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Help your garden
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l Fill your plot with wildlife
l Spring guide to plant feeding
l Tackle those pesky pests
IT'S Time to take
dahlia cuttings

P.18
Add colour with
pelargoniums
Spring comes
in like a lion
Well, Storm Doris certainly left her
mark. At first I thought she was
going to blow through with barely
a whimper – from the safety of my
desk all seemed quite calm outside!
Then, as I sipped contentedly on my
coffee, my wife called to say our fence
was no more! And she didn’t stop
there (Doris, not my wife): pots were
blown over and smashed, an apple tree
ravaged and the wheelie bin upended
and emptied. Since then, some parts of
the country have battled Storm Ewan
too – I hope not too much damage was
done. Still, Garden News readers are
nothing if not determined
and I know you’ll have been
busy putting things right.
It takes more than Doris
and Ewan to stop us!
Garden News
Editor
Britain’s most trusted
voice in gardening
P.32
Plant bare-root
perennials now
Our cover star:
Narcissus ‘Tahiti’
P.14
Six steps to a
lovely lawn
P.31
Celebrate
spring in a pot
We love this delightful, double-flowered
daff, with its large, golden segments which
nestle around smaller, rich-orange ruffled
ones. Find out which varieties bulb expert
Johnny Walkers favours on page 49.
Alamy Neil Hepworth Neil Hepworth
Alamy
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Look inside!
About Now
4 News from the gardening world
5 Plant of the Week: Geum
6 Hand weeders are tested
7 My Life in Plants
9 Very Important Plant
10 Top 5... spring-flowering
wall shrubs
P.5
12 Wildlife
Features
14 Get a pristine lawn
18 Perfect pelargoniums
20 Garden of the Week
24 Colour up with grasses
28 Carol Klein explains why trees
are our good friends
57 Homegrown: Purple-sprouting
broccoli
What To Do This Week
31 Create spring in a container
32 Plant bare-root perennials
35 Nick Bailey inspires us to
reinvent trees and shrubs
37 Martin Fish is tidying up
his streptocarpus
38 Pop in your peas!
39 Medwyn Williams hedges his
bets when sowing celery
41 The allotment is coming to life
for Terry Walton
The Experts
45 Tony Dickerson problem solves
48 Plan for a dazzling daff display
49 How to get chrysanths set up
for the season
You and Your Gardens
50 Readers’ gardens
53 Your letters and photos
66 Gardening Genius
Offers & Competitions
55 Prize-winning crossword
59 Buy an apple tree collection
61 Super savings on sweet peas
62 Free lily and arisaema bulbs
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March 11 2017 / Garden News 3

Plant
of the
week
Spring
spurges!
Best for dazzling displays
Their luminous yellow tones make
the ideal foil for bright early bulbs
Among the rush of spring
perennials, euphorbias – or
spurges as they’re
commonly called – are often the
most distinctive and readily
identifiable. They produce their
heads of acid yellow, hooded or
disc-like ‘flowers’ (really coloured
bracts) in dense heads on stems
clothed in blue-green leaves.
It’s a huge group of plants
coming from a variety of habitats
from sunny, Mediterranean
climates and shady woodland to
moist meadows, so there are types
for all sites and situations. Habits
vary too, from ground-hugging,
creeping mats, to stout, upright
clumps in the larger varieties of
species such as E. characias, that
grow up to 1.8m (6ft).
Flowering periods span spring
through to high summer, but it’s
in spring where they help make
the most dramatic impact. The
luminous yellow tones of the
long-lasting flowers are an ideal
foil for the bright blossoms of
late-spring bulbs such as tulips
or camassias, or early perennials
such as geum and anemones.
The flower-bracts often persist
into autumn to add further
texture, when many of the
deciduous species and varieties,
such as E. palustris, also assume
orange and yellow tints.
Leaves can also be brightly
coloured, either through white,
cream or red variegation, which is
at its strongest and most potent in
new spring growth. The young
shoots of some spurges, such as
‘Excalibur’ are also strongly
tinted in red, orange, purple or
bronze tones as they push through
the ground, the effect fading as
they grow and age.
Remove the older flowering
stems of evergreen species such
as E. characias in autumn as
more will form each year. Cut the
deciduous species back to ground
level at the back end of the year.
All parts of the plant exude a white, sticky
sap when damaged, which can be an irritant,
so always wear gloves when handling
E. characias
‘Tasmanian Tiger’
An evergreen, variegated
form that grows best in a
sheltered spot. H: 90cm (3ft).
E. cyparissias
‘Fens Ruby’
This low, wide-spreading
variety tints purple in full
sun. H: 30cm (12in).
E. characias
‘Humpty Dumpty’
Being compact and clumpforming,
it’s ideal for small
gardens. H&S: 60cm (2ft).
E. ‘Excalibur’
This upright, deciduous
form has wine-tinted leaves
in spring and yellow flowers
in June. H: 90cm (3ft).
E. epithymoides
A short, early-flowering
herbaceous species,
producing yellow flowers
in April. H&S: 50cm (18in).
E. palustris
An adaptable and robust,
deciduous species with bright
yellow flowers in April and
May. H&S: 90cm (3ft).
All photos: Alamy
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March 18 2017 / Garden News 5

CAROL KLEIN
This week
AT GLEBE
COTTAGE
“What you plant with them
has a direct effect on their
health. In nature, wild roses
grow among herbaceous
plants and grasses”
Getting the most
from roses
They’re a must-have flower for many gardens
– and will respond magnificently to the right care
Everyone loves roses!
They’ve won countless
polls as ‘The Nation’s
Favourite Flower’ and even
non-gardeners seem to be
enamoured by them. Of all the
world’s flowers, they must be
the most instantly recognisable
and they’ve the longest links
with human society, having
been honoured and revered by
all the ancient civilisations.
Nowadays, they’re not only
still given as love tokens, but
are an important addition to
many gardens. But how do
we get the best out of them?
First and foremost, choose
an open site that gets plenty of
sunshine (when it’s available).
Although roses are
accommodating plants, they
love sun and will always flower
more profusely in full light than
they would in dappled shade.
Like most plants, roses need
good soil. If you’re planting new
roses make sure you add loads
of organic matter to the soil.
Home-made compost is the best
bet, but there are also proprietary
products you can use.
In the first year after planting,
whether it’s from bare-root or
container-grown plants, roses
concentrate on making roots, so
soil preparation is all-important
to ensure the formation of a
strong root system and lots of
fine, fibrous feeding roots. That’s
not the end of the story: roses
need continuous sustenance as
Feed roses with compost
to keep them growing
and flowering strongly
they grow if they’re to thrive.
Mulching with compost is one
of the best ways to feed roses.
Not only does it suppress weeds,
cutting down competition,
but it also keeps the soil moist
and, most importantly, tops up
the nutrients the rose needs.
What you plant with your
30 Garden News / March 25 2017

Photos: Jonathan Buckley
roses has a direct effect on their
health. In nature, wild roses
grow among herbaceous plants
and grasses, but in the 1950s’
traditional rose garden there
would have been nothing but
roses – a veritable mono-culture
that encouraged disease.
In the outstanding Walled
Rose Garden at Mottisfont
Abbey, designed by one of the
greatest rosarians ever, Graham
Stuart Thomas, more than 500
varieties of mainly ‘old’ roses
are planted in borders full of
perennial flowers. Not only does
this provide an ongoing pageant
from May until the frosts, but
it keeps the roses happy and
healthy. I find it soul-destroying
to see bare stemmed roses
surrounded by bare soil, which
used to be such a common
sight in front garden rose beds
up and down the country.
As well as giving them the
right company, they need
water and decent drainage.
If roses are planted well and
mulched properly, once they’re
There are some woodland
wonders, mainly from
North America, that have
a habit of diving under the
soil when they’ve finished
flowering. Because they’re
dormant for such a long
time, they’re sometimes
forgotten and occasionally
dug up by mistake. I should
label them more carefully,
they’re such treasures you
just don’t want to lose them.
They all cope well with
shade. Blood root, Sanguinaria
canadensis is a good
example. The whole
plant, including the thick,
spreading rootstock which
bleeds red sap when
damaged, is succulent
and fleshy. Each emerging
flower bud is wrapped
tightly in one scalloped
leaf, which unfurls as
the flower stem pushes
up its fragile flower.
The simple, pure white
flowers are fleeting,
almost ghostly in
their transparency,
seldom lasting more
than a day or two – a
established they shouldn’t need
frequent watering. In fact, it’s
important not to overwater
them – if the roots have to
strive for water, they’ll become
stronger and venture further
afield. Nonetheless, they may
need help in times of drought.
Pruning’s not a mystery. The
same common-sense rules apply
as they would when pruning
any woody shrub. With old
roses, some experts advocate a
little-or-nothing approach when
it comes to pruning, but I find
some old roses dwindle when
left to their own devices, so most
of ours get pruned regularly.
Removing the three Ds
– dead, diseased and damaged
wood – is imperative, after
which the objective is to
encourage the rose to make
an open shape so branches
don’t get crossed and so air
circulates easily. The aim
is always to encourage the
formation of wood that will
produce flowers. After all,
that’s why we grow them!
What’s looking good this week
Woodland treasure
mere nuance of a flower.
More often cultivated, the
double form, Sanguinaria
canadensis multiplex ‘Plena’,
is less graceful, but much
longer-lasting. Its chunky,
globose flowers are composed
of layers of pristine petals.
Once seen, never forgotten.
This is an ‘ooh-aah, can’t live
without it, absolutely musthave’
plant. It prefers leafy,
acid soil, but alas, even when
conditions seem perfect, it
sometimes disappears.
The must-have
plant, doubleflowered
blood root
My gardening Diary
MONDAY Planting in
earnest to try and make
sure everything’s in the
ground before the
weather warms up too
much. Plants always
seem to acclimatise
better when planted
before they take off.
One of the most
pressing priorities is
Polemonium yezoense,
grown from seed.
Lovely plants but
there are 60 or more
to plant out!
TUESDAY Primroses have come on apace after a
slow start. The ones we divided last year are flowering
well and a seed tray where I sowed Primula vulgaris
last year has suddenly greened up with scores of tiny
plants – unmistakably primroses. To think I almost
abandoned it!
WEDNESDAY We used to have two pulmonarias that
‘made’ themselves in the garden here at Glebe. The one
with opal-white flowers we called ‘Moonstone’ and,
very predictably, the one with blue flowers ‘Glebe
Cottage Blue’. I thought they were lost, but I’ve just
found one plant of each. Since you can grow more from
root cuttings, there’s no reason to lose them again.
THURSDAY Topping up lily pots. The bulbs were
planted quite deeply and were only just covered with
loam-based compost. As soon as we see new shoots
emerging, we add a few inches of compost. We’ll
continue to add more as the shoots grow taller. This
helps make strong stems and, hopefully, good flowers.
FRIDAY Some of the mixed salad leaves we’ve sown
are doing well, but we’ll leave them in their seed trays
and use them as cut-and-come-again. We’re sowing
more to eventually prick out and plant out. They
germinate so readily, there’s no excuse for me not to
provide fresh leaves all the time.
SATURDAY One of our next little films for Gardeners’
World is about the primrose. I’ve been re-reading
Florence Bellis’ book Gardening and Beyond. She was
the American woman who originally bred the
Barnhaven strains of primulas. Her writing is informative
and witty, too!
SUNDAY Erythroniums are a special love and we were
lucky enough to buy some interesting varieties from
Wildside Nursery a couple of years ago. They were kept
in their pots too long – the bulbs try to
escape through the drainage holes – but
we planted them in our raised beds and
they’re just coming up, their marbled
leaves pushing through, wrapped
around flower buds.
Carol Klein
Sowing Primula
vulgaris ‘in the green’
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Alamy
TONY DICKERSON
The Problem
SOLVER
Royal Horticultural Society gardening advisor and podcaster
How should I grow
bulbs in containers?
QI want to grow summerflowering
bulbs in pots.
How do I go about it?
Sarah Lord, Stareton,
Warwickshire
AThere’s a wide range of
summer-flowering bulbs or
bulb-like plants in garden centres
to plant now. Many are tender,
so are well-suited to containers.
My default potting compost mix
tends to be equal quantities of
John Innes (No 2 or 3 is fine),
multi-purpose and sharp sand.
Cannas come in
a spectrum of
striking colours
This provides adequate nutrients
to get the plants going, is welldrained,
but doesn’t dry out
too quickly. Nor is it too light,
so pots don’t get blown over.
There are a few bulbs, such as
crinum, that are planted with the
‘snout’ of the bulb exposed.
Those that grow from rhizomes,
such as cannas and ginger lilies
(hedychium) should be planted
horizontally and just covered
with potting compost.
Most true bulbs are planted
three times their own depth, s
o when the bulb is sat in the
hole it has twice its depth of
potting compost over the top.
For impact, I’d space small
bulbs no more than 2.5cm
(1in) apart. Larger bulbs
generally need to be their
own width apart.
On planting, water
the bulbs gently in. They
shouldn’t need watering
again until the shoots start
to show. Cannas and ginger
lilies do better started in
a propagator with some
bottom heat. A month
after the first shoots come
through start liquid feeding once
a week with tomato fertiliser,
which is high in potassium
(potash) to encourage good
flowering, but not excessive leaf.
In hot weather take care the pots
don’t dry out. Once flowering
starts, deadhead regularly.
After flowering, reduce
Many summerflowering
bulbs have a
tropical look
and grow well
in containers
feeding to once a fortnight and
continue watering until the
foliage starts to yellow. At that
point, stop watering and allow
the foliage to die back. I find it
easiest to overwinter bulbs in
their pots. More tender types will
need the protection of a
greenhouse or conservatory.
GWI
Four top summer-flowering bulbs
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Gladioli
Plant gladioli 20cm (8in)
deep in containers. They’re
very easy to grow and make
gorgeous cut flowers.
Eucomis
Unusual-looking eucomis, or
pineapple lily, isn’t fully hardy
so keep it in a sheltered, but
sunny spot.
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Crocosmia
Crocosmia is easy to grow,
flowering from mid to late
summer in bright shades of
red, orange and yellow.
Freesia
Freesias aren’t difficult, just
make sure you buy prepared
corms. These have been heattreated
to break dormancy.
Continues over the page
March 25 2017 / Garden News 45

The Problem SOLVER
QWill cutting hedges in
spring and summer
disturb nesting birds?
Frank Morton,
Evesham, Worcestershire
AIdeally, any cutting or
removal of hedges should
be undertaken during the
autumn or winter to avoid
disturbance to birds during
the breeding season, but this
isn’t the best time to clip
evergreen shrubs.
It’s an offence under the
Wildlife and Countryside Act
Check there are
no birds nesting
in your hedge
before cutting
Bonfire ash
is beneficial
to brassicas
1981 to disturb birds when
they’re using or building a nest,
or to intentionally damage their
nests. It’s generally accepted that
March 1 to August 31 is the
standard bird breeding season,
and the RSPB recommends using
these dates as a guide for the
period to avoid cutting hedges
and trees. The legislation appears
to imply that an offence is only
committed if nesting birds are
present, so carefully check the
hedge out and, if you’re
confident none are present,
you can go ahead.
Shutterstock
QCan I grow veg on a
former bonfire site?
Lilian Morris, by email
AIt depends on
what has been
burned there. If it’s
just garden clippings
and prunings it’ll be
fine, but the ash will be
alkaline so spread it out
Shutterstock
Grow carrots
under insect-proof
netting to prevent
carrot fly
What’s the best
fly-resistant carrot?
QCan you recommend
a fly-resistant carrot?
Mrs Anne Vinnicombe,
by email
Carrot fly is a small,
A black-bodied fly whose
slender, creamy yellow
maggots feed on the roots of
carrots and related plants,
such as parsnips. They cause
rusty-brown tunnels in the
taproots making them
inedible. There are several
carrots that are less
and plant brassicas. Cabbages,
caulis, and the like, love alkaline
soil and it’ll reduce problems of
club root infection. Avoid
growing potatoes there as
alkalinity increases the
incidence of potato scab.
If the site has been used to
burn general rubbish, including
plastics and treated timber,
then you need to dispose of
susceptible to carrot fly,
such as ‘Fly Away’, ‘Ibiza’, ‘
Maestro’, ‘Parano’, ‘Resistafly’
and ‘Sytan’, but they’re not
fully resistant.
Crops are best protected
with a physical barrier.
Surrounding them with a
60cm (2ft) high barrier of
clear polythene to exclude the
low-flying females appears to
work well. I leave nothing to
chance and cover my carrots
from sowing to harvest with
insect-proof netting.
the material. Alternatively,
plant up with ornamental
plants, avoiding any that like
acid soils, including roses.
Just be aware that
accumulations of bonfire
ash can form a compacted
layer and if there are large
amounts you might want to
bag it up and take it to your
recycling centre for disposal.
Shutterstock
QHow can I protect against fuchsia gall mite?
Mrs Pam Baker, Orsett, Essex
AFuchsia gall mite is a microscopic, sap-sucking mite
specific to fuchsias. They secrete chemicals that cause
distortion of the shoots and flowers, ruining the plants.
Pesticides available to home gardeners are ineffective.
Cutting off infested shoot tips will remove a lot of
mites, but regrowth is likely to become
infested. The most susceptible species
include F. arborescens, F. magellanica
and F. procumbens. Less susceptible
fuchias include ‘Baby Chang’,
‘Cinnabarina’, ‘Miniature Jewels’
and ‘Space Shuttle’. I’d generally
avoid introducing any new fuchsias
into your garden or greenhouse. If
you do buy new ones, put them
into an isolated quarantine area for
several weeks to check you aren’t
introducing the pest.
Fuchsia magellanica
is most susceptible to
fuchsia gall mite (left)
46 Garden News / March 25 2017
Shutterstock

Garden
OF THE
WEEK
Gardener Richard and
Hilary Lawrence
Location 119 Scalford Road,
Melton Mowbray, LE13 1JZ
Been in garden 27 years
Open Sunday July 30 (11am-5pm).
Admission £2.50, children free.
Home-made teas, including gluten
free. Visitors also welcome by
arrangement June to August for
groups 10-25 max. Admission
£2.50, children free.
More info Visit www.ngs.org.uk
A world in
one garden
This Leicestershire plot looks more than a little exotic with dramatic
foliage and plant colour collected on its owners’ holiday travels
Before
Words Karen Murphy
Photos Neil Hepworth
Have you ever travelled to
far-flung climes, eager to
grow all those beautiful
local plants back home? Well,
Richard and Hilary Lawrence’s
garden in Melton Mowbray is
an exercise in doing just that.
Their larger-than-average
Leicestershire plot belies its
rural middle English setting,
appearing more like a little exotic
botanical garden, stowed away
in secret, all jungle-like foliage
and dramatic plant colour.
It couldn’t be more different
now to how it looked when they
first arrived – straight lines of
bedding borders, a colossal lawn
and a little herb patch – all very
run-of-the-mill. After being
severely reduced, the lawn
has become just a supporting
feature. The main stars of the
show now are the large, winding
borders slicing through it,
teeming with exciting plants.
“We try to go unusual
wherever possible,” says
Richard. “But while I’m more
of a ‘throw everything unusual
in together’ gardener, Hilary is
much more methodical, so we
complement each other well!”
20 Garden News / March 25 2017

Left, as the garden is now,
a pocket paradise in rural
Leicestershire. Right, dotted
dahlias mingle with
aeoniums, pelargoniums
and a large strawberry patch
Their travels
around the world have
inspired them to push
the boat out and grow
many different plants. The
rare tomato-like perennial
Solanum quitoense from South
America takes pride of place,
enjoying warmth and shelter
outdoors in summer before
coming indoors for winter.
Another subtropical plant
from that continent – one we’ve
all come to adopt as our own –
is sprinkled liberally through
the garden: dahlias. “Dahlias
show those who may be a little
apprehensive about growing
exotics in the UK, that it’s okay.
We’ve obviously grown them
over here for centuries, so similar
plants can thrive just as well,”
says Richard.
South African
red hot pokers and crocosmia,
tropical castor oil plants and
even blowsy bedding favourites,
begonias, are given plenty of
room. Begonias, originating
from the humid subtropics,
and inspiringly plentiful on
Richard and Hilary’s travels
over there, are among his pièces
de résistance during their NGS
open day in late summer.
He has gloriously large double
blooms looking magnificent in
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Left, just one of the exotic
solanums, S. pyracanthum,
native to Madagascar.
Right, the couple grow a
hefty collection of
tomatoes in the greenhouse
stately pots. “I always get great
comments about them from
visitors,” says Richard, proudly.
On a recent trip to North
America, their plant hunting
continued. “There’s a fantastic
plant over there, almost a
scrubland plant you see
everywhere, called rabbit brush,”
Richard explains. “We got some
seeds and now grow it in our
garden as a superb, stout
shrub, which flowers profusely
in yellow in late summer.”
His love for succulents,
shown through the pots and
pots of aeoniums he has, stems
from a spell in the Scilly Isles.
The mild climate down there
is just right to grow them well
and in abundance, without the
need for bringing them indoors
away from frost. They were
inspired to try and bring a taste
Continues over the page
March 25 2017 / Garden News 21

While you may
love growing
your trusty
favourites, it’s
worth trying
something
out of the
ordinary
Words Tonia Friedrich
Veg with a
difference
We know that homegrown
vegetables will
always trump those
bought from a supermarket
when it comes to taste. Not only
that, but many shops don’t stock
a wide range of the things we
can grow ourselves, and there’s a
whole world of different tastes
out there to try!
You can get sowing or
planting all of these indoors now
ready for months of harvesting
later in the year. And once you’ve
tried some of these we think
you’ll be hooked!
Salsify and
scorzonera
A
popular,
cool weather
crop during the Victorian
era, salsify is now hard to
find in shops. It has a slender tap
root resembling a parsnip with
tender, flavoursome flesh, while
scorzonera has similar shaped,
thinner, black roots. Both are
grown the same way.
How to sow
Sow seeds in March or
April directly outside about
1.5cm (½in) deep in rows
30cm (12in) apart.
Where to grow
They need plenty of sunshine
and a well-drained soil. You
might want to fork your
bed over and add some
well-rotted garden compost
before sowing.
How to maintain
Hand weed the bed regularly
so you won’t damage the
roots or apply a layer of mulch
to suppress weeds.
Scorzonera has
a unique taste,
similar to oysters
Kohlrabi
This round-rooted brassica
has a delicious mild, nutty
flavour, and can be eaten
raw in a crunchy salad, or even
steamed. It’s easy to grow and
more drought-resistant than
most other brassicas.
How to sow
Sow in March indoors at a
temperature of around 12-15C
(54-59F), or directly into open
ground with some protection
such as a cloche. You can remove
the protection once the frosts
have become less frequent,
usually around April.
Kohlrabi looks
very decorative
in a pot
Where to grow
Kohlrabi grows well in a
free-draining, slightly alkaline
soil with a pH of around
6 in sun, but will cope with
dappled shade.
How to maintain
Don’t let soil dry out, and if your
soil is poor, consider applying a
top dressing of fertiliser, such as
a liquid feed of comfrey.
Alamy
26 Garden News / March 18 2017
Harvest kohlrabi once
the roots reach golf ball
to tennis ball size

Shutterstock
Squash
There’s a wonderful variety
of squashes in different
shapes, sizes and flavours,
so instead of the everyday
butternut squash, why not
try unusual ‘Sunbeam’, a
bright yellow one that tastes
delicious in stir-fries?
How to sow
Start off seedlings indoors, and
once the risk of frost has passed,
harden the young plants off and
plant outside around June. If
you’ve got a small garden, try
You’ve got a
fantastic choice
of squashes!
growing one or two squashes
in growing bags or one in a 45cm
(18in) wide container.
Where to grow
A sheltered site in full sun would
be perfect.
How to maintain
Keep the soil constantly moist
and add plenty of well-rotted
garden compost if grown in the
open. Once the fruit starts to
form, feed every 10-14 days with
a high potash liquid fertiliser.
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Celeriac is
harvested from
October to March
Celeriac
Celeriac produces a large
spherical root with a
mildly nutty flavour
with a touch of celery. New
varieties like ‘Monarch’ have
smoother roots, which makes it
easier to prepare in the kitchen.
How to sow
Sow seeds now in a greenhouse
or on the windowsill around
3mm (⅛in) deep in seed
compost, water in and seal in a
polythene bag. Once the
seedlings have developed a
good root system, harden off
and transplant outside in June.
Where to grow
Celeriac will appreciate a
sunny spot with humus-rich,
moisture-retentive soil.
How to maintain
Mulching will help to keep the
soil moist. Water well, never
letting the soil dry out.
l See Home-grown on p54
for some celeriac recipes
Oca is high in
nutrients and
low in calories
Protect the tender
underground tubers
of oca from frost
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Alamy Shutterstock
Oca
The pinkish-white
underground tubers of the
oca are full of nutrients,
and have a spicy, lemon flavour
when eaten raw in a salad. When
you cook oca, it tastes slightly
nutty. As the bushy plant is
ornamental, it’s also ideal as a
container plant.
Where to sow
Oca will thrive in a well-drained
soil in a sheltered, sunny or
partially shady spot.
How to maintain
Apply a general fertiliser when
the plants are in growth and
mulch with well-rotted compost
in summer. Water well,
particularly from September,
when the tubers are forming.
Step
1Fill pots or trays with
multi-purpose compost so
you’ve got space for a 5cm
(2in) layer of compost. Tap down
gently.
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by step
How to plant
Bauer
2Space oca tubers on top of
the soil and cover with
compost.
Cover with horticultural fleece
until established.
Bauer
3Place in the glasshouse or
on windowsill and
transplant outside in the
open or in a pot when frosts
have passed.
Bauer
Subscribe for just £1 an issue. Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn
March 18 2017 / Garden News 27

The little pea flowers of
Cercis siliquastrum are a
delicious godsend for bees!
Create an early
nectar garden
Get your garden buzzing by feeding newly-emerging pollinators
Words Karen Murphy
With the decline of
many of our garden
pollinators due to
habitat loss, we really need to
help them. They perform
a great service to us gardeners,
doing a grand job of vital
pollination of many of our fruit,
veg and ornamentals, so it’s
only right we return the favour
and provide them with more
plants. And there’s never a
better time than in late winter
and early spring, when many
bees and other pollinators are in
desperate need of some food!
Right now you might even
see a few queen buff-tailed
bumblebees buzzing about,
emerging after a long winter,
ready to find nesting sites
and create a new colony.
They’ll be extra hungry
and need a good feed to
restore their energy.
But what are the best plants
to use? Winter aconites and
hellebores are a good early
start, but here we’ve picked
a select few from a range of
plant types, some for instant
impact in the next few weeks
and some to invest in for future
years. It’s perennial and tree
planting time now, so you
can get stuck in right away.
Fear not, you’ll have your own
‘nectar café’ set up in no time!
Perennials
Bergenia
Charmingly also known as
elephant’s ears for its large,
low-growing leaves, it’s an
evergreen perennial whose
leaves glow bright red in winter
and provide stout ground cover
all through the year. But in
spring its tall, pretty blooms
come in rather handy to bees and
other pollinators, who can sense
their nectar richness.
Flowers: March to April.
When to plant: Available in
garden centres or online now for
planting in non-frosty ground.
Otherwise plant in autumn.
Care and maintenance:
Plant in fertile, welldrained
soil, in sun or
partial shade. Remove
faded flower heads after
flowering, and generally
tidy up through the
year, removing dead
leaves. Lift and divide
clumps every couple of
years in spring.
Pulmonaria
A lovely, extremely nectarrich
perennial (also called
lungwort) with speckled leaves
and deep blue-pink flowers. It’s
native so will likely fare well in
your garden and needs little
maintenance. Try the cultivated
Alamy
26 Garden News / February 25 2017

Pulmonaria ‘Blue
Ensign’ has striking
violet flowers
Muscari are
so easy to
grow and will
spread readily
Bergenia ‘Ballawley’
has pretty crimson
spikes in spring
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variety ‘Blue Ensign’ for
its spectacular colour. It’ll
spread nicely if you plant it in
open ground.
Flowers: Variously February
to summer.
When to plant: Available in
garden centres or online now for
planting in non-frosty ground.
Care and maintenance: Plant
in enriched soil in light sun or
part-shade. Water well and
deadhead old blooms and leaves
to tidy up and keep its shape.
Aurinia saxatilis
Often used as an alpine or
rockery plant, as it appreciates
free-draining soil and full sun.
Lovely evergreen, grey-green
foliage with a matt of
yellow flowers on top.
It’s a good one for
draping over a wall
like you would
aubrietia. It’s a
really easy-going
plant and has an
RHS Award of
Garden Merit to
show for it.
Flowers: April
to June.
When to plant:
Sow seeds
indoors now to
plant out in spring.
Sow directly in April
or in autumn for
overwintering.
Care and maintenance:
Trim after flowering to
encourage a fresh showing
of blooms.
Alamy
Aurinia saxatilis likes
well-draining soil
Spring
bulbs or
rhizomes
Anemone
nemorosa
Create a lovely woodland
flower carpet to plant
around trees. It’ll
naturalise and spread to
produce even more pretty,
ground-growing open
blooms for pollinators.
Flowers: March to April.
When to plant: Potted plants
are available now, but you can
also plant rhizomes horizontally
5-8cm (2-3in) deep in September
or October.
Care and maintenance: Plant
in cool shade. It’ll appreciate a
helping of leafmould in autumn.
Make sure its soil drains well.
Muscari
Brilliant blue-violet little cone
blooms that reach only 15cm
(6cm). Plant with pansies and
sunny daffs for a classic spring
colour contrast, or with the white
version interspersed with it.
Flowers: April and May.
When to plant: Potted plants
are widely available now, but you
can also plant
bulbs 10cm (4in)
deep in groups
in autumn. Lift
and divide
groups in
summer that
are congested.
Care and
maintenance:
They simply
needs fertile,
well-drained
soil in full sun
or dappled shade.
Subscribe for just £1 an issue. Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn February 25 2017 / Garden News 27
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Woodland anemones
naturalise well under
deciduous trees
English
bluebells
Our own native bluebell has all
the nectar a bee needs! Make
sure you don’t plant or
encourage invasive, non-native
Spanish bluebells at all, as
English bluebells need all the
help they can get to thrive.
Naturalise in grass or under trees
for an evocative, spring scene.
Flowers: April and May.
When to plant: Potted plants
are available now, or plant bulbs
Scented English bluebells
are more delicate-looking
than Spanish ones
Continues over the page
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