WINTER JASMINE

Hello Ian.

I have a neighbour’s wooden fence directly outside of my kitchen window. It is about four feet away from the house and gets quite a lot of sun. Have you any suggestions for a climber that can grow on the fence to cheer it up a bit in winter. Thanks, JJ by e-mail

Reply:

Winter jasmine (Jasminium nudiflorum) would be an ideal choice of climber for the fence. It is a shrub often found around older homes and has stood the test of time very well. The enclosed sunny, sheltered spot will protect the plant from adverse weather.

Mature Height/Spread: This deciduous viny shrub grows to 4 feet high when unsupported, and 7 feet wide. When trained on the fence it can grow to 15 feet. The slender, green stems stand out in the winter landscape. The flowers are unscented, yellow, 1 inch wide, and they appear in winter and early spring before the leaves unfold. I know of a specimen that is still in full flower from late October and shows no sign of giving up just yet

Winter jasmine can also be used as a good bank cover. It spreads by rooting where the stems touch the soil. It is also very attractive when planted above retaining walls, with the branches cascading over the side.

Problems: If plants become infested with spider mites, cut them to the ground after blooming and discard the infested plant material. Feed the crowns to stimulate new growth.

Horticultural.

COMPANION PLANTING -WEEK 2 M-P

Photo: Parsley.

Last week we started to look at plants that were good companion plants for the garden. Here are some more to look into. Of course there are loads more plants that could be on the list. All gardens are different so you might find some plants do better for you than others. The fun is in experimenting to find out what works.

MARIGOLDS: (Calendula): Given a lot of credit as a pest deterrent. Keeps soil free of bad nematodes; supposed to discourage many insects. Plant freely throughout the garden. The marigolds you choose must be a scented variety for them to work. Good slug bait.

MARJORAM: As a companion plant it improves the flavor of vegetables and herbs. Sweet marjoram is the most commonly grown type.

MINT: Deters white cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas, aphids and improves the health of cabbage and tomatoes. Use cuttings as a mulch around members of the brassica family. It attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps. Earthworms are quite attracted to mint plantings. Be careful where you plant mint, as it is an incredibly invasive perennial. We have found that placing mint (fresh or dried) where mice are a problem is very effective in driving them off!

PEAS: Peas fix nitrogen in the soil.

NASTURTIUMS: Plant as a barrier around tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, and under fruit trees. Deters wooly aphids, whiteflies, and cucumber beetles. Great trap crop for aphids (in particular the black aphids). Likes poor soil with low moisture and no fertilizer. It has been the practice of some fruit growers to plant nasturtiums every year in the root zone of fruit trees to allow the trees to take up the pungent odor of the plants and repel pests. It has no taste effect on the fruit. The leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible and wonderful in salads!

NETTLES, STINGING: The flowers attract bees. Sprays made from these are rich in silica and calcium. Invigorating for plants and improves their disease resistance. Leaving the mixture to rot, it then makes an excellent liquid feed. Comfrey improves the liquid feed even more.

PARSLEY: Plant among and sprinkle on tomatoes, and asparagus. Use as a tea to ward off asparagus beetles. Attracts hoverflies. Let some go to seed to attract the tiny parasitic wasps. Parsley increases the fragrance of roses when planted around their base

PEPPERMINT: Repels white cabbage moths, aphids and flea beetles. It is the menthol content in mints that acts as an insect repellant. Bees and other good insects love it.

PETUNIAS: They repel the asparagus beetle, leafhoppers, certain aphids and general garden pests. A good companion to tomatoes, but plant everywhere. The leaves can be used in a tea to make a potent insect spray.

POACHED EGG PLANT: Grow poached egg plants with tomatoes, they will attract hover flies and hover flies eat aphids. These plants do very well around Inishowen and if you haven’t got some I’m sure a neighbour will give you a clump. They seed freely when established.

PURSLANE: This edible weed makes good ground cover in the vegetable patch.

Horticultural.

WHAT IS ORGANIC?

Photo: Organic macademia nut farm.

Last week my family and I went to the open day of the garden at Scoil Iosagain in Buncrana. We unfortunately missed the ceremonial cutting of the tape, as my eldest lad was at Tullyarvan mill, performing a musical story with all the other children that have attended the recent music class. (There’s another class in the summer holidays if you missed it this time) It’s typical that we haven’t been invited anywhere this summer, then two functions fall on the same evening. When we arrived at the school I headed straight for the tea and sandwiches. It had been hot in Tullyarvan mill and I hadn’t had any food for well over half an hour so I thought I’d tuck in while the going was good. (I regretted this a bit when we went for a few rides on the fair afterwards) Anyway, with cup and plate in hand I headed for the garden. The garden is well protected from the elements by an eight-foot high wall and a lot of voluntary work has gone into both the hard landscaping and planting. Scattered around the garden are interesting clay statues made by classes at Tullyarven mill. The garden is also dotted with bright and cheerful clay tiles and ladybirds made by children at the school. There is a good-sized rockery that is well planted, with a small stream running down the middle. The water runs into a pebble filled pond, so it is safe for the children. Dinny McLaughlin and his friends were playing traditional music on the patio and occasionally a group of girls would get up and have a dance. These unfortunately were only a temporary feature, but I think I’ll include them in the next garden I design! I was pleased to see an area set aside for organically grown vegetables, the onions and spuds are all coming on well but the ground is a bit hard for the carrot crop just yet so they’ll probably try growing these in deep containers for a while.

What is Organic?

The organic approach to gardening and farming recognises that the whole environment in which plants grow is much more than the sum of it’s individual parts, and that all living things are inter-related and inter- dependent.

Organic growing involves
Treating the soil and growing environment as a resource to be cared for for future generations, rather than for short term gain.

Providing plants with a balanced food supply by feeding the many creatures that live in soil, manure and other organic material.

Choosing renewable resources, thereby creating a sustainable future.

Reducing pollution of the environment, by recycling garden, household and other waste, rather than dumping or burning them.

Combating pests and diseases without using pesticides that may prove harmful to human health and that of domestic and wild animals.

Encouraging and protecting wildlife, by creating suitable habitats and by minimizing use of harmful pesticides.

Creating a safe and pleasant environment in which to work and play.

Moving with the times – taking new scientific discoveries into account, as well as the best traditional knowledge.

Using good horticultural practices.

Recognising the importance for the preservation of threatened plant varieties.

The whole garden – flowers, trees, shrubs and lawns, as well as vegetables, fruit and herbs.

(from the Henry Doubleday Foundation).


Great reasons to grow your own organic fruit and vegetables

You can grow things without pesticides.
It means your food is free of any genetic modifications (G.M. free)
Homegrown food is cheap and nutritious.
You can decide what the family eats.
Your food will be truly local.
You can grow things that you can’t buy in the shops.
You can grow for flavour; commercial growers tend to grow for a long shelf life in the shops.
Children learn where food really comes from.
You’ll get plenty of fresh air and exercise.


TIP
If you haven't grown any vegetables before, start with a few seeds of salad plants such as lettuce. They will grow happily in a pot and you can pick the fresh leaves, as you need them, leaving the plant to grow on. Keep them well watered. If you want to involve children, mustard and cress seeds can be sprinkled onto tissue or cotton wool placed in a saucer, watered and left on the windowsill. Don’t throw the shells away after you have had a boiled egg, fill them up with soil and sow the mustard and cress seeds into them, paint a face on the egg and within a few days you will see the hair begin to grow!

Horticultural.