Germination & growing runner beans
Germination: Runner beans need water to germinate but do not need any other special conditions or treatment; they will germinate in the dark (underground) or in the light. The root always starts to grow first and it always grows downwards. The plant is sensitive to gravity and the root grows towards gravity. This is called Geotropism. The shoot always grows away from...
10 tips for great Planting Plans
My tweetorial on Planting Plans for the Woolly Green #WoolliesAskAlison Q&A on March 6th Work out number of plants needed for space & don’t be tempted to overfill or you’ll be dividing and removing in 2 years General rule plan on 3 large or 5 small perennials per sq. metre. Large shrubs 1 per sq.m, small shrubs 2-3 sq.m Draw up a plan...
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...