SOME SAMPLE GARDENING ADVICE, HELP, HINTS AND TIPS, FOR THE GARDEN.
Q
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I live in Southern California quite near the ocean. There is a slope
going down to the street in our backyard. This originally was covered by
weeds and Red Apple. We recently had a landscaper remove everything, put in
new top soil and add a variety a plants and groundcover in addition to a new
sprinkler system. Everything has been in for about 6 weeks now and the
groundcover (a small plant with lavender flowers, sorry I don't remember the
name) is not taking. We are watering it several times a day for a few
minutes each time fearing any more would just run off. We've watched the
water pattern and everything is getting watered. Nevertheless, HELP!!
A
You are best watering the plants heavily just before dark, this way the plant absorbs the water and uses it for growth. Water given in the day goes straight through the plant and evaporates. If you have new soil it is most likely very acid and I would advise the application of some horticultural lime to sweeten the soil. This would assist plant growth.
Q
I have a beautiful climbing hydrangea, which has attached itself directly to my house reaching about 30 ft. all the way to the peak. We have to paint the house and I need to know if detaching the aerial roots from the house will harm the plant. After the house has been painted we would construct a detachable trellis to make future maintenance easier. I'd really appreciate any help you can give me.
Thank You,
A
Pulling the plant away from the wall will set it back but should not kill it, there will be masses of roots left firmly attached to the wall, to clear away before you can paint.
Climbing hydrangeas climb up rock faces as a natural habit. If you build a trellis the plant will simply go through the trellis and re attach itself to the wall.
Q
When can I transplant perennials? I just moved into a new house and the perennials
that are in the garden have no organization and I'd like to move them around
- when is the earliest I can do that?
A
Perennials are best left until autumn when water requirements are minimal, so giving roots time to establish for the following summer.
Valecroft
Q
We are in the process of building a pond, and yesterday finished digging a hole approx
12 feet X 4 feet x2.5 - 3 feet deep. Today there is an inch of water in part of the hole where there is mainly heavy clay and a multitude of stones. We fear that we may have hit the water table. This is the only place in our garden where it is practical to site a pond, and given the time and energy involved; we are loath to fill it in! If we were to cover the bottom with butyl,
then lay heavy stone slabs over the bottom and leaning against the sides, would this prevent the liner billowing if the water table rises? It is currently the middle of summer and we have no idea of how much the local water table rises. PLEASE HELP!! Thank you in keen anticipation of your reply.
A
Line the pool hole with butyl, place a slab in the centre to stop the butyl blowing about, and then fill the pool with your hosepipe to ground water level. This evens the pressure. Remove the slab from the centre of the pool. Then slowly fill the pool, easing out the lining to fit the contours of the hole. Allow the lining to overlap the pool edges by about 2 ft, then cap off the lining with slabs or soil. Valecroft
Q
I live in Texas. I heard on the radio
after the recent Big Flood, that it is important to fertilize the yard, because the
flooding has drained all the nutrients out of most people's yards.
Could you give me a few more facts about this topic including what to do
after the flood?
A
After severe flooding, fertiliser is needed to replace the feed value leeched away as the waters drained. But more important is the soil Ph value, the balance between acid (sour) soil and alkaline (sweet) soil. Flooding can make the soil very acid, which does not suit most common garden plants, therefore I recommend dressing the soil with a generous amount of garden lime. If you wish to check on how much damage has occurred, D. I. Y. Ph soil testing kits are widely available at garden outlets.
Another problem with flooding is the deposit of mineral salts from the standing water; these salts can cause serious problems for your plants. These salts can lock up certain trace elements in the soil. Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) spread at the rate of 1 pound per 20 square yards will help mitigate this problem by releasing these trace elements.
Also magnesium is an important element in the production of chlorophyll, the green part of the plant. This application of Epsom salts will correct any leaf yellowing that can often occur after flooding. Tell your drugstore what you want the Epsom salts for; they will be able to offer bulk packs at less money.
A sowing of lettuce seeds will give a quick indication of the state of the soil. the lettuce seedlings being very sensitive to soil conditions. If the soil conditions continue to give trouble over the longer period it is worth having your soil tested by a professional body, some of the leading university agricultural departments carry out this service for a fee.
After flooding many shrubs and perennials, may look to be dead, but its always worth waiting a while before abandoning them. Damaged lawns are best left alone for a while, mowing on saturated soil will pull out the grass by the roots, the lawn will soon recover next spring.
Small trees and large shrubs will benefit from temporary staking to stop them rocking in the wind. The flooding will have loosened the roots, and until the roots re-establish themselves the plant is in a fragile state.
Question
Hello! If we had ever planned to move it would be in the spring/summer when
our garden is in its full glory. And this was what my husband said! But,
stumbling into our dream house a few weeks ago we now find ourselves moving
in January. My incredible garden left behind....
I would like to take some
things with me to start. What are my options? I am in Zone 7, Maryland
(Annapolis) and it has just snapped temperature wise this week (mid December). My marigolds
were blooming beautifully until today. My petunias still look great with
foliage and an occasional flower. I want to take them as they are perennial
and lilac.
Can they be stored in plastic until the spring outside? I was
also thinking about moving them to a holding bed at my mother's until spring
when I could then transplant them to the new house. Naturally that would be
the most work. Is it already too late to move them now? January is out
completely or not? Help! What are my options? Thanks so much in anticipation of your advice! Leah.
Answer
Your best option is to move the plants to a holding bed at your mothers; there is still time to do this. You could plant into plastic pots, but you must then sink the pots into the dirt to protect the roots from the frost. The roots of an open ground grown plant are very tender and easily damaged by frost, leading to plant mortality.
Any time when the soil is dry and frost free will be suitable, as long as you get the roots protected immediately after digging up.
Question
Hope you can help me.
We have a major problem with Goat heads. I've tried raking them up. Pulling them up even tried to burn them out. My hard work only netted me more Goat heads.
They have taken over the backyard, side yard and are presently starting to crowd the front yard. Its not safe to walk anywhere in our yard shoeless. The darn things get tracked into the house all the time and as a result its not safe to even walk shoeless in the house!
Please, any advise (besides selling the house and moving) would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Yvette
Answer
Glyphosate, marketed mostly under the brand name 'Roundup' will kill your goat heads. Read the label on the pack, you must cover any chosen plants when spraying with glyphosate, it will kill many other plants. Goat heads like very poor conditions, this would suggest that your yard needs a heavy dosage of garden lime (gypsum) and a generous amount of farmyard manure or horse manure or similar. Goat head seeds can last for 10 years in the soil so the problem will not go away immediately.
Question
I fancy planting a Magnolia. Which variety is best and what tips do you have?
Answer
There are many varieties of Magnolia, but there are three major popular varieties seen in most gardens. 'Soulangeana' and 'Stellata' with white flowers and 'Nigra' with white flowers with a purple stripe. Also to a lesser extent 'Rubra', with reddish flowers in late summer. Although decked with marvellous flowers 'Soulangeana' is a plant for only the large garden easily reaching the height of your house.
Stellata with it masses of star like flowers is the best for the small garden staying a compact bush, Nigra has similar dimensions. Magnolias like good rich soil until established, then they will look after themselves. Incidentally I have seen Japanese houses filled with Bonsai versions of the Stellata absolutely covered in tiny white flowers.
Valecroft Nurseries
PLEASE NOTE.
Advice and information with tips and hints, on a very wide range of garden subjects can be found on the many other pages of this gardening website. Altogether too many to list, below are just a few of them.
Bedding plants, alpines, perennials, heathers, lawn care, rock garden, glasshouses, sun lounges, tomato plants, guide too planting hanging baskets, patio tubs, fruit trees, flowering shrubs, aphids, plug plants, acid soil, daffodils, tulips, lily, potatoes, conifers, beans, soft fruit, winter pansies, fish ponds, soil types, soil preparation, potting on, propagation guide, sowing seeds, lawns, turf, hedging, pruning, watering, weeds, rhododendron,
camelia, guide to lawn mowers, sprayers, fertiliser, winter flowering plants, geraniums, fuchsias, carrots, hardening off, leylandii, chemicals, compost, peat, vegetables, petrol tools, electric tools, container plants, digging, cyclamen, chelsea, begonias, garden centres, wood chippings, herbs, polyanthus, primroses, witch hazel, gardens, split leaf maple, acer, zucchini, garden canes, ground, building pools.
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