Julies Garden Gems

This section is the Garden Gems of Julie Benson. Julie is a very knowledgable lady who apart from other things is our Treasurer. The following items are taken from stories she has submitted to our newsletter.

Overwintering Pelargoniums

There are several ways of keeping your peli’s for next year, but the most important thing is to keep them from frost. Your plants don’t need to be warm as this will encourage growth at the wrong time of the year. My plants will be under a glass roof with only three walls as part of my greenhouse has collapsed. If there is a chance of frost I will cover everything with a double layer of fleece and hope for the best. My fuchsias will be in there also and as I have managed to get quite a few through in the past, just covered with fleece in the garden I‘m hoping to have more survive this year. As usual I left everything late so that I still have plants in the garden halfway though November that I want to keep. I should have taken cuttings in August so that I had well rooted plants to pot up, but I didn’t so I’m still trying to salvage what I can. I don’t like to cut back peli’s this time of the year as it a way in for rot, but sometimes there is no choice when a plant is too big to bring in and all those cuttings can be planted in the hope they will root. I use a mixture of compost and vermiculite and plant in polystyrene with the cutting touching the edge to keep it warm. Although some of these will die I regard it as a victory if half survive and I haven’t wasted them. It is very important to clean up your plants and keep them that way. All damaged and yellowing leaves must be removed. Regular inspection may show new holes in leaves. This means caterpillars hiding in your plant. You will probably find some leaves stuck together. Remove these carefully and squash them. The caterpillar will be hiding in there. Check those cuttings and pull out any failures, the rest will be slow to root but some will be alive in the spring. All these plants will need a little moisture. They cannot be allowed to dry right out but must not be wet. If you have to keep just a few on a windowsill you will have to decide which are the most important plants to keep, perhaps chance the rest in a sheltered corner of the garden covered with fleece and keep your fingers crossed for a mild winter. The thing to remember next year is to do things at the right time and plan ahead. Famous last words!

A Potted History of Pelargoniums.

Pond Life

Spring, Spring, Spring

Hopefully the worst of the weather is behind us, anyway the plants think so. The daffodils are popping and the crocus and snowdrops have finished, and shoots are appearing from the soil all over the garden. Now we have to take stock - are there any plants in the wrong place that you didn’t move in the autumn? Are there any plants you want to increase? Perennial plants are usually easy to increase, just dig them up and split up the roots discarding any old pieces. Be careful if you are hoeing, not everything will be on show and are those weeds really weeds or selfsown seedlings from somewhere else? If in doubt wait a bit, you can always pull them out later. It is tempting to get out the secateurs and tidy up but be careful, early flowered shrubs should not be pruned till after flowering or you cut off this years blooms. Roses and late flowering shrubs do need to be pruned now. Take out dead and whispy growth then cut roses down to about 12 inches (standards excepted!) Buddleia’s should also be cut down back hard to encourage fresh new growth, unlike the lilac that only flowers on old wood. If in doubt - ask. Hopefully your fuchsias and pelargoniums are shooting even in a unheated shed or greenhouse. Check for die back and trim back if needed. if you didn’t repot in autumn they will need it now. Hardy fuchsias will also need a tidy up and a top dressing to produce this years growth. Despite the snow and ice we had this winter I don’t think I’ve lost any important plants in fact I still have four or five Pelargoniums growing well in my front garden and today I found some fibrous rooted begonias and two lobelia plants with fresh foliage!. Again I say if in doubt ask . We have a range of garden experience at the club and I’m sure there will be more than one person happy to offer advice as well as a good selection of books in our new library

Watering

All the plants in our houses and gardens are growing in unnatural conditions. We are responsible for this so we must do as much as we can to keep these plants happy and comfortable. There are several things to consider and this time I will talk about water. Most house plants are killed by incorrect watering, usually too much! The best test is to poke the soil with your finger, the top layer of soil may be dry but still damp underneath, so the plant will not need a drink. If the soil is dry below the surface it’s time to water. Any houseplant is best watered from the bottom, and this can be done by standing the pot in a couple of inches of water for a hour or two. The leave the plant to drain overnight before putting it back in its cover. Every time you check a pot turn it round so that the plant gets even light. Tubs of plants in the garden are usually too heavy to move around so will need different treatment. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes and is off the ground to keep bugs away. Broken pieces of polystyrene are useful help with the drainage and lighter than crocks and gravel. At the same time water retaining crystals mixed in the soil will counteract the summer sun. These pots need to be checked regularly even when it has rained, checking below the surface as a well filled pot will have a lot of foliage that will shelter the soil. Small pots will dry out quicker than large ones and the easiest way to check is by weight. Pick up the pot and if it feels light it urgently needs a drink. I try to keep a tray with water so that I can stand the thirsty ones in for an hour or two. This is essential for bonsai as the roots are usually very congested and watering from the top just runs off. Remember the shallower the pot the quicker it will dry out. Hanging baskets are usually in full sun for most of the day so these must be watered every day unless you have ones with a reservoir. In the greenhouse too the top of the soil can feel dry before the plant needs a drink, but check regularly especially any on a high shelf as these get most heat. Take them down to check the weight as its easy to misjudge. All these things are easy to do if you only have a few plants, but of course if you have hundreds like John then it can be very difficult to see that every plant gets the right drink. One thing that helps is to keep the soil surface soft and crumbly as this will take up water better. Anything you plant in your garden needs help until it is settled. A new plant needs a damp rootball planted into damp soil with a follow up watering after a day or two. If we have a really long dry spell one really good long soak is better than little and often as that only encourages roots to the surface instead of going down searching for their own water. Cacti and succulents need different treatment and I will talk about that another time.

A potted history of privet

Our native privet or Ligustrum Vulgare was valued for a long time as garden hedging and topiary as there were very few shrubs that could grow quickly and be shaped so easily. By the eighteenth century a better variety from Europe and the golden privet were introduced, and soon miles of front gardens were edged by carefully trimmed hedges that needed regular cutting. I can remember hating the privet in our front garden and when my dad said he was going to build a new front wall and agreeing the privet could go, I had it out before he could change his mind. Many local people will remember how Warners houses all had regulation green hedges, and part of the tenancy agreement was to keep theirs neatly to a standard height. The privet can grow to a handsome small tree with masses of creamy flowers with a scent that many people dislike. The timber from the trees is a beautiful creamy wood that can be turned on a lathe to make small items that look like polished bone.

Geraniums or Pelargoniums?

A Potted History of Magnolias

Fossils of magnolias have been found in many parts of the world showing that it is a primitive type of plant that has been around for at least five million years. It is still growing well in both America and Eastern Asia with at least eighty species found in the wild. Many are tropical trees that could not grow in our climate and even varieties that have been here for two hundred years can still have their blooms destroyed overnight by a late frost. While writing this article I tried to imagine how I would feel to be a plant hunter and finding a tree up to ninety feet high covered in such magnificent blooms especially as some have almost overpowering perfume. By the seventeenth century magnolias were a favourite tree in large gardens, sometimes to boast about when they flowered well, as well as being expensive. Sir Joseph Banks introduced the Chinese magnolia in the 1780’s but for a long time it was thought to be a conservatory plant and not really appreciated as people at first thought it strange to have these enormous flowers before the leaves. An accidental cross in a French garden produced Magnolia Soulaneana a variety small enough for medium size gardens, but it was another sixty years before Magnolia Stellata was found growing wild in Japan enabling everyone to have a magnolia in the smallest garden.