Gardeners Tips

Primula, Primroses and Polyanthus

February 19, 2017 hortoris

‘Kinlough Beauty’ is an exceptionally hardy Primrose from the Primula family. . To maintain vigour divide ‘Kinlough Beauty’ every couple of years or so after blooming. This is when your free plants arise. I have just got nine new healthy plants from one clump. Other primroses can be divided in a similar manner.

To divide a primrose separate new crowns with some roots from the old root. Pull apart or prise loose with two forks back to back.

Alternatively take divisions with a trowel whilst plants are still in the ground for more reliable performance.

Do not split into too many divisions as they take longer to establish.

Plant firmly in soil and keep moist as new roots are established.

Kinlough Beauty is a hardy evergreen or semi-evergreen Juliana cultivar with deep green, oval leaves 6 inches long. Plants produce loose clusters of wine red to rose-pink yellow eyed flowers held above a mound of foliage.

Plant labeling of primrose family can be a bit hit and miss. …

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Gardeners Year for Organic Fruit and Veg

February 18, 2017 hortoris

‘Organic Fruit and Vegetable Gardeners Year, The A Seasonal Guide to Growing What You Eat’ by Graham Clarke

Yesterdays Gardeners Question Time on radio 4 featured many questions on this subject. The main advice that appealed to me was to concentrate on growing more fruit. (We all more likely to take the advice we want to hear.)

Gardeners Tips on Organic Fruit Growing

Organic Principles
Organics should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animals and humans as one.
Organic growing is based on ecological systems and cycles that are worked with and sustained.
Organic gardening should be done in a precautionary manner to protect the health and well being of current and future generations.
Organics promotes the concept of fairness with regard to common environment and life opportunities.

Soil Fertility
Chemical fertility is the availability in the soil of all the elements, nutrients, ions, Â traces and inorganic chemicals that plants need to grow.
Biological fertility includes micro organisms that help nutrient recycling’ including fungi, bacteria and protozoa that clean up bacteria. It also covers macro organisms such as arthropods that break down organic matter in the early stages of decomposition, worms that help drainage and aeration and nematodes that help in various ways but Â occasionally act as pests.
Physical fertility is the mix of sand, silt and clay that makes up the soil and determines texture, ability to hold water and sustain life.

Weed Management …

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Best Garden Colour – Yellow?

February 17, 2017 hortoris

Is yellow your favourite garden shade or colour. Certainly it is present is so many plants if only as pollen or as straw as old grass dies and colour fades away. At it’s brash best Yellow is stunning well able to stand on its own aor as support to other plants. With some plants such as Choysia even the leaves can be yellow.

For traffic stopping colour in your garden then you need blocks of the same plant all flowering at the same time. These primula are in a near-by garden in a long row against a wall. It catches early morning sun and is protected from wind and the worst of the frost. The colouring is stronger than the primrose or many other primulas and even one or two plants whould look good but massed together they are stunning. …

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Root Vegetables a Gardeners and Bakers Dozen

February 16, 2017 hortoris

After salad crop failures in Spain and shortages of courgettes, broccoli and other ‘long distance’ vegetables gardeners could to worse than focus on traditional and non-traditional root crops.

Chinese artichoke,Â Stachys affinis was popular in Edwardian times. It is a sprawling plant that produces knobbly roots for baking, mashing, frying or stir frying. Harvest as needed, after a long growing season, as they do not store well

Jicama or Yam bean have crunchy roots similar to dahlia tubers useful for adding to salads.Can only be stored for about a month.

Rampion have a strong taste, knobbly and fiddly roots and would be at the end of our list of experiments.

Hamburg parsley is popular in Germany with edible, evergreen leaves. Roots are upto 8inches long. Roast or use in stew.

Salsify and Scozonera look and taste similar and have been grown in the UK for hundreds of yaers . Salsify or Oyster plant, is biennial Scozonera is a hardy perennial that grows 3ft high.

Mouli or winter Radish cultivars of Raphanus sativus grow to the size of grapefruit. Round black are best for storing and all varieties red and yellow are prone to bolting unless sown after mid-summer.

Sweet potato Beauregard has been cultivated for UK growing and is available from Marshalls, Thompson Morgan and others. Protect from frost. Tubers tend to be smaller Sweet Potato ‘T65’. They have salmon-orange flesh and a sweetÂ flavour.

Old faithful Root crops

Potato
Carrot
Swede, turnip and rutabaga
Beet and manglewurzels
Parsnips
Jerusalem Artichoke

Root out some Tips

Root crops are generally heavy feeders.
Roots will ‘fang’ or fork if the soil has been freshly manured.
To get the straightest roots avoid stony soil and keep soil light
Plenty of water and high potash feed will help grow better crops.
Grow in full sun with adequate space and avoid competition from weeds.
Look after the leafy tops to get good underground growth

Dangerous and Mind Altering Plants

February 15, 2017 hortoris

Many plants have dangerous components, leaves, seeds and roots. Some of the most dangerous must be grown under government license.
Below are notes on just a few plants to avoid eating.

Mandrake is one of the most poisonous plants that is known. The specimen above is grown under strict control with a fence around it. A member of the nightshade family, Mandrake also contains atropine, scopolamine, apoatropine and hyoscyamine that affect brain functions.

Strychnine, the deadly poison, is produced from the beans of Strychnos ignatii. It is also found in the orange fruit and nuts of Strychnos nux vomica.

Ricin is a poison found naturally in the seeds of the Castor oil plant that also produces the oil that is fed to babies. Ricinus communis ‘Gibsonii’ has red-tinged leaves with reddish veins and pinkish-green seed pods but there are other Castol oil plant varieties.
If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the released Ricin can cause injury.
Ricin can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans into castor oil.

Mescaline is a hallucinogen compound made from the small, spineless cactus Lophophora williamsii or Peyote. It is also present in other cacti including Echinopsis peruviana.
Mescaline is also found in certain members of the Fabaceae bean family.

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Gourmet Vegetable Production

February 14, 2017 hortoris

There are as many different vegetable plots as there are gardeners and everyone has its place. My default position is clear, I seek good yield or output from lower effort and less space than inÂ previous decades.

My allotment days are over and although I expected to be time rich and veg plot area poor I can still be a Gourmet Producer of fresh tasty items. I say still, because retirement isn’t a guarantee of more gardening time.

Essentials Of a Gourmet Producer

Grow what you will eat
Do not grow food that is better or cheaper in the shops. Main crop potatoes and onions are generally better and cheaper from retailers.
Grow what is best picked and eaten fresh. Lettuce, mangetout and beans are potential gourmet foods.
Avoid growing gluts, you need only grow for the family table and occasional dinner party – who needs 5 rows of romaine lettuce all ready at the same time.
Grow in succession by planting seeds a few weeks apart so they mature at different times.
Maximise the length of the growing season by growing endive, raddichio and numerous varieties of brassica.
Eat carrots and leaks as micro veg from thinnings with fewer left to maturity.
Sow mixed salad leaves in rows and ‘cut and come again.’ You can do this with autumn sown cabbage too.
Work to a plan to use your time on the plot rather than standing and pondering rather than gardening.
Little and often works better than periodic onslaughts.Â Daily visits, even just 30 minutes, lets you feel what is and isn’t working well.

Gourmet Maintenance & Time Management

Even gourmet gardeners need to dig and hoe. Remove weeds – you can’t eat them.
Split larger jobs in to manageable slots.
At the beginning of the year use roundup to clear larger areas.
Make compost and use it for mulching and soil improvement. Buy in extra if necessary for autumn.
Buy plug plants when you only need a limited number of a type of plant. Masses of seedlings cost and take time.
Cover plants with cloches and use slug pellets. You are growing for you to eat not feedingÂ pigeons and slugs.
Water what needs watering eg runner beans and lettuce.
Keep an eye on the weather and adjust your gardening accordingly.
Do not forget to use the greenhouse. Tomato varieties have never been more numerous and tasty.
If you have the conditions and patience then asparagus can be a delight and I wouldn’t be without Rhubarb!

Edgeworthia Gardeners Tips

February 13, 2017 hortoris

Edgeworthia is a genus of shrubs that flower in small clusters of scented 4 petaled flowers tightly packed to form a ball shape. The genus is related to the Daphne family and can be grown in the UK with similar treatment and success.

You can get a long display as they flowers open progressively from winter through February until it leafs up in spring. Varieties may be evergreen or deciduous.

Key Tips

Avoid waterlogged soil and soil prone to drying out.
Plants grow well around other shrubs without being too enclosed.
Despite being called the Paper tree it only responds well to light pruning to retain shape.
Buy when the plants are in leaf so you can assess it’s health

Growing Characteristics

Plants mature to a height ofÂ 5ft by 5ft in a rounded shape.
PlantsÂ would surviveÂ in a greenhouse or conservatory if your garden is too exposed.
Flowers are in terminal clusters opening in January February before the leaves.
Leaves of the deciduous varieties are lance-shaped, dark green and 6ins long.
The bark isÂ cinnamon-coloured with papery flakes. Â Bark was used in the manufacture of high-quality paper for Japanese banknotes.

Edgeworthia Varieties

Edgeworthia chrysantha produces a tight yellow ball shaped flower on a leafless stem
Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Rubra’
Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Red Dragon’ as the name implies has fiery red flowers when fully open
Edgeworthia papyrifera is also known as the paperbush
Edgeworthia chrysantha Grandiflora is reputed to have larger flowerheads

Plants are available from Thomson and Morgan (credit the Photo) and Burncoose

Make a Woodland Garden

February 12, 2017 hortoris

First Steps

Think through your short term and long term plans. Woodland gardens are likely to last and last.
Ensure you have the right space, location and environment for a woodland.
Work with nature not against it.
Make careful consideration of the type of garden you are aiming for and think in 3 dimensions at the planing stage.
Keep your first designs and plans basic so you canÂ make changes after the key plants are in place.

Tips for making a woodland garden

Trees are the framework and backbone of your woodland garden.
Plant some evergreens to provide structure through winter
Lift the canopy of trees regularly to allow light through to the plants below.
Introduce brightness to shady spots with golden leaved plants and shade tolerant varieties.
Spring will be OK with bulbs and wild flowers but introduce plants for summer interest
Provide varying light levels to increase the range of plants grown.
Avoid hard landscape and make design features simple and natural.
Mulch and consider ferns, Rhododendrons and Cornus if the soil is on the acid side.

On a hot summers day (what is that ? ed.) there is nothing better than a woodland walk with its distinctive scents and surprising colours. Well spaced deciduous trees often provide the best displays as the filtered sun helps develop then highlight the woodland growers.

Aconites are one of the earliest woodland flowers and do well under trees
Bluebells are an favourite but can expand rapidly in a garden.
Anemone nemorosa or Wood anemone grow well under shady trees as long as they can get some moisture.

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Dahlias from Tubers a Seasons Review

February 11, 2017 hortoris

It will soon be April and I need to check my over wintered tubers and buy some new varieties. The I can start my Dahlias in to growth. It is too cold to plant them out in the garden in April in the north so I start to get them going in pots in the greenhouse.

I planted the tubers in pots big enough to hold the tuber easily and covered with potting compost. After a good watering I left them under the bench in the greenhouse. Within two to three weeks I expect to see the first shoots poking out of the compost and beginning to green up. Another month will have to go by before all danger of frost will have disappeared in the North so it will be the end of May when I knock them out of the pots and they go into their final planting position

Tips For Good Dahlias

Choose strong healthy varieties
Dahlias like plenty of space and their own area to grow so space them well.
Dahlias need water and are hungry feeders so give them rotted compost in the hole before planting.
Through summer give them water containing a high potash based feed and an occasional foliar feed through leaves
Dahlias can grow 3 – 4 foot tall and need some support. 3 or 4 canes or a proprietary wire support is appropriate.
Deadhead the plants regularly and they will flower until the first frost
Dahlias are good for cutting but I find them short lived in the vase but that’s just me preferring flowers in the garden.
Dahlias can be left in the ground over winter and subject to a very late frost will survive -give them a deep winter mulch when you cut them back after the leaves have been blackened by the first frost.
Digging up dahlias and keeping the tubers gives you chance to dived the plants or take cuttings from stock started into growth early in the year. If you want to bulk up stock of one plant start them into growth in wet compost in the warmth in February – when shoots are 2″ or more take them as cuttings and give them warmth at the roots.

Seeds and tubers from Thompson Morgan

October Review

The season was wet and the dahlias enjoyed rapid leaf growth.
Slugs ate the white varieties but left other leaf alone – strange!
I did not deadhead enough and lost some of the flower power.
Now the first frost has sent the leaves into soggy decline I will dig up the tubers, allow them to dry and store them for next year. The North of England is too cold and damp for the tubers to survive in the ground through winter.

Generic Houseplant Advice

February 10, 2017 hortoris

Commonsense will help you get the best out of your houseplants. Compost for bought plants will have enough feed for the short term but careful watering will be needed. Go with the seasons do not fight nature just because your plant is indoors.

Position
Flowering plants need good light. Place near a window but avoid harsh sunlight.
Foliagae plants like good natural light but avoid direct sunlight.
Protect all indoor plants from sudden cold and draughts.

Temperature
Ideally keep plants at the temperature recommended on any plant label.
An average warm temperature of 15-29 degrees centigrade is a default temperature.
If plants droop it may be too warm and or dry. Move to a cooler place.

Watering
Do not stand pots in puddles of water for long periods.
Water from the bottom with room temperature water.
Keep compost moist but not sopping wet.
Do not allow compost to dry out completely or it will be very hard to re-wet.
More plants drown than are killed by lack of water.

Plant Selection

Grow the types of plants normally grown indoors. If they work for others they should grow for you.
Foliage plants are a good place to start as I think they stand up to a bit of rough treatment eg late or infrequent watering.
Bulbs are popular indoors but do not last as long as they might outside.
Exotic plants bought from a nursery should be cosseted. Ask the grower for tips as they should have knowledge to share.

Other Advice
Removing faded flowers may encourage new blooms.
Occasional feeding can prolong plant life.
Plants that like a humid atmosphere will benefit from being sprayed and stood on grit or granules.
Get more advice about your specific type of plant by searching the box above.