How To Maintain A Water Garden

Naturalistic pools
A 'natural' pool should nestle into the neighboring landscape as though nature always intended it to be there. Although they are usually a bit bare immediately after construction, ponds start to blend into their environment surprisingly quickly. From the moment that the pond is full, the nearby trees, shrubs, buildings and sky are reflected in the water, linking it visually with its surroundings. Both marginal and aquatic plants establish themselves rapidly, and the feature looks settled in no time.

The easy availability of powerful excavating machinery and flexible liners makes the installation of a pond very tempting. Be careful, though, not to hurry the planning stage or the final result could be an artificial-looking pond that is difficult to alter.

For large-scale ponds you must first look carefully at the setting, Consider the shape of hills or valleys, wooded mounds or flat plains. Think about how your natural-looking pond can be sympathetically placed amid these features. Take particular note of any trees that you want to keep in situ, especially the elevation of their root balls, for there is little room for adjustment in soil levels around a tree. If you are working in a bog or marsh, be very careful not to raise or lower the water table, as this could be highly detrimental: flooding might well result in the loss of precious wild plants. Nevertheless, far from being restrictive, the constraints of local topography and flora often help the designer to reach a decision, by limiting the number of options available.

Having decided on the form of your feature, take note of the main structural features in the garden — mature trees, for example. The ultimate style of your scheme, whatever its function or type, will be influenced by the existing buildings and surrounding landscape. Obviously the list will vary considerably, but you might include the garage, the wall around the kitchen garden, the woodland dell with its carpet of bluebells and orchids, and the specimen beech tree on the lawn. Half-close your eyes and imagine that everything else has disappeared: the little pathways, the shrubs, the old leaking fish pond. Now you have a clean canvas on which to create your new composition.

Smaller gardens which are part woodland and part lawn will also benefit from a pond. Reflecting the trees, a small pond can make a delightful focal point to walk to or just to sit beside. It may be completely surrounded by lawn, with thick clumps of emergent plants to provide a reflective backdrop. Alternatively, it may emulate a woodland pond in a rocky area with the stony margins reflected in the water.

The base of a bank is a natural setting for a pond. If the ground outside a house has been cut into to form a level patio, the resulting bank is an ideal spot for a small pond. The high ground behind the pond can be retained by rocks rising out of the water and there is great scope for a waterfall here. It is possible in this situation to have timber decking or paving coming up to the front edge of the pool without spoiling the natural effect.

Whereas the construction of large ponds and lakes is made significantly more difficult by steeply sloping sites, level and sloping sites alike provide ample opportunity for small naturalistic ponds. Town gardens, though tending to favor more formal water features, can also play host to natural- looking pools. Not all urban spaces are rigidly hemmed in by straight walls and fences, and even those that are can be softened by strategically planted trees and evergreen shrubs.

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The Modern Climbing and Pillar Roses

The Wichurana Ramblers and Scramblers

The discovery of R. wichuiana in Asia and its subsequent arrival in Europe in about 1860 was a most significant happening. The species itself remained hardly noticed for almost 40 years but, at the turn of the century, it was crossed with various hybrid roses of the day, especially Teas, Chinas, and Noisettes, and most of the resulting progeny inherited its propensity to ramble, coupled with brighter flower colors passed on by the pollen parents.

Although only a few breeders made use of this species, the outcome of their work remains with us today, for Wichurana Ramblers play very important roles in the modern garden landscape. While they do not make natural wall plants, give them an archway, an obelisk, or a trellis and they will thrive with relatively little attention beyond the removal of old wood, after they have finished flowering each summer.

Over my lifetime I have come to know, and enjoy, a good number of Wichurana Ramblers and will discuss about 20 of these, in alphabetical order, in this chapter.

WICHURANA RAMBLERS FOR THE GARDEN
The first, appropriately, is one I consider to be among the very best of its type. Introduced by Barbier in France in 1900, `Alberic Barbier' is one of an indispensable clutch of Wichurana Ramblers brought out between the end of the 19th century and the 1930s. Its shapely, globular buds open to beautiful, double roses of creamy white flushed lemon and are complemented by lots of dark green, very glossy foliage. A vigorous plant, with sparsely thorned shoots, it looks especially good when grown on gazebos, trellis, and arches, where, if allowed, it will get to at least 6m (20ft).

`Albertine' is one of the world's best loved roses, also introduced by Barbier, in 1921. Its glossy leaves are conspicuously brushed coppery red, and its stems, of similar coloring, are very vigorous and thorny. The scented flowers open from tight buds to become rather muddled-petalled; their color is lobster-pink, with a hint of yellow deep down, and fades with age. After flowering, 'Albertine' becomes prone to mildew, but this feisty rose shrugs off this affliction, continuing to grow bigger and better every year, and reaching a maximum height of about 3m (15ft).

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A Passion For Roses

Another important garden, whose owners are proud of its rose collection, is that at Tateshina near Chino in the foothills of the Japanese Alps. This is called Barakura and it specializes in English-style gardening. It belongs to the Yamada family and, recently, my company introduced a new Bourbon rose discovered there — a dark plum-red sport of the striped `Variegata di Bologna' — and named it 'Mrs. Yamada' after the family matriarch. Miss Kay Yamada is a very famous gardener in her country and was awarded a Silver-Gilt Medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2002.

In the UK, of course, most gardens have at least one rose, and even those who have no garden of their own can enjoy seeing them in a garden close by. For some reason (Belfast, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and the Queen Mary Rose Garden, London excepted), large municipal rose gardens are not common in Britain, but this is amply made up for by a wealth of superb gardens, open to the public, belonging to organizations such as the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society. In Scotland, good, comprehensive collections of roses can be found at both Edinburgh.

And Glasow Botanic Gardens. Another good garden of roses further north is at Drum Cantle. near Aberdeen. However, it is the garden at St Albans, Hertfordshire, owned by the Roval National Rose Society that is the focus for roses in the UK.
A few privately owned gardens deserve special attention here for their excellence, bothin the size and mix of their collections and for the way they are designed. 114ottislont Abbey Gardens, near Romsey in Hampshire, are run by the National Trust and. held within the confines of a spacious walled garden, have a treasured collection of Old garden roses in beds and borders and on structures. The gardens were designed and the varieties selected by the late Graham Stuart Thomas. They are now in the charge of David Stone.

Two privately owned gardens, both in Norfolk, are among the best in England. They are at Mannington Hall and Elsing Hall. The former is owned by Lord and Lady Walpole, the latter by David and Shirley Cargill. The Mannington Collection covers the evolution of roses from medieval times to this day. Elsing Hall has, over the past 20 years or so, assembled a fine ensemble of the Old types. The Royal Horticultural Society has collected a wide range of different varieties of roses at Wisley Gardens in Surrey, and has also planted a complete garden of roses, both old and new, at Rose moor in north Devon.

This brings me to the end of a very quick tour around the rose gardens of the world. I have only touched upon their multiplicity and diversity. Such is the popularity and attraction of the rose that it could take ten volumes, twice the size of this one, and a pen writing at double the speed of mine to cover them all.

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Choosing The Right Pot Of Your Plant

Create an area of sand, bleached wood and planted plastic buckets.

Barrels are available from some food-processing factories, and food shops with a fast turnover. The managers of the factory near me were absolutely delighted when I turned up to take some barrels because I saved them having to pay for disposal.

Drinks crates can be used to stand plants in, and if they are put in the right place, particularly near a door, they welcome you into the garden when you leave the house and welcome you back home on your return. This is another example of using unexpected objects in a familiar way, so that the display doesn't look out of place. Planting colorful flowers is effective because the flowers appear to be glad to see you.

Finer plastic mesh baskets - from colanders to wide-meshed laundry baskets - are useful for standing other pots in. Some plants continue to
Colorful flowers are reward' g because they appear to be glad to see you.

The brash colors Of a group of plastic, baskets joyful effect when are full Of bright little plants thrive when planted directly into containers with smaller holes, but it is advisable to keep the body of the container out of the sun to prevent the plant's roots from becoming scorched.

There are plenty of small plastic baskets that can be tremendously enjoyable to play with in the garden, particularly for cameo displays. Some of them are difficult to imagine on their own in any garden, but the brash colors of a group of baskets can be a joyful sight when filled with bright little plants. This is the least serious part of being a junk gardener: trying things that may only be used for a week or two.

The plastic bags used for fertilizers and compost can make useful containers, but they have a limited life because the sun tends to degrade the bags, and the plastic becomes brittle and breaks. They do not look out of place in an informal garden because they are horticultural in origin, and they are a great size for larger plants. In the good old days, nurseries used them to grow plants to a specimen size; in my nursery I have grown strawberry trees more than 2m (7ft) tall in old compost bags.

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Choosing The Right Pot Of Your Plants

Always put broken bits of pot, known as crocks, into the bottom of the planter to cover the holes, and be generous with them. This stops the soil falling out of the pot, and prevents the hole from getting blocked up. If your container is more than 30cm (12in) high, put a layer of pebbles on top of the crocks. For very delicate pieces, and for most glass, use an inner pot with drainage holes, and put some crushed charcoal at the bottom of the container to keep any water collecting there sweet. Empty out the water regularly. You can put marbles both at the bottom of a glass pot and as a mulch over the top. When the water has covered the marbles at the bottom, pour out any excess, covering the pot with your hand to avoid losing any soil.

When planting up your container, put in enough compost to ensure that the new plant(s) will end up about 2cm (3hin) below its top edge. When removing the plant from the pot it has been grown in, gently tease out the roots to encourage new root growth outwards into the fresh compost. Fill up the pot around the plant(s) and firm in gently. Always water thoroughly just after planting. After a couple of weeks, as the plant settles, the container may need topping up with a little more compost.

Soil-based compost, whose main constituent is topsoil, holds nutrients and water efficiently, making it a good choice for more permanent plantings, including shrubs and small trees. It is heavy, and aids stability when the container is placed in a windy situation. Heavy rain or overwatering can increase the weight dramatically, so don't use soil-based compost if load- bearing is an issue, particularly on a roof garden or balcony.

Soil-less composts are usually based on peat or a peat substitute such as coir, bark or wood fibre. They are light and easy to handle and, because many plants are bought in peat-based soils, new plants start well in them. They are suitable for annuals and other less permanent plantings, and where load-bearing may be a concern. The main problem with soil-less composts is that they need more regular watering and feeding than soil-based ones, and must never be allowed to dry out completely because it is very difficult to remoisten them. There is now one available that contains imidacloprid, which combats aphids and vine weevils.

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Vegetables And Herbs For The Greenhouse

Tomatoes
SOW DEC, JAN, FEB, MAR
harvest MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT

Tomatoes are the classic greenhouse plant and one of the most popular grow-your-own crops. When grown successfully, they are notoriously heavy croppers, but it is probably the huge range of types available that makes them so seductive. In recent years, supermarkets have begun to pick up on our interest in very small or very large — and above all very tasty — tomatoes, but not before plenty of gardeners had already resorted to growing their own, happily and successfully. Tomatoes are generally considered a reasonable challenge to grow, so that means there are a lot of good gardeners out there!

Cultivation
DIFFICULTY They require plenty of attention, but the rewards are great.
SOW Two seeds to a pot in modules or small pots. Put them in a heated propagator at 16-18°C (60-65°F). Sow in mid- to late winter for growing on in a heated greenhouse (13°C/55°F), delay by about a month for an unheated one. If two seedlings emerge, nip out the weaker one.

PLANT Pot on into larger pots as necessary; don't over-pot, but don't allow the plants to become pot bound either: they need to be able to grow fast and freely. When they have reached about 20-25cm (8-10in), plant them out into the soil borders — spacing them 60cm (2ft) apart — or two to a growing bag or into 30cm (12in) pots.
'Sung°Id' has long trusses of small fruit with a sweet flavor that develops well under cover.

CARE Immediately after planting, give each plant a good watering in, then continue watering, but not over- generously, until the first flowers open. Increase the amount you water as the fruits start to swell. Start feeding with liquid tomato feed as soon as the plants reach about 15cm (6in) tall, or even before. After planting, feed once a week, increasing to twice a week once the first fruit have set. Although tomatoes like warmth, they don't like excessive heat. Ventilate well, especially as temperatures reach 21°C (70°F) or more. Support cordon types on canes, or strings fixed to overhead supports, and pinch out the sideshoots that appear in leaf axils when they are about 2.5cm (1n) long. Bush varieties can be left to get on with it unsupported and without any pinching.

HARVEST Pick tomatoes as soon as they turn fully red; left on the vine they will soften and split. In a heated greenhouse you can look forward to crops from late spring; an unheated one will start ripening fruit in early summer. The fruit will continue to ripen until mid-autumn in a good year. When the plants have to be cleared away, any final green fruits can usually be ripened in a dark place indoors. You can also pull up the entire vine and hang it upside down to ripen.
STORAGE If you have a glut, try roasting them in the oven with olive oil and garlic, then freezing them for using in sauces later in the year. Alternatively, make chutneys and relishes.

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Propagating From Seed

Carrots
SOW JAN, FEB, MAR, SEP harvest MAY, DEC
Baby carrots are a sweet addition to salads and are great cooked, too. You won't get huge roots under cover, but they are worth having. They're best in soil borders, or early crops can be grown under cold frames and cloches in the garden.

Cultivation
DIFFICULTY Easy; average input.
SOW Thinly in shallow drills in greenhouse borders or under cover in the garden. Cultivate the soil well beforehand so it is not lumpy. Avoid areas that have had manure added in the last year. Allow 10-15cm (4-6in) between rows.
CARE Water well and regularly. Thin if necessary as the plants develop. Remove weeds carefully to avoid disturbing the developing roots.
HARVEST Pull baby or salad carrots as soon as the first ones are big enough to use. Take alternate roots — this gives the remainder a little more space to grow. STORAGE Best pulled and eaten immediately. If necessary, store them in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days.

Catch crops
Catch crops are a very popular notion out in the vegetable garden and there is no reason why they can't be equally successful in the greenhouse. Basically, they consist of fast-growing vegetables or those that can be eaten when still quite young or small, often called baby, or mini, veg. You plant them early or late in the year to get an extra crop, or squeeze them in any space that appears among other longer-term plants to get a quick crop during the main growing season. Because they are not there for long, they don't need much room and don't restrict the growing activities of their bedfellows. You do need to be well organized to get the seeds in whenever and wherever there is a space, and then be patient to allow them to do their thing. Beetroot, carrots, radishes, a huge variety of salad leaves and turnips are all proven (see under the individual entries), but you could try others.

Look out for...
Very early crops, especially those under cover, should not suffer from carrot fly, the biggest pest of carrots, which is active from late spring. If you find it is a problem, avoid thinning, as the smell attracts the females, or thin just before shutting up the greenhouse for the day. The smell will dissipate overnight.

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