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FREE MINI MAG<br />

MAKING BEAUTIFUL GARDENS<br />

16<br />

PAGE<br />

SAMPLE<br />

MAG!<br />

Step into<br />

Spring<br />

Ideas, advice and<br />

planting inspiration<br />

BEAUTIFUL GARDENS<br />

“Our look is formal<br />

with an artistic twist”<br />

BE INSPIRED...<br />

Planting style<br />

How to create a chic<br />

orange & silver border<br />

Wildlife<br />

haven<br />

✿ REVITALISE THE PATIO<br />

With summer-flowering bulbs<br />

✿ VAMP UP YOUR BORDERS<br />

Dark new divas for a sultry look<br />

✿ WELCOME BUTTERFLIES<br />

Flowers & foodplants to grow


SUBSCRIBE<br />

TODAY<br />

See www.great<br />

magazines.co.uk/<br />

garden-answersmagazine<br />

24<br />

NEW<br />

PLANTS<br />

36<br />

GARDENING<br />

SHORTCUTS<br />

See more tulips<br />

on pp6 and 8<br />

88<br />

DESIGN<br />

SOLUTIONS<br />

COVER: GAP PHOTOS/VISIONS<br />

INSIDE OUR MINIMAG<br />

2 Typical contents page<br />

4 Be inspired by...<br />

6 Jobs for spring<br />

8 Revamp the patio<br />

10 “Our look is formal...”<br />

14 Give butterflies a boost<br />

Contents<br />

CELEBRATE<br />

6<br />

8<br />

12<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

18<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

20<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

Celebrate April Choose elegant<br />

white tulips for a classical look.<br />

They go with every colour scheme!<br />

Be inspired by… ‘Floating’ tulips<br />

and alliums, clay-themed shopping,<br />

National <strong>Garden</strong>ing Week and<br />

golden buttercup lookalikes<br />

“It’s a leafy oasis in the city”<br />

Flowers, shrubs and fruit trees<br />

ring seasonal changes in designer<br />

Claire Mee’s chic London plot<br />

Meet the queen of self seeders!<br />

Aquilegias are ideal for plugging<br />

the spring-summer gap<br />

Capture spring’s natural beauty<br />

Small trees, grasses and meadow<br />

flowers abound at Chanticleer<br />

24<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

EASY GARDENING<br />

27<br />

31<br />

32<br />

36<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

45<br />

Plant a little vamp Brand new<br />

devilish divas and sultry sirens<br />

to provide a touch of the Gothic<br />

What to do this month Prick out<br />

seedlings, rejuvenate shrubs, sow<br />

herbs and hardy annuals<br />

Escape to the greenhouse Get<br />

juicy tomatoes off to the best start<br />

Make the most of tulip time Plant a<br />

spring basket with vibrant flowers<br />

and textural ornamental grasses<br />

Quick & easy gardening Save time<br />

and effort with these gardening<br />

shortcuts from our team of experts<br />

Plant an architectural border Team<br />

acid-green euphorbias with sunny<br />

tulips and sky-blue forget-me-nots<br />

2 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


62 45 18<br />

GARDEN<br />

TO VISIT<br />

BORDER<br />

PLANNER<br />

AQUILEGIAS<br />

IN FOCUS<br />

20<br />

NATURAL<br />

BEAUTY<br />

32<br />

SPRING<br />

BASKET<br />

BEAUTIFUL GARDENS<br />

50<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

56<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

62<br />

67<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

“The garden evolved with<br />

nature’s help” An enchanting<br />

hillside cottage garden sited in a<br />

former quarry and sumptuously<br />

planted with flowering perennials<br />

“Every inch is packed with<br />

interest” This stylish garden in<br />

Yorkshire overflows with design<br />

features and hot spots of colour<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> to visit Indulge the senses<br />

at Charles Jencks’ visionary<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> of Cosmic Speculation<br />

in Dumfries & Galloway, open<br />

for just five hours a year<br />

WILDLIFE<br />

Give the mower a rest Let your<br />

grass grow long, so pollinators and<br />

other wildlife can revel in the range<br />

of wildflowers that spring up<br />

GROW AND EAT<br />

72<br />

PROBLEMS SOLVED<br />

77<br />

88<br />

COVER<br />

STORY<br />

GARDEN BUYS<br />

91<br />

96<br />

Grow cucumbers, squashes and<br />

marrows Extend your gourmet<br />

range with cucurbit-family crops<br />

Ask <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong> Geoff<br />

Stebbings answers questions<br />

on spring bulbs, planting hedges<br />

and sowing early veg<br />

Design with beautiful fruit and veg<br />

Ian Hodgson squeezes fruit and<br />

vegetables into planting schemes<br />

Buyers’ Guide to plant feeds<br />

The best feeds and fertilisers to<br />

boost your garden this spring<br />

Watering cans Chic, novel, sturdy<br />

and even collapsible new models!<br />

104<br />

106<br />

YOUR GARDEN LIFE<br />

98<br />

100<br />

102<br />

109<br />

114<br />

Three free* dwarf buddleia ideal<br />

for patio plantings. *Just pay p&p<br />

24 cottage garden plants for £24<br />

plus 50 free anemone ‘De Caen’<br />

bulbs with every order<br />

Over to you Readers share their<br />

gardening success stories<br />

Community <strong>Garden</strong> Edinburgh<br />

residents and building site<br />

developers are working together<br />

to create a movable pallet garden<br />

Free for you Days out and lovely<br />

gardening goodies to be won<br />

Puzzles and prizes Your chance to<br />

win a pair of cosy Bogs boots and<br />

copies of <strong>Garden</strong>s to Visit 2016<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> view Helen Billiald is<br />

on the lookout for plant thugs<br />

overtaking her borders<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 3


Be inspired by...<br />

Plants, books, events & buys for the month ahead<br />

ORANGE WALLFLOWERS<br />

Erysimum forms neat<br />

mounds of eye-popping<br />

colour from late spring<br />

SHAPELY SPIRES<br />

The distinctive candelabra<br />

flowers of Phlomis russeliana<br />

lend height to the planting<br />

SILVER FOLIAGE<br />

Teucrium fruticans<br />

creates a shaggy bush<br />

of upright stems<br />

GLAUCOUS SPIKES<br />

Dianella lends a few silvery<br />

sword-like spathes<br />

in the foreground<br />

LEAFY EDGING<br />

Compact hyssop tumbles<br />

over the paving, providing<br />

a soothing green foil<br />

4 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


Get the<br />

look<br />

Team orange flowers<br />

and silver foliage for a<br />

bold border scheme<br />

Matthew Keightley’s Sentebale<br />

garden at last year’s Chelsea<br />

Flower Show was packed with<br />

dramatic architectural plants. While much<br />

of the planting was too tender to survive a<br />

British winter, we found this corner of<br />

hardy plants that would make a fabulous<br />

border display for a sunny, sheltered spot.<br />

COMBINE THESE PLANTS<br />

HANG IT ALL<br />

Here’s a round-up of the<br />

smartest swings in town<br />

pGondola<br />

with parashade<br />

£399 Whitestores<br />

0333 123 5235;<br />

www.whitestores.co.uk<br />

❤<br />

CELEBRATE<br />

uHanging chair £106.73<br />

Mood Adventures<br />

0031 6 5137 1061;<br />

www.moodadventures.nl<br />

Chelsea<br />

t<br />

Suspension<br />

3 Vert Anis<br />

£252.19<br />

BOQA 0033 6<br />

9593 2933;<br />

www.boqa.fr<br />

ERYSIMUM<br />

‘APRICOT TWIST’<br />

Evergreen<br />

perennial with<br />

grey-green leaves.<br />

Prefers full sun.<br />

H45cm (18in)<br />

HYSSOPUS<br />

OFFICINALIS<br />

Clump-forming<br />

aromatic herb for<br />

full sun or part<br />

shade. H60cm (2ft)<br />

S1m (3ft 3in)<br />

tDante pod £399<br />

John Lewis<br />

0345 604 9049;<br />

www.johnlewis.com<br />

TEUCRIUM<br />

FRUTICANS<br />

Silvery foliage and<br />

pale blue flowers.<br />

A useful mediumsized<br />

evergreen<br />

shrub. H60-100cm<br />

(24-39in)<br />

PHLOMIS<br />

RUSSELIANA<br />

Whorls of hooded<br />

pale yellow flowers<br />

from late spring to<br />

autumn. H90cm<br />

(3ft) S75cm (29in)<br />

DIANELLA<br />

CAERULEA<br />

‘CASSA BLUE’<br />

Silvery phormiumlike<br />

perennial.<br />

Evergreen in<br />

sheltered spots.<br />

H and S40cm (16in)<br />

ARTEMISIA<br />

LUDOVICIANA<br />

‘VALERIE FINNIS’<br />

Dramatic, scented<br />

silvery-green foliage<br />

perennial for full sun.<br />

H and S60cm (2ft)<br />

pIndoor-outdoor<br />

hanging chair £350<br />

Cox & Cox 0844 858 0744;<br />

www.coxandcox.co.uk<br />

Book review<br />

The City Grower by Matt<br />

Franks (Kyle Books, £16.99)<br />

THIS USEFUL guide to growing your<br />

own is a must-read for anyone short<br />

on space. Author Matt Franks is an<br />

accomplished urban gardener and<br />

full of novel ideas for growing crops<br />

in even the most unlikely spaces.<br />

He begins with all the practical<br />

basics such as how to find a spot<br />

with sufficient sunlight, using the<br />

pRitiki garden swing<br />

seat £1,599 Out There<br />

Interiors 0208 099 7443;<br />

www.outthere interiors.com<br />

vertical dimension<br />

of your garden to<br />

create growing<br />

space, saving<br />

rainwater and<br />

making planters<br />

from recycled tyres<br />

and pallets. This is<br />

followed with a series of planting plans<br />

– for fast crops and shady spots – and<br />

explains how to adapt them.<br />

It’s certainly an absorbing read! We<br />

especially love his pallet and oil drum<br />

planters. ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿<br />

PHOTOS: MATTHEW ROBERTS/BAUER; ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 5


What<br />

to do this<br />

month<br />

Spring<br />

Make the most of the long, light<br />

days to keep your garden looking<br />

its very best both now and later<br />

in the season. Geoff Hodge<br />

suggests some timely jobs<br />

PHOTO: GAP PHOTOS<br />

MAKE THE MOST OF<br />

LAVENDER PLANTS<br />

Whether you fancy making an informal<br />

hedge or creating extra plants to drift<br />

through a border, late May is a good<br />

time to take softwood cuttings of<br />

lavender. It’s best to take them from<br />

younger plants as they’ll root more<br />

readily and to collect your stems early<br />

in the day when they’re full of water and<br />

less prone to drying out. To prepare<br />

your cuttings:<br />

1. Gently pull off 10cm (4in) sideshoots<br />

from the main lavender stems. The ‘heel’<br />

at the base of each sideshoot is where<br />

the new roots will grow.<br />

2. Remove the lower leaves and<br />

dip the end in hormone rooting powder.<br />

3. Insert your cuttings around the<br />

edge of a small terracotta pot of<br />

gritty compost for optimum<br />

aeration and drainage. Insert the<br />

pot into a larger plastic pot as<br />

shown and water daily between<br />

the two pot rims.<br />

4. Cover with a plastic bag. This will<br />

maintain humidity while the cuttings take<br />

root, in 4-6 weeks.<br />

Make new<br />

plants for<br />

free!<br />


Look out for beetles<br />

While some beetles, especially<br />

ladybirds and various ground<br />

beetles will eat a range of insect<br />

pests, others are more of a problem.<br />

These are the big three nuisance<br />

beetles to look out for.<br />

Vine weevil<br />

1 While the<br />

nocturnal adult<br />

beetles eat ‘mouthshaped’<br />

notches<br />

from the edges of<br />

many plants, the rooteating,<br />

C-shaped, creamy-white<br />

grubs cause most damage.<br />

2Lily beetle<br />

The red adult lily<br />

beetle may look<br />

attractive, but it and<br />

its grubs can strip<br />

leaves and flower<br />

buds from a plant in<br />

just a few days. Check<br />

leaf undersides for adults,<br />

grubs and clusters of orange eggs.<br />

3Viburnum beetle<br />

Viburnum beetle<br />

grubs start attacking<br />

this month, making<br />

holes and leaving<br />

leaves looking<br />

like lace doilies.<br />

Viburnum tinus<br />

and V. opulus are<br />

their favourites.<br />

A well-planted pond<br />

is a boon for wildlife<br />

STOCK UP PONDS & WATER FEATURES<br />

Now is an ideal time to<br />

restock ponds and water<br />

features with new plants.<br />

Try to grow a selection of<br />

marginal plants at the<br />

edge to create some shade<br />

and provide protection for<br />

wildlife. For best results,<br />

add waterlilies and other<br />

floating aquatics to cover<br />

at least one-third of the<br />

surface to keep water cool<br />

and prevent algae.<br />

l Dwarf waterlilies will<br />

spread 30-60cm (1-2ft), so<br />

they’re perfect for small<br />

ponds or even barrels<br />

30-45cm (12-18in) deep<br />

l Medium waterlilies<br />

reach 60-120cm (2-4ft) at<br />

a depth of 45- 75cm<br />

(18-30in)<br />

l Vigorous waterlilies up<br />

to 2.4m (8ft), need a depth<br />

of 75-120cm (2½-4ft)<br />

to grow and flower well.<br />

You can feed established<br />

plants by inserting aquatic<br />

slow-release fertiliser<br />

tablets into the planting<br />

basket compost.<br />

With a new pond, wait<br />

three weeks after filling<br />

and planting before adding<br />

any fish. If it’s to be a<br />

wildlife pond, don’t add<br />

fish at all as they’ll eat any<br />

frogspawn and so upset<br />

the natural balance.<br />

Geoff says: “Unless you need tall<br />

plants, pinch out the leading shoots on<br />

young seedlings of chrysanthemum,<br />

cosmos, fuchsia and helianthus plants,<br />

to encourage really bushy growth.”<br />

Deal with diseases<br />

Some of our favourite flowering<br />

plants can suffer from crippling<br />

fungal diseases, such as powdery<br />

mildew, rust and rose blackspot.<br />

✿ Grow plants as strongly as<br />

possible, so they’re better able to<br />

fight off disease in the first place.<br />

✿ Water them well and use highpotash<br />

feeds that encourage more<br />

flowers and toughen up growth.<br />

✿ Protect susceptible plants with a<br />

chemical fungicide. It’s more<br />

effective to use fungicides to<br />

prevent disease than as a cure.<br />

Toughen up plants in a coldframe<br />

Young plants benefit from hardening off (acclimatising to<br />

colder outdoor conditions) before planting outside. Otherwise,<br />

they can suffer a severe shock, due to the wide deviation in<br />

conditions and temperatures, and fail to establish well – or die.<br />

1. Start by moving plants into a closed cold frame for 4-5 days.<br />

2. Open the frame in daytime but close it at night for 4-5 days.<br />

3. Open the frame day and night, but cover plants with<br />

horticultural fleece for 4-5 days.<br />

4. Finally expose plants unprotected to external conditions.<br />

l See page 75 for more advice on moving plants outdoors


What to do this month...<br />

HERE COMES SUMMER<br />

Fill your patio with pots<br />

of bright, beautiful bulbs<br />

for months of colour<br />

REVAMP THE PATIO!<br />

Summer-flowering bulbs provide lots of<br />

colour and interest for months on end,<br />

lasting well into autumn. Now’s the time<br />

to plant them out in the garden and,<br />

because just about all of them grow<br />

brilliantly in pots, include some in<br />

containers for your summer patio.<br />

There are lots to choose from, including<br />

agapanthus, begonias, cannas, dahlias,<br />

eucomis, gladioli, lilies, nerines and<br />

tigridia, all of which look gorgeous in<br />

decorative containers.<br />

Those that produce large, bushy plants Canna lilies give a taste of<br />

should either be grown on their own or you the tropics. H90-160cm<br />

can edge the containers with low-growing (3-5ft) S60-90cm (2-3ft)<br />

or trailing bedding plants. Smaller<br />

cultivars look fabulous when mixed<br />

together to create a riot of colour,<br />

structure and interest.<br />

Plant them in a good multipurpose<br />

potting compost or, if you intend to grow<br />

them from year to year in the same<br />

container, use John Innes No3 compost.<br />

‘Dinnerplate’ dahlias, full-size gladioli<br />

and taller lilies can look spectacular in<br />

large pots. These will need staking, so<br />

select containers that are deep enough to<br />

take the plant support and protect them<br />

Low-growing begonias are<br />

from strong winds, or choose dwarf,<br />

ideal for edging or trailing.<br />

compact cultivars that don’t need support.<br />

H and S18-40cm (7-16in)<br />

Potted alliums look really<br />

spectacular. H60cm-1.8m<br />

(2-6ft) S10-20cm (4-8in)<br />

Gorgeous gladioli will add<br />

glamour. H45-150cm (18<br />

-60in) S10-60cm (4-24in)<br />

Plant summer-flowering<br />

bulbs for colour into autumn<br />

Dahlias dazzle in many<br />

colour forms. H30-125cm<br />

(1-4ft) S30-50cm (1-2ft)<br />

Fragrant lilies delight<br />

the senses. H90-240cm<br />

(3-8ft) S15-50cm (6-20in)<br />

8 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


EASY GARDENING<br />

BOOST STRUCTURE<br />

Container-grown trees, shrubs and<br />

perennials can be planted all year<br />

round but will establish much faster<br />

if planted in spring – before<br />

temperatures get too warm and the<br />

soil starts to dry out. So, if you’re<br />

looking to boost the amount of<br />

permanent colour and structure in<br />

your beds and borders it’s best to<br />

get it done before summer arrives.<br />

Lavender, phormium, hardy<br />

fuchsia, penstemon and phygelius<br />

are best planted in spring.<br />

Cool down greenhouses and coldframes<br />

Even at this time of year, temperatures<br />

inside greenhouses, conservatories and<br />

growing frames can soar significantly on<br />

sunny days. Strong sunlight and hot<br />

temperatures can be very damaging to<br />

plants, especially seedlings and young<br />

plants. To prevent this from happening,<br />

Weatherwatch<br />

Summer’s nearly here,<br />

and it’s always tempting<br />

to get ahead by planting<br />

out tender bedding and<br />

vegetable plants. But<br />

chilly nights and even frosts<br />

are still a distinct possibility in May,<br />

so protect susceptible<br />

plants from damage by<br />

keeping them indoors<br />

a bit longer. Take<br />

time to harden<br />

them off or<br />

Thin out<br />

hardy annuals<br />

Any hardy annuals sown direct in the<br />

ground last month may need more<br />

space by now. This will ensure they<br />

develop and flower more<br />

profusely and help<br />

reduce problems<br />

with fungal<br />

diseases. For best<br />

results, thin in<br />

two or three<br />

stages at weekly<br />

intervals. The<br />

final spacings should be<br />

23-30cm (9-12in) apart,<br />

depending on the plants’<br />

eventual size and spread.<br />

✿ Sow more hardy annuals now, to<br />

enjoy months of colour.<br />

open doors and vents to increase air<br />

movement and ventilation on warm,<br />

sunny days, but close them again<br />

around 4pm.<br />

If the weather really warms up it’s<br />

worth applying a summer shading wash<br />

or putting up shading materials.<br />

Keep on mowing<br />

Weekly mowing is a must now the<br />

grass is growing fast to help you<br />

achieve a good quality, great-looking<br />

lawn. It’s quicker than mowing<br />

infrequently because you won’t need<br />

to empty the grassbox as often!<br />

A good mowing regime encourages<br />

fine-leaved grasses at the expense of<br />

coarser, weedier ones – and promotes<br />

a thicker lawn that discourages weeds<br />

and moss.<br />

✿ Keep grass around<br />

2.5-4cm (1-1½in) high.<br />

Raise the cutting height<br />

to 5cm (2in) in shady<br />

areas.<br />

✿ Apply a granular or<br />

liquid spring and<br />

summer feed now to help<br />

your lawn grow thick and<br />

green. Granular feeds last<br />

for some weeks.<br />

✿ Use a feed, weed and<br />

mosskiller to get rid of weeds<br />

and moss. This will also help to<br />

strengthen the grass.<br />

1<br />

DIG IN LOTS OF ORGANIC<br />

MATTER. This will get new<br />

plants off to a flying start.<br />

Well-rotted manure, garden<br />

compost or tree and shrub planting<br />

compost are ideal. Add bonemeal<br />

or a controlled-release plant food<br />

to help improve root growth and<br />

establishment.<br />

2<br />

WATER THE PLANT<br />

THOROUGHLY. Soak its<br />

roots before moving it into<br />

its new hole. Plant at the same<br />

depth the plant was originally<br />

growing then firm soil around its<br />

roots. Give the plants another<br />

good soaking to settle the soil<br />

around their roots.<br />

3<br />

MULCH THE SOIL. Add a<br />

7.5-10cm (3-4in) thick layer<br />

of bark (or gravel) to help<br />

retain soil moisture as well as<br />

discouraging weeds.<br />

➤<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 9


READER<br />

GARDEN<br />

A SENSE OF OCCASION<br />

This handsome wrought iron<br />

pergola was bought as a kit of<br />

of rusty pieces from a salvage<br />

yard... by pure luck it fitted<br />

perfectly over the bay tree!<br />

10 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


BEAUTIFUL GARDENS<br />

“Our look is formal,<br />

with an artistic twist”<br />

Former art teachers Barbara and Marek Polanski have<br />

brought a creative touch to their south London plot<br />

PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT BY NICOLA STOCKEN<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 11


WORDS: LIZ POTTER PHOTOS GARDEN NEWS/NEIL HEPWORTH<br />

IN THE<br />

GARDEN<br />

WITH…<br />

Barbara &<br />

Marek Polanski<br />

AT 41 Southbrook Road, Lee,<br />

London SE12 8LJ<br />

SIZE 27x40m (88ftx131ft)<br />

SITE South facing<br />

SOIL Gravel over clay<br />

FEATURES Wide, mixed herbaceous<br />

borders surrounded by mature trees;<br />

central box parterre; dramatic<br />

pergola and bay tree feature; ancient<br />

pear trees; two lily ponds<br />

VISIT By arrangement for groups<br />

May to July (2-5.30pm); adults £3.50,<br />

children free<br />

This elegant formal garden is packed<br />

with colourful plants and inspiring<br />

artefacts. “Being former art<br />

teachers has definitely had an<br />

influence on how we created the garden,”<br />

says Barbara. “We’re both interested in<br />

architecture, travel and design history, and<br />

Marek is interested in classical history and<br />

its influence on architecture.”<br />

The classical influence is revealed in the<br />

garden structures and ornaments. “There’s a<br />

pavilion with classical architrave and<br />

columns (now with mosaic inside), an<br />

elaborate red brick wall fountain, Pompeiistyle<br />

frescos and decorative urns. Marek<br />

built all the architectural elements himself.”<br />

The garden is a rectangular plot that<br />

Barbara says is large by London standards.<br />

“It was once part of a large estate that was<br />

subdivided into generous plots. The garden<br />

is where the manor’s orchard used to be and<br />

still contains old pear trees, now covered<br />

with scrambling roses ‘Kiftsgate’ and<br />

‘Rambling Rector’.<br />

“When we moved here 15 years ago the<br />

garden was simply a large lawn surrounded<br />

by established trees,” says Barbara. “I was<br />

keen to keep a large area of grass, so the first<br />

job was to set out the main feature of the<br />

garden – a small parterre – about threequarters<br />

of the way down the lawn. I created<br />

lots of box topiary to go with it – pyramids,<br />

balls and cylinders – and planted a bay tree<br />

in the centre.”<br />

The bay was a small standard 14 years ago,<br />

but it’s grown into a large tree. “It’s actually<br />

two trees tied together; over time they’ve<br />

grown into one another,” says Barbara. “We<br />

trimmed out the lower branches then let it<br />

come out in an umbrella shape at the top.”<br />

The iron pagoda is a more recent<br />

introduction. “We often visit reclamation<br />

yards to hunt for architectural treasures and<br />

on one visit saw a similar but more expensive<br />

piece,” says Barbara. “It inspired us to search<br />

online to find something more affordable,<br />

and that’s how we found this one at a salvage<br />

yard in Suffolk.” [Extract from July 2015]<br />

12 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


BEAUTIFUL GARDENS<br />

GARDEN CLASSICS (clockwise from<br />

left) The large rectangular lawn provides<br />

a foil for deep herbaceous borders that<br />

lead to the parterre, with its topiary<br />

shapes, entwined bay trees and dramatic<br />

salvaged pergola; Marek built this<br />

pavilion himself, with reference to the<br />

Ancient Greeks – complete with columns<br />

and architrave; elegant Oriental lily<br />

‘Extravaganza’; the red brick wall<br />

fountain is adorned with decorative<br />

roof lintels the couple brought back<br />

from Paris; the pavilion offers the<br />

perfect shady place to sit and enjoy<br />

the garden view, with pink hollyhocks,<br />

yellow heleniums and achillea<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 13


SPRING<br />

WILDLIFE<br />

Give<br />

BUTTERFLIES<br />

a boost<br />

Fill your flower borders with these dainty fluttering<br />

pollinators. Adrian Thomas explains how<br />

14 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>


When it came to inventing<br />

butterflies, Mother Nature<br />

clearly felt it was time to<br />

bring out the paint box. It’s<br />

a great joy for us that she did, for how can<br />

you fail to be entranced by such a<br />

dazzling display of colour and<br />

pattern?<br />

Take the peacock for<br />

example (pictured left), one<br />

of the most widespread and<br />

familiar of all Britain’s butterflies.<br />

With its wings closed, it looks<br />

almost jet black, but as it slowly opens<br />

it reveals not only a ground colour of<br />

rich chestnut-red but also four<br />

mesmerising ‘eye’ shapes, like the pattern<br />

on the tail feathers of its avian namesake.<br />

Look closely and those ‘eyes’ are a vibrant<br />

palette of white, yellow and iridescent<br />

blue, set off against black kohl ‘eyeliner’.<br />

Or, how about the male brimstone<br />

butterfly, that harbinger of spring in the<br />

southern half of the UK, whose upper<br />

wings are the most vivid pure yellow, but<br />

which at rest sits with it wings closed<br />

looking for all the world like a leaf. In stark<br />

contrast, the male common blue has upper<br />

wings that on a sunny day are more<br />

shimmering in their sky-blue colouration<br />

than any garden flower you can<br />

imagine.<br />

Ok, a number of garden<br />

butterflies are<br />

predominantly brown.<br />

But if you set your<br />

Common blue<br />

expectation levels to<br />

‘simple elegance’<br />

rather than<br />

‘kaleidoscopic’, there’s little that can<br />

match the understated beauty of the<br />

ringlet with its chain of glinting eyes<br />

around the edge of its under wing, or the<br />

subtle golds of the large skipper as it opens<br />

its wings like the pages of a book.<br />

No wonder butterflies are so well loved.<br />

Flowers are wonderful, but to have ‘flying<br />

flowers’ in among them is the<br />

icing on the cake.<br />

For 16 years now, I’ve<br />

been doing what I can to<br />

increase the numbers<br />

of butterflies in my<br />

garden. Fifteen of those<br />

years were in a garden that<br />

was just 6x8m (20x26ft), but<br />

by the end of that period I was<br />

counting more than 120 butterfly<br />

sightings in a year, six times more than<br />

when I started.<br />

If you want to boost your own butterfly<br />

bounty, follow the three steps below to<br />

Tortoiseshell<br />

make your garden a more welcoming place<br />

for our fluttering friends.<br />

➤<br />

The underwing markings<br />

of the common blue<br />

BUTTERFLIES<br />

& BRASSICAS<br />

Each butterfly species is specific in<br />

its food plants, so only large white<br />

and small white caterpillars will eat<br />

brassicas. Luckily there are lots of<br />

wildlife-friendly ways to protect crops:<br />

l Use butterfly mesh cages. Build<br />

them large enough to prevent cabbage<br />

white butterflies laying their eggs on<br />

your brassica leaves.<br />

l Don’t sow large numbers of<br />

brassicas together. If a large white<br />

butterfly finds a solitary cabbage with<br />

different plants nearby, they’ll look for<br />

a larger food supply for their young.<br />

l Patrol brassicas daily. Wipe off any<br />

tiny yellow eggs with your thumb.<br />

Alliums can mask<br />

the distinctive scent<br />

of brassicas<br />

3 WAYS TO WELCOME MORE BUTTERFLIES<br />

GROW FLOWERS IN SUNSHINE, IN<br />

2<br />

SHELTER, EN MASSE. Butterflies<br />

much prefer it if their favoured flowers<br />

are planted in a sunny, sheltered position.<br />

It’s not easy drinking through a bendy<br />

straw if you’re being buffeted by the<br />

wind! If flowers are growing in profusion,<br />

so much the better. The buddleia below<br />

has caught the attentions of a red admiral.<br />

PROVIDE THE RIGHT NECTAR-<br />

1<br />

RICH FLOWERS. Butterflies love a<br />

swig of nectar, but they’ll only visit a<br />

very small number of flower types –<br />

such as sedum and buddleia, above.<br />

It’s not that they’re picky; it’s because<br />

their long probosces will only fit certain<br />

flowers, and also that many garden<br />

flowers are poor in nectar.<br />

CATER FOR THE CATERPILLARS.<br />

3<br />

Long term monitoring by Butterfly<br />

Conservation has shown that more<br />

than three quarters of our butterfly<br />

species have declined since 1976, so we<br />

need to plant for caterpillars in order to<br />

see more butterflies. The camouflaged<br />

critter above is a brimstone caterpillar,<br />

feasting on his foodplant (an alder<br />

buckthorn). See over for more.<br />

Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 15


WILDLIFE<br />

Best flowers for butterflies<br />

WILDLIFE GARDEN<br />

JOBS FOR MAY<br />

VERBENA BONARIENSIS<br />

Clusters of lilac flowers<br />

on tall stems June-Sept.<br />

H2m (6½ft) S45cm (18in)<br />

OREGANO<br />

Sun-loving perennial herb<br />

with pink flowers July-<br />

Sept. H and S45cm (18in)<br />

SEDUM SPECTABILE<br />

Large flat heads of starry<br />

flowers Aug-Nov. Plant in<br />

sun. H and S45cm (18in)<br />

1<br />

SOW SEEDS OF<br />

BUTTERFLY PLANTS<br />

Dig and rake the soil in a<br />

patch of sunny border and simply<br />

sow a packet of the RSPB’s<br />

Butterfly and Bee seeds.<br />

2<br />

DESIGN AND PLANT A<br />

BUTTERFLY BORDER<br />

Remember to include<br />

some of those all-important<br />

caterpillar plants.<br />

EUPATORIUM<br />

This lofty pink-flowered<br />

perennial likes a damp<br />

spot. Blooms Aug-Sept.<br />

H and S90cm (3ft)<br />

MICHAELMAS DAISIES<br />

Grow in full sun for masses<br />

flowers Aug-Sept. Choose<br />

single-flowered cultivars.<br />

H90cm (3ft) S40cm (16in)<br />

IVY<br />

Ideal for growing up a wall,<br />

its yellowish-green flowers<br />

Oct-Nov offer late-season<br />

nectar. H and S3m (10ft)<br />

3<br />

LET LAWN GROW<br />

LONG Summer’s meadow<br />

butterflies will use the<br />

grasses for feeding and shelter.<br />

LAVENDER<br />

Fragrant spikes of purple<br />

July-Sept above aromatic<br />

silvery leaves. Plant in sun.<br />

H45cm (18in) S60cm (2ft)<br />

WHICH PLANTS FOR<br />

CATERPILLARS?<br />

Remember to cater for caterpillars too<br />

by including a range of their food plants.<br />

l Garlic mustard and/or lady’s-smock for<br />

orange-tips and green-veined whites<br />

l Purging buckthorn and/or alder<br />

buckthorn for brimstones<br />

l Bird’s-foot trefoil for common blues, best<br />

in an area of lawn that you let grow long<br />

l Ivy and holly for holly blues<br />

l Hop (Humulus lupulus) for commas<br />

l Common or sheep’s sorrel for small coppers,<br />

again best planted in a lawn that’s left to grow<br />

l Wild grasses, left to grow long, for<br />

meadow browns, gatekeepers, skippers<br />

and speckled woods<br />

l Stinging nettles for red admirals, peacocks,<br />

small tortoiseshells and commas, but they do<br />

demand a large, sunny swathe of the stuff!<br />

ECHINACEA<br />

Tough plant for full sun with<br />

rosy flowers June-Sept. Opt<br />

for single-flowered cultivars.<br />

H1.5m (5ft) S45cm (18in)<br />

Holly<br />

Lady’s smock<br />

SCABIOUS<br />

Lavender-blue pincushions<br />

July-Sept are a favourite<br />

for sunny cottage garden<br />

beds. H and S40cm (16in)<br />

Hop<br />

Nettle<br />

Look out for<br />

l ORANGE TIPS Of the few<br />

butterfly species that appear<br />

in spring only, the well-named<br />

orange-tip is the most frequently<br />

seen in gardens, so enjoy it during<br />

its short season.<br />

l MALE BUTTERFLY PATROLS<br />

In spring, some male butterflies<br />

are more intent on finding a mate<br />

than on feeding, so watch as they<br />

patrol or sit on bushes to await<br />

passing females.<br />

l SPECKLED WOODS The<br />

speckled wood butterfly enjoys<br />

dappled shade, so look where<br />

sunlight filters through trees.<br />

16 <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Answers</strong>

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