Innehållsförteckning för July 2023 från BBC Gardeners' World

Although this is my welcome letter for the July issue, I’m writing in late May. That’s the way our magazine production cycle works – we’re always at least a month ahead. Still, we’ve already had some glorious weather, so I’ve been able to spend time enjoying the garden with my family. I’m not talking about actual gardening – I do that whatever the weather – but soaking up and using the lovely space I spend so long tending. Some moments have been snatched (a morning cup of coffee or the odd lunch outside, when I’m working at home), while others have been longer affairs. A wonderful Saturday spent lounging with family and playing with the giant Jenga I bought from BBC Gardeners’ World Live years ago. An impromptu barbecue with…

I hope it is hot outside as you read this. And I hope your summer garden is loving it, soaking up the sun with the same pleasure and benefit as you or I might do. But it is a fine line. Too hot and too dry, and plants and people wilt. Too cold and too wet, and heads drop and foliage droops under the weight of sappy growth. It can seem tough to balance all the possible permutations of weather, soil and timing to get the garden looking good at the time of year when by all rights it should be effortlessly at its best. However, a few weeks ago I visited a garden that stunned me for both its beauty and the way in which it defied all these…

Your front-garden ‘potscape’ Have fun arranging a medley of simple terracotta pots in different sizes. This method allows for changing the look of the composition throughout the year. At the front, fill smaller pots with shorter plants such as dianthus, then graduate the pots in height so they can all be seen and admired. Bulk up the middle row with striking foliage plants such as heuchera and coleus, and use tall dahlias at the back to peek over. Although the plants are in individual pots, the group has a unifying colour theme, bringing harmony to the overall picture. Using pots allows you to keep swapping in and out different plants as they come into bloom or go over, choosing seasonal plants for the best impact. TOP TIPS Top dress your…

Imagine growing a garden in pots that changes through the seasons, where early flowering bulbs push up under spring blossoms, pollinators flit between the flowers in summer and autumn’s rich hues give way to small bright flowers in winter. A garden in pots is a great option where space or soil are limited, and by choosing plants that leapfrog the seasons, come ‘true’ from seed or reappear reliably every year, you’ll also reduce your carbon footprint, using less potting compost, less water and fewer plastic pots. If you were inspired to start a year-round garden in pots by part one of this series, in the March issue, you’ll already have six of the plants you’ll need for this late-summer into autumn display. If not, don’t worry, it isn’t too late…

Taking care of your gardening kit beats binning and buying anew, especially as you’ve probably got a fair sum invested in tools, furniture, pots and the like. With some regular love, they’ll last longer, saving you money and staying more sustainable. There are plenty of other benefits too: well-cared-for tools are easier and more efficient to use; wooden fences and benches look smarter and stand up better to the weather; and a sparkling greenhouse leads to healthier, faster-growing plants. A stitch in time saves nine, as the saying goes, and overleaf I run through 10 easy jobs that will help ensure that small problems don’t deteriorate into major repairs or replacement. 10 tips to keep your kit in good shape Easy ways to look after your garden equipment, so you…

Cannes & the Cote d’Azur from only £799pp* Save £50 with code GW50 Discover the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera on this seven-night holiday From opulent Monte Carlo to tranquil St-Paul-de-Vence, this guided group holiday has something for everyone. Visit the tiny nation of Monaco and Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens. Explore the medieval town of Grasse and the painter’s village of St-Paulde-Vence, as well as Antibes Old Town and Nice’s magnificent quay and promenade. A range of 2023 and 2024 holidays available, departing from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Dublin. Holiday includes: ◼ Full-day excursion to Monaco and the stunning Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild ◼ Day trip to the hilltop village of St-Paul-de-Vence ◼ Excursion to Grasse to experience the fragrances of the world’s perfume capital ◼…

◼ Daffodil ‘Pueblo’ Lovely scented blooms. Height x Spread 30cm x 15cm Flowers Apr-May ◼ Daffodil ‘Suzy’ Fragrant with orange centre. H x S 40cm x 15cm F Apr-May ◼ Daffodil ‘Pipit’ Lemon-yellow flowers. H x S 30cm x 10cm F Apr-May ◼ Daffodil ‘Martinette’ Showy sprays of blooms. H x S 40cm x 20cm F Mar-Apr ◼ Daffodil ‘Sun Disc’ Citrus-yellow petals. H x S 20cm x 10cm F Mar-Apr 10 bulbs of any single variety £9.99 SAVER COLLECTION 50 bulbs (10 of each variety) £19.99 SAVE £29.96 MORE BULB OFFERS Tulip Everlasting Mix Long flowering. H x S 40cm x 15cm F Apr-May ◼ 16 bulbs £10.99 £9.99 SAVE £1 ◼ 32 bulbs £21.98 £11.99 SAVE £9.99 Allium Big Impact Mix Mix of sizes and colours. H x S 60-90cm…

Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Series The Sweet series of Gerberas are winter hardy and will produce up to 50 large flowers per plant across three seasons. The blooms are up to 15cm across and look great in a vase. Height x Spread 40cm x 40cm Flowers May-October ◼ 3 plants in 7cm pots (1 of each colour) £19.99 BUY 3 GET 3 FREE! SAVE £19.99 (560047) FREE Blooming Fast Superior Soluble Plant Food A high-potency, soluble fertiliser for more flowers and fruits. Each 5g scoop of feed makes up 5L of feed. FREE 50g pack WORTH £2.99 (100068) FREE! SAVE £19.99 MORE OFFERS FOR YOU ◼ Twin Pack Peat-Free Multipurpose Compost Peat-free compost suitable for seedlings and seasonal planting. 2 x 40-litre bags £36.97 NOW £23.97 SAVE £13 (100102) Free delivery worth £6.99 on…

Feed fruiting crops such as aubergines, cucumber, melons, peppers and tomatoes under glass once a week, particularly those in pots. Plants grown in the border have access to nutrients in the soil, but will still benefit from weekly feeds. Dilute a high-potassium tomato liquid feed in a watering can and soak the roots. Make sure you water the feed onto roots that are still a little damp from the previous watering, to avoid scorching the plant. Granular fertilisers sprinkled around the base and manure mulch can be used too, but must be watered in. Water cuttings Keep checking cuttings in case they need more water. The foliage needs to be kept humid and the compost around new roots needs to be moist but not waterlogged. The lack of air in…

New potatoes grown in pots and bags should be ready around now, so feel one or two tubers near the surface with your fingers to check for size. Generally if they’ve finished flowering or have been growing for at least 10 weeks, they’ll be ready. You’ll need to lift the whole plant out so loosen the compost, then hold the stems near the base to lift it away. Shake off as much compost as you can and also collect tubers attached to the plant. Finally, work through the compost with your hands until you’ve found them all. Pick currants Snip off the ripened sprigs of blackcurrants, cupping them in one hand as you cut with the other. Lay them in a shallow basket so that they can’t be stacked and…

Trailing stars Fly the flag with this combination of red, white and blue. To get the look, mix large blooms with delicate flowers and trailing foliage. Plant equal amounts of each colour for the right balance. We used ❶ Chaenostoma cordatum ‘Snowflake’ x 1❷ Lobelia erinus ‘Cambridge Blue’ x 4❸ White trailing pelargonium x 1❹ Pelargonium Sunflair Ruben Dark Red x 2❺ Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata’ x 2❻ Metal hanging basket approx 35cm All-weather winner Pastel-pink blooms, silver-grey foliage and a delicate froth of white stars belie this container combination’s durability, making it a great free-standing feature for a sunny terrace. The selection of plants keeps its cool in droughts yet shrugs off wet summers thanks to the foliage tapestry, keeping things interesting between flushes of flowers. We used ❶ Pelargonium ‘Madame…

Just before planting out or repotting plants, check their roots. If they have started to circle in the old pot, tease them out, tugging them from the bottom and opening up the structure of the rootball – this will stop the roots from continuing to grow around in a circular fashion in the new pot or in the soil. If the roots are matted and pot-bound they can be cut back by up to third before planting. This will reinvigorate root growth and improve establishment. Water well to help them recover. VISIT GardenersWorld.com/basics to brush up your core gardening skills Don’t forget □ Remove and bin any diseased foliage to stop further infection□ Raise mower blades to improve the drought-resistance of your lawn□ Remove algae from ponds by twirling it…

Snip off the flowerheads of echinaceas in the border. If you leave them, the heads will run to seed and you’ll miss out on weeks of new flowers that will bloom right up until autumn. The new flowers will appear quickly at this time of year but further into late summer, growth will be much slower. In fact, it’s a good idea to stop deadheading in late August so that the seedheads can stand in the border to give structure to the winter garden and feed birds, too. Check cuttings for potting up Lift pots of rooted cuttings and check the drainage holes for signs of roots growing through them. If they are, it’s a sure sign that the cuttings are ready for potting up. If in doubt, give the…

Create an unusual feature with a mixed container of carnivorous plants. Easy ones to start with include Venus fly traps, tall pitchers (Sarracenia) and butterworts (Pinguicula). This display (left) has all three, with sundews (Drosera) and a cobra lily (Darlingtonia). Sticky-leaved plants such as butterworts and sundews are great for trapping fungus gnats, the tiny black flies found in the moist compost of house plants or inside a propagator. Carnivorous plants grow in boggy, acidic habitats with very little nutrients, which is why they trap insects to add to their diet. Potting compost is too strong for them so be sure to use a low-nutrient compost with no lime. Peat replacements in carnivorous plant-growing media include milled bark, composted bracken and coir. Use rainwater rather than tap water to keep…

Open the doors and windows to encourage some air flow around the greenhouse. This lowers the temperature during hot spells and reduces the incidence of fungal rots. It also encourages pollinating insects into the greenhouse. Automatic roof vents are triggered by temperature so will do the job for you, but side vents or doors need to be operated manually. Have them open in the morning and closed at night, but be sure to close them in stormy weather to prevent damage. Mist plants Use a hand sprayer to mist plants. The spray instantly lowers the temperature and increases the humidity around your plants. In turn, this slows down water loss from the leaves and reduces the stress that plants experience from the drying effects of high temperatures. Red spider mite…

This month 139 Gardeners’ Question Time The BBC Radio 4 experts answer this month’s pick of readers’ queries, including: ◼ Wildlife plants for a sunny arbour◼ How to get rid of mare’s tail◼ The best way to tame a wisteria Growing runner beans Runner beans can be one of summer’s star crops – a large harvest that goes in the freezer because you can’t eat them quickly enough. But a few problems can stop those beans forming on the plant and it’s worth considering the whole growing process to find the cause. At planting time ensure your soil is fertile and won’t dry out. Organic matter, such as homemade garden compost, is the key, preferably added in autumn and then used as mulch after planting. If your soil is acidic,…

‘Coronation Gold’ Broad, flat heads of bright yellow flowers are held above greyish-green foliage. Height x Spread 90cm x 50cm ‘Forncett Fletton’ Bright, brick-orange flowerheads age to golden yellow. Good with bronze kniphofias. H x S 60cm x 50cm Salmon Beauty (‘Lachsschönheit’) Flowers first open in a lovely salmon-orange, then fade to blushed white. H x S 80cm x 50cm ‘Moonshine’ Grey, self-supporting foliage sets off the wide heads of yellow-ochre flowers beautifully. H x S 60cm x 60cm ‘Summerwine’ Reddish-purple florets, each with a paler eye, are gathered into broad heads that fade to a rosy pink. H x S 80cm x 50cm Achillea Last summer, in one of those ferocious dry spells, I was walking past the school playing fields. Yes, the local school still has its playing…

Subscription order form GWNP723 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 20 July 2023. You will pay £5 for 3 issues; your subscription will then continue at the rate of £27.60 every 6 issues – still saving 29% on the usual shop price. The BBC Gardeners’ World 2 for 1 Gardens entry card and guide are subject to availability. We reserve the right to fulfil all subsequent orders with a product of equal value. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery, but we will endeavour to fulfil orders at the earliest opportunity. You may cancel at any time and…

Easy to make for a week-night meal and stylish enough to serve at a dinner party, the secret is to keep tasting and adjust the salt and lemon until it is just right. SERVES 2 PREP TIME 10 minutes COOK TIME 15 minutes ■ 200g linguine■ 2 large or 3 medium courgettes, grated■ 1 tbsp butter■ 1 tbsp olive oil■ 2 cloves garlic, grated■ 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped■ Sea salt flakes■ 50g pine nuts■ 40g parmesan, grated■ ½ lemon, juice only METHOD 1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente. 2 Meanwhile, tip the grated courgettes into a clean teatowel and squeeze over a bowl to remove…

Hassle-free growing is about big harvests and small effort, focusing on easy crops and using time-saving techniques. This often goes hand-in-hand with small spaces because there’s an emphasis on crops like tomatoes that continue to produce from one plant all summer, placing less reliance on rows of space-hogging one-hit wonders such as cauliflowers. The good news is that July is one of the most hassle-free months, anyway. On the veg plot, all of our hard work sowing seeds in spring is paying off. With crops ready to pick, we can relax a bit, strolling about enjoying summer’s abundance. A salad leaf here, a tomato there. If you can face it, sowing a few fast-growing crops now will extend harvests into autumn. But mostly, I’ll be enjoying what’s growing now while…

Shake a few poppy seedheads and listen for the seeds rattling. If they rattle they are dry and ready to harvest. Tip up the seedhead to check that the seeds will drop out. Gather enough seeds for next year’s sowings by cutting a large bunch of stems, carefully keeping them upright. Put a paper bag over the heads, then turn the bag the right way up. Shake the bag so the seeds drop into the bottom. Do this before the seedhead gets blown about and releases its seeds onto the ground. STEP BY STEP Plant nerines Pot up some nerines for an injection of vibrant-pink colour this autumn. If planting into the border, they will need free-draining soil in a sunny spot. Nerine growth can be checked if the surrounding…

Keep these beautiful irises flowering at their best by dividing clumps to give them more space every three or four years. This should be done between July and September, once flowering is finished. Bearded irises have glorious large flowers in a massive array of colours. They are easily distinguished from bulbous irises by the plump rhizomes that you’ll see on the soil surface. These horizontal stems root into the ground to support the strong upright stands of foliage and flowers. When the rhizomes become crowded, they create too much summer shade in the clump, which reduces flowering. Replant the youngest divisions to rejuvenate them. The rhizomes must be exposed to warmth and light to flower the following year, so make sure neighbouring plants don’t shade them. They also need free-draining…

Layering is an ingenious way of propagating shrubs and other plants – in essence it’s like taking cuttings while allowing them to stay attached to their parent plant. It’s all about replicating what happens in nature when a shoot or branch comes into contact with the soil and starts rooting, and it’s a great way of reproducing difficult-topropagate shrubs. The process works well in autumn, so now’s the moment to select plants you can propagate in this way and to prepare the kit you’ll need to do it successfully. I’ve used this technique many times over the years, particularly to produce extra stock of rare or unusual shrubs. It’s a relatively simple but very rewarding propagation technique that can result in a rooted shrub in around a year. How to…

Bob Flowerdew Bob is an organic gardener and has designed his garden to produce lots of veg, fruit and cut flowers. Humaira Ikra Humaira has worked as a garden designer for over 10 years and runs a garden design course. Matt Biggs Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years. Q What can we plant for wildlife by a sunny arbour? Dan, Greater Manchester A HUMAIRA SAYS Honeysuckle is great, but it can get a bit unruly. As you want something that’s good for wildlife with scent, roses come to mind. There are a few you could go for such as ‘Direktör Benschop’, which flowers in June and July and repeats in September and October, if happy. It’s heavily scented, has a lovely Chantilly-cream…

Love your shade! Monty shares how to embrace the shady areas of your garden – discover his expert growing techniques and failsafe plants to brighten any gloomy spot Find out how to create a beautiful garden that needs no watering Welcome wildlife with our pot displays for bees, butterflies and more Keep your plants healthy – ALAN shares how to tackle diseases the natural way Give your garden a late-summer boost with SUE KENT’s pick of plants for a floral finale Learn how to take semi-ripe cuttings to make free plants – NICK shows you how Get your apples in shape with FRANCES’ expert step-by-step pruning guide PLUS… Buying accessible tools ◼ Rescuing bargain-bin plants ◼ Hassle-free harvests ◼ Big flavour from small plots…