Gardening Bytes

Gardening is a fun activity for people of all ages. It can be a great way to get kids interested in science and learn the basics of how to grow their own food. If your child has taken an interest in gardening, you may be searching for ways to satisfy his curiosity or to help him explore the vast world of gardening. Listed below are 10 easy to do fun gardening activities that your child is sure to enjoy. The sky is the limit with gardening!

• Flower pot painting. Growing flowers during the spring is a wonderful way to let your child experience gardening. Go a step further and allow him to create his very own flower pots. Use terra cotta pots and paint and encourage your child to get creative.

• Flower pressing. Once the flowers are grown, teach your child how to preserve them. Hang a flower upside down for a few weeks. Then, place in the middle of a large book for pressing.

• Grow an herb garden. Teach children how food is grown by allowing them to grow their very own herb garden. Your local gardening store is likely to have an herb garden kit that contains everything your child needs to get started. This makes the process simple and fun for everyone!

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Ground covers for your garden are an important part of your garden structure. Ground covers work well between plants and underneath plants to help keep weeds down and become a natural mulch around other plants. You want ground cover not invasive plants that will cover up your other plants so ask for advice at your local nursery and choose wisely. Lithodora is a steady grower with evergreen leaves covered in bright blue tubular flowers. I’ve found using low growing heathers a great ground cover, for example Kramer’s Rote has small evergreen leaves with brilliant pink and cream blooms that smother the plant in fall and winter months.

Achillea
Alyssum
Anemone
Artemisia
Aster
Aubrieta
Bergenia
Calamintha
Campanula
Cerastium
Ceratostigma
Chrysanthemum
Clematis
Coreopsis
Delosperma
Dianthus
Dryas
Erigeron
Euonymus
Euphorbia
Fragaria
Geranium
Geum
Gypsophila
Hedera
Helianthemum
Hemerocallis
Heuchera
Hypericum
Iberis
Lathyrus
Leptinella
Liriope
Lithodora
Lonicera
Nepeta
Oenothera
Origanum
Oxalis
Phlox
Potentilla
Pulmonaria
Ranunculus
Rubus
Sagina
Saponaria
Sedum
Sempervivum
Stachys
Teucrium
Thymus
Trifolium
Verbena
Veronica
Viola

Regardless of the season, in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is never too far away. After working hard to grow and maintain your garden, it seems a shame that all of your hard work is ‘lost’ when winter comes. However, there are steps you can take to make sure that next year is much easier. In this guide, we will explore how to get your garden ready for winter.

Remove the Diseased Foliage

Even some of the most advanced gardeners still think that as the poor weather of winter plagues our garden, diseased patches will instantly die out, but this is not the case. In fact, composting the topsoil will not even kill all the diseases. Physically removing the diseased foliage and any contaminated fruit or vegetables before winter is a must.

Soil Sample

Every type of soil is different, and the results of your topsoil tests will give you an idea of what it would be best for you to grow next summer. Before the winter starts, take a nice sample of topsoil for detailed analysis. This way, you will have plenty of time to plan your approach next summer.

Protect Your Soil

If your topsoil is in good condition, the chances are your gardening will be much easier. However, if you do not protect it, your summer may be fruitless (literally). Planting ryegrass in the winter will help store the important soil nutrients over winter. Then, when spring comes, all you need to do is turn the ryegrass under. This will add additional organic matter to your soil.

Collect Your Leaves

Falling leaves may seem like an annoyance, but it really depends what you make of them. This year, collect your leaves and put them in normal-sized plastic bags, store them away in a spare corner of your shed, then wait for roughly a year. After this time has passed your leaves would have decomposed leaving you great mulch. This mulch will work wonders on your topsoil either next autumn or the following summer.

Put Away Your Equipment

All of us are guilty of leaving things we should not leave outside every year. The reality is we should be storing these tools away so that we do not need to buy them again the following summer. How many times have you seen a sprinkler left in the middle of the garden in December? Furthermore, certain types of pots like Terra-cotta need to be protected from the elements in winter. This will ensure that you do not have to spend a fortune next spring when you ‘go back to work’ on your garden.

In Conclusion

To help your whole ‘operation’ next year, sit down for a while at the end of summer looking out over your garden. Then, make a list of what you have done this year that has worked, and what you have done that did not work. Making your own mistakes once is fine, but doing it again the very next year is unwise.

About the author: This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Boughton Loam and Turf Management. James is an avid gardener and enjoys writing about his hobby.

As we’ve chatted aimlessly about the benefit of plug plants and how to care for your precious puny plants, you all must be champing at the bit ready to take the garden centres by storm and snap up these self-starting delights with gusto.

Before you do however, you may like to browse an Alphabetical selection of wildflower plugs on offer this time of year, their benefits, their colours, their properties, so here’s a quick glance guide on the perfect plugs for your paddock, meadow, orchard or grassland. Even wildflower borders look great with some of these plants, but don’t worry we’ll be honest and won’t let you ruin your border with wildflowers that like to strangle your lupins!

A stands for Autumn Hawk bit, looking like the swinging sixties flower girl of the plug plant world, this vibrant yellow bloom will blossom low to the ground. Personally although it looks great in paddocks, meadows and on grass verges, I think it resembles a dandelion a little too much to be given space in a precious border. However a wildflower garden would benefit from this.

B stands for Black Knapweed; this is a great addition to any border and will provide food for birds. It grows best at the side of a pond or in grass land and its allium type purple heads provide colour throughout the summer and well into autumn. A good clipping is essential if planted in a herbaceous border, however throughout meadows its best just left to roam free.

C stands for Common Sorrel – grown in grass or a border this wildflower produces red cluster heads as it seeds, giving vibrancy to any hedgerow with the double advantage of being a tasty addition to any salad.

F stands for Foxglove, wonderful in a border, these trumpet like flowers stand tall and fall under the wildflower category as they reproduce at an alarming rate. Easy to grow the plugs will flower the following year and a choice of colours mean you never get bored!

O stands for Ox Eyed Daisy, a larger variety of the more common daisy found in lawns, and just the wildflower to set of any meadow, imagine the daisy chains you could make with these?!

P stands for Primrose, spring would not be complete without these plugs, either purple, blue red or yellow, as bedding plants or strewn across the borders of a meadow, primrose bring sunshine before the weather does!

W stands for Wood Sage, a tall woody plant that gives a distinctive aroma, in a wildflower garden it attracts all manner of wildlife; however this can be its downfall as it also tastes great to sheep and horses!

About the author: Sam Goodwill can often be found enjoying perennial plants in his garden in the UK.

Everyone has to start somewhere! Gardening is a great hobby to get involved in. However, some people just simply do not know where to begin. Growing vegetables is easy and fun and not to mention extremely healthy for your diet. The following is a list of vegetables that will be easy for you to grow regardless of the experience you have in gardening. Which will you choose to grow first?

• Tomatoes. Tomatoes can be grown almost anywhere provided they have lots of sun light. You can grow them in the ground, in a bucket, or other container of your choice. With water and sunlight, you will have fantastic tomato yield all throughout the summer. Consider planting tomatoes as part of a salsa garden.

• Cucumbers. Like tomatoes, this vegetable can grow almost anywhere. Keep in mind that it needs plenty of space as it prefers to spread out. Great for pickling, growing cucumbers will be quite easy for beginners. There are small and large varieties available. Choose the one that best meets your needs.

• Radishes. These are very easy to grow and will add a great addition to your salad. Plant the seed directly into the ground and within a short period of time, you will have radishes! Other than watering, you will have to do very little to this plant.

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Perennial flowers are an excellent choice to help structure your garden and fill in spaces all year long. This list of perennial flowers are good choices for minimal care and hardiness of the plant. Give perennials plenty of time to become established in the garden. Choose plants suited to your area, local nurseries generally carry plants that adapt well to your hardiness zone.

Easy Care Perennials

Long lived, growing and thriving over five years
Division is only needed every four or five years
Good tolerance of hot summers
Good tolerance of cold winters
Non invasive
Little to no staking
Good resistance to disease and insects
Long lasting blooms
Attractive foliage all season
Able to grow in a wide range of conditions

Perennials

Astilbe
Avens (Geum)
Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’)
Blazing Star (Liatris)
Butterfly flower (Asclepias tuberosa)
Candytuft (Iberis)
Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea)
Coral bells (Heuchera)
Cranesbill (Geranium – try Johnson’s Blue Geranium)
Daylilies (Hemerocallis)
Fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra)
Pinks (Dianthus)
Gas plant (Dictamnus albus)
Globe thistle (Echinops)
Globe-flower (Trollius)
Heathers (Calluna vulgaris)
Hosta (Hostaceae or Funkiaceae)
Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla)
Leopard’s bane (Doronicum)
Monkshood (Aconitum)
Ornamental grasses
Peony (Paeonia – single-flowered varieties)
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Sea thrift (Armeria)
Stonecrop (Sedum)
Siberian iris (Iris siberica)
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum)
Speedwell (Veronica)
Yarrow (Achillea)

Plants often need extra protection during colder months. As we head into fall and winter, rains, cold temperatures and frost can damage many tender garden plants. A good rule of thumb is to mulch heavily at the base of plants that have difficulty with cold weather and frost. Keep mulch away from stems of plants when applying. Water plants before frost arrives. If you are concerned about tender plants and have a greenhouse dig them up and pot them up then place in the greenhouse for the colder months. For delicate roses surround them with chicken wire cage and fill the cage with leaves as a natural mulch. You can use sheets covered with plastic tarp to surround your plant stems when frosts hit, clothespins work well to gather edges together. Do not use plastic only, plastic conducts the cold and can make it colder under the plastic for the plant. Cut a hole in gallon plastic containers and cover smaller plants, the plastic will help keep the plant stem warmed. Container plants can be brought into the greenhouse or garage until frosts have passed. Add gallon jugs of warm-to-hot water under sheets to help keep temps under the sheets warmer for your plants during frosts.

You can save tomato seeds from plants you have grown this year in the garden. Heirloom tomatoes in particular are harder to come by and are worth saving seeds for next year’s garden. The process is fairly simple overall. You will want to choose tomatoes that are not overly ripe, without disease, and in their prime. If possible used tomatoes from the same variety from a few different plants for best success. Scoop out the seeds from tomatoes and save the rest of the tomato for eating. The tomato seeds are contained in a gelatin-like pocket. You can choose to separate the seeds out on a paper towel to dry or ferment your seeds first before drying on the towel. Fermenting the seeds helps the seeds separate from the gel and decreases the chance of disease.

To ferment your tomato seeds add half a cup of water to a plastic cup then add the seeds, labeling the cup with the variety name. Leave the cup for 3 to 5 days. Fermenting can become smelly so you may want to place your cups in a greenhouse or garage. After 3 to 5 days remove the top layer of film and mold, add more water and stir. Viable tomato seeds will sink to the bottom of the cup. Strain off the pulp and water and keep adding more water until the pulp is gone and the water is clear. Drain the seeds well on a paper towel or through a coffee filter. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a paper towel or filter to dry, within 24 hours the tomato seeds should be dry and ready to package in an envelope for next season’s planting. Tomato seeds are viable for a number of years, storing in room temperature works as well as the fridge or freezer for extra protection.

Planting up containers can be a fun and rewarding venture. Containers can display your plants from every angle if they are in the middle of a deck, or part of the container if they are moved against a wall. Decide where your container will be stationed so you can choose the best draping plants particularly for those containers that will be seen from every angle.

Pot up your plants with a high quality soil. Potting soil with the word ‘professional’ on the bag may cost more but the quality will be high. You may consider using water-absorbing polymer to help improve the moisture retention of the potting soil. Add time released fertilizer in your soil away from the roots of the plants, or a liquid fertilizer. Spread a layer of mulch over the top of the container to help water retention. Water your containers often since container plants generally dry out faster than plants in flower beds.

Choose your plants so they get along in the container. You do not want an invasive plant combined with other plants or they will overtake your container. If you are positioning the container in full sun, use full sun plants that are compatible. If you are creating a shade container use shade plants. Decide on what height levels you want in your container. A good rule of thumb is to use a lower plant for edging or draping over the edge of the container, mid-height plants for the middle of the container, and one or two tall plants for the back or the middle of the container.

Guest Article Author: Neal Klabunde

Fall closes the garden year.

Spring brings forth new life.

This simple haiku puts the autumn in focus. The gardening year is rapidly coming to an end and the time to start preparing for next year’s garden is upon us. Successful gardeners are always looking towards the future and planning their next step. Hopefully you have kept a garden journal that chronicles your hits and misses.

The following tips will help you to prepare for next year’s garden so you will be able to hit the ground running next spring.

Cleaning up the garden beds should be first on your list. Remove any dead plants to the compost pile. These should be only the remains of healthy plants. Any diseased plants should be put in the trash. There are always a few green tomatoes left on the vines. The tomatoes can be left on the vine and brought into the garage and hung until the tomatoes ripen, or there are recipes for cooking green tomatoes.

Root crops can be left in the ground and covered with straw bales if you want to keep them there. Many gardeners cover the carrots with straw bales. When you need some, just go out to the garden and tip the bales over and dig up fresh carrots.

Take the compost that you have been making all summer long and spread it on the garden beds. Even if it isn’t completely decomposed, work it into the soil and the worms will do the rest.

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Fall bulb planting is a wonderful time to select spring bulbs you want to feature in your garden. Whether you are ordering spring bulbs through bulb catalogs or visiting your local garden center, a variety of spring bulbs in the garden can provide the first glimpse of color and cheer when spring arrives. When planting your spring bulbs spread or toss the bulbs out on the ground so they look natural. You don’t want a straight line when Mother Nature rarely draws a straight line of bulbs. Plant at least 5 or 10 bulbs in an area and place them in varying positions and spacing according to the package. Use the information from your bulb package for bulb planting depth. Have a bag of garden soil available to help fill in areas surrounding the bulbs after digging. A bulb tool, which pulls out a plug of dirt to plant a bulb is a handy tool to have for bulb planting. I have found a dibber, a tool with a long, pointy tip, is a good choice for small bulbs like grape hyacinth, snowdrops, miniature iris, crocus, and other small sized bulbs, moving enough dirt to help plant the tiny bulbs. Flexible cloth gloves and a kneeling pad or bench can also come in handy when planting a large number of bulbs. Remember some bulbs naturalize and spread so follow package directions for bulb spacing.

Perennial plants are a wonderful choice to give structure to your garden, once planted they grow until full sized and fill in spaces in your garden with leaves and blooms. Perennials should be carefully planted since once they are planted, unlike annuals, they will grow where you put them for many years. Perennials need space between plants and shrubs, follow the directions on planting labels to give your perennials plenty of room to grow in the garden. If you are concerned about planting space for perennials take advantage of your local garden center and seek out nursery personnel who can provide local planting information for plants and advice on planting space for specific plants. Perennials generally need 18–24 inches space for growth. Planting perennials closer than this provides a fuller garden but you will need to divide the plants sooner. As a general rule perennials need division after three to five years in the garden.

Containers lose quite a bit of moisture which is why it is important to water them at minimum weekly and optimally more often during hot summer months. Hanging baskets dry out as well and need a regular watering routine to keep the plants healthy and alive during summer. Mulch in a container works the same as mulch on the ground. When planting up containers it is a good idea to use some form of mulch on the top layer of your container to help retain water in the pot and keep your plants cool. A small redwood bark or redwood chips work well for an all purpose mulch. If you want the tops of your pots to be more decorative use stones, pebbles, broken sea shells, or decorative craft glass with rounded edges. I received a large number of beach agates and decided to use the small colorful rocks to top off my patio pots, they look pretty and function as mulch. Coco shells smell good and looks pretty, but can be toxic to dogs. It is important to read warning labels for any product you use beyond standard garden mulch sold in nurseries.

The beauty of a rock garden lies in the contrast between rugged rocks and delicate blooms of flowers. Japanese rock gardens have been designed as spaces to promote calm and meditation since medieval times. For today’s European gardener, the rock garden is often used to add variety to grassy areas and transform awkward, difficult-to-mow slopes into a low-maintenance landscape. The rock garden showcases those delicate flowers that elsewhere in the garden can be overshadowed by more brash neighbours. The hard work involved in creating a rock garden is an investment that pays off – once the landscaping is over, you can just step back and enjoy your garden with just some occasional light watering and weeding ahead of you.

Building a Good Foundation

A good foundation is everything – most rock garden plants need their soil to be both water-retentive and quick-draining. Here’s how to give them this:

If you are building into a slope, dig the foundation at least 300cm (1ft) deep and clear any remaining weeds and roots. If you don’t have a natural slope, you may wish to build a ‘berm’. This is a mound that slopes down at all sides to aid drainage. Plants that need more water can be planted near the bottom and the ones that require less at the top.

The first layer of your foundation is the drainage – this should occupy about half of your foundation. It will absorb excess moisture from the soil above and is made from rocks, bits of concrete or brick, and broken pieces of clay pots. Next, lay a few centimetres of sand to act as a water-permeable layer that will support the topsoil. Finally, the soil layer needs to be 1 part topsoil, 1 part leaf mould (or peat) and 1 part small gravel.

Setting Up Your Rock Garden

Place your rocks on your foundation, making sure larger rocks are buried by at least a third. Softer rocks tend to be more effective in obtaining the natural, weathered look desired in a rock garden. Once you are happy with the arrangement, you can rest. Give your garden a chance to settle, as after a few weeks you may need to top up your soil.

Choose you plants thinking about colour, growing conditions and size. Research different miniature plant options and, once you have your plants, dig them in with a trowel and scatter smaller rocks between them. Good plant choices for rock gardens include alpine forget-me-not, blue fescue grass, creeping baby’s breath, ground cover sedum, hens and chicks, moss pink, rock jasmine, spring heath, stonecrop, and Trumpet Gentian. Keep your plants watered, occasionally weeding by hand, but avoid using weed killers – remember your plants are delicate. Enjoy your new rock garden!

About the Author: Tool-NET supplies power tools and accessories to tradesmen, DIY enthusiasts and gardeners worldwide. With a massive range of power tools in stock, nearly 98% of orders are dispatched the same day, meaning you never need to be without the right tool for the job.

Spring and fall are the best times to move your plants in the garden. Spring works best for most borderline hardy plants. Wait until the last frost is gone and the days lengthen and temps start to warm before beginning moving of plants. Summer is not a good time to move plants due to of the lack of moisture in the ground compared to spring, and the typical hot weather patterns at this time of year. Fall is the best time to move hardy perennials, shrubs, and trees. If the rains begin in fall it will be easier to dig up and transplant shrubs and trees in order to move them. The fall provides plenty of time for transplanted plants to develop new roots, receive ample amounts of rainfall to help plants settle in, and time to grow and establish before spring appears. Winter in general for most areas is too cold for transplanting and is best left for garden clean-up instead.