Hampshire Country Gardener March 2020

Your 2020 wildlife gardening year

March gardens open early for NGS

Gardening events to kick off a new season

Don’t kill your houseplants with kindness

Hampshire Issue No 121 March 2020 FREE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

We love spring!

Start your best gardening season with us PLUS: Growing coriander; Caring for orchids; Love in a Mist; Being kind to moles G A R DE N

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IN

HAMPSHIRE

this month CHAWTON HOUSE HAS snowdrops

on display for NGS

Gardens and gardening events throughout the county

New Forest Art at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

The New Forest Art Society returns to the Harold Hillier Gardens with a diverse exhibition of paintings highlighting the beauty of the New Forest. The exhibition runs from 26th February until 10th March from 10am to 4pm and entry is free. Artwork on sale will include framed and unframed paintings, three dimensional works and greeting cards.

The historic gardens at Chawton House near Alton stage a Snowdrops Day on Sunday, February 23rd in aid of the NGS. The gardens, forever associated with Jane Austen and her novels, will have a special viewing of the famous snowdrops in the gardens.

Entry is £5 with children under 16 entering free. The gardens will be open from 11am to 4pm.

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Jermyn’s Lane, Ampfield, Romsey SO51 0QA

Chawton House, Chawton, Alton GU34 1SJ The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey has a winter garden walk to highlight its snowdrops on Saturday 28th February from 10am to 2pm. Entry is £15.50 including a slice of cake and coffee. Booking is essential.

Guided village walk in JANE

AUSTEN’S FOOTSTEPS You can celebrate the first day of spring with a guided walk through Jane Austen’s Hampshire country village of Chawton, learning about her love of the local gardens and the importance village life had in her writing. Throughout the walk there will be short readings from her letters and novels. Tickets £15, booking is advisable.

Friday, March 20th starting at the museum at 1.30pm.

Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton GU34 1SD

FORAGING OVER THE HAMPSHIRE SOUTH DOWNS Foraging experts Wild Food UK are organising an early spring foraging walk through Queen Elizabeth Country Park on the South Downs outside of Waterlooville on Sunday 22nd March from 12 noon to 3.30pm. The course starts with a brief introduction on foraging principles and then a two and a half hour walk around the 20,000-acre park teaching you to identify plants and mushrooms.

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

Invasive plants AND THE THREAT THEY POSE

Heckfield Place in Hook is home to 17,000 plant species from all over the world. A small number of these have become invasive. So the theme of a special talk by tropical botanical expert Tomos Jones at Heckfield Place on Tuesday, 10th March will be on how gardeners can understand the impact on climate change of invasive plants. The talk takes place from 7pm and tickets which cost £15 are available at www.heckfieldplace.com

Heckfield Place, Hook RG27 0LD

GETTING READY FOR VEGETABLE GROWING with Rosie Yeomans There’s the opportunity to get your vegetable garden off to a flying start during an afternoon with Rosie Yeomans, well known from her work with Radio 4’s ‘Gardeners Question Time’, and her regular appearances on BBC Radio Solent’s ‘Kitchen Garden’.

Rosie is holding her course at Minstead on Saturday, 7th from March 1pm to 5pm. This session will cover everything you need from preparing the ground and sowing through to harvesting. Tickets £40.

School Lane, Minstead, Hampshire, SO43 7GJ. Tel: 02380 813437

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3

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CUTTINGS

Gardeners cuttings

in Hampshire

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Owls By Moonlight Hawk Conservancy Trust The Hawk Conservancy Trust, the award winning Hampshire visitor attraction, is offering a magical experience on four dates in March when you can step into the world of owls. Starting at 7pm and running through to 9.30pm you will be able to meet the trust’s resident owls close up during a tour of the grounds. The evenings are very popular so booking is essential and you will need to wrap up warm and take a torch as you step out into the dark with the owls as they twist and turn through the night sky.

The Owls by Moonlight evenings are on Saturday 7th March, Thursday 12th March, Saturday 20th March and Saturday 27th March, The Hawk Conservancy Trust. The ticket price includes a ten per-cent voluntary donation to the Trust. The non-donation price is £32.64 for adults and £19.91 for children. www.hawk-conservancy.org Sarson Lane, Weyhill, Andover SP11 8DY

NEW HAMPSHIRE HOMES GET HEDGEHOG HIGHWAYS A national house builder has joined forces with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and launched a campaign to protect hedgehogs and other creatures under threat at locations across Hampshire.

Bovis Homes which is building homes in Botley, Whiteley, Petersfield , Winchester and other locations in Hampshire will install hedgehog highways to its existing developments and all future sites as part of a campaign that will also help other small mammals, birds, frogs and insects. The highways - holes that are created at ground level in fencing and other barriers - which are designed to allow access between selected gardens and wilder areas, and marked with a plaque.

Hedgehogs walk more than a mile every night so need to move around freely between gardens.

125 years gardening at The Vyne

The Vyne, the 16th century estate and country house outside Sherborne St John is celebrating 125 years in the gardens with an series of guided walks during February. The walk includes learning about the restoration of historic features such as the glasshouse in the walled garden and the conservation challenges faced. 10am to 4pm daily until Sunday 1st March.

Dogs on leads are welcome.

The Vyne is set in 13 acres of relaxing gardens with styles ranging from the formal summerhouse and stone gallery gardens to the herbaceous borders with a more natural wild garden and fruit trees of the orchard and walled garden.

The Vyne, Vyne Rd, Sherborne St John.

Basingstoke RG24 9HL

‘RARE PLANTS ON YOUR DOORSTEP’ PLANT WALK Senior horticulturist Alex New will be leading a search of endangered plants at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens on Saturday, 14th March with a chance to look at species in the Romsey gardens which are being given special help through the conservation programme. You will learn about where they came form, the reasons they are in trouble and what can be done to save them. The entry price is £15.50p, which includes a coffee, and a slice of cake and the tour will last approximately 90 minutes. Booking is essential.

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Jermyn’s Lane, Ampfield, Romsey SO51 0QA

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5

CUTTINGS

Gilbert White’s worldwide work celebrated at Selborne

The work of pioneering naturalist and ecologist Gilbert White is being celebrated this year with an exhibition ‘Gilbert White around the World’ - exploring his impact internationally. The Natural History of Selborne, White’s pioneering work is often quoted as the fourth most published book in the English language, however it has also been published for readers all over the world in everything from Swedish to Japanese. The exhibition is centred on the international copies and how his passion about the natural world spread. The exhibition runs until Sunday 28th June. Museum entry fees apply.

Gilbert White’s House, The Wakes, High Street, Selborne GU34 3JH

WILD & WONDERFUL THEME AT SEVENTH TOBY BUCKLAND GARDEN FESTIVAL

peaceful tranquillity

Find in corners of large public gardens

When you visit a large, beautiful garden, sometimes you just want to sit quietly. But inevitably there may be other people having a chat, using cameras and mobile phones.

Now some large public gardens have allocated an area, a ‘silent space’, at specific times of day, for anyone who wants a really quiet, peaceful experience. RHS Garden Rosemoor now offers this to visitors, as do a number of National Trust properties including Trengwaington and Glendurgan in Cornwall, some university gardens around the country, and the gardens at Dartington Hall in Devon. New additions to the project include the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the Dorothy Clive Garden in Staffordshire, and even the Dunedin Botanic Garden in New Zealand. The concept was made a reality by garden writer Liz Ware, who has written articles for Country Gardener.

She set up a not-for-profit project and called it Silent Space. As one visitor pointed out, “It’s wonderful to have permission to be silent.”

There’s nothing complicated about a Silent Space. It’s an area of a garden or a park, already enjoyed by the public that is temporarily reserved for silent visiting. Once inside a Silent Space, visitors stop talking, turn off their phones and cameras, and switch off from social media. There are no other rules.

At RHS Garden Rosemoor the Silent Space garden is situated in the woodland above Lady Anne’s Garden, an area not often discovered by visitor. To find out when the Silent Space is reserved for quiet, go to www.rhso.rg.uk and follow the links; for more information on Silent Space go to www.silentspace.org.uk

6

Devon garden broadcaster, Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival returns to Powderham Castle near Exeter for its seventh year on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd May. The BBC Radio Nick Baker Devon presenter is joined by well-known wildlife presenter Nick Baker who will be headlining the two-day talks programme in the castle, while Radio Devon’s David Fitzgerald will be broadcasting live from the event on Friday morning.

This year, the two-day show is celebrating everything ‘Wild & Wonderful’ with talks on re-wilding, wildlife and how gardeners can do their bit for the environment. Visitors are invited to bring along unwanted plastic plant pots for recycling for free by Devon Contact Waste.

Gardeners can expect more than 200 stalls, offering quality and unusual plants from the West Country and beyond, artisan food, handmade craft and art and garden furniture. Tickets cost £11 in advance, (children under 12 free) or if you fancy making a special day of it, upgrade to VIP for lunch in the stunning surrounds of the 14th century castle, overlooking the deer park and River Exe. www.tobygardenfest.co.uk

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7

DON’T KILL YOUR

houseplant WITH KINDNESS

We are buying and caring for houseplants in homes and offices in record numbers but the case of fatalities when it comes to looking after them is also reaching record levels After a number of years in the shadows it is now beyond doubt- houseplants are back in the spotlight.

watering is essential throughout the year, especially in the growing season from early spring.

More of us than ever before are using them to bring life into homes and offices. Although some flowering plants, such as poinsettias, cyclamen and begonias usually only last for a few weeks or months, foliage houseplants, orchids, cacti and bonsai are for the long term. Given the right treatment they can bring years of pleasure.

Daylight is also essential. Site your cacti and succulents in full sun to keep growth strong and compact and encourage flowers.

But the big danger and one which keeps being repeated is we are killing them with kindness.

They are all undemanding and there is every reason they should survive healthily but they do need water, light, moderate warmth and the right fertiliser to keep them in peak condition.

Foliage houseplants Foliage houseplants are mostly tropical evergreens. They like moderate warmth, constant temperatures and no cold draughts; so homes and offices are ideal growing environments, providing the plants are positioned where they get adequate light.

Having said that the foliage can be damaged by strong direct sunlight. During this time it may be necessary to relocate houseplants to a shadier spot.

The key to success is careful watering. More houseplants are killed by overwatering than any other cause. If the pot feels light, then watering is probably necessary, if heavy maybe not. If a houseplant is standing in a decorative pot cover make sure the plant is not standing in water; this can be fatal.

Cacti and succulents Cacti and succulents have great appeal, not only with children, but also with style conscious homeowners.

As they store water in their leaves and stems and have the ability to survive on neglect there is a misconception that they do not need watering. However moderate Cacti

8

Orchids Although other houseplants have been less popular in recent years, orchids have remained firm favourites.

Phalaenopsis, the moth orchids dominate; they can flower almost continuously and suit our homes: if we are comfortable, so are they.

Given similar treatment to foliage houseplants they are easy to grow, requiring thorough watering about once a week, as long as they are allowed to drain completely afterwards. Orchids do not grow in the same houseplant compost as other indoor plants; they grow in a special orchid medium consisting of tiny chips of bark. This drains easily and never becomes waterlogged.

These plants are naturally epiphytic, growing on the branches of trees or rocks, their aerial roots absorbing moisture from the air. They take their nutrients from spores in the air and decomposing leaves and vegetation around them.

Bonsai Bonsai grown as houseplants are mostly tropical or sub-tropical trees and shrubs. They are usually grown in shallow containers containing little compost, so attention to watering is important. Drought can cause leaf drop.

Also the atmosphere in the home can be very dry, so an occasional light misting with water is beneficial.

Some bonsai, including azaleas, conifers and Japanese maples are hardy or near hardy. They can be used as temporary decoration indoors but need to spend most of their lives in a sheltered situation outdoors or in a cold, shaded greenhouse.

Regular watering is vital in the growing season, and good drainage is especially important in winter.

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9

GARDEN VISITS

THE BEST

early season GARDENS TO VISIT compiled by Heather Rose Early spring days with burgeoning buds on trees and shrubs, colourful bulbs coming into flower - it’s time to explore the areas Country Gardener covers and find gardens opening their gates for charity. We advise checking wherever possible before starting out on a journey as circumstances can force closure in private gardens. (www.ngs.org.uk)

LITTLE COURT Crawley, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2PU

LOWER SHALFORD FARM Shalford Lane, Charlton Musgrove, Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 8HE Delightful garden with extensive lawns and wooded surroundings with drifts of daffodils in spring. Small winterbourne stream running through with several stone bridges; hedged herbaceous garden and ornamental ponds. Open for the National Gardens Scheme on Saturday 21st March, 10am-4pm.

Admission £5, children free.

This three-acre walled garden has herbaceous borders in harmonious colours and unusual plants, a traditional kitchen garden, colourful bantams running free, a tree house and a south facing natural wildlife field. Many seats with good views within the garden and to the surrounding farmland. Open for the NGS on Sunday 22nd March, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. For more details contact 01962 776365 or email elkslc@btinternet.com.

HERONS MEAD East Burton Road, East Burton, Wool, Dorset, BH20 6HF A half-acre, long, narrow, country garden planted to attract bees and butterflies, full of interest in spring with bulbs, many hellebores, pulmonaria and fritillaries, wildlife pond, tiny woodland and cacti. Open for the NGS on Sunday 22nd March, 2pm-5pm. Admission £3.50, children free. For more details contact 01929 463872 or email ronamillington@btinternet.com.

Our key to facilities on offer at the gardens:

10

Refreshments available

Wheelchair access to much of garden

Unsuitable for wheelchairs

Plants usually for sale

Partial wheelchair access

Dogs on short leads

Country Gardener

Visitors welcome by arrangement Coaches welcome consult owners

SOUTH LODGE Church Road, Clearwell, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16 8LG

HOUNDSPOOL Ashcombe Road, Dawlish, Devon, EX7 0QP A new opening for the NGS this year, formerly a market garden, now a private pleasure garden developed over the past 40 years. The two-acre garden is a work in progress,with trees, shrubs, herbaceous, water, vegetables, flowers and fruit, to provide interest all year round. Situated on Dawlish Water. Open for the NGS on Monday 23rd & Tuesday 24th March, 2pm–5pm. Admission £4, children free. For more details contact 01626 866669 or email carolyn.bourne@houndspool.com.

Peaceful country garden in two acres with stunning views of surrounding countryside.

Organic garden with large variety of perennials, annuals, shrubs and specimen trees with yearround colour.

Vegetable garden, wildlife and formal ponds. Rustic pergola and willow arbour in the gravel garden. Open for the NGS on Saturday 28th March, 1pm-5pm. Admission £4, children free. Assistance dogs only. For more details contact 01594 837769 or email southlodgegarden@btinternet.com; www.southlodgegarden.co.uk

THE OLD VICARAGE East Orchard, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 0BA Just under two acres of wildlife garden with an abundance of narcissi and tulips, stream meandering down to a pond; tree viewing platform to look over the garden and to the wider area; bog garden, grotto and potager. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th March, 2pm-5pm. Admission £4, children free. For more details contact 01747 811744 or email tina_lon@msn.com.

HOME FARM Newent Lane, Huntley, Gloucestershire, GL19 3HQ This garden is on an elevated position with exceptional views; there’s a a one mile walk through woods and fields with carpets of spring flowers. The enclosed garden has a fern border, heather bed, white and mixed shrub borders. Stout footwear advisable. Open for the NGS on Sunday 8th March, 11am-4pm. Admission £3.50, children free. For more details contact 01452 830210 or email torillfreeman@gmail.com

www.countrygardener.co.uk

11

Growing in pots or containers allow high density planting

GOING TO POT! A new growing season is likely to see even more of us keep our vegetables close under our noses by growing them in pots It seems that now one in four households are growing their own vegetables- and, of these, almost half are growing vegetables in containers.

It is a trend that has become more and more popular in recent years.

There’s no digging of vegetable beds, no constant weeding-and growing in pots lends itself to that literally potting around which gardeners love so much.

Pak Choi packed close but still room to grow

If you already grow vegetables in containers, try some new varieties or crops. If you don’t use containers yet, take a look at the opportunities this easy type of gardening can provide.

Many garden vegetables can be grown in containers, tubs, or boxes, right on your porch or patio. They’re easy to maintain, so are a good choice if you’re new to gardening or pressed for time.

Being up off the ground, they’re a good fit for older gardeners that aren’t as agile as they once were. For whatever age, you’ll find that harvesting some tomatoes, cucumbers, and salad greens for your table becomes much more convenient than in ground beds away from the house.

As in the garden, most vegetables need a sunny site. A nice aspect to containers is that even if you don’t have a large garden space for such, you may have a smaller sunny area for a few containers.

If you only get three or four of sun a day, some crops that tolerate this level include arugula, chard (for its leaves), many herbs, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, and spinach.

One aspect to containers that’s different from vegetable beds is that the soil volume is of course limited, so especially when plants grow large and their roots fill the pots, they’ll 12

Country Gardener

need more watering. That’s not so bad as it gives you an excuse every two or three days to check on your plants for water (perhaps daily during hot weather), and at the same time look for pests, watch their growth, and see if any are ready to harvest.

When potting, using an organic well-drained soil mix with lots of compost moss or compost will help reduce watering, as these hold onto lots of water. . Don’t use garden soil as it is too heavy, holds too much water in pots usually, and may introduce soil diseases. Make sure pots have drainage holes in the bottom.

Many vegetables and herbs are ornamental as well as useful.

Examples that come to mind are the brightly coloured stems of some Swiss chard varieties like ‘Bright Lights’, variously colours in peppers— both sweet and hot, and some of the newer tomatoes with different colored fruits such as gold, black, white, or green and white zebra-stripes. The ornamental cabbage and kale are often used for fall container plantings, and last well through many heavy frosts up until heavy snow covers them. Many kale have frilled or deeply cut, attractive leaves, in purples or green and white combinations.

Lettuce is a quick turn round salad crop for pots.

Even if you don’t have a very large container, vining crops such as cucumbers and squash can be grown. Simply train up a trellis, around a window, or allow to cascade down a raised deck. You may even train such vines over an arch, the fruit hanging down so you can watch them develop and easily pick them when ripe. If you’re growing squash with large fruit, these will need additional support later in the summer such as from a cheesecloth sling.

Growing basil, courgettes and tomatoes in close proximity

TOMATOES THE IDEAL VEG FOR A POT A common container vegetable, and one of the most attractive, is of course the tomato. Special dwarf ‘bush’ varieties have been bred under a foot high, with small to medium-sized fruits. Larger tomato varieties that grow to a set height (determinate) are suitable for large containers.

Those that keep growing taller (indeterminate) will need taller and more elaborate staking if grown in containers. A range of fruit types are available, from the large beefsteak types, suitable for slicing, to the small grape, cherry, and pear shapes.

Potting for herbs Then of course you could plant just an herb container to have near the kitchen door. Tall herbs such as dill and fennel, with their attractive flowers and tall lacy foliage, might be underplanted with lower ones such as chives and parsley.

Thyme may be used to hang over the sides of a pot. Chives tend to spread and seed around, so pots are great for them.

Or you can plant a whole container just of various basils as they love the sun.

Mint is great for pots, as these contain the aggressive growth and roots of this easy herb. In fact, they are so aggressive, roots will grow out of the pot holes and into the ground if touching it. Keep them raised, and repot each spring to keep them healthy. Keep a pot or two near the door so you can easily harvest for cooking or use in beverages. Look for different mints, including spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, or even chocolate mint. www.countrygardener.co.uk

13

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

Letters from Country Gardener readers. We welcome brief letters on any gardening topics.

Write to Country Gardener, Mount House, Taunton, TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk GARDEN CLUBS IN DECLINE As a regular speaker at garden clubs I see a wide range of different set ups, locations and audiences.

Sadly some garden clubs appear to be dying out and I struggle to see how they are attempting to attract new members. Some work hard and are making it work.

One club was offering free tickets to members’ friends to entice them to attend a talk. These guest visitors were then signed up.

Some try the celebrity talk approach where they stretch themselves financially and go for a named speaker and have to pay out upwards of £1000 and then try to market the talk as a big local event and charge a lot for tickets.

In most cases it doesn’t work.

I think social media is important. Twitter and Facebook accounts used correctly get the message out. One society I know launched a new website (not expensive) started a Facebook group and saw membership rise by 25 per-cent in 18 months.

The other problem is that I know STAR while some garden clubs are still LETTER operating on good numbers they are worried about a distinct skew in age profile.

Ann Williams wins a stylish These clubs are worth Haws metal watering can for fighting for. her star letter of the month.

Ann Williams Barnstable

Phil Kerr Southampton 14

I am an avid reader of your magazine and would like to make a point in defence of us experienced gardeners. We are always being told to make changes to the way we garden and the plants we grow because of climate change.

Until scientists can predict with more certainty the future climate down here in the southwest, it would be a bit premature to change the habits and skills we have developed. The last three gardening seasons have been in order: very wet, very dry then a mixture of both.

Environmentally concerned gardeners have always conserved water, composted, minimised chemical change and encouraged wildlife and it is patronising to be told these practices are linked to climate change.

Malcolm Gooch Dorchester

RHS ROSEMOOR LIT TO PERFECTION

My sad allotment story Your article on allotments ‘Allotments-alive but maybe needing help’ Winter 2019 I think sums up a worrying situation about how easily this sector of our gardening life could disappear. My grandfather had an allotment here in Southampton which was taken on by my father and then passed on to me but I have had to give it up with great sadness. I commute 4O miles every day and often work weekends. I just don’t have the time to spend hours and hours maintaining it and I shamefully let a large part of it go wild. I am not the only one and up to half a dozen plots here are now in a state of decline. It is as you say an increasing social problem where the pressures of modern life have changed and fewer younger or middle-aged people are willing to commit so much time.

Don’t insult us with climate change predictions

My family saw the story in your excellent magazine about RHS Rosemoor’s winter garden illuminations and travelled the week before Christmas to see them. The whole trip was magical and a wonderful pre Christmas outing to get us in the festive mood. The lighting was imaginative, colourful and dramatic and turned the whole garden into a very special place.

Anne Bolt Honiton Ash tree treated homoeopathically

Homeopathy for my ash tree

Our ash tree, which is registered with the Woodland Trust, stands proud in the back corner of our garden and as a perching station for innumerable birds crossing the field to the next hedge or wood. It is a landmark for miles around. Since the threat of ash dieback I have been using plant essences on it administered in water to the roots a treatment not far removed from homeopathy as a preventative measure. It seems irresponsible we have allowed a steady traffic of sapling ash back and forth from the continent for years when this disease had been rife abroad.

I can only hope my experimental treatment will help to strengthen our wonderful tree.

Cilla Platt Swindon Country Gardener

Harnessing the magic of

seaweed

One Dorset company is making growing greener as it harvests seaweed by hand thinning rather than cutting A new business in Dorset is harnessing the magic powers of seaweed for gardeners.

Dorset Seaweeds was set up in 2017 by husband and wife team, Craig and Sarah Pinder, in Weymouth to produce an organic, eco-friendly and sustainable plant feed aimed at the environmentally conscious gardener and grower.

Their aim was to produce a seaweed concentrate (LIQUISEA), a natural and organic plant growth enhancer produced from seaweed harvested locally in a sustainable way. The sustainable and ecologically conscious approach sets them apart from other seaweed concentrates appealing to the growing number of environmentally conscious consumers.

“We selectively and sustainably harvest all our seaweed by hand, thinning seaweed rather than clear cutting thereby minimizing ecological impacts. This also means we use only the freshest ingredients to ensure quality and provenance” says Sarah As a business based around an ocean resource, Dorset Seaweeds are conscious of the need to reduce and recycle plastic in order to reduce the amount of plastic waste currently found in the oceans.

Currently due to the nature of their product (a liquid) they are having to use recyclable plastic bottles. However, they have recently managed to source 100% recycled plastic bottles which can then be further recycled - these will be phased in as current stocks run out and will reduce the companies use of virgin plastic. All other packaging the company uses is either compostable, recyclable or biodegradable. Sarah hopes that maybe one day their bottles can be made from ‘seaweed plastic’ as the technologies is this area are developing all the time.

LIQUISEA can be used on fruit, vegetables, flowers, lawns/turf, shrubs and trees and can be applied all year

round. It will provide improvements to soil quality, root development, resistance to pests and diseases as well as making plants stronger and healthier.

LIQUISEA is available to buy directly from their website with free UK postage and at selected retail outlets www.dorsetseaweeds.co.uk

Three sizes available: 1 Litre - £10.49, 5 Litre - £36.99 and 20 Litre - £99.99.

Why seaweed?

Seaweed is magical stuff in the water, and it’s somehow even more so when out of it. It’s incredibly healthful to us, to our animals, to our soils and our plants. It seems anyone who gets to ingest a little seaweed does better for it.

As seaweed breaks down into the soil, it encourages microorganisms 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 cytokinins, plant growth hormones that work above and below ground, improving root growth.

Seaweed has 60 trace minerals and ready-to-use nutrients including nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, and magnesium. It also contains hormones to encourage plant growth.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

TREE SPECIALIST

Taking care with the fate of our trees

Mark Hinsley gets concerned about the ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ approach when it comes to deciding if some trees should face the axe Many cases cross my desk involving people wishing to remove trees. Justifications vary, as does my sympathy for the stated reasons.

Some I find wholly justified and others definitely not. Of course, in the case of trees in towns and villages, most are covered by some form of statutory protection, so I am only the first hurdle.

Even if I take the case on, it will not be me making the final decision.

Attitudes to trees and their importance of our environment range from Donald Trump to Christopher Packham and all points between. People’s attitude to ‘trees’ can be quite different from their attitude to ‘a tree’.

If I had a quid for every time I have heard, ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love trees, but……….’, followed by reasons why a particular tree, which happens to impinge on somebody’s lifestyle, or is preventing them from fulfilling some desire, is somehow different from all the others.

At the other end of the scale are the people or organisations who will herald the most nondescript, half dead, disease ridden specimen as the saviour of the planet because its retention will prevent something from happening which they oppose.

Another problem is the innate anthropomorphic tendency in the human psychology; we give things human characteristics.

This can work both ways with trees; the value of its life can become of human proportions or it can be given character traits such as nobility or evil intent. I remember one lady who wanted a tree felled because it ‘overlooked’ her, and a group of residents who complained about the felling of a very rotten beech tree in their street because it was noble and true and would not fall on them!

However, in the mix up of motive and emotion, I do perceive a shift away from tree felling towards tree 16

retention in most sections of society and commerce ….. except one.

The group that I have found most likely to be demanding and bullying over the felling of trees on the thinnest of grounds are insurance companies. Now, I have to accept that there may be some good ones out there. After all, I would never have any dealings with them. But I have seen some horrendous stuff from distressed individuals who are being pressured and bullied by insurance companies to remove their trees just because their neighbour has a hairline crack in their building.

If trees are implicated in building movement it can be properly investigated and proven one way or the other.

Felling important trees may still be disproportionate, but at least they have done the work. But I am seeing stuff from ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ merchants who have done no meaningful investigations, who have proved nothing, whose first line of attack is to try and have all the trees in the area felled first to see if it makes a difference. Only if the tree felling fails will they consider doing the job properly.

A knock-on effect of this approach is that it causes neighbours to fall out. Most people cannot read and make sense of a site investigation report – or even tell if it is good or bad – so the neighbour who says ‘there is no proof it is my tree and I am not felling it’ is cast as the evil one preventing the victim’s house from being stabilized.

I have spoken to the Financial Conduct Authority about these matters, and if you feel that you have been the subject of this kind of malpractice, they will be interested to hear from you on 0800 111 6768.

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

Country Gardener

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Budock Vean Hotel

OPENING UP TIME

for spring!

FORGET WINTER AND START PLANNING FOR THOSE GARDENING TRIPS OUT

Whisper it quietly, but the days are starting to lengthen and the earliest signs of spring, snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses and more are with us.

It is of course a special time of year for gardeners and garden lovers - the chance to finally throw off the restrictions of winter and to start getting out and about to find the early season gardens which are now ready to welcome visitors and to make plans to enjoy gardens deeper into the year.

There will over the next few months be a huge choice of where to go and what to do.

Here are just a few ideas to think about and to enjoy.

Budock Vean hotel within reach of great Cornwall gardens

If you stay at Budock Vean at Mawnan Smith near Falmouth in either the hotel or holiday cottages, then some of Cornwall’s finest gardens and walking routes are right on the doorstep for you to explore.

Trebah and Glendurgan gardens are a 10-minute walk away and Potager Garden is about a 10-minute drive. The hotel has it’s own extensive valley garden leading down to the Helford River where you can take a boat trip or a kayak adventure to explore Frenchman’s Creek. The South West Coast Path is about a 15-minute walk from the door. Further afield in nearby Falmouth are many splendid public gardens open for free, along with museums and galleries to discover.

Hotel bookings are available on 01326 252100 relax@budockvean.co.uk www.budockvean.co.uk Budock Vean Hotel , Mawnan Smith, Falmouth. TR11 5LG

HARTLAND ABBEY OFFERS EARLY SPRING DAFFODIL DELIGHTS Lengthening days and a warmer sun herald Daffodil Sunday on 15th March from 11am-4pm at Hartland Abbey, before the main season starts on 29th March. It is a perfect day out in the gardens and walks to see the beautiful display of historic daffodils collected and planted by the family over generations. Camellias and spring flowers bloom in abundance in this stunning valley leading to Blackpool Mill. Children and dogs enjoy the freedom to run about and explore the walks leading to the summerhouse and the sea. The house and exhibitions will be open too with good coffee, homemade light lunches and cream teas served in the award winning Old Kitchen Tea Rooms 11-am 4pm. Adults £7 Children (5-16) £1. House £4, children free. www.hartlandabbey.com.

Tel: 01237441496/234 www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

DISCOVER BEAUTIFUL

Batsford Arboretum THIS SPRING

The gardens of Ninfa provide serious temptations

Tucked away in the north Cotswolds just outside Moreton-in-Marsh, Batsford is home to one of the country’s largest private tree collections, spanning 56 acres of beautiful gardens. From early spring, enjoy impressive displays of spring flowering bulbs followed by the beautiful blossom of the magnolias and the stunning Japanese flowering cherries.

Visitors can browse the garden centre and gift shop and treat yourself to lunch or afternoon tea at the Garden Terrace Café. Open daily, dogs welcome on a short lead.

Ninfa occupies an eerie site on the edge of the Pontine marshes and sheltered by a mountain ridge but is one of the most fascinating of Italian gardens in the province of Latina, central Italy. Crumbling mediaeval walls provide a sheltered microclimate for rare and tender plants with a collection from all over the world and a wonderful treat for garden lovers.

A guided visit of Ninfa is included in the Expressions Holidays’ Tour of the Gardens of the Rome area.

Departures are on Wednesday, 13 May, Wednesday, 3rd June, Wednesday, 24th June and Wednesday 9 September. Prices from £2,580 per person.

www.batsarb.co.uk Tel 01386 701441 Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9AD

SPECIAL OFFER FOR COUNTRY GARDENER READERS Expressions Holidays offers Country Gardener readers a reduction of £75 per person for booking before 30 April 2020.

Hotel, cottages and holiday homes by the beautiful Helford River in south Cornwall.

Contact Expressions Holidays on 01392 441250 for full details.

• Spa • Restaurant • Tennis • Kayaking • Boat trips

9 hole/18 tee parkland golf course

www.expressionsholidays.co.uk.

Fully protected by ATOL 3076

Hartland Abbey & Gardens Daffodils and Spring Flowers Sunday 15th March 11am - 4pm

Come and enjoy our beautiful historic daffodils, spring shrubs, bulbs and wildflower walks to the beach. * Dogs really welcome * * Delicious light lunches & cream teas * * Special rate: Adults £7 Children over 5 £1 * House open 1pm £4 * 2020 SEASON - Sunday 29th March - 4th October 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 18

Country Gardener

Helford Passage, Mawnan Smith, Nr Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5LG Hotel bookings: 01326 252100 Golf Club: 01326 252102 relax@budockvean.co.uk www.budockvean.co.uk @BudockVeanHotel www.facebook.com/BudockVeanHotel @BudockVeanHotel

Advertorial

The Eastbury Hotel & Spa Comfort and elegance wrapped in West Country charm

The Eastbury is a luxurious, boutique hotel located in the centre of the lively, historic and quaint town of Sherborne, Dorset now owned by Peter and Lana De Savary.

It offers 26 private and individually styled rooms and suites including ‘Victorian Garden Potting Shed’ suites, designed to provide the style and comfort.

The hotel has become a favourite with garden lovers. Somewhat of a hidden treasure, the beautiful walled garden is a sanctuary and offers tranquillity for relaxation, a quiet walk, or a snooze in the sun.

Laced with pretty flowers, across the changing seasons you will see hazel, lavender, roses, acers, honeysuckle, magnolia, bluebells and many more.

The comfortably furnished terrace offers al fresco dining and in warmer months guests enjoy a hearty breakfast outside whilst watching the haven of wildlife get busy for the day. Furry and feathered friends have become quite tame and are happy to share the garden with you.

The lawns also offer croquet, badminton, table tennis and large chess for those who enjoy

an activity or two. Our new Garden Pod offers guests a chance to enjoy lunch, dinner or an evening cocktail in comfort. The hotel’s amazing gardener Tina is planning to build a Butterfly House this year.

We now have The Garden Escape Exclusive Offer on our website and included in this Tina is happy to go around gardens with guests.

Comfort and elegance, Comfort and elegance, wrapped in West Country ch

wrapped in West Country charm

THE EASTBURY HOTEL THE EASTBURY HOTEL Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BY Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BY Tel: 01935 813131 Tel: 01935 813131 Email: relax@theeastburyhotel.co.uk Email: relax@theeastburyhotel.co.uk www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk

ITALIAN GARDENS

SMALL GROUP TOURS WITH GUIDED VISITS OF ITALIAN GARDENS TUSCANY

• Maximum 14 people per group

Visits: Poggio Torselli, Villa Vignamaggio, Villa Geggiano, Villa Grabau, Villa Reale 2020: 17 May, 14 Jun, 6 Sep From £2,690 per person

• Local garden guides and guided garden visits included

LAKES COMO AND MAGGIORE

• British Airways flights included

Visits: Villa Babbianello, Villa Carlotta, Villa Monastero, Isola Bella, Isola Madre 2020: 12 May, 9 Jun, 23 Jun, 8 Sep From £2,630 per person

AMALFI COAST, CAPRI & ISCHIA

• Six nights in 4 or 5 star hotels, two per tour

Special offers may apply - full details on our website

PLEASE CALL US ON

01392 441275 www.expressionsholidays.co.uk

Visits: Villa Rufolo, Villa San Michele Axel Munthe, La Mortella 2020: 7 May, 28 May, 18 Jun, 10 Sep From £2,930 per person

THE

ART

OF

INTELLIGENT

ENVIRONS OF ROME Visits: Villa d’Este, Lante, Ninfa, Landriana, Castel Gandolfo 2020: 13 May, 24 Jun, 9 Sep From £2,580 per person

T R A V E L

O R G A N I S I N G

Founded 1989

Cotswold Garden Flowers Easy and unusual perennials for the flower garden Delightful gardens to inspire you

HPS Somerset HPS Somerset Group Group

Plant and garden advice

Spring EEarly arly S pring

P LANT SFALE AIR PLANT Saturday

Mail order and online ordering available, or pop along and visit us at the nurser y

Saturday 28 March 2020

3110am March 2012 – 4pm

10:00 am – 5:00 pm at East Lambrook Manor Gardens

East Lambrook Manor Gardens South Petherton, Somerset

TA13 5HH East Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5HH 16 of the South West’s top nurseries will be Entry £4.00 – RHS &charge HPS members £3.50 attending.

Admission to the plant sale and the gardens will be £4.

22 of the South West’s top nurseries.

Visitdetails eastlambrook.com for details.

For more visit: http://hps-somerset.btck.co.uk/

Groups welcome by appointment Open 7 days a week from 1st March to 30th September (weekends 10am - 5.30pm) Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham, WR11 7EZ 01386 833849 info@cgf.net w w w.cgf.net 20

01460 240328 enquiries@eastlambrook.com www.eastlambrook.com

Country Gardener

Buscot Park

STYLE AND GRACE IN WONDERFUL GARDEN SETTING The Georgian mansion at Buscot Park contains an extraordinary collection of antique furniture and Objects d’Art including paintings by Rembrandt, Reynolds, Rubens, Murillo and its famous saloon decorated with The Legend of the Briar Rose by the PreRaphaelite Sir Edward Burne-Jones. All this is set in grounds that are a treat to explore.

The ‘Four Seasons Garden’ within the old vegetable garden walls, and the Pleasure Gardens beyond the house has five tree-lined avenues leading to a citrus garden, a ‘Swing Garden’, the tallest sundial in England, a lake, and the water garden cascades designed by Harold Peto in 1903.

Buscot Park, Lechlade Rd, Faringdon SN7 8BU

BUSCOT PARK & THE FARINGDON COLLECTION One of Oxfordshire’s best kept secrets

For spectacular spring walks, fabulous food and a wonderful selection of gifts and spring gardening essentials, Batsford is a perfect day out - dog friendly too!

Visit www.batsarb.co.uk for details on our forthcoming events BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AD.

Open 1 April - 30 September Contact: Info line 01367 240932 or website www.buscotpark.com for opening times.

Tel: 01386 701441 E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk www.batsarb.co.uk BatsfordArboretum

www.countrygardener.co.uk

@BatsfordA

@BatsfordA

21

WILDLIFE

YOUR WILDLIFE GARDEN GARDENS ARE VITAL IN HELPING TO SUPPORT OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE AND THERE’S LOTS WE CAN DO TO HELP BIRDS, MAMMALS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS FROM INTRODUCING NECTAR RICH PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS RIGHT THROUGH TO BUILDING A BUG BOX.

Increasing the biodiversity of your garden doesn’t have to be hard, or compromise the way your garden looks.

If you are keen to do more in your garden there are small changes you could make to the way you manage your garden that can bring major benefits for the creatures that call it home.

Simple things such as letting the soil settle. To increase populations of earthworms and beetle larvae don’t dig your garden soil unless you’re planting. Lay compost on top to provide habitat for invertebrates and foraging for blackbirds and robins.

Doing more for wildlife in your garden doesn’t mean it needs to look a mess, but piles of leaves and twiggy debris provide both food and habitat for many species.

Piles of stones also make good habitat, particularly for hibernating reptiles and amphibians - tuck them away in hidden corners, at the back of borders or even behind the shed.

Wildlife and practicality are not incompatible. A lawn for children can still be rich in plants which will attract bees and hoverflies and provide good foraging habitat for starlings and hedgehogs.

ADD WATER TO YOUR GARDEN Ideally dig a pond, but a container of water will suffice.

The single easiest way to add wildlife value to a garden is to install a pond, however tiny - a large pot or even an inverted dustbin lid in an out-of-the-way spot will do. Allow water plants to colonise naturally. Make sure 22

ponds have at least one sloping side to allow creatures an easy way out. Most wildlife, including amphibians such as newts and frogs, like shallower water than is generally thought.

PROVIDE FOOD AND WATER FOR BIRDS ALL YEAR Garden birds are some of the most conspicuous of garden wildlife, and easy to attract with supplemental feeding. Ideally, offer a mix of food including peanuts, sunflower hearts, seeds, kitchen scraps and fat balls, or proprietary seed mixtures, to supplement natural food such as berries and seedheads.

SCATTER WILDFLOWER SEEDS TO CREATE A MEADOWLAND Meadows are simply mixtures of grasses and wildflowers. We have lost 96per-cent of our diverse, species-rich meadows since the 1950s, so re-creating them in the garden can help redress the balance.

They are great for insects, they are low maintenance, and they make a good, more natural alternative to a labour-intensive lawn. Annual meadows have a mix of annual wildflowers such as poppies, Nigella, corn marigolds and annual grasses; they will succeed on fairly rich soils, too, but a suitable seed mix usually needs to be re-sown each year.

Country Gardener

GARDEN CREATURES NEED TO MOVE ABOUT FREELY Did you know that hedgehogs need to walk a mile or more in a night looking for food and a mate? You can help by creating safe corridors from your garden to the one next door.

Below left: Feeding birds isn’t just for winter, Above: hedgehogs often grow desperate for water during summer

This is a great activity to do with your neighbours to connect your gardens.

Add gaps at the base of your wooden fences. Check with your neighbour that’s it’s ok to do so, and think about pets – you don’t want them escaping! Also be careful not to create gaps which lead wildlife onto busy roads. Create as many gaps as you want, perhaps one every few metres.

Let some of your lawn grow longer. Voles, shrews, frogs, toads, beetles and hedgehogs like to move through long grasses rather than out in the open.

Choosing the right flowers Flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects that perform the vital task of fertilisation – seed and fruit production would drop dramatically without them. Avoid too many highly-bred cultivars with big and blowsy or double flowers, most of which contain little or no pollen or nectar.

Choose plants that provide pollen and nectar for as long a season as possible, from spring (Crocus and Mahonia for example) through to autumn (Michaelmas daisy, Sedum spectabile and ivy, which is particularly late to bloom and may provide food into early winter). Studies are helping us understand how both native and non-native plants support garden wildlife.

Never use pesticides on plants in flower.

Finally don’t try to grow difficult plants.

If something isn’t thriving, replace it. Don’t obsess about native species. Though they are good food plants for many animals, particularly caterpillars, many garden flowers, such as lavender, are great for nectar and may flower for longer.

TOP 10 BEE FRIENDLY PLANTS Lavender Viper’s Bugloss Mahonia Hawthorn Bluebells Bluebells

Crocuses Rosemary Borage Crab apple trees Ox-Eye daisy

A spring action plan for wildlife A solitary bee finds a new home

Ox-Eyed daisies

Plant varieties with single flowers such as Verbaba rigida, calendula, alyssum, French marigold and nasturtium as these provide easy access for insects.

Help hedgehogs recently out of hibernation by leaving a shallow dish of water and some meat based cat or dog food.

Sow cornfield annuals, like cornflower, corn cockle and field poppy in a sunny spot to attract pollinating insects.

Hawthorn

Rake thatch for a lawn and hang it in a ball for nesting birds. Dog hair is another great nest building option.

Make boxes for solitary bees and hang them securely in a sunny part of the garden.

Keep feeders stocked up with such things as energy rich sunflower seeds - adult birds will need ‘fast food’ while foraging for their young. Mealworms are another alternative but avoid bread and peanuts as this may choke birds. www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

ALLOTMENT GARDENING

Starting ALLOTMENT

school!

Kate Lewis visits RHS Rosemoor where a community allotment course for beginners, now in its fifth year, is set to be an example of what can be done with a small plot The prospect of taking on a new allotment is an exciting one for the tens of thousands of gardeners on waiting lists across the country; but for those with little or no growing experience it can also be a daunting one.

By the end of the year, however, eleven novice gardeners will no longer face this daunting prospect thanks to a practical allotment course starting this month at RHS Rosemoor.

Now in its fifth year, the Community Allotment Course for Beginners provides amateur gardeners with their own plot to tend for the year as they are trained in vegetable growing under the expert eyes of Rosemoor’s edibles team.

Clockwise from top left: RHS Rosemoor allotments in high summer; Miriam from Rosemoor’s edibles team, showing the students how to prepare their plot; Autumn in the allotments and a bumper harvest

24

For a small fee, which reflects the charitable status of the North Devon garden, the students receive seeds and all the equipment and tuition they need to grow a selection of vegetables for them to harvest and take home.

Crops include courgettes, lettuce, beetroot,

onion, kale, spinach, sweetcorn, leek, cabbage, beans and potatoes.

The course is just one of several educational programmes at Rosemoor aimed at inspiring people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to get involved with gardening.

Miriam Petry, one of the course leaders, explained that each student is given a 25 – 30 square metre plot at the start of the course along with a box of seeds that have been carefully selected for their suitability in the community garden at Rosemoor.

“The students have just met for the first time and been allocated their plots which they will look after until the end of the growing year in October. They have also been given a variety of seeds, donated by Mr Fothergill’s these have been tried and tested so we know what works well in these conditions and in this soil.

The course attracts a diverse group of enthusiasts from a variety of backgrounds and ages, all who come with a passion to learn the basic principles of growing their own vegetables.

Caroline Mccormick from Bideford also jumped at the chance to apply for the course: “As soon as I saw the advert I knew I wanted to do it. I’ve tried to grow a few things in the past but with little success. I didn’t know how to prepare the soil or even germinate the seeds. If you learnt it yourself it would take years but here there is someone on hand to guide you through the whole process which is amazing.”

Country Gardener will be following the progress of the allotment students and their produce throughout the growing season

Country Gardener

SHOWS & EVENTS

The Picton Garden

GARDEN

Events Galore to fill your diary with

A NEW GARDENING SEASON IS HERE AND ITS TIME TO GET YOUR DIARY OUT! Anyone who loves gardening, garden visits, plant fairs shows and festivals will need to start planning where to go and what to see over the spring and summer.

Every year the variety of choices for days out and visits gets more and more tempting. In 2020 there’s a fanatics mixture of new events, traditional favourites, gardens open, shows, festivals, horticultural shows, charity events and more.

To help you plan here’s just a few events we are happy to highlight over the next few months.

WELLS EVENT THE FIRST IN NEW SEASON OF

Rare Plant Fairs

The hugely popular Rare Plant Fairs return with a new season of 13 fairs this year starting at The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, on March 22nd. Established for over a quarter of a century, the fairs are held in prestigious gardens, with a wide range of styles, which provide wonderful settings for the shows.

Every event is attended by specialist nurseries, all experts in the plants that they grow.

The Bishop’s Palace lies at the heart of the historic City of Wells and is a place full of secrets, stories and stunning scenery, and home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years. Surrounded by a breathtaking moat you can cross a flagstone drawbridge, under the portcullis and experience a true hidden gem in the heart of the City of Wells. There are 14 acres of gardens to explore.

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

OLD COURT NURSERIES HOST NEW SEASON OF FRIENDLY, FUN COURSES Old Court Nurseries, a family plant nursery on the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills, might be best known for their Michaelmas daisies but there is a wealth of knowledge to be shared from the family team. The nursery is hosting a range of courses and workshops all designed to be friendly, fun events.

Visitors can take part in one of the ‘Packing Shed’ courses this year or create your own succulent Pixie Garden to take home on one of the half day Succulent Success workshops. There’s the opportunity to discover more about growing and propagating ferns in July with guest speaker Angela Tandy, or in August get some great ideas for working with wildlife in your garden with bugs, grubs and more. For those more creatively minded there will also be an opportunity to meet the talented artist Victoria Westaway in late August and learn more about the art of willow weaving.

Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden, specialist breeders and growers of Michaelmas Daisies since 1906.

Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE. Tel: 01684 540416

www.countrygardener.co.uk

25

Melplash Show thrives by the sea

HONITON SHOW CELEBRATES 130TH ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST

For 173 years the Melplash Show in West Bay, Bridport has been celebrating the best of agriculture by the sea. This year’s one day farming, food and fun extravaganza takes place on Thursday, 27th August and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Local farmers will be competing in livestock classes while other members of the local community will be vying for prizes in the handicraft, home produce and horticulture classes. There will be entertainment in the main ring and the countryside area as over 400 traders offer a wide range of products and services including the best food and drink.

The Honiton & District Agricultural Association celebrates its 130th year and has exceptional events planned for show day Thursday, 6th August. The Main Ring will be buzzing with Jason Smyth and his Adrenaline Tour and the Rockwood Dog Display team. The event welcomes Taunton Vale Polo Club playing an exhibition match.

For more information - email office@melplashshow.co.uk Tel: 01308 423337 or visit www.melplashshow.co.uk

Axe Vale Show in June set for another great day out Axminster’s hugely popular Axe Vale Show on Saturday, 20st June and Sunday 21st June is again set to be a superb family friendly, charity focused, weekend-long event.

The Floral and Craft Marquee will be brimming with exciting exhibits plus specialist nurseries with experts ready to share their knowledge. You can also enjoy flower arranging demonstrations and talks from a TV celebrity and a local wine grower from the award-winning Castlewood Winery.

Majestic shire horses, gorgeous gundogs and a stunt team add to the entertainment and there will be Punch & Judy, bouncy castles, a dog show and sheep shearing.

Tickets at the gate or online www.axevaleshow.com. Plenty of free parking. The Axe Vale Show is a charitable fundraising event for the charity ‘Axe Vale Festival Limited’. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter

Come and explore 16 unique restored Victorian gardens Open weekdays NovMarch: 11-4pm

Open every day April-Oct: 11am-5pm with tearoom Sat, Sun and Bank Hol Mon

A food hall will be promoting local produce and the event will have over 400 trade stands – shopping and interest for all. Admission charges are being held again with advance tickets £14.50.

For further details on the show, schedules or details on becoming a member of the association contact the secretary on 01404 41794 or visit www.honitonshow.co.uk

Agricultural Show

Honiton

HILL CLOSE VICTORIAN GARDENS WARWICK

The lower field will incorporate all that is best about country life with hurdle making, thatching, ferret racing, a blacksmith’s guild, 100 vintage tractors and The West of England Hound Show.

There is a popular dog show, comprising both pedigree and fun classes for the pet pooch. If chickens are your interest there is a poultry show and sale.

Thursday 6th August 2020 TICKET PRICES HELD - JUST £14.50 IN ADVANCE - CHILDREN FREE

Acts Booked So Far... Jason Smyth's Adrenaline Tour, Exhibition Polo Match, The Rockwood Dog Display, The Sheep Show, Twistopher Punch & Judy, Grand Parade, Livestock, Horses, Vintage Tractors, Poultry & Dog Shows, Over 400 Trade Stands.

Please apply for Trade, Horse and Livestock Schedules Secretary: Marcelle Connor, Bank House, 66a High Street, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1PS info@honitonshow.co.uk www.honitonshow.co.uk

PLANTS / PRODUCE / HIRE / NURSERY Music in the Gardens, Sat 27th June 6-9:30pm FB Pocket Orchestra - Tearoom.

Tickets: Adult £15.00 Child £11.50. Book in advance.

Art in the Gardens, Sat 22nd August 11am – 4:30pm Summer exhibition of Arts & Crafts with music & workshops. No need to book.

Apple Day & Country Fair, Sun 11th October 11-4:30pm Harvest displays, stalls, music, arts & crafts. No need to book.

West Kington Nurseries

THURS 27th AUG WEST BAY, BRIDPORT DT6 4EG

the best of agriculture by the sea

Children 16 years & under go free!!

Tel. 01926 493339 www.hillclosegardens.com

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MASSIVE PLANT SALE!

“Probably the largest plant sale in the West!”

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

Garden entry £4.50 Child £1.00 HCGT & RHS Free Access by racecourse to Bread & Meat Close, Warwick CV34 6HF. 2 hrs free parking.

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

Discounted advanced tickets online

www.melplashshow.co.uk

Country Gardener

APRIL 25th & 26th Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday 10am-4pm

Free Entry

Over £2,700 raised last year for local charities

Our 2020 dates

Rare Plant Fairs 2020 Specialist Plant Fairs in Unique Gardens

Our popular plant fairs are all held in unique and prestigious gardens, a number of which are not frequently open to the public, making a day out at one of our fairs an enjoyable and inspiring experience for everyone, whether a novice or experienced gardener.

Our Gardens Each garden has its own unique character, from those with histories stretching back centuries to more modern gardens created in recent years. Our fairs help to support the upkeep of the gardens, some of which are charitable trusts, and in some cases also benefit important local charities.

Our Nurseries We carefully select our nurseries to ensure that they are genuine growers, and we choose those that exhibit at each fair so that we can offer the widest possible range of plants to our visitors, including perennials, shrubs and trees, alpines, bulbs and exotic plants.

All of our nursery owners are experts in the plants that they grow, and some are National Collection holders.

They are all always happy to offer all the advice that you need to select and grow the right plants for your garden.

Website: www.rareplantfair.co.uk E-mail: info@rareplantfair.co.uk Tel: 0845 468 1368 Calls to our information line cost 5p/min plus your network access charge.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

22nd March The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD 5th April Evenley Wood Garden, Brackley, Northants NN13 5SH 19th April The Old Rectory, Quenington, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5BN 17th May Winterbourne House and Garden, Birmingham B15 2RT 24th May Kingston Bagpuize House, Oxfordshire OX13 5AX 31st May High Glanau Manor, Lydart, Monmouth NP25 4AD 14th June Waterperry Gardens, Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX33 1JZ 21st June Rodmarton Manor, Nr. Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL7 6PF 28th June Sculpture by the Lakes, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8QU 26th July Highnam Court, Nr. Gloucester GL2 8DP 6th September Adwell House, Nr Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 7DQ 13th September The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD 20th September Llanover House, Llanover, Nr Abergavenny NP7 9EF The admission fee for each of our fairs is a combined package and includes access to both the fair and gardens.

Full details of admission fees and times of opening can be found at our website, together with a complete list of the exhibitors attending the Fairs.

Please check all event details before setting out, particularly if travelling some distance to the fair.

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COTSWOLD GARDENS AT ELKSTONE

Early season show celebrates Cornwall at its best

Sunday 7th June 2020 2 - 6pm

GET MORE FROM YOUR GARDEN THIS

Visit beautiful private gardens, the Norman church and wild flower meadow, allotments, art exhibition.

Enjoy cream teas, homemade cakes or ice creams and enjoy sensational views on a tractor ride.

Spring

Adults £5.00, Children free

Parking included. No dogs please Proceeds help support our church and village hall

‘Cream teas in a beautiful garden - this is England at its very best.’

www.elkstonevillage.com

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

2020 dates 15th March Digby Hall, Sherborne DT9 3AA th

19 April Mapperton Gardens 16th May Yarlington House 20th September Mapperton Gardens

Plantfairs.com 20th - 21st June Saturday 10am 5.30pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

With its successful relocation to the prestigious county showground last year, the popular two day Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show which takes place on Saturday Photo: Charles Francis 4th April and Sunday, 5th is sponsored

by Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management and celebrates Cornwall’s early spring on an unprecedented scale.

Offering dazzling displays of daffodils, magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons in the competitive classes; floral and botanical art exhibits; show gardens; more than 130 specialist nurseries and traders in the Plant Pavilion and Horticultural Heaven; an Artisan Area for eclectic arts and crafts; a Growing the Future space focusing on the ways in which we can all protect and enhance our natural environment with activities for children, and a Food from Cornwall marquee, the show provides a perfect day out for enthusiastic gardeners and horticultural experts.

For further details and ticket information, visit www.cornwallgardensociety.org.uk/springflower-show The Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7JE

2020 Cornwall Garden Society

A great weekend for all SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Saturday 4th April, 10am - 5pm Sunday 5th April, 10am - 4pm The Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge Advance Bookings:

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

The Showground, Trafalgar Way, Axminster EX13 5RJ Discounted online tickets available now or purchase tickets at the gate

www.axevaleshow.com Charity number: 1130829

The Axe Vale Show is a charitable fundraising event for the charity ‘Axe Vale Festival Limited’ 28

Country Gardener

June opening for Elkstone village gardens Elkstone is one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds, with extraordinarily beautiful limestone houses and cottages, with views across valleys that are often described as breath-taking. There’s the opportunity on Sunday, 7th June from 2pm to 6pm to visit private gardens in the village, the Coronation wild flower meadow, and enjoy the Norman church, There will be cream teas, homemade cakes and ice creams and sensational views on a tractor ride. Adults £5, children free and parking is included. Assistance dogs only in gardens. Elkstone is just off the A417 midway between Gloucester and Cirencester. www.elkstonevillage.com

Hill Close gardens offer a UNIQUE STEP BACK IN TIME Hill Close Gardens are a unique set of Victorian detached gardens set in the heart of Warwick and well worth a visit this spring or summer.

They are unique as the only remaining set of Victorian detached gardens open to the public in England. Detached gardens were once plentiful around the towns, villages and cities in England.

Visitors can discover their unique history and take a step back in time to 1896 to a point where the gardens have been recreated. Detached gardens have existed here since the 1830’s. There are 16 individual plots of the original 32 overlooking Warwick racecourse and some have brick built summerhouses where you can shelter and find out about the plots previous owners.

Hill Close Gardens offer guided tours throughout the year, the sale of both plants from the nursery and produce from the gardens.

Visit the website at www.hillclosegardens.com for more information or call on 01926 493339. Hill Close Gardens Trust, Bread and Meat Close Warwick CV34 6HF.

WEST KINGTON NURSERIES PLANT SALE SET FOR LATE APRIL West Kington Nurseries welcomes all to another giant plant sale weekend in support of local charities.

The specialist herbaceous and alpine grower, based near Chippenham, will throw open its gates to this popular annual Spring Sale on Saturday, 25th April from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, 26th from 10am to 4pm.

Bargain hunters can expect to find a huge selection of great

value perennials and shrubs, plus a selection of bedding plants, on sale at bargain prices. Last year, the sale raised over £2,700 for local charities including Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Refreshments are available and experts will be on hand to answer any plant-related enquiries. Entrance and parking at the event is free. Dogs on leads welcome.

West Kington Nurseries, West Kington, Nr Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Tel: 01249 782822 www.wknurseries.co.uk

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

Order your plants now for delivery in May. ORDER ONLINE or catalogue available by request.

Book now for 2020 Packing Shed Events

SUCCULENT SUCCESS 1/2 DAY WORKSHOPS 14th or 15th June, FERNS FOR BEGINNERS STUDY DAY 27th July & ECOLOGY IN THE GARDEN DAY 'BUGS, GRUBS AND MORE' 24th August.

Please get in touch for more details.

Garden Open 14th March 11am-5pm. Admission £4.00 in aid of the NGS

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

29

HOW TO...

A new Country Gardener series providing practical explanations of how to deal with a range of gardening tasks

How to grow apricots in

an English garden Apricots used to be very difficult to grow in Britain unless they were planted right up against a south-facing wall to protect early blossom from frosts.

However, Canadian plant breeders have produced coldtolerant varieties capable of fruiting in cooler conditions.

Three are generally available in Britain and they all end in 'cot' - 'Tomcot', 'Flavorcot' and 'Goldcot'.

The key is pollination. All apricots flower early, often in late-February, when pollinating insects are in short supply so you may have to hand pollinate.

Plant in a sunny south or west facing wall or fence or on a container on a sunny patio. You can of course cultivate apricots in a greenhouse.

They favour well-drained soil but don’t like to be too dry especially in the summer.

The soil should be well cultivated. Clear away all perennial weeds because the

last thing you want is added competition when your trees are in settled, and growing.

Apricots are vigorous growers and you may find the root system larger than that of other trees. The grafting point should sit above the soil level and the roots buried in not less than two inches of soil.

HOW DO I PRUNE DIFFERENT APPLE TREES? Apple trees trained as free-standing bushes are best pruned every winter up until early March to ensure a good cycle of fruiting wood. Trees that are not pruned become less productive and congested with old branches. The aim is to create an open goblet shape with a framework of four to five main branches.

It is wise to prune soon after planting; the main leader should be shortened by about a third of it’s current length and any side shoots reduced to three inches.

Apricots hate being dry at the roots. Soak the soil with a hose, applied at the roots, in early morning.

Be prepared to cover your tree when its in flower if frost is forecast. A fleece blanket is ideal.

It’s a really good idea to pollinate the fruit by tickling the flowers to spread the pollen around. A rabbit’s tail was the traditional tool, but a soft paintbrush also works. Go from one flower to the next.

So cut out the three ‘D’s’ - dead, dying and diseased wood. Cut out any crossing branches to prevent them from rubbing which can provide access points for disease. Prune flush with the branch collar, but not into it. On young trees remove a quarter to a third of new growth to allow the branches to thicken.

Open the centre of the tree by removing larger branches at point of origin with a sharp pruning saw. If several large branches need to be removed, spread the work over two or three winters as very hard pruning encourages even more vigorous regrowth.

Always use sharp secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw; blunt tools leads to strains and tatty pruning cuts.

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Country Gardener

How to build a bug hotel Collect all the materials you are going to use to build your hotel.

These can include pallets, bricks, old terracotta pots and plenty of soil and leaves. In preparation you could enjoy a scavenger hunt to find the best materials.

Depending on what insects you’re hoping to encourage into the garden, you should place the hotel in different locations. Some insects prefer cooler damper conditions, with other insects such as bees preferring the sun.

Also make sure it’s not near a vegetable patch if you’re hoping to eat out of the garden this summer!

Place the hotel in an area which can also be surrounded by wildflowers to give another reason to encourage bugs.

Lay bricks on the ground to create a sturdy base, but make sure you leave gaps between them so the insects can crawl up. Then start creating some height by

adding palettes and more bricks, depending on the size of the hotel you want to build.

Fill in the gaps with smaller materials, such as dead wood, tubes, stones and tiles to create beds and spaces for insects to hide. Having different areas filled with different materials means that you will enjoy a wide variety of visitors.

This is integral to ensuring the hotel stays stable and doesn’t tip over, whilst also keeping it dry to help the sheltering bugs. You could use old roofing tiles or pack it tightly with rubble and soil..

Insects won’t come to the hotel straight away. It’ll take a while for it to be discovered and for them to make it their home, but don’t be disheartened. Bug hotels will have more residents during warmer months, and at night-time, so you may not see all the visitors during the day.

How to give your soil a pre spring new lease of life The winter months will have damaged your soil. Seemingly endless rain will have washed away nutrients and the start of every new season the soil needs some remedial action. But first things first-make sure you know what type of soil you have. Soil tests are an indispensable and vital garden tool and you will need to adapt your plan depending on what soil you have.

Spring brings a flurry of underground activity that we can’t see. Billions of soil organisms stretch and yawn, exploding into existence. It’s this living soil below ground that helps gardens thrive above ground by recycling nutrients, capturing water, improving soil tilth, and fighting pests and disease.

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Digging and forking through the soil allows you to loosen any compaction, remove weeds and debris as well as providing the perfect opportunity to add the organic matter.

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Add home-made garden compost, bagged compost or well-rotted manure. As a rule, add a minimum five centimetre layer of organic matter over the surface before digging or forking it in.

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As the garden wakes up in spring, so do the weeds. Before planting, get them under control.

Of all the essential plant nutrients, nitrogen deserves special mention. Though a living soil will continue to recycle and retain most other mineral nutrients, nitrogen is often in short supply, even after years of soil building.

✔

Before planting every year, ensure sufficient nitrogen by counting all the sources you’ve added. Organic fertilisers, such as blood, seed, or feather meal, are sources of concentrated nitrogen. Manures or green grass clippings, incorporated as amendments, provide nitrogen as well. Compost, on the other hand, does not supply enough garden nitrogen. While compost is great for improving overall soil health, additional nitrogen sources are needed. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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PRE SEASON

training!

GARDENING STARTS IN EARNEST OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND AFTER THE WINTER REST. STARTING TO GARDEN WITHOUT PREPARATION CAN RESULT IN INJURIES TO THE BACK, JOINTS AND MUSCLES Gardening can be a lot like full time footballers returning to training after the summer holidays.

Gardeners need to go through pre-season training.

We would all benefit from our own warming up systems before attacking everything from digging to hoeing, weeding to mowing.

Back injuries are second in the list of early season injuries – only just behind damage to fingers and hands.

Most back injuries come from improper lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying—all activities we perform in the garden. There are basic principles which apply to any means of lifting, lowering, and carrying, whether at the gym, home, store, or in the garden.

Start slowly, don’t rush, don’t jerk. Move weights or objects in an unhurried, controlled manner and use a good body position. This is more important than the amount you can lift. If you have problems keeping good form, decrease the weight or get help.

Make sure to breathe; the tendency for some is to hold your breath when lifting.

1

Poor lifting techniques are so often responsible for causing injury or back pain. Emptying the grass box is a common cause of back injury! What looks like a light load can be deceiving.

2

If you find it difficult to get up and down from the ground, long handled shears may put less strain on the back and knees.

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3

Lift with your legs and not your back. Not doing so is the main cause of back injury when lifting. Lift with your knees and waist bent, not your back. Keep your back straight. Knees should be directly above your toes, your shoulders above your knees. If this isn’t happening, try taking a wider stance with feet further apart, and toes pointed outward slightly.

Keep objects close to your body when lifting. Holding them at arm’s length increases the weight on your lower spine by 15 times. Stand close to the object when squatting down to lift.

Make sure you plan ahead when lifting where the object will go. This avoids twisting improperly, carrying around heavy items, or lifting too much too high.

Make sure you have good footwear to provide solid support, and that surfaces you’ll stand or walk on when lifting and carrying aren’t slippery, or with hazards such as cords, ropes, or stones.

Don’t twist or turn at the waist while lifting; turn your whole body instead, leading with your waist and not shoulders.

Don’t ignore pain. The saying of ‘no pain, no gain’, doesn’t apply here.

Be careful of twisting and over reaching when cutting border edges:

• Use short handled shears • Use a mat to kneel on • Only cut the edge at a comfortable distance from where you are kneeling

4

Try and intersperse each task in the garden so you do not over-use the same sets of muscles in the same way.

Country Gardener

5

If your muscles are feeling tired and tight – take a break. A therapeutic massage, or aromatherapy can help ease aches and pains and really relax you.

6

Using a push type mower – posture is key. Keep your back as straight as possible – and your wrists straight. Shorter pushes are better than longer ones which take you out of a neutral position.

Moles - LIVE AND LET LIVE?

WILDLIFE

Are moles causing havoc in your garden? Country Gardener reader and avid mole watcher James Lockett puts the argument for their defence.

I am going to argue that while is no doubt moles can cause gardeners anguish, they deserve our respect and, as often as we can offer it, our tolerance.

They are mighty, mysterious and resilient, so learn to live with the occasional visitation if you can. Take advantage of the spoil of perfectly sifted topsoil they leave on the surface because makes a good base for potting compost.

There is so much to learn — and value — about the extraordinary little animal that lives beneath those annoying piles of soil.

Moles share features with the earliest ancestors of mammals, the shrew-like animals that scurried from beneath the feet of dinosaurs, and they are tremendously successful.

In mainland Britain there are an estimated 31 million moles — a figure to give gardeners recurring nightmares.

Our species, the European mole, Talpa europaea, is one of 39 in the northern hemisphere.

Despite their abundance they remain one of our leastknown wild animals. Small, at around 100g, and living underground, moles reluctantly give up their secrets.

among mammals, the females have ‘ovotestes’: a combination of ovary, which produces eggs and testicular tissue.

The sexes stay together for only an hour or so, and soon afterwards females resume their solitary lives.

Moles – mighty, In mid-April in southern mysterious and resilient England to late June in Scotland, three or four babies are born in warm, underground nests of dry grass, and spend their first four weeks sleeping, and drinking their mother’s milk.

The young moles leave home and set off to find their own territories, risking starvation, traffic and prowling foxes.

Sixty-four per cent of youngsters never live to see their first birthday. Only a lucky few reach the maximum age of seven.

The mole is, as many of us know to our cost, an accomplished digger.

I suspect that’s one reason why, unlike hedgehogs, the mole - save for that affectionate portrait in The Wind In The Willows - does not enjoy a secure place in a gardeners’ affections.

Try to admire for a moment the small animals that produced it. Moles work for four and half hours a day in winter, when the soil is harder, and take about an hour to dig one metre.

I believe that moles are one of the most remarkable animals on earth. They have broad, spade-like hands armed with thick, earth-scraping nails and a fringe of stiff hairs to sweep soil.

Having dug the soil, moles have to get it out of their tunnels, and the only way is to push it onto the surface via sloping shafts.

The shoulders are so powerful that they can exert a sideways pressure 24 times their body weight.

A natural engineer, the mole’s life is largely one of hardworking solitude. The 19th-century English rural poet, John Clare, called it ‘the little hermit’.

Both male and female moles are solitary and strongly territorial - and are very difficult to tell apart. Uniquely

Painful though the thought is of molehills for devoted gardeners, moles contribute to the health of the soil, turning it, draining it and mixing its nutrients, while their molehills are nurseries for wild flowers.

Consequently, moles remain a target in Britain even though on a national scale moles are really more of an annoyance than a pest.

I rest my case.

‘A NATURAL ENGINEER, THE MOLE’S LIFE IS LARGELY ONE OF HARD-WORKING SOLITUDE’. www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

garden advice A new growing season is almost upon us and we’ve been able to dip into our postbag of readers' queries to offer help and guidance on a whole range of gardening problems

We have a lot of mature trees in our Dorset garden and I am always a bit frustrated that under these trees there is very little colour. What are therefore the best options to plant in these inhospitable situations?

Tim Sandall Lyme Regis Among the best is the evergreen Geranium macrorrhizum Ingwersen’s Variety’ which can colour up well in autumn and which has lilac pink flowers in summer. It makes effective ground cover even in the dry shaded areas. Vigorous Galium odoratum is ideal ground cover under trees. Epimedium pinnatum is another excellent performer where there is shade and little soil depth and which provides lovely summer and autumn flowers.

Magnolia stellata

Crab apple

Prunus ‘The Bride’

I have a newish garden which isn’t big but gives the opportunity to plant some new ornamental trees and I’d like something which really announces the arrival of spring with plenty off bold colour and blossom. I tried to get some advice our local garden centre but they weren’t a great deal of help.

David Coulton Cheltenham Species such as crab apple (Malus), ornamental cherries (Prunus), lilacs (Syringa) and magnolias will all light up the garden in spring and can be kept in check and not overpower a small garden. Specific choice could include: • Magnolia stellata ‘Jane Platt’ a gorgeous tree with rick pink blooms which flowers early and grows to no more than three metres.

• Malus ‘Gorgeous’ is a vibrant crab apple with pink flowers which open white and come into full life in mid spring. This grows to between six and eight metres.

• Prunus ‘The Bride’ is a pure white blossom which totally covers the tree and looks sensational, flowering in mid spring and growing to three to four metres.

Clockwise from left: Gallium odoratum; Geranium macrorrhizum; Epimedium pinnatum Cut back rosemary by two thirds in spring

We have two substantial rosemary bushes at the bottom of the steps down to the garden which look very unruly. I’ve been told that if I cut them back there’s a danger of killing the shrubs off. Is this likely to be a real problem?

Sophie Morgan Barnstable Unpruned plants can very easily becoming leggy and out of control but it shouldn’t be a problem to prune and tidy them up. Rosemaries are not the longest-lived plants, often declining in vigour after ten years and it may be that old tired and neglected plants may be best replaced but overgrown shrubs that are still vigorous can often be renovated by cutting back all stems by at least two thirds in spring.

34

Country Gardener

Last spring I tried forcing my three rhubarb plants to get some early fruit but ended up with very thin pencil like sticks which was very disappointing. I have been told that there are specific cultivars which are ideal for forcing and that not all varieties can be forced.

Some rhubarb varieties are better than others for being ‘forced’

Matthew Clarke Painswick It may be that your efforts to force the rhubarb allowed water in and the plants became waterlogged. It is important when you cover rhubarb with an upturned pot to make sure the water doesn’t get in. For the most part all varieties should respond to being forced by covering the crown in January and February with a layer of straw and then anything which will exclude the light. Stems should be ready in about three weeks. And yes, there are some varieties which are known to respond better to being forced and these include ‘ Champagne’ which is a prolific grower and ‘Timperley Early’ which is a heavy cropper but can be susceptible to frost.

I’d like to grow onions from seeds this spring but for the last couple of years my efforts have failed and the seedlings have barely grown and then failed.

Malcolm Taylor Swindon Onions should be easy to grow from seed. It may be that your efforts failed because of the quality of the soil or the position they were sowed in. Onions really do need

a well-lit position to thrive in. Seedlings also need the benefit of soil that has been enriched with generous amounts of organic matter. They are unlikely to take off if there are any deficiencies in the soil. Sow seeds in March and April in seed compost but when you transfer then move to quality soil to get the best results.

My hellebores which are normally such a delight in early spring have for the past two years been badly affected by black distorted leaves and mildew which has been a real disappointment as these flowers are some of the first to appear in the garden in spring. Should I start again or is there a remedy?

Hungry deers will eat almost anything

Annie Hilton Taunton You have been very unlucky as hellebores are normally trouble free. The black leaves you mention have been affected by something called ‘ Black death’ which sounds very dramatic and sadly is -and is a virus which results in stems, leaves and even flowers becoming distorted with black streaking. The disease is thought to have come from an aphid called Macrosiphum hellebori which is specific to these plants. There is no cure and all you can do is destroy affected plants and neighbouring plants may be affected. The mildew sounds like a different problem and is caused by a fungus and again this is a fatal disease so it is perhaps best to dig up everything clear the area and plant new hellebores elsewhere in the garden something different.

'Black death' on hellebores - rare but fatal when it appears

Is there such a thing as deer resistant planting?

Two sides of our garden back on to open fields where they are covers for local shoots and deer hide in them and then enter the garden. I could of course erect an eight-foot high fence but wonder if there were more horticultural options.

Pamela Houghton Petersfield Deer will eat almost anything. You could consider spraying new plants with a deterrent spray based on aluminium ammonium sulphate such as ‘Vitax Stay Off’. This could give up to five weeks protection. Delphiniums, hellebores and jasmine tend not be eaten by deer – also berberis, cotoneaster, eucalyptus all scored high in a survey carried out by the RHS two years ago into deer resistant species.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

35

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

10 essential jobs to get on with in early spring

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Plant summer flowering bulbs While it may feel too early in the year to be thinking about summer, March is the perfect time to plant summer flowering bulbs that will provide beautiful colour and interest over the warmer months ahead.

Start to attack weeds Weeds will start to appear in greater numbers as we switch from winter to spring. It is particularly important to remove them when they are hindering the growth of your plants, which they do by forcing them to compete for nutrients and water.

Bulbs to plant this month include gladiolus such as the hot-pink ‘Charming Beauty’ variety, dahlias that explode into vibrant warm colours, and exquisite and delightful lilies. Get your lilies planted as soon as they are purchased or they will quickly dehydrate and perish.

Pick a day when the ground is dry and use a hoe, running it between rows of plants to kill any invasive seedlings and established weeds.

Begonias are another option that provide long-lasting colour in the summer garden. Ensure the likelihood of frosts has passed before planting out.

Hoeing brings the seedlings to the top of the soil, where they dry out and die.

3

Do not throw the weed seedlings into your compost heap, as they may come back to haunt you when applied to the garden.

Get onion sets in the ground Plant out onion sets, shallots and garlic before they start to produce shoots. If you are buying any from garden centres reject any that are shooting they will only bolt during the summer. Transplant any onions that were grown from seed sown last summer into rows. It is best to treat these as a sacrificial crop to be harvested and used from August onwards.

4

Time for some cautious sowing

As soon as the soil reaches 6°C you can start to sow directly outside.

Sweet peas and broad beans can be sown first, and though the first of the salad can go in now you get better results if you warm the ground first with plastic or cloches. Early sowings of mustard, rocket and cut-and-come-again salad are some of the most delicious mouthfuls of the year, so seize the moment if it looks like the weather is with us and the month is kind.

Begonias are another option that provide long-lasting colour in the summer garden. Ensure the likelihood of frosts has passed before planting out.

36

Country Gardener

5 6

Give your trees some TLC If you planted trees this winter, give them some care now. Check tree stakes and ties, put rabbit guards in place where necessary, and keep them weed free and well watered, particularly through drier periods.

7

Don’t put off pruning roses

Divide perennials

Dividing perennials regularly will ensure healthy, vigorous plants that will continue to perform year after year. It also offers the opportunity to multiply your plants.

Late winter February or March is a good time for pruning roses.

Cuts should be no more than five mm above a bud and should slope downwards away from it, so that water does not collect on the bud. This applies to all cuts, whether removing dead wood, deadheading or annual pruning. Cut to an outward-facing bud to encourage an open-centred shape.

With roses of spreading habit, prune some stems to inward-facing buds to encourage more upright growth. Cuts must be clean, so keep your secateurs sharp.

Most perennials benefit from division every two to three years to maintain health and vigour. If you want to increase the number of plants you have by dividing them, the task can be done more regularly.

On established roses, cut out poorly flowering old wood and saw away old dead stubs. With the exception of climbing roses and shrub roses, prune all newly planted roses hard to encourage vigorous shoots.

Clematis cutback time

8

February and early March is the time to tackle pruning Clematis Groups 2 and 3. If your plant is in Group 2, which is characterised by large flowers that appear in mid summer, it only needs a light prune. If it is group 3 and flowers from mid to late summer you can give it a harder prune. To help you remember make a note that if it ‘flowers before June, don’t prune!

9 Give alpines some love As alpines start to flower, it’s a good moment to give them some love. They are martyrs to rot, so remove dead leaves from around the bases and add a handful of gravelly chippings to keep them away from wet soil.

10

Make early use of the greenhouse or polytunnel If you have invested in a greenhouse, you can begin to fill it by sowing tender vegetables, such as aubergines, chillies, cucumbers and tomatoes, which will grow for the whole summer under glass.

You can also direct sow carrots, beetroots or turnips, radishes and a range of leafy salad crops, though in March these may need to be covered to allow the temperatures to climb high enough for germination in more northerly reaches of the UK. Again, consider what you want to have in the greenhouse or polytunnel in the summer months and whether you have time to sneak in a quick spring crop before heat-lovers take over the space.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

37

READERS STORY

‘Get rid of weeds the proper way’ Country Gardener reader Ian Markey pleads with fellow gardeners to stick with their organic principles this spring and as the weeds start to appear turn to hard work and not chemicals ‘I love your magazine and have been an avid reader for many years.

For some time I’ve been wanting to share with you my experiences in becoming an organic gardener and with it a plea on dealing with weeds.

‘When the weeds start to appear over the next few weeks get rid of them the organic way’.

I’m going to have a rant about all this. I spent some time looking at how to cope with weeds on my two acre Somerset plot and friends told me I had to use chemicals.

It was the only way they said. Quick and effective.

But the winter before this one I spent some long evenings doing research for myself and finding out what was best not just for me but for the wildlife and what threat chemicals really posed.

It can’t have escaped your notice that wildlife is in trouble.

The reasons are complex and they include loss of habitat and climate change. The use of pesticides in gardens target small invertebrates that sustain lots of creatures including birds and many small mammals. Spraying for aphids and flea beetles, for instance, has a knock-on effect on other creatures such as ladybirds and spiders.

Many plants on garden centre benches, bearing the logo ‘I’m bee friendly’, have been found to have been sprayed with neonicotinoids so they’re not bee-friendly at all, quite the opposite.

At the moment there’s a lot of controversy about glyphosate, which is sold under the tradename Roundup.

This weed killer contains a cocktail of different chemicals and the claim is that it’s 1,000 times more toxic than pure glyphosate.

As an organic gardener I wouldn’t go within a mile of Roundup.

What about pernicious weeds when it seems many gardeners are saying it is the only option. All I would say is that it is found in the soil and sediments in cooler climates, and that includes the UK, for up to three years.

Amphibians are thought to be affected by Roundup and common frog numbers have dropped because they come into contact with the chemical when they’re on the ground. The common toad is said by the charity Froglife to be declining rapidly. Glyphosate 38

is water soluble and has had significant effects on species that underpin the entire aquatic food chain so amphibians are very vulnerable.

Birdlife is impacted when this chemical is used on weeds and wildflower because many seed-eating birds find themselves short of food.

It isn’t all gloom and doom!

Wildlife can come back if we ordinary gardeners do things properly and thankfully many of us are.

Before you get rid of any weeds, ask yourself whether it’s necessary because over tidy gardens are not good for wildlife. A wild, sunny corner with some nettles will help butterflies.

To start with don’t see weeding as a chore - little and often is the way.

If paths and paving cause particular problems try to ensure that gaps between paving slabs are filled with mortar rather than sand.

Gravelled areas can be problematic, but there are weed-burning torches, powered by butane canisters, that scorch away weeds. You can also use boiling water, although this will harm wildlife.

Mulching also helps to suppress weeds because many of them need to be exposed to the light to germinate.

Try not to disturb the soil in spring because you will get a rash of weed seedlings. Should this happen a small hoe will remove them.

More pernicious weeds need to be dug out and worried on a regular basis.

In my raised beds the weeds have started to appear.

Brambles are already spreading, stinging nettles are appearing everywhere. There’s couchgrass, dock, dandelions, my number one enemy ground elder, bindweed and many more set to make an appearance.

But know your enemy.

Find out how they spread and how they thrive and start the campaign The battle in the garden is about to start up again.

But please it’s not always easy but elbow grease is better than ruining wildlife’.

Country Gardener

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Winchcombe North Cotswold’s AONB Sleeps 2 ,en-suite, Central Heating. Wood Fired Hot Tub. Central for Cotswold Attractions. Views and Excellent walking.

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39

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40

A natural bio-stimulant made from sustainably hand-harvested seaweed in Dorset Quote code: 10CG2020 at checkout to receive 10% off. Valid 01/03/2020 31/08/2020. One use per customer. www.dorsetseaweeds.co.uk Country Gardener

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TIME TO GROW SOME

medicinal trees!

Have you ever wondered about growing medicinal trees or shrubs? Holt Wood Herbs is a Devon project exploring ways to sustainably cultivate and harvest medicinal trees and shrubs. It was started some 15 years ago by a medical herbalist and her partner, and is now a flourishing medicinal forest garden.

This year they are offering courses to pass on some of their experience in growing and making remedies using medicinal trees and shrubs.

The Holt Wood project is near Great Torrington in Devon. The project has shown how a redundant area of conifer plantation can be transformed into a forest garden using permaculture design principles. It was established in 2005, with planting of over 1000

trees, both native and introduced species. In addition to foods and fuel, a wide range of plants are grown and harvested for herbal remedies and body care products. The use of coppicing and pollarding keeps some plants to manageable size and offers advantages from prolonging the life of trees to supporting a diversity of ground level vegetation and wildlife.

Holt Wood Herbs are offering courses in design and harvest in the medicinal forest garden in May and June 2020. Each course is based on a small group so that detailed practical advice is possible, and the cost for all handouts and materials including refreshments is £85. A weekend course is also available.

‘DESIGNING THE MEDICINAL FOREST GARDEN’ DAY COURSE Thursday 14 May 2020 Discover the uses of medicinal trees and shrubs and how you can grow them in small or large gardens.

‘HARVESTING FROM A MEDICINAL FOREST GARDEN’ DAY COURSE Thursday 28 May 2020 Learn about harvesting and preparing herbal remedies from medicinal trees and shrubs.

Full details and online booking are at www.holtwoodherbs.com or call on 01363 777531 www.countrygardener.co.uk

41

TIME OFF

Diary events from clubs and organisations

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

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

If you are a garden club or association looking to promote an event then please send us details at least eight weeks before publication and we will publicise it free of charge. Make sure you let us know where the event is being held, the date and include a contact telephone number.

We are always keen to support events and we will be glad to publicise talks, meetings and shows held during the year where clubs want to attract a wider audience, but we do not have space for club outings or parties. It is much easier for us if garden clubs could send us their diary for the year for events to be included in the relevant issue of the magazine. Please send to Country Gardener Magazines, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or by email to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk We take great care to ensure that details are correct at the time of going to press but we advise readers to check wherever possible before starting out on a journey as circumstances can force last minute changes. All NGS open gardens can be found on www.ngs.org.uk or in the local NGS booklet available at many outlets.

Denmead Horticultural Society ‘POTATOES’ – CHRIS BIRD www.denmeadhorticulturalsociety.btck.co.uk

February 20TH

Medstead Gardeners’ Club ‘BUTTERFLY COTTAGE GARDEN PLANTS’ – ANGELA & ANDREW WARD www.medsteadgardenersclub.xyz

Alton Horticultural Society ‘HOLLY’ – NICK SORBY www.altonhorticulturalsociety.org.uk

Solent Fuchsia and Flower Club ‘REMINISCENCES OF A LONG TIME FUCHSIA GROWER’ – ANDY DAWES Details on 01329 310124

Bartley Horticultural Society ‘TULIPS FROM AMSTERDAM’ – JULIE MUNDEN Details on 023 80812853 Sway Gardening Club GARDEN QUIZ NIGHT WITH CRAIG MCEWAN Details on 01590 683387

5TH

26TH Bishops Waltham Gardening Club ‘CONTAINER PLANTING WITH BULBS FOR A YEAR OF COLOUR’ – TIM WOODLAND Warsash Horticultural Society ‘GARDENS OF JAPAN’ – JOHN BAKER www.warsashhorticulturalsociety.btck.co.uk

27TH Downton Horticultural Society ‘HILLIER’S GARDENS’ – JOHN COOMBES Details on 01725 511475 South Wonston Gardening Club ‘CONTAINER GARDENING’ – KELVIN MASON Details on 01962 882031

42

Debden Purlieu Gardening Association ‘HISTORY OF ORCHIDS & HOW TO CARE FOR THEM’ – DEREK COPLEY Details on 023 80842006

6TH Bournemouth in Bloom/Bournemouth Horticultural Society ‘TREE HERITAGE OF BOURNEMOUTH’ – NICK COLLEDGE Details on 01202 752014 Southampton Gardening Club ‘PESTS AND DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL’ – RAY BROUGHTON

7TH

March

Minstead Study Centre SPRING PREPARATION IN A VEGETABLE GARDEN COURSE Details on 023 8081 3437

2ND

10TH

Fordingbridge Flower Club ‘CHELSEA SECRETS’ – PIP BENSLEY

Braishfield Horticultural Society ‘PLANT HERITAGE’ – ROSIE YEOMANS

3RD

11TH

Bursledon & District Gardening Club ‘ALPINES AND ROCKERY PLATNS’ – ROGER HIRON Details on 02380 402986

Winchester Horticultural Society AGM AND MEETING

Country Gardener

12TH

19TH

Bealieu Horticultural Society ‘BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH GARDENS’ – ANDY MCINDOE Details on 07951 801858

Alton Horticultural Society ‘CHOICE TREES & SHRUBS’ – ROBIN LEES www.altonhorticulturalsociety.org.uk

Catisfield & District Gardening Club ‘GROWING VEGETABLES IN RAISED BEDS’ – BARRY NEWMAN Details on 01329 286195

Bartley Horticultural Society ‘A FILM EVENING’ – MANUEL HINGE Details on 023 80812853

Petersfield Gardeners’ Club ‘ARUNDEL CASTLE GARDENS’ – MARTIN DUNCAN Details on 01730 261263

Sway Gardening Club ‘BORN IN THE USA – POPULAR GARDEN PLANTS FROM NORTH AMERICA’ – MARTIN YOUNG Details on 01590 683387

16TH

21ST

Southam Gardening Club ‘HIDDEN PLACES, SECRET LIVES’ – ROSEMARY WINNALL

Sway Gardening Club, St Luke’s Church SPRING SHOW Details on 01590 683387

17TH

22ND

Lawn Gardening Club ‘SPRING PLANTING’ – PETER BIGGS Details on 01793 523099

Purbrook Horticultural Society SPRING SHOW www.purbrookhorticulturalsociety.org.uk

18TH

24TH

Milford Gardeners’ Club ‘FABULOUS FOLIAGE & TEMPTING TENDERS’ – STEVE EDNEY Details on 01425 612287

Hale and Woodgreen Horticultural Society ‘THE WINTER GARDEN’ – ANDY MACINDOE

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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 where we have included postcodes to make it easier for you to find them. You’ll find those highlighted in green advertising in this issue. For amendments to details or deliveries please email distribution@countrygardener.co.uk Alton Farm & Country Supplies, GU34 3HL Lavender Fields, GU34 3HS Alton Home Hardware, GU34 1FG Ashurst Totton Garden Club, SO40 7AX Basingstoke Cobbs @ Manydown, RG23 8PU Mole Country Stores, RG27 0HP The Vyne NT, RG24 9HL Beaulieu Fairweather Garden Centre, SO42 7YB Brockenhurst Setley Ridge Garden Centre, SO42 7UF Bursledon Pickwell Farm Shop, SO31 8GD Grandessa Farm Shop, SO31 8QG Cadnam Dobbies Garden Centre, SO40 2NB

Fair Oak Allington Nurseries, SO50 7DD In-Excess Garden Centre, SO50 7HD The Garden Society, SO50 7DE

Lyndhurst Furzey Gardens, SO43 7GL

Fareham Mud Island Nurseries, PO17 6JF

New Milton Redcliffe GC, BH25 5RY Ferndene Farm Shop & Plant Shop, BH25 5SY Bashley Plant Centre, BH25 5SG

Fordingbridge Baskets & Blooms, SP6 2HG Bleakhill Plants, BH24 3PX Scent Sational Plants, SP6 1BN Wolvercroft World Of Plants, SP6 3BE Four Marks, nr Alton Garthowan Garden Centre, GU34 5AJ Hayling Island Meadow Farm Nursery, PO11 0RL Terracotta Pot Shop, PO11 9LU Tourist Information Centre, PO11 0AG Stoke Fruit Farm, PO11 0PT Heckfield Wellington Farm Shop, RG27 0LT

Christchurch MacPennys Nursery BH25 5RY

Hinton Ampner Hinton Ampner NT, SO24 0LA

Clanfield Rumsey Gardens, PO8 0PD

Hook Hortus Loci, RG27 8LQ

Eastleigh George Beckett Nurseries, SO21 2RT

Landford In-Excess Garden Centre, SP5 2BE

Emsworth Emsworth Home Hardware, PO10 7AQ

Lasham Avenue Nurseries, GU34 5SU

Lymington Mole Country Stores, SO41 9ZS Everton Nurseries, SO41 0JZ

Petersfield Friends of Petersfield Physic Society, GU32 3JJ Tourist Information Centre, GU32 3HH Ringwood In-Excess Garden Centre, BH24 3HW Romsey Gilberts Nursery, SO51 6DT Choice Plants Nursery, SO51 0NB Romsey Home Hardware, SO51 8GE Romsey World Of Water, SO51 0HB Cedar Nurseries, SO51 0PD Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, SO51 0QA Pococks, SO51 0QA

Editorial

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

Stockbridge Longstock Park Nursery, SO20 6EH Tadley Mowers UK, RG26 5QW Elm Park GC, RG26 5QW Wolverton Plants, RG26 5RU Titchfield Stewarts Garden Centre, PO15 5RB Garsons, PO15 6QX Hambrook’s Garden Centre, PO14 4PR St Margarets Fuchsia Nursery, PO14 4BL Whiteparish Courtens Garden Centre, SP5 2SD Wickham Mole Countrystore, PO17 5DH Winchester Cobbs Home & Garden, SO23 7LD Kings Worthy Garden Machinery, Winnall, SO23 0LF

Salisbury In-Excess Garden Centre, SP2 8PR

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

Magazines

Southampton Mayfield Nursery, SO19 9HL

Rowlands Castle Rowlands Home Hardware, PO9 6BW

New Forest

Advertising Sales

Selbourne Gilbert White’s House, GU34 3JH

Ava Bench - Somerset & Hampshire ava@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01278 786139 Cath Pettyfer - Devon cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660 Classifieds classified@countrygardener.co.uk

Portsmouth Corina Reay - Cotswolds corina@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 410098 Lisa Cawkill - Dorset lisa@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01945 450784

Design & Production Aidan Gill aidan@countrygardener.co.uk

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Country Gardener

All a matter of taste Coriander is an easy to grow annual herb with a distinctive flavour and all parts of the plant including seeds, roots and stems can be used in cooking

Coriander in brief

• Coriander ‘Calypso’ and ‘Lesiure’ are the best to grow.

The tiny pungent leaves of coriander make a pretty clump of fresh green in either a sunny or partially shaded position in the garden. A hardy annual relative of parsley, plants are grown for their leaves or their ribbed brown seeds.

• Sow from late March to early September.

• Ideal for pots or troughs but tap roots can be 25cms deep so make sure they have room.

• Germination takes up to three weeks.

• Re-sow every three weeks for all year round supply.

The herb has a bit of a reputation as being one of those ‘love it or hate’ additions to the garden but it is easy to grow and has a very distinctive flavour.

Coriander (Coriander sativum) is grown throughout the world and has many common names; Chinese parsley, yuen sai, pak shee, fragrant green.

The word ‘cilantro’ is the Spanish translation and in both North and South America this is what the herb goes by. It is a tender annual herb related to the carrot family.

The main medicinal use for coriander is to treat loss of appetite and dyspeptic complaints. It is good for the digestive system and for reducing flatulence.

Sow

Seeds can be started in well-prepared soil outdoors or sown in pots filled with multi-purpose compost in early summer. Sow seeds thinly and cover lightly. Germination takes between seven to 20 days.

Grow

Keep soil and compost damp, but avoid overwatering. Dry soil or compost can cause plants to bolt or flower prematurely. Plants do not normally need feeding.

Seeds ripen in early autumn and when collected and dried can be used in curries

• Harvest when the leaves are big and robust.

Harvesting Pick leaves when young and very green. Plants grown for seeds should be allowed to send up long stalks carrying airy sprays of dainty white blooms, followed by peppercorn-size seeds.

Pick when ripe, just before they start to fall to the ground.

Cut entire stems and allow to dry on paper. When fully dry, store in airtight containers. Seeds can be used whole or ground to a coarse powder with a pestle and mortar.

Uses

The leaves of coriander can be picked as required from spring through to late summer while the leaves are still small and before flowering starts. Add to dishes just before serving as it tends to go slimy when cooked for too long. The leaves go well with salads, spicy dishes and salsas.

The roots- much neglected and often thrown away but coriander roots have a strong bittersweet taste, which makes them ideal for curries and stews.

Sow coriander where you intend to grow it as it hates being moved. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Coriander in full summer flower – aromatic and slightly scented.

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FLOWER OF THE MONTH - MARCH

NIGELLA

‘Love-in-a-Mist’ Nigella, also known as love-in-a-mist due to the light green, fine threadlike bracts that form the mist around the beautiful blue flowers, is a lovely old fashioned annual.

Nigella has been almost ever present in English cottage gardens since Elizabethan times.

It is a favourite for scattering wherever there is a gap in the flower border, but also good for short-term massed bedding and for drying. For many years ‘Miss Jekyll’ was the only widely available variety, and it is still popular for its dependable masses of sky-blue flowers.

Nigella damascene ‘Blue Stars’ charming single blue star shaped flowers

These last for about eight weeks, and it is worth deadheading or sowing a later batch to extend the season. Sowing ideally in March, in a cold frame in paper pots in cold districts, produces early flowers.

As Love-in-a-Mist’s name implies, this old-fashioned annual has lovely flowers that appear to be encased in a delicate misty web of bracts.

Nigella damascene ‘African Bride’

Ever present in English cottage gardens

It is easy to start by sowing seeds directly into the soil in the spring but also rewards the garden during the cool months with interesting flowers to cut. And if you can resist the urge to harvest, you get quirky seed pods when summer starts heating up.

Love-in-a-Mist grows upright to heights of from one to two feet and produces flowers in cooling shades of white, blue, pink and purple.

Nigella is the perfect annual to sow over spring bulbs. Instead of unattractive bare spaces after bulbs finish blooming, you will see “love” in their place.

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Country Gardener

KEEP IT ALIVE Love-in-a-Mist is a prolific re-seeder. One packet will start your obsession and then you can redeem your rewards for years to come.

Harvest the seed pods while still firm and before they split open; hang upside down in a cool, dark place.

In the spring, sow your seeds about a quarter of an inch deep in a spot that gets full to part sun and keep the soil moist until sprouts appear in from two to three weeks. After it gets going, this annual takes average to little water. It does not transplant well because of its long taproot; sow Delightful as seeds directly in a prepared cut flowers planting bed or container.

This honeybee attraction is a trouble-free plant that appreciates a little neglect. And while deadheading will prolong flowering, it also will prevent the plant from developing decorative seed pods, so it is best to let this ornamental alone.

NIGELLA DAMASCENA - THE FACTS

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Bird’s Nest, Deli in a Bush and Ragged Lady FAMILY: Ranunculaceae • Native to southern Europe • The epithet damascene relates to Damascus in Syria.

• The flowers are most commonly shades of blue but can be white, pink or pale purple.

• The pale blue ‘Miss Jekyll’ and the double white-flowered ‘Miss Jekyll Alba’ have gained the RHS Award of Garden Merit

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