Blog for Designs 4 Gardens and Janina Baker in Luton

Rules for selecting pots for house and garden plants

January 24, 2021/in Blog /by admin

Currently on the market you will find a very wide range of pots for indoor plants and for the garden. There you can find traditional plastic, unglazed and glazed ceramic, metal, concrete and wooden pots, which are available in various capacities and shapes. When choosing the right decorative pots, you need to know what you will grow in them and what conditions will be the best for the plants. This is important due to the fact that not every pot will work outside, and not every one at home. In addition, remember that each pot must have enough space for the roots of the plants we plant to grow in the future. We assume that the volume of the substrate in the pot or in the box must be twice as large as the root ball of the plant.

Small pots for small plants

Usually, when we buy a new, young plant, it is in a small pot. Tiny leaves and a small root system do not need more than a few dozen grams of good soil. Over time, it is necessary to gradually transplant into a slightly larger pot, then again and again. Plants are not replanted every season (spring) and when they show that they lack space in the container. How do you know it? Depending on the plant – the roots can come out of the ground upwards or through the bottom holes; plastic pots can distort when pushed from the inside; the plant may also produce many small leaves that will die, or the flowers will not stick because they will not be fed.

Large pots for large plants

It can be said that there are two guiding principles from which, of course, there are exceptions. The larger the plant, the larger the pot it should have. The larger the root ball, the larger the container it should be. A large pot ensures stability for the plant growing to the sides. This is a place to dig in supports and ladders so that it can climb. The soil and the minerals it contains are food. Also the place of feeding nutrients and fertilizers. Plants that are several years old, very large and with an extensive root system, will need large containers.

Pots with drainage

An important issue in growing plants in pots is to ensure drainage of water. A moment of inattention is enough for too much liquid to fall from the watering can, which could expose the roots to rotting. Therefore, it is important that the water should drain away. You can use flower pots for the living room with holes and a saucer, but they are not always practical. It is difficult, for example, to move a flower with a stand full of water, and if the plant stands on the floor, the plate can become a drinker for the dog, which may endanger his health, especially when you use fertilizers. Another solution is to put expanded clay or stones on the bottom of the pot to ensure drainage. This is a good way to keep the roots from rotting, but the water at the bottom will remain constant, lose freshness, and be a place for microorganisms and even vermin to grow. Despite everything, we recommend it, but you should also be careful when watering. There are also pots with irrigation systems, which are great for indoor plants. Apart from the fact that they provide the roots with access to water, they also accommodate it in the event of overflow. You can find such products at the manufacturer Lechuza and Aira. You can also grow plants in ordinary plastic containers, and decorative pots can be treated as casings in which any excess water is collected.

For balcony or terrace plants, a good option is to choose a pot with water drainage outside. Such a modification can be selected e.g. for models from the Longerino, Volcano, Asti and other lines. Thanks to the drainage hose, the water does not stand in the pot. This is a very useful function not only when we overflow the plant, but also during heavy or prolonged rains. The soil will dry freely without exposing the plant to rot.

Summary

Choosing a pot is especially important if it will be part of a larger display. Then it is necessary not only to select a single pot for a specific plant, but also to match other pots and plants in the entire arrangement of the composition. In this case, it is worth avoiding pots in contrasting colors, as they will distract from our greenery. You can use containers of the same color to get a harmonious group and emphasize the mood of a given place in the room. It is also worth considering whether the containers and plants will look good both in a larger combination, as well as separately. The pot offer is so varied and interesting that sometimes we first notice a wonderful pot, and only then we choose a plant for it. Finding a balance between the elegance of the pot and its usefulness is the key to success.

Perennials that are easy to grow

January 11, 2021/in Blog /by admin

Are you looking for a beautiful but not very labor-intensive garden? We suggest a solution! In the article below, we present popular perennials that you can safely say that grow on their own. They have great decorative value and practically no requirements when it comes to beauty treatments. By planting blooming perennials in the garden, we can enjoy their beauty every year, without the need to dig up and store. There are a large number of flower species that endure our winters without any problem. Among them we can find many beautiful varieties with wonderful flowers.

Garden daylilies

One of the most beautiful flowers are garden daylilies. They bloom for a very long time during the summer. Their flowers appear on the stem growing out of a clump of leaves. One day lily flower lasts only one day, however they bloom one after another. From one large clump, several stems with flower buds grow. They grow very well both in a sunny place and in a slightly shaded place. The soil for them can be average, with a slightly acidic pH.

Echinacea

Echinacea flowers, shaped like baskets, appear in mid-summer and grow until autumn. Depending on the variety, they can be from half a meter to even one and a half high. Echinacea can be of various colors, from white to green through yellow to pink or carmine. They grow well in average soil, preferably in a sunny position.

Peonies

Peonies, or other peonies, are very effective flowering plants. They grow for many years in one place, and their flowers appear in May and June, depending on the position in which they grow and their varieties. The most common peonies are those with pink flowers. Dark red and white ones also look very decorative. There are also some rare varieties with yellow petals. Some varieties of peony with red outer petals have yellow tinged inner petals. Peonies grow without any problems in moderately fertile and well-drained soil. They look nice against a dark green background made of other plants. They bloom well both in a sunny and slightly shaded position.

Lavenders and sage

Lavender and sage have similar soil requirements. They grow very well in dry and sunny places, on soil rich in calcium. They require a place sheltered from frost as they can freeze during severe winters. It is also worth covering them with leaves, fallen from trees in autumn or fir twigs. They are perfect for creating rebates and borders around paths in a sunny place.

Hellebores

Hellebores are another interesting perennial flowers that winter well in our climate. They usually bloom in early spring, at the very beginning of the growing season. Usually it is around March and sometimes in April. Hellebores are the first flowers to appear alongside snowdrops and crocuses in the garden. It grows well in fertile, well-drained soil.

Phloxes

Beautiful phlox flowers are eye-catching wherever we plant them in the garden. Not only are they eye-catching in the flowerbed, they are also suitable for bottles as cut flowers. They can be planted in average soil. They bloom profusely, growing in a sunny place, because there will be much less flowers in the shade. Winged phloxes are suitable for turfing surfaces with other plants. They look good on rockeries or around paths. On the other hand, paniculate phloxes are tall, about one meter. The flowers have panicles at the end of the stem.

Where to plant flowers in the garden

For perennials with spectacular flowers, it is worth preparing a suitable place in our garden. One of the most important is to make a suitable background from green deciduous plants – tall perennials or shrubs. Peonies or paniculate phloxes will then look even more decorative. When arranging a garden with the intention of spending time relaxing there, without having to care for the whole thing for most of your free time, it is worth choosing effective but undemanding plants. Perennials are one of them – as perennial plants, they can grow in one place for a long time, and in addition, we do not have to store them in winter. It is enough to cover them with fir or leaves from trees. We should also make sure that the shrubs and trees selected for the garden are resistant and undemanding.

Things to get done in your garden this winter

December 17, 2020/in Blog /by admin

In winter, garden plants doze under a snow blanket – they are at rest. Accordingly, there is little work in the garden. However, from time to time we should check how the plants winter, improve their covers and scoop up excess snow from them.

Remove excess snow

Systematically shovel excess snow from columnar conifers. The abundant snow cover can turn into ice – it can break off branches and deform shrubs. An additional protection against permanent plant damage is tying their branches. It will be more difficult for them to bend under heavy, wet snow. In addition, regularly check the condition of winter protection of plants sensitive to frost, whether they have slipped due to strong wind or snow.

In the event of very severe frosts, it is worth covering the plants with an additional layer of straw, tunic or agrotextile for this time. In severe winters, hungry hares and even deer can visit the gardens located in the vicinity of the forest or fields and gnaw the plants. If our fence is not a tight barrier against these animals, it is worth protecting the trunks of young trees.

When clearing snow from garden surfaces, limit to mechanical methods. It is best to do it with a special snow shovel or shovel, for larger number of paths you can use a mechanical snow thrower. Avoid using chemicals for this purpose, such as de-icing salt for roads, because this, along with melting snow, penetrates the soil, destroying its structure and disrupting biodiversity. Plants in saline soil have difficulties with uptake of water, grow less, have less growth and bloom less profusely, are also more susceptible to diseases and pathogens, and in extreme cases even dry up. In addition, salt may cause discoloration or other damage to the material from which the pavement is made.

The lawn in winter: what to do and what not to do?

During frosts, try not to trample it, not to compact the ground and snow, and not to crush the frozen stalks, because after the thaw they will rot and die, creating empty spots on the grassland. If snow falls, it does not have to be removed from the lawn, because the blades winter well under the duvet cover, which protects them from the cold. On the other hand, snow cannot be stored on the turf, because the hard and heavy ice crust (just like trampling) causes disease.

The condition in which the lawn survives this period depends primarily on the prior maintenance in season and before winter. A healthy turf, properly fertilized, shortly trimmed, growing on a fertile and, above all, permeable ground, will withstand the hardships of the winter months. The first care treatments (rolling and scarifying – i.e. renovation) will be possible only in early spring.

Take care of potted plants – wintering houseplants

A short day for most plants (garden and potted) is a signal to go into dormancy. Nobody is surprised by the garden snoozing under a blanket of snow. Few people know that most potted plants go into a dormant period during the winter. The winter dormancy of plants begins at the end of October and lasts until March. During this time, the life processes of plants are slowed down, they usually do not grow or grow very slowly, so they do not need as much water and nutrients as in the period of intensive growth. Nevertheless, they cannot be forgotten!

The conditions in which houseplants in the apartment overwinter are far from those in nature. Insufficient amount of light, low air humidity, high temperature and improper watering – all this means that overwintering houseplants often die during the winter.

Remember about birds

In winter, and especially in cold and snowy seasons, it is difficult for birds to find enough food. Let’s help them survive the winter. However, in order not to do more harm than good, let’s get acquainted with the basic principles of proper and responsible feeding of birds. Always pour out the food in the same place, because the birds quickly get used to the places where they find food. It is best to feed the birds in a feeder positioned so that it is difficult to access by predators (mainly cats). The covered feeder will also protect food and feasting birds from snow or rain. Do you feed the birds consistently and regularly? If you started doing it in autumn, you should definitely continue feeding until the birds can easily find food on their own (usually until the end of April or the beginning of May).