Gardening Tips & Advice

Planning a Garden

Designing a garden isn’t difficult if a few simple steps are followed.

First test the soil pH. The acidity or alkalinity of the soil determines the plants you will or won’t be able to grow. Plants such as Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Camellias must have acidic soil. Most other plants are flexible in this regard.

Use a compass to establish north and south. Areas of the garden facing north will tend to be cool and shady. South facing areas will be hot and sunny.

Large shrubs and trees will also create areas of shade so spend some time watching how the sun moves across the garden and make a note of hot and cool spots.

Different features require different situations so the following is a list of projects and where they will be most successful:

1. Patio - Sunny.
2. Herbaceous border and most annual flowers - Sunny.
3. Pond - Partial shade but not beneath deciduous trees.
4. Woodland garden - Shade.
5. Rockery - Sunny.
6. Vegetable plot - Sunny.
7. Greenhouse - Sunny.
8. Last but not least, somewhere to sit and relax - Shady.

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Plants for Problem Places

Dry poor soil in full sun.

Plants have many design features which enable them to cope with lack of water and hot situations. These may be any of the following:

Thick fleshy water storing leaves.

Furry or hairy leaves which both trap water and prevent its release.

Hard oily leaves which reduce water loss and reflect the suns heat.

The following are a few candidates for a hot spot:

• Aubrietia
• Cordylime
• Dianthus
• Lavender
• Phormiums
• Rosemary
• Saxifrages (not mossy types)
• Sedum
• Sempervivoms
• Stachys
• Thyme

One final point. Any soil can be improved by adding organic matter like rotted manure or rich in compost. Thus increases the number of species which can be grown.

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Grow Perennial Plants from Seed

Planting a large perennial border can be an expensive proposition, especially if planting in groups of 3, 5 or more of each species.

For the price of half a dozen plants you can grow dozens from seed.

A good starter is the Lupin.  May and June are ideal months.

1. Fill a seed tray to within 1/4 of the rim with seed compost and level the surface.  Scatter the seeds evenly over the surface and cover with a 1/4 of sieved compost.
2. Water with a fine0rosed watering can and place in a light place out of direct sun.
3. The first leaves to appear on germination are the seed leaves.  Gently hold one of these leaves, and using a pencil, lift the seedling by the root and pot up into a 3" pot.  Place these outside in a sunny spot and keep watered.
4. When roots appear through the holes at the base of the pot, move the young plants into 4" - 5" pots and grow on.
5. When Autumn comes either plant them where they are to flower the following year or over Winter in a Cold Frame.
6. For the price of 1 packet of seeds you can easily raise 20 - 30 healthy plants and have the satisfaction of seeing a few small seeds become a stunning addition to your border.

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Alpine Flowers from Seed

Many rockery plants for sale in garden centres are easily grown from seed and late autumn to early spring is the best time to sow them. The reason for this is that the seeds require a period of cold or even frost before they will germinate.

You will need:-

• An old wooden cupboard drawer.
• 2 bags of sharp sand.
• 1 bag of John Innes seed and cutting compost.
• 1 bag multipurpose compost.
• A bucket of ¼ inch stone chippings.
• Some 3 inch - 4 inch clay pots.

1. Drill 4 holes in the base of the drawer and cover these with a flat piece of slate or broken flower pot.

2. Place the drawer in a place that is exposed to the frost and where it is convenient to check on when the seedlings appear. Keep it clear of the soil by standing the drawer on 4 bricks or pieces of timber.

3. Fill the drawer to within 1 inch of the rim with sharp sand.

4. Compost - The most important factor with alpines is drainage so mix the compost as follows:

• 1 part multipurpose compost.
• 1 part John Innes.
• 1 part sharp sand.

Place a few chippings at the bottom of the clay plant pots and fill to within ¼ inch of the rim.

5. Gently scatter your seed evenly over the surface and cover them with ¼ inch of stone chippings.

6. Water the pot gently with a fine rose.

7. Plunge the pot to below ½ inch below its rim in the box of sharp sand.

8. Leave the pot undisturbed till seedlings appear in spring. When these are ½ to 1 inch tall prick them out into 3 inch pots and grow on.