Your Gardening Start (via Gardora.net)

I was introduced to Gardening from an early age. Both sets of grandparents were keen gardener’s and also grew vegetables for food. I can still remember some of my Granddads huge cacti plants and Chinese lanterns flowering everywhere in my other Grandparents garden. My own growing of plants began when I left home and moved into a ground floor flat with a large garden. It was all lawn to begin with, but the gardening seed had taken root and I began to learn all I could about gardening and growing and maintaining plants.

Some years later I decided on a career change and began as a self employed gardener. My parent’s had just purchased a large field on the edge of the village where we lived. It was a natural progression to start building up a small nursery business. Self propagating and selling Perennials, Shrubs and Ornamental trees.

Gardening has, for me, always been reservoir of inner peace, purpose and deep satisfaction. There’s nothing that brings as much joy as working with the Earth and the wonders of creation.

Jules.

How did you start gardening? With houseplants? On the balcony? Or with something else? … Read More

via Gardora.net

Been busy propagating

Has been a very busy year for propagating here for us. Its amazing just how many new plants you can grow from seed, division and cuttings. Seed sowing was a bit late this year as we wanted to start growing vegetables as well to help with the food bills and to eat our own healthy home grown produce.

As luck would have it, a friend had an old greenhouse they were never using and said we could have it for free if we dismantled and collected it ourselves. So armed with a few hand tools, a tin of WD40 and some newspaper to wrap all the old glass in, we eagerly set off.

As you can see it was quite overgrown and needed quite a lot of cleaning and tender loving care to restore it to its former glory.

We began by carefully removing all the old glass and carefully wrapping it in old newspaper to prevent cut fingers and damage to the glass when we moved it. We then began work on dismantling the frame. Some bolts were rusty and corroded but after spraying with WD40 and gentle unscrewing we soon had everything dismantled and ready to move to its new home.

As it was only a short journey we split the frame into sections, 2 sides, back and front and carried these home. The glass and roof section we put in the car to bring back. It was now time to wash and clean everything spotlessly to make reassembly much easier. After copious washing and scrubbing we  had everything ready to begin the work of assembly.

I levelled of an area for the base to sit on. Then  constructed a frame out of stout timber and checked everything once again for squareness and level. Its was an easy job assembling the frame, I left the bolts and nuts firm but not tight so we could check everything was aligned before tightening everything up for the final time.

We then inserted all the now clean and very sparkly glass into position, starting with the roof sections first then the sides, front and back.  We had brought some extra clips, nuts and bolts from ebay so we had plenty to use.  Always a good idea to  use more clips to hold the glass in place so strong winds do  not cause any panels to slip.

We have been extremely pleased with the results and have managed to grow very many beautiful plants already this season.

Perennials in the Spotlight:- Campanula

Campanula

Hardy herbaceous perennials with more than 300 species. The flowers are bell or star-shaped in shades of blue, lavender, purple or white. Flowering in summer.

Photograph by Kurt Stueber

Height: Height to 25cm.

Spread: Spread to 60cm.

Soil Preferences: Fertile moist well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Open sunny position for most species.

Propagation: Division after flowering or seed in autumn.

Campanula garganica

The flowers are pale lavender in colour and starry-shaped, borne on leafy spires during summer. Up to 2cm across above nearly evergreen clump forming, bright green foliage.

Photograph by   Jean-Jacques MILAN

Height: Height to 5cm.

Spread: Spread to 30cm.

Soil Preferences: Fertile moist well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Open sunny position.

Propagation: Divide plants in spring, or sow seed in spring or autumn.

Campanula. betulifolia

The flowers are white or pale pink on spreading stems. The leaves form a loose tuft of dark green wedge-shaped foliage.

Photograph by  Philippe.pechoux

Height: Height to 5cm.

Spread: Spread to 30cm.

Soil Preferences: Fertile moist well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Open sunny position.

Propagation: Fresh seed in autumn or winter. Division after flowering.

Campanula. glomerata

The flowers are upright and violet or purple in colour.  The flowers are 4cm long and appear in summer at the ends of leafy stems. the leaves are deep green and lance to heart shaped.

Photograph by  Dag Lindgren

Height: Height to 45cm.

Spread: Spread to 80cm.

Soil Preferences: Fertile moist well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Open sunny position.

Propagation: Divide plants in spring, or sow seed in spring or autumn.

Campanula persicifolia

The flowers are large up to 5cm long, borne on slender spikes. The flower colours are blue and violet-blue.  The leaves are deep green, narrow and lance shaped.

Photograph by Krzysztof P. Jasiutowicz

Height: Height to 1M.

Spread: Spread to 50cm.

Soil Preferences: Fertile moist well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Open sunny position.

Propagation: Divide plants in spring, or sow seed in spring or autumn.

Propagation:- Division.

Division is a quick and easy way to propagate your favourite plants for filling in gaps in your garden or swapping with your gardening friends.

Depending on the resources you have at your disposal quite a number of new plants can be propagated from division. For example, if you have access to a greenhouse, or polythene tunnel, very small sized divisions of plants can be grown on under controlled conditions. Plants grown this way will quickly become large enough to plant out after they have reached a desirable size and hardened off from the protective environment in which they were raised.

Some herbaceous perennials begin to deteriorate with age, so if you divide older plants up, use the outer sections of the plant and discard the older middle section of the plant.

If you plan on planting your newly divided plants in situ straight away, it makes good sense to improve the soil quality, if needed, at the same. Adding some grit and organic matter such as compost will help in getting your plants happily established in their new surroundings. A gentle watering in and attention to watering in dry periods will be of great help until your plants are fully established.

The time to divide plants depends on the actual plant itself and your growing conditions. For example if you garden in a mild, sheltered area then division in very early autumn will allow your new plants to grow a good root system before dormancy. This will ensure your plants get of to a great start the flowing growing season. Some plants will be much more vigorous in growth than others. In colder areas spring division might be best, as then the plants have a full growing season to establish themselves.

As with everything pertaining to gardening, it’s your knowledge and experience about your own garden and growing conditions that helps you most.

Having decided on the plants you wish to propagate by division, a good first step is to gather the tools and resources you need. For example, digging and planting tools, an old pair of secuters, for cutting through particularly tough plants. I use a bonsai tool, which is a root rake, for teasing apart small divisions that I wish to pot up and grow under a protected environment. Have some grit and organic matter at hand if you wish to improve your soil at the same time. And any pots you might need if you are potting up small divisions to grow on until planting out.

Having all you need to hand, the next step is to carefully dig up your selected plant. Some plants seem to naturally divide very easily, and a gentle teasing apart will result in new plants. Others can be a little more stubborn and might need careful cutting away to get suitable plant material for replanting. An important point is to keep the roots moist as you work so as not to put added stress on the plant.

Then, having divided your plant, the next step is to either replant, or containerise for growing on. After replanting give a gentle watering in to settle soil particles around the roots.

There are many good resources available in books and on the internet that give advice on the best times for division. For me there is nothing quite like the delight from growing and propagating your own plants. Division is a quick and cheap method of increasing plant numbers.

Jules.

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Propagation:- Division.

Division is a quick and easy way to propagate your favourite plants for filling in gaps in your garden or swapping with your gardening friends.

Depending on the resources you have at your disposal quite a number of new plants can be propagated from division. For example, if you have access to a greenhouse, or polythene tunnel, very small sized divisions of plants can be grown on under controlled conditions. Plants grown this way will quickly become large enough to plant out after they have reached a desirable size and hardened off from the protective environment in which they were raised.

Some herbaceous perennials begin to deteriorate with age, so if you divide older plants up, use the outer sections of the plant and discard the older middle section of the plant.

If you plan on planting your newly divided plants in situ straight away, it makes good sense to improve the soil quality, if needed, at the same. Adding some grit and organic matter such as compost will help in getting your plants happily established in their new surroundings.  A gentle watering in and attention to watering in dry periods will be of great help until your plants are fully established.

The time to divide plants depends on the actual plant itself and your growing conditions. For example if you garden in a mild, sheltered area then division in very early autumn will allow your new plants to grow a good root system before dormancy. This will ensure your plants get of to a great start the flowing growing season.  Some plants will be much more vigorous in growth than others. In colder areas spring division might be best, as then the plants have a full growing season to establish themselves.

As with everything pertaining to gardening, it’s your knowledge and experience about your own garden and growing conditions that helps you most.

Having decided on the plants you wish to propagate by division, a good first step is to gather the tools and resources you need. For example, digging and planting tools, an old pair of  secuters, for cutting through particularly tough plants. I use a bonsai tool, which is a root rake, for teasing apart small divisions that I wish to pot up and grow under a protected environment. Have some grit and organic matter at hand if you wish to improve your soil at the same time. And any pots you might need if you are potting up small divisions to grow on until planting out.

Having all you need to hand, the next step is to carefully dig up your selected plant. Some plants seem to naturally divide very easily, and a gentle teasing apart will result in new plants. Others can be a little more stubborn and might need careful cutting away to get suitable plant material for replanting. An important point is to keep the roots moist as you work so as not to put added stress on the plant.

Then, having divided your plant, the next step is to either replant, or containerise for growing on.  After replanting give a gentle watering in to settle soil particles around the roots.

There are many good resources available in books and on the internet that give advice on the best times for division. For me there is nothing quite like the delight from growing and propagating your own plants. Division is a quick and cheap method of increasing plant numbers.

Jules.

Perennials in the spotlight:- Bamboos.

Image by Steve Webel via Flickr

Bamboos.

Most species are hardy, but most will grow best if given shelter from cold winds. The are many different species and more detailed information is given under the species name.

Some are suitable for hedges, many form thick clumps and grow quite rapidly. Excellent for show-pieces in containers and a must for Japanese garden plantings.

New growth appears in early spring. Bamboos do flower but at irregular intervals. The flower-heads emerging in early summer and are grass-like. Quite often flowering causes the plant to die off.

Fargesia. murieliae (syn. Arundinaria murieliae)

Vigorous growing, clump forming bamboo. The pale green culms have numerous slender branches growing from nodes. The leaves are tapered and 6cm long. Native to China.

Height: Height to 3M.

Spread: Spread to 1M.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

Phyllostachys. aurea.

The culms become yellow-brown was they age.

Height: Height to 4M.

Spread: Spread to 1.5M.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

Pleioblastus. pygmaeus.

Dwarf fern leaved bamboo. The slender culms have one to two branches growing from each node. The leaves are 2-8cms long. Good for ground cover, spreading to form thick clumps.

Height: Height to 25cm.

Spread: Spread to 12cm.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds. Good for containers.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

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Perennials in the spotlight:- Bamboos.

Bamboos.

Most species are hardy, but most will grow best if given shelter from cold winds. The are many different species and more detailed information is given under the species name.

Some are suitable for hedges, many form thick clumps and grow quite rapidly. Excellent for show-pieces in containers and a must for Japanese garden plantings.

New growth appears in early spring. Bamboos do flower but at irregular intervals. The flower-heads emerging in early summer and are grass-like. Quite often flowering causes the plant to die off.

Fargesia. murieliae (syn. Arundinaria murieliae)

Vigorous growing, clump forming bamboo. The pale green culms have numerous slender branches growing from nodes. The leaves are tapered and 6cm long. Native to China.

Height: Height to 3M.

Spread: Spread to 1M.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

Phyllostachys. aurea.

The culms become yellow-brown was they age.

Height: Height to 4M.

Spread: Spread to 1.5M.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

Pleioblastus. pygmaeus.

Dwarf fern leaved bamboo. The slender culms have one to two branches growing from each node. The leaves are 2-8cms long. Good for ground cover, spreading to form thick clumps.

Height: Height to 25cm.

Spread: Spread to 12cm.

Soil Preferences: Well drained fertile soil.

Best Growing Conditions: Sun or light shade. Shelter from cold winds. Good for containers.

Propagation: Division is the best method.

Composting Ideas.

Composting is a wonderful to recycle, help the environment, and very importantly improve the quality of your soil and plants.

Compost helps to break up heavy clay, and improves water retention on sandy/ gritty soils.

A suitable container for composting can be very easy to find. If you are good at DIY it will be easy to construct a suitable composting environment from old wood, or pallets. These items can quite often be located for free, or a small cost. If you have the space it is very beneficial to have two composting bins. That way one can be used for fresh materials and the other for more mature compost.

Ready made bins are available from a large number of suppliers. Before purchasing however, do check with your local council to see if they offer composting bins. Many councils offer a good discount, so it well worth finding out if this applies in your area.

Having a cover for the bin is very important. A close fitting cover will help to keep out pests, and in reducing any odours. Your composting will be much more efficient by keeping the heat in and rain out.

Having found your composting container, we now need a suitable location to place them. Even the smallest garden should have somewhere suitable. Make sure that you have easy access to their location, for both, emptying and adding new materials. Remember if you plan on making large quantities of compost, access by a wheelbarrow will help immensely in transporting your finished compost around your garden.

Jules.

Composting Ideas.

Image via Wikipedia

Composting is a wonderful to recycle, help the environment, and very importantly improve the quality of your soil and plants.

Compost helps to break up heavy clay, and improves water retention on sandy/ gritty soils.

A suitable container for composting can be very easy to find. If you are good at DIY it will be easy to construct a suitable composting environment from old wood, or pallets. These items can quite often be located for free, or a small cost. If you have the space it is very beneficial to have two composting bins. That way one can be used for fresh materials and the other for more mature compost.

Ready made bins are available from a large number of suppliers. Before purchasing however, do check with your local council to see if they offer composting bins. Many councils offer a good discount, so it well worth finding out if this applies in your area.

Having a cover for the bin is very important. A close fitting cover will help to keep out pests, and in reducing any odours. Your composting will be much more efficient by keeping the heat in and rain out.

Having found your composting container, we now need a suitable location to place them. Even the smallest garden should have somewhere suitable. Make sure that you have easy access to their location, for both, emptying and adding new materials. Remember if you plan on making large quantities of compost, access by a wheelbarrow will help immensely in transporting your finished compost around your garden.

Jules.

Perennials in the Spotlight:-Agapanthus.

Although some species are tender, there are also many that are hardy in the UK. The leaves are strap like and can be up to 70cms long. The flowers are borne on stems reaching to 1M tall. Flower colour varies from dark to light blue and also white. The flowering blooms are suitable for cutting and quite long lasting. Great for growing in containers. Less hardy species can then be brought under cover during cold weather and frosts.

Height: Height to 1.2M.

Spread: Spread to 80cms.

Soil Preferences: Fertile well drained soil.

Best Growing Conditions:  Sunny position, with shelter from cold winds.

Propagation:  Division of the rhizomatous roots in mid spring. Seed sown in spring, though hybrids will not come true to type.