Growing
Protect Daffodils In Pots From Repeated Freezing And Thawing Explains Janet Hickman
IN THIS GUIDE Are Daffodils Suitable For Containers? Choosing Pots What Is The Ideal Compost? Potting Up Potted Daffodils Care Daffodils are among the easiest, most popular and most reliable spring bulbs to grow in UK gardens. They can work well in many different positions in a garden, and in a range of different garden schemes. However, if you are short on space or don’t have a suitable planting location for these spring flowering bulbs where you live, you might be wondering whether you can grow daffodils in pots. Are Daffodils Suitable For Containers? The answer, of course, is yes. Daffodils come in many different flower forms and colour variations, and almost all are wonderful choices for container cultivation. Whether you are new to gardening or have been growing for years, you should have no difficulty in growing daffodils in pots. You can grow them on their own for cheery splashes of spring colour, in a bulb lasagne, or in a wide range of mixed displays alongside other bulbs and plants. “Many varieties need a cooling period in order to bloom,” explains Janet Hickman from the American Daffodil Society. “For potted bulbs, they can be refrigerated or sheltered in outdoor storage, but they should be protected from repeated freezing and thawing.” Make sure you know what is needed for your daffodil bulbs before planting in a pot. Choosing Pots When choosing a container for growing daffodils, there are a number of things that you should consider. Of course, you need to think about which variety of daffodil you would like to grow. It’s important to remember that some smaller types can be grown in small pots indoors or in little window boxes, while larger types will look better and do well in larger containers. If you want to make an impact, it is generally best to plant spring bulbs in groups or drifts that are as large as possible, but there are limits to how many daffodils you can grow, even in a larger container. Choosing a container that is as big as possible will allow you to plant enough daffodils together to make an impact. A larger container (around 40-50cm in width and depth) will allow you to create a dramatic display of daffodils. When choosing a container, remember that you don’t necessarily have to buy one. You might make your own using reclaimed items or materials for a zero-waste, eco-friendly choice. Make sure, whatever container you choose, that it has adequate drainage at the base because if bulbs sit in wet or waterlogged conditions over winter, they can rot. What Is The Ideal Compost? When choosing a compost or growing medium for spring bulbs, you don’t need to be too choosey. Any general peat-free multipurpose compost or homemade equivalent will work well for daffodils and most other common spring bulbs. However, drainage is important, so you might wish to add some grit to improve this. The mix should be different depending on whether the daffodil bulbs will remain in the container for a single season, or will be in the container long term. If you wish to have daffodils flower over several years, rather than just for a single season as bedding, then it is a good idea to incorporate some loam or soil in the mix. Purchase a peat-free compost with added John Innes, or add soil or loam to your homemade compost mix. Potting Up Daffodil bulbs are best planted in early to mid-autumn, ideally before September ends, but October can also be fine as long as you get to the job as soon as possible. You should plant daffodils 3 times as deep as their own height, and when growing in a container, can space them quite closely – perhaps even as close as 1 bulb width apart from one another. Spacing will depend on whether you want a seasonal display or one which you can continue to enjoy over a number of seasons. Tighter spacing is fine for a short-lived display, but spacing a little more widely is best for a longer-lasting container planting mix. “Daffodils need repotting frequently, as the nutrients from the soil get used up and composts lose their structure,” says Anne Wright, the owner of bulb specialist Dryad Nurseries. “I repot my daffodils every year and I use deep pots if they are available for the best results. “This is because bulbs can increase and break out of the pots if they are too small!” Daffodils work particularly well within a container planting scheme often called a bulb lasagne. This involves creating layers of bulbs within the container, either with daffodils with different bloom times or with a range of different spring bulbs that bloom at different times. “As well as planting with other species you can create a daffodil lasagne using cultivars with different heights and flowering times, providing a container in flower from early to late spring,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “Using a spring flowering plant such as Myosotis sylvatica (Forget-me-not) also allows daffodils to punch through and flower above a lower layer of flowers.” Daffodils are often planted as a middle tier within the stacked layers of a bulb lasagne. To plant daffodils within a bulb lasagne, you should first create a layer of your growing medium around 10cm deep in the base of the container. On top of this, you will place your largest, late-flowering bulbs. After covering these with more of the soil, place your daffodil bulbs, making sure that these are not directly above the bulbs in the bottom layer. You will then cover these up with soil and repeat the process with the bulbs of the top layer, again making sure that the higher-up bulbs are not directly above those in the tiers below. How Many Can You Plant Per Pot? How many daffodils you can plant in a pot will of course depend on the size of that pot or container. It will also depend on the variety you are growing and on which other bulbs or plants you might add to the same container. Remember, a bulb lasagne is just one option. You might also combine daffodils in pots with a wide range of other plantings, as long as the daffodils still have the space to grow up and through. Just make sure, if you want to enjoy displays over multiple years especially, that you do not overcrowd the container as this will weaken your plants. Potted Daffodils Care Over the winter, place your container in a sheltered spot, where high rainfall will not be an issue, such as in the lee of a wall or fence. Consider placing mesh on the top of the container if squirrels or other pests are an issue where you live. In spring, when green growth emerges, make sure you move your container so it receives plenty of sun. Water well during dry periods during the period of active growth, but take care not to overwater and make sure excess water can drain away freely. I’d recommend feeding daffodil bulbs in pots weekly with a high-potassium organic liquid plant fertiliser. Do not cut off or restrain the green foliage after flowering, just let it die back naturally. Otherwise, flowering may be sparse or at least less abundant the following year. The leaves need to photosynthesise to gather energy to store in the bulb over winter so they can grow and flower the following year. After 2-3 years, you will typically need to lift and thin bulbs to keep the display flowering well.
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Garden Designers Share Their Must-Have Plants For Winter Interest
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Christmas Rose 2) Winter Honeysuckle 3) Winterberry 4) Common Holly 5) Witch Hazel 6) Winter Jasmine 7) Common Dogwood 8) Wintersweet 9) Winter Cherry 10) Spindle References Winter can often leave your garden feeling neglected and bare, with many perennial plants entering a period of dormancy during the coldest months. However, there are many plants that can still inject some colourful interest into your garden displays – even during these darker weeks of the year. “Each month has its own character and set of star plants, but I love that through the depths of winter, you can smell the heady scent of winter honeysuckle, Sarcococca or Chimonanthus praecox,” shares the owner of the garden at 13 Broom Acres, Sunil Patel. “This makes winter one of my favourite times in the gardening calendar.” Garden Writer Val Bourne also favours the wintertime for her gardening needs: “I actually love winter gardening, which sounds strange. I get so much done during that time of year – it is definitely my favourite season. “When everything is stripped back to silhouettes and there are tiny flowers growing from the ground – winter is just so beautiful.” Below, I’ve compiled a list of ten of my favourite plants for winter interest, from evergreen varieties with stunning foliage to perennials that produce flowers in a range of hues throughout the coldest of months. 1) Christmas Rose BOTANICAL NAME: Helleborus niger HARDINESS RATING: H7 PLANT TYPE: perennial FOLIAGE TYPE: evergreen FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / spring SUNLIGHT: part shade EXPOSURE: sheltered SIZE: 0.1-0.5m in height, 0.1-0.5m spread Helleborus niger, more commonly referred to as the Christmas Rose, produces beautiful 5-petalled flowers over the winter months in a creamy-white hue. A member of the buttercup family, its flowers also bear a yellowy-green centre and are often flecked with pale-pink tinges. As the Christmas Rose is a relatively small plant, reaching up to 50cm in height and spread, this plant will look great in a container or at the front of a flower bed. Make sure that wherever you choose to place your Christmas Rose is sheltered from any strong winds, as this is a plant that cannot cope with being exposed. 2) Winter Honeysuckle BOTANICAL NAME: Lonicera fragrantissima HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / spring FRUIT SEASON(S): summer SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: exposed / sheltered SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread Another plant that produces cream-coloured flowers, the winter honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub that produces beautiful blooms on its bare branches over the winter season. Its tiny 2-lipped flowers are often tinged in pink and have a beautifully fragrant aroma that is not too dissimilar to that of freshly-squeezed lemons. This was one of the plants mentioned by Garden Designer Ian McBain when I spoke to him earlier this year – particularly, he noted its fragrance at a time of year when not much else is offering value: Growing up to 2.5m tall, this shrub would look great at the back of a border or as part of a more natural wildlife-friendly display. 3) Winterberry BOTANICAL NAME: Ilex verticillata HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring FRUIT SEASON(S): autumn / winter SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: exposed / sheltered SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread Winterberry is a shrub that is prized for its round red berries that are produced in autumn and last long into the winter months. Its dense dark foliage is great for providing shelter to wildlife during the following nesting season, whilst the berries are often eaten by birds or other small mammals. Not only is this plant beneficial for the wildlife in your garden, but its striking appearance and big stature, growing up to 2.5m in height, can add a bright burst of colour to your garden during the duller months. Preferring acidic soil, this plant likes to grow in a damp growing medium, but make sure the soil never becomes waterlogged as this can damage the plant’s health. 4) Common Holly BOTANICAL NAME: ilex aquifolium HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: tree FOLIAGE TYPE: evergreen FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer FRUIT SEASON(S): autumn / winter SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: exposed / sheltered SIZE: Up to 15m in height, 4-8m spread Reaching up to a giant 15m in height, the common holly might just steal the show for the most dramatic plant on this list. With dark green foliage and bright red berries, this eye-catching evergreen produces distinctive spiky leaves that often have a glossy finish. Holly is a plant I often think of when considering plants for winter interest, as it is easy to grow, requires little care and can work well as a hedging plant at the back of a garden border. Some of my favourite varieties include ‘Silver Queen’, prized for its silver variegation on the edge of the green leaves, and ‘Madame Briot’, which produces green and yellow leaves from purple stems. 5) Witch Hazel BOTANICAL NAME: hamamelis HARDINESS RATING: H5 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: sheltered SIZE: 3-6m in height, 3-6m spread Producing tassel-like blooms that vary in shades from red to yellow, witch hazel is bound to bring some bright interest to your garden over winter. With stunning scented flowers, witch hazel would work really well planted next to paths or doorways so you can enjoy their aromatic qualities throughout the winter months. Popular varieties include Chinese witch hazel and Virginian witch hazel, which both produce yellow flowers during the colder months of the year. “I would also choose these plants for their charming autumn colour on beautifully shaped, lightly twisted leaves too,” adds Peter. 6) Winter Jasmine BOTANICAL NAME: jasminum nudiflorum HARDINESS RATING: H5 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / spring SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: sheltered SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread Winter jasmine is another deciduous shrub that adds colourful floriferous interest during the cold dark months. In Chinese, this plant’s name, ‘Yingchun’, can be translated as ‘the flower that welcomes spring’, and its star-shaped, yellow petals that bloom right through the winter into the spring demonstrate why.1 This beautiful climber can grow well against a trellis or a wall at the back of a garden border, or be potted and added to container displays or hanging baskets for cascading winter displays. 7) Common Dogwood BOTANICAL NAME: cornus sanguinea HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer FRUIT SEASON(S): autumn SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: exposed / sheltered SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread If you’re looking for a plant that is great for wildlife but also looks great in the garden over the colder months, then this shrub is the one to beat. It is the stems of the common dogwood plant that provide interest for your winter garden displays, with the bare bright red branches creating a stunning burst of winter colour. Dogwood also produces white flowers and black-coloured berries during the year, but they are no contest for the beautiful red stems that look best at the back of a border or as a stand-alone display in its own container or bed. “If I had to pick one, I would choose Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ as a cultivar with flaming orange and red tones,” says Peter. 8) Wintersweet BOTANICAL NAME: chimonanthus praecox HARDINESS RATING: H5 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / autumn FRUIT SEASON(S): autumn SUNLIGHT: full sun EXPOSURE: sheltered SIZE: 2.5-4m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread Perhaps my favourite shrub on this list, wintersweet produces small scented flowers with yellow and red layered tepals that grow in clusters from long bare branches over the winter months. This is another shrub that can be trained against a wall, but it’s important to remember that it needs full sun to thrive, so be mindful if planting in an area of your garden that doesn’t get much light throughout the day. Due to its discrete but beautiful flowers, I’d recommend planting wintersweet with other more subtle varieties so it does not get lost amongst the crowd, or in its own container. You should definitely plant these aromatic flowers near a doorway so you can enjoy their scent throughout winter and into spring. 9) Winter Cherry BOTANICAL NAME: prunus × subhirtella HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: tree FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / spring FRUIT SEASON(S): summer SUNLIGHT: full sun EXPOSURE: exposed / sheltered SIZE: 4-8m in height, 4-8m spread The winter cherry tree produces small pale-pink flowers towards the end of the winter months and can be used as a centrepiece for your winter garden displays. Growing up to 8m in height with a similar spread, this floriferous tree can look brilliant in meadow-style gardens thanks to its beautiful blossoms. If you don’t have the room for a full-sized variety, dwarf cultivars or grafted plants can be grown in pots that are available but are harder to find in the UK. Perhaps the most popular variety of this cultivar, Prunus x subhirtella ‘Atumnalis’ can be grafted onto dwarfing root stocks to grow to half the height and spread of the common winter cherry tree but still produces those beautiful pale-pink blooms throughout the winter months. 10) Spindle BOTANICAL NAME: euonymus europaeus HARDINESS RATING: H6 PLANT TYPE: shrub FOLIAGE TYPE: deciduous FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer FRUIT SEASON(S): autumn /winter SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade EXPOSURE: exposure / sheltered SIZE: 2.5-4m in height, 2.5-4m spread Last but certainly not least, spindle is a great addition to any winter display that needs a burst of colour. What makes this deciduous shrub stand out from the rest is the orange berries that are produced from the small pink flowers that grow from the bare branches in the colder months of the year. Not only do they bring a unique colour to your winter garden, but they are extremely versatile and can be grown as hedges, at the back of garden beds, or trained along a trellis or wall. “I would select a sheltered position for these spindles to prevent berries dropping too quickly in the autumn,” shares Peter. My favourite variety, ‘Red Cascade’, produces bright scarlet leaves over the winter months alongside their orange berries. References 1. User-submitted name Yingchun. (n.d.). Behind the Name. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.behindthename.com/name/yingchun/submitted
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Combine Tulips To Create Attractive Container Displays - These Tips Give Good Flowering
IN THIS GUIDE Are Tulips Suited To Containers? Suitable Containers Suitable Compost Planting Your Tulip Bulbs Ongoing Potted Tulip Care Tulips are beautiful flowers of late spring and early summer that can provide great interest to any garden. We all know that tulips can look lovely in a wide range of different gardens. However, you might be wondering if you can grow tulips in pots. Are Tulips Suited To Containers? Tulips are, of course, commonly grown in containers and can thrive in a container garden. They are a great choice for those looking to create beautiful flowering displays for the spring and early summer. There are a huge number of different tulip varieties that you might choose from when creating a container garden. Different varieties can be combined to create attractive container displays, and tulips also lend themselves well to mixed container displays alongside other spring bulbs. When selecting tulips for container growing, it can be an advantage to look for tulips that will flower for several years without lifting. However, it is important to note that there are also certain specialist tulip types that are specifically suited to cultivation in free-draining conditions in a rock or gravel garden. There are also some that grow in partial shade in moisture-retentive soil and a few that are more tender and are grown in a greenhouse undercover. So, when choosing tulips, make sure that you understand the needs of the different tulips that you would like to grow. When selecting tulips for a container garden, you will also need to think not only about the shape and colour of the tulips in question but also when precisely they bloom. It will be important to know when particular tulips flower in order to find the right combination of bulbs and other plants to include in your container displays. Even if you are growing tulips alone, you might wish to consider combining early-flowering, mid-season and late-flowering tulip varieties to extend the appeal of the display. “Another factor to consider is the height the tulips grow to in relation to other bulbs in the container,” shares Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol. “For example, ‘Red Riding Hood’ is a dwarf variety to 20cm best at the edges of a container while ‘White Triumphator’ is a tall variety to 90cm best in a central position so as to not obscure other flowers.” Suitable Containers When choosing a container for most tulips, it is important to select one which is large enough to create an appealing display. Like other spring bulbs, tulips tend to look best if they are planted in clumps or drifts with as many flowers as possible. Of course, in a container, there will always be a limit to how many tulips you can grow, but choosing a larger container at least 40-50cm in depth and width is usually the best policy. A reasonably sized container will allow you to grow an attractive display of tulips if you are growing these on their own. However, it will also allow you to have more options when it comes to combining tulips with other spring flowering bulbs, or other bedding plants to create interesting and attractive container displays that will look great over a longer period of time. When choosing your container, remember that you can consider reclaimed or reused items, and don’t necessarily have to rush out and purchase new pots or containers for your garden. Whichever container you choose, it is important to make sure that excess water can drain freely from the hole or holes at the base. Most tulips, and most other common spring bulbs, require free-draining conditions as waterlogged soil can be expected to cause the bulbs to rot and fail to flower. Suitable Compost Most tulips do not really require anything particularly special when it comes to the growing medium. You can make use of any peat-free multipurpose compost or a homemade equivalent to fill your containers. I use Biochar All-Purpose which is certified 100% peat-free – Just make sure that whatever growing medium you choose, it is relatively free-draining and won’t cause bulbs to rot due to excessive water retention. Typically I find that adding 1 part grit to 3 parts of this growing medium will help make sure that drainage is not an issue. If you plan on keeping tulips in pots for more than a single season, using a loam-based mix such as compost with added John Innes or a homemade loam-based or soil-based mix can be beneficial. Note that some specialist tulips need even better drainage and require additional steps to improve this, such as a layer of sharp sand below the bulbs, and a layer of grit topdressing in the top of the container. Make sure you understand the needs of the particular type of tulips that you are growing. Planting Your Tulip Bulbs You can plant your tulip bulbs in pots any time in autumn, but I’d recommend sowing tulip bulbs in October or November, which is a little later than most other spring bulbs. Tulips can be sown earlier but will be more susceptible to a disease called tulip fire. However, if you are planting tulip bulbs in a mixed display alongside other spring bulbs, you may wish to plant tulip bulbs earlier so that you can plant them at the same time as other bulbs in a layered system called a bulb lasagne. Whether you plant at the same time as other spring bulbs or hold off for a while, make sure that you get your tulips planted before the first hard frost in your area. Of course, this will be later in some parts of the UK and earlier in others. Spacing can vary depending on a range of factors, including the specific variety or varieties of tulip that you have chosen to grow. As a general rule of thumb, tulip bulbs should be planted at a depth of at least 2-3 times the bulb’s height, and at a spacing of at least twice the bulb’s width. Make sure when planting that the pointy end of the bulb faces upwards. How Many Can You Plant Per Pot? Naturally, how many tulips you can grow in a particular container will depend on the size of the container you have selected. It will also depend, of course, on whether you are growing tulips alone or combining them with other spring bulbs or plants. However, as a general rule, you can place between 12-20 bulbs within a 40-50cm pot. Of course, you would reduce this number if you are planting tulips alongside other plants or making a bulb lasagne that will also include other spring bulbs. If you are creating a bulb lasagne, then tulips will often form the lowest layer or tier within your pot, as the latest flowering bulbs. Above these, in a middle layer, you might plant some daffodil bulbs, and some smaller earlier bulbs, like Muscari, might be placed in a layer above these. You might also place different tiers with different varieties of tulip, by planting the late flowering ones at the base, mid-season ones a little higher within the pot, and early flowering types in the highest tier, making sure that there is still a covering of 2-3 times the bulb’s height of growing medium above the bulbs positioned last. Over the winter, you might also add winter bedding on top, so that there is not just bare soil to look at in your container over the coldest part of the year. Ongoing Potted Tulip Care When choosing where to position your tulips in containers, make sure that you take into account the needs of the particular variety that you have chosen to grow. Most tulips, aside from those with special requirements, will grow best in a sunny and relatively sheltered spot. Make sure that you water only sparingly over the winter months (if at all), and position your container so that the bulbs are not inundated with high levels of rainfall and that excess water can always drain away freely. You may need to protect your bulbs from squirrels and other pests by covering them with a metal mesh. In spring and through the flowering period especially, make sure you do water in dry weather, but again, take care not to overwater and make sure excess can drain away freely. If you would like to enjoy tulips over multiple years, it can be a good idea to feed plants in pots every week with a potassium-rich organic liquid plant feed. Tulip varieties that don’t always re-flower all that reliably can be lifted once leaves die back, and can be stored in a dark, well-ventilated place at 18-20°C until the largest bulbs are replanted in autumn. This can make successful re-flowering more likely, though this is not guaranteed. Expect your display of tulips, if you are not just treating them as single-season bedding plants, to flower well the first year only, with reduced flowering in the second year. “If reliably perennial tulips are used, good flowering can be expected to continue for several years, whilst other bulbs such as Narcissus can be expected to be reliably perennial,” explains Roy. In any case, after two years you will likely need to thin out the tulip bulbs to prevent overcrowding and repot the bulbs in a new container display.
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Potting Up Ornamental Alliums With Emily Cupit - They're Both Simple And Long-Lasting
IN THIS GUIDE Can Alliums Be Grown In Containers? Choosing Your Container Choosing Your Compost Potting Up Ongoing Container Care Alliums are very useful and attractive bulbs to grow in your garden. They work very well in beds and borders, but if you are short on space, or have heavy soil not ideally suited to their growth, you might also wonder whether you can grow Alliums in pots. Can Alliums Be Grown In Containers? Like other spring bulbs, Alliums can indeed be great container plants. You can grow them in pots with little work and effort on your part. They work especially well in mixed container displays alongside other spring bulbs or lower-growing perennials. Note that when we talk about Alliums we are usually talking about ornamental Alliums, grown for their attractive flowers which bloom in later spring. Alliums can also be useful in pest control as they can help to repel, confuse or distract a range of pest species with their pungent scent. In this role, they can work just as well in containers as they do in the ground in your fruit tree guilds, polycultures, or other sustainable organic garden planting schemes. While most Alliums can be grown in containers, remember that some will grow much larger and taller than others. Shorter types tend to be best for container cultivation. Note that some larger, taller types may need some support, especially if they are not grown in a particularly sheltered location. Choosing Your Container Alliums tend to look best when planted in as large a clump or drift as possible. In a container, you can only grow so many, but choosing as large a container as you can generally be a good idea. This means that you will be able to plant a sufficient number of bulbs to create a pleasing display. Also, the larger the container, the easier it will be to maintain your display since larger pots will need less frequent watering. A larger container will also give you more options when it comes to combining your Alliums with other useful and attractive plants. I would recommend choosing a container with a depth and width of at least 40-50cm. “If you haven’t got space for a large pot then you can grow some of the smaller species in smaller pots, such as A. moly, A. neapolitanum and A. amplectens,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “These have become some of my favourite late spring bulbs and make as much of a statement as the larger flowered Alliums.” You don’t necessarily need a container this large to grow Alliums alone, but a larger pot will allow you to create the best displays, and, as mentioned above, make your container garden easier to maintain. Remember, you don’t have to purchase a container. You can keep costs down and make an eco-friendly choice by reusing or upcycling items that might otherwise have been thrown away. When choosing a container for Alliums it is important to remember that they thrive in free-draining conditions, so make sure your container has sufficient drainage at the base for excess water to drain away freely. Choosing Your Compost A general multipurpose compost works well for bulbs. Just make sure, for environmental reasons, that you choose a peat-free option. Alternatively, you can make your own potting mix ½ compost and ½ of regular soil, and you can also add materials like leaf mould to the end product. Your soil should be free-draining as Allium bulbs are prone to rotting. Potting Up Ornamental Alliums are one of the spring bulbs which should be planted in early to mid-autumn for best results. Remember, most Alliums will bloom in late spring and early summer. When the bulbs will bloom is an important thing to think about, especially if you plan on layering your Allium bulbs with other bulbs to create a bulb lasagne. Creating a bulb lasagne is a great idea because it allows you to create displays with successional blooms. You can first enjoy the earliest flowers of spring, before the next flush of flowers, and then eventually the Alliums arrive. If you are planning on creating a bulb lasagne, then you do not just have to think about potting up Alliums, but might also think about planting your other spring bulbs in the container at the same time. First, place around 10cm of your growing medium into the bottom of your container, then plant your Alliums. The bulbs should be planted at a depth of around four times the width of the bulb. Depending on the variety, the bulbs should be placed around 10-20cm apart. Next, you should cover these with another layer of the growing medium, then, depending on what else you have chosen to place in the pot, layer in other bulbs in layers, making sure that you don’t place the bulbs immediately above those in the tier below. Finally, you will cover the final layer of bulbs with your growing medium, and add any bedding plants or perennials you might also have decided to add. How Many Can You Plant Per Pot? How many Alliums you place in a particular pot will of course depend on the size of the container you have chosen, and also on what else you are planting along with those Allium bulbs. Alliums don’t always look great after flowering, so you might choose low-growing perennials to place around the outside of the container. Adding other spring bulbs that flower before the Alliums can also help make sure that your display lasts longer. Ongoing Container Care Place your container in a sunny spot, and over the winter months, make sure it is positioned in a location that will not become too wet. Placing the pot in the lee of a wall or fence can help make sure high rainfall in winter does not cause bulbs to rot. Do not overwater, but make sure you keep your container moist but not soggy throughout the flowering period. A well-thought-out scheme can flower for 2-3 years before it needs repotting. Allium bulbs will multiply and can be lifted in late autumn or early spring and repotted elsewhere.
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3 Options For Overwintering Canna Lilies Depending On Your Hardiness Zone
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Overwintering Potted Canna 2) Overwintering Outdoor Plants (Zone H3 Or Warmer) 3) Overwintering Outdoor Plants (Zone H4 Or Colder) Cannas are deciduous perennials that are noted for their upright stalks bearing racemes of brilliantly-coloured flowers that pull pollinators in droves. Now in their native tropical and sub-tropical climes Cannas need no winter care at all but it’s a different matter in almost all of the UK. These beauties are highly-desirable aliens, having landed on British shores from their balmy and sunny homes in Central America and Equatorial America. Therefore it is not surprising that they need to be cared for in winter. After all, they are ‘hardy’ only to H3. Difficulty From Easy to Hard, depending on whether the Cannas are in open ground or in containers, and on your location in the UK Equipment Required As the case may be: gardening gloves, secateurs or hedge shears, gardening fork, gardening trowel or hand spade, newspapers, vermiculite or peat moss, storage box Caring for Cannas during winter in the UK will depend on whether you have grown them in open soil or in containers. If you reside in the sliver of land along the southern and eastern coasts and your outdoor Cannas are growing in a sheltered spot, your task will be much easier. Overwintering will generally depend on how and where you are growing yours – see all three options below – 1) Overwintering Potted Canna Before autumn’s first frost or when the plant goes dormant, do as follows: Step 1) Cut Back Cut back the foliage and stalks as appropriate for Cannas. Remember to sterilise cutting implements before using them. Step 2) Move Container Indoors Move the container indoors where the temperature will not dip below 12°C. 2) Overwintering Outdoor Plants (Zone H3 Or Warmer) You can leave Cannas outdoors in Zone H3 (or warmer), particularly if they have been sited in a sheltered spot. Before autumn’s first frost or when the plant goes dormant, do as follows: Step 1) Cut Back Cut back the foliage and stalks as appropriate for Cannas. Remember to sterilise cutting implements before using them. Step 2) Water Give the plant a good watering so that the soil is moistened to a depth of 10-12cm. Step 3) Mulch Lay a layer 8-10cm deep of organic mulch around the plant. Use a mulch made from leaf mould, straw, and such. Lay it several centimetres away from the base of the plant. Try to protect the ground from excessive rain, soaking, or puddling. 3) Overwintering Outdoor Plants (Zone H4 Or Colder) Step 1) Cut Back and Remove the Rhizomes Please see detailed instructions in our Division guide explaining how to cut back and remove rhizomes. Bring the removed rhizomes indoors to your workroom, shed, basement, or such. Step 2) Clean Rhizomes Gently clean the rhizomes with a soft cloth. If necessary, dampen the cloth. Step 3) Dry The Rhizomes Lay the rhizomes on sheets of newspaper spread on a level surface in a dark, temperate room for two to three days so as to dry them out. Turn them over after a day – the room temperature should be between 13°-18°C. Step 4) Pack Them Away Coat or pack each rhizome in vermiculite, otherwise in peat moss, and wrap it in a half-sheet of newspaper. This will need to be done individually for each rhizome for best protection and storage. Do this task with dry hands and do not allow any dampness to creep in. How? Sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite all over one end of the half-sheet of newspaper. Gently push the rhizome into the canister or container of vermiculite and roll it around, and draw it up covered in vermiculite. Put it on the layer of vermiculite on the newspaper, and wrap it, so that the vermiculite is lifted up with the newspaper as you wrap the rhizome. Step 5) Box & Store Put the wrapped rhizomes in an appropriately-sized large but flattish cardboard box. Do not stack them and try to leave some space between adjacent ones – leave the box open. Store the box in a cool, dry and dark place, such as a shed; however, the temperature should remain between 7-13°C. This is where the rhizomes should stay until spring. When you unpack them, we recommend that you inspect each rhizome for health and viability.
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Sowing Canna Lily - Scarify Twice As Many Seeds As You Would Like To See Germinated
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Scarify The Seeds 2) Put Seeds In Water 3) Monitor For Germination 4) Prepare The Pots 5) Sow The Seeds 6) Site The Pots 7) Watering 8) Transplanting The Plants Aftercare Cannas, frequently called ‘Canna Lilies’, are tropical plants with brilliant green foliage that can only be described as profuse and plush. Though seekers of rich green shapely foliage would be enamoured of Cannas, so too would those who prize large flowers – which have curved and curling petals and are frequently found in vibrant shades of the warm spectrum from yellow through red, and are often bi-coloured. Cannas are almost always sold as rhizomes or potted plants. Seeds will be hard to come by because these plants do not grow true from seed, for which reason, plants grown from seeds have unpredictable flowers that are sometimes even more striking. However, if you have collected seeds from your garden Cannas or obtained them from a friend, you can certainly grow new plants from seed. “Cannas are good to sow because they are easy, look exotic and you usually get a flower in the first year,” shares Exotic Plant Expert Will Purdom. Canna seeds are smooth, black and round, as if shiny peppercorns. I grew Cannas from seed earlier this year and I must say it does have a couple of drawbacks: First, the plants will only flower in their second or third year. Second, the seeds are ‘armoured’ so they have to be prepped in some way – scarified, soaked, or even boiled before they can be sown. But you can do it – we spell out a straightforward process for growing Cannas from seed: Scarify seeds and drop them in water. When the seeds germinate, sow them in small pots. Place the pots indoors in a warm and sunny spot. Water the little plants regularly. After six to seven weeks, transplant the young plants. This process is explained in more depth below – Canna seeds should be prepped about eight weeks before the last expected frost. Prepping is necessary, otherwise seeds will not germinate. Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Container (bowl, pot, tumbler, etc.), small carpentry file or Swiss Knife file, hand spade or trowel, watering can When To Sow About seven weeks before the last expected frost – mid-February in most UK regions When To Plant Out After the last frost and when the soil has warmed up – April in most UK regions 1) Scarify The Seeds Using a carpenter’s hand file or a Swiss Knife file, scarify the seeds by filing their hard coats (the testa) on one side until the underlying white part (endosperm or embryo, depending on which side you are filing from) is clearly visible. I didn’t actually have much luck using the sandpaper method so I had to place the seeds in a glass of boiling water (yes, they are that tough!). Scarify about twice as many seeds as you would like to see germinated – about half of mine were too tough, even for boiling water! 2) Put Seeds In Water Drop the scarified seeds into a container of warm water and leave them there for about 48 hours. 3) Monitor For Germination From 48 hours onward, keep checking the seeds to see which ones have germinated. You know a seed has germinated if you see a tiny whitish thing (the cotyledon) emerging from the top. 4) Prepare The Pots Put potting soil with compost or any rich and fertile soil in one- or two-litre pots. Pots must have drainage holes; water so as to make the soil moist throughout. 5) Sow The Seeds Sow germinated seeds such that the emerging white cotyledon and just a bit of the seed is above the soil, and water moderately. Discard seeds that have not germinated after five days of soaking. 6) Site The Pots Site the pots in a room where they will get full sun and where the temperature is 18-23°C. 7) Watering Water every two days or so with the aim of keeping the soil moist. 8) Transplanting The Plants After six to seven weeks the young plants can be transplanted to their final location. This could be an appropriately-sized (i.e. big) container or an outdoor bed after the last frost and when the soil has warmed up to 10°C (or more). The frequency of watering should gradually be reduced but when you do water, be sure to give these plants an ample quantity. Aftercare Be aware that you can keep Cannas outdoors year-round only in the coastal and warmer regions of the UK. In other regions you will have to dig up the rhizomes and overwinter them indoors; otherwise plant Cannas in containers so that they can be brought into the house.
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Always Follow These General Rules When Cutting Back Canna Lilies
IN THIS GUIDE When To Cut Back Canna Lilies 1) Check Plant Condition 2) Save Any Seed Pods 3) Carefully Cut Sections 4) Cut Your Canna Right Back Canna lilies originally hail from the warm climate of Mexico, and are now found worldwide. These plants like light and water in summer and dryness over winter: so make sure to bring them in when the weather gets cold. Pruning canna lilies brings a couple of benefits: Firstly it removes unsightly dead or dying foliage from the plant; and secondly, it gives space for healthy new foliage to grow in its place. Pruning is also a great way to reset the plant each year to facilitate stronger growth in the following season. It’s easy to prune canna lilies. Here are the general rules, and we’ll go into more detail on the pruning process below: Outdoor plants in cold climates will die back in winter so you can prune aggressively and they’ll regrow next year Indoor plants benefit from pruning throughout the year Cut dead leaves where they meet the stem, rather than cutting the stem You can trim entire leaves or sections of leaves, depending on the condition When pruning spent flowers you should go down to the node When To Cut Back Canna Lilies You can prune canna lilies throughout the year when they need a little spruce up. You should also prune them back hard as winter is setting in. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Scissors or secateurs (shears) When To Prune Typically late Autumn 1) Check Plant Condition When pruning canna lilies you’re looking for unhealthy leaves or leaf sections. Brown, wilted areas of healthy leaves can be pruned off without damaging the remainder, giving your plant an overall healthier appearance. You can also remove entire leaves if the whole thing is looking worse for wear. If all foliage is brown, you may be better off resetting the plant for the next season (see step four). If your canna lily is in bloom, you can prune back flowers that are on their way out to promote new growth in their place. In this first step, just give your plant a visual once-over to figure out what needs doing. 2) Save Any Seed Pods If a canna lily has finished blooming and created seed pods, you can save and replant these for future growth. On canna lilies that look worse for wear – the whole plant may be brown – grab the seed pods and set them aside. Now, if you’re pruning during the year to spruce up your plant a little bit, read step three. If winter is coming and you’re pruning harder, jump to step four. 3) Carefully Cut Sections Once you’ve identified the areas that need attention and have saved the seed pods, you can begin pruning. For leaves it’s simple: just use scissors or shears to remove the desired area. Cut carefully and don’t remove the entire leaf. For flowers, cut the entire stem down to the node where it meets the main stem. 4) Cut Your Canna Right Back Canna lilies can take aggressive pruning, and doing this in winter resets your plant and stands it in good stead to grow back strong next year. Watering and fertilising your canna lily (use a high nitrogen fertiliser) when you prune it back hard helps to encourage healthy growth.
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Congested Canna Rhizomes Can Lead To Poor Flowering - Divide Them With This Guide
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Sterilise Implements 2) Cut Back The Plant 3) Loosen & Remove Soil 4) Dig Down Deeper 5) Lift The Rhizome 6) Break / Cut The Rhizome 7) Disinfect The Rhizomes Bringing a touch of the tropics to your cloudy garden in Old Blighty, tall Cannas are brilliant plants to position at the rear of the bed to serve as a spectacular backdrop. Their large wavy leaves are usually bright green but quite often occur in variegated forms or in russet tones. This foliage, pretty in and of itself, frames erect flower stalks. The bilaterally-symmetric flowers are quite unique in their shapes and forms. It is probably fitting that the flowers of an exotic plant frequently can seem rather like the ruffled wings of some small exotic bird! Cannas grow from rhizomes – these rhizomes multiply by growing child rhizomes that are attached to the parent rhizomes. Over time, the rhizomes – particularly the parent rhizome – will suffer from congestion and the growing plants will become undesirably dense while probably also not blooming as well as they used to. Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Gardening gloves, secateurs or hedge shears, gardening fork, gardening trowel or hand spade, sharp knife, sterilising liquid, sulphur powder (optional) When To Divide October You can avoid these problems, give the rhizomes breathing room, space out the plants, and get new ones in the bargain by lifting and dividing them in autumn. Doing so every four years would be just about right. You can lift and divide Cannas by following these steps: Sterilise all cutting implements. Shear down the plants. Gently loosen the soil and carefully dig into it. Carefully lift out the rhizome. Break or cut the rhizome appropriately and correctly. This process is explained in more depth below. Canna rhizomes should be lifted and divided in mid-autumn or after their leaves have withered and they are entering dormancy. 1) Sterilise Implements Sterilise your secateurs or hedge shears and a sharp knife. You may use a rubbing alcohol solution, bleach solution or hand sanitiser. Put on your gardening gloves. 2) Cut Back The Plant Using the secateurs or hedge shears cut all foliage and stalks from the Canna down to 4-6cm from the soil. The next step is best accomplished when the soil is not wet and is dryish. 3) Loosen & Remove Soil Use a gardening fork and gardening trowel or hand spade to gently loosen and remove the soil. Using the stems and stalks as a guide as to the location of the rhizome, start about 30 centimetres away from it, and ‘excavate’. Be careful not to strike the rhizome or the roots. Consider using softish plastic gardening tools, rather than traditional metal ones, for this activity. 4) Dig Down Deeper When the rhizome is exposed, loosen and dig into the soil a little deeper and a little closer around the rhizome – it will need to be removed with its roots intact. At this point take special care not to injure the roots. 5) Lift The Rhizome As soon as you are able to do so, using your (gloved) hands push into the soil, gently wiggle the rhizome and work it loose, and lift it up with its roots intact. Gently clean the soil off it – do not rub it harshly. 6) Break / Cut The Rhizome Break the rhizome cleanly if you are able, or cut it with the sharp knife you’ve sterilised, at the junctures where the children are growing from the parent. Break or cut such that each divided piece has at least one eye and preferably two, and (only) some roots. 7) Disinfect The Rhizomes Pre-emptively disinfect the rhizomes to ward off any diseases. Sprinkle a touch of sulphur powder, or brush the bleach solution with your (ungloved) fingers, on the freshly-broken or -cut surfaces of the rhizome. Now the divided Canna rhizomes are all set for re-planting or storage as the case may be.
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Here Are 20 Arum Lily Varieties Ranging In Colour From Dark Purple To White
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Z. aethiopica 2) Z. ‘Crowborough’ 3) Z. ‘Crystal Clear’ 4) Z. ‘Mint Julep’ 5) Z. ‘Golden Chalice’ 6) Z. ‘Flamingo’ 7) Z. ‘Crystal Blush’ 8) Z. ‘Eyeliner’ 9) Z. ‘Captain Palermo’ 10) Z. ‘Cantor’ 11) Z. ‘Captain Chelsea’ 12) Z. ‘Captain Romance’ 13) Z. ‘Captain Safari’ 14) Z. ‘Mozart’ 15) Z. ‘Bingo’ 16) Z. ‘Fire Glow’ 17) Z. ‘Odessa’ 18) Z. ‘Picasso’ 19) Z. ‘Green Goddess’ 20) Z. ‘White Giant’ Arum Lily is a herbaceous perennial though it may be deciduous, semi-evergreen, or evergreen depending on a given region’s climate. It is evergreen in sub-tropical climates when it gets year-round water and is deciduous in temperate regions, but which have relatively mild winters that it can weather. These rhizomatous plants lack a central stem as the stalks and petioles emerge directly from the rhizomes. The leaves are sagittate or arrowhead-shaped and are typically 35-40cm long, glossy and of a rich green hue. Some cultivars’ foliage is flecked or liberally speckled with white. This exotic plant is not only a stylish, unusually chic one, when planted in optimal conditions it will turn out to be very low maintenance. “Arum Lily’s make great plants for pots, working well in modernist settings,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “They will need a large pot to retain the moisture and nutrients necessary to keep them in good condition during the summer months. “This does mean that there will be a greater number of cultivars to choose from as pots can be protected from frosts during the winter months more easily than those in the ground.” The flower not only looks lovely in a vase indoors, it is also long-lasting as a cut flower. Arum Lily and its various cultivars reach heights of 60cm to about one metre. Their spreads are typically within a narrow range of 40-50cm. In the Northern Hemisphere, they flower from June through July but sometimes start as early as May. The different cultivars vary in the colours of their ‘flowers’ but some also have flecked or speckled leaves, and a few top out at 60cm while some can grow taller. We present a top twenty list below: 1) Z. aethiopica HARDINESS RATING: H4 AKA: ‘Arum Lily’ The ‘mother species’. The spathe is pure white and the spadix is a cheery yellow. 2) Z. ‘Crowborough’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Has ‘flowers’ that are the same colours as the species but the spathes are just a bit smaller, are wavy, somewhat furled, and display a pleasingly irregular appearance. 3) Z. ‘Crystal Clear’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 Is not infrequently entirely pure white. Pure white spathes encircle spadices that may be creamy yellow, off-white, or white. 4) Z. ‘Mint Julep’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Have yellow spadices with spathes in shades of creamy white to a rich cream. 5) Z. ‘Golden Chalice’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 Have spadices and spathes in matching colour, this being a bright, buttery yellow. The leaves are heavily speckled. 6) Z. ‘Flamingo’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 One of the most delicate varieties, ‘Flamingo’ has rich and warm yellow spadices encircled by spathes that range from pink-suffused white to pale pastel pink. 7) Z. ‘Crystal Blush’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Has a yellow spadix which is smaller and less prominent than most. The spathe is a delightful blush pink for the most part but can be gradated from pinkish-white through candy pink. 8) Z. ‘Eyeliner’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Has a dark, brownish-yellow spadix and a spathe of a rich crimson-maroon verging on black with orange edging. 9) Z. ‘Captain Palermo’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Is perhaps the winner in the Captain Series of Arum Lilies and must be considered a top contender for the best Arum Lily variety. It has the customary yellow spadix encircled by a spathe that ranges from a delicious rich purple to a smoky blackish maroon-violet, making it unquestionably a superlative choice for an accent plant. It has white-speckled leaves. 10) Z. ‘Cantor’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Gives heavy competition to ‘Captain Palermo’ as a top pick for best specimen Arum Lily. It has a purple spadix encircled by a spathe that is gradated from purple near the lips down to near-black at the base and into the throat, or it may be a riveting violet hue. It has liberally and heavily speckled leaves. 11) Z. ‘Captain Chelsea’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Has a yellow spadix with a multicoloured spathe. On the outside it is flushed with light maroon on a yellow ground while on the inside it has a thick border of bright yellow and is maroon in the throat, with a progressively darker hue. 12) Z. ‘Captain Romance’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Features a deep yellow to yellowish-orange spadix encircled with a candy pink spathe that is flushed greenish-yellow near the base. 13) Z. ‘Captain Safari’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Has a yellow spadix and a spathe that is predominantly rose pink but flushed with yellow and deeper pink. 14) Z. ‘Mozart’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 Has an unusual orange spadix; also unusual is the spathe. It is multicoloured and gradated, wearing flushes of colour in yellow, pink, and peach; these colours may occur anywhere on the spathe. The leaves have some white flecks. 15) Z. ‘Bingo’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Have yellow spadices wrapped around by spathes of a rich purple-pink gradating to yellowish-cream at the base. Leaves are liberally speckled with white. 16) Z. ‘Fire Glow’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Have orangeish spadices encircled by spathes in a gorgeous hue of vermilion-to-red, flushed along the sides and in the throat with bright yellow. Leaves are speckled with white. 17) Z. ‘Odessa’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C Flowers have very short spadices that are barely visible. The spathe is an amazing hue of near black maroon-violet. The striking flower makes this cultivar an outstanding choice for a specimen plant. On top of that, the leaves have small white flecks. 18) Z. ‘Picasso’ HARDINESS RATING: H1C RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT Has yellow spadices encircled in a bi-coloured spathe that have broad white borders and are light purple with the hue getting progressively deeper nearer the base and deeper in the throat. 19) Z. ‘Green Goddess’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT A very popular cultivar but a green ‘flower’ may not be to everyone’s taste. While the spadix is the default yellow, the spathes – which are bracts, of course – are green with white throats. 20) Z. ‘White Giant’ HARDINESS RATING: H4 As the name indicates, this variety is an outlier. It attains a height of 2m and the foliage too is different as the leaves are liberally speckled with white. White spathes encircle yellow spadices.
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