12-Aug-2023

Amateur Gardening

For everyone who loves gardening

Amateur Gardening1 min read
Amateur Gardening 139 Years Of Practical Advice
“The other weekend I was doing various jobs in the garden and decided to fork over a huge mass of garden waste that included grass cuttings, hedge trimmings and prunings I had left for months to rot down. It was one of those ‘been meaning to do this
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Why It’s Time To Stop Feeding Your Plants Now
▪ We usually recommend feeding and mulching trees and shrubs after they have been pruned, to encourage them to put on strong new growth. ▪ However, anything pruned in late summer should not be fed, though you can mulch over the root area ▪ Feeding wo
Amateur Gardening2 min read
A Final Summertime Trim
THERE is still time to finish summer pruning before the temperatures start to drop and certain fungal diseases become more prevalent once again (see panel, right). It is a good time to restore some order to trees and shrubs that have exploded into gr
Amateur Gardening1 min read
How To Grow Wisteria Well
▪ One of the most frequent questions asked of John Negus is ‘why won’t my wisteria flower?’ ▪ For such a popular plant, it certainly frustrates a lot of our readers! ▪ There are two varieties of wisteria grown in the UK; Wisteria sinensis (which grow
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Get More Berries
1 Find where new plants are growing along the runner and check for healthy roots. 2 Nestle the new plant on a pot of multipurpose compost, lightly firming the compost around it. 3 Hold the plant securely in place using clothes pegs. 4 Water and keep
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Project Peat-Free update
MY peat-free experiment continues apace and as summer hits its stride, this is when the abilities of the composts to retain moisture and nutrients are really put to the test. I am using two premium brands of peat-free: Dalefoot wool compost and Melco
Amateur Gardening1 min read
How To Avoid Blossom End Rot
WHETHER you are using peat or peatfree compost, blossom end rot is a common problem for those who grow tomatoes, aubergines and peppers. Caused by a lack of calcium, it presents as a leathery area at the base of tomatoes, which grow flat and hard. It
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Our Wild Lawn
▪ Our wildflower lawn gets better each year and this spring and summer have gifted us several new species of plants and insects. ▪ We were especially delighted to have a colony of small blue butterflies take up residence, probably drawn to the garden
Amateur Gardening1 min read
How To Sow This Airy Beauty
1 The seeds are small so sieve out large compost lumps first. 2 Dampen the compost with fresh tap water. 3 Scatter the seeds as thinly as possible over the top. 4 Add a thin layer of compost or vermiculite and a lid. ■
Amateur Gardening1 min read
What’s On
11-13 August: Shrewsbury Flower Show, The Quarry, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, West Midlands, SY1 1RN. 12-13 August: Brogdale Plum Weekend, Brogdale Collections, Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8XZ. Brogdalecollections.org for tickets and details. 12
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Happy Harvests
THERE’S tremendous joy anticipating something we’ve grown, especially when it’s also our first time. Of course, there is also a tiny worry when pondering the optimum time to pick said gems. Is it better tomorrow, or maybe next week, or last week? Fam
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Bob’s Top Tips For The Week
1 Kids getting bored? Have them grubbing weeds out of the lawn with blunt knives – a bucketful in exchange for some treats! 2 Now is a good time to destroy wasp nests before they destroy all your fruit crops; we strongly suggest you hire a profession
Amateur Gardening5 min read
Focus On… Growing Figs
FORGET fig rolls as your source of consumption – fresh figs are where it’s at! Naturally sweet, with that unique soft and crunchy combination, how exactly do you secure such a sublime harvest? Have you heard that a fig’s yield is fickle? To reassure
Amateur Gardening1 min read
How To Know When Figs Are Ready To Pick
1 Drooping: The majority of unripe figs protrude upwards along the branch where they’re growing. As the stalk softens and flesh ripens, the fig will noticeably hang downwards. This is often the very first sign of maturity. 2 Sugar liquid: The base of
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Gigantes Beans
ARE runner beans a staple in your house? Then why not try a specially selected variety with huge beans that will add a delicious Mediterranean twist to your culinary repertoire? The ‘Gigantes’ bean is a form of runner bean that produces huge seeds –
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Enjoy Japanese anemones
AS the light slips at the end of summer, you can go bold, brassy and hot in your colour schemes to catch the final flourish of the season – or you can savour those dipping rays with the cool, pale blooms of Japanese anemones. If you can accommodate a
Amateur Gardening2 min read
6 Single-flowered Anemones
A really abundant anemone, oozing flower power. It lives up to its name as it reaches its peak in the final throes of summer and early autumn. The blooms are larger and more upright facing. This is a very reliable hardy perennial. HxS: 4x3ft (120x90c
Amateur Gardening2 min read
4 Companion Plants
Not to be confused with the North American woodland native Actaea pachypoda species that produces spires of white berries at this time of year. Formerly known as cimicifuga and also known as baneberry, Actaea simplex is a good companion for Japanese
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Black Beauties
THERE’S something very alluring about dark plants, and they are one of the easiest ways to add sophistication to a border. Flowers that smoulder in shades of midnight navy, damson black and velvet crimson; sultry black and maroon foliage woven in amo
Amateur Gardening1 min read
3 Brown-black Flowers
Cornflowers are an essential wildlife plant; to keep things contemporary, opt for deep burgundy over classic blue. Sow under glass in September, or direct sow in well-drained, sun-baked soil in April. H: 3ft (90cm). A fabulous dark-claret perennial t
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Buddlejas
BUDDLEJAS (Buddleja davidii) have been garden essentials for more than 100 years. Introduced from Tibet in 1869, by the early years of the 20th century they were widely grown and many varieties were named. This was facilitated by the fact that buddle
Amateur Gardening2 min read
6 Traditional Buddlejas
Large, vigorous plants with relatively short slender spikes filled with deepest purple (though not black), yellow-eyed florets. Still an awardwinner 65 years after its introduction. Good for: Back of a mixed border. Good with: Canary creeper (Tropaeo
Amateur Gardening2 min read
4 Modern Seedless Buddlejas
Four seedless varieties that are hardy anywhere, these are the latest in the new weeping style, following on from ‘Wisteria Lane’. Their arching growth develops on relatively small plants. Good for: Places where invasiveness is a problem. A striking
Amateur Gardening3 min read
Words Of Wisdom
Gentians are among the most attractive of rock-garden plants, says Will Ingwersen THERE is magic in the name gentian that never fails to appeal to lovers of alpine and rock-garden plants. The incomparable blue of their flowers is irresistible and, al
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Success With Peruvian Lilies
THE hybrids of Alstroemeria ligtu are among the most desirable of all herbaceous plants for the garden and for cut flowers for the house. No matter what kind of a heatwave their June-July flowering may coincide with, they will last in water for a for
Amateur Gardening1 min read
AG’s Garden Wall
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.
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Word Search
This word search comprises words associated with tree plants. They are listed below; in the grid they may be read across, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Letters may be shared between words. Erroneous or duplicate words may appear in the grid, but
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Crossword…just For Fun!
1 Country generally associated with any plant species named japonica (5) 3 Type of pelargonium (5) 7 Underground part of Cichorium intybus, roasted and ground to substitute for coffee (7,4) 8 Shrub or small 6 down genus in the petunia family, with th
Amateur Gardening5 min read
Steve & Val’s TRIED & TESTED
Steve and Val check out the quality of hanging baskets that are on offer HANGING baskets have long been a way of gardening vertically, whether to extend a display or as a means of overcoming limited floor space. They were traditionally used to displa
Amateur Gardening2 min read
Ask ANNE SWITHINBANK
Q I bought and planted Swiss chardin spring, but this has now run up to seed. We would like to grow more so when should I sow the seed? Phillipa Turson, Radstock, Somerset A Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp.cicla var. flavescens) and closely related
Amateur Gardening1 min read
My Garden of Contrasts
Thank you for all your entries – £20 goes to the writer of each poem published. This week, Carol MacLean says: ‘I’d like to offer my poem for the letters’ page. It was inspired by my own garden where I have ornamental plants but like to leave space f
Amateur Gardening1 min read
Amateur Gardening
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 Editor and

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