Plant of the Month for September – Japanese Anemone

Our plant of the month for September is Japanese Anemone.

Japanese Anemone are beautiful plants, are very easy to grow and flower their heads off from August through to the frosts. During September they are at their best when there are few other plants around. The Gardening Register has two varieties in the garden Anemone ‘September Charm’ and Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’. Honorine Jobert has been in for nearly ten years now and it never ceases to amaze me every year. September Charm was planted last autumn so this is it’s first true flowering season. The plants need to bulk up a bit before they’ll be as showy as Honorine. Take a look at the plants in our garden.

They are happy in full sun or partial shade and prefer moist, fertile soil. They are fully hardy and flower between July and September or even to the frosts if you’re lucky.

To care for your Japanese Anemones:

• Cut back the stalks after the flowers have faded
• Tidy up old dead leaves in March
• Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant in spring
• Avoid moving the plant since it resents disturbance
• Where necessary lift and divide congested clumps in early spring

BUY NOW

Click here to see the whole range of Japanese Anemone from Crocus.co.uk

Which growing medium should I use?

Question:
I have read in a well known gardening book that plants do not like being transplanted into a different medium. Does that include transplanting from peat based raising plant medium to garden soil?

Answer:
I must admit I don’t worry too much about the different types of growing medium. I use a good quality everyday compost and if I need it to be free draining, or for sowing seeds and planting cuttings, I add grit or vermiculite, if I need it rich I add manure, if I need it more fertile I’ll add pelleted chicken manure. When planting into the garden I add compost to the planting hole but back fill with the garden soil I’ve removed from the hole so it is not such a shock for the plant. There are only two situations in which I use the “correct” medium and that is to use ericaceous compost/soil for acid lovers and aquatic soil for planting in ponds. So far this method has not caused me any problems.

Cutting back Carnations

Question:

Last year I sent for some carnation plug plants which I duly planted in the garden, last year they increased in size but only one plant flowered. They over-wintered well and have produced masses of blooms this summer. I neglected to stake them and they now look awful, can I cut them back or will that kill them?

Answer:

Carnations can quickly look messy if they are not supported so I think the only thing you can do is to cut them down and start again next year. Don’t cut them too low, just enough to stop them falling over.

Carnations are very easy to propagate so why not use some of the cut-offs to produce new plants for next year. Ideally this should take place in the spring but they should still root Ok at this time of year:
• Fill a pot with at least 5 inches of sand or vermiculite, water well.
• Take your cuttings which should be about 6 inches long and should include at least three sets of leaves, remove the bottom sets to leave 3-4 inches of bear stem.
• Dip the bottom of each stem in rooting hormone powder (not essential but it will help with rooting).
• Use a pencil to poke a hole in the sand or vermiculite and insert the cutting to a depth of 3-4 inches and firm around the stem. The cuttings can be placed as close together as 1 or 2.
• Place in a shady, frost-free place and check regularly; water when needed.
• The cuttings should be rooted in six to eight weeks and can then be planted in their own pots over the winter and planted out next spring.

Planting carnations in groups means that they help each other to stay upright so the more the better. It is also worth noting that carnations prefer full sun and flop even more in shade; if you have them in the shade you may want to consider moving them.

Leylandii Hedge

Question:

I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden.  The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it.  Can you please give me any advice about what plants would survive?

Answer:

Leylandii are a nuisance in the garden as they grow very quick and if not kept in check can soon take over a whole garden!

It is extremely difficult to grow anything under a hedge, particularly leylandii as they remove so much moisture from the soil.

I would not advise trying to plant a border under the hedge as the shade and lack of moisture means that not much is likely to grow there successfully.

I would plant up pots to provide colour and interest, just place them under the hedge and keep them well watered.

Try planting a few pots with spring flowering bulbs layering different types to get a succession of flowering e.g. daffodils in the lower layer, followed by tulips, then crocus or iris; anything that takes your fancy will do. Once flowering is over these pots can be moved into a corner out of the way until next spring. Replace them by pots full of summer bedding plants.

For all year background interest you could have your evergreens and grasses; conifers also do well in pots and their size is kept in check.

A good plant for autumn interest is Skimmia, they don’t mind low light and are great in pots. click here to see a selection from Crocus

Low Maintenance Flower Beds

Question:

Our local council have decided to grass over four of the flower beds along our road due to cost cutting. They have said that they will consider alternative use of the beds i.e. monument or alternate designs. It has to be low maintenance and be appropriate for the seaside setting as the cliffs are about 200yards away. Can you offer any design ideas or websites that I can use to get advice.

Answer:

Hello, thank you for your email. What a shame you council have decided to remove the flower beds. However, I think one solution that would work well in terms of location and minimal maintenance is to produce gravel gardens. Basically they can remove existing planting and check that the soil is sandy and free draining, if not they can mix in a good quantity of gravel. Add sheets of weed suppressing membrane then top off with gravel and some decorative boulders, stones, driftwood etc. For planting they should use grasses as they will look good for most of the year and only need cutting back once a year, usually in the spring.

I suppose if this is thought to be too much maintenance they can just plant one or two (depending on the size of the beds) pampas grasses in each bed. They require little or no maintenance and can be quite impressive when in full flower.

Another idea, although not exactly coastal in design is to use prostrate woody plants such as Cotoneaster horizontalis, Cotoneaster dammeri, Pyracantha (instead of training it against a wall let it spread along the ground). These plants will soon cover a large area and once establish require no maintenance at all. If a weed suppressing membrane is laid before planting then the weeds should be kept away until the plants establish. An added bonus is that the berries in autumn will feed the local garden birds and the flowers in spring attract butterflies and bees. The links are to Crocus.co.uk to show you what the plants look like.

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 March 2008

Question

I bought a Grevillea plant today the guy at the garden centre just said it grows to about 3 feet and flowers until June I have since found there are many types mine has pink and black flowers on pine like branches what is the general rule of where to plant type of soil etc any tips welcomed thank you

Answer

It seems to be quite tender and prefers a light, sandy soil. Plant it out in a sunny, sheltered spot and perhaps protect it when the weather is severe. You shouldn’t need to prune it unless you want to keep it to a certain size or shape, if you do wish to prune it do it once flowering has finished.

Question

I want to replace my Acer in the garden. Is it ok to plant a new one in the same place as the one I am now digging out?

Answer

As long as the Acer you are replacing is healthy then I can see no reason why planting another would cause problems. Ensure you remove all the roots of the old tree and dig a hole twice the size of the root ball of the new tree. Add lots of well rotted compost to the soil when back-filling. Water if it doesn’t rain but ensure it doesn’t get waterlogged.

Question

I have a wisteria tree which is well established (over 25 years); it is situated in my front garden and has been trained to grow over an archway and along the side of my garage. We have invested in a larger vehicle and as a result need to widen our driveway area which impinges on where the wisteria trunk is sited. As we will be digging up this area to lay a new driveway and paving area, rather than lose the wisteria, we wondered whether once the roots are exposed whether it would be possible to re-site the trunk a few metres away and re-bed in the new paving without causing damage to the tree.

Answer

I am not confident that you will be able to easily re-site your wisteria.  As a rule a tree’s roots spread the same distance underground as their branches do above ground so I would doubt that you would be able to remove all the roots without damaging them and therefore risking the tree. Having said that it sounds as if you have to remove the tree anyway so it may be worth the risk. If you decide to go ahead you should dig a hole in the new location before you begin removing the tree. Make sure the hole is wide enough and deep enough to contain all the roots and add lots of well rotted compost to give it as much help as possible. You may need to detach some branches from the support wires prior to moving. Once you are ready, carefully expose as much root as you can and only cut off roots if absolutely necessary. The most important roots are the smaller fibrous roots which take up the goodness in the soil, the bigger roots are there to hold the tree in place and seek out water further below the surface. Before laying the new paving give the tree lots of water each day for as long as you can to help it establish. If it does happen to die off you could always use it as support for another climber such as a clematis or honeysuckle.

Question

I bought a Cistus snow white yesterday and planted it by the instructions on the plant card however when I looked on the Internet it says not to use organic compost not to mulch and not to feed I used multi purpose compost give it a feed with miracle grow all of which the plant card suggested will it harm it or should I dig it up.

Answer

Cistus plants are originally from the dry, rocky soils of the Mediterranean, which means that they like poor, sandy soils so do not need fertile soil or fertilisers. I must admit that when I planted my first Cistus I also used compost and feed and it did OK. You may find it possibly won’t do as well as had you planted it in poor soil but as long as you don’t add any more mulch or feed then it will be OK in future years. However, if you have only just planted it, you should be able to dig it up quite easily if you prefer to replant. If you do just dig a hole and pop it in! The good news is that this plant copes with fairly extreme droughts so does not need much watering and loves strong sunlight. Also, this is one of the few Cistus plants that respond well to occasional pruning of its stems.

The Gardening Register has an Allotment

Three weeks ago my brother, Allan, was allocated an allotment after being on the waiting list for just a couple of months.

The allotments are called Ashfiled Allotments and are situated round the corner from our mum’s house in Knotty Ash. It is just a half plot but is more than big enough for what Allan and I want to do. Infact it looks very big when covered in weeds!

Last week we went round and measured the site in preparation to producing a plan; oday we went over to do some weeding. We managed to choose one of the hotest days of the year so it was quite hard work.

The half plot we have is on an area which was derelict, the area was cleared out and top soil bought in to make the plots workable. This means that we have quite good soil of a good depth and that there are not too many really established weeds on the plot.

As part of the regeneration the committee planted a hedge of Pyracantha along the line of the newly erected fencing; this is to provide a physical barrier to the outside and to make the fence look a little better. Our first job was to remove as many weeds as possible from the area around the Pyracantha and lay a weed suppressing membrane. Then we put a weedkiller down on about a third of the plot and covered it with heavy duty tarpaulins; these will hopefully help the weeds die off and keep new weeds from coming up before we have a chance to go onto the next phase.

Phase II is to lay bases for a shed, a greenhouse, water butts, compost heaps and the paths around the area. Following this we will go on to prepare the remaining area and build raised beds surrounded by gravel paths. Our aim is to produce a low maintenance plot which is easily managed. The addition of an irrigation system driven from our water butts will help this.

It is going to be a lot of hard work initially but hopefully not too bad for the forthcoming years.

You can see from the photographs how bad it looks now and I’ll keep posting new photos at each milestone so you can see the improvement.

Questions for November 2007

Question:

I live in a very mossy area and found last year that my 30 year old very productive asparagus bed was completely covered in moss. I raked off as much as was possible but this year it has unsurprisingly returned. I have again raked off but clearly shall be left with no soil if I continue in this way. Any suggestions please as to a moss kill product I could now apply (the fern has been cut down to less than an inch above the ground – (might lawn sand be suitable?) and also how I might deal with the bed from now on to minimise moss formation in future? (I do not feel I should just leave the moss on the bed hoping that the asparagus will continue to crop through it. Would this be a sensible option?)

Answer:

This is quite a difficult problem. Firstly I would say not to use any type of moss killer on the bed as the risk to the asparagus is too great. I assume that the soil conditions are ideal for your asparagus otherwise they would not have lasted so long, however, moss loves damp ground. If it is possible to improve the drainage of the bed without disturbing the asparagus you may find this helps in the longer term. In the short term you could try removing the moss by hand then adding mulch, replacing or topping it up every year. The uneven surface of the mulch is less appealing to the moss than the smoothness of bare soil.

Question:

We have 1/2 acre, was a field. Wet and clay, windy site. We tried planting as a wet meadow but got inundated with weeds and thistles. Is there anything we can plant which would take up the wet and cope with wind? Preferably not grass!

Answer:

I would be tempted to build a good sized natural pond and plant the surrounding area with moisture loving and bog plants. You could use the excavated soil to build a mound which could be turned into a wild flower meadow or add some grit and grow non-moisture loving plants. I have found a great article from English Nature which tells you all about ponds and native plants http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/publication/pdf/GardenPonds.pdf. My own article also has some ideas together with selected suppliers of aquatic merchandise which may also help. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/aquatic_gardening.htm

Questions for September 2007

Question:

Could you let me know how to prune Iceland Poppies?

Answer:

Iceland Poppies are Biennials which means that they flower the year after they are sown and then die. Therefore, they do not require pruning. Once they are past their best pull them up. They often seed themselves so you may get flowers year after year.

Question:

I have a strawberry barrel.  Can I pot on the runners which appear to have small roots and do I leave them attached to the main plant until established?

Answer:

Yes you can pot on the strawberry runners as long as they have rooted. Just detach from the mother plant and put in small pots with a good quality potting compost. Give them a good watering to get them going. They should be OK outside in a sheltered spot but if you have a cold greenhouse that would be good too.

Question:

I know this is probably a stupid question but I am a beginner gardener I was wondering whether I could plant a Christmas tree in the garden that I have bought from a garden shop and will it still grow many thanks sorry for the silly question

Answer:

Good afternoon, thank you for your email. It is not a silly question really as it does depend on what type of Xmas tree you have. Although the majority of Christmas trees are sold with a cut trunk but some are sold in pots with their roots intact. Although they tend to be more expensive, they do last a lot longer and have the added advantage of being able to be planted out in the garden. Follow these guidelines for the best chance of success:

• If it has been kept indoors it will need to get used to the cold weather before planting it out
• When you are ready to plant it out stand it in a bucket of water, still in its pot, until it’s thoroughly wet It will grow very big so choose its final position carefully
• Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot and the same depth as the pot
• Add some organic matter into the bottom of the hole e.g. well rotted manure or good quality compost If you’re planting in the spring sprinkle in some general fertilizer too
• Remove the plant from its pot
• If it is pot-bound (the roots are tightly packed in the pot) tease out a few of the biggest roots
• Stand the plant in the hole with its best side facing the direction from which you’ll normally view it
• Check that the top of the rootball is level with the surrounding soil, and that the plant is standing upright
• Mix more organic matter with the excavated soil and fill in around the rootball
• Firm gently with your foot
• Water thoroughly
• Spread an layer of mulch
• Keep well watered for the first few weeks regardless as to whether it rains or not

Photinia Fraseri Red Robin Damage

Question: Due to the heavy snowfall, my Photinia fraseri red robin has cracked in many places, some are minor cracks but cracks nonetheless, is there any doctoring I can do to save this beautifully shaped 7 year old shrub? We had about a foot of snow here. Answer: I’m sorry to hear about your Photinia. The good news is that this is a very easy plant to grow and responds well to pruning. The important thing here is not to let disease get into the plant through the cracks. Therefore you need to remove any badly cracked branches and prune back those which have cracked further up. In order to maintain a good shape you may need to remove healthy branches, take your time and walk around the plant a few times to make sure the shape is pleasing. By the spring you should see new growth appearing from below the cut, this new growth will be the lovely bright red which the red robin is famous for. If after some time the new growth ruins the shape of the plant, just prune it back again. My mum has a red robin and I frequently prune it hard to encourage the new red growth.

Eucalyptus Tree Problem

Question: Have just been chatting with my neighbour who has suggested that leaves from my Eucalyptus tree falling into her pond has caused lots of the frogs to die.  (Don’t think many have fallen in). Think she has more of a problem with its height, as it is now about 20 foot tall, and she thinks it will have an impact on the drains. Can you advise please, shall I get rid (even though it was a gift, and it’s lovely to look at). Answer: I have no knowledge of Eucalyptus being poisonous and they don’t lose many leaves anyway so I doubt that is the cause. However, it is a bit of a coincidence really. I had a lovely eucalyptus tree in my garden which had grown to around 20 foot too. I was getting a bit concerned about it as it had started to block light from my neighbours and the ground was lifting. Friends who have lots of trees in their garden say that the eucalyptus can be quite brittle and are liable to cracking in high winds. So, last week I got a tree surgeon in to have a look at it and in the end I agreed to have it taken down. I was really upset because, as you say, it’s a lovely tree. The good news is that I’m going to buy another one and put it in a really big pot to enjoy the leaves without the risk of it taking over the whole garden.