Hampshire Country Gardener Winter 2016

Hampshire

Issue No 92 Winter 2016

FREE

Jobs to keep you working

THIS WINTER! Hardy vegetables that LOVE the cold

The BEST VALUE Christmas trees

COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH LOTS OF HAMPSHIRE GARDENING EVENTS

PLUS: Gardening

books for Christmas; Native fungi; Overwintering your plants; Solving box plant diseases

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Sussex & Hampshire Country Gardener Novmber 2016_Garsons_KKwith bleed.pdf 1 08/11/2016 15:00:35

www.garsons.co.uk

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Country Gardener

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Contents

"As I write, snow is falling outside my window, and indoor all around me half a hundred garden catalogues are in bloom" - KATHARINE S. WHITE

REASONS TO BE IN THE GARDEN IN WINTER

out of sight but right under our noses.

Page 24

Gill Heavens rejects the idea that winter is the time when gardening jobs stop and urges us all to enjoy the invigorating air with some important tasks. Page 8

FANTAST IC F UNGI

The wildlife beauty within dry stone walls Dry stone walls are a conservationists dream, they are wildlife apartment blocks, larders and hideaways and they are packed full of a myriad of interesting and beneficial creatures tucked just

Dorset

Issue No 150 Winter 2016

FREE

Jobs to keep you working

THIS WINTER! Hardy vegetables that LOVE the cold

The BEST VALUE Christmas trees

COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS WITH LOTS OF DORSET GARDENING EVENTS

PLUS: Gardening books for Christmas; Native fungi; Overwintering your plants; Solving box plant diseases

ON THE COVER THIS MONTH

Rowan berries are also known as mountain ash berries and are native to the UK and provide all winter colour.

They also act as a reminder that there are still things happening in gardens through the winter months and plenty of reasons to keep gardening! www.countrygardener.co.uk

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

The Forestry Commission is campaigning this autumn to safeguard native fungi ,extraordinary organisms which are neither plants, nor animals yet some of which are indispensable partners for many plants.

Page 17

ARE YOUR PLANTS READY FOR THE WORST OF WINTER? How much help do your plants need in terms of protection this winter? As the temperatures fall and frosts start to bite plants do need protection. Page 18

The appeal of the south west coastal paths We may want to look at Cornwall through BBC's 'Poldark' on a winter’s evening, but if you get out there and discover the coastal paths it’s much more fun. Page 24

Advertising Sales Cath Pettyfer Devon & Dorset cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660 Ava Bench Somerset & Classified ava@countrygardener.co.uk classified@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01278 671037

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

Wonderful gardening books for Christmas

There have been some lovely books published this year to mark the tercentenary of ‘Capability’ Brown’s birth and Shakespeare’s death 400 years ago, delightful books in a wide selection we’ve chosen to put on a Christmas list or to just treat yourself to a good winter’s read. Page 26

Box problems - now the solutions A recent survey showed that of all the enquiries the RHS Gardening Advice receives every year, box is always in the top few– evidence of how popular a plant it is – and the worry it causes. Page 42

"At Christmas, I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth; But like each thing that in season grows" - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Accounts Sam Bartholomew sam@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 430639 Distribution Pat Eade pateade@btinternet.com Tel: 01594 543790 Follow us on Twitter @countrygardenuk

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

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

3

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...IN HAMPSHIRE A look at news, events and happenings in Hampshire

Top S

Pre Christmas tickets offer savings for Powderham festival

t ory

Tickets are now on sale for the popular Toby Buckland GardenFest which bursts into life for two plant-packed days in the stunning location of Powderham Castle, near Exeter in Devon next April.

The event, which is in its fourth year, takes place at the start of the May Bank Holiday on Friday and Saturday, April 28th and 29th. Visitors buying tickets before Christmas can buy on-line for ÂŁ8.50p- a saving of ÂŁ4 per ticket.

Known for its friendly, inclusive atmosphere and beautiful setting, the Powderham garden festival is a garden party with celebrity speakers, more than 140 plant nurseries, arts and crafts, fabulous local food, live music and entertainment.

Toby Buckland said, “I’m thrilled to announce the dates for our fourth festival at Powderham and once again we have a fresh line-up of exhibitors and interactive displays, designed to inspire and entertain the region’s gardeners.

Toby Buckland: "Once again we have a fresh line up of exhibitors"

“We have even more special and unusual plants, as well as a new 'Garden Pest Clinic' where we will be showcasing up-to-the-minute, eco-friendly techniques for dealing with pests and diseases. This year we’re doing even more to celebrate the wealth of independent growers and makers with our new ‘Devon Made’ expo."

Tickets are available at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk

Info pack for garden clubs A special information pack is now available for Hampshire garden clubs offering the chance of a perfect gardeners’ day out at the two Toby Garden Fests at Powderham and Forde Abbey next year.

The pack is aimed at providing gardening club members with incentives to organise outings to the popular Powderham event near Exeter on April 28th and 29th next year and the new autumn event at Forde Abbey near Chard on Saturday and Sunday September 16th and 17th.

BBC Gardeners' World Adam Frost and gardening author and broadcaster Pippa Greenwood head the high profile speakers at Powderham while BBC’s Charlie Dimmock and Christine Walkden will appear at Forde Abbey.

The pack has details of entry price discounts available for clubs, free coach parking, plant crèche arrangements and catering options and sale or return tickets.

This pack also includes full up the minute details of both events as well as posters and leaflets to download to display for club meetings. Tel: 01823 431767 or email alan@tobygardenfest.co.uk

P O TAT O WEEKEND IN FEBRUARY AT COURTENS GARDEN CENTRE Win a bottle of whisky and other goodies in a super charity raffle in aid of Naomi House Children's Hospice at Courtens Garden Centre on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th February.

At the same time choose from more than 40 varieties of seed potato and other vegetable seed, all sold loose, as part of the Potato Weekend. See demonstrations by Test Valley Wood Turners, find out about the Woodland Trust and marvel at the expertise of a wildlife artist. Hot lunches will be available and there is free parking. The garden centre is open 10am until 4pm during the winter months and is open seven days a week. Its location is opposite the pond at Whiteparish on the A27. www.courtensgardencentre.co.uk or call 01794 884489.

Courtens Garden Centre, Romsey Road, Whiteparish near Salisbury, SP5 2SD. 4

Country Gardener

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GARDEN CENTRE CAFÉ GIFT SHOP Open daily Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 5pm

Over 400 varieties of rose arriving from December We also stock a wide range of shrubs, herbaceous and bedding plants, containers pots Haddonstone stoneware, tools, seeds, garden sundries and gifts.

See our website for a full programme of Christmas events and details of our 2017 workshops and talks.

CRANBORNE, DORSET BH21 5PP TEL: 01725 517248 www.cranbornegardencentre.co.uk Follow us on www.countrygardener.co.uk

5

WESTCROFT GARDEN SET TO BE ANOTHER SNOWDROP DELIGHT Snowdrop enthusiasts and anyone who loves to see these signs of spring should head for the garden at Westcroft in Boscombe Village, Wiltshire where owner Lyn Miles will be opening the garden gates to visitors in February.

Lyn Miles became hooked on snowdrops 20 years ago.

“I have lived here at Westcroft for over 20 years”, she told Country Gardener. “Even so there are still ongoing projects and always will be, I think! My garden is a two thirds of an acre ‘wild’ garden, described by Yellow Book organisers (for the National Gardens Scheme) a few years back as a “wilderness paradise”. It is a kind of orchard garden (with rustic gates, old flint walls etc.) seven miles north east of Salisbury and on chalk! There were quite a few snowdrops here when I moved in, but only singles and doubles, although the singles in the garden are much larger than the wild hedgerow forms.

“One day in the late 1990s I decided to splash out and buy one bulb of Galanthus galatea from the late Bill Baker at a plant sales table near Reading. It was £5!

However, it increased well and a few years later I split the clump and replanted several bulbs, this time in my grass where again they did really well.

“Another early acquisition was G. Augustus which I bought from Joe Sharman. I loved its dumpy shape and wide leaf and most importantly it was noticeably different. Soon after that I was given some with dark green leaves (G. woronnowii) and even (dare I say it) tried a bag of dry G. elwesii bulbs. In those early days I did not know that G. elwesii liked sunny situations so not many lived as I’d planted them in quite deep shade.

“By now though I was becoming hooked. As chairman of a local horticultural society we visited gardens by car and coach. Now we started having not only summer visits

The delights of snowdrops in February

but February visits to snowdrop gardens, Colesbourne, Rodmarton, Welford Park, Anglesey Abbey, Brandy Mount, etc. and of course there were often snowdrops to buy!

“And so my collection stared growing and my enthusiasm along with it. I now have well over 200 and have been told it is a very good collection and a ‘real snowdrop garden’.

Galanthus ‘Pat Mason’ (named by a local lady) looks particularly good – I have nice drifts in a couple of places.

“On the whole I am more successful and look forward each year to seeing my snowdrops emerge. Another highlight for me is attending the various snowdrop events that are planned for us each year!”

Westcroft is open every Thursday from 19th January until 23rd February, 11am – 4pm, for Cancer Research UK, £2.50 entrance, and on Sunday 12th and Monday 13th February from 11am-4pm for the Hardy Plant Society Diamond Jubilee Garden Openings.

Westcroft is to be found on the main A338, signed on the day, parking in the field opposite or on nearby hard standing. Groups are welcome.

Westcroft, Boscombe Village, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0AB. Tel: 01980 610877 www.westcroftgarden.co.uk

FORMER MD OF HILLIERS SPEAKING AT MIDHURST GARDEN CLUB Distinguished garden designer and speaker, Andy McIndoe, previously the managing director of Hilliers and now a freelance consultant, is to visit Midhurst Garden Club on Monday 12th December.

His subject for his talk will be ‘Beautiful Gardens’. Festive refreshments will be available from 7pm before the talk at 7.30pm.

All proceeds from the Christmas raffle will go to Macmillan, Midhurst.

Entry for visitors is £5 and they are welcome to come 6

Andy McIndoe

along and join the meeting at the South Downs Memorial Hall, North Street, Midhurst.

For more information about the club contact Denise Skinner on 01730 814194, email askinner3@sky.com or check the website at www.midhurstgardenclub.org.uk.

Country Gardener

Mill Farm, Isington, Nr Alton GU34 4PN

Bentley Junction with A31

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Wed/Thurs/Fri 9am to 5pm Sat 9am to 4pm

Large traditional family-run nursery We have a wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials & fruit bushes that make perfect gifts Christmas trees & holly wreaths available 1st Dec 4-acre woodland garden & Tea Rooms Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm. Sun & Bank Holidays 10am-5pm Closing Christmas Eve & re-opening 6th January 2017 MACPENNY’S NURSERIES BRANSGORE Burley Rd, Bransgore, Nr Christchurch BH23 8DB Tel: 01425 672348 www.macpennys.co.uk

Enjoy more of the Country Gardener experience by visiting our website

For plants people...

Alpine Garden Society Plant Fair and Plant Show Saturday, 25 February 2017 - 10.00 am to 3.30 pm At Pershore College Specialist nurseries offering a wide range of early flowering bulbs & plants, competitive alpine show, gardening books, advice and refreshments.

Admission AGS Members: FREE Non-members: £3

01386 554790 www.alpinegardensociety.net

Southern Fruit Trees The Old Grain Dryer Corner, Blackmoor, Nr Liss, Hampshire GU33 6BP info@southernfruittrees.co.uk

features ts, plus exclusive More news & even e can be found onlin unities advertising opport id pa d an e fre y an M

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7

Are your plants ready for the WORST OF WINTER? As the temperatures fall and frosts start to bite, plants need protection. Helpfully there are different levels of hardiness to help you out with an action plan

Before the start of winter, check all garden structures and replace or re-attach loose panels, roofs, posts and fences.

Replace solid fences with ones that are 50 percent wind permeable to avoid gusting, turbulence and shaking.

One of the great preoccupations of gardeners is with the weather.

Plant windbreaks as cold and windy site will often require windbreaks of additional planting such as hedges. Strategic We gardeners keep a close eye on winter temperatures placing of temporary woven hurdles, netting or similar in particular, especially if we are concerned about the materials on deeply embedded stout posts can help in the hardiness of plants. short-term.

Cold, wet, windy winter weather can damage trees, shrubs Deal with drainage problems promptly, as wet soils can and garden structures such as trellis. Improving shelter, make young or shallow rooted trees more likely to uproot in staking plants, mulching, wrapping pots and careful the wind. matching of plants to places will help to prevent this kind of damage.

Avoid applications of nitrogen-rich fertilisers late in the Protective wrappings should be put in place at the first sign season, as they stimulate sappy growth. of frosts.

Soil exposure, particularly in the vegetable patch, can result in leaching of nutrients. Green manure, such as mustard, sown in September reduces this leaching.

Juvenile plants will retain nutrients until dug back into the soil in spring.

Mulching can reduce compaction and soil erosion that can commonly follow heavy rain.

Plants can be protected from cold, wet weather by wrapping with horticultural fleece.

Your garden is a microclimate in itself. You will have warm spots, at the base of a southfacing wall, and cold or wet spots on the north side of the house. Choose plants carefully for each of these positions. Site early-flowering Most ornamental pots are not designed plants such as magnolias and camellias so to stand in freezing temperatures. that they are not exposed to the morning sun, These banana plants have been under They need winter protection. Try to as rapid thawing of frozen buds can result in wrap then up in burlap in two layers if a protective wrapping of horticultural possible. Make it sure it’s tight blackening and bud drop. fleece since early November 8

Country Gardener

Keep containers in dry, sheltered areas, grouped together for mutual protection. Prevent roots freezing in containers by wrapping with bubble polythene or straw. Alternatively plunge (bury with the rim just showing) the pot into the ground.

Cannas, dahlias and pelargoniums (commonly known as geraniums) can be lifted and stored in a semi-dormant state over winter. Where lifting and storing are not necessary, then thick, dry mulch over the crown of non-woody plants may be all that is needed for winter protection.

Overwinter somewhere cool and frost-free gardeners are often blithely advised, as if such a place actually exists. Cool but frost-free is hard to come by, but there are some lucky gardeners who will have just such a place. A porch is ideal, just heated enough by the warmth of the house to keep away any frosts, but not so balmy that it will induce any unseasonal growth, likewise an unheated conservatory.

Wrapping shrubs Examples of shrubs that may need wrapping include Pittosporum tobira and Cestrum. In cold situations, borderline hardy plants such as Callistemon, Clerodendrum bungei, Clianthus puniceus and Pittosporum tenuifolium may also need protection. Figs are wrapped to protect the embryonic fruits even though the plant is hardy.

Smaller specimens can be protected by constructing a rigid frame or wigwam of bamboo canes around the plant, packing around with bracken or straw and covering with netting. In wet periods, temporary waterproof cover should be added, wrapping clear polythene over the whole structure to prevent it getting wet and rotting.

W hat is c o ld damage?

Often its not just the cold temperatu res w cause plant damag e. Ice can form with hich in plant cells or between cells an d often it is this w hich causes injury. The faster th e cooling the grea ter the damage caused when ice fo rms within cells an d thus the lower the chance the plant will surv ive when it thaws. Tender, typi cally tropical plan ts, have not evolved ways of av oiding this cell fre ezing process.

Hardy plants actu ally allow freezing between cells but after a certain point dehydration damage occurs.

Seriously hardy pl ants from alpine re gions are more able to tolerate ce ll dehydration as th ey shift water out of cells which prevents freezing.

Wrapping tree ferns Tree ferns in mild sheltered areas may be fine with a packing of straw over the crown and a polystyrene cap to keep off the rain, but in colder areas complete wrapping is recommended. The trunk is easily wrapped in fleece. The fronds should be tied upright with straw or bracken packing at the centre, and the whole bundle wrapped in a double layer of horticultural fleece. The root area is mulched with organic matter to protect the roots from frost.

How the plant hardiness ratings work The RHS has devised a hardiness ratings chart for plants that is temperature-based, with seven main categories: H1 HEATED GLASSHOUSE – WARM TEMPERATE Needs to be grown under glass or as a house plant all year or can be grown outdoors in summer throughout most of the UK while daytime temperatures are high enough to promote growth. Examples include most bedding plants such as Pelargonium and Solenostemon (coleus), Brugmansia and fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

H2 TENDER – COOL OR FROST-FREE GLASSHOUSE Tolerant of low temperatures, but will not survive being frozen. Except in frost-free areas or coastal extremities, requires glasshouse conditions in winter, but can be grown outdoors once risk of frost is over. Subtropical plants such as Agapetes ‘Ludgvan Cross’ (right) and Citrus x meyeri ‘Meyer’ (Meyer’s lemon), some succulents, annual bedding plants, and many spring-sown vegetables.

H3 HALF-HARDY – UNHEATED GLASSHOUSE/ MILD WINTER Hardy in coastal/mild areas, except in hard winters and at risk from sudden (early) frosts. May be hardy elsewhere with wall shelter or good microclimate. Likely to be damaged or

killed in cold winters, particularly with no snow cover or if potted. Can survive with artificial winter protection.

H4 HARDY - AVERAGE WINTER Hardy through most of the UK apart from inland valleys, at altitude and central/northerly locations. May suffer foliage damage and stem dieback in harsh winters in cold gardens.

Some normally hardy plants may die in long, wet winters in heavy or poorly drained soil. Plants in pots are more vulnerable. Examples include many herbaceous and woody plants, such as Lavandula x chaytoriae ‘Sawyers’ winter brassicas, leeks.

H5 HARDY COLD WINTER Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters. May not withstand open/exposed sites or central/ northern locations. Many evergreens suffer foliage damage, and plants in pots will be at increased risk. Examples include herbaceous and woody plants, such as Daphne x transatlantica Eternal Fragrance (‘Blafra’) and some brassicas.

H6 AND H7 refer to severe temperatures colder than -20 degrees C.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

9

HOW, WHEN AND WHERE to buy and tend your Christmas tree Choosing and buying your Christmas tree is a seasonal ritual and something to enjoy. But what should you buy and how much should you be paying?

Do you buy your tree on 1st December, or do you wait for Christmas Eve? Whatever your family tradition is, it’s worth spending some time planning your purchase and checking to see if it’s the right tree for the right space at the right price.

There are some tricks of the trade when you finally get round to making a decision.

Firstly, pick it up and drop it on its stump from a few inches above ground. If more than a few needles drop, it has not been freshly cut.

Don’t buy Norway spruces at the beginning of December: their needles drop early. But if you prefer to put up a tree closer to Christmas, a spruce should last the 12 days.

If you want an early tree, buy a Nordman fir. The needles won’t drop. They cost more because they take about seven years to grow compared to five for a Norway spruce.

Buy from a local grower if you can. Go to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association website, bctga.co.uk, and check out members locally.

Norway spruce was planted in Victorian times to meet popular demand and was soon considered the traditional tree.

Unfortunately, its needles are sharp and prone to dropping.

Care and conditioning Store the tree in a bucket of water somewhere shaded and cool, like a shed or garage, until you are ready to bring it indoors. Once inside, cut a 1in slice off the stump and place it in water. Treat it rather as you would a bunch of flowers – position it somewhere cool, out of draughts and away from radiators. Christmas trees can drink up to three pints of water per day, especially in a warm room.

Reuse, recycle Many councils, community groups and retailers offer tree recycling services. Check local details or see recyclenow.com/ what-to-do-with/christmas-trees. Alternatively, chip it and use it in the garden, or re-erect it and decorate with apples, nuts and fat-balls as a New Year gift for the birds.

& Camellias Restaurant

AUTUMN BEDDING PLANTS & HANGING BASKETS FROM £12.50 Real (cut) Christmas Trees will be available from the end of November Beautifully grown Poinsettias Fantastic Christmas display with an excellent range of lights and festive decorations Wonderful range of gifts for all the family

www.evertonnurseries.co.uk

EVERTON, on A337, Near LYMINGTON • 01590 642155 Open every day 9am - 5.30pm Sundays 10.30am - 4.30pm 10

Country Gardener

The ‘real work’ of winter Grenville Sheringham has some practical hands on advice about what needs to be done over the next few months in the garden When I first started work as a gardener at Kew Gardens many years ago, I wondered what we would do in the winter when the weeds stopped growing and the grass no longer needed cutting. ‘That’s when the real work starts’, an old gardener told me, and I soon realised what he meant.

Summer had been spent in a seemingly endless round of edging and hoeing and weeding, as nature did its best to undo our good work almost as soon as we had finished.

Autumn was spent cutting back overgrown shrubs and tidying beds and borders, and of course raking leaves.

But as winter drew near, everything slowed down, and what had seemed like impenetrable thickets of shrubs and undergrowth were reduced to a mere outline of bare branches, crying out for attention.

Winter is a time for cutting everything back to size, and it is so much easier when the leaves have fallen and you can see the structure of the plants in your garden.

Hedges have a habit of creeping up on you year after year, until they are many times the size you had originally intended. I was recently asked to cut a privet hedge that was over two metres wide, for no other reason than that it had been trimmed every summer to keep it tidy, but had not been touched in the winter, so every year it had grown a little higher and a little wider. I reduced its height by a third and its width by half, and at the end of summer it was as green as before but much more manageable.

Privet, laurel, viburnum, beech, berberis and many other

It’s the perfect time to be more aggressive when it comes to pruning and cutting back hedges

Winter is also the best time to tackle trees when you can see the bare framework of branches

popular hedging plants respond very well to hard pruning with loppers and pruning saw, and the result is not only a more easily-managed hedge but also less wasted space in your garden.

Now look at the deciduous shrubs in your garden. Old favourites like forsythia, philadelphus and ribes can sneak up on you and take over large areas of garden in the summer. Most hardy deciduous shrubs can be reduced in height and spread by at least 50 per cent, or even cut to the ground if you don’t mind missing out on flowering for a year or two. Think what you can do with all that extra space!

Smaller shrubs and newer plantings may be beginning to outgrow their allotted space, so perhaps it is time to think about moving them to a more suitable location. Most small shrubs will transplant happily if you make sure you dig carefully all round the plant before trying to ease it out with your spade. Plants with tap roots such as roses will need extra care when transplanting but should succeed if you ensure the whole root system is removed and a suitably deep hole prepared for replanting. The only plants I have had problems in re-establishing are paeonies and hydrangeas (oh, and any plant where the client has told me it has great sentimental value and they would be very disappointed to lose it!).

Winter is also the best time to tackle any trees in the garden, when you can see the bare framework of branches, and decide whether they need cutting back to size. Quite apart from the space they take up, trees can cast their shade over a large area of garden, changing growing conditions of plants that may previously have enjoyed a sunny position, and reducing light levels indoors if too near the house. Unless you have had some training in tree surgery, larger trees are best left to the professionals, but many small garden trees (up to five metres high) can safely be thinned and reduced from a step ladder. Removing a few lower branches back to the trunk can make a considerable difference to light levels and space, and also makes mowing around the tree much easier.

So if the weather is cold but not frosty, winter can be a valuable time for cutting your garden down to size. Time spent usefully in winter reaps its rewards in summer with easier maintenance, healthier plants and a better¬-looking garden. If you get on with the ‘real work’ in winter, keeping your garden under control in summer becomes a much easier task.

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11

The secret life

OF A WALL Elizabeth McCorquodale delves into the ecosystems contained in the living, breathing and feeding wonders of dry stone walls Dry stone walls are a conservationist's dream.

They are wildlife apartment blocks, larders and hideaways and they are packed full of a myriad of interesting and beneficial creatures tucked just out of sight but right under our noses.

From field mice and lizards to emerald coloured beetles and hunting spiders, the stone walls that we pass by every day offer a temporary haven or a permanent home for dozens of animal species and hundreds of native plants.

A dry stone wall is any wall that has been built and held together just by the skill of the craftsman and the shape and weight of the stones themselves, with no mortar holding it together. The structure and design of the walls, and the stone itself, differs from place to place, but the walls that snake around our countryside are all built with the local oolithic limestone though the stone differs in colour and texture from one part of the Cotswolds to another, varying from honey coloured in the north and growing paler and creamier as you travel south towards Bath. The thin layer of soil that clothes the substrate of Cotswold limestone allows easy access to plentiful supplies of building stone and, together with the relative lack of trees that would otherwise have provided wood for buildings and fences, is the reason why stone is the foremost building material in the area and why stone walls are such a feature of our landscape and have done for many years.

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Country Gardener

The oldest stone wall in the Cotswolds, the Belas Knap Longbarrow near Winchcombe, dates back a rather respectable 5,000 years.

A new stone wall appears to be a barren habitat with nothing much to encourage a community to establish but it doesn’t take long for the first signs of life to take hold.

Windblown dust gets caught in cracks and crevices and tiny fragments of lichens and the spores of mosses, fungi and liverworts are blown onto the surface where they quickly establish. These are followed by pioneering plants such as spleenwort , wall rue and polypody ferns and soon the delightfully named (and rather tasty) Umbelicus rupestris or wall pennywort, will tuck into a nook or a cranny, as will native sedums, cranes bills, ivy-leaved toadflax and wild thyme. In the sheltered area at the base of walls all sorts of native species will flourish, from foxgloves and rosebay willow herb, to clovers, cow parsley and campion as well as wild marjoram,ground ivy and of course and inevitably, nettles.

To begin with the wall will harbour relatively few beasts, but even one that is brand new provides a hiding place for a stoat as he tries to escape the fox or owl or a perch for a buzzard to survey his field. An older, pleasantly ramshackle wall that traps twigs and leaf litter at its base offers a perfect hibernacula for an overwintering hedgehog and a roost for a pheasant as he supervises his harem.

It provides both damp and dry regions; dark

basement flats for heat-bothered toads and airy penthouses for little owls, roosting throughout the day.

As the wall weathers and mellows and gaps fill with soil from collected debris, more plant species colonise its crevices, encouraging visitations from foraging insects, with all the animals that will follow in their turn, transforming the wall into a rich habitat, complete with shelters and feeding opportunities, nesting sites, highways and byways.

From microscopic specimens like the tiny, busy red mites that scurry around the surface of walls in search of pollen grains, upwards to voracious inch-long centipedes or charming, bumbling ground beetles and armadillolike woodlice, insects are some of the first creatures to set up permanent home in the wall.

Red mason bees and leaf-cutter bees find the holes and gaps of the wall to be irresistible nesting sites and different species of bumble bees colonise the varying habitats within and around the wall, from the soft well-excavated earth below wall to the abandoned mouse nests at ground level and the craggy rock crevices at the top.

Snails inhabit the damp corners at the base of the wall and they in turn are a favourite of the song thrush. It is a common sight to spot a disordered heap of damaged snail shells littering the flat surface of a wall and spilling over onto the ground.

Coal tits, robins, sparrows, wheatears, redstarts, blackbirds, pied wagtails and wrens all choose to hunt and forage around the walls or to nest within their rocky skin; a logical choice when you consider the steady supply of invertebrates right on their doorsteps. And these invertebrates also attract bats. At first it might seem bizarre that a bat might choose a dry stone wall for a home until you realise that these walls provide a perfect winter home for crevice-dwelling species like the tiny pipistrelle. A section of wall, sheltered from the bitter north wind on one side and exposed on the south to the low winter sun, provides a wonderfully cosy winter home for these tiny hibernating creatures.

Small mammals such as voles, field mice, pigmy shrews and common shrews all scamper about in and under the walls, and their presence guarantees the presence –either permanent or transitory - of all sorts of predators, from foxes, stoats and weasels to hunting owls, kestrels and kites.

Reptiles and amphibians are also rather fond of stone walls. Adders and grass snakes

both appreciate the shelter and basking opportunities in summer and the protection from the cold offered by the collected debris below the wall in winter, as do all three British lizards, though slow worms (really a legless lizard) and common lizards are the two that you are most likely to see basking in the sun or dashing out of sight.

Odd though it may first seem, all our amphibians also make good use of dry stone walls as shelters, hideaways and hunting grounds. Tiny first-year newts leave their ponds in autumn to snuggle down in the leaf litter or damp earth at the base of walls to sit out the harsh weather, as do their parents.

Both toads and frogs hide safe and tight in the gaps at the base of the wall, making full use of the slugs, woodlice, beetles and other invertebrates that inhabit the damp darkness in between the stones.

Dry stone walls, wherever they are, are made up of much more than just stone. When you notice them snaking around the countryside, bordering fields, roads and gardens remember that within and around those walls is a whole ecosystem; a living, breathing, breeding, feeding ecosystem that is much more than a simple, beautiful stone wall.

Dry stone walls - living, breathing, feeding ecosystems

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13

An opportunity

to grasp

Retirement offers opportunities to so more things and get involved in new projects but it's also a time when planning for the future takes centre stage Retirement can be a worrying mixture of the good news and the bad news. There’s time to do more things, to get involved in projects there just wasn’t time for previously. But it's also a time to start planning both financially and emotionally about the future. One of the hardest decisions many have to make is whether we’d be safer, happier and healthier living in one of the region’s many care homes.

Giving up the home and garden we may have spent years creating and nurturing is fraught with concerns. Will we lose our independence and contact with the outside world? Will our health deteriorate quickly once we’ve given up a more active lifestyle, making it difficult to continue gardening?

Financial planning is key to this but it’s also finding a new home which allows a genuine chance to continue with much loved hobbies such as gardening. Last year research by the University of Exeter Medical School proved a link between gardening and green spaces with improved mental health and wellbeing – so much so that some doctors are now actively encouraging their patients to get outside and get active.

It’s a message that isn’t lost on those who run our many care homes keen to offer their residents a happy place to live and the opportunity to continue pursuing activities and hobbies that have been so much a part of their lives. Many are even creating new outdoor spaces, ensuring that giving up your home doesn’t have to mean giving up gardening.

The choices are still wide. Increasingly there is help available for those who are just not ready to move out of their family home and who are looking for practical help, support and financial assistance which means they can stay in their home and enjoy their garden for longer.

CPRE offers new challenge with volunteer roles Are you looking for a new challenge in retirement? For 90 years, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has been standing up for the countryside. Early campaigning successes: the establishment of National Parks and Green Belts in the mid-20th century, helped to shape the countryside we all cherish today. Nowadays they campaign on a range of issues from rural affordable housing to light pollution and litter and they continue to fight development which unnecessarily damages our precious countryside.

CPRE has a branch in every county run largely by volunteers who care about their local landscapes, villages and rural communities. CPRE needs people in many different roles. You could get involved in local planning issues or help to develop the future of the charity as a committee member. There are plenty of “hands-on” roles too, like running stands at local 14

fairs, giving talks, organising events, taking photographs or helping with secretarial work.

Being part of a team, developing skills, and knowing that you're helping protect our beautiful countryside – these are just three brilliant reasons to volunteer with CPRE. Even if you cannot spare your time, you can still make a difference to the countryside by becoming a member. To find out more, visit www.cpre.org.uk contact admin@cpresomerset.org.uk or call 0845 269 4206 and they will put you in touch with your local branch.

It’s the care that counts…

Making decisions regarding care can be a difficult process.

Everyone is different, and arranging care to suit the needs of yourself or a loved one can sometimes be a challenge.

However, there are companies out there that can make life easier, with care and support tailored specifically to you.

As a not-for-profit charity, Care South’s focus is not on targets or sales, but a genuine dedication to supporting people in the community who need help to get the best out of life, by offering compassionate care at a realistic cost.

Care South is a leading provider of quality nursing, residential and home care across the south of England, with homes in Dorset, West Sussex, North Devon and Somerset, alongside home care services in Somerset and Dorset.

To find out more, visit www.care-south.co.uk or call them on 01202 712 400.

HELP PROTECT THE COUNTRYSIDE YOU LOVE £3 A MONTH We all need the countryside. Whether it’s for fresh air, delicious local produce, beautiful landscapes or vibrant towns and villages, the countryside is invaluable. It is also under increasing pressure from development.

By joining CPRE, you can help ensure that a beautiful and living countryside thrives for generations to come. You can join for as little as £3 a month. As a member, you'll receive our regular Countryside Voice magazine, discounted entry to around 200 houses and gardens around England – and a 10% discount at Cotswold Outdoor.

JOIN US

0845 269 4206 www.cpre.org.uk

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Registered Charity No. 1014697

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by Care South in recent years, to provide quality care in a home-from-home atmosphere.

Whether you’re looking for care in your own home, a short respite stay or a new home, we offer a warm welcome, comfort and peace of mind.

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A beautiful historic home providing all your care needs Sussexdown offers the highest quality nursing, residential, respite and dementia care. With its beautiful landscaped gardens and comfortable environment, Sussexdown delivers innovative care in a home-from-home atmosphere.

To request a brochure, arrange a visit or find out more, contact www.care-south.co.uk or call Sussexdown on

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Country House care homes nestled in the north Devon countryside.

We offer compassionate care, fine dining and comfortable accommodation, set within beautifully landscaped gardens.

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F UNGI

The Forestry Commission is campaigning this autumn to safeguard extraordinary organisms which are neither plants, nor animals yet some of which are indispensable partners for many plants Ask a gardener what he or she thinks about fungi and you might get a short or even rude answer. You’ll probably get a reference to Armillaria or honey fungus that can kill mature trees outright.

But fungi, once classified wrongly as plants, are known to have a make up which is more closely associated to animals than plants and many can play a crucial role in ecosystems.

This autumn, the Forestry Commission is launching a new campaign to highlight the importance of fungi, and to appeal to people to support a ‘no-picking’ code Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

In fact fungi are in a kingdom all of their own. There are at least 70,000 species world wide, approximately 12,000 in the UK and 2,700 in the New Forest in Hampshire. Generally they are poorly known.

Most fungi have the same basic structure - thread like hyphae, which form a web or mycelium - these webs are present in the soil and in the trees around us all the time - then the fruiting body (the ‘mushroom’ or ‘toadstool’) - which is the bit we see - when conditions are right. Autumn is usually the time to see the fruiting bodies, when a mixture of wet but mild weather will provide ideal conditions.

The Forestry Commission England is encouraging visitors to document their autumn discoveries by posting

images of autumnal colour on social media channels using the hashtag #autumnleafwatch.

WHAT DO FUNGI DO? Fungi cannot make their own food using energy from sunlight, but grow by absorbing food and water from their surroundings – most importantly from living and dead plants and animals.

They are nature’s recyclers - without saprophytic fungi the world would be covered in dead plants and animals.

Many fungi live with trees and other plants. This is known as a mycorhizal association (from the Greek myco – fungus, rhiza – root). The fungi help the plant take up more nutrients by increasing the effective surface area of the roots, and in turn take some sugars from the plant.

This relationship is common in the woodland fungi such as the amanitas, russulas, boletus and lactarius. Certain species will only grow with certain trees (a useful help in identifying the fungi).

Trees certainly grow less well without fungi.

CONSERVATION OF FUNGI There is conflicting opinion as to whether picking has a detrimental impact on the fungi. There is not yet a nationally agreed scientific view as to what is the right answer.

However, we do know that intensive

Fungi are a corn er and soil ecosyste stone of woodland m overlooked, as so s. Yet they are often carries on unseen much fungal activity beneath the surfa of the soil ce

harvesting of fruits of other wild species, such as seed-bearing plants, can over long periods have a negative impact on their populations.

Due to the growing concern from conservationists and very real fears from members of the community in the New Forest about the wide-scale harvesting of fungi, the Forestry Commission feels it necessary to adopt a precautionary approach and can no longer support fungi picking on any scale.

Building good soil begins with fungal activity and many diseases are both caused and solved by fungi. Some plants are so dependent on fungi that they can’t survive without them. This relationship can be at the root zone or in the leaves. It is now known that some fir trees have fungi that activate when the needle is attacked. This in essence is the immune system and adapts in areas where the tree is unable to adapt. Fungi should be encouraged where the soil is cultivated using vegan organic methods.

It is also suspected that the decline in forest and farm soils is related to fungi diversity loss.

How do fungi feed?

Fungi cannot make their own food from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide as plants do in the process known as photosynthesis. This is because they lack the green pigment known as chlorophyll which plants use to capture light energy. So like animals they must obtain their food from other organisms. They do this in three ways. They may break down or rot dead plants and animals. Organisms which obtain their food this way are known as ‘ saprophytes’.

Alternatively they may feed directly off living plants and animals as parasites. A third group is associated with the roots of plants which is known as mycorrhizae. www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

‘Who said there is nothing to do in winter!’

Gill Heavens rejects the idea that winter is the time when gardening jobs stop and urges us all to enjoy the invigorating air with some important tasks If I had a pound for every time someone asked “What do you all winter?” I would be a very rich gardener. However, I can understand that to the uninitiated this might appear the case.

If you are one of these misguided folk, allow me to enlighten you.

It is true that the prospect of even stepping out into your garden in winter can be daunting. It is all too easy to hunker down and not emerge until spring. But, dressed appropriately, there is nothing like working in the great outdoors at 18

Country Gardener

this time of year. Here are some of the tasks you should be tackling on these short days, work that body and earn some cake!

It is the time for winter pruning. This includes apples and pears, late flowering clematis and, later in the season, roses. It is also a good time for general tree overhauls, check for dead and dying branches and remove, inspect ties and stakes and loosen or secure as appropriate.

This is also the time to get in the experts.

Reputable tree surgeons will make light of any major works. Don’t forget to ask to keep the wood chippings, as this will make a valuable mulch.

Regularly check any over-wintering bulbs and tubers, such as dahlias and begonias. Do

not allow them to either dry out completely or become too wet; you do not want to be greeted with either a dry husk or a soggy mess in the spring. Dampen down occasionally when necessary but do not over water.

Propagation does not come to a halt at this time of year.

Winter is the golden age for root cuttings. This method is suitable for many herbaceous plants with fleshy roots such as the sea holly, cat mint, Oriental poppy and acanthus.

Hardwood cuttings of deciduous shrubs can also be taken now, including viburnums, cornus and philadelphus. All you need is a sharp knife and a little patience!

Winter is the season to study the structure of your plot.

The bones of your garden have been exposed and it is much easier to envisage the big picture. New paths can be laid and borders created or extended. You can also repair fences, trellises and arbours whilst there is still room to tiptoe before the tulips and other bulbs emerge.

Unless the ground is frozen, or there is inclement weather forecast, these months are when to plant new shrubs and trees. The most cost effective method is to use bare rooted specimens. Unsurprisingly these are bought as dormant plant with naked roots! Roses, fruit trees, hedging and some perennials can all be purchased this way. It is important to plant these as soon as possible after they arrive. If this is not feasible then temporarily heel-in them into to a corner somewhere until needed.

You can continue to tidy borders and mulch them with garden compost or wood chip (thanks, tree surgeons!). It is preferable to leave some of the herbaceous skeletons.

Some will offer food to the birds, give refuge to wildlife or perhaps provide one of those allusive frosted panoramas that I hear so much about but seldom see in this part of the country.

Of course if the garden is three feet under snow we are severely limited as to what we can do outside. But do not fear, no snuggling up on the sofa yet, there is plenty we can do indoors. This is the perfect opportunity to clean, oil and sharpen your tools. Put on the radio and work your way through shears, secateurs, pruners and knives. You will be thankful come spring.

Make sure all your machinery is in good working order, and I’m not talking about your Italian expresso maker. It is the ideal chance to service your power tools or, if like myself you are a dunce in the mechanical department, send them to a person who can. When you discover your lawnmower won’t work just before you are about to make the first cut of the season, rest assured you will be in a long queue to get it fixed.

If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, then give it a thorough clean. Sort pots, wash them if you are that way inclined, stock up on compost and labels and sharpen your pencil! Now is the chance to ready yourself for the onslaught of spring.

It is the season for planning, which is one of my favourite occupations. Write lists, look at last year’s photos (you did remember to take some didn’t you?) and make decisions on what to change, keep the same or increase. Research, read, visit other gardens; pump up your enthusiasm tyre. This

is the time of year when the potential is palpable, before bubbles have been burst.

As you can see, whilst much in the garden is asleep, you can get a multitude of jobs done. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. It is a very rewarding time to garden, the brisk air is invigorating, the physical work strengthening; both your mind and your body will thank you. So when someone says to you, “but surely there is nothing to do in the garden in winter” you now know differently. I will leave it up to you to educate them.

Happy winter to you all!

Pruning shrubs, is one of many tasks for when the garden is asleep

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19

SNOWDROPS AND WINTER WALKS to look forward to

It may seem a long way ahead but it's nice now to plan ahead for the chance to get out and about to see carpets of snowdrops in glorious locations Joseph at the temple is commemorated), Mary’s taper, snow piercer, February fairmaids and Dingle-dangle.

Getting out to find these delicate but sturdy little flowers that look so spectacular en masse is worth the effort after the long months of winter. Going for a brisk walk on a crisp winter’s day makes us feel so much better for the fresh air and exercise – and with a well deserved hot drink or meal at the end of it.

See the changes in the landscape as you walk in the countryside, in woodlands, arboretums and great gardens that have nurtured their carpets of snowdrops. From National Trust properties with acres of space to explore,

There are few things more heartening than the sight of drifts of snowdrops lying under great trees as the days lengthen in February. Rightly called a harbinger of spring, the snowdrops that can start flowering in the depths of winter are a sign that the days are really getting brighter and spring is round the corner.

The Latin name for the snowdrop, Galanthus, means milk flower, as a snowdrop plant may be said to look like three drops of milk hanging from a stem. In centuries gone by they had a variety of common names including Candlemas bells (for the feast of Candlemas which falls on 2nd February when the presentation of Jesus by Mary and

Cerney House Gardens A Romantic English Garden in the UK Cotswolds 46 acres of Cotswold parkland Romantic secret garden

winter walks

01647 433306 nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo

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© National Trust Images. Registered Charity Number 205846.

The Castle Drogo garden and Teign Gorge are perfect for a winter stroll followed by something yummy from the café.

* Wildlife and woodland walks * Plants for sale * A large variety of snowdrops and hellebores * Refreshments available at the old Bothy Open from Saturday 28th January 10-5pm Admission: £5 adults, £1 children

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

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to private gardens that only open at this time of year for their snowdrop display, there’s a huge variety of places to choose from.

So here is a selection of picturesque places to walk in and admire carpets of snowdrops in their annual display.

Shaftesbury Snowdrop Festival – now firmly on the UK’s snowdrop events calendar When Pam Cruickshank suggested planting thousands of snowdrops throughout Shaftesbury in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, she had no idea what she had started.

Over the intervening five years Pam, her co-volunteers and more than 1,000 people, have planted over 200,000 common snowdrops for everyone to enjoy, free of charge and created a unique and eclectic winter festival. Along the way, the Shaftesbury team have learned about the diverse and beautiful cultivars which make unusual snowdrops amongst the most sought after plants in the UK. Shaftesbury is now host to an annual snowdrop study, sale and social day where new snowdrop lovers mix with experienced ‘Galanthophiles’ from across Europe. They come to see, learn about, and buy this beautiful, tenacious winter flower that delights us in the darkest days of winter.

In 2016, the week-long display of rare snowdrops in Shaftesbury was described as “probably the best display

of snowdrops in the country”. A warm welcome awaits everyone visiting Shaftesbury throughout Snowdrop Season and the Snowdrop Festival which in 2017 runs from Saturday 11th to Sunday 18th February.

Find all the details at www.shaftesburysnowdrops.org and follow the links. Email: info@shaftesburysnowdrops.org or call 01747 300174. Shaftesbury Snowdrops, Swans Trust (Shaftesbury) Ltd, Swans Yard, Shaftesbury SP7 8JQ.

Winter wonderland walks at Welford Now is the time to plan your February outing, arrange to meet friends and see the spectacular carpets of snowdrops on the banks of the River Lambourn, where Galanthus nivalis cover a five acre beech wood. There are good paths to the woods through natural water meadows and a wide variety of willow, Cornus, and bird life. The new pathless woodland area offers children a space to explore and make camps. In the traditional English garden adjacent to the Queen Anne house (1703) is a collection of Galanthus species which share their bed with 85 peonies. The estate has been in the family since 1618; it is only open to the public during February with filming commitments during the summer months. www.welfordpark.co.uk

See special double snowdrops at Evenley Wood Visit Evenley Wood Garden between 4th and 28th February for Snowdrop Days, when more than 80 varieties come

Winter Days Out at The Bishop's Palace Join us this Winter for: • Wreath Making Workshops 16th & 17th December • Winter Walks • Free daily tours of Gardens & Palace • New Anthony Butterfield Exhibition • Stunning Snowdrops • Open until 22nd Dec and re-opens 7th Jan See our What's On Calendar for full details www.bishopspalace.org.uk/whatson

T 01749 988111 www.bishopspalace.org.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

alive throughout this outstanding 60-acre woodland haven.

Among these is Galanthus ‘Evenley Double’, a special snowdrop which was developed and propagated on site, as well as ‘Hill Poe’ and ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’. The garden’s gates will be open seven days a week between 11am-4pm, and a special café is available at weekends. Admission: adults £5, children 12-17 years old £1, children under 12 Free. Group tours are available by appointment. For more information, visit www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk or telephone 07776 307849.

Marvel at the great snowdrop collection at Colesbourne Park The snowdrop collection at Colesbourne Park was started with the magnificent Galanthus elwesii found in 1874 near Ephesus in Asia Minor by pioneering plant collector Henry John Elwes FRS. Colesbourne Park, a plantsman’s paradise, is the acknowledged home of snowdrops in Great Britain and this season’s display promises to be the most spectacular to date.

New areas of the garden have been developed and extended by Sir Henry Elwes and his wife Carolyn and there are now around 350 different named snowdrop varieties, in both large drifts of bright snowy white flowers and in smaller named groups, which allow visitors to appreciate the different forms.

Visitors can walk beside the beguiling blue lake and along the woodland paths of the ten-acre grounds to see the snowdrops and planting schemes of winter and spring bulbs: aconites, cyclamen, iris, miniature daffodils,

snowflakes and hellebores, as well as winter flowering shrubs, which complement the snowdrops.

The gardens are open to the public from 1pm (last entry 4.30pm) on Saturdays and Sundays from 4th February to 5th March. Teas are available and there are plant sales too.

Also open on weekday mornings and afternoons in February for pre-booked guided tours of the gardens including refreshments and a talk.

Colesbourne Park is easy to find, halfway between Cheltenham and Cirencester on the A435. It’s a perfect addition to a visit to the Cotswolds and is just ten minutes from junction 11A of the M5 and 25 minutes from junction 15 of the M4. For more information or to book a guided tour call 01242 870264, email info@colesbournegardens. org.uk or go to the website www.colesbournegardens.org.uk.

Cerney House Gardens Winter Snowdrop and Hellebore Trail Cerney House gardens is a romantic English garden for all seasons: beautiful on a sunny day with the scent of roses filling the air and magical on a frosty winter's day.

They open their doors again at the end of January for the arrival of their fabulous winter display of snowdrops and hellebores. There is a snowdrop trail winding through the woodland with over 150 different appearing amongst swathes of pink and purple Hellebores. Cerney House’s charm is in its apparent informality and tranquillity, which is heightened at the beginning of a busy gardening year.

Celebrate Christmas at Batsford... with magical winter walks, festive food, unique gifts, decorations, hand-made wreaths and our huge range of Norway and Nordmann Spruce Christmas trees.

Open every day except Christmas Day.

Snowdrop Days Featuring over 80 varieties across 60 magnificent acres 4th - 28th February Café open at weekends 11am – 4pm

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

www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk

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

Email: info@evenleywoodgarden.co.uk Tel: 07776 307849 22

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BatsfordArboretum

@BatsfordA

Cerney House Gardens North Cerney Cirencester GL7 7BX. Telephone: 01285831300.

Email: janet@cerneygardens.com Open from Saturday 28th January 2017 10am-5pm.

For more details:www.cerneygardens.com

Snowdrop delight at Bishop’s Palace, Wells February has become a real focus for visitors to The Bishop's Palace and accompanying Bishop’s House at Wells adjacent to Wells Cathedral.

Snowdrops throughout the garden and alongside the moat are a delight in the first few weeks of the year and attract a growing number of snowdrop lovers.

From early February there is a succession of snowdrops, primroses, bluebells, violets and other wild flowers. The arboretum was designed by Sir Harold Hillier for Bishop Bickersteth and created in 1977 in commemoration of the Queen’s 25th Jubilee. Since 2004 the arboretum has been especially developed for wild flowers and of course snowdrops Bishop’s Palace Wells ,Market Place Hotel, Market Pl, Wells BA5 2PD Tel:01749 988111

Wander through drifts of Snowdrops at Batsford Arboretum While Batsford Arboretum may be famous for its

WELFORD PARK

Welford, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 8HU 01488 608691 www.welfordpark.co.uk

The grounds are open to view the snowdrops from

Wednesday 1st February 2017 to Sunday 5th March 2017 (Closed every Monday and Tuesday)

Plant Fair Thursday 23rd February 2017 (normal admission charge applies) Gates open at 11.00am last admission to the grounds 4.00pm Adults £6, Concessions £5, Children 4-16 £2, under 4 years free Come and enjoy our carpets of snowdrops, old Laundry Tearooms and Gift Shop

Snowdrops at Colesbourne Park ‘England’s greatest snowdrop garden’

A plantsman’s paradise in the heart of the Cotswolds and home to 350 named varieties.

Open to visitors during the February display of these popular flowers. Coaches are welcome by appointment on weekdays for guided tours and on weekends by appointment only. (No guided tours at weekends.)

For more information please Telephone: 01242 870264 Colesbourne Park is on the Email: info@colesbournegardens.org.uk A435 halfway between Cheltenham and Cirencester.

Or see our website: www.colesbourne gardens.org.uk

February snowdrops at the Bishop’s Palace

spectacular autumn colour, there’s plenty to enjoy in the depths of winter and early spring too. Wrap up warm and meander along paths beside frozen streams and ponds and take in the views across the stunning Cotswold countryside.

During February, the arboretum is alive with drifts of beautiful snowdrops, plus aconites, crocuses and hellebores.

Enjoy warming food in the Garden Terrace Café, a whole host of tempting plants and garden sundries in the garden centre and browse the wide range of unique gifts.

Open Monday-Saturday from 9am to 5pm, 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, Batsford, Moretonin-Marsh, Glos, GL56 9AD. Tel 01386 701441. Email arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk Visit www.batsarb.co.uk

Wonderful Winter walks at Castle Drogo Wrap up warm and take a winter walk at Drogo. There are miles of footpaths through the Teign Gorge as well as the garden and grounds to explore. Whether you are after a gentle stroll to take in the views or a peaceful walk to explore the ancient woodlands of Fingle woods you'll find there's a walk to suit everyone. You then have the perfect excuse to refuel with a hearty lunch or a delicious slice of cake in the Drogo café. The café, shop, garden and estate are open daily 11am-4pm (closed 24th-26th December). For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo or ring 01647 433306.

Shaftesbury Snowdrops Study, Sale and Social Day

February 11th 2017 10am- 3.30pm Details of speakers & tickets available from www.shaftesburysnowdrops.org Tickets for the sale of rare Snowdrops at 1pm are also available.

info@shaftesburysnowdrops.org or 01747 300174

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Image for 2017 is ‘Welcome Spring’ by Jackie Williams

23

Christmas gardening BOOKS TO ENJOY Compiled by Vivienne Lewis There have been some lovely books published this year to mark the tercentenary of ‘Capability’ Brown’s birth and Shakespeare’s death 400 years ago, delightful books in a wide selection we’ve chosen to put on a Christmas list or to just treat yourself to a good winter’s read.

Shakespeare’s Gardens by Jackie Bennett

Published in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death this is a beautifully illustrated chronological journey through the gardens in Shakespeare’s home town, Stratford-upon-Avon, looking at the gardens that he owned as well as those he might have known in Warwickshire, London and elsewhere.

There’s splendid new photography by distinguished photographer Andrew Lawson, and masses of examples of Shakespeare’s knowledge of plants and of gardening.

Published by Francis Lincoln, hardback £25 www.franceslincoln.com

Moving Heaven and Earth: Capability Brown’s Gift of Landscape by Steffie Shields Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-1783) was a polymath – a landscape architect who also designed buildings, an engineer and an artist, a gardener and a businessman.

Steffie Shields explores his legacy and particularly his pioneering work with water in the landscape. She evaluates the rise of the English landscape garden, recognised as one of our great contributions to artistic design, and the book can be used as a comprehensive guide for tours and visits to the gardens that still bear his hallmarks. More than 370 colour photographs, most of them taken by the author and many full page in a large book, show the scope of his work around the country, and are backed up with original maps and prints.

Published by Unicorn Publishing Group, hardback £30 www.unicornpublishing.org

Gardens of the Italian Lakes by Steven Desmond

Just right for a winter read, perhaps for planning a summer trip, this is not a coffee table book but will give you a deeper insight into this beautiful and fascinating part of north Italy with its historical gardens around Lakes Como and Maggiore. Historical gardens specialist Steven Desmond and award winning photographer Marianne Majerus have collaborated on a book that features gardens such as the famous 16th century cascade garden of Villa D’Este, Cernobbio, a lovely island garden, Isola Bella, at Stresa, and Villa Taranto at Pallanza, one of the world’s greatest woodland gardens.

Published by Francis Lincoln, hardback £35 www.franceslincoln.com

Thenford: the Creation of an English Garden by Michael & Anne Heseltine This is the story of one garden and one family, over a 40-year time span. Michael and Anne Heseltine describe the ups and downs of how they found and began to transform a wild, overgrown and often dilapidated woodland into the magnificent garden they have today. The garden at Thenford in Northamptonshire has been expanded and now has more than 3,500 different species of trees and shrubs, including rare plants which were collected in the wild by well-known plantsmen including Roy Lancaster OBE. There is also a sculpture garden with an eclectic collection ranging from work by Elizabeth Frink to an enormous statue of Lenin. This beautifully illustrated book is a chance to see images of an important private garden, the home of one of the country’s leading politicians and former Deputy Prime Minister.

Published by Jacqui Small Publishing, hardback £25 www.jacquismall.com 24

Country Gardener

Jim Buttress – The People’s Gardener: A Marvellous Life from Royal Parks and RHS to Britain in Bloom By Jim Buttress and James Hogg

If you’ve had enough of historic anniversaries and want something literally more down to earth, then this entertaining read should fit the bill. Jim Buttress is well known as one of the judges on the BBC TV series The Big Allotment Challenge and has been a popular speaker at the Toby Buckland Garden Festivals organised by Country Gardener Magazines in recent years and will be at the festival at Powderham Castle near Exeter on 28th and 29th April 2017. Here, in a lively memoir he takes us through early years as a naughty boy at school but one who excelled at gardening, training at RHS Wisley, ten years as Superintendent of the Central Royal Parks, as a judge at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and for Britain in Bloom and on to television. The book reads just like his talks – full of funny stories such as having a drink and chat with the Queen Mother, but his has been a distinguished career as shown by being awarded two medals of honour by the Royal Horticultural Society including the coveted Victorian Medal of Honour.

Published by Sidgwick & Jackson, hardback £16.99 www.panmacmillan.com

Scenes and Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988-2003 This is the second volume of diaries published by the art historian, gardener, broadcaster and writer, and covers the period of his life after he left the Victoria and Albert Museum where he had been director for nearly 15 years, the youngest ever in the post. The diaries trace how he made another life after the shackles of working for public institutions but had to make some money by turning his hand to whatever came his way: first as a consultant on the Canary Wharf development then as a writer and broadcaster. Read about his designs for the Prince of Wales’ garden at Highgrove and for Elton John, his emergence as a bestselling historian, his travels and the making of the garden at his home in Herefordshire, The Laskett. The diaries close with the death of his wife, the distinguished theatre and film designer Julia Trevelyan OBE. Sir Roy Strong’s diaries are as outspoken as you’d expect, entertaining, revealing and thought provoking – and very interesting about not only the making of his garden but of other gardens around the country.

Published by Ebury Press, hardback, £45 www.eburypublishing.co.uk

Monet’s Garden – Through the Seasons at Giverny by Vivian Russell This is a new edition of Vivian Russell’s much admired exploration of Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny – the original edition came out nearly 20 years ago, but this is a good quality paperback that’s lavishly illustrated with award winning photography. Apart from the history of the garden that links Monet the artist to Monet the gardener, with old photos and some of Monet’s beautiful work, there are four chapters tracing the changing seasons and especially about the atmosphere and light that became such a focus for Monet in his painting. Read about the work of the present day gardeners at Giverny as they maintain one of the most visited gardens in the world – and one that can still inspire with its rich planting schemes.

Published by Frances Lincoln, paperback £16.99 www.franceslincoln.com

How to Make a Wildflower Meadow – Tried and tested techniques for new garden landscapes by James Hewetson-Brown

Another good winter read to get you thinking about planning for your garden next spring, with step by step advice on planting, maintaining and cutting back a meadow that will bring nature into your garden with beauty and new interest.

James Hewetson-Brown was an arable farmer before concentrating on finding a way of establishing wildflower meadows wherever people wanted them. Now much in demand, his unique wildflower turf has featured at Kew Gardens, Chelsea Flower Show and even on the set of the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Here more than 30 wildlflower meadows are showcased in varied settings in all sizes, ranging from gardens and public spaces, mixed borders and orchards to green roofs, alongside paths, on sloping banks and in containers.

Published by Bloomsbury, paperback £25 www.bloomsbury.com www.countrygardener.co.uk

25

Sowing the SEEDS OF LEARNING There’s a new top five list when it comes to the skills gardeners are looking to add to their knowledge base over the winter months.

So if you are one of the many thousands who want make the best use of the next few months by learning one of the wide range of courses and workshops available you might like to know what the RHS says is in vogue at the moment.

The most popular courses are built round: • Grafting and propagation • Planting a wild flower meadow • Making a garden more bee friendly • Flower arranging and floristry • Willow weaving The RHS has said it continues to see a substantial shift in the demand for skills training amongst hobby gardeners and another record year in those seeking to make gardening a full time career.

Another huge request from the RHS and other courses available is the demand for smallholding skills, adding animals to a garden to make self sufficiency more of a possibility for home owners.

The search for gardening skills is therefore booming.

Almost a third of gardeners now want to develop a new skill when it comes to making the most of their hobby.

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

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

A survey by the RHS interviewed 500 people from For details three different generations about their gardening habits, www.wfga.org.uk and found that less than one 01285 658339

per cent of parents were taught gardening in school.

This was in comparison to 55 per cent of grandparents, according to the survey.

Organic gardening , garden design, propagation, composting and understanding soil preparation all remain popular with flower arranging showing the biggest single growth in terms of new students.

“The biggest change we have seen“ says the RHS, “continues to be the number of people who have identified career opportunities in horticulture and in the wider aspects of land management. The expansion of the market, the number of garden centres, formal gardens and larger properties now employing full time gardeners suggest there will be professional skills needed across the board.”

“It is also exciting to see the number of enthusiastic gardeners who now want to learn more about their hobby and hone their skills to either solve a particular gardening problem or for example to run their gardens organically.

“Learning composting skills is hugely popular with garden design not far behind. It just reflects the huge growth in interest we have see in gardening and in particular gardeners who take their hobby very seriously”.

CREST OFFERS ONE AND TWO DAYS COURSES OF REAL QUALITY When it comes to conservation of the countryside, Sarah and Stephen Burchett have a strong background in education, research and writing, both in Britain and overseas. They

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Country Gardener

are also keen gardeners with horticultural and agricultural training. Recognising a need for some of the key skills associated with environmental topics, they decided to set up a small company providing short courses – mostly one or two days or evening classes. Not everyone has the time or resources to undertake lengthy courses, but may like to add to their knowledge, either for work or just for the pleasure of learning something new, and with CREST (Conservation, Rural Education and Skiills Training) participants gain valuable skills in subjects such as plant or invertebrate identification, habitat interpretation, farming and wildlife, woodland ecology, botany, plant health or science for gardeners – to name a few! CREST works closely with a number of other organisations such as the Field Studies Council (FSC), Natural England and the Devon Hedge Group.

If you want to join CREST for one of their courses, contact them on 01548 531148 info@crestdevon.co.uk or visit their website on www.crestdevon.co.uk for further details and to complete the ‘Contact Us’ form, you can also go on the mailing list to be kept informed of what’s new. As well as courses, CREST provides a diverse range of talks from Gardening for Wildlife to Tropical Forest Restoration. Courses are provided at a range of sites around Devon, but for groups, the ‘Mobile Classroom’ means that these can be undertaken almost anywhere by arrangement. CREST will be at a range of shows in 2017, keep an eye on ‘Dates for your Diary’ on the website. Come and talk to CREST at the Toby Buckland Garden Festival 28th & 29th April. Next Course: ‘Science for Gardeners’ held at Charleton Village Hall, four evening classes starting Friday 6th January.

LET WRAGS SCHEME GIVE YOU A EXTRA PAIR OF HANDS

Wide range of courses, talks and other services available.

Next Course: ‘Science for Gardeners’ evening classes in January at Charleton Village Hall, nr Kingsbridge. Visit our website for a full listing, and check the box if you would like to be on our mailing list.

www.crestdevon.co.uk Email: info@crestdevon.co.uk Tel: 01548 531148

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Conservation, Rural Education and Skills Training

Would you like to share your garden knowledge and have an extra pair of hands in the garden? The Women’s Farm & Garden Association, (WFGA) has a unique garden skills training scheme – WRAGS. A trainee works part-time in a garden throughout a whole year - learning practical gardening skills.

Gardens benefit enormously by having a trainee – not just for the labour but for the enthusiasm and the fresh interest in the garden – a trainees’ learning encourages all to learn more. WFGA is seeking gardens to join the scheme. Please see www.wfga.org.uk for more details or ring the office on 01285 658339.

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27

WILDLIFE

Atmospheric winter walks on

CORNWALL’S COASTLINE We may want to look at Cornwall through the TV drama 'Poldark' on a winter’s evening, but if you get out there and discover the coastal paths it’s much more fun Many of us have to be coaxed out of our semi-hibernation through the winter months. But getting out for a brisk walk, especially around our coastline, will really blow the cobwebs away and make you feel so much better.

TV audiences have been glued to the drama of Poldark – and not only the characters’ stories. The main star is Cornwall and its coastline.

Cornwall in winter is atmospheric, quiet, and usually mild enough for a very pleasant winter’s walk. The coastal path can be easily followed and the South West Coast Path has walks in its 630 miles running from Somerset to Dorset that are very accessible, although there are more strenuous ones for those who are up for a challenge.

Through the Countryside Mobility project, at an increasing number of locations (currently over 30 sites in the South West) you can also hire a ‘Tramper’ rugged mobility scooter, that will go smoothly and comfortable across uneven paths.

Choose from a walk that makes you imagine the ‘Lost World of Lyonesse’, nearly five miles of moderate walking starting from Land’s End, looking out across the rocks and turbulent sea to where some believe that the lost world of Arthur lies, where his final battle with Mordred took place. Behind is an ancient patchwork field system going back thousands of years.

Or you may want to try a walk of about two and a half miles on the North Cornwall coast from Chapel Porth to the old tin mining area of Wheal’s Coates, a gentle climb beside a stream. You’ll see scenery used in many film locations, including adaptations of novels by one of Cornwall’s popular novelists, Rosamund Pilcher.

The South West Coast Path is a great place to take your dog for a walk. They are permitted on the entire path, and providing that you look after them in a responsible way to avoid disturbing livestock and wildlife or causing a nuisance to other walkers, you and your dog will be welcomed.

Try the walk from Pentire Point to the Rumps, on the north coast and not far from Padstow. The path is narrow and 28

stony in places, and the weather can be a bit rough around the exposed headland. Choose between a short walk from the Pentire Farm car park or a longer walk from Polzeath, catching the bus back, or make an even longer walk by continuing along the Coast Path to Port Isaac.

This walk visits an Iron Age promontory fort and some Bronze Age burial mounds, also featuring a famous wartime poem and a breathtaking sandy cove surrounded by gorse and woodland, with a rocky archway to a collapsed sea cave. There are spectacular views out over Padstow Bay and beyond, as well as a puffin island and volcanic pillow lavas.

For winter walks you need to exercise a bit more care because of shorter days and unsettled weather. Wrap up well, take some snacks and drink, start out in good time and take care if paths are slippery, and keep a safe distance to watch the Atlantic Ocean’s waves crash against the cliffs and rocks.

If you are taking a dog with you, always keep it in sight using a lead if necessary, but always keep it on a short lead near sheep and other animals near the path, keep them well away from cliff edges and don’t let them run to other people. Take water for your dog and bags to pick up mess.

You may not see Ross Poldark riding his horse across the clifftops or Demelza wading across the beaches with her billowing skirts, but you will have a lot of good exercise with fewer people around and plenty of beautiful scenery, history – and perhaps a cosy place to eat or stay at the end of the day.

For more information on walks along the South West Coast Path, where to stop for something to eat or to stay, about walking festivals throughout the year and much more, go to www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk

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SPECIALIST TREES

DON’T GIVE UP on the horse chestnut just yet

A diseased horse chestnut leaf showing signs of attack by horse chestnut leaf miner

Mark Hinsley reports that one of our best-loved trees is in trouble but urges us not to give up on it Some of you will already know, and some will not, why our horse chestnut trees have, for some years now, been gradually through the summer turning from green to brown and dropping their leaves in a horrible and early mess at the end of the year.

The culprit is the horse chestnut leaf miner Camraria ohridella.

Horse chestnut leaf miner was first observed in Northern Greece in 1985, and since then it has spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. It was first found in Great Britain in 2002 in the London borough of Wimbledon. How it managed to get there nobody knows, perhaps it came in attached to a tennis player? Since 2002 it has rapidly spread to most parts of England, most likely by hitching a ride on vehicles, and every year, without fail, after a spring ‘honeymoon’ period of about a month, it begins its disfiguring activities.

The reason for this spring delay is that the pupae of Camraria ohridella over-winter in the leaf litter beneath the tree and after they have hatched in late April toearly June they fly up into the tree to mate. The females lay their eggs on the open leaves and the larvae bore into the leaf to begin the cycle again. Through the course of a summer there may be as many as five generations of moths produced.

It is the over wintering stage of the life cycle where the moths are most vulnerable. Simple good sanitation, the raking up of all the fallen leaves in the winter and either burning them, composting them thoroughly or covering them with a layer of soil or other material to prevent the adults emerging can significantly reduce the amount of damage your tree has had inflicted upon it the following year.

Research published by the Forestry Commission suggests that 1Kg (2lb 3oz) of leaves could release 4,500 moths in the spring that would in turn result in 80,000 eggs – so get raking!

Are they a product of global warming? No – but they do best in hot dry summers.

30

A picturesque avenue of horse chestnuts tress in full autumn glory

Something that always seems to put a rather smug, condescending smile on the face of ladies is that, as with other types of insect, pheromone traps are also available, because even little mothy type blokes go daft for pheromones and can’t be prevented from falling into a trap when blinded by lust.

A more serious disease of horse chestnut is bleeding canker. The causal agent is most often a bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi, and only very occasionally a fungus called Phytophthora. This disease is typified by dark brown/black patches caused by bleeding around stem cankers. If the trunk becomes completely ringed by such cankers, the tree will die.

Having said that, the progress of the disease can be very slow and some trees have even been known to recover.

There is no direct link between Bleeding Canker and horse chestnut leaf miner. However, as I have previously preached, the best control of disease is the maintenance of strong growth and vigour, so anything that weakens a tree, even a little, can leave it more vulnerable to other pathogens.

The moral of the story is: don’t give up on the good old horse chestnut just yet. Keep it as healthy as you can and get rid of those autumn leaves so that, hopefully, it will go on rewarding you for your kindness with those fabulous spring displays of flowers and the odd conker on the bonce for very many years to come!

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

Country Gardener

New ‘OUTDOOR LEARNING’ garden thrills children Project Nurture, a new charitable organisation based in Dorset,has completed a first garden space at a preschool in a deprived area.

The charity is now about to undertake research with Bournemouth University into the effect the garden has on the children and parents Toddlers at Hopscotch Preschool can now enjoy much needed outdoor play and learning in a new garden. The new Dorset garden includes a sandpit, outdoor music instruments, and a storytelling wood, designed and integrated into the heathland backdrop behind.

The garden was collaboration between Christchurch and East Dorset Council and Project Nurture, with funding from Natural England. Project Nurture provided design and project management skills. The garden was built on a budget of just £25,000.

"It’s such an exciting and amazing opportunity to do something really positive for these children; I’m really delighted to have been asked to design this garden.” Says Hannah Hobbs, founder of Project Nurture who designed and project managed the garden.

"The charitable organisation is dedicated to utilising the power of the natural environment for the good of society, whether through design, research, specialist consultancy, teaching, or provision of natural environments for society," says Hannah.

Hopscotch Preschool is a social enterprise providing high quality childcare and community services to the Heatherlands area of Ferndown. The 2010 government Indices of Multiple Deprivation identified the area as one of the top five most deprived areas of Dorset.

The residents themselves have also been a driving force behind this turnaround. It appears that all this good work is paying off, as in the most recent IMD report this area no longer features in the top five, although it is an area that still requires support to sustain this The new garden has native healthland change. plants set out in a creative play area

A major asset to this area is the protected lowland heathland surrounding the estate, and this is one of the reasons why a learning garden was first muted.

"The opportunity for children and adults to enjoy and take great comfort in this amazing heathland surrounding was something we all really wanted to capitalise on and demonstrate to children," says Hannah Hobbs "I really wanted the children to be able to use the garden no matter what lesson they had or what their particular interest was. I really tried to demonstrate to the children that no matter your hobby, with a little bit of thought, you can still be outside enjoying the fresh air and natural beauty around."

A variety of different areas and elements within the garden provide the basis for learning and play in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage standards set by the government.

The consideration of these standards was critical to the design if the garden was to be the most effective and useful.

An art corner, with blackboards provides an area for art and creative expression. Outdoor drums and xylophone provide the basis of an outdoor music corner. Natural balance beams and logs give children the opportunity to develop balance and physical prowess. A large sandpit and carved sand lizard for creative and physical play. A silver birch ‘wood’ provides shade for the storytelling circle.

‘I was also really keen to be as creative as possible with the planting, whilst keeping to native heathland plants. There are a variety of cultivars of Erica and Calluna vulgaris, Betula utilis and Betula utilis var. jacmontii (silver birch), and cultivars of Cytissus scoparius (broom). Some interesting but lesser known heathland plants also included are Sedum acre (stonecrop), Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot trefoil) and Betula nana (dwarf birch), and Vaccinium vitis idaea ‘Koralle Group’, with cranberry like fruits (cowberry). And even the grass is a specialist mix of low growing acid loving species!’

Project Nurture, in partnership with Bournemouth University, is now undertaking research between staff, parents and other community partners. The research is evaluating the effectiveness of the garden on topics including classroom behaviour and understanding of the natural environment.

Preliminary results are very encouraging; with parents agreeing that the garden has offered a springboard for learning and stimulated children’s curiosity.

For more information about the work of Project Nurture, visit www.projectnurture.org.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

31

Italy becomes a magnet

for garden lovers Garden enthusiasts wanting to broaden their horticultural horizons it seems have one thing in mind for next year– the many and glorious delights of Italy.

A recent poll amongst gardeners who were looking for an overseas garden trip and tour showed over half were planning to visit the ‘classical garden capital of Europe’ country which boasts of the wonders of the Italian lakes, the gardens of Venice, Rome, Naples, Milan and Tuscany.

Italian gardens it seems are setting the standard with classical designs, ancient statuary, pools and fountains and all shades of green.

For many years now the gardens around Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta have been a must visit for garden enthusiasts but in the last two years the whole of Italy has become a magnet for lovers of classically beautiful and historic gardens which year on year figures increasing by ten per cent a year.

The poll also highlighted the importance of escorted tours or guided tours the beauty of which is that you can ’cut to the chase’; do and see what you came to do and see. Someone else works out the itinerary, sorts out

transportation, accommodation, entrance tickets and, on occasion, exclusive private tours.

Tailor made tours built around knowledgeable guides, top class accommodation and entrance into some of the greatest gardens in Europe is a feature of the popular Expressions Holidays 2017 garden tours of Italy– which includes visits Villa Garzoni, Tuscany and Castelgondolfo Papal gardens on the Rome tour.

Expressions Holidays 2017 garden tours for small groups of up to 14 people to the gardens and villas of Italy are booking now! Each tour with a local guide shows you the most outstanding gardens, their history and planting. Prices start at £2,250 per person (double or twin share) and a single supplement from £300.

Environs of Rome (includes Ninfa, Landriana and Villa Lante) on 10th May, 17th May, 7th June and 6th September 2017.

Tuscany (includes Villa Reale di Marlia and Villa Torrigiani) on 4th June, 25th June and 10th September 2017.

Contact Expressions Holidays on 01392 441275 for full details. www.expressionsholidays.co.uk

ITALIAN GARDEN HOLIDAYS Small group tours with guided visits of Italian gardens

Travel by luxury small •coach

TUSCANY Visits to: Poggio Torselli, Villa Vignamaggio, Villa Geggiano, Villa Grabau, Villa Reale 2017: 4 Jun, 25 Jun, 10 Sep From £2,350 per person

14 people •perMaximum tour Local guides and guided •garden visits included

LAKES COMO AND MAGGIORE Visits to: Villa Babbianello, Villa Carlotta, Villa Monastero, Isola Bella, Isola Madre 2017: 9 May, 23 May, 6 Jun, 27 Jun, 5 Sep From £2,290 per person

Stay at 4 and 5 star •hotels, two per tour, 3 nights in each British Airways flights •included

AMALFI COAST, CAPRI AND ISCHIA Visits to: Villa Rufolo, Caserta, Villa San Michele Axel Munthe, La Mortella 2017: 4 May, 18 May, 8 June, 14 Sep From £2,280 per person

to each tour •canExtensions be arranged SPEAK TO OUR EXPERTS

01392 441275

ENVIRONS OF ROME Visits to: Villa d’Este, Bomarzo, Villa Lante, Giardino di Ninfa, Landriana 2017: 10 May, 17 May, 7 Jun, 6 Sep From £2,250 per person VENETO Visits to: Villa Barbarigo, Villa Emo, Villa Pisani, Giardino Giusti, Villa Rizzardi 2017: 7 Jun, 6 Sep From £2,240 per person

32Country Gardener 6 Oct 2016 MH FIN.indd

1

THE ART OF INTELLIGENT TRAVEL ORGANISING FOUNDED 1989

www.expressionsholidays.co.uk Country Gardener

06/10/2016 16:17:45

Plan next year with winter vegetables in mind

You can plan ahead for winter by growing a range of robust crops so that even when the weather is bleak, there’s something tasty to harvest or bring out of storage

Growing for winter is a year-round job. You have to ignore the bounty all around you through spring and summer and sow away single-mindedly with winter in mind and something which will make an all year round use of your vegetable garden.

So at this time of year when you might be planning your garden’s activity for next year it’s worth taking a few moments to plan for next winter’s crop.

Most winter vegetable plants are fully hardy and will cope well with cold winter weather, but if hard frosts threaten then you can always throw some fleece across them to provide some extra protection.

Most can be planted or sown directly outdoors to ensure that your winter vegetable garden is fully stocked.

The thing is not to let your vegetable plot stand empty and neglected over winter. There are plenty of winter vegetables to grow throughout the coldest months.

But it does take a little planning to have enough vegetables for winter.

For instance sow brassicas and leeks into a seedbed outside or into seed trays, cell trays or pots indoors during spring and summer.

Parsnips can go direct into the ground and be aware they may take several weeks to germinate and never forget the old adage that parsnips need a frost before you pick them to bring out the sweetness.

In the summer months you can harden off seedlings raised in the greenhouse thoroughly before planting them outside.

Transplant seedlings to their final positions when they have formed small, sturdy plants with two or four pairs of true leaves (in the case of leeks, when they are pencil thick).

Sow salad plants direct into the ground in summer in shallow drills that have been watered prior to sowing.

In summer and with winter in mind use space wisely by sowing or transplanting seedlings into ground vacated by early crops, such as broad beans or early potatoes.

Plant garlic, onions and shallots. Garlic, in particular, needs a period of cold, so it wants to be in the ground and growing well before the winter weather moves in. It is hugely heartening to see the green shoots appear just after Christmas, despite everything, as though spring has arrived early. It may seem a foolish move to stick your head above the soil at that moment, but it is the right thing for garlic.

Some onion and shallot sets can be planted now, too. It is no

more difficult to plant a lovely form of shallot than it is a bog standard one, or a dull old onion for that matter. Try French types 'Echalote Grise’ and 'Hative de Niort’. If you like banana shallots, then 'Jermor’ is ideal.

Sowing winter lettuce Lettuce does well through winter if you choose the right varieties and can give it a little protection. Hardy types include such as 'Rouge d’Hiver’, 'Winter Gem’ and 'Winter Density’.

Sowing peas You do need to pick a hardy type to get the right results , and 'Douce Provence’ is one such. It also has the benefit of being fairly dwarf and at just 30in tall needs little support, which is handy for winter. It will do even better in a polytunnel but is well worth sowing now, outside, too.

Sowing spinach Spinach is a pain to grow in the summer when it runs to seed within days of reaching edible size The hardy types sown in autumn provide the best winter results. These need to be under a cloche, but you should still get good growth if you sow 'Monoppa’ or 'Atlanta’.

When to sow vegetables for winter harvests

SPRING AND SUMMER Sow hardy winter vegetables such as sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, winter cabbage and leeks in late spring or early summer as they take several months to reach maturity. They stand well through frosty weather and can be harvested throughout the winter months.

Sow leafy crops such as chard, chicory, landcress and parsley in early summer for autumn harvests that can last into winter if they are provided with some fleece or cloche protection.

LATE SUMMER AND AUTUMN Sow corn salad, land cress and oriental salad leaves such as komatsuna, mibuna, mizuna, mustard and rocket.

These will provide cut-and-come-again leaves through the autumn, and winter if covered with a cloche, coldframe or fleece.

Potatoes can be planted in mid to late summer for winter harvests.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

ASK OUR EXPERTS

ANY QUESTIONS?

Our Country Gardener experts can solve your gardening problems

Our popular gardening expert Andrew Midgley takes the responsibility again for answering a wide range of readers questions –some which have a winter theme. Andrew worked for the National Trust for 17 years and was general manager at gardens at Coleton Fishacre, Greenway and Compton Castle.

Devon nurseryman Kevin Croucher answers a specific question on magnolias.

Q. I planted some nice clematis a couple of years ago.

They have flowered but remain very stringy. Is there anything I can do to make them more bushy?

Q. I have grown fuchsias for many years with no problems. I have some in the garden, and 25 in pots on a wall. This year, the ones in the pots have had spotted leaves which have fallen off. I think it may be a form of rust? When I cut them down to put in my greenhouse for the winter, should I spray them? If so, what should I buy?

Clematis like their feet in the shade and their head in the sun

A. Two things spring to mind. The first is what flowering group is your clematis, since this will tell you when to prune it? Broadly speaking clematis require pruning annually to encourage both flowers and growth. It’s not unusual for clematis to take a couple of years to get going. If you know when your clematis came into flower you will be able to narrow it down to which pruning group your clematis is in. If you’ve got the label then that’s even better! Very loosely the groups are as follows: Group 1 flowers in spring, Group 2 flowers in mid summer and Group 3 in late summer. The worst that can happen if you prune at the wrong time of year is that you lose a season’s display. The other factor to consider is whether your clematis is in the right place. Questions to ask are: Is the soil waterlogged? Is there enough sun as clematis like their feet in the shade and their head in the sun? Is the plant crowded out by other plants? Have you planted the plant correctly at the right depth? Is it too close to the wall and thus drying out? Lots of variables to consider there but I suspect it’s a combination of not pruning it and allowing time for it to get established. A good mulch around the base in the spring will help it too. Good luck.

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Fuchsias in pots are prone to rust disease

A. From what you say it sounds like it is a form of rust which is a fungal disease or it might be a virus which would be very difficult to treat. I would be tempted to re pot the plants with fresh compost when you bring them in for the winter. If it were me I would thoroughly wash the pots too with displayed in a bucket of warm water as an extra precaution. As you say, cut them back and religiously remove any debris from the surface to reduce spreading the disease. You may have to accept that even if you have carried out the above you might have to destroy the plants if the leaves the following year continue to have spots on them as there’s a possibility that other fuchsias in your garden could be affected. In short, it might be easier to buy in new disease resistance plants. If it’s a fungal disease I would use something like Bayer’s Fungus Fighter

Country Gardener

Plus, but personally I would try to manage it culturally by not over watering the fuchsia when in flower and to encourage better air flow around the plant plus ensuring all fallen leaves are picked up and placed in the waste bin.

Q. Two years ago, my daughter planted six shrub rose bushes. Early this summer, her family moved to London but couldn't take her rose bushes with her. I dug them out and moved them to my border.

This will be my first winter with them, and I'm not quite sure how to protect them at all over the winter them. They have special meaning, so I'd like to see them all survive. They are planted in an open area where they are prone to winter winds. Any info you could share with me would be very helpful.

Pruning roses in November and December is the first task

A. The first thing is to prune them back roughly to the height of your knees to reduce wind rock. Cut out obviously dead wood too. The time to do this is in November and December. Clear away any fallen leaves to reduce black spot infestation the following season.

It might be worth checking that the roses are properly firmed in around the base. Give the border a quick fork over to reduce compaction and to allow the winter rain to percolate through easily. You shouldn't need to do anything over the winter protection wise as the roses will essentially be leafless sticks in the ground. In the spring, prune them by a few inches again to an outwards facing bud. Also cut out dead, diseased and weak growth as well as stems that criss-cross each other. What you are aiming for is an open framework to encourage air flow. Around each rose I would lightly fork in Growmore or fish, blood and bone. A good mulch of well rotted manure should be added too, a week or two later.

Q. My neighbour cut down a lot of trees last year, and the two rhododendrons in front of my house really suffered over the winter from all of the wind that resulted. One of them died, and the other looks to be struggling. Is there anything I can do to protect them this winter?

A. On the assumption you are right that the wind is the cause of the damage, which is the likely culprit, I would throw over a horticultural fleece over the surviving rhododendron at the very least. You could also put up a

Any sort of wind protection will help rhododendrons during the winter months

temporary windproof screen in front of the rhododendron to filter the wind. It would be interesting to see whether your neighbour has replanted to replace the trees he has taken out as well as creating an understory of lower growing plants to help filter the winds. Is there an opportunity to plant a natural windbreak in your garden in front of your neighbour’s ? In the spring, I would apply a layer of mulch consisting of wood chips around the rhododendron to help rejuvenate it. Also prune out any damaged branches and perhaps give a foliar feed to give it a restorative boost. The other possibility is lifting up the existing rhododendron and replant in a more sheltered spot. You could replant the area with small leaved azaleas and perhaps as a precaution rig up a wind break during the winter months.

Q. We are blessed with a large, mature (five metres high with a ten metre spread) magnolia which has several large, pendulous lower branches which have filled the available space. We are contemplating removing some of the lower branches to encourage upward growth and to allow space for planting shade loving plants under the canopy. We are conscious of the danger of producing masses of water shoots if not pruned properly, and of the danger of damaging a beautiful tree. We’d really appreciate some advice as to how and when to attempt this major surgery.

A. Magnolias can be very temperamental to prune. Done at the wrong time and in the wrong way can sometimes kill the whole tree. I have had people argue with me about this, but in my experience the best time to prune is August. By this time the sap flow is slowing and the weather is warm and dry, allowing the cuts to seal before winter shut down. If these lower branches represent less than 20 per cent of the tree crown remove them back to the main stem or a suitable large branch as one job next August. Some ‘water shoots’ may emerge subsequently, but these can be rubbed of whilst young and soft.

Kevin Croucher Thanks to you our readers for all the gardening questions we’ve received this year. They are always interesting and have often challenged our experts.

Do keep them coming in and we’ll resume the Q&A service when we return with a new season of Country Gardener next February.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

35

TIME Off

GARDEN EVENTS AROUND HAMPSHIRE compiled by Kate Lewis

Here’s a selection of Hampshire gardening events to look out for right through to next February. Thank you to all those gardening clubs who have sent us their details of events for us to publicise. Country Gardener will be back in February 2017 so remember to send us details of your event at least ten weeks before publication and we will publicise it free of charge. Make sure you let us know where the event is being held, the date and include a contact telephone number.

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

DECEMBER DIARY 3rd/4th Selborne 01420 511275 Gilbert White’s House & The 8th

Oates Collection Festive celebrations with Gilbert’s very own mulled wine recipe, wassailing and music. Mulled Wine Weekend sees Gilbert White’s residence turned into a festive Georgian house, with Christmas décor and costumed interpreters wandering the halls. 10.30am4.30pm. Free Entry. www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk 4th

Singleton near Chichester, Weald & Downland Open Air Museum 01243 811363

Tree Dressing A magical occasion for all, celebrating the importance of trees in our lives during National Tree Week. Join in traditional songs and dances, turn a jam jar into a lantern and join the procession lit by hundreds of lanterns before dressing the aspen trees as darkness falls.

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see the illuminated gardens at the fundraising carol event 6pm-8pm.

Entry ticket only, members £5 (non members £7.50), children over 4 half price (under 4's free). On Sunday 11th December gardens again lit after dusk, suggested donation £5. No booking needed.

Tickets for each child visiting Father Christmas £5, book on https://bookwhen.com/furzey)

Tree Dressing event starting at 12.30pm, final procession 3.45pm. Normal museum admission prices. Dogs welcome.

Silchester, Hants & IOW Wildlife Trust

Roman Walls Winter Walk around Silchester Join a winter morning walk around Silchester Roman Walls and the adjacent area. Bring suitable footwear and binoculars if you have them. Follow the walk with pub lunch if you wish. Silchester Roman Town Car Park, Wall Lane , Silchester, Hampshire, RG7 2HP. Grid reference SU635628. 10.20am12.30pm. Suggested donation £3 per person. Dogs on leads welcome. Wheelchair users and those with mobility problems contact organiser Mike Sharman on 01189 816104.

8th & 9th Minstead, Furzey Gardens, 023 8081 2297 Festive Furzey and Illuminated Gardens Browse for Christmas Gifts, tuck into festive fare, walk to the nativity scene, visit Father Christmas 2pm-6pm Thursday 8th and Friday 9th December and see the gardens lit up. On Saturday

Country Gardener

February 18th Fruit Pruning with Chris Bird Sparsholt College lecturer Chris coordinates the College’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, winning seven gold medals and published The Fundamentals of Horticulture for the RHS. Course limited to 12 places. Feel free to bring your own tools (secateurs/ pruning saw) but some tools will be available. 10am-3.30pm. Tea, coffee and lunch provided. £50 per person. Minstead Study Centre, School Lane, Minstead, Hampshire SO43 7GJ. Tel. 023 80 813437.

Email: minstead.sc@hants.gov.uk

CLUBS AND O THER ORGANISAT IONS December 1st

1st

Dibden Purlieu Gardening Association CHRISTMAS SOCIAL EVENING Details on 02380 842006 Ringwood Garden Club ‘THE HISTORY OF

BOURNEMOUTH AND ITS GARDENS’ 1st The Romsey Organic Gardeners ‘HISTORY, MYSTERY & MARROWS – THE STORY AND LIFE OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROAD ALLOTMENTS’ – ROBERT LE GRICE Details on 01794 521905 2nd Bournemouth Gardening Club CHRISTMAS FLOWER ARRANGEMENT SHOW Details on 01202 752014 3rd/10th Otterbourne, Winchester CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS WITH THE LADY GARDENER. 11am - 2pm Details on 07775 664420 5th Salisbury Bonsai Society MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01722 500157 6th Bursledon & District Gardening Club AMERICAN SUPPER & COMPETITION – A CHRISTMAS TABLE CENTREPIECE Details on 02380 402986 6th Solent Fuchsia Club PARTY NIGHT WITH AMERICAN SUPPER Details on 01329 310124 9th Winchester Floral Design Society CHRISTMAS LUNCH & AGM Details on 01962 854271 8th Hampshire Alpine Garden Society CHEESE & WINE AND IN-HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT Details on 02380 265672 10th Portsmouth & District British Cactus & Succulent Society AGM & CHRISTMAS PARTY Details on 07775 910303 12th Hampshire Organic Garden Group FESTIVE SOCIAL AND QUIZ Email: www.hampshire-organicgardening.org 12th Midhurst Garden Club ‘BEAUTIFUL GARDENS’ – ANDY MCINDOE Details on 01730 814194 13th Woolton Hill & District Gardeners Club CHRISTMAS PARTY Details on 01635 254151 14th Milford Gardeners Club IN HOUSE QUIZ & CHRISTMAS PARTY

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15th

19th

Details on 01590 644489 Winchester Horticultural Society ‘PLANTING FOR WINTER INTEREST’ – STEVE AUSTIN email: winhortsoc@weebly.com Bartley Horticultural Society GARDENING QUIZ AND SOCIAL EVENING Details on 023 80812853 Heathfield & District Horticultural Society CHRISTMAS SOCIAL EVENING Details n 01425 830725

January 5th

5th

10th 11th

11

th

12

th

14th

16th

19th 25th

The Romsey Organic Gardeners ‘EIGHTY THINGS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT HORTICULTURE’ – RAY BROUGHTON Details on 01794 521905 Dibden Purlieu Gardening Association AGM & GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME Details on 02380 842006 Timsbury Horticultural Society SWEET PEAS – GILL HAZELL Details on 01761 412941 Winchester Horticultural Society ‘PRUNING ROSES, APPLES, PEARS AND OTHER FRUITS’ – THOMAS STONE email: winhortsoc@weebly.com Grayshott Gardeners ‘’SNOWDROPS’- GORDON RAET AND KATHLEEN BIRD Details on 01428 722000 Farnborough Fuchsia & Pelargonium Group MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01276 36392 Milford Gardeners Club IN HOUSE QUIZ & CHRISTMAS PARTY Details on 01590 644489 Hampshire Organic Garden Group INFORMATIVE GARDENING TALK – CHRIS BIRD Email: www.hampshire-organicgardening.org Ringwood Garden Club ‘GERARD’S GARDEN’ – ALAN EDMONDSON Hayling Island Horticultural Society ‘BIRDS IN THE GARDEN’- STEVE OAKS

www.countrygardener.co.uk

25th Warsash Horticultural Society AGM & ‘THE BETH CHATTO GARDENS, HER PLANTS AND ME’ – STEVE AUSTIN www.warsashhorticultural society.btck.co.uk 26th Hampshire Alpine Garden Society ‘GROWING MECONOPSIS IN A CONTEMPORARY GARDEN’ – JIM JERMYN Details on 02380 265672 26th South Wonston Gardening Club ‘OXFORD BOTANIC GARDENS, THE FIRST 393 YEARS’ – TIMOTHY WALKER Details on 01962 882031 26th Woolton Hill & District Gardeners Club ‘JAPANESE GARDENS OF HONSHU’ – PAUL SIEVERS Details on 01635 254151

February 1st

2nd

2nd

6th 8th

9th

9th

14th

Lewes & District Garden Society ‘JOHN BROOKES AND DENMANS GARDEN’ – DR BARBARA SIMMEL Dibden Purlieu Gardening Association ‘LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN’CHRISTINE BENNETT Details on 02380 842006 Ringwood Garden Club ‘NEW & INTERESTING PLANTS FOR YOUR GARDEN’ – MARCUS DANCER Salisbury Bonsai Society MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01722 500157 Winchester Horticultural Society ‘THE INFLUENCE OF ARTHUR BAILEY’ – ALAN EDMONDSON email: winhortsoc@weebly.com Farnborough Fuchsia & Pelargonium Group MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01276 36392 Kingsclere Gardening Association ‘VEGETABLE GROWING’ – KELVIN MASON Details on 01635 298286 Timsbury Horticultural Society ‘PLANTING FOR WILDLIFE’ – ANDY MCINDOE Details on 01761 412941

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CLASSIF IED Accommodation Glorious North Devon. Only 9 cosy caravans on peaceful farm. Wonderful walks in woods & meadows. Easy reach sea, moors & lovely days out. £125395pw. Discount couples. Nice pets welcome. 01769 540366 www.snapdown.co.uk Three Scandinavian lodges. Set in beautiful Worcester countryside. All with own hot tubs and wood burners.

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

Prices from £260 pw. 01736 788718 Bosworlas near Sennen/St Just, Cornwall. Cosy Cottage, rural views, Sleeps 2-4 01736 788709 www.bosworlas.co.uk

Carmarthen Bay South Wales Seafront chalet situated on estuary. Sleeps up to 6. Seaview.

Well Behaved Dogs Welcome. For brochure Tel: 01269 862191

Fully equipped self catering house. Undercover parking. 10

Delightful cosy Shepherds Hut for 2 on Cotswold Farm

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

Off road parking. Ideal for 2 adults.

No children/animals. Good public transport. Good pub and shop. Easy reach of Heligan and Eden.

Tel: 01279 876751 ayrepj@aol.com Shakespeare Country/Cotswolds.

Sleeps 5, Dogs Welcome. 07757 784074 www.newparkholidaycottage.co.uk Carmarthenshire. A charming holiday cottage, rural setting, stands alone, Sleeps 3. Short breaks available. Pets welcome. 01239 711679 Devon, Culm Valley. Well equipped rural cottage for 2. No Pets/Smokers 01884 841320 Self-catering cottages in countryside near Lyme Regis. Japanese food available. www.hellbarn.co.uk Lanlivery near Eden and other Cornish Gardens lovely woodland lodge 2/4 people 01726 430489 www.poppylodgecornwall.co.uk

mins walk to the seafront.

Tel. 01934 862840 www.sidmouth-stayatnewlands.co.uk

Accommodation Abroad

Pretty villages, Bustling market towns excellent walking NT and gardens Tel: 01242 604189 www.pinnockwoodfarm.co.uk

Winchester, Farm Cottage Golf, woodlands, many nurseries, Marwell Zoo Tel: 01489 861146

Beautifully romantic cottage for two

Gloucestershire, Cosy annexe for two

non-smokers, lovely garden, beautiful countryside. Pets welcome.

Tel: 01452 840531

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In sunny SW France just 30 mins from Bergerac airport. Find us on Facebook. www.maison-bb.com

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

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

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Antiques International dealer requires records (all types) old gramophones, phonographs, music boxes, radios, valves, telephones, early sewing machines, typewriters, calculators, tin toys, scientific instruments etc. Parts also wanted. Top cash price paid 07774 103139 davepauled1@yahoo.com www.countrygardener.co.uk

Bed & Breakfast Paignton Seafront 4*AA B&B Cockington Village and Oldway Mansion Gardens & Theatres nearby.

Winter Offers. Visit www.beachesbandb. co.uk 01803 665448 4 Star Gold Award B&B in Stoulton, Worcestershire. Luxury accommodation in beautiful surroundings. Perfectly situated to visit Worcester, The Malvern's, Pershore, Cheltenham and Cotswolds.

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

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

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40

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41

Boxed in with problems A recent survey showed that of all the enquiries the RHS Gardening Advice receives every year, box is always in the top few – evidence of how popular a plant it is – and the worry it causes Are gardeners starting to admit they’ve had enough of box?

Box (Buxus) is still commonly planted in gardens as a clipped, formal plant or hedge, but it is now proving more difficult to grow well due to disease and pests.

There is a real trend now to find alternatives as a variety of problems affect what had become a traditional part of many formal and informal gardens.

However, it is troubled by a number of pests and diseases, not least the dreaded box blight which continues to cause problems for those growing box in the UK. More recently box tree caterpillar is also causing serious problems in parts of southern England.

Its reputation is growing as a plant which will sooner or later cause problems.

The many gardeners seeking advice on how to cope with box problems used to be told that infection with box blight meant the whole hedge or plant had to be removed, but there’s now a wider range of non chemical advice which can come to the rescue.

Box blight is a disease of box leaves and stems caused by two fungi, Cylindrocladium buxicola (syn. Calonectria pseudonaviculata) and Pseudonectria buxi. The two are often found together. Cylindrocladium buxicola is further subdivided into two genetic types which differ by their sensitivity to some fungicides (triazoles).

So if you’ve problems where do you start to deal with them?

When bringing in new plants you are frequently bringing in infection, too. Beatrice Henricot, the principal research scientist for plant pathology at the Royal Horticultural Society, said when she walks around garden centres she often sees signs of box blight on plants.

She advocates putting plants in quarantine for at least three weeks, giving them ideal conditions for Box blight can strike quickly blight, a moist and often fatally 42

How fast does box gr ow if it rec overs?

Once the plant is cured, Buxus sem perv recover well and will grow about six irens can inches a year under reasonable growing condition s. In deep shade, very poor soil and very expo sed sites, the growth rate is low er.

Most of the named varieties of Buxus sempervirens, and the other species of rather more slow ly than Buxus sem Buxus grow pervirens.

environment to make sure they are clean.

Do not apply fertiliser if you can avoid it – high nitrogen encourages vulnerable growth which can easily weaken the long term strength of the plants.

Cutting box encourages very dense growth. Air movement is restricted and fungal growth is favoured in this close environment. If you can open out the dense inside framework, a process often called ‘halting clipping’, it helps.

Remember, though, that cutting plants when it is wet is bad news – it spreads the spores. So cut when you have six or seven dry days ahead. If you are going back and infilling with box, then it is worth tracking down more resistant varieties.

Meanwhile mulch at least annually, with a good depth of mushroom compost which really helps improve the aeration and microorganism balance in the soil.

The advice now is not to let any other plant grow within a boot’s length of the hedge – to encourage good air movement.

If the disease is widespread, if possible, take cuttings from disease-free plants.

If the disease does break out, remove and destroy affected plants. If they are mature and highly valued, cut out all affected parts, clean up fallen leaves (including stripping and replacing surface topsoil to ensure complete removal) and treat with a fungicide. Spores can remain viable on fallen leaf litter for at least six years.

Inspect plants for early symptoms as Cylindrocladium spreads very rapidly in warm and humid conditions and is difficult to manage.

Reduce the frequency of clipping to create more ventilation throughout the plants (regular pruning creates dense foliage and less air movement).

Avoid overhead watering as Cylindrocladium thrives in humid conditions. Make sure when you water you focus on the roots not the leaves.

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