Japanese spiraeas tend to form round or sometimes oblong mounds, which are not completely tidy. If left unsheared, they can expand up to metre tall and wide, therefore I suggest – be ruthless and shear them back on a regular basis. As a result their foliage will be brighter, while flowers will be larger. I [...]
May is brimming with warm weather, sun and the promise of summer. It is also the time when nasty blankets of green filamentous algae appear on ponds. The mere sight of these algae drives into desperation owners of water features, and especially of the smaller kind. The green algae are not all bad – they [...]
Cool and rainy weather chased me inside.So I decided to take up this opportunity to remind you of a very important task before it is too late. About this time of a year, most pines would have already produced long new shoots, often referred to as candles, which are smooth and soft. This is a [...]
Over the years, even a well-maintained lawn produces thatch. It is made of undecomposed grass stems, blades, roots and rhizomes, which collect between the green vegetative part of the lawn and the soil. Several factors make for a faster build-up of thatch – heavy, compacted soil, inadequate soil preparation prior to seeding, excess of undecayed organic [...]
Heathers are native to the Baltic countries, Scotland, Germany, Poland, Russia and Belarus, where they can be found growing in pine forests, dry birch woods or wastelands. They grow a mere 1.5-2 cm a year, and live for 30 years. Garden forms of heathers are faster-growing, so leave enough space for their expansion when planting [...]
Wax begonias (Begonia semperflorens Link et Otto) arrived to Berlin botanical garden from Brazil in 1821. They were propagated from seed and cultivated in parterre borders. They endeared themselves to the gardeners with their non-stop flowering. In warmer climates they truly are ever-flowering. The first pink wax begonia was selected by the German gardener Russel [...]
These are annual or perennial herbaceous plants. Their leaves are arranged in rosettes. The flower heads of species daisies are 1-2 cm in diameter, while those of the cultivars are 3-8 cm wide. They flower in April and May, but if lawn is regularly mown (which prevents plants from blooming in due time) the flowering [...]
There is nothing else more beautiful than May in Lithuania, when warm and wet weather finally arrives and all the plants sprout just in one night. Mother nature press a magic button, and all the greenery starts to change it`s garment into the eyes. It`s the time when I always keep something in my hands [...]
Spring is the perfect time to divide and plant herbaceous perennials. After 2-5 years clumps of most perennials become overcrowded and their vigour deteriorates. As a result plants produce fewer flowers, and loose some of their ornamental value. As a general rule, spring is the best time to divide and plant summer- and autumn-flowering plants (starting with mid-June), and ornamental grasses (miscanthus, reed grass, feather grass).
Thuja and yew hedges. The rejuvenation method, as described above, is not suitable for conifers, since they have very few dormant buds. Thujas and yews are an exception, since they respond well to sever cutting back. Old plants should be reduced by half, and lateral branches should be shortened by half or a third, so as to shape the hedge into a sloping form. Dead branches should be removed. The best time to rejuvenate conifers is summer, from the beginning of June to midsummer. You could also prune in the second half of summer to early winter, however, this period is less favorable. The rejuvenated plants should be looked after, fertilized, and watered in a prolonged dry spell.
