BBC Gardeners’ World May 2022

SPECIAL SUBSCRIBER EDITION May 2022 UK’S NO.1 GARDENING TITLE SINCE 1991 MAY 2022 Success in pots K Small-space veg K Cutting chemicals K Lawncare K Best lawn kit K Exotics K Annuals K Sustainable food Bright & brilliant Meet Carol’s star performers for easy summer colour PLUS K MONTY’s action plan that puts wildlife first K ALAN’s back-to-basics lawncare guide HOW TO K Give EXOTICS the best start K Enjoy success with CONTAINERS K Grow veg in SMALL SPACES

Bring nature home with our range of over 2,000 plants* *Range availability varies by store

Subscriber CLUB Dear su bscriberEditoroftheYear:Homes&Gardens Garden inspiration can Meet Monty... strike when you least expect it – from neighbourhood window on the eve of the Chelsea Flower Show, boxes to fragrant blossom in in our exclusive online event where he the park; from a self-sown plant shares his garden design secrets – turn in the pavement to flower-filled to page 38 for details of the evening. roundabouts, alive with colour. Plant-life is bursting out all Join us… over this month, greening up our city streets and country for an exclusive paths alike – and we all benefit garden break to from these nature moments. eastern England, We know from the past two with a special years of restrictions how we’ve guest appearance benefited from the daily dose of green inspiration (‘green-spiration’ from Adam Frost. anyone?) to be found in our gardens, balconies and house plants. Spaces are limited So here in this issue, we give you another 392 ways to be uplifted – see page 63. and inspired – out and about across the nation, through our much- loved 2 for 1 Gardens guide and card. Among the 392 participants, Win... you’ll find gardens and parks of every size and style ready to welcome you – and with great savings whether you’re travelling a eucalyptus alone, as a couple or family, there’s every reason to explore more. wood Chelsea It’s also the month where flower shows bloom, brimming with Bistro set from RHS by ideas – from our own Spring Fair at Beaulieu (see left) to the Kettler, worth £419 – world-famous Chelsea Flower Show, on our TV screens from find out how to enter Sunday 22 May (turn to page 29). Closer to home, your six packs of on Rewards, page 33. free seeds with this issue are our green gift that keeps giving, from fast-growing herbs to long-lasting flowers. Last chance... So wherever you seek your nature moments this month, there’s green-spiration to be enjoyed at every turn. It’s time to dive in! to join us at the GW Spring Fair in Beaulieu, Hampshire, 29 April to 1 May. We’ll be joined by Adam Frost, Joe Swift and Frances Tophill – find out more and book at bbcgardenersworld fair.com PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM; ROSEMARY DESPRES Keep up to date with us at Lucy Hall, Editor Explore over 390 great gardens with your @lucyhall_GW 2 for 1 Entry Card & Guide, for bumper FACEBOOK @GWmagazine INSTAGRAM @gardenersworldmag savings all the way to April 2023! TWITTER @GWmag PINTEREST @GWmag PS Save… a whopping 15% on your plant and garden shopping in this LHHoooowwkttinoogggteeott giinnettooinuuccthho??uTTcuuh?rrnnTuttoornpptaaoggpeea11g66e34 138 issue, with our pick of online retailers – including Sarah Raven, Farmer May 2022 Gracy and You Garden. Discover more in your Extras section after page 130. GardenersWorld.com 3

ContentsWe May On the cover Papaver somniferum by Jason Ingram We love... PRIZE 6 2 for 1 Gardens: plan your visits now WORTH 12 We love May Subscriber CLUB 20 Expert’s choice: foxgloves £419 25 Full Monty: lessons from lockdown Your Rewards 32 26 Have your say: readers’ letters Win this stylish dining set worth £419 28 Clippings: news for gardeners  WIN an RHS by Kettler Bistro 58 How to sow your free seeds Chelsea dining set worth £419 108  SOW six packs of free seeds for Be inspired fabulous taste and summer colour Rekha’s tips for homegrown 34 Monty keeps your May garden on track Your Extras (after p130) basil 40 Carol on the excitement of annuals 48 GOTY: upcycling with a tropical twist  Go behind the scenes at our 54 Enter our GOTY 2022 competition exclusive Le Manoir reader event 86 Growing Greener without chemicals  SAVE £5 on Pride of Madeira plants  Relax on an Italian Lakes holiday Do it now  GET 10 seed packs for £10 (+P&P)  Meet Alan Titchmarsh at Highgrove 65 The GrowHow guide to containers  ENJOY 25% off standard tickets 83 A-Z house plants: yucca for BBC Gardeners’ World Live 90 Alan on lawns made simple  SAVE 15% with our partners 99 On test: lawn-care essentials 126 Pruning: tidy up banana plants Offers for you Grow & Eat offers 108 Rekha’s allotment: from plot to plate 22 112 Recipes for tasty container displays 119 Get started with veg on a budget Fill borders with 125 Nutritious crops to sow this month Wildlife this collection of 30 FREE 106 What to spot in May perennials Q&A FREE 99 155 Spacing out your plants 22 30 perennials worth £45.95, plus Keep your grass 157 Gardeners’ Question Time tidy with our an extra 10% off other selected plants lawn kit best buys Last words Travel 164 Crossword 185 Next month 63 Discover the best gardens in the 186 Tales from East of England plus meet Adam Frost Titchmarsh Plants 126 71 Save £12 on fragrant drift roses How to 105 Save £24.99 on fuchsias prune early 117 Save up to £25 on choice plants flowering 143 Save £39.98 on scented coronilla shrubs 147 Save £12.99 on toms For more subscriber offers visit: GardenerswWorld.com/ secret-garden 4 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

34 YMoauyrp1l2a-npnaegre Monty shares 48 his sustainable approach to key Be inspired gardening tasks by creative recycling in a 119 tropical oasis Discover thrifty 50ththisinmgosntothdo ways to rich Monty’s month 133 pickings Flowers 137 Greenhouse 141 40 Fruit & veg 145 Adam’s essentials 149 Carol makes the Around the garden 151 most of annuals – used alone or GardenersWorld.com 5 in combination with perennials PHOTOS: MARSHA ARNOLD (© BBC GARDENERS’ WORLD MAGAZINE); SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

Celebrating our beautiful 2 for1 gardens Visiting a garden is a great way to spend time with loved ones and a source of inspiration for your own plot. Plan your trips with our 2 for 1 Entry Card and Guide and start exploring! If the past couple of years have beautiful and inspiring gardens. comprehensive guide will help you taught us anything, it’s the Providing a great-value day out, find the perfect gardens for you. importance of being outside, connecting with nature and our 392 gardens are spread right Make the most of your 2 for 1 spending time with our family across the United Kingdom and Card and Guide by kicking off and friends. So, there’s no better Ireland. Whether you’re planning your year of garden visits now, way to celebrate getting back to a staycation or some precious and while you’re out and about normal than with 2 for 1 entry time with your loved ones; remember to share your to some of the nation’s most whether you’re looking for stately experiences with us on social homes or seasonal gems, our media using #GW2for1. Make the most of your 2 for 1 Entry Card and Guide Can’t find your card? It’s printed inside the cover flap at the front of your 2 for 1 Guide. Simply cut it out and enjoy unlimited use until April 2023. PHOTOS: RBG KEW/JIM HOLDEN, JEFF EDEN Check before you travel make sure you have a valid card own – just look out for the symbol We’ve endeavoured to provide the for each pair of tickets. on individual garden listings. most up-to-date information Stay up to date Enjoy 2 for 1 visits with others available at time of going to press. Register for our 2 for 1 newsletter Visiting gardens with friends or However, we recommend that you at GardenersWorld.com/gardens family and need an additional card? always check each garden before and you’ll get all the latest garden Be mindful that the 2 for 1 card travelling, as some may have visiting info, features and updates. applies to only one individual and restricted days. You may also need Visiting alone? not whole groups. Not to worry to book. You’ll find the gardens’ No problem. There are gardens – you can buy extra copies of the websites in the 2 for 1 Guide and across the UK offering discounted May issue at Gardeners online at GardenersWorld.com/ entry for people visiting on their World.com/gardens 2-for-1-gardens. If you can’t find the information you want, then phone the garden directly. Remember You are not allowed to share your card, and when booking your visit, 6 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

If the last couple of 2 for 1 garden entry years have taught us anything, it’s the Don’t miss the importance of getting bluebells in all their outside and spending glory at Wakehurst time with loved ones. So, Place, Royal Botanic what better way to Gardens, Kew’s garden celebrate getting back to normal than with 2 for 1 in West Sussex Entry to some of the nation’s most beautiful Big savers gardens. Many of our 2 for 1 gardens offer Providing a great value huge savings – like Kew, where you day out, our 392 can save £19.50 with your card. Kew Gardens are spread is home to the most diverse collection right across Great Britain of living plants on the planet. The and Ireland. Whether gardens don’t just showcase plants, you’re planning a they recreate whole ‘plantscapes’ staycation or some – from a tropical Palm House and an precious family time - 18-metre-high tree-top walkway to whether you’re looking sand dunes, woodlands, even moors. for stately homes or seasonal gems – our Kew offers a great family day out, handy guide can help with a children’s garden and family- you find the right friendly café. Step into the future of gardens for you. food this summer at the Food Forever event (21 May – 18 Sep) to discover Make the most of your how food can help transform the 2 for 1 Card and Guide planet for good. by kicking off your year of garden visits now, and Kew’s Palm House makes an imposing remember to share your sight over a sea of Fritillaria imperialis experiences with us at #GW2for1 GardenersWorld.com 7 May 2022

MMYYLFARWENE, DOM! Easy Mows It with Mountfield Freedom 100 Small gardens need great tools and the Mountfield freedom 100 20V battery range is perfect for those new to cordless gardening. A great range that offers fantastic value for money as well as being easy to use and hassle free. 3 mowers and 4 hand tools feature in the range, all of which come with a battery and charger included: > Smart 20V battery system > Lightweight tools > Quiet > Easy to use > Easy to start > Easy to maintain From mowing to pruning, trimming to blowing there is a tool for every job! YOUR LAWN, YOUR WAY

PHOTO: NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/MARK BOLTON; ANDREW BUTLER The very best 2 for 1 garden entry BUTLERNATIONAL TRUST IMAGES; ANTHONY CHAPPEL-ROSS of 2 for 1 entry Here are just a Hidden gems of few highlights English heritage from among the 392 beautiful Tucked away between the gardens that Cleveland Hills in Yorkshire, feature in English Heritage’s Mount the guide Grace Priory – where you can save £11.20 on entry with your oTpheenNsaittsiognaatleTs rust card – was once a Carthusian monastery, suppressed during This year’s guide features 38 the reformation, rebuilt as a National Trust gardens – more 17th century mansion and, finally, than ever before – giving you 2 for 1 remodelled in the Arts and Crafts access to some of their most iconic style. Recently rejuvenated by spaces. Mount Stewart in County Chris Beardshaw, the gardens Down, for example, is worth a visit, impress in every season. not just for its place in Irish history, Highlights include the Arts and but also for its beauty. Visit for Crafts garden, the monk’s garden formal Mediterranean gardens, and wildflower meadow. richly planted borders, and an array Booking is essential. of exotic plants. You can save £11 on entry with your 2 for 1 card. GardenersWorld.com 9 Powis Castle and Garden, where you can save £14 with your card, is also a location not to be missed. The rose-coloured ramparts of this 13th-century fortress tower above the surrounding countryside. Tumbling down from the castle are a series of Italianate terraces. While looking up from the formal Edwardian gardens, you can appreciate the billowing undulations of 300-year-old yew hedges. FROM TOP Powis Castle in Wales; Mount Stewart in Ireland; Mount Grace Priory, Yorkshire May 2022

2 for 1 garden entry Shakespeare’s Family Homes As the ”darling buds of May” begin to bloom, now is the perfect time to visit the gardens that inspired the Bard. These gardens are just as you might imagine – overflowing cottage gardens, brimming with exquisite roses and sculpted topiary. Shakespeare’s New Place, however, where he spent 19 of his most productive years, is filled with sculptures paying homage to his works. The sunken Tudor Knot Garden (seen here) has recently been restored to the style that Shakespeare would have recognised. Shakespeare’s Family Homes are also two of our best value 2 for 1 entries, offering a saving of £24. Booking may be required – see website. Select 2 for 1 ticket at shakespeare.org.uk/ gardeners-world Coming up… a seasonal staycation tour Over the coming months, we’ll to start our tour than in be taking a tour around some of The Garden of England? the nation’s favourite holiday destinations to help you make We’ll help you find the best the most of your 2 for 1 Entry gardens in Kent to visit in June, Card. In our next issue, we’ll whether you’re after floral focus on Kent – where better displays, fun with the family, or dog-friendly day trips. SAVE PHOTOS: SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST/JULIA NOTTINGHAM; NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND; SCOTT WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY £28 Brodie Castle in Morayshire has a National Collection of daffodils Seasonal spectacles… Brodie Castle & Estate is best Brodie Castle is just one of the known for its 400 varieties of many Scottish gardens featuring in The 2 for 1 Card provides a massive £28 daffodil, planted by the 24th Laird our guide where you can see the saving on entry to Kent’s Leeds Castle of Brodie. While we may be a little bluebells of Scotland in all their late for this fantastic display, glory! For prices and 2 for 1 bluebell season is hot on its heels. savings, visit nts.org.uk/brodie. 10 GardenersWorld.com May 2022



“May, more than any other May 2022 month of the year, wants us to feel most alive” Fennel Hudson 12 GardenersWorld.com

MWeayloveWe May PHOTO: PAUL DEBOIS May 2022 I have just found a list of odd things that are celebrated in May. These include Grape Popsicle Day, Quiche Lorraine Day, International Hamburger Day, World Turtle Day, Hummus Day and Chocolate Chip Day. I applaud all these celebrations but feel that we don’t need a designated day to exult in our gardens. This month is always a joy as the spring bulbs fade and we go up a gear into summertime but every day, no matter what season or weather, is always a red-letter day for those of us lucky enough to have gardens. WORDS James Alexander-Sinclair STAR OF THE MONTH Clematis ‘Meghan’ Many years ago, I lived in a house with a tiny concrete back yard: it had a corrugated iron fence on one side and absolutely nothing in the way of greenery. This was my first grown-up garden and I soon populated it with very basic plants (pansies, tomatoes, fuchsias etc), a tree in a container (Malus tschonoskii if you are asking – a great upright tree that I still use) and (this is the point of this little peregrination) a clematis. Not this one but something with flowers the size of soup plates and an attitude to match. New variety launched in 2019. Flowers in May and again at end of summer. Small, so great for pots or courtyards. Height x Spread 2.5m x 1m GardenersWorld.com 13

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We May SINGING THE BLUES What a picture… the woodland edge, a bit of light shade adorned with a smorgasbord of different shapes and textures of green. Add in a couple of blue splashes and you have something very cool and redolent of a perfect May Day. Especially if one of those splashes is the heavenly meconopsis. Corydalis ‘China Blue’ Propagate by seed in trays when ripe or divide plants in autumn. Keep a beady eye out for slugs and snails. H x S 30cm x 30cm Meconopsis ‘Lingholm’ Short-lived but glorious while it lasts. Fussy about conditions – best in acid soil and nowhere too hot. H x S 80cm x 40cm PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM WAVE OF JUBILATION May 2022 This is a great combo – it reminds me of people in long, highly polished brown boots wading into the foaming waves. The bark on this cherry is usually so distinctive and dignifed, but with the froth of cow parsley around its ankles it seems like a jovial uncle surrounded by puppies. Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ Very pretty variety of the native cow parsley with sultry dark foliage. Self-seeds. Good for wild plantings. H x S 1m x 40cm Prunus serrula Tibetan cherry. White flowers in spring and glossy bark for winter interest. Prune in summer if absolutely necessary. H x S 8m x 8m GardenersWorld.com 15

WAXED KHAKI WA X E D K H A K I in VELVET MAT T Heritage is available nationwide from many specialist Decorating Merchants, Homebase and Dulux Decorator Centre. Find your nearest stockist at duluxheritage.co.uk

WeWe MoMnathy PHOTO: JASON INGRAM FLUTTERING BY May 2022 Imagine that you are carrying a sturdy wooden box with tarnished brass bands and a chunky hasp. Settle it in position and slowly open the lid: the hinges are well oiled and make no sound. A kaleidoscope of butterflies soundlessly fly out and scatter to the four corners of the garden. That is a similar experience to walking round a corner and coming face to face with this amazing plant. Pelargonium ‘Angeleyes Orange’ Prolific flowerer. Perfect for window boxes and hanging baskets but also good as a conservatory plant. H x S 30cm x 30cm GardenersWorld.com 17

We May HOW YELLOW CAN YOU GO Never go on holiday in May if you have a laburnum in your garden. It is relatively short-flowering but should never be missed in favour of a week in the Cotswolds or a beach in the Canaries. Priorities are important. It is, as you can see, a triumphant cascade of yellow. Laburnum x watereri ‘Vossii’ Often used in larger gardens to create an intense tunnel. Works just as well grown as a small tree in a modest garden. Toxic. H x S 8m x 6m ON THE ROCKS PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS 18 GardenersWorld.com There used to be a drink (maybe there still is) which was the absolute height of sophistication in the early 1980s when I was a barman – the Tequila Sunrise. People would suavely sip at it while dressed in ra-ra skirts and boxy jackets with the sleeves rolled up. Anyway, this particular peony is the same colour: orangey with a creeping fringe of diluting grenadine. Only difference is the time of day. Paeonia ‘Coral Sunset’ Plant in a rich soil and try not to disturb the roots again. Propagate by division in autumn or spring H x S 70cm x 70cm May 2022

Cut�ing edge With Honda’s innovative, high-quality range of robotic mowers, you can take all the effort out of maintaining your lawn Cutting the grass can be a time consuming schedule and send it out from the comfort of “I love my hard working job, but it can also be one of the most your sofa. In fact, you won’t need to lift a finger Honda lawn mower – with satisfying, as you’re rewarded with at all, as when Miimo has finished taking care more than 10 years of faultless, a perfectly manicured lawn at the end. And of your lawn, it will automatically take itself that’s what makes Honda’s Miimo robotic mower back to its docking station to recharge. regular use, it continues range such a win win – it allows you to enjoy all to deliver impeccable the glory without any of the hard work. Built to last cutting performance.” The Miimo range combines innovative and Honda’s premium mowers – robotic, petrol TOM HART DYKE intelligent technologies to help you effortlessly and battery-powered – are as technologically Horticulturalist, plant hunter and maintain a healthy, well-kept lawn all year round. advanced as they are long lasting and are curator of The World Garden at There are seven completely autonomous models renowned for their robust durability and to choose from, each with a wide range of consistent performance. Lullingstone Castle, Kent features and capabilities that make them suitable for a variety of gardens, big and small (Miimos With more than 60 years of experience and can cut from 400m2 up to 4,000m2 of grass continuous product development, you can rely without any assistance). on a Honda mower to give you the best possible cut, safe in the knowledge that time, dedication The automatic mulching function means and precision engineering has gone into making they cut little and often, typically mowing it. That’s why they have a reputation for just 2-3mm of grass several times a week. delivering quality cuts season after season, The clippings are dispersed back into the mow after mow, and the Miimo range comes lawn, which then acts as a natural fertiliser. with a best-in-class warranty of five years. A Miimo is also very quiet, allowing you to use it day or night, so it can easily align with your And not only are the lawn mowers built lifestyle and the weather. to withstand the rigours of years of regular use, but they’re also packed with intuitive What’s more, certain Miimo models have and practical features that bring an ease to smartphone connectivity that works with mowing for gardening enthusiasts, professionals Amazon Alexa, so you can set your mowing and newcomers alike. Discover more at honda.co.uk/miimo

‘Silver Fox’ ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ Shorter than most, this exceptional plant Really pretty with amber buds that open has silvered foliage and white flowers to rose pink and mature to cream. speckled in red. H x S 60cm x 30cm Best as a biennial. H x S 1.2m x 60cm PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM; PAUL DEBOIS ‘Dalmatian Peach’ ‘Pam’s Choice’ Outward-facing flowers form all around Milky-white flowers with throats painted the stems. Blooms in its first year from boldly in deep wine red. A spectacular a spring sowing. H x S 80cm x 50cm biennial. H x S 110cm x 60cm Common foxglove Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Sow seeds Flowering 20 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

‘Camelot Cream’ cEhxpoiecrWtee ’sMay Creamy outward-facing bells all around Common foxglove the stems are speckled in red. Most prolific as a biennial. H x S 1.2m x 50cm No flower garden should be without these tall beauties punctuating late- May 2022 spring displays, says Graham Rice We all see foxes more than we used to. There was one standing just outside my back door the other day, and my grandson, who lives in the London suburbs, often sees one sitting on his neighbour’s shed roof – surveying his or her demesne. But can we imagine a fox popping its paw into a flower? Well, it turns out that the reason foxes are so expert at stealing hens from rural and suburban henhouses is if they slip a foxglove flower onto each paw, it renders them magically silent so the hens don’t hear them creeping up on them. It also helps them to stealthily evade the poultry keeper! The moral of the story? Never plant foxgloves near the henhouse, because you’ll be helping the fox steal your hens. But you should, of course, plant them just about everywhere else. Foxgloves can be divided into two types. Firstly, there are those derived from the common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, one of the most elegant and colourful of our wildflowers. Usually a biennial, it’s native or naturalised over much of Britain, especially on acid soils. And then there’s all the rest, often perennial species and hybrids. This month, I’m looking at varieties of the fox’s no-footfall favourite, D. purpurea, and there are some very pretty variants to choose from. M Position Happiest in neutral or acid soils in partial shade, or in full sun if the soil is not too dry. M Planting All these varieties of D. purpurea are hardy biennials for summer sowing to flower the following year. Some will bloom in their first summer if sown indoors in spring and grown like a half-hardy annual. M Care Deadheading encourages a longer flowering season, but you’ll miss out on self-sown seedlings. M Where to buy chilternseeds.co.uk, 01491 824675; plantsofdistinction.co.uk, 01449 721720; specialplants.net, 01225 891686 VISIT GardenersWorld.com/ grow-foxgloves for more tips and advice on how to have success with foxgloves GardenersWorld.com 21

*Just pay £5.80 postage 30 FREE* WORTH £45.95 perennials for every reader Ideal for sunny borders and pots, this colourful collection of summer stars will bloom for many years to come All supplied as plug plants, 3-6cm high Lavandula ‘Munstead’ x 6 Fragrant and pollinator friendly Height x Spread 45cm x 60cm Flowers Jul-Aug Digitalis ‘Dalmatian Mix’ x 6 Coreopsis ‘Golden Joy’ x 6 Delphinium ‘Dark Blue Leucanthemum Perfect for light shade Fabulous at front of borders White Bee’ x 6 ‘Crazy Daisy’ x 6 H x S 80cm x 50cm Beautiful Shasta daisies F May-Jul H x S 45cm x 40cm Perfect for cottage gardens H x S 60cm x 45cm F Jun-Sep H x S 90cm x 30cm F Jun-Sep F Jun-Sep For more offers with no added postage and order details, see opposite page May 2022 22 GardenersWorld.com

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H x S 60cm x 40cm H x S 100cm x 80cm H x S 60cm x 40cm F May-Jul F Jun-Sep F Jul-Sep 12 plug plants £9.99 1 plant in 9cm pot 1 plant in 9cm pot £8.99 SAVE £1 24 plug plants £19.98 £11.99 £9.99 £12.99 £11.99 SAVE £7.99 SAVE £2 3 plants in 9cm pots 3 plants in 9cm pots Subscribers Get an £38.97 £22.99 extra 10% off – see £35.97 £17.99 SAVE £15.98 Subscriber Extras for SAVE £17.98 your discount code 0844 736 4208† (quote code SUSGW3) suttons.co.uk/SUSGW3 To order, please send cheques and postal orders Code: SUSGW3 to Gardeners’ World Reader Offer, Suttons. offer Dept Woodview Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7NG CODE DESCRIPTION PRICE QTY TOTAL Title Initial Surname 40844 A. ‘Indian Summer’ x 1 jumbo plug £11.99 SAVE £2 £9.99 £8.99 KB7784 A. ‘Indian Summer’ x 3 jumbo plugs £35.97 SAVE £16.98 £18.99 £17.09 Address KB9554 Verbena bonariensis x 24 plug plants £9.99 SAVE £2 £7.99 £7.19 KB9555 Verbena bonariensis x 48 plug plants £19.98 SAVE £7.99 £11.99 £10.79 Postcode KA1036 Sunflower Sunbelievable Brown Eyed Girl £9.99 £8.99 KA1037 x 1 plant in 9cm pot £12.99 SAVE £3 £16.99 £15.29 Tel Email‡ Sunflower Sunbelievable Brown Eyed Girl KB6546 x 2 plants in 9cm pots £25.98 SAVE £8.99 KB6210 I enclose a cheque/PO for £ made payable to Suttons L. ‘Barnsley Baby’ x 1 plant in 9cm pot £11.99 SAVE £2 £9.99 £8.99 L. ‘Barnsley Baby’ x 3 plants in 9cm pots £35.97 SAVE £17.98 £17.99 £16.19 ✁ with my name and address on the back (do not send stamps or cash) KB9860 A. Sea Breeze x 1 plant in 9cm pot £12.99 £11.69 KC5495 A. Sea Breeze x 3 plants in 9cm pots £38.97 SAVE £15.98 £22.99 £20.69 Or charge my Visa  Mastercard  Card number      KB9537 A. Mrs Scott-Elliot x 12 plug plants £9.99 SAVE £1 £8.99 £8.09 KB9538 A. Mrs Scott-Elliot x 24 plug plants £19.98 SAVE £7.99 £11.99 £10.79     Start date / Expiry date / Card security code KC8708FFP 30 FREE* PERENNIAL PLUG PLANTS WORTH £45.95 £5.80 £5.80 1 £5.80 *Just pay £5.80 postage Limited to 1 per reader postage postage postage (Last 3 digits printed on signature strip) SUBSCRIBERS Insert discount code here (see Subscriber Extras section, after p130) Signature Date TOTAL £ PHOTO: JASON INGRAM BBC Gardeners‘ World Magazine (published by Immediate Media Co. Ltd.) would like to send you special offers and promotions. You can unsubscribe at any time – for details of how to do this, please see our privacy policy, which can be viewed at www.immediate.co.uk/privacy-policy. Please tick here if you would like to receive these . BBC Gardeners‘ World Magazine is published by Immediate Media Co. Ltd. on behalf of BBC Studios (the commercial arm of the BBC). We would like to send you brand-related promotions, content and offers from BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with the BBC Studios privacy policy, which can be viewed at bbcstudios.com/privacy. ‡Please tick here if you would like to hear from us by email . Terms & conditions: Offer closes 15/06/2022. 30 FREE* Perennials Collection will be despatched from April-June onwards. All other orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising despatch date. Please note your contract for supply of goods is with Suttons Consumer Seeds LTD, Woodview Road, Paignton TQ4 7NG. All offers subject to availability. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. In the event this offer is oversubscribed, we reserve the right to send suitable substitute varieties. Regretfully we are unable to ship live plants to the following postcode areas: HS, IV41-IV56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3. We are also unable to ship seeds or plants to EU countries and Northern Ireland. Savings are based on multiples of the cheapest pack size. Terms and conditions available on request. All height and spread sizes indicate full grown sizes and not size supplied. Images for illustrations purposes only. Full growing instructions included. †Calls cost 7p/minute plus your network access charge. May 2022 GardenersWorld.com 23



The Full Monty We May Monty gets right to the heart of what gardening meant to us during lockdown and how we can hold on to that precious feeling PHOTO: MARSHA ARNOLD In the summer of 1996, I went to London linked our enclosed, Covid-limited world to the to interview the architect Rick Mather about universal. That alone was a huge benefit. his garden. Mather (who died in 2013) had a roof garden stylishly and thoughtfully laid out But there was also the horticultural dividend of as befitted one of London’s leading architects. observing the daily minutiae of a garden evolving Yet, although the rainwater was cleverly through the seasons. It helped that 2020 recycled and the entire building reconstructed weather was so beautiful, but it changed the so the roof garden was exactly as he wanted it, way many of us related to our gardens. Instead I was surprised to discover that he had no of seeing them as a series of projects, or even irrigation system. All his watering was done chores, it became a slow burgeoning into by hand, with a watering can – and the garden beauty; the realisation of its fluid, ever-changing was big, on two levels and absolutely chock-a- self through the hours rather than a series of block with plants. It must have taken him ages, tableaux. If there is a secret to gardening then especially in a hot summer. But that was the this is it. It goes nowhere, it never arrives, it point. Watering was his gardening. He told me never leaves – but is always exactly here and that it forced upon him a daily inspection – and now. By engaging fully with that, you become connection – with each plant. In short, for that aware of and committed to the present, too hour every evening as he laboriously filled the – and that is a source of great contentment. can again and again, it made him be part of the garden and the garden part of his daily life. Will this last? Probably not. Extraordinary circumstances tend to produce extraordinary Two years ago, I wrote about the likely effect of reactions, and when the ordinary returns good coronavirus on our gardens and gardening habits. intentions slip and slide away. There is also the It was early days and, like everyone, I had no simple fact that in order to garden well and enjoy idea how long it would last or, in truth, what it it fully you have to be in your garden. That was the key to the lockdown gardening surge. For the Sometimes very simple first time many more of us were spending time things in a garden can reach during the day outside in our gardens. For busy people going off to work too early and coming deepest into us home too late, that’s hard to do. would be like. Two years on, we are learning to But, like Rick Mather’s watering, the quality of live with coronavirus and – nominally at least time is as important as the quantity. Sometimes – life has returned to some kind of normal. very simple things in a garden can reach deepest into us. The removal of restrictions So what have we learned? Two years ago I may have freed us out into the world again, but suspected that those of us with gardens would perhaps we can retain the lesson learnt in not just benefit hugely for having outdoor space those holed-up months of allowing the garden during lockdown, but also that we would forge to come to us and of giving ourselves fully to it. a closer, more intimate and less commercially driven relationship with them. By and large that There is a tendency for gardening is true. It certainly was the case during the first programmes, magazines or books to extol the lockdown in spring 2020 and the evidence is that virtues of projects and timely jobs as though a more subtle relationship evolved. This saw the everything is working to a deadline measured garden as something we could connect to, which by others’ approval. But the truth is, the best would feed us spiritually and emotionally, as well things about a garden roll gently through the as literally by growing vegetables. It seemed days, not necessarily doing much but just being. gardens became the link to the natural world in Watering, deadheading, a little weeding or just a macro and micro level. The robin sitting looking carefully are all as important as anything cockily on the upturned pot and the hedgehog else you might ever do or achieve in a garden. that visited at night were just as important ‘wildlife’ as the snow leopard or an albatross. The homely and familiar wove its magic and May 2022 MONTY ON TV Catch Monty and the rest of the Gardeners’ World team on Fridays at 8pm (6, 13 and 20 May). And hear him discuss organic gardening at gardenersworld.com/podcast/monty-don-on-organic-gardening GardenersWorld.com 25

Have your say The view from your side of the fence HOT TOPIC Nurturing mind, body and soul Who will pay the tax? Being diagnosed with colon cancer last June aged 41, and chemo finishing in February this It was interesting to read the email from Will garden centres pass on the cost year, I have been desperately waiting for spring; Patricia Welsh (‘Can they do more?’, Have of a plastic tax to the consumer? not only for the end of treatment, but to be Your Say, April issue) regarding her wish for able to garden again. Gardening has always garden centres and nurseries to do more been a source of nutrition for my mental health, to help the planet. It was also good to see and I missed it greatly. This week I’ve been in Clippings in the same issue that Dobbies sowing seeds, cleaning the greenhouse and is rolling out compost recycling schemes cutting back. It’s been wonderfully therapeutic. and biodegradable coir pots ahead of the new plastic tax. Cheryl Morley, by email My main concern is what will stop garden We’re the tops! centres from passing this tax onto their customers? It is worth congratulating I’d like to share how I re-use GW Magazine, Dobbies for making a change, but it is easier once it’s been read front to back. for the larger garden centres as they have the money, capacity and personnel to When Covid began, I started making jams research and develop different products. and chutneys for local people, selling them at Will local garden centres and nurseries the roadside. All the money raised went to be able to afford to change their products support Cornwall Air Ambulance, while to avoid paying these taxes? providing much appreciated jams for folk who could not get to the shops. The idea was so I am really glad something is being done successful that local children made me a to try to make the garden industry more wooden display stand, and another neighbour sustainable, but is creating a plastic tax a lovely board to draw attention to the produce. really the answer? I don’t think it is. A real community effort. Rather than purchase toppers for the jams, I use the beautiful full-page Liam Crowe, Durham photos from your magazine – the fact that they are compostable is popular with my customers. Following Patricia Welsh’s email (Have The HTA has also published two guides So far Air Ambulance has £500 in donations. Your Say, April issue), the Horticultural for its members; one on ensuring green Trades Association (HTA) says: While there environmental claims are substantiated Thanks for providing a great magazine, is already a lot of work being carried out in line with updated consumer protection which never makes it to landfill from my house. to improve its sustainability, the industry law and the other on writing a sustainability knows that more can be done. plan for their business in partnership with Jacky White, Cornwall Planet Mark. The HTA also has a There is an industry-wide plan to Sustainability Roadmap, developed with Our pages as jar covers – all in a good cause remove peat as quickly as possible from members through which they work to horticulture, with some growers and address issues of sustainability and garden centres already peat-free. Research enable members to help each other is being explored into lifecycle assessments make meaningful, lasting change. (understanding the environmental and social impacts from raw materials to To find out more about the HTA’s disposal) for the horticultural industry Sustainability Roadmap go to hta.org.uk/ supply chain. sustainability Write to us at Have your say, Gardeners’ World Magazine, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT or email [email protected] and you could win a prize. Letters or emails submitted may be edited for publication. Prizes sent to UK addresses only. ACROSS 1 Harden Off 7 Acer 8 Annuals 9 Echium 11 Innes 13 Runners 16 Tattle 18 General 19 Shasta 21 Lei 22 Hot 23 Safari 24 Apple May 2022 DOWN 1 Hyacinths 2 Run 3 Evans 4 Oiseau 5 Fat Hen 6 Peru 10 Mistletoe 12 Nut 13 Regalis 14 Nandina 15 Earth Up 17 Tuscan 20 Hoar 26 GardenersWorld.com

We May SSttaayyssaaffeetthhiiss 1 1 sspprrininggwwiitthhaa HHeenncchhmmaann TTrirpipooddLLaaddddeerr Plastic punnets make perfect seed trays a“Sna“tdSnu,tdrmud, ryomd,syolti,gsilmthigitpmhwotpewroitgearhitngatthnlytt,ly, 2 sasfaef.”e.G”JoGneJosnes 2 Sow satisfying 3 3 44 5GUAYR5EANAYTEREE AR I am surprised how often it is mentioned in your magazine GUARANTEE to reuse or, at worst, buy seed trays and propagators when many of us buy fruit and veg in ideal and often 5 stronger containers. If you’re planning to do anything at height, a Henchman Tripod For several years, I have used supermarket containers Ladder will ensure you stay safe and secure this spring. With it’s as propagators. I cut or drill drainage holes in the bottom no wobble stability and lightweight design, a Henchman is the and then fit a clear container over the top. Here are my complete home ladder and one you can use with confidence. tomato seedlings at three weeks after sowing. A Henchman Tripod ladder is designed for uneven terrain, with After planting out, the containers can be washed and fully adjustable legs, claw feet, a wide platform rung for extra reused and they don’t cost a penny. There is nothing more stability, a high rail guard so you can work hands free, and rubber satisfying than growing your own and this is an easy option overshoes for hard surfaces; the Henchman Tripod Ladder will to reduce our reliance on new plastic. keep you safe at height whatever the task. Will Jewison, Perthshire 1 High rail guard enables you to work hands free 2 Three independently adjustable legs for soft, uneven ground It’s a dog’s life 3 Platform rung for extra stability 4 Wide clawed feet for grip on soft ground As a first time homeowner I enjoy my little garden. It is my 5 Rubber overshoes for security on hard surfaces sanctuary, and I enjoy nothing better than weeding on a summers evening, or sitting on the bench with a book. I read with interest Monty’s experience as a dog owner (Full Monty, March issue). As the owner of a five-month-old cocker spaniel my little sanctuary is being destroyed by big feet and puppy teeth carrying away the wintering pots to hide in the lavender. My days of leisurely weeding or reading are long gone. I would love to see more notes when recommending plants regarding the safety for dogs or any other pets. Here’s looking forward to the summer and the fun of dog versus summer plants. Lucy Mundy, by email This month’s prizes TOTAL VALUE £16.98 Each winner will receive two Gardeners’ World Guide + 5 SEED 132-page special editions PACKS worth £16.98, delivered to their home. FREE SET OF RUBBER FEET AND GARDENING GLOVES (WORTH £50) Our Grow Your Own Guide • Improves grip on Durable. also includes 5 packets of veg hard surfaces seeds worth £11.65. For more Comfortable. details about the Guide Series • Protects delicate The perfect go to bit.ly/GWGBUN21 gardening glove. flooring from scratching Apply discount code GW422 in basket TO ORDER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT VAISTITTHUES Henchman.co.uk/world RHS MALVERN OR CALL US ON 03333 444 229 SPRING FESTIVAL May 2022 OR RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardening Clippings newsandviews The midsummer Rare house plant mow: good or bad? prices hit the ceiling Gardeners everywhere are leaving Philodendron ‘Pink Princess’ ranges from £19.99 their lawnmowers in the shed for at retailer Crocus to hundreds of pounds online No Mow May, but leading entomologist Dr Ian Bedford (@DrIanBedford) has Social media is fuelling a craze for rare and tweeted that it’s counter-productive to let grass grow long in early summer, unusual plants that’s seeing them change hands and then to mow it back hard in August. “You’re creating a short-term for eye-watering sums, in what some are calling habitat, which attracts wildlife in every form – then along you come with the a modern-day ‘tulipomania’ – the 17th Century lawnmower and massacre it all,” he later explained to GW. craze for tulip bulbs. But the charity behind No Mow May, This year a single snowdrop bulb sold for Plantlife, says a multi-layered approach creates a mosaic of habitats. National £1,850, the highest price ever paid. But desirable Plant Monitoring Scheme Manager Sarah Shuttleworth comments: house plants – usually with unusual markings “Lawns with areas of short sward complementing areas of longer grass or variegation – are fetching even higher prices. can really bloom with biodiversity”. GW found one Philodendron ‘Golden Dragon’ GW Wildlife Editor Kate Bradbury says putting mowers away in May is WORDS: LUCY FELTON; SALLY NEX on marketplace Etsy for £5,384, while a small Pricey Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’ is a plant still a positive for biodiversity – but PHOTOS: GETTY/NORA CAROL PHOTOGRAPHY/FIRM; NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/JOHN MILLER she’s changing the way she manages rooted cutting of Monstera adansonii ‘Half Moon’ that you’ll definitely want to keep safe indoors areas of long grass. “I’m sticking to one mid-spring cut a year,” she says. had a starting bid of £1,250 on Ebay. Other house City of Bath gets plants that can attract sky-high prices include wild. One orchid in Vietnam was harvested green corridor Philodendron ‘Pink Princess’ (£350) and to the brink of extinction within six months. The National Trust has bought 99 acres on the edge of Bath, completing Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’ (£450). Warning signs for eager buyers include when a corridor of land that allows people to walk from the city centre to the “During the pandemic house plants have international sellers don’t mention Convention countryside using only green space. It’s the first of 20 planned corridors become more popular than ever,” says Jane on International Trade in Endangered Species of in the UK. “We want to bring more nature to people’s doorsteps,” said Perrone, who hosts house plant podcast On the Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) requirements, and Tom Boden, General Manager for the National Trust’s Bath properties. Ledge. “People flicking when there is evidence The Trust’s purchase of Bathampton through Instagram see a During the pandemic that the plant started Meadows secures a green corridor beautiful plant and feel life in the wild, such May 2022 as insect damage or house plants have becomethe urge to add it to their collection.” But she says more popular than ever irregular growth patterns. “Do your scammers are all too willing to make a quick homework on the buck. “Lots of growers have bought a ‘wet stick’ species that you are buying,” says David of a rare aroid that has not grown.” Whitehead, CITES Science Officer at the Royal The lucrative trade in rare house plants is also Botanic Gardens, Kew. “Buying from reputable driving poachers to dig up specimens from the nurseries based in the UK is safest,” he says. 28 GardenersWorld.com

We May Chelsea The Flower Show’s back! on TV The flagship event in the gardening TV calendar is returning to its hallowed May slot – and we can’t wait to see the BBC’s coverage New plants at Chelsea Re-live coverage of Chelsea Flower Shows L Clematis ‘Issey’(top) Compact container clematis You can now access decades of BBC gardening content, including with scarlet flowers, perfect Chelsea coverage, as TV and radio archives go online for the first time. for growing up an obelisk There’s James Wong’s Malaysia visit for his 2010 show raymondevisonclematis.com garden (above) and Gardeners’ Question Time live from the show in 2012 – plus Alan Titchmarsh’s 2002 Desert L Alstroemeria ‘Little Miss Island Discs and Radio Times listings dating to 1927. Connie’ (middle) Innovative L Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/BBC-Chelsea-TV dwarf alstroemeria with sunny yellow flowers, ideal for containers parigoalstroemeria.co.uk L Weigela ‘Magic Carpet’ Patio-sized weigela, 60cm tall with apricot foliage thompson-morgan.com L Rosa ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ (bottom) Classic pink rose with good disease resistance to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee roses.co.uk Fringe events The Chelsea Fringe is back, powered by community groups and performance artists. Events include the Peaceful Garden at the Henley Quaker Meeting House, Oxfordshire; Meditation and Mindfulness at the Inner Temple, London (pictured); and Song in Bloom, a concert at Chelsea Barracks. Visit chelseafringe.com Chelsea Flower Show goes wild PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS; RAYMOND EVISON; It’s the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – but not ‘Place2Be Securing Tomorrow’, says Chelsea on TV HARKNESS ROSES; CLIVE NICHOLS as we know it: this year’s show gardens he won’t be forcing it for the event. include weeds, bare soil and native Don’t miss the BBC’s Flower Show coverage this May, wildflowers, as Chelsea goes natural. “If it’s in flower, it’s a bonus – if not, presented by Monty and the Gardeners’ World team it’s a beautifully shaped tree,” he says. BBC1 Sustainability and climate change are Sunday 22 May, 6-7pm major themes, as hedgerows, nettles Meanwhile, a beaver dam features Monday-Friday 23-27 May, 3:45-4.30pm and buttercups take centre-stage, in ‘A Rewilding Britain Landscape’, while Wednesday 25 May, 7-7.30pm and hawthorn, famous for its May trees in ‘The Meta Garden’ are chosen for Friday 27 May, 7:30-8pm blossoms, will be a show highlight. resilience to climate change. The new Blue Highlights Sunday 29 May, 6-7pm Peter garden, ‘Discover Soil’, even features Hawthorn’s blooms are notoriously bare earth – usually anathema to judges. BBC 2 weather-dependent but in a move away Monday-Friday 23-27 May, 8-9pm from Chelsea tradition, designer Jamie Designer Juliet Sargeant wants us Highlights Saturday 28 May, time TBC Butterworth, who is supplying the plant to appreciate the value of garden soil. to three show gardens from his nursery, “It’s a changing aesthetic,” she says. GardenersWorld.com 29 alongside creating his own show garden “The gardens of the future are not going to look the same as they do now.” May 2022

We May My gardening world News in brief Marcus Wareing 1 Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing WINNING RUBBER tells us why he’s increasingly finding Natural fair-trade rubber himself swapping his chef’s whites module trays, lasting 10 years, for country life. His show, Marcus were Best New Product at the Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden, 2022 Garden Press Event. is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. wildlifeworld.co.uk Let’s take it right back to the beginning, Chef Marcus Wareing took on his 65-acre When did you first embark on your East Sussex smallholding four years ago 2 kitchen-garden journey? There was never a plan to do this. When What do you make a beeline for? PLANTS NOT FOR PETS I bought the house there was an overgrown The many different varieties of outdoor herbs. A list of more than 200 plants kitchen garden with beautiful sleepers hidden Plus, the tomatoes, cucumbers and basil underneath. My curiosity was piqued when in the greenhouse. When you walk in there, dangerous to pets is now I ripped everything back to the soil. it just smells incredible. Lavender is a go-to. available – including veg staples I’ve planted so much of it because it not only The apple orchard produced lots of looks good in the garden, but is an ingredient like onions, raw potatoes and Bramley’s and there’s only so many apple I use in marinades, jams and salads. grapes, all toxic to pets if eaten. pies you can cook. I start to think, “I can’t waste this, it’s not in my DNA”. So, I decided How important is flavour in the garden? hta.org.uk/poisonousplants to juice it, bottle it up and send it to the Flavour is crucial. I’ve always taken everything restaurant to give to customers as gifts. for granted in the garden and I’ve now 3 That’s how I started introducing things realised the importance of moving things onto my menus. It’s been a learning curve around, good composting and feeding the CATERPILLAR ARMIES and I’m only just dipping my toe into soil. Give everything time, look after it and School kids have until 25 May to the water of a complex and varied world it will give you the flavour that you’re looking grow hordes of grass caterpillars of growing. for. If the sun’s out, the rest is down to me. It’s about taking time, enjoying the process to win prizes in National Are you always trying out new crops? and realising that, from the soil to plate, Children’s Gardening Week. It’s about keeping things simple. I see there’s nothing better. If you can grow a what’s coming, whether that’s horseradish little bit of your own food, then fantastic, childrensgardening or Jerusalem artichokes, and then decide even one thing is better than nothing. week.co.uk/schools what I’m going to do with them. We’ve added L Listen to our podcast with Marcus new types of fruit and have a lot of fig trees. discussing kitchen-garden growing, coming 4 Because they ripen at different stages, soon at GardenersWorld.com/podcast I can’t put them on the menu but instead, SNEAK PEEK use the fig leaf for infusions for syrups and On 16 June, you can visit Sir ice creams. They’re plentiful and the squirrels Cameron Mackintosh’s private and birds don’t eat them. Somerset garden in a rare open day for charity Horatio’s Garden. Ragwort is usually considered poisonous Want pollinators? Grow weeds PHOTOS: BBC/PLIMSOLL PRODUCTIONS; GETTY/ESTUARYPIG; LEVENS HALL to livestock, but pollinators love it horatiosgarden.org.uk/ If you want to help bumblebees and butterflies, forget stavordale22 30 GardenersWorld.com wildflowers – grow weeds. Scientists at the University of Sussex have found four times as many insects visit 5 ragwort, thistles and dock than pollinator-friendly wildflowers. Weed-loving designer Jack Wallington, TWEET YOUR TOPIARY author of Wild about Weeds, says it’s important to It’s World Topiary Day on 12 May include these plants in the garden, deadheading to and topiary masters Levens Hall control their spread: “Pushing them out pushes out the rare insects which depend on them, too,” he says. in Cumbria want you to share your creations using the GW on TV this May #WorldTopiaryDay hashtag. L Coming up this month on Gardeners’ World, Fridays levenshall.co.uk/gardens/ at 8pm (6, 13 and 20 May), look forward to specials including the RHS Malvern Spring Festival and a focus world-topiary-day on all things house plants. While the show won’t be on air for the week of the Chelsea Flower Show, which May 2022 runs 24-28 May, you can catch Monty and the team on the BBC’s Chelsea coverage (see previous page).

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Subscriber CLUB YOUR REWARDS As a member of our Subscriber Club you enjoy exclusive rewards and benefits throughout the gardening year Your exclusive Subscriber bumper pack As a valued subscriber, this month you’ve received your May issue, 2 for 1 Gardens to Visit Card & Guide and free seeds, directly to your door. Plus, exclusively for you, 15% off plants and accessories. Whether you’re making a trip to a local garden or planning places to explore on your holidays, you can make savings for a whole year using our 2 for 1 Card – see p6 for info. You’ll find regular garden-visiting features in each issue of the magazine. And why not sign up for our 2 for 1 newsletter for even more seasonal recommendations – GardenersWorld.com/gardens Are you planning to sow our six packs of free seeds this weekend? If so make it easy with our step-by-step guides on p58, and for extra advice and inspiration go to GardenersWorld/free-seeds Next month’s SAVE 15% off online shopping free seeds: Check out Subscriber Extras for exclusive discounts Look out for your double-pack of Cosmos and Foxglove Subscriber CLUB EXTRAS For more offers see Subscriber Extras and GardenersWorld.com 32 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

Subscriber CLUB YOUR REWARDS Don’t miss out SGamrdaenllerSs’pWaocrled GVueidge Your complete 132-page guide to growing fresh, tasty fruit and veg, however small your garden. Includes five packets of seed: ✔ Tomato ‘Red Cherry’ VEG ✔ Carrot ‘Red Cored’ SEEDS ✔ Mixed Lettuce Leaves WORTH ✔ Onion (Spring) ‘Ishikura’ £11.65 ✔ Mild Jalapeno WIN! A Bistro set for WORTH your outdoor dining £419 With the days getting warmer and the sun setting later each day, it’s time to get ready for summer and some fun outside. One lucky winner will be able to enjoy their garden with a new RHS by Kettler Chelsea Bistro set. Perfect for unwinding in the garden after a busy day or dining alfresco with a loved one, the set is made from a durable eucalyptus wood frame and coated with teak oil to keep it protected. The set folds away for easy storage, too. Enter online for a chance to win. PRIZE: 1 x RHS Chelsea Bistro Chairs (pair), worth £250 1 x RHS Chelsea Bistro Table, worth £169 ONLY £8.99! IN SHOPS NOW OR BUY Enter at GardenersWorld.com/kettler ONLINE AND SAVE 25% – £6.74 (+ P&P) Competition closes Midday, Friday 20th May Total prize value: £419 Enter your subscriber number to claim your discount at magsdirect.co.uk/SSVeg22 Visit kettler.co.uk to find out more *Due to restrictions on moving plants and seeds overseas, this issue is only available to mainland UK customers Fun for everyone this spring TO ENTER OUR COMPETITIONS VISIT gardenersworld.com/secret-garden Last chance to book a day out tickets online today at at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring bbcgardenersworldfair.com 1 Log in or register if it is your first visit. Fair at Beaulieu, Hampshire 2 Use your subscriber code to unlock the Secret Garden – on 29 April to 1 May! Joining it’s printed on the paperwrap your magazine is delivered in. your GW Editors on the BBC 3 Follow the competition link from the Secret Garden home page or visit Gardeners’ World Magazine GardenersWorld.com/win Stage will be a line up including 4 Answer the simple multiple choice question and click ‘Enter Now’. Adam Frost (Friday), Joe Swift (Saturday) and Frances Full terms and conditions are included on the website. Competition is open to mainland UK residents aged Tophill (Sunday). Get your 18 years+ (excluding Northern Ireland). Save £5 on echiums, 10 seed packs for only £10, meet Alan at Highgrove and much more. See Extras after p130 May 2022 GardenersWorld.com 33

Slow Gardening is subtle and considerate, gently steering and nurturing the garden rather than bullying it into some kind of chorus-line display Green shoots of summer 34 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

Monty explains how to approach some of this month’s key gardening tasks to ensure you have a thriving, sustainable haven full of wildlife and colour M ay. There can be no more from inner-city backyard to a country jubilant moment in the garden like Longmeadow. It is important to gardener’s calendar. April take the time to enjoy spring as it unfurls in has a dancing green light that reveals itself the garden and world all around us. Time is between showers and moments of almost a much-undervalued aspect of gardening grumpy bad weather, but by the time we and I am a great fan of Slow Gardening. reach May there is a rolling, green richness that expands as the month progresses. May Time flies fast enough without forcing it arrives like a gift and shakes me to the core, on. Slow Gardening is subtle and considerate, and it sends me spinning into a green space. gently steering and nurturing the garden No other time of year combines such an rather than bullying it into some kind of intensity of colour and freshness of light chorus-line display. But it also means with the vivacity of daily – almost hourly – hitting the regular rhythm of maintenance growth, and the full voluptuousness of the that makes such a difference to the way any English garden on a perfect May day. garden looks, and which is the daily bread of any gardener. I mean jobs like weeding, Of course, no garden can compete with deadheading, clipping the hedges and the British countryside in May where the mowing the lawn. Finally, a very human but combination of mile after mile of country essential aspect that I love about gardening lane and field hedgerow smothered with in May is getting rid of the layers that have cow parsley and hawthorn blossom is, protected me all winter. Gardening in a I believe, one of the great wonders of the loose shirt and feeling the sun on my back is world. It’s an inspiration for any garden, a reward for those long, chill winter months. GROWING FOR A HEALTHIER GARDEN Cow parsley provides We have become accustomed to assuming roses grown in a carefully weeded border PHOTO: © BBC GARDENERS’ WORLD MAGAZINE/MARSHA ARNOLD a delightful froth of that a garden plant is a tender, fragile thing are prime targets, as are broad beans in a white throughout only protected from a battalion of pests and well-maintained vegetable garden. Aphids diseases by ceaseless human husbandry. pierce the cell walls of leaves and stems to Longmeadow in May, However most of my horticulture in my suck the sap. This will potentially weaken while its umbel flowers own garden is little more than encouraging the plant. It will also leave a wound, which and aiding every plant’s natural health. might enable disease and viruses to enter. attract all manner of A perfect plant is one best adapted for the So far so bad, but in a healthy plant this is valuable insects too place that it is growing. To try and force it no more of a hazard than midge bites or cuts into being ‘better’ is asking for trouble. and grazes for you and I. A healthy plant May 2022 heals itself. Unsightly, but not a disaster. Living with aphids It is best to grow plants as ‘hard’ as is Aphids come in many different forms: commensurate with good health. This green aphids on your roses; grey aphids on means only ever directly feeding a plant brassicas; black ones on your broad beans; that is visibly ailing. It means not adding and white ones, on any soft growth. But too much compost or manure once you aphids are as much part of the garden as you have established a good soil structure. or a song thrush. They are an important Do not overwater, nor protect a plant from part of the exhilaratingly complex natural wind and weather any more than seems jigsaw that is your garden and to know necessary. This means using garden them is, if not to love them, exactly, at least compost sparingly to provide a balanced to tolerate them. Aphids are usually blown feed of complex and accessible nutrients into the garden, although as summer that are sourced mainly from the garden progresses more and more flying aphids – and therefore returning its own to it. hatch and will move around at will. They are attracted to bare soil but will quickly In a healthy garden, predators will quickly move to find young, sappy growth. So, be attracted to the aphids and as the aphid population grows so will predator numbers 35

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monty’s garden until the two balance each other out. Clipped grass walkways act as a foil for clipped hedges and the looseness of Monty’s border plantings Ladybirds eat aphids and are attracted by PHOTOS: MARSHA ARNOLD; JASON INGRAM the smell of the honeydew they produce. moles, plantains, dandelions and fairy rings. Caterpillars of Hoverfly and lacewing larvae also eat Nine times out of ten if the grass is healthy many butterflies, aphids. Hoverflies are attracted to gardens then everything else will look after itself. such as peacocks by umbellifers, so a good assortment of and red admirals, dill, fennel, cow parsley, parsnips and Lawn problem-solving feed on nettles the like, all left to flower, will provide sufficient inducement for aphid-eaters. Worm casts and moles are a sign of the Welcoming nettles excellent quality of your soil and must be Remember that you need some aphids tolerated, although I confess that moles Despite being a major weed in this garden, in order to have predators that will control make me roar with rage at the damage that I would not be without nettles. Even though the population. Killing off all your aphids they do. Worms become a nuisance only in they grow where we do not want them and will certainly result in a fresh wave of autumn when their casts smear the surface occasionally sting appallingly, they are a huge aphids moving into this virgin territory, but these soon go and can be brushed back improvement to the compost heap. Every and there will be nothing to control them into the soil. They do no long-term harm. garden should have a patch of nettles, as they naturally. Chemical intervention simply Ants are becoming increasingly common, are a major source of food for butterflies. enforces this boom and bust cycle. creating powdery fine little casts, but again They are also good food for humans – spring do no harm. Just brush them into the grass. nettles are a delicious vegetable rich in iron. A temporary infestation can be dealt Pick the fresh tips and cook like spinach. with by rubbing them off with your hand. It is the white-flowered clover Trifolium Although I have not done so myself, some repens that’s the major lawn weed. It grows Nettles are an excellent source of nutrients gardeners use a solution of stinging nettles most vigorously on alkaline soils that are for plants too, especially nitrogen, magnesium, and garlic (not necessarily together) soaked low in nutrients. The leaves grow from sulphur and iron. Soak 0.5kg of nettles in a in water as an aphicide. But any spray (and long, bare stems from ground level, which 5-litre bucket of water for two weeks. Then at Longmeadow we have never used any spread across the surface of the lawn. use as a general-purpose liquid feed in spring pesticide, organic or chemical) should be Clover’s top growth can die back after a few and early summer, diluting the resulting nettle a last resort. A garden without aphids is hard frosts, but it can also remain green liquid with 10 parts of water. Do not be likely to be half-dead. Better to accept and in dry summers. Successful eradication tempted to use a stronger mixture and use enjoy life in all its astonishing variety. is only possible if you don’t let plants get once a week at most. It can be applied to established. Put your fingers beneath them the roots of plants or as a foliar spray. Looking after the lawn and rip out the stems. Remove all scraps of Remember that most plants do not need stem, as any left on the soil will regrow. extra feed and over-feeding, especially Although admittedly male, middle-aged young plants, will do more harm than good. and obsessed with gardening, I cannot say Leatherjackets are the grubs of craneflies. that I share the need for a perfect lawn. They eat grass roots causing dead patches. I really do not object to the presence of The simplest way of dealing with them is to a few daisies, dandelions or some moss. aerate your lawn well to prevent stagnant If an area of grass is pleasant to sit or lie soil conditions. An alternative is to cover on then it is doing its job. But even I like to areas of your lawn with black polythene see grass neatly mown, whereas my wife overnight. In the morning remove the claims that she would only mow paths wide polythene along with any leatherjackets that enough to walk down and let the rest of the came to the surface at night, encouraged to grass grow meadow-long. I suspect that stay by the moisture under the polythene. this is a gender thing. Lawns bring out It’s a great breakfast for the birds. the martinet in men and meadows the romantic in women. An expanse of green harmoniously links any of the colours that border it. Lawns and grass paths make the perfect balance between the busyness of borders, trees and hedges. To get a ‘good’ lawn, put your efforts into healthy grass rather than fighting perceived problems such as daisies, moss, ants, worm casts, Ladybirds eat aphids and are in turn eaten by spiders and other beetles May 2022 GardenersWorld.com 37

monty’s garden MAKING COMPOST Recycling unwanted Compost seems to me to be the perfect plant debris into useful garden embodiment of what any good gardener is compost is a trying to do. There you have heaps of waste, simple yet deeply rewarding process which by definition is the least valuable weed seeds. But most of our compost is thing you might have, metamorphosed spread as a thin – just 2.5cm deep – mulch onto the soil once or twice a year.  into the single most useful thing in any  Extracted from Gardening at garden. It is a deeply satisfying alchemy. Longmeadow (BBC Books, £16.99). Get your copy when you subscribe But for all this, I also know that many to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for £44.99 every 12 issues, saving gardeners still find it a bewildering and 39% on the cover price. Go to buysubscriptions.com/Monty frustrating process that never quite goes Catch up with Monty right enough for them. Instead of a  ON TV Watch Monty, Joe delicious crumbly mixture fragrant of and the team share daily updates from the RHS Chelsea a woodland floor in spring, a slightly Flower Show, from Sun 22 May to Sat 28 May, on BBC1 and dubious sludge emerges spotted with BBC2, and catchup on iPlayer.  MEET MONTY ONLINE undecomposed objects like the odd Book now to join our exclusive online event from carrot, envelope or lemon. I assure you Longmeadow on 19 May at 6pm. Monty will share his that this happens to the best and most design secrets, inspiration and advice, with over an hour of conversation and audience compost-sure of us. But any compost Q&A. Tickets cost £25 and subscribers save £5, paying just £20. Find out more at position can be rectified. GardenersWorld.com/monty-design It is worth understanding what is going on in that mysterious heap. Compost is not the product of decay but digestion. It is a measure of the extremely efficient digestive systems of billions of hungry creatures, albeit mostly extremely small ones. We see beetles, slugs and above all worms – the red brandling (Eisenia fetida) that will appear in any well-made heap by the thousand – but most of the work is done far, far beyond the reach of the unaided eye. making compost is taken in speeding The compost maker simply has to create the process up. The faster you can turn the best possible circumstances for that waste around the less space you need to digestive process to happen. tie up. I find that it is reasonable to expect Life in your soil compost to take anything from four to 10 months to make. Nothing nurtures that web of subterranean Air is the single most important element life better than compost. By adding small of good, quick compost. Water is also amounts of compost you are topping up important. If you have the right mix the ecosystem that converts plant and of brown to green material it is easy to animal debris in the soil to humus. But find that your heap becomes rather dry. the key to this is the living population Keep it moist, watering it if need be. in the soil and the main If it becomes sodden purpose of compost is to Compost is not the it is a sign that you do nurture that ecosystem. not have enough carbon Making compost is product of decay but in the mix. It should easy. It wants to happen. digestion, by billions be damp. Anything that has ever of creatures, mostly had life in any form is With a reasonable grist for the compost mix of material, air mill, be it a massive oak and water, a compost or the discarded leaves extremely small heap soon gets hot. This heat is the energy of a lettuce. Accumulate given off by the bacteria, a pile of organic material in the corner fungi and nematodes munching through of your garden – and this could include your waste. paper, hair, wood and wool as well as the When sieved, compost becomes a more conventional grass mowings, raw crucial part of our potting mix along with kitchen waste and weeds – leave it for leafmould, loam and grit, providing not just two or three years and you will have nourishment but that infinitely complex PHOTO: MARSHA ARNOLD perfect compost. Guaranteed. But the ecosystem to the plants. For this reason, average back garden cannot accommodate I would never sterilise soil or compost as this. So most of the human energy in it kills off all that is good as well as a few NEXT MONTH Monty shares key tasks in the summer veg garden 38 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

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PLANTS WITH PURPOSE Part 3: Annuals Fast-growing, colourful and inexpensive, annuals give so much for so little. This month, Carol Klein shows us how she uses them at Glebe Cottage, and gives her tips for success PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM 40 GardenersWorld.com May 2022

plants with purpose May 2022 Papaver somniferum will happily self-seed year after year, bearing papery flowers from early summer and, later, magnificent seed heads. Plant in full sun or partial shade. Height x Spread 1m x 50cm Flowers Jun-Aug GardenersWorld.com 41

There is something particularly exciting about growing annuals. They are a bright and brilliant crew, it is true, but the real thrill is that they can be sown and reach the height of their performance in the space of just one year – often in just a few months. They are easy, rewarding and liberating too; so cheap and straightforward that you feel you can experiment. There is such a huge range that everyone can find something that perfectly accords with their aesthetic, whether your taste is for the dramatic with towering tithonia, zingy zinnias and kaleidoscopic cosmos, or something more subtle and ‘country cottage garden’ with larkspur, ammi and sweetly scented stocks. Once you have planted your shrubs and perennials, you are committed. Though they can be moved, it is no trifling matter and when we plant them it is with a view to building a picture that will stay year-on-year. Using annuals to embellish or accentuate more permanent plantings gives you an opportunity to play and introduce changes: every year can be different. An annual is a plant that completes its life cycle CLOCKWISE FROM TOP within a year from germination to setting seed.  Larkspur ‘Hyacinth All life forms are the result of evolution, but why should one group of plants follow a strategy Dwarf Mixed’ of annuality as opposed to perenniality? Plants are more likely to adopt an annual lifestyle H x S 50cm x 25cm F Jun-Sep when they come from environments that are unpredictable. If you’re not sure about how long  Nasturtium ‘Orange Troika’ you have to reproduce successfully (for all life forms, keeping the line going is the be-all and H x S 30cm x 30cm F Jun-Sep end-all) then getting through a life cycle and producing seed in a year is a vital strategy.  Ammi majus Cornfield weeds are a great example of this. H x S 120cm x 40cm F Jun-Sep Corn marigolds, common poppy, corncockle and cornflowers are all annuals and when the lobelia, tagetes and their ilk – that furnish tolerate cold temperatures so they must not PHOTOS: SXAXRXAXHXXCXUXTTXLXE;XXPXAXUXL DEBOIS; JASON INGRAM corn is harvested, they too will lose their thousands upon thousands of hanging baskets, be subjected to frost. When to put out these heads. If you want to create a wildflower window boxes and containers throughout the plants is always a suspenseful question. meadow that will eventually be full of perennial summer. Often the latter are bought in from plants and grasses, one ploy that some experts garden centres and supermarkets, though the From huge sunflowers to tiny alyssum and advise is to sow a nurse crop of cornfield majority can be grown at home with less lobelia, to the majority of our vegetables, there annuals alongside seeds of perennial plants environmental impact and at a much lower is such a diverse range of annuals. Some have that often take at least a year to get going. cost. Perhaps, though, the main attraction in seed as fine as dust, others are big enough for Not only will the fast-growing annuals raising these plants from seed – as with all tiny hands to grasp and push into soil or discourage weeds, giving the slower-growing annuals – is the joy of sowing them, nurturing compost. The first seeds I ever sowed were perennials and grasses a fighting chance, but them at every stage and finally planting them nasturtiums, big crinkly seeds that my mum there will be something of beauty to see in the out to enjoy months of joyous colour. helped me push into the soil. I can remember first year when the cornfield annuals burst into a couple of weeks later seeing two big round flower from midsummer onwards. Annuals plants fall into different categories. leaves sitting on short stems where I’d pushed There are hardy and half-hardy annuals. in each seed. Later there were leaves galore Annuals can be used in so many ways, Hardy annuals can generally survive as seeds with that unique peppery smell and flame- randomly perhaps with seed broadcast willy- underground in our gardens over winter. They coloured flowers that the bees loved. Later nilly or, at the opposite end of the scale, are tougher plants and their predecessors tend still when autumn came and plants began to carefully nurtured and controlled to produce to originate in temperate climates similar to our shrivel, we collected seeds and stored them all those familiar bedding plants – petunias, own. Half-hardy annuals however will not in a brown paper bag ready for next year. “From huge sunflowers to tiny alyssum and lobelia, to the majority ”of our vegetables, there is such a diverse range of annuals 42 GardenersWorld.com MoMnathy 20220

plants with purpose Surefire success Meadow-style plantings of mixed with annuals annuals can give a carpet of varied When to sow There is great excitement here at colour. Best of all, the seeds can be bought as a mix in one packet Glebe Cottage when seed sowing of annuals starts in earnest from March through to May. We grow GardenersWorld.com 43 many perennials from seed, but it is our annuals that we are most eager to get started with. Though there are a few annuals that we sow year after year, we also like to experiment with a few new plants. Where to sow It is tempting to sow lots of varieties but a little self-restraint at this stage will mean fewer plants and a greater chance of success. Most of us know that feeling when it gets to April and we are potting on – that we could do with more window ledges or a much bigger greenhouse. To germinate and grow on, seeds need a good growing medium; proprietary peat-free seed compost gives best results and we always use half trays. They are plastic, sturdy and have been used over and over again for the last forty years. Punnets, even waxed cardboard, can be used. Compost should be firmed – I use a presser board that my husband Neil made. Seed should be sown sparsely on the surface of the compost. If sowing a lot, it is a good idea to count out a pinch of seed to estimate how many you need. Some experts recommend tapping seed from the crease of your folded hand. It never works for me. Cover with grit, which will allow light and air but discourage rotting and weed growth, and helps maintain moisture. Then water gently. How to care for annuals Place in a bright venue when seeds germinate, out of direct sunlight. The first thing to show will be seed leaves. Wait for true leaves to develop then gently lift seedlings by the seed leaves, not the stem or true leaves. Lower into module compartments or small pots, and water carefully. I always put grit over the compost. Grow on seedlings, potting on if necessary to ensure there’s no check to growth. Plant out when plants are strong and healthy, and – especially for half-hardy annuals – when danger of frost is past. May 2022

plants with purpose 5 annual must-haves 1 Nigella 1 It’s worth potting on those damascena Nigella damascena you have thinned out, too. ‘Miss Jekyll’ ‘Miss Jekyll’ H x S 1.2m x 60cm F Jun-Oct 3 Pure romance and the softest 4 Cosmos blend of blue and green, the Nicotiana mutabilis bipinnatus common name ‘love in ‘Purity’ a mist’ perfectly describes the Adding a dainty touch to any 5 effect it creates. Mingles with pastel-leaning border, its long Tagetes ‘Cinnabar’ anything and makes a perfect white trumpet flowers change complement to the calendula. to pink, and both colours decorate Height x Spread 45cm x 40cm the plant at any one time. Seed is Flowering Jun-Sep ultra-fine so sow sparingly. Slow to germinate but then gets moving. 2 H x S 1.5m x 60cm Calendula ‘Indian F Jun-Sep Prince’ 5 One of the most rewarding plants Tagetes ‘Cinnabar’ to grow. Totally hardy and happy sown in autumn for an early start. Perfect for companion planting Simple daisy flowers of vivid in the vegetable garden but also orange, the colour intensified an absolute must by crimson reverses and centres. for big, dramatic Self-sows, or just collect the seed. containers with a H x S 45cm x 45cm ‘hot’ colour theme F Jun-Oct alongside dahlias, amaranthus and 3 red salvias. Cosmos bipinnatus Pollinators ‘Purity’ absolutely love it and its single, My favourite annual with an velvety flowers incomparable elegance. Big are accessible plants from an early sowing in and prolific. February, but if you missed the H x S 90cm boat it is worth trying a direct x 60cm sowing, thinning out once F Jun-Oct germinated so just a few remain. ABOVE Thunbergia alata climbs a teepee Plant with: annuals patches, usually marked out with sand, and PHPOHTOOTSO:SS:AXRXAXHXXCXUTXTXLXE;XPXAXUXLXXDEBOIS; JASON INGRAM INSET Carol planting up a container combining a different variety grown in each patch. It is hardy annual calendula with tender perennials There are so many exciting ways to use annuals vital to choose varieties that will stand up for and even at the last minute they are very themselves and to thin out at an early stage obliging; you can add colour and pizazz for so the plants left can grow stocky and strong. little expense and not much effort either. Carol on TV It is easy to neglect vertical space, but there is a wealth of annuals you can use. Walls and Catch Carol and the rest fences can be used but a swift construction of the team on Gardeners’ in the midst of lower plants, perhaps a tepee World from 8pm on Fridays or two of bamboo canes, will enable nasturtium, 6th, 13th and 20th May. ipomoea or sweet peas to scramble skywards. WATCH our guide to Colour-coordinated annuals in a container can create drama. Or, just using one variety in sowing a hardy annuals bed a large pot all to itself, or planted one at a time at GardenersWorld.com/ in pots along a path, can make a bold statement. sow-annuals-bed In a garden with lots of bare soil, a traditional method can create a splendid show in just one season. Seed is sown direct in interlinked NEXT MONTH Carol shares her pick of pond plants and how to ensure success from the start 44 GardenersWorld.com MoMnathy 20220

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READER GARDEN “Recylcing makes you think creatively and gives the garden character” Just outside Bath, Nigel Phillips has created a tropical garden using cleverly re-purposed materials and budget-friendly plant finds PHOTOS JASON INGRAM WORDS ADAM DUXBURY Nigel Phillips, Somerset May 2022 “The Lost Gardens of Heligan inspired my style and encouraged me to start growing tropical plants” 48 GardenersWorld.com

May 2022 This secluded seating area has been transformed with upcycled decking boards, second-hand paving and cost-saving tropical plants GardenersWorld.com 49

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