Cutting garden
tGougidreowtofboerstthpelvaanstes
EXPERT ADVICE!
John Negus’s top tips for
beating the moss menace
DIY compost:
make your own
organic mix for
seeds & potting
Houseplants:
how to deal
with the cause
of sticky leaves
Step by step: Cosmos!
technique for
avoiding rose Pretty varieties to brighten
replant disease your summer garden
Red twig dogwoods profiled
138 years of practical advice
1884 The World’s Oldest Gardening Magazine 2022
6 £6iosfnsoulryes * Jobs for this week
asm u–bas0ste.3eceu3opr0.uga3kga3/refd3e4eb21n21i1n23g 4 Compost explained
5 Peat-free seed compost test
9 Cutting back buddlejas
12 Free seeds: how to grow your
‘Blaze of Fire’ salvias
28 “Cosmos: an essential gorgeous ingredient Great garden ideas
for the summer garden,” says Hazel
24 Cutting garden: have your vase over-
flowing with homegrown flowers
28 Beautiful cosmos: best varieties of
annuals and perennials to grow
33 Graham Rice’s How to Grow: this
new series starts with dogwoods
52 Get the look: a wildlife-focused
garden in Gloucestershire
Gardening wisdom
10 Peter Seabrook
14 Bob Flowerdew
16 Val Bourne Wildlife
19 Lucy Chamberlain’s Fruit and Veg
37 Ask John Negus
45 A Gardener’s Miscellany
48 Anne Swithinbank’s Masterclass
50 Advanced Gardening
57 Letters to Wendy: from AG readers
59 Toby Buckland
Garden news
6 Peter Seabrook obituary and
tributes from AG contributors
Reader offers
22 Save £29.99 on duo fruit tree offer
Future 4“I’ll show you how to 33“I’ll explain how “Gardening is a never-ending journey:
make your own potting to grow red-twig always new things to discover, and every
compost,” says Ruth dogwoods,” says Graham year I aim to try something new. Having
successully replanted two climbing roses
last year, I am going to propagate another
two by hardwood cuttings, as Ruth details
on page 7. Not all of us have a big garden
and I don’t plant half the veg I would like,
as sun-friendly space is at a premium, but
I will be trying carrots for the first time as I
can sow these in a vacated border shortly
after the potato harvest in July.
Remember, gardeners – have
the courage to fail on your
journey, for through failure
often comes learning.”
Garry Coward-Williams,
Editor
All Alamy, unless credited 24 “Here are the best plants to create a Contact us:
wonderful cutting garden,” says Anne Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113
Editorial: 0330 3903732
Email: [email protected]
Advertising: 0330 3906566
Cover: Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Candy Stripe’ (pic: Alamy) 5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 3
GYaorurdening Week Our Special
guide to composts
with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes
There’s a product for everything
Compost rotting down
Alamy in a plastic bin
We are lucky 1 Container compost: Usually
enough to have augmented with extra nutrients
the space to make and moisture-retaining ingredients.
our own compost, If you are using peat-free
but it can be done multipurpose, add a granular fertiliser
in smaller areas and moisture-retaining granules.
Crumbly homemade 2 Ericaceous compost: Designed
compost ready to use to offer optimum nutrition to
acid-loving plants such as azaleas,
A-composting we will go rhododendrons and blueberries.
Use with an ericaceous fertiliser.
Ruth explores the dark and crumbly world of compost
3 Houseplant compost: Usually
Future unless credited C OMPOST is a hot topic thanks needs, so you will probably stock up on contains enough nutrients for
to the Government’s public some basic supplies, such as: three months’ growth plus moisture
consultation regarding the ban Q Seed and cuttings compost: A mild regulating ingredients that releases
on peat in gardening, which will formula with enough nutrients to give water when the roots need them.
run until March 18. seedlings a good start without burning
the roots. See P5 for further information. 4 Specialist plants: Orchids,
Stepping aside from that for a Q John Innes No 1: Stronger than seed succulents, citrus plants and
moment, we often hear from AG readers and cuttings compost, ideal for potting bonsai are all catered for with
that there is so much choice of compost on young seedlings. specific composts designed to
for sale (and inadequate signage around Q John Innes No 2: Helps plant growth cater for their varied requirements.
it) they find it hard to choose the product and establishment and is used for
they want or need. potting up houseplants and also
ornamental and vegetable plants into
Further confusion arises with the medium-sized pots.
difference between compost, soil Q John Innes No 3: A rich blend used for
improvers and mulches, so basically, growing hungry vegetables and mature
composts are for growing while soil trees and shrubs in containers.
improvers and mulches boost and Q Multipurpose: A versatile all-rounder.
protect your soil. Mix it with John Innes 2 and 3 in pots for
added bulk and better drainage.
Having said that, homemade compost
is a great mulch and soil feeder as well Once plants are growing, you will get
as the perfect medium for germinating the best results by regularly feeding,
and growing. Here at AG we urge especially those in containers as they
everyone to make their own if they can. soon use up the nutrients contained in
the compost. I will be looking at this in
Even a small garden has room for a greater depth next week.
plastic ‘Dalek’ bin and all you need to Q Don’t forget to have your say in the
make wonderful, crumbly, garden- Government’s far-reaching consultation
boosting compost is green kitchen into all aspects of peat use in
peelings, grass clipping and chopped up horticulture. It runs until Friday, March 18
woody prunings. and details can be found at consult.
defra.gov.uk/soils-and-peatlands. You
Mix them together, keep them open can take part by emailing horticultural.
to the rain and covered in cold weather [email protected] and by writing to
to hold in the heat and over a few Peat in Horticulture Consultation,
months they will rot down into compost. Soils and Peatlands Team, Area SE,
2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.
Home composting reduces the
amount of green waste you need to take
to the tip and saves you money.
Most home composting won’t
produce enough for all your gardening
4 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
A healthy diet: Next week I talk about some of the
feeds you can use through the year to get
the best from your flowers and crops.
Using a straw
mulch as
insulation
Spreading
compost to
improve the
soil in winter
Making homemade seed To mulch or
compost to use alongside compost?
commercial peat and
peat-free seed compost So what is the difference between
mulch and compost?
Seed compost trials Perliteaerates
compost which In very simple terms, compost can
benefits roots be used as mulch, but mulch usually
doesn’t make good compost.
We are testing peat, peat-free and homemade compost
Compost is well-rotted organic
WE all welcome the roots to access the air and moisture. matter such as farmyard manure or
proposed ban of peat If you don’t have any leaf mould, broken down green and brown
in compost that will waste including kitchen peelings,
be implemented in a rehydrated coir is a good alternative. lawn clippings, deadheadings,
couple of years’ time, but debate is still I’m conducting a citizen science prunings and shredded cardboard.
continuing about the viability of peat-
free seed compost. experiment to see which seed compost It is packed with nutrients that feed
produces the best results: peat-free, the soil and the plants growing in it.
There is a school of thought that says seed and cuttings compost containing
it isn’t as good as seed composts peat or my homemade mix. While compost works within the
containing peat, so here at AG we have soil, mulch does its job on top and
decided to put this to the test. Using a packet of ‘Candy Stripe’ can include bark chippings, stones,
cosmos seeds which are large and easy weed-suppressing fabric and straw.
I started by making peat-free seed to sow and their foliage is distinctive so
compost using homemade compost and I’ll be able to distinguish them from any It blocks weeds (which compost
leaf mould with added perlite. weeds sprouting from our own compos. doesn’t do so well), retains moisture
within soil, maintains a steady soil
It is a simple recipe: two parts I have sown a tray in Westland Seed temperature and, in the case of slate
homemade compost, two parts and Cuttings compost containing peat, a chippings and glass beads, looks
homemade leaf mould, both sieved, tray in Sylvagrow peat-free seed attractive around plants.
combined with one part perlite. compost and a third in a tray of my own
blended seed compost. seedling growth and strength and
The compost provides the nutrients resistance to disease.
for the seeds and seedlings and if you The trio have been set on the same
don’t make your own, use multipurpose windowsill, germinated in identical With any luck the end result will be a
instead. Leaf mould provides bulk and conditions and I’m extremely curious to garden filled with cosmos this summer
helps with water retention, while perlite see what, if any, differences will occur in – keep reading for regular updates!
is a mineral compound that opens up the terms of how the different composts
compost making it easier for developing behave when it comes to moisture
retention, as well as germination time,
Step Making seed compost for AG’s seed trials
by step
1 If using homemade 2 3This leaf mould has Once perlite is added, 4 The three trays of
compost, sieve it well so taken two years to make the end result is light, cosmos ‘Candy Stripe’
woody and uncomposted seeds are ready for my
All Future elements can be discarded. and sieves down well to add fluffy and perfect for seeds germination trials.
bulk to the seed compost. and young seedlings.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 5
GYaorurdening News Got a story?
email [email protected]
The latest stories from around the UK
Reactions of AG A fond farewell to Peter
columnists
Gardening world in mourning after death of Peter Seabrook
Graham Clarke:
“What a man! TRIBUTES have poured in from all Peter with a ‘Margaret’s Memory’
When I first corners of the horticultural world verbena that helped raise £7,000
took the helm following the death of Peter Seabrook, for the Alzheimer’s Society.
of AG I was gardening’s father figure.
just 30. I was
naive about Well-known industry figures and AG
lots of things, readers alike reacted to his sudden
and although Peter death with shock and sadness. He died
was a contributor and I was at home on Friday, January 14 aged 86,
technically his boss, he was much following a suspected heart attack.
more like a mentor. More than 20
years after I left the magazine, he Everyone agreed that his life ended in
was still here, producing fresh, the way he would have wanted – after a
informative copy every week, and day’s work at his beloved RHS garden at
engaging with our readers. Hyde Hall near Chelmsford while
working hard on plans for his display at
“The last time I saw him was at the this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Chelsea Flower Show in September
2021. He was a sprightly 85-year-old Peter John Seabrook was born into a
who had been on his feet all day. He farming family in 1935. An Essex lad, his
was exhausted, yet determined to fingers started greening up at the age of
see the rest of Chelsea week out. I four, encouraged by his father and
understand that the day before he grandfather who were both men of the
passed away, he was having soil and working farmers.
meetings with nurserymen, planning
the growing of plants for different His first job, aged 16, was at a garden
shows and gardens for later this centre and he followed this with a
year. He was a one-off. diploma at the prestigious Writtle
College, where he met his wife Margaret.
“I regarded Peter Seabrook as a
gentleman, with considerable His horticultural life was interrupted
knowledge, great integrity and a real by National Service (during which he
passion, and he was respected by all successfully asked the Army to pay for
of us. I shall miss him hugely.” his floristry course) after which he
became a salesman for the Irish
John Negus: horticultural brand Bord na Mona.
“I first met Peter
Press Restricted unless creditedproperly in theLively correspondence with a Beatle Peter with The Queen at Chelsea
Alamylate 1980sBut the siren call of gardening refused toFlower Show in 2000
when he was be silenced and after four years he
keen to write returned to the soil, joining the newly the stands each year before the show
for Popular formed Garden Centres Association and opened to the public.
Gardening, a founding the Garden Writers’ Guild with
commission he fellow AG columnist John Negus. He was also wolf whistled in the street
enjoyed fulfilling. by Carry On star Dame Barbara Windsor
Peter published several books and it who then invited him up to her bedroom
“He mentioned that it was high wasn’t long before his encyclopaedic – to prune a trailing geranium in her
time that we had a club to bring knowledge, forthright manner and window box!
together journalists and engaging style of communication caught
photographers. With verve and the eye of television producers. In 1984 he joined Amateur Gardening
directness and help from a few as a columnist and he also wrote for The
friends, the Garden Writers’ Guild His first stint was as the vegetable Sun newspaper as well as for many
was born. gardening expert on the BBC’s Pebble other magazines and periodicals.
Mill at One and he was a presenter of
“He told me that he would read all Gardeners’ World between 1976 and He was still writing for AG when he
the amateur gardening and 1979. He also found fame in America. died, and his final two columns will
commercial horticultural mags appear this week and next, with a
before breakfast. He would look you His presence at the RHS Chelsea retrospective piece about sustainability
in the eye and say ‘it’s essential to Flower Show while manning the Pebble in the February 19 issue.
keep up to date’. Without doubt, Mill garden brought him to the attention
Peter was a born leader.” of Beatles legend George Harrison (they Peter stood by his beliefs and was
enjoyed a lively correspondence as never one to shy away from controversy.
Peter tried to identify invasive plants in Right up until his death he was
the musician’s rock garden) and the campaigning against the proposed
Royal family. blanket ban on peat sales – not because
he didn’t care for the environment, but
As a devout royalist, he enjoyed
chatting to The Queen and other
members of her family when they toured
6 AMATEUR GARDENING 12 FEBRUARY 2022
Your gardens: Please don’t forget to tell us all your gardening adventures in 2021. Email details and photos
to [email protected] or write (with your address) to Amateur Gardening magazine, Future
Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, RG41 5TP
A young Peter Seabrook Peter with a floral pyramid he created Reactions of AG
at RHS Garden Hyde Hall columnists
Peter loved working with schools and is pictured Val Bourne:
with students from Holtspur School “No one could
say that Peter and
“His wise words I’ll miss his intense smile, quick laugh I shared the same
will be missed” and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. views on issues
like the use of peat
because he worried that peat-free seed AG’s gardening editor Ruth Hayes and pesticides.
composts may not work as well as those said: “When I joined AG eight years ago However we had an
containing peat, and this might Peter showed me great kindness and enduring friendship that lasted
dishearten gardeners. patience, answering my probably almost 30 years.
ridiculous questions, never once making
In his last interview with AG he said: “A me feel a fool. “Our first meeting was at a
20-litre bag of seed compost containing Garden Media Guild AGM in the mid-
sphagnum moss will last you a year – He gripped my hand menacingly 1990s. He was at the top of the tree
and that’s better for the environment “He always made time to help, invariably and I was on the bottom rung. I
than jetting off somewhere on a budget signing off his emails ‘in haste, Peter’. I asked the committee if they could
airline for a week. It’s as simple as that.” spoke to him a week before he died and produce a handbook of contacts for
he was as full of opinions as ever, beginners like me. Peter said
Peter’s wife Margaret died in 2020 determined to make gardening better nobody needed one. I stood up and
after suffering from dementia. Peter for everyone. His twinkly-eyed manner said something along the lines of ‘it’s
cared for her throughout and created a and wonderfully dry sense of fun always all right for you. You know everyone,
variety of verbena called ‘Margaret’s bubbled away close to the surface. but I don’t know a soul’. We got the
Memory’ that raised £7,000 for the Gardening is a much smaller place handbook, because he listened and
Alzheimer’s Society. He leaves a son, without him.” acted. Peter was a man of action.
Roger, daughter Alison and his
grandchildren Tom and Rachel. AG editor Garry Coward-Williams “I have one or two personal
said: “When I first met Peter on taking reminders, including a snowdrop
AG columnist Steve Bradley, who over the editorship of AG, he gripped my called ‘Hobson’s Choice’, which he
worked with Peter for decades, said: “I hand and rather menacingly said: ‘I hope sent me after he received
still can’t believe Peter has gone. Most we’re going to get on!’ ‘Washbourne Colesbourne’ from me
people don’t get to meet their heroes, I in 2013. He always did the right
had the pleasure of working with mine “I was quite shocked as he seemed thing. We often discussed Margaret,
for over 20 years.” like a gentle old chap in his picture! his wife, who he cared for so well
Luckily, we got on famously and I came through a long illness. “She looked
His wife Val added: “Working with to understand what a remarkable, after me for years,” he added, “so I’m
Peter was never dull. Driven, determined decent and wise person he was. happy to do the same.” Bless him.”
and stubborn are words that describe
him, as are funny, caring and thoughtful. “Peter became a mentor and friend Bob Flowerdew:
always on hand to offer guidance, and I “Peter and I had a few differences of
relished our many long chats when we opinion but he was always a
met at shows and events. His friendship gentleman so these never got in the
and wisdom will be greatly missed.” way of our mutual love of gardening.
He was an immense
pleasure to chat with
and I shall miss
him and his
impish grin as he
looked quizzically
over his glasses.
“I once bumped
into Peter outside a
show carrying a bottle
with a stem poking out and inside a
large ripe plum. He said I’d reminded
him of the ‘trick’ which I’d described
in AG (inserting stems into hanging
bottles with fruits on before they
start swelling, as with a pear in
Calvados) so he’d had to have a go.
What a compliment, thanks Peter.”
12 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 7
GYaorurdening Week
with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes
Step Other
by step buddlejas
Some varieties are cut back later on
Buddleja is famous for
attracting butterflies
Cut old shoots Future 1 Buddleja alternifolia and B.
right back in spring colvilei flower on last year’s
wood so are pruned after they have
bloomed in early-mid summer.
Future Hard prune your Buddleja davidii between now
and April for strong, flower-rich growth
Cut back buddlejas
A hard prune keeps them tidy and flower-rich, says Ruth 2 Yellow-flowered Buddleja
globosa only needs a light trim,
BUDDLEJA is often called commonly seen along railway sidings). but you can hard prune longer stems
‘butterfly bush’ and for good The most common variety of the plant in late winter. This will temporarily
reason. In summer you will find reduce flowering but it does create a
that their glorious racemes of is Buddleja davidii, and to keep them neat shape.
flowers in a multitude of shades from healthy and shapely, hard prune them
white to deepest purple, are smothered now, before they leave winter dormancy 3 Buddleja crispa and B.
in butterflies. and get into their spring growth. fallowiana can be trained
against a wall and may need
Commas, peacocks, red admirals and This is called ‘stooling’ and involves some protection in winter.
painted ladies are usually the main pruning branches right back to within
feeders, but you will also see blues and 12-18in (30-45cm) of their base, but 4 Tender winter-flowering
cabbage whites among their number as without cutting into old wood which may varieties such as Buddleja
well as bees and hoverflies. not regenerate successfully. madagascariensis and B.
auriculata can be trained against a
Buddlejas are generally small to Hard pruning encourages the tree to wall and given winter protection.
medium-sized shrubs, but if left put on strong new growth from its base,
unpruned they quickly get out of hand which should flower well in summer –
and can become too big and straggly, and bring the butterflies flocking!
their flowers held well above head
height on long bare stems (as is After pruning, feed with a high
potassium fertiliser for flowering, then
mulch with well-rotted organic matter.
Boost long-term containers
Q The compost in large containers with long-term Future
residents soon runs out of oomph as the hungry plants
Alamy unless credited Topdress long-term
use up all the nutrients. container trees and
Q Those that you are not planning to re-pot this year
should be topdressed now to give them a boost shrubs in spring
before they return to growth.
Q Simply remove the top 3in (7cm) of old compost and
replace it with new, ideally John Innes No3 which is
formulated for mature plants.
Q You can also dig in some Vitax Q4 or blood, fish and
bone, then water and mulch with more well-rotted
compost or farmyard manure.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 9
GYaorurdening Week
with Peter Seabrook, AG’s classic gardening expert
Peter’s top tips
Alamy
Peat-free compost: even when 1 During the Second World War, TI Archive
primary cell infection is removed, we used bracken mould (rotted
every cell of pelargonium cuttings down bracken fronds) as a peat
succumbs to attack in a few days alternative in compost, but at that
time we were not aware the spores
Peat-free potting compost could be carcinogenic.
The peat debateshadthreespeciesof 2 Weight is a significant factor
fungal infection when it comes to any CO2
calculations for composts; air-dried
You should add your voice to the consultation, says Peter peat is very lightweight, so requires
thinner plastic for bags and less
A N open letter, signed by Really, who is the minister trying to fossil fuel to transport. Alamy
over 40 leading names in the kid? Illustrated here are photographs,
garden and horticultural world, taken last month on a state-of-the-art 3 Sphagnum mosses with ample
asking for an open debate propagation unit, staffed by trained and moisture can be farmed and grow
on the use of peat in gardens and experienced horticultural staff, of cell at 2in (5cm) depth and more per year.
commercial horticulture, was put into the trays filled with a well-known national
public domain just before last Christmas brand of wood fibre-based peat-free 4 Peat in a container-grown conifer
(you can view it on gardenforum.com). compost to root pelargonium cuttings. rootball can still be found in place
It was published at the same time as The massed growth of toadstools in many years after planting, so what
the Government Department for every cell was so dense that even after generates the reported rapid release
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs twice-weekly weeding them out, all the of CO2 from harvested peat?
(Defra) published its 12-week cuttings sadly rotted.
consultative document planning to
phase out the use of peat in the amateur What is the point of paying a premium
horticulture sector by the end of this for peat-free compost, investing time,
Parliament (see AG News, 22 Jan). money and effort trying to raise cuttings,
only to face complete failure? When I am
This letter accepted peat should asked to recommend a branded, peat-
not be used for soil improvement, but free potting compost in which gardeners
made the case for sphagnum moss can raise plants, quite honestly I find it
peat from raised bogs to continue to be difficult to answer.
used for seed, cuttings and small pot
plant growing. Environment Minister Over the past two years, I have been
Rebecca Pow stated in the Defra able to get a peat-based seed and
document: “There are now more cuttings compost, so plant raising has
sustainable and good-quality peat- been fine. Potting on is another matter,
free alternatives available.” and where peat-free is purchased a
sizable volume of soil is now added to
act as a buffer.
Future unless credited “Peat should not Q Peter’s column was sent in prior to
be used for soil his passing, along with one other for
improvement” next week. We will be publishing these
as normal to honour his work, plus a
final one in the 19 February issue.
10 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
GYaorurdening Week
with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes
Salvia ‘Blaze of Fire’ is a great way of adding warm
colour and pollinators to your pots and borders
‘Hotlips’ is a
popular variety
Press Restricted Plant sage in a sunny bed with
Press Restrictedfertile, free-draining soil
Both Alamy
Growing sage
Q Sage does best in a sheltered
border that gets plenty of sun.
Q For the best results, deadhead
regularly to get new flower spikes
Tamped compost and feed fortnightly in summer with
is a secure seedbed a liquid tomato feed.
Q Cold soil that sits wet is the
Fiery beauty is a border must enemy, so if you have heavy soil add
grit or well-rotted compost or
manure before planting.
It’s a wise gardener who grows Salvias, says Ruth Q It is also worth taking cuttings in
O RNAMENTAL sages, or and the tender Salvia greggii that will late summer to act as an insurance
Salvias, are one of the most return each year but may need winter
delightful plants in the garden. protection in cold spots. policy in case the parent plant fails.
They come in a range of Q Alternatively, grow plants in
And let’s not forget broad-leaved containers and move them into a
colours, from deepest purple to jaunty culinary Salvia officinalis that grows in frost-free greenhouse for the winter.
red-and-white flowered ‘Hotlips’, and are robust shrub form and is an essential
a must-have plant if you want to attract flavouring in the kitchen.
bees and other pollinators to your patch. This week’s free seeds are for ‘Blaze and overwintering your plants in a
There are many varieties of Salvia, of Fire’, a member of the S. splendens greenhouse. ‘Blaze of Fire’ grows to a
from annuals such as Salvia farinacea, family that is a half-hardy perennial bushy 12in (30cm) and has scarlet flowers
S. horminum and S. splendens that are usually treated as a half-hardy annual and broad leaves. It’s height makes it
composted at the end of summer, to and discarded in autumn. However, there ideal for planting towards the front of a
hardy perennials such as S. nemorosa is nothing stopping you from potting up border and it is also very happy in pots.
Step Set your garden aflame with ‘Blaze of Fire’
by step
1 2Sieve seed compost into a pot or Once you have tamped the
tray to remove large lumps that can compost flat to create a stable
hinder germination. surface, sow the seeds thinly on top.
Place on a warm, light windowsill and
seeds should germinate in 2-4 weeks
Future unless credited 3 Cover the seeds with a light 4 5Label the seeds and add a lid, Place the tray or pot in a bowl
scattering of compost, perlite remembering to remove it for good of water until the moisture is
or vermiculite.
ventilation after seeds germinate. absorbed and the compost dampened.
12 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
GYaorurdening Week
with Bob Flowerdew, AG’s organic gardening expert
Careful wiping can help tackle build-up on your Alamy Bob’s top tips
greenhouse plants, but if you encounter stickiness for the week
you also need to deal with the causes
This citrus leaf is showing
soft scale insects and
honeydew, as well as the
resulting sooty mould
As well as cleaning away the 1 Purchase new, good-quality
sooty mould, it’s necessary to sowing and potting composts
eradicate the sap-sucking insects now and bring them indoors to
that have led to the problem warm up ready for use.
Main image and top inset: Alamy
Sticky situations
Sticky leaves are a common problem, but make sure you 2 Under glass or plastic, sow
salad crops, onion, leek and
remove the cause and clean in the right way, says Bob hardy annual seeds (plus onion
and shallot sets) in cells or trays.
STICKY leaves are real giveaways The mixture of sticky stuff and
on houseplants and in the mould then traps dust, so coated leaves 3Paths, stepping stones and
greenhouse, especially at this can become choked and ineffective. paving slabs become slimy and
time of year. Likewise, outdoors Honeydew can damage paint and slippery; spread sharp sand or grit
and they’ll wear themselves clean.
almost all plants (even whole gardens) varnish, so it isn’t good for quality cars
4 Clean out old material from bird
can become sticky, particularly if or furniture, either. There’s little nest boxes, as these will be
needed soon; handle safely as
underneath a lime tree. It is that you can do for lime they are potentially full of nasties.
almost certainly a sign of trees covered in aphids,
critters – either higher up but houseplants can
on the plant or on another be treated.
overhead – sucking sap First, we need to
in vast quantities. work out what is (or was)
Sap is not designed dripping honeydew –
for insects but for plants. aphids, scale, mealy
Thus, most sap-suckers bugs, or red spider mites
(which don’t suck but just Dunk small plants into – and deal with those.
pierce cell walls when sap homemade solutions Only then is there much point
pressure pushes it into them) do to tackle pests cleaning off the sticky black muck.
not want the watery sugary part, so after Most of these pests can be suffocated
taking their needs it shoots straight by spraying soft soap solutions.
through them. This then falls on However, rather than spraying, smaller
All photographs TI Archive, unless otherwise credited everything below and nearby. Some plants should be immersed upside down
other critters, including bees, wasps and into the solution to get 100% coverage,
butterflies, consume this ‘honeydew’ – then left to drain and dry.
but much just turns black with mould. After drying, leave for a day or so
and then re-spray or soak with warm
“Stickiness is a water. Slowly, the muck will soften and
sign of critters” wash off given gentle wiping and sprays
of warm water (in the shower, maybe).
Of course, this alone could rid many of
the pests – but cannot be relied upon
in isolation.
14 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
GaYorurdening Week
with Val Bourne, AG’s organic wildlife expert
A buff-tailed The furry catkins of pussy important as having flowers, but this fact
bumblebee nest with willow are a favourite of is rarely mentioned. Once a nest site is
queen and workers early bumblebees in their found, queen bumblebees collect pollen
and they often visit pussy willow if
search for pollen there’s one nearby. Then they form a
mound of pollen and wax (which the
The first bumblebee queen to queen secretes from her body) and lay
emerge is usually the buff-tailed their first brood of eggs.
First and foremost The queen collects nectar, too, which
Plant early flowers for the first bumblebees, says Val she stores in a pot-shaped structure
made of wax. She keeps the eggs warm
All photographs Alamy FEBRUARY is an exciting month day, can make it difficult for them to by sitting on her wax ‘nest’ and shivering
for me. The garden is stirring fly in severe summer heat. I find they her muscles to keep warm. Sipping from
once again and the early disappear from my garden until the the nectar pot gives her enough energy
flowers really lift my spirits. weather cools down. to incubate the eggs for several days
Joy courses through my very being! until little white grub-like larvae emerge.
However, early flowers are far more Bumblebees are not systematic These larvae are fed on pollen and
than window dressing for our native pollinators, unlike honey bees. The nectar and the queen collects both.
bumblebees – they’re lifesavers. So if bee dance tells honey bees exactly Once the larvae have eaten enough,
your garden is short on spring flowers, where to go and which flowers to visit. after around two weeks, they spin a
now is the time to go in search of crocus, Bumblebees browse from flower to cocoon and develop into adult bees.
hellebores, pulmonarias, muscari and flower, regardless of type, in search of
primroses. The flowers need to be simply nectar and pollen. Their hairy bodies This first brood are all ‘worker’
shaped and easily accessible, because carry sticky pollen from one flower to females and they tend to be small. Some
early flying bumblebees generally have another and this enables cross- guard or clean the nest, while others
shorter tongues. pollination – a necessary part of seed forage for nectar and pollen. Some
setting and fruit production. We couldn’t nectar is consumed by the worker bees,
You may have seen a queen do without our pollinators. but much of it is brought back to the
bumblebee foraging in your garden colony to feed to other workers and the
already, because queens can fly once The first bumblebee queen to emerge next batch of offspring. The queen
daytime temperatures get above is usually the buff-tailed (Bombus concentrates on laying more eggs.
10°C/50°F. These hardy bees have furry terrestris) and the queens are very large.
coats and are able to rev up their flight When any queen bumblebee emerges, New queen bees emerge in late
muscles chemically. In fact, five species she’s desperate for a nectar fix to re- summer and they concentrate on
of bumblebee are found within the Arctic energise her because she has exhausted building up fat reserves for next winter’s
Circle. However, their furry coats, her food supply during hibernation. Once hibernation. Queen bumblebees are
although useful insulation on a winter’s her energy levels have been restored, easily identified by their size and tail
she will begin to look for a nest site and markings, but worker bees often have
“We couldn’t you’ll often see bumblebees zigzagging minimal differences. The Bumblebee
do without our over the ground looking for a suitable Conservation Trust website has
area. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust excellent illustrations.
pollinators” ( bumblebeeconservation.org) tells us
that holes in the ground, tussocky grass, Gardeners and farmers need to look
bird boxes and under garden sheds are after these bees. In another month or so,
popular. Sometimes bumblebees make I’ll be sowing lots of annuals, including
nests in our old stone walls. blue cornflower (Centaurea cyanus). It’s
the favourite of red-tailed bumblebees
Having nesting sites is just as and I can’t wait for summer!
If you want to make sure plants are
free of chemicals, grow your own!
TIP Neonicotinoids are known
to harm bees and the best
way to avoid them is to grow your
own plants or use a local nursery.
Privately owned, smaller nurseries
use far fewer, or no, chemicals.
16 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
GYaorurdening Week
with Lucy Chamberlain, AG’s fruit and veg expert
Cherry tomato ‘Gardener’s Delight’
is a popular heavy cropper for
indoor growing, with tangy
long trusses until October
‘Indigo Rose’, bred from red and purple
tomatoes, is a ‘superfruit’ rich in
anthocyanins and high in antioxidants
Heirloom ‘Yellow Pear’ tomatoes flourish
under glass and grow best as a cordon
Focus on... Indoor tomatoes
Make the most of as many scrumptious tomato choices as you can and start growing a
few indoors in your greenhouse, says Lucy, as she explains how to get bumper crops
I F you’re lucky enough to have a 72°F). Multi-directional light is vital to but soil cultivation does give a better
greenhouse, make sure it’s full of deter leggy growth. flavour. More vigorous ‘grafted’ plants
tangy tomatoes all summer. As well are available, boasting bigger yields (up
as a salad and sauce essential, Prick out into individual pots once to around 75%) and improved disease
tomatoes are packed with lycopene, 2½in (6cm) tall, at ever-increasing resistance via a supercharged root
which is known to help fight cancer and spacings in a 15°C (59°F) spot. As they system. However, these come at a price
heart disease. My retired smallholder grew taller, space them out more. When (often £5 per plant), so I still primarily sow
parents grew thousands of glasshouse the first flower truss appears, they can instead. You can ensure a bumper root
tomatoes each year, and this is where I be planted into the greenhouse earth. system by growing in the greenhouse
cut my horticultural teeth. Now is the border (my parents’ preferred method)
time to sow to ensure success. This was my parents’ trump card; or in large tubs or ‘planter’ growing bags.
many growers would use hydroponics,
Although you can buy plants from Although most glasshouse tomatoes
All photographs Alamy, unless otherwise credited garden centres, many of us sow toms are trained as a single-stemmed cordon,
because it offers the widest selection of you can also try double or even triple
varieties. Germination is strong and cordons, where two or three main stems
swift: sow eight-10 seeds on the surface are allowed to grow. With increasing
of a 31⁄2in (9cm) pot of well-watered seed stem number comes decreased fruit
compost, top with vermiculite and place size, so use this for cherry types only.
in a well-lit propagator at 18-22°C (64-
Fluctuations in water or temperature
“Sown indoors, Large-fruited ‘Ferline’ can cause problems like blossom end
germination is does well under glass, rot and whitewall, whereas dry air can
strong and swift” grown on in large tubs give poor fruitlet set or ‘cat-faced’ fruits.
Automatic irrigation kits and auto-vents
help to avoid extremes, as will irrigating
overhead on hot days.
With regular high- potash feeding to
boost yields, this will be your year for top
tomato action!
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 19
GYaorurdening Week
with Lucy Chamberlain, AG’s fruit and veg expert
Lucy’s corner disease (causing grey fluffy stem lesions) Blossom end rot
is caused by dank, humid conditions. is encouraged by
How to avoid key tomato troubles ■ Tomato moth: Plump, green-brown root dryness, so
caterpillars feed on fruit and leaves. Pick keep well
■ Leaf mould: Causes brown, velvety off individuals as they are easily spotted. watered
lesions to appear on leaf undersides. ■ Whitefly: Can quickly take hold if not
Ample ventilation and heating deters it. stopped. Add biocontrols (Encarsia) as
■ Red spider mite: These hate humidity soon as possible to limit numbers.
so regularly damp down. Consider ■ Blossom end rot: Encouraged by
biological controls like Phytoseiulus. dryness at the roots and fluctuating
■ Botrytis: Ventilate well, because this growth, so keep well watered and
ventilate well on sunny days.
Step How to sow and prick out glasshouse toms
by step
1 Fill a 3½in (9cm) diameter potAll TI Archive2 3Once your seedlings are 2½in (6cm) Water the seedlings and then
with seed compost, water well high, fill some more 3½in (9cm) gently ease individuals out of
and allow to drain. Sow approximately
10 seeds on top, cover with 0.5cm pots, this time with potting compost. their pot (hold the leaves, not the
vermiculite and set in a propagator
at 20°C until germinated. Water well and keep somewhere warm stems). Dibble a hole in each warmed
(minimum of 18°C) for 24 hours so the pot and work the roots into it, firm
seedlings’ roots aren’t chilled. gently, then water.
5 quick jobs Top
tip
1 Maincrop varieties of purple
sprouting broccoli will be budding up Protect pea seedlings,
now, ready to crop next month, so such as those of ‘Kelvedon
make sure netting is in place to
protect against pigeons. Wonder’, while growing
2While some seeds (tomatoes) can DILIGENT vegetable gardeners will pea and bean seedlings are magnets
remain viable for years, others have sown hardy overwintering forms for mice and voles, so must be
(cnhoetcokriothuesl‘ysopwarbsny’ipdsa)twesono’nt,psaockets. of peas and broad beans last autumn, protected. These mammals have
such as ‘Douce Provence’ pea and been known to scale greenhouse
3As the soil starts to warm, tubers of ‘Aquadulce’ broad bean. The less staging and burrow under tunnel
Jerusalem artichokes will begin to well organised of us can catch up to cloches, so go for multiple lines of
sprout, spoiling their eating quality. a degree by sowing quick-to-mature protection! I find regularly setting traps
If you have a glut, bring out those varieties like pea ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ (humane ones are available) along
bulk recipes now! and broad bean ‘De Monica’ in large with outmanoeuvring tactics (hanging
modules now under cool glass. the sown modules from the sturdy
4If soil is either waterlogged or frozen, Whichever time you sow, the resulting greenhouse ridge bars) bring success.
resist planting any newly delivered
bare-root stock. Either heel in
somewhere in a spare bed, or
plunge the roots in a pot of compost.
5Prune citrus this month, taking time
to focus your secateurs on long,
whippy shoots that spoil the shape
of these trees. Aim to create a
beautiful globe of foliage.
20 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
Next week: Plant spring garlic, prune
gooseberries, test soil pH, sow early peas,
chit early potatoes, try sea holly.
Time to sow some globe artichokes
IF you fancy adding a bit of architecture Seed is best sown into pots under the compost
to your edible plot, but feel slightly cover, and these can be started off now.
pinched on budget, then sowing globe Sow one seed per 3½in (9cm) diameter on the drier
artichokes instead of buying plants is pot of multi-purpose compost (‘Green
the way forward. These sizable plants Globe’ and ‘Purple de Provence’ are side of
produce attractive grey/green foliage, the main varieties available). Place
and they’re handy for filling spots that somewhere warm (18-22°C) and keep moist (not
bake in summer sun and get quite dry.
Of course, they also produce a delicious “Sowing under soggy).
edible flower bud! cover is the way
Once
I’ve found that growing three or four forward”
plants gives me adequate harvests (one
plant on its own can be a bit meagre).
That would cost me £15-20 if I bought
them as plants, but a packet of seed
at £2-3 is much more affordable.
All Future seedlings Plant out with plenty
Future
emerge, grow of organic matter
them on under added to the soil
cover, then harden them off in May.
Plant out with plenty of organic matter
added to the soil. Seedlings are quite
drought-sensitive, but once well
established the plants will stand well
with little attention for many years.
Step Clean glass to boost light Why
not try..?
by step With the propagation season well under way, good light levels are
essential. Here’s how to ensure your growing spaces are optimised:
1 Treat yourself to a 2 Give the main glazing 3 Overlapping panes Flowering gorse (Ulex europaeus)
bucket of warm – a good clean, but also of glass frequently
not cold – water as this give your glasshouse a become discoloured Gorse flowers
will not only keep your once-over to check for with moss and/or algae.
hands warm, but it will loose or broken panes One simple way to IF you live in a challenging windy,
also dissolve grease of glass. Ensure also that remove this is to gently coastal site, or if you want to attract
and grime effectively. guttering and water butts work a plastic plant label wildlife year-round (or deter
Add a good squirt of are sound. Repairing between the two panes. intruders!) then gorse (Ulex
liquid detergent and these now will put you Moving it to and fro will europaeus) is for you. Although the
find a stiff-bristled in fine fettle for the gradually remove this young shoot tips are apparently
brush or old cloth. season ahead. unsightly growth. edible, I would not suggest you eat
them due to the vicious thorns. The
Growing asparagus from seed coconut-scented flowers, however,
are edible and they make a beautiful
ASPARAGUS is another luxury perennial with seed Once roots fill pots, wine or, indeed, a tea.
veg that would cost you an arm and a leg
if you established a bed using plants. compost, and plant out into a sunny, In mild locations, the golden-
Yes, you can start asparagus off from sow one seed well-drained spot yellow blooms can be seen year-
crowns (young plants), but a family of round, but early spring will give you
four would need 25, which generally per cell. one of their main flushes. Often
costs £35-40. With a pack of 40 seeds found on sandy heathlands, the plant
costing £3 and germination rates being Provide is incredibly drought-tolerant and
good, isn’t it worth a try growing from can be pruned hard to the ground if
seed? Selecting F1 hybrid varieties warmth it becomes unruly. Bees are attracted
(which will cost a little more at £3 for 10 to the pea-like flowers, and you can
seeds) gives even better germination. (16-20°C) and pick these (with gloved hands), add
The only drawback is that you must wait them to water, sugar and yeast, to
three or four years for a harvest, whereas keep compost ferment into a sweet wine.
crowns provide pickings in two.
just moist. 5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 21
Soak the seeds for 24 hours in water
before sowing. Then, fill a modular tray Emergence can
take a couple of
weeks. Once the plants are a good size,
pot up into 5in (12cm) diameter pots of
multi-purpose compost. Then, when the
roots fill these pots nicely, plant out into a
sunny, well-drained soil that’s free from
perennial weeds.
Annuals such as cosmos and zinnias can be
raised from a few packets of seed to provide
countless bunches of flowers for the house
Best plants
for a cutting garden
Free up some border space to create a beautiful cutting garden so you can
pick vasefuls of beautiful flowers all summer long, says Anne Swithinbank
S OMETIMES our gardens need a I gather snippets of flowers and Anne’s home-grown cut-flower bouquet TI Archive
fresh direction to brighten them foliage every month from our garden, includes Ammi majus, zinnia and tithonia
up and inspire new plantings. and leave the main backbone of shrubs,
Starting a cutting garden won’t herbaceous perennials and bulbs in perennials to the periphery, planting
make a lot of hard work or cost the earth, place. Think of adding florists’ favourites dahlia tubers or sowing seeds, you will
as new plants can be grown from a few like evergreen Pittosporum tenuifolium have the satisfaction of growing your
packets of seed. Now is a good time to and Eucalyptus gunnii. Pruned hard in own cut flowers.
target a sunny, sheltered bed or border spring, this gum will deliver sprays of
that needs bringing back to life and leaves to set off summer blooms.
make plans for a summer full of colourful
and fragrant flowers alive with visiting Plan your border
bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Move unwanted plants from the new
cutting border and condition soil by
Choose cultivars of favourite forking in well-rotted garden compost or
hardy and half-hardy flowers like pot other soil conditioner. Plan where the
marigolds, ageratum and tobacco plants, flowers will go and, when weed seeds
seeking out those producing taller-than- begin to germinate this will be a sign that
average stems. Give each plant plenty of soil is warm enough to start sowing
room to develop and by cutting flower hardy annuals direct. From early spring,
stems regularly just above new growth begin sowing half-hardy annuals into
to come, well-developed plants will react pots in warmth, bearing in mind you
by producing more. Although these won’t need huge numbers of each kind.
annuals will die away in autumn, you can
plan for a completely different palette of Starting a cutting garden is fun and
plants and colours every year. sustainable. Whether adding a few
24 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
9 colourful annuals for cutting
3 hardy annuals
Lathyrus odoratus Ammi majus AGM Centaurea cyanus ‘Red Boy’
‘Mrs Bernard Jones’ AGM Bishops flower is a hardy annual from the Sow direct into good, well-drained soil
Sown one per deep module under cold cow parsley family. Sow into modules or and thin seedlings to 8in (20cm) apart.
glass in autumn, these sweet peas are set direct to soil in spring, ready for planting Its raspberry-pink colour looks good
in well-cultivated soil against supports in out 12in (30cm) apart. Can cause skin alongside dark-maroon foliage. Petals
spring. HxS: 7x1ft (2.2mx30cm). irritation. HxS: 3x1ft (1mx30cm). are edible. HxS: 3x1ft (1mx30cm).
3 half-hardy
annuals
Thompson-morgan.com TI Archive
Nicotiana x hybrida ‘Whisper Mixed’ Zinnia elegans ‘Purple Prince’ AGM Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’
This tall tobacco is best sown in early Dazzling zinnias enjoy growing in warm, Sow these Mexican sunflowers in
spring. Plants enjoy moist but well- sheltered positions and this variety warmth during mid-spring, as the tall,
drained soil in light shade. Expect a delivers stems of large purple-pink soft-leaved plants need time to grow on
show of fragrant blooms in pink, turning blooms. Sow under cover in early spring and reach their full potential. HxS: 4x2ft
white with age. HxS: 3ftx18in (1mx45cm). in modules. HxS: 30x12in (75x30cm). (1.2mx60cm).
3aunnnuusaulasl
Thompson-morgan.com Jonathan Buckley/SarahRaven.com
Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ Moluccella laevis Xerochrysum bracteatum ‘Salmon Rose’
Honeywort thrives in slightly poor, Sow bells of Ireland in warmth during The paper daisy is well-known for the crisp
well-drained soils. Soak seeds before spring, and plant in well-drained soil texture of its flowers. Sow into modules or
sowing singly into pots in spring and 12in (30cm) apart. Strip leaves before direct into soil in spring and plant or thin
plant 8in (20cm) apart. They’re good bunching or try drying stems. Some seedlings 10in (25cm) apart. A sunny spot
at self-seeding into border gaps, too. find the leaves irritating to the skin. favours these drought-tolerant plants.
HxS: 24x12in (60x30cm). HxS: 30x10in (75x25cm). HxS: 3ftx18in (1mx45cm).
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 25
4 perennial cutting options
Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Paradise’ Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’
Phlox paniculata are prized for their tall, sturdy stems This crimson loosestrife is a short-lived herbaceous
of fragrant summer blooms, and this cultivar has blue perennial easy to raise from spring sowings made
flowers with darker eyes. Plant in good, moist but under cover, with flowers that keep coming from
well-drained soil. HxS: 4x2ft (1.2mx60cm). midsummer to autumn. HxS: 30x18in (75x45cm).
Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’ AGM Gypsophila paniculata ‘Bristol Fairy’
Start tubers early under glass, then plant out after last Baby’s breath is a cut-flower favourite. To last more
frost. Blooms last from summer to autumn and return to than a year without rotting, plants must have a light,
growth annually, but may require lifting and storage well-drained soil. Plant in spring in slightly alkaline
where frosts are common. HxS: 43x18in (1.1mx45cm). soil. HxS: 4ftx30in (1.2mx75cm).
26 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
How to stop long- Use wide-gapped netting to support tall plants TI Archive
stemmed plants
from toppling
FOR a cutting garden, we tend to
choose taller cultivars with longer
stems that need supporting. One
method of support is to fix wide-
gapped netting over developing
plants 14in (36cm) off the ground,
stretching it between canes. Stems
grow through and disguise the
netting. Twiggy sticks work for some
plants, while tall dahlias and tithonias
are best secured to individual canes.
Avoid overfeeding, as too much
manure or nitrogen-rich fertiliser
causes weak, sappy growth. On
good, well-conditioned soil a couple
of high-potash feeds during summer
will be sufficient.
Ensure cut flowers
stay fresh for as
long as possible
PICK when stems are full of water in
the early morning or evening. If plants
are droopy, water first and pick later.
Strip unwanted foliage from the base
of stems and place in a bucket of tepid
water in a cool, shady spot. You can
add flower food designed to feed and
help prevent bacteria from blocking
water uptake. More important is to use
clean vases, change the water and
keep flowers out of full sun.
Collect vases of many shapes
and sizes, and if flower stems need
supporting use old-fashioned ‘flower
frogs’ or chicken wire instead of
non-biodegradable florists’ foam.
Give newly cut flowers a good drink in a bucket of water TI Archive
TI Archive
What are the secrets of success Mark out sections of each type and
for growing annual cut flowers? sow seeds thinly into drills
WEED seeds come to the surface of Crowding leads to poor plants with
disturbed soil, so hoe their seedlings fewer flowers. Sow frost-tender half-
off before marking swathes and hardy annuals thinly and evenly into
making drills. Use fresh seed for the containers and germinate at a moderate
best results. Thin seedlings gradually 65°F (18°C). Place in cool, bright
to their final distances, or sow several positions once they show. Harden off
seeds at the spacings you want and young plants by introducing them to
thin seedlings to one per station. outdoor weather before planting.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 27
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Velouette’ is an
annual with claret, pink and red flowers
Best beautiful cosmos
for your garden
An essential for the summer garden, cosmos are available in a range of colours and
at a variety of heights. Hazel Sillver looks at both the annual and perennial species
NOT only are cosmos easy and bipinnatus lasts 10 days in the vase, She recommends supporting the
inexpensive to grow, but they produces two buckets of cut flowers a taller varieties (such as ‘Purity’) in order
also produce an abundance of week from a 3x3ft (90x90cm) patch, and to grow the best cut flowers and prevent
pretty daisy-like flowers that does so from late June until November,” the plants being flattened by wind and
can be cut for the vase during summer she says. “So that’s nearly 50 buckets of rain. This is best done with a layer of taut
and early autumn. They are native to flowers in one season from a small patch. pea netting (attached to bamboo or
Mexico, where they bloom in swathes They are impossible to beat.” hazel sticks) that the plants grow up
of pink, white and orange in sun-baked through, gradually concealing it.
meadows and scrub. Cosmos make great cut flowers Alternatively, cosmos can be staked
individually with bamboo canes.
The name cosmos derives from the
Greek kosmos, meaning ‘beauty and As well as Cosmos bipinnatus, the
harmony of the universe’. It was adopted other two, less common forms grown by
by Spanish missionary priests in Mexico gardeners are the annual C. sulphureus,
who appreciated the flower’s evenly which is cultivated in the same way as
arranged circle of petals. C. bipinnatus and has citrus-coloured
blooms, and C. atrosanguineus, a
Harvest regularly perennial that has sumptuous ruby-
The majority of cosmos grown by maroon flowers that smell of chocolate.
gardeners are pink or white forms All three can be ordered now, ready for
of the half-hardy annual species spring sowing and planting.
Cosmos bipinnatus. Possessing a
cut-and-come-again habit, like a sweet Where to buy
pea, C. bipinnatus should be harvested
regularly for the vase to maintain its Chiltern Seeds 01491 824675 Chilternseeds.co.uk
impressive flower power. It’s also an Kings Seeds 01376 570 000 Kingsseeds.com
excellent addition to a wildlife-friendly Plants of Distinction 01449 721720 Plantsofdistinction.co.uk
border, since its nectar lures pollinators Sarah Raven 0345 092 0283 sarahraven.com
such as bees. Thompson & Morgan 0844 573 1818 Thompson-morgan.com
Cut-flower expert and nursery owner
Sarah Raven is a huge fan: “Cosmos
28 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
9 cosmos for the flower border
Soft shades
Jonathan Buckley/Sarahraven.com
All photographs Alamy unless otherwise credited Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’ Cosmos bipinnatus Sonata Pink Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Daydream’
If you grow only one cosmos, it has to be Generous soft-pink saucer flowers with Bees love this charming variety, which
‘Purity’. Large crisp-white flowers with yellow button centers above delicate, would look at home in an English cottage
golden centres bloom above fine apple- divided foliage. Being compact, it is ideal garden. The small shell-pink flowers have
green foliage from June into October. for filling gaps at the front of the border a circle of magenta-pink around the
A superb cut flower. Grow in moist, well- or for growing in pots. Plant in moist, well- central golden boss. Likes moist,
drained soil in full sun. H: 4ft (1.2m). drained soil in full sun. H: 1.5ft (45cm). well-drained soil in full sun. H: 3ft (90cm).
Bold colours
Jonathan Buckley SarahRaven.com
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Dazzler’ Cosmos sulphureus Bright Lights Cosmos atrosanguineus
Chocolate cosmos is a Mexican native
Carmine-pink flowers with golden A vibrant mix of fiery yellow, orange with maroon daisies in summer. People
either smell chocolate or raw meat! Unlike
stamens to add rich colour to borders. It is and red semi-double flowers that look most cosmos, which are annuals, it is a
tuberous perennial and prefers moist,
also superb in cut-flower arrangements, like marigolds or geums. Easy to grow well-drained soil in full sun. H: 2ft (60cm).
especially with limes and yellows, such and floriferous, from June into October,
as euphorbia or dill. Grow in moist, well- in moist, well-drained soil in full sun.
drained soil in full sun. H: 3ft (90cm). Can be cut for the vase. H: 3ft (90cm).
Multi-coloured
Mr-fothergills.co.uk
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pied Piper Red’ Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rubenza’ AGM Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Candy Stripe’
This variety has unusual fluted petals that
are magenta within and pale lavender on This form fades in colour as it matures, White daisies rimmed with pink in
the outside. It is a good cut flower, with
divided, feathery foliage, and blooms for so flowers can be a medley of wine, ruby summer and into autumn. The width of
months. Grow in moist, well-drained soil
in full sun. H: 3ft (90cm). and pink. Being compact, it may not need the cerise edging varies, so sometimes
staking in the border, or can be grown in a it’s mainly a white flower, sometimes a
pot. It needs moist, well-drained soil in full pink flower. Likes moist, well-drained
sun. H: 2.5ft (75cm). soil in full sun. H: 2.5ft (75cm).
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 29
4 cosmos for containers
Chilternseeds.co.uk Jonathan Buckley/Sarahraven.com
Cosmos sulphureus ‘Cosmic Yellow’ Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pink Popsocks’
Having sun-yellow flowers that resemble coreopsis, this An anemone-flowered sugar-pink cosmos that attracts wildlife.
compact cultivar lights up the terrace. Grow in well-drained Grow in a well-drained container in full sun and keep compost
pots in sun and keep compost moist. Pinch out tips for a bushy moist. Pinch out the tips to create a bushier plant and
plant and deadhead regularly. H: 1ft (30cm). deadhead regularly. H: 2ft (60cm).
Thompson-morgan.com
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Dwarf Sensation White’ Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha
This is a miniature version of the elegant classic ‘Purity’. Grow A small version of the species, this chocolate-scented velvet-
in well-drained containers in full sun and keep compost moist. flowered perennial can be enjoyed in a well-drained container
Ideal as cut flowers for the vase or deadhead regularly in the in sun in summer, before being overwintered indoors. Water
garden to maintain flowering. H: 2ft (60cm). regularly in growth. H: 1ft (30cm).
30 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
3 cosmos for the vase
Kingsseeds.com
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Xanthos’ Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Velouette’ AGM
This award-winning primrose-coloured ‘Double Click Rose Bonbon’ Pink-crimson and white striped or picotee
cosmos has heaps of charm and is Exuding vintage-shop charm, these flowers, reminiscent of raspberry-ripple
compact enough to grow in containers. double-pink blooms resemble satin ice cream. It requires moist, well-drained
Needs moist, well-drained soil in full sun. flowers. Plant in moist, well-drained soil in soil in full sun. In the vase, enjoy
In the vase, combine it with white flowers, full sun. In the vase, pair with scabious, ‘Velouette’ with a riot of claret, pink
such as ammi. H: 2ft (60cm). verbena and dahlias. H: 3ft (90cm). and red flowers. H: 3ft (90cm).
Identifying cosmos by colour WINE-RED
Flowers that smell of chocolate. Under
WHITE OR PINK Mr-fothergills.co.uk FIERY the ground, the plant
Saucer-shaped Orange, yellow, grows from
flowers that or red semi- tubers. If you
are visited by double live in a mild
bees, above flowers, area, covered
attractive, above the plant with
divided divided, mulch over
green foliage. feathery winter, or lifted
If you cut the foliage. If you the tubers to
flowers, the plant cut it for the vase, store indoors in
produces more flower-buds. Since it’s the plant flowers again. Being an autumn, the plant flowered again the
an annual, it only lives for a year. Your annual, it only lives for one year. Your following year. Your plant is: Cosmos
plant is: Cosmos bipinnatus. plant is: Cosmos sulphureus. atrosanguineus.
Different types of cosmos What is the best variety
of cosmos?
THERE are three main types of
cosmos widely available to ARGUABLY, the best variety of
gardeners: two annuals and one
perennial. The annual forms cosmos is Cosmos bipinnatus,
(Cosmos bipinnatus and C.
sulphureus) are half-hardy, which commonly known as Mexican
means they must be sown under
cover before risk of frost has passed. aster, cosmea or garden cosmos. TI Archive
Having just one year to set seed, they
will bloom with great abundance, if cut regularly for the Jonathan Buckley/Sarahraven.com Incredibly easy and cheap to grow,
vase. C. sulphureus produces zesty-yellow, red, or orange
blooms, while C. bipinnatus (pictured) is usually pink or this half-hardy annual can be sown
white. The tuberous perennial form is the chocolate-
scented burgundy C. atrosanguineus, which should be from seed under cover in March or Sow C. bipinnatus
grown like a dahlia.
April, or sown direct into the soil in May. under cover
Alternatively, young plants can be bought ready-grown
from garden centres in May or June. Having a cut-and-
come-again habit, if picked consistently for the vase C.
bipinnatus will – just like sweet peas – produce flowers for
months. As if that weren’t enough, it’s also a great wildlife
plant that provides pollinators (such as bees) with nectar.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 31
NSEERWIES How to
GROW
WITH GRAHAM RICE
This week...
Red-twig dogwoods
Get a blaze of colour in your winter garden with these gorgeous deciduous shrubs
Red-twig dogwoods are deciduous shrubs
that form a riot of colour in winter
Alamy
T HERE are two main kinds of Red-twig dogwoods are easy to look Alamy
dogwoods (Cornus), and while
both are beautiful they are very after and are among the toughest shrubs
different. Flowering dogwoods
make fine small deciduous trees, with for winter colour in small and large
showy pink or white flowers and fiery
yellow or crimson autumn leaf colour. gardens. They can be kept to 3ft (90cm) in Plant red-twig dogwoods in spring or
autumn when soil conditions are favourable
Red-osier or red-twig dogwoods, on height by annual pruning or allowed to
the other hand, are deciduous shrubs
grown mainly for their bright and brilliant mature at any height up to 8ft (2.4m). They
winter twigs that usually come in shades
of orange to bright-red to deep-crimson. are, however, at their most effective when When to plant
The twigs can also be yellow, or even pruned annually and kept manageable.
almost black, and make a fine winter Q Planting time depends mainly on
feature, especially in the snow.
All photographs TI Archive unless otherwise credited Autumn berries your first and last frost dates. Autumn
“They also bring If left unpruned, red-twig dogwoods also and spring are usually the best times,
us white spring bring us white spring flowers, followed but you should never plant when the
by clusters of white or black autumn ground is frozen.
flowers” berries. In many varieties, the foliage
turns wine-red before falling. Q Planting in early autumn, before
your first frost, allows the plants time
Taking the low temperatures in the to settle in and become established
coldest parts of Britain in their stride before the ground freezes.
without any special protection, red-twig
dogwoods are happy in a variety of Q Alternatively, plant in spring as soon
soils and situations. as the ground has thawed. Be guided
by your own conditions.
These dogwoods are mainly sold Q These dogwoods can be planted in
growing in containers, either in garden the summer, but make sure the plants
centres or nurseries, although the widest do not dry out as the long summer
range is available by mail order. days can dry the roots out.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 33
How to plant You can plant red-twig dogwoods
in part shade, but twig colour is
1 The day before you plan to plant best when planted in full sun
your new red-twig dogwood,
fertilise it by adding plant food to a
watering can of water, making sure you
check the dilution rate on the pack of
food first. Then water the plant well.
This will give it a flying start.
2 The next day, dig a hole twice the
width of the pot in which your
dogwood is growing, and 50% deeper
than the depth of the pot. Use a
garden fork to loosen the soil in the
base of the hole, add garden compost
and mix this with your garden soil.
Firm well with your foot.
3 Remove the plant from the pot and
stand it in the hole. Add or remove
soil so that the rootball is just a little
below the general soil level. Mix some
garden compost with the soil and use
this to fill the space around the roots.
Firm well with your hands. Feed again.
4 Finally, mulch with chipped or
shredded bark or other mulch to
retain moisture and deter weeds.
Where to plant
Q Red-twig dogwoods are
exceptionally cold-tolerant plants,
so will thrive down to around -20°C.
There is a native American species
that grows wild in Alaska, which
proves the point.
Q These plants prefer situations
that do not dry out in the summer
and will tolerate wet or frozen
conditions through the winter. It
pays to bear this in mind when
choosing planting companions.
Q Red-twig dogwoods will grow
well in full sun, or in part shade, but
twig colour is best in full sun and
plants become stretched and weak
when grown in full shade.
AlamyQ In borders and gardens themed
Alamy
for winter, these are essential
shrubs for the variety of
their twig colouring
– despite their ‘red-
twig’ dogwoods
name. Bringing
a change of
style to urban
and suburban
gardens, they
also fit in well
with perennials
and provide a
pretty picture
with spring- Cornus serica ‘Flaviramea’ is also
flowering bulbs. known as the golden-twig dogwood
34 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
How to
GROW
WITH GRAHAM RICE
Aftercare advice Pruning tips
Q Pruning is the most important part of Q Pruning red-
looking after your red-twig dogwood.
twig dogwoods
Q The next most important thing is
ensuring that your plants never suffer in the right way
from drought in summer. In their
natural wild homes they grow in soil makes a huge
that tends to be moist in summer, so
it’s important to replicate that. This is difference to the
one of the reasons for using plenty
of compost when planting, because effectiveness and For the best coloured
it holds moisture. size of the plant.
twigs, prune hard
Q If summer rainfall is low, you may
need to water once a week. Q To produce the most
Q Your dogwoods will not die if twigs and the best coloured twigs,
they are dry for a week. It’s more
that they will grow less strongly and prune every year or every second
become spindly.
year. Late winter, or in early spring
Q Another idea to help keep the roots
moist is by mulching. Use garden when the first shoots are starting to
compost, or chipped or shredded bark.
appear, is the best time.
Make sure your red-twig dogwood Q Use secateurs to cut the plants
does not dry out in summer down hard, within 2-3in (5-8cm) of
the base. This will inspire a surge of
new spring growth, and it’s this
growth that will produce the colorful
twigs the following year.
Step by step Make a narrow trench in the soil
and insert the cuttings 6in (15cm)
How to propagate apart, with two-thirds of the cutting
below the surface
1 The best time to propagate red-twig
dogwoods is in late autumn, just after
the leaves have dropped.
2 Cut a few of the stems off near the
base of the plant.
3 Trim each below a leaf joint. At
intervals along the stem you’ll see
pairs of small buds opposite
each other where the leaves
used to be.
4 Snip just above a
leaf joint about 9in
(23cm) from the base
to form a cutting. If the
stem is long enough
repeat the process, but
discard fine whippy tips. Take cuttings of red-twig
dogwoods in late autumn
5 Use a spade to make a
narrow trench in the soil.
Insert the cuttings in the slit 6in
(15cm) apart, right way up.
6 When the cuttings
are in place, use
your foot to press down
on the soil and close
the trench.
7 Do nothing until
spring unless it is
very dry, when water
will be helpful.
8 Shoots should appear Plant out cuttings once
in the spring. shoots appear in spring
9 In autumn, dig them up and plant
promptly in your chosen place.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 35
Ask John Negus John has been answering
reader queries for 50 years
John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week
Uncooked kitchen peelings are an ideal
addition to the compost heap
Future
Future
You can improve lawn health Compost peelings
and deter moss by scarifying
the lawn and aerating using Q Are kitchen peelings suitable for
a garden fork (above) the compost heap? And what
about weeds?
How can we beat our moss menace? Hazel Haslam (via email)
Q We have a large rural garden with a large lawn that is being taken over by moss. A Do by all means add root-crop and
Is there a good solution, other than scarifying and killing the invading moss? fruit peelings, weeds and other
Anne Bull, Ledbury, Herefordshire vegetable waste.
A Moss tends to be a problem on Scarifying will help to remove dead plant They should then break down into
lawns that are shaded for a good material from the lawn, so the soil and crumbly, sweet-smelling humus,
part of the day, and on lawns where grass can breathe more easily. especially if you turn the material every
drainage is poor due to compaction. A six weeks or so to allow oxygen to
moss killer will give you a short-term fix, Aerating the soil will relieve accelerate decomposition.
though it may look unsightly for a few compaction, and allow more air to the
weeks. The best thing to do is to find out grass root zone, all of which will Field voles will eat bulbs if they can
why the moss is becoming established discourage the moss and encourage the
and change the prevailing conditions. grass. If it is a large lawn, it’s probably
worth hiring a mechanical aerator.
If shade is the problem, improving
light levels over the lawn will be of Afterwards, top dressing with good
benefit. Otherwise it might be a good lawn topsoil may be enough to alleviate
idea to re-seed these areas with seed the conditions that are encouraging the
specifically designed for shade – these mosses and you may not need to take
grasses will be more competitive with any further action, though it is always
the moss and should win out. worth aerating on an annual basis and
usually in the autumn.
If high moisture levels or poor
aeration are the likely causes, there are Feeding your lawn at this time of year
several things you can do. Now is a good will benefit the grasses and encourage
time to aerate and scarify the lawn. the strongest growth possible so they
may start to out-compete the moss.
Is mould dangerous to orchids? What’s got my bulbs?
Re-pot orchids into
Q I was about to re-pot my orchids when I discovered fresh, clean compost Q Something has dug up and eaten
that the compost was covered in a very thick for the best results my spring bulbs – do you have any
idea what it could be?
mould. Can this be put into my compost bin? Janet Smith (via email)
Elna Forsyth (via email)
All photographs Alamy unless otherwise credited
Future
A It is not unusual for fungal mould problem by A How disappointing that an
to disfigure orchid compost. It has re-potting interloper has devoured your bulbs.
probably appeared because the your plants Foxes, mice, voles and squirrels are
compost is too damp. in epiphytic known to dig up and eat bulbs. I suspect
compost, in that, in this instance, the culprits are mice
In nature, most orchids grow on ‘scrubbed-clean’ pots. Based on or field voles. Elusive, these rodents are
trees where they are soaked after chipped pine bark and Lytag, an inert seldom seen and ‘operate’ at night.
heavy rain, then dry out for a while drainage material, proprietary compost
before being wetted again. is ideal for good root and shoot growth. Deter them by scattering pepper spray
and securing netting or wire mesh over
I suggest that you remedy the your bulbs after planting.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 37
Ask John Negus John has been answering
reader queries for 50 years
John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week
Low-growing plants Small scented plants, such as ‘Gran’s Quick questions
for paving stones Favourite’ pinks, are ideal for & answers
planting around paving
Q I live near a chicken farm and
Q We’ve recently had a few paving have rats in my compost. What
stones sunk into a flower bed. What can I do?
could I plant around the stones that look Carole Childs
attractive but won’t cover them? The bed (via email)
gets light and shade during the day.
Adele Humphreys (via email) A Control
the rats
A What a good idea – laying stepping At other times, heucheras are with Nippon
stones in your border to allow you enjoyed for their coloured foliage and Rat Killer Bait
to get close to your plants while keeping arching stems of flowers, while dwarf Station, stocked
your shoes dry. hostas, of which there many fine forms, by larger garden
have attractive green, bluish-green and centres. It’s very effective
The best way to improve this feature yellow leaves. and tamper-resistant. Bait is
is to plant the following contenders bought separately and added to
around the slabs: You could also try Hebe ‘Carl the bait station.
Teschner’, prized for its dark-green
In summer, clove-scented pinks are leaves and violet, white-throated Q Why do the
an idea – there’s a large selection, with flowers, and Dicentra ‘Adrian Bloom’ buds on
old-fashioned kinds, like ‘Gran’s that has carmine-red flowers in spring. my potted
Favourite’, being most fragrant. You oleander
could also try Campanula carpatica never open
alba ‘White Clips’. into flowers?
Dave
Geranium macrorrhizum, with shell- Prentice,
pink, red or white flowers, would look Warwick
attractive in late spring, as would
Euphorbia polychroma, which is
pleasing with lemon-yellow blooms.
A The lack of blooms is due to
potassium deficiency. Give the
plant a weekly high-potassium feed
between April and September, and
top-dress with ericaceous compost.
Also, prune in spring if it is getting
too large.
Rowan trees need potassium Q The buds on our Christmas
to encourage fruiting cactus just fell off – do you
think it was too dry?
Why are there no berries on my rowan? Jane Barnett (via email)
Q I bought a rowan tree about 12 ‘perform’ indicates that it may be A In nature, Christmas cacti
years ago that has flourished into a absorbing too much nitrogen, which colonise sunny river and
tree. In the spring it is covered in flowers, encourages leaf growth at the expense streamside banks, and are splashed
but why does it not produce berries? of flower development. with water. If you deprive it of
Michael R. Alderson, Stockport, moisture, the roots die and shoots
Greater Manchester The best way to overcome this is to will wither.
feed the tree with sulphate of potash,
A Rowans are hermaphrodite – both which balances the uptake of nitrogen. Water it with
male and female flowers are borne Sprinkle it at 2oz (56g) per sq m over the lime-free water
annually on the same tree – so, in theory, root area and water it in if rain isn’t due. – clean
pollination occurs and fruits form. rainwater is
Start in April and continue monthly ideal – when
The fact that your tree has failed to until September. Repeat annually. It the compost
should trigger berry development. starts to dry a
little and the
pot feels light.
38 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
While John sometimes advocates using chemicals against pests and Contact John Negus by email address below
diseases as the most effective means of control, organic options are Email: [email protected]
sometimes available and we advise readers to go with their preferences
Notch skimmia stems to encourage
growth lower down the plant
Future
Leggy skimmia
Hardy cyclamen grow well in pots, Q In 2019 I transplanted a skimmia
but be careful not to mix varieties into a pot. It’s doing well, but has
little growth low down and looks leggy.
Will cyclamen thrive in a container? What can I do to encourage low growth?
Paul Sealey, Cheltenham, Glos
Q I love the small, dainty hardy cyclamen you can see growing under trees and in
shady borders. Do they grow well in containers as well as in the soil? A The best way to encourage your
Andy McGregor, Fife potted leggy skimmia to produce
more shoots lower down is to make a
A Yes, hardy cyclamen grow well in drainage in the bottom of the pot. small notch just above a stem joint
containers and they will add much Both Cyclamen coum and C. where the ‘trunk’ is bare.
in the way of foliage interest as well as
long flowering. Producing small pink hederifolium can be grown successfully Additionally, in mid-April, shorten
shuttlecock-like flowers, they are one in containers, but don’t plant them any branches by one-third to stimulate
of my favorite plants. Ensure you use together as the C. hederifolium is the new growth.
a soil-based compost, such as John more vigorous of the two and will
Innes No2, to which I add 25% sharp smoother C. coum and kill it out. I also urge you to feed it monthly, from
alpine grit, as the corms will rot if they April to September, with Vitax Q4 to
sit wet over the winter. Put plenty of Once established, they will seed initiate new shoots.
themselves into the soil to make a
beautiful display with time. Snowdrops not
producing flowers
Future
Tell-tale signs of Notched leaves are a sign of FutureQ My snowdrops,
adult vine weevils (below) a mix of old
vine weevils
and new, are
Q Could you explain the cause of
the damage to the leaves of coming up,
these hydrangeas, both growing in
large tubs for the past 12 months? but are only
Fred Carpenter, Ross-on-Wye,
Herefordshire producing
leaves and no
flowers. What Snowdrops flower better
can I do? as they mature
Nicola Aikman
(via email)
A I fear that your the nematode in spring, when A I am sorry that some of your
hydrangea has been the soil temperature is above 5°C, established and newly planted
‘notched’ by vine weevil, or in autumn, when grubs are at their snowdrops have failed to perform. The
a pest whose adults chew most destructive. usual reason is that bulbs are too small
semi-circular pieces from It’s available from larger garden to produce flowers.
leaf margins and whose centres or from Green Gardener
grubs devour roots. The best 01493 750061, greengardener.co.uk. Provided your plants grow strongly
way to control this pest is to this year and bulbs enlarge, they should
tackle it either with Bug Clear Vine bloom normally next year.
Weevil Killer or a nematode (parasitic
organism) from Nemasys called Vine I suggest that you encourage them to
Weevil Killer. The Bug Clear solution bloom by feeding them with sulphate of
can be applied, with care, all year and potash. Sprinkle it around your plants in
April and again, monthly, until
September. Then water it in.
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 39
Ask John Negus John has been answering
reader queries for 50 years
John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week
Linum and scabious (above) are Nandina domestica is an attractive
striking flowers that will look year-round plant
stunning for an autumn wedding
What flowers to grow for a wedding A sacred beauty
Q We have been asked to provide flowers for a wedding in the early autumn. Q What is this plant, please?
What could we grow that is quite easy and gives good results? Helen Marshall, Thame, Oxon
Andrew and Mary Hyde, Salford, Greater Manchester
A The plant is Nandina domestica,
A What a lovely thing to be asked to Anchusa capensis, calendula, or sacred Japanese bamboo.
do! For the church and reception Centaurea cyanus, Linum grandiflorum, When mature, its white summer flowers
area, I suggest you grow hardy and half- nigella and Scabiosa atropurpurea. are usually followed by large cones of
hardy annuals, all of which should be in small red berries.
flower from mid-to-late summer onwards Sow your half-hardy seeds under
and which will be easy to cultivate. gentle heat in March. Prick out seedlings A member of the berberis family from
into seed trays and harden them off for the mountain valleys of India, China and
Before sowing hardy annual seeds, transplanting outdoors after the frosts. Japan, it was introduced into cultivation
cover the ground with black plastic to Alternatively, buy plants in late may/early in 1804 and in 2002 received a RHS
warm the soil. Sow seeds thinly in rows June and set them outside after frosts Award of Garden Merit. It has great
6-8in (15-20cm) apart in well-prepared have passed. appeal and thrives in full sun.
soil in April or May, and thin seedlings to
5in (13cm) apart. Showy varieties include amaranthus, Prune and reshape
cleome, salvia, New Guinea busy Lizzies, pear trees when
Some choice plants are agrostemma, penstemon and zonal pelargoniums. dormant in winter
How do I keep hellebores healthy?
Q I have lots of beautiful Helleborus niger in my garden, but how can I keep
them healthy?
Terry Beetley (via email)
A Hellebores romp in organically Vitax Q4, your plants will thrive. Future
rich limey soil. If you can’t get Additionally, to keep them healthy,
mushroom compost, which contains remove half the older leaves in Pruning a pear
chalk, I suggest you mulch autumn, and the remainder in Q My pear tree needs a ‘haircut’.
When should I do it?
plants with 3in (7cm) of spring, just before new Emma Seymour, Rutland
composted manure. foliage and flowers A Now is a good time to prune your
pear, when the tree is dormant.
You can either buy a appear. This reduces Open up the middle of the tree,
removing crowded shoots that impede
proprietary brand, or the risk of disease airflow. This will improve flowering and
fruiting. Then trace the branches back
see if a local farm or such as leaf blotch to the tree’s crown, and shorten one
in three that are rubbing or too close
stable is selling it in moving from old to together, to three or four buds. Cut
back broken and diseased stems to
sacks, though you new growth. healthy wood.
may need to leave it Another way of
bagged up for a few preventing the
months so it rots Hellebores prefer transference of fungal
down well. rich limey soils spores from soil to plant is
Provided you augment your to mulch around the roots with
compost with a sprinkling of 3oz (84g) compost or well-rotted manure. This
per sq m of garden lime, and a spring, buries the spores and stops them
mid and late-summer application of being splashed up.
40 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 43
A Gardener’s Miscellany
Gardening’s king of trivia and brain-teasers, Graham Clarke
This Sensory plants
week
it’s: We look at how plants help us connect with nature
SENSORY gardens are all about spending time in a sensory garden can Bailey Sensory Garden, Monmouthshire
stimulating and engaging with the five help enhance one’s sense of wellbeing, as
basic senses: sight, smell, sound, touch well as reduce stress and calm the mind. A
and taste. They allow you to connect sensory garden could have a theme, such
with nature, and encourage you to as being laid out to stimulate individual
become more aware of your senses at different times. Or it could be
surroundings. They’re not just for people multi-sensory, engaging multiple senses
with impaired senses (blindness, at once. Let’s have a look at how you can
deafness and so on); experts claim that indulge in ‘sensory gardening’!
Scents and sensibilities!
Sight: the vast majority of us see breeze, including plants such as grasses, Sensory gardens stimulate the senses
colourful plants and flowers, but to assist bamboo and trees. Non-living elements
those with vision impairment, such include water features, wind chimes and viola, pot marigold and nasturtium. And
plants are sometimes clustered together. bells. Plants may also be grown the tender plant Stevia rebaudiana
Some sensory gardens feature plants specifically to attract songbirds. (from Brazil) has leaves that are many
that encourage birds and butterflies, to ■ Touch: There are ‘hard’ plants (such as times sweeter than sugar!
add additional sight variety. hardy succulents and smooth-barked
■ Smell: We know which plants have trees) and soft plants (such as lamb’s
scented flowers (everything from roses ears, Salvia argentea and cushion
and sweet peas, to honeysuckle and mosses), with different textured plants
jasmine), but a true sensory garden will between the two. Note: avoid prickly and
have plants with scented foliage (sage, thorny plants that are dangerous.
lavender, rosemary and so on), and even ■ Taste: All kitchen and/or herb gardens,
tree bark, such as pine and eucalyptus. and allotments, accommodate this
■ Sound: Plants grown for their ‘sound’ sense. In the flower garden you can
usually rustle and swish naturally in a taste rose petals, and the flowers of
A ‘dementia 5 plants with senses
garden’ in their name
MANY of us know Sight: Dahlia ‘Sights of Summer’ Scent: Lathyrus odoratus ‘High Scent’
someone
suffering from
dementia, and
sensory
gardens can be
hugely beneficial Smells can evoke
to them. It has been
memories
found that, without the
aid of medication, sensory or therapeutic
All photographs Alamy unless otherwise credited
Chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk
gardens can help reduce the symptoms
of dementia, through exercising various
parts of the brain and, of course,
stimulating the senses. Smells,
particularly, evoke memories in most of
us, and those with dementia can often Sound: Chrysanthemum
‘Sound’
have very clear memories once they
sense a particular fragrance. In many
cases, such positive emotions can lead
to an improved quality of life. A
‘dementia garden’ may include pick-and-
sniff flowers and herb beds, the soothing
sound of a water feature, and pits with
different types of sand or pebbles to Touch: Tulipa ‘Dream Touch’ Flavour: Lilium ‘Salmon Flavour’
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 45
walk barefoot over.
A Gardener’s Miscellany
Gardening’s king of trivia and brain-teasers, Graham Clarke
JUST Sensory gardens
FOR to visit
FUN AG’s Garden Wall No: 048
Wikimedia
PERFUME Pool Oasis Aroma High Hazels Park,
TUB Arrangement Bouquet Plug Sheffield. A sensory
garden, set near to
CUTTING Odour Gum Vase the main house, was
opened in 2004.
It’s time for our just-for-fun puzzle – AG’s You may find that some words have more Formerly a rose The sensory garden
Garden Wall. This wall comprises 12 bricks in than one connection to other courses, but
three courses. Each brick has a different word, there is just one correct answer. You’ll either garden, it now is home at High Hazels Park,
or phrase on it. The first brick in each course, find this puzzle fiendishly difficult, or Sheffield
with BLOCK capitals, is cemented in place and incredibly easy! Answers below. to plants to stimulate all
cannot be moved. Just rearrange all the other
bricks, so that the four words in each course of Hint: In one of the courses, the bricks are the senses.
bricks are linked. There are three different all words that are related to just one of our
connections to look for, one for each course. basic senses. Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Throughout the Gardens there are
‘senses trails’ for children to see, hear,
smell and feel things around them.
PERFUME Bury St Edmunds Abbey Gardens,
Suffolk. A ‘Blind Garden’ was built in
TUB 1990 to provide interest for the visually
CUTTING impaired through scented plants and
herbs. A pergola is designed to give the
Answer: PERFUME = Aroma, Bouquet, Odour (alternative words for ‘scent’); TUB = Pool, Plug, Gum (all words that are effect of a cloister, where monks would
something different when read backwards); CUTTING = Oasis, Arrangement, Vase (all words connected to ‘cut flowers’).
have walked in years past.
W£3IN0 Word search No: Historical gardening event of
606 the week: 7 February 1940
This word search comprises C S E N S O R Y Y G THIS is the day when the Disney film
Pinocchio premiered in New York
words associated with sensory A O P L A N T S R A City. Italian author Carlo Collodi wrote
plants. They are listed below, the story in the 1870s about a
wooden puppet created by a
and in the grid they may be DEMENT I AOR woodcarver named Geppetto, in a
village in the Pistoia province of
read across, backwards, up, Tuscany, Italy. The puppet comes
alive and the boy’s nose grows longer
down or diagonally. Letters may C R D B H G S U M D with every fib he tells. It is thought
that Collodi created the name
be shared between words. S I S I HSTTE E ‘Pinocchio’ after the Tuscan dialect
Erroneous or duplicate words for ‘pine nut’. Alternatively, it was from
the Italian word for the pine tree,
may appear in the grid, but E E N T E DY FMN which is pino. No one knows for sure!
there is only one correct Today, Pistoia is home to hundreds
of plant nurseries, which export trees
solution. After the listed words S K N A O N L D O S and shrubs across the
world. The climate is
are found there are eight letters I L S S TU I R I S hot during the day,
remaining; arrange these to and cold at night,
which means it is
make this week’s KEYWORD. O O N T E O C A O T perfect for quick
plant growth,
SENSORY N L L EMS BHGW without it becoming Pistoia is renowned for
PLANTS too soft (the plants its plant nurseries
from here are generally
GARDENS HOW TO ENTER: Enter this week’s keyword on the entry form, and considered ‘hardy’). In the UK, if you
SIGHT send it to AG Word Search No 606, Amateur Gardening, Future visit a garden centre and purchase
SMELL large specimens of topiary, fan or
espalier-trained trees, many tall
SOUND Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, conifers and other mature specimen
trees and shrubs, the chances are
TOUCH Winnersh, RG41 5TP, to arrive by Wednesday 16 February 2022. they started life in Pistoia.
TASTE The first correct entry chosen at random will win our £30 cash prize.
BOTANIC
COMB This week’s keyword is ..........................................................................................
DEMENTIA Name ........................................................................................................................
GRASS
HARD Address ....................................................................................................................
IDEA
MEMORY ...................................................................................................................................
NOISES Postcode ..................................................................................................................
SEASON
SENSES Email .........................................................................................................................
SOFT
THINK Tel no ........................................................................................................................
TIDY
WORLD Future plc, publisher of Amateur Gardening, will collect your personal information
solely to process your competition entry.
46 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
Cats and dogs! Crossword
SENSORY plants are not just ...just for fun!
for humans!
■ Cats: Catmint, forms of nepeta, 1 2 3 45
attracts cats – the plant’s oils bind Lavender helps reduce
to a cat’s olfactory receptors, resulting anxiety in dogs 6
in temporary euphoria. It affects around
two-thirds of domestic cats. Lions and jaguars, too, display 78
visible ecstasy in the presence of catmint, and zoos 9
sometimes introduce it to stimulate the animals.
■ Dogs: The National Animal Welfare Trust has created 10 11 12
several sensory gardens at its rehoming centres. The
gardens have different plants, scents and shapes to 13
provide mental stimulation and reduce stress.
According to the London-based Mayhew animal welfare 14
charity, the following plants are good for cats and dogs
with ‘issues’: ACROSS 13 Desktop cutting
■ Chamomile: dogs suffering from anxiety or skin/ 1 These types of plants and/or implements, per pink vase!
stomach upsets will be attracted to this plant’s scent. gardens are the subjects of (5,6) (anag)
■ Clary sage: good for highly strung cats and dogs. this week’s Miscellany! (7)
■ Hops: a calming plant often selected by hyperactive 14 Person who develops
and stressed dogs. 6 Genus of perennial plants, plants (or animals), and who
■ Lavender: purported to help reduce anxiety and other including the king’s spear, strives for variety and
nervous conditions. with thick, fleshy roots (11) perfection (7)
■ Marigolds: dogs experiencing grief or emotional
distress will often sniff out this plant. 7 With little or no light, the DOWN
penstemon cultivar is ‘____ 1 An expanse of mown grass is
You can hear sap moving in a tree Towers’, while the helenium often described as this! (5)
through a stethoscope is ‘____ Beauty’ (4)
2 The Boston fern genus (11)
Wow! I didn’t know that... 8 In botany, an inflorescence
in which the first flower is the 3 Common name for a plant of
■ Sight: In John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (1951), terminal bud of the main stem, the kniphofia genus (3,3,5)
most people lose their sense of sight after looking at a while subsequent flowers
meteor shower. Then, an aggressive species of develop as terminal buds of 4 Dangerous to touch,
carnivorous plant starts killing people! lateral stems, as in African this type of plant is not
■ Smell: Several plants (including stapelia, rafflesia and violet (saintpaulia) (4) always good in a 1 across
amorphophallus) have the worst smells ever! Known as garden! (5-6)
‘carrion flowers’, they smell of rotting flesh. 9 Automated Teller Machine,
■ Sound: With a stethoscope, you can hear the sap found in the 1 across plant 5 Large root vegetable of
moving in a tree! Early spring is the best time, with birch, catmint! (1,1,1) the brassica family (5)
beech and cherry trees good choices.
■ Touch: The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) responds 10 Opposite to 7 across (in 10 Romneya coulteri is the
to touch by closing its leaflets for a period. one respect), plus winter Californian tree _____ (5)
■ Taste: In Scandinavia, people can ‘taste’ birch and flowers tend mainly to be
Scots pine bark – bread is made from rye and the white, yellow or ____ versions 12 Vertical section between
toasted innermost bark layer of these trees. of these! (4) the treads of steps, as in the
cultivar of sempervivum:
11 If one listens to a sound, ‘Firgrove Early _____’! (5)
they ____ it! (4)
ANSWERS TO ABOVE CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Sensory 6 Asphodeline 7 Dark 8 Cyme 9 ATM 10 Pale 11 Hear
13 Paper knives 14 Breeder
DOWN 1 Sward 2 Nephrolepis 3 Red hot poker 4 Spiky-leaved 5 Swede
10 Poppy 12 Riser
KEYWORD TO WORD SEARCH 601 (1 JANUARY):
MACHINERY
AND THE WINNER IS: ANNA LORD, STUDLEY, REDDITCH,
WARWICKSHIRE
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 47
Ask Anne!
Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: apple tree pruning
TI Archive Step Pruning an
by step overgrown
It’s a good idea to remove
lower branches from apple tree
mature trees that might
otherwise block pathways
or obstruct the mower
Alamy Beware of indiscriminate Having removed one or two 1 First, study the tree and think how
chopping of branch ends, larger branches, I began to the removal of specific branches
which can lead to unsightly saw out thinner ones where will improve shape. Here, the branch
several were growing growing at an angle through the
vertical water shoots together, twining and rubbing centre is an obvious target.
each other in the wind
2 Thin out areas where branches
How to prune an apple tree have entwined together, aiming
to leave 18in (45cm) between them,
Q Our apple trees have not been Older apple trees have often been above, below and side to side.
pruned for years and have grown grafted onto the semi-dwarfing MM106
into thickets. They are covered in rootstock and reach a spreading shape 3 Most of a long branch has been
blossom and fruit well (often every other up to 20ft (6m) tall. Pruning is also useful removed before making a final
year), but I feel we should be taking for reducing height and spread, as well cut just above the collar where the
some kind of action. Where do we start? as removing lower branches blocking branch joins the trunk. For large
Veronica Chapman, Cannock, pathways or obstructing the mower. trees with thick, high limbs, it is
Staffordshire best to hire a tree surgeon.
Unpruned apple trees are usually
A Untended apple trees are a thing shapely, so start by noting their outlines
of beauty, wreathed in spring with the aim of retaining their good looks
blossom, laden with fruit and fantastic at the same time as thinning branches
for wildlife. Pollinating insects visit for for a lighter and slightly smaller result.
nectar, birds take many aphids and Avoid the indiscriminate chopping of
caterpillars, especially when feeding branch ends, as this results in horrible
their chicks, and fallen fruit sustains a stunted outlines and shocks trees into
wide range of birds during winter. So making long, vertical water shoots that
unless you are keen to improve the look odd and take a long time to fruit.
bearing and quality of fruit, don’t feel
you have some kind of obligation to While the trees are dormant from
prune just for the sake of it. November to March, thin out a few older
branches, selecting those cluttering the
However, if the trees are only centre or reaching great heights. Never
cropping every other year (known as take more than a quarter of the branches
biennial bearing), and the fruits are small in one year and cut them close to the
and difficult to pick and use, or fail to main trunk or to a healthy side branch.
ripen sweetly because they are shaded Saw just beyond the collar or bulge,
from the sun, then pruning could help where the unwanted branch joins the
save the day. main stem, and avoid cutting flush with
the main stem.
Spur and tip bearers Fruiting tip-bearer
‘Blenheim Orange’
All photographs John Swithinbank/Ti Archive
Alamy
NOTE whether your tree produces fruit mainly on short, 4 A stem that grew last year is
stubby spurs (spur-bearing types include ‘Discovery’ and reduced by about one third.
‘Sunset’ ), or towards the tips of slender shoots made the This will encourage fruiting spurs
previous summer (tip-bearing cultivars include ‘Worcester lower down, or laterals that might
Pearmain’ and ‘Blenheim Orange’). Reduce to four buds the form fruit buds at their tips.
one-year lateral shoots of spur-bearers, and the following year
prune them above a fruit bud. On tip-bearers, leave the shorter laterals with fruit
buds at their tips, but reduce the length of longer laterals and leading shoots.
48 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
Advanced gardening You can listen to
Steve on alternate
New series on advanced gardening techniques with Steve and Val Bradley Sundays 10am-2pm
on BBC Radio Kent’s
Sunday Gardening
(BBC Local)
Follow Steve’s
advice to avoid
rose-replant
disease
Rose replant disease shows as thin, weak, spindly stems
and branches, pale, sparse foliage and small weak flowers.
Rose-replant disease explained
Steve and Val Bradley reveal why new roses often fail when planted in the
same place as old ones and offer two solutions to help overcome the problem
All photographs by Chris Bradley, Future copyright A NCIENT wisdom tells perennials, for example, are regularly effect, these fungi provide the rose
us that there are certain dug up, divided and young divisions with an extended root system.
circumstances when you can’t replanted in their original position.
replace one type of plant with However, particularly with roses and Residue wrecks young roots
the same type in the same spot because other related members of the rose If a rose has been growing in the same
the new plant will struggle and may die. family, the newly introduced plant starts location for a number of years, it will
This is referred to by a number of names, to struggle more or less from day one. build up a large colony of mycorrhizal
such as rose-replant disease, rose fungi in and around its roots. If this old
sickness, soil sickness or, in the case of It has now been established that one rose is removed, a large amount of fungi
apples, SARD (specific apple replant of the main reasons for this problem in will remain in the soil and planting a new,
disease). The saying ‘Never replace pip roses is the presence of soil organisms smaller and younger rose in the same
with pip or stone with stone’ is often that develop around the roots of the spot means that the roots of the new
quoted by gardeners and growers when older plant. These, including beneficial plant come into contact with this large
it comes to trying to replant apples, fungi, remain on any root fragments left fungus colony. The imbalance between
cherries, peaches, pears, plums, quinces in the soil after the previous plant has the young roots of the new rose and the
and roses where the same type of plant been removed. large population of fungi trying to form a
was growing before. relationship with it leads to the young
Mycorrhizal fungi rose being overwhelmed. It struggles
Barely understood disease The fungi are known as mycorrhizal and looks sick, producing little or no
Replant disease has long been fungi and grow in association with growth. So this potential problem has to
recognised, but was, until recently, the plant’s roots. Rather than being be overcome if the new introduction is
a barely understood problem. It is a harmful in any way, they have a to establish and thrive.
specific condition that occurs when a symbiotic relationship with the plant,
certain plant is replaced with the same receiving sugars from the rose and, Two answers
type. For most plants, doing this does in exchange, providing extra moisture One established method is to plant
not cause a problem. Herbaceous and nutrients for the plant that it would the new rose in a cardboard box full
normally have trouble obtaining. In
50 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022
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