Choisya Ternata Mexican Orange Evergreen White Flowering Shrub

Origins

The Choisya Ternata commonly known as The Mexican Orange is an evergreen shrub which is native through much of Mexico and up into some of the Southern States of North America. It is named in honour of the Swiss clergyman and botanist Jacques Denys Choisy (1799-1859). Breeders have created several different varieties some of which are usually available in nurseries and garden centres

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Growing Habit

Choisya ternata is a bushy evergreen shrub which is grown as much for its glossy green aromatic foliage as they are for its scented white flowers which are glorious in late April through May. It is not unusual for them to have a second flush of flowers in the Autumn. Without pruning Choisya Ternata can grow up to 2.5 metres (8 feet) wide and 2.0 metres (6.5 feet) high, but growing habit does somewhat depend on the particular variety. Popular choices in Britain include Choisya Ternata 'Sundance' which has brighter yellow leaves and Choisya Dewitteana which has narrow leaves and is more compact. Choisya's can be planted as an informal hedge

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Planting & Pruning

Probably the best time to plant Choisya is in the early Spring but if purchased in a pot you can plant at any time of the year. Take special care in Winter making sure the soil is frost-free and in Summer that there is some moisture in the ground. Dig a hole twice the size of the pot and add in a general purpose compost and a handful of fish blood and bone or similar fertilizer. Water thoroughly especially during the summer months and continue until you are confident the plant is established.  There is really very little pruning required except to keep your shrub in shape. This is of course more important if you have planted an informal hedge. As with most shrubs prune after flowering has finished usually in June. Where Winters are hard with snow Choisya can look a bit jaded and bare patches can develop. Cut out all the dead and poor branches in early Spring to encourage new growth but do not cut back hard the entire shrub otherwise, you will miss out on the year's flowers

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Kerria Japonica Pleniflora Yellow Spring Flowering Shrub.

Origins

Yellow Spring flowering Shrub Kerria Japonica Pleniflora is also known by its two more common names of Jews Mantle or Batchelor's Buttons. It is a native of China, Japan and The Korean Peninsula.  The cultivar Pleniflora is named after William Kerr a young Scottish Kew gardener, plant hunter and collector.  Kerria Japonica was one of the numerous plants he sent back to The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in London, as part of an expedition organised by the East India Company to China to find new and undiscovered plants in 1804. It was the Kerria shrub which was subsequently named in his honour.

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Growing Habit

Kerria Japonica Pleniflora tends to grow in a thick clump of numerous stems. It is a vigorous grower and will reach a maximum height of around 3.5 metres (12feet) in 8-9 years It produces suckers around the thicket increasing the shrubs width year on year but this seldom reaches beyond the 3 metre mark (10feet). They are however easily maintained and because of their tolerance to most conditions are an ideal shrub to plant in those 'difficult' garden places. Deciduous during Winter, they are prolific flowerers from mid Spring their yellow blooms creating an enormous amount of cheer in celebration of the new growing season.

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Planting and Pruning

Kerria Japonica Pleniflora will tolerate most soil conditions providing it is reasonably drained. It is happy in full sun or partial shade and can cope with almost all aspects and exposed conditions.  To plant a new shrub from a pot you can give it the best start by digging a hole twice the size of the pot. Add in plenty of compost and a handful of fish blood and bone meal. Water well in and continue to keep moist for the first year or until the shrub becomes established. this is particularly important over the Summer months. It is important to prune Kerria straight after flowering. In Britain that means ideally not later than the second week of June. The reason for this is that they flower on growth from the previous year, so the new shoots that emerge through the Summer will have plenty of time to develop ready to flower the following Spring. They should be cut back quite hard removing old flower stems and dead wood. This should encourage new growth from the base.

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Evergreen Photinia Red Robin for Shrubbery, Hedging or Standard

Photinia [Red Robin] Origins

Photinia is an evergreen shrub that many people will recognize and know by the common cultivar  Red Robin. However, Photinia make up a genus of over 50 shrubs and small trees. In 1943 a Photinia seedling was discovered at the Fraser Nurseries in Birmingham Alabama in America. This tiny seedling was a hybrid of Photinia glabra and Photinia serratifolia. So Photinia x fraseri was born and the cultivar Red Robin by far the most popular of the species here in Britain, was bred in New Zealand. Photinias found wild have a wide natural range which spans from North America to the Himalayas, through India, and on into Thailand. Several species can also be found in Japan. It is now cultivated and planted in gardens and municipal parks throughout the World. Photinia is a name that comes from the Greek word Photeinos meaning glossy, probably because of its shiny leaves.

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Photinia [Red Robin] Growing Habit

Photinia x fraseri Red Robin can be grown either on its own as a specimen shrub or combined as a hedge. I have also seen them looking very handsome as a standard.  Red Robins grow quite fast, on average 12 inches (30cm) a year, and can reach as high as 15- 18ft (5mtrs +) and over time can spread equally as wide. Here in Britain, the shrub starts sprouting its shiny red new shoots in mid-March. By April the red leaves have fully opened and white flowers with a pink tinge appear from May.   There is also the similar Photinia x Fraseri Cracklin Red Parred which is smaller and grows to around 5-6ft (2 mtrs) and a dwarf shrub Photinia x Fraseri Little Red Robin 2-3ft (60-90cm).  

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Photinia [Red Robin] Planting and Pruning

Red Robin is a shrub that is very easy to grow and once planted requires minimal maintenance. They are happy in either full sun or partial shade and will tolerate most soil types if reasonably fertile and well drained. Dig a hole twice the size of the pot or bare root and add plenty of compost with a handful of fish blood and bone meal. Water well in and keep watering until the plant has become established. Watering is particularly important during the Summer months in the first year. Pruning is only required to keep the shape of the shrub so a light trim now and again through the Summer should be fine. This is especially important if you want to keep a hedge in shape. If a more substantial prune is required to reduce height or width it is best done in the early part of the Summer after the best of its flowers are over. Occasionally you may notice in Spring as the new shots appear that some leaves have brown-purple spots on them (see picture 1 top). This is a sure sign the plant has become stressed over the Winter by harsh conditions or cold winds.  Give the plant a good feed of Growmore or similar and mulch some humus-rich compost around the base.

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Forsythia Yellow Spring Flowering Shrub

Origins

Named in honor of William Forsyth (1737-1804) the Scottish Royal Head Gardener, prominent horticulturalist and founding member of The Royal Horticultural Society, Forsythia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Olive family (Oleaceae). There are around a dozen species in the genus, originating mostly in the Far East.

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Colour

Forsythia is a deciduous shrub which bursts into prolific bright yellow bloom in early Spring and largely before the emergence of its leaves. They are very easy to grow preferring places in full sun or partial shade.

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Planting

Forsythia will tolerate most soil types as long as they are reasonably fertile and well drained. As with all shrubs dig a hole twice as large as the pot or bare root. Add in plenty of compost and mix in a handful of fish blood and bone meal. Water well in and be sure to keep the plant moist during it's first year or until its roots have established. This is especially important during the Summer months.

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Pruning

Forsythia requires very little maintenance. However this shrub is a fast grower, so care should be taken when choosing the location to plant Forsythia as it can become overwhelming in just a few years. It is likely pruning may be required to give the shrub some shape depending on its situation. This will be important if you intent to plant Forsythia as a hedge rather than a stand alone shrub. Pruning is best done straight after flowering in late Spring. It is essential that you prune the plant then if you want to have flowers the following season as Forsythia only flowers on growth from the year before. Pruning in Summer or Autumn will only cutaway next seasons blooms. First remove old dead wood. Trim the stems to shape as required and then every five years cut out around one third (30%) of the old stems right down to the ground especially if they have formed crowns from previous pruning. Feed and mulch as required.

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Hellebores, Christmas or Lenten Rose, Perennials for Shady Places

Origins

Commonly known as The Christmas or Lentern Rose because of its flowering time from the Christmas period into Lent, Hellebores are not actually related to the rose family but to the genus Helleborus.  This genus consists of over 20 species of  perennial mostly evergreen herbaceous flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae.

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Many species of Hellebore have their origins in South Eastern Europe on the uplands and lowlands of The Balkans. Other original species can be traced in Turkey through Syria and into China. However most of the popular varieties you see in gardens around Britain are the creations of nurserymen and are Helleborus orientalis hybrids.

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Planting & Growing

Hellebores are a perfect plant for dappled partial shade. Full shade may inhibit flower numbers so planting in and around deciduous trees or shrubs is ideal. They will tolerate most soil types but their ideal will be humus rich, loamy and well drained. They should not be planted in areas that become waterlogged especially through the Winter as they are likely to rot off.  If the area becomes hot, baked and dry during the Summer this equally should be avoided.

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To plant your Hellebore dig a hole twice the size of the pot or bare root. Add in plenty of compost and a handful of fish blood and bone meal and water well in. During the plants first year or at least until its root system has become established keep it well watered, especially during the Summer months. In Spring be sure to lightly fork in a top dressing of fish blood and bone or a compound fertilizer. Growmore is a popular one here in Britain.  It is a good idea to mulch round the plant in the Autumn. You could use mushroom compost, leaf mould or chippings of bark for this purpose.

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Caring for Hellebores

Here in Britain, Hellebores tend to flower from mid February through to April. Although they are semi evergreen throughout the year leaves gradually die back to allow for newer fresher ones. Its a good idea to cut these dead ones away from the plant for its overall tidiness and to prevent disease. This is particularly important in late Winter prior to the flower stems emerging to make sure they are not hindered or covered. Once flowering stems have finished they should be cut down to their base.

 Most Hellebore tend to form large clumps after several years growth. At this stage they can be divided. Lift the whole plant and slice into sections with a spade or put two forks back to back and gradually prize apart whichever you find easiest. These bare root sections can then be replanted elsewhere. This process is best done either straight after flowering in Spring or in early Autumn. Make sure your new plants are kept moist through the first year or until new roots have established.

In addition to splitting large clumps, Hellebores tend to self propagate with little seedlings growing around the parent plant. These can be left where they are to mature but as they may be quite dense it's best to thin them and pot the seedlings on to grow into new plants.

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Asian Iris: Sanguinea Japanese blood red Iris, Sibirica Siberian Iris.

Origins

The Iris gets its name from a Greek word meaning rainbow. This could be because of the many colours of a genus nearly 300 strong. Perennials, Iris grow from either rhizomes usually forming a creeping clump or sprout from a more bulbous type root.

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In this post we will concentrate on two very popular Iris's grown in the gardens of Britain. Iris Sanguinea  commonly called and indeed one of the species considered to be a Japanese Iris. It is widely found naturally not just in Japan but from Mongolia to Korea and China too. It is also widely know as the blood red Iris largely because of its red inner colour spilling on to deep blue. The other Iris we will talk about in this post, and they are sometimes difficult to tell apart is Iris Sibirica commonly known as the Siberian Iris and is naturally found from Russia through Eastern European Countries. The way to tell them apart is by their stems. Sanguinea has unbranched stems, while Sibirica has branched stems. Iris Sanguinea has been hybridized with Iris Sibrica in modern times to extend the blue to a greater colour range.

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Planting & Growing

Both Iris Singuinea and Sibirica are very easy to grow. They do best in loamy humus rich areas, but will tolerate most locations. Moist but not waterlogged ground next to a garden pond or watercourse would be an ideal spot. However they do equally well in a border and look particularly effective grown in clumps. Plant your Iris buy digging a hole twice as large as the pot or bare root. Add in a generous amount of compost and a handful of fish blood and bone meal to give your Iris a good start. Water well in and keep your plant moist especially during the summer months in its first year. Note! Check before you use artificial fertilizers if you are planting near a water course as there may be a risk of contamination to fish and other aquatic life.

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The are happy planted in either full sun or partially shaded locations and tend to flower from May until the end of June here in the UK.

Their green narrow leaves die back in the Autumn and will need to be cut away when they have gone completely brown. New shoots start to appear again in mid March and it is a good idea to lightly fork in a handful of fish blood and bone meal to give the plant a good start to the growing season.

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When clumps become to large over a few years they can be split. This is best done by either digging up a section or lifting the whole clump out of the ground and placing two forks back to back and prising the clump apart. This can be done several times until you have small enough plants. These can then be replanted elsewhere or given to friends, the village fete and so on.

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Best way to get rid of moles from your lawn and garden

Molehills on the Lawn

Having just cut your freshly grown lawn, there is nothing more annoying than coming out the following morning to find a mole has left crumbly mounds of soil on your carefully tended grass. Although it may look like you have had an invasion of dozens of the little (and some might say cute) furry critters at work on your lawn. Most often it can be the work of only one or two moles, even though there may be multiple heaps of soil on your lawn. They are very efficient at tunnelling given their shovel like front claws, and can quickly excavate a large amount of soil . As you walk over a lawn where a mole has been working it feels spongey under foot where their tunnels are.

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All About Moles

Moles are not nocturnal and will dig every few hours day and night. They tend to live solitary lives and are rarely seen above ground. They are very territorial, getting quite aggressive when defending their underground tunnel network from other moles. But while they are reluctant to share their tunnels, inevitably burrows do sometimes cross over and are jointly occupied but only as travelling routes. There are different levels of tunnels the deeper ones are living quarters and where they raise their young. The shallow ones are usually the feeding tunnels the network of which can travel many metres.

Moles are not blind but it's their amazing sense of smell they use to find their prey and get around. Moles favourite food are earthworms but they will also eat a wide variety of invertebrates including beetle and leatherjacket larvae. The are exclusively carnivorous and although they may undermine the root systems of plants they are unlikely to eat any shoots. Mole activity in a flower border nonetheless is very undesirable as all that rummaging around below the surface can seriously affect plant growth.

Mole control Products

 There are a number of ultra sonic mole repellers on the market. A clean 'hands free'  way to deter moles.

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Some mole catchers say strong scents can deter moles from lawns. Undetectable by humans these bulbs give off a pungent smell that moles are said to hate.

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Mole repellant scatter granules contain caster oil which penetrates deep into the tunnels and taints the moles food sources. Without harming the moles it makes them move away to untreated areas. The manufacturers say it is totally harmless to pets and children.

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Mole Traps

Traps are best placed in a feeding tunnel which runs from/to a molehill. Cut the lawn turf open to expose a section of the tunnel and place the trap in the tunnel making sure that there is no loose soil obscuring the entrance to the trap. Recover the trap with turf so there is no possibility of any sunlight or difference in air current in the tunnel. Then wait. It may take a day or two for the mole to spring the trap but they MUST be checked daily. 

There are several different types of trap on the market. Lets start with a humane one which captures the mole alive so it can be released away from your garden.

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If you have a large infestation it may be necessary to use traps that humanely dispatch the mole. There are two basic types. The scissor claw trap. Placed in the tunnel running to/from the molehill the unwary mole is caught in a scissor action as it moves through the trap.

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The other type is the tunnel type trap and as the name suggests sits in the tunnel running to/from the mole hill. Which ever type you decide to use make sure the entrance is clear of soil and covered so that no daylight enters the trapping area.

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If you don't manage to catch your mole yourself, and it can be quite tricky, then there are many professional mole catchers here in the Britain. A look in your local paper is all that is usually needed to find one. 

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