An Introduction To Lilies

Lilies have the reputation for being difficult to grow. They, in general are amongst the easiest of bulbous plants provided you give them the conditions they enjoy.
Left alone they will multiply and provide better displays of flamboyant with each passing year.

Leaf Hoppers

Mature foliage takes on a mottled appearance - masses of white spots. Turning a leaf over reveals fairly large fast moving , slim, greenish white flies.
The damage is very unsightly and the rose can lose vigour.
Spray bushes with systemic insecticide during April, early May and mid June

Roses For The Small Garden Or Container.

There are many suitable dwarf and patio roses that grow to about 2 feet tall and remain compact their entire life.
Some of the best are:
Lili Marlene - crimson.
Princess of Wales - white.
Sweet Dream - apricot.
Bright Smile - yellow.
Marlena - scarlet.
Queen mother - pale pink.
Regensburg - Pink and white , handpainted type.
Sweet Magic - peach.
Trumpeter- vermillion.
Piccolo- orange/red.

When To Prune: Frost Free Areas.

In the warmer southern regions of the United States, where harsh frosts are rare, Fall pruning is the norm. This gives the roses a rest, mimicking what occurs naturally in the north.

Will They Grow In Pots?

The smaller growing English Roses look perfect in larger patio pots. Use a container at least 2 ft wide and deep for best results.

Climbers That Refuse to Climb.

Climbing plants often take a couple of years to establish, seemingly not growing very much.
Providing they don´t go short of water in Summer,the plants will go into climbing mode from the second or third season.
Your patience will be rewarded!

How To treat rose Rust disease.

If only a few leaves are infected, pick them off and as a precaution spray with a systemic fungicide.
If the disease is already advanced when you discover it, spray the bushes fortnightly until the symptoms subside.Make sure you remove and if possible burn any fallen leaves as they are a possible source of infection.

Making Cut Flowers Last Longer

If you take your fresh cut flowers out of the vase they are in every couple days, replace the water with fresh water and then trim the bottom of the flower stems at an angle, it will extend their life.

Ornamental Grasses: An Introduction.

To many people, ornamental grass means one thing: Pampas grass. Beautiful as they are, the Pampas grasses are only a small part of the grass family which are useful in the garden.
There are many excellent forms of grass/ sedge/ rushes, which add form, texture, movement and contrast to the garden.
In this section, I aim to describe all that is great and new in the wonderful ornamental grass world and perhaps suggest some uses for them that you may not have thought of

Plants For The Front Of The Herbaceous Border: A-B.

Achillea ptarmatica "The Pearl": Beautiful, white buttons. 2 ft tall, mid-late summer
Alchemilla mollis: Beautiful foliage and lime green flowers . 18"Tall , mid-late summer
Anthemis "EC Buxton": Lemon daisies on ferny , grey foliage. 18"Tall, mid-late summer
Aquilegia alpina: Pretty, blue columbine. 18"Tall early-mid summer.
Aster "Jenny": Red blooms. 1 ft tall, autumn.
Aster sedifolius "Nanus": Blue flowers. 1 ft tall, autumn
Astrantia major "Rubra": Red blooms. 2 ft tall, mid-late summer
Brunnera macrophylla: blue Forget-me-not flowers.18"Tall spring-mid summer.

Give Bulbs A Chill

Before you try to force bulbs for indoor gardening, be sure to give them a chill. A refrigerator works great for this!

English Roses: An Introduction.

English roses are a relatively new type of shrub rose.The main breeder of this class of rose is David Austin who´s name is now synonymouswith English roses
English Roses are the result of cross breeding old fashioned Rose types ,such as Teas, noisettes and chinas amongst others,with modern floribunda and hybrid tea roses.
The resulting hybrids combine the wonderful shapes and perfumes of the old fashioned roses with the vigour, health and repeat flowering qualities of the modern roses.
Many old types were once flowering in mid summer, the English roses flower in flushes from June till the frosts.

Ideal Conditions for Lilies.

Moist, but free draining, slightly acidic soil is best. A sunny position , with shade at the roots suits them and this can be provided by planting them beneath low growing shrubs

When To Plant : Rockery/Species Tulips

The small flowered botanical or species types such as Tulipa tarda, Tulipa batalini, Tulipa marjoletti and Tulipa acuminata should be planted during September/ October. Their small bulbs deteriorate quickly in high store temperatures.

Choosing Container Grown Climbers.

Container grown climbers come in a range of sizes from 3"pots to large large specimen plants, complete with their own short piece of trellis.
Which should you choose? It is generally true that small plants establish better, so 1 litre sized pots, (5" diameter), are the best buys.
An exeption would be Wisteria, where it pays to buy a larger sized plant in bloom.

Climbing Roses In The Herbaceous Border. (1) The Support.

If your border is backing onto a wall or fence, climbing roses add a further dimension and scent to a herbaceous border by planting some climbing Roses.
Attach some fencing wire to the wall, horizontally with vine eyes. The wires should be parallel to each other with 18 inch spaces.

Florist: The Old-Time Meaning.

The present day understanding of the word "Florist," refers to anyone who sells or arranges flowers for a living.
The old horticultural definition for florist was of someone who devoted themself to the cultivation of a particular type of flower to exacting show standards.
The florist´s passion in life was to grow perfect examples of the type of plant he specialised in.

What Is A Biennial Plant?

Biennial plants are those that you sow from seed in summer,they flower the following year,then die.
Why grow them? Many biennial plants are old fashioned beauties that are exquisitely scented and bring an olde worlde charm to the mixed borders of english style gardens.
Some are highly perfumed and flower at a time ,in late spring, that is very welcome

The Meaning Of An Orange Blossom

In the olden days, giving someone an orange blossom was the same as saying to them ´your purity equals your loveliness.´

Dark Colored Perennials

For those of you who prefer to plant perennials you have some great choices for dark colored plants. They are:
Aquilegia (several varieties), Geranium phaeum (several varieties), Hellebores (again, several choices), Penstemon ´Midnight,´ Primula and Viola (a huge selection.
Many of these plants come in plain black or the flower may have another color in it, either way, they are easy to care for and will come back year after year.

How Deep To Plant Lilies

Most lilies as a means of anchorage, develop roots along the base of the stem as well as the bulb base.. Others, called basal rooters , produce roots only at the bulb base only
The stem rooters require deep planting, but bulb producers now recommend that all lilies should be planted 6"deep.

Germination - The Basics: Failures In the Past?

Now that you understand a bit about seeds and the germination processes, think about some of the seed failures that you may have had in the past and that you put down to " bad seed."
The more likely reason is that , one or more of the basic conditions for germination was not met. E.G. The compost could have been too wet, too dry or compacted,the temperature may have been too high or too low for the type of seed you were sowing.

Old Fashioned Pinks: Recommended Varieties.

All grow 12-15” tall and flower June/July.

Mrs Sinkins: White
Dad's Favourite: White, edged and laced purple.
Ipswich Crimson: Deep red.
Excelsior: Carmine pink with a crimson eye.
Isolde: Pale pink laced purple.

Pot Positions

For a really cool way to brighten up your doorway, position pots on both sides. As the seasons change, remove old flowers and bulbs and add new ones.

Essential Items

Here is a listing of what you will need for forcing bulbs:
a variety of pots in various sizes and shapes
bulbs
potting mix
labels and marking pens
sand
pebbles
water
a calendar
newspapers or other "throw-away" material to work on

Daffodils and Narcissi.

The true harbingers of spring, the genus Narcissus is classified botanically into 12 groups, from the tiny rockery species to the large trumpet daffodils.

Buying Bulbs

Sometimes it is necessary to shop early to get the bulbs you want. Most mail order sources will ship at the appropriate planting time but with retail stores, it's another story. If you buy your bulbs early, store them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

April Showers, May Flowers

Flowers, trees and shrubs need at least one inch of water per week. If nature does not provide this, then you need to suppliment this. Rainfall meters are available at most stores and are quite inexpensive.

Crocosmia: Recommended Cultivars.

Crocosmia "Emily Mckenzie": Compact variety growing to 2 ft . blooms are deep orange with a mahogany throat.
Crocosmia "Lucifer": 3 ft tall. Deep reddish-orange blooms.
Crocosmia masonorum : 5 ft tall. Burnt orange coloured blooms.
Crocosmia "Citronella": 3 ft tall. Golden yellow coloured blooms.
Crocosmia "Bressingham Blaze": 2 ft 6" tall. Flame coloured blooms.
Crocosmia "Jackanapes": Compact; 18" tall. Beautiful bicoloured blooms in orange and yellow.

Big Floribundas

Grandifloras or, to use their once cumbersome , floribundas-H T type, are really floribundas that have clusters of large blooms.
In general the term grandiflora is dying out as most modern floribundas are now fairly large flowering in their own right.

What are they?

Half hardy perennials are plants that will be killed by frost, but can be reused year after year if brought indoors in autumn.

Repeat Flowering.

The vast majority of English Roses are repeat flowering, which means that you will get three or four flushes of bloom per year plus a few flowers in between. Some varieties , such as the excellent white "Glamis Castle", are rarely out of bloom , during the season.

The Hyacinth Bowl

The Hyacinth Bowl.
A seasonal favorite which often has a fern planted in the middle.
Keep in good light and preferably in cool conditions.When the blooms fade transplant the bulbs into the garden , where they will eventually recover from the forcing process and bloom again outdoors in a couple of years. Pot on the fern and grow on in the kitchen / bathroom.

Establishing Snowdrops In Your Garden.

Very small bulbs such as Snowdrops and Winter Aconites do not establish well when grown from fall planted dry bulbs.
Often, these little bulbs dehydrate in high store temperatures, before you even buy them.
What´s the solution?...buy pot grown bulbs in spring as they transplant and establish easily at that time.

Cottage Gardens For The 21st Century.

The English Cottage Garden style is very much in vogue. Although it looks fantastic with a period thatched cottage as a backdrop, it can easily be adapted for the most modern style of house.
The plants and how they are planted are the most important features