FUCHSIA FACTS

Sailors slip. The Fuchsia.
A plant reminiscent of Inishowen in the summer is the Fuchsia. The red flowered hedgerow plant lines many of our roadways but did you know that a sailor brought the flower from South America in the late 18th century as a present for his wife. James Lee, a nurseryman, saw it in the couples’ window and persuaded the sailor’s wife to part with it. From this plant he raised 300 cuttings, which he sold for £1 each, and then other plants-people set to work. By 1842 the first white fuchsia had been raised and the first tricolour appeared in 1872. Since then many varied types have appeared practically every year.

Horticultural.

DRAINAGE

If you think it’s too cold for light garden duties, get your spade ready for some serious digging of drainage channels. (Better still; get someone else to dig them!)

Drainage
Most trees, bushes and plants don’t grow in waterlogged soil. The most likely cause of this, especially in the garden of a new house is that the garden is made from a layer of subsoil dumped during excavations or building work and then covered with a thin layer of topsoil to finish off. The subsoil quickly becomes a solid layer that prevents drainage. In these cases breaking up this layer means the water can drain away.

Start by digging a hole about 3 feet (1m) wide and deep to see how far down the topsoil goes and how quickly the water drains away after rain. If it doesn’t drain away then artificial drainage is needed. If your site does need draining you will have to install an underground system with pipes of either clay or flexible plastic. These are laid to a pattern (usually herringbone) with feeder runs to the main outlet pipe running to a neighbouring ditch or a soak-away. The depth of the drain depends on when you reach the layer of subsoil usually between 2 and 3 feet. The trench is most commonly dug in a V shape, which holds the pipe in place.

Soakaways
The problem in many gardens is where to take the water when it runs down the drainage pipes. If you don’t have a ditch or a surface water drainage system for the water to drain away then it may be necessary to dig a soakaway. A hole 3ft(1m) wide and 3 ft (1m) deep (if you can dig down that far!) can be prepared in an area of the garden where the pipes lead. This hole is then filled with rubble or stone and the topsoil is then put back in place. You can now plant on this soil. It is best to site your soak-away a good distance from the house.


Types of drainage material.

Concrete or clay pipe-These can be bought in short lengths and put in place leaving small gaps to allow the water through. These could move out of place and cause them to block up. I have heard of these lasting a few lifetimes without any problems though.

Plastic pipe. - This is bought in continuous strips and cut to length. They have small holes all the way around them to let the water soak through.

Horticultural.

ALPINE CARE

The alpine rockery plants will have given you a very good display in the garden until now. Some of the beds will probably be starting to look a bit rough now so it will need a tidy. Clean up the plants by nipping the dead heads off. Spreading perennials like aubrietia and arabis will benefit from a haircut with a pair of scissors. Hand weed the beds to prevent annuals or perennial grasses from taking hold. Replenish the gravel around the plants to retain moisture. If you have some plants that are dying in the middle then put some gritty compost in the bare centres. This will encourage the outer portions to root into it. You can then dig these up and replant them in the bed.

Horticultural.

TIPS FOR THE GARDEN

GENERAL TIPS FOR THE GARDEN

Top up the water in your pond if you see the water getting low. If you have a problem with pondweed it will be an idea to fish some of it out with a net to let light into the water. Leave the weed at the edge of the water overnight to allow the insects and pond life to skuttle back into the water.

If you do feel the need to put canes next to your tall plants then remember to put some form of protection on the top to protect your eyes from injury. An old pot will do. You don’t want any nasty surprises when you bend over to tend to the weeds!

Sprinkle a biological activator onto the compost heap if you think it isn’t rotting dwn quickly enough.

Always use a circuit breaker if you are using electric power tools outside. The plug in adaptors are now very cheap to buy so there is no excuse.

Horticultural.

FEEDING TIPS

Photo: Camellia

Plants are at full speed with growth this month. Feeding plants now will give rewards later in the growing season. Containers and hanging baskets are particularly susceptible to lack of nutrients so it pays to add a liquid feed every week even if the slow release fertilizer has been added to the compost. Remember to keep them well watered too and give them a healthy soaking even if it has been raining. You will have paid a lot of money and put a great deal of time into the containers so it would be a pity to loose them now. Be very careful who you leave in charge of them if you go away for your holidays too. I have seen many a fine display reduced to a shrivelled crisp in just a matter of days.

FEEDING TIPS

Here are a few other plants that will need a bit of a nutrient boost at this time of year.

Remember to give houseplants a liquid feed once a week.

Tomatoes and flowering plants will benefit from a high potash feed with tomato fertilizer or similar to encourage further flowers and fruit to develop.

Keep roses blooming all summer long by feeding with a rose fertilizer. Mulch them with well-rotted manure at the end of the growing season as well to give them a start next spring.

If you love to cut the grass then get feeding the lawn with a high nitrogen feed. It will green up the lawn and your muscles will grow when you have to push the mower around every week!

Generously sprinkle fertilizer around the base of hedges or around shrubs. Hoe lightly into the soil surface and water well. Use a general feed like Growmore or organic fertilizers like blood fish and bone.

Water all ericaceous shrubs (acid loving) including camellias and rhododendrons, with a full two-gallon can of sequestrene plant tonic.





Horticultural.