One good thing about having a garden is that every year the slate is wiped clean and we get to do it all again: ideally we don’t make the same mistakes twice and our triumphs still make us happy. Meantime, smile as you are forced to listen to Mariah Carey (again) and when someone insists on watching Love Actually for the seven thousandth time. Soon you will be back in the garden with a heart full of joy and a barrow full of promise. WORDS JAMES ALEXANDER-SINCLAIR
STAR OF THE MONTH
Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’
You will remember this plant with fondness. Back in about July, the sun shone down and it was a picture of pink perfection with petals draped like silken scarves on the golden shoulders of princesses. Those petals have now long since returned to compost but we are left with these delicious central bosses: as firm as doorknobs and knubbled with frost.
Here, in one picture, is the reason why we should let our perennials stand for as long as possible. I have a golden rule: if it looks horrible, cut it down. If it still looks good, leave it be. This one can stay.
Purple coneflower. Attracts bees, birds, butterflies and moths. Take root cuttings in autumn or spring. Height x Spread 75cm x 50cm
MYRTLES, NOT TURTLES
Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Gardeners World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Gardeners World.
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
A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there
