Innehållsförteckning för May 2023 från BBC Gardeners' World

Savvy saving… Claim a 10% discount on your shopping this month with our specially selected partners – saving you £££s. See p143 SAVE 10% Sail away with us… to explore the Canary Islands on this winter sunshine garden cruise in the company of GW’s David Hurrion. See p90 Planning days out? Be sure to check out our 2 for 1 Gardens directory to ensure you’re making the most of your new 2 for 1 Gardens card – go to GardenersWorld.com/gardens Listen out… for our new podcast series, where we’ll chat with gardening experts, top designers and some of your favourite GW presenters. Available from 11 May at GardenersWorld.com/podcast Subscribe now… and get 6 issues for only £26, saving 33% on the usual shop price. You’ll get Darlac tools, and our…

Group 2 clematis Group 2. It reminds me of when my junior school class was divided up to collect stones from where grass for the new cricket pitch was to be sown. The naughtiest kids were kept close: “Group 1, over there. Group 2, you stay here where I can keep an eye on you.” Dividing clematis into groups is just as practical and, in this case, all about simplifying the pruning. Group 1 – happy with no pruning. Group 3 – needs hard pruning in spring. Group 2 (featured here) – light pruning, in early summer, after flowering. Once you know the group, pruning is easy. Old or new, single or double flowers, strong growing or more restrained in growth – if they are best pruned lightly, soon after…

HOT TOPIC For peat’s sake! I have just read your article about peat (Over the fence, April issue). I have been peat-free for some considerable time and, although I am not a commercial nursery, I am aware of the damage peat removal is doing. Growers and nurseries have had long enough to find alternatives and gardeners need to work harder to grow peat-free. Just because we have always relied on peat to take the hard work out of growing doesn’t mean we can continue. Back to the drawing board – start gardening and living peat-free. Steph Jarrett, by email In response to the continued debate over peat-based compost use in the horticulture industry, as covered in your recent article (Over the fence, April issue), I have completely stopped buying any…

Major bid to save historic British trees Descendants of ancient trees rich with history could soon be growing in your garden, with the launch of a joint project run by the National Trust and garden centre chain Blue Diamond to preserve trees for the future. Ten saplings grown from the 350-year-old apple tree that gave Isaac Newton the idea for his law of gravity, still growing at his childhood home at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, are up for auction this year. Next year, you can also bid for saplings from the 2,500-year-old Ankerwycke Yew near Runnymede, thought by many to mark the location of the signing of Magna Carta in 1215 and to be the site of Henry VIII’s proposal to Anne Boleyn. Bidders in the auction process commit to…

Light and airy Create a miniature prairie border using the upright and feathery Stipa tenuissima as a backdrop. Add colour from the gem-like flowers of two-toned pansies and muscari around the edges, and delicate detailing from the euonymus’s white variegated leaves. We used ➊ Stipa tenuissima ‘Pony Tails’ x 1 ➋ Muscari ‘Blue Magic’ x 2 ➌ Blue and yellow pansies, Viola, x 2 ➍ Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ x 1 ➎ Galvanised trough, 25cm x 1 Hot ticket Perfect for a hot spot, bronze gazanias provide the flower power, with sempervivum adding more interest at the front of the display, and rosemary and senecio forming the backbone. This window box will provide glorious warm hues and cope well with the heat of a bright, sunny windowsill. We used ➊ Rosemary,…

Known for its artistic heritage and picturesque canals, the Netherlands is a great country to visit. Join us on this tour to discover an array of wonderful gardens and museums – all in the company of GW Associate Editor, David Hurrion. ◼ WEDNESDAY 6 SEPT Travel from London to Rotterdam on Eurostar and transfer to NH Hotel Amersfoort. Enjoy a welcome drink, dinner and introductory talk from David Hurrion. ◼ THURSDAY 7 SEPT We begin with an early-morning visit to the world’s largest flower auction – the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, where you can marvel at the huge variety of flowers bought and sold every day. After taking in the splendour of this location we move on to the Leiden Botanical Garden, where you are free to wander the various areas…

With creative thinking, clever use of materials and sourcing of plants, you can add design elements to your garden that won’t break the bank. Some items, such as below-ground drainage and structural work, are probably best left to expert landscapers, but there are plenty of ideas that you can try out yourself. These design tips are intended to be cost effective, but also good for the environment and great for supporting local wildlife. Tom Massey is a garden designer who works with nature to produce sustainable, ecological and resilient gardens that support wildlife and promote biodiversity. His new book RHS Resilient Garden (DK £27) is out now. Cost-effective garden updates Three ways to stretch your budget, while helping the environment Hard landscaping Hard landscaping is a key feature of any…

BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE! Easily made into a classic standard lollipop form, your plant can be shaped by removing the lower branches at the main stem. Grow on in large pots on the patio or plant out into beds, in full sun. Feed well to keep the flowers coming. Height x Spread 1.2m x 50cm Flowers May-Oct Supplied as established plants, approx. 65-80cm tall in 19cm pots. ◼ 1 x standard lollipop fuchsia, £24.99 BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE! SAVE £24.99 (450008) FREE Blooming Fast Superior Soluble Plant Food A high-potency, soluble fertiliser for more flowers and fruits. Each 5g scoop of feed makes up 5 litres of feed. 50g pack WORTH £2.99 FREE (100068) MORE OFFERS Bronze Medley square planters Ideal for larger single specimens, these are UV and weather…

Plant up a hanging basket Add height and potentially hundreds of colourful flowers to your garden this summer with a few hanging baskets. Traditional hanging basket plants include trailing petunias, lobelias and tuberous begonias, which can keep flowering until the end of autumn. They won’t tolerate frost, so stand your planted basket on a bucket and keep it in a greenhouse or well-lit porch for a week or two after planting, before hanging it up after the last frosts. Many summer-flowering hanging basket plants need frequent watering, so it can help to add water-retaining crystals to the compost or use drought-resistant plants such as trailing sedums, calibrachoas, pelargoniums or osteospermums. Use a peat-free multi-purpose compost with some slow-release granular plant food, and add in a couple of handfuls of soil-based…

The Darlac Expert Bypass Pruner has our Best Buy rating due to its comfy grip, lifetime guarantee and large cut capacity. The Darlac 5 in 1 Trowel is a versatile tool that can saw roots, cut string and lift weeds, and has a depth marker for planting and sowing. Plus, our Small Space Gardening Guide will help you make the most of your plot. Bundle worth £49.97 RRP Offer ends 25 May 2023 BEST BUY Bypass Secateurs 2 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE Call 03330 162123* and quote code GWSP523  Visit buysubscriptions.com/GWSP523 Your friend can experience more as a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Subscriber Club member with: 1 FREE delivery direct to their door 2 GardenersWorld.com Premium Access special subscriber-only content on GardenersWorld.com 3 Exclusive money-saving offers, competitions, discounts and free…

I can still remember the first time I visited a garden that was open to the public. I was a teenager, and I spent a lot of the visit studying labels of plants and making a note of those I liked, in the hope my parents would buy one or two from the garden centre. Money was tight and they bought just one – a pink penstemon that we carefully planted with pride. The penstemon still lives on – or at least several generations of cuttings do – as a reminder of that garden visit all those years ago. My garden-visiting habits have changed over the decades – my enthusiasm waned a bit during my university years, then when I had a toddler in tow, a good play area was…

Subscription order form GWNP523 Complete this form and send it to: FREEPOST IMMEDIATE MEDIA (PLEASE WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS) † This offer is only open to new UK Direct Debit customers subscribing to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. The closing date for this offer is 25 May 2023. You will pay £26 every 6 issues saving 33% on the usual shop price. The Darlac tools bundle and BBC Gardeners’ World Guide: Small Space Gardening are subject to availability. We reserve the right to fulfil all subsequent orders with a product of equal value. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery, but we will endeavour to fulfil orders at the earliest opportunity. You may cancel at any time and receive a full refund on any outstanding issues by contacting your bank…

ONLY £4.99 PER PLANT These three vibrant alstroemerias flower all summer in borders and patio containers, and also make long-lasting cut flowers. ALSTROEMERIA SUMMER TRIO COMPRISES: Alstroemeria Indian Summer Compact and upright, so the stems are still a good length for cutting. Flowers Jun-Nov Height x Spread 75cm x 60cm Alstroemeria ‘Summer Breeze’ Shimmering bronze foliage sets off the oranges and yellows of the blooms. F Jun-Oct H x S 60cm x 60cm Alstroemeria Summer Lovely Abundant bright scarlet-red blooms above green foliage. F Jun-Oct H x S 70cm x 50cm ◼ 3 jumbo plugs (1 of each) £35.97 £14.97 SAVE £21 ◼ 9 jumbo plugs (3 of each) £71.94 £26.99 SAVE £44.95 MORE GREAT OFFERS Delphinium ‘Red Lark’ Compact spires of salmon-red, semi-double flowers. F Jun-Jul H x S 70cm x…

Softwood cuttings are one of the easiest and most affordable ways of producing new plants, and this month is the perfect time to start taking them. Most plants are currently at their most urgent surge of growth, so you’ll stand a very high chance of success. I remember my astonishment, as a child, that the cuttings my grandmother gathered on garden visits sprung roots in just a matter of weeks! The softwood propagation technique I’m about to explain is one that I use regularly for plants I buy that I want more of but are more expensive than I can afford. So, if you like to share plants with friends, save money and repeat a particular species through your garden or pots, then this is the technique for you. New…

Grow a feast of sweet, delicious cherry tomatoes – buy 6 plants and get 6 free. ◼ Tomato ‘Sungold’ Enjoy intensely sweet, golden-orange cherry tomatoes, up to 400 per plant. Grow outdoors or in a greenhouse, in pots, grow bags or in the ground. Supplied as plug plants for growing on and planting out from early May. Harvest Jul-Oct Height x Spread 2m x 50cm Buy 6 plug plants, get 6 free £12.99 SAVE £12.99 (370043) Plus FREE delivery MORE OFFERS FOR YOU ◼ Blooming Fast Fish, Blood & Bone Natural, slow-release, multi-purpose feed 1 x re-sealable 1.5kg tub £8.99 (100046) ◼ Twin pack: peat-free multi-purpose compost 2 x 40L bags £23.97 SAVE £13 (100102) ◼ XL tomato grow bag Organic, peat-free 1 x 60L bag £18.99 (100160) Free delivery worth £4.99 on all…

Keep staking perennials Push plant supports into the soil around the edge of clumps of perennials to keep them standing upright in the border. The best time to stake or support is before the plant shows any signs of needing it. Once clumps flop in stormy weather or bend under the weight of the water in their stems, it’s difficult to support them and keep the plant looking natural and showing off its flowers well. Metal hoops are ideal for staking, as are bamboo canes or hazel stems placed around the outside of a plant and connected to each other with string. WATCH Monty staking plants at GardenersWorld.com/plant-supports Put up a bee box Fill a wooden box with hollow stems to encourage solitary bees, such as red mason bees, to…

STEP BY STEP Take softwood cuttings 1 TRIM the cutting, leaving a bud at the base, then remove the lower leaves. Leave the uppermost leaves but cut the biggest leaf blades in half to reduce water-loss while the cutting roots. 2 USE a dibber to insert the cuttings into a pot of peat-free propagation compost mixed with grit or perlite. Firm the compost down a little then press around the cuttings to secure them. 3 SOAK the compost with water that’s at the same temperature as the greenhouse, until the lower layers are fully wet. Use a fine rose to avoid dislodging the cuttings. 4 PLACE the cuttings into a covered propagator or cover them with a large polythene bag so that the cuttings are kept at a high humidity.…

Water crops growing in pots Make sure that container-grown crops such as herbs, fruit bushes and potatoes are watered very regularly. Crops in pots dry out faster than ones in the ground and you can’t rely on rain because it often runs off foliage and onto the patio, rather than into the compost. Soak them slowly so that all the compost around the roots is soaked through. Even on dull days pots can dry out, particularly if it’s windy. Fast-growing crops such as potatoes will need more water than woody fruit bushes. Earth up around potatoes in bags Get more and much better tubers later in the summer by adding some extra compost to potatoes growing in bags. You could use a little peat-free compost, or some spent compost mixed…

Right plant right place The mantra ‘right plant right place’ encompasses a garden planning method involving working out what conditions you have and then choosing suitable plants to grow there. It sounds, and is, simple but as gardeners are apt to fall in love with certain plants, we tend to focus on what we desire before thinking about where to put it. Much heartache can be saved by considering the growing space first. Right plant right place not only makes for easier gardening but is also a more sustainable and generally greener approach. Plants growing in conditions that suit them need fewer inputs (watering, fertilisers, protection etc) and naturally thrive, which means we don’t have to replace them. Before you buy any plants, find out a few basic things about…

Bring on summer! Follow Monty’s guide to your best blooms and harvests FREE SEEDS for every reader* WORTH £4.30 Grow beautiful cornflowers and tasty pack choi with your FREE SEEDS worth £4.30 Follow Alan’s tips to make your garden a relaxing retreat Grow windowsill HERBS and SALADS for tasty pickings from small spaces How to get the best from your CACTI and SUCCULENTS NICK shows how leaf cuttings can multiply your house plants for free Get the family growing with our pick of EASY CROPS for kids *DUE TO RESTRICTIONS ON MOVING PLANTS AND SEEDS OVERSEAS, WE REGRET THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE FREE SEEDS OUTSIDE THE UK. VARIETIES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AND MAY BE SUBSTITUTED FOR SEEDS OF SIMILAR VALUE. PLUS… Pizza ovens on test ◼ Geoff Hamilton’s…

We have reached a watershed moment here at Longmeadow. Water is part of the problem but, fundamentally, it is to do with climate. The climate is changing and mostly for the worse, at least as humans are concerned. In fact, the planet will survive perfectly well just as it has survived numerous ice ages, cataclysmic volcanic and meteorite events. But if we let our activities carry on unchecked we could well make human life very uncomfortable indeed. As it is, that discomfort is starting to be felt in our gardens. Like all these things, it has not been a smooth transition. Things muddle on, are sort of okay for a while until suddenly they are not. So it has been this past year. It began not with the drought and…

Rekha Mistry is a trained gardener, social media content creator and author With today’s fleeting technology, is what we see and read really true? This is always the biggest question asked when a social-media post or video is shared. That said, as an avid social-media user, I make sure that all my posts on the gardening channels I use are carefully created. This can also be said for many popular gardeners who communicate online. When searching for answers to problems, social media allows for instant replies from one or even several users, unlike with books and magazines, where one has to search for contact details, then make a phone call or send a letter or email to ask a question and then wait for a response. Online conversations also provide…

Bold and contemporary colour This container perfectly encapsulates what we love about the start of summer with its abundant scent and flowers. Sambucus brings fragrance and high-contrast foliage alongside vanilla-scented nemesia and bright bacopa. Positioned in good sun and regularly watered, this larger pot has the benefit of depth, which means it’s less likely to dry out. Pollinators will frequent to feed on the cosmos and sambucus. Both the muehlenbeckia and sambucus can be planted out in most soils – have a go at collecting cosmos seed when the heads dry out. To enjoy a summer-long display, cram in the annuals. These, however, won’t withstand frost, and should be overwintered in a frost-free place. TOP TIPS WE USED ➊ Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata White’ x 5 ➋ Sambucus ‘Black Lace’ x…

Your container style When it comes to growing in pots, there really is something for everyone – Adam explains all… Flexible framework Containers aren’t just for a short-term fix and, provided that the growing medium and maintenance is correct, trees, shrubs and topiary can be quite happy in pots for years. I tend to use potted plants of this kind to provide moveable structure and focal points, particularly in the winter, and they’re great for bringing evergreen interest. When choosing these plants, I also try to create a diversity of shapes and forms. Don’t be afraid to consider small trees – these can be fantastic in containers, and I have used them on the edge of a terrace to help provide privacy and to break up a space. A taste…

FREE £225pp on-board spend + gratuities Take in the wonders of the Canary Islands on this winter sunshine garden cruise where you’ll explore a range of outstanding natural attractions – all while enjoying the warm temperatures of this location. EXCLUSIVE ONBOARD EXPERIENCE Learn about the unique plants and flowers of the Canaries, attend a special Q&A and enjoy a farewell get-together and afternoon tea. Plus, join your host, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Associate Editor David Hurrion on four included garden visits! ◼ DAY 1 Southampton Join Balmoral with dinner and entertainment. ◼ DAYS 2-4 At sea On-board activities will keep you entertained, plus a welcome get-together with your host, including illustrated talks. ◼ DAY 5 Cádiz, Spain Spend a day exploring one of Europe’s oldest cities, known for its palm trees and maritime…

My excitement rises in May with the shoots of spring. Every morning I rush to check on seedlings and opening apple blossom. Warm days can feel like summer, and nights are beginning to stay above 5°C, encouraging me to plant more outside. However, I do keep an eye on the forecast for frosts, which are still likely in Scotland and northern England. As a sustainable grower, I reduce my ecological footprint by only using peat-free compost and no pesticides whatsoever. While I find these sustainable steps easy, reducing plastic when growing hundreds of seedlings is much harder. I sow directly into the ground whenever possible to remove all need for plastic and I’ve been reusing wooden seed trays with wooden plant labels for the last few years. The cover of…

STEP BY STEP Plant candelabra primulas Add colour to the border by planting candelabra primulas in full flower. Flowering for years, they do best in humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil. They are the perfect low-edging plants because, with their upright flowers and basal rosette of leaves, they don’t fop onto the lawn. 1 CHOOSE a spot near the edge of the border, where the flowers will stand out against the foliage, and dig a planting hole. 2 SOAK the bottom of the hole to ensure that the roots have a ready supply of water in the first few days of establishment. 3 PLANT with the crown at the surface and firm in. Water and keep it well watered during the season while it establishes. Water bedding when it’s dry Keep watering young bedding plants because they…

SAVE on your spring shopping BETTER YOU Experts in pill-free supplements, scientifically formulated to deliver maximum nutrient absorption. betteryou.com CODE: GWORLD10 J PARKER’S A long-running family business established in 1933 and now a leading UK supplier of bulbs and plants. jparkers.co.uk CODE: GWPMAY10 CROCUS Plant nursery established in 2000 and now the largest online UK gardening website, offering over 6,500 plant varieties. crocus.co.uk CODE: GW10MAY PERFECT PLANTINGS Family-run nursery offering an ever-increasing range of hardy perennials, bulbs, ornamental grasses, exotic plants, ferns and shrubs. perfectplantings.co.uk CODE: PPGW10 FARMER GRACY Offers top-quality bulbs and bare-root perennials, and works hard to ensure products are processed and packed in a sustainable way. farmergracy.co.uk CODE: GWM23RDR SARAH RAVEN For a beautiful garden and home discover our exclusive collections and best-selling ranges of seeds, plants,…

On your arrival at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, you’ll be welcomed by the GW Magazine team, before beginning your 90-minute garden tour. You’ll discover many fascinating facts about the development of these magnificent private gardens and family life on the estate, and find out how King Charles crafted each of the individual gardens from scratch. On your return, you’ll be treated to a prosecco and canapés reception, followed by a delicious three-course dinner in the Orchard Room. Then relax and enjoy Arit’s post-dinner talk, taking you through the influences that have shaped the gardener she is today. YOUR VISIT INCLUDES ✿ A guided tour of the gardens lasting 90 minutes ✿ Prosecco and canapés served on your return from the garden tour ✿ A delicious, seasonal three-course dinner served with Highgrove…

Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and has designed his garden to produce lots of veg, fruit and cut flowers. Christine Walkden Garden writer Christine appears on BBC1’s The One Show. She is also a lecturer and tour leader. Matt Biggs Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years. Q What plants will survive in my furnace of a garden? Tara Walters, Wallington A CHRISTINE SAYS With the record-breaking temperatures that the country experienced recently, it’s difficult to be positive with suggestions as it relates to many factors. I would however look at plants with natural adaptations to their foliage against drought, such as silver or grey colour to reflect sunlight, small leaves, waxy coverings, or tiny hairs to trap air as an…

There are so many gadgets available to gardeners nowadays that it is tempting to believe that our horticultural lives involved little more than drudgery before they were invented: computer-controlled irrigation with one of those little battery-operated timers on the garden tap; automatic ventilators on the greenhouse, and now – heaven forbid – robotic mowers which will get on with cutting the grass while we sit comfortably in front of the telly. Earghh! Convenient and labour-saving though some of these inventions are, we could – while admitting the inconvenience – manage quite well without many of them. I would, however, find it much more difficult to keep on top of my garden without one piece of equipment whose origins go back almost 2,000 years in history: the wheelbarrow. The first illustration…