Crossword and back issues

ACROSS

1 Dig around in soil – for insect larva (4)

4 Common name for any plant in Geranium genus (10)

9 Appropriately named, exceptionally large-flowering peony (7)

10 Irrigates… top of withered aster variety (6)

11 Name of a vigorous F1 strawberry, good for hanging baskets – ‘Welsh reservoir valley’? (4)

12 Eg water plants used for thatching (5)

13 See 3 down

14 A clematis with purple-veined, cream flowers… and blackcurrant liqueur (6)

16 A fiery-orange Montbretia/Crocosmia cultivar… for a quick-tempered person (8)

18 Genus of plants commonly called false hellebore… arum ‘Vert’ perhaps? (8)

21 Snowbell tree genus, version of stray ‘X’ (6)

22 Wise man’s herb of the Salvia genus (4)

24 See 3 down 25 Rudimentary plant growths (4)

26 Term for the zone at the base of a lily’s petals (6)

27 Genus of ‘mask flower’ plant… hidden by petal on soapwort (7)

28 Symmetrical bed design bounded by clipped topiary (4,6)

29 Flower associated with eg martagon or Madonna (4)

DOWN

2 Hypericum cultivar, named after the N Ireland National Trust garden (9)

3/13/24 Common name of Rudbeckia triloba – as renowned by us, perhaps (5-4,5)

4 In secrecy, perused a genus of plants with grass-like leaves (7)

5 Unventilated, a state that could encourage eg tomato blight (7)

6 Snowdrop species named after a Victorian galanthophile – ie Lewis, perhaps (7)

7 An Echinacea (coneflower) series, and an insect it attracts (9)

8 Sizeable (5)

15 Common name of Ageratina altissima – twisting on aster, OK? (9)

17 Peach-coloured shrub rose, named after author of James and the Giant Peach (5,4)

19 A magenta-veined, pink-flowering Geranium cultivar – rotates wildly! (7)

20 Brassica plant that makes good green manure – cut it and impress? (7)

21 An orange-flowering Echinacea in ‘Big Sky’ series – ‘Dusk’? (7)

23 Pallid colour – of Fraxinus excelsior tree? (5)

25 Describes cuttings taken at ground level (5)

• Solutions to this issue’s crossword will be printed in the September issue