Cyclamen are easy and rewarding houseplants to look after as long as you control the watering.

Watering Cyclamen

• Keep indoor Cyclamen moist but do not stand them in water.
• Water from the bottom and let plants soak up what they need
• If using the immersion method do not get the crown of the plant wet
• Keep indoor cyclamen in humid conditions by putting the plant on   damp gravel or special clay granules.
• Put the Cyclamen, pot and all into a larger peat filled pot and keep the outer pot very damp.
• Fertilize every fortnight if you want to keep the tuber for next year

Choosing and Caring for Florists Cyclamen

• Pick a pot with good fresh leaves. If the pot end is heavy it has some water in the compost.
• Indoor or florists cyclamen are more tender than outdoor cyclamen. They are usually periscum varieties in bright colours.
• Twist off yellow leaves and spent flowers near to the stem.
• Keep cool about 50-60° and away from direct sun and strong drafts.
• Do not let them freeze
• Soft leaves are a sign of needing water or having too much water. If the later stop watering take out of the pot to help drying and leave to refresh itself before repotting.
• Plants should flower through December and January then can be rested on their sides until autumn to flower next year

There are sweeter smelling plants but the seed heads of Iris foetidissima are a striking orange at the end of the season when there is less colour in the garden. Before opening the seed heads swell to a bulbous green head that cracks open to reveal masses of red, orange or yellow berries that the birds seem to leave alone of long periods well into winter.

The sword like leaves are very tough and this iris can thrive on neglect. Eventually clumps need chopping down as the centre becomes congested. Dead leaves need tidying but are evergreen.

Knock Knock

Who is there

Iris

Iris who

Irish stew in the name of the law

This Fastia was grown indoors as a houseplant then planted in the garden where it thrives to the point where it is now flowering at the end of November. It is several years old, 4 feet tall & wide and is very happy in a shaded north facing position.

When you have finished with some old house plants you can try to give them a new life outdoors. If they fail you have lost nothing. I have several former foliage house plants in a low maintenance area of the garden where I let plants get on with it for themselves.

The evergreen finger shaped leaves are larger than a hand and create a sculptural plant. I haven’t studied the flowers before but they are neat and simple spheres.

Sorry this photograph has a blue cast from a near by wall.

These Poinsettias have been placed on a micro perforated matting that allows water to be taken up by the plants in a capilliary action. It is a simple process to water the matting or set up a dripping system and the plant will take up what it needs.

Benefits and Tips on Capillary Mats

• Do not expect totally dry plants to take up moisture. If they are bone dry give them a soaking first.
• Water is taken up at the temperature of the matting so you avoid the shock of cold water.
• Plants shouldn’t become water logged as the capillary process slows as soil become wet.
• Matting works best when laid on a flat surface. My greenhouse bench has a large tray with a capillary mat inside.
• A bed of wet sand can be your own home made capillary watering system
• Advantages of capillary action include plants with delicate leaves not being damaged by the overhead watering and an even supply of water being consistently available.

The Brown Turkey fig, Ficus carica, produces large, sweet, juicy figs even in British conditions.

Fig Growing Tips

• Grown in a large pot they can get upto 12 feet tall but to encourage fruit prune in autumn and keep to a reasonable size about 5 -6 feet tall.
• Keep  plants well watered particularly when young.
• Grown against a south facing wall the full sun will encourage both fruiting and ripening.
• Expect fruit to ripen in August or  September and pick regularly
• Left to grow some Figs varieties can produce very large trees but they are not suitable for the British climate.
• Fig trees do not need a pollinator so one tree should suffice.
• Some winter protection may be needed in very hard frost.

Sorry this post is a bit of a dog.

See other posts on Poinsettias

So you don’t go barking mad here is a cream and green coloured Poinsettia.

Codiaeums are interesting foliage house plants also called Joseph’s Coat.

Codiaeum Cultivation Tips

• This variety is called ‘Petra’ but you may also find ‘Eugene Drapps’ with long lance shaped leaves almost entirely yellow.
• Keep plants moist and in good light with a temperature of at least 60-70° F.
• Root 6 inch cuttings taken from the top of the plant at 70° with a bit of bottom heat.
• Plants can be encouraged to branch by pinching out the growing tip.
• Frequent feeding is needed except in winter when growth slows.
• Large plants will have lots of roots so it may be worth potting up a size using loam based compost.
• Red spider mite can be a problem with Codiaeums
• Without good light but not full scorching sun the colouring will not be as strong and bottom leaves may be shed.

I really like sweetly scented honeysuckle and couldn’t resist this picture of a late bud in my garden.

Top Honeysuckle Tips

• A tall growing twining plant with fragrant blossom and an easy going habit.
• They work well in an informal hedge and can often be found in countryside hedgerows
• Cuttings root easily and I have a plant that has moved with me from many houses since my great aunt gave me a plant 45 years ago.
• Also called woodbine – do not try smoke it (an old fag joke)

see also

I planted 3 rocks but they died.

Rock is dead – long live paper and scissors.

So now I have proved I know nothing about landscaping rock gardens, below are some useful sites to look at for ideas and tips.

Landscape design site

Creating Alpine Bed

Landscaping With Rocks Ideas

Rockgardens

Kerns Landscaping

Rockery

Lush landscape

Info From Holland

Pictures Of Rock Gardens