The Plant Performance

Problem-The plants are slow to flower

Long before you decide that a plant simply wiil not bloom for you, you might describe as being slow to flower. For example, you may have purchased a bare-root plant a mail-order supplier. According to the information you can find from in books and on the Internet, you expect it to come into flower in the second or, at the least, the third year. But t doesn't. You probably bought the plant because you liked the flower or explore the possible causes for the delay in blooming. The solutions below and in the other related problem areas may give you the clue you need to speed up things.

Solution 1 Use Epsom salts

When perennial plants are slow to bloom it is often because magnesium is deficient. Fortunately, there is a fast, inexpensive, and easy way to supply this element. Use Epsom salts, the same kind you'd use to ease your aching feet in a footbath.

Make a liquid root drench by dissolving 28g (oz) of Epsom salts in a cup of boiling water and stirring thoroughly. When the mixture is cool, add enough water to make 3.7 litres (1 gallon) of solution. Use this mixture to water the plant. Repeat in a month if the plant still hasn't flowered, but after that, wait until the following year and begin the treatment early in the season.

Use boiling water and stir well to thoroughly dissolve the Epsom salts. Add more boiling water if you don't succeed the first time.

Solution 2 Increase light levels

Shade slows growth and flowering in many plants. The obvious remedy — to get rid of the shade — is usually easier said than done. You can sometimes remove an unattractive tree or prune others (see page 48), but these solutions aren't always practicable, desirable, or, if the tree is in someone else's yard, possible.

The solution in these cases is to move the plant. If the sun can't come to it, it must go to the sun. Choose the new spot carefully; look at it at all times of day and during the entire growing season. If it's sunny in spring but shady in summer, for example, moving the plant to that spot may not be effective. Once you know that you have found the right place, move the plant in the spring in the colder areas and in the autumn in warmer places.

If the plant seems too large to move, try a nurseryman's trick. With a sharp spade, slice into the soil all around the plant. Begin in the spring if possible, and repeat this action every month thereafter. By the following spring or fall, the plant will have formed enough fibrous roots within the spaded circle so that it can withstand the move.

Solution 3 Increase temperatures

A warm-weather plant may be too cool to flower well. If this is the case, there are several possible remedies.

Begin by increasing soil temperatures. Lay a black plastic mulch over the entire root area, making certain that it doesn't cover the plant's crown. Hold it in place with ground staples — homemade or store-bought — because you can't cover the plastic a light-reflecting mulch.

Next, increase air temperatures around the plant. If possible, set up stakes around it and wrap a piece of construction-grade polyethylene around the stakes. Tape the polyethylene in place, leaving the top of the structure open so that plants don't die from roasting. Once the plant is in bloom, you can remove the plastic altogether if the weather is warmer, or, if not, cut some slits into the sides of the polyethylene to vent it

The Lawn Problem Solver For Gardener's

Lawn problem

solution - Reseed your lawn

If you decide that your lawn is going brown because the grasses in it are inappropriate to your climate, you can either lay new turf or reseed the area. Both techniques require that you kill the existing grasses as a first step, and correct the soil with fertilizers, topsoil and compost. Laying turf is relatively straightforward; you lay it down as you set bricks in a wall, so that the seam lines are not adjacent to each other. Reseeding is a more practical option in many cases because the choice of grasses is larger, the time commitment less and the cost lower. Follow the illustrations on this page to reseed your lawn.

1 After removing the turf layer from the area you want to reseed, spread compost, topsoil, and other necessary additives over it.

2 Work the compost and additives into the top few centimeters (inches) of the soil with a rake or by using a rotivator at a shallow setting.

3 Calculate the recommended amount of seed to use over the area, weigh it out and scatter it by hand, as evenly as possible.            

4 Rake shallowly to barely cover the light-loving              seed. If it's hot and/or dry, lightly cover with straw to keep in moisture.

5 Water immediately, to a depth of 8-cm (3-inches), as well as every evening after that until the grass is well-established.

The lawn goes brown

Solution - Fertilize carefully

Far too many people fertilize their lawns too often. In addition to simply wasting time, money, and fertilizer — because as much as half of it will wash away without affecting the grass at all — excess nutrients can also lead to insect pests and diseases.

The type of fertilizer you use is just as important as the quantity. Bagged soluble fertilizers that you are likely to find at the garden centre are especially prone to being leached out of the soil. Other problems are common, too.

The soil is likely to become compacted because the nutrients are at the surface, and roots don't need to grow down into the soil to find them. This mean that growing roots won't aerate the soil and that the grass will be more susceptible to moisture-stress because the roots will all be near the soil surface where it is dry.

Fertilizers such as compost, liquid seaweed, and fish emulsion act differently in that a portion of them isn't immediately available • to plants. Instead, soil micro-organisms and animals have to break them down and transform them into forms that plants can use. This doesn't happen with bagged soluble fertilizers, so many beneficial micro-organisms die because they have no food. Troublesome micro-organisms such as those that cause various grass diseases can take over the niches left behind by the beneficial organisms, too.

Time fertilizing according to your climate. In cooler areas, add compost in the late summer or early autumn. If the lawn is quite weak, repeat this in the early spring. In warmer climates, the best time to feed a lawn is early spring. You can repeat this in late summer, but don't feed in the autumn.

This simple tool allows you to fertilize a large area quickly. Once you learn how to tilt it, you can also be precise in your application.

Solution - Water wisely

Grasses are healthiest when they receive just enough, but not too much, water. So before you water, use the finger test. Stick a finger down into the soil about 8cm (3 inches). The bulk of the roots are growing at or above this depth. Wait to water until the soil is no longer moist.

If your lawn is disease-free, water in the evening. But move to a morning watering schedule if any diseases, particularly those caused by fungi, are present. When you water thoroughly. Keep the sprinkler going until the top 8cm (3 inches) of soil are moist. Set out a rain gauge where the sprinkler water will fall into it, and use this to check that the grasses are getting at least 2.5cm (1 inch) of water a week, whether from rain or irrigation. When conditions are quite warm and rains have lasted for only a short time, you may need to increase watering quantities to keep the top. 8cm (3 inches) of soil moist.

Remember to sprinkle early in the morning, before the sun is high, if your grass shows any disease. Otherwise, ifs fine to sprinkle in the evening.

The Soil Problem Solver For Gardener's

Problem

AIkaline Soil

INDICATOR PLANTS FOR ALKALINE SOILS

Some plants that grow well in cooler, wetter areas of the country prefer alkaline conditions, too. The following plants fall into this category. Remember that they can grow well on a range of soils, so don't assume that your soil is alkaline just because it hosts Queen Anne's lace and chickweed. Test to be certain.

Chenopodium bonus-henricus (good King Henry, goosefoot)

 Cichorium intybus (chicory)

Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass)

Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace, wild carrot)

Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge)

Filipendula ulmatia (meadowsweet)

Ste//aria media (chickweed)

RIGHT Chenopodium bonus-henricus (good King Henry) BELOW Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet)

Solution - Water for a quick fix

If you have a plant that is suffering from alkaline conditions in mid- to late season, you can give it a quick fix when you water. Simply replace one watering a week with common white vinegar, which contains 5 percent acetic acid. Remember to apply enough to penetrate the soil, down to the area where the roots are actively growing and taking in moisture and nutrients. Monitor the soil with a home test to be sure you aren't making it too acid, and stop when the pH reaches a level between 6.8 and 6.5.

Vinegar is fairly inexpensive when you are making pickles, but if you have more than a plant or two that needs this treatment, it could prove expensive. Check with your local pharmacist and explain what you plan to do. He or she may be able to give you a 10 percent solution at a much lower price. Dilute it by half to make it 5 percent acetic acid; percentages higher than this can injure plant roots and disrupt soil life.

The Pleasures of Gardening

problem

The garden is shady

 solution 1 Grow flowering plants

If your shade is dappled from shadows cast by deciduous trees, you can plant a colorful spring garden of sun-loving plants. The earliest bulbs, such as snowdrops, crocus, early daffodils and bluebells, all grow well under almost any deciduous tree. Bulbs that bloom in mid-spring, such as many daffodils, corydalis, and windflowers (Anemone Handal grow best under trees that come into leaf late. Early-blooming perennials, such as astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii), American columbine (Aquilegia canadensis),

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and primroses (Primula spp.), will also thrive under trees that come into leaf late in the spring. Many of these spring-flowering plants become lovely focal points later in the season thanks to their foliag. You will find that spring flowers, such as bluebells, daffodils and crocus, grow well under the cover of almost any deciduous tree.

solution 2 Prune nearby trees

If low-hanging tree branches are casting shade on your garden, the answer is to carry out some careful pruning.

In late winter or very early spring, remove the bottom branches from the offending trees. If you cut just beyond the collar it ensures that the wound will heal quickly. Remove only a few branches from each tree, taking care that the growth is balanced around the trunk and that you leave enough branches to keep it healthy.

You may want to hire a professional for this job with greater expertise and the tools required.

1 Remove any small and spindly branches growing from the main trunk, using a sharp pair of pruning shears. Take care not to damage the bark on the tree trunk.

2 Remove the bulk of any large branches using a bow saw. Cut the branch from underneath, 8-15cm (3-6) inches from the point where it joins the tree trunk.

3 Next, saw from above, 8cm (3 inches) farther from the trunk. As you saw, the branch will split to the first cut without tearing the uncut branch.

solution 3 Brighten dark areas with whites and pastels

Dark corners can seem to disappear, making the garden seem smaller than it is. If you want to brighten them up and make them a part of the visual landscape, you'll have to create some illusions with colorful plants.

White and pastel flowers, as well as plants with grey leaves, can make these areas more prominent. Choose a tall background plant, such as foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) or kirengeshoma (Kirengeshoma palmata) for a site with damp soil and fairy lanterns (Disporum flavum) for a dry one. Using the Shade-Loving Plants lists, opposite, as well as other resources, fill in the area with a selection of white and pale-blooming plants that will brighten it up.

White and creamy yellow flowers and foliage brighten dark corners that may be overshadowed by trees.

The Gardener's Problem Solver

Problem
The garden is too large

Solution 1. Add Mulch

 Mulches are one of the best ways to decrease the time you spend on weeding, but they also have the benefit of adding a great deal to your garden's appearance. The right mulch can make an ordinary planting look dramatic and will almost always make beds and borders look tidy and well cared for.

In beds and borders, mulches are almost mandatory unless, of course, you can• hire an army of gardeners to pluck every weed that takes root. You can choose from a wide range of mulches, from oatstraw for berry bushes to smooth, blue pea stone for a formal entryway. The trick is to match the mulch to the application and lay it down so that it stays in place and doesn't require more topping off than is absolutely necessary.

Straw mulches look good only in hardworking vegetable, herb, small fruit, or cutting gardens. They are not appropriate in ornamental borders and beds, unless you're dressing the plants for winter, when straw makes an ideal mulch for plants such as roses because it insulates while still allowing air movement around the plant's crown, lowering the chances of crown rot and other fungal infections.

Bark chips, cedar mulch or cocoa shells, on the other hand, can look good almost anywhere, so use them between enclosed raised beds in a vegetable garden, in a perennial border or around trees and shrubs. To get the most from a loose mulch like chips or shells, enclose it with an edging strip that extends a couple of centimeters (inches) above the mulch. Use brick on end for a handsome look, but if this is impractical simply install the plastic edging strips you can find in any hardware store.

Whenever you are mulching long-lived perennial plants, use a layer of fabric under the mulch. If possible, lay this down before you plant. Cut Xs into it to dig your planting holes, transplant, and cover the cloth with another mulching material. If you are mulching established plants, piece the landscape cloth around each plant and add the second mulch as usual. See page 54 for a list of common mulch materials.

EASY-CARE PLANTS

If you have got a large yard to maintain, the last thing you need is a collection of picky, difficult plants that require a great deal of care. Instead, grow plants that don't ask as much from you. Remember that all plants, even those we call low maintenance, require a little care. Ask neighbours and nursery people for recommendations of plants that thrive with little care in your area and use the list below to get some ideas.

All The Basics About Gardening

Houseplants for Medium Light

MOST ROOMS HAVE an area of medium light, out of direct sunlight but not in shade. It is usually a few metres from-a window, or closer if you have sheer curtains or blinds. All the plants here tolerate medium light, but will benefit from a short spell in full light.

PAINTED DROP TONGUE

Aglaonemas, noted for their subtle leaf patterns, include this bushy form with large, dark green foliage splashed grey- green. A fine specimen houseplant.

DRACAENA

Masses of dark green leaves top the stems of these robust plants, making them look like shaving brushes. Cut mature plants back hard in spring to promote regrowth.

DRACAENA Dracaena cincta 'Bicolor'

This is one of several variegated forms of Dracaena cincta, with cream-edged leaves. Perfect for a semi-shady corner or hallway, or as an architectural feature plant.

EYELASH BEGONIA

An eye-catching houseplant that forms a compact mound of shield-like, lime-green leaves, marked and edged bronze, each with a curious fringe of "eyelash". hairs.

Post-Planting Care Of Plants

Houseplants with Winter or Spring Flowers

WINTER NEED NOT deprive you of the pleasure of flowers. Although it can be a dull season in the garden, many different houseplants will bloom at this time, including some of the most spectacular plants for the home, and some trusted favourites. Mass-produced plants forced on to flower need special care if they are to have a long life.

FLORISTS' CYCLAMEN

The gracefully swept back flowers of these hybrids rise above firm, beautifully marbled, silver and green leaves. Hybrids come in many colors and enjoy cool conditions.

CAPE HEATH

A dwarf shrub from South Africa, with tiny, rich cerise flowers. Repot after it has flowered. It will not survive the winter if planted outside in cooler climates.

POINSETTIA

Strongly associated with winter, these Mexican plants are always popular. Redbracted varieties are commonly seen; this compact white form is a welcome change.

HYACINTH

Use several in a pot or bowl to display the dense heads of richly fragrant pink flowers. Other hybrids are available. After flowering, plant out in a warm spot.