How To Grow Herbal Tea A soothing cuppa has restored the spirits of the Amateur Gardening team on more than a few occasions. But maybe it feels like a leap of faith to swap your PG Tips for something fresh and fancy from your own garden or window box. Until quite…
Amateur Gardening Blog
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How to
How To Make Easter Hanging Baskets
If you are looking to create hanging baskets this Easter weekend – look no further than our simple step-by-step guide from Amateur Gardening magazine. For this you will need: – hanging baskets – liner – plastic ties – multipurpose compost – plants of your choice How to make your Easter hanging baskets:…
How To Sow And Grow Basil
Kris shows how to start off crops of basil Fill a pot with a good quality soil-based seed compost. Tamp down the surface. Lightly sprinkle a few seeds on the surface, then water. Cover with a ¼in (6mm) layer of vermiculite. Label, then place in a light, warm…
Five August gap-fillers
Fill that flowerless hole in the border with something that’s going to keep the colour coming right through to autumn. You should be able to pick these plants up from garden centres, or see individual suppliers listed. Osteospermum ‘Falling Stars’ 1. CAPE DAISIES Sunlight is vital to the performance of…
Summer clematis
Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ Their gently scrambling habit makes them the perfect follow up act for June-flowering roses and early summer-flowering shrubs. Pruning couldn’t be simpler: Just cut them down to the lowest shooting buds in mid-February and vigorous new growth will soon follow. The best reason of all for…
Tips
Beat Fruit And Veg Pests
Beat Fruit And Veg Pests If you leave big numbers of pests unchecked on the veggie plot you’ll soon regret it, says Lucy. Many have a rapid breeding rate and sneaky success tactics. It may not be enough to get rid of them by encouraging beneficial creatures like ladybirds and lacewings.…
Weatherproof Your Plot
Weatherproof Your Plot In times of a changing climate, we’re not sure whether summer will bring us deluge or dearth. But come rain or shine, we can take action to ‘weatherproof’ our fruit and veg via careful soil management, says Lucy. Protect From The Wet So you want to…
Make Your Garden Greener
Make Your Garden Greener Gardeners are natural custodians of their own little piece of the planet, and there’s never been a better time to be the change you want to see. As the Soil Association highlights the benefits of organic gardening, here are five easy tips you can follow to…
Keep Your Citrus In Shape
Keep Your Citrus In Shape Overwinter your lemon tree in a greenhouse If you are growing citrus trees in pots they will have loved the Mediterranean-levels of heat and sunshine we experienced for most of this summer. Our small lemon tree overwintered in the greenhouse, and then several months…
Bank Holiday Gardening
Bank Holiday Gardening Is it really the August Bank Holiday? Part of me feels sad because the curtain is on the verge of falling on summer, but I do love autumn’s colours, crispness (you can keep the days of damp dreariness) and that glorious glut of homegrown goodies. As usual,…