Gardening Ideas for September 2010
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Great Expectations...
Taking part in Radio 4's
Gardeners' Question Time as a panellist gives me a unique
insight into what really bothers gardeners. One topic that rears
its head time and again is frustration with plants that refuse to
produce flowers. After interrogating the questioner, it usually
turns out that they expected their wisteria, goji berry,
'Rambling Rector' rose or climbing hydrangea to literally
hit the ground flowering, whereas some plants need a few years to
settle down, get their roots comfortable in the soil and put up a
framework of stems before they will even think about it.
False expectations are encouraged by clever nurserymen who know exactly how to raise, containerise, feed and generally treat a plant so that it produces flowers at point of sale. Once released into ordinary garden soil, some woody plants, notably large shrubs and climbers, can take 3-5 years before flowering again. Climbers particularly, often mope about near the ground for a few years before they start to motor upwards.
All we can do is give these plants the best care possible and view them as a long term investment. Make sure the whole planting area (not just the hole) is well dug, conditioned and preferably left to settle before the event. Soak the roots, still in their pot, in a bucket of water before planting and if, after you've removed the pot, you can see they are tightly bound, worry the solid rootball somewhat and tease a few roots out to send them in the right direction. Keep the new plant watered during dry spells and for shrubby plants, give them a handful of tree and shrub fertilizer in spring, before placing a mulch of well-rotted compost over their roots. Meanwhile, view the gap waiting to be filled as an exciting planting opportunity for spectacular temporary displays. Now's the time to plant spring flowering bulbs and what better distraction could there be than dainty daffodils, fragrant hyacinths and striking crown imperial fritillaries.
Garden clippings
......in the kitchen garden
- Sow pak choi to grow under cover in a
greenhouse, or under a cloche during winter. They'll grow
happily in deep boxes or pots.
- Continue to dry onions off by placing them in crates out
in the sun, but bringing them into a shed or greenhouse during
rain. This will help them store well.
- Prune out the flowered stems of blackberry
hybrids including boysenberry and loganberry. Tie the new stems in
for the winter, using whatever pattern suits you.
......in the flower garden
- Plant foxgloves, clary sage, forget-me-nots, sweet
Williams and other biennials raised from seed or bought in. Do this
as soon as the soil is moist and they'll settle down to flower
next spring and summer.
- Take cuttings of roses, choosing sturdy non flowering stems 23-25cm/9-10in long. Trim under the lowest leaf, remove bottom leaves and set them so they are buried by two thirds in a V-shaped trench. They'll take a year or so to root.
- Plant the fleshy roots of spectacular foxtail lilies, setting the tops of crowns 15cm/6in deep in a well-drained, sunny position. Mulch established plants with well-rotted manure or compost.
......and in general
- Get on and clip
any hedges still uncut. This is the correct month for tackling
Leylandii to keep it under control and also Lonicera nitida.
Remember to taper the hedge in slightly towards the top and use a
line on long stretches to keep the hedge level.
- Begin to empty finished leaf mould onto moist soil around plants as a mulch. Then the container will be empty and ready to refill as autumn leaves fall.
- Improve borders for autumn by trimming lawn
edges, removing weeds and cutting back any finished plants which
are flopping badly. Ad extra support for plants like Michaelmas
daisies still to come and enjoy the show.
Q & A
Q: I grew geraniums from plug plants and planted them out two months ago. They are now big, but have no flowers. How can I encourage them? C.Slater, Crediton.
A: This is odd
because these bedding geraniums (pelargoniums) are bred to make
lots of bloom and should have been encouraged by a warm, sunny
early summer. My guess is they received too much tender loving care
in the watering and feeding department. These plants are relatively
drought tolerant and originate from species inhabiting poor soils
in South Africa. The occasional well balanced feed is all they need
to start with, but change to a high potash fertilizer every three
weeks or so once flowering starts.
Q:Is it really necessary to 'turn' a compost heap, or is this just one of those jobs handed down from the days of cheap labour?
A: The composting
process depends on air getting into the heap, in order for the
bacteria to work effectively. So turning is definitely beneficial
and will help the heap rot down faster and more efficiently.
Instead of laboriously forking the whole lot from one position to
another, or one bin to another, try sticking in a long-tined fork
and just waggling it up and down a bit. I have also heard of folk
erecting old drainage pipes vertically, piling the compost around
them and then drawing the pipes out after a while, to let air in.
Watering the heap when dry helps keep things going too.
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