Description & Growing Deciduous Azalea

• All Azalea are Rhododendron but not all Rhododendron are Azaleas. Now we have that as clear as a muddy pond what is an Azalea?
• An Azalea can be an evergreen or deciduous flowering shrub with pale or startling coloured blooms.
• Some Azaleas are scented whilst others are without scent. Whatever you think about deciduous Azaleas, ‘muddy and boring’ they are not.
• Azalea are some of the most gay and brilliant flowering shrubs yet grown.
• For the technically minded Azaleas are in the genus Rhododendron, with evergreen azaleas in the subgenus Tsutsusi and deciduous azaleas in the subgenus Pentanthera.

Varieties & Hybrids of Deciduous Azalea for Growing

• The species have been much crossed and bred but the scented Rhododendron luteum and Rhododendron japonica are available as species.
• Knapp Hill hybrids are amongst the most colourful deciduous Azaleas.
• The Ghent hybrids have sweetly scented, honeysuckle-shaped flowers with long stamen emarging from the tube.
• The Rhododendron Mollis Azaleas are crossed between Rhododendron mollis and Rhododendron japonicum
• Rustica hybrids have fragrant double flowers and Occidentale hybrids flower in late May
• The Exbury range were bred by Lionel de Rothschild who loved deciduous azaleas and carried out much breeding work to enhance colours and scent. The Solent Range was started by George Hyde a private grower in Dorset but bought for Exbury (Images).
• For specimen plants Azalea Coccinea Speciosa or R obtusum are recommended

Cultivation and Soil for Deciduous Azalea

• Azaleas need an acid soil, pH 4.5-6.0 is best. Prepare the soil well and over a good area as the plants will be in-situ for many years.
• Roots are fibrous and tend to be near the surface so don’t hoe too closely
• Azaleas are relatively pest-free, forgiving and easy to grow plants. They like to be mutually supporting so closer planting (say 3 feet for stronger growers) is better for general health.
• Mulch with at least an inch of peat, pine bark or wood chips to keep moisture in the ground, allow air into the soil, even out changes in the soil temperature and keep weeds down.

Cultivation and Watering for Deciduous Azalea

• Azaleas like moist soil at their roots. This may require supplemental watering at least until plants are established in the ground for a few years.
• Adequate water after flowering helps to produce more flower buds for next year.
• An infrequent deep soaking is more effective than superficial sprinkling. If the Autumn has been dry water well before winter.
• Azaleas do not like “wet feet”. Good drainage can be provided by planting azaleas with the tops of their root balls a few inches above ground level and mounding the soil up to the plants particularly on heavy clay soil. Moss growing on the soil is an indication of chronic bad drainage.

Unusual Facts about Deciduous Azales

• As a woodland tree Azaleas except Mollis hybrids like shade and the flowers last longer.
• Flowers start before the leaves are fully open

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips

• More sun typically produces a more compact plant. You may get more blooms but they will not last as long.
• Established azaleas do not need fertilizer but a little sulphate of ammonia in spring gives a nitrogen boost and water in potash if flowering is poor. Undertake any fertilising in late winter or early spring so you do not encourage sappy growth that may be killed in a cold winter.

‘Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera (deciduous) and Tsutsuji (evergreen). Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks. Shade tolerant, they prefer living near or under trees.’

Horticultural Sources and Links about Deciduous Azaleas

• Glendoick in Scotland is a great nursery specialising in Rhododendrons and they have some grand Deciduous Azaleas
• Burncoose Gardens Burncoose Gardens
• Cally Gardens Cally Gardens in South West Scotland)
• Glenwhan Gardens Glenwhan Gardens

Photo Credits
Deciduous azalea by Eric Hunt CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Rhododendron occidentale #4 by J.G. in S.F. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Orange deciduous Azalea by wallygrom CC BY-SA 2.0
Azalea by dmott9 CC BY-ND 2.0
Azalea Berry Rose flower by Herms56 CC BY-NC 2.0

Description, Cultivation and Growing Tips for Globeflower

• Globeflower is a herbaceous perennial plant that generally flowers yellow in spring or early summer.
• They are another meadowland plant closely related to the buttercup but flower 1-3 feet tall depending on variety.
• Globeflowers are easy to grow, disease resistant and good for cutting.
• Keep the soil moist, they like a boggy soil that isn’t too wet in winter.
• Mulch with an organic compost in winter to protect the roots.
• Plants will grow and flower in partial shade.

Common Names and Varieties of Globeflower

• Globeflower is the common name for Trollius which is a family of around 20 species and many hybrids and cultivars.
• The petals of Trollius europaeus are curved over the top of the flower to appear like a ball or spherical globe giving the plant its common name.
• Many of the other species such as Trollius chinensis have more open, flatter flowers. Golden Queen is a variety with prominent stamens that form a crown on the head of each flower. It grows taller than most varieties and the flowers can be 2-3 inches across.
• Trollius europeaeus ‘Superbus’ has an AGM and is readily available.
• Lemon Queen, Fireglobe and Canary bird are descriptive varieties for growing.

Unusual Facts about Globeflower

• All Globeflowers and Trollius species are poisonous to cattle and other livestock but not butterflies which thrive on the leaves.
• The globe is formed by the inward curve of the sepals and there are no true petals.
• Pale yellow flowering Alabaster tones well with Lobelia cardinalis which also enjoys a wet soil

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips – Globeflower

• Collect the seed from your own plants and sow immediately whilst the seed is fresh.
• In our experience the plants do not transplant easily. Sow seed where you want them to flower.

Horticultural Sources and Advice

• Globeflower are slow clump formers with a mass of fibrous roots.
• You can often obtain seeds or plants from our mail order company of choice Thompson & Morgan
• Hybrids of Globeflowers are labeled Trollius x cultorum and are probably crosses between three species: Trollius europaeus, Trollius asiaticus and Trollius chinensis.

Credits
Trollius europaeus ‘Superbus’ Globeflower and Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’ Globeflower by KingsbraeGarden CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Trollblumen by vasile23 CC BY 2.0
Globe Flower, Die Trollblume, Trollius europaeus by Dandelion And Burdock CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Maj 2005 by Isfugl,CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Forget-me-not Cultivation and Growing Tips

• These plants are very easy to grow from seed. Sow one year and they flower the next because most varieties are biennials.
• Forget-me-nots are usually blue but are also found in pink and white and shades of blue.
• Forget-me-nots are dwarf, compact plants upto a foot tall! A fantastic addition to spring beds and borders.
• The plants complement golden Daffodils yellow Wallflowers and Primulas.
• Sow May -June and thin out. Plants self sow all over my garden so clear out any invaders.
• Plants can also be purchase to avoid the problems of sowing your own.

Forget-me-not Common Names and Varieties to Consider

• Myosotis is the Latin name for Forget-me-nots. It is a family of 50 species. See main varieties at the foot of this page
• Historically it got the name ‘mouse ears’ due to the shape of its leaves.
• Varieties to look out for include Ultramarine and Blue ball or for Alpine Forget-me-nots ‘Ruth Fisher’.

Unusual Facts about Forget-me-nots

• Newfoundland in Canada used the Forget-me-not as a symbol of remembrance of that nation’s war dead.
• Germans and Freemasons use forget-me-nots as a symbol not to forget the poor and desperate. (Germany may need a good crop with the economy in such a state.)

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips on Forget-me-nots

• Plant in drifts around the edge of ponds.
• Pull up and compost plants as they finish flowering – you will still get lots of seedlings.
• Use forget-me-nots as a cut flower when in bud to prolong vase life.

Horticultural Sources and Advice on Forget-me-not

• You can often obtain seeds or plants from our mail order company of choice Thompson & Morgan
• Powdery mildew can be a problem in dry soil. Pull up and destroy infected plants.
• Species include; Myosotis alpestris – Alpine Forget-me-not
  Myosotis arvensis – Field Forget-me-not
  Myosotis asiatica – Asiatic Forget-me-not
  Myosotis azorica – Azores Forget-me-not
  Myosotis caespitosa – Tufted Forget-me-not
  Myosotis discolor – Changing Forget-me-not
  Myosotis latifolia – Broadleaf Forget-me-not
  Myosotis laxa – Tufted Forget-me-not, Bay Forget-me-not
  Myosotis scorpioides – True Forget-me-not
  Myosotis secunda – Creeping Forget-me-not
  Myosotis sicula – Jersey Forget-me-not
  Myosotis sylvatica – Wood Forget-me-not
  Myosotis verna – Spring Forget-me-not

Credits
forget-me-nots by Mags CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Dandelion and Forget-me-nots (1) by Purrrpl_Haze CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Flowers from my granny’s garden by sermoa CC BY-SA 2.0

Top Ten Selection

1. Little Beauty 5″ with white perianth and yellow corona
2. Rip Van Winkle
3. Sun Disc a consistent bulb with round disc shaped yellow flower.
4. Hawera with reflex bachward pointing petals
5. Petrel has several ivory-white hanging flowers per stem.
6. Segovia -with a white perianth contrasted by a neat lemon cup
7. Snipe A classic 5″ tall white cyclamineus type with a green tinge.
8. Baby Moon late flowering and scented jonquilla type.
9. Baby Doll with pink cups and a nice scent.
10. La Belle with yellow flowers and shallow coronas in orange-yellow with a distinct reddish-orange rim

Daffodils are organised into groups and classes called divisions. Read more about Daffodil divisions that encompass miniature daffodils and narcissus varieties.

Tips on Miniature Daffodil and Narcissus

• Look in spring for successful varieties that you may want to buy for planting this Autumn.
• Buy pots in bloom this spring so you know what you are getting. Deadhead before the seedheads start to develop and feed the bulbs with a high phosphate feed.
• One of the smaller varieties is Bulbocodium Conspicuous, yellow hooped petticoat at 4 inches tall with golden yellow flowers.
• The scented Jonquilla has a couple of varieties that are low growing including Jonquil Single, Sugarbush and the ivory white flowered apricot cup of Waterperry.
• Cyclamineus varieties tend to be low growing. One of the most popular is the Tete-a-Tete with fluted golden trumpets which bulks up quite well year on year.
• For something different try the double Rip Van Winkle or the pinky yellow Nanus.
• Place your order from a reputable bulb supplier during summer so that you get the varieties you want before the best bulbs are sold out. The best time to plant miniature daffodils is from September until mid October. They like to make long roots before flowering and fully produce their leaves first. .

Try growing Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Golden Bells’ commonly called the Hoop Petticoat Daffodil! Bulbs from Thompson & Morgan

Cyclamineus – Div 6 are eye-catching daffodils with reflex petals.
Triandrus Daffodils – Div 5 are a result of breeding from the species N.triandrus. There are mid flowering height and usually 2 to 5 delightful hanging flowers per stem. Available from the Miniature Bulb Co
The Daffodil Society has a list of other bulb suppliers

Cultivation and Growing Tips for Pompom Daisies

• Bellis perennis is the name of the small common daisy found in great profusion growing in lawns. Pom Pom Daisy is the cultivated double daisy that makes a good spring flowering ornamental plant.
• Grow from seed sown in late spring/early summer outdoors in a sheltered, shady site in a well prepared seed bed about ¼in deep.
• Germination usually takes 14-21 days.
• Thin seedlings out to 4-6in apart when they are large enough to handle and finally transplant to flowering site in autumn in sun or part shade for flowering the following spring.
• Bellis perenis Pom Poms are great for small beds, edging, windowboxes etc.
• Greenfly love to eat the tender leaves so keep an eye open in case you need to treat the plants

Common Names and Varieties of Pom Poms to Consider

• Pompom daisies are available in red, pink and white. You can buy them as self colours or in mixed packets of seed
• ‘Tasso Mixed’ is one of the best pomponette bellis ever introduced! Flowers are larger than normal pom – pom types, on compact, short, strong flower stems. The bright colours of rose, deep rose, red and white, will all give excellent results
• ‘Petite Pom Pom’ and ‘Pomponette’ have rosettes of mid-green leaves with narrow stems topped with pink, dark pink and white pompons from early spring to autumn.

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips

• Pom Pom daisies look good in containers, rockeries and paired with Tulips.
• Deadheading will prolong flowering or leave to seed and collect for next season.
• Will grow in some shade and withstand an open windy position

Credits

Buy more varieties of Daisies at Thompson & Morgan

I think of Nasturtium as an ornamental, annual, flowering plant but my vegetarian children take a different view. For many vegetarians ‘Nasturtiums make a salad’. In the case of Watercress they also make a soup and a vegetable.

Growing Nasturtium Leaves, Flowers and Seed Pods

• Grow Nasturtiums from seed in your vegetable patch.
• Rich soil will encourage leaves at the expense of flowers. Nasturtiums grown for decoration need a poor soil.
• Nasturtium seeds from Thompson & Morgan
• Before planting Nasturtiums in containers make sure they are well rooted in smaller pots started under cover.
• Watercress Nasturtium Microphyllum or Nasturtium Officionale are best grown from rooted cuttings. Rooting in water is relatively easy.

Eating Nasturtium Leaves and Pods

• The leaves of the nasturtium plant are edible, with a peppery flavour. They can be tossed into salads mixed with sweeter varieties of lettuce.
• The flowers make a unique garnish to fresh foods and add a splash of colour.
• The seed pods can be treated like Capers and pickled or used as a crunchy addition to salads.
• For tastiest nasturtium leaves, keep the plants well watered, which helps to moderate the spiciness of the leaves and flowers. Keep a bit drier to add a sharper tangy flavour to your summer salads

Growing Watercress Nasturtium Officinale

• Watercress is called Nasturtium Officinale or Nasturtium Microphyllum
• Watercress is traditionally grown in gardens with chalk streams or a good supply of water as a semi-aquatic plant
• Buy watercress with roots on at your local supermarket
• An ordinary bunch placed in a bowl of fresh clean water will develop roots. Discard any that turn yellow or do not root and plant the rest.
• You can grow watercress in a container but keep it exceptionally well watered.

Tip
Growing Nasturtiums near Brassicas can deflect greenfly and white fly on to the nasturtiums to protect your other crops.
Pickling the seed pods of Nasturtium produces a crop similar to Capers.

Credits
Nasturtium by Dvortygirl CC BY-SA 2.0
Salad: Watercress, spinach and apple. by ulterior epicure CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
nasturtiums by artolog CC BY-NC 2.0
chicken watercress salad by aquino.paolo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Nasturtium-FowlersVacola-Num10-9108 by graibeard CC BY-SA 2.0 Pickled Nasturtium seeds look like and taste similar to capers.
Nasturtiums by robynejay CC BY-SA 2.0

Scabious is a UK native perennial plant that is available in many forms and species for growing in your garden. Grown in damp areas it is popular with insects bees, moths and butterflies. Known for powdery blue pincushions of flower on the top of long stems makes this plant is a useful cut flower.

Description, Cultivation and Growing Tips

Scabious is a hardy perennial well loved for cottage gardens.
Scabious grows well on dry, sandy soil in a sunny position or partially shaded location.
Scabious can be grown from seed available at Thompson & Morgan

Common Names and Varieties to Consider

• Scabiosa is generally known as Scabious or the Pincushion Flower.
• Our UK native Scabiosa columbaria is compact with wiry stems topped with tiny Cambridge-blue pincushion flowers
• Scabiosa caucasica is the Caucasian Scabious first grown in the UK 200 years ago. Generally pale blue there is a white form called Miss Willmot.
• Scabious atropurpurea is available in pink (Beaujolais Bonnets) and purple (Ace of Spades).
• A new compact Scabious is now on the market with a height of 20″ and a spread of 16″ enough to use as ground cover.
• Scabiosa ochroleuca or the Yellow scabious has cream pincushions

Unusual Facts about Scabious

• Scabious is a member of the Teasel family Dipsacaceae
• Scabiosa species are also used as food plants by the larvae of some butterflies.
• Devil’s-bit scabious and field scabious are UK natives but what the Devil?.
• Giant Scabious isn’t really Scabious it is Cephalaria gigantea which has primrose yellow flowers on a 6′ stem.

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips

• A top dressing of grit before winter will help surface drainage as Scabious dislike cold, wet poorly drained soil conditions.
• Deadheading will prolong flowering and if you trim flowers down to the next bud you should get two new flowers from the axil bud.
• As a black flower Scabious Ace of Spades has fragrant blooms that attract bees and butterflies whilst making impressive cut flowers.

Credits
Scabious sp. 2 by the justified sinner CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Small Tortoiseshell ‘It was feeding on Scabious at Ubley Warren near Cheddar’ by Annies Pics CC BY-NC 2.0
Scabious by Mike Legend CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
devil’s bit scabious by Facing North East CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Gentian Acaulis

The flower that is most evocative of mountain scenery must be the the Gentian with its alpine associations. Gentians make me blue in the face because I fail every time I try to grow these sumptuous blue flowers.

Here are some of the reasons I have failed: -

• Gentians are known to be difficult to transplant .
• When seed is sown, it should be fresh or it will not germinate & grow.
• All Gentians prefer partial shade for at least some of the day.
• The Fringed Gentiana is a biennial variety which is extremely difficult to grow. I have been guilty of lumping all Gentians under one species as though it was a perennial, acid hating alpine. How wrong I was each variety needs to be understood in its own right.

• I have failed to provide adequate drainage, most Gentians need gritty alpine conditions
• The Closed Gentiana may be grown in moist meadows but have no lime in the soil.
• Winter sow in coldframe or unheated greenhouse with ventilation
• The Gentianella is an easy sort to grow requiring limestone added to the soil.

Growing Gentians in the Future

I am keen to try again and will be taking help from The Alpine Garden Society who list over 60 species and varieties in there Seed List 2009 from a reputed 400 species from within the genus.  I will start with seeds of the Asiatic species which are fiercely lime hasting G. sino-ornata has been recommended and I will shade these plants near my Rhododendrons and see what happens. Seeds are also available in bulk from seeds-by-size.co.uk or in more modest quantities of gentian blue colours from Thompson & Morgan

Some other species include Gentiana verna the spring gentian grown from seed. Gentiana farreri autumn flowering and more soil tolerant. Hybrids G. Macaulay or G. Inverleith seem to be both strongly recommended.

Credit
Gentians by jarikir CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Vinca is a low growing herbaceous perennial suitable for ground cover. Vincas generally have sky blue or royal blue star shaped flowers on unkempt enthusiastic foliage.

Vinca Species and Varieties

• There are several species and hybrids including Vinca major and Vinca minor. The minor species are slightly less robust and slower growing.
• Vinca minor ‘Argenteovariegata’ shown above flowers from April all through summer.
• Vinca difformis includes the pale pink ‘Jenny Pym’, with rounded flowers in late autumn. Vinca difformis needs a warm position.
• White flowering Vincas include  ‘Alba’ and ‘Snowmound’.
• Alba Aureovariegata has golden variegation and pale blue flowers,
• Vinca Multiplex is a double flower with dark plum purple flowers.
• Catharanthus roseus ‘Mediterranean Lilac’ or Vinca rosea the rosy Periwinkle casn be grown from seed.

Tips for Growing Vinca Periwinkles

• The trailing habit makes them suitable for use in containers.
• Propagate from runners that are prolific.
• Vinca major and Vinca minor are able to spread rapidly and are sometimes considered weeds. These pictures show how they are colonising a railway embankment and ousting the nettles.
• Vinca will grow in poor, dry and slightly shaded conditions.
• The creeping and arching stems  make an attractive carpet of bright green foliage with  the single blue flowers as an added bonus.

Rooting cuttings of your favourite plants can help you get more plants for free. Here are some simple tips for beginners to get you started.
If in doubt I push odd cuttings into soil in a corner and hope. It is surprising what will root and grow.

Types of Cutting

• Soft wood cuttings are made from new shoots and tips that are soft and tender in spring. Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, Penestemon, Fuchsia, and Aubretia can be rooted this way
• Semi-ripe cuttings are taken mainly in summer when the young shoots have just started to turn brown and harden at the base. Pelargoniums, Forsythia, flowering currant Escallonia are just some plants that will root with this method
• Hard wood cuttings taken in autumn will take a bit longer to root but are used for roses, dogwood, black currants and many shrubs

General Tips

• The day before taking cuttings give the host plant a good watering.
• Choose strong healthy stems. Keep in a plastic bag whilst you collect other cuttings so they do not dry out.
• Remove the lower leaves and trim to just below a leaf joint.
• Place cuttings in a pot of cutting compost or soil with some sharp sand added.
• Keep humid and add bottom heat where possible.
• Adding grit to compost can stimulate roots

Tips for Soft Fleshed Plants eg. Pinks, Penstemon & Geraniums

• When cuttings are rooted pinch out the growing tip to get a bushy plant.
• Keep cuttings out of direct sunlight.
• Cuttings should  be taken in spring and summer.
• Cuttings should be 2″-5″ long depending on variety and available material.

Tips for Taking Hardwood Cuttings of Trees and Shrubs

• Cuttings taken between July and October for semi-hardwood cuttings, and between September and March for hardwood cuttings produce the best results.
• Cuttings take between two to twelve months to root well.
• Hardy plants should be rooted in containers outdoors or in cold greenhouses.
• Select  mature sections from the current growth at the base of the stem without  flowers, fruit or seed heads.
• Cuttings can be 5-15″ long with at least two leaf joints attached.
• How to take cuttings for big shrubs

Beginners Cutting Tips

• These general tips are about stem cuttings but you can also take cuttings from leaves, roots, and buds for some plants. Check links to specific plants for special requirements. You can root some plants by placing the bottom of the cutting in water.
• You can use a rooting hormone to encourage cuttings but I don’t and have tended to take more cuttings to compensate for failures.
• A heated propagator will be useful if you intend taking a lot of cuttings.
• Take enough cuttings so you do not have to worry if many of them fail to root. (But I bet you surprise yourself.)

Credits
Gooseberry cuttings by net_efekt CC BY-NC 2.0
Stevia cuttings after 18 days in water : bouturage de stevia après 18 jours by hardworkinghippy CC BY-SA 2.0