Amateur Gardening

“For some, trying something new can be a challenge – this is possiby more relevant in gardening than many other pastimes. Growing is a slow business, so once you hit on a variety that works for you, why change? And if it doesn’t work out, you have a

WE are almost at the end of February and with longer days, spring flowers appearing and a smidgen more warmth in the air, this is the time of year when I stock up on supplies. Top of the list, every year, is compost. Sowing seeds, potting on young pl

THE free AG ‘Tigerella’ tomato seeds I showed you how to sow in January have grown well in our heated propagator on a south-west facing window They have started to develop their ‘proper’ leaves so I have potted them on into John Innes No 1 compost, w

I HAVE had mixed luck with the pelargonium cuttings I took last summer and autumn. Those I tried to overwinter in the mini greenhouse succumbed to botrytis grey mould and were thrown away. However, the ones residing in the main greenhouse have thrive

THIS year has seen some of the wettest weather on record in the UK, with widespread flooding across many parts. The problem is made worse by building projects that eat up land that would otherwise soak up the worst of the excess water. For gardeners,

IF you want to grow something that packs a real punch of colour, look no further than members of the aster family. This week’s free seeds are for a variety called ‘Duchess Mixed’ that grows to 24in (60cm) tall and produces chrysanthemum-shaped flower

GARDENERS often lapse into a ‘kindness’ problem when we find it hard not growing on every seedling. This inevitably leads to overcrowding and poorer results. We sow a pinch of tomato seeds in a small propagator and, surprised when most come up, we tr

I’M not close to one of the five large RHS gardens – I wish I were! However, RHS members can also visit 221 partner gardens for free. Every year visitors vote for their favourite garden and this year’s winner was Nant-y-Bedd, a ten-acre wildlife gard

IT’S something that gets us in an excitable frenzy when it’s in season, and yet few of us remember to sow the delicious sprouting broccoli in spring. A long-term commitment it may be, but why not sow some purple (or white) sprouting now? It’s sure to

ZINNIAS are flamboyant annual flowers in the daisy family, for flower gardens, pollinator gardens, containers and cutting for the house. In some native and wild zinnias the flowers clearly look like daisies and may be only 1in (2.5cm) across. At the

Q My clematis plants were hit by clematis wilt last summer. I mulched them all in the autumn, and at the end of winter I am pruning and feeding them to give them the best chance of fighting the virus. I have also cut back lots of my other trees and s

Q Our garden club has been given lots of orchid compost. Could we mix it with other composts to use in our polytunnel? April Sheldrick (via email) A I suggest that you mix potting compost with a third part, by volume, with the orchid mixture. It cont

This extract from AG 8 February 1970 looks at inexpensive and easy-to-grow annuals IT’S strange how one looks back to ‘the good old days’ of childhood whenever ‘the simple way of life’ is mentioned. Certainly, my own little garden patch I cultivated

This extract from AG 2 March 1968 looks at the man who discovered the Douglas fir DAVID Douglas, plant collector, born the son of a stone mason in Scone, Perth and Kinross, rose to be the darling of the learned societies of London. His success went t

We look at a range of flowers that will make you green with envy! EVEN in winter, there are more shades of green in our gardens than any other colour (largely thanks to lawns and the huge variety of leaf styles available). But it’s not just foliage t

It’s time for our just-for-fun puzzle – AG’s Garden Wall. This wall comprises 12 bricks in three courses. Each brick has a different word, or phrase on it. The first brick in each course, with BLOCK capitals, is cemented in place and cannot be moved.

Steve Bradley MA MHort (RHS) has written (or co-written) over 40 gardening books, including Propagation Basics, The Pruner’s Bible, The Ground Force Workbook and What’s Wrong With My Plant? He is resident expert on BBC Radio Kent, Sussex and Surrey,

Q I have a lot of plants that have been growing in containers for some time. Some look needy, but there’s no way I can repot them all. How (and with what) can I feed them to bring the plants back to good health? Susan Winstanley, Nantwich, Cheshire A

I love sowing everything from seed.There are so many varieties to fulfilevery need.Frame, strip, plot or row,As long as you have dedication, theywill all grow. Even hard-to-propagate ones dosuccumb,Making any disadvantage easy toovercome,Plug plants

Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Future Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, RG41 5TP (please include your address). Email us: amateurgardening@futurenet.com TOBY’S article about laurel (AG, 7 Janu

LAST week, I had the honour of being made a patron of a small and bijou zoo run by Shaldon Wildlife Trust in South Devon. What’s that got to do with gardening, you might ask? Well, quite a lot, as I made an amazing horticultural discovery. On a tour

Editorial: Editor: Garry Coward-Williams Email: garry.coward-williams@futurenet.com 0330 390 3732 (Mon-Fri 9.00am-6.00pm) Gardening Editor: Ruth Hayes Assistant Editor: Janey Goulding Art Editor: Al Rigger Editorial Assistant: Lesley Upton Picture Ed