHOP

o.uk w w.garsons.c www.garsons.c www.garsons.co.uk

•

speakers

BUTCHERS

•

RESTAURANT

TITCHFIELD Fontley Road Titchfield Hampshire PO15 6QX 01329 844336

Our cover This month’s cover of Country Gardener highlights the wonderful variety of dahlias gardeners can choose from and at the same time celebrates the re-emergence in popularity of a flower which not only is a border stalwart but is a wonderful cut flower. The variety shown is Dahlia ‘Harzlee’ raised in Germany 30 years ago and now one of the most prolific bloomers you can plant.

New Forest Show celebrates 98th anniversary The three day New Forest Show takes place in Brockenhurst in the heart of the National Park, from Tuesday, 24th July until Thursday 26th July and offers visitors 30 acres of showground to explore.

This year marks the 98th show which takes place annually at the end of July and is now rated among the top ten agricultural shows in the country with plenty for gardeners to enjoy.

The New Forest Show is organised by a charity- The New Forest Agricultural Show Society which was established in 1920 with the first show taking place the following year.

The show offers an exciting line-up of events for all the family to enjoy. Tickets are £21 for adults on the day and £20 for seniors. There are online booking discounts at www.newforestshow.co.uk The New Forest and Hampshire County Show,Brockenhurst, Hampshire SO42 7QH.

AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHS ON SUMMER SHOW For those with a passion for garden photography there’s a must see exhibition this summer in Basingstoke. A collection of winning images from the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year 10th anniversary exhibition runs from mid July through to the end of September at the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke, with some stunning images. The gallery opens from 10am to 5pm.

Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Market Place, Basingstoke, RG21 7QD

Summer foraging on the South Downs Summer foraging is a real pleasure during high summer and there’s a Special Summer Foraging Course at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park on Saturday, 17th August starting at 12 noon with a chance to find out what nature has to offer in the wonderful park on the South Downs.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park, South Downs Way, Waterlooville PO8 0QE.

SUMMER SHOW AT NEW FOREST VILLAGE What better way to spend a summer afternoon than at the Burley Village Show, being held at the picturesque Manor Park in Burley in the New Forest on Saturday, 4th August, starting at 1pm. Entrance £2 per adult with children under 12 years of age admitted free. The show remains traditional, making it a relaxed and enjoyable event suitable for all ages. As well as many stalls and attractions there is a marquee displaying class entries in horticulture, flower arranging, produce, photography and art.

For further details visit www.burleyvillageshow.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

Herbs ancient and modern at Butser farm There’s the chance to visit the popular Butser Ancient Farm for the fourth in their summer series of herb talks on Thursday, 16th August. Sarah Furey will be exploring the herbs and plants used in daily life during the Iron Age, and which ones we can still use today. The talks are free and doors open at 7.30pm with the talk starting 8pm.

Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane Chalton, Chalton, Waterlooville PO8 0BG. 3

www.devonlogstores.co.uk JAPANESE MAPLES Acer palmatum varieties

Made from sustainably harvested locally grown timber, these log stores are sturdily and attractively designed, yet light enough to be easily moved. Also wheelie bin/recycling storage and cycle stores.

We produce and grow the largest selection available in the UK. Plants are pot grown and suitable for garden, patio or bonsai.

Send SAE for descriptive catalogue.

Visitors welcome Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-4.30pm Barthelemy & Co (DCG), 262 Wimborne Rd West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ

Available in a range of sizes suited for the courtyard/patio or larger garden.

Tel: 01202 874283 enquiries@barthelemymaples.co.uk www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

For further details call Nick on 01392 681690 Mark Hinsley

MSc.Res.Man.(Arb), OND (Arb), F.Arbor.A

Arboricultural Consultants Ltd.

TREE ADVICE & REPORTING Established 1994

We are a Dorset based company offering a friendly, professional tree consultancy service for all areas of the South.

We specialise in:

■ Tree Condition Advice and Surveys

West Kington Nurseries West Kington, Nr Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 7JQ Tel 01249 782822 www.wknurseries.co.uk

MASSIVE PLANT SALE!

■ Tree Liability Assessments and Management Plans

ENJOY COLOUR IN YOUR GARDEN

■ Tree Preservation Order Advice

all Summer long

■ Planning Applications - Advice and Reports (to BS5837 standards)

“Probably the largest plant sale in the West!”

ALL ENQUIRIES WELCOME

• Huge range of plants • Bargain Prices • Professional advice • Refreshments

01202 876177 www.treeadvice.info enquiries@treeadvice.info

SEPTEMBER 8th & 9th Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday 10am-4pm

Free Entry

Over £2,500 raised last year for local charities

For the latest garden news, events & advice - don't miss COUNTRY GARDENER

R ING TE TH L WA Y A ER L et N EV SMARE TO OND PE es.n P O A U I p P T O R HO ca FO FEA GE K E S ters R N A I a L L ON nw W ther E N

Cedar Nursery, Sandy Lane, Romsey SO51 0PD Tel: 01794 367511 Web: www.southernwaterscapes.net Email: swac.1@virginmedia.com

u

.so

p sho

10% OFF PLANTS WITH THIS ADVERT

EVERYTHING FOR YOUR GARDEN POND • Extensive range of quality aquatic and bog plants • Large range of cold water fish from goldfish to high grade Japanese Koi • Expert technical advice on pumps, filters, water quality and fish health • Everything for building and maintaining your pond • Experienced and knowledgeable staff 4

Country Gardener

...In Hampshire

m$

$&k *( ( &

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN HAMPSHIRE

Final chance to see award winning agapanthus

Fairweather’s Wholesale Nursery in Beaulieu opens its doors for the sixth year running for just one weekend a year to enable everyone to enjoy the spectacle of their agapanthus collection.

This flowering spectacle this year will be bigger and better than ever before, as it’s the final year to view plants that are being judged for a Royal Horticultural Society AGM (Award of Garden Merit), that will be decided this autumn.

On Saturday 28th and Sunday 29st July visitors can see behind the scenes of one Europe’s largest growers of agapanthus and help build on the £13,500.00 that has been raised for charities for the National Gardens Scheme.

Fairweather’s hold a National Collection of agapanthus, that extends to over 500 cultivars gathered from around the world.

Tours of the nursery with Patrick Fairweather will start at 11.30am and 2.30pm, including a demonstration of how to Agapanthus ‘Flower of Love‘ get the best from your agapanthus.

Lavenders and a wide range of other perennials are also grown on the nursery which develops many new plants each year.

Agapanthus, lavenders and other perennials will be on sale throughout the weekend at special prices.

The adjacent garden of Aline Fairweather who runs Fairweather’s Garden Centre in Beaulieu with her son, is open all day for Cream Teas and refreshments.

Entry is ÂŁ3 to the National Gardens Scheme.

Fairweather’s Hilltop Nursery will be signposted off the B3054 between Dibden Purlieu and Beaulieu at Hilltop, Beaulieu Hampshire SO42 7YR www.fairweathers.co.uk or call 01590 612113.

HILLIER’S TO THE RESCUE IN NEW CHARITY GARDEN TRANSFORMATION PROJECT! Since 2016, two year old Sebastian Burrell, who lives in Fair Oak, near Winchester, has been undergoing treatment at the Royal London Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital as well as receiving support from Wessex Cancer Trust. He and his family have been selected to receive a garden makeover from the Chelsea Flower Show world-record holder, Hillier Nurseries, this summer.

Wessex Cancer Trust is the charity partner of the Hampshire based company which wanted to put its horticultural knowledge and expertise to good use to do something special for the charity and a local family.

To support Sebastian and his parents Pippa and Daniel Burrell, Hillier has launched a garden renovation project. In July, Hillier, its suppliers who have offered their services, and a team of over one hundred volunteers will embark upon its very own DIY SOS inspired project to transform the Burrell’s

garden and create a haven for the family to enjoy.

The Burrell’s love gardening and enjoy spending time together outdoors. They had plans to completely transform their challenging back garden which was in great need of some attention into their dream family garden. However, Sebastian’s illness and hospital treatments, as well as juggling work and the challenges of family life, have meant that the garden has fallen to the bottom of the to-do list.

Chris Francis, Hillier Garden Centres and Wholesale Nurseries Director, explained: “We all wanted to do something special for our charity partner, Wessex Cancer Trust, by transforming a garden for one of their clients. When we met the Burrells, we couldn’t wait to do this for them. At first, we wondered if maybe the project was a little too big, then we realised, with 73 Chelsea gold medals, a team of horticultural experts and a members club full of gardening enthusiasts if anyone can do this, Hillier can!�

For more information about Hillier’s garden transformation project, to follow the journey or to join the team of volunteers, visit www.hillier.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

5

GARDENERS’ CUTTINGS IN HAMP SHIRE

BORDE HILL GARDEN UNVEILS NEW PLANT HUNTERS GARDEN The history and legacy of Borde Hill Garden’s diverse collection of plants near Haywards Heath is at the heart of a new design unveiled as part of the garden’s 125th anniversary celebrations. Sophie Walker’s modern design for the Round Dell mixes exciting new plant specimens, found in the 21st Century, alongside Borde Hill’s significant treasury of plants which includes one of the largest collections of champion trees in private gardens.

Borde Hill’s new design is unveiled Four generations of the Stephenson Clarke family have lived in this historic Tudor house. The garden is probably best-known as a plant hunters paradise, containing many rare shrubs and trees sent home to Colonel Stephenson R Clarke by the great plant hunters including George Forest, Frank Kingdon Ward, Reginald Farrer, Joseph Rock and EH Wilson. In 2014 Sophie became the youngest woman to design a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and she has already won multiple awards for her designs. Her work at Borde Hill melds history and modern design.

Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke, said: “ We hope that the Round Dell project will communicate the depth of gratitude we have to the plant hunters of old and also the new pioneers of the 21st century like Crûg Farm Plants. The design is stunning and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Sophie Walker. We hope the visitors enjoy the narrative of this new part of the garden which extends the horticultural history of Borde Hill”.

The garden is open 10am - 5pm daily in the open season.

Borde Hill Garden, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XP

Forde Abbey hosts traditional summer fair The wonderful gardens at Forde Abbey on the Somerset and Dorset border hosts a special annual Summer Charity Fair on Thursday, 26th July which will have a lot to offer for gardeners.

Plant stalls feature in the exhibitors and of course there’s the chance to wander around the famous 30 acres of gardens, sensational walled garden and the highest-powered fountain in the country.

It’s a traditional day out for all the family with classic cars on display, model boats, a dog show, scurry and flyball, falconry displays on horseback, a fun fair, fly fishing, a food court, street food and more.

The fair will be open from 11am to 4pm with free parking and allocated parking for registered disabled Blue Badge visitors. Dogs are very welcome on a short lead. Adult entry is £6 with children 5 year to 15 years costing £2. A family ticket costs £14. www.fordeabbey.co.uk Forde Abbey, Chard TA20 4LU 6

The long term solution to patio black spots

The record breaking temperatures this summer has meant alfresco living is very much the norm.

This then raises the issue of how best to improve the look of our garden stonework? Stonework deteriorates year on year regardless, without the added pressure of continuous and intensive jet washing, which is not only laborious but causes further damage to the surface of patios, driveways and terraces.

But is there an alternative?

From the first day stonework is laid, the next time it rains, millions of microspores are deposited. These originate from trees, initially as tiny spores, similar in size to pollen. Propelled by the wind, they travel for miles, until it rains, when they are watered into the pores of the stone. For the first twelve months they lay dormant, until they begin to establish themselves by feeding off the minerals in the stone, finally germinating after two years, and appearing on the surface as ‘patio black spots’.

At this point they are almost impossible to remove. Jet washing has little or no impression, and by focusing the pressure washing continually on one spot, damage can be caused by the vibration of the jet delaminating or eroding the surface.

Most proprietary patio cleaners will remove green algae but can take weeks to work and have no obvious effect on the black lichen.

The Patio Black Spot Remover and Preventer system removes those hideous black spots and cleans and restores the original colour to all garden stonework, plus prevents their return!

The Patio Black Spot Removal Company is offering Country Gardener readers free delivery on all orders until October. www.patioblackspotremoval.com Country Gardener

Mega Home or Mega Cash?

You decide!

Win the home of your dreams for just £25

*

Just

£25

to enter • Contemporary Huf Haus • Private location • 7,000 sq. ft.

• Cinema room • 60ft. of direct river frontage • Fishing rights • Bespoke built BBQ house

You could be the proud owner of this £3 million Mega Home.

There are only 250,000 tickets available, so don’t miss out on the chance of a lifetime.

Enter today at winamegahome.co.uk

What's included in the prize • All stamp duty fu • All fitted furniture • All kitchen appliances • Solicitor costs – up to £1,500 incl. VAT

*Terms Terms and conditions apply T

www.countrygardener.co.uk

7

COPING WITH

courgettes

by Kate Lewis

WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF COURGETTES IN HIGH SUMMER IT’S WORTH KNOWING HOW TO DEAL WITH THE GLUT Renowned for being one of the easiest and most prolific vegetables to grow, gardeners usually find themselves with fridges overflowing with courgettes by August.

With a seemingly endless supply from just a few plants it pays to arm yourself with a variety of recipes to enjoy these versatile gems of the summer harvest.

Courgettes fall under the umbrella of the large Cucurbitaceae family which include pumpkins, squashes and gourds.

Believed to be one of the oldest crops on earth, they can be traced back 10,000 years ago to the Andes and were brought over to Europe soon after the discovery of the New World in the sixteenth century.

Courgettes in the garden

Plants are best started off indoors from seeds in pots, individually and on their side from late March. When roots begin to show transfer outside to fertile and well-manured soil. Given their South American heritage it’s no surprise that they need plenty of sunlight so avoid planting in shade.

Plant in rows 90cm apart, taking care to avoid overcrowding which can lead to powdery mildew. Courgettes are very thirsty plants and appreciate plenty of manure to lock in the moisture. Never let them dry out.

If you have missed the chance to plant from seed, courgettes also fare well grown from plug plants. They grow very well in containers and grow bags if well watered and kept in a sunny spot.

Courgette facts • Plants sown in April/May are usually at their best for harvesting July/ August • Wear long sleeves when harvesting to avoid spiky hairs on the stalks which can cause irritation.

• There is no need to peel courgettes, just wash and trim top and tail.

• The entire plant – fruit, leaves and flowers – is edible.

8

Each plant carries both male and female flowers. Early in the season lots of the bigger male flowers appear, followed by the female flowers which bear the fruit – a noticeable swelling behind the flower. It is the male flower which is the most suitable for stuffing and frying.

When the glut comes the fruit is best severed from the plant with a knife, maintaining strength in the stems. Harvest the fruit when they are still tender and around 10cm long. Fruit left to grow much bigger than this loses flavour and texture.

Grossly oversized courgettes – sometimes more than a foot longer - are often passed off as marrows. When looking for a true marrow – a separate and more flavourful variety, and which offers much more potential in the kitchen – keep an eye out for the striped tiger cross on the end of the fruit rather than the all green variety.

Courgettes in the kitchen

From grilling to baking, preserving to cake-making, courgettes are very versatile in the kitchen. This is welcome news given how many most growers have picked by midsummer. Cooking in water however is a no-no. For a quick alternative side-dish chop, lightly cook in olive oil and season with herbs – mint or basil are perfect pairings - lemon and salt. Grated courgettes work well cooked in the same way.

Courgettes take well to slow cooking in the oven – roughly chop, toss with oil and salt and roast at 200 deg C for around • Courgettes are mostly water and so don’t freeze well.

Make chutney, pickle or soup instead. Alternatively chargrill in long strips, pack into a sterilized jar, cover with oil and keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

• Being mostly water courgettes can benefit from salting before use – especially in a chutney or in a slow-cooked dish. Chop or grate, sprinkle with salt, leave in a colander for 1-2 hours (half an hour for grated).

• Courgettes make a great vegetable pasta – use a spiraliser or peeler to make long strips. Sauté in olive oil for a couple of minutes then pair with your favourite pasta sauce.

Country Gardener

30 minutes. Try deeper flavours such as thyme, chilli and garlic to enhance the finished roasted dish.

Courgettes are best eaten when young, small and tender.

Ensure the fruit is unblemished and firm. They should be kept in the salad drawer of the fridge and eaten within a week, preferably sooner as they lose their flavour and sweetness with age.

At this sweet, tender age they are succulent and have a dense flavour which lends itself to being eaten raw - thinly sliced with a knife or mandolin, or pared into long ribbons with a peeler. Keep it simple by mixing with olive oil, lemon, herbs and salt or build flavours by adding feta, olives, pine nuts, tomatoes and garlic for a Mediterranean-style salad.

Cooked courgettes work well in salads too, especially when griddled. Slice the courgettes lengthways, toss with oil and salt and place on a hot griddle pan on the hob, a barbecue, or on a baking sheet under a grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Griddled courgettes stand alone when dressed with a good olive oil, lemon and fresh chopped herbs.

Courgette Fritters INGREDIENTS 4 courgettes (approx 750g) 5-6 spring onions, finely chopped 250g feta cheese, crumbled small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

For an Asian inspired salad mix with roasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onion and soy sauce or for a Middle Eastern inspired dish mix with fresh mint, preserved lemons, soaked sultanas and taste pistachios.

In Middle Eastern kitchens the courgette is often the centrepiece of the table, the inside scooped out and stuffed with a varying combinations of minced meat, grains, vegetables, herbs and spices.

For bakers the courgette is a fantastic alternative to the ubiquitous carrot in cakes, useful in a chocolate cake or a lighter lemon and almond sponge (pictured) and also handy to win over those children less than impressed with green vegetables!

For many chefs though, the star recipe in the courgette repetoire is fiori di zucchini fritti – the brilliant yellow flower dipped in batter, deep fried then served simply with salt and lemon, or stuffed with ricotta, tomatoes and garlic or rice.

(They also look pretty roughly torn and added to salads.)

Courgette, Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake

small bunch fresh mint, chopped 1 tbsp dried mint 1 tsp paprika 140g plain flour 3 eggs, beaten salt & pepper olive oil for frying 3-4 limes

METHOD 1) Coarsely grate the courgettes by hand or in a food processor.

Spread out on a tea towel and leave for around 20 minutes to removes any excess moisture.

2) Combine the spring onions, feta, fresh parsley and mint, dried mint and paprika. Add the flour and season well with salt and pepper.

3) Gradually add the beaten egg, mix thoroughly then stir in the courgettes. The mixture will be lumpy.

4) Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and drop dessertspoons of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening down with the back of a spoon. Cook for 2 minutes each side until golden.

5) Serve with chopped mint and wedges of lime.

(Copyright: Nigella Lawson)

INGREDIENTS Cake 75ml whole milk 2 tbsp poppy seeds zest of 2 lemons 250g unsalted butter 250g light soft brown sugar 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

½ tsp almond extract 200g self-raising flour 250g grated weight of courgette Icing 300g icing sugar 1 ½ tsp lemon zest 30g unsalted butter 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp poppy seeds

METHOD 1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin.

2) Warm the milk, poppy seeds and lemon zest in a small pan for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

3) Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale, light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.

4) Stir in the almond extract, flour and ground almonds. Fold in the courgettes and cooled milk.

5) Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form stiff peaks. Add a large spoon of the egg white to the courgette mixture and very gently fold in. Gradually fold in the rest of the egg whites.

6) Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for around 60 mins or until firm to touch. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.

7) Icing: Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and melted butter. Add lemon juice and quickly stir together, adding a splash of water if needed, until you have a thick but spreadable consistency. Use a pallet knife to spread the icing over the cake.

8) Sprinkle over poppy seeds and leave the cake for 30 minutes to allow the icing to set.

(Copyright: Riverford Organics)

www.countrygardener.co.uk

9

Be brave when it comes to dahlias

Kilver Court head gardener Matt Rees-Warren urges dahlia lovers to be bold and take risks to make the most of the variety on offer from these wonderful flowers Dahlias have moved into the very forefront of our thoughts as gardeners over recent years and it’s not without reason.

Their colours run through almost the whole rainbow except blue, and the shapes and forms the flowers take on vary in more ways than your average border perennial.

Add to this a superbly long bloom and you have an irresistible cocktail no garden should be without.

They have shaken off the ‘flower show’ image of old and have become, in my mind, a border stalwart. That’s not to say they aren’t still a wonderful cut flower, far from it.

Those old admirers, who’d grow a field for one perfect bloom, knew a good flower when they saw one; it’s just the presentation that’s changed. Modern tastemakers now carry the dahlias’ reputation through Instagram and fashionable boutique floristry shops - a far cry from the trestle table at the county or flower show, next to the carrot cake.

As with all gardening dahlias are 10

cyclical, and my year begins when I look through the catalogues in early spring.

It’s a heartening feeling to suppose so much colour will pour over the garden in the not too distant future, but choosing colour is an art for a gardener to master. I would never limit myself from using any shade as that would be to take the pot from the painter but I like to find some restraint from the giddy gluttony. Dahlias, like tulips, have been used in some truly awful combinations and if you’re willing to put some time into planning your orders, the benefit will far outweigh the time taken.

I tend to order in threes, in variety not numbers, then look to develop a theme or style from those three.

So, for example, a bold, exuberant collection may begin with zingy orange ‘Ludwig helfert’, blood red ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, and corn yellow ‘Boogie woogie’. The path is laid. You can then riff on that style and choose more sets depending on how much room you have.

It’s always better to be playful and Country Gardener

experiment than to stick doggedly to the ‘old favourites’, dahlias are about fun and exoticness after all. That doesn’t mean it’s all Caribbean beach colours, dahlias can be quite muted and sophisticated if need be.

The cream and ivory of ‘Cafe au Lait’ partners superbly with the washed out peach of ‘Nicholas’ and the helium light pink of ‘Stolze von berlin’.

Together they are restrained and elegant and would fall into a pastel colour palette with great effect.

Not only do they have a wide spectrum of colour but the shapes and forms the flowers exhibit have clearly defined differences.

The ‘Decorative’ group - with their many petalled balls reminiscent of peony flowers - are the most common and have the widest colour range and choice of cultivars.

My particular favourite however, are the ‘Cactus’ group - maybe it’s the spiky form seeming more exotic and transporting me to their Mexican country origins.

“It’s always better to be playful and experiment than to stick doggedly to the ‘old favourites” autumn (I use compost and straw) and look to protect the fresh growth from slugs and snails in early May. If, like me, you’re buying new tubers or have taken out over winter then I would look to pot up around April. Put them in a good loamy/compost mix and place the tubers barely below the surface; leave somewhere with light and shelter and look to water regularly once you see growth coming through.

I also like to place bark on the top of the pot to stop the soil leeching out when watering and keep the moisture locked in.

Left to right: ‘Ludwig helfert‘; ‘Boosie Wogie‘; ‘Stolze von berlin‘

I especially like the spectacular ‘Karma bon bini’ with its primal clash of sun yellow and fiery red. The ‘Ball’ or ‘Pompom’ group are also weirdly alien and look like optical illusions in a Frida Kahlo painting. Back on more common ground are the ‘Anemone’ or ‘Bishop’ group, ordained with superb plum and chocolate foliage, making them indispensable in offering contrast to other dahlias. I always use them and couldn’t be without the ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ or the ‘Bishop of Oxford’.

With all the fun of the colour and the shapes comes a small hitch: they are demanding of your time.

How much time though comes down to a Shakespearean choice – to leave in or not to leave in? For us living in the Gulf Stream corridor of the southwest it’s increasingly leave in, but beware as the idle hands of gardeners are fool’s gold.

The ‘beast from the east’ certainly taught us that England can still have real winters, so I follow a simple mantra. Leave in what you can afford to replace and take out what you cannot be without.

If I’m leaving them in I will cover them with a good thick mulch at the end of

‘Bishop of Oxford’

Plant them out in late May/early June or when they look leafy and strong and give them a good start with a seaweed or comfrey feed.

The last element that may be taxing of your time is the staking, and when it comes down to it, it’s all about timing and personal choice. I will always try to leave plants to their natural habit and then stake before it’s too late – but I am a professional gardener and in the garden eight hours a day so it’s a bit easier to do! I’ve also grown weary of bamboo canes spoiling the border but if you want to put one cane of about 1.5m next to each plant you wouldn’t go far wrong.

If you then tie in with twine, my tip would be: don’t tie too close to the bottom of the plant as it can act as a pivot to topple the plant and also tie much tighter than you think. Dahlias can get very heavy when in full bloom.

‘Karma bonbini‘

‘Nicolas‘

The re-emergence in popularity of dahlias with gardeners today always makes me think that fashions and fads are fleeting. It could easily have been the gladioli or the chrysanthemum that took the column inches and heralded as the new ‘old’ plant.

So remember, take risks, be brave, try something new and who knows you could be the one setting trends, not following them! www.countrygardener.co.uk

‘Cafe au lait‘ 11

Golden Rain Tree is an apt name for this special tree

SPECIALIST TREES

KOELREUTERIA PANICULATA - A GEM OF A MEDIUM SIZED TREE Mark Hinsley profile a special tree which combines beauty and history and is perfect for many gardens The names in common usage for Koelreuteria paniculata, Golden Rain Tree or Pride of India, can lead to some confusion. Golden Rain Tree is a name sometimes applied to the laburnum and Pride of India does not reflect the true origin of this species in north-east China and Korea.

Looking into how the Pride of India found its way to our shores has opened up a little-known area of our garden history.

Most of us with an interest in garden plants are aware of the great plant collectors sponsored by nurseries, such as Veitchs of Exeter, to strike out into the unknown in search of new, and lucrative, plant varieties. Their names are legendary in the plant world: Lobb, Fortune, Henry, Forrest, etc. However, Pride of India, and a good many other well-known plants, arrived by another means.

The Pride of India was first introduced into France by seed sent back to Paris by Pierre Nicolas Le Chéron d’Incarville (1706 – 1757) a French Jesuit Missionary, who worked in China from 1740 until his death in Beijing (Peking).

However, he turned out to be the tip of the iceberg.

After him came Father Armand David (1826 – 1900) (Davidia involucrata), and the first westerner to see a Giant Panda, Father Jean Marie Delavay of the Missions Etrangères de Paris (1834 – 1895), who survived Bubonic Plague in 1888 and still carried on finding primulas and rhododendrons, Father Paul Guillaume Farges (Rhododendrons) (1844 – 1912) and Father Jean Andre Soulie (1858 – 1905) who sent back the first seeds of Buddleja davidii. Soulie was caught, tortured for 15 days and executed by lamas in the 1905 Tibetan revolt.

The same revolt from which the British plant collector George Forrest only barely managed to escape from with his life.

Yet fear not Brexiteers, it would seem that it was not the French who started this godly pursuit of new plants from strange worlds. Bishop Henry Compton (1632 – 1713) is reputed to have selected his missionaries not so much for their religious zeal but more for their knowledge of botany, so as to populate his garden in Fulham with strange and exotic flora that they were charged with bringing back to him from their travels.

12

For the sake of completeness, apparently, we also started the 1905 Tibetan Revolt by invading Lhasa in 1904 out of fear of Russian influence in Tibet.

The next year, a massive anti-western, anti-Christian rebellion broke out among Tibetans in Kham (eastern Sichuan, northern Yunnan), with Tibetan Lamas at prominent Lamaseries like Batang leading the revolt.

More than a dozen French Catholic missionaries lost their lives in horrible circumstances.

Meanwhile, back to the Pride of India. The tree has certain similarities with another of Father d’Incarville’s introductions, Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven). However, it is not so vigorous, or so large and aggressive to walls, patios and garden paths. Its foliage is more attractive than Tree of Heaven.

Young shoots come out copper- brown, the leaves are pinnate (like an ash tree), but each individual leaflet is doubly toothed near the tip. The mature foliage is matt dark green with a pink midrib beneath. The spectacular flowers are huge branched panicles 30 – 40cms long of bright yellow flower heads, which come on in August when a lot of other stuff has already finished.

The tree keeps on giving because the fruit is a papery bladder containing three black seeds which are conspicuous and pink in the autumn.

It will grow on just about any soil in the south of England and it does not get beyond medium size.

Quite a star really.

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

Country Gardener

DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD...

“Picked up a cop y of your September issue yesterday. I have to say that it was easily the best free magazine of its type I have ever read. Congrat ulat ions on such a great publicat ion.”

“I had the opportunity of reading it from cover to cover. It’s a real gem and I look forward to ever y issue. Thanks to all your team for their input and what must be one of the best magazines around.”

THE HAMPSHIRE HERB CENTRE Culinary, Aromatic, Medicinal & Herbs Just for Fun AT

RUMSEY GARDENS

Reach a passionate and affluent audience of gardening enthusiasts

Over 100,000 copies

Traditional Nursery & Plant Centre

distributed every month

Trees & Shrubs, Fruit Trees & Bushes, Herbaceous & Alpine Plants, Hardy Ferns, Conifers Climbers & Twiners MANY UNUSUAL VARIETIES including... The National & International collection of Cotoneaster FIVE ACRES OF PLANTS ON DISPLAY 117, Drift Road, Clanfield, Waterlooville, Hants PO8 0PD Telephone (02392) NURSERY 593367 LANDSCAPE 596321

If you would like to advertise your business or service in our Hampshire magazine, please contact

www.rumsey-gardens.co.uk

rob@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01614 283230

          



Hidden beauty in rural Oxfordshire

Gardens Open every Tuesday & Thursday in June, July & August 2.00pm to 6.00pm An imposing 17th century farmhouse set within the remaining arms of a 500 year old moat, with over 3 acres of informal gardens and grounds

Cream teas ~ Museum ~ Gift shop

Private garden tours may be arranged on other days during the summer             Clanfield ~ Oxfordshire ~ OX18 2SU

 www.countrygardener.co.uk

13

Champs Hill, Coldwaltham, Sussex

GARDEN Visits THE BEST GARDENS TO VISIT compiled by Vivienne Lewis

Visit any of these gardens that are open for charity in August and be inspired by the colour and variety that can be produced in high summer gardens. We advise checking before starting a journey as circumstances can force cancellations of openings in private gardens.

We’re introducing a key to facilities on offer at the gardens: Refreshments available Plants usually for sale Wheelchair access to much of garden

Partial wheelchair access Unsuitable for wheelchairs Dogs on short leads

Visitors welcome by arrangement Coaches welcome consult owners Accommodation at this venue

WHEATLEY HOUSE Wheatley Lane, Between Binsted & Kingsley, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 9PA Situated on a rural hilltop with panoramic views over Alice Holt Forest and the South Downs. The sweeping, mixed borders and shrubs are spectacular with colour throughout the season, particularly in late summer. Open for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th August, 1.30pm5.30pm. Admission £5, children free.

BONYTHON MANOR THE OLD MILL Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2PN Water running through a multitude of channels no longer drives the mill but is a backdrop for a whimsical garden of pollarded limes and naturalistic planting. Paths meander by streams and over small bridges, with dramatic downland views. Potager style kitchen garden and separate cutting garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 19th August 2pm-6pm. Admission £5, children free.

14

Cury Cross Lanes, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 7BA Magnificent 20-acre colour garden on the Lizard Peninsula, with a sweeping hydrangea drive to the Georgian manor (not open). Herbaceous walled garden, potager, three lakes in a valley planted with ornamental grasses, perennials and South African flowers. Open for the NGS on Wednesday 15th August, 2pm-4.30pm. Admission: £8, children £2.

Contact Mr & Mrs Richard Nathan on 01326 240550 or email: sbonython@gmail.com www.bonythonmanor.co.uk

Country Gardener

PARISH’S HOUSE Hook Hill, Timsbury, Bath, Somerset BA2 0ND Eight-acre garden surrounding a Regency house (not open) with beautiful views across open countryside, lawns sweeping down to a ha-ha, colour themed herbaceous and shrub borders, elegant water feature, arboretum and acer glade, and new woodland walk. Walled kitchen garden with fan trained and cordoned fruit trees and cut flower beds. Open for the NGS on Sunday 12th August, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. Contact head gardener Jackie Hamblen on 07956 022016 or email: jackieparishhouse@gmail.com

EAST WOODLANDS FARMHOUSE

OPEN GARDEN IN AID OF ST MARGARET’S HOSPICE Milford Dip Allotment, Yeovil BA21 4QE This open, working allotment will let you explore allotment life, with fine rows of cabbages and cauliflowers and exemplary towers of runner beans, but also its spectacular, colourful displays of prize winning chrysanthemums and dahlias. Refreshments will be available, along with a raffle and tombola. Open for St Margaret’s Hospice on Friday 10th August, 12pm-4pm Admission: £2.50.

Alverdiscott, Newton Tracey, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 3PP Newly reopening this year for the NGS, a beautifully designed garden full of rooms packed with plants, shrubs and trees, spectacular bamboos, flowing grasses, roses and giant phormiums all set in an acre looking out over the North Devon countryside. Unfenced pond and bog garden. Plants for sale. Open for the NGS on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th August, 2pm-5pm. Admission £4, children free.

THE OLD RECTORY Church Road, Quenington, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5BN On the banks of the mill race and the River Coln, this is an organic garden of great variety, with mature trees, large vegetable garden, herbaceous borders, shade garden, pool and bog gardens.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 12th August, 2pm-5.30pm; admission £5, children free. www.countrygardener.co.uk

SIDMOUTH AUGUST GARDENS Sidmouth, Devon EX10 9DX These contrasting gardens a mile apart are a slightly different group to the one that opened in June in Sidmouth, one with potager beds, espalier fruit archway, colour-themed flower beds, pond, rill, rockery, greenhouses, and studio, backing onto a nature reserve with walks; another with trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, woodland and Mexican pine; the third lies behind a red brick wall, with terraces, rockery, impressionist colour palette, and small woodland; the fourth is a cottage garden meeting minimalist design, with grasses, blocks of colour, and willow creatures. Open for the NGS on Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th and Bank Holiday Monday 27th August, 1.30pm-5.30pm. Admission: £5, children free.

15

THE BEST GARDENS T O V ISI T IN AUGUST

THE OLD RECTORY

CHAMPS HILL

Pulham, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7EA

Waltham Park Road, Coldwaltham, Pulborough, Sussex RH20 1L

Splendid views from these four acres of formal and informal gardens surrounding an 18th century rectory with yew pyramid allées and hedges, circular herbaceous borders with late summer colour, box parterres, mature trees, pond, fernery, ha-ha, pleached hornbeam circle and ten acres of woodland walks. Flourishing extended bog garden with islands. Open for the NGS on Sunday 5th and Thursday 9th August, 2pm-5pm, admission £6, children free.

Developed around three disused sand quarries since 1960, now with woodlands including azaleas and rhododendrons, a collection of heathers in August, interesting sculptures and stupendous views. Open for the NGS on Sunday 12th August, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. Mr & Mrs David Bowerman on 01798 831205 or email: mary@thebct.org.uk

10 BROOKDALE CLOSE Broadstone, Dorset BH18 9AA The 70 foot by 50 foot garden is centred around a wildlife pond and tumbling waterfall. A rich kaleidoscope of colour combining both tropical and cottage garden with tree ferns, bananas, lilies, grasses, and beautiful perennials with a different view at every turn. Open for the NGS on Sundays 5th and 12th August, 2pm-5pm, admission £3, children free.

MARLBROOK GARDENS Braces Lane, Marlbrook, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 1DY Two contrasting, stunning gardens overflowing with plants for sun and shade, ponds, water features, patios, artifacts and sculptures. Round Hill Garden a traditional garden but with the exotic and unusual; Oak Tree House a plantswoman’s cottage garden with views over open fields. Art displays by garden owners. Open for the NGS on Sunday 12th August, 1.30pm5.30pm. Admission £5, children free. Contact Alan Nokes on 0121 445 5520 or email alan.nokes@ngs.org.uk 16

Country Gardener

August Fair 19th August The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD

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

AWNINGS WINDOW BLINDS

Discover

Marwood Hill Gardens

- ALL TYPES

Discover the stunning views at Marwood Hill Gardens, 20 acres of private gardens with lakes in North Devon.

The gardens are a wonderful haven in which to relax and enjoy the impressive collections of plants, shrubs and trees and experience the views and peaceful atmosphere.

Specialist Plant Sales At Marwood, we aim to provide something a little bit different, something which you can take home.

t e

Tel: 01271 342528 | www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, North Devon EX31 4EA

w

07771 530401 sales@magshading.co.uk www.magshading.co.uk

Paddock Plants

quality plants at sensible prices Family run nursery growing peat-free perennials, shrubs, grasses & ferns.

Love your garden?

Love Country Gardener

Website with full online ordering & payment facilities.

Specialist new & unusual varieties.

Please call before visiting the nursery at SO16 8AL. www.paddockplants.co.uk 023 80739912 or 0776 3386717 contact@paddockplants.co.uk

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

A SPECIAL DAY OUT IN A SPECTACULAR CORNER OF NORTH DEVON

Our readers say*...

“I can’t wait to pick up my copy every month.“ “I doubt if there’s a better gardening magazine.”

“A lovely read, well written and I love how local it is.”

Cotswolds ISSUE NO 139 SPRING

er.co.uk

www.countrygarden

2018 FREE

Old Gold daffodils

Available at over 650 LOCATIONS throughout our circulation area.

Let heritage welcome in spring

In search of

snowdrops

P lus

your How to spruce up season garden for the new

Compost wisdom; Sundials; Growing rocket; No-dig beds; Your own cut flowers

EARLY OPENING GARDENS

for you to enjoy

Prepare for Spring

AT THE GARDEN

Road, On A423 Southam

Country Gardener produces editions covering THE COTSWOLDS, DEVON, DORSET, HAMPSHIRE and SOMERSET.

LOVERS GARDEN

Nr. Farnborough,

Banbury OX17 1EL.

CENTRE

Tel: 01295 690479

Week - Tuesday-Saturday: Open Six Days a 10.30am - 4.30pm 9am - 5pm Sunday:

Mondays Open Bank Holiday ntre.co.uk

www.farnboroughgardence

To find your local pick up point go to

www.countrygardener.co.uk

* 2014 Readership Survey

Visit this historic family home with its fascinating architecture, collections and exhibitions. Beautiful 18thC Walled and Woodland gardens and wildflower walks to the beach at Blackpool Mill.

Film location for ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’. * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * House, Gardens and Café: until 30th September, Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - last adm. 4pm)

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

GOING FOR SOME HEIGHT

Borders at this time of year need some height to fill up the late summer gaps which is why you always need to plan with tall perennials Borders take care of themselves in spring with plenty of plants at ground level: hellebores, primulas and small bulbs.

Then, as the season warms up, the mainstream leafy perennials get under way, with peonies, sedums, phlox, day lilies, Solomon’s seal to name a few.

And it’s then that any gaps show up, looking all the more like holes if they are at the back of a border.

This is when you need the tall perennials to rescue your border if you are to maintain order and beauty Herbaceous perennials –plants that die back to the ground in cold winter weather but resume growing in spring – offer gardeners a mind-boggling selection of plant size, flower colour and form, and season of bloom.

Height remains however the most important factor from May onwards.

In recent years, as ideas about gardening have changed, many gardeners have opted to take their cue from nature, interpreting in the garden the layering tendencies of plants in the wild. (If you’ve ever looked at the area where woods border a field, you’ve seen these layers – tree canopy, understory trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and groundcovers.) It is all about gradients Mixed borders give a nod to this concept, allowing woody plants to add structure, height, texture and year-long interest to the garden.

Here’s some tall plants which can rescue your border:

New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) Phormiums really have a place in any planting scheme – few plants match their broad, strap-like leaves that come in a range of colours and stripes.

There’s a staggering selection available, from compact ‘Bronze Baby’ to the lofty P. tenax itself, standing at well over three metres at maturity.

Yarrow Achillea millefoliu A butterfly favourite, yarrow is a robust summer bloomer with pretty, flat-topped flowers that bloom for six to eight 18

weeks. The ferny foliage emerges in early spring and is followed by four-foot tall flower stems in summer. Yarrow is one of the longest flowering perennials that grows best in full sun with well-drained soil of average fertility; overfertilizing can cause the stems to flop over. Flower colours can range from soft pastels to rich jewel shades.

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) For a wonderfully tall plant, Russian sage has rather small blossoms. But what they lack in size, they make up for in numbers. This long-blooming perennial is showy–but in the most tasteful way possible and delivers airy spires of lavender-blue colour on highly-textured silver-grey foliage to the landscape

New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) The tiny flowers on large stems make a real back-of-theborder impact. Despite their height, the strong stems only need staking in exposed positions and good news – they’re much more resistant to powdery mildew than their Michaelmas daisy cousins. Their only weakness is that their stems become bare as they age, which you can hide with lower plantings of other perennials.

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea var turkestanica) Many gardeners have increasingly got a bit of a thing for silver-leaved plants, and had listed Verbascum bombyciferum, Cynara cardunculus, Melianthus major, Onopordum acanthium and Silybum marianum (green with amazing silver veining) as favourites. But they’re pretty well known, whereas this biennial salvia doesn’t get much of a mention. It is incredibly easy to grow from seed, which is great for those on a budget.

In general, the tallest plants should be towards the back (or the centre, if it’s an island bed), mid-size plants in the middle and the lowest perennials in front – but don’t be too rigid about this, or your border may look like stadium seating.

Some of those tall perennials also work well to attract butterflies and birds.

Country Gardener

Overall competition winner John Study

Melplash gardens winners

wow the judges

Prizes for the Melplash Agricultural Society’s Garden Competition will be presented at the show on Thursday 23rd August after judges were thrilled with the quality of the gardens

THURSDAY 23rd AUGUST WEST BAY, BRIDPORT DT6 4EG

the best of agriculture by the sea CHILDREN Go FREE!!

Discounted tickets available at

www.melplashshow.co.uk

The annual Melplash Agricultural Society’s Garden Competition, the most prestigious garden competition in the West Dorset area, saw 24 gardens and allotments entered this year, stretching from Lyme Regis to Hinton St George. The competition was judged over two days by last year’s overall winners large garden winners, Mr and Mrs Colin and Sue Dyer from Long Bredy and the small garden winner, Mrs Stephanie Harvey from Bridport, accompanied by the Melplash Agricultural Society President and his wife, Mr Richard and Ros King, the Chairman, Mrs Jo Sage and Vice Chairman, Mr James Vickery. The stewards were Mr Peter Yeates and Mr Clifford Pitcher.

“All the gardens and allotments were fantastic, a real credit to their owners. I am full of admiration for the work that has been done by them to get their gardens looking so good,” said Society President, Mr Richard King.

“It was a real privilege to see so many wonderful gardens this week. Walking through their homes, opening the back door to be wowed by what is there is a real treat. One thing that really struck me was everyone’s enthusiasm for their gardens and their plants, from the tiny courtyard gardens to the large open gardens.” said Society Chairman, Mrs Jo Sage Melplash Agricultural Society organiser, Peter Yeates added: “This year was another impressive garden competition – well done to everyone who entered and our grateful thanks to the judges who had the difficult task of selecting the winners, and also to our sponsors this year, Bridport’s garden netting and fruit cage manufacturer – W M James & Co. There were good entries in all the categories, and this year we are very pleased to be awarding the special prize to Bridport St Mary’s School Edible Garden Project.”

All the prizes will be presented at this year’s Melplash Show on Thursday 23rd August.

Large

Fruit & Vegetable Cages & Netting

JOINT 1ST Mrs M. Stones, Uploders JOINT 1ST Mrs J. Newton, Bothenhampton

Medium Small

3RD

Mr D. Lloyd, Ryall

1ST

Mr & Mrs Tarling, Bridport

2ND

Mrs C. Parham, Powerstock

3RD

Mr L. Loveridge, Lyme Regis

1ST

Mrs L. Ford, Bridport

2ND

Mrs J. Fry Nobbs, Mosterton

3RD

2ND

Mrs V. Bartlett, Bridport Mr John & Mrs Christine Studley, Hinton St George Mr D. Jolliff, Netherbury

3RD

Mr D. Wood, Abbotsbury

1ST

Allotments Buy Netting Online & Save 10%

Made in the UK

@wmjamesandco

Call: 0800 1032800 Buy online 24/7 at www.wmjames.co.uk

Overall Winner

Mr John & Mrs Christine Studley

Special Award

The George Payne Memorial Trophy - St Mary’s School Edible Garden, Bridport

The Melplash Agricultural Society’s annual garden and allotment competition is open to all residents within a 12 mile radius of Melplash Village Church. Gardens and allotments of any size can be entered. The only stipulation is that they must not employ a gardener for more than eight hours per week.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

19

ADVICE

Country Gardener

ADV ICE

Our popular garden advice column this issue deals with a number of questions from our postbag sent in by Country Gardener readers

We continually get deer jumping into our garden and doing a lot of damage. Are there any plants they won’t eat?

First, let’s talk about what deer like to eat best. Deer love narrow-leafed evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir, and show a particular preference for hostas, daylilies, and ivy and most damage occurs from October to February, when food is naturally scarce.

Deer seem to prefer plants that have been fertilised to Visiting deer in a garden can quickly cause chaos those that haven’t.

Not surprisingly, deer tend to stay away from poisonous plants. Daffodils, foxgloves, and poppies are common flowers that have a toxicity that deer avoid.

Deer also turn their noses up at fragrant plants with strong scents. Herbs such as sages, ornamental salvias, and lavender, as well as flowers like peonies and bearded irises, are just smelly to deer.

Again my standard roses are being hit by blackspot which seems to have started earlier than ever. Are there any roses that don’t get blackspot?

The not–so-good news is that it is doubtful whether there are any roses naturally blackspot free all the time. This is one of the vagaries we have to put up with when growing roses. As far as modern roses are concerned, they are generally bred to be show perfect, but not to be blackspot proof. Rose black spot is specific to roses and all types are susceptible.

Another bad year with blackspot The disease causes dark spots or irregular brown or black blotches on both leaf surfaces. Leaves then turn yellow and drop prematurely, resulting in weakened plants. The disease is worse in warm, wet weather.

It is true that some cultivars are partially resistant to black spot but in a bad year all varieties may succumb. Generally, many of the older cultivars and more yellow than red or pink cultivars are susceptible.

So choosing resistant varieties, such as ‘Bonita’, ‘Royal William’ or ‘New Dawn’, and growing a mixed planting should help. Rose varieties less than five years old should be relatively disease resistant.

Prevention of rose black spot is difficult and many strains of the fungi are resistant. However, regular raking around the plant with a hoe and pruning and burning of infected material will certainly help as will a regular, fortnightly spraying regime.

20

Country Gardener

I have an acer in the garden that has been quite happy until the last year or so. Does it need trimming or pruning? It seems to be sparse in places and spindly in others. It has not had many leaves this year.

Acers will respond very well to pruning. It is best to prune whilst the tree is dormant, so December to February would be an ideal time of year.

Make sure to prune back to a bud – this means cutting just above the bud. If you leave any excess wood above the bud, the dieback could become diseased.

Simply prune the acer tree to the shape that you want it to be. As always with pruning trees, take out any dead, damaged or diseased wood, and any branches that cross over or are growing in the wrong direction.

If you have a smaller Japanese acer, sometimes the branches can get congested towards the centre of the tree. If so, you may also want to open it up to allow light and air movement through the tree. To do this, cut back a few of the older branches right back to the main trunk.

Acers respond well to correct pruning

My father grew wonderful Red-hot pokers in his garden and but I have tried to grow them and I clearly didn’t have his knack with them. How can I grow them successfully?

Red-hot pokers are such excellent garden plants that it is hard to imagine they have ever been out of fashion. But they have only recently begun to emerge from the horticultural doldrums. Though extremely popular before World War II, kniphofias were one of the victims of the Dig for Victory campaign, which saw flower gardens removed to make way for useful vegetable plots. Many old varieties are thought to have been lost as a result.

Kniphofias need a sunny, south facing spot Kniphofia rooperi will thrive in a sunny spot, ideally south- or west-facing, and in well-draining, humus-rich garden soil. It won’t tolerate water-logging but will cope with drier soils, at the foot of a wall or near a hedge for example. An annual mulch around the base of the clump (but not over the crown) of well-rotted manure or garden compost will help to boost fertility and moisture retention.

Plants can be grown from seed germinated in a cold frame in spring and established plants can be divided in late spring. Or try cutting offsets away from the main clump with a sharp spade, then leaving them to grow on for a season or two before re-planting.

I HAVE ACCESS TO PLENTY OF SEAWEED AS WE LIVE JUST THREE MILES FROM THE DORSET COAST. HOW CAN I BEST USE IT IN MY GARDEN? Seaweed is magical stuff in the water, and it’s somehow even more so when out of it. It’s incredibly healthful to our soils and our plants. As seaweed breaks down into the soil, it encourages micro-organisms whose activities help convert unavailable nutrients into forms that plants can use. It increases chlorophyll production and contains many micronutrients important for soil and plant health, as well as acting as a growth stimulant: it is rich in plant growth hormones that work above and below ground, improving root growth. If you do have access to fresh seaweed, it is a useful substitute for farmyard manure, and does not need to be rotted down before use. It is best dug in fresh before it has had time to dry. Digging it in to one or two spades’ depth below the surface and use a barrow load per square metre if you have this much available.

If placed on your compost heap, fresh seaweed should be mixed in with woody or fibrous material (prunings or paper for example). It can become rather slimy and gelatinous on its own or when mixed only with kitchen waste or lawn clippings.

Will pruning my wisteria in mid-summer help its ability to flower?

Yes, almost certainly it will. Summer pruning wisteria in July or August encourages the development of shortflowering spurs that will carry the long racemes of bloom in spring. The long vigorous shoots are cut back to a couple of buds from the base of the current season’s growth. During initial training of young wisteria plants, select a few strong shoots to tie into wires or trellis. Once you have created these, you can prune any sideshoots back to this framework. Cut back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth to five or six leaves after flowering in July or August. This controls the size of the wisteria, preventing it getting into guttering and windows, and encourages it to form flower buds rather than green growth.

Pruning wisteria in August will boost its flowering

www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

SP EAKERS’ LIST 2018/19

Welcome to Country Gardener’s comprehensive annual guide to gardening speakers and lecturers

Our popular and much in-demand service of garden speakers has this year again been expanded, updated and revised. It also includes a number of new speakers.

It provides new options, new ideas and possibilities as you plan your meetings.

We have full details of each speaker including a synopsis of their areas of expertise and the subject matter of their talks and lectures.

Illustration: holly@hellopaperclip.co.uk 22

If you come across speakers who have not been listed in this guide please let them know about it so we can include them in a later edition or update our information online.

We hope this Country Gardener specialist service helps you to find the right speaker on the right subject for your garden club or society perhaps offering someone different for your meetings over the next 12 months.

In our guide you can find how far the speaker is prepared to travel; what he or she will charge; what subjects they specialise in and if they have plants for sale at the end of the meeting.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Country Gardener

£A Price band £0-50

£D Price band variable

£B Price band £51-100

£E

£C Price band £100+ £B

Price band expenses only Slide presentations included

APPLEGATE, SUE

£B

Langport B

www

q 01458 250666 E susannah.applegate@btinternet.com

D

1. Peonies and Irises As a commercial grower of Peonies and Irises, my talks include practical advice about propagation and husbandry of Peonies and Irises to optimise the flowering potential of these lovely plants. Talks include a slide presentation of flower types and cultural operations lasting about 45 minutes, followed by a practical “Hands-On” demonstration of how best to plant and care for Peonies and Irises to achieve years of rewarding flowers from a single plant.

2. Plant to Plate From Plant to Plate is an illustrated talk of the work within the UK Fresh Produce Industry to supply Farm Assured food to Farmers Markets and Supermarkets. Challenges of the future such as Food Security to provide for a huge increase in World Population Growth, Climate Change and Efficient Management of Water are also identified. A selection of Seasonal, UK grown produce may be available for sale following the talk.

Sue of Hurst Brook Plants has been growing Peonies and Irises since the 20th century and delivers an informative and entertaining talk with testimonials available from gardening and horticultural societies

A

Website

B

Radius covered up to 50 miles

Plants or items for sale

C

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Radius covered 0-25 miles

D

Radius covered 100+ miles

CARL WOODMANS WORLD 1 BroomHill Cottage, Broom Hill, Huntley GL19 3HA

www

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

D

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

2. Besoms and Gypsy Flowers 3. Bees and their products

£B

D

£C

CHEEK, ROY 35 Wembdon Rise, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7PN

1. New tricks for old gardeners 2. First time at Chelsea - and winning Gold!

3. Winning BBC Gardener of the Decade 4. Plants That Should be Better Known £A

B

in with just five new plants.

3. Insectivorous plants - Discover new hardy year round attractive ones for the garden or the windowsill.

DODD, SUE & SMITH, SUE Treetops, 11 Stony Riding, Chalford Hill, Stroud, Glos, GL6 8ED q 01453 882127 E sue-smith@11treetops.co.uk

1. Chelsea Flower Show - Creating 20

2. Irresistible garden plants for butterflies - e.g. Bringing them winging

2 Pound Cottages, Donyatt, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0RT q 07594 574150 / 01460 53284 E crouchee@aol.com Ħ www.katherinecrouch.com

q 01278 451814 / 07788593674 E rvcheek@btinternet.com very different exhibits from bronze to gold.

CROUCH, KATHERINE

1. Wildflowers of the Cotswolds Remedies, myths and legends 2. Gardening for butterflies and moths 3. The fascinating story of Britain’s wild orchids

4. Plan your garden holiday..? £C

B

Lavender Fields, Hartley Park Farm, Selborne Road, Alton, Hampshire GU34 3HP q 01420 511146 E info@thelavenderfields.co.uk

1. Lavender Story Experiences of growing and selling lavender, our products, plants, visits and open days.

£B

www

B

- Choose from 50 destinations from Cornwall to Costa Rica.

BUTLER, NICK

CANDLIN, BEN 15 Long Park, Woodbury, Exeter EX5 1JB q 07763 348148 E ben@adventurousplants.co.uk Ħ www.adventurousplants.co.uk

1. The fascinating world of Aroids 2. UK Subtropical Gardening 3. Plants of the Canary Isles Please visit website for more titles and info.

5. Holly & Ivy - Entertaining Winter Talk.

Many other talks, ask for details. Widely experienced and qualified, Roy progressed from Gardener to Director of parks and gardens around Britain. As senior lecturer and curator of gardens in Somerset he amassed ten thousand different plants, ten national collections and created new hybrids, diverse gardens and gold medal exhibits at Chelsea. Now Chairman of an RHS trials forum, international tour leader, judge, advisor, designer and writer.

£D

D

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

1. Transforming a bunch of flowers while explaining the work and my life as a Cinnamon Trust Volunteer 2. Reminiscing with Flowers and/or Vintage Memorabilia 3. Christmas Cracker fun with Flowers

www.countrygardener.co.uk

£C

A

DOWN, FELICITY Former owner of Cleeve Nursery q 07739 977431 E downfelicity51@gmail.com

Talks include: 1. All year round colour in the garden 2. Winter Colour 3. Plants for the Flower Arranger 4. Gardening in Containers

The Speakers List is our comprehensive annual guide to gardening and gardening speakers and lecturers.

If you would like to be part of our hugely popular Speakers List next year contact Ava Bench on 01278 671037 or email ava@countrygardener.co.uk 23

SP EAKERS’ LIST 2018/19 £B

C

EDMONDSON, ALAN 30 Belmore Lane, Lymington, Hants SO41 3NJ q 01590 610292 E alan@bowercotgardendesign.co.uk

1. Primulas & Auriculas 2. Gardening with native plants 3. The shady garden Other talks available.

£D

FISHER, SUE Yelverton, Devon, PL20 7BY

www

D

q 01822 841895 / 0781 775 7446 E suefisher@talktalk.net Ħ www.suefishergardens.co.uk

Sue offers a range of talks in Powerpoint form, fully illustrated with her own photographs. Topics include container gardening, wildlife, growing edibles, small gardens and climate change: please see website for more details or contact for further information. Practical demonstrations also available which are ideal for events such as garden shows.

£C

C

FITZGERALD, ROSEMARY Beggars Roost, Lilstock, Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 1SU q 01278 741519 E ro@lilstock.eclipse.co.uk

Talks on how wild and garden plants interact. Lovely slides from UK, Ireland, and countries including Morocco, Iceland, Sweden and south-west China. Contact me to discuss ideas!

£B

www

A

FLINTHAM, BECCA 39 Regents Park, Exeter, Devon, EX1 2NY q 07717 846814 / 01392 437792 E becca.redkite@gmail.com Ħ www.rowanleaf.co.uk

1. Wildlife Gardening - Attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden

2. Water, Water Everywhere - Ponds, bog gardens and water-wise gardening

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

24

£C

www

A

GARRATT, JONATHAN FRSA Jolliffe’s Cottage, Stour Row, Shaftesbury, SP7 0QW

q 01747 858697 E jonathangarratt82@gmail.com Ħ www.studiopottery.co.uk

1. “Back to Nature? Some of us never left.” (My own story, current work) 2. Breaking the Rules. Container gardening with a twist.

3. Sensory gardens.

4. A history of the flowerpot.

5. Landscapes.

6. Sculpture in gardens and green spaces.

£D

HINCHLIFFE, ANN

www

11 Quarry Cottages, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9UR

B

q 01935 472771 E thedancingmaster@outlook.com

1. Six centuries of English dance: from Geoffrey Chaucer to Jane Austen. Can cover whole period or

focus on one historical era; always illustrated with literary references, live music and some audience participation.

2. Why Music in Prison

£B www

C

Jonathan has 35 years experience of making woodfired terracotta pots and has come to know a wide variety of “players” in the gardening scene.

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

1. The Churchyard Yew 2. Trees in your Garden 3. Trees and the Law Please contact us to discuss requirements.

£B

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

£C

C

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

q 01398 332419 E gavinhaig@googlemail.com

q 07876 196074 E margiehoffnung@gmail.com

1. Creating a Wildlife Garden 2. The Healing Garden 3. Celebration of Devon/Somerset Wildlife 4. Trials and tribulations of being a Surgeon

1. Rosemary Verey 1918-2001 - Her

B

Practised as Surgeon and Doctor with a passion for attracting wildlife to our gardens.

Developed award-winning Wildlife Garden at Tiverton Hospital. £A

D

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

1. Growing and Showing Sweet Peas 2. Classic, Rare and Unusual Bulbs 3. So you think you know Gladiolus!

Other talks in relation to the above can be tailored to suit your society.

Country Gardener

Contribution & Legacy to C20 gardening

2. Garden Visiting - a very British Tradition - A lighthearted look at the many different aspects of why we visit gardens

3. Blaise Castle - A Stranger at Blaise – the development of the park & landscape with particular reference to Humphry Repton

The Speakers List is our comprehensive annual guide to gardening and gardening speakers and lecturers.

If you would like to be part of our hugely popular Speakers List next year contact Ava Bench on 01278 671037 or email ava@countrygardener.co.uk

£A Price band £0-50

£D Price band variable

£B Price band £51-100

£E

£C Price band £100+ £B

Price band expenses only Slide presentations included

HUTCHISON, ADRIAN 2 Westwell Lane, Theale, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4SW

D

www

q 01934 712729 or 07779 072292 E adrian@nzzone.net

1. Weeds and their Control (including identification) 2. Wild Flowers in the Dolomites 3. Plants for Shade (in conjunction with Long Acre Plants) 4. Plant poisons and potions 5. Wild flowers in a land of fallen Giants

B

Radius covered up to 50 miles

Plants or items for sale

C

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Radius covered 0-25 miles

D

Radius covered 100+ miles

£B

LOGUE, VICTORIA

£B

PHILIPPS, LOIS

www

Whitehall Farmhouse, Sevenhampton, Cheltenham, Glos, GL54 5TL

C

Meadow Cottage, 42 Rivar Road, Shalbourne, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3RL

C

q 01242 820772 / 07711 021034 E victoria@wfplants.co.uk Ħ www.wfplants.co.uk

1. Practical Propagation

- Seeds, Cuttings and Beyond

2. Getting the Most from your Garden - Extending the Flowering Season

without replacing all your plants My talks are based on practical experience and observation. I am also a beekeeper. £B

6. Pests and diseases A qualified Horticulturalist formerly involved in weed research and has led walks in the Dolomites.

Please telephone or e-mail for details.

A

Website

B

www

B

Langdale, Church Street, Offenham, Evesham, Worcs. WR11 8RW q 01386 424880 / 07535 537137 E ajames@waitrose.com Ħ www.adrianjames.org.uk

PICTON, HELEN

www

Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden, Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE

6. Seasonal Colours Please contact me for more information on travel charges and a full listing of my talks which are all based on personal experience and travel. A former lecturer, I have developed a strong interest in the relationship between gardens and people.

B

q 01823 674386 E helen@elderfarm.co.uk Ħ www.elderfarm.co.uk

1. Hedgerow Medicine - Learn how to 2.

3.

recognise common plants and make useful medicines.

Kitchen remedies - Find out the amazing properties of some of the herbs and spices in your kitchen.

Medicinal Herb Farmer - Learn about my off grid 5 acre small holding and my work as a Medical Herbalist.

Covers Devon and Somerset.

1. Daisy Days - Michaelmas daisies the rise, fall and renaissance

2. A Plantaholic’s Wonderland 3. It’s not time for bed yet -

Rethinking autumn in the English Garden

£D

REED, MERVYN Thornbury, South Gloucestershire

B

q 07429629588 E mervyn.reed@talktalk.net

1. Photographic Presentations with Horticulture in mind 2. I can be your Plant Doctor Contact me by e mail for details of talks.

Don’t be selective, love all seasons for each has its own beauty.

Please see website or contact me for a complete list of garden talks. Travel radius over 50 miles is by special arrangement.

www

q 01684 540416 E oldcourtnurseries@btinternet.com

3. Question Time

2. Three West Country Gardens 3. Through The Garden Gate

Elder Farm, Greenham, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0JY

D

q 077 66 197 129 E nmignotte@aol.com

– Gardens of Paradise. The history, design & symbolism of Persian style gardens.

KEARNEY, HELEN

and what are the benefits?

3. The Art and Science of Compost making - The gardener’s friend!

1 Stanley Cottages, Blaisdon Longhope, Gloucestershire GL17 0AL

1. Heavenly Beauty, Earthly Delight

£B

and love your soil – from testing to feeding!

2. Green Manures, Catch Crops and Cover Crops - What’s the difference

£B

Gardens of Versailles Islamic Gardens Medieval Gardens Landscapes of Vietnam and Cambodia 5. How to attract wildlife in your garden

JAMES, ADRIAN

1. Down to Earth - Learning to look after

MIGNOTTE, NATHALIE

1.

2.

3.

4.

£D

q 07740 636455 / 01672 871265 E l.philipps@btinternet.com

£B

B

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

1. The cultivation and uses of unusual herbs

£A

www

D

RENDELL, PAUL The Coach House, Tramlines, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1EH q 01837 54727 E paul.dartmoor@virgin.net Ħ www.paulrendelldartmoor.co.uk

2. Getting ready for winter

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

Money from the talks is donated to the Wessex Therapy Center for Multiple Sclerosis. I always bring a large variety of herbs for sale and demonstration plus my book Making Jellied Preserves and the jellies.

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

3. The Secret Wildlife On Dartmoor

25

SP EAKERS’ LIST 2018/19 £B

RICKITT, RICHARD

£B

Corsham, Wiltshire www

C

q 01249 715122 E beesknees1972@gmail.com Ħ www.bathbees.co.uk

1. The Wonder of Bees 2. Gardening for Bees 3. An Introduction to Beekeeping Fascinating and entertaining talks about bees and beekeeping aimed at gardeners.

Find out how to help wild bees and other pollinators and even keep your own hives.

£B

www

D

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

www

B

38 Wenhill Heights, Calne, Wilts, SN11 0JZ q 01249 821087 E christina.stapley@tiscali.co.uk Ħ www.heartsease-herb-books.com

1. Herbs in the Kitchen Garden 2. Herbs to Aid the Gardener 3. Wild Plants of the Scilly Isles

£C

D

STEPHENS, HARVEY Windsor Great Park q 07824362135 E Prof_Gardener@outlook.com t @prof_gardener

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

1. The Physick Garden 2. Flowers in Healing 3. Medicinal Garden Plants

STAPLEY, CHRISTINA

£D

TOWNSEND, PENELOPE

D

White Fan Talks, ‘Starshine’, 15 Half Moon Court, Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0GA q 01364 644028 / 07792517145

1. Strawberries & Other Garden Fruits - 18th Century to Present Day 2. Round The Year with Gilbert White - 18th Century Gardener &

Naturalist Both talks have powerpoint presentations.

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

£B

www

D

UNDERHILL, TERRY MHORT Fairlight, Mill Cross, Rattery, South Brent, TQ10 9LA q 01364 72314 E terry@terry-underhill.co.uk Ħ www.terry-underhill.co.uk

1. The Gardens of Windsor Great Park: A personal presentation looking behind the scenes of the Savill Garden.

1. From the Mountains to the Garden 2. Mediterranean Plants in the Garden

2. The Great Gardens of Russia

Many other talks. Highly qualified, wide experience including TV, Radio and Magazines. See website for more titles.

3. Barking up the wrong tree

3. Autumn Colour

4. Plants worthy of Garden Merit £A

C

SMITH, MICHAEL J H 2 The Weind, Worle, Weston-superMare, Somerset BS22 9BN q 01934 642960

1. Caring for your Houseplants 2. Seed raising and Propagation 3. All year round colour in the garden I have been giving talks to Garden Clubs and Societies for over 40 years on many aspects of Horticulture. Please contact me for a full list of talks and presentations.

£A

SQUIRES, MIKE & EDNA

5. The Wonders of Chile’s National Parks

£B

Harvey is an award winning garden manager with a wealth of International experiences. He trained at Kew and is a Chairman and panel member of various RHS plant trials. He is currently Deputy Keeper of the gardens within Windsor Great Park and played his part in selecting and cutting material for two Royal Weddings. Informative, enthusiastic presentations accompanied by quality slides.

D

£C

1 Feebers Cottage, Westwood, Broadclyst, Devon, EX5 3DQ C

q 01404 822118 E feebers@btinternet.com

1. Feebers Garden 2. Plant Heritage Others by request.

Mike & Edna are long time members of Plant Heritage and are widely travelled with long involvement in RHS Shows. The garden is open for groups.

TOLMAN, ANDREW Minehead, Somerset

www

D

q 01643 818092 E andrew@atpgardening.co.uk Ħ www.atpgardening.co.uk

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

Can’t wait until next year?

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

1. Gertrude Jekyll - Her Plants & Designs.

2. The Restoration of Hestercombe Gardens 3. Bedding Plants for your Gardens 4. Care and management of trees & shrubs 5. The history of our gardens 6. The answer lies in the soil 7. Herbaceous Plants David, a professional gardener for over 30 years was Head Gardener at Hestercombe for 18 years. He is interested in all aspects of ornamental gardening and has given talks to a wide variety of groups. Contact him for a free brochure on any of his talks.

Why not advertise your speaker services in our Classifieds section?

Call Ava Bench on 01278 671037 or email ava@countrygardener.co.uk 26

Country Gardener

£A Price band £0-50

£C Price band £100+

£B Price band £51-100

£D Price band variable

£A

www

B

WESTONBIRT, THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8QS q 0300 067 4873 E lyndsay.ball@forestryengland.uk Ħ www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-groups

Bring Westonbirt to you with ‘The Wonders of Westonbirt’ talk, covering the seasons, events and future direction at the beautiful National Arboretum, presented by knowledgeable volunteer speakers.

£E

Price band expenses only Slide presentations included £A

www

Website

A

Radius covered 0-25 miles

C

Radius covered up to 100 miles

Plants or items for sale

B

Radius covered up to 50 miles

D

Radius covered 100+ miles

WILSON, JEREMY 17 Seymour Drive, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 8PY

C

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

£B

C

WRAY, NICK Curator, University of Bristol Botanic Garden q 01179 629220 E n.wray@blueyonder.co.uk

Fully illustrated lectures by well known speaker including:

1. Camellias 2. The Scented Garden Ex Head Gardener of private estates and now specialist camellia grower of over 250 varieties

1. The development of the new University of Bristol Botanic Garden 2. Flora of the Western Cape of South Africa 3. Evolution of Flowers

£B www

B

WILLIAMS, CATHERINE The Haven, Hart Lane, Ruardean, Gloucestershire, GL17 9UT q 01594 541118 / 07767 690009 E mail2@thegardenlady.me.uk Ħ www.thegardenlady.me.uk

1. Planting and Plant Care 2. How to love your garden 3. Design and Create a Garden to be Proud Of Many other talks available, please ask for more details.

£B

C

WYNNE-JONES, DAVINA Herbs for Healing, Barnsley Herb Garden, Near Cirencester, Glos GL7 5EE q 07773 687493 E davina@herbsforhealing.net

1. Herbs for Healing - practical uses of plants for good health 2. Herb Gardens, historic and modern.

3. The influence of my mother, Rosemary Verey, on me and others.

4. Garden plants and their pollinators 5. The gardens and landscapes of Sicily 6. Darwin the botanist and his travels aboard the Beagle

Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906 112 years of knowledge, passion and plants

Get inspired for late summer in the Picton Garden Come along and enjoy exploring this 1.5 acre Plantsmans garden known for it's autumn herbaceous displays.

Now is the perfect time to get that inspiration to extend the season in your own patch, and the ideal plants might be waiting for you in our specialist nursery.

OPENING TIMES: 1st - 31st August Wednesday to Sunday 11am - 5pm (including bank holiday Monday) 1st September - 20th October Daily 11am-5pm

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

27

Twilight

The

Garden

By Elizabeth McCorquodale

Scented honeysuckles and lilacs, solar lighting tucked into borders can transform your garden into a mid summer place of tranquillity and peace

A dedicated white border - wonderful as the light fades

Hesperis matronalis

Whites and pale pinks - perfect twilight colours

28

Most of us still work through the week, so for much of our lives we miss the beauty of our gardens. The plants and features that grab our attention in daylight melt into the background as the light fades and we are left with the knowledge that it looks nice but we don’t have time to enjoy it.

Tucking just a few extra features into the daytime garden can transform it into a twilight garden – a place that fulfils our love of gardens and gardening and offers us the therapy that comes from green spaces.

Planting is at the very heart of the twilight garden and it is where so many plants and flowers really come into their own. It is in the twilight garden that the whites, the pale yellows and pinks and the silvery foliage all come into the spotlight and are transformed into the stars of the show.

Evening primroses, especially the paler varieties, are a perfect choice as they offer large scented blooms in a choice of heights that suit any planting scheme while the highly scented white and pale lilac flowers of Hesperis matronalis offer the potential of a swathe of trouble-free flowers to fill gaps in planting schemes. Annuals such as Nicotiana sylvestris, with its tall highly scented trumpet flowers, impatiens and New Guinea impatiens, the paler shades of night-scented stocks, and the big blousy blooms of vivid yellow or white tuberous begonias or white and pale pink cosmos all fulfil their promise just weeks after planting.

Scented, white climbers such as Halliana honeysuckles, Tracheospermum, wisterias and many climbing and rambling roses are perfect for clothing the frame of a pergola while white flowered shrubs such as lilacs, mock orange and a numerous rose cultivars offer not just brightness in the darkening garden but a heady fragrance as well. Apart from selecting for bright, light colours, the only caution for choosing flowers for a night garden is to ensure that the flowers stay open as the night draws in.

Lighting is another must in a night garden if you are going to enjoy all that is on offer to you. Individual lights arranged strategically at different heights throughout your garden allow you to make the most of all of your twilight garden.

Lights tucked into the borders and at the side of paths add atmosphere and allow you to wander around and appreciate your garden in the fading light. There are many inexpensive solar-powered lights available now which are powerful enough to cast gentle light around your garden and don’t require fiddling around with long leads and waterproof sockets.

Waterproof fairy or Christmas lights cast gentle light that allow you Country Gardener

to enjoy the feeling of being a part of your night garden, while very bright lights around your seating area will throw any unlit areas into deep darkness and can separate you from the rest of the garden. If fluttering moths aren’t your thing site your lamps and lighting above head height so you can enjoy your night time visitors without worrying about them bumbling into you as they search out the treats in your garden. Pay special attention to lighting any areas with steps or uneven paving to avoid trip hazards as the light fades.

While the night garden can be a very peaceful place it is busy behind the scenes. Birds, insects, mammals and amphibians make use of the cover of darkness to forage and hunt and our gardens can come alive with a surprisingly number of creatures. If it appeals, you could arrange your seating area and your lighting with the dedicated intention of attracting and watching all sorts of garden visitors from foxes and badgers to bats and hedgehogs. Occasional feeding of foxes and badgers and regular feeding of hedgehogs with suitable food (wet or dry dog or cat food and a bowl of water is a good choice for all these animals) will encourage them to return.

Garden ponds can be an unexpected pleasure in the twilight garden as they are a magnet for all sorts of wildlife. Foraging bats may come to swoop and dive over the surface of the pond, catching the insects who swarm over the water in the evening, and frogs and toads, most active at night, will be both vocal and visible as they hunt for insects and molluscs in the undergrowth. A discrete light set in, beside or over the pond will attract even more insect life and at the same time will allow you to see to spot your wild visitors.

In some summers it seems there is rarely a dry evening and we find ourselves once again contemplating the prospect of long winter months to come and thinking that we have barely spent any time in the garden all summer. Providing a comfortable, sheltered place to eat or enjoy a glass of wine while we wind down at the end of the day means that even

in less-than-perfect weather we can still leave our everyday responsibilities back in the house and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the garden, with its comforting feeling of time-away-from-it-all.

When the weather is glorious and the evenings are warm and balmy, it is easy to forget just how chilly it gets when you are sitting still after the sun goes down.

A pergola can make a warm and cosy shelter, especially if the prevailing wind is blocked by dense planting or a barrier. One particularly effective way to convert a pergola for evening use is to fashion a sort of roller blind from batons and heavygauge polythene sheeting and attach it to the pergola on the side of the prevailing wind. During the day the blind can be rolled up and tied up out of the way, but on cooler evenings it can be let down to shield you from drafts.

Blankets kept for garden use are a simple answer to cooler evenings; without them you could be chased indoors too early by the chill that creeps in when the sun goes down.

A chimenea or a raised fire pit are good options for warming the area on cooler evenings, especially if you intend to be outside for long enjoying the scents and sounds of the wakening night.

Comfortable seating is a must for pleasurable loitering.

Ditch the fashionable bistro set or upright bench and invest in seating that begs you to stay awhile. If space is limited a comfortable, covered swing seat can fulfill the role of both seat and shelter, especially if it is positioned to take in your most beautiful night-time view.

Although you might not have much spare time for gardening, leave yourself some pleasing chores to help you relax into your space.

Picking a few flowers to take the night scents indoors or tying up stray tendrils from the climbers covering your evening shelter can enhance the pleasure you get from your garden.

Daisies at dusk

Lighting up the patio

A twilight guest in the garden

Some blues stand out in the dark

www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

READER’S STORY

Onwards and

UPWARDS

Anne and Malcolm Hurley refused to give up on growing vegetables when they moved into a home which only had an extended patio - so they discovered vertical gardening Five years ago I left a lovely Hampshire garden of about an acre on lovely fertile soil where we loved growing vegetables of all sorts. I’ve never been a flower or shrub gardener and I’ve never been able to really sort out a successful border but growing vegetables was something I loved.

A hobby became a passion and our family and neighbours all profited from our successes in growing broad beans, dwarf beans, courgettes, pumpkins and lots more.

But the house was getting too big for just the two of us and the garden started to become a real chore and we realised it was too much for us to handle.

Then just as if someone was trying to tell me something I slipped one one frosty November morning on a pavement, twisted my ankle and to be honest lost a lot of enthusiasm for heavy gardening as my ankle never seemed to be the same again. That’s what happens as you get older- you think it’s just a temporary setback but the injury never seemed to clear up.

However to move on with the story, we moved to Somerset to a much smaller house which we loved the moment we saw it, but when it came to outdoor space there was little more than an extended patio. So this is where my gardening story really starts because we discovered the delights of vertical gardening – of making use of smaller spaces and keeping our passion for growing fruit and vegetable alive.

My motivation was simple. I wanted to keep gardening. I wanted us to have fresh vegetables but we didn’t have any space and my days of digging beds are well and truly over.

Our patio was rather ugly but thankfully it is south facing and stays warm and it lent itself to growing plants onwards and upwards.

We read a lot before starting but for gardeners used to growing vegetables it hasn’t been difficult. We found a great place to begin was with the vegetables and fruits that naturally climb or can be made to do so with gentle encouragement. So we started with likes of climbing beans, 30

Vertical gardening - making the most of confined spaces

climbing peas, vine tomatoes and the cucurbits: cucumbers, melons, squashes, pumpkins, gourds and sprawling types of courgette.

Many climbers produce tendrils that grip the structure they are climbing to and literally pull the plant up as it grows.

Others, such as the beans, will wind their way around a support to head skywards. The natural sprawlers such as vine tomatoes and courgettes require tying in to their supports at regular intervals.

We built timber supports and a wire mesh for the wall for squashes and runner beans. On to this framework we attached wired and shiny silver containers that started life as large tomato tins. They proved to be perfect for growing herbs and compact bush tomatoes. We found that almost anything can be used as a container and we attached plastic pots and even a few terracotta pots to the structure – and we started planting.

We’ve found growing vegetables upright not only saves space, but also makes harvesting easier. You don’t have to stoop to cut fruit from the vines. Fruit is kept away from the ground, and allows better air circulation, and I am sure we see fewer diseases than we did on our old vegetable plots.

Our vegetables now successfully hide that old ugly brick wall.

So our patio is thriving. We grow cucumber and tomatoes in large pots and have them trailing up a trellis. Our wall is full of containers fixed on to the wooden support and our pumpkins and squashes are trained tightly on to the trellis and then individual fruits have to be individually supported and I find strips of panty hose work wonderfully well!

We grow lots in containers, all arranged and trained upwards.

It is a delight and all without having to walk too far or the use of a spade. So please try it.

Lack of space just needs a bit of creative thinking. If you are a gardener you can make it work as we did.

Country Gardener

JOBS IN THE GARDEN

JOBS IN THE August garden

August can seem like ‘the end of the show’ in terms of the garden, but in many ways it’s just the beginning. Now is the time to think about bulbs for next year, as well as perennials you might want to order and plant in the autumn. While some flowers might be fading, grasses and seedheads are really coming into their own and, as the light changes and the shadows lengthen, the August garden should be able to deliver a really atmospheric experience.

Thirsty but essential work Water is the single most important ingredient in the growing season, but use it wisely. Water butts are an essential in all our gardens and it is always best to use these supplies first.

New plantings should always take priority, and remember to water deeply and with less regularity so that the roots of plants are drawn down into the soil rather than teased to the surface. Irrigate in the evening when evaporation is diminished and only water when you need.

The key to watering is the effective application of the right amount to the right plant at the right time. If you water, apply a good amount to the soil at the base of plants.

Spraying water into the air and on to foliage does no good at all. A watering can with a rose, or a hosepipe with a lance, directs water where it is needed.

Planning your bulb displays Getting ready for next spring might seem like early planning gone mad, but August is the perfect month to start making preparations for a beautiful floral display. Plant spring bedding, such as pansies, wallflowers and Sweet Williams.

There should be a good selection of plants at the garden centre. Water them well before planting and give them a good soak whenever the weather is dry to help them establish quickly. Choose firm, plump bulbs when you buy spring flowering bulbs and avoid any with signs of mould.

Plant them as soon as possible so they can start putting down roots. The cool, moist conditions of late autumn suit tulips best so wait until then before planting them.

Start planning for next spring

Established trees and shrubs can look after themselves.

Herbaceous plants will simply die back, and lawns will go brown, greening up again with autumn rains.

Fruit trees and bushes Use water wisely in the garden will benefit from extra watering as the fruit develops; otherwise just accept smaller, but richer, harvests.

Raspberries will suffer without water in dry spells.

Vegetables need adequate moisture, but even this varies.

Leafy crops such as lettuce should never go short, nor should seedlings and new transplants.

Water early morning, in the evening or in the dead of night when evaporation losses are least.

THERE’S STILL TIME TO DIRECT SOW There are still quite a few things you should be sowing in August, such as Spring cabbage and Chinese cabbage, There’s still time to plant late crops which is a late crop, as well as hardy lettuce.

Although we think of lettuce as a summer crop, it is a surprisingly hardy plant and under cloche and in the greenhouse can easily be available for a Boxing Day salad rather than some tasteless import from sunnier climes.

Sow spring onions like ‘White Lisbon’ winter hardy which will grow, albeit slowly, to add zing to that salad along with some fast growing radishes.

Late spinach can be sown in August along with a last sowing of kohlrabi and turnips.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

31

Off wit h their heads

Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering throughout the month. This is best done on a daily basis so that it never becomes a chore, watering with one hand, deadheading with the other. Deadhead recurrent blooming roses to keep them going until autumn, but leave the rugosa roses now to develop hips.

Keep patios as colourful as long as

CUT BACK STRAWBERRIES

possible

If you don’t want to create new strawberry plants using runners, it’s a good idea to cut back plants after they finish fruiting or they’ll spread very quickly. Remove any straw mulch and take out any weeds. New strawberry leaves will soon appear, so don’t worry if your plants look a bit bare after you prune them. Make sure you put away any netting in the shed as it’s a potential hazard to cats and birds, which can easily get tangled up in it.

Keep the patio going with colour Enjoy the August summer display right to the end by keeping your containers in shape.

Deadhead the plants regularly to encourage more blooms. If the weather is dry, give them a good soak and finally, give them an extra boost by feeding weekly with liquid fertiliser.

Divide those perennials It’s nearing the time when you need to start dividing perennials certainly towards the end of the month is a good time to divide clumps of perennials such as hemerocallis. Lift the clump and then divide it into pieces, either by prising it apart with two forks or cutting it up with a spade or bread knife. Each piece needs some leaves and roots. Older pieces from the centre of the clump should be thrown away, but newer pieces can be replanted or shared with friends. Some perennials, such as sedums, will benefit from being divided every few years to keep the clump growing vigorously.

P lus..

Give fruit cordons, espaliers and fans a summer pruning in late August to restrict size and vigour and encourage fruiting rather than leaf growth.

• Plant autumn crocus corms now, at three or four times their own depth in drifts at the front of the border, between small perennials, or in rock gardens, troughs or pots.

32

Lengthening your strawberry season

• The hardy lavenders (varieties of L.angustifolia) should be pruned every year to keep them compact. Once established plants have finished flowering remove flower stalks and about 1in (2.5cm) of the current year’s growth.

• Powdery mildew can affect grape foliage throughout the season, but more serious is damage to fruit. Spray with organic treatment.

• If you have been feeding your raspberries but they still show leaf yellowing, consider magnesium deficiency. This causes yellowing between the leaf veins. Treat with Epsom Salts as a foliar feed.

Country Gardener

STOP it Naturally with

GILLINGHAM & SHAFTESBURY

AGRICULTURALSHOW ‘The Show where town & country meet’

Wednesday 15th August 8.30am - 6.30pm

.Ruggle-it equine • pet • farm • human • plant

1 Product - 18 Issues 100% Natural Vegetable Oil Mix + Ultra Mild Soap-Free Shampoo NO Tea Tree or Harsh Chemicals

Mystery Itching • Mites • Itchy Pets/Paws/Ears • Mud & Wet-weather Issues • Flies/Midges/Mossies • Fleas/Lice/ Ticks • Itchy Manes/Tails • Scurf and/or Irritated Skin • Fungus • Hair Loss/Crusty Lumps • Head Lice • Aphids...

•“Ruggle-it's long-lasting & saves me a fortune” • “Dog & cat's hair grew back, they've no fleas & it saves buying spot-ons!”

• “Horse's mud issues, chicken mites + head lice gone” • “Midges do U-turns & no fly rugs needed” • “A1 for Alpaca Mites & hair loss” • “No ticks!” • “100% versatile” Recommended by Vets

Attractions include: The Imps Motorcycle Display Team Over 500 trade stand including 14 tractor dealers Competitive classes for Dairy & Beef Cattle, Sheep, Poultry, Grain & Fodder. K.C. Dog Show Huge Horticulture, Home-Handicraft Marquee including Fruit & Veg, Flowers & Floral Decoration, Photography, Honey, Cookery, Handicraft, Wine & Cordial - With many classes especially for children Held at the Turnpike Showground SP7 9PL 2 miles north of Shaftesbury - Free Car Parks Tickets (pre-show prices in brackets) Adult £16 (£13 Child (5-16yrs) £4 (£3) Family ticket (2 adults + 3 Children) £39 (£31)

Disabled facilities - Dogs on leads

Beat HEALTH issues naturally equine • pet • farm • human

Vitamin D • Joint care • Flu/Colds • Immunes • Skin issues • Protexin Probiotics • Stress • OM3 oils & Green Lipped Mussel • Superfood Green Barley Grass • Pet Treats • Digestion • Skincare

www.karenruggles.co.uk |

Ruggles

& Stopitall

01823 259952

Ltd – utilising the Power of Nature

CALL: 01747 823955 EMAIL: enquiries@gillshaftshow.co.uk WEB: www.gillshaftshow.co.uk FACEBOOK: GillandShaftshow

ENJOY COLOUR IN YOUR GARDEN

all Summer long

The New Forest’s leading centre offering you the quality and choice of Trees, Shrubs and Hardy Plants grown on our own 25 acre nursery.

This is the time to sit back in the sunshine and enjoy your garden!

Make the most of those al-fresco moments with something from our range of garden furniture and barbecues Relax in ‘Camellias’, our Coffee Shop and Restaurant, where you can enjoy coffee, tea, and a selection of lunch specials prepared fresh every day

For the latest garden news, events & advice - don't miss

COUNTRY GARDENER www.countrygardener.co.uk

Visit our website, www.evertonnurseries.co.uk for info and gardening tips!

EVERTON, on A337, Near LYMINGTON. 01590 642155 Open every day 9-5.30, Sunday, 10.30-4.30

www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

Try some JUNGLE VIBE! Gill Heavens delves into the exotic world of hedychiums or ginger lilies, plants whose colour and vibrancy has the ability to immediately transport us to the world of the tropics There is a growing desire among the fine gardeners of the UK. Many of us are veering away from the classic cottage or the informal prairie and beginning to lean towards the jungle vibe.

This might be more of a challenge, attempting to replicate Singapore in Swanage. However there are plants available that have the ability transport to us straight to the steamy tropics.

One that will help you on your journey, with its lush foliage and glamorous blooms, is the hedychium, commonly known as the ginger lily.

Once cultivated only by the enthusiast or expert, now they are becoming more readily available, with many laudable cultivars.

Hedychium, also sometimes known as butterfly lilies, are in the family Zingiberaceae.

Many of its relatives will be recognised by the cooks among you - cardamom, galangal, turmeric and of course the common ginger. All have fleshy rhizomes, creeping rootstocks, which allow the plant to travel sideways.

There are thought to be between seventy and eighty different species which can be found in Southeast Asia, China, Madagascar and the Himalayan regions.

The word Hedychium comes from the Greek hedys meaning “sweet” and chios meaning “snow. This refers specifically to the white ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium, with its highly fragrant white blooms. It can be reluctant to flower if the summer isn’t warm enough. A sunny spot and plenty of water throughout the growing season will increase the chances of a good display. Although not a native, this hedychium is the National flower of Cuba and its flowers are used both to celebrate 34

Country Gardener

weddings and as offerings for the dead. Used extensively in the creation of perfumed oils, in India it is known as gandasuli, meaning “the fragrance of the princess” in Sanskrit.

Hedychium gardnerianum, Kahili ginger, is a vigorous plant with scented pale yellow flowers and striking long, red stamen. It was first introduced into this country in the early 19th century from the Himalayas, and named in honour of Edward Gardner, who was the first British resident of Nepal. Unfortunately it has become invasive in some parts of the world, including New Zealand, spreading by both seed and rhizome. Don’t worry, in our climate it is unlikely to become a problem.

The Scarlet ginger lily, Hedychium coccineum, is one of the hardier varieties of hedychium. The stunning reddish-orange flowers are produced in summer, but lack any fragrance. They can be forgiven for this omission as they are not fussy plants, enjoying anything from full sun to light shade.

The compact Hedychium densiflorum, also called the dense ginger lily, has individual flowers packed tightly into a spike. Reaching up to 1.5 meter tall, it is variable in colour, with some plants red/orange, while others have a little pink or yellow flowers. To avoid leaf scorch plant it is best situated in dappled shade. Worthy forms include ‘Assam Orange’ which was introduced by the famous plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward in 1938. Tony Schilling collected the yellow and orange hued ‘Stephen’ which he named after his son. Mr Schilling showed no filial preference as he named Hedychium ‘Tara’ after his daughter.

This is a show-stopper of a ginger, with large and fragrant orange flowers.

Although debated long and hard, it is

Hedychium gardnerianum, Kahili ginger

Hedychium coronarium highly fragrant blooms

Hedychium densiflorum, also called the dense ginger lily

Hedychium ‘Tara’

The Scarlet ginger lily, Hedychium coccineum

Hedychium greenii, the red ginger

thought to be a natural hybrid between H. gardnerianum and H. coccineum.

A late flowerer, but definitely worth the anticipation, is Hedychium greenii, the red ginger. Whilst you are waiting for it to bloom you can enjoy the stunning foliage, with deep red stems and matching maroon undersides of the leaves. It is native to Bhutan and Northern India and has burnt orange-red flowers. This species often produce bulbils which you can pot up and propagate.

In the wild many species live in woodland margins in moist soil. Dappled shade is their preferred situation, but they might need a little more sun to flower well in our less than tropical climate. Although hedychiums dislike winter wet, conversely when in growth they love water! In fact they are not only thirsty during the season, but hungry too.

Feed and water well if you want large healthy plants and a fine display of blooms.

When planting your specimens improve the soil with organic matter, which will help with moisture conservation, and plant deeply if you are in a cold area.

As ginger lilies object to being moved, and may sulk for a year or so if you do, frost protection in situ is the best approach. After the first frosts have withered the stems, cut back the pseudostems to a few centimetres and mulch well. This will both raise the soil temperature and protect the rhizomes from excessive moisture.

Not only will this keep the plant alive it will protect any developing flower buds. You could also grow your gingers in pots, which you can move around the garden as you please (as long as the specimen is not too big!) and retire it to a greenhouse or shed for the winter months.

Hedychium can be slow to come into bud in the spring, but you must be patient and not give up too soon.

Most will be showing signs by May, but others, especially in a chilly season, might not appear until June.

Whether you are going to attempt a full-on tropical look, or just want a spot plant to add an extra bit of summer structure to your garden, ginger lilies are the plants for you.

These exotic darlings are architectural, often fragrant, always beautiful and will certainly be a talking point for the neighours. With a little care, and perhaps a touch of optimism, you can nurture your own small corner of the Himalayas in Honiton.

35

Time to invest in a new gardening skill?

It is boom time for gardening courses as more of us invest the time and money to learn more Is time you invested some time to improve your gardening skills?

The last three years have seen a boom in the number of gardeners adding to their skill levels with courses on anything from organic gardening, autumn planting, pruning, propagation, composting and a whole range of gardening skills.

It’s more a question of how much time you want to commit and what level you want to reach and what practically you want to add to your skill base.

Garden design , photography and countryside skills such as hedging and dry stone walling are now popular and very much in demand.

Gardeners are enrolling in numbers in everything from basic one-day gardening skills right up to the RHS General Certificate in Horticulture -the base for a career in gardening.

Garden design courses continue to top the list where many hobby gardeners are keen to learn new skills and apply them to plans for their own gardens.

The boom in learning is set against a recent claim that Britain has lost a lot of its gardening skills which need to be re learnt.

The claim is the loss of knowledge stems from people born after it became common for both parents to work so basic gardening skills were not handed down from parent to childbecause there was no time in a busy working schedule.

A survey by the RHS interviewed 500 people from three different generations about their gardening habits, and found that less than 1 per cent of parents were taught gardening in school.

This was in comparison to 55 per cent of grandparents.

So what are the skills being sought which go to making a more complete gardener?

SOIL TESTING For the gardening beginner, this will not present much concern at first. After all, as long as the soil is a nice rich loam, anything will grow. But eventually, as you progress in

gardening, you’ll find the acidity or the alkalinity of your soil will have effects on certain plants and you’ll need to make amendments, and know how and why.

PRUNING As you progress in gardening, you’ll find pruning is an essential garden practice both in landscaping and vegetable gardening. It’s an art which needs to be learnt for the sake of your garden.

PROPAGATING PLANTS FROM CUTTING Growing more plants from cuttings is probably one of the best measures for a gardening expert. It’s truly a feat not all gardeners have great success at, but growing more plants from cuttings can be convenient.

HORTICULTURE COURSES GALORE AT KINGSTON MAURWARD COLLEGE Horticulturists at Kingston Maurward College are planning next year’s courses for budding gardeners and responding to a demand for quality training for the home gardener, Kingston Maurward College is launching a new course: ‘College Certificate in Expert Horticulture Skills for year round Gardening’: Based near Dorchester, Kingston Maurward College offers challenging education and training opportunities to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life and work.

Offering full- and part-time courses, higher education and Apprenticeships, the College is set in a 750 acre estate complete with a Georgian house, commercial farm, laboratories, training areas, animal science centre, indoor and outdoor equestrian arenas, state of the art plant production units and Agri-tech facilities.

Course areas include agriculture, countryside management, equine, animal welfare and science, foundation learning, construction, horticulture, military preparation, unformed public services, blacksmithing and welding, floristry, outdoor adventure and Business.

For more details please call Part time Courses on 01305 215215 or visit our website at www.kmc.ac.uk 36

Country Gardener

Phew, what a scorcher!

The arid heatwave days of June and July this year put all gardens and flowers under threat but there are some precautions you can take against excessive heat Although some plants like basil, peppers, and aubergines in particular love warm temperatures, there are many that shut down when the mercury hits the high 20s.

And that has what has been happening this summer.

This means that they stop growing, stop producing fruit, and start to look a bit sad. This happens to crops like lettuce, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and more. It’s no wonder, either - after all, they’re just trying to stay alive! Even warm-weatherloving plants can struggle when it gets too hot.

Luckily enough, there are actually a few things you can do to protect your plants and ensure they fare better during the heatwave, whether they naturally love sunlight or would rather avoid it.

Mulch Mulching not only keeps the soil moist, but it can also reduce the temperature of the soil. If you haven’t applied mulch in the garden yet this year, there’s still time to do it. While you should do your best to keep it away from the stems of your plants, you’ll want to ensure that every spot in your garden is covered, especially in areas that tend to harbour a lot of weeds.

Water slowly (but consistently) By delivering water slowly to the roots, your plants have more opportunities to absorb it all. Water deeply every week, preferably in the evening when it’s cooler and the water has less of a chance of evaporating. The important thing is to be consistent with your watering routine to ensure optimum plant health. If you have a timer, set it to water early in the morning or evening several days a week, or however often your plants need to get a good soaking.

Remove weeds Weeds compete with your plants for precious nutrients.

When your plants are trying to stay alive, they don’t want to compete against other plants. Pull weeds as soon as you spot them to prevent them from spreading too far. Plan to weed at least once a week, or more often if the weeds in your area tend to become a problem in the heat.

Don’t fertilise your plants Fertiliser encourages plants to grow, which is something they shouldn’t try to do when it’s so hot out. Any growth will take away from the plant being able to sustain itself. Instead, put the fertiliser away and focus on watering and shading for now.

Grow heat-tolerant varieties In especially hot summers try to cultivate plants that do well in the heat. After all, many heat-seeking plants need about a month or longer of warm temperatures in order

to thrive. Some varieties even resist going to seed when temperatures rise, but others have been bred to handle warmer temperatures.

Grow cool-weather crops before or after the heat of summer has passed If the trends for hot summers goes on, plan to grow cool season crops in the late spring and replant a second batch when the heat has died down in September. If you have to have home grown kale, peas, or broccoli in the middle of summer, think about preserving your last harvest before the hot weather arrives. Keep in mind that your plants may go to seed when temperatures soar.

Plant intensively By planting close together raised beds instead of in rows, the foliage of each plant serves to shade the roots and keep the soil cool. Additionally, it helps keep weeds and moisture loss to a minimum.

Install shade netting You’ll perhaps want to install shade netting, a dark-webbed netting that protects plants from overexposure to heat and sunlight, without preventing your plants from getting adequate water and sunlight. This netting tends to keep soil and air temperatures up to 10 degrees cooler than they would be without it. Shade cloth is a similar concept in that you would also pin it above the plants using hoops or another type of support system. Both items can be purchased online or at the local plant nursery.

What about flowers?

Flowers are also susceptible to gloom and droop in hot temperatures. In addition to drooping leaves, their petals may fall off, and new flowers may not appear for some time. Remove dead foliage and flowers, and trim the plants back when the temperatures start to soar. This will help the plants appear neat and tidy and allow them to reserve their resources while temperatures are high.

Watch for pests Heat causes stress in many plants, especially those that don’t thrive in it. A stressed plant is more likely to succumb to harmful insects and disease. For that reason, you’ll want to make sure to assess your plants periodically for those things.

Treat all issues as soon as you spot them.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

CLASSIF IED Accommodation Lazydaze Holiday Chalet. Nestled Between The Quantocks, Exmoor & Blue Anchor Bay. 5 Miles From Minehead.

Sleeps 3. Private Enclosed Garden. Dogs Welcome. Phone Jan For Brochure & Details On 01984 641321 Glorious North Devon. Only 9 cosy caravans on peaceful farm. Wonderful walks in woods & meadows. Easy reach sea, moors & lovely days out. £125395pw. Discount couples. Nice pets welcome. 01769 540366 www.snapdown.co.uk Bosworlas near Sennen/St Just, Cornwall. Cosy Cottage, rural views, Sleeps 2-4 01736 788709 www.bosworlas.co.uk Cornwall, near St Just. Chalet, sleeps 4, heated indoor pool, open all year – near gardens/coast, golfing nearby. Prices from £260 pw. 01736 788718

Pinnock Wood Shepherd Hut A Bespoke Craftsman Built Shepherds Hut situated on a working livestock farm in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Ideally located for visiting all Cotswold Towns and Villages. Excellent walking Tel: 01242 604189 info@pinnockwoodfarm.co.uk www.pinnockwoodfarm.co.uk

Peace, Privacy, and Stunning Views!

4* Delightful cosy cabin for 2, nestling between Wye and Usk Valleys.

Shirenewton village and pubs closeby.

Wonderful walks, splendid castles and bustling market towns. Perfect for all seasons. Pets welcome!

Tel: 01291 641826 lynne@bryncosyn.co.uk www.bryncosyn.co.uk

Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word

Accommodation Holiday Cottages

Gloucestershire, Cosy annexe for two

non-smokers, lovely garden, beautiful countryside. Pets welcome. Special rates for Xmas.

Tel: 01452 840531

Carmarthen Bay South Wales Seafront chalet situated on estuary.

Sleeps up to 6. Seaview. Well Behaved Dogs Welcome. For brochure Tel: 01269 862191 38

Carmarthenshire A charming holiday cottage, rural setting, stands alone, Sleeps 3. Short breaks available. Pets welcome. 01239 711679 Devon. Tamar Valley. Pretty cottage sleeps 2-4. Wood burner, garden, small dog welcome. 02073 736944/07940 363233 www.northwardshippon.co.uk Cornwall. Village location between Truro and Falmouth. Fully equipped renovated cottage. Peaceful garden.

Off road parking. Ideal for 2 adults. No children/animals. Good public transport.

Good pub and shop. Easy reach of Heligan and Eden. 01279 876751 ayrepj@aol.com Padstow house. 4 + baby, gardens, parking, Wi-Fi, Camel trail (bike storage), beaches holidaysat55@gmail.com 07887 813495 Wye Valley/Forest of Dean. Fully equipped 4-star single storey cottage.

Two bedrooms both en-suite. Central heating/bedlinen provided. Rural retreat with shops/pubs one mile. Short breaks available. Warm welcome.

Tel: 01594833259 www.cowshedcottage.co.uk Country Gardener

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

Available year round. Dogs Welcome.

Open Fires.

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

Three Cotswold Barn Conversions Sleeps 4-10 people. Visit England Four Stars In between Upton House, Hidcote and Chastleton

www.ascott-barns.co.uk or Karen on 01608 684240

Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word

CLASSIF IED Accommodation with Beautiful Gardens North Devon near Clovelly. 3 delightful cottages situated in 12 acres of idyllic countryside. Sleeps 2-4. 1 Wheelchair friendly. Prices from £190 p.w. Brochure: 01237 431324 www.foxwoodlodge.co.uk

Bed & Breakfast Somerset 5* Restaurant with Rooms.

Close to many NT Gardens, Houses and Dorset Coast. Sculpture by the lakes in Dorset. Pet Friendly 01935 423902 www.littlebarwickhouse.co.uk Charming B&B in garden cottage annex. Double with en-suite. Village location near Jurassic Coast, Bridport.

Tel: 01308 488177 Country House B&B Ideal location for Malvern Autumn Garden Show and surrounding gardens. Visit www.littlebridge-house.co.uk or Tel: 01885 482471 for details.

Flyscreens

flyscreens4u@sky.com

Garden Furniture UKs leading supplier of Teak Furniture for the Garden

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

Tel: 01792 391212 www.penricecastle.co.uk

Gloucestershire Quality Bungalow B&B Ensuites, rural, large garden with sheep and fruit. Ideal Cotswolds, Malvern’s, walking, cycle storage, ample parking, Wi-Fi £37 p.p.p.n.

Tel: 01452 840224

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

Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word

Cards & Prints Near Stratford-upon-Avon Lovely self-catering cottage in peaceful location: Large garden, Sleeps 2. Perfect for famous gardens, NT properties & Cotswolds.

Tel: 01789 740360 www.romanacres.com

Antiques International Dealer requires records (all types) old gramophones, phonographs, music boxes, radios, valves, telephones, early sewing machines, typewriters, calculators, tin toys, scientific instruments etc. Parts also wanted. Top Cash Price Paid.

07774 103139 davepauled1@yahoo.com

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

ANNECOTTERILL

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

Contact us for your free 2018 catalogue Mill House Fine Art Publishing, Bellflower Gallery, Market Place, Colyton, Devon EX24 6JS

Tel. 01297 553100 info@millhousefineart.com

www.millhousefineart.com

Advertise here...

Call on 01278 671037 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

Enjoy more of the Country Gardener experience by visiting our website More news & events, plus exclusive features can be found online Many free and paid advertising opportunities

www.countrygardener.co.uk 39

CLASSIF IED New Dawn Furniture

www.newdawnfurniture.co.uk OAK GARDEN FURNITURE MADE IN ENGLAND

Gardens to Visit

Specialist Garden Products

Burrow Farm Gardens

Ex display sheds. Stables, field shelters, garages, summerhouses, offices, workshops/agricultural 01935 891195

www.burrowfarmgardens.co.uk

Specialist Nurseries & Plants Tel: 01243 375535 info@newdawnfurniture.co.uk

Garden Plant Supports

THE GARDENER’S BLACKSMITH jonne@jonne.co.uk 07770 720 373 Artist blacksmith with a forge in Axminster designing and manufacturing garden plant supports, structures and furniture.

13 Acre Garden Open 10am-6pm Tea Room, Nursery & Gift Shop

Dalwood, Axminster, EX13 7ET

Water Lilies

Direct from the National Plant Collection® at Bennetts Water Gardens in Dorset

Buy online at www.waterlily.co.uk or visit our gardens in Weymouth

Garden Tools/Sundries RECOMMENDED GARDENING TOOLS AND SUNDRIES DIRECTLY FROM A

Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth DT3 4AF

PROFESSIONAL GARDENER

Commissions welcomed.

www.thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk

Garden Services Wisteria Pruning, Improvement, Oxfordshire, surrounding area. Richard Barrett wisteriapruning@tiscali.co.uk 01865 452334

www.arthurandstrange.co.uk See me at Taunton Flower Show 3rd/4th Aug

We stock up to 200 varieties throughout the year

Home Services

Advertise here...

or 07500

600 205

Gary@cranesbillnursery.com

Europe

DORSET WATER LILY COMPANY The Uk’s largest selection of established pot grown water lilies for public and landscape supply.

Speciality hardy marginals and moisture loving bogside.

Catalogue available or visit us MON/ FRI or SAT 9 - 4pm, Yeovil Road, Halstock BA22 9RR

Seed Specialists

Consultation/Design & Landscape Service Tel: 01935 891668

www.dorsetwaterlily.co.uk

Tel: 0800 0854399

Call on 01278 671037 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk 40

Call Gary: 01684 770 733 UK and

www.cranesbillnursery.com

07771 530401 sales@magshading.co.uk www.magshading.co.uk

Dry Stone Walling and Landscaping Patrick Houchen - DSWA member.

Tel: 01963 371123 www.yenstonewalling.co.uk

Free printed catalogue & emailed guide available upon request.

Mail order

WINDOW BLINDS - ALL TYPES AWNINGS GIANT UMBRELLAS

Yenstone Walling

Discover the Diversity of Hardy Geraniums!

CERTIFIED ORGANIC VEGETABLE PLANTS Visit us at Kitley Farm, Yealmpton, PL8 2LT Or order plants at

www.growersorganics.com Tel: 01752 881180

Country Gardener

CLASSIF IED Thornhayes nursery Devon’s specialist tree grower for a wide range of ornamental, fruit, hedging trees and a selection of choice shrubs.

Wholesale Nursery

Forton Nursery Top quality Perennials,Shrubs and Trees. Located in Forton village, near Chard TA20 4HD Tel 01460 239569 fortonnursery@ btconnect.com Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Tel 01404 41150

Looking for young, hardy garden plants to grow or plant?

Try

Courses, expert advice, arboretum, display fruit garden.

Wanted/For Sale

Tel: 01884 266746 www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

Wanted Old Radio Valves And Audio Valves. Tel: 07557 792091

Trimplant Nursery, Combe Raleigh, Honiton, Devon sales@trimplants.co.uk www.trimplants.co.uk

ATTENTION ALL GARDENERS!

Mushroom Compost, Farm Yard Manure, Horse Manure, Top Soil, Wood Chip Mulch, Wood Chip, Compost and Chicken Manure.

ALL £1.50 PER BAG PLUS DELIVERY

For more information or advice call Nick on 01404 891684 / 07860 459745

Facebook “f ” Logo

Advertise here...

Call on 01278 671037 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

www.connettsfarmdevon.co.uk

Oak Fair aims to improve on last year’s

bumper event Stock Gaylard will be hosting the popular 14th annual Oak Fair on the 25th and 26th of August. With almost 10,000 visitors through the gate last year to look at 200 plus stalls and displays, the pressure has been on to improve the show without losing the unique atmosphere of the event.

The fair, which runs from 10am to 5pm, makes a great day out for all the family. The children will be entertained throughout the day with a variety of activities and workshops in a special kids area while adults can enjoy the stalls and exhibitors showing the depth of rural skills and conservation projects found locally. Local foods and drinks will be available in the Market Square to enjoy during the day.

The fair welcomes back Avalon Axes who will be letting anyone have a go at showcasing their axe throwing skills!

The Great Big Tree Climbing Company will be available again with tree climbing for kids and adults. In the arena there’s also the return of the Heavy Horse display team, Mere Down Falconry and Adams Axemen who will be putting on displays.

The Tree Pirates are also booked in to show off their skills with chainsaws creating their exceptional sculptures.

Dike & Son of Stalbridge are the main sponsors of the Oak Fair. Tickets are £10 with children free. Concessions are £8.50.

Stock Gaylard Estate, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 2BG. www.stockgaylard.com

www.countrygardener.co.uk

41

TIME Off

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

Here’s a selection of Hampshire gardening events to look out for over the next few weeks.

Thank you to all those gardening clubs who have sent us their details of events for us to publicise. Send us details of your event at least ten weeks before publication and we will publicise it free of charge. Make sure you let us know where the event is being held, the date and include a contact telephone number.

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

JULY

AUGUST

SALISBURY BONSAI SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING Details on 07785 565510

21st

1st

BISHOP’S WALTHAM GARDENING CLUB, JUBILEE HALL, LITTLE SHORE LANE 62ND ANNUAL OPEN SHOW www.bwgc.org.uk

FAREHAM HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION ‘MOSCOW TO ST PETERSBURG’ – GEOFF HAWKINS Details on 01329 232668

7th

PORTSMOUTH & DISTRICT BRITISH CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY ‘MEXICO 3’ – CLIFF THOMPSON Details on 07775 910303 26th IBSLEY & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘HOW TO MAKE GARDENING EASY’ – RAY BROUGHTON Details on 01425 653834 28th/29th STOCKBRIDGE OPEN GARDENS 1.30pm – 5.30pm. Facebook: @StockbridgeGardensOpe 29th COPTHORNE NURSERY, LANGLEY OPEN DAY 10.30am – 3.30pm.

Details on 023 80894998

42

SOLENT FUCHSIA CLUB ANNUAL FUCHSIA SHOW AT THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH HALL Details on 8th

3rd BOURNEMOUTH IN BLOOM, THE BOURNEMOUTH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘SHADY GARDENS’ – ALAN EDMONDSON Details on 01202 752014 SOUTHAMPTON GARDENING CLUB ‘DAHLIAS FOR PLEASURE’ – BRYAN MADDERS Details on 01489 784823 5th ‘BRACKENWOOD’, GOD’S BLESSING GREEN, HOLT CHARITY GARDEN PARTY Details on 01202 885685 6th OAKLEY GARDENING CLUB ‘CLIMBING PLANTS FOR SUN OR SHADE’ – MARCUS DANCER Details on 01256 780788

Country Gardener

GRAYSHOTT GARDENING CLUB MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01428 722000 TOTTON & DISTRICT GARDENERS’ SOCIETY FLORAL ART DEMONSTRATION’ – PIP BENSLEY Details on 023 8066 8177 11th BURSLEDON & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB ANNUAL SHOW Details on 02380 449245 15th BOTLEY GARDENING CLUB MEETING Details on 01489 781155

16th

25th

ALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘CUTTING DOWN’ – ROGER HIRONS www.altonhorticulturalsociety.org.uk

WEST MOORS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY SUMMER SHOW

BARTLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘NEW FOREST NON-NATIVE PLANTS PROJECT’ – CATHERINE CHATTERS www.bartleyhs.org.uk 18th DENMEAD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY SUMMER SHOW www.denmeadhorticultural society.btck.co.uk FARLINGTON & DISTRICT GARDEN CLUB SUMMER SHOW Email: c.roe204@btinternet.com

DO YOU HAVE ANY EVENTS YOU’D LIKE TO PUBLICISE?

29th WARSASH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘WINNING WAYS WITH YOUR GARDEN’ – HILARY GILSON www.warsashhorticultural society.btck.co.uk

I T’S FREE!

Send them into us by email to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk

30th

or by post to Mount House, Halse,

IBSLEY & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘FROMAGE ET FLEUR’ – SUE HOOPER Details on 01425 653834

Taunton, TA4 3AD. Your event can also be listed on www.countrygardener.co.uk - sign up and start adding your events today.

SWAY GARDENING CLUB SUMMER SHOW Details on 01590 682020

Devon

Cotswolds ISSUE NO 139 SPRING

.co.uk www.countrygardener

2018 FREE

.co.uk www.countrygardener

Old Gold

the perfect tomato! ….juicy, tasty, organic

snowdrops

EARLY OPENING GARDEN

S

bluebell

AT THE GARDEN

LOVERS GARDEN

Road, Nr. Farnborough,

Banbury OX17 1EL.

Sensational

er bulbs

NATIVE

ng events

The best Easter gardeni throughout Devon

flowers

for you to enjoy On A423 Southam

PRESERVING OUR

CENTRE

Tel: 01295 690479

y: Week - Tuesday-Saturda Open Six Days a 10.30am - 4.30pm 9am - 5pm Sunday:

Open Bank Holiday

Mondays tre.co.uk

www.farnboroughgardencen

2018 FREE

and now all summe

It’s time to think summ

P lus

Compost wisdom; Sundials; Growing rocket; No-dig beds; Your own cut

ISSUE NO 162 MAY

Long live ..

LAVENDER. r long

and home grown

from your

your How to spruce up season garden for the new

It’s free!

.co.uk www.countrygardener

this summer Make teas own garden

In search of

DO YOU HAVE ANY EVENTS YOU’D LIKE TO PUBLICISE?

Dorset

2018 FREE

ALL HAIL

Let heritage daffodils welcome in spring

Prepare for Spring

ISSUE NO 167 APRIL

Quality Verandas, Carports, Canopies and Awnings or

P lus

How to feed your lawn, hyacinth delights, growing chard, April gardens to visit

Glass Rooms,

brochure Phone today for a FREE no obligation quote | Devon | TQ13 8JU Stone Lane | Chagford ercanopies.co.uk 01647 432321 www.allweath

garden days out in May VEGETABLES WITH

the taste of Italy

Gardening events galore

P lus

Seductive alpines; beating the weed invasion; summer squashes; grow your own loofah’s

THROUGHOUT DORSET

WHITE of WITCHAMPTON

• ESTABLISHED 27 YEARS & • HIGH QUALITY DESIGN DORSET, LANDSCAPE SERVING HAMPSHIRE & WILTSHIRE • NO CONTRACTORS

k

Tel: 07966 258267

ardens.co.u / 01258 840082 www.wowg

Are you part of a garden club or society?

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Sign up and start adding your events today

www.countrygardener.co.uk

43

Stockists of Country Gardener Hampshire Country Gardener is available free of charge throughout the area at the outlets listed below. For amendments to details or deliveries call Pat Eade on 01594 543790 email pateade8@gmail.com Alresford Natural Talents (Westlea Farm Shop) Alton Farm & Country Supplies Lavender Fields Alton Home Hardware Mill Farm Organics Andover Vigo Nursery (C Blake & Son) Mole Country Stores The Weyhill Farm Shop Basingstoke Conkers Manydown Farm Shop Mole Country Stores The Vyne NT Beaulieu Fairweather Garden Centre Brockenhurst Setley Ridge Garden Centre Bursledon Pickwell Farm Shop Grandessa Farm Shop Cadnam Cadnam Garden Centre Eastleigh George Beckett Nurseries Emsworth Emsworth Home Hardware Fair Oak Allington Nurseries The Garden Society Fareham Mud Island Nurseries Mole Country Stores Fleet Peacocks Garden Centre Fordingbridge Baskets & Blooms Bleakhill Plants Hyde Garden Shop Scent Sational Plants Wolvercroft World Of Plants Woodgreen Community Shop

Four Marks, nr Alton Garthowan Garden Centre Gosport Tourist Information Centre Hartley Wintney Organically Speaking Havant Staunton Country Park Hayling Island Meadow Farm Nursery Terracotta Pot Shop Tourist Information Centre Stoke Fruit Farm Hinton Ampner Hinton Ampner NT Hook Hook Garden Centre Lindum Nurseries Newlyns Farm Shop Wellington Farm Shop Whitewater Nursery Horndean Queen Elizabeth Country Park Lasham Avenue Nurseries Liss Hillier Garden Centre Lyndhurst Furzey Gardens Lymington Mole Country Stores Everton Nurseries Tourist Information Centre, St Barbe Museum Newbury Fairoak Garden Machinery Yew Tree Garden Centre New Milton Redcliffe GC Ferndene Farm Shop & Plant Shop Bashley Plant Centre Danestream Farm Shop Park Gate Carters of Swanwick

Petersfield Friends of Petersfield Physic Society Tourist Information Centre Ringwood Penn Lawnmowers In-Excess Garden Centre Romsey Gilberts Nursery Choice Plants Nursery Romsey Home Hardware Romsey World Of Water Mole Country Stores Cedar Nurseries Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Pococks Rowlands Castle Rowlands Home Hardware Stansted Park Garden Centre Salisbury Salisbury Garden Centre Wilton Garden Centre The Shed Shop Selbourne Gilbert White’s House Southampton Mayfield Nursery Woolston & Dist Allotment Association Stockbridge Garden Inn Garden Shop Longstock Park Nursery Tadley Mowers UK Elm Park GC Wolverton Plants Titchfield Stewarts Garden Centre Garsons Hambrook’s Garden Centre The Ultimate Shed Company St Margarets Fuchsia Nursery Waterlooville Rumsey Gardens Southern Mowers Whitchurch Hardy’s Cottage Plants

Whiteparish Courtens Garden Centre Wickham Park Place Farm Nursery Westlands Farm Shop Winchester Kings Worthy Garden Machinery, Winnall Mole Country Stores Sparsholt College The Goodlife Home & Garden Tourist Information Centre Winchester City Mill

Country Gardener Magazine Editorial Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 431767

Distribution Pat Eade pateade8@gmail.com Tel: 01594 543790

Time Off: Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk

Advertising Sales Corina Reay - Cotswolds Cath Pettyfer - Devon & Dorset corina@countrygardener.co.uk cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 410098 Tel: 01837 82660

Ava Bench - Somerset & Classified ava@countrygardener.co.uk classified@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01278 671037

Rob Houghton - Hampshire & Sussex Design & Production Aidan Gill rob@countrygardener.co.uk aidan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01614 283230 Accounts Sam Bartholomew sam@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 430639

Gemma Stringer gemma@countrygardener.co.uk

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

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

44

Country Gardener

Agapanthus in flower

Getting this hugely popular and showy plant to flower fully is often a problem - the right variety in the right place in your garden might be the answer

There’s nothing better for an infusion of midsummer blue than an agapanthus.

They are great showy garden flowers and while growing them isn’t a problem, getting them to flower can be tricky, especially in less than ideal growing conditions. It is really important to select the right variety and plant in the right place in your garden; some varieties for example will tolerate frost better than others, some will thrive on having more space and not being squashed into a busy border.

Like many garden favourites, when growing agapanthus, the trick is to get the right plant in the right place. There are about ten species of both deciduous and evergreen, but most importantly, the deciduous varieties are more hardy than the evergreen varieties, and all varieties benefit from a winter mulch and frost protection.

Agapanthus will flower without feeding. It is more about getting the right growing conditions. If flowering is an issue then a high potash feed to aid flowering – such as tomato feed will help.

These South African bulbous plants have been selected and hybridised from only six to 14 species, depending on which botanist you believe. The name, agapanthus, translates as ‘love flower’ but they’re more commonly known as the African lily.

The Eastern side of the Cape has a wet summer season lasting four months, between November and February, when rainfall averages five inches per month. The winters, between May and August, are dry and cool, however. As a result agapanthus species tend to do their growing in the summer and then die down in winter. This deciduous habit makes them hardier than the evergreen agapanthus.

Growing agapanthus in a border The fleshy roots of agapanthus can suffer frost damage in severe winters, so if you’re planning to grow agapanthus in a border the ground must be well-drained and sunny. A strip close to a sunny house wall is ideal as long as you remember to water your agapanthus well in the growing season.

Once established clumps of deciduous agapanthus can withstand -10ºC to -15ºC as long as the ground is well drained, although the number of flowers can be reduced after a hard winter.

Growing agapanthus in pots The choice is far wider when you opt for growing agapanthus in pots, because hardiness becomes less of an issue.

Agapanthus look more impressive in pots too, because they are raised up above the pot and therefore reach four to five feet. They are also moveable feasts, so you can use them as eye catchers in front of borders that may have passed their best.

It’s important to choose rugged pots, because your plants will be in those pots for three years on average, before you have to divide them. Terracotta is ideal.

Make sure your pots have almost straight sides, because tapered lily pots and tall slender pots will blow over.

You’ll need to feed and water your agapanthus once they begin to grow. An unheated greenhouse gets them going faster.

Move under cover in October. A shed or greenhouse is usually sufficient. Or you can lay your pot on its side and place it somewhere sheltered - against the wall of the house. You don’t want winter rain and snow to reach the roots.

Deadhead agapanthus after flowering to allow the plant to conserve energy and stop it self-seeding.

Large clumps in the border should be lifted in spring every four to six years, split into pieces, and then replanted.

Do you cut back agapanthus in winter?

Deciduous varieties – cut back agapanthus stems to about four inches above the ground at the end of the blooming season. However, if you like the texture and structure that spent plants provide to the winter landscape, cutting back agapanthus can wait until early spring.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

45

Alpine strawberries

- small but sensational

Charming and well behaved, alpine strawberries are fast becoming a favourite with gardeners- easy to grow, full of flavour and aroma and able to provide a useful harvest The jewel-like fruits of alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca Sempervirens) are a special delicacy more of us should be enjoying.

Their flavour combines the essence of strawberries, roses and pineapples. Also known by their romantic French name, ‘Fraises des Bois’, these charming and well-behaved perennial plants yield continuous harvests of tiny, three quarter of an inch inch berries with an intensely concentrated flavour which should encourage more gardeners to add them to their ‘must grow’ list.

In France, Alpine strawberries are carefully hand harvested and sold as a sought after seasonal specialty to top perfect individual custard tarts at Paris patisseries. In fine restaurants, they are served in exquisite stemware topped with creme fraiche and candied violets.

Alpine strawberries are cultivated strains of wild or woodland strawberries and are reported to have been transplanted into domestic gardens as early as the 12th century – which is easy to understand as their aroma and flavour are unmatched as garden berries.

Alpines can grow in full sun, although in very hot weather areas, they will also thrive in half day sun or an area of dappled shade. Like other berries, they love a rich, fertile, and above all, well drained soil. Alpines need little special care beyond consistent moisture and occasional feeding.

These hardy, evergreen plants are carefree because, unlike regular strawberries, they do not self propagate by sending out runners. They’ll stay wherever you plant them gradually growing into soft leafy mounds about a foot in diameter and height. After several seasons, mature plant crowns will multiply and can be divided in early spring to double or triple your number of plants. Plants bear fruit the first season after sowing. Feed and water regularly and plants will continue to fruit for up to four years.

Properly located, plants will bear a continual summer long 46

crop of deep crimson pointed petite berries full of flavour and fragrance.

These plants with their green, serrated little leaves, white flowers and bright red delectable, berries are neat, attractive and very ornamental. The plants are perfect in windowboxes or hanging baskets, or as a handsome edging plants along a garden path or flower border and are equally at home as rock garden plants, in window boxes, patio containers, or in cascading from strawberry pots.

Seven or eight mature little Alpine plants will yield about a cup of berries several times a week on a continuous basis throughout the summer.

Alpine strawberries are easily grown from seed, so they’re cheap. Sowed March – they will soon become strong goodsized seedlings. They’ll crop a little later in the summer, but Alpine strawberries are easy to grow and can give excellent crops

will be at their best for two or three years after that. They are short-loved though and it’s a good idea to replace them every few years or you’ll be left with straggly plants, prone to virus. Tired strawberries also produce only half the fruit.

Space your plants a foot apart in good, generous, productive sweeps down the length of your paths. They are much better than the traditional edging of chives or box around a vegetable patch, and ‘Alexandria’, in particular, is doubly useful because it thrives out of full sun.

Wild strawberries are much tougher than conventional strawberries and have few pests and diseases. The fruit rarely gets eaten by birds, so you can grow without netting.

Mix in loads of leaf mould or rich organic material when planting - they like a rich soil which remains moist even in summer.

Like many fruiting plants they benefit from slow-release phosphates, so scatter seaweed solution or bone meal around them a couple of times a year.

Country Gardener

Quality products, low prices

Decorative aggregates and everything you need to maintain your patio!

At The Patio Centre we specialise in the manufacture and supply of many types of handmade paving and associated concrete products, as well as stocking a wide selection of natural sandstone, limestone, sawn and honed and associated natural stone products.

Professional Installation Service and Free no obligation quotations!

In addition, we also stock fencing and associated products, artificial grass, a wide range of decorative aggregates, rockery, paving and fence care products and much more.

We also offer a Professional installation service offering free no obligation quotations. Please contact us to arrange your free quotation.

T. 01329 83 55 22 E. enquiries@thepatiocentres.co.uk W. www.thepatiocentres.co.uk Belvedere Farm, Titchfield Lane, Wickham, Fareham, Hampshire PO17 5PQ

T: 01329 835530 E: enquiries@ric-construction.co.uk W: www.ricgroup.co.uk RIC Construction specialises in residential and commercial construction from planning to completion.

Offering the following services: Bricklaying, scaffolding, new builds, extensions, alterations, renovations and loft conversions.

Please contact us to arrange a free no obligation quotation. www.countrygardener.co.uk

47

of

Titchfield

we’re all about your garden

paving

turf / artificial

bulk bags

decorative stone

plants, shrubs & trees

sleepers

16 Show Gardens • Design Studio • Coffee Courtyard OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON-SAT 8.00-17.00 SUN 10.00-16.00 135 Southampton Rd PO14 4PR 01489 572285

www.hambrooks.co.uk