Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 75
GARDENING
Deadhead roses
Give roses a final deadheading
when the blooms have
faded and shorten tall stems
slightly to reduce wind rock.
However, leave those that
have developed hips for
some extra autumn colour.
Hardwood stem cuttings
Take stem cuttings of roses in
early September by pushing
cut stems straight into the
soil in a nursery area of the
garden, where they can be left
to root and develop for about
a year. Most types of rose can
be propagated from cuttings,
especially the rambling types.
Just take a length of stem,
removing the soft tip above a
leaf joint, and cut below a joint
at the base, removing all but
the top three leaves. Then push
the 30cm (12in) cutting into the
soil to about half its length.
Lilies
Buy lily bulbs as soon as you
find them for sale and plant
them straight away. Propagate
Asiatic lilies, such as Lilium
‘Angela North’, L. ‘Ariadne’
and L. ‘Enchantment’ by
picking the small bulbils from
their leaf joints and growing
them on. Plant them in trays
of compost and leave them
to develop into new plants.
Gladioli
Enjoy gladioli spikes in the
garden or cut them for displays
in the house. Spray plants
with a suitable insecticide if
thrips start to be a nuisance.
When flowering is over, the
corms can be lifted, cleaned,
labelled and stored carefully for
planting out again next spring.
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Dahlias
Give large dahlias an
extra feed during August
to promote strong, healthy
growth. Regularly tie them
to their supports to prevent
the stems from breaking in
the wind, deadhead garden
displays and cut blooms
to enjoy in the house.
Greenhouse
August
Shading
Make sure your plants are well
shaded on hot days to prevent
scorch. The easiest way to
do this is to apply netting or
shade paint to the outside of the
glass. Scorch is exacerbated
if leaves are wet, so take care
to water plants carefully.
Damping down
Damp down the greenhouse
floor every morning on hot days
to increase humidity. The plants
will love this and it also helps
to discourage red spider mite.
Tomatoes
Regularly pinch out any tomato
sideshoots and tie the leading
shoot to its support. Feed plants
weekly with a high-potash
tomato fertiliser, never letting
them go short of water.
September
Cuttings
Finish taking cuttings of
fuchsia, heliotrope, verbena,
coleus, argyranthemum
and other tender plants,
which can be overwintered
on frost-free windowsills.
Bulbs
Look out for indoor bulbs such
as lachenalia and veltheimia,
for autumn planting and
daffodils that are prepared for
early flowering at Christmas,
such as Narcissus ‘Fortune’,
N. ‘Cragford’, N.’Golden
Harvest’. Start watering dormant
cyclamen pot plants which
have been left to die down for
a rest. Freesia corms can also
be planted in pots now for early,
fragrant blooms next spring.
Kitchen garden
August
Harvesting crops
Regularly pick small and tender
courgettes, carefully cutting
Cucumbers
Pinch out the tips of sideshoots
to a couple of leaves
beyond any developing
fruits. Remember to pick
any cucumbers regularly,
as leaving old fruit on plants
delays further flowering.
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