The Universe 6th May 2016

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u • GARDEN 02 FRIDAY 06.05.16 Baskets of beauty You can buy hanging baskets pretty cheaply these days from garden centres, but the choice of colour and plant is often limited, so it’s much more satisfying to do it yourself. Wire baskets are among the most popular, which you can either line with sphagnum moss, coconut fibre or other eco-friendly made-to-fit material with ready-made holes at the sides so you can plant into the side of the basket as well as out of the top of it. I usually add a smaller circle of black polythene to the inner base of the liner to reduce water seepage. But there are also many pretty closed-sided baskets on the market which are easier to plant as you only have to put plants in the top, and easier to water, but you can’t achieve the all-round effect you can with an open-sided basket. Best of the bunch – Tulips u garden By Hannah Stephenson For me, the biggest bugbear about hanging baskets is the watering, but you can now buy compost which is specially formulated for containers, incorporating water-retaining agents and feed. If you can’t find that and are just using annuals in your basket, go for multi-purpose compost, adding water-retaining granules to the liner before the compost, and slow-release plant food pellets. There are tulips for every setting, from delicate species and dwarf varieties to frilly parrots and majestic Darwin, triumph and lily-flowered types, plain, striped, flamed, single and double. They can be used in many ways – in a mixed border, in a bedding scheme adding uniformity in height and colour, or in rockeries or containers. In mixed borders, you can plant them alongside other plants that will cover the bare ground before the tulips emerge and after they die down. Violas, polyanthus, double daisies and wallflowers are among their most common companions. For dramatic effect plant single varieties of the same colour in pots, avoiding the types with weak stems and heavy flowers with a tendency to flop. Using multi-purpose compost, plant bulbs close together with at least three to four times the depth of the bulb covering them, but leaving enough space for the flowers to open. Good container types include T. ‘Queen of Night’, with silky purple-black flowers and ‘World’s Favourite’, with glowing orange-red blooms, edged with gold. If you are planting a longer-lasting basket with more permanent plants such as hostas and heucheras, or evergreens including skimmias and variegated ivies, use John Innes No 2 compost. For open-sided baskets, place the basket on top of a bucket, which will allow easy access from all sides. Insert the liner and press it into position. Have your compost in a bucket, so you can add your pre-soaked water-retaining crystals to it, as well as slow-release fertiliser granules, and mix thoroughly. If you want to plant through the sides of the basket and the holes in the liner aren’t pre-cut, make cuts in the liner for each plant using a knife. Add enough compost to the basket to level off below the side holes, then plant your plants through the holes, either from the outside, compressing the roots so they will go through the holes, or from the inside, carefully feeding the shoots through the hole. Build up another layer of compost, firming those first plants as you go, and continue planting. Trailing plants such as lobelia, verbena and bacopa should be Good enough to eat – Chinese cabbage You can sow all types of oriental greens now to harvest in the summer, but Chinese cabbage takes some beating if harvested young, when the leaves are smaller and tender. Chinese cabbages are either tall and cylindrical or barrel-shaped, and the latter are more suited to our UK climate. They have a mild flavour and crunchy texture and can be used instead of iceberg lettuce. Sow small amounts at two or three-week intervals for a continuous crop and water them regularly to keep the growth strong. Chinese cabbage will bolt if transplanted from a seedbed, so sow them directly into their final resting places and thin them out later. They need spacing of 30-38cm each way to produce heads and should be planted in soil which has had plenty of compost added before planting. You should be able to start harvesting from August. Chinese cabbage isn’t very frost-hardy, so cover later sowings with cloches or garden fleece. Good varieties include ‘Kasumi’ and ‘Early Jade Pagoda’.
FRIDAY 06.05.16 planted around the sides and at the edge of the top of the basket, while upright plants should be placed in the centre. While historically hanging baskets have incorporated a riot of different colours and plant varieties, more recently, people have gone for single varieties. Perhaps that’s because they tend to be lower maintenance as the same plants will have the same needs in terms of watering and feeding. If you are planting cherry tomatoes such as ‘Hundreds and Thousands’ or ‘Tumbler’ in a hanging basket, waterretaining granules will not be sufficient and you’ll need to water the basket twice a day in summer and feed regularly with tomato plant food. ‘‘ For me, the biggest bugbear about hanging baskets is the watering, but you can now buy compost which is specially formulated for containers, incorporating water-retaining agents and feed. Don’t want to be a slave to the watering can? Go for drought-tolerant plants such as pelargoniums, helichrysum, osteospermum and diascia. Of course, additional greenery such as ivy will rarely let you down. And remember that if you are planting your baskets up now, most of the annuals you use won’t be frost hardy, so make sure you bring them under a porch or under cover in the evening until all chance of frost has passed. What to do this week 1. Sow fast-maturing and late-flowering annuals directly into their flowering position 2. Move overwintered hardy annuals to their final flowering position 3. Water and feed plants in the greenhouse regularly 4. If you haven’t yet done so, cover calabrese and cauliflowers with fleece or fine mesh to keep the pests out 5. Feed seedlings and young plants which are growing poorly or have pale, yellowing foliage 6. Take leaf cuttings from plants with thick, fleshy leaves including African violets, sedum and hoya 7. Remove blanket weed from the pond to let oxygen in 8. Sow tender crops under cover including climbing French and runner beans, courgettes and sweetcorn Dotted around rooms, houseplants are pretty to look at and add colour and charm – but their credentials don’t end there. They’re also known for a host of wellbeing-boosting benefits, and having them in your home could enhance your mood and physical health. For one thing, they are terrific anti-pollutants, absorbing nasty chemicals such as formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen found in cleaning products, toilet paper, facial tissues and paper towels. Indoor air pollution can also be emitted from furnishings, upholstery and synthetic building materials as well as pollen, bacteria, and moulds. And that’s not all. Here are eight ways houseplants can help bolster wellbeing... They assist our breathing Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, making u • GARDEN/HEALTH 03 Blooming wonderful! 1 plants and people great partners. Plants help to increase oxygen levels, and our bodies appreciate that. 2 uHealth By Hannah Stephenson They clean the air NASA notes that “plants improve the quality of indoor air”. Ivy, geraniums, lavender and many ferns are good at absorbing formaldehyde, aloe vera not only cleans the air, but the gel inside helps relieve burns and cuts, and the spider plant battles benzene, commonly found in glue, paint and detergent, as well as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. 3 They help deter illness Using plants indoors decreases the incidence of dry skin, colds, sore throats and dry coughs, studies at the Agricultural University of Norway found. Plants can also help to reduce headaches because they help eliminate stuffy air; homes with many indoor plants can even help reduce high blood pressure. 4 They boost healing Why do we take plants and flowers to people in hospital? Because they make them feel good. Studies have shown that looking after plants can actually increase your healing time. Texas A&M University tasked patients with taking care of plants, and those who physically interacted with plants experienced a significantly reduced recovery time after medical procedures. 5 They improve your memory Studies show that working in the presence of plants improves your concentration, productivity and memory. Being “under the influence of plants” can increase memory retention up to 20 per cent, according to research by the University of Michigan. 6 They increase workplace satisfaction A recent ‘Green versus Lean’ report, conducted by Exeter and Cardiff universities, revealed that introducing plants into the office lifts workplace satisfaction by up to 40 per cent. 7 They make you feel needed Having plants to love and nurture gives us something to take care of, which can enrich our lives. If you buy a flowering plant that currently has no buds on it, you can make a goal of giving it care and attention with fertiliser and water so that it can grow flowers. 8 They make you happier Workers with greenery on their desks rate themselves more cheerful and productive, researchers have found.
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The Universe 6th May 2016

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