How to grow crab apple trees | Alys Fowler

Their heady blossoms and fine fruit are loved by birds, and make for excellent jellies and jams

The scent of a crab apple in flower, sweet and spring-like, is reason enough to plant one – and now is the best time. And when all that heady blossom has gone and the green leaves have faded, you finally get those fine fruit: small baubles of smoky purples, brilliant reds and oranges, and royal yellows that dangle on long peduncles in the wind and shatter into colourful carpets below. Their flavour runs the gamut from tart and tannin to truly sweet. The high pectin content and colour of the fruit make them excellent for jellies, but also for setting jams.

Or you could just sit back and watch the bird life. Softened crab apples are highly prized in deep winter. The fruit of some cultivars will persist right through into January before the weather beats them into a sweetness suitable for blackbirds.

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Gardening tips: set up a plant swap

Plant an elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ and go on a snowdrop walk at Hodsock Priory

Plant this If you love silvery foliage and have a spot to fill in full sun, check out the shrub Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’. It grows to about 3m each way and the foliage is joined by honey-scented yellow blooms in summer. Downsides? It does produce suckers, so you may need to halt their spread in spring.

Plan this Plant swaps are a great way to offload excess plants and bag yourself something interesting in return. If there aren’t any local to you, why not set up your own? Sheffield plant swap holds regular events and its website is a mine of information on how to run a good swap.

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How to grow crab apple trees | Alys Fowler

Their heady blossoms and fine fruit are loved by birds, and make for excellent jellies and jams

The scent of a crab apple in flower, sweet and spring-like, is reason enough to plant one – and now is the best time. And when all that heady blossom has gone and the green leaves have faded, you finally get those fine fruit: small baubles of smoky purples, brilliant reds and oranges, and royal yellows that dangle on long peduncles in the wind and shatter into colourful carpets below. Their flavour runs the gamut from tart and tannin to truly sweet. The high pectin content and colour of the fruit make them excellent for jellies, but also for setting jams.

Or you could just sit back and watch the bird life. Softened crab apples are highly prized in deep winter. The fruit of some cultivars will persist right through into January before the weather beats them into a sweetness suitable for blackbirds.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2RKJG8p
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: set up a plant swap

Plant an elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ and go on a snowdrop walk at Hodsock Priory

Plant this If you love silvery foliage and have a spot to fill in full sun, check out the shrub Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’. It grows to about 3m each way and the foliage is joined by honey-scented yellow blooms in summer. Downsides? It does produce suckers, so you may need to halt their spread in spring.

Plan this Plant swaps are a great way to offload excess plants and bag yourself something interesting in return. If there aren’t any local to you, why not set up your own? Sheffield plant swap holds regular events and its website is a mine of information on how to run a good swap.

Continue reading...

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This enchanting party pad is hiding its very own private bar

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Help bees by not mowing dandelions, gardeners told

Plants provide key food source for pollinators as they come out of hibernation

Gardeners should avoid mowing over dandelions on their lawn if they want to help bees, according to the new president of the British Ecological Society.

Dandelions – which will start flowering in the UK this month – provide a valuable food source for early pollinators coming out of hibernation, including solitary bees, honey bees and hoverflies.

Continue reading...

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Help bees by not mowing dandelions, gardeners told

Plants provide key food source for pollinators as they come out of hibernation

Gardeners should avoid mowing over dandelions on their lawn if they want to help bees, according to the new president of the British Ecological Society.

Dandelions – which will start flowering in the UK this month – provide a valuable food source for early pollinators coming out of hibernation, including solitary bees, honey bees and hoverflies.

Continue reading...

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