Amateur Gardening – 29 June 2019

54 AMATEUR GARDENING 29 JUNE 2019

with Wendy Humphries

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]

I

’VE got a bee in my bonnet! The

gardeners on TV and in magazines

keep on and on about how

important it is to encourage bees.

Well, my garden is thronging with

bees – honey bees, bumble bees and

solitary bees. It’s absolutely alive with

them on a sunny day. Do you know what

I grow in my garden? Flowers! Yes,

amazing. Many and varied, and for as

long a season as possible. There isn’t a

day of the year when there isn’t a flower

out in my garden.

I have one tiny patch of ‘grasses’

mostly because someone gave them to

me. Do you know how many bees there

are on this bit? That’s right, zero.

And yet all the fashionable gardeners

‘Nothing without a flower’

Star

letter

The M&G Garden won ‘Best Show Garden’, RHS Chelsea 2019

Magical patterns in nature!

MY friend and I were stunned by the

architectural beauty of these newly

opened Phacelia tanacetifolia flowers

in the late afternoon sunshine.

We noticed that the unfurling florets

form a Fibonacci sequence. Maths,

botanical science and architecture

amalgamate to create such simple

and stunning beauty.

Lyn Haynes,

Harold Wood, Essex

Wendy says Lovely close-up shots,

Lyn. Phacelia is ideal for dry spots and

is used as a green manure to cover

patches of bare soil.

recommend swathes of grasses. The

winning Chelsea garden has been

described as: ‘The M&G Garden features

a rich tapestry in a lush, naturalistic style,

mostly in shades of green.’ 

See what I mean! If these gardeners

are really serious about bee

conservation, then stop recommending

and planting grasses, stop planting

‘shades of green’ and giving them top

awards and start planting flowers!

How many bees do you get on a box

hedge or a yew topiary cone?

Come on, guys. Dig up your grasses

and evergreens and get planting. Let

your motto be like mine. ‘Nothing

without a flower.’

Chris Rotheray, via email

Greenfi ngers Charity

Fibonacci spiral

Phacelia hums

with bees

WHAT a pleasure it was to have Adam

Frost presenting Gardeners’ World while

Monty Don was away. He reminds me

very much of Geoff Hamilton’s style of

presenting. It would be nice to see him

again in his garden. 

Also, it is sad that Jim McColl is no

longer presenting The Beechgrove

Garden. May I wish him a long and

happy retirement. I think Brian

Cunningham is taking over on what is a

friendly and well-presented programme.

Shirley Turk, Lincoln

Wendy saysFunny you should make

that comment,

Shirley, as Adam

Frost was a

protégé of the

late Geoff

Hamilton and

helped him

create a

number of

small gardens

for Gardeners’

World in the ’90s.

Adam is a breath

of fresh air

Boundary for

a new home

WHAT do you get when you buy a new-

build home? Just grass! My son wanted

some kind of hedge, but one that would

not cost too much as money is tight after

moving to their new house.

I had heard about living willow

structures, and he decided to source

some willow whips in the spring.

We are pleased with how it looks as it

didn’t cost the earth and is the only one

of its kind in our area.

Mr M Lambert,

Congleton, Cheshire

Many people admire the

willow hedge as they walk past

Greenfi ngers Charity

that comment,

Shirley, as Adam

Gardeners’

in the ’90s.

Adam Frost

loves creating

new gardens