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Amateur Gardening - 25 June 2022 PDF

60 Pages·2022·65.2 MB·English
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138 years of practical advice 1884 2022 The World’s Oldest Gardening Magazine Get Jobs for this week 6 isfsoure £s 6* 5 D ahlia and canna care only asum(cid:9)–b a ss0te.3eceu3o pr.0uga k3ga/3reJd 3u4e n81n12i1n23g 71102 SEF rauermely m Sseeuerm dlamsw:e Dnr apeisrsusyne ‘niGntogialilasth Mixed’ plus growing tips and What’s On Great garden ideas 24 Club tropicana: if you want a tropical effect, now is the time to plant 28 Lovely lavender: we name the best varieties and its many uses 33 How to grow bearded iris: definitive guide to growing these beauties Gardening wisdom 28“See my choice of the best lavender 14 B ob Flowerdew for all needs,” says Graham 16 V al Bourne Wildlife 19 L ucy Chamberlain’s Fruit and Veg 37 A sk John Negus 42 A ll Our Yesterdays 45 A Gardener’s Miscellany 50 T ried & tested: patio/path weeders 52 A nne Swithinbank’s Masterclass 55 L etters to Wendy: from AG readers 58 T oby Buckland Garden news 8 Chelsea report/Plant of the Year Reader offers 22 Check out this week’s deals! “Our report on the RHS plant of the year from the Chelsea Flower Show is on page 9 and you can also read about the 7 33 “I reveal my top tips “Breaded irises will memorial at Chelsea created to celebrate for getting the best light up a sunny the life and work of our former columnist summer lawn,” says Ruth border,” says Graham ure Peter Seabrook. Peter’s contribution to ut F gardening cannot be understated. “As a grower, writer and TV presenter he worked unstintingly to promote the benefits of gardening. Peter exhibited at Chelsea for 50 years, creating displays that showcased new plants in a way all gardeners could enjoy and benefit from. The Queen was a regular visitor to Peter’s stand at Chelsea and this year was no exception — he would have been proud of that. We all miss him”. d Garry Coward-Williams, e dit Editor e cr e s wi er Contact us: h ot s Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 s e unl Editorial: 0330 3903732 y m a Email: [email protected] Al hs 24“Here are some great options if you Advertising: 0330 3906566 p a gr want the tropical look,” says Hazel o ot h p All Cover: Bearded iris ‘Rajah’ (pic: Alamy) 25 JUNE 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 3 Your GARDENING WEEK with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes Dahlia care y m Cannas are bright and a Al long-flowering my 1 Fill little pots with newspaper a Al and invert on canes near your dahlias. Earwigs, which eat dahlia I am protecting a compact flowers, crawl in and can be ‘Star Wars’ dahlia from collected and moved elsewhere earwigs using a plant pot (don’t kill them as they eat aphids). filled with newspaper There are many varieties of dahlia Care of exotic perennials Ruth sets her cannas and dahlias up for summer W HILE I love growing native pellets. They can also contract a virus flowers and filling the that is incurable, meaning plants should garden with pastel hues be removed and destroyed. 2 and delicate grasses, I Cannas thrive in sheltered, fertile soil Slugs and snails will target can’t resist the exotic allure of dahlias in full sun or light shade and if happy, will dahlias so protect them with and cannas. quickly grow large. Dahlias and cannas a ring of wool pellets, which also I’m obviously not alone in this as they flower into the autumn, bringing long- acts as mulch, feeding the soil are two of the most popular summer lasting colour and interest. and helping it retain water. varieties, and with good reason. Unless you live in very mild areas, they Dahlias are loved for their infinite are best lifted and stored in a frost-free variety of heights, shapes and colours, greenhouse through winter, restarted while cannas add height to the centre of undercover in spring and planted out borders, their colourful broad leaves as once the frosts have finished and night much a talking point as their sturdy time temperatures are reliably balmy. stems holding fiery red, yellow and In very sheltered gardens in mild orange blooms. areas, both plants can survive winter Despite their exotic appearance, outside as long as soil is free-draining canna lilies are fairly problem-free, and their root area is generously 3 though they do suffer from slug and snail mulched with well rotted manure or Smearing Vaseline around the attacks so protect them with wool compost and straw. stems of potted dahlias also helps keep snails at bay. Getting the best from cannas 4 Keep container compost 1 2 Cannas grow well in pots but In autumn when foliage dies back, consistently damp and your d e dit aren’t so good at sharing space lift canna rhizomes and store dahlia fed by using a dripper and e cr s as they grow large and can swamp them in trays of sand and compost bottle filled with water and liquid s e unl smaller plants. somewhere frost-free through winter. tomato feed. e ur ut F 25 JUNE 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 Your GARDENING WEEK with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes Cultivating your wild side Forking soil before reseeding Field poppies add a splash of colour Wildflower lawns are important feeding posts for pollinators Mowing, feeding and For the past few years we have removing moss are all turned No Mow May into No Mow e essential summer jobs ur Summer, letting some of our lawn ut F All grow wild, while keeping other areas Summer lawn essentials cropped short. This creates what the charity Plant Life (who started the No Mow May Feed, mow and take care of bald patches, says Ruth initiative) call ‘the Mohican’. It is designed so that low-growing W HILE we’re busy catering starts to go brown during dry weeks, as it wildflowers such as clover, kidney to the every need of our will green up again when it rains. vetch and daisies are available for beds, borders, pots and Keep up with edging around borders, bees and pollinators in early summer, baskets, let’s not forget as it’s a quick and easy way of making before they make way for taller that our lawns need looking after too. your garden look smarter. It also plants such as scabious, bedstraws, It’s often the largest single area in the removed straggly areas of cool shady oxeye daisies and knapweed that garden and the UK’s usual warm, damp grass where pests often like to hang out. provide pollen through summer and early summer is perfect growing You may decide to feed your lawns to into autumn. conditions for grass so you may find keep them lush. This is best done after The key to successfully growing a yourself needing to mow once a week rain and on overcast days as fertiliser wildflower lawn is to keep the soil at the moment. can scorch the grass in bright sunlight. poor, so when we scythe the grass Keep the blade on a fairly high setting Stop feeding with a summer fertiliser and flowers down in late August, we as this ensures the lawn will stay looking in August, as it contains high levels of leave them lying for just a couple of lush even through dry spells. Cut too nitrogen to encourage grass growth. days so seeds can fall, before short and the parched soil below will These new soft shoots won’t have composting it. That way, the plants start to show through. time to mature and harden off before regenerate, but without enriching the Unless you are planning a garden autumn, leaving them vulnerable to cold soil underneath. event, it isn’t worth watering if your lawn weather and hungry pests. Expert Four tips for getting top lawns advice 1 2 3 4 While proprietary lawn Where bare patches Moss growing in shaded Only feed your lawn weed killers will get have formed, or large areas can be combated when it is damp and rid of large patches of weeds have been removed, by using Mo Bacter moss on overcast days to avoid unwanted plants, a simple fork up the soil and reseed, killer and Recovery, an scorching the grass. Don’t puller is good for removing then water it in and protect effective organic, child-and use summer lawn feeds large perennial weeds. from hungry birds. pet-safe product. after August. 25 JUNE 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 7 Your GARDENING WEEK with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes Plants were back at Chelsea This year’s show was a welcome return to ‘proper’ gardens M OST years Team AG approaches the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with slight trepidation because many of the gardens verge on the pretentious and show nothing that our loyal readers would consider adding to John Warland’s Ice Garden represents their patch. global warming This year, however, our fears were unfounded as plants were back in their rightful place at the forefront of the displays, not overshadowed by strange concrete blocks or rusty American prairie grain silos. While there was nothing on show to scare the horses or make you scratch your head, there were plenty of inspirational and very eye-catching ideas The ‘With Love’ garden White alliums and to take home and try yourself. by the horticultural ‘Totally Tangerine’ A rare exception was the Plantsman’s charity Perennial won geums were the People’s Choice Ice Garden, John Warland’s chilly everywhere Award 2022 monolith representing the threat of y m a global warming. Al AG editor Garry Coward Williams said: Perennial show garden designed by Tangerine’ was everywhere, as were “At previous shows the ugliness was Richard Miers. Richard created a quietly purple lupins and irises, white alliums ignored like the Emperor’s New Clothes, beautiful arrangement of deep purple and foxgloves, creamy-yellow and dusky as many commentators waxed lyrical lupins surrounded by beautiful snow- pink Verbascums, a myriad salvias and about concrete and weeds, but there white peonies, foxgloves, roses, gladioli, delicate, floaty grasses. was a palpable sign of relief this year alliums, gypsophila and Baltic parsley.” It was a refreshing return to basics that they could talk about plants again. Many of the varieties used were that renewed our faith in the future of “A good example of this is the springtime favourites; geum ‘Totally British gardening. Fond memorial to Peter Seabrook Peter’s effects and “Peter Seabrook’ sweet peas on his memorial bench THE first Chelsea Flower Show without early flowering and highly scented and Peter Seabrook was always going to was discovered as a ‘rogue’ by Peter and be a strange event. The absence of developed by Thompson and Morgan. gardening’s most irrepressible The brand’s horticultural character was commented director, Paul Hansford, said: on by many. “Sweet peas were one of This year, his Peter’s favourite plants s ubiquitous floral and he spotted this one ard display was replaced wards as a rogue (unwanted ur Edw by a touching ur Ed plant in a seed crop) and Arth memorial featuring a Arth selected it. garden bench with his “We grew it and it has new plants developed each year. trademark straw hat, come true to type.” Alan Titchmarsh, who presented gumboots, sunflower tie The Queen with her The Sun newspaper will the BBC’s Chelsea coverage with and overalls. ‘Peter Seabrook’ be selling 10,000 packets of Peter, paid tribute. There was also a bouquet sweet peas sweet pea ‘Peter Seabrook’ in He said: “He was great company, of sweet peas named in his honour September and £1 from every pack extremely generous and a real fighter and later presented to The Queen sold will be donated to Peter’s beloved for horticulture. when she made her customary tour of RHS Garden Hyde Hall to enable staff “He was the greatest champion of d e the Great Pavilion. there to continue working on the Floral our industry. We see gardening at its dit e ‘Peter Seabrook’ is a new variety in Fantasia. This is an annual initiative best here, every May, and Peter was s cr s e shades of mauve. It is long-stemmed, started by Peter to showcase the best always at its forefront.” unl e ur ut F 8 AMATEUR GARDENING 25 JUNE 2022 New to you: In next week’s AG we’re showcasing s e s o the best of this year’s new plants and where you s r e can buy them. eal B er et P Maritime Armeria pseudarmeria ‘Dreamland’ was second placed m a h n e d y x Semponium ‘Destiny’ is a cross between a w S A pink version of the ever-popular e hardy Sempervivum and an aeonium ndr Salvia ‘Amistad’ came third A 3 All Hardy ‘Destiny’ is Plant of the Year This attractive crossbreed is the perfect variety for times of climate uncertainty B OLD, beautiful and not, leaves that hold their colour all year, and of unique new hybrids between a perhaps, a traditional choice, pretty yellow flowers. humble super-hardy houseleek, the winner of the 2022 It grows to 60cm across on a single Sempervivum, and a more exotic rather Chelsea Flower Show Plant rosette of leaves and may start to branch tender succulent Aeonium, ‘Destiny’ is a of the Year may raise a few eyebrows, out when mature enough. The plant was dramatic patio plant that looks like a but there are good reasons why x developed at Surreal Succulents in west bronze sculpture and will make an Semponium ‘Destiny’ walked off with Cornwall by Daniel Michael. impressive 40cm x 40cm feature in just the prestigious accolade. AG expert Graham Rice was one of three years.” It is a cross between a hardy the RHS judges called upon to choose Armeria pseudarmeria ‘Dreamland’ Sempervivum and an Aeonium and is the winner and he says ‘Destiny’ won (Dreameria Series) from Stonebarn the perfect plant for these times of thanks to its innovation and lasting Landscapes came second, with a pink climate change and uncertainty. appeal and also because it is ‘a version of Salvia ‘Amistad’ from Drought-tolerant and hardy down to genuinely good specimen’. Middleton Nurseries Ltd winning -2°C, ‘Destiny’ has striking dark red Graham added: “Picked from a group third place. Team AG’s plants of the year I CHOSE the Armeria THIS floribunda rose PLANT of the Year was pseudarmeria ‘Loyal Companion’ bred packed with gems, but ‘Dreamland’. by Peter Beales Roses Iris sibirica ‘Fran’s I’m a fan of what I has delicate pink, semi Gold’ caught my vote. call sea thrift, (it has double cup-shaped I like Sibirian flag many common names flowers that open wide to irises because they are including cliff rose and reveal prominent stamens less fussy than bearded lady’s pincushion) and I have several. – an ideal landing pad for bees! Perfect irises. ‘Fran’s Gold’ has green-yellow Armeria pseudarmeria is a larger, for the smaller garden at 3ft x 2ft (90 x foliage followed by delicate, long- taller variety that got my attention. 60cm), and ideal for pots. One striking lasting purple flowers flecked with The plant is available from several feature is the changing colours at every white and yellow. suppliers including the plant shop at stage of maturity, starting with apricot Fully hardy, great for pollinators RHS Wisley, and Bodmin Nursery, buds, opening peach to pink and finally and perfect for adding mid-border m Laveddon Mill, Laninval Hill, Bodmin, petals fade to white. height, it likes moisture-retentive soil a h n de Cornwall, PL30 5JU ((cid:9) 01208 72837, ((cid:27) Classicroses.co.uk) £18.95 bare root in dappled shade or sun. ‘Fran’s Gold’ y S w (cid:27) bodminnursery.co.uk delivery from November. will be available later this summer. e ndr Garry Coward-Williams Wendy Humphries Ruth Hayes A 3 All 25 JUNE 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 9 Your GARDENING WEEK with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes Tender veg I am cutting back our Clematis montana to keep it in shape Finally out and ready to grow Plant butternut squash somewhere fertile, sunny and sheltered Give Coronilla a trim y m in early summer a Al Top Tip Pruning every year keeps clematis THANKS to holidays and general flowering on all its disorganisation, I was a bit late stems, rather than d planting out our e just at the top dit e courgettes and cr above eye s es butternut level e unl squashes, but ur ut now they are F Early summer pruning in the ground and we’re keeping fingers crossed Harvest courgettes Trim back early clematis and other shrubs, says Ruth as they ripen for good harvests. O UR Deutzia and weigela are profusely. It is the montana’s turn for a Both plants like sunny, fertile soil still just about flowering so I’m hard chop this autumn as it has and need regular feeding and not quite ready to prune them, outgrown its space and is pulling its old watering through the growing and the forsythia is growing wire trellis away from the wall. season. Chicken manure pellets, well so I won’t trim that or I’ll lose next I also trimmed a Coronilla valentina forked into the soil, will release year’s flowering stems. ‘Citrina’, a compact shrub with blue- enough nutrients to keep plants However, this point of the summer is green leaves and sweet yellow flowers growing well, and watering with a the perfect time to prune early-flowering that scent the garden from January right solution of tomato fertiliser once the clematis such as C. montana, winter- through to early summer. courgettes and squash have formed flowering varieties and C. armandii. This variety doesn’t take kindly to will help them crop well. It is easy to do, just trim away dead hard pruning so I just deadhead and trim Young plants also need flowers and any long, straggly stems that off the straggly ends to stop it growing protection from slugs and snails, so are outgrowing their allotted space. over the path, before removing any ring them with a collar of deterrent We have a montana and an armandii stems that look dead, diseased or weak. wool mulching that need cutting back. I hard pruned the (cid:81) I will soon be trimming other summer- If you prefer to use pellets, just armandii three years ago and this is the flowering shrubs as well as our plum and put one or two under a tile near the first year since that it has really flowered cherry trees. Watch this space. plants – the pests will retreat under there during the day and eat the pellets. Dispose of the corpses in Top tips for summer pruning the bin. Both butternut squash and courgettes can suffer from powdery mildew, so keep them well watered and with good airflow. Once ripe, keep butternut squash on the plants for as long as possible before harvesting. Courgettes should be harvested as soon as they are large enough to 1 2 Simply trim away straggly Feed shrubs after pruning, then eat as this will encourage the plants Coronilla stems, cutting back to water well and mulch around the to produce more. If you leave them healthy wood or a strong, outward- root area with well-rotted compost on the plant you risk ending up with facing shoot. or manure. one large courgette and no more. 10 AMATEUR GARDENING 25 JUNE 2022

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