Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

14 AMATEUR GARDENING24 AUGUST 2019

Pot ’em for autumn!

W

Eareallsoquickin

springtogetoursummer

beddingout.Wecan’twait

todecorateourgardens,

andalthoughweknoww ll

shouldnot,weoftenpu

tenderplantsfartoosoo

Sowhydowethenfail

totakeasmuchcareto

continuetheirdisplays

at thisendof theyear?

Evenif frostscome

early,wecouldeasily

havelotsof colourfor

anothermonth,oreven

two,justbykeeping tha

beddinggoing.

Coveringit at nightw

sheetorblanketonstickswillkeepa

lightfrostat bay,andaslongasthe

daysstaywarm,manyplantswillcarry

on flowering. Still, time is limited, and as

Youmaybedreadingthedemiseof summerbeddingplants,

but why call time yet?Bob explainshowtokeepthemgoing

“Keepthem

goinglongerwith

a little effort”

theweathercoolsmostwillgooverand

finish.Butwecankeepthemgoinglonger

withjusta littlemoreeffort– bydigging

them upandcontainerisingthem.

N t ll mostbeddingplants

argerootballlifting

themif theyareto

ry on,sothisdoesnot

kemuchin potting

ompost,andall

youneedaresome

argepotsortubs.

Bytidyingand

imming,youreduce

e topgrowthand

keit easierforthe

tocontinue– the

trueof a good

wateringanda foliarfeed.

Now,it wouldbepointlesstopotup

yourplantsonlytoleavethemoutdoors

• afterall,it’sthedeterioratingweather
  thatwilldoforthem.Buttakethemunder
  covertoa greenhouse,conservatoryor
  evena sunnywindowsill,andmostwill
  carryongivingyoupleasurethrough
  theautumnandevenonintowinter.
  I’veoftenhadsomeof thelessfinicky
  plantssuchaslobelia,marguerites
  andpelargoniumsflowering on until
  nearly Christmas!

1

Thisweekis theonlytimeto

successfullysowJapanese

onionswithmuchhopeforan

early crop next summer.

Body image: Alamy. All other images TI Media, unless credited

Bob’s top tips

for the week

rdew, AG’s organic gardening expert

2

Unlessit’sdamp,rainyweather,

tiesomepaperbagsoveryour

ripeningbunchesofgrapestokeep

the flies, birds and wasps off.

3

Burynewlyliftedpotatoesand

carrotsin a boxofsandkept

in a shadyspot;theywilltaste like

new when you eat them.

4

Admitthatyou’velefttoomany

bunchesonyourgrapevine,

andremovea thirdnowto give the

rest a fighting chance.

Potupthoseprettymarguerites

(Argyranthemumfrutescens)

for further displays indoors

Alamy

Tidyingandtrimming

helps plants continue

Alamy

Alamy

Pottingonpelargoniums

forindoorlivingwillgive

plants months of longevity

Main image: Alamy

Keepthemflowering

even into winter!