Innehållsförteckning för October 2018 från BBC Gardeners' World

2-for-1 Gardens Entry Our discount scheme is the biggest in the UK but can we improve it? Tell us how and where you’ve visited, or if you’ve not used your card why, for a chance to win one of four £100 John Lewis vouchers: bit.ly/GWSurvey2018 Trimmers on test If you’re investing in new hedge kit this year, find the best one for you with our new video guide at gardenersworld.com/hedgetrimmers Plant it right Watch Carol Klein’s expert tips on planting bare-root shrubs. She reveals everything you need to know to get new additions off to a flying start. Go to bit.ly/plant-bare-root Bulbs special issue Get even more inspiration for your bulb-planting with our new, 132-page edition, Complete Guide to Bulbs. Find it at newsagents and supermarkets this month, or buy…

“There are three compelling reasons to grow veganically” I‘m convinced that vegan gardening is the next big thing. But if veganism is a fad, vegan gardening could be too, and I don’t want it to be – it’s too vital to be just here today, gone tomorrow. There is plenty of evidence to give us three compelling reasons to grow veganically – that animal farming is bad for the planet, it’s bad for the animals themselves and that eating animals and their by-products can be bad for our health. Gardeners can grow to support a vegan diet and grow without harming animals. Many think they’re being wildlife-friendly when they aren’t. Indeed, there are few who don’t want to kill garden creatures in some form, such as slugs. Most gardeners think…

1 GARDEN ARTIFICE This summer’s drought was bad news for lawns, but suppliers of artificial turf were happy. LazyLawn Oxfordshire saw a 30% increase in sales in July. For Alan’s views on fake grass, turn to p162 2 MORAVIAN MAGIC Plant a new garlic this autumn; ‘Czechmate’ is a hardneck variety from the Czech region of Moravia. It’s disease resistant and good for the UK climate. Two bulbs for £6.95. dtbrownseeds.co.uk 3 PINK & BLUE ALL OVER Try the new variegated Blueberry ‘Pink Flamingo’ from Suttons, which has eye-catching pink and green foliage. It’s self-pollinating so you only need one. 1 x 9cm plant £14.99. suttons.co.uk 4 TWIT-TWOO TO YOU Help the BTO with its national Tawny Owl Calling Survey by listening out for the owl call for 20 minutes…

For many of us, autumn is the highlight of the gardening calendar. A time to plant for next year, make corrections and edits to the current year’s display and an opportunity to take full advantage of moist and warm soil – conditions that are perfect for establishing plants. While many associate autumn with bulb planting, it’s also the ideal time for planting shrubs, perennials and trees as well as laying turf. During our recent dry summer, planting wasn’t possible without copious amounts of water, but now it can sensibly begin. Planting for the future, like any gardening task, requires skill and understanding, though plants in some situations can be more forgiving – for example, the odd bulb planted upside down will still perform, but a badly planted tree may never…

There are two times of year to divide perennials. One is in October and November when herbaceous perennials are gradually sinking into dormancy but before the soil cools down too much. This will give your divisions the opportunity to push out their roots into the soil and establish themselves so they get off to a flying start next spring. Any perennial whose flowering is finished can be tackled now. For late-flowering perennials, such as Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckia and helianthus, spring is better. These plants are devoting all their energy to flowering now and need time to gather their strength before being pulled apart. Using a spade or garden fork, dig deeply underneath the plant, digging up as much of the rootball as possible and place it on a board. Use…

Hedges create beautiful garden boundaries, dividers and features, with a variety of foliage and flowers, making many great for wildlife. But there is a drawback: the need for regular cutting, which can be anything from once to several times a year. A powered trimmer can really munch through the task, but finding the best one to suit you and your hedge from the huge range available can be far from simple. So we’ve tested a wide selection of powered trimmers that will suit the majority of gardens – and gardeners. Whereas once the only choice was between petrol and mains electric, battery-powered (cordless) hedge trimmers are now widely available, so we tested a selection of these, along with some reasonably priced petrol trimmers. Prices and weight are for tool and…

We used a range of hedges with different stem thicknesses, including box, conifer, Lonicera nitida and native hedging, with input from several gardeners of different sizes and builds. Trimmers were compared and the following criteria used to calculate the test scores, with equal weight attributed to each: • PREPARATION, SET-UP AND STORAGE Instructions, use of fuel, blade covers. • HANDLING Weight, noise, vibration, safety, ease of use, any special features. • PERFORMANCE Starting, quality of cut, blade speed, max cut thickness, run time. • VALUE FOR MONEY The above points considered with tool price, quality and warranty.…

Set out winter bedding Bedding planted now will last until spring. The choice of plants available has improved, with small shrubs, ferns and perennials added to the mix. Pansies, polyanthus and even ornamental cabbages are the usual choices. Be aware that wallflowers won’t flower until March or April. Also try winter-flowering heathers or berried hypericums and skimmias – these could be replanted in permanent positions in spring. Plant a long-lasting container Fill hanging baskets and tubs with a mixture of plants that will look good from now until spring. Biennials like wallflowers and forget-me-nots mixed with tulips and hyacinths will bring vibarncy in spring. Give them an evergreen background of ivy, small-leaved vinca or ferns, then add colour with a few ceratostigma or pansies. Choose lower-growing plants to withstand winter…

1 CHOOSE large bulbs, as these have the greatest flowering potential. Make sure they are fat and firm. Avoid any bulbs that show signs of a greeny-grey fungus. 2 SELECT a large pot, to create a high-impact display. It will also dry out less rapidly than a small pot. Ensure it has drainage holes and use good quality multi-purpose compost. 3 FILL the pot to within 10cm of the rim and space the bulbs 10cm apart. This gives them room to grow, yet ensures they are dense enough to create good floral impact. 4 PLANT up the top with bedding to provide interest through winter, before the tulips appear – choose wallflowers, dwarf double daisies or winter pansies.…

One of the best and cheapest ways to make more plants and fill out your borders is by lifting and dividing herbaceous perennials, and now is the perfect time to perk up your beds this way. Warm soil and winter rain will help new plantings establish. Herbaceous perennials are the ones that die down to the ground each winter and re-sprout in spring. You can use this method to rejuvenate old, congested clumps too. After a few years, the centre of the clump tends to become weaker, with vigorous new growth only around the outside. Take a look at your herbaceous perennials and see if any would benefit from being divided this month – it’s worth doing it every few years. You’ll start to see the benefits next spring, when…

Hardwood cuttings are an easy way to propagate more gooseberries. Cuttings can be taken in autumn, once the leaves have dropped, through to early February. They callus over winter, then root and shoot in the spring, when they can be cut back to encourage bushy growth. Lift and plant in their final positions next autumn. 1 CUT 15cm lengths of this year’s growth from the thickest branches. Leave buds top and bottom. 2 DIG a 10cm-deep v-shaped trench with a spade in sheltered ground. Line with grit or compost if your soil is very heavy. 3 LINE the cuttings along the trench 10cm apart. Back-fill with gritty soil or compost. Make sure the cuttings are firmed in.…

■ Weed any gaps in borders, then cover with landscaping fabric. Spread mulch on top for a more attractive finish ■ Rake fallen leaves off lawns, but you can leave them lying on bare soil ■ Plant new climbers, calculating the area you want covered first ■ Collect berries from your favourite trees and shrubs, remove the flesh then sow the seeds ■ Keep garden birds fed ■ Sow grass seed before the month ends ■ Insulate outdoor taps and pipes before freezing weather arrives…

Nutrition Especially high in vitamin A and a good source of vitamin E, folates and potassium. How to grow Easy to grow from seed. Sow seeds singly in pots of moist seed compost, and grow on under cover in a warm, well-lit place. In late spring, gradually harden off over a couple of weeks before planting out. Pumpkins are thirsty and hungry plants, so for top results prepare planting sites by adding moisture-retentive material such as well-rotted manure, compost, veg peelings or scrunched-up newspaper. Compact types can be grown in large containers, with good quality multi-purpose compost. Line with newspaper to retain moisture and site in plenty of sun and out of cold winds. Never let plants go short of water and feed every 7-10 days with liquid tomato fertiliser.…

If leaf miners attack your plants, you’ll find pale wiggly lines across the leaves, with brown marks where damaged areas of leaf have died off. ‘Leaf miner’ is a broad term for a gang of insects (flies, beetles or moths) that make tunnels by feeding in between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves. Larvae emerge from eggs laid on foliage, burrow in and pupate, before hatching into an adult. Hold up a mined leaf to the light and you’ll often see the larva or pupa inside. In gardens you might find astrantia, chrysanthemum, horse chestnut, beetroot or cabbage leaf miners, among others. Evergreens, such as holly and hellebores, keep their leaf miners with them all winter, but deciduous leaves drop to the ground, leaf miners inside, remaining there until…

Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Matt Biggs Matt trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and has been gardening professionally for over 30 years. Pippa Greenwood Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods. Q Is it possible to get rid of oxalis on my veg plot? Graham Bond, by email A MATT SAYS There are two very common types of oxalis and both are difficult to eradicate. Oxalis corniculata (with yellow flowers – pictured below) grows annually from seed and its stems root where they touch the soil. Hoe regularly, so plants don’t get a chance to flower or self-seed. Oxalis latifolia (with pink flowers) is better forked…

✔ Awards special – meet our 11 nationwide finalists ✔ Discover inspiring ideas for your own plot ✔ Cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award ✔ Expert tips from judges including Alan Titchmarsh PLUS Repotting hibernation Crops to start next month Your questions answered How to grow Understanding starlings waste FREE! 4 Oriental poppies just pay postage £5.65 PRUNING SUCCESS How to make the right cuts to fruit this winter Expert advice Follow Flo’s recipe for a pot packed with easy, instant colour Monty reflects on a year of less plastic at Longmeadow Grow poppies for remembrance with Alan’s expert guide Carol reveals how to transform your garden with autumn colour…

SUBSCRIPTIONS – 03330 162123 Including new subscription orders or queries, missing covermount gifts and magazine slipcase orders. Email gardeners.world@buysubscriptions.com  Phone line open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm; Sat 9am-1pm. GARDENERS’ WORLD OFFERS – 020 7150 5780 Email offers@gardenersworld.com MAGAZINE EDITORIAL – 020 7150 5770 Email magazine@gardenersworld.com  or letters for publication to: letters@gardenersworld.com Phone line open in office hours, Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30…

Things have been changing in the world of hebes. Traditionally, they’re known as prolific, late-flowering evergreen shrubs bringing us a fresh burst of colour when everything else is winding down. Now, though, the balance has shifted. A new breed of neat variegated plants with multicoloured foliage and less prominent flowers has come to the fore, while the flowering types have become less popular. But the truth is, both have their place. Flowering hebes add a wide range of colours to autumn borders, from purple to white, through lilacs, blues and pinks. The spikes can be long and impressive and in the best varieties open over a long season. Small-leaved variegated types tend to make neater little bushes whose green-and-purple, pink-and-cream or silvery foliage is pretty all year round but develops…

What do you love about gardens? I love seeing the diversity of what people do with their gardens. I don’t give a hoot what they’ve done, whether they’ve filled it with plants or gnomes, but when you see a garden that’s cherished, that’s what’s beautiful. Most of our homes were built by other people, for other people. The garden is an element we can transform, and that’s part of how we make a house our own. What would you like to see more of? If you don’t go organic, you’re basically screwing the environment with chemicals. If you kill all the insects, there are no spiders or birds because there’s nothing for them to feed on. You might as well plant plastic flowers. If you go organic, all the life…

Our gardens can start to look a bit drab now. In a small garden, autumn foliage colour can be scarce and it’s easy to think that no plants flower at this time of year - but you’d be wrong! True, it’s not the height of the border season, but there are still flowering plants to be had. Investing in a statement container and filling it with flowers can brighten up grey October days and bring a little late season pep to your garden. A good investment is to buy potted autumn bulbs, in flower now. You get instant impact and the promise of flowers for years to come. I’ve used Nerine bowdenii and hesperantha, and combined them with evergreens, so the display will still look good after the flowers have…

Like us, our pets sometimes enjoy a spot of sunbathing, and on other occasions prefer a shady retreat. Small animal shelters can be moved around the garden according to the season and the time of day but, in addition, provide rabbits and guinea pigs with pipes or other shelters to encourage playful exercise and give them somewhere to hide if they feel frightened. Cats also like having places to hide if they sense danger, and both cats and dogs will appreciate a permanent shelter or den where they can retreat when the mood takes them, whether they need to shelter from the weather or are just feeling temporarily antisocial.…

We’re giving six awards based on our findings: Bosch EasyHedgeCut Budget cordless Keen price and long warranty. Would suit a small garden. Greenworks G40,61K2 Efficient cordless Easy to use and powerful with a long blade but lightweight Husqvarna 122HD60 Premium petrol Well designed, quiet, fast, efficient and handled well Ryobi One + OHT8145 Best lower-voltage cordless Lightweight, easy to use and cut a range of material well. Stihl HSA 56 Best mid-priced cordless Handled well. An efficient cut at a reasonable price. Webb HC600 Well-priced petrol Versatile with an efficient and smooth cut and easy handling…

Sow now for early flowers next year. Save some seed to sow in spring, too as sweet peas don’t flower for the whole summer so you’ll need another batch. Autumn sowings will germinate after about a week and be ready to plant in April. 1 FIRM multi-purpose compost into rootrainers. Sow seed and cover with 1cm of compost. Germinate in a cold frame. 2 KEEP the seedlings in the light, and water occasionally; they will rot if too wet. Pinch out the tops to stop them getting leggy.…

Plant winter salads Now is the last chance to grow salad leaves in the greenhouse for winter, but you can’t expect the same lush growth as from successional summer sowings, so grow lots to last until spring. Use strong, deep trays of compost, or sow and plant in the greenhouse soil. Allow plenty of space to avoid fungal disease. Plant young pak choi and winter lettuce plants; sow big batches of mustard, rocket, winter purslane, mizuna and tatsoi. Bring in tender plants Tender plants get scorched by frost and don’t survive the winter if you leave them outside. Bring in aeoniums, pelargoniums, tender fuchsias, heliotropes and argyranthemums. Tidy them up, remove dead leaves and old flower stems and trim back the soft growth. Keep them slightly dry all winter, then…

1 DIG out the congested clump from the border, taking care to include the roots without tearing them. You’d be surprised how long it’ll survive out of the soil this month. 2 START to divide up the clump. Do it the easiest way for you, but I find two forks placed back to back work well as levers to prise the clump apart. 3 CREATE new small groups. Each one should have both shoots and roots, ready to grow into new plants. Cut off any dead or damaged parts. 4 PLANT the groups, spacing them apart to give them room to grow. Any spare ones can be wrapped up and given away within the next few days.…

Pond care Just as border plants die back for winter, water plants are doing the same. If pond plant material rots into water, with no natural flow of fresh water, it soon stagnates. Cut back marginal plants and reach into the pond to scoop out any debris. Floating water lily leaves and pondweeds need to be trimmed too. Whatever you pull out will have water bugs living in it, so always leave it on the side for them to escape back before clearing it away. Autumn leaves must be cleared too, so put a taut net over the surface to catch them over the next month or two as trees shed their leaves. Lay new turf The ground is still warm, so lay turf now for a lawn you can…

Give your harvests a boost the natural way by grouping together veg with similar needs. This will make it easier for you to give your plants the nutrients and protection they require. And by moving the groups around your plot, you will help to prevent problems building up in the soil, meaning you can use fewer chemicals and still get great harvests. Now is the perfect time to take note of what you’ve grown where this season, so you can plan next year’s plot layout, and improve the soil so it’s ready for spring sowings. The benefits ✔ Fewer problems Growing vegetables in a different part of your plot each year will help to prevent the build-up of pests and diseases in the soil. When you know where you’ll be…

When a large tree is torn down by the full force of a gale, it seems to do so in slow motion. At least, that’s how I remember it one night during the stormy winter of 2013-14 when, after the initial cracking noise of the tearing rootball, our 20m tall eucalyptus was ripped from the ground by one of that year’s many gales and dumped onto our herbaceous border – 17 years of growth gone in minutes. For its energy and speed, it showed how wind is one of the gardener’s worst enemies. Strong winds cause plants to sway excessively, pulling and tugging on their roots, the continual movement interfering with the roots’ ability to remain grounded so the plant is partly lifted out of the ground. This is called…

“I was told by one reader that I could not possibly call myself a ‘wildlife champion’” Where do you stand on plastic grass? (Apart from on the green side.) I know that nothing can compare with real greensward – that mixture of grasses and low-growing wild flowers that most of us call a lawn – it lives, it breathes, it supports wildlife and it is altogether a good thing – but is it acceptable, under certain circumstances, ever to utilise the plastic version? I only ask since a few weeks ago I was taken to task by a reader of our sister magazine, BBC Wildlife, for using five square yards of said plastic grass in a garden I made on television for a 90-year-old widow. I have also used it…

Do pets and gardens mix? There used to be a feeling that they didn’t, beyond the cat prowling through or a rabbit run banished outside. But we use our ever-smaller gardens so differently now – with family life spilling outdoors at the slightest glimpse of sun – that there can be few or no limits. So, we set out to show how you can have a great-looking garden that’s also a fun and safe place for your pets. We’ve tips from Monty that reveal how he keeps Longmeadow looking camera-ready, despite the attentions of Nigel and Nell, who posed, on cover shoot day, like the old pros they are – with just a bit of bribery! It all starts on p66. After the summer of the century (so far), it’s…

“We cannot possibly untwine the garden from our marriage” I have always been of the opinion that women are fundamentally better gardeners than men, but I heard a different slant on that the other day. Talking to a friend, he said he felt men liked the bigger picture – layout and structure – while women preferred detail. “But of course, I’m not allowed to say that,” he said ruefully. Whatever your view of his statement, it was made by a thoughtful, balanced person. Do men and women have different approaches and views of a garden? If so, are those views based upon gender, upbringing or cultural expectations? Certainly, any position on this will be a broad generalisation, with endless examples to contradict it. But as I’ve spent the past 40…

I get to poke my nose into a lot of gardens. I have made it a rule never to try to guess what is behind the garden gate – it makes it more exciting. Could be traditional, could be modern, could be immaculate or shaggy round the edges. Whatever happens, size is not important – I have visited big gardens that were tedious and unimaginative and tiny spaces that bulged with interest. The best small gardens are the ones that reflect the character of the gardener: they may not be immaculate, they may be eccentrically planted; but who gives a darn provided they are loved? So I was thrilled to be asked to be one of the judges for the TV prgramme’s Every Space Counts competition. What better way to…

Keeping animals means dealing with their calls of nature. This is less of an issue with rabbits and guinea pigs, but cat and dog faeces can be dangerous to humans. “And picking up poo is important for their health as well as yours,” says vet Caroline. “If they have worms they can re-infect themselves unless you regularly clear the area.” She suggests encouraging cats and dogs to use particular areas to relieve themselves. “If you’ve just house-trained a dog you can put puppy training pads outside to indicate which zone they should use.” Similarly, she suggests putting your cat’s litter tray in the outdoor area you would like them to frequent, and hope they get the message.”…

This is a great time for hedge planting, as the soil still retains some summer warmth and autumn rains will make sure the roots don’t go short of water – the perfect combination for rapid establishment, leading to speedy growth next year. Prepare the ground well, as a hedge can last for decades. Dig a trench along the whole length, then enrich the soil you remove, and the base of the trench, with well-rotted compost. Use mycorrhizal fungi to boost root growth. Container-grown hedging plants are available all year round; bare-root deciduous plants from November to March. The latter should be planted during the dormant season and are infinitely cheaper than container-grown plants – often costing less than £1 apiece. If you have a long run of deciduous hedging to…

CONSIDER YOUR HEDGE SIZE AND TYPE, then match it to the size and power of trimmer – don’t expect a small trimmer to be able to tackle the thick growth that a larger one can cope with. PRIORITISE SAFE AND COMFORTABLE HANDLING Buying from a garden machinery specialist gives the opportunity to handle and compare tools. Blade cover quality varies considerably from thin, flexible plastic, which distorts and then can be hard to fit, to rigid, moulded plastic or aluminium. Guards that encase the whole blade are best and easiest to use. They should always be fitted when not in use. LOOK AT THE NOISE RATING It is measured in decibels (dB). DON’T FORGET STORAGE Some models have a slot, which can be used to hang the machine for easy…

We grow two styles of trained pears: cordons around the soft fruit area and espaliers on The Mound – and both are good methods for growing fruit in limited space. Pears are tough and tolerate damp, but need more sun than apples, which training helps to provide. Grow several varieties if you can, as the fruit doesn’t store for long. Harvest carefully by lifting the fruit until it is horizontal and comes away in your hand.…

Of all the things I look forward to in the garden, the tulip season ranks high on my list. It’s the first burst of proper colour in the garden after the white of snowdrops and the yellow of daffodils. The sheer range of colours and combinations possible means I can create a different show in pots every year. Tulips also grow well in borders, planting the bulbs 15cm apart and 10cm deep. Six to eight weeks after flowering, dig them up and dry them off, keeping the largest bulbs to replant next autumn. If you want them to come up every year in the same spot, then plant them 20cm deep – the greater depth helps them to survive. Tulip bulbs don’t begin to root quite as early as daffs,…

Succulent aloes are popular greenhouse plants but they rot easily when propagated, so these tips will ensure success every time. The plant needs to be knocked right out of the pot to remove the offsets. Drying and allowing cuts to callus prevents them from rotting. Make sure plants have plenty of light, and water sparingly. 1 SEPARATE the young offsets with a knife, or pull apart. Some may be rooted. Leave cuts to dry and callus for a couple of days. 2 ADD grit to loam-based compost and pot up, but keep the crown of the offset clear of compost. Grit mulch helps with this. 3 LEAVE potted plants to dry for several days, after which the plants will start to put on fresh growth, then water well.…

Much can be achieved in the garden in autumn, although the window of opportunity is smaller for us at Beechgrove. As shrubs or small trees are entering, or are in, a dormant state, it’s a good time to prepare them for a future move. Dig a trench around the plant’s drip-line (the outermost extent of its branches), about 30cm deep, cutting right through the roots, even quite thick ones. Then backfill with topsoil and compost. Severing existing roots promotes new fibrous root growth over the coming year. When dormant again, next year, the shrub can be moved to its new position. With its newly acquired abundance of young roots, it should settle in quickly.…

Pumpkins Colourful pumpkins are a delicious crop to enjoy right through autumn and to store for winter 3 WAYS TO TRY • Make a punchy curry by baking pumpkin chunks for 15 minutes and combining with home-made curry paste, coconut milk, marinated prawns and spinach. • Simmer with cream, sugar, nutmeg and ginger. Purée, then fill a shortcrust pastry base. Bake until firm and serve with maple syrup cream. • Roast with red onion and chickpeas before adding to shredded kale, and drizzling with yogurt, lemon and coriander dressing. FIND MORE tasty pumpkin recipes from Olive Magazine at olivemagazine.com/tag/pumpkin/…

• A plant subjected to continuous mechanical stress (ie wind) undergoes a slow change in its shape. When trees bend in the wind their trunks thicken. • Transpiration is the process by which water, taken in by roots, is released from leaves, thus producing a flow of water through the plant. A large oak tree can transpire 151,000 litres of water per year. Transpiration is increased in windy conditions. • In 1881, Charles Darwin detailed the effects of mechanical stimulation in plants. In his book The Power of Movement in Plants, he described how roots can change their growth direction away from sources of mechanical stimulation. • Nodes (the areas on a stem where leaves grow from) are a feature in many hollow stems, particularly grasses, which prevent them from…