Colour for adventurous Gardeners by Christopher LLoyd

Colour to Attract Book Worms

• My personal favourite plants for colour tend towards the bright, brash and bold of Dahlias, Roses, Gladioli and even Gerbera.
• I do not have much of an eye for harmony or hazy, pastel shades but go for in your face hot colours that form part of my Shock and Awe campaign.
• Christopher Lloyd may educate me with his book on adventurous gardeners use of colour but we will see.
• In the meantime I will keep growing my brash coloured Dahlias.

Books on colour in your garden emphasise the design and planing aspects.
I am of the plonk it in and hope for the best type gardener. When I get a combination right I am surprised to bits. When I get it garishly wrong I am less surprised but not fazed by the colour riot.

Credit
Pink dahlias by robynejay mosaic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Colour in the Garden by Val Bourne
‘A colourful garden has the extraordinary power to lift the spirits no matter the time of year.
Many people struggle to create their own colour combinations that are suitable to site and soil.’

Comment on Primula Books

The internet can’t give you all the knowledge and joy that a book can provide. I am biased as I collect gardening books but am drawing the line at buying books that are digital publications of the Wiki content (sorry I have included one book in this list of books on the Primula family.)
Books and records on the history of plants and how they have been grown, bred and developed can add extra interest for the gardening amateur, professional or obsessional alike.
This is just a list of some of the books in English about Primulas and related species that are available, even if currently out of print.
Part of the fun is adding to a collection via secondhand book shops and I hope to add to this list as I realise other books are in publication.

Primula by John Richards

Primula The Complete Guide by Mary A Robinson shares a fount of knowledge from her nursery in Lincolnshire.

Generic Primula Books

Primulas by Sidney Clapham (1973)
Primulas by A. G Puttock (1957)
Primulas Old and New by Jack Wemyss-Cooke
The Genus Primula In Cultivation And The Wild. by J. J. Halda (1992)
Hardy primulas by H.G Lyall (1959)
Primrose and Polyanthus by Peter Ward
Synoptic Guide to the Genus Primula by G. K. Fenderson
A Plantsman’s Guide to Primulas (Plantsman’s Guide Series) by Philip Swindells (23 Mar 1989)
Primulas of the British Isles (Shire natural history) by John Richards (Jun 1989)
Primulas Of Europe & America. by Smith GF & Burrow B & Lowe D B an Alpine Garden Society Guide
Asiatic Primulas Gardeners’ Guide by Roy Green
‘Primula’ Wikipedia consolidated articles

Auricula and Polyanthus Books

Primroses and Auriculas Wisley Handbook by Peter Ward
The Auricula: History, Cultivation and Varieties by Allan Guest
Auriculas Through the Ages: Bear’s… by Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Auriculas for Everyone: How to Grow and Show Perfect Plants by Mary A. Robinson
Auriculas and Primroses by W.R. Hecker (22 Apr 1971)
Auriculas: Their Care and Cultivation (Illustrated Monographs S) by Brenda Hyatt (22 Jun 1989)
Auriculas by Roy Genders (1958)
Auriculas by Gwen Baker and Peter Ward (5 May 1995)
Alpine Auriculas. by Telford Derek (1993)
Florists’ auriculas and gold-laced polyanthus by C.G Haysom (1957)
The auricula its culture and history. yr. 1898 by George William Johnson (1 Jan 1847)

Auriculas: An Essential Guide (Crowood Essential Guides) by Paul Dorey

Primroses and polyanthus by Harold Charles Taylor (1954)
The polyanthus for garden exhibition and market (Foyle’s Handbooks) by Roy Genders (1958)
The POLYANTHUS : Its History and Culture. by Genders Roy (1963)

I am happy to receive any additions or corrections to this list via the comments section.

All the weathermen seem to be forecasting further drought conditions for the summer of 2012. Gardeners should therefore be prepared for flood!

Drought Preparations

• There is a flood of advice from government and the government in exile ie. newspapers and media. eg. plant trees for shade and wait 100 years for them to grow.
• Val Bourne at the Daily Telegraph suggests ‘puddling in’ when planting out your brassicas and leeks and this strikes me as a good use of water. It just means filling the planting hole with water just before you pop your plant in.
• Another Val tip is to stand watering cans of tap water around the garden until the sun’s warmth has evaporated the chlorine away.
• Carrots and parsnips naturally grow in drier sandy soil and grow longer in seeking out water. Try several varieties if you like these vegetables.

Flood Preparations

• Be prepared to catch what water you may need in butts, barrels and ponds.
• If your ground is liable to waterlogging either restrict the plants you grow or improve the drainage.
• Minor drainage improvements can be achieved with added grit, sand and gravel
• Major drainage improvements may include a deep soak-away or a perforated drainage system.

The Low-water No-water Garden: Gardening for Drought and Heat the Mediterranean Way – A Practical Guide with 500 Stunning Colour Photographs by Pattie Barron available from amazon

Managing the Wet Garden: Plants That Flourish in Problem Places by John Simmons available from Amazon
Credits
Dry garden by foliosus CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Flood by itspaulkelly CC BY-NC 2.0

One of the first iconic gardeners Percy was involved with most forms of media. Best remembered for his BBC appearances he was one of the first ‘personality gardeners’. He started on radio ‘Gardening Club’ in 1956 then TV’s ‘Gardening World’ through the 1970’s. As a regular contributor to the magazine ‘Amateur Gardening’ in the 1970’s and the Daily Mail he gave tips and information to a new generation of hobby gardeners. These gardeners were less interested in self sufficiency but had started to consider style colour and the aesthetics of gardening.

Percy started one of the first garden centres which was in Shrewsbury and is still open today. In addition to a range of plants he sold garden furniture, plastic pond liners and the like. At the time he said ‘You come in for a packet of seeds and something else catches your eye’. The centre was one of the first to develop container grown roses that could be sold out of season. Orthodox planting was November to March but growing roses in large tin cans enabled the roses to be offered through early summer for immediate planting and effect. His tips live on in his garden centre web site an example of which is given below

Garden Tips by Percy Thrower

‘If you fancy planting a magnolia, now is the time to do it. Choose its position with great care. Allow the plant plenty of space and prepare the soil well by digging in plenty of good quality ericaceous compost such as Miracle Gro Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron compost or John Innes ericaceous compost. Water regularly over the coming months while the plant roots get established. Firm the soil, and support.’

Percy Throwers early training was at Leeds Parks and Gardens department before eventually moving to ‘The Magnolias’ in Shrewsbury. He was the gardening advisor to Blue Peter. The BBC dropped Thrower in 1975 when he agreed to a contract with ICI, for a series of commercials. He did this in the full knowledge of what the repercussions would be with the BBC. He had a good commercial sense and used his celebrity status to good effect.

He also wrote many books, which were published by Collingbridge and later Hamlyn including his memoirs ‘My Lifetime of Gardening’. Check them out on Amazon.

As a child did you read ‘The Black Tulip’ or try to grow a black rose? Well here are some tips to help you grow black plants in your garden’. Most of my black plants unfortunately are dead but that still leaves 1999 other varieties to choose from.

Foliage

• Certain dark purple leaves look almost black including Cotinus Smoke Tree ‘Royal Purple’, Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ and Purple Beech Fagus Atropurpurea
• New Zealand flax phormium tenax has various purple varieties. There are also black mondo grasses nigrescens.
• If you want black in the fruit and vegetable garden try a grape vine ‘Purpurea’ or bronze fennel. If space permits the Black Walnut tree has black fissured bark.

Flowers

• Hollyhocks have a black variety not surprisingly called ‘Nigra’ latin name  Alcea rosea
• Cosmos atrosanguineus
• Bowles Black violas are very popular and freely available
• Nemophilia menziesii ‘Pennie Black’ is grown from seed and has deep purple to black centres with white edges
• Dianthus ‘Black & White Minstrels‘ is also available as seeds from Thompson Morgan
• Fritillaria persica are dark flowered and provide a contrast with other flowers
• Tulips are still striving to be true black but ‘Queen of the Night’ and Recreado come close.
• Scabious Ace of Spades is virtually black and has fragrant blooms that attract bees and butterflies whilst making impressive cut flowers.

Black Plants: 75 Striking Choices for the Garden by Paul Bonine

Crocus Cultivation Tips

• Allow foliage to die back. Do not tie foliage because it weakens the bulb and flowers for next year.
• A little bonemeal in spring will help build up corms and bulbs for next year.
• Crocus often like a rather heavy but well drained soil. Enrich sandy soil with leafmould.
• If troubled with mice or squirrels eating corms, place wire netting just below the soil surface.
• Bring a pot of Crocus into the house when the first buds show and keep in a light cool spot.
• Allow species crocus to self seed to increase your display in years to come.
• Suspend black cotton over the buds to stop them being attacked by birds.
• After the foliage fades Crocus can be lifted and split every 4-5 years to avoid over crowding. Leave them be if they are naturalised under grass.
• Mulch with garden compost only sparingly 5cm deep.

Types of Crocus

• Autumn Crocus  flower before the leaves and are also sold as Colchium. If autumn is dry water the corms.
• Crocus vernalis tend to have larger bulbs and spring blooms.
• Crocus chrysanthus like sun or light dappled shade and a lighter soil.
• Species Crocus Tommasinianus, C.sativus, C. angustifolius C. biflorus, C. korolkowii and C. olivieri will grow well under a late leafing shrub.

Buying Hints and Advice

• Buy firm plump bulbs.
• Avoid bulbs that are in the least bit soft.
• Avoid bulbs which are already sprouted and showing green.
• Avoid any bulbs that show signs of fungus, spots, rot or mould.
• Buy as soon as Crocus become available and plant September-November

I have just planted 100+ crocus around a new Paperbark Acer and a similar number in a variety of pots and containers. When the containers have flowered the crocus will be fertilised and planted out.

See our other photos

Update 28 September 2011 New Bulb Book
Bulb: A Hand-Picked Selection of the World’s Most Beautiful Bulbs by Anna Pavord is a personal selection and authoritative guide to the most gorgeous bulbs on the earth.
Anna Pavord, world-famous author of “The Tulip”, writes charmingly about her favourite subject from Acis to Zigadenus via Tulip and Crocus.

Many plants have dangerous components, leaves, seeds and roots. Some of the most dangerous must be grown under government license.
Below are notes on just a few plants to avoid eating.

Mandrake is one of the most poisonous plants that is known. The specimen above is grown under strict control with a fence around it. A member of the nightshade family, Mandrake also contains atropine, scopolamine, apoatropine and hyoscyamine that affect brain functions.

Strychnine, the deadly poison, is produced from the beans of Strychnos ignatii. It is also found in the orange fruit and nuts of Strychnos nux vomica.

Ricin is a poison found naturally in the seeds of the Castor oil plant that also produces the oil that is fed to babies. Ricinus communis ‘Gibsonii’ has red-tinged leaves with reddish veins and pinkish-green seed pods but there are other Castol oil plant varieties.
If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the released Ricin can cause injury.
Ricin can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans into castor oil.

Mescaline is a hallucinogen compound made from the small, spineless cactus Lophophora williamsii or Peyote. It is also present in other cacti including Echinopsis peruviana.
Mescaline is also found in certain members of the Fabaceae bean family.

In ‘Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World’ by Michael Wink and Ben-Erik van Wyk ‘…. special focus is given to psychoactive plants, which can have stimulant, sedative, hypnotic, narcotic, or hallucinogenic properties. These include cannabis, coca, opium, and scopolamine. “Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World” is a must for gardeners, farmers, veterinarians, botanists, pharmacists, chemists, doctors, and poison control centers.’ Amazon
It also provides A VIVID REMINDER that ‘Hazardous plants are commonly used as garden ornamentals, potted plants, or florist flowers, yet many people are unaware of the dangers posed by the toxins derived from them.’ Take care with what you eat and protect young children who are often most at risk.

Wicked Plants: The A-Z of Plants That Kill, Maim, Intoxicate and Otherwise Offend by Amy Stewart a poison gardener.

Read Gardeners tips

My Top 420 Gardening Books

I wish to pay tribute and offer thanks to all those who have contributed to the tips on this web site through their words and wisdom in numerous books and published works. It is the inspirational gardeners, plantsmen and horticulturalists that are celebrated by authors, publishers and photographers, that deserve the praise.

If I have failed to cite or reference a particular comment in the past I apologise. I have tried to give appropriate credits and increase sales of some books by offering a link to an appropriate page on Amazon. This should cover the other 80 or so titles that go to make up the top 500.

Gardening Books a pdf  file highlights over 420 gardening books that I dip into from time to time.

If you have a preferred book that I have missed, or if you have written a gardening book yourself let me know and I will add it to our list.

I am an acknowledged hoarder and collecting gardening books became a passion several years ago. Most of my 12 book cases are overflowing as you can see from the picture.

RHS Books and Libraries

• Additionally I volunteered at RHS library at Harlow Carr and helped move the book collection from ‘the old potting shed’ to the superb new Bramall Learning Center.
• The new library section at Harlow Carr stocks 8,000 books, DVDs, magazines and offers online facilities.
• Members can borrow books from the RHS at any of the ‘Lindley Libraries’, Wisley, London, Rosemoor and Hyde Hall. I think this is one of the pleasures of RHS membership.
• There is a web search facility available to members and non-member on this link
• Lindley Library in London is currently closed after a small fire but will hopefully reopen soon.

Notes on my Books file

• I have tried to arrange titles in a way that highlights the subject matter.
• The authors should be listed by surname followed by first names.
• The year published, number of pages and publisher is self explanatory.
• I have a personal scoring system to highlight how useful or pleased with the book I feel at the time of recording it on the data base.
• I have suppressed several other columns that are of less interest.

Send us a comment with your favourite gardening book details.

A Coronary Garden was more popular in late Victorian times but as I discovered it goes back beyond the 17th century.
Coronary gardens were  used to grow flowers that could be used for wreaths and garlands and take their name Coronary from the word crown not the health problem.

Tips for the Coronary Garden (1686)

• Do not separate off sets from Tulips until they are quite dry.
• Cotton Lavender makes a foot high hedge or border if kept well clipped.
• A layer of stable litter under the soil that is planted with Tulips, Anemonies and Ranunculus will help them thrive. They my survive without lifting.
• To grow Stock Gillyflowers chose a plant with excellent double flowers. Make it beare one branch of flowers and collect the seed. Sow in February in the hot bed and transplant in Michaelmas (September).

Note about Stock Gillyflower. – I originally took it to mean Carnation or Pinks of the Dianthus family but other plant dictionaries include stocks like Matthiola incana, or say stock gillyflower is the Cheiranthus; the queen’s gillyflower is the Hesperis or even any of several Old World plants cultivated for their brightly colored flowers.

Wordswarmnet Dictionary for Stock Gilly Flower

Plants for the Coronary Garden

• Lilies in red, white, Crown Imperial or Persian.
• Tulips, Crocus, Narcissus or Anemonie for spring
• Snap dragons, Sweet Williams and Gladiolus
• Iris and Fritillaries.
• Daisies, Pansies and Violets
• Various annuals or exotics like Amaranthus and Heliotrop.

The tips and flower selection have been taken from ‘ Directions for The Gardiner at Says- Court in 1686′. They were published in a wider more embracing form in ‘Directions for the Gardiner and Other Horticultural Advice’ by John Evelyn the diarist and OUP available via Amazon

The original manuscript was first transcribed in 1932 by Sir Geoffrey Keynes

The pomegranate is a native of Iran and Pakistan. The shrub or small tree bears bright red flowers and juicy, if seedy fruit.
Even if placed in the sunniest, warmest part of the garden they will suffer in the UK but with global warming who knows.

A taste of the unexpected contains details about growing and cooking Chilean guava and Szechuan pepper amongst other unusual items.
Whilst the photograph below was taken in England these bananas were only grown in the Kew garden tropical hot house.