A STROLL IN THE GARDEN WITH COLM GRANT

This week we are in the garden of Colm Grant from Umrycam on the outskirts of Buncrana. Colm has been involved in the Swilly Gardening Club since it began and regularly shares his vast knowledge of all things green to the group. Colm is also a very familiar face around the schools of Inishowen, enthralling youngsters with his collection of interesting objects from nature that create a world of wonder.


How long have you been working on the garden?

24 years. There was nothing here when we came apart from two lawns and a very wide driveway.

What is your favourite plant?

It has to be the snowdrop.

What is your favourite feature in the garden?

I enjoy every feature in the garden but if I had to choose one thing it would be the greenhouse

What is your favourite season and why?

Spring, because winter is over! Summer and autumn stretch ahead of us. This is the one short time of year that we have the illusion of being in control of the garden

What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?

I really enjoy propagating and taking cuttings. This is why the garden is so full!


Any irritations in the garden. How do you cope?

We have a problem with ground elder. My wife Patricia deals with the problem though as she painstakingly removes it.

What is your best gardening tool?

I have a manual cultivator. This sounds fancy but it is just a three pronged fork on a long handle. I find it invaluable.

Top Tip for spring?

If you can, try shredding your garden waste. The resulting mulch is perfect for putting on the beds to keep the weeds down and feeds the soil.

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Any plans for the future?

I am developing a pond, which will attract the frogs. These are my best defence against the slugs in the vegetable patch!

Horticultural.

TOUCH ME NOT

Ian.
I have grown some plants that go under the name of Sensitive Plants. I got the seed as a present for Christmas and I have lost the instruction leaflet. I managed to sow the seeds in the soil provided and they germinated after about three weeks. All was well until I repotted them last week into bigger pots. Since putting them in individual 7cm pots the leaves are going yellow and dropping off. What am I doing wrong? K. T. Carn.

Reply.
The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) or “Touch- me- not” as it is also known, is a delicate branching plant that usually grows up to two feet tall. It is an attractive plant but its main claim to fame is that if you touch the leaves they automatically fold up and the branch flops down. The whole plant can appear to die within seconds of it being touched. This is its defence mechanism in the wild should any creature decide to try to nibble on a leaf for its dinner. The name is a bit misleading though as the plan itself isn’t difficult to grow at all. The plants can be raised by seed or by cuttings, in much the same way that you would busy lizzies. The plants like bright light with some direct sunshine and the leaves like to be misted regularly. Once the plants have come from the seed tray and put into a pot they shouldn’t really need re-potting. Your plants might not be happy if they are in a draughty place. Likewise they like a temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so keep them in an insulated room. Give the plants another week or so to get over the shock of having there roots disturbed to see if they pick up. If all of this fails I would look into the type of compost you have put the plants in. They might not like the regular peat composts that are available. Try using some John Innes mixes instead.

Horticultural.

HOW TO MAKE JOHN INNES COMPOST

The John Innes compost mixes were developed in 1939 and named after a property developer who left his estate to horticultural research. The idea with the compost was to create a mix that would be suitable for growing a wide range of plants. The mixture was simple and included sterilised loam, which in this case is good quality topsoil which is crumbly and not wet and sticky. This is then sterilised by steam (some people use Jeyes fluid in their own gardens). Peat is added as well as sharp sand and fertilizer. Until the 1960’s these mixes were very popular but then peat based compost made an appearance. The peat mixes were more uniformed and cheaper so the John Innes mixes fell out of favour. Conservation concerns have now made the John Innes mixes popular again. Anyone can make the recipes as they are available to us all but if you do buy any make sure the bag carries the John Innes Manufacturers Association badge. This will ensure you get good stuff.

I thought I would share the mixes with you and hopefully this will take the mystery out of the compost mixes so that we can make our own You can experiment to see which one suits the plants the best. . Each of these recipes make about one cubic yard of potting compost.

John Innes Base Fertilizer.
2 parts by weight hoof and horn.
2 parts by weight superphosphate of lime
1 part by weight sulphate of potash.

John Innes Potting Compost No 1
7 parts by bulk sterilised loam.
3 parts by bulk granulated peat.
2 parts by bulk coarse sand. To which is added:
5lbs of John Innes base Fertiliser.
1lb of ground limestone or chalk per cubic yard.

John Innes Potting Compost No 2
7 parts by bulk sterilised loam.
3 parts by bulk granulated peat.
2 parts by bulk coarse sand.
To which is added.
10lb John Innes Base Fertiliser.
2lb ground limestone or chalk per cubic yard.

John Innes Potting Compost No 3
The same as No 2 but add
15lb of Base fertiliser and
3lb of chalk per cubic yard.

John Innes Seed Compost.
2 parts by bulk sterilised loam.
1 part by bulk granulated peat.
1part by bulk coarse sand.
To which is added:
2lb of superphosphate of lime.
1lb ground limestone or chalk per cubic yard.


Horticultural.

HERONS

EYING UP THE CARP

Ian
How do I protect my ponds from marauding herons? I have a few of them around the garden and I think they have their beady eyes on my ornamental carp. The solution has to be aesthetic and practical! How do they taste? V. H. By e-mail

Reply
The Grey Heron is the most common of all European herons. Inishowen has a fair few of the birds as the waters are clean and the fish are plentiful. They have become increasingly common in suburban and rural gardens. This is partly as a result of diminishing natural marsh and wetland habitat in some areas, but also because of the increasing number of water bodies such as reservoirs, gravel pits and drainage ponds. Not to mention domestic ponds - all of which potentially contain the heron’s prey (sometimes expensive fish!) Preventing herons from visiting a domestic pond is difficult. Typically they will land alongside the pond on open ground and walk into the shallows of the pond where apparently they clench their feet to simulate worms which attracts the unfortunate fish.

Control methods I have encountered include: Planting trees and shrubs around the pond to eliminate the open ground that the bird usually requires to land. Planting bulky plants right up to the edge of the pond, making the walk from landing site to water difficult. Fishing line stretched around the pond on small posts to provide a hurdle on the walk to the water, (this could be dangerous to the bird though). High frequency bird scarers audible only to birds. Avoiding creating shallows in ponds so that the birds have nowhere to stand. Infrared sensors which when activated set off sprinklers. None of these methods are guaranteed to be effective and they all have obvious drawbacks, but you may wish to try one or two. If you implement them all you are sure to get a tree-hopping, long-legged, hurdling, deaf bird that likes taking the occasional shower visiting your garden!

PS I have no idea what they taste like!

Environmental,gardening.

POISONOUS BULBS

TAKE CARE WHEN PLANTING BULBS

A friend of mine mistook a tulip bulb for an onion recently. He went straight to hospital and after a short wait in casualty the doctor saw him.
“Are tulip bulbs poisonous? My friend asked the doctor
The doctor told him that they were and he would have to be admitted the poisons unit.
“Oh dear” said my friend “How long will I be in for?”
“Don’t worry,” said the doctor “You will be out by spring!”

I must apologise, telling jokes is not one of my strong points. It does lead me nicely to the next topic though, -bulbs that can be poisonous. Tulips are poisonous when raw but apparently they were eaten cooked in wartime when food was rationed. I wouldn’t fancy it myself and thankfully food is plentiful, too plentiful sometimes! There are other bulbs you will be planting now so after reading the list you will appreciate why it is important to wash your hands after putting them into the ground.

Amaryllis (Also known as Belladonna Lily).
The alkaloids in the bitter tasting bulb will cause trembling and vomiting if ingested in quantity. You would feel weak and have a rapid heartbeat.

Daffodil. (Narcissus)
These bulbs can cause all sorts of problems if ingested, such as diarrhoea, trembling and vomiting. Keep children away from them as they do look like edible onions

Crocus.
The whole plant is poisonous but the Colchicine, which is the nasty bit, is present mainly in the bulb.

Hyacinth.
A member of the lily family. The bulbs contain so many toxins that only a small amount ingested can cause severe stomach upset.

Iris.
The irritating juice in the leaves and roots of the Iris causes severe, but not dangerous tummy upsets.

Snowdrop.
This is an Amaryllis family bulbous herb, prized by gardeners for its early blooming flowers. The small bulbs contain alkaloids these may cause stomach and intestinal upset.

Star of Bethlehem.
The Star-of-Bethlehem is a one-foot tall, onion-like plant with a large bulb and small white flowers. The bulbs are sometimes eaten by children and cause nausea and vomiting. An irregular heartbeat similar to digitalis intoxication has been reported. Poisoning is usually not severe.
Trillium. There are about thirty species available of this beautiful perennial herb belonging to the Lily family. Each spring the flowering stalks arise from thick, short rootstocks. Eating the toxic rootstocks produces violent vomiting.

Horticultural.

JOBS TO DO IN THE SPRING GARDEN

Photo: New spring growth of a spireaea 'Goldflame'

At this time of the year there are so many pleasing things to do in the garden. I have a bit of a backlog of jobs that need doing, and if I went into detail I will probably be talking about April when autumn comes! Because of this I am just going to cover the basics of Jobs To Do this week and you can use your knowledge and inclination to fill in the spaces yourselves!

JOBS TO DO IN SPRING

Prune late flowering shrubs such as caryopteris, lavetera and buddleia davidii (butterfly bush). Buddleias and laveteras can nearly be reduced to ground level when you cut them back to promote fresh growth as this is where the flowers will be later in the season

Lightly prune mophead and lacecap hydrangeas. Take off the old flower heads and cut just above a strong pair of buds. Remove very spindly twigs and on old congested bushes take some of the oldest buds out at ground level.

If not already done, lift and divide snowdrops and daffodils when the flowers fade.

Plant and remove evergreen shrubs now. The weather is warming up and the roots are becoming active but the new shoots haven’t opened.

Evergreen hedges such as box, yew, leylandii, olearia and escallonia can be planted now. Pot grown evergreen hedging can really be planted all year round, but they will establish better when planted in spring or autumn. If you are thinking of planting bare rooted hedging then plant as soon as possible before the growing season kicks into full swing.

In a week or two, prune back grey and tender shrubs damaged by the frost and wind. The old leaves will be protecting the new growth. The plants in this category are ceanothus, phlomis, helychrysum, artemisia and salvia amongst others.

Cut out thin and crossing twigs of spiraea “Goldflame” and shorten back the main branches. This will give a better show of the coppery spring foliage.

Prune spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia, mahonia and winter honeysuckle after the flowers fade.

IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

Lift and divide large clumps of hostas before the leaves get big. Slice through the root ball with a spade leaving a few shoots on each piece. Replant the sections back at their original level.

Pick off faded flowers from pansies and daffs.

VEGGIE PLOT

Pull out weeds around trees, bushes and strawberries and mulch the ground.

Lift and divide clumps of chives and replant them in a sunny spot. Sow dill, parsley, chervril and fennel outdoors.

Sow broad beans in double rows or blocks outdoors. Protect the beans from rodents.

Mulch raspberry canes with organic compost or manure.

Put in bare rooted fruit bushes if you have bought them recently.

When choosing fruit trees, remember that apple, apricot and pear trees generally need two varieties to ensure pollination. If space is limited try being adventurous and plant peach or nectarine that will bear fruit on a single tree.

OTHER LITTLE JOBS

Clean glass and plastic in the greenhouse and cold frames to let the light in.

Look out for slugs and greenfly in the greenhouse and near new shoots and seedlings.

Repot houseplants if they are potbound. This will give them a good start for the growing season. (Spider plants throw out offshoots when they are potbound so leave them in a smaller pot and feed them well.)

Sow basil, cucumbers, aubergines and tomatoes under glass in a heated propagator.

If you are sprouting any flower seeds in a propagator them make sure that they are potted on as soon as they are large enough to handle. It is still very early for tender plants and mould (botrytis) can easily kill all the seedlings overnight. Space the seed out when sowing to let the air circulate around them.

Sow nemesia, petunias and marigolds in a propagator. Put sweet pea seeds into individual pots.

Take cuttings from fuchsias and potted up dahlias.

Begin to water cacti again very gradually from below and repot if needed.

FINALLY
Take a look at your garden and glance around to see if there was enough winter colour. If you have got a bit bored with the look of the place then consider adding come plants with interesting bark such as the dogwoods with their bright red and yellow shoots and the Coral Bark Maple tree. Put in plants that will give you winter berries for late colour and will also give the birds some food in the bleak months.

Hoticultural.