Amateur Gardening 19-Jan-2019

THE days may still be dark and cold, but we are almost a month past the shortest day and life will soon be stirring in the garden. If you haven’t done all your seasonal pruning yet, it’s time to get a march on things. Most deciduous trees and shrubs are pruned in winter when they are dormant and their sap has retreated down inside their trunks. This is because they ‘bleed’ less when their sap isn’t flowing, and pruning helps them regenerate and put on healthy new growth. “Remember to look twice and cut once” From a gardener’s perspective, pruning also lets us create tidy trees and shrubs, getting rid of dead, damaged, diseased and spindly branches, as well as those that are rubbing, crossing and generally congesting the centre of the tree.…

Not all trees should be pruned in autumn and winter. If you cut back early flowering varieties such as forsythia now, you will lose this year’s blossom as it grows on wood that is made the previous year. Early blooming trees and shrubs are pruned straight after flowering to give them maximum time to create new shoots. Members of the Prunus family (plums, cherries, peaches, almonds and nectarines) are susceptible to silver leaf disease and should be pruned from April-July, when disease spores are not so prevalent. Evergreen trees rarely need pruning, though dead and diseased material should be removed in late summer.…

Our ‘Conference’ pear tree had lots of foliage but no fruit and was becoming congested, so a hard prune was called for. After pruning, the tree looks neater and the branches are more ‘open’, increasing airflow and creating a healthier plant. 1 Start pruning by removing spindly, crossing, inward-facing branches that are rubbing together and congesting the centre of the tree. 2 Remove the wood cleanly, cutting it back to the main branch. Sharp, clean secateurs are the perfect tool for this job. 3 Then move to larger branches growing in the wrong direction and spoiling the tree’s shape. Loppers make this task easier. 4 Use a saw to remove the thickest wood, sawing in smooth movements to create a clean break that will heal quickly. 5 Prune back the remaining leading branches by one-third, making…

Next week is when subscribers to Amateur Gardening will receive their copy of the magazine wrapped in fully disposable packing. The opaque bags are made of potato starch and are fully biodegradable. We are asking our subscribers to let us know how they disposed of the bags – whether they went straight onto the compost heap or were used in food-waste caddies. We will also be testing the bags under various conditions to see how well they break down. AG editor Garry Coward-Williams, gardening editor Ruth Hayes and staff members Wendy Humphries and Lesley Upton will be testing theirs alongside Toby Buckland, Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew, Tamsin Westhorpe, Val Bourne, Peter Seabrook, Sue Bradley, Graham Clark, Tim Rumball and Martyn Cox. AG editor Garry Coward-Williams said: “I am delighted to have such an enthusiastic response…

IT often seems as though the normal rules of everyday life are suspended at Christmas, which leads to a general feeling of relief when things return to the humdrum and mundane. One thing a lot of people will be thinking about as spring approaches is renovating their gardens or moving house altogether. Exciting times – but what do you do with outdoor plants you want to keep or relocate? You could take and nurture cuttings, of course, but if time is precious you might be better off taking the more simple route and lifting and storing your treasured plants and relocating them wholesale. Lift the plant as close to moving day as possible. To make transportation easier, cut the plant back and lift it carefully, digging around its root area and keeping…

Ensure houseplants are healthy by positioning them where they can get maximum natural light. Avoid leaving them on windowsills overnight, as closed curtains can create a cold spot that can damage foliage and flowers. Stop feeding plants unless they are in bloom and only water once compost feels dry to the touch. Wipe leaves clear of dust and debris, and check plants regularly for pests. Any plants that have outgrown their containers can stay where they are and be repotted in spring. watered, feed monthly between April and September, and mulch to retain water and block weeds.…