Tag: gardening

August’s garden plant of the month: Buddleia

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There are few plants that attract butterflies like the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia). With its long plumes of flowers in fabulous colours, the Butterfly Bush is a real treasure in the garden. This garden plant also blooms up until early autumn, so keeps the garden looking colourful for longer.

A fantastic display of colour on and around the plant

The Butterfly Bush or Buddleia is an eye-catching deciduous shrub that flowers from July to October. The range of Butterfly Bushes is extensive, with fascinating colours in white, blue, pink or lilac. The size of the flowers range from 10 to 30cm, whilst the height varies from 0.50cm to over 4m! It’s handy to know this before planting in the garden.

One thing that all varieties have in common is that – as the name suggests – they all attract colourful butterflies, which are drawn by the flowers’ honey fragrance. Who doesn’t want butterflies in their garden? It provides the ultimate ‘garden feeling’ for both adults and children. Butterfly Bushes can be planted either in the soil or in pots and containers.

Care

A couple of simple tips will keep the Butterfly Bush healthy and beautiful:

  • It’s important that the plant is placed in the sunshine in partial shade – the Butterfly Bush likes the heat.
  • Place the plant in well-drained, moist soil and water it regularly.
  • Give the plants extra fertiliser in the spring to ensure that they keep flowering profusely for a long time and remain healthy.
  • If wilted flowers are removed, new flowers may form after 3-4 weeks, keeping the plant looking elegant for even longer.
  • Butterfly Bush is generally very hardy if it’s pruned at the right time. If it’s pruned too early in winter, the branches can freeze.

Pruning tips

  • It’s very important to cut back the Butterfly Bush. It helps it to grow well, produce many flowers and remain young and healthy. If the plant cannot be pruned, it can deprive other plants of sunshine. The branches can be quite chunky, so use good pruning shears or a wooden saw.
  • The best period for pruning is the end of February or beginning of March. It’s not a good idea to prune earlier than this because the branches can then freeze.
  • Tall varieties should be pruned back to knee height. The shorter varieties can be cut back even further. Don’t be afraid to prune Butterfly Bush vigorously; the plant will produce new shoots and will then bloom profusely in the spring and summer.
More information about Butterfly Bush and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk

‘Bringing the area alive’: Newhaven gets gardening

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A local Heritage Garden Group enlisted the help of green-fingered volunteers to help green up an area in Newhaven’s Fishmarket Square recently.  The project is part of this year’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom, the UK’s largest community gardening campaign. Continue reading ‘Bringing the area alive’: Newhaven gets gardening

Saving Granton Castle’s Walled Garden and other stories

Hi folks,
A while since we have sent out any news, so a lot to impart as we have been busy!
Articles about ‘Granton’s Lost Garden’ now published, recent presentations have met with a good response which has been publicised on our wordpress page finding-grantons-lost-castle-garden Still time to fill in the ideas survey if you haven’t done already as it will be open until midsummer, the link can be found on the wordpress page.
The Friends Group have had two meetings recently with the developers who own the walled garden, the most recent of which was very positive in its outcomes. Is there a glimmer of hope for the future of the walled garden and its restoration? The Community Empowerment Act outlines many ideals we hope can allow our voices to be heard, the ‘last of Scotland’s lost gardens’ is too precious to develop for 17 luxury townhouses.
  • Council petition!!!, save_granton_castle_walled_garden open to sign by anyone resident in Edinburgh. We need 500 signatures to be heard again at the city chambers, but there is a strict time limit … so please sign and share with those you think may be interested.
NEAC plot June 2016
On a brighter note, recent seedfunding has allowed some practical gardening sessions to be run locally to help promote our Friends Group and actively involve local people and community groups in organic horticulture and community growing. Beautiful results for everyone to share, berry picking soon, North Edinburgh Arts centre plot (pictured above, Mondays from 1-2pm and West Pilton Community Garden on Fridays 10am -12 noon.
Hope to post details of our next Friends Group Meeting venue, date and time soon, likely to be the end of June. Please get in touch if you want to come along to any of the gardening workshops, meetings or have any questions.
Best wishes,
Kirsty Sutherland

June garden plant of the month: Rose

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Roses are undoubtedly the Queen of Flowers. With an incredible variety of shapes, colours and scents, garden roses are an essential plant in the garden. Enjoying the setting sun, sultry heat and the fabulous rose display on a lovely summer evening is the ultimate pleasure of roses in the garden! Who wouldn’t want that? The Garden Plant of the Month for June can provide it!

To suit every taste

The range of garden roses is incredibly large and can be different from the roses we know as cut flowers. There are many colours, scents and flower shapes, as well as various styles and growth habits. Bush roses, climbing roses, standard roses, espalier roses and ground-covering roses are common. Every garden rose has its own characteristics and can be used in many places in the garden. In the soil, in containers on the balcony or patio, or against a wall or fence.

Care

A couple of simple tips will keep garden roses healthy and beautiful.

  • It’s important that they are placed in full sun with at least 6 hours of sunlight.
  • Regularly water the plant when it’s been dry for a while outdoors, particularly if it’s just been planted in the soil or in a pot.
  • Give the plants special rose fertiliser in the spring to ensure that they keep flowering profusely for a long time and remain healthy.
  • Garden roses are generally very hardy when they are planted in the soil. In pots it’s best to provide winter protection with jute or bubble wrap.
  • The best period for pruning is the end of February or beginning of March. It can also be done later, and the roses will then bloom later. It’s not a good idea to prune earlier, because young shoots can then be damaged by night frosts and the plant is more prone to fungal infections such as blackspot and mildew.
  • Pruning depends on the type. Bush and standard roses should be cut back to 10 – 15cm above the soil or the trunk. For climbing roses, look particularly at the shape and height that the plant should grow to.
  • Don’t be afraid to prune roses vigorously; the plants will produce new shoots and will then flower profusely in the spring and summer.

Pruning tips

Pruning is very important for roses. It helps them to grow well, produce many flowers and remain young and healthy.

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More information about roses and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk

 

 

Botanics’ Spring Festival is perfect ending to National Gardening Week

It’s all grow at The Botanics this weekend!

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To mark 2016’s National Gardening Week, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is hosting a Spring Festival as People’s Postcode Lottery’s national Charity of the Week. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have awarded an amazing £450,000 to RBGE for 2016, supporting projects at home and abroad. Continue reading Botanics’ Spring Festival is perfect ending to National Gardening Week

April garden plant of the month: Million Bells (Calibrachoa)

For an instant injection of summer

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Ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes and pots, and it also does very well in borders amongst other ground covering plants.  Wherever you place them, their colourful trumpets perform a summer samba that lasts well into the autumn. Continue reading April garden plant of the month: Million Bells (Calibrachoa)

Granton Community Orchard Garden: it’s time for trees!

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Granton Community Orchard Garden is having some Tree Planting Days on Monday  7th through to & including Thursday 10 March. Fifty fruit and nut trees, (a couple going to the Community Hall) including apple, plum, cherry, pear, hazel and almond will be planted (writes Laura Munro). Continue reading Granton Community Orchard Garden: it’s time for trees!