hortoris – Page 114 – Gardeners Tips

Seeds to Grow Next Year

December 16, 2014 hortoris

This list of seeds is just a short selection of those I may grow this summerÂ January is a good time to read seed catalogues

Flowers

Alyssum Carpet of Snow the dwarf spreading variety that grows 8cm high . I bought by weight to get a quantity that will fill parts of the garden with that strong floral fragrance in late summer.

Alyssum Royal Carpet a deep violet I have not tried before – just a packet for fun.

Antirrhinum Tall Cut flowering to about 2 feet tall and useful for cutting. My first choice La Bella F1 were sold out so I will try again next year.

Aquilegia Alans Delight bought to give to a friend called Alan who admired my Aquilegia and has just started an allotment

Gaillardia New Giant Hybrids a two foot tall mix of this desirable perennial.

Helenium Helena a perennial to flower in the first season, bought for cut flowers

Vegetables

Courgette Green Bush for cutting when small a family favourite amongst the vegetarians

Courgette Tuscany F1 as it is resistant to mildew and I am worried about another damp summer

Parsnip Improved Marrow from an organic collection of canker resistant strain

Broad Bean Witkiem Manita for early beans to be sown in February

Broad Bean Masterpiece Long Pod as a contrast to the other beans

The large leaves of the evergreenÂ spotted laurel, Acuba japonica crotonifolia, are not one of my favourites but my wife likes them. This could be because she comes from the seaside where they tolerate the salty winds.

Tips and Other Laurels

Cuttings can be taken in summer April to August – seeds are poisonous
The gold-blotched and finely-speckled leavesÂ show the best colour in full sun but will tolerate shade.
Flowering periods are usually April to May this is a versatile evergreen shrub for almost anywhere in the garden. Slow-growing, it will only reach 5-6 feet after ten years.
Laurels thrives in most soils, including dry ground near hedges and trees.
Shrubs may beÂ pruned to create hedges or left to grow unchecked.
The dwarf cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus “Otto Luyken ” is a dense evergreen shrub. It has upright dark green glossy narrow leaves. It has spikes of white flowers in the Spring followed by cherry-like fruits.
They are related to the Portuguese laurel, Prunus lustianica, with their red winter stems.
Prune laurels carefully with secateurs to avoid damaging the leaves.
The Laurel or Acuba crotonifolia is either male or female with the latter bearing berries.

spotted-laurel

Different Pots for Plants

December 13, 2014 hortoris

Unusual plant pots can make a different and eye catching features. These old steel capped boots should have had holes in the soles and the alpines are a good choice of plants for this display.Â I like the moss beginning to grow on the right boot, I bet the old gardener didn’t let the grass grow under his feet.

Old gardening equipment can be recycled and called into service for a second time. An anodized watering can can be suspended from a tree used as a pot, or more creatively as part of a water fountain in a continious pouring action.Â I am envious of the old wheel barrows that have been called into service as a mobile plant pots sometimes with a range of plants you wouldn’t expect to see close up. The extra height makes for less bending and the barrow can be repositioned whenever required. Perhaps they should sell modified barrows just for eye-level plant displays. They would work well on hard landscaped gardens or to show off special plants.

My wild life garden pond is an old plastic dustbin buried in an out of the way spot and disguised by Hellebores.

Whilst not an unusual plant pot I grow all sorts of seasonal plants in pots to be burried in gaps or lifted as I wish. I have a lot of tulips growing in this manner. It also helps to keep plants in a defined geometric shapes and this can be an added attraction.

Give your imagination free reign and let us know what new garden features you come up with.

Golden Winter Colour

December 12, 2014 hortoris

What colours predominate in the grey winter days when greens seem muddy and mud seems very grey. Well I like golden yellow colours and here are a couple of January examples that didn’t take much trouble finding in the garden during a short sunny spell.

Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’ tips you off in the title. This relative of the honeysuckle is grown for its leaf and the ability to prune to shape. It will not flower and is easy to propagate from cuttings. Unpruned the leaves can appear bicoloured but young growth will be fresh and bright golden coloured. It is easy to prune and a very forgiving shrub. Close up these small ovate leaves are not made from gold leaf unfortunately.

Choisya ternata Sundance was another yellow shrub doing its best in the weak January sun this afternoon. If the winter is too prolonged some young yellow leaves may get slightly frost burnt but despite -8 degrees last week these shrubs are still showing well. I also like the smell of bruised leaves and the delicate white spring blossom. This golden wonder performs even in a crisp winter frost.

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Roses in Winter

December 10, 2014 hortoris

source

What to do with RosesÂ in Winter

Planning aheadÂ in January to get the best from your garden roses can be a restful pastime. What varieties and forms do you want to try? Check out some catalogues for ideas and more information.
Tidy up leaves that may hold blackspot spores
Prune any broken or damaged branches. Tie up loose ramblers or climbers.
Spray with tar-oil wash to kill over-wintering pests if you are troubled by them.
Prepare sites for new roses to be planted in spring. Double dig the ground and add organic matter, compost, humus and/or manure. Mix in bone meal or long lasting fertilizer.
Transplant any old roses you wish to move but into a fresh site where roses have not been grown before. …
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Brilliant Garden Colour

December 8, 2014 hortoris

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.

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Topiary Tips and Sites to Visit

December 7, 2014 hortoris

Some evergreen shrubs lend themselves to topiary and simple sculpture shapes. From simple Box hedges as knot gardens to large geometric shapes you can train and prune to get effects with a large range of plants and shrubs.

Good Plants to Start
Yew (Taxus) is a traditional topiary subject that stands hard pruning with it’s fine textured needles and moderate growth rates.
Juniper is a fine textured evergreen with tree, shrub and prostrate forms that respond to pruning.
Holly (Ilex) is a glossy leaved evergreen with various leaf forms depending on variety. It is slow growing and can be trimmed quite hard.
Box (Boxus) is useful for smaller sculpted shapes needing fine detail. It is slow growing.
Cupressus are often used for spiral shapes or cloud pruning.
Bay (Laurel nobilis) has coarse aromatic leaves that are popular for training as a round-headed standard.

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Bright Indoor Bromeliads

December 7, 2014 hortoris

Try a bromide ‘oops’ I mean a Bromeliad.

This Bromeliad is a relative of the pineapple and as it is easy to grow indoors it makes a fine house plant. There are a wide range of Bromeliads and a society dedicated to there culture the Bromeliad Society

Bromeliad Tips

Grow the Bromeliads for their coloured leaves that spring from the plants center.
If flowers are wanted try a dose of epsom salts or magnesium sulphate as this promotes healthy growth, cell structure and the production of chlorophyll.
As the inflorescence or coloured spike starts to go brown cut it down to encourage off sets called ‘pups’ and get a new generation of plants.
It can be good fun growing from seed as different Bromeliads pollinate one another and you can’t be sure what you will get.
For water holding Bromeliads keep the center topped up with soft water.
For more data try a reference bookÂ on Bromeliads

Fungi the Good the Bad and the Evil

December 5, 2014 hortoris

Fungus is all around your garden and we and the garden are better for it. Fungus is a natural process that helps rot down dead plant matter and sometimes produces stunning fungi.

The first frost of this winter may have turned most fungi fruit to mush but you can brush up with a good book.

Identify Mushrooms

Mushrooms and toadstools have a good season in 2014 due to mild weather in October. Like bracket fungi they produce large fruit-bodies as reproductive organs above ground and are called macro-fungi. Some are edible whist others hallucinogenic or deadly poison. The fungus proper is the mycelium a web of of thread-like growth known as spawn in mushroom growing.

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