2022-02-05 AMATEUR GARDENING

Steve Bradley MA MHort (RHS) has written (or co-written) over 40 gardening books, including Propagation Basics,
The Pruner’s Bible, The Ground Force Workbook and What’s Wrong With My Plant? He is resident expert on BBC Radio
Kent, Sussex and Surrey, and he has built medal-winning gardens at both Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace.

Step-by-step guide to success when replanting roses

1 The first solution is 2 Dig a hole
to place the rose large
bush in a cardboard enough to
box and fill the box with accommodate
soil from a different the box of soil
site, ideally with soil with the rose
that has never had inside it.
roses growing in it.

3 Position the box 4 The second
containing the rose solution is to
inside the hole and dig a hole large
backfill the soil around enough to
the box sides, firming comfortably
the soil as you add accommodate the
layers to fill the hole. plant’s root system.

5 Then scatter the mycorrhizal granules into the 6 Place the rose
base and around the sides of the planting hole, inside the hole
as well as over the soil used to backfill the hole. and backfill the soil
around the roots,
shaking the plant
to settle the soil
around the roots
and firming the soil
as you add layers
to fill the hole.

of soil that has never been in contact the cardboard box gradually rots away. possible to buy dried, packaged fungi
with roses before. The box is buried By the time the box disintegrates, the that can be added at the planting stage
as the rose is planted into the same roots are mature enough to cope with to help the new rose establish and
spot where the old rose used to grow. the external soil. replace the older one. Another
Effectively, it forms a barrier that advantage is that these mycorrhizal
allows the new rose to establish its In recent years, as scientists have fungi seem to provide protection
own colony of mycorrhizal fungi while gained more understanding of how against certain root diseases.
mycorrhizal fungi work, it has become
5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 51

Your

Get thelook

Ideas for gorgeous gardens

Repurpose the trunk of a felled tree to maximise its value to
wildlife. This one is used to as the mount for an armillary sphere

The wildlife garden

Wildlife-loving gardener Heather Collins has returned to her Gloucestershire

roots to build on the foundations laid by her parents, says Sue Bradley

Photographs by Peter Chatterton T HE colourful garden However, she’s not been afraid to add a over the years. Poor mum could never sit
surrounding Heather Collins’ few touches of her own. on the patio during spring as it was
family home is a treasure chest always covered in pots of plants,” recalls
of memories and the solid She’s moving towards planting the Heather, who looks after the garden with
foundation on which she’s now making garden for year-round interest, with the help of Alan Jones.
her own mark. recently added perennials taking on the
baton from Dave’s beloved collection of Nectar for insects
Heather has known the quarter of an hellebores and spring bulbs. “Back then, the garden was planted for
acre site in Bussage, near Stroud in early spring interest and to look good
Gloucestershire, since her parents Dave In addition, she’s increased the later in the year. I’ve tried to put in
and Rita moved there when she was two number of nectar-rich plants to attract perennials for a longer period of nectar
and a half. And despite living away from more beneficial insects and resurrected for insects, and I’ve allowed more native
it for more than 30 years, she knows the family’s vegetable plot, allowing plants to appear in the lawn and created
every inch of it like the back of her hand. herself the luxury of a greenhouse to piles of deadwood for beetles.
bring on young plants.
Over the decades the garden has “I am a big fan of wildlife, especially
been a key part of family life, with “My dad loved hellebores and used to bees, and many of the things I’ve done in
numerous relatives getting together to breed them and sell them to raise money the garden has been with them in mind,
help out on days when it was opened to for charity, raising more than £40,000 and this has already led to an increase in
the public to raise money for charity. birdlife. I think dad would have been
“I’ve allowed more right behind me, as even in his day he
Year-round interest native plants to was against using peat, he collected
As its custodian, Heather has sought to rainwater and he built a compost heap
maintain the features created by her appear in the lawn” even before his home was finished.”
parents, such as its three small ponds,
rockery, woodland walk and terracing Much of Heather’s gardening life is
installed to tame the sloping site. spent maintaining the shrubs and trees

52 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022

Plant a rose for a long-lasting Use plants to create layers of
addition to the garden. This yellow colour around the garden.
Trees such as copper beech
climber is similar to ‘Arthur Bell’ and a red Acer palmatum
and Laura Ford’ (‘Chewarvel’) add to the mix

Plant flowering carrots, such as this Embrace the reflective qualities of
‘Dara’ cultivar, to draw in beneficial water to bring a calming element
to the garden. A variety of acers
insects, such as hoverflies adds to the sense of tranquillity

planted by her parents, including 5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 53
cordon-grown apples, a pergola
supporting two wisteria, a sheltering
beech hedge and her father’s collection
of Japanese maples.

Hours of peace
Nevertheless, for a woman who spends
much of her working life in noisy
factories in her role as a health and
safety and fire safety consultant, being
outside provides much appreciated
hours of peace.

While Heather is proud of what
her parents achieved in the garden,
hers is very much a pragmatic approach
and she is prepared for it to evolve
under her care.

Your Use plants to provide an attractive
covering for more utilitarian features
Get thelook such as water butts. Here a
Cotoneaster horizontalis draws the
Ideas for gorgeous gardens eye away from plastic container

“Some trends come and go; at one Choose a mix of trees to provide a range
time the garden was pretty much lawn of foliage and bark colours. Here acers
and conifers, along with three silver surround a silver birch, the trunk of which
birch that dad put in,” says Heather. stands out against a beech hedge

More flower beds
“Once we had grown up and moved
away, and there was no longer any
need for a football pitch, the lawn
started to be nibbled away and more
flower beds appeared.

“Mum and dad started this garden
from scratch, putting in terracing to
make it easier to manage and gradually
adding more and more trees and shrubs
as time went on.

“Dad loved seeking out small
nurseries and finding unusual plants,
many of which are still here.

“I have to remind
myself that it’s
now my space”

“In some ways it feels a bit weird to be Split the garden into ‘rooms’ using
looking after this garden, and every so trellises and archways clad with plants to
often I have to remind myself that it’s create visual barriers. Here a golden hop
now my space. and honeysuckle clad these structures
in attractive foliage and flowers
“I’ve continued the family tradition
of opening for the National Gardens
Scheme, with Redwood being one of
several gardens that open with others
from Eastcombe and Bussage at the
beginning of May. It’s a nice feeling
when people admire the garden; I don’t
take all the credit for it, but it makes me
happy to know it’s appreciated.”

Enjoy a wisteria’s beautiful purple Devote space to growing herbs, vegetables
flowers by training it over a pergola. and other edible crops. A greenhouse is an
This feature separates different investment that will pay dividends over many years
parts of the garden while allowing a
glimpse of what lies behind

54 AMATEUR GARDENING 5 FEBRUARY 2022

Grow insect-friendly ornamental Brighten a shady Brighten a patio with a range of potted
onions Allium neapolitanum patio area with a plants. The pretty pink-tinged leaves of
glazed pot and an acer can really be appreciated at a
Cowanii Group for pretty white white flowers. Make low level
edible flowers. These blooms the most of such
areas with a table
are also good for cutting and chairs for
meals outdoors

Grow several allium bulbs together for
a stunning display of colourful globes

Employ a sunny spot to bring Make an impact with shrubs chosen
together herbs both for for their varying colours. Here a red
Acer palmatum is paired with a
flavoursome ingredients in the variegated pittosporum
kitchen and to provide a source
Meet the gardener
of food for insects
Owner:
Squeeze in some apple trees by growing and training Heather Collins
them as cordons, which look attractive as well as Address:
serving a practical purpose Redwood,
Bussage, near
Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 8AZ
Garden size: Quarter of an acre
Month visited: June
Aspect: West facing
Soil: Slightly alkaline brash
Special features: Garden on a
terraced sloping site with mature
trees and shrubs, a vegetable plot
and a pond.
Open for NGS: Opens as part of the
Eastcombe and Bussage gardens on
Sunday-Monday 1-2 May, 1-5pm.

5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 55



Letters to Wendy

Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Future Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road,
Winnersh, RG41 5TP (please include your address). Email us: [email protected]

All Reader materialBirthday black gold!
Please note, prize monies will be sent approx 10 weeks after publication
MY HUSBAND bought me Star WIN
two tonnes of top soil for my letter £20
birthday in December. The
faces of the delivery men Please send us your
were a picture, they were concerned
apparently I might be angry my partner gardening-themed poems,
had given me this as a birthday present,
I assured them I was delighted. you will £20 if published. This

Can you tell me, how do I improve week, a poem from Margaret from
the soil so that I can grow cut flowers
this summer? I don’t have access to a Manchester has a surprising ending
compost heap so what else can I use
and should I add some fertiliser? My garden
Gritt Greenwood
There is a chair in my
Wendy says Our resident expert, Gritt received the perfect birthday gift – garden, where I take my
John Negus, says... “Hopefully, the two tonnes of topsoil for her new plantings morning brew,
topsoil in question is organically rich
and well-endowed with humus, in quantity of proprietary composted The birds come down to
which case there is no need to manure or very well-rotted garden feeders and sing a song
augment it with further organic matter compost. You can do it now, or a week or or two.
or fertiliser to encourage it to grow the so before sowing or planting.”
plants you have in mind. The flowers are so pretty,
they brighten up the day,
If, however, when you handle it, it
feels ‘thin’ and sandy, I suggest that you Each little patch of colour
bulk it up by working in a generous sends the grey away.

Talking rot A quiet little arbour would,
please a busy bee,
I WOULD agree with Graham Rice’s It all seems like a picture
advice given in an article last year, for all the world to see.
suggesting that home-made compost
should be buried when improving soil. It is such a shock when
We spread our rotted compost as a sitting there,
mulch last spring, and the border was You only smell cat pee!
invaded by squash and tomato plants.
Margaret Plant
A case of the bin contents not being
The squash and tomatoes grew turned or reaching a high enough Pets at home
from composted veggies temperature to kill all the seeds...we got
a few lacklustre tomatoes and stripey
Reader’s Tip squashes that we didn’t eat.
Lucy Williams, Colwyn Bay
IF any readers are hoping to attract
birds on to feeders in their garden, WE moved house
I suggest they try mealworms. The
food I put out is often ignored in favour last year to a
of berries and insects, but the
mealworms were eaten in almost a smaller and
single sitting – the starlings briefly flew
away when I opened the door to take more
a photo, but soon returned and
finished the lot! manageable
Patsy Collins,
Lee-on-the-Solent, Hants house and

garden. I’ve

got lots of

pots and a

nice patio area. Rosie has found
I was worried her paws

about my cat Rosie

who is 16 years old in case she didn’t

settle in. I’m pleased to say she loves the

new garden and this is her favourite spot

on the railway sleepers!

Catherine Smith,

Manchester

5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 57



Toby Buckland

Plantsman and BBC gardening presenter

Toby’s trivia

Willow and hazel sticks
being used in a wigwam

structure as a rustic
support for sweet peas

Woodchips from trees like 1 Salicylic acid from the bark of
willow make a nourishing and willow has been used for pain
relief for thousands of years, and
protective mulch, as seen was stabilised in 1897 into the
here around this chard plant synthetic drug aspirin.

The cut whippy stems of ornamental willow Ben Raskin

(Salix alba), coppiced before the leaves break
in winter, are loaded with plant goodness

The wonders of willow 2Plant willow as hardwood
cuttings: living stems pushed
Willows work really hard for their place in your garden,

and they support and nourish other plants, says Toby into the ground quickly root. Purple
willow (Salix purpurea, above),

W HENEVER I start a kitchen If spread immediately, while fresh, common osier (Salix viminalis), black
garden or allotment, the goodness these shreddings contain maul (Salix triandra) and S. ‘Flanders
willow is among the first passes into the ground, giving everything Red’ are available via mail order.
things I plant. Its abundant – from hungry roses and brassicas

crops of pliable stems are so useful for to establishing trees and flowering

weaving into wigwams and plant shrubs – a natural plant pick-me-up. scab – a disease for which there is

supports. But that’s not the only use for If you don’t have room to grow a no bottled cure.

this remarkable plant. coppiced willow, any twiggy clippings, In fact, Ben Raskin, the author of a

As anyone who has wielded a pruning from hedge trimmings to dogwood or new book on woodchips, has a hunch

saw knows, trees and shrubs consist fruit-tree prunings, will do the same, that other types of chipped wood could

of two types of wood: hard ‘heartwood’ but chipped willow has another benefit. provide natural preventions and cures

in the centre, and soft easily sawn From the giant weeping kind to the for a whole range of diseases.

‘sapwood’ that makes up the branches common osier, all willow species contain It’s early days – all I know is that

and twigs. large amounts of salicylic acid, a whether used for disease prevention,

Heartwood creates a frame that hormone that plants use to boost disease weaving or boosting fertility, willow is

keeps the leafy and blossoming parts of or drought resistance. And this is useful. the plant every garden should have.

the plants aloft. Although this outer stuff Studies have shown that apple Q The Woodchip Handbook by Ben

lacks strength, it’s packed with plant trees mulched with willow woodchips Raskin is available from Chelsea

hormones and goodness that’s easily are less prone to leaf and fruit deforming Green Press, £20.

returned to the soil as a chipped mulch.

This is especially true of coppiced Make a plant superfood
willow that’s cut to the ground every
one-three years, as the whippy regrowth

is heartwood-free and goes through a AN old French grower once gave me increases

garden shredder like a dream. this tip. Pack a water-filled bucket growth. I’ve

with willow stems and leave to steep, never tried

“Chopped willow scraping off any mould that forms on it, but I have
is a natural plant the surface. After a month, a gel forms
on the surface that can be diluted a bucket of
pick-me-up” a spoonful at a time into a can and
Alamy otherwise credited applied as liquid super-food or used the stuff The extract from willow
to dip cuttings to boost rooting. The soaking now, stems steeped in water
thinking is the salicylic acid hormone and if it works
can also be used to

I’ll let you know. dip cuttings to boost

Watch this space! rooting

5 FEBRUARY 2022 AMATEUR GARDENING 59

9000 9001