Elderflower cordial recipe

 Now (June) is the perfect time to pick elder flowers to make Elderflower corial. Best not pick flowers close to a road or railway track due to pollution.

Pick the flowers when they’ve opened i.e still with lots of pollen. Flowers that have not opened or have passed over do not give good flavour.

 

Cut 30 heads of elderflowers into a large sterilised bowl or bucket, add 2 sliced lemons (non waxed ones) and 1.5 kg of Sugar, mixed with 50g citric acid (you can buy this from the chemist). Pour on 1.5 litre of boiling water and leave for 5 days to mature, stirring everyday.

 

Then strain with a seive to seperate the juice.     

and pour into clean and sterilised bottles.

 

The Elderflower cordial concentrate can be kept in screw top bottles for about a year. The 30 flower heads made this much cordial

 

Serve mixed with sparkling water, slices of lemon and ice – delicious

Fragrant Plants

Roses

Here are some sugestions for fragrant plants:-

 

 

Madam Isaac Pereire. Pink flower.      Trained on walls and Fence

 Margaret Merrii          White               Sunny position H 3ft. Flowers in summer

 Alec’s Red                               Red                  Tea Rose                                3ft 90cm

                                                                        Flowers in summer

New Dawn                               Pale pink          Climbing Rose slightly shaded 10ft 3m

                                                                        Flowers from summer to late autumn

Rosa Zephirine Drouhin           Pink                  Summer into autumn                            

                                                                       Prone to disease. Has no thorns

Flowers

Wallflowers

Erysimum cheiri                        Orange

 Dianthus

Mrs Sinkins                              white                Flowers mid summer. Take cuttings to replace old every few years. Height 10in 25cm

 Hedychium gardnerianum          Yellow             Flowers in summer. Container plant, large.Ht 7ft 2.1m Sheltered position. Overwinter inside.

 Euphorbia mellifera                                           Honey scented. Late spring. Evergreen foliage. Hardy Ht. 6ft 1.8m

 Viola Maggie Mott’                                          Sweet perfume.  Early Summer. Take cuttings to replace old plants. Ht. 6ins 15cm.

 Climbers

Wisteria Sinensis                                               Flowers in early summer. Sunny wall

                                                                        Ht. 30ft 9m

 Clematis

Armandii                                  White               Flowers early spring. Almond scented

                                                                        Warm wall. Evergreen. Only prune if necessary Ht. 10ft 3m

 Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’      white & yellow.  Summer flowering. Ht.30ft 9m

 Trachelospermum jasminoides. White    Summer flowering. Sweet scented. Evergreen with a reddish tinge in winter. Slow growing

                                                Slightly tender protect from frost.

 Lathyrus odoratus

Sweet pea                                multi colours     Annual. Summer flowering.

                                               sow seeds early in the year                   

 Shrubs

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’        Yellow             Flowers in Autumn/Winter lily –of-the-valley scent. Ht 15ft 4.5m

Buddleja ‘Lochinch’                 Violet-blue       Flowers from July into late September Sweet scented vanilla & chocolate. Ht 10ft 3m

                                                Prune hard in March

 Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’         small white flowers. Autumn. Boldly variegated evergreen leaves  

                                                         Ht. 12ft 3.6m

 Choisya ternate

Mexican orange blossom          white    Flowering in late spring. Evergreen. Does well in shade. Ht 8ft 2.4m

 Mahonia aquifolium

‘Apollo’ Oregan grape              Yellow             Glossy, holy-like leaflets. Abundance of lily-of-the-valley scented yellow flowers in spring, followed by grape-like purple berries. Ht 1m spread 1.5m

 Rhododendron luteum               Golden Yellow Early Summer flowering.

                                                Leaves turn warm orange and russet shades in late autumn. Ht.12ft 3.6m

 Azara microphylla                     Yellow             Winter flowering. Vanilla-scented. Evergreen. Best in milder climate Ht 30ft. 9m

Skimmia japonica

‘Rubella’                                  Dense red buds in autumn and winter.   Spring flowering. Lily-of-the-valley scented.

                                                Males have the larges most scented white blooms. Ht 1m

Skimmia japonica                     Dense red buds in autumn and winter.   Spring flowering. Lily-of-the-valley scented.

                                                Males have the largest most scented white blooms. Ht 1m

 Herbs

Lavandula ‘Sawyers’                Lavender          Late summer flowering. Resinous aroma

                                                Grows best in sandy soils. Full sun  Ht 3ft 90cm           

 Rosmarinus officinalis                blue                  Spring flowering. Evergreen Ht 5ft 1.5m

 Laurus noblis                            none                 Bay Laurel. Leaves used to add flavour to stews. Can grow into a tree, but can be clipped into a standard. Ht 30ft. 9m

Thymus vulgaris                        colour?             Summer flowering. Loved by bees. Ht 6ins 15cm

Mentha spicata

Mint                                         None                Used to flavour food & Mint Tea. Can be grown in pots. Sunny position,

Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’

Bronze Fennel                          small cluster of yellow flowers. Aniseed scent. Attractive spike feathery Purple Green leaves. Ht 6 ½ ft 2m Good at the back of borders together with eryngiums or lavender.

                                                Helps to relieve flatulence, promote sleep and help nursing mothers to produce milk. However we do not know if this has been proved.

Pelargonium

‘Chocolate Peppermint’                 minty aroma. Ht 2ft. 60cm.

Cercidiphyllum japonica                Canyfloss aroma given off by orange and yellow falling leaves in autumn.  Ht 70ft 21m

Aloysia triphylla                        none          sherbert lemon scent. Warm sunny position against a warm wall. Ht 10ft 3m

Bulbs

Convallaria majalis ‘Albostriata’

Lily of the Valley                       white bells        Sweet scented. Perennial creeping rhizomes. Shady position. Can cope with a dry soil but mulching with compost or leaf-mould in autumn will improve the growing conditions.

 

Iris graminea                             blue with stripes            Stewed plum scented. Summer flowering.  Divide clumps occasionally in spring. Ht 16ins 40cm

 Iris ‘Pauline’                             mauve                fruity scent. Winter flowering. Plant bulbs in early autumn. Ht 6ins 15cm

Galanthus ‘S Arnott’

Snowdrop                                white with green tip       Honey fragrance. Late winter early spring flowering. Ht 8ins 20cm.

Freesia                                     Golden Yellow Queen of fragrance. Plant bulbs outdoors in late spring in a sheltered spot in full sun. Ht 16ins 40cm.

Crinum x powellii                      Pink                             Sweetly scented trumpet shaped flowers. Late summer flowering.  Plant in damp fertile soils. Ht 5ft 1.5m

Lilium regale                             White with yellow center           Extravagant scented trumpet shaped flower. Mid summer flowering. Likes a rich soils Ht 5ft 1.5m

Lilium longiflorum

‘White American’                     knockout perfume.

Cardiocrinum giganteum            white       Exotic trumpet shaped flowers. Very tall and will look stunning at the back of a border. Ht 10ft 3m

Narcissus papyraceuis              white       Early spring flowering. Can be planted on pots and grown indoors on a sunny window-sill. Plant them shallowly in pots Ht 14ins 35cm

Cyclamen repandum                 Pink flowers and silver-splashed leaves. Sweetly scented. Dappled shady position. Ht 4ins 10cm

Gladiolus callianthus

Gladioli                                     white with maroon (purple) center  Sweet scented. Summer – Autumn flowering.            Plant corms 4-5ins deep in spring in a sunny well drained soil. They look good planted  between grasses and herbaceous perennials. Best to lift and dry corms and store in a frost-free place until the following spring. However they can survive the winter in the driest, mildest places, but it’s agamble.

The interactive plant advice CD-ROM – both PC & MAC compatible has 3,500 UK garden plants to choose from

 

 

 

 

Best buy British grown plants.

 Support UK nurseries

British plant nurseries are under threat from mass produced plant growers from abroad.

Imported plants are controlled: all growers supplying to EEC countries must have a Plant Passport, which allows the authorities to monitor and trace any problems with plant health. Standards of inspection are very stringent in the UK, says Guy Barter of the RHS, but in other countries the checking may be more relaxed. Also, it is not possible to check every single plant, so pests and diseases can be inadvertently imported. Diseases such as Dutch Elm have already done nationwide damage; others such as Sudden Oak Death are gradually spreading. Imported plants, such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, can also become invasive, eventually pushing out native species and altering habitats. Some imported plants, such as tree ferns, cyclamens and orchids, may also have been dug up from the wild.

Many of the plants we buy have been raised in European countries such as Holland, France, Italy, Belgium and Germany, but an increasing number are being grown further a field in countries such as Roses from Africa and China where as in the case of Japanese Acers which are propagated in China, flown to Holland to be grown on and transported to Italy to mature, being moved between several countries and across continents before they reach the UK. The carbon footprint of these plants has not yet been calculated but is certainly considerable and could be avoided by sourcing British or locally grown plants.

Research by the South East England Development Agency shows that people who buy plants in garden centres show little interest in a plants country of origin. Many people will assume that the plants are grown here in the UK and will be shocked to learn that many are brought in from abroad. I think the labelling should include the plants country of origin. More people would buy British grown plants if they realised the key advantages of buying home-grown plants: plants that will grow better, fewer plant miles and lower carbon footprint from the grower to your garden, and support for jobs in the UK horticulture industry.

Look on the internet to find local plant nurseries or ones that offer mail order. Their website will often contain useful and practical plant care advice so you’ll know how to look after your plants once you’ve bought them.

You’ll find you’ll get a refreshingly diverse choice of garden plants and excellent value for money. Each nursery is run by enthusiasts who will give you a warm welcome and be keen to give you a genuinely professional level of advice.

The Complete Gardens plant advice and pruning guide CD-ROM is not stocked by some large garden centre chains like Wyvale because we link from plants on our CD-ROM to some quality UK plant specialist nurseries.

Although not being stocked will probably mean we’re loosing sales to the cheaper imported garden software they sell, we’re not going to support a monopoly which some large garden Centre chains demand and fully support our British plant nurseries.

Here are a few specialist nurseries not linked from plants on the CD-ROM to nurseries but we hope they will be added soon. 

http://www.blofieldnurseries.co.uk/camellia.htm camellia and azalea specialist

http://www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/home.php Carnivorous plants. Chelsea Flower Show Gold winner

http://www.wildflowers.co.uk British wild flowers

http://www.hardybamboo.com Bamboo and grass specialist

http://www.thorncroft.co.uk Clematis specialist. Chelsea Flower Show Gold winner

Give us your feedback on our Free Friendly Garden Advice Forum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bees are on the decline yet we can help.

  Bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. I’m particularly astonished by the lack of bees in my garden this year despite planting nectar plants for honey bees and butterflies and specialist plants like digitalis, eryngium, echinacea and aquilegia to help bumblebees.

  Bees not only enrich our gardens and pollinate our flowers they also pollinate 90% our fruit and vegetables. The lack of them could have a devastating impact on our food supplies, but also turn our brightly-coloured meadows into silent, grey hinterlands.

  The serious decline in bees over recent years is now coming to a head, what with large and unprecedented losses of bees in Europe, the US and other parts of the world.

“It’s urgent they get our help and we need to do something about it now,” “But all too often people notice the importance of something when it’s not there – when it’s too late.” We can do something to help these busy workers now. Bees need nectar plants to feed as well as secure nests in order to feed and reproduce. I’ve produced an interactive plant advice CD-ROM which contains 650 food plants that bees love. You can choose the right plants to suit your garden conditions and suit your choice of garden style. It’s very easy to use.

It’s hard to believe that one small creature can be so important to our food supply. Albert Einstein was well aware of this connection. When it came to bees, he put it in no uncertain terms: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

The possible reasons suggested for these declines are habitat alterations, climate change and linked to modern intensive farming which reduces the number of plants available for to bees seek out for food. As well as food plants, the insects need nesting sites for the Queens to start new colonies. On my web site I’ve included bee nests to help solitary bees as well as bumblebee nest boxes which provide a safe dwelling for the bees to reproduce.

There’s good news for the untidy gardener “Bumblebees are happier in gardens that are not perfectly tended. If you can leave some of the grass uncut, and a few areas looking slightly untidy, that’s what they love. Even if most of your garden is neat and tidy it’s a good idea to let some areas stay undisturbed. Behind the garden shed or garage are good places. You should also make sure you’ve got a variety of plants that flourish throughout the season.”

By Neil Bromhall.