Archive | October, 2008

Sweetpea Seedlings

By on October 8, 2008 in Flowers and Plants

Sown at the end of September these seedlings have germinated well. They have been sown from seeds collected off this years plants by my Brother in Law. I guess they will be fairly true to the colours of the plants from which he collected them. That is why the colour has been written on the [...]

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Seaweed Best Weed In Your Garden

By on October 7, 2008 in Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs

Seaweed should be the best weed you can use in the garden. As a soil conditioner it has been used in Ireland for many years bulking up earth on thin limestone soils. It is organic and can be added to compost heaps but let rain wash out excess salt first. In Europe seaweed is used, [...]

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Gerbera us a Smile

By on October 6, 2008 in Flowers and Plants, House & Greenhouse plants

Gerberas often make us smile but this flower is trying to smile for us. Like my jokes it is nothing to laugh at. A popular house plant the Gerbera has radiant, single or double flowers. They look like their relatives the  daisy family. Best known for the range of strong colours you often see one [...]

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Icebergs In Winter

By on October 5, 2008 in Flowers and Plants, Tips Hints and Ideas

Global warming has not made my Iceberg rose melt or disappear. On the contrary it is doing very well. In the top picks for many rose enthusiast this is one shrub that can look after itself. Any floribunda rose should have lots of buds and blossom and Iceberg doesn’t disappoint. These buds are slightly pink, [...]

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Coral Pink Colour for 2009

By on October 4, 2008 in Flowers and Plants

A bit of light relief for a dark corner! Spreads well but easliy controlled like butter. Graffitti is dead I have seen the writing on the wall!

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How to Store Apples

By on October 4, 2008 in Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs

My father stored his apples for up to six months in a cool, dark, humid old outhouse. The problems are the same but now a days the methods are more varied. Still one rotten apple in the barrel……. Conditions for Storing You need to prevent frost damage. Apple cells rupture and go too brown pulp [...]

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Yucca in the House

By on October 2, 2008 in Flowers and Plants, House & Greenhouse plants

Yucca plants have become popular as house plants. They are tolerant of a bit of neglect and provide architectural green spikes all year round. They need light but don’t need repotting or too much watering. Yuccas for indoors are often supplied on three stems with the leaves growing from the top. Plants usually look better [...]

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Cheap Garden Pot Mums

By on October 1, 2008 in Flowers and Plants, House & Greenhouse plants

I have grown a lot of Chrysanthemums in pots this year. Currently they are showing their true colours in an Autumn blaze of glory. Tips for Cheap Chrysanthemums I bought a cheap supermarket multi pack early in the year (6 for 99p). I nipped out the growing heads and in some cases the flowers that [...]

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Types of Apple Rootstock

By on October 1, 2008 in Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs, Gardening, Shrubs and Trees

Modern apple trees are grafted on to a root stock that will govern the vigour and eventual size of the tree. These are the vital statistics of some common rootstocks. Name Nature Height ft. Spread ft. M 27 Very Dwarf 4-6 5 M 9 Dwarfing 6-8 9 M 26 Semi-dwarf 8-10 12 M 106 Semi-vigorous [...]

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