Also known as speedwell, veronica is a beloved old perennial that may have an upright form with spiky flowers, or be a low-growing, mounding creeper. Both types bloom in blue, as well as pink, white, lavender and rose, in late spring and summer. Give upright growing veronicas one of the best spots your garden has to offer. The plants produce dozens of 45-cm-long flower spikes, which can be cut regularly to prolong flowering. Any flower with flat blossoms, such as gloriosa daisies, looks great with upright veronica. Read the rest of this entry »

Candytuft brings drifts of lacy white blooms to the spring scene, often flowering from late winter for many months. Although grown as an annual, candytuft will last for several seasons, but does become leggy. This can be rectified with gentle pruning after flowering. Read the rest of this entry »

To learn how plants that thrive in acid soil fit into their 1 natural environment, explore a natural forest. The same forces that shape and nurture a forest create acid soil. The copious rain that filters through the trees and soaks the ground underneath will leach alkaline minerals such as limestone sediment from the soil, neutralising it. At the same time, the natural mulch of evergreen leaves forms a blanket on the forest floor, along with bark and discarded branches. As this mass of plant matter begins to break down, it contributes acidity to the soil. So, unless a forest happens to be sitting atop a hefty deposit of crumbled limestone, the natural pH of its soil will be in the acid range. Read the rest of this entry »

Beautiful Rose Gardens, featured examples from the major classes that rosarians use to describe garden roses. All roses belong to a single botanical family, Rosaceae, and also are part of the genus Rosa. There are more than 150 different species of true wild roses found throughout the world, spanning native locales as varied as the tropics and the arctic. A few “roses” commonly grown in the garden are actually hybrids between the true roses and other, non-rose species. Read the rest of this entry »

Roses require extra care in climates that experience regular winter freezes. Freezing damages the delicate cells in foliage, canes, and roots—protect your roses by insulating them from severe temperatures. People living in USDA plant hardiness zones 6-7, with minimum temperatures between -10° and 10°F (-23° and -12°C), should allow the last blooms of autumn to develop hips and remain on their plants, fortifying the roses for winter. With the first frost, mound loose soil over the bud union and lower canes, then mulch heavily with straw. Read the rest of this entry »

Training roses to grow on vertical supports allows you to use vertical space in your garden while creating a memorable and creative garden feature. Most rose varieties are suitable for training onto supports, but climber, rambler, and piller roses are the plants of choice for best results. The roses also benefit from the air flowing through their foliage, helping them to dry more quickly and avoid fungal diseases. Read the rest of this entry »

Roses grown in containers require annual repotting to keep them healthy and obtain optimal blooms. Rootbound plants become stunted and produce limited foliage and flowers. If a larger container is not an option, prune the rose severely: remove about a third of its canes and selected roots. This will shock the plant to produce new roots and shoots. Follow these easy steps when repotting your favorite roses: Read the rest of this entry »

Roses planted in containers require somewhat more care than do in-soil roses. Containers are subject to overheating, dehydration, loss of water-soluble nutrients, and other conditions. Help them thrive by watering them whenever the soil becomes dry, fertilizing every 2-3 weeks, and shielding them from direct sunlight when temperatures climb. Read the rest of this entry »

Regular, deep waterings are best for most roses. Always follow them with several dry days to allow the soil to dry. For container plantings, more frequent irrigation is a must, especially in hot weather. Read the rest of this entry »

With beds and containers prepared, the time has come to choose healthy, vigorous, and disease-free roses from the wide selection that is offered at your garden retailer. Choosing healthy roses requires a careful examination of each plant.

In spring, roses are available both as bare-root plants and as established shrubs in nursery containers; later in the year, only containers may be available. Both grow equally well and are genetically identical. Bare-root roses are somewhat more economical, require more time to become established than container plants, and are available directly from growers as well as through retailers. Read the rest of this entry »

Flowers offer the container gardener not only colour but also texture and shape. When planning a display, you need to look at the size of the plants, the outline of their flowers and whether the foliage is glossy or muted. Striking a balance between colour, texture and shape can create a beautiful tapestry effect. Read the rest of this entry »

Soft colours in gentle harmonies enhance a terrace, a patio or a quiet corner of the garden on sunny days and long, balmy twilit evenings.

Shades of mauve and pink are enhanced by the lilac-grey mulch, which was not only used in the pot but also spread onto the ground at its base. Read the rest of this entry »

Bonsai have to be created. When making a bonsai, bear in mind that you want to create a living tree that stimulates the imagination and makes the viewer feel they are looking at a natural scene that has been distilled from the wider world. This may sound a rather pretentious and high-flown ideal at this stage, but it is important that you understand where the art can lead you if you want to progress further. Read the rest of this entry »

CERAMIC

Ceramic containers have a definite place in the home and there is such a wonderful selection from which to choose.

From the East has come a fine assemblage of ceramic containers, many of them decorated with ornate and intricate designs. These are quite expensive but most of them can be regarded as works of art due to the high standard of workmanship and quality finishes. This also applies to the work of local ceramicists, whose products are on display in many nurseries and garden centres. Many have flower motifs, but there are also those that are more plainly decorated, and thus suitable for a larger selection of plants. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people say you should water plants from overhead, while others advocate surface irrigation. Which is best?

When you water your plants from overhead, you water both the foliage and the ground at the same time. When you surface irrigate, you only wet the soil. Read the rest of this entry »

I get conflicting advice about the best time of day to water the garden. What do you think is the best time?

When to water depends to a great extent on what part of the country you live in, the kind of plants you grow and the time of year. In summer, it is best to water plants early in the morning, as this will keep them damp during the hot part of the day. This applies especially to newly planted bedding plants and vegetables, which may need to be watered again in the afternoon if the weather is hot — and in very hot, dry weather may even need watering at midday as well to keep them from flagging. Read the rest of this entry »

Roses also favour slightly heavy soils — those with a fairly high proportion of clay — because such soils provide good anchorage, plant foods and moisture. They do not do as well on sandy soils, unless the planting holes are very well prepared and the plants are continually well fed and mulched. Read the rest of this entry »

Every time I read an article on pruning or hear an expert talk about it, I seem to get different advice. How can I tell who is right?

They may all be, because exactly where and how much to prune will depend on the health of the individual plant and what you want it to look like in the coming year. Once you know when to prune your roses or shrubs — and for details on that — the routine job of doing it each year presents no particular problem. The following principles are sound, straightforward and common to all plants and all experts. Read the rest of this entry »

There are five main methods of pruning. These match the five main categories of different types of shrubs: deciduous spring flowering shrubs, deciduous summer flowering shrubs, winter flowering shrubs, evergreen shrubs and small- leaved shrubs.

Whichever method is used, you should bear in mind these general points. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several ways to increase your shrub stock. The methods most widely used are hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, tip cuttings and layering. Of these, hardwood cuttings are the most likely to succeed, especially with deciduous shrubs. But with certain species, the other methods may produce better plants more quickly. The sections that follow describe how to carry out each technique, and which plants it works best with. Whatever method you choose, bear in mind these general points: Read the rest of this entry »