Growing
Growing Tender Bamboo? Insulate Or Wrap Your Plants In Winter Says Colin Skelly
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Move Potted Plants Indoors 2) Mulch The Soil 3) Wrap With Hessian 4) Monitor Throughout Winter Bamboo is widely revered across the UK as a low-maintenance and architecturally attractive grass. While most types of bamboo are fairly hardy, some types are more tender to cold and frost. For that reason, it’s always a good idea to check the label or enquire with the nursery or garden centre where you bought the plant about its temperature resilience. Generally speaking, if you’re growing a variety that is H4-H7 hardy, you should not need to take any preventative measures to protect your plant over winter in most areas of the UK – your bamboo should be naturally resilient enough to survive on its own. As a rule, it’s advisable to purchase a cultivar with a minimum temperature tolerance that’s at least 5°C lower than the winter averages in your area. Whether your bamboo is planted in a pot or in the ground will also affect its hardiness through the colder months – potted plants are more susceptible to frost, since they do not benefit from the natural insulation of the surrounding terrain. Nonetheless, you should be able to ensure both potted and ground-planted varieties make it through the winter and bounce back the following spring with renewed vigour. If you are growing a tender variety, one or more of the following steps will help preserve your bamboo for another year: Move potted bamboo plants indoors or into a greenhouse. Mulch the soil around your bamboo plant to insulate its roots. Wrap your bamboo with hessian or plastic tenting. Keep an eye on the weather and protect from heavy snowfall. We explore each of these methods in more detail below. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Organic mulch, hessian or plastic tenting 1) Move Potted Plants Indoors If your bamboo is planted in a pot, the easiest and most efficient method of winter-proofing them is moving them to a sheltered location. A greenhouse is a perfect option for this, as they will still receive radiation from the sun without suffering the extremes of the cold. If you don’t have a greenhouse, you can also move the plant indoors. “I move plants inside a porch or shed or garage with a window,” shares Colin Skelly, a Horticulturist and Consultant from the UK. “This can often be enough to take the edge off freezing temperatures. “Although it won’t be sufficient for extreme cold events, it will minimise the movement of plants for most regular frosty weather.” Just remember that bamboo demands plentiful light, so you should move it back outside as soon as the temperature rises. 2) Mulch The Soil A layer of organic matter atop the surface of the soil surrounding your plant is an excellent way to insulate its roots. The roots and the rhizomes are the most important parts of any bamboo plant, so keeping them safe is the priority. You may find that your plant provides its own insulation in the form of fallen leaves. If this happens, don’t move them and instead supplement them with a generous layer (up to 6 inches) of organic mulch to protect them as best you can. 3) Wrap With Hessian If your potted bamboo is too big and cumbersome to move, you can still insulate the container itself by wrapping it in hessian or a similar material. This will help to retain warmth and prevent frost from setting in. If the plant is in the ground and temperatures are expected to plummet, you might wish to erect plastic tenting around the bamboo. This will protect it from strong winds, rain and snow, but will also prevent irrigation, so remember to water it yourself in this scenario. 4) Monitor Throughout Winter Heavy snowfall can cling to leaves and stems, causing them to freeze more quickly and inhibiting the flow of nutrients around the plant. If you notice snow settling on the plant, try to remove it immediately. If, on the other hand, the snow has already frozen to your bamboo by the time you notice it, wait until it thaws before interfering, otherwise you will almost certainly damage the plant.
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Growing Bamboo From Seed Is A Tricky Process - Try These 8 Steps To Improve Your Chances
IN THIS GUIDE When To Sow Bamboo 1) Get Your Compost Ready 2) Soak The Seeds 3) Sow Bamboo Seeds 4) Cover Seeds 5) Await Germination 6) Transplant Your Seedlings 7) Place Pots Outside 8) Plant Hardy Types Outdoors Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth and some varieties grow so quickly that you can sit and watch it happen! It’s also a fascinating plant, with properties and aesthetic features that make it popular for many reasons. Growing bamboo from seed is trickier than growing some other plants, especially in the UK, where our native climate varies quite a lot from the bamboo’s native region. However, it is possible. “Bamboo only flowers occasionally, so the seed is not very commonly available,” explains Colin Skelly, who has been awarded the Master of Horticulture status by the RHS. “All the more reason, perhaps, to collect the seed and propagate them if your bamboo does flower, but it’s still probably not the easiest way to start growing them!” Here’s a basic overview of the process when growing bamboo from seed: Prepare and moisten the compost in a seed tray or pots. Soak your bamboo seeds in water for roughly 24 hours. Sow your bamboo seeds, with a very thin layer of compost on top. Cover your seeds using a propagation tray or plastic bag. Wait for the bamboo seeds to germinate, typically within a few weeks. Transplant into pots after a month or so of growth. Move outside and slowly acclimatise to outdoor conditions. If growing a hardy outdoors variety, plant your bamboo out in the garden. We’ll take a look at the process in more detail in the next sections. Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Seeds, seed tray, compost, spray bottle, propagator (optional) When To Sow Early spring When To Sow Bamboo Unlike many seeds you might grow in the UK, some bamboo varieties can’t spend their first autumn outdoors for the simple fact that they’ll be too weak to survive. Inclement conditions in the UK mean that bamboo needs to be fully established before you can plant it out. We recommend sowing in early spring and taking careful note of the requirements of the variety you’re growing. 1) Get Your Compost Ready Bamboo will do well in general compost, so simply fill a seed tray with a layer of compost, then use your spray bottle to moisten the top layer. 2) Soak The Seeds Bamboo seeds need to soak in room temperature water for 24 hours. If the water is too hot, they’ll die, so err on the side of caution, as cool temperatures will only delay germination, rather than kill the seeds. 3) Sow Bamboo Seeds Once your seeds have soaked, place them on top of your compost with about 1cm between each, then add another thin layer of compost (about 5mm) on top. 4) Cover Seeds If you’re using a propagator, put your seed tray into it and leave it to get up to the required temperature, which is about 24°C. If you don’t have a propagator, you can cover the seed tray with a plastic bag to increase temperature and humidity. Use sticks to keep the bag elevated above the surface of the compost, and use an elastic band to keep it nestled tightly around the edge of the tray. Put your tray or propagator in a spot where it will get some shade and not too much direct sun. 5) Await Germination Now comes the waiting game and the time required is different between varieties. You should expect germination to occur somewhere between 10-20 days. At this step, it’s important to make sure that the plastic bag (if you’re using one) is elevated well away from the compost and seedlings. 6) Transplant Your Seedlings After 30 days, it’s likely that all of the seeds that are going to sprout will have done. Transplant the sprouted ones into small pots (about 5cm in diameter) using potting soil with some added mulch. Ensure the neck of each seedling is level with the top of the soil in its container. Keep each pot in a spot outdoors where they’ll get some shade. 7) Place Pots Outside Bamboo seedlings will be ready to go outdoors out at different times. Hardier species can spend their first winter outdoors, but they’ll need to stay in their pots and have some shelter, with mulch around their base as a bare minimum. Less hardy species will most likely need to spend their first winter indoors in a greenhouse, along with occasional watering to keep them healthy. 8) Plant Hardy Types Outdoors Seedlings that reach about 30cm in height are strong enough to survive the transition to life outdoors. So if you’ve chosen a UK hardy variety, plant them out in your garden and enjoy them as they continue to grow!
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The Bamboo Pruning Routine Followed By A Grower With 15 Years' Experience
IN THIS GUIDE When To Prune Bamboo 1) Prune Damaged Or Dead Canes 2) Thin Canes If Required 3) Reduce Height 4) Thin Lower Foliage Bamboo can be an extremely valuable foliage plant to grow in your garden. As long as you choose the right bamboo and place it in your garden appropriately, it can be an excellent low-maintenance option. One element of bamboo care to think about is pruning. According to Kerri Dall, owner of Scottish Bamboo with over 15 years of experience caring specifically for these plants: “Bamboo doesn’t require much pruning. However, we recommend pruning or thinning out old & thin canes at the base, including any culms which have died in the centre of the clump. “You can also top prune the height if it becomes too tall in the Autumn once they have completed their full growth for the season”. As Kerri says, pruning bamboo is not always essential, but there are several reasons why you might carry out this task. Bamboo is usually best pruned in spring to: Remove any damaged, weedy or dead canes. Thin canes to reduce congestion on dense clumps. Curtail the height of the canes and produce lusher foliage. Clear lower foliage to show the canes off to their best advantage. Below, we’ll take a look at each of these types of pruning in a little more depth. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Secateurs or pruning saw When To Prune April or May When To Prune Bamboo Bamboo is typically pruned in the spring so that the plants are able to grow strongly over the growing season. 1) Prune Damaged Or Dead Canes Check over your bamboo in spring and cut back any canes which are below par or dead right to the base with a pair of clean, sharp secateurs or garden shears. 2) Thin Canes If Required On large, mature bamboo, you may find that the clump has become very dense and congested. Where this is the case, it can be a good idea to further thin out the canes, cutting out canes at the base as required to allow light and air into the heart of the plant. 3) Reduce Height If your bamboo is growing very tall, you can, if you wish, prune off the tops of the canes to contain their height. Pruning off the growing tips of the canes will encourage them to produce more abundant and dense foliage. 4) Thin Lower Foliage Another option, which is recommended for many bamboos, is to prune out lower foliage to reveal the attractive canes and to show these off to the best advantage. According to Kerri: “One other reason you may choose to prune a bamboo is to trim the lower branches or limbs to show off the culms for their wonderful colour. This is best done throughout the growing season, as the new branches form when the growth is soft and easy to remove from the main culm”. To achieve this, cut off the lower foliage where you wish to do so, making sure that you cut as close to the main canes as possible. “In large clumps of bamboo, it is possible to cut paths through the clump making for an immersive experience that children love,” shares Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “Just be careful to make sure that the bamboo stumps are cut flush with ground level to reduce the potential for trips or injury if fallen upon. “Adding bark chips to the path will also accentuate the intention of the path and make it safer to walk on.” While it may be the case that none of the above steps are necessary, regular pruning can help keep bamboo in check, and keep plants looking their best.
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Lifting And Dividing Your Bamboo Plant Can Keep Growth In Check - Here's How
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Find Your Bamboo Plant 2) Lift From The Ground 3) Divide The Rhizomes Bamboo can be a beautiful and very useful plant to grow in your garden. However, many larger bamboos, especially running varieties, can become invasive, and even existing clumps of non-spreading types can easily become overgrown. One key job which you might wish to undertake when growing bamboo in your garden is the process of lifting and dividing an existing bamboo plant. This can help to keep growth in check and offers the chance to grow more bamboo plants – or gift them to friends or neighbours. The process is surprisingly simple: Choose a bamboo to lift and divide. Lift the bamboo plant from the ground. Divide the bamboo into sections using a saw, axe or mattock to separate the rhizomes. You’ll find a more detailed explanation of this simple process below. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Bamboo, spade, saw or axe When To Divide March to May 1) Find Your Bamboo Plant The first step involves thinking about the bamboo that you might wish to lift and divide. Decide at this stage why lifting and dividing your bamboo is a good idea and make sure you are clear about your purpose and goals. Kerri from Scottish Bamboo advises: “Bamboo is best planted from a small, pot-grown plant and allowed to establish in its final environment”. Therefore, you need to make sure you are lifting your bamboo plant for a good reason, otherwise this task might damage the plant. Lifting and dividing a bamboo plant is usually done in order to: Renovate and ease the congestion of an existing clump. Propagate new bamboo plants to place elsewhere in the garden, give away or sell. Remove a bamboo that is growing where it is not wanted. 2) Lift From The Ground Lifting bamboo can sometimes be a challenging process and you may not be able to carry out this task on your own. If you are planning to divide a smaller bamboo plant, simply ease a spade or other tool under the roots and lift the plant out of the soil. Where the bamboo is much larger, you may have to unearth and remove sections, one at a time, dividing them from the plant while the bulk of it is still in the soil. 3) Divide The Rhizomes Smaller bamboo plants can often be divided into sections by cleaning off the rhizomes as best you can and taking a saw to the roots. Each section with a rhizome and some above-ground growth should ultimately grow into a new plant if you want it to do so. If you simply wish to remove the bamboo from your garden, you might not need to divide smaller bamboo at all, but splitting larger plants into sections can make removal easier, even if you don’t plan to replant the pieces elsewhere. With larger bamboo, especially those that you have not been able to remove from the soil, you may have to separate sections (either to dispose of or to replant) with an axe or mattock. “I find a mattock the best tool for removing bamboo,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “It doesn’t root deeply but is remarkably reluctant to be removed from the soil! “When using an axe or saw to divide clumps, don’t use your best tools. “I have an old folding saw that I use for sawing roots to avoid blunting the blade for pruning jobs.” Use whichever tool you decide on to chop down through the rhizomes and separate sections off one at a time. If you plan on replanting and are dividing the plant as a means of propagation, it is best to choose healthy young sections from around the edges of an existing clump to replant. “Always give bamboo sufficient space around it when first planted” advises Kerri Dall. “At least 1m is recommended, as it will quickly grow and fill the space”. Plant out your new divisions where you wish to grow them and water in well.
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Why Root Barriers Are The Perfect Way To Stop Invasive Bamboo In Its Tracks
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Select An Appropriate Barrier 2) Dig A Trench 3) Install The Barrier 4) Seal The Ends 5) Aftercare On the surface of things, bamboo is a highly attractive and exotic addition to your outdoor display, offering privacy as screening or intrigue as an ornamental feature. Below ground, however, bamboo could be cooking up a diabolical plan to take over your garden! The fast-growing tendencies which make it such a hit with amateur horticulturalists all over the country can also be their undoing. Worse still, once an invasive bamboo species has been allowed to develop to this point, it’s very tricky to bring it back under control. Commercial herbicides are generally not strong enough to break through the rhizomes of running bamboo and digging the whole plant up can be back-breaking and time-consuming. “Ideally you want to only choose a clumping variety and allow sufficient space around the plant to grow into, around 1-1.5m”, advises Kerri Dall from Scottish Bamboo. “If you opt to plant a bamboo with a spreading rhizome, you should always plant with a rhizome barrier in place or grow your bamboo in a raised bed or a large, sturdy pot”. With that in mind, preventing the bamboo from spreading in the first place is the most preferable course of action. Thankfully, as Kerri mentions, the use of barriers is a surefire way to stop this plant in its tracks – and all it requires is a little bit of forethought and elbow grease to keep your plant in check. Here’s what must be done: Select an appropriate barrier. Dig a trench around your bamboo plants. Install the barrier at an angle. Seal the ends of the barrier. Maintain your bamboo plant. For those concerned about a bamboo invasion in their back garden, here’s a closer look at those steps in more detail: Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Spade, root barrier membrane, wooden stakes, gaffer tape, soil, sharp knife 1) Select An Appropriate Barrier In effect, a bamboo root barrier simply acts as a physical wall that the rhizomes cannot penetrate. As such, any durable but pliable material is fit for the job. There are plenty of specialist products available at garden centres or on the internet which are guaranteed to keep your plant in check. Alternatively, you could use a homemade solution, but if you decide to do so, make sure that the plastic or other material you use is at least 1mm thick, 60cm wide and strong enough to prevent the rhizome from breaking through it. 2) Dig A Trench “Digging a trench around the planting hole so that the rhizomes can be clipped annually when they reach the trench is another way to maintain spreading bamboo” shares Kerri. Using a spade, dig a trench around the area in which you wish to confine your bamboo plants. Base the depth of the trench on the width of the barrier you plant to use. The majority of the barrier should remain underground, with only around 6cm or 7cm protruding above the surface of the soil. For example, if you are using a barrier that is 60cm wide, dig a trench that is just over 50cm in depth. 3) Install The Barrier Position the barrier within the hole, angling it so that it is at a slight slant, projecting away from the bamboo plants. This is so that when the rhizomes come into contact with its surface, they will be encouraged to grow upwards rather than horizontally. This can be tricky to manage, especially at the corners, but you may find enlisting the assistance of someone else or using stakes to keep the membrane in place while you work is helpful. 4) Seal The Ends Make sure that there are generous overlaps of the barrier (at least 50cm) at its joins to ensure there is no way for the rhizomes to squeeze through. Seal these connections using gaffer tape or another strong adhesive. Pack soil tightly around the barrier to increase its stability and make sure it can’t be blown out of position by the wind or knocked over. 5) Aftercare When the rhizomes reach the barrier, they will now surge upwards and break through the surface of the soil in foliated form. These will need to be trimmed back to keep your plant in check and looking at its best. “I have used a range of bamboo barriers and they work for 95% of the time,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “However, there always seems to be one rhizome that finds a way through though, so you have to act quickly to cut this back to within the barrier. “I have known running bamboo to pierce through tarmac, so early intervention is advised!” Autumn is a great time to perform any maintenance which might be necessary. Check for rhizomes that are attempting to scale the barrier and cut them back as needed.
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Harvest Parsley By Taking The First Few Sprigs In Early Summer, Then Follow These Steps
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Take 1-2 Sprigs 2) The Thinning Harvest 3) The Main Harvest 4) Store In Many Ways Parsley is an easy-to-grow herb that can be used in salads or in pot cooking to add a pleasing tingle to dishes. You can choose the degree of flavour to suit your taste, as parsley comes in a good few varieties, with the main division being between flat-leaved and curly varieties, the former being tinglier and the latter not as-tingly. This versatile herb can be used fresh or dried and it has an astonishing array of culinary uses. No matter what use you would like to put your parsley to, you can harvest it judiciously by following these steps: Take the first few sprigs in early summer. Harvest to thin out the plant when seedlings have developed true leaves. Harvest throughout the season, with a cut-and-come-again style of harvesting. Store your harvested parsley. This process is explained in more depth below. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Gardening gloves, mini secateurs or scissors When To Harvest June to September 1) Take 1-2 Sprigs For the first step, you should take 1-2 sprigs of fresh parsley. You may read that parsley can only be harvested when a branching stem has 3 separate segments made up of leaf nodes. In practice, harvesting in this way would be too impractical and time-consuming. Use this collection technique if you have 2-3 potted plants and need only a few sprigs of parsley for immediate use. Inspect the plant and isolate a branching stem that has at least 3 clusters of leaves. Snip off that stem, leaving a bit of it behind near its attachment. 2) The Thinning Harvest The first harvest, as for many herbs, is a by-product of essential thinning. When seedlings have developed 3 sets of true leaves, thin them to a spacing of about 15cm by uprooting them, being careful to not disturb adjacent plants. Otherwise, simply snip them off at their base. You can use the thinnings for salads or garnish. 3) The Main Harvest Parsley can be harvested throughout the summer, assuming you planted it by early April. Parsley varieties have a bushy or clumping habit, though many of them could be termed as having a bushy-clumpy habit. This form of plant lends itself to an ongoing, cut-and-come-again style of harvesting. When the plants are 15-20cm large and look properly bushy, you can start to harvest your parsley. From each plant, take some stems up to about a quarter from the outside of the plant. Do not disturb the inner stems or the centre. Cut them cleanly with a pair of mini secateurs or scissors if you prefer. You will have an easy time of it if you do not point the cutting implement into the plant but, instead, move it in at an angle or tangent to the plant. Mini secateurs will enable you to work fast but with delicate precision, and the lower curved blade will allow you easily to isolate stems from thick, bushy plants. This process can be repeated until early September. It is preferable to harvest in the early or mid-morning, but if your garden has a carrot-fly problem, then harvest in the late afternoon to early evening. 4) Store In Many Ways Parsley may be stored in several ways, depending on your needs. Firstly, though, you should wash it well by putting it in a colander and holding it under running water. Some ways to store parsley include: Wrapping it in a sheet of newspaper and putting that in the fridge’s crisper for short-term storage. Putting parsley stems in a glass of water, similar to the way you would put flowers in a vase, and placing that in the fridge for short-term storage. Allowing the parsley to air dry, putting it in a plastic zip-lock bag and squeezing out the air. You can then zip up the bag and put it in the freezer for long-term storage. Chopping up the parsley, putting it in an ice-cube tray, covering it with water and putting it in the freezer for long-term storage. After, remove the parsley ice cubes on an as-needed basis. Making small bundles of the harvest and tying them with twine. Then you should hang them upside-down in a dark and dry place. When the parsley has dried after a couple of weeks, crush or crumble it with your fingers and store the dried parsley in an air-tight mason jar.
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You Can Propagate New Blueberry Shrubs By Using Softwood Or Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
IN THIS GUIDE When To Take Blueberry Cuttings 1) Softwood Cuttings 2) Semi-Hardwood Cuttings A blueberry bush is among the most rewarding shrubs you can grow. It starts putting out buds in early spring and these bloom into delightful white or pink flowers by late spring. A side-attraction is all those bees and butterflies that are drawn to the bush. When summer begins, your blueberry bush will be overflowing with flowers and, by the time it ends, you can pick mouth-watering blueberries that are then followed by a beautiful foliage show. Blueberry bushes can be propagated from cuttings without difficulty in two different ways: By taking softwood cuttings from a blueberry bush in May. By taking semi-hardwood cuttings in July. These methods are explained in depth below. Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Gardening gloves, pruning shears, secateurs, polythene bag When To Propagate May or July (depending on the method) When To Take Blueberry Cuttings The popular cultivars, which are commonly deciduous, can be propagated from softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-hardwood cuttings in July, though the former method is certainly the one I would recommend. This is because spring is the prime season for starting new plants and softwood cuttings have more vitality and rooting potential than other kinds of cuttings. However, evergreen varieties take much more reliably from semi-hardwood cuttings that are collected in the middle of summer. 1) Softwood Cuttings Regardless of the method, a day or two before you intend to take the cutting, prepare a small pot with a mix of 1/3 perlite or grit, 1/3 ericaceous compost and 1/3 peat moss. The pot should have drainage holes. On a sunny morning in May, inspect your blueberry bush for a fresh green shoot that is over 12cm in length. It should have young leaves and no flowering buds. Shoots nearer the top of the bush are preferred. Cut a length of 10-12cm off this shoot, making the cut just below a leaf node. Allow the 3-4 uppermost leaves to remain on the shoot and pluck off all the rest. Dip the base of the cutting about 4cm deep in rooting hormone powder. Alternatively, dip it in the tried-and-true combination of powdered cinnamon and (preferably herbal) honey. Make a hole with a dibber or pencil in the prepared pot and insert the cutting about 4cm deep. Carefully pat down the medium and water it thoroughly with stored rainwater. Do not use untreated tap water. Put the pot where it will get several hours of indirect or filtered sunlight in a spot that is not too cold – normal room temperature is fine, as Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly explains: “I use the bottom shelf of the bench in my greenhouse for new softwood and sem-hardwood cuttings. “I find that this provides the benefit of the warmth of the greenhouse whilst providing some shade from the pots above to prevent heat stress in full sun.” You can help the cutting along by putting a perforated polythene bag loosely over it to simulate humid conditions. To ensure the bag does not rest on the cutting, insert 3 canes at equal distances at the edges of the pot. Fasten the polythene bag by sticking the opening of the bag to the sides of the pot with 4 pieces of tape. Water the cutting every day with rainwater. If you have to use tap water, you should determine its pH level and acidify it as needed. Take off the polythene bag every day for about 20 minutes. If the cutting begins to bend, carefully insert a firm twig or even a pencil near the cutting so that it can lean against the support, but do not tie the cutting to it. From this point on, you just have to be patient. Blueberry cuttings take root in about 8 weeks, but you may not even know it until about 12 weeks, which is when vegetation buds may form. If the cutting has not shrivelled and if the original leaves are still attached, your cutting will someday become a blueberry bush. As soon as you spot vegetative buds, remove the polythene bag. Slowly decrease the amount and frequency of watering and gradually increase exposure to sunlight. After the cutting has sprouted several leaves and has branched well, it should be re-potted. 2) Semi-Hardwood Cuttings On a clear July morning, look over your blueberry shrub for a branch that is from the ongoing year’s growth, is turning brown and is hardening along its lower part. It should not have flowers or fruit. Remove this branch as if you are pruning it. Cut this branch further from its base so that the cutting is 12-14cm long, making the incision just below a leaf node. Remove all the leaves except for the uppermost 2-3 leaves. The remainder of the steps are just as outlined above in the first method.
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While Pruning And Deadheading Dicentra Can Keep Your Garden Tidy, It Is 100% Optional
IN THIS GUIDE When To Prune Lamprocapnos 1) Deadheading (Optional) 2) Cutting Back (Optional) Dicentra spectabilis, also known as bleeding hearts, is one of those plants which can, once planted in your garden, simply be left to its own devices. It is a great choice for a low-maintenance garden, as it will not require much care and attention from you at all. It should, with little effort, provide you with a display of pretty, heart-shaped flowers with little white drops underneath year after year. Bleeding hearts will form only relatively small clumps, even after a number of years. Therefore, it will not require pruning, nor will it need to be divided every few years, like so many other herbaceous perennials do, to ease overcrowding and congestion. However, if you want to keep your garden beds in check, you can if you wish: Deadhead individual spent dicentra flowers and their stems while the plant is in bloom. Prune back dicentra plants completely during the autumn months. Read on for more detail about each of these two options. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Secateurs When To Prune April to June (deadheading) or after the foliage has died back (cutting back) When To Prune Lamprocapnos You do not really need to deadhead or cut back dicentras, however, many gardeners will choose to do so in order to keep their gardens looking neat. It is important to understand that you do need to cut back at the right time and in the right way in order to avoid derailing the lifecycle of this perennial plant. If you decide to deadhead, do so by removing only spent flowers, during the blooming period between April and June. It is important to leave all the foliage in place until it begins to naturally die back in late autumn. In order to understand this, you need to understand the lifecycle of this plant. These are rhizomatous herbaceous perennials, meaning that each spring, they grow foliage and then flower. If left alone, the flowers will go to seed and then the above-ground growth will begin to die back. After flowering and before the foliage dies back, the plant’s foliage remains green for some time and gathers energy which will be stored in the rhizomatous roots through the winter months. If you cut back the foliage after flowering while it is still green, it will not be able to gather the energy it needs and the plant will be weaker and smaller the following spring. So, it is important to wait until the foliage has done its job before you cut it back, if you choose to do so at all. 1) Deadheading (Optional) Some gardeners choose to deadhead bleeding hearts in order to focus the plant on producing flowers rather than seed production. However, deadheading will not usually prolong the flowering period for these plants. The main reason, therefore, that people choose to deadhead dicentra is to avoid unsightly spent flowers and seed pods after the flowers fade. This is a rather laborious and thankless task, as you would have to remove individual spent flowers from a stem one at a time, and then, once all the flowers of a stem are spent, remove the stem to around 10cm above the ground. I do not recommend this, since there really is no point beyond aesthetics. Also, by leaving the plants to go to seed, you could collect the seeds and take on the rather challenging task of sowing dicentras to increase your plant stock, which could be an interesting thing to try. 2) Cutting Back (Optional) Once the foliage of this herbaceous perennial begins to die back in late autumn, the second optional pruning task involves cutting back all above-ground growth to just above ground level. Again, this really would only be for aesthetic reasons and to keep your garden looking neat and tidy. We recommend that you consider leaving dead herbaceous perennial foliage and stems in place over the winter months. As it begins to break down, a range of wildlife can benefit from the shelter and habitat dicentras and other herbaceous perennial plants afford. Letting it die back naturally also returns the nutrients it contains to the soil, without the intermediary stop of your composting system. “Cutting die back on perennials used to be a routine autumn or winter gardening task for putting the garden to bed,” Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly says. “That is, making beds and borders neat and tidy prior to growth recommencing in spring. “This approach has been superseded by delaying cutting back until late winter or leaving dead material on the ground to rot down. “I leave perennials to die back naturally but then add a layer of compost in early spring to neaten up the garden and provide a dark contrast to spring bulbs and early perennials.”
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Dicentra Seeds Will Need Stratifying Before Germinating - Follow These 7 Steps
IN THIS GUIDE When To Sow Dicentra 1) Collect Dicentra Seeds 2) Sow In Potting Compost 3) Subject Seeds To A Period Of Cold 4) Place Pots On A Windowsill 5) Maintain Watering 6) Wait For Germination 7) Thin Out Your Seedlings Dicentra spectabilis, now classified as Lamprocapnos spectabilis and also known popularly as ‘Bleeding Heart’, is an attractive herbaceous perennial with distinctive heart-shaped flowers. This plant is more easily propagated by dividing mature plants (though care must be taken to avoid damaging the existing roots) or from cuttings obtained in late winter or early spring. However, with some patience and care, it is also possible to grow these plants from seed. “Growing from seed is a good option if there are a number of plants required, which can take a while if you rely on division and is also expensive if you want to purchase plants,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “It pays to research the ideal sowing conditions and have everything in place (including space in the freezer if stratifying) before sowing.” To sow bleeding hearts: Collect your seeds when they are ripe for sowing right away. Sow your dicentra seeds in potting compost. Subject seeds to a period of cold, typically by placing them in the freezer. After 2 weeks place the dicentra seeds on a sunny windowsill. Maintain watering when appropriate. Wait for germination to occur (patience is required as this can take between 2-6 months). Thin out the dicentra seedlings and plant out between early spring and summer. I explain this entire process with each detailed step below. Difficulty Medium to Hard Equipment Required Seeds, pots or seed trays, potting compost, cold frame or unheated greenhouse When To Sow August to January When To Plant Out March to June When To Sow Dicentra You can collect and sow dicentra seeds right away or store the seeds in a cool and dark place until early the following year. Some gardeners find that they are successful when simply sown right away and then leaving the seeds outside all winter, finding that some of the seeds germinate the following spring. However, following the steps below will often yield better results. 1) Collect Dicentra Seeds If you are collecting seeds from an existing dicentra, then these can be collected by tying fabric bags over the pods when they begin to turn a beige colour, so that as the pods dry and open, the seeds spill into the bags. If you choose to purchase seeds, these are best sown early in the year. 2) Sow In Potting Compost Prepare small seed pots with a good quality peat-free seed compost, then take your dicentra seeds and sow 3-4 seeds in each one. Each seed should be covered with around 1cm of potting compost. The location where you sow the seeds should be around 18°C and this temperature should ideally be maintained for around 2 weeks to improve germination rates. 3) Subject Seeds To A Period Of Cold Next, there is another step to improve germination rates. Take the pots and place them in sealed bags in your freezer. Keep them there for 6 weeks to expose the seeds to a period of cold stratification. 4) Place Pots On A Windowsill After taking the seeds out of the freezer, place the pots by a sunny window where temperatures between 15-18°C can be maintained. 5) Maintain Watering Make sure that you keep the potting mix moist but take care not to overwater. Bottom watering can make sure that the seeds are not washed away and that the medium does not become waterlogged. Ensure that excess water can drain away freely. 6) Wait For Germination Germination will usually take place in 2-6 months, depending on the conditions and when exactly the seeds were sown. You may begin to see signs of life from at least some of your seeds in March. However, if they do not begin to sprout in the first spring, leave them in place and some may still germinate the following year. 7) Thin Out Your Seedlings Once the seedlings do germinate, thin them to leave just one per pot. These can then be left to grow on in the same conditions until they are planted out in your garden. Dicentra are usually planted out between March and June.
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