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About Maman

Maman has been a member since May 18th 2010, and has created 46 posts from scratch.

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This Author's Website is http://guru4gardens.com

Maman's Recent Articles

Growing Mexican Orange Blossom Shrub

published Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011 at 3:51 pm by
Weigela and Choysia

Weigela and Choysia

The Choysia or Mexican orange blossom, (family Rutaceae) is one of my long time favourite plants and I suspect popular around the world for its easy growth habits and stunning floral display in the spring, early summer period.  It will even flower a second time over the late summer if it is happy with its position in the garden. The adaptability of the plant means it can be grown in pots and containers as well as garden situations that range from full sun to part shade.

They are natives of Mexico and the environs of the southern US, hence the name Mexican Orange Blossom. The evergreen leaves are a glossy green and pretty in their own right even having a smell if the leaf is broken, a smell admittedly you will either love or hate! The five leafed white flowers resemble stars and have a wonderful orange blossom perfume. The growth habit of this small shrub tends to be rounded and dense but does depend on where and how it is grown. It will reach on occasion, heights up to 3 meters, spreading a similar distance!

My plant is one I have grown from a semi-ripe cutting that I tried growing for fun! While generally it requires a light soil and a warm and sheltered position, my own grows very satisfactorily in a heavy soil and shaded place along side the house. It is protected from frosts in this situation, as they can get frost burn. They recover well by shoots emerging from the base of the damaged plant. Choysia ternata tolerates trimming back if it outgrows its position. Choysia make suitable cut flowers or for the lovely foliage in floral arrangements. The fragrance of the flowers pervades the room when used this way.

Choysia Ternata Sundance is a yellow leaved variety and a cheerful addition to a garden particularly where there is a dark or hedge background. Keep in mind when planning your garden this is an evergreen shrub; use it for hedges and garden screening. A useful plant grows in acidic soils as well as in seaside environments. Appreciate the flowers perfume by growing it on patios and decks in containers or close to walkways. You do need to be aware that container plants may suffer from a root disorder that will affect their health and growth. As they are easily grown, it is best just to throw the offending plant out, and avoid planting another in the same pot. Because it is evergreen, it can be used near swimming pools or ponds to soften the area, being a reasonably tidy plant!_

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    Posted in Gardening Tips, Plants for Decks, Scented Plants, Shrubs | No Comments »

    Quickly Grown Herbs and Greens

    published Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 4:14 pm by
    Watercress

    Watercress

    One of the delights of cooking is the ability to add your own homegrown ingredients. Nothing more so if you think you need green fingers to do so. Growing seeds for eating and being able to harvest them with in a week or a few weeks is within the grasp of anyone with a windowsill! The modern need for fresh
    eating has made this possible.

    Watercress is one of the easy grown herbs or salad plants that can be grown this way. We pick this from a nearby flowing stream if the livestock have not beaten us to it! It grows very quickly and easily and in the wrong place a weed. The peppery flavours of the leaves are particularly nice in sandwiches. Watercress is a relative of the cabbage or Brassica family with genetic links to radish and mustard.

    While the cress we pick grows big, in some cases over a metre in length, we never pick it if its flowering as the taste is too bitter. The beauty of growing your own on a windowsill is any one can do it as seeds will grow in pots that just stand in water. Cut it at the size you want. Watercress is reputed to have many
    benefits including anti cancer properties, as well as containing calcium, iodine, and folic acid so it is well worth including in the daily diet if possible

    Mustard is another salad leaf growing quickly and easily at any time of the year. Mustard has been around for thousands of years and mentioned in the Bible. Grow mustard seeds in a seed raising mix. Spread the seed out and cover with the soil mix and water gently. Keep seeds moist and the seedlings will normally appear within a week depending on conditions and warmth, earlier or later. They can be cut at any size but leaving the seedlings to grow for three or four weeks until they reach 10-15 cm high, will provide a better return for your efforts and bigger sandwiches! Sow mustard seeds successively at two to three week intervals so you have an ongoing supply.

    Rocket lettuce or herbs are another quickly grown green. Like both Mustard and Watercress has a peppery taste. It is best to eat just a few weeks from sowing as it grows so fast the leaves take on a bitter taste if they grow old. Grow it quickly with plenty of water, and sow successively for a continuing supply.Enjoy your homegrown greens, they are worth it!

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      Posted in Herbs, Sprouting seeds, Vegetables | No Comments »

      How to Grow Tulips

      published Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 at 11:17 am by
      Tulips Enmasse

      Tulips Enmasse

      Tulips are some of the more popular bulbs in the world. Reading the book “The Black Tulip” by Alexander Dumas as a child created an interest for life in these bulbs. Introduced to Europe from Turkey over 400 years ago, Holland soon became home to them. The Dutch became synonymous with the Tulip, and became
      renowned for their abilities in their breeding and cross breeding. The storyline of the book was to breed a black tulip. There was a time in Holland when tulip bulbs were worth a good deal of money and where fortunes were made and lost on a bulb!  Similar to our current share markets where people can be carried away paying a lot of money on the current favourite stocks. Nothing has changed! There are now over a hundred different species  of tulips, with the resulting hybrids running into thousands of varieties.

      Plant Tulip bulbs in mid to late autumn. It is fun leafing through catalogues and nurseries choosing what to plant. Preorder bulbs if you require something a little different. Choose large and unblemished bulbs
      without black spots, mould or growths on them. As tulips are cold weather  bulbs, they can be encouraged in warmer areas by placing the bulbs in the refrigerator for up to 6-8 weeks by making them think winter! I generally keep them in the crisper area of the refrigerator out of the way of day-to-day food and fruit.

      Like most bulbs, Tulips prefer a well-drained soil, whether it is in a garden, container, or rock gardens, include some fine gravel or sand when preparing the soil to enhance the drainage.  Good preparation of the soil with well-rotted compost and a complete fertilizer will ensure a good base for a stunning display of flowers in the future. The depth of planting bulbs is generally taken to be twice that of their size, lengthways.  Mulch protects the bulbs once they are planted. I tend to plant and forget, delighting in seeing them pop up as they start to flower. Some people will label the bulbs so they know where to find their bulbs. Tulips varieties today will tolerate some shade but their preference is for a sunny spot in the garden. They come in many colours and mixtures of color but the black colour has not been reached that I am aware of yet. There are some very deep reds that on first glance you think “wow, a black tulip”.

      The depths that tulips are planted allow some of the smaller bulbs to be planted over the top of them to make the most of the area. The tulips are not fond of an acid soil, so if it is likely that your soil is likely to be acidic add some lime prior to planting. It is best not to leave bedding tulips in the ground after the leaves have died down, they are better lifted and stored in a cool dry place until the next season. There are varieties that may be left safely in the soil, ask your nurseryman for those suitable for your area.

      In my experience, from growing tulips in warmer areas, a better display is achieved by buying in new bulbs each year. After flowering deadhead the flowers, but leave the leaves to die naturally ensuring the bulb is ready for next year’s flowers. Tall tulip varieties are likely to be affected by strong winds, so if this is a problem in your area, ensure they are sheltered, or alternatively grow some of the smaller
      varieties. Enjoy this beautiful flower as a cut flower in a vase. Watch them open and close depending on the time of the day and be enchanted

       

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        Posted in Beautiful Bulbs, Gardening Tips | No Comments »

        Growing Bulbous Irises

        published Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at 11:57 am by
        English Iris

        English Iris

        The most common irises grown are Spanish, English and Dutch probably because they are bulbs. Bulbs do not frighten people as much as the sound of the word “rhizomes”. Every one wants simple! The flowers are different to the well-known flag or German irises, also known as bearded irises. Flowers of these irises are fine and delicate and come in colors ranging from white through to gold, mauve and purple. They flower at different times to each other, first the Dutch variety followed by the Spanish and then the English bulbs, Reticulata Irises are smaller and flower in the late winter, early spring period, some of these
        even have a light perfume.

        English iris bulbs may be divided when you feel the clump has become too big or you want to spread some around to pass onto friends or sell. Plant these irises in the autumn in a garden that has a sunny well-drained aspect. Plant the bulbs at a depth of 10-15 cm and the same distance apart. They like lots of well-rotted compost or manure dug into their garden prior to planting and again after the leaves have died down. The English bulbs do better in soils that do not dry out too quickly in the summer months.

        Treat Dutch and Spanish iris in much the same way as the English bulbs. Should the soil around the Dutch bulbs be too wet after the leaves have died in the summer, it is best to lift them and store the bulbs until replanting in the autumn. If you are lifting the bulbs, dig carefully around them with a fork and split into singles. The big bulbs will flower the following year while the smaller ones, called offsets will not reach maturity until they are two years old when they will flower. Plant the offsets in beds to grow on. Reticulata irises appreciate a liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks after flowering until their foliage has died.

        When storing these bulbs if the soil is unsuitable to leave them over in, store them in somewhere where it is dry and airy. This prevents them from being stricken with rot or moulds. Fungicides can be purchased from garden shops and nurseries for this purpose. Follow the instructions given for the
        best results.

        All these irises are ideal for floral displays as their stems are long enough to be able to use creatively.

         

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        Posted in Beautiful Bulbs, Iris | No Comments »

        Iris Flowers

        published Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 at 4:05 pm by

        A stunning example of an IrisIrises are the wonderfully colorful flowers that grow from rhizomes into large clumps creating magnificent displays for little effort. They have been around for thousands of years, generally found in the northern hemisphere they also grow worldwide. They are strong plants in so much as they make a statement, no matter where they are planted, either mixed in with other plants or as a focal point in or on a rockery, perhaps near a garden pond as they don’t seem to mind damp feet. Most irises are perennial plants growing from rhizomes. The rhizomes are thick fleshy growths that often lay half exposed on the surface of the garden.

        Irises can be raised from seed; germination is improved by stratifying the seed for at least six weeks. Cover the seed lightly and keep the external temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The most common way of multiplying the plant is by division of the rhizomes, and allowing the bulbs to multiply. The rhizomes are broken up at any time but it is usually best to do this when they are dormant. The rhizomes of the bearded irises are more suited to moving after flowering, while the bulbous types do multiply easily and quickly, lift them while dormant. Plant the rhizomes in autumn and into the winter months.

        The Bearded, German and flag irises grow from rhizomes and come in many colours and shades some even have two or more colors. The preferred place for these to grow is a sunny well-drained garden bed, but they do tolerate a wide range of situations. Try them where you wish and see how they grow for you. The Dutch and Spanish irises grow from bulbs. The bulbs clump, so your stash will multiply very easily. Plant the bulbs 10 cm deep and approximately 15 cm apart. The leaves are themselves an interesting strap or sword shape and give a contrast to the softer leaved plants. The heights of the irises range from a semi- dwarf at around 25cm to the flag or tall bearded irises that reach 70cms in height.

        Other varieties include the crested iris with their fragile flowers not unlike orchids; some will grow in very damp or waterlogged soils. These are the American, Japanese and English irises. Reticulata Iris bulbs are treated the same as other spring bulbs, flowering in late winter or early spring. The Dutch and Spanish Irises favor a warm dry garden soil

        A stunning example of an Iris

         

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        Posted in Gardening Tips | 1 Comment »

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