Amateur Gardening 5 December
What’s in this issue…

Jobs for this week

Battling The Elements
Worried your garden might take a battering from the elements? Ruth shows you how to deal with the worst

Worst Winter Offenders
Top tips on how to protect your garden from three key foes: heavy rain, force gales, and thick snow

How To Give Your Soil TLC
Make sure your brown stuff is in peak fitness for spring by digging it over and replenishing it

Sowing In The Cold
Some seeds benefit from chills to help them germinate, as Ruth explains in Amateur Gardening 5 December

Last Call For Garlic!
Time is running out to plant your garlic, says Ruth, so put yours in the ground before Christmas

Great garden ideas

Correas
Aussie fuchsias have come a long way – and we show you how they can brighten up your winter garden

Midwinter Stars
These top performers are sure to add colour, scent and structure to your space during the cold months

Plants For Every pH
Acid queen or alkaline angel? We show you how to determine which plants will work best in your soil

Get The Look
A sloping garden in a Cheshire market town presents a unique challenge for two determined gardeners

Gardening wisdom

Peter Seabrook
A fruit tree can support several cultivars, which is why every garden should have one, as Peter explains

Bob Flowerdew
Undercover greens give nourishment and variety in winter – so grow some baby salads indoors, says Bob

Val Bourne
AG readers can do their bit to save the planet: Val looks at ways we can put our knowledge to good use

Lucy Chamberlain’s Fruit and Veg
Focus on blueberries, get growlights for indoor crops, scrape indoor vines, protect exotic fruits

Ask John Negus
Your questions on growing in raised beds, an orange cactus, non-ripening figs and a mystery shrub

A Gardener’s Miscellany
Forget cyclamen and poinsettias – the indoor azalea is the subject of this week’s trivia and prizes

How To Use Tools
Want to overwinter your pot plants? Tim shows you how you can save your indoor pals and save cash, too!

Anne Swithinbank’s Masterclass
It’s the age-old dahlia dilemma, but luckily Anne is on hand to help you decide whether to lift or leave

Letters to Wendy
AG readers in defence of woodlice, sedum tips, writings from a bygone era and ‘out of this world’ cosmos

Toby Buckland
Why do trees bleed, and why is it right to cut now? Toby looks at some key pre-Christmas prunings

Garden News
Monty Don ruffles feathers with comments about growing from seed and plants raised in peat-free compost

Cover: Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ (pic: Garden World Images)