Archive for the ‘Plant Talk with Graham Rice’ Category

Anemone

September 4th, 2023 | Plant Talk with Graham Rice | Comments Off on Anemone

Caption: Plant your anemone tubers in the autumn, as soon as you receive them.

Once a month, we take a look back to the way gardeners did things long ago. And this month I found an interesting piece that appeared in the issue of Gardening World magazine for 8 September 1906. The subject is planting the bulbs of that sparkling Mediterranean flower Anemone coronaria. The odd thing is this.

As I say, Anemone coronaria grows wild in the Mediterranean where the winters are mild and wet and the summers are hot and dry. These anemones start to sprout from their small black tubers as rain dampens the soil in autumn. They then grow through the winter, flower in spring and fade away and spend the hot dry summer dormant.

So the obvious thing for gardeners to do is the same: plant now for flowering in spring. But when I first got into gardening, before I knew any better, we planted them in the spring. I’ve just checked and my copy of the Reader’s Digest New Gardening Year recommends planting in March.

Gardening World magazine has other ideas. “They should be planted immediately,” we’re told in that 8 September edition. “it is not yet too late, however, although the roots should be in the ground as soon as possible…. These anemones like a cool, deep and rather moist soil,” we’re advised,” and the plant succeeds best in the open, fully exposed to direct sunshine.”

Gardening World magazine then goes on to suggest preparing by trenching or double digging and by adding compost to clay soil. That, I would say, is a complete waste of time. Any good garden soil that is fairly well drained will be fine. I planted a row about five years ago, and I’ve never dug them up. They still flower well every year – helped, I’m sure, by a couple of doses of liquid tomato feed in spring.

So, please do as Gardening World suggests. Order your anemones now, plant them as soon as you receive them, feed them in the spring, and enjoy them in early summer and for years to come.

Shop Anemone coronaria De Caen Bulbs

What are plant trials?

August 18th, 2023 | Plant Talk with Graham Rice, The flower garden | Comments Off on What are plant trials?

Every year, in the acre or more behind the Mr F offices in Suffolk, a sample of every single variety offered on the Mr F website and in the Mr F paper catalogues is grown. And not just one plant of each.

The idea is to ensure that what goes into the seed packets sold all over the country is exactly what it should be. It’s a huge quality control exercise, if you like, so a long row of each flower and each vegetable variety is sown, grown and checked. Do the mixed varieties have a good range of flower colours? Are the individual colours all the right shade? Are the heights right? Are they bushy and spreading when they should be, or tall and upright.

And that’s not all. Similar varieties are grown side by side to check which really is the best, like the larkspur varieties (above), and varieties that are on the list of possibles for adding to the range are also assessed.

The plants are not pampered, far from it. They’re grown hard, rarely watered unless they’re desperate, hoeing and hand-pulling keeps the weeds down and the plants are not dead-headed. They really are tested. And the whole place is peat-free.

Mr F’s in-house experts are out there every day, checking how all these different varieties are performing and I always visit to look over both the new varieties and the old favourites to see how they compare.

And every year, garden writers and influencers from across the country are invited to see for themselves and quiz the Mr F staff. Through the autumn, I’ll be picking out the highlights from my visits.

Go to Mr Fothergill’s Larkspur Flower Seeds

Caption: Comparing larkspur varieties on the Mr Fothergill’s trial ground. ©GrahamRice

Blanks In The Borders

August 11th, 2023 | Annuals, Plant Talk with Graham Rice | Comments Off on Blanks In The Borders

At the beginning of every month, we take a look back to one of the gardening magazines from long ago, to see if we learn from the experts of another era. Today, we look back to 4th of August issue of Gardening World magazine for the year 1906.

And here, tucked away on page 574 – they numbered the pages consecutively through the year, starting in early January – I find a short piece, in the Work Of The Week section. Just two paragraphs, entitled: Blanks In The Borders.

“Gaps in the borders will be already appearing owing to the dying away of such plants as Sidalcea, Centaureas, etc,” writes our anonymous contributor, “and in making a border this trouble cannot really be overcome.

“The advantage of having spare plants to draw upon,” he continues – in 1906 it was almost certainly a ‘he’ – “is here seen, and where such exist, Marigolds, Asters, Chrysanthemums, and Perennial Asters, should at once be planted in the blanks.” And this is the crucial part: “These plants shift at all times without feeling any ill effects, provided they are given a good soaking before lifting…”

Now, most of us don’t have a few spare asters or marigolds hanging around in an out-of-the-way corner, just waiting to be transplanted. But there might be a few self-sown seedlings that could be soaked and moved into gaps.

And next year, we could sow aster seeds in a row in the veg patch in May, then soak them and transplant them in flower in August to banish those border blanks for the rest of the season. I’d suggest ‘Ostrich Feather’ (above) at 60cm, it’s just the right height.

Five ways to keep your dahlias flowering

August 11th, 2023 | Plant Talk with Graham Rice, The flower garden | Comments Off on Five ways to keep your dahlias flowering

Dahlias are just building up a head of steam, with more flowers opening every day. But, if we simply leave them to get on with it, we’ll end up with flowering tailing off and a generally ragged display. So, how can we keep our dahlias steaming ahead through summer and into the autumn?

Support

If your dahlias fall over – disaster. Ideally, you push in a ring of four dahlia stakes round each plant, and loop twine around to keep everything upright. And you do it in June. But now you’ll need another ring of twine to keep everything neat.

If you forgot in June, if the plants haven’t fallen over then it’s not too late.

Deadheading

Deadheading is crucial. If you leave the dying and dried up flowers on the plant then then you’ll simply ruin the look. What’s more, fewer new flower buds will develop and fewer flowers will open.

Use sharp secateurs and snip just above a flower bud developing lower down.

Watering

Dahlias need a lot of water but do not use a sprinkler – the most wasteful way of watering ever invented. Water from a water butt is ideal, poured on to the root area, or use cans of tap water or the hose. Once a week is usually about right, unless it rains.

Feeding

I feed my dahlias with liquid tomato food, Mr Fothergill’s Liquid Tomato Feed is ideal, and usually dose them every two weeks. But I think that just as good and perhaps better, would be Mr Fothergill’s Chrysanthemum Fertiliser. I’m going to give it a try.

Frost protection

As autumn develops and winter approaches, the danger of frost looms – and dahlias can be reduced to soggy pulp in just one night.

The simplest way to protect them is to lay Mr Fothergill’s Plant Protection Fleece over the plants in the evening, when frost is forecast. Remove it the following morning as temperatures rise. I’ve also used old bedsheets in the past, works well.

Top five calendulas to sow in summer

July 28th, 2023 | Annuals, Plant Talk with Graham Rice | Comments Off on Top five calendulas to sow in summer

We normally sow seeds of hardy annuals in spring, out in the garden where we’d like them to flower. But regulars here at Plant Talk know that I’m also a big fan of sowing seed of hardy annuals in the autumn. But August? Yes, really. And calendulas are the ideal candidates.

Sow the seed in the first week or two of August, it will soon germinate then grow through the autumn and in mild spells in winter. Then, perhaps as early as April, when plants from a spring sowing are still getting going – the flowers on your August sown plants will start to open. If that seems optimistic: I tried it last year and it really works.

A few tips, though.

  • Choose varieties that are naturally dwarf as taller varieties may blow over.
  • Sow the seeds where you’d like them to flower, preferably in an open but sheltered place outside, Try to space the seeds about 2cm (1in) apart.
  • Keep them moist, especially in their first month or two, and protect them from slugs.
  • When the leaves of your developing seedlings start to touch, thin them out to a 5-7cm (2-3in) spacing. And then again to 15cm (6in).

So, which varieties to grow? I’d suggest:

‘Daisy Mixed’

Very dwarf blend of orange and yellow shades, with a few bicolours. 20cm (8in).

‘Fiesta Gitana’

Popular, award-winning dwarf mix win a wide range of colours from deep orange to creamy yellow. 30cm (12in).

‘Lemon Daisy’

A pretty single colour, with semi-double sharp lemon yellow flowers. 20cm (8in).

‘Orange Flash’

Sparkling apricot orange flowers, striped deep red on the backs of the petals. 30cm (12in).

‘Buff Pygmy’

Fully double flowers with pale apricot petals that are chestnut brown underneath. 30cm (12in)

Or if you’d like to check the full range, take a look at them all.

Is one of our best known gardening writers. A graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Graham was previously Gardening Correspondent of The Observer.
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