Home Improvement Tips

Layering is a safe, sure, simple way to increase many types of plants, and particularly the climbers and danglers with which this book is concerned. The first requirement is that the plant have long, lax or drooping stems – which vining plants do. The rest is easy, because the stem is not severed from the parent until the new plant is well rooted and can survive on its own. Humidifying devices, bottom heat, and close protection are seldom called for.

Garden plants layer readily, sometimes even spontaneously. And layering is equally easy for indoor or greenhouse vines. A wandering stem or runner is simply pinned down on the soil in a nearby pot, and severed when it is securely rooted.

Ground layering in the garden takes place at the base of the parent plant. Loosen and lighten a small section of soil, and mix in some peat or other humus to help hold moisture. Select a firm, semiwoody stem, and open the thick skin in one of several ways to speed up rooting. The stem can be nicked underneath with a sharp knife, or split and held open by a small piece of toothpick or match, or simply twisted just enough to break the outside skin and separate a few of the inside tissues. Some plants insist on rooting at or near a node, others don’t care where. And some softer stems don’t even need to be nicked.

Now, bend down the long branch and bury the portion to be rooted in the prepared soil, leaving the tip section of the branch sticking up. Anchor it with a stone, clothespin, or crossed sticks. When the buried stem is well rooted, cut the old branch between new and parent plant, and transplant or pot the offspring.

Simple ground-layering can be modified or embroidered so that more than one plant is produced from each operation. In serpentine layering the stems are covered with soil at intervals, with sections of the stem looping up in the air between. Multiple, or continuous, layering works on plants and vines that root readily all along the stem or branch. The entire stem is buried, except for the tip, and new plants that come up at intervals are cut apart and transplanted.

Air layering is a procedure for thick, upright, canelike stems. The stem is nicked or opened near a node or not, depending on the plant; and that section of the stem is enclosed in a ball of moist sphagnum moss. This is held in place by a firm bandage of polyethylene, a plastic that permits passage of air but holds in moisture, tied to the stem at each end of the ball with soft cord. Check occasionally to make sure the sphagnum has not dried out. When you see roots inside the plastic, cut off the stem just below that point and pot up the new plant, its root ball intact in the moss.

Thomas Fryd shares his years of plant growing experience providing tips, advice and helpful resources on topics like brugmansia angel trumpet. Get to know www.plant-care.com stand out from the crowd in the world of lawn, garden landscaping, vines and house plants.

If you have a greenhouse in which you can give cymbidiums cool nights and bright light, you should surely try a plant or two, for they are very handsome orchids. The plants have rounded pseudobulbs about the size of a fist, which bear eight to twelve long, slender leaves. The roots are fleshy and stay within the compost. They are variously called semi-terrestrial and semi-epiphytic. The flower spike arises from the base of the pseudobulb, within the axil of one of the lower leaves, and grows two to three feet tall (sometimes more). It appears in the fall, and the flowers open from December through April, depending on the habit of the particular plant.

The flowers are waxy, three to five inches in diameter, in colors ranging from white through shades of yellow, green, brown, pink, and various subtle combinations of these. They keep for several weeks on the plant, and almost as long when cut. Unlike cattleyas, the flowers will open after the spike has been cut. If a spike is cut when the lower blooms arc open and put in water, it can be enjoyed for a long time while the other buds open in turn.

Cymbidiums can be grown in bark, osmunda fiber and other orchid growing media to which sometimes is added some well-rotted cow manure, or in a fibrous compost that allows free aeration. They must be kept well watered at all times, and they benefit from frequent syringing of the foliage in warm, bright weather. The syringing helps to keep under control their chief enemy, red spider. They are known as “heavy feeders” and should have a weekly application of chemical fertilizer during their growing season.

Shading has to be adjusted to the season and local conditions. During the summer, although they demand good light, the hot summer days allow the heat to build up too much in the greenhouse. Shading must be applied to the glass, but not so heavily as to deprive them of good light. It must be combined with free ventilation and a fan to keep the air circulating. The ventilators can be left open day and night. Some growers move the plants out of the greenhouse for the summer, either into a lath house or under tall trees. Although cymbidiums can take an occasional frost without apparent damage, it is wise to move them back into the greenhouse before frost is expected.

As cooler days come on, increase the amount of light gradually like in path lighting. As winter arrives, and flowering begins, shading will have to be adjusted to the locality. In cold climates, where the sun does not build up the heat in the greenhouse so much, less shading is necessary. In warmer climates, as on the West Coast, the flowers will have to be protected from the warm sun. Areas with more or less dull winters will allow cymbidiums to have clear glass.

New growth starts in late winter or early spring in some kinds, or in late summer in others. Growths that start early should produce spikes that autumn, but those that start in the summer will not flower until the following year. In the latter types you will see vegetative growths coming shortly before spikes start from the same pseudo-bulbs.

Cymbidium hybrids are superior to the species and are more easily obtained.

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Each garden tells a story – It is necessary to think simply and very directly and naturally in order to arrive at such a truly naive result as is sought and intended in Japanese gardening. It is necessary to think in terms of meaning as well as in terms of appearance or looks.

What is the garden going to mean; what definite Nature story is it going to tell? That of a mighty river, or of a great mountain, or of a wide-reaching plain? The story of love and lovers, or of war and warriors, or of mothers and children? The story of joy or sadness, of spiritual glories and triumphs, of temple bells and peace? Or the story of energy and ceaseless activity and conflict?

Some theme, which the gardener must decide upon, is to be expressed with all the art imaginable, in a Japanese garden. And, once the decision is made, there must be no discordant or warring elements. Everything that finds a place in the garden, each plant and shrine, and all that goes to make up the whole, must be selected and placed for the part it is to play in carrying out this supreme idea.

Nothing may be left to chance, nor is there space or place for a solitary knick-knack picked up in auction room, oriental shop, or in Japan itself – unless this object fits in with the meaning of the whole, unless it makes a definite contribution to the telling of the story that is being unfolded.

An austere and rigorous formula this, viewed in contrast with the casual gardening of western people. But there is no other concept in Japan. Such gardens as have been developed here and there in imitation of Japanese creations present merely a surface likeness to the true thing (and a very imperfect one at that). Being wholly objective and imitative in concept, they lack entirely the qualities which distinguish the humblest true Japanese garden and set it apart from all others. Most of them have japanese stewartia tree.

It is hardly possible to sum up these qualities in a single phrase, but remembering that the Japanese people are largely of the Buddhist philosophy, there is clearly discernible the underlying principle of a mystical consciousness of Life embodied in an Idea – in this instance the Idea of the Garden – coupled with a mystical confidence in all lesser life to express the greater. If men think in these terms, men must set them forth in what they do – especially in making gardens. For every man’s faith – or lack of faith – is inevitably set forth in the garden that he makes.

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Scented geraniums are bothered by few pests. The most frequent troubles are red spider and white fly. Dipping or spraying with a malathion controls these in the greenhouse, natural insecticides are effective. A weekly spraying with cold water also controls red spider. The force should be hard enough to wash off the mites and webs, but not so hard as to damage the plant. Since red spider favors a warm, dry atmosphere, cool situations arc preferable for the plants. Care in introducing pest-free plants into the house in the first place is helpful.

Geraniums do best in cool temperatures, so should not be placed near a radiator or other source of heat. On the other hand, temperatures next to a cold window in winter are often considerably lower than room air. In this case, protect the plants by moving them away from the area close to the glass. Cold drafts are harmful and should be avoided.

Additional care consists in simply removing dead leaves, which are easily recognized when they become dry and crisp. In the spring, after all danger of frost is over, set plants directly into the outdoor garden where they will thrive. In late summer, cuttings taken and placed in vermiculite or cleansand and later potted when rooted will provide plants for the subsequent winter months.

Scented geraniums offer a wide choice of varieties, and for convenience are divided into six classes: lemon, mint, fruit, spice, rose and pungent.

Among those noted for rewarding fragrance is the distinctive lemon-scented geranium (Pelargonium crispum). Its many varieties differ only in small details and all are good. The leaves are small, curled and crisp green, not unlike parsley to the touch.

In sharp contrast is the peppermint-scented geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum). The large, shallowly-lobed leaves, very densely covered with fine, long, soft hairs, are a pleasure to stroke. The plant is very prostrate in habit.

The fruit-scented geraniums add to the list a wide variety of leaf odors. One of these is the apple geranium (Pelargonium odoratissimum), which, when lightly rubbed with the fingers, immediately releases the delicious aroma of a box of freshly-opened apples. Its light green leaves are scalloped with an exquisite, silky texture. A pleasing lime fragrance distinguishes the lime-scented geranium (Pelargonium nervosum), which has small, soft, firm leaves with sharp teeth.

Noteworthy among the spice-scented varieties is the nutmeg-scented (Pelargonium fragrans) and ginger-scented (Pelargonium torento).

The tiny cocoanut-scented geranium (Pelargonium parviflorum), has leaves which feel something like those of the lemon-scented. Actually, they are flatter and more delicate in texture. The plant grows low from a central crown and produces seeds which germinate easily.

Of wide fame is the rose geranium. Instead of a single variety, this is really a large number of varieties having rose-like perfume. Differing leaf shape, size and texture thus enables the collector to accumulate a number of “rose geraniums.” In the rose-scented group is Pelargonium denticulatum, which has finely-cut leaves, almost fern-like. They are best in the landscape together landscape grasses.

A similar situation exists among the so-called oak-leaf or pungent scented geraniums. Belonging to the Pelargonium quercifolium group, their leaves are deeply-lobed in varying degrees, besides being rough, hairy and distinctly sticky. The odor is pungent.

A desirable plant is the apricot-scented geranium (Pelargonium scabrum), which has smooth leaves, almost stiff in texture, with margins curled upward.

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For sure, one has already witnessed movies, television segments; read journals, magazines; seen photos and even a scenic view of gardens or even visited a flower farm. It remains a mystery on how the beauty of this creation unfolds to the minds of human beings. The exquisiteness of these plants produces an eccentric upshot to the environment most especially to plant and flower lovers or what we call horticulturists.

Autumn and late winters are the two main reasons for buying bulbs. Plants that should be planted in autumn are spring flowering bulbs and corms, such as daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses and tulips. On the other hand, in late winter summer flowering bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes of plants such as crinum, gladioli and begonias are on hand.

Most bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes have a rounded bottom or base from which the old roots grow, and these are sometimes still attached to the bulb. They may also have a pointed or tapering nose at the top, from which the first shoots emerge.

The general rule for planting is that the rounded base sits on the soil while the nose points upwards. The planting depth is normally determined by the size of the bulb, and the general rule is that a bulb should be planted at a depth of three times its own size.

Furthermore, for them it is the progression as well as the fallout that matters. The huge variety of annuals, perennials and bulbs that is available, and the many ways in which they can be grown, makes them more elated to doll up their own gardens. Refurbishing it from time to time is always on their thinking.

Plants create a positive effect in every individual. The joy and excitement it brings, the grandeur it conveys are just a few of its benefits to the gardener who takes care of it.

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Frost is in the air in the Middle and Upper South. This is the time to think seriously about planting the hundreds of different kinds of shrubs, trees and fruits, for after the middle of November these plants make their appearance in seed and garden center stores. Balled and burlapped plants are the first to be featured. Then the bare-rooted deciduous shrubs, trees and fruits follow in great quantities. Roses, too, are offered everywhere but don’t be in a hurry to plant them. There is still plenty of time. December and January are also good planting months.

Vegetable Gardening is at its lowest ebb in the Upper South where lettuce, cabbage, onion and lettuce seeds can be started in coldframes for transplanting to the garden later on. In the Middle South you can plant, in addition to the above, endive, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach, rape and onion sets directly into the garden. In the Lower South beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, Swiss chard, endive, kale, lettuce, onions, parsley, English peas, radishes, rape, rutabaga, spinach and turnips can still be planted.

Hotbeds are handy to have close by the kitchen door. Even a coldframe can be planted to radishes, green onions, parsley, carrots, beets and lettuce to be pulled from time to time for fresh green table vegetables through the winter.

Fruit Trees And Berry Bushes of all kinds will be ready for planting this month. If your garden space is small plant at least some, such as loganberry, blackberry, raspberry or boysenberry, you can also learn some small front yard landscaping ideas. If you have more room, include peach, pear, apple, plum, apricot, nectarine and fig trees. Grapes, too, should be included in the fruit garden.

Bulbs of all kinds can still be planted in the Middle and Upper South. Although they can be planted even into December the best selection of varieties is liable to be gone by that time. In the Upper South, plant paper white narcissus, Soleil d’Or and Chinese Sacred lilies in pebbles and water. Use freesias, Dutch and Roman hyacinths to force in pots.

Refrigerated tulips and hyacinths can be planted in the garden after Thanksgiving in the Lower South. The weather must be cold enough to prevent the plants from coming up before they have a chance to develop a good root system. If warm, wait until December. The average date for the first frost in the Jacksonville, Florida area is November 24.

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The support you give a vine to climb on may serve, first, a cultural function. But there’s no reason why it can’t be attractive too, no reason why we can’t deviate from the familiar trellis, particularly when the deviation looks more natural and displays the plant to better advantage.

Gnarled, twisted, sinuous driftwood creates a design of its own; and its vine is an accessory in the composition, kept pruned and trained so the wood is enhanced, not covered completely. In built-in planters and room dividers, trellis effects and screens usually have design value; their vines are controlled and kept subordinate in interest.

A support should be selected according to a vine’s method of climbing. Twining tendrils and stems need something slim to curl themselves around. You can make a trellis of any size or shape with plant stakes, dowel pins, coarse screen wire, or hardware cloth fastened to a wooden or wire frame. Or stick bamboo stakes into the pot at intervals around the edge, tie the tops together tepee-style, and attach an embroidery hoop midway between top and pot to create a bowed or balloon shape the vine will cover in time. Or shape heavy wire into a cage or ball.

For tendril climbers inside a window frame, try any number of tricks – criss-crossed dowel pins; wire or cord strung through hooks or screw eyes in any desired pattern. If possible, set the support an inch or so out from the frame, so the tendrils can curl around without your help.

Vines that climb by aerial roots or suction-cup appendages will often climb a smooth wall. A rough or porous finish, of course, makes it easier. For supports to be anchored in the pot, try a piece of tree branch or trunk, complete with bark; split pieces of unbarked cedar trunk; slabs of cork bark, cypress poles, or tree-fern fiber pressed into square totems. Keep these moist to encourage root penetration.

Or make your own totem pole. Cut a piece of fine chicken wire of the desired height, but an inch or so wider than the finished circumference. Lay it flat, and cover it with a thick layer of moist sphagnum moss or osmunda fiber. Add a sprinkling of crushed or broken charcoal to absorb impurities and keep the moist moss from going sour. Wrap this tightly around a stake or pole (which can extend at one end, to be stuck into the pot) and tie the wire together up and down its length. The more firmly the moss is packed and rolled, the easier it will be to keep it moist.

For automatic watering using an automatic plant watering system, sink a small clay pot (the drainage hole stopped up with a piece of cork or florists’ clay) in the top of the totem. Water poured into the pot will seep out slowly through the porous clay and moisten the moss. A weak solution of soluble fertilizer occasionally will even feed the plant through its aerial roots.

Any upright, in-the-pot supports are best installed when the vines are planted. They are less tipsy when they extend all the way to the bottom of the pot, and when the soil is packed firmly around them. Large or heavy supports need the weight of a large pot as a firm base. When the vine is first planted, tie it to its support with soft string or covered wire, and retie if necessary until it begins to ascend on its own.

Keith Markensen frequently contributes to http://www.plant-care.com. Ready to roll back the confusion automatic plant watering system.

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My gardening activities are interesting, I suppose, not only because I have grown some prize-winning chrysanthemums but also because I pack them by the hundreds in a small plot of ground and do it in my spare time. I am a motorcycle patrolman and many people don’t expect a police officer to be so fascinated with growing hardy chrysanthemums and are surprised when they hear of such goings on.

From the days I worked on my father’s farm in Georgia, I have been keen on growing things but so many years intervened before I could get my fingers in dirt again that when I finally got my own backyard, my zeal was unbounded, perhaps excessive. Very soon my own place became too small to contain all the plants I wanted to grow.

They say where there’s a will, there’s a way. A half block from my house was a corner lot, 50 by 100 feet, vacant full of stones and weeds. I got the owner’s permission to use it and planted some shrubs and all of my mums there and added to them.

The neighbors liked the mass of color. It became “their” Corner Garden and they protect it with watchful eyes. Some parents have thought it wise to instill awe of me in their children to keep them from becoming frisky with the flowers. But, when the kids ask, “Bob, are you really a policeman ?” I say, “Naw.”

My trust has not been unfounded. During the past five years few flowers have been destroyed or missed and, although the lot is not fenced in and is planted right up to white stakes set out to mark boundary lines, no one has really trespassed.

One day this spring, though, up trotted a little guy and rang my bell. He had dozens of labeled tags to sell. Upon examination they proved to be the very ones I had carefully named and placed next to newly planted varieties to identify them. What do you do with a five year-old who has a staggering sense of commerce like that?

This year the borrowed land contains 1,000 plants of 55 varieties of chrysanthemums alone and with some bromeliads. For the first few months, it is really hard to care for bromeliads and chrysanthemums. I also consider shows to be the best places to exchange experiences with other growers and to make lasting friendships with people who like your favorite flower as well as you do.

I have shown my mums nearby, and my preparations have not been elaborate. I’ve simply cut blooms, plunged their stems in deep containers and placed them in a cool, shaded spot to drink up all the water they could overnight. Then, I’ve taken them to the show right in the same containers or packed them, with a lot of tissue paper, in cartons.

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October brings a change in the air and things to do outdoors in the landscape or garden. Here are a few quick reminders that will payoff when the Spring shows up.

Continue to Plant Evergreens

Transplant evergreens in deep, rich soil, mixing peat moss, well-rotted manure or compost to retain moisture and encourage strong root growth. Select upright yews for accent in the foundation planting and box-leaf holly or Japanese pieris for foliage contrast. Viburnums, azaleas and rhododendrons are excellent subjects under oaks and high branching trees.

Fall Planting of Roses

Plant roses in well prepared soil that is rich in organic matter. If they cannot be planted immediately upon arrival, heel in a foot deep trench by placing them at a 45 angle and working soil around roots before covering them completely. If plants come too late and cannot be planted, they may be kept in a trench all winter. Cut back rose canes to 12-15 inches and for winter protection, mound earth 7-8 inches around the stems just before the ground freezes.

Consider the Lawn

Continue mowing lawn 1 1/2 inches to two inches high as long as it grows. Rake leaves and put on compost pile, otherwise they will mat and harbor diseases. Dig out weeds like crab-grass, plaintain and dandelions and re-seed bare spots. During dry periods, water newly sown lawns so that the roots will become well established before cold weather.

Caring for Trees

Guy newly planted trees or foxtail palm and brace or cable those with weak crotches and limbs to prevent winter injury from snow and winter winds. Near the first branches, stretch and tightly fasten guy wires to stakes, four to five feet from the tree trunk, and drive firmly into the ground. Guy wires should remain tightly fastened to newly planted trees during the first two years to allow trees to become fully established.

Plants for Fall Color

Visit gardens and public parks to study plants with very brilliant autumn coloring. Trees that turn a brilliant red are the black tupelo or nyssa, red maple, oxydendrum or sourwood, red oak and sweet gum or liquidambar. Gingko, yellow-wood, birches and tulip tree all take on a lustrous yellow. For contrast against a gray or white wall, use the rock spray or spreading cotoneasters, with long-lasting bright red berries.

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Can orchids be raised in the average home? Yes, if one wants to grow them badly enough and will be content with those which will thrive and bloom under home conditions.

There are a number of lovely types which reward those who care enough about orchids to study and meet their chief needs: light, water, nutrition, humidity and temperature. Here in the United States, most orchids are aliens in a strange and climatically hostile land, but they respond gratefully to efforts to make them feel at home.

Beyond question, orchids grow best in greenhouses. This fact has barred many people from enjoying this fascinating hobby, since they may have neither the means nor the space for a greenhouse. What can be done then? Some success can be had by placing orchid plants in sunny windows and staging them over trays of moist gravel. Though much success has been claimed for this method, I have found results over a period of two or three years most disappointing both in lack of blooms and in a gradual deterioration of most plants. However, the majority of plants can be placed in sunny windows over gravel trays during their blooming period where they can be enjoyed by neighbors as well.

Without a doubt, greenhouse culture gives best results. Since few can have large greenhouses, the answer is to construct little greenhouses – or Wardian cases (forerunner to the modern terrarium) – which can be placed in suitable windows, facing preferably south or east. The plural is used advisedly because once bitten by the orchid bug, no one is ever satisfied with one Wardian case, provided more than one suitable window is available.

These cases are not expensive if they are homemade. They can be built as simply or as elaborately as individual taste dictates. I have six of different shapes and sizes, all built of windows purchased from a hardware store. The general idea is to make a rectangular box with a hinged door and a hinged top which help to regulate ventilation and humidity.

These can come is all sizes and shapes, but just considera wardian case being a big aquarium.

What orchids can the be raised to best advantage in Wardian cases? Here is where opinions differ. Everybody wants the big, showy, gorgeous cattleyas, the aristocrats of the orchid world. However, it is best to stop and think for a moment. Cattleyas are large plants that take up much of the limited space in a Wardian case. That is one difficulty. Furthermore they need more light for blooming than is available in the average home. Then again, for good blooming, they need lower night temperatures than prevail in the average home. If one must have cattleyas, start with very few and see how you fare. The species orchid, Cattleya mossiae, the Easter orchid, is a good one to try. It is forgiving, rewarding and has lovely blossoms. I have had success with the miniature Cattleya forbesi. It is modest in shape.

There are mature hybrids which respond to case culture, but they are expensive and should not be experimented with until this form of culture is mastered. For those who hope some day to construct greenhouses and want to begin building up a collection, cattleya seedlings, which can be purchased at modest prices from any orchid dealer, will grow well in Wardian cases.

One of the loveliest and easiest to raise in Wardian cases is the moth orchid, indoor orchid, or phalaenopsis. It is a superb bloomer if given moderate light, warmth, plenty of water and high humidity. The white ones are best as they produce often two if not three sets of blooms a year. The pinks are very beautiful, but are not so prolific.

Next to phalaenopsis, I recommend cypripediums, or lady slipper orchids, especially the warm growing ones which are readily recognized by their mottled leaves. At the head of the list I place my favorite, Cypripedium maudiae, for it generally blooms twice a year and makes itself readily at home in a Wardian case. It is somewhat expensive, but a healthy plant is worth it.

Another family of orchids which supplies some members responding to Wardian case culture is the oncidiums, or the dancing lady orchids. These are sprightly and fascinating spray orchids. Many types are too large and others put out spikes too long for case culture. However, the family is a large one and many types can be experimented with, producing fair results.

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