Tag: gardening

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

orchard

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!

February Plant of the Month: Snowball (Viburnum)

 Even when it’s not snowing, Viburnum brings snowballs to the garden – and if it does freeze, this garden plant stays green and brings an early spring-like invigoration into a garden lover’s garden!

snowbakk

Snowball is a diverse family of shrubs. There are species that remain green in winter, and semi-evergreen varieties and species that shed all their leaves. As compensation, they do grow sprays of white and pink flowers on the bare branches between November and March. Those flowers have a fabulous fragrance and are very frost-resistant: a spectacular combination.

Generally speaking, the later the shrub blooms, the larger the flowers will become. Snowball also either has a second flowering in the autumn or will produce lovely red, blue or black berries at that time of year. With foliage that also changes colour beautifully in autumn, this garden bloomer has something special to offer in every season.

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

You can find out about all our other plant-related categories on Flowercouncil.co.uk.

snowball1

September plant of the month: Heather

Heather heralds the arrival of Autumn

Calluna vulgaris Juliane

Heather: Nectar in the Autumn

In September, the summer flowers in the garden and on our terraces have peaked so now it’s heather’s time in the spotlight. Heather begins to flower in September and is a source of luscious late summer colour, and for this reason, it is Thejoyofplants.co.uk‘s Garden Plant of the Month of September.

Carpet

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is a European classic and is native to the coastal areas of Western Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, as well as being one of Scotland’s most prolific plants. It grows in beautiful long shoots with shingled leaves and small symmetrical flowers. Its purple and pink flowers have a slightly weathered appearance and that gives both the plants and the countryside a tough and natural look. In the garden, the plants provide a hardy carpet that give a calm and authentic effect whilst in pots, heather becomes a robust eye-catcher.

Nectar

Heather will flower from September to early November. The flowers contain an abundance of nectar which enables the bees to have a quick restock before winter begins, thereby providing us with a plentiful supply of their delicious heather honey.

heather3

Pure Nature

Heather is a perennial plant that can survive 30-40 years in the wild. It is a little higher and less dense than other types of heath and this gives it a strong and natural appearance. In the wild, the purple and pink flowers create beautiful landscapes.  In the garden, heather has the same effect, providing a wonderful contrast to the other green and variegated leaves, with its foliage deepening and intensifying as the year progresses.

Heathers are incredibly versatile and look fantastic in pots and rockeries, as well as providing stunning ground cover alongside flowering perennials and grasses in your flowerbeds.

Care Tips

  • Heather loves the light – The more light it gets, the more beautiful the leaves.
  • It is a natural survivor and can tolerate very little care and poor soil, but it does prefer well-drained, acidic conditions.

  • Heather can be planted at any time of the year, provided the soil is not frozen, and should be pruned every year after flowering.

Interesting Facts

  • The scientific name for heather is “Calluna vulgaris”.  “Calluna” originates from the Greek word “kallune” which means “to clean” or “to brush” as the twigs were historically used to make brooms.

– Heather provides a great flavouring agent for beer, wine and tea – cheers!

– Heather is used in many cosmetics such as shampoos, lotions, bubble baths and perfumes.

– And finally, in the plant world, Heather symbolizes admiration and good luck!

 

Meet Ferry Road’s Dottery Diggers!

‘Bill and Ben’ tackle the tatties!

diggers

A group of green-fingered sheltered housing residents have taken to growing their own fruit and vegetables. Seven residents at Port of Leith Housing Association’s St Nicholas Court, on Ferry Road, have become the ‘Dottery Diggers’!

The purpose of the initiative was to get residents active outdoors, gain new skills and grow their own fresh produce which can be used for meals.

The Diggers fundraise to buy their tools, seeds and pots and have already grown tomatoes, strawberries and onions. Two of the residents – John Ross and Bill Smith – have been in charge of growing potatoes.

Maureen Tait, PoLHA’s Sheltered Housing Services Manager, said: “Our residents embrace new initiatives and I’m delighted the fruits of their labour are going down a treat.

“We’ve not had a brilliant summer weather-wise, but through rain or shine, the budding gardeners have been out tending to their produce. The most difficult vegetables to grow have been potatoes, but John and Bill have worked hard and even earned themselves the nickname of Bill and Ben!”