In this episode, your hosts quiz Acer expert and Vice Chair of The Maple Society of Britain & Ireland, Miles Hayward, on how to grow acers in your garden, creating unparalleled colour and form year-round. They find out how to pick a top-notch plant, learn the best way to plant it, and discover which other plants acers associate well with. Later in the show, Julia shares a clever way to use up excess chillies before ending with suggestions about what you can do in your garden over the next fortnight:

Jobs to do in the garden over the next fortnight:

1. Keep picking dahlias. Watch out for mildew as nights become colder.
2. Take hardwood cuttings from flowering shrubs such as Cornus, Hydrangeas, and Philadelphus. These can be rooted directly in the ground - it's easy-peasy.
3. Plant amaryllis bulbs for Christmas, keeping two-thirds of the bulb above the compost. Water sparingly until the leaves appear.
4. Lift and store bananas, cannas, tender salvias & ginger plants BEFORE they get frosted.
5. Do the same with dahlias once the first frosts have appeared. If you live in the southeast, you can leave them in the ground under a decent pile of mulch. 
6. Repair damaged lawns. Scarify and aerate with a garden fork. There's still just enough time to reseed if you're quick about it, but don't delay.
7. Cut back the asparagus fern once it turns yellow.
8. Sow broad beans either directly or under cover in deep pots to be planted out next month.
9. Sow onion, garlic and shallot sets from now.
10. Continue to pick up fallen fruits, store and leave a few for wildlife to help themselves.

Website links:

• Dan Cooper Garden
• Dan's Calendar of Events
• Parker's Patch
• Miles Japanese Maples Instagram
• The Maple Society of Britain & Ireland

Contact Miles by email: [email protected]

Contact Miles by phone: 01798 688123

Expertly produced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

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