IT’S strange how one looks back to ‘the good old days’ of childhood whenever ‘the simple way of life’ is mentioned. Certainly, my own little garden patch I cultivated when I was 10-12 years old gave me immense pleasure. All summer long I could be justly proud of the flowers raised from tuppenny or three penny packets of hardy annuals of such easy old favourites as cornflowers that the peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies loved so well, nasturtiums whose hot leaves made rather nasty tasting sandwiches, and romantic love-lies-bleeding with its long dangling crimson tassels.
As I had no greenhouse or frame, the seeds were sown straight into open ground, either scattered thinly around or along shallow drills as the notes on the backs of the packets instructed. Usually I was also given ‘leftovers’ of seeds by a local professional gardener and these were not sown until late May. These late sowings, following others in April, kept the show of flowers going right through until September.
This year the cost of greenhouse heating has forced me to think twice about raising tender bedding plants, and I am sowing an inexpensive border of the simple flowers of my childhood.
Well, not quite, because in the intervening years the seedsmen have brought out new varieties. In nasturtiums, for example, the ‘Whirlybird Mixture’, new this year, lacks the long spur at the back of the flower that we children used to bite off to suck the sweet nectar. ‘Alaska Mixed’ is a lovely ground-smothering mixture, too, with its leaves splashed with cream. Poor soil, sunshine and fairly dry conditions please them, and they can be plant 2-21⁄2ft (60-76cm) apart.
Denne historien er fra February 18, 2023-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
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Denne historien er fra February 18, 2023-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters