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Author: hortoris

Action Tips on November Leaves

Action Tips on November Leaves

Action on Fallen Leaves

  • Clear leaves off lawns or they stifle the grass.
  • Pay attention to leaves trapped amongst grey leaved plants. Rotting leaves will also rot grey and silver leaved plants like Cinneraria or Stachys.
  • Leaves under bushes and shrubs can be left all winter as they will protect roots naturally through the cold spell.
  • Clear excess leaves from drains and gutters to prevent blockages.
  • Sweep leaves off paths as they become slippery when wet and decomposing.
  • Collect leaves to make leaf mold.
  • Leave leaves where they are good for wild life and the environment.
Golden Autumn in Lakeland

Golden Autumn in Lakeland

park-sunset

If you want to see England in full Autumn colour visit the Lake District in October.
The Lakes also has several interesting gardens to visit:

  • Japanese Garden Giggle Alley
  • Brockhole is an ornamental terraced garden nestled at the foot of the Langdale Pikes. A wildflower meadow and woodland belie the carefully planted schemes of roses, borders, shrubbery, and rock plants. Good planning means there is always something in bloom.
  • Levens Hall a top topiary garden.
  • Dalemain is a fascinating 5-acre Plantsman’s garden set against the picturesque splendour of the Lakeland Fells. Walk around the richly planted herbaceous borders with blue Himalayan poppies, nearly 200 old-fashioned roses, magnificent Abies Cephalonica, a Tudor Knot Garden and a wild garden with a profusion of flowering shrubs and wild flowers.
  • Holker Hall glorious gardens, parkland and woodlands at Cartmel

sea-clouds

Growing Tigridia or Tiger Plants

Growing Tigridia or Tiger Plants

Tigridia is also called the Mexican shell flower or the Tiger Flower due to its shape and spotted petals.

Facts about Tigridia

  • This exotic Mexican bulb is also sometimes called the Peacock flower, an appropriate name in view of its quite startling colour combinations.
  • Tigridia Pavonia flowers are short lived but often several flowers will bloom from the same stalk.
  • Many colour combinations are available including scarlet, orange, pink, yellow, mauve and white, usually with contrasting markings.
  • Tigridia is not very hardy and is grown as a tender summer bulb planted in spring and dug up again in autumn for storing in a dry frost-free place.
  • Tigridia needs all the sun it can get to encourage flowering and ripen the bulb to ensure a similar display the following year.
  • Tigridia makes a good greenhouse potted bulb.
  • Leaves are long and pointe with colour variation that looks like stripes.

The leaves are long and pleated, tapering to a point

More coloured Tigridia photographs.

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Growing Tagetes and Seed Collecting

Growing Tagetes and Seed Collecting

taggetee

Tagete tenuifolia is one of my favourites of the marigold family. It generally has many small single flowers over a long period. Whilst the red,orange and yellow colour combinations are striking the French, African and Mexican Marigolds cousins are blousy and brash by comparison.

Growing Tagetes

  • The foliage has a musky, pungent scent. The smell deters some common insect pests and I grow them alongside my greenhouse tomatoes.
  • Tagetes are often used in companion planting for eggplant, chili pepper and potato.
  • Tagetes grow well in fertile heavy clay soils and in sandy soils
  • Plants are not  frost resistant and need to be grown as half hardy annuals.

Seed Collecting

  • Tagetes need a long growing season  to set seed in Britain. Sow  in March for flowering in  autumn
  • Removing dead flowers before the seed is formed will extend the flowering season but reduce seed production.
  • Each of the multitude of flowers will produce a clutch of seeds trapped in the soft semi open seedhead.
  • The seeds are like small, fine quills with a black section and an off white feathery end that protrudes from the clutch.
  • Collect when dry with the seedhead turning brown. The neck bends down prior to dispersing seeds.
  • Store in an old envelope and avoid trapped moisture that can cause rot.
  • I do not have any success with self-sown seeds so I collect my own seeds from the many produced.

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Growing Aconitum

Growing Aconitum

Aconitum is a good autumn flowering border perennial. They do not normally need staking and this variety grows to around 3′ tall. Strong blue or purple flowers predominate in the species but there are some yellow varieties pictured.

Growing Aconitum

  • Aconitum like deep fertile soil and will grow in deep shade.
  • Mulch the crowns in spring with good compost to help retain moisture
  • Cut back stems in late autumn after flowering to prevent wind rock
  • Divide large clumps in early spring as the plants start into growth. Use 2 forks bach to back to pull the plant into sections
  • Beware the plant is poisonous so wash your hands after touching any part of the plant
  • Hide lower foliage by planting at the back and growing lower plants in front

Other Aconitums

  • There are about 250 species of Aconitum
  • They are also known as aconite or monkshood.
  • As Banes they are also called wolfsbane, leopard’s bane, women’s bane.
  • Devil’s helmet or Aconitum is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family.
  • Sparks Variety and Stainless Steel are a couple to look out for. However I am seeking  Aconitum x Cammarum a bicolour cross.
  • Try Cottage Garden plants for a selection of hybrids
Bargain Hunt Gardening Month by Month

Bargain Hunt Gardening Month by Month

Iris in rows

Flag Iris all grown as cuttings from one large overgrown host plant

January

  • Check around the garden for ripe seeds to collect and dry
  • Start sowing perennials on a windowsill
  • Check out garden centre sales

February

  • Keep sowing seeds
  • Divide perennials to get more and better plants.
  • Coppice Hazel twigs or other branches to use as supports. They look more natural than brown canes and are free.

March

  • Plant out hardy perennials under cloches to save indoor space and heating costs
  • Look for free brochures on Open Gardens to visit

April

  • Buy bedding plants such as Fucshi, Verbena and Felicia. Take up to 10 cuttings from each plant. By June you will have a hanging basket full.
  • Sow last years collected annual seeds.

May

  • Take cuttings from your garden shrubs.
  • Visit other gardens and parks

French lavender

June

  • Look out for bedding plant sales at your garden centre
  • Swap plants locally
  • Sow winter ornamental cabbages and pansies from cheap supermarket seed packets.

July

  • Check for bargains at local fetes and plant sales.
  • Attend your local shows and join horticultural societies for seeds and swaps.
  • Pot up Strawberry plant runners to get more plants. When rooted sever from the host plant.

August

  • Take more cuttings of plants you enjoyed in summer.
  • Root cuttings of Lupins and Oriental poppies can increase your plant stock

Poppy
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Backgrounds for Flower Pictures

Backgrounds for Flower Pictures

When looking at flowers you need to consider the background. Honeysuckle is a good rambling climber that often allows you to see the flower against the clear blue sky (or cloudy one for that matter).

The pollen bearing, male anthers,  (stamen and filaments)   are clearly visible on this picture as is the female carpel in the centre and as a seed pod on the right.

Many  flowers are best inspected against a mass of greenery that forms the pattern of leaves and stems.

Careful planning can balance two or more colours such as pink flowering Japanese anemones with the purple leaved Cotinus. Grey leaved plants look good with dark flowers in the same way light flowers look good with dark leaves.

Rose anemony

Autumnal Compostables and Leaf Mold

Autumnal Compostables and Leaf Mold

mushrooms, leaves and horse chestnuts

I am an avid composter but it is worth considering what is going into your compost this Autumn.

This photo contains several items that are not idea for my compost heap.

  • When I spread my compost I do not want lots of new saplings springing up in my garden. Some seeds and nuts are likely to survive composting as the heat will not be as great through winter.
  • Leaves particularly Oak,  Horse-chestnut and broadleaved trees will be slow to rot down.
  • Leaves do not provide much sustenance but are great conditioners if rotted down over a couple of years into leaf mold.
  • I have to admit to being uncertain about composting fugus. There seems to be little food value in these mushrooms and they may be spread via the composting process. On the other hand fungi are key parts of a soils organic activity and on balance I would compost these. I would not compost Honey-fungus or anything growing near my fruit trees.

Tips on Making Leaf Mold

  • Rake your leaves together into a pile. Bits of soil,  grass and a variety of leaves are not a problem but make the pile predominantly leaves.
  • Then there are a couple of options:
    • Put the leaves in a wire cage cover and leave to rot.
    • Put the leaves into a large plastic bag and puncture to allow air to enter.
  • Leaves should be damp and can be lightly watered but not left soggy. The rotting will not create heat like normal compost and decomposition will be slow.
  • It may take over a year for the leaves to breakdown and the volume will be a tenth of the leaf pile you started with.
  • Conifers and evergreen leaves will take   three years to compost and are best added in small quantities.
  • Shredding leaves or chopping with a lawnmower first  helps to speed up composting.
Mauve and Lilac Coloured Plants

Mauve and Lilac Coloured Plants

mauve & lilac

Lychnis coronaria also called Rose Campion and Eryngium ‘Superbum’ or Sea Holly blend well together in this late summer photo.The colour combination may be a bit too Barbara Cartland for some tastes.

Eryngium like Echinops have spiky leaves and bristly metallic blue flowers that make it a great architectural plant. The grey green unassuming leaves of Lychnis belie the strength of colour of their flowers.

pink & white
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Rhus typhina Sumach and Autumn Colour

Rhus typhina Sumach and Autumn Colour

Sumach
This autumn tinted, small tree, Sumac or Sumach is also called the ‘Stags Horn’ or botanically Rhus typhina.

Rhus Facts and Tips

  • Trees can grow up to 25 feet high, this specimen is only a third of that. Early pruning may have stunted the height and encouraged the large canopy.
  • Branches fork freely and are covered with thick velvety hair when young.
  • Leaves divide  into  narrow oval, toothed and softly hairy drooping leaflets. The leaves are bright orange and red   colours in autumn.
  • Male flowers are greenish  and female are red blooming on different trees
  • The cone-shaped, dull red, hairy heads  remain on the tree throughout winter.
  • Take care when touching the leaves and stems as the sap can be an irritant.

See picture of Sumach in spring