When can I plant Rose Bushes?
Question:
When can I plant out my mini rose bushes.Will they be at risk from frost if I plant them now. I live on the Isle of wight so our winters are quite mild.
Answer:
I would say you would be fine to plant out your roses now, in fact autumn is the best time to plant them.
I wouldn’t prune them until the spring just in case they do get caught in a frost. Deadhead them as needed to keep them looking tidy.
I think the important thing is to ensure that they don’t dry out and that they don’t get waterlogged.
When planting dig a hole twice the depth and width of the rootball and add plenty of well rotted organic matter to the hole. If you have heavy, clay soil then add some grit too.
Once planted water in well and water regularly for the first few weeks even if it rains.
Hedging Ideas
Question:
I live in a block of flats with a communal garden that is adjacent to another block also with a communal garden. The two gardens used to be screened from one another by trees which have had to be cut down as we were told they were unsafe. Now we have a nasty wire fence separating the two gardens and we would like to plant some bushes that would act as a screen. Laurel was suggested but we already have a huge laurel hedge in another part of the garden and this has turned out to be very high maintenance as it grows furiously and costs huge amounts to trim. So we need something that is low maintenance and would screen adequately. Have you any suggestions?
Answer:
I’m afraid most hedges are high maintenance in that require trimming twice a year and need feeding and watering regularly until they establish. Here is a link to one of my favourite websites, Crocus.co.uk, which has a good selection of hedging plants to give you some ideas.
However, another solution may be to plant a number of ivy plants along the wire fence and weave them up and around the wires to produce a hedge affect. Once established Ivy is very quick growing and you can easily keep it in check if it gets too big. Here is a link to show you some ivys from crocus. If you wanted to you could grow other climbers, such as clematis, up the ivy to add some colour.
I don’t know how high you want the barrier but another solution may be to plant clump forming bamboo. They grow quite tall but as long as you get the non-invasive types it can produce a nice informal hedge. Again, another link.
I hope I have given you some ideas but there is one thing you don’t ever want to do and that is to plant Leylandii. It is very fast growing and without regular trimming can soon outgrow even the biggest garden.
What’s looking good in August
August 14, 2009 by Linda
Filed under Our Garden
I went out into the garden this morning not expecting to see much to photograph and was surprised at the number of plants looking really good.
Often August is a quiet time in the garden but with plants such as Japanese anemone, Rudbeckia, Buddleja and Hibiscus you can guarantee a good display of colour. Take a look below:
Rose mallow Hibiscus syriacus ‘Oiseau Bleu’
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Anemone ‘September Charm’ Japanese anemone
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Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’ coneflower
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Lysimachia clethroides – Loostrife
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Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria)
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Hypericum ‘magical red star’
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Buddleja ‘Pink Delight’ butterfly bush
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Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ Japanese anemone
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All photographs were taken and are owned by Linda Peppin if you wish to use these photographs in your own work please drop her a line using the contact us link below.
Missed the Gooseberries Again!
July 28, 2009 by Linda
Filed under Our Garden
A couple of years ago I bought a red gooseberry bush.
Last summer, its first proper season, it produced about six lovely sweet gooseberries, well I think they were sweet because just when I thought they’d be ready to eat the blackbirds ate all six in one sitting. I was actually watching it from my office window but couldn’t get down quickly enough to stop it.
This year the bush was covered in them; well about 30. On Friday I thought “I’ll get out there this weekend and pick them before the birds get them”. You guessed it, I came home on Monday morning and there wasn’t a single one left.
I hate netting plants as they look so ugly, but next year I’m taking no chances!
I also wanted to take a photograph of a nice plump, red gooseberry for my blog but missed that opportunity too, hence the green gooseberry photo.
The message of the day; if your gooseberries are still on the bush, pick them now.
Blueberry Problems
Question:
We have two blueberry bushes about 3 yrs old which we moved from pots into garden last year. They are in fruit but all the leaves have been eaten? On odd remaining ones there is what looks like a yellow mildew.Can you advise if fruit once ripened is fit to eat and also what the problem is.
Answer:
Blueberries are often pest and disease free, but can occasionally suffer from powdery mildew and vine weevil. Click on the links to find out more from the RHS Advice Centre. Here is also a link to find out more about blueberries in general.
It is also worth noting that they prefer an acid soil so it would be as well to test the soil around the planting area and if it is not acidic enough perhaps consider putting them back into their pots:
I would say that the fruits will be fine once they ripen but if you have sprayed the plant make sure you wash them well.
Questions for April 2008
Question
I am not sure if you can help but I am looking to buy some coprosma evening glow or/and coprosma fire burst so far I have had little luck I have tried googling it but very poor results none of my local garden centres stock it I bought some last year from a local market and would like to get more I really want a fairly well established rather than a small gutting that needs to be grown on do you know of any online nurseries that would sell this also regards dogwood I really like the look of this but again not been able to find it in my garden centres does this come in the form of a shrub or bush has its something I am not familiar with thanks for any help you can provide
Answer
I have to admit to not knowing about Coprosma but I have managed to find a company who sell a few varieties. Click on this link: http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pn_id=176. There are several types of Dogwood (Cornus) so I have added a link to a few at Crocus for you to look at.
Question
We have a well established pear tree in our garden. The problem is that is has grown lopsided / horizontally right across the garden, so much so that it is obstructing the garden path. I would like to keep the tree but would like some advice on how to prune it to encourage it to grow upwards rather than outwards.
Answer
It is possible to do what you are asking but it will need to be done in stages as to reduce the stress to the tree. I think the best thing for you to do is to follow RHS advice on this matter so I have included a link below on Apple and pear tree renovation: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp
Question
I have what seems to be three different type of spotted laurels one is dark green in colour the other light green with what seems like the beginning of possibly some flowers the other is the same colour light green the first two were planted around a month ago and around 2 3 ft the last one was planted last summer and has hardly grown at all I did read for these to produce flowers you need a male and female like a holly and I thought they were very quick growers I have seen some has high has well over 20foot round where I live they seem to get bigger every year mine are planted in full sun in a good quality compost any information on this plant would be welcomed thank you. I bought a shrub called a beauty berry in October last year it had a abundance of purple berries which have gradually dropped of I believe it is suppose to have pink flowers in summer but at moment I have just a bare shrub is this normal
Answer
Regarding your laurels; do you know which variety you have? I have detailed three of the more common ones below and as you can see their sizes and flowering requirements do vary. If you can find the actual varieties I can do more research for you.
- Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub with stout, green shoots. Large glossy, dark green leaves are heavily mottled yellow. Grows in sun or shade and well drained soil. Height 1.7m Spread 1.7m. Male.
- Aucuba Japonica Rozannie. Very handsome shrub which has large, toothed and leathery green leaves. This all green form is self pollinating and produces large red fruits in winter. Grows in any situation and any soil to about 1m. Male.
- Aucuba Japonica Variegata. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub grown for its yellow spotted leathery leaves. Height 7 ft. Spread 7 ft. requires any reasonable soil. Will thrive in sun or shade. Plant with crotonifolia for berries. Can be kept as a colourful hedge or as a specimen plant. Female. As regards your Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii Profusion). The lovely purple berries will gradually drop off, or get eaten by the birds, before the end of the winter which is normal. It will remain bare until it begins to produce its leaves then small pink flowers around July.
Question
I have got some branches on our pear tree where the buds are not opening – should I cut them back or just leave it?
Answer
If the tree is the right size and shape for you then I’d leave it. However, you may want to read the RHS article below for information on how to prune your tree should you wish. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp
Question
Now that the buds are out on the roses does this mean that I can cut them with an outward facing slope away from a bud at a height of 6 inches from the base now? Can I cut the honeysuckle back to 6 inches as well now?
Answer
I would wait until all risk of frost has passed because if you get a hard frost it can cause the tips of shrubs to die back. This die-back can be trimmed off but if the shrub is at its lowest height you will have nothing left to trim away. You should be OK to do it at the middle of April. You will still get a good display so don’t worry, you’ll be surprised how quickly they will grow from May onwards. You method sounds good but don’t forget to give them a little feed of fertilizer. You can buy one specifically for roses or you can use blood, fish and bone meal which can be used on all your plants. A mulch of well rotted manure around the base will also be good to keep down weeds and help improve the structure of the soil.
Question
Leaves on the hyacinth are going yellow. Can I cut them to the base; remove bulbs from the indoor pot and plant in the garden now? Any thoughts as to where best and how i.e. depth etc to plant them?
Answer
Yes you can cut them back and plant them out in the garden. Here’s a link to my Bulbs page which should help you when planting but the general rule is three times its own depth in a sunny position. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/bulbs.htm
Question
I have recently bought some of the pretty flowering heathers you see at this time of year but know little about them I did hear that they need to be planted I the special compost you use for azaleas and rhododendrons also how long do they flower for I am told the ones you see in the garden centres are all forced has I believe they do not flower until early summer do I prune them when they finish flowering and when should I feed them thank you for any advice you can provide
Answer
There are two types of heather so I’ll give you the details for both. The first type is the “Erica” variety. These heathers do prefer acid soil but they will tolerate slightly alkaline soil, either way it needs to be well-drained and placed in a sunny spot. If you don’t know how acidic your soil is then it would be best to plant into pots using Ericaceous compost although it’s not essential. This type of heather flowers January to March and should be trimmed after flowering with shears or secateurs to remove the dead flowers and encourage bushy growth. The second type is “Calluna”. They like full sun and well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost. They flower July to November. In March or April cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm (1in) of the old growth.
Question
My husband would like to know are than any certain types of methods used to make top soil more firm? He’s clearing out some land and the soil is too soft to hold weight.
Answer
I’m not entirely certain I understand exactly what the problem is but I think it is one of the following. The top soil may be too “soft” meaning it is not compacted enough. If this is the case then you should be able to carefully tread down the surface by slowly walking around until it is firm. However, the problem may be that the soil is too sandy, meaning that it has no substance and keeps falling apart. The added problem here is that it will also be very poor making it difficult to grow anything. If this is the case then you need to improve the structure by adding lots and lots of well rotted organic matter such as horse or cow manure. This can be bought in bulk or, if you live near a farm or stables, you may get it for free if you agree to collect it. If you have to go this route then it will take some time for the soil to change and become more substantial, perhaps as long as a year. To avoid weeds taking hold while you’re waiting you could grow some green manure which will subsequently be incorporated into the soil, again adding goodness. Here is an article which might help. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/soil.htm#Green_manures0
Questions for February 2008
Question
I have a Xylosteum (fly honeysuckle) growing in my garden. Please could you tell me if the red berries growing in the winter are poisonous? I have several young children and am concerned for their welfare.
Answer
The berries on the fly honeysuckle are mildly poisonous so I wouldn’t > take a chance near small children.
Question
We have recently purchased a property with a Bore, the Bore water has a high Iron content, and although my newly planted garden isn’t affected by this my neighbour has reported that he has lost his plants due to the Iron levels in the water. So my question is will the Iron affect the growth of my plants? (The Iron level isn’t extreme; it is still suitable for drinking)
Answer
I have tried to do some research on this but can’t find an awful lot on the subject. The usual problem in gardens is lack of iron as a lot of plants are unable to absorb the iron the soil. I would think that as long as you look after your soil and plant good quality specimens your plants should be OK. Keep the site well drained and add plenty of well rotted organic matter each year to improve the structure. Sorry I couldn’t offer more help.
Question
I live on a estate where when I come out of my flat I come on to a dark outside landing that gets little natural light I was wondering if there was any type of trees shrub I and my fellow neighbours could put in to pots that would brighten the place up I would like some thing that would grow to around 6ft I did thing about conifers but I believe like a lot of trees and plants they need a fair amount of sunshine and /or natural light if you can think of anything I would be grateful preferably something that would be evaluable in your average garden centres
Answer
Firstly you could try ferns. These come in various sizes, not as tall as 6ft but some can reach 3ft and have a good texture. Alternatively, why not put an obelisk into a container and grow ivy up it, twining it in and out as it grows to make it bush out. There are some lovely brightly coloured ivy such as Sulphur Heart. For a long term investment you could try a climbing hydrangea. I have one on the back wall of my house. It faces north and never gets any sun, it won’t grow as big as it says in the description and you can prune it each year if needed and it still flowers well. Here’s a link so you can see what it looks like. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/climbers/other-climbers/hydrangea-anomala-subsp.-petiolaris/itemno.PL00003342/. For a short-term show you could try a few hanging baskets or containers filled with Busy Lizzies. They won’t flower as long or as bright as when they are in sunlight but you should get a few weeks out of them and they will tolerate being dried out if they don’t get watered for a while. In all cases you will need to ensure the soil is of good quality and add some well rotted organic matter to help retain moisture. Either re-pot or top-up the containers each year to keep them fresh.
