topgardensuk.com :: Gardens,Garden Tips 3 Articles
Hi everyone
It has been one of those weeks again with the sun and rain. As usual and lucky for us, we have not had too much rain with a fair bit of sun that is ideal for our gardens.
Our girls have just collected their long awaited exam results and done extremely well, which we are all pleased with (phew – thank goodness) no actually if the results had come out differently and not what they were expecting, we would still have been happy – although maybe a little disappointed for them, as they had studied so hard, always revising, we know they had tried their best, and you cannot ask for more than that.
We certainly never pressurise them, as it seems that children in general nowadays set themselves such high standards, and unfortunately added pressure form schools and colleges is apparent in the form of league tables.
We believe that teenagers have enough problems to cope with today, and only too often you hear that children have harmed themselves, or taken their lives just before or after exam results are published, believing that they have let their parents of themselves down. We say it is far better to have a happy child than a dead one.
Rusty our dog is his usual self, getting in the way and bounding about. His constant running up and down the garden chasing the ball will be wearing it away. Every visitor has to play ball with him before they can get any peace and quiet, although come to think of it, some probably call to see him and not us.
It is really surprising that when we are out on his walks how people notice Rusty, as you know form previous articles that he always wears a bandana around his neck, that people will comment when he is wearing a new one. You certainly make new friends when he is about and he is a good icebreaker.
Right, lets get on with the garden and garden tips. Of course keep up with all the usual stuff – hoeing the garden and beds, dead heading the flowers and tying in trailing shoots.
Now, if you are looking for new plants for the garden next year this is the ideal time to take cuttings. ‘Me take cuttings’ I hear you say, ‘isn’t that too hard and time consuming?’ Nonsense, anyone can take cuttings and achieve good results just by following these very easy steps:
Always choose a healthy strong shoot and cut it using a sharp knife or secateurs just above the third joint down from the growing tip. It is best to Trim away all the leaves off the shoot, apart from the two at the very tip, and of course remove any flowers and buds.
Before you have prepared your cuttings it is best to get your pots ready. You need to fill a pot with either seed or cutting compost and pat this down firmly; I usually use the base of another flowerpot.
Next, place the pot in a bowl of water and leave to soak the water up, then lift out and let the excess water drain away. One five-inch pot will generally take around five cuttings.
If you are going to use hormone rooting powder, dip the cuttings into the pot one at a time and shake off excess powder, we personally do not use rooting powder but some people swear by it.
Next insert the cuttings into the prepared pots. Remember to firm them in gently, this is important so that you avoid air pockets.
Position the pots in a warm light place avoiding full sun. After about a week they will need watering in exactly the same way you prepared the pots, from underneath. Watering this way helps to eliminate the risk of grey mould.
Check them regularly and water as necessary, as soon as they have rooted you can pot them on into three-inch pots. Rooting has usually taken place when new leaves emerge.
We keep our cuttings on the windowsills around the house; the conservatory is also a good place. Our kitchen windowsill is always full where they get full attention, as it is a busy working area.
The cuttings can survive in a greenhouse during mild winters and ours generally do, as we live in the south east where winters are quite kind to us, but heated greenhouses are the best option. To be on the safe side only put some in the greenhouse so that your time and attention have not been wasted if the cold gets to them.
Good luck and congratulations on your new hobby.
If you are like us you will never have enough room for all the cuttings you take, we think it is addictive! Not only will you have great plants, you will also be saving yourself a small fortune and the pleasure and satisfaction knowing that you have grown them from scratch yourself is immense.
Hope you enjoyed this article on gardens and garden tips.
Ted & Sandra