Pick sweet peas when the spikes have four blooms fully opened as the buds will not continue to open in water.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
To prolong the vase life pick flowers in the morning or evening when it's cool. Pinch the stems off the plant with your thumbnail and first finger then plunge immediately in water.
Plant seedlings of snow pea 'bikini' in a sunny position.
These delicious peas produce masses of sweet, flat, crisp 10cm-long pods ideal for salads and stir fries. Pick pods regularly.
PLANT WITH BITE
A most amazing carnivorous plant is Sarracenia flava. Inside the pitcher is a receptacle of digestive fluid that breaks down any prey that may have fallen into the trap.
The juices are absorbed by the plant.
However, in spring it produces a very dramatic large yellow flower to attract pollinating insects that deposit any pollen they are carrying on the stigmas as they enter.
Upon leaving they lift a petal thereby becoming dusted with the plant's pollen.
Ideal for bog gardens or pots that can be watered from beneath.
Poultry manure is one of the most valuable organic manures ...
AMAZING AZALEAS
Mollis azaleas are deciduous, medium, upright shrubs with bold, funnel-shaped flowers in yellow through to red in late spring and summer.
They love a shaded spot in well-drained, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil and look stunning when trained into standards and placed in pots around the garden.
CONTAINED BEAUTY
Schizanthus are compact plants growing to about 40cms high with delicate fern-like foliage and clusters of small, curiously marked flowers resembling orchids in shades of violet, yellow, pink, orange, salmon, apricot, blue, gold and white.
These little gems do well when their roots are restricted so are at home in containers. Provide shelter from the midday sun.
POWER OF POO
Poultry manure is one of the most valuable organic manures available for the garden provided it is applied after it has been well composted.
It has a fairly high calcium content so don't use around lime-sensitive plants such as azaleas, heaths, rhododendrons and camellias but it can be applied around most garden plants including roses, annuals and perennials.
Composted poultry manure is very useful in the vegetable garden because it contains nitrogen and phosphoric acid but as it is low in potash, a supplementary dressing of this should be applied.