BBC Gardeners' World

We’ve become a nation of back-garden farmers this year, sowing, tending, nibbling our way through the lockdown months with the promise of delicious food just moments away. It’s been a positive lifeline and escape outdoors – with as much pleasure in t

Growing tomatoes at home this summer? Follow Alan’s video for a bumper crop at gardenersworld.com/tomato-guide – and sign up for reminders and topical tasks from our weekly email newsletter. As gardens reopen, you’ll save money on your visits with o

By rights we shouldn’t be here this month. We should all be lolling around on some beach or exploring gardens in other countries. But chances are we’re still here, and most of us will be seeing even more of our gardens. Maybe this too will become the

You may be under the impression that this is the Year of the Virus, the Year of Staying at Home, the Year of the Boxed Set… But it’s also the Year of the Rudbeckia! Yes, really. This notion was dreamt up by Fleuroselect, the organisation that promote

The World Garden at Lullingstone Castle, Kent Favourite variety? ‘Avoca Amanda’ has large pink cactus flowers, sturdy stems and doesn’t need to be staked or stored indoors over winter. A real ornamental aristocrat. Top growing tip? When planting o

With the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, gardens in our 2 for 1 Entry scheme are beginning to re-open. To ensure the safety of visitors and staff, many have special measures in place, including pre-booking and restricted visitor numbers. Ope

Water companies are warning gardeners to hold back on using sprinklers as UK water usage leapt by up to 40 per cent above normal levels in spring to early summer. The exceptionally hot and dry weather coincided with lockdown, when at least half the n

Monty’s reflections about turning his hand to film making really resonated with me (The Full Monty, June issue). I was always a ‘dreamer’ when it came to gardening – too worried about not getting it right to even start properly. Needless to say, this

Michaela is a regular presenter on BBC2’s Springwatch. Starting her career in the 1980s on morning TV shows, she became widely known as a face of BBC wildlife series including The Really Wild Show and Countryfile. Born in Surrey, she now lives in Sou

August can be a disappointing time in gardens – borders can be a little frazzled and faded. All too easily, it becomes an underwhelming lull between the high drama and flowering bounty of July, and the onset of early autumn’s mellowing. But it doesn’

Most Michaelmas daisies are saving themselves for September, but this ‘best-of-the-lot’ blue daisy can come into bloom in June and still be going strong in October. Its elegant branching stems carry an abundance of simple flowers. Plant it in an open

Patio clematis have been bred to grow in containers. This one makes a resounding splash of colour to wake up the August garden. FJul-Sep HxS1.2m x 1m In my garden, penstemons work best in containers, as by August my borders are a tall mêlée of perenn

The audience of Gardeners’ World has doubled in the past five months. As you can imagine, this is going down rather well at TV Towers. Some of these extra viewers may have been scraping the lockdown barrel to while away the empty hours but, modesty a

People often seem daunted by the idea of designing their own garden. It’s interesting that many are comfortable turning their house into a home – choosing colour schemes, layout and furniture – but not turning their outdoor space into the haven of th

Easy to care for without compromising on style, the dumb cane is the perfect plant to add an instant tropical flair to your home. It’s a forgiving plant that will put up with low lighting and its leaves will quickly droop to let you know when it need

Are you missing socialising with friends and family as freely as you used to? Covid-19 has fuelled a huge growth in online communities, with gardeners finding new ways to support each other, and share skills, advice and their gardens through social m

Make the most of the long summer holiday with these easy gardening projects. Children of all ages will love to get involved in turning their unwanted items into quirky containers filled with aromatic herbs and edible flowers. It’s also a great way fo

Pick as the fruits ripen, and feed weekly to keep them coming. Don’t overwater – this can split the fruits and dilute the flavour. When night temperatures fall to 10°C, bring in any last outdoor fruits to ripen indoors, still on the vine if you wish.

Hello August, my most productive month of the year. It’s the peak of summer, with lots to harvest and I can barely keep up with all the preserving that I now need to do. The aroma of vinegar in the kitchen signifies the start of pickling season, when

With preserving tools, a guide, a recipe booklet and a jar lifter, this kit has everything you need to get started making your own jams, pickles and chutneys. A great kit for a beginner on a budget. qvc.com A classic-style maslin pan for making jams,

Push mowers are a simple, traditional way to mow your lawn without the worry of engines or cables. Cylinder blades rotate as you push the mower, there are no fuel or electricity costs, and no emissions. They’re kind to your neighbours too, as they’re

■ Have you got the right lawn? Cylinder mowers need an even surface for the scissor action of the blades to work well, so your lawn must be fairly bump free and 250m² or below. Simpler shapes are easier, unless you opt for a compact model with a smal

Handle Ideally adjustable to suit your height. Padding makes it more comfortable when pushing the mower. Cutting width The greater the cutting width, the more grass it will cut in one go. But wider mowers can also be heavy. Mower body Covers and pr

By now our gardens may be a little frayed around the edges. Spring growth has lost its zing and summer flowers are slowing down. Shrubs and herbaceous perennials may be getting shaggy and the garden looking rather unkempt. But a judicious pruning ses

Hedgehogs have suffered huge declines in recent years, thanks to a combination of habitat loss and a lack of food. Gardens can be a fantastic refuge for them but only if they are accessible – fences, walls and other hard landscaping prevent hedgehogs

Will this be another painted-lady year? Each summer, these orange-speckled butterflies with black and white wing tips fly from North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia to Europe to breed. Some years, due to fine weather and an abundance of food

The Jewel Garden hits its highest notes in August. All the really rich jewel colours come to the fore and the thicker light from a lower sun brings out the full velvety sumptuousness of this palette. We love to cut lots of these flowers and bring tha

Collect non-flowering shoots from geraniums and other tender plants to make more plants for next year. Geraniums root well if you make the cuttings then air-dry them for a couple of hours before inserting them in compost. Keep fuchsias, heliotropes a

PLUS Pot up seedlings ■ Ventilate the greenhouse ■ Trim hedges ■ Cut back summer raspberries ■ Prepare for a new lawn PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM ■

Keep an eye on your flowers, and take note of plants that dry out and wilt when the sun is shining. Dry plants often recover in the evening, but don’t be fooled into thinking they no longer need watering – those in pots need a soak most days, as do n

Snip off fading rose blooms to keep them flowering for longer. Many roses are repeat flowerers, but some have just one flowering period in summer, then they develop decorative hips for winter. Deadheading keeps the rose in growth, and is a good oppor

Pick aubergines, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. If you are growing melons, they may well be ready too – you’ll know by the sweet smell of the fruit. Cup the tomatoes in your hand and pull away from the truss. Use secateurs to cut the other crops l

Line a large tray with newspaper, so you can dry your onions for storage. These are ready to harvest when the foliage fades and drops to the ground. Lift the onions, brush off all the soil and check for them damage. Use the damaged ones straightaway

Use a powered hedge trimmer or shears to clip your hedge. Choose a day when the weather is a mild and dry to do this job, as this will cause the least stress to the hedge. It’s a good idea to lay down a sheet of tarpaulin where you are working – it w

Our established yew topiary pyramids, with their moderate growth rate, require one annual trim, usually carried out in mid to late August. The pruning cuts heal in time to minimise damage from possible frosts in early autumn. We use powered hedge tri

110 New gardener problem solver 114 Gardeners’ Question Time The BBC Radio 4 experts answer this month’s pick of readers’ queries, including: ■ Tomatoes with rotten ends ■ How to make more roses It’s raining as I write, but recently I’ve had to fi

• Prioritise and save time Water new plantings and containers by soaking, not just splashing them. Hoe weeds when it’s sunny and pull them when it’s rainy. Concentrate on deadheading and harvesting too. • Improve a windy plot Plan to plant some tough

Hydrangea flowers change 1 colour according to the pH of the soil. Blue rather than pink flowers means the soil pH level is slightly more acidic or alkaline? 2 A strawberry is the only fruit to bear its seeds on the outside. How many seeds does th

Non-stop homegrown – discover how to keep delicious pickings coming year-round New to gardening? No worries! Our experts solve your problems Pots for shady spots – get instant colour with our easy recipes Spring bulb special! Follow MONTY’S

When I had reached my teenage years, back in 1963, Zoom was a brand of ice lolly modelled on one of the rockets we knew from a children’s television programme called Fireball XL5. It was a precursor to the even more popular Thunderbirds, which follow