Would You Read A Warning Label On Potting Compost?

 Legionnaires’ disease spores identified in some potting compost

I have always fancied the idea of living in an off-grid caravan in the middle of a field, a professional hermit if you like. The idea of living a solitary lifestyle tending to the garden without interruption and the trappings of modern living also seemed so appealing.

Until recently. 

I had what I like to call “A bit of a turn” just before Christmas and the thought of being anywhere but in a warm and dry home or even a hospital would have been a nightmare. 

I don’t really like talking about ailments but in this case and haven’t done sense I had my tonsils out when I was 7. I’ll make an exception here, so just pretend you’re in the supermarket queue and asked me how I am getting on.  

Initially I didn’t feel very well with a few cold symptoms so took myself to bed for a while. Which turned into ten days. After that time, I wasn’t feeling any better and I lost the ability to walk out of the bedroom unaided, so I had a feeling it was something more than a cold.  One ambulance journey to the hospital later it turned out I had pneumonia. I’d have never guessed I was in the vulnerable category but as I’m getting close to 60 maybe I am.

I had a week in my own quarantined room in the hospital as they did tests to see which strain of pneumonia I had, there are contagious and non-contagious types. It didn’t take me long to get institutionalised and I soon got used to the regular meals and around the clock attention from the wonderful staff. 

It turned out I had the non-contagious type (which didn’t surprise me as I don’t really come into contact with many people) so the facemasks came off and the doors were opened. This got me thinking, how did I get it if it wasn’t from someone breathing on me?

It’s pure speculation of course but I narrowed it down to two things that I did prior to having the “Turn” I was cleaning up old lamps with really fine wire wool the day before without a facemask and I was thinking some of the steel dust could have latched onto my lungs and caused an infection. The second theory- because that’s what this is, a theory- was that I opened an old bag of potting compost in the tunnel a few days before and maybe breathed in some of the fungal spores from the bag. 

There have been a few cases of people getting Legionnaires’ disease(L. longbeachae)a specific form of pneumonia which can be carried in water, especially water that’s warm such as in air conditioning, hot tubs, in soil, old potted plants and also in damp bags of unopened compost. 

The move away from peat based compost has given rise to a lot more varied products being used to bulk up the bags. The fungus is commonly found growing on dead leaves, compost piles and decaying vegetation and are all now being used in potting compost.  It’s generally harmless but can cause serious problems if too many spores get into the lungs. The spores could lead to allergic reactions, asthma attacks and hayfever-like symptoms

New Zealand and Australia have both a large gardening community and have historically used wood-based potting mix. In more recent years the UK and Ireland has moved away from peat-based mixes to wood-based ones to save peat lands. Along with this change, came an increase of disease from potting mixes. In North America, the commercial bags of potting media are still predominantly peat-based and research has seen fewer cases of the disease. The research doesn’t take products such as coir compost into consideration though as a peat substitute.

Warning Labels 

 A British study found that 4 of 22 brands of potting soil contained L. longbeachae. Some individuals who have suffered, either directly or indirectly are calling for warning labels to be put on products that could potentially cause the disease. 

Australia and New Zealand have had labelling regulations in place since 2003 and 2005 respectively. Labelling has not resulted in a decline of the disease and like me, most customers completely ignore the labels anyway.

There have been a few cases linking L. longbeachae to gardeners, so backed up with fact and some scaremongering it’s unclear which is which. It’s probably in our interest to take a few precautions with the bags of compost when opening. I’ll have a facemask handy now when I slice the bag open and then dampen it down with some water before mixing. I’ll also damp down the wire wool.

Apart from that, it’s business as usual and no more thoughts of a caravan in the wilderness.

Camellias

Camellias are in flower. Yay!  

For me there’s no better flower to signify the coming of spring, well apart from snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and pussy willows. We’ll have the Hawthorne hedgerows with us in no time.  Maybe I am getting a bit ahead of myself there but there are so many plants that are producing colour at this early time of year if we take a bit of time to look around. For now though it’s the camellia attracting my attention as there’s one I walk past every day.

Camellia

In temperate regions like ours, gardeners have embraced the camellia as a favourite hardy evergreen shrub. If space permits, they can be grown to full size but will also be happy in a small garden or even a container. 

The camellia is a long-lived shrub, so could be something that you choose to put in the ground for your grandchildren as you might plant a cedar or an oak. However, even as young plants camellias have huge appeal and will produce ravishing blooms on the smallest specimens. My mother in law had one that was just a twig in the ground but still had a bouquet of flowers on it.

Camellias suit today’s much smaller gardens. Their elegant glossy, evergreen leaves look good throughout the year. They are happy and will still bloom in shade: often a challenge in small gardens. In fact, early morning shade is important to prevent the sun’s rays from destroying frozen flowerbuds.

If you have acid soil and semi-shade they could grow in the open ground. No special treatment is required, just keep an eye on the watering so they don’t dry out in summer. Like most ericaceous subjects, camellias are light feeders and require only a light annual application of a lime free ericaceous fertiliser to keep them in peak condition.

Camellia Growing Tips

There are a few types to choose from. Camellia sasanqua flower during late autumn, through winter. Camellia japonica and Camellia × willamsii flower from early spring.

Grow in pots

If you don’t have suitable soil, try growing the plant in a large pot.

Pruning and training

Camellias don’t need to be pruned regularly but, if they outgrow the allotted space you can trim them into shape after flowering. Hard pruning is best carried out in March, but it will be a couple of years or more before they flower well again.

Deadheading

Deadhead your camellias when the flowers begin to fade.  This keeps the plant looking fresh as spent flowers will turn brown and can look unsightly. However, it doesn't significantly improve the flowering for the next spring, so it's something you can do if you have time.

Winter protection

If you are growing Camellia sasanqua in a container this will need some winter protection in most parts of the peninsula.  Likewise, if you are growing Camellia japonica and Camellia × willamsii cultivars they may need protection. Move the container nearer to the house or to a sheltered corner. Wrap camellias with horticultural fleece. Alternatively, move potted camellias into cold a greenhouse or cool conservatories in spells of freezing weather. The ones near me never get any protection and they have survived years, but they are planted into the ground and not a pot which will make all of the difference.

Propagating

You can propagate camellias from semi-ripe cuttings, hardwood cuttings, layering and grafting.

Take semi-ripe cuttings from mid to late summer; they often root better if slightly wounded by taking a 1.5cm (⅝in) strip of bark off the base of the cutting.

Take hardwood cuttings in the same way as semi-ripe cuttings, but between autumn and late winter. They can root in just three months.

Postcard Gardens at Bloom 2020

Bord Bia calls for entries to Bloom Postcard garden category

Bord Bia is calling on gardeners to submit entries for the popular Postcard garden category for Bloom 2020, which is set to return this June bank-holiday weekend from May 28 to June 1, in the Phoenix Park, Dublin 8.

Postcard gardens offer passionate amateur gardeners, garden clubs, community, and grow-it-yourself groups a chance to showcase their talents to over 115,000 visitors attending the event.

The Postcard gardens are small but perfectly formed 3-metre by 2-metre plots which can be used to represent a club, locality, special person, or character from a community. They have been popular in other garden shows recently too.

In 2019, schools, communities, day-care centres, and resource centres from around Ireland brought themes such as autism, mental-wellbeing, climate change, and children’s literature to life through flowers, planting, art, and woodwork.

Longford Town Guild, Irish Countrywomen’s Association received Best in Show for their Postcard garden, Fork to Fork, which demonstrated how we can turn the tide on unsustainable consumption by using the earth around us to feed ourselves.

If you have a group that could rise to the challenge you can get the application form from BloominthePark.com and the closing date to apply is Monday, March 2, 2020.