How you handle wining crops, such as peas, pole beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and melons depends on your attitude toward the garden as well as the space you have available. As you plan the layout of next year’s plot, choose a system that suits your gardening style. Read the rest of this entry »

Marjoram Origins

This is a small plant found in the eastern Mediterranean countries, southern Europe and north Africa.

Marjoram Essential oil

Steam distillation of the flowers and leaves produces an oil that ranges in colour from pale yellow to rich amber. It has a warm, spicy aroma.

Marjoram Most common uses

• calms and regulates the nervous system
• good for insomnia, depression and anxiety
• relieves aching limbs and rheumatic conditions
• helps nervous stomach and digestion Read the rest of this entry »

“When I realized I could grow broccoli without ever worrying about worms again, I wanted to get up and dance!

No More Worms!

For a long time I didn’t eat much broccoli. I planted a lot of it but each spring when my broccoli was starting to head, a flockof small white butterflies appeared over the rows of broccoli and the other cabbage family crops. Read the rest of this entry »

I blanch it with its own leaves

A thriving row of cauliflower is a spectacular sight in the vegetable garden, but few people think they can have great success with it. I think it’s as easy to grow as any cabbage family crop. Cauliflower is less tolerant to hot weather than its relatives, though, so it’s important to set your plants out very early or plan on a fall crop. If the heads mature in the heat, they’re apt to have a bitter taste or go by very quickly.

For your first crop, set out some plants 3 or 4 weeks before the average date of the last spring frost. Pinch off a couple of the lower leaves.

As cauliflower heads get to be 4 to 5 inches across, they should be blanched by preventing sunlight from reaching the heads. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not necessary to prune tomatoes. However, in my garden all the tomato plants get a little pruning. Staked and trellised plants need the most because you want them to grow only one or two main stems which will make the plants easier to tie up.

Pruning means pinching off the shoots, or “suckers,” that grow out from stems right above leaf branches. By restricting the vine growth somewhat, you’ll get bigger tomatoes. If you let these suckers grow, each becomes another big stem with its own branches, blossoms, and fruits— even its own suckers. I prune my plants in cages and those growing freely early in the season, and then I let them grow. You should go on sucker patrol at least twice a week during the heavy growing season to keep your staked plants from getting hard to control.

In a very hot, sunny area, you can let some of the suckers put on a couple of leaves and then pinch out the top to stop its growth. The extra foliage will help the plant manufacture food and will help shade tomatoes. Read the rest of this entry »

I encourage gardeners with animal problems to put a fence around the garden. Nothing beats a secure fence for keeping out rabbits, woodchucks, raccoons, dogs, and cats. It even helps to control the traffic of neighborhood kids scooting through the yard.

Get your fence up early, before animal pests make their first forays. Once they get a taste of what’s in your garden they are determined to get back in for extra helpings.

I use fences made of 3-foot-high chicken wire (1- or 11/2-inch mesh), topped by a single strand of electric wire 1 inch above the top. An electric fence is the best way to keep raccoons out of the corn patch. The jolt a raccoon gets when he grabs the electric wire convinces him to try a garden somewhere else. The only time I hitch up the battery and energize the wire is before and during the corn harvest. I run it from late afternoon until early morning. Read the rest of this entry »

If money is no object you can now have a greenhouse or conservatory that looks after itself, with the plants watered automatically. On a more modest scale, garden frames and cloches are extremely useful (andcomparatively inexpensive) pieces of equipment: they are of particular value on the vegetable plot for extending the growing season at either end.

Eight types of greenhouse

Today greenhouses come in all shapes and sizes to suit every need and site.

• Span-roof greenhouse The traditional greenhouse, with pitched roof (each side of equal size and shape) sloping down to the eaves. Normally has straight sides, although there are models with sloping sides which result in better light penetration. The glass-to-ground types are ideal for growing plants at ground level, such as tomatoes in growing-bags; those with solid sides (to about 90cm/3ft) are good for pot plants, as they retain heat better than all-glass houses. Framework available in aluminium alloy or timber (such as western red cedar). You can now obtain span-roof greenhouses with curved eaves. Read the rest of this entry »

Bulbs and corms are virtually guaranteed to flower, with a minimum of soil preparation, as the flower buds are already formed inside them when they are planted. If you give them the right conditions, they will bloom regularly each year.

Because, on the whole, bulbs and corms are relatively inexpensive compared with, say, shrubs, you can afford to mass-plant them, which certainly creates the best effect. Spring bulbs are so well known that many gardeners do not realize that there are bulbs and corms that can be planted for flowering at other seasons — not just in spring, which is the peak time. Spring-flowering bulbs are planted in autumn, summer-flowering bulbs in spring, and autumn-flowering bulbs in summer. Read the rest of this entry »

I. danfordioe is another early dwarf, this time yellow, as is I. histrioides, of which the most commonly found variety is ‘Major’ at 4 inches high and with deep blue flowers splashed with yellow in the centre.

I. reticulate, 6 inches, comes in a range of blues: ‘Harmony’ is dark blue, ‘Cantab’ light blue, ‘J. S. Dijt’ a warm purple. A feature of these tiny irises is that they flower when the leaves are very immature and in some cases all but absent. Later the leaves can grow quite tall but by this time you will probably have planted them out in the garden. Whether they will flourish there is a matter of luck—I. danfordiae is never very robust—but it is always worth a try. Bulbous irises could be planted in a window box but I would rather see them in shallow containers— they need only be planted 22 inches deep—and close together for maximum impact. In a 12 inch pot I would plant a dozen of the tiny bulbs, then put them somewhere where they can be seen close up and also smelled. Read the rest of this entry »

Dull Corners

Every room however carefully planned usually ends up with a dull corner or two. Most furniture has straight sides and squarish shapes and simply doesn’t fill corners perfectly so empty gaps happen whether we like it or not. Low seating units are often placed at right angles to each other with a coffee table put where the two meet. Behind it there is an inevitable blank. Pictures and prints are generally hung on walls in central positions so that they can be seen at their best leaving the corners bare. A corner by its nature may only receive a small amount of light but in a room with a good source of natural light to start with there should be enough to grow quite a few types of plant.

The choice of how to display a plant or group of plants in a corner is wide. You could use a hanging basket fixed either from the ceiling or from a wall bracket, a specially made corner shelf unit or a container standing on the floor for a tall plant. Small plants can be placed on a low piece of furniture or plant stand. One of the prettiest shapes of plant to grow in a corner is the standard form, that is a tall bare stem with all the growth branching out from the top. Read the rest of this entry »

Houseplants are not simply collections of green leaves or flowers and leaves. Each variety has a very definite character, either due to its colour and habit, or because of its associations of place, or the feelings it may give us. Some plants are definitely exotic because of their foreign nature. Others have an aura that is much more difficult to pin down — elegance or flamboyance. These emotive plants can set a sense of style and mood that will give a distinct atmosphere to any room. To help you choose which might suit you, here is a collection of the various characters plants can assume.

Flamboyant

A flamboyant plant is bright, elaborate and draws attention to itself and its surroundings; it cannot be overlooked. It is to be used when a bold stroke is needed and you want to make a strong point. Many flowering plants tend to fall into this category but only a few foliage ones, as flamboyance has more to do with colour than with form. Read the rest of this entry »

Dry Atmosphere

However hard you try some rooms just don’t suit houseplants., They are either too dark, and no plants can do without light, or they are too warm and this is a problem when it goes hand in hand with low humidity. Some of the problem can be eliminated by using electric humidifiers or the water-filled variety that is attached to a radiator. Grouping plants together improves their chances of prospering and maturing. Also standing the pots on a base of pebbles or plunging into peat, which is then kept damp, helps immensely. Alternatively you can give up the struggle with the fine mist sprayer and grow plants which naturally come from arid regions of the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting with rooms which have great atmosphere, the trick is to use plants which work with existing features and not against them. A low-ceilinged, Elizabethan timber-framed house looks entirely wrong filled with palms, monsteras or other tropical plants. Simpler, softer subjects such as pelargoniums, cyclamen, begonias and ivies have much more the right feel and don’t clash with the traditional atmosphere. Similarly a cool high-tech city interior might look very strange with small fussy plants; the scale and simplicity would demand plants which are large and dramatic and make bold statements themselves. This is a case for a beaucarnia or a big Dracaena marginata or an aphelandra, whose marvellous graphic markings remove any chance of it being ignored. Read the rest of this entry »

Odontoglossums come from the New World and nearly all are high altitude plants from the Andes. Although they grow close to the equator there, they enjoy the cool, airy conditions of the cloud forest high in the mountains, where there is little difference between the seasons and the days remain the same length all the year round. This produces an ideal climate of permanent ‘spring‘ where the days are never too hot or the nights too cold. From this idyllic region come the Odontoglossums which are the most popular among thousands of different orchids. The modern hybrids produced in cultivation far from their natural habitat acclimatise easily to a temperate climate, provided they are given plenty of fresh air to keep them cool in the summer and artificial heat during the winter. Because these conditions are not easily met in the home, they are not very successful as house plants. However, when Odontoglossums are crossed with closely related genera, hybrids are produced with a vigour which makes them far more suitable for indoor growing. Read the rest of this entry »

No section on indoor orchids would be complete without some mention of the Lycastes. These are extremely attractive orchids of which one or two of the more easily obtained species may be tried. There has been a tremendous amount of work done on breeding the Lycastes and many fine hybrids have been produced, including bigeneric hybrids of the manmade genus Angulocaste, which are the result of crossing Lycastes with Anguloas. These plants are superb growers but can become too large for indoors as they produce extensive foliage and are very space consuming when grown to perfection. The Lycaste species are smaller growers, although even they require sufficient room for their spreading leaves during the summer months. Their bulbs are plump and hard, and are topped by several large leaves which are paper thin and very easily damaged by water droplets or rough handling. These leaves are usually shed before the onset of winter and the plants remain in a dormant, leafless state until the new growth commences in the spring, often at the same time as the buds appear. When the leaves have turned yellow and are discarded naturally by the plant, spiteful thorny remains are left at the top of each bulb. No doubt this serves the plant as a protection in the wild, but they can give a painful scratch to the unwary! Read the rest of this entry »

Like everything in the home, your house plants will become dusty, and orchids are no exception. An accumulation of fine dust building up on the surface of the leaves will, if left for a long period, prevent the leaves from breathing properly and will impede the light which is so essential for a healthy plant. Periodically, at least once a month, this dust should be cleaned off using a wet sponge and a bowl of clean water, wiping each leaf and the stems and bulbs. The leaves can then be passed under a running tap. This will not only greatly benefit the plant but will also improve its appearance. Flowers and buds should not be dusted, these should be left well alone for fear of bruising.

Spraying

Many orchids enjoy a daily spraying of their foliage. In the home this is difficult for obvious reasons, but if the plant is removed from the growing area for regular watering, spraying could be carried out at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »

crimson spire

Huge, crimson-red, shapely flowers are formed on long stems at different heights on this 2,5 m high growing rose. Blooms can be picked without exhausting the rose, since its astounding vigour ensures that

it simply carries on growing and flowering.

double delight

A climbing mutation of the famous Bush rose, with similar qualities: highly perfumed blooms of a basic white colour with a red edging flower in profusion the full length of the long climbing canes.

Great north

The ‘Great North’ conjures up an image of high, snow-covered mountains — and this rose presents just such a show. Buds are pointed and well shaped, opening into fragrant, double white blooms. A mature shrub will reach 3 m and can be covered with over a hundred white, cut-flower blooms. Since this plant builds itself up with short, flowering branches rather than long, nonflowering canes, it is a neat Spire with wide use in free-form landscaping, especially along fences or as tall backgrounds. Read the rest of this entry »

Once you are happy with the approximate position and the size of each feature, you can fill in the detail by firming the design up and finalizing the list of features you want to incorporate. It’s worth bearing in mind that the `hard landscape‘ areas of paving and walling will take the lion’s share of any budget. Plan these to link sensibly with the adjoining house. If the building is of brick, then brick might also be used in part of the patio or to build raised beds; if the floors inside the building are stone then this could be run outside to form a patio that will link the two elements together.

As has already been emphasized, simplicity is so often the key to success. By keeping the materials used for hard surfaces to a minimum, you are far more likely to achieve a harmonious result. Of course, a large expanse of garden covered in a single material may look visually heavy — especially if you are using new bricks or concrete paviors — and in such instances it can be a positive benefit to mix materials: Read the rest of this entry »

This is the most expensive and finest paving available. It can be found in a vast range of types, colours, shapes and textures, looking superb in any well-designed garden.

As with all surfaces, it should be used within the overall context of the setting. While fine, old, second-hand sandstone flags would naturally look out of place adjoining a high-tech steel-and-glass facade, the same stone would look superb laid as a terrace in a more traditional situation. Read the rest of this entry »

Pergolas are one of the oldest garden elements. Their history can be traced back to the very earliest representations of cultivation in Egyptian courtyards. Their role was a dual one: to support the twining stems of vines and to provide a degree of shelter from the all-pervading sun. Since then, pergolas, tunnels and arches have been incorporated into many different types of garden, but it is worth remembering that a pergola is primarily a vehicle for plants. Climbers in particular often thrive on a pergola, growing far better than they do when planted close to the house, where their growth is hindered by foundations, poor soil or the lack of moisture caused by an adjoining wall’s ‘rain shadow’. Read the rest of this entry »