Garden compost is the next best thing to farmyard manure. There are many materials that can be composted — that is, formed into a heap and rotted down.

Setting up the bins To retain the heap of compost material construct a wire-netting enclosure 1.2m/4ft high, 1.2m/4ft wide and any length you wish. Alternatively, use a proprietary compost bin. It’s best to have two compost heaps: one for immediate use, the other in the process of rotting.

Choosing the compostable materials Mix the various materials together before adding them to the heap. You can use annual weeds, lawn mowings, potato peelings, animal manure, torn-up newspaper, soft hedge clippings, vegetable leaves and stems, tree and shrub leaves, and many other kinds of soft material — but not hard woody stuff such as fruit-tree prunings. In a separate wire bin you can also rot down deciduous leaves on their own to make soil-enriching leafmould. Read the rest of this entry »

Raising your own plants is much cheaper than buying from a nursery or garden centre. Although a greenhouse is helpful if you want to raise tender plants, a cold frame also has plenty of possibilities for propagating plants.

Six propagating aids

Apart from a greenhouse and cold frame, there are various other tools and materials which you will find useful for the successful propagation of plants.

• Cutting compost Used for rooting cuttings. Made at home by mixing equal parts by bulk of moist sphagnum moss peat and coarse horticultural sand. Alternatively use equal parts peat or coco fibre and perlite. Read the rest of this entry »

Vegetative propagation involves raising plants from cuttings and by methods like layering and division.

• Division Used mainly for hardy perennials (herbaceous plants) but also for other clump-forming plants (for example, many alpines). The method is to split a complete clump into a number of smaller pieces, complete with roots and top growth or buds. Do this while plants are dormant, in autumn or early spring. Usually the centre portion of a clump is discarded, as it’s the oldest part and declining in vigour. The young vigorous outer parts are retained for replanting. With most herbaceous plants, division for replanting should be of a size which fits into the palm of your hand. Before dividing a clump shake off most of the soil from around the roots. You can split large tough clumps with an axe. The two divisions can be split further in the same way. Read the rest of this entry »

Virtually all shrubs can be propagated in this way. The following respond particularly well.

• Azalea Peg down shoots into a peaty soil. Roots form slowly, taking about 12 months.
• Camellia Best rooted in peaty soil. Takes about 12 months.
• Lilac (Syringa) Roots in about 6 months in sandy soil.
• Magnolia Takes 12 months to root. Peg into peaty soil and keep moist.
• Rhododendron Best rooted in peaty soil. Roots form slowly, taking at least 12 months. Read the rest of this entry »