Gardeners Corner –
July 2024
Back to the
Gardening- same but different
This year’s gardening
has been radically different for me, due to a back injury sustained in March which
has taken a lot of care and effort to resolve. It is miserable knowing that the
garden is waiting for attention – and yet, the magnificent show in Spring served
to reward, encourage and remind me that Nature cannot be rushed (this maxim
applying just as much to human healing as getting a plant to grow faster than
it is able to!).
I used the long hours
of incapacity to step back mentally as well as physically. Too close an
attachment to anything can lead to unrealistic ideas, narrow thinking, muddled prioritisation
and/or poor decision making (as I have sometimes found when “on a roll” with
family history research!). The back problem is a matter of management - there
is no permanent solution, just constant vigilance and good habits. It forced a
rethink about being a gardener living with a bad back.
I found an out-of-print
book by Bunny Guinness called Garden Your
Way to Health and Fitness which brings Pilates (and a dose of common
sense) into the garden. Pilates is a daily feature of my hypermobile life, and
I have now embraced some wonderfully simple tips such as:
a)
not
racing into the garden straight out of bed. It pays to warm up the system first,
so I do a few gentle stretches, tidy up, put some laundry on etc. during the
first hour. Gardening is so absorbing that we risk overlooking the the impact
on our bodies. While denying my years in many other ways, I now warm up before heading
out for several hours of physical activity. The same happens in the evening
before dinner – some stretches to realign the body, work out the kinks and
relax the mind-body after its endeavours.
b)
My beloved Muck boots
have seen well over 15 years of service; this year, my feet were beginning to hurt and the boots began to leak. It is a false economy to
spend a long time in footwear
that isn’t healthy for our feet and ultimately our posture. Just as we are
encouraged to invest well in a supportive bed for 7-8 hours rest, the same
applies to good boots for the hours spent working in the garden. This time I
tried a much cheaper brand; they are excellent and will hopefully last a good few years – more details here.
c)
The
book suggested using a kneeler-seat. The sides act as supports when getting up
from the ground. These are foldable, lightweight but sturdy, and they usually
have handy detachable pockets. I chose a slightly larger version – you can see
it here. It arrived overnight and ready
assembled; I now use it every day (the cat was quick to appropriate my old foam
kneeler as a sun lounger) and wonder why I didn’t get one years ago!
d)
Finally,
the feeling that I “must” do certain tasks according to a self-imposed agenda
has almost vanished. There is a big difference between the usefulness of
prioritising and making lists, and the tendency to work through pain, fatigue and
past the point of enjoyment so that we can feel smug about having completed so
much. Gardening is supposed to be fun, healthy and relaxing. There will always
be more to do – the art is to find that sweet spot between doing enough and not
overdoing things. I take more breaks to sit and enjoy what there is, instead of
fretting about what hasn’t yet been done. And I never make a list of more than
three things to accomplish in a single day - otherwise the gardening is running
me instead of the other way around. Stress is a whole-system experience, so
easing up on my “musts” also relaxes my body and reduces the risk of injury.
Roses
A few discoveries
about roses this year are well worth a mention. As a complete novice to roses a
few years ago, I invested in some David Austin roses that are still performing
well. They are all in large containers where they are pampered and reward me
with massive blooms throughout summer.
However, I also began
to try my hand at raising roses from cheap bare root bargain buys, and this
taught me a great deal about how other roses grow. I discovered that while
“modern” or “English” roses are marketed as easier, more fragrant and more
floriferous, many of the older roses are still going and still popular, precisely
because they can do all of these things too.
Armed with a pile of
second hand books written by David Austin, Peter
Beales and other rose breeders, I rested my back while enjoying the photography
and learning more about them. And the first of my “old roses” have now begun to
bloom, just as the first flush of David Austin roses is over. Many old roses
have a headier scent than their descendants; some repeat-flower; and many have
smaller blooms which don’t droop. A surprising number of older roses are more
tolerant of shade or poorer soil too! The important thing is to do your
homework and choose carefully, because some will not repeat-flower, some will
grow into massive shrubs in excess of six feet – while
others can be quite small.
Although the books
were expensive when new, it’s usually possible to buy good second
hand copies for a fraction of the price. Many are superbly illustrated
and packed with expert advice about specific roses – but note that the David
Austin “English Roses” book is periodically updated, so there will be some
roses that appear in multiple editions, especially if they are still part of
the current sales catalogue.
Another great British
rosarian Peter Beales focused more on older roses and traditional hybrids;
sadly, his daughter Amanda died about 6 months after her father in 2013,
leaving the remaining sibling Richard to continue the with the business. However,
he decided to specialise in garden design and the rose breeding business was
recently acquired by a local horticultural business. David Austin died five
years later in 2018, aged 92; his son David and grandson Richard now run the
business.
But even if the
previous generation of rosarians have passed on, we can still learn from them
through their books. Here are just a couple from my collection (click the relevant
picture to go to the Amazon listing, where you should find used copies at a
useful discount):
Propagation
This year, emboldened
by the success of getting bare root roses up and running from an online
wholesaler, I have decided to try my hand at propagating roses. One reason is
to grow some replacements for the David Austin roses in my garden that are no
longer on sale. Another is that apparently, roses grown from cuttings can still
sucker (produce non-blooming shoots from the base), but these shoots are still
from the same rose. This contrasts starkly with the way that rose breeders
might graft a named rose onto unnamed, very strong rootstock – which can throw
up suckers that can outcompete the grafted rose. I assume that the tradeoff is
that a rose grown from a cutting might lack the vigour or have a different
growing habit than one that has been grafted – but we will see. I plan to take
cuttings in July-August, because at this point the roses are neither too sappy
nor too woody.
This webpage and
videos explain how to take rose cuttings. I will be watching Monty Don giving
instructions a few times before making a start:
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-take-rose-cuttings/
Perhaps I have been
emboldened by last year’s novice efforts with hardy fuchsia cuttings (as there
are now around 30 awaiting permanent homes even after donating several to
friends). Yesterday I visited a local DIY store and noticed that the same
fuchsias – varieties and plant sizes – were on sale for £8 each, making it well
worth the 2-3 hours of my time to take the cuttings in Autumn and pot them on
(twice) this year. I realise that propagating tender shrubs probably requires
more care because weigela and other hardy shrubs were easily propagated without
the need for polythene bags, propagators or indeed any winter shelter – but like
family history, this is all one big learning curve and perhaps I have simply
been very lucky.
Spanish Slugs
Living on the edge of
woodland and surrounded by scrubland, we live with slugs which breed in the
thousands during a wetter than average year. I grow only slug-resistant shrubs
in the garden, so there are no drifts of rudbeckia or cosmos, and even dahlias
and canna can struggle when the grass is dotted with black slugs heading for an
appetising dinner like something out of a science fiction novel. Most are
Spanish slugs, which prefer fresh, tender shoots and fruits (unlike most of our
native slugs which are content to munch on decaying vegetation); they are also cannibalistic;
one dead slug attracts a party of them. Every morning I conduct a slug hunt
before watering the veg garden. Having been shocked by the results of a casual
survey of close friends about “how do you deal with your slugs?” I won’t
inflict my own remedy on readers – except to say that a) I won’t use anything
poisonous or cause a lingering death but b) I am ruthless with the Spanish
slugs because they breed heavily and there would be no point in trying to grow my
own veg. But the other slugs are left alone – and we are blessed with toads,
blackbirds, wood pigeons, crows (magpies, jays, jackdaws etc) and other birds
partial to other slugs and snails.
Herbal Haven
This business of
slugs was raised by a surprise visitor a couple of weeks ago. A young woman
showed up (her car parked elsewhere) with a tray of herbs and scented
pelargoniums that I had ordered from a local business, Herbal Haven. We enjoyed
a fine summer-evening chat about gardening- but it was mainly about the plague
of slugs doing a lot of damage at her village allotment. As she is new to veg
gardening and the other allotments are apparently much less damaged, either a)
they are sending their slugs in her direction (all is not always fair among
allotment growers!) or b) they have more tricks up their sleeves than her failed
beer traps. So here were my top suggestions:
·
Water
your crops in the morning if possible. Slugs are night feeders and they move
much faster over damp soil. This is the number one change to make- the plants
will also be happier for it, provided that the watering is done before the risk
of evaporation or leaf scorch in high summer (mindful that watering should be
targeted at the roots anyway)
·
Clear
up damp corners, long grass, piles of pots, bits of wood and other debris around
your crop beds. This helps to reduce the number of slugs and snails needing to
hide from birds and heat (and have somewhere safe to nurture their young).
·
Mulching
with a thin layer of dried grass clippings, pine bark or other fibrous material
helps to conserve moisture for the plants, while creating a more uncomfortable surface
that the culprits find it harder to cross. The idea is that the clippings drain
quickly after watering.
·
In
your quest to benefit from companion planting, take care not to create a bigger
problem with slugs and snails. For example, nasturtiums, lavender and other
strongly smelling plants may not be eaten by snails and slugs- but they provide
enough shelter for an army of the blighters to wait until it’s time to feast on
your best crops. I grow my crops in raised wooden beds – and painful experience
has taught me not to grow any trailing plants over the edges because they serve
as bridges for slimy pests.
I have not found that
copper tape, Vaseline, beer traps or slug pellets are especially successful, plus
none of these methods are quick. Nematodes are effective but need repeat
application every 6 weeks and it’s a horrible way to die… throwing the slugs
and snails elsewhere is useless because they WILL return… Monty Don’s
predecessor Alan Tichmarsh has recently confessed to throwing them over the
fence, which has undoubtedly led to accusations of unneighbourly behaviour (I’d
be livid!).
Herbal
Haven is based in Rickling, Essex – just a few
minutes from the home of LostCousins. They grow hundreds of herbs- aromatic,
culinary and ornamental. All are very reasonably priced; a 9cm pot will be well
filled and ready to plant out with full instructions. If you cannot find mint
in a dozen different flavours, prepare to be surprised! This is a small mail
order business and well worth supporting.
Weed Sticks
Finally… now that my
back can withstand tougher work, I have a lot of weeding to do. The brambles
have grown thick during a very wet season.
We have a weed wand,
which is a torch for burning off whole weeds or just the tips where seed
distribution is an issue (for example, nettles and ragwort) – but other weeds
require chemical treatment, whether homemade or shop bought. My landscape
gardening friend (an expert but now retired) has just tipped me off about using
a weed
stick; essentially this is an applicator on a hollow pole, designed to save
the backbreaking work of stooping or reaching for long periods of time, and particularly
useful where spraying herbicide or using a raw flame could damage nearby plants
or grass. Roses are especially sensitive to herbicide spray, so this is a very
good tip -if it works. I am including some details just in case this solves a
problem for readers or you have some feedback to offer. I do intend to try one,
once I have cut back the brambles and can see where to apply it!
Offers
There are dozens of
“end of season” offers in the UK, while our southern hemisphere cousins might
have to wait some time for theirs. Usually I would caution against bargain buys
which will need caring for during a hot summer. However, it might be worth investing
in a few bargains if they can be planted on arrival, or potted on and kept in a
cool spot, or otherwise kept well-watered during dry weather. Sometimes I might
indulge in something different (I recently bought a pomegranate tree, which is
fully hardy and very pretty, even if it might not produce ripe fruits in our climate!). More usually
for me, a bargain is part of a “watch list” for a longer term project. Whatever
you decide to do and wherever you are based, I wish you happy gardening,
healthy backs and much pleasure in your gardens.
Gardening
Express - Special Deals
Gardening Express - Black Friday in July
Enjoy!
Sian Lloyd, July 2024