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Month: May 2010

Growing Corydalis for Colour and Fine Foliage

Growing Corydalis for Colour and Fine Foliage

Cordialis popovii

Corydalis popovii is a small bulbous plant flowering up to 6 inches in height. In spring it assumes a white colouring after the purple flowers. This plant comes from Central Asia and is easy to grow and long-lived in a well-drained compost in a pot.
They can be grown in the open garden in full sun and freely drained soil.
Fertilize with a specific fertilizer for bulbous plants, every 2-3 weeks, from when the first flowers start withering.
Corydalis plants don’t like cold temperatures or wet conditions and need a rest period before being brought back into growth.

Corydalis wilsonii

Corydalis wilsonii arrived from it’s native china comparatively recently.
It is a compact herbaceous plant with light green leaves.
It flowers on errect spikes, 1″ long, in a deep yellow during late spring.
This variety is suitable for growing in pots.

I have just bought a Corydalis Kingfisher from the local AGS meeting. Kingfisher has blue flowers with a hint of green from March to Aug and is only without flowers when dormant during winter.

Alpine Species
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Growing Different Daisy Flowers “Townsendia”

Growing Different Daisy Flowers “Townsendia”

Townsendia formosa

This genus of conspicuous Aster like flowers deserves to be better known.

Growing Habits of Townsendia

  • This perennial genus comes from North America and Mexico.
  • Some Townsendia are tall, erect plants, like typical daisies, others form small, leafy rosettes, or have a sprawling, prostrate appearance.
  • The plants like a sunny well drained spot or they will be short lived.
  • Sow seed in gritty compost and surround plants with grit or gravel.

Some Species of Townsendia.

  • Townsendia formosa shown above has lilac coloured flowers above thin narrow foliage.
  • Townsedia grandiflora has large violet flowers 1-2″ wide on 5-10″ stems in summer.
  • Townsendia exscapa has white or pale pink flowers.
  • Information on the other 20+ species by L M Shultz
Grow Ericaceous Cassiope

Grow Ericaceous Cassiope

Cassiope Badenoch

Cassiope are a valuable group of small wiry stemmed ericaceous perennials with white bell-like flowers blooming in spring. Leaves are unstalked and densely overlap.

Tips for Growing Cassiope

  • Grow in lime free sandy or mossy soil. Very hardy if given good drainage.
  • The smaller varieties are good alpine house and pot plants growing below 12″ high.
  • Plants are cheap to buy and can be propagated from cuttings or by pegging down.
  • Plants hybridise quite easily.
  • Grow in a cool shady or semi-shady places in the rock garden or shrub border.

Hybrids and Species to Grow

  • Cassiope Randle Cooke is a super little Cassiope with deep green leaves closely clasping the stems.
  • Cassiope Badenoch shown above has a mass of off-white bell shaped flowers
  • Cassiope Edinburgh another wiry stemmed ericaceous perennial with tightly packed deep green leaves and larger white bell-like flowers in spring.
How To Grow Dahlias from Gardeners Tips

How To Grow Dahlias from Gardeners Tips

dahlia

Dahlia offer magnificent colour

Tips for Growing Dahlias

  • Dahlias are an excellent plant, great for bold planting schemes. They are quick growing and provide an impressive display of colour late in the season.
  • You can start growing Dahlias by buying tubers from garden centres and specialist mail order.
  • They can be planted from March to April. You could just about try planting a tuber now (early May) for a late season show.
  • Dahlias are tender so need to be kept under glass until all risk of frost has passed. For early season dahlias start in May and gradually harden off before planting out in late May / early June.
  • Dahlias like the warmth, so a heated greenhouse would really speed up their growth.
  • Pinching Out. To encourage bushy growth, pinch out the growing tips. You can also remove small spindly stems.

dahlia

  • For the biggest flowers, you can pinch out secondary blooms and put all attention into the one bloom. This is best for cut flowers, but, for a garden display, you don’t have to do this.
  • Apart from some small low growing varieties, dahlias will need protecting. Stake them securely. it works quite well to have a triangle of stakes around the plant and then tie garden string around the plant.
  • Dahlias are heavy feeders and like to be kept well watered, especially during the flowering season. If your soil is poor, try digging in lots of organic material for them. Also, once established, give a good watering and then a add a layer of mulch to keep water in.

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Garden Tips for May

Garden Tips for May

may

A classic scene from May – a carpet of Bluebells.

Tips for Gardening in May

  • Beware of ground frosts especially in the north and unsheltered parts. Be ready with some fleece or in an emergency some newspaper to cover delicate plants. Have seedlings and pots on convenient trays for moving in and out of safe frost free places.
  • A big job is hardening off plants getting them accustomed to the outside weather. Make use of cold frames and adjust plants gradually to outdoor temperatures.
  • Planting out seedlings is another time consuming but rewarding job. Look at recommended width for planting depth, it is easy to forget how big seedlings can grow. However, if slugs are a problem you could plant out thickly and leave room for natural wastage.
  • As Plants spring into life, unfortunately so do weeds. On dry days scour the garden with a hoe. Deep rooted weeds may need more persistent treatment of digging and weedkiller. See: Dealing with Weeds

may

Red Poppy makes big impact in late May.

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Bold Garden Displays

Bold Garden Displays

Abu Hassan Tulips

To make a bold statement in a garden you can opt for hard features and structures or soft features created by plants and flowers.

I personally err towards the plantsmans view and like plants. However the use of one variety in great abundance can have a startling effect as these Abu Hassan Tulips show.

Sticking to the Arabian theme not everyone can have a centuries old moorish bath in the garden like the featured garden below. The distinctly moorish shapes are replicated through out with the addition of large pots & stands both terracotta and glazed.

Moorish bath
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Shade Loving Perennials a Top Ten

Shade Loving Perennials a Top Ten

Helebore

Plants that thrive in the shade also tend to be heavy drinkers. Here is my top ten list

Top Ten Shade Loving Perennials for the UK

  1. Bergenia varieties including Bressingham White, Baby Doll, Rotblum and Bergenia cordifolia
  2. Hosta varieties including Aureo marginata, Moerheim, Halcyon, Wide Brim and Hosta venricosa.
  3. Dicentra varieties including Boothmans variety, spectabilis and formosa Luxuriant.
  4. Astilibe varieties including Deutchland, Europa, Fire Ostrich Plume and W M Buchan
  5. Alchemilla mollis
  6. Epimedium varieties including Roseum, Pinck Colchicum and Sulphureum
  7. Helleborus Oriental hybrids or species, cyclophyllus, foetidus and purpurescens.
  8. Polygonatum giganteum or multiflorum
  9. Pulmonaria varieties including Mary Motram, Dora Bielefeld and Roy Davis.
  10. Tellima grandiflora and grandiflora purpurea

Host flower slugged

Most gardeners have a shady spot so I hope this list gives you some ideas for new varieties to try growing. Of course most of these plants will tolerate some sunshine but then need even more water to thrive.

Shade Loving Ground Cover Perennials

  • Sweet Woodruff or Galium odoratum thrives in alkaline soil
  • Anemone nemorosa Robinsoniana has a carpet of ferny leaves and white flowers that all die down in summer
  • Lamium galebdolon dead nettle a scrambling, variegated evergreen.
  • Symphytum grandifolium or dwarf comfrey has leaves that make good compost
  • Saxifraga spathularis or St Patrick’s Cabbage is evergreen but not as cabbage looking as some gardeners.
  • Vincas minor Getrude Jekyll

Lamium

Credits
Lamium by Shotaku CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Book Cover
Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden by Graham Rice
Dry Shade Perennials a Top Ten
Best Shade loving plants

Growing Bleeding Heart (Dicentra Spectabilis)

Growing Bleeding Heart (Dicentra Spectabilis)

bleeding heart

Dicentra spectabilis or bleeding heart name is actually – Lamprocapnos spectabilis.
Bleeding heart is a rhizomatous perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan. It produces wonderfully delicate flowers from long arching stems. It makes a wonderful addition to any mixed border, and can be very easy to grow.

  • In the UK, after flowering, the plant tends to die back where it lies dormant until next spring.
  • In fact the biggest problem with Bleeding heart is forgetting where you planted and then digging it up or planting other shrubs too close.

bleeding heart

Bleeding Heart makes good cut flower.

  • The plant is a natural woodland plant so needs protection from intense sun. In the north of England full sun, will probably be fine. Though in warmer climates it may need protecting from glare of midday sun.
  • When hot and sunny, keep well watered
  • Being a woodland plant, Bleeding heart are not heavy feeders, a good soil should be adequate for feeding requirements.
  • It is easiest to grow from tubers, which can be split when dormant. To grow from seed requires patience. Also you need to use fresh seed – the seed is very tiny – almost powdery.
  • Bleeding Heart do not need to be dead-headed or pruned. They will definitely not get too big.

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Euphorbia Euphoria

Euphorbia Euphoria

Euphorbia lambii

Euphorbia Facts

  • Euphorbia are the largest genus in the plant world with varieties on every continent except Antarctica.
  • 150 species that grow well in UK gardens are listed in the RHS Plant Finder from over 2000 species worldwide.
  • Euphorbia exist as tiny prostrate annuals, perennials and even Trees.
  • Some spiny Euphorbia can be confused with Cacti, If you are in Africa it will be a Euphorbia in America it will be a Cactus.
  • Spines of Euphorbia will be in pairs.
  • Euphorbia exude a white, sticky, irritating resin when scratched.

Euphorbia Groups

  1. Annuals, Biennials and Short Lived perennials  – grow, flower, seed and die in a season
  2. Annuals, Biennials and Short Lived perennials  – grow, flower, seed and die in a season
  3. Herbaceous Perennials – die back in winter so cut down when unattractive but some varieties have good autumn colour
  4. Biennial-Shooted evergreen perennials – grow leafy shoots that last 2 seasons then flower to be replaced by new shoots. Cut down to ground level when they look untidy
  5. Evergreen or deciduous shrubs – prune only when they grow too big.

Euphorbia atropupurea

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Wisteria Hysteria due to Scale Bugs

Wisteria Hysteria due to Scale Bugs

Wisteria

Spring flowering Wisteria are starting to clothe the walls with festoons of flowers.
It may be an excuse for newspapers to show pictures of Wisteria in full bloom but they are running a story about Asian insects wiping out our Wisterias.

The Problem

  • RHS entomologists are reputed to be very concerned about Wisteria scale insects  that are 10mm in diameter.
  • These insects deposit 1000’s of eggs to later feed on the plant’s sap.
  • Branches and whole plants will succumb over time.
  • Infections are worse around London and the south.
  • Stems can become heavily encrusted with scales.

The Future

  • Experts fear the bug may spread to other trees and fruit bushes.
  • Treat with a systemic insecticide – it is no time to worry about organic insecticides.
  • It also gives me a chance to show a white flowering Wisteria

White Wisteria