Amateur Gardening 13-Feb-2021

AFTER what seems like a long, grey winter, the garden is coming back to life. As the sap rises and plants throw out new growth, we need to start feeding them again so give them a strong start. Many won’t have been fed since summer, as late feeding only promotes late growth that can be damaged or killed by frost, and there is no benefit to feeding dormant plants that won’t use the extra nutrients. Feeding plants correctly is a cornerstone of good gardening, because a properly fed plant is more likely to be strong and healthy and able to withstand attacks from pests and disease. For generations, gardeners relied on well-rotted compost or farmyard manure to give their plants a boost, supplemented by traditional favourites such as Growmore, blood, fish and bone…

Making your own plant food is easy and can also help control certain invasive plants. ‘Teas’ made from comfrey and nettles (often considered to be ‘weeds’) are packed with essential nutrients. Just make sure you don’t rip up all the plants in your teamaking enthusiasm. Comfrey flowers are magnets for bees, and nettles are the food plants for the caterpillars of many butterflies including red admirals. All you need for both brews are the plants, a lidded container, water, long-sleeved shirt and sturdy gloves (nettles sting, and comfrey leaves are covered in stiff hairs that can cause skin irritation). To make comfrey tea, remove the flowers and stems and break up the leaves before stuffing them into a water-tight container that has a lid (this stuff will stink as it…

1 Granular: Products such as Vitax Q4, Growmore and Miracle Gro All Purpose, and blood, fish and bone are excellent all-rounders. They break down over time and feed plants for longer than liquid fertilisers. A good way to start the year’s feeding. 2 Timed-release: These come as plugs of fertiliser that are inserted in soil or compost to release nutrients over several months, giving more when the conditions are right for growth and less when it is colder. Try Osmocote or Westland Gro-Sure Tablets. 3 Liquid: A quick and easy way of getting nutrients into plants, especially hungry crops such as tomatoes. Tomorite and Big Tom are potassium-rich for good cropping, Maxicrop Seaweed Extract boots roots, growth and overall health. 4 Ericaceous: Acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons struggle in more…

VEGANISM is becoming part and parcel of many aspects of everyday life and now it has gained a firm foothold in gardening. Of course many people have been vegan gardening for decades, possibly without realising. Organic gardening using non-chemical, nonanimal alternatives to pest and weed control, and deterrents instead of pesticides, is nothing new. Neither is making plant feeds out of natural resources such as comfrey and nettles. Where vegan gardeners take it a step further is not using animal products in fertiliser, so products such as blood, fish and bone and bone meal are out. There are several vegan plant foods available including Natural Growers and Maxicrop, and the latest arrival is EcoGro, which is the by-product of an organic farm in Cumbria. Ecogro started as a liquid general feed and has now…

Got a story? email ruth.hayes@futurenet.com YOU can start brightening up your life during lockdown with a new, free guide to creating floral displays. The guide to creating a skillfully crafted riot of colour and style in public places is being offered to councils, Britain in Bloom groups, horticulturalists and amateur gardeners in the UK. It follows the cancellation of Britain in Bloom in 2020 and is being offered by horticultural manufacturer Amberol. The guide contains photos and details of different planting schemes from Britain in Bloom groups across the UK, as well as examples of displays from Belgium, all using floral containers. Create a ‘floral bicycle’ “Despite national lockdowns and restrictions in different tiers, many Britain In Bloom groups have continued working in their environment within health and safety guidelines,” said Patience Atkinson-Gregory, managing director of…

DIBLEY’S Nursery in North Wales is holding a virtual flower show this spring, hoping to repeat the success of a similar event in 2020. The show, which will stream online, will include interactive events plus gardeners’ Q&As and a stunning floral hall with more than 20 exhibitors including John Cullen Gardens, Primrose Hall Peonies, Hampshire carnivorous plants, Hoyland Plant Centre, Todd’s Botanics, Calamazag Plant Nursery, Primrose Bank, D’Arcy & Everest, Plant Heritage and Potash Nursery Ltd. Paul Dibley said: “Last year’s show had well over 40k visitors at the time, and many more since. Click on images that interest you “This year will be bigger and will include an interactive Virtual Floral Hall. Visitors will be able to move around the hall on their computer or other devices and click on the nursery images…