Flowering bamboo - dead or alive?

If your bamboo has flowered and looks dead then welcome to this mystical world, the curse of the flowering bamboo. 

This mainly affects the Phyllostachys species, when one flowers, they all flower. Next door, up the road, the next town, across London. Mass hysteria normally follows as to what on earth has happened to all this bamboo, a disease, an visit from outer space, a bamboo hating gorilla team! 

And the reasons why? even when studying for one of my horticulture courses years ago our lecturer insisted, in the style of QI "nobody knows" why it happens. Well as a level headed person it can only be down to the weather that year or the previous year. There is'nt some sort of genetic code imprinted in the living tissue of a bamboo or some scent carried by the wind to tell all bamboos to die in the same season, it stands to reason it has to do with the weather pattern. 

When you look at bamboo you think tough plant, loves the sun, drought tolerant, plant it anywhere. I can't blame people for thinking that either, bamboo just has that look of being a tough plant! Quite the opposite really especially with Phyllostachys, they need the right soil, just the right amount of light each day, some sun, preferably not mid-day, and plenty of water, not a weekly soak but in the heat of summer, everyday. 

So what of my flowering bamboo, is it dead?

No, I do not beleive it is. Sometime ago I cut a  Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) back to the ground and never got round to digging up the root ball, a year later it had fully recovered and was sending up plenty of new canes. I have one in a pot now in my own back garden that flowered last year and with the mild spell in November it started to showsome promising interesting leaf growth, small leaves, not many but it's not dead!

My advice is if it is a small garden and the bamboo serves as a focal point plant then of course dig it up and replace it but in a larger garden give it a chance and some tlc, after all Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) is the most expensive of bamboos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incorrect hedge planting

About 2 years ago this Beech hedge was planted (not by us), at the time of planting these  bare-root hedging plants should of had approx 12" taken off the height of the plant to encourage sideways branching. As you can see 2 years later they  not met with their adjacent hedging plant and probably never will if these are not reduced in height. Most if not all hedging plants are trees in their own right and want to grow as such, it is only by our manipulation they become a hedge. 

 

Bulb planting depths and distances

It's bulb planting time again so here are few of the popular bulbs you may be planting and the suggested planting densities.

Alliums ( large bulb) (depth) 20cm (apart) 20cm

Alliums (small bulb) (d) 10cm (a) 10cm

Crocus (d) 8cm (a) 8cm

Hyancinths (d) 20cm (a)15cm

Daffodils (small flower) (d) 15cm (a) 10cm

Daffodils (large flower) (d) 20cm (a) 13cm

Tulips (short) (d) 12cm (a) 12cm

Tulips (tall) (d) 12cm (a) 13cm

It's better to put a bulb in too shallow than too deep, a bulb will pull itself down with its roots to a correct depth all on its own but a bulb that is planted too deep can not pull itself up. 

 

 

 

Climbing roses for the shade?

No such thing I'm afraid, sure climbing roses for partial shade but not complete shade which is common if you have a tricky north facing wall. When we say partial shade this is an area that will enjoy a minimum of 4 hours of sunshine, morning or afternoon that doesn't matter as long as it gets the 4 hours minimum. 

What will happen if the climbing rose does not get enough sun is it will become very leggy, climbing higher and higher in search of sunlight, the flowers will be sparse, small and generally the whole plant very tatty. Think about planting a climbing hydrangea instead. This plant holds itself, no need for trellis, just one short clip a year to keep it in check and has lovely lace cap flowers. A perfect solution to an unsightly shady garden or house wall.

Hedges

If your planning on planting a hedge next year then now is the time you need to be organising it. The cheapest way of buying hedging is from now until March. This is because it is the only time of year you can buy 'bare root' plants, simply they are just pulled from open ground in the nursery, bundled together and sent by courier to you. This can only be done until March as the plants are 'dormant' however the roots will need to be kept moist so as soon as you receive them you will need to 'heel' them in if not quite ready to plant.

You can buy hedging plants up to around 7 ft high so if there's a boundary fence that needs replacing why not think about a hedge instead. I know what I would rather look at! It acts as a perfect foil for your plants, is an excellent home for insects and nesting birds and doesn't even need painting every year.

If you would like further help on selecting and sourcing  the right hedge for your garden and  would like to contract our services to plant your new hedge then please get in touch.

Garden gifts at Christmas

All serious gardeners need and want are a decent hand fork, hand trowel, border fork, fork, border spade, spade, good loppers and last but the most important secateurs. Forget all that nonsense that the magazines are trying to say is the next best thing, I can't even remember the name of that hand gadget that proposed to revolutionise  gardening, the hand spork or something, the thing with the spokes poking out of it, all you had to do was turn it and it pulled out weeds and everything. If something like that was available and worked don't you think all us gardeners would of invented it a long time ago, believe me, we get alot of time to think of tools that might make our life easier.

If you want to buy a present for a gardener and it's in the budget then i suggest Felco secateurs, they are about £35 and are the professionals choice, I've had mine for about 5 years now, not like that cheap rubbish from DIY stores and every good garden center carries spares for them, new blades, new springs etc. They come in about 7 models I think, large handed, small handed, left handed and there is also a model that's particularly good for arthritis sufferers. I will not post a link to anyone specific for these just google Felco secateurs and find the supplier that suits you but I promise give these to a gardener and they will be ecstatic.

Selling or renting your home?

I am often contacted by clients who wish to smarten up their garden to show off to prospective buyers / tenants without it costing the earth, so here is my list of things to do in the garden to show it off at its best. (in no particular order)

• Jet wash all hard surfaces, patios, paths and furniture
• Repair broken / damaged fence panels and treat with a preservative (darker shades look better on older panels
• Clear all debris, leaves and weeds from flower beds and apply a good mulch of bark chippings
• Replace any loose or missing patio pointing (the cement between the slabs)
• Prune and shape any overgrown shrubs
• Fill in any gaps in the borders with fairly inexpensive structural evergreen shrubs
• Brighten up rendered walls and raised borders with a fresh coat of paint
• Pot up your window boxes with some seasonal colour
• Keep the lawn mown and edges neat and tidy
• Clear away all that garden rubbish, old pots etc

Really there is not much in the way of expenditure if you wish to do these tasks yourself, only time. Every time I have carried out a little overhaul like this clients always wonder why they did not do it years ago, it makes a huge difference.

Lawns this month

A previous wet summer and fairly mild winter has left many lawns infested with moss. One of the main reasons for a mossy lawn is drainage - and not enough of it - when we have flash downpours the water just sits on the soil surface, helping the moss to take hold.

What to do?

Give the lawn a light trim if necessary, then (in keeping with our 2008 organic statement) apply this Maxicrop product - we think it's the only organic moss killing product available, it's fairly expensive but does treat 1000sqm and also has seaweed extract to fertlise your already choking grass. Apply by watering can or sprayer.

Once the moss has blackened, lightly rake it out with a tine rake.

When you've completed this you will need to start on the aeration bit. Push a garden fork into the soil about every 10"-12" and give it a little wiggle to make the holes. Then, when you've done this bit (or got bored) thoroughly brush lawn sand (available in most good garden centers) working the sand into the drainage holes.

Voila - you're tired, go get a glass of wine.

Depending on how much moss had taken over, you may need to do some over seeding, I would recommend this is done appox 2-3 weeks after application of the moss killer.

Top tasks for February

• Cut back perennials and grasses left over winter this month. Tidy and clear debris and weeds from flower beds.
• Divide any large clumps of perennials (free plants!)
• Prune roses if you have not already done so before new growth starts.
• Mulch - now is a great time to do this, once the beds are clear of weeds and debris and generous layer will help keep them at bay. Mulch heavier soils in March when the soil warms more.
• Turn compost heap and plan for another one if you have space.
• Start to plan new planting areas
• Purchase organic slug and snail pellets
• Stain and preserve any fences and sheds if necessary before the herbaceous plants start to fill your borders and make things difficult.
• Things really do start to get busy in the garden after this month so it's a good opportunity to get all of those maintenance jobs done. Replace broken fencing, put up new trellis, re point the patio if needed etc

Protect your plants - keep out the cold

Keep your valuable plants protected by having a min 10cm deep layer of either bark chips, well rotted manure or mushroom compost applied. This will not only keep your plants protected from harsh frosts but will also provide nutrients for the soil. It will help keep weeds to a minimum come the spring and reduces watering in the summer as water evaporation is greatly reduced.