Weekend Work: Time to increase stocks of hybrid berries
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Your support makes all the difference.What to do
Increase stocks of hybrid berries such as loganberry and tayberry by tip layering. Bury the tip of a shoot about 15cm (6in) down in the soil and firm the earth round it. By spring it should be rooted.
Pick and prune late-fruiting blackcurrants in one fell swoop by cutting back all the stems carrying berries to a strong new shoot. On old bushes or those which do not have much non-fruiting growth, cut out about a third of the branches entirely.
Cut back helianthemums. Delphiniums may give a second show if you cut down the old stems.
Take cuttings of Camellia japonica, using half-ripened side shoots. Root the cuttings in pots of sandy soil.
Propagate lavender now, too. Choose 8-10cm (3-4in) lengths of non-flowering shoots and stick them in a pot or a shady cold frame in sandy compost. Keep them well watered. Rooted plants can be set out in spring.
What to see
More than 1,500 knitters contributed to 'Blooming Marvellous', a knitted garden on show at the Bridport Arts Centre, South St, Bridport, Dorset, until the end of August. Look for knitted slugs and snails, apples, butterflies, even a barbecue. On Bank Holiday Monday (from 12-2pm) you can join the Knit-a-Thon in the Arts Centre forecourt. For more info, see bridport-arts.com
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