Save the date! Weds, 28 April at 7.20pm

Our next MHGC Zoom meeting!

Details: Join meeting at 7.20pm for 7.30pm talk. Approx one hour long.

The next Zoom meeting will be on Weds 28 April and the speaker will be Stuart Lees, who will be talking about ‘Adventurous Container Gardening’. Stuart’s biographical details are:

Having worked in horticulture since leaving school, Stuart studied for a Diploma at Askham Bryan College in Yorkshire before taking a gardener’s position with the Cadogan Estate in Chelsea. From there he progressed to various Head Gardener positions in the South East, including at a five-acre intensive garden in Berkshire for six years and responsibility for a 100-acre garden in Oxfordshire, which included the initial design work on the new garden and a one-acre, elliptical walled garden. Before becoming self-employed in 2000 he was the Head Gardener and Designer for a small London based gardening company, responsible for the maintenance of various private gardens in South West London.

We will forward you more details, the link, meeting ID and pass code nearer the time.

Ian Thwaites, a professional plant and gardens photographer, gave a very interesting Zoom talk to 21 participants at our March meeting.  We also learned a few tricks of the trade, which is all about ‘selling the dream’ to quote the speaker.

May’s meeting, Weds 26 May, will be a Zoom talk on ‘An Allotment Year’ by Alan Williamson.

Upsize/Downsize by Phil Bunyan

When we retired in 2002 we decided to move from Hertfordshire to Worcestershire. We needed to get away from M25/M1 and all the other traffic. I had always been keen on gardening and had 2 allotments in Hertfordshire. We could not afford to move to a detached house with land in that area.

Hence we purchased converted agricultural buildings with 4 1/2 acres which included an old neglected orchard. We concentrated on upgrading the buildings to start with, just ticking the garden over. The following year I concentrated on the garden. A vegetable patch was dug out from rough grassland and fencing constructed to divide the garden into various areas. An old fish pond was relined and increased in size, with new fish introduced. A new wildlife pond was also created which encouraged newts, frogs and other pond life.

It was time to start on the orchard which had not been pruned for many years. A neighbour agreed to keep about 20 sheep in the orchard. The old dead lower branches of the fruit trees were removed and the upper branches pruned. This was done in 3 stages over 3 years. A circular path was mowed through the orchard which allowed easy access to all the trees. New trees were planted where there were gaps in the rows, and also in an area down the bottom which had been left open.

We planted organically grown trees from Walcot Nursery in Drakes Broughton, choosing local Three Counties varieties. In all we ended up with 172 apple 34 pear 22 Plum and 3 Cherries. Local varieties included Madresfield Court, Newland Sack, Colwall Quoining, Pitmaston Pineapple and William Crump. A survey of the orchard was carried out in 2014 by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust which confirmed it met the required habitat quality for selection as a local wildlife site. (LWS)

Each year in the autumn with 5 other couples we would spend the day making apple juice and cider, dividing the three hundred odd bottles between the helpers. The orchard in the winter was full of redwings and fieldfare feeding on the fallen fruit with woodpeckers nesting during summer in the old trees.

The excess fruit and vegetables grown on the plot were either given to friends/neighbours or put in the freezer. As I advanced in years I found that the garden was taking more of my time keeping to the standards I had set myself. Holidays became more of a problem, finding time to get away then catching up with the jobs on our return.

We had been at the house now 15 years, so a decision was made to move into Malvern where we had facilities available within walking distance. We eventually found a property that we liked however the garden was very small. When moving house one always has to make compromises and the garden size was outweighed by the other benefits. Hence we now have a back garden approx 60ft by 45ft which is divided roughly 50/50 with flowers and vegetables. I have a greenhouse which enables me to grow most of my plants from seed.

I do miss the large garden walking around the orchard enjoying the wildlife, but as I get older I think we made the right decision at the right time in our lives.

Allotment love by MaggieJo St John

I’ve grown vegetables and fruit whenever I have had a bit of garden. Most exotically in Singapore where a papaya tree actually gave us our own fruit; most consistently in Birmingham until the lovely neighbouring park trees soared so high that my veg patch was shaded out and became more of a woodland habitat; most bizarrely here in Malvern where I use part of my small front garden for beans, corn on the cob, tomatoes….it’s the only south facing area so there’s no neat flower border for neighbours to admire; these edible delights are in full view!

And I have even more edible delights now that I have the immense pleasure of an allotment. I was allocated a plot in 2018; a full size one (200+sq m) became vacant and was divided in two. I misunderstood which was my half, was very happy with it as it was in relatively good condition and started putting down large quantities of cardboard to prevent weeds growing. When I realised my mistake I had mixed emotions: on the plus side I now inherited a shed, an overgrown fruit bush and even some chard, perpetual spinach and edible unharvested potatoes; on the downside I discovered that two thirds of it was heavily overgrown with rampant old raspberry canes and matted bindweed.

I gave myself three winters to eradicate all that, a third at a time. Now, in 2021, I can establish permanent areas for perennials such as rhubarb, an asparagus bed, new raspberry canes, some soft fruit bushes and a central strip of plants for pollinators. I was mapping that out on paper when, walking along Court Road in January, I cast my beady eye over a skip and spotted treasure! Long boards in good condition. A “help yourself” from the owner and 30+ one metre long flooring boards plus shorter ones were mine. With a third lockdown, there’s not been much to do; it’s too wet to walk the fields, let alone work the ground. Suddenly I had a reason to be down on the allotment on a regular basis: cobble the boards together and create paths and borders. To call them raised beds would be a misnomer as yet: I need, over the years, to build up sufficient layers of compost and manure before they merit that name.

I get immense pleasure from my allotment and was especially grateful to have one last year. Grateful too, unexpectedly, to Michael Gove who explicitly mentioned working on allotments as allowable activity in the first lockdown. I’ve wondered why I get such pleasure from it, more perhaps, certainly in a different way, than from my garden. Our gardens (if we have one) are mainly enclosed and private. For me, the allotment is a large open space where I have a sense of freedom: there’s no feeling that it should look good – it’s a place for practical, purposeful activity. Every plot is different, each allotment holder there for their own reasons yet all happy to pass the time of day and share ideas. Nowadays, few of us aim to be self sufficient and feed a family. We may want to grow organically, reducing the amount of chemicals we ingest or have space for a greenhouse or polytunnel so we can ripen cucumbers, grapes, pepper, melon, so many possibilities! Or just have more space and light.

While allotments have existed for hundreds of years, our current system stems from the nineteenth century when industrialisation left many labourers without access to land, unable to grow food to feed their families. The 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act placed a duty on local authorities to provide sufficient allotments and this was extended, after the First World War, and land was made available to all, not only the labouring poor.

 I have a plot at Goodwood Road, a site that adjoins the railway line, owned and run by Malvern Town Council. Just as individual plots differ so too do the ways in which allotments are run with many now operating under devolved management schemes. There is a National Allotment Society (NAS) which supports members, be they individuals, societies, local authorities or others and champions the allotment movement. Taking on even a part size allotment is a substantial time commitment and can be a physical challenge. Sadly, we seem to love them so much that we hold on to them even when we cannot look after them properly and they become overgrown. At Goodwood Road this is the time of year when new people arrive to cast their eyes over a plot and assess whether its location, condition and aspect bode well. Some last a year or so, some will become the old stalwarts; some are enthusiastic beginners, some bring a wealth of experience; some live close enough to pop in daily, whilst others fit a visit around their work shifts; some of us raid skips for useful items, others invest money as well as time to create a special space. We all (mostly, most of the time) have a smile on our face.

Competitions by Carole Newton

Following a heartfelt plea from the chair of the group for more members to enter the monthly competitions I finally decided to give it a go. That month was Spring flowering shrubs. My entry was Edgeworthia, a fantastic very early flowering shrub in my garden. It was relatively unknown to most of the members in the group who were amazed at the strong honey perfume which filled the air, and too the wonderful blooms.

Duncan Coombes the speaker/judge that evening was very taken with it and awarded it first prize. That was it, I was hooked. It wasn’t always easy to find the flowers, foliage or decorative arrangement each time. Nevertheless, I tried and managed to find something almost every month.

Imagine my surprise and delight a couple of years later when I was awarded the RHS medal for overall winner of that year. The only medal I had been awarded since winning the egg and spoon race at junior school, (it was cardboard though), more years ago than I care to remember. I am very proud of that achievement.

So, if you have never tried your hand yet, why not give it a go and you too could be a medal winner.

What are the origins of our plants?  Helena Kent

The Viburnum, I think, is Viburnum x bodnantense, a hybrid cultivar, V. farreri (native to N. China) crossed with V. grandiflorum (a Himalayan variety).  It was made in 1935 by Charles Puddle, head gardener to Lord Aberconway, of Bodnant Garden, Wales.  It certainly earns its place in the garden in Winter,due to its beautiful scented blossom, when most other shrubs are just bare stems.

I have since planted a Peony and Daphnes in the garden; a Pieris, in a pot containing acid soil and a Gingko (native to China) also confined to a container.  I find the Gingko biloba fascinating because of its leaf structure and history, considered as a ‘living fossil’.

Bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis, as I know it, now called Lamprocapnos spectabilis had a beautiful display in my garden last year and I am hoping it will return!  It is native to Siberia, N. China, Korea and Japan.  Plants were introduced to England from Asia in 1840s by Robert Fortune.

I am now looking for more plants for ground cover, which fit into the theme!

I recommend the book: Authentic Japanese Gardens by Yoko Kawaguchi.

Allotment News.  Barry Kent

The weather in March has been varied, with some sharp frosts, rain and dry cool days.

I will harvest the last of the leeks.  All the fruit trees and bushes look healthy and are in bud.  The weeds now need regular hoeing and the paths strimming.  The water supply is now back on.

I am experimenting on part of the allotment with a ‘no dig’ policy.  It will be interesting to see which vegetables prosper in the different plots.  Presently the soil is cold and wet but hopefully I can sow some seed before the end of the month eg spinach, parsnips and lettuce.

Save the date! Weds, 24 March at 7.20pm

Our second MHGC Zoom meeting!

Details: Join meeting at 7.20pm for 7.30pm talk. Approx one hour long.

The speaker is Ian Thwaites, his talk is titled “The life of a plant and garden photographer”.

Biography: Ian is an International Garden Photographer of the Year award winning botanical photographer with a specialist knowledge of cacti and succulent plants. Many of his images capture the natural beauty of my subjects whether in a formal garden, their natural environment or as a simple portrait. He is a member of the Garden Media Guild, Professional Garden Photographers Association and Chairman of the British Cactus and Succulent Society.

His website is www.ianthwaites.com   it is definitely worth taking a look.

We will forward you more details, the link, meeting ID and pass code nearer the time.

Breaking News…..…Breaking News……..Breaking News…..…

April and May Zoom talks have also been organised:

April 28 2021: Adventurous Container Gardening -Stuart Lee

May 26 2021: An Allotment Year – Alan Williamson

Subscriptions 2021.

Subscriptions are now due for renewal for this year. We are maintaining the yearly subscription at £10. The cancellation of the Malvern shows has resulted in a substantial loss of income for the club, as we usually receive monies from holding the plant crêche. In order to remain sustainable as a club, we need to continue with the usual subscription fee this year. Please look in the newsletter for details of how to pay electronically – our preferred method.

If you wish to pay by cheque, please make payable to Malvern Hills Gardening Club and send to the club treasurer. Address is Mary Pillon, 12, Arosa Drive, Malvern, WR14 3JP.

2020 A strange year in my garden by Fay Grist

January            A cold, wet and windy month
House sparrows, doves, wood pigeons, robins, dunnock, blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits, blackcaps and
blackbirds on table and feeders. 
Snowdrops, wall flowers, snowflakes, winter box, winter sweet, Iris stylosa all in flower.

February          Gales, wind and rain.  Storm Dennis.
Mahonia, Hellebores, aconites, snowdrops ‘Wendy’s Gold’, Iris stylosa, winter sweet, winter box, winter
honeysuckle and Edgeworthia all in bloom.

March              Very mixed; wind, rain and sun
1^st Lockdown.  Link Nurseries closed.  Confined to house.
Goldfinch, blackbird, dunnock, blackcap, house sparrows, doves, robin.  Honey and bumblebees on rosemary
and ivy.  No frogs this year.
Crocus ‘Tete a Tete’ and ‘Jetfire’ all in flower.
Sow Cosmos, runner bean, Ipomea and mini lobata seed.

April                Cold, windy, dry
Goldfinch, blackbirds, doves, house sparrows, dunnock, robin.
White clematis and ‘Freda’, Chilean glory vine, red rhododendron and wisteria all in bloom.

May                 Very dry and hot.
Long tailed tits, blue tits, great tits, goldfinch, jackdaws, doves, house sparrows, dunnock, blackbirds, robin all
on table and feeders. 
Bearded iris, orange, bronze, purple, yellow and black flowering well.  Tomato seedlings coming up on
windowsill. 
Back to work at Link as soon as allowed.

June                 Very hot and dry.
Starlings back.
Oriental poppies (all colours).  Runner beans suffering, strawberries doing well.

July                  Rain at last!
Grey squirrel back.  Red Admiral, Peacock, Meadow Brown butterflies.
Allium, phlox, clematis, pinks, salvias, cranesbills all good.
Redcurrant, gooseberries and Worcesterberry good.  First new potatoes.

August            Shasta daisies, Crocosmia, Rudbeckia, Helenium, Cyclamen hederifolium.
Tomatoes ripening.

September      Hot, a little rain.
Runner beans, raspberries doing well.

October           Warm and wet.
Great tits back.
Clematis flowering 2^nd time.  Yellow Bearded Iris.  Dwarf   salvias very good.
Iris stylosa very early, usually Christmas time.

November       2^nd Lockdown. 
Snowdrops ‘Three Ships’ in bloom, usually mid December.  Salvias, Fatsia, Mahonia, Fuchsia, Iceberg rose, pink
Kaffir lilies still in bloom.
Spindle, smoketree, witch hazel, Cornus, ivy, Euonymus great Autumn colour.
Cut down raspberries and shred.

December        Snow on 28^th.
‘Three Ships’, 20 blooms, Iris stylosa, 18 blooms.
Cut off Hellebore leaves as buds forming.  Cleared leaves and put in leaf bin.

ALLOTMENTS

We have had an allotment in many different parts of the country as we have moved quite a few times

The first one was in Eastney Barracks, Portsmouth, part of an old walled garden, where we grew mainly potatoes as it was quite a distance from our home.

Next was in Lympstone , Devon. A beautiful site overlooking the Exe estuary, the weather there was so warm things grew well but the spring flowers only lasted for a few days as I discovered when we moved up North……

The next one , again by the sea was way up North  in Tynemouth ( Newcastle) the thing I remember about that one was collecting seaweed from the shore, with the assistance of 3 young children, and wheelbarrowing it up some steps to the park where the plots were.

I have just read this piece of useless information – Newcastle has the most allotments per person of any city in the UK with 23 per 100,000 people. a total of 66 different sites!! 

Our next house, in Darlington Co Durham had a garden big enough for us to grow vegetables, especially huge cauliflowers one year, so 15 years without an allotment!

We then moved to London – yes I had an allotment in Merton, near the famous tennis courts. Most of the other growers were old men who spent all day there to get out of the house, they used to have mid day ’coffee’ – a bell was rung to summon the gang – I was invited to join them but only once – think I stalled their conversation!  We had free manure delivered to the site, it was said that it came from the Royal Stables.

I now  have one in Goodwood Road, Malvern Link. I was offered one in Madresfield Road but they have now gone to be part of the cemetery so just as well I declined it!

That was 10 years ago and I am still getting it into shape, it might not be the tidiest on site  but I maintain that I have produce to pick most  of the year round, and a freezer full of fruit for crumbles and summer pudding all year!  So….. at the moment, in February, I have parsnips, kale (Nero), spinach, parsley and a few left over carrots.  There are always some disappontments and this year it is the Purple Sprouting Broccoli which I love and usually does well so not sure what went wrong.  But the rhubarb is sprouting well , the broad beans are struggling. Fortunately I have some seedlings nearly ready to plant out . The plot is 125sq m. technically half a plot -rent is  £23.40 a year.

I have been very fortunate with the position of my plot as it backs onto houses and the occupants frequently  give me cups of tea, coffee or cold squash – they benefit from some of my produce.

Some are able to relax,& make a cuppa in their sheds

So upward and onward….. the allotment has been my lifesaver during the  past year I did rush down there in March 2020 to plant the potatoes in case we were prevented from going there but it was then decreed that we could attend our plots so it has been a hive of activity all year!!  Always socially distanced of course!

Trish Robinson

Allotment News.  Barry Kent

With the varied weather, there has been little to do on my allotment.  The leeks are doing well and delicious.  The weather has become milder but wet.  Early March sowing is not looking sensible at the moment.  The soil is cold and waterlogged.  Weeds are thriving, however!

A Challenge from Richard Winterton

What are these plants in the picture?

Clue: Seed sown at beginning of November and pricked out 2 weeks later. At beginning of January put into 3 ½ inch pots as shown.  Have been in house with gentle extra heat.  Lack of light during winter has made them spindly.  In due course will be planted in vegetable patch!

(Answer at the end of the newsletter!)

Memories of a Kent Garden by Barry Kent

I was born and brought up in mid Kent in the 1950s.  My mother kept farm records of how many hop pockets were filled by the hop pickers from London.  Here I am, next to a hop pocket!

My father was a police constable and our village home was a purpose built police house (late 1940s).  The garden started out as a blank canvas except for a large apple tree in the largest lawn.  My Dad was a keen gardener and was lucky to have such a large garden.  He grew most types of vegetables and as I grew older I was expected to help with the digging and lawn mowing.  Dad was successful in growing asparagus, which seemed exotic to me as a child.  Dad even experimented with growing melons against the garage wall.  We also benefited from raspberries and strawberries.  Most of the garden vegetables were eaten with Sunday roast, listening to ‘Two Way Family Favourites’ on the radio. 

Around the house and police office there were flower borders and I can remember spring bulbs flowering, lavender and fuchsias The garden was also a place to learn to ride a bike, keep pets and tree climb!  Dad loved to sunbathe in a deckchair with a hankie, knotted in four corners, on his head!

Cordylines and Phormiums by Hilary Thorogood

In this short article I do not intend to go into a detailed explanation of either in terms of botany but rather to point out the merits of both purely from a gardener’s point of view! I have come to love them in recent years and appreciate what they have to offer.

Phormiums  New Zealand flax

Phormiums are undemanding exotic looking evergreens with eye catching coloured, sword like leaves.

They are ideal for sunny borders, gravel gardens or containers and I have fallen in love with them over the last few years

They vary in height from 1m to 2.4m, they prefer full sun and are drought tolerant once established. It’s a good idea to check the size so they are going to do well in the position you have chosen.

There are many varieties that are now frost hardy down to -10C but some may need protection in the severest cold.

Cordylines

Known as the slender palm lily are many and various. Whereas Phormiums form their leaves from the base of the plant and grow as a clump, Cordyline have a central ‘trunk’ and sword like leaves. They vary in height from 1m to 20m but there are plenty of varieties for small gardens but check before you buy!

I have them planted in the border where they created interest and texture but I like them in containers too.

Cordyline Maori Sunrise planted in perennial beds

Both species are beautiful architectural plants and are a huge bonus in the winter garden as they are evergreen. Their often vibrant colours sing out across the garden. The strap like leaves do get untidy after winter but the worst affected leaves can be pulled off and a liquid feed in spring will set them going again. Container grown phormiums benefit from regular feeding through the spring and summer.

They have flower spikes in summer once mature. Mine are not yet mature enough!

Report on Zoom meeting 24 February.

Our first Zoommeeting proved to be very successful with an enjoyable and interesting talk given by Robin Pearce, a retired nurseryman of hardy plants, on hostas and companion planting.

Robin showed us photos of hostas ranging from miniature ones to large leaved varieties. 

He told us that hostas are native to NE Asia with over 70 species and 6100 cultivars.  They are also known as plantain lilies and are apparently edible. 

They like a rich fertile soil, ph6 and light shade, although some will take full sun.  They prefer damp but not waterlogged soil.  You can mulch them in bark, gravel or ‘Strulch’, which is composted straw.  They can be fed in spring and summer.  You can divide them at any time.

They are mainly trouble free but their major pests are vine weevil, rabbits and snails. 

Robin offered some ideas for controlling pests, which were: use of natural predators, removing dead leaves, grit, coffee grounds, copper bands, WD40 and possibly garlic or simply keep them in pots.  He employed the technique of ‘dawn patrol’, when he would get up at dawn and pick off the snails!

There are now some resistant strains on the market, such as ‘Halcyon’ and ‘Devon Green’. 

There are all sizes of hostas from miniature ones, which are best grown in pots, small ones for ground cover, medium ones to large.  There are green ones, blue ones, yellow and white, some with variegation and streaky ones.  Also ‘pie crust varieties’ with a wavy edge, popular in the US.

Robin suggested a number of plants that make good companions for hostas, such as ferns and plants that perform in winter, when hostas are dormant and die back in summer as hostas come into their own.  He suggested snowdrops, Arum, Bergenia, Brunnera, Lily of the valley, Cyclamen, Epimedium, Erythronium, Heuchera, Hellebores and Liriope muscari. 

The meeting lasted about an hour.

Plant news from Lucy Bannister

It struck me the other day that for the last few years I have become a plant collector, not to be confused with a plant hunter. Not for me travelling to the four corners of the earth, wading through rivers, climbing mountains and dealing with unspeakable insects, but rather driving around Worcestershire, picking up donated plants from generous nursery men and women, all in aid of St. Richard’s hospice.

I like to think that Spring is on its way, and as this is the time when we assess our gardens for the coming year, we may decide to dig up or split plants. If this is the case, I would be very grateful for any surplus plants you may have, that I could sell in aid of the hospice. All I ask is that they are in pots and labelled. It seems now that the “garden centre” on my drive will be open until April 12^th and after that plants will be for sale at the hospice shops in Malvern Link and Pershore. I would be more than happy to collect any plants you may have, combining it with an essential journey to the supermarket!  Many thanks.  Lucy.  swissbannister@gmail.com

Answer to challenge

Potatoes grown from seed.  Not seed potatoes!  Did anyone get it right?  Look forward to seeing photos of the crop!

Questionnaire

We would like to get some feedback from members, so would be very grateful if you would answer this short questionnaire and email your replies to malvernhillsgardeningclub@gmail.com.

1. Which newsletter articles have been of most interest to you?
2. What are your main interests in the garden – flowers/fruit/veg or other?
3. Have you a particular passion in the garden?  What is it?
4. Have you any gardening tips you would like to share?  What are they?
5. Can you recommend any local gardens or nurseries to visit?
6. What would you like to see featured in future newsletters?

Next month we will feature members’ gardening passions or special interests, so please send in your contributions by 24 March!

Breaking News…..…Breaking News……..Breaking News…..…

Save the date! Weds, 24 February at 7.20pm.

Our very first MHGC Zoom meeting! Speaker: Robin Pearce has been booked to give talk on ‘Hostas and Companion Plants’.

Details: Join meeting at 7.20pm for 7.30pm talk. Approx one hour long.

I will forward you more details, the link, meeting ID and pass code nearer the time.

March meeting will also be by Zoom. Weds, 24 March at 7.20pm. Speaker will be Ian Thwaites on ‘The Life of a Plant and Garden Photographer’.

Due to the present uncertain situation, we will send you details of April and May meetings and future visits nearer the time.

Subscriptions 2021.

Subscriptions are now due for renewal for this year. We are maintaining the yearly subscription at £10. The cancellation of the Malvern shows has resulted in a substantial loss of income for the club, as we usually receive monies from holding the plant crêche. In order to remain sustainable as a club, we need to continue with the usual subscription fee this year. Please look in the newsletter for details of how to pay electronically – our preferred method.

If you wish to pay by cheque, please make payable to Malvern Hills Gardening Club and send to the club treasurer. Address is Mary Pillon, 12, Arosa Drive, Malvern, WR14 3JP.

Looking forward to March, we are going to feature allotments and vegetable growing.

Here is a taster from Barry Kent. .

Tales from the Allotment. January 2021

Two years ago, I took over an allotment at the Goodwood Road council site. I was surprised to be offered the plot, as there was a long waiting list. The previous tenant was obviously into fruit. The plot was overgrown but during 2019, I found healthy red and blackcurrant bushes, cultivated blackberries, an apple tree and two gooseberry bushes. For some reason, 2019 was a good year for currants and 2020 for apples and blackberries.

The plot could not be rotivated, as there were many ‘hidden’ paving slabs and wooden planks, which were possibly used as dividers? In the last three months I have pruned the fruit bushes and apple tree. New strawberry plants have gone in, replacing old plants. Young blueberry bushes have been planted and dwarf raspberry bushes will replace the old ones, which have expired!

The only vegetables I have left are leeks, which are okay, despite part of the plot having been recently flooded. As this winter weather is so variable, weeds are still appearing. Thinking back to the 1970s, in November, when my garden was dug over and manure added, weeds never seemed to be a problem!

If you wish to share your experiences (good or bad) of vegetable growing or allotment holding with fellow club members, please email malvernhillsgardeningclub@gmail.com by February 20 for inclusion in next newsletter. Thanks!

Helena Kent

A Dream of a Greenhouse by Patsy Cooke

I started gardening in the late 50’s as a small child, helping my widowed mother in our garden on the outskirts of London. We talked about gardens and gardening while we worked. I loved that garden.

The things I remember were mostly colour or form: lots of bulbs, day lilies, “grandma’s bonnets”, phlox (that unforgettable scent), masses of Lily of the Valley and forget-me-not, London Pride (of course), bears breeches, peonies, Michaelmas daisies, globe thistle (called by us Pippa Flowers as they were always in bloom for my sister’s birthday) and periwinkle under a very early flowering pink rhododendron.

We had walnut and apple trees and lots of soft fruit. My father had planted roses: Albertine, Peace and Pauls Scarlet among them.  I remember too primroses originally brought from the family home in Devon to form Mother’s wartime wedding bouquet – some of them pink. I have their offspring in my garden even now. Mother cultivated a veg patch – anything she could get hold of. She saved seed whenever she could.

On her own with five children, my mother couldn’t afford a greenhouse. She was a very pragmatic gardener and only grew what she knew would survive hordes of children, some neglect and next door’s enormous tortoise. “Loity” had a voracious appetite for our veg and regularly had to be rescued from the bonfire heap. Anything the least bit tender lived on the window ledge in the small conservatory and endured the attentions of a series of interested budgies.

Apart from a vegetable garden, they had a rose garden, another garden planted with flowers for the house, espalier fruit underplanted with strawberries lining the footpath to the front door, extensive lawns and several greenhouses. How the other half lived! I could only dream about having my own garden and it had to have a greenhouse.

My Love Affair with Orchids

My love affair with orchids began in Florida, several years ago. It is a wonderful place to grow orchids and any sub tropical or tropical plant. A wide variety of orchids are readily available to buy in garden centres, specialist orchid nurseries, at fairs and shows. Every town seems to have an orchid society and best of all the raffle prizes are orchids! This photo shows a Dendrobium phalaenopsis hybrid, which I won in a raffle!

In Florida orchids are happy to grow outside, as long as they have the required amount of shade. They love the humidity and heat and can survive some cold, if temperatures drop during a cold front. You can attach the epiphytic types, such as Phalaenopsis to trees or bark and as their roots develop, they will cling happily to the tree, following their natural habit, as they would grow in the wild.

Of course, Florida is a long way from the UK and conditions could not be more different but the good thing is, you can replicate most of the conditions they need in your own home. Orchids are fairly tough plants and will tolerate a lot of abuse! If you consider how they grow in the wild you get a better understanding of their needs.

Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchids) are the most popular type here and most supermarkets sell them. They are considered as ‘throwaway’ plants but there is nothing more rewarding than getting them to flower again. It may take a year but well worth trying! When they do bloom, the flowers can last for 3 months or more. In the photo, this Phal rebloomed after a year, (if I remember right!) and lasted for so long, that when the final flower opened the rest had faded!

There are many books and magazine articles which give advice on growing orchids. One book I would recommend is ‘Growing Windowsill Orchids’ by Philip Seaton. (Kewgrowing). A few simple tips I would give for growing Phals are: keep them out of direct sunlight, away from draughts and radiators and do not overwater! Water them once (or twice) a week in summer and less in winter. When you can see their roots are very green, they should not need watering but when the roots turn a silvery white, then they can be watered. The mantra I followed in Florida was feed ‘weekly, weakly’ and here too but not in winter. You can mist them regularly too or grow in bathrooms or kitchens, where they like the humidity.

If you want to try something other than Phals, you can sometimes find Oncidium (dancing ladies) in local grocery stores, supermarkets or nurseries. Otherwise you need to visit a show, such as the Three Counties in June, which hosts an International Orchid Show or Gardeners World Live at the NEC, Birmingham in June, which have orchid growers or buy online from an orchid specialist, such as Burnham Nurseries in Devon, www.orchids.uk.com.

The same general rules of care apply to Oncidium but water regularly or leaves will concertina. Do not allow to dry out completely between waterings.

When you buy from a specialist, you will get the species name and although they are usually more expensive, they tend to be better quality and come with advice on growing. Orchids used to be very expensive and the preserve of the rich. Some even have been the motive for murder! However due to modern techniques of propagation, they are now on mass production and we don’t have to worry about anyone with orchid envy!

In my opinion, Oncidium (as in these photos) are hard to beat when it comes to variety of colour and some species even have scent. However, when it comes to fragrance, my favourites have to be species of Cattleya.

The genus Cattleya was named after an English merchant and horticulturalist, William Cattley. Cattleya spp have the most divine perfume and the blooms used to be chosen as corsages. I bought one plant a couple of years ago and it kept producing more leaves, so that I divided it to make two plants, which have survived my repotting. They don’t show any signs of flowering yet and I may have to be a bit patient! Anyway I live in hope! Here’s a photo of original plant. Unfortunately a picture doesn’t reproduce the fragrance!

I hope that I may hear from some other orchid enthusiasts. The nearest orchid society I know about is Cheltenham and District Orchid Society but if there is anything nearer I would be pleased to hear about it.

Helena Kent

Clivias

In many ways these make ideal house plants. They do not require constant attention and spend the summer in a shady place outside. In the winter they prefer a cool room indoors, in our case a conservatory. Clivias cannot take sun. Sun will burn the leaves. The flowers are showy and long lasting, mostly orange or yellow. The main flowering season is spring and summer but ours can flower at any time of year. The picture was taken on January 18^th. When they flower in the summer we bring them into the house so we can appreciate them.

The plant in the picture is our original purchase, several years old now. In the meantime it has been split several times and offshoots passed on to friends. Being pleased with the original, unnamed, plant we have added to the collection, plants mostly with cultivar names, some bought online from a grower and a couple from Bob Brown’s Cotswold Garden Flowers. We bought a magnificent plant from him with very large pale yellow flowers. Keen to try different colours we bought a variety called Pink something or other. It turned out to be orange. We took it back. They were fine about replacing it with another Pink something or other. It too turned out orange. We could not be bothered going back a second time. The nearest we have to pink is a shade I call peach. We are still looking for red.

The seeds need time to ripen and then germinate readily, just place them on the surface of the compost, do not bury them. They are slow growing. Our first seedlings may flower this year. Until recently there has been little trouble with pests but over the last 12 months several different houseplants have been attacked by mealy bugs. Oil based insecticides have little effect. I am going to try Bug Clear Ultra.

Richard Winterton 20^th January

Houseplants by MaggieJo

There’s a radio programme I occasionally catch ,when someone is given the opportunity to thank someone, that at the time, they didn’t have the chance to. This is my thank you to a Bizzie Lizzie.

Bizzie Lizzie. As I recall from the early and mid 1970s, she was an indoor plant; mind you I didn’t have a garden, so maybe hardy versions of her were out there then? A Bizzie Lizzie first lived with me in a first floor flat in Putney until I went abroad to work for nearly three years, leaving her in the care of my green fingered Mum. While I was away, I was stunned, on a trip in the hills of Argentina, to meet her family, growing in profusion as huge swathes in the moist shade along the edges of roads. My own Bizzie Lizzie had also flourished and came back, a foot in diameter, glossy leaved and colourful, to live in another first floor flat, this time alongside Wandsworth Common and whenever I see her now, I am mentally transported back there because she became a saviour. An unhappy love affair had left me there, moping alone in November, impelled out of bed only by the need to go to work; my evenings were spent miserably curled up by a radiator, unable to motivate myself. Until one evening, I glanced over and horror of horrors my gorgeous large Bizzie Lizzie was looking just like me: her leaves were drab and wilted; her flowers had dropped; her buds were drooping; her soil was dry and bereft of life. I moved faster than I had for several weeks and I gave her water. Slowly over the next few weeks she and I picked ourselves up; her leaves spread out and so did my footsteps; I picked off her dead stems and put them, with my romance, in the bin; her leaves began to shine and I took care over how I looked; she put out new blooms; I smiled and thanked her for returning me to sanity!

Splitting/Sharing Ornamental Grasses

Those who collected tomato plants from me last year will know I have a small front garden, sloping down with a good view onto the Beacon. Lovely. It is the sunniest place I have; it is also wind blown and dry. A talk at Colwall garden club on ornamental grasses set me thinking, some might thrive there better than the lawn grass, which turns brown each year. I’ve read that late winter/early spring is the time to split them, so 2021 is my yearof action. Please do any of you have ornamental grasses that will benefit from splitting and you’d be willing to share?

Thank you, MaggieJo
Tel 01684 574999
7 Tudor Close, Poolbrook, WR14 3SA

Propagation notes  February 2021 by Rachel Salisbury

House Plant Propagation

Helena has asked me to focus this month’s notes on house plants.  Anyone who knows me will be aware that my relationship with houseplants is not great, although I do have intermittent spells of ‘I will try harder’!   Most of my experience of house plant propagation dates back to when I was a student, when my desk looked more like a greenhouse bench than a serious workplace for a student.  What that did teach me was that ‘trial and error’ is a good way of learning.

That said let’s have a look at a few appropriate methods.

Seed.  Houseplants which produce flower can be propagated from seed.   Most can be sown at any time of year and germination times vary enormously.  They will need warmth: for most 20-25C is ideal and should be as constant as possible. A windowsill that gets cold at night is less likely to produce good results.  If you have a heated propagator, this is a good time to use it.  If you choose to put your seeds in the airing cupboard, make sure to check them daily. Once germinated, they need to be removed into a light place and not exposed to a sudden temperature drop. 

Sow seeds in a moist loam based seed compost. For very small seeds just mist spray lightly to settle them into the surface. Don’t cover with compost.  Place pots in a propagator with a lid, or seal in a plastic bag.  Check daily for germination and prick out/ pot up when large enough to handle. 

Stem Cuttings  Plants which have obvious stems and branches (like a small tree) can often be propagated from cuttings. These can be taken at any time of year, but Spring and Summer are best. Make the cutting as described for semi ripe cuttings earlier.  Insert into moist, gritty, low nutrient compost.  Place in propagator or seal in plastic bag and keep in a warm place out of direct sunlight.  Do not place in airing cupboard ` cuttings need light! Most will root in 3-4 weeks.  (Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Christmas cactus)

Division  Plants that expand sideways and gradually fill their pot, can be divided.  This can be done at almost any time, but I would recommend Feb to Sept.  Divided sections can be potted up immediately into a good potting compost and should establish quickly in their new pots.  (Peace Lily , ferns, Clivia)

Air layering  Used for a few woody house plants such as rubber plant.   I’ll describe this in a later article when I cover it for outdoor plants too.

Leaf cuttings  these come into their own with certain groups of houseplants.  If you grow African Violets, Streptocarpus, Peperomia, Sanseveria or Begonia rex, this is the method you need to know about. African Violets and Peperomia are propagated from the whole leaves, whereas the others can be cut into sections to produce even more baby plants.  In my impoverished student days I successfully propagated African Violets, Streptocarpus and Peperomia in jars of water, but I wouldn’t say this is my recommended method! 

African Violets and Peperomias Take the whole leaf with the leaf stem. Insert into gritty low nutrient compost so that the base of the leaf blade is just at the surface of the compost.  Keep moist (not too wet!) and warm.  My mother had underfloor heating and used to have tray of African Violet leaves on the floor in the hallway!  Basal heat certainly seems to help if you can provide it.  After a few weeks, small plant will appear at the base of the leaf where it meets the compost.  Allow to grow in for a few weeks then pot up. 

Sanseveria, Streptocarpus and Begonia rex can be propagated from sections of the leaf, although whole leaves do also work.  There are a number of similar methods, but for the sake of simplicity I’ll just describe one, known as butterfly cuttings.  Take the leaf and with a very sharp knife make a cut diagonally from the edge to the midrib. Repeat from the other side so that the cuts meet in the middle.  Repeat this process along the length of the leaf, at approximately 2.5cm intervals.  You will then finish up with several V (or butterfly!) shaped cuttings.  Insert the cuttings with the point of the V into the compost and treat as above.   New plants will form at the point, and may also form where other cut veins are in contact with the compost.

Streptocarpus and Begonia rex  These can also be propagated from whole leaves laid on the surface of the compost. Lay the leaf flat on the compost.  Make cuts through some of the veins and pin down to make sure there is contact with the compost.  New plants will form at the cut ends of the veins.  Don’t get over enthusiastic with this at least until you become expert.  A few cuts will probably give you all the new plants you need.

A few general points re: leaf cuttings. 

1. Use a sharp knife to ensure clean cuts
2. Give basal heat if possible
3. Keep in the light but out of direct sunlight
4. Never use rooting hormone.  More about this later, but for now suffice to say that rooting hormone inhibits shoot growth and is totally inappropriate for leaf cuttings.

Foliage

George Rees – 13^th January 2021

I could live in a garden without flowers.  Now there is a statement to start an article.  But it is true and before I got into gardening it was the foliage of plants like ferns that drew me, rather than say roses. When I go to visit a garden (ah we all remember this right, ambling along losing oneself in the fauna and flora) it was always the kaleidoscope of greens that would catch my eye.  Depending on the season it’s the layers from the trees, down through the shrubs, to the tall grasses, down to the perennials, evergreen ferns, and foliage like hostas, and down again to the ground cover of grass, moss or plethora of saxifrage say.  The different forms, textures just a delight to my senses.

Here is a vista from John’s garden at Ashwood Nurseries that encapsulates everything I mean.

I attach this photo as I am actually in the exciting position of having just moved into a new garden in November (there was a house attached you will be pleased to know) so I am still in that stage of impatiently waiting to see what comes up in Spring before making my mark on it and creating my vision of what a garden could be.

This is where the article was born as I have quite a lot of plants in varying ornamental pots and planters waiting for their forever home in the ground and this winter has really shown just how much foliage especially evergreen I have. I could talk about ferns, hostas, heucheras, or grasses but I would imagine most of you have heard of these so instead I wanted to maybe introduce you to three of my favourite plants that will feature in the new garden and my thoughts on how and why.

I will leave you with some collages of foliage from my garden.

Peace on Earth biscuits from Hilary Thorogood

So called in our family because the recipe was written on the back of a Christmas card!

They are however very good and deserve the name. Also semi frozen.

Ingredients

• 4 oz of butter/margarine
• 4 oz caster sugar
• 1 dessert spoon golden syrup
• 6 oz SR flour
• ½ tsp bicarb of soda dissolved in 1tsp milk
• 3 oz sultanas/choc chips/chopped glacé cherries

Preheat oven to 180̊̊ C

Method

• Cream butter and sugar together
• Add syrup and bicarb of soda
• Add flour and rest of ingredients
• Divide mixture into small balls roughly walnut sized
• Place on greased tin leaving room around them for spreading as they cook
• Press lightly with a fork
• Cook at 180̊̊ C for 10-15 minutes. They should be just cooked
• Leave to cool and firm up on tray

January 2021

The beginning of the year 2021 signifies a new beginning with hope for the future. The days are getting longer and Nature is already preparing for Spring.  Gardeners are too!

A robin is singing loudly in my garden every morning now.  His Spring song, more confident and upbeat than the Autumn one, is in defence of his territory and hope of attracting a mate.

Traditionally, the first flower of Spring, the primrose has already made an appearance.

Iris, which has been blooming in my garden throughout December, signifies, in the language of flowers, hope, wisdom, trust and courage.  All of which we need at the moment.

Looking forward, we hope to resume our monthly meetings at the end of April with a talk on fuchsias by Geoff Oke and in May a talk entitled ‘The Role of a Head Gardener’ by Hugh Thomas.  In next month’s newsletter, further details will be given of the rest of the programme with dates, times, venues etc.

In the meantime, the Chair suggests that we try a Zoom talk in February.  How many members would like this?  Please email David at malvernhillsgardeningclub@gmail.com if you are interested.

Monthly competitions will also begin again in January.  3 categories, 1 entry each: Winter outdoor bulbs eg snowdrops, a flowering pot plant, birds feeding in your garden.

Lucy Bannister has a selection of spring bulbs available.  As usual, the money goes straight to St Richards Hospice.  £1 for 10.

Tulips, Clearwater, Sunny Prince, Hemisphere, Honeymoon, High Scarlet, Van Eijk, Canasta, Carre, Spring Break, Crème Upstar, Cummins, Corona, Hugs and Kisses, Shirley, Sanne, Purple Flag.  Narcissus, Big Gun, Golden Ducat, Replete, Flower Drift To arrange a mutually convenient time, please email Lucy, swissbannister@gmail.com or phone on 01905 831330

Helena Kent

My life with Citrus Plants

Early studies

As a boy I was fascinated by the thought that I could grow an orange tree from a pip and my brother and I grew various citrus plants from pips. As I remember they all germinated apart from ordinary sweet oranges. I must have lost interest after a while but my brother’s grapefruit trees continued for many years. None of them showed any sign of flowering, let alone fruiting.

Many years later, thinking I had no choice but to actually buy a plant, I got a Calamondin orange, sometimes called citrus mitis, with the correct botanical name of   × Citrofortunella microcarpa.

This is a very attractive ornamental orange, displaying fruit for much of the year and small enough to fit easily into the home. I didn’t eat the fruits but when new neighbours moved in next door, from Scotland, the first time their little girl saw the plant she picked a fruit, put in her mouth and ate it all, including the peel, so I suppose they are edible.

Eventually the little orange tree succumbed to the most dangerous pest known to house plants. It was left in the care of friend while we went on holiday. So I had another attempt at growing a new plant from its pips. They grew fast. At five foot high, much taller than their parent, with no sign of flowers, I ran out of space to keep them. Also they had numerous sharp spines whereas the original plant was spineless. This demonstrates another problem of growing plants from seed. They may not breed true, and in the case of hybrids certainly won’t.

To misquote a famous person “Life is too short to attempt to grow orange trees from pips.”

Seville oranges

Many years later my daughter announced that she was going to spend a term at the University of Grenada in Spain. Up to that point her mother and I had shown little interest in her foreign travels but we immediately said it was very important to visit her and see that she was OK. In the course of this trip we saw Grenada, Seville and Cordoba and all these cities had Seville orange trees lining the streets, in bloom and in many cases still with oranges on them. It would seem appropriate to say that the crime occurred in Seville but it was in Cordoba that I stole two cuttings from a tree in the street. You might think that this is not seemly behaviour for a member of the Malvern Hills Gardening Club. After some thought I have come up with a very convincing justification. All these trees are tall with a single smooth trunk. The flowers and fruits are high up, too high for passers-by to pick them. Evidently the Superintendent of roadside trees in each city has the job of removing a shoot that appears low down. I was merely helping them.

To my surprise the cuttings took and are the ancestors of my three current orange trees. The photos show a flower and one of the little standard trees. The Versailles planter is, pardon my French, merely a cache pot. The tree is actually growing in a builders’ bucket, as builders’ buckets are cheaper and stronger than plastic flower pots. The plants spend the entire summer, May 1^st to September 30th out in the garden.  I bring them into the conservatory for the winter months.  I repot them using a compost/soil mix, feed them with Phostrogen all year round and extra nitrogen in the summer. I water them using rain water, but only when the pots seem dry; they dislike overwatering.

Other citrus plants.

One unsuccessful present I received was of a very handsome Kumquat plant, covered with oval fruits. That was it. It never flowered or fruited again.

For years in the garden we had a Japanese bitter orange. When purchased it was not classed as a citrus but several years ago the botanists reclassified it as a citrus species. It is not my place to argue with the botanists but clearly they are wrong. The Japanese bitter orange is: a) the only hardy citrus; b) the only deciduous citrus and c) the only one with trifoliate leaves. Anyway it never produced a ripe orange, was occupying a large space I wanted for something else and had the most vicious spines of any plant I have ever grown in the garden. Curiously, in a gardening column in this month’s i newspaper, three plants were recommended for forming an impenetrable barrier. These are berberis, pyracantha and, to give it its proper name, citrus trifolata. I have never seen a hedge of citrus trifolata – it would be quite something.

More recently I have been growing a Kaffir lime, started from a pip! (I know it is unlikely to ever flower but we only want the leaves. Three or so go well in a Thai curry.) As shown in the picture, the leaves have a characteristic double shape, with a bulge near the stalk.

How to win a marmalade competition

Once I had a supply of oranges I started making marmalade with them. Coming across a reference to the grandly named The World’s Original Marmalade Awards I decided to enter. In those days you could save postage by dropping the jar off at a Paddington Bear shop. I was very proud to receive a Silver Medal – as you can see from the label that I used to put on my marmalade jars.

The main criticism of my silver medal winning jar of marmalade was that I hadn’t filled it up to the brim. So the following year I decided to enter again, in person. The awards are held at Dalemain Mansion in Cumbria, quite convenient for staying at the house of some friends. There were hundreds of jars set out on tables. Imagine my disappointment to find I had been demoted: this one only deserved a bronze medal. I was too numbed to think further but my wife is made of sterner stuff. She sought out two of the judges and challenged them to explain the criteria they used.

The key thing is how clear the marmalade is. To achieve this you should pass the juice and pulp through a muslin bag. The marmalade is essentially a jelly made with the filtered juice. Most of the peel is then discarded with just a few strands allowed to be suspended in the now clear jelly.

I am happy to pass on these insider tips in case you should decide to enter yourselves. I will not be competing with you. 

Richard Winterton, November 2020.

Chairman’s Blog – Special Plants in Our Garden. 

At this time of the year our garden is very much in hibernation. We have our first snowdrops, and the winter flowering jasmine is looking good, but everything else is biding its time. It is good to look out into the garden and see some plants which have special meaning.

When we had our first house we received two plants which we have taken care to transplant twice as we have moved to a new house. The first is a deutzia, with very pretty pink flowers. It was a wedding present from a very keen gardener and it was chosen by her because it flowers on our wedding anniversary in early May. It has never failed to do so – sometimes in a year with a late spring we have just the first flowers open, most years it has hundreds of open flowers, in an early spring (global warming) it still has open blooms on the day.

The second is a spirea “bridal wreath”, with cascades of white flowers. It also flowers in May, and looks fantastic in the corner of the spring garden. They need careful pruning to continue to give  a good display as they flower on new growth, but need to be trimmed to keep their shape. I don’t always get it right, and that gives a lean flowering year in the spring.

The next plant is an ornamental weeping pear (Pyrus salicifolia pendula). This was chosen by us to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary, as a gift from my brother. He had suggested a silver birch, but the weeping pear is much smaller, has beautiful spring flowers, weeping posture and small, slender leaves and ornamental fruit in the autumn. It looks great and I am gradually lifting its crown to give it a better shape.

The next group of plants are the four apple trees on our main lawn. When my grandmother died aged 101 she wanted all her many grandchildren to receive £100 which my Uncle Mickey proudly distributed. We decided that we would like a permanent memory of her, and the apple trees are a lovely reminder of her long life.

The final memories are also an “in memoriam”, but with a different story. When my Dad died in February 2018 we found that he had been planning a major replanting of his large garden. A good number of plants arrived by mail order, and we had no idea what would arrive next. Not all of them survived between their arrival in Hampshire and getting them home to Malvern. However, the collection of three peonies that he ordered have settled well. We have Shirley Temple, Sarah Bernhardt and Karl Rosenfield and each year they get a bit bigger and have more flowers. They were fantastic this year, one of the few rays of sunshine in 2020.

David Baker

Propagation Notes January

January can be a bit of a dead month for plant propagation, but there are still things to do.  You have no excuse to stay indoors!

There is still time to take hardwood cuttings as discussed earlier. In fact, late January seems to be a particularly good time for these, just as the sap is beginning to rise.

If you haven’t sown those seeds that need stratifying (exposure to cold), there is still time for that too, especially as we seem to be having a cold snap right now.

If you’re desperate to get going with the new season you can sow broad beans such as Aquadulce Claudia.  I usually start mine off under cold glass, mainly to keep the mice off, but they are ok planted directly into the soil.

If you can provide some gentle heat, you can start tomatoes and onions in pots.   Only do this with tomatoes if you are intending to grow them on under heated glass, otherwise you’ll have plants ready too early for planting out.

Most half hardy annuals are sown from February onwards, but if you’re desperate to start some flowers, then Antirrhinum can be sown now.  Like  tomatoes and onions they will need gentle heat but a window sill is fine.  Sow the seed on the surface of moist seed compost, spray gently with a mister, just to settle the seed into the surface.  Do not cover with compost and do not exclude light.  Ideally place in a propagator with a lid to prevent drying out.  You can put the pot inside a polythene bag, but I’m trying to avoid single use plastic, so prefer any alternative I can find.

If that’s not enough to keep you occupied in January then you can have a go at taking root cuttings. January is the perfect time to do these, as they have to be done when the plant is dormant and there always seems to be more time in January.

Root cuttings are taken for a fairly select group of plants and fall into two main groups.  Thick cuttings are taken for most types, including herbaceous and trees and shrubs. Thin cuttings are taken of just a few herbaceous perennials.

Method.  (Thick) If practical, lift the plant.  Select a few roots about pencil thickness.  Never remove more than one third of the roots.  Cut the selected root(s) close to the crown of the plant, making a horizontal cut.  Remove any fine fibrous roots from the base of the severed section. Now cut the remainder into lengths of about 5-8cm (2-3”), making a horizontal cut at the top of the cutting and a diagonal cut at the base.  This is important as you will need to know which way up to put them in the compost!

Insert the cuttings into pots of gritty compost, diagonal cut downwards, so the top of the cutting (horizontal cut) is just about level with the top of the compost or a fraction below.  Cover with a layer of grit, water and place in a cold frame.  All you need to do then is wait until you see signs of shoot growth, usually late spring/early summer. at this stage you can pot your new plants up and grow them on ready for planting out.  Herbaceous plants that are propagated in this way include, Oriental Poppy, Acanthus, Echinops, Eryngium.

Assuming you want to keep the parent plant, replant it as soon as possible.!

If it isn’t practical to lift the plant, as will be the case with trees and shrubs, you need to carefully scrape away the soil from one section of the plants and sever the exposed roots. The rest of the process is the same.  Shrubs to try include Chaenomeles, Catalpa, Robinia, Campsis and Solanum

Thin root cuttings are taken from plants such as Japanese Anemones, Primula denticulata, Verbascum and Phlox.

For these plants, lift if it’s practical.  Remove a few roots and trim off the very thin ends.  The roots you are using will probably be no more than 2mm thick and you need to cut them into lengths of about 10cm (4”).  You may only get one section from each root.  In this case they are laid horizontally on the surface of the compost and again covered with grit and watered as before.  I find with these that it works better to use trays rather than pots. Place in the cold frame and continue as above.

Root cuttings really are very easy and the only thing that can go wrong is that they get too wet and rot, so take care not to over water.

Pros and Cons (mostly pros!)

Done in winter when you’re less busy with other jobs in the garden

Can be done with plants which don’t produce suitable shoots for cuttings

The roots will not be infected with any of the pathogens which may be affecting the shoots. This is especially true of Phlox, which are frequently infected with virus transmitted by eelworm.

The only con that I know of is that if you take roots cuttings of variegated plants (eg Phlox ‘Norah Leigh’ you will finish up with progeny with plain green leaves!  You have been warned.

I hope the ground thaws soon so you can all get out and have a go at root cuttings.  It is remarkably satisfying!!

Rachel Salisbury