Somerset Country Gardener June 2023

Somerset Issue No 201 June 2023 FREE

butterfly rich SUMMER A

GR O

COUNTRY GARDENER

• What plants will get them to love your garden 1998-2023 • How well do you know your butterflies?

• Leave a nettle patch for them to flourish in

PLUS:

ING FOR W

CO

EN

1998-2023

ER

www.countrygardener.co.uk

U N T RY G A

RD

Let weeds grow in your lawn

Growing perfect asparagus

Garden your way to health and happiness

Always alliums

Hanging houseplants

June days out to cherish

Summer prune your fruit trees

Recycling delights

Gardening news and events throughout Somerset

Planting Outdoor Living Cafe www.fonthill-lakeside.com

Fonthill Garden Centre

Lakeside Garden Centre

Call: 0117 932 3110

Call: 01985 217 413

Bath Road, Bitton, Bristol BS30 6HX

Crockerton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 8AP

GREENSHUTTERS NURSERIES & GARDEN CENTRE

MART ROAD, MINEHEAD, SOMERSET TA24 5BJ Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

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01823 390063 www.greenshutters.co.uk Fivehead, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 6PT on the A378 between Taunton and Langport

EVERGREENHEDGING.com

ARE YOU READY TO PARTY?

GREENSHUTTERS NURSERIES & GARDEN CENTRE

• Summer Bedding Pots and Hanging Baskets for instant colour • Perennials to keep your garden glorious into Autumn • Keep growing your 5 a Day from our selection of Veg Plants, Soft Fruit and Fruit Trees • Wide range of Garden Furniture, Parasols, Barbecues, Arbours and Benches

Relax in our cafe over Breakfast, Lunch or Coffee with Homemade Cake. Booking essential for our weekly Wednesday Roast.

Find inspiration throughout the year on our Website, Facebook and Instagram PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPING SERVICE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON-SAT 9AM-5PM SUN 10AM-4PM T: 01643 703612 E: enquiries@wsgardencentre.co.uk

www.westsomersetgardencentre.co.uk 2

Country Gardener

Hedging and Trees for Screening and Privacy 01460 281265

Up Front!

‘What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade’ OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GARDENING CALENDAR - Gertrude Jekyll, On Gardening

OVER THE COMING WEEKS IN SOMERSET BBC Gardeners’ Question Time back at RHS Rosemoor The world’s longest-running gardening programme, BBC Gardeners’ Question Time, is returning to RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon for the first time since 2018. Tickets are available now for the recording on Wednesday 6th September and the chance to have the experts Anne Swithinbank answer those burning horticultural queries.

Priced at £4.50 per person, the ticket includes a complimentary drink and garden admission from 4pm. Taking place in the Garden Room, doors open from 5pm for recording to start at 6pm. Audience members will be given question sheets on arrival, and these should be submitted between 5pm 5.45pm for the chance to be picked by the panel.

The panel is made up of gardening experts Anne Swithinbank, Matthew Pottage and Pippa Greenwood alongside chair Peter Gibbs, who will tackle the trickiest gardening conundrums from the live audience. Gardeners’ Question Time is a BBC Radio 4 institution, attracting more than two million listeners each week and answering more than 40,000 questions since its inception in 1947. Book tickets for the Gardeners’ Question Time www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/ whats-on

Twenty gardens open at Clifton and Hotwells city site Clifton and Hotwells Open Gardens weekend in Bristol is on Saturday, 10th June and Sunday 11th June. Visitors will have access to more than 20 communal gardens and squares which are mostly private, with a variety of refreshments and entertainment.

There are a mixture of formal gardens, woodland and wild gardens. There will be talks, conducted tours, a tree trail, singing with local choirs and a concert from the Fitzhardinge consort in All Saints Church.

Tickets £6 from Eventbrite, or £5 on the day. https://www.gssg-bristol.com/

LOVELY JUNE GARDENS OPENING FOR ST MARGARET’S HOSPICE Three lovely gardens are opening in Somerset villages in June for St Margaret’s Hospice, in Stoford near Yeovil, at Ash near Martock and in Combe Florey near Taunton.

Court House in Court Lane, Stoford near Yeovil BA22 9UA, opening for the hospice on Saturday 3rd June, is a stunning 17th century property with 26 acres of beautiful gardens and a new heritage orchard. It’s a wildlife haven for visitors to explore, and Geoff’s memory garden is dedicated to the owner’s late partner.

Opening from 11am until 4pm on 3rd June, admission is £4 (50 per cent shared with the Geranium Trust), there’s wheelchair access, dogs are allowed and tea and cake will be served in the Old Farmhouse kitchen in the barn.

Taunton Flower Show back in style

Taunton Flower Show is back in style later this summer, held on Friday, 4th August and Saturday 5th August, against the stunning backdrop of Vivary Park in the centre of town.

You don’t need to be a gardening enthusiast to appreciate the many delights this traditional and popular two-day show has to offer, though, if you are, there’s plenty for those with green fingers.

New for 2023 is the Artisan Village, where local designers, artists, makers and food traders can come and showcase their handmade and locally sourced products.

Horticultural enthusiasts will have plenty to discover inside the Plant Village and Floral Marquee where you can pick up advice from experts on hand, do a spot of shopping, admire the floral displays and gardens.

There’s also an abundance of stands selling the best garden accessories, gadgets and machinery.

Tickets are now selling online and you can purchase discounted tickets until 30th June so visit www.tauntonfs.co.uk

There’s a village garden full of roses, perennials, trees and shrubs at 2 Back Street, Ash, Martock TA12 6NY that will open for the hospice on Saturday 18th June from 2pm until 5pm. Admission is £3, teas will be available, and dogs are allowed.

On Sunday 25th June, Willow Cottage at Yarde Farm, Combe Florey TA4 3JB will open for St Margaret’s Hospice from 12pm until 5pm. Visitors will find a garden with lawn areas, perennial borders, stream, ornamental trees and shrubs and a vegetable growing area.

There are also chickens and a wildflower area on a higher level with good views of the Quantock Hills. Admission is £4, teas will be available, and dogs allowed. www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk

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3

Gardeners cuttings

in Somerset

CUTTINGS

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

GREAT CHOICE OF GARDENS OPENING IN SOMERSET DURING JUNE FOR THE NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME

There’s a great selection of private gardens opening in Somerset during June for the National Garden Scheme, some of them group gardens in a village, and new openings.

10 FLINGERS LANE, Wincanton BA9 9LE is a new opening for the NGS on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June, a secluded third of an acre secret walled garden hidden behind Wincanton’s High Street on a no-through road. It’s architect-designed, 10 Flingers Lane with box hedges and topiary, lawn, borders and shrubs, a formal kitchen garden with fruit trees, fernery and glasshouses.

The garden opens from 10.30am until 5pm each day, admission £5, children free, with homemade teas and plants for sale, and dogs are allowed. This is also a venue offering accommodation, and the garden also opens for the NGS on 2nd and 3rd September. It can also be visited by groups until September, the opening for the NGS, but contact the owner Yseult Ogilvie on 07736 609789 or email yseultogilvie@hotmail.com BATCOMBE HOUSE at Gold Hill, Batcombe, Shepton Mallet BA4 6HF is a garden of two parts – one a riot of colour through kitchen terraces, and a potager leading to a wildflower meadow, and the other a calm contemporary amphitheatre with large herbaceous borders, trees and shrubs. It opens for the NGS on Saturday 17th June from 2pm until 6pm (also 9th September). Admission £7.50, children free, cream teas, plants for sale and dogs Batcombe House allowed.

Owner Libby Russell, a plantswoman and designer, also opens for the NGS to September for group visits – for more details and contact, go to www.mazzullorusselllandscapedesign.com Four varied gardens are opening in STOGUMBER for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 18th June, from 2pm until 6pm. Two large gardens are near the village centre, and the other two on the outskirts are even more spacious. See courtyard gardens, bog gardens, mixed beds, vegetable and fruit gardens.

Combined admission £6, children free, homemade teas in the village hall, plants for sale, dogs are allowed, and there’s wheelchair access to the main features of the gardens. There’s a collection of more than 80 different roses in the four-acre garden at Knoll Cottage, which also opens for the NGS by arrangement with the owners Elaine and John Leech, on 01984 656689. www.knoll-cottage.co.uk

Plantaholics garden opens for long weekend at the end of June Hilary and Michael Pritchard are opening their one-and-a-half-acre garden for the National Garden Scheme and Axminster Hospital League of Friends over a long weekend at the end of June. This plantaholic’s garden includes many specimen trees, a large collection of herbaceous plants, over 200 roses, woodland shrubs, dahlias, a small orchard, vegetable patch, steep bank with trees, shrubs and wild flowers, with a lovely view from the top. Alpine troughs and alpine house. Scented leaf pelargonium and succulents collections.

There will be a fretwork stall with beautiful wooden goods, occasional live music and a large plant stall well stocked with interesting plants.

The garden is two miles from Axminster on the A358, left at Weycroft Mill traffic lights. You pass Ridgeway Hotel on left and continue lane for half mile and you can park in the field opposite.

The garden will open from1pm to 5pm on Friday, 30th June, Saturday 1st July and Sunday 2nd July from 1 to 5pm.

Admission is £5 with children free. Dogs are welcome on leads and wheelchair access is available for most of the garden.

Socks Orchard, Smallridge, Axminster EX13 7JN

Lower Severalls hosts summer fair Specialist plant nursery CB Plants and Lower Severalls Garden are hosting the annual Hardy Plant Society Summer Fair at Lower Severalls near Crewkerne on Sunday 11th June.

It is a wonderful opportunity to chat to and purchase plants from knowledgeable helpful growers from all over the South West and beyond.

Among those attending will be Tom Nielson of Biocentric Plants, recently seen on BBC’s Gardeners World, and garden designer and plantsman Charles Chesshire from Symondsbury. Hardy Plant Society members also bring along special plants from their own gardens to sell at the HPS stall.

The garden and nursery will be open, and teas and coffees and homemade cakes can be enjoyed in the garden in front of the farmhouse surrounded by herbaceous borders.

CB Plants nursery is a specialist nursery selling pollinator friendly flowering perennials and herbs, cottage garden favourites and wildflowers, all grown onsite in peat-free compost.

Plant Heritage records its 700th collection Plant Heritage has officially accredited its 700th National Plant Collection, adding a further nine new collections to the charity’s growing list of ‘living libraries’. The milestone achievement comes during Plant Heritage’s 45th anniversary year, which is being celebrated throughout 2023 with a host of sapphire-themed campaigns, plus

several regional and national events.

The first National Plant Collections (NPCs) were accredited between 1980-1982, after Plant Heritage was created by ex RHS Director General Christopher Brickell in 1978.

Fast forward almost five decades and many of these National Plant Collections are still thriving and remain a vital part of Plant Heritage’s wider plant conservation work.

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5

CUTTINGS

TWO NEW GARDEN OPENINGS IN JUNE NEAR BATH TO ENJOY

Tintinhull villagers open their garden gates for the National Garden Scheme It’s great when a private garden opens for the National Garden Scheme – and even better when a village decides to have an open weekend so that visitors can explore an entire group of gardens.

Tintinhull gets ready for open weekend

Tintinhull near Yeovil opens its gardens on the weekend of 1st and 2nd July for the NGS, the gardening charity that raises much needed funds for nursing and caring charities. Twelve beautiful gardens set in the conservation village are opening, ranging from large country house landscapes to smaller cottage gardens.

Some gardens are visible from the road, others tucked away in enclosed courtyards. Roses climb up mellow hamstone walls and billow over borders. When you need a rest and a cuppa, scrumptious teas will be available at the village hall.

Two gardens near Bath are both opening for the first time for the National Garden Scheme on Friday 9th June, one surrounding a Georgian country house, the other a Cotswold stone terraced garden that’s managed organically.

Caisson House, Coombe Hay, Bath BA2 7EF is a wonderfully eclectic garden set in the countryside around a Georgian house built in 1815 with a mix of herbaceous borders, topiaries, ponds and rills, a walled garden with fruit trees, greenhouses, flower and vegetable beds, wildflower meadows and the disused Somerset Coal Canal running through the property.

This is a welcome new opening for the NGS. One of the gardens, at 68 Queen Street, is owned by Alan and Felicity Down, horticulturists who owned Cleeve Nursery and Garden Centre near Bristol before their retirement. Now they are developing a new garden with an acre that has sweeping beds of perennials, trees and shrubs with a vegetable plot, mini orchard and seasonably damp bog garden.

Tintinhull gardens will be open from 12pm until 5pm on both Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. Combined admission to all gardens for one day is £8, and £10 for visitors wishing to attend on both days. Refreshments at the village hall will be sold in aid of village projects.

For more details go to www.ngs.org.uk and follow the links.

It opens on 9th June 11am-4pm, admission £7, children free, homemade teas. Prebooking is essential, please visit the NGS website at www.ngs.org.uk Tregunter, Charlcombe Lane, Lansdown, Bath BA1 5TT is a Cotswold stone terraced garden, with spectacular views of Little Solsbury Hill, designed, organically planted and maintained by the owners. Flower borders, unusual and rare plants, contemporary and classical planting, formal and natural ponds, large kitchen and herb garden, varied and deep herbaceous borders, yew and box topiary.

Opening 12pm-5pm on 9th and also Sunday 11th June, admission £5, children free, homemade teas available.

There’s wheelchair access to the top terrace where tea will be served and where the view and terraces below can be seen. For more details go to www.ngs.org.uk and follow the links.

Royal Bath and West is a summer highlight Over three days the Royal Bath and West Show is one of the event highlights of the summer. The show again has a strong horticultural theme and there are action packed events for all the family, and a haven for all enthusiasts of rural life.

The show will feature a plethora of activities, demonstrations and entertainment; including interactive activities, fast pace excitement in the Main Ring and a muchenhanced food hall experience. You can meet the producers of the finest food and drink in Britain, ranging from funky street food to ‘sit, eat and enjoy’, to the finest produce you can take home to cook and share with all the family.

The Royal Bath and West Show, The Bath and West Showground BA4 6QN 6

Country Gardener

SOMERSET TIME OFF

Gardening club events and meetings in Somerset. If your gardening club or association is getting back into full swing after the restrictions of the past couple of years be sure to let Country Gardener know.

Send your club meetings and outings details to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk

JUNE 7TH

West Pennard Gardening Club

‘GROWING FUCHSIAS’ - DEREK DEXTER Email karenrussell53@icloud.com 8TH West Bagborough Garden Club

‘REJUVENATING A TIRED GARDEN’ - ELIZABETH HOLMAN Details on 01823 430579 10TH/11TH Stogumber

OPEN GARDENS 10.30AM - 5.30PM 14TH Kilmersdon Gardeners Club

‘LETTING GO OF ‘LIFT THE LATCH’ AND THE BIRTH OF ‘LITTLE LATCH’ www.kilmersdongardeners.org Nailsea & District Horticultural Society

‘DAVID AUSTIN - A NEW STYLE OF ROSES’ - MERVYN READ Details on 01275 855342 20TH Halford Gardeners Group

‘WHY DO WE HAVE BOTANIC

GARDENS’ - ANN BRAKE 22ND Taunton Flower Club

‘AND WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO WITH THAT?’ - ALISON PENNO www.tauntonflowerclub.co.uk 27TH Chilcompton Gardening Club

‘A RESTORATION OF HESTERCOMBE GARDENS’ - DAVID USHER Chilcompton Gardening Club

‘MY ORGANIC FLOWER FARM IN FAULKLAND’ - FIONA HAZER

JULY 1ST

Barrington Village

OPEN GARDENS FOR ST MARGARET’S HOSPICE Details on 01935 709480 4TH West Pennard Gardening Club

‘GARDEN DESIGN’ - NIGEL COX www.westpennardvillagehall.co.uk 5TH West Pennard Gardening Club

TALK BY NIGEL COX www.westpennardvillagehall.co.uk 12TH Kilmersdon Gardeners Club

‘ORGANIC GARDENING - WORKING WITH NATURE’ - OLIVER JONES www.kilmersdongardeners.org 18TH Holford Gardeners

MEMBERS OPEN GARDEN 6PM 25TH Chilcompton Gardening Club

MONTHLY TALK

MALLET COURT NURSERY Founded in 1978 we are a small family business and we offer a friendly, personal service to our customers.

Are you looking forward to the cherry blossom season? Plan your planting now and come and visit our collection.

We can offer many other trees for spring planting - oaks; maples; magnolias and lots more attractive trees and shrubs of special interest.

OPENING TIMES Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 5pm Mid-Nov to Mid-Mar we close at 4pm Weekends by appointment only

ADDRESS Marshway, Curry Mallet, Taunton TA3 6SZ

CONTACT

We will give advice on any plant and on your garden if required.

Phone: 01823 481493 Mobile: 07713 091521

We have a mail order service if you cannot get to us and collect your plants.

Email: malletcourtnursery@ btinternet.com

CHELSEA GOLD MEDALLIST

Website: www.malletcourt.co.uk

CROFT GARDEN NURSERY T S E W & FARM SHOP Great range of trees, shrubs, conifers, roses, fruit trees, garden sundries and a wide range of compost.

NORTON GREEN GARDEN CENTRE Fabulous selection of Summer Flowering Bedding, Patio & Hanging Basket Plants

READY NOW! Plus a choice of Planted Patio Pots & Hanging Baskets for glorious instant colour!

VEGETABLE PLANTS READY NOW! Shrubs, Roses, Alpines, Herbs, Heathers, Herbaceous Perennials, Soft Fruit, Clematis & Climbing Plants Compost, Gro-Bags, Topsoil, Farmyard Manure, Decorative Bark, Gravels, Grits, Sands & Ornamental Slate Terracotta, Glazed & Fibre-Clay Pots, Troughs & Planters

HANGING BASKETS, SUMMER BEDDING, BASKET AND PATIO PLANTS!

Norton Green Farm Nursery, Wells Road, Chilcompton, Radstock BA3 4RR Tel: 01761 232137 Email: nortongreenfarm@tiscali.co.uk Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm (inc. Bank Holiday) Closed Sundays

Fantastic range of pots and garden ornaments stocked.

Red Road • Berrow • TA8 2LY • Tel 01278 782687

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7

How well do you know your butterflies?

The south west is thought to be home to 42 of the 59 butterfly varieties in the UK and gardeners are working hard to provide natural habitats and safe havens but how are you at identifying these colourful creatures Clockwise from left: Orange Tip; Large White; Painted Lady; Red Admiral; Peacock, Small Copper, Meadow Brown

Small tortoiseshell

Small white

The plight of UK butterflies is well charted.

Our butterflies are disappearing but thanks to millions of gardeners the fight back is well established as natural habitats and safe havens are regular features in our gardens and so many of us plant flowers, shrubs and trees specifically with the well-being of butterflies in mind.

Large areas of the south and southwest have wide selections of varieties to spot in our gardens. Dorset, Devon and Somerset are thought to be home to 42 of the 59 varieties of butterflies to be found in Britain.

But how many do you see in your garden and can you identify them?

You may be lucky to see the rare Heath Fritilary or Duke of Burgundy butterflies but for the most part your garden is likely to be enjoyed by the ‘usual suspects’ which give us so much pleasure.

Peacock

A strikingly beautiful, red butterfly, so-named for the large blue and yellow ‘eyes’ on each upperwing that bare a marked resemblance to the tail feathers of a peacock. It is on the wing throughout the year, having a single brood, and overwinters as an adult. A very common butterfly, the Peacock is a regular visitor to our gardens where it feeds on buddleia and other flowers.

Red Admiral The Red Admiral is an unmistakable garden visitor. This black-and-red beauty may be seen feeding on flowers on warm days all year-round. It can be spotted feeding on buddleia and other flowers. It will also frequent all kinds of other habitats, from seashores to mountains! Adults sometimes hibernate and may be seen flying on warm days throughout the year, although they are most common in the summer and early autumn.

Small Tortoiseshell Reddish-orange with black and yellow markings on the forewings and a ring of blue spots around the edge of the wings.

8

The Small Tortoiseshell is a medium-sized, pretty butterfly that is common in gardens on buddleia and other flowers. It is on the wing throughout the year, having two or three broods and overwintering as an adult.

Male Small Tortoiseshells are very territorial, chasing each other, other butterflies and anything else that appears in their space. They court females by ‘drumming’ their antennae on the females’ hindwings.

Painted Lady Bright orange forewings with dark brown spots and a thick, dark brown margin. Dark brown hindwings, banded with orange.

Small Copper The Small Copper is a small butterfly that is on the wing throughout the summer. Males are territorial and can be seen basking on bare ground or rock waiting for females, every now and again chasing off other insects that encroach on their space. Adults can be seen feeding on ragwort and thistles, while the caterpillars feed on common sorrel and sheep’s sorrel.

The Small Copper has bright orange forewings with dark brown spots and a thick, dark brown margin.

Orange-tip Males are white with bold orange patches on the forewings and light grey wingtips.

Females are white with grey-black wingtips. Both have mottled grey-green undersides.

These pretty little butterflies are easy to spot as the males’ wings have bright orange tips – giving them their name! They are a common sight during spring and can be found in lots of places including meadows, woodland and hedges. Orange-tip caterpillars love garlic mustard, cuckooflower and hedge mustard plants.

Large White White with prominent black tips to the forewings. Females have two black spots and a dash on each forewing. Plain, creamy-yellow underside.

The Large White is a common, large, white butterfly that is often spotted flying slowly over cabbage patches in gardens and allotments, and over farmland; adults fly between April and October. Also known as the ‘Cabbage white’, the foodplants of the caterpillars of this butterfly are members of the cabbage family, known as ‘Brassicas’, hence its Latin name, Pieris brassicae.

Small White As its name suggests, the Small White is a small, white butterfly that is on the wing between April and October. A common butterfly, it is found in a wide variety of habitats, including hedgerows, farmland, gardens and parks.

Country Gardener

Growing in

the shade

Is it possible to grow fruit and vegetables if you have a lot of shade in your garden? The good news is there are crops which will grow and grow well out of the direct sun.

Brimstone The Brimstone is a fairly large, pale yellow butterfly, with distinctive, leaf-shaped wings.

Adults hibernate through cold weather, so may be seen flying on warm days throughout the year, although they are most common in the spring. Usually seen in ones or twos, they are never very common, but are widespread.

Meadow Brown The medium-sized Meadow Brown is one of the commonest grassland butterflies, on the wing in the summer, from June to September. It also occurs in parks, gardens and cemeteries. It even flies in dull weather when other butterflies are inactive. Adults can be seen in large numbers, flying low over the grass and flowers.

The Meadow Brown is mainly brown with washed-out orange patches on the forewings.

The best way to identify the ‘brown’ butterflies is by looking at the eyespots on their wings.

Holly Blue The Holly Blue is a small blue butterfly that emerges in early spring, from March to May, and then again at the end of the summer between July and September. This is the blue butterfly most likely to be found in gardens, as well as woodlands, parks and churchyards. It tends to fly high around bushes and trees, whereas other Grassland Blue butterflies fly low to the ground.

Speckled Wood Dark brown with creamy yellow spots. The best way to identify the ‘brown’ butterflies is by looking at the eyespots on their wings. The Speckled Wood is the only brown butterfly with three small, cream-ringed eyespots on each hindwing and one on each forewing.

More information • Butterfly Conservation www.butterfly-conservation.org – a website full of information. ID charts, gardening tips • iRecord Butterflies, is a completely free app and is available for iOS and Android devices. It will guide you through the identification of any butterfly that you see in the UK. • Woodland Trust- butterfly identification and facts www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

It isn’t everyone who has a vegetable plot in a sunny and open position. Many gardens are limited by other properties and by trees in which it is difficult if not impossible to grow fruit and vegetables.

For many gardeners that’s the end of the story. A shady position which gets little sun isn’t going to be a success story when it comes to a vegetable plot.

But that isn’t necessarily true. Some crops will benefit from being out of the direct sun and if you can find a spot which gets three hours of sunshine a day then that should be enough to grow crops and more varied ones too.

Preparing the beds will be key. Add plenty of organic matter to improve the fertility and water holding capacity of the soil. If you can, try and improve the light and consider having lower branches of offending trees cut back if they are not the subject of tree preservation orders. It will make a massive difference, however little you can do to improve the light.

One benefit will be to start off some crops in pots. It will give them a head start before planting them on in the shadier areas. What you can try growing:

Swiss Chard This is a good crop to grow and rewarding to harvest when the leaves are small. It over winters and therefore isn’t dependant on sunshine. Sow in April and start to harvest in August and September.

Beetroot Another crop which will not need lots of sunshine and grows well in shadier , colder situations. Succession growing is key with beetroot so sow short rows every couple of weeks. You should keep an eye on them and pick when the size of gold balls or a little bigger.

Spinach Lots of varieties to choose from and spinach is a wonderful ‘out of sun’ crop because it grows perpetually and actively dislikes the heat of July and August. All the varieties will tolerate a lot of shade and growing will be easier if you avoid sowing in the hottest months of the summer.

Kale Perfect for starting off in the greenhouse and then transferring to your shadier patch. Cover with fleece once you decide to plant out. If you are happy just to harvest baby leaves you should get a steady flow throughout the summer and again it is a crop which doesn’t appreciate too much heat and sun.

Leeks Perhaps the best crop for out of sun positions. Important as a crop because they are such a high value crop. Sow as seeds and then transfer when thin shoots appear in early summer and prepare for them to be regulars in your vegetable beds all summer and winter. There are varieties which will benefit from being in the shade but generally this is another crop which just doesn’t like the sun.

9

Long term butterfly friendly gardening

Attracting butterflies into your garden should be part of a long-term plan not a quick one- summer fix. The secret is understanding what their needs are - and managing your garden accordingly

Butterflies and flowers were made for each other, and there are certain flowers that butterflies absolutely love to be around. As a French poet once pointed out, “Butterflies are flying flowers, and flowers are tethered butterflies.”

In attracting butterflies to your garden, it’s important to understand what they want most out of life: nectar.

The ancients, who believed that nectar fell directly from heaven, named it after the wines of the gods.

Butterflies will visit any garden, however small, if they can feed on suitable nectar plants and a well thought out garden can attract many species of butterfly. If you manage your patch to create a breeding habitat the chances are you will see many more in your garden.

Nectar provides butterflies and moths with energy to fly and find a mate. In spring, it helps butterflies refuel after winter hibernation or a gruelling journey to Britain from southern Europe or Africa.

Do your bit for butterflies by making them welcome in your garden. Adults feed on nectar, and can be seen nectaring on flat, daisy-like blooms as well as plants with long, tubular flowers. The more of these you can grow in your garden, the better.

To see butterflies in your garden, you need to entice them with the right flowers. Adult butterflies feed on nectar that they will take from a wide variety of wild and garden flowers, particularly those growing in warm sheltered places. Butterflies can be encouraged to visit gardens by growing a range of suitable flowers from March until frosty weather ends the butterfly season in October and November.

If you want to keep butterflies in your garden (and support these declining pollinators), you must have those host plants where they can lay their eggs (some butterfly species are fussier than others as to what plants are best); once the larvae hatch, the host plants will serve as food for the developing caterpillars.

Preparing your garden to welcome butterflies isn’t a one off. It should be a long term plan year after year planting the right things and seeing the butterfly population grow. Here’s some good options when it comes to selecting what to plant.

Red valerian, Centranthus ruber

Centaurea nigra

Performs best in poorer, dry or chalky soils, where it forms a tidy, compact plant and won’t be overwhelmed by other, stronger plants. It often flowers early and continues well into midsummer.

If you’ve created an area for wildflowers in your garden, then Centaurea nigra is a must-have. The bright, violet flowers will attract a range of butterflies, including the common blue and meadow brown.

Lavender Flowers are a purplish-blue in colour and grow on spikes through the summer. Plants can be used for edging beds or grown to form an attractive, low-growing hedge. It thrives in a sunny, sheltered position in well-drained soil. Lavender should be planted in April or May and pruned back to encourage bushy growth.

The unusual suspects They might not seem an obvious choice, but these plants help butterflies too.

Some have flowers that benefit adult butterflies, others are valuable food plants for caterpillars.

• Trees and shrubs like hawthorn, holly and bramble.

• Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and mint.

• Ivy is a key source of nectar in autumn, when many other plants have finished flowering.

• Nettles. They’re not a garden favourite, but stinging nettles are an important food source for the caterpillars of Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma and Painted Lady. Plant them in a quiet part of the garden away from places where children play.

Perennial wallflower (Bowles Mauve) Produces a profusion of sweet-scented purple flowers from April all through the summer. Wallflowers make great bedding plants and will grow well in full sun or light shade. Plant in well-drained soil.

Marjoram (Oregano) A perennial herb, growing from 20 to 80cm tall. White, pink or purple flowers grow on spikes from June to September. A good edging plant and useful ground cover, requiring little maintenance. The smaller varieties also do well in rock and alpine gardens.

Hylotelephium spectabile Always go for the old-fashioned pink form of Hylotelephium spectabile, which produces the most nectar when it flowers in autumn. Red varieties tend to be poor in comparison.

How to attract butterflies: • •

•

Buddleia (The butterfly bush) Very easy to grow in almost any soil. Different varieties will flower in pink, red, purple, and white.

Usually in bloom through July and August.

•

Verbena bonariensis Stems up to a metre tall support heads of lilacpurple flowers from August to October. Easy to grow from seed, plant March to April in welldrained soil. These can provide useful height at the back of a border. Only half hardy so can be a short-lived perennial.

10

•

Country Gardener

Butterflies like warmth so choose sunny, sheltered spots when planting nectar plants.

Choose different plants to attract a wider variety of species. Place the same types of plant together in blocks.

Try to provide flowers right through the butterfly season. Spring flowers are vital for butterflies coming out of hibernation and autumn flowers help butterflies build up their reserves for winter.

Don’t use insecticides and pesticides - they kill butterflies and many pollinating insects as well as ladybirds, ground beetles and spiders.

Don’t buy peat compost. Peat bogs are home to many special animals and plants, including the Large Heath butterfly, which is declining across Europe. There are now good alternatives to peat.

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Nettles - THEY ARE NOT TO BE DESPISED Diane Redfern defends the much disliked nettles and sees they have more than one role to play in the story and benefits to our gardens Why do nettles have such a problem reputation? Instantly attacked as needing to be cleared from the garden, nettles have a role to play in our botanical structure which shouldn’t be ignored.

An ideal plant food, essential for the health and wellbeing of butterflies and caterpillars, a worthy ingredient of a soup alternative, there remains a strong reason that every garden should leave a nettle patch untouched and uncleared through the spring and summer.

Nettles make an ideal plant food especially for use in the greenhouse. They have more nitrogen and less potassium than comfrey, so they are best for feeding leafy greens such as salad leaves and brassicas. Select younger leaves, as they contain more nitrogen and less tough cellulose and lignin, so they break down quickly in water.

Fill a container half to three quarters full with leaves, top up with water, then cover it and wait three to four weeks, then strain the solution. The resultant mixture may need to be diluted to the colour of weak tea.

However, even more important is that most of our favourite butterflies depend on nettles as the only food for their caterpillars. Here they are - the Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Painted Lady. Sometimes

Nettles and butterflies live together in harmony

Comma butterflies lay their eggs on nettles too, as do several types of moths.

They are vital for the lives of our most well-known butterflies. The adults are not nearly so fussy and will take nectar from a wide variety of flowers! The caterpillars are really not even fond of the small nettle or dead nettles so it would be good to boost the declining numbers of these beautiful insects by providing a patch of nettles in a sunny corner of the garden.

I have read that it is possible to provide nettles in pots but Butterfly Conservation says that this does not really work because they need a much larger and wilder area safer from predators.

Being unaffected by their well-known sting, nettles are a good choice for caterpillars because they offer protection from predators including that from herbivores such as cattle, sheep and deer, all of which are keen to avoid the sting.

Birds too love to find caterpillars especially when they are feeding youngsters. I have read that each chick can eat 100 caterpillars a day so five chicks would need 500 caterpillars. Exhausting work and no wonder a butterfly needs to lay so many eggs.

The eggs and larvae of these butterfly species are present on nettles between April and June, with adults emerging between May and October. Insects employ various ways to survive. Female butterflies lay many, many eggs during their short life to ensure that even a small number of these eggs will survive.

Caterpillars (butterfly larvae) hatch from eggs. The eggs are usually laid in a protected location on the nettles that

the soon-to-be caterpillar will eat. Often, as they grow, the masses of larvae surround themselves in silk webbing to provide protection, so that they don't become a feast for passing birds.

It's important to treat nettles like any other garden plant if you are growing for the benefit of butterflies. Cut them regularly to get good fresh growth from the nettles. March and October are good months but ensure that there are no eggs or larvae on the leaves. Watch out for any leaves that are curled or folded in any way.

The Peacock butterfly lays her eggs in batches of 400 eggs, a process that may take two hours. She will choose the middle of a large nettle patch often next to a woodland edge or hedgerow. After two weeks or so the first larvae(or instars) hatch and start to build a communal web around themselves for protection whilst eating day and night. As they grow they will move on to new leaves. They moult again into the second instar which is twice the size of the first.

After as little as four days the larvae moult into the third stage, still in their communal web. They eat by day and night and when one leaf is eaten they move on to a new one and make a new web. After a week the larvae moult into a fourth stage or instar and a new web is made.

Altogether there are five instars. The caterpillar is now about 42 millimetres long and fully grown and must individually start looking for a place to pupate. Once a site has been two weeks the pupa colours up when the wings of the adult are clearly seen through the pupal case before the actual butterfly emerges, if it has been very fortunate.

TIME TO TRY NETTLE SOUP? Most of us realise that nettles are edible and do you good, but we may be reluctant to eat them because they sting! In fact the sting disappears once the nettle is cooked. Nettles provide us with iron, vitamins (B, C ) flavonoids, proteins and other essential minerals too. Here is a simple recipe to try – nettle soup. It comes from the book Wild Food by Roger Phillips.

Firstly, prepare the nettles using young leaves before they flower. Wash and drain them. Nettle soup freezes easily which is a plus.

Chop up one large potato, one carrot, one onion and garlic to taste. Sauté them in a two-litre saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil and a bit of butter to taste. When the onion starts to soften and the potato is forming a slight crust, drop in the nettles and give them a quick whisk around with a spatula. Then add a litre of boiled water and two to four cups of stock. Stir it all up and let it bubble for about 12 minutes, or until the potato is soft. Liquidise it once it has cooled, then return to the pan to warm it when you are ready to serve. To serve, pour the soup into a bowl and add some cream. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Garden advice for June If you have any queries, problems or gardening issues you would like help with then we are here to help. Send your questions to Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse. Taunton TA4 3AD or email us at editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

I dread the start of the real growing season as if things go as they normally do, I am about to be overwhelmed by slugs. Is there any foolproof way I can get on top of these slimy creatures before they damage my plot.

Chris Bowden Liss The recent wet weather has started the slug season off early but there are things which will lessen the problem.

Use compost as your main mulch and not hay, straw or grass. Compost offers fewer hiding places. Try and reduce slug populations at surface level and one way of achieving this is to water less frequently. The soil surface drying out means less usual habitat. As the season progresses make sure you clear up fading leaves which sit on the ground. They attract slugs and give them a damp home. Put the work in with collection and disposal. Getting out in the vegetable bed in early morning and dusk normally ends in a sighting of lots of slugs which can be collected and disposed of.

A recent trip to my local garden centre left me bewildered about how to choose which compost I should buy. I counted at least 25 different options and although there was some basic information, I just couldn’t see how anyone can decided which one to choose.

Are there any guidelines here?

Greta Woodburn

Barnstaple The choice can be overwhelming but there are some quick rulesalways look for peat-free is the starting point. For general use multipurpose compost is the ideal choice while special mixtures such as houseplant or seed composts are designed for specific jobs. Potting compost is quite expensive so only select that for container growing and instead use a soil improver as a mulch.

Compost deteriorates when stored for long periods as the organic matter breaks down and the fertiliser within it can be washed out. Therefore, never buy old stock or stock with faded labels and if possible, buy compost which has been stored under cover. Buy the largest bag you can handle to help reduce plastic wastage.

I have a tall, vigorous and healthy dogwood in my border. The problem is it is growing too tall and dominates everything around it. Can I cut it back without damaging its health?

Eric Webster Martock Dogwoods are very resilient and will cope with aggressive pruning, but you may have to do it in stages. It will then regenerate from old wood.

You should cut down stems to about 30 cms from ground level from April and early May in year one. This should be a part of a two-year plan so it’s less of a shock for the shrub. It will also thicken from the bottom and achieve more of the shape and size you are looking for.

I planted half a dozen autumn raspberry canes in a special part of my border. The plants look healthy enough, but I can’t see anything happening which will result in my getting any fruit. I am not sure what to do .

Ann Roy Chichester Raspberries take their time to establish in a garden and there is some patience called for here. They tend not to produce fruit in their first year. You should have by now cut back all the canes to the ground. New canes will appear next spring and it is these canes which will bear fruit next summer and autumn. Raspberries also respond to a good balanced fertiliser, and you should also mulch well to keep moisture in the soil during the summer. In dry spells keep the canes wellwatered as all this will be an investment into next summer’s fruit.

I am planning to grow tomatoes in my new greenhouse which will be ready for use in late May. My first question is will that be too late to get a crop this summer. And secondly should I choose F1 varieties to grow?

Jill Rea Dorchester Tomatoes planted in late May from seed should be able to catch up but you might like to be on the safe side and buy some plants which are already established. Seeds are best sown under cover in March and April ready for harvesting from July to September.

So, you may be a few weeks behind. Tomato seeds usually germinate in seven to 14 days if you maintain a steady temperature of 21°C. Pot on the tomato seedlings as soon as they’re big enough to handle and they will grow very fast after that.

To sum it up, an F1 tomato is a first-generation hybrid tomato plant resulting from the cross-pollination of two carefully selected parent plants. These hybrids often exhibit improved qualities such as increased yield, better disease resistance, and enhanced growth vigour so they almost always represent the best choice.

My garden is increasingly full of lichen. It’s on the apple trees and lots of my shrubs. It doesn’t look good and I am worried it is harming things.

Peter Bower Plymouth Lichens use trees and shrubs as a suitable surface on which to grow and they do no harm and are part of the garden’s biodiversity. However, their presence at the tips of the branches on a plant can indicate a lack of vigour so keep a close eye on it during the summer by seeing how much it grows.

Shade and shelter create an environment that encourage lichens so pruning nearby shrubs which might be taking light away could see a reduction in its growth. The apple tree will appreciate more light and air.

Shrubby and leaflike lichens can only survive in clean air. Lichens are relatively rare in large cities and in areas of very heavy air pollution, there are no lichens of any type.

Because lichens have no specialised protective barriers, they also readily absorb contaminants and are among the first organisms to die when pollution increases, making them good sentinels for air quality. www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

I have had a thriving lemon tree for three years and it has lived inside and just outside the greenhouse during the year. Over the past few weeks, the leaves have begun to drop off and it is looking very sad and there are now very few left.

Maggie Horton, Taunton Citrus are evergreen but do drop leaves, usually when they are stressed, too cold, have too much fertiliser, or not enough fertiliser, if there’s frost, or they are too wet. So there’s a lot which might be going on.

When the tree drops leaves due to high heat or water stress, if conditions return to normal, the tree will start to grow new leaves within a couple of weeks. Citrus trees are heavy feeders so you may not be fertilising it enough. You could try and apply composted manure around the base of the tree – taking care not to let it touch the trunk – and water it deeply to help the nutrients soak in.

I am terrified my normally healthy box hedge is showing signs of being ill and I wonder if it is blight which is starting to affect it. How can I be sure about this and what can I do? I have had the hedge for 20 years and it would be such an upset to lose it.

Jenny Gill Liss Box blight is usually caused by Cylindrocladium buxicola or Pseudonectria buxi, both fungal infections making the leaves turn brown or grey/ pink or bronze and causing dieback of the plants stems. Conditions of warmth and moisture in the hedges and topiary specimens can spread quickly. Box blight is not a death sentence. If you are unfortunate enough to have blight in your garden, above all else, act quickly. The sooner you remove and destroy infected plant material the quicker the outbreak will be brought under control and permanent damage will be minimised. Remove the infected wood, recommended where the disease has been caught in its very early stages it is often possible to cut out a little more than may appear necessary in conjunction with a fungicide application both before and after.

Hard pruning to remove infected parts; if you catch the disease reasonably early it may well be possible to reduce your hedges by 50 per-cent or more on a dry day, being sure to remove every scrap of the trimmings and fallen leaves to the bin or bonfire. It pays to cut back further than you think, the infection can be latent in apparently healthy wood so be brave, they will grow back!

My compost this spring has been full of slow worms and I am never sure whether I should move them on or just leave them in the compost bin.

Steve Mills Exeter A regular denizen of your compost heap, the sleek and beautifully smooth slowworm is undoubtedly a keen gardener’s friend for its favoured meals tend to include both slugs and snails.

Slow-worms are in fact protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so they should be left alone. Should you be lucky enough to have them living in your garden, remember that they are completely harmless and will spend most of the spring and summer munching up those pesky slugs for you!

My beloved potted camellia has small brown nodules under its leaves. Some of the leaves are so bad they have fallen off. I have had this problem for a number of years, but things seem to right themselves and the plant recovers. This year the young leaves are affected, and the problem seems a lot worse. What is going on?

Dave Gibson Watchet Your camellia has oedema which is a physiological disorder rather than a pest or disease. It occurs when roots take up water faster than the plant can use it. Water pressure builds up in the internal cells of the leaves causing them to burst leaving dead cells which look like blisters. This really comes from over watering or very high humidity or even wet soil which doesn’t drain properly. So, you need to address the water levels. If the plant is soaked then try ere-potting or for the less severe cases just let the plant dry out and hold off watering.

16

Long tailed tits

Blackbird

Open your garden TO WILDLIFE! With the weather warming up, many gardeners will be thinking about how to make the most of green spaces. The charity, SongBird Survival, want us to think about how we can create a refuge for birds in our gardens too.

More than half of our UK songbirds are threatened or already in decline. Total population numbers have fallen 50per-cent in 50 years including some familiar garden visitors seeing drastic declines. Songbird Survival have launched a one stop shop to support gardeners with free advice to help birds thrive, as a part of their ‘Gardens for Birds’ campaign.

What can gardeners do to encourage wildlife?

A keen gardener can be nature’s greatest ally, encouraging wildlife by providing much needed habitat for our native birds. You don’t need to feed the birds actively to provide for them year-round with clever plant choices that flower and fruit at different times of year. Why not try: • Planting long grasses such as feather reed grass to provide nesting materials in springtime.

• Create a water source in the form of a bird bath or a wildlife pond that is cleaned regularly.

• Planting trees and shrubs are a great form of shelter. Elder, rowan and dog rose are all fantastic choices for birds to nest in and hide from predators.

• Plants that bear fruit such as blackberry, guelder rose or wild cherry attract insects with sweet flowers, and the fruits make great food for birds.

• Companion plant to avoid the need for pesticides as birds are nature’s best pest controllers!

• The natural approach, less is often more, but that doesn’t have to mean an unkempt garden! Try leaving a small section of your lawn as a wildflower meadow, which would be a fantastic haven for bees and butterflies.

• Reduce pruning and let seedheads develop as valuable bird food in the autumn.

SongBird Survival’s top bird-friendly plants: •

Honeysuckle - a great choice for small gardens, these climbers attract insects and provide shelter for nesting tits.

• Hawthorn - Quick growing, hawthorn provides dense shelter for birds, with the haws attracting hungry redwings and fieldfares.

• Ivy - another great climber that provides shelter and food. The berries are great snacks for starlings and blackbirds, and the caterpillars feasting on the leaves are food for hungry chicks.

• Teasel - is known for attracting bees, butterflies, and birds alike. The flowers provide seedheads that are a favourite of goldfinches.

• Sunflower - the happy garden staple that comes in all shapes, colours, and sizes. Sunflowers provide masses of seeds for birds and are an attractive feature to any wildlife-friendly garden.

Check out the SongBird Survival website www.songbird-survival.org.uk for more information and follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the Gardens For Birds campaign. To get involved in the open gardens scheme, contact dawn-chorus@songbird-survival.org.uk

Blue tit

Bullfinch

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17

READERS LETTERS

HAVE YOUR SAY...

If you have any views, opinions or ideas you would like to share with us write to Country Gardener at Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or email us at editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

‘Beurre Hardy’ the perfect pear I’d like to share with your readers what I believe is the perfect pear to grow. It is the Rolls Royce of pears and after growing it for half a dozen years now I really recommend it. The variety is ‘ Beurre Hardy’ and is an old French pear from Boulogne which was introduced into the UK in the middle of the 19th century. The flesh has a taste of rosewater. It seems trouble free with excellent disease resistance and becomes ripe to eat in October. It is now quite easy to find but I would go a long way to get one.

Mick Butler by email

GARDENERS MUST KEEP A NOTEBOOK

I was lucky enough to study at RHS Wisley and my grounding in horticulture I like to think was thorough and detailed. It certainly set me up for a career in gardening where I now run my own landscaping business. Amongst all the wonderful advice I learned while I was at Wilsey one thing has stuck with me and it is something I pass on to my customers - it is the importance of keeping a garden notebook. I have kept notes ever since I scribbled in small black books, easy to slip into trouser pockets. The pads are a little smaller that A5 and are a real mixture of weather charts, to-do lists notes on different vegetable cultivars, perennials I want to grow, shrubs which have proved to be difficult and disappointing. In idle moments I flick back through them and they really are a wonderful memory of triumphs and disasters and I do not understand now how anyone can keep a garden and not have this sort of record.

Linda Howells Petersfield

Timing is everything

More urgency needed to switch to peat free I believe more urgency is needed from nurseries in switching to peat free. There are some old-fashioned nurseries and garden centres who seem to have adopted the approach that peat has always workedwhy change it? I am aware, naming no names, that there are some garden centres around where I live who have done nothing to move to peat free and I am sure they are out of touch with what we common gardeners believe and in the short term will lose customers if they refuse to change.

Harvey Porter Petersfield DOGS IN NGS GARDENS I visited two NGS gardens featured in your excellent magazine over the past few weeks and both outings have been spoilt by dogs. I appreciate that in both cases they were on a lead but I want to enjoy gardens without hearing barking, falling over dogs and having to look at the ground in case of mess.

Gardens should remain tranquil places where one can appreciate plants undisturbed.

Mary Carter Arundel

MY ROUGH AND READY WAY OF COMPOSTING I started to top up my raised beds last week and was able to do so with about 50 wheelbarrows full of peat-like mulch which will be the basis of all my vegetable growing this summer. My technique for composting is neither sophisticated nor hard work. I have an open area at the bottom of the garden and everything goes on to it, leaves, grass cuttings windfall fruit, prunings, vegetable slops from the house and lots of cardboard. When I first started a few years ago I wasn’t sure it would work but it did, and it still does. In the New Year I water it all thoroughly and trample it down but never get involved in the hard work of turning it.

Wetting it helps I imagine creating an almost anaerobic environment. But hey it works and I often have a chuckle when I read how the compost has to be turned and how it must have equal brown and green elements.

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LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

I started gardening in lockdown and am a real convert and love it. I only have a small patch of garden but I have crammed it with colour, height and even a small raised bed which will soon have lettuces and broad beans growing. I love your magazine and it is a great source of advice but one thing I don’t read often enough is for a gardener like me (I am 20) to accept the fact that not everything will work and there will be failures and disasters. In a short time I have learned that and also I hope remember what I have done wrong.

Josey Graham Bath

Hammering a nail into a tree worked My husband and I enjoyed your collection of old wives tales in the last magazine He remembers his father who was a senior gardener at one of the big estate houses in the Cotswolds in between the wars, using the trick of hammering a nail into a tree to bring it to life – an act which he was convinced worked well.

Pam Harrison Bridgwater Country Gardener

Ban artificial plants

Does anyone else feel as strongly as I do at what seems to be the expansion in the market of artificial plants? I am not a great fan of a couple of local garden centres and that hasn’t been helped by the sale in both of an extended range of artificial, plastic plants. Plastic pots are bad enough but plastic plants! I challenged one of the staff the other week and was told they were really popular because no upkeep was needed and they looked superb and in many cases couldn’t be distinguished from the real thing. This surely needs some sort of campaign to ban them and it does seem very inappropriate. Garden centres must surely be focused on selling living things.

Caroline Bentall Torquay An old friend I have been celebrating the anniversary of my beloved cactus which I bought for my son as part of a school project when he was twelve. He looked after it remarkable well until he left for university when I took over its care. He is now 56!

Jo Pearson Dawlish

You must know your soil type surely?

I attended a gardening club talk last month on getting to know your soil. The speaker began by asking the audience how many of us knew the constituents of our garden soil. Had we tested it, he asked. There were roughly 30 people in the hall and only about five raised their hands to show they has tested their soil and they knew what they were dealing with. I really hope this is not a true reflection of the nation’s gardeners. One of the most important constituents of soil is the pH. Whether your soil is sand, clay or chalk directly affects what you can grow and how successful it will grow.

Kate French Plymouth

www.countrygardener.co.uk

19

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

JOBS IN THE

June garden 1

The longest day of the year is amazingly only a few weeks away and the garden is growing at a rapid pace.

The frenzy of spring should be slowing into a more regular rhythm. The hundreds of young plants you have been raising should have left the confines of the greenhouse and are now making their own way in the world. Consequently, all you must do in terms of your gardening jobs is keep up with the watering, weeding, grass cutting, hedge trimming, etc, etc.

2

Take hydrangea cuttings

Pinch out tomato side shoots

Cordon tomatoes are best grown as single-stemmed plants. However, these vigorous plants naturally produce side-shoots from the joints where leaves sprout from the main stem. These side-shoots should be pinched out to keep plants growing vertically on just one stem.

Large side shoots can be used as cuttings to start other plants. You can stand them in a glass of water for a week or two or use rooting gel.

Sometimes tomato growers allow a large side shoot to grow into a second main stem. This has the advantage of growing more trusses at a lower height from one plant Bush varieties, also known as determinate, do not need their side shoots removed. However, there are situations when it may be wise to remove some of them if growing large tomatoes and you would like the fruit to mature earlier rather than later.

Of course, by removing side shoots on bush varieties, you will reduce the number of flowers and fruit that would grow over a long season.

Now is the ideal time to take cuttings from any hydrangea shrub. Take a cutting from a branch of the hydrangea shrub about five inches long. The belief is the cutting will work best if taken from a branch that did not flower this year.

Remove the lower leaves of the bottom two leaf nodes.

The leaf node is where a leaf comes out of the branch.

Remove the lower leaves from the stem and if the top leaves are large, cut them in half to help reduce water loss and wilting.

3

Strategic watering is called for

In dry spells, make sure you thoroughly water anything that’s been planted in the past couple of months as it will still be growing roots into the surrounding soil. A good drench is better than a regular light sprinkling. Patio pots and hanging baskets will need watering at least once a day, more in hot weather.

5 4

Be more aggressive on thinning fruit

The natural June drop will see many small fruitlets fall from your trees, but for the best-size fruits it’s worth checking to see if you need to thin more of them, that is remove excess fruit.

• Thin apples to one fruit per cluster: for dessert apple varieties, thin to 10-15cm between clusters; and for cooking varieties, thin to 15-23cm between clusters.

• Pears should be reduced to two fruits per cluster, with clusters 1015cm apart.

• Plums should be thinned to five to eight cms apart.

• Peaches should be thinned to 2025cm apart, Nectarines should be thinned to 15cm apart.

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6

Time to plant biennials Biennials, such as honesty, wallflowers and sweet rocket, are sown in spring to flower the following year. You can either move young plants to a nursery bed in a quiet spot outdoors for moving again in the autumn or put them in their flowering positions. You’ll find plants at the local garden centre or via online retailers.

What to plant in the next six weeks

Sow seeds of annual flowers to fill gaps. Mix the seeds into sand or cover seeds with a mix of potting compost and sand so you can easily spot which areas you have sown and don’t enthusiastically hoe or pull up seedlings by mistake. Remember to keep the soil moist until they have germinated and the seedlings have grown into their space.

Keep sowing salad leaves and lettuces. If you find them too fiddly try using seed tape – seeds set into paper tape, a clever way of ensuring you don’t sow too thickly. Plus, it ensures straight rows. They are a bit more expensive but satisfying.

Sow spinach and kale. Both are useful crops that are easy to grow and good to eat. Sow F1 varieties for reliable performance. Use the thinnings for salads.

June is the last time realistically to sow green beans.

Country Gardener

7

Deadhead and feed roses After the first flush of flowers deadhead repeat flowering roses, just nip off the faded flowers right underneath. Don’t be tempted to remove a lot of stem under each fading flower. Simply cut straight under the spent flower, or pinch it off with your fingers. Deadheading this way helps your roses to rebloom quickly. Feed them with a high potash pelleted food. This will produce more flower and the potash will toughen up the foliage and help it to resist diseases.

Roses that flower only once should be left because many produce attractive hips that add winter interest.

8

READER’S STORY

Feed plants

Liquid tomato feed can be used as a supplement on ornamental as well as productive plants. Anything potted into compost and containerised, such as summer bedding, will benefit from a fortnightly tomato feed because the nutrients in the compost run out after three to four weeks. If you find the watering can too heavy, invest in a smaller one.

Feed all greenhouse crops such as cucumbers and tomatoes and continue to apply a fortnightly feed until the beginning of September. Agapanthus, often said to thrive on a poor diet, respond well to being fed with tomato food. You’ll get far more flowers.

9

Jack Baines has for the past two years let the weeds grow in his Somerset lawn and has been rewarded with displays of wild flowers which are pollen rich, tough and a haven for insects

Protect tender plants from slugs Look out for slugs and snails hiding in nooks and crannies.

One thing is certain -they’ll be out in force after all those tender young shoots coming up this month. Hunts are best done in early morning and evening when cool damp air brings them into the open. Depending on how much of a problem they are in the garden you can try various control methods. Nematodes (microscopic organisms that predate on slugs and snails) are organic and safe with pets and children but require careful application.

Also try non-toxic and ecofriendly slug granules. These make crossing them unpleasant for slugs and snails and offer good protection. They’re made from sepiolite clay, a natural material that is dry and sharp which can be used with edibles. There are also organic pellets available to buy. If, however, you have a really serious problem you may need to resort to old school slug pellets.

Protect the growing tips of beans from slug damage. They don’t recover. Push some new beans into the ground as replacements if needed.

Try to site pots up and out of reach of slugs who will eat the heads of violas in double quick time.

11

My sensational lawn weeds

10

Tie in sweet peas

Your annual sweet peas should be nicely settled into their new homes for the summer and they will start to grow rapidly now. Tie in any shoots to your supports. For the best quality flowers, remove all the side shoots to create a cordon, as you would with a tomato plant.

Watch out for aphids as they love the fleshy growing tips. They’re full of sap and as a result they will quickly colonise them. If you have any early flowers, they might drop some buds. Don’t worry, this is a symptom of cold nights and is the plant’s way of regulating water pressure. They will soon recover as the nights warm up.

June pond care

• Keep an eye on your pond fish to ensure they’re healthy.

• Keep the pond clear of algae so the water remains oxygenated and clear.

• Remove blanket weed using a rake or cane. Leave it at the edge of the pond for a day or two to allow any wildlife to escape, before adding it to the compost heap.

• Check any new pond plants before planting to avoid accidentally introducing pests like snails.

I have a new approach to my lawn. It started two years ago when I thought in principle that I would support ‘ No Grow May’ but then chickened out because I could imagine the grass getting long and wet and then it taking me weeks and weeks to cut in July.

I bet many gardeners felt the same.

My approach took a different direction.

I became fascinated by lawn weeds – pretty, tough, packed with pollen and which I think add a whole new dimension to having a lawn.

I was brought up outside of Minehead with my father’s gardening principles which was to remove weeds at all cost. My dad loved his lawn, took great pride in it and had his mower blades sharpened to perfection so the lawn was regularly shaved down to an inch of its life and then fed with a whole range of fertilisers which must have cost him a lot of money, as my memory is he applied lots and lots of it in spring , summer and autumn.

In May and June my memory is he cut it every two days!

It was green. It was stripped and it was perfection.

We were not allowed to play cricket or football on it and were banished to the nearby bumpy field for play.

As I say, I have a different approach which were he still with us would shock him.

I have let the weeds grow in my lawn and have a much more relaxed approach to mowing.

If you put your desires to be neat and tidy to one side and lock away the fertilisers, lawn feeds and sprays then a lawn will give you lots and lots of rewards you probably didn’t expect.

Above and beyond the traditional striped classic green swathes we known from our childhood, you will soon have as I now enjoy, a long flowering wildlife free lawn.

Many drought resistant native plants are allowed to flourish, staying greener during the heat of last summer. Clover is in abundance in my lawn which has nitrogen fixing roots, reducing mowing allows taller flowers and grasses to bloom and the whole effect is stunning.

So in my lawn I now enjoy: Daisies which flourish from early spring to late autumn.

Yarrow, white/pink flowers which appear in May and seem to last the whole summer.

White clover clusters of lovely white flowers which grow stronger and more dramatic as the season progresses.

Prunella vulgaris or Selfheal ,purple and colourful, appears in flower in June.

Dandelions, wonderful and colourful and a magnet to insects – who could think of them as weeds?

I think the role of our lawns has changed and thank goodness for that. It now has a role to play as a flower studded alternative which is great for the environment and for insects. Long may that continue and long may we put away the mower for long periods.

“If you put your desires to be neat and tidy to one side and lock away the fertilizers, a lawn will give you lots and lots of rewards you probably didn’t expect”

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GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Perfect GARDENING days out If you are looking for a gardening day out to enjoy over the next few weeks then the south west is a dream come true.

It offers so many opportunities at a time of the year when garden lovers look forward to getting out and about and indulging their passion. And the prospect of finally warm settled weather is a bonus.

Private gardens will be at their best as May moves into June with many roses in full glory and colourful borders galore tempting garden lovers. The list of things to do probably reaches its peak over the next few weeks with gardens open, village fetes and fairs, plant shows, county shows and plant sales.

We have again rounded up some idea of places to visit, things to do, events to take part in so you can make the most of what promises to be a sensational June.

VISIT CORNWALL’S BEST KEPT HOTEL SECRET Cornwall’s best kept secret: a hidden valley hotel with its own secluded beach, Hotel Meudon is a coastal paradise near Falmouth, Cornwall.

The stunning hotel is a stylish retreat boasting nine acres of sub-tropical gardens, stunning sea views, 29 bedrooms and a treatment room. Award winning Restaurant Meudon, The Drawing Room and Freddie’s Bar are open to all, whether you’re staying at the hotel or simply passing by. All menus feature dishes created using Cornwall’s bountiful larder.

A stay or visit to Hotel Meudon this summer offers you time to unwind, whilst enjoying our stunning gardens and top-quality service. www.meudon.co.uk

Badminton House Open Gardens has two open Sundays The gardens of the historic Badminton House, home to the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort are opening on Sunday, 25th June and Sunday, 3rd September. There will also be a variety of local stallholders selling plants, flowers, hot food, coffee and cakes in the West Courtyard. The event will support the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who will have volunteers on site and The Badminton Church Restoration Fund.

Tickets are £10 pre-sale or £12.50 on the day. Children under 12 go free. Gates open from 10am with last entry at 4pm.

Visit www.badmintonestate.com Badminton House, South Gloucestershire, Badminton GL9 1DD

RHS Garden Rosemoor has something for everyone Set in a beautiful valley in the heart of North Devon, the 65 acre haven of biodiversity that is RHS Garden Rosemoor has something for everyone.

You can explore the famous ‘garden rooms’, each themed to celebrate the seasons in different planting styles and designs, where the plants are always the star.

Luxuriate in the scent of over 250 rose varieties in our two dedicated gardens, at their fragrant peak in June.

Experience a blaze of colour and vibrant plants in our Hot Garden or unwind in the soothing pastels and blues of our Cool Garden, a tranquil oasis with a teardrop-shaped pond.

Discover trees from every continent of the Northern Hemisphere, see our rare heritage apple orchard or be inspired by our Fruit and Vegetable Garden.

Families can let their imaginations run wild exploring our woodland walks – try your hand at den making or follow our leaf rubbing trail.

Make sure to check ‘what’s on’ before your visit!

47th Cerne Abbas

Open Gardens About 25 Private Gardens Open

17th & 18th June, 2-6pm Day ticket to all gardens £8 Ticket for 2 days £10 Accompanied children free Open Gardens Teas served from 1pm Well stocked plant stall from 1pm Free Car Park (DT2 7GD) from 1pm Equal proceeds to: The Charles North Charity & The Dorchester Food Bank

www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 01805 624067 rosemooradmin@rhs.org.uk RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, North Devon, EX38 8PH

Keep up to date: www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk

C A R AVA N & T O U R I N G PA R K

Think sunshine, flowers and cake!

BOSCREGE CARAVAN & TOURING PARK

With a welcoming atmosphere and set in 12 acres of Cornish countryside only two miles from the beautiful sandy beaches of Praa Sands, Boscrege Caravan & Touring Park is the best place to enjoy your Cornish holiday.

Each of our luxury holiday homes comes with a private garden and Wi-Fi. Perfect

for families and couples, we are open all year, and offer seasonal pitches.

We offer the following: • Designated dog walking fields • Pet friendly accommodation • Comprehensive storage • Luxury holiday homes for sale

© Sussie Bell, Selina Lake

THE MOST PICTURESQUE CARAVAN PARK IN CORNWALL

01736 762231 • enquiries@caravanparkcornwall.com www.caravanparkcornwall.com 22

Gather friends and family to celebrate summer with a cup of goodwill and host a Great British Garden Party fundraiser for nursing and health charities. ngs.org.uk/gardenparty

Country Gardener

June Fairs 4th June High Glanau Manor, Nr. Monmouth NP25 4AD 11th June Waterperry Gardens, Nr. Oxford OX33 1JZ www.rareplantfair.co.uk Please visit our website for full details of admission fees and times of opening.

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

ENJOY THE EXCEPTIONAL BEAUTY OF THE HARTLAND ABBEY VALLEY IN JUNE Visit this fascinating house with its stunning architecture and collections.

Exhibitions. Beautiful walled and woodland gardens and walks to the beach. * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Delicious light lunches & cream teas * * Hartland Quay 1 mile * House, Gardens, Exhibitions etc and Café until 5th October Sunday to Thursday 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - 5pm last adm. 4pm) NB: Main reception rooms closed 12th – 29th June for filming.

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

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Twenty-five Dorset gardens open over June weekend About 25 private gardens in Cerne Abbas will be open from 2pm until 6pm on Saturday, 17th and Sunday, 18th June. This is the 47th time that this event will take place and the proceeds will be divided between a cause in the village and another outside; this year the Charles North Charity set up in 1943 to help folk in distress in the village and the Dorchester Food Bank. Entrance to all gardens is by a single ticket which costs £8 for adults and accompanying younger folk under 16 are free. A few gardens are accessible on wheelchairs and most gardens accept well behaved dogs on leads. There is a well-regarded plant stall and teas are provided by the local Youth Club, both commencing at 1pm. Almost all the gardens are within easy walking distance of the free car park and are located on maps distributed with the ticket.

More information at www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk

CADHAY HAS ITS roses ready FOR YOU

Early summer walks a highlight at Hartland Abbey The arrival of early summer in the gardens and walks at Hartland Abbey is a wonderful time to visit and to relax in the valley chosen by Augustinian monks in the 12thC to establish their monastery, only one mile from Hartland Quay on the spectacular Atlantic coast. Their Abbey, since 1539 a family home, is a fascinating trawl through family history, both local and national. A wander to Blackpool Mill on the coast, sitting in the shade with a good book or seeing the 18thC Walled Gardens bursting into their summer glory, is an escape from modern life. Exhibitions and displays - ‘Filming since 1934’ ‘William Stukeley, Saviour of Stonehenge’ and more are included in garden ticket. Old Kitchens tearoom produces delicious homemade lunches and cream teas! Dogs are made very welcome!

The main reception rooms will be closed for filming between 12th and 29th June.

Hartland Abbey, Hartland, Nr. Bideford, N. Devon EX39 6DT. 01237441496/234 www.hartlandabbey.com for all details.

A MAY DAY IN MARWOOD Long warm sunny days entice the herbaceous plants to flower with multicoloured Candelabra Primulas snaking along the stream and around the lakes. By the end of the month, they are joined by gorgeous drifts of two National Collections; Japanese Iris and Astilbes which won a Gold Medal at the prestigious Hampton Court Flower Show last year.

The herbaceous borders are aglow with colour, and the Mediterranean border in front of the tea-room provides a visual feast to view while enjoying a delicious cream tea.

Alpines planted along the scree-bed continue to provide an amazing contrast of foliage and flower while above creamy Cornus Kousa flowers burst into bloom.

Visit the plant sales for unusual, as well as the tried and tested plants. www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Tel: 01271 342 528 Email: info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, Nr Guineaford, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX31 4EA

There were one or two casualties amongst the roses with the heavy frosts over the winter but these have all been replaced so there are now well over 40 varieties for you to see at Cadhay in Ottery St Mary. The allotment holders have been busy in their plots and the fruits of their endeavour is very much in evidence in June. We have made a big effort to clear the medieval fishponds of bullrushes which seemed to be flourishing all too well so the ponds will once again be resplendent with water lillies and hostas.

Cadhay is open on Friday afternoons throughout the Summer from 2pm.

Contact jayne@cadhay.org.uk or 01404813511 Cadhay, Ottery Saint Mary EX11 1QT

Boscrege, a Cornish experience to dream of awaits you Boscrege Caravan and Touring park in Cornwall is a peaceful and picturesque park, set at the foot of Tregonning Hill, Godolphin National Trust and amongst tranquil Cornish lanes in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The park, open all year is close to the Cornwall coast and a few minutes’ drive to Praa Sands, one of Britain’s nicest beaches. So, if you are looking to take a luxury holiday (doggie friendly with dog friendly homes and on-site designated fields for the dogs too) in Cornwall in a either a self-catering caravan, lodges touring or even purchasing your very own holiday home then contact Boscrege Caravan and Touring Park.

Boscrege Caravan Park, Boscrege, Ashton, Cornwall TR13 9TG Tel: 01736 762231 www.caravanparkcornwall.com

BISHOP’S PALACE GARDENS SET TO HOST SUMMER FULL OF EVENTS The Bishop’s Palace in the heart of Wells are preparing for another busy couple of months. The 14 acres of tranquil gardens in the heart of medieval Wells will be hosting a series of spring and summer events for the family. The focus of course remains the stunning gardens in the heart of Wells.

You can wander along and around the many herbaceous borders, savour the scent of roses in the parterre, admire the beautiful views of the gardens, moat and further afield from the top of the ramparts.

Over the years the gardens have changed as successive bishops have added their legacy and today these gardens have Grade II listed garden status due to their historic nature.

In 2016, the gardens were acknowledged by the Royal Horticultural Society, by being made a “Partner Garden”.

Entry is free most Fridays to RHS members with starred cards. This offer is not valid on certain event days so please check the website for details where you can also find details of all the summer events being held there.

Bishop’s Palace and Gardens, Wells, BA5 2PD www.bishopspalace.org.uk

National Garden Scheme offers the perfect day out The link between gardens and our health has never been more relevant. The beneficial effects of spending time in a garden, whether your own or someone else’s, include peacefulness, solace and inspiration. And time outside, surrounded by the beauty of nature triggers natural endorphins that make us feel happy. Scientific studies have also shown that spending time in a garden can reduce blood pressure and the stress-related hormone, cortisol.

Knowing that gardens really are good for you makes visiting a National Garden Scheme garden the perfect day out, and you’ll be supporting some of the UK’s bestloved nursing and health charities too.

Find a garden near you: ngs.org.uk

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Country Gardener

GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm from 5th May to 29th September

Also last weekend in May & August Bank Holiday weekend - Sat, Sun & Mon GARDENS: adult £5, child £1

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

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

Visitors welcome Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-4pm Barthelemy & Co (DCG), 262 Wimborne Rd West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ

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

• Floral Tours are working in partnership with Country Gardener to offer readers two tailored tours for 2023: The Monet and Versailles Experience 18 - 22 June 2023, 10 - 14 Sept 2023 The Delights of Yorkshire 9 - 13 July 2023 If you would like to join us on these tours please call Pat at Floral Tours.

• UK Garden Tours and Events We have programs for UK tours and events that we can tailor to your club preferences if this is your choice please give us a call

Shhhh! Meudon’s the word.

Discover Cornwall’s best kept secret - a hidden valley hotel in subtropical gardens leading to its own secluded beach.

For special offers and bookings go to meudon.co.uk @HOTELMEUDON • #MEUDONMOMENTS

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Tea Room & Walled Garden Nursery

WELL BEHAVED DOGS ON LEADS WELCOME

Badminton House Open Gardens 2023 SUNDAYS 25TH JUNE AND 3RD SEPTEMBER 2023 10AM-4PM

Tickets ADULTS £10 PRE-SALE OR £12.50 ON THE GATE SENIORS £7.50 PRE-SALE OR £10 ON THE GATE CARERS AND CHILDREN UNDER 12 GO FREE

Nestled in the heart of North Devon, Marwood Hill Garden is a hidden gem Home to four National Plant Heritage collections, this private valley garden spans over 20-acres and showcases three stunning lakes, rare trees & shrubs, and colourful surprises throughout each season. Not only a haven for wildlife, the garden is also the perfect environment to explore and be inspired.

Enjoy a day of inspirational and relaxation for the whole family.

Tickets and full information available through the website: www.badmintonestate.com Any questions please contact the Estate Office on 01454 218203 or by email estateoffice@badmintonestate.com

Catch up over coffee and homemade cake or a cream tea in the picturesque Garden Tea Room or take a bit of Marwood magic home with you from our Walled Garden Nursery and Plant Sales.

Enquiries & Tea Room 01271 342528 Plant Sales & Nursery 01271 342577 e info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk w marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, Marwood, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4EA

The Bishop's Palace & Gardens, Wells Explore 14 acres of RHS partner gardens, moat and medieval Palace in the heart of historic Wells, Somerset Group visits welcome with Tour Packages available (including Senior Gardener's Tours)

ADMISSION: 12 months of return visits on any normal sightseeing day or special Groups rates available Plan your visit at: www.bishopspalace.org.uk 26

Country Gardener

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

GREAT SUMMER DAYS OUT AT RARE PLANT FAIRS There are two Rare Plant Fairs taking place during June, both held in interesting and unique gardens with their own individual style, making a summer visit to one (or more!) of the events a great day out for all gardeners. A fabulous selection of specialist nurseries attends each of the Fairs, all of whom are experts in the plants that they grow. The full programme is: HIGH GLANAU MANOR, Visit Rare Plant Fairs at High Glanau Manor near Monmouth, Sunday (above) and Waterperry Gardens June 4th, from 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. WATERPERRY GARDENS, near Oxford, Sunday, June 11th from 10am to4pm.

The former teaching gardens at Waterperry have now been transformed into stunning ornamental gardens at this iconic venue, including a rose garden, formal knot garden and a canal studded with waterlilies.

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

Barthelemy & Co – ready to show off Japanese maples Barthelemy & Co near Wimborne in Dorset was established by a French nurseryman almost a century ago and the Skinner family now specialise in propagating and growing acer palmatum – or Japanese maples as they’re known.

Throughout spring, summer and autumn the delicate foliage of the acer presents exquisite shadings of Mother Nature’s gold, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange and red. Acers are a delightful addition to anyone’s garden, giving an aura of peace and tranquillity. The ten-acre nursery at Stapehill has a huge collection of Japanese maples to choose from and expert staff are on hand to help select the right variety and to offer advice. Over 100,000 acers are produced at Barthelemy and Co every year approximately 15,000 - 20,000 of them are grafted named palmatum varieties, as one of the largest specialist growers of their kind.

Telephone 01202 874283. www.barthelemymaples.co.uk

SCULPTURE EXHIBITION SUMMER HIGHLIGHT AT MISERDEN Well known for its magnificent mixed borders and Lutyens influence, the Garden at Miserden is a timeless 17th century walled garden still retaining a wonderful sense of peace and tranquillity. Returning for June and July the garden will be hosting the magnificent Cotswold Sculptors Association Creating Spaces Exhibition with over 120 sculptures on display plus an indoor exhibition in the quaint Club Room in the centre of the village. The garden’s vintage Glasshouse Café, a lovely setting to enjoy lunch or a piece of cake after exploring, will also be hosting several events throughout the year. www.miserden.org The Garden at Miserden Near Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7JA

Summer pruning of FRUIT TREES THE QUALITY OF YOUR FRUIT AND THE SUCCESS OF CORDON AND ESPALIER TREES CAN BE VASTLY IMPROVED WITH ASTUTE LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE PRUNING The basic principle about pruning your fruit trees is a simple one.

It should be done when the tree is dormant and before it starts growing again (bud burst) which is normally between November and early March.

However, the importance of back up pruning in summer and in June is now establishing itself.

Summer pruning is concentrated on fruit trees, especially well-established ones. A few simple, well-placed cuts can improve fruiting and limit the size of the tree, ensuring it stays compact enough for a Summer pruning of fruit trees can improve small garden. a tree's health and bring a bigger crop Standard apple trees - those with a central trunk - should be pruned when the tree is dormant in winter. Ideally between November and early March. But the summer months are important to ensure maximum crops for trained apple trees, like espaliers and fans, which all should be pruned in summer.

In general, pruning of apples (Malus species), pears (Pyrus species) and quince (Cydonia oblongata) is best carried out in winter. Quince fruits are produced on the new season’s growth so winter pruning can be used to promote new shoots and a better fruit crop.

When you're pruning, aim to create an open goblet shape in the canopy. Only remove about a third of the branches, including those that grow towards the centre of the goblet, crossing, diseased and damaged branches. This will encourage new growth and allow the air and sunlight to penetrate the branches.

Trained fruit trees and or overgrown trees can be pruned in the summer to maintain shape.

Summer pruning of apple and pear trees allows sunlight to ripen the fruit and ensures good cropping the following year. This is the main method of pruning for restricted forms such as cordons, espaliers, fans and pyramids.

Pruning in summer of trees and shrubs is usually done to promote fruiting or flowering in this and the following year. Summer pruning limits growth and focuses energy on fruits or flowers.

This sort of pruning is important but needs to be selective Few plants are pruned this time of year because pruning encourages new growth that does not have time to harden off before winter. Late-season pruning typically does more harm than good.

A lot of the focus on summer pruning is on stone fruits or if your tree is too big, and you don’t want to encourage vigorous growth. It is also essential for trained apples and pears where the key task is to make sure the branches are trained, secure against a wall and not producing too much underdeveloped fruit.

It doesn’t trigger the tree into producing lots of new growth so it's good for trees you want to keep small and for dwarf trees. It’s also a chance to remove diseased or dead wood.

Because summer pruning is carried out after the tree has started to develop fruits (known as setting fruits), you can avoid cutting the branches with fruits on.

When to prune plum trees?

Once plum trees have established (about three years old) they can be pruned in summer, from June onwards.

Plum trees, along with cherries, peaches and apricots are all plants from the genus Prunus and are best pruned lightly in the summer. Carefully prune out the centre of the canopy to create an open goblet shape. Only take about one-third of the branches out and remove crossing ranchers and those growing inwards towards the centre. Also, remove any shoots or buds growing from the base of the trunk.

Summer pruning encourages your tree to produce higher fruit crops, allows the air and light into the centre of the tree canopy, which helps fruits to stay healthy. Prune in late May, either before or after flowering and remove damaged, dead and diseased branches and focus on keeping the tree a manageable shape and size. Make cuts to where there is fruit.

Dealing with the weight of fruit on mulberry trees (Morus nigra) If you’re lucky enough to have a mature mulberry tree it won’t need much pruning. It may however benefit from pruning when it’s clear the tree can’t support itself because of the weight of the fruit .

Only prune lightly or you’ll shock the tree into so much growth it may not be able to support itself. Mulberries also tend to bleed sap from cuts, which is minimised in winter.

27

READER’S STORY

Help us to

plant more trees

Sofia Walfen is passionate about trees. From her home in Gloucester, she works for the Forestry Commission and her day-to-day job brings her in contact with enthusiastic gardeners who are keen to plant more trees

This is a plea for gardeners to keeping planting more trees. Every year in every way possible.

I should say how much I look forward to your magazine.

It fits in so well with my work and perhaps more important it forms a link I increasingly enjoy with gardeners, whether it is through Forestry Commission work, talks to garden clubs or day to day meetings.

Gardeners, I am proud to say have a wonderful passion for trees, for the need to grow more of them and care for them and understand them.

The fact is we have just three decades to reach net-zero emissions and tree planting has emerged as a prominent part of this country’s plan to get there.

Trees are for now the only strategy we have and my work with the Forestry Commission brings me in touch with gardeners and gardening organisations who have all the enthusiasm in the world to plant and care properly for more and more trees come with additional benefits for wildlife, flood management and health.

There is huge strong public support for tree planting to tackle climate change.

This was evident during the last general election, when parties competed to produce ever-more ambitious afforestation targets.

The recent budget saw then Chancellor Rishi Sunak announce a forest “the size of Birmingham” across England, a contribution to the wider UK target to plant 30,000 new hectares every year.

The evidence is clear however that even if tree planting meets its highest potential for carbon storage, it would only offset a small fraction of the UK’s current and future emissions, meaning efforts to dramatically reduce fossil fuel use should remain top priorities.

Tree seed is a key, but often overlooked part of tree production. With the ambitious tree planting commitments, and the introduction of legally binding targets to increase tree and woodland cover in England to 16.5 percent by 2050, demand for trees and therefore tree seed is more important than ever. That’s why last year the Seed Sourcing Grant was launched to enhance the quality, quantity, and diversity of tree seed sources in England.

Understanding the ‘why’ behind why forests and woodlands and trees in general are so good for our mental health and wellbeing is just as important.

We’ve improved our knowledge and evidence base of all this.

The Government has targeted 30,000 hectares of new planting per year in just over two years. With less than half the goal currently achieved, many more saplings need to take root. So how will we do it? The National Forest may have a blueprint.

Over a 200 square mile patch of the Midlands, a transformation is taking place. Across a landscape once scarred by coal mining and industrial manufacturing, a new forest is thriving. Since 1990, when the first saplings were planted in the National Forest, forest cover has increased from six to 22 per cent.

The ultimate aim? For one third of this area to be made up of forest habitats by 2045. That equates to over six million more trees – or around 250,000 planted per year. But how feasible is that?

It’s a task that’s part of a larger, UK-wide target: to plant over a hundred square miles of trees per year – that’s 90-120m of them – by 2025.

I write about this because it is an inspirational idea but there will be more.

Currently, only about 13 per cent of the UK is forested.

But it’s not as simple as just planting more trees everywhere – the right types need to be planted in the right place. That might mean growing more 28

There is a strong public support for tree planting

fruit trees or hedgerows as part of farmed landscapes, creating woodlands alongside new housing developments, or more native deciduous trees in parkland that urban communities have access to.

We’re doing much more than just planting trees – we’re creating hope and aspiration. We’re creating an identity of a forest – that’s not just a visual thing or an ecological thing. That’s the emotional pull – people can feel part of something exciting and they can associate culturally with the nature of this place.”

The momentum being built in the National Forest is part of a nationwide drive to regenerate landscapes and integrate biodiverse, climate-resilient habitats into both rural and urban communities. As part of the UK government’s Nature for Climate fund, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has pledged £12.5m over five years to the National Forest. Now in the third year of this funding pledge, the money is supporting the organisation’s ongoing tree-planting activities.

This is of course only one exciting part of what we need to do. There are so many schemes now being funded by charities and commercial organisations to provide a route for gardeners to be able to afford or even claim for free trees to plant in their own gardens. Whatever we do at the level I work at for the Forestry Commission then so much more will be achieved if gardeners accept what we are trying to achieve to do and join in and help us.

Plant a tree this autumn.

Plant it for the birth of a child, plant it for an anniversary, plant it to commemorate a new garden.

Plant it in memory of a loved one.

If we can get this into the psyche of people who love their gardens our campaign to fight back for the environment and rebalance our carbon footprint will be something we can achieve with ease.

It will take three decades to reach net zero emissions Country Gardener

Recycle, refurbish AND RE-USE Peter Galthorpe is an inspiration for his fellow allotment holders in Devon when he champions the cause of reuse and recycle for all sorts of items he finds a novel use for

Many gardeners are very creative people. One man’s trash is another gardener’s treasure. So, I am known as someone who strongly believes that you can use common household items that would otherwise be destined for landfill to add style and flair to your garden.

If you want to start ecological gardening start with your seeds and seedlings. Every year, and this one has been no different, garden centres fill their shelves with all manner of plastic containers to appeal to the gardener. However, buying them is such a waste considering there are so many things you can use from your own home.

Rather than buying something new, reuse the old and try one of the following.

EGGS AND EGG CARTONS You can plant your seeds and seedlings into empty eggshells or cardboard cartons. Cardboard options can be planted directly in the garden when your seeds are grown and you therefore avoid disturbing fledgling root systems. As well as being compostable, egg boxes are the perfect containers for chitting potatoes. Simply pop your potatoes in with the eyes upright.

PAPER CUPS You’ll need to poke a small hole in the bottom for drainage, but these are perfect for slightly bigger seedlings.

I’m having a bit of a down on plastic on the allotment but one thing I will still go on using are PLASTIC BOTTLES where you just cut them in half and use for a whole of range of recycling ideas. By cutting them in half they become mini greenhouses for big and small bottles.

Cutting off the bottom of large clear plastic bottles makes an excellent mini-cloche which will protect seedlings from harsh winds, slugs and snails. Leave the top off the bottle so that it can breathe without excess moisture and heat building up (a recipe for mould). Once the plants are touching the sides, the bottle should be removed.

On our allotments, old WHEELIE BINS are prized possessions – a couple of holes drilled in the right places and they easily become sturdy water butts or compost bins.

They’re also cheap, dry storage for plant pots, canes, plastic sheeting and netting, and woodchips. At home, I use old BINS for storing my chicken feed and my in-laws use them, with an access hatch cut in the bottom, for storing firewood and multifuel.

Gardeners and allotmenteers are always resourceful types when it comes to reusing and recycling stuff – I don’t think I’ve ever met a grower who doesn’t keep ICE CREAM /MARGARINE TUBS etc for reuse – but I thought it would be worth having a bit of a

sharing session about what you reuse for starting seeds, as plant pots or as water-catchers under plant pots, and if there is anything that you choose not to reuse for whatever reason.

At one point, a good few years ago now, I think about 90 per-cent of my seeds were started in PLASTIC MUSHROOM TUBS — either directly in the tub or using them to catch water draining from plants pots. In the past, I also used shallow FRESH PASTA PACKAGING as starter trays and multiserving YOGHURT/CREAM POTS for the growing on stage.

Build a compost bin from PALLETS. It is so simple – you just use four pallets on their edges for the sides, held together with some strong garden wire twisted with pliers. Don’t worry about the gaps – compost needs air and it will usually be held in place by the pallet slats which should face inwards. I have successfully built a compost heap inside a raised bed using this method which has the advantage that any nutrients washed through by rain still end up in the soil. Then in spring the pallets are removed and the resulting compost is spread over the bed for the next season.

BATHTUBS, SINKS AND BUCKETS These make excellent ponds when sunk into the ground. With a little care you can cultivate a rich ecosystem in your pond and attract frogs and toads which will then prove very effective at reducing the numbers of slugs on your plot. Add some pond weed to keep the water clean together with old LOGS OR PIECES OF WOOD which the frogs can use to climb out, as recycled tubs tend to have very slippery sides. Finally, don’t forget to make the pond safe if children are going to be around: either fence it off or cover it with a metal grid.

A GUTTER GARDEN is a way of making good use of the vertical space in your garden and is ideal for concealing an unattractive area of fence. Also your old gutters are being repurposed rather than ending up in landfill. Drill a few holes in the bottom and you can stack them parallel to make an allotment display more attractive. A gutter garden is great for growing herbs, microgreens or strawberries.

Shade is important in a garden but that doesn’t mean you need to go and buy something new, A VINTAGE LADDER will provide excellent support for climbing or trailing plants.

Hopefully, this list planted a seed you can grow into your next repurposed garden project.

When it comes to garden ideas and any sort of self sufficiency, recycling means minimal expense and the feel-good factor of doing your bit for the future of the planet too. www.countrygardener.co.uk

29

ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR GARDEN

Products which help take the strain Gardeners need all the help they can get during these hectic weeks of May and June when suddenly everything is green and growing. There’s not enough time to do everything which is needed. So, it’s important to get some help. There are so many products s lined up now to take off the hard physical work in the garden that most of us would be crazy not to seek help. And then there’s the opportunity of when shopping around to treat ourselves to a little luxury item.

At Country Gardener we are always on the loot out for great products and fresh ideas so here’s a few to help take the strain.

NATURAL AND RUSTIC HANGING BASKET FOR GARDEN AND HOME

The Wire Anchor way to control shrubs and climbers

CoirProducts.co.uk (of Salike Limited) offers a range of sustainable horticultural and homeware products that are both ecoconscious and environmentally friendly.

For those looking to maximise their space, CoirProducts’ Hanging Baskets are an excellent solution that can transform any home, garden, nursery, or greenhouse. Similar to CoirProducts Coir Pots, their Hanging Baskets are highly absorbent and prevent plants from experiencing transplant shock.

Complete with natural jute yarn, they are perfect for hanging plants such as ferns or ivy, and come in sizes 25cm, 30cm, and 35cm. In case the basket becomes worn out, CoirProducts also stocks Coir Basket Liners (coco liners) in sizes up to 76cm (40cm, 61cm, 76cm), making replacements quick and easy. CoirProducts is committed to sustainability and offsets their carbon footprint when transporting products to the UK. Embrace nature and shop with a clear conscience - shop with CoirProducts.

The new growing season offers lot of challenges to gardeners - none more than keeping fast growing shrubs and climbers under control and well staked.

One great idea is using Rivelin Glen Products which are well designed wire anchors. They are quick and easy to attach to concrete posts (without drilling) to act as an ‘eye’ by threading wire through them to create a trellis system.

The Gripple Trellising System is ideal to use with these Wire Anchors as the wire does not stretch, takes up to 100kg load and has a life span of 15 years. You can achieve multiple rows with one length of wire and two tensioners so it’s no more sore hands or sagging wires.

Rivelin Glen Products are the main stockists of the Gripple Trellising System.

Wire Anchors cost from £10 a pack of three. Gripple starter pack £19.75p Email info@rivelinglenproducts.co.uk or call 01246 462666 www.rivelinglentproducts.com

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ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR GARDEN

NO TURNING HEAPS AND COMPOST ‘QR’ (Quick Return) compost activator has been helping gardeners make compost and improve the health of their soils since the early 1930’s. Invented by Maye Bruce, one of the founder members of the Soil Association, ‘QR’ became popular all over the world until the 1970’s.

Made from a blend of dried herbs, ‘QR’ speeds up the decomposition of organic matter.

There is no turning required and compost can be made in as little as 4 weeks. It is suitable for use with garden or kitchen waste in all types of compost bins.

‘QR’ is easy to use – simply add water to the powder and apply to the layers of the heap during its construction.

Available from Exedra Nursery, Stroud Tel: 07487 537026 and online at Gardener’s Cottage Plants www.gcplants.co.uk or Tel: 01434 672594)

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Henchman’s flagship product the tripod ladder is built specifically for stability on uneven ground and allows you to tackle jobs at height with confidence. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, the tripod’s ladder unique design features adjustable legs that can be altered to accommodate uneven surfaces, a build in working platform with guard rail that enables you to work hands free and sturdy claw feet to prevent sinking on soft ground.

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35

Q&A on growing

ASPARAGUS Asparagus is one of the few perennial vegetables which gardeners love to grow. It isn’t surprising. Although a little patience is needed establishing the plants, once they become productive there should be a constant supply of delicious spears.

IS ASPARAGUS EASY TO GROW? Asparagus is one of the few perennial vegetables that is commonly grown in gardens. But don't let that intimidate you - it's a relatively easy crop to grow. However, you'll need to exercise some patience when growing asparagus.

DOES ASPARAGUS KEEP GROWING AFTER YOU PICK IT? After the end of the harvest season, allow the spears to grow. A spear is really just a plant shoot. And the shoots will grow into the mature fern that recharges the crown for the next harvest season. When harvest finishes, snap all the spears off at ground level and apply fertilisers (organic or synthetic).

HOW MANY ASPARAGUS SPEARS DO YOU GET FROM ONE PLANT? A mature stand of asparagus plants produces spears over several weeks, up to eight weeks. During this time, a healthy plant should yield around 20 spears.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T CUT ASPARAGUS? Harvesting asparagus is not mandatory, and you can leave the spears to grow into tall fern-like plants. However, if you don't harvest your asparagus, the plant will continue to grow and eventually produce berries.

WHY CAN'T YOU EAT ASPARAGUS STEMS? We've long been told that you should bend a spear of asparagus until it snaps, and that the thick end is too tough to eat. This is not strictly true, because the spear snaps at its weakest point, and the stalk is edible and tender far below that point. The best way to judge where to cut off the stalk is by tasting it.

IS IT OK TO EAT RAW ASPARAGUS? Asparagus is a highly nutritious vegetable that can be eaten cooked

There’s still time to get your water collection system in place Learning how to collect rainwater in your garden is a fantastic eco-friendly way to keep your plants, flowers and vegetable crops well catered for

or raw. Because of its tough texture, cooking is the most popular preparation method. However, thinly sliced or marinated raw spears can be equally enjoyable.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GROW ASPARAGUS? Although asparagus can be started from seed, the plants take three years to mature, so it is usually grown from one-year-old crowns. However, the plant can be productive for ten years or more, so it's worth the wait. You can start planting as soon as the soil is workable in late winter or early spring.

Conserving rainwater is totally free, plus it saves money on your household water bill. But the benefits don’t stop there: rainwater is particularly suited for your plants. Thanks to its unique pH, rainwater is much less acidic than water from the tap, and has higher levels of nitrogen and oxygen which helps to boost growth. The tepid temperature of rainwater is also less of a shock for plant roots than hose water.

There are plenty of different methods for collecting rainwater, ranging from the quick and easy to the more labour-intensive and more costly. The options are all designed to change the way your garden operates and to help inspire your own eco-friendly attitude when watering plants and crops.

When gardeners think of rainwater, it’s usually in terms of a free drenching in their garden and not much else. But with a few tweaks to your pre-existing garden setup, you can retain a significant amount of your area’s annual rainfall and reap the rainwater benefits for watering plants all year round.

This year the wet weeks of April and early May have provided great opportunities for storing water for the later heat of the summer. If you haven’t got your system in place whether its classic water butts, saving water into a water feature, making an underground system for more heavy-duty watering or even collecting water in old barrels then now is the time to act.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO PLANT ASPARAGUS? Choose a fertile, sunny, well-drained site with soil that holds moisture well.

Late spring frosts can kill emerged spears, so find an area that is not lowlying or exposed to frost. Asparagus plants have deep root systems. Avoid areas with shallow soils, or soils prone to water-saturation.

WHAT DO I DO WITH ASPARAGUS THAT HAS GONE TO SEED? Once the asparagus has ferned out, cut the foliage back in the autumn and mulch heavily with compost to over winter. Remove the mulch in the spring and wait patiently for the delicious, tender shoots to emerge.

CAN YOU FREEZE ASPARAGUS? Freezing asparagus is such a great way to elongate the short season, and avoid any waste. Cooking it from frozen also shortens the cooking time a little. Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture, taste, colour and nutritional value of asparagus deteriorates.

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WATER FEATURE

WILL THE TREND FOR DRY SUMMERS CONTINUE? Taking action now by installing water butts is a great idea, especially when you can put all that clean, fresh rainwater to good use.

Rainwater Terrace saves water for those not-so-rainy days but you also benefit from the herbs and other goodies you can grow at the same time.

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The water in a Rainwater Terrace is refreshed when it rains, avoiding stagnation, and any excess goes back to the drain or can be directed elsewhere in your garden. There’s a Rainwater Terrace setup to suit your space.

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The popularity of garden ponds again this year has thrown more emphasis on getting the right advice and the right equipment to make sure your pond has the best chance of becoming a successful addition to your garden.

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THE RIGHT PUMP FOR THE RIGHT TASK

In contrast a fountain pump has smaller casing holes to prevent dirt from being drawn in and clogging up the fountain nozzles.

Pond pumps are specifically manufactured for different purposes. A pump that is intended to work on a fountain will not produce the right results if you try using it to feed your filter.

Filter pumps are designed to ensure minimal maintenance is required and they are the most

popular type of pump sold in the UK. The large holes in the casing are designed to allow dirt particles to pass through the pump without clogging it. When pumped to a filter these particles are then removed from the pond system, helping to keep your pond water clean and clear.

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37

Getting the hang of it!

THE BEST INDOOR HANGING PLANTS WILL CREATE VEILS OF LUSH LEAVES AND COLOURFUL FLOWERS WITHOUT TAKING UP VALUABLE FLOOR SPACE IN YOUR HOME Choosing the best indoor hanging plants gives any houseplant an instant new dimension. Leafy vines and trailing stems of flowers add a touch of the tropics to interior designs with layers of texture and colour.

Light is a key issue for hanging plants so be aware of light levels needed and place plants that need sun closest to the window, with the shade-lovers further back. Some of the best indoor plants can grow quite big, and trailing plants will restrict your movement if hung in the centre of a room or hallway, so position these around the edges of your space where they won’t get in the way.

Smaller trailing plants, such as fishbone cactuses or spider plants, can be used to create a candelabra effect over a dining table or sideboard, while threading strings of small LED lights through the plant stems or shining a spotlight up into the foliage will create a beautiful shadow play.

Display the best indoor hanging plants up high. Whether you hang them from the ceiling, allow them to trail down from a shelf or display them in an on-trend hanging planter, there are plenty of ways to make them a striking focal point.

LIPSTICK PLANT (AESCHYNANTHUS RADICANS) It is easy to see why this trailing houseplant is better known as the lipstick plant with its vibrant flowers set against fleshy leaves.

When they are growing in their ideal environment, lipstick plants will flower continuously. They require warm temperatures, very bright light, high humidity, consistent water, and regular fertilising to achieve this.

Lipstick Plants prefer warm environments over 65°F. As a rule of thumb, they do not need pruning. However, if some stems have become too long or bare, cut them back in spring. To do this, use a sharp knife or secateurs, leaving one third of the stem on the plant. Remove any old, dead stems as well.

Pruning encourages new, healthy stems and leaves. Each stem should be trimmed back to a length of about six inches (15 cm). Use sharp scissors or hand pruners and make a cut right above a leaf.

They are versatile—and their lovely vines can grow multiple feet long. The scientific name for a lipstick plant is Aeschynanthus (genus) radicans (species).

HEARTS ON A STRING (CEROPEGIA LINEARIS) Long, thread-like stems dotted with tiny green and cream heart-shaped leaves, purple beneath, will twinkle like Christmas decorations as they catch the sun. Pink and purple tubular flowers add to the show in summer. This pretty plant is one of the best low maintenance indoor plants as it's very easy to grow, requiring little water and almost no irrigation over winter.

You can give it a half-strength balanced liquid fertiliser once a month in spring and summer but it will sail on regardless if you forget. Display it in a sunny room where the long stems, which can reach over 6ft (1.8m), will not trail on the floor.

SPIDER PLANT (CHLOROPHYTUM COMOSUM) With its graceful fountain of green and white striped leaves and baby plantlets dancing on slender, arching 38

Donkey’s Tail (Sedum burrito) Hoya linearis

stems, the spider plant is a must-have addition to any plans to hang houseplants.

This is also one of the easiest to care for, thriving on neglect and happy in filtered sun or shade. Water it when the top of the compost feels dry and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser once a month from spring to autumn to keep it in peak condition.

This leafy plant grows to about two feet by one foot (30x60cm) in height and length, and is best displayed where the baby ‘spiders’ can form a skirt around the mother. The baby plants can be propagated to get more free houseplants.

MISTLETOE CACTUS (RHIPSALIS BACCIFERA) A tropical plant from the rainforests of Central America, the unusual mistletoe cactus produces a mass of thin sprawling leafless stems that can reach up to three feet (90cm) in length, creating a dramatic statement. It gets its name from the small white berries which resemble mistletoe and form on the stem tips in summer.

Grow it in a bright or lightly shaded position out of direct sun. Water well when the top of the compost feels dry and reduce watering frequency over winter.

DONKEY’S TAIL (SEDUM BURRITO; SEDUM MORGANIANUM) If you're learning how to grow succulents and want to add a trailing variety to your collection, this is a good one to try. It features chunky, textured stems, which reach about 12in (30cm) in length and comprise small, grey-green overlapping leaves.

Donkey’s tail may be sold as Sedum burrito or Sedum morganianum – the former has oval leaves while the latter has slightly longer, teardrop-shaped foliage, but both turn purplish-pink in strong sun. Small pink flowers also appear at the tips of the stems in summer.

Overwatering is one of the biggest houseplant mistakes.

HOYA LINEARIS These are very easy plants if you keep the soil on the dry side.

This variety reaches maturity between two and three years, at which point it will begin to flower. Hoya linearis blooms in late summer to early autumn, and flowers last for about two weeks. Like other hoyas, flowers form in clusters made of individual, star-shaped blooms.

It is also known as Hindu Rope and is one of the most expensive houseplants because of its unique variegation.

NEMATANTHUS GREGARIOUS This is an easy to grow trailing gesneriad with small glossy leaves and bright tubular pouch shaped flowers. They withstand hot and cold temperatures, along with drought and low humidity. The leaves are variegated cream, yellow, and light-green tinged pink. The most commonly cultivated species of this genus are Nematanthus australis, N. gregarious, and N. wettsteinii. Their orange blossoms look like corn or goldfish, which is why this genus has the common name, ‘goldfish plant.’

Country Gardener

Spider plant (chlorophytum comosum) Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans)

Mistletoe cactus (rhipsalis baccifera)

Nematanthus gregarious

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39

Growing plants

COULD BE A LIFE SAVER It’s not only rewarding to grow seedlings and to create, nurture and maintain a garden – it’s one of the most important things we can do for our health and long life There is increasing evidence to support what many gardeners have thought for some time– that being in a garden, growing plants and even just mowing the lawn can be beneficial for our health. Being in the natural world is vital for our health and wellbeing. We don’t always have the time or resources to travel to lakes, mountains or the seaside, but we can be in nature closer to home and still benefit from it.

In a new book How Plants Can Save Your Life: 50 Inspirational Ideas for Planting and Growing, the environmental horticulture expert Dr Ross Cameron explains how gardening and growing plants can make you healthier, backed up by scientific research.

Simply being around greenery has the power to reduce anxiety and stress, taking us away from everyday problems and not only relaxes us, but can keep our minds young and help our physical wellbeing. By growing plants you can do even more for your general health.

Dr Cameron knows what he is talking about – he is an adviser to the Royal Horticultural Society and Research Director within the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield. He has published more than 70 academic papers and book chapters on landscape plants and urban green spaces, and much of his research has been into the ways that plants help human society.

But this is not a technical book, although there are some scientific explanations for the health benefits we get from gardening. Ross Cameron writes in a lively, accessible way, with short chapters, the book has a colourful modern design with beautiful illustrations by the artist Romy Palstra, and there are side notes alerting us to the health benefits of each ‘idea’.

The 50 ideas include the basics of growing seeds and cuttings, gardening with wildlife in mind, how to dampen intrusive noises using green barriers to enjoy relaxing peace and quiet, the benefits of keeping indoor plants, and getting on with mowing the lawn which can improve cardiovascular function – but not being obsessed about it being immaculate, letting it grow longer and if possible leaving some areas uncut for a few weeks to aid wildlife.

He tells us to grow superfoods, especially the common cabbage which has a page giving ten specific health benefits from cancer prevention to the repair of stomach ulcers, boosting immunity to lowering cholesterol, and the relevant scientific proof: cabbage contains among many other vital nutrients, minerals including calcium and magnesium that aids bone construction and helps to prevent osteoporosis in later life.

Being exposed to plants, cultivating them and general garden activity has been linked to: • Reduced frequency or severity of depression • Reduced anxiety and stress • Delays in the onset of dementia • Increased feelings of joy • Improvements in physical fitness • Enhanced self-esteem • Better communication skills • Better diet

Colour coding carrots

The various benefits of plants and gardening include: • Air quality – plants can trap and deactivate harmful compounds in the air • Biophilia – an intimate relationship with nature • Human microbiome – natural occurring microbial communities affect our gut activity, and thus other aspects of our health • Phytoncides (essential oils) – plants release these chemicals, which have anti-cancer and other beneficial properties that we can absorb 40

• Stress reduction – viewing green features affects our physiology and relaxes us • Thermal comfort – plants shade and cool us during hot weather • Attention Restoration – first put forward in 1989, this theory suggests that the natural world helps us to unwind, to escape from the source of stress (called ‘Being away’), to be distracted (‘Soft fascination’) with features we can be immersed in (‘Extent’) and that we find interesting (‘Compatibility’).

So, plant buddleia to enjoy the butterflies that feed on its nectar, chill out with the cool plant colours of blue, white and green, grow scented plants, roses, honeysuckle or jasmine, to enhance your mood, sow single petal annuals to attract Simply being around greenery has the bees and other pollinators, create a small power to reduce anxiety and stress pond, and plant berried shrubs and small trees such as rowan to encourage birds. Indoors, grow succulents and house plants to improve air quality, to become relaxed as you nurture them, and orchids to transform a room.

There are so many ways in which plants help us. Today’s pharmaceutical industry has come a long way from its roots in herbal medicine and the physic gardens of the 17th century.

Ross Cameron makes the argument that plants under certain circumstances can save our lives. He adds that we must not squander that by reducing their chances of survival – our relationship with plants must be mutual and not exploitative.

That means gardening sustainably, thinking carefully about the resources you might use and where they come from – do they have a high carbon footprint? Building up natural pest predators rather than using pesticides, going back to manual tools rather than those that use lots of electricity, using natural features rather than too much hard landscaping, all these add up to a garden in harmony with the natural world that will give contentment and good health to us gardeners.

The wild carrot is pale, thin and tastes bitter. The cultivated carrot, larger and sweeter, is a product of years of selection and breeding. But there is a range of colours in the carrot world, and by eating a mixture of colours you could be widening the range of health-giving compounds (called nutraceuticals) you are ingesting. Purple carrots are full of anthocyanins, purple pigments with antioxidant properties that protect our cells from damage, so are linked to protection from various cancers and heart disease.

How Plants Can Save Your Life by Dr Ross Cameron. Published by Greenfinch, an imprint of Quercus Editions Ltd £25.

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41

Drop dead

glamour Janet Probyn has been growing alliums in her Devon garden for almost 15 years and still finds them breathtakingly beautiful

Alliums are one of those rare plants that are beautiful and spectacular without causing you any effort to grow.

It is a case of putting them in the ground and up they come in the ground and they magically do this spring after spring.

They are hands down bulbs that give so much pleasure because they provide weeks and weeks of real glamour in borders.

From the humble onion family, they are the unlikely sirens of the garden – their globes are held aloft on long, strong stems, and they are excellent for cutting when in flower or as dried, decorative seed pods.

You can’t beat alliums for adding late spring and summer pizzazz – explore the range of allium bulbs in all shades of purple, as well as white and blue.

These ornamental onions are bold and architectural, with large, rounded heads of usually purple flowers, followed by attractive seedheads.

Weave them through sunny borders or combine them with feathery grasses for best effect.

Allium, also known as flowering onion, is a spectacular and unusual looking flowering bulb that will add interest to any garden. As the name suggests, allium plants are members of the Allium family, which includes such plants as garlic, onions, leeks, and chives.

All these plants produce similar round, pom-pom shaped flower heads, though alliums are the only ones usually exclusively grown for their flowers.

Grow alliums in moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Plant as many as you can afford to buy – the most impressive allium displays arise from mass plantings. It’s a good idea to grow them among low-growing herbaceous plants, which hide their unsightly strappy foliage after flowering. Let allium foliage die down naturally after blooming and consider leaving the flower heads in place as they look attractive, particularly in winter.

When choosing alliums to grow, think about your garden space.

Will you be growing in drifts through the border or planting in bulk, in pots? As part of a prairie planting scheme or something more formal? It’s also important to think about the colour of your alliums – most allium flowers are purple but some come in shades of blue, white, yellow and pink.

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Be careful about size of your allium – that’s the flower size as well as the overall height of the plant. Flower sizes range from just a few centimetres to over 20cm (8in) in diameter, while the height of alliums can vary significantly, too.

Large, tall alliums such as ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Globemaster’ work well when planted individually or in drifts. Shorter varieties such as Allium christophii work well in pots.

Drumstick alliums such as Allium sphaerocephalon look great in prairie planting schemes.

If the soil is moist there’s no need to water them in. In spring, when growth starts to appear, apply a balanced fertiliser to poor soils.

When to plant

Where to plant Alliums do best in a sunny spot in a very well-drained soil.

They’re not fussy about soil type. Plant taller varieties towards the back of a border and shorter-growing types in the front. Alliums are well suited to growing in pots but their strappy foliage can look unsightly after flowering.

Alliums produce foliage before the flowers appear. This often means they’re better suited to the middle of a border where the faded foliage will go unnoticed while the flowers put on a show. To avoid seeing the faded foliage, plant alliums in amongst ornamental grasses and perennials.

Plant allium bulbs at least four times the depth of the size of bulb (at least 15cm deep). It’s better to plant them too deeply than too shallow. It’s best to not plant more than one allium bulb in the same planting hole, but if you want a more naturalistic display you can plant smaller growing alliums 7-10cm apart, and taller species around 20cm apart.

Country Gardener

The best time to plant allium bulbs in the UK is in autumn, typically from September to November. If you don’t plant your allium bulbs by the end of November don’t worry – you should be able to plant them up to the end of December without any problems, just make sure the bulbs are still firm and show no signs of mould or disease before planting (discard any that do). You may find that a late planting means your alliums will flower later than usual in their first year but will catch up in the second year.

Propagating alliums After a few years allium bulbs will multiply. In some cases you’ll notice the white bulbs being pushed out of the soil.

In late autumn or very early spring carefully lift the bulbs and gently peel off the offsets to replant straight into the soil.

To grow allium from seed leave the flowerheads on the plant and collect the ripe seed and sow it straight away.

Bear in mind that growing alliums from seed is a long process, as it will be years before you achieve a flowering plant.

CROSSWORD

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ALLIUM Q&A What to do with alliums after flowering?

Once the flowers have faded leave them on the plant until they fall apart as they offer fantastic winter interest. Some gardeners pick the seedheads and dry them in order to use them as a decoration in the house. Allium bulbs can be left in the garden year after year,

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Should I deadhead alliums?

You can cut off the spent flower heads at the base but this is not essential as the dried flower heads look attractive in the border.

How many times a year do alliums flower?

Alliums usually flower just once per season. However, if you let some of the flowers develop into seed heads, alliums will self seed so new plants will return next year.

Should you divide alliums?

Allium bulbs should be divided every three or four years. To do this, simply dig around the plant with a trowel and lift the bulbs out. There should be a collection of bulbs, which you can separate gently with your hands. Replant a few in the same spot, and plant the others right away in new locations.

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Do alliums get bigger each year?

Yes, alliums will grow back each year. All alliums are long-lived plants although they may fade away if planted in the wrong place – such as in soggy soil types or in shade. Even better is that after a few years they start to multiply so can be a great choice if you’re on the lookout for cheap garden ideas.

Does allium like sun or shade?

Alliums thrive in full sun, but can tolerate part-shade conditions. Soil: A well-drained soil is the most important condition for allium as bulbs may rot if left in wet soil.

What is the best companion plant for allium?

Place alliums behind heavy-foliage plants such as peonies and iris. Good for bedding, and in mixed borders. Flower heads are good for drying. Alliums pair beautifully with a wide variety of perennials including echinacea, phlox, Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle), achillea (yarrow), and iris.

PESTS AND DISEASES Ornamental alliums are problem free in the garden but can sometimes be affected by the diseases common to edible alliums like onions and garlic.

Onion fly, allium white rot and downy mildew are all common issues for edible alliums that can sometimes affect the ornamental varieties. So you should not plant ornamental alliums where edible alliums have been planted before.

Onion fly The maggots of the onion fly (which looks like a small grey house fly) do the most damage, eating the roots of plants in the onion family. If this is happening, the plant may fail altogether, or you might notice yellowing leaves.

The bulbs should be dug up – if you see any maggots or larvae, dispose of the bulbs straight away.

Allium white rot This is a fungal disease that impacts the bulb and more commonly affects onions, garlic and leeks. The bulb will show signs of furry white growth and leaves might yellow and wilt. Bulbs should be disposed of – avoid planting any alliums in the affected area in the future as the fungus can survive in the soil for years.

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ACROSS 1. Brandy distilled from morello cherries (6) 4. Ukraine city with gardens founded in 1803 (6) 8. Genus of plants commonly called calamus or sweet flag (6) 13. Clever or dexterous (6) 14. Delonix regia or peacock tree (5,9) 16. Over 100 year old food creation named after New York hotel (7,5) 17. Popular table fish in New Zealand (8) 18. Subjugated (8) 19. A gardener’s pursuit of pleasure that is wracked with disastrous consequences! (8,4) 22. One of several supports for a hayrick (12) 23. Jetty or landing place (4) 27. Symbol of plenty with flowers and fruit in a goat’s horn (10) 29. In music, a gliding movement from one note to another (10) 31. Vegetable and Welsh national emblem (4) 32. Taxonomic realm comprising all living or extinct flora (5,7) 37. Northern European tree widely grown for timber (6,6) 38. Nests in the form of mounds built by termites (8) 40. Region of Italy whose chief town is Turin (8) 41. The Cockney Paradise? A large, green space near London (6,6) 43. A lover of ferns? (14) 44. Plastic covering of supermarket flowers (6) 45. They tend to agree with everybody (6) 46. Genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family (6) 47. Modified leaves that encase the developing flower (6) DOWN 1. Any of several members of the Centaurea genus with purplish flowers (8) 2. One who lives in a country area (8) 3. Winter flower in Greek; this is a genus of flowering plants native to China (12) 5. Tall cedar native to the Himalayas (6) 6. Obsolete dialect form of asparagus (10) 7. High mountains especially snow-capped (4)

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9. Genus of flowering plants sometimes called swinebread (8) 10. Achievements or fulfilments (12) 11. Plant name given to shrubs Genista hispanica and Spartium junceum (7,5) 12. Where certain coniferous trees are commercially grown (4,6) 15. To or at a distance (6) 20. Genus of plants that include forget-me-not (8) 21. French term meaning out of doors (5,3) 24. Artic flower Papaver nudicaule (7,5) 25. Small passerine birds found in the Northern hemisphere (12) 26. Dog originally bred for herding (6,6) 28. Resistance or dissent (10) 30. Accumulates a large amount of goods (10) 33. Chinese tree whose leaves are used in traditional medicine (6) 34. Aromatic European plant of the daisy family (8) 35. Succulent plant species used widely in cosmetics (4,4) 36. Common name of Fraxinus and widely represented in Celtic mythology (3,5) 39. Indian tree prized for its timber (6) 42. Elegant and stylish (4) Answers from previous issue, May 2023: S T A F F O R D P H Y R O O C A B E T E L Q U A R R O D I U P V

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L A D E L P H U S O U O E O N G T O N L E A E C G L P

E B E N A C E A E E A R T H L I N E S S A G T G S M S B U C U L V E R S R O O T P E A C H W O O D O E P O M T P U R P L E P A S S A G E E A O E N R

N R S S U B M I T P L N P

C R O W N D E R B Y F I L I C I N E A E K X T T E C D P N R C A E S A R R H O D O D E N D R O N S S L Y R M L M C I W H I N B E R R Y P H O T O N A S T I C A C E E O G B N E R H A M N A C E O U S I N E S S E N C E D C I C E N A

I I S A T O A

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U I N S T C A

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G R E E N S L E E V E S

S C T C H S E

B N L U D I N E F A G

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TREE SPECIALIST

IN PRAISE OF SHADE Mark Hinsley sees the enormous value of the shade that our trees provide and urges us all to make our living areas more like forests.

When I was young and politicians were honest, health care professionals didn’t strike, teachers were respected, and a woman was safe alone with a Police Officer, looking ‘healthy’ was all about having a suntan.

Stretched out on lilos, sun worshipers would turn and turn again like some human rotisserie in their efforts to achieve an even suntan "On her back and on her legs".

(Peter Sarstedt, if you are wondering.).

Then somebody noticed a hole in the ozone layer!

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86 per-cent of skin cancers are due to exposure to sunlight...

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Since the early 1990s, melanoma skin cancer incidence

Editorial

Magazines

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

rates have more than doubled (140 per-cent) in the UK. Rates in females have around doubled (106 per-cent), and rates in males have almost tripled (186 per-cent) (2016-2018).

Tree canopies, by varying degrees, block ultraviolet light: The University of Purdue points out: “If a person is standing in the sunlight under a tree that provides 50 percent coverage, it will take about 50 minutes for them to burn instead of 20 minutes. However, that same person standing in the full shade under the same tree could be there for 100 minutes before they received too much ultraviolet radiation”.

UV damage builds over time; however, we tend to receive the bulk of our damage when we are children. So put the playhouse under the tree.

By the way, UV light doesn’t just burn you and cause skin cancer – it also damages your immune system.

Then there are urban heat islands: The 2003 heat wave was considered responsible for 14,802 and 2,045 excess deaths in France and England and Wales respectively.

Many of these deaths occurred in urban areas because of the combined effect of the heat wave with the urban micro-climate. Urban heat islands are caused by hard surfaces absorbing heat all day and then radiating it out at night. It was higher night-time temperatures which proved to be most lethal.

Trees and vegetation lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and through evapotran spiration. Shaded surfaces, for example, may be 11to 25°C cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials. If the heat is not in the surface in the first place it cannot radiate out later.

Of course, when we are not burning to a crisp these days, we are drowning in floods. Rain falls on the

"One of the difficulties with trees is that you have to plant them 30 years before you need them, but better late than never." same hard surfaces which did all the heat radiating and rushes towards the nearest drain. The drain is overwhelmed, and the water backs up and floods places.

Figures are few and far between and difficult to relate to different circumstances, but an idea is given by data which indicated that a 40-year-old tree will intercept 4,500 gallons of rainwater every year. That is water that sticks on the leaves, twigs, branches and trunk and does not immediately fall to the ground.

One of the difficulties with trees is that you have to plant them 30 years before you need them, but better late than never.

As a species we are naturally forest dwellers. It is after we came out of the forest that it all started going horribly wrong for us and our environment. The sooner we understand that and start making our living areas more like forests and less like bakers’ ovens the better.

The 1970s are gone, my lovely.

Mark Hinsley, of Mark Hinsley Arboricultural Consultants Ltd, offering tree consultancy services. www.treeadvice.info

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