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Category: Gardening

General gardening tips and hints

Quirky One Off Gardening Tips

Quirky One Off Gardening Tips

Give slugs a slug of beer to drown in. Birds succeed in your garden if you give them seeds to suck!

Gardeners Tips want to live up to its name but it is hard to make a full post out of some small tips. So here is a few uncodified items that may be of use.
Why not pay a visit to ‘the less fattening flower show’ your own Lo-cal flower show.

Vegetables
Parsnip seeds are often sown too early and rot. In April put seeds in the fridge for a week, to help break dormancy, before sowing. Bring back to room temperature, allow to dry, sow and mark the row with radishes that germinate quicker.
Grow green Soyabean seeds  ‘Envy’ or ‘Agate’  this May for 20+ pods per plant but add rhizomatous bacteria to the soil when sowing.
When herbs flower they loose some flavour so cut Chives and Fennel to the ground and other leafy herbs down by half as soon as they have flowered.
Pinch out the top inch of broad bean plants when you spot any black-fly.
Calendula ‘Pot Marigolds’ help keep green and black flies off your veg

Coloured veg plot
Practical Gardening
Water plants from a water butt as any water direct from the mains is likely to be cold.
Black plastic pots get hotter than the terracotta equivalents by absorbing the suns heat. It suits some plants but dries out quicker so I use one size larger than normal.
If planting bulbs in pots the deeper the pot the taller the bulb and flower is likely to grow.

Pruning
Prune Lavender in August to remove old flowers and a couple of inches of new growth but do not cut  into old wood. Then in March lightly trim again to tidy up. Put August prunings in a sandy soil as cuttings to propagate new plants.
There is no law that says you must prune Roses. Left alone they will be fine, more roses are killed by over pruning than anything else.
Cutting dried or desiccated plums from a tree is not pruneing. Prune prune-plums in summer.

Moss is Green and Environmentally Friendly

Moss is Green and Environmentally Friendly

Moss in the right place can look good but in your lawn it is a no-no.

Moss

Whilst I am on an environmentally friendly kick I thought I would comment on Moss.
Mosses are bryophytes and there are over 10,000 species that grow from spores. Moss can grow on rocks, roof, lawns paths and many other places. Beware raking or removing live moss as you only spreads the spores.

Sphagnum moss is a group of several hundred mosses that can decay into peat over many decades and centuries. The sphagnum peat is the dead brown moss formed in boggy conditions that have now been exploited or over exploited for peat burning and garden purposes. Use peat substitutes to protect our old peat bog environments.

Moss Facts

  • Moss traps carbon and as peat locks up carbon gasses
  • Sphagnum moss can hold 20 times its own weight in water.
  • Moss is slow to rot as it contains carbolic acid and the boggy conditions where it grows remove oxygen. It also gets its only nutrient from rain water which adds to the acidity.

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Growing Scilla mischtschenkoana or Squills

Growing Scilla mischtschenkoana or Squills

More spring bulbs to try on for size.

Scilla mischtschenkoana
Scilla commonly know as Squills are a group of bulbs for outdoor and Alpine house growing. The ice-blue flowers of Scilla mischtschenkoana open out almost flat, first appear in February and continue well into March. Sunshine and a well-drained soil will make them at home in a bed or in thin grass.

Other members of the family include

  • Scilla bifolia -one of the earliest bulbs to flower, often with the snowdrops. It has a raceme of small, intense blue starry flowers.
  • Scilla sibirica ‘Spring Beauty’ is taller and has nodding flowers of intense royal blue during March or April.
  • Scilla peruviana has large heads of deep violet-blue flowers with strap like leaves.
  • Scilla lilio-hyacinthus. prefers woodland habitats with broad, fleshy leaves and pyramidal heads of sky-blue excelling in a cool, humus rich soil.

    • Scillia bifolia

    Scilla bifolia above and Scilla mischtschenkoana growing outdoors in a gravel bed below

Scilla mischtschenkoana

See ‘Why don’t my Scilla look like this?’

Primula & Polyanthus Seed Sowing Secrets

Primula & Polyanthus Seed Sowing Secrets

primulas

There should be no great secrets to sowing seeds of one of our favourite genus the Primula. However with in excess of 600 species and 30 different groups or sections you need to be on top of your seed sowing game.

Primula allionii

Secrets of Timing when Sowing Primula

  • Nature sows seeds soon after flowering. If it is good for mother nature it likely to be good for gardeners.
  • On the other hand most seed can remain viable for several years. Keep the seed in packets in a screw-topped jar and store in the cool & dark preferably in a fridge
  • If you sow before the end of May the plants have time to develop before winter.
  • Sowings can be made up to the end of July as long as you keep the seed compost cool and moist.
  • The later you leave it the more difficult it is for small plants unestablished Primulas through a winter season.
  • Primula seeds germinate best when they are fresh and ripe.
  • Alpine Species generally benefit from natural freezing and thawing to get them germinating so it’s important to sow as early as possible.

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Easy Clematis Pruning

Easy Clematis Pruning

Do not sweat the problem of pruning clematis – do what seems right following these guidelines if you must.
c1

Easy Clematis Pruning Tips

  • Prune all Clematis in Spring, early Spring for late flowering Clematis that flower on new wood and late Spring after flowering for Clematis that flower on old wood.
  • The later in the year it flowers the harder you should prune it.
  • Treat your Clematis as a flowering shrub.

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Overkilling Slugs

Overkilling Slugs

Slugs will feel blue after this diet.
growing-slug-pellets

Killing Slugs

This gardener has found a new way of killing slugs using pellets. I think it is called saturation bombing. Those slugs not hit on the head will die long before they have gorged on the little blue devils that have been broadcast around and over the Pansies.

If you use slug pellets I recommend little and often – two or three pellets near a small plant will be enough. Slug pellets work by being more attractive to slugs than the juicy green leaves. Except in heavy rain they should remain effective for a couple of weeks.

I have lost upto half of my Runner Bean seeds to mice and will have to sow again. A shame the mice won’t eat slug pellets.

On the bright side my sunken beer-laced slug traps are catching many slugs so I do not think the beer is totally wasted (and nor am I totally wasted).

Thrive in the Garden with Disability

Thrive in the Garden with Disability

newby-hall-009

Thrive is a national charity that helps people with a disability to start or continue gardening. They have specific assistance for wheelchair users, those recuperating from heart disease or strokes and many other tips and assistance. I am indebted to them for these tips and ideas that we can all learn from.

Tips on Garden Design for all Disabled Gardeners

  • Garden layout can make a real difference to how you enjoy gardening. Depending on your disability, it might be easier to focus more on container growing. Make sure any ground level areas are low maintenance to keep the digging and weeding needed to a minimum. Plan plenty of seats around the garden to save your energy and have some shady areas where you can sit to garden on hot days.
  • Avoid large lawns and lawns with sharply curved edges as they will be more time consuming to maintain. Consider having a semi-wild lawn with mown paths to save time and effort. Lawns are difficult to manage so consider replacing some or all of the lawn with a hard surface.
  • Borders will be more manageable if you can reach across them easily. So make your flower borders no more than 2 foot wide if you have access from one side, or 4 foot wide if you can reach from all sides.
  • Containers and raised beds can look attractive and are ideal if you want to start gardening on a small scale. A raised bed can be raised just a few inches, or could be at a comfortable height for you to sit or even stand.
  • Ponds can be a delightful garden feature but be aware that maintaining a pond can involve heavy jobs like clearing weed, and open water can be a danger. A small raised pond might be safer and easier to maintain and it will be easier to enjoy sitting down than a ground level pond. Why not look at installing a low maintenance water feature instead of a pond so you can still enjoy the sound and visual interest of flowing water.
  • You’ll feel safer and will be able to get things done faster if all your paths are even, with a surface that gives good grip. A 3 feet wide path is recommended as a minimum. Changes in level are a common hazard in gardens so consider installing ramps.
  • Consider having a table outside for gardening jobs like seed sowing and potting up. A recess in the table will make it easier to reach things. Plan in water butts or stand pipes around the garden to save time and effort when watering.
  • Take time to choose any paving – it should be non-slip and non-glare.
  • Always choose safe power sources for any power tools or mower that you might want to use. All electrical equipment should be fitted with a residual circuit breaker.
  • Plan how you are going to move things around the garden. Twin-wheeled lightweight barrows, barrows to use one-handed, trolleys or flexible buckets are options that can save energy and strain. Choose a composting system that suits you – there are many different models and bins can be positioned at different heights to save bending.
  • Get rid of or avoid plants that cause you problems – rampant growers, plants that take up too much space, plants that are hazardous to you, or that cast too much shade.

Other Links

Royal Horticultural Society RHS ‘Gardening for All’
National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens ‘Conservation through Cultivation.’
Garden Organic National Charity for Organic Gardening.
BBC Gardening

More Spring Shrubs

More Spring Shrubs

Some of the first shrubs to flower, each year, produce the best show

Magnolia 11

Magnolia buds are just bursting on the top picture. This single Camellia has a vibrant colouring but has dropped some buds. The Rhododendron is a shocking pink for this time of year but what showy flowers.

Magnolia

The Magnolia society promotes this astounding flowering shrub.

camellia

Camellia Bud Drop

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Gardening Society as a Christmas Presents

Gardening Society as a Christmas Presents

There are all sorts of presents you can give an avid gardener for Christmas. A concept present may be a small collection of garden ornaments or funny sayings. More seriously garden tokens are always useful.

Another present could be a subscription to the Royal Horticultural Society or a specialist plant or society or charity such as one of the following (other clubs are available):

I hope you aren’t spoilt for choice but if so there is still:

Lupins their Pests and Diseases

Lupins their Pests and Diseases

Dirty great clumps of greenfly can infest your Lupins.

lupin

Lupins can be grown from the seed you collect.
If buying a potted plant see what the colour and spike is like before you buy. A good plant will last several years with little fungal problems.
If you want a second flush of flowers it is best to dead head the spires of blossom. Deadheading saves energy in the plant.

Lupin Problems and Treatments

  • Slugs like the tender shoots and snails seem to have attached themselves to the stronger leaves this year in my garden. I need a lot of grit around the base of the plants before they start to grow or to buy some nematodes as the weather improves.
  • Green fly gather in great quantities on my second flush of blooms and need to be washed off in soapy water or a systemic insecticide used.

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