Gardeners Tips

Common names can be used for more than one species.

Cleome hassleriana

If you are looking to grow something a little unusual, it is worth having a go at growing Cleome, sometimes known as the ‘Spider Plant’

The genus Cleome encompasses about 170 herbaceous annual or perennial plants. A common garden variety is Cleome hassleriana.

• Cleome’s can grow quite tall, upto 4 feet in some cases. It has attractive spider shaped leaves and after flowering leaves seed pots streched out horizontally. The flowering season can last for 2-3 months.
• In the beginning they are susceptible to the usual pests like slugs and snails and will need protection. Once established Cleomes can reproduce at a quick rate.
• They may need staking as they become susceptible to windy conditions.

Cleome spinosa is good for dry conditions.

Houseplant called Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum is often called the spider plant. It has interesting, frondy, generally bicoloured leaves and they are the main reason for growing this plant. Small white flowers are found on mature plants.
Plantlets form on the end of arching stems and these spidery stems make propagation simple.

The secret of good lavender is to keep them neat and tidy by clipping and trimming.

Lavenders make an excellent choice for growing in a pot. Being draught resistance they can cope better than many plants if a pot dries out. They will thrive in a warm and sunny position on the patio. They offer a refined choice and also give a delightful aroma and help to attract bees.

They will still need watering in dry spells, but, do not need the volume or frequency of watering that other plants may require.

Make sure you place crocks / stones at the bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage and waterlogging in the winter months. Choose a well draining compost and if necessary add some sand or grit.

In winter, lavenders will survive frost, but, don’t like being waterlogged.

• French Lavender plants from T & M
• Plants for a white garden

Any garden will have a shady corner, there are still many plants we can grow. So rather than reach for the tree pruners try some of these plants.

• Foxgloves (digitalis). Foxgloves are a tall imposing plant offering a long flowering season of attractive bell shaped flowers. They are biennuals which flower in their second year.
• Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium). Cyclamen are delicate low growing plants which flower in winter or autumn, giving a range of flowers. They die back in summer, so don’t forget where they were planted.
• Siberian Squill (Scilla Siberica) This is a bright blue, bulbous perennial which has dazzling nodding flowers in spring.
• Cranesbill Geranium ‘Johnson Blue’ grows in low growing dense clumps which makes it difficult for weeds to grow through.
• Epimediums have pretty, heart-shaped leaves and delicate flowers.
• Lamium (dead nettle) will grow in most shady areas
• Ivy will grow in shady areas, if you just want green ground cover
• Helleborus. One of my favourite plants, great leaves and flowers in the middle of winter

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Puschkinia Schilloides comes from the Hyacinthaceae family and are very similar to Scilla. They look like a mini Hyacinth.

• They are hardy and relatively easy to grow from bulbs.
• Growing in a raised alpine bed with gravel for top dressing helps give best display for flowers.
• They are fine in full sun or partial shade and flower in April.
• They grow from seed and may be naturalised in grass.
• After seeds ripen in summer, the plants go dormant until next spring, when flowers push through the soil between Feb and April.

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A good Tulip speaks for itself and more loudly when it’s spring again……..

Tulips are a very rewarding spring bulb. In good conditions they can flower every year with little attention. However, for the best performance they need treating like an annual and get lifted and stored at the end of the growing season.

Tips for Growing Tulips

• Tulips like good well drained soil. Add extra grit or sand at the base of the planting hole.
• Tulips should be planted at a depth of roughly three times the length of the bulb. I plant them even deeper at 10″ or so.
• The best time to plant tulips is October or November. They can even be planted in early December if the ground is not frozen.
• If Tulips are becoming overcrowded, they will be less likely to flower. Dig up the bulbs as the leaves are starting to die back and divide the bulbs. Plant at a good distance apart
• Tulips are fairly disease resistant but sometimes get infected with Tulip Fire – leaves go brown and wilt. If this is the case dig up the bulbs and destroy. Make sure you don’t plant in infected soil. Practise soil rotation.
• Like other bulbs, Tulips need to be allowed to die back so that the bulb can get new energy. It is fine to dead head dying flowers, but stems must be allowed to die back naturally.

Tulips in Pots.

Tulips do well in pots as it is easier to make sure they get good drainage. After flowering, the tulips can either be left to die back or put in some corner of garden. The bulbs can then be stored in a dry spot until planting season in Autumn.

Photos of Tulips

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Stamp out slugs and snails!
Freeze the little devils, you don’t get so many on top of the cold Yorkshire moors. During the coming cycling tour de France we can expect lots of snails to be eaten.

Slugs v Lettuce – We need to choose!

It’s one of those things we tend to shy away from talking about. But, all gardeners at some time have thought about the different methods of dealing with those pesky slugs and snails. We’ve tried all these various methods for killing slugs, and each have their  different pros and cons.

What is the best way of killing slugs?

Organic Methods

1. Catch and Kill.

Slugs are attracted to juicy lettuce leaves or upturned orange skins. Leave these in suitable places in the garden. Then at dawn or dusk go round the garden with a pair of secateurs or knife and slice them in half. This can be an effective way of killing slugs if you don’t mind doing the decapitating. You may also find lots of snails under large stones. This is certainly the most environmentally friendly and cheapest method. The problem is the time and mess involved.

2. Beer Traps.

This methods traps slugs without having to slice them. Place containers of beer into the soil so that slugs could climb in easily. In the morning, you will find lots of slugs have entered and drowned in the traps. It is probably one of the most humane ways of killing slugs as at least they will die drunk.

3. Nematodes.

There is a nemotode which can be put into the soil. These naturally, kill slugs in quite large numbers, working below ground. The soil needs to be kept damp and the temperature reasonably warm. This is one of the more expensive methods, but, it can keep the garden relatively slug free for quite a few weeks. See more on Biological pest control – pros and cons

4. Encourage Predators.

If you do choose organic methods, it is definitely worth encouraging natural predators into the garden to help complement the above methods. For example, one of the best predators are frogs. These can eat hundreds of slugs during their nocturnal wanderings. A pond can make a great addition to a garden. Even a simple small tub of water, may be sufficient to encourage frogs into the garden. A very useful ally. See more: Frogs and frogspawn

5. Slug Pellets.

Slug Pellets are one of the best selling garden products, used by countless gardeners desperate to kill slugs. They are one of the cheapest and easiest solutions to implement – hence their popularity. However, they can definitely harm wildlife like birds and cats – as well as looking unsightly. If you do use slug pellets, look out for these tips on the  best way to implement them.

6. Barrier Methods.
Copper is said to form a barrier with the mildest electrical shock that keeps slugs at bay. Other proprietary methods include wool pellets that retain the micro hooks from the sheep that deter slugs and snails. Slugs use slime to move around and it fails to work on grit or broken egg shells.

Alternatives to Killing.

As an alternative to killing, you can always try and protect your plants by growing in pots or covering base with pieces of sharp grit and egg shell. But, for a large garden this isn’t really feasible. The other alternative is to choose plants which are less attractive to slugs like foxgloves.

Any other method of killing slugs we may have missed? What’s your favourite method for killing slugs.

Related

• Tips for dealing with slugs and snails
• How to make your garden eco-friendly
• Killing greenfly

Take time out to smell the flowers.
This combination of lavender and a Geranium make a great pairing of colour and scent.

A lavender bed like this creates a wonderfulyl fragrant garden. The important thing is to be bold and plant several plants. The delicate greens and flowers of the lavender provide a great foil for this dark, voluptuous geranium. A garden like this is a real joy to be in. It is very calming and also provides a wonderful aroma. One can’t help but crush the odd leave to enjoy the various aromas.

Scented Climbers

This is an old fashioned sweet pea and gives the classic fragrance and aroma. They make wonderful cut flowers and give a great fragrance even inside.

Other Scented climbers include:

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