Why has my Camellia gone yellow?
Plants such as Rhododendron, Azalea, Camellia and Acers are often described as ‘ericaceous’, indicating that they thrive in an acid soil. In fact, it is more accurate to say that these plants do not thrive in an alkaline soil, they are perfectly happy in a neutral soil especially if iron is added. Here is the explanation: ericaceous plants cannot tolerate...
Give your Valentine garden inspiration
Longer lasting than cut flowers and less fattening than chocolate, the gift of an hour or two of advice and ideas to enhance your Valentine’s garden is the ideal present for a gardener or ‘would-be gardener’. A Gardening by Design visit can solve problems, supply design ideas, maintenance advice and a realistic plan whether you have a blank canvas, changing...
Botanical Names – friend or foe?
Latin (more properly called botanical) names can seem like a nightmare invented to put off the new gardener but I encourage you to reconsider and develop a little knowledge about how plants are named. The practical use is that botanical names identify an individual variety of any given plant uniquely across the world, no matter what language the gardener is...
Exactly what do plant roots do?
Plants need roots and although some plants absorb water and nutrients from the air or host plants, most have their roots firmly embedded in the soil and here we look at what their functions. Firstly roots (hopefully) anchor the plant securely in the soil against buffeting by winds and passing animals. Secondly, plants take in nutrients from the soil, compost...
Want to grow Figs? Yes you can!
Dried figs are a veritable Christmas treat whether eaten alone or offered to carol singers in ‘Figgy Pudding’. Personally I would rather be offered chocolate biscuits by satisfied customers when I go carol singing but there is no accounting for taste. Figs are not hard to grow in South East England as long as you have a sheltered spot with...
