Amateur Gardening 15-Dec-2018

“Like you, we care about the environment and the use of plastic, so I’m delighted to announce that AG has been selected to trial a new wrapping for subscriber copies made from compostable potato starch (see News, page 6). This is a one-issue trial of the January 26 edition to allow subscribers to test how effectively the bag breaks down into compost. So it would be good to get as many of you as possible on board for the test. In the meantime, please bear in mind that the bag we currently use can be recycled and is still genuinely environmentally friendly.”…

Most dead and dying perennial plant material should have been removed by now to tidy up borders and reduce the risk of frost damage. Some you can leave – hollow stems make great hibernation homes for invertebrates and some dead seedheads look stunning when caught by hoar frost. Others are left, or only partially cut back, to protect the crown of the plants. I usually leave the bottom third of penstemon and gaura stems, as they will help to stave off the worst of the winter weather and can be cut right back in spring when they have started to shoot again.…

WITH the shortest day and Christmas hoving into view, it is time to carry out those last-minute tasks to get the garden ship-shape before the festivities. If you have guests arriving then doubtless the house will be gleaming like a new pin – and nothing spoils the effect like an unkempt garden. I spent a day sorting out things that had been put to one side weeks ago ‘to be done later’. Top of the list was a pile of growbags that had held this summer’s tomatoes, plus a rigid plastic patio vegetable trough that was starting to rot through and a couple of annual containers with spent plants. I didn’t want to waste the compost so I barrowed it around the garden, and dumped and raked it on the borders. The…

THERE is more to keeping patios, paths and areas of decking free from weeds, fallen leaves and algae than simply keeping them looking good. Damp, leafy hard surfaces can soon become dangerously slippery if debris is allowed to build up and become wet and frozen. Accumulated leaves on a patio can also block perimeter drainage channels and the drains themselves, leading to flooding. Piles of rotting leaves, moss that has fallen off the roof and general detritus are also havens for pests and disease spores, so sweep regularly to keep your garden in good health. Pressure washers are ideal for decking and Tarmac, but avoid using them too much on brickwork patios as they may dislodge the mortar in between the stones. Diluted Jeyes Fluid is a good way of getting rid of ingrained…

Green manure grows densely and strongly, which makes it hard to dig in when you’re prepping the soil for planting and sowing. Make life easier by cutting back the top growth before you dig it in. It will break down faster to give you a head start with next year’s crops. You can leave your green manure growing right through winter, but I find the results just as good if I dig it in now. This gives time and weather the chance to rot it down and enrich the soil before you sow or plant next spring.…

DON’T forget to pick up next week’s double festive edition of Amateur Gardening, the world’s longest running and most practical gardening magazine. The 68-page bumper edition is packed with all your weekly favourites, plus TWO packets of free seeds and a Santa’s sack full of extra features and articles. AG agony uncle John Negus takes time out from solving your gardening problems to answer our questions about his life, Bob Flowerdew looks back at a year of extraordinary weather, and there’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s going on in your garden on Christmas Day. There’s also a competition to win three signed Bob Flowerdew books, and four pages of gardening miscellany and puzzles to keep you entertained.…