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Gardeners Tips For Growing Sweet Peas

Gardeners Tips For Growing Sweet Peas

sweetpeas

Sowing Sweet peas.

  • The best results from sweet peas come from seedlings sown in October under a cold frame. You can also sow in early spring; however, these will flower later and will be more susceptible to mildew later in the season.
  • To help germination you can chip away at the hard outer skin of sweet pea seed. However, this is not necessary.
  • It is important to avoid seeds getting waterlogged as they are prone to rotting.

Sweet Pea Tubes.

The roots of sweet peas grow deep, therefore, when sowing use deep pots (they don’t need to be wide)

Hardening Off.

Sweet Peas are hardy, and can survive frosts; however, if grown in a cold frame they need to be hardened off before planting out. Sweet peas can also be sown directly

Planting out.

When planting out, it doesn’t matter so much if the soil around the roots comes away. The important thing is to water them in well.

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Growing Verbena Bonariensis

Growing Verbena Bonariensis

Purple wisps in September make this Verbena a favourite.

Verbena

Verbena Bonariensis

 

  • Common Name: Verbena
  • Genus: Verbena
  • Species: bonariensis
  • Exposure: Full sun / but also does well in partial sun
  • Hardiness: Half Hardy
  • Soil type: Well-drained/light, Moist
  • Height: 130-160cm
  • Spread: 45cm
  • Time to plant seeds: March to April or late summer.
  • Flowering period: August to October

Verbena Bonariensis has been enjoying a resurgence of interest as people increasingly become interested in the ‘priarie garden’. Verbena Bonariensis is ideal for this informal style of planting as it can shoot up offering small lilac flowers from June to September.

  • Verbena Bonariensis can grow up to 2 metres and its height offers extra interest, without casting too much shade on surrounding plants.
  • It does well in sunny, well drained soil. The soil doesn’t need to be rich and will even come through cracks in paving stones. It is susceptible to cold frosts; it is advised to wait until early spring before cutting back stems.
  • It will seed freely once established, it even can become a little dominating, but, if you are happy for a free flowing garden style it is ideal.
  • I love the way Verbena bonariensis can grow up between different plants.

lavender

Repeat Season Flowering

After flowering, you can cut back to a few inches off ground level. This will then grow again. However, after one or two seasons, the plant becomes weaker. It is better to allow new plants to grow from self-seed.

Sowing

You can sow in Autumn for mid summer flowering. It was also flower in first year, if you sow in early spring. It is a good early Autumn flower. The seed heads can be attractive even after first frosts.

I find it is very successful to sow in the ground. It seems nice and resistant to slugs and snails – which is  real boon for outdoor sowing.
Butterfly and flowers
Butterfly and flowers by Kew CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

verbena

Verbena Bonariensis is one of my favourite plants. This is actually poking up from some cracks in the patio; giving an impact of meadow planting. It like its informality, height and delicacy of flower. I think it is best when grown in random clumps.

Generally verbena bonariensis grows well from seed. Scatter some on the soil in late July / August and if lucky it will continue to self sow for many years.

Verbena bonariensis looks to be a special purple in the fading light of autumn. It is strange how flowers look different in different lights.

When laying out a garden for colour consider the position of the sun, in spring and autumn, which will dictate the colour temperature and saturation of the light.

This verbena is very attractive to butterflies

Anemone Japonica looks pink in the shade of the house. In full sun the colour is burnt out to a less attractive lighter shade of pink.

Sowing Green Manure

Sowing Green Manure

Sow green manure as soon as you empty a space, even 4 weeks can be enough to get a good amount of green growth using spinach or mustard.

Clover field 8177

Green manure is a crop specifically grown to create organic matter to be composted or dug into the soil. When dug in the green manure provides humus and nutrients to the soil.
Each green manure variety adds to the quality of your soil, Lupins deep roots help break up clay and many bring beneficial insects into the garden.
The mere fact of using green manures stops goodness being leached out of the soil when it has no other crop.

Green Manures to Sow for Summer

  • Buckwheat deep rooted for poor soil conditioning.
  • White Clover a nitrogen fixer
  • Yellow trefoil for moisture retention
  • Mustard but avoid if you suffer from club root as it is a brassica.
  • Phacelia see photo below
  • Agricultural Lupins deep rooted nitrogen fixer
  • Spinach or calendula grow and rot quickly.

Over Wintering Green Manure to Sow

  • Red or Crimson Clover see photo above.
  • Alfalfa deep rooted nitrogen fixer good for trace elements.
  • Field Beans fast growing nitrogen fixer
  • Fenugrek
  • Ryegrass humus from green matter
  • Comfrey

How To Sow Green Manure

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Growing Ornamental Onions – Alliums

Growing Ornamental Onions – Alliums

aliums

Ornamental onions are a branch of the allium family. It is hard to associate with the humble vegetable onion. But, the ornamental onion provides an excellent early season display of colour in the awkward gap between spring and the full flush of summer.

Ornamental onions also offer an architectural elegance standing tall over an herbaceous border. Even after they have finished flowering, the seed heads can provide months of interest in the garden.

Tips for Growing Alliums

  • Alliums like a free draining soil in full or partial sun. They are not too fusy about the soil; it doesn’t need to be overly rich.
  • They are naturally long lived and should be allowed to die back naturally so leaves can replace energy in bulbs.
  • Unfortunately ornamental onions are particularly liked by the slugs. see: tips for dealing with slugs

Growing Alliums in Pots.

– Alliums make an excellent bulb for growing in patio pots. …

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How to Extend The Life of Garden Tools

How to Extend The Life of Garden Tools

We live in a consumerist society where we tend to just buy new things rather than make existing things last longer. Garden tools are an excellent example of how we can make things last rather than keep buying cheap tools every couple of years.

Buy Good Quality

Firstly buy good quality garden tools. They may not be the cheapest, but, they should be seen as an investment to last a long time rather than a disposable item. Ironically, buying cheap tools frequently can be more expensive than buying good quality tools that last a long time.

Clean After Use.

After using a spade or secateurs spend the odd minute to clean off the gunk. Knock off the soil from a spade and give a quick wipe down. With secateurs and shears it is even more important to clean after use because the sap of plants will reduce the sharpness of tools and significantly reduce its life expectancy. Wipe away the sap with a cloth and give a quick spray with WD 40 or other water repellent spray. Taking a minute to clean your tools will definitely repay the effort. It is also much nicer to use tools which are clean to start with. Dirty tools become a disincentive to start gardening.

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How To Grow Asparagus

How To Grow Asparagus

Asparagus
Asparagus

In the days of year round vegetables the allure of home grown vegetables has been somewhat diminished. But, if you have ever eaten homegrown asparagus freshly cut from the garden you will know it is a delicacy well worth enjoying. I even recommend avoiding asparagus out of season and only eat home grown, freshly cut asparagus. You can’t beat the real thing.

Important Tips for Asparagus

Growing asparagus needs a certain amount of patience. In the first year you can take very little from the plant. However, if properly prepared, asparagus beds can provide a long running output of delicious asparagus stems for the kitchen.

How To Grow Asparagus

  • Choose a well Drained patch of soil. Asparagus hates to have its roots sitting in damp and boggy ground.
  • The best time to plant roots is in March.
  • If you have heavy soil work in some grit to improve the drainage of the soil.
  • Measure out beds 1m (3ft) apart
  • Make 2 ridges about 1 feet apart running down length of bed
  • Drape the crowns over the ridges so that the roots hang down the slope
  • Shovel the topsoil back over them, making a raised bed as you do so.

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Kneeling Stool for Gardeners –

Kneeling Stool for Gardeners –

Dodgy gardeners knees? the treat yourself to a padded stool with arms that help you get up again. Not much use for spade work but invaluable when wielding a trowel.
 

Book Cover

This is a useful Stool which can be used for kneeling and sitting. The stool doubles up as a kneeling pad with easy handles for getting up off the ground and also as a lightweight seat. Versatile and especially useful for the garderner who has to do a lot of weeding. Kneeling stool at Amazon.co.uk

Advantages of the Kneeling Stool

  • Keeps knees from getting muddy
  • Avoids compacting the soil around the kneecaps but spreads the weight around.
  • Easy to move around the garden.
  • Provides an instant seat for when you feel like a cup of tea!
  • Cheap
  • No Maintenance

Thet represent a very good value and would make an excellent gift for an ‘older’ gardener. Often one of the most difficult things for old people is to lift them up from ground level. This provides an effective support whilst lifting off the surface.

Colour in a Garden Without Flowers

Colour in a Garden Without Flowers

Grasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an interesting photo because it shows a diverse range of colour in the garden without any flowers. This is an excellent way to design a garden because it provides year round interest. Flowers are then icing on the cake.

The colours in this garden shot also depend on the time of the day, the sun really brings to life some of the leaves and grasses.

The tall grasses also provide interest because of their swaying in the wind and gentle rustling sound.

Heuchera

Leaves of this Heuchera are now being bred in a range of colours and the textures that add additional variety.

Lettuce - Bijou & Freckles

Even in the vegetable garden you can grow some interesting colour schemes. These lettuce are just a couple of the varieties now available. I also like the ornamental cabbage giving colour throughout winter and the rows or savoy and purple cabbage can draw the eye. …

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Tips on Making A Compost Heap.

Tips on Making A Compost Heap.

Compost heap

A compost heap is an excellent way of recycling dead plant material and generating the best possible soil fertiliser. A good compost heap also gives a feeling of satisfaction because it helps the gardener to become part of the natural cycle of growth, decay and regeneration. Using a compost heap will also save many unnecessary trips to the local tip. See also: Benefits of Composting

How To Make a Good Compost Heap

The Compost Bin A compost bin should be about 1 square metre. It is important to have a good size, but, it should also be compact because otherwise the generated heat will be dissipated. It is also best to have at least two bins. This enables one heap to rot down, whilst the other is added to. A compost heap should also be aerated and enable water to enter. If you have an enclosed plastic bin, make sure you water where necessary.

Positioning. A compost heap can be really be put anywhere; most people want to choose a spot that is not too prominent. However, if it receives direct sunlight the process of decomposition will be faster.

Base Layer. At the bottom of a compost heap it is good to use some twiggy material to make sure there is good drainage; if you have a heavy clay soil, you might want to add some grit to provide good drainage. If a compost heap becomes waterlogged, the process of decomposition will slow down and it will become slimy.

Mixing Layers. The next important strategy is to provide a good mix of material when building up a compost heap. For example, grass is a high source of nitrogen and can break down quickly to generate heat. However, grass needs to be mixed with other more woody material, otherwise it will not rot down properly. Similarly on their own stems and twigs will take a long time to rot down unless they have an activator like grass or over very green material. When adding grass clippings spread them out to form a thin, equal layer; then add a layer of more twiggy material. If necessary store a potential layer for adding at the right time.

Breaking Up Twiggy Material. Thick stems will take a long time to break down. If you have a shredder, it will make the job of composting a lot more successful. It will break down the material and enable much faster composting. If you don’t have a shredder, you can just squash the stems or break them in a few places. A rather crude, but effective, tip is to get a spade and hit down on the top of the heap to break a few stems. Even this small step will help quite a lot; what you are doing is to increase the surface area, enabling faster decomposition.

Water. As mentioned before, water is important. It is important to water a compost heap a bit like watering a plant. If there is no water, the compost heap will dry out and will not decompose. If it is waterlogged it will stagnate. Most compost heaps suffer from being dry, so every now and then throw on some water to speed up the process of decomposition.

Cover. When the compost heap is finished with adequate amounts of water, it is good to cover with a plastic coating. This enable the heap to generate more heat, speeding up the process of decomposition; it also prevents excess water.

Aerate. In hot weather when a compost heap is generating a lot of heat it is a good idea to get a garden cane and poke the heap, every now and then. This allows air to enter and expedites the process of aerobic decomposition. A good heap will have steam coming from it when you aerate it.
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Protecting Vegetables from Pigeons and Rabbits

Protecting Vegetables from Pigeons and Rabbits

Unfortunately, the vegetable gardeners’ best laid plans can be spoilt be two large pests – rabbits and pigeons.

Rabbits are on the increase in our local area, and if not careful, they can decimate a crop overnight. Scent barriers have limited success and need regular replenishment. Noise barriers are even less effective in my experience. Fencing has some protection but burrowing and jumping are sports in the Rabbit Olympics.

Pigeons can also pick at vegetables, especially in the winter months they will attack your purple sprouting broccoli.

The best solution, short of standing outside all night with a shotgun is to cover up the vegetables in netting. It’s not ideal if you are aiming for an ornamental vegetable garden but, it is less unsightly than leaves with big holes in veg.

This is a simple contraption with six stakes topped off with a flower pot. A net is then secured over the top, providing an effective barrier against wild animals.