There are hardly any  side-effects of adding lime to garden soil, but when you add lime in order to reduce soil acidity, you also trigger off a series of other events. The first is purely chemical and connected with the availability of some of the plant nutrients existing nat­urally in the soil. When the...
Read more »

Gentian Plants have a reputation for being difficult to grow, one possible cause being that different species prefer different combinations of soil and drain­age. Most of the spring-flowering varieties, for example, are tolerant of lime, while all the autumn gentian plants loathe it. So if you are to divide your gentian plants, make sure...
Read more »

Alpine garden in trough Most alpines will grow well enough in trough, provided the compost is right. It should be very gritty and free-draining. Though the soil should be well drained, you must also water regularly. You are trying to re-create the plants’ natu­ral mountain habitat where rain falls often, though it quickly runs...
Read more »

Saxifrage is Just one of a number of ground-hugging plants which spread out from the centre, seeking fresh nutrients in new ground. The healthy young growth is at the outer edge, and in time, the centre of the clump dies back. This is a natural tendency, and you can maintain a tight cushion only...
Read more »

There are no hard and fast rules as to when should you repot alpline, but gener­ally you should think of repotting every second year. The best time is early spring. But you could also repot at any time when a plant starts to look faded despite proper feeding and watering. It may be ‘pot-bound’...
Read more »

If you spend a little time and effort at the sowing stage making drills, you will save time and energy later in the season. Gardeners who sow by first raking the soil level, then taking out a shallow drill with a string line or a straight-edged board for guidance, have to spend longer getting...
Read more »