Browsed by
Month: July 2024

Get Christmas Cactus Ready to Flower

Get Christmas Cactus Ready to Flower

 ‘A Cactus is not just for Christmas’

Christmas Cactus are succulent  cultivars of Schlumbergera.

Tips For Growing Christmas Cactus

  • As the name suggests in the Northern hemisphere and the UK these plants normally flower between November and February
  • Flower buds are stimulated by shortened day length and need 12 hours  uninterrupted darkness from late summer through autumn.
  • To encourage Christmas flowering, from September, they need 8-10 hours of daily sunshine (don’t we all). A bright windowsill will suffice but cover in darkness the rest of the day.
  • Postion plants to avoid domestic lighting or cover every night with blackout material.
  • Keep temperature below 18c but above 10c
  • Fluctuating temperatures can cause the buds to fall but so can over watering

Christmas Cactus Varieties

  • Schlumbergera x buckleyi  have fleshy stems not leaves.
  • Stems are divided into flattened leaf-like segments with scalloped margins  and they can grow quite long and droop over the edge of a pot.
  • Schlumbergera x bridgesii another Christmas Cactus  do not have spines like many cactus
  • Easter cactus, also known as a spring cactus are not members of the Schlumbergera family. They look similar, bloom in spring but are Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri or Hatiora gaetneri plants.
Oenothera biennis Our Evening Primrose

Oenothera biennis Our Evening Primrose

The Evening Primrose is one of my favourite, limeish yellow, summer, biennial flowers. 2024 is becoming a spectacular year for my plants growing in a wall.

Evening Primrose Oenothera glazioviana

Evening Primrose Growing

  • These plants are capable of seeding profusely
  • The large-flowered evening-primrose Oenothera glazioviana is one of 4 common UK species
  • There are another dozen species and many hybrids and crosses.
  • Evening primrose  flower from June to September. and seeds are produced in mid-August
  • There is a fragrant evening-primrose Oenothera stricta.

Evening Primrose Medical Benefits

The plant is common and popular in the USA and its roots are eaten and used for various purposes. Gardeners Path say it can ‘help a number of conditions including eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, premenstrual syndrome, and osteoporosis  and oil of Evening primrose can be used  to regulate blood pressure and to keep the immune system functioning’.

Gardening with Hellebores

Gardening with Hellebores

Pink & White Hellebore

Hellebores are generally very accommodating plants flowering early in spring and living happily in shade. Avoid Helleborus foetidus the stinking hellebore or setterwort.  If you want coloured rose like flowers with shapely green leaves try  growing them in a dedicated green bed.

As this graphic shows there are a growing number of hybrids offering a range of colours.
See our tips on Growing Helebores

…

Read More Read More

Late Flowering Oriental Lilies

Late Flowering Oriental Lilies

Blazing saddles had nothing on this years blazing Lilies in pots and beds. My current go- too is the oriental ‘Black Beauty’
Lily

Oriental Lilies are native to China and Japan and are a later flowering variety of Lily. Oriental Lilies tend to produce large, showy and fragrant flowers. They vary in size from 1 foot dwarves to 7 feet giants. The smaller varieties make good pot plants.

Oriental Lily Facts

  • With a spicy and sweet fragrance, oriental lilies are late bloomers  in August / September.
  • They bear 6+ open faced flowers with spotted, brushed or dark shaded petals.
  • Varieties of oriental Lilies include crimson Black Beauty, pure white Casa Blanca, dark pink Journeys End, pink Le Reve,  rose red Stargazer whilst Acapulco produces dark pink flowers.
  • Lily flowers can be stored by florists for 4 to 6 weeks after harvesting. They have a vase life of 7 to 14 days if harvested at the right stage and given the proper treatment. This makes them an excellent choice for fresh flower arrangements and popular wedding bouquet flowers.
  • These Lilies prefer slightly acidic soil and dislike alkaline soil. New lime tolerant hybrids now include Orienpets like Black Beauty.

Lily …

Read More Read More