Amateur Gardening 26-Jan-2019

THIS year, in celebration of Amateur Gardening’s 135th anniversary, our selection of free seeds from Mr Fothergill’s is better than ever and includes special packs from the RHS and Sarah Raven. Varieties include universal favourites such as sweet peas, sunflowers, wallflowers, poppies and Echinacea, alongside more unusual species such as Mina lobata, Malope ‘Vulcan’ and Chinese lanterns. Each week’s seeds will come with clear, illustrated instructions and I will also show you how to keep your seedlings healthy, taking you through the stages of pricking them out, acclimatising them to outdoor temperatures and finally planting them in their final positions. We start the year with the cheerful climber black-eyed Susan ‘Susie Mixed’, which can be grown up a trellis outdoors, in a conservatory or sunny room or trailing from baskets. Seeds and seedlings are…

1 Biodegradable coir pots are an excellent way of growing from seed as they can be planted directly into the ground, avoiding root disturbance. 2 Another coir alternative is a roll of absorbent pellets, which can be used for germinating seeds and rooting cuttings in spring and summer. 3 Place each pellet in a bowl of lukewarm water, which it will absorb and swell to several times its original size. 4 Place one or two large seeds or a sprinkle of small seeds on the top of an ‘inflated’ pellet, cover with a sprinkle of compost if desired and grow on as you would a tray of seeds. Pot on the whole thing when the seedling is large enough.…

DIFFERENT varieties of seeds have different germination times, though the average is two-four weeks. Check the instructions on the packets and keep a close eye on your seed trays. Once seedlings start to shoot, remove the tray lid or open the plastic bag around the pot. This lets fresh air get to the young plants, which boosts ventilation and helps prevent them succumbing to fungal diseases such as damping off. This is a complaint caused by soil-borne fungi that causes the seedlings to collapse and rot, and they may also be lost among a mass of pale fungal growth. Damping off is most commonly found on seeds that are sown early indoors, where there is little light and heat and seedlings grow more slowly. It is also more prevalent where there is poor…

1 Even large seeds can struggle to germinate against large lumps of growing medium, so sieve your compost into the tray before sowing. 2 Fill the tray to allow room for root growth, then tamp it flat so it is in maximum contact with the largest amount of the seeds’ surface area. 3 Sow seeds thinly so seedlings have plenty of room to grow. Black-eyed Susan seeds are large and easy to place. 4 Once sown, cover your seeds with a thin layer of compost, vermiculite or a combination of the two. 5 Dampen the compost and seeds, using a watering can fitted with a fine rose. Always use fresh tap water as it won’t be contaminated. 6 Label your seeds and cover with a lid or seal them in a clear plastic bag. Place…

Some plants, such as petunias, have tiny, almost dust-like seeds that can be tricky to sow thinly and evenly. You can make the process easier by mixing seeds with a generous pinch of clean horticultural sand before scattering them. Alternatively, dab and sow a few at a time from a dampened fingertip or the end of a matchstick. The smallest of seeds should remain uncovered by compost or vermiculite after sowing (check packet instructions). Water them with a fine mister rather than a watering can that might wash them away!…

DAVID Charles Henshaw Austin, who died at the age of 92, brought pleasure to millions thanks to a youthful obsession with roses. The founder of David Austin Roses, he bred more than 200 varieties of English Rose over 75 years. Mr Austin, or ‘Mr A’ as he was known to his family, was born into a Shropshire farming family and his interest in gardening was sparked by a copy of Gardening Illustrated magazine in the school library. He diversified into roses after receiving Edward A Bunyard’s book Old Garden Roses, as a 21st birthday gift from his sister Barbara. His vision was to create a rose that combined the qualities of Old Roses, which have rosette-shaped flowers and a glorious scent, with Hybrid Tea roses that are strong repeat-flowerers. In the 1950s, Mr…