Gardening Products » Uncategorized

Adventurous Window Boxes

hortoris — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:53:52 +0000

There must be a window box on this picture to tempt you to be adventurous this year.

As you can see window boxes come in all shapes and sizes and there are no holds barred.

What Makes a Good Adventurous Window Box

The best designs allow the plants to take centre stage when in flower but do not look tired and out of place when the plants are finished.

Executive window boxes have labour saving automatic watering systems. You can arrange your own with drip feed via perforated tubing.

Depending on the plants you are growing remember a good big one beats a good small one (window box that is).

Bright coloured plants with a trailing habit make for a good window box. Lobelia, Fuchsia and Geraniums are popular but adventurers might try trailing tomato Yellow Tom, Verbena Silver Anne and Persicaria affinis Superba.

Credit for photo mosaic
Window Boxes by robynejay CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Organic Top Soil

hortoris — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:03:03 +0000

I am not an advocate of buying Top Soil especially in small quantities.

What is Top Soil

Top soil is the upper layer of soil in your garden.
Top soil is the part of your garden soil that has the highest concentration of organic matter, humus and micro-organisms.
Topsoil is where most of the plants roots grow and thrive.
Deep top soil would be one spade spit deep up to 10″.
Shallow top soil may be all you have when gardening on chalk or heavy clay soil but 2 inches is a minimum.
Sub soil is the compacted uncultivated soil under the top soil. The quality of this soil is varied and not so good for growing your plants

Why and When to Use Top Soil

Top soil is the natural home for plant roots.
In a newly built house the top soil has often been removed to facilitate the builders. I have bought lorry loads of top soil to cover the sub soil that builders have left uncovered.
Increasing the depth of top soil when you garden in difficult conditions such as limestone or rocky areas also require large quantities.
Some soils suffer from erosion of the top soil by wind or rain and it needs to be replaced and protected from further erosion.
Top soil, like that in the bag photographed, can be used in pots and containers, leveling lawns or making compost.
Top soil may be used to replace old diseased soil such as that with rose sickness.
There is no added nutrient as there is with John Innes. This may be important when setting up a special bed for plants that do not want fertilizer such as many alpines

Organic top soil is another of my less loved phrases. Soil is mainly inorganic carbons and elements. The humus content may be free of chemical treatments like pesticides and fertilizers but top soil is just muck.

Freeze Up’s and How to Prevent Them

hortoris — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:32:22 +0000

The cold snap at the start of November may be the beginning of a period of attrition. This morning I found yesterdays rain puddles covered in ice!

Lag your water supply. I put bubble wrap on my outside tap and bring my hose pipes indoors.
Empty containers that may otherwise freeze. Last year I left water in a galvanised watering can. When it froze and the ice expanded it caused the seams to crack.
Protect pots and containers by moving into frost free areas.
Even frost proof pots need to be on feet so the bottom of the pot is not frozen to the soil.
Remember frost flows down hill and creates frost pockets that are colder than the surrounding area.

Pond Ice

Take delicate items out of the shallow end of a pond.
Ponds do not respond as well as I would like to the floating ball method of keeping an ice free surface.
A long 4″by2″ piece of wood in the pond is my way of gently stirring things up to break the ice for the sake of the fish. You can buy small water heaters.
Bird baths can be kept ice free with a new additive ‘Fountain Frost-Free is a safe, environmentally friendly way to protect your water feature, birdbath, pond and pump from freezing whilst ensuring that the safety of your children, pets, birds and wildlife is not compromised. It prevents water freezing in temperatures up to -6 degrees.’
Amazon have a range of weird and wonderful pond ice preventers floats and heaters.

Time to stock up on deicer for the car wind screen and rock salt for the road. I won’t use rock salt near the garden for fear of burning or poisoning the plants at the edge of paths.
How come the moss never dies in the cold? Well I may as well get some path cleaning concentrate as well.

Organic Hoof and Horn Fertilizer

hortoris — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:25:56 +0000

Hoof and Horn or ‘Hoof and Horn Meal’ is a valuable organic fertilizer.
Ground in to a powder the hooves and horns of animals from slaughter houses makes this nitrogen rich granular fertilizer. The cooked, ground, dehydrated cattle hooves and horns also contains phosphates for root growth.

Using Hoof and Horn

Fine ground the Hoof and Horn will provide a quick hit of nitrogen and some phosphates.
A coarser ground product will be slower to release the goodness.
Hoof and Horn is usually worked into the top of the soil at about 2oz per square yard.
Take care as fine roots can be burnt if applied to thickly.

Uses of Hoof and Horn

Hoof and Horn is a useful top-up or stop-gap organic fertilizer for nitrogen hungry plants and on poor soil.
Used to increase green leaf growth and on vegetable when they have overwintered.
Hoof and Horn increases root growth
Organically improves soil structure
Top dressing of Hoof and Horn as a stop-gap measure when growing hungry vegetables including brassicas, tomatoes and lettuce.
Can be used instead of manure on rhubarb plants and around large fruit trees such as Nectarine and Peaches
Hoof and Horn is sometimes used as a compost activator to speed decomposition

Compare Hoof and Horn to Other Fertilizers

Hoof and Horn Meal is is equivalent to Blood Meal in Nitrogen content. The nutrient availability is slower, which is better for organic crops causing less leaf burn.
It nutrient availability starts at around 4-6 weeks and can lasts 12 months.
It contains Phosphorus for stem and root growth.
Hoof and Horn nitrogen content is comparible with Blood Meal. The slower release rate of the former is better timed with plant uptake rates.
At normal application rates it will not be damaging or wasteful.
Hoof and Horn has a strong smell that may attract animals but it dissipates more rapidly than that created with Bone Meal.
Not seen packaged up as frequently as it was at one time Hoof and Horn is worth looking out for

The nearest substitute we have found is Chempak 2 a product range supplied by Thompson & Morgan

Equipment Every Gardener Needs

hortoris — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:24:33 +0000

The first and most essential item of equipment for a gardener is a sense of humour. How else can they expect to cope with weather, insects, disease and death. If you have had an endorphin bypass then give up gardening and take up nuclear physics or something else equally less challenging.

An assistant gardener is a bonus piece of equipment and hidden in the shrubbery is my no.2 helper. (My wife is no.1 as she cuts the grass, edges and much more).

Some ‘gardeners’ have a professional to do the hard work and this doesn’t disqualify them as gardeners but the armchair variety is not as hardy as the all weather species.

Equipment for Gardeners

Lawn Rake with tines that can collect leaves and hedge trimmings from grass or in this case paths. A long handle on most garden tools makes life easier.

Ear Muffs are not strictly essential garden wear but if you use noisy machinery for a long period they would be worthwhile. Hedge trimmers, wood chippers and some lawn mowers are noisy and so are the sounds of these tines on the path.

Jeans and Boots are part of many gardeners clothing kit. Boots keep you dry and have a protective upper, but according to Billy Connolly were would you be without wellingtons

Wet Water Features

hortoris — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:06:48 +0000

Water features are designed to be wet or so you might think.
There is a breed of water feature that I think are ‘wet’ in the pejorative sense. That includes these ball shaped fountains above and other plastic bubbling devices.

Water Features In Order of Preference

A natural lake with soft edges, fish and water lilies.

A stream and streamside gurgling along a chalk bed. I would tolerate a man-made stream with pump if it appears natural.

A gothic or monumental fountain as a centre piece to a colourful garden.

Elegant birdbath

DIY store ‘dribbling device’ see below

Praise Nets for Cabbages and Soft Fruit

hortoris — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:33:11 +0000

Nets or horticultural fleece are great for crop protection. I can’t praise them high enough for looking after this years soft fruit.

After a week in the Alps I returned home expecting the birds to have decimated my Raspberry crop. Fortunately the family jam maker had the presence of mind to peg white horticultural fleece over the ripening berries. We returned home to a good crop of red raspberries and empty bird feeders.

The picture shows how pigeons are kept off the brassica crops at Ripley Castle gardens in Yorkshire.

Nets and horticultural fleece allow water through but keep most pests out. The can be good for deterring carrot root fly for another example.
Fleece seems to bring on plants a bit quicker and you will see more and more farmers using the fleece early in the season.

The heavy weight fleece is available with other products from Amazon

Netting is used for supporting climbers. Peas and beans like some support and many flowers will clamber up netting strategically placed. I didn’t take enough care with this years sweet pea nets and am suffering as a consequence.

Garden Chairs

hortoris — Mon, 30 May 2011 00:40:53 +0000

Garden Chairs

Solid wooden furniture can be both functional and decorative.
I particularly like the ‘companion seat’ where two wooden chairs are linked together with a place for a cup of tea.
Single seats can be moved around to take advantage of the sun.
Patio chair sets are designed to be used with a table for alfresco dinning.
Aim for good quality seasoned wood and look after it with regular applications of an appropriate oil.
Solid metal chairs may need painting to avoid rust unless they are made of light weight aluminium.
Tubular metal may be plastic coated to reduce maintenance.

Folding and Stacking Chairs

Lightweight steel tube chairs with canvas seats and a back rest and cup holder are supplied in storage bag with integral carrying handle and drawstring closure. You often see them pulled from the back of cars at picnic spots. They can be functional in your garden and put away when not in use.
Chairs built on the old deck chair line collapse into a thin, stackable rectangle. There is now a rocking chair version of the old deck chair (see below).
Plastic preformed chairs are often designed so that one can be piled on top of the other to save storage space.
Recliners look the most comfy when accompanied by plush cushion covers.

Garden Chairs from Amazon
Wooden Garden chairs from Amazon

Source David 365 flickr CC Attribution 2.0 Generic

Gardeners Special Offers

hortoris — Mon, 02 May 2011 07:58:06 +0000

Special Offers for Gardeners

Internet traders and retailers of plants and seeds start making special offers of plug plants around the beginning of May. They have grown to order but added some extra stock for sale and will put deals and discounts together. It can be a cost effective way of getting more plants.

Newspapers are regularly making up special offers. They usually involve buying several items of one species in several colours or varieties at a bulk price. Distributors need a minimum order value to make a deal worthwhile.

At the end of any selling season special offers and discounts are used to liquidate stock. As long as the timing is not too bad you can make some good purchases. I particularly look for Tulips sold in October/November which is the time to plant them anyway yet retailers want the space for Christmas stock.

Horticultural societies are a good way to buy your dry goods, chemicals, fertilisers and composts at a discount. It is well worth the cheap membership fee for good advice and better prices. Many get funds or discounts from bulk seed purchases by adding members deals together.

Casual retailers at car boots, open gardens and special plant sale events can be a good source of new plants.

Tips on Special Offers

Every retailer is looking to make a profit. Caveat emptor means buyer beware.
Do not buy plants that look like they are dead, diseased or past their sell by date.
I particularly dislike vendors who sell plants that are finishing flowering and will not flower again.
Seek value for money by considering growing from cuttings, seeds or scrounging gifts.
Try not to buy what you don’t want. I overfil my garden every year and always have more than I need or the garden can cope with.

Special offers link to Thompson & Morgan

Sphagnum Moss for Gardeners

hortoris — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:05:41 +0000

Features of Sphagnum Moss

Sphagnum moss is a great liner for hanging baskets.
It holds a large quantity of water and is easy to wet
The moss is very slow to rot down.
Sphagnum moss is light and easy to work with.
In bogs, sphagnum moss compacts down over the years to create peat.
Florists use sphagnum moss to make wreaths.

Other uses of Sphagnum Moss

As a mild antiseptic that inhibits bacteria growth, Sphagnum moss has some medicinal uses.
It was used in massive quantities for dressing wounds during World Wars I and II.
Sphagnum has traditionally been used for bedding, to pack wall cavities and it has been used to caulk boats.
Sphagnum was once used as an ingredient in bread and provides the peaty flavour of whisky.

Sphagnum moss products from amazon