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. Island Life - www.islandlife.tv life 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. 75