Each month members have the opportunity to ask questions on seasonal problems or for practical advice. There is no fixed "expert" panel, various committee members and the guest speaker put forward their answers and everyone else is more than welcome to chip in with views.
We encourage people to share their successes and pass on their seasonal tips. This part of the evening is a great informal way to learn from other local gardeners and hear what problems people are having. Below are some of the most recent questions asked.
We encourage people to share their successes and pass on their seasonal tips. This part of the evening is a great informal way to learn from other local gardeners and hear what problems people are having. Below are some of the most recent questions asked.
Spring tips for 2018
1.Common garden pests may respond to the application of Garlic water. 25 grm. Chopped garlic (wild garlic will do) soaked for 15 mins. In 1 ltr. of boiling water Strain & add liquid to 4.5 Lts. Water & use as a spray.
2.Old and not so old gardening books & magazines are useful for picking up old garden practices & advice. But may advise use of now banned substances so check first !
3. Bordeaux mixture is now prohibited for sale. BUT not prohibited for use so if you have run out of this useful stuff, you can make your own mix. 3 1/3 Table spoons copper carbonate & 10 Table spoons hydrated lime in 1Gal. Water. This can be used as a folia spray against Downy / Powdery mildew, Black spot & Fireblight. It can also be used Dry on stored bulbs against mildew/fungal attack by shaking them up in a sealed bag NB wear a mask when mixing dusty ingredients & spraying!
4.Blackthorn (Sloe) is used as a cheap stock for grafting stoned fruit :- ie. Plums peaches, cherries.
5.Beware of weed & pest control substances mentioned in old & not so old gardening books,as they frequently become banned form use in recent times. Always use current info. For such things.
March Questions & seasonal tips
1) When should I prune my Salvia Hot Lips?
Leave it a little while longer, until danger of harsh frosts seems over. Don't forget to take cuttings from the prunnings.
2) When can I move a buddleia?
Now is fine, cut it back by about half, water well before and after moving. It needs to be kept moist for at least a month. Buddleias can be prunned back very hard, this will encourage better flowers.
3) Why are all my bulbs in pots rotting where the leaves are coming through?
This could be either frost damage or the extended wet weather. Remove the damaged foliage.
Seasonal Tips
Now is the best time to prune climbing roses. Remove ties cut out angled or crossing stems, retie. Use a figure of 8 to retie. Remember to mulch. Mulching any plant will keep in the moisture, but also keep out excess wet. It will help keep down weeds growth, and depending on the mulch will improve the soil structure and can be feeding the soil too. Mulching with manure/compost will reduce teh amount of digging you do, do it in winter and leave teh worms to do teh work. See Bob Flowerdew is a great supporter of the non dig garden, see his website: www.bobflowerdew.co.uk
Old tigts make very good tree ties, they are much less likely to strangle the trunk as they have a stretch to them. You can ever plait them to make them more attractive.
Remember to leave space in your garden to cover the whole season- dont join the crowds at thsi 1st spring bank holiday weekend and get tempted by all the flowering plants on show.
Not sure how to do something in the garden check out You Tube, there are video tutorials for just about everything.
1) When should I prune my Salvia Hot Lips?
Leave it a little while longer, until danger of harsh frosts seems over. Don't forget to take cuttings from the prunnings.
2) When can I move a buddleia?
Now is fine, cut it back by about half, water well before and after moving. It needs to be kept moist for at least a month. Buddleias can be prunned back very hard, this will encourage better flowers.
3) Why are all my bulbs in pots rotting where the leaves are coming through?
This could be either frost damage or the extended wet weather. Remove the damaged foliage.
Seasonal Tips
Now is the best time to prune climbing roses. Remove ties cut out angled or crossing stems, retie. Use a figure of 8 to retie. Remember to mulch. Mulching any plant will keep in the moisture, but also keep out excess wet. It will help keep down weeds growth, and depending on the mulch will improve the soil structure and can be feeding the soil too. Mulching with manure/compost will reduce teh amount of digging you do, do it in winter and leave teh worms to do teh work. See Bob Flowerdew is a great supporter of the non dig garden, see his website: www.bobflowerdew.co.uk
Old tigts make very good tree ties, they are much less likely to strangle the trunk as they have a stretch to them. You can ever plait them to make them more attractive.
Remember to leave space in your garden to cover the whole season- dont join the crowds at thsi 1st spring bank holiday weekend and get tempted by all the flowering plants on show.
Not sure how to do something in the garden check out You Tube, there are video tutorials for just about everything.
February Questions and seasonal tips
1) My indoor cyclamen had lots of flowers when I was given it, it flowered during the 1st year but since there have been no flowers and the leaves are on elongated stems. I keep it in a cool place with plenty of light. How do I get it to flower?
The plant needs to be fed to encourage flowers. It needs high potassium feed, indirect life, as it is naturally a woodland plant. Some people will dry out the corms and replant in September replant corm at a shallow level. Being dried out will stress the plant- plants will flower in response to stress. His website has some good advice for growing them. https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/indoor_cyclamen.htm
2) What do I do with my Xmas Hyacinth bulbs?
They will not flower again indoors. Plant the bulbs out in the garden, plant deeply. They will flower next year, but the flowers will not be so good. They will continue to flower for a few years and still have a lovely perfume.
Seasonal Tips
Due to the mild winter plants are coming into growth earlier. If you were thinking of ordering bare-rooted plants then DO IT NOW. Nurseries are emailing to say that they will be lifting plants much earlier this year- the cut-off date for orders is going to be in a couple of weeks.
Pruning of uneven plants- it is natural to think that you need to prune heavily on the side where all the growth from last year is. It is counter-intuitive to prune the side with the weak growth, but this is exactly what you need to do to encourage growth on this side.
Avoid walking on wet or frosted grass- you will compact it and it will not grow so well, as it will suffer damage. This is not so important if you aerate your lawns, they will then have a better chance of recovering in the spring.
Want to encourage hedgehogs in your garden? Make a 5cm square hole in the fence between you and your neighbour; then get them to repeat this in the opposite fence. Encourage the whole street to do this and create a passage for hedgehogs. One garden is not large enough for a hedgehog- they will travel a couple of miles a night in search of food and safe nesting places. Starting to tidy up? Do a quick check for hibernating hedgehogs.
January question time and seasonal tips
Our guest speaker- Howard Drury suggested looking in the plant catalogues for a new Buddleia called Buzz that still attracts the butterflies but does not grow higher than 3-5 feet, nor does it set seedlings. It has the traditional flower shape. It is also available in a range of colours: white, magenta, lavender, sky blue and deep purple.
Once again Howard made a recommendation, he said look for the new varieties of patio raspberries. A new cross between Joan J and Autumn Bliss that will fruit from June through until October. Here is a link to raspberry growing advice.
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-raspberries
Tips:
Vine weevils are very active at the moment, check your pots, if any plants are suddenly wilting give them a little tug if the come out chances are there are vine weevil grubs in the compost. Watch out they like to play dead. Even indoor plants are not immune. Nematodes or a topical treatment are good solutions. A quick look on Google shows plenty of sites to buy nematodes- remember these are living organisms and have a very short shelf life so only order when you are ready to use them. You may find this a useful site for more advice: www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?PID=234
Roses can now be pruned. Finally do not start re-potting, wait until April or you risk things rotting off in the cold or wet weather.
November meeting tips and advice:
We would suggest that you always get proper advice for your type of tree. The RHS website is a good place to start. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=90
1a. What about my Victoria Plum?
Do not prune any stoned fruit such as plums or cherries in the winter. If you do you allow in canker or silver leaf. These need to be pruned between June and August, either just after fruiting or even whilst still bearing fruit. Again get proper advice.
Any bulbs that are coming through early- due to the mild autumn should survive once the cold does come. Growth will slow down, and adjust once the conditions are suitable.
It is not too late to plant daffodils, they will catch up and there are lots of bargains to be had in supermarkets, garden centres and on line.
Tulips are fine to be planted now. Early dwarf varieties are good for tubs, and will come back in later years.
Tip from our guest speaker (Frank Hardy) split open a growbag and fill it with bulbs. In spring they will look amazing and you wont see the growbag.
Monthly reminder: Now is a very good time to treat pots and tubs for vine weevil. They are at a very early stage in their cycle so will be difficult to see. You will not see any signs on your plants either, when you do it will probably be too late. Nematode treatment is not too expensive, it is easy to use, and if used before the very heavy frosts will do the trick. Nematode treatment can be found on the internet, it arrives in the post is sachets, with a use by date. The contents are mixed in a watering can and simply water on- following the instructions. Amazon is a good place to start your search amazon.co.uk/nematodes+vine+weevil
1) My indoor cyclamen had lots of flowers when I was given it, it flowered during the 1st year but since there have been no flowers and the leaves are on elongated stems. I keep it in a cool place with plenty of light. How do I get it to flower?
The plant needs to be fed to encourage flowers. It needs high potassium feed, indirect life, as it is naturally a woodland plant. Some people will dry out the corms and replant in September replant corm at a shallow level. Being dried out will stress the plant- plants will flower in response to stress. His website has some good advice for growing them. https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/indoor_cyclamen.htm
2) What do I do with my Xmas Hyacinth bulbs?
They will not flower again indoors. Plant the bulbs out in the garden, plant deeply. They will flower next year, but the flowers will not be so good. They will continue to flower for a few years and still have a lovely perfume.
Seasonal Tips
Due to the mild winter plants are coming into growth earlier. If you were thinking of ordering bare-rooted plants then DO IT NOW. Nurseries are emailing to say that they will be lifting plants much earlier this year- the cut-off date for orders is going to be in a couple of weeks.
Pruning of uneven plants- it is natural to think that you need to prune heavily on the side where all the growth from last year is. It is counter-intuitive to prune the side with the weak growth, but this is exactly what you need to do to encourage growth on this side.
Avoid walking on wet or frosted grass- you will compact it and it will not grow so well, as it will suffer damage. This is not so important if you aerate your lawns, they will then have a better chance of recovering in the spring.
Want to encourage hedgehogs in your garden? Make a 5cm square hole in the fence between you and your neighbour; then get them to repeat this in the opposite fence. Encourage the whole street to do this and create a passage for hedgehogs. One garden is not large enough for a hedgehog- they will travel a couple of miles a night in search of food and safe nesting places. Starting to tidy up? Do a quick check for hibernating hedgehogs.
January question time and seasonal tips
- What time can I prune my Buddleia Davidii? It has grown very large, I like the birds settling in the branches so want to keep some height.
Our guest speaker- Howard Drury suggested looking in the plant catalogues for a new Buddleia called Buzz that still attracts the butterflies but does not grow higher than 3-5 feet, nor does it set seedlings. It has the traditional flower shape. It is also available in a range of colours: white, magenta, lavender, sky blue and deep purple.
- When is the best time to move autumn raspberries?
Once again Howard made a recommendation, he said look for the new varieties of patio raspberries. A new cross between Joan J and Autumn Bliss that will fruit from June through until October. Here is a link to raspberry growing advice.
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-raspberries
Tips:
Vine weevils are very active at the moment, check your pots, if any plants are suddenly wilting give them a little tug if the come out chances are there are vine weevil grubs in the compost. Watch out they like to play dead. Even indoor plants are not immune. Nematodes or a topical treatment are good solutions. A quick look on Google shows plenty of sites to buy nematodes- remember these are living organisms and have a very short shelf life so only order when you are ready to use them. You may find this a useful site for more advice: www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?PID=234
Roses can now be pruned. Finally do not start re-potting, wait until April or you risk things rotting off in the cold or wet weather.
November meeting tips and advice:
- I have a real glut of apples this year- especially eaters and my tree is getting too large when and how do I prune it?
We would suggest that you always get proper advice for your type of tree. The RHS website is a good place to start. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=90
1a. What about my Victoria Plum?
Do not prune any stoned fruit such as plums or cherries in the winter. If you do you allow in canker or silver leaf. These need to be pruned between June and August, either just after fruiting or even whilst still bearing fruit. Again get proper advice.
- I’m worried that some of my spring bulbs are coming through- wont the winter cold kill them?
Any bulbs that are coming through early- due to the mild autumn should survive once the cold does come. Growth will slow down, and adjust once the conditions are suitable.
It is not too late to plant daffodils, they will catch up and there are lots of bargains to be had in supermarkets, garden centres and on line.
Tulips are fine to be planted now. Early dwarf varieties are good for tubs, and will come back in later years.
Tip from our guest speaker (Frank Hardy) split open a growbag and fill it with bulbs. In spring they will look amazing and you wont see the growbag.
Monthly reminder: Now is a very good time to treat pots and tubs for vine weevil. They are at a very early stage in their cycle so will be difficult to see. You will not see any signs on your plants either, when you do it will probably be too late. Nematode treatment is not too expensive, it is easy to use, and if used before the very heavy frosts will do the trick. Nematode treatment can be found on the internet, it arrives in the post is sachets, with a use by date. The contents are mixed in a watering can and simply water on- following the instructions. Amazon is a good place to start your search amazon.co.uk/nematodes+vine+weevil