Growing
How To Build A DIY Cold Frame In 4 Easy Steps - Help Tender Plants Through Winter
IN THIS GUIDE Choosing Materials What You’ll Need: How To Build A Cold Frame 1) Build The Front Of The Frame 2) Repeat For Remaining Planks 3) Attach The Planks To The Battens 4) Attach The Lids How To Add Support Battens Where To Put Your Cold Frame Grand Job! We’ve seen cold frames described as “a gardener’s best friend” – and we’d be inclined to agree. Though simple – just a wooden frame with a see-through lid – these little boxes are surprisingly versatile and helpful. Whether you want to plant crops out earlier, keep them growing for longer into winter, or harden off plants making their way from your greenhouse to your garden, a cold frame could be exactly what you’re looking for. “The cold frame is an asset to any gardener growing plants from seeds or cuttings, or trying to coax a half-hardy plant through the winter,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. You’ve been framed “A simple hinged roof allows airflow and temperature to be controlled to the benefit of plant growth relative to the environment outside of the frame. “Cheap, simple and effective.” Then we’ll get a little bit technical, giving you a step-by-step breakdown of how you can build your very own frame. Whether or not you’re a DIY dab hand, these instructions should have you up and running in no time. Think of it as a halfway home between greenhouse and garden Choosing Materials When building a cold frame the first step is to decide which material you want to use. In our experience wood is by far the most common, although brick and plastic are both viable options. In this guide we’ll focus on wood, so if you want a frame made of another material you’ll need to look elsewhere! What You’ll Need: Wooden battens: these are pieces of wood that will stand vertically, one at each corner. These should be a couple of inches thick to provide good structural integrity. Remember that those at the front will need to be shorter to give the cold frame its distinctive slope. Wooden planks: these pieces of wood will be fitted horizontally between the battens, making the frame itself. Optional extra wooden battens: these will let you prop the cold frame open. A batten the height of the back side of the frame will prop the lid open a couple of inches, while a longer batten can be positioned to hold the lid completely open. Glass: always be careful when handling glass as it’s obviously fragile and potentially quite sharp! Clear plastic: if you can’t find or don’t want to use glass. Hinges: to attach the lid to the frame. Screws: to hold everything together. Screwdriver: to screw in your screws. A drill: to create pilot holes that make screwing a little bit easier. When sourcing materials, you can buy directly from a hardware shop or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try to salvage things. With wood and glass, look in skips or for houses undergoing renovations. You may find wood, old windows, shower doors, cabinet doors, or similar. It’s possible that you’ll save somebody a trip to the dump too, making it a win-win situation. And bear in mind that it’s much easier to cut wood to fit your glass than to try and find a piece of glass the right size for pre-cut wood! Keep in mind that cold frame kits are available as well: these are a good choice if you want things to be a little easier. How To Build A Cold Frame Follow the steps below and you’ll be the proud owner of a cold frame. Always be careful when using tools, and always measure things and test they fit together before inserting the first screw! Doing this will save you a whole lot of hassle if something doesn’t fit. 1) Build The Front Of The Frame Begin building the front of the frame. Lay the two front battens on the ground, then lay a plank across the top so that both ends are flush. Use two screws to attach each end of the plank to a batten. 2) Repeat For Remaining Planks Repeat for the remaining planks on the front. When attaching planks to battens it’s easiest to drill pilot holes then insert the screws into position with a screwdriver. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the back of the frame. 3) Attach The Planks To The Battens Stand the front vertically and attach one of the side planks to the front batten. Position the back of the frame into place, then attach the other end of the plank from step 4 to the back batten. Repeat for all remaining planks until the sides are complete. Position the angled side plank on the top of one side, drill pilot holes, then screw this in place. Repeat then for the other side. 4) Attach The Lids Make sure everything is flush, otherwise your frame will look scruffy Position the lid(s) on top of the frame, again taking care that the sides are flush with the frame itself. Screw on the hinges making sure they’re the right way round. How To Add Support Battens While optional, we definitely recommend installing these. It’s not that much more work, and the added functionality will come in really handy for regulating the temperature inside your frame. Screw one end of the longer batten a couple of centimetres behind the front batten, with the support batten parallel to the side of the frame. The screw acts as the hinge on which the support batten is raised and lowered. Use a small chock of leftover wood to support the batten when it is not in use: an inch square should do the trick. Drill this into place and let the batten rest against it. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the support batten on the other side of the frame. Where To Put Your Cold Frame Once your frame is ready, you need to find the right place for it. As one of the key roles of a cold frame is to capture and trap sunlight, it stands to reason that you’ll want a spot that’s frequently sunny. Tucked away in the shade, your frame won’t be able to function as well as intended. By design, the frame will shelter the plants inside from the elements, but try not to put it somewhere that will get too wet or too buffeted by winds. Before adding soil and plants to your cold frame it should be fairly easy to move with one or two people. Take care to lift together and to carry carefully, then simply reposition your frame in the ideal spot. Once in place, fill with soil and get planting! You can treat the soil inside exactly the same as you would a normal bed: plant things out, keep them watered, keep an eye on weeds, and so on. You should see way fewer weeds inside your frame than out in your garden, for the simple reason that seeds and spores will find it harder to get inside. Grand Job! Whatever brought you here, we hope the information in this guide has been helpful. For those of you looking for more information on what cold frames are and how they work, hopefully now you’re fully elucidated and aware of the potential benefits they bring. And if you’re a DIYer and a proud new owner of your very own cold frame, then congratulations! It really isn’t an exaggeration that a cold frame will revolutionise your gardening. By extending the growing season of your favourite crops in both directions you’ll be able to harvest many more fruits and veggies than you would otherwise. And if you’re a greenhouse gardener with high traffic between greenhouse and garden, you’ve now got the option to make sure your plants are much better prepared for their journey into the big wide world.
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Propagating Strawberry Plants Using Runners: Get New Plants For Free With This Easy Process
IN THIS GUIDE Growing Strawberries Propagating Strawberry Plants When To Propagate Runners How To Grow New Strawberry Plants From Runners 1) Ensure Soil Contact 2) Cut The New Plant From The Parent 3) Plant In A Suitable Spot There is nothing more delicious than eating homegrown strawberries. They taste so much better than shop-bought, can crop for weeks and are incredibly easy to grow. Strawberries, or Fragaria x ananassa as they are botanically named, are perennial plants that usually crop well for 3 or 4 years – after which fruiting diminishes and the plants need replacing. Instead of buying new plants every few years, new plants can be propagated from the old plants by taking runners. Propagation can seem rather complicated and daunting, but don’t let this put you off. In this guide we’ll show you how to use runners to grow new plants for free. Growing Strawberries There are several different types of strawberries that you can grow here in the UK. The most common strawberries grown at home, which we’ll focus on, are summer fruiting varieties, that can fruit in either early, mid or late season. These are known as June-bearing plants. If you have room for a mixture of all three then you could be picking strawberries for weeks on end over the summer! Other varieties include everbearers or perpetual strawberries – which produce fruits on and off intermittently during the summer until the first frosts – and alpine strawberries, which crop tiny but delicious fruits from spring until autumn. Summer fruiting varieties are a great and easy plant to grow in the garden. They grow well in either containers or direct in the ground, and are a great plant to get children interested in growing. Early varieties will crop from late May, mid-season from mid-June and late varieties from early July. Propagating Strawberry Plants Strawberry plants can be propagated, either from seed or from runners. Growing from seed is relatively tricky with cold treatment often being required prior to sowing and new plants not coming true from hybrid parent plants. Strawberry plants or runners can often be bought cheaply from garden centres or community sales and are readily available, making it the preferred option for most gardeners. When To Propagate Runners Runners, or ‘stolons’ as they are also called, are the long leafless stems that the plants produce. Runners are often produced from year one, but these should be cut off in the first two years and only used for propagation from year three. These runners produce baby plants or plantlets at their ends and it is these that will create new plants. The best time to use these runners for new plants is after the plant has finished fruiting, however, anytime from late summer until autumn will suffice. How To Grow New Strawberry Plants From Runners Before making new plants from runners, it is important to make sure that the parent plant is a healthy specimen and free of disease. 1) Ensure Soil Contact The plantlets need contact with the soil to root and grow. Some plantlets may already have roots forming underneath, which need to be buried just below the soil surface. To enable this soil contact, u-shaped pieces of wire or wire pegs can be used to pin the stem and plantlet directly into the ground or pots already filled with soil. It is important not to cut off the stem from the parent plant at this stage, but to wait for the new plant to produce new leaves before doing so, usually after 4 – 6 weeks. You can either grow in the ground, or force the runner to establish itself in a separate pot. We recommend cutting off any additional runners extending from the one which you are propagating. This will allow the new plant to divert all its energy into developing new roots. 2) Cut The New Plant From The Parent Once new leaves have appeared and the new plant has been separated from the parent plant, it can then be transplanted to a new site, left where it is to grow or be potted up. These new plants will need watering until established, especially if planted in pots, which tend to dry out more quickly. 3) Plant In A Suitable Spot After only 4-6 weeks, the roots of the plant shouldn’t be too well established, meaning you should be able to dig around them and transplant your strawberry plant to a new, suitable location. With newly propagated plants planted out in spring, it is advisable to remove the flowers during the first season, in order to encourage root growth. A strawberry plant can send out multiple runners during the growing season, however it is recommended to only use 3 – 4 of them for propagation each year. If you are unable to wait until year three to take runners for propagation, then runners can easily be bought online from reputable suppliers in late summer or early spring. For the best chance of success, it is best to avoid planting them out during the winter months when the soil is wet and cold. “As tempting as it is to leave plants propagated by runners in place longer term, this can cause over-crowding and even a lawn of strawberry plants!” says Horticultural Consultant Peter Lickorish. “Moving them to somewhere else is important, such as another bed or container.” Propagation need not be intimidating, so why not have a go at growing some free strawberry plants this summer. Let’s be honest, is it ever possible to have too many strawberries?
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Growing Fruit Trees In Smaller Spaces? Use A Cordon System To Increase Your Yield
IN THIS GUIDE What Are Cordon Fruit Trees? Why Columnar Fruit Trees In Your Garden? Which Are The Best Fruit Trees To Cordon? Where To Grow Cordon Fruit Trees Support For Columnar Trees Planting Cordon Fruit Trees Fruit Tree Care & Pruning References Fruit trees can be excellent additions to any garden, and when you cordon fruit trees they can be grown in even the smallest of spaces. If you want to grow fruit trees in smaller spaces, a cordon system can be a good idea. “If you have a smaller garden or just want to grow many types and cultivars of fruit, cordons are a great way to optimise the number of different fruits in your garden,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “They are also a relatively low-labour option, only requiring pruning and mulching once a year.” When fruit trees are grown and trained in this specific way, you can grow far more fruit in a far smaller area – so this can be a great way to make the most of your space. Read on to find out more about cordon fruit trees: Learn why they can be a great idea in a small garden. Discover which fruit trees are best for treating in this way and where to position your trees. Get tips for providing them with support and how to plant and care for them in your garden. What Are Cordon Fruit Trees? Cordon grown apple trees Cordon fruit trees are trees which are grown to form narrow, columnar forms. They are kept compact, with once central trunk and short, fruit-producing spurs. They are not allowed to bush out into full standard or bush-shaped trees – nor are they allowed to branch out sideways significantly, as in fan-shaped or espaliered forms. Cordon fruit trees are usually grown on intermediate (moderately vigorous) root stocks. Because they do not have major side branches, cordon trees will not crop as heavily as standard trees or fruit trees with other forms. However, when you choose the right varieties and care for them correctly, trees pruned in this way can still provide a yield of up to around 10kg of fruit per tree. Why Columnar Fruit Trees In Your Garden? While cordon fruit trees are usually relatively small, when treated correctly they can produce a high yield. Since a number can be grown in close proximity to one another, you can increase the overall yield of fruit from your garden. Cordon fruit trees can be an excellent choice if you want to make your garden as productive as possible. You can grow several trees pruned in this way in the space that would ordinarily only be able to accommodate one fruit tree – and therefore get a lot more from the available area. Since cordon fruit trees have a relatively flat profile, they can be grown up against a wall or fence – making use of marginal spaces. They can also be used to provide some privacy or screening without casting excessive amounts of shade across the space. Which Are The Best Fruit Trees To Cordon? Apples Cordoned apple trees in an orchard In the UK, the best fruit trees for cordon fruit trees are apples. Apples are often one of the easiest fruit trees to grow here, no matter what form they take. They tend to like the growing conditions UK gardeners can provide, and will grow well in many gardens across the British Isles. Apples also respond well to different pruning regimes and it is usually fairly easy to find apple trees in cordon or columnar form. Pears Pears are another top pick for cordon fruit trees. Pears too can grow well in many UK gardens, and these trees can also respond well to cordoning or columnar pruning. They too can fruit well on the short fruiting spurs created with this shaping regime. While apples and pears are the best choices, you can also consider other trees too. Plum & Cherry Plums and cherry trees can also make good cordon fruit trees, as long as you select suitable cultivars for this type of pruning. Be sure to choose spur-fruiting cultivars. Choosing Fruit Trees It is far easier for most gardeners to purchase cordon fruit trees which have already been trained and pruned into columnar form. These are now fairly readily available from garden centres and plant nurseries. Remember, however, when choosing your trees, that you must choose cultivars that are suited to the growing conditions in your particular area. Remember to think about all the different factors in the environment which influence plant growth: sunlight, wind, water and soil type, pH and conditions. Where To Grow Cordon Fruit Trees Cordon fruit trees can be placed against an existing structure, such as a wall, fence or trellis, or they can be placed in another spot in your garden, with a new support structure. They can be useful when used to create partitions between different ‘rooms’ in a garden. Cordon fruit trees can be grown in the ground, but there are also fruit trees suitable for growing in containers, or large pots. For best results, they should typically be grown with support, and not as free-standing specimens. Location When choosing where to place cordon fruit trees, it is important to consider the types and varieties of fruit trees that you have chosen. Think about the needs of the plants, and whether the location you are considering will provide them with what they need. Sunlight is one important consideration – think about the orientation of the wall or fence you wish to place your cordon fruit trees against, for example, if you are placing the trees against an existing structure. Does it face south, east, west or north? How much sunlight does it receive? There are fruit trees suitable for structures of any orientation. But you need to choose the right varieties – especially when it comes to choosing cordon fruit trees for a north-facing or more shaded place. Support For Columnar Trees One important thing to note, whether you are training your trees against an existing structure, or making a new support structure, is that it must be strong enough to withstand gales, and support the weight of your trees in windy conditions. It should be sturdy and durable enough to meet the purpose. On an existing wall or fence, you will need to make sure that the structure is in good repair before you begin. And you will need to add support wires which are firmly anchored in place. Remember, fruit trees will be there for the long term – usually the next 30-40 years.1 So make sure your fencing wire and fixings are good quality, durable, and up to the task. Planting Cordon Fruit Trees Before planting your cordon fruit trees, make sure that you have prepared the area. If you are growing in the ground, make sure that you have amended the soil with plenty of organic matter, and provided fertile and weed-free soil. Below we have used some basic illustrations to map out the step-by-step process for planting your trees: 1) Preparing Your Structure If you choose to use one, prepare your support structure and place your well-secured training wires horizontally across this structure. 2) Space Out Your Trees Take long branches or sturdy bamboo canes (2.4m long is ideal) and tie these to the wires, at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. This marks the angle and spacing of the trees, and is the support to which the main trunk of your cordon fruit tree will be tied. While not essential, it is a good idea to place trees on a 45-degree angle, because this will give you a longer trunk while keeping all the fruits at a comfortable picking height. The canes should be spaced around 60-80cm apart. This gives the spacing for your cordon trees. 3) Dig Planting Holes Next, dig your planting holes at the foot of each cane to accommodate your new fruit trees. Consider adding mycorrhizae to the planting hole to aid establishment.2 4) Plant Your Trees Place your cordon fruit trees in each hole, so they follow the same 45-degree angle as the canes. Tie the main trunks to the canes, and fill back in the soil firmly around each tree. 5) Mulch & Water Water well, and keep watering during establishment and during any dry periods. Mulch well with organic matter around the base of your trees. 6) Introduce Companion Plants Add fruit tree guilds of beneficial companion plants for best results. According to St Ives Community Orchard, some of the best companion plants for fruit trees include Nasturtium, Basil, Yarrow, Comfrey and Chamomile.3 Fruit Tree Care & Pruning Fruit tree care is largely the same no matter what form your fruit trees take. Columnar apple tree The only way that cordon trees differ is in their pruning requirements. In summer (usually August), cut back the leading stem to the height you want to maintain your cordon at. Prune back all straight new shoots to 3-4 leaves above the basal cluster of leaves (the group of leaves at the base of a stem). Prune back all spur growth to one leaf beyond the basal cluster. This means the tree will focus not on foliage growth but on flowering and fruiting in the spring. Though they need more careful pruning than other fruit tree forms, cordon fruit trees can still be a relatively low maintenance choice – especially if you keep them healthy by companion planting beneficial guilds which help keep them free from pests and disease in an organic garden. References 1. How long do fruit trees live? (n.d.). Dave Wilson Nursery. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.davewilson.com/home-garden/faq/question/how-long-do-fruit-trees-live/ 2. Role of mycorrhizae on mineral nutrition of fruit trees. (n.d.). ISHS. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.actahort.org/books/1217/1217_34.htm 3. Langley, E. (2020, April 20). Companion / Guild planting. St Ives Community Orchard. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.stivesorchard.co.uk/companion-planting-around-fruit-trees/
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Don't Damage Your Choisya Plant - Only Prune Once All Risk Of Frost Has Passed
IN THIS GUIDE Why Prune Choisya? Deciding When To Prune How Far Back Can Choisya Be Pruned? How To Prune Choisya ternata Choisya is a beautiful bush bursting with adorable white flowers. The delicate yet confident colour palette makes this plant a popular choice for British gardeners for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they’re charming to look at. Second, they pair well with all sorts of colours and shapes thanks to their non-dominating aesthetic, making them a flexible and versatile choice when planning your garden. With so many flowers though, some gardeners find themselves wondering how best to prune this buoyant bloom. If you’ve got a choisya and you’re unsure how to prune it without causing damage, or just need a little more info on the best time of the year for your pruning session, read on. We’ve pulled together some fantastic tips to help you take the best care of this luxurious plant. Why Prune Choisya? This is a common question amongst gardeners with choisya. First, let’s take a look at the reasons why you might want to prune this plant – Your choisya is getting too big, and is encroaching into other areas of your garden. Perhaps over pathways, making them tricky to walk on comfortably. Your choisya is growing out of its desired shape. As a shrub, keeping this plant a certain shape is not only possible but maybe even desirable. If you’ve got topiary ambitions, you’ll find yourself pruning more often. If neither of these concerns is relevant, you won’t really need to prune choisya much. The plant can do without it (unlike some other ornamental varieties that suffer if left unkempt). This plant can get a little unruly! Deciding When To Prune There are a couple of things to keep in mind when pruning: firstly, new growth will occur at the pruning site. Because one of the goals of pruning is to reduce the size of the plant whilst encouraging fresh new growth, you need to ensure you prune at a time of year where this will take place. This leads us to our second consideration: frosty spells will damage newly pruned sites, potentially killing off any new growth. With this in mind, the answer to the question of when to prune choisya becomes “after any risk of frost has passed!” How Far Back Can Choisya Be Pruned? This plant can take quite an aggressive pruning, up to a maximum of half of its size. It’s usually recommended to prune more frequently and less drastically, but you do have options if you’ve left it longer than the ideal amount of time between haircuts. How To Prune Choisya ternata Now we’ve looked at the whens, let’s take a look at the how. Pruning choisya isn’t too different from pruning other evergreen shrubs. You’ll just need a sharp gardening tool like pruning shears, secateurs – or, if you don’t have those, a good pair of scissors. Take care to use one clean cut where possible rather than hacking away. The more exposed the cut, the more likely it is that disease will take hold; a clean-cut has the smallest possible incision site. Once pruned, your choisya will appreciate a bit of fresh compost around the roots. “I always like to mulch a tree or shrub when I’ve completed a pruning job,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “Although not always strictly necessary, it feels right and ensures that plants that aren’t in a regular routine of annual mulching receive some organic matter over time. “On free-draining soils, it will help with moisture retention, whilst on clay soils, it will help with drainage.” It’s not just human visitors that will find this plant charming! This nutritional boost will expedite new growth, and should lead to a friskier, healthier bloom.
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What Do You Do With Lilies Once They’ve Flowered? Lynn Slackman Reveals All
IN THIS GUIDE Why Deadhead Lilies? What To Do When Your Lilies Are Done Flowering How To Get The Best Bloom From Your Lilies Take Good Care Of Those Lilies! There are thousands of types of lily, all bringing an individual charm to the attractive central theme. Depending on your skills and ambition as a gardener you can go for the easy-to-grow varieties you’ll find on the seed racks at your local garden centre, or you can give yourself a challenge and attempt to grow something a little more finickity. Whatever you go for, though, get it right and you’ll be rewarded with a colourful and sometimes fragrant bloom. Perhaps the archetypal lily aesthetic: white trumpet-like flowers with vivid yellow When it comes to lilies, one of the most common questions we hear from fellow gardeners is “what do you do with lilies once they’ve flowered?” It’s a good question – because while lilies won’t flower again once they’ve bloomed, there are a couple of convincing reasons to remove the flowers. Or, as it’s also known, to deadhead them. Why Deadhead Lilies? “Deadheading lilies will certainly enable the plant to direct its energy to the stem and bulbs instead of the flower,” says Lynn Slackman, from the North American Lily Society. “However, if you are a hybridiser, pollination of the flower is essential to furthering your hybridising goals.” Before we jump into showing you what to do with your lilies once they’ve finished flowering, we’ll quickly introduce deadheading, in case you’re not familiar. Put simply, deadheading is the process of removing flowers from ornamental flowering plants. Using scissors, secateurs or similar to snip each spent flower from the plant has several benefits: Some plants will grow new flowers in their place (not lilies, however!) If pollinated, seed production takes a lot of energy. Deadheading helps the plant to direct this energy elsewhere instead. With lilies, where you can reuse the bulb for next year’s growth, directing the plant’s energy into storing nutrients in the bulb is very useful. Some plants – like bushy roses, for example – leave a lot of mess as they die off. Deadheading quite literally nips this in the bud and saves you the hassle of cleaning up. What To Do When Your Lilies Are Done Flowering This all takes us back to the title, and to the question of what you should do with your lily plants once they’ve finished flowering and the bloom is starting to die off. The short answer: remove each flower as it becomes spent. “I don’t spend a lot of time deadheading in the garden but I will deadhead Lilies as they go over,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “The flowers are so large and I grow them in pots for prominent positions, so they’d really detract from the desired effect if I didn’t.” You’ll be able to tell when it’s time because the flower will discolour and wilt. Deadheading a lily with secateurs (This is another benefit of deadheading: the vibrancy of your garden is maintained through the removal of dull, fading blooms.) To deadhead either pinch hard the stem beneath each flower and pull it off with your fingers, or cut with a sharp gardening tool like the ones we mentioned previously. Secateurs are usually best. Then simply discard the flower, either into your compost, your garden waste bin or, if you’re feeling naughty, into the general waste. When deadheading, take care not to remove any leaves along with the flower, as the plant needs all of its leaves to collect sunlight and generate energy! The effectiveness of deadheading as a way to redirect energy to the bulb is reduced if you chop the leaves off. How To Get The Best Bloom From Your Lilies If you’ve found your way to this article, perhaps you’re keen to improve the overall quality and duration of your lily bloom. There are plenty of ways to do this, and whether you’re reading at the start or the end of their time of interest, these tips will help you to enjoy a more vibrant growing season. Firstly, we recommend planting your lily bulbs out in autumn. While you can plant them out through March, you’ll see better results with earlier burial. Exact conditions depend on the variety you’re growing, but as a rule, lilies enjoy full sun or partial shade. Soil should be rich and nutritious: John Innes ericaceous fertiliser with a little controlled-release chaser will do best, as these are hungry plants! You can also feed lilies while they’re growing. Fortnightly feeds are recommended. Your lily bloom will be stronger if the plant isn’t allowed to dry out, especially in hot conditions. Be vigilant with watering, taking care to strike the balance between not over-or under-watering. Take good care and you will be adequately rewarded! Some lily varieties are of interest to aphids and other pests: keep an eye out here as well and take steps to remove any visitations as quickly as possible. Squish any lily beetles you see (or remove and relocate far away, if you’re feeling pacifist). These visitors will spare no quarter causing damage, sometimes irreparable, to your lilies. Take Good Care Of Those Lilies! Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what to do with your lilies when they’ve finished flowering. The takeaway: deadhead them, taking care not to remove any leaves along with the flower. Do this and your plant will direct its resources toward storing energy in the bulb rather than creating new seeds, leading to a stronger and healthier bloom next year. As you get more familiar with lilies you’ll begin to get used to their rhythms and habits and, over time, you’ll achieve consistently beautiful blooms. The range of colours, shapes, and smells make this type of flower deeply rewarding to any gardener willing to invest the time and energy to get familiar. So go, grow, and enjoy!
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'Water Only At The Roots' - Follow These Tips If Your Hydrangea Leaves Are Turning Brown
IN THIS GUIDE Why Are My Hydrangea Leaves Turning Brown? 1) They Got Too Hot 2) They Wilted Too Often 3) You’ve Got Fungal Damage 4) They’re In Transplant Shock 5) Weather Damage Should I Cut Off Brown Hydrangea Leaves? Hydrangea Danger References Walk through a British village or town and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll see hydrangeas, whether in a park, a churchyard, or standing proud at the boundary of somebody’s garden. Their vibrant colour palette features bright pinks, moody blues, pure whites, and everything in between, making this bushy flower a firm favourite for our nation’s gardeners. A long way from glory What happens when those beautiful colours give way to brown, though? When things go awry, and your soft hydrangea leaves begin to crisp up and wither? Why Are My Hydrangea Leaves Turning Brown? Firstly – remember that most hydrangeas will die back in Autumn, causing their leaves to turn brown and fall away. New growth will be observed in early spring, when you’ll notice green foliage sprouting from stems that might have appeared dead. However, if your leaves are turning brown in spring or summer, there are likely other factors at play. The precise reasons depend on the variety and their growing conditions, but in general, brown hydrangea leaves are a sign of dehydration and wilting in the heat. 1) They Got Too Hot A dry hydrangea in autumn One sure-fire way to crisp up your hydrangea leaves is to give them too much exposure to the sun. In the spring when the mercury stays relatively low, they’ll do fine. When things heat up over the summer however, time spent in the early afternoon rays can cause untold damage. To avoid scorch damage: Grow your hydrangeas in a spot where they’ll get sunlight in the mornings or evenings, but not during the peak hours. 2) They Wilted Too Often As well as being scorched, hydrangeas will brown if they’re left to wilt too often in the hot weather. Wilting is caused by lack of moisture, meaning there are a few good tricks to use to prevent this from happening. To avoid frequent wilting: Give your hydrangeas a healthy glug of water every few days when the temperatures are climbing high, and treat the soil to better retain moisture. After watering, a dab of mulch around the base of each plant should help with this by keeping moisture in the soil. 3) You’ve Got Fungal Damage Another reason hydrangea leaves turn brown and wilt is a fungal infection called Botrytis blight.1 If this is the case you’ll see the telltale blemishes start to show up: brown pockmarks and a general appearance of bruising and damage to the leaf. Fungal damage can cause browning but you may also see yellows and purples. If you find leaf spot on your hydrangeas, fear not. It’s often possible to nip the problem in the bud, as it were, before the damage spreads to the whole point. To avoid fungal damage: Prevention is the best cure when it comes to fungal damage. First, take care to remove debris and dead plant material from beneath your hydrangea bush, as this will remove the breeding grounds used by fungi. Second, trim the lower levels of your bush to allow air to circulate. This disrupts fungi spores from settling. “The Botrytis fungus thrives in cool and wet conditions, so avoid showering the whole plant when watering and just water at the roots,” shares Roy Nicol, a Master Horticulturist. If you’ve missed the opportunity for prevention and are dealing with an infection you should remove all dead or severely infected leaves from the plant and destroy them to prevent further spread. Keep an eye on leaves with light infection, and decide whether to use natural methods or fungicide products to keep the infection at bay. 4) They’re In Transplant Shock Repotting hydrangea plants can be a bit of a shock to their system, and sometimes the shock is enough to cause hydrangea leaves to brown. Dig deeper and this issue also ties back to moisture, and prevention is often a case of being a bit more careful when moving your plant. To avoid repotting shock: Massage your plant’s roots when relocating to a new pot, then water generously as soon as it’s in the new soil and maintain a regular watering routine to ensure the plant establishes in the soil. This will give the roots of your plant adequate opportunity to absorb the moisture they need. 5) Weather Damage A common reason for Hydrangea leaves turning brown at the edges is when late frosts occur after the first young leaves have emerged in the spring. Typically, a plant will grow through this, growing new leaves while the older, damaged leaves drop off. Should I Cut Off Brown Hydrangea Leaves? The short answer is, “it depends.” While damage to leaves is unsightly, they can and will recover if you identify the problem and implement the solution early enough. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend removing leaves when they are 50% brown or higher. While browning caused by any reason can’t be reversed, taking the corrective action described above will encourage the plant to grow new leaves so the damaged leaves either fall off naturally or can be removed by the gardener. If you’re vigilant and attentive to your hydrangeas it should be possible to keep them in good condition year-round. Hydrangea Danger While this article has shone a pretty bright spotlight on the various maladies that can befall the humble hydrangea, this plant is generally fairly easy to look after. Take adequate steps to keep yours nicely watered over summer and out of direct sunlight in the peak sunshine hours, and you’ll be rewarded with a bountiful, colourful bloom. References 1. Laughlin, S. (2022, August 30). Hydrangea Diseases and Pests. Home and Garden Education Center. Retrieved July 10, 2023, from https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/hydrangea-diseases-and-pests/
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TV Garden Rescue Presenter Recommends These Tall Plants For Natural Garden Screening
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Arrowwood Viburnum 2) Fish Pole Bamboo 3) Common Box 4) Clematis 5) Dogwood 6) Cider Gum 7) Forsythia 8) Holly 9) Horsetail Grass 10) Common Ivy 11) Jasmine 12) Bull Bay 13) Malepartus 14) Garden Privet References Create privacy and add intrigue to your garden display with these excellent screening plant options. Whatever the motivation, there are a few things to consider when choosing the best plants to create screening in your garden. First and foremost, you need to decide how high you wish your screen to be, as well as whether it needs to provide year-round coverage or only during the warmer months. You should also take into account the soil type available to you, as well as how quickly you need the screen to be in place and how much of an appetite or ability you will have to maintain it going forwards. Once you’ve given plenty of thought to the practical considerations, it’s time to turn to aesthetics – What sort of visual impact do you want the screen to have? Should it be discreet and understated, only serving as an impediment to vision, or would you prefer it to be a feature in its own right? “Think about the canopy and whether it’s a tree that is going to take up a lot of space and screen,” shares Flo Headlam, TV Presenter on the BBC’s Garden Rescue. “The downside is that it might block out too much light, so make sure to think about that. “Upright trees like Juniper or Cypress are almost like an exclamation and if you were to place them strategically, these will do the trick of screening.” Award-winning Gardener Designer Manoj Maldé also has a particular plant he recommends for screening. “A plant that I have always recommended to clients is Prunus lusitanica. It gives instant greenery at a higher level to stop inquisitive eyes. “The benefit of this plant is that it is evergreen so you have the greenery in winter too. I am always keen on creating greener spaces. “Tall multi-stem trees also provide screening and beautiful branch structures to view in winter.” Having taken all that into account, you’re ready to choose the plants to make up your screen. There is an extensive array of options to make your selection from, which is why we’ve narrowed the shortlist to 14 of the best tall plants for screening below: 1) Arrowwood Viburnum BOTANICAL NAME: Viburnum dentatum PLANT TYPE: SHRUB MAX HEIGHT: 3-4M HARDINESS RATING: H7 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY Viburnum – otherwise known as arrowwood – is a dense shrub which can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on the species. Most options grow to a decent height and offer excellent coverage when placed in a garden, though their bushiness may make them unsuitable for smaller spaces. Choose a variety like V. dentatum to benefit from beautiful white flowers that burst into life in late spring and lush green foliage that fades into browns, yellows and oranges later in the year. It’s also very popular with bees, butterflies and other pollinators, so it’s good for the environment, good for privacy and good for offering colourful appeal, all in one attractive package. “I’ve used a few different Viburnum for screening hedges and they have the added bonus of flowers and berries,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “You can either grow them to full height (varies between species) or cut them to the desired height. Prune in spring after flowering to make sure you have flowers the following spring.” 2) Fish Pole Bamboo BOTANICAL NAME: Phyllostachys aurea PLANT TYPE: BAMBOO MAX HEIGHT: 3-4M HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: SHELTERED; LOAM-SOIL RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Bamboo screens are becoming increasingly popular in backyard landscaping due to the modern yet natural qualities they bring to a space. Their clean and uncluttered appearance adds a minimalistic touch to your display, while their propensity to shift and sway slightly in a breeze brings movement and intrigue. We also recommend looking to choose a clumping variety such as Chusquea montana or Fargesia murieliae, since some types of bamboo are invasive and will run riot in your garden if left to their own devices. Bamboo plants also lend themselves well to being grown in containers and couldn’t be simpler to cut down to size, making them a portable and highly versatile screening option. 3) Common Box BOTANICAL NAME: Buxus sempervirens PLANT TYPE: SHRUB / TREE MAX HEIGHT: 5-6M HARDINESS RATING: H6 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY The first out-and-out hedging option on this list, boxwood is perhaps the most well-known and most widely-used hedge variety in the UK. That’s due to its resilience and malleability; this hardy evergreen can withstand frequent shearing and is even adaptable to a spot of topiary, allowing you to turn a box into whatever shape your heart desires. It’s another ideal option if you want to use pots or planters to begin with, too, meaning it has a host of advantages to offer a homeowner on the hunt for a solid screening option. 4) Clematis PLANT TYPE: CLIMBER MAX HEIGHT: TYPICALLY 2-4M HARDINESS RATING: VARIES PREFERRED CONDITIONS: SLIGHTLY ALKALINE SOIL Clematis is an avid climber which will quickly scale and cover the surface of a trellis, pergola or veranda, offering privacy from the outside world and shelter from the elements. There are a huge range of different varieties to choose from, bearing largely purple or pink floral blossoms, so you can tailor your selection to the colour scheme of the structure they’re intended to cover and the surrounding décor in the garden. They do best when their roots and the soil which nurtures them is kept in shade, but the uppermost parts of the plant are supported and exposed to full sun. 5) Dogwood BOTANICAL NAME: Cornus PLANT TYPE: SHRUB / TREE MAX HEIGHT: VARIES HARDINESS RATING: TYPICALLY H5-H7 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY This broad-leaved shrub is easily identifiable by the grey bark of its branches which is brilliantly offset by the bright red of newer shoots in winter. This is certainly when they’re at their most spectacular, though if it’s coverage you’re after, you’ll notice better results in spring and summer, when the full-bodied foliage will block out all behind it. Fully mature trees can grow up to 10m in height, but you can pare back your plant to the appropriate height with a little bit of elbow grease. Just be aware that it’s among the hardest of woods available.1 6) Cider Gum BOTANICAL NAME: Eucalyptus gunnii PLANT TYPE: TREE MAX HEIGHT: 10M+ HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: FULL SUN; SHELTERED; SLIGHTLY ACIDIC SOIL RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Eucalyptus trees and shrubs are hugely popular among green-fingered enthusiasts for the lushness of their leaves and the brightness of their seasonal blossoms. Having said that, there are very few species that are truly hardy plants, and Eucalyptus gunnii is undoubtedly the most favoured in the UK among them. Capable of growing to 10m within a couple of decades, it’ll need to be cut back regularly, but the fascinating phenomenon of its peeling bark and the foliage and flowers it boasts more than make up for the effort involved. 7) Forsythia PLANT TYPE: SHRUB MAX HEIGHT: 1.5-3M HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY These sprawling shrubs are notable for their early blooming patterns – they’ll be among the first to shoot forth their unmistakable yellow flowers in spring, long before the rest of your garden has woken up from its seasonal slumber. The blossoms themselves are another major selling point, though it should be remembered that they work best as an informal screen, since they’re apt to grow in all directions at once and can be easily bent out of shape by the whims of the wind. Capable of reaching around 3m in height, they can easily be trimmed back by lopping off the best flowerheads for display in indoor vases. 8) Holly BOTANICAL NAME: ILEX PLANT TYPE: SHRUB / TREE MAX HEIGHT: 6M HARDINESS RATING: H6 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY; EXPOSED RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT For many people, the only encounters they’ll have had with a holly plant come once a year during Christmas. However, holly is an excellent option for use as a screening hedge, given that its an evergreen plant available in a wide selection of varieties. Choose from Inkberry, Dwarf Yaupon Holly and Meserve Holly, to name but three, to tailor its appearance and utility to your specific needs. As well as the glossy and spiky attraction of its leaves, your hedge will also benefit from the brilliant flashes of orange and red berries when in bloom, as well. Just be careful not to prick yourself on its leaves when keeping it in check! 9) Horsetail Grass BOTANICAL NAME: Equisetum arvense PLANT TYPE: AQUATIC MAX HEIGHT: 1.5M HARDINESS RATING: H7 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY COMMONLY CONSIDERED AN INVASIVE WEED Horsetail grass could perhaps be considered a somewhat controversial entrant on this list given its propensity to spread like wildfire. Although it’s often named invasive, it’s actually native to Europe and as such is better described as an aggressive spreader. For that reason, it’s imperative that you take adequate precautions when using it as a garden screener, such as confining it to pots or maintaining a soil barrier to limit its chances of propagation. When handled correctly, however, it provides an intriguing flowerless screen similar to bamboo that can reach almost 2m in height, which is why it’s a popular choice as an ornamental grass in Britain and beyond.2 10) Common Ivy BOTANICAL NAME: Hedera helix PLANT TYPE: CLIMBER MAX HEIGHT: 10M+ HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: ANY Many people labour under the mistaken belief that ivy is a parasite that strangles the trees or shrubs upon which it climbs. However, nothing could be further from the truth; ivy not only doesn’t hurt trees at all, but actually helps to shelter multiple species of wildlife in the UK.3 It’s ideal for arranging on a pergola, trellis or other outdoor structure, since its woody stems will cling to the support without much in the way of help up to heights of 30m. Plus, the lush green foliage which it boasts lasts all year round offers great screening properties for wildlife within. Don’t allow it to become overgrown as it does spread like wildfire when left unchecked. 11) Jasmine BOTANICAL NAME: Jasminum officinale PLANT TYPE: CLIMBER MAX HEIGHT: 7-8M HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: SHELTERED Jasmine lends itself to screening purposes in two ways. Summer-flowering jasmine is an astonishingly fast climber, so train it up a trellis and let it work its magic to offer privacy and protection from the exterior. Winter jasmine, on the other hand, is a dense shrub that’s tough as old boots, but far easier on the eye, especially during the colder months when many of your other plants have gone into hibernation. Indeed, both varieties are visually pleasing with their floral displays, which also come with the added bonus of an exquisite accompanying fragrance. 12) Bull Bay BOTANICAL NAME: Magnolia grandiflora PLANT TYPE: SHRUB / TREE MAX HEIGHT: 12M+ HARDINESS RATING: H5 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: SHELTERED Magnolia grandiflora is an evergreen shrub or tree which grows in strict upright formations, making it an ideal option for planting in rows as a collective screen. The foliage can be easily trained to begin from virtually any height on the trunk, which means you can position it next to a fence and have its canopy serve as an additional screening agent, while still simultaneously saving plenty of room in its lower reaches for underplanting. Its broad leathery leaves will give excellent coverage, while its summer-flowering white blossoms are as enormous as they are enchanting. 13) Malepartus BOTANICAL NAME: Miscanthus sinensis PLANT TYPE: GRASS MAX HEIGHT: 2M HARDINESS RATING: H6 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: FULL SUN Miscanthus sinensis are a species of fast-growing grasses that will thrive in pretty much all conditions and can provide excellent coverage in next to no time. Once they’ve taken hold in spring, they’ll shoot up to a maximum of 2m in a matter of weeks, gifting you a soft and undulating screen for your garden. Of course, due to their nature as grasses, the partition they provide isn’t as robust or comprehensive as many of the other options on this list, but their gentle swaying in the breeze, alongside the changing colours of their fluffy panicles of flowers, means they carry plenty of aesthetic allure to compensate. 14) Garden Privet BOTANICAL NAME: Ligustrum ovalifolium PLANT TYPE: SHRUB / TREE MAX HEIGHT: 4-6M HARDINESS RATING: H4 PREFERRED CONDITIONS: FULL SUN Privet is perhaps the main contender to boxwood’s claim on the British hedging throne and is commonly used as a screening plant in suburban gardens up and down the length of the country. It’s distinguishable from its boxy counterpart by the smaller, lighter and more delicate shape of its leaves, the creamy whiteness of its flowers and the jet black of its berries. References 1. Dogwood. (2020, December 29). The Wood Database. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.wood-database.com/dogwood/ 2. Field Horsetail, Equisetum arvense. (n.d.). Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/fieldhorsetail.html 3. In favour of ivy – why it’s brilliant for wildlife. (2020, September 30). Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/news/favour-ivy-why-its-brilliant-wildlife
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Horticulturists Suggest These 15 Hardy Climbers & Shrubs For Winter Interest
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Ivy 2) Honeysuckles 3) Evergreen Clematis 4) Silk Tassel Brush 5) Climbing Hydrangeas 6) Emerald Gaiety 7) Firethorn 8) Wall Cotoneaster 9) California Lilac 10) Star Jasmine 11) Passion Flower 12) Holly-Leaved Sweet Spire 13) Wintersweet 14) Oregon Grape Hybrid 15) Camellia sasanqua If you’re looking for climbing plants or wall shrubs for winter interest, look no further – we have a list of 15 great options for you to choose from. Climbers and shrubs which can be trained against walls (usually those which retain their leaves or provide winter interest) can be very valuable plants to include in your garden. Not only will they look good, but they can also be great for the wildlife with which you share your space. “A combination of evergreen climbing plants can provide beauty, as well as habitat and nectar and pollen for garden life, for most months of the year,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “They are also relatively low-maintenance, usually needing only an annual prune.” Evergreen shrubs and climbers are typically those which are best for adding interest to the winter garden. These can provide year-round privacy when trained on a fence and provide shelter for a range of garden creatures. They also make a great visual backdrop – especially when trained against a garden boundary or a wall of your home, for the bare branches of deciduous shrubs and trees. We have chosen the plants on this list for their broad applicability in garden design here in the UK, and for their visual appeal during winter months. If you are looking for evergreen climbing plants and wall shrubs for winter interest, then of course you have other options, but considering these fifteen options could be a good place to start: 1) Ivy BOTANICAL NAME: Hedera helix HARDINESS RATING: H5 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10°C PREFERRED ASPECT: ANY Ivy (Hedera helix) is a native workhorse of the winter garden. It will reliably remain evergreen all year round, providing shelter for a range of wildlife, and visual interest even over the coldest months. It will also have blackberries in the winter months, providing an excellent food source for native birds. It is H5 hardy, and can be grown almost anywhere, from full sun sites, to deep shade. This self-clinging climber may be too vigorous for some settings, but it can be perfect for growing up a tall wall or fence in any orientation. Look out for variegated varieties for even more winter interest. 2) Honeysuckles BOTANICAL NAME: Lonicera HARDINESS RATING: H6 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -15°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE There are a wide range of honeysuckles that can be grown in UK gardens, from the native but deciduous common honeysuckle, to honeyberry (edible honeysuckles), to evergreen options like Japanese honeysuckle, for example. Japanese honeysuckle is H6 hardy, which is great for winter interest. Another honeysuckle for winter interest is the deciduous Lonicera fragrantissima, which is deciduous, but which flowers in late winter or early spring. 3) Evergreen Clematis BOTANICAL NAME: Clematis cirrhosa HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED Another climber which is both evergreen and winter flowering is Clematis cirrhosa. Try varieties like ‘Winter Beauty’ or ‘Early Sensation’, for example. They have delicate bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers set against their ferny foliage. This is a good choice for a full sun, sheltered site in milder areas. It requires moist yet free-draining soil. This evergreen clematis is H4 hardy in the UK. 4) Silk Tassel Brush BOTANICAL NAME: Garrya elliptica HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE Also known as silk-tassel bush, this shrub is also great for training against a wall or fence. It should thrive in full sun or a partially shaded site, and not only has evergreen foliage but also bears beautiful silver catkins through the winter months. It is H4 hardy in the UK and will grow to 3.5m, or even taller in mild areas with well-drained soil. 5) Climbing Hydrangeas BOTANICAL NAME: Hydrangea petiolaris HARDINESS RATING: H5 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10°C PREFERRED ASPECT: ANY Climbing hydrangeas can also be great wall shrubs for winter interest. Hydrangea petiolaris, H. seemannii and the related H. virburnoides are all self-clinging climbers which offer year-round interest in your garden. These are H5 hardy and can work well in many different situations with almost any aspect and soil type, as long as the soil does not become waterlogged in winter. 6) Emerald Gaiety BOTANICAL NAME: Euonymus fortunei HARDINESS RATING: H5/H6 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10 TO -20°C PREFERRED ASPECT: ANY AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Euonymus fortunei is another great self-clinging climber to consider for your garden, to add evergreen interest over the winter months. Spindles or winter creepers are H5 or H6 hardy, and can work well when grown as free-standing shrubs or when trained as climbers against a wall. Euonymus can work well in full sun or partial shade, facing south, east or west. Variegated cultivars such as ‘Silver Queen’ can be great for enlivening a shady spot. 7) Firethorn BOTANICAL NAME: Pyracantha HARDINESS RATING: H5/H6 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10 TO -20°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Pyracantha is another shrub excellent for training against a wall or fence. Beautiful red or orangey berries appear in autumn and will often grace the plant all through the winter months. These are also H5 or H6 hardy. They do well in full sun or part shade, and can work well on sheltered or exposed sites, with any aspect. They prefer moist but well-drained or well-drained soil. 8) Wall Cotoneaster BOTANICAL NAME: Cotoneaster horizontalis HARDINESS RATING: H7 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: COLDER THAN -20°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN Another excellent choice for winter berries is Cotoneaster, also known as wall spray, which is another vigorous shrub that can be grown up and over walls or fences. It has pink-tinged, delicate white flowers which are followed by red berries. And the glossy leaves remain reliably in place throughout the whole of the year. 9) California Lilac BOTANICAL NAME: Ceanothus HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT This evergreen shrub is H4 hardy, and can work extremely well as a wall shrub when trained against a sunny and sheltered south-facing wall or fence. Ceanothus flowers, depending on the variety, are born in spring, summer or even early autumn. But even in winter, this shrub will usually keep its little crinkled leaves throughout the winter months. 10) Star Jasmine BOTANICAL NAME: Trachelospermum jasminoides HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Also hardy through most of the UK, star jasmine is another evergreen climbing shrub to consider. ‘Variegatum’ is a cultivar that not only has fragrant white flowers born in summer, but also attractive white-edged leaves, which blush red in winter. It can work well in full sun or partial shade and will do well against a sheltered south or west-facing wall, in well-drained soil. 11) Passion Flower BOTANICAL NAME: Passiflora caerulea HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Blue passionflower is another H4 hardy climber, which could be another great option to consider. This is another evergreen, which will often retain its leaves through winter in milder areas in the UK, though it may lose them over the coldest months in colder regions. This fast-growing climber can work well in full sun or partial shade in sheltered spots and is another interesting option for a south or west-facing wall or fence. 12) Holly-Leaved Sweet Spire BOTANICAL NAME: Itea ilicifolia HARDINESS RATING: H5 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Holly-leaved sweet spire is another attractive evergreen wall shrub for winter interest. It flowers in the summer/early autumn small greenish-white flowers in long dangling racemes. H5 hardy, this plant also remains evergreen and keeps its holly-like oval leaves over the winter too. It likes a sheltered, full sun or partial shade site, in moist but well-drained soil. 13) Wintersweet BOTANICAL NAME: Chimonanthus praecox HARDINESS RATING: H5 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN Wintersweet, H5 hardy, is another wonderful wall shrub to consider for your winter garden. It is well known for its wonderfully fragrant yellow flowers which it bears over the winter months when grown against a sunny west or south-facing wall in a sheltered position with well-drained soil. 14) Oregon Grape Hybrid BOTANICAL NAME: Mahonia x media HARDINESS RATING: H5 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -10°C PREFERRED ASPECT: ANY Best known as a sprawling shrub of neglected shady garden corners, Mahonia x media, or Oregon grape, can also be trained as a wall shrub to enliven a wall or fence over the winter months. The spiky, glossy leaves look good all year round, bright yellow flowers look great early in the season and are a delight for early pollinators, and the berries that then form are edible too – great for baking, jams or jellies. 15) Camellia sasanqua HARDINESS RATING: H4 MINIMUM REQUIRED TEMPERATURE: -5°C PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE; SHELTERED Finally, last but not least, you could consider growing a winter Camellia. With its upright habit, this camellia is great for growing up against a wall or fence. It bears its fragrant white flowers in autumn and winter. It is H4 hardy, and will thrive against a north, west or south-facing structure.
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Harvest, Store & Process Your Apples By Starting With 'A Gentle Lift And Twist'
IN THIS GUIDE Harvesting Apples Apple Varieties How To Pick Your Fruit Storing and Processing 1) Storing Fresh Apples 2) Dehydrating Apples 3) Freezing Apples 4) Canning Apples 5) Apple Juice, Cider or Cider Vinegar 6) Cooking Apples Right Away References An apple tree can be a wonderful addition to almost any garden but to make the most of your fruit, you need to know how to harvest, store and process the apples you grow. Of course, it is likely that you will eat many dessert apples right away, and use up plenty of cooking apples in a range of recipes. But even with a single apple tree, you may have more apples than you can handle right away. So what should you do? “Enjoy your tree! Harvest your fruits, eat them fresh, bake them into cakes or jams, or make cider,” says Julie Bellemann, from Sheffield Fruit Trees. “Share the glut with your neighbours but leave some for the wildlife too.” Here is our brief guide to help you understand how best to harvest, store and process the apples that you grow in your garden: Harvesting Apples Most apples in the UK are ready to harvest sometime between late July/August and November. When exactly you will harvest your apples will depend on the variety or varieties that you grow – the timing of the apple harvest can also vary quite significantly depending on the weather conditions in a given year.1 Apple Varieties They might be dessert apples – sweeter cultivars often eaten fresh and raw. They might be cooking apples, whose name is self-explanatory, or they might be older heritage varieties which are best used as cider apples.2 Whichever type or types of apple you grow in your garden, the harvest is likely, especially once trees are mature, to be the biggest and most time-consuming job of the year. Tools like extendable fruit pickers can make this job a lot easier if you have several large, mature trees. How To Pick Your Fruit Apples are ready for harvest when they easily come away from the tree with a gentle lift and twist, as Julie explains: “You can check if your fruits are ready to be harvested by giving it a gentle pull on the stem. “It should come free fairly easily.” If the stalks do not detach easily, it is likely that you should leave your apples a little longer. “If you have a large tree, I’d recommend investing in a fruit picker or making one yourself to reach those fruits that are simply too high up,” Julie shares. “Big, established trees also won’t mind being climbed in, just make sure you’re doing it safely.” If the stalks do not detach easily, it is likely that you should leave your apples a little longer. However, it is also worth noting that windfall apples, which are under-ripe and fall from the tree early, can still be used. They can be used to make jellies or jams, or to make a natural fruit pectin to set other fruit jams earlier in the year, for example. At the main harvest, remove each apple carefully from the tree (since some varieties bruise easily, and bruised fruits will not store well). Check over the apples you harvest, putting aside any with damage or blemishes to use right away and discarding any with pests or other problems. Make sure you are ready to store or process the apples – deciding how you will do so ahead of time will mean that there should be little wastage and you will be able to make the most of all of the fruit that you grow. Storing and Processing Certain apples can be stored in a cool pantry or root cellar for a few months. However, not all apples will store well, and some will not last very long at all. How long you can store apples in a pantry or root cellar or similar space will depend very much on the variety or varieties of apple which you are growing. “Some varieties of fruit are best eaten fresh off the tree, whilst others can or even need to be stored for a couple of months to let the flavours develop,” says Julie. “Check with your nursery or go online to see how your varieties should be handled. “Don’t be scared to experiment, as you might prefer a freshly picked tart apple to a stored sweeter one, and there’s nothing wrong with that!” Typically, apples which are harvested later, in the autumn, will store better than those which are harvested earlier in the year. 1) Storing Fresh Apples If you have apples that are reasonably good for storage, you can keep them good for longer by laying them in single layers, in crates or on trays, with space between them. “Apples are best stored in the dark, dry and cold, preferably spread out rather than on top of each other,” says Julie. Each one can also be wrapped in paper, straw, or other breathable material. You should regularly check over the apples as, as the old adage states, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.3 Remove any which are showing signs of decay as quickly as possible. 2) Dehydrating Apples Another way to preserve your apple harvest is by dehydrating apple slices and storing these dried apple slices in airtight jars. Apples can be dehydrated in an oven, or in an electric or solar dehydrator. Apples will not usually air dry successfully in a humid climate like ours in the UK. You can also partially dehydrate cooked, pulped apples in a thin layer to make fruit leather – which is like the fruit roll-ups that you can buy in the shops. 3) Freezing Apples Cooking apples can also be frozen, either raw or cooked, if you do not have the time to process and use them right away. This can be a good solution if you have freezer space available. Slice and core the apples, and you can freeze them on a tray separately before placing them into airtight freezer containers. Freezing apples means you will be able to use your homegrown apples in a range of recipes all year long. 4) Canning Apples You can also can apples to preserve them. If you choose to can them, it is important to use canning jars and to process them according to a canning process from a reliable source. It’s possible to can apple slices or apple chunks in sugar syrup in a water bath canner. You can also can apples as apple sauce, or in a range of other preserved recipes, such as apple butter, apple jams, chutneys etc.4 Canned applesauce Though in the UK it is common to do open kettle canning (filling jars and then not processing further), it is far safer to process apples or apple recipes that have been placed into jars in a water bath canner.5 5) Apple Juice, Cider or Cider Vinegar If you have suitable apple varieties, you can also consider storing apples as pasteurised apple juice, or making an alcoholic apple cider, or apple cider vinegar. To make apple juice, you may wish to invest in a juicer, or, (and this is a very good idea if you have more than one apple tree) an apple press. A hand-turned press is a great idea if you are going to be harvesting more than a few apples. “Pressing apples is always popular with children as well as adults,” shares Colin Skelly, an expert in all things horticulture. “The juice is so good that there is rarely any left to store from my small garden, but I do slice some and freeze them to enjoy in the depths of winter.” You might also wish to invest in a fruit crusher to make the job quicker and easier. We find both of these things invaluable to process the fruits from our 6 apple trees. Apple juice will store for a while in your fridge, but if you want to store it for longer, again, it is best to use canning jars. Put it through 10 minutes processing in a water bath canner and keep it in sealed jars and it should keep for a year or so in a relatively cool place.6 If you plan on making cider, or apple cider vinegar, be sure to follow a reliable recipe to achieve the best results. You should also note that you can make scrap cider vinegar using cores or other parts which you have discarded as you processed apples in other ways.7 Of course, these are just some of the many ways that you can process your apple harvest – the methods which will allow you to make use of them over the longest period of time. It is also worthwhile considering the many recipes that allow you to use up your apples right away. 6) Cooking Apples Right Away Cooking apples and versatile types can be used in a wide range of cooked recipes – not just the traditional pies, crumbles and other desserts, but also in breads and other baked goods, and savoury recipes like soups and stews too. Being able to seek out and enjoy new apple recipes is just one of the benefits of growing these delicious fruits in your garden. References 1. Carrington, D. (2018, August 18). Ideal weather brings bumper English apple harvest. The Guardian. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/14/ideal-weather-brings-bumper-uk-apple-harvest 2. Blue Barrel Cider Project. (n.d.). Summerwood Community Garden. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/system/files/summerwood_guide_to_starting_out_in_cider-making.pdf 3. Can one rotten apple really spoil the whole barrel? (n.d.). Office for Science and Society. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/can-one-rotten-apple-really-spoil-whole-barrel 4. Making Jams and Jellies. (n.d.). National Center for Home Food Preservation. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/apple_preserves.html 5. Ames, M. (2020, August 24). Rules for Safe Water Bath Canning. Countryside. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.iamcountryside.com/canning-kitchen/rules-for-safe-water-bath-canning/ 6. Adamant, A. (2023, February 3). Apple Jam. Practical Self Reliance. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://practicalselfreliance.com/apple-jam/ 7. Apple Scraps Vinegar Recipe. (n.d.). Abel & Cole. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/apple-scraps-vinegar
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