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It's often said that small gardens are harder to design than large ones.
Because they're viewed so closely, every line and every plant has to be
"just right". The first and most important decision is the style
of garden you'd like to create. What style will marry best with the
architecture of your house? What sort of setting are you happiest in? Formal
or informal, perhaps "cottagey" is more your style.
The cool charm of a
Woodland garden is beautifully shown in this design, and
the clever use of silver birches make the area appear far
larger than it actually is.
In total contrast, the
French formal garden is precise and strongly structured.
It's enclosed in a framework of trellis, and good use has
been made of traditional pots. The raised terrace is a
perfect setting for the lion's head water feature. Massed
planting provides a good balance of colour.
The Romanctic garden - the
little lovers' seat-for-two was tucked away amongst a
galaxy of flowers, over-looking a small pond. A stepping
stone pathway gently trails throughout the garden.
Nothing tastes as special
as fresh home-grown Herbs and Vegetables! A large area
isn't necessary to produce basketfuls of delicious
goodies! As long as it's in full sun, a well-planned
proverbial pocket-handkerchief like this will be a
culinary delight!
This special little garden
has been designed as a place of interest, fun and learning
for Children of all ages. The bright, gay colours seem to
promise an exciting world of adventure and fantasy!
A great deal of thought
went into the creating of this special garden, for the
enjoyment of Disabled people. The pathways are easily
accessible; the flower beds are raised and filled with
fragrant flowers, and the sound of water and wind-chimes
fills the air. A variety of paving stones and building
material has been used on the Show. The flower beds in the
Disabled garden were first constructed of blocks, then
"faced' with special "rock" pieces, to give
this attractive appearance.
There's an increasing
swing towards "back to nature" gardening. This
Wildlife garden is designed to attract birds and other
small animals. Trees and shrubs provide nesting sites and
shelter, and flower and fruiting plants attract insects,
butterflies and birds with fruit and nectar. Water is
important for both bathing and drinking.
Small
garden designs - 1
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Rose pruning - 1 Getting started
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Rose expert Esther
Geldenhuys says that if you ask one hundred rose growers
how to prune roses, you'll get 100 different answers!
Perhaps because of this, many gardeners new to rose
growing approach the subject with a certain amount of
trepidation. This need not be the case, however, as the
pruning of roses is based entirely on common sense. Even
if a bush is badly pruned, it's unlikely that it will
be ruined, and mistakes made one year can usually be
rectified the next.
There are three main reasons
for pruning rose bushes:
to
keep them vigorous
to
maintain their shape
to
grow better flowers.
In order to do this,
old, damaged, diseased or dead wood is removed from the
plant, as well as branches that crowd the centre of the
bush, and small or weak branches that produce only
indifferent blooms.
New growth on the plant is also cut back by about a
third. In temperate climate zones, the best time to
prune roses is from mid-June through to the end of July,
but it is advisable to wait until early or even late
August if there is any likelihood of late frosts.
Climbers,
ramblers and weeping standards are exceptions.
Climbers
are pruned lightly once they have finished
flowering, before the main winter pruning is
undertaken.
Ramblers
are pruned after flowering and merely tidied up in
winter.
Weeping
standards, which are generally ramblers
grafted onto tall stems, should be pruned in the
same way as ramblers.
Terms
used in pruning roses
A stem or
branch of the current year's growth is called new
wood. Hybrid teas, floribundas and most
other modern roses produce their flowers on this new
wood.
Old
wood is a stem of some previous years
growth. Ramblers and most climbers (except the
climbing sports) flower on old wood, the shoots
growing one year and bearing flowers the next.
An
eye is a lateral or axillary bud, found
in the axil of a leaf. In winter it appears as a
mere pinhead on a stem, from which a shoot may grow.
There are two types
of bud. One is the vegetative
bud, from which a stem will develop, the
other is a flower bud.
The shoots by which
the main stems of roses extend themselves are known
as leaders.
Laterals
are stems that grow from a leader.
A snag
is a dead stump resulting from a pruning cut being
made too far above a bud, or too far from the
junction of one limb with another.
Rose
Pruning - 2 How to make a cut
Rose Pruning - 3 Pruning Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and
Miniatures
Rose Pruning - 4 How hard to prune
and pruning new roses
Related
articles
Rose
borders
Rose
budding
Roses
- climbing
Roses
- F A Q
Rose
fertilisers
Rose
care for October
Rose
care for November
Rose
care for December
Roses,
English - part 1
Roses,
English - part 2
Roses,
English - part 3
Roses,
English - part 4
Roses,
Fragrant - part 1
Roses,
Fragrant - part 2
Roses,
Fragrant - part 3
The
rose garden
Roses
month by month
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Lawn planting using kikiyu stolons
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STEP 1
Collect Kikuyu stolons
from another part of the garden or seek out an area
in a field where Kikuyu has escaped. A stolon is a
shoot that runs along the ground, taking root and
producing a new plant at the tip.
STEP 2
Dig shallow trenches
approximately a spade's width apart and lay the
stolons into the trenches. Cover over the trench
with soil and compact by stepping on it or
preferably with a garden roller for a smoother
finish.
STEP 3If
necessary, give the soil a light raking with the
back of the rake to smooth it off. Water thoroughly
and keep the soil moist for best results.
Whichever method you
choose to plant your lawn, always consult your local
nurseryman beforehand for advice on which lawn is
best for your area, and refer to the sowing
instructions on the container. We are fortunate in
having a large choice of grasses in our country and
it is important to choose the right one.
Lawn planting from seed
Lawn
planting with lawn plugs
Instant
lawn
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Growing cut flowers for profit
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By Johannes
Maree, MSc; Pr.Sci.Nat; MBA
Introduction &
overview of flower industry
There are two
main areas of flower production in South Africa. The
western Cape and the Highveld (Greater Johannesburg and
Pretoria region). The average South African flower
grower cultivates 4.5ha and employs 16 full time and 3
part time workers per hectare. Nearly a third of the
growers produce roses compared to 25% growing
chrysanthemums and 13% carnations. Approximately 420ha
of protected area and 20 000 ha of natural environment
was harvested in 1998. Rose production dominated the
market, followed by chrysanthemums and carnations. Forty
five percent of production areas are unprotected, ie. In
open fields, 27% are under shade netting; 16%
greenhouses with natural ventilation and 12% greenhouses
with fan ventilation. Roses are grown on 59% of the
production area, chrysanthemums on 25% and carnations on
13%.
Low technology facilities still dominate the industry,
with South African flower growers still focusing on
production rather than on marketing. Only 42% of the
growers are engaged in some form of market research,
while less than 60% identified the need for formal
market research.
More than 50% of the flower production in South Africa
is distributed through the Johannesburg and Pretoria
auction houses (Multiflora). Sixteen percent of the
produce is exported through an agent; 6% is exported
directly; 12% is sold to local wholesalers and 11% sold
directly to the public.
Planning
Business plan
Need to draw up a
business plan.
Need to have a good idea of what capital you have at
your disposal and what the overall costs are.
What & where to
grow
What type of cut
flowers are to be grown? Different flowers have
different requirements and slightly different cost
structures.
The type of flower very often determines the type of
structure you will need to use (ie. Tunnel, shade or
open field)
Where to grow is also important. The lay of the land,
the water source, etc.
Remember to orientate your structures or flower beds
north-south, as best as possible.
Marketing
Marketing of your
flowers is important. Too often people don't promote
their flowers enough. Part of the marketing is which
markets are you going to target?
Structures
There are 3
main "structures" used in growing flowers
Tunnels or
greenhouses (indoor)
Shade structures
(outdoor)
Open cultivation
(outdoor)
The type of structure
or method used depends largely on the type of cut
flowers you are wanting to grow. Generally speaking,
tunnels are the best as the environment can be
controlled the easiest this way (eg water - rain),
however, tunnels or greenhouses are also normally the
most expensive outlay of the above 3 methods.
It will work out much cheaper if you erect the
structures yourself.
Except for large greenhouses it is relatively easy to
build and erect your own tunnels and shade structures.
Also, there are often second-hand structures available.
Soil preparation
The first thing
you do with your soil and water is to have it tested.
This test indicates to a person exactly what minerals,
etc are in the soil and what is lacking. This gives one
a starting point to calculate what needs to be added to
get the soil to acceptable norms.
Furthermore, when it comes to fertilizing the flowers
one needs to know what minerals are already present in
the water.
Also very important is the pH of the soil and water. pH
indicates the acidity / alkalinity of the water or soil.
This is important because different flowers require a
different pH to grow properly.
The minerals needed by the plants are divided into
macro- and micro- elements. As the name implies macro
are elements needed in larger amounts and micro are
elements needed in smaller amounts.
The macro elements are the following:
Nitrogen (N);
Phosphorus (P); Potassium (K); Calcium (Ca);
Magnesium (Mg)
The micro elements are
the following:
Iron (Fe); Manganese
(Mn); Zinc (Zn); Copper (Cu); Boron (B)
The pH and EC (Electric
conductivity) of the soil and water is very important to
know. The pH gives one and indication of the acidity or
alkalinity of the soil or water. The EC gives one an
indication of the total minerals dissolved in the soil
or water.
It is also important to know the P-Bray figure of the
soil. Phosphorus is the one element that moves slowly
out of the soils. The P-Bray thus gives an indication of
the reservoir of phosphorus present in the soil
Irrigation
Water is the
most important aspect of cut flower growing.
The irrigation water needs to be of good quality and
readily available.
If the pH or hardness of the water is too high then
steps need to be taken to adjust it. To simply leave the
water as such will result in one not producing top
quality flowers.
REMEMBER: Quality is the number one factor that needs to
be achieved in cut flower production to stay competitive
and in business.
There are two main methods of irrigating flowers,
namely, overhead and drip irrigation.
The system one chooses to use is determined by a few
factors. These factors are things such as what type of
flowers are being grown (different flowers sometimes
prefer different systems) and how much water is
available. Factors such as production method also
determine the system used.
Fertigation
It is necessary
to fertilize cut flowers if one wants to achieve a top
quality product.
Fertigation can be done organically or with the use of
artificial fertilizers. As well as a combination of the
two. Fertigation can be divided into preplant and
ongoing fertigation. Preplant is fertilizer that is
applied before one plants and during land preparation.
While ongoing fertigation is the fertilizer that is
applied during the growing process of the flowers.
There are different systems that can be used to
administer the fertilizer. Most large concerns use what
is commonly known has an A- and B- Tank system. This is
where raw, bulk fertilizers are used and administered
through two tanks.
Smaller setups tend to use a basic one tank system where
a ready mix fertilizer is applied through the one tank.
Another method of fertigation is side- or hand-
dressing. This is simply a method by which granular
fertilizer is applied to the soil by hand and watered in
later. In the first two methods water-soluble
fertilizers need to be used, which is not the case with
side- or hand- dressing.
Pests &
diseases
It is of utmost
importance to inspect one's flowers on a daily basis for
pests and diseases. Pests and diseases can be divided
into the following main groups:
Insects; fungi; bacteria; viruses.
In most cases there is very little one can do about
viruses and usually they are not of major concern in
annual crops. Bacteria are also not usually a major
cause of problems. The two main groups for concern are
insects and fungi.
Fungi infections can be soil-, water- or air-borne.
Insects can be a pest above or below ground, and can
target all parts of the plant. That is, the roots,
leaves, stems or flowers.
Most pesticides are divided into insecticides and
fungicides.
It is important to obtain and follow a spray programme.
Incorrect application of pesticides results in
resistance being built up against such chemicals.
Handling
Post harvest
handling of cut flowers is an area that is often
neglected by growers. Always remember that each aspect
of cut flower growing is important to the ultimate
quality and success of the flowers produced. That is
from the preparation of the soil to the transporting of
the flowers to the market destination.
Different cut flowers need to be harvested at different
opening or ripening stages and different markets often
have different requirements regarding opening stage.
Always try to get the flowers into water as quick after
harvesting as possible. In most cases use a preservative
to treat the flowers to help retard premature ageing.
Different flowers and markets also require different
packaging. In most cases flowers are packaged into
cellophane sleeves. Some sleeves have holes, while other
sleeves are of materials that are porous. Cost and
marketing plays big roles regarding the final packaging
that one uses.
In most cases it is important to get the heat off the
harvested flowers as soon as possible. For real quality
and success a coldroom in necessary. This is also
necessary when one needs to store flowers for a few
days.
Transport needs to be properly thought through. Never
transport flowers in an open vehicle, unless in cartons.
Obviously, the best method is to use closed vehicles
with temperature and humidity controls.
Conclusion
Growing cut
flowers can be very profitable and rewarding. However,
it is important not to try and take short-cuts. Quality
must never be undermined and one must stick to the
fundamentals. Remember, growing cut flowers for profit
is a business and it must be run like any other
successful business to be successful.
For more advice contact:
Johannes Maree
Tel: 082 564-1211
Email: johannesmaree@freemail.absa.co.za
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Bedding plants for summer
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Colour is the first thing that catches the eye in a garden, and is achieved
by the clever use of bedding plants.
Even though we're keeping water usage to a minimum, we can still create a
colourful impression with a few well-placed pockets of annuals.
In spring and summer, our nurseries are bursting with tempting varieties of
seedlings, but before you go shopping, plan what you want to plant, and
prepare your soil. This should be done at least one week prior to planting.
Remove all weeds and other rubbish from the bed. Generously spread
well-rotted compost over the area, and a handful of bonemeal or super
phosphate per square metre. Work well into the soil, rake and level the
ground then water with a watering can.
The seedlings that you choose from your nursery, must be strong and healthy.
Make sure that the stems are not blemished or discolored and that the roots
generally are not overgrown The leaves should grow right down near the base
of the stem and the plant colour should be a good, uniform green.
Modern hybrid seedlings are bred to flower early, so if they're blooming
when you buy them it doesn't mean that they are past their prime.
Give your nurseryman the approximate size of the area in which you wish to
plant, and he'll advise you about the quantity of seedlings and the spacing.
After planting, remember to mulch your plants. Apart from conserving
precious water, mulching will protect their tender young roots.
All bedding plants need regular root and foliar feeding. A liquid fertiliser
or a soluble, granular preparation can be used. Mix in a watering can and
with just a little care, you'll have a great summer garden!
Seedlings should not be planted too deeply, nor in straight lines like a row
of soldiers. Rather do staggered planting. Should you find that one of your
plants is root-bound, very gently loosen the soil around the roots before
planting.
Slugs and snails are dangerous pests for young seedlings. Scatter bait
between the plants or place a saucer of beer on the ground.
The CHRYSANTHEMUMS MULTICAULE and PALADOSUM do best in full sun.
For more height, try NICOTIANAS in a range of colours.
BEDDING GERANIUMS are ideal for prettying up containers and once established
require little water. Dead-heading is essential for repeat flowering.
Old fashioned VIOLAS will flower well in summer, but do need to be grown in
only partial sun.
IMPATIENS and BEGONIAS are the two most popular summer bedding plants for
morning sun or light shade. They'll flower right through to the first
frosts, provided they're cut back after Christmas.
White, grey and silver plants do an excellent job of bringing out the best
in other colours.
PETUNIAS are truly a "rainbow" plant -they're available in all
possible shadings! They don't like wet feet, so make sure the soil is
well-drained. In summer rainfall areas, plant PETUNIAS before the rains
start.
Yellow MARIGOLDS certainly create sunshine in the garden, and look good when
planted next to AGERATUM. Several varieties of varying heights are available
that will bloom over a long period, provided they're dead-headed.
DIANTHUS, a most worthwhile perennial bedding plant, grows in pretty
clusters of three or four flowers to a stem. Some strains are plain others
have a contrasting coloured centre.
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Bulbs for autumn planting
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To see
a list of all bulbs that can be planted in autumn CLICK
HERE
Autumn's gentle changes,
its coolness urging the greens to turn copper and gold,
reminds us that it is time to plan for the earth's
reawakening. Now is the time to choose your late winter
and spring colour themes.
Few plants offer such sheer beauty in a single bloom or
a colour feast in a massed bed as the flower bulb
kingdom does.
Planning
To achieve the most effective results from your
bulbs it's advisable to do a little planning first.
Wander around your garden with your imagination on a
free reign. The dappled sunlight that bare branches
offer is perfect for bulbs like the narcissi
varieties (daffodils), Dutch
iris and muscari.
Warm north facing beds or rockeries are ideal for our
indigenous sparaxis, tulbaghia
and tritonias. Cool lightly shaded areas are
ideal for tulips, hyacinths
and freesias.
If you are looking for
specific colour themes to compliment your garden design,
many bulbs are available in single colours. New releases
in single colours are ranunculus,
Dutch iris and freesias.
Ranunculas are available in every colour except
blue while Dutch iris's come in white, yellow
and shades of blue. Use the varying heights of your
bulbs to good effect. The mat forming muscari
is ideally suited to edge a pathway.
The tall wand-like flowers
of the ixia should be planted further back. Ranunculas
can grow up to - a metre tall so they should be near the
back of your bed. Interplant your bulbs with annuals. Primula
malacoides contrast well with narcissi.
The last thing to remember when deciding what bulbs to
plant is that different species and varieties flower at
different times. Some narcissi
hybrids, for example, come into flower as early as July,
others in August and the late flowering hybrids through
September. Chincherinchee
and Brodiaea flower as late as October and
November. With this in mind you can have bulbs in flower
from mid-winter right through to late spring.
The information on the back of the bulb pack will have all
these relevant facts - flowering times and heights,
planting depths etc. Alternatively, look through a book,
but make certain it refers to South African conditions.
"Growing bulbs in Southern Africa" by Floris
Baarnhoorn is a good reference source.
Planting
Flower bulbs become available from the end of
February. This is a good time to purchase them as the
selection is greatest. They should only be planted,
however, once the soil temperature has cooled down. This
is usually from about mid-April. In the warmer areas delay
planting for as long as possible, but your bulbs need to
be in the ground by the last week of May.
Before planting,
loosen the soil to a depth of at least 20cm. Old
compost, decomposed vegetable matter and old manure
may be added to the soil. Fresh manure should not be
used, as it may burn the roots.
When planting, the
rule of thumb is to have as much soil on top of the
bulb as the bulb itself is high. After planting, firm
the soil down, but do not compact it.
A 3cm layer of dry
grass, peat, compost leaves, tree bark, sawdust or
wood shavings should be spread over your bulbs after
planting. This will act as mulch, keeping the soil
cool, and help to retain much needed moisture.
Regular watering is
crucial to the success of your bulbs. Every four or
five days the soil should be soaked too a depth of
about 15cm i.e. root level - about ½ an hour with a
still sprinkler and 1 hour with an oscillating
sprinkler will do the trick. The water must get down
to a deeper level than is the case with seedlings, so
a daily light sprinkling is not sufficient.
Should bulbs be lifted
after flowering?
Your bulbs can be left in the soil for three or four
years until just before they become overcrowded. Bulbs
that become overcrowded compete with one another for water
and nutrients, resulting in a lower yield of blooms. To
prevent this happening...
Lift and gently divide
the bulbs before replanting.
Discard any diseased
or soft bulbs, adding fresh stock to replace
these.
It is important to
wait until your bulbs have retreated into full
dormancy before you do this as it is only after
flowering that the bulbs fatten themselves up for
their time of rest. The bulbs foliage, coupled with
moisture at root level is vital for this
process.
A good idea is to feed
your bulbs with a specially formulated bulb food every
two or three weeks. Once again this is especially
important after flowering if good results are desired
for the next season's show of blooms.
Where to plant
Flower bulbs are also perfect subjects for small gardens.
For a relatively small outlay you can create a riveting
display of form, colour and texture. Plant your bulbs in a
concentrated mass rather than dotting them around the
beds. If you plant bulbs with scented flowers, such as
hyacinths and freesias, the walls of your small garden
will trap their fragrance, enchanting all who may wonder
by.
Containers
Many bulbs are well suited to container planting. Place
the bulbs almost touching each other, creating a massed
effect. The soil should be light, airy and friable.
Special care should be taken to ensure the bulbs roots
never want for water. Place your pots in a cool position
out of direct sunlight. The pots may need to be watered
every other day. They may fail to flower if they go
through a period of drought whilst growing. Keeps the
bulbs in a semi-shaded position until they come into
flower. They can be moved inside once they start flowering
or to any focal point where their gorgeous beauty can be
fully appreciated.
Related
articles
Bulbs month by month
Bulbs for summer
Bulbs Q & A
Bulb list for autumn planting
Bulbs - ranunculas
Treated tulips
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Soil-layering a rhododendron
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Step 1
Put an inverted flowerpot underneath your branch. Now take another
flowerpot and place it on top, right side up. Use a pot with fairly
big holes for good drainage.
Fill the pot with a mixture of potting
soil and brown peat leaving a little space at the top, filling the top
layer just with peat. Brown peat has a high content of acid which
Rhododendrons love. Press down firmly.
Step 2
The condition of the wood that you
need to use must be firm, a healthy green, and about 2 or 3 years old.
Do not try and use the tips of the branch, as these little stems are
too soft and sappy. The tips will become part of the new plant.
Nip off the leaves around the piece
of wood that you will be using, which will make it easier to work
with.
Step 3
Make an incision on the underside of
the stem. You must use a reasonably sharp knife and exercise quite a
lot of care not to cut too deeply, and yet it must be deep enough to
cause the tip to be divorced from the mother plant.
You have to reduce
the flow of sap, which causes excitement of the cells in the rooting
process.
Step 4
To assist in the rooting, you need to
brush the incision with rooting hormone powder. Apply in and around
the incision.
Step 5
Now, before you place the stem into
the soil, you need to insert a small object into the incision. This
will keep the cambium apart so that it does not grow back together.
You could use a matchstick,
small pebble, or even a piece of plastic from a plant label, cut into
an oblong shape and then cut halfway down the middle to make two
little legs. Insert one leg into the cut and
the other rests on the stem at the back of the cut to keep it in
position.
Step 6
Bring that piece of the branch down
into the pot, push down and add a bit more soil on top. Use a heavy
rock to keep it in position.
The rock protects it from sun and acts as
a mulch to keep the moisture in. It now has to live like this for a
year. The growth at the tip of the stem will keep on living, as it is
still getting water from the mother plant.
When you're sure it has rooted
well, cut the branch away from the mother plant, and you're left
with your new plant in its own container.
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Fuchsias - growing successfully
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Fuchsias come from South
and Central America and a few from New Zealand. They
were discovered by Father Charles Plumier early in the
18th century and named after Leonard Fuchs, a herbalist
and holder of the chair of Medicine at Tubingen
University in the 16th Century.
Fuchsias are easy to grow, give colour most of the year;
very few diseases attack them and they have tremendous
variety of colour and form.
They are outdoor
plants and should not be kept indoors for more than
three days. They need protection from hot direct mid-day
sun and strong hot or cold winds. They grow in various
shapes and forms and can be used in hanging baskets, in
pots, as shrubs and standards; as climbers or espaliers
on your patio or in your garden. They are ideal for
shady gardens, and under trees.
Basic
requirements
Air, light,
water, food and growing medium.
1) Air circulation is
important as a stuffy atmosphere can cause a heavy
infestation of ghost fly.
2) Light is needed for them to flower well. Certain
varieties will tolerate far more light than others and
some like Fuchsias fulgens, Megalanika and Golden
Treasure can even take full sun. Generally the
smaller the blooms the more light tolerant.
3) Water is most critical when growing fuchsias. They
need to be kept moist and their water requirements
increase in hot weather and during active growth. In
winter and on cold days you should restrict the amount
of water as over-watering at these times will cause
defoliation. They dislike "wet feet" and need
good drainage at all times. Roughly one should water
daily in summer and weekly or less in winter.
4) Feeding of fuchsias is most important and the
response is an almost instantaeous spurt of growth and
flowers. In the garden give a mulch of well-rotted kraal
manure every three months and at the same time a
dressing of 3:2:1 slow-release fertiliser. Give a weekly
foliar feed spray during the growing season to fuchsias
in the garden and in containers. 3:2:1 slow-release can
also be applied to fuchsias in containers. They also
benefit from a spring dressing of superphosphate mixed
with compost.
5) Growing medium must be rich, loose and well drained.
If your soil is heavy add some coarse sand to lighten it
and improve drainage. In the garden dig a hole 60cm x
60cm. Discard the sub-soil and mix the topsoil with
equal amount of good pot-ting soil, adding 1/2 cup of
superphosphate. You can also add some well-rotted kraal
manure. Plant the fuchsias at the same height as it was
in the container. Use a good potting soil with a bit of
added superphosphate for planting fuchsias in containers
and hanging baskets. Water well after planting.
Fuchsias need
tender loving care
1) Keep
fuchsias neat and tidy. Remove all seed pods, faded
blooms and yellow or damaged leaves, which would rot and
cause disease. Removing seed pods will ensure that the
plant keeps on flowering.
2) In spring prune the plant back 2/3rds of the previous
year's growth, in the first year and to within three
nodes of the previous year's growth in the second year.
The object is to create a strong framework and a good
shape. Root pruning is also beneficial for older
fuchsias. This is done by drawing a line round the drip
line of the plant and inserting a spade to sever the
roots. Thereafter prune the top.
3) As soon as fuchsias start to shoot pinch out the
growing tips when shoots are approximately 10 to 15cm
long. This will cause them to branch and these branches
in turn can also be pinched out. One can pinch out four
or five times from the start of the growing season until
approximately the middle of October when one should have
a good compact shape. Then the shoots are left to grow
out and flower, six to eight weeks after the last
pinching. After flowering trim the tips to encourage
another set of flowers.
4) Fuchsias in containers and hanging baskets should be
re-potted every two to three years and the roots trimmed
at the same time, and the top pruned. Do this in spring.
5) White fly or ghost fly can be troublesome with
fuchsias. This is more prevalent in areas with poor
circulation. Spray with an insecticide such as Garden
Gun or Garden Ripcord making sure to spray the underside
of the leaves. Repeat the spray after five days to catch
any others that might have hatched and follow up with
another two sprays.
6) Red spider mite also appears on the underside of the
leaves. A couple of good drenchings with a strong jet of
water will generally drown them, otherwise use a spray
such as Dursban, Redspiderspray and Redspidercide or
Garden Gun.
7) Fuchsia rust looks like a sprinkling of Cayenne
pepper on the leaves and occurs in winter when humidity
is high. Keep plants on the dry side in cold weather and
spray with a fungicide (Bravo).
8) Protect fuchsias in winter from severe cold and wind.
This can be done with a grass wigwam with the north side
left open for light and air. Move fuchsias in containers
into a protected spot away from early morning sun and
icy winds.
There are more than 5 000 varieties of fuchsias and more
are being developed all the time. Nurseries usually have
a good selection available from November onwards and
then you can choose your plants and see them in full
flower. They are such beautiful and versatile plants
that the choice is not difficult, and one rarely has
enough space for all the varieties one would like. In
Portugal fuchsias are known as the "Queen's
Earrings" and this is an excellent description.
Click the
links below to see these varieties
Fuchsia
hybrid 'Beacon Rosa'
Fuchsia hybrid 'Blue Moon'
Fuchsia hybrid 'Fey'
Fuchsia hybrid 'Hula Girl'
Fuchsia hybrid 'More Applause'
Fuchsia hybrid 'R.A.F'
Fuchsia hybrid 'Swing Time'
Fuchsia hybrid 'Uncle Charley'
...
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