Plants

pond plants

teri — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:29:13 GMT

please can someone advise me on, say, 5 basic plants that a pond definately needs? It is about 2m diameter, 50 cm deep and I have no idea where to begin (other than thinking water lilly wud look nice and I know oxygenators are important). Help! thanks.

Propagating Heliotrope

CLH — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:31:48 GMT

Does anyone have any advice on propagating heliotrope (cherry pie)? I'm about to throw this year's plants out (sad - they're still flowering well and smell lovely, but they have to move over for the bulbs). Could I take cuttings and over-winter in a cold frame? If it is too late for that now, could I have taken them in late summer?

forcing crocus in vases

Julie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:26:55 GMT

Has anyone actually seen a crocus successfully forced in a vase with the roots descending into the water?

I have not and yet I see these vases on sale every year and I think it's such a con as I don't believe it works but if someone can show me a successful example I would be very happy to revise my opinion and keen to learn the secret of doing it.

I love forcing hyacinth bulbs in vases (you can see my web site at www.hyacinthvases.org.uk) and I have successfully forced crocus in pots but my attempts with crocus in vases were total failures. Has anyone had success with this?

thanks, Julie

Acer tree seedling

NickR — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:53:49 GMT

Hello,

I've got a beautiful Acer tree in my garden, its been there for about 35 years I think, so it's quite a bit older than me! Last year, for the first time ever, we discovered a tiny Acer seedling underneath the tree, so I dug it out and planted into a pot so that I could look after it in our greenhouse. Sadly this plant's leaves went crispy and fell off, and it never recovered :(

But this year I found another seedling, its lost its 2 leaves now, but they didn't go crispy, I think it's just due to the time of year. I really want to help this little seedling to grow into a healthy little tree.

Does anyone have any advice on how I could do this? Shall I keep it inside the greenhouse for winter, or place it outside? Would it be a good idea to pot it up in some ericaceous compost?, as I just discovered Acers like acidity.

Any advice would be much appreciated,

Many thanks,

Nick

Small Water Lily

Hosta — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:29:09 GMT

This is the first time I have had a water lily and am not sure what am doing with it.

Its a Nymphaea Pygmaea Rubra and its in small tub in a small pond and I was very pleased that it flowered this year.

I am not sure what to do with it now - the leaves have gone brown and its looking a bit sad, do I cut it back ?

It looks like there is another flower about to appear, but its November and didnt think it would still flower at this time of year.

VITEX SHRUB

woodys — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:27:58 GMT

CAN ANYONE GIVE US ADVICE ON MAKING SURE THE FLOWER BUDS ON OUR VITEX OPEN. WE HAVE HAD 2 YEARS OF BUDS BUT THE FLOWERS NEVER COME OUT.WE ARE WONDERING IF WE SHALL EVER HAVE ANY FLOWERS EVEN THOUGH THE BUSH IS GROWING VERY WELL.

HOPE SOMEONE KNOWS THANKS THE WOODYS

Fruit on Prunus mume Benichidori

Nerinist — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:08:32 GMT

For the first time ever I had fruit on my Prunus mume Benichidori. There were 3 of them & it looks like I have one seed that might germinate. I'm wondering if the fruit set was because of an exceptionally warm & dry spring, or because a Prunus mume Omoinomama next to Benichidori flowered for the first time. Has anyone else had fruit on their Prunus mume?

Euphorbia mellifera and Holboellia chapaensis

Maria G Gould — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:36:11 GMT

I am new here and would like to introduce myself .I love plants but am not very experience on how to cultivate them, although I am learning now by reading books and through the internet.

I live in Cardiff but was borne and lived in Italy for 35 years. My space for gardening is very restricted ad would say boring, it consists in two raised bordersof a rectangular patio, the corner being what I consider the focal point.Plants grow very well and I've never lost any of them through wind nor frost.

I know that I shall not be able to contribute much in giving advice but, if I could ask questions would be wonderful for me. Please let me know if this is acceptablein your Forum.

Re. Euphorbia mellifera. I have one (two years old) that has grown rater tall and is very leggy. Should I cut it back to soil level, what growing height should I expect for next season? There is a short shoot at groung level. Or is it better to prune it on the top and plant something underneath?

Re. Holboellia chapaensis- is two and and few month year old. Grown tall but has not flowered yet. Any ideas why? This was a present and I don't see much written about it.

I thank in advance anyone who could advice me on the above and/or comment on my presence in the Forum.

Maria

Help - Are my paeonies ruined?

Sheelagh — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:28:51 GMT

I have two very well established herbaceous paeonies that I wanted lifting and moving to another location, the leaves had died back and the time was right to move them. My helper in the garden has lifted them and all I have now is a pot of about 20 individual tubers, no root system, no eyes or buds. I have no idea which way up to plant them, which one was which (they were both different colours) and whether they will do anything at all now. Anyone have any ideas please!

Care for Summer Evening sunflower

prr — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:29:47 GMT

My 5yo daughter just came home from school with one of these in a cup. It is now about twice as big as the cup, and I'd like to pot it. My questions: 1. Does it have to be in the ground, or can it be in a pot? 2. What type of potting soil would be best--potting, garden, or....? We live in the desert region of southern California (USA). 3. what type of watering care? 4. Any other advice? I'd like this to live as long as possible; I just read that it is an annual, which doesn't leave much time, does it?

Paeony tubers

Sheelagh — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:35:00 GMT

I have about 20 paeony tubers (bare tubers, no eyes, buds or roots - look like sweet potatoes!) that have been lifted from what were established plants. I now know they should not have been disturbed and the plants should have been moved intact to avoid disturbance to the plant. My question is - is all lost, can I plant them (if so which way up - will this matter - I have no clues eg roots at bottom!) how long will it take for them to restablish and flower? What is the best thing to do? Any ideas please as I loved my paeonies... Thanks!

Yucca plant with no leaves!

tjrundy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:58:39 GMT

Hi there,

I was given a spiraling Yucca plant that was just out of control. I
got a lot of people advising me to just bite the bullet and lop off
the uncontrolled growth and see if the Yucca takes off. So, intrepidly
I took the hacksaw and went through the trunk. I reported it, and put
it a nice aluminum planter.

This is what it now looks like:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/5711/dscf1844p.jpg

Now there was some speculation that it would bud, though it hasn't yet
(about 2 months ago since I lopped it's head off).

Someone mentioned that I should stab the stem with a screwdriver where
I want it to branch out - can anyone verify this? Is there anything I
should / could be doing to promote some leaf growth? The trunk remains
rigid, and there is water and shingle in the base of the planter to
produce some natural moisture...

I did manage to keep the head and put it into another planter, and
it's looking good, though I've no idea if it's rooting:
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/167/dscf1929.jpg

So, please, if you have any idea what I should do, please advise. The
Yucca trunk is in a warm area with as much light as I can give it in
my flat - right by a SE facing window!

Thanks in advance,

Tom.

Growing mint in water crystals - some wierd fungus?

tjrundy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:19:56 GMT

Hi there,

I recently did an gardening experiment. I'd recently bought some
decent (i.e not grown on really fast - properly grown stuff) mint at
the local market here in London. I'd also got some of those water
crystals - the ones that expand to 100 times their size in water. I
asked for some advice about growing this mint, and it was suggested
that it would grow in almost any condition. So, I hydrated these
crystals and stuck a big bunch of mint in them before I went on hols
for 2 weeks.

I was really hoping to come back and find that they had grown. As it
happens, it looks like they have, but several things have happened -
see the pic below:

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4831/dscf1928.jpg

All the lower leaves went yellow - guess the light was being obscured
by the higher leaves.

More concerningly some white fungus appears to have grown on the top
surface of these balls. The balls apparently contain some fertalizer,
though I don't know what sort.

Does anyone please have any ideas about what might be causing this
fungus, or what I could do to remove it!

Also any idea if there's anything I should to do improve the growth of the mint?

Many thanks in advance!

Tom.

stranthera tundifolia

Judie newman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:45:31 GMT

I was given a small plant called stranthera tundifolia and told it was from Australia and not winter hardy. It has overwintered twice in my conservatory but is now 8 foot tall. Attractive with small blue flowers twice a year. Does anyone knopw if it can be risked outdoors?Maybe with fleece? I am in Nottinghamshire, south of the Trent and have a failry shetered patio.or should I take cuttings and cut it down in height?

Judie

Climbing Hydrangea

Lady P — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:27:15 GMT

Can anyone tell me please when and how hard I can cut back an established climbing hydrangea against a wall which is getting out of control? Height-wise I can deal with, but it's really thick and I'm not sure if I can chop it back almost to the wall??? Thanks!

NOVEMBER PLANTING

PATRICKB — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:48:12 GMT

i've been asked to suggest something for a garden in north london for november.Its got some spring bulbs in but i was thinking of shrubs and perrrenials.Its very mild at the moment.Any thing that can easily put in from a garden centre

When/What to feed my tropical plants?

NickR — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:29:28 GMT

Hello,

I've got two lovely tropical plants which I'm growing in pots, one is a Trachycarpus fortunei, and the other is a Cycas
revoluta (Sago Palm).

I've recently moved them into the greenhouse due to falling temperatures, but I've noticed the Sago Palm has small yellow blothes on some leaves, I'm assuming its either due to the cold, or because I've not fed it before, does anyone know which it could be?

When it comes to feeding these tropical plants, which feed is recommended? I've got some All Purpose Plant Feed which is called Phostrogen, would this be suitable? I also wanted to know if anyone knows what time of year I should feed them and how often?

I'd appreciate any advice greatly!

Nick :)

Furcraea bulbils

Jonathan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:45:05 GMT

I have acquired a number of Furcraea bulbils with the intention of growing them into plants. I have pressed them into potting compost to a depth of 1cm. and will be keeping this dampish. Am I doing the right thing? Should they have heat from a propagator?

Begonia Boliviensis "Bonfire"

RonM — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:37:12 GMT

Last year I stored some "Bonfire" tubers over winter and they gave an even bigger and better display this year.

Last year I cut all hard and soft growth back to the tops of the tubers before storing and all this year's new growth came directly from the tubers.

This year, on one of them I have a few good solid main stem up to 15cm high with lots of healthy branches which gave a huge display of flowers and I'm reluctant to cut them back to the tuber in case there's any chance that some of next year's growth could sprout from these stems and give me an even more spectacular display next year.

Has anyone tried this and if so can you give me any suggestions on what is the best thing to do to encourage an even more impressive plant next year?

If not,I guess I have to explore the unknown and see what happens. If I do I'll let you know the outcome.

RonM

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

GardeningFin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:18:26 GMT

Hi there,

I'm really milking the forum today!

Thanks to Silver Surfer who helped my ID my Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

I've had this plant for years and it only blossomed with white flowers about 6 years ago! Reading up on it, it should give a lovely display every year - long into winter. I only get green leaves and it is a healthy fella in a sunny, warm spot so not sure why it doesn't flower. Would anyone have any ideas?

Many thanks
Fin

Echium pininana: how best to protect it over winter?

AlexS — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:49:56 GMT

I was given an echium pininana seedling last year which grew to about 1/2 metre tall and across. It's growing in a south-east facing corner next to the house. I made it a fleece cosy and it came through the winter nicely. Now it's three times as big, and I'm wondering how much protection it actually needs. I know other people grow them outside in south-west England. I'm in Reading, which is south central(ish) England. Where else are they growing? Am I in danger of losing it if I don't wrap it up? The voice of experience would be very welcome! Alex.

Lavender Cuttings: Inside or Out?

Cosmo — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:41:47 GMT

I have about 60 lavender cuttings in pots and trays in my mini plastic greenhouse. They all seem to have rooted.

The mini greenhouse does not provide total protection from frosts.

I'm aware that severe frosts could kill off tender roots.

Should I be keeping the young cuttings in the mini greenhouse, or should I bring them inside until spring?

HELP - MY BAMBOO IS TAKING OVER MY GARDEN!!!

Gillie — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:20:37 GMT

Hi Everyone, A few years ago, my partner landscaped my tiny little overgrown garden into a fantastic garden complete with a big fish pond. However, as it matured, unfortunately, so did the bamboo, which started off as a small plant by a fence in the pond half of the garden. It's now taking over a hug area of my garden and ruining it. I actually have to fight my way thru it under the wooden archway to get to the pond!

I've seen reports of chopping it down then digging it out, and spraying Roundup on it, although it seems debateable as to where and when to use Roundup. My partner did actually use a mini gas powered flamethrower on it once, which seemed to stop some of it in it's tracks but it's back again!

Apart from moving house, any other suggestions would be welcome.

Many thanks,

Gillie.

Best bamboo for my garden

Benjamin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:16:58 GMT

Hi all

I hope somebody can offer me some advice, and just to warn you I am a gardening novice so please bear with me :)

I have a new garden, and given my partner is a panda-o-holic bamboo is clearly a must for the garden, but which one?

We have a small garden, and the bamboo is going to used to form a bit of a sheild to the shed at the bottom of the garden. That area of the garden is quite shadded but I have been told by the chap at the garden centre bamboo don't mind shade to much.

I am quite aware that bamboo is quite invasive, so how do I keep it under control, and also stop it growing to crazy heights?

My soil is heavy clay, which I am attempting to improve, is this ok?

Thanks in advance for any help.

- Benjamin

Climbing rose Wedding Day - no flowers.

Laura Christie — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:16:01 GMT

One year old. Climbing up east wall of house. What am I doing wrong?