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Usually we grow climbers up a wall or trellis, but how about trying to thread them through shrubs? It can make for a stunning partnership, says Graham Rice
Many shrubs and trees, when their main season is over, are less than appealing. In particular, this applies to the summer look of winter- and spring-flowering forsythias, viburnums, rhododendrons, crab apples and flowering…
1 At the end of March/early April sow seeds into 9cm pots. Use an equal ratio of loam, perlite and sand.
2 Stand pots in a warm propagator in the greenhouse – they’ll take about 7-10 days to germinate.
3 Put young plants outside during the day to allow the wind to thicken the stems, but return them to the greenhouse overnight.…
12 ways to make your garden as pretty as Claude Monet picture:
1 AIM FOR EXUBERANCE
Let one or two flamboyant, large-flowered hybrids provide the backbone to the garden, and then choose three or four subtler varieties as the ‘supporting acts’. In a late spring border for example, this could be: bearded iris, oriental poppies and peonies together with dame’s rocket, forget-me-not,…
AG editor, Tim Rumball shows you how to bring apple trees into shape and boost fruiting performance for the following season
Never taken cuttings? Gain confidence with these easy candidates, says AG garden writer Michelle Wheeler
The part of gardening I enjoy the most is propagating plants. If you have never taken cuttings before, fuchsias are ideal plants to start out with as they have a high success rate of rooting.
The trick is to get everything ready before you start. So soak…
Thinking of taking semi ripe cuttings this summer? see our list here for a range of suitable shrubby subjects
The never-ending quest to combat garden pests is now in full swing, especially in my greenhouse. A few weeks ago I fumigated it with a garlic candle, which worked well, but the whitefly came back. So I ordered the biological control Encarsia formosa, a parasitic wasp that lays its eggs into the whitefly larvae and kills them, the wasp will…
It’s important to divide your bearded irises every few years to keep them floriferous and healthy, and to make new plants.
The traditional technique is to dig up the iris six weeks after flowering, divide and replant. However some iris growers, such as Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, achieve just as good results by dividing the iris while it’s still in the…
Don’t let summer heat stop you from planting out trees and shrubs, say Michelle Wheeler
1) When planting in grass, first strip off the turf, in a circle radiating out 20in (50cm) from the central position of where the tree or shrub is to be sited.
2) Dig the hole, making it the same depth as the container the plant is growing…
It’s the season for taking stem-tip cuttings of heathers. Kris Collins shows you how to go about it in six easy steps
1) Remove a strong, healthy, non-flowering shoot with clean secateurs, cutting straight across the stem about 4in (10cm) below the tip. Then use a sharp knife to trim the cutting to 2in (5cm) long
2) Strip leaves from the lower third of…
