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Category: Gardening

General gardening tips and hints

Purple Flowers Attract Insects

Purple Flowers Attract Insects

Are insects attracted to colours or do some purple flowers have more nectar and pollen to attract insects in the first place?
Anne Bebbington quoted in Science and Plants for schools says ‘You need to take into account that different sorts of insects see colour differently. Most insects except for some butterflies do not see red well. Flowers may have colour which we can’t see but insects can e.g. ultraviolet markings.
Colour is not the only thing that attracts insects, scent e.g. is often important. Again it it is very likely that there are scents that we can not detect.’

According to my Lithuanian friends ‘If you keep bees, or if you would like to attract more of them into your garden, consider sowing lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.), viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare L.) and borage (Borago officinalis L.). In addition to their honey-producing properties, they also make an attractive addition to your border. Some attention should be given to caterpillars of butterflies. Plants in the pea family (clover, sweet clover), as well as the cruciferous plants (field penny-cress, shepherd’s purse, bitter cress, brassicas) are most appealing to caterpillars of beneficial insects.’ see more on mygarden.

Fpor more varieties of Purple flowers read or Purple patch

Quick Gardeners Tips

Quick Gardeners Tips

Holly in the Wild

A tip of the month from last years gardening calendar with selected additions from Gardeners tips.

  1. Recycle your Christmas Tree by shredding it for mulching Rhododendrons
  2. Put out fresh food and water for the birds through winter
  3. Protect emerging shoots from Slugs from March
  4. Plant strongly scented plants next to edible ones to deter pests

    5. …

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Growing Butternut Squash

Growing Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash are delicious, prolific and easy to grow. They like to ramble and scramble, pinch out when the lead shoot is 3 feet long to encourage fruiting. Each plant can produce 4-8 fruit each weighing over 2 pounds. Butternut Squash has a sweet, nutty taste that is similar to pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer.
I am going to try again this year as I have never been successful with this crop. I will content my self with 2-3 fruit per plant and will pollinate by hand.

  • Grow from seed when the risk of frost has gone and plant out 3 foot apart.
  • During the growing season it is vital to ensure that the plant never dries out to stop fruit being shed.
  • Deep beds with a mulch of rotted horse manure and a weekly feed with Miracle-gro or Phostrogen will help crop size.
  • Keep stalks/stems dry to avoid rotting.

Harvesting and Storing

When the fruit is ripe the texture of the skin becomes firm, golden in colour and will easily resist the pressure of your thumb nail. Like a melon, it “rings” when given a good rap.
Storage as for all vegetables of this type is in a clean, cool, dry place. I have seen them stored in a loft space on top of fiber glass insulation.
If picked in late September they can last until April the following year.

Winter Barbara Butternut F1  Seeds by Thompson Morgan

Waltham Dutchy Originals  Seeds by Thompson Morgan

More Cultivation Instructions

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Titanic Garden Icebergs

Titanic Garden Icebergs

Your autumn garden may still contain Ice Plants but how many Icebergs have you grown. Before global warming addles everyone’s brains why not grow roses and lettuce that even the kids will think are cool.

Rose Iceberg
Rosa Iceberg

Global warming has not made my Iceberg Rose melt or disappear. On the contrary it is doing very well despite the rain.

Amongst the top picks for many rose enthusiast this is one shrub that can look after itself. Any floribunda rose should have lots of buds and blossom and Iceberg doesn’t disappoint. These buds are slightly pink, opening regularly through summer and autumn to display classic white roses.

Compared to other roses this plant is disease resistant, feeds some aphids and has sharp thorns but all is forgiven in lieu of its great display.

Tips

  • Icebergs bloom on new wood so prune before Easter to get good growth.
  • Encourage your Iceberg to grow tall (4 foot) in a ‘White Garden’ – you can also get Iceberg as a climber sport

miniature iceberg lettuce

Iceberg Two
Vegetable gardeners will think of the Iceberg lettuce before roses.
To me they are not big on taste but great on texture. Crisp and juiciest of the many Lettuce varieties the Iceberg is a household favourite.
Due to the high water content Iceberg lettuce are not much good once the frost arrives.

iceberg lettuce 2

Photo credits

miniature iceberg lettuce by MuffetCC BY 2.0
iceberg lettuce 2 by wintersoul 1 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Growing Gazania ‘cos they goes in here

Growing Gazania ‘cos they goes in here

Gazinia

These flowers goes-in-‘ere

Gazania are one of the most colourful of garden flowers. The star shaped daisy like flowers can be up to 3 inches across and are available in a range of colours as this photo shows.
The flowers of most varieties are stripped and zoned. As in this photo they display their vibrant colours even in cloudy conditions but prefer the hot sun.

Gazinia …

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Tree Planting Tips

Tree Planting Tips

Planting Deciduous Trees

Tree planting isn’t difficult as long as you remember a few top tips. Find out how tall the tree will grow so you can plan and allow enough space. Do not plant trees with big root systems too close to buildings. Focus on getting good root systems in the first year. I prefer bare rooted trees to container grown trees to help root growth.

Season for Planting

Choosing the right season is important for your tree’s health. The best season to plant just any all tree is Autumn or early winter when the weather is cooler but not yet freezing. The roots will develop in the cooler weather, and by spring, the tree will be ready to put on leaves and take up nourishment.
Trees grown in pots can be planted as soon as they have been purchased. Avoid pots where the roots are pushing through or are tightly twisted around the pot.

Trees

Planting Your Tree

Prepare the soil where you want your tree by adding some compost and drainage material, if the soil is too water logged. Trees will be in the same position for a long time so I add some slow release bone meal fertiliser at the bottom of the hole. An old saying is dig a £30 hole for a £10 tree or make it a large, deep, well dug hole so the roots can spread. The tap root helps hold the tree in place and the hair roots help feed and water the tree. Spread the roots out cutting off any damaged roots. Tease out the root ball from a pot grown tree to avoid roots curling back on themselves.

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Favourite Ornamental Grasses

Favourite Ornamental Grasses

Grasses including bamboos can introduce different shades, shapes and textures to your planting scheme. Grasses produce long narrow leaves that contrast well with other plants or shrubs so they are worth growing in mixed and prairie planting schemes. Many grasses have luxurious seed heads and are worth growing for that feature alone.

Top 5 Favourite Grasses. …

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Plug for Jersey Direct Plug Plants

Plug for Jersey Direct Plug Plants

wall flower

Plug plants are an excellent way to acquire plants without the risks, time, space and effort needed with seeds. They are a fantastic way to buy annuals, perennials or bedding plants to fill your garden with colour or get some part grown veg plants.

July is a good time to order spring-flowering wallflowers, primroses, pansies and bulbs amongst others. I have just used Jersey Direct for my wallflowers that I want to get in early this year so they have a chance to get bushy. Generally I leave them to get a bit straggly so I must remember to pinch out the growing tip before they start their winter slumber.

If you wish to see what other plants are available as garden ready plugs for delivery from now until October from Jersey Direct click on our button on the bottom right.

March Jobs

Icebergs Rosey and Leafy

Icebergs Rosey and Leafy

Rose Iceberg
Rosa Iceberg

Global warming has not made my Iceberg rose melt or disappear. On the contrary it is doing very well.

In the top picks for many rose enthusiast this is one shrub that can look after itself. Any floribunda rose should have lots of buds and blossom and Iceberg doesn’t disappoint. These buds are slightly pink, opening regularly through summer and autumn to display classic white roses.

Compared to other roses this plant is disease resistant, feeds some aphids and has sharp thorns but all is forgiven in lieu of its great display.

Tips

  • Icebergs bloom on new wood so prune before Easter to get good growth.
  • Encourage your Iceberg to grow tall in a ‘White Garden’ – you can also get Iceberg as a climber sport

…

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Good Value Rockery Tips

Good Value Rockery Tips

Rawdon Alpine Rockery

Save Money on Your Rockery

  • Less is more so have fewer, quality plants that you maintain to high standards.
  • Scavenge rocks from tips and waste land. Don’t take them from walls or important natural habitats. Each rock will be like treasure trove with many memories attached.
  • Make your rockery small, very small or minute. you can get a rockery in a 12″ plant pot with small rocks squeezed in on their edges.
  • House leeks, Sedums and other succulents throw off new plantlets very easily and they bulk up quickly so you don’t need too many plants.
  • Pinch bits from around your own garden.
  • Beg cuttings or ‘off-sets’ from your family, friends or foes.

Rockery
See also Rock Gardens in Miniature