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FREE SEEDS<br />

NEW EASY-USE PACKET! Simply snip & pour...<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 28, 2021 £2.10<br />

Carol Klein<br />

‘My top plants<br />

to breathe new life<br />

into your plot’<br />

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Water regularly until plants are fu ly established. Deadhead faded cal<strong>end</strong>ula flowers to<br />

encourage more blooms to be produced and prevent them from self seeding.<br />

FREE FOR<br />

EVERY<br />

READER<br />

Choose a position in full sun on well drained soil which has been raked to a fine tilth.<br />

Sow thinly, 1cm (1/2”) deep in drills 30cm (12”) apart and cover seed with its own depth<br />

<strong>of</strong> soil to exclude light. Water regularly. Germination usually takes 5-10 days. When<br />

seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out to 30cm (12”) apart. Alternatively, sow<br />

indoors from March-April at a temperature <strong>of</strong> 18-23C (65-73F). When seedlings are<br />

large enough to handle, transplant and grow on in cooler conditions until large enough<br />

to plant outdoors.<br />

Growing Instructions: Direct sow outdoors in April-May where they are to grow.<br />

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Promotional packet – not for resale. Sow by Sept 2023.<br />

Average content: 60 seeds<br />

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J F M A M J J A S O N D<br />

Sow outdoors Sow indoors Plant out Flowers<br />

• Hardy annual<br />

• Single blooms <strong>of</strong> golden orange<br />

• Fast growing, makes a great display planted in drifts<br />

• Easy to grow in all conditons<br />

CALENDULA<br />

JUST PAY £2.99 P&P<br />

What to<br />

do NOW!<br />

1Plant a<br />

hydrangea<br />

in bloom<br />

3Plant up a<br />

late-summer<br />

sedum pot<br />

2Prune<br />

peach and<br />

plum trees<br />

4Dry-preserve<br />

your herbs<br />

Have A Perfect<br />

Gardening<br />

Bank Holiday!<br />

Plant now to get colour for months<br />

Start sowing next year’s annuals<br />

Save seeds in the kitchen garden<br />

OUR PEAT-FREE PICKS!<br />

The best new eco composts<br />

to give your soil a boost


Look inside!<br />

ABOUT NOW<br />

4 News from the gardening world<br />

5 Be the First to Grow... new sweet peas<br />

6 Walled garden gets a new lease <strong>of</strong> life<br />

8 Get Planting... late-summer grasses<br />

10 The Natural Gardener<br />

FEATURES<br />

12 Garden <strong>of</strong> the Week<br />

16 What to plant now for months more colour<br />

20 Our pick <strong>of</strong> peat-free composts<br />

22 Sow now for beautiful future blooms<br />

26 Carol Klein on the warmth and optimism<br />

rudbeckia bring to the autumn garden<br />

58 My Favourite Place: Special Plants Nursery<br />

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK<br />

31 Plant a hydrangea<br />

32 Lift and divide hostas<br />

35 Naomi Slade finds a forgotten spot in her<br />

garden to enjoy a new view from<br />

36 Dry-preserve your herbs<br />

38 Kitchen Gardener Rob Smith is saving seeds<br />

and grows an usual tasty treat!<br />

39 Medwyn Williams is busy with parsnips as he<br />

prepares for the shows<br />

40 Martin Fish’s summer-pruning masterclass<br />

41 Terry Walton says farewell to a fri<strong>end</strong> on the<br />

plot and tries to find his pumpkins!<br />

THE EXPERTS<br />

42 Hooray for coloured foliage on begonias!<br />

44 Stefan Buczacki solves your plot problems<br />

YOU AND YOUR GARDENS<br />

11 Your Garden Gems! You share your top tips<br />

28 Take a look at the gardens <strong>of</strong> the <strong>GN</strong> team<br />

51 Your letters and photos<br />

OFFERS & COMPETITIONS<br />

25 Free bulb collection for readers – just pay p&p<br />

49 Win prizes with our crossword<br />

53 Buy glorious glowing alstroemeria<br />

55 Offers on bulbs for blooms in winter and spring<br />

57 Save £5 on pretty magnolia ‘Sunrise’<br />

Make the most <strong>of</strong><br />

the <strong>end</strong> <strong>of</strong> summer<br />

The last bank holiday <strong>of</strong> the<br />

year is upon us! Not sure<br />

where the time has gone<br />

since we were getting stuck<br />

into those long week<strong>end</strong>s in April<br />

and May, but here we are at the <strong>end</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>Aug</strong>ust with autumn just around<br />

the corner. It would be easy to let the<br />

garden run its course over the next<br />

few weeks and put it to bed until<br />

spring, but we know Garden News<br />

readers wouldn’t hear <strong>of</strong> such a thing!<br />

No, instead there are things to be<br />

done and if recent years are anything<br />

to go by, there will be more warm<br />

days to come in September and<br />

October, when<br />

we can enjoy our<br />

outdoor spaces.<br />

Our feature on<br />

page 16 is full<br />

<strong>of</strong> great advice<br />

on plants you<br />

can get in the<br />

ground now<br />

Get in touch!<br />

#<strong>GN</strong>REALGARDENS<br />

to guarantee colour over the coming<br />

months – why not hit the garden<br />

centre this week<strong>end</strong>?<br />

My own garden is still going<br />

strong, though the colours are more<br />

muted than they were a few weeks<br />

ago. Indeed, you can see how it<br />

then looked on page 28 – an Over<br />

The Fence special when we invited<br />

photographer Neil Hepworth to take<br />

pictures <strong>of</strong> my plot along with those<br />

<strong>of</strong> editor at large Ian Hodgson and<br />

features editor Karen Murphy, so you<br />

can see how <strong>GN</strong> staff have fared this<br />

year. I’ve known Neil many years<br />

but it was still a nerve-wracking<br />

experience to present my garden to<br />

him! It was also very interesting to<br />

see his results in different snapshots,<br />

which will help plan it next year – I’ve<br />

been really pleased with some parts,<br />

and I need to repeat them in the parts<br />

that I’m less pleased with!<br />

All in all, there’s much to be done.<br />

Have a great gardening week!<br />

Facebook.com/GardenNewsOfficial<br />

Twitter.com/GardenNewsMag<br />

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Email gn.letters@bauermedia.co.uk<br />

Garden News<br />

Editor<br />

■ <strong>GN</strong> staff are continuing to work from home and unfortunately cannot receive readers’<br />

mail – but if you are able to email your letters and pictures, please do!<br />

Britain’s most trusted voice in gardening<br />

25<br />

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collection – just<br />

pay for p&p<br />

Subscribe to<br />

Garden News and...<br />

NEVER<br />

MISS AN<br />

ISSUE!<br />

Our cover star:<br />

Carol Klein<br />

Columnist Carol just loves<br />

the bountiful and cheery<br />

blooms <strong>of</strong> rudbeckias in the<br />

autumn garden – you can<br />

find out her favourites on<br />

page 26.<br />

28<br />

See the <strong>GN</strong><br />

team’s gardens<br />

36<br />

How to preserve<br />

your herbs<br />

Quote reference when ordering BHAA<br />

Open to both new and renewing subscribers<br />

Check online for terms and conditions<br />

01858 438884 or<br />

www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 / Garden News 3


Every year in March my<br />

mum would sow seed<br />

<strong>of</strong> rudbeckia ‘Rustic<br />

Dwarfs’, an annual<br />

seed strain that grows to about<br />

45cm (1½ft) and produces stocky,<br />

floriferous plants whose flowers<br />

cover the whole gamut <strong>of</strong> autumnal<br />

hues, from rich mahogany to clear,<br />

singing yellow. I’ve continued the<br />

tradition. Here, we have the benefit<br />

<strong>of</strong> a greenhouse. Jeannie, my<br />

mum, would start her seed on the<br />

kitchen windowsill and, once they’d<br />

germinated, she’d transfer them to<br />

the glass lean-to and prick them out,<br />

spacing them a few inches apart.<br />

I follow the same steps, sowing<br />

under glass in spring and pricking<br />

out individually then potting on<br />

once, so that plants are sizeable<br />

when planted out in May or June.<br />

Annual rudbeckias are<br />

rewarding plants to grow from<br />

PHOTOS: JONATHAN BUCKLEY, ALAMY, SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

seed. One packet will yield<br />

more plants than most <strong>of</strong> us<br />

can cope with, so there are<br />

always seeds to swap or share.<br />

The remainder <strong>of</strong> this year’s<br />

plants are filling gaps now,<br />

especially in the brick garden<br />

and the beds either side <strong>of</strong> the<br />

front door. We’ve used them<br />

mixed with dark-leaved dahlias,<br />

tagetes ‘Cinnamon’ and hotcoloured<br />

antirrhinums in several<br />

containers. Although they’re<br />

essentially annuals, a few plants<br />

will persist from year to year<br />

given a sheltered situation.<br />

Most <strong>of</strong> the rudbeckia we<br />

grow here are perennials and<br />

they’re all yellow. It used to<br />

be the fashion to avoid yellow<br />

as it was rather uncouth and<br />

crude. But surely it’s a very<br />

optimistic colour, representing<br />

sunshine and warmth!<br />

WHAT’S LOOKING GOOD NOW<br />

Fantastic frothy umbels<br />

The fashion for floaty, frothy flowers has been<br />

much in evidence in recent years. Ammi majus<br />

and A. visnaga, both umbels, members <strong>of</strong> the<br />

family Apiaceae, create plateaux <strong>of</strong> tiny, creamy<br />

white flowers on branching stems. Even when<br />

the first flowers fizzle, the green seed heads<br />

continue the show and flowering goes on into<br />

the late autumn. At Aberglasney, which we<br />

visited for our Channel 5 show, Great British<br />

Gardens, a long border had been planted with<br />

both varieties <strong>of</strong> ammi, creating a filmic effect<br />

as they swayed in the breeze accompanied by<br />

s<strong>of</strong>t grasses. Both are easy to grow from seed,<br />

sown first thing in spring or in autumn if you<br />

have the facilities to overwinter seedlings.<br />

Carol Klein<br />

Eye-catching<br />

RUDBECKIA<br />

These bountiful blooms bring much-needed<br />

warmth and optimism to your autumn garden<br />

Rudbeckia fulgida<br />

deamii must be one<br />

<strong>of</strong> the happiest <strong>of</strong><br />

plants. Its flowers<br />

are among the most<br />

yellow <strong>of</strong> yellows. Large golden<br />

discs – their colour made all the<br />

more intense by black, velvety<br />

centres – open in huge abundance<br />

during early September and<br />

continue in succession until<br />

the <strong>end</strong> <strong>of</strong> October. In some<br />

years they go on glowing into<br />

the murkiness <strong>of</strong> November. It’s<br />

an archetypal ‘Indian summer’<br />

plant. We’re hoping for an Indian<br />

summer when we start filming<br />

next week for the further five<br />

parts <strong>of</strong> Gardening with Carol Klein<br />

for Channel 5, and rudbeckia<br />

will be one <strong>of</strong> our key plants.<br />

Given even a modicum <strong>of</strong><br />

sunshine, flower follows flower<br />

until the entire plant glows.<br />

We have<br />

them in<br />

several<br />

places in<br />

the garden;<br />

typically the<br />

best plant is<br />

in the middle <strong>of</strong><br />

a potato patch!<br />

They’re all doing well<br />

but a plant that’s giving<br />

us an even better show <strong>of</strong> frothy white flowers<br />

is a self-sown clump <strong>of</strong> Pimpinella major, which<br />

humorously has grown right in the corner <strong>of</strong> one<br />

cut flower bed as if to say, ‘that’s the way to do it!’.<br />

THIS WEEK AT<br />

GLEBE COTTAGE<br />

The latest from Carol's beautiful cottage garden... plus her diary for the week!<br />

Floaty<br />

Ammi majus<br />

Rudbeckia fulgida<br />

deamii in the<br />

yellowest <strong>of</strong> yellows<br />

Rudbeckia fulgida sullivantii<br />

‘Goldsturm’ is half the height<br />

<strong>of</strong> R. f. deamii at about 45cm<br />

(1½ft), with perhaps slightly<br />

bigger daisies. Both make<br />

decent clumps and grow<br />

symmetrically from the centre.<br />

R. fulgida is a tough plant,<br />

brought up in the valleys <strong>of</strong><br />

eastern North America. Its<br />

requirements are simple – decent<br />

soil and adequate moisture. It<br />

won’t die in droughty conditions<br />

but will look unhappy if it’s too<br />

dry; an occasional boost <strong>of</strong> muck<br />

in spring will be welcome. We<br />

used to grow this in the Berryfields<br />

garden in Stratford-upon-Avon,<br />

but it was always disappointing in<br />

the thin, well-drained soil there.<br />

Rudbeckia gloriosa (formerly<br />

laciniata) is taller and lankier;<br />

it has deeply cut leaves and its<br />

petals hang down slightly from<br />

the green, raised cones <strong>of</strong> the<br />

centres. ‘Herbstsonne’ is a muchrecomm<strong>end</strong>ed<br />

variety. If grown<br />

out in the open it should need<br />

no support; if it has to fight for<br />

its space, it may need staking.<br />

In the popular garden variety<br />

R. gloriosa ‘Goldquelle’, the<br />

flowers are fully double. Sadly,<br />

being double they don’t <strong>of</strong>fer the<br />

nectar and pollen that the single<br />

species and cultivars have.<br />

I have a love-hate relationship<br />

with Rudbeckia maxima, having<br />

grown and lost it several times<br />

and on at least two occasions<br />

digging it up and adding it to the<br />

compost heap, so totally tattered<br />

Flowers <strong>of</strong> ‘Rudbeckia ‘Rustic<br />

Dwarfs’ cover the whole<br />

gamut <strong>of</strong> autumnal hues,<br />

from rich mahogany to clear,<br />

singing yellow’<br />

by slugs and snails was it. Most<br />

rudbeckia have rough foliage<br />

that seems to present a problem<br />

for slugs, whereas R. maxima has<br />

glaucous, more fleshy leaves.<br />

If you have your gastropods<br />

under control, then this is<br />

a stately, elegant plant with<br />

a superior air, probably<br />

created by the flowers’ tall<br />

black central cones and<br />

long, p<strong>end</strong>ulous petals.<br />

All perennial varieties can<br />

be increased by pulling clumps<br />

apart in spring, sometimes<br />

several separate rooted pieces<br />

can be gleaned from one central<br />

stem. In common with all late<br />

flowerers, they need the winter<br />

to gather energy together before<br />

they’re separated and divided.<br />

My gardening<br />

DIARY<br />

MONDAY Two square iron pots<br />

that stand at the foot <strong>of</strong> the front<br />

steps housed 30 Allium schubertii.<br />

This ornamental onion is exciting in<br />

flower and in seed. The dry stems<br />

were pulled out – they’re ideal for<br />

winter floral decoration – and the<br />

bulbs excavated. We’ll plant them<br />

elsewhere in the autumn.<br />

TUESDAY Although we rely mostly<br />

on plants supporting each other,<br />

some taller, later-flowering plants<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten need extra help. Big clumps <strong>of</strong><br />

aster ‘Harrington’s Pink’ will be<br />

enabled to exhibit their true glory<br />

thanks to canes and some string!<br />

WEDNESDAY The two beds in<br />

front <strong>of</strong> the cottage looked dreamy<br />

in June – a sea <strong>of</strong> blue cranesbills,<br />

both geranium ‘Nimbus’ and<br />

self-seeded G. pratense. Now all<br />

their tatty flowered stems must be<br />

pulled out or cut down to allow<br />

aster ‘Mönch’, rudbeckia and blue<br />

eryngiums to take over.<br />

THURSDAY The pond is full <strong>of</strong><br />

duckweed so a fishing net is used to<br />

scoop the worst <strong>of</strong> it out, leaving it<br />

on the side for anything living to<br />

return to the water. It’s impossible<br />

to get rid <strong>of</strong> it all but important to<br />

reduce it as <strong>of</strong>ten as possible.<br />

FRIDAY Deadheading rose<br />

‘Sander’s White’ on<br />

the pergola in<br />

Alice’s garden. The<br />

main shoots that<br />

have been trained<br />

up and across the<br />

horizontals are<br />

being kept and<br />

each sideshoot<br />

that bore flowers<br />

is cut back to a couple <strong>of</strong> buds. It’s<br />

being fed too, using liquid seaweed.<br />

SATURDAY We’ve used<br />

antirrhinums, all named varieties,<br />

in both containers and our two little<br />

cut-flower patches. They’ve been<br />

brilliant, with a kaleidoscopic range<br />

<strong>of</strong> colour. Now we’re foregoing the<br />

remaining apical flowers, cutting<br />

back to the top lateral in the hope<br />

<strong>of</strong> further flowers later.<br />

SUNDAY Our parsnip foliage has<br />

grown so luxuriantly, it’s shading<br />

out leeks and beetroot next door.<br />

A low ‘fence’ is being improvised to<br />

prevent leaves flopping over and<br />

stealing all the light.<br />

26 Garden News / <strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 For perfect plants at perfect prices go to www.gardennewsshop.co.uk<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 / Garden News 27


Over the<br />

This week you can<br />

find out what has been<br />

going in the gardens<br />

<strong>of</strong> the <strong>GN</strong> team over<br />

the summer<br />

My canine ‘helpers’<br />

are always on hand<br />

The smokebush<br />

still looks lovely<br />

despite the rain<br />

causing problems<br />

SPECIAL!<br />

FENCE<br />

Hard at work!<br />

Battered smokebush<br />

but a hot border!<br />

While it’s true that<br />

we gardeners are<br />

obsessed with the<br />

weather, is it me<br />

or has it been even stranger than<br />

Sawfly caterpillars<br />

make a meal <strong>of</strong> the<br />

rose foliage<br />

ever this year? I’m sure my plants<br />

would agree; while some are having<br />

the time <strong>of</strong> their lives, others have<br />

found 2021 a bit <strong>of</strong> a struggle.<br />

Take my smokebush, Cotinus<br />

coggygria, a wonderful statement<br />

plant that attracts many an<br />

admiring glance. A few weeks<br />

ago, when already laden down<br />

by its flowers, it suffered badly<br />

during an overnight torrential<br />

downpour. The rain weighed it<br />

down so heavily that two large<br />

branches were bent irreparably<br />

Simon<br />

Caney<br />

EDITOR<br />

A family garden<br />

in Lincs with<br />

plant-packed<br />

borders and<br />

plenty <strong>of</strong> pots<br />

out <strong>of</strong> shape. In fairness, it seems to<br />

withstand pruning at any time so<br />

doesn’t mind my running repairs!<br />

Elsewhere I’ve been delighted<br />

to see how many poppies had<br />

self-seeded from last year in the<br />

bed by the back door – they look<br />

lovely set alongside purple phlox,<br />

roses, lilies and salvia ‘Hot Lips’,<br />

to create a very hot border.<br />

Those same roses were attacked<br />

by sawfly caterpillars though!<br />

A solution I saw online, which I<br />

rather liked, was to snip <strong>of</strong>f the<br />

affected stems, caterpillars intact,<br />

and lay them on the bird table.<br />

The apples are bountiful this<br />

year, despite all the April frost. I<br />

have almost no plums, in complete<br />

contrast. Our two dogs, Pumpkin<br />

and Pixie, will gorge on them all<br />

day if allowed – we have to keep a<br />

close eye on the hungry hounds!<br />

A place to sit and<br />

read my <strong>GN</strong><br />

My highlight<br />

The self-seeding poppies<br />

that added so much to<br />

our borders this summer<br />

– their hot reds and pinks<br />

fitted in perfectly with<br />

our existing plants.<br />

A phormium heads<br />

up the hot border<br />

Lush planting in one<br />

<strong>of</strong> the five sections <strong>of</strong><br />

my Victorian garden<br />

From cottage glory<br />

to tropical paradise<br />

The rainwater pond<br />

has been this year’s<br />

labour <strong>of</strong> love<br />

The long, thin 120x30ft<br />

garden behind my late<br />

Victorian home has<br />

provided plenty <strong>of</strong> opportunities as<br />

well as challenges! In the 12 years<br />

<strong>of</strong> the largely empty-lawned space,<br />

save for a quince and crab apple<br />

trees and a few outbuildings, I’ve<br />

divided the space into five sections.<br />

The subtropical-style garden<br />

nearest the house, containing<br />

pots <strong>of</strong> shrubs, exotic gingers and<br />

Neat box hedging<br />

provides a formal<br />

path down the plot<br />

Ian<br />

Hodgson<br />

EDITOR AT LARGE<br />

A plantsman’s<br />

garden in<br />

Peterborough<br />

with lots <strong>of</strong><br />

exotic interest<br />

hydrangeas, leads into a formal<br />

garden, with two narrow, box-edged<br />

borders and lawned area fronting<br />

a timber summerhouse<br />

and deck<br />

that forms the focal<br />

point <strong>of</strong> the garden.<br />

This year I’ve<br />

revamped the planting<br />

in the cottage-style<br />

garden behind, giving<br />

the sections <strong>of</strong> hornbeam<br />

hedge that provide<br />

privacy a real trim.<br />

This year’s major project<br />

has been the creation <strong>of</strong> a<br />

pond fed with rainwater<br />

One <strong>of</strong> the greenhouses<br />

is packed with exotic plants<br />

piped from the summerhouse<br />

ro<strong>of</strong>, now home to myriads <strong>of</strong><br />

frogs and froglets. We’ve even<br />

had a grass snake come to visit!<br />

Raised beds in my kitchen<br />

garden are currently filled with<br />

blight-resistant tomatoes ‘Crimson<br />

The summer house<br />

and its surrounding<br />

plantings is such<br />

a sanctuary<br />

Crush’ and ‘Mountain Magic’, along<br />

with leafy salads, such as rocket,<br />

lettuces, kales and Swiss chard. My<br />

two 8x10ft greenhouses, partially<br />

shaded by adjacent trees, are home<br />

to various collections <strong>of</strong> t<strong>end</strong>er<br />

and sub-tropical plants that prefer<br />

semi-shade to full sun. The smaller<br />

houses my collection <strong>of</strong> sinningia<br />

(gloxinia) species and hybrids,<br />

and the taller one a collection <strong>of</strong><br />

colourful bromeliads, which is full to<br />

bursting – I don’t think I’ll be allowed<br />

another structure any time soon!<br />

My highlight<br />

Being amazed by the<br />

amount <strong>of</strong> wildlife my<br />

rain-fed pond attracts.<br />

Continues over the page<br />

28 Garden News / <strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 Subscribe for just £6.90 a month! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 / Garden News 29


What to do<br />

THIS WEEK<br />

On your fruit & veg plot<br />

TOP TIPS<br />

1Dry lav<strong>end</strong>er and other<br />

woody herbs by tying<br />

them into small bunches<br />

and hanging them in an airy<br />

spot out <strong>of</strong> direct sunlight.<br />

DRY-PRESERVE<br />

YOUR HERBS<br />

Then use them for pot pourri as well as flavouring dishes<br />

Drying is an effective<br />

and popular way<br />

to preserve all the<br />

flavour <strong>of</strong> herbs.<br />

Shrubby herbs are<br />

the easiest to dry, and making<br />

herb butter or oils are popular<br />

alternatives for s<strong>of</strong>ter herbs.<br />

Herbs can be dried in various<br />

ways and then used not just<br />

in cooking but to also make<br />

your own pot pourri. Dried<br />

lav<strong>end</strong>er and other herbs can<br />

be put into linen bags to scent<br />

drawers and bedlinen, too.<br />

It’s best to pick herbs in the<br />

morning, but when dew has<br />

dried <strong>of</strong>f. It’s best not to wash<br />

them as it will make drying<br />

more difficult and may dissolve<br />

some <strong>of</strong> the valuable oils. If<br />

your herbs are a bit grubby<br />

just rinse them with a hose<br />

a day or two before you pick<br />

them. Most herbs have their<br />

strongest flavour just before<br />

flowering but you can pick them<br />

for drying at any time. Pick<br />

individual leaves or branches,<br />

and once dry they can be broken<br />

up into small pieces. Don’t chop<br />

them before drying – it’s easy<br />

to ‘scrunch’ them up once dry.<br />

Thyme, rosemary and<br />

lav<strong>end</strong>er are the easiest to dry<br />

in bunches because <strong>of</strong> their<br />

small leaves. Sage is best dried<br />

as individual leaves on trays,<br />

either naturally or in an oven.<br />

PHOTOS: NEIL HEPWORTH, GEOFF STEBBINGS, SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

2Individual leaves and<br />

s<strong>of</strong>ter herbs can be dried<br />

in a cool oven (no more<br />

than 50C/122F). Once warm,<br />

turn <strong>of</strong>f and open the door.<br />

3S<strong>of</strong>t-leaved herbs<br />

can be dried in a<br />

microwave. Place<br />

between paper towels and<br />

heat on high for 30 seconds.<br />

4Once dried, you need<br />

to store the herbs in<br />

airtight jars in a cool,<br />

dark place for best results.<br />

EARTH UP<br />

BRASSICAS<br />

As we will soon move into cooler and <strong>of</strong>ten windier months,<br />

it’s beneficial to keep your brassica crops stable as they<br />

get larger and more gangly. They’re prone to falling over as<br />

they become heavier and stem snapping means no veg to<br />

harvest. ‘Wind rock’ means plant roots and stems become<br />

unalterably damaged and water collects in wind-rocked<br />

root holes, leading to rotting. Simply gather large mounds <strong>of</strong><br />

earth around the base <strong>of</strong> the plants and stake if necessary.<br />

Water<br />

pumpkins<br />

It’s essential you keep<br />

regularly watering squashes<br />

and pumpkins as they’re<br />

growing – they’re extremely<br />

thirsty plants, and if they’re<br />

neglected they won’t fruit<br />

well. They can be prone to<br />

rotting if you simply water<br />

around the plant near<br />

the stem, so be a little clever about it and direct<br />

moisture right down to the roots. Place a flowerpot in the soil alongside<br />

the plant and water directly into this. Be sure to feed your pumpkins<br />

every fortnight with a tomato feed once they start growing larger.<br />

REMOVE TOMATO LEAVES<br />

Warmth ripens tomatoes and<br />

not direct sunlight so don’t<br />

strip tomatoes <strong>of</strong> too many<br />

leaves. Harsh sunlight can<br />

‘scorch’ the shoulders <strong>of</strong><br />

the fruit causing ‘greenback’<br />

where the top <strong>of</strong> fruits<br />

remains green. But as<br />

plants age lower leaves will<br />

turn yellow. At this stage they<br />

should be removed. This prevents<br />

dying leaves becoming mouldy and<br />

maintains good air circulation around<br />

plants. As the weather gets cooler avoid getting the plants wet<br />

and try to water in the morning so plants are dry by the evening.<br />

PRUNE PEACHES<br />

AND PLUMS<br />

Cherries, plums and peaches grow vigorously and usually need to be<br />

pruned. This is done in summer when plants are in leaf, and never in<br />

winter when the wounds can be infected with silver-leaf disease. For<br />

young plums and cherries growing vigorously, the new shoots should<br />

be shortened by about half their length. This will make the plants more<br />

compact and encourage the production <strong>of</strong> flowers. With peaches, next<br />

year’s fruits are produced on stems that grew this year so cut out older<br />

stems and lightly shorten new shoots so they fit within the framework.<br />

PINCH OFF<br />

AUBERGINE<br />

FLOWERS<br />

Hopefully you’ll have a healthily<br />

flowering and fruiting aubergine<br />

plant – certainly the recent<br />

warm, sunny weather has been a<br />

boon to their growth. Check your<br />

fruits and if you have around<br />

five or six growing well, it’s<br />

time to pinch <strong>of</strong>f the rest <strong>of</strong> the<br />

pretty lilac and yellow flowers.<br />

This will halt any more fruit<br />

growing, meaning all the plant’s<br />

energy is diverted into the<br />

remaining fruit, making them large, shiny and robust.<br />

36 Garden News / <strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 Subscribe for just £6.90 a month! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021 / Garden News 37


My favourite<br />

PLACE<br />

SPECIAL PLANTS NURSERY, WILTSHIRE<br />

Fiona Haser Bizony<br />

Above, cosmos ‘Purity’<br />

and dahlia ‘Twyning’s<br />

After Eight’ in a black and<br />

white planting scheme.<br />

Left, late-summer borders<br />

PHOTO: ALAMY, GAP<br />

‘It’s like visiting a gallery<br />

and taking home inspiration’<br />

Queen Bee at<br />

Electric Daisy<br />

Flower Farm,<br />

Fiona Haser<br />

Bizony is a floral<br />

artist and grower.<br />

She is inspired by<br />

the Special Plants<br />

Nursery near Bath.<br />

www.electric<br />

daisyflowerfarm.<br />

co.uk<br />

Special Plants Nursery is a<br />

fascinating place. There’s a<br />

huge selection <strong>of</strong> amazing plants<br />

and the garden is really well<br />

structured. Owner Derry Watkins’<br />

husband is renowned architect<br />

Peter Clegg; he created the bones<br />

and she’s peopled the garden from<br />

all her babies at the nursery – it’s a<br />

passion project for both <strong>of</strong> them.<br />

I grew up in Bath and I’ve<br />

known Derry since I was 11<br />

years old. I advise the RHS on<br />

cut flowers and Derry works with<br />

them on taxonomy, so I bump<br />

into her at Chelsea sometimes.<br />

She’s such a character; a fantastic<br />

plantswoman and so generous<br />

about sharing her knowledge.<br />

There are garden tours and lots<br />

<strong>of</strong> courses. You can go to learn<br />

about saving seed and propagations<br />

and so on. I like the sense <strong>of</strong> being<br />

among experts in the epicentre<br />

<strong>of</strong> what’s best about horticulture<br />

in the UK; <strong>of</strong> doing the right thing<br />

and going in the right direction.<br />

The nursery is intimate, there’s<br />

no garden centre flim-flammery,<br />

it really is all about the plants.<br />

It makes you feel like you’re in a<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>essional situation, that you’re in<br />

good hands and they’re not going<br />

to sell you things that will croak as<br />

soon as you put them in the garden!<br />

The garden feels like<br />

architecture, it feels like a<br />

castle <strong>of</strong> flowers. It’s a floral<br />

painting inside castle walls made<br />

up <strong>of</strong> multi-coloured yew and<br />

beech hedges. You go through<br />

different rooms and every now<br />

and again there’s a window cut<br />

in the walls and you can see the<br />

amazing view down the valley.<br />

We go there for treasures.<br />

Interesting plants that we grow by<br />

the handful, rather than having a<br />

10m swathe; things to trial or want<br />

a few <strong>of</strong> for special occasions.<br />

Horticulture may be a science,<br />

yet there’s creativity in choosing<br />

what you’re going to grow. The<br />

plants are the paint that you use<br />

and the garden is the canvas, so<br />

the nursery is like visiting a gallery<br />

and taking home inspiration.<br />

It’s a very creative space.<br />

■ Special Plants Nursery,<br />

Greenway Lane, Cold Ashton,<br />

Chippenham, SN14 8LA;<br />

www.specialplants.net.<br />

Address Garden News,<br />

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58 Garden News / <strong>Aug</strong>ust 28 2021

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