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Gardening
Article Week Ending October 2nd 2009
The gardens are looking bright with The later planting of Gladiola that I made are now showing colour, but I won’t cut the leaves off the early ones, that have finished flowering, as they will feed the corms for next year. It is said that the name came many years ago from some Galdiators, who found them growing wild by the road-side, and called them Gladiolus. They had very small flowers then, but have been improved over the years and hybridised to produce the beautiful colours and large flowers that we now have. The same thing has happened to most of our flowering plants with them being bred from wild specimens that originally did not look very special. This is especially true of things like Sweet Pea and Chrysanthemums to name but two. If you want winter colour there are
lots of Pansies in flower and on sale now, but if you want them to last
into next year only buy the Winter flowering or Universal types. It
should say on the labels what they are. I still have some Universal
Pansies in flower from last year. I have had mixed success with my vegetables this year and although the Tomatoes seem to be finishing early I think I have done better than most. Many people seem to have had trouble with blight and mildew, especially outside, because of the dull, wet weather. I put some Butternut Squash in, but the plants I gave a friend did much better than mine. The Squashes will keep if they are cut off the plants and stored in a cool but frost-free place. My son and I had some slices roasted round the meat today with Courgette sliced, but with the peel left on. I added a tiny sprinkle of spice and a spot of oil and they only took about 10 – 15 minutes in the oven. There are some pretty coloured
Heathers about now, but if you are tempted to buy some don’t be fooled
if the foliage comes green next year. This is because many of them have
been dyed as they grew this year to give them their colour.
Gardening
Tips Week Ending October 11th 2008 Hello Folks
Autumn is here with heavy dews at night and misty mornings, but
these have sometimes been followed by a few nice days. Now the leaves
are falling they should be cleared off lawns Rhubarb
can be lifted and divided any time now in preparation for the new growth
next year. You should discard the old centre pieces and keep the new
crowns. It doesn’t matter if the crowns gets frosted before replanting
as it won’t hurt them. Winter pansies are about now and will look even
lovelier next Spring if you inter mingle them with dwarf tulips or dwarf
daffodils when planting them. There are some very pretty coloured
Heathers about too, but beware as they have been artificially coloured
and they will keep their colour as long as they last, but after the
Winter if they survive, they will be the normal colour again next year. Cuttings
of Geraniums can still be taken before they go over, but none flowering
shoots are best if you can find any. Cuttings about 2 to 3 inches long
are ideal. You should strip off all the lower leaves and any very large
ones, then put several cuttings to a pot, and round the edge of a clay
pot is best as the clay will breathe, unlike plastic, which may make
them sweat. Some
crops have done well this year and some are very poor due to the wet.
For a few weeks the Raspberries cropped heavily, but suffered with mould
on the berries. Rowan trees seem to be covered with berries this year
and if you pick them they make lovely jelly with apples. I grew some
baby Sweet Corn putting three or four plants to a very large pot. It was
an experiment really, but they have done quite well. Experiment with
different things and try anything within reason, that’s what I say. Well
all for now. 8/10/
Gardening
Hints And Tips Hi
folks it's me again. I
am afraid summer is coming to an end and it is getting dark earlier, but
a colourful winter can still be had as there is a wide range of If
you saved Poinsettia plants from last year and they are growing well they
must be put in complete dark now or they will not colour up for Xmas.
Runner Beans will probably have finished now so cut them down to ground
level but do not dig the roots out as the nodules that grow on the roots
will put Nitrogen back in the soil as they rot. Late
fruiting raspberries are still ripening so do not cut them down till
February. Wallflowers are of course ready for planting now. If you don't
like planting each year there are some perennial ones that are a bit
more expensive as they are single plants in pots. After flowering cut
down fairly low then they will stay bushy. Check
on any Hyacinths that you have growing in the dark to see if they want a
little water. Don't bring them in the light until the flower bud is
about 2-3 inches tall or the flower will come out shorter than the
leaves. Cheerio
For Now Frances
Hartley.
Gardening
Tips October 12th
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annuals
still flowering in the tubs and baskets, but I have some larger
flowering Rudbeckias in my borders that are also out now. They are
lovely for cutting as they last well in water and flower later in the
season. You never see them in the shops as cut flowers, which is a pity
as all our cut flowers seem to be imported and we have some good
nurseries which should be encouraged to grow flowers like this. Most of
the flowers of my Rudbeckias are about 5 inches across with bright
orangey/yellow outer petals and dark brown mahogany centres. As with
many flowering plants the more flowers you cut the more you get. If you
want to grow some Rudbeckias they are easy from seed, but be aware that
some are annuals and some of the garden centres sell hardy
herbaceous varieties that you will be able to over-winter.
and ground cover plants.
Leaves will make good compost, but take a lot longer than other plant
material to rot so are best put separately, over Winter, into a
polythene sack with holes in to allow excess water to escape. It is most
important to clear all the leaves and any other debris from pools and
ponds as well because this will rot over the winter, pollute the pond
and may kill the fish.
winter
flowering Pansies, prices do vary though. There are also some very
pretty little Violas. Miniature Cyclamen are often sold as outdoor
plants but they do need protection from cold winds and frost.
Hello folks
There
are plenty of Winter veg’ plants about now such as Cabbage, Sprouts,
Chinese Greens, and Winter Lettuce ready for planting to give you fresh
greens straight from the garden, or you could grow a few in large pots if
you only have a yard.