Daffodils & other spring bulbs for all locations

 

 

Now is the time to start thinking about planting bulbs for next spring. There are numerous ways of using bulbs of all kinds – flowerbeds , lawn, pots & containers or naturalised in a meadow ( for best most natural  looking results , scatter handfuls of bulbs and then plant exactly where they fell ). If the location you’re thinking of isn’t ready for planting now, think ahead and plant in pots. You can always replant the pots later when your preferred site is ready – that way your bulbs won’t be late or worse missing altogether!

Bulbs like to be in ground that is well drained so their roots are not sitting in water. If your soil is on the heavy/clay side you can lighten it with course sand/grit mixed with organic matter. Even if planting in pots or containers use some vermiculite or grit to lighten the compost and the use of some crocks at the end of the pot to assist drainage.
 

A general rule of thumb when planting bulbs is that you plant them 4 times their own size, i.e. a 1” bulb would need to be planted 4” deep. There are some exceptions – Madonna lilies ( Lilum Candidum ) require shallow planting.

Planting details on bag
 for various bulbs

There are generally very good instructions on bulb packets about planting requirements and even when buying loose bulbs information is often on the paper bags you receive them in, as I found during a recent purchase in a Garden Centre. When buying the bigger the bulb, of each variety, the bigger the flower produced. Also try to make sure bulbs bought are firm and free from any rot/mildew etc...




Bulbs also come in various amounts - depending on the quantity you require . From 25kg sacks to mixed packs in assorted matching colours . Spoilt for choice !

   

            

 

 

Most bulbs like full sun or light shade but there are bulbs for all occasions

·       Shade: Any of the woodland bulbs fall into this category – Dogs Tooth Violet (Erythronium dens-canis) and Wood Anemone (Anemone Nemorosa). Also Scilla peruviana, Scilla siberica, and Scilla bifolia would also do well. If you have a rich soil Fritillaria camschatcensis and Fritillaria imperialis love these conditions and will reward you with two very different displays.

·       Dry: ever wondered what to plant at the base of a hedge? Well , the following bulbs will not only flower in these conditions bit thrive and multiply – Anemone blanda, Chionodoxa forbesii and Tulip whattallii  

·       Damp: Now damp doesn’t mean water logged! Moist soil will provide the perfect habitat for Wild Hyacinth (Camassias ) Summer Snowflake ( Leucojums vernum ) and Snakes Head Fritillary ( Fritillaria meleagris )



       No matter what type of garden or soil type you have , or what kind of flowers you prefer , I hope I've encouraged you to plant some bulbs now so you can enjoy them later .

       With that in mind FLOWERS & FOLIAGE has 50 mixed daffadils to give away, 10 each to the first 5 emails requesting them - just put free bulbs into the subject line - to : info@flowersandfoliage.ie .

      Until next time , Happy Gardening .





 

Tomatoes - a year of contrasting fortunes!

Well we touched on this subject last week , about what went right and wrong in our tomatoes growing in 2012.I grew 6 varieties this year , all in various containers of one sort or another and all under glass. Majority were grown from seed with a few young bought in plants sown as well.

The three different types of container used this year were:

Hanging-basket: used to grow Tumbling Tom, grew well enough, but I think I over did it putting three plants into a 14" basket. I think one would have done fine or maybe two in a 16" basket. Wasn’t totally convinced about the taste either, but I was comparing then to Gardeners Delight, which I found much sweeter. But I have to say Tumbling Tom did produce masses of fruit and made great soup - well my niece Debbie did and everybody loved it.

Container: I bought a few plants of Gardeners Delight to try out growing these tomatoes in 40cm pots and they did very well. Produced masses of beautiful sweet fruit that were delious. No problems encountered and highly recommend you try these next year if you didn’t do so this year.

Grow-bags: Well I cheated slightly as I used 75lt bags of compost instead of the traditional grow-bag, which I find a little too small. I tried putting both 4 plants per bag as well as 6 per bag. The ones with only 4 in did better - just too overcrowded using 6. I cut a hole in the centre and scooped out a little compost to create a well for easy watering. Five varieties were planted in these grow-bags – all grown from seed .

·       Gardeners Delight: These little cherry type tomatoes did just as well as when planted in the 40cm pots. Can’t say enough about them – Try Them!

·       Golden Sunrise: Produced masses of lovely yellow mid-sized fruit. Great taste & looked fantastic. Really stunning versatile fruit for cooking or salads.

·       Marmande: A good beef tomatoes that was slightly slower than the other four to ripen but well worth the wait. Not as many fruit produced but much bigger of course, and with a great taste.

·       Tigerella: Stunning slightly stripped mid-sized tomato with good crop of tasty fruit. Stripes were more pronounced when green but a great tomato all the same.

·       Moneymaker: well-known variety that produced masses of bright red tomatoes. Great taste.

 

 

Problems encountered:

 

·       Fruit splitting – A number of the varieties had fruit that split at times, Golden Sunrise & Moneymaker the main culprits. This was my own fault caused by letting them dry out a little and then over compensating with the watering. The inside of the fruit started to grow faster than the outer skin could stretch, causing the skin to split. Unsightly but still ok to use.

 

 

 

 

·       Tomatoe End Rot – starts with a black spot on the end of the tomato and spreads until it is a large back area covering the end of the tomato. Caused by lack of Calcium. Most common cause of this is irregular watering. A tomato feed that is high in Potassium and low in nitrogen will help release the calcium in the soil. A general feed also would contain a lot of other trace elements like Calcium needed for healthy growth.

As you can see, a lot of the problems were of my own doing. Letting them dry a little caused both problems. Regular feeding also helps rather than a lot all at once. Next Season!


Until the next time – Happy Gardening.