CRUSAdeR CROSSWORd
WIN £100
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN £100 CASH
ACROSS
Protest march about deserter involving US politician (8) A bachelor in new divan being arrested (6)
10 Listener with article about southern maker of headgear, shocking (5-10)
Small vehicle used by socialist, disfigured (7)
Painter meeting European performer (7)
Ring isle, possibly, to get this wine (8)
15 Doctor, I have motivation (5)
18 Drink given to radical ahead of
time, vigilant (5)
20 Soldier taking place of
sponger (8)
23 Bird held by weakest relative (7)
25 Royal – one seen in bed with
small crown (7)
26 Disturbing their shop, a tipsy
healthcare professional (15)
27 Staggered at dance by
journalist (6)
28 Popular position, for
example (8) 1 5 11 12 13
1 2 3
DOWN
Smart gown is variable (6) Fat ram near GI, possibly (9) Company listens to audience, remains united (7) A Conservative – he had suffered pain (5)
A vet, red, mistakenly turned away (7)
Bishop left on one ship for perfect happiness (5) Pursue German with the Spanish trivial verse (8) Unfamiliar person is a saint and forest official (8)
14 Rude I am with staff carrying it (8)
Purpose during anxiety, we hear (9)
Bird with incentive to find plant (8)
From tree, Tim removed insect (7)
Skivvy with hesitation taking vehicle in street (7)
22 Union leader entering country
with sculpture (6)
24 Pigpen – the French kind (5)
25 Child originally thin and free
from dirt (5)
4 6 7 8 9 16 17 19 21
TO ENTER: Call 0904 161 3700 and leave your answer and details, or text DXCRUS followed by a space, your answer, name and address details to
84915. Calls cost £1.50 plus your telephone company’s network access charge. Texts cost £1.50 plus your standard network rate. Lines close at midnight tonight. Or send your grid containing the answer in the shaded squares by posting it to: Crusader Crossword, February 20, PO Box 12578, Sutton Coldfield B73 9BT. Entries must be postmarked by February 22 at the latest. SP: Spoke – 0333 202 3390. For any postal enquiries, call helpline number.
The winner will be the first random correct entry drawn from all entry routes after the closing date of February 25. The Editor’s decision is final. NEED HELP? Call 0904 161 1609 for 5 extra clues!
Calls cost £1.50 plus your telephone company’s network access charge. NamE addrESS
Iris reticulata
This is one of the more glamorous earlyflowering spring bulbs, with varieties in shades of blue, violet and purple.
Dry bulbs appear on sale in the autumn and are excellent for planting in pots, troughs and tubs or raised beds.
They do best in welldrained conditions and bright sheltered places, where the same bulbs will often keep coming up again and again for several years.
Alternatively, you can buy ready-grown plants in pots in early spring when they first come into flower, and sink the pots into a container filled with compost to use as an instant display.
If buying now, choose plants in bud where the colour is just showing, or with flowers that are not quite fully open, so they last well.
Avoid placing them in exposed, windy areas. When they are finished, tip the plants out of their pots, plant them out and you should have a further show next year.