Sunday Magazine – August 18, 2019

S MAGAZINE ★ 18 AUGUST 2019 51

Reader of fers

Scare tactics

A fun addition to your patch,

these charming scarecrows will

help protect seedlings, plants

and flowers. Treated with

methyl bromide, measuring six

feet tall and mounted on a solid

bamboo pole, they come

traditionally dressed and have

corn hands, feet and hair to

deter birds and pests. To order

for £19.99, plus £3.95 UK

mainland p&p (£5.95, Northern

Ireland), call 0871 664 2451

and quote 94851. Calls cost

12p per minute plus your

network access charge.

Say it with flowers

Give your garden a burst of

magnificent colour with this

mixture of winter- and spring-

flowering pansies. They’ll look

great in borders, rockeries, pots

and containers. Buy 33 maxi

plug plants for £10.99 or order

66 for £14.98 and get £7 off

the rrp. All prices include p&p.

Order online at shop.express.

co.uk/EXP502, call 0871 664

1469 or send a cheque, made

payable to Express Newspapers,

to Express Offer EXP502, 14

Hadfield Street, Old Trafford,

Manchester M16 9FG. Delivery

is within 14 to 21 days.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUBSTITUTE ANY VARIETIES FOR OTHERS OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE

GARDENING

naturalising large numbers,

scatter the bulbs around by hand

then dig a hole for each with a

trowel (check first that they don’t

end up in straight lines, which

never looks natural).

Naturalising in grass

Some bulbs are brilliant for

growing in lawns or rough grass.

The best for this job include

snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and

snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria

meleagris). They look their

prettiest planted in informal

teardrop-shaped drifts on banks,

or in patches around trees. Keep

them in distinct areas to make it

easier to mow round them when

cutting the rest of the grass.

To plant small numbers, scatter

bulbs randomly over the grass

then use a proper bulb planter

tool or a trowel to remove a core

of turf. Drop a single bulb down it

before replacing the divot over the

top. Sprinkle blood, fish and bone

fertiliser over the area afterwards.

For larger numbers it is often

easiest to strip off a section of

turf, then fork the soil thoroughly

and improve it with compost and

grit and add feed. Then plant the

bulbs as usual and re-lay the turf

over the top.

a mixture of glycerine and water

until they dry out naturally. They

often take on lovely metallic

tints and keep for many months.

Hydrangeas come in a range

of colours – reds, pinks, mauves,

purple and blue – but the shade

can vary depending on the soil.

planting – for spring

bulbs

Plant hyacinths

in October to

protect them

from predators

Hydrangeas flower

into late summer

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