Issue No 490                          July 3, 2009 - July 6, 2009

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Plant News is not intended as a horticultural encyclopedia and, like the web catalogue and nursery sales labels, does not necessarily follow the scientific upper/lower case convention for plant names. We have decided, for reasons of emphasis, to follow the traditional formatting for sales catalogues.

OPEN FOR SALES EVERY

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY 

BEDDING PLANTS

BACOPA. 

The white flowers are small, 

but produced in large quantities, 

and the cascading growth reaches well down from baskets or window boxes, etc. Keep clipping back dead flowers; they seem to do well in sun or partial shade.

PETUNIA WONDER WAVE®. Trailing habit: 

Salmon pink, lavender, blue, or purple.

Wave® petunias have reliably performed 

in most positions and conditions 

and have been real winners whether planted 

in hanging baskets, patio containers, or open borders where they are used as floral carpet ground cover plants.

With brightly-coloured trumpet flowers, they will grow on most soils and, while preferring full sun, should be successful if receiving three or more hours of direct sunlight every day. Deadheading, feeding and cutting back if they grow too straggly will keep your display going on much longer.

GERANIUM, BEDDING TYPE (Pelargonium zonale). 

Good for dry positions; they grow well in sun or light shade.  F1 hybrid varieties 30cm (12 inches).

GERANIUM, TRAILING (Pelargonium peltatum). 

Double pink flowers. They have a good, cascading growth and are excellent for baskets, but beware of planting in positions that are too exposed. The trailing stems can be brittle enough to snap off in high winds.

THIS WEEKEND :- 

Many varieties are grown right through the bedding-out season in successive batches. Others are only available in one or two batches (we grow as many as we think there will be a call for).

Changeable weather alters production targets and any batches which are brought-on sooner than we expected may create a short-term surplus of that variety.

There is often a good selection of these plants available in the season. 

They are sold at a standard price of £1.09 each provided that you purchase a minimum of five plants at any one time (your selection, they don't have to be five of a kind). This offer now includes royalty varieties.

BEDDING PLANTS      THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ITEMS

HARDY SHRUBS      TOPICAL INFORMATION

PERENNIALS       NURSERY WEATHER CHECK

PERENNIALS

Mixed colours. 72p each.

SEDUM spectabilis MATRONA. 45cm (18 inches).

Pink flowers, August, September. They do best planted in a sunny, well drained position. Price code U £2.00 each.

ALLIUM CAERULEUM (Allium azureum). 

Blue flowers, 

May-June flowering. 

60cm (24 inches). 

Price code T £1.77 per colony.

TANACETUM. 60cm (24 inches). 

Bush-like growth with spectacular numbers of yellow-eyed, white daisy flowers from July to September (heaviest flowering starts in their second year). They prefer a sunny, well-drained position. £1.56 each. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM (LARGE WHITE DAISIES).  90cm (36 inches).

They like lime 

and flower June-August. 

They prefer full sun.

 £1.56 each. 

OSTEOSPERMUM. 30cm (12 inches).

Pink, daisy flowers produced throughout the summer months. We have only found one variety so far which can withstand our winters. These plants must be planted in very well drained soil, in full sun and sheltered from the worst winter winds. £1.56 each. 

POLEMONIUM (JACOB'S LADDER). 40cm (16 inches) to 60cm (24 inches).

Blue flowers, 

June-August. 

They do well in sun 

or partial shade.

 £1.56 each. 

POLYGONUM. 20cm (8 inches).

Pink flowers produced from June to October. 

Ground cover plants, 

they do well in full sun or partial shade. 

 £1.56 each. 

RUDBECKIA (CONEFLOWER). 60cm (24 inches).

Golden flowers from July to September. They will grow in sun or light shade. £1.56 each. 

BEDDING PLANTS      THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ITEMS

HARDY SHRUBS      TOPICAL INFORMATION

PERENNIALS       NURSERY WEATHER CHECK

SHRUBS

Any soil, sun or shade. 45cm (18 inches). Orange flowers (fade to yellow in full sun), May-September. Price code B £3.15 each.

Mixed colours - 

flowers during May-June. 

Price code C  £3.59 each.

LONICERA INVOLUCRATA (Twinberry). Deciduous.

Lonicera involucrata is a native of North Western America,  grows to a minimum height of 183cm (6 feet) and has a spread of 304cm (10 feet).  

They flower during late spring and early summer. The tubular, yellow flowers are tinted with red and surrounded by green bracts that turn red when the petals wither. 

If the flowers are pollinated successfully, the flowering display is followed by a crop of glossy black berries which eventually mature and help to support the local bird population. Price code C £3.59 each. 

CEANOTHUS Thyrsiflorus reptens (Californian Lilac). Evergreen.

A well-drained site 

and full sun is essential. 

90cm (3 feet). 

Blue flowers from May to September. 

Price code C £3.59 each.

SYMPHORICARPUS (SNOWBERRY). Deciduous.

Any soil, sun or partial shade. 60cm (2 feet) or 183cm (6 feet) depending on variety. Tiny flowers followed by pink or white berries. Price code B £3.15 each.

BEDDING PLANTS      THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ITEMS

HARDY SHRUBS      TOPICAL INFORMATION

PERENNIALS       NURSERY WEATHER CHECK

THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ITEMS

BEDDING PLANTS      THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ITEMS,

TOPICAL INFORMATION

INDEX

Seeking advice

*******************

Cutting weeds down to size: 

New gardeners will have noticed that many weed plants are sending flower heads shooting upwards at an alarming rate. If you ignore this threat, you will soon find yourself dealing with a much larger problem.

If you have too many weeds to deal with at once, at least remove any flower heads as soon as possible. This stops new weed seeds being scattered on your flower beds. Then make a start at removing the weed plants before they can produce another batch of flowers.

Hand weeding:

Most weeds can be easily controlled by pulling out or hoeing. Provided this is done on a regular basis there should be no need to use chemical weed-killers. True, if you slice the top off some plants such as thistles they will grow again, but they will have used-up some of their food reserves sending up new shoots. 

The answer is to hit them again before they can open out new leaves. Every time a shoot appears, cut it off below the ground with a hoe. Once a week should wipe-out, or control even the worst weeds. Be warned, if you miss weeding, thinking that the weeds are beaten they will take their revenge, the jungle will return.

If you are completely new to gardening and have never used a hoe before, practice using the tool on a patch of ground where there are only weeds. Weeding between your plants only when you are sure that you can control the cutting edge of the hoe, so that you only slice-off the weed you aimed at and not one of your plants.

Weed removal?

On hot, dry days, smaller weeds can be left to shrivel where they fall. Larger weeds are better removed, as are small weeds on dull, wet days. A weed which has been cut off at the roots may re-grow by sending new roots out from the laying stem if there are a few wet days after weeding.

Weed disposal:

Composting is usually the best solution. Plants with invasive root systems such as couch grass should be left out in the sun to shrivel first, so that they are completely dead before they go into the heap.

Japanese knotweed is an exception. Any part of the plant which has been cut-down, or dug-up should be dried and burnt. The risk of re-growth is too great to contemplate composting and it is illegal to put any part of the plant into waste disposal sacks or bins.

Strimming:

On areas where you are only concerned with stopping the weeds and grasses from flowering and seeding rather than their total removal strimmers can be effective, but remember to take all the safety precautions recommended by the manufacturer and seller, and any more you can think of yourself.

 It is not just a case of wearing the right protective gear and using a cut-off plug if the strimmer is electric. Children and pets should be kept out of the area. 

Tall weeds and grass should be gently beaten through before strimming to make sure there are no wild bird chicks or animals hiding. 

Remember that the purpose of the strimmer is to damage plant tissue, if you need to strim near plants make sure that you use a suitable shield around the plant base to prevent damage to the plant. Many people fail to realise that the bark of shrubs and trees can be severely damaged by strimming too closely to the trunk. Unfortunately, 'death by strimming' is becoming a common cause of established plant failure.

Bedding plant care:

When deadheading your bedding plants make sure that you remove the entire flower stalk. In persistently wet weather make sure that no dead flower or leaf-litter has lodged in the leaves (fungi invading dead tissue can spread into good, healthy leaves and flowers if left in contact).

BACK TO TOPICAL INFORMATION INDEX

Summer planting container-grown shrubs and perennials:

Can such plants be transplanted successfully during the summer months?

Yes, it is now several decades since container growing was introduced to allow the safe transplanting of plants out of what was then the planting season. Previous to this innovation, shrubs and perennials could only be easily transplanted during their dormant season.

This was due to their being field-grown, which meant that a substantial part of the root system could be lost when the plant was dug-up for sale. This is why you will see references in the older editions of gardening books to only planting hardy plants and shrubs in the autumn to spring period.

In its day, this was sound advice, and still is for field-grown plants. Any substantial root loss caused by digging a plant up while it is in full leaf will lead to severe wilting, usually followed by a total foliage collapse and eventual shriveling of the stems and plant death due to the plants inability to supply water to the leaves at the same rate they are giving it off.

Are there any restrictions on the summer planting of container-grown shrubs and perennials?

Yes, you can't just plant them and forget them. Until they are established you have to be able to give the plants daily attention after planting. If it rains enough you may not have to, but you must be able to water every other day in dry weather and every day in a heat-wave should the need arise.

This means that if you are going to go away on holiday in the summer months, you should either make reliable arrangements for someone to look after the planting for you (make sure they know how much volume of water to use and in what circumstances), or delay planting until you return. Alternatively delay planting until reliable rains appear when the weather breaks at the end of summer.

Mulch can be applied after planting to help conserve moisture. When you do water, give them enough to drain past the root-ball so that the roots follow the moisture downwards towards the naturally moist lower layers of soil near the water table. Roots search out water by growing in the direction of moisture. Giving small amounts of water will lead to roots growing fatally upwards towards the hot, drying surface, instead of downwards.

Preparation:

Water your new plants before taking them out of their pots. This will make them easier to remove. Gently pushing up the slightly flexible pot bases first will make the plants easier to remove (if you are completely new to gardening be sure to tell us so that we can show you the best way of removing plants from their pots without damaging their roots). Always wear stout gardening gloves to protect your hands in case the container should unexpectedly split or shatter while you are removing the plant.

Fill the planting hole with water and allow it to drain away before planting (this may need to be done more than once if the ground is really dry). After planting, water again and then as often as required.

Remember that container growing was introduced to allow transplanting out of the dormant season. This minimises root disturbance when planting and the root-ball should not, therefore, be teased-out except in special circumstances, if directed. Most varieties can be harmed by root disturbance; some can be killed.

Apart from the risk of root rots entering through broken or bruised root tissue the plants are using their full root system at this time of the year to take in water to support their leaves and stems, teasing-out often results in breaking vitally needed sections of the root system - don't do it! the roots will naturally try to grow outwards in all directions from the root ball once the pot is removed. 

On clay based soils all that you need to do to ensure the root system succeeds in spreading out from it's root ball into the surrounding soil is to firm the soil around the plant and water in. 

On sandy soils a temporary stake may be used to stop high winds rocking taller plants, as soon as the roots have spread out into the surrounding soil the stake can be removed (there are very few areas of sandy soil in this district).

Can previously planted garden shrubs with established root systems ever be moved during the summer months?

For the reasons already given, the textbook answer is no. However, in the real world the problem of moving established shrubs in the height of summer often arises due to the unexpected need to construct conservatories, disabled access etc.

In these situations you have nothing to loose in attempting to transplant the shrub because it has to be removed, dead or alive.

However careful you are, much of the fine root system will be lost or damaged when you dig the shrub up. This means that to have a good chance of success you must substantially reduce water-loss from the leaves.

Most deciduous varieties (they loose their leaves in the winter) can be pruned well back and have most of their leaves removed. The amount of leaves will now be in balance with the amount of roots supporting them. Keep well watered and new leaves should start to develop as the roots begin to re-establish a network of fine 'drinking' roots.

Evergreens are more difficult as most varieties do not lend themselves leaf removal. If you did, or pruned them too heavily, they may simply not grow back and either die or be spoiled. One technique which can be used is to wrap the transplanted evergreen in two or three layers of horticultural fleece. This will reduce water loss from the leaves by shading and preventing drying winds from blowing through the foliage. Besides watering daily, remove the fleece every morning and evening, thoroughly wet the foliage and then re-wrap immediately.

BACK TO TOPICAL INFORMATION INDEX

Seeking advice:

Wherever you buy your plants, ask for help and advice if you need it. Don't be worried that asking simple, basic questions shows a lack of  garden knowledge. Professional horticulturalists (people who work with plants and gardens for a living) are aware that everyone starts out knowing nothing about gardening, and are happy to get you started. We don't just want to sell you plants, we want you to succeed with your plantings. 

BACK TO TOPICAL INFORMATION INDEX

NURSERY WEATHER CHECK

These were the lowest night-time temperatures recorded. People often don't realise how cold it gets outside at night. It may well have been warmer in the evening or early next morning, but for tender plants, any exposure to frost can be fatal.