Jersey Plants Nursery Information

Our affiliate Jersey Plants Direct have a page on their web site worth reading called Nursery Notes.

It shows how the professionals sow, germinate, fog, and dibb out along with all the other seed sowing tasks.

Have a look at all the pictures that demonstrate seed sowing and growing in a busy supplier of plug and jumbo plants.

Vermiculite for Seed Sowing

Vermiculite is a natural mineral ore that has been heat treated to expand into a spongy worm like but inert substance.

Uses of Vermiculite

• Vermiculite greatly improves compost by promoting aeration and drainage, important for seeds and cuttings.
• Vermiculite improves germination and reduces the risk of damping off when applied as a thin layer on top of your sown seeds.
• A 50:50 mix of compost and vermiculite is ideal for the germination of seeds, because it’s aeration properties and water holding capacity make it a suitable medium for direct contact with the seeds.
• Vermiculite used alone without compost helps germination but seedlings should be fed with a week fertilizer solution when the first true seeds appear.
• Large seeds can be mixed with Vermiculite in a small polythene bag closed at the neck, and kept in a warm place until the seeds just start to germinate.
• Vermiculite can be mixed into compost for taking cuttings.
• Mixed with compost it can also store Dahlia and Begonia tubers through winter.

Available from good garden centres and Thompson & Morgan
Read the rest of this entry »

Garden Crime

Is your garden safe from petty crime? Our Yorkshire police just circulated this timely reminder on how to ‘nip crime in the bud’.

‘…Another emerging trend is for garden tools and rubble left lying about in
the garden to be used to smash windows to gain entry into properties. Now
the weather is becoming milder people are starting to venture back into
their gardens to tidy up, but seem to be leaving their tools lying around,
which make ideal implements for a would be burglar. Please remember to
secure all tools when you have finished gardening, and to tidy away bricks
and rubble if at all possible.’

Read Gardeners Tips on Garden Insurance and for Allotment Safety

Exotic Plant Books

Encyclopedia of Exotic Plants for Temperate Climates by Will Giles is an impressive and comprehensive work on exotica. From bulbs, spiky agaves, bold cannas, and hardy banana to palm trees the luscious photos of these unusual plants will seduce any gardener into planting a bed of these wild and exotic specimens.

Exotic Planting For Adventurous Gardeners by Christopher Lloyd was published posthumously and is based on his detailed practical knowledge and his exotic garden at Great Dixter.

Exotic Gardening by Ian Cooke is a recently published work in handy paperback. The advice will help you create jungle-style landscapes in your garden. It explains their characteristics of exotics and advises on how they can be planted and grown to produce a stunning display to be enjoyed even in temperate climates.

Also read about Atrchitectural Plants and Yuccas on Gardeners tips

Gardening Book of the Month February 2011

‘TheVictorian Garden Series’ is a bit of a cheat given our title book of the month. This month we have selected a DVD series that will enthrall many gardeners. They still work even if you have been turned digital and it is a useful way of watching the old BBC series.

Released on TV in the 1980s the Beeb recreated the Victorian Kitchen; Victorian Kitchen Garden and Victorian Flower Garden. It was well produced and has stood the test of time judging by the positive comments on the Amazon website where it can be purchased.
‘I found the series utterly absorbing. If you are looking for a programme that will relax you and feel you are sinking back into the sofa then the Victorian Garden is for you. A cracking series.’Mark Boulton

In case you feel cheated English Heritage published the Victorian Gardens reviewing historic gardens and it is available from amazon by clicking on the book cover.

Seed Propagators for more Seedlings

I have dusted off my electric seed and cutting propagators for 2011. Unfortunately my double tray heater has given up the ghost and as the elements are in a sealed plastic moulding I am writing it off.

My preferred heater however is warming away under a layer of sand and gravel in a large Sankey tray. It is basically a plastic coated element that you lay in a tray in a series of loops, cover with sand then place your seed trays on top. I improvise humidity covers in plastic as needed.

I still have a one tray propagator that currently contains some seeds and Pelargonium cuttings on my study windowsill. I put 15 square pots inside a seed tray which I then put in the heated propagator.

Thompson & Morgan have a range of heares and cool propagator aids as you would expect from a quality seed merchant.

Amazon sell a Sankey Heated   Propagator for £22.99 and a range of others

Read ‘Best Mail Order Seeds’

Multi-headed Tools for Gardening

Do you want a Wolf in your garden? Well you might if it was one of the mulit headed interchangeable garden tools like those pictured.

Wolf is a German company with a rather strange slogan ‘Not everything that is new is good; not everything that is old is reputable.’ Still the tools sell because they work.

Fruit Picker

One handle many attachments. Or a short and a long handle for even more flexibility. I have a couple of tolls but tend to leave one on permanently (as the sales team hoped I suppose).

Wolf speaking ‘For more than 80 years, red and yellow have been synonymous for excellent gardening technology. Starting with the first WOLF-Garten tool ever produced, a field hoe modified into a drag hoe….’ read more on link

BBC’s Best Gardening Magazines

A good read, with ample pictures, is a comforting pastime for weary gardeners. The BBC have cornered a glossy section of the market with best selling Gardeners World and Gardens Illustrated which features the best gardens, plants and designers from around the world.

Gardeners World subscribe or see more detail

Regular features in Gardens Illustrated include ‘Nurseryman’s favourites with plant expert Graham Gough which highlights must-have garden plants and Kew-trained gardener Alys Fowler guide through her monthly tasks in the kitchen garden.’

Gardens Illustrated subscribe

Spun out of the Country File programme there is enough interest for most gardeners in this monthly magazine. As the subject matter is far broader it tackles the latest rural and environmental stories, explaining how they affect you.

Countryfile subscribe

Ready Made Water Features

I saw this water feature at our local garden centre. It appealed as it was ready to go into the garden and did not seem to need much effort from me.
It seemed to be easy to clean and an appropriate size for a small corner.
The evaporation will be less than with a spray fountain yet there will still be the gurgle and movement of a small stream.
This type of feature is very popular for conservatories as a method of maintaining humidity levels.

If you are good at DIY then ‘Outdoor Water Features: 16 Easy-To-Build Projects for Your Yard and Garden’ may be the book for you.

Best Mail Order Seeds

Mail Order Seeds are Best

• Seeds bought mail order have not been stood in a warm or even hot shop.  Heat can kill off the seeds ability to germination .
• Seeds should be fresh and have been stored in the right conditions. Seed companies do it better than retailers.
• Delivery is usually in protective bubble wrap to avoid crushing damage.
• The choice is fantastic, far wider than most shops can stock.

Mail Order Companies I Use

• Thompson & Morgan are a premier UK supplier.
  • They also sponsor our web efforts through an affiliation and it is much appreciated.
  • Their catalogues are a good read and very visual.
  • Many special offers are available once you become a customer.
  • ‘Which magazine’ rate the germination percentages of Thompson & Morgan highly.
  • Clubs and horticultural societies can get discounts for bulk buying.
  • Thompson & Morganweb site is searchable for many plant and seed varieties and you can order online.

• Wallis Seeds are a good value range.
  • They are packed in plain packets to save costs.
  • I find they supply greater quantities of seed than other suppliers usually for less money.
  • I do not use them for vegetables.

• Chiltern Seeds are mid range of prices with plain seed packets.
  • Their elongated seed catalogues are a wonder and worth acquiring for the knowledge and language about the many seed varieties they sell.
  • This year they have 220 pages with an average of 15 varieties on each -
  • I make that over 3000 seed packets to chose from and believe it or not vegetables are in another catalogue..

Read gardeners tips for many more links to Seed companies

Read Seed Propagators