Word Origins | Up The Garden Path

Ever felt you’d been led up the garden path (and not in a ‘come and see my greenhouse tomatoes’ kind of way?) Join us on a journey through the veg beds to find out the origins of the phrase…

Being led up the garden path, meaning to be misled or caused to proceed wrongly, is a phrase dating from the early 1900s when many homes had a garden of various beds and veg plots, which pathways wound through. 

The phrase is  uncertain in origin but may come from the practice of village elders tricking a young man into marrying a, shall we say ‘less than attractive’ veiled bride in order to get her off the shelf. 

Weddings often took place in gardens so the unsuspecting groom would be led up the garden path, to find his bride, hidden behind a veil, at the end of the garden. Once married, he would lift the veil and, if disappointed by what lay beneath, it would be too late! He had been literally led up the garden path already. 

So, a rather uncharming fable about young men, but an interesting piece of etymology. We’re not so sure those veiled young women necessarily felt they’d found a real catch either. Let’s hope, despite the shallow husbands, they at least had a beautiful garden to console themselves with. 

Fascinatingly, in Australia one is lead down the garden path, which we suppose makes sense, geographically speaking. 

In our July issue, our My Place pages feature lots more beautiful garden paths to be led up such as the one by Libby Webb @docleaves above. The issue is on sale now or you can buy it from our online store.

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Try Out | Cloud Pruning

If you’ve ever sprawled on the grass, looking up at the sky and marvelled at the undulating shapes of the clouds, this gardening trend might be for you. The Japanese art of Niwaki or ‘Cloud Pruning’ is all about pruning trees and shrubs into the shapes of clouds. 

Niwaki literally translates to ‘garden tree’ and Cloud Pruning is all about showing off the ‘true essence’ of the tree. Cloud Pruned trees look a bit like bonsai; the only difference is not size, but the fact that bonsai trees are grown in pots and Niwaki trees directly in the ground. 

How to start Cloud Pruning

1. Select your plant. Evergreens are best; perhaps a box, pine or Japanese privet. 

2. Plan your secateur attack. With privet, box and other hedges, prune into curved, fluffy cloud shapes from their usual ‘box’ shape. With trees, you might like to ‘clear’ some branches of leaves and twigs close to the trunk so that the ‘leafed’ parts appear to float like clouds. 

3. Use secateurs to trim the outside of a bush or shrub, and a pruning saw for thicker branches on a tree. Try to take out branches close to each other to allow the silhouette of the branches you leave to shine out a bit. 

4. You can use weights and stakes to encourage the branches to grow in a particular direction.

5. Prune once or twice a year to slowly form the shape you want. 

For more on Cloud Pruning, you could read Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way by Jake Hobson. 

If you’d like to know more about general topiary, turn to page 84 of our July issue, in which Julian Owen meets some practitioners of the art, in our Modern Eccentrics series. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Outdoors | Garden Dens for Grown-Ups

Make a space that’s just for you to crawl in, curl up and tune out

If you were lucky enough to have a treehouse, Wendy house or simply a den under a bush when you were a child, you’ll understand the pleasure of an outdoor room of one’s own. If you didn’t have one, it’s time to put that right.

Every grown up should have somewhere to read, snooze and hide a tin of biscuits outdoors, where they can relax and watch the world (and the bees and butterflies) go by on summer’s afternoons. Here are a few ideas for ways to make your own grown-up garden den.

Willow wigwam

This is no instant garden den, but it’s so satisfying to literally ‘grow your own’ shelter. You’ll need to buy a selection of willow ‘whips’ - about 10 or 12 big ones (depending on how large you want your den to be) and then about 20 smaller whips to plant diagonally between the larger whips. 

Plant your large whips in a large circle, equally spaced but with a larger gap where the entrance will be. They need to be planted around 20cm deep to root. Tie them all together securely at the top. 

Then plant two smaller whips in each gap between the big whips, and weave them diagonally through the big whips. 

Water the whole thing well and continue to water while it grows. You should soon have a nice, leafy den to relax inside. 

Bed canopy

Got a tree with a reasonably solid branch at least ten feet off the ground? You’ve got yourself an instant den. Buy a mosquito canopy (even IKEA sells them these days), hang it from the branch, drape the curtains about elegantly and fill the space inside the canopy with cushions. Add a few fairy lights and you have your own (mosquito proof) reading nook. 

Wooden arbour

A wooden arbour with a seat inside looks so pretty in the garden and offers sturdier shelter if you don’t want to be chased indoors by a light shower. We recommend getting one with a storage bench, so there’s somewhere to stash your secret biscuit tin and a book. And if we were you, we’d face it away from the house, so when someone is looking for you to do a chore or be asked a question, you’re not too obvious to spot. 

A simple deck chair corner

If your need for a grown-up garden den is urgent (and why wouldn’t it be?) there’s a lot you can do with equipment you already have. A deck chair in a corner of the garden can easily be given extra privacy with a wind break or two, and an outdoor ‘sail’ overhead. If you can’t run to a windbreak or sail, a clothes horse and a judiciously pegged blanket will give you some shade, and a throw or rug rigged up over a washing line offer easy shade. All you need is a flask of cold drink, a pile of books and a large hat and shades. 

If you’d like to lust after more grown-up garden dens, don’t miss our My Place feature in our July ‘Taste’ issue, which features willow spheres, wendy houses and willow huts like the one above which belongs to Emma Wise (@quintonrectorygardens).

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Tasting notes | Roses

Stop and smell the roses with our tasting guide to the various scents

After tropical orchids, the rose as a species has the widest variety of scents to enjoy. Like lavender, the smell of roses has a calming effect on the mind, but the scent of a rose also has the ability to lift the spirits, so why wouldn’t you want a deep sniff?

Whatever your preferences, there’s a rose for you. Here’s a brief introduction to the many and various scents of the rose. 

What you need to know first is that only a few roses actually smell of roses. Confused? Your nose will be. For the most part, it’s the red and pink roses that smell of the scent we tend to call ‘rose’. Others smell of fruits, violets, tea and a plethora of other things. 

Secondly, if you’re looking for a rose to give your nostrils a real treat, look for darker-coloured roses - the deeper the red or pink the stronger the smell - and go for roses with lots of petals. 

Scent experts recognise five main scents of rose. David Austin, unsurprisingly, has a lot to say on the subject. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Old Rose

   This is the traditional ‘rose’ scent. Albas, Damasks and Gallicas tend to have this scent. Also worth a sniff are some of David Austin’s English roses, such as Gertrude Jekyll and Rosa Desdemona. They’ll give you that English country garden scent and have quite a heady, high summer aroma. 

2. Fruit

   Roses can smell of many types of fruit, but most common are lemon scents. You’ll also hear roses being described as smelling of apple, mango and blackcurrant. They smell, as you’d expect, of a fresher type of sweetness than the old rose scents, and some border on being quite zesty. Rosa Zephirine Drouhin is a climber with a strong fruity scent that is lovely scrambling over a pergola. Other varieties that will give off a fruity niff are Lady Emma Hamilton and Jude the Obscure.

3. Musk

   Often also described as a ‘cloves’ scent, musk-scented roses smell warm and their scent tends to ‘waft’ easily on the breeze, so you don’t have to stick your nose too far inside to get a musky hit. Unlike other roses, where the scent comes from petals, musk roses’ scent comes from their stamen. For a rich, musky scent try tall rambling roses with lots of small flowers such as Rambling Rector. 

4. Myrrh

   Not to be confused with the stuff one of the Wise Men brought, myrrh type roses don’t smell of myrrh itself, but of more of sweet anise (the name comes from the Latin for Sweet Cicely - myrrhis odorata). Myrrh scented roses are a bit Marmite - you either love them or you don’t - and have notes of liquorice. It’s quite a complex smell. Sceptr’d Isle and Gentle Hermione are both good bets. 

5. Tea

   Put all thoughts of PG Tips out of your mind. Tea roses have a rich, fresh black tea aroma. It’s a more ‘grown-up’ smell than some of the ‘old rose’ and ‘fruit’ rose scents, to our nose. They often have notes of violets and smell quite earthy in a pretty way. Lady Hillingdon and Lady of Shallott are both heavily scented tea roses - you can almost picture the women themselves sipping China tea underneath an arbour of peachy tea roses. 

Many rose varieties will smell of two or more of these types, so you can mix and match your favourites. And, of course, there’s much more to it than that. Some have chocolate notes, or honeysuckle. Some burst with citrus or undertones of smoke. Take time to stop and smell the roses and you’ll find yourself on an olfactory journey that never ends. 

If you’ve been inspired to plant your own rose garden or just add a rose to your garden, read our feature Coming Up Roses in our June ‘Flower’  issue, in which Kendra Wilson advises on modern ways to feature roses in your outdoor space. 

The June issue is in shops and available from our online store now.

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Make | Your Own Meadow

In the last 50 years, Britain has lost more than 98% of its wildflower meadows but we can all help bring meadows back by doing our own small part

Allowing grass to grow long and planting wildflowers, doesn’t have to mean owning a field or even giving over your garden to it. We’ve put together a few easy ways to make your own meadow, no matter how much time or space you have. 

Got a day, a reasonable patch of ground and some patience?

Make a From Scratch meadow

You’ll first need to clear the ground - pull up and grass and weeds lifting the top 5-10cm of soil, which will help with reducing the soil’s fertility (we know this sounds mad, but you have to think a bit backwards where meadow gardening is concerned). Next, fork the soil through, rake it and then pat it down flat. Finally, sprinkle your wildflower seeds and water thoroughly and regularly as it grows. 

Got a decent patch but no time or patience?

Buy a meadow mat

Pre-grown meadow turfs can be bought ready to roll out on your garden and you don’t need much of it to make a difference. Once you’ve bought your mat, lay it out where you want it and water regularly as it beds in. Meadow mats are best laid in spring or autumn. 

Keen bean with a bit of lawn to spare?

Make a Plug Plant meadow

You can buy wildflower plug plants online or from garden centres, which you then plant into an area of lawn that you’re happy to leave to go wild. The beauty of this method is that you can choose exactly what you plant in and ensure the plants suit the type of soil you have. 

Short on space but not enthusiasm?

Plant a Flowerpot meadow

Buy wildflower seeds or plug plants (or a mix of both) and pot up groups of flowerpots with them. You can then move them around your garden as you wish - you can even have a mini meadow if all you have is a balcony. 

Lacking gardening knowhow but have a garden?

Just go ‘No Mow’

If you’re not too bothered about swathes of wild poppies, just mow your lawn only once in spring and once in autumn. You’ll find all sorts comes through and you can help things on their way by throwing a few seed bombs and scattering wildfower seeds occasionally in any spaces you spot in the long grass. You’ll save hours’ of lawn mowing time and the birds and the bees will thank you for it.

If you’re inspired by the idea of meadow-making, you might like to read our ‘gallery’ pages in our June issue, which we’ve called, ‘Making Hay’. It’s a collection of beautiful photographs from the book Meadow: The Intimate Bond Between People, Place and Plants by Iain Parkinson with photography by Jim Holden (Kew Publishing/ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

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How to | Keep Hens in Your Garden

Somehow, hens just make a garden. While they require work, the rewards are immense. And we don’t just mean the eggs. Here’s a bit about how to get started from hen guru Rachel Barclay along with some advice on planting for a hen-friendly garden

Part-time teacher and full-time hen expert, Rachel Barclay, appears in our May issue, where you can see pictures of her beautiful garden in a village in Surrey. She has lots of advice for anyone considering investing in hens and has written a beginner’s guide on her blog: thegoodlifeainteasy.com. Here, she shares a few beginner tips.

“Like any pets, chickens are a commitment,” she says. “Sometimes they require just a few minutes of your day, but I’d recommend doing your research so you know what you’re getting into. Speak to other keepers – there are lots of helpful online forums – and see if you can visit someone to see their set up.”

“While I love their company, the hens can eat my seedlings and destroy a flowerbed in record speed. We put in a fence with a gate so when they came into the garden, it’s on our terms, not theirs. We generally let them into the garden when the borders are established, and use netting to divide up areas of the lawn for them throughout the summer. I use protective frames on delicate plants. In the garden we grow greenhouse crops, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, and chard and kale in the flower borders – but veg are particularly delicious to hens, so most are grown at our allotment.”

Planting for hens

“Hens are foragers. Although some plants are toxic, in my experience, most chickens know not to eat them!”
Hen-friendly:

• Lavender – an insect repellent with calming properties

• Nasturtium – great for chicken health with antiseptic properties

• Rosemary – smells lovely when your chickens dust bath nearby

• Sage – a good herb for general health and isn’t eaten too quickly

• Oregano – being studied as a natural antibiotic for poultry (a superfood in the chicken world!)

• Fennel – attracts insects for hens to eat

• Sunflowers – dried seed heads make great boredom busters

• Thyme – good for chickens’ respiratory health

To avoid:

• Bulbs – tulips and daffodils

• Foxgloves – all parts are toxic

• Green parts of the nightshade family – be careful growing potatoes around hens

• Rhubarb leaves – oxalic acid can cause liver damage

• Beans – raw beans are toxic, but cooked are fine l Azaleas and rhododendron – can cause digestive problems

• Apricots – fruit and plant can cause respiratory problems and low blood pressure

Read more from Rachel in our Cluck and Collect feature in our May issue, in shops now. You can read more from Rachel by following her on Instagram @thegoodlifeainteasy.

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Science | How Buttercups Tell you if you Like Butter

Lift up your chins and we’ll tell you how it’s done

Remember holding a buttercup under your friends’ chins to see if they liked butter? We can’t help thinking that a more accurate way to ascertain this may simply be to offer them a slice of bread and ask if they want it buttered or not, but that would be less fun, if more scientific. 

There is some science at play here though. If you want to know why buttercups really shine a yellow light on your neck, here it is:

It’s all about attracting pollinators. The vibrant yellow shade of the buttercup comes from pigments in the surface layer of the petals. If you look closely you’ll see that they also seem to be heavily glossed, an effect created by layers of air just below the surface of the petals, which reflects the light back. So when you hold one under your chin, it will shine a little yellow light onto your skin. The brighter and glossier the buttercup and the sunnier the day, the more likely you are to ‘like butter’.. The way buttercups seem to glow and light up the lawn is actually unique in the plant world. No other plant reflects colour and light in quite the same way.

Now we’ve ruined that bit of summer-flower-related magic for you, we feel we ought to make amends. Here’s a little blog we published a while ago about the story behind playing ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ with daisies. Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do, indeed. 

From the blousy paper daisies on the front cover to our buttercups in the house, pictured above, the new June issue is chock full of floral fun. We hope it brings a little cheer to you, too. 

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Project | Antiquing Terracotta Pots

Give your patio pots and containers a distinguished, aged look

Planning a little pottering in the garden this weekend? In our June issue, we have a feature with Arthur Parkinson, container gardening guru, about how he has created flamboyant islands of colour using only containers in his tiny but teeming plot.

The pictures are amazing, showing what looks like a vibrant jungle, but is really just a five-metre pathway unfurling to the front door of Arthur’s mum’s house in Stoke-on-Trent. 

Arthur trained at Kew Gardens before going to work for Sarah Raven and is now one of the UK’s youngest gardening stars. He talked to us about how to create showstopping gardens using flower pots - it’s definitely worth a read if you’re thinking of getting out in the garden this bank holiday weekend and getting elbow deep in compost. 

Here, he explains how to get that lovely aged patina on terracotta pots, so they look like you’ve been hard at work for years on your container garden. 

Arthur’s instructions on ageing terracottas

“With small, newly-bought terracotta pots, the best way to age them is to dunk them in a pond or in a water butt, then a coat of algae will grow quickly on them. Even a bucket can be filled up with rainwater for the task – it must be rainwater for the algae spores to be present. I have an upside-down dustbin lid propped up on bricks on the floor of the yard that we use as a bird bath and trios of terracottas take turns soaking in this, while providing little bathhouses to the precious town frogs! The water is emptied and refreshed weekly so that it does not harbour mosquitoes, and birds and bees also visit it to drink; all gardens should have watering holes for wildlife. After a month of being submerged, the teracotta pots will start to slime up and, once dried, will look marvellous.  

“Large terracottas too big to be submerged can be painted generously with organic, natural yogurt in the summer, which will then go green. For the algae to take, the pots need to be kept damp and away from full sun for a few weeks so that the spores can really get growing. When planting them up for summer, line their insides with old compost bags as this will help them to stay cool and reduce moisture loss.”

 Follow Arthur on Instagram: @arthurparkinson_  

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5-minute gardening

Daunted by your garden? Try taking it five minutes at a time

We were really inspired by Laetitia Maklouf’s feature on ‘little by little’ gardening in our March issue - the concept of spending just five minutes in the garden each day. We’ve all been out doing our little-by-little jobs every evening as the days get longer and seeing a real change in our gardens already. 

Here are a few ideas for jobs you can do in five minutes that will help add up to a beautiful outdoor space by the time summer’s here.

1. Weeding. Pop on your headphones, a podcast, a pair of gloves and tackle one small patch of earth, maybe just a square metre. Don’t get distracted by anything else, just concentrate on your patch.   

2. Plant out forced bulbs. Have you got hyacinths languishing indoors? Don’t throw them away, try re-planting them outside.  

3. Trim and tie down anything climbing before it comes into leaf and 

4. Turn your compost if it needs it, or just tidy up your compost area so it’s easy to get to with food waste. This week is National Compost Week so there’s no time like the present.

5. Pop some pots of whatever is flowering at the moment by your front door so you can enjoy them every time you go in or out. 

You can read all about Laetitia’s little-by-little gardening ideas on p102 of the March issue or in The Five Minute Garden: How to Garden in Next to No Time (National Trust Books).

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How to | Plant a fruit tree

Bare-root fruit trees can be planted from October to March. Here’s how to start your own orchard

Dig a hole, no deeper than the roots but at least three times the diameter of the roots system.

Prepare the soil by loosening it at the bottom of the hole and then mixing in some organic matter. Tease out the roots prior to planting and place in the hole.

Refill with soil, making sure that any gaps around the roots system are filled. Small trees won't need staking but larger ones will.

Firm the soil and water the tree in well, continuing to water regularly for the first year. 

This advice was taken from a feature by Simple Things’ gardening guru Cinead McTernan. For more inspiration on growing fruit trees (and eating from them), pick up our February issue, which has wisdom on all things orchard from Raymond Blanc, including the secret to the best apple crumble in the world…

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How to make a pine cone bird feeder

Bring birds to your garden in time for the Big Garden Birdwatch

January marks 40 years of the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch. It all began in 1979 with a modest plan to provide something to occupy the society’s junior membership. But when Biddy Baxter gave it a mention on Blue Peter, the society was flooded with 34,000 requests to join in. And The Big Garden Birdwatch has been ruffling feathers ever since.

This year’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from 26-28 January. You can sign up for your free pack to join in here. Then all you need is a free morning, a view of your outside space, a large pot of tea and a bit of cake (we recommend seedcake if you’re really getting into the spirit of the thing) and an identifier for your garden birds. We’ve printed a nifty identifier for some of the most common garden birds in our January issue, which is on sale now (or buy a copy here). You can thank us later.

In the meantime, here’s a simple way to make a bird feeder to encourage more feathery fellas to your garden in preparation for the big day.

A pine cone makes a great natural base for a bird feeder, with an open structure that’s just the thing for stuffing full of nutritious and delicious titbits for our feathered friends during harsh, wintry weather

How to make your feeder

1 Collect medium to large pine cones. Don’t worry if they’re tightly closed – just bring them indoors for a few days or pop in the oven to encourage ‘blooming’.

2 Attach string to the tip of the pine cone, ready for hanging up.

3 Spread a layer of peanut butter, fat or suet over the cone, pressing in between the scales so it’s entirely covered. Place a mix of birdseed on a tray and roll the pine cone until well coated. Go for a general mix to encourage a variety of garden birds or choose something more specific to attract a particular species – niger seed, for example, is a favourite for goldfinches and greenfinches while peanuts are the snack of choice for blue tits, great tits and siskins.

4 Hang in a secluded part of the garden, near the shelter of a hedge or shrub to provide birds with a quick safe haven nearby if they need it.

5 Replenish once supply is depleted.

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The frost report

The Simple Things’ Lia Leendertz talks us through frost in all its forms

We’re unlikely to have snow at this time of year (though never say never) but what we can enjoy is the delicately beautiful arrival of frost. Read on for an explanation of the different types and how and why they occur.

Hoar frost

From ‘hoary’, meaning aged and whitened, in reference to the shaggy and feathery coating that hoar frost leaves. It occurs under calm, cloudless skies, when there is no (or very little) wind, and under ‘inversion’ conditions: when cold air is trapped under warmer air.

Advection frost

Strong, cold winds prettily rim the edges of objects and plants with tiny spikes of frost, usually pointing in the direction of the wind.

Window frost

Also known poetically as fern frost or ice flowers, this is the frost that creeps across window frames forming swirls, feathers and other patterns, caused by the difference between the very cold air on the outside of the glass and the warmer, moderately moist air on the inside. The growth of the patterns responds to imperfections on the glass surface.

You can read more about Lia’s winter adventures in her veg patch in our December issue. Follow her on instagram @lia_leendertz. You can buy Lia’s book The Almanac: a seasonal guide to 2019 (Hachette Books) in shops now.

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Moon planting | Biodynamic gardening

Planting with the moon needn’t be a space odyssey. A little know-how goes a long way. Hear how Kate Turner and Will Heap grow biodynamic fruit and veg and raise free-range hens on their allotment - turn to page 112 of June's The Simple Things for more and read on for the biodynamic basics

Biodynamic gardening is similar to organic gardening in that they both work in harmony with nature, but biodynamic growing goes one step further. In a nutshell, soil fertility is enhanced with specific herb, flower and mineral preparations, and fruit and veg are grown according to the rhythms of the planets and moon. Crop rotation, rich compost and companion planting are also used to produce food that is stronger, tastier and has a higher yield. The basic premise is that you put more into the garden than you take out. We love gardening this way and have seen some great results, but it’s not meant to be a dogma and we don’t get bogged down by it. For us, the allotment will always be about the simple pleasure of getting our hands dirty and the joy of eating our own veg.

THE‘PREPS’: biodynamic preparations are specially formulated natural remedies that have various jobs to do around the garden. Yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion, valerian, equisetum, horn manure and horn silica preparations help to enliven the soil and increase the vitality of your crops. Make them yourself or buy ready- made from the Biodynamic Association UK.

MOON GARDENING: you don’t need to be an astronomer to garden by the moon – biodynamic gardening calendars are available to guide you. They suggest the best times to do allotment jobs, such as planting and pruning when the moon is descending, or harvesting when the moon is ascending. Sowing seeds just before the full moon is always a winner on our allotment.

CROP ROTATION: we rotate on a four-yearly cycle based on groupings of leaf, root, fruit and flower, each representing the part of the plant that we want to enhance and eat.

COMPOST: an amazing way to enrich your soil, literally putting back what you’ve taken out. Adding biodynamic preparations to your compost heap is also the most effective way of getting their benefits into your garden and onto your plate.
 
CPP: short for ‘cowpat pit’ and a brilliant natural fertiliser. We have a sunken half- barrel in the corner of our allotment that we fill with cowpats from a local farm. Add the preparations and cover; let it quietly rot down before using anywhere and everywhere on the allotment.

COMPANION PLANTING: widely used in both organic and biodynamic gardening to discourage pests and disease (see The Simple Things Issue 59). Try planting nasturtiums with broad beans to lure blackfly away from the crop, or chives with carrots to discourage carrot fly.

LIQUID TEAS AND NATURAL FERTILISERS: simple plant-based sprays to boost the health of your crops and stimulate growth. Submerge a sack of comfrey and nettle leaves in a water butt to create a potent (and very smelly) liquid fertiliser.

DYNAMISING LIQUIDS: vigorously stirring liquid manures and plant ‘teas’ into a vortex before use is thought to enhance the vitality of the liquid and strengthen the benefits for your plants. Our children love to see who can create the biggest whirlpool in the bucket!
 

HELP AT HAND

The Biodynamic Association UK: Great for advice and ready-made preparations.

Calendars: The Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar is the most comprehensive. lunarorganics.com sells a simple version with a booklet to help get you started.

Biodynamic seeds: Stormy Hall and the Seed Co-operative produce top-quality open-pollinated seeds.

Books:
Biodynamic Gardening by DK, featuring advice from Kate and Will.
The Biodynamic Year by Maria Thun (Temple Lodge Publishing).
Biodynamic Gardening for Health and Taste by Hilary Wright (Floris).
Gardening with the Moon & Stars by Elen Sentier (Earth Books).
 

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Garden hacks | Make a colander hanging basket

An old colander can be turned into a nifty hanging home for dry-loving plants

YOU WILL NEED: 
Water-permeable liner
Scissors
Old metal or plastic colander
Strong ropes or chains
Hooks strong enough to hold a container of plants and water (try your garden centre) – one per hanging basket
Compost
Water-retaining crystals
Slow-release fertiliser
Container friendly plants such as herbs, ivy or succulents

1 Cut the liner to fit snugly in the colander, then attach your rope or chains.
2 Screw your hook into where you’re hanging the colander from. 
3 Combine your compost with the crystals and fertiliser.
4 A little compost goes in the bottom of the colander, before you position your plants. Then secure around the plant roots with more compost.
5 Hang it up, and make sure to keep it well watered.

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Give it a Grow: Pilea Pepermioides

WHAT IS IT?

A rather trendy leafy houseplant that, until fairly recently, caused a bit of a brew-ha-ha in the horticultural world because none of the experts knew what it was called. For years it had regularly appeared at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s help desk to be identified by mystified members of the public. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that it got a name, when Kew botanist Wessel Marais suggested that it was a Chinese species of Pilea. It now has several common names, including the Chinese money plant, the missionary plant and the pancake plant.

WHY WOULD YOU?

It has a rather appealing story attached to it: the plant was introduced to Europe in 1946 by a Norwegian missionary who had been travelling in the Chinese province of Yunming. Making the most of the plant’s easy-growing nature, he gave cuttings to friends and family in Norway, who in turn passed it on to friends in Sweden, then the UK and so on. It’s easy to grow, needing indirect light, good drainage and an occasional drink when the soil is dry.

WHY WOULDN’T YOU?

It can be hard to find a plant because more often than not, it’s ‘passed on’ rather than sold via nurseries. Try eBay. 

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Gardening: How to attract butterflies

Plant a few pollen-rich flowers in your garden and watch it come alive with butterflies and bees

Turn to page 108 of July's The Simple Things for our feature on how to open a nectar bar in your garden, and follow the ideas below.

1. Leave a few fallen fruits on the ground. In late summer, butterflies, such as the Red Admiral and Painted Lady, will feed on fruit juices in fallen over-ripe pears, plums and apples.

2. Avoid pesticides. If you’re struggling with pests, you can make your own organic sprays (see Issue 48 for recipes) that won’t harm insects or the environment.

3. Don’t forget caterpillars. Stinging nettles, thistles, holly and ivy are good sources of food and act as hosts on which butterflies lay their eggs. 

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Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser

As well as needing protection from insects and diseases, plants need nutrients, too, particularly if they grow in pots or hanging baskets. Making your own organic fertiliser from comfrey is as simple as making sprays – and very satisfying.

Comfrey is easy to grow, though it is best in a container, as it is rather vigorous.

1. Harvest leaves from the base of the comfrey plant and remove stems. 

2. Chop the foliage and pack tightly into a container with a lid, as the solution can smell as the leaves break down. 

3. Use a brick to weigh down the leaves.

4. After a few weeks, top up with fresh leaves and collect the liquid, storing it in a cool, dark place.

5. Dilute the liquid, one part comfrey to 10 parts water.

6. Water with a rose head for a potassium-rich liquid fertiliser to encourage flowers and fruit to set. 

7. Add ash to the water to boost nutrients for greedy plants such as broad and runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers and squash.

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Pottering in the potting shed:

In her Pottering in the potting shed series, our garden editor Cinead McTernan, shares ideas for things to do in your plot. This month, try planting wasabi.

"OK - first of all I should be clear that growing wasabi requires a bit of patience! Just like asparagus or rhubarb where you need to wait at least until the second year to really get a bumper crop, you have to wait for at least 18 months to harvest the tuber. However, it's worth the wait - the taste of genuine wasabi is far more firey and complex than the shop-bought lurid green wasabi paste (which is actually a mix of mustard and horseradish... and colouring!). If you can't wait that long, in the first year you can pick a few of the spring flowers and make a tempura with them as well as harvesting a few leaves of the wasabi, using them to add a kick to salads or, as Suttons Seeds suggests, wrap them around smoked salmon or cream cheese. The flavour isn't as strong as the tuber but it's sill delicious.

To grow...
Perfect for our climate, wasabi is most happy in overcast, damp chilly weather so make sure you can find it a shady spot. I planted a tuber in a container this time last year and overwintered it in a sheltered corner of the garden under a table - it's looking incredibly healthy already with a glossy clump of heart-shaped leaves showing all the promise of a big, juicy tuber that I'll harvest at the end of the growing season.

You can buy plants from The Wasabi Company or Suttons Seeds. Plant the tuber in a 9cm pot and when it's had chance to get established, about 6 weeks later, plant out in a larger container (I went for a 40cmx40cm) or in a shady spot in the border or by the edge of a pond with other marginal plants and keep well-watered. Given its preferred growing site, I was vigilant about slugs and snails - they seemed to get a taste for it and the only answer was a night-time visit to pick them off! 

Once it comes to harvesting, pull out the entire plant and remove the leaves from the rhizome. Give it a wash and you can then keep it, wrapped in damp tissue in the fridge until you're ready to use it."

Words: Cinead McTernan

More from Cinead's Pottering in the potting shed series

Fresh: Herbs - how to make them last, PLUS a winter herb salad recipe

March is the perfect month to experiment with herbs, to bring freshness and flavour to your cooking. How hard can it be to make supermarket herbs last? Alive one minute, wilting the next... Help those pots of herbs enjoy a longer lifespan.

Pot on

Supermarket herbs are grown for value, so there is a lot of plant crammed into a little pot, causing overcrowding and competition for nutrients. Potting on in a bigger container will give the plant room to grow.

Best for: Thyme, chives, sage, parsley, basil, mint and rosemary

Pick hard

This encourages growth and lets light in.

Best for: Parsley, oregano, thyme

Pick prudently

On a basil plant, don't be tempted to pick the biggest leaves first. Pinch out the smaller leaves at the top of the stem instead, to encourage growth. 

Best for: Basil

Water carefully

Drenching herbs can kill them. Instead, water from below by sitting the pot on a saucer of water until the soil feels moist, but not wet. Let the soil dry out before repeating.

Best for: all herbs

Recipe: Winter herb salad

Go heavy on the herbs. This Middle Eastern-style dish is packed with punchy flavours. Serves 4.

1 large bunch flat-leaved parsley
1 large bunch coriander
5 cauliflower florets
A handful of radishes
5 spring onions

For the dressing:
Zest and juice of half a lemon
30ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Roughly chop the herbs and the radishes and slice the spring onions, and put them together into a large bowl. Take the central stems out of the cauliflowers to break them up into tiny florets. Add to the salad.

2. Put all of the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake them together, then pour over the salad and mix well.

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Pottering in the potting shed: Keep plants toasty and warm this winter

In her Pottering in the potting shed series, our garden editor Cinead McTernan, shares ideas for things to do in your plot. This month, keep plants warm from the winter frost.

"Most of us saw a snowflake or two earlier this month, and if not, there was definitely a chill in the air as a cold band swept the country. Freezing temperatures make us reach for an extra pair of socks to keep us warm and the same thoughts can apply to outdoor plants too.  Even plants that are languishing in the relative protection of a greenhouse. While a layer of horticultural fleece will work wonders for any tender plants in beds and borders, you’ll need to add a bit of warmth to a greenhouse or potting shed too, to ensure that any seedlings you have started off or tender plants you’re overwintering will make it through extremely cold weather. Introducing a bit of heat before another frost will be enough to ward off any damage. 

"There are great products on offer in a range of styles to suit all budgets. If you’re lucky enough to have electricity in your greenhouse or potting shed, the skies really the limit! Mains powered eco and fan heaters can cope with a large-sized greenhouse (from 8x8m) and can be controlled by a thermostat, which helps maintain the right temperature. Expect to pay from £75 to £200 depending on your requirements. Alternatively, you can use gas or paraffin heaters, which are cheaper to buy with prices starting from £20, are economical to run and ideal for smaller spaces (under 6x8m)."

"I’ve got a Mini Greenhouse Paraffin heater which is more than enough for my 6x6m potting shed. Four litres of paraffin will set you back about £7 to £8 and will keep burning for 7 days. Helpfully, you can adjust the flame to help regulate the temperature. For the first time this year I can embrace the beauty of a frost-covered garden rather than worry about my overwintering herbs, perennials and early-sown seeds!"

Words: Cinead McTernan

More from Cinead's Pottering in the potting shed series