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Hydrangeas Gardeners Tips

Hydrangeas Gardeners Tips

Hydra may be a monster but Hydrangeas can be stunningly beautiful.
Hydrangea

Hydrangea are easy to grow, voluminous shrubs with long lasting flower-heads. They can grow to be handsome 6 foot high and wide shrubs.

Growing Hydrangea Early autumn is the best time to plant new Hydrangeas. If planting in spring take more care with watering and mulch the plants to keep the soil damp. Hydrangeas grow best in semi shade in rich moist soil. Trim off old flower heads and dead stems in spring. Give them a balanced fertilizer in spring.

Choose the Right Variety Mophead or Hortensia hydrangeas are the type that have pompom like heads that open into a globe shape such as ‘Blue Bonnet’ or ‘Forever Pink’. Lacecap varieties have flat heads whose flowers do not open at the same time.
Quercifolias often have pyramid shaped white flowers and oak shaped leaves. Annabelle is the best known and well liked variety of Hydrangea arborescens.
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Indoor Primula Obconica Tips

Indoor Primula Obconica Tips

primula-obconica

We gardeners hopefully learn as we go along and this post is an update of a 6 year old report on indoor primulas.

‘Indoor plants that are in full flower in January include the strongly coloured Primula Obconica shown above. They look good in traditional blues, pinks and white with the new Twilly series including a strong red. There are plenty of long lasting blooms particularly if you pick off dead flowers. The hairs on the back of leaves can be an irritant so take care if you have sensitive skin, the plant is also known as Poison Primrose.

Plants at garden centers may have been grown specifically for a quick show of colour that makes them saleable and decorative as indoor plants. They are probably not frost free or very hardy.
Primula 011

Primula Obconica

  • Unlike other Primula obconica varieties, Twilly Touch Me is primine free, so causes no skin irritation.
  • Grown from seed give them dark to germinate. They flower the following spring/summer in the cool greenhouse or as a houseplant.
  • Primula obconica produce a dozen different colours of flowers.
  • The flowers last for several weeks if spent flowers are deadheaded regularly.
  • Do not let the plants dry out and the leaves become floppy.

Other species of Indoor Primulas include Primula malacoides a perennial plant for a heated greenhouse or conservatory. Also known as the Fairy primrose it is NOT hardy.

Primula sinensis the Chinese Primrose aka Primula praenitens is hard to obtain but the flowers look stunning so it is worth looking for.

Primula 003
Showing the soft fleshy leaves of ‘Twill Touch Me Series’ of Indoor Primula obconica. The Primula stem holds the flowers proud of the leaves.’

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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Easy Cyclamen Houseplants

Easy Cyclamen Houseplants

Cyclamen are easy and rewarding houseplants to look after as long as you control the watering.

Watering Cyclamen

  • Keep indoor Cyclamen moist but do not stand them in water.
  • Water from the bottom and let plants soak up what they need
  • If using the immersion method do not get the crown of the plant wet
  • Keep indoor cyclamen in humid conditions by putting the plant on   damp gravel or special clay granules.
  • Put the Cyclamen, pot and all into a larger peat filled pot and keep the outer pot very damp.
  • Fertilize every fortnight if you want to keep the tuber for next year

Choosing and Caring for Florists Cyclamen

  • Pick a pot with good fresh leaves. If the pot end is heavy it has some water in the compost.
  • Indoor or florists cyclamen are more tender than outdoor cyclamen. They are usually periscum varieties in bright colours.
  • Twist off yellow leaves and spent flowers near to the stem.
  • Keep cool about 50-60° and away from direct sun and strong drafts.
  • Do not let them freeze
  • Soft leaves are a sign of needing water or having too much water. If the later stop watering take out of the pot to help drying and leave to refresh itself before repotting.
  • Plants should flower through December and January then can be rested on their sides until autumn to flower next year
Pleiones Easy Orchids from Bulbs

Pleiones Easy Orchids from Bulbs

er-hai

Pleiones are charming orchids grown in pots from a pseudobulb that splits into two or more after flowering which helps to increase your stock. The flowers arrive first on 6-8 inch stems in spring followed by 6 inch long 2 inch wide leaves.

Five Top Tips for Pleiones

  • Also known as the Windowsill Orchid or the Indian crocus Pleione species (20c) or hybrids (250c) are available in many colours including yellows, pinks, whites and purples. Most have the spotting on the lip or patterned colouring.
  • Pleione should be planted in bowls or pots with about one third of the bulb showing and one third of the pot filled with crocks. Drainage is more important than the composition of the compost and roots should not be allowed to become waterlogged.
  • Plant in cool conditions early in the year and allow to warm up through summer to no more than 25°C. Plants need a cool resting period in Autumn and Winter. The stringy roots can be trimmed to 2 inches before replanting.
  • Feed plants once the leaves start to emerge with a weak balanced feed but do not allow to stand in water.
  • Find a reliable local supplier or buy mail order from a specialist like Springwood Pleiones who supply the flower above Pleione Er-hai (speciosa x Etna) You will find many hybrids named after volcano like Stromboli and Vesuvius

Book The Genus Pleione

genus-pleione3

Scented Pelargonium (Geraniums)

Scented Pelargonium (Geraniums)

It is the scented leaves of Pelargoniums rather than the flower that attracts growers and collectors. They are often used in scented gardens for the blind but are useful in a normal garden border where they may be brushed or touched. As indoor pot plants they are ideal as living pot-pourri and may be hybrids or species in their own right.

Top 10 Scented leaved Pelargoniums

  1. Pelargonium Fragrans Variegata a small plant with lots of scented green and white leaves with the aroma of spice, pine and lemon.
  2. Mable Grey woody and harder to grow but heavy lemon scented leaves

Book Cover

  1. P. graveolens Lady Plymouth a strong grower favoured for exhibitions with a rose like scent
  2. Prince of Orange is an old variety that as the name implies smells of orange
  3. Little gem is a dwarf grower with a spicy scent that remains fresh until late in the year

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Plants on Windowsill

Plants on Windowsill

Houseplants in pots are popular windowsill subjects but broaden your horizons.
Cape windowsill

No greenhouse or conservatory but lots of windows? Then you can grow a range of plants using the windowsills or a shelf under a window. Chose small plants and pots that are and will be in proportion to the width of the windowsill.
Tender plants may suffer in winter behind curtains but with good double glazing I do not bother moving most plants at night.

On the Kitchen Windowsill

Herbs will be many gardeners first choice and curly or flat leaved Parsley are likely to figure most frequently. Basil  can be used as cut and come again and is available in several varieties so I would add this to any list of windowsill plants.
The hot and steamy conditions of many kitchens don’t help all plants but ferns and Orchids usually like these conditions particularly on North or East facing window ledges.
We currently have a white Saintpaulia which enjoys humidity but it will be moved when the flowers go over to be replaced by a Christmas cactus in flower. …

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Bright Indoor Bromeliads

Bright Indoor Bromeliads

Try a bromide ‘oops’ I mean a Bromeliad.

bromeliad

This Bromeliad is a relative of the pineapple and as it is easy to grow indoors it makes a fine house plant. There are a wide range of Bromeliads and a society dedicated to there culture the Bromeliad Society

Bromeliad Tips

  • Grow the Bromeliads for their coloured leaves that spring from the plants center.
  • If flowers are wanted try a dose of epsom salts or magnesium sulphate as this promotes healthy growth, cell structure and the production of chlorophyll.
  • As the inflorescence or coloured spike starts to go brown cut it down to encourage off sets called ‘pups’ and get a new generation of plants.
  • It can be good fun growing from seed as different Bromeliads pollinate one another and you can’t be sure what you will get.
  • For water holding Bromeliads keep the center topped up with soft water.
  • For more data try a reference book  on Bromeliads

Book Cover

Successful Watering in your Garden

Successful Watering in your Garden

Watering can be the key to  success in the garden and with your houseplants. Not surprisingly plants without water die !  Plants can drown with too much H²O so watering is a skill worth learning.
It sounds so easy when you are told to ‘water your plants’. Well so it is but there is many a slip twixt watering can and lip. Remember you are watering the soil not the leaves.

Conserving Water in the Garden

  • Dig in bulky organic matter to increase the water carrying capacity of your soil.
  • Keep the surface mulched to avoid evaporation.
  • Keep soil weed free. Weeds compete for moisture and evaporate through their leaves.
  • Wind increases evaporation so build wind breaks.
  • On sloping land sow across the slope reducing run off and soil errosion problems.
  • Plant water hungry plants together where rainfall will be highest. Do not bother to water lawns they will recover from most drought conditions when it rains.

freesia-in-the-rain

I was taken with the though of best tips for watering a garden after a chance discussion. Last night at the Bridge club (or the pub afterward) I was asked about the different growth rates of apparently identical plants. Mike and I put it down to water so here are my top tips

Watering Tips

  • God’s own water is best! If we could arrange a steady drizzel from dusk to dawn through summer our gardens would be lush and our crops juicy and large. A slow steady rain (rather than a thunderstorm) will build up moisture in the soil without water logging or running off too quickly.
  • God’s own water is second best as well. By that I mean rain water caught in a bucket or barrel to be watered in by can or sprayer when needed. I collect rain water off the greenhouse roof (as it may dissolve more chemicals off an asphalt surface). Either way the rain water is softer and more balanced than tap water and is at surrounding temperature when used.
  • I try not to use water from the barrel on seedlings to minimise damping off (rotting caused by microbes).
  • Sprinklers or hose pipes need to be given chance to provide a good soaking so I believe in the longer and slower method so the water can really penetrate the top 4 inches or so of soil. A quick splash can do more harm than good bringing roots to the surface.

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