Somerset Country Gardener June 2018

Somerset ISSUE NO 168 JUNE 2018 FREE

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The true romance of old roses Wild flowers

you are allowed to pick

COULD YOU OPEN YOUR GARDEN FOR THE NGS?

Heaven scent pelargoniums June gardens galore

for you to visit

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Up Front!

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June” - L.M. Montgomery “Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June” - Al Bernstein

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

Roy Lancaster helps to celebrate 25th anniversary Plantsman and President of the Hardy Plant Society, Roy Lancaster will be the guest speaker as the Somerset Hardy Plant group celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Admission on Saturday, June 23rd will be £5 for Roy Lancaster guests and the event has a 2.30pm for 3pm start. Roy’s talk commemorates his autobiography. After the lecture there will be a chance to meet Roy and a light buffet with wine will be available.The group meets at West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, Nr Taunton, TA2 8NE

Thorncombe opens its gardens Glorious gardens in and around the beautiful village of Thorncombe near Chard will open on Sunday, 24th June from 2pm to 5pm to raise funds for the Riding for the Disabled Association.

As well as admiring all the gardens in full bloom, there will be, cream teas in the village hall, raffle prizes and a plant stall. Parking will be available at different locations. Riding for the Disabled helps children and adults with a variety of disabilities to enjoy being close to horses and ponies while improving their wellbeing. The money raised will be used to help with training costs for RDA instructors and volunteers.

The event is organised by Chard and District RDA Group volunteers who work with children and adults from Devon, Dorset and Somerset. There are no facilities for wheelchairs, and dogs are not allowed.

Thorncombe, Nr Chard, Somerset, TA20 4NF.

Charcoal day at Hestercombe

Hestercombe Gardens just outside Taunton have a Charcoal Burning Day on Wednesday, 30th May from 10am to 5pm.

The estates team will be up in the woods making charcoal and it’s a chance to see how it’s done, gave a go at drawing and toast marshmallows on the fire. Normal admission applies.

Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, TA2 8LG. Tel: 01823 413923

RHS ROSEMOOR MONTH LONG CELEBRAT ION OF ROSES

RHS Rosemoor continues its build up to a five week long Rose Festival from Saurday, 16th June to Sunday, 22nd July.

With two of the largest rose gardens in the country, and consistently voted one of the top ten places to enjoy the sights and scents of Britain’s RHS Rosemoor looking forward to celebrating roses best loved flower, Rosemoor has a full diary of events.

Rose Weekend on Friday, 22nd June to Sunday, 24th June features a floral-themed craft and food market with 30 stalls plus free, guided walks of the rose gardens. This is a free event with timed tickets from the entrance courtyard on the day.

Rosemoor’s Garden Kitchen will be celebrating roses throughout the month with a series of rose-inspired and roseinfused treats, from rose meringues to rose and rhubarb cakes.

Every Wednesday, an expert florist will demonstrate flowerarranging techniques featuring roses during an afternoon Victorian Tea followed by a Q & A session.

A rose trail will take visitors on a historic, scented journey from the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden, to the long borders.

Normal garden admission prices.

RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival 10am - 6pm daily.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington EX38 8PH.

STRONG GARDEN THEME AT ROYAL BATH & WEST The four-day Royal Bath & West show opens on Wednesday, 30th May and remains one of England’s biggest celebration of agriculture and rural life. There’s always a strong gardening theme with special nurseries, displays and garden related exhibitors.

The first show was back in 1853, from that date the show was held in a different town each year before it found its permanent home in Shepton Mallet. Ticket details at www.bathandwest.com/royal-bath-and-west-show The Royal Bath and West Show, The Showground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN. Tel: 01749 822200

Look out for the July issue of Country Gardener available from 23rd June

www.countrygardener.co.uk

3

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Heucheraholics Nursery Open Days 2018

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A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN SOMERSET

Who can resist a peep into privacy?

Behind many of the elegant terraces and crescents of Clifton, Cliftonwood and Hotwells in Bristol there are hidden gardens.

This year over the weekend of 9th and 10th June there will be the opportunity to visit many of these wondefully cared for communal gardens not usually accessible to the public. Many of them will Hidden gardens of Bristol provide real treats to visitors.

Admission is £5 (16 and under go free) and visitors get a ticket that gives entry to all gardens on both Saturday and Sunday. This comes with a booklet, a map and information on some interesting things you can look out for whilst going from garden to garden plus a tree trail for those walking along the path through St Andrew’s Churchyard.

Tickets will be on sale at all the gardens and from 10.30am on both days near the archway between Boyce’s Avenue and Victoria Square in Clifton.

This is an opportunity for the gardens to raise money for their upkeep and enhancement so some will sell refreshments, have stalls or entertainments.

Others will be giving talks or conducted walks.

One of the aims of this weekend, say organisers, is for it to be a fun one for all ages. It is for people to be able to see, enjoy and learn about some of the lovely ‘secret’ gardens that are in Clifton, Cliftonwood and Hotwells. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the gardens.

Green Squares and Secret Gardens in Bristol. Saturday, 9th June and Sunday, 10th June. 11am to 5pm

Black spot remover restores colour to patios

After a long winter, patios, terraces and pathways are being re - introduced to their old friend the pressure washer.

Each year gardeners work hard to wash their stone in the hope of improving the overall look, which deteriorates year on year, and in doing so damage it further by intensive washing.

But now there is an alternative.

From the first day stonework is laid, the next time it rains, millions of microspores are deposited. These originate from the trees, initially as tiny spores, similar in size to pollen. Propelled by the wind, they travel for miles, until it rains, when they are watered into the pores of the stone. For the first 12 months they lay dormant, until they begin to establish themselves by feeding off the minerals in the stone, finally germinating after two years, and appearing on the surface as “patio black spots’.

Secluded gardens to visit in Sidmouth Sidmouth in Bloom opens its ‘Secluded Gardens’ once again to the public on Thursday, 28th June to Monday, 2nd July. Money raised by this event goes towards the floral displays in the town.

Tickets and further information are available from the Sidmouth Tourist Information Centre and from the website www.sidmouthinbloom.org Refreshments and cakes will be available.

TINTINHULL OPENS UP ITS GARDENS The village of Tintinhull holds its open gardens day on Saturday, 30th June with the day including a plant stall in the new village hall, which opened in January this year. Gardens throughout the village, off the A303, will be open.

The village is worth a visit with a 13th Century church and Tintinhull Gardens, the National Trust Property. Only assistance dogs are allowed and all proceeds go to the benefit of the village.

The gardens open from 10am to 5pm, Tickets are ÂŁ5.

At this point they are almost impossible to remove. Jet washing has little impact and by focusing the pressure washing continually on one spot, damage can be caused by the vibration of the jet delaminating or eroding the surface.

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

The Patio Black Spot Remover and Preventer system doesn’t just remove those hideous black spots but completely cleans and restores the original colour to all garden stonework, plus prevents their return! The system works on any type or age of stone, ultimately restoring it to the same condition when first laid.

The Patio Black Spot Removal Company Ltd. www.patioblackspotremoval.com Tel: 01252 702123

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5

GARDENERS’ CUTTINGS IN SOMERSET

BISHOP’S PALACE HOSTS FOURTH FESTIVAL The fourth garden festival will take place in the beautiful Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells, from Friday, 22nd June to Sunday, 24th June. The festival opens from 10am to 5pm.The event continues to raise the Bishop’s Palace hosts fourth garden festival profile of the gardens after more than ten years of restoration and embellishment The festival is growing in stature and visitors can experience the award winning gardens, which recently featured on BBC ‘Gardener’s World’, filled with talks, stalls, tours, hands-on demonstrations, refreshments, entertainment, top gardening personalities and new ideas on how to use and love their gardens.

There will be an exciting line-up of guest speakers throughout the festival in the14 acre grounds of the Palace, along with live music throughout the weekend on the South Lawn Wells Bishop’s Palace & Gardens, The Bishops Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD. Tel: 01749 988111

Thirteen gardens open for Portishead in Bloom weekend

£3 million home and gardens - for just £25 Avon Place, a six-bedroom property in the hamlet of Avon Castle, Hampshire has three distinctive gardens on an elevated one-acre plot.

The property has been up for sale for two years but a buyer hasn’t been found. Now the owners are raffling it off with £25 ticket can win £3 million home tickets costing £25 each. The house is in a private estate on the River Avon seven miles from Bournemouth.

The owners have created gardens from the natural river front garden 40 feet below the house to the formal gardens and the woodland garden. The more formal gardens from the gate leading to the house are full of more than 60 camillias, acers, rhododendrons all in shades of pink red, and white. Other beds contain more than 30 roses, bearded irises and peonies.

The location of the house in its gardens with fabulous trees around and views over the river and valley are really what defines makes this house so special.

The prize includes Stamp Duty Paid and all fitted furniture fixtures and fittings. 250,000 tickets are available. The draw will take place by Sir Christopher Chope OBE MP within seven days of the close of the competition.

For more information and to enter: www.winamegahome.co.uk

PERFECT PONDS OFFER PERFECT MAINTENANCE Perfect Ponds, based in Bridgwater, offers comprehensive maintenance programmes for your garden ponds. That means everything from a regular check up to a visit when your pond needs special attention. Perfect Ponds business is small enough to offer a personal service but big enough to take on construction and water features work. The business was set up 18 years ago by Martin Cockell, a pond enthusiast and professional expert. During the past century nearly 70 per cent of ponds have been lost from the UK countryside meaning garden ponds and water features have more importance for wildlife.

Perfect Ponds, Eastholme, Bath Road, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 4TS. Tel: 01278 429758 6

Country Gardener

Portishead in Bloom

Portishead in Bloom is holding its Open Gardens event on Saturday, 2nd and Sunday, 3rd June, with 13 gardens open to visitors. Programmes for the weekend will be on sale in early May. The weekend event is one of the biggest fund raising activities for the Portishead in Bloom, a gold award RHS town which cares passionately about its participation in Britain in Bloom.

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7

In praise of the

SPECIALIST TREES

COMMON BEECH Mark Hinsley sings the praises of a spectacular tree which is his own harbinger of spring As I travel along my daily commute, my journey is brightened by the two mile long Beech Avenue at Kingston Lacy. Beech is a tree that strongly reflects the seasons. At the time of writing, the earliest of the several hundred 183-year-old specimens are beginning to break out into leaf.

Common beech has wonderful fresh green spring foliage and, if we get a bit of sunshine, its translucent young leaves cause it to radiate light and vitality. We all have our harbinger of better weather to come; the common beech coming into leaf is mine.

Through the summer the foliage turns darker and the shade beneath the tree is dense and cool on a hot day.

As we move into autumn, the oranges and yellows begin to show through in a riot of glowing seasonal colour that we would rave about if it came from a foreign land.

Back to winter and the pale grey stems can be quite a sight pinned to a blue mid-winter sky, particularly if sugar-coated by a hoar frost.

Beech, as a specimen tree, is not a subject for a small garden.

If you want beech in a small garden, then grow it as a hedge.

Mature beech trees are big, very big. They are also very efficient users of light, which is good for them but rather dark for anybody underneath; not a problem if it covers part of your garden, but difficult to live with if it covers all the ground you have got.

The debris from a beech can be quite overwhelming, particularly in what we call ‘mast’ years when your beech appears to make a wild attempt to colonise the whole planet with new young beeches by producing enough nuts to do so.

Beech trees are not happy on heavy, wet soils. They do well on free draining soils on chalk. They are not often implicated in building foundation subsidence claims, probably as such problems tend to occur on the types of soil less favourable to the beech.

There are some ornamental varieties of beech. Copper beech is the most common. This is a bit of a ’Marmite tree’ – you either love them or hate them. Personally, I like them, but not in the countryside. It is also worth knowing that, dark as the shade of a common beech may seem to be, the shade of a copper beech will seem even darker.

Weeping beech can be spectacular provided you have half an acre to grow one in. I remember a specimen at Knapp Hill in Surrey. It was a massive mature tree that had “weeped” to ground level, rooted, grown up and “weeped” again. It was like walking under a living cathedral; the sort of tree one never forgets.

I like cut-leaf beech. They have the same spring and autumn characteristics as the common beech with the added attraction that the cut foliage gives the summer canopy a hazy quality. A bit more light penetrates the canopy of a cutleaf beech. There is a specimen at Stourhead that I love to stand under on a sunny day and see the dappled light shining through the foliage. You have to watch them for reversion though. Any branches that start producing entire leaves need to be pruned out or they will take over the tree because they are more vigorous.

There is a fastigiate form as well, tall and narrow, just a bit wider than a Lombardy poplar.

There are other varieties and species of beech, but these are the ones based around our native beech that you are most likely to come across.

Mark Hinsley is from Arboricultural Consultants Ltd. www.treeadvice.co.uk The much loved two mile avenue of beeches at Kingston Lacy in Dorset

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9

finches in 2005, and since then has decreased the greenfinch population by 35 per cent. Trichomonosis causes lesions in the throat of the bird making it hard for it to swallow. Eventually eating becomes difficult and the bird finds itself unable to swallow and spits food out or vomits it out. This can cause serious consequences at bird feeders where the contaminated food is then available for other birds to eat, thus passing on the disease. It can also be passed on through regurgitation from one bird to another.

The data was collected using a combination of the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch scheme which invites members of the public to contribute observations, and a large scale surveillance project carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Zoology Society of London and Fera Science Ltd which has spanned the past 25 years. There were three main types of disease this surveillance project aimed to study; protozol parasite (which causes Trichomonosis), bacterial (Passerine Salmonellosis) and viral (Paridae Pox). As well as the increase in the levels of Trichomonosis among finches a rise in Paridae Pox, also a disease which has recently emerged, was also discovered.

Passerine Salmonellosis on the other hand, previously a common disease, was found to have reduced to a low level.

WILDLIFE

British gardens have become a haven for many birds which have suffered from habitat loss and urbanisation, and some 48 per cent of households regularly leave food out to help garden visitors.

Better hygiene at bird feeders

Diseases amongst garden birds are on the rise say researchers and one of the biggest problems is dirty and infected cleaning stations in gardens Rare diseases among bird populations are on the rise, and scientists say that garden bird feeders are contributing to the epidemic levels seen in some species.

The problems are a prominent concern for UK vets and bird enthusiasts, and they are only becoming more and more common amongst garden bird populations.

The emphasis now is on taking extra care to ensure hygienic feeding methods, and keeping an eye out for the symptoms of wild bird diseases when feeding.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London and the British Trust for Ornithology have discovered a couple of factors that are lending themselves to the spread of diseases, both linked to the use of bird feeders.

One of these is the state of bird feeders themselves which many people do not think to clean, leaving stale food to rot and bird droppings to accumulate.

The other is that bird feeders provide a meeting point for species of bird that would never usually interact and this is the main driver behind the spread of diseases.

Finch Trichomonosis is one disease which has seen an increase thanks in part to bird feeders. The disease first emerged in 10

Avian pox is a relatively new (and emerging) disease in the UK, where it is becoming increasingly common amongst garden birds.

Currently, great tits seem to be more predisposed to this disease than other garden birds, although it has also been recognised in dunnocks, wood pigeons and blue tits, with sightings in blackbirds also recorded. In most other species, the disease manifests itself in featherless areas as scaly patches or pink/grey plaques, with birds mounting an immune response to survive the infection.

In the case of the great tit, the disease can cause sizeable, wart-like nodules to develop, which may impact the bird’s ability to fly, feed, or even see! If the bird is able to feed, it is possible that it may recover with only minor scars; however, the diseases can also lead to the bird’s eventual death in the most severe cases. Avian pox can be spread through biting flies in the summer months, as well as infected feeding stations, which is why an efficient hygiene routine is so important when feeding these birds.

Kate Risely from the BTO offers this advice to anyone who wishes to keep bird feeders: “We’re calling on everyone who feeds wild birds to be aware of their responsibilities for preventing disease. Simple steps we’d recommend include offering a variety of food from accredited sources; feeding in moderation, so that feeders are typically emptied every one to two days; the regular cleaning of bird feeders; and rotation of feeding sites to avoid accumulation of waste food or bird droppings.”

If you notice birds showing symptoms of Trichomonosis or other disease in your garden then the RSPB recommends to temporarily stop putting food out until no further sick birds are found in the garden as a way to help slow and stop the outbreak.

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11

Heaven

SCENT!

Elizabeth McCorquodale warns that once you are tempted by the sensationally scented pelargoniums you will be captured by them

John Tradescant the Elder, plant hunter and gardener to King Charles I, is credited with bringing the first pelargonium into this country in the 1620s, and like so many of the treasures of the day these plants made an immediate impact.

By the 1800s there were 150 varieties and cultivars for sale and the list continued to grow so that now there are 250 naturally occurring varieties catalogued with several hundred more cultivars coming about through breeding and selection programmes.

Many of them are highly scented with an astounding variation of form and colour.

Beware this group of plants for, as you can see, it is a large and tempting one, and once you dip into it you will be lost.

There is always something new to try and there is something for everyone among the masses of different forms, colours and sizes that make up this large group, but the real joy is the huge array of fragrances. These range from delicate rose to citrus of all sorts, through the spice scents such as nutmeg and cinnamon, then on to pine and balsam and coming round to the rich full-bodied scents of chocolate, chocolate mint and sweet fruit salads. And these aren’t subtle or elusive, but full-on and tantalising. And there isn’t just one representation of any of these scents, but dozens, and many of them are highly prized.

One, known locally as ‘Rosé’ has long been cultivated on Reunion Island near Madagascar to provide the distillation known as Attar of Roses. Other varieties are also grown on that island and elsewhere as cash crops to supply the perfume industry.

Leaving the scents aside for a moment there is also temptation in the myriad of flower and leaf forms and colours, from bold and blousy to fine and delicate and they come in all growth habits as well, from semi-trailing, to bushy and upright.

If left to its own devices the lovely, downy, heavily peppermint-scented P. tomentosum will behave like a true trailer, the weight of its leaves pulling the plant down to make a large soft-green trailing mound that is ideal in a large, sunny hallway where its scent can be savoured each time someone passes.

Some scented pelargoniums will happily live out their lives in a 12

moderate-sized pot on a sunny windowsill, though the larger varieties need a lot more space, soon filling even the largest of conservatory pots and reaching a mature height of up to 2m if left to themselves, so choose your variety wisely. All the scented pelargoniums will grow leggy and weak if left to grow unchecked, and respond well to a good pruning in late autumn, leafing out beautifully in spring on compact plants.

Most of them will tolerate full sun and some will even thrive in a south facing conservatory in summer as long as you can keep up with the watering.

None will live in full-shade (coming as they do from the sunny mountainsides of Africa) but they will tolerate a position in half-shade.

These plants need regular watering and feeding, their masses of leaves taking up huge amounts of water every day through the hotter months. Feed them regularly through the growing season with a balanced fertiliser and re-pot them into a larger pot each spring . They dislike being pot-bound and will sit and sulk if their roots are cramped. Do not be over generous with the feed or the resultant lush leafy growth will lose its scent.

Selection of varieties by scent:

Citrus: ‘Mabel Grey’ (lemon), ‘Poq uita’ (grapefruit) ‘Prince Rupert’ (lemon), ‘Lemon Crispum ’, ‘Prince of Orange’ Rose: ‘Attar of Roses’, ‘Camphor Ros e’, Capitatum True Rose Spice: Fragrans Nutmeg, Ginger Citrus, ‘Old Spice’, Ardwick Cinnamon Fruit: ‘Lillian Potager’ (apple), ‘Ora nge Fizz’, ‘Apricot Pink and Perky’, ‘Lady Scarborough’ (strawbe rry), ‘Peaches and Cream’ Mint: Tomentosum, ‘Chocolate Mint’ Pine, balsam: ‘Secret Love’ Misc: ‘Deerwood Lavender’, ‘Brillian tine Eau do Cologne’, ‘Cola Bottles’, ‘Fruity-Sweet’

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While most varieties will tolerate a brief, light frost, none will survive a prolonged spell of cold weather. Overwinter these plants in a truly frost-free greenhouse or conservatory or in a sunny spot in the house. They are evergreen and will continue to grow slowly through winter if kept in a centrally heated spot. With the return of spring set them outside again and renew their spring and summer routine.

Pests Keep an eye out, indoors and out, for whitefly, aphids, mealy-bugs and other pests of pot-grown house and patio plants. If any become a nuisance, wipe off any obvious pests and make up a home-made contact insecticide by blending two or three whole chilli peppers in a litre of water. Strain the liquid, and add a few drops of detergent-free hand wash or washing up liquid and pour it into a spray-bottle and spray the pests directly. It works a treat.

Propagation Scented pelargoniums are one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. Fill a small pot with damp, free-draining compost then cut six inches of top growth from a healthy stem with a sharp knife just below a node.

Carefully remove all the lower leaves and buds, leaving only two to three leaves at the top. Dip the base of your cutting in some rooting compound and push it into the soil to just below the leaves. Cover the pot with a plastic bag held away from the leaves with lolly sticks and place in a warm, bright spot out of direct sunlight. Do not allow the soil to dry out or to become waterlogged. Roots should begin to form within a week or so and a good root system should be established in a few weeks.

Perfume and Flavour As you can see from its use in the perfume industry, the essential oils in geraniums are highly prized and they can be used at home both in the kitchen and for adding fragrance to household and cosmetic products. The consensus is that, for culinary purposes, the leaves should be used to impart as much scent and flavour as possible without actually being consumed. Ring the changes in apple jellies by adding a few scented geranium leaves in the final minute or two of simmering and remove the leaves before sealing the jars, or pep up left-over jellies and jams by bringing the tired jam to the boil, taking it off the heat and stirring in a few geranium leaves. Allow it to cool before removing the leaves and returning the jam to its jar. Layer a handful of rinsed and dried leaves into a jar of sugar and setting it aside for two weeks.

Remove the leaves and use the sugar to dust over cakes and to mix into cream for scones.

Use the leaves to make a wonderfully scented hair rinse by adding a handful of fresh geranium leaves to a mild vinegar and letting it steep for a day or two then strain the liquid and pour it through your hair as a final rinse to improve shine and add a wonderful fragrance or steep the leaves in almond oil to make a rich, highly scented cosmetic oil for smoothing into your skin, or try adding a handful of dried leaves to a cup of coarse salt and a ¼ baking soda and stir it into a warm bath for a soothing, softening soak.

From top to bottom: Pelargonium Roseum; P. tomentosum; Pelargonium graveolens - Géranium scented; P. triste night scented; Pelargonium ‘Regal’; Scented Pelargoniums

www.countrygardener.co.uk

13

Could you open your garden for the NGS?

by Vivienne Lewis

Early June sees the National Gardens Scheme’s annual festival weekend - if you have been thinking about opening your garden for charity, here’s how to go about it Garden owners who open their garden gates for the National Gardens Scheme are gearing up for their busiest part of the season, with the NGS Annual Festival Weekend on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June when more than 300 gardens will be open throughout England and Wales.

For the NGS it’s a celebration of all that they organise, raising thousands of pounds for nursing and caring charities - Marie Curie, Macmillan, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, the Queen’s Nursing Institute, Parkinson’s UK, Perennial, the MS Society, Maggie’s Centre, Leonard Cheshire, Horatio’s Garden and other beneficiaries.

The NGS has donated over £50 million to beneficiaries since 1927, of which more than £25 million has been donated within the last ten years.

You may be a garden visitor and enjoy looking at the varied gardens, so different in sizes and styles, whether it be cottage, town garden or sweeping lawns and lake. But you may also be a keen gardener who has thought about opening your garden for charity, perhaps at another time of year.

The NGS is always keen to encourage new garden openings, throughout the season. Your garden may be at its best in early spring, with a succession of snowdrops, narcissi, tulips and other spring bulbs and shrubs or trees in blossom; your garden may have late dahlias, acers and other splashes of autumn colour. The organisation welcomes new gardens that could open when others don’t, and would extend the variety of gardens on offer to visitors.

So what do you have to do? We asked Miranda Allhusen, the NGS county organiser for Devon with her husband Edward, to give Country Gardener readers some advice on what may seem to be a daunting, if exciting, opportunity. The Allhusens have also opened their own garden for the NGS for the past 20 14

years, so they know about opening a garden from both aspects.

The first thing to remember is that when you have invited the NGS to have a look at your garden with the prospect of perhaps being selected to go on their list, they are not judging you or your garden.

“We are not judges”, Miranda said firmly. “We are there to help, give some advice and tips.”

What are the county organisers looking for in a garden that may be opened for the NGS? “It should have an element of surprise – not to be able to see all the garden at once, but to have to turn a corner and find something else, perhaps something quite different.”

“To some garden owners who may be disappointed that they have not been selected to open for the charity, we say that we’ll come back again next year to look at the garden, and give them some ideas to work on,” said Miranda.

It is often said that gardens that open for the NGS need to have 40 minutes of interest for a visitor.

That means that a small sized town garden should have interesting elements of design, and a good variety of plants for visitors to admire and study. A rambling country garden with lawns, trees, rose beds, herbaceous and perhaps a large kitchen garden offers something quite different and that is often reflected in slightly higher admission price.

To get a feel for an open day the NGS organisers advise visiting some other open gardens, talk to the owners and make notes from the visits.

When you have been selected Garden owners who have been selected to open their garden for the NGS receive a welcome pack. This outlines the work of the organisation, tells of the nursing and caring

Country Gardener

charities that benefit from funds raised, and gives details of how to prepare for the garden to be open to the public.

There’s a question and answer section, with the usual queries and worries that garden owners may have, from how much to charge for teas and cakes, to insurance in case of accidents.

You are not duty bound to provide refreshments, although many garden owners like to offer home-made teas, and sometimes light lunches or a glass of wine and nibbles if opening in the evening. Sometimes refreshments are in a village hall, especially if a group of gardens open together, and it should be made clear if the funds raised from the teas are going to help the hall or perhaps the parish church, separately from the admission price to the garden.

The county team can also advise on one of the beneficiary charities that might be able to provide refreshments on the day instead of doing it yourself. The main thing to remember is that you would not be on your own – there is always the backup of the county team to help and advise.

What if someone wants to use the toilet? The answer in the welcome pack says that most garden visitors do not expect a WC to be available, but if you allow visitors to use, for instance, the downstairs loo, the NGS strongly advises that they be accompanied. If you don’t have facilities available visitors can be directed to the nearest public toilet.

Talk to other garden owners who are well used to opening for charity, as well as the county team. This goes for anyone opening their garden for any charity, as many garden owners have built up practical experience over several years.

The count down to the big day Preparing to open your garden is not just a matter of lawn mowing, clearing any weeds, or pruning those untidy

branches, although of course that’s important. Publicity is vital – the county team member appointed to help you will tell you the best places to put posters up, and will also give you contacts for local radio, TV and press, as will the county’s publicity officer – you’ll get invaluable free publicity and reach a great many potential visitors.

Insurance should be checked – notify your household insurers, and if you have arranged for musicians or a craft stall as another attraction, any third party should have public liability insurance.

If you are preparing refreshments, bake well in advance and freeze cakes and scones. You may want extra help for this – don’t try to do everything yourself. You may need to hire or borrow catering equipment for the open day.

Plants sales are popular, so if you are going to do this make sure that all plants are labelled and priced. Sort out separate change floats for admission, refreshments and plants if you are having a plant stall.

“It should have an element of surprise - not to be able to see all the garden at once, but to have to turn a corner and find something else, perhaps something quite different.”

Miranda Allhusen

Just before the opening put up yellow road arrows near to the house to help visitors find their way; put up private signs anywhere in the garden or near the house where visitors should not go, and on the day close downstairs curtains.

Take a last look around the garden checking for any hazards, slippery steps, and so on, and after checking that everything is ready, take a deep breath and relax, waiting to receive your first visitors. You’ve done it!

The NGS is always keen to encourage new garden openings, throughout the season

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

Something for the

F UCHSIA! Fuchsia hatschbachii

Gill Heavens looks at the beauty and delicacy of fuschias which still seem to divide gardeners when it comes to their popularity If there ever was a subject to divide the horticultural crowd it is that of the fuchsia.

I have said it before, and this holds true, there is no wrong or right in matters of taste.

Myself, I am not keen on the flouncy tender fuchsia hybrids. The fact that there are 8,000 of varying ornateness would suggest there are plenty who are!

A former employer of mine adored these ornate ballerinas. On a regular basis she would purchase them, handing them to me to plant in the garden. Much to her delight I suggested building a fuchsia border in the garden. Here I planted her delicate frou frou’s but, tucked in and around, I found space for those much more to my liking.

Luckily for me and my job, the lady in question approved of my choices.

Before I share some of these with you - a short history.

Fuchsias were named after the 16th century botanist Leonhart Fuchs, a Professor of Medicine at the German University of Tübingen.

16

Country Gardener

Regrettably he was never in a position to give his approval, as the first plant did not arrive in Europe until the beginning of the 18th century.

This forerunner was Fuchsia triphylla, discovered

by French monk and botanist, Charles Plumier, whilst travelling in the West Indies. Although a tricky plant to grow domestically, it has successfully been used as a parent plant for breeding purposes. Two of my favourite cultivars are direct descendants of this first arrival. F. ‘Coralle’, has long tubed, orangey-pink flowers, and dark leaved F. ‘Thalia’ clusters of slender red blooms.

Fuchsias are in the family Onagraceae which is made up of over 100 species. As botanists love to divide and conquer, these have been further separated into 12 sections, which I shall not bother you with here. Many fuchsia species can be found in South America, through Central America and as far north as Mexico. Other species are endemic to New Zealand and Tahiti.

They are mainly found in tropical or subtropical regions, and you would be forgiven for thinking this is not good news for us in the UK.

However, with the right care and attention, it is possible to grow some wonderful examples.

Let us begin with the fuchsia many of us are most acquainted with, Fuchsia magellanica, sometimes known as Lady’s Eardrops. This plant has a vast native range, almost the whole length of South America, and is both vigorous and hardy. For these reasons it too has been used for breeding purposes. It can reach 2m in height and makes a wonderful informal hedge.

The cultivar ‘Sharpitor’, which was found as a sport in the National Trust garden of the same name, has white margined greenish grey leaves and pale pink and lilac flowers. Another great favourite of mine is the supremely elegant ‘Lady Bacon’, with slim purple and red flowers and a pale pink skirt.

For those of you with limited space there are several diminutive species. Fuchsia procumbens, or the basket fuchsia, is a great charmer and originates from New Zealand. As the name suggests it is procumbent, trailing across the ground or perhaps from a hanging basket. It has dainty heart shaped leaves and curious flowers.

These are approximately 1cm in length, have no petals, a yellow tube, violet and green sepals and striking blue pollen! There is a variegated form, which for me hasn’t been so robust, but is very pretty. Fuchsia microphylla, the small leaved fuchsia, has munchkin flowers to match its foliage. Its sweet, simple, pinkish red blooms are enchanting. Although it can reach a less than Lilliputian 1m in height, regular pruning will keep it to size when necessary.

If you have plenty of room to spare you could try the Central American Fuchsia arborescens.

The tree fuchsia can reach 3m tall and produces dramatic panicles of small, pale pink/mauve flowers over a long period. Another Maori species is Fuchsia excorticata, known as Kotukutuku, which is the giant of the genera at 15m tall. Just like its petite countryman, it also has petalless flowers, in this case a muted green and purple. These, however, lack the psychedelic impact of its low slung brother. If allowed to grow to maturity this goliath develops an attractive red peeling bark, reminiscent of the day you forgot to apply your sun tan lotion!

Fuchsia boliviana, is one of the more exotic fuchsias, both in looks and temperament.

It has large, oval leaves, with a striking red midrib. Corymbs of elongated scarlet flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds in their native South America. These blooms can reach 20cm long, and are followed by black, rather tasty, fruit. ‘Alba’ has white tubes with red petals.

Other sensitive souls worth trying are the equally striking F. splendens and F. fulgens.

Fuchsia procumbens

Fuchsia boliviana Réunion

Fuschia magellanica

Fuchsia cuttings are often successful, and this is the ideal way to ensure that you have “belt and braces” cover for borderline tender specimens.

Beware though, most pest and disease problems occur when growing in a greenhouse.

To whitefly many fuchsia are ambrosial; keep vigilant and act as appropriate. A recent, and unfortunately escalating problem, is the fuchsia gall mite. This pest was first identified in this country as recently as 2007.

The mite is a sap sucker and causes distortion in buds and disfigured growth. There is as yet no effective control and the infected plant should be destroyed, preferably burned, definitely not composted.

Fuchsia triphylla

Fuchsia microphylla

Fuchsia arborescens

Whether you are a lover of the extravagant or prefer a more subtle approach, why don’t you take a closer look at the range of fuchsias available. Big, small, tender or hardy, the gamut of choice is quite staggering.

There are always new ones to discover, including my current champion and spelling bee candidate, Fuchsia hatschbachii. With graceful, willow-like leaves and purple and deep pinkred flowers, it is definitely is worth seeking out.

There really is something for everybody! www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

Day Cottage, Lower Froyle, Hampshire GU34 4LL

GARDEN Visits THE BEST GARDENS TO VISIT compiled by Vivienne Lewis Gardens are bursting with colour and looking spectacular, so it’s a great time to visit some that are opening for charity. Here’s a selection in the areas we cover. We advise checking wherever possible before starting out on a journey as circumstances can force cancellations in private gardens.

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

Partial wheelchair access Unsuitable for wheelchairs Dogs on short leads

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

LITTLE ASH BUNGALOW Fenny Bridges, Honiton, Devon EX14 3BL Country garden of 1½ acres, packed with different and unusual herbaceous perennials, trees, shrubs and bamboos, mixed borders, highlighted by metal sculptures. Natural stream, pond and woodland area, mini wildlife meadows and raised gravel/ alpine garden. Open for the NGS on Saturday 9th June, 1pm5pm. Admission: £4, children free. Contact Helen & Brian Brown on 01404 850941 or email: helenlittleash@hotmail.com www.facebook.com/littleashgarden

COURT HALL North Molton, Devon EX36 3HP A new opening for the National Gardens Scheme, with parkland, lawns with pleached hedge and avenue, walled garden, rose, clematis and honeysuckle arbours surrounding a swimming pool garden with tender plants and rock wall. Kitchen garden with flowers, vegetables and apple trees.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 24th June, 2pm-6pm (also Saturday 12th August). Admission: £5, children free.

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Country Gardener

REEDS COURT Lydeard St Lawrence, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3RX A series of gardens within a garden of about one and a half acres. Structured but wild, with striking yet subtle planting; discover a wealth of colour, scents, shapes and foliage. Open for the NGS on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th June, 11am-5pm.

Admission: £3.50, children free.

GOBLIN COMBE HOUSE Plunder Street, Cleeve, Bristol BS49 4PQ This two-acre terraced garden has stunning views, an interesting collection of trees, mixed shrubs and herbaceous borders with climbing and rambling roses, surrounded by orchards, fields with wild flowers and woodlands. Uneven steep paths, slippery when wet. Open for the NGS: Wednesday 13th June, 1.30pm-5pm. Admission: £ 4, children free. Contact Hilary Burn on 01934 838599.

POPPY COTTAGE GARDEN

LYDEARD HOUSE West Street, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AU

Ruan High Lanes, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5JR

A four-acre garden with 18th century origins and many later additions. Sweeping lawns and mature trees, lake overhung with willows, canal running parallel to Victorian rose-covered pergola, box parterre, chinoiserie-style garden, recent temple folly and walled vegetable garden.

Children must be supervised because of very deep water.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 10th June, 2pm-5.30pm.

A one acre garden on the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, a plantsman’s paradise, divided into rooms with shrubs and herbaceous perennials; surprises around every corner.

Small orchard with ornamental poultry. Open for the NGS: Sunday 17th June, 12.30pm-5pm. Admission: £4, children free. Contact Cazz Kenzie & Josh Hoole on 01872 501411 or email: hello@poppycottage.garden www.poppycottage.garden www.countrygardener.co.uk

19

THE BEST GARDENS T O V ISI T IN JUNE

MILL HALL FARM Whitemans Green, Cuckfield, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 5HX A young garden on the High Weald with trees, roses, shrubs, clematis and golden hop, establishing and constantly changing throughout the year. Challenges in two and a half acres include Sussex clay, deer, rabbits and pigeons. Two ponds and woodland beyond. Open for the NGS: Sunday 10th June, 12.30pm-5pm.

Contact Kate & Jonathan Berry on 01444 455986 or email: katehod@gmail.com

DAY COTTAGE Lower Froyle, Hampshire GU34 4LL Pretty 18th century cottage garden with a courtyard, outbuildings and greenhouse, water features and wildlife pond, mixed borders with grasses, roses and vegetable plot.

Small wild flower meadow with country views. Open for the NGS on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June, 2pm-6pm as part of Froyle Open Gardens weekend. Admission £7.50, children free, gives entry to all seven open gardens. Contact Nick & Corinna Whines on http://www.daycottage.co.uk

THE HOLLOW Tower Hill, Iwerne Minster, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8NJ This hillside cottage garden has an interesting variety of plants in borders lining numerous sloping pathways, water features for wildlife and seating areas to sit and enjoy the views.

Productive fruit and vegetable garden. Open for the NGS: Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th & Monday 25th June, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £3, children free.

Contact Sue Le Prevost on 01747 812173 or email: sue.leprevost@hotmail.co.uk

THE OLD RECTORY Manston, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1EX A beautifully restored five-acre garden with a south-facing wall, 120ft herbaceous border edged by an old brick path, enclosed yew hedge flower garden, knot garden, wildflower meadow and young mixed hardwoods plantation. Walled Victorian kitchen garden has new picking flower section and greenhouse. Open for the NGS on Sunday 17th & Wednesday 20th June, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £5, children free. Contact Andrew & Judith Hussey on 01258 474673 or email: judithhussey@hotmail.com 20

Country Gardener

THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE The Street, Sutton Waldron, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8NZ Another new opening for the NGS, a small village garden with planting of hedges into rooms, orchard, secret garden and pergola walkway. Strong framework of existing large trees, roses and herbaceous plants, pleached hornbeam screen. Open for the NGS on Sunday 17th & Wednesday 20th June, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £3.50, children free.

PASTURE FARM

BREWERY HOUSE Southstoke, Bath, Somerset BA2 7DL

Upper Oddington, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0XG

A long-established walled garden with fine, mature trees, shrubs and climbers with splendid views over rolling countryside.

Explore the contrast of colours, shapes and the unusual variety of species. Open for the NGS on Saturday 16th June, 2pm-5pm.

Admission: £3.50, children free.

Contact John & Ursula Brooke on 01225 833153 or email: jbsouthstoke@gmail.com

An informal country garden with mixed borders, witty topiary, orchards, many species of trees, a gravel garden set amid ruined walls, ducks, bantams, chickens and two kunekune pigs. Open for the NGS on Sunday 27th & Bank Holiday Monday 28th May, and Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June, 11am-5pm. Admission: £5, children free.

THE BARTON Berrow Green, Martley, Worcestershire WR6 6PL

HOOKSHOUSE POTTERY Hookshouse Lane, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8TZ A garden of contrasts run on organic principles with perennials, borders, shrubs, woodland glade, water garden and flowform cascades, kitchen garden, orchard, sculptural features, garden games and tree house. Pottery showroom also open. Open for the NGS from Saturday 26th May to Sunday 3rd June inclusive, 11am-5.30pm. Admission: £4, children free.

Contact Lise & Christopher White on 01666 880297 or email: hookshouse@hotmail.co.uk http://www.hookshousepottery.co.uk

This colourful ½ acre cottagey garden has winding paths through colourthemed areas, gravel and grass beds, pergolas and trellises with roses, clematis and unusual climbers.

Terracottadecorated walls enclose a vegetable plot and new tender bed. Open for the NGS on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June, 1pm5pm. Admission: £4, children free. Contact David & Vanessa Piggott on 01886 822148 or email: v.piggott@btinternet.com

www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

THE BEST GARDENS T O V ISI T IN MAY

MOORE BLATCH 48 High Street, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 9ZQ Opening for the NSPCC on Sunday 10th June, 2pm-5pm, entry £4, a southfacing one-acre walled garden with a raised terrace and long vista across the croquet lawn to mature gardens beyond, with glimpses of the Isle of Wight. Topiary, mixed herbaceous, and vegetable beds. For more details contact Alice Collett on 01590 677450. Also opening for the NGS on Saturday 18th August, 9.30am-1pm, and Sunday 19th August 2pm-5pm.

23 NEW BRIGHTON ROAD Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7PR A garden of surprises – down the 250ft gently sloped plot, to ponds, garden rooms, art studio and library. A plantaholic’s garden with a heavy emphasis on full shade plantings together with full sun. Open for the NGS on Sunday 24th June, 2pm-5pm, admission £3.50, children free.

SIENNA WOOD Coombe Hill Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 4LY A peaceful 3½ acre garden with a lakeside walk and six-acre ancient woodland, many unusual trees and shrubs, herbaceous borders surrounding the croquet lawn, formal rose garden, and vegetable garden. Children’s play area with tree house and nature trail; possible sightings of wild deer. Open for the NGS on Sunday 3rd June, 12pm-5pm. Admission: £5, children free.

LOWER EBEAR GARDEN & RURAL LIFE MUSEUM Westleigh, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7HP Opening for Devon Hospiscare on Sunday 10th June, 1pm-5.30pm, there’s an acre of herbaceous borders, alpine and wild areas, wildlife ponds, trees, shrubs, vegetable garden and fruit cage. The museum has old motorcycles, tractors, toys and other everyday items from the past. Admission £3.50, children free. For other gardens opening for Hospiscare go to www.hospiscare.co.uk or pick up a leaflet locally.

ABBOTSKERSWELL VILLAGE GARDENS & ALLOTMENTS Abbotskerswell, Devon TQ12 5PN Eight gardens plus the village allotments, ranging from very small to large with a wide range of planting styles and landscaping. Cottage gardens, terracing, wild flower areas, a wild garden and specialist plants. Visitors are welcome to picnic in the field or arboretum at Fairfield. Open for the NGS on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th June, 1pm-5pm. General admission: £6, children free.

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23

Picking wild flowers is a good thing

Left: 10. Yarrow, Right: 11. Common knapweed

There is an age old belief that it is wrong to pick wildflowers but the conservation charity Plantlife has launched an important year for wildflowers with some good news After a long cold wet and miserable winter, the sight of wildflowers popping up along our road verges and hedgerows is a sight to celebrate.

This spring and summer promises to be an important one for our wildflowers as conservation charity Plantlife launch the ‘Great British wildflower hunt’ along with a list of 12 wildflowers it’s OK to pick, which might come as a surprise, given that there is an age old belief that it is wrong to pick wildflowers.

Plantlife have also published a new code of conduct on picking wildflowers.

Last year, from the Channel Islands to the Orkney Islands, the British public spotted more than 15,200 wild flowers in the first year of this annual hunt. Over 60 common species were included last summer and this year, Plantlife is adding 21 spring woodland flowers, including anemone, ramsons and early purple orchid.

Plantlife is the charity speaking up for the nation’s wild plants.

It works to protect wild plants on the ground and to build understanding of the vital role they play in everyone’s lives.

Plantlife’s botanical specialist Trevor Dines commented: “Research we carried out shows 70 per cent of the public want to know their wild flowers better, and this is such an easy way to do it: 15 per cent of our hunters started out saying they couldn’t name any wildflowers and were ‘unsure’ of their identification abilities so that was particularly thrilling when they completed the hunt.”

This year, the charity has also highlighted a dozen species so abundant they are OK to pick and is publishing a new Code of Conduct to give people confidence when picking. Plantlife’s vice president Rachel de Thame explains: “When I was growing up, we used to walk everywhere and I learnt to recognise common wild flowers. I knew my cowslip from my cow parsley and yes, I used to love picking little posies. So much of our wildlife is untouchable but common wild flowers and plants are different.”

So when is it OK to pick wild flowers?

There is a prevalent sense that picking flowers is a bad thing.

Many of us are unsure what’s OK and what’s not and so err on the safe side. Plantlife’s new code of conduct shows wild 24

flowers don’t have to be out of bounds.

Rachel adds, “What we know and love we are more likely to conserve. It’s about children starting a relationship with wild flowers. It’s in a child’s instinct to collect, but today that means collecting stickers, toys or those must-have gadgets. Yet it wasn’t so long ago children were just as keen to collect wild flowers, whether it was to take a posy home, press them, or make petal perfume, they were part of children’s everyday life”. www.plantlife.org.uk/wildflowerhunt

Plantlife’s Code of Con duct to picking wild flowers

There are eight things to rem ember when picking any of the twelve wild flowers on the list: • Make sure you’re not tre spassing on any private lan d.

• Never pick flowers from nature reserves or any oth er protected sites without pri or permission from the lan downer.

• Only pick from large pat ches of abundant flowers, lea ving plenty of flowers for others to enjoy, to set seed, and to provide other wildlife with pollen, nectar, seed or shelter .

• Follow the one-in-twenty rule, picking one flower ou t of every twenty you find.

• Only pick a small handfu l of flowers for personal use , never pick for commercial gain.

• Don’t trample other flow ers or vegetation.

• Never uproot any plant unless you have the landow ner’s permission, and be aware that some plants (listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act) canno t be picked without a licence.

• If in doubt, don’t pick. If you don’t know the identi ty of a plant, leave it where it is. Tak e a photograph instead and try and identify it at home first.

Country Gardener

A dozen wildflowers to pick 1. Daisy (Bellis perennis) Who hasn’t picked a daisy flower and marvelled at its beauty? The ‘day’s-eye’ can be found blooming in almost all months of the year, but in spring they astonish us with their quantity. For generations, children have made daisy chains, looped into bracelets, necklaces and headbands.

2. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Often turning pastures and lawns yellow, the early flowers of dandelion are a herald of spring. Despite their familiarity, their flowers are stunningly beautiful close up - we’d eagerly seek them if they were at all rare. All parts of the plant are edible (especially the young leaves and flowers) but famously, the roots contain a diuretic that has led to other common names such as ‘piss-a-bed’.

3. Primrose (Primula vulgaris) There is a very long and rich tradition of picking primroses. This is probably because they’re such a symbol of awakening in spring (they are ‘prima rosa’ or ‘first rose’) and because they grow naturally in the form of a small posy. Part of this tradition was to tie small bunches of flowers– and send them to parents, churches and hospitals at Easter.

4. Common dog-violet (Viola riviniana) For generations people have been picking small bunches of sweet violet (Viola odorata) to give as scented posies, but this species is not frequent enough to be recommended.

Instead, common dog-violets are abundant in hedgerows, woodland edges, waysides, verges, meadows, heaths and moors.

5. Greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) A beautiful wildflower of woodlands, hedgerows and waysides, the pure white flowers of greater stitchwort have a clean purity that’s hard to beat. Also known as ‘shirt buttons’, ‘poor-man’s buttonhole’ and ‘daddy’sshirt-buttons’, the stems are very brittle and break easily if you reach out and lift them, the flowers coming away almost accidentally.

6. Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) It sometimes seems that every road verge in the country is thick with the frothy white flowers of cow parsley in spring. Mile upon

12. Meadowsweet

mile can grace our roads, an exuberant and wonderful display that – according to one story – decorated the roads for Queen Anne when she ventured into the countryside in May, hence the alternative name ‘Queen Anne’s Lace’.

7. Meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris) Here’s a wildflower all children should be encouraged to pick - how else will they know whether or not they like butter? Holding a flower under the chin and proclaiming a love of butter from the golden glow must be one of the first relationships many children have with any wildflower.

8. Red Campion (Silene dioica) Of all our wildflowers, red campion is a sparkling jewel. Found in woodlands, hedgerows and waysides, no other flower provides the same shot of reddish pink in spring, a colour enhanced by the company it often keeps – a softer palette of bluebells, greater stitchwort and cow parsley.

9. Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) Few flowers capture the spirit of a wildflower meadow more than oxeye daisy. Often they grow in joyous abundance, swaying in the grasses under cloudless skies. Today, we’re more likely to see them along our road verges.

10. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Yarrow is so common and abundant in grassy places – lawns, waysides and meadows - that many of us never give it a second thought.

But hold a flower in your hand and it thoroughly deserves a closer look.

11. Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra) The bright pink pincushions of common knapweed brighten up almost every meadow, pasture, verge, wayside and cliff top in Britain. Another member of the daisy family, the flowers are actually made up of many small individual flowers.

12. Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) From high summer onwards, ditches, wet meadows, river edges and pond sides turn frothy with the massed flowerheads of meadowsweet. They grow abundantly, their tall stems reaching above the reeds and rushes and painting the countryside creamy white.

9. Oxeye daisy

www.countrygardener.co.uk

8. Red Campion

1. Daisy

2. Dandelion

3. Primrose

4. Common dog-violet

5. Greater stitchwort

6. Cow Parsley

7. Meadow buttercup 25

Wildlife lives and thrives in our churchyards

Churchyards offer the perfect glimpse into the ecological richness of the past and soon we’ll be given confirmation of just how important they are to wildlife

The secret animal and plant life of churchyards and burial grounds throughout the south and south west is to be revealed for the first time, thanks to a project funded by the National Lottery.

The Beautiful Burial Grounds project, run by the charity Caring for God’s Acre, will ask volunteers to record monuments and species discovered in burial grounds, to build up a map of the secrets that they hold.

Many of Britain’s lichen species - 700 of the 2,000 identified types - are found in churchyards, and nearly half of these are very rarely found elsewhere. Many churchyards contain more than 100 species of lichen in one site.

Flowers and wildlife also abound in many churchyards, where long grass provides a refuge for many creatures, including frogs, voles, butterflies, and bees.

The director of the charity, Harriet Carty, said: “There are few places to rival the range of interest present within churchyards, cemeteries, and chapel yards. They illustrate the history of the community they serve: the migrations and immigrations, the changes in style and fashion of architecture and monumental masonry.

“They are also hotspots for biodiversity, giving us a glimpse of the ecological richness of the past, whilst providing refuges for wildlife now and in the future.”

The £586,700 National Lottery grant will fund a database, including an interactive map listing burial sites and their treasures, and train volunteers as “citizen 26

scientists” to enter their findings.

The project will help the thousands of volunteers who record wildlife and plantlife for other interest groups, such as botany groups and local lichen groups, to record their discoveries with others.

There will also be sessions tailored at families and people with disabilities or mental-health issues. In Hereford, the project is working with sight-loss charities to offer sessions with bird experts to teach people how to identify birds through bird song.

By revealing some of the secrets of burial grounds, the charity hopes to ensure that they are cared for into the future.

Many older churchyards contain grassland which is the remnant of ancient meadows, supporting species lost or in decline in the surrounding countryside. The church and associated buildings itself may contain roosting or breeding sites for bats, swifts and barn owls, whilst the stone of the church, headstones and memorials often support a rich diversity of lichen, liverwort, moss and fern flora.

Mature trees are often found within the site or form part of the boundary, many of which are specimen yew trees.

Due to their nature and location within rural settlements, churchyards can provide a refuge for habitats and species lost from the surrounding farmed landscape; whilst in urban settings, they can provide a sanctuary for wildlife in areas lacking other types of greenspace.

Churchyards and cemeteries have also been the focus of increasing interest in genealogy and attract many visitors and tourists researching family history.

A number of these churchyards now include areas managed for wildlife and quiet contemplation, and are often well used by local groups and visitors where access is welcoming and information is readily available.

The provision of a seat and a notice board with information about churchyard management is of huge benefit for the church community group in spreading the message to locals and visitors alike that churchyards are available for everyone to enjoy.

Taking an active part in encouraging wildlife Management should take account of and be sympathetic to the primary purpose of the site and its main users, whilst taking account of the wide range of habitats and species that these sites support.

If you are interested in encouraging wildlife in your local churchyard, here are a few simple steps to follow:• Contact the church members – the Parochial Church Council or similar – to discuss the idea.

• Once agreement has been reached you will need to survey the churchyard to find out what exists already – trees, hedgerows, grassland etc.

• To find out the best management for churchyard habitats, check out the Caring for God’s Acre factsheets available online www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk • Always display the plan for people to see what is happening, include a notice in the local community newsletter or church news bulletin, and/or put notices in the churchyard where something may have changed – tree felling or a change in grass cutting.

• Monitor the management to see if it is working – often this can take a year or more if a change in grass cutting is to encourage wildflowers.

Country Gardener

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Country Gardener

JOBS IN THE GARDEN

June is a wonderful time in the garden, flowers are starting to appear in abundance and there’s plenty to harvest in the vegetable patch. Keep on top of supporting your plants and keep an eye out for cold nights at this time of year, as some plants will still need plenty of protection.

June might be a variable month, with chilly nights and rain, but the long days and moisture ensure that the growing season is with us in force, and it stretches out ahead luxuriously. Though these are heady days and the garden might never look better, regular work on important jobs will ensure a long summer of interest.

BE PATIENT WITH YOUR FADING DAFFODILS As daffodils fade, remove the flower heads.

Don’t cut back the leaves - leave them to die back naturally. However if you want to tidy them up, wait until the leaves have yellowed before removing. It will make an enormous difference next spring.

Wage war on pests This is a time when pests suddenly become more apparent. It is easy to spot blackfly on broad bean, french bean and runner bean plants. Squish them between your fingers or spray with horticultural soap. Ants running up and down your plants is a tell-tale sign that aphids are about. Pests like weeds too, so make sure you weed regularly and thoroughly.

JOBS IN THE

June garden Make up the summer beds Summer bedding is an ideal way of providing a quick fix to the garden if it lacks colour.

If you have not planted out pots and containers yet, there is still time, but use a loambased compost, as it has the guts to feed the hungry performers. It is also easier to keep watered than peat-based composts, which should be avoided for ethical reasons.

Pelargoniums, petunia and most silver-leaved tender perennials like a bright position and will flower more profusely and over a longer period if rewarded with sunshine. Nicotianas, impatiens and even begonias can cope with a little shade, but keep them in a warm place until they are well away before putting them in the shade.

Protect strawberries from birds Birds will eat your strawberries before they are fully ripe! Protect your strawberries using netting or horticultural fleece. Squirrels also like strawberries and will chew through netting, so use fleece which hides the ripening strawberries if they are frequent visitors to your garden.

To help ripen strawberries and keep the fruit from getting splashed by mud, it is traditional to bed them down with straw. A bundle of fleece, placed under the fruit, will also work if straw is hard to come by. Alpine strawberries are far less interested in sunbathing and will keep you in fruit the summer long even in dappled shade. If you want to keep them in one place, seek out a non-running form such as ‘Alexander’.

Main crop strawberry plants will start throwing off runners. Peg down the small plants at the end of the runners into some potting compost, and leave until the roots are established before cutting from the main plant. Strawberries only last for three to four years and this is a good cheap way of maintaining your supply of strawberry plants.

Weed regularly

Just like your vegetables, the weeds are in full growth now. Regular hoeing between rows will keep them down. Pick out weeds around your vegetable plants carefully so as not to disturb the roots of your veg. If your patch has been well dug then the weeds normally come up pretty easily. www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

Mind the mildew Pulmonarias are prone to mildew if there is a dry start to the summer.

Rather than spray, cut them back hard, too, and water well for a fresh crop of foliage.

Watering is key in the prevention of mildew, as it hits harder in plants that are under stress.

Rather than waste this precious resource, water only those that need it, soaking deep to encourage the roots not to come to the surface.

Cut back the perennials Many of the early-flowering perennials such as Papaver orientale, brunnera, tellima and the May-flowering Geranium sylvaticum and G. phaeum will have already flowered and may well be leaving a hole. Cutting them back hard to the base as soon as the flowers are over will provide a fresh crop of foliage and in some cases a second round of flowers later in the summer when things lose that fresh green that is so plentiful now. If it is dry, water thoroughly immediately afterwards, and in a fortnight new growth will cover bare ground.

Tie up your tomatoes Young tomatoes should be planted outside if they haven’t been already. Pinch out side shoots and tie in loosely to canes. You will not need to start feeding until the first truss is set. In a greenhouse this should already have happened, so feed with a product high in potash, to encourage fruit formation and ripening.

HAVE A BEAN FEAST

Sow runner beans and climbing French beans now that the soil has warmed. It might feel late when many other vegetables are already cropping, but they get off to a better start if the soil is warm and the night temperatures are more consistent. The same goes for courgettes, marrows and sweetcorn, but you will need to act promptly now to make the most of a British summer.

Remember the watering KEEP AN EYE ON THE SWEET PEAS

If we do get a prolonged dry spell, don’t forget that fruit bushes and trees need watering. Swelling apples and currants need water as much as leafy vegetables. Once again, give a good soaking rather than little sprinkles that encourage surface rooting.

In June apples have the ‘June Drop’ where the tree drops excess fruit. After this it is worth thinning out if the branches are still overcrowded. Tie in blackberry canes as they grow and check that netting, fruit cages etc. have no access for the birds.

When you’ve had the last rhubarb, give them a good feed by mulching with well-rotted manure mixed with compost or an artificial like growmore to enable them to build strength for next year.

Tie in sweet peas if you planted early, and if you planted late, pinch out at six inches to encourage branching. In dry weather water well or you’ll see the buds aborting and energies wasted.

JUNE JARGON

1.

JUNE GAP the death of flowers and bad news for bees.

The biennial, Echium vulgare (viper’s bugloss), will be able to fill the gap.

JUNE DROP Orchard fruit self-thins, but often it is not enough. Reduce clusters to single apples and pears; leave four inches (10cm) between plums.

2.

30

3. JUNE BUG Chafer grub larvae lurk under grass, munching the roots and inspiring predators to excavate.

4. JUNEBERRY Amelanchier, valued for scented flowers,

summer fruit that tastes like blueberries and bright autumn foliage. Plant in hedges or as specimen trees.

A DRIPPING JUNE sets all in tune, except container plants suffering from a wet May. Cut away damaged roots, repot and feed.

5.

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31

Branching

basil out with

Basil is an ever present plant in all herb gardens but many of its wonderful varieties don’t get the attention they deserve Basil is one of the most common herbs around, found in cuisines around the world. It’s a must have for gardeners growing their own herbs.

The problem is many of the wonderful varieties available never get the chance to appear in herb gardens.

Recipes almost always call for fresh basil, since dried basil loses its flavour quickly.

That means everyone will benefit from having some basil growing in his or her garden or on a sunny windowsill.

But what type of basil should you grow?

There are dozens of varieties available, with different flavours and uses. What you grow depends on the kinds of dishes you like to prepare.

Choosing from the array of basil varieties to plant might be the most difficult part of growing this herb. Basil has minimal growing requirements—full sun, at least six hours a day, warm temperatures (above 50° F) night and day and fertile soil with adequate moisture.

To help narrow your selection, decide how you will use the basil: to colour in the landscape, as an ingredient in food or drinks, as a garnish, or to make a year’s supply of pesto.

Basil can be propagated from seed. Sow seeds eight to ten weeks before planting outside in a well-drained soil.

Throughout the season, remove flower spikes to promote increased growth and branching. Pruning the plants every two to three weeks also will promote growth. Basil is an annual, as it does not tolerate frost well.

A relatively new disease in basil is downy mildew. Watch for yellowing leaves, similar to a nutrient deficiency only with black fuzz growth too on the leaf undersides. Start your own plants from certified clean seeds, minimising leaf wetness such as from overhead watering, and plenty of air circulation through wide spacing of plants. If you see or suspect this disease, look for fungicides labelled for its control, such as organic ones containing neem oil or potassium bicarbonate.

While sweet basil is susceptible to downy mildew, many other varieties are quite resistant.

Here are five basil varieties that everyone can grow and enjoy.

32

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) This is the standard basil people think of for Italian foods, pesto, and more. It has wide, bright green, cup shaped leaves, and a green stem. It’s also sometimes known as Italian basil or Genovese basil (though some consider Genovese a separate variety, with a stronger flavour). Sweet Basil loses much of its flavour once cooked, so it’s usually used fresh in recipes. Lettuce Leaf Basil (O. basilicum ‘Crispum’) is similar in flavour, but its large leaves make it ideal for use in salads.

Thai Basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) Many other basil varieties are cultivars of sweet basil, including Thai basil. However, it’s been cultivated for centuries to create a very different flavour palate, one that’s reminiscent of anise or liquorice. Thai basil, as its name suggests, is used more frequently in Asian dishes.

It withstands heat better than sweet basil, so may be added before cooking. It’s also served fresh with soups like Vietnamese pho or in salads.

Cinnamon Basil (O. basilicum ‘Cinnamon’) Another cultivar of sweet basil, cinnamon basil has notes of – you guessed it – cinnamon. It’s commonly used in Indian and Asian cuisine, and goes well with fruits like citrus. It also works well in teas and baked food.

Lime (O. americanum) or Lemon Basil (O. x africanum) Not all basil varieties come from sweet basil. Lime basil is a separate species, with a fresh citrus taste in addition to traditional basil flavour. Lemon Basil is a cultivar with similar citrus flavour. Some gardeners grow the two together and use them both.

Holy Basil (O. tenuiflorum syn. O. sanctum) Also known as tulasi or tulsi in its native India, holy basil has a wide array of uses around the world. In India itself, it’s most often used medicinally or in religious ceremonies or brewed as a tea. Thai cuisine uses holy basil in recipes, usually cooked rather than fresh. Holy basil is often described as having a peppery taste and aroma, and can be bitter when raw.

With all these types of basil, you may want to try several in a herb garden or even mixed in with flowers. If using basil for cooking, a couple plants should suffice for a couple or even for a family. If making pesto, you may want a dozen or so plants of sweet basil.

Country Gardener

Time to shrink your lawn?

By mowing only where you go, designing better paths and planting spreading shrubs you can make your lawn much less hard work If you have a lawn, have you ever considered shrinking it?

You can still have a lawn for recreation and beauty, perhaps just less of it. Less grass to mow means less time on, or behind, a mower; less fossil fuels consumed; less fertiliser and watering to keep lawns at their peak; and, with proper alternatives, a landscape more conducive to wildlife So what are the alternatives?

Consider only mowing where you go. This might be along drives, paths, or near patios and garden beds. Particularly if you have large lawn areas, mow regularly only in such areas. The rest of the area can still be mowed, just perhaps a couple times a year with a brush mower. By doing this you greatly reduce your mowing yet, with mown grass around high traffic areas, you still have some lawns. The impression to viewers is that the unmown areas are being managed, and not left unkempt.

If you have ‘fragments—small areas between walks and buildings for instance—consider if lawn is really needed there, or if a flowerbed or groundcover would be better. If you have groupings of shrubs or trees that you mow around, could they be combined into a large mulched bed instead? If you have slopes, particularly ones difficult to mow or to maintain with healthy grass, would perennial groundcovers (including spring-flowering bulbs), or spreading shrubs (such as junipers, Russian cypress, or cotoneaster) work there instead?

Although lawns are plants, and so provide some “ecosystem services” such as producing carbon dioxide and preventing soil erosion, there are other landscape plants and features that provide even more. Trees, chosen and placed properly, can provide shade in summer and wind protection in winter.

They provide enormous numbers of insects to feed birds and provide habitat for birds.

To capture water run-off in heavy rains and snow melting in spring, consider replacing some lawn near paved areas with either rain gardens or swales. A swale is simply a linear rain garden, such as along a road or a drive to a garage. These are areas that have plantings that tolerate such wet weather, and help water infiltrate the soil rather than run-off.

A popular trend in gardening is create ‘garden rooms’ outdoors—more intimate spaces separated by plantings such as borders or hedges, even by attractive solid fencing or planted trellises. These are especially useful for small landscapes. Consider transforming some lawn areas into such spaces. Think of small lawn areas as outdoor area rugs, rather than the wall-to-wall carpet of grass we so often see in landscapes. Use lawn as paths through the garden.

By using hedges around such garden rooms, four to ten feet high, you’ll be providing a nesting habitat for many songbirds. Plant fruiting shrubs, both for you and birds, such as blueberries, clove currants, or bush cherries. These have other seasonal interest, too, besides just the fruiting.

If you have children, consider creating a non-lawn garden space for them. You could use organic mulch under and around play areas, install a sandbox or similar, or just create some gardens to play in such as arches or tunnels with vines, or a ‘room’ with sunflower walls.

Some native perennial groundcovers spread others grow in clumps so can be planted in masses. With some, such as foamflower (Tiarella), they can spread or clump. Those which spread fairly rapidly include green-and-gold (Chrysogonum), barren strawberry (Waldsteinia), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum), and the little-known Meehan’s mint (Meehania). In the space of a few weeks and with thought and solid design ideas you can reduce your lawn by over fifty per-cent and improve your garden.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

ADVICE

Country Gardener

Practical advice every issue on a range of gardening issues, problems and solutions

ADV ICE

TIME TO GET YOUR POTS READY If you have a pile of pots sitting in your shed or greenhouse - why not give them new life in the garden by cleaning them out and preparing them for use for the new season? While it may be tempting to just refill each one with soil and start planting right away, it’s essential to give them all a thorough cleaning before using them again.

Over time, salt begins to build up on the inside of garden pots. As it builds up, it can start to damage plants, especially those that are transferred into the pots at the start of a new growing season. On top of that, if the plants that were originally in those pots had a disease, whatever you plant in them afterwards will likely be susceptible to the same disease, especially if you plan on growing the same plant again.

Cleaning ceramic and plastic pots is straightforward. Start by using a stiff brush to remove dirt and grime from the surface of the pot both inside and out. Once you’ve removed the bulk of the debris, fill a washing up bowl with warm water, mix in some washing up liquid and a cup of vinegar, and thoroughly scrub all the pots and saucers.

The next step is to disinfect the pots and saucers. Fill a container with a solution of water and about ten per cent bleach, and let the pots soak in it for ten to 20 minutes. The bleach will kill any of the organisms that are still clinging to the pot.

Then let them sit in the sun to dry.

Make sure your raised beds can drain properly Raised beds can be as complicated or as simple as the gardeners who cultivate them. Many just fill their beds with a simple potting or top soil and replenish them yearly with compost for nutrients. But gardens have been hit by a particularly intense wet season, so you will need a few additional nutrients.

It is important to determine what pH you want to achieve in your soil based on the plants you intend to grow. For azaleas, and hydrangeas, the typical range of 6.0 to 7.5 is too basic. To add acidity to the soil, you can work in some sphagnum peat or mix a little vinegar into your watering can for a few days (only a couple of tablespoons per gallon of water).

In wetter weather, valuable nutrients tend to move around a lot and wash away quickly. Raised beds are already useful in some gardens for this reason, since they prevent soil from seeping away or eroding.

Poorly drained raised beds can present a problem themselves. If you have noticed a spot in your garden that always seems to collect a puddle of water after a storm this is a sign that the ground is fully saturated with water and incapable of draining. When this happens, plants and their roots become more susceptible to mould.

Mulching is one way to combat these problems. Mulch of many kinds can help soil withstand erosion and retain its nutrients after constant rain.

To recap: compost, mulch, gravel, and sand are all great options for wet climates.

Regardless of which soil modifications you choose to make, you’ll want to be sure to fill your raised beds with plants that can handle all the water that’s coming their way.

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Country Gardener

Best garden beetroot

Making good use of that excess wood ash

At this time of year the chances are you’ll have plenty of wood ash around from either bonfires or open fires in the house. You may be able to put those ashes to good use out in the garden. On the other hand, it’s also important to keep in mind that not every garden benefits from wood ash added to it, and that adding it may even be detrimental to your soil.

Wood ash is an excellent fertiliser. It’s full of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and boron, and it doesn’t add any unnecessary nitrogen to the soil. It’s often used similary to lime since it raises the pH of your soil. You’ll need more wood ash than you would lime, of course, but if you already have some on hand, you may as well make the most of it. One excellent use of wood ash is around the roots of all your fruit trees.

Wood ash may be great for upping your soil’s pH, but there are still some plants out there that grow better when the ground has a lower pH. For that reason, you’ll want to be careful about which plants you choose to expose to it.

Plants like azaleas and blueberries, for instance, are much happier when your soil is more acidic.

Beetroot is easy to grow. Red-fleshed spherical cultivars are most popular but more gardeners are experimenting with yellow, white or even striped varieties.

To enjoy fresh beetroot fro longer, later season sowings can be left under a cloche. ‘Bulls Blood’ is an ornamental choice for potagers, ‘Detrioit Globe’ does well in pots and ‘Pablo’ is a good early all round variety.

Beetroot are one of the easiest vegetables to care for. Simply keep the area weeded and water if conditions become very dry. When water is needed, gives lots of it infrequently rather than watering a little and often.

The only other care needed is to thin out the seedlings to avoid overcrowding. This is best done in two goes with the first thinning occurring when the seedlings have grown to about half an inch. With beetroot seed each ‘seed pod’ is actually three or four seeds and therefore two or thee seedlings are quite likely to emerge from each pod.

If you want fully grown beetroot then harvest them when the root is slightly larger than a golf ball which will be some time around the fourth week of July. For the sweetest and most delicious beetroot though, harvest them a week or so before that when they are the size of a golf ball or slightly smaller.

INSTANT HEIGHT IN YOUR GARDEN Verbena bonariensis is a tall, elegant plant that is semi-hardy, self-seeding and perennial and provides a long flowering period. If there was a dating agency for plants it would have no trouble finding love!

This attractive, tall, upright perennial has become very popular amongst gardeners in recent years. It provides instant height in the garden, growing to a maximum two metres in a single growing season. It has a habit of dressing revealingly; very few lanceshaped leaves clasp to the upright stems.

From July to October, tiny purple-lilac flowers are produced in dense, pompon-like clusters on branched stalks above the almost naked stems.

Verbena bonariensis is not reliably hardy to a proper UK winter, withstanding temperatures down to about -5°C. You don’t have to worry too much about this though, as it is is a very fertile plant, self-seeding all around, dropping the hardier, tougher seed ready to overwinter and germinate the following spring; more than replacing the parent plant that may have perished in the winter frosts.

It prefers a site in full sun and ideally on a light, but moisture retentive soil. The bare stems give an airy effect and although tall, you can see through to other plants beyond, which means you do not necessarily have to reserve this tall plant for the back of the border. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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summer

A

OUTDOORS

Finally it’s here. After the long cold and wet winter at last we have long early summer days, warmth and sunshine to tempt us outdoors.

And there’s so much to look forward to in the weeks ahead - great places to visit garden events the chance to visit gardens open for charity and those special summer evenings of open air theatre, outdoor music events.

Here’s just a few selections for the weeks ahead:

Wuthering Heights performed at Hartland Abbey

June sees the beginning of an exciting outdoor theatre season on the lawns at Hartland Abbeystarting with Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights, performed by Hotbuckle on Sunday, 24th June. These performances from different travelling theatre companies are an opportunity to visit the house and gardens (on regular open days), during the day and to then settle into a picnic chair for an evening of entertainment.

Amy Lythgoe-Jones of @Hartland Point will be doing a traditional barbecue and there will be a Pimms and Wine Bar; or alternatively bring picnics. www.hartlandabbey.com and www.theploughartscentre.org.uk for booking.

Hartland Abbey, Hartland, Bideford EX39 6DT Tel: 01237 441496

Gravity fountain a big draw at Stanway House

The spectacular gravity fountain is the world’s highest, reaching 300ft and plays twice each day. The beautiful 16th century manor has been owned by the same family since it was built and is surrounded by extensive grounds to explore and fascinating history to discover. There is also a working water mill that produces flour from locally grown wheat. The tearoom produces epic cake and to cap it all, dogs are welcome. Stanway House is open in June, July and August, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2pm-5pm. Group tours can be arranged at other times.

For details visit the website www.stanwayfountain.co.uk 36

Cerne Abbas welcomes visitors to June Open Gardens For the 43rd time Cerne Abbas is welcoming visitors to its Open Gardens weekend on June 16th and 17th. The proceeds will go to the Cerne Valley Scout Group and the Dorset County Hospital Cancer Appeal. About 25 private gardens which are normally hidden from view will be open from 2pm to 6pm. A day ticket for entry to all the gardens is £7, accompanied children are free and tickets are available in the car park (open from 11am) or in village square from 1pm. All the gardens are within walking distance of free car park (DT2 7GD). Tea and cake served in the church from 1.30pm and there will be a plant stall in the village square.

See www.cerneopengardens.org.uk for more information.

BLAKEWELL’S OFFERS THE PERFECT FISH AND FISHING EXPERIENCE Blakewell’s waterside café is now open and serves homemade food and a fine selection of cakes, cream teas and coffee. When you visit make sure to try their own kiln-smoked trout.

From the farm they offer fresh rainbow trout grown in clear Exmoor spring water. You can walk around the grounds as well as feed the trout, watching them swimming and jumping in ponds, then order your fresh trout which will be caught and cleaned for you to take home for dinner.

They also offer the family fishing experience where you can catch your own trout to take home for tea from their family friendly pond.

The team at Blakewell also have over 25 year’s experience in the design, construction and maintenance of ponds, being experts on the subject so they can help choose the right equipment and solve fish and pond related problems.

Blakewell is just five minutes from Barnstaple and you can always be sure of a warm welcome.

Blakewell, Muddiford, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4ET Tel: 01271 344533 www.blakewell.co.uk

Nynehead Court has NGS open gardens date in July Nynehead Court, just outside of Wellington in Somerset, is taking part in the NGS Open Gardens scheme on Sunday,1st July, when visitors will see the grounds in full bloom. The grounds will be open 2pm-4.30pm and entrance is £6.50.

The Midsummer Music event on Saturday, 23rd June is in aid of ACEArts and Nynehead Church, and will feature a performance by acclaimed signer and bassist Miranda Sykes, as well as local musician Gibby Swain. Tickets are available from Nynehead Court.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to become part of the Nynehead Court community and to own a mews property. Contact the manager for more details.

Email: nyneheadcare@aol.com; www.nyneheadcourt.co.uk Nynehead Court, Nynehead, Wellington TA21 0BW Tel: 01823 662481 Country Gardener

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

Water Gardens & Cafe Muddiford, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4ET

• Waterside cafe open 10am-4pm • Cream teas & light lunches • Design, construction & maintenance of ponds & lakes • Water features • Habit restoration • Ornamental fish & Plants

Tel: 01271 344533 mail@blakewell.co.uk

A SPECIAL DAY OUT IN A SPECTACULAR CORNER OF NORTH DEVON Visit this historic family home with its fascinating architecture, collections and exhibitions. Beautiful 18thC Walled and Woodland gardens and wildflower walks to the beach at Blackpool Mill.

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

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

www.blakewell.co.uk

N AY NS PE I D O O FR O N RN O TE AF

Nynehead Court NGS OPEN GARDENS Sunday 1st July 2pm - 4.30pm

16th & 17th June, 2-6pm

MIDSUMMER MUSIC EVENT Saturday 23rd June

HOUSE & GARDENS: adult £8, child £3 (last guided tour 4pm) GARDENS: adult £4, child £1,

season ticket £12pp Member of Historic Houses Association

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk

Nynehead Court, Nynehead, Wellington TA21 0BW Tel: 01823 662481 Email: nyneheadcare@aol.com

www.nyneheadcourt.co.uk Visit our Facebook page for details of forthcoming events.

To be opened by Alan Titchmarsh

Open Gardens More than 25 Private Gardens Open

Entrance £6.50

HOUSE, GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm until 28th September Also late May & August Bank Holiday weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday

43rd Cerne Abbas Day ticket to all gardens Adults £7.00 Ticket for 2 days £10.00 Accompanied children free Teas in St Mary’s Church from 1.30pm Plant Stall Free Car Park (DT2 7GD) from 11am Equal proceeds to: Cerne Valley Scout Group & Dorset County Hospital Cancer Appeal

www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk

The fourth English Country Garden Festival will be bigger and better than ever.

Experience the award-winning gardens filled with talks, stalls, hands-on demonstrations, refreshments, live entertainment, top gardening personalities (including Jo Thompson, Helen Yemm and Mike Dilger)and inspirational ideas on how to use and enjoy your garden.

����� ������ext. ��� www.bishopspalace.org.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

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SUMMER OUTDO ORS

Award winning design team at Howle Hill

Enjoy the tranquil gardens at Friars Court

From design and building to planting and maintenance, the team at Howle Hill Nursery have the skills to help at every stage of creating a beautiful garden.

Clever design, skilled construction and wonderful plants at the nursery in Ross-on-Wye, mean they have everything needed to make your dream garden a reality.

The team has experience ranging from award-winning designs at top shows to creating memorable private gardens and estate management.

The nursery, with its wide range of beautiful plants and specimen trees, is open to professional landscapers and the public from Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and is well worth a visit!

Waters Edge, Howle Hill, Ross-on-Wye. 01989 567726

Friars Court at Clanfield in Oxfordshire sits enclosed within the remaining arms of a 16th century moat with three acres of tranquil gardens. Ponds of water lilies and a 50-foot living willow tunnel lie to the front of the imposing 17th century farmhouse whilst behind are informal areas with a variety of borders and specimen trees.

The gardens are open every Tuesday and Thursday in June, July and August from 2pm to 6pm, admission £3 adults, under 14’s free. Homemade cakes and cream teas are served in the Garden Room whilst a museum detailing the history of Friars Court is in the Coach House.

Private garden tours available on request. www.friarscourt.com

Elkstone- a special Cotswold village Elkstone Open Gardens, organised by villagers, raises funds for upkeep of the church and village hall. On Sunday, 17th June from 2pm to 6pm you can explore this special Cotswold village. The Norman church, the highest in the Cotswolds, is renowned for its arches, decorative features and peal of bells. You can amble through a selection of beautiful gardens, delayed but not beaten by the Beast of the East, enjoy cream teas, homemade cakes or ice creams, see the village portrayed by local artists, play garden games, and enjoy sensational views on a tractor ride.

More details on www.elkstonevillage.co.uk

WATER LILIES TO ENJOY AT CADHAY MANOR All gardeners know that everything is running a few weeks late this year but everything tends to catch up in June. Cadhay Manor has planted a lot more water lilies over the winter and these should make an appearance in the medieval fishponds.

The allotment holders have been beavering away and their efforts will be very evident in their plots.

The gardeners were busy in the greenhouse earlier in the year which should ensure that the gardens are fantastic in June.

Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm until 28th September. Also late May and August Bank Holiday weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday.

Cadhay, Ottery St. Mary, Devon EX11 1QT Tel: 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk

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Great summer days out at Rare Plant Fairs There is a packed programme of Rare Plant Fairs during June and early July. All the fairs are held in interesting and unique gardens, with their own individual style, making a great summer day out for gardeners.

There is a quality selection of specialist nurseries attending each of the fairs, all experts in the plants that they grow. The full programme is: HIGH GLANAU MANOR, near Monmouth, Sunday, June 3rd, 11am to 4pm. These beautiful Arts and Crafts gardens have been lovingly restored by the present owners and offer spectacular views over the Vale of Usk. HANHAM COURT GARDENS, near Bristol, Sunday, June 10th, 11amto 4pm. A romantic and scented garden with formal gardens featuring borders of old roses, tree peonies, and lilies; woodland garden includes a stream, pools, tree ferns, and magnolias and wildflower meadows.

WATERPERRY GARDENS, near Oxford, Sunday, June 17th, 10am-4pm. The former teaching gardens at Waterperry have been transformed into stunning ornamental gardens.

RODMARTON MANOR, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Sunday, June 24th, 11am-4pm. This is a new fair set in magnificent Arts and Crafts gardens surrounding the Manor House, and includes formal and topiary gardens, classic herbaceous borders and a woodland garden.

THE WALLED GARDENS OF CANNINGTON, near Bridgwater, Sunday, July 1st, 10am-4pm.

Visit www.rareplantfair.co.uk for details of the events, including admission charges and a list of the exhibitors attending.

Country Gardener

Stanway House & Fountain Enjoy magical summer walks... amongst the beautiful wildflowers. Browse our fantastic range of plants, gardening supplies and gifts and soak up the sun from the deck of the Garden Terrace Café. A perfect day out for all the family – dog friendly too!

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

@BatsfordA

COTSWOLD GARDENS AT ELKSTONE

The world’s tallest gravity fed fountain

Jacobean Manor House, home of the Earl of Wemyss, together with spectacular fountain open all year by appointment for group visits.

Contact 07850 585539 for details. www.stanwayfountain.co.uk Stanway, Cheltenham, Gloucs, GL54 5BT NEWNHAM - on - SEVERN

OPEN GARDENS

Sunday 17th June 2018 2 - 6pm Visit beautiful private gardens, the Norman church and wild flower meadow, allotments, art exhibition.

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

Adults £5.00, Children free

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

Sat 23rd & Sun 24th June 11am - 5pm Entry to 19 beautiful gardens for only £6, under 14s free.

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

Refreshments & Children’s Trail.

www.elkstonevillage.co.uk

Find us on the A48, south of Gloucester

‘This village has such a lovely atmosphere and community spirit.’

          



Hidden beauty in rural Oxfordshire

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

Cream teas ~ Museum ~ Gift shop

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

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

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June Fairs 3rd June High Glanau Manor, Nr. Monmouth NP25 4AD 10th June Hanham Court Gardens, Nr. Bristol BS15 3NT 17th June Waterperry Gardens, Nr. Oxford OX33 1JZ 24th June Rodmarton Manor, Nr. Tetbury, Glos.

GL7 6PF

July Fair 1st July The Walled Gardens of Cannington, Nr. Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 2HA

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

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Country Gardener

SUMMER OUTDO ORS

Garden festival highlight of busy summer for Bishop’s Palace

ECKINGTON FLOWER FESTIVAL AND OPEN GARDENS

The 14 acre grounds of the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells, hosts a mid summer garden festival from Friday, 22nd June to Sunday, 24th June. The festival opens from 10am to 5pm.

The festival is now in its fourth year and visitors can experience the award winning gardens, which recently featured on BBC ‘Gardener’s World’, with talks, stalls, tours, hands-on demonstrations, refreshments, entertainment, top gardening personalities and new ideas.

The palace also continues its season of family activities this Whitsun Half Term with a week of fun from Saturday, 26th May to Sunday 3rd June.

The focus will be ‘A Bishop’s Life’ and a new family picture trail created around the grounds with clues for all ages to follow.

On Friday, 1st June, Nature Ninjas family gardening sessions will take place from 11am to 3pm, with the opportunity to get hands on with the gardening team and discover what jobs need doing.

All events are included with standard admission. Children under five enter free.

Wells Bishop’s Palace & Gardens, The Bishops Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD. Tel: 01749 988111

For all those who love beautiful gardens a visit to Eckington, near Pershore, in Worcestershire shouldn’t be missed on Saturday, 16th June and Sunday, 17th June. Eckington boasts around five gardens in the NGS scheme which are outstanding in their design and location. There are another 30 or more gardens open of varying size and designs. Each year, the local church, Holy Trinity, displays a beautiful flower festival reflecting a chosen theme where villagers compete to produce outstanding floral displays. Gardens are marked if they are wheel-chair friendly.

The festival is open from 10am to 5pm on both days.

Prices: £6 for the weekend. Children of school age free.

Programmes can be purchased from the church or free car parks.

Tel: 07967 503288 or visit www.eckington.info Eckington, near Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3AN

Colour and romance at Cerney House gardens Cerney House gardens is a romantic English garden for all seasons. There is a beautiful secluded Victorian walled garden which features herbaceous borders overflowing with colour. The informal planting in combination with our beautiful setting gives a unique and charming atmosphere. The summer months begin with the alliums and the then the romantic roses come to life and fill the garden with their wonderful fragrance. The kitchen garden starts producing our wonderful vegetables grown from heritage seeds. Enjoy the woodland walk and new this year is the extended nature trail and development of the medicinal herb garden.

Open: Daily from January to October. 10 am to 7pm (during summer months). Adults £5, children £1 ,groups welcome by arrangement. Tea, coffee and home-made cakes. Dogs welcome. Tel: 01285 831300 Email: janet@cerneygardens.com; www.cerneygardens.com Cerney House Gardens, North Cerney Cirencester GL7 7BX

SUMMER AT BEAUTIFUL BATSFORD ARBORETUM Batsford is the perfect place to escape the crowds and soak up the natural beauty of the surrounding Cotswold countryside. Relax and unwind in the sunshine on the lawns; follow the meandering waterways or simply escape the heat in the cooling glades beneath the tree canopy.

Forthcoming events at the arboretum include: PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS - a variety of workshops for all ages and abilities throughout the summer.

‘WORDS FROM THE WILD WOODS’, 1st June - join storyteller Michael Loader for traditional tales and spontaneous stories!

FATHER’S DAY, 17th June - free Arboretum entry for all Dad’s on their special day when accompanied by a paying child (of any age). www.batsarb.co.uk

Orchid Tunnel delight at Blenheim Palace Flower Festival

Floral delights return for the three days Blenheim Palace Flower Show, from Friday, 22nd June to Sunday, 24th June. This show will be opened by horticultural expert and plantswoman, Carol Klein. Visitors will be able to discover over 300 exhibitors located around a Grand Floral Pavilion, which is situated on the South Lawn of the Oxfordshire World Heritage Site. The pavilion itself will feature more than 30 floral displays and a large selection of flowers and plants from the UK’s finest plantsmen.

A highlight will be the new ‘Orchid Tunnel’ which leads into the pavilion. Visitors will be able to walk through the tunnel and see over 1,000 orchids from all over the world.

Park and gardens ticket required: Adult £15.30; concession £11.50; Children £7.10, blenheimflowershow.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

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SUMMER OUTDO ORS

Weekend of garden delights at Beckford village The residents of the Cotwolds village of Beckford village invite you to enjoy a traditional village event on Saturday, 2nd and Sunday, 3rd June and raise funds for the upkeep of their historic church. During the afternoons village gardens will be open to visit and enjoy. In addition the extraordinarily beautiful 12th century Church will be decorated with flowers and the churchyard will be on display in all its glory. There will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy refreshments; choose from afternoon teas, home made cakes, barbecue and a champagne bar. Other attractions include a superb plant sale, classic cars, vintage radio collection, model church, historic photo exhibition and much more.

Beckford, near Tewkesbury, Worcestershire.

BUSCOT PARK HOSTS SPECTACULAR FURNITURE AND ART EXHIBITION The Oxfordshire Georgian mansion at Buscot Park contains an extraordinary collection of furniture and art which includes paintings by Rembrandt, Reynolds, Rubens, Murillo and its Saloon was decorated with The Legend of the Briar Rose by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

There are also gardens to explore, a ‘Four Seasons Garden’ set within old walls and the Pleasure Gardens beyond with five tree-lined avenues leading to a citrus garden, a ‘Swing Garden’, the tallest sundial in England, a lake, and the Water Garden cascades designed by Harold Peto in 1903. Open until Sunday 30th September. www.buscotpark.com Buscot Park, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8BU.

OPEN GARDENS IN NEWNHAMON-SEVERN, FOREST OF DEAN Over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, 23rd and 24th June Newnham-on-Severn is hosting its Open Gardens weekend with nineteen gardens, most of them hidden from the road. Newnham is a pretty west Gloucestershire village with its main street lined with Georgian and older houses, built when it was a thriving port and trading centre for coal, bark and timber from the Forest of Dean.

Some of the gardens are on the river bank or with river views, others are small courtyard or family gardens, and there is a children’s trail. Open: 11am-5pm. Free parking, and refreshments available. Day tickets £6, free for under-14s.

Beckford Open Village 2018

BUSCOT PARK &

THE FARINGDON COLLECTION

SATURDAY 2ND & SUNDAY 3RD JUNE 1pm - 6pm

One of Oxfordshire ’s best kept secrets

The Beckford Jubilee Stone, erected for Queen Victoria’s Silver Jubilee in 1887

Fourteen gardens to explore Flower displays in 12th century Church Tennis and croquet events Classic cars and Vintage radio collection Historic photograph exhibition Tombola Plant sales Children’s quiz trail Visits to tower ringing chamber CHAMPAGNE BAR, BARBECUE, AFTERNOON TEA & HOMEMADE CAKES - available in the Village Hall and selected gardens

Entry to gardens and all attractions £5 per adult, FREE under 16. FREE parking

All funds raised in aid of the Village Church, Beckford Group Parish. Registered Charity No. I 13 1648

Cerney House Gardens A Romantic English Garden in the UK Cotswolds 46 acres of Cotswold parkland Romantic secret garden * Wildlife and woodland walks * Plants for sale * A wide variety of romantic roses * Refreshments available at the old Bothy Open every day until 31st October 10-5pm Admission: £5 adults, £1 children

Open 30 March - 30 September Contact: Info line 01367 240932 or website ww w.buscotpark.com for opening times.

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Country Gardener

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

Old Roses -

THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF THEIR LINEAGE Kilver Court head gardener Matt Rees Warren delves into the origins of old English roses, explains why we should cherish them and shares his personal favourites

Many plants we know today aren’t just old, they are prehistoric.

Like the cycads of the tropics or the Chinese ginkgos we see in our parks and gardens. But when we talk of ‘old roses’ what we really mean is the time that human hands first began to craft and cultivate roses, thereby beginning a relationship of people and plants that has carried through to this day.

The story begins at its end. 1867 - the year now regarded as the watermark at the end of the ‘old roses’ era. It’s here that the first hybrid tea rose, ‘La France’ appeared, and laid the foundation for all the modern roses we see today.

What was left to history was a collection of different rose classes which divided, somewhat, into two groups. In a simplified version we could say the first group comes from endemic wild European shrubs – Gallicas - and the second group came from endemic wild Chinese shrubs – Chinas.

But, as with much ancient history, and especially botanical history, nothing is certain!

Breeding is like a family tree and these original

classes are the kings and queens of their lineage.

Everything after that becomes a series of natural or purposeful hybridisations of roses, with the European Gallicas spawning the Damasks, Albas, Centifolias and Mosses.

Then, with the introduction of the Chinas; the Bourbons, Portlands, Noisettes, Teas and Hybrid perpetuals were born.

The Gallicas, therefore, are a rose of great antiquity and were grown and admired as far back as the Persians and the Romans. Rosewater and rose petals were synonymous with celebration and decadence and the Gallica was seen as a symbol of love and commitment.

In the early 19th century Empress Josephine collected many Gallicas for her famous rose garden at Malmaison. It is said her husband, Napoleon, ordered his warship commanders to search all seized vessels for any new roses and to send them back to Malmaison. Today we still see varieties like ‘Charles de Mills’ and Rosa gallica var. officinalis (or the far superior name ‘The apothecary’s rose’).

Both optimise the ‘old rose’ characteristics www.countrygardener.co.uk

43

‘Rosa banksia’ Lutea ‘Ispahan’ ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ ‘Souvenir de docteur jamain’

”Whatever you come to choose it’s always about taking the time to walk out in the garden on a hot June morning and admire the unequalled sweet perfume, deep rich colours and silken blooms these old masters possess”. in that they flower only once in high summer, bloom profusely, have a strong fragrance and colour of such rich, velveteen, depth they look like they were painted by the great masters of the Renaissance.

The Chinas are not so commonly seen today other than the delicately beautiful ‘Mutabilis’ with its single flowers of a honeyed magenta pink. But its sub class - the Bourbons, have some of the greatest roses of them all. Due, in no small part, to their wild popularity in the 19th century, when French breeders were falling over themselves to create a more perfect rose and the public were seduced by every new creation.

‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ stands out as one 44

Country Gardener

of the very best from this time. Its peerless double blooms and light pink hue give it a regal sophistication that almost all modern rosarians aspire to replicate.

My own introduction to the ‘old roses’ came in the form of the Moss ‘William Lobb’ (named after the Cornish plant collector responsible for introducing the Monkey puzzle tree and Wellingtonia tree to these shores). Its twilight purple flowers were are so deep and full of character that the modern hybrid teas and floribundas, in their lurid shades of day glow orange and lemon yellow, seemed a far inferior match. The Damasks that Shakespeare wrote so mellifluously about are also a favourite with ‘Quatre saisons’ and ‘Ispahan’ the easiest to come across.

‘Old roses’ are often seen in some way deficient due to their single flowering characteristics, but not only is this not strictly true (the Chinese group are more inclined to repeat) but also surely not a challenge beyond the guile and influence of us gardeners.

If you are planting them into borders then surrounding them with plants that precede and follow their flowering would be an obvious consideration. With the ‘William Lobb’ you

could have the similarly silken peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ and the gorgeous tulip ‘Ballerina’ – which will not only take up the interest but also introduce the impressionist palette of colours.

This could then be followed by the cream rich dahlia ‘Cafe au lait’ and superb salvia ‘Amistad’.

We do however, all know the English predilection for the formal rose bed, and I understand the need for more than a month’s flowering in that situation. If you look again from the Chinese group you are likely to find many candidates with an inclination to repeat through the season. A Portland rose like ‘Comte de chambord’ with its elegant pink blooms and heady sweet scent will give a late summer repeat show and be more than a match for the modern favourite ‘Gertrude Jekyll’.

If, like me, it’s on walls and over arches that your rose addiction truly takes hold then remember climbing roses are not true climbers and many of the old shrubs exhibit a similar willingness to reach to the sky. ‘Souvenir de docteur jamain’ a beautiful port red Hybrid perpetual, will repeat flower, reach eight feet and doesn’t mind light shade - a truly masterful rose.

If you wanted more growth than that, say for climbing up and over buildings, then we could stop to consider the species roses. Really these are the grandfathers to the ‘old roses’, born in the wild and unhindered by the human hand.

Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ a spectacular butter cup yellow, early season Chinese native, would be an able replacement to its rambling cousins.

We are not, in the end, rosarians, we are gardeners, so this brings us to why we need ‘old roses’ today and why we would consider buying them above others. Enter David Austin. Since the early 1980s David Austin has brought together the old and the new to produce spectacular roses that we all love but unfortunately his prices have become spectacular too. Many ‘old roses’ cost as little as £12-£16 and when you’re paying £24 a plant for a David Austin, it’s time to consider your options.

Whatever you come to choose it’s always about taking the time to walk out in the garden on a hot June morning and admire the unequalled sweet perfume, deep rich colours and silken blooms these old masters possess. And if that leaves you with some money still in your pocket then all the better!

Matt Rees-Waren has been head gardener at Kilver Court in Somerset for the past two and a half years. He studied and worked at botanical gardens in Australia, then worked as gardener and garden designer at large estates and rectories in and around the Bath area. @matt_reeswarren

‘Rosier ancien La France’

‘Ballerina’ tulip rose

Peony rose ‘Sarah Bernhardt’

‘Comte de chambord’

www.countrygardener.co.uk

45

CLASSIF IED Accommodation

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

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

Gloucestershire, Cosy annexe for two

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

Tel: 01452 840531 2 berth luxury caravan situated on 5 star Ladram Bay holiday park on jurassic coast in East Devon. Ideal for walkers.

Contact Julie on 07492 006900 for further details.

Glorious North Devon. Only 9 cosy caravans on peaceful farm. Wonderful walks in woods & meadows. Easy reach sea, moors & lovely days out. £125395pw. Discount couples. Nice pets welcome. 01769 540366 www.snapdown.co.uk Bosworlas near Sennen/St Just, Cornwall. Cosy Cottage, rural views, Sleeps 2-4 01736 788709 www.bosworlas.co.uk Cornwall, near St Just. Chalet, sleeps 4, heated indoor pool, open all year – near gardens/coast, golfing nearby. Prices from £260 pw. 01736 788718 46

Carmarthen Bay South Wales Seafront chalet situated on estuary.

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

Accommodation Holiday Cottages

Peace, Privacy, and Stunning Views!

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

Shirenewton village and pubs closeby.

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

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

Lanlivery near Eden and other Cornish Gardens lovely woodland lodge Devon. Tamar Valley. Pretty cottage 2/4 people 01726 430489 sleeps 2-4. Wood burner, garden, small www.poppylodgecornwall.co.uk dog welcome. 02073 736944/07940 363233 www.northwardshippon.co.uk Cornwall. Village location between Truro and Falmouth. Fully equipped renovated cottage. Peaceful garden.

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

Good pub and shop. Easy reach of Heligan and Eden. 01279 876751 ayrepj@aol.com Self Catering Thatched Padstow house. 4 + baby, gardens, parking, Wi-Fi, Camel trail (bike storage), Country Cottage beaches holidaysat55@gmail.com Sleeps 5. Close to New Forest. Linen 07887 813495 provided. Warm welcome awaits all.

Tel: Mrs Crane - 01794 340460

Sidmouth Devon Holiday bungalow in AONB overlooking Donkey Sanctuary. Sleeps 4. April – October. Ideal for walkers, nature lovers and children. jandtmercer@gmail.com www.sandwaysholidaycottage.co.uk 07842 514296 Country Gardener

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

Available year round. Dogs Welcome.

Open Fires.

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

CLASSIF IED Wye Valley/Forest of Dean. Fully equipped 4-star single storey cottage.

Two bedrooms both en-suite. Central heating/bedlinen provided. Rural retreat with shops/pubs one mile. Short breaks available. Warm welcome. Tel: 01594833259 www.cowshedcottage.co.uk Self-catering cottages in countryside near Lyme Regis. Japanese food available. www.hellbarn.co.uk 01297 489589

Three Cotswold Barn Conversions

Flyscreens

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

Tel: 01789 740360 www.romanacres.com

flyscreens4u@sky.com

Garden Furniture UKs leading supplier of Teak Furniture for the Garden

Bed & Breakfast

4 Star Gold Award B&B in Stoulton, Worcestershire. Luxury accommodation in beautiful surroundings. Perfectly www.ascott-barns.co.uk or Karen on 01608 684240 situated to visit Worcester, The Malvern’s, Pershore, Cheltenham and Cotswolds.

01905 841129 www.sunbrae.co.uk. Also Accommodation with Tel: 01256 809 640 sales @chicteak.co.uk available 32ft caravan sleeps 4.

Beautiful Gardens www.chic-teak.co.uk North Devon near Clovelly. 3 delightful Somerset 5* Restaurant with rooms.

Garden Plant Supports Close to many NT Gardens, Houses cottages situated in 12 acres of idyllic and Dorset Coast. Sculpture by the countryside. Sleeps 2-4. 1 Wheelchair friendly. Prices from £190 p.w. Brochure: lakes in Dorset. Pet Friendly www.

THE GARDENER’S 01237 431324 www.foxwoodlodge.co.uk littlebarwickhouse.co.uk 01935 423902 BLACKSMITH Charming B&B in garden cottage jonne@jonne.co.uk annex. Double with en-suite. Village 07770 720 373 location near Jurassic Coast, Bridport.

Artist blacksmith with a forge in Axminster Tel: 01308 488177 designing and manufacturing garden plant Country House B&B Ideal location supports, structures and furniture. for Malvern Autumn Garden Show Commissions welcomed. and surrounding gardens. Visit www.thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk www.littlebridge-house.co.uk or Tel: 01885 482471 for details.

Garden Services Home Farm B&B in beautiful Cotswold Penrice Castle Gower Wisteria Pruning, Improvement, Oxfordshire, village nr Chipping Campden. Close 16 holiday cottages on an 18th Hidcote and Kiftsgate. Tel: 01386 593309 surrounding area. Richard Barrett 01865 century Estate on the Gower 452334 wisteriapruning@tiscali.co.uk www.homefarminthecotswolds.co.uk Peninsula with beautiful Grade I Cards & Prints listed historic park and gardens.

Tel: 01792 391212 A range of over 200 www.penricecastle.co.uk greetings cards and prints Sleeps 4-10 people. Visit England Four Stars In between Upton House, Hidcote and Chastleton

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Tel. 01297 553100 info@millhousefineart.com

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Yenstone Walling Dry Stone Walling and Landscaping Patrick Houchen - DSWA member.

Tel: 01963 371123 www.yenstonewalling.co.uk 47

CLASSIF IED Gardens to Visit

Specialist Garden Products

Burrow Farm Gardens

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

www.burrowfarmgardens.co.uk

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

Dalwood, Axminster, EX13 7ET

Garden Tools/Sundries RECOMMENDED GARDENING TOOLS AND SUNDRIES

Water Lilies

Growers of many plants suitable for coastal areas including hedging plants

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

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

All propagated and grown in Devon

DIRECTLY FROM A

Established suppliers to landscape designers

PROFESSIONAL GARDENER

Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth DT3 4AF

www.coastalhedging.co.uk www.seasideplants.co.uk

Thornhayes nursery

www.arthurandstrange.co.uk See me at Buckfast Abbey on 2nd June

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

Home Services

Courses, expert advice, arboretum, display fruit garden.

WINDOW BLINDS - ALL TYPES AWNINGS GIANT UMBRELLAS 07771 530401 sales@magshading.co.uk www.magshading.co.uk

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

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

Speciality hardy marginals and moisture loving bogside.

Polytunnels FREE BROCHURE

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

Consultation/Design & Landscape Service Tel: 01935 891668

www.dorsetwaterlily.co.uk

Polytunnels from £399 available to view by appointment 01363 84948 info@ferrymanpolytunnels.co.uk

www.ferrymanpolytunnels.co.uk

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

www.growersorganics.com Tel: 01752 881180 Country Gardener

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

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

CLASSIF IED Storage

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

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

For further details call Nick on 01392 681690

Wanted/For Sale Wanted Old Radio Valves And Audio Valves. Tel: 07557 792091

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

ATTENTION ALL GARDENERS!

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ALL £1.50 PER BAG PLUS DELIVERY

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

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TIME Off

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

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

MAY 19th FRESHFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PLANT SALE STREET CHRYSANTHEMUM DAHLIA & VEGETABLE ANNUAL PLANT SALE PLANT SALE www.streetcdvs.org.uk 21st BURNHAM ON SEA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘FRAGRANCE IN THE GARDEN’ – DON EVERITT 22nd ISLE OF WEDMORE GARDENING CLUB ‘WILDLIFE & ART IN THE GARDEN’ – ROBERT PARKIN Details on 01934 712161 EAST MENDIP GARDENING CLUB ‘MIXED BORDERS’ – CHRISTINE BRAIN Details on 01749 840200 CHILCOMPTON GARDEN CLUB BEN GAIT CHIROPRACTOR 24th AVON ORGANIC GROUP ‘SEED SAVING MADE SIMPLE’ – ADAM ALEXANDER secretaryaog@gmail.com TAUNTON FLORAL ART CLUB ‘SECOND HAND ROSE’ – CAROL NORMAN Details on 01823 327844

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26th CREWKERNE GARDENING CLUB PLANT SALE Details on 01935 509676 BARRINGTON & DISTRICT GARDENING SOCIETY PLANT SALE Details on 01460 55950 FROME SELWOOD HORTICULTURE SOCIETY PLANT SALE Details on 01373 462162 26th/27th BUCKLAND NEWTON OPEN GARDENS & CHURCH FLOWER FESTIVAL www.bucklandnewton.com 26th – 28th CRICKET MALHERBIE, NR ILMINSTER FLOWER FESTIVAL St Mary Magdalene Church 10am–5pm Cream teas/open garden at The Old Rectory 2.30pm – 5pm 27th BRENT KNOLL SPRING OPEN GARDENS Details on 01278 760803 29th ENMORE & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB ‘HEDGEROW MEDICINE & KITCHEN REMEDIES’ – HELEN KEARNEY Details on 01278 671980

MERRIOTT GARDENING CLUB ‘ROSES’ – THE GARDENS GROUP GOLD CLUB Details on 01460 72298 30th HESTERCOMBE GARDENS, TAUNTON CHARCOAL BURNING DAY10am - 5pm Details on 01823 413923

JUNE 2nd/3rd BALTONSBOROUGH FLOWER FESTIVAL & OPEN GARDENS Details on 01458 850754 COURT HOUSE, COURT LABE, BARWICK, BA22 9UA OPEN GARDEN IN AID OF ST MARGARET’S HOSPICE 6th CLEEVE PRIOR GARDEN CLUB ‘A GARDEN FROM SCRATCH’ – ADRIAN JAMES Details on 01789 772550 WEST PENNARD GARDEN CLUB ‘BOUGAINVILLEA – THE BRITISH WAY’ – CHARLIE CLARKE Details on 01458 850734 YEO VALLEY ORGANIC GARDENS GARDEN MASTER CLASS – ‘PLANTING DESIGN AT THE HUMAN SCALE WITH DR NIGEL DUNNETT’ www.gardenmasterclass.org 7th TATWORTH FLOWER CLUB ‘A TRIP TO TOWN’ – AMY SHAKESHAFT

Country Gardener

10th THE CHARLTONS, NR SOMERTON OPEN GARDENS Details on 01458 223227 12 BRIDGWATER FLOWER CLUB ‘AROUND THE WORLD IN TWO HOURS’ – SUE NEALE FROME SELWOOD HORTICULTURE SOCIETY ‘PEONIES AND IRISES’ – SUE APPLEGATE Details on 01373 462162 PORTISHEAD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘TALES FROM THE POTTING SHED’ – KATHERINE KEAR Details on 01275 817350 th

13th NAILSEA & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY EXHIBITING FLORAL ART – DIANE OLIVER Details on 01275 855342 KILMERSDON GARDENERS ‘HOW TO PROPAGATE YOUR PLANTS FOR NEXT YEAR’ - SALLY GREGSON Details on 01761 233325 14 EAST COKER GARDENING CLUB BIRDS OF PREY DISPLAY Details on 01935 862447 EAST HUNTSPILL GARDEN CLUB MEETING Details on 01278 789678 WEST BAGBOROUGH CLUB ‘INDIAN GARDENS’ – CHRISTINE STONES Details on 01823 430579 th

15th CARHAMPTON GARDENING CLUB ‘TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BEING A SURGEON’ - DR. GAVIN HAIG Details on 01643 821085

16th BREWERY HOUSE, SOUTHSTOKE NGS OPEN GARDEN 18th BURNHAM ON SEA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ‘SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW GLADIOLUS’ – GILL HAZELL 19th BARRINGTON & DISTRICT GARDENING SOCIETY ‘ORGANIC VEGETABLE GROWING’ – BRIAN HESKETH Details on 01460 55950 HOLFORD GARDENERS GROUP ‘I ONLY COUNT THE SUNNY HOURS – A LOOK AT SUNDIALS OVER THE YEARS’ – CYRIL ROUTLEY Details on 01278 741130 20th MENDIP GARDENING CLUB ‘A HEDGEHOG IN THE GARDEN’ – JUNE FITZGIBBON Details on 01761 750139 21st DULVERTON GARDENING CLUB ‘HOW TO SHOW VEGETABLES’ – IAN LAWRENCE Details on 01398 323462 23rd HARDY PLANT SOCIETY, SOMERSET GROUP ‘MY LIFE WITH PLANTS’ – ROY LANCASTER 25TH ANNIVERSARY LECTURE 3pm. West Monkton Village Hall

by Carol J Smith

Gardens of quality

Visit our new cacti and succulent house.

We also have a new range of restio and protea as well as great ranges of bamboos, tree ferns, ferns, cannas, gingers, bannas and shrubs, perennials, trees.

Open every day 10am-5pm Lower Henlade, Taunton, TA3 5NB (5 mins from J25, follow A358 to Yeovil, then signs to the Mt Somerset Hotel)

Tel: 01823 443701 www.deserttojungle.com

• • • • • • •

Garden Consultation Full Design Service Hard & Soft Landscaping Plant Supply Specialist Pruning Award-winning Show Gardens Talks, Workshops & Tuition 01905 427120 M 0774 7788543 c.smithgardens@gmail.com W www.csgardendesigns.co.uk T

E

26th CHILCOMPTON GARDEN CLUB PED ASGARIAN FROM CHEW MAGNA COMMUNITY FARM ENMORE & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB ‘CARPETS, RUGS & DOORMATS’ – JENNY SHORT Details on 01278 671980 MERRIOTT GARDENING CLUB ‘THE EDWARDIAN GARDEN’ – CHRISTINE STONE Details on 01460 72298 SALTFORD FLORAL CLUB, NR BATH FLORAL DEMONSTRATION WITH NATIONAL DEMONSTRATOR KATHERINE KEAR Details on 0117 9771 813 28th TAUNTON FLORAL ART CLUB ‘JUST FOR YOU’ – JO JACOBS Details on 01823 327844 30th CONGRESBURY GARDENING CLUB SUMMER SHOW & FETE Details on 01934 833662 TINTINHULL, BA22 8PY VILLAGE OPEN GARDENS Details on 01935 824868 30th/1st July THE MOOR GARDEN CLUB OPEN GARDENS 2pm – 6pm

23rd/24th WEDMORE HIDDEN GARDENS 10.30am – 5pm Details www.theisleofwedmore.net

CS GARDEN DESIGNS

Hardy Exotic Plant Centre

24th NUNNEY, FROME OPEN GARDENS DAY 11am – 5pm Details on 01373 836105

NORTON GREEN GARDEN CENTRE WE ARE READY FOR SUMMER 2018 WITH OUR USUAL WIDE RANGE OF PLANTS & GARDEN SUNDRIES Superb choice of Compost, Manures, Pots etc.

HTA National Garden Gift Vouchers Sold & Redeemed EASY ACCESS, FREE & AMPLE PARKING

Friendly Ser vice, Advice & Assistance

Norton Green Farm Nursery, Wells Road, Chilcompton, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 4RR Tel: 01761 232137 Email: nortongreenfarm@tiscali.co.uk Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-4.30pm (inc. Bank Holiday) Sun 10.30am-4.30pm

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51

Stockists of Country Gardener Somerset Country Gardener is available free of charge throughout the area at the outlets listed below. For amendments to details or deliveries call Pat Eade on 01594 543790 email pateade8@gmail.com Axbridge Mawr Agri Banwell Banwell Garden Centre Bath Gardenalia Prior Park NT Landscape Gdn Prior Park Garden Centre Berrow Westcroft Nurseries Bitton Fonthill Garden Centre Brent Knoll Sanders Garden World Bridgwater Bridgwater College, Cannington Bridgwater Mowers Gwillam Kellands Prompt Cabins Walled Garden, Cannington Wynnstay Agricentre Bristol Brackenwood Garden Centre Chief Trading Post Ltd Cleeve Nursery & Garden Centre Kemps Plants Lockyer Fuchsias Pucklechurch Village Store & PO Riverside Garden Centre University of Bristol-Botanic Garden Burnham on Sea Visitor Information Centre Castle Cary Dave Marsh Hardware Heather’s Florist Chard Chard Garden Centre Forde Abbey Plant Centre Tourist Information Centre Charlton Adam Charlton Adam Post Office Cheddar Cheddar Garden Centre Chew Magna Chew Valley Trees Chilcompton Norton Green Garden Centre

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52

Country Gardener

Trending

hydrangeas Hydrangeas perhaps more than any other shrubs tend to dip in and out of fashion often in fairly dramatic ways.

Currently, these popular garden shrubs with delicate heads of flowers in shades of pink, white or blue and pretty autumn colour and leaf shape are back in fashion and very popular. The mophead and lace-cap hydrangeas are perhaps most wellknown for their ability to change colour in different soils.

The colour change is based on the soil pH, which affects the availability of aluminum ions. Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 5.5 produce pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH. Unrivalled in the shrub world,they are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil, and produce flowers when little else may be in bloom.

They thrive in a moist, but well-drained soil, in a cool, semishady part of the garden. Try to avoid exposed east-facing sites, where cold winds may damage young spring growth, and also avoid dry, sunny spots.

Work plenty of organic matter into the soil prior to planting, and after planting and in subsequent years apply organic matter as mulch.

Hydrangeas can be fed annually if necessary with fertiliser in late winter or spring.

This should be enough for the season, but should not be necessary on richer soils. On lighter, sandier soils, feeding is more likely to be helpful. Too much feeding can encourage excessive soft, leafy growth, with plants less likely to develop flower buds and more at risk from frost damage in colder winters.

Try to use rainwater to water hydrangeas, since mains hard water can affect the flower colour, turning blue flowers mauve or pink.

For the first year or two after planting and during any drought, be sure hydrangeas get plenty of water. Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry.

If your soil is rich, you may not need to fertilise hydrangeas.

If your soil is light or sandy, it’s best to feed the plants once a year in late winter or spring. Too much fertiliser encourages leafy growth at the expense of blooms.

In the autumn, cover plants to a depth of at least 18 inches with bark mulch, leaves, pine needles, or straw. If at all possible, cover the entire plant, tip included, by making cages out of chicken wire, and loosely filling the cages Hydrangea ‘Nikko Blue’, one with leaves. f of the top selling Biglea

What’s not to love about hydrangeas? These showy shrubs are the delight of summer, long-living shrubs that bloom most of the summe r and well into autumn

HOW TO PRUNE A HYDRANGEA The most common garden hydrangea shrub is the Bigleaf variety, H. macrophylla. One type of Bigleaf is the ‘Mophead’ with the big snowball-size blooms. The other type of Bigleaf is the ‘Lacecap’ with flowers almost hanging down from a flat centre of Hydrangea ‘Magical Ruby tiny blooms.

Red’ Flower buds actually form in the late summer and flower afterwards the following season, so avoid pruning after 1st August.

Only cut away dead wood in the autumn or very early spring.

Cut one or two of the oldest stems down to the base to encourage branching.

If the plant is old or neglected or damaged, prune all the stems down to the base. You’ll lose the flowers for the upcoming season, but also renovate the plant for future years.

It’s best not to deadhead) on the big mopheads; leave them over winter and cut back in early spring (to the first healthy pair of buds). It’s fine to deadhead the lacecaps; cut down to the second pair of leaves below the flower head.

Oakleaf, panicle, and smooth hydrangeas are treated differently. They blossom on the current season’s wood.

They should be pruned in the later winter when the plant is dormant before bloom.

In general, prune only dead branches, and do not prune to ‘shape’ the bush.

Colour changes in late summer

The flower colour apparent on many hydrangeas often changes by late summer. Blue and pink flowers fade to become combinations of green and pink/red. White flowers typically become a more vibrant pink. Indeed, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ is noted for its change from white to a strawberry-pink.

This change is considered a normal part of the ageing process and can’t be halted or reversed for the individual blooms. However, new flowers will return to being the original colour for the plant.

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53

Addictive about

cacti

Growing cacti can be an addictive pastime! I should know.

They have been a passion of mine every since I moved to Dorset 20 years ago and since I’ve been down here I’ve loved collecting them, showing them at gardening events and generally sharing my enthusiasm for them and encouraging others to collect.

They are quirky, a pleasure to buy and bring home, and ideal for sunny windowsills.

But the best thing about them is that this plant group is extremely vast and diverse, from the very small and intricate to the striking and architectural. There is a cactus or succulent to suit everyone, whether young or old.

The common linking characteristic of cacti and succulents is the ability to store water in the leaves or stems enabling them to survive in arid habitats. All cacti are succulents, yet cacti are defined by the presence of areoles (specialised sites where spines form) whereas succulents have none.

The majority of cacti and succulents grow in desert and savannah situations with low moisture, dry air, bright sunshine, good drainage and high temperatures.

They get their moisture from dew or mist and store nutrients and moisture in their tissues. The word ‘succulent’ means ‘juicy.’ Succulent plants have leaves or stems that are filled with juices, the stored water and nutrients that allow the plant to grow. These leaves allow the plant to withstand harsh conditions. Normally, these leaves have a glossy or leathery appearance, and the texture actually helps protect them from excessive moisture loss. Storing moisture the way they do is what defines cacti as succulents.

There are a lot of succulent plants that can be grown in your home, and some of them are among the easiest plants to care for. They are great plants for beginners, but as with any gardening and houseplant growing, you have to know what you’re doing and dealing with in order to do well at growing them.

Cacti and succulents make a great display, from the beautiful Nopalxochia ackermanii and the large flowers of the Epiphyllums (orchid cactus) to the weird and wonderful Astrophytum asterias (sea urchin cactus) or the hairy Cephalocereus senilis (old man cactus).

It’s a shame that these plants are not cultivated more often!

54

Anne Sinclair has been growing and showing cacti for 20 years and is still finding new varieties to add to her collection

They are undemanding and will withstand most maltreatment except for overindulgence. They need bright light and fresh air, and they need a cool, dry winter rest as well.

The desert types have interesting shapes and textures and can be highlighted in a grouped display.

Planting a group of succulents or cacti in one larger bowl is very effective. Any large shallow pot can be used as an excellent pot for a cacti or succulent garden. You want to select plants all about the same size with similar care requirements. These plants all require a lot of light, so make sure the container you select fits near a window. A layer of fine grit over the compost gives an attractive, yet, dry surface. You can place clean pebbles between the plants to increase the desert effect.

Some cacti, like the forest-growing Schlumbergera x buckleyi (Christmas cactus), are sold as seasonal plants or gift plants.

It’s best to buy cacti that are already in flower because it takes years for this to happen. You should check them over and make sure they are sound with no trace of rot or areas that are shrivelled or dry. They should be just the right size for their pot and you should make sure that they are not exposed to drafts when you get them home. If you purchase desert cacti, make sure they are planted in well-drained compost.

They should be well watered with tepid water in spring and summer.

However, the compost should be allowed to almost completely dry in the winter months, especially if they are in cool conditions.

This allows the cacti to go dormant.

During periods of active growth, cacti should be fed about once every three weeks. You can use well-diluted tomato fertiliser for this purpose. You only need to repot desert cacti when the roots completely fill the pot.

Why am I passionate about them? The variety shapes, sizes, flowers are endless and it’s a magical journey discovering new types. But maybe it is also because they are weird because they are survivors. In inhospitable areas - desert, mostly - they are often the last plants left after all other vegetation has given up trying.

I like that thought.

Country Gardener

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