Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i BBC Gardeners' World

“June is the pearl of summer, shining with warmth and joy”L.M.Montgomery These are days about which we were dreaming on those dreary winter afternoons. Time the great healer has moved on and the chill of January, the rain of February and the overcooked turkey of Christmas have all faded to a sepia shadow. June is about fower, the ruffing of fresh foliage, fattening lettuces and long weekends of gardening and drinking wine in the gentle shade of trees. Be it in public parks or, if we are lucky, in our own gardens, this is a month where we should spend as much time as possible outdoors and savour every minute of every hour. STAR OF THE MONTH Centaurea cyanus ‘Polka Dot Mixed’ Picture yourselves at about the age of eight.…

Included: ◼ Explore Old and New Delhi with 2 half-day city tours and a traditional rickshaw ride through Old Delhi ◼ Discover the incredible Pink City of Jaipur including a visit to the imposing Amber Fort ◼ Watch the sunset over the Taj Mahal ◼ Savour the flavours of India with a cookery and bread-making demonstration of authentic Indian cuisine ◼ Travel between September and November 2025 ◼ Flights, accommodation, transfers and expert guided tours ◼ Available from London, Scotland and Northern Ireland. To book or find out more: Call 0131 608 0176 Quote Gardeners’ World Visit traveldepartment.co.uk/gw *Offer valid for all new bookings made by 30 June 2025. †Offer is £75pp off any holiday of 8 nights or more using code GW75, £50pp off any holiday of 7 nights…

“Those exquisite flowers lightened my darkness. I planted them all out and some remain more than 25 years later” It took me a while to love roses as a plant. I had always admired the flowers in the kind of knee-jerk way that most of us love sunsets or the song of a blackbird, but I had no feeling for them as plants and grew them almost because I felt that was what was required of anyone planting a ‘proper’ garden. Then I moved to Herefordshire and made my first big garden (as recounted in my long-out-ofprint book, The Prickotty Bush). I bought my mother-in-law a couple of roses for her birthday and became seduced by the names of the roses in the catalogue of a local nursery. They were…

“I’ve tried to weave as many fragrant plants as possible into beds, borders and containers” I spend a lot of time in my garden, which can require much effort, but I remind myself that with hard work comes big rewards and for me one of the greatest joys is the cultivation of scented plants, carefully located around the garden. Smells can also be highly evocative as they are linked with the part of the brain that stores our memories and, to that effect, I’ve tried to weave in as many fragrant plants as I can into beds, borders and containers. While the sense of smell can decline with age for some, it can also be strengthened by giving it a regular workout, breathing in different scents for 10 to 20…

“In our gardens, pink can take on a plethora of connotations and create different kinds of moods and effects” Unless you are a ‘foliagephile’, or insist on displaying nothing but cool blues or sunset tones of red, orange and yellow, you are almost certainly growing one or probably more plants in your garden whose flowers are pink. Why is pink such a popular colour in our plots? For a start, it fits in easily. It is a sociable colour, unless you’re straying into its extremes (vivid magenta comes to mind), and it is a flower colour that is easy on the eye and extremely versatile. It is difficult to make it clash – possibly the most grating combinations are between different pinks rather than between pink and other colours. Nowadays…

The perfect way to add colour and structure to cottage gardens and herbaceous borders, delphiniums are a must-have plant for every garden. These hardy perennials like a sunny, sheltered spot. Their stunning spires rise majestically in early summer, each holding masses of beautiful blooms that attract bees and butterfies. If you cut back the stems once the blooms fade, you should get a second fush in late summer. The fowers are also excellent for displaying in vases. The collection comprises these 12 delphinium varieties: ◼ ‘Galahad’◼ ‘Magic Fountains Sky Blue White Bee’◼ ‘Blue Jay’ ◼ ‘Magic Fountains Cherry Blossom’◼ Summer Skies Group◼ ‘Magic Fountains Pure White’◼ ‘Magic Fountains Lavender White Bee’◼ Guinevere Group◼ Blue Bird Group◼ ‘Magic Fountains Dark Blue White Bee’◼ ‘Blue Butterfly’◼ Black Knight Group Height x Spread…

“I took out the lawn, as I’d been gradually nibbling away at it. This made the borders even deeper – just to fit in more plants, really” Despite its relatively small size, Katrina Roche’s back garden in Kew, south-west London, is a haven for wildlife, having evolved over three decades to support a host of creatures including nesting birds, pollinating insects and frogs. Like many gardens, it took a while to get the balance right, with a lot of thought going into creating a network of interconnecting habitats between pond and borders, and vertically planted fences with an overspill of greenery from a neighbouring garden. What was the garden like when you moved here? That was 32 years ago. It was literally a square of lawn with very narrow borders…

Been thinking of entering Gardens of the Year 2025? Now is the time to share your creativity, hard work and passion, before the competition closes at midday 9 June 2025. You never know, you could be one of our finalists, with the chance to win a relaxing, week-long holiday for two on the verdant Italian coast worth £7,000 (Judges’ Choice Award), or a seven-night stay in the Shropshire countryside with family and friends, staying in a stylish cabin with hot tub, worth £3,000 (People’s Choice Award). We’re looking for gardens from all over the UK – and no plot is too big or too small. Previous shortlisted entries have included flower-filled allotments, tiny urban balconies and sprawling country gardens. We want to see your creations, so gather your photos now…

Rhine Cruise to Switzerland From £1,799pp, 7 nights, 8 days – departs 24 October 2025 * Welcome aboard your first-class river cruise ship, your floating hotel for the next seven nights. From the exceptional full-board cuisine to the luxurious cabins and suites, you relax as we journey south from Cologne through the Rhine Valley to magnificent Switzerland. Return flights available from several regional UK airports. Experiences ◼ Six guided tours: Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Strasbourg, Speyer, Bernese Oberland with scenic railway, and the Black Forest ◼ Ancient Breisach and Lucerne ◼ The spectacular Rhine Gorge Your tour includes ◼ Return flights or Eurostar from London St Pancras (supplement may apply), plus transfers ◼ 7 nights on a five-star ship ◼ Your choice of spacious cabins with window or French balcony ◼ Full-board…

Salads are a real summer joy – crisp, fresh and healthy – and growing your own has masses of advantages over buying your crops from a shop. Homegrown salads are way more delicious, fresh and nutritious, while also slashing food miles, plastic packaging and waste. Whether you have sweeping acres or a small balcony, are new to gardening or an experienced hand, growing salad is for everyone. The choice of salad crops and varieties is endless and while this can be exciting, it can also be daunting trying to narrow down what you want to grow. To help you with this, we trialled 26 different varieties of salad ingredients. Read on to discover our top tips for choosing which delicious salad varieties to grow this summer. Lettuces Is it a…

Alan Titchmarsh BBC Gardeners’ World BMagazine is thrilled to invite you to an exclusive event at Highclere Castle in Hampshire – one of England’s most iconic stately homes and famous as the ‘real’ Downton Abbey. If you’re a fan of this classic period drama and looking forward to the new film in September, this is your chance to immerse yourself in its glorious setting, in the company of Alan Titchmarsh and Lady Carnarvon. Start your day with a warm greeting from the GW Magazine team, before the Countess of Carnarvon shares the fascinating history of her family home, revealing the secrets and heritage of Highclere Castle’s stunning gardens. Joining her will be Alan Titchmarsh, who’ll entertain you with tales from his illustrious career and give a captivating talk on ‘Why we…

▼ Festival recycled cotton throw Stay snug in the evenings with these colourful throws made from recycled cotton. shop.kew.org £20 ◀ La Hacienda Colorado steel chiminea Bring warmth and ambience to your patio while directing smoke away from you and your guests with a durable chiminea. diy.co.uk £85 ▼ Solar powered glass pebble Dot these stylish glass light pebbles around your seating area or use them to line a path and bring a subtle glow to your garden after dark. annabeljames.co.uk £19.95 (small), £27.95 (large)…

Offer ends 1 October 2025 2 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE GWNP25 Visit buysubscriptions.com/GWNP25 Call 03330 162123 * and quote code GWNP25 Free UK delivery Money back guarantee Worldwide delivery £ Secure online payments †This offer is only open to new UK customers subscribing to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine by recurring payment. The closing date for this offer is 1 October 2025. Pay £24.50 every 6 issues, saving 42% on the usual shop price. You may cancel at any time and receive a full refund on any outstanding issues by contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may also be required. We reserve the right to reject or cancel subscriptions during the trial period for that magazine or any other magazine in the Immediate portfolio. Prices are discounted from the full…

To bring the Make a Metre “Matter campaign to life, I’ve designed a garden that has sustainability at its heart, with heaps of take-home inspiration. Although it’s arranged as a series of vignettes, it holds together as one entity; for example, in the ornamental side, there are four ponds, three of which are exactly one square metre to show the range of species that can live happily in such a space. Introducing water into your garden can make a big difference, no matter what size it is, and I’m hoping we might start getting some wildlife interactivity before the show even opens. “There are also square-metre plots of blocked planting that demonstrate how much you can pack in, and which plant associations work well in terms of colour and foliage.…

In the wild, climbing plants often grow together naturally. You’ve only got to look at a British woodland to see the native honeysuckle and clematis in a wild tangle of scent and colour. And more widely around the world, from tropical forest to Mediterranean climes, climbing species combine of their own volition. When it comes to growing this way, we gardeners can take our cues from the wild. There are many advantages, for example, a carefully paired set of early- and late-flowering climbers can extend the season by three months or more, while flower colours can be enhanced, set off or contrasted by the complimentary tones of another plant. Weaker climbing plants can get support and protection from a larger established climber while established climbers with bare lower stems can…

Introducing the ‘Echinacea Jewel Collection’ - a gleaming trio that I will fill your garden with beauty, charm, and lasting elegance. Picture ‘PowWow Wild Berry’, its rich, magenta-pink blooms glowing like a rare ruby, drawing in butterflies and admiration alike. Beside it, ‘Green Jewel’ stuns with its fresh, lime-green petals, a unique and enchanting shade rarely found in the garden. Completing this dazzling set is ‘Alba’, a graceful pearl-white coneflower, exuding purity and timeless beauty. These hardy perennials don’t just dazzle - they thrive, returning year after year to bring vibrant colour and effortless grace to your borders and beds. Whether basking in the summer sun or swaying gently in the breeze, this collection will transform your outdoor space into a treasure trove of floral gems. Plant them, cherish them,…

Arriving in the bright lights and desert of Las Vegas, I wasn’t sure what I’d find to satisfy the appetite of a garden and nature lover. But a road trip north took me to breathtaking state parks with landscapes and scenery I never could have imagined. If you think Nevada is all about gambling and cacti, then think again – it offers so much more, especially if you drive. I expected to see a lot of cacti in Nevada, so it was no surprise to find a whole garden dedicated to them. Just a 15-minute drive from the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip is the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden. I spotted many plants, not just cacti, that were familiar to me, plus others I’d never seen before…

1 Digitalis Dusky Maid Semi-evergreen, perennial foxglove with flowers in fiery shades of red, orange and gold. Height x Spread 80cm x 45cm Flowers Jun-Sept 2 D. Apricot Beauty Tall spires in a variety of charming apricot shades with spotted throats. H x S 1m x 35cm F Jun-Aug 3 D. lutea Unusual perennial foxglove with delicate, creamy-yellow flowers. H x S 90cm x 30cm F May-Jun 4 D. Summer King Distinctive foxglove with strawberry-coloured flowers on shorter, chunkier spires. H x S 75cm x 45cm F Jun-Aug 5 D. ‘Candy Mountain’ An upward-facing foxglove bearing rose-pink flowers with freckled throats. H x S 1.4m x 45cm F Jun-Aug 6 Digitalis ‘Alba’ Pure white, unspotted flowers that ‘glow’ in the shade. H x S 1.2m x 45cm F May-July 7…

Sow an array of fast-growing salads, roots and tender crops direct outdoors into warm soil Visit GardenersWorld.com/what-to-do-now for more advice on the best crops to sow and plant this month, and how to do it GOURMET KITCHEN GROW KIT The kit features five packets of seed, including: courgette, cauliflower, French bean, carrot and beetroot – all perfect for creating delicious meals! ■ Gourmet Kitchen Growing Kit £12.99 £9.99 SAVE £3 (KA2577) Scan QR code to buy and for more great deals thompson-morgan.com/TM_GW191 Call 0844 573 6054 * quote code TM_GW191 Items despatched from June 2025. Offer closes 15 June 2025. Contract for supply of goods with Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich IP8 3BU. Subject to availability. Full growing instructions included. UK delivery only not including N. Ireland, with restrictions to specific…

ACROSS  1 Tidy up canes of this soft reddish-pink fruit (9) 7 Describes soil with a pH below 7.0 (4) 8, 16 down Water greenhouse tomatoes regularly to prevent this (7,3,3) 9 Strip of ground for planting flowers or shrubs (6) 11 Immature bulb, of an onion for example (3) 12 Ricinus communis is better known as castor __ plant (3) 13 ‘King __ ’, a popular maincrop potato (6) 15 A variety of Pyracantha coccinea (3,4) 19 Thorn __ is a poisonous annual with exotic-looking leaves (5) 20 Genus of ferns known as maidenhair (8) 21 Pretty summer bloomers of the Dianthus genus (5) 22 Organic, slow-release fertiliser that is rich in phosphorus (8) 23 __ campion is a name for Silene uniflora (3) DOWN 1 Prune this berry-bearing shrub…

“What is it about you that most irritates your wife?” an interviewer asked me recently. Blooming cheek! But it was a question I did not have to think about for too long. What irritates my wife above all else is my inability to sit still for more than five minutes. (Or so she says. Rather an exaggeration I feel.) I am, you see, a born potterer. Let me clarify: I am not one of those folk whose nervous energy causes them to leap out of a chair at any opportunity. I can happily sit down in front of the box and watch a two-hour drama, provided it captures my imagination. But that’s about the time limit for the duration of my inactivity. I can read a book during the day…

LEADING THE WAY Content Director Kevin Smith  Head of Content Adam Duxbury Head of Digital Catherine Mansley  Head of Operations Gregor Shepherd Magazines Editor Kay Maguire CREATING QUALITY GARDENING CONTENT Horticultural Editor Emma Crawforth Digital Editor Blake Roberts Senior Content Creator Sonya Patel Ellis Picture Editor Sarah Edwards Audio/visual Editor Claire Vennis Strategic Projects Editor Oliver Parsons Social Media Lead Rachael Gibson Video Content Developer Jordan Kelly-Linden Editorial Assistant Sydney James GETTING THE DETAIL RIGHT Art Director Jo Cloke Art Editor Andrew Ellis Multimedia designer Emma Langschied Chief Sub Editor John Perkins Multimedia Sub Editor Shirley Accini PUBLISHING AND MARKETING Commercial Director Rachel Clare Brand Manager Emma Davis Commerce Manager Rita Baptiste Brand Marketing Executive Phoebe Elliott Commerce and Digital Marketing Executive Lois Elliott Brand Admin Assistant Sara Bhambra We’re…

Included: ◼ Stay 7 nights in the beautiful lakeside town of Riva del Garda, Limone or Torbole ◼ Full-day boat tour of the lake or a full-day trip to the medieval city of Bolzano ◼ Uncover ancient canals and beautiful architecture on a guided day trip to Venice ◼ Visit the real-life setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on an excursion to the medieval city of Verona ◼ Travel between June and October 2025 ◼ Flights, accommodation, transfers and expert guided tours ◼ Available from London, Scotland and Northern Ireland.…

Support bees, butterflies and other pollinators with this collection of beautiful nectar-rich perennials, which will fll your borders with colour from late spring to autumn. The collection contains six each of: ◼ Verbena bonariensis x 6 The tightly clustered purple florets sit atop long stalks, adding airy height to borders. Loved by bees. Height x Spread 1.2m x 60cm Flowers Jun-Oct ◼ Leucanthemum ‘Crazy Daisy’ x 6 These frilly-petalled flowers are magnets for pollinating insects. Great as cut flowers. H x S 60cm x 45cm F Jun-Jul ◼ Dianthus barbatus Mix x 6 These sweet Williams produce clusters of scented blooms in shades of red, white and purple, on stiff upright stems. H x S 45cm x 30cm F Jun-Sep ◼ Aquilegia Mrs Scott-Elliot hybrids x 6 Multi-coloured blooms in…

Step into the rococo As the only complete surviving garden from the fanciful rococo period, Painswick Rococo Garden, Glos, exudes the spirit of the era with plenty of quirky features. Explore its follies, valleys and woodland, and in June keep an eye out for blooming roses, lavender and astrantia. But the epitome of Painswick’s frivolity is the clipped yew maze, which forms an ornate ‘250’, and was installed to celebrate the garden’s anniversary with the same sense of fun from which it was created. OFFER Garden: 2 for 1 £12.20, senior £10.95; single £6.10, senior £5.30. Offer valid Mar-Nov, excluding event days. rococogarden.org.uk More than a-mazing Dated from 1910, the topiary at Mount Ephraim Gardens, Kent, is wonderfully eclectic – look out for World War One symbols among the playful…

Your Subscriber Club Lounge If you’re a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine subscriber and coming to the show, don’t forget to visit us in the lounge. Conveniently located adjacent to the Gardeners’ World Theatre, the lounge offers you the perfect opportunity to relax while watching your favourite experts. Hosted by our content team, we have a variety of exclusive sessions in the lounge. These include interviews and chats about Make a Metre Matter, a few special appearances when some of your favourite TV experts join us (check the lounge blackboard on the day), and conversations with brilliant gardening experts from the region as part of our 2 for 1 Gardens scheme. Look out for your vouchers with your show tickets, which include: ■ entry for you and three guests to enjoy access…

Pot up large exotics Add drama to your garden with potted exotics. Soak the plant, in its original pot, in some not-too-cold water. Then move the new, empty, pot into position; this saves you doing so when it’s full of heavy compost. Part-fill the pot with an equal-parts mix of John Innes potting and peat-free potting compost. Next slip the pot off the plant and stand it in the centre of the pot. The top should sit just under the rim of the new pot. Fill around the plant and firm it in, before giving it another good soak to settle it in. 30 MINUTES TO SPARE Hardy geraniums that have collapsed and are making borders messy can be cut back now. You will be rewarded with fresh foliage and…

With summer just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to think about outdoor cooking end entertaining. BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine has partnered with top BBQ manufacturer Weber to offer two lucky readers the chance to win a fantastic BBQ bundle. The star is Weber’s SLATE 76cm premium griddle. This versatile barbeque enables you to cook anything from simple breakfasts to fancy dinners. Perfect for novice and seasoned pros alike, the griddle has a user-friendly design and efficient performance. Plus, with its digital temperature display, edge-to-edge even heating and a scorching top temperature of over 260°C, it will all help you create culinary masterpieces with ease. The bundle also includes a handy utensil set with a spatula, scraper and squeeze bottle, as well as a basting dome to help you…

The early bird catches the worm or, in this case, a 15% saving on Farmer Gracy’s exciting new range of spring-fowering bulbs to plant this autumn! With this year’s spring displays still fresh in your mind, now’s a great time to plan and recreate planting styles and combinations that inspired you, or choose something beautiful to fill any gaps in the border that you may have spotted. Autumn planting brings excitement and anticipation to the months following summer, so it is worth planning ahead. Order your bulbs now for delivery in August/September. ◼ Allium ‘Lucky Balloons’ Multiple stems holding large, pink, globe flowerheads. Height x Spread 50cm x 20cm Flowers May-Jun 3 bulbs £7.65 £6.50 ◼ Crocus ‘Herald’ Earliest crocus. Contrasting pale-yellow and plum petals. H x S 10cm x…

ARTEMISIA Artemisia tridentata (sagebrush) grows wild in Nevada, but the related Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) grows well in the UK climate. This is a highly aromatic perennial that is used to create absinthe and is a great natural pest repellent. With its bright-yellow flowers and silver-grey leaves, wormwood provides contrast and interest, much like its desert-dwelling cousin. AGAVE I saw lots of agave in Nevada, in a vast range of sizes. It is possible to grow some species outdoors in the UK, but they must either be brought indoors in autumn or protected over winter to prevent damage. Many agaves can also be grown in pots, ideal for indoor gardening or moving between the garden and conservatory with the seasons. Agave are happiest in a warm, sunny environment with free-draining soil…

◀ BUY ORGANIC Buy certified organic seeds from a reputable seller. Organic seeds are harvested from plants grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, which means they’ll have had less impact on the environment. ▶ VARIETIES Choose cut-and-come-again varieties so you reduce waste by picking small amounts of salad leaves as and when you need them. Loose-leaf lettuce and other popular cut-and-come-again salads are often sold in mixed packs like ‘Speedy Mix’, ‘Herb Mix’ or ‘Spicy Mix’. There are also selections designed for different seasons, giving you a good variety of leaves throughout the year. ▲ GROW VERTICALLY Grow salad vertically to make the most of your space. If your square-metre patch backs onto a wall or fence, you can sow salad leaves and herbs in spare pots or guttering safely…

As summer approaches, our thoughts turn to eating outside, making the most of longer days and warm weather. Even in a small space, it’s easy to grow delicious things to eat and, where space is limited, there’s no reason why your edibles can’t do double duty and look as good as they taste. Containers are perfect for this, giving you the freedom to experiment with combinations of plants in different colours, textures and heights. Imagine the dusky blue of ripe blueberries matched with the bright-blue flowers of rosemary or the red flecks on a ‘Freckles’ lettuce leaf paired with ruby-red chicory ‘Rossa Di Treviso’. If you’ve already started experimenting with colourthemed containers after part one of this series, you’ll have some pots on the go, but it’s not too late…