In the June Garden

The cacti and succulents have been put into the hypertufa pots.

I’ve finally pulled out all of last year’s broccoli and kale.  It got to the stage where it was taking me hours to collect enough heads and leaves for a serving as they got progressively smaller by the day. I got a good crop from the ones that were ravaged by cabbage white caterpillars last year; the plants came back with vigour in spring. I won’t be making the same mistake again. Firstly I won’t be growing any brassicas in the tunnel except to propagate them and secondly the tunnel door is staying closed other than when I need to walk in and out.  The tunnel isn’t free from pest though by any means, the main one I have at the moment is greenfly on the lettuce, they are spreading really quickly in the heat and as yet I am not really sure what to do to combat the problem. I think I’ll end up not growing lettuce in there too.

Tomato Takeover

Tomato plants are thriving in the heat though. I have about ten growing that I planted, which is about enough I think. The other thousand or so have self-set from the dropped fruit that I put into the compost bin last year. The tunnel beds have been topped up with the rotted compost from the bins and although most weed seeds have been killed off in the process it looks as though the tomatoes were made from stronger stuff. I love the fact that I have inadvertently saved these seeds and they are giving me another crop, the problem is that we didn’t like the tomatoes we grew last year!

I’m going to keep a few just to grow them on and see if they are tasteless and foamy like last year, the rest of them are going to be hacked down and thrown back into the compost bin, I doubt they’ll bother  me again after the worms eat them. It’s amazing how easily they have grown though, especially as I have had so many germination failures with tomatoes from following the growing instructions on the packets to the letter.

No show

I’ve had a few germination failures this year. The one total no show were white turnips. I put out a couple of rows and got nothing coming up. The other near failure has been the mange tout. I followed the instructions but have had a very poor germination rate, not only in my own plot but also in my in-laws garden which were planted later than mine but from the same packet.  I’d like to think it’s because of my enthusiasm for putting some seeds out early, but the second sowing are looking just as unpredictable and they were only planted a couple of weeks ago.

Repotting

I’ve finally got around to putting the cacti and succulents into larger containers. Some of them were looking extremely cramped in the small cell modules. My creative hypertufa pots have come into good use and housed most of them. The pots were very nearly thrown away as the mixture of cement and peat looked, well, pretty rubbish on their own. Once they have been filled up with the plants and a bit of algae allowed to grow on them I think they look pretty good, even though I say so myself. They are not the replacement for my terracotta pots of course but they are something a bit different and a talking point should anyone be foolish enough to ask my about them, I could bore anyone for hours about the different mixes and designs. I doubt I will be making any more of these pots and I am also not sure if they will last the winter. I’m also not sure what to do with the cacti and succulent I put in them. I didn’t really forward think when I ordered them off Ebay and this year they will be too large to go back into the house. I might just end up selling them all in one lot to someone who has the room to keep them. I’ll take cuttings of course before they go and start the process all over again.

Chamomile

Talking of cuttings I have found places for my lawn chamomile that I ordered through the post. They came as bare rooted runners and I grew them on for a few weeks in small pots before putting them out in regimented lines around the outside of the polytunnel. Lawn chamomile doesn’t flower so they don’t propagate by seed which means that new plants shouldn’t pop up in unexpected places around the garden. Maybe I can grow a strain of tomatoes that do the same.

The Holistic Gardener by Fiann Ó Nualláin - Book Review

Stagnant water could spread Weil’s disease

I got a small parcel delivered to me this week, which I always find exciting. Usually it’s something I ordered from Ebay and forgot about. This parcel was from Mercier Press based in Cork and contained a book they thought I might like to read called ‘The Holistic Gardener, First Aid for the Garden’, written by horticulturalist and broadcaster Fiann Ó Nualláin. 

Julian in my Pocket

I don’t really ‘do’ the book thing and all of my collection went to various groups years ago so the inclusion of this book has increased my collection to 1. When I was at horticultural college I had a tutor called Julian who was so knowledgeable about everything that I always wished I could keep him in my shirt pocket for him to be there permanently to get answers to my questions. My wish sort of came true a few years ago with the introduction of the smart phone. I can now get answers (usually hundreds of different ones) to most questions at the swipe of my screen and it’s got the added benefit of not having to feed it and I can switch it off when it gets annoying.

Flick Through

I thought the book looked interesting so took it along to Portstewart to have a flick through while I was waiting for my lad to come up from the Atlantic where he was doing some deep sea diving. As I had a few hours to wait I thought it would make good use of my time. I generally fall asleep in the car when I am waiting for someone so this made a pleasant change.  

In between naps I read more about what motivated the writer Fiann to write a book about natural first aid remedies in the garden and it seems that apart from having a lifetimes experience in garden related accidents, he saw that there was a need for a book that combined herbs, homemade remedy preparation and a garden plant reference all in one so when you run into the garden with a cut you don’t have to sift through endless reference books or drip blood onto the computer keyboard or phone as you put in keywords to find a relevant page on how to treat the injury.  

Comprehensive

After a few disclaimers and recommendations about seeking professional medical help if you get bitten by rats, Fiann convinces early on that gardens have remedies for most injuries from a scratches, heatstroke, chapped hands, heart attacks, pesticide poisoning to wasp stings. Miraculously all of these can be treated on site with the plants you grow. Fiann happily tells us that the plant beside you as your work or relax in the garden can be the answer to a hive, ache or watery eye and ingesting fruit and vegetables can also build up antihistamine levels as a defence against stings and bites. Plants including calendula, sage, geranium, dandelions and roses all have their healing virtues.

As the day progressed I found myself reading chapter after chapter of the book which I initially thought would just be for reference. If you are unlucky enough to get stung by a bee or wasp or have an army of midges following your every move then fear not, the answers lie in the plants you grow. There’s even a bit later on about after sun remedies and gardener’s knee complaint.

The more I read the chapters the more I realised just what a dangerous place the garden is, even stagnant water in a butt can give you Weil’s disease. I just couldn’t put the book down, even pruning a rose could be a dangerous business.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Top Tips

The book has some lovely illustrations by Sam Chelton which breaks up the text and has some good top tips such as not to burst blisters. I needed to have that put in writing because that’s what I always say to people when I see them with the pins out of the sewing box. 

No Competition

I was going to give the book away in a competition, but I’m afraid this time it’s not going to be. I have decided to keep it. Partly because it’s the only book I have in my “collection”, but mainly because it’s a very good reference book if you need to remedy an accident in the garden.

I really enjoyed the read and it’s hopefully made me a bit more cautious in the garden. I hope by keeping it, I never have the need to refer to it again. It can be a constant reminder to take things slowly and carefully in the garden.

Fastest Selling

The Holistic Gardener is the fastest selling Irish Gardening book ever and can be bought either as hardback or Kindle. Fiann is currently co-presenting on RTE 1’s Dermot’s Secret Garden programme. Check out Fiann's blog theholisticgardener.com or send him a tweet @HolisticG especially if you have any more remedies, I can see a sequel coming on.

Shrub Care

Having a good sniff of the early flowering Deutzia X hybrida 'Mont Rose’

We have a lovely flowering Deutzia X hybrida 'Mont Rose’ shrub in the garden. It has a slightly aromatic scent and attracts load of bees. It’s a stunning, colourful start to our shrub collection year and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in flower. 

The reason for this is that I have been a bit enthusiastic with my pruning since moving into the house three years ago. I didn’t let the shrub grow as that it has a tendency to hang over the fence and go into the neighbour’s garden. I am also limited for space on the bed it grows in and leaving it untended means less room for vegetable’s to be planted. This year I decided just to let it grow and I am really pleased I did.  The blooms are amazing.  

So how can I make sure that the shrub flowers as well next year and why should we prune shrubs?

Why prune shrubs?

Shrubs create the structure in a garden so it's important to keep them in good condition with regular pruning.  Regular pruning, usually after flowering along with mulching and feeding will help the shrubs to look good. Regular pruning will also help to keep the shrub in its allocated space and not take over the garden.

How and where to cut

Use sharp tools and make clean cuts without leaving snags. Cut close to buds, but not into them, and always above which will stop rotting.

Pruning young shrubs

• Early pruning helps establish a shapely shrub with vigorous, balanced growth.
• Most evergreen shrubs do not need thinning or formative pruning. However all shrubs benefit from shortening any excessively long shoots and cutting out weak or damaged growth.
• Deciduous shrubs are more likely to need pruning into shape; this is known as ‘formative pruning’. Young shrubs often grow lots of shoots so you will have to thin them early on.
• ‘Correct lopsided growth by lightly pruning longer shoots and hard pruning weak stems.

Rejuvenating old shrubs

Shrubs such as forsythia and buddlea can soon accumulate masses of old, dead wood in the centre if they are not pruned regularly. The best way to rejuvenate these plants is to cut them back during the dormant season. First cut out dead, diseased and crossing stems, and then thin the number of remaining stems by half.

Shrubs that respond to severe pruning, such as ribes, philadelphus and my Deutzia specimen may be cut almost to ground level to re-establish a framework of new shoots. If the shrub is old and it's hard to predict a successful revival, take cuttings just in case.

Pruning shrubs in pots

A lot of us have shrubs in pots. Once a container shrub reaches maturity it is usually best repotted annually in spring, or every other year, using the same or similar sized container. If you find the plant is very pot-bound, this is a good time to lightly prune the roots. Prune about one-third of the thicker non-fibrous roots back to the intact rootball, but avoid damaging the fibrous feeder roots. Repot in fresh compost and finish by pruning the top growth by about one-third to balance the root loss.

Coppicing and pollarding shrubs

Shrubs grown for their colourful stems or foliage, such as dogwood, need to be cut down every spring to 4-5 buds to encourage new growth. This is known as coppicing. If you want to keep a framework of older stems, cut down one-third of the stems.

A similar technique is called ‘pollarding’ where stems are cut back to the same point a single stem or framework of stems. After pruning, feed and mulch the plant.

Pruning shrubs in autumn

After a summer's vigorous growth, it is a good idea to give your shrubs a light prune in the autumn to keep them in shape. Once deciduous shrubs lose their leaves, it is easy to see the plants' overall shape and decide what needs to be cut back.

Pruning my Deutzia

In a week or so the flowers will have gone. It will be then that I can cut the shrub back and cut out the old flowering stems. I have some mulch to go around the base to help feed and keep in the moisture.

As the shrub will be contained and reduced dramatically in size, I will be able to plant annual vegetable crops around and underneath it, so it’s a win –win situation. I didn’t get one complaint from the neighbour either.