Plants That Should Be Better Known:
A talk by Katherine Crouch
A talk by Katherine Crouch
plants_that_should_be_better_known_handout.pdf | |
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Willow Weaving With Allison Oldershaw.
Allison has kindly provided fact sheets full of lots of information to get you started!
The sheets can be downloaded below:
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Weed Killer Alternatives
Weed Killer alternatives without glyphosate are available and can be effective. Organic brand options use naturally occurring oils or acids, and some alternatives can even be made with household ingredients. For more information and practical tips on how to reduce the use of herbicides in your garden visit the information page via the link below:
Safe Roundup Alternatives | Killing Weeds Without Glyphosate (consumernotice.org)
Links from our speaker Darren Lerigo:
Those of you who were at our January 2022 meeting via zoom will remember that our speaker, Darren Lerigo, kindly offered to forward some links that may be of interest following his talk. These links are below:
Henk Gerritsen - https://modernmint.co.uk/waltham-place-talk-watch-youtube/
Rosi Bee Nurseries, plants for bees - https://www.rosybee.com/research
Rewilding - https://uk.bookshop.org/books/feral-rewilding-the-land-sea-and-human-life/9780141975580?aid=3696
Marina Christopher and Phoenix Perennial Plants in Alton - https://modernmint.co.uk/taking-cuttings/
And finally Dalefoot Composts - worth calling and speaking too about an order - https://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk
We hope they are of interest to you.
Those of you who were at our January 2022 meeting via zoom will remember that our speaker, Darren Lerigo, kindly offered to forward some links that may be of interest following his talk. These links are below:
Henk Gerritsen - https://modernmint.co.uk/waltham-place-talk-watch-youtube/
Rosi Bee Nurseries, plants for bees - https://www.rosybee.com/research
Rewilding - https://uk.bookshop.org/books/feral-rewilding-the-land-sea-and-human-life/9780141975580?aid=3696
Marina Christopher and Phoenix Perennial Plants in Alton - https://modernmint.co.uk/taking-cuttings/
And finally Dalefoot Composts - worth calling and speaking too about an order - https://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk
We hope they are of interest to you.
Blight Resistant Boxwood
In the December 2020 edition of the RHS Garden magazine there was news of some new blight resistant cultivars of box plants which are in trials in Belgium and USA. It may be worth looking out for the following in UK nurseries in the not too distant future.
The four Belgium box, sold as 'BeterBuxus' are
How to Combat Boxwood Caterpillar
by Darren Lerigo
In the December 2020 edition of the RHS Garden magazine there was news of some new blight resistant cultivars of box plants which are in trials in Belgium and USA. It may be worth looking out for the following in UK nurseries in the not too distant future.
The four Belgium box, sold as 'BeterBuxus' are
- Buxus Renaissance ('Her2009b01')
- Buxus Babylon Beauty ('Her2010b04')
- Buxus Heritage ('Her2010b02')
- Buxus Skylight (Her2009b03')
- Buxus microphylla NewGen Freedom ('Sb300')
- Buxus microphylla NewGen Independence ('Sb108')
How to Combat Boxwood Caterpillar
by Darren Lerigo
For practical advice on combatting this terrible pest of the Boxwood, click on the PDF link below
how-to-combat-b_45654501.pdf | |
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Roses in June by Eva Rogers
Growing Roses
June is the month when roses make their peak appearance in our gardens and they are one of the most popular shrubs that are grown in this country. There are so many rose groups to choose from, ranging from ramblers to climbers as well as hybrid teas, floribundas patio roses besides several others sorts. There are always new roses being bred and introduced each year with different colours and bush habits and choosing the right variety can be tricky.
Some people find it difficult to differentiate between climbers and ramblers so several observations should be noted. Ramblers make long new growths from the base of the plant each year and they usually have one showy flowering period. The blooms are fairly small but occur in very large clusters and give a wonderful display. They are used for growing on arches, trellis or up established trees. Climbers on the other hand, are repeat flowerers with the main show in early summer followed by small more or less continuous displays until the autumn. Climbers are usually trained up against walls, fences and up rose arches. A framework of shoots are tied to a permanent structure and each year new shoots will grow from the framework and can be tied onto the existing growths and several of the older tired shoots can be removed.
Hybrid Tea roses are grown as shrubs or in a standard form with a long leg and have been extremely popular for many years. The flower stems are long and the blooms are shapely and can be scented. The flowers are usually large or medium sized and many petals form a distinct central cone. They can be borne singly on a shoot or with several side buds.
Floribundas are unrivalled for producing a reliable, colourful long lasting bedding display. The flowers are borne in clusters and several blooms will open at the same time. Another group the Patio roses made their appearance in the 1980s and are low growing and only reaching about 50cm in height. They make ideal plants for tubs or the front of borders and there are many popular varieties available. Even smaller than the patio roses are the miniature roses which seldom exceed 40cm in height. They can also be grown in tubs as well as on rockeries or in small pots for taking indoors. Next we come to the ground cover roses also introduced in the 1980’s. They have a spreading habit and are repeat flowerers with good disease resistance. They are handy for covering banks or growing in between taller shrubs. Some are low growing and others spread widely and can reach up to 1.5 metres high.
Finally we come to the shrub roses which are a huge group, containing the species roses that are related to the wild roses or old fashioned roses prior to the introduction of Hybrid Teas or Floribunda roses. Now we have Modern Shrub Roses that have recently become popular, thanks to David Austin and the many years he devoted to breeding roses with the characteristics and fragrance of the old garden rose but with the repeat flowering capacity and the wide colour range of modern roses such as found in Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.
Choosing and buying roses can be difficult. First select the type and colour that you like and if possible try and see them growing in a nursery or display garden where you will immediately see the faults such as diseases on the foliage or weakness to the growth habit. There are different ways of purchasing rose bushes. These are bare root, prepackaged or container grown. The first two must be planted during the dormant season but pot grown plants can be planted all the year round so are more expensive. Choosing a suitable site is important and it should be in full sun. Beware of soil sickness as rose plants should not be planted in a place where roses have been grown previously for about ten years. Prepare the border well and make sure that it is weed free. The plants will not flourish if the soil is poor so add plenty of compost or well rotted farm yard manure. Never plant if the soil is frozen or waterlogged. If the plants are bare root and dry, plunge them into a bucket of water and leave for a couple of hours. Cut off all damaged roots and trim back all roots to 30cms. Dig a hole about 60cm wide and 25 cm deep. Add some bone meal to the compost. This is a slow release fertilizer and helps the rose over a longer of time. Make sure that the roots are spread out and the bud union should be 2.5 cm below soil level when planted. Firm well when planted.
Hard pruning is required with most newly planted roses which helps to build up a strong root system and encourages the growth of sturdy new shoots close to the base of the bush. Hybrid Teas should be cut back to 10 – 15 cms above ground level and floribundas 15cms. Climbers do not require pruning at this stage. Newly planted roses will need to be watered well over several weeks and especially if there is a drought. Even established bushes will appreciate some water in hot dry periods.
Roses make heavy demands on the reserves of food in the soil and must be fed annually with a proprietary rose compound fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphates and potash. There are liquid feeds available and exhibitors will use foliar feed to give the best results when showing.
Roses do suffer from several pests such as greenfly. Among the most common diseases are black spot and mildew. Only spray when you observe any of these problems on the bush. Look out for suckers which are shoots that grow up from the root stock. They must be removed as if they are allowed to develop may completely swamp the bush in time.
Hopefully if you follow this advice you will have success with your roses which will give you pleasure for many years to come.