Garden Answers October 2023

Welcome
BEAUTIFUL SPACES Celebrating the faded elegance of autumn, p14; design tricks for creating a sense of space (above right), p22
Meet the
Contributors
“This month in the
garden I’ll be...”
When we think of an autumn garden, it’s
“Planting a small tree mostly in traditional hues – browns,
to replace a large
oranges and russet reds. But as lovely as
pittosporum that died
last winter.” Liz Potter those colours are, there can be so much
waxes lyrical on more to our plots as the days shorten
autumn’s beauty, p14
and the temperature drops.
“Potting up bedding
Starting on page 14 in this issue, Liz Potter
plants to grow in
cool, well-lit spots looks at the Decadent Dawdlers – those
indoors.” Sue Fisher summer plants that grow old gracefully - and
on Michaelmas daisies,
the Late-Season Lovelies, which always burst into life at this time of
p28
year. Combined, they make for a garden that is still a wonderful blend
“Sowing grass paths. It
will be nice underfoot of colour, even if they do not give off the fiery, hot hues of high
and great for the summer. At a time of the year when many folk are thinking of
environment.” Adrian putting their gardens to bed, it is great to realise that we can still
Thomas on creating
woodland areas, p44 enjoy one final hurrah before the frosts come with a vengeance!
“Harvesting the last Elsewhere, Greg Loades looks at ways in which we can
of the squashes and create the illusion of more space in our gardens (page 22).
getting them ready for While this is a fabulous thing to do in smaller ones, it’s
winter storage.” Geoff
Hodge’s guide to something that anyone can apply to their own outdoor space
wildlife cameras, p94 to great effect. We’ve got 11 simple techniques for you to
“Harvesting final consider, all of which will make it feel as if your garden is
tomatoes so I can much bigger – give one or two of them a try!
make green tomato
and chilli chutney!”
And of course we have all of our regulars – brilliant
Dan Masoliver on new garden tours, your list of vital jobs to do now, and our
perspectives, p144 must-have plant (this month it’s the aster, such an
“Picking pumpkins autumn stalwart). Another bumper issue – we hope
and squashes, and
PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS
sowing overwintering you enjoy it.

broad beans.”
Gill Lockhart, designs
the magazine
GA Team
CONTACT US By post: Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Email: gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk
Web: www.gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk Social media: Find us on Facebook as Garden Answers Twitter @GardenAnswers Instagram as gardenanswers
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WIN
A VONHAUS
ADIRONDACK
WOODEN ARMCHAIR
11
109
14
AUTUMN’S
BLUSHING
A WOLF-GARTEN BEAUTIES
FOLDING SAW
October issue...
IN OUR
CELEBRATE 28
Must have plants
Hardworking Michaelmas daisies
This season’s floral fireworks COVER
offer huge variety and spectacular
6 STORY
Borders take on a new lease of life displays just when they’re needed
as Michaelmas daisies add energy
and dahlias dazzle
Be inspired by…
EASY GARDENING
Star-like dahlia ‘Honka Red’ 8 Evergreens with a twist, graceful 32
What to do this month
is a true garden dazzler Move trees and shrubs, make a leaf
grasses, books, events, buys to
bin, plant daffodil bulbs, show your
harness the garden gold of fallen
COVER: GAP PHOTOS/JONATHAN BUCKLEY
lawn some love, and much more

leaves, and so much more
On the cover
14 Autumn’s blushing beauties Autumn’s blushing beauties Make the most
14 40
22 Great ideas for creating space Faded elegance and unbeatable of golden
40 Plant for autumn glory COVER
STORY atmosphere, the garden can be a COVER
STORY firepower
44 Make a woodland haven treasure trove at this time of year Create a
50 Big on natural beauty
Design tricks for creating space spectacular
60 A steep slope is no obstacle 22
Simple but effective ideas that will seasonal glow
78 Grow salad in baskets COVER
94 The best wildlife cameras STORY help small gardens seem bigger and as the nights
make the most of your garden draw in
4 Garden Answers
22
CLEVER 94
TRICKS FOR
CREATING BUYERS’ GUIDE:
WILDLIFE
104
SPACE
CAMERAS
READER
OFFER
SAVE £££s ON
PEONIES
90 READER
OFFER
DESIGN GET A GREAT
SOLUTIONS BARGAIN ON
ORIENTAL POPPIES
28 44 78
MUST HAVE WOODY GROW
PLANTS MARVELLOUS SALAD IN
IDEAS A BASKET
60
GARDEN
TOUR
WILDLIFE 70
Garden to visit GARDEN BUYS
Great Comp, in Kent, is a
COVER Buyers’ guide to wildlife cameras
44 Woody marvellous ideas STORY wonderfully heady mix of autumn 94
right now – a treat for all the senses Geoff Hodge has the lowdown on
Simple ways to create a woodland
COVER the best options for enjoying the
STORY area in your garden to benefit
hidden life going on in your garden
both you and local wildlife
GROW & EAT Save £££s on flamboyant peonies
104
BEAUTIFUL GARDENS 74
Life on the veg patch
Jenny Thompson is juggling
Get more than £20 off bare-roots
Half-price Oriental poppies
50
The natural way harvesting and sowing 106 Light up your borders this spring
This Cheshire garden is based on
Grow salad in a basket
COVER
organic, wildlife-friendly principles 78
STORY
and a true delight to experience

A step-by-step guide to enjoying YOUR GARDEN LIFE
homegrown salad in winter
“It’s such a sanctuary 101 Over to you
60 Readers share gardening stories
COVER
STORY
from the outside world”
A unique garden on a
ASK THE EXPERTS and fabulous photos
steep slope has Ask Garden Answers Puzzles and prizes
81 109
been filled with a All your garden questions answered Win a WOLF-Garten folding saw
COVER
tapestry of lush by our team of experts STORY and 60 tulip bulbs with our
planting by Design Solution crossword and wordsearch
gardener 90
Island beds, lawn paths and prairie Green view
Heather planting work together to add 114 Dan Masoliver finds true appreciation
Frances interest to a wildlife haven garden with a refreshed perspective
T his season’s
FLORAL
FIREWORKS
Borders take on a new lease of life when
summer turns to autumn, with Michaelmas
daisies adding new energy, while dahlias,
inulas and persicaria carry on where
summer left off
PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS/ELKE BORKOWSKI, SHUTTERSTOCK
PERFECT COMBOS Michaelmas

daises provide neat domes of
cool, fresh autumn blooms to
clothe border edges, while
catmint, verbena, persicaria,
rudbeckias and inulas show
their tremendous longevity, still
pumping out blooms
6 Garden Answers
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
1 2 3
Give MIchaelmas Persicaria As autumn begins,
daisies plenty of amplexicaulis is stems of Verbena
space to grow a good choice for bonariensis sprawl
unobstructed and clay soil and starts through the border to
avoid growing them flowering in late summer. reach further than ever
on hot, exposed sites Divide regularly to and make new colour
to help reduce the control spread. combinations. H: 1.5m,
risk of mildew. H&S: 1.2m. S: 60cm.
Be inspired by... Plants, books, events & buys for the month ahead
Cordyline
‘Pink Passion’
Skimmia japonica
‘Magic Marlot’
Cheilanthes
lanosa
Cyclamen
hederifolium
Euphorbia
myrsinites
Patio
project
EVERGREENS WITH A TWIST

A
n evergreen container can still be a colourful feature and
is very valuable in the autumn garden. Evergreen doesn’t
have to mean green if you grow the vibrant swords of
PHOTO: GAP PHOTOS
cordyline ‘Pink Passion’. Its mix of pink and purple will mix well
with purple plants hanging on in the border. An evergreen fern,
skimmia and euphorbia bring a textured understorey, while
reliable ivy offers the final flourish.
8 Garden Answers
❤CELEBRATE
Seasonal gold
GET THE LOOK STAR PERFORMERS
‘Labyrinth’
Celebrate the beauty and usefulness of

autumn leaves in the garden this month and
for the rest of autumn
Garden Life Lawn Rake

£29.99 Light and easy to use,
with stainless steel head,
marshallsgarden.com.
AWARDS FOR TOP
DAHLIAS TO GROW
The Royal Horticultural Society has
handed Award of Garden Merit (AGM)
status to 29 dahlias, after a trial of
more than 90 different cultivars
reached its conclusion at RHS
Garden Wisley.
Judges, including dahlia national
collection holders, flower farmers and
expert gardeners, looked at how long
Easy leaf collector
the plants flowered, bloom and foliage
£14.99 Lightweight woven
quality, vigour and overall disease
tarpaulin, coopersof
stortford.co.uk.
resistance. The AGM status is a sign
that the plant is a reliable one for
gardeners to grow in their gardens.
Among the AGM winners were:
‘Totally Tangerine’, an anemone-
Autumn leaf centred dahlia with gorgeous coral
clear umbrella flowers that was found to grow
£12.95 especially well in containers; pale
Domed-canopy apricot ‘Labyrinth’ with its large
umbrella for autumn informal flowers and complementary
rain, brollies dark stems and dark green
Hand leaf grabs
galore.co.uk. foliage; ‘Crème de
£7.99
Durable but lightweight, Cassis’, a strong
gardeningexpress.co.uk. grower with pretty,
two-tone lilac and
plum waterlily
flower; and ‘Zundert
Mystery Fox’, a ball ‘Totally
dahlia with “a wall” of Tangerine’
terracotta orange
flowers. All the dahlias were
Leaf mould overwintered in the ground, with a
bags mulch of Strulch to protect them in
£8.95 cold weather.
Set of two bags Lots of other dahlia cultivars met
made from
the trial judges’ stringent standards for
biodegradable
the Award of Garden Merit. For more
leaf jute,
information, visit rhs.org.uk/trials and
sarahraven.com.
the ‘Trials Bookcase’ where you’ll find
a report that lists the full results.”
Japanese
maple ‘Zundert
heatchange Mystery
PHOTOS: RHS / NICOLA STOCKEN
mug Fox’
£14.99
Enjoy a
Long-handled leaf gardener’s
collectors tea break with
£29.95 this colour-
Scissor-action grabbers changing mug,
to save back strain, culturevulture
sarahraven.com. direct.co.uk.
inspired
Wish list
B e These graceful grasses
b y ..
give the garden an extra
autumn flourish
.
Panicum virgatum
‘Shenandoah’
An upright grass
with dainty
maroon flowers
from summer,
accompanied by
rich burgundy
streaks on
the foliage
in autumn.
✿ H&S: 90cm,
£6.74, Crocus,
crocus.co.uk.
Miscanthus
sinensis ‘Flamingo’
A graceful grass
that hangs down
handsomely under the
weight of its tassel-like Pennisetum ‘Red Head’
flowers in autumn. Beautiful fountains of bottlebrush flowers
✿ H: 2m, S: 1m, £12.55, go from red to purple-brown by autumn.
Knoll Gardens, Needs a sunny, sharply-drained spot.
knollgardens.co.uk. ✿ H: 1m, S: 60cm, £14,
Hayloft, hayloft.co.uk.
Acorus ‘Ogon’ Anemanthele lessoniana Carex ‘Everillo’

A superb evergreen plant Fountains of colour light Sharp colour through
for damp soil and shade, up the garden as the autumn is guaranteed
Molinia arundinacea ‘Windspiel’ with glowing, glossy temperature drops and this with this easy evergreen
Clouds of wispy, straw-coloured beads strands that shine brightly semi-evergreen shows off that starts lime-green
add some frothy autumnal atmosphere in all seasons. slender foliage in burnt before ageing to
while letting the light filter through it. ✿ H: 30cm, S: 40cm, orange and rusty red. beautiful golden yellow.
✿ H: 2.5m, S: 1m, £4.99, £11.99, Knoll Gardens, ✿ H & S: 1m, £5.99, ✿ H & S: 45cm, £12.99,
J Parkers, jparkers.co.uk. knollgardens.co.uk. Crocus, crocus.co.uk. Hillier, hillier.co.uk.
10 Garden Answers
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
What’s on...
FREE FOR YOU
GARDEN SHOW APPLE ID DAY

Friday to Sunday, Sunday, October 8,
September 29-October 1, 10.30am-4pm, Acorn Bank,
Broadlands, Romsey, Temple Sowerby, Penrith,
Hampshire SO51 8GG Cumbria CA10 1SP
Celebrate autumn with Bring three fruits, leaves
specialist growers, arts, and information about
crafts, food and talks, £10. your tree for apple experts
● thegardenshows.com/ from the North West to
broadlands identify. Garden entry £9,
apple ID free.
HERITAGE ● nationaltrust.org.uk/
ORCHARD DAYS acornbank
October 1, 14 and 15,
10am-12noon or 1-3pm, APPLE EVENTS
Brogdale National Fruit The Newt in Somerset,
WIN A VONHAUS ADIRONDACK Collection, Brogdale Road,
Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ
Bruton, Somerset BA7 7NG
Guided dawn walk in the
WOODEN ARMCHAIR! PYO from heritage apples
and pears, juice pressing
orchards with breakfast
(Thursday, October 12,
This month we have a classic VonHaus Adirondack wooden and ciders, £10. 7.15am, and October 26,
armchair worth £149.99 up for grabs. ● brogdalecollections.co.uk 7.40am), £45.
Home Ground cyder
ITS FEATURES INCLUDE: WREATH WORKSHOP making workshop
● This classic wood armed chair offers enduring style and elegance Saturday, October 7, (Wednesday, October 11
10am-1pm, Willow & and 18, 10am–2pm), £125.
and will make a timeless addition to your garden, patio or deck.
Thyme, Gore Lodge, Apple Day weekend
● Made from durable acacia hardwood, this natural wooden chair
Padbury, Bucks MK18 2AW (October 21-22, 9am-
will blend beautifully into your outdoor surroundings and provide
Use the season’s bounty to 4.30pm), juice pressing,
the perfect place to relax and enjoy your garden. create a wreath, £75. games, displays, cyder
● Its rustic charm and natural wood finish make it a welcome ● willowandthyme.co.uk tastings and tractor tours.
addition to any garden, patio, terrace or balcony – plus, its neutral ● thenewtinsomerset.com
design means it’ll seamlessly integrate with many existing APPLE FESTIVAL
furniture collections. Saturday-Sunday, October AUTUMN FAIR
● The traditional slatted style of this beautiful chair is 7-8, 10am-4pm, Woodside Sunday, October 15,
enhanced by the oiled finish, which creates Plant Centre, Ancrum, 10am-4.30pm;
a gentle shine. Simply apply teak oil Jedburgh, Scottish Borders Hergest Croft Gardens,
occasionally to maintain. TD8 6TU Ridgebourne Road,
Apple displays and sales, Kington, Herefordshire
For your chance to win, visit juicing and apple-related HR5 3EG
gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk/freeforyou food and drink. Free entry Garden and specialist
by midnight on October 10, 2023. ● bordersorganic nurseries plant sale, £8.
(Delivery to mainland UK only). gardeners.org ● hergest.co.uk
Quick Gone to seed FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK,
quiz Textural seed heads are another autumn highlight.

Can you identify the following?
TWITTER & INSTAGRAM
@gardenanswers
A Perennial with huge, B Colourful flowers C Drought-tolerant D Nectar-rich mauve E Tender perennial F Large deciduous
yellow, bowl-shaped May–July, for damp climber for a sunny pincushion flowers with big leaves, fiery tree whose big
flowers in early spring but sunny spots, spot smothered in June–October thrive flowers and spiky yellow midsummer
and striking red and form green pods yellow flowers in poor soils and sun. green seed pods flowers give rise to
black seed heads in that dry to brown June–October that Papery seeds with maturing to brown its common name
autumn – and a then split to reveal develop silky seed a starry centre turn as the mahogany, and mature into
tongue-twisting name. black shiny seeds. heads in winter. black as they ripen. shiny seeds ripen. intricate seed pods.
nspired
ei
B ❤
❤ CELEBRATE
b y ..
.
UNDER THREAT
CHANCE TO GROW
AN HISTORIC APPLE
Ten saplings
propagated from
the apple tree that
inspired Sir Isaac
Newton’s theory
of gravity are being TWISTED QUINCE IS THREATENED
auctioned for charity.
The online auction, PLANT OF THE YEAR!
organised by The
National Trust and Blue Diamond A rare ornamental quince with twisted commercial potential as an ornamental
Garden Centres, will raise money for the stems has been crowned Plant garden plant and also be well suited to
future care of Woolthorpe Manor in Heritage’s Threatened Plant of the Year floristry. It is a very worthy and relevant
Lincolnshire, Sir Isaac’s birthplace and 2023. Plant Heritage knows of only five champion and would make an excellent
the location of the tree where he of these plants existing in the UK. The addition to any garden.”
famously saw an apple fall. The country winning plant – one of only two cultivars David, who has been growing the plant in
cottage where Sir Isaac was born is now of chaenomeles to have twisted stems his sloping, north-facing garden since 2020
cared for by the National Trust and is – is owned by Chaenomeles National said: “‘Contorta’ provides an important
visited by thousands of people each Collection Holder David Ford, who looks source of nectar for early bumblebees, which
year who want to see the spot where his after the plant in his private suburban no longer fully hibernate due to climate
great scientific discovery was made. garden in Surrey. change. It is now more important than ever
The 10 highest bidders will be The plant originated from Japan in 1929 but to conserve the cultivated plants that we
presented with their sapling at despite being grown in the UK for some time, have, as it is so hard to predict which ones
Woolsthorpe Manor on October 21. ‘Contorta’ has faded in popularity, although will be horticulturally and/or ecologically
The auction is live until 8pm on Gill Groombridge of Plant Heritage says the important in the future. I will happily
September 29. Visit bluediamond.gg/ plant has many merits. “With its attractive continue to play my part with my National
newtons-apple-tree for details. flowers and contorted branches it could have Plant Collection.”
30-minute
makes
Attractive houseplant pots really
Book of the month
Chatsworth by Alan Titchmarsh
Ebury, £35
give your indoor plant displays a lift If you visited the
and there’s nothing like a bespoke grand gardens at
pot that can’t be bought in any Chatsworth House in
shop! Because they’re decorated Derbyshire this
using nail polish, you can make a summer, this
pot to suit any colour scheme. sumptuous coffee
table book will be an
1 Put on rubber gloves, then fill a inspiring reminder, as

watertight plastic container with one of the nation’s
lukewarm water and pour in a good best-loved garden broadcasters and
glug of nail polish. Start with the authors takes you on an entertaining
lightest colour first if you are mixing tour through the gardens, with lots
more than one colour. of dramatic photographs of the
2 Add your final colour (no more polish has attached itself to all garden along the way.
than three is best), then stir the sides of the pot.
4
mix by holding a toothpick and Stand the pot on kitchen paper
swirling it around in the water so the nail polish can dry. Once QUIZ ANSWERS
3 Dip your pot into the water so

that the side of the pot is in
contact with the water surface then
touch dry, coat the outside of the
pot with a couple of coats of clear
enamel paint or clear acrylic
A Paeonia
mlokosewitschii
D Scabiosa
columbaria
B Iris sibirica E Canna indica
gently turn your pot until the nail sealer to seal in the pattern.
C Clematis F Liriodendron
tangutica tulipifera
12 Garden Answers
AUTUMN’S
Blushing
BEAUTIES
The autumnal
garden has a faded
elegance that’s
unbeatable for
atmosphere. Liz
Potter reveals the
Decadent Dawdlers
and Late-season
Lovelies for a rosy
romantic glow
A beautifully colourful
late summer/early
autumn border
bursting with dahlia
‘Preference’, cosmos
and Rudbeckia hirta
14 Garden Answers
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
A red chair complements

the pots of chysanthemums,
pelargoniums and dahlias
on this colourful terrace
A
s September tips into October, a soil improver and they’ll reward you with
cool breeze rifles through my dozens of fragrant blowsy blooms. Go
small country garden. for a fragrant shrub rose such as
Towering stems of soft-apricot ‘The Lark
bronze fennel brace themselves Ascending’ (H&S: 1.5m) or
against it, scattering seed far pale-pink climber ‘The
and wide, while shivering Generous Gardener’
cornus foliage starts to (H: 4.5m). These subtle hues
blush pink. Tufts of set the tone for any gentle,
sun-bleached stipa bob romantic scheme, their
and dip as Japanese semi- and double flowers
anemones unfurl dazzling attracting bees. New
hot pink flowers like flags. Autumn this year is ‘Dannahue’
has arrived. (H: 1.1m, S: 1.25m),
These subtle changes, brought on by a
dip in temperature and shortening days, are but a
drum-roll for the main seasonal finale: the vibrant
transformation of deciduous plants as their
chlorophyll ebbs away. Statuesque stunners such
as Acer palmatum, Rhus typhina, Cercis
canadensis and Liquidambar styraciflua steal
the show in a mantle of orange, gold, pink and red.
But theirs is not the only story here: there are lots of
charming little subplots to savour at this time of
year. Certain summer-flowering plants are still
PHOTO: ALAMY, GAP PHOTOS, SHUTTERSTOCK
producing buds and blooms – a picture of faded

elegance draped with sparkling dew-laden
cobwebs. Many of these Decadent Dawdlers will
have already enjoyed their moment in the sun and
are now returning for an autumn encore; others
simply keep flowering non-stop.
Repeat-flowering roses
These can bloom non-stop from June, provided you
keep the secateurs to hand and deadhead regularly. New rose ‘Dannahue’ and (above) pink
Feed them, water them then mulch with organic English rose, ‘The Generous Gardener’ ➤
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
Morning frost on geranium ‘Gerwat’ (above) and autumnal foliage on smoke tree (right)
which is the colour of cinnamon dust, with a much-loved variety responds well to the
lemon-lychee fragrance and cup-shaped ‘Hampton Hack’ – cut it back after flowering
double blooms. After its final flush of flowers, in June/July for a second flush in autumn.
leave the hips for the blackbirds and thrushes, Half-hardy salvia ‘Amistad’ (H: 1.2m,
until pruning in January or February. S: 50cm) is another good doer. Deadhead its
brooding purple flowers, stems and bracts
Hardy geraniums for repeat flowers but leave plants intact
Another autumn stalwart, blooming from over winter to protect the roots and crown
May to the frosts. ‘Rozanne’ (H&S: 60cm) is a from frost. Tender salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ will
popular choice – a wallichianum type prized also last into November but watch for
for its late flowers, sprawling habit and freezing night-time temperatures: in mild
tendency to clamber up its neighbours; ‘Bloom gardens on light soil mulch in situ with a
Time’ is a pretty pink version. There are lots of
other species and cultivars, but many run out
of steam in late summer: sterile hybrids such
as magenta ‘Patricia’ offer best longevity.
No autumn border is
Special salvias complete without a
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (H&S: 60cm)
will also flower for ages, its purple flower colour-coordinated dahlia
spikes lasting from June until October. This deep layer of garden compost; in colder
gardens on heavier soil, protect with fleece
and/or lift them and place them into pots of
multipurpose compost. Keep in a cool, well-lit
SEASONAL STALWARTS room indoors or in a frost-free greenhouse.
SALVIA
‘INDIGO SPIRES’
Super-easy hylotelephiums
A vigorous variety Blushing hylotelephiums (formerly sedum)
bearing intense, are easy by comparison. They turn a fiery-red
indigo-coloured in autumn, then fade to rust in winter. Largely
blooms with even pest and problem-free, pink-flowered
darker calyces. ‘Herbstfreude’ (H: 60cm) is the one to go for,
H: 75cm. benefiting from a Chelsea Chop to keep the
stems from flopping outwards by late
summer. They’ll shrug off a wet, cold winter.
GERANIUM GERANIUM SALVIA ‘AMISTAD’
‘ROZANNE’ ‘PATRICIA’ Bushy, upright Delightful dahlias
A vigorous Low-growing perennial plant to No autumn border is complete without a
spreading perennial mounds of dark 1.2m with profuse, colour-coordinated dahlia or two, which start
to 60cm tall, with green leaves large, deep purple, flowering in August and keep going until the
saucer-shaped topped with tubular flowers first frosts. Eye-catching Honka types, in
violet-blue flowers. magenta flowers. with black calyces. neon, black and citrus shades, offer a
star-shaped contrast to pristine pompon
16 Garden Answers
Double herbaceous borders
with a grass path. Packed
with achillea, kniphofia,
Verbena bonariensis,
Lysimachia cilata
‘Firecracker’, hemerocallis,
crocosmia, stipa and Salvia
nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
Dahlia ‘Bishop of
Oxford’ with
mealy sage
Pretty hylotelephium
‘Karfunkelstein’ is
easy to grow
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
Lift dahlias’ plump tubers

after the first frost, and label
them for winter in the shed
Clockwise types, the latter resembling colourful golf balls

from top: Red on sticks. For luxurious, silky flowers in
and yellow cream-flushed pink, you can’t beat dinner-
leaves of Acer plate dahlia ‘Café au Lait’ (H: 1.5m) and its
palmatum sisters, ‘Café au Lait Royal’, ‘Café au Lait
glow beside Twist’ and ‘Café au Lait Rose’ – collectively
dahlias in sold as the Barista Collection. Stake these
October; whoppers to avoid flopping heads. The
Aster popular Bishop series (H& S: 1m) has
novi-belgii
purple-bronze foliage and fiery single flowers.
‘Fellowship’
Lift their plump tubers after the first frost,
with dahlia
and label them for winter in the shed.
‘Café au Lait’;
star-shaped
dahlia ‘Honka’
Penstemons & rudbeckias
Though technically tender, perennial
penstemons can also be left in the ground.
Hardier varieties such as striking wine-red
‘Andenken an Friedrich Hahn’ (H: 90cm,
S: 30cm) can survive severe winters in a
18 Garden Answers
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❤ CELEBRATE
Aster frikartii ‘Mönch’,

Rudbeckia fulgida
‘Goldsturm’ and Echinacea
purpurea ‘Magnus’
Red dahlia blooming

among helianthus
‘Lemon Queen’
sunny, sheltered location and well-drained shades – apricot, salmon, iced tea, rose pink, stems from early autumn. Anemone
soil. Removing the faded stems encourages even minty green. These muted hues have a hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ (H& S: 1.2m) is
the tubular flowers to keep coming. delicate vintage look that’s perfect for the a chic-looking, white-flowered perennial
Even in November rain, the yellow flowers romantic ‘faded elegance’ theme. Sow in that’s inclined to travel in clay soil, while
of rudbeckias dazzle in drifts and blocks, March in pots or trays of fresh seed compost ‘September Charm’ (H: 90cm) is soft pink
accompanied by swooshy grasses. under cover, harden them off before planting and A. hupehensis japonica ‘Pamina’
They tend to flower from July into autumn, out next spring, and keep deadheading the (H: 90cm) a foxy double in lipstick-pink.
creating little clumps of sunshine that evoke mature plants to prolong the display. New England asters (Symphyotrichum
the vast American prairies. Rudbeckia Waning summer flowers that grow old novae-angliae) offer an outstanding autumn
fulgida sullivanti ‘Goldsturm’ (H: 60cm, gracefully are all very well, but how about show that’s buzzing with pollinators,
S: 45cm) is a ruggedly handsome option, while adding in a few fresh-faced ‘Late-season mildew-resistant and blooms for weeks. Pinch
taller R. laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’ (H: 2m, Lovelies’? Fashionably late to the party are back the stems before midsummer for bushier,
S: 90cm) has striking green nose cones that slender Japanese anemones. These leafy more floriferous plants. Upright and feisty,
eventually fade to brown. Rudbeckia hirta performers never disappoint, producing ‘Andenken an Alma Pötschke’ (H: 90cm)
cultivars are short-lived perennials usually delicate silky flowers that float on long wiry bears masses of cerise daisies with yellow
grown as half-hardy annuals from seed
– ‘Cherry Brandy’ and ‘Cherokee Sunset’ are
exciting to grow from seed for planting out MIXING FIERY HUES WITH MUTED TONES
after the May frosts, and really excellent value KNIPHOFIA
for money. ROOPERI
Distinctive,
Towering tall egg-shaped, bright
For extra height, add in perennial sunflowers red flowers fading
such as helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ (H: 2.4m), to yellow over
with its pale yellow flowers humming with broad, high foliage.
bees and butterflies, and Verbena H: 1.2m.
bonariensis (H: 1.5m), which fits in
everywhere and flowers forever. The rotund
orange-yellow rockets of Kniphofia rooperi RUDBECKIA SYMPHYOTRICHUM ANEMONE
(H: 1.2m) are useful too: flowering from ‘CHEROKEE ‘LITTLE CARLOW’ HYBRIDA
August into autumn, preferring sun and a SUNSET’ Masses of pale ‘ELEGANS’
humus-rich sandy soil. Large, double and purple flowers with Tall, clump-forming
Don’t forget that late-flowering, half-hardy semi-double a yellow centre. perennial (H: 1.2m)
annuals, such as cosmos, cleome and daisy-like flowers. Ideal mid-border. with single purple-
antirrhinum, offer a panoply of exciting H: 60cm. H: 90cm. pink flowers.
autumn flowers too, in a palette of sorbet
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
Clockwise from far

left: pink
chrysanthemum
and heather flower
in a garden basket;
Cortaderia
selloana ‘Pumila’
seen through
autumn foliage of
Metasequoia
glyptostroboides;
seedheads of
love-in-a-mist
(nigella); silver
translucent seed
pods of honesty
(Lunaria annua)
centres; ‘Harrington’s Pink’ (H: 1.2m) is a softer

hue. Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’ is
another good garden choice (H: 90cm) bearing
little blue daisies with yellow centres.
Nerines and amarines also arrive in
September. A bulbous perennial, Nerine
bowdenii (H: 45cm) hails from South Africa
and prefers a dry, sunny spot, with cultivars in
white, pale pink and hot pink. Amarines are a
more recent introduction – a cross between
nerines and showy amaryllis – with bigger
blooms and more uniform flowering. Cultivars
in the BellaDiva series will hit the sweet spot,
all with dramatic, starry, swept-back petals.
Enjoying a comeback, chrysanthemums are
worth considering for classic autumn colour. Supporting stars
‘Allouise Salmon’ (H: 1.5m) is a soft coral, Seedheads can play an attractive supporting
flowering September into October. It’s frost role in setting off all these autumn blooms,
tender, so move indoors for winter. Hardier mingling and punctuating borders with their
options are orange ‘Paul Boissier’ (H: 1m), and dramatic shapes. Think annual nigella,
peach-apricot ‘Herbstbrokat’ (H: 90cm); both honesty and oriental poppies; perennial
need a warm, sheltered, sunny spot. In early phlomis, echinacea and crocosmia; thistly
summer, pinch out the growing tips to make a cirsium, eryngium and teasels.
bushier plant. Lift and store tender Russian sage, salvia ‘Blue Spire’ (H: 1.2m,
chrysanths in a frost-free place over winter, or S: 1m), goes with roses and blue autumn
in milder gardens in well-drained soil, cover flowers in silver-blue planting schemes – its
with a compost mulch and cloche. ghostly stems denuded of their blue flowers.
Cynara cardunculus (H: 1.5m, S: 1.2m) is
another head-turner, flowering from June to
FLOWER POWERHOUSES September, then producing spiky seedheads
on stems of steel, like medieval maces.
ANTIRRHINUM Grasses too will lend atmosphere – the
‘CHANTILLY
ponderous, arching stems of golden oats, Stipa
BRONZE’
gigantea (H: 2.5m, S: 1.2m) and fluffy heads of
Usually grown as an
pampas grass Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’
annual (H: 90cm),
scented, open-
(H: 1.5m, S: 1.2m) are too good to miss.
faced, pink-orange
flowers.
Stretching the season
To maximise your autumn flower-power, be
sure to keep deadheading with the secateurs.
AMARINE PENSTEMON CHRYSANTHEMUM You can also keep feeding with a potassium-
BELLADIVA SERIES ‘ANDENKEN AN ‘HERBSTBROKAT’ rich feed. Keep plants watered in a dry spell
A cross between FRIEDRICH HAHN’ Compact plants – drying autumn winds can make plants
nerine and Elegant spikes of with sprays of small transpire faster than usual. And, keep an eye
amaryllis with slim, small, tubular, brownish-red on the weather forecast for that first frost:
lily-like flowers. foxglove-like flowers until late armed with some sheets of fleece you can
H: 75cm. flowers. H: 90cm. autumn. H: 90cm). keep even the tender stunners going for a good
few weeks to come. ✿
20 Garden Answers
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
SMALL
GARDEN
SERIES
Design tricks for

creating space
These simple but effective Curved lines
design techniques will help make a garden
appear larger
make small gardens seem
bigger than they are, and
make attractive use of all
the available space
Go curvy!
Sinuous lines, whether from paths, lawns, border
edges or blocks of plants, give the impression of
the space being bigger than it is and add a nice
flow to the garden.
Even in the tiniest of spaces, try arranging pots
in a curved line with some trailing plants tumbling
over the edges to maximise the space and add a
stylish flow to the area.
Hiding parts of the

garden encourages
WORDS: GREG LOADES. PHOTOS: ALAMY, GAP PHOTOS, SHUTTERSTOCK
visitors to explore
and creates a sense A curved hedge
of seclusion helps to break
up the space
Hide what lies beyond

If the whole of the garden can be seen from start to finish
when you look at it, with nothing concealed, it lacks a layer
of intrigue and mystique and will feel small. Break up the
space by hiding parts of it so that a visitor to the garden has
to explore to see all the elements of it. It could be done by
something as simple as placing a large evergreen shrub in a
container in the middle of the space, if you’ve just got a
balcony or patio, or by planting a short hedge or even a
little row of raspberry canes across the garden. If you can,
leave a gap so that there is a glimpse of what comes next,
maybe try leaving a space in the hedge then another layer
of mystery is added!
22 Garden Answers
Create garden zones
Splitting the garden into different
zones will get you in the mindset
of getting the absolute most
from your space as well as
preventing the place from
looking muddled. Decide on
what your priorities are and then
work out where you squeeze
them into the space. If you’re not
sure where to start, look at
where the sun hits the different
parts of the garden. This will
determine where you want to sit
and enjoy the garden, and it will
affect the type of plants that you
grow too. Deep shade is ideal for
a mini woodland garden, and hot
sun is the place to show off
succulents or plant up a
miniature gravel garden.
Dividing the garden

into different areas
ensures it feels well
thought out
➤
SMALL GARDEN Series
Head for heights

Using height to full advantage is a
game-changer in a small space
because when it comes to growing
up, you have as much space
available as any garden on earth!
As well as planting, hanging lights
across the width of the garden from
wall to wall or fence to fence or
along the tops of your garden
boundaries, will lead the eye
upwards and create a special
atmosphere that is hard to replicate
in bigger spaces. For planting, an
arch placed to cover a path can be
used to help frame a focal point
(maybe a sundial or sculpture) at the
end of it, or to break up the space.
Less lawn
means more
plants!
Reduce and shape your lawn

If your lawn is an accidentally irregular shape or a
very formal, straight-edged affair in an informal
garden, adding a swirling flourish to the edges will do
wonders for its overall look. It’s also an opportunity
to lose a little bit of the lawn, to allow a few more
plants and a bit less mowing! A circular lawn can be
an easy, evergreen focal point for the garden and
with dense planting around the edges it gives the
impression of having a theatre of plants. A circular
lawn will also link well with other round features such
as circular bistro tables and the globular heads of
alliums, santolina or mophead hydrangeas.
A curvy or circular
lawn complements
other round features
24 Garden Answers
❤
❤ CELEBRATE
Make a secluded
seating area
There is surely nothing better
that can be done to enlarge the
feel of a small garden than to tuck
away a seating area in a hidden
corner. It could be a cosy bench
for two fitted into a recess in a
hedge or an egg chair in a shady
corner, camouflaged by
surrounding shrubbery.
Don’t be scared of big plants Exotic tree ferns

A small garden doesn’t have to mean small plants! In fact, are a great choice
one of the real advantages of a small space is that certain with their large
shrubs, trees or climbers become much more dramatic leaves, and left,
features when room is restricted. a potted
Just one or two plants with very big leaves, such as Fatsia Japanese maple
japonica, Tetrapanax papyrifera (hardy to -5C), or hosta
‘Sum and Substance’ will create a jungly feel in the garden
without the need for buying a lot of expensive exotic plants.
A single, large, potted Japanese maple may not be cheap
but will make a gorgeous feature for a small space.
SMALL GARDEN Series
Co-ordinate your colours

You could also make the most of the height in
your garden by painting walls or fences bordering
the garden in a colour that blends with the colour
scheme of the garden. Also choose colours that
complement your planting for the outsides of
containers, decking or raised beds. Boundaries
can easily go unnoticed but hard-wearing,
coloured woodstain or masonry paint will bring
them to life.
Raise the levels

This can be easier said than done but even a
couple of beds mounded up to create mini
‘banks’ or borders topped up so the planting is
further above the ground will add more depth to
the garden and also allow plants to be shown off
better, without getting ‘lost’ at ground level.
A vibrant
contrasting
colour makes
greenery pop
Extend your shelf life Make room

Adding shelves of planting to the boundaries of the for a mirror
garden allows for more plants to be squeezed into a Place a mirror against a
tiny garden and allows for some ‘houseplant style’ wall, close to a seating area
displays. Purpose-made shelves that can be and the place will feel
screwed to the wall are readily available, or simple significantly more spacious
shelves held to a wall with metal brackets will do the as you relax with your
job. Repeat some of morning drink.
There’s no limits the planting from Place the mirror so that it
with vertical lower down, perhaps reflects as dense an area of
planting by planting trailing planting as possible and this
ivies or vincas high up will create a feeling of being
and then also using enveloped by plants and
them as ground surrounding greenery.
cover elsewhere, to Choose a mirror with a
blend the feature into patterned design on the
the rest of the front to reduce the risk of
garden. Free- birds flying into it, and don’t
standing plant place it too high up.
shelves will also allow Also, make sure to avoid
you to grow a lot of full sun when placing your
plants in a small mirror so that it doesn’t
space. become a fire hazard! ✿
26 Garden Answers
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MUST
HAVE
Bringing an
plants
abundance
of late flowers
to the garden,
Michalemas
daisies blend
superbly with
fiery autumn
tree foliage
Spectacular
Michaelmas daisies
These hardy perennials offer huge variety and an
enchanting display, just when it’s needed
A
utumn sees tired summer borders species from the same continent, including S.
galvanised with a wonderfully ericoides and S. laterifolium. Several other
fresh injection of vibrant colour species now belong to the genera eurybia,
from the garden’s last big hurrah of galatella and oreostemma. Knowing which
the year, when brilliant blooms join forces plants belong where does help choose the right
with turning foliage and jewel-like fruits, all ones for a particular site or style, but don’t
enhanced by the gorgeous clarity of the stress overmuch at the names: expert Helen
autumn light. Michaelmas daisies are among Picton confirms it’s safe to collectively refer to
the most spectacular of the season’s them as Michaelmas daisies.
performers, renowned for their vivid colours With sizes ranging from knee-high mounds
as well as softer shades. Thriving in good soil to 2m giants, and flowers in sizes and shapes
WORDS: SUE FISHER. PHOTOS: ALAMY, GAP PHOTOS, SHUTTERSTOCK
and sun, these easy, hardy, and long-lived from dainty little singles to big chunky
herbaceous perennials offer exceptional doubles, these daisies match a wealth of
variety with hundreds of different planting sites and styles.
cultivated varieties and some Colours range from vivid purples and
enchanting species. glowing pinks to mauves, softer pastel
Pre-2015, all Michaelmas shades, and whites. While peak flowering
daisies belonged to the genus time is September and October, with such a
aster, but scientific study revealed huge genus it’s unsurprising that some buck
some great differences and resulted the trend and flower at other times, with a
in major name changes. So, while few blooming from as early as June and
Eurasian species remain classified others as late as November.
as asters, North American species Looks aside, these plants are Hibernating insects love to shelter in the dry
now have their own genera, magnificent biodiversity-boosters, too. stems and crinkled leaves, in turn drawing
symphyotrichum, which The blooms are ideal for butterflies, bees foraging birds in search of winter food. For us
encompasses New England asters (S. and other pollinators, but Michaelmas there is the ephemeral beauty of the dead
nova-angliae), New York asters (S. daisies just keep on giving for wildlife if standing stems, strung with misty webs in
nova-belgii), and small-flowered not swept away in an autumn tidy-up. autumn or silvered with winter frost.
28 Garden Answers
❤ CELEBRATE
❤
Did you
know?
Michaelmas is a Christian
festival named for Saint
Michael that falls at the
end of September, and is
also one of four ‘quarter
days’, observed since the
Middle Ages.
These plants are

magnificent
biodiversity-boosters
Right, striking lavender-

coloured Aster amellus
(European Michaelmas daisy);
above, Aster novae-angliae
with helianthus ‘Monarch’
MUST HAVE plants ❤
❤ CELEBRATE
Expert notes
Old Court Nurseries was flowering time. For
started in 1906 by example, hoverflies and
Michaelmas daisy breeder butterflies love Aster
Ernest Ballard and bought amellus, while later, Helen P
by the Picton family in small-flowered species
icton
1952. The nursery stock are popular with bees.”
beds were developed into Helen finds it hard to such a good plant, and
the now-famous Picton pick favourites – “I love one species that should How to grow
Garden, housing the them all!” – but highlights be around more is Aster Most Michaelmas daisies grow well in
National Collection that a few. “Aster x frikartii peduncularis – heart- any reasonable, fertile soil apart from
stands at more than 430 – either ‘Mönch’ or shaped, furry leaves, extremes of wet or dry, and in sun
cultivars, packed into the ‘Wunder von Stäfa’. flowers on single stems for at least half the day. A few
2½ acre nursery and The prairie aster and no mildew.” thrive in dry conditions and
garden site. Helen Picton (Symphyotrichum ● Old Court Nurseries shade. Avoid overcrowding as
is the third generation of turbinellum) is beautiful & Picton Garden, growth is best in an open site,
the family to run the and flowers in October, Walwyn Rd, plus good air movement helps
business along with with blue-green foliage. Malvern, discourage mildew. Powdery
husband Ross. Of the New England Herefordshire mildew disease may be a problem,
She describes why asters, I adore ‘John WR13 6QE. Visit particularly in periods of hot, dry
Michaelmas daisies work Dickinson’ as it’s so tall autumnasters. weather or on poor soil that tends to
well in today’s gardens: but still stands up well. co.uk for opening Aster dry out. Some cultivars are more
“They’re wonderfully The New York aster times and more frikartii susceptible than others, notably New
colourful late in the ‘Fellowship’ is old but information. ‘Mönch’ York asters (Symphyotrichum
season, perfectly hardy, novi-belgii). Mitigate by improving the
and as long as winter water-holding capacity of soil with
drainage is decent, grow Picton Garden plenty of organic matter.
in most soils. People have in full bloom Some taller or double, heavy-
now realised there’s such flowered cultivars may need
a huge range – possibly supports, best placed
helped by the name early in summer. Cut
changes, which highlight back dead stems by
their different flowers and early spring.
uses. Small-flowered ones Older, congested
suit naturalistic planting clumps decline in
styles while most performance so Mildew-
Michaelmas daisies are divide every three to resistant aster
stalwarts in mixed five years in March or ‘Helen Picton’
borders. They’re brilliant April to boost vigour and
for insects too, though propagate. Dig up and split into
which ones depends on chunks by levering apart with two
garden forks, or dig up in portions
using a spade. Discard the old centre.
OUR PICK OF THE BEST
Aster frikartii Eurybia divaricata Symphyotrichum Symphyotrichum Symphyotrichum

‘Wunder von Stäfa’ The wood aster has ericoides prostratum novi-belgii ‘Fellowship’ ‘Prairie Purple’
Single lavender-blue clouds of small white ‘Snow Flurry’ This New York aster Impressively tall
flowers borne on daisies borne on wiry Compact and wide has large, double, yet also self-
slender, stems, similar black stems above mound-forming with deep pink flowers that supporting, bearing
but shorter than low clumps of foliage. slender leaves, are abundantly borne masses of small,
‘Mönch’, also mildew Good ground cover, smothered in on sturdy stems. It also purple, yellow-centred
resistant. Sun or part copes with shade little white daisy has good mildew flowers. Good mildew
shade. H: 75cm, and dry soil. H: 45cm, flowers. H: 20cm, resistance. H: 1m, resistance. H: 1.5m,
S: 60cm. S: to 1m. S: 45cm. S: 60cm. S: 60cm.
30 Garden Answers
WHAT
TO DO
THIS
Month
This is the ideal time for moving
trees and shrubs, cutting back
climbing roses, planting bulbs for
spring and harvesting autumn veg
HARVEST
CARROTS
Carrots growing in the ground or in pots
will have reached a good size this month
and are best harvested before winter if you
have heavy soil that doesn’t drain well.
Push a fork deep into the ground around
10cm away from the edge of the foliage and
slowly lever them up to loosen them. Then
grab hold of the foliage and pull them up.
On lighter soils, harvest as and when you
need them but cover the tops with a 10cm
layer of straw or a sheet of cardboard to
protect them from winter wet.
32 Garden Answers
EASY GARDENING
Prune climbing roses

MOVE TREES
now, ready for winter & SHRUBS
If a small tree or shrub needs
moving, it’s worth trying to move it
this month while the soil is warm
and damp. Follow these steps to
boost its chance of survival.
Cut back climbing roses

1
PREPARE THE HOLE
Water the plant the day
Cut back the long whippy stems of buds, then tie the remaining sections
before and make a new
climbing roses now to prevent them into the support using twine or flexi
planting hole wider than the
being damaged by winter storms. ties. This is a good time to remove any
anticipated rootball – then adjust it
Prune the stems to leave two to three dead branches too. later if needed. Only add compost
if soil is poor or sandy.
DIG UP THE PLANT
Stagger plants in two rows

2 Gently dig around the plant
to see how far the roots
for a dense hedge. Above, extend. Lift as much of the rootball
bullfinch on guelder rose as possible. Some thicker roots may
need to be severed with secateurs.
Lift the rootball onto a tarpaulin or
Plant a native hedge sheet of plastic to carry it.
Native hedges with their flowers, ● Native hedging plants you can choose
foliage and fruits, are key habitats and from include hawthorn, dogwood (cornus),
food sources for wildlife. Their dense, hazel, holly, blackthorn and guelder rose
sometimes thorny growth makes (Viburnum opulus).
them a good choice for security and
privacy, and autumn is the best time
Weatherwatch
to establish them.
● Buy young ‘bare-root whips’. Whips
around 60-90cm in height are cheap and
will quickly create a hedge. When they’re An Indian summer may
delivered, pop the roots in a bucket of water. bring pleasantly warm
● Plant the whips. Weed a strip 1m wide days and lots of sunshine,
and open up a slit in the soil with a spade. but as the clocks go back MATCH THE SOIL MARK
Sprinkle in some mycorrhizal fungi
and insert the whip, then firm back the
and days shorten, frosts
are likely. The first of the
3 Carefully position the plant
in the new hole so the old
soil. Snip a few centimetres off the top of autumn storms may also sweep in from the soil mark on the stem is level with
each whip to encourage side branches to Atlantic, so now’s the time to the hole’s rim. Backfill, ensuring
form. Space plants 40cm apart in a single prepare the garden for there are no air pockets. Firm in
row, or stagger plants in two rows 30cm the months ahead and place and water. Keep well-
apart for a dense hedge, aiming for five to make the most of watered during dry spells until the
plants per metre. any good weather. plant roots are re-established. ➤
What to do this month... EASY GARDENING
GET SET FOR

DAINTY DAFFS
SMALL WONDERS
Plant your bulbs while
the soil is still warm
STAR POWER
Tête-à-tête is one of
the most popular dwarf
daffodil varieties
Unlike their loftier

relatives, these petite
plants can stand up to
all kinds of weather
T
he large daffodils you see in parks
and municipal planting schemes
look fantastic planted en masse,
swaying in the breeze, but they’re not
always well-suited to smaller gardens
where they can look out of proportion.
Their size also means they’re more easily
damaged by squally spring weather, and ‘W.P. MILNER’ This ‘ELKA’ Pure white petals ‘TOPOLINO’ Pretty
the clumps of tall leaves can die back in a delicate-looking narcissus with pale lemon-coloured narcissus that’s very
sprawling fashion. is perfect for edging paths. trumpets are a delight. good for naturalising.
To combat these issues, consider H: 20cm, S: 10cm. H: 20cm, S: 10cm. H: 25cm, S: 10cm.
growing these daintier cultivars, no more
than H: 25cm. Their scaled-down size
means they’re well suited to borders under
deciduous shrubs, where their smaller
flowers and shorter leaves look very much
at home. Even better, they’re also more
able to withstand troublesome weather
such as wind, rain and spring snow.
If you can, it’s best to plant your
daffodils before mid-October while the
soil’s still warm.
To do this, make a hole in the ground
that’s three times the depth of the bulb,
then pop the bulb in the hole with the
pointy end upwards. Once this is done, ‘RIP VAN WINKLE’ ‘CANALICULATUS’ Fragrant ‘JACK SNIPE’ Striking
cover the bulb with soil. Try to plant in Clusters of golden petals yellow cups. Good for pots reflexed white petals
clumps of at least five, with 5-7cm between form a spiky flowerhead. and window boxes. and yellow trumpets.
each bulb. ➤ H: 15cm, S: 10cm. H: 15cm, S: 10cm. H: 25cm, S: 10cm.
34 Garden Answers
Love your lawn

Give your lawn some TLC now,
so it looks its best next year.
1 Scarify: Use a spring-tine rake

(which has long, flexible prongs) to
remove dead grass, debris and moss.
It’s best to kill the moss first by
applying a mosskiller, to avoid
spreading it further. Scarifying allows
air, rain and light to reach the turf.
2 Aerate: Relieve soil compaction

under the turf by spiking your
lawn with a garden fork or hollow-tine
aerator. Create holes that are 10-15cm
apart and the same depth.
3 Top dress: Apply a top dressing

mix or make your own (three
parts loam, six parts sharp sand and
one part well-rotted compost). Brush
this across the surface, working it into
the holes created by aerating. Use
2-3kg of the mix per square metre.
PLANT GLADIOLI
Unlike the corms of large-flowered, corms are planted
summer-blooming gladioli, which are with the pointy end
planted in spring, some daintier facing upwards. Space
species can be planted in autumn. them 10-15cm apart and
Flowering in mid-to-late spring, Gladiolus plant them 10-12cm deep, which
nanus (above), G. colvillii ‘The Bride’ and helps them stand upright, otherwise
G. byzantinus like free-draining soil, so add the foliage and flower spikes have a
grit to the planting area and make sure the tendency to flop.
Make a leaf bin Move citrus plants

As leaves start to fall, it’s a Make leaf
good time to construct mould indoors now
a storage area so you can for free! Citrus plants aren’t hardy in most parts of
collect the leaves to make the UK, so those grown in pots outdoors
leaf mould. over summer need to come inside now.
● Create posts Take four
wooden stakes (or garden ● Where can I keep them?
canes) about 1.5m long and A frost-free
shaped to a point at one greenhouse, porch
end. Position them in a or conservatory
square or rectangle, using a is ideal: they
lump hammer or mallet to hit need a bright
them into the ground. spot above
● Fence them in Wrap around the posts 5C.
with chicken wire, securing it in place with ● Do they
galvanised U-shaped nails. Over the coming need
weeks, fill the container with leaves. watering?
● Moisten the leaves During dry spells, Keep the compost
keep the leaves damp because they’ll rot slightly dry so they don’t
more quickly than if they’re too dry. (acid-loving) plants. In rot in cold, damp soil.
● Make separate bins fact, you can even add ● Should I keep them cosy?
If you plan to compost conifer needles, your Christmas tree, Temperature extremes can
make a separate bin. shredded into little cause leaf and blossom
They’ll rot down to pieces, when you’ve drop, so position them
provide a great mulch finished with it in the away from cold draughts
for ericaceous new year. and radiators.
36 Garden Answers
TAKE THE WEIGHT, RTLY CRAFTED G
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EFFORT AND TIME D
EX
UP TO
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NT
OUT OF GARDENING
NG
50%
OOLS
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Easier to hold, easier to use LIGHTER
STRO
OLS
THAN STANDARD
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ND DE
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EXP R
ERTLY CRAFTED GA
wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk
Tend to your pond PROPAGATION
Remove dead leaves and plant debris from

your pond this month to avoid a build-up of
decomposing vegetation. To tidy up
It’s time to take
perennial marginals and allow more light in,
cut back the upright leaf blades and stems HARDWOOD CUTTINGS
to about 15cm above the water surface.
Use a fine dipping net to remove some of the Make new shrubs for free by
silt and weeds, and leave them at the pondside
for a few days so that amphibians and water
taking hardwood cuttings from
insects can crawl back into the pond. Then add colourful roses, fruit bushes
the dried debris to your compost heap. and favourite climbers
Cover the pond with netting to stop autumn
leaves falling in.
Taking hardwood cuttings is one of a bud. This lets water drain away and
the best ways to propagate new ensures you keep cuttings the right
shrubs. Now, just as leaves start to way up. Use a straight cut at the
Don’t forget...
fall, is a good time to do it, but any base, below a bud.
time between now and the end of 3. Dip the bottom in hormone
winter is fine. rooting powder. Tap off any excess.
POT ON CUTTINGS Last year’s While softwood and semi-ripe This encourages roots to form and
hardwood (and this year’s cuttings (taken in spring or summer) also includes a fungicide to protect
softwood) cuttings may need need lots of care, hardwood from rotting.
potting on into individual pots to cuttings require minimal attention. 4. Fill pots with a 50:50 mix of
give them space. Use John Innes However, new growth is slow and it multipurpose compost and coarse
No. 2 compost. can be six to 12 months before you grit. Insert stems with two-thirds of
CHECK CLIMBER SUPPORTS pot them on. the cutting in the compost. Allow
Make sure that trellis and obelisks ● Plants to try: abelia, deutzia, cornus, 10cm between cuttings.
are sound, then tie in to the support currants, forsythia, gooseberry, 5. Water well Put pots in a
any summer growth that could get lonicera, parthenocissus and willow. sheltered spot or cold frame.
damaged by winter storms. In cold weather, cover them with
CLEAR AWAY PLANT STAKES How to do it horticultural fleece.
As plants start to die down, pull out 1. Select healthy, vigorous shoots 6. Grow them on and keep them
plant stakes and other supports in from this year’s growth and cut with safe until next summer or autumn,
your borders. Wash or wipe off any clean, sharp secateurs above a bud. ensuring they don’t dry out. If there
soil, give them a clean and then Snip away the soft tip. are signs of roots at the base of the
PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK, ALAMY, GAP PHOTOS, NEIL HEPWORTH
allow wooden supports and canes 2. Prepare each stem to give you pot and new shoots, pot up
to dry out well before bundling them a 15-30cm–long cutting. Make a individually into John Innes No. 2
up and storing them in a shed sloping cut at the top just above compost, water and label.
or garage.
RAISE
CONTAINER
PLANTS OFF
THE GROUND
Use bricks or
pot feet so
they don’t
sit in pools
of rainwater,
which can Cut with clean, Make a sloping cut Insert stems into the
cause plant sharp secateurs just above a bud compost
roots to rot.
YEAR
ROUND
colour
OCTOBER
Orange dahlias and yellow

zinnias glow against a backdrop
of smoky purple shiso with
feathery pennisetum
seedheads adding texture
40 Garden Answers
EASY GARDENING
Make the most of

GOLDEN FIREPOWER
Create a spectacular seasonal glow as your garden
embraces the autumn months
E
arly autumn is the final hurrah STEP 2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS
for summer’s temporary stars,
the tender plants whose show
will be abruptly ended by the arrival
of the first frosts.
For a brief moment the combination
of mild days, recent rain and low,
warm light can add up to golden scenes Colour
like this one, made all the more precious
by its very impermanence. Dahlias and
palette
zinnias offer unrivalled early autumn Zingy orange,
firepower while pennisetum and the smoky purple,
crinkly purple foliage of perilla bring pinky reds and green
texture, movement and a backcloth DAHLIA ‘SYLVIA’ PERILLA FRUTESCENS CRISPA
3easy
against which the last flowers can shine. Perfect balls of tightly rolled Purple shiso is a half-hardy
soft orange petals. Flowering annual herb grown for its
STEP 1 DESIGN YOUR

steps July to the frosts, their strong
stems make excellent cut
fragrant, crinkled, purple
leaves that looks great in
flowers for your home. ornamental schemes.
BORDER H: 90cm, S: 60cm. H: 60cm, S: 45cm.
Perilla frutescens Pennisetum
crispa Dahlia ‘Sylvia’ advena
‘Rubrum’
PHOTO: GAP PHOTOS/CHRISTA BRAND – WEIHENSTEPHAN GARDENS, GERMANY ILLUSTRATION: GILL LOCKHART
PENNISETUM ‘KARLEY ROSE’ PENNISETUM ADVENA

Narrow arching leaves and ‘RUBRUM’
from mid-summer swaying Dramatic tender grass with
feathery panicles of pink- burgundy-red foliage and
brown plumes. Not reliably purple panicles ageing to
hardy, treat as an annual. brown. Intolerant of cold and
H&S: 90cm. wet. H: 1.2m, S: 60cm.
ZINNIA PROFUSION SERIES ZINNIA ELEGANS

Bushy zinnia with single ‘BENARY’S GIANT ORANGE’
Pennisetum daisy-like flowers bred for Fully double, glowing orange
orientale Zinnia elegans disease resistance and no flowers on tall, sturdy stems.
‘Karley Rose’ Zinnia ‘Profusion ‘Benary’s Giant deadheading. Try ‘Profusion Half-hardy annual, brilliant
Orange’ Orange’ Apricot’ and ‘Profusion flowers for cutting. H: 1.2m,
Orange’. H: 45cm, S: 60cm. S: 60cm.
EASY GARDENING
MAKE THE DISPLAY LAST

STEP 3
2 Sow the
perilla
GET Pick up perilla seed from
PLANTING veg or herb catalogues.
To get such a luxuriant Sow this half-hardy
display in a few short annual in trays under
months, you require a cover in April, barely
sunny site and a fertile, covering the seed with
moist but well-drained compost and keep just
soil to help power the moist until germination.
rapid growth for this Prick out and pot on before
modern bedding planting out 30cm apart
scheme. This autumn, after all risk of frost. Pinch WINTER: MISCANTHUS SINENSIS
break up compacted out young plants to ensure ‘KLEINE FONTÄNE’
ground and clear the a bushy display. Popular in Upright fountains of foliage and
site of perennial weeds Japanese cooking, the pink feathery flowers that bleach
before working in lashings of well- leaves have a flavour between cinnamon and into winter, giving strong
rotted, weed-free organic matter. After mint and are most tender when young. Even structural presence. H&S: 1.5m.
planting, add a mulch to help keep down the flowers are edible.
annual weeds, retain moisture and
gradually improve soil structure.
3 Sow the zinnias
Zinnias worship sunshine and warmth,
Order the dahlias so don’t sow them the second the sun comes
1 Order dahlias now and you’ll be able to
source whatever cultivar tickles your
out. Whether you’re sowing large ‘Benary’s
Giant’ cultivars, or one of the small Profusion
fancy. Specialist suppliers dispatch tubers Series hybrids, leave sowing until mid-May
from late winter onwards. If you have a under glass so that they can grow quickly
frost-free greenhouse or sunny windowsill, it’s without any check before going out into warm
worth potting up tubers in March. The first summer soil. They dislike root disturbance so
shoots can be used to take basal cuttings that use modules and plant out before they have SPRING: EUPHORBIA
root quickly and flower in their first year. the chance to become pot bound. Pinch back EPITHYMOIDES ‘MAJOR’
Plant out after all risk of frost, working in young plants and don’t crowd them – stressed Mound-forming perennial with
further compost to the planting hole. Beware plants are more prone to disease and damping lime-green flowers April to July,
slug and snail damage to young shoots and off. If you don’t have propagation space, look earning it the nickname of
add a short strong stake to loop around out for young plug plants online or pot plants cushion spurge. H&S: 60cm.
supporting string as the dahlias grow. In dry at your local nursery. Deadhead ‘Benary’s
spells give them an occasional deep soak and Giant’ types regularly but the smaller
deadhead every couple of days to keep the ‘Profusion Series’ produce a succession of
display going. A liquid fertiliser can help if you flowers and don’t need deadheading.
think the soil is on the poor side. After they’ve
been blackened by frosts, either dig them up 4 Plant the pennisetum
to store in old potting compost in the shed or These two pennisetums share the
leave them in the ground with the added same intolerance to cold, wet conditions. Plant
container-grown specimens from early June
protection of a dry mulch. The latter works
when the ground is warm and there’s no risk
well in all but the worst winters; just watch
out for new shoots being eaten in spring.of frost, adding extra grit as well as compost.
‘Karley Rose’ is all grace with its SUMMER: CANNA ‘DURBAN’
wiry arching leaves and feathery Impressive paddle-shaped leaves
...or try cream plumes. It’s the hardier of striped in pink, orange and purple
this
the two and it’s worth leaving and striking, tall, orange flowers.
plants at the end of the season H: 1.5m, S: 60cm.
with top growth untouched and a
dry protective mulch to see if they
survive the winter. Don’t be too
quick to give up on plants in spring
as they’re slow into growth.
‘Hameln’ is a more robust cultivar.
P. advena ‘Rubrum’ has broader
leaves and a more sultry tropical
appearance. Sadly, it isn’t hardy in
the UK so treat as a centrepiece
bedding plant, or lift plants and
overwinter in a frost-free AUTUMN: RICINUS
greenhouse or conservatory COMMUNIS ‘IMPALA’
before they’re hit by the first Large palmate purple-red foliage
frosts. Keep on the dry side then and red seedpods on fast-growing
Partner orange dahlias with dark-stemmed split and pot up into fresh compost tender shrub, treated as an
Ricinus communis and Angelica sylvestris once growth begins in spring.✿ annual. Highly toxic. H&S: 1.5m.
42 Garden Answers
Autumn Mahonia
media
WILDLIFE ‘Charity’
glows in this
beautiful
woodland
garden, with
a rustic
wooden
archway
inviting you
to explore
Woody
MARVELLOUS IDEAS
Adrian Thomas looks at how to create a woodland
area in your garden to benefit both you and wildlife
I
n the home, many of us are skilled at fitting supremacy, with the ancient trees winning
as much as we can into a small space, and the lion’s share of the light. But it’s more fitting
what we don’t do is limit ourselves to storing to view it as a community living harmoniously
everything on the floor – how illogical would together, each species occupying its own
that be? No, we put up shelves and install niche, and many actually aiding those around
sets of drawers and mount kitchen units: we them with their presence.
think vertically. So, the trees may look dominant but
It’s a great lesson to take into they are actually feeding the
the garden, and I don’t mean woodland floor beneath with
in how to organise your their leaves when they fall
shed and greenhouse each autumn, and we now
(although, of course, it’s know so much more (but
very useful there, too!). still have plenty to learn)
I mean as inspiration for about the great
filling your space with interconnected web of
plants and benefitting fungi threads that engage
wildlife in the process. the trees and woodland
It’s all about taking Squirrel scampering plants in a network of
advantage of the fact that up a beech tree underground chemical
plants are excellent at creating communication and collaboration.
their own stacking system, layer This storeyed effect is a multi-layer
after layer from the ground right up to the cake that you can cook up in your own garden.
canopy. The sky is almost the limit! I don’t mean all over it – not many of us want
You can see it to natural effect in our best to turn our entire garden into dense forest.
woodlands. Mature trees tower into the sky, But having an area that is tiered in its planting
branching out in full grandeur, hogging the will add height and structure and diversity.
limelight, but they create vast spaces beneath The benefits of woodland areas in gardens
them. This is where shrubs and saplings can extend to the environment as a whole. In
grow, while beneath them is a rich ground layer particular, the shade cast by trees is
of bulbs, flowering plants and ferns. wonderfully cooling. Recent research found
Acer palmatum and cornus work well On the one hand, you could see all these that tree cover in cities can reduce the land
together in a woodland scheme plants as if engaged in a desperate battle for temperature by between as much as 12
44 Garden Answers
A woodland garden is
excellent at intercepting
the worst extremes of
other weather effects
Here, a dry stone wall

provides a backdrop
to woodland planting
with ferns,
polygonatum and
Corylus maxima
‘Purpurea’
WILDLIFE
Wildlife of the garden woods

All manner of wildlife will make use of a woodland
area, but here are some to look for:
● Tree layer: Blue tit, great tit, squirrels, chaffinch,
great spotted woodpecker.
● Shrub layer: Blackbird, dunnock, long-tailed tit,
bullfinch, holly blue butterfly, bush-crickets.
● Ground layer: Robin, wren, ground beetles, fungi,
millipedes, wood mouse, hedgehog, woodlice.
Hedgehog
Great spotted
woodpecker
Holly blue butterfly
Squirrels will love

your woodland
hideaway
Wood
mouse
Why are
woodland gardens
good for wildlife?
There are three main reasons why
having a woodland area, even a small one,
degrees centigrade. I’m sure that in the little piece of woodland magic, and in will help boost nature
ridiculous 40-degree Celsius summer doing so help your local environment ● It maximises the volume of plant material – leaves,
temperatures of 2022, many of you found and welcome in more wildlife. flowers, fruit – which means a super-abundance of food
that sunny parts of the garden were no-go, but for all sorts of creatures.
sitting in the shade was a blessed release. Natural inspiration ● It provides a complex structure, a maze of opportunities
A woodland garden is also excellent at For all the encouragement you need to for wildlife to perch, nest and evade predators, and a
intercepting the worst extremes of other make a woodland area, visit one of our spaghetti junction of highways they can pass along.
weather effects, whether it be taking the ancient woodland nature reserves. ● It creates an environment full of diverse conditions.
brunt of torrential rain or ameliorating hard They have something going for them in The tops of trees are wind-blasted, sun-baked,
frosts. If you have a pond in a shady position, all seasons; the mass of forest floor rain-lashed places, while the area underneath is
even under the bare winter branches of flowers in spring, the lush green cathedrals dark, moist and still. That variety
deciduous trees, the surface is much less of summer, the flash of autumn leaf colour, or provides different homes for
prone to freezing than one in the open. the stark winter beauty. different creatures.
The shady earth is similarly protected, Some 13% of the UK landscape is covered
giving blackbirds and other thrushes the in woodland, However, only 2.5% is ancient
chance to rootle about for food in harsh woodland, which are areas thought to have
weather when they’re frozen out elsewhere, been in place since at least 1600AD. Sadly, in and wood-sage. However, a native pinewood
and they get equivalent benefits in summer many places and even in nature reserves, the like those in the Highlands of Scotland have a
when sunny areas are baked hard. ground and shrub storeys are being munched ground cover of plants such as bilberry,
Autumn is the ideal time to get a woodland into oblivion by deer, either non-natives such heather and mosses. Woodland on the chalk
area prepared and planted, and it can be as the muntjac or by native deer populations. and limestone may have ash as the dominant
surprisingly swift to create. After that, there is Try visiting different woodland types to tree, while beechwoods, also often on the
little maintenance to be done, and trees and see the contrasts. An ancient oak woodland is chalk, have such a dense canopy that only a
shrubs grow far quicker than most people likely to have an understorey of hazel and very few specialised plants will grow beneath
think. So, seize the moment and create your holly, bluebells and wood anemones, foxgloves such as rare orchids.
46 Garden Answers
Making a small woodland garden
Start by planning where around in front of the tree, of year to buy bare-rooted ● As the trees and shrubs
your woodland area will go, and the ground plants can trees and shrubs which are grow, most can have their
somewhere where it’s not be woven underneath them cheap and easy to handle, ‘skirts’ lifted, removing the
going to cast shade all over all, sun-lovers to the front. and it’s also prime time to lower branches to give you
your favourite vegetable ● Prepare the soil well, plant bulbs. maximum planting
bed or your favourite digging it and removing ● Choose trees and shrubs opportunities underneath.
sunbathing spot. It can be a all weeds. that will complement each In autumn, when you rake
useful way of screening off ● Choose tree and shrub other, with contrasting leaf leaves off lawns and drives,
ugly buildings. types that will ultimately be shapes and colours, and add them to your woodland
● A simple layout is a single the right scale for your those with colourful flowers garden as extra mulch.
large tree towards the garden. You don’t want or berries. ● Your woodland garden is
centre back, but give it something that will grow so ● Once everything is perfect for a hedgehog
breathing room if against a big it will dominate the planted and watered in, house – they’ll enjoy the
wall or hedge. Then aim for whole garden or those of mulch the ground with a dark, cool but relatively
maybe three shrubs arcing neighbours. Now is the time layer of bark chippings. frost-free environment.
TREES
Ideally choose something that will have a strong main trunk (a ‘standard’) to
carry the foliage above all the vegetation below.
Silver birch
(Betula pendula)
Can grow tall but is
quite slender and airy
(H: to 20m, S: 5m).
Try Himalayan birch
B. utilis jacquemontii
for smaller gardens,
with its immaculate
white bark.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Common rowan

Usually seen as tightly clipped (Sorbus aucuparia)
hedges, but left to grow White blossom and
naturally, it can become clusters of red berries
a glorious small tree, loved by blackbirds.
the white May Try smaller species
blossom a joy. such as Sorbus
H: to 12m, S: to 6m. vilmorinii if tight on
space. H: to 15m,
S: 5-7m.
Crab apple (malus)

Wonderful blossom and plentiful small red
or yellow fruit for the birds in autumn.
H: rarely over 8m, S: to 6m.
Wild cherry (Prunus avium)

Not for small gardens.
Masses of white blossom
that buzz with bees, and
then small red cherries in
late summer. H: to 20m,
S: to 8m.
SUPER SHRUBS
Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

Easy to keep to about 1.5-2m with late
winter coppicing. Small white flowers,
black berries, and red stems in winter.
Mahonia
Shade tolerant,
with holly-like
leaves and an
upright candelabra
of yellow flowers in
winter. H: 2m,
Spindle
S: 1.5m.
‘Red Cascade’
A low-growing
Winter honeysuckle
version of our native
(Lonicera purpusii)
spindle, Euonymus
A little raggedy
europaeus, with
in shape but
bright red leaves
compensated by
in autumn and
the winter flowers
pink berries.
for early bees.
H: 3m, S: 2.5m.
H: 2m, S: 1.5m.
Fatsia
If you want a tropical
look to your woodland,
try this with its glossy Holly
palmate leaves and Keep trimmed to the height
Daphne Most varieties will cope with shade and the balls of small white you want. Remember to
native spurge-laurel D. laureola and D. mezereum flowers on stiff spoked buy female plants if you
especially so. H: 1.5m, S: 1m. stems. H: 2m, S: 1.5m. want the red berries.
48 Garden Answers
WILDLIFE
GROUND LAYER PLANTS WILDLIFE GARDEN

JOBS FOR OCTOBER
Wood anemone
(Anemone nemorosa)
A native woodland
plant, often on
clay soils, with
delicate leaves
and radiant
simple white
flowers in spring.
H: 15cm, S: 20cm.
FEED YOUR HEDGEHOGS to

1 get them into condition for
hibernation, putting out
water and special hedgehog food or
Bugle (Ajuga reptans) Lungwort (pulmonaria) tinned cat or dog food.
In late spring, spikes of Attractive, white- COLLECT TREE
purple flowers pop up
from beds of often
spotted leaves and
rich blue, pink or
2 SEEDS to start
your woodland
purple leaves. white flowers in early from scratch. Look for
Creeping stems can spring, much visited hazelnuts, acorns, or
spread out indefinitely. by bees. H: 20cm, collect tree berries
H: 15cm. S: 30cm. and squash the
seeds out of
them. Sow in
pots and leave out
all winter.
CLEAR OUT NESTBOXES
3 – this is definitely your best
opportunity, avoiding the
all-important breeding season and it
means you can give birds clean roost
sites for winter.
Geranium macrorrhizum
Look out for...
From the woods of south-east ● TIPSY insects enjoying fallen fruit as
Spotted dead-nettle it ferments, such as red admiral
Europe, with soft palmate (Lamium maculatum)
leaves and dotted with simple butterflies and wasps.
A woodland plant from mainland
pink or white flowers. ● THOUSANDS of ivy bees massing at
Europe, with whorls of red or white
H: 15cm, S: 30cm. ivy blossom, smaller than a honeybee
hooded flowers and often attractively
and with distinct yellow and black
variegated leaves. H: 15cm, S: 30cm.
stripes on their bodies.
● LISTEN for the quavering, haunting
PLANTS TO AVOID hoots of tawny owls as they resume
territorial duties.
The following plants are all invasive,
are causing problems out in the
countryside, and are to be avoided:
PHOTOS: ALAMY, GAP PHOTOS, SHUTTERSTOCK
●Variegated ●Wood spurge

yellow archangel (Euphorbia ● Spanish bluebell
Lamium amygdaloides (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
galeobdolon. robbiae).
BEAUTIFUL GARDENS
WARMING WELCOME Hot

colours blend beautifully, from
the tall warm orange Mexican
sunflower (tithonia, left) to the
wine red spires of persicaria
and swathes of crocosmia
planted through the border
50 Garden Answers
Garden
TOUR
The natural way

This Cheshire garden is based on organic,
wildlife-friendly principles and proves that
such a space can still look lovingly tended
and beautiful
M
ilford House Farm is proof that you ABOVE A framework of evergreens play
IN THE GARDEN WITH… can have a beautiful outdoor space an underrated role in providing
permanence and structure to the
and garden organically. The lawn
Heather Pope MBE wraps around the house as you garden; (clockwise from top right)
and Chris Pope Diagonally laid slabs make a gravel
make your way through the garden. It’s cut a
AT Milford few times a year, around the edges only to pathway more dynamic; vegetables are
House Farm, make paths, and no feeds, mosskillers or planted with flowers and the rich orange
of pumpkins and pot marigolds in an
Cheshire weedkillers are used on it. The centre of the
unusual but attractive plant combo; kept
SIZE Half lawn is left to its own devices and contains
in check, bamboo is a graceful feature
an acre lots of different common wildflowers. There’s
SOIL Neutral also a lot of moss growing unabated. “It keeps
to alkaline heavy clay the lawn nice and soft, and stays greener than they wander, is the white and green island
FEATURES Large veg patch, walled the grass in dry weather,” Heather says. “A bed. Plants include a common jasmine that
garden, organically-grown plants, recent visitor commented how soft it felt, and climbs a large frame, carnations, Stachys
WORDS: GEOFF HODGE. PHOTOS: NEIL HEPWORTH
wildlife-friendly lawn I wasn’t sure whether to tell them that was byzantina (lamb’s ear), white and green
because of the moss!” variegated hostas, Lamium maculatum
One of Heather’s favourite features of the ‘Beacon Silver’ (“although the purple flowers
garden, and a delight for any plant lover as spoil the overall effect!”), lots of ferns, white
foxgloves grown from seed, white-flowered
honesty, white-flowered borage, white
buddleja and pretty Exochorda macrantha
The lawn wraps around ‘The Bride’, with its dainty white spring
blossom. Other beds and borders in the garden
the house as you make your are also coordinated with combinations of hot
way through the garden colours – oranges, reds and yellows – grown
together, as well as combos of pinks, purples
and blues. “I have to be strict with myself, but
52 Garden Answers
GardenTOUR
GardenTOUR
FLOWER POWER (clockwise from top

left) A conifer hedge is the backdrop for a
densely planted border; the border’s wide
curve creates more contrasts in colour
and texture through the planting; purple
aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ spends summer
outside decorating the pond; Michaelmas
daisies bring late colour; Persicaria
amplexicaulis light up the end of summer;
a dovecote makes a striking feature
sometimes, for instance, some plants of the into each other. Any gaps that appear are filled nesting birds, and the garden has a massive
white-flowered borage in the island bed will with annuals, grown from seed, all of which bird population, which Heather feeds daily.
come up blue, and I just haven’t got the heart help to keep the weeds down.” Heather also There are bird boxes and log piles made from
to dig them up!” cleverly fills gaps by growing gladioli, lilies and the trimmings and prunings from the large
Another of Heather’s rules is to ensure as scented-leaved pelargoniums in pots and number of trees in the garden, plus the hedge
little soil as possible is visible. “I do use some dropping them into gaps when they come into clippings. “We don’t have bonfires because
ground cover plants, such as stachys and flower, sometimes pot-and-all. this releases pollutants into the atmosphere.”
hardy geraniums, but I like to fill areas with The hedges that provide a solid backdrop The orchard contains an open mix of
full growth, using large clumps of perennials. I for the bustling borders are cut in August and fruiting, ornamental and native trees,
prefer to see the area covered and plants blend September and in winter, so as not to disturb including willows and silver poplars. Heather
54 Garden Answers
I prefer to see the
area covered and
plants blend into
each other
GardenTOUR
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (clockwise

from above) Sunflowers and dahlias add
height and fresh flowers as summer
enters its final throes; crocosmia add
warmth to a sunny, well-drained spot;
schizostylis such as S. coccinea ‘Major’
are dependable for an injection of late
summer colour
has supplemented the old ‘Bramley’s Seedling’

apples that were there when they moved in
with quince, medlars, mulberries and
‘Williams’ Bon Chrétien’ pears. It also has a
large wildlife pond, created by simply digging
into the natural clay. This is home to lots of
newts and toads. Heather doesn’t use garden
chemicals, pesticides or weedkillers, and feeds
plants with a seaweed fertiliser. “Most of the
plant nutrition comes from the annual
applications of copious mulches and from the
fact that the soil isn’t dug over,” she explains. growing something new every year. This year
One of the main features at Milford House I tried chickpeas for the first time. I’m not
Farm is the 16x10m walled garden where
Heather grows lots of fruit and veg. She grows
overwhelmed by the crop, but they have nice
foliage and I’ll grow more next year.” The
Most of the nutrition comes
tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse vegetables are planted in patches, fitting from the annual application
and a wide range of vegetables, including
salad leaves, early potatoes, onions and
among surrounding plants including the wall
shrubs, perennials and dahlias, wherever
of copious mulches
different squashes and pumpkins. “I tried there’s space. Heather grows the squashes and
GardenTOUR
NON-STOP INTEREST (clockwise from

top left) Mixing up the heights of patio
containers shows off a diverse range of
tender plants; the lawn is allowed to
grow naturally without chemicals and still
provides a foil for the surrounding
planting; an obelisk clothed in annual
ipomoea adds vertical interest to the
border; Tithonia rotundifolia attract
insects; a seating area placed as the
paths winds is an effective focal point
pumpkins around the edges of the beds,

allowing them to spill onto the paths. “I who is a great gardener, and insisted
encourage them onto the gravel as this keeps everything had to be done properly.
them clean, gives them plenty of light and “When I was younger, we visited gardens
helps them ripen.” when on holiday. I saw lots of walled gardens
While Heather is the main gardener, doing and always wanted one. Maybe I had
all the usual tasks of growing, planting, delusions of grandeur!” says Heather. Her
planning and deadheading, her husband Chris father was a builder and his contact built the
helps with jobs that need two pairs of hands walls, although the swags and pillars were left
and cuts the grass. For Heather, the garden is to her father to complete. “Due to the costs
involved, we created it over a three-year
her main hobby. “Although it’s been called an period. The low walls around the beds make
‘obsession’, and it gives me endless work, them easier to work on. The paths are made
It gives me endless work, worry and extreme pleasure and happiness in
equal measures. I can pop outside for 10
from paving slabs laid in a diamond design
for aesthetics and gravel to reduce the cost
worry and extreme minutes to do something and then come back of paving the whole area. When you walk
pleasure and happiness indoors two hours later!” She started
gardening from the age of four or five and
in there on a sunny day, you’d think there
was a lid on it as it’s significantly warmer
received rigorous training from her father, than the rest of the garden.” ✿
BEAUTIFUL GARDENS
“It’s such a
sanctuary from the
outside world”
Gardener Heather Frances has
created a unique garden on a
steep slope, filled with a tapestry
of lush planting
60 Garden Answers
Garden
TOUR
SMOOTH LINES
The edge of the
slope is softened
by cheerful pot of
summer annuals,
which blend the main
part of the garden
into the patio
GardenTOUR
A
s many gardeners will testify, ABOVE (clockwise from top left) The
working with a slope of any nature
IN THE GARDEN WITH… can be a tricky proposition. And a
gravelled area presents the perfect
chance to sit among flowers; a Japanese
Heather Frances garden such as that belonging to maple adds height towards the bottom
AT: Bridgnorth, Shropshire Heather Frances would fill many with of the slope; raised levels allow different
SIZE: Between ¼ and ⅓ of an acre absolute dread. At somewhere between a vantage points; pink dianthus, lime-green
SOIL TYPE: Sandy and dry quarter and a third of an acre, it’s completely alchemilla and mustard yellow Californian
SPECIAL FEATURES: Slope sloping from front to back, yet for Heather it poppies line a path edge; ivy is allowed
packed with a tapestry of planting, has posed no problems. Evergreens and to scramble to create a natural feel
summerhouse with beautiful views grasses punctuate the slope, giving a
of the surrounding countryside, patio year-round presence around which Heather And while that’s very true, it’s in summer
with summer flowers in pots and can plant up lots of colour. that this garden comes into its own, with
nearby flowerbeds “I think evergreens are important in any dense planting that takes the breath away. A
OPEN: By appointment through the garden,” she says. “I love the cottage garden host of flowers, including sweet peas, violas,
National Garden Scheme in 2024. with masses of planting and lots of colour, but crocosmia, alstroemeria, salvias, campion and
WORDS: SIMON CANEY. PHOTOS: NEIL HEPWORTH
Visit ngs.org.uk for more details. those evergreens make a big difference later in erigeron, bloom away happily on the plot that
the year when nothing else is happening. Heather gardens completely organically.
They give the garden a real structure.” At the base of the slope behind the house,
a plethora of pots adorn the patio with an
explosion of colour from petunias,
osteospermums, cosmos, fuchsias and
I love the cottage garden pelargoniums.
“Someone said the way everything tilts
with masses of planting towards the house and the patio gives it a
and lots of colour tapestry effect, which I suppose is what I
wanted to create,” says Heather. The artfully
placed collection of summer-flowering plants
62 Garden Answers
GardenTOUR
POTS APLENTY
(clockwise from
top left) The
retaining wall at the
bottom of the
slope is a handy
home for placing
potted
pelargoniums for
an extra pop of
colour; the
summerhouse at
the top is the
perfect hideaway;
Heather has
cleverly arranged
her pots to make a
tiered ‘border’ at
the edge of the
patio
in containers provides a seamless transition plants, from gentle splayed fern fronds to lax Heather’s planting has an easy naturalism;
between the foot of the slope and the flowering stems of alchemilla, are shown off swathes of stipa shimmer in the breeze, while
beginning of the patio, softening the edges of beautifully because of the elevation of their ivy and honeysuckle effortlessly adorn the
the hard landscaping and creating a homes. A glimpse of the summerhouse at the boundaries and hide any sign of the garden
wonderful flow of varied planting. top of the slope makes a great, subtle focal beginning and ending.
As you journey up the steps of the slope, point as you head up to the top. Heather has a very pragmatic approach to
planting combinations can be admired at There is something about a sloping site that planting in the garden. “Put the right plant in
close quarters and the different forms of makes a garden seem very natural and the right place. You will quickly see which
64 Garden Answers
As you journey up the steps
of the slope, planting
combinations can be
admired at close quarters
GardenTOUR
PACKED WITH PLANTING (clockwise

from top left) Contrasting stipas (short
S. tenuissima and tall S. gigantea) add
a shimmer in the second half of summer;
grey-leaved santolina, rosemary and
conifers are handy evergreens that
knit the planting together; a simple
wooden picket fence is an effective way
to frame a pathway
plants are happy on a slope and which are not,

so if something isn’t doing well, take it out and
try it somewhere else. You can’t have plants
that don’t earn their keep!”
Previous owners had put in two basic
terraced areas a third of the way up the slope
but the rest of the garden was something of a
wilderness apart from a patio near the house.
However, they had done one other crucial
thing and laid a winding gravel path with
steps made from sleepers; while other houses
nearby have straight paths from top to bottom
that leave little to the imagination, Heather’s
garden feels like it has surprises waiting think I must be mad to enjoy gardening here just disappear,” she says. “We now have three
around every corner. but I don’t really think about it. I just thought it flat areas which I suppose you might call
“Our previous house had a much smaller had real potential to be a lovely garden.” garden rooms. Gardening on a slope with no
garden but it was on a slope too,” says Heather. Heather has added more terracing and flat areas at all is really difficult!”
“It was what I was used to. And when we installed barriers to retain the soil where it A further flat area was created at the top of
moved here 12 years ago we loved the house should be. “It’s very sandy and well-drained the garden for the summerhouse, which
because of the views it gave us. Some people so it can get dry. Without the barriers it would commands the very best views across the
GardenTOUR
SPACE FOR EVERYTHING (clockwise

from top) The beauty of the slope is that
shorter plants can be grown alongside
tall ones without the view of them being
obstructed; a hardy fuchsia drips with
strawberry red flowers on the patio; the
solid backdrop of dense ivy is the perfect
framing for a secluded seating point; hot
red crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ blooms add sharp
colour in the second half of summer
Severn Valley. But it’s the planting that really

captures the imagination. Heather admits she
didn’t approach it with a grand overall vision
but has tackled it piecemeal bit by bit, and the
result is a garden full of interest that is unlike
almost any other.
“I often read about gardeners talking about
the plans they had when they started their
garden but I didn’t have one at all!” she says.
“But along the way I’ve found out which plants
like to be where. It’s all about ‘right plant,
right place’ for me. I like to make sure the
soil is healthy. I make a lot of compost and
leaf mould.”
It’s hard work on such testing terrain but
Heather doesn’t view it as such. “It’s a real
labour of love,” she says. “I just love being
Along the way I’ve found
outside in the garden. It’s such a sanctuary out which plants like
away from the madness of the outside world
and I’d go as far as saying the garden is like one
to be where
of my best friends.” ✿
GardenTOUR
GARDEN TO VISIT
Great Comp in Kent
A HEADY MIX
OF AUTUMN
Explore this seasonal paradise of
mesmerising colour and foliage with
delights around every corner
N
estling in the depths of Roderick’s love of Italy and
Kent is Great Comp, home inspiration from gardens such as
of William Dyson’s Bodnant and Sissinghurst can be
collection of salvias, which this seen in Great Comp’s sweeping
month are blooming their socks borders and the ruins and follies
off and adding bursts of colour all he built.
through the garden. But this is From The Square directly in
not all that Great Comp has to front of the house is an enticing
offer in October. Its assortment of walk through The Sweep. Much
magnificent trees and mature like a theatre with its layers of
shrubs are a delight to walk scenery, it beckons you to
among thanks to their stature meander slowly towards the
and heady mix of autumnal tints fields and woodland beyond,
and rich foliage colours. admiring the different ‘sets’ of Miscanthus sinensis
Since it was built in the 1700s, plants that reveal themselves on ‘Krater’ and shrubby
Great Comp has been home to either side. To the left, you are salvias line a pathway
many families, including, in the leading to an autumn
early 1900s, Frances Maxwell, border of dahlias, salvias
a suffragette and campaigner for and asters; above right,
women’s sport. The seven acres
of gardens we enjoy today were
It beckons you to a brick moongate
covered in ivy frames a
created by Roderick and Joy meander slowly view of the main lawn
Cameron, who became owners in
1957. Now in the care of the Great
towards the fields
Comp Charitable Trust, the and woodland
garden continues to flourish
under William’s watchful eye.
dwarfed by towering grasses,
gently waving stems of purple
Fact file Verbena bonariensis and a
mature oak showing a promise of
Great Comp the autumn colour yet to come.
Garden Opposite, papery hydrangea
Comp Lane, Platt, flowers sparkle in the morning
Nr Sevenoaks, mists and foliage of the smoke
Kent, TN15 8QS; bush is slowly changing to deep
WORDS: ANISA GRESS. PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS, VIKKI RIMMER
Greatcomp rose pink, adding to its already

appealing fluffy seedheads. The Hot Border is still
garden.co.uk;
Beyond is the darker form of ablaze in October
01732 885094.
Open daily until smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria
October 31, 10am-5pm; ‘Royal Purple,’ with opulent
November, Thursday- claret leaves. large pots on the terrace dominated by pale lavender
Sunday 11am-3pm. At the end of The Sweep a brimming with salvias and asters. Naturally salvias feature
decision has to be made. Either benches perfect for taking a bit here too, and looking particularly
turn left to walk through of time out. The Hot Border is good are the Mexican forms,
woodland and paths which peel ablaze with yellow and orange adapted to perform during the
off into other parts of the garden, dahlias held above burgundy shorter daylight hours of autumn.
or right, to the Italian Garden and foliage, bright achillea and ● A bulb fair on October 15 will
eventually back to The Square. bursts of argyranthemum have everything from snowdrops
One edge of The Square is ‘Meteor Red’. Opposite, and in to tulips to bring your garden
occupied by the house itself, with contrast, is the Cool Border alive next spring. ✿
70 Garden Answers
Garden
TOUR
Garden highlights
● The Italian garden with

fountain, viaduct and
medieval frieze offers a
change of pace and is the
perfect place to spend a
few quiet moments.
● To celebrate the 50th

anniversary of the garden
being open to the public,
the Golden Border, which
curves by the Crescent
Lawn, is jam-packed with
rudbeckia, helianthus,
solidago and the very
much admired dahlia
‘Mystic Illusion’.
● Dotted throughout the

garden, Roderick’s follies,
from columns to ruins,
provide backdrops and
lots of different individual
points of interest.
● Autumn light brings out

a certain magic in the
Salvia Border’s
ornamental grasses,
where the bright red
salvia ‘Royal Bumble’
Mature shrubs and trees are a treat along The Sweep, glowing in their autumnal glory flourishes.
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GROW YOUR OWN
Life on the
VEG PATCH October is a surprisingly busy month and Jenny
Thompson is juggling harvesting and sowing
while enjoying the autumnal atmosphere
Fact file
Name: Jenny
Thompson
Location:
South Devon
Patch type: Small
village allotment
surrounded by rolling
Devon hills
Size: 10x10m
Soil: Red Devon clay mulched with
spent mushroom compost
Aspect: Open and sunny, but with a
north-facing hedge on one border
casting some shade
Top 5 crops: Salad leaves, kale,
sweetcorn, blueberries, parsnips
Failures: Strangely, radish – flea
beetles ravish them!
Organic tip: Don’t rip out the whole
plant when clearing beds of annuals.
Leave roots to rot down, feeding the soil
Find out more: Instagram @organic_
allotment_girl, Facebook @organic.
allotment.girl
74 Garden Answers
GROW & EAT
October is here and the colour

palette of my allotment is clinging to the
vibrant, bright greens of summer, but make no
mistake, the dark, warm orange hues of
autumn are coming.
The end of the month sees the clocks
turning back an hour, putting an abrupt end
to after work stints on the plot. But as the sun
takes a step back the light becomes beautiful,
casting magical long shadows across the
surprisingly full vegetable beds.
There is actually a lot to
harvest in October. I still
have some tomatoes
waiting to be picked,
the last of my squash
to bring in, plus the
maincrop potatoes to
lift. There are masses Produce is bountiful but there’s always time to sit and enjoy the new season
of kale plants and I
might even lift a daunting thing to eat once you have I can grow. I will never be without Tuscan kale
parsnip or two. I think harvested it, kale allows me to strip for its rich deep green texture, but I also love
autumn brings some of the leaves as I need them. I pull down firmly ‘Dazzling Blue’, ‘Redbor’, ‘Red Russian’, and
best vegetables, all perfect to on the bottom leaves, discarding any that ‘KX-1’. They are vibrantly varied and with so
make their appearance in a hearty bowl of look a bit ropey and this stripping of leaves many different textures and flavours I don’t
piping hot stew. from the bottom encourages the plant to keep think I will ever get bored of growing and
Kale is one of my most favourite things to growing. Sometimes they get so tall they look eating kale.
eat from the allotment. I adore it because like palm trees! The other reason I love kale is While I could get lost in the harvesting and
compared to a cabbage that can be quite a the variety of different colours and textures cooking, I need to remember there are still a ➤
About us... October is a

month to savour
with bags full of
produce to
gather as
daylight wanes
little and often

Kale is picked
Pum
p kins
w ith st
e ms
Leeks, swedes, runner beans and beetroot intac
t
GROW & EAT
HARVESTING AND
SOWING (clockwise
from left) there’s
still lots of lovely
produce to harvest
as we move through
autumn, including
tasty toms; onion
sets are being
planted now; broad
beans are super
hardy and, sown
now, will handle
what winter has to
throw at them
lot of jobs to keep on top of as October is a time and then give them a covering of mesh to
surprisingly busy month! see if that helps them make it through to
I find now is an ideal time to plant garlic 2024. Wish me luck!
cloves. Garlic needs a long growing season Aside from the harvests, the other gift that
with a good cold spell to autumn brings is fallen
encourage the bulbs to leaves. They are such an
develop. Garlic is super excellent tonic for the
easy and I love being vegetable patch and I don’t
rewarded in May/June
Spent mushroom waste a single one! I rake
with big fat garlic bulbs for compost often provides them up and stuff them
so little effort. Onions are into a black bin bag, add
easy too, especially if you the best value for money some water, poke a few
plant sets. An onion set is holes and leave it out of
basically an immature sight somewhere. In two
onion that someone else has started growing years, I will have an excellent compost ready
from seed, then harvested and kept dormant for me. If I’m feeling impatient, fallen leaves
ready for you to pop in the ground and get it still make a great mulch and I will just layer
going again. My favourite autumn planting them directly onto my empty beds and let
onion is ‘Senshyu Yellow’ a Japanese variety, them decompose on the surface over the
which is really low maintenance and always winter. The worms just love them.
does well for me. By now my climbing beans have come to an
Another vegetable that I will direct sow end and it’s time to clear them away and put
now is broad beans. They are incredibly hardy the canes into the shed for another year. This
and will survive even the harshest of winters. leaves plenty of bare soil that needs mulching
Autumn-sown broad beans will crop earlier and, as well as fallen leaves, I will also spread load it into so logistically it’s not a great
and suffer fewer pest problems than their the contents of my compost bins. If that still solution for me. However, whatever you can
spring-sown counterparts. ‘Aquadulce doesn’t feel like enough, I will put my hand in get your hands on, the value of mulching the
Claudia’ is the best variety for over-wintering. my pocket and buy a bulk delivery of compost. soil with a thick layer of compost pays such
I always sow peas in October as well. There Spent mushroom compost often provides the great dividends for the following year. I have
is a hardy dwarf variety called ‘Meteor’ that’s best value for money, but I always check that been doing this every autumn for more than
meant to be great for overwintering and the original compost was peat free as sadly a six years and my soil is rich, aerated and, most
providing a nice early crop the following year. lot of mushrooms are still grown in peat. importantly, full of soil creatures and worms.
Like I say, I always sow them, but they always If you are lucky, there might be the option of No-dig really does work.
fail! I am not one to be beaten though and I feel collecting municipal waste compost for free My baskets are full, my beds are slowly
that this year is my year! I am going to get from your local council. I do have this available clearing and the sun is fading fast, but I will be
them started in modules in the cold frame this locally, but I have a small car and no trailer to grabbing every last second of it. ✿
76 Garden Answers
Easy
VEG
PROJECT
Growing salad
IN A BASKET
Fresh, succulent homegrown salad is a
treat in winter and growing it in a wicker
basket will make it a beautiful feature too
78 Garden Answers
GROW & EAT
WHAT TO
SOW IN YOUR
WILLOW
BASKET...
Mizuna
Salads suitable
for sowing now for a
winter harvest
include corn salad,
mizuna, rocket,
pak choi or, for
a real ‘taste of
1 What you need
Use a sturdy willow
2 Make a liner
Line the basket with
3 Fill it up
Fill the basket almost to
summer’ treat in the
winter months, try
basket to grow your salad in. black polythene or an old the top with a good quality sowing some
The handle will make it easy to compost bag. Make sure that multipurpose compost. Firm it pea seeds to
move the plants around without you pierce holes in the bag down gently, so the surface is harvest as
disturbing their roots. for drainage. 2cm below the basket’s top. young
succulent
Corn
shoots. salad
Make sure to
keep the sowings in
as well-lit a spot as
possible because
the seedlings will
stretch towards a
light source in winter.
Simply turning the
basket around every
couple of days will
help you to
encourage stocky,
upright seedlings to
develop.
Pea
4 Sow the seed
Sprinkle the seed evenly
5 Cover your sowings
Put a thin layer of sieved
6 Label your crop
Add a label to the
shoots
over the compost surface and compost over the seeds you’ve compost edge, away from
disperse any piles of seed, so sown, covering them with where you have sown. Make
that you get an even coverage a layer equal to the depth of sure to write the label with a
of leaves later. the seed. waterproof pen.
7 Water in
8 Leave them to grow
Gently water the seed
using a watering can with a
After sowing, grow them
in a sheltered spot for a couple
9 Enjoy your salad
Growth will be slow and steady, but gently water
rose-head sprinkler attachment. of weeks if weather is mild. If each time the compost is dry and you’ll have welcome
Keep moving the can as you below 10C, move to a cold fresh pickings through winter. These can be snipped off
water, so that no puddles form. frame or cool greenhouse. with sharp scissors for a cut-and-come-again harvest.
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Ask the Your
questions
answered
Our experts will help you get the best from your garden
PRUNING CLIMBERS
Inside
82 Shrubs
83 Bulbs Solution of
83 Yuccas & palms
85 Border plants the month
87 Fruit & veg
89 Pests & diseases
90 Design solutions
Our experts
GEOFF STEBBINGS
gives expert answers
to all your gardening
problems. Geoff is an
author and gardening writer, and
was head gardener at Myddelton
House, north London.
GEOFF HODGE will be

answering subscriber
questions in our new Live
Zoom Q&A events.
Geoff is a horticultural author, radio
broadcaster and speaker, and
Q
former online editor for the RHS.
IAN HODGSON casts an How do we prune mixed

expert eye over unruly
borders, providing advice
evergreen climbers?
on how to revamp them. JACQUIE SIMPSON, WORTHING, AND BRYAN LEYMAN, KELSEY, LINCS
Ian is author of Great Gardens, in
association with the Society of
Garden Designers.
A It can be tricky to prune climbers when several are grown together because
one will always be more vigorous than the others and is likely to overwhelm
them. To keep them all in check takes care and skill. It is easier if at least some of
CONTACT US Send us the climbers can be spring-pruned, cutting them back hard to prevent a tangle.
By post: Garden Answers, your Jacquie’s hardy passionflower on her pergola (inset) blooms on new growth, so
Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch queries! can be cut back any time from spring to midsummer and will continue to bloom.
Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA
Email:
She can lightly tidy up the plant in autumn but it’s best to leave hard pruning till
gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk spring so the old growth protects the lower parts from frost in winter. By pruning
Web: www.gardenanswersmagazine. in March she can lightly trim the jasmine at the same time and possibly the
co.uk clematis if it is a late-flowering kind, like Brian’s ‘Jackmanii’ one growing with
Social media: Find us on honeysuckle on his archway. He can prune this hard, down to about 30cm so the
Facebook as Garden Answers
Twitter @GardenAnswers
annual stems, which bloom at their tips, are easy to prune out.
Instagram as gardenanswers Rambling roses, which produce new canes that need training in summer, are
more complicated. It’s usually best to grow a climber with a permanent framework,
such as a wisteria with another climber that can be pruned back hard each year.
Annuals are useful too, such as sweet peas, morning glory and canary creeper.
➤
Q&A
Why won’t camellias flower outside? Do I cut back pelargoniums? Read on
SHRUBS
Beware blackspot Q Will boiler vent

affect which shrub
we can plant?
UNA LEAHY, BY EMAIL
A Any shrub commonly grown

as a wall shrub could be planted
in this spot and shouldn’t be
affected by the boiler vent, nor
pose a structural problem. I
assume there’s a least some shade
here. Add some horizontal Q When might
supports and you could train a pineapple guava
winter jasmine or chaenomeles,
which will cover the area well
produce flowers?
and provide colour in spring or CHRISTOPHER YIANNITSAROS,
winter. Both tolerate some shade. LONDON
Q
A Your pineapple guava (Acca or
What causes new rose Feijoa sellowiana) is very ‘tight’
growth to blacken at the tips? in its pot and is probably drying
out too much between waterings.
MARGARET ALLISON, POLGOOTH, CORNWALL This plant likes full sun, warmth
and good drainage, but would
A Popular because of its sweet perfume, ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ is prone

to disease and your rose is infected with blackspot. The new
growth probably is or has been infested with greenfly, which have
grow better if potted on into a
larger pot. Keep it moist in winter
and repot in spring, using John
naturally been controlled by ladybirds, but the distorted growth Innes No 3 compost. Also try
remains. Don’t worry about the new growth this late in the season, but pruning back some of the long
roses vulnerable to blackspot and rust should be controlled by spraying stems because flowers are
early in the season. Then, if aphids are seen, rub them off by hand. produced on the fresh regrowth.
Q Why do camellias
Weed it or feed it? only open in water?
JAN LEWIS, BY EMAIL
A It’s strange that your camellias

produce buds that open when cut
and brought into the home, but
refuse to open outdoors. Perhaps
the plants are in a very exposed or
cold site so the buds are frosted. It
is also possible, though not likely,
that the plants are dry in spring
– especially if they are in pots or
against a wall or in a raised bed.
However, it really is still a bit of
a mystery!
Q Can you ID this plant that’s

growing in our front garden? Q Do I need to A Keep them frost free over
winter, in a cool greenhouse,
AMANDA JONES, BY EMAIL
cut back 15cm-tall at about 5C or on a sunny
A This is the herb fennel, which you have cut back but it has
red pelargonium windowsill. They should be
probably regrown from the base. and produced its attractive cuttings before quite dry. Wait until spring to
cut them back, repot and start
ferny foliage and yellow flowers loved by pollinators. After overwintering? them into growth again.
flowering it will produce seeds that make many new plants. STEVE GOODRIDGE, BY EMAIL
Cut it back before they go to seed if you wish to prevent this.
82 Garden Answers
PROBLEMS SOLVED
BULBS
YUCCAS & PALMS
Boxing clever
Q Is a pest causing
this distortion?
ANITA PRITCHARD, BY EMAIL
A Yucca elephantipes is not

usually considered a hardy plant
so your garden must be sheltered
and not subject to severe winter
Q
cold for it to have survived for 20
Which spring bulbs suit windowboxes? years. The damage to the new
foliage might be due to climatic
HILARY SHEPPARD, BY EMAIL
conditions such as extreme heat
shrivelling the young foliage so
A The light only comes from one side in a windowbox, so any bulbs are prone to ‘stretch’ to
reach the light and will be taller and floppier than in the garden. So short varieties are
better. Prone to falling over, hyacinths are best avoided unless you like drooping stems or buy
it doesn’t expand properly, or to
persistent wet, causing similar
issues. It should grow out of this
smaller-sized bulbs with less dense flower spikes. Dwarf daffodils and tulips are a good choice.
– it’s not pest related.
‘Tête-à-tête’ is among the best and the double form, ‘Tête Bouclé’, is a good alternative. Both
flower in March, into April. The Greigii tulips, usually with purple-striped foliage, are short and
bloom in April and ‘Red Riding Hood’, with scarlet blooms, is readily available and inexpensive.
Muscari (grape hyacinths) in shades of blue and white are good value too and bloom in April.
They look great supplemented with primroses and polyanthus or pansies and violas (above).
Q Can you name this very

large bulb whose flower
broke off in a storm?
SUE RYAN, BY EMAIL
A Your plant is a crinum – probably Crinum

powellii. This sun-loving bulb originates Q What might have
from streams and lakesides in tropical
regions and is borderline hardy so prefers a
killed this palm?
sheltered spot. It has huge bulbs and takes BARRY PROCKTER, BY EMAIL
time to establish and produce its scented, A I believe it’s a trachycarpus
trumpet-like flowers.
Q Do I lift gladioli or can I (inset), which are hardy so it’s very
unlikely that it was killed by cold. It
leave them in the ground? looks as though it’s planted in the
NEIL HARRISON, BY EMAIL soil so it’s unlikely that it died
through drought either. The one
A It is traditional to lift and dry gladioli
factor that affects
in autumn because, on heavy, wet soils
trachycarpus is
especially, the corms can die over winter.
waterlogged soil so
But recent mild winters have meant that
that seems the most
gladioli frequently survive when left in the
likely cause of its
ground. The problem is that gladioli often
demise. Like most
produce masses of tiny cormlets from which
palms, it won’t
a mass of leaves appear that won’t flower
produce shoots from
because they’re too crowded. Lifting the
the base if sawn off,
corms and separating these cormlets keeps
but I’d wait a year to
large corms vigorous. You can grow the
see if new leaves appear.
cormlets on to maturity if you wish.
➤
PROBLEMS SOLVED
BORDER PLANTS
Treasure hunting
Q Can you get pink
leucanthemums?
FREDERICK KOPELAK, BY EMAIL
A Leucanthemums are usually

white, although there are some
yellow cultivars available, but no
pink kinds. But there are pink
argyranthemums, which are
commonly called marguerites,
but these are tender, shrubby
perennials and not hardy
herbaceous plants. Burncoose
Nurseries (01209 860316) offers
‘Raspberry Ruffles’ from £6
for a 1L pot.
Q Where can I buy
yellow-coloured
Q
trollius plants?
MRS H SCHOLEY, MARYPORT, Why are healthy cosmos
CUMBRIA
showing no signs of blooming?
A You can get a good range of
DOROTHY IRVING, BY EMAIL
these moisture-loving perennials
from farmyardnurseries.co.uk
(01559 363389 for £6.99 for
a 2L plant), crocus.co.uk (01344
A Cosmos are usually sown in March or April but May is not too late.
I am afraid that the lack of flowers is because of the plant and not
down to you. Cosmos bipinnatus is naturally a plant that only flowers
578000 for £5.99 for a 9cm when days are short and nights are long and some poor mixes of seed
potted plant), and thompson- will contain these primitive kinds that do not flower in summer. As
morgan.com (0844 573 1818 such they make huge plants that keep growing and will not flower until
for £14.99 for a 1L plant), for October. For this reason it is always worth buying good quality, named
dispatch in spring 2024. varieties and not cheap anonymous mixtures.
Q Do the stamens
Wildlife wonders on this lily look
rather peculiar?
J DOWSON, BY EMAIL
A There are hundreds of Oriental

lilies, and I can’t name this one,
but it is similar to ‘Stargazer’.
Lilies are highly variable and
include pollenless kinds with no
stamens. Your flowers appear to
be slightly distorted and it is the Q Which plant is
stigma in the centre that looks taking over my lawn
misshapen rather than the
stamens, which look normal. and borders?
ANGELA SPILSBURY, BY EMAIL
A Alchemilla mollis or lady’s

mantle is planted as ground cover
Q Is this butterfly or moth new to UK? for the delicate leaves and lime
MAVE TURNER, BY EMAIL green flowers – it can be invasive.
It has woody rhizomes but seed is
A The Jersey tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) was
more likely to spread, so shear off
traditionally only found in the Channel Isles in the UK. But it
the flowers as soon as they open.
has started to spread and is now found throughout the south
Dig up as many plants as you can,
of England and is becoming common in London. It is a showy
then smother them with black
moth that flies during the day as well as at night and
plastic or weed fabric. If you can’t
the caterpillars feed on nettles.
remove lawn plants by hand, use
a lawn weedkiller. ➤
PROBLEMS SOLVED
FRUIT & VEG LAWN CARE
Sub-standard berries
Q Why are my
blueberries
small and hard,
rather than plump
and juicy? Q What attacks
JEAN BARNISH, BY EMAIL lawns, tearing up
large chunks of turf?
A Blueberry bushes need to be
grown in acid soil so your plant
is probably best suited to a pot but
BERYL PERHAM AND GINA
O’MEARA, BOTH BY EMAIL
it obviously needs more regular A Foxes, birds and badgers will
watering if the fruits are small and all dig up the lawn to get to
hard, though it could be that the fruits leatherjackets or chafer grubs
were not ripe when you picked them. beneath the surface, which feed
on the grass roots. Both can be
controlled with nematodes,
Q Did carpet and applied in August to October or
April and May, when the soil is
plastic covering moist. In addition to reducing the
cause white rot in direct damage to the lawn caused
allotment onions? by the grubs, they should avoid
the digging activities of larger
JANE ARGUILE, BY EMAIL
pests. The nematodes are
A White rot is a serious disease available from suppliers including
and will make it impossible to nematodesdirect.co.uk.
grow onions or related crops
in the soil for several years.
The carpet mulch will not have
caused the problem but it may
have produced constantly moist
conditions that then encouraged
the problem. However, if there
was no white rot in the soil
previously it would not have
caused the issue.
Q Are deer to blame for decimated Q Help! My friend

climbing beans? used weedkiller on
DEREK MONK, BY EMAIL her lawn instead
A Deer might be to blame, but snails are more likely culprits of weed and feed
because they’ve been serious pests this year with the wet
JANE CONSTANTINE, BY EMAIL
weather. If deer are the problem, you can try deterring them
by hanging up CDs or other shiny, glittering and noisy A Provided the weedkiller used
objects, such as empty food cans. was glyphosate based, the soil
won’t be affected. So, although
the grass is dead, new seed can
be sown and now is an ideal time.
Q Flowering stems on two of my blackberry Start by cultivating the soil, to
plants suddenly died, yet new growth is loosen the surface and reduce
now appearing. Was it a fungal attack? compaction, then rake and level it.
Firm well by treading and remove
PETER CHAPPEL, BY EMAIL any stones. Then rake again and
A Although there could be a fungal issue, this is less likely because other sow fresh grass seed. Keep the
plants as well as the new canes on the blackberry are unaffected. It is seed and soil moist until the seed
more likely that some physical damage was done to the base of the old germinates. By next spring
cane. The best action is to cut it out at the base and then tie in the new the lawn will be ready to walk
canes so they can crop next year. on and disaster averted. ➤
PROBLEMS SOLVED
PESTS, DISEASES & DISORDERS
Off the scale

Q Can you ID strange lumps on our plants?
KEN ROWBOTTOM AND NICHOLAS FRAME, BOTH BY EMAIL
A Scale insects affect the

stems of trees and shrubs,
sucking sap and weakening
Q
the plant. You can apply an
insecticide but if the tree is
small and they are easy to
Is there any way to save
access, it is possibly easier just affected fuchsia plants?
to scrub or scrape them off. RON LONG AND SYLVIA OLD, BOTH BY EMAIL
The small size of the plums
on Ken’s tree (right) is possibly
unrelated and could be
because of the dry weather
A Fuchsia gall mite is a microscopic pest that was only discovered in
the UK in 2007, but is spreading rapidly and becoming a serious
problem. The mites don’t kill the plants but cause flowers and foliage to
in June or because they were become seriously distorted. Rapid intervention is essential but there is
not thinned and the tree is no chemical control. You need to cut off all affected shoots and ideally
carrying a heavy crop. all the upper part of the plant, where the mites will be present and
With Nicholas’s mimosa, dispose of these, but don’t add to the compost heap. Regrowth may be
there is a mixture of hard and free from infection but could become reinfected. The mites are thought
fluffy lumps because the to be killed by frost and hardy fuchsias grown outside are usually less
female scales ‘lift’ when affected. If frost does not kill the top growth, cut back in spring to
mature to expose the eggs remove foliage so they sprout from the base. Keeping greenhouse
covered in waxy ‘wool’. plants as cold as possible in winter may help with control.
Q Why are hydrangeas mouldy?

Plant identification GILLIAN LADD, BY EMAIL
A The mouldy appearance of the inner, fertile florets

on this lacecap hydrangea might have been caused
by the wet and cold July. But if it’s in a pot, it could be
the plant dried out at some time earlier in summer.
Luckily, they don’t add much to the display, compared
to the larger, ray florets around the edge, so the amount
of colour on your plant won’t be affected.
ASK THE EXPERTS
Send us your questions!

Need some gardening advice? Fill in this form and post it to
us, or email your query to gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk
Dear Garden Answers,
My gardening problem is
Q Are my neighbours’ lovely

pink flowers nerines?
PHOTOS: ALAMY, SHUTTERSTOCK
JUDITH BROOME, BY EMAIL
A These bright pink flowers are indeed Nerine bowdenii.

The strappy foliage is not usually present when the flowers
are produced but a few leaves might appear. It prefers very My name & address
well-drained soil and a sunny spot. They can be slow to
establish but are well worth the wait to see the bright flowers
in October when there are so few flowers in the garden. Send to: Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House,
Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA
PROBLEMS SOLVED
Design Solutions
Island beds, lawn paths and prairie planting work
together to add interest to this wildlife haven garden
Create lawn
pathways
Having removed the paved
path which sat incongruously in
the garden, the lawn, now
surrounding the island beds, forms
different pathways through the
garden. Choose a different route
each time through wet
weather to protect the lawn
from turning to mud.
Draw
the eye
The repeated planting
scheme in the island beds
leads the eye down the
length of the garden.
Including grasses and
stately seedheads ensures
structure and interest
continues into
winter.
H ow can we add colour and texture

to our woodland garden?
This question comes from the owner of this With master of prairie planting Piet
too. Because the garden has been visited by
muntjac deer in the past, I have kept the
planting, especially around the boundaries, to
predominantly deer-resistant plants, hoping
to deter them from wanting to dine on them. It
should be noted that ‘resistant’ has been used,
newly acquired garden, nestled into the top of Oudolf's field at Hauser & Wirth Somerset art not ‘proof’ and it all comes down to what other
a woodland nature reserve. They are lucky gallery in mind, I have chosen to introduce food is available to the deer.
enough to welcome lots of wildlife, including some island beds to the centre of the lawn, The British Deer Society says: “A good way
foxes and muntjac deer on a regular basis, thereby creating different grass paths down to maintain a healthy, diverse garden able to
however, they would like to add more interest through the garden to the woodland beyond. cope with occasional deer visits is to provide
to the garden but are not sure where to start. Having fallen out of fashion in recent years, natural food alternatives to your prize roses.
DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION: SARA EDWARDS
Inspired by an earlier prairie-style planting island beds take the planting areas away from This can be achieved simply by allowing
feature, they would like to ensure the area is the shady edges of the garden, and into the brambles, rosebay willowherb, rowan
still in keeping with its natural surroundings light. These oval beds are planted with a (mountain ash), dandelion, campion, hoary
while adding more colour and a tad more mixture of prairie-style herbaceous perennials cinquefoil, sweet lupin, redleg, ribwort and
structure. With tall trees flanking the edges and ornamental grasses. yarrow to grow in the garden.”
of the garden, introducing sun-loving plants The boundaries of the lawn have also been Here this would easily be achieved in the
that thrive in full sun or part shade is going curved, creating additional areas for planting lower part of the garden by the gate, which is
to be quite tricky because shadows will be under the trees, allowing for more shade- the point where the deer are most likely to
cast over the garden as the sun moves loving plants to be included and bringing enter. If you are keen to have plants such as
throughout the day. additional colour and texture to these borders, roses in a garden that deer frequent, consider
90 Garden Answers
Work with
wildlife
Wildlife-friendly gardens
have been in fashion for many
years now, but rabbits, deer,
squirrels, slugs and snails are not as
welcome as garden birds, bees and
butterflies, due to the damage they SARA EDWARDS
can inflict. The RHS website has launched her
useful information on resistant garden design
plants and practices to allow practice in 2019
all wildlife to happily at RHS Malvern
co-exist. Spring Festival
Add with her RHS
focal points Gold medal and
If you don’t get visited by Best in Category
the real thing, why not add Green Living
some focal point sculptures like Space Garden
these metal stag and deer ‘Defiance’. She
silhouettes, from which your made her RHS
plants will always be safe. Made Chelsea Flower
from metal that rusts with Show debut in
age, they draw the eye 2021 with the IBC
down into the Pocket Forest.
garden. Find out more
at no30design.
co.uk; Instagram
@no30
designstudio
Find
discreet
solutions
When designing a garden,
however beautiful that garden
is, it must function on a
practical level too, and washing
lines are often an important
part of that function.
Retractable ones offer a
perfect, discreet
solution.
MOODBOARD
BEFORE
planting them close to the house where

human activity is more likely to deter them.
Spring bulbs and shade-tolerant perennials,
such as hellebores, pulmonaria, lamprocapnos, Clockwise from above: island beds of prairie planting
epimediums and tiarellas can be planted in by Piet Oudolf at Hauser & Wirth Somerset; mixing
the borders to bring colour and interest early shade-loving plants beneath the conifers; accommodating
in the year before the vibrant prairie plants visiting deer without them destroying the borders
take over the display and really shine.
Notebook 9
8
10
1 Dryopteris
erythrosora
This semi-evergreen
2 Geranium
pyrenaicum
‘Bill Wallis’
11
fern has copper-tinted Small, rich purple 6

fronds when young that flowers on purple-
slowly mature to dark tinged stems summer
green. Dappled, full and autumn. Full sun,
or part shade. H: 60cm, light shade. H: 30cm,
S: 40cm. S: 50cm.
12
5
13
4
2
14
3 Kniphofia
‘Tawny King’
Fantastic ‘pokers’ with
4 Agastache
‘Blackadder’
Perennial which
15
dark bronze stems and has lovely whorls
tubular, cream flowers of long-lasting,
from apricot buds in smoky violet summer
July with evergreen, flowers and pointed,
strappy leaves. Sun, aromatic leaves, loved 1
light shade. H: 1.2m, by butterflies. Sun.
S: 1m. H: 90cm, S: 40cm.
7 Deschampsia
cespitosa
Forming
evergreen
tussocks of stiff
green leaves
topped by open,
arching, silvery-
purple spikelets
all summer, it
tolerates drought
once established.
5 6
Digitalis lutea Anemanthele Sun, light shade.
Perennial foxglove lessoniana H: 1.5m, S: 1.2m.
that annually produces Wonderful pheasant’s
elegant airy spires of
pretty, creamy-yellow
blooms absolutely loved
tail grass forms a
fountain-like clump of
slender evergreen
8 Achillea ‘Walther Funcke’
Orange-red flattened yarrow flowers
add horizontal interest in the planting
by bees and other foliage with yellow, scheme. Maturing to creamy yellow, they
pollinators, June to orange and red are held high on upright stems, which
August. Part shade. markings. Full sun, light emerge from a loose clump of ferny
H: 90cm, S: 45cm. shade. H&S: 1m. foliage. Full sun. H&S: 60cm.
92 Garden Answers
Design Solutions
9 Sanguisorba
officinalis
‘Red Thunder’
10 Calamagrostis
acutiflora
‘Karl Foerster’
Herbaceous perennial This lovely deciduous
with abundant oval, upright grass, is one
pompon-shaped, of the earliest to
deep burgundy flowers appear in spring and
July to September on has good year-round
tall, branching stems interest. It bears
that bees find feathery plumes in the
extremely attractive. summer and bleached
For best results, stems catching frost
grow in moist, through winter.
well-drained soil. Full Dappled or part
sun to partial shade. shade, full sun. H: 1.8m,
H: 2m, S: 60cm. S: 60cm.
11 Molinia caerulea
arundinacea
‘Transparent’
12 Alchemilla mollis
An herbaceous
perennial forming a
13 Nepeta faassenii
‘Junior Walker’
A compact catmint,
14 Stipa tenuissima
This neat,
compact, perennial
15 Echinacea pallida
Large, pale pink,
daisy-like flowers with
The purple, feathery clump of softly hairy, with flowers smothered grass bears closely unusual, reflexed petals
flowers of this light green leaves with in bees, and aromatic packed, stiff, thread-like and prominent, burnt
deciduous grass scalloped, toothed foliage loved by cats. stems. In summer, orange centres July to
create gentle edges. Small, yellow Use it to line path masses of elegant pale September. It attracts
movement as they flowers above the edges where the scent feathery seed heads bees and butterflies,
catch every breeze. foliage in early summer. is released in early are held above the and birds will flock to
Full sun, part shade. Full sun, full/part shade. summer. Full sun, part foliage. Full sun. the seed heads. Full
H: 2m, S: 80cm. H&S: 50cm. shade. H&S: 40cm. H: 60cm, S: 30cm. sun. H: 1.2m, S: 60cm.
Shopping RHS Serenity Vileda Get

the
look
swing seat Cordomatic
£3,946.20 Retractable
red cedar, Washing Line
2.3x1.2m footprint, £14.99 15m,
sittingspiritually.co.uk vileda.co.uk
PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF WRITING

PHOTOS: ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK
Ancient Stone Salt

Glaze Bird Bath Rustic Steel Garden Hagrid, The Stag
£199.99 Bird Feeder Garden Sculpture
H: 64cm, bowl £45.94 Removable tray £515 166x120cm,
diameter: 53cm, and mounting pole, devenick
gardenesque.com indooroutdoors.co.uk designs.co.uk
BUYERS’
GUIDE Hidden
GARDEN LIFE
Geoff Hodge looks at wildlife cameras so you
can watch what’s going on in your garden at
any time of the day or night
M
any of us are getting more engaged Thomas from the RSPB and GA’s wildlife light that won’t scare animals. When
with attracting and caring for writer says: “You definitely get what you pay triggered, they capture a few still images,
wildlife in the garden. And, for!” And of course, you need the local wildlife moving video images or both, which are
because of our nosey natures, we to play ball and turn up in the first place! saved to a SD memory card – the same kind
want to see what the creatures who visit our found in most digital cameras, but WiFi-
gardens are getting up to when they’re there, Trail and garden cams enabled models also allow you to view the
and wildlife cameras are now very popular. Trail and garden cams can be positioned in action live. For the majority of models, you
It’s not surprising that we want to watch any strategic position in the garden. Most have to buy the card separately. How many
and even video wildlife since much of what trail cams are small ,compact and have a images and how much video you can store on
animals do can be very interesting and often camouflage design body. They’re on stand-by a SD card is determined by its memory
extremely entertaining. Seeing eggs hatching mode until triggered when something passes capacity, measured in gigabytes (GB). Check
and watching the baby birds being raised by in front of the passive infrared (PIR) sensor. the maximum GB the camera can handle;
their frantic parents using a nestbox cam or Of course, that could also be the local feral cat cards with a higher storage capacity won’t
finding out who has been eating your roses community or a burglar! The best cameras work in them.
overnight with a garden or trail cam are all have multiple PIR sensors at different angles Trail cams are usually operated by
possible. We’re all used to seeing secret to capture movement across a wider field of batteries that can last for several weeks,
filming of wildlife on TV documentaries, and view (FOV). They take colour images in because the camera is generally only active
now we can do it ourselves with something daylight and the majority for a few seconds every
closer to our heart – and our homes – thanks switch to black and white time. Some models
to the innovative cameras now on the images when it’s dark, have solar panels to
market, which have also come using infrared recharge the batteries.
down in price. But it’s not Larger garden cams
necessarily a good thing to go as need mains electricity.
cheap as possible. As Adrian
PHOTOS: ALAMY, SHUTTERSTOCK
NOCTURNAL MISCHIEF
A camera catches fox
cubs emerging from
their garden den
94 Garden Answers
GARDEN BUYS
ON THE MARKET BIRD FEEDERS

GREEN FEATHERS
BIRD FEEDER
CAMERA
WITH WIFI
CONNECTION
£225
3 megapixel
camera, watch
live via the app
GARDENATURE BIRD
or record to the
FEEDER VIEWCAM ULTRA
supplied
HIGH RESOLUTION £119.95
micro-SD card.
752x582 pixels, house-side
power supply, wired
connections for TV or
computer.
RF CONCEPTS
BIRD CAM £198
2 megapixel
camera, wireless,
battery powered, GREEN BACKYARD BIRD
watch live or record FEEDER WITH MINI IP CAMERA
to a micro-SD card. £197 3 megapixel camera, watch
live via the app or record to a
micro-SD card.
Other things to check of a nestbox to look down into the main transmit the images by WiFi or via a mini
Field of view (FOV) is the area the camera nesting chamber below, or next to a feeder to aerial and receiver.
covers, usually measured in degrees. A larger impolitely stare at the birds having their Like trail cams, they use infrared LED
FOV captures a wider area, but objects look dinner. Hedgehog house cams are similarly lights to illuminate the interior, so faint they
smaller, whereas a smaller FOV captures less, mounted inside these structures. You can don’t disturb the wildlife, producing colour
but in better definition. either buy a separate camera and install it images by day and black and white images at
Trigger time and shutter speed measure yourself, but it’s easier to buy one with a night. Controllable daytime LEDs ensure
how long it takes the PIR sensor to detect a pre-installed camera. The vast majority of better image quality even in low-light
moving object and for the camera to activate; these are powered by mains electricity, conditions. A built-in microphone allows you
the shorter the trigger time, the better the either using an outdoor plug socket or in to clearly hear everything going on.
camera, and it’ll capture fast moving subjects. those using a house-side power supply. The You can watch live video on your TV or
Recovery time measures how long it takes electric cable is bundled up with either AV on your computer, smartphone or tablet,
the camera to be ready to shoot again. This is (audio visual) cables that go into the back of often using an app. And, brilliantly, motion
especially important if the camera can shoot your TV, and/or with network cables to detection with instant messaging ensures
video and images at the same time; a long connect to your computer. Other models you won’t miss any interesting moments!
recovery time means the camera will take a
few seconds to recover after taking an image
before recording the video, by which time the
subject may have moved on.
Lo-glow and no-glow refers to the infrared
WHAT TO LOOK FOR HOUSING
Make sure that
the body is dust
LEDs that produce the ‘invisible light’ used at POWER GREEN FEATHERS and waterproof;
night. Lo-glow cameras produce a very faint SOURCE GARDEN look for an IP rating
red glow that can spook animals, whereas This will either be WILDLIFE TRAIL of 55 and
no-glow ones use a higher infrared frequency battery or reduced CAMERA HD £149 above.
that is only visible when you look directly at voltage mains 12 megapixel SCREEN
the LEDs. But this does affect picture quality electricity. camera, battery Good trail
and images can appear somewhat blurry. powered, image cams have a mini
and video, record screen inside,
Nestbox and feeder cams to an optional helping you to
Nestbox and bird feeder cams are small WIFI micro-SD card. decide where to
cameras that are either mounted on the lid ENABLED
point it.
If the camera is
WiFi enabled, make
sure your signal CAMERA MICROPHONE
strength is strong ATTACHMENT QUALITY
We want to see what the enough. Make sure the Measured in
An in-built
microphone
creatures that visit our camera can be megapixels; higher will also capture
firmly attached to numbers mean
gardens are getting up to whatever you better image
sound.
mount it on. quality.
GARDEN BUYS
ON THE MARKET
BROWNING DEFENDER
TRAIL AND WIRELESS PRO SCOUT
£103.51 18 megapixel camera,
GARDEN CAMS battery powered, image and
video, watch live via
the app or record
to an optional
micro-SD card.
RSPB WILDLIFE
CAMERA £189
14 megapixel camera,
battery powered,
image and video,
record to an optional
micro-SD card.
CAMPARK TC06 £119.43 BUSHNELL CORE

60 megapixel camera, NO GLOW TRAIL
image and video, colour CAMERA £184.99 NHBS WIFI BULLET
night time, watch live via 24 megapixel WILDLIFE CAMERA
the app or record to an camera, battery £137.99 2 megapixel
optional micro-SD card. powered, camera, image and video,
image and watch live via the app
video, record or record to
to an optional an optional
micro-SD card. micro-SD card.
LTL ACORN 6210WMC

PLUS £146.29
12 megapixel camera,
battery powered,
image and video,
record to an optional
micro-SD card.
GREEN BACKYARD WILDLIFE

TRAIL CAMERA £162.50
2 megapixel camera, battery
powered, image and video, GARDENATURE GARDEN WILDLIFE
watch live or record to an CAMERA KIT £114 2 megapixel camera,
optional micro-SD card. house-side power supply, wired
connections for TV.
VOSKER V200-INTL LTE SOLAR

CELLULAR CAMERA £599.99
Battery and solar
GREEN FEATHERS WIFI
powered, image
WILDLIFE CAMERA From
and video, watch
£129 2 megapixel camera,
live or record to
image and video, watch live
included
or record to an optional
micro-SD card.
micro-SD card.
GREEN BACKYARD MULTI-PURPOSE

OUTDOOR TV CAMERA WITH HDMI BOX
£98.65 1920x1080 pixels, wired HDMI
connection for TV.
SPYPOINT FORCE PRO
£210.99 30 megapixel
camera, battery
powered, image and
video, record to an
optional micro-SD card.
97 Garden Answers
GARDEN BUYS
ON THE MARKET GREEN BACKYARD

WIFI BIRD BOX
BIRDBOXES CAMERA BUNDLE

£169.45 3 megapixel
camera, watch live or
GARDENATURE SOLAR POWERED record on computer,
BATTERY WIFI BIRD BOX CAMERA tablet or smartphone.
SYSTEM £219.99 3 megapixel
camera,
motion
detector
triggers the GREEN FEATHERS WIFI BIRD
camera to BOX CAMERA DELUXE BUNDLE
begin £197.50 2 megapixel camera, watch live via the
recording app or record to an optional micro-SD card.
and can be
watched via
the app.
RSPB WIFI
CAMERA
NESTBOX
SYSTEM
£220
2 megapixel
camera, watch
live via the app
RSPB NEST BOX CAMERA SYSTEM or record to an GARDENATURE WIFI BIRD BOX CAMERA
optional SYSTEM £179.99 4 megapixel camera,
£160 752x582 pixels, house-side
micro-SD card. watch live via the app or record to an
power supply, AV/HDMI wired
connections for TV or computer. optional micro-SD card
HEDGEHOG HOUSES GREEN FEATHERS

HEDGEHOG BOX CAMERA
DELUXE BUNDLE WIFI
GREEN FEATHERS HEDGEHOG BOX CONNECTION
CAMERA DELUXE BUNDLE TV CABLE £222 3 megapixel camera,
CONNECTION watch live via the app or
£122 3 megapixel camera, record to an optional
house-side power supply, micro-SD card.
wired connection
for TV, other
connection
options
available.
NHBS WIRED HEDGEHOG CAMERA KIT

£109.39 512x582 pixels, house-side
power supply, wired connections for
TV or computer (HD camera £198.35
and WiFi camera £214.40 models
also available).
Suppliers ● Browning Trail Cameras, browningtrailcameras.com ● Bushnell and Vosker from Scott County International, 01556
503587, scottcountry.co.uk ● Campark, campark.net/en-gb ● Gardenature, 01255 429931, gardenature.co.uk ● Green Backyard,
green-backyard.com ● Green Feathers, 0117 325 8128, green-feathers.co.uk ● LTL Acorn and Spypoint from UK Wildlife Cameras,
0203 727 5239, ukwildlifecameras.co.uk ● NHBS, 01803 865913, nhbs.com ● RF Concepts, 0203 051 5202, rfconcepts.co.uk
● RSPB, 0345 0347733, shopping.rspb.org.uk
99 Garden Answers
YOUR GARDEN LIFE
WRITE TO US AT Garden Answers, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch

Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA EMAIL gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk
Star
TEL 01733 395076 WEBSITE gardenanswersmagazine.co.uk
IN IT TOGETHER letter
Thank you for your inspiring Wildplay
article (August, p44). Even though we
only have a small back garden in London,
you’ve given my four-year-old daughter
and I lots of fun things to do together that
helpfully don’t require lots of props or
preparation. While exploring our garden
mini-beasts, we discovered this amazing
spider in the middle of eating/subduing
a large fly on the agapanthus. My
Beautiful butterflies daughter initially spotted the fly and
This sweet brimstone perched so when I took a closer look I noticed the
gracefully and appeared like a leaf. spider camouflaged against the white
Its perfect disguise ensured a safe petals. We were fascinated and both of
dining experience. Another amazing us took a photo on my phone. It was
gift of gardening! a lovely thing to share together and
Aldeen, by email shows how exciting the garden can be
whatever your age.
Molly Igra, London
CONGRATULATIONS As author of this month’s star

letter, Molly wins this complete set-up for feeding
garden birds from the RSPB: a classic seed feeder,
nut and nibble feeder and lots of lovely bird food.
● The kit is part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home
initiative. For more information on this and other
RSPB products, go to rspbshop.co.uk. All proceeds
go towards helping birds and wildlife.
Red admirals on buddleja.
Marcus Edmeades, by email;
and Nikki Campana, Surrey
Lovely comma Going bananas!

butterfly is such Five years ago,
a delight to see. I transplanted my banana
Margaret tree into the garden. When
Jamieson, it’s cold, I wrap it in fleece,
by email bubble wrap and a rotary dryer
cover to allow it
to survive the North
Derbyshire winter.
Imagine my surprise and
delight when this year not
This small blue only has the plant survived
butterfly seems but has also rewarded me with
to be enjoying my both a flower and bananas. I’ve always
runner beans! The gift that keeps on giving said that there’s no way the tree would
Marilyn Inspired by your moveable feast project (July, produce anything as it is growing
McClelland, p80), a rusty wheelbarrow that my children outdoors this far north but I am pleased
Devon gave me years ago as a present has been given to say that this year it has made me out
new life. Although it’s been replaced with a to be a liar!
newer model I’m delighted I can still enjoy it! Glyn Ashley, by email
Penny Walmsley, by email

YOUR GARDEN LIFE
SUMMER’S BOUNTY
Here’s this month’s round-up of your top garden performers... thanks for sharing!
CONTACT US
Address: Garden Answers, Bauer Media,
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EDITORIAL
Phone 01733 468000
With thanks to Greg Loades
Art Director Gill Lockhart
15-head sunflower. Desiree Extremely fluffy cotinus. Dazzling dahlias. Design Dean Evans & Matthew Hunt
Saunders, Newton Abbot Jill Smith, by email Steve Watkin, by email Production Editor Rachel Burke
Editorial Assistant Natalie Simister
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Marvellous mallows. Perfect poppy. Andrea Passion fruit bounty. Jacqui PRODUCTION
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Ad Production leisurereads@
bauermedia.co.uk
Print Production Controller Colin Robinson
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Publishing. We reserve the right to edit letters, copy
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further consent. The submission of material to H
● Forged aluminium alloy handles Bauer Publishing, whether unsolicited or requested,
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for any use in any other licensed editions. We
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Prize At noon I photographed this dragonfly as co.uk) and endeavours to respond to and resolve
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your concerns quickly. See our Editorial Complaints
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delicate wings look like lace and seem
hardly sufficient to carry its weight, yet it
manages to fly from flower to flower.
Marie Sidaway, by email
102 Garden Answers

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Save
£22
when you
buy the
Doubly good
collection! Enjoy the flamboyant blooms of
these double-flowering, bare-root
peonies in early summer next year
T
here is nothing quite as
impressive in the early
summer garden than the
voluptuous flowers of a
peony, and these specially selected
double-flowering varieties will give
you even more flower power.
Flamboyant, fringed, double, lightly
fragrant flowers that resemble large
pompons bloom above attractive,
dark green, glossy foliage.
Choose from three charming
cultivars: pink ‘Bouquet Perfect’,
scarlet ‘Lancaster Imperial’ or
white ‘Many Happy Returns’.
Buy 1 x bare-root plant for £16
or the double-flowering Peony
Collection of three bare-roots (1 of
each plant) for £26 – saving £22!
‘Bouquet Perfect’
‘Lancaster
Imperial’
‘Many Happy
Returns’
104 Garden Answers

GARDEN BUYS
SWEET WILLIAMS FROM £1/PLANT

DIANTHUS BARBAROSSA MIX
A cottage garden mix of sweet Williams in complementary

shades appear above evergreen foliage, filling your borders
and containers with sweet, spicy fragrance. From June to
September, clusters of pink, white, purple and red flowers
with frayed edges appear on upright stems. Loved by
pollinators, they also make excellent cut flowers. H: 60cm,
S: 40cm. Supplied as bare-roots, delivery from November.
● Buy 10 x bare-root plants for £18
● Buy 20 x for £25 – save £11
● Buy 30 x for £30 – just £1 each
ORDER COUPON Title.................. Initial................. Surname ...................................................

● ORDER BY POST: Send coupon to Garden Answers Reader Offer,
PO BOX 2020, Pershore WR10 9BP ● ORDER BY PHONE: 01386
Address....................................................................................................
426245 and quote ROGA ● ORDER ONLINE: hayloft.co.uk/ROGA
Code Description Qty Price Cost ....................................................................... Postcode..........................
Pink peony ‘Bouquet Perfect’

ROGA-37PB1 £16 Daytime phone number........................................................................
x 1 bare-root plant
Red peony ‘Lancaster Imperial’

ROGA-37PL1 £16 Email address............................................................................................
x 1 bare-root plant
White peony ‘Many Happy

ROGA-37PM1 £16 I enclose a cheque for £ ............…........ made payable to Hayloft
Returns’ x 1 bare-root plant
Double-flowering Peony
ROGA-37PC3 Collection x 3 bare-root plants £26 with my name and address on the back.
(1 of each cultivar) – save £22!
Or charge my Visa/Mastercard/Maestro
ROGA-37DM10 Dianthus Barbarossa Mix x 10 £18
ROGA-37DM20 Dianthus Barbarossa Mix x 20 £25 Card number............................................................................................

ROGA-37DM30 Dianthus Barbarossa Mix x 30 £30
CV2..................………………………..………Expiry date..……………………...
N/A Postage 1 £6.95 £6.95
TOTAL Signature....................................................................................................
TERMS & CONDITIONS Dispatched in November. Offer closes 31 October 2023. Please note your contract for supply of
goods is with Hayloft, Manor Farm, Pensham, Worcs WR103HB. Full T&Cs available on request. All items are subject to availability.
All orders will receive an order acknowledgement. Occasionally the advertised delivery date may change, however, this will be
clearly stated on your order confirmation. Offer available to UK addresses only. Reader offer cannot be used in conjunction
with any other promotions or discounts.
ORIENTAL 4
bare-root
POPPIES
poppies only
£9.99
save £12!
Light up your borders in late spring and early

summer with this less-than-half-price offer!
T
hese flamboyant Oriental
poppies will light up your
borders in late spring and early
summer. They thrive in full sun and
are happy in poor, dry soil. These
clump-forming perennials create
neat rosettes of deeply-cut leaves
covered with coarse hairs, bringing
fabulous texture to borders. Their
large satiny flowers provide a splash
of colour in summer, followed by
attractive rounded seed heads.
H: 90cm, S: 60cm.
This collection comprises: Papaver
orientale ‘Beauty of Livermere’ (red
blooms with black centre markings);
‘Royal Wedding’ (glistening white
petals and a dark centre); ‘Victoria
Louise’ (apricot pink, crepe paper
petals form large flowers with black
markings); ‘Queen Alexandra’ (large
vibrant flowers of a vivid coral pink).
Pre-order for December dispatch.
● Buy 4 x bare-roots for just £9.99
and you save £12. ‘Beauty of
● Buy 8 x bare-roots for £12.99 and Livermere’
you save £30.99!
‘Queen
‘Victoria Louise’ ‘Royal Wedding’ Alexandra’
106 Garden Answers

GARDEN BUYS
TRY THESE MONEY-SAVING OFFERS TOO!

AGAPANTHUS BLUE
WALLFLOWER ‘HARLEQUIN MIX’ LUPIN RED, WHITE & BLUE COLLECTION & WHITE COLLECTION
This patriotic red, white and blue
‘Street Party Mix’ knows just how to
start a party in your borders!
Vibrant red lupin ‘My Castle’, pure
white ‘Noble Maiden’ and bicolour
‘The Governor’ will deliver colour
and structure to early summer
plantings. Reliable and easy to grow,
these hardy perennials return bigger
and better each year. H: 90cm,
S: 75cm. Supplied as bare-roots.
● Buy 6 for £14.99 – save £20.96
● Buy 12 for £19.99 – save £51.91
Scented and compact wallflower This magnificent mix combines blue

‘Harlequin Mixed’ comes in a agapanthus ‘Queen of the Ocean’ and
palette of harmonious but vibrant white ‘Polar Ice’ for a striking two-
hot pinks, sizzling oranges and cool tone display. In summer, these
creams. Flowering non-stop from impressive perennials lend their
spring to early summer, these stature to borders and patio pots,
bare-roots can be planted straight where their architectural seed heads
out into beds and pots to create a continue the display into autumn. The
fantastic tapestry of scented blooms are also magnificent in cut
colour. Grown as a biennial, it will flower displays. Hardy in many parts
cope with even the poorest soils. of the UK, if good drainage and winter
H&S: 30cm. Supplied as bulbs. mulch is provided. H: 1.2m, S: 60cm.
● Buy 10 for £9.99 – save £2. Supplied as bare-roots.
● Buy 20 for £14.99 – save £8.99. ● Buy 6 for £14.99 – save £20.95
● Buy 30 for £19.99 – save £15.98! ● Buy 12 for £19.99 – save £51.89
HOW TO ORDER & SUBSCRIBER SAVINGS

● SHOP ONLINE at thompson-morgan.com/TM_GA103 ● SHOP BY POST Fill in this form and send to Garden
Garden Answers subscribers can go to thompson-morgan.com/ Answers, Oriental Poppy Collection Offer, Dept TM_
TM_GA104 to enjoy 10% off (see subs price below) GA103/GA104, Poplar Lane, Ipswich IP8 3BU.
Please include payment by cheque payable to T&M,
Code Description Qty Price Subs Cost or fill your credit/debit card details where shown.
price
Poppy Oriental Collection (4 x

KA8201 £9.99 £8.99 Title.................. Initial................. Surname .............................................
bare-roots) £21.99 – save £12
Poppy Oriental Collection (8 x

KC2088 £12.99 £11.69 Address.......................................................................................................
bare-roots) £43.98 – save £30.99
Wallflower ‘Harlequin Mix’ (10 x .......................................................................................................................

KF2529 £9.99 £8.99
bare-roots) £11.99 – save £2
Wallflower ‘Harlequin Mix’ (20 x .......................................................................................................................

KF2530 £14.99 £13.49
Postcode.......................... Phone no ......................................................
Wallflower ‘Harlequin Mix’ (30 x
KF2531 £19.99 £17.99
Email address ............................................................................................
Lupin Red, White & Blue
KC2078 Collection (6 x bare-roots) £14.99 £13.49
£35.95 – save £20.96 I enclose a cheque for £ .................... made payable to
Lupin Red, White & Blue Thompson & Morgan with my name and address on the back.
V78593P Collection (12 x bare-roots) £19.99 £17.99
£71.90 – save £51.91
OR charge my Visa/Mastercard/Maestro
Agapanthus Blue & White
73718 Collection (6 x bare-roots) £14.99 £13.49
£35.94 – save £20.95 Card number................................................................................
Agapanthus Blue & White Start date.......................................Expiry date.........................

74991 Collection (12 x bare-roots) £19.99 £17.99
£71.88 – save £51.89
CSC digits.....................................................................................
Postage 1 £6.99
TOTAL Signature.....................................................................................................
TERMS & CONDITIONS All orders will be despatched from December 2023 onwards. All other orders will be acknowledged with a despatch date in
writing, by letter or email. Offer closes October 30, 2023, or until stock lasts ● Please note that your contract for supply of goods is with Thompson & Morgan,
Poplar Lane, Ipswich IP8 3BU ● If in the event of unprecedented demand this offer is oversubscribed, T&M reserves the right to send suitable substitute varieties
● Please tick ■ this box if you would like to receive offers from Thompson & Morgan ● Full Terms & Conditions available on request
● All offers are subject to availability ● Images are for illustration purposes only. This product cannot be delivered to the following postcodes HS, IV41-IV49, IV51,
IV55-56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR25, ZE1-ZE3. We are currently unable to ship seeds or plants to Northern Ireland

YOUR GARDEN LIFE
COMPETITION
Win these gardening goodies

Enter this month’s crossword and you could win one of two WOLF-Garten
folding pruning saws worth £44.99 each! Entry form is overleaf
WIN 2x WOLF-
Garten folding
saws worth
£44.99 each!
Enter this month’s crossword for
a chance to win one of two
WOLF-Garten folding pruning saws
worth £44.99 each.
This month’s
competition prize is
ideal for helping gardeners
with their winter pruning.
The folding pruning saw is
ideal for sawing through
smaller branches. The pull
teeth enable powerful
pruning with minimal effort
and leave a smooth cutting
surface to help prevent
disease infection.
This tool has two different
working angles for flexibility to cut
in tight areas and the blade folds
down for safe storage.
There is also a soft-touch,
ergonomically designed handle,
shaped for safe and secure
working in the garden.
● More information at
wolfgarten-tools.co.uk
CLUES ACROSS CLUES DOWN
1 Ocean lending its name to a series 1 Salvia - - - - - -, tender perennial
of giant hybrid delphiniums (7) embracing the popular ‘Blue Angel’ (6)
5 Botanical name of the larch 2 Cold - - - - -, unheated structure in
genus (5) which young plants are grown on (5)
6 The reedmace, bulrush or cattail genus 3 Common name of Salvia sclarea, a
– a wetland perennial (5) biennial grown for its colourful bracts (5)
8 - - - - - - - monanthos, semi-evergreen 4 Cormous S. African flower commonly
alpine with yellow flowers in summer (7) known as the corn lily (4)
10 Slow-growing epiphyte, Platycerium 7 Solanum tuberosum, root vegetable
or - - - - horn fern (4) brought to Europe from S. America
11 Metallic element (symbol Zn) in the 16th century (6)
important to plants in forming 9 Sticky upper part of a bloom’s pistil
chlorophyll (4) receptive to pollen (6)
15 Erect, often toxic perennial also called 12 Half-hardy, purple-flowering vine,
monkshood or wolfbane (7) - - - - - - scandens or cathedral bells (6)
16 Brassica family genus of which 13 Common name for any woody plant
aizoides is yellow whitlow grass (5) of the syringa genus (5)
17 Daisy-flowered genus with species 14 Common English name for a tree
including helenium or elecampane (5) of the genus cedrus (5)
18 The so-called ‘carline thistle’ genus 15 Upper angle between a stem axis
of the aster family (7) and a leaf stalk (4)
AUGUST CROSSWORD SOLUTION CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AUGUST WINNERS!

Across: 1 Bergamot, 6 Olea, 7 Star, 8 Dill, 9 Lewisia, 12 Althaea, 15 Soot, Crossword: Hilary Pooley, Norwich; Stephen Webb, Mountain
17 Vine, 18 Dior, 19 Freesia. Down: 1 Basil, 2 Garlic, 3 Multi, 4 Toad, 5 Perlite, Ash; and Elaine Hawkins, Bristol, each win a Wilkinson Sword
10 Eucomis, 11 Chives, 13 Lance, 14 Avens, 16 Turf. Ultralight Digging Spade. Wordsearch: Roger Mingay wins
October solutions in our December issue 3 x rudbeckia ‘Prairie Glow’ and a £30 Hayloft voucher.

YOUR GARDEN LIFE
Wordsearch G N E R L A D L K A W W X L A
Enter our wordsearch to win 60 x
Timeless Tulip Collection bulbs and X O X R U U A I U X O Y N C Y
a £10 Hayloft voucher. The words are
all spring bulbs to plant now. They N O L T I N N T Y L W M E O O
may appear in any direction and/or
overlap but you need to find them all I M J D M F U A G O U X Z O J
for a chance to win. Please use the
X N O U O M N N R T O O A L N
entry coupon below.
Y M T T N F M M U A R J H A M
WORDS TO FIND:
AUTUMN BLUE AUTUMN STAR X U B B U U A A U A U T N U U
AUTUMN DAYS AUTUMNAL
AUTUMN FIRE CAMANO AUTUMN A T L L T A F U T T G T M T T
AUTUMN GLOW COOL AUTUMN
AUTUMN HAZE GOLD OF Z U Y U U O J S T L U I U U U
AUTUMN JOY AUTUMN
AUTUMN KING LUNAR AUTUMN
TOUCH OF
E A A T H X N O W U T A T M A
AUTUMN MIST
AUTUMN MOON AUTUMN
D X U C X M D L O G M X U N N
U A U T U M N K I N G N A E O
HOW TO ENTER
1. Please complete the crossword
and/or wordsearch grid(s) C O Y T S I M N M U T U A Z O
2. Fill in this entry coupon
3. Send the page to: October Puzzles, T X U Z S Y A D N M U T U A C
Garden Answers, Media House, Lynch
Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA or email C A M A N O A U T U M N X W X
a scan of your entry marked October
Puzzles to gardenanswers@bauermedia.
co.uk Closing date is 17 October 2023
I have entered (please tick): WIN 60 tulip bulbs + £10 voucher
Crossword
Wordsearch Enter this month’s wordsearch
and you could win 60 Timeless
Name ........................................................... Tulipa Collection bulbs (worth
£40) featuring a quartet of
Address ....................................................... different double flowers,
plus a £10 Hayloft voucher.
.......................................................................
Offering romantic-looking,
....................................................................... generous double blooms to
enhance pots, borders and floral
Postcode..................................................... bouquets each April to May, the
Timeless Tulipa Collection
Phone number............................................ comprises AGM-holding
‘Angelique’ (pink and cream,
Email ...........................................................
April–May, H: 45cm); ‘La Belle
H Bauer Publishing (publishers of Garden Epoque’ (pink, yellow and bronze,
Answers) may like to contact you. ■ Please tick April, H: 50cm); new variety‘Pink
here if you are happy to hear from us by email.
We will never pass these details to any other Star’ (pink streaks, May, H: 35cm);
organisation. Please see our privacy policy at
bauerdatapromise.co.uk
and new ‘White Heart’ (pure CLAIM
white, April-May, H: 40cm). Plant
in well-drained soil in full sun.
20% OFF
In addition, Hayloft is offering ONLINE!
Terms & conditions: Competitions are open to
residents of the UK only, aged 18 years or over, GA readers an exclusive 20% QUOTE
except employees of H Bauer Publishing, or discount off its entire range with GA2023
anyone else professionally associated with the
competitions. The decision of the judges is final
offer code GA2023. You’ll receive
and no correspondence will be entered into. Hayloft offers and news when you
The winners will be selected at random from the sign up for its newsletter.
eligible entrants and notified within 30 days of Hayloft.co.uk offers more than ● Winning vouchers are valid for one year,
the closing date. All prizes are non-transferable
and there are no cash alternatives. The winners’ 3,000 cultivars of rare, unusual and exciting and can only be redeemed against an
names can be obtained by writing to the editorial plants, delivered to your door from its order from Hayloft Plants catalogue or
office (see Over to You). The Promoter is H Bauer family-run nursery in Worcestershire. online. Vouchers can be used in payment
Publishing whose registered office is at The
Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London, NW1 2PL. Call the Hayloft team on 01386 562999 or or part-payment of goods, but cannot be
Registered company no. LP003328. email customercare@hayloft.co.uk. exchanged for cash.
110 Garden Answers

GardeningDirectory
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Garden A refreshed
VIEW
perspective
Sometimes all we need is a change of
scenery to rediscover the beauty of our most
dependable stalwarts, muses Dan Oliver
R
ecently I returned from a trip to Spain. These poor plants’ only crime is to be reliable
My father is Spanish and moved back to (and affordable) enough to be used a little too
the country’s east coast 20 years ago. I often by public planting designers. And yet still
visit as often as I can, though invariably the horticultural snobs among us turn our noses
not as often as I’d like. Still, I deeply value these up at them. And I’m ashamed to say that I can be
brief, infrequent visits. For the opportunity to guilty of doing the same for many of our native
spend time with family, of course, but also plants. Hawthorn hedges; churchyard hollies
for another more subtle but no and yews; city streets lined
less valuable reason: to refresh with mountain ash and silver
my perspective. birch. Yawn!
They say that familiarity So you can imagine the
breeds contempt. In fact, I’d feeling as I stepped out of the
take it further: in my own How might it feel for a air-conditioned airport onto
● Dan Masoliver is a
trained horticulturist and
experience, certainly when it plant-loving Spaniard Spanish soil. Metres-high
comes to the plants in my Nerium oleander bloomed
freelance writer from garden and in the local to arrive on these bountifully and incandescently
London. He is author
of The Earthworm, a
neighbourhood streets and shores and see such bright in a sunny spectrum of
parks, I find that familiarity pinks and white. Shrubby
newsletter that takes also tends to breed boredom. staple British flora? verbenas occupied every corner,
a sideways look at the Indifference. Apathy. with their clusters of yellow, red
world of gardens, There are certain plants that and orange flowers having the
gardening and are such staples in our gardens, roadside verges, look of burning balls of fire, set ablaze by the hot
horticulture woodlands and hedgerows, that we can become Spanish sun. And best of all, there were the walls,
almost blind to their existence. During my balconies and pillars draped in the unbeatably
horticultural studies, I remember learning about beautiful bracts of bougainvillea.
a group of species informally classified as “car I wasn’t just enjoying all these plants; I was
park plants”. Rather than be celebrated for their jealous of them. Or rather, of the locals who are
resilience, these specimens – comprising the likes able effortlessly to grow such beauties in their
of euonymus, berberis, viburnum and others – gardens, and to see them on their streets. How
were instead disparaged for their ubiquity. lucky they are to have these plants on their
doorstep, I thought.
And then I got home. The sky was moody.
The wind was up. As I walked home from
the train station, a strong breeze bustled the
branches of a silver birch. I noticed the squirrels
bouncing between beech trees, and a mountain
ash, its canopy covered in ripening berries, soon
to be a buffet for all manner of birds. How
casually had I overlooked these treasures.
I had been away for only a few days, and yet
in that time it was as if the reset button had been
hit on my perspective. It struck me: how might it
feel for a plant-loving Spaniard, sick of endless
avenues lined with oleanders, to arrive on these
shores and see such staple British flora? I can well
ILLUSTRATION: GILL LOCKHART
imagine their envy.

And my own garden, too, seemed lovelier
to me after my time away, though in reality it
was much the same as it had been before I’d
left. But then sometimes perhaps, when we’re
feeling bored by our borders, it’s not something
within the garden that needs to change, but
something within the gardener. ✿
114 Garden Answers

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Welcome

sowing overwintering you enjoy it.

lawn some love, and much more

and a true delight to experience

PERFECT COMBOS Michaelmas

EVERGREENS WITH A TWIST

Celebrate the beauty and usefulness of

Garden Life Lawn Rake

Acorus ‘Ogon’ Anemanthele lessoniana Carex ‘Everillo’

GARDEN SHOW APPLE ID DAY

Quick Gone to seed FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK,

quiz Textural seed heads are another autumn highlight.

1 Put on rubber gloves, then fill a inspiring reminder, as

3 Dip your pot into the water so

A red chair complements

producing buds and blooms – a picture of faded

Lift dahlias’ plump tubers

Clockwise types, the latter resembling colourful golf balls

Aster frikartii ‘Mönch’,

Red dahlia blooming

Clockwise from far

centres; ‘Harrington’s Pink’ (H: 1.2m) is a softer

Design tricks for

Hiding parts of the

Hide what lies beyond

Dividing the garden

Head for heights

Reduce and shape your lawn

Don’t be scared of big plants Exotic tree ferns

Co-ordinate your colours

Raise the levels

Extend your shelf life Make room

Cordless POWER. BY STIHL.

These plants are

Right, striking lavender-

OUR PICK OF THE BEST

Aster frikartii Eurybia divaricata Symphyotrichum Symphyotrichum Symphyotrichum

Prune climbing roses

Cut back climbing roses

DIG UP THE PLANT

Stagger plants in two rows

GET SET FOR

Unlike their loftier

Love your lawn

1 Scarify: Use a spring-tine rake

2 Aerate: Relieve soil compaction

3 Top dress: Apply a top dressing

Make a leaf bin Move citrus plants

Tend to your pond PROPAGATION

Remove dead leaves and plant debris from

Orange dahlias and yellow

Make the most of

STEP 1 DESIGN YOUR

PENNISETUM ‘KARLEY ROSE’ PENNISETUM ADVENA

ZINNIA PROFUSION SERIES ZINNIA ELEGANS

MAKE THE DISPLAY LAST

Here, a dry stone wall

Wildlife of the garden woods

Holly blue butterfly