Amateur Gardening 22-Jan-2022

“From now until the end of October, every issue of AG will bring the gift of growth. Yes, the free seeds are back, and I do wonder if sometimes we forget just how extraordinary a seed really is. That such a tiny, seemingly insignificant object can grow into something so beautiful and so important to the progression of life on this planet. Indeed, it was the rise of flowering plants around a 100 million years ago that created the ideal conditions for the boom in terrestrial life. We owe a lot to plants and we need to pay our debt to nature by planting for wildlife. So use those seeds and get planting for the planet” Contact us: Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 Editorial: 0330 3903732 Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com Advertising: 0330 3906566…

AFTER many years on the planet and several years of gardening, I still think that seeds are one of the miracles of nature. How these comparatively tiny grains produce things of such beauty and usefulness never ceases to amaze me and one of the activities I love about this time of year is choosing the varieties I want to sow and grow over the coming months. So it follows that this week I am hugely excited about the start of our annual run of free seeds for all our UK readers. Each year we spend a long time carefully deciding what varieties of seeds to give our readers each week and for 2022 I think we have come up with the best selection yet. We have a mix of hardy and half-hardy annuals…

A WIDE range of factors are taken into account when we choose each week’s free seeds. When they should be sown, ease of germination and care and, of course, what they will bring to your border, pots or baskets. New varieties of plants, new shapes, colours and permutations seem to appear every season. Some are successful, some not so much, though they are always interesting to try. But sometimes it can make a refreshing change to return to an old, traditional favourite that we know is tried, tested and true. Asters have been delighting gardeners for generations with their densely petalled flowers that add colour to the garden from summer right through until well into autumn. This week’s free seeds are Aster ‘Milady Mixed’ (Callistephus chinensis), a robust dwarf half-hardy annual that produces masses…

A PERFECT storm of pests and diseases – as well as increasingly violent weather – is threatening the UK’s trees. Following the felling of hundreds of trees during Storms Arwen and Barra last November and December, the National Trust has now said it has to remove tens of thousands of ash trees infected by dieback disease. At least 30,000 trees will be felled, with more set to come down as changing weather and the climate emergency help new pests and diseases to thrive. A spokesman for the National Trust said that the combination of harsh weather, pests and disease could ‘bring dramatic change to British landscapes’. As well as the thousands of ash trees threatened with removal, 10,000 larch trees affected by the fungal disease Phytophthora ramorum are also due to be felled, seriously…

THE RHS is asking AG readers to do their bit for bats to help the decline of these flying furry mammals. There are 17 species of bat found in the UK, five of which have been found at the new Hilltop Garden at RHS Wisley in Surrey. The common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Brandt’s bat, the common noctule and Leisler’s bat or lesser noctule, classified as threatened in the UK, have been recorded at the RHS’s horticultural home. Create nature-friendly gardens Helen Bostock, senior horticultural advisor at the RHS, said: “Bats are significant environmentally, acting as important indicators of a healthy, insect-rich environment. “That five species have been recorded at RHS Wisley’s dedicated Wildlife Garden demonstrates the success of our efforts to create wildlife-friendly features.” We can all do our bit for bats by making our gardens…

OUTSIDE jobs may be limited right now, but if the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged you can move and divide perennials. These plants that reappear year after year are the stalwarts of the garden, but they eventually grow and sprawl out of their allotted space and, despite their increased size, create fewer flowers. Instead of hoicking them out, you can have fun and save money by dividing them. This creates several smaller, new plants and once the divisions get established they should grow well with improved blooming. Summer-flowering perennials are best divided in spring or autumn, while spring-flowering varieties are lifted and divided in summer after flowering. This week I have been dividing a large ornamental thistle. It is obviously happy in its spot as it has grown gargantuan and produces flowers from spring…