|
 |
 |
|
| Go greener |
|
| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Relax and refresh |
|
| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Food heaven |
|
| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Discovery Walk |
|
| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
House plant Heaven!
|
| Thursday, 29th November 2007 |
|
|
|
IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
When the weather outside is uninviting, our indoor plants become all the more important to us. Sometimes we can keep plants – usually things like cacti and aspidistras – for years and years (I knew a lady who kept her Christmas cactus for nearly 50 years). But I’m a believer in bringing something new into the home on a regular basis. I like to ring the changes.
So how can we choose a house plant that is cheering, colourful and yes, even good old value for money?
Well, a trip to the garden centre will show you the range on offer. But if you don’t know much about indoor plants, the bright and often large and colourful displays can be a little daunting. Imagine going to a large supermarket to buy food, but you don’t know what most of it tastes like or even whether you’d like it; that would be pretty daunting, too.
Displayed correctly, indoor plants can offer incredible value for money. Some, such as orchids, can flower for months while others, such as the flowering bulbs like hyacinths and paperwhite narcissi, offer anticipation like no other house guest.
Here are my six favourite plants for winter cheer:
Cool cyclamen: For a darker room or north-facing windowsill hybrid cyclamen is king. Keep it cool at about 10°C (50°F) and avoid bright sunlight. It prefers a humid atmosphere so is suited to a bathroom. These days you have a fabulous choice of colours, often with flowers of several colours, as well as small, medium and large hybrids. These plants, with feeding and resting periods, can be kept from year to year.
Veritable violets: If you’ve only got room for a small plant then African violets are about as small as you can get. They need a constant temperature – no less than 16°C (61°F) – and hate change of any kind. They crave a south-facing windowsill through the winter months, but this will be too bright for them in summer. When watering, keep water off the leaves otherwise they’ll scorch and end up rotting.
Outstanding orchids: For a taller plant an orchid is unbeatable. There are many different types and growing them can become a bit of an obsession. Not all types are suitable as house plants (they sometimes need real humidity, or constant filtered light, or large spaces to grow – meaning that they are better suited to a special greenhouse or conservatory). However, the good news is that all of the types sold in a garden centre will make excellent room plants – at least for a year or two. Things like cymbidums and phalaenopsis can be encouraged to flower several times.
Bring on the bulbs: Choose between hyacinths, paperwhite and amaryllis for winter flowers. They’re ideal as a table centre, but turn the bowl daily to avoid them growing towards the light. Keep them as cool as possible, and for this reason it’s not a bad idea if you can to store them in an unheated greenhouse, and then bring them in so that they colour up and flower indoors at mealtimes.
Christmas cacti: If you have a bright, sunny room then the plant with the wonderful Latin name of Schlumbergera truncata will be just the ticket. Although it appreciates a well-lit room don’t be fooled into thinking it will thrive in direct sunlight. Mist the leaves regularly and keep it in a temperature of about 16°C (61°F). It will be in flower from November until February, at which point you should give it a rest by providing less water and putting it in a cooler place. As I’ve already said, these plants can last for decades. Unlike my next suggestion…
Perfect poinsettias: OK, so these are a little garish, maybe a little passé, but come on…there is nothing that suggests Christmas and winter cheer like a poinsettia. And they really are not expensive. They can give a really good amount of colour for several months – but then they should be discarded. One or two people I know have tried to keep them from year to year, and they never seem to produce worthwhile colour again.
‘Ave an azalea: Another classic we all adore is the azalea. The most common house plant type is Azalea indica. When mature it will only reach about 18in (45cm) high and wide. For success, keep it at about 13°C (55°F), in a bright spot but out of direct sunlight. It’s vital to keep the compost moist at all times, and when it is in flower it will benefit from misting. Put it outdoors for the summer and bring it in again next autumn.
Well, I could go on, because there are masses of other indoor plants to choose. Some are at their best in winter, whilst others are pretty impressive the whole year round. It’s all up to you now! Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
Take hardwood cuttings of ribes, philadelphus, forsythia, deutzia, buddleja and many other shrubs. Cuttings should be up to 30cm (12in) long and inserted into a slit trench in a sheltered part of the garden.
If you grow alpine plants in pots, and keep them in an unheated greenhouse, stop watering them now. More winter deaths of alpines occur as a result of wet soil and consequent rotting, than from the cold.
Remove the supports from larger perennials after they have finished their display. Clean, dry and store them. If you used twiggy sticks, you should burn or otherwise dispose of them, because they can harbour pests and diseases.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
