Need for soil test There are two thoughts on this. Some gardeners leave well alone until something goes wrong. Others test every part of the garden with complicated gadgets that will tell them everything about the soil content. The happy-go-lucky gardeners are run­ning a risk. All plants have basic needs and require a decent...
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Selecting Plants for Acidic soil A great many plants thrive in acidic soil, headed by the rhododendrons, azaleas and callunas. These come in a wide range of shapes and colours, and in sizes to suit the smallest garden. Gaultheria, pernet-tya, kalmia and pieris are other shrubs that are happiest in acid conditions. Some experts...
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Propagating Clematis from cuttings Propagating some clematis from cuttings is easy, but others can be very difficult. First, the easy ones, which comprise most of the true species like Clematis montana, C. viticella and C. tangutica. The best way is to take semi-ripe shoots around late July or the beginning of August. Take sections...
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Different types of clematis need different treatment for pruning. All the types fall into one of three groups. An easy way to remember is Group A should be pruned after flowering, Group B should be pruned before flowering and Group C needs major cut back. Group One or Group A This group comprises the...
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Surprisingly, you can plant some of the more tender shrubs against a north wall. North would seem to spell cold, because the north wind really does give rise to some of the coldest winter days. But. in fact, most frost damage to plants arises through over-rapid thawing of frozen tissues in early spring, and...
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Only the hardiest plants can survive on east facing wall because an east-facing wall really is a stern test of any plant’s durability. An east wall catches the first warmth of the winter sun, so any plant you put there risks being damaged by rapid thawing after frost and it bears the full brunt...
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