Browsed by
Month: July 2015

Blackberry Growing and Care

Blackberry Growing and Care

The Blackberry was my first choice in a new garden makeover project. Now three years on my crop is destined to be enormous.
I am rejuvenating and increasing the space dedicated to soft fruit.
My badminton partner has long espoused the success of the thornless varieties and I fancy a rest from foraging in the hedge rows that may have been chemically treated by well meaning farmers.

Blackberry 'Waldo'

Blackberry Waldo

  • Waldo is a completely thornless and early fruiting variety.
  • It should grow in a compact form with moderately vigorous growth making it ideal for a smaller space than some brambles.
  • I was seduced by the claim of ‘extremely large, attractive, glossy fruit. The berries are firm with exceptional flavour.’ Who ever checks back against these sales descriptions.

Planting my Blackberry Waldo

…

Read More Read More

Gooseberry Growing & Care

Gooseberry Growing & Care

Gob stopper gooseberries are the order of the day. Mega crops this year are going to be a culinary delight fresh and from the freezer.
gooseberry

How To Plant New Gooseberries

Space bushes 5 feet apart.
Dig in lots of manure or well rotted compost
If planting container grown plants tease out the roots before planting firmly in a large hole.
Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
In late November I planted several new varieties of gooseberry bush as I am looking for more fruit (and fruit pies). These plants do not need any pruning until next year and then only very light pruning. Never the less I have had a good look to make sure that there are no damaged branches to trim and I will check again if we get some heavy snow.

Gooseberry 'Lancashire Lad'

…

Read More Read More

Holly is Not Just for Christmas

Holly is Not Just for Christmas

Get an early start on Christmas decorations before the birds eat your berries.
Get out and plan where you will pick your holly for Christmas decorations now. As the berries ripen the birds descend and scoff the lot just when you are not looking.
You can condition the stems, leaves and berries and placing stalks in a glycerin solution. They will take up the liquid and become supple and longer lasting. Crush the stems and use warm glycerin then leave for a couple of weeks.

Holly

…

Read More Read More

Growing Aubretia from Seed

Growing Aubretia from Seed

Aubretia

Aubretia is an excellent, 6″ high perennial that is almost smothered with flowers in early spring.
Aubretia is suitable for rockeries, walls, borders, edging paths, planters and window boxes. Spread is 12-18in and flower colours include blue, rich purple and pink shades.

Sowing Instructions

  • Sow by just covering the seed, from late winter to early summer, in a good free draining seed compost.
  • Add some grit or sharp sand to ordinary compost as Aubretia doesn’t like wet feet.
  • Make sure the compost is moist and not wet and seal in a polythene bag.
  • Germination usually takes 14-21 days at 65F .

Growing Instructions

  • Transplant, when large enough to handle, into boxes or 3in pots.
  • Later plant out 12in apart into a sunny, well drained garden soil preferably containing lime.
  • Trim with shears after flowering to keep plants tidy. Allow to trail if you like the unkempt look.
  • Desirable plants can be increased by cuttings or layering in late spring.

Old Hybrids to Look Out For

  • Doctor Muller – deep violet-blue
  • Mrs Rodewald – larger red flowers.
  • Bridesmaid – pale pink  with a deeper eye.
  • Barker’s Double -  a pink mix with semi and double flowers

You can buy seeds or plants from Thompson & Morgan and other seed suppliers

Aubretia deltoidea Variegata has white edged leaves.

Aubretia deltoidea Aurea has gold edged leaves. Aubretia is also in books with the spelling Aubrieta and Aubrietia

How to Store and Keep Apples

How to Store and Keep Apples

After a great crop you want to keep all that apple flavour in storage to use as and when.

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 if frozen.
  • Some gases encourage or speed up deterioration and rotting.
  • Some humid air is needed, not drying drafts which make apples shrivel and go mealy.
  • Some varieties store better and last longer.  Tart, firm skinned, late varieties store best – Cox, Sunset and Blenheim Orange are good keepers.
  • Avoid apples touching one another

Tips on Storing

  • Small quantities can be stored at the bottom of a fridge in the crisper
  • Only store sound, unblemished apples. Leave the stalk in the apple.
  • A large clear plastic bag can be used making inspection easy. Punch half a dozen holes in the bag to limit air ingress.
  • Wrap apples in paper to avoid rot passing from one apple to another and store in cool dark conditions as my Father did. You can use boxes or racks as available.
  • Make apple pies, fillings and apple sauce with damaged or wind fall apples. Puree with a bit of sugar can be frozen, which is good news for my apple pies.
  • Do not store near onions or the apples pick up the smell.
  • My favourite apple store is in the form of cider. hic!

Freezing Apples

For the best results select good sound apples for freezing
Wipe or wash them and then core them
Halve or quarter them according to size then drop cut pieces into water with a little salt or lemon juice to prevent them turning brown
Pack them into freezer bags and then pop them into the freezer. Great for future crumbles and pies
Amazon traditional apple storage
Book Cover

Buy British Flowers

Buy British Flowers

We are used to counting food miles so why not flower miles,  the miles a bunch of flowers incurs in getting to your vase. Many supermarket and petrol station now source flowers from long distances such as South Africa, Venezuela, or Kenya as well as Spain and Holland. If you must buy rather than grow your flowers look for British. Lincoln Cornwall and the Channel islands are normal UK suppliers but there is a trend for even more local supply.

Best Flower Sources in Great Britain

  • Your own garden should have a plentyful supply of flowers measured in flower yards not miles. Where would we be without Sweetpeas?
  • Your neighbors may be willing to give the odd bunch of flowers away and you can reciprocate with your excess Sweetpeas.
  • Allotments dug and fertilised by your own sweat are not just for Vegetable. Try some Chrysanthemums and Dahlias as part of a flower cutting area.
  • Wayside farm gates and smallholdings often have a bucket of locally grown flowers for sale at reasonable prices. Why pay for lots of transport and supermarket margins when you can support a British enterprise.

Is this about British national flowers or a shop owned by George Bernard Flowers or even the wholesale florist in Hull? The picture is the later the former is the main thrust of this section of the article.

National Flowers.

  • The rose was adopted as England’s emblem around the time of the War of the Roses 1455-1485 when Yorkshire sported the white rose and Lancastrians the red rose.The two roses were combined to make the Tudor rose (a red rose with a white centre) by Henry VII when he married Elizabeth of York.
  • In Northern Ireland the shamrock a three-leaved plant similar to a clover is the symbol. It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
  • The thistle is a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the fifteenth century as a symbol of defence and the ‘Flower of Scotland’.
  • The national flower of Wales is usually considered to be the daffodil and is worn on St David’s day. However, the leek has even older associations as a traditional symbol of Wales
  • Holland and Hungary have both chosen the Tulip whilst France prefer the Iris. Germany have the knapweed and Greenland the willow herb but I guess nothing much flowers in Greenland anyway. Indonesia has cornered the flower market by selecting three national flowers Phalaenopsis, Rafflesia and Jasmine.

The rose, thistle and shamrock are often displayed beneath the shield of the Royal Coat of Arms.  There is a more comprehensive listing on The Flower Expert

Garden Problems Caused by Heavy Rain

Garden Problems Caused by Heavy Rain

Wet summer gardens are something the UK gardeners are having to contend with for the first time in a long time. For St Swithin’s Day I thought I would review the summer so far and provide some tips and ideas in case the wet weather continues.

Extreme garden flood

Garden Problems Caused by Heavy Rain

  • One off heavy rain runs off before the soil gets a chance to soak through. That is not the problem when rain is as continuous as this year.
  • Heavy rain can damage young growth with the force of the rain. If rain is accompanied by wind the driving rain can do even more damage.
  • Rain washes out some of the goodness from the soil and deprives plants of good fertiliser.
  • Waterlogging of your soil can drown the roots of plants.
  • Needless to say wet gardens attract snails and slugs. (The prize for the largest exhibit at many garden shows may be a big fat slug this year!)
  • Lush growth has been put on by hedges and plants that would normally stay quite small.

Garden flood 2

Tips and Ideas for Wet Gardens

  • My runner beans have grown tall but have very little leaf. I have pinched out the tops to encourage growth and flowers lower down.
  • I am adding some granular fertiliser for beans and plants that I would normally have given a liquid feed.
  • Use the lush conditions by planting more leaf crops whilst there is still time.
  • Put gravel around the neck of plants, such as succulents,that may rot if the soil is too wet.
  • Check potted plants and containers to see they are not waterlogged or stood in water. Raise them on bricks if needs be.

Encourage Flowering

  • If you garden for colour and flowers you may suffer most in heavy rain.
  • Deadhead asap and do not let buds get soggy and start to rot.
  • Feed with a high potash fertiliser
  • Prune excessive leaf growth or top out plants that are growing tall and wide at the expense of flowers.
  • Give plants access to as much sun as possible.

Flooded Garden (2)


Photo Credits

Extreme garden flood by johnpaulgoguen CC BY-NC 2.0
Garden flood 2 by Chris & Angela Pye CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Flooded Garden (2) by Roger Lynn CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ‘Happy April Fool’s Day! another Photoshop creation using the incredibly fun “Flood” plugin by Flaming Pear

Wild Plants for Butterflies by Height

Wild Plants for Butterflies by Height

This is a selection of wild flowers that have for generation helped provide food for butterflies. They are rich in nectar and even garden cultivated varieties should feature in your butterfly friendly garden. Even nettles feed butterfly larvae.
weedy dandelion
Low Growing plants up to 12 Inches Tall
Primrose and Cowslip.
Orange Hawkweed
Daisy
Dandelion
Birds-foot -trefoil
Lesser Celandine
Sweet Violet and Pansy
Thrift
Wild Thyme
White Clover
…

Read More Read More

Growing Ixora in the UK

Growing Ixora in the UK

Ixora 'Peter Rapsey'

This updates my earlier post on Ixora with a new photograph from Kew Garden of the variety Peter Rapsey. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I liked the look of the Ixora ‘Super King’ (below) although I am unlikely to be able to grow a flowering specimen with my limited heat. That photo was taken at Kew Garden in March 2011.

What is Ixora

  • Ixora are tropical evergreen trees and shrubs. There are said to be around 500 species.
  • Ixora can flower in red, orange and white with 4 petals but are arranged in a profuse ball shape to make a fine display
  • Other names for Ixora coccinea include Flame of the Woods, Needle flower, Jungle Flame, Jungle Geranium.
  • Red ixora flowers are used in Hindu worship as well as in Indian folk medicine.
  • More Photos of Ixora from Google
  • The variety photographed above was Ixora Super King but there are 3 species with this name Ixora casei ‘Super King’, Ixora duffii ‘Super King’ and Ixora macrothyrsa ‘Super King’ or ‘Malay’ so I am still in a quandary.
  • Ixoras do best in full sun in a moist, organic, well drained acid soil .

Ixora 'Super King'

Uses of Ixora

  • Ixora in the wild are often used as hedging and can endure some salt spray on the wind.
  • Ixora are available to grow as bonsai and flower when quite short.
  • As sun lovers Ixora need plenty of light and protection all year round so they only make exotic conservatory plants in the UK.