November 14th, 2022Glen, about the house
First steps for success
My wise old grandfather once told this doting young six-year-old that he would
rather put a sixpenny plant into a ten-shilling hole than a ten-shilling plant into a
sixpenny hole.
Obviously the ideal would be to put the ten-shilling plant into a ten shilling hole, but his message was clear.
No matter how vigorous and healthy your plants may be when you buy them,
their ultimate success depends on the quality and condition of the soil into which
they are to be planted.
Good soil
It’s an all too common belief to assume that as long as the plant is strong and
growing healthily, it will thrive in any soil with the aid of plenty of water and an
application of a heavy dose of fertiliser. There is much more to it than that. We would
be lucky to be blessed with naturally perfect soil, in whatever climate or area we live.
Good garden soil should be of a texture that will hold plants securely in place,
release plant foods slowly over a long period and retain moisture like a sponge, while
at the same time allowing any surplus water to drain away.
In most beds and borders, soil can be improved by adding fertiliser and humus,
but if it’s very poor – such as almost pure sand or very heavy clay – it could be best to
dig it out to about a spade’s depth and replace it, either with good imported loam,
or your own mixture of one third sand, one third of the clay loam, and a third of
well-rotted compost, plus some complete fertiliser applied in accordance with the
recommendations on the package.
Drainage and enriching the soil
With the physical character of the soil now improved, it should retain moisture
well, yet provide good drainage of any surplus water. Few plants thrive in soggy soil.
The roots of all plants require air as well as moisture, for without it they can soon
perish, no matter how rich the soil.
In addition to good drainage, plants need an adequate food supply, mainly
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash.
Homes & Gardens 21
Any ‘complete’ fertiliser should contain all three, plus very small quantities of
such elements as boron and iron – mere traces of which are required for healthy plant
growth.
If the soil in your garden beds, or to be used in containers, has been physically
improved by the addition of humus (compost), little additions of any further plant
food should be needed for the rest of the season.
Dear Glen,
Our two-year-old box hedge has started to take off with the spring rains and we are
not too sure about pruning requirements. Hoping for some guidance as to when we should
prune it for the first time and how low we should take the growth down.
Thanks, Lindsay & Nick
Hi Lindsay & Nick,
You’ve struck paydirt with your new hedge, partly because it’s so healthy, but
mainly because you’ve caught it early enough to avoid the bane of all hedge owners
woody, straggly, skeletal structures.
The answer is simple and it starts with you. Trim little, trim often – never let it get
away on you or you will need several years of heavy-duty trimming to get it back into
shape.
So start out right now, take back all of those already bare and woody branches to
level them with everything else. I’ve highlighted with the star the most obvious one in
your photo, above.
Then merely trim the tips of each shoot back to the first branching out on each
stem each time and do your best to keep them even. And you’re on your way.
Happy hedging, Glen.
Got a gardening question? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com
