Amateur Gardening

Every week, Amateur Gardening is the first choice for both beginners and knowledgeable gardeners looking for advice and easy-to-follow practical features on growing flowers, trees, shrubs as well as fruit and vegetables. Be inspired, by our beautifully illustrated features covering plant and flower groups, both home grown and exotic, and take a sneak peek into some of the most beautiful private gardens around the country. Plus, every week we feature expert opinion and tips from some of gardening’s most influential exponents including Toby Buckland, Bob Flowerdew, Anne Swithinbank, Peter Seabrook and Jo Whittingham.

Editor Letter

Cut down Christmas waste • Reuse your festive debris in the garden, says Ruth

Give the tree a second life • Use interior festive decorations to benefit your garden

Pruning sooner than later • Tackle ‘easy bleeders’ as soon as possible, says Ruth

Small protective structures • Ruth gets her frames ready for overwintering plants

Make your pond winter-ready • Tidy vegetation and prepare for a freeze, says Ruth

Bonnets for a summer day • Aquilegias will brighten dappled shade, says Ruth

Lessons learned • As this year has taught us to expect the unexpected, Bob outlines the key ways to get ready for the new year

Helping our hogs • Hedgehogs may be hibernating, but Val recalls a few encounters when they were awake in the warmer months

Focus on… Growing parsnips • Given time, a sunny spot and well-worked soil, there’s nothing to stop you from growing perfect parsnips. Lucy reveals how to grow these sweet roots successfully

The Queen and her flowers • Looking back at Her Majesty’s reign, the connection she had with nature is obvious. Former AG editor Graham Clarke observed first-hand the love she had for plants

Make room for a Nut tree • Healthy and tasty – we’ve gone nuts for nuts. And the good news is that hazelnuts, walnuts, even almonds can all be grown in a typical UK garden, says Graham Clarke

The Perfect Christmas Gift from just £6

‘The big sleep’ • Dormice sleep for months, hedgehogs snore whilst wrapped in a quilt of moss and wood frogs turn to ice. John Lewis-Stempel investigates how some of our garden creatures will be hibernating this winter

This week… Hollies • With prolific berries and colourful foliage, hollies are a dramatic sight in any garden

Indoor orchids • If you’ve enjoyed growing a moth orchid, why not expand your collection and try a wider range of these fascinatingly beautiful plants, says Anne Swithinbank

Ask JOHN NEGUS • John will reply personally to all your gardening questions

A gardener’s MISCELLANY • Gardening’s king of trivia and brain-teasers, Graham Clarke

AG’s Garden Wall • JUST FOR FUN

Word search

Crossword • …just for fun!

Garden knives • Steve and Val test six different knives for gardeners to find the best for your purposes

Perfect your sprouts

The new-build garden • Making a beautiful garden around a new-build home near Gloucester has been one of the top achievements of Colin and Verena Olle’s love of horticulture, says Sue Bradley

Christmas Quiz • If you want to take a break from the Christmas festivities and get your grey cells working, try the AG Christmas Quiz, complete with answers – but don’t cheat!

Potato people • Write to us: Letters, Amateur Gardening magazine, Future Publishing Limited, Unit 415, Winnersh Triangle, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, RG41 5TP (please include your address). Email us: amateurgardening@futurenet.com

Amateur Gardening

Fragrant festivities • While herbs work hard in the garden all year round, they can take centre stage at Christmas, as Toby explains