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Friday, 23 January 2009
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Don’t Lose Those Valuable Crops To Our Feathered Friends.
If you grown fruit, the only way to make sure that you enjoy the crop rather than the birds is to erect a permanent fruit cage. Ideally, its best to consider the area to be planted, build the cage and then plant within its limits. But if you already have trees and bushes, it is possible to build round them, although it may not be as convenient.
Ideally, the structure should not only be high enough to accommodate the trees and bushes but also provide sufficient headroom for you to work inside it- around 7ft. high. You can buy ready made metal frames, but it is possible to build a structure using wooden posts and battens.
If birds are the only problem, the whole structure can be covered with plastic netting, but this doesn’t deter rabbits which nibble the bark during winter. The sides should be supplemented by sufficient wire netting which can be sunk into the ground for a few inches and bent outwards some 6-8 in. from the base so that rabbits can’t dig and burrow underneath it.
Each netting should be no larger than a 3-4in. mesh so that small birds can’t get through. The roof is best made from plastic mesh because if rain drops off metal on to the bushes it could contain toxic chemicals such as zinc which would contaminate the crops.
There are certain times of the year when the roof should be removed-during winter when heavy falls of snow are forecast, as the weight could damage it and to allow pollinating insects in, as they will avoid the mesh. In order to remove the netting easily, its best to attach it to the sides so it can be easily rolled up and removed as and when required.
If you only have one or two bushes, it is possible to erect a temporary structure with canes, wire and netting. But make sure if birds do land on it, they can’t reach the fruit by pecking through the mesh. It’s also important to peg the netting down round the bottom so that they can’t get underneath it.
Strawberries can be protected by using simple wire hoops, covering them with a net in much the same way as you would use polythene to make a tunnel cloche. One final tip is always protect your fruit before if ripens, because once the birds have tasted ripe fruit they will be far more determined to get a second bite at the cherry!
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Ideally, the structure should not only be high enough to accommodate the trees and bushes but also provide sufficient headroom for you to work inside it- around 7ft. high. You can buy ready made metal frames, but it is possible to build a structure using wooden posts and battens.
If birds are the only problem, the whole structure can be covered with plastic netting, but this doesn’t deter rabbits which nibble the bark during winter. The sides should be supplemented by sufficient wire netting which can be sunk into the ground for a few inches and bent outwards some 6-8 in. from the base so that rabbits can’t dig and burrow underneath it.
Each netting should be no larger than a 3-4in. mesh so that small birds can’t get through. The roof is best made from plastic mesh because if rain drops off metal on to the bushes it could contain toxic chemicals such as zinc which would contaminate the crops.
There are certain times of the year when the roof should be removed-during winter when heavy falls of snow are forecast, as the weight could damage it and to allow pollinating insects in, as they will avoid the mesh. In order to remove the netting easily, its best to attach it to the sides so it can be easily rolled up and removed as and when required.
If you only have one or two bushes, it is possible to erect a temporary structure with canes, wire and netting. But make sure if birds do land on it, they can’t reach the fruit by pecking through the mesh. It’s also important to peg the netting down round the bottom so that they can’t get underneath it.
Strawberries can be protected by using simple wire hoops, covering them with a net in much the same way as you would use polythene to make a tunnel cloche. One final tip is always protect your fruit before if ripens, because once the birds have tasted ripe fruit they will be far more determined to get a second bite at the cherry!
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Friday, 31 October 2008
Poppies Worth Picking
We’ve all seen the red glow of poppies in summer fields, but how much do we know about other varieties?
Our own native field poppy, or Papaver rhoeas to give It’s correct name, is a common plant. Occasionally one sees a cornfield adlaze with beilliant red poppies, although after roadworks the disturbed ground can present a lovely sight with poppies in all their glory.
The named varieties of this plant, Shirley Poppies are some of our most popular and colourful hardy annuals. The Rev W. Wilks made his first selections from Papaver rhoeas well over 100 years ago, after which this famous poppy strain was introduced.
Nowadays, we have many fine selections available. One of my favourites is the delightful Shirley Single Mixed, with a range of colours edged with vanilla. Look out also for Shirley Double Mixed with its fine colour selection.
The Shirley poppies grow to 24in. high, the flowers moving in the slightest breeze, appearing in early summer. Another variety of Papaver rhoeas, smaller in status, is Fairy Wings, often listed as Mother of Pearl. These grow to 10-14in.
One of the most eye catching of the annual poppies is P. commutatum Lady Bird, with single crimson blooms and a very pronounced black blotch. Even more distinctive is Danish Flag, producing large, blood-red flowers with a white cross in the centre, hence its name. The large blooms have a fringed edge.
Danish Flag poppies are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular annual poppies available, a group of these in full bloom really stands out in the front of a border. They withstand wind and rain well.
The huge fully double, deeply frilled blooms of Papaver laciniatum are available in five separate colours. My favourite is the crimson and the lovely Swansdown White are equally as attractive.
The larger peony-flowered poppies, seeds of which you’ll find on the cover this week, have been grown for a great many years and are still as popular as ever. The large, double blooms have exceptionally bueatiful crumpled petals and are available in a rich mixture of colours, including pinks, reds, salmon and white. Much loved by flower arrangers for its large, bulbous flat-topped seed heads is P somniferum, commonly known as Hen and Chickens. It produces distinctive pale gray foliage, which is smooth and deeply lobed, and flowers of purple, red, pink and white.
The brilliantly coloured Iceland Poppies, P. nudicaule, are often treated as a half-hardy annual. There are several strains of this poppy available, among them Iceland Dwarf Mixed, a rich mixture of colours reaching 24in.
Some new varieties are available from seed merchants, the best that we can recommend is Red Sails, the individual rich-red blooms of this variety can reach 5in. across and it is generally regarded as the largest Iceland poppy yet.
They are also suitable for cutting, and should be gathered when just showing colour: immediately after cutting seal the ends of the stems by dipping them in boiling water.
These flamboyant poppies are easily grown from seed. The true annual varieties are sown in mid-spring where they are to flower, in shallow drills or by broadcasting seed as thinly as possible. Thin the seedlings when large enough to handle.
The Shirley Poppies do not usually require supporting, but regular dead heading will prevent unwanted self seeding. Iceland poppies should be sown under glass in early spring. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into boxes 1in. apart. They should then be treated as half hardy annuals growing them on and hardening them off before planting them out into their flowering positions.
The true annual poppies can also be sown outdoors in September to flower earlier in the following year. There are many splendid types, not to mention the hardy perennial types, the orientals and new pizzicato mixture with their kaleidoscope of colours.
The f1 hybrid Summer Breeze is a perennial, but can also be treated as an annual, producing its graceful blooms in shades of orange, yellow and white for several weeks. The lovely, clear eye-catching flowers are held over deep cut feathery foliage.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Our own native field poppy, or Papaver rhoeas to give It’s correct name, is a common plant. Occasionally one sees a cornfield adlaze with beilliant red poppies, although after roadworks the disturbed ground can present a lovely sight with poppies in all their glory.
The named varieties of this plant, Shirley Poppies are some of our most popular and colourful hardy annuals. The Rev W. Wilks made his first selections from Papaver rhoeas well over 100 years ago, after which this famous poppy strain was introduced.
Nowadays, we have many fine selections available. One of my favourites is the delightful Shirley Single Mixed, with a range of colours edged with vanilla. Look out also for Shirley Double Mixed with its fine colour selection.
The Shirley poppies grow to 24in. high, the flowers moving in the slightest breeze, appearing in early summer. Another variety of Papaver rhoeas, smaller in status, is Fairy Wings, often listed as Mother of Pearl. These grow to 10-14in.
One of the most eye catching of the annual poppies is P. commutatum Lady Bird, with single crimson blooms and a very pronounced black blotch. Even more distinctive is Danish Flag, producing large, blood-red flowers with a white cross in the centre, hence its name. The large blooms have a fringed edge.
Danish Flag poppies are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular annual poppies available, a group of these in full bloom really stands out in the front of a border. They withstand wind and rain well.
The huge fully double, deeply frilled blooms of Papaver laciniatum are available in five separate colours. My favourite is the crimson and the lovely Swansdown White are equally as attractive.
The larger peony-flowered poppies, seeds of which you’ll find on the cover this week, have been grown for a great many years and are still as popular as ever. The large, double blooms have exceptionally bueatiful crumpled petals and are available in a rich mixture of colours, including pinks, reds, salmon and white. Much loved by flower arrangers for its large, bulbous flat-topped seed heads is P somniferum, commonly known as Hen and Chickens. It produces distinctive pale gray foliage, which is smooth and deeply lobed, and flowers of purple, red, pink and white.
The brilliantly coloured Iceland Poppies, P. nudicaule, are often treated as a half-hardy annual. There are several strains of this poppy available, among them Iceland Dwarf Mixed, a rich mixture of colours reaching 24in.
Some new varieties are available from seed merchants, the best that we can recommend is Red Sails, the individual rich-red blooms of this variety can reach 5in. across and it is generally regarded as the largest Iceland poppy yet.
They are also suitable for cutting, and should be gathered when just showing colour: immediately after cutting seal the ends of the stems by dipping them in boiling water.
These flamboyant poppies are easily grown from seed. The true annual varieties are sown in mid-spring where they are to flower, in shallow drills or by broadcasting seed as thinly as possible. Thin the seedlings when large enough to handle.
The Shirley Poppies do not usually require supporting, but regular dead heading will prevent unwanted self seeding. Iceland poppies should be sown under glass in early spring. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into boxes 1in. apart. They should then be treated as half hardy annuals growing them on and hardening them off before planting them out into their flowering positions.
The true annual poppies can also be sown outdoors in September to flower earlier in the following year. There are many splendid types, not to mention the hardy perennial types, the orientals and new pizzicato mixture with their kaleidoscope of colours.
The f1 hybrid Summer Breeze is a perennial, but can also be treated as an annual, producing its graceful blooms in shades of orange, yellow and white for several weeks. The lovely, clear eye-catching flowers are held over deep cut feathery foliage.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Knowing your flowering Onions
Knowing your flowering Onions
Onions are not just good for eating, they flower well too.
I like onions in any shape or form, not just the ones we eat, but also those that provide us with colour in the flower garden with their decorative heads.
I have several of these ornamental onions dotted around the borders, some of which can be eaten, although they don’t all have a pleasant flavour, so I prefer to leave them and enjoy the flower
However, I use chives in both ways, the green shoots to flavour salads and as a garnish, but latter they produce small, purplish flower heads which are quite attractive as well as being edible.
The first onion I planted in my garden was Allium albopilosum, which has had a name change and is now known as A. christophii. I planted them, along with all the other spring flowering bulbs, in the autumn, to a depth twice the diameter of the bulb, in the south-facing border.
My soil is very well drained so there was no need to add grit to improve the drainage, which would be necessary on heavier soils. I added a sprinkling of sterilized bone meal to the surrounding soil and forked it in.
In those days I used to open my garden to the paying public for charity on day a year and this was a plant that always attracted a lot of attention, as it was at its best then, the first week in July.
The large heads are made up of star-shaped flowers, which are a metallic, violet-pink and measure almost 10in. across on stout stems, just over 2ft. high.
At the end of the month they lose some of their colour and turn beige as they form seeds and stay like this right up to the end of the season, when the autumn winds usually blow them over.
Many of the seeds fall onto the soil and the following year I find hundreds of tiny, onion like seedlings coming up. I potted one or two up and nurtured them but it was five years before they were large enough to flower.
Since then have increased my alliums collection, the earliest and shortest growing of which is A. karataviense. The leaves start to appear in early April and even these are quite colourful. I’ve got two clumps, one in full sun and the other which is in the shade for most of the day and its these that are the most attractive.
The backs are purple and the tops are grey-green with purple stripes which are hardly visible on those out in the open, and the reverse is a paler shade of purple.
As each pair of leaves grow, the flower bud is visible down in the centre and the stem gradually grows until it reaches 6-8in. and produces a pinkie purple flower head over 3in. in diameter. Some years its in full flower at the end of April, but if we get a cold spring I have to wait until mid May.
The next one to open is A. Purple Sensation; the length of its stem varies from 30-36in. The reddish purple flowers are more tightly packed than christophii and they aren’t as large, just 4in. across. They keep their colour for about four weeks, starting in mid-May and then they start to run to seed.
A. Aflatunense looks very similar to ‘Purple Sensation’ until you get close to it and see that the 3in. rounded heads are made up of tiny 1in. flowers, which have six purple petals, but these also have protruding, green-tipped stamens.
The length of time they are in flower varies as to where they are planted; those in the tongue-shaped bed in full sun only last for six weeks, but the others that are shaded by shrubs flower for over nine weeks, starting the second weeks in May.
For a change, I’ve also got two white-flowered alliums. A. nigrum produces dome-shaped heads of white flowers, each with a green centre in June, but the petals of this one are more rounded than the others, and A. rosenbachianun ‘Album’ has star-shaped flowers of white.
Both these grow to 2ft. and flower the second half of May and into June. Two of the more unusual alliums in my garden are A. bulgaricum (now known as Nectaroscordum siculum bulgaricum) and A. schubertii. Bulgaricum reaches almost 3ft. in height and carries lots of bell-shaped flowers which are a dull pink with purplish blotch up the centre of each petal on the end of a thin, thin drooping stem.
The spidery flowers of schubertii are rosy red, some on short stems, and others on long. I grow this one in a pot, over wintering it in the greenhouse, and then burying the pot outdoors in spring, as its frost tender.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Onions are not just good for eating, they flower well too.
I like onions in any shape or form, not just the ones we eat, but also those that provide us with colour in the flower garden with their decorative heads.
I have several of these ornamental onions dotted around the borders, some of which can be eaten, although they don’t all have a pleasant flavour, so I prefer to leave them and enjoy the flower
However, I use chives in both ways, the green shoots to flavour salads and as a garnish, but latter they produce small, purplish flower heads which are quite attractive as well as being edible.
The first onion I planted in my garden was Allium albopilosum, which has had a name change and is now known as A. christophii. I planted them, along with all the other spring flowering bulbs, in the autumn, to a depth twice the diameter of the bulb, in the south-facing border.
My soil is very well drained so there was no need to add grit to improve the drainage, which would be necessary on heavier soils. I added a sprinkling of sterilized bone meal to the surrounding soil and forked it in.
In those days I used to open my garden to the paying public for charity on day a year and this was a plant that always attracted a lot of attention, as it was at its best then, the first week in July.
The large heads are made up of star-shaped flowers, which are a metallic, violet-pink and measure almost 10in. across on stout stems, just over 2ft. high.
At the end of the month they lose some of their colour and turn beige as they form seeds and stay like this right up to the end of the season, when the autumn winds usually blow them over.
Many of the seeds fall onto the soil and the following year I find hundreds of tiny, onion like seedlings coming up. I potted one or two up and nurtured them but it was five years before they were large enough to flower.
Since then have increased my alliums collection, the earliest and shortest growing of which is A. karataviense. The leaves start to appear in early April and even these are quite colourful. I’ve got two clumps, one in full sun and the other which is in the shade for most of the day and its these that are the most attractive.
The backs are purple and the tops are grey-green with purple stripes which are hardly visible on those out in the open, and the reverse is a paler shade of purple.
As each pair of leaves grow, the flower bud is visible down in the centre and the stem gradually grows until it reaches 6-8in. and produces a pinkie purple flower head over 3in. in diameter. Some years its in full flower at the end of April, but if we get a cold spring I have to wait until mid May.
The next one to open is A. Purple Sensation; the length of its stem varies from 30-36in. The reddish purple flowers are more tightly packed than christophii and they aren’t as large, just 4in. across. They keep their colour for about four weeks, starting in mid-May and then they start to run to seed.
A. Aflatunense looks very similar to ‘Purple Sensation’ until you get close to it and see that the 3in. rounded heads are made up of tiny 1in. flowers, which have six purple petals, but these also have protruding, green-tipped stamens.
The length of time they are in flower varies as to where they are planted; those in the tongue-shaped bed in full sun only last for six weeks, but the others that are shaded by shrubs flower for over nine weeks, starting the second weeks in May.
For a change, I’ve also got two white-flowered alliums. A. nigrum produces dome-shaped heads of white flowers, each with a green centre in June, but the petals of this one are more rounded than the others, and A. rosenbachianun ‘Album’ has star-shaped flowers of white.
Both these grow to 2ft. and flower the second half of May and into June. Two of the more unusual alliums in my garden are A. bulgaricum (now known as Nectaroscordum siculum bulgaricum) and A. schubertii. Bulgaricum reaches almost 3ft. in height and carries lots of bell-shaped flowers which are a dull pink with purplish blotch up the centre of each petal on the end of a thin, thin drooping stem.
The spidery flowers of schubertii are rosy red, some on short stems, and others on long. I grow this one in a pot, over wintering it in the greenhouse, and then burying the pot outdoors in spring, as its frost tender.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Daffs in Demand, Make Sure you get Yours in time
Garden centres and shops have been caught in an upward spiral of daffodil prices following a surge in worldwide demand. This in turn means, of course, that retail prices this autumn will be correspondingly higher. Tulips, too, are affected, but to a lesser extent.
Trade prices of even the most common varieties of daffodil have taken off, and there are signs that ‘you aint seen nothing yet’; specialist wholesale growers predict that it could take a couple of years for things to settle down.
A combination of factors has brought the situation about. Worldwide retail bulb sales last autumn shot up by over 30%, putting tremendous pressure on home growers who were also confronted by an unprecedented demand from abroad, specially the east coast growers.
Where many small scale daffodil growers have gone to the wall, and the daffodil acreage has declined by about a third. This is not good for our export trade – indeed I gather Britain is now the international daffodil market leader, but the availablility of sufficient supplies to please everyone has taken a further downturn because unfortunate weather conditions have adversely affected our bulb harvest two years running.
Leading suppliers to the garden centre trade, tell me that retail prices of bread and butter varieties can be expected to have risen by 50% when they go on sale this autumn; top grade, less common varieties will cost only 15% more because they would have been selling at premium anyway. So the overall daffodil price pattern may appear to have levelled out.
The worlds biggest daffodil supplier, Winchester Bulb Growers, who farm 600 acres in Cornwall, UK, predict that growers in the UK and abroad will now be encouraged to expand their production acreage, but this will mean taking off the market bulbs that would have gone on retail sale and using them instead for multiplication.
This will in turn compound the problem still further! To cap all that, comes news of a possible breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimers –the degenerative disease that destroys the mental faculties of millions of sufferers – involving the use of a substance found in the bulbs of snowdrops and yes, daffodils.
According to New Scientist, galanthamine, an alkaloid taken from these bulbs, has helped to stabalise patients for up to a year in early trails of a new treatment. The report recalls that galanthamine was used during the 1950s in the treatment of patients undergoing surgery, and at that time supplies were taken from species of Caucasian snowdrop.
Now the British pharmaceutical company planning clinical trials on 600 patients, has found a strain of daffodils growing in East Anglia UK. The mind boggles at the effect this would have on the market if the trials prove successful.
A flash warning
Some people suggest to me that the electrical and magnetic influences of a violent thunderstorm have the capacity to temporarily stimulate an otherwise flagging garden – as well as affect the mental and physical state of human beings.
I think there is likely to be some truth in both theories, but what I do know for certain is that we are now in the thunderstorm season – and for gardeners, park keepers and agricultural workers in particular, its perhaps a good time to reflect upon the dangers of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We should all recognise by now that sheltering under tree in a thunderstorm is not a good idea. Its equally important not to be caught out in the middle of a field or other open spaces. If you happen to find yourself totally exposed, then crouch down with your head between your knees and wait for the storm to pass. Ideally, get back to the total safety of your car as soon as possible.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Trade prices of even the most common varieties of daffodil have taken off, and there are signs that ‘you aint seen nothing yet’; specialist wholesale growers predict that it could take a couple of years for things to settle down.
A combination of factors has brought the situation about. Worldwide retail bulb sales last autumn shot up by over 30%, putting tremendous pressure on home growers who were also confronted by an unprecedented demand from abroad, specially the east coast growers.
Where many small scale daffodil growers have gone to the wall, and the daffodil acreage has declined by about a third. This is not good for our export trade – indeed I gather Britain is now the international daffodil market leader, but the availablility of sufficient supplies to please everyone has taken a further downturn because unfortunate weather conditions have adversely affected our bulb harvest two years running.
Leading suppliers to the garden centre trade, tell me that retail prices of bread and butter varieties can be expected to have risen by 50% when they go on sale this autumn; top grade, less common varieties will cost only 15% more because they would have been selling at premium anyway. So the overall daffodil price pattern may appear to have levelled out.
The worlds biggest daffodil supplier, Winchester Bulb Growers, who farm 600 acres in Cornwall, UK, predict that growers in the UK and abroad will now be encouraged to expand their production acreage, but this will mean taking off the market bulbs that would have gone on retail sale and using them instead for multiplication.
This will in turn compound the problem still further! To cap all that, comes news of a possible breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimers –the degenerative disease that destroys the mental faculties of millions of sufferers – involving the use of a substance found in the bulbs of snowdrops and yes, daffodils.
According to New Scientist, galanthamine, an alkaloid taken from these bulbs, has helped to stabalise patients for up to a year in early trails of a new treatment. The report recalls that galanthamine was used during the 1950s in the treatment of patients undergoing surgery, and at that time supplies were taken from species of Caucasian snowdrop.
Now the British pharmaceutical company planning clinical trials on 600 patients, has found a strain of daffodils growing in East Anglia UK. The mind boggles at the effect this would have on the market if the trials prove successful.
A flash warning
Some people suggest to me that the electrical and magnetic influences of a violent thunderstorm have the capacity to temporarily stimulate an otherwise flagging garden – as well as affect the mental and physical state of human beings.
I think there is likely to be some truth in both theories, but what I do know for certain is that we are now in the thunderstorm season – and for gardeners, park keepers and agricultural workers in particular, its perhaps a good time to reflect upon the dangers of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We should all recognise by now that sheltering under tree in a thunderstorm is not a good idea. Its equally important not to be caught out in the middle of a field or other open spaces. If you happen to find yourself totally exposed, then crouch down with your head between your knees and wait for the storm to pass. Ideally, get back to the total safety of your car as soon as possible.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Hellebores from Seed a Delightful Winter Flowering Plant
Hellebores are high fashion, specially the newer, better coloured H. orientalis hybrids. This means that the demand for plants of good forms is heavy, in fact out-stripping supply – as these hellebores have proved not amenenable to modern methods for mass production.
Propagation
Tissue culture methods have proven very disappointing to date and growers have been forced back to old fashioned division of plants. Whilst this is fine for gardeners who perhaps really only want to split one plant into three or four, the nurseryman begins to feel frustrated.
However we can all sow seeds, and this is a rewarding experience as many of the best forms will give equally good seedlings with the chance of some really outstanding ones. (once harvested, hellebore seed should be sown as soon as possible).
Now is the time to sow seed of hellebores – they are best sown as soon as possible after harvesting. Summer and Autumn is not the time when seed sowing is necessarily at the front of our minds but if you want good results from hellebore seeds sow as soon as possible.
They can be sown in pots of seed compost, covered with half an inch of compost and then placed outside, perhaps even sunk into the ground to keep moist. Nothing will appear until the end of the year, perhaps just into the new year, when the seedlings will poke through and unfurl their first leaves; a pair of oval, rich-green cotyledons.
At this stage I like to take my pots into the cool greenhouse. They are hardy and will resist the frost but the protection will encourage the seedlings to grow that bit faster. As soon as they begin to produce their first true leaf the pot can be taken out and each seedling carefully extracted; they are best potted up individually.
Most books and other sources suggest that it takes two or three years to get H. orientalis hybrids to flowering size. This is altogether too pessimistic; I expect 85% or more to bloom the first winter after germination. To do this it is best to pot individually early, to repot into 4in. pots when the seedlings are in danger of getting pot boundand then to plant out into permanent quarters in late spring.
Keeping the plants to long in pots is no help, but once planted out they will not want to be moved again unless you want to split them in another two or three years time. Young plants can be given some potash-rich fertiliser, such as Tomato feed. With such favoured treatment it will normally be only the odd plant that does not reach flowering maturity by the first winter.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Propagation
Tissue culture methods have proven very disappointing to date and growers have been forced back to old fashioned division of plants. Whilst this is fine for gardeners who perhaps really only want to split one plant into three or four, the nurseryman begins to feel frustrated.
However we can all sow seeds, and this is a rewarding experience as many of the best forms will give equally good seedlings with the chance of some really outstanding ones. (once harvested, hellebore seed should be sown as soon as possible).
Now is the time to sow seed of hellebores – they are best sown as soon as possible after harvesting. Summer and Autumn is not the time when seed sowing is necessarily at the front of our minds but if you want good results from hellebore seeds sow as soon as possible.
They can be sown in pots of seed compost, covered with half an inch of compost and then placed outside, perhaps even sunk into the ground to keep moist. Nothing will appear until the end of the year, perhaps just into the new year, when the seedlings will poke through and unfurl their first leaves; a pair of oval, rich-green cotyledons.
At this stage I like to take my pots into the cool greenhouse. They are hardy and will resist the frost but the protection will encourage the seedlings to grow that bit faster. As soon as they begin to produce their first true leaf the pot can be taken out and each seedling carefully extracted; they are best potted up individually.
Most books and other sources suggest that it takes two or three years to get H. orientalis hybrids to flowering size. This is altogether too pessimistic; I expect 85% or more to bloom the first winter after germination. To do this it is best to pot individually early, to repot into 4in. pots when the seedlings are in danger of getting pot boundand then to plant out into permanent quarters in late spring.
Keeping the plants to long in pots is no help, but once planted out they will not want to be moved again unless you want to split them in another two or three years time. Young plants can be given some potash-rich fertiliser, such as Tomato feed. With such favoured treatment it will normally be only the odd plant that does not reach flowering maturity by the first winter.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
Gourmet Collection serves up a selection of favourite kitchen House Plants
Many hours are spent cooking, eating, washing dishes or chatting and drinking coffee, so it’s vital that your kitchen is a bright, cheerful and welcoming place. What better than houseplants to soften the clinical appearance of stainless steel sinks and ceramic tiles or to blend with the warming colour of wood veneer?
As space on work surfaces is usually limited, choose small or compact, bushy plants displayed on windowsills, shelves, in wall containers or on tables, leaving larger specimens to stand on the floor in corners if space is available.
Don’t put plants where they will obstruct walkways between work areas, as you will be likely to trip or knock them over. If you have a small kitchen, why not have a hanging basket above the sink to take advantage of the humidity created when washing up?
Plants like tradescanthias, asparagus fern, chlorophytum comosum and creeping fig (ficus pumila) will thrive. Growing conditions can vary, specially in a large kitchen where light, temperature and humidity change as a result of the days activities above the sink or near the cooker and kettle, steam makes the air warm and humid like in a rain forest.
The oven, toaster or grill, its like the hot, dry air of a desert but open an outside door or window to let out the steam and the draught is like the wind over the tundra! Because conditions are far from ideal, grow tough, tolerant plants which are cheap and easy to replace, rather than risk delicate exotics.
Ivies and tradescanthias provide all-year-round foliage interest but avoid putting trailing plants on the top of cabinets where they interfere with the cupboard doors. A range of impatiens, pelargoniums, hibiscus rosa-sinensis or cyclamen can by introduced for a temporary splash of colour and if there is enough space, variegated specimen plants like weeping fig (Ficus benjamina).
Chinese evergreen or devil’s ivy brighten up darken corners. Fortunately for us, when grown as a houseplant, devil’s ivy is less exuberant; we only see it in its juvenile condition, at the most 9ft. tall, with small-variegated leaves.
In the kitchen, it should be trained up a moss pole for best effect. The kitchen window is the perfect place for any sickly plant which requires emergency attention. When chemicals are being used to treat those with pests and disease, any spraying should take place elsewhere because of the presence of food.
Kitchen space can also be used to grow your own herbs. Frost tender basil given plenty of light but cool conditions will thrive. Mint, chives, parsley and thyme will grow but will need replacing regularly as they dislike the constant and rapid changes of temperature in the kitchen environment.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
As space on work surfaces is usually limited, choose small or compact, bushy plants displayed on windowsills, shelves, in wall containers or on tables, leaving larger specimens to stand on the floor in corners if space is available.
Don’t put plants where they will obstruct walkways between work areas, as you will be likely to trip or knock them over. If you have a small kitchen, why not have a hanging basket above the sink to take advantage of the humidity created when washing up?
Plants like tradescanthias, asparagus fern, chlorophytum comosum and creeping fig (ficus pumila) will thrive. Growing conditions can vary, specially in a large kitchen where light, temperature and humidity change as a result of the days activities above the sink or near the cooker and kettle, steam makes the air warm and humid like in a rain forest.
The oven, toaster or grill, its like the hot, dry air of a desert but open an outside door or window to let out the steam and the draught is like the wind over the tundra! Because conditions are far from ideal, grow tough, tolerant plants which are cheap and easy to replace, rather than risk delicate exotics.
Ivies and tradescanthias provide all-year-round foliage interest but avoid putting trailing plants on the top of cabinets where they interfere with the cupboard doors. A range of impatiens, pelargoniums, hibiscus rosa-sinensis or cyclamen can by introduced for a temporary splash of colour and if there is enough space, variegated specimen plants like weeping fig (Ficus benjamina).
Chinese evergreen or devil’s ivy brighten up darken corners. Fortunately for us, when grown as a houseplant, devil’s ivy is less exuberant; we only see it in its juvenile condition, at the most 9ft. tall, with small-variegated leaves.
In the kitchen, it should be trained up a moss pole for best effect. The kitchen window is the perfect place for any sickly plant which requires emergency attention. When chemicals are being used to treat those with pests and disease, any spraying should take place elsewhere because of the presence of food.
Kitchen space can also be used to grow your own herbs. Frost tender basil given plenty of light but cool conditions will thrive. Mint, chives, parsley and thyme will grow but will need replacing regularly as they dislike the constant and rapid changes of temperature in the kitchen environment.
Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!
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