Amateur Gardening 24-Mar-2018

If, like me, your house and greenhouse are filling up with trays of seedlings, it’s time to prick out the more robust ones. It’s an easy and satisfying job to do. Fill 3in (7cm) pots with John Innes No1 compost that is designed to help the seedlings grow without overpowering their roots. Dib a deep hole in each pot then carefully lever the rootball of each seedling from their growing trays using a plastic plant label or old teaspoon. Hold the seedling by its leaves and transfer it to its new pot, setting it as deeply as possible into the compost. Firm it in and water carefully. Grow on in a warm, light spot until they are ready to harden off and plant out.…

EASTER is traditionally a time of renewal and rebirth, and I also think it marks the proper start of the gardening year. It’s a four-day weekend, which gives you ample time to get things ship-shape for the year ahead. Four days gives you the time to get on with larger tasks, plan ahead, and visit open gardens and garden centres for inspiration for the coming year. If you haven’t already done so, plan filling or improving your borders. Test the soil, note how much sun they get and which way they face (their aspect). Decide on colour schemes and what plants will complement existing ones. On these two pages I suggest a few key jobs that will get your garden ready for a fruitful and flower-filled year ahead. Part of my work this weekend…

This is your last chance to plant bare-root roses until the winter. Before planting, check that their roots are healthy and keep them damp and cool. Dig a hole that can take all the roots and fork in some well-rotted manure or compost. Place the rose so the graft is at, or just above, soil level. This reduces the risk of developing rose-replant disease. Infill with a mix of soil and compost, firm in and water well. Add a layer of mulch and keep the plant watered while it gets established.…

1 Tidy up your shed inside and out, and make sure your tools are sharp and clean for better gardening. 2 Repair damaged fences and give them a coat of preservative. Do the same with garden furniture. 3 It’s a busy time for nesting and breeding birds, so make sure they have clean water and fresh food. 4 Create a simple water feature out of a half barrel. If you already have a pond with fish, resume feeding now. Lovely lawns: Don’t forget top buy next week’s AG (out 27 March for everything you need to know about sprucing up your lawn in spring…

1 Lay out paving stones on top of the grass until they create an attractive path and are an easy stride apart. 2 In turn, slice around each one with a sharp half-moon lawn edger, cutting down slightly more than the depth of the stone. 3 Cut away the turf and try the stone for size. It should be lower than the grass so it won’t damage your mower blade or trip you up. 4 Lift the stone again and add a layer of builder’s sand to the hole, tamping it down to create a firm cushion that will hold the stone in place. 5 Replace the stone and firm it down. Brush a mixture of sand, soil and some grass seed down the sides to hold it in place. 6 Finally, sweep any remaining…

THERE are two schools of thought when it comes to sowing hardy annuals. The first is to get your seeds in the ground in autumn, with the soil still warm from summer and dampened by rain. This will give you earlier flowers the following year as the plants have a head start. However, the seeds also run the risk of rotting in cold, wet winter soil, or being unearthed and eaten by hungry rodents and birds. You are more likely to be successful with autumn sowing if you live somewhere warm and sheltered. In other areas try sowing under cover in pots or modules in late winter or early spring, or wait until now and sow your annuals in the soil where you want them to grow. In spring the soil is…