Gardeners Tips

Verticillium fungi is a soil-borne fungal disease that can survive for 10 or more years in the soil. I am worried that a variety of strawberries (Hypia) I have just bought may be susceptible and despite treatment with sulphur based products I have to just hope.

Main symptoms
Yellowing leaves, leaf wilting and dieback
Curling leaves and discolored streaks on stems
All can lead to low yields and plant death.

What is Affected
Strawberries, berry canes, including raspberries and blackberries are particularly susceptible to infection.
Tomato, potatoes, peppers and eggplant
Some other vegetables and ornamental plants

Prevention not Cure
Good hygiene particularly clearing dropped fruit in autumn.
Don’t throw wilted leaves or any part of an infected plant onto the compost pile.
If you’ve had wilt don’t plant the same crop in the same ground.
Remove stricken growth or the whole plant

Lily themed week shows some more waterlilies and tips for a happy pond.

Tips for Growing Water Lilies

• Different lilies enjoy different depths from 6″ – 48″
• The native nymphaea alba is too thuggish for all but the largest ponds.
• Avoid shade,  Water Lilies need sunshine.
• Water Lilies like still water and do not go well with fountains. …

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An excellent way to start off sweet peas, is to use a piece of old guttering.

• Fill the gutter with compost and place seeds at appropriate intervals (3cm apart). They can be sown from March to May
• Place the piece of guttering at a slight angle so that excess water will drain away.
• Keep well watered and when the seedlings have reached a height of 5-6 inches they can be planted out.
• The advantage of using plastic guttering is that it becomes easy to plant out. Just push the seedlings out of the guttering and drop into a hole and the appropriate planting distance.
• Growing in plastic guttering makes it easier to protect the vulnerable seedlings from slugs and snails. They can also be grow indoors to give the seedlings a head start.
• Sweet peas grow long roots and need a deep pot

Some Tips for Encouraging wildlife into your garden:

Stack of Logs.

If you make a small stack of logs and cones, you will provide shelter for a variety of small creatures such as frogs, insects and small mammals. The stack of logs can be attractive in its own right and helps to build up an eco system in the garden.

Nesting boxes.

Choose a variety of nesting boxes for birds and also insects. One of the most useful creatures in the garden is the hoverfly. Former BBC gardeners world presenter, Geoff Hamilton, used to provide nesting boxes especially for hoverflies and ladybird, he even used to harden off the nesting spaces.

Water.

A pond with easy access from the side will be much appreciated by birds, hedgehogs and frogs. Make sure it is easy to access from the sides. In summer keep the pond topped up; this can be very important during very dry periods, when many water sources may dry up.

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Penstemon are one of the most underated herbaceous perennials. Relatively easy to grow they can give an uninterupted display of flowers for several months.

The growing requirements of penstemon are fairly basic

• Like a well drained soil. Penstemon do not like a heavy waterlogged clay
• Like full sun. or at least sun for part of the day.
• Penstemon are hardy, but, early growth may be caught by late frosts. It is advisable to cut back Penstemon in spring time – April /early May This means old growth will provide some shelter from frost. It is important to cut back otherwise they will become woody.
• Benefits from general fertiliser in early May

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Fountain in Oxford Botanic gardens.

One of the best ways to enhance a garden is through the addition of a water feature. Water brings a new element to the garden. In this photo the sunlight has caught the spray from the fountain, lighting up the picture.

Benefits of Adding Water Feature to garden

• Water helps create interest
• Creates a focal point in the garden
• Sound is reassuring soothing; it adds an extra element to the garden
• Children will love them.

Downside of Fountains

• Moving water can damage plants. Water lilies prefer  still or slow moving water.
• There is a cost of running and maintenance of a fountain.
• You need to keep an eye on safety

 

I took this photo in Autumn last year, outside Merton College, Oxford near to Christchurch Meadow. The natural sunlight highlights the colours of the changing leaves.
The sugars in the old leaves can create wonderful colours ni autumn