Amateur Gardening – 20 July 2019

54 AMATEUR GARDENING 20 JULY 2019

with Wendy Humphries

I

WAS inspired to make my own

insect hotel, having seen the

nests of bees in my daughters’ bee

homes. I also wanted to take part

in Dorset Wildlife Trust’s ‘Get Dorset

Buzzing’ project. The ‘bee & bee’ took

about two hours to knock up, et voila:

recycled fencing, branches, bamboo

Write to us:Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine,

Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park,

Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF (please include your address).

Email us:[email protected]

Bee & Bee vacancies

Star

letter

Alamy

Let’s get lunar!

TO celebrate 50

years since

the Apollo

astronauts’

first moon

landing, this

week reader

Iona Chisholm

shares her

space-themed

planting ideas to pay tribute

to mankind’s giant leap!

The insect hotel made using recycled materials

and some sore finger ligaments, and an

87 room abode is ready for business!

I used 4½ft (1.4m) of old fence rail (you

could use any plank over 10cm wide), and

4ft (1.3m) of old branches (an old apricot

tree), plus a length of bamboo cane,

12 nails and two fittings to hang.

Julian Wardlaw, Dorchester, Dorset

This year, I am growing ‘Armstrong’

(stringless) runner beans, in honour of

the fi rst man on the moon. They are best

picked regularly at about 15cm (6in) to

ensure a tender and continuing crop.

Primula auricula ‘Lunar Eclipse’ will light

up pots with its rich copper-orange double

fl owers. Why not try making an auricula

theatre using a single variety, or mixing

diff erent colours for a dramatic eff ect? 

Achillea ‘Moonshine’ is my fi nal

space-themed plant; its cheerful golden

yellow fl ower sit above the strong stems

(they rarely need staking) and will attract

all manner of benefi cial insects.

Rocket ‘Apollo’ couldn’t be more aptly

named! This peppery salad leaf has fl at,

rounded leaves which give a non-bitter kick

to salads. Easy from seed, make regular

repeat sowings from March to August.

‘Take Off ’ is a delicate anemone-

type dahlia with a cream centre that fades

to pale yellow, and is surrounded by

purple-pink petals. It suits a position in

full sun in either pots or the border.

Suttons

Dobies

Let’s get lunar!

celebrate 50

Iona Chisholm

space-themed

CHIMNEY pots too expense? Why not

buy two straight-sided pots from your

local garden centre? Put end to end, stick

together with a high-strength adhesive,

and let your aubrieta or summer

petunias trail down the sides.

Peter Woodhouse, Wisbech, Cambs

Cheat’s chimney

Kernock Park Plants