Warm Your Soil

Warm Your Soil

Late winter and unseasonal snow has left many garden soils cold and inhospitable.
Spring is the time for new root growth and annual plants and vegetables need the best start possible.
Vegetables and ornamental plants need a bit of warmth to get established and growing away.
Clay soils is traditionally slow to warm through as they hold a bulk of water.

runner bean

Warming Your Soil

I use several methods to warm the soil and control the amount of water.
A cloche will cover an unsown area until you are ready to plant. It will slow down heat loss at night, speeds germination and also offers protection to young plants – I have started off my onion sets under a plastic tunnel type of cloche this month.
Black absorbs the suns heat and white tends to reflect heat. You can lay black plastic on an area of soil to get some warmth but ensure a good contact between the two. Hoe off any weeds before planting out.
Horticultural fleece is best for protecting young crops from late frost and will only do a little to warm the soil.
Compacted soil is inhospitable and likely to be cold. Incorporate plenty of humus and dig over to get air into the soil.

More Tips for a Cold Soil

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Orchid Compost a Treat for Orchids

Orchid Compost a Treat for Orchids

If you want to make your Orchids feel at home then use good Orchid compost and mimic natural conditions as best you can.
There are many proprietary brands available but you could do a lot worse than talk to an expert at a local Orchid show.

Orchids love humidity but hate wet feet so a free draining compost is preferred.
Some orchids are epiphytes that grow on other plants and trees and need to retain enough moisture when the opportunity arises.
All roots need air in greater or lesser proportions and some orchids have roots that grow out of pots into open air. That gives a clue as to what good Orchid compost will be like.
Orchids do not get any real food value from the free draining compost so need dilute feed in with the watering.
Orchids

Content of Orchid Compost

  • Bark chippings which come in differing sizes. For plants with thick roots choose a larger chips, if they are small and thin then choose small chippings.
  • Sphagnum moss, bark and  styrofoam mixed is good  for seedlings or very thinly rooted plants. It tends tol dry out quickly so watch the  watering.
  • Rock wool  mixed with a little perlite can seem dry on the surface   when very wet underneath and over time breaks down into a hard mass.
  • Lump peat and styrofoam is good for Phalaenopsis and those plants requiring a little more moisture retention.

Orchid Compost Tips

  • You can buy a proprietary Orchid compost at most garden centres
  • Compost breaks down and Orchids need repotting into fresh compost but only every couple of years.
  • Put some large crocks of foam at the bottom of the pot to aid drainage and retain air pockets
  • Repot just after flowering not whilst in flower.
  • Let bark compost soak in water overnight before repotting.
  • Thompson & Morgan Chempak orchid growth feed. It is a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser containing plant foods, magnesium and six trace elements to promote growth

Orchid compost is available from Amazon

Growing Bulbs in Grass

Growing Bulbs in Grass

Naturalising means bulbs growing and seeding as they would in the wild; i.e. “in nature”. In some gardens this means growing bulbs in grass instead of borders.
To naturalize bulbs they need to be planted where they can remain undisturbed without the need for the foliage to be prematurely removed. Leaves need to die back for about six weeks after the flowers have faded.

Growing  Bulbs in Grass

  • Crocus will thrive for years if planted in grass with a dry or fast draining soil. If the lawn is lush and gets lots of high nitrogen fertilizer it will stunt the flowering process of the bulbs. You’ll get lots of foliage but no flowers.
  • Plant in groups or clusters so you can mow the other area.
  • You need to be patient as a bulb seedling will take 5-7 years before it has built up reserves to flower. Above all do not deadhead the flowers so they can seed a couple of months after flowering.
  • Plant species bulbs rather than showy doubles.

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Gardeners Winter Vegetables

Gardeners Winter Vegetables

Get sowing for some winter greens and veg like Beetroot, Spring Cabbages, Lettuces, Spring Onions, Chicory, Fennel and Rocket.
cabbage

Unless you already have a well stocked allotment or vegetable garden you need to be thinking about next years winter vegetables. Settle down with a drink and some good seed catalogues and plan to enjoy the fruits (or veg) of your labours through to next Christmas.

The well named Tundra Cabbage will take all that winter can throw at you and still produce firm heads until April. Blue cabbage Aurtoro looks so good next to Autumn yellows and oranges and it can be planted in the flower garden. The heads are firm and the leaves tightly packed to make a vegetable that stands well. It will also help make a warming winter soup.

Cabbage Tips

Plant Spring cabbage 12in apart.
Earth up the soil around their stems to prevent rocking and help them against the cold.
In cold frost prone areas cover with fleece or cloches. Watch out for pigeons which may get deterred by netting.
Young plants can be thinned for spring greens and leave the rest to heart up.

Curly Kale with crinkly leaves is another vegetable that shouldn’t be restricted to the vegetable patch. Redbore a purple leaved variety grows on tall sturdy stems that look interesting through winter. Other varieties like January King 3, Red Winter or Westland Winter, a blue green, can add more variety to the garden and your winter grub. If you like the blistered crinkly leaved varieties go for Resolution or Traviata F1’s.

Parsnips are just ready to start lifting. They can be left in the ground until needed and I think a bit of frost does no harm to the flavour. Interceptor Carrots can be harvested through to March and reverting to the purple theme Purple Haze Carrots can be picked until Christmas.

Seasonal favourite Brussels Sprouts need that bit of frost to bring out the sweetness and take away some of the sulphur taste. Pick from the bottom of the stalk and then you can finish off eating the top of the stalk like a small cabbage. I find Maximus F1 have a long cropping season and a good flavour. Support the stalks if grown in windy conditions.

Late Cauliflowers to consider are Haddin or Deakin F1’s that will hold until February if you don’t eat them first.

Autumn sown Spinach is a healthy crop containing iron and vitamins.
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Growing Excellent Auriculas

Growing Excellent Auriculas

This spring has been a good one for my Auriculas. I have been please with a powder blue flower that I hope to propagate by division in July. First I will water well and add some dilute feed.

alpine-auricula

These Alpine Auriculas look excellent  when grown in 3 inch pots. The ‘Long Tom’ pots are silghtly taller than the traditional pot and are useful as Auricula tend to grow a ‘carrot root’ used to anchor the plant in the wild. Alpine Auriculas have either a golden yellow or cream centre surrounding the tube.

Show Auriculas are considered to be the star Auricula plants and must have a ring of dense Farina around the eye of the flower. Selfs (all one colour) and Edges including most stripes have an outside edge composed of leaf tissue such as the ‘Orlando’ a grey edged show Auricula. Green edges usually have larger flowers. Stripes have recently been reintroduced with Monmouth Star having red petals with yellow rays out to the flowers edge.

Double Auricula ‘Sibsey‘  is a blue to purple flower and can be found at Specialist grower Angus Auriculas. Doubles arise from mutations of border or garden Auriculas and were amongst the first novelties cultivated and shown. There is now an increasing number of doubles including striped doubles at NAPS shows.  The Fantasia variety is deep maroon with white frosting a real eye-catcher

auricula-2

Border or Garden Auriculas have old names like Dusty Miller, Recklasses and Ricklers. Only a few  have ‘Farina’ the white powder found on leaves and flowers that resembles flour or meal which is a must on Show Auriculas.  Some are European primula hybrids and occasional are scented. Best grown in a position that gives them shade from midday sun. Water in very dry spells but plant in well drained soil. Ideal for partially shaded positions on rockeries or borders, or spring flower beds, pots, tubs

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Streptocarpus Care and Propagation Tips

Streptocarpus Care and Propagation Tips

Windowsill orchids are a houseplant favourite and I repeat and update some tips given 3 years ago.
Streptocarpus

Plant care tips from Dibleys National Collection

  • Always cut off dead flowers.
  • Excessive or incorrect feed and poor light make the plants produce very large leaves and few flowers.
  • It is quite natural as plants age for the old leaves to die back, and the ends should be trimmed off, especially in winter.
  • In March or April gradually start watering more often and commence feeding.
  • Do not over-pot you will get more flower by keeping on the pot bound side. Using half of three quarter depth pots is a good idea.
  • Given this treatment you will be rewarded by a continuous display of flowers from about May until well into winter.
  • You will also find the flowers are good for cutting.
  • Shallow pots are recommended but I find the roots quickly mat up and become hard to water.
  • I have taken to only using clay pots (Wide Toms)
  • Start with AGM varieties.
  • Dibleys attend a large number of plant & flower shows where plants can be bought.

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Tips for Growing Hibiscus Indoors

Tips for Growing Hibiscus Indoors

Buying tips for indoor Hibiscus. Smaller plants with3-5 branches each with buds are generally the best value. If they loose there buds new ones should soon follow. Look at florists and chain stores as well and garden centres.

Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hibiscus is a large genus of over 200 species. One species Hibiscus cannabinus, is extensively used in paper making. Another, roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa is used as a vegetable and to make herbal teas in the Caribbean but it is as an extravagantly coloured flower that we know it best.

If your hibiscus has flowers of red, pink, orange, yellow, salmon, peach, orange, or two coloured double or single flowers, it is probably a tropical hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus do not come in these colors or in doubles! If it is a perennial, hardy hibiscus they need very little care over the winter, they are root hardy and die to the ground each year.

Hibiscus

Houseplants and Indoor Hibiscus

  • Chinese Hibiscus are shrubby plants that make fine indoor exhibitions if given plenty of light.
  • Bought plants will have been treated to keep them small and compact. You can prune them to keep in shape.
  • Short lived, trumpet shaped flowers are available in many colours and there is a regular supply of new buds.
  • Keep in a constant temperature to avoid bud drop.
  • Don’t over-water, keep on the dry side but water copiously in summer.

Look at Thompson & Morgan for more ideas.

Hibiscus

Cultivation Tips for Hibiscus

  • Most hibiscus have a few yellow leaves when they get old and need replacing. If your plant too has many yellow leaves it is stressed probably from over watering.
  • Hibiscus want loamy, coarse open soil that is not too heavy.
  • For prolific flowering, hibiscus need weekly feedings during March-October. Low phosphorus and high potassium feed is best.
  • Repotting is usually carried out in spring if you can see roots poking out of the bottom of the pot or if they are filling the pot.

Hibiscus

Recommended Hibiscus Organisations

The American Hibiscus Society lists the following links

Hibisucus genevii in the Princess of Wales Conservatory
See the endangered hibiscus ‘hibiscus genevii flowering during May in the Princess of Wales Conservatory Kew. In the wild it is only found in small numbers in specific areas of Mauritius.’

Credits
Hibisucus genevii in the Princess of Wales Conservatory by Kew on Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Book Cover

Growing Good Gerbera

Growing Good Gerbera

Red Gerbera

Gerbera are ornamental plants that are related to sunflowers. They are very popular as a decorative garden plant or good as cut flowers.
Most Gerberas are result of a cross between Gerbera jamesonii and Gerbera viridifolia. The resulting Gerbera hybrida are basically of South African descent.

gerbera 061

Gerbera Characteristics

  • Gerberas are also known as Barberton Daisy,Transvaal Daisy, Ghostly Daisy or Forever Daisies
  • Thousands of cultivars exist generally with two layers of petals.
  • Winter hardy gerbera in a rainbow of colours are now being marketed.
  • Single daisy flowers appear regularly throughout summer with their faces turned towards the sun
  • They vary greatly in shape, size and vibrant colour including white, yellow, orange, red, and pink.
  • The centre of the flower is sometimes black or the petals two tone.
  • Gerbera is said to be the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip).

gerbera 057

Gerbera Good as Pot Plants

  • Buy good strong Gerbera plants with plenty of new bud still to open.
  • Gerbera flowers best when it is growing in a small container that is slightly pot bound.
  • Repot Gerbera Daisies in April if it has out grown the pot. Ensure the crown of the plant is above the level of the soil or it may rot.
  • Use an open, free draining soil mix. When repotting After repotting keep them in a shaded location until they’re established

Gerbera

Gerbera Growing Tips

  • When the danger of frost has passed plant Gerberas outdoors in fertile, well drained soil in sheltered, sunny borders
  • If growing Gerbera in containers use large pots with a loam based compost such as John Innes No.2 or 3.
  • Keep well watered but avoid wetting the center of the leaves which are prone to rot.
  • Apply tomato food 3-4 times a season.
  • To pick flowers do not cut but bend and twist to break at the base. This should also encourage new flowers.

Thompson & Morgan supply Gerbera plants

gerbera 063

History of Growing Gerbera

  • There are currently approximately 80 species of Gerbera nad many cultivars.
  • ‘Robert Jameson was born in Scotland in 1832 at Kilmarnock. The most popular Gerbera jamesonii (or Barberton Daisy) has been named after him. “Rough notes of a trip to the goldfields” – in which he describes his journey to Barberton and life in the (g)old days.
  • Traugott Gerber was baptised on January 16, 1710 in Zodel, Oberlausitz – Lower Silesia. In 1737, the Dutchman Jan Frederic Gronovius christened the genus Gerbera after the German medical doctor Traugott Gerber, but who was he?’ read more from the Gerbera.org

See also our Facinating Gerbera
gerbera 060

Good Gerbera for Growing Outdoor

  • Two new series of Gerbera have been release to the horticultural trade as hardy perennials.
  • The Gerbera Garvinea series of plants comes in 20 varieties with flower shades of red, pink, orange, yellow and white.
  • The Gerbera Everlasting series are shorter plants that flower freely in warm gardens with acidic soil.
  • Also relatively new is the Landscape series which are not hardy.
  • Gerbera ‘Forever Daisies’ from Thompson & Morgan grow year after year in patio pots or planted en-masse in sunny beds and borders.

Gerbera

Books on Gerbera Production

These books are not cheap and are aimed at the commercial grower:
Biotechnological approach for the mass propagation of Gerbera: Rapid production of a commercially important flower, Gerbera by Md. Motiur Rahman, Md Bulbul Ahmed and M. Monzur Hossain (15 Nov 2011) ‘mass production of Gerbera using biotechnological methods could be acted as a new dimension in the field of horticulture (the authors thank) the Plant Breeding & Gene Engineering Laboratory and the Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi

Gerbera in Net House: Nutrient Management in Gerbera under Net House by B. M. Nandre and A. V. Barad (13 Dec 2011) ‘Gerbera jamesonii has many commercially important cultivars like Sangria, Savannah, Nevada, Rosa Bella, Aida, Dalma, Twiggy, Pink Elegance, etc. Gerbera is propagated by seeds as well as asexually by division of clumps and through cuttings’

Gerbera

More Phalaenopsis Moth Orchids

More Phalaenopsis Moth Orchids

It is easier to call a Phalaenopsis by its common name of Moth Orchid

This moth orchid (called Phalaenopsis) is blooming for a second time this year and the last blossom lasted over 5 months. On one arching stem there are 12 flowerheads and one unopened bud but there is also 4 other stems at different stages of flower production and at least 25  2½” diameter flowers are currently on display. This floriferousness may be due to a happy accident after the first (and only) stem flowered I followed received wisdom. I trimmed off the spike to around 1 inch above the first node on the spike stem, somewhere below where the first flower had appeared, near a little bump. The stem regrew but horizontally and I wanted to tie it up a cane. Being too vigorous I broke the new flowering stem but all the new ones have turned up at the funeral so to speak.

Book Cover
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Easy Phalaenopsis Orchids

Easy Phalaenopsis Orchids

orchid

Some orchids are temperamental but this Phalaelenopsis has give unstinting blooms for eight months on the trot without any trouble. Growing on one stem which branched into three side shoots there were upto 20 flowers on the Orchid at anyone time. The variety must be resilient as we gave it no special treatment but these Phalaelenopsis or Moth Orchids are one of the easier Orchids to grow.

Orchid Flowering Tips

  • Orchids like a humid atmosphere but apart from  keeping the soil moist, not heavily watered this plant thrived on a north facing window sill.
  • We don’t have under the window radiators so there was no dramatic drying
  • This plant wasn’t fertilized but we didn’t get any new leaves either so perhaps we should have encouraged new growth for next season.
  • The stem has now been cut back by a half to just above a joint. New flowers may grow and if not the plant will be given a rest in a light bathroom. Looking at the Orchid I see a new flower shoot growing from a leaf joint so there are more flowers to come
  • Wipe the leaves to remove dust but do not let water stand on the leaves.
  • Phalaenopsis like warm, shady conditions so fit in well to most modern homes.
  • Leaves are important to the health and flowering ability of the plant. They should be turgid and glossy and mine are 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide.

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