Gardeners Tips – Page 33 – Tips and advice for gardeners about gardening

Trees for Burning

October 12, 2018 hortoris

I am indebted to Lars Mytting for the inspiration to write a post about ‘trees for burning’ that would fit with our gardeners tips. Trees are a good source of green energy that can oftenÂ be used for various constructions including boats and furniture instead of reaching a fiery end.

Odd Facts about Wood and Trees for Burning.

All timber has pound for pound the same calorific value. Some burn hot and fast whilst other yield their heat treasure more slowly. The heating values per cubic meter vary with the weight.
Virtually all trees will burn once they have dried. They will dry quicker if they are split as the bark retains moisture.
Wounded Pine trees produce a lot of resin which produces ‘fatwood’ that burns strongly.
Rowan and Birch make great glowing embers with which to rekindle a fire.
Stacked would is measured in cords (not music to my ears).

Different Trees

Ash contains less moisture than many common trees and the wood is prized for burning, furniture making and its ability to be coppiced.
Beech grows slowly but can be long lived reaching 5 feet in diameter.It has a fine texture and can be steamed and used in furniture making.
Birch grows tall, knot free and straight a virtue in wood that needs drying, chopping or using for furniture making. It rots quickly if left on the ground.
Spruce and other conifers are prone to spitting and crackling when burnt but provides quick heat.
Oak is revered for its strength and has long been used as a building material. It will burn with great satisfaction but who would want to destroy such a useful wood.
More individual pieces of Aspen are burnt than any other wood because Aspen is used to make matches.

What About Gardens and Trees for Burning

It would take a large garden to grow enough wood for burning to heat a house but dry branches and twigs can be a start.
Clean air acts and pollution have curtailed garden fires but dry wood burns in a chimneyed dustbin without too much smoke.
Charcoal for a barbecue is best bought specially for the purpose.
Firethorn, burning bushes and bonfire night plots are not trees for our type of burning.

Trees Burning with a Scent

All smoke smells to a greater or lesser extent but one all time favourite is wood from an Apple tree. The fruity aroma pervades the room.
Cedar has a strong scent that appeals to many. My house is named Cedar Ville for it’s cladding rather than burning (I hope).
Pine cones are a quick scented burner and the season wood will burn well if you can stand a pit of spitting.
If wood is hard to obtain you can get a herbal aroma from burning Rosemary or other fragrant herbs.

In the words of Lars -Â ‘In Learning About Wood, We Can Learn About Life

Part guide to the best practice in every aspect of working with this renewable energy source, part meditation on the human instinct for survival, this definitive handbook on the art of chopping, stacking and drying wood in the Scandinavian way has resonated across the world, with more than half a million copies sold worldwide.’

Seed Distribution Methods

October 12, 2018 hortoris

Trees, shrubs and all plants have developed methods to procreate and ensure the continuity of their species. ‘Natures Home winter 2018’ looks at trees that use Anemochory, Autochory, Zoochory, Barachory plus other methods. For our purposes we will look in the same order at wind distribution, explosive seed pods, animal dispersion and drop and roll plus other methods.

You might think this it is just an excuse to use this colourful photo of fruit and vegetables. Apples drop roll and rot on the ground. They are also consumed by animals and humans although most of use leave the core and seeds uneaten. Orange pips are distributed in a similar manner but the Dates at the back of the photo are eaten by animals and dropped in the dung.

Whilst potato plants multiply by underground tubers or spuds as we call them they also seed after the blue flowers. That is not the normal reproduction method in the UK. Tomato plants shed their seed when the fruit splits and can remain viable even after passing through the human body. Sewage works used to produce large numbers of tomato plants from digested seed

These Californian poppies Eschscholzia split open and spray the seed around. Here I am waiting to catch them as the ripened pods spring open.

Wind blown seeds are well known from our childhood with Dandelion clocks and Sycamore spinnersÂ that fly away from the parent plant. Some seed like Alder are designed to float on water whilst many use a variety of distribution methods.

Animal dispersal or Zoochory is often achieved by the ingestion of berries so birds are a main method. There are seeds that stick to animal fur like Teasels to ‘hitch a ride’.

Garden Ornaments, Outdoor Art and Statues

October 10, 2018 hortoris

You can trim your hedges and shrubs and / or trim up your garden with ornaments. No two gardens will ever be the same and your ‘trimming’ will help create your own unique style. I for one want more humour including Sherlock Gnomes and fertilising leaks and peas among my cabbages.

But remember loam wasn’t built in a day

Commonsense Garden Decoration

Keep objects in proportion to the areas where they are on show – too small and you can’t see them properly – too large and they dominate
Chose a style and stick too it – contemporary, classical, cottage, trad or what ever, a mix of styles is hard to pull off decoratively. Give an eleborate object a plain backdrop so it stands out.
In a busy border opt for simple shapes to contrast with densely packed vegetation.
Spheres, spirals, chimney pots, classic statues, tall oblique poles can all help create a focal point or focus of interest

Lighting and Illumination

Spot lights can be softer than floodlighting
Floodlights show off good decorative features but think about how shadows will fall
Down-lighters can show a path
Up-lighters on structures like pergolas can be effective.
solar lights are improving but need charging in low light conditions
Enjoy and use your creative instincts

Gnomeo Book and Gardening Club

In Praise of Single Flowers

September 14, 2018 hortoris

Gaillardia Bring Sunshine like Flowers to Borders

September 9, 2018 hortoris

Gaillardia is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family part of Compositae or Asteraceae like the daisy. Gaillardia are native to North and South America. I hope they grow well in Yorkshire as I have just created a new bed from birthday presents brought up from sunnier and warmer Oxford.

As a perennialÂ Gaillardia have a long flowering season are commonly called blanket flower, or if confused with Rudbeckia they can be called cone flower. The daisy-like flowers are produced from early summer to early autumn in shades of orange, red and yellow, add sizzle to the garden and attracting nectar-seeking insects.

Gaillardia Specifics from Gardeners Tips

Gaillardia do not require deadheadingÂ but the plants will look better and be fuller if you do cut the stems back when the flowers start to fade.
Â Gaillardia is easy to grow but can be a short-lived perennial so divide plants every 2-3 years and encourage reseeding.
Grow best in full sun.
Gaillarida forms a slowly spreading mound.
Gaillarida has lance-shaped gray-green leaves.
Flowers are 3 – 5 inches across in various shades of yellow and red. Most have petals surrounding a center disk which produces florets. Plants grow 18 inches high by up toÂ 24 inches wide
Â Gaillardia x grandifloraÂ Common Name: Blanket Flower
Part of the 1,620 Asteracea genera and 23,600 species of herbaceous plants. TheÂ 12 species of Gaillardia hybridise so we see a range of colours and forms.

Sowing Gaillardia Seed Tips

Sow fresh seed six to eight weeks before the lastÂ frostÂ in your area.
Use a moist but not soggy mix including some vermiculite
Sow three seeds in the center of the pot. Do not cover the seeds.
Mist over the top of the seeds.
Try provide a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and eight hours of light per day.
ToÂ avoid washing the seeds from the pot’s center or burying them under the soil apply water slowly when the soil becomes dry.
After germination remove the weakest seedlings and avoid disturbing the roots of the strongest seedling.
Fertilize the seedling every fortnight with a 10-10-10 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium water-soluble fertilizer.

Gaillardia with slippers. It goes to show that a cool blue will tone well in the garden with the bright Gaillardia colours.

What a Day for Hemerocallis – the Daylily

August 30, 2018 hortoris

Hemerocallis better known as ‘Day Lilies’ have given a wonderful show this year!

If you want extravagant colour Hemerocallis is a plant toÂ consider forÂ your garden. They are normally happy in sunny dry conditions.

Several varieties are shown here but many more can be seen on Google.

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It is worth deadheading Daylilies to prolong blooming especially if they are grown in an individual pot. This also has the benefit of improving the appearance your Hemerocallis

Rose Year 2018

August 28, 2018 hortoris

In the UK it has been a fantastic year for flowers, no more so than an English favourite the Rose.

Parks and gardens have been over flowing with stunning blooms and scents.

2018 may be the start of a rose resurgence and I will be tempted to buy a few more bare rooted rose trees this backend.

Have I just been fortunate or has the weather restricted pests and diseases? No rust, negligible blackspot and only one plant suffering from mildew.

It may be too soon to say farewell to greenfly but I live in hope for the second flush from the HT roses.

After generally a good year for fruit and berries I wonder what to expect from rose hips this autumn. My Rambling Rector put on a good show and now I hope for a surfiet of hips. Rugosa roses needed more moisture and were one of the few poor performance in 2018.

Glad I Planted Gladioli Again – 6 month update

August 25, 2018 hortoris

Every dog may have it’s day but great plant species move in and out of fashion. Now March 2018 it is the turn of Gladioli to retake center stage. In the 1960’s and 70’sÂ Gladiolus were all the rage and for many gardeners they were top of the popularity stakes. In 2018 they are making a well deserved come back if the media are to be believed. (the media pick up from the trade who must have been undertaking some stock building activities to establish good quantities of corms for sale). I for one have been lead astray by newspaper and magazine articles, vivid coloured packaging of a vibrancy yellow Glad and some carefully targeted adverts. I get these annual urges to focus one plant or group of plants for the year and 2018 is the turn of the gladiolus.

After digging out an old bed 7×7 feet square I planned to grow some sweetpeas and GladsÂ so after the orders were placed I watched some ‘how too’sÂ on youtube’ for a refresher course.

I am not growing for showing so my Gladioli can be grown in a relatively small area hopefully with good results for cut flowers.

Results to 26 Aug 2018

Objective one has been achieved. I have the best display of cut gladioli for the house and to give away as flowers to friends and neighbors.

Objective two of a good garden display has been less successful in that my staking has led to too many curb=ved blooms and impatience has made me cut the flowers rather than let them blossom in the garden. The colour mix on the other hand has been great and showy. The two stand out colours have been a pure white and strong red.

So revisiting Gladioli with the hope of more blooms still to come:

Top 5 Gladioli Lessons

There are approximately 260 species of Gladiolus largely endemic in Southern Africa. Plenty of variety to experiment with. Find out more from The British Gladioli Society
Treated as annuals you can plant Gladioli quite tightly with 70 or so to a square yard. (This has worked for me this year)
Plant deeper than you expect say 6″ in a trench withÂ sand at the base to aid drainage. (This has worked for me this year)
You can get good results by starting the corms off in damp sand to get good roots.
The larger the variety more more important it is to stake the plants. (A dwarf variety is disappointingly still to show any real flower this year).

Related image

Â Pricilla florets with 6 – 7 per stem on erect spikes with pointed sword-like leaves.

Gladioli are the flower of choice for 40th wedding anniversaries. It is too late for me and the missus now…The official flowers of fifty years of marriage are yellow roses and violets so that will have to do.

Other GTips

Gladioli 100 Day Display

Prize Gladioli Growing & Showing

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose in the Garden

August 17, 2018 hortoris

Now part of this garden is down to crazy paving the Qualcast grass box is needed less and can be put to a different use.Â It looks like a ‘unibarrow’Â has got in on the act to make a feature planter for these pansies.

Being green is second nature to Gardeners because we are so near to nature so reuse, reduce and recycle is part of our DNA.

Tips to help you reuse old tools

Sharpen blades, even on old spades, with a whet stone – angle the blade at 5-10Â° and push and pull across the stone – 5 times should be enough
Bind the handles of old tools with bright insulating tape so you can find them easily.
Look at car boots and secondhand sales for special tools that you will only use occasionally. I got an Onion hoe this way.
Put on a new handle or repurpose a tool so it can do an easier task. An old hand fork can be given a long handle for light digging without bending.
Go to a hire shop and reuse their tools
Old tools are often very well made and it is worth the effort of having them repaired professionally. If they have lasted a long time it is a sign they are fit for purpose.
Remember the 70 year old spade that had 10 new handles and 3 new blades.

Other Re-Tips

I get most of my many gardening books from charity shops and I recycle them there too.
I reuse garden center pots for seedlings and growing-on but would prefer more compostable materials to be used by suppliers.
Good gardeners recycle old plants via cuttings, seed collecting and splitting of clumps.
Buy locally grown plants as they will suit the local conditions and don’t come with exotic airmiles

What to Reduce in the Garden

Make low maintenance areas and reduce the labour you need.
With the right plant selection you will also reduce the amount of chemicals required.
Reduce the need for water by clever garden design
Reduce your carbon footprint. Grow dense hedges and trees to capture carbon.

Credit
Recycled greenhouse by scrappy annie CC BY-NC 2.0 ‘A greenhouse spotted in Stropkov, Slovakia a few years ago.
It was made from recycled plastic bottles, strung on to wires. A brilliant idea….’

Cooking Green: The Essential Guide to Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen by Kate Heyhoe

Buying and Planting Your Tulips

August 15, 2018 hortoris

Tulip Buying & Planting Tips

Marketing of bulbs starts earlier and earlier and this July saw some multiple chains offering pre-packed bulbs for sale. It is all very well getting ahead of the game so you get the varieties you want.
I belatedly have come to the conclusion that you get a better result and thus value for money from a specialist grower or retailer. Choice of variety, size and bulb condition are generally better as they have a reputation to protect.
Beware how you store bulbs as they can dry out (but they will also dry out in store if left hanging on one of those POS units.) If you store tulips in humid conditions they may sprout early or get mildew.
Normally I try and plant my Tulips by the end of December but this year I am a bit late. Still Tulips have a great capacity to catch up before April when they flower.
I have not been successful planting tulips in pots but I shall keep trying. Perhaps deeper in long toms is the answer; I will let you know.

black-parrot-van-meuwe

Varieties Planted

Monte Carlo a double yellow only 12 ” tall. They have an AGM and are reputed to be fragrant.
Apricot Parrot has feathered bicoloured petals. There is a bit of green on the outer petals with red and apricot shades on the inner petals. These Tulips are about 22″ tall
Another lower growing Tulip Greigii called Queen Ingrid at 14″ caught my eye with red petals edged in white
Bulbs varied in size from 10-13cm. I have planted most in pots that I can bury in the ground where there is a gap and take up quickly after flowering.