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2006-10-13T16:45:00.000+02:00

Controlling Tropical Spiderwort

Growers and gardeners in the South-east of the United States are facing a fast-spreading weed called Tropical Spiderwort, Commelina benghalensis. It is also known as Benghal Dayflower. This native of Africa and south Asia was first observed in Florida in 1928. It advanced into Georgia, but was not considered a troublesome weed until 1999.

The main reason Tropical Spiderwort has become a serious weed has to do with recent changes in commercial cropping systems. The biggest of these is the widespread use of Round-up-ready crops. This technology helps growers to better manage weeds, but Commelina has a natural tolerance to glyphosate - the active ingredient in the herbicide Round-up, so it is adapted to that change. It also tolerates other common herbicides.

The impact of Tropical Spiderwort has recently moved beyond open field crops. In autumn 2005, container ornamentals contaminated with the weed were discovered in retail outlets in North Carolina. The plants had been shipped from a South Carolina nursery. Tropical Spiderwort is on the Federal Noxious Weed List, meaning that movement across state boundaries is prohibited. Halting further spread of this weed is crucial in minimizing control costs throughout the region.

So how do you spot tropical spiderwort? "The easiest way to identify it is by the presence of underground flowers," says Agricultural Research Service scientists "Of the 250,000 species of flowering plants, only 36 have underground flowers. Tropical Spiderwort is the only known day-flowering species in the United States with underground blossoms."

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2006-10-12T16:43:00.000+02:00

Investigating Compost Teas.

Compost teas are the up and coming thing amongst organic gardeners. These teas are made from compost "brewed" for at least twenty-four hours with all-natural ingredients that boost the growth of beneficial microbes living in the compost. It is believed that compost teas may prove helpful in protecting ornamental plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, viburnums and oak saplings from what's known as Ramorum Blight, also called Ramorum Die-back or Sudden Oak Death. The pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, which causes these diseases, has been found in at least 20 states in the United States in commercial plant nurseries and more than one-half million otherwise-ready-to-sell plants have had to be destroyed.

Some organic growers and home gardeners already apply compost teas by either spraying them on foliage or drenching plant roots, and although reputed to enhance plant growth and fend off disease, compost teas have not yet been widely investigated by scientists. So the United States Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory and co-investigators are studying compost teas as one of several materials that might provide an effective, affordable, bio-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides for controlling P. ramorum.

In a preliminary experiment at the Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, researchers treated rhododendron leaves indoors with a helpful bacterium, Paenibacillus polymyxa, taken from compost. The researchers then inoculated the leaves with the ramorum organism. The scientists found that P. polymyxa did not protect the foliage, but they plan to test it again, as well as other potentially protective microbes, using slightly different procedures.

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2006-10-11T17:34:00.000+02:00

New US Import Restrictions for Ornamental Fish
Check new importation restrictions
Live fish of most species may be imported into the United States without import requirements from USDA. However, eight species of fish that are susceptible to the disease Spring Viremia of Carp (SVC) have recently come under USDA oversight. These species are: Common Carp, including Koi, Cyprinus carpio; Goldfish, Carassius auratus; Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus; Silver Carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix; Bighead Carp, Aristichthys nobilis; Crucian Carp, Carassius carassius; Tench, Tinca tinca, and Sheatfish, Silurus glanis.

New regulations have been developed for the importation of live fish and their gametes (eggs and milt) from these species. The regulations pertain to commercial shipments and to fish brought in to the US as personal baggage. Live fish of these species may continue to be imported, provided they are accompanied by a USDA import permit and a veterinary health certificate issued by a full-time veterinary officer or Competent Authority of the National Government of the exporting country.

Importers must now use new identifying Harmonized Tariff Structure import codes assigned by the International Trade Commission for these species on shipping manifests and invoices. The new rules were set to become effective 29th September 2006, but the USDA have extended the period for compliance to 30th October. For further information click here.

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2006-10-10T17:37:00.000+02:00

New Insecticidal Compound

A newly introduced class of insecticidal compounds developed by the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and co-operators offers safe and effective alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides. The active ingredients are based on sugar esters that are natural chemicals secreted by wild tobacco plants and Vincetoxicum vines to protect themselves against insect predators. When certain insects rub up against and chew on the plants' leaf hairs, the insects become contaminated with the compound and die.

ARS entomologist Gary J. Puterka, working with US industry co-operators, developed synthetic analogs, or look-alikes, of the natural sugar esters. He and colleagues then screened various synthetic sugar esters to find the most potent among them. Gary Puterka identified several of the new chemical forms that kill test insects instantly, and has been named a co-inventor on two patents that define the chemical structures of the compounds, as well as an environmentally sound processes for their manufacture.

One of the compounds, sorbitol octanoate, has proved less costly to produce than earlier forms patented, and is now undergoing the process of registration with the US. Environment Protection Agency. The analogs kill by breaking down the insect pests' outer waxy coating. The insects then lose water and die from dehydration. The new class of compounds is unique among insecticides because their active ingredients do not leave a detrimental residue on surfaces to which they are applied. What is left over after application becomes inactive upon drying and rapidly degrades. The latest synthetic sugar esters, if licensed, could be a boon to the home and garden market, according to the ARS.

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2006-10-09T12:34:00.000+02:00

New Peach Cultivars

Peach 'Gulfking'
Two recently introduced peach cultivars developed by the United States South-eastern Fruit and Nut Research Laboratory, the University of Georgia and University of Florida, will shortly be available to home gardeners. The cultivars, ‘Gulfking’ and ‘Gulfcrest’, were made available to commercial growers in 2003. Both cultivars are known as "non-melting" peaches. That is they resist bruising and remain firm longer while ripening on the tree.

In the United States ‘Gulfking’ typically ripens in early May. When ripe, its skin is mostly red on a deep yellow to orange background. The flesh is firm and sweet and does not turn brown readily when bruised or cut. ‘Gulfcrest’ ripens from early to mid-May, extending the harvest period. The fruit is medium to large and also has a mostly red skin on a deep yellow to orange background. The flesh is firm, with good sweetness, and contains some red flecks in the outer flesh on the sun-exposed side of the fruit. As with ‘Gulfking’, this peach does not brown readily when bruised or cut.

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2006-10-06T12:34:00.000+02:00

Mediterranean Fruit Fly Control

Mediterranean Fruit Fly
A product developed by the United States Agricultural Research Service and Suterra LLC is helping to keep the Mediterranean Fruit Fly out of the United States and giving other countries an effective, environmentally friendly control method. The product, BioLure 3-Component Fruit Fly Lure, is being commercialised by Suterra, which holds the exclusive license for the ARS patents. Suterra is marketing it in the United States, Spain, South Africa, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. Growers and government agencies in these countries are now using BioLure 3-Component Fruit Fly Lure as an effective tool to monitor for the presence of the flies as well as reducing their populations by mass trapping.

Each year in Spain, for example, mass trapping is done on thousands of hectares of citrus groves using BioLure 3-Component Fruit Fly Lure. Spanish plant health agencies have found mass-trapping with the lure is as effective as insecticides at controlling fruit fly damage without leaving pesticide residues on fruit or harming beneficial insects. The product is a combination of three compounds: ammonium acetate, putrescine and trimethylamine. It captures more Mediterranean Fruit Flies and fewer non-target insects, is more consistent between batches and lasts four to eight times as long, as protein baits. It also attracts mostly female flies, which is important in areas where sterile male insect control programmes are being used.

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2006-10-05T10:07:00.000+02:00

Tracking and Controlling Mealybugs

The Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (PHM), Maconellicoccus hirsutus, is a devastating pest from south-east Asia, which originated in the United States from the Caribbean. It also has a strong foothold in Central America as well. This insect pest can destroy more than two hundred plant species by injecting them with toxic saliva while sucking their sap. The exotic insect pest recently invaded California and Florida, and has proved to be very difficult to monitor. However, United States Agricultural Research Services scientists have now found a way to lure male mealybugs, making them easier to detect. A team of researchers led by chemist Aijun Zhang at the Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory, in Beltsville, Maryland, has discovered two compounds that together make up the female PHM's sex pheromone. The compounds provide a timely method with which to monitor and ultimately reduce infestations.

The scientists carefully reared thousands of PHMs, using an insect growth regulator that prevents the development of males. Then they painstakingly isolated more than 6,000 virgin females from which they collected pheromone chemicals.After pooling seven collections of airborne sex-chemical extracts from the females, the scientists exposed them to male mealybugs' antennae, which consistently responded to two attractant compounds. The previously unknown natural chemicals were found to be (R)-lavandulyl (S)-2-methylbutanoate and (R)-maconelliyl (S)-2-methylbutanoate.
The researchers then prepared a synthetic version of the pheromone and further demonstrated that the processed mixture was immensely attractive to PHM males. They found the most potency when they mixed one part of the first compound with five parts of the second.

"In many cases, just a few micrograms of the one-to-five blend placed in a single sticky trap captured thousands of males," says Zhang. This blend is effective for monitoring the mealybug's population densities and geographical distribution to help scientists determine where to release natural enemies. "Pheromones decompose relatively quickly, without leaving a harmful residue or damage to the environment," says Zhang. Chemical insecticides, however, break down at a very slow rate, so they tend to linger in soil for decades, which can add to pollution. So biological control methods - where natural predators and parasitoids are used against horticultural pests - are more desirable.

Officials with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, in Riverdale, Maryland, have introduced two exotic wasps to control PHM infestations in the United States and Caribbean. But their efforts had been stalled by an inability to detect the mealybug's presence and prevalence. Now, APHIS officials are using the new pheromone blend as a sex lure to survey the degree of mealybug pest infestations in Florida and California and to track the effectiveness of biological control efforts against the pest.

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2006-10-04T09:57:00.000+02:00

Moth Control of Climbing Fern Weed Launched

The predator moth
Scientists with the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and officials from the State of Florida have released moths of the species Austromusotima camptonozale, the first biological control agent approved for release against the invasive climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum. This aggressive scrambling weed has spread across south and central Florida, scaling the stems or trunks of other plants to form thick vegetative blankets. On the ground, it creates tough, spongy mats that smother grasses, low-growing shrubs and small trees.

"Land managers consider this fern to be the state's worst invasive species, so we hope the moth will begin to offer much-needed relief," said ARS entomologist Robert Pemberton of the Invasive Plant Research at Fort Lauderdale. He leads the international research effort to develop biological controls for the weed. Climbing fern is native to the Old World tropics including Australia, Africa, tropical Asia and the Pacific Islands but does not cause problems in those areas, probably because natural enemies help keep it in check. Searching for natural enemies of the fern in its native habitat, scientists at the Australian Biological Control Laboratory, Indooroopilly, Queensland, identified several promising candidates, including A.camptonozale. Then they tested these bio-control candidates to make sure they would only feed on the fern and not on other, non-target plants.

The moth measures little more than a centimetre from wing-tip to wing-tip and is bright-white, with spots and stripes on its wings. The larvae of the moth feed on climbing fern's leaves, damaging the vines. The Indooroopilly scientists shipped a supply of moths to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's biological control quarantine facility in Gainesville for three years of testing. Herbicides have been the major weapon against climbing fern, but the weed thrives in remote wetland areas that are difficult to treat A.camptonozale and other bio-control organisms may provide an effective and more environmentally friendly alternative to the use of herbicides in wetlands.

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2006-10-03T07:05:00.000+02:00

Understanding Red Vine Tendrils

Brunnichia ovata
Researchers in the United States have discovered the mechanisms a problematic weed uses to over-run and secure itself to crops and fences or other structures. Red Vine, Brunnichia ovata, is a perennial woody vine that regenerates new growth from woody rootstocks and climbs by its tendrils. It is a big problem for crops, especially soyabeans, in the Mississippi Delta, and also for gardeners when it spreads to the flower bed or vegetable plot. The vines’ extensive deep roots allow them to survive environmental extremes. Herbicides alone cannot provide complete control of the vines, so additional management tactics are needed.

Tendrils are organs used by some vines to help them climb, but little has been known about how they develop or support the vine. At the Southern Weed Science Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi, Christopher G. Meloche, a postdoctoral scientist, discovered two unique aspects of Red Vine tendrils: A compound that sticks the tendril to objects and a unique fibre cell that is involved in both coiling and final stiffening of the tendril. Red Vine tendrils begin growing out of the shoot straight, thin, and flexible. Meloche discovered that when the vine encounters something to climb, epidermal cells along the length of the tendril expand in response to touch by elongating in the direction of the stimulus. The tendrils as a whole respond by coiling around the object for support. Cells enriched with phenols break apart as the tendrils rub against the object. Then the phenols react with an enzyme, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), to produce a sticky cement that the tendrils use to adhere to the surface the vine is climbing.

This is the first time PPO has been implicated in generating an adhesive in a climbing plant. At the same time, it was discovered that a gelatinous fibre which has only been previously found in trees, is also at work in Red Vine. It was determined that the weed’s tendrils produce fibre cells enriched in lignin to radically increase the tendrils’ strength. Then the cells die, which leads to a dry, rigid coil structure that securely anchors the vine to the support. Photo: USDA

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2006-10-02T18:13:00.000+02:00

New Apricot Released

Apricot 'Kettleman'
A new apricot known as ‘Kettleman’ has been launched for commercial growers and hobby gardeners. It is the latest addition to the cultivars produced regularly by the specialists at the United States Agricultural Research Services’ San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, California, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles.What makes ‘Kettleman’ apricots so special is their attractive deep-orange skin, pleasing taste, smooth texture and alluring aroma. Also, they ripen early: ‘Kettleman’ is ready to harvest in California from about 15th-25th May.

In 1992, ARS research geneticist Craig A. Ledbetter at Parlier selected ‘Kettleman’ - then known only by its breeding number, 883001 - as a front-runner among other promising apricot seedlings. He evaluated more than 1,000 ‘Kettleman’ trees and their fruit before deciding to make this new cultivar available to breeders, researchers and fruit growers. Ledbetter named the fruit for the small city of Kettleman, California, near which trial trees were planted. Kettleman lies in the San Joaquin Valley, about half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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2006-09-29T08:25:00.000+02:00

Glyphosate Resistant Weeds?

Horseweed - Conyza canadensis
Two rapid, non-destructive tests have been developed by the United States Agricultural Research Service to test the effectiveness of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Round-up) on weeds that it is suspected are developing a resistance to the herbicide. In 2000, Horseweed, Conyza canadensis, became the first weed species to develop resistance to glyphosate in cropland where glyphosate-resistant soyabeans were grown. Glyphosate-resistant biotypes of Horseweed have now been confirmed in 13 states east of the Mississippi River. Glyphosate is effective at killing all plant types including grasses, broad-leafed weeds and sedges, as well as perennial and woody plants. After emergence, glyphosate-resistant crops are capable of tolerating multiple applications of the herbicide, while weeds are killed. However, repeated use over many years has left several weed species resistant to glyphosate. The two tests can be used together.

One method, which involves dipping a whole leaf into a glyphosate-based mixture and looking for signs of injury, is quick and easy to perform. To achieve double confirmation of the weed's status, a second assay can be used. This method takes advantage of glyphosate's mode of action, which involves inhibiting amino acid metabolism in what is known as the shikimic acid pathway. Leaf tissue samples are removed, and amino acid levels are measured with specialised laboratory equipment. If glyphosate resistance is confirmed, the tests should help reduce the spread of resistant Horseweed populations because growers will use different herbicides to manage the resistant weeds. While this research is directed at commercial growers, it is very relevant to home gardeners as weeds do not respect field or garden boundaries.

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2006-09-28T12:16:00.000+02:00

Another Fire Blight Resistant Pear

Pear 'Shenandoah'
‘Shenandoah’ is the third fire blight-resistant pear cultivar to be developed by US Agricultural Research Service horticulturist Richard Bell. Fire Blight is a devastating pear disease caused by a bacterium, Erwinia amylovora, and is native to North America. It greatly limits pear production in eastern and mid-western states, so growers in California, Oregon and Washington produce most of the pears harvested in the United States. ‘Shenandoah’ can be grown in all production regions, but it is thought will be especially useful in areas where fire blight is prevalent. In the Eastern United States, pears mature and are harvested from early August through early October. ‘Shenandoah’ matures in September, about four weeks after the widely grown 'Bartlett' cultivar. The new pear can be stored for up to four months in cold air storage.

Richard Bell and colleagues at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, West Virginia, began developing the original seedling of ‘Shenandoah’ more than two decades ago. As pear trees have a long juvenile period, they do not produce enough fruit for evaluation until they are five to eight years old. The researchers then spent an additional eight years studying how long the ‘Shenandoah’ pear tree takes to bear a crop, the quality of the crop's yield and its consistency from one year to the next. This cultivar is only available in limited numbers to home gardeners in North America at present.

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2006-09-27T12:47:00.000+02:00

Lycoris Research Review

Lycoris specialist Mark Roh
For more than 20 years United States Agricultural Research Services horticulturist Mark Roh has been intrigued by the origins and habitats of the exotic and beautiful Lycoris. Although various Lycoris species have been grown as ornamentals in China, Korea, and Japan for many centuries, only two species are readily available in the West: L. squamigera and L. radiata. They, and the rarer L. incarnata, L. chejuensis, and L. flavescens, are maintained at the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA), in Washington, D.C., and in Beltsville, Maryland.

In 1984, Roh collected several unidentified Lycoris species from Anduck Valley, on Korea’s Jeju Island. This sub-tropical area hosts about 4,000 species of plants. Then in 1998, more Lycoris species were collected in Japan, Korea, and China. DNA molecular markers and chromosome studies proved that some of the unidentified Lycoris collected from Anduck Valley were L. incarnata, a species previously known to be native only to China. It is possible that this accession was brought from China to Korea by bulb collectors, but no record of that can be found.

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2006-09-26T16:40:00.000+02:00

Potato ‘Defender’ Beats Late Blight

Potato 'Defender'
‘Defender’ is a recently released potato cultivar, that while being bred specifically for the commercial grower, could become a big name both in the vegetable garden and kitchen. This potato has held the attention of United States Agricultural Services potato breeders and their university colleagues for more than a decade. These scientists were making sure, in both outdoor and laboratory tests, that this promising potato would not only be ideal for processing into perfect fries, but also would resist attack by Phytophthora infestans, the organism that causes Late Blight, one of the worst diseases of potatoes world-wide.

Scientists scrutinised the potato's performance in fields in California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington and elsewhere. French-fry processors also evaluated the potato. It was eventually released under the name ‘Defender’. Today this cultivar remains the only commercial potato in the United States to produce leaves and tubers that usually survive Late Blight. The natural resistance of ‘Defender’ potato plants allows growers and gardeners to use either no pesticides, or reduced amounts, to control Late Blight. In turn, this characteristic makes the cultivar ideal for both conventional and organic cultivation. ‘Defender’ produces high yields of long, white-skin potatoes.

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2006-09-25T13:01:00.000+02:00

Lingonberry Research

Vaccinium vitis-idaea
The Lingonberry*, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, is one of the lesser-known fruit crops being studied by United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who hope to make these fruits more popular with consumers and gardeners. At the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, the research team are studying what are called "minor crops", that is fruits that may be popular in other countries, to see if they can successfully grow them in the United States. Another example is the edible-fruited honeysuckle, which looks somewhat like a blueberry and has its own unique flavour, very different from the more popular ornamental honeysuckles with orange or red fruits.

There are more than 600 minor crops in the United States. While any crop that is grown on fewer than 300,000 acres nationally is considered a minor crop, many of the crops studied in Corvallis are grown on only a few hundred acres. In some cases, such as with kiwifruit, the fruit may start off as a minor crop but eventually become a market staple. The scientists also are studying hardy kiwifruit, which is related to the fuzzy kiwifruit found in supermarket produce sections. The hardy kiwifruit has a smooth skin and is the size of a large grape, but has green flesh and black seeds similar to the traditional kiwi.

*GardenMessenger is ahead of the researchers, its cultivation under the Scottish name Mountain Cranberry is described in the Fruit Growing Guides on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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2006-09-22T07:31:00.000+02:00

Fighting Fire Blight

Fire Blight on Apples
The fight is on against Erwinia amylovora, the bacterium responsible for Fire Blight, a costly disease of apples, pears and other tree fruit, as well as many berried ornamentals. Until now there has been no satisfactory control, especially for the home gardener. However, the future looks bright with the introduction to commercial fruit growing of a new bio-friendly treatment. United States Agricultural Research Services plant pathologist Larry Pusey and colleagues are calling on Pantoea agglomerans strain E325 for help. The blossom-dwelling bacterium naturally competes with Fire Blight for space and nutrients that both need to survive. Unlike its rival, E325 does not cause disease, Larry Pusey has shown that spraying E325 onto blossoms enables the bacterium to crowd out its Fire Blight rival so the disease is less able to cause harm.

E325 is a "top pick" from more than a thousand bacteria and yeasts that Pusey examined for bio-control potential using a screening method that involves growing the microbes on detached crab apple blossoms. In 1999, soon after ARS patented E325, Northwest Agricultural Products, Inc. of Pasco, Washington, entered into a co-operative research and development agreement with ARS to work with Mr Pusey's laboratory in commercially developing the Fire Blight-fighting strain. Under the agreement, the laboratory helped NAP evaluate a fermentation medium to mass-produce E325 and formulate it for use. It also furnished NAP with secondary strains of E325 that can survive being used with antibiotics. Orchard trials between 2002 to 2004 identified effective application rates. Results showed that E325 was 10 to 100 times better at suppressing the Fire Blight bacterium than other earlier-reported bio-control agents, including Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A506. The product is being registered for use on apples and pears under the name Bloomtime Biological FD. Initially it will only be available to commercial growers, but it is inconceivable that it will not eventually come to the hobby gardener market.

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2006-09-21T08:59:00.000+02:00

Edible Ornamental Peppers Research Review

Is it possible to have peppers that are both good decorative plants, yet produce good quality fruits for the table? Yes, you can. At least, that’s the opinion of two Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticists. Since 1991, John Stommel, of the ARS Vegetable Laboratory, and Robert Griesbach, of the ARS Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, both in Beltsville, Maryland, have bred peppers to please both the eye and the palate. These peppers have been developed through a co-operative research and development agreement with PanAmerican Seed Company and McCorkle Nurseries, Inc.

The eye-catching 'Black Pearl', released in 2005 and honoured as a 2006 All-America Selections (AAS) winner, attests to their success in developing new cultivars with both aesthetic and culinary appeal. The award recognises new flower and vegetable cultivars that demonstrate "superior garden performance" in trials conducted throughout the country.

'Black Pearl' is a robust plant, adaptable to environments from New England to California, Stommel says. In addition, it resists attacks from many insects and fungi and is remarkably drought-tolerant. The pepper is now on display at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. With moderately shiny, black leaves and glossy fruits that ripen from black to red, 'Black Pearl' offers a temptation few pepper enthusiasts could resist—and the AAS judges aren’t the only people who think so. Since its release, more than 2 million seeds have been sold.

'Black Pearl' has company. Stommel and Griesbach look forward to releasing several new pepper cultivars in the future, including one with spreading black foliage and colourful upright peppers with a spicy flavour. Another is exceptionally tall-growing as high as 90cm (3ft). A third, which produces fruit around Halloween, has black foliage and orange, pumpkin-shaped fruit.

Breeding these culinary ornamental peppers has been a cross-laboratory effort. How did the breeders do it? The first step is to isolate individual traits and select the ones they want, Stommel says. Within the Capsicum genus, there is great variety of qualities such as the size, shape, and colour of leaves and fruits. Griesbach compares the process of pepper breeding to assembling a Mr. Potato Head doll. By selecting specific characteristics, breeders can make desirable combinations. Any new combination will create a novel pepper. "Only your imagination is limiting," he says.

Breeding a new cultivar takes ten to fifteen years and involves making crosses and submitting the resulting plants to rigorous tests. But creating tasty and attractive plants isn’t the only benefit of the ornamental pepper breeding program. This work also has applications for many plant genetics studies.

These peppers are not the first plants to come out of the Vegetable Laboratory with both aesthetic and culinary appeal. Earlier research produced tomatoes rich in the carotenoids lycopene and beta-carotene, red and orange pigments that give tomatoes their characteristic colour. Lycopene and beta-carotene are antioxidants and have been linked to health-promoting benefits, so increasing tomatoes’ carotenoid content improves not only their colour, but also their nutritional value.

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2006-09-20T09:37:00.000+02:00

All America Seed Selections Winners 2007

Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Pink Morn’
The winners of the All America Seed Selections for 2007 have been announced.

Vinca ‘Pacifica Burgundy Halo’
This is a beautiful Vinca with blossoms that are burgundy with distinctive white centres. It is very free-flowering and attains a height of around 30cm (12in). It is an excellent bedding plant for a sunny spot and is also excellent for container cultivation.

Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Pink Morn’
A trailing Petunia hybrid with iridescent pink blossoms that fade to cream-coloured white centres with yellow throats. It is very free-flowering, but has little requirement for trimming or deadheading. It is 10-15cm (4-6in) tall and is ideal for either bedding or container cultivation.

Celosia ‘Fresh Look Gold’
An excellent plant for either formal or informal bedding or container cultivation, which produces distinctive bright golden yellow flower spikes throughout the summer. It grows up to 30cm (12in) tall and benefits from a warm sunny position.

Capsicum ‘Holy Molé’
This is the type of pepper that is used to make molé sauce that is used in Mexican cuisine. The fruits are dark green, up to 24cm (10in) long and have a tangy and nutty flavour. If left to ripen completely they turn dark brown. ‘Holy Molé’ requires a hot sunny position outdoors or greenhouse cultivation in cool districts. It will grow up to 90cm (36in) tall.

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Philip

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2006-09-19T09:44:00.000+02:00

GLEE New Products - The Award Winners

Eco Decking Tiles
The international Garden and Leisure Exhibition product awards, held in the UK, have just been announced. A team of fifteen expert judges from the garden, pet and leisure industries studied more than two hundred and eighty GLEE New Product entries in fourteen categories. The products were rated for innovation, design and originality; how well products met the gardener’s needs; and any unique features or technologies setting the product apart from competitors. They were also judged for quality, fitness for purpose, environmental impact and value for money. The following are two of those that are particularly relevant to home gardeners.

Landscaping - Eco Decking Tiles by Eco Deck UK
Judges' Comment: "At the price offered - around £60 per square metre - it was well packaged for both the customer and professional, and very easy to clip together."

Nursery - Marvellous Mushrooms by Mr Fothergill's Seeds
Judges' Comment: "It's an exciting product for all ages, from the very youngest to the oldest customer. The mushrooms are grown on recycled products such as logs, straw and old newspapers. You don't even need a garden to grow these mushrooms."

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2006-09-18T09:26:00.000+02:00

All-America Rose Selections Announces 2006 Competition Winners

Lacy Park Rose Garden
All-America Rose Selections has announced the winning gardens for the 2006 "Designing with Roses" Competition. Judges from Better Homes & Gardens, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the American Society of Landscape Architects, Weeks Roses and Jackson & Perkins considered submissions from across the United States for this inaugural competition. Professionals and students submitted a variety of types of gardens including large public gardens, restoration projects, memorial gardens, university grounds and private homes. The judges selected the designs that best demonstrated excellent landscape design execution and incorporation of rose plants into the site design.

What Was Old is New Again: Restored 1920s Garden Wins Professional Category

The panel of judges awarded first place in the professional category to the Lacy Park Rose Garden Restoration project by Steven Ormenyi & Associates, in the City of San Marino in the greater Los Angeles area. AARS will award Steven Ormenyi with an all expenses-paid trip to Pasadena, California to see the annual Rose Parade at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in January 2007.

The Lacy Park Rose Garden, originally designed in 1929, is a beautiful public park with large open spaces and a diverse mix of plants. Following a gradual decline, the Lacy Park landscape committee hired Mr. Ormenyi in 2002 to restore the rose garden to its grand stature. Completed in 2003, the current Lacy Park Rose Garden features a wonderful mix of modern, disease-resistant and fragrant roses including AARS Winners ‘Fourth of July’, ‘Mister Lincoln’, ‘Scentimental’ and ‘Perfume Delight’. The updated palette of colours was selected for optimal viewing and enjoyment at dawn and dusk, while the overall layout of the garden stayed true to its historical roots.

Professional Category Winners:
First Place: Lacy Park Rose Garden Restoration, San Marino, Calif.
Steven A. Ormenyi & Associates

Second Place: September 11th Memorial Rose Garden, Private Estate, Huntington Bay, NY
Michael Spitzer

Third Place: Jasper Crane Rose Garden, Brandywine Park, Wilmington, Del.
Andrew Durham

Kansas State Dominates Student Category
Designed by three students from Kansas State University, the KSU Gardens "Secret Garden" design took top honours in the student category, and the team will receive the $1,000 first place prize.

KSU students Lynda Armstrong, Aarthi Padmanabhan and Hilary Kemper created a special space for the university’s garden that would combine beautiful roses with garden nooks and a quiet retreat for students and visitors. Their design highlights the university’s garden education and learning laboratory by providing visitors with information on growing roses and ideas for incorporating roses into their private gardens. The competition did not require student entries to be built.

Student Category Winners:
First Place: Kansas State University Gardens, Secret Garden, Manhattan, Kan.
Lynda Armstrong, Aarthi Padmanabhan and Hilary Kemper

Second Place: Kansas State University Gardens, Conservatory Garden, Manhattan, Kan.
Timothy Merklein

Third Place: Delaware Valley College, Rose Garden at Schmieder Arboretum,
Doylestown, Penn.
William Rein

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2006-09-15T18:34:00.000+02:00

Plant of the Month September - Aster

Aster 'Purple Dome'
Perennial asters are named as the Dutch nursery industry’s plant of the Month for September. They are amongst the most spectacular of the autumn-blooming perennials, are easy to grow and do well in average soils. While most need full sun; others will do well in partial shade or even full shade. Asters are available in blues, purples, a variety of pinks, as well as white. All asters are yellow in the centre of the flower and have a daisy-like in appearance. They are available in a wide variety of sizes and growth habits, with some less than 30cm (12in) tall while others are 60cm (24in) or more. All are suitable for cutting.

Asters are easily grown from division. Plants do best if divided every two to three years. Simply dig out half to two thirds of the plants, leaving the remainder in place. Then separate the portion you removed into two sections and plant in another location. Once asters are established, they should grow well for years. The soil should be moist, but not wet. They will withstand dry periods. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week to keep growth vibrant. Add mulch around the plants to help conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

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2006-09-14T09:01:00.000+02:00

Plantarium 2006 Press Award for Sedum ‘Postman’s Pride’

Sedum ‘Postman’s Pride’
Sedum ‘Postman’s Pride’ was announced as the winner of the Plantarium 2006 Press Award at the recent international horticultural exhibition in The Netherlands. The plant was shown by Gebr. Jonkers Elshout BV of Elshout, The Netherlands. The international jury of horticultural trade journalists said that Sedum ‘Postman’s Pride’ catches the eye because of the beautiful dark colour of both leaf and flower and the fact that it is attractive all year round. This compact plant will look excellent in the garden and on a balcony or terrace. According to the jury another advantage of ‘Postman’s Pride’is that it requires little water and is easy to maintain.
Photo: Plantarium

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2006-09-13T08:24:00.000+02:00

Plantarium 2006 Best Novelty

Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’
Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ was voted as the Best Novelty at Plantarium 2006 in The Netherlands. With its extremely dark leaf colour, this plant from French entrant André Briant Jeunes Plants from St. Barthélémy d’Anjou was deemed to be a fine addition to the small Albizia range.

In addition to ‘Summer Chocolate’ there was also a gold medal for Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Zorro’, entered by André van Zoest B.V. from Reeuwijk, The Netherlands.

Sixteen plants won silver and twenty-one plants won bronze medals. The committee of inspection inspected a total of seventy novelties. Photo: Plantarium

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2006-09-12T20:11:00.000+02:00

UK National Amateur Gardening Show

Quality pumpkins at the show
Bad weather failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands of determined show-goers who turned out in force for the National Amateur Gardening Show at the Bath and West Showground in south-west England. Over 33,000 people enjoyed a record total of twenty-one spectacular garden displays, a feast of flowers, fruit and vegetables, the biggest dahlia show in the world, top gardening experts, a world record breaking cucumber and the finest display of pumpkins ever seen in this country.

Show judges praised the quality and high standards of the multitude of produce on display, including the magnificent Floral Marquee’s fifty exhibits, and the spectacular Floral Art displays – many of them brought to the show by the talented members of the National Association of Floral Arrangement Societies who made a welcome return. The Showering Pavilion was also bursting with colour and blooms as the National Dahlia Society, celebrating its 125th anniversary, staged its annual show which attracted growers from as far away as Scotland and France, and inspired many new members to join up.

Ray Davey, giant vegetable co-ordinator and steward of the Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Marquee, said that entries were well up, standards were excellent all round and the giant pumpkins on display were the finest ever seen in the whole country. The poor growing conditions this year meant that for once there was only one world record broken at the show – that was for the longest cucumber, measuring just over 35inches (90cm) and grown by a delighted 90 year old Mr Alf Cobb, from Nottinghamshire.

Craig Glenday, editor of Guinness World Records, made a surprise visit to the Show to hand over a special certificate for Mr Cobb. Meanwhile 23 year old Mark Baggs’ mighty pumpkin from Dorset weighed in at 314 kilos. At six weeks old and therefore still only a baby, the pumpkin was pronounced the biggest ever seen in the show’s history. Photo: AG

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2006-09-11T19:56:00.000+02:00

2006 Plantarium Introductions

Polygala myrtifolia oppositifolia ‘Polylab’
Plantarium is one of the major trade horticultural exhibitions in the world. It takes place towards the end of August every year in the heart of the horticultural production district of The Netherlands. While horticultural machinery and sundries are important, it is the plant exhibits that are the great attraction. These comprise completely new cultivars as well as new introductions that may have been around in North America, Asia or Australasia for a short time. Prior to the exhibition, this blog and the New Plants pages of the GardenMessenger web-site showcased a few of the new introductions as information became available. The remaining plants that were exhibited and received recognition from the horticultural profession can be reviewd on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

Amongst the plants reviewed is:-

Polygala myrtifolia oppositifolia ‘Polylab’
‘Polylab’is a crawling, semi-upright shrub with oval-round foliage that resembles eucalyptus leaves. The plant is frost-hardy and flowers from late spring until early autumn. The flowers are purple-pink.‘Polylab’ was originally known as ‘Bibi’.
Photo: Plantarium

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2006-09-08T11:09:00.000+02:00

New Beans Resist White Mould

Scientists are beating White Mould
Two new pinto bean germplasm lines, known as USPT-WM-1 and USPT-WM-2, have been developed for breeding cultivars of beans that will resist White Mould. The disease is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and affects dry edible beans, especially in North America. Under favourable conditions, the fungus’ mushroom stage will eject millions of infectious spores into the air, infecting nearby bean plants or travelling on the wind to wreak havoc elsewhere. Infected plants typically sport white, cottony tufts on their stems, leaves and pods. Severe outbreaks can reduce both the yield and the quality of the seed.

The new pinto lines owe their resistance to such assaults to crosses made between ‘Aztec’, a semi-upright pinto bean, and ND88-106-4, an upright navy bean breeding line. Besides White Mould resistance, the new pintos offer high yields. However, they have fallen prey to race 53 of Bean Rust and were mildly susceptible to Beet Curly Top Virus. So it seems we cannot have everything.
Photo :USDA

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2006-09-07T16:23:00.000+02:00

A Natural Plant Anti-freeze
Untreated and Treated Solanum
Yesterday, at the international Four Oaks trade exhibition near Manchester in England, a little known company called Cropaid won the show’s prestigious Technical Excellence Award for an innovative new natural anti-freeze product. Called Cropaid NPA it is produced using a subspecies of Thiobacillus bacteria and minerals in a formula, which the company claims is both natural and safe for the environment. Cropaid NPA offers several benefits to plants. It is freeze resistant and lowers the freezing point so it helps to increase the plants’ resistance to cold injuries.

During the growing season, applying the correct dosage at the right time will encourage the plants to produce anti-freeze proteins and anti-freeze amino acids which will increase resistance to cold and frost injuries. Cropaid NPA is formulated to be absorbed by both the leaves and roots of plants. Within a short period of time, plants will respond by increasing their metabolic rate, resulting in an increase of their content of anti-freeze amino acids and proteins, sugars, oils, vitamins, and minerals. However, the company warns that the product will not enable plants to grow outside of their normal habitats and will only temporarily assist plants for up to fifteen days after application.

The product has undergone vigorous commercial trials under the auspices of the UK’s Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) and come out with flying colours. The product would seem to be the perfect solution for protecting plants at critical times, especially during the spring in temperate districts, when late frosts and cold spells can be so damaging.
Photo: Cropaid

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2006-09-06T18:07:00.000+02:00

Controlling "Dog Strangling" Vines

Vincetoxicum rossicum
Two invasive and destructive plants, first introduced to North America as garden plants, and known as "Dog Strangling" vines, are spreading uncontrolled through large areas of New York, New England and Ontario, prompting Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Cornell University scientists to launch a study to find biological ways to stop them. The targets of the three-year study—which is being led by entomologist Lindsey Milbraith of the ARS Plant Protection Research Unit (PPRU) in Ithaca, New York, are two members of the milkweed family known as Pale Swallow-wort and Black Swallow-wort.

Both plant species originated in Europe. Pale Swallow-wort, Vincetoxicum rossicum comes from the Ukraine, and Black Swallow-wort, V. nigrum is from south-western Europe. On their home grounds, both are kept in check by native natural enemies, particularly insects and diseases. But so far, nothing in North America has halted their advance. According to Milbrath, the vines contain strong and unique poisons that probably limit natural enemies and keep deer and cattle from feeding on them.

Cornell research has shown that the pink-flowered Pale Swallow-wort grows rapidly in forest under-stories and in open fields of undisturbed soil throughout central and upstate New York, around the Great Lakes and in Canada. The purple-flowered Black Swallow-wort prefers open areas. It is found primarily in New York's Hudson Valley and Long Island, as well as throughout New England. Pale Swallow-wort is believed to be a serious threat to Monarch butterflies, as it may be replacing common milkweeds in open fields upon which monarch larvae feed. The butterflies' larvae are unable to survive on either plant species.
Photo: USDA

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2006-09-05T12:42:00.000+02:00

Soil Holds Weed Control Answers

Soil's electrical conductivity holds the answer
At Fort Collins, Colorado, United States, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are turning to soil to promote weed control. Soil variability, an important factor in treating weed-infested land, can be gauged by measuring different soils' electrical conductivity (EC). A soil's EC assesses how easily it allows a current to pass through it. Soils with a higher EC generally have more clay and organic matter and require more herbicide. Commercial growers can use EC to create herbicide application maps, allowing them to adjust application rates based on variations within the soil. This, in turn, reduces the risk of excessive herbicide leaching while maintaining effectiveness. Though a field kit is still in the early stages of development, it is believed that it could help reduce herbicide overdose. It is doubtless only a matter of time before someone will produce a simple device so that home gardeners can discover their own soil’s electrical conductivity and reduce herbicide application to the minimum.
Photo: USDA

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2006-09-04T16:09:00.000+02:00

Re-heating Oil-rich Seeds

A Cuphea species
The challenge of germinating oil-rich seeds after they've been stored in low temperatures is being met by United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Fort Collins, Colorado. Initial work has been done with Cuphea, a genus of mainly herbaceous plants that grow in many sub-tropical areas. Many Cuphea species' seeds yield oils with useful properties, but the lauric and myristic fatty acids which make them desirable to commerce can impede their germination following cold storage. As lauric and myristic fatty acids have 12 and 14 carbons, respectively, the lipids containing these acids crystallise when stored at -17ºC (0ºF), the standard temperature for long-term seed preservation. When returned to room temperature, the lipids remain crystallised and the seeds usually will not germinate.

Plant physiologist Christina Walters and her colleagues in the ARS Plant Germplasm Preservation Research Unit suspect that freezing temperatures disrupt the forces binding the contents within the seeds' cells, so they cannot function properly when the seeds re-hydrate. With support from ARS researchers in Ames, Iowa, the team examined the seeds' lipid composition, identified the species susceptible to damage, and developed a solution: warming the seeds before germination. Cuphea seeds can be harvested, dried and stored like other seeds. However, before germination, they should be heated for ten minutes at 45ºC (113ºF). Seeds which have undergone cold storage and re-heating are capable of germination, although electron micrograph images show significant differences between post and pre-storage seeds. The researchers believe their findings can be used to improve long-term seed storage for other oil-rich tropical species that both commercial growers and home gardeners commonly grow.

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2006-09-01T11:02:00.000+02:00

Water Melon Fusarium

Water melon grafted
Both melon growers and home gardeners who grow melons are beset by numerous problems related to disease, weather, pests and the quest for fruit uniformity. Now a new threat has emerged. In separate studies, scientists with the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Lane, Oklahoma, and at the University of Maryland (UM) in Salisbury, have identified a new, more aggressive race of the fungus that causes Fusarium Wilt in water melon. This disease can attack plants at any stage of growth, leaving young seedlings lifeless, or mature plants fruitless with nothing to show but shrivelled and yellowing leaves.

ARS scientists Benny Bruton and Wayne Fish, together with UM’s Xin-Gen Zhou and Kathryne Everts, discovered a new race of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum that causes Fusarium Wilt. Their findings were presented recently at the joint meeting of the American Phytopathology Society and the Mycological Society of America in Quebec City, Canada.

Bruton and Fish found the new race, dubbed "Race 3," while monitoring water melon plants in fields near their Oklahoma laboratory. Bruton saw that a new, differently-acting fungus was plaguing plants thought to be resistant to Fusarium. Three distinct races of Fusarium are known to cause wilt in melons. Plant breeders have developed water melon cultivars that can fend off Races 0 and 1 fairly well, and luckily, Race 2 - for which there are no resistant commercial cultivars - is not competitive in the soil environment. According to Bruton, the same is likely true for the new, more virulent Race 3. However, he has got a solution. He and colleagues have found that grafting water melon onto sturdy squash or gourd rootstock is an effective way of controlling Fusarium Wilt. Such rootstocks are resistance to the Fusarium races that attack water melon. When water melon are grafted onto Cucurbita rootstock, the resulting water melon plant will gain resistance to Fusarium Wilt and show enhanced fruit quality.

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2006-08-31T07:05:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the Manure Analysing Machine

Almost instant analysis
A Manure Analysing Machine

A prototype manure-analysing device that works off a car or truck battery has been built by a United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. Chemist James B. Reeves at the ARS Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, designed the portable, easy-to-use analyser so that farmers and growers can quickly tell how much nitrogen and water are in a sample of manure. Many growers apply manure to their crops as an organic fertilizer, but it can sometimes be too much of a good thing. They apply too much because they are not sure how much nitrogen or phosphorus might be in it and decide to err on the side of excess. However, excess nutrients frequently run off in rainwater and eventually pollute streams, lakes and other bodies of water.

To determine how much nitrogen or phosphorus manure contains, it is possible to send samples to a laboratory for analysis, but that takes time and money. Usually only one sample is sent. According to Reeves, a one-sample analysis cannot reflect the nutrient levels that often vary throughout a manure heap. The prototype analyser passes invisible, near-infrared light through filters onto about two tablespoons of manure placed in a small cup. The amount of light reflected back allows a filter spectrometer to quantify both the nitrogen and water content. Manure samples require no preparation or chemicals, and the analysis takes about a minute.The prototype analyser is a 38cm (15in) cube that weighs about 9kg (20lb). Reeves plans to make it even smaller, ideally about the size of a shoe box and weighing around 2.25kg (5lb).

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2006-08-30T08:39:00.000+02:00

Puerto Rican Introductions

Being evaluated - Simarouba tulae
Thanks to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) germplasm collection efforts, the rare Puerto Rican Tabebuia haemantha, an evergreen tree that is small in stature but bold in colour, may one day be grown and sold to gardeners and landscapers in Florida and other subtropical regions of the United States. Native to Puerto Rico, T. haemantha, also known as Roble Cimarron, possesses many features of interest to ornamental horticulturists. Its red to bronze-coloured new growth naturally forms a narrow crown, and it has deep-red to pink flowers for a long period of the year.

Under the direction of horticulturist Tomás Ayala-Silva, curator of the National Germplasm Repository located at ARS’s Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami, new ornamentals like the Puerto Rican tree are being investigated. The repository is one of eighteen such repositories for seeds and other reproducible plant parts maintained in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The Miami repository is responsible for maintaining U.S. clonal collections of avocado, banana, mango, plantain, sugarcane, ornamentals, and other tropical crops. One of its important roles is evaluating new subtropical and tropical species for possible introduction to commerce and home gardeners.

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2006-08-29T10:02:00.000+02:00

New Citrus Root Weevil Control

Adult Citrus Root Weevil
Two strains of a tiny worm-like nematode could give citrus growers and home gardeners a more effective natural way to control the serious pest known as Citrus Root Weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus. Thanks to research by United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, the commercial production of the nematode Steinernema riobrave has been licensed by BioControl Systems of Greendale, Indiana.

Entomologist David Shapiro-Ilan, at the ARS South-eastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Georgia, with Clay McCoy and Robin Stuart at the University of Florida, found the two S. riobrave strains in Texas and Mexico. The naturally occurring roundworms kill the pests but don't harm people or the environment.

According to Shapiro-Ilan, S. riobrave generally ranks as the best beneficial nematode for biological control applications against larvae of the Citrus Root Weevil. Native to the Caribbean Islands, D. abbreviatus was first reported in Florida in 1964 and has become a major pest of citrus and many other plants grown in the state. It is sometimes referred to as the Diaprepes Root Weevil.
Earlier this year, Donald Sturniolo, owner of BioControl Systems, licensed the technology from ARS. Since then, the nematodes have been mass-reared and stockpiled for future large-scale trials. These new strains also apparently have the potential to control other important pests, such as Plum Curculio, Pecan Weevil and Corn Earworm.

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2006-08-28T12:43:00.000+02:00

Beating the Potato Tuber Moth

Adult Potato Tuber Moth
The Potato Tuber Moth, Phthorimaea operculella, is quickly earning a bad reputation among potato growers and gardeners in the United States. However, its rise to infamy may well be close to an end through its exposure to a type of insect pathogen called a granulovirus. In July, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Wapato, Washington, began testing the granulovirus' potential to biologically control the moth's caterpillar stage, which feeds on both the potato plant and its tubers. Once ingested, the granulovirus could put a stop to such feeding by liquefying the caterpillar's tissues—starting from the inside out—in ten to twenty days. Except for a few other Potato Tuber Moth relatives, this highly specific pathogen does not infect other insects, nor humans or other mammals, according to Lawrence Lacey, an entomologist with the ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato.

There, Lacey and ARS colleague entomologist Steven Arthurs, are studying ways to biologically produce and formulate the granulovirus as a bio-pesticide product that potato growers and gardeners could spray on their crops before harvest when synthetic insecticides are not used. Another potential use is on stored potatoes. Although the granulovirus is already used in other countries to protect stored potatoes from infestation, it is not commercially available in the United States and limited research has been done investigating the pathogen's pre-harvest potential. Besides the granulovirus, which is now being field-tested under a federal experimental-use permit, Lacey's group is also examining the biological control potential of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, two species of insect-specific nematodes, and the fungus Muscodor albus.
Photo:IPTEK

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2006-08-25T12:42:00.000+02:00

A New Disease Resistant Gooseberry

Gooseberry 'Jeanne'
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in the United States have developed and released a new disease and pest-resistant dessert gooseberry called ‘Jeanne’. Sweet and sturdy, this new high quality, late-fruiting gooseberry was developed by ARS scientists at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon. ‘Jeanne’ is named for a former NCGR employee. As with other Ribes species, gooseberries are generally susceptible to white pine blister rust. While the disease causes them little harm, it can be devastating or fatal to pine trees. The ‘Jeanne’ cultivar is highly resistant to white pine blister rust and to powdery mildew, the latter being the greatest threat to global gooseberry production. The plant's robustness protects it from insect threats as well. ‘Jeanne’ has a strong resistance to pests like aphids and sawflies. This and its high-quality fruit make it ideal for home garden plantings or commercial gooseberry production.

How does Jeanne measure up against other cultivars? According to NCGR research leader Kim Hummer, it produces green berries which ripen to a deep red as they mature. It also boasts a higher yield than similar cultivars such as ‘Invicta’ and ‘Captivator’. Scientists project that ‘Jeanne’, whose dark, sweet berries are well suited to desserts, juices and jams, could extend the production season for gooseberries because it blooms and produces fruit about one to two weeks later than other red gooseberry cultivars. The NCGR has provided ‘Jeanne’ plant material to several nurseries that will propagate the gooseberry for sale to home gardeners.
Photo: USDA

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Philip

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2006-08-24T17:24:00.000+02:00

New Australian Waterlilies

Nymphaea georginae
Three new Australian species of waterlilies that are native to Queensland have been described by Australian expert Dr. Surrey Jacobs of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney and leading American botanist Dr. Barre Hellquist. The discovery of three new species has resulted from the on-going investigation into the aquatic plants, of Australia, which until recently have all been poorly studied both botanically and horticulturally.

Understanding the cultural needs of these wonderful exotic waterlilies will be much easier now that the nature of the individual species and their natural habitats have been studied. At present very few water gardeners succeed in growing any of the beautiful tropical Australian waterlilies to their full potential. They appear to have exacting requirements that most gardeners find difficult to meet. So they have never attained the popularity that they deserve, despite the fact that several of the more common species have been available to gardeners from specialist nurseries for over one hundred years. The three new species that have been described are Nymphaea alexii, Nymphaea georginae and Nymphaea carpentariae.
Photo: B.Hellquist

For further information visit Water Gardening News click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-23T12:09:00.000+02:00

Propagating and Labelling

The Compact Rootrainer
The original Rootrainer was developed for commercial growers and for some years has been widely used in the nursery industry, especially by those who raise trees and shrubs from seed and cuttings. It is now available to the home gardener as the new Compact Rootrainer Tray. It contains twenty hinged, easy open "books" or cells, and is smaller than the original Rootrainer. An easy to handle, lightweight tray design rather than a traditional Rootrainer frame, the Compact uses less space and compost and is ideal for window ledges, hobby greenhouses and cold frames. Gardeners who are not familiar with the Rootrainer system should visit their web-site for more information click here.

New Method of Labelling

Brother GL-100
The Brother electronic GL-100 is a gadget for printing durable labels that are perfect for all gardening purposes. The labels are also ideal for labelling storage jars for anyone who makes own jams and preserves, as well as for other applications around the home. The GL-100’s laminated labels can withstand extreme temperatures and are totally resilient to humidity and rain.

Many more new gardening products can be seen on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-22T10:11:00.000+02:00

Plant of the Month - Kniphofia

Kniphofia 'Shining Sceptre'

Kniphofia, or Red-Hot-Poker, have been designated as Plant of the Month for August by the Dutch nursery industry. Kniphofias are bold, handsome natives of Madagascar and tropical South Africa. They have thick, almost succulent evergreen leaf blades, which are of interest even when the dense cylindrical flower spikes are absent, although in cold districts the leaves are often tied together to protect the crowns and are then covered with straw. Numerous hybrids have been derived from species such as Kniphofia praecox, K. uvaria, and K. triangularis and all make a great contribution to the summer garden. Their blossoms vary in colour from pale yellow, through a range of yellow shades and oranges to red, some being bicoloured with red and yellow flower spikes. Kniphofias requires a warm and sunny spot in the border and a very well-drained humus-rich soil. A range of cultivars have been selected and recommended by the Dutch nursery industry as being amongst the most representative of the genus and the most reliable. These are illustrated on the News pages of the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-21T09:20:00.000+02:00

The Cure for Dog Spotting on the Lawn!

Before treatment

After treatment

Dog Rocks are apparently a great innovation from Australia, which it is said have proved to be effective in overcoming the age-old problem of dog spotting on the lawn. Dog Rock is a natural product - paramagnetic igneous rock - which is placed permanently in the dog’s drinking water and ensures that instead of the urine burning the grass, it is actually transformed into a nutrient-valuable and harmless substance. An individual rock apparently has an effective life of two months. For further details click here.
Photos: Dog Rocks

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Philip

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2006-08-18T22:38:00.000+02:00

The Latest French Lavenders

Lavandula 'Little Bee' series
The international Plantarium exhibition, which is being held towards the end of August in The Netherlands, will include a promotion of modern cultivars of the French Lavender Lavandula stoechas, some of which are to be displayed for the first time. All are in the ‘Little Bee’ series.

Little Bee Cream 'Florvendula Cream' was bred at the Florensis Quedlinburg nursery in Quedlinburg, Germany. It is an upright, compact plant with grey, oblong leaves, and is an early bloomer. The white flowers appear from late spring until late summer.

Little Bee Purple ‘Florvendula Purple’ is also from the Florensis Quedlinburg nursery. The growth is compact and upright, and the oblong leaves are grey. It is an early bloomer, with purple flowers from late spring until late summer.

Little Lilac Bee 'Florvendula Lilac' is an upright compact lavender, but the oblong, needle-shaped grey leaves. The plant branches well and flowers from late spring until late summer.

Little Bee Blue White ‘Florvendula Blue White' originated in the Florensis Quendlinburg nursery. This is an upright, compact and well-branching lavender that flowers early. Its oblong leaves are grey and needle-shaped. The blossoms have blue tubes and white pennants and appear from late spring until late summer.

For more new plants, visit the New Plants pages of the GardenMessenger website click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-17T22:36:00.000+02:00

A New Albizia from Japan

A new Albizia called Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate' has been introduced by André Briant Jeunes Plants, St. Barthélemy d’Anjou, France. 'Summer Chocolate' has a usual composite leaf form, but the foliage is a striking purple-red colour. The flowers are red and appear during the summer. The distinctive green seed pods are produced during the autumn. Like all Albizia species and cultivars this new hybrid must be provided with protection in cold winter districts.‘Summer Chocolate' was produced by Mr. Masato Yokoi in Japan.
For details of other new plant introductions on the GardenMessenger web-site visit the New Plants pages click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-16T22:02:00.000+02:00

Water Gardening News

Today I have launched a new blog entitled Water Gardening News. This replaces the original PondMessenger blog, which for several months has been associated with this one, and has served the PondMessenger community of water gardeners. Water Gardening News is devoted to bringing the latest news and information about aquatic plants, ornamental fish and pond products from around the world to hobbyist water gardeners and those who are involved in the pond-keeping business. PondMessenger is now creating a new home within the developing regional web-sites of International Horticultural Communications Pty Ltd. In addition a monthly regional PondMessenger eNewsletter is being published in collaboration with the Water Gardener web-sites. I hope that apart from visiting this blog, if you have a garden pond you will also check in regularly with Water Gardening News.

To visit Water Gardening News click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-15T11:47:00.000+02:00

The Inca Collection of Alstromerias

'Inca Exotica'
The Inca Collection is a group of new cultivars of the hardy perennial Peruvian Lily or Alstroemeria, that has been produced by specialist Dutch breeder Könst Alstroemeria BV and is being launched at the end of August. The collection is highly recommended for both growing in the garden border or as container plants on the deck or patio. They all flower freely between late spring and early summer, reaching a height of 40–80cm (14-28in). The stems are also long enough for picking for cut flowers for the house.

Alstroemeria 'Konevotio' Inca Devotion - pink flowers of 6-7cm.
Alstroemeria 'Koexotica' Inca Exotica - yellow flowers of 5-6cm.
Alstroemeria 'Koglow' Inca Glow - dark red flowers of 4-5cm.
Alstroemeria 'Kolce' Inca Ice - cream-white flowers of 5-6cm.
Alstroemeria 'Konpulse' Inca Pulse - red flowers of 5-6cm.

The foregoing names are those under which the plants are currently being marketed. However, it is likely that these will be rationalised soon to comply with international standards of plant nomenclature.

To see illustrations of all the new cultivars visit the New Plants section of the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-14T10:52:00.000+02:00

2006 New Waterlily Competition Results

Nymphaea 'Tan-khwan'

The winners of the 2006 New Waterlily Competition of the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society have been announced.

Best New Waterlily - ‘Avalanche’ (Craig Presnell - United States)

Best New Tropical Waterlily - ‘Avalanche’ (Craig Presnell - United States)

Runner Up - ‘Pink Flamingo’ - (Craig Presnell - United States)

Best New Hardy Waterlily - 'Tan-khwan - (Pairat Songpanich - Thailand)

Runner Up - ‘Niki' - (Andreas Protopapas - Cyprus)

Further details click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-11T08:59:00.000+02:00

New Asclepias for 2007

Asclepias 'Beauty'
Three new Asclepias cultivars produced by Mr. Nardo Zaias of Miami Beach in the United States, are being introduced to the public and horticultural trade for the first time at the famous annual Plantarium horticultural exhibition in The Netherlands towards the end of August. These new cultivars will be available to gardeners in limited numbers during 2007. All three are herbaceous plants, but according to their introducer are best grown in tubs or containers. They all have upright branching stems and produce flowers in neat umbels from late spring until late summer. The blossoms of 'Maggy' are orange-red and yellow, 'Kiki' has orange and yellow flowers, while those of 'Beauty' are orange-red and light-yellow.

For further information about new plant introduction visit the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-10T16:41:00.000+02:00

A New Scented Bamboo

Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’
Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’ is a new winter-hardy bamboo, which is shortly to be introduced to gardeners by Dutch bamboo specialist Jan Oprins. It is will be sold in garden centres under the "Bamboo Select" brand. Originating from China, it is a straight, upright-growing plant, which reaches a height of 5-8m (16-26ft). Compared with other Phyllostachys species and cultivars, this bamboo has relatively small leaves, but stalks that are fairly thick. The shoots are edible. When the young stalks are rubbed the scent of incense is released. This bamboo is difficult to propagate and has so far only been increased commercially in-vitro, but the company producing it have said that it should be freely available from September onwards. It enjoys damp conditions and flourishes in wet soils.

For further information about new plant introductions, visit the New Plants section on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-09T16:36:00.000+02:00

Bright New Conifer Introduction

Thuja plicata ‘4Ever’
A new Thuja cultivar called Thuja plicata ‘4Ever’ has been developed by Hortis Holland BV, Rijswijk, The Netherlands. It is a mutant selected from Thuja plicata 'Martin' and has just been formally named. It will be released shortly in Europe. The plant has been produced by Boo Dries Luijten BV, Steensel, The Netherlands, which is also marketing the plant this year. Thuja plicata '4ever' has an upright and compact form of growth. The foliage is gold-yellow and changes to red in the autumn. This conifer is completely winter-hardy.

For information about other new plant introductions visit the New Plants section of the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-08T16:26:00.000+02:00

An Exciting New Begonia Hybrid

Begonia 'Jolly'
This is an exciting new hybrid between a tuberous Begonia species and a tuberous cultivar. Called 'Jolly', the plant has a round upright habit and grows up to a height of 25cm (10in). The rounded leaves are bright green, dark green or brown, depending upon the colour of the flowers. The flowers are around 3 cm (just over 1in) in diameter and are apricot, scarlet or red. It has a long flowering season and is suitable for pot or container cultivation on terrace or balcony. Photo: Benary

To keep up to date with all the latest plant introductions, visit the GardenMessenger New Plants pages click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-07T12:23:00.000+02:00

National Trust Dahlia Displays

'Bishop of Llandaff'
The National Trust for England and Wales is undertaking a revival in the cultivation of the Dahlia in a number of the gardens that it manages. According to the National Trust, thanks to recent television features and an increase in the cultivars available, the delights of dahlia growing have been re-discovered and they are firmly back on top in the gardening fashion stakes.

The following are gardens where the National Trust maintain important collections, together with their notes of what to look out for at each garden.

Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion, Tel: +44 (0)1545 570200
This rare example of a self-sufficient eighteenth-century Welsh estate has survived virtually unaltered, including the walled kitchen gardens where the dahlias can be found. They are grown to provide cut flowers for the house, and cultivars include the ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, an old-fashioned type producing fiery intense blooms above dramatic bronze/purple foliage.

Cragside Gardens, Northumberland, Tel: +44 (0)1669 620333
This famous Victorian estate was the wonder of its age and gardeners continue the tradition of planting over 30 different types of Dahlia (800 individual tubers), to form the spectacular Dahlia Walk. The design changes every year, but always with a single coloured edge to draw the eye along the bed (this year, ‘Autumn Fairy’ – a peachy pink). New for this year is ‘Big Wow’ which has a large deep red flower, but old favourites on show include ‘Hayley Jane’, a gorgeous creamy white cultivar with quilled petals and raspberry tips, and ‘Natal, a deep maroon pom-pom cultivar.

For further details of gardens with dahlia collections and other gardening news on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

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Philip

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2006-08-04T13:12:00.000+02:00

Tree Blossoming Research

Flowering mechanisms understood
Swedish scientists at the Umeaa Plant Science Centre, working with researchers in the United States, are claiming a decisive breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms by which trees control their flowering - and also time their preparations for winter. They successfully stimulated aspen trees to flower within a few weeks instead of the normal 10-15 years. They found that trees use the same gene as annual plants to control the onset of flowering. However, the discovery that they could control the trees' preparations for winter was an unexpected revelation.

The ability of trees to cycle between dormancy and growth is a crucial strategy for their adaptation. Scientists have documented the phenomenon of crucial day lengths in some detail, since dormancy is triggered by the length of day rather than the prevailing temperature. Thus, an Aspen in central Germany will stop growing and set buds when the days are just 16 hours long. The same species of tree in northern Sweden will prepare for winter when the days are shorter than 21 hours, while further north in Norway, the equivalent day length can be 23 hours. The starting point for the Umeaa team was to speed up the rate at which plant material can be developed, with the long term aim of truncating breeding cycle times. The additional insight into the mechanism by which growth can be turned on and off is expected to be a landmark in forest tree breeding.

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Philip

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2006-08-03T13:10:00.000+02:00

UK Citrus Longhorn Beetle Search

Citrus Longhorn Beetle
The UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are asking for the public's help to find any Citrus Longhorn Beetles (Anoplophora chinensis ) that may be in the UK. The beetle is a quarantine listed pest that could pose a threat to trees in the UK. A small number of adult beetles, believed to be Citrus Longhorns were found emerging from a potted Japanese maple tree in a private garden in Shropshire early in July. One of these beetles was caught, photographed and then released before the beetles' identity was discovered. Last year similar sightings were made in Hampshire and Lancashire.

The Citrus Longhorn Beetle originates in Asia, but it has been moving around the world in internationally traded bonsai and young trees. There is currently an outbreak of this pest in northern Italy. Although predominately a pest of citrus and apples, the beetle can also attack a number of other trees including beech, hazel, oak, maple and birch. The larvae of the beetle are the most damaging. They bore through the trunks, upper roots and branches of host trees leaving them susceptible to wind damage and disease. Later, perhaps two years after the first attack, the larvae will pupate and then emerge in the late summer as adult insects which will quickly seek out new host trees. The females lay their eggs in slits they chew in the bark. The long period between egg laying and adult emergence explains how this pest can be moved from one country to another in young plants.

The beetles are large, 21-37mm long (about 1-1.5 inches), excluding the antennae, and black with variable white markings on their backs. Their antennae (horns) are longer than their bodies and are black with white or light blue coloured bands. Late July to early September is thought to be the time of year when this pest is most likely to be seen. Anyone who spots a beetle that they suspect is a Citrus Longhorn Beetle, should trap it if possible and report the finding to the local office of the Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI) or the PHSI HQ, York on 01904 455174 as soon as possible.

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Philip

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2006-08-02T09:08:00.000+02:00

New Low Allergen Apple Developed

Apple 'Santana'
Researchers at a Dutch university have developed a low allergenic apple that can safely be eaten by those normally allergic to the fruit. An estimated 2% of people in western Europe are allergic to apples because of certain proteins in the fruit.The protein that causes the most problems in allergy sufferers is called Mal d1, which causes itching, prickling and a swelling of the lips, tongue and throat after consumption of a fresh apple. Scientists at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands say their new apple, called ‘Santana’, which looks like the popular ‘Elstar’ cultivar, will not cause any allergic reactions.

The creation of the ‘Santana’ apple (a hybrid between ‘Elstar’ and ‘Priscilla’) came after post-graduate student Zhongshan Gao identified and localised genes involved in the allergenicity of the fruit after first combining its genetic data with the results of skin-prick tests in allergic patients. The aim of Gao’s study was to trace and characterise the genes that are decisive for the amino-acid compound of the four most-important allergenic protein types (Mal d1 – Mal d4). Another goal of his project was to develop genetic markers for predicting at the seedling stage whether an apple contains allergenic proteins. The researcher found 26 genes, 18 of which coded for the Mal d1 protein – an allergen especially relevant to patients in north-western Europe, who also suffer from hay fever in the spring in reaction to birch pollen. The university is currently working on developing allergy-free pears and peaches. Photo: PRI.

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Philip

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2006-08-01T22:42:00.000+02:00

Plum Pox Virus Hits New York

Plum Pox on apricot
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Plant Germplasm and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, has confirmed the presence of the Plum Pox virus (PPV) - sometimes known as Sharka - on plum tree leaf samples collected by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) officials. As part of a seven-year survey for the virus, state and federal agriculture officials collected 22 leaf samples from a 108-tree orchard located in Niagara County, New York within five miles of plum pox eradication zones in Canada. The samples were sent to Cornell University’s diagnostic laboratory for testing, where researchers obtained positive results.

The virus was first detected in Canada in 2000. The strain of virus identified in New York is identical to the D strain of the virus found in both Canada and Pennsylvania. The D strain of the virus is less virulent than other strains, making it easier to contain. Its early discovery of is credited to the department’s active surveys for plant pests and diseases. Survey specialists are currently surveying a 5-mile radius surrounding the initial detection to determine the extent of infestation. USDA will establish a co-operative eradication program with the state of New York. The program will include conducting extensive detection and delimiting surveys, establishing quarantine areas where infestations are found, and the removal of infested orchards and other host material within a buffer area of any infestation.

Plum Pox is a virus disease of stone fruits that first appeared in the United States in Pennsylvania in October 1999. The plant virus does not pose any human health risks. Since the discovery, agriculture officials there have successfully contained its spread. New York is only the second state where plum pox has been detected. The virus affects a number of fruits, including peach, nectarine, apricot and plum. Several aphid species can serve as carriers of the virus. The virus stays viable in the aphid’s mouth-parts for a period of an hour and most aphids can generally transmit infection several hundred metres from the initial source plant. Photo: Wikipedia

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Philip

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2006-07-31T17:17:00.000+02:00

Living Room Friendly Poinsettias

'Stargazer Marble'
Researchers have developed a new strain of Poinsettia that is likely to prove much more living room friendly. Not that this was their original objective. For commercial producers of the plants it is increasingly important to explore ways of reducing the energy input into greenhouse production. As part of a collaborative project between breeder and commercial grower, Agriom and Florema, a new range of Poinsettia cultivars has been produced called ‘Eco-Stars’. Financial support for the research was provided by the Dutch Commodity Board for Horticulture.

The breeding objective was not just to create cultivars that grow and develop well at lower temperatures. They must also perform well at normal higher temperature regimes. This allows a grower, at any given time, to change between a high energy regime 20°C (68ºF) and a low energy regime 17°C (62ºF) in accordance with desired finishing times for the crop and relative energy costs. If a crop is growing too fast, or the delivery date for a client is postponed, a grower can switch from a high energy to low energy regime as part of the overall crop management. Another reason that these new cultivars must also perform well at a higher temperature regime is because growers will often have other crops in the same greenhouse block that require the higher energy regime.

So it would seem that the commercial grower is often faced with similar circumstances in terms of light and temperature variation as the home gardener, thus the adaptations in breeding made to create these new cultivars must have benefits to the gardener growing these plants in the house where both temperature variation and often extreme heat, along with variable light, often lead to the early demise of the plants. A number of selections in the ‘Eco-stars’ series have been made, named and are now available: ‘Stargazer Red’, StarGazer White’ and ‘Stargazer Marble’. Photo: Florema

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Philip

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2006-07-28T17:18:00.000+02:00

Companion Planting - Pest Deterrent Plants

Thyme deters cabbage loopers, cabbage worms and whiteflies
It is suggested that those who like to garden organically and in an eco-friendly way can do much to improve their chances of controlling insect pests by establishing deterrent plants. For centuries gardeners all over the world have made claims that particular plants control specific pests, but to date nothing has been proved unequivocally scientifically. However, many gardeners believe companion planting is beneficial, even if the results are not yet completely conclusive.

There is a comprehensive list now available on the GardenMessenger web-site. The list that follows is of accumulated knowledge from a number of both written and verbal sources. None of the plants mentioned should be depended upon as an alternative to good practical pest management, whether wholly organic or with the use of pesticides, but they are an interesting starting point for serious organic gardening research. To visit the list click here.

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Philip

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2006-07-27T17:02:00.000+02:00

Vegetable Companions - Companion Planting

Tomato companion plants - asparagus, basil, cabbage, carrot, onion, parsley, pea, and sage
Those who like to garden organically and in an
eco-friendly way can do much to improve their gardening
by associating certain plants together. The concept of
Companion Planting is that there are certain plants that
confer benefits upon others if planted in close proximity.
These benefits may be pest and disease protection, or
merely contributing to the more lusty and healthy growth
of companions. Although there is scant scientific
evidence to support these theories, for centuries there
has been a belief amongst gardeners that benefits are
conferred by companion planting.

A list, which has been compiled from many sources, is now available on the GardenMessenger website click here.

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Philip

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2006-07-26T17:05:00.000+02:00

Saving Your Own Tomato Seeds

Scoop out the seeds and the gel-like material.
It is essential when saving tomato seeds to only select fruits from plants that have all the desirable traits required for the next generation. They must also be growing lustily and in good health. Fruits showing any signs of disease should not be considered for seed saving. Collect the fruits when they have properly ripened. That is when they are red, pink, yellow, or occasionally green, according to cultivar. The seeds within will then have developed normally. Too early removal may impede the proper full development of the seeds.

If a hybridizing programme has been undertaken, then make sure that only fruits that have clipped sepals are harvested for seed. Where a number of different crosses have been made take great care over labelling. Fruits are best placed in separate bags. Never place fruits that are to be used for seed harvesting in metal containers as the metal may react with the acids in the tomato and affect seed viability.

This is part of an introduction to a photographic step-by-step sequence that takes the home gardener through all the necessary processes to ensure successfully prepared home grown tomato seeds. It has been posted today on the GardenMessenger web-site. To visit click here.

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Philip

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2006-07-25T10:23:00.000+02:00

The Shovel King

A three-in-one tool
It is always fascinating to come across innovation in gardening, especially when it is said to make life easier. UK-based ISO Manufacturing has recently patented an adjustable tool called the "Shovel-King". This is due for launch at the UK Garden and Leisure Exhibition in September. The tool has a mechanism that can be adjusted to four positions by the operation of a lever within the handle. The blade then locks in place at the appropriate angle. Minimum effort is required – the spade does the work, therefore helping lessen the risk of back strain. The "Shovel-King" is a 3-in-1 product designed primarily for builders – one shovel replaces three. It can be used as a hoe for trench digging, at waist height for loading a concrete mixer, as a dustpan for sweeping up and as a conventional shovel. The inventor is a builder who thought of the idea when he injured his back working on a building site.

This is just one of the news items posted today on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-24T10:23:00.000+02:00

Tomato Hybridizing

Removing the anther cone
Although for many gardeners, gathering seeds from tomatoes to carry over for the following year is just a matter of gathering fruits from plants with desirable traits, it is not the ideal practice. Conventional vining salad tomatoes (i.e. those other than cherry or currant fruiting kinds, and those with potato-like foliage), rarely ever cross- pollinate and generally produce progeny that are very similar to the parent. However, in order to produce either high quality lines of self-fertilized traditional tomatoes, or to create your own new hybrids, a properly prepared hybridizing programme is necessary.

On the GardenMessenger web-site I have created four pages with step by step sequences of how to hybridize your own tomatoes, from selecting the parent plants, until the first fruits for. To visit click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-21T20:11:00.000+02:00

Tatton Park Flower Show Garden Winners

Flower show gardens can be pure theatre, sometimes very silly, often unintelligible, but all are fun, and amongst all the friviolity and celebrity there are often exciting and innovative ideas that can be extracted and used in our own gardens. I have taken the 2006 Gold Medal award winning gardens at the Tatton Park Flower Show and presented them on the GardenMessenger web-site. This show is held annually under the direction of the Royal Horticultural Society in the north-west of England and produces some fascinating design ideas. An example of these gardens is Andy Kirman's Inside Out. The description of this garden, and the others, is by the designer, the photos from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Andy Kirman - Inside Out
Andy Kirman - Inside Out
Inside Out embraces the concept of using garden space as an additional room. It encompasses contemporary design solutions, while remaining practical and stylish. It also takes into account wildlife needs and recycling issues. The garden’s focal point is a superb elliptical table/water feature and seating. Freshly baked bread or pizza can be served from the hand-built earth oven, accompanied by salad and herbs from the borders. The black granite-style material used in the garden is made from environmentally friendly recycled coffee cups. It provides a lovely backdrop to the planting, which has been chosen to provide food and shelter for wildlife as well as visual interest, with colours ranging from oranges through to deep purples. A composter, space-saving water butt and wheely/recycling bins are all concealed within the design, and there is storage space beneath the flower beds. This means the garden is highly functional as well as stylish. In essence, the garden reflects the ethos of Kirman Design by showing how even a small space can be modern, practical and environmentally responsible.

To see all the Tatton Park Flower Show Gold Medal award winning gardens click here

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-20T21:59:00.000+02:00

Tomato Problems

Late or Potato Blight
One of the most active groups in the GardenMessenger Community is that devoted to the growing of tomatoes, both heirloom and modern kinds. In response to the needs of the TomatoMessenger group a practical information section of the GardenMessenger web-site is being developed and the first of a series of Tomato Growing Guides has been added today. The subject:- Tomato Problems - Fungal Diseases. To provide a glimpse of the way in which the subject is being approached, the reference to Late or Potato Blight is given here.

Late or Potato Blight - Phytophthora infestans
Occurs: Especially in temperate areas and sub-tropical highlands.
Symptoms: A very common disease that causes water-soaked patches and lesions to appear on stems and leaves, often causing entire foliage loss. Large leathery lesions appear on fruits at all stages of development.
Development: Extended periods of rain or leaf wetness in cooling temperatures provide the ideal conditions for the disease’s occurrence. It does not occur in hot dry weather.
Control: The disease persists in live plant debris, especially volunteer potato tubers, the spores being carried on the wind and by the splash of water, so good garden hygiene is essential. There are fungicides which will control the disease.

To learn more about other tomato fungal diseases click here

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-19T17:45:00.000+02:00

Pumpkin and Squash Guide

Pumpkin 'Hundredweight'
I am continuing to write the basic gardening guides for GardenMessenger members and others who visit the GardenMessenger website. Amongst the latest is a brief review of the cultivation of pumpkins and squashes.

Pumpkins and Squashes
Pumpkins and squashes are both fun and economical plants to grow. While it is true that they can occupy a considerable space in the vegetable garden, they can be highly productive. Pumpkins are often objects of fun and considered to be fruits that are grown for their spectacular size, rather than their nutritional value.

It is true that it is a satisfying achievement to grow a monster fruit, but when cultivated in a more rational manner the yield of high quality fruit is an excellent return for the time and space expended. The best known pumpkin cultivar is called ‘Hundredweight’, but both ‘Atlantic Giant’ and ‘Jack O' Lantern’ are widely grown.

The related squashes are not as well known in Europe as in North America where they are staple diet. In Europe the most widely grown are ‘Hubbard's Golden Squash’ and ‘Acorn Squash’, along with various crook-neck cultivars. For those who are not familiar with them, squashes all produce fruits which have the quality of very firm marrows.

All pumpkins and most squashes are trailing plants that require an open sunny position and a free-draining, richly organic soil. They are usually sown under glass or on the window ledge during spring, although in frost-free districts they can be sown directly in the open ground. Here two or three seeds are sown in a group at regular stations on the plot and the emerging seedlings are thinned to the strongest.

Indoors the seeds are sown individually in small pots of a good seed compost and pot grown until it is safe to plant out once the danger of frost has passed, usually during late spring or early summer. They must be kept weed-free and well watered particularly during dry spells. The fruits are harvested regularly as they mature. Unblemished ripened fruits of most squashes are easily stored in a cool, dry, frost-free place.

When growing a giant pumpkin it is usual to restrict fruiting. Once the plant has become established it will quickly develop spreading growths that will produce flowers and fruits. Allow three fruits to set. Then remove the first one and observe the other two. When these reach the size of a tennis ball remove the weaker. Keep all the lateral shoots trimmed back to three leaves from the main stem and keep well watered.
Photo: Suttons Seeds

To view all the Vegetable Gardening Guides on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-18T17:25:00.000+02:00

Hampton Court - Design Ideas

The annual Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is over and its show gardens have been dismantled. As usual there has been a lot of interesting innovation as well as a fair measure of theatre. It is a pity to let the event pass without picking out some of the different and often bizarre exhibits, which either provide inspiration or offer warnings as to what might not be such a good idea. So I have made a selection that is presented on the GardenMessenger web-site. It is purely arbitrary, and is intended to record some of the design features that are rarely encountered elsewhere. To provide a taste of these designs I have produced a sample below. The description is that of the designer.

LandArt
Alan Gardner Garden Design
LandArt
Inspired by an art form known as Land Art, Alan Gardner’s design takes the premise of constructing shapes from soil or sand and transfers it to a garden setting. Three cones measuring 2m, 3m and 4m in diameter are constructed at 33º angles and are the main focus of this daring installation. On the right hand side of the garden is a circular lawn within which sits an inverted cone of turf. At the rear is a grass-fronted bank planted across the middle with five multi-stemmed silver birches that cast interesting shadows on the sand cones beneath.The low-maintenance planting scheme is made up of bamboos, moisture-loving grasses and marginal plants to add to the riverbank feel. Photo: RHS
To see further design examples click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-17T18:05:00.000+02:00

Calandiva – the Camel of House Plants

'Leonardo'
The house plant industry is hailing the latest series of Kalanchoe hybrids as not only being the most spectacular yet, but also amongst the easiest of house plants to care for. Those who are responsible for informing us gardeners and the wider flower-loving public of this astonishing new range of plants are calling them the Camel of House Plants, referring to their requirement for a drop of water now and again.

Breeding of these full-blossomed hybrids started in 2002 with ‘Leonardo’, a purple-flowered chance find, named by Ike Vlielander, the breeder of the series, for his brother-in-law. This mutation, discovered in a commercial crop of Kalanchoe in Sweden, had 32 petals to each flower rather than just 4. From this individual a wonderful series of uniform cultivars in different colours has been bred. Requiring a minimum of 15ºC (59ºF), and little else but good light, they are perfect, not only as house plants, but as summer inhabitants of tubs, containers and window boxes. Marketed under the brand name of Calandiva, these are great plants for the gardener, both the novice and the more experienced.

To see the full range of Calandiva visit the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-10T06:55:00.000+02:00

Broccoli and Calabrese, and Vegetable Gardening Guides

Growing Guide
During the last few days I have been preparing some more Gardening Guides for the GardenMessenger web-site. This time they are introductions to Vegetable Gardening, dealt with crop by crop. To give an idea of their scope the following is the Vegetable Guide for Broccoli and Calabrese

Broccoli is now a name restricted to sprouting broccoli, the so-called cauliflower broccoli being regarded as winter and spring cauliflowers respectively. Sprouting broccoli in both its purple and white forms are invaluable green vegetable crops for the darkest days of winter in cold and temperate areas.

There are two main purple sprouting cultivars known quite logically as ‘Early Purple Sprouting’ and ‘Late Purple Sprouting’. The early kind can be harvested from late autumn until mid-winter, when the late kind takes over and continues until the middle of spring. White sprouting broccoli is late maturing and usually ready to pick at the same time as the later purple kinds.

Calabrese is grown rather like sprouting broccoli, but is not as tough. It is sown during spring and harvested in late summer or autumn. The heads that are harvested are bright or grey-green, fewer in number, and larger than sprouting broccoli. There are innumerable cultivars, but ‘Express Corona’ and ‘Corvet’ are well tried kinds.

Sprouting broccoli and calabrese are sown at varying times during the spring according to cultivar. It is best to sow them in a nursery bed and then transplant them as young plants in their permanent positions. Both broccoli and calabrese germinate freely and should be sown very thinly. They are subject to flea beetle attacks in their seedling stages and dusting with an insecticidal powder is a wise precaution. Flea beetles pepper the leaves of seedling brassicas with tiny holes and often cause their demise.

Once the first two or three true leaves appear the plants can be planted in their permanent positions. The planting distances depend upon the cultivar, but sufficient space should be left between the rows to permit regular hoeing. Soil preparations for broccoli and calabrese are very important. The soil should be in good heart, but must not have been recently dressed with organic matter as this may promote soft, cold-vulnerable growth. Prior to planting the soil should be firmed and raked.

To visit the Vegetable Gardening Guides presently on the GardenMessenger web-site, visit click here

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-07T06:41:00.000+02:00

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show Secure

Uncertainty ended
Melbourne City Council, Victoria, Australia, have resolved to extend the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) licence for a further two years at the Carlton Gardens. MIFGS’ three year licence for use of the Exhibition Building and surrounding Carlton Gardens expired this year. The City of Melbourne’s Marketing and Events Committee has voted to extend the licence for a further two years at that site.

Lord Mayor John So praised MIFGS as the premier flower and garden show in the southern hemisphere. "The Melbourne Flower Show contributes to Melbourne’s reputation as a vibrant, international and liveable city. Over 1.2 million people have attended the Show since its inception in 1996 and the event has a total economic impact for Victoria between AU$8 and AU$9 million annually.

The original license was set for a period of three years with an optional extension fora further two years. The license incorporated requirements to protect the gardens and its heritage features. A report by an independent heritage consultant who monitored the event and its impact on the Carlton Gardens site showed that the event complied with the requirements of the license and had no long term negative impact on the site.
The next show is scheduled for 28th March - 1st April 2007

For details of major world horticultural shows and events, visit the ever-growing Events and Shows section of the GardenMessenger web-site click here

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-06T06:21:00.000+02:00

Rose Garden of Excellence 2006 and Festival of Roses

Coughton Court rose labrynth
The Rose Labyrinth, within the historic walled garden at Coughton Court near Alcester, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, has been given the Award of Garden Excellence for 2006 by the World Federation of Rose Societies, which represents 100,000 rose lovers worldwide.The garden was designed by Christina Williams, whose family have lived at Coughton Court for nearly 600 years. The labyrinth features more than 150 different cultivars of shrub, climbing and rambling roses. I was delighted to hear the news, as I was the adviser for the technical development and creation of the rose garden as well as the wider garden for the six years from its inception until it was officially opened. The Throckmorton family, who have developed the garden in association with the National Trust, have also kindly named part of the garden for me. So if you ever get to visit this lovely garden, think of me as you walk through the area known as Philip’s Garden!

This week the Festival of Roses takes place at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. For full details of the award winning growers and to view the new roses launched at the show click here

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

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2006-07-05T07:06:00.000+02:00

Show Gardens Review, Shady Colour, Design and Landscape Group

Opposite Attraction
BBC Gardeners' World Live 2006 - Show Gardens Review
This week I seem to have been completely overwhelmed by garden design and landscaping, especially from the garden shows. Whatever you think of the show gardens at major shows - real gardening or pure theatre - there are always things that you can learn for your own garden if you look carefully. Today on the GardenMessenger web-site there is a review of some of the gardens presented at the annual BBC Gardeners’ World Live Show at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham UK. The descriptions are those provided by the designers. My choice for the blog is an interesting one with some lively ideas.

Opposite Attraction
Key Garden Design
Based around the premise that opposites attract, the black and white scheme depicted in this garden represents man and woman – perhaps the owners of this delightful garden. Man-made materials provide the backbone to the garden and are softened with modern cottage garden plants and some less than cottage garden plants, providing an area in which to spend time to reflect on our own relationships and those within our society. Silver Gilt Flora Medal
Photo:BBC Gardeners World Live

Colourful Solutions for Shady Gardens
Using masses of colourful foliage beneath carefully selected trees and shrubs, the staff at Swanson’s Nursery in Seattle, WA, United States, show their customers that hardy perennials offer much more than flowers.

Ellerslie Flower Show Tertiary Competition
Ellerslie Flower Show, New Zealand’s largest flower and garden show, sponsors this competition, providing a great opportunity for New Zealand tertiary students to launch a landscape design career.

To review the gardens and read other Design News click here.

GardenMessenger Design and Landscape Group

Welcome to the group
Part of the reason for all the frenzied activity with topics related to garden design and landscaping during the past week or so, has been pressure from GardenMessenger members for more information on the subject. There seems to be an insatiable demand for information and inspiration. So responding to this need a subgroup for those interested in both the design elements, and the practical landscaping aspects of gardening has been established. This, we hope will become a community of gardeners, designers and landscapers, both amateur and professional who are united by an interest in creating and enjoying beautiful gardens. Whether you have a home garden to transform, or a more extensive landscaping project, you will be very welcome. We are going to discuss everything from tree planting and drainage to plant combinations and maintenance. The discussions and opportunities for exchanging knowledge and making new friends are limitless. Already in two days we have over 100 members. To join click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
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2006-07-04T08:18:00.000+02:00

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Hot Springs
Today one of the most important international flower and garden shows opens just outside London in the grounds of historic Hampton Court Palace. Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, this is a show that is noted world-wide for its innovative garden designs, especially its annual display of show water gardens. This year`s winner of the coveted Tudor Rose Award and a Gold Medal in the Show Water Gardens section is the Dorset Water Lily Company with their garden entitled Hot Springs.

Introducing the garden, the winners say "Hot Springs has been designed and built to illustrate, with our increasingly warm climate, how many semi-tropical and exotic plants can now be grown outdoors in the UK. The greater proportion of plants and trees in this garden originated in the southern hemisphere, brought back to Europe by the explorers, botanists and collectors who ventured to the New World. Looking across a lushly planted pond with its soothing, bubbling water and gentle drifting stream, the onlooker is invited to walk across a rustic bridge to a hideaway on stilts, standing in water. Using plants such as lotus, ferns, cannas, bananas and tree ferns, this exotic garden takes on a semi-tropical atmosphere."

To review all the results for the Show Gardens and design sections, as well as the award winning gardens visit the GardenMessenger web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

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2006-07-03T09:16:00.000+02:00

Phlox - Plant of the Month, Water Gardens and Conceptual Gardens

Phlox ‘Little Princess’
Phlox has been named Plant of the Month by the Dutch nursery industry. Phlox are a large group of frost-hardy perennials with a diverse range of cultural requirements. The majority, especially those that are widely grown in mixed plantings and known as Border Phlox, require a rich, moist, well-drained organic soil if they are to prosper. They are intolerant of drought and should be watered in dry spells, ideally early in the morning. Overhead watering must be avoided and a summer mulch that keeps the roots cool and moist is appreciated. Phlox prefer full sun and need good air circulation, so space the plants generously when planting and thin out over-crowded shoots early on in the season. Remove flower panicles as they fade in order to prolong flowering and prevent unwanted self-seeding. Cultivars do not come true from seed. The Dutch nursery industry make a number of recommendations for cultivars that have proved themselves over time and are widely available click here.

Water Gardens - Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
The water gardens are a regular and well established feature at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. This is a preview of the water garden features for the 2006 show which starts tomorrow. The descriptions are those provided by the exhibitors to the Ryal Horticultural Society. To visit click here.

Conceptual Gardens - Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
Conceptual Gardens is a new category for 2006 and open to students and graduates of garden or landscape design. The exhibitors have been challenged to create innovative gardens which push the boundaries of design. All the Conceptual Gardens designers have been awarded a grant of £6,000 from the Royal Horticultural Society and must demonstrate that their design can be created within this capped budget. To visit click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
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To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
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2006-06-30T07:37:00.000+02:00

The WishPlant and New Gardener Guides

The WishPlant
It is difficult to imagine the mind that could dream up the latest gimmick with plants, but the imagination of some folks has no bounds and the WishPlant has been conceived in Holland. This consists of a transparent capsule in key fob size that contains a growing mini-plant. There are tiny holes for air and water at the base of the capsule. Depending upon the plant it contains, the capsule has to be placed in water once a week or once a month so that the base can absorb sufficient water. The capsules contain a mini cactus or a mini succulent. There are ten different varieties in all and the tiny plants last between three and six months. After that they become too big for the capsule and have to be re-potted. Each plant comes with a wish, making it an ideal gift. WishPlant comes in three options: colour, square and pearl. More information about WishPlant can be found here.

I have created a completely new section on the GardenMessenger web-site for New Gardener Guides. These are primers for those who are completely new to gardening and cover subjects such as Digging, Hoeing and Raking, Pruning Roses, Planting Trees and Shrubs and many more essentials for the beginner to our wonderful hobby. At present there are 35 titles, all of which can be found here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
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To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
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2006-06-29T09:22:00.000+02:00

Planning and Designing your Garden

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
One of the potentially mystifying aspects of gardening for the newcomer to the hobby is garden planning and design. The beginner who seeks inspiration from the plethora of lavishly illustrated gardening books on the subject, or who visits one of the many gardening shows where there are show gardens, could well be led to believe that there is a great art to garden design, an art that is the prerogative of the talented few.

While it is true that there are a few great designers around - as there are great artists - the truth is that anyone can design a garden if they choose to. Although it is important to consider practical matters, like where is the washing going to be hung out, or the compost heap placed, this is no more difficult a concept to acquire than arranging furniture in a room for convenience and elegance of living. Regard the garden as an outdoor room and suddenly design and planning become less formidable.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Remember that if other folks do not like what you create, or consider it “bad design”, that they are not living in it or with it, and such an assessment is purely their opinion and not necessarily valid. So do not be afraid of designing and laying out your own garden. If the design is right for you, then it is a good design - and do not let anyone tell you differently.The only thing that is important is the conditions for plant growth and arrangement.

You may have a great design, but if the plants are not able to achieve your objective, whether it be the lawn grasses, shrubs or trees, then the design will fail. So it is important to be aware of the canvas that you have upon which to paint your picture, both its limitations and advantages, and then to conduct a simple survey. Once this has been done the practical layout can be addressed. You can then “get out your brush and paint the picture”.

The foregoing is an introduction to home garden design on the GardenMessenger web-site. Today I have added two further Gardening Guides Surveying the Garden and Garden Layout.
To visit click here.

Hampton Court Flower Show Garden Previews
I have added some further previews of the Show Gardens
To visit click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
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To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
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2006-06-28T00:06:00.000+02:00

Creating a Balanced Garden Pond

Waterlilies are an essential component
The ideal garden pond is one that has a natural and harmonious balance. This can rarely be achieved where the reflective quality of the water is its paramount attraction, or where major moving water features play. However, in the traditional well-planted garden pond with its modest complement of fish, it is a realistic and long-lasting proposition. It is essential that every component involved achieves harmony from the beginning.

When looking at the principles of natural balance it is clear that there are two important aspects that require immediate consideration - the provision of abundant underwater growth and surface shade. Submerged plants perform an invaluable and often diverse role. Their main task is to mop up nutrients in the water and to release oxygen during the day to sustain fish and other aquatic life. They are also to some extent a food source for fish and often serve as a nursery for fish fry. So they clearly have a major impact upon a pond’s ecosystem. By removing excess nutrients from the water, submerged aquatics deprive green water-discolouring algae of the opportunity of becoming established.

Green water can also be controlled by the amount of light that is permitted to fall into the pond. Algae, like most other aquatic plants, must have full uninterrupted sunlight in order to prosper. However, planting trees and shrubs to shade the pond is ill-advised as this will prevent the desirable plants like waterlilies and marginal aquatics from growing properly and will have an adverse effect upon their floral display.

The solution is to provide shade on the surface of the water by means of floating plants and waterlily pads. These should not cover the entire pond, for cutting out the light completely beneath the water will cause the submerged plants to perish. No more than one third of the surface area of open water should be covered with foliage if green suspended algae is to be controlled successfully and the submerged aquatics permitted to continue in healthy growth.

Ornamental fish also make an important contribution to the balance of a pond. They are invaluable for keeping pests under control, not only those that attack the plants, but also mosquito larvae, which if left unchecked pose potential discomfort for the gardener. The waste matter that fish produce is also of benefit to the plants. Snails can also make a contribution, for if suitable species are selected, they will graze upon filamentous algae, which is largely unaffected by the competition created by the submerged aquatics.

When establishing a pond there is a formula that can be used to provide a general guide for planting. In assessing the area to be shaded by foliage and occupied by submerged plants, calculate the surface area of the pond excluding the marginal shelves. This is the area that should be covered for approximately one third with floating foliage.

When calculating the number of submerged aquatics required, allow one bunch of cuttings for every 0.093sq m (1sq ft) of surface area. That is not to say that the plants must be distributed over the pond floor evenly in such a ratio, it is the specific number required for the given surface area. With fish a maximum stocking of 6ins of length (including tail) to every 0.093sq m (1sq ft)of surface area, although initially 5cm (2in) to the same surface area is sensible. Water snails of suitable species can be introduced freely.

The foregoing is one of a new series of Gardening Guides about water gardening that has been added today to the GardenMessenger web-site. Although the Gardening Guides were only started a few days ago they are receiving a warm welcome. As new subjects are published I will mention them here and provide the link.

To visit the water gardening titles added today click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
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To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
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2006-06-27T23:47:00.000+02:00

Festival of Roses - New Rose Launches

Rose of the Year 2006
This year, the Festival of Roses at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show will be exhibiting the Rose of the Year 2006, ‘Champagne Moment’, unveiling the Rose of the Year 2007, as well as celebrating 25 years of Rose of the Year, alongside some of the UK’s top rose growers. There will also be several rose-related talks and demonstrations throughout the week. The Rose of the Year 2007, ‘Tickled Pink’, will also be launched. Introduced by Fryers Roses and Roses UK, this floribunda produces masses of large, scented pink blossoms. It is free flowering and exceptionally easy to grow.

There will also be many other new introductions from the world’s top breeders. Details of all these and many of the other rose introductions of 2006 will be found in the newly created RoseMessenger pages on the GardenMessenger web-site. Visit New Plants and click to the New Roses links at the bottom of the page. click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-26T19:41:00.000+02:00

Endophytes and Plants, Pear Fireblight, Show Gardens Preview

Gary Samuels
There is an interesting new concept in prospect when it comes in future to identifying and naming the plants in our garden. The genus, species or cultivar may not be enough. According to a spokesperson from the Agricultural Research Service in the United States, "That’s because if you were to zoom in on, say, an oak leaf and view its clusters of tiny cells bunched up alongside one another, you’d see that those cells are not alone. Cozying up next to them, between them, and on top of them are cells belonging to a vast array of fungi. Called endophytes, they live inside leaves, roots, and even bark without harming the plant."

While plants and fungi have been part of the natural scheme of things for thousands of millennia, scientists are just beginning to understand the exact nature of their unusual relationship. Gary Samuels, a mycologist at the Agricultural Research Service Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory (SBML) in Beltsville, Maryland, is blazing a trail in this new fungal frontier, helping to identify endophytes that he and his colleagues collect on fungi-hunting missions around the globe. In some cases, he’s naming species for the first time. "What’s so exciting," he says, "is that researchers think endophytes are protecting their host plants against disease." Through various mechanisms, resident fungi appear to be fending off outsider fungal pathogens that might otherwise parasitise a plant and harm it. But Samuels explains that the relationship between a plant and its fungal invader can be tenuous. "It’s a fine balance. If something in the outside environment tips it, some endophytes will seize the opportunity and take over the plant."

Pear Resistance to Fireblight Results
Experiments for the evaluation of the susceptibility of pear cultivars to Fire Blight disease have been conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions in Hungary.

Alien Species Causing Huge Damage to Biodiversity
Invasive alien species, especially plants that are garden escapes, are causing billions of Rands of damage to South Africa’s economy every year, and are the single biggest threat to the country’s biodiversity, according to the Working for Water Progamme.

Water Gardening Month
July has been designated Water Gardening Month in the US.
For more click here.

Garden Design News

Tatton Park Show Gardens Preview
Out of Africa
Newcomers and Gold and Silver medallists from last year’s Tatton show, Louise Ward and Lucy Hunter, have joined forces this year to create an Art Deco-style show garden, inspired by the film Out of Africa.
For more click here.

Hampton Court Show Gardens Preview

The Sunshine Garden
Designed to resemble a typical London back garden, and featuring a range of drought-tolerant plants and other water-saving and eco-friendly ideas.

Love, Life & Regeneration
This garden is inspired by Oliver, Trevor Tooth’s one year-old baby boy, as well as Jake and Evie, new members of Rik Godfrey’s family who collaborated with Trevor on the design.
For more click here.

GardenMessenger Garden Guides
Many more Gardening Guides have been added over the past few days. To visit the index click here.

GardenMessenger Plant Guides
The first of the GardenMessenger Plant Guides have been added to the web-site. These will be developed as a series of primer plant profiles. To visit the index click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-23T23:16:00.000+02:00

New GardenMessenger Gardening Guides

Window Boxes - a GardenMessenger Gardening Guide
The GardenMessenger web-site was established to provide a home and a focus for the members of the GardenMessenger group and its sub-groups. Also as a resource for news and events as well as information concerning research and new plant products. It is not intended to be a fully comprehensive practical gardening resource. However, it has been recognised that many gardeners who visit the web-site and are not GardenMessenger members, as well as a number of newcomers to the GardenMessenger on-line community are beginners, and so it is good to be able to help them become established in their new hobby. The Gardening Guides are primers on topics that most gardeners encounter at some time in their gardening lives, and experienced gardeners often take for granted. They are intended as basic practical introductions to a range of gardening subjects.

As the whole concept of GardenMessenger and its sub-groups is of global gardening and a world-wide community of gardeners, the Gardening Guides are written in a practical, but general manner that it is hoped will be as meaningful to gardeners in the northern hemisphere as in the south, irrespective of whether their climate is temperate, sub-tropical or tropical. The text of these guides is also available for free use to gardening clubs and similar organisations for their newsletters and web-sites without charge, providing that a formal request is made, the text is unaltered, and a link is provided to the GardenMessenger web-site.
Contact admin@gardenmessenger.net

The GardenMessenger Gardening Guides that I have put on-line today are:-

Choosing Garden Tools
Constructing a Garden Path
Choosing a Greenhouse
Managing the Hobby Greenhouse
Garden Pond Construction
Constructing a Rock Garden
Making a New Lawn from Seed or Turf (Sod)
Window Boxes
Collecting your own Seeds
Pricking Out and Hardening Off Seedlings

To visit the GardenMessenger Gardening Guides click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-22T17:19:00.000+02:00

Monet and Marliac, New Plants and Bulbs

Monet’s Giverney
Two great names in French history made their mark with waterlilies, Monet through painting and his garden at Giverny, and Marliac with his nursery and pioneering waterlily breeding program at Temple-Sur-lot. Waterlily enthusiasts who wish to visit these historic centers can join a special tour arranged by Lilypons Water Gardens to France with well known American expert Charles Thomas, waterlily expert and co-owner of Lilypons. For details click here.

New Plants and Bulbs

Ageratum ‘Esparanza’
The bright blue flowers of this Ageratum are about 1.5m (5/8in) in diameter and produced in closely packed clusters on stems that are held above soft downy foliage.

Australian Bedding Plants
Bedding Plants Australia (BPA), the body to whom gardeners in Australia look for recommendations for seasonal planting for the flower garden, have this year have an unfortunate admission to make.

Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Skyline’
A novelty house plant with grey-green leaves which are both grooved and striped.

Papaver nudicaule ‘Poppy Bussana’
A lovely new Iceland Poppy that was originally bred for cut flowers, but also makes a lovely free-flowering border plant.

Hippeastrum 'Mocca'
This is a cultivar that has been bred for cutting, rather than as growing as a houseplant, although it can be used for both purposes.

Veronica ‘Christa’
An unusual cultivar that grows like any other hardy herbaceous Veronica, except that its spikes of dark blue blossoms end as a cockscomb.

Gerrondo Gerberas
The Gerrondo Gerbera is an entirely new type of flower which will be available during the next few months.

Bouvardia ‘Diamond Light Pink’
This is one of a new group of double-flowered Bouvardia called the Diamond series.

Vriesea ‘Astrid’
A new development in Vriesea. Unlike other species and cultivars of Vriesea , ‘Astrid’ forms a rosette of three to six shoots with the same number of flowers.

Lilium ‘Shocking’
The recent cross-breeding of Oriental and Aurelium lilies has resulted in a completely new type, referred to in the horticultural trade as OT lilies.

Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Hot Pink’
This is the latest addition to the Elegance series of double-flowered Ranunculus

For the above click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

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2006-06-21T13:07:00.000+02:00

Kew Gardens Summer Festival, Blossom End Rot and Biological Control

Historic Kew
Any enthusiastic gardener who happens to be visiting London, should try to get to Kew Gardens' Summer Festival. This explores 'How Kew Grew' and brings to life the people, buildings, and past times which have shaped the Gardens. The origin of the Gardens dates back to 1631, when Kew Palace was built, so the Gardens showcase a treasure trove of history, all waiting to be discovered. Some of the highlights include the opening of the Pagoda and Kew Palace, for the first time in many years; wallabies and sheep in the Gardens, as they were in King George III's time, and some great paintings and digital reconstructions illustrating Kew's unique life story. The Festival continues until 24th September. Photo: RBG Kew.

Blossom End Rot of Tomatoes in Hot Climates
Research has been undertaken into the incidence of blossom end rot in tomatoes in hot arid climates by researchers in Kuwait. Blossom end rot is a common disorder of tomatoes, the rot appearing as round spots on the blossom end of fruits. Initial symptoms of the disease appear as water-soaked indented stains or brown spots which rapidly become black as the disorder progresses.

New Waterlily Book
For those who read German, a new book entitled Seerosen (Waterlilies) has been published in Germany.

Biological Pest and Disease Control
We are all looking towards biologically friendly ways of controlling pests and diseases in our gardens. The Dutch nursery industry is too. The combination of economics, pressure from legislation, and public demand, has led to some serious experimental work taking place at a research station in Horst in southern Holland.

Developing Whitefly Controls
Every gardener is interested in hearing about new methods of controlling whitefly, even if they are not yet fully developed. If they are more biologically friendly than what we have at present, then so much the better.

For the above click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-20T20:23:00.000+02:00

Defeating Dutch Elm Disease, Developing Bio-based Pots and Pine Wood Growing Bags

The original 'Jefferson' elm on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Researchers in the US are getting on top of Dutch Elm Disease (DED), at least they are showing positive outcomes in outwitting the deadly disease, which was accidentally imported on logs shipped from France to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1931, and which by the 1980s had wiped out around 77 million American elms. To combat this exotic and deadly disease, caused by the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi, researchers have screened thousands of American elm trees for DED resistance. The research team have taken great care, and enough old specimens have been located and kept alive to provide the germplasm necessary to develop DED-tolerant trees. Much of this work has been done by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists with the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

The arboretum’s tree-breeding project was led, until his 2005 retirement, by geneticist Denny Townsend, who worked with horticulturist Susan Bentz, in the ARS Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit (FNPRU) at Glenn Dale, Maryland. In 2005, the newest American elm - named ‘ Jefferson’ - was released jointly by ARS and the National Park Service (NPS), after collaborative screening tests by Townsend and NPS plant pathologist James L. Sherald showed it to have an outstanding level of DED tolerance. It was cloned in 1993 from the original tree, a survivor of about 600 elms planted on the National Mall in Southwest Washington in the 1930s. Jefferson was thought to be a hybrid elm until DNA tests performed at the arboretum proved it to be a true American Elm, Ulmus americana, much to the relief of purists. This sturdy elm grows in the typical vase shape up to 20m (68ft) tall. Its leaves turn dark green earlier in spring and stay dark later in autumn than most other elms. Jefferson has broad U-shaped branch unions, rather than narrow V-shaped ones, has attractive bark, and can be propagated by softwood cuttings.

FNPRU research leader John Hammond regards ‘Jefferson’ as a good street tree because it can withstand pollution from city traffic and has wide adaptability, growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 7. While this durable, DED-tolerant elm may once again fill US parks and grace street sides with true American elms, ‘Jefferson’ will not be available to home gardeners for about four years. But specimens can be seen on the National Mall, next to the old Smithsonian Building, and soon at the arboretum. Efforts are under way to propagate quantities for nursery co-operators. Two other DED-tolerant elms developed through ARS tree breeding, ‘Valley Forge’ and ‘New Harmony’, are already quite widely planted.
Photo: SE Bentz ARS

New Growing Bag Use 100% Pine Wood
EkoFibre in the UK are producing growing bags that contain 100% high quality lignin cellulose pine wood fibre's which are harvested especially for this purpose from FSC certified sustainable forests.

For the above click here.

Developing Bio-based Pots
Plant pots made from farm wastes could one day be a boon to both home gardeners and the horticultural industry, as well as the environment. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) of the American Nursery and Landscape Association are working together to create biodegradable pots for nursery production.

New Free Pond Guides from Mitre 10 New Zealand
Mitre 10 have produced two useful practical on-line guides for newcomers to water gardening.

For the above click here.

Design News - Hampton Court Preview Garden
Hadlow College,Kent - CaCO3
Chalk (CaCO3) - what does it mean to you? Industrial cement works or Kentish chalk downland?

For the above click here.

A New Apricot Rootstock from Bulgaria
Research in Bulgaria to find the ideal rootstock for apricots started in the 1970s. This work has just come to fruition with the release of the Prunus myrobalan rootstock ‘Aidemirska’.

Raspberry ‘Valentina’
‘Valentina’ is an exciting new raspberry cultivar....

New Celosias
There is a new series of Celosias available to home gardeners. This series comprises four cultivars, each of which as been recognised by either Fleuroselect or All America Selections for all round excellence.

For the above click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-19T10:50:00.000+02:00

Compost Trials, Water Primrose and the Wollemi Pine

Hardy perennial research
The raising of perennials from seed or cuttings using a modern compost, especially a soil-less compost, often leads to sappy soft growth. While the plants look great in their early stages, they tend to grow too quickly, become tall and relatively weak. This is a problem in the nursery trade as well as in the home garden, as we consumers have a preference for compact and sturdy plants. Now a major horticultural research centre in Holland is trying to determine the best way to cope with this problem. Researchers are conducting trials to study different phosphate levels to determine the optimum rates to produce a more compact plant. Lowering the rate of phosphates can slow down growth rates, ultimately resulting in more compact plants. The trials are being conducted using Delphinium and Salvia in two-gallon pots. Researchers will assess the impact of different rates and timing of applications of phosphates on growth, flowering times and colours, as well as overall plant vigour. Once the results of this research are known, perhaps an enterprising compost manufacturer will seize the opportunity and produce a low phosphate compost that will guarantee us steady, compact and stable growth when raising young perennials, shrubs and trees from seed or cuttings.

New Director for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
It has been announced that Prof. Stephen D. Hopper is to be the next Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

AARS Designing with Roses Competition
All-America Rose Selections is making a final call for entries for its Designing with Roses Competition. This recognises and honours excellence in landscape architecture and garden design by both professionals and students.

Water Primrose Threatens Environment in US
With its beautiful, bright-yellow flowers, Water Primrose might seem like the perfect aquatic plant to enhance a backyard pond.

A New Feature at Kew - The Sackler Crossing
The Sackler Crossing, designed by eminent London-based architect John Pawson has been opened at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

For the above click here.

The Famous Wollemi Pine Arrives
In 1994, forester Davis Noble discovered a new species of "pine" tree growing in a deep gorge in the Blue Mountains area of the Wollemi National Park, some 200km (135 miles) north-west of Sydney, Australia. Exclusive sales and distribution rights of this rare fossil tree in Europe have now been granted and the first trees are available to European gardeners.

Bupleurum griffithii
While not a completely new plant to cultivation, selected strains of this interesting half-hardy annual cut flower are being heavily promoted by the florist trade in Europe and are now available to the home gardener as seed.

New Primula Range
German seed breeders Benary have added a welcome new range of Primula obconica cultivars to what is available to home gardeners.

For the above click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-16T10:04:00.000+02:00

GardenMessenger Web-site, Apricot White Fleck and Ripple Geraniums

The GardenMessenger web-site has been well received
The new GardenMessenger web-site has had a very warm welcome from everyone. Thank you folks. I hope that it will become a very useful and practical resource for gardeners everywhere. If you have not visited yet, please do so at www.gardenmessenger.net. I try to be globally inclusive and to report upon gardening and new plants from around the world, especially as our GardenMessenger members come from more than 55 countries and all corners of the globe. If you have an interesting gardening news story, especially from a far flung place, please let me know, I would be please to hear about it.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Apricot White Fleck - A New Problem
A new problem with apricot fruits that are dried after harvesting has been recognised by researchers in Turkey.

The Parky Rose Launched
Much loved UK TV personality, Michael Parkinson, needs little introduction, even to those in other parts of the English-speaking world, as his programmes are broadcast globally. He has entertained millions of us with his captivating interviews. Now a rose has been launched in his name.

Missouri Botanical Gardens Offers Multilingual Guide Maps
To better serve both the local community and international visitors, the Missouri Botanical Garden's free visitor guide maps have been translated into seven languages in addition to English.

New Head of Education for RHS
The Royal Horticultural Society has announced the appointment of a new Head of Education.

For the above click here.

Southport Flower Show Garden Design Competition
Mature students Helen Schaffer and Paul Richards both from Myerscough College, Lancashire, have won the Southport Flower Show Garden Design Competition.

For the above click here.

New Ripple Geraniums
An exciting new range of Ripple geraniums has been added to the Horizon series produced by UK plant breeders FloraNova.

Scabious Promotion
Although not completely new, the cultivar of the frost-hardy Scabiosa japonica, called ‘Ritz Blue’, is receiving heavy promotion to gardeners in Europe.

Snowsylva Creates a Trio
The new pure white 'Snowsylva' joins the beautiful 'Bluesylva' and Rosylva' to complete the 'Sylva' trio of Wood Forget-me-nots.
For the above click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-15T08:50:00.000+02:00

The Australian Garden Opened, Astilbes and New Plants

New Australian Garden Opened
As promised a week ago I have produced the beginnings of the GardenMessenger web-site click here. This is a place that will become a focus for GardenMessenger members and those of its regional and sub-groups. It will also become a place where I can develop a resource of gardening news and information that will be readily retrievable, unlike the blog, where it is very difficult to find past items. The blog, however, will continue and provide members and visitors with information and latest updates directed to the pages of the GardenMessenger web-site where they are posted. So if you are interested in being kept updated, visit the blog readily.

The Australian Garden Opened
A treasure garden of Australian plants has been opened at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, an annex of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria, by the state Premier Steve Bracks.

RHS Bicentenary Glasshouse
The new Royal Horticultural Society’s Bicentenary Glasshouse, which is costing £7.7 million, is now reportedly complete.

Astilbe - Plant of the Month for June
Each month the Dutch nursery industry selects a plant to promote as Plant of the Month and makes recommendations as to some of the more recent and proven cultivars of that genus. This month it is the turn of that lovely group of frost-hardy moisture-loving perennials.

For the above click here.

Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’
This is a genetically compact Eryngium with a unique intense blue flower colour….

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Corona’
'Corona' is a cultivar of well-branched habit…..

Salvia splendens ‘Mojave’
This is a compact early flowering cultivar with good heat tolerance…

Gourd ‘Jack B-Little’
A fine new gourd cultivar that is being introduced to European gardeners.

For the above click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-07T19:09:00.000+02:00

Beating Bean Diseases, UK Avocado and Winter Flowering Wallflower

I am busy working on developing the GardenMessenger web-site and so I will not be posting on the blog for one week - until 14th June. I have to accept that there are only twenty-four hours in the day and I need to get things organised so that the news delivered by the blog is more professionally presented and that the rapidly increasing GardenMessenger online community has a home to call its own. During this short period I will continue to gather news items so that nothing will be missed. I hope to see you back here then.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Beating Bean Diseases
Beans can suffer from many devastating diseases. So says plant pathologist Marcial Pastor-Corrales of the Agricultural Research Service Vegetable Laboratory of the Plant Sciences Institute in Beltsville, Maryland, United States, "All over the world, wherever you find beans, you find pathogens. Anthracnose, Common Bean Rust, Bean Common Mosaic, and Common Blight are among the world’s most economically significant bean diseases. The brown cankers, rust-coloured spores, mottled leaves, and lemon-yellow lesions that plague afflicted plants can foreshadow obliteration of an entire crop. However, in the Agricultural Research Service Vegetable Laboratory in Beltsville, Marcial Pastor-Corrales and his colleagues are breeding beans to improve genetic resistance to these diseases, with great success.

Avocado Fruiting in the UK
London resident Philip Williams was astonished when he saw what he believed was an avocado fruiting in a garden in west London.

Country Value Seeds to be Re-launched in 2007
Country Value, the no-frills, value for money UK seed brand, has given its packets a makeover for the 2007 season

Winter Flowering Wallflower
In a major breakthrough, UK plant breeders FloraNova, have announced that they have produced the first strain of winter flowering wallflowers.
For the above click here.

Plant Talk
The fifth in a series of mini plant reviews: Cotoneaster
Of all the frost-hardy berried shrubs the Cotoneasters are amongst the most popular. …Details click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-06T16:01:00.000+02:00

Conifer Survey, New Horticultural Lab, Iris Week and New Plants

Thank you all for your very kind comments and suggestions over the radical changes made to the blog and delivery of information during the past few days. We are unexpectedly at the beginning of a journey, but I think it is an exciting one. As time goes on I think the blog and the attendant news and information pages will become an invaluable complementary resource to the steadily growing GardenMessenger membership with its vast wealth of expertise. I hope that the present temporary home for information will soon transfer to its own web-site so that it can be presented more professionally. However, there are only so many hours in the day - but what an interesting time! Thank you all for making it so.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

UK Conifer Die-back Survey - Help Needed
The Royal Horticultural Society, in collaboration with East Malling Research Station, recently received funding from the Horticultural Development Council to investigate the causes of die-back and browning in Leyland (Cupressocyparis x leylandii) and Lawson (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) cypress hedges.

Patio Vegetables and Exclusive Flowers for 2007
Johnsons Seeds in the UK have announced that in 2007 they are launching a collection of ten modern vegetable cultivars, that have all been selected for their ability to crop well in containers or growing bags.

New Horticultural Laboratory Opened
The Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory, a new research laboratory to be operated by the Agricultural Research Service,the United States Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency, has been opened in Poplarville, Mississippi.

Obituary
Paul Stetson - US Water Gardening Pioneer
It is with great sadness that the death is reported on 3rd June of one of North Americas’ pioneering water gardening exponents and nurserymen, Paul W. Stetson of Paradise Water Gardens Ltd, Whitman, Massachusetts.
For the above click here.

Iris Week
Iris Week is being celebrated from 21st - 25th June at historic Audley End in the east of England. In the wonderful walled kitchen garden, where Garden Organic - the national organic gardening organisation - works in association with English Heritage, its Iris collection will be lifted and divided its for the first time.
For the above click here.

Festival of Roses
This year, the Festival of Roses marquee at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in the UK will be exhibiting the Rose of the Year 2006, ‘Champagne Moment’, unveiling the Rose of the Year 2007, ‘Tickled Pink’, and celebrating 25 years of Rose of the Year with some of the UK’s top rose growers.

New Cut Flower Chrysanthemums
These new Chrysanthemum cultivars have recently entered cut flower production, and after assessment, are now being produced commercially. Some will remain purely as florists’ flowers, but a number are likely to quickly enter the home gardener market.
For the above click here.

Hampton Court Show Gardens Preview
During the period running up to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in the UK in July, regular show garden previews will appear here.
For the above click here.

Plant Talk
The fourth in a series of mini plant reviews: Crataegus
The thorns are an enormous group of trees and occasionally shrubs, most of which are of garden merit. The common European Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, is amongst the best-loved and most useful…Details click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-05T15:53:00.000+02:00

Raspberry Disease, Ugly Veg, China Expo and New Plants

Welcome to today’s blog, which has a blend of the scientific, practical and problematic within it. I have taken a conscious decision to move away from personalising the blog as much as previously as the feedback suggests that most readers visit GardenMessenger for hard factual information to assist them with managing their gardens, at the same time welcoming information about new techniques and plants that may in the near future be relevant to them. I am particularly delighted that we are receiving interest from all over the world, a visitor from the Seychelles today bringing our list of visitors by country to eighty in the eight short weeks that this blog has been published. The whole concept of GardenMessenger is to bring together the gardening world - and it is working.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Black Raspberry Decline Disease Strikes
Although the Black Raspberry, Rubus occidentalis is little known and grown in most other parts of the world, it is an important fruit in its native North America, both commercially and for home gardeners. In Oregon, the nation’s main black raspberry producer, symptoms of a devastating disease known as Black Raspberry Decline have surfaced in every region of the state where the berries are grown.

Photoselective Additive Improves Plant Growth
It is a good idea to keep an eye on what is going in the commercial horticultural industry, for developments there often lead eventually to the production of products of great benefit to us home gardeners.

The Ugliest Veg In England Competition
If you live in England and enjoy growing vegetables, you should be aware of the Ugliest Veg in England competition being sponsored by the National Trust. The competition is designed to encourage more people of all ages to grow their own vegetables and to challenge the image of the cosmetically perfect, well-formed vegetable that we often find in our shops.

China Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition
The China Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition is now under way in the north-eastern province of Liaoning. The exposition, with the theme of "man live in harmony with nature", is scheduled to last six months and expected to attract 10 million visitors from home and abroad.

Organic Strawberry Fairs
Organic Strawberry Fairs will be held at both Garden Organic, Ryton, Coventry, and Garden Organic Yalding, Maidstone in the UK, on Sunday 25th June from 10am to 5pm. Visitors will be able to treat themselves to strawberry teas or strawberries and champagne, while enjoying live music in these glorious gardens, run by Europe’s largest organic gardening charity.

For the above click here.

New Catharanthus
A new series of Carathanthus, or tropical Vinca, have just been released.

New Roses for New Zealand
South Otago-based Camphill Roses have announced three new releases for this autumn.

New Infiniti Geraniums
A new range of early flowering seed raised geraniums have just been launched.

For the above click here.

Plant Talk
The third in a series of mini plant reviews: Taxus
The Taxus or yews are amongst the most important trees for the garden, for not only are they used as specimens, but for hedging and topiary as well click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-04T15:18:00.000+02:00

New Plants, Glowing Flowers and Designing with Conifers

The changeover of the system of delivering information on the blog did not seem to cause anyone any difficulty yesterday, the only feedback that I have had has been positive. Today I am continuing to develop the changes and while retaining all the usual features, I have separated out garden design as an entity as there is always so much going on in that field that it really needs its own space. I hope that you continue to enjoy the blog.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Polygala myrtifolia ‘Chapman Field’
In 1997 US plant geneticist Alan Meerow identified the Cape Milkwort or Sweet Pea Bush, Polygala myrtifolia, found in the Bokkeveld Mountains, South Africa, as a potentially interesting new plant to develop for its ornamental characteristics. Details click here.

Micro-Gerbera ‘Kameleon’
An interesting new plant, which grows no taller than 10cm (4in) with flowers around 5 cm (2in) in diameter. Details click here.

New Argyranthemums
Two new cultivars of Argyranthemum have been recently released. Details click here.

Glowing Flowers
G de Koning BV, Westland,The Netherlands, has obtained the exclusive right to use a new patented dye on ornamental flowers and plants. Details click here.

New Msc in Global Horticulture
Those who are interested in learning about horticulture in an international context may be interested in the new Msc in Global Horticulture. Details click here.

UK Village Flower Show TV Series Under Way
The village flower show is a national institution, where members of the British public take huge pride in growing the biggest vegetables… Details click here.

Designing with Conifers
To mark the second UK National Conifer Week, and to demonstrate to gardeners how conifers can be used in the twenty-first century garden… Details click here.

Plant Talk
The second in a series of mini plant reviews: Ruscus
For a difficult dry shade area in need of ground cover there are few other hardy plant options than Butchers' Broom, Ruscus aculeatus, …………. Details click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-03T21:43:00.000+02:00

Improvements, Gardening News and New Plants

This blog has been online now for over fifty days and has been generally well received. However, the longer it continues in its present form the more difficult it becomes for readers to find archived material, thus in the longer term its usefulness will be diminished. So I have reviewed the blog, and I am going to change the way in which information is delivered so that it is easier to use, and for those visitors who are new to the blog, information that was published earlier will become more readily accessible and retrievable.

At present I am putting together a small web-site for the GardenMessenger group and its sub-groups. A focus where information can be dispersed readily amongst members, and for those outside, a one-stop venue where they can learn about the GardenMessenger online gardening communities and hopefully be encouraged to become a part of them. On this web-site I will create pages that are specific to items that I mention in the blog e.g. a new plants section, diary section etc. Thus the blog will be published each day in the same manner, except that the content will be hosted elsewhere, but easily accessed with a click, as will orderly arranged archives under subject headings. Until the GardenMessenger web-site goes live in the next week or two these pages will be hosted under the GardenMessenger banner, but within the existing web-site of the associated group SeedMessenger. So content-wise nothing will change, it is just the method of delivery. I hope that all visitors will approve of these changes and find the publication even more useful.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Fair Flowers Fair Plants Initiative Launched
Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) is a new initiative to stimulate the production and sales of flowers and plants cultivated in a sustainable manner. Sustainably cultivated flowers and plants are grown in a way that respects people and the environment. Details click here.

Fothergill’s Canadian Website Launched
Mr Fothergill's Seeds have launched their seed range for Canada with a new web-site. Details click here.

National Conifer Week Announced for UK
The second UK National Conifer Week has been announced this week. Details click here.

Plant Select Choices for 2006
The Plant Select choices for 2006 have been recently announced by Colorado State University and Denver Botanic Gardens in the United States This collaborative program between these two great institutions discovers and distributes the best plants for gardeners to grow in the high plains and intermountain regions. All the plants are described and brought together, including those from yesterday’s blog. Details click here.

Plant Talk
The first in a series of mini plant reviews: Sorbus
The Sorbus embrace both the Mountain Ash or Rowan and the Whitebeam. Excellent garden trees of …………… Details click here.

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-02T09:15:00.000+02:00

Colorado Plants, Globe Artichokes and Biological Pest Control

Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley's Ghost’
The Plant Select choices for 2006 have been recently announced by Colorado State University and Denver Botanic Gardens in the United States This collaborative program between these two great institutions discovers and distributes the best plants for gardeners to grow in the high plains and intermountain regions. Several plants are chosen each year that thrive in the sunny variable conditions of Rocky Mountain gardens. These can be plants that have grown there for years and have not yet attained the popularity they deserve, or superior forms or hybrids carefully tested over time. While regionally focused, the program also provides very useful information and guidance for other gardeners with similar growing conditions in different parts of the world, and offers glimpses of plants that many of us would not otherwise know.

In reviewing the Plant Select choices, the one that caught my attention first was Kintzley's Ghost Honeysuckle. This is a selection from the Grape Honeysuckle, Lonicera reticulata, and was originally brought to Colorado by the family of an early horticulturist, William Kintzley. The honeysuckle was found on his grave in the 1960s. It is easy to grow, covering from 2.4-3.6m (8-12 ft) in height and having a spread of 90cm-1.5m ( 3-5 ft) in width. It apparently is quite content growing in an average garden loam soil and benefits from moderate irrigation. The plant produces yellow flowers surrounded by a silvery-white bract during early to mid summer. It is suitable for USDA zones 4 - 8.

Penstemon rostriflorus
Bridges' Penstemon, Penstemon rostriflorus, presumably named for that indefatigable Victorian botanist Thomas Bridges, is noted for flowering later in the season and for living longer than other commonly grown penstemons. The orange-red flowers appear during late summer and into autumn and in their homeland are attractive to hummingbirds. The plant, which can vary in height and spread from 60-90cm (24-36in), succeeds in a sunny spot in any dry well-drained soil, and only requires occasional irrigation. It is suitable for USDA zones 4b - 8.

Sporobolus wrightii
The final plant from these selections to mention today, is one with which I am unfamiliar, although it looks great and would appear to have tremendous future when word gets out amongst trendy garden designers. This is the Giant Sacaton, Sporobolus wrightii, a tough drought-tolerant ornamental grass. The ochre seed heads can reach 1.8m (6 ft) in height and continue to provide interest through the winter. It grows well in any average soil, only requiring occasional watering during really dry periods. It is suitable for USDA zones 5 - 8.

Globe artichoke
When considering gardening under dryish conditions, amongst the first plants to come to mind are the Cynara species - cardoons and globe artichokes. Although I personally think that the globe artichoke is a bit over-rated as a vegetable, it is undeniably a fine plant for the ornamental garden and can be comfortably accommodated in the mixed or herbaceous border. It is a tall plant, when producing its flower buds, growing up to 2m (78ins) depending upon cultivar. It has deeply cut bluish-green leaves, up to 90cm (36in) long that are produced from a crown that gives the plant the appearance of a giant decorative thistle. Globe artichokes are usually purchased as off-sets and planted during mid to late spring. These are the outer divisions from an established clump. Sometimes they are from plants known as "globe artichokes" which have resulted from constant cultivation and selection, other times from named cultivars like ‘Vert de Laon’. Whenever possible choosing a cultivar is to be preferred. Seed raising is a possibility, the young plants being of similar size to off-sets in their second year. The disadvantage with seed raised plants is that they show wide diversity in stature and quality, mostly not for the best.

A bright sunny position and a free-draining but richly organic soil is essential for globe artichokes. After planting they must be kept well watered until established. Where more than a single plant is grown, allow a minimum of 90cm (36in) between plants in any direction. In the vegetable garden globe artichokes should be regarded as a long term crop, plants being allowed to remain where they are for five or more years without disturbance. Cultivation is confined to keeping the ground clean around the plants and tidying up faded foliage and flower stems at the end of the season. Do not cut healthy foliage back in the autumn, as might be prudent with other herbaceous plants, but allow the leafy growth to remain to protect the crown. In very cold areas it is usual to protect over-wintering globe artichokes with straw. The 'globes' are ready to harvest mid to late summer and are really the immature flower heads of the plants.

Whitefly control
Globe artichokes are inextricably a part of southern European life, as indeed are roses. In the Campania region of southern Italy there is a great move to producing roses 100% biologically without the intervention of any chemicals. Some 200 hectares (495 acres) of cut flower roses are produced in the region and tremendous strides are being made towards achieving this objective. One particular element in this biological control programme, which has potential future benefits for the home gardener, is the use of a clone of tobacco that has a very low nicotine content. Flying insects, such as aphids and whiteflies like to feed on these tobacco plants. The pests are controlled in a simple focused way by the tobacco plants being inoculated with the predators (Macrolophus caliginosus for white flies and Lysiphlebus testaceipes for aphids). The tobacco plants are spread around the greenhouse amongst the crop.

News

Eryngium 'Blue Glitter'
This is a great new border or cut flower perennial with steely blue stems and flowers. It grows 90-100cm (35-39in) tall and enjoys an open sunny, well drained position.

Begonia Non-Stop - ‘Mocca’ series
This is the only dark bonze-leafed series of Begonia that is uniform and early flowering. These cultivars produce large 10cm (4in) diameter, fully double blossoms in five colours (yellow, orange, deep orange, scarlet and white). These all contrast well with the dark leaf colour. They are ideal for pots, baskets and bedding use.

Cat Series Pansies
The latest in the series of pansies known as Cats, is the startling ‘Cats Orange’. It is a compact, well-branched plant with a long flowering period, and is ideal for container gardening.

Diary

East of England Garden Show
The Wood Green Animal Shelter,
Godmanchester,
Huntingdon,
Cambridgeshire,
UK.
Website click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

Photos:
Colorado Plants: Plant Select
Globe artichoke: Wikipedia
Whitefly: USDA
New Plants: Benary

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.

and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-06-01T16:33:00.000+02:00

The Garden Path, Bedding Calceolarias and Monkey Flowers

The most important garden feature
After my diversion into the futuristic field of magnetic therapy to control diseases yesterday, my wife Hazel says I must come back to earth and down to basics. She is not really a gardener, but she enjoys a nice garden and having lived with me and been my typist and secretarial help for some thirty five years is quite knowledgeable, and no longer phased by Latin names. She also knows what she likes in a garden, and the two priorities for her are a good place to hang the washing, and a sound dry path to take her to the washing line. I have to say that I concur with her view. So often a garden is ruined by a badly positioned or constructed path. Thus my opening theme today - the garden path.

A well-laid path is essential for the successful management of every garden. The direction that it takes must be very clearly thought through to ensure its efficiency. It must be arranged so that there are no temptations to cut corners across the lawn or flower beds and yet as far as possible it should be unobtrusive. Like the garden itself, a path should be properly drained, especially if it is to be constructed from gravel or a similar porous material. Surrounding ground must also be drained in such a way that the path does not become a watercourse during periods of heavy rain or after snow-melt in colder districts. The scouring out of neatly raked gravel by fast-flowing ground water can be a great source of irritation.

Before construction, consider the possibility of the path also being the line that takes services. Water and electricity can very conveniently be directed along the line of the path so that there is never any danger of interference from cultivation. It is ill-advised to place such services beneath a solid path, such as concrete, but ready access can be gained through gravel, or beneath a paved path. A sound foundation is vital, even for a simple gravel path. If a generous layer of stone foundation is not laid down first of all it is almost certain that mud will squeeze through and within a season the path will become an unpleasant mud and gravel mixture which will then play host to weeds. Prevent this by using fabric landscape matting laid over the soil in the path area before spreading the gravel. Such material permits water to seep through, but prevents the mud from squeezing upwards.

There are all kinds of gravel and gravel-like materials that can be used for path construction, but all require a proper edging to retain the material. Many gardeners choose 15mm (1/2in) gravel as this is substantial and looks good. It is not the best utility choice though for it is quite difficult to push a wheelbarrow or pushchair over and it creates havoc with high-heeled shoes. Fine shingle makes a far better surface providing that it is not scattered too liberally. However the best of all is self-binding gravel. This is of gravel-like appearance but of such a texture that it binds together in a neat hard surface. Once laid it merely needs rolling with a garden roller. Crushed limestone can also serve the purpose, but it tends to become dusty during dry weather and stick to shoes on wet days. It can also increase the alkalinity of nearby soil. Concrete is a serviceable but harsh option, which if laid properly with expansion joints, will last indefinitely. It is not a comfortable path to walk along or work from in hot weather, as there is considerable reflection and glare. The same applies to some of the modern paving slabs made from reconstituted stone. Select these with great care choosing softer more subtle colours to reduce discomfort. Also carefully select the surface. There are a number of more or less non-slip surfaces available; the most natural looking of which is referred to as riven paving.

Calceolaria integrifolia
A few days ago I wrote about the Slipper Flower or Calceolaria, and described them as being pot plants. However, I have been reminded that there are a number that are much smaller flowered than the florist's Calceolaria and which are excellent plants for bedding purposes. These have been mostly derived from the half-hardy perennial yellow-flowered Calceolaria integrifolia. In Victorian times the species itself was widely grown and over-wintered in a cool greenhouse during the winter as stock plants and the new shoots used for spring cuttings, or as cuttings were taken during late summer and over-wintered in pots. With modern hybrids seed raising is much more usual. 'Bright Bikini' is amongst the best of the new strains, being brightly coloured flowers on plants no more than 10cm (4in) tall.

Calceolarias are tender and have to be raised indoors in the greenhouse or on the window ledge. They will not stand any frost. Sow the seeds thinly in good seed compost during spring and cover the seeds lightly. It is important to use a properly prepared and sterilised seed compost rather than garden soil. Rarely is garden soil in as good a physical conditions as seed compost and it is certainly likely to be host to a range of pests and diseases which could cause early problems for seedlings under warm indoor conditions. Once the seeds have germinated and the first true leaf, as opposed to seedling leaves, is emerging the seedlings should be pricked out into a good potting compost. Use potting compost rather than seed compost as potting composts contain significantly more nutrients and these are essential for healthy plant development. During the growing period it is important for light and warmth to be consistent. Average room temperature is fine for seedlings if they are being raised on the window ledge, but it should be consistent. When any danger of frost has passed, the young plants should be hardened off before planting out. Ensure that they are well watered until established.

Mimulus ‘Maximus Ivory’
I am always surprised by the things that are mentioned in this blog which create discussion and bring me emails. Yesterday it was the new Mimulus ‘Maximus’ strain developed by FloraNova, the specialist seed breeders in eastern England, which are now making such a splash around the world. Some GardenMessenger members cannot get enough of them apparently and have asked for more, so I am taking the opportunity of showing you a few more, at the same time doing a short review for those gardeners who have not grown them before.

Mimulus ‘Maximus Red Shades’
There are innumerable wonderful Mimulus or Monkey Flower which are perennial and well suited to life in the mixed or herbaceous border. They all enjoy moist soil conditions and on occasions are also seen living happily in a bog garden at a streamside, and with certain species like the yellow flowered Mimulus luteus and lavender-blue M.ringens, in the margins of the garden pool as well. Mimulus are all summer flowering species and cultivars, mostly in very vivid hues, their strongly lipped and funnelled blossoms being carried in great profusion on stout flower stems which are liberally clothed with bright green foliage.

Mimulus ‘Maximus Yellow’
Mimulus luteus is the easiest, most commonly grown and versatile species. It is also an important component of many of the colourful hybrids which are currently so popular. In good moist conditions it will grow 60-75cm (24-30in) tall, but is often seen in the traditional herbaceous borders where conditions are drier than to its liking, at scarcely more than 30cm (12in), but nevertheless content. The copper-red M.cupreus and yellow and red spotted M.guttatus are other important species, neither growing more than 45cm (18in) tall. These, together with M.luteus have produced hybrids with a rich palette of colours. Some have blossoms which look almost like orchids and so exotic that the plants would appear as if they will not be hardy enough to survive the winter, especially the widely grown 'Queen's Prize' and 'Monarch' strains.

Mimulus ‘Maximus Orange’
These widely grown seed raised plants are often replaced annually in order to secure high quality flowers, but they are perennials and pass through the winter unscathed. However, they behave rather like Sweet Williams, which are perennials but rarely retained after the first season’s flowering. All Mimulus benefit from life in the sun providing that the soil can be kept moist. In winter they produce ground-hugging rosettes of foliage and these can be lifted and divided. Alternatively seed can be sown in a good seed compost in spring with the protection of a cold frame.

News

Physalis ‘Little Lanterns’
An outstanding new patio plant of compact umbrella-shaped habit, with creamy-yellow and maroon blossoms followed by delicious fruits.

Melampodium 'Golden Globe'
This is amongst the latest bedding plants coming from German flower seed breeder Benary. A tender annual, it attains a height of 15-20cm (6-8in), and has a very uniform, compact and neatly globe-shaped habit. 'Golden Globe's myriad golden-yellow star-shaped flowers are produced all summer long. It is idea for hot sunny situations.

Diary

Rocky Mountain District Rose Show & Convention
16th-18th June
McKee Hospital Conference/Wellness Center
Loveland,
Colorado,
USA.
Website click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

Photos:
Calceolaria: Wikipedia
Mimulus and Physalis : FloraNova
Melampodium: Benary

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-05-31T09:00:00.000+02:00

Magnetic Therapy, Scorzonera, Salsify and Monkshoods

Bio-resonance to control diseases in cut flowers?
I know that this blog is intended to provide news, views, and good practical gardening information for present day gardeners, but I cannot resist whisking you away for a moment into the future. I was absolutely fascinated to learn yesterday that scientists now believe that they have discovered a method of controlling plant diseases with magnetic frequencies. A pioneering scheme being trialled with cut flowers, if proven successful, is likely to be followed by a system for hydroponics, the initial stages of work on that project having already been completed. The cut flower project uses a ‘Ship Chip’, which is designed to reduce losses of cut-flowers from diseases during shipping. The chips, 2.5cm (1in) in diameter, are fixed to the bottom of the flower box. They are made of a proprietary metal material, attached to a metallic base that is thick enough to maintain programmed magnetic frequencies. Once the chip is detached from the protective backing liner, it emits a magnetic frequency that helps to keep the flowers free from disease during shipping. All life forms emit a natural energy field of magnetic frequencies, according to Dr. Kikuo Chishima, Nagoya Commercial University, Japan, and a leading exponent of ‘magnetic therapy’.

Known as bio-frequencies, these can apparently be measured, duplicated and translated to a digital readable format. From the specific bio-resonances isolated from a range of fungal pathogens, the scientists can then create a dominant resonance or energy pattern. The ‘Ship Chip’ is then programmed to emit an energy field characteristic of the flower species or cultivar being shipped. This bio-resonance is absorbed by the flowers in the box where it contains the energy field of the pathogens, thereby limiting infection and spread. The positive effect of this ‘treatment’ is said to continue after the flowers have been purchased. It is claimed that wastage in transport due to fungal and bacterial infection is substantially reduced by using ‘Ship Chips’. Obviously at this early stage there are no direct benefits to home gardeners from such technology, but it does not take much imagination to see that if this is successful, we may well be rethinking our disease control methods in the future.

Scorzonera
Well back down to earth and a question from Ken in Northern Ireland about scorzonera and salsify. Ken is a chef and has been using both vegetables recently. Much under-rated he thinks and I am inclined to agree. How does he grow them and are they easy to cultivate? To answer the last part of the question first, if you live in a cool temperate climate like Northern Ireland, then yes they are quite easy to grow.They are not unlike parsnips in many respects, although they do not require such a long growing season, maturing during autumn from a late spring or early summer sowing. In Northern Ireland there is still probably time to get them sown if you can do it in the next week or so. Both produce valuable winter roots which are used in a similar manner to parsnips, although they are much more slender and tapered in appearance. They must have a well-drained sunny position, ideally in a deep friable soil which has not recently been dressed with organic matter, for unless very well rotted this can cause the roots to fork badly and become useless. It may also encourage soft growth which is disease prone.

Scorzonera differs mainly from salsify in that its roots have a dark brown skin. The only widely grown cultivar is ‘Habil’, a very sweet and easily grown kind with roots that on occasions can be as substantial as an intermediate carrot. Salsify is altogether more slender and elegant with slim white, but very tasty roots. The cultivar known variously as ‘Mammoth’ and ‘Mammoth Sandwich Island’ is that which is usually available. Sow both scorzonera and salsify in shallow drills in the open ground. Most gardeners find a single row sufficient, but where more than one row is required, then space 30-45cm (12-18in) apart. Once the seedlings have emerged and the first rough leaves are up they should be thinned to 2.5cm (1in) apart, thereafter when they develop further, thinning should reduce them to 10cm (4in) apart. Keep the rows and plants free from weeds and in hot weather ensure that they have plenty of water. In really dry weather they will sometimes run to seed. Although once the foliage starts to fade the roots can be harvested and stored indoors in sand or peat, they are best left in the soil and lifted and used fresh as required. However, do not leave them beyond mid-winter, otherwise they may start into secondary growth and become woody.

Aconitum napellus
I think one of the most easiest and interesting groups of hardy herbaceous perennials for summer flowering are the monkshoods. These are typified by Aconitum napellus, an attractive hardy perennial with dark green glossy foliage and towering spikes of sinister, hooded dark blue flowers. These are produced during early summer, with a secondary flush from lateral shoots later if dead-headed immediately the first flowering is over. Adaptable to both soil and situation, A.napellus flourishes in all but the driest sun-baked position. There are a number of cultivars of varying colour, the most startling being the pure white 'Album'. Then there is the violet-blue and white 'Blue Sceptre', dull salmon-pink 'Carneum' and tall and spectacular 'Bressingham Spire'.

Aconitum lycoctonum subsp vulparia
In addition to the well known monkshood there are a number of other species which are well worthwhile growing, particularly A.carmichaeli with its dense spires of mauve-blue helmeted blossoms, dark inside, pale outside, which arise from mounds of mid-green foliage. Aconitum lycoctonum and its various forms and subspecies like vulparia are creamy and yellow-flowered. Unlike A. carmichaeli, this is a rather ungainly, but nevertheless, attractive plant up to 1.5m (5ft) tall with sprawling glossy rounded, indented foliage and short dense spikes of flowers. Aconitum volubile is even more ill-disciplined, often being regarded as a climber, but more realistically as a rambling monkshood with growth up to 4m (13ft) long which demand careful staking. It has lovely glossy leaves and small dense spikes of light blue flowers. Aconitum species can be raised from seed, but this generally takes two seasons to produce a sizeable flowering plant. Sow seeds in the spring in a good seed compost and place in a cold frame. Germination is erratic and may take place over a period of two months or more. Alternatively the fibrous rootstock can be lifted and divided in the early spring, just as the bright green shoots are emerging. This is the only way to propagate the cultivars.

Join HardyPlantMessenger
If you are interested in growing hardy perennials, then why not join the newly established HardyPlantMessenger group. This is a global community for those who are interested in the cultivation of hardy perennial plants. Discussions embrace all aspects of the cultivation of both traditional and modern frost-hardy perennials. The group welcomes members from around the world, both beginners and the more experienced, to share their knowledge and ideas with one another and to make new gardening friends. To join click here.

News

Mimulus ‘Yellow Blotch’
This is one of the finest ,and the best performing cultivar in recent trials of the new Maximus series of Monkey Flower. Other colours in the series are ivory, red shades, lemon yellow, orange and yellow.

Lilium ‘Shocking’
The recent cross-breeding of Oriental and Aurelium lilies has resulted in a completely new type, referred to in the horticultural trade as OT lilies. Although similar in shape to the Oriental kinds, the new OT cultivars have several advantages over this traditional group. These include larger blooms, improved vase life as cut flowers, and improved resistance to disease, especially botrytis. The latest cultivar is the slightly fragrant ‘Shocking’, with blossoms up to 20cm (8in) in diameter.

Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Hot Pink’
This is the latest addition to the Elegance series of double-flowered Ranunculus. When fully open, the blossoms of this cultivar can be as large as a rose. This makes it an excellent flower for cutting, but a little bulky and top-heavy for general border decoration. There are seven other colours available in the same series: white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, red and wine red.

UK National Blind Gardeners’ Club Launched
The National Blind Gardeners’ Club has been launched recently in the UK by Thrive - the national charity that uses gardening to improve the lives of disabled people – and Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), supported by the Big Lottery Fund. The aim of the Club is to encourage more visually impaired people to enjoy the benefits of gardening, help people share information and techniques, and provide a national voice for blind and partially sighted gardeners. Benefits of club membership include a quarterly gardening magazine, advice, practical courses held across the UK and a library of accessible information, including tactile diagrams.
Details click here.

Diary

Southampton Garden Festival,
1st and 2nd July,
Southampton Common,
Southampton,
UK.
Website click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

2006-05-30T08:03:00.000+02:00

Mulching, Window Box Ideas and the Iford Cherry

Mulching conserves moisture
Water, and watering in the garden, are now becoming major concerns for gardeners everywhere. Already in the UK, which is noted for its wet maritime climate, water restrictions are in place for parts of the south of the country, and it is scarcely summer yet. Australian gardeners, except those in Tasmania, seem to live in an almost permanent drought situation. Such is the seriousness in the garden city of Toowoomba, Queensland, that the press is presently full of concerns over the future of the famous Carnival of Flowers in 2007, and whether or not the whole week long programme should be cancelled. That would be unprecedented after over fifty successful years, and be a severe blow to both the economy and reputation of the city.

So what can gardeners do to help alleviate the problem? Well mulching is one thing that can be done that is very beneficial for most plantings. This is a process that conserves moisture around plants and suppresses weeds. In some cases it also adds welcome organic matter to the soil. It is usually undertaken during the spring before the soil had dried out, although occasionally coarse bark mulches are applied to plants that require winter protection for their roots in cold districts, and this is then done during early autumn. However, mulching can be undertaken at any time, it is just that if it is done during summer the soil must be moist before the mulch is applied.

Use coarse bark with caution
The commonest mulching materials are well-rotted garden compost, composted bark and in tropical and sub-tropical areas, sugar cane mulch. Garden compost must be thoroughly rotted down before it is used and the heap must have heated up sufficiently to kill all weed seeds. If partially rotted compost is used as mulch, then it is likely that weeds will be distributed, mainly in the form of seeds. Bark which has been properly composted is quite safe providing that it is not used around Mediterranean-type sun-loving plants like lavender and rosemary. In such circumstances a gravel mulch should be applied. Coarse bark should be regarded with caution and only used around mature trees and shrubs. Once this starts decomposing in the soil it uses nitrogen in the process and this can result in problems for some annuals, herbaceous plants and bulbs where the plants become sickly and the foliage turns yellow. Sugar cane mulch poses similar problems, although it is not as bulky as bark. Use it mainly around well-established perennials, trees and shrubs. Although relatively inexpensive, it is not the most visually attractive mulch and it is often scattered by foraging birds.

Mulching involves placing a layer of the mulching material around individual plants and covering all the soil between. One of the cheapest and most useful mulches in areas where it is available, is spent mushroom compost. Although looking peaty and therefore assumed to be acidic, it is actually alkaline owing to the addition of chalk, which is part of the mushroom production process, so it cannot be used safely around lime-hating plants like rhododendrons and camellias. Coir and cocoa shell mulch, which can be purchased from garden centres, can be used freely. These are materials that are increasingly being marketed as replacements for the peat moss, which conservationists are encouraging us should only be utilised in composts, and then sparingly, and not as an outdoor mulching material.

Window box combinations
The other day I was busy filing away some old gardening notes when I came across an interesting list that I would like to share with you. This described the use of plants in window boxes, and their visual compatibility with their surroundings, especially the building to which they are attached. In most circumstances colour is very important. Red blossoms will hardly show to their best advantage against a red brick wall, nor creamy-white blossoms associate well with a white background. Yellow blooms look great against white but will often be awful against red or reddish-brown. The question of plant associations with buildings is largely a matter of personal taste, but generally speaking, contrasts work to the best advantage. The following ideas were gathered from a group of home gardeners.

Plant Associations
Red Brick Walls – Use white with soft blues, lemons and a touch of lilac.

Sunny Aspects
Spring
White hyacinths and forget-me-nots
Pink and white daisies and bronze and
cream dwarf wallflower
White tulips and grape-hyacinths
Summer
White marguerites and mauve-pink trailing geraniums
Mixed stocks
Sweet alyssum

Shade
Spring
Polyanthus
Narcissus
Crocus
Summer
Campanulas
Violas
Fuchsias

Grey Stone or Colour Wash – Use deep blues or purples, also bright reds and pinks.

Sunny Aspects
Spring
Wallflowers
Pink tulips and forget-me-nots
Blue or pink hyacinths
Summer
Mixed petunias
Scarlet geraniums and pink ivy-leafed types like ‘Galilee’
Asters
Stocks

Shade
Spring
Polyanthus
Drumstick and Wanda primulas
Small evergreens
Summer
Fuchsias
Heliotrope
Begonias

White Painted or Washed Walls – Use really bright colours with plenty of green, or pastel shades of pinks and mauves.

Sunny Aspects
Spring
Golden wallflowers and forget-me-nots
Red wallflowers and daisies
Red and blue Hyacinths
Crocus
Summer
Marigolds
Calceolarias
Tagetes
Petunias

Shade
Spring
Polyanthus
Ferns
Violas
Periwinkle (Vinca)
Summer
Impatiens
Fuchsias
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia)

In winter the emphasis is on foliage. Many nurseries sell little evergreen shrubs which can be planted from pots when the summer display is over. Suitable subjects are small Box (Buxus) Junipers, Euonymus. These may be inter-planted with Crocus or other small bulbs for early colour.

Iford Manor Garden
A fascinating story has just been related by the Royal Horticultural Society, of the rescue from the brink of extinction of the Iford Cherry, an ornamental Prunus. The cherry, which has an unusual prostrate habit and produces pale shell-pink flowers during late spring, was the only one remaining from a group originally introduced by Victorian architect Harold Peto to Iford Manor Garden, Wiltshire, England. He had returned with it from a plant-hunting expedition to Asia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The tree was brought to the attention of Will Sibley, a fruit specialist, while he was visiting Iford Manor Garden in 1999. Keen to save it he proposed taking a cutting from the tree’s last piece of living wood. "We knew that removal of that final live piece would spell certain death for the tree but it was also its only hope for a future," he said. The resulting scion twigs were grown and grafted on to dwarf rootstocks of Prunus avium. The resulting healthy young trees formed the basis of the propagated material now available. It is hoped to replace the avenue of trees at Iford in the future, re-creating Peto’s planting style. Botanists at the RHS Garden Wisley have so far been unable to provide a Latin name for the cherry but it is described as being similar in appearance to Prunus serrulata. To visit the Iford Manor Garden web-site click here.

News

Bouvardia ‘Diamond Light Pink’
This is one of a new group of double-flowered Bouvardia called the Diamond series. Developed in Holland they are not only suitable for greenhouse decoration, but are also useful for cutting. Other cultivars in the Diamond series being released are White,Dark Pink,Red and Cherry.

Vriesea ‘Astrid’
A new development in Vriesea. Unlike other species and cultivars of Vriesea, ‘Astrid’ forms a rosette of three to six shoots with the same number of flowers. The leaves curl back delicately and the flower spikes are soft red.Development is continuing to produce more colours.

Diary

2006 American Rose Society National Convention and Rose Show
21st-26th June
Bellevue Doubletree Hotel
Bellevue,
(Seattle area),
Washington,
USA
Web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

2006-05-29T11:20:00.000+02:00

Biodegradable Pots, Marrows and Apple Diversity

Pots from manure and paper
A new kind of environmentally friendly plant pot, that is nutrient-rich and rapidly biodegradable, has been launched in Taiwan. Other than providing a solution to livestock waste management, this novel idea could also serve to enhance awareness of environmental protection among Taiwanese people, said Koh Meeng-ter (Kuo), the owner of the patent of this new technology, and the head of the Livestock Management Department at the Livestock Research Institute in Taipei. The pots are made from a mixture of pig manure and paper, and are apparently already receiving wide acclaim from environmentalists, gardeners and florists.

Traditionally the manure from pigs is piled into a compost heap. Each pig produces around 0.01kg of dry sludge per day. Taiwan has enough pigs (6.8 million) to generate around dry 68,000kg of dry sludge per day. In the past, other than turning it into compost, there was no other way of dealing with animal waste. So Kuo decided to utilise the dehydrated sludge made from pig manure, and to mix it with paper pulp in a ratio of four to six, to produce pots with diameters of 5 mm (2 in) and 89mm (3.5 in). Kuo calculated that if an 89 mm pot weighed 17g, it contained up to 7g of dry sludge. The advantage of using this type of pot is that it is rich in all types of nutrients and decomposes within three to seven days. "When using it, the gardener does not have to remove the plant, just plant the whole pot directly into the soil", he said. Kuo added that he was prepared to share his methods with others. So watch out for these pots at a garden centre near you soon!

Green bush marrow
Yesterday I had quite a surprise. I posted a note on this blog about the UK Marrowthon, a fun fund-raising competition for growing vegetable marrows - just scroll down to yesterday’s blog to read it. However, it was not any reaction to the competition that caused my surprise, but those gardeners, especially American members of the GardenMessenger Yahoo group, who had never heard of a marrow. Having spent quite a lot of time in the United States I am aware of the confusion that Europeans have over squashes, and also differences between the popular naming of courgette and zucchini, but I never imagined that marrows would cause any excitement. So today, for those who want to know a little about these plants and the related courgettes (yes they really should be called courgettes as ‘Zucchini’ is merely one cultivar ) I offer a short presentation.

There is quite a range of marrow and courgette cultivars, but all require the same culture. The common green marrow is divided into two kinds; bush and trailing. The bush kind is the most popular because it is a compact plant with a predictable spread. The trailing kind goes wandering off and can cover several metres of ground. This is the one commonly used for planting on a finished compost heap which is rotting down prior to dispersal in the autumn. The bush types are known as ‘Bush Green’ and ‘Bush White’, while the trailing sort is ‘Trailing Green’. There are other cultivars, including the superb, evenly fruiting F1 ‘Zebra Cross’, and the Rugby ball-shaped ‘Twickenham’. However, the basic green and white skinned kinds are perfectly adequate for most gardeners. There are also Custard Marrows. These have fleshy discus-like fruits in white and yellow which are excellent for cooking like traditional marrows. For the most sophisticated there is a Vegetable Spaghetti, a marrow-like plant with typical marrow-like yellowish or pinkish fruits which after cooking are opened up to reveal a spaghetti like interior. In North America these are often called Spaghetti Squash.

Green courgette
Courgettes are really prolifically fruiting marrows which are harvested in their juvenile state. They are also grown for their flowers which are used in fashionable cooking. As with the marrows there is a ‘Green Bush’ cultivar. It looks similar, but is different from the marrow. The traditional trailing sort is the dark green fruited ‘Zucchini’ and its yellow counterpart known as ‘Yellow Zucchini’. Marrows and courgettes are usually sown under glass or on the window ledge in the UK between mid-April and mid-May. The seeds are sown individually in small pots of good seed compost and pot grown until it is safe to plant out once the danger of frost has passed, usually during late May or early June. They must be grown in an open sunny position in a richly organic soil and kept well watered during dry spells. Courgettes should be harvested regularly as they develop, but marrows, while best eaten on the point of maturity, can be stored for the winter in a cool frost-free place if unblemished and fully mature at harvest time.

Diversity in the apple collection
The results of United States Department of Agriculture sponsored visits by scientists to Europe and Asia over recent years are starting to bring their rewards. Especially trips that were made to the central Asian republic of Kazakstan. Here many collections were made, and returned to the United States, of a local apple species, Malus sieversii, one of the forerunners of the modern domestic apple. According to the scientists, the Kazak trees showed significant resistance to apple scab - the most important fungal disease of apples - as well as to fire blight. They were highly resistant against Phytophthora cactorum, which causes collar rot, and Rhizoctonia solani, an agent of apple re-plant disease. Researchers have also found genes in the Kazak apples that allow them to adapt to mountainous, near-desert, and cold and dry regions.

News

Gerrondo Gerberas
The Gerrondo Gerbera is an entirely new type of flower which will be available during the next few months. The individual blooms differs from traditional gerberas by virtue of their unique spherical shape and huge number of petals – 450-500 - to a single bloom. Although the flower of this new strain is similar in shape to a dahlia, the overall appearance is quite different. The first series of Gerrondos has been named Terra Universe. The prefix in the name being a reference to the breeder Terra Nigra, and the suffix to the unusual spherical shape of the blossoms. The cultivars within the series have been named after planets, the pink-flowered ‘Terra Saturnus’ (illustrated) being the first to become available. The series contains six other colours: white, yellow, red, orange, cream and purple.

Diary

Journées de la Rose
9th-11th June
Royal Abbey of Chaalis,
Oise, France
Contact: Nathalie Darzac
Tel: +33 (0)144414340
Web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

Photos:
Pots: Taipei Times
Marrow and courgette: Suttons Seeds
Apples: USDA
Gerbera: Flower Council Holland

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-05-28T11:11:00.000+02:00

Controlling Late Blight, European Trials and Figs

Late Potato Blight - devastating
Agricultural Research Service plant pathologist, Modesto Olanya , and colleagues at the New England Plant, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory in Maine, United States, are investigating plant essential oils—including oregano, thyme and lavender—and other biologically based approaches for the control Late Potato Blight, one of the most devastating potato diseases in the world. Potato plants infected with the disease, scientifically known as Phytophthora infestans, suffer rapid foliage deterioration and loss, and the tubers decay. It was this disease that was blamed for the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. Is a formidable opponent, for it quickly acquires resistance to widely used systemic fungicides, requiring researchers to constantly search for new ways to protect both farm and home garden crops.

The researchers have found that among the essential oils, oregano, (or marjoram), is showing the greatest promise as a Late Blight suppressant. In laboratory tests, it was discovered that oregano and other essential oils greatly inhibited the growth of the Late Blight fungus. If future studies continue to show promise, natural remedies such as essential oils, could someday reduce a portion of the many fungicides that we currently use to control Late Potato Blight. The research team are also looking at pairing essential oils with other natural products, such as beneficial micro-organisms. The essential oils do have some limitations to overcome. Apparently oregano is fairly volatile, meaning some of its fungi-fighting essence could evaporate from plant surfaces after it has been applied. Conversely, the oils can burn plant leaves if applied too generously. This is most interesting work that we should follow closely.

Hydrangea paniculata on trial
It is great to learn of European co-operation with trialling plants. So often the horticultural industries of important plant producing countries work in isolation.The Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (KVBC) in The Netherlands have taken the initiative to expand the scope of their research work by taking plant trials to an international level. The resulting new Euro-Trials are the outcome of co-operation with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK, the Institut National d’Horticole (INH) in France and Germany’s Bund deutscher Baumschulen (BdB). The first group of plants now being trialled in these four countries are the many different cultivars of Hydrangea paniculata. The results from the trials are expected sometime in 2007.

Trial visit: Gardeners in the UK have an opportunity to visit the Royal Horticultural Society Hydrangea paniculata trial on 21st September. Further details later from the RHS.

Success with figs
There has been a lot of discussion recently about figs, particularly their successful cultivation in temperate climates. In tropical districts, especially those where there is low humidity, once figs are established, they generally take care of themselves. In cooler climates figs are usually regarded as an indoor fruit. This is partly true as in order to obtain a regular crop it does demand the protection of a greenhouse. In warm conditions three flushes of fruit can be produced, although most gardeners grow figs under unheated glass where one good quality crop in late summer is usual. Fig trees themselves are very hardy and will tolerate extremely cold conditions, tolerating -10°C (14ºF) and still surviving. It is the fruits, and the requirements of warmth and protection for these, which ensures that most gardeners grow the fig indoors, or at the very least against a sunny wall.

Figs grow best with a restricted root run. While they can be grown in a large pot or planter they are best in the ground where during the summer they can be given copious amounts of water. In a greenhouse or a border against a wall they are best planted with constraint. The traditional fig house has concrete box-like compartments in the border filled with soil from which the roots cannot escape. Figs benefit from a free-draining soil and must have a sunny position if they are to prosper. Pruning is usually undertaken during the winter months in order to restrict bleeding. Figs produce a very sticky white exudation, which during summer can be difficult to stop flowing if a branch is cut. Figs fruit on one year and two year shoots and these should be retained as far as possible. Weak, diseased and misplaced growth being removed. Few pests and diseases bother figs, but aphids do attack and leave a sticky deposit upon which sooty mould becomes established. Keep an eye open for greenfly and the moment they are spotted spray them with an appropriate contact insecticide. This will prevent the occurrence of the honeydew deposit upon which sooty mould becomes established. There are a number of cultivars of figs available, but the universally popular 'Brown Turkey' seems to be the most reliable.

News

UK Marrowthon
Although officially announced in March, the UK Marrowthon is just getting under way. If you want to take part, then you do not have a moment to lose. Everyone, from children through to expert growers, are invited to participate in this great nationwide fund-raising charitable event. £1,000 worth of National Garden Vouchers, gardening equipment prizes and trophies will be awarded at the Marrowthon Grand Final in London on Saturday 16th September. There are Junior, Adult and Team marrow competitions, with classes for weight, length, decorative and ‘unusual looking’ marrows. Details click here.

Papaver nudicaule ‘Poppy Bussana’
A lovely new Iceland Poppy that was originally bred for cut flowers, but also makes a lovely border plant. Free-flowering and in a wide range of colours. It won the title ‘Most Promising Novelty’ as a cut flower cultivar at FloraHolland 2005.

Hippeastrum 'Mocca'
This is a cultivar that has been bred for cutting, rather than as growing as a houseplant, although it can be used for both purposes. The petals are an unusual orange-brown colour with the pale green undersides. It bears at least four, but usually five, and sometimes more flowers on each stem. These are up to 10cm (4in) in diameter.

Veronica ‘Christa’
An unusual cultivar that grows like any other hardy herbaceous Veronica, except that its spikes of dark blue blossoms end as a cockscomb. The tips of the flower spikes are green when young.

Diary

RHS Pinks Open Day
14th June
Garden Meeting Room,
Hillside Events Centre,
RHS Garden
Wisley
Surrey
UK
Web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

Photos:
Late Blight: USDA
Hydrangea paniculata: Royal Horticultural Society
Fig: Wikipedia
New Plants: Flower Council Holland

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs

2006-05-27T10:15:00.000+02:00

Water Gardens Endangered, Schizanthus, Marking Out An Oval

Waterlily heritage threatened
The main purpose of this blog is to provide news, views, information and updates about gardening matters. It has never been my intention for it to become a soapbox for my opinions, but once in a while something in the news causes my grave concern and I feel it important to share those concerns with the wider world. This involves a serious threat to the future of one of international horticulture’s most treasured centres of excellence, Bennetts Water Gardens in the south of England. One of the most ill-conceived proposals that can be imagined, is being put forward by Andrew Price, Head of Planning for the local Dorset County Council. A decision having been deferred at a meeting of the Council’s Planning Committee on 5th May, it is expected that it will reappear for consideration at a meeting on 2nd June (although at present it is not scheduled in that meeting agenda).

Mr Price is tabling a proposal to the Council Planning Committee recommending that they approve a waste transfer station and sorting depot within 50 metres of the world famous Bennetts Water Gardens at Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth. Gardening organisations, professionals, and enthusiasts from around the world have been horrified to learn belatedly of the proposal and are organising opposition by making the members of the Planning Committee, the Head of Planning, as well as the local press and gardening media aware of the opposition, which goes well beyond the shores of Britain. If you want to know more about this folly and would like to add your voice to the growing chorus of dissent, please visit the PondMessenger blog click here, where I have related the controversy and provide contact details so that you can have your say. I do hope that you will help to stop this foolishness.

Poor Man's Orchid
One of my favourite plants for indoor display is Schizanthus. While most popular house plants are perennial, Schizanthus, or the Poor Man's Orchid, is annual and discarded after flowering. Plants are often sold in full flower in the garden centre or florists during the autumn and winter, but the enthusiast can easily raise plants from seed sown during the summer months. Although widely known as the Poor Man's Orchid, because of the orchid-like shape and markings of the blossoms, Schizanthus is not remotely related to the orchid family. It is a fast-growing plant with much-divided soft green, somewhat fleshy foliage, and conical-shaped mounds or loose spikes of brightly coloured, usually pink, red and gold blossoms which look like small butterflies. The old-fashioned species Schizanthus wisetonensis, grows to about 1.2m (48in), but the compact hybrid mixture 'Hit Parade', and other short-growing strains scarcely exceeds 45cm (18in). These are wonderful pot plants and the ones usually sold by florists.

Being annuals, Schizanthus can be successfully grown from young plants to maturity in soil-less compost. They require regular potting on, and the taller S.wisetonensis must be staked for support once the plants have reached a height of no more than 30cm (12in). Schizanthus will tolerate low temperatures, but dislikes wide variations. Good stocky plants can be achieved with a temperature of 5º -10°C (41º-50ºF) and plenty of light. Much warmer conditions encourage them to grow out of character and become floppy, the flower stems twisting and kinking badly. When raising Schizanthus from seed always select the most vigorous young plants to grow on and discard the rest. During the growing period be ruthless and remove any plants that do not make good progress. Apart from being grown solitarily as pot plants, Schizanthus can be grouped together in a large pot for striking impact. Plant evenly developing plants together for the best effect.

Marking out an Oval

Loop a length of string around the three inner pegs and take up the slack with a short, sharp piece of bamboo cane.
The neighbours a couple of doors down the road from my parents are enthusiastic newcomers to gardening, and have enquired as to how they could accurately mark out an oval flower bed. I thought back to my early days in horticulture and working for a landscape company. Also more recently when I was photographed for a gardening encyclopaedia actually undertaking that very task, so I have dug out my old notes and relate them here for Jill and Derek, and anyone else who is interested in producing an accurate oval shape for either a flower bed or garden pond.

Knock pegs in at both ends and the intended centre point of the shape. Add two more pegs at two-thirds of the distance between the centre and end pegs.

Tie a length of string around four of the pegs. This establishes the correct length for the marker.

Loop this length of string around the three inner pegs and take up the slack with a short, sharp piece of bamboo cane.

Making sure that the string is held taut, score a line in the ground with the sharpened bamboo, moving in a curve around the centre peg.

Moving around towards the end peg will result in the bamboo cane naturally inscribing an oval shape on the ground.

Once the ground has been marked with the cane, sprinkle sand along the line in order to define it clearly.

News

Anthurium ‘Hocus Pocus Brown’
This is fascinating cultivar of this popular indoor plant. The flower gives the appearance of having two bracts, but in fact it is one. This is dark brown with red veining and has a contrasting pencil-like spadix . It grows up to 60cm (24in) high.

Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Skyline’
A novelty house plant with grey-green leaves which are both grooved and striped. The long dark green grooves run the length of leaf and the dark green stripes are horizontally. Each leaf is about 3cm (1in) thick and arranged as an upward pointing fan. Small pinkish flowers

Chukrasia tabularis ‘Sleeping Beauty’
This is a tropical tree, popularly known as Chittagong Wood , which following experimental pot culture and selection, is now being sold as a house plant. Its great attraction is that each evening it folds up its leaves and goes to sleep. Next morning it awakes and the leaves are unfurled once more.

Diary

North American Lily Society Show and Symposium
12th - 16th July
Eau Claire,
Wisconsin,
USA.
Web-site click here.

Happy Gardening

Philip

GardenMessenger

Today’s Sponsor

Photos:
Schizanthus: Suttons Seeds
Marking Out: Interpet
New Plants: Flower Council Holland

If you have enjoyed this publication, you may also like to visit the monthly SeedMessenger gardeners’ seed saving and seed exchange blog click here.
and the weekly water gardening blog PondMessenger click here.

To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.

To visit the SeedMessenger seed exchange web-site
click here.

Directory of Gardening Blogs