8 minute read
HOME & GARDEN
from NN Pulse May 2022
DIGGING DEEP
Gardening with Pulse
They are aesthetically pleasing, aid mental health, reduce stress and boost our mood.
House plants are little helpers, but so many of us are guilty of failing them; you pop to the local furniture superstore or hardware shop to purchase a new lock, a tub of paint or a bedside cabinet, and then your eyes make the acquaintance of the plant section.
Before you know it, you are getting back in the car with impractical purchases – and those luscious green leaves will soon be all shades of brown, and then Percy plant is put out with the trash.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. One of the most common reasons for plants expiring is overwatering.
Too much water will turn the leaves brown, and limp. Too little water will also turn the leaves limp, but they will be crispy to the touch.
So many of our indoor plants are native to the tropics, and will naturally require a warm environment in order to flourish – but that’s not to say that you should pop them in front of a roaring fire, or close to a radiator!
You don’t need to be a plant specialist to pick up on signs that they need a little love and attention – aside from the leaves looking sorry for themselves, checking the soil for excessive moisture will alert you to overwatering, or too little, and plant pots tend to be lighter if they are water deprived.
An easy way to keep things on track is to purchase a moisture meter.
Many plants love a light, draft free position, but not all do! The simplest way to get the basics right is to pay attention to the instructions that come with any purchase, and heed them. After my grandmother passed away, I found myself the custodian of an aspidistra plant. These hardy, slow growing plants are most at home in cool, dark spaces. They are known as the cast-iron plant for a reason. Its arching, deep green leaves are simple but beautiful, and the plants can live for in excess of 50 years.
Except that the one in my charge is significantly older; my grandmother remembered the very same plant cheerfully sitting in her mother-inlaws home when she was a young lady.
No-one else was bothered to take in the old plant with its five wilting leaves and I felt obligated - I’ve never been able to give up on any plant that has a hint of life about it. This aspidistra was fighting hard, and it was rooted in the family!
I spoke with an expert from the local garden centre who imparted great advice on how and when to replant, and five years on, it is still part of our family. It rewards us with a new leaf or two every spring (we’re in double figures now!) and I am proud to be a fourth generation custodian of this unconventional family heirloom.
We’ve also rescued and revived an array of cacti that hadn’t been shown water for months on end – they’ve all recovered, and one is showing its appreciation by flowering.
If something is wrong with your houseplants, they will show you.
Act quickly and you’ll be able to turn your peaky plants into perky house guests once more.
Ah! The darling buds of May; bursting out as a result, we hope, of balmy warmer days!
I’ve bought plug bedding plants this year – petunias, lobelias, calibrachoas and many others. Mini plugs I have put into modular trays and the standard plugs into 8 cm/3” pots, using peat-free multipurpose compost. Regular watering is essential. They will be ready for planting out when they are large enough to overflow their pots. Hardening off takes over 10 days, exposing the young plants to cooler conditions, either in a cold frame or in a sheltered position outside, bringing them in each evening.
Prepare your borders and beds, compost the wallflowers and spring bedding plants. Thoroughly weed the ground (to save a losing battle later) and add a general fertiliser before planting out and watering your summer display.
Narcissi may be over, deadhead them, leaving the foliage to die down.
Tulips should be in full display – their leaves die and dry, to be dug up when you rescue the bulbs for planting another year. Give them an organic foliar feed to plump up the bulbs for flowering again next year.
Sweet peas, sown in January and pinched out in March, are now bushy and can be planted out to climb up wigwams of rough apple tree prunings.
It’s the busiest, most optimistic time of the year. Anything seems possible!
If you’re dreaming of bluebells, go to Everdon Stubbs. Don’t forget the Chelsea Chop!
Top Tip...
Summer hanging baskets give any space a splash of colour, and really cheer the mood. Now is the time to plant them up, and if you put the hard work in at the start, you’ll have more reward later; so using a good quality compost and a slow release fertiliser is advisable.
Begonia, Busy Lizzies, Fuchsia, Geranium and Petunia are all popular choices, but perhaps you might choose to grow herbs and veg in a hanging basket instead. Chili peppers, strawberries and peas are among the top choices.
How does your garden grow?
Ralph Westmoreland, Denton & District Gardening Club
> Denton & District Gardening Club is a small, friendly club which meets on a Monday evening every month. New members and visitors are always welcome. For more information please contact Margaret at m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk or 01604 890875.
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Monty Don is among the presenters at the show
Win tickets to the BBC Gardeners’ World Live
Pulse has teamed up with BBC Gardeners’ World Live to offer five lucky readers a chance to bag a pair of tickets to attend this summer’s celebration of gardening at the Birmingham NEC.
The ultimate gardening day out is nearly here! BBC Gardeners’ World Live returns, alongside the BBC Good Food Show Summer as big as ever to Birmingham’s NEC 16-19 June. This year’s Show has everything for your summer garden, from inspiring Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders to the extensive Floral Marquee and shopping opportunities. Frances Tophill will be making her Show Garden debut and Monty Don, Adam Frost, Arit Anderson, Joe Swift plus Alan Titchmarsh will step off the screen onto the stage with plenty of expert advice. It’s going to be a great day out!
To celebrate the BBC’s 100th year, a host of displays in the Floral Marquee will be inspired by popular BBC programmes, from The Archers to the Peaky Blinders. The tearoom will also get a makeover as the NEW Paso Doble Café, inspired by Strictly Come Dancing, along with music and ballroom dancing. Plus, the House of Plants inspired by Top of the Pops! will be a blast from the past, with plenty of houseplant pizazz and inspiration.
You’re sure to go home with a head full of ideas from the Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders, bursting with ideas for wildlife gardening, sustainability, grow your own and more. Don’t miss the opportunity to solve your gardening conundrums from the Showload of expert advice on offer. From design, landscaping, pests and diseases, to grow your own, lawncare and plant identification, there’ll be a range of experts to help you. A haven of colour and scent, you’ll be able to shop ‘til you drop in the Floral Marquee and Plant Village from our carefully selected, quality nurseries and specialist growers. Plus, soak up the feeling of summer with picnics, family gardening activities and magic moments, all surrounded by toe-tapping live music from the Bandstand. Returning with all its delicious trimmings, the BBC Good Food Show Summer is also back alongside the Show. All tickets include entry to both Shows, so that’s two great BBC shows in one ticket!
> With something for everyone, it’s going to be a great summer day out. Book tickets now!
For your chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to attend BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC Good Food Show Summer, answer the following question:
What is the name of Monty Don’s golden retriever?
Email your answer to nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk Subject: NN GARDENERS’ WORLD along with your name, address and contact telephone number.
Closing date for entries is: May 31 2022
Terms and conditions: Five readers will win a pair of tickets to attend BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2022 at the Birmingham NEC, which includes entry to the BBC Good Food Show Summer. Tickets valid for Sunday entry only, entry at 9am. No cash alternative. Travel not included.
