Garden Answers

Garden Answers is a vibrant and inspiring gardening magazine filled with ingenious design ideas and exciting plant combinations guaranteed to make your garden beautiful.

Welcome

AN ALLIUM EXTRAVAGANZA • Alliums are the stars of the show but their towering luminosity allows the other performers to shine too

Be inspired by... • Plants, books, events & buys for the month

PUB AND PRISON AWARDED NATIONAL PLANT COLLECTION

RHS ROSEMOOR HELPS RECOVER LOST APPLES

Book of the month

Pollinator presents • Embrace bees, butterflies, moths and birds beyond the garden

Wish list • Take inspiration from Monet with the most elegant of aquatic plants, nymphaea – the waterlily

COUNTING BUTTERFLIES REDUCES ANXIETY

What’s on...

WIN GREAT GARDENING GOODIES WORTH £170

CELEBRATE THE WONDER OF WILDLIFE

JOY OVER YOUR GARDEN • Whether it’s too much or not enough, mirror Chelsea with water conservation ideas

FILL THE JUNE GAP WITH COLOUR • Ade Sellars delves into the dreaded period when perennials start to fade and bare patches appear, to show you how to overcome it with panache

Be enchanted by delightful daphnes • These scented shrubs are renowned for offering winter perfume, but others bloom on into summer

OUR PICK OF THE BEST

WHAT TO DO THIS Month • Tie-in your climbers, prune spring-flowering shrubs, sow hardy annuals outdoors and it’s a good time to set up plant supports

DIVIDE PRIMROSES • These spring plants can become congested over time. To reinvigorate – and keep them producing blooms in future years – divide after they’ve finished flowering, mid to late spring.

PLANT UP A SUCCULENT POT • Bring an exotic touch to your patio this summer with potted succulent displays

It’s time to take LEAF CUTTINGS • Taking leaf cuttings is an exciting way to make new streptocarpus plants. Here’s how it’s done

Create a spectacle of AMETHYSTS & RUBIES • The rich jewel-like colours of statement irises and cirsium shine out in this simple, effective planting scheme

HOW TO PLANT • Sunshine and a well-drained soil are essential for the iris in particular, which will sulk or simply die if they’re put in heavy, poorly drained ground. If you garden on clay, build yourself a raised bed and fill with gritty topsoil. Mulch annually to improve soil structure and keep on top of annual weeds.

Bring on the POLLINATORS • Adrian Thomas marvels at the miracle of insect pollination, and what we can do to help

Golden rules of planting for pollinators • I have been studying how to help pollinators for 20 years now. Here are my top tips for ensuring that your garden is really buzzing...

WILDLIFE GARDEN JOBS FOR MAY

POPULAR WINNERS FOR POLLINATORS

A blissful, romantic cottage garden • From bare bones, this garden has been transformed through a labour of love

AN EVERGREEN OASIS OF CALM • A lush, verdant testament to what can be achieved in a small space

The birthplace of English landscaping • Opening up historic gardens to new audiences and creating a community kitchen plot is part of the magic of Chiswick Gardens for head gardener Rosie Fyles

Welcome to my lovely plot • Olga’s tips on bargain-hunting for everything from compost bins to garden furniture

‘POT OF GOLD’ CHARD • Grow this versatile vegetable that you can throw in a salad for a touch of bitterness or cook for a sweeter taste

Solution of the month

Year in year out

Weed it or feed it?

Colourful carpets

Failing foliage

Q Is it best to keep cuttings from shop-bought carnations in my conservatory?

Wait for warmth

Q What’s affecting my rhododendron?

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