Gardening with Wildflower

Invasive plants to avoid

Austrailian swamp stonecrop(Crassula helmsii)

curly waterweed(Lagarosiphon major)

Floating pennywort(Hydrocotyle ranunculoides)

Green seafingers)Codium fragile)

Parrot's feather(myriophyllum aquaticum)

Water fern(azolla filiculoides)

Easy-Care Favorites
http://www.gardeners.com/Growing-Wildflowers/5023,default,pg.html

The following varieties are widely adapted, reliable performers that are not terribly fussy about soil type. All require at least a half day of sun:

 Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)


Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)


Lance Leaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)


Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)


Catchfly (Silene armeria)


Annual Baby's Breath (Gypsophilia elegans)


Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)


Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta 'Gloriosa')


Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)


Toadflax (Linaria maroccana)


Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)


Rocket Larkspur (Delphinium ajacis)


Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum 'Maximum')

HOW TO PROPAGATE LAVENDER

Propagate Lavender By Cuttings


Cuttings are the easiest method and the chances of success are high. In addition, you are guaranteed that the new plant will be exactly the same as the parent plant.


The best method is to take a heel cutting in spring. This can also be done in autumn but the cutting will take longer to root. First fill the a pot(s) by filling with a sandy compost. Water it so the soil is damp but not dripping.


To take a heel cutting, identify a healthy looking shoot which is about 10cm (4in) long and pull it down and away from the main stem. You will end up with a shoot which has a "heel" of the main stem at its base. If the heel is a bit to long then trim it up a bit with a sharp knife.


Dip the "heel" in hormone rooting powder or solution, make a small hole in the compost with a pencil and place the cutting in the soil with the "heel" lowermost. About 3cm (1in) of the cutting should be below the soil. Gently firm the soil down around the cutting. Keep the cuttings in a light airy position out of direct sunlight keeping the soil just moist.


The lavender should show some signs of growth around 4 to 6 weeks later. If it outgrows the pot, pot into a larger one. The rooted cutting can be planted in its final position in early autumn.


Propagate Lavender By Seed


Lavender will not grow true to the parent type when grown from seed. For this reason we do not recommend this method of propagation.


In autumn when the seeds are ripe (they should be dry and black), collect them and place them in a compost filled pot (see cuttings above) and a very thin layer of compost scattered over them. Place them in a well-ventilated, warm and dark position. The seeds will take about six weeks to emerge. Then treat them as cuttings and plant in their final positions the next autumn.




Propagate Lavender By Layering


In early autumn select a long stem and gently bend it down to ground level. Peg it onto ground with a hoop shaped piece of wire and cover with 3cm (1in) of soil. The layer will produce growth the next spring. When this has happened, sever the stem from the parent plant and pot into soil as described for heel cuttings.


Transplant into its final position in early autumn. The plant will be an exact replica of the parent and the chances of success are high.


http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/plantfinder/lavender_4.asp

The Orchid Growing Keikis

Keikis: the Hamaiian word for babies, and they can be used for propagation.


Leave the keiki until the roots are about 1 inch/2.5cm long. It should be cut from the mother plant and plated in a small pot filled with a fine bark mix. Spread out the roots and do not plant too deeply. Water carefully and place in a progator or transparent plastic bag. Repot next season. Flowers shoud appear in 2 or 3 years.

Grow Ginger

http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/edibles/herbs/GrowYourOwnGinger.aspx?page=1 http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/ginger_grow_it.html

51 glorious garden websites

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/article2538034.ece

Grow Sweet Pea (www.bbc.co.uk/garderning)

Make a sweet pea screen Plant out young sweet pea plants in March for a scented display through the summer. Try a tip from professional growers and train plants as cordons or single stems. You can then grow them up canes to make a perfumed screen.

What to do

• Choose a sunny spot and hammer two stakes into the ground to make a row.
• Attach parallel wires between the posts, one at the bottom and one further up. Push canes into the soil every 22cm (9in) and secure to the wires.
• Plant sweet peas in front of each cane.
• Let plants grow to 30cm (12in) and then select the strongest shoot and remove the rest.
• Tie shoot to cane and regularly pinch off side shoots and tendrils.
• When plants have reached the top of canes, untie and lay stems on the ground.
• Re-tie stems to a cane further along the row, so the tip of the plant reaches about 30cm (12in) up its new cane. This way you will create the criss-cross network of stems and build up your screen.
• Tip: Sweet peas are easy to grow from seed, but you can buy ready-grown young plants.