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Tag: gardening
August garden plant of the month: Hebe
A late summer party in the garden: Hebe
Hebe (Speedwell Shrub) is the ideal plant for giving your garden and patio boost in the late summer. White, purple, pink, or lilac flowers instantly lend a fresh energy, and Hebe’s foliage varies in colour from pale green to dark green, and very pale grey. In the winter and spring some varieties even have claret leaves. Thanks to the somewhat random structure, the plant has a loose, natural look, and the clusters of flowers are very popular with butterflies and bees. Because Hebe is so versatile, it’s often used in beds and borders, rockeries or as pond planting, but it also works well as a container plant on the balcony or patio. Hebe is evergreen, bringing life to the garden throughout the year.
Range
The Hebe range can be divided into two groups:
– The largest consists of generally hardy evergreen species with decorative foliage. The best-known are H. ‘Emerald Gem’ syn. Green Globe’, H. ochracea ‘James Sterling’, H. ‘Autumn Glory’, H. pimeloides, H. buxifolia, and H. pinguifolia.
– Completely different but also utterly Hebe is the H. andersonii group, also known as shrubby veronica. This flowers in late summer and autumn, and is particularly popular around 1 and 2 November (All Hallows – All Souls Day).
Hebe trivia
• Hebe travelled to Europe from New Zealand in 1835. The resultant cultivars are able to cope well with European winters thanks to crossbreeding.
• In Greek mythology Hebe, the goddess of youth, was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was given as a bride to Hercules.
• Hebe can cope relatively well with salty air, making it an ideal plant for seaside gardens and balconies.
Origin
Hebe grows wild in the southern hemisphere, particularly in New Zealand, but also in French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and South America. There are around 30 species that are fairly tough: the plant grows both along the coast and in mountainous regions at considerable heights, although they do have smaller leaves there.
What to look for when buying
• Check the balance between pot size, plant diameter and number of buds, and ensure that the plant is free of pests and diseases.
• The plants are cultivated both outdoors and in greenhouses, depending on the species. Good growers ensure that a Hebe grown outdoors is also supplied in a clean pot.
• The larger the plant, the greater the decorative value and the easier Hebe is to look after.
• There should be no dry or dead parts on the plant at the time of purchase.
Care tips
• Hebe likes a sunny spot, and can even tolerate full sun, but will also thrive in partial shade.
• The plant prefers airy, humus-rich soil.
• Water must always be able to drain. The soil can be left to dry out a little between waterings.
• Give some plant food once a fortnight during flowering. Remove wilted flowers.
• Hebe is fairly hardy, but if there’s a hard frost it’s better to wrap the plant, particularly if it’s a container plant. Shrubby veronica prefers to overwinter in frost-free conditions.
• Cutting back after the winter keeps the Hebe attractive and strong.
National Trust for Scotland to grow next generation of gardeners
The National Trust for Scotland has unveiled a new garden apprentice scheme to help nurture the next generation of talent to care for its 38 heritage gardens and designed landscapes. Continue reading National Trust for Scotland to grow next generation of gardeners
June garden plant of the month: Climbing Fruit
It’s easy to create a pick-your-own garden with climbing fruit
A pick-your-own garden with climbing fruit like blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes do not require much room. These plants grow upwards along a wall, fence, frame or pergola, and can even thrive on a balcony. They offer attractive foliage and blossom early in the summer.
Continue reading June garden plant of the month: Climbing Fruit
May Garden plants of the Month: vegetable plants
A Vegetable patch with beautiful plants
Pick-your-own plants and kitchen gardens are incredibly popular, and vegetable plants often also look fantastic, so there’s a double benefit. On the one hand it’s a response to the growing interest in healthy, sustainable and vegetarian food, on the other hand it creates a decorative corner with productive green plants with produce which is good to grow and tasty to eat. May is a good month to plant vegetables in containers, pots or beds.
Range
The vegetable plants in the selection for May all bear fruit. These include cucumber, bell pepper, chilli pepper, tomato, pumpkin and courgette. Most vegetable plants are supplied already bearing some edible fruit. There are climbing plants, bush forms and dwarf plants available, but also special consumer-oriented concepts such as Pluck, Snacker® Funfoods and Pick-&-Joy. Multiple varieties are available of all vegetables: different colours of chilli and bell pepper, tomatoes from Roma to vine, and cucumbers from snack-sized to giant. The pre-cultivated plants produce plenty of fruit over the summer period, and therefore offer the joy of picking and a real ‘ fresh experience’ throughout that time.
Vegetable plants trivia
- Are they vegetables or fruit? From a culinary and horticultural perspective the tomato, bell pepper, cucumber and chilli pepper are vegetables, although the odd purist will still maintain firmly that they are fruit.
- Vegetable plants also do very well on the windowsill: they grow upwards, so they need little space.
- Bell peppers contain twice as much vitamin C as oranges, and are also rich in vitamins E, B1 and B2.
- The gherkin is closely related to the cucumber and can be grown in the same way.
Origin
Bell and chilli peppers are so closely related that they bear the same name: Capsicum annuum. The bell pepper originates from South America, whilst the chilli pepper plant grows in India and South-East Asia.
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a member of a large family which also includes the potato. Tomatoes are native to Central America. The ancestors of the Mayas and the Incas grew them.
The cucumber (Cucumus sativus) originates from India, where it has been cultivated for its fruit for over 3000 years. The plants came to Western Europe via the Mediterranean with the Romans.
What to look for when buying
- When buying cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and chilli pepper plants particularly look for a fresh appearance and a good balance between plant and pot size.
- Also important is the number of flowers from which fruit can be produced, and preferably some young fruit already present to make the vegetable plant more appealing for sale.
- Many vegetable plants are grafted onto a rootstock which gives them a higher quality, more power and growing capacity, and makes them more resistant to disease.
- The soil must be slightly damp. The leaves should not be drooping, damaged or yellow. The plant must also be free of snails and aphids.
- Because vegetable plants need a lot of light, water and heat, a rapid turnover at the point of sale is important.
Care tips for consumers
- It’s best to plant a vegetable plant in a bed or in a more spacious pot or container after purchase so that it has room to grow and produce fruit optimally.
- Vegetable plants prefer a sunny, sheltered spot out of the wind.
- Canes, frames or netting help the vegetable climbers to grow upwards.
- Regularly removing side shoots (runners) means that the plant invests its energy particularly in itself and its fruit.
- All vegetable plants need a lot of water: the soil may not dry out, but preferably do not have the roots standing in water.
- The plants grow rapidly and consume a lot of energy, so that plant food is required once a fortnight to keep their strength up.
Best in Show for Kevock Garden Plants
Lasswade nursery, Kevock Garden Plants, has won Best in Show for horticultural plant nursery displays at this week’s prestigious Harrogate Spring Flower Show. Top honours in the 2018 Harrogate Spring Flower Show Gardens has gone to Thirsk-based designers, Colour Your Garden. Continue reading Best in Show for Kevock Garden Plants
NHS 24: Stay safe this Easter
AS EASTER approaches, many people in Scotland will be dusting down the tools or lawnmower as they prepare to make the most of the holiday weekend. For NHS 24’s 111 service that means an increase in calls because people have injured themselves in DIY accidents. Continue reading NHS 24: Stay safe this Easter
March garden plant of the month: Ivy
A touch mysterious and quietly ever-present: ivy (Hedera) is the big source of greenery that represents a stable element in the garden through all four seasons. This ground-covering or climbing foliage shrub is a hardy and evergreen. There’s a wide range of leaf colours, whilst all ivy species grow quickly and are easily trained, they can therefore be used to cover fences, wire fencing, summerhouses or walls. As groundcover, ivy gives weeds no chance, which makes it the most decorative fellow-gardener ever.
Festive plants: December Garden Plants of the Month
December is an atmospheric month where we spend a lot of time indoors, but we can also make the garden Christmassy with the Garden Plant of the Month for December. As well as the familiar Christmas tree, there are three attractive evergreen plants that we can transform into a festive plant: Buxus, Laurus nobilis and Chamaecyparis.
By the front door, in the garden or on the balcony, these plants will certainly look very impressive with atmospheric lighting and Christmas decorations, that enables you to turn a permanent plant in the garden into a beautifully decorated festive plant. With these three evergreens, December becomes even more atmospheric!
Buxus, Laurus nobilis and Chamaecyparis: Evergreens with festive aspirations!
Buxus’s is commonly known as Box. The evergreen branches symbolize life, which is very appropriate at Christmas. This evergreen shrub lends structure to a garden, balcony or patio, particularly in winter. Buxus’s leaves also remove fine particulates from the air. Boxwood is very heavy and was used in the past to make musical instruments and sculptures. Buxus plants can be pruned to virtually any required shape – they’re almost ‘kneadable’ products. Decorated with festive materials Buxus looks fabulous in the garden in the run-up to Christmas!
The best-known festive conifer is Lawson Cypress, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ’Ellwoodii’. This plant, which reaches a height of around 1.25 m, is very suitable for pots or containers and for ‘dressing’ beautifully. ‘Ellwoodii’ has a vertical pyramid shape, and is greyish blue. The juvenile form of the plant has upright twigs and narrow blue needles. Older plants have more tips, and the adult form has scales. It is often used as a decorated Christmas tree during the festive season.
Laurus nobilis or Laurel is also very suitable for use in an attractive pot or container beside the front door, enhancing the foliage and trunk with Christmas decorations. The globe or pyramid shapes are best suited to this. The evergreen Laurus nobilis has a stately and eminent appearance, which is referenced in the word ‘nobilis’. And if you want to use the leaves in a delicious recipe, you’ve always got the Laurus nobilis to hand.
Caring for Buxus, Laurus nobilis and Chamaecyparis
You can keep these ‘festive plants’ healthy and attractive by following a couple of simple tips.
• All three species should be placed in partial shade to full sun. Place the plant in well-draining, moderately damp soil, and water regularly.
• Give the plant extra food in the spring so that they grow well and remain healthy. It’s particularly important to feed the plants regularly if they’re in pots.
• In principle Buxus and Chamaecyparis are very hardy. Laurus nobilis can tolerate a few degrees of frost, but it’s a good idea to protect the plant or bring it indoors in the event of heavy frost.
Pruning tips for Buxus, Laurus nobilis and Chamaecyparis
All three festive plants are very suitable for topiary, and are often offered in unusual shapes. Buxus and Laurus nobilis in particular can be turned into fabulous spheres, pyramids or cylinders. The best times to prune the plants are June and the end of September. Pruning is only really necessary if the plants get too big and to keep them in shape.
More information about Buxus, Laurus nobilis and Chamaecyparis and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.
Bereaved families to benefit from National Lottery investment
… and Lottery success for Granton Community Gardeners
A mother who lost her son in the most tragic of circumstances has today welcomed a National Lottery cash boost that will allow the Scottish Cot Death Trust to support many more bereaved parents to come together to share their experiences. Local project Granton Community Gardeners also received some welcome news this morning – the project is to receive over £78,000 to support and expand it’s programme of activities. Continue reading Bereaved families to benefit from National Lottery investment