Flowers and Plants – Page 62

Growing Pulmonaria and Lungworts

February 1, 2015 tejvan

Â Pulmonaria Officianalis Red Start has been in flower since mid-January in my Yorkshire garden. The colour is a but special for this time of year.

The lungworts are the genus Pulmonaria of flowering plants / herbs in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe and western Asia. The name is derived from the Latin pulmo (the lung). There was a time when Lungworts were used to treat pulmonary infections and that is how they got their name.

Features of Pulmonaria

There are many different varieties and can easily set seed. If you want to keep track of names and varieties, prevent setting seed and propagate by division.
Good companion plants include Helleborus Orientalis, Snowdrops and winter aconite.
Flowers in blue or red arrive as early as February
Makes excellent ground cover in shady spots.
Pulmonaria are liked by bees for their nectar.

Tips for Growing Pulmonaria

Cool shady spots. Dislikes drying out in winter.
To avoid mildewed leaves, keep well watered, and remove any infected leaves.

Hellebore Heaven or Hell

January 30, 2015 hortoris

Lenten rose or Christmas rose the Helebores have a big claim to be heavenly plants.

I get fascinated by different plants at different times of the year and currently it is the colour of Hellebores that are exercising my imagination. Am I right in contrasting the deep purple bracts above with a devilish or even hellish colour. Perhaps that is taking things a bit far for a plant that starts the year as the Christmas Rose and becomes the Lenten Rose.
…

Dahlias of all Types with Tips

January 28, 2015 hortoris

Hungry feeders and thirsty plants can repay a bit of support with oodles of colourful flowers.

Dahlia Types

Cactus or semi-cactus like this Dana, Super (red) or Morley Lass a pale yellow
Single flowered dahlias are open centred flowers up to 4 inches in diameter with a single ring of florets around a central disc. There are self colours or some bicolours.
Collarette similar to singles with a extra ring of shorter florets around the middle
Ball dahlias or the smaller pompon have tight spherical flowerheads
Decorative dahlias are classified for shows in large (over 10 inch blooms), medium, small and miniature sizes
Other miscellaneous dahlias that don’t fall into another category often linked to the flower formations of other plants like Chrysanthemeum, Anemone, Paeony, Orchid or Water-Lily forms.
Annual bedding dahlias from seed

Cultivation tips for Dahlias

Start tubers into growth in March in a frost free environment
Thin to 3 shoots and stop them if they get to 6 inches. Spare shoots can be rooted as cuttings.
…
Read More Read More

Half Hardy Annuals Top Ten

January 23, 2015 hortoris

What Are Half Hardy Annuals

Annuals grow from seed, flower, get pollinated, make more seed and die in the same year.
Half hardy annuals will die if it is too cold or frosty.
Half-hardy annuals must be sown under cover with gentle heat in February if they are to germinate and have a flying start.
Half-hardy annual plugs and plants can survive an odd chilly night temperatures 35 – 45 degrees F.
Tender annuals such as Begonias, Impatiens and Zinnia will not survive temperatures much below 50 F.
Half-hardy annuals die off as soon as the first frost arrives or after they have seeded whichever is sooner.

General Advice on Half Hardy Annuals

Sow thinly on the surface of trays or pots of good compost. Cover with grit.
Prick out into modules or big seed trays when true leaves are visible, then keep potting on until all danger of frost is gone and the plants are big enough to fend for themselves.
Annuals are great for creating instant effects as they flower quickly to squeeze in their whole life cycle during one summer.
Half-hardy annuals take loner to acclimatise to out door conditions of wind rain and cooler nights. Thus they need to be introduced to the outdoors slowly (Hardening Off).

Our Selected Top Ten Half Hardy Annuals

Phlox

Petunias

Nasturtium majus ‘Orange Troika’ orÂ Tropaeolum majus, Indian Cress

Marigold Tagetes patula, French and African Marigolds

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rubenza’

Dahlia variabilis ‘Bishop’s Children’

Lobelia erinus ‘Cascade Mixed’

Mesembryanthemum criniflorum ‘Apricot Tutu’ or Dorotheanthus bellidiformis, Livingstone Daisy, Ice Plant

Nemesia caerulea or Nemesia foetens andÂ Nemesia fruticans

Antirrhinum majus ‘Royal Bride’Â a white Snapdragon

Notes
Busy Lizzie ‘Accent Mystic Mixed’ F1 Hybrid or Impatiens walleriana were originally in our top ten. However the last few crops have failed to produce the colourful displays we have come to expect due to a wilting disease.
We hope to reinstate these flowers in future lists. Perhaps we will extend our list to a top twenty,

Credits
crimson rambler’ by WindsurfGirl CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Tiny green bug by Badly Drawn Dad CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Growing Fennel for Home Cooking

January 22, 2015 hortoris

Fennel is a fine herb and aniseedy tasting vegetable that you can grow and cook at home from a simple packet of seeds. You can eat the bulb, leaves and stems fresh then save the seeds to eat in dried form.

Growing Varieties of Fennel

Sow seeds April to July. Prepare the ground well and rake to a fine tilth before sowing. Sow outdoors where they are to grow, Â½in deep in rows 15in apart.
When large enough to handle thin out to 9in apart.
Prefers a well drained soil in full sun and should not be allowed to dry out. The bulbs of Florence Fennel should be watered well in dry weather.
Soil needs to be drawn around the bottom of the bulbs when it reaches the size of a golf ball. After it has reached this size it should more than double in size over the next 2-3 weeks this is when it is ready to harvest.
The hardy perennial Fennel Victoria F1 Hybrid Seeds
available from Thompson & Morgan produce bulbs that can be harvested July to October.
Outstanding yields of large, smooth and pure white bulbs with an enticing and traditional aniseed flavour. Fennel Victoria is a newly bred form which has neat foliage and improved resistance to bolting.
Foeniculum vulgare is the normal green form with Foeniculum ‘Purpureum’ a bronze-leaved” fennel that is grown as a decorative garden plant.

Fennel Herb ‘Foeniculum vulgare’Â seeds from Thompson & Morgan produce fine foliage useful for cooking purposes and the flowers are yellow. It can be prone to bolting after seeds are transplanted.

Cooking Home Grown Fennel

Use the frondy leaves to flavour delicate dishes
‘Fennel is delicious, with a sweet and delicate aniseed flavour. Use in salads and with fish to counteract oiliness.
Beauty: An infusion of Fennel used as a compress is excellent for softening rough chapped hands. Pour hot water over the leaves and stems for a cleansing facial steam bath.
Nature’s Remedy: Reputed use for many ailments, particularly regularising painful and abnormal menstrual periods. It has long been recommended to combat obesity and aid slimming, as an eyewash for sore eyes and as a gentle laxative. Steep 1 tablespoonful of freshly crushed seeds in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste.’

Credits
Fennel by Satrina0, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) by epicnom CC BY-NC 2.0 ‘Beautiful herb, long used and appreciated for it’s many medicinal uses. It has also been used as a flavouring for many things, including toothpaste. Fennel tea, made from the seeds, is very good for mild digestive problems and can be helpful for menopausal symptoms.It is lovely to grow, as it attracts hoverflies and bees.’

Primula Kewensis One of the Worlds Top Ten

January 18, 2015 hortoris

It is believed that the Kew Primrose, Primula Kewensis was bred from Primula verticillata and Primula floribunda around 1905. It should be high in the world’s top ten Primula varieties. It flowers yellow or lemon-yellow and has these attractive leaves when grown in the cold Alpine house.The downy powder is called meal or Farina and gives a grey-green appeal to the leaves similar to some show Auriculas. The seeds grow true and do not hybridise.

There are approaching 500 species of Primulas and numerous societies who specialise in the genus. The National Auricula and Primrose society Northern branch, The American Primula Society

As seen in the exotic green houses of the Belgian National Botanical Garden.

More Primula seeds from Thompson & Morgan

Credits
Primula by Badly Drawn Dad CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Primula Kewensis to start the week by Vainsang CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Growing Garden Peas

January 17, 2015 tejvan

peas

This photo shows some young pea plants ready to grow up some pea sticks.

Garden peas can be one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow because their taste, fresh from the garden, is really something. They also give a good cropping ratio for the amount of land used and so are good for small gardens. Also grown up pea sticks like this they make an attractive vegetable – so could even be grown in your front garden! Modern chefs are keen to use the tender pea shoots with all the pea flavour but none of the starch. I still prefer the mushy peas but it is an acquired northern taste.

As a final bonus, the legume family tend to help put nitrogen back into the soil so are great in crop rotationÂ before heavy nitrogen users like Green vegetables.

In the early days of sowing they will need protection from frost and slugs. Their leave are tender and so need careful hardening off or covering with fleece during their early days. Also if you are not careful an army of slugs and snails can decimate your crop overnight. See: Methods to reduce slugs

Peas do need supporting, otherwise they will flop over where the crop will be lower and more liable to be eaten by slugs. These pea sticks make an attractive and functional natural support. You can buy them or look for suitable twigs from your own trees. It is good to put them in early and if necessary make a tie to get them started. But, generally, the pea tendrils will find the stick for support.

If you sow indoors during March, they will be ready for planting out late April and this will give a good crop around July. They are quite quick growing so you can stagger sowing by 3 weeks to give you a longer cropping season.

Related

Top Ten Round Courgette Varieties

January 16, 2015 hortoris

If you are getting round to ordering your new vegetable seeds try a round courgette and have a ball

Curcurbita pepo may have been cultivated for upwards of 5,000 years but I bet they have not always been called Courgettes. We already call them Courgettes, Zucchini, Squash or Marrows.
Below are some of the named varieties of round or ball shaped courgettes now available in the UK and elsewhere.

Top Ten Round or Ball Shaped Courgettes

De Nice a Fruit Rondo – pick from golf ball size upwards.
Tondo Chiaro di Nizza
Florido a yellow fruit
Summer Ball
One Ball another yellow round variety, grow with Eightball.
Tondo di Piacenza a dark green italian variety
Brice a light green skinned ball shaped courgette
Eight Ball is a snooker ball sized courgette OK as a marrow
Zucca Marina sweet skin, yellow flesh and upto 20lbs in weight.
Tricolour F1 hybrid round Courgettes available from Thompson & Morgan

Other sources Marrows – Watering, Pollinating and Harvesting
Seed suppliers list

Top photo Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) by adactio.
Second Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by marcusfrieze

Growing Sprouting Seeds for Salads and Stir Fry

January 15, 2015 hortoris

Seeds that have germinated and grown roots (radicles) and sprouts (plumules) can add flavour and texture to your meals. They do not take up space in your garden and can be grown all year round.

Bean sprouts in Chinese restaurants are crispy additions to the flavours and textures of your meal. The trick to growing long crisp sprouts is to grow them under pressure. In a dark, free draining container put a half inch layer of bean seeds, cover with a damp cloth and put a one pound weight on top. Rinse daily under a tap and 4-5 days later they will be ready to eat.

Open sprouting can be done like our childhood mustard and cress on a foam base covered with layers of paper towels or on moist cotton wool. Cover with tin foil to exclude the light and germinate in a warm spot.Â Method 2 Put some seeds in the bottom of ajar and cover with water to soak for twelve hours. The seeds will expand a lot as they grow. Half to one inch (1cm â€“ 2cm) of dried seeds will usually fill a jar. It varies between seeds â€“ radish expand more than sunflowers.
After twelve hours rinse the seeds in room temperature water then drain the water leaving seeds damp. Repeat every 12 hours for 3-4 days until ready to eat.

There is a wide variety of seeds that can be eaten as sprouts or seedlings but do not eat legumes to excess. Legumes, particularlyÂ Broad beans and French beans areÂ slightly toxic. Corriander, Leeks and Onions can be eaten as seedlings. Cereals are only eaten as very small sprouts. All Brassicas can be eaten as seedlings.Â Buy from health food shops or specialist suppliers and keep seed cool and dry until ready to use. Below is a table of some suitable plants for sprouting.

Common Name	Days to Sprout	Length when edible
Lima beans	3-5	12-25 mm
Mung Beans	3-5	12- 75 mm

Fenugreek	3-5	12-50 mm
Lentil	2-4	6-20 mm
Alfalfa	1-4	very tiny
Clover	2-5	very tiny
Buckwheat	3-5	tiny
Radish	2-4	12-25 mm
Barley & Rye	3-5	very tiny
Sunflower	1-3	12-38 mm
Sweet Corn	1-3	6-12 mm

Papery Flowers of Orange Physalis

January 14, 2015 hortoris

Chinese lantern, Physalis franchetii, grows from seed and is a very short lived herbaceous perennial. It will grow two feet tall and bear small, white flowers followed by large, balloon-like papery husks in July and August.

Growing Chinese Lanterns

The Chinese lantern plant is valued for its inflated orange-red seed coverings or calyx which resemble miniature Chinese lanterns.
Inside each 2-inch long husk is a small edible but often tasteless red fruit. The lanterns are not edible
The leaves are long pointed and heartshaped.
The plant can tolerate very cold conditions, flower quickly from seed and like full sun.
For winter bouquets, cut the stems in Autumn just as the lanterns turn color, remove the leaves and hang them, right side up, to dry in a shady, airy place.
They are related to the Cape Gooseberry Physalis peruviana and other species to try include P. Alkekengi

Gardeners Tips

Tips and advice for gardeners about gardening

Browsed by
Category: Flowers and Plants