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Author: tejvan

White Garden Flowers

White Garden Flowers

Some of the best garden flowers are white! See our selection.
whiteflower

White Lily. A very delicate white with yellow stamen.

One of the favourite coloured flowers in the garden is white. The good news is that there is a huge variety of plants and flowers to choose from. White is admired for its simplicity and purity. White can go anywhere in the garden and will mix with any colour. Even on a dark day, white flowers can brighten up a darks spot of a garden. In addition to white flowers, also consider white / silver leaves and bark. For example, the lovely silver birch tree.

whiteflower

Small Chrysanthemum perennial

whiteflower

Snowdrops. Pure white in the depth of winter

whiteflower

Lupin.

Note this looks even better in early morning / late afternoon when the sun is less strong. Here the white stands out more. In the mid day sun, it can look a bit bleached by intensity of the sun.

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Tips for Growing Bamboo in UK

Tips for Growing Bamboo in UK

bamboo

Bamboo is an intriguing plant, which contains over 1,200 species ranging from specimens 6 inches tall, to varieties which can grow upto a foot a day and reach over 130 feet. With the 1,200 species there are varieties which deserve a reputation for being an invasive plant. In the above picture, you can see how the bamboo is spreading away from the wall and is popping up in the middle of the front garden. This particular variety is not too bad, and digging up the rogue runners once a year is sufficient to keep it in check.

Growing tips for Bamboo

  • Bamboo like well drained aerated soil
  • They don’t need feeding. You can prune them and digg up clumps to keep them in shape.
  • Bamboo are excellent for giving height in a garden
  • They also add a resting rustle in the wind.
  • For species with invasive roots, plant in a container with the bottom cut out. This will help contain the roots within the area that you want.
  • When photographing bamboo do not let your shadow intrude.

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Growing Acer Palmatum

Growing Acer Palmatum

acer

The above Acer is actually dwarfed by Nigella, which will soon be taken up as they have finished flowering. The split leaves look like a spread hand hence the name palmatum.

Why Grow Acers

  • The colour and size of Acer Palmatum’s vary considerably depending on the variety. The leaves often turn a different colour in autumn giving a blaze of late season colour. The tree in my front garden goes a deep red for a few weeks in September
  • The acer Palmatum is a popular variety of hardy tree, ideal for growing in small gardens.
  • Acers can provide a focal point.
  • Acers are longer lived than many shrubs in a sheltered garden.

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Gardeners Tips for Growing Foxgloves -Digitalis

Gardeners Tips for Growing Foxgloves -Digitalis

foxglove

Foxgloves are native to the British isles and can be grown relatively easy here in the UK. They provide an excellent addition to any cottage garden. There distinctive spikes of flowers can be up to 4-5 feet high and they offer a new dimension to any garden. They also attract bees for their extensive nectar.

Foxgloves are poisonous so be careful if you have kids in the garden. The good thing is that slugs don’t seem to like them much either. Parts of the Foxglove are actually used as digoxin a widely used heart drug.

  • Foxgloves like full sun, but, also do fine in shade.
  • Foxgloves will be fine without extra feeding, but do better with nitrogen rich soils.
  • Sowing. As a biennual, Foxgloves need to be sown in May / June. If foxgloves are self sown, the main thing to do is to thin out the seedlings so that they don’t get too crowded. A foot between each plant is a good guide.
  • Self sowing. One of the best features of growing foxgloves is that they will usually self sow for the next year. They self seed in moderation and it never becomes invasive. The only gardening might be to thin out the seedlings.

Problems of Growing Foxgloves

One problem of foxgloves is that the tall varieties can get blown over in windy conditions. Try to plant is sheltered spots; they grow well in clumps together.

Varieties of Foxgloves.

The most common variety is D. Purpurea which can be seen growing in British hedgerows. In addition there are cultivated varieties such as ‘Apricot’ and white varieties. There are also dwarf varieties of foxglove such as ‘Temple Bells’ or Primrose carousel’
You can acquire new plants or just admire them as part of a collection

Perennial Foxgloves

Digitalis Grandiflora (yellow foxglove is a hardy perennial flowering foxglove.)

 

When & What Seeds To Sow

When & What Seeds To Sow

You can have success with successional sowing of seeds.

seeds

A wonderful variety of colour from a mixture of hardy annuals and hardy perennials.

Sowing seeds is great fun. The good news is that there are different types of seeds that can be grown at different periods of the year. Apart from October – December there is probably some seeds that you can be sown under protection of gentle heat. This could be a sample seed sowing season

January – February.

This is time for early season crops like lettuce and spinach. They will need heat and cloche protection to grow. But, vegetables like Spinach may do better in colder times because they are less likely to grow from seed. Later crops may bolt in the heat of summer. February is also a good time for slow growing annuals like Datura.

However, if you do sow in February, growth will invariably be slower because of the lower light levels. Seed grown early, will need more care and time, but, can reward the patient garden with early season flowers and vegetables.

March / April.
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Help with Bindweed Elimination or Control

Help with Bindweed Elimination or Control

Bindweed after being sprayed – note the stick it has been trained to grow up makes it easier to spray”. Bindweed will grow up living plants and throttle them if left unchecked.

My first garden in Oxford had been neglected for 10 or 20 years. Bindweed had run rampant throughout the garden, there was no alternative but to spend many hours and many years before I was able to bring it under control.

This is the strategy I used for bringing a bindweed garden under control.

Bringing Bindweed under Control

1. Dig up Roots. If bindweed is well established, it will have developed an extensive system of roots which will make it resistant to the odd spray. I suggest starting by having a thorough dig taking a section of the garden one at a time. Don’t try to dig the whole garden as you will be depressed at the scale of the job. Start with a manageable section and dig deep to get as much of the white root as possible.

If the soil is dry it is easier to separate the roots from the soil. It actually becomes quite satisfying job, seeing how much of the white roots you can dig up. You will want to go at least as deep as a full spade blade. Lift up the soil and shake of the soil surrounding the roots. Be relatively gentle as the roots are quite brittle and new weeds will grow from even small bits of root. When the ground is dug over, you can start planting as you won’t have to dig it again.

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Help Improving Your Soil

Help Improving Your Soil

Every gardener wants to have better plants and flowers, but, sometimes we just need to get to the root of the matter so to speak. There is nothing more satisfying than a deep rich loamy soil. Unfortunately, unless you are very luck, you are unlikely to inherit such a soil. Nevertheless it is definitely worth investing the time and energy to improve your soil. Over time looking after your soil will pay dividends.

What is Good Soil?

  • Free draining, yet holds a fair amount of moisture.
  • Good balance of minerals and food.
  • Light, rich texture, should crumble in your hands.
  • Good soil in the right place and suitable for the items you wish to grow.

Keys to Improving Imperfect Soil

  • Water and nutrients are the key to helpful soil.
  • A soggy mess is not the same as a hydroponic growing medium. Add gravel to improve baddly drained soil. Create a soak away if necessary
  • Add organic matter to help retain moisture and make nutrients available for long enough for the plants to benefit.
  • Soil needs to be the ‘safe home for plants so depth for roots, air for health and pathogen free soil is a requirement.

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Help Control Moss

Help Control Moss

Moss will recur if the growing conditions are not changed. Killing moss is not a one time operation. Moss stultifies other plants.

Help Moss Control on Pots

  • On newly purchased pots of trees, shrubs or perennials there is often a growth of moss. Remove it to avoid importing new problems into your garden.
  • Peel moss and weeds off the top of the pot and bury it 12″ deep.
  • Moss on patio pots needs to be removed annually in spring. I then top dress the pots with new compost.
  • Covering with grit or pebbles will control the moss.

moss

Readers Question: Is it OK to Compost Moss?

‘I have just been raking a lot of moss from my lawn. It’s surprising how much moss I was able to rake off and naturally I would like to compost it.’ Then I want to cure the problem.

Like any organic matter, moss will compost down and make compost over time but it may take a long time!. However composting is not a good cure and I would avoid putting it on my heap for fear of spreading the moss around.

I would dig a hole under my runner bean trench and bury the moss at least 12″ deep.

One trick, as with any composting is to mix it with other materials, such as grass clippings and woodier plant stems. If mixed together the moss should compost down  depending on how well watered and aerated the compost heap is. Moss grows from spores and it is possible they will not be killed by the heat in your compost bin.

Other uses for moss include lining the inside of hanging baskets. These days, artificial linings are used, but, moss has many properties including water retention which make it excellent for lining an hanging basket

Moss 01

Background Facts on Moss

  • There are thousands of different types of moss.
  • Mosses are used on green roofs due to, reduced weight loads, increased water absorption, no fertilizer requirements, and high drought tolerance.
  • Mosses do not have true roots so do not absorb water or nutrients from soil.
  • Some mosses grow on trees but are not parasitic on the tree.
  • Moss can be used in bonsai to cover the soil and enhance the impression of age.

Moss on tree stump

Help with Problems & Cures for Moss

  • Moss can colonise a badly drained or compacted lawn and look unsightly.
  • Unwanted moss can grow on paths and roofs.
  • Moss growth on seed pots can smother seedling emergence.
  • Moss growth can be inhibited by

Cutting the supply of water through better drainage.
Increasing direct sunlight.
Increasing the soil pH with the application of lime.
Regular hoeing and disturbing the soil around the moss with a rake
Application of chemicals such as ferrous sulfate (e.g. in lawns) or bleach (e.g. on solid surfaces).
Encourage and help competitive plants like grasses.
Top dress plants in containers with sand, gravel, and rock chips for faster drainage to discourage moss growth.
Chemicals products containing ferrous sulfate or ferrous ammonium sulfate will kill moss.

Credits
Moss 01 by Enygmatic-Halycon CC BY-SA 2.0
Moss on tree stump by Pete Reed CC BY-NC 2.0
Moss peat and other products from Amazon

Book Cover
Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures by George Schenk

Definition of a Weed

Definition of a Weed

Dandelion

Dandelion – Weed or Plant of beauty?

 

Some definitions of a Weed

  • A weed is a plant that you don’t want to have in the garden.
  • Alternatively a weed is any plant in the wrong place.
  • What is a weed to one is a prize plant to another. Many ornamental UK plants are a weed in their natural habitat.
  • A weed is a plant that lives whilst other plants die.
  • A weed invades, reproduces, survives and frustrates a gardener.

The question is, what kind of plants fall into the weed  category? As gardeners we sometimes fall into the trap of aiming for perfection and feel guilty about a dandelion growing in the herbaceous border. However, a dandelion has a certain natural beauty. Even its seed heads are beautiful. The problem is we have been conditioned to think that the dandelion is a ‘weed’ and therefore needs to be always removed. Sometimes it is a matter of changing our perspective. Rather than feel guilty about the dandelions in the grass, why not appreciate its simple beauty?

There are many ‘so called weeds’ which actually are quite attractive – eg Daisy’s, Poppy’s, Thistles

This does not mean we want dandelions everywhere, but, we can learn to be more tolerant of plants often considered as weeds

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Creating A Focal Point in Your Garden

Creating A Focal Point in Your Garden

lavender

Sometimes as gardeners, we place all the emphasis on plants. However, a few well positioned ornaments and focal points can heighten the interest and drama within a garden.

The above photo is from Lady Margaret Hall Gardens, Oxford. This is a sunken garden with a mixture of lavenders, verbena and ornamental grasses. The two earthenware pots and sun dial in the middle of the garden provide a perfect foil and complement to the understated planting.

Box Symmetry

box

In this photo, the eye is steered towards the gap in the end fence. There is a neat symmetry, which helps to provide a relaxing feel to the garden. Notice how, the gardener has encouraged the eye to follow a certain path.

lavender

Focal Point With Plants

mixed border

Verbascum ‘Banana Custard’ provides a focal point in this mixed border

Photos from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and garden in Yorkshire; copyright gardeners tips.