Green Fingers: African daisies at home in some areas
African Daisies or Osteospermums are very popular, flowering continuously from early summer right until the frosts.
Gardening is a moveable feast and depending on your specific interests, there will be times when it will need your full attention. If you are into vegetable growing then you cannot leave your crops unattended for too long during the growing season so holidays are out of the question during late spring until the autumn. If, on the other hand, you have a relatively trouble-free garden with a mixture of trees, shrubs and a lawn, then you will not have travel or movement restrictions.
People who are into gardening simply do not head off on holidays when there is so much to enjoy in the garden. They just work around it by having holidays out of season, such as from October until the following spring, but of course there is always room to take a few days off to enjoy a garden show during the growing season.
Gardening can be as simple, difficult or confusing as you want but if you take a relaxed attitude to this hobby, you will not have any great problems.
There are some plant groups which contain those that are just annuals and last the one summer, while others of the same name are hardy perennials, which continue growing for years. You might think why grow annuals when you can obtain long-lasting plants but it happens that annuals flower profusely all summer, whereas perennials are more subdued and flower for a shorter period of time and, therefore, both are needed in many planting schemes.
There are a group of plants called
The varieties are fantastic and come in a huge range of colours and shades, and are suitable for tubs, containers, window boxes or in the ground.
There is a second group with the same name and they are much hardier and are considered perennials when planted in coastal counties where they are useful as evergreen ground covering plants. They come in three main varieties, such as ‘Juncium Compactum’ (pink),’ Lady Leitrim’ (pink and white) and ‘Tresco Purple’.
There are many examples of these plants on the roundabouts in Tramore, the cliff road and along the coast to Dungarvan. There is another ground covering plant in the same area with pink flowers and a yellow centre called Erigeron ‘Sea Breeze’.
While the season for sowing wild flowers can be carried out for several months, the prime time for rapid germination is from April until the end of June. Outside these months it may take much longer to establish but many wildflower seeds can remain viable for years and will germinate when conditions are suitable so surprises can occur years after they are sown, such as the red poppies and cowslips whose seed can be over 50 years old.
A typical wildflower mix should contain up to 45 different varieties. It is best to scatter it on bare ground and rake it in.
Water can be limited and, therefore, should be used wisely. The best time to water plants is in the evening. Watering regularly with a small amount is the best method, whereas pouring large amounts at a time will simply mean that the surplus will run away.
If you have any queries or comments you are welcome to share them with me on 051-384273 or orchardstowngardencentre@hotmail.com and if of general interest I will include them in a future article.
