Leaf Hoppers

Mature foliage takes on a mottled appearance - masses of white spots. Turning a leaf over reveals fairly large fast moving , slim, greenish white flies.
The damage is very unsightly and the rose can lose vigour.
Spray bushes with systemic insecticide during April, early May and mid June

An Introduction To Lilies

Lilies have the reputation for being difficult to grow. They, in general are amongst the easiest of bulbous plants provided you give them the conditions they enjoy.
Left alone they will multiply and provide better displays of flamboyant with each passing year.

Roses For The Small Garden Or Container.

There are many suitable dwarf and patio roses that grow to about 2 feet tall and remain compact their entire life.
Some of the best are:
Lili Marlene - crimson.
Princess of Wales - white.
Sweet Dream - apricot.
Bright Smile - yellow.
Marlena - scarlet.
Queen mother - pale pink.
Regensburg - Pink and white , handpainted type.
Sweet Magic - peach.
Trumpeter- vermillion.
Piccolo- orange/red.

Give Bulbs A Chill

Before you try to force bulbs for indoor gardening, be sure to give them a chill. A refrigerator works great for this!

When To Prune: Frost Free Areas.

In the warmer southern regions of the United States, where harsh frosts are rare, Fall pruning is the norm. This gives the roses a rest, mimicking what occurs naturally in the north.

Will They Grow In Pots?

The smaller growing English Roses look perfect in larger patio pots. Use a container at least 2 ft wide and deep for best results.

Climbers That Refuse to Climb.

Climbing plants often take a couple of years to establish, seemingly not growing very much.
Providing they don´t go short of water in Summer,the plants will go into climbing mode from the second or third season.
Your patience will be rewarded!

How To treat rose Rust disease.

If only a few leaves are infected, pick them off and as a precaution spray with a systemic fungicide.
If the disease is already advanced when you discover it, spray the bushes fortnightly until the symptoms subside.Make sure you remove and if possible burn any fallen leaves as they are a possible source of infection.

Making Cut Flowers Last Longer

If you take your fresh cut flowers out of the vase they are in every couple days, replace the water with fresh water and then trim the bottom of the flower stems at an angle, it will extend their life.

Ornamental Grasses: An Introduction.

To many people, ornamental grass means one thing: Pampas grass. Beautiful as they are, the Pampas grasses are only a small part of the grass family which are useful in the garden.
There are many excellent forms of grass/ sedge/ rushes, which add form, texture, movement and contrast to the garden.
In this section, I aim to describe all that is great and new in the wonderful ornamental grass world and perhaps suggest some uses for them that you may not have thought of

Plants For The Front Of The Herbaceous Border: A-B.

Achillea ptarmatica "The Pearl": Beautiful, white buttons. 2 ft tall, mid-late summer
Alchemilla mollis: Beautiful foliage and lime green flowers . 18"Tall , mid-late summer
Anthemis "EC Buxton": Lemon daisies on ferny , grey foliage. 18"Tall, mid-late summer
Aquilegia alpina: Pretty, blue columbine. 18"Tall early-mid summer.
Aster "Jenny": Red blooms. 1 ft tall, autumn.
Aster sedifolius "Nanus": Blue flowers. 1 ft tall, autumn
Astrantia major "Rubra": Red blooms. 2 ft tall, mid-late summer
Brunnera macrophylla: blue Forget-me-not flowers.18"Tall spring-mid summer.

English Roses: An Introduction.

English roses are a relatively new type of shrub rose.The main breeder of this class of rose is David Austin who´s name is now synonymouswith English roses
English Roses are the result of cross breeding old fashioned Rose types ,such as Teas, noisettes and chinas amongst others,with modern floribunda and hybrid tea roses.
The resulting hybrids combine the wonderful shapes and perfumes of the old fashioned roses with the vigour, health and repeat flowering qualities of the modern roses.
Many old types were once flowering in mid summer, the English roses flower in flushes from June till the frosts.

Ideal Conditions for Lilies.

Moist, but free draining, slightly acidic soil is best. A sunny position , with shade at the roots suits them and this can be provided by planting them beneath low growing shrubs

When To Plant : Rockery/Species Tulips

The small flowered botanical or species types such as Tulipa tarda, Tulipa batalini, Tulipa marjoletti and Tulipa acuminata should be planted during September/ October. Their small bulbs deteriorate quickly in high store temperatures.

Choosing Container Grown Climbers.

Container grown climbers come in a range of sizes from 3"pots to large large specimen plants, complete with their own short piece of trellis.
Which should you choose? It is generally true that small plants establish better, so 1 litre sized pots, (5" diameter), are the best buys.
An exeption would be Wisteria, where it pays to buy a larger sized plant in bloom.

Climbing Roses In The Herbaceous Border. (1) The Support.

If your border is backing onto a wall or fence, climbing roses add a further dimension and scent to a herbaceous border by planting some climbing Roses.
Attach some fencing wire to the wall, horizontally with vine eyes. The wires should be parallel to each other with 18 inch spaces.

Florist: The Old-Time Meaning.

The present day understanding of the word "Florist," refers to anyone who sells or arranges flowers for a living.
The old horticultural definition for florist was of someone who devoted themself to the cultivation of a particular type of flower to exacting show standards.
The florist´s passion in life was to grow perfect examples of the type of plant he specialised in.

Dark Colored Perennials

For those of you who prefer to plant perennials you have some great choices for dark colored plants. They are:
Aquilegia (several varieties), Geranium phaeum (several varieties), Hellebores (again, several choices), Penstemon ´Midnight,´ Primula and Viola (a huge selection.
Many of these plants come in plain black or the flower may have another color in it, either way, they are easy to care for and will come back year after year.