By Zo Nicholas
Rhododendron
Rhododendron shrubs or trees are quite common in English gardens adding a big splash of colour with their large clusters of flowers. There are over 1000 species of rhododendron recognised worldwide.
Rhododendron flowers
Many years ago a friend gave me a cutting of a pink Rhododendron that I eventually repotted into a container and have had flowering in my garden ever since. I really have no idea which species it is. It has stayed as a small evergreen shrub and usually flowers around spring/early summer time with a big show of beautiful pink clusters of waxy looking flowers. An enormous bouquet!
For some unknown reason, this year my Rhododendron has decided to bloom in mid-October with not too many flowers, nor so big as normal but nevertheless it blooms. A wonderful splash of colour in the autumn.
I certainly don’t find this splash of colour a problem, however I am interested to hear if anyone else has had this expeience with it blooming out of season. Will this unseasonal bloom affect the flowers in the spring?
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End of Season
Once again I have come to the end of the season of selling the surplus freesia bulbs.
Even with the recession I have still managed to sell them all without having to reduce the price considerably. I only hope this will carry through with the same results when I start selling the freesia flowers but maybe freesias in flower will be considered a luxury item rather than buying the bulbs and having your own garden display
Now that spring is here, those in the horticultural/nursery trade have gardeners roaming their store aisles, purchasing new plants for their gardens. It is the nursery owner’s job to make sure that their tables are always well stocked with a variety of plants that appeal to home gardeners. In addition, there are always special events such as home and garden shows and plant sales that require a large inventory of young plants.
This is when you will want to give serious consideration to using an aeroponic cloner to help you produce new plants quickly. Aeroponic cloning is the fast way to produce sturdy young plants easily. An aeroponics cloner is also useful when you are using hydroponic kits, which need new plants frequently. An aeroponics cloner uses the same mechanisms for aeroponic gardening in order to get plant cuttings to take root.
The cuttings are held suspended in air, and a misting system is used that sprays the bottom of the cuttings with a fine spray of rooting hormone. Because conditions are very clean and completely suited to rooting cuttings, you can expect your cuttings to show good roots in as little as five to ten days. After this, the young plants can be grown on in an aeroponics gardening system, or transferred to hydroponic kits, where the plants will grow in a growing medium, or they can be potted up in soil in individual four-inch or one-gallon sized pots for retail sales. You can find an aeroponic cloner in several different sizes. A quality aeroponics cloner will come with a tray that will hold anywhere from 45, 70 or 165 cuttings, so you can select the size that will best meet your needs. A busy gardening center with a great deal of turnaround on plant sales will likely want one of the larger sizes of aeroponics cloner in order to keep up with demand for young plants. An aeroponic cloner will come with several different components. You can expect to see some type of submersible pump and microjets in the system. A reservoir tank will also usually be included, as will some sort of clear cover for the top of the aeroponic cloning tray. You will use your aeroponics cloner with some type of rooting solution, as well as a water treatment solution to keep the water clear and fresh. By using aeroponic cloning together with hydroponic kits, you will see rapid growth in your cuttings, strong and healthy root systems forming quickly, giving you quality plants to grow on hydroponically or to sell at market.
From years of indoor and hydroponic gardening, Susan Slobac has developed an in-depth knowledge of aeroponic cloning.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/start-dozens-of-new-plants-quickly-with-an-aeroponic-cloner-902055.html
Hostas are the most popular of all perennials, and with good reason. Growing hostas is easy, and they provide fabulous, foolproof foliage that thrives in either sun or shade.
Hostas have been grown in the US since the 1800s, but they’re native to Japan, China, and Korea. Horticulturalists have developed a mindboggling array of varieties – there are actually more than 2,000 types of hostas – so there are bound to be varieties that suit the needs of just about every gardener.
The most common hosta varieties range from 18″ to 28″ high, and depending on the variety they may reach widths up to two or three feet.
Though all hostas flower during the summer months, they’re grown for their lush and lovely foliage. The many hosta cultivars provide an amazing selection of foliage types; hosta leaves may be broad or narrow, spade-shaped or pointed, solid colored or variegated. The color can range from pale ivory to gold, all shades of green, and even a distinct waxy bluish hue.
One of the reasons hostas are so popular is that they’re exceptionally flexible about light and climate requirements. They’re hearty in just about all zones; anywhere that isn’t either absolutely frigid or downright sub-tropical will suit them just fine.
Sun or shade – when it comes to growing hostas, either will do!
Almost all hostas thrive in partial sun, but many varieties do equally well in shady locations.
Generally speaking, the lighter and brighter the leaves, the more the hosta will appreciate sun. Yellow or gold-leaved varieties need at least a few hours of sun a day. In deep shade they won’t develop their brightest coloring.
Hostas with green or blue-green leaves are a better choice for deep shade, and variegated varieties that combine green with yellow or white appreciate both partial sun and light shade.
The amount of sun hostas get also determines how profusely they flower. The more sun the plant gets, the more flowers it produces.
A great feature of growing hostas is that just about the only light condition that’s a problem is direct sunlight – and even that’s fine in limited amounts. But too much direct sun will literally scorch the leaves.
Interested in fabulous, foolproof foliage for just about any spot in your garden? Find out more about growing hostas – watering and growing hostas – propagation.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/growing-hostas-in-sun-or-shade-901594.html
